"I'm back in the saddle again."
Come on now, sing along with me. You know the words
"I'm back in the saddle again
Out where a friend is a friend
Where the longhorn cattle feed
On the lowly gypsum weed
Back in the saddle again."
Very good. Shall we try the chorus. It's easy. All together...
"Whoopi-ty-aye-oh
Rockin' to and fro
Back in the saddle again
Whoopi-ty-aye-oh
I go my way
Back in the saddle again."
Good singing and thanks for the support. Yes, you've probably guessed we are indeed back in the saddle again. It all happened very fast. Monday and Tuesday I was innocently working on my taxes. Yes, the 2008 taxes! I forgot to take my tax stuff with me when we went to Arizona so I filed an extension. Jana, Korak and kids are coming next week so I knew I had to get the taxes done NOW. No more procrastination. So anyway... I calmly -- well, mostly calmly -- got the taxes done and mailed. Wednesday I was on a conference telephone call with the Ministerial Appointments Committee and it happened: "Gene how about going to Lebanon to work with Trevor to get him off to a good start." Joyce said it's probably a good thing it happened so fast; if we had time to think about it we might have said no.
We don't even know how the whole thing is going to look because we are still working on the details, but here is a brief overview. Trevor and Shannette are a mid-twenties couple who are going to the the pastoral team at the Lebanon FM Church. But they have no pastoral experience and are still in school. Trevor has about 2 years at 8-10 credits a semester to graduate from George Fox Evangelical Seminary; Shannette will graduate from George Fox University in December. Because we want them to succeed we are paring them with an "experienced, mature, pastor with lots of wisdom and knows where the pitfalls are." (Those words were actually used!) Isn't that a kick? I'm not even sure who they are talking about but I'm scared to death they are talking about me. Pray for me. Often. This is to begin Sunday, July 19 and go for 6 to 9 months, maybe a year. Joyce is right in there with me as she always is.
Friday we met with our Superintendent and Trevor and Shannette (Joyce and I had met Trevor before but not his wife) in Eugene for lunch. It gave us an opportunity to get acquainted and begin to make some plans. We decided Trevor and I will be co-pastors with the greater balance of the responsibility being mine at the beginning and then switching to Trevor as time goes on. Friday evening our Annual Conference began; continued on Saturday until about 3:30. Then we drove to Lebanon to meet with the the Lebanon board -- of course, Trevor and Shannette were there also. After that meeting the four of us went to a Taco Time for some planning and prayer. Then we drove back to Eugene. We stayed the night with Jack and LuWayne. Jack is Joyce's brother. We were physically beat but mentally hyped. This morning I preached my "final" sermon at Springfield, had lunch with Jack and LuWayne and drove home.
Right now we are wondering how we are going to fit Lebanon into all our summer plans -- and of course they have to take priority. But many of our plans can't be changed. We'll figure it out. We believe God is in this so he has a plan and he'll give us the guidance we need. Needless to say, stay tuned. There is a LOT more to come.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Quick Trip to Salem
We were quietly preparing for our trip to Springfield this weekend. Ginger was going to join us at a motel Saturday, we would have fun together, attend church together, go to a nice Father's Day dinner and then part for our separate homes. How quickly plans change.
The Conference Superintendent asked to set with him in an interview of one of our pastors on Thursday. This man was being accused of some inappropriate behavior by one of his female parishioners. I can't go into detail but after visiting with him for over an hour it was our opinion that he was being falsely accused. In a situation like this particular one it is very hard to know where truth stands; there will be one more meeting between he and the accuser plus their spouses, the Superintendent, and maybe me. What stood out as we talked with this man is the importance of one's integrity. None of us can prevent someone from making a false accusation, but if our integrity is intact it goes a long way in establishing where truth abides. In fact, -- and I used this concept in my sermon this morning -- people can take everything from you except your integrity. They can take your money, your job, your family, even your life but they cannot take your integrity. The only way you can lose your integrity is if you give it away through your dishonesty, your theft, your cheating, or whatever. (Actually, I can think of one other thing that people cannot take from you but I'll let you think about that one. If you have an idea let me know by using the comment page -- the link is below).
Anyway, as you have already gathered, Joyce and I drove to Salem Thursday and stayed at Ginger's Thursday and Friday nights. In the meantime, Ginger's boss -- the owner of the company -- had to be out of town for a few days because of a family emergency. And the person who would ordinarily take charge also had to be out of town. So the boss asked Ginger to be the "person in charge." Even though she has lots of responsibility in the company, she has never been asked to do this before. However this meant she could not leave town so there went our fun time in Springfield. But since we were already in Salem, not all was lost. We celebrated Father's Day on Friday night. Ginger took us to a really nice restaurant called J. James. I had some very yummy and tender pork loin.
Joyce and I used the motel room Saturday. The ladies of the church had a simple but real nice brunch set up. My sermon was on "The Measure of a Man" so I gave each one a small tape measure to help remember the main points. Since the church is not large, there were not a lot of men so it didn't cost me very much. After worship we went to lunch with a couple from the church.
And then we drove home.
The Conference Superintendent asked to set with him in an interview of one of our pastors on Thursday. This man was being accused of some inappropriate behavior by one of his female parishioners. I can't go into detail but after visiting with him for over an hour it was our opinion that he was being falsely accused. In a situation like this particular one it is very hard to know where truth stands; there will be one more meeting between he and the accuser plus their spouses, the Superintendent, and maybe me. What stood out as we talked with this man is the importance of one's integrity. None of us can prevent someone from making a false accusation, but if our integrity is intact it goes a long way in establishing where truth abides. In fact, -- and I used this concept in my sermon this morning -- people can take everything from you except your integrity. They can take your money, your job, your family, even your life but they cannot take your integrity. The only way you can lose your integrity is if you give it away through your dishonesty, your theft, your cheating, or whatever. (Actually, I can think of one other thing that people cannot take from you but I'll let you think about that one. If you have an idea let me know by using the comment page -- the link is below).
Anyway, as you have already gathered, Joyce and I drove to Salem Thursday and stayed at Ginger's Thursday and Friday nights. In the meantime, Ginger's boss -- the owner of the company -- had to be out of town for a few days because of a family emergency. And the person who would ordinarily take charge also had to be out of town. So the boss asked Ginger to be the "person in charge." Even though she has lots of responsibility in the company, she has never been asked to do this before. However this meant she could not leave town so there went our fun time in Springfield. But since we were already in Salem, not all was lost. We celebrated Father's Day on Friday night. Ginger took us to a really nice restaurant called J. James. I had some very yummy and tender pork loin.
Joyce and I used the motel room Saturday. The ladies of the church had a simple but real nice brunch set up. My sermon was on "The Measure of a Man" so I gave each one a small tape measure to help remember the main points. Since the church is not large, there were not a lot of men so it didn't cost me very much. After worship we went to lunch with a couple from the church.
And then we drove home.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Just a Week
Maybe I can call this preparation week because I spoke at the Men's Fellowship Dinner at Jerome Prairie Bible Church on Friday and then preached at Springfield on Sunday. Both of these had to be prepared for. So that consumed a lot of the week. A little work in the garden; a little work around the house; a visit to the doctor for my semi-annual checkup (I'm okay); some shopping -- and that's the week. Well, almost.
We drove to Creswell Saturday afternoon to Betty's house. She is my niece and Creswell is about 10 miles south of Eugene (or Springfield, since that was our ultimate destination). We enjoyed pizza and lots of conversation with my sisters, Doris and Beth; with Doris's husband, Bing; and with my nephew and wife, Roy and Twyla. This was the first time we had seen them since last fall before we left for Arizona. Nice visit. Betty let us spend the night at her house. This morning I preached at Springfield and we drove home -- with a stop at Appleby's in Roseburg for lunch.
It was just a week. Not a lot happening. Stay tuned. That will probably change.
We drove to Creswell Saturday afternoon to Betty's house. She is my niece and Creswell is about 10 miles south of Eugene (or Springfield, since that was our ultimate destination). We enjoyed pizza and lots of conversation with my sisters, Doris and Beth; with Doris's husband, Bing; and with my nephew and wife, Roy and Twyla. This was the first time we had seen them since last fall before we left for Arizona. Nice visit. Betty let us spend the night at her house. This morning I preached at Springfield and we drove home -- with a stop at Appleby's in Roseburg for lunch.
It was just a week. Not a lot happening. Stay tuned. That will probably change.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
From Pool to Pool
Sometimes I wonder how so much can get into one week and then another week has very little. It all began with a call to jury duty. Then there was the sermon preparation time. And it ended with a camping trip.
Last winter I received a letter asking me to report for jury duty on a date when we were still in Arizona. I wrote a letter asking to be excused -- or rather have my report date postponed. It turned out that my contribution to civic duty was to happen the first week in June. (In our system we eligible for one week every two years). Tuesday was orientation and one trial. My number was not called for the trial. That evening I called in to see if I was needed for Wednesday. Nope. Wednesday evening I called to see if they wanted me on Thursday. They did. I ended up being in the "jury pool" in case one of the first 12 was excused. The problem however, was that the trial was for a guy accused of four counts of sexual abuse and the judge described what he supposedly did -- rather graphic, odd, weird stuff. Then the judge asked if any of us would have a problem rendering a fair verdict. Lots of hands went up, including mine. I told her I had counseled too many victims of sexual abuse and I would begin with a strong bias against the guy. So I was excused. It's not that I
wasn't willing to do my duty but it would have been impossible for me to be fair.
By this point in the week my sermon was finished so I went home, hooked up the RV and we left for a camping trip. Mike and JoAnn also took their RV and we all went to Belnap Hot Springs, east of Springfield along the McKenzie River in the Cascade Mountains. This picture is the lodge; the hot water swimming pool is just this side of it.
Belnap has a long history for me. When I was a kid, our church had a camp near here (in fact, where I accepted the Lord as my Savior). They would take us to Belnap to swim. Since that time way back in history the whole place has been developed, remodeled, and improved. Now they have two pools, two areas for RV and tent camping, and a beautiful landscaped flower garden for weddings, etc. Our RV site was right on the edge of the river so the rushing water lulled us to sleep each night. And the hot water pool was so relaxing. That is why I titled this "From Pool to Pool," -- I went from the jury pool to the hot pool. Guess which one I like best!
One reason we choose to go here was that I am preaching at the Springfield FM church each Sunday in June. So Saturday afternoon we moved from Belnap to the field next to the church. Not quite as pristine and lovely but it worked. The Springfield church is not large but they are a very loving and caring group. Something happened that has only happened to me one other time -- a lady passed out during the service. I was praying the closing prayer and she fainted. She seemed to think it was caused by a change in her blood pressure medication. After resting for a little bit (and being very embarrased) her husband took her home.
On our way home, we stopped for lunch at Peggy's at Rice Hill. It is just a little homey cafe but known for it's great ice cream. Yes, I imbibed. I see the doctor this week and he is not going to be happy with me! Oh well.
Last winter I received a letter asking me to report for jury duty on a date when we were still in Arizona. I wrote a letter asking to be excused -- or rather have my report date postponed. It turned out that my contribution to civic duty was to happen the first week in June. (In our system we eligible for one week every two years). Tuesday was orientation and one trial. My number was not called for the trial. That evening I called in to see if I was needed for Wednesday. Nope. Wednesday evening I called to see if they wanted me on Thursday. They did. I ended up being in the "jury pool" in case one of the first 12 was excused. The problem however, was that the trial was for a guy accused of four counts of sexual abuse and the judge described what he supposedly did -- rather graphic, odd, weird stuff. Then the judge asked if any of us would have a problem rendering a fair verdict. Lots of hands went up, including mine. I told her I had counseled too many victims of sexual abuse and I would begin with a strong bias against the guy. So I was excused. It's not that I
wasn't willing to do my duty but it would have been impossible for me to be fair.By this point in the week my sermon was finished so I went home, hooked up the RV and we left for a camping trip. Mike and JoAnn also took their RV and we all went to Belnap Hot Springs, east of Springfield along the McKenzie River in the Cascade Mountains. This picture is the lodge; the hot water swimming pool is just this side of it.
Belnap has a long history for me. When I was a kid, our church had a camp near here (in fact, where I accepted the Lord as my Savior). They would take us to Belnap to swim. Since that time way back in history the whole place has been developed, remodeled, and improved. Now they have two pools, two areas for RV and tent camping, and a beautiful landscaped flower garden for weddings, etc. Our RV site was right on the edge of the river so the rushing water lulled us to sleep each night. And the hot water pool was so relaxing. That is why I titled this "From Pool to Pool," -- I went from the jury pool to the hot pool. Guess which one I like best!
One reason we choose to go here was that I am preaching at the Springfield FM church each Sunday in June. So Saturday afternoon we moved from Belnap to the field next to the church. Not quite as pristine and lovely but it worked. The Springfield church is not large but they are a very loving and caring group. Something happened that has only happened to me one other time -- a lady passed out during the service. I was praying the closing prayer and she fainted. She seemed to think it was caused by a change in her blood pressure medication. After resting for a little bit (and being very embarrased) her husband took her home.
On our way home, we stopped for lunch at Peggy's at Rice Hill. It is just a little homey cafe but known for it's great ice cream. Yes, I imbibed. I see the doctor this week and he is not going to be happy with me! Oh well.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Trivial Tuesday
Since my friend Sue hasn't put up a "Macro Monday" recently, I thought I would use the idea for a "Trivial Tuesday" post -- only a day late. Can you guess what this white fuzzy stuff is? It blows around like a small fuzz ball then gathers with a bunch of its friends against weeds, at the edge of the grass, or in the corner of the garage if you forgot to put the door down. If you can guess what it is I'll buy you cup of coffee -- when I see you.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
A couple weeks ago I said I'd relate the saga of DirecTV when we finally got it. Well, it is on now (as I write this we're watching "Bucket List"). It was installed Wednesday. But the drama began May 5. Now let me see... that was 22 days before we actually got it. A company named Direct Sat TV advertised in "Trailer Life" and "Highways" magazines about getting a free RV kit (portable dish, tripod, cable) when you sign up for DirecTV with them. After a couple of phone calls asking information, I signed up. The dish for the house and the RV kit would arrive the next Monday or Tuesday and the install would be Wednesday the 13th. Friday evening I get an email saying the order had been canceled. Monday morning I started calling and finally in the afternoon I reached a live body. The order was canceled because they called my cell phone to confirm the order and got a busy signal. Why a busy signal? I have no idea. Any call should have gone to voice mail if I didn't answer. They didn't try again later -- just canceled the order, intercepted the UPS delivery and had the stuff returned. Okay, we got that straightened out and they set a new delivery date and installation would be Friday the 15th. But no equipment came. Friday I began calling the company again. Finally a warm body. It seems the equipment had been intercepted again because we don't have "line of sight" (for the dish to receive the satellite signal.) How did they know that since no one had been here to check it out? Nobody could answer that. Apparently they entered somebody else's information into my record. So.... we start the order over again. (Aren't I being patient? I had some strong words for the telephone personnel but I didn't get mad and I was kind). Well, the new order didn't ship until Monday and wouldn't arrive until Tuesday the 26th -- because of the Memorial Day weekend. Installation would be on Wednesday the 27th. Guess what? It arrived!!! And the install guy showed up -- three weeks after the original install date. Moral of the story: Don't call Direct Sat TV for satellite service.
Kind of interesting how much we missed TV. In Tucson we only received one station, but at least it was TV. I like to watch the news while I eat dinner and maybe a program or two in the evening -- usually while I'm on the computer or reading the paper. Kind of duel tasking.
Another interesting thing happened. When we got back from Arizona we knew we would need to buy a new TV. So we set off television shopping. We wanted to have it before the satellite installation so the guy could connect everything the proper way. After checking all the stores we finally ended up at Fred Meyer in Medford. They had one we wanted but it was a little bigger than we had planned. I'm embarrassed to say how big -- it is a 40 inch. It's almost too big for our living room. We got it because it had the features we wanted and the smaller size didn't. The price was okay so we packed it home and set it up. We also got a new DVD player because they were quite inexpensive. Then Joyce found the remote for the old DVD player so I tried it and it worked okay. This meant we could take the new one back and get a refund. While I was doing that I mentioned to the lady that the TV we bought was on sale for $100 less and she said, "Okay, we'll give you a refund on that, too." So it was like someone handing me $100. Kind of nice.
Last week was also taken up with appointments for heating and air conditioning companies to check out our house and give us bids for a complete installation. There were seven companies at the Home Show a couple weeks ago so I made appointments with all of them. Six showed up and right now I have bids from two of them. I imagine I'll get the others this week. I can tell now it is going to be more than I was counting on, but it needs to be done.
Coming up this week is jury duty -- or at least being on the list. Hope I don't have to serve. More about this later. Our weather has been hot and nice. We've worked in the yard and garden and finally have things under control -- I think. We can turn our attention to doing other things now. Today we drove to Roseburg and worshiped at the FM church there. We took the pastor his wife out to dinner. They are a great couple.
This coming week will be interesting. Hope yours is as well. Boredom is a drag.
Kind of interesting how much we missed TV. In Tucson we only received one station, but at least it was TV. I like to watch the news while I eat dinner and maybe a program or two in the evening -- usually while I'm on the computer or reading the paper. Kind of duel tasking.
Another interesting thing happened. When we got back from Arizona we knew we would need to buy a new TV. So we set off television shopping. We wanted to have it before the satellite installation so the guy could connect everything the proper way. After checking all the stores we finally ended up at Fred Meyer in Medford. They had one we wanted but it was a little bigger than we had planned. I'm embarrassed to say how big -- it is a 40 inch. It's almost too big for our living room. We got it because it had the features we wanted and the smaller size didn't. The price was okay so we packed it home and set it up. We also got a new DVD player because they were quite inexpensive. Then Joyce found the remote for the old DVD player so I tried it and it worked okay. This meant we could take the new one back and get a refund. While I was doing that I mentioned to the lady that the TV we bought was on sale for $100 less and she said, "Okay, we'll give you a refund on that, too." So it was like someone handing me $100. Kind of nice.
Last week was also taken up with appointments for heating and air conditioning companies to check out our house and give us bids for a complete installation. There were seven companies at the Home Show a couple weeks ago so I made appointments with all of them. Six showed up and right now I have bids from two of them. I imagine I'll get the others this week. I can tell now it is going to be more than I was counting on, but it needs to be done.
Coming up this week is jury duty -- or at least being on the list. Hope I don't have to serve. More about this later. Our weather has been hot and nice. We've worked in the yard and garden and finally have things under control -- I think. We can turn our attention to doing other things now. Today we drove to Roseburg and worshiped at the FM church there. We took the pastor his wife out to dinner. They are a great couple.
This coming week will be interesting. Hope yours is as well. Boredom is a drag.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Our Garden Is In
I'd love to but I just can't. I'd love to complain about the weather but it's just too great to complain about. We have had sunshine, in the 70s and 80s. Beautiful! And it's Memorial Day weekend. It's never nice on Memorial Day. I don't understand it but I'm not going to complain -- even though that is what a person is supposed to do regarding the weather.
What a great week we have had. Last Monday we drove to Salem for a MEG Board meeting and then do a little work on Ginger's house. So on Saturday (a week ago) I went to a gas station to fill the car with gas so we would be ready to leave early Monday. The attendant could only get about a gallon in the tank -- in one cup increments. (The gage read 1/4 full and the tank did not appear to be full). After discussing it and wondering if someone had stuffed a rag or something down the filler hole, I took it to the Ford dealer. The repair shop is not open on Saturday so I made an appointment for 6:45 a.m. Monday. Early Monday they started working on it and by a process of elimination the mechanic determined it was a carbon canister that was plugged (or otherwise not working). I didn't even know such things existed in my gas tank. He also talked about valves and all sorts of fancy stuff down there. I always thought it was just a tube connected to a tank. Shows what I know -- er, don't know. But anyway, he didn't have a carbon canister and couldn't get one until Tuesday. So I got a ride home and we took the pickup to Salem.
Good Board meeting Tuesday. Wednesday we did some yard work and I replaced a couple cheap metal posts holding up the deck cover. One buckled under the snow last winter. The 4x4 posts I put in won't buckle! And we reinstalled her window air conditioner in her bedroom, plus a few other things. Thursday we had breakfast with JoAnn, a friend from way back in Newberg days. Then she and Joyce planned "Grandma's Camp" for her 4 grandchildren and our two. That will be in July. Stay tuned. We made it back to Grants Pass in time to pick up the car before the shop closed.
Friday I rototilled our two raised garden beds plus Joyce's flower bed. We planted some tomatoes, beans, cabbage, cucumbers, zucchini (only one plant!), lettuce, beets, and carrots. Yesterday I put the automatic watering system in the garden and we are ready to eat veggies. Well, I guess we'll have to wait a few weeks.
Let me tell you about Boatnik. Memorial Day weekend is always Boatnik in Grants Pass. It goes back to 1959 when "nik" was a commonly used suffix. There are boat races on the river, a carnival in the park, and lots of vendors selling food and trinkets. And the BIG attraction: The Boatnik Parade. I hadn't seen it in quite a few years so I decided to go. Lots of traffic; found a place to park; walked to a viewing spot near the end of the parade; bought some coffee; waited. By the way, Joyce didn't go with me because she didn't want to walk that far. After awhile the parade came; two hours later it was over. In between were lots and lots of old cars, old tractors, groups of all sizes representing all sorts of things, lots of children, high school and middle school bands, politicians, boats (on trailers), and a few floats. It's a great small town parade. All the glitz and homeyness one would expect from a city of 30,000. Oh, but you must know... our high school marching band is really good and they have an invitation to march in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2010. I see lots of fundraisers coming.
Last Sunday we attended church at Allen Creek House of Worship. Yes, I admit it; I'm having trouble with that name change. Remember it used to be Allen Creek Neighborhood Church. It was a good service and there are a few people there we know (about 11 or 12!). But it just isn't home anymore. Today we went to Jerome Prairie Bible Church where we have gone many times. It is good and I like Pastor James and some of our old congregation are there, but.... I don't know, it's hard to look at it as "my home church." One of these days we'll have to settle down somewhere.
Well, have a good week. And be good to yourself.
What a great week we have had. Last Monday we drove to Salem for a MEG Board meeting and then do a little work on Ginger's house. So on Saturday (a week ago) I went to a gas station to fill the car with gas so we would be ready to leave early Monday. The attendant could only get about a gallon in the tank -- in one cup increments. (The gage read 1/4 full and the tank did not appear to be full). After discussing it and wondering if someone had stuffed a rag or something down the filler hole, I took it to the Ford dealer. The repair shop is not open on Saturday so I made an appointment for 6:45 a.m. Monday. Early Monday they started working on it and by a process of elimination the mechanic determined it was a carbon canister that was plugged (or otherwise not working). I didn't even know such things existed in my gas tank. He also talked about valves and all sorts of fancy stuff down there. I always thought it was just a tube connected to a tank. Shows what I know -- er, don't know. But anyway, he didn't have a carbon canister and couldn't get one until Tuesday. So I got a ride home and we took the pickup to Salem.
Good Board meeting Tuesday. Wednesday we did some yard work and I replaced a couple cheap metal posts holding up the deck cover. One buckled under the snow last winter. The 4x4 posts I put in won't buckle! And we reinstalled her window air conditioner in her bedroom, plus a few other things. Thursday we had breakfast with JoAnn, a friend from way back in Newberg days. Then she and Joyce planned "Grandma's Camp" for her 4 grandchildren and our two. That will be in July. Stay tuned. We made it back to Grants Pass in time to pick up the car before the shop closed.
Friday I rototilled our two raised garden beds plus Joyce's flower bed. We planted some tomatoes, beans, cabbage, cucumbers, zucchini (only one plant!), lettuce, beets, and carrots. Yesterday I put the automatic watering system in the garden and we are ready to eat veggies. Well, I guess we'll have to wait a few weeks.
Let me tell you about Boatnik. Memorial Day weekend is always Boatnik in Grants Pass. It goes back to 1959 when "nik" was a commonly used suffix. There are boat races on the river, a carnival in the park, and lots of vendors selling food and trinkets. And the BIG attraction: The Boatnik Parade. I hadn't seen it in quite a few years so I decided to go. Lots of traffic; found a place to park; walked to a viewing spot near the end of the parade; bought some coffee; waited. By the way, Joyce didn't go with me because she didn't want to walk that far. After awhile the parade came; two hours later it was over. In between were lots and lots of old cars, old tractors, groups of all sizes representing all sorts of things, lots of children, high school and middle school bands, politicians, boats (on trailers), and a few floats. It's a great small town parade. All the glitz and homeyness one would expect from a city of 30,000. Oh, but you must know... our high school marching band is really good and they have an invitation to march in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2010. I see lots of fundraisers coming.
Last Sunday we attended church at Allen Creek House of Worship. Yes, I admit it; I'm having trouble with that name change. Remember it used to be Allen Creek Neighborhood Church. It was a good service and there are a few people there we know (about 11 or 12!). But it just isn't home anymore. Today we went to Jerome Prairie Bible Church where we have gone many times. It is good and I like Pastor James and some of our old congregation are there, but.... I don't know, it's hard to look at it as "my home church." One of these days we'll have to settle down somewhere.
Well, have a good week. And be good to yourself.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
The Weather
I'm not a great sage or philosopher but think I know why we have weather. It's so we have something to talk about and complain about. If it weren't for the weather we would talk and complain about our neighbors, or the way the guy in front of us drives, or maybe even the government. But we don't do that, do we? No! Of course not, because we have the weather on which to focus our lamentations.
Thus it is that one short month ago we were in Albuquerque, cold and freezing, standing in the rain amid drifting snow flakes muttering our wish to be anywhere but there. Too cold. A week before that we were sweeping snow off the pickup enabling our escape from the lofty altitudes of the Sandia Mountains. Too snowy. And a week before that we hunkered down in Alamogordo amidst a howling wind knowing better than to venture out onto the highway leading to peace and tranquility. Too windy.
Why, come to think of it, it was only two weeks ago that we thought we would drown in the heaviest rainfall of the winter which welcomed us back to southern Oregon. Too wet. Yesterday it was 90*; today it was 94*. Too hot. Just as well complain about that too. (Though I have to admit, it feels kinda nice.)
Since we've been home it has been days of pulling weeds, driving to Salem for a board meeting and spending Mother's Day with Ginger, and shopping for this and that. We are in the midst of getting DirecTV (I think). But the saga is ongoing so I'll save the whole intriguing episode for another time. And it's back to Salem this week. Maybe after that we can settle down. Naw, I don't think so. There are other things on the agenda to keep the wheels moving.
Isn't this fun? It is of you don't weaken.
Life is exciting.
Life is grand.
But it all falls down
If it's built on sand.
(think I read something about that somewhere)!
Thus it is that one short month ago we were in Albuquerque, cold and freezing, standing in the rain amid drifting snow flakes muttering our wish to be anywhere but there. Too cold. A week before that we were sweeping snow off the pickup enabling our escape from the lofty altitudes of the Sandia Mountains. Too snowy. And a week before that we hunkered down in Alamogordo amidst a howling wind knowing better than to venture out onto the highway leading to peace and tranquility. Too windy.
Why, come to think of it, it was only two weeks ago that we thought we would drown in the heaviest rainfall of the winter which welcomed us back to southern Oregon. Too wet. Yesterday it was 90*; today it was 94*. Too hot. Just as well complain about that too. (Though I have to admit, it feels kinda nice.)
Since we've been home it has been days of pulling weeds, driving to Salem for a board meeting and spending Mother's Day with Ginger, and shopping for this and that. We are in the midst of getting DirecTV (I think). But the saga is ongoing so I'll save the whole intriguing episode for another time. And it's back to Salem this week. Maybe after that we can settle down. Naw, I don't think so. There are other things on the agenda to keep the wheels moving.
Isn't this fun? It is of you don't weaken.
Life is exciting.
Life is grand.
But it all falls down
If it's built on sand.
(think I read something about that somewhere)!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)