I am fully aware that I’m in no position to “grade” God on anything but let me tell you, today’s weather is a big ole’ TEN! Brilliant sunshine, no clouds, 34 degrees but no wind; —- Ya’ done real good God. Thank you. 

February 11th, it’s almost the middle of another month. I think this year is going to go pretty quickly. At least it seems that way as I look at the Lenten season and the Easter Season coming up. We have a Amanda and Bryan’s wedding in about five weeks and I still have things to do for that. Confirmation class is still going on but the boys will be finishing that up as of Maundy Thursday. We planned the Ash Wednesday service this last Wednesday because it is coming up in ten days. But —- once Easter is over, and the extra services are done, and the vacation is over —- time will slow down. Shortly after that we will be starting our three or four months of Combined worship services. What am I going to do without all of the suspenses to work against. I’ll probably lose track of what day it is. That’s what happened the last time “I retired”. 

I was thinking about that the other night — what will I do with my time. Well, as I have told you, I have a lot of books to read and or re-read but that can get old and boring fairly quickly. I have my birds to feed; —- that never goes away. I always have weeds and yard and garden to care for as long as I am able;  but I think I need something else. I may decide to do some volunteer work. I did a day at the Tri-State Food Bank and I enjoyed that, and I’m sure there are other places that can use help. I also used to do a lot of wood-working and I still have all of my equipment. I’ve forgotten how to use half of it, I’ve even forgotten what some of it does. But, I could give that a try again. The problem is that I have no place to put anything that I could build and my kids don’t need me to build them anything either. And —- my last brilliant idea is that I could do some serious writing. My mentor and friend Art Christmas is trying to convince me to write a book because he says I have had the most interesting life story and should share it. I don’t know about that but, I could at least write something for my kids so they would have some family history. We’ll just have to see what life brings after December of this year. Maybe I’ll just take long naps and make a lot of pots of coffee. 

With that thought in mind —- I bid you Peace. 

 Today is a much calmer day than yesterday. It’s cooler but the wind that blew this cold front in has passed. We could use some sunshine though. But —- we take what we get. 

I don’t know if you have been following the news about the earthquake in Turkey and Syria or not but last night the news channel reported 21,000 people have been killed by that earthquake. 21,000 — how horrible is that? The video footage is horrible to watch and I can’t imagine being there on location. I spent a year plus in Turkey as Commander of a unit and it was one of my better assignments. Being away from Ms. Kate for that year wasn’t fun but the assignment itself was great. The location was way out in the middle of nowhere. The closest town was Malatya and it was I think nine miles from the base. The hills surrounding the base were “short-grass” covered and rocky. It was good for sheep to graze on and that was predominantly what people did for a living anywhere around the base. Houses were mostly made of wood and mud, or so it seemed. The absence of trees made the hills appear to be barren and I could just imagine the Apostle Paul walking along the sheep paths on his way to Greece. This area was part of the area Paul in fact traveled through. 

I loved dealing with the Turkish people. I found them to be very genuine and they were honest extremely hard working people. One of my people lost his billfold in town and a Turk found it, and came the nine miles to the base to return it to him. Everything was still in it and the man refused to take a reward for his effort. I loved the Turkish food and I loved the Turkish hospitality. Being the base Commander, I was invited to a local resident’s home for a meal one evening. It was an eleven course meal and went all night long. I was both stuffed and exhausted when I returned to the base. So — to hear about this terrible tragedy breaks my heart. I urge prayers for them. No, they are not Christian and most are Muslim, —- but they are God’s creation and God’s children. They are men and women and children with broken lives and broken hearts. 

Ms. Kate is doing fine since her biopsy as expected, and we are still of course waiting anxiously for the results. Patience is a virtue and sometimes I am not very virtuous. But, pacing and worry has no effect on some unknown doctor who takes these things one at a time. So, I will set it aside and wait like a good soldier who learned to “hurry up and wait” many years go. 

That’s it for this Friday. Have yourself a wonderful weekend. “Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy”. Those aren’t my words; — they came directly from God. Peace. 

 I am surprised that the wind hasn’t blown Thursday off of the calendar. I guess we are supposed to have high gusts (40-50 mph) all day, and it is blowing in colder weather. The temperature has dropped six degrees already this morning. So we started at 56 this morning and who knows, we could have snow by this evening. It is the typical “if you don’t like the weather, just wait five minutes” scenario. 

Yesterday was another busy day. Early (0800) Ms. Kate had another doctor appointment. She had to have a biopsy done. We will probably not get results until sometime mid-next week. The radiologist suspects cancer but the spot is small if that is what the spot is, and can be removed. But — we won’t borrow trouble and will just wait to see what they results are and of course send up prayers for good results. 

Besides the doctor, I had a meeting with a church member in the afternoon, then I had the bulletins to run for the churches, then I had Confirmation class to teach followed by choir practice at 1830. I was worn out by the time I got home a little after 2000. The fact that it was a blustery-rainy night didn’t help with the drive home either. It was almost like my daily life as a military commander. So, today, I’m going to just take it a bit easy and do some sermon work. The basement is a good place to be. I really enjoy my office and relaxing area down there. I won’t call it a man-cave. But, it is a good office and I have a nice couch and a couple of good chairs, my 65” tv, my Kuerig for coffee, a microwave for popcorn and a fireplace. What else does a fellow need. Oh, and a book case overflowing with just Stephen King novels, and two more bookcases full of my books I used for research for work. Ms. Kate says that if I had a bathroom down there she would never see me. I may need to buy another bookcase and put down there because I have that many books at the church that I need to bring home when I retire this coming December. I don’t know where I will put that. 

Time to quit. Have a great day. Peace. 

 I’m not sure how it got to be 3:15 pm already; but here we are and I’m just now getting down to jottings down a few notes for today. 

It has been a dreary day around here. It isn’t cold, per se, but it is chilly and damp. It has kind of sprinkled on and off all day and the temperature is hovering in the low 50’s. We’re totally cloud covered so that keeps the sunshine warmth out. I guess it is one of those days where just sitting in front of the fireplace with a blanket and a book, and a cup of coffee or maybe even a glass of wine would seem ideal. But — II got no time for that now. 

Ms. Kate had two doctor appointments this morning. They were in the same building and one followed the other pretty well. Because we were at Deaconess Hospital Mid-Town, I generally drop her off and and go try to find a place to park. It isn’t easy to find a place because that facility is always busy. When she is done, she calls me and I pull back around and pick her up. So today, I asked her as we were arriving if she had her phone —- and no she didn’t. I gave her mine and said I would go back home and get hers, which is what I did. It’s only five and a half miles from my front door to the hospital and isn’t a big deal most of the time. On the way back I stopped at Donut Bank and picked up a half dozen “tiger-tails” for later on snacking. I goto back to the hospital and the lot was still was still parked full so I went into the parking garage and had to go all the way to the 5th floor to find a spot. Her appointments took almost two hours, but she eventually called and I went to pick her up. 

When we have morning appointments, I like to go eat somewhere afterwards and today we went to the Cross-Eyed Cricket on the west side of town. If you are from around Evansville and are looking for a place to get a really good “home-style” meal, I highly recommend this place. It had been there forever it seems. Back when we were youngsters, it was called Muhlbauers Restaurant. It was a set up as a cafeteria type of place and the food was “good”, not great, but had a steady clientele of \customers from the Mead Johnson Plant across the street and from workers from other local businesses. Kate used to go over. And pick up lunch there when she was working as a secretary just a couple blocks away. The old folks who ran it eventually passed away or just sold it , I don’t know which, but new folks bought it and it still remained “ok”.  I don’t know when everything changed because we were gone from Evansville for 32 years with the Air Force, but the place has totally changed. They got rid of the cafeteria and are serving standard restaurant sit down order off a menu meals and they are so good. —- That’s my commercial for the day.

We came home, grabbed a quick nap and now I’m headed to the basement and my office and I have to get busy working on my service for the 19th of February and the Ash Wednesday service for the 22nd. February will be over before we know it and I have to get ahead because we are talking a week of vacation in March. 

That’s it for today. We have a lot of rain coming in the next two days so stay dry. Also stay in touch with God. God loves to hear from you. Peace. 

 Wow!! Happy brand new week! Just look at that sunshine out there and my thermometer says 50 degrees. That’s a great start to the day. 

I am scouring my computer, well, actually my iPad trying to lay out a vacation for Ms. kate and me. II don’t want to be a braggart by any means but frankly, as much as we have traveled, we are running out of places that we actually want to see, or worse yet; —— are still able to get around in. There are many destinations that we could go but just aren’t on our radar. I wouldn’t want to go to many places like New York City, or Chicago; too much traffic and I don’t feel they are safe. My daughter Heather and her hubby John love, love, love NYC. They go and they rent an apartment with some friends for aa week and the walk all over the place. Ms. Kate and I are many years past that ability. But — I have five weeks of vacation a year from my churches and we seldom ever use them all. For 2022 I think maybe we used three and for 2021 maybe three, I’m not sure. I just know we end up not taking them and a lot of that has to do with the church calendar year, up coming weddings etc. but this year, being my last year, I want to try to take them all; —- call it practice retirement, or “what do you do with yourself when you don’t have to be working?”

We were looking at going to Custer State Park in South Dakota for the annual Buffalo Roundup. It is always the last Friday of September but we have ruled that out because all of the lodging around there is already booked. And —- as much fun as that is to do, there isn’t a lot of restaurants around there and we have not only done the round up, we’ve done Custer, and Yellowstone, and the Grand Tetons several times. 

We settled, I think on Fredericksburg Texas. We visited there one time several years ago and it was a lovely place to go. It is in the Texas Hill Country and is a German/Bavarian type community. The scenery is beautiful, and the food is a good combination of German food, Texas ranch type food, and Mexican food. There are lots of wineries around there and I think it is going to be fun. We’ve invited Heather & John, Steph & Chris to join us and I think we’ll also take Kate’s sister Karen with us. I began my early search and there are a lot of vacation homes in the area to rent and the prices are very reasonable. So, I’m going to go for it. I’ll let you know if it is going to work out. 

We had good worship services yesterday although I don’t know what took so many people out. The congregation was small at both services. Some Sundays are like that though. It will get worse I suppose as the weather starts to get a little better and then planting season will be coming along just after Easter. That’s life in a rural community. 

Times for me to move on to other stuff for today. Have a blessed week. I wish you peace. 

 Saturday morning! Good on us, we made it through a tough week didn’t we. Cold weather, iced in and couldn’t get anywhere. I find it hard to believe that we still have a lot of that frozen sleet on the ground out there. I would have though that the sun would have melted it yesterday but it’s still there anywhere that is covered with a little shade. I went to Subway yesterday and was surprised at how much ice was still on the pavement one the side of the building that gets very little sun, and there was nothing anywhere else. 

This morning I’m going to have French Toast Casserole for breakfast. Ms. Kate made a couple some time ago and we put one in the freezer. I decided yesterday to get it back out, thaw it out and eat it. It is as good as it was when we put it in there. We have a bad habit of putting stuff in the freezer “for later” and then not talking it out and using it before it gets “freezer old”, if you know what I mean. I hate pulling something out of the freezer and it is all full of frost and ice. So, French Toast Casserole it is. 

I have two jobs on my list today; fill the bird feeders, and refill my pill containers for the next four weeks. I’ll wait for a couple of hours before I fill the feeders until it gets a little closer to 40 degrees. Why’s should I freeze my tail off? Speaking of freezing your tail off, My grandson, Josh and his family live up in Pelham NH and they are just getting all of the crap weather that we had earlier this week. Last night they had -40 degree wind shill with 40 mph gusts. This morning I read on the Weather Channel that Mt. Washington, NH, which is always cold, had -100 degree wind chill and 100 mph winds going on. I can’t imagine being up there. A person couldn’t even think about stepping outside in that. Amazing. Exposed skin would frost bite in about two minutes. And you couldn’t try to walk. He and his family go out there during the summer once in a while and it is still chilly. I think I will pass on that trip.  

Time to open up my pill bottles and start filling them. I’m very lucky; I only take four pills a day. So, I can do my months worth of pills in about ten minutes. Ms. Kate takes I think 14 pills a day and it takes her forever to get her pills lined up. My pill all look distinctively different, so many of hers are almost identical so it is hard for her to know which ones she has or has not put in the container. 

But, they ain’t gonna fill themselves. You have a wonderful day. Don’t skip out on church tomorrow. Peace. 

 Friday, February 3rd. It is a bright and shiny morning. But the temperature is 20 degrees and promises not to go up more than five more degrees today. Somehow, that just doesn’t seem fair. I mean, we get a beautiful day with no threat of rain or snow or ice or even particularly heavy winds or breeze, shouldn’t maybe just go one step closer and leet the temperature be maybe 30 degrees warmer?? Yeh, I know, —- then it would probably be stormy. I reckon I’ll just settle for “it looks nice outside” and be grateful. 

Yesterday it was sunny too for most of the day. We had the funeral for my parishioner yesterday and it was still pretty cold out at the cemetery. I don’t think the wind ever quits blowing up there at the church area. It burial time it had gotten up about 32 degrees but the wind made it miserable anyway. Those funeral tents don’t do a lot to help anything, but they are better than nothing. The funeral went well and the family was pleased with the service. I’m glad we were able to finally have it. I hate that it all had to be dragged out due to the weather etc. But, I guess on the other hand, it gave the widower one more chance “to be with his wife”. The funeral was well attended considering that it was at 10:00 am on a weekday. 

I guess I will spend the day doing some writing and try to finish up my service stuff for the 12th of February. I really need to stay busy and get ahead because we do have a vacation coming up and that always rushes me. Then the Sunday after we get back it will be Palm Sunday, then Maundy Thursday, and Easter. So, lots of crunch time coming up in the next couple of month. 

I’m trying to look ahead and maybe do a little planning ahead so than Ms. Kate and I can take a week or two of vacation in September. I would love like to maybe go out to Custer State Park South Dakota again this year for the Annual Buffalo Roundup. It is always the last Friday of September. I have asked my daughter Heather and her hubby John if they might want to join us but I haven’t gotten an answer yet. If we want to really think about it, we need to be looking for lodging now because many place are already full that week. I checked on rooms at the lodges and they are totally booked already. Wish me luck. 

Time to up off and get busy. Have a blessed day. Peace.