A Quick Trip

Headed back to Kansas today. Our trip to Texas was rather unusual due to the snow they had before we got there and after we got there. If I remember right the average annual snowfall for the Dallas area is around an inch so they've had 4 years worth of snow down there. On the trip home I ran into some moderate to heavy snow in southern Oklahoma. It actually reduced visibility a bit and began collecting on the grass along side of the road. It only lasted for maybe 10 miles or so and by the time I hit Kansas it was mostly clear. When I left this morning there was one item still on my Texas "to do list" that I needed to see about. I had not eaten at Whataburger. I skipped breakfast on purpose so I would be hungry for lunch. I decided I could stop for an early lunch but when I hit Gainsville it was still only about 10 o'clock and I just wasn't ready for lunch. I knew there were some Whataburger's in Oklahoma but I wasn't sure if I would find one before Oklahoma City. I pressed on in blind hope of finding my dream lunch. As luck would have it there was one in Ardmore, Ok. Yippee. I ordered my double cheese burger meal with ketchup only and a medium vanilla shake. After gathering up some napkins and a straw I set out on my quest for the ketchup dispensers. Not finding them was not a surprise since I am often unable to find even the most obviously placed objects. I asked the lady behind the counter about the disposition of the ketchup dispensers and she said they would bring a tray out with plenty of ketchup. I guess she caught a glimpse of the thinly veiled look of panic on my face as I stated my requirement of generous helpings of the very healthful lacopene delivery system commonly known as ketchup. She very mechanically handed me a couple of ketchup packets which I thought that with what they might include on the tray would be enough. When they brought out my meal the delivery person brought a whole tray of items to aid in the consumption of said meal. Straws, napkins, salt and pepper and 20 or 30 ketchup containers. Now I see what she was trying to tell me. Whataburger knows what customer service should be like. I boldly took more ketchup and thanked the deliverer for their thoughtfulness. Yum, Yum. That big ol' greasy burger went down easy and I was soon commencing with my journey home. Upon my arrival I unpacked, caught a quick nap, changed the oil in a car for a friend of my daughter's. Went with her, (my daughter), to pick up yet another of her friends after which they dropped me off at the Turnpike HQ's so I could pick up my truck. Then, when she arrived back home after shopping and dropping off her friend at her house we had my son open a couple of gifts from Texas. Since he didn't make the trip down to Texas the gifts came up with me on my return trip. A slice of time was also taken to make some garlic dip, a family tradition on my side, to enjoy at a later time. Finally got around to playing with the Wii tonight too, so as you can see the long drive did not earn me any special treatment. Life goes on.
By the way, happy new year 30 minutes early.

The original game of "Life"

What a day! Started out on our walk with a short sleeved t-shirt and my vest. Not long into the walk I could have done without the vest. Must be in the 50's. My granddaughter and I headed out for a walk and maybe lunch if we found a place for that. I stuffed a couple of snacks in my pocket just in case but returned home with them both still uneaten. After navigating some residential streets sans sidewalk, we found ourselves at the square. The old courthouse standing tall before us we found a bench seat in the sun and took a time out to plot our next move. We went in a couple of businesses there on the square before seeking a suitable eating establishment for lunch. We soon found ourselves in a hat store with several display cases full of different types of mostly western style hats. The store smelled of leather too and had a couple of saddles on display as well. After we visited briefly with the Boston Terrier who came to greet us we talked to one of the salesman there. I asked about the extent of leather work they did and inquired about a guitar strap. Sure, we can make you a guitar strap. After unsuccessfully looking for a picture of a guitar strap in a picture album full of leather creations I asked about a ballpark figure of the cost of such an endeavor. I'm thinking it would be neat to have a nice leather guitar strap from the Cowboy capital. Even though I'm not a CW artist or write cowboy or rodeo songs it would still be nice to have a strap from Stephenville. I enjoy the cowboy culture as presented in stories, movies and to some degree, in real life. Yes, there are still cowboys. But my appreciation for them is largely based on second hand representatives such as Michael Martin Murphy. He has educated himself on a lot of cowboy history and I enjoy his family friendly concerts and willingness to refer to his faith when it's appropriate. My dad always said when he grew up he wanted to be a cowboy. At 82 he would tell you the same thing. In a way of thinking, I would like to be a cowboy too. Sorry for the diversion, back to the walk. So after some good Mexican food my granddaughter and I headed back home. On the way there was plenty of time to talk about a lot of different subjects. Eventually we landed on politics and economic matters. After a long winded explanation of the relationship between taxes and economic development and a quick treatment of how corporations and company's don't really pay taxes but simply increase the cost of the goods they produce to cover their taxes like any other liability. It's a complex subject all in all. She looks at me and says, it's like this is the real game of "Life". I laughed and hoped we all understand that this is the game that counts and we should be engaged in it to try to move it in the direction we think it should go.

Home

Welcome home, Alex. Our nephew from Stephenville, Texas got home today from Afghanistan. How great to see him again and for him to be back home out of harms way. The celebration is, as always, tempered by the knowledge of those who have not returned home or who have done so with serious injuries to deal with. They and their families, will continue to be remembered even as we celebrate. While my granddaughter and I were walking in the snow today, yes, it snowed again, in Stephenville, Texas, we thought about how the snow could be confetti from heaven to enhance our celebration. Of course we were in the minority with that sentiment, none the less a fun thought. We walked around for quite a while then went by a small store called Lida's Food Basket. We thought we might warm a bit inside and check out what Lida had cooked up for our eating pleasure. Unfortunately for us, fortunate for Lida I suppose, the store was closed until January the 5th. To help assuage our grief we settled ourselves in the porch swing that was thoughtfully installed there and visited as we watched the snow fall straight as an arrow, to the ground. A thoroughly enjoyable time. I recalled swinging in just such a swing on my grandma's porch as a kid. Gently rocking to and fro while locust called the evening into being. There was no place like grandma's house and no one as warm and comforting as grandma. Falling asleep while she sang about black birds being baked in a pie with that voice that I suspect will never be matched. At least not if my heart is involved in the evaluation. Exploring in the attic and playing with those little animal toys that walk down a slanted board. (what were those called) I wonder if my granddaughter will have fond memories of this time in her life. I sincerely hope so. Home is a great place to be and though the location changes occasionally, the feeling is the same.

A Perfect World

No, I did not run today but thanks for checking up on me. There was still quite a lot of snow on the streets around our house so I decided not to run. I did, however, go for a 3 mile walk. Long sleeved T-shirt, a short sleeved T-shirt and my vest. A stocking hat, walking boots and warm socks also accompanied me. With temperatures in the mid-20's there was a stretch when, walking north into the wind, I pulled the vest up over my chin and held it in my mouth so it wouldn't slip back down. All in all, it was a good walk. Later in the day my brother and I went to the Nursing Home in Andover where we sang some songs with the folks and my brother offered a short devotional. While I'm the one who went to college and had several classes in Biblical type studies, he seems to have a better overview of the Bible. Please don't tell him that 'cause his head will swell immeasurably. After the devotion we all eat a bowl of ice-cream and visit for a while. An enjoyable time for all. At least I hope it is. Sorry about that misleading title. I just don't have the mental energy to tackle my original subject. I may take a whack at it later in the week. My wife, granddaughter and I are headed to Texas tomorrow to spend time with family there. We also hope to see our Nephew who just returned from Afghanistan. I'm really looking forward to that. We will also visit my friend who recently had major surgery. While there I hope to get in a couple of runs and also to keep up with my blog. Sorry this one is kinda bland but that will help you appreciate the really good one I may write some day.
Hope you like the picture at least.

Celebration

We will join Bert's blog in mere moments but first a quick commercial. My web-browser's home page is set to Compassion Internationals web-site. This was done to remind me that the next order of business for us when we can get a little more settled financially, is to sponsor another child. We have sponsored several children over the years though we currently do not. I would like to suggest you check into possibly becoming a sponsor yourself. While I will not take a lot of time here to explain it, rest assured, as you develop a relationship with your child your blessing will far out weigh your financial sacrifice. This organization is very efficient with the monies they take in and are very effective at what they do. Check them out.
Now for the regularly scheduled blog. I just came from our church where several family members gathered to talk, eat and play music. My nephew and his wife were in town for the Holidays. They live in Indiana and we don't get to see them a lot. We were joined by a couple of friends for a good bit of the music but most of the participants were relatives. My brother played his 12 string, my nephew played his mandolin and his wife played guitar for a while, my niece played guitar also and my son started out on his bass and then traded it for another 12 string later. My daughter had her mandolin and my granddaughter sang a song for us as well. Me? I played mandolin most of the evening but traded it for a guitar on a couple of songs. Our friends played banjo, djembe, and guitar respectively. This is what I call a real celebration. The air stuffed full of sounds from our instruments and our voices. We sang gospel, pop, bluegrass and some just sorta jammin' around stuff. What a great time. If I had died in a car crash on the way home it would have all been ok because I was very blessed to have had that time. It's so easy for me to relate to people through music that sometimes I neglect the finer details of a relationship, like talking, for instance. I guess I didn't learn a lot about the folks in the circle, I just know that we had a blast making music together. And if there is a better place then the church for such a celebration I can't imagine where it would be.
No, I didn't run today, but ask me again tomorrow, I think you'll find a different answer at that time.

A Song To Sing

It appears the 54 year old man of the house is the first one up on this Christmas morning.5:50 am. Not all that early but last year we waited til 10 o'clock for our granddaughter to rise and shine. And I do mean shine. I was lying there in bed with thoughts careening from one guard rail to the other. All over the map as it were, but I settled on a re-occurring theme for the subject this morning. On my recent trip to Texas to visit my friend who had had major surgery I was alone in the car for several hours. If you were to analyze the trip from an emotional standpoint it would have to be considered one riddled with schizophrenia. Putting emotions in a can to be dealt with at a latter time is one of my specialties. Let's just say that, when alone, the can sometimes becomes a bit unruly. It was a little bazaar to be honest. I would be singing along with a song on the car stereo. I mean, singing loud, playing drums on the dashboard, using my girly voice from time to time as needed. Just really "letting 'er rip" as it were. Then a few words of the song, the can opener, would send me into a fit of grief and sorrow. Tears would accompany me for a shot time as well as a clinched jaw and the quick application of a Kleenex to the nose. After winning the battle over this physiological sneak attack I was right back at my rather impressive musical performance. Usually having to force the next few lines of lyrics out before the song could begin to be recognizable again. For whatever reason, this morning, along with other disjointed thoughts, that trip kept coming to mind. That seems to be a microcosm of my life. Without a song to sing, I believe life would be immeasurably more difficult. Without a focus of something positive and good, I'm not sure where I would turn. Of course for me, Jesus is my song. He is what gives me strength to move through times of grief without self destructing or becoming an emotional basket case as it were. I really don't deal with death all that well. God knows, and I mean, God literally knows, that I'm not happy about those he has taken from me. As selfish as that sounds it is quite accurate. And yet, it is His love and mercy which is at the center of my ability to deal with grief and move beyond it. He has conquered death and gives us hope. He has conquered life as well, and gives us Hope. Answers come slowly and imperfectly here in this troubled world, but ultimately, for me, as Andre Crouch so beautifully penned it, "Jesus is the Answer", So when the answer is beyond my reach I cling ever tighter to The Answer. I hope on this Christmas morning you have a song to sing. And if you don't I know the best songwriter ever who has written a song just for you. A song that starts out with "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son". This could be your song too. Maybe we could work out a harmony on it sometime. That would be great indeed!

A Snowy Christmas Eve.

Thought we would wake to an inch of snow this morning but no such luck. The usual comments about overpaid weathermen and the fact the we will likely get nothing dominated the early conversation. It's nice to sort of "coast" on Christmas Eve. if you can, but I couldn't. At least not early on. Our alarm system hardware provider sent out an email late yesterday alerting us to potential problems with the "Holiday Schedule" routine in their software. Decided to look in to that right after explaining to my cow-orkers that the snow was still coming. While the usual Gulf moisture seemed to be cut off, (at least the more direct route), there was quite a bit of moisture wrapping around the low that was south of us, as it moved slowly eastward. Not enough moisture with this scenario to really bury us in snow, but a little moisture can make several inches so the potential was still there for a significant bout with the white stuff. Anyway, explaining all of that and then bringing attention to the fact that the precipitation was building from east to west, while the low moved in the opposite direction, did take a bit of time. Then I knew it was time to tackle the alarm thing. After copying a couple of files to just the right directory and doing a full "download" to the access panels I was convinced we were in good shape for the Holiday. Then there was the hood detector problem. We have sonic based detectors that signal the lane computer that a tall vehicle, usually a semi, is approaching the automatic ticket machine in the entry lanes at our turnpike plazas. These detectors are quite reliable under normal circumstances but with all the snow and high winds there was enough moisture in the target area of the detector to set it off. Therefore, every vehicle was a truck, or so the computer thought, and would spit the ticket out of the higher encoders. This was an inconvenience to our customers but was not a show stopper as they could still push the "get ticket" button to force the Datim, (Dual Altitude Ticket Issuing Machine), to spit low instead of high. The snow causes problems in other ways too but things, all in all went fairly well today. After a last minute gift purchase on my lunch hour and a relatively slow afternoon I was off to church. I decided to go ahead and go to the Christmas Eve. service in spite of the weather. I had loaded my guitar, mandolin and music into my truck before I headed for work so I was able to drive directly to church without going home first. Geepers, I just realized I left my mic at the church. Well, maybe my brother will pick it for me tomorrow. I can't believe I did that. Anyway, I got to church a little early got out my mandolin, tuned it and commenced to participate in a couple of wonderful services. Christmas carols, a reading of the Christmas story, a message from our pastor, some special music and voila', you have a great evening on your hands. We always close with a candle lighting ceremony which is carried out while singing Silent Night. I hope the satisfaction and peace that visited me as I quieted my voice and listened to the hundreds of voices lifted in song will be yours too, this Christmas.
Happy Birthday Jesus!

Tired

Tonight I am like a bicycle. Too tired. Nevertheless, I press on. I need to purchase a few more presents tomorrow to be truly ready for the Christmas celebration. I also need to practice my mandolin for a bit of a duet a friend and I are doing tomorrow at our church"s Christmas Eve. service. We always end by lighting candles and singing Silent Night. As the candles are being lit we will be playing softly. The service is always a great time and I'm looking forward to it. Christmas morning will be great too, with just the immediate family exchanging gifts and spending the morning together. That reminds me, I need to bring in some fire wood. I thought we should have a fire on Christmas morning to accompany our celebration. The one organizing our program tomorrow night asked if I would sing a song I wrote called, "Happy Birthday Jesus". It should be a lot of fun with several other musicians playing along. The idea for the song, which I wrote while in high school I believe, came from a gas station sign. The simple, to the point, message really stuck in my head. These words, being on the sign of a place of business was the first thing that caught my eye. It was before political correctness took over, but still it was unusual to have such a blatantly religious message right there in the open like that. I had been asked to sing at a Christmas service at the small Baptist church I grew up in and since I hadn't written any Christmas songs I decided to use that birthday greeting to Jesus as the subject for a song. Before I head to bed I will leave you with the lyrics of the song. I hope you have a great Christmas and that the wonder of God's love finds it's way to your heart.

Happy Birthday Jesus

chorus:
Happy birthday Jesus, happy birthday to you,
happy birthday Jesus, you know that I love you.
Happy birthday Jesus, wonder if you ever knew,
that some day someone would take the time to sing, happy birthday to you.

You came to us on that Christmas morn. to save us from our sins,
but lots of people passing by say you mean nothing to them.
You came to earth from you heavenly home and gave all you had to give,
so that our faith in you might cause our wounded, dying souls to live. (repeat chorus)

I can still remember Lord, when you came to me,
took all my sin and guilt away, you set me free.
I guess that was the glorious day of my rebirth you see,
'cause as I knelt at the alter, Jesus sang, happy birthday to me. (repeat chorus)

Happy Anniversary

Well, I suppose I could start out with some common one liners here on our 33rd anniversary. Like, "it's been 12 of the happiest years of my life". That's usually good for a laugh or two. If I may, I would like to take a more serious tact, though not a fully dissimilar treatment of the subject. That is, to be honest, it has not been one incredibly exciting and fun-filled year after another. While my wife and I do not agree on everything, I'm sure that last statement would hold true for the both of us. There was a time, early on in our married life that my head was full of positive, storybook sorts of notions about being married. So that any females who read this won't be disappointed and can continue believing all men are the same, yes, a big part of my expectations centered around physical intimacy. Sometime, when we know each other better I may share more on that subject. Children, a house, doing things together, all seemed like a natural outcome of our relationship, and to a degree, certainly was. But besides the personal differences in child raising techniques and the different perspectives on some issues that always arise there is the "wild card" of not knowing what type of children you will have. That is to say, what personality traits they may exhibit etc. The progression from happily ever after to, "seems like something may be amiss here", to, "somebody wake me up, I'm having a nightmare", can be a long and painful one. You go from this looks like the start of a good thing, to when will this be over. You go from holding on to your hopes for the future to not wanting to know what's in it. The most common title for our daughters behaviour would be rebellious. I don't know if that still means what it use to or not, or if it further reveals my "old world" view, but that is the briefest way to get the idea across. I went from believing all those love songs about break-ups that left peoples hearts in pieces, to understanding that those songs are simply a marketing ploy and a real broken heart can only be delivered by a daughter. It's a good thing that what I'm about to say sounds clichéd because that means there are others looking to the right place too. Without my faith I believe my world would have collapsed. More specifically, without God making Himself known to me throughout this time I wouldn't have made it. Sometimes He used my own mouth to get His point across. One day, eating lunch with my daughter, who was living in what could only be described as a drug house, (though I'm sure there are other names for them), I delivered a message that was ostensibly from God. I informed her that she may succeed in pushing her mother and I away at some point because we had limited resources, but that God would pursue her like a lion pursues his prey. Not sure anyone was really listening as I nervously delivered that bit of information. A week or so later, or maybe just a couple of days, I'm not really sure. I was out on the deck looking up at the stars after getting home from my second shift job. While gazing up at the stars there came this very conspicuous echo from that earlier conversation. The echo was God's original intent. I was pushing God away, albeit in a much more subtle way than my daughter, but pushing nevertheless. Why was God allowing this difficult time in our lives? I really didn't get it and so I began pushing and pushing and pushing. "Bert, you cannot run away from me, your legs will not carry you far enough or fast enough, I will pursue you like a lion pursues his prey". Salt water began to miraculously appear on my face. (ok, it wasn't a miracle) I will never forget hearing that echo nor the Saviour who so lovingly and effectively brought it to me.
As I started to work today, I asked God to be with my wife, my daughter, my son and my granddaughter. Truly blessed am I on this my 33rd wedding anniversary.

Rights and Lefts

OK, ready, begin. I'm about to take a stab at a difficult issue to see if I can bring some resolution to my beliefs. It seems the word "right" is being used and abused these days. Similarly, I would say a significant part of our language has been used and abused and rights, seems to be the most recent fatality. There are plenty of bumper sticker phrases to go around here like, "your rights stop at the end of my nose" for instance. I suppose there is some truth to be gleaned from that phrase but plenty of room there, too, to move away from what a right is. In my considering of this subject I've concluded that a true "right" is an intrinsic ingredient in our existence. Again, I'm not pretending to be an expert, simply trying to express my understanding in an articulate manner. And my understanding is that a right is at the foundation of being human. A right to life would seem a good place to start. I believe that simply by being human we have a right to expect that other humans will not arbitrarily take our life. This "right" has been violated at many points in history and is yet today. I do not believe that people have a right to food. I believe they have a right to pursue an enterprise which would result in obtaining food. I believe they have the right to expect that someone, or some entity, will not impede their acquiring food. That is to say, to forceably intervene to keep one from receiving food. I know I'm opening a lot of ground here and the discussions could be endless as to the exact interpretation of the words I'm using. However, what I am trying to counter is the idea that a right includes delivery. At this point in the United States, the "right" to food will quickly come to mean I can sit in front of my flat-screen HD tv and expect a pizza every 4 or 5 hours. I know that is an exaggeration but I would submit that a large percent of our social security budget goes to what would have been considered an exaggeration to those who first envisioned it. Yes, healthcare is the issue that has brought this discussion to my mind and I submit to you that healthcare is not a right. If it is then we need to start with 3rd world countries and work our way back to the richest nation this world has ever known. A right, I believe, runs deep in our lives, deeper than a product of this world if you will. I think the richest country in the world could reasonably be expected to make healthcare affordable for all who want it but I do not believe it to be a right and there are so many better options than giving the government even more control of our lives and destroying the incentive to attract the best talent to the medical field. I know lots of people die without healthcare. I also know many more die with it. Is poor or non-existent healthcare one reason people die? Yes. And some of those people could easily afford healthcare but simply choose not to purchase it. Do people with good healthcare die because they eat too much, or the wrong kinds of food against their doctors suggestion? Yes. And I would submit to you that if the government gets control of healthcare they will effectively have control over things you choose to eat, activities you engage in, and any other choice that could cause you to be a burden to society. After all, you are spending societies money when you make bad choices, therefore, society, (or the political class more specifically), will dictate much of your life. This is not what I want. It is what I believe is coming.
Well, since I started this picture thing guess I'll stick with it. No real reason it needs to directly tie in with the blog I suppose.

Thoughts on Friendship

I'm going to suggest that technology and societal changes have greatly impacted our definition of what a friend is. That is to say, the interaction between those people who consider themselves friends. Remember, this is a blog, not a scientific journal with experts offering opinions and insight on these subjects. This is a reasonable expression of my understanding of things and thus is quite limited in scope and resource. Though I am 54 years old now so I suppose that counts for something. Me writing about friendship is like Martina Navratilova writing about LaCrosse. (with my luck she's an expert on the subject, but you get where I'm coming from) My Grandma Gale, for 50 some years sent wallpaper valentines to a friend. I believe they were in school together and kept in touch all those years. They would fashion valentines, complete with verse, and send them, one to the other, every year. This strikes me as a real act of friendship. After her death I began composing such valentines for my immediate family, using the sample wallpaper book that she had used. This continued for 6 or 7 years after which I decided to quit doing it. I guess exchanging gifts, frequent calls and the sharing of personal struggles would come under the category of "traditional friendship". Many more words could be used but this is a glimpse of what friendship seemed to be about to me.
Fast forward to today. Please know that the word fast would have earned the capitol letter even if were not starting a sentence. Time indeed flies. When I look at my relationships. When I consider how I relate to those I think of as friends there is a conspicuous absence of the behaviour that defines traditional friendship. This bring me waves of guilt which eventually pass for a time only to resurface. My friendships are not characterized by frequent calls or heart to heart talks, or home made greeting cards. In fact, one of my best friends only hears from me when I have car trouble. He's an outstanding mechanic. Only recently have I begun running again, with a friend who, outside of occasional conversation at church, had not been a focus of any real effort to "stay in touch". Guess I'm rambling a bit but this bugs me. When I call my friend with a car problem we may talk for an hour. When I run with my friend I, very much, enjoy the conversation and there is a quiet, though substantial, encouragement from our time together. These people, and many others I call friends, fulfill a basic need in my life that I believe friendships have always fulfilled and that is simply to be there. I suppose I don't need the constant reminders of their friendship, nor do I suppose I would reciprocate if the cards and letters began pouring in, (though I would likely be visited by a wave of guilt). But my life is blessed by those I know I can count on in a time of need and I hope they understand I would be there for them as well.
On a lighter note, I will try to scare up a picture for this entry. They seem to be popular with me. I've begun visiting this site a lot more since I put pictures on it.
PS Below, please find attached to this blog, a verse I wrote for one of the valentines I buit during the valentine building stage of my life. I haven't picked it yet so you'll have to figure out which family member it was for on your own. Think of it as a brain teaser.


MY DAUGHTER'S DAUGHTER

My daughter's daughter is four should anyone ask
bringing more of God's blessing as each day goes past
Lending dance to the music from my voice and guitar
this four year old lifts my heart to the stars
=-=-=
My daughter's daughter has mastered the art of talk
and she's Papa and Nana's two legged alarm clock
“What's this” and “what's that” and 'why is it so?”
“ I need to know Papa, what makes it go?”
=-=-=
So my daughter's daughter is racing through her childhood
and I'd race with her if only I could
But I can't so I leave her with my Heavenly Father
and thank Him each day that she's my daughter's daughter

Clean teeth and Mondays or "A Bad Tooth Day"

Today was an interesting sort of day. Work was fairly normal. A little time in the shop, a little time inside a booth pulling wires through holes in cabinets and mounting equipment on metal plates. Nothing of real note until I left for the dentist office. Sitting in the waiting room, which to be fair isn't usually a long affair, I overheard talk that made me believe the dentist was having a bad day. Nearing a holiday I guess they get a little busier due to people wanting to have the doc take care of that pain they've been living with for a while. After all, what if it gets worse while your out of town visiting Aunt Betsie. (Hey, she can spell her name any way she wants) Then too, the folks who tried some peanut brittle a cow-orker treated them to and ended up with a chipped tooth need a little attention. At any rate, when my late appointment got under way I was under the skilful hand of a harried dentist. Very nice, as always, but definitely harried. The cleaning, an add on since there was a hygienist available and I hadn't had one for a while, went fine. Not a big fan of the salt water stain removal process, but I do like the daily dose of southern style tea so a little salt water isn't a bad price to pay. Then came the crown installation. The old one came right out. The new one went right in. Then it happened. After the crown and been fitted to my mouth and was being readied for the permanent affixing between two other of my teeth the dentist cursed the whole operation by commenting on how great the tooth looked. The colour matched my other teeth just perfectly and the fit was outstanding. She used the word, "beautiful" to describe it though I suggested, as a manly man, I would prefer another adjective. I had to admit, it felt really good and the whole ordeal went more smoothly than the last ones had. Epoxy in place the crown was placed on the stub of my original tooth and I was asked to keep pressure on it by clamping down on the cotton ball that had been strategically and carefully placed adjacent to my upper teeth and the new crown. After a few minutes, one or two longer than I wish now it had been, the assistant came back in the room and asked me to open my mouth. "So, how does it feel?" It feels like it shifted or something was my response. As a matter of fact it had. And there was no getting that sucker out of there either. It was home to stay. So, out came the drill and some special bits I presume, and she proceeded to cut that new, beautiful, crown, off. The next one is on the house needless to say. Other than the time off work, which will eat a little more of my personal time than I wanted it to, I actually felt sorry for the dentist. I'm glad I work with stuff that can take a pretty good punch if I get frustrated with it and if something breaks, at least it's not a persons tooth or nose or toe or whatever. I don't think I am cut out to be a dentist, but I'm glad some people are. So I left the dentist office to suffer through the rest of it's Monday/Thursday on it's own, but I took all of my clean teeth with me.

Snow balls and Reason

Geepers, a long day indeed. Not all bad, however, in fact, not much bad, just long. I always enjoy driving through the Flint Hills. Especially, in early morning or late evening, both scenarios which played out today. Mile marker 212 on the Kansas Turnpike was my destination and I had to leave early, (from mile marker 42), to be sure and get there when I was expected. It seems like a good idea to, as much as possible, fulfil your boss' expectations so an early departure time it was. The sun joined me at just the right time to offer it's attributes to the subtle attractiveness of the hills. The shading offered by the sun light, really adds a sense of depth to the scene. Very enjoyable indeed. Then, again, with some good timing provided by those in authority over me, my journey home was met with the setting sun. Adding some nice hues to the erratic but substantial cirrus clouds that had moved in late in the day. Their wispy ornamental boarders, separated from the strata of cloud that occupied a quarter or so of the horizon, caught the last of the falling suns rays which lit them with a pink and orange light. A marvellous ending to my day.
At home, staying on a roughly weather related theme, there was an email with a Christmas greeting. To be brief, something in it made me think of one of my favourite verses. (seems like this spell check is of Old English origin). Isaiah 1:18, "Come now, and let us reason together," says the Lord, "though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow, though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool." I love a couple of things about this verse. What about the Creator of the universe, the perfect, all knowing, all powerful King of Kings, coming to earth, seems so very reasonable. Coming to sinful earth, a fallen world. Reason, to me, would seem to dictate another flood or something. Just wipe it all out and start again. Somehow, it's reasonable to God, to take my sin and make it as if it never happened. I think Spock would be very disappointed in God's reasoning ability at this point. And, as white as snow, is such a great picture. Think of an old falling down, weathered old barn that would be described as an eye sore by most. Now, cover it, and the surrounding country side, with a blanket of snow. Now, instead of an eye sore, it's a sight for sore eyes. An aesthetically pleasing scene. Think of forgiveness, which is something I struggle with, that is, forgiving others for wrongs against you. Think of our offering someone forgiveness as throwing snowballs at them. No, not hoping to put an eye out, but covering them with the snow God sent to cover your sins. My forgiveness would be the dirty snow left by the side of the road several days after it has fallen. God's snow is clean and pure and much more effective.
OK, enough for now. I'll see if I can find a good Flint Hills pic to stick on the page for you.
Later,
Bert

Meterological ramblings

Well, well, well. Seems like this daily blog thing isn't working out all that well. Guess I need a little more discipline applied to this effort. Anyway, I hate to just ramble so part of the challenge will be thinking of something remotely interesting on a daily basis. Today's topic is weather.
Weather is a bit of a hobby of mine, which is a handy hobby to have here in Kansas. It can actually add to your safety. Or not. But the weather here in the mid-west is unique. Yes, I know the definition of unique and I stand by it's use. With the Gulf of Mexico to our south and a prevailing wind out of the west the set up is perfect for severe weather. Nowhere on earth is there more severe weather than right here in the middle of our great country. As systems move west to east across the plains moist air is drawn up from the Gulf. This air, when met with the cooler, dryer air behind a front moving through, provides the energy for some tremendous storms. Not time to go into too much detail here, but I would like to share a couple of interesting weather items with you.
Firstly is something called a meso-scale convective complex. It's structure is similar to a hurricane. A hurricane has an endless supply of warm moist air provided by the ocean. With little surface resistance, once the hurricane begins forming there's little to impede it's continuing development. In the case of a meso-scale convective complex, it's source of energy, (warm, moist air), is a warm, low level jet that is diverted toward the surface. This supplies the system with a consistent input of energy. These systems often reach their peak severity in the early morning hours, unlike the more traditional storms whose peak will usually be in the evening. These systems tend to set up a pattern of cells that flow around a low pressure system and can cause the same area to receive storm after storm through the night. While they are often severe, they seldom spawn tornadoes.
Secondly is an event called a "heat event". I may have the name wrong. Anyway, as a thunderstorm falls apart there is a pool of cool air aloft. Cool air, being heavy, will eventually find it's way to the surface in the form of gusty winds. However, sometimes, this pool of air falls more or less straight down rather than "spilling" out of the sky. As the pool of air descends, very much intact, it begins compressing the air underneath it. This results in very high winds and very hot temperatures. The meso-net in Oklahoma, a system of meteorological reporting stations throughout the state has caught a few of these. If you check the site, you will find temperatures around 100 degrees, sometimes over and 80 mile an hour wind gusts, or more, like at midnight or after. If you have time to check it out it's pretty interesting stuff. Well, this has run long. The picture is of the only successful tornado chase I've been on. Hope you like it. Later, Bert

Thoughts of life

Seems like it takes a major event in life to force a meaningful look at what's really important. Often a negative event. I am in Texas to be with a friend who just had a very difficult and risky operation. His status is pretty good considering the trauma his body just endured, and his being alive is not something that could be taken for granted going in to this ordeal, so we are happy for that. But talking to my friends wife as we have been there at the hospital together, has re-energized this evaluation of what is really important. It seems times like this, when you come face to face with the possible loss of a friend or family member, cause life itself to kick into slow motion. Sort of like how a hitter in baseball goes through times when they seem to see the ball with great clarity. Your attention is so drawn to the tragedy that the meaningful things in your life find resolution. My focus has turned toward my friendship with my friend and to my relationship with my Saviour. Both of these focal points seem to bring relief, (clarity), to all of the relationships in my life, not just the one. As I continue to try to be a help and encouragement to my friend through this difficult time, I can only hope the clear vision I have found today will become a daily companion. If it does accompany me long term it will necessarily move me in the direction of my Lord.

A run on a Cold Frosty Morning

Monday was the only day I got out and ran this week. I try to get in a couple of 2 mile runs during the week before meeting my friend on Saturday morning for our 3 miler. Seems so strange to think I've actually finished a few marathons in the past. I could no more run a marathon right now then I could calculate the capacitive reactance of a circuit. I use to be able to do that too. I figured the run was still on, even though the temperature was going to be around 20 degrees Fahrenheit. That's the beauty of having a running partner. You don't want to be the one to suggest it's too cold to run. It's better to be the one who says, "yea, I had something come up anyway so I'm happy to skip the run this week". Of course, what came up was actually the temperature going down. It's really great running when it's cold once you get into the run. After you start generating a significant amount of body heat the only problem the cold presents is to your face and hands. I took my ski mask with me and the only pair of gloves that were handy. Unfortunately, the gloves were some of those long ones that go halve way up your arm. I'm sure to any passers by who glanced our way I appeared to be the wienie. A title I was willing to accept for today. When the run was over off came the gloves the hat/mask and it felt quite comfortable all the sudden. After a 62 and 1/2 second cool down I was ready to get in the car and start home. All in all, a great way to start the day.

Penny stocks and Christmas

Don't know where this is headed but some of the processing of the vastly different facets of my life is about to be exposed. Around the Christmas season it seems hard to focus on what is really important. At least that's what I would say generally speaking. So much going on that seems to move my thoughts away from the downright beautifully scandalous story of our Creator coming to earth. Man oh man, what a thought, what a bit of reality to try to get my feeble mind around. And then, too, my penny stock recently surged for a fleeting moment bringing about a fading hope of recovering some of my money from the apparent OTC black hole that it has become. Can my hope of financial success coexist with the spiritually sublime? Can the same person see the unthinkable joy of Christmas and still plot and scheme to make some money while here on earth? I have to either answer yes, or deny my own experience. I love going out on Christmas Eve and shopping. By then I have what I think I want for those I give gifts to. I simply enjoy the excitement that is evident in most peoples' faces. Excitement, relief, whatever, there is certainly a special something in the air. Again, I am of the opinion that this can be part of my celebrating of Christmas. When I pray at meal time now, I don't say thanks for the food and then dig in. I thank God for the rain and the sunshine that make the wheat grow. I thank God for the farmers, the truckers, for oil, for trees, for pigs and cows, for sackers and checkers at the grocery store etc. Trying to expand my understanding of the incredibly fruitful and abundant earth He has placed us on. While I don't want to sound flippant or trite I would like to suggest that the buying of gifts, eating of candy canes and the enjoyment of family and friends can all point to God's goodness and maybe could be a taste of the party that will be heaven. This year I am going to try to see this season from a little different perspective and thank my Saviour, Jesus, for all He has blessed me with. Now where did I put those candy canes?

A View of Global Warming from Flyover Country

Man made global warming has taken a big of a hit recently. While the idea has been around for quite a long time I've always been sceptical of the theory. In my simplistic evaluation it seemed that an increase in temperatures would result in an increase of evaporation from the plentiful water surface on the earth which would then result in more clouds, more diffusion of the sunlight and therefore a cooling. While clouds do tend to hold the temperatures a bit warmer at night I figured that effect would be more than offset by the daytime cooling. This evaluation may be as silly as the theory itself and may only serve to exhibit my ignorance, however, my scepticism is also fueled by the behaviour of those who push the theory forward. First we had ozone holes, then global warming, then global climate change. A little like a religion changing it's doctrine when the facts don't seem to fit their beliefs. I read a study when I was in high school about an experiment to increase snowfall in the mountains using a cloud seeding technique. While the article tried to put a positive spin on the results they were disappointing. The hope was to one day be able to force a tornado producing storm to rain itself out thereby stealing the energy the storm would otherwise use to produce the tornado. That was almost 40 years ago and while I haven't followed the subject specifically I would guess we would have heard if that goal had been accomplished. My point is that our attempts to effect meaningful change to the weather have been rather futile at best and now we are to believe that we are inadvertently destroying the planet. I just don't see it. While the switch over to the new Freon was a huge boost to certain segments of the economy and, to the chagrins of the ozone hole crowd, made a few large corporations lots of money, I'm not convinced that it fixed the holes in the sky. Of course we may never know since the ozone hole scare has been put on the back burner for now. Wouldn't someone be curious enough to see if we've improved that situation? In conclusion I'm sure the recent set backs will only dampen the global climate change movements enthusiasm for the moment. After all, "What if it's true?" I'll subscribe to their theory on the basis of "What if it's true?" When they all convert to Christianity. After all, the new heaven and earth will be more durable then this flimsy bit of created mass we live on now.

BBQ chips and garlic dip

Happy Tuesday to one and all. Or actually, to one and one. The one being me. So now I will, in Mark Levin fashion, thank myself for the pleasant greeting. Anyway, I came home from the dentist this evening with a pretty good appetite. My appointment was at 5 pm and I didn't start home until 7. A fair piece past my dinner time. With my mouth yet under the influence I decided to do a little window shopping at a local Walmart while my jaw slowly worked it's way back to normality. I can't believe how cheap a good printer is now days. A printer is roughly the cost of two ink cartridges. And these are good printers with photo quality capabilities. So I eventually end up at home in front of the TV switching between True Lies and The Office with a shrinking turkey sandwich and some chips and dip on my plate. As one might expect my estimating is a bit suspect when it comes to the amount of dip necessary to exhaust my chip quota. So I end up getting more dip to finish off the chips and then I'm left with a substantial portion of dip and no chips. My son had purchased some Jalapeño chips and some BBQ chips recently and they were conveniently loitering about on the bar in the kitchen. Not wanting to waste the dip I latched on to some of the BBQ chips to finish off the garlic dip. I assure you that is the last time this will occur in my life. I'm stubborn enough that I choked down the lot, but it was an unpleasant experience and one I am offering you the chance to avoid. You are most certainly welcome.