September 2 - “It was a flop”

The storm was pretty much a flop, at least as far as our journey into Texas was concerned. No wind. Not even a drop of rain. We made it to Chris’ doc appointment with ease. 

This was her big three month check up with the surgeon. The hope was that she could at least start strength exercises with the physical therapist. Well, she got that word and more. He gave her a three month pass from seeing him. Strengthening is fine (under proper direction, of course). In fact, he’s a big fan of the Thera-bands as opposed to weights. So next phase … here we go!

Since we were already in Texas, we pulled out our list of stuff to do there. First stop was Mardel’s, where we get birthday cards. To our surprise, they are undergoing a massive restructuring project. The inventory they have is less than half of what they used to have. And among the missing items? Yep. All boxed cards. They have been on order for six plus weeks. So ... punt. At least for now. 

Next we stopped at Dick’s to look for some hiking pants for Chris. They had some, but they were really, really proud of them. So we took a walk all the way to the other end of the shopping center to REI. Didn’t find anything there. So it appeared we struck out.  But then … we passed a store that had been closed earlier. Duluth something or other. And as luck would have it, we found just what she was looking for. She tried them on, and we walked out with another checkmark on our Alaska trip list. 

On the way back to Galveston we ran into just a taste of a sprinkle from Tropical Storm Eduardo. We could see the clouds off in the distance, but as far as high winds and torrential rains? Nope. Totally missed us. Well, not totally. We did get an afternoon of very light, very slow, very steady drizzle. That’s a good thing. 

‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ says, His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

Father, thank you for the rain we did get today. Amen. 

September 1 - “Hurricane Trim Time”

Well, a Tropical Storm Warning was issued for Galveston County yesterday. At least part of Galveston County. Like, the Port Bolivar part. I guess because of coastal flooding. It should miss us head on, and since it is east of us, we should be on the less-dirty side of the storm. 

Meanwhile, I dragged out the loppers and went to work on the trees in the front yard. Hurricane trim time. Even if it misses us completely, the trees still needed a haircut. Almost as badly as I do. We got both sycamores and all three oleanders. And as I was about to shut it down, I glanced up at our neighbor’s porch. Hanging precariously by a slim sliver of tree bark was a pretty substantial branch. No way it would last through a storm of any magnitude. And if it did fall, our fence would be at risk. 

I walked up on their porch to get a closer look. Sure enough, things didn’t look good to my eagle-eye hurricane trim time senses. I casually reached up and gave it the slightest little tug. Just enough to gauge what force would be needed to get it down. Boom! That’s all it took. The whole massive branch came crashing down on my head. Fortunately, it missed our fence, other than a scrape on its way down. I hauled it to the street and got it chopped into smaller lengths for the trash guys. Hope the pile is still there when they come today. Hey! I just hope they come today, period. 

We had to make a quick Walmart run. Well, not necessarily quick. We just had a grocery list to check off. And yes. Bananas topped the page. Followed closely by Freddy food. Hey. We had to get stocked up for the horrendous storm barreling down upon us, didn’t we?  

‭‭Daniel‬ ‭12‬:‭3‬ says, Those who have insight will shine like the bright expanse of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

Father, watch over everyone in the path of this storm. Amen. 

August 31 - “Tiny little slider-burgers”

We welcomed back our pastor in church yesterday. He finished up his brief Sabbatical, a trip to Virginia to take Micah to school, and then a trip to Atlanta for a conference. Sometimes it’s good to have a return to the familiar. 

We had some guests for lunch. Kel and his whole crew came over. Kel grilled tiny little slider-burgers to go with the baked beans and mac-and-cheese. Good stuff. 

After lunch we adjourned to the TV. Double baseball Sunday. Astros were on one station. Little League World Series on another. Ezra didn’t want to go home. Gotta love it. 

The U.S. kids didn’t do so well. Curaçao soundly defeated them 11-2. The Astros did a little better. They won 6-3. Woohoo!

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭9‬ says, A person’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps.

Father, thanks for the great day and church and for our lunch with the kiddos. Amen. 

August 30 - “MIA”

Well, I started a new jigsaw puzzle yesterday morning. Finished it by lunchtime. Not that I’m that awesome or anything. It’s only 300 pieces. But Chris thought it was a pretty one. 

After said lunch we went on a hunt. Some more of the clothes we ordered for our Alaska came in. That reminded Chris that we wanted to take our water shoes with us for the hot springs portion of the trip. Hers were no problem. Right where she left them. Mine, however, were MIA. Couldn’t find them anywhere. Walmart time. 

We did, however, run across a random satchel, the contents of which neither of us could fathom. Imagine our surprise when we opened it to discover some winter hats, snow gloves, and long underwear. Yep. That might be helpful. 

We celebrated the find by walking a few miles. Yep. On our indoor course. It was kind of fun, too. Neither of us walked with a definitive plan, so we almost collided several times. At least we got the steps in … 

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭46‬:‭1‬ says, God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.

Father, be with Seaside today. Columbus, too. Amen. 

August 29 - “Death-in-a—jug jug”

Did anybody see the moon eclipse? We peeked at it around 9:30, right before we headed to bed. It had just gotten started. Only about a quarter covered. We slinked back inside, joking that we should set an alarm for about 11:30 so we could see more of it. Chris nixed that idea. 

Sadly, however, the proposition was made out loud. That meant my body heard it. Now, my body is not very good at picking up non-verbal (or sometimes very verbal) cues. It heard. 

So, at exactly 11:48 p.m., my beloved body … woke up. Wide awake. And the first thing that came to my mind? Eclipse, of course. Sigh. Why fight it. I crawled out of bed. Chris didn’t move. Freddy didn’t even follow me. I was on my own. 

I stopped by my desk to grab my glasses and made my way out the back door. Now, I know you are all expecting some exciting twist to my story. Well … I saw the eclipse. About 75-80 percent covered. Yay. And I went back to bed. Sorry. No twist. The eclipse was cool, though. I highly recommend it. 

We started the actual day on slightly different notes. Chris headed to the backyard to water some plants. I eventually followed … after I located the ant spray. Yep. I was going on an ant hunt. 

I made my way from the backyard to the front and every spot in between. I used my steely-eyed vision (assisted by my trusty sidekick glasses) to locate those telltale piles of dirt. And then I greeted the evil little critters with a squirt or three from my bug-death-in-a—jug jug. 

Mission accomplished, I was still fired up. That’s the closest I have come to operating a power tool in years (see a previous post concerning bush-trimming, where use of the anxious power hedge trimmer was nixed by the powers that be. Read here, Chris).  

Anyway, to work off some excess energy, I decided to hit the exercise trail. I did have to move my rocking chair a bit to the side first, but the track was ready. I was off. You know? Walking two miles in a figure eight around the interior of your house is … different. Same sights. Same sounds. I did take the opportunity to switch up the direction of my walk numerous times. That helped. It also helped when Chris came in an and struck up a conversation. But through it all, I made the goal. Two. Took me about 50 minutes, but I made it. Oh, and for the second mile, I added the weight-lifting exercise Chris’ therapist has her doing. Whew! Long morning. 

In the afternoon we became cheerleaders of sorts. We were cheering on the thunderstorm that was threatening. It made a lot of racket, and even eased in with the darkening skies. But in spite of all that promise, no rain. Nada. Zilch. I thought sure we would get some. After all, Chris did her part. She watered the grass …

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭8‬ says, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Father, thanks for you for the chance to witness firsthand amazing parts of your universe like the eclipse. Amen. 

August 28 - “CH Day”

Well, it was Thursday again. I know. Seems like it happens at least once a week. But this time we were back in home group mode after being on pause for Chris’ surgery and for our Virginia trip. We have a window here of several weeks before we leave for that really cold trip coming up in October. So we are back in the saddle agin fer a piece. 

But that also meant Thursday has become CH Day - Cleaning House Day. I was up kinda early, so I managed to get in the dusting and sweeping and cleaning one bathroom before Chris got up. I waited on the loud stuff (ie - vacuuming) until I saw the whites of her eyes. 

Of course there was still plenty to do once she was up. She added watering the back yard to the list. She also gave me an intensive tutorial on what it means to fully clean a bathroom. Gee. Did you know it’s more than just flushing the toilet and calling it a day? Who knew?

We also spent some time with old pictures. Basically, we just  verified that the photos still on the picture cards from the camera were also copied onto the computer. Just an extra layer of backup. All was good. 

We did run into a snag, though, when I tried to move pictures from my phone onto the computer. For some reason it just wasn’t happening. I finally determined that it was above my pay grade. Maybe another day …

So … last night we officially welcomed back our home group Bible study. Good to see you guys again (Especially good to know I have a Slug Life buddy. Me and you, Helen!). 

‭‭Colossians‬– ‭3‬:‭1‬ says, So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Father, thanks for the folks in our home group. Bless them. Amen. 

August 27 - “Traffic cop …”

Well, yesterday was Chris’ “Final”Physical Therapy appointment. Why the quotation marks, you ask?  Weellll …

See, she’s already scheduled for 10 more, pending the doctor’s orders and Medicare approval. She sees the surgeon again next week, so I guess it all rides on his approving of her moving on to strength building. Here’s the funny thing … assuming he OK’s the ongoing PT at the appointment on Tuesday, she has a PT appointment already scheduled for Wednesday. What’s so funny about that, you ask? The appointment is for 7:30. That’s 7:30 A. M.  Chris is not exactly thrilled. 

While all that excitement was happening inside the physical therapy suite, I was plodding through my walk routine. Two miles again. I figured up my path. I basically have a quarter mile indoor track, if I walk on every wood floor-looking surface. I am beginning to learn where all the offices are. Maybe I can get a job there someday, directing indoor traffic.  Hmm. Traffic cop …

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭37‬-‭39‬ says, He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. , This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Father, be with Chris as she anticipates this next doctor visit in particular. Amen.