May 31 – “Just a big softy”

I got our flag put out early yesterday.  Memorial Day.  I also got some birthday cards addressed.  Of course, there was no mail service because of the holiday.  Well, except for the poor guy who had to deliver packages.  Our neighbors received one first thing in the morning. 

 

Later I went on a two and a half mile walk with Chris.  She was being kind to me.  My hip starts really bothering me about the two-mile marker.  I think I could make the full three miles, but it would definitely be more painful.  While we were plodding along, she asked me what I had on my agenda for the day.  I replied, “Walking with you this morning was my only given.”  I know.  Just a big softy at heart.  And at gut.  And pretty much everywhere else.  After all, that’s why we are walking.

 

We spent the rest of the holiday at home.  It’s what you do when you are a local in a beach tourist town on a holiday weekend.  It was a quiet day on the Vaughan front all the way around.  For instance, one of my personal highlights came when I sent out a few Dad joke texts to our family group chat.  That led to a brief text encounter with Cailyn.  Pretty sure she was bored.  Meanwhile, I also worked some on the new Bryce Canyon puzzle.  It’s a tough one.  Chris spent the bulk of the day washing clothes and reading.  She’s back to the Harry Potter series again.  Finally, the Astros game came on.  Two massive homers by Alvarez and another by Altuve led the good guys to a 5-1 win. 

 

Today we are heading to Arlington for the funeral of a really good man, Bob Bryant.  Visitation is tonight and the funeral is tomorrow morning.  We’ll head home after the funeral. 

 

Proverbs 13:6 says, “Righteousness guards the person of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.”

 

Father, please be with Bob’s family as they finalize details for the funeral and burial.  Amen.

May 30 – “Research”

One of the things we wanted to do once I retired was visit some different churches about once a month, just to get a sense of other church cultures and worship styles.  Yesterday was that day.  Research, you know?

 

We chose another church here in Galveston this time.  First good thing … the parking lot was kind of small, but there were plenty of open spaces.  I’m pretty sure the regular attenders had been told to park in the street or down at a local funeral home so there would be room for visitors.  As we approached the front door, two gentlemen opened the doors wide for us, also a good sign of welcome.  Then inside we were greeted by a young man with a nice smile.  All he said was “Hello,” but it was nice to be acknowledged, since we didn’t see anyone we knew.  We were unsure about where to go, but we managed to follow a group of folks through a door, behind which we could hear music. 

 

We were handed a bulletin as we entered what was indeed the worship center.  The room was almost completely dark, like in a movie theater, making it hard to find a place to sit.  Seriously, I had to stand still for a minute to let my eyes adjust to the lack of light.  The music was loud and really upbeat.  I liked it.  Chris was a little unsure.  The praise team consisted of three female singers, a drummer, a bass guitar player, a violinist, and two other guitar players, one of which was the worship leader.  We only knew one of the songs, but they were all pretty to just listen to.

 

The pastor was not there.  He was on a sabbatical leave for the whole summer, so they were having a summer of guest speakers.  Yesterday’s was a pastor from Clear Creek.  He has been in the ministry for 20 years, so he did a good job. 

 

As we left, that same pleasant young man bade us “goodbye.”  On a sad note, the only other ones who talked to us were a Mom and her daughter who used to go to Seaside.  That part made me really miss Seaside and the fellowship we have there.  God is obviously doing some great things there, but Seaside is home now.  Not sure where we will go next month.  It will be a full one with a trip to Waco and then to Arlington and then to Kids’ Camp.  Here we go …

 

John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no man than this: to lay down his life for his friends.”

 

Father, thank you for the people who are being touched by the ministry at the church we visited yesterday.  Please bless their efforts to follow you.  Amen.

May 29 – “A decision of convenience”

Outside work again.  I’m beginning to recall my days back in seminary when I did yard work to bring in a little extra money.  Not the usual kind – like mowing the grass.  Nope.  My job back then was clearing way-overgrown flowerbeds and attempting to dodge yellowjackets.  Unfortunately, the yellowjackets won.  I discovered I was allergic to their sting when I was nailed on a finger and my arm swelled up to the elbow.  We asked some friends to pray while I headed to the doctor, and the swelling stopped right where it was.  Pretty amazing.  The doc told me that if I ever got stung by a yellowjacket again, I was to take Benadryl and head straight to the emergency room.  Scary stuff.

 

But enough of that.  I mowed and edged the grass.  And trimmed some trees and bushes (under Chris’ close supervision, of course).  By the way … it’s hot out there, folks.

 

Speaking of hot, Chris finished another of her projects.  Well, I did help right at the end.  She sewed a new canvas canopy for our backyard swing.  Pretty amazing, that woman.  The canopy that came with the swing tore up when it got ice on it during the last ice wave that came through Galveston, whenever that was.  Seriously, Chris did a fabulous job.  Come check it out sometime.

 

I started another jigsaw puzzle.  This one is a panoramic view of Bryce Canyon.  Brings back memories of a really hard hike we took.  Strange shape, this one.  39 inches long and 14 inches wide.  I’m taking a different approach to this one.  Working from the top down.  Actually, that’s probably because I haven’t found all the outer edge pieces yet.  A decision of convenience. 

 

Oh, and I bailed early on the Astros last night.  Those west coast games are too late for me, especially when the Astros forgot to pack their bats …

 

Psalms 20:7 says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

 

Father, thank you for Chris’ amazing creativity and for the sewing skill she has developed.  I’m sure proud of her.  Amen.

 

May 28 – “Projects Day”

We determined that yesterday should be a day of accomplishing some projects.  But first, we had to make an errands run, some of which were related to the projects.  First stop was not Walmart.  Walmart wasn’t even on the list, actually.  Oh, no.  This was a special projects day, remember?  First up … Home Depot.  There we got a board and some paint for a shelf project.  We also checked there for some replacement hanger chain for a hanging plant flowerpot.  The old one rusted away.  No luck on the chain, but all else was loaded successfully into the car.  Check. 

 

Next stop was a quick one – gas for the car.  Fortunately, we got a twenty-cent per gallon discount at Randall’s.  That’s the one good thing about needing all these expensive medications.  Gas … check.

 

And finally, we went to Academy to make an attempt to return my shoes.  We just bought them in January, and the top is separating from the bottom (what else would it be separating from?).  The Sketchers website said the shoes should last for at least a year or more.  We honestly didn’t expect them to accept the return, but we figured why not try.  As it turned out, the manager was in a good mood.  She instructed the salesclerk to allow us a straight return for the same shoes or else take our chances and let them enter the code int the store computer and accept whatever store credit might come up.  Of course, that might be nothing.  It would be a real gamble.  I liked the shoes, though, so we opted for the swap.  And of course, they didn’t have the exact shoe.  I tried on two different alternates – one was a size too small.  The other was the right size but was made for double-wide feet.  Chris finally located a pair in the right size, but a little different color.  Close enough.  Shoes … check.

 

Back home we decided to divide and conquer the two initial projects.  We hauled down from the deck the table and chairs, and Chris elected to spray paint them with the anti-rust stuff.  Of course, we live in Galveston, so everything metal will eventually rust.  This is the third time we have painted this table and chairs set, and it will be the last.  The table may not last through the summer.  So, if you find yourself on our deck … don’t sit on the table.  The chairs look fine, though, so … be conservative.  I went to the garage to work on my project – the shelf.  Chris had a brainstorm that we could put a shelf up over the closet in our bedroom.  And on that shelf could go … stuffed animals.  Great idea.  So, my project was white.  Her’s was black.  I know.  We have gotten boring in our old age.

 

My second coat was drying when it came time to return the furniture to its perch on the deck.  Chris had already managed to get the chairs up by herself, so I was just notified in time to carry up the table.  I gave her “the look” for not calling me sooner, but she didn’t see it.  There is a slight possibility she was intentionally ignoring me, although I can’t imagine why she would do that.  Oh, well.  Furniture in place … check.

 

Next, we tackled the shelf – the Critter Shelf.  Easy enough to hang.  One nail and each corbel slid into place.  Of course, one side didn’t hit a stud, so we can only hope it will hold.  Chris brought out the three huge tubs of animals and dumped them on the bed.  Immediately she realized that our poor little shelf wasn’t going to make a dent in the pile.  We did our best, though, and soon the shelf was populated.  Critter Shelf … check.  Now, after some careful repackaging, we only have two huge tubs (and one little one) full of critters.  Not sure what will ultimately become of all of them.  But in the meantime, they are available for grandkids to play with when they come visit Nani and DadDad.

 

Matthew 5:3 says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

 

Father, thank you for sense of accomplishment we felt after the projects got done yesterday.  Please keep us safe today as we tackle some more outside stuff in the heat. Amen.

May 27 – “Dreaming …”

We started off the day with a two and a half miler.  Of course we just walked, but if I leave out that one tiny detail, it makes us look really good.  We probably could have made the three miles, but my hip (latest ailment of aging) was really bothering me. 

 

Back at the house, I did some work on home group stuff.  I am trying to find words and lyrics (in the form of music videos we can sing along with) to some more songs.  I also cleaned out the videos file we have been working from.  It had some duplicates as well as some that wouldn’t play on our computer any more.  No idea why.  I just deleted them and found another version that would play.  Easy fix.

 

Later in the day I took a few minutes to tut in some more puzzle pieces.  By the time the afternoon was over, Chris had finished the whole round puzzle.  Nice job, Chris.  Interspersed in there, Chris did the bulk of the house cleaning for our home group company.  I broke free in time to do the vacuuming, though.  My contribution, and favorite part of housework, I might add.  It is included in the list that I’m supposed to avoid when my back acts up, though.  and it does bother me.  Maybe that back surgeon knew what he was talking about?  Nah.

 

I had a great dream last night.  Really good one for all you dream interpreters out there.  Me and a friend found a little wiener dog (That’s what we called it in the dream.  Dachshund, of course) abandoned up in a tree where we got our evaporated milk.  We decided that if we were going to do our gathering of evaporated milk from the trees business with one evaporated milk company, since we are climbing the trees anyway, then we might as well do business with all three companies.  Guess we had a pretty successful company, huh?  How’s this for a name: DEM - Dachshund Evaporated Milk?

 

John 20:21 says, “Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you!  As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’”

 

Father, please be with Josh and Christi and their kiddos over in Florida.  Help them to have a great time at Disneyworld.  Amen.

May 26 – “Go to the start of the line”

I started out the morning with an early visit to the auto mechanic.  Not any problems with the car or anything.  We just needed an inspection so we could renew the registration.  Dennis took care of it, as usual.  So great to have a mechanic you can trust.

 

From there I went downtown to get the registration sticker.  I was the only person in line when I walked in.  Only customer anywhere in sight, as a matter of fact.  I was directed to “the start of the line,” which was a few steps further away from the one doing the directing.  The five or maybe six other workers were steadily focused on whatever their current task at their desk was.  I waited for a long two or three minutes before I was finally recognized and called to a window … the one farthest from where I was waiting.  Once I got to that point, the whole transaction took less than two minutes.  I nodded pleasantly to the backs of those five or six heads on my way out. 

 

On the way home I got a call from Kel.  Seems the voter people were at the church to pick up voting machines.  One problem … they broke off the key in the lock and couldn’t get in.  Wonderful.  Kel was headed to another appointment, so Chris and I drove out to the church to open up for them.  Once they were all loaded up and pulling away, we walked across the street to the Shrimp and Stuff food truck.  Chris got her favorite grilled shrimp tacos.  I had popcorn shrimp.  We took our bounty over to the church and had a nice lunch together.  Great date, right?

 

We then managed to fit in a trip to WalMart for groceries.  We were out of more than just bananas this time.  The pantry was getting a little bare.  But all is well.  It is restocked again.  While we were waiting in line, the folks in front of us had a really full basket, but they ran into a problem.  It was a group of folks, at least one of whom was from out of state.  She was the one trying to pay for the groceries, and the credit card company they were trying to use was being “overly helpful.”  Their card was denied because it was out of region.  They finally put their ticket on hold in the computer until the credit card company and WalMart could work something out.  One of them even called some others who were waiting in the car and told them to go ahead to the beach house “so the baby wouldn’t have to wait in the car.”  Quite the crisis.  Hope they got it resolved, or their vacation to Galveston will not get off on the right foot. 

 

John 14:1 says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You believe in God; believe also in me.”

 

Father, please give those tourists a good week, especially after the rough start they were having.  Amen.

May 25 – “Congrats, Matt”

Yesterday was haircut day, at least for me.  I was ready.  Hate it when those little pieces of hair get long enough to make my ears itch. 

 

Before I even left the house, though, there came word through the airwaves via good ol’ Alexa that we were under a severe thunderstorm alert.  More rain a’comin’.  Good.  We have been needing it for a long time, and this is way better than waiting for a hurricane.

 

I started a new puzzle.  This one is in the shape of a circle.  It is an old town park scene set in about 1880.  750 pieces, so not too hard.  And the best part about it?  I had to dismantle the Yankees one I finished.  Glad to get them off the table.

 

Last night we went to the graduation ceremony for Galveston AIM High School.  Best graduation ever.  25 graduates.  March in.  Introductions.  Five-minute speech by the school district superintendent. Hand out diplomas.  March out.  The whole thing took around thirty minutes.  And the best part?  Our good friend Matt Landry was one of those graduates.  Congrats, Matthew.  We are proud of you.  And we love you.  Proud of you, too, Mama Teri.  You made it through a lot to get this far.

 

Matthew 18:3-5 says, “And he said, ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”

 

Father, please be with Matt as he continues working hard to complete his welding certifications and get his Associates degree.  Amen.

May 24 – “Back in the back back back”

I actually did a little work at my desk to start the day off yesterday.  I haven’t totally forgotten how to do that, you know.  I do still have to prepare for home group Bible study that meets here at the house on Thursdays.  That stuff doesn’t happen magically, you know. 

 

But when Chris got up and we had a little breakfast, she was ready to hit the road.  And by that I don’t mean in the car (although we are both kind of chomping at the bit to do that as well).  I mean, of course, that we had to get a walk in before anything else could happen.  And this time the walk drifted into three miles, with a concerted effort to decrease our split time on each mile.  So much for a leisurely stroll …

 

And after the walk we were back in the back.  Back yard, I mean.  I’m wondering if we will ever be finished with all this yardwork stuff.   This time we were back in that back flowerbed.  The back part of it up against the fence was still untouched by human hands for several years.  So … back in the back back back.  Sounds like a radio announcer describing a potential home run.  We pulled and cut weeds, did more trimming on the wisteria, and even moved around some lily bulbs to try to get it looking a little more balanced.  Chris was pleased when all was said and done.  I’ll take that.

 

As we crashed in the back porch furniture, Chris did some searching for a new picnic table nine-foot umbrella as well as a replacement canopy for the yard swing.  Sounds like it may be just as cheap and a lot easier to just buy new ones.  Add that to our list of retirement expenditures, I guess …

 

Jachin came by to pick up a book that his Dad wanted to borrow.  He stayed and chatted with us for a while over a piece of pizza.  He seems to be getting excited about college.  I know some younger siblings who are really going to miss him, though.

 

Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”  

 

Father, be with Jachin as he works through all the last-minute college-y details.  Help him to get enough money to cover his dorm costs.  Amen.

May 23 – “LTSI”

We woke up to some pretty severe thunderstorms yesterday.  Lots of lightning, but really just a steady, really good rain.  Just what we needed.  They all cleared out about 7:30, though.  Coincidentally … just about in time for us to have our baptism at church.  Wait.  Coincidentally?  Nah.

 

The baptism was particularly exciting to a group of nine ladies who were there.  They were a group who have been meeting through group texts and zoom for Bible study and encouragement.  What makes them so unique?  They live in Texas.  And Rhode Island.  And Ohio.  All over the U.S.  They were in Galveston for a ladies’ retreat at the home of a lady who has been coming to Seaside whenever she is in town on a Sunday for a long time.  One of them (a Rhode Islander) had become a Christian through the ministry of the group, and after hearing about it from the Seasider, she wanted to be baptized in the Gulf.  I really enjoyed meeting all the ladies, and their spirit of praise and worship really added to our worship time. 

 

Kel’s sermon was a continuation of his Sermon on the Mount series.  We received a pretty stark warning from the scripture, too.  Don’t be a LTSI.  That stands for “Log-Totin’ Speck Inspector.”  Of course, that comes from the passage about judging others in Matthew 7.  Get the log out of your own eye before you go trying to get the speck out of someone else’s.

 

After church we stuck around at Kel’s request for his first new members’ class.  Eleven or twelve others stayed as well.  He used a curriculum by Sam Rainer, a Florida pastor and prolific writer.  Pretty good content.  I think everyone left with a good handle on where Kel was coming from … basically, the Bible. 

 

Oh, and one last thing … Mari, the Good Guys (Astros) won yet again.

 

James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

 

Father, thank you for Carol, the brand-new baptizee.  Help her to continue to grow and learn and find a way to serve you.  And thank you for the sisters in Christ you have surrounded her with to walk with her along the way.  Amen.

May 22 – “Kids bouncing everywhere”

All of the kiddos around here slept in yesterday (except me, of course).  Even Chris didn’t arrive in the office until around 7:30.  And not long after we added to our number.  Brennan and Ava came over from across the street and played for an hour or so. 

 

When the smaller humans from across the street went back home, I played The Logo Game with Noa.  It’s a trivia game based on the logos and ads that companies have used through the years.  She was flabbergasted that I knew so many of the answers to questions about products she had never heard of before.  She wanted to know if it was because I was so old.  Yep.  That’s it.

 

Next we watched a Hallmark movie with one of them pressed tightly to either side of me like they were watching a scary movie.  Ezra kind of came and went, but Noa was really into it.  We figured out early on who wanted to kiss who.  But when the kiss actually happened, she was completely grossed out.  She wanted to know why he was biting her lip.  Hang on to that “gross” image for a few more years, little girl.  Perspectives will change soon enough.

 

Corey came over at one point and asked if we knew anything about the ambulance that was parked next door to us at the elderly widow’s house.  I texted her daughter to see if there was anything we could do.  She asked if I would go over and meet the “Saturday nurse” who was currently there.  I was happy to oblige.  Seems our neighbor had fallen and had some scratches and bruises along with a nasty bump on the head.  The EMS team was there to check her out.  She seems to be OK now.  I enjoyed chatting with the nurse, though.  Its good to know Linda has someone with her.

 

Kel came by to pick up the little ones.  And in the process, he dropped off Josiah for his turn to spend the night.  And as Kel drove away, Josiah immediately raced across the street to connect with Brennan.  Ava joined them, and the three of them played together for the rest of the afternoon.  Kids bouncing around everywhere.

 

The Astros were up again last night.  Verlander started the game.  Different result.  Good guys won 2-1.  He is now 6-1.  Off to a pretty good start. 

 

Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”

 

Father, we really appreciate the rains you have sent, but we could use a break in the storms this morning at church.  We’re supposed to do a baptism of a lady from Rhode Island.  Amen.

May 21 – “The Hole …”

We started our day outside again.  We had some more yard work to get done.  I was tasked with mowing and sweeping.  No edging needed this time.  But before I even started, I stepped in a hole.  Down, down, down I fell, until I hit the bottom with a thump.  Where was I?  What could this place be that had existed under my own backyard for so many years without my having a clue it was there?  As my eyes adjusted to the dim light, I began to make out faint shapes all around me.  And then … a movement, just there!  And another, over there!  And whatever it was appeared to be getting closer and closer.  I admit that I was getting more than a little bit scared.  I held out my arms to fend off any attack by these … whatever they were.  And then it happened.  A flash of light so brilliant that it knocked me off my feet entirely.  And then … well, I digress from my original tale.  Maybe this one can continue later.

 

So, the hole in the back yard … It was not in a surprise location.  I’m pretty sure it was another old root of the pecan tree that stood for so long there.  As the years pass, these old roots rot away. Leaving a long hole in their stead.  We went back to Home Depot and bought some topsoil to fill it in.  And while we were there, Chris got some more potting soil for some plant she wanted to repot.  And before we could leave with that, she found some kind of pot-shaped mossy-looking things that you plant stuff in for hanging baskets.  And since she had some of those now, she had to also get a few more plants to put in them.  Add those to the pile of dirtbags.  And on the final leg to the checkout stand, I happened to notice a fresh shipment of random vegetable plants.  Can’t pass those up.  She nabbed a tomato and a bell pepper.  Still, not very much in the grand scheme of things.  I’m sure the cashier was wondering why we needed so much dirt for so few plants.  She didn’t ask, but I had an answer all ready.  “Preparing for the future, right?”

 

Back at the house I got the hole filled and the ground a little closer to being level, do the nearby pavers wouldn’t collapse beneath the feet of small (or not-so-small) human traffic.  Then I joined Chris in her crusade against runaway growth by a bush on the back fence, as well as weeds in the back fence flower bed.  We got about half-way before the heat got to be too much for us.  Besides it was lunchtime.  And after that we had company coming.

 

The first visitor was the guy from the bug company.  Or I guess we should call it the Anti-bug Company.  He gave us our first-of-the-summer roach spraying.  He was supposed to also spray the whole yard for ants (we have been invaded by those critters).  He faced a problem, though.  He said there was too much wind to be able to spray the yard.  We would have to reschedule for next week sometime.  Hmm.  There is always wind in Galveston.  Wonder how they determine what is too much. 

 

When he left, we made a quick trip to Randall’s before our next guests arrived.  Had to pick up some prescriptions.  And I found a little one-serving tub of fully loaded baked potato soup.  Great supper. 

 

Those next guests arrived later in the afternoon.  Noa and Ezra were spending the night with us.  Older brothers were staying with friends, so Mom and Dad wanted to go on a date.  Actually, Micah and Josiah had to be at karate at 6:30, and Jachin and Christina had to be at HBU by 7:30.  Kel also had a karate class somewhere in there.  In essence, we were assisting with logistics.  Kel will come pick up the little guys today and leave behind Josiah.  No particular reason why, other than we live across the street from his good friend Brennan. 

 

With the Littles, we made a trip over to the playground for about an hour.  Then I settled in to watch the Astros game while they had baths.  After family worship, they headed to bed.  I think the Astros’ bats followed them.  They were sure napping.  Good guys lost 3-0.  Guess I’ll be hearing from my Texas Rangers fan friend up north. 

 

Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

 

Father, thank you for our evening with Noa and Ezra.  Give them (and Chris) a little more sleep.  Amen.

 

May 20 – “Accomplishments and surprises”

We walked.  Chris has us up to two and a half miles now.  And we were finished not long after 8:00.  Earliest ever.  It made for what seemed like a really long morning.  Good thing, too.  As it turned out, I needed the extra time.

 

I finally got started on copying over the pictures from our camera and phones onto the computer.  From there Chris will go through them and decide which ones to keep (no doubt, all of them).  It took literally hours.  What I thought was the computer copying all the photos, ended up being said computer apparently looking at every photo, then slapping a file folder icon down on the screen.  None of the guts.  I had to go back and transfer each picture to its corresponding file icon.  I guess the next step is to get the pictures individually placed with their counterparts in our massive photos file.  Once that is done, we can back them all up to our external hard drive.  I know.  I’m a dinosaur.  And yes, I am pretty sure everything is backed up to the Cloud.  But honestly, I have no idea where in the cloud that might be, much less how to access it.  So, we’ll stick to playing with them on the laptop. 

 

We also needed to put some of the photos onto a flash drive for Christina.  Noa’s birthday, Jachin’s graduation, and his graduation party.  Oh, and the Florida trip.  That one will have to wait, though.  It didn’t fit.  She’ll have to get them later.  The graduations and birthdays have been delivered.  Christina and the kids all came by after their regular trip to the Galveston library.  Oh, and the also brought back our lawn mower.  I can mow again.  Yay.

 

The missing piece to the jigsaw puzzle that I mentioned earlier suddenly showed up.  I have no idea where it had been hiding.  I was working in my office at my desk.  I went to the kitchen for a swig of water.  When I returned, I noticed a small, out of place particle near the leg of my chair.  Sure enough, there was the rest of Aaron Judge’s shoulder.  Guess his season prospects are intact after all.  Oh, and later in the morning Chris found a tiny little toy husky dog figure.  Also in the office.  Also in perfect condition.  Also seemed to show up out of nowhere.  I asked Freddy if she had anything to do with the mystery, but she refused to comment.  Hmm.  The game’s afoot, Watson.

 

Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

 

Father, thank you for this hodgepodge of in-the-grand-scheme tiny accomplishments and surprises.  They help make life exciting.  Amen.

May 19 – “Doctor’s office reunion”

I talked Chris out of taking a walk yesterday.  It wasn’t that I was adamantly against taking a walk.  It’s just that I didn’t want to walk two miles and then spend a few hours doing yard work.  One or the other would be fine.  Not so much both.  So how did I do it?  Actually, it wasn’t that hard.  I just suggested we go back to Home Depot right then and complete the purchase of two more azalea SHRUBBERIES (See what I did there?  Movie reference.  An homage to Monty Python and the Holy Grail).  She agreed to the plan.  Then we had to plant them all (seven total).  Then we washed the car.  It had accumulated all sorts of love bug guts and bird poop on our last trip.

 

Finally, we grabbed some lunch.  I worked on the new jigsaw puzzle It is in eth shape of home plate and honors the Yankees.  The grandkids wanted to know if I planned to burn it.  I suggested maybe a dart board instead.  But I completed it last night, and I have a new idea.  The image of Aaron Judge is actually missing a piece (Not sure how that could be.  I was the first one to open the interior bag of puzzle pieces).  But the piece is a part of his shoulder.  Maybe if we just leave it, it will somehow affect his swing and cut down on those massive home runs he hits – at least against the Astros.  Instead of a voodoo doll we have a voodoo puzzle.  No?  Guess you’re right.  Besides, the puzzle is borrowed from a friend.  Big Astros fans.  Maybe they won’t mind the dart board idea …

 

I had a doctor’s appointment in the afternoon.  Just a recheck on the medication change he made last time I saw him.  While waiting, who should walk in but some Seaside old-timers (Not old … just from a long time ago).  Camille and Paulette.  Big hugs followed, and we chatted briefly.  I got called back quicker than I ever have, though, so our catching up was short.  Or so I thought.  When I came out, Paulette was back with her doctor, but Camille was still there.  And who should be sitting across from her but yet another Seaside old-time (same restriction as above, of course).  Cathy.  I gave her a hug, and as I went to sit down, a gentleman across the room waved at me.  It was Jab, one of the retired fire fighters.  There were two other folks in the waiting room who I didn’t know, but why should that remain the case?  I approached both of them and introduced myself.  That was better.  Now we were one big happy family.  Paulette came out shortly thereafter, and we all sat there enjoying catching up with each other’s kids and grandkids.  Hey … I usually do that in WalMart, and I gotta admit, just chatting in the doctor’s office waiting room was a little weird, but since when do I shy away from “a little weird”?

 

Revelation 4:11 says, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

 

Father, thank you for renewed friendships, new acquaintances, and doctor’s offices.  Amen.

May 18 – “But no …”

I went fishing.  I suppose you could say the day was less than successful, though.  I caught a few croakers that I then used for cut bait.  I caught one small black drum.  Tossed him back.  The two sand trout that I kept provided us with a nice, pan-fried-in-olive-oil lunch.  Good stuff.  I might have done better if I had had some decent sized bait.  I picked up some live shrimp (the cost has gone out the roof, by the way).  There were two gigantors, a few that were decent size, and the rest were maybe an inch or two long.  Just babies.  Both trout, by the way, bit on cut bait.  Oh, I did make two other catches that I failed to mention.  Trying to forget them, I guess.  One trash hardhead catfish.  And one small crab.  They both found their way back into the water. 

 

Back home, I got a call from the alarm company at church.  They were on site to replace the alarm panel.  The outside door was open, but they couldn’t get into the office area where the panel is located.  Kel was off-island at a meeting, so I went up there to let them in.  On my way I got a phone call from Cathy, teasing me about coming out of retirement.  Hey, it worked for Tom Brady.  But no …

 

Once I got the guy all situated and made my way back home, we left for Home Depot.  Chris has the gardening bug again.  This trip was all about grabbing some azaleas for our front yard and some other plants for hanging baskets in the back.  Oh, and when we got there, I found out she had another project bouncing around in her head.  For that one we bought some of that Rustoleum paint used to cover outdoor metal furniture.  The table and chairs on our deck are once again in dire need.

 

Finally, we ended the night watching the Astros.  Way different experience from their loss the night before.  The Astros hit five home runs in one inning.  Then they added a grand slam later in the game.  Final score was 13-4.  Wow.

 

2 Corinthians 7:10 says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”

 

Father, thank you for the chance to go fishing again.  I missed it.  Amen.

May 17 – “Going …”

I’m.  Going.  Fishing.

 

Micah 6:8 says, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

 

Father, it’s been a while.  We could sure use some fillets in the freezer.  Amen.

 

May 16 – “Comforting …”

Yesterday was a … comforting … sort of day.  Not sure if that’s the right word, but it’ll do for now. 

 

We started the day by going to church.  Certainly comforting in the spiritual sense.  Kel continued his sermon series on the Sermon on the Mount.  Well, on Matthew 6:33 to be exact.  Hard to beat good ol’ “seek ye first …”  And of course it was also really good to see all the familiar faces.  Relationally comforting … is that a thing?  There were a few faces that were missing, though.  Hope all is well with them.

 

After church we stuck around for dinner on the grounds.  Physically comforting, right?  Hey, we all gotta eat.  And as usual, everyone who brought something really knocked it out of the park.  Glad we were in town on the third Sunday.

 

After church we came back home for Astros and a nap.  Verlander was pitching for the Astros, so there was certainly a degree of comfort in watching him pitch and set down the bad guys.  He even had another no-hitter going for five or six innings.  And then there is the comfort-able couch I was sitting on to watch the game.  Nice place for a nap.

 

We did have to make a quick trip over to Randall’s to pick up a few prescriptions for Chris.  It’s comforting to know she has what she needs to keep her heart stuff under control.  And while we were there, I picked up an Antone’s poboy sandwich for supper.  Guess I’m back to repeating myself on the physical comfort again.  But have you ever had one of those poboys?  We used to have to drive to the Antone’s Deli to get one of them way back when we lived in Houston.  Good stuff.

 

Much later last night we went outside to stare at the moon.  Not that we do that often, but it was blood moon night.  Full moon and total eclipse.  And it all happened at a reasonable hour.  By 10:30 the whole moon was behind the shadow.  And it really was red this time.  How was that comforting?  The God who made that moon and the earth that shadowed is still in control.  I’ll take that comfort any day.

 

Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

 

Father, thank you for all the expressions of comfort we experienced yesterday.  Amen.

May 15 – “Inconvenience”

We said good-bye to the Waco clan as they headed out for home yesterday morning.  Josh had a meeting scheduled for 7 p.m., plus he has to preach this morning, so they couldn’t stay for the party time.  After they left we did a little straightening and cleaning up before a light lunch.  Chris also set to chopping up veggies for a veggie tray – our contribution to the festivities. 

 

We left around one for LaMarque.  The party started at two, so we hoped that would give us enough time to get there.  Google George assured us that it would only take 22 minutes.  We didn’t really believe him, with all the traffic issues going on around here.  The dangerous damage they discovered on the railroad overpass just off the island has wreaked havoc on our primary island exit point.  Fortunately, the powers that be have just informed the citizens that the damage was not quite as severe – or as dangerous - as they first thought, unless of course you are driving a vehicle that weighs more than 80,000 pounds.  Anyway, now that they have established a new traffic pattern, the plan is to repair the overpass rather than replace it.  A temporary fix.  The “replace” will still have to happen … eventually.  But for now, we should be back to all lanes open by the end of this week. Oh, and we made it in plenty of time.  Hardly had to slow down, even.

 

The party seemed to go well.  I think most of Jachin’s baseball team was there.  After a while they all ended up going to the park to play some wiffle ball.  Both of my brothers and their wives came.  It was good catching up with them.  A former youth minister of Jachin’s came by.  Christina’s dad made some street tacos – really good stuff.  They also had a nacho bar set up.  Out in the back yard were some of those tent awning things for shade and lawn chairs and corn hole and I think I saw some horseshoes headed out there.  Congratulations, Jachin.

 

And on a final note … when the Astros decide to finally lose after winning eleven in a row, they do it in a big way.  Final score was 13-6.  Ouch.

 

Habakkuk 2:14 says, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

 

Father, please be with the road crews that will be working on that bridge over the next few years.  And help the rest of us be patient with the inconvenience of interruptions in our daily routines.  Amen.