September 12 - “Hi, Baby”

We were back again to the physical therapy department yesterday. Chris’ turn again. That meant my day to walk. Trying to follow that schedule I made for myself. Walk one day, strength training the next, off on Sunday. Oh, That reminds me. My arms are definitely sore after strength workout number one. 

It was great to be back at my “home gym” so to speak. The people are so much more pleasant in the Galveston clinic. I was, however, interrupted twice on my walk. The first time I was coming down a long hall with absolutely no one in sight, when suddenly, what should my wondering eyes perceive, but a tiny bald head poking around the corner looking at me. As I got closer that head revealed the body to which it was attached. It was my friend Ed. He had been in physical therapy, and Chris told him where I was. We chatted for a few minutes, then he left to go to work and I resumed my walk. Good to see you, Ed. 

Now the second interruption was quite different. I rounded a different corner - one with a bit more traffic. A cute young nurse was approaching, head buried in her phone. A few steps away, she finally looked up and noticed me. And she said, “Hi, Baby.” Yep. I got hit on by a virtually unconscious cutie. It did surprise me enough that I swiveled my head around for a second brief glance. Head back in her phone, the cutie pie headed into one of the clinics - the pediatric clinic. Sigh. Made me feel younger, at least. Much, much, much younger. 

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6‬:‭2‬ says, Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Father, thank you for the smiles and words of encouragement and “Hi, Baby’s.” Amen. 

September 11 - “Sympathy pains”

I had my sympathy pains physical therapy appointment yesterday. Actually I have had a bit of a shoulder issue since back when I moved those massive flower pots up on the deck. I just put it off because Chris’ issue certainly trumped mine.  

I had the same therapist Chris has.  Very sweet girl. Kinda mean with the exercises she gave me, though. I did them when I got home. They are tough. I don’t have to go back in to see her anymore. That’ll save us another copay every week. Sigh. I guess I just need to commit to actually do them. My plan is to walk one day and do the strength exercises the next. Then I’m off on Sundays. 

After watching the Astros’ afternoon game, we were back at it for home group last night. Oh, by the way, the Astros won 2–1 on a home run by Cam Smith in the top of the ninth. Exciting. 

‭‭Hosea‬ ‭10‬:‭12‬ says, Sow righteousness for yourselves and reap faithful love; break up your unplowed ground. It is time to seek the LORD until he comes and sends righteousness on you like the rain.

Father, thank you for our physical therapist. Bless her. Amen. 

September 10 - “Cleared”

Got my official clearance from the jury pool office. They first said the fact that I have a pre-paid trip planned should be enough, but they would have to check with the judge. In a second email, however, they added that, because I am over 70, I am automatically exempt. All updated with the jury clerk. Solves that Alaska problem. 

Chris had an appointment up in Texas in the morning. This one was her dermatologist. Just a yearly checkup to check on the places he has frozen off and to see if any more have developed. 

What we anticipated would be a fairly short appointment turned into a long one. Long enough that I was able to walk my full two miles. As it turned out the doc did a biopsy on the spot on her cheek that she’s been watching. Now we get to wait another week or so for results. Sigh. 

We had a really special treat last night. Chris made shrimp gumbo. It’s been a long time. It wasn’t the same collection of spices we usually use, but we couldn’t find that one (Mam Papal’s). It was still some good stuff, though. 

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭30‬:‭5‬ ‭says, For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor, a lifetime. Weeping may stay overnight, but there is joy in the morning.

Father, thank you for working out the details so I can be excused from just dirty and go to Alaska without worrying. Amen. 

September 9 - “Boring excitement”

Chris did a 30 minute walk here at the house before heading to physical therapy. Then she succumbed to the stretching and tugging of the therapist for about 45 minutes. She also recommended highly that Chris notify the surgeon about her run-in with the wall at Whataburger. She took care of that when we got home. Tough morning for Chris, right? 

I, on the other hand, didn’t have to deal with the therapist, but I did manage a two mile hike indoors, walking around the clinic hallways about 8 times. Always fun to people watch while doing that. They usually seem either impressed or annoyed. 

Speaking of people watching, we stopped at Walmart on the way home. Bananas. OK. There were other things as well, but I was just detailing the first item on my list. And we walked around a little bit. Added a few dozen steps to our count for the day. 

That was pretty much the extent of our day’s excitement. We saw two or three hummingbirds engaged in their typical turf wars over access to our feeder. Watched a movie. Emailed the county to let them know I’d be out of state when they want me to appear for jury duty. Watched the Astros. Full day. 

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ says, Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.

Father, thank you for making hummingbirds. They are really fun to watch. Amen. 

September 8 - “Gettin’ blessed”

Labor Day was workout day for us. Chris did all of her arm and leg exercises, then walked a mile and a quarter. I did the weights part of the arm exercises. Then I walked two miles. Guess it all averages out. 

We did have a visitor in the afternoon. Our incredible hair stylist, Suzanne, came over with her big bag of haircut tricks. Yep. She blessed us with a house call. We both really needed a haircut, too. Well, especially me. Chris always looks great. It’s nice to let my head breathe better now. 

Monday is also laundry day, holiday or no. We had five or six loads (or maybe it was 6 or 7, Ezra). Can’t say I’m getting any better at folding, but at least I can haul the wads of dirty clothes to the machine. 

The Astros were off for the holiday, so we turned to those old standbys - recorded shows. You know … like Hallmark movies. Nothing new there, of course. Even if the movies themselves were just made, plots remain the same. 

‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭32‬ says, You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Father, bless Suzann for coming over here and cutting our hair. Amen. 

September 7 - “Nice job”

The blog site was apparently down for a while yesterday. I tried numerous times to post, but alas, to no avail. I even posted an apology on Facebook to all 10 or 12 people who usually read it. But I tried one more time on the way to church, and bingo! There it was. I hurriedly threw my blog on there, so if you’re interested … feel free to catch up. 

We had another great day at church. 80 people came to worship. I met a new guy who just moved to the area. He was invited by one of the Seaside couples. Nice job, Bonnie and David. 

I got an interesting email yesterday. Sunday afternoon of Labor Day weekend. It was a warning of sorts. It said I was going to receive a jury summons. That’s a new one. Never have been pre-notified before. But here’s the rub. My report date? Right when I’ll be in Alaska. Fortunately, one of the excused absences is pre-paid travel arrangements. I’ll have to call them when I get that actual summons. 

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭121‬:‭2‬ says, My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Father, bless Bonnie and David for their inviting efforts. Amen. 

September 6 - “Two Unthinkables”

After a pretty good (for hotel food when they don’t have one of those nifty waffle makers) breakfast of eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, and a really good cinnamon roll, we hit the road for home around 9.30. How’s that for including a ton of early morning info in one long sentence?

We did the unthinkable on the trip home. Well, actually, it was two unthinkables. First, Chris insisted that she was driving home. One, she just wanted to try it on the freeway, and two, I had to take an antihistamine. Lots of post nasal drip, drip, drip. I sound worse than I feel. 

Our second unthinkable was just as significant. We did NOT stop at Buc-ees. Neither of us was hungry, and we didn’t have to go to the bathroom. Nevertheless, it felt like a sacrilege. 

We didn’t find a place to stop. Chris realized that we were in Texas, after all, so we might as well do some shopping. So … first stop. Duluth Trading Company. Big sale. Yay. Seriously though, she did get a great deal on some more hiking pants and a warm shirt. Alaska, here we come!

We also made a quick stop at the LaMarque Walmart. Rumor had it that they carried Mam Papal’s gumbo mix. Nope. Chris chose a different brand to try. We’ll see. 

Finally made it home around 1:30. Freddy was happy to see us. Always good to be home. 

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ says, The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Father, thanks for you for riding with us on the trip home. And thank you for being with Chris as she drove. She needed to know that she could do it! Amen. 

September 5 - “This was a day”

Well this was a day. We started out for Bryan, Texas. Plenty of time, to be sure. Luke’s game was set for 3:30. About two and a half hours to get there. We left at around 10:30. Why so early? Food! 

The “interesting” thing about this start-of-the-day was this … Chris crawled into the driver’s seat. First time in three months. I told her she was good to go down the street to Whataburger. Then we would re-evaluate. 

Well … while we were standing in line at Whataburger, one of their employees was carrying one of those huge traffic cones. Yep. Indoors. Apparently the weight shifted, throwing her off balance into one of those large floor sign ads. Somewhere in there Chris’ legs were swiped from under her. Fortunately, she smacked against the wall and managed to break her fall. Unfortunately, she smacked against the wall … with her right shoulder taking the full brunt of the smack. 

Needless to say, she … hurt. She turned pale and tears welled up in her eyes. She assured everyone that she was OK (just “OK” - not “fine”). But she did go right over and sit down. After a bit we received our food and headed to the car. And NO. She didn’t get in the driver’s seat. Didn’t even argue. She did make me promise to let her take over if I got sleepy. 

Well, I didn’t. Made all the way to Buc-ees, then on to our hotel in College Station. Add to that description … through horrendous thunderstorms with torrential rains. It was a mess all the way until we were almost in College Station. And then …. Blue skies and lots of sunshine. 

Luke’s junior high team played at 3:30, right in the heat of the day. No shade for the fans, except for the umbrellas we had in the car. Did I mention that it was hot? I don’t think it hit triple digits, but boy was it close. We did meet up with Josh and Christi and sat with them in the visitor stands on the hill (closest to the sun). Through it all, Luke played a fabulous game (of course). And the good guys won, 38-19.   

After the game we went to Chik-fil-A for supper. We split a grilled chicken wrap. Good stuff. While we were eating, the junior varsity also won their game in a big way, 55-7. 

Great lead-in for the varsity. They scored on their second play from scrimmage. Caleb was defensive captain for the game. That’s my boy. 

The game was pretty exciting. At least for our guys. The final score was 61-16. Our guys scored with 8 seconds left in the half to stretch our lead to 45 points. By league regulations, if one team leads by 45 points after a complete half, the game ends by the mercy rule. Not bad. Not bad at all. Proud of you guys. 

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ says, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.

Father, thanks for watching over these boys playing football. It was awfully hot out there. Amen. 

September 4 - “Zero, aaaand switch”

Yesterday I woke up fighting the good ol’ September drip, drip, drip of excess post nasal fluidity. Very annoying. 

But it was Thursday Clean House Day once again. Strange how that keeps happening every single week. And somehow Chris never forgets. She tackled the bathrooms and dusting. I had the sweeping and vacuuming. Freddy just lolled around, watching us (always wanted to use the word “loll” in a real sentence. Thanks, Freddy).

I made an order online for some more birthday cards. The Mardel site had exactly zero available. Hmm. Interesting. I then went to the old standby, LifeWay. Not only did they have some, but they were on sale for just $3.99. Great bargain. Kind of scary, though. Wonder if they are dumping inventory in anticipation of not carrying them anymore. 

But then, when I went to the checkout page, I saw that it wasn’t Lifeway at all. They had farmed out the boxed cards orders to Christian Book Distributors. Oh well. Seaside had an account with them anyway. 

However, I got an email from them shortly after the order. The card needed to be updated. Oops. Thought I had checked that. I made the required changes, and soon got another email that all was well. Phew! Hope these folks appreciate their upcoming birthday cards. 

Today we are heading to Bryan, Texas, to watch some football. Luke has a junior high game at 4:30. Caleb plays in the high school game at 7. There is also a junior varsity game in between. Go, Wind Skyhawks!

Oh! I forgot the really exciting news. I figured out how to fix my email. Remember, every incoming email automatically went to the Trash file? There was a drop down menu on the computer page of yahoo. One of the options was exactly what I’ve been looking for. Pushed one button and boom! All repaired.

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭18‬:‭2‬ says, The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock where I seek refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Father, be with the boys in the football games today. Amen. 

September 3 - “Movin’ on”

Chris was up and at ‘em really early yesterday. She had a physical therapy appointment. First one after the doc appointment. First one with a little strength training sprinkled in. She was sore after this one. But definitely progressing. Way to go, Chris!

Meanwhile, I did my walk around the clinic building. I figured up a quarter mile track, so I had about 40-45 minutes to complete eight laps. Phew! Barely got back in time. Chris got out of her workout three minutes early. 

We stopped at some grocery stores on the way home. Chris has been searching for some Ma’am Papaul’s shrimp gumbo mix. It has become apparent that one carries it in Galveston. 

Kroger’s had none, but she did find the olive oil she’s been looking for. Randall’s was a strikeout as well. But at least there we were able to pick up a prescription and some Thera Tears. 

Next we stopped by the bank. It was past time to resolve the dispute over our stolen money. Sadly, we were informed that the online payment company was now involved, so the dispute is still under investigation. 

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬-‭34‬ says, But seek first the kingdom of God , and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Father, help Chris as she works through this next phase of her rehab. Amen. 

September 2 - “It was a flop”

The storm was pretty much a flop, at least as far as our journey into Texas was concerned. No wind. Not even a drop of rain. We made it to Chris’ doc appointment with ease. 

This was her big three month check up with the surgeon. The hope was that she could at least start strength exercises with the physical therapist. Well, she got that word and more. He gave her a three month pass from seeing him. Strengthening is fine (under proper direction, of course). In fact, he’s a big fan of the Thera-bands as opposed to weights. So next phase … here we go!

Since we were already in Texas, we pulled out our list of stuff to do there. First stop was Mardel’s, where we get birthday cards. To our surprise, they are undergoing a massive restructuring project. The inventory they have is less than half of what they used to have. And among the missing items? Yep. All boxed cards. They have been on order for six plus weeks. So ... punt. At least for now. 

Next we stopped at Dick’s to look for some hiking pants for Chris. They had some, but they were really, really proud of them. So we took a walk all the way to the other end of the shopping center to REI. Didn’t find anything there. So it appeared we struck out.  But then … we passed a store that had been closed earlier. Duluth something or other. And as luck would have it, we found just what she was looking for. She tried them on, and we walked out with another checkmark on our Alaska trip list. 

On the way back to Galveston we ran into just a taste of a sprinkle from Tropical Storm Eduardo. We could see the clouds off in the distance, but as far as high winds and torrential rains? Nope. Totally missed us. Well, not totally. We did get an afternoon of very light, very slow, very steady drizzle. That’s a good thing. 

‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ says, His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

Father, thank you for the rain we did get today. Amen. 

September 1 - “Hurricane Trim Time”

Well, a Tropical Storm Warning was issued for Galveston County yesterday. At least part of Galveston County. Like, the Port Bolivar part. I guess because of coastal flooding. It should miss us head on, and since it is east of us, we should be on the less-dirty side of the storm. 

Meanwhile, I dragged out the loppers and went to work on the trees in the front yard. Hurricane trim time. Even if it misses us completely, the trees still needed a haircut. Almost as badly as I do. We got both sycamores and all three oleanders. And as I was about to shut it down, I glanced up at our neighbor’s porch. Hanging precariously by a slim sliver of tree bark was a pretty substantial branch. No way it would last through a storm of any magnitude. And if it did fall, our fence would be at risk. 

I walked up on their porch to get a closer look. Sure enough, things didn’t look good to my eagle-eye hurricane trim time senses. I casually reached up and gave it the slightest little tug. Just enough to gauge what force would be needed to get it down. Boom! That’s all it took. The whole massive branch came crashing down on my head. Fortunately, it missed our fence, other than a scrape on its way down. I hauled it to the street and got it chopped into smaller lengths for the trash guys. Hope the pile is still there when they come today. Hey! I just hope they come today, period. 

We had to make a quick Walmart run. Well, not necessarily quick. We just had a grocery list to check off. And yes. Bananas topped the page. Followed closely by Freddy food. Hey. We had to get stocked up for the horrendous storm barreling down upon us, didn’t we?  

‭‭Daniel‬ ‭12‬:‭3‬ says, Those who have insight will shine like the bright expanse of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

Father, watch over everyone in the path of this storm. Amen.