August 9 – “A Blow”

But, alas, it was not to be.  For The Storm proved too strong, too cunning, too overwhelming for the castle defense and the meager forces left behind to hold back.  The wind indeed ravaged some.  But alas, it was the waters of the flood surging ahead of The Storm that recognized the renowned Great Wall that had arisen years before following an earlier, most devastating attack and crept around behind that mighty defender. bursting through from behind.  The entire Great Island was dealt a crippling blow.  Only those lands nearest the Great Wall were spared the wrath of the Flood, though many even there were touched by the winds and torrents of The Storm, itself.   The lands and castle of the Queen were, sadly, no exception.  It took days for official word to reach the queen and her court in the far away lands of safety.  And the word that arrived was a bitter blow to the heart of the Queen, for all of her lands and those surrounding, had been blanketed – not with a pristine layer of peaceful, pure white snow like that of the rare Christmas Eve Mini-blizzard several years ago – no.  Instead the covering was deep and dark and salty and foul-smelling.  The raging waters had finally subsided, but it left in its cruel wake devastation, ruin, and the beginnings of a danger some would say grew to be even greater than the storm itself.    The hungry, pitiless residual enemy that remained to begin a destructive path of its own?   I'll figure something out.  Maybe tomorrow.  I left Bay City around one o'clock today to drive down (or is it up?  Maybe over?) to San Antonio.  Chris was going to try to come, but she really needed to stick close to her Mom.  When I left Bay City I thought I had a route picked out that would get me there with little fanfare and maybe some scenery.  On the way out of town I called Chris to tell her I missed her.  She asked about my route, so I told her best I could remember.  Actually I had stopped at WalMart and bought one of those Texas map books.  Anyway, when she heard my plans she immediately … well, had some of her own.   She said my way would take way too long.  She even asked her sister who has driven the route several times, and she, of course, agreed with Chris.  I attempted a feeble rebuttal, because I had no idea one way or the other.  Guess which way I went?    Her way turned out to be kind of fun, though.  One stretch in particular caught my attention.  The speed limit was 70, and most of the landscape looked the same.  Gigantic farm implements that surely must have secretly been transformers dotted the landscape.  I drove through Danevang and right on into New Taiton.  What happened to the old one?  As I approached the next town the speed limit dropped from 70 to 55.  And I entered Nada.  Spanish word for Nothing, if I'm not mistaken.  There was something there, though.  Ned's Place to be exact.  That's about all.  Back to 70.  The next town obviously had to do better than Nothing, so in Garwood the speed limit dropped to 45 so you wouldn't miss the hunting club.  Out of Garwood and back to 70.  Just as I was chuckling at the one-ups-man-ship, I came to a stop sign in the middle of nowhere.  And there to the right in beautiful downtown Altair was … The Blue Goose Restaurant.  I think they received the benefits of Garwood's hunting club.  I didn't feel very hungry.  I finally made it to interstate 10 and got into San Antonio with no problems.  Maybe I'll try that other way on the way home.   Philippians 2:8-11 says, "8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!  9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."   Father, Jesus, you are Lord to the glory – all the glory.  Amen