Music

My daughter, a friend, and I attended the Rush concert last night. What a show! The tickets were fairly expensive but worth it in my opinion. Plenty of high tech bells and whistles worked well to enhance, not detract from, the talent on stage. It was just a great evening all in all. One of the nice things about getting older is that your hearing does start to deteriorate a bit. The volume level was not offensive to me in the least. Maybe a slightly different mix for my precise position in the building would have been nice but all in all the sound was quite good. I prefer to have a little better articulation on the lyrics but in a live setting it's really hard to achieve. Still I could make out a good bit of the lyrics. This is a group that I had not been aware of at any meaningful level, during their early years. Only recently, at my daughters bidding, had I started listening to their music. She's quite the fan you know. I found their music to be interesting and engaging on a deeper level than most rock groups. They are constantly making subtle rhythm changes and are often using odd measures to bring an interesting twist to the song. The melodies are largely unpredictable but in a musical way. A good piece of music will build and release tension. There are several ways to accomplish this but they often used the rhythm changes to do it. Combined with the excessive talent available from the members the result is a great evening of music and entertainment. This is, as it may already appear, a recommendation to go see them if you have the chance. I think you'll enjoy them.

Third party humor or, do you have decaf?

All right then, listen good 'cause I need to go do the family budget for the week and I have a limited amount of time to spend on this subject. While I prefer to directly inject humour into my postings I will be looking to an external entity for it's input today. I'm not the greatest teacher so it will require a little extra effort from you to make this work. You see, my teaching method is to stand at the end of the forested path yelling, "I'm over here".

Whereas a good teacher will come meet you where you are and show you how they got there. So sue me.
The starting place today will be a statement pertaining to economics that I hope we can agree on. If not, your path to "over here" will be a different one, though still attainable. Providing a product does not result in a purchase. Seems simple enough to me, what do you think? Can we start there together? If I build 2000 gizmos that there is no demand for, my inventory will likely stay at 2000 for quite some time. Meaning, I will not need to buy parts from my vendors to build said gizmos, meaning those vendor businesses will suffer equal to the proportion of their dependence on my need for their parts. This is a very direct relationship. I don't sell gizmos, they don't make parts for me. If I am their only customer, their fate is mine and so on. Further, if there is a demand for gizmos, and there are 10 different manufacturers of these items, then the flow of money to purchase materials, make parts, assemble parts into gizmos, etc. all moves on smoothly and effectively.
Now then. Jim and Jill Fredrickson are planning a gizmo purchase in 6 months when their old gizmo will be completely worn out. At the time of their decision, there are 10 companies making gizmos. 6 months later there are 8. Is it logical to suppose that they will not purchase their new gizmo because there are now only 8 companies making them? If so, then my fiction has no valid point in reality. However, I believe, Jim and Jill will simply buy from one of the 8 companies still in business, don't you? And if there are now 8 companies building gizmos providing for the demand, there will be no fewer jobs in the material supply stage, the parts vendor stage, or the assembly stage for the gizmos to be produced. It's all driven by the demand. Whether there are 10 companies, or 2 companies, the demand is what determines the need for jobs in the companies, not the companies themselves.
So, how can Mr. Obama, claim to have saved all these jobs by bailing out GM and Chrysler? The only real difference would be that people would be buying cars from different companies, requiring these other companies to hire more workers and order more materials and parts from their vendors, who would in turn be required, to hire more workers to supply the companies with what they needed. When the dust cleared, we would be left with more efficient companies and more affordable vehicles, not to mention less debt for us, and our children to be burdened with. My argument is, any jobs that cannot support themselves, that is to say, any empoyee providing a service to their employer, that is not equalled by what that employer can then extract from the value of it's product, is an overpaid employee. Other wise the whole system comes down and the company goes bankrupt. Oh, wait a minute.

Not Sure Where This Is Headed

It's been so long since I entered anything on my blog I felt obligated to stop by. I can only imagine how disappointed the two of you have been. I don't have a strong sense of direction so let me start with something that came to mind yesterday. I had gone outside to wait for my wife to arrive so I could take her to work. She is working 2 part-time jobs in addition to her other family activities. I had her bright chartreuse, (who'd a thought that word starts with a "ch"), Turnpike shirt and some tennis shoes for her to put on while I drove her to the plaza where she was starting her shift. While standing in the front yard I saw a neighbour kid, a little girl, ridding her bike. While she did not speak to me on this occasion, in the past she has called me, "Emma's Grandpa". "Hi, Emma's Grandpa, what are you doing?" For whatever reason I began wondering about addressing my Heavenly Father as Nancy's Heavenly Father, or Tim's Heavenly Father. Of course He is mine too, but thinking in terms of His position as my fellow believer's Heavenly Father lends a sense of community to the reference. (My sister would be proud) I haven't fully explored this paradigm but I kinda like the early stages of considering it.
On a more serious note I was faced with an uncomfortable situation the other day. We were headed to church from Winfield where we had attended a retirement party for my brother-in-law, (never did like him much, lucky stiff), anyway, we passed a sign announcing an auction with some information about when and where presented on the sign. It all seemed so seamless looking back on it, the transition from a fairly mundane event to the genius that was unfolding in my head. Almost instantly the tune and words came rushing into my thoughts, totally unabated. "Come on, let me show you where the auction is, oh, baby come on, let me show you where the action is, baby come on, let me ......,well, you get the idea. So simple, so incredibly funny and yet it took 40 some years of reading signs about auctions with this song waiting in the shadows of my fertile imagination to finally be masterfully combined into this soon to be classical bit of humour.
Gosh, I'm so glad you stopped by. Let me leave you with a stolen joke. I just read this on facebook a few minutes ago. To protect myself from any copyright liabilities let me be unambiguous about the source of the joke. A friend of a friend had posted it so here goes, "It's so hot I saw a bird pulling a worm out of the ground wearing an oven mitt".

Home, sorta.

What a great trip our family had to South Africa. One we will not forget I'm sure. We were greeted by a very hospitable people who, by and large, seemed to be a happy lot. It seems the World Cup provided a chance for the country to take on a party atmosphere for a while. Yes, we drove by some of the slums and yes, we visited the Apartheid museum and learned more about the horrible rule of a very detailed, law based, discrimination. But the over all sense I came back with was one of appreciation for their culture and a sense of gratitude for their accepting the world with open arms. In the airport there was a collection of people, some who I believe worked there, and some who did not. Some older, some younger, but all of them smiling and laughing as the danced to a song playing on a boom box. This dance was obviously practised and the 25 or so people all moving together made a wonderful visual set against the backdrop of an airport hallway. The enthusiasm was contagious and you couldn't help but feel happy watching them enjoy the music and motion together.
At the Game Reserve where we stayed there was a visit from a group of folks who treated us to some more dancing as well. They offered some more current dance routines but then demonstrated the more traditional dancing of some of the tribes there. Again, it was a wonderful experience followed by some songs that they had prepared. One day we took a drive through the reserve to view the animals. This reserve is close to Josieburg, (Johannesburg), and did not have the larger animals on it. However, we saw several gazelle, wildebeest, zebra and baboons. At night you could hear the hiena's calling. Similar to coyotes though a bit like laughing. There were several baboons around the camp and we saw a village of 20 or 30 of them close to our camp. They would raid the trash cans in the early morning hours.
We stayed in Safari tents that had beds in them. While it's winter there, their winters are relatively mild compared to ours. Of course, while we were there they had an unusually cold night or two that got down to below freezing. With the extra blankets they provided we were fine though the first few minutes in bed were a little chilly.
They drive on the left side of the road there and of course the steering wheel is on the right. This provided many opportunities for a little comic relief for the family while travelling to our various destinations. You could always tell when I was getting ready to turn because the windshield wipers would come on. It was all so very confusing. We saw two games while we were there and Germany and the Netherlands are still in the tournament so we saw two of the better teams as well. We didn't get ahold of any tickets for the US matches but we watched the games on a big screen there at the camp. There is much more to say but I will save it for another time. My wife and granddaughter will be back tomorrow as they took a detour upon our arrival back in the states, to attend a family reunion. So we will be whole again tomorrow as a family, and we will have a great adventure in common as we move on through life.
Thank you, Lord, for South Africa and all the creative things you have done and are doing there.

Lions and Tigers and Elephants, oh my.

Golly gee, we're off for South Africa tomorrow night. Well, technically, weds. morning about 2:30 am. I'm very excited about the trip even though I know it'll be over in a flash. We are only there for a week and there will be more to do than we have time for. Soccer is what lured me originally but once the family decided to go, too, my focus was shifted a bit to a more general vision. We are staying in a Safari tent village that is located on a game reserve. These aren't your standard issue Boy Scout tents. They are really nice and will have beds in them rather than sleeping bags. Not sure about showers and such but with it being such a short trip who needs a shower? It's fun to see my granddaughters enthusiasm rise as our departure approaches. I'm not naive enough to think there won't be some "tough" times on this journey. Long waits in airports and long periods of time in a plane can be a difficult thing for a 9 year old to deal with. But I am confident this trip will be a blessed one and one that will give us all a chance to laugh together and just party down for a while. We've lived under the same roof now for 30 years, well, just 9 for my granddaughter, and some of those times were less than joyful with plenty of strife and heartache to go around. Now we celebrate a time when God has moved us to a place where my daughter is ready to take her family and move out on her own with an ever deepening faith and a more mature attitude toward life. I suppose I see this as a bit of a send off for her, though she is only moving a few miles away. She is ready to attack life with the gusto that has always been part of her personality and with her Saviour by her side. (which is, by the way, where He has always been) Look out South Africa, here we come!

Sneak attack

So, there I was just minding my own business, watching my granddaughter singing with her school mates at a musical program featuring the story of Moses when out of the blue I was visited by a thought that seemed to come from God himself. My granddaughter enjoys music and it is enjoyable to watch her enjoy music. Additionally, the presentation itself was quite good with several humorous commercials between the main songs. One such commercial was touting the attributes of Almighty Manna Mix. The commercial ended with a well delivered "my personal favorite is bamana bread". The music was totally new stuff with the exception of the next to the last song which was the traditional, "Bound For The Promise Land". As it turns out this song was the bait for the "sneak attack". It was like God pulled out His highlighter and sent the opening words of the familiar old song directly to my heart. "On Jordan's stormy banks I stand and cast a wishful eye, to Canaan's fair and happy land where my possessions lie". Wow, what a powerful picture. I'm standing on Jordan's stormy banks. Standing, very assuradly in this world that seems to have an innate strand of struggle and sorrow in it. A fallen world, so I believe, that is not capable of sustaining a joyous disposition. Yes, we can look and find comfort in our Saviour, even in the midst of our struggles, but the struggles do not go away, they are simply moved to their proper place. However, there is a place, Canaan, or heaven if you will, that is "fair", and "happy" in a profound way. And I was blessed with a quick glance at that place through the voices of those children. Also, carried on their voices, was the question of Matt. 6 of where I am storing up my treasures. Are they here, where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal, or, are they in heaven. Once again I held the majority of the tears at bay, but the glimpse of my true home was momentarily overwhelming. My soul was looking through the window the children had opened for me and longingly telling me that someday we would get to go there. It's my home you know, my soul said to me, and you'll love it there. Sometimes I just can't wait.

Heaven can wait for me, but I can't wait to see,
who's in the marching band, and who's gonna be set free
(Michael Omartian)

Music

Music at any level can be a true joy. It reminds me of one of the beauties of the beautiful game, soccer. You can be totally ignorant of the laws of the game and still enjoy it. Kids with little understanding of the strategies or techniques of the game can have a truly enjoyable experience on a weekend playing the game, not to mention the entertainment value for the on-lookers. Yet I rewind over and over certain plays from the English league games I watch in complete awe of the level of skill required to do what they do. It requires skill but also determination. A player who is on the field for the whole 90 minutes will often run over 6 miles during the course of the game. Much of that time is spent testing the defence and looking for the best way to attack the goal. A great build-up of several passes and lots of hard work will often come to naught. But if you have the stamina to keep attacking you will eventually be rewarded with a goal. Not that different, I suppose, from all the plays and strategies that go into getting into the end-zone at an American football game. Music, even in its simplest form, can be immensely enjoyable. My granddaughter needed to practice her clarinet tonight. She indicated that she just needed to play some. No particular assignment or anything. Well, while she was getting out her instrument I figured out what notes she could play to accompany a song I like to play on the guitar. She had to learn a couple of new notes but we were soon on our way through the song. Then I decided to see about scaring up the ol' trumpet that had been purchased some years ago. Sure enough, as mis-fortune would have it, I found it. As my granddaughter and I played a couple of simple duets and her enthusiasm became more and more evident, I realized what a great blessing music can be. Will she write or perform great masterpieces? As wonderful as that would be, it does not affect the great time we had this evening in our living room. We are planning for an encore performance in the near future. I remember stories about my Uncles wanting to stay home from the movies to play music with their mom and dad. They eventually made a living with their instruments in New York playing for Broadway plays. But would those times have been any less enjoyable if they had pursued other careers? Nope. And so music has found a way, once again, to enrich my life. Thank you, Lord, for music. You are the author and finisher of my faith and the writer of the most marvellous symphonies.

Handle With Care

The title of this blog may change, though you'll never know. While this blog deals with an occasion that is not at all rare in scripture it identifies an occurrence that jumped out at me this morning. Brevity, (sorry for yet another interruption, but it turns out brevity has fewer letters in it than I tried to give it), so, brevity, simplicity and eternal truth all combine to bring us Romans 8:6. "For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace." We must handle such verses with care as we are wont, as occupants on this earth and finite beings in this physical world, to bury and resurrect this, and other, eternal truths, to more comfortably fit our lives. There are times when the absolute truth of this verse warms and fills us with a sense of wonder. Yes, we say to ourselves, this is so true. Then, there are those times when this verse is completely ignored so as not to get in the way of our selfish ambitions. Physiology wins out over our spirit. Our minds are taken captive by our bodies or our desire for a certain thing. It is the point where temptation becomes sin and that is where we most need to hold on to the truth that we know. So hold on tight and don't be shy about pointing out a friend's grip that looks to be slipping. In his heart he knows the same simple, eternal truth you do.

The 127th time is a charm

Well, I need to start off with a bit of a disclaimer. The purpose of this entry is not to cast disparagement on my ability to comprehend what someone is trying to communicate to me. However, it will explore the speed, or lack thereof, at which I am able to grasp things. I'm pretty quick on certain aspects of the realities of this world. For instance, if I touch a hot stove the thought of it being hot has not even registered as my hand is quickly repositioned to a cooler location. There is virtually no time at all that expires between the touch and the grasping of the reality that the object of my touching is very, very hot. On the other hand, some things, which are just as real, and just as hot, though not physically, are slow to be comprehended by the same system that brought us the cat-like response of the earlier situation.
A while back I began memorizing scripture. The second chapter I undertook to file away in the ol' steel trap was Isaiah 53. Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed ....... Surely our griefs He Himself bore and our sorrows He carried........but He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities, the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him and by His scourging we are healed. There are a lot of wonderful thoughts and pictures that come to mind reading through the chapter and while trying to memorize I must have gone over each verse a hundred times or more. So the other night as I read back over the chapter trying to reinforce my memory a bit, it was a surprise to have a portion of one of the verses really hit me. For cryin' out loud, I'd only been over these words a few hundred times. You can't consider every word with any real depth when your goal is to memorize. Repetition is important, not contemplation. Well, when I read, "by His scourging we are healed" I immediately had to stop reading and I placed my hands over my face as my mind and spirit seemed to be operating on a deeper level than before. By His scourging, that would be the scourging that my sin has brought to bear on Him. By His scourging, we are healed. God turned around the darkness of sin and used it as a tool to heal us. The pain He endured took away sin's final victory in my life and healed my spirit. Somehow, this perfect, sinless man used Satan's own tool against him. God's shield of salvation dulled and rendered useless the devil's most powerful weapon. Our sin, directed at the Lamb of God, becomes useless and cannot have its usual effect because it was defeated by God's light. Our sin, when laid at the foot of the cross, cannot take our lives, it can only cause us pain here on earth and that pain is nothing compared to what we will experience in glory. There is a deep peace waiting in those words and I am still unwrapping yet another wonderful Christmas present from my heavenly Father. Hope you get what you've always wanted, too.

Just me

In reading over my last post I've decided that a mental evaluation might be in order. My struggle with continuity is an ongoing fight that I usually end up on the short end of. Seems like I had a couple of good points in there but they weren't necessarily points that followed logically with the previous statements. Of course the title was "non sequitur". My adherence to the spirit of the title was, however, largely unintentional. Rather than deleting the post I decided to leave it as a reminder to try to give these postings a little more forethought.
When in college I delivered a speech in speech class about eye care. To establish myself as someone who has a unique perspective on the subject I was going to mention, early in my speech, about an accident that occurred when I was 7 leaving me blind in my right eye. That point was going to validate me as someone whose comments on the subject of eye care should be heeded. After a nervous few minutes in front of the class my ordeal was over and I was listening to the next poor sucker deliver his or her speech. Several minutes after taking refuge at my seat it hit me. I didn't mention the fact that I had been left blind in one eye as a child. Wow, how could I forget that. It was the very point that would have given people a good reason to listen to me. Similar scenarios have played out over the years as I have attempted to teach or discuss pros and cons of ideas with others. So last week's post was a pretty good indication of how things unfold in my head. Maybe I will try to go back and develop each of those disjointed ideas more fully sometime. I believe each of them, I simply didn't support my position on them. They just sort of came out like bumper stickers.
OK, now here are a couple of new entries in my pocket calendar. (sorry if I've mentioned any of these before)
1) The EPROM programmer we have at work will check the chip to make sure it has been erased because it won't take a new program if it hasn't. This process is call a "blank check". I'm planning on explaining this to my brother before shining a flash light in his ear and saying, "yep, she's blank alright".
2) Someone who stands out in a crowd could be called, "distinctified".
3) there's a 24 hr. "Family Dining" restaurant that also advertises as smoker friendly. I noticed they changed their sign recently. I think the only way to work the idea of family into the crowd I saw in there on one 2 am visit, is if you were thinking of starting one.
4) In Michigan, day-care facilities have union dues taken out of the government subsidies they receive. They have no choice in the matter.
5) Friday Feb. 12, 2010, there was snow on the ground in all 50 states.
6) This is a nice story. The organization in England that tells old people they are not "eligible" for certain procedures because it wouldn't be good use of resources is the National Institute of Clinical Excellence. N.I.C.E.
7) When no one responds to a passionate email you sent around you might say, "my email fell on deaf eyes".
8) I made up a couple of governmental bureaucracies so I could sound important when I talk to total strangers. They are: the Society for the Preservation of Non-Stick Cooking Surfaces, and the Federal Name Spelling Administration. I'm thinking of making some laminated badges to lend some weight to my ruse.
9) Resistance is futile, voltage is everything.
I'm so glad we had this little chat. Now go find something worthwhile to do.

non sequitur

I'm not sure I spelled sequitur correctly, nope, oh, well, you'll never know since I've corrected it now. Guess I pulled one over on you, huh?
Ever notice how common it is to have people comment on how important their good health is. Yea, we've had a pretty bad run of luck lately but at least we still have our health. You're only as old as you feel and I feel like I'm in my 20's. We never had all the things we wanted in life but we had our health. Why is it that something that is so important it seems to transcend every other aspect of our lives is something we don't want to have to pay for? We'll drive to a doctor appointment in our new 20,000 dollar car then complain that our co-pay went up from 10 to 15 dollars. Isn't something a little out of whack here? We are going to bankrupt the country so people who own nice cars, HD flat screen tv's and nice houses, and who pay no income tax, can push their health care on to the tax payers. We need to look at the many ways we can make our health care system much more responsive to peoples needs and more affordable without destroying our economy.
Here's what I think is actually going on. It's, I believe, a little like the man-made global warming situation. Intellectuals, (this is sorta funny so I have to tell you, I misspelled intellectuals) who are smart enough to think for those of us who aren't, figure they need to perpetrate these scare tactics in order to scare us into doing what they know is best for us. They are either lacking confidence in their persuasive abilities, or in the general public's IQ. You see, it doesn't matter that there is little evidence pointing to man's involvement in global climate change, what matters is that the smart people help guide this country to the right moral choice as pertaining to our consumption habits. We use entirely too much of the worlds resources, so we hand the world a tool to beat us over the head with. Man-made global warming to be exact. Health care, on the other hand, is a tool to move this country toward a more socialist disposition. We need to be brought in line with the rest of the world. No one country should be more successful or prosperous than any other country. It just isn't fair.
If employees were taking home the money their employers are spending on their health care they could purchase insurance on their own that would be much more appropriate for their needs and would often cost less than the employer is paying and would go with the employee if they found a better job or were terminated. Additionally, in the case of HSA's a nice nest egg could be accumulated over the life of a younger worker putting money into his account. In conclusion, if good health really is such a wonderful thing then I say to the American people, put "your" money where your mouth is, not mine.

Yea, I've used a jack hammer.

A friend came over Saturday morning and we comenced work on a project of mine that was started about 15 years ago best I can remember. The downstairs bathroom has had a toilet and sink for some time now but not a shower, ceiling, or the most necessary item of all, an exhaust fan. As my friend's more informed eye surveyed the situation things began looking a little more doable to me. Our main accomplishments for the day resided in two dissimilar categories. Under the strategic heading, I now have a plan of attack to win the bathroom war. Under the more practical heading we resolved a major problem with the mis-alignment of the shower base drain and the location of the drain pipe in the basement floor. As good fortune would have it the resolution of said problem was to rent a jack hammer and share some good solid manly bonding time together. So solid was the manly bonding that I was virtually left handed all day today. Not sure what my precise injury is but does not appear to be a broken bone. Maybe a bad bruise or some kind of ligament damage or something. Anyway, following my daughter's advice has seen a measured improvement in my condition.
Oops, I forgot that I had told my son I would start incorporating a literary device called a paragraph every now and then. It seems like a lot of my stories just ramble and so a paragraph would be somewhat mis-leading as far as indicating how the story unfolds in my head. However, I'm sure with a little effort I can figure out appropriate places for paragraphical insertions.
There, That wasn't so hard. If you were at the Lowe's in Derby Friday evening you might have caught some of the Tim and Bert show. I asked my son to accompany me on my mission as I knew I would need his muscle to get the materials we were to buy into "his" car. So off we went. It's always fun to wander about aimlessly at a lumber yard but the wandering was somewhat subdued because of the big cart we were leading around with us. Nevertheless an enjoyable father son excursion right up to the point where I reached in my pocket for my bill fold. "Gosh, I guess I left it at home". Tim eventually produced his debit card to save us from any further embarrassment, or so we thought. I had smartly measured the opening in the back of his Subaru Forrester to verify we could fit two 4 x 8 slices of sheet-rock in it. Well, while they did indeed fit in the very back, where I had measured, they did not want to go on up into the vehicle past the protrusions that housed the seat belt assemblies. The argument lasted several minutes and the shedding of some gypsum was unavoidable. However, in the end, we were victorious and we proceeded home on this cold night with the back of the Forrester open as well as my window. I needed to provide some positive air flow to avoid sucking all the exhaust into the car. Wow, what a great time we had and as is not always the case, there was someone there to share the time with. I can only imagine God was chuckling just a bit as we drove our cold selves home on this eventful eve.

Farewell to Nashville

It's all just a blur now. Two loud, boisterous, very full, days of music interrupted only occasionally by a hamburger or a hot dog. It's interesting how I find some bitter-sweetness in experiencing the "morning after". Same is true after the festival in Winfield. There's something attractive about the contrast from one day to the next. The lobby of the hotel was brimming with life and music for hours on end for 2 days straight. Then Sunday morning comes with the quiet lobby echoing only the faint hushed tones of a few people moving their baggage and instruments to their cars. A single conversation is heard, though not distinctly, from across the lobby whereas the day before you could scarcely hear the jam that was happening just a couple of feet away. Like a hundred yard dash. No pacing, just pushing yourself as hard as you can for those few seconds then coming to a stop just a few feet past the finish line. I dared to don my 12 string on this morning. It seemed to be the most appropriate instrument for the occasion. I sat in a corner of the lobby for the first few songs. Finger picking and singing softly through Boy From The Country, How Great Is Our God, and a couple of other songs. Then a group of folks gathered in my vicinity, though not to listen, but rather to talk of their time there. I quietly exited to a vacant hallway where I could resume my tired, melancholy music. After some time there with just a person or two moving down the hallway a young man and woman emerged from around the corner. The lady pulled a chair over near mine and helped the young blind man sit down in it. She said she would be right back and disappeared around the same corner from which they had come. Tyler was this kid's name, and we visited a bit before I began playing some more music. Eventually, I helped them get out to the front of the hotel so a friend could pick up Tyler and take him where he needed to go. I remembered Tyler from the night before. He was jamming with some folks by the pillar just ahead of the confluence of one of the several hallways and the lobby. He was playing his guitar and singing with great enthusiasm. He is in a band back in Johnson City, TN and the young lady performs with him as well. As we sat in the hall we talked about music and bands etc. He commented on how he really has trouble warming up to a singer who is not engaged in the lyrics of the song. He said it was important to feel like you have something to say. I mentioned how hard it is to make a living at music and he agreed. However, he said that if you are doing something you enjoy then the money isn't that important. I mentioned what a friend had told me once about our hopes as relating to our children. We tend to want them to be "successful" without really examining what that means. We tend to default to our cultural definition of success requiring a substantial salary etc. When what we should hope for our children is that they are happy. You have to pay some bills but beyond that if you're happy at what you spend your life doing then that seems to be the important thing. I bid Tyler goodbye and encouraged him to keep playing and singing. This day was turning into an enjoyable event although it started out a little iffy. My head was pounding all morning. Ibuprofen didn't help and I was looking at the prospect of becoming sick to my stomach if things went as they often do with these headaches. I suspect the long drive and two long, though enjoyable days, were catching up with my old and aging body. I laid down across the chairs at the back of the room while the Gospel groups were performing. This did not help either. I decided to head for Kansas so around noon I took off and bid Nashville adieu. When I was well on my way up I-24 heading toward St. Louis I stopped at a convenience store. Parked around to the side of the store I set my seat back and took a nap. A long nap. It was at least an hour though I didn't note the time when I started. When I awoke I felt measurably better and my headache was all but vanquished. My new-found strength eventually took me all the way home through some rain and snow both. I was amazed at how well I felt on the trip after having such a sickly start to the day. Some light snow met me just west of Columbia, MO and accompanied me the rest of the way home. The snow's intensity increased as I approached Emporia where I would enter the Kansas Turnpike for the final leg of my journey. By the time I hit Cassoday, about 30 miles So. of Emporia and 50 from Wichita, the snow was collecting on the roadway. About 20 miles later I was moving around 40 mph and that would be the speed that would take me on into Wichita. Boy was I glad to be home. Two quick trips from the car to the house to deposit my gym bag and instruments on the couch and I was headed to bed. The heater probably ran 11 or 12 minutes out of the 14 hour trip so a warm bed was just what the doctor ordered.
Home sweet home!

Day 2 of the undercover operation

It's me, Bert, here in Nashville posing as a bluegrass musician to gain access to some great music. So far so good. Several hours of jamming yesterday and the prospect of more today. Yesterday I couldn't help myself and I presented a total stranger with what I thought would be a humorous addition to his day. He was walking briskly to the front of the hotel with 2 banjos, then pausing he handed one of them off to a friend just behind him. I said, "you don't want to be caught with two of those things do ya?". Without boring you with my interpretation of his look, (that's all I had to go on since he didn't offer any verbal response), suffice it to say humour was not what he found in my comment. Oh well. I try not to say too much unless spoken to. Guess I'll try to practice that bit of discipline again today. Hope it works out better than it did yesterday. I met a group of folks singing here in the lobby yesterday. Imagine that. Anyway, their harmonies were quite nice so I stopped by for a listen. We eventually introduced ourselves and I made them sing a couple more songs for me. Turns out it was a father, son and daughter who were picking up where they left off from times past when they would sing in the living room of their home. They were from Cincinnati, OH so I asked them if they knew Eric. Nope, they didn't. But it was worth a shot. Guess I'll head out for now. For those who have been praying for my friend Norm he was able to hold a guitar a couple of days ago and form a couple of chords. His singing was more like whispers, I suspect a little like my grandma's voice when she was singing me to sleep. Please keep him in your prayers. He has come to mind often here in Nashville with all this music around.
Later, Bert

Bluegrass Party Time

Yippiieeeeee. Here I am at the Sheraton Music City on this lovely Friday morning. I will have many mistakes in this post as I am in a bit of a hurry here; will explain later. Last night at the Motel 6 Music City I had a wonderful time. Ran across the street to a Jack in the Box for dinner. Took it back to the room and after a quick inhale of food and a shower I was ready for bed. It is a long drive from Wichita, Ks to Nashville, Tn, but it went well. Started out about 4 am and finally got to the motel about 7 pm. The last hour an a half was spent in the Nashville area dealing with stop and go traffic. Stop is self explanatory but the going was so slow the speedometer never moved off the peg. The helpful signs tell you to tune your AM radio to 1680, if the yellow lights are flashing, so you can get an update on traffic conditions. Unfortunately, my radio doesn't go that high. What's up with that? My highest frequency is 1610. Oh well, I made it ok. Started out with some light snow from Wichita to Kansas City, then hit some light rain coming into Nashville, but other than that the only weather related problems had to do with the fact that the heater in my car works about 5% of the time. Sometimes it would start working when I introduce a significant amount of trauma to the dashboard. After injuring my hand I fetched a boot out of the trunk to provide the moving force as it were. With so little payoff, (it only seemed to help every once in a while), I finally stopped the practice. As daylight came I saw what a bad idea that really was as there were several new cracks in the dashboard. Geepers Wally. So the motel has all these "green" ideas implemented. If the water is turned up all the way in the sink I estimate it would take 34 minutes to fill the sink up. Between the shower and the hand washing, teeth brushing, etc. I figure I have used 1.2 liters of water. Well, some music has carelessly broke out in my vicinity so I best be going. Please pray for my wife as there is something going on with her liver that has yet to be fully understood. Her liver is functioning at this time but has obviously been damaged some how. Thanks, and as time and opportunity present themselves I will try to check in again while here in Nashville. God Bless every last one of the 3 of you.

Look out Nashville

OK, so I'm a little excited about my trip tomorrow. I enjoy road trips and will enjoy the travel time with out the usual distractions, I mean, responsibilities, of my job. Life so often gets in the way of my musical endeavours, but for the next couple of days, music is king. Not sure what will occupy my time while on the road yet. Certainly some time for listening to music will be one item on the list. It would be nice to freshen up some of the fading scriptures I have memorized over the years. Seems like I've done precious little with that precious lot lately. If I set my mind to it I could return with another song written. I have a book with several ideas that need finishing or I could write a song about the experience itself. Two years ago when I went I ended up sleeping in the car the first night. Didn't want to spring for a motel room and I was tired after a long drive followed by sitting through a performance of several gospel groups on that first night of the convention. They wouldn't let you park in the hotel parking lot unless you had a room there or a special parking pass so I ventured around the corner to an office building. Their parking lot was well lit and it was just a stones throw from the Sheraton Music City where the party was. It was pretty chilly so I pulled my coat over me like a blanket, laid the seat back and headed off to lala land. I woke up occasionally but all in all was sleeping pretty well. Then around 4 am I was awaken from a sound sleep by a simultaneous occurrence of noise, vibration, and bright lights. I was pretty sure I was being abducted by aliens. By the time my wits finally caught up to me a full third of my life had flashed before me. As my ability to reason returned I realized they were servicing the dumpster which I had strategically parked beside. As one might guess, strategy is not my strong suit. In fact, my strong suit is yet to be identified, though I feel like I'm getting closer all the time. The process of elimination has helped me narrow the field to a few attributes I have yet to acquire. Anyways, the next night I sprung for a motel 6 and only used the office parking lot to avoid paying the parking fees at the Sheraton. This years unknown will lie in the car and the weather, both of which are looking a bit unpredictable. One prediction I have a great bit of confidence in, however, is if I make it there, I will have a great time. You can take that to the bank. Unfortunately, they won't give you anything for it, but still, I'm just sayin'.

A breath of fresh air

Windy and cold it was as my wife and I approached the old Kansas Coliseum. Though not a long walk from the parking area, it was sufficiently long to make us both wish it was shorter. Can't tell you how many fun nights I've spent in that old building watching the Wichita Wings go so efficiently about the enterprise of indoor soccer. We watched the likes of Preki, Chico Borja, and Eric Rasmussen exhibit their more than mediocre talents on the pitch on many a cold winter night with the house full of rowdy soccer fans. Good times indeed. Soccer eventually became my favourite sport, though I now prefer the outdoor game. Preki played for the San Diego Soccers and every time he had the ball at his feet I remember thinking, "gosh, I wish he didn't have the ball at his feet". Of course he had a tremendous career with the Kansas City Wizards in the outdoor game and has now proven to be a formidable tactician as coach of the Chivas USA team of the MLS. Anyway, back to the main story here. So we found our way inside the coliseum where the temperature was eerily similar to what it was outside. The wind was noticeably weaker however and we waited there for our friends to appear. After the time had passed when we expected they would be there we ventured on down the long, wide, concrete hallway to the point where it opened up into the main floor of the building. It looked quite different now then the last time I had seen it. There were no real indications that so many activities had taken place there. Soccer, hockey, concerts, basketball, etc, etc. After visiting with a nice lady we decided to go ahead and register our presence so as to have one less thing to do when our friends arrived. This took little time and we were back at the cold, less windy waiting area in no time. Once our friends arrived and we were all registered we were given our plastic aprons and hair nets and asked to stand in a line. Shortly we were joined by others who were likewise outfitted. What I observed there was a very encouraging sight. One that warmed my heart immensely. We were a small part of an effort to package a million meals to be sent to Haiti. 150 folding tables formed 50 work stations with 8 or 10 people at each station. The effort was drawing to a close on this Sunday evening but the room was still filled with people, and music that seemed to me to have a Reggae sort of sound to it. Surely this is something truly American that we can take pride in. Surely a room full of people, who could have chosen so many different destinations on this night, coming here to try to help a needy people so very far away is a notable thing. At a time when money is a bit tight by our standards, jobs are harder to find and many are struggling financially, we still have our time to give. And give we do. The really remarkable thing about this party is that it is not some kind of odd occurrence. As a people, we have always been generous when tragedy strikes, whether here, or abroad. They had hit their goal of 1,000,000 meals at around 4:30 and when we left they were well over 1,171,000. When I hear how many Americans were there in Haiti when the earthquake hit, and I see how we are responding to try and help, I have trouble believing we are hated by the world. There are likely those who are jealous of our prosperity, and there are those who focus on and amplify our faults, but they, by and large, are not in position to help as extensively as we can because many of them are not a free people. Or their freedom is throttled and manipulated by a top heavy, if not corrupt, government bureaucracy. I hope we always choose to use our freedom as a tool to help others. And I hope our politicians realize that tool is so much more effective in the hands of the citizenry than in the hands of a government.

Vacation Time

Some people save up their vacation time and end up having to use some at the end of the year so they won't loose it. That is one problem that I have never encountered in my relatively short life. When I see those poor devils rushing around at the end of the year, worried they might loose some vacation, I think, "there, but for the grace of God, go I". I'm not sure how to explain my talent. That is to say, I don't remember anyone "teaching" me how to use vacation time. It would seem it was one of those God given gifts that is just part of my personality. Please don't think that I am boasting. I understand that I could have easily been one of those other people who just can't think of a good reason to take off work. For me the reasons just seem to flow like a broken water main. I can't hardly think of a reason to not take a vacation day. Weird, huh? Another amazing part of this whole thing is the fact that my cow-orkers seem to enjoy seeing me take days off too. Talk about a win - win. Kind of like a vacation for them and me too. I don't know, it's just rather amazing sometimes when I step back and see all the wonderful ways God has blessed me. Maybe I'll take off tomorrow and contemplate all that I have been given. I'll be right back, gotta take a quick look at my last check stub.

Healthcare Thoughts

Warm biscuits with melted butter and a coating of grape jelly that my granddaughter helped make in Texas. Wow, God is so good. He gave me taste buds and a sense of smell so I could really enjoy this treat. What a creative idea. I'm able to nourish my body and receive a bit of joy all at the same time. If I had created the world it would have been much less imaginative. Need some nutrition? Just walk on up to this "filling station" and we'll throw a little in your tank. Instead of such a calculated, matter of fact approach, we are inundated with beauty and good things to remind us of His love. Sorry to make you wait but I needed to finish my biscuits while they were still warm. Now, back to our regularly scheduled blog.
My wife, yesterday, went to the hospital to have a liver biopsy taken. It all started several days earlier, with a blood test that showed elevated levels of some enzyme. This prompted the doctor to want a closer look at the situation. After a sonogram and a CT, which showed some nodules, a yet closer look was indicated. While in the operating room the doctor, through conversation with my wife, decided a couple of extra samples would be a good idea to check for another possible explanation for her condition. A call to a pathologist confirmed this to be a good idea, since they were already taking some biopsies anyway. I don't want to fill this blog up with anecdotal information as I know it can be a weak argument, but I have to react to what I know and then try to analyse external information taking into account what I have experienced. My experience with the healthcare system, to this point, has been a good one. Yes, I have been frustrated dealing with insurance companies who say this or that is covered then try not to pay when the bill comes. But in the end, my wife has prevailed and they have paid. I would say I have had more problems straightening out mis-understandings with the government. Whether it's getting a paid tax liability off our record or fighting over flood insurance that I don't believe we should need to have. I am not sceptical of the idea of us having the best healthcare in the world, but, even if my lack of scepticism has resulted in me accepting a "less than the best" system, I'll take it. I cannot imagine how these things would unfold under the weight of an incredible governmental bureaucracy. Waiting, who knows how long, to get a biopsy taken, then, what kind of treatment are you left with. Are the doctors hands tied. Is he able to make that phone call and take more samples than originally agreed on to cover another possible cause for the patients problem or is he a human machine carrying out his orders, knowing that the reimbursement will be the same either way and the patient can just wait in another line for another biopsy if it comes to that. The progression from blood test to biopsy was about a week for my wife. How long will that progression take with a government administered program? Can't we just make our current system better? If we introduce competition, in a real way, to the healthcare system then, I believe, we go a long way toward making it affordable for all. Those who still can't afford it, and want it, the government can help. With "real" competition the government will not need to control our lives like they will feel compelled to do with government healthcare. The government can concentrate on keeping us safe from terrorists and keeping our country on solid financial footing instead of telling us what we can eat, or how much we can eat, or what activities we can engage in. With a truly competitive environment in the insurance industry the actuary tables become the motivation for disciplining our choices. If we pay more for insurance because we smoke we have a built in incentive to quit. I understand the need for basic coverage for all, but giving discounts for lifestyle choices or refraining from more risky activities, would seem a doable option. Even now, if someone manages to go on a parachute jump without procuring the proper insurance, we are not going to with hold medical care from that individual. In fact, it is the stated policy of our medical institutions to not with hold medical care from any individual in need of emergency procedures. So I say true reform is indicated, not an overhaul. Free up the insurance companies from the heavy hand of government imposed restrictions, mandates and cost controls and then have a method of helping those who need assistance to make their premium payments. I don't have time here to address the historical issues that have led us to our current, inefficient, national medical condition, but I think we can fix it without setting us on a long slow decline into medical mediocrity that is the assured outcome of direct government involvement.
Film at 6.

Freezing Fog

The hard part isn't freezing it, it's catching it. Just kidding. We had some "freezing fog" this morning which is a bit interesting in and of itself. I suppose a little like freezing drizzle only on a lighter basis. It sometimes causes some travel problems but seldom does it accumulate enough to. The neatest thing about it is the effect it has on trees. It collects a little like snow only a more delicate coating that settles on the branches sort of like moss on a rolling stone. I mean, stationary stone. I always get those two stones confused. Anyway, I got a couple of pictures today, as I remembered my camera for a change. In the afternoon we had what I suppose you could call frozen fog. The moisture suspended in the air, (that would be the fog), froze while still floating about aimlessly. It looked like tiny snowflakes, or more like pieces of snow flakes that weren't quite heavy enough to move themselves to the ground. This put a delicate finish on any snow that was still around and added an interesting texture to the landscape. It looked a little like the non-skid surface of a bath mat or something like that. By the way, in an earlier blog I commented on a phenomenon I referred to as a "heat event", the actually name is "heat burst". So if your Googling "heat event" was fruitless, try "heat burst". It truly is an interesting phenomenon. Well, I hope you enjoy the pictures. I've included two today since my blog is so short. By by the the way way, you can click on the pictures and get a full sized view of them. I discovered this last week but forgot to mention it to the two of you. Sorry, I'll try to do better.

Can't do it

I've been really struggling with the frequency of my blogging. While most of my posts are rather casual I still try to put a bit of effort into them. And then there are those times when I want to say something about a more serious topic like my understanding of a Biblical truth or friendship or family relationships. It's difficult to really put the effort into it day in and day out so I'm going to use my blog on a more occasional basis. That occasion will be when I feel like it. So there, nany, nany, boo, boo. I want to thank both of you for sticking with me through these early times of feeling my way along as it were. Do not be dismayed as there are no restrictions on how many times you can read back through these blog entries. Yesterday, I blogged about forgiveness. This is a tough subject for me because of the way my brother treated me growing up. (just kidding) It truly is a hard subject for me and after entering my thoughts, such as they were, I decided not to post them but to simply save them as a draft for later consideration. The good news is, God is quite settled on His understanding of forgiveness and it remains available even as I continue wrestling with the subject. I felt that collective sigh of relief. So, you may hear from me tomorrow and you may not, but rest assured that one of those two scenarios, will indeed, come to pass.

Mystery indeed

You know this New Testament gospel is kind of difficult to really figure out. Or maybe it's just hard to put into words. I would say that I have experienced forgiveness and mercy and am, at some level, following Christ. However, there is this constant battle between assigning worth to my existence by way of standing strong against temptation, and then the idea that I am not at all defined by my own discipline but rather by God's mercy. Specifically, I would like to express some, likely, controversial ideas about forgiveness. If a friend has an affair, giving in to temptation and momentarily putting aside his or her faith, I am disappointed and hurt by his or her actions. It is like a fellow soldier has betrayed the fight. While forgiveness is readily available from our heavenly Father, due to His ability to see the heart directly, it comes more slowly from me because I have to deal with all the feelings and emotions while trying to discern my friends heart. I suppose I feel a need to hear some kind of confession of wrong doing or see evidence of a contrite spirit. Nothing too elaborate just a sentence or two explaining his or her understanding of wrong doing and a request for forgiveness. God's forgiveness will see my friend into heaven, but my lack of forgiveness may hamper our relationship here on earth. We may, in fact, continue our pursuit of faith, in different directions, though a legitimate pursuit both would be. But the better outcome would be to offer forgiveness to a friend and continue on this pursuit together. Encouraging, helping and holding one another accountable as before. It's quite possible that I am exposing a very selfish point of view here, but I do not subscribe to the idea that forgiveness can be a one way street. Throughout the gospel we are compelled to take action, on the knowledge of our sinfulness, and come to Christ for forgiveness. If one wants to suggest forgiving someone who has died then I might see a place for that. For letting go of a sin or wrong doing whose source is no longer able to express sorrow for their actions. But how can a sin that has not been acknowledged be forgiven? How can a gift that remains in your closet on Christmas day be opened? Again, the forgiveness that offers eternal life comes from God the Father, so if I do not perceive, or become aware of, ones sorrow for their actions, and therefore, do not have the opportunity to offer my personal forgiveness, it is of temporary concern, and will not impact the salvation of either person. While we are commanded to forgive, as we have been forgiven, again this implies the admission of guilt. My forgiveness came through such an admission. I'm thinking this blog may not make the cut. This subject needs much more time to develop. Nevertheless, maybe it will give you something to think about, or get mad about and form your own ideas of why I'm all wet. Don't worry, if you confess the bad thoughts you are having about me, I will forgive you.

Whiners

Don't we all hate whiners? I can't do that 'cause my little finger hurts. Jimmy got more cookies than I got. I just hate these hot days. I just hate these cold days. I wish this weather would make up it's mind. Sure is dry this year. That stupid rain cancelled our picnic. On and on and on it goes. It is so late and I'm so tired I really didn't want to do this blog thing tonight. It's 5 minutes after midnight as I start this and I would rather be sleeping. I should have done this earlier in the day as I knew it would be a late night. Late but fun it was. A friend invited me to a jam in honour of his father who would have been 100 this year. His dad always enjoyed "music parties". I guess he played the mandolin. I really don't remember meeting him though I may have at one time about 35 years ago. My friend and I went to one of the first Winfield festivals. A festival that Stuart Mossman got started in the early 70's. It became the home of the International Flat Picking Championship and eventually many other competitions were added. Early on it was a Bluegrass festival but has grown to include a much broader range of music. My friend, who played Bluegrass, along with several other family members, really wanted to go to the festival so we ended up coming. We both attended Southwest Baptist College in Bolivar, Mo. and we lived on the same floor in the dorm. We got together to play guitars sometimes and eventually became friends. So we came back to Kansas for the festival, I guess it was '75. We stayed at my folks house in Park City and went to see the competitions and listen to some of the bands play. He ended up moving to the Wichita area to teach school but we really haven't stayed in touch that much. I'd see him at the festival occasionally and would go see his group perform from time to time but that was about it. I was excited to get the invitation to this jam in his dad's honour. A brother from Missouri was there and so was a sister from Florida. The living room was full of music and talking with an occasional corny joke thrown in from time to time. I even took a shot at a couple of them myself. While the laughter at my jokes was somewhat subdued I believe it was nonetheless heart felt. So I'm home now and headed to bed but thanks for staying up late to read this, I really appreciate it. Later.

A peak with a view

So we were just out of high school, my buddy and I, and anxious to get about the more important things that were now within our reach. Both of us still living at home meant the money we made could be used for personal endeavours. We both enjoyed camping and hiking so a backpacking trip to Colorado seemed to be in order. We decided to climb Mt.Elbert just outside of Leadville. It is the highest peak in Colorado and something we could do without special equipment or training. Then we would head to the Maroon Belles near Aspen for a few days. The plan in place and our packs full we loaded up. Bear would accompany us on our journey to help keep us safe at night. Bear was my friend's rather large yellow lab mix that proved to be an over-ambitious defender when we would throw the football around. Couldn't really get him for pass interference because his timing was impeccable. However, unnecessary roughness was a common practice of his, and the games would be rather short in length to protect our general well being. Heading west in a red Corvair with our 2 packs and a dog was an immeasurably freeing sort of feeling. We were trying out our relatively new adult wings as it were, and loving the independence we felt. While Bear was a fearless cornerback, he seemed to have a phobia for cars. Not so much scared of riding in them, but as they passed by he was struck with a very strong desire to place himself under my friend's feet. This was somewhat comical the first few times it happened but became a bit of an annoyance as the trip went on. One time we were coming down a steep grade in the mountains when Bear couldn't stand being in the back seat any longer. During his trip to the passenger's side floor board in the front he actually shifted the car from 3rd into 2nd gear. He accomplished this without the aid of a clutch and the transition was amazingly smooth. We got a good laugh out of that. We eventually found our way to the trail head that would deliver us to Elbert's peak. We hiked up quite a ways before stopping for the night thinking we could get an early start and make the peak the next day. My memory isn't real detailed but for some reason I remember making some Jello with some of that wonderful mountain stream snowmelt. It tasted great though I can't remember what the main course was. Probably a dehydrated this or that. The next morning we did indeed get an early start. However, we were farther from timberline than we realized and started our hike to the peak a little later than hoped. We left our packs at timberline hidden in some shrubs. The three of us headed out on our long steep walk with plenty of water and some sandwich cookies. A great combination don't you think? This was our first stop though looking back it should not have been. I was having trouble acclimating to the altitude. It always takes me a day or two to get used to the mountains. During our adventure we encountered a thunderstorm. Not a lot of lightning, but when you are at eye-level with the storm you feel a bit more vulnerable. The reason for that feeling is the fact that you are more vulnerable. (spelled it right that time without help from the stupid spell checker) We took shelter in a boulder field. The boulders were large enough that we could get into the crevasses and be pretty well protected. The precipitation was mostly in the form of sleet. A function of the cooler temperature up where we were. As the storm moved on it left in its wake the most strikingly beautiful scene I have ever had the privilege to see. The storm moved on between us and Mt. Massive producing a double rainbow which seemed to end at a lake down in the valley. I will never forget the feeling of awe at that moment, or the almost inconceivable thought of knowing the one who created this incredible earth. Wow, what a sight. By the time we reached the top I was feeling pretty sick. The cookies were likely not the best choice for food to take, but it was what we had so when I got hungry, I ate some. We weren't at the peak too long as we knew we were in trouble time-wise. We moved as quickly as possible back down the mountain. When we reached the area where we had left our packs it was dark and I was as sick as a dog. Well, as sick as some dogs I suppose, it seemed Bear was feeling ok. My friend made quick work of finding a couple of puny little pine trees that could offer a bit of protection from the weather we might incur on the mountain-side. He set the tent up by himself while I was busy tossing my cookies, (no really), at another nearby tree. We climbed into the tent and our sleeping bags and settled in for what was a rather stormy night. A more intense couple of storms accompanied us through the night and again the precipitation of choice was sleet. By morning I was feeling better and we hiked back to the car to head to the more relaxing part of our trip. What a day it had been. What a great memory to have and to share with you on this cold night. Hope you enjoyed it.

McCan'to's

So I'm sitting at the remote ordering station at a McDonald's drive through. Wind chill below "0" with an air temperature of around 9 degrees Fahrenheit and winds gusting over 30 mph. After a long pause I finally said, "hello?". No response. Eventually driving on around the corner to the window I was met by a nice, unapologetic lady, who asked me what I wanted as if this is how things are always done here. "A number 6 with ketchup only and a large sweet tea please". Having observed that a large tea was on sale for a dollar I was looking forward to getting a large drink while paying the usual price for my meal. "That will be $5.09, please". "I thought the tea was on sale", I replied. "Not when you get one in conjunction with a meal", said she. "Oh". "Then I need a double hamburger, just the sandwich, and a large tea". "Ok, that will be $3.42". Geepers, either something is on sale or it isn't. Kinda ticked me off. My wife, a retired McDonald's employee, knew the end of my story before I got there. She remembers people pouring out their coffee right there in the drive through lane because their meal came with coffee, even though they didn't want it. Just seems like there would be some way to do things more efficiently. Doesn't McDonald's want to save money? It's not like the meals are pre-packaged, I mean, they have to pick up the cup and put coffee in it. A cup they bought and coffee they bought and brewed. If it's an inventory thing then they can hire the programmer the Turnpike uses to make it all happen seamlessly and accurately. I know it could be done. Anyways, lets move on to more important things. We start the year off with a new commercial for the Prostate Treatment Center. Gotta love 'em. They always list all the problems related to an enlarged prostate and then offer a solution by way of their center. Someone wasn't paying attention when this commercial was written. I kid you not, one of the questions the "matter of fact" announcer asks is, and I quote, "do you wake up to urinate?". I said, out loud, "my gosh, I hope so". The alternative is called wetting the bed which is a phase I left in my childhood. Look, I know all about this progression of the enlarging of the prostate. It is a reality in my life. But, not waking up to urinate, is not one of the symptoms I don't believe. The two of you would have had a great picture to look at on this blog if I hadn't taken off for work this morning without my camera. I forgot my tea too. Knowing that my journey's would take me through the freshly whited Flint Hills I was going to have my camera ready for a few nice shots. It was a wonderful drive with the wind pushing clouds of snow over the naked hills and valleys. Even with the clouds breaking later in the day it looked blizzard like in some places. Sorry, I'll try to remember it next time. This has been a rambling blog. Oh, hang on, I thought of something marginally humorous today, let me go get my day-timer and see if I can find where I wrote it down. I'll be right back. I'm back but it wasn't worthy of publication. While this may seem curious given some of what I have deemed worthy I believe you will thank me later. As I close, a quick thought, that is quite worthy of mention. My wife showed me a note she had received from a lady in Texas who has recently lost a son in Afghanistan. The note was full of encouraging words to my wife and me about faith and family. These words are a special gift from a grieving mother. No mention of her sorrow, just encouragement to us. Thank you Lord for Your never ending ways of surprising us with Your love. Please pray for our troops and their families.

Snow

It was snowing harder now. Coming down very heavy and with those big wet flakes. I love the snow. Ever since the big storm that hit Wichita during my Freshman or Sophomore year of high school I've been a big fan of those lovely crystalline flakes that greet us from the grey winter clouds. We were friends before but that storm cemented our relationship for life. We were out of school for a whole week. A week full of snow forts and sledding. Pushing stuck cars and snowball fights. Gloves and hats occupying the heat vents around the kitchen and living room while we ate our sandwiches and planned our next adventure. What a week. It all started on Sunday morning. It was beginning to snow in earnest as we headed to church. By the time we came out of the service the snow was several inches deep. The anticipation of missing some school was already part of my thought process and the excitement continued to build as the day wore on. By night we were out tromping around in over a foot of snow and it was still falling. My recollection is we ended up with 21" total. Monday morning began our dream week with several consecutive fun filled days in a row. That memory will accompany me the rest of my days, Lord willin', and it is a significant part of my appreciation for snow. Now back to the previous tale. The snow was coming down heavier now and I just thought it could be a sign that I should go ahead a make the call. My room mate at Southwest Baptist College had talked me into going on a double date with he and 2 ladies from the women's dorm. He really wanted to go out with this one girl but she refused to go out with just him on a first date. She required it to be a double date. My room mate can be very convincing and he managed to talk someone who had never been on a date before to go out on this double date. That someone happened to be me. I wasn't exactly a ladies man. I had called a girl up in high school to see if she wanted to go out and get a Coke or something. The answer wasn't no, it was, I can't tonight. Nevertheless, a "no" would have been no less devastating and I tried to avoid her for the next several days because I felt embarrassed. That had been the extent of my social life at least as it pertained to the opposite sex. So after several "no way's" he finally got me to say yes. Now I was trying to get up the nerve to ask this same lady out to a concert of the St.Louis symphony. It turned out she was ok, for a girl, and I wanted to pursue a more substantial relationship with her. The snow was what pushed me over the edge. The snow might have been a sign, I thought, and if not, it still seemed like something I should do. So I met her outside her dorm and asked if I could escort her to the concert that night. She said "sure", or something like that, and the rest is history. We eventually got married and my room mate and her room mate never really hit it off. So now there is another reason to like snow. It's like they say, "just follow your snows".