aghast

On a walk of another type, I came upon several words in my dictionary that I either have not seen in common usage to a great extent or this was my first time to view them at all. To begin this mental stroll I present the word aghast. It carries the meaning of being struck with overwhelming shock or amazement and the more sinister definition of being filled with sudden fright or horror. I have been aghast a few times in my life but I don’t remember calling it that – I was too much in shock. I don’t recall now why I was aghast; maybe it was not that important in the long run.

A new one for me is agita; this word means heartburn or indigestion. I have had heartburn and indigestion but maybe I’m just not sophisticated enough to get agita. Another meaning of the word is agitation or anxiety – I have taken part in those words but agita was far from my mind during the participation thereof. A kin word is agitator and about the only place one of those is needed is in a washing machine.

The word aglet crept up on me – it means a tag or ornament at the ends of a shoelace, cord or ribbon. The word agley is chiefly a Scottish word meaning something is awry or wrong – in this case maybe someone’s shoelace was untied or the aglet came off of it.

Now I have had an agnail or a whitlow but never called it that, it’s always been a hangnail to me.

As surprising as it may sound, there are conflicts in literature, called agones, especially when the conflict is between the protagonist and the antagonist. It is not certain at all to me which of these would wear the white hat – probably would depend on one’s point of view.

I wasn’t aware of the word ailurophile – a person who likes cats. I’m not sure what one who just tolerates cats would be called – me maybe. Then there is the Spice who is an ailurophobe – a person who has an abnormal fear of cats. To even mention the possibility that a cat would be brought nearby makes her go all akimbo – hand on hip and elbow bent outward. Most husbands have gotten the akimbo treatment at one time or another and for a variety of reasons.

I would discuss alacrity but does anyone have it anymore? Too many people also live simply depending on aleatory. We could sure use some algid temps around here. Do any writers have an allonym or do they just have pen names? No discussion also on the word alopecia, it hits too close to home.

Our country seems to be running amuck – to go or rush about wildly and/or be out of control – with too much of the bad meaning of animus and very little amity. Christ is the solution for this sort of problem but He is totally our choice. He will allow us to choose the nutso life or one of peace – which will you choose? ec

WT-2

Walking Thoughts continued – The driveway on which I do my evening walks passes along side the bedroom end of our house. From this view I can see the 3 small hazelnut trees, the 4 fig bush/trees and the blueberry patch that was transplanted to this end of the house a few years back. Just seeing them reminds how bad they need to be cleaned around and the straw replenished. It is tough to get to that chore during the gardening season plus it is just too hot to be out and about very much.

The four figs are also recent transplants – they have been there two seasons now – and being young they were hit very hard during our freak freeze back about Easter. All above ground growth on them was killed but they have now grown back from the roots and are up to a little over two feet tall. Hopefully we won’t get another weird cold snap like that for many years.

I will have to commend BIL on keeping the grass mowed on MIL’s place – better than mine – plus it is a much larger area than I have. The Spice has two brothers and one of these is not married and lives with MIL and keeps up the place quite well. This is a good thing since it saves the Spice and I much labor in that respect. The other BIL lives across the street from us and this is the one that calls on me from time to time to help out with the phone wires and such for the company where he works.

Since the time I walk is almost exclusively at sundown, I have got to view many of these daily events. They are all beautiful but the stunning ones usually have to do with whether or not there are certain cloud formations on the horizon. Today there were no clouds, so if any sunset would be considered a regular one, today would be one of those – still amazing though.

As previously mentioned, it has been very dry around here and at one spot on my side of the pond there is a small peninsula. As the water recedes however, this piece of land slowly gets much longer. There is a large stump about 50 feet from the shore and if the dry spell continues the land will extend all the way out to the stump – it has happened a couple of times before. This stump and others were left for the fish to have some hiding places and it is now a decayed shell of its former self.

After the pond was built and while the water was slowly rising, BIL and I built a dock on either side of the pond. The one on MIL’s side is much more used and in better repair than the one on our side, which is getting a bit rickety. The section of land on this side of the pond just came into our ownership this year and it added an acre to the acre we already had, making our ‘Blueberry Hill’ a two-acre “estate”. Don’t remember if I have mentioned this before in my writings.

My walking pace tonight was at a fair clip but a couple of nights ago I pulled out all the stops and achieved the best time I have walked all year – just a little under 29 minutes for the two miles. While not comparable to times before my health ‘problems’, it was a very good time in my still recovering condition.

The light was starting to fade fast as I finished up the walk and as I came by the oak tree before the finish line, a squirrel was fussing at me as I went by – no idea why because I wasn’t that close to the tree. It could have even been two squirrels fussing at each other about whatever squirrels fuss at each other about – probably some nutty something or other.

Such were my unplanned walking thoughts and through it all, God is still good, all the time. ec

WT

Walking Thoughts – As I began my walk tonight I thought about the question – what was I going to think about during this walk? I was unable to come up with any preconceived plan since thinking is a spur of the moment thing and one usually doesn’t know what they are going to think about until they have thought about it. So I decided I would just record it as it came and write it down the same way.

As I walked across the dam of the pond, I thought about how low the pond was and how several stumps are showing above the water now and one small island has re-appeared. We really need a long soaking rain to even get halfway back to normal.

Another thought was concerning the chirring melody coming from the trees off to my right – this from the many cicadas giving forth their “joyful noise” of the summer. Last night my walk was a little later and the cicadas had quit and the crickets had picked up where they left off.

Why in the world do these geese have to poop on this driveway where I walk? It seems that they should know by nature that fertilizing this asphalt driveway is not going to cause anything to grow. They must have been tired of fertilizing the lawn. They wander all over the area even a fair distance away from the pond. I have seen them in my yard, as well as my neighbor’s, just grazing on the grass and/or the grass seed. It’s like the places belonged to them – and then maybe it does.

On MIL’s side of the pond there is a rather distinctive looking tree down by the water that BIL planted several years ago and it has grown quite large for the amount of time it has been there. It is a eucalyptus – quite aromatic and can be smelled some distance away – it smells like cough drops.

The main part of the pond dam parallels the area’s highway that is a couple hundred yards away. The highway can’t be seen this time of the year because of the dense foliage but the vehicle noises can be heard quite well. In winter, when the leaves have dropped, you can glimpse autos and such as they move along this major traffic artery.

At the turn around point of my measured walk, I glanced up ahead and saw several goose necks; this was all I could see because their bodies were hidden down in a swale. They were checking me out to be sure – they don’t like anything or anybody to get very close to them.

The grass along the edges of the driveway is always trying to encroach out on the asphalt, with a few spots more successful than others. One spot out on the dam has a crack in this paving medium and a large tuft of centipede grass is growing right in the middle of the drive. Left alone and with enough years, I’m sure the grass and/or weeds would conquer the pavement.

The tenacity of God’s created natural growths is just another of the many things that amaze me about our world. God does all things well. ec

monday stuff

Monday dawned and the day found all of our company departed and we made efforts at getting back into some sort of routine. My day was begun with its usual physical and spiritual components. Then I went outside to pick the veggies of the garden. The tomatoes are producing at a tremendous rate and I picked three plastic grocery bags full by the time I finished. It seems that I have more than we can eat and evidently more than I can give away.

Most of these tomatoes are the round type, Parks Whopper by name, but we also have a couple of plants of the Roma variety – these are the smaller, pear-shaped kind. These latter seem to be a little less acid and better tolerated by my stomach. The temp during the picking operation was almost as high as a few days ago but the humidity was much lower and my body tolerated that better.

Next was the squash row and there were many of them but during the hurried picking last week, I missed some and many had to be tossed as being too mature. Then I moved on to the okra row – the location that required some work last week. We had a windy storm come through over a week ago and it bent the plants over and they failed to straighten back up. I had driven down some stakes and placed a long horizontal board to push them back upright – don’t recall having to do that before.

The okra was cut and it was a good amount even though some of that also had to be tossed for being too mature. In case you are wondering, the veggies getting too mature comes from not picking often enough. It came time then to pick the cucumbers and they were so droopy – in fact they looked about like I was feeling by then – that I decided to turn the sprinkler on the garden and pick them when they were feeling a bit perkier.

The Spice had taken her Mom to the doc as a follow-up to the emergency she had the other day and she seems to be doing OK. They had gone by after the doctor appointment to pick up a piece of furniture MIL had ordered and the Spice called me when they got near home. I went over and with my trusty hand truck/cart and with a helping push from the Spice, got the piece into the house. BIL arrived and we got the piece de-boxed and set in its proper place. He was going to handle the set-up of the shelves and such so I departed back to our house.

This was the time I decided to cook up some of the fresh veggies I had just gathered – for a late lunch/early supper. First I put some olive oil in a pan, put cut up onions on that and then added the sliced squash. The next pan held the cut up okra that had been dusted down with corn bread muffin mix. While these were stewing in their own juices, I put some frozen “chicken pieces” on a baking sheet and in the oven to thaw and brown.

The Spice came in totally exhausted from the rigors and excitement of the last week, caring for her Mom and the emergency and such – plus not sleeping very well during that time. It had all caught up with her and she straightway went to bed. The food preparation was then completed but I didn’t have the heart to wake her so I ate alone and enjoyed my own cooking – as did the Spice when she arose from her nap. She then went and picked up GM3 and GM4 to take them to our church’s vacation Bible school.

Such was our Monday and still a blessing and gift from God. ec

ketchup - 3

Saturday morning came into being pretty much as expected, with the sun coming up and everything getting light and such. It offered an opportunity for me to do a bit of outside work that I had been putting off for a while. It was to be a hot day but my earlier start did help a bit, until it really got serious about the hot part. I did get some garden work done that was in the direct sun and then I started work on making a sort of fence to which I could tie up the canes of the blackberries.

These plants were located at the side of the house and in partial shade for most of the day. I added 3 more metal rods to the 2 already there, cut a section of fence wire in half and wired it to the rods. Then I pruned out the old fruiting canes, tied the new growth canes to the half-fence and pruned these to 5-6 feet to encourage more lateral growth and promote the growth of more berries next year. At the very least, it looks a lot neater, plus I finished before the shade disappeared altogether.

Then came late thirty in the afternoon and it had been arranged that the ladies were to have a girl’s night out, meeting for dinner and a movie. My job was to watch over the 6 gruntmonkeys so we ordered pizza for the crowd and it arrived just before the ‘girls’ left. The ‘girls’ were, the Spice, OD, YD, across the street SIL and her two daughters, my nieces. The babysitting job was not as nerve wracking as it might sound, seeing that I had the two older girls to help out – it was a bit loud though.

We got the four younger ones down for the night at the prescribed times and with a minimum of emotional trauma. The two older ones just hang out until they exhaust themselves. The ladies reentered the scene later that night and seemed to have enjoyed themselves very much. YD stayed over for the night and the ladies and girls played a girlie board game for a while. The old man of the group showered and crashed for the night.

Sunday morning arrived and the day was to be one of hustle and bustle – getting all the stuff packed to enable OD and group to head back to Texas in the early afternoon. We loaded up the van with the luggage and people – the Spice and I, GM1, OD and her two young ones – and headed out to the Columbia, SC airport. We were to meet FSIL there and we contacted him in route and he was on track to be there by the time we arrived. It was just a little over an hour of travel time and as we pulled up, FSIL was waiting for us. We got the luggage out and I went to park the van.
We stayed with them during the check-in of the luggage and a short while longer. Then they had to get in the security, search and board line and we said our sad goodbyes and departed back to our home place. It seems that our lives are filled with these departures and goodbyes – I look forward to a day that these things will no longer be necessary and according to the promises in the scripture, we will be together forever in new bodies, unhampered by the limitations of these worn-out houses of clay in which we now dwell. God is good, now and forevermore. ec

ketchup - 2

Thursday arrived and FSIL left for his annual golf outing with his older bro and their compadres – this lasts until Sunday and he will meet us at the Columbia, SC airport for their return flight home. The Spice took MIL to the doc for some things going on of unknown origin and they sent her to the ER from there. We were concerned that they were going to keep her at the hospital but things settled down and she got to come back home.

If I have not mentioned it before, we will have a gruntmonkey in high school this year and she is to be in their marching band! YD had to go to a meeting at the school about GM1 being in the band so we watched the young ones for her to do so. GM 1 and GM3 stayed with us for the night, YD came and too the two young ones home after her meeting. These older ones mostly keep themselves occupied with a minimum of overseeing.

Later in the evening, the three grunts decided that they would have a spa center available for the in-house adults. They printed up signs for what was available and it so happened that when I went downstairs to check on them and became their first “victim”. They were offering hair makeovers and massages – of course a lack of hair left me out of that part, so I settled for a massage. I lay across a bed and ‘Eduardo’ (GM3) gave my back a good going over. The hair makeovers made a much more dramatic outward appearance on the Spice and OD but it was enjoyable for all involved.

Friday came along and the ladies, young and old, decided they were going shopping and I would stay with GM5. They took GM3 home on the way to their spending destinations. We had already determined that we would have a bonfire/wiener roast that night and in the late afternoon YD showed up with her crowd and enabled me to fire off the pile of branches and wood. It flamed really high and was awesome to the little ones. Niece and nephew showed up with their three little ones before the shoppers finally got back.

The fire had to burn down a bit before we could start the roasting and the kids were ravenous by the time we finally got our first wieners sufficiently burned. We used my new device to roast them – a two pronged fork made from coat hanger wire mounted on the end of a stick. It was a prototype and I saw the need for improvement right away when the end of the stick started smoking – the wire part needed to be a little longer. Our first ‘burnt offering’ was taken inside to quieten down the young ones. We then continued to roast until we had enough for the older folks as well.

The crowd included the Spice and I, OD and crew, YD and crew, Niece, Nephew, their twin baby daughters and their son. The twins were a bit young to enjoy the hot dogs and we didn’t come up with a way to roast their bottles, so they had to settle for their milk the regular old way. In the midst of all this, BIL, SIL and their other daughter came from across the street to see the gruntmonkeys – not realizing that their own ‘grands’ were present as well – pleasant surprise for them.

Gradually the visitors receded back to their own places of abode, leaving the Spice and I, OD, GM1, GM2 and GM 5 to crash for the night. Families and particularly the little ones are a blessing from the Lord – even if they are noisy – and I am thankful for His blessings. ec

ketchup

OD and her group had been to visit FSIL’s parents but were home by the time we returned from the wedding on Sunday evening and after a while we all went to visit dreamland. The small one of the crew is an early riser and when the Monday started brightening, he was full of his usual wakefulness. A bit later I also arose somewhat like a v-8 engine hitting on about 4 cylinders or maybe it was like starting a fire with wet wood and no kindling – anyway it was slow going.

I had a doc appointment at 10:30am and finally got going enough to head out the door for that. The visit turned out to be a good one and I was to stop at Publix on the way home for a few necessary items. YD had returned late on Sunday pm from their 4 week jaunt to PA, MN and MI and she called me on the cell to also pick up a few items for her until she could do her main shopping. I managed to find some paper and a pen in the truck and what started out to be a “few items” at our house turned into a rather large list. Buying groceries is not a hated thing to me, so the chore was done shortly.

Then I headed to YD’s to drop off her items and help her remove the luggage carrier from the top of their van. I was expecting joyous greetings from all the gruntmonkeys but as it turned out the only GM I got to see was GM1, since the others were being put down for naps by YD. The carrier was removed and with GM1’s help, carried inside the garage and I shortly headed back to the homestead again because of the perishables I had in the truck. Got all our items unloaded at home and rested for a while from my morning chores that had gotten over into the afternoon.

OD and her group were to be with us for the whole week and we had already set it up for YD and her crew to come over for supper on that Monday evening. The roast we were having had been cooking most of the day on low heat and we added to that rice and gravy, fried okra, squash, broccoli, cut up tomatoes and cucumbers – and blueberry cobbler for dessert. The mob consisted of the Spice and I, OD, FSIL and their two, YD and her four (SSIL is working in PA for the summer), MIL and BIL.

After the feast, all wandered on home except for OD’s crew and GM1, who stayed the night with GM2 and we finally crashed for the evening. Tuesday was a fairly normal day with various activities and also we had invited FSIL’s Mom and Dad for supper. We had tostadas with all the trimmings and my ‘famous’ banana pudding for dessert. It was good and when it was over, nobody left hungry.

Wednesday morning came and went and early afternoon found me at the dentist’s for a routine checkup. They found a couple of places that needed attention, one was relatively minor and was repaired at that time, and the other was a bit more extensive and required another visit. Wednesday night found me at the church youth service, “Radical worship”. Now I am neither young nor radical to any great degree in most areas, but I try to help out what little I can.

The one area in which I might be considered by some to be radical would be in my belief that Jesus Christ is the only way to happiness, peace and redemption from the curse of mankind’s sin. The reason I believe that is because it is true. ec

5th wedding

Sunday pm, July 15th. We arrived home safely, unloaded the van, got OD and clan ensconced in the guest bedrooms and relaxed for a bit, booting conversation around for a while. Soon it became time to get ready to attend our 5th wedding in 4 weeks. This union was involving a family member, my older brother’s granddaughter – my great niece. The older I get, the more family members have either great or grand in front of the relationship title.

The wedding and reception was held at a place previously mentioned in other writings, the Savannah Rapids Pavilion. Oddly enough this place was built on the banks of the Savannah River in a section that bordered some rapids in that stream of water – what a coincidence. The very large room was decorated nicely for this occasion and for a change we were early for the proceedings.

I had not met anyone on the groom’s side except the groom, but I knew – and was kin – to at least half on the bride’s section of chairs. The ceremony went off without a hitch except the flower girl forgot to drop her petals on the floor and was somewhat upset about that. The bride’s brother escorted the bride in since her Dad is deceased and gave her hand to the groom at the proper time. The bride’s sister was the matron of honor with other family members on either side.

The minister officiated the vows, the bride’s brother-in-law did a reading to the couple and they were pronounced husband and wife and they smiled happily back up the aisle. The reception started shortly afterwards and I will have to say that the food was very good and such as is normal when food is available; I ate a bit too much. I did later try a slice of the groom’s cake – it was OK but chocolate is not my favorite. Much talking and laughing went on with folks known and unknown.

It came time for the happy couple to do their first dance together as husband and wife. Unbeknownst to me before this time, they had been taking dancing lessons from an instructor over in Aiken, SC. The music began and the couple looked very accomplished on the floor – they didn’t trip or fall or anything. I asked the instructor, who was present for this and was the DJ, what kind of grade they got and he just said that they did fine. Later the instructor and the fraternal grandmother of the bride danced and it was almost like “Dancing with the stars”.

It finally became time to throw the birdseed at the newlyweds. They briskly walked to their decorated auto while being pummeled with hundreds of the tiny missiles. They drove off into their future dragging a collection of noisy drink cans along behind. We chatted a bit more and made our retreat back to the home front. May they have many happy years together and may they always include Jesus Christ in their lives and marriage – because without Him, real happiness is not possible. ec

HHI - 4

Hilton Head Island – the saga continues. The beach was not very crowded in the morning but as the clouds started clearing the population increased a good bit. Several babies were among the enjoyers, the one right next to us was still a crawler and absolutely fearless. It took off as fast as it could toward the waves, only to be stopped just short of them by the Dad. Another baby was evidently not liking the way the sand felt on its knees and was moving on hands and feet and at quite a rapid pace – cute as it could be, appeared like a funny looking little fur-less animal.

A few non-humans were among the crowd; some crows were ‘working’ the beach groups, looking for castaway tidbits that they could snatch on the fly and take away. The tide had gone so far out that the lifeguards had to move their stands, umbrellas and such further out to be nearer the wave splashers. In all there were 3 stands and 2 more just under umbrellas. Just in front of us and to the right, a man and his son had drawn off a paddleball court in the sand and were playing a rather lively game. The son looked to be only 10 or 11 but was very good at this game and was giving the Dad a time of it.

A short time later the temp started to get much warmer, even uncomfortably so. It became time for the little one’s nap, so we folded our gear, hauled it to the van and departed for the condo. It was a good outing, the kids had fun, their Mom and Dad had fun helping them have fun and their grandparents had fun watching them all have fun – basically fun was had on all accounts.

After cleaning up a bit, OD, FSIL and GM2 went shopping and the Spice and I stayed with the snoozing GM5. It wasn’t long after they left that it started raining, a sure sign to me that shopping is a bad thing to do. The youngest one awoke before they returned and wanted something to eat. He consumed several slices of cheese, a couple of containers of applesauce, a bunch of “goldfish” and some milk. The out and about crowd was bringing back pizza but he just couldn’t wait until then.

They returned with the pizza, I had cut up some of the tomatoes and cucumbers we brought down and we had our own little feast – no one left the table hungry. The ladies then walked down to the shops in Harbourtown for a bit more shopping and to exchange some items that weren’t quite right. The guys stayed back to hold down the fort, or in this case, the condo.

The ladies returned and we were about to turn in when I suddenly remembered that I had not taken my meds that morning in all the excitement of getting off to the beach. Without a second thought I went ahead and took them and it only occurred to me later that one of the three pills that I take was a fluid pill. It is considered a mild one but you couldn’t prove that by me because I got up every hour on the half hour to go to the ‘necessary’ room all night long.

The morning came and even though I was not sure if I was rested or not, it was time to pack up and head back home. For a while there was some doubt as to whether or not all our ‘stuff’ and theirs would fit in the van and still have room for people. We loaded up and followed FSIL in their rented SUV back to the airport in Savannah to turn that back in and they rode with us back to our house.

We followed the same rural path back through South Carolina to our home territory, passing through some beautiful farmland and some very healthy crops of corn, cotton, peanuts and even some soybeans. I marvel at the way God made these plants to supply us food and even clothing. ec

HHI - 3

Continuing the Hilton Head Island trip narrative. After the great meal on Friday evening, we came back to the condo, parked the van and walked over to the lighthouse area to look around a bit. On the way we walked by the Harbourtown yacht basin and viewed some massive sized “boats”. Other attractions were available including playgrounds and such, but the main reason for going was to see and hear Greg Russell perform under the “Liberty” oak. The show was free and aimed at the kids but enjoyable for adults as well – he has done this for many years now and is good at what he does.

The hard wooden bench continued to get harder and harder and when the younger ones wanted to return to the condo, FSIL and I took them back and the ladies decided to do some browsing in the many little shops in the area. They were going to stay until the shops closed at 9 – they discovered that some of them stayed open until 10 so they called to tell us – basically I think they were going to hang around to make sure they closed at the proper time.

Friday night passed, Saturday morning arrived and this was the day that all of us were going to the beach. The condo is a property on the Sea Pines Resort and they have an area of parking and entrance to the beach for their residents and guests. It was a bit cloudy and we didn’t have any trouble finding a parking place and we carried all our equipment out on the sand.

Part of the equipment we brought was a beach umbrella and a couple of chairs. The sun shelter was ensconced in the sand and I ensconced myself in one of the chairs in this man-made shade. This was all according to medical advice to limit my sun exposure. It is interesting to observe the young and old splashing in the waves, digging or sculpting the sand and just generally having a good time. This seems to be one of GM5’s natural elements; he doesn’t care much for the waves but loves to play in the sand and water pools left by the receding tide.

It turned out to be a very good day for the beach because it was warm, yet the clouds and breeze kept it from being a real scorcher. In addition to all the humans playing, walking, jogging and riding bikes there were other forms of wildlife to be seen. Several seabirds that I took to be a type of gull were soaring over the water and occasionally they would dive straight down into the water for a morsel to eat. Several pelicans also soared by very close to the surface of the water, it was a wonder that they didn’t wet by a wave but they didn’t hit any while I was watching.

We went up to the beach-side snack area and got some lunch and by the time we got back the tide had receded even more and left a small channel of water caught between two areas of sand for the group to play in. They found small fish, a sand dollar, a crab claw and a lot of fun in this creek-like area that was flowing out with the tide.

From where I was sitting I could see Daufuskie Island in the distance off to my right and to the left of that was Tybee Island near Savannah. This is such an amazing world God has made for us to enjoy! ec

HHI -2

The condo was a two-bedroom one with living/dining room and kitchen. It had been decided that GM2 would sleep with them on the king-size bed and GM5 would sleep in their floor on his inflatable mattress. Before we moved his mattress we checked our room’s closet and for some reason it was a large walk-in and right away we could see that the mattress would fit in that small room. We put the inflatable in there and GM5 loved it, he just laughed and bounced on it – he had his own little room.

We finally all crashed and morning came as we were all hoping it would. The Spice was sleeping in but I arose slowly and crept into the room where the others were already up and about. I crepitated around some more and got my vitamins and meds, with a bit of sustenance to help them out with the cranking of my system. They were going to the beach but when GM2 found out that the Spice and I were not, she wanted to stay with us – I don’t need to be in the sun. They went to the shore while the Spice slept and I was busy working out the kinks from the trip down and trying to wake up my body.

At one point in time I was gazing out the double sliding glass doors at the natural growths on this side and beyond the parking lot of the golf course across the way and it was beautiful. Within my view were towering pine trees that had been here much longer than the condo or the golf course. They were so large and tall that the lumber from about three of them would have built a good-sized house. Several varieties of palm trees were there also and they were in the company of some large oaks that were long time residents of the area as well.

The pine needles, palm fronds and oak limbs and leaves waving in the gentle breeze was very relaxing. The wind chimes on the balcony played an occasional tune. A beautiful melody but it would have been very hard to dance to because of the lack of a real tempo. This whole island is very commercial without appearing to be so – with all signs of a certain type and low to the ground, allowing the beauty of the natural growths to show through anything commercial.

The beach-goers returned and the little one was all excited because he had a tiny hermit crab in his bucket and of course had to tell me all about the whole adventure. We cleaned up and decided to go to supper early because of the drawn out fiasco of waiting about an hour and a half the night before. We left about 5:30 and went to the place we had given up on last evening – Marleys Island Grille.

The wait was still about 30 minutes but this was much more acceptable than the seeming interminable one the evening before. Nothing particularly outstanding about the looks of the place but the service was good and the food was excellent. It was basically a seafood place in spite of the fact that they had steaks as well. Someone had recommended the restaurant to them and it was all they said and more. Possibly you have been to places that when you walk out the door you a-wished you had not come there or b-wished you had ordered something else or c-felt like you got ripped off or d-the food just didn’t taste very good – but none of these feelings came into play and this is definitely a place to which I would revisit for the great tasting food – and so felt we all.

God is good, all the time. ec

HHI - 1

We arrived back from our Hilton Head Island adventure Sunday afternoon and I want to tell you all about it. Since usually the best place to start is back at the beginning – that is what I will do.

The older daughter (OD) and her crew, FSIL, GM2 and GM5, flew into Savannah, Georgia, rented a vehicle and motored up to Hilton Head Island. They spent several days there and wanted us to join them for a few days, Thursday past (July 12th) was the day of joining them. That morning began at a quicker pace than usual because of the many things to do before we left the home front for the island.

After going through my usual physical and spiritual day opener, I had to leave for the Doc’s office to have the stitches taken out from the surgery that removed the bad thingy the week before. The Doc wasn’t there but the nurse ripped out the suture material in no time flat – my appointment was at 8:30 and I was walking back out of the office at 8:38 – what a concept!

Back home, many tasks were to be completed before our departure. The day before was to be my garden-picking day but a humdinger of a storm came through and although the rain was very welcome, it pushed my picking chore up into the leaving day. Not only did the picking need to be done, something had to be done with the veggies and I didn’t have time to freeze them.

As it happened, we had a couple of workmen placing ceramic tile in the quest bathroom and they were only too glad to share our bounty. We took some tomatoes and cucumbers with us for consumption on our days away from home. I finally called a halt to the picking, even though more cukes were hiding on their row, because the time was getting away. We finally got our “ducks in a row”, got the packing done, loaded up and headed to the island, leaving the workmen to finish up.

As it turned out it was about 150 miles from home to the condo and it was along a path that offered no interstate highways – mostly two-lane country roads. Since I have been to Hilton Head only a few times, I did a couple of miscues on the way to the guest check-in for our parking pass and map to the condo. All the signs, street and otherwise are low to the ground – so as not to detract from the natural greenery – but we finally found the condo a little later.

Then was the happy reunion because we had not seen these “Texans” in several months. After a while we went out for supper and the first place offered a waiting time of 85 to 95 minutes. We went to another place that told us less time but as it turned out the wait was about the same as the other place had told us. At the point of exhaustion, we finally got seated at this Japanese steakhouse and after waiting a good bit more, our cook came out to entertain and feed us. It was standard fare but by this time we were all so hungry that most anything edible would have been accepted.

We ended our day grateful to God that the family had this time together. ec

4th wedding

Later that evening, the Spice’s cousin and husband and their two young ones came back by from Delaware – they had brought the aunt here on the way up there. We had prepared supper at our house for them all. After the meal and chatting, MIL and her sis went back across the pond for the night and the cousin and crew spent the night with us. They were up early next morning for the long trip back to South Florida, but I heard them and got up to see them off.

The rest of Friday was occupied by miscellaneous chores and such – as was Saturday but the big event of that day was attending the 4th wedding we had witnessed in three weeks. This one was held at our church and involved a young man that I had known for some time. He is living elsewhere at the present but his Mom is living here so they got married here. It was a very beautiful ceremony performed by our youth minister – that happened to be a very good friend of the groom. When they were pronounced husband and wife and the minister told the groom that he could kiss his bride, it was the very first time the two of them had ever kissed.

They had made a commitment that they would not so during their courtship and followed through with it. This is a commendable and almost unheard of thing considering the permissiveness of our society today. It just didn’t matter to them whether the other could kiss well or not – they would learn all that, the most important thing was the commitment they had made together.

There was a short wait in the atrium while the wedding party made photos and then we all went to the fellowship hall/gym for the reception. The wedding party was introduced to all, grace was said over the food and the eating commenced, joining the talking and laughing that was already on going. The bride is Hispanic and the groom’s Mom is Korean and there was food representing both these ethnic groups – and was delicious! They even had a Christian Spanish band – lively indeed.

They had several audience participation events, even a version of musical chairs – the bride and groom won – I think it was fixed. J There was even a large piñata in the shape of a wedding cake that most of the kids took a whack at. The whole affair was very joyous with much laughter between the smiles. I mentioned that the food was good, but the cakes were excellent as well, particularly the groom’s cake – it was a carrot cake with caramel icing – I would have gone back for a third slice but it was all gone by that time.

Us old people finally tired and slipped out to head for home – don’t know how much longer they celebrated after we left. May they have many happy years together and remain as committed to the Lord and each other as they are now. ec

PS – We are headed out to the beach for a few days – will tell you all about it when we get back.

blooming

Arriving home on a recent evening and having driven the car that resides outside the garage, I was struck with a feeling of nostalgia when I opened the door and heard the cricket noises. I was instantly transported to the nights of my youth when we slept with the windows open and listened to the many noises of the night. This was the nightly symphony and lullaby that sent me off to dreamland.

My garden is doing very well in spite of the fact that we have had little rain. I turn the sprinkler on it between rains to keep it going until the next natural water descent. All the veggies are producing to the max and we have all the produce we can handle. The cucumbers in particular are working overtime, the frig is full and the counter top has quite a congregation as well. Many squash, cucumbers and tomatoes have been given to family and friends. The okra is just now starting to come to fruition and needs to be cut about every third day.

The zinnias that I plant annually in one of the two small beds are in full bloom and they are a treat for the eyes every time I look out the kitchen window. The yearly planting of marigolds are just starting to bloom and are adding their color to this portrait of natural beauty.

Several evenings ago, as I was just beginning my evening walk, I came up on the geese just beyond the yucca assemblage. The flock included the two parents, their five offspring and the two ‘grandparent’ geese. As I got closer they started walking toward the pond, as I drew even closer, 5 of the group spooked and flew out into the pond. Until then I wasn’t aware any of the younger ones could fly. Since there were 9 in the flock, at least one of the fliers had to be a young one or possibly all five were – the other four just hurriedly walked down to the water.

Several nights later the mystery was solved when I approached them again – this time the 2 parents and 5 young ones were separate from the two extra geese. As I got close to them, all seven of them took off and flew to the pond next door – I felt fortunate to be able to see their development from fuzz balls to flying adults. So far they seem to have adopted these two ponds as their home.

The night passed and the morning came as it almost always does and we prepared breakfast for the Spice’s Mom and Aunt. During the meal, the skin doc’s office called to inform me that they had a cancellation and wanted me to come in to have a growth removed from my face. The spot had been biopsied and found to be a bad thingy that didn’t need to remain there. The surgery was scheduled for the 25th, but I was only too glad to go in and be rid of this skin trespasser early. This was done and I will have to put up with the stitches for a while, it will be analyzed to be sure she got it all.

A while later in the day, I went over to the daughter’s place on an errand and noticed many flowers on the way. Many of the residences had lantana that was blooming, mostly yellow but some with the red and orange as well – impressive, I didn’t know there was that much of it in the area. There were many crepe myrtles as well and in one yard was a large hibiscus – it wasn’t blooming as yet but I’m most sure that is what it was. I have never planted hibiscus in my yard but I have grown its cousin in the garden for many years – okra – it is also related to the cotton plant.

God’s creations in the natural world have always amazed me and I’m always on the lookout to see the beauty that He made for me to enjoy. ec

July 4th

In catching up on the events of last week let me say again that I write about past events because the future is too hard to see in most cases. Though in some cases the future is very easy to see – one jumping off a very high building can see their future very well, just not for very long.

The week started off with me feeling pretty crummy and after drawing up some mucus “of color”, I did something very unusual for me – I called the doc. This is my regular physician and I was able to get an appointment for the next day. That day came and after checking me over, he ordered a round of antibiotics to get rid of the critters residing and lurking about in the respiratory system.

Departing his office, I called BIL because he wanted me to help him repair and/or replace parts of the telephone wiring system in the Martinez store. I got home, changed clothes, got my tools and was ready for him when he came by for me. We traveled to the location; we replaced a section of the wire, two of the outside protection and containment boxes and reworked the rest of the existing wires.

These wires and such went out to the warehouse, a separate building out back – and in addition, we added a third telephone number to the warehouse phone. This latter did require placing an additional jack for this third line, since the existing jack could only handle two numbers. We finally finished up about 5pm and realized that we had been so caught up in the work that we had skipped lunch, an omission that was so very unlike me.

BIL’s wife, SIL, invited us for hamburgers when we got home and the Spice and I went over a short time later – they live across the street, very handy, family wise. Then it was time for my evening walk of two miles and afterwards I was off to the grocery for items to complete the menu for a family get together at our house the next day – July 4th. If I don’t enjoy going to the grocery, it’s as close to enjoyment that one could get without actually being that.

By the time I got back and put up the grocery items, my body started telling, nay, demanding that I recline for a rest. Sometimes my mind doesn’t realize the body’s age and the various other ailments – but it finally gave in to the insistence and allowed all parts of the body to collapse in the recliner. I zonked for about an hour, not a planned nap, it just overcame me. The many aches and pains when I first reclined had much lessened upon arising and abated more after a shower.

Almost as good as new the next morning, my day was opened with elements of the physical and spiritual as per usual. Then I started prep for the afternoon meal of tostadas, first was the browning of the ground chuck, the draining thereof and placing it in the crock-pot. Then I added the tomato sauce and the packets of spices – Old El Paso taco seasoning. The Spice later added her “secret ingredients” and this was allowed to simmer – stew in its own juices, so to speak.

Other ingredients were prepared, the time arrived, the family members arrived, grace was said and our small group of 7 had our holiday meal. Having the family around reminded me of the scripture that states “God sets the solitary in families” – and I was thankful. ec

3rd wedding

FYI, this writing is pertaining to the events of Saturday, June 30th. We were up about 9am next morning and started breakfast prep – we were having the crowd over for a morning meal together. To begin with I put on a large pot of grits, as many of us southerners tend to do, and then I started nuking the bacon – this takes a little watching so as not to burn it to a crisp. The Spice scrambled some eggs for us. We had everything almost ready when the group from MIL’s arrived. There were 9 of us, some bread got buttered and toasted and shortly the consuming began.

We enjoyed the meal and each other’s company – there was a fair amount of laughter going on as well. This group is almost as bad to laugh and cut-up as my family. This was a late breakfast, beginning about 10:30. We finished and just sat around the table talking and discussing the whys and wherefores of many things. Finally moving into the den, we continued with more of the same. The cousin and her husband had to get on home to be back for Sunday church and they departed.

The Spice had committed to help with our church’s “under the bridge” homeless ministry, so she departed about 12 and I stayed with the kinfolks. On toward 2pm, talk began about something for lunch or early supper and shortly after that the Spice called to let me know she was through helping. It was decided that pizza was a good solution, so the Spice picked this up on her way home. BIL and SIL were keeping their twin granddaughters and they brought them over for our viewing and cooing pleasure. When the Spice arrived with the pizzas we all chowed down on this very popular cuisine. We chatted a while after the meal and all departed for their abodes, temporary and otherwise.

This caused us to be running a bit late to get ready for the wedding of the granddaughter of our very good friends from church. We rushed around, got ready and still were only about 7 minutes late. When we went in, the pastor was already pronouncing them husband and wife and then introduced the new Mr. and Mrs. to the congregation. We thought that we had misunderstood the time on top of being late, but as it turned out, this was the way the bride wanted the ceremony – short and sweet. And the way the bride wants the ceremony is how it should be.

The reception was to be at the Savannah Rapids Pavilion, a very popular venue for such events as this. While the wedding party got photos made at the church, most of the guests went on over to the reception site. This is a large facility and can be sub-divided for several events at the same time and such was the case that night. There was a family reunion, what looked to be another wedding and then the reception that we attended. This fete was catered by two of my Christian brothers in the church and let me say up front that they are very good at what they do.

They presented a wide variety of foodstuffs, fruit and cheeses – they even had chocolate mousse – without the antlers, of course. I hit the fruit pretty heavy and I do like those tiny sausages – actually, I think I got a little of it all, at least that is the way my stomach felt later. Chatting and eating would be right up there next to laughing on the top of my enjoyment scale – and I did much of all these.

The wedding party came in from the rigors of photo taking back at the church and for some reason they looked very happy. A bit later they danced their first dance together as husband and wife and then the bride danced with her father. Then some of the very young children were having a ball with what might have been considered dance. May the happy couple continue to be so for as long as they live – and they have a chance for that as long as they trust God together for that happiness. ec

reading

We returned from our “ritzy” adventure about a quarter past four and I promptly hit the recliner for a nap. Awaking about an hour later I realized that I should go see a friend of mine that I had corresponded with for several years while he was in “confinement”. He had gotten out just a few days before and even though I was not feeling particularly well, I still felt that I needed to visit him.

He is staying with his parents and the route to their place took me by way of the I-520 bypass. They are now working on the last segment of this roadway that will eventually end back at I-20, about five miles into South Carolina. It is scheduled to be completed in 2009 but the way things get delayed, I hope that I am still able to drive when it is finished. I found the house without any problem and he met me at the door. If he had not sent me a photo of himself several months back, I would not have known him – the last time I saw him personally was when he was a teenager about 32 years ago.

Had a very good visit with him and his parents and strived to encourage him in the Lord, he had become a Christian during his confinement. At this time he needs a friend and that is what I will try to be. I left them in time to get to our men’s cell group meeting at 8:30 – we are in a very informative and uplifting study that has to do with living without taking or holding offense. This is a very needed thing in our world since it seems to be so easy to offend folks anymore for any number of reasons.

When I got back home, the Spice read some more to me out of the book we started reading on our ritzy adventure. We occasionally read aloud to each other, but I was a bit worn out so she read this night. We were reading in the kitchen and finally decided to go into the den. I enjoyed this for a while but I made the mistake of sitting in the recliner. My consciousness lasted a while but then I went comatose. This did not offend the Spice; she just quit reading aloud and continued the book.

She woke me up about 3am when she finished the book and we finally went to bed. Went for a doc appointment the next morning and he surmised that I was doing OK. On the way home I noticed many crepe myrtles planted in the median and they were almost in full bloom – and they were a beautiful shade of red, my favorite color for that tree. It was a treat for the eyes and further on the route was a wild mimosa tree in full bloom – filled with those little pink flower puffs – another treat.

The Spice came in from her various appointments some time after I did and brought us something to consume. We partook thereof and after a while we went over to MIL’s house to visit with kinfolks that were visiting. MIL’s sister had come up from south Florida and a couple of their brothers took this occasion to come from over in South Carolina for a sibling get together.

We chatted and laughed about anything and everything for a while but I had to leave for my evening walk before it got too dark. After I walked the fastest two miles I had done all year, I went back to the house to clean up the guest bedroom and bath a bit because the Spice’s cousin and husband were to spend the night with us while visiting with the gathered kinfolk. The Spice came in a bit later and we got finished with the cleanup in plenty of time because they couldn’t leave until he got off work.

They came in to MIL’s and visited a while, then came over to our place and we talked for what seemed like a few minutes and suddenly it became 1am. We then crashed for the evening, resting in the love and protection of God. ec

mo ritzy

Mo continuing at the Ritz-Carlton. We left the smores location and started wandering around the facilities. We found everything to be very well built. This place is called a lodge and there was a semblance of resemblance to a lodge but it was much overdone. The lobby had exposed timbers and each one looked like it took most of a whole tree to make and the ceiling was at least 30 feet tall.

There was another large building out front of the main one and as we walked by we noticed the lights were on and the door was unlocked so we went in. Contained therein was a spa, indoor pool, workout room and massage center. It was at least two levels and we glanced around a bit but left shortly because they were closing. These facilities were available free to guests between the hours of 6am and 9pm. We went over to the other end of the lodge and discovered that this whole end was nothing but large conference rooms – where conferences are held – just a guess.

We tired of the wandering and went back to our room for the evening. We awoke next morning to the cold hard fact that our little getaway was almost over. We readied ourselves and went down for breakfast at the same restaurant as the evening before and at the same table by the windows. I forgot to mention that we had one fly and one gnat at that table the night before and we discovered shortly that they were still there. I think they were the same ones and were possibly assigned to this table.

We ordered and in a short while we were munching on our victuals. The Spice had ‘grilled buttermilk pancakes’ – not sure why they put the word ‘grilled’ on the menu because I think that is the only way one can cook pancakes. I’m most sure I’ve never had them baked and certainly not fricasseed. I think that it made the name longer so they could charge more for them. But she had three huge pancakes that spread over her whole platter – I had to help her eat over half of them – poor me.

My choice was the egg whites frittata just to be different. This was prepared with egg whites, of course, spinach, mushrooms and another veggie or two. This was good, albeit a little different from my usual morning fare – this was consumed along with the inherited pancakes and fruit from the Spice. You might say that I didn’t leave the place hungry.

After breakfast, we got our stuff together, checked out, loaded up and headed out of this short chapter in our lives. My younger brother just happens to live on the opposite shore of this lake and we went over to his place for a short visit. We looked around his house on the lake and at some of the changes he had made on the outside. He had rebuilt his dock and separated it from the joint use one he had had with his neighbor. His wife was getting off work and he made arrangements to meet her at a lakeside restaurant that one could either drive in or float in to eat.

He put his boat into the water; we skimmed down the waterway and tied up at the restaurant. His spouse was waiting for us when we arrived and we had a very enjoyable meal together – the Spice and I split a hamburger plate since we were still somewhat full from breakfast. His wife had errands to run so she departed and we went on a boating tour back up the waterway. The houses built on this lake are very large and expensive – we also saw the Ritz-Carlton from the water.

When we got back to his dock and put up the boat it was time for us to get on home. We said our goodbyes and headed for home – glad for the experience but more comfortable with less lavish surroundings. Still in all I know that God is good, all the time. ec

ritzy

Continuing at the Ritz-Carlton. We just relaxed and tried to get used to the opulence of the room – at least it was that to us. Our room was on the fourth floor, with five floors in all, but the front ground level was the third floor, indicating how much of a slope the “Lodge” was built into. The building didn’t look that big from the front, but it was huge from the back. There were several restaurants on the property and we had made reservations at the one on the first level of the main building – Georgia’s.

Our reservations were for six o’clock, earlier than most folks since many of them golf on the adjoining course, but just right for us because I wanted to walk around the grounds while it was still light after the meal. We readied ourselves and went down at the appointed time and were seated. For a short time we were the only customers, but another couple showed up a few minutes later and before we were through there were several tables filled.

The meal started with a small tidbit with a French name that I understood to mean something to amuse the taste buds. It didn’t amuse them very much, being only about a teaspoon of whatever it was – it was tasty, I think. The Spice had filet mignon and being the more adventurous one I had breast of roast duck, a first for me, if memory serves. The entrees were very good and we should have stopped there, but since we would probably only do this once we did order dessert.

The Spice got bananas Foster with marshmallow ice cream and I got banana-coconut pie with mango sorbet. They were OK, but for the price, I’d have soon had a shake from Chic-fil-a. We paid the meal tab that was about what we usually would pay for an upscale motel room and went to wander the sidewalks of the spacious grounds. We strolled a while, then meandered some, then did a bit of sauntering, some ambling and even a short stretch of perambulation.

The grounds were very well kept with many varieties of trees, shrubs and flowers. I did notice a brown thrush fly near us and thought it unusual because they are normally very shy. Just down the sidewalk I found out why when we espied a young thrush in the shrubbery – the parent bird was concerned for the safety of this young one. The sun was in the process of going down but it was still light enough to take in the scenery.

As we walked down toward the lake, the sidewalk bordered a rushing, gurgling brook all the way down the hill. It was impressive but I noticed when we got down to the lake that the brook didn’t flow into the larger body of water. Further inspection revealed that it was an artificial stream, pumped up the hill by equipment at the bottom – kind of spoiled it for me.

After we checked out the lake for a while, we went back up the hill to the back of the lodge where nightly smores are made. It seems that every night an employee is assigned to build a fire in a large circular fire pit and then furnish the guests with the materials to make smores. The Spice got a stick with a couple of marshmallows on it and I picked up the crackers and chocolate. We went to the fire, melted the marshmallows and I pulled them off the stick with the crackers and chocolate and we had a smore. I did taste her girl/boy scout traditional treat but that was all since I was somewhat overfull.

They also had tea and lemonade, so we each got a cup and sat at a nearby table and did a bit of people watching. We were both in a bit of amazement as to how this many people had the amount of money required to stay in a place like this. But my amazement is always greater as to why Jesus loved me enough to die in my stead and then forgive me of all the wrong I had ever done. TBC ec

catchup

A few things occurred to me some time in the past and since I am trying to catch up on my writing from several days ago, I thought I would mention some of these. It is hard to sing coherently while brushing one’s teeth; at least it is for me. I can hum well enough during the brushing though. There is a simple solution for the long face, whether this condition is a physical one or one of the emotions, which could also be called “the blues”. This solution is the smile.

A smile can improve the shape of your face by making it more round as well as improving the shape of your emotions by making them jollier – at least it can if it is not a fake smile. Even a fake smile – the outward only kind – can improve a person’s looks, but doesn’t really help “the blues” – unless they are fake “blues”. For the real emotional traumas to be helped, the smile has to come from deep inside and mostly can only be had with the help of a Higher Power.

Then came Wednesday, June 27th, a day that the Spice and I have been looking forward to for some time – with a bit of trepidation, at least on my part. On this day we were to invade the domain of the “rich and famous”. Our daughter, OD, and son-in-law, FSIL, had given us a night at the Ritz-Carlton Lodge on Lake Oconee back at Christmas, but due to recovering from my several ailments, we were just now availing ourselves of the present.

This “Lodge” is located some several miles off I-20 exit 130 near Greensboro, Georgia. We left home in the early afternoon and arrived there about a quarter of four. We were met at our van by the one in charge of meeting people at their vehicles. On being informed that we were checking in, he wrote up a valet parking ticket and unloaded our luggage on a cart. As we approached the check-in desk, the luggage person introduced us to them – what a concept!

At almost the same time, a smiling person brought the Spice a small container of spiced pecans and a cup of lemonade. Just seconds later I had the same things in my hands, leading me to believe that the check-in process would take at least a short while but such was not the case. After only a sip of the beverage, we were on our way down the hallway to our room. It was up one floor, so our luggage handler chatted us up on the elevator, but I still felt like a fish out of water.

He opened our door, situated our luggage, explained a few things and was gone. I did tip him; I’m not that much country comes to town. The Spice and I sat down and with wide eyes just looked at each other, trying to comprehend what had just happened and the speed of it. The room was a spacious one with all the basics and much more. The bed was king-sized and had eight pillows on it. There were two upholstered chairs, one with an ottoman and a desk with chair.

One wall was dominated by a large armoire with TV, drawers and a small “stocked” refrigerator behind one of the doors. There was a closet with supplied robes and a safe for valuables. The bathroom had a tub and a separate shower, two sinks with shelves and drawers underneath. The john even had a louvered sliding pocket door for privacy. The faucets and even the trim work around the walls were first class. Also noted was the fact that the bedroom had four lamps.

The only flaw noted was the fact that a fly was in the room, probably came in when I checked out the balcony. Try as we might we could not get the fly swatted – lacking proper equipment. The thought crossed my mind to call the desk for a flyswatter but then thought better of it. It did serve to remind me that we are all subject to nature as well as God’s laws. But the wonderful part about that is we all have the forgiveness of God available as well – but it is by our choice alone. TBC ec

morning?

Morning came and all I could think about was – wow, is it morning already? What do you mean it’s Sunday morning? Wow, I should open my eyes before I get up? Shouldn’t I wake up before I eat breakfast? And shouldn’t I be in an awake condition before I get ready for church? Um – to where did all my youthful vigor depart – and why? What nether region absorbed the energy that I used to have – maybe yesterday? What has sapped the vitality that I need to get cranked and going?

My face feels funny but can it still smile? Do the smile muscles still work? Do I even want to look in the mirror to see? My face feels like it is trying to smile but is it succeeding? Is this one of those days that I am going to feel my age – all day? Is this fair – it’s not even time for the fair – doesn’t that come in the fall? Am I really talking to myself or am I just thinking very loud? Why do my eyes feel like those of a newborn puppy – not quite open yet?

Why so many questions and not nearly enough answers? Could it mean that I’m actually human? Is this human thing something that I really want to be? Am I alert enough to drive a vehicle to church or have all my lerts departed? Where have all the lerts gone? If someone doesn’t have any lerts, are they alertless, in the red on lerts, or are the lerts there but asleep? Possibly the lerts are lurking around the edges of my consciousness and if listen closely I can hear them ever so softly whisper a small “lurk, lurk”. Is all this musing really tongue-in-cheek?

Can a mind that is not alert even think of all this? My face still feels funny when I smile – could I have used up part of today’s smiles on yesterday’s activities? Maybe I should do more smile exercises – could my smiler just be out of shape? Could I be low on smile nutrition? I wonder if they have smile classes – maybe I could use something like that this morning? I have seen some folks that would have to graduate from Smile University to even come up with a straight face.

Am I asleep and dreaming that I am awake? Maybe I’m awake and wishing I was dreaming? Shouldn’t an awake person know if they are really awake? Did these last three questions occur to me while traveling to church at highway speed on the interstate? If it was a dream there was certainly some beautiful crepe myrtles in it, as well as some vines with deep orange flowers in the median. Maybe I’m really awake after all?

We did get to church on time and even with a few minutes to spare. Upon entering the building, the Spice and I parted ways since I was helping out in one of the boy’s classes and she went to our regular class. My part in the class is to do some opening games – this happened and the young ones enjoyed them – and I enjoyed watching them enjoying them – there was enjoyment going on.

After class, the Spice and I got back together for the worship service – it was outstanding, excellent and much inspiring. After service we picked up some take out and/or carry home food for our lunch and we did that. The way home was a bit different from usual and this highway offered many blooming mimosa trees for us to enjoy – and I did that too. God does mimosa blooms very well. This is actually a current post, written on the same day it was lived – what a concept! ec