September 30 – “ten bucks is ten bucks …”

Remember that rain we never really got much of?  It arrived.  In bushels.  It did come in waves, so we weren’t stuck in the house all day, watching the dreary weather with pining and sighing.  So what did we get done?

 

Well, I had a coupon that I got for being in the Coastal Conservation Association.  Ten dollars off on any purchase at Academy.  Basically, a ten dollar gift card.  I also had one that was twenty dollars off, but you had to spend a hundred dollars to use it.  And another that was a hundred dollars off if you spent five hundred dollars.  Those two I consider actual coupons.  But ten bucks is ten bucks.  And it expired today, so we had to use it or lose it.  So what in the world could we get for ten bucks?  We looked around a little bit for something for Luke’s birthday.  We weren’t sure what sport he was currently into, though.  That kid can pick up just about any sport he wants and be great at it.  We finally settled on something for the church.  We found some ping pong paddles and balls so the kids can hang out and play.  Now we have to figure out the best place to set up the table …

 

Last night we took some supper up to LaMarque for Kel’s family.  Christina has been chasing down all the alternative therapies she can find to go along with what her doctor is doing to help her deal with the Covid in her system.  Kel says she seems to be getting better.  After we got home we got a text from Micah.  He was thanking us for the food.  He said it was great and he hoped there would be “enough for tomorrow.”  Chris was beaming, of course.  We both were.  Not just at the complement, although Chris always appreciates it when someone likes her food.  We were also proud that Micah thought enough to say thank you.  Nice job, Young Man.

 

Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 

Father, please continue to heal Christina quickly so she can get back to caring for her family.  And be with her family as the tables are turned and they have to care for her.  Amen.

September 29 – “Weird and wild weather”

Weird and wild weather struck Galveston with a vengeance yesterday.  Not a hurricane or anything.  Just crazy, rolling clouds and lots and lots of thunder all day.  Loud thunder.  Not a lot of rain, though.

 

We snuck out in between bands and made a quick WalMart run for some groceries.  Once inside we heard the bottom drop out.  Sounded like some serious rain finally decided to dump all at once on the Island.  Buckets and buckets full.  We stayed dry, though.  And by the time we scanned our last banana, it had stopped and gave us a reprieve so we could get the groceries to the car unscathed.  Or at least relatively dry.

 

Most of the rest of my day was spent at my desk doing church work.  It was just one of those days where not much exciting happened.  You know … nice.  The weather continued to be blah at best all day, with the promise of more severe rain to come. 

 

The action finally started to pick up around seven when the Astros game began.  It was a pretty intense pitcher’s duel, though.  Not much offense on either side.  Bregman and Altuve finally hit home runs, but that just kept the score tied.  In the bottom of the ninth, though, the Astros loaded the bases on an infield single, a fielder’s choice, a ground out, and an intentional walk.  Not a single ball hit out of the infield.  Then not one, but two walks in a row drove in the winning run.  Pretty exciting finish.  Chris missed all the good stuff.  When she went to bed the score was 3-2 bad guys. 

 

James 3:13 says, “Who is wise and understanding among you?  Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”

 

Father, thank you for the rain you sent us.  And the sound show of your power was pretty amazing as well.  Amen.

September 28 – “Yep. The Covid"

I guess the biggest news around here is that Kel’s wife Christina has tested positive for Covid.  Yep.  The Covid.  She is waiting to talk with her doctor about what steps to take next.  Kel is, of course quarantining with her for the required days (or whatever the time limit is now).  Their older three kids have all had it, so they are pretty much going about their business - school.  Noa and Ezra both seem fine so far, but they are quarantining as well.  We are all watching with bated breath (always wanted to use that phrase in a real sentence.  It means to hold your breath in anticipation, in case you were wondering).  So, please pray …

 

Speaking of prayer … I had a phone call last night from a young lady who was one of the earliest members of a Seaside youth group.  She just found out she may have an adrenal tumor that is causing her all sorts of calamitous symptoms.  She asked the church to be praying for her.  Could you also add Amber to your prayer list?

 

As far as our day yesterday …

Three miler in the morning.

Started working on the sermon for Sunday.  My turn again.

Chris finished the puzzle of the wolves within a wolf within a border with several individual puzzle pieces shaped like wolves.  One of the strangest we have ever done.  I liked it a lot.

We spent a good hour online trying to get some banking stuff set up.

You know … typical day.

 

Nothing typical about last night though.  I woke up at 3:15 a.m. – sneezing, of all things.  Couldn’t stop.  I grabbed my pillow and headed out of the bedroom as fast as I could to keep from keeping Chris awake.  The fit finally stopped, but I was wide awake until sometime after 4.  The thunder woke me up this morning.  We’re supposed to have a boatload of rain the rest of the week.  Here we go …

 

Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

 

Father, please be with Christina and with Amber.  Please bring healing to both of them, and keep them in your protection and presence while they walk through scary times.  Grant them both your peace.  Amen.

September 27 – “Family afternoon”

I read a story yesterday about a guy who was a linebacker for Ohio State.  Not a very flattering story, so I won’t repeat it.  Not why I mentioned it anyway.  I just wanted to acknowledge his name.  K’Vaughan.  Yep.  That is his first name.  How could I not love it?

 

Church went pretty well again.  It was my turn to teach.  Back to the Gospel of John.  That’s been kind of an interesting mix.  Kel is doing a study of Ecclesiastes on his Sundays.  I’m in the Gospel of John.  Best of the Old and New.  Sounds like an ad for a new record album.  Cailyn came with her Aunt Dawn.  She’s been spending some time with her learning the ropes about taking care of horses.  Cailyn is fitting in well in her new Santa Fe, out in the country digs.  Becoming a regular cowgirl.

 

We had a Transition Team meeting right after church.  It was just a quick update for them about where Kel and I were in the process.  I shared a little about what we have been doing to help Kel understand Seaside’s past and present to better help him as he leads into the future.  He shared some of his observations about immediate and longer term needs that he has seen, as well as some of his vision for the future in ministry.  Then the team shared some encouragements for us as well as some of their ideas as well. 

 

While we were at the meeting, Chris took the kids back to our house.  Cailyn and Dawn came, too.  And Nathan and April met us there for lunch.  Christina was conspicuously absent though.  She wasn’t feeling well, so she stayed home from church.  Micah and Jachin had gone to Bay Area Church, but they came down for lunch, too.  And when they arrived, Kel left to take Christina to the clinic to see the doc.  Crazy back and forth, right?  The kids did great, though.  They ended up sticking around all afternoon to play video games and watch the Astros game.  It was an overall great family time.  So much so that Chris wants to replicate it about once a month, if we can. 

 

 

Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”

 

Father, thank you for the family you entrusted to us.  Or I guess you entrusted us to them?  Either way, we appreciate having them around.  Amen.

 

September 26 – “Honoring Chico Richardson”

Back in the car for another one day road trip. Another funeral, sadly. Chico and his family opened their home to me when I was a struggling youth pastor at their church. They let me live with them for one whole summer until the college dorms opened back up, so that family is something really special to me.

 

What did I get out of it? First and foremost, I gained two little sisters. Cyndi (I don’t know when you swapped the Y and the I) and Traci (Again with Y’s and I’s) agreed to move into the same room so I could have the other one, so I guess you could say I had a part in encouraging the closeness they now enjoy as sisters.

 

Mama Tish made me promise that whenever I got up the nerve to ask Chris to marry me, I was to come over and tell them. No matter what time it was. She somehow knew I was close. And when the big event occurred, and Chris said yes, where was our first road trip together as an engaged couple? Over to the Richardsons’ house. Chris wasn’t too sure about the whole thing, but when I explained that Tish had decreed it, well it had to happen.

 

And among the memories of Chico, not the least of which involve his inspirational sense of humor, I remember that Chico went with me to see the movie The Exorcist when it first came out. It was THE hot topic at the time, and since I was a youth pastor and he was a Dad, we HAD to go check it out so we could have first-hand knowledge - before we told the kids they couldn’t go. I remember sitting around the breakfast table and having a full-on prayer meeting before we left, too. Can’t be too careful. And, yes, after all that spiritual preparation, the movie proved to be quite anticlimactic. Not tame enough to recommend to the youth group, by any means, but generally cheesy for adults. Chico wanted to keep a can of split pea soup on hand after that so he could demonstrate his grasp of horror-filled movie moments.

 

Thank you, Richardson family, for putting up with a young and in love, aspiring youth pastor with stars in his eyes. Your encouragement that summer and through the years sustained me then and provides fond memories now. I love you guys.

 

John 14:1-3 says, “Stop letting your hearts be troubled. You believe in God. Believe also in me. In my father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you.

And if I and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you with me, so that you also can be face to face with me.

 

Father, thank you for the Chico and for the whole Richardson family. Bless them. Walk with them and give them one of those special hugs that only you can give. In Jesus’ name. Amen

September 25 – “Moving the Big Three”

We hit the road again yesterday morning.  No, not to go anywhere.  At least not yet.  That will be a story for another day.  Stay tuned for tomorrow’s edition.  I just meant we did our morning walk.  This time we stopped at two miles, though.  I had in the back of my mind – and rapidly approaching the front – that Chris had mentioned mowing the grass being on the day’s agenda.  If that was indeed the case, then I knew I would need to conserve some of my energy.  Wonderfully enough, she agreed, and we cut the walk short. 

 

There was no cutting short the yard work, though.  We went into the back yard to get started.  That’s when Chris mentioned transplanting some potted plants into the ground.  That task immediately leapt to the top of the list.  To get it done, we first had to move one of the huge pots that April brought during their move.  Problem was, it was the one that was already broken.  We got out the dolly, determined to be as careful as possible.  Nope.  The first time I tried to move the pot, it literally crumbled in my hands.  And on top of that, it had become one massive ant farm.  Sadly, we went ahead and tossed it in the trash.  Sorry, April.  Before tackling moving another of the “Big Three” pots, we decided to wait until we heard back from Nathan and April on whether they wanted them back or if they have found a new home. 

 

From there I started back again toward the shed to get out the lawn mower.  But first I realized I would have to trim back the evil, thorned boogervilla plant, or it would most certainly attack me as I passed my, defenseless, pushing the mower.  Once that task was complete, I walked past the other vine on the back fence (I can’t remember its name.  It has blue flowers, though).  I knew I should never have paused.  But when I did, Chris casually commented that it needed trimming badly as well.  Boom.  Next project explodes to the top of the list.  This one was quite the chore, too.  Not because of thorns this time.  This one just reaches out and grabs you with one of its millions of tentacles.  Took forever to get it under control. 

 

Next we … nope.  Not time to mow yet.  We moved out one pot whose contents had faced its demise after the recent freeze.  Then we took down the bird feeder pole and moved the toilet flower pot (yes, it is just what you think – we have an old toilet that Chris turned into a flower pot at the urging of Nathan and my Dad many years ago).  Thankfully that move was only a foot or two over to make room for the olive tree we got from the Huntley’s.  Now that olive tree pot was a monster, though.  Took both of us to get it in place.  And that was after we set out a few concrete blocks to act as a base. 

 

Next we had a chat about future plans to chop down one really large tree, to finish removing the freeze-killed satsuma tree, to remove another little one-branch, leftover-from-Hurricane Ike-that-refuses-to-finally-die-and-is-now-a-haven-for-ants, and to move a tree from its present location to a different, more favorable one somewhere else in the yard.  But … not today

 

Finally, I made my way to the shed and pulled out the lawn mower.  But Chris met me before I got it started to make me aware that it was already noon.  She wanted to know if I was ready for lunch.  Nope.  I’m getting the yard mowed and edged, if it knocks me out.  And of course, fast forward to the rest of the story … It almost did.  I was so sore after my shower that I took some Tylenol and eased down onto the couch for the remainder of the afternoon.  I think I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and some Cheetos somewhere in there, but I really don’t remember.  The yard looks pretty good, though.  But no resting on our laurels around here.  Nope.  Chris was already talking about how she never got to finish cleaning out the flower beds.  Yay … something to look forward to …

 

Proverbs 17:28 says, “Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.”

 

Father, thank you for the green part of your creation.  It’s a lot of work, but you sure did a great job on your growing things.  Amen.

 

September 24 – “R.I.P.”

Yesterday included a work morning for me.  I studied through the sermon for Sunday.  Made sure it was transferred to my iPad and got a print copy of it as a back-up.  You never can be too sure of this whole technology thing.  I also compiled all the notes and handouts and books from the interim pastor training seminar I attended.  Oh, and I write my one-page book review that the teacher asked for.  I’m still not sure if he was serious or not, but I did it anyway.  That whole training seminar experience was different for me.  Just about everyone else there required a governing body of his or her discipline to certify them.  Hence the need for continuing education hours.  Although this particular group has granted me the certification, I don’t need it for my job as chaplain with the fire department.  There are no requirements for continuing education for me, either.  Maybe sometime in the future I’ll have time to write some up for whoever the next guy will be.

 

We left the house around noon to attend a funeral in Northwest Houston.  Sam came over and rode with us, since she also knew the guy who died.  Rob Hutchinson was a former Seasider from years ago.  He was instrumental in getting what is now our retreat center building literally off the ground.  He acted as our general contractor through the whole process, and he did a whole lot of the work himself.  Several other Seasiders past and present were part of the ceremony.  Dennis, Robert, and Steve all acted as pall bearers.

 

The funeral started at two on the far side of Houston, so the ride home was a little dicey traffic-wise.  As usual, Chris handled it with style.  We made it home in plenty of time for home group.  In fact we even had time to swing by Little Caesar’s and pick up a pizza.  Chris added a salad, so we had fine Italian dining before Bible study.  Hey … that counts as a date, doesn’t it?

 

Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you as well.”

 

Father, please be with Barbara and the rest of the Hutchinson family as they walk through their time of grief.  Grant them your peace.  Amen.

September 23 – “Implant?”

Chris finally had her appointment with the electro-cardio-something-or-other-ist yesterday.  They are the ones who monitor/regulate irregular heartbeats and rates.  I snuck in with her to the appointment.  Actually, once I made it past the Gestapo on the first floor, everyone was very nice and accommodating.  Just walked right in like I knew what I was doing … and they held the door for me.

 

The doc reviewed the results of the monitor Chris had to wear for a month.  She didn’t see anything yet that explains the issues Chris has been having.  I’m pretty sure the doc won’t be satisfied until she sees a printout of what happens when Chris passes out.  Wait.  What?  Wait until she passes out again?  Umm.  No.

 

The next step from her perspective is to implant a microchip under the skin over the heart to record the heart activity.  The recording can be done remotely, and all Chris has to do is carry around an extra cell phone again.  Oh, and that battery will last three to five years.  Maybe she’ll pass out in that time.  Wait.  What?  Three to five years?  Umm.  No.  We’re not doing that.  Well, at least not until we have spoken to the cardiologist himself at that appointment in October.  At least he has a bit more of a vested interest.  He’s been inside Chris’ heart already.  Twice. 

 

Psalms 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

 

Father, please give us patience while we wait for the cardio appointment in October.  And please protect Chris in the meantime.  Amen.

 

September 22 – “What’s so bad about being hasty?”

So … what’s so bad about being hasty?  More about that in a sec …

 

We hit the water early yesterday and Chris was with me this time.  She was not as excited as I was. She was still shaking in her boots after the report on how cold the water was the time before.  But it had a whole week to warm back up.  So she was rewarded.  The water was fine.  A cold front did blow in last night, though.  That was all the buzz in the water yesterday among the aerobicizers.  Really windy today and 75 degrees.  How cold will the water be?  Will Chris even get in?  Will she turn blue if she does?  Tune in …

 

I went up to the church to make sure our retired electrician guy could get in.  He was checking all the lights to make sure there was no further water damage on that end.  He was also checking out what it will take to fix the lights that are out both upstairs and downstairs.  He also recommended switching to LED lights.  Said it was a lot cheaper in the long run.  Second time I have heard that in a week. 

 

Now back to the “hasty” comment.  While I had his captive attention (He was up on a ladder.  Where’s he gonna go?), I asked about our freezer saga and the issues there.  He assured me the heating up was not an unusual thing.  It has to do that when it runs its self defrost cycle to dry out the excess moisture.  The power outage just equaled an extended defrost cycle as far as the machine was concerned.  The hot phase would pass just like the terrible twos or the troubled teens – merely a phase.  With his assurance, we plugged it back in again.  Well, sure enough, it did get hot (but not nearly as hot as before).  We watched it carefully, and it eventually cooled back down.  Now we let it do its cooling thing for a day before filling it back up.  Looks like we have a freezer again.  Looks like Chris really does have the magic touch, after all.  On again.  Off again.  On again.

 

Speaking of sagas …

How about the internet/cable TV/house phone issues?  AT&T was back again first thing to continue their work.  They had to run entirely new fiber optic cable and replace the junction box where all the cables from individual houses plug in.  We were pretty excited when the guy finally started his climb up the ladder to plug us in.  Up the ladder.  Back down and into the house.  Nope.  Not it.  Back up the ladder.  Back down and into the house.  Nope.  Not it.  Did you know there are four possible ports that our junction box can handle?  He finally hit ours … on the fourth try, of course. If anybody asks … we are port three.  But … once again we have internet, a house phone, and cable TV.  Now what channel were the Astros on?

 

Psalms 34:19 says, “The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.”

 

Father, thank you for Jim and his encouragement about leaving the freezer on through the “hot phase.”  And thank you for watching over those linemen.  Be with them through their next adventures as well.  Amen.

September 21 – “Don’t be so hasty …”

Wait.  Don’t be so hasty there.  Last night Chris went into the laundry room to wash some clothes and noticed the room temperature was quite a bit higher than the rest of the house.  Being her inquisitive self, she moved immediately to the only thing in the room that has changed lately – the freezer.  She reached over to open it, touching the side.  And it almost burned her hand.  She gingerly touched the other side and the top.  All really hot.  The plastic storage bins she had replaced on top were pretty hot as well.  And on the inside?  The light was still on, but the temperature was obviously rising again.  The freezer temp, I mean.  Not Chris’ frustration factor.  I have yet to find an accurate measure for that one.  She hurriedly pulled the freezer back away from the wall and unplugged it again.  I guess the proverbial "fickle finger of fate" caught up with her magic touch.  Back to the internet search for a new freezer.  No Blue Bell yet …

 

Speaking of internet, AT&T was in the neighborhood all day yesterday working on the cable/internet/phone situation.  They were as far as four houses down from us, so the damage went at least that far.  And as much as I would love to say they completed the job … Nope.  We still have no internet.  No WiFi.  No Cable TV.  No house phone.  Not sure how I will get this posted this time.  I think I’ll take the computer up to the church and try to connect with the WiFi there.  I need to meet our resident electrician anyway.  Here’s hoping the AT&T trucks make a fast return appearance …

 

Romans 12:12 says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

 

Father, please be with the linemen working on our lines, sure, but also on the power issues all over the county as well as those in Louisiana who still need power after weeks.  Amen.

September 20 – “One last time”

It has been an “unusual” last couple of days around here.  Started out with the whole internet/WiFi/cable/house phone debacle.  That’s still not cleared up, but the repairman in scheduled to be here this morning.  Returning to the Stone Age of no electronics was not the worst of it, however.

 

Then came the loss of power back on Friday.  Now, this was not an expected, middle of a hurricane power loss.  This was a totally unexpected, repair the power lines that were damaged by the hurricane power loss.  And it lasted for a few hours.  Again, not the end of the world.  We ended up sitting on the patio and having a chat with Josh on the phone.  After an hour or son, it was cooler out there than inside the house.  The lights finally came back on.  Not the WiFi/cable/etc., though. 

 

So, what was so bad, then?  So glad you asked.  Sunday morning, while we were rather frantically trying to put together some bean soup for dinner on the grounds at church, Chris remembered that she had some frozen soup left over from the last time we had it.  Extra flavor and all.  She went to our big upright freezer to fetch it.  But when she opened the door she realized right away that something was wrong.  Instead of being met with that refreshing cold waft of cold air, she instead faced darkness.  And unexpected … warmth.  The interior light hadn’t come on.  Yep.  The power outage back on Friday had apparently wreaked havoc with the internal computer system, shutting the whole thing down.  For two days.  If you need help with the math, that equaled six cartons of Blue Bell ice cream that was now Blue Bell milk.  Most of the meat was still frozen, however, so we quickly transferred what we could to the refrigerator freezer compartment or our big ice chest.  Some of it I ran across the street to the Geran’s freezer.  Some had to wait until later to make its way to the Dawson’s freezer.  Some just made it as far as our fridge, where it was safe to thaw.  Guess we know what we will be eating on for the next few days. 

 

After church Kel and I played with the system, trying all the tricks we knew.  Unplugging and plugging back in.  Pushing all the reset buttons we could find.  Nothing ever changed.  So, Chris set out on a search to see what kind of freezer we might be buying in the near future.  Meanwhile Micah and Kel, with a little help from Josiah, managed to cut down the huge tree limb that was teetering precariously above the car.

 

Last night as we sat on the couch, Chris alternating between reading a book and searching for freezers and me watching a Hallmark movie on my phone, suddenly Chris jumped up from her perch.  Not that unusual.  It was actually pretty close to bedtime.  She disappeared into the laundry room, presumable to put Freddy to bed and turn on the side porch light.  She was gone a bit longer than normal, but again, not that unusual.  She never ceases to amaze me with the things she can find to do.  Finally, she re-emerged with an announcement.  “I fixed the freezer.”  Wait.  What?  Yep.  She had decided to try one last time pushing the reset button, and this time the digital feed jumped back to where it was supposed to be.  The interior light came on.  And best yet … it was beginning to get cold in there.  Well, OK.  Guess today we’ll be cleaning and restocking the freezer.  Maybe not with all six cartons of Blue Bell right away, but give us time.  And a few sales ads …

 

1 Peter 5:6 says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”

 

Father, thank you for the surprise revival of the freezer.  But thanks more for the willingness of friends and family to pitch in and help.  Amen.

September 19 – “A bit of hurricane remediation”

Yesterday was a longer day than most.  At least it seemed like it.  We had a big impromptu post-hurricane workday at church.  The idea was to get as much done in repairing the damage done by good ol’ Hurricane Whatever It’s Name Was.  And I have to say up front that the crew that was able to come did an amazing job.  First off, a big thank you to our landscaping company.  They went above and beyond the call of duty and picked up all the debris that was on the property.  I think I have all the other names.  If I missed you … God didn’t.  He saw your work and will bless you for it.  Lauren, Cathy, Chris, Bob and Amber, Kel and Christina and Jachin and Micah and Josiah and Noa and Ezra, Svein and Sheila and Sam, Corey and Janell and Brennan, Brent, Marc.  Our resident sign guy Gary is going to come check out the sign and give us some ideas on what might be a good new one.  Jim is going to check out all the electrical connections and ballasts and all those other electrician kinds of words. 

 

These guys did all sorts of work.  Brent, Svein, Sam, and Bob (with help from the kids) replaced ceiling tiles out the wazoo.  Lots of them were drenched from rain blowing into the roof vents (The tiles, not the people).  Painting was going on in one of the bunkrooms by Christina and Lauren.  Marc replaced the trim that was blown off and the air conditioning drip line that fell.  Corey and Janell and Brennan pulled up the rapidly encroaching vines near the air conditioners outside.  I know, that’s not technically storm-related, but it was a lot of really hard work.  Bob and Amber swept and mopped the worship center.  Cathy and Chris did general cleaning.  In fact they cleaned the bathrooms … several times.  And Kel even got the WiFi renamed and re-established our password after it was knocked off line. 

 

I know we had a group of tired folks by the end of the day.  Thank you all so much for all the help.  You are amazing.  I am really proud of you all.

 

Psalms 119:114 says, “You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.”

 

Father, please bless those folks who worked so hard yesterday.  Grant them rest and the satisfaction of a job well done.  Amen.

September 18 – “A little surprise”

I walked two miles with Chris.  Then she did stairs.  I did not.  Had to let her catch up since she missed water aerobics the day before.  That makes sense, doesn’t it?

 

We tried to saw down that big broken tree limb yesterday.  We discovered a problem.  The blade on the telescoping pole saw was too dull to even begin a cut.  Chris found a new one available at Home Depot.  Put it on the list.  Actually, to jump ahead a bit, we did make it over to Home Depot.  Took us a while, but we finally found the replacement blades.  Interestingly, however, there didn’t appear to be any actual telescoping poles.  Good thing we don’t really need a new one of those.  Now we just wait until Kel’s crew gets here after the workday at Seaside.  We’ll have a workday and Nana’s to get that branch down before storm pickup day on Sunday. 

 

We received a little surprise around 1:00.  All of a sudden the power went out.  No warning of any kind.  Just dead.  I went outside to see if I could tell what was happening, and I was met by no less than six of those huge trucks with the arms that lift a human higher into the air than anyone should be without a parachute.  At least three of them were from a tree-trimming company not even based in Galveston.  I chatted briefly with one of the workers.  Yes, they turned off the power to work on the downed lines back behind our house.  They were also going to trim back the trees around the lines.  That’s a really good thing there.  They needed it badly.  But a head’s up on the no power thing would have been nice.  We watched them work for a long time.  It was cooler on the back porch than inside the house.  Noisier out there, though.  We finally came back inside when Josh called for his Friday chat. 

 

Sadly, the repair work didn’t do anything to reconnect our internet or WiFi or house phone or cable.  That meant another night of watching the Astros on my phone.  Exciting game, too.  Astros won on a tenth inning walk-off hit-by-pitch.  Ouch.

 

John 15:4 says, “Remain in me, as I also remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

 

Father, please protect those linemen as they go about their work repairing and trimming around the Island.  Amen. 

September 17 – “Wait …”

Well, I went to water aerobics yesterday.  Chris was still pretty exhausted from the drive back from San Antonio, so I left her still in bed.  I was late to class.  Not bad late, but obviously late.  The class had already begun.  I put my towel on one of the tables and headed toward the water.  And suddenly, everything stopped.  For some reason all eyes were on me.  I was wearing a bathing suit, so I knew my fly wasn’t open.  I hesitated a moment, and the teacher said, “We’re just going to wait here and watch you until you get in.”  Strange.  But, I shrugged my shoulders and did my patented step off the side and plunge under the water.  I rose to the surface, and apparently didn’t disappoint the class.  My first words were, “Oh, yeah.  That’s cold.”  Everyone laughed and resumed class.  I turned a little blue, I’m sure.  I was immediately glad Chris didn’t come.  We might have been making a trip to the emergency room.  The water stayed frigid the rest of the session.  It was a really cloudy day.  Even rained on us.  No lightning, though, so we plodded on.

 

Back at home, I tried to follow the self-help directions to reconnect our wifi.  Ended up where I started: “Wait for help from your service tech.”  I finally texted the Gerans and asked if I could piggyback on their wifi.  They agreed, and the positioning of my computer somehow allowed me to get onto their service right away.  I got quite a bit done.  But then I tried to do some printing.  Nope.  My printer wouldn’t operate.  It was demanding to know what this new wifi network was.  I tried to tell it, but the machine wouldn’t listen to me.  I finally called customer service, and guess what message I got?  “Wait for your service tech.”  So I put the files I needed onto a flash drive and carried them over to the Gerans to print on their printer.  Thanks so much for the assistance, Corey. 

 

Luke 6:36 says, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

 

Father, thank you for neighbors who are also downright friendly.  Amen.

September 16 – “Wonderful … a deadline”

Class started out at 8 a.m. again.  Scheduled to last until noon.  Interesting, since the hotel checkout time was noon as well.  We got all packed up and ready to go the night before.  Even had time to take a load to the car right after breakfast.  As it turned out, Chris was done by 11.  Our guy went almost to the bitter end.  He finally let us go around 11:50. Just enough time to gather up the rest of our stuff and turn in the keys. 

 

We headed immediately over to Cracker Barrel for some lunch before hitting the road.  It took us a while to find a place to park.  Not a good sign for a quick lunch.  Once inside we signed in and were told it would be about a fifteen minute wait.  But we managed to be patient while browsing the array of goodies in the store part.  Always fun to browse the nostalgia section for remnants of a long-ago childhood.  It took around ten minutes for them to call us back, and we made our orders.  No chicken livers anymore.  They are officially off the menu – a directive from Cracker Barrel Corporate.  Sad.  I had the meatloaf special.  Chris had chicken pot pie.  The whole lunch experience was a little over an hour.  Not exactly fast food.

 

I may or may not have crashed for the first leg of our journey.  Chris said I was snoring.  I was actually reading.  I think she was hearing road noise instead.  I woke up just before we stopped at Bucees.  Potty break, of course. 

 

On the way home I got a report call on the storm situation at Seaside.  Lauren had gone to the church to check things out.  Downstairs it looks like we had water under the doors.  Nothing else to speak of inside.  Outside was another story.  Several pieces of trim were down.  The big cross on the side of the building was down.  What looks like pieces of a gutter are strewn about the ground as well.  The worst part is our sign.  Well, what was our sign.  It is completely demolished.  Pieces of it were all over the property, adding to the other debris from nearby homes. 

 

Upstairs looks like we had some damage from blowing wind.  Came in through the roof vents and settled on the ceiling tiles.  That means most of them will need to be replaced.  Lots of carpet is wet as well up there.  Lauren has fans blowing to dry that out, and dehumidifiers are at the ready.  If anybody gets this report, we are having a church workday on Saturday around 9 a.m. to clean up debris and replace tiles.  See you there. 

 

Oh, and why wouldn’t you be seeing this report?  Because our internet and cable and house phone are all out.  I called in the issue and a repair guy is scheduled to come out Monday.  Great.  Maybe I can get our neighbors to let me use their internet in the meantime.  Oh, and we made another discovery when we got here.  I went to move the truck out of the driveway – and out of harm’s way from the large broken tree branch hovering precariously above it.  Aaaaaannnnddd … the truck wouldn’t start.  Battery is not completely dead.  Just not enough juice to get it started.  Now we’ll have to push it out into the street to a position where we can jump it off the car.  Or at least get it parked in the street so we can get that errant branch lopped off.  The city will be doing trash pickup from storm debris … on Sunday.  Wonderful … a deadline.  Just what we needed …

 

Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever os right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”

 

Father, thank you for our safe trip back home.  Please help us get everything back in order soon.  Amen.

September 15 – “A long night from a long way”

Well, I didn’t sleep very much.  I watched some of the Astros game, but that wasn’t what did it.  I turned it off while they were winning 12 or 13 to 1.  Well on there way to a 15-1 final victory, so I turned the light off around 10.  Chris had been asleep for a long time already. 

 

I woke up around 12:30.  Seemed like I just had to check on the progress of the now Hurricane Nicholas.  Dozed off and woke again at 1:30.  That process continued throughout the night.  And each time I checked the storm’s current position.  And each time Galveston was on the dirty side.  The Island was getting hit with 68 miles per hour gusts and 60 miles per hour sustained winds.  Not the full brunt of hurricane force, but enough to do some damage.

 

Hurricane Nichlolas hit land as a full category one hurricane.  It left much of the Island without power from the gusty winds knocking out power lines.  Around 3:30 a.m. I saw on my fire department app that our next door neighbor called 911 to report that her back yard was on fire.  Great.  The fire guys were running continuously all night long.  I waited until around 6 a.m. and then texted the Geran’s.  They went across the street to check things out, but in spite of the typical, world-is-coming-to-an-end reports we were hearing, our street never flooded and we all still had power.  And our backyard hadn’t burned down.  We did have a big branch of our sycamore tree break in the wind.  It was hanging precariously over the bed of our truck, but didn’t appear to be endangering anything.

 

Later I texted several church members to check on them.  Most of them had no power, but other than that, all was well.  The church sign was knocked over, so Ed went by and disconnected the electricity to it.  Lauren stopped by and took several pictures of other damage to the exterior of the building.  Not sure about the inside yet.  She also said we probably need to have a workday to clean up all the debris on the property.  All in all, though, things were not nearly as bad as they could have been.  And I have already received several calls from folks offering help.  Even a guy from the Texas Baptist group that is putting on this convention called.  It just seemed so strange that we missed all the excitement … accidentally.

 

1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

 

Father, we do thank you that Galveston was spared a much worse fate.  Help us now as we start the clean-up and repair work.  Amen.