July 15 - “Weather report”

I finally fell asleep about 4 a.m.  It took me a few hours, but I finally convinced Freddy to lie down on the floor next to me. It was the only place she felt safe from the evil storms raging outside. And the rains continued well into the next day. I woke up about 7, so I was already two hours behind in my morning routine. 

We canceled the fence work Nathan was going to do. Shoring it up won’t work if the ground is saturated with water. Besides, he had an appointment to do a sleep study at the hospital. 

Chris had her next PT appointment in the afternoon. Surprisingly, we made it home in time to see Spain score a penalty kick against France. And France could never recover. Final score Spain 2- France 0. World Cup action resumes this afternoon. 

Speaking of the weather, we were scheduled to go fishing with the kiddos this morning. Just off the bank in our favorite spot. However, the weather won this one. No fishing today. We’ll try again Friday. Not sure how good the catch would have been with all the fresh rain water, anyway

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬ says, Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and have dinner with him, and he with Me.

Father, thanks for the rain. Amen. 

July 14 - “Thumb shot”

I had the very early appointment yesterday. Had to be at the office by 8:30 a.m.  It was my three month arthritis in the thumbs steroid shots time. The shot  doesn’t hurt, and so far it has really helped with the pain. The long range plan is to keep the shots coming as long as they work. The only next step is surgery. Is a thumb replacement really a thing?

Our friends from Leander, Texas, Anne and Eric and Cedric (and their big dog Anya) came by for an hour or two. We talked out on the patio until a huge thunderstorm blew through. They stayed a while longer, but soon had to get back to the beach house they had rented to meet Anne’s mom. Always great to see old friends. 

And speaking of massive thunderstorms, we were all awakened around 1:30 a.m. to a chorus of sharp booms and rolling grumbles. Of course Freddy sensed it coming, so she was up in the recliner with Chris when the worst hit. I finally picked her up (Freddy, not Chris) and set her down on the floor so Chris could unhook from her c-pap machine. Little Brown Dog finally settled down at my feet, and we listened to the rain and rumbling remnants of the storm. 

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭14‬ says, Turn away from evil and do what is good; seek peace and pursue it.

Father, be with the Geswender’s when they head back home. Amen. 

July 13 - “A big dad-hug”

We had a really special treat at church. A guest speaker. Young guy. He has family and a girlfriend in the area. Quite the legacy, too. His father is currently a pastor, and his grandfather retired as a pastor as well. 

OK. OK. It was none other than our grandson Micah. Wait! It was also our grandson Caleb. Two different churches. Galveston and Waco. And I gotta say, they both did a great job. Not that I am the least bit prejudiced. I was there for Micah’s debut. After church here, we got the report on Caleb. 

I see good things in those boys’ respective futures, whatever God ends up calling them to. They got those Vaughan jeans. Genes, too. 

Last night I had an interesting phone call. It was from the owner of the little restaurant in Jamaica Beach. She was doing a catering job on the beach for a quinciñera. As she talked to the family, my name came up. Come to find out, I actually did a baby dedication 15 years ago for the now-15 year old young lady. 

As a result, the caterer showed me where they were. I drove down there and joined them for part of the celebration. They had fajitas and cookies and candy and even a mariachi band. Several of the folks remembered me from the christening. 

As the party picked up steam, I noticed the dad easing away into the dark. I walked over to him and asked who he was rooting for in the a World Cup. He told me he was not a soccer guy, then immediately transitioned into a more serious manner. 

He told me that even though he was a believer, he was an unhappy man. All he wanted was some peace. We talked for a long time after that. I shared that the only way to have peace and real joy as opposed to just being happy was through Jesus. He told me he appreciated my talking to him. Even gave me a big dad-hug. Please be praying for that young dad. 

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ says, We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.

Father, please touch that dad’s heart. Show him your peace that passes understanding. Amen. 

July 12 - “$5 Gram?”

I got my part of the yardwork knocked out. All I really had to do was shovel out some of the sneaky little palm tree growths spring up throughout the yard. 

Of course I couldn’t stop there. I dove into the back flowerbed and began some weeding. I also set up the sprinkler to water the front yard. Oh, and I spray cleaned and filled up the bird bath. They were most appreciative. 

Lunch was chicken and artichoke casserole. I know. Not a dish I normally would order out. But it was surprisingly quite good. In fact, this was actually leftovers. So … good enough to get back in there).  Thanks again Lauren and Ed. 

Guess what I found hanging on our front door? You’re right. It was an advertisement. And it was a very classy, well-produced  one, too. They must have been drumming up new business, or at least expanding their reach. Ready for this? It was from the EMF, Home of the $5 Gram. “Bring a friend … Get a FREE gram.”  Oh. A gram of what you might ask? Well, perhaps if I tell you what the company name stands for … EMF. That would be the Edwards Marijuana Family. Anyone in for a gram? 

‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭16‬:‭34‬ says, Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever.

Father, thank you for chickens. And for artichokes. They both taste pretty good. Amen. 

July 11 - “Go, me”

Yesterday started off as another quiet day of recuperation. Chris used the time to keep up with her  exercises. I found my requisite three or four jigsaw puzzle pieces. So … quiet. 

Until …

We somehow ended up with three bananas that were, well, less than edible. Just overripe. Very overripe. And Chris knew just the ticket. She found a recipe, two actually, for banana bread. Joanna Gaines had one, but it required five bananas. The other one just needed three. Perfect. 

Soooo … guess who made banana bread for the first time in his fledgling career? This guy. Chris said it tasted pretty good, too. Figured her judgment would be more valid than mine, since I don’t really like banana bread all that much. I doctored my piece up with butter and sugar and cinnamon. It was certainly edible.  Not bad, actually. Yet another first for me in the midst of this rotator cuff quarantine. Go, me. 

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18‬:‭20‬ says, For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there among them.

Father, thank you for Chris’ encouragement and coaching in that  bread experiment. Amen. 

July 10 - “Chill”

We took a few moments yesterday to sit back and chill in the backyard. Well, “chill” is not really appropriate, or accurate. See, it was prohibitively hot outside, but there was a really nice breeze on the patio in the shade. Not too many critters were afoot. One squirrel (an actual, non-human one). A Jurassic butterfly. A few birds. A million tiny lizard-like dinosaurs. We didn’t stay out long, though. 

After lunch Chris checked in on her MyChart page. The doc hadn’t commented on the ultrasound results yet. I added some pieces to the monstrous jigsaw puzzle currently residing on our puzzle table. 2000 pieces. This one will take a while. 

We also watched a few Hallmark movies and walked some circles around the house. The interior of the house. Gotta do something to avoid the heat. 

Oh, and we did check in with Mbappé and the World Cup. France didn’t disappoint. 

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭6‬:‭12‬ says, Fight the good fight for the faith; take hold of eternal life that you were called to and have made a good confession about in the presence of many witnesses.

Father, thanks for that breeze. And for the critters. And for the amazing wife you gave me. Amen. 

July 9 - “Attacking a boogervilla”

We were back out in the yard yesterday. I had some unfinished business with a certain evil boogervilla bush. It was in desperate need of a trim. A major trim. I got a lot of it done. Not as much as I would like, but Chris was there, after all. She gave me a yellow card warning, so I had to stop. At least now I can get the lawn mower under there. 

I had one other task on my list. Some more of those miniature palm trees are popping up. Can’t have that. Problem is, I have to dig to get to the roots, so … shovel. 

But on the way to the shed, my squirrel instinct kicked in. By that I mean my chasing squirrels tendency. I saw some of that evil demon devil weed breaking through from the Underworld beneath the flower bed by the back fence. Stopped me dead in my tracks and lured me over. I spent a long 15 or 30 minutes ripping out as much as I could. Evil stuff. 

I did get started on digging up those palm treelettes. There were more than I anticipated, though. And it was pretty hot. Chris brought me some water. However, when I didn’t pick up the water bottle right away, Chris literally took the shovel out of my hands. Guess I have something to do in the future. 

Kel called as we were getting some lunch together. He and Christina were doing some trip planning. Actually, the trip was the one where we take Micah back to school in Virginia. This time they are planning a bit more, vacation-wise. Atlanta Braves game. Theme park. Virginia Beach. Maybe more. And the question was, “Do y’all want to go?”

My usual reply is “I’m in.”  This time, though, we had to consider Chris’ shoulder saga. So, tentative yes, depending on what the doc says. 

Corey and Janell came over for a while in the afternoon. Always fun to spend time with them. 

Last night I went to Local Dogs. Not specifically for a hot dog, though. Micah was getting off work at 7 and needed a place to hang out until Jachin got off at 8:30. So … I picked up Micah. He watched the Astros debacle - er, I mean game - with us. 

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭3‬ says, God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it He rested from His work of creation.

Father, thanks for our neighbors. Bless them. Amen.