February 26 – “An unfoggy day”

Happy birthday, Kel.   Yesterday was a gorgeous day here on Gilligan's Island.  We actually saw some sun instead of fog for the first time in almost a week.  It was my scheduled day off (whatever that's supposed to look like), so we decided to begin our attack on the yard.  Chris began with flower beds in the back yard.  I drug out the lawn mower, confident that my earlier rescue from the evil enwrapping panty hose had fixed the sputtering, intermittent cough that had plagued the machine much of last season.  Alas.  There must be more going on, for the cough returned with a vengeance.  I took out the spark plug and cleaned it, but that didn't do the trick, so once again the sputtering, choking engine struggled to complete its task.  I  did finally finish, after having to fill up with gas again.  Boy that's some bad gas mileage.    My next job involved the weedeater.  Chris continued plugging away at flowerbeds.  Why is it that weeds don't ever die out when it freezes?  They seem to multiply no matter what we do.  I got the front edged with not much problem, and headed to the back.  This first time of the season getting weeds under control is quite the pain in the neck.  Oh, wait.  I think that might be a little sunburn I picked up.  Our yard, honestly, was not really all that bad.  But I was also determined to  get a handle on that four foot wide strip of jungle on the abandoned house side of our back yard.  It had also grown back in spite of the weed spray last year.  I was out of that precious poison, so I had to personally jump the fence and attack the interloper weeds with aid of that tiny weedeater.  And the first thing that happened was the protection guide fell off.  Didn't stop me, though.  Just meant I got a lot dirtier than I had hoped.  But, hey.  Getting dirty is one thing I have done fairly well since I was a little kid.  At least that's what Mom tells me.    Yard work behind us (for the day, anyway.  That stuff never ends), we got cleaned up and I had an appointment with a baseball game.  Jachin had his first scrimmage of the season way over on  the East End of the island.  Started out pretty well.  Jachin even got a hit.  And then we watched as the fog slowly crept toward us from the Gulf.  Before the game ended we were totally engulfed in the wet, cold, nastiness.  Baseball was just not meant to be played in February.   Isaiah 44:6-8 says, "This is what the Lord says — Israel's King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.  Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it.  Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come — yes, let him foretell what will come.  Do not tremble, do not be afraid.  Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago?  You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me?  No, there is no other Rock; I know not one."   Father, thank you for Spring and the sunshine and the new growth and the fog and even February baseball.  Amen.