A Constructive Sunday

I know, I was supposed to "rest" today. In some ways I actually did just that. I found it to be very relaxing to work out at the project. The pics are of the addition and the outside wall of the ancient home we are in the process of refurbishing. Two of the old windows that at one time faced south needed removing, and their dark oak parts saved for somewhere in the midst of stuff to be done. Also of import to me was the preliminary establishment of just where the walls of the addition's interior are to be built. Talk about fun! I now have a plan of attack on the project and within a matter of days I shall have the steps for the entry from the new to the basement under the old. All in all I can't think of anywhere else on the Great American Desert I would rather be preparing for habitation. It may sound strange, but with the winds howling as they were today I took comfort in how well we have managed to seal the house from wintry intrusion. Then there is the question of sounds that emanate from dark distant corners of the attic and the floors that are continuing to settle into their new location. We may always experience sounds coming from the home, but that is alright by me. Houses are in some ways living and breathing entities. The older the noisier! This one is only about 100 years old, but what a century to have seen in passing! There are still so many things to be accomplished before we can begin to set up house, but each day brings us one step closer. I have been praying over the home as I work. I truly believe that this is part of God's plan for our lives. I keep on asking questions, and now I'm receiving answers in the form of affirmations from folks that have taken part in this whole project process. That tickles me, and it increases my desire to see the work completed. I realize, probably better than many, that the tasks will never be completed. There will always be something that is going to require fixing. My prayers are lifted this night on behalf of everyone that has worked to help my wife and I realize a dream. It was only a vision six months ago, but now it is becoming very real. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Snickers Watching & Waiting!

Today the weather began warming rapidly. I filled the duck "pond" after dumping the inch and a half of ice out and set about getting on the road for the site where we are building the home of my wife's dreams. Today that home seemed more like a nightmare until I got into the spirit of the house and it's construction again. The temperature was predicted to rise to a balmy 45 degrees so I figured I would get to the house before the yard turned to nothing but a muddy mess. I now have sheets of siding laid out on the ground so I can get back to the garage. Even the ply stuff was squishing around beneath the van when I left around noon. The last of the concrete on the interior was poured this week. Sheldon is to be commended for continuing to do a beautiful job. Measuring the spaces has become an eternal endeavor as the inside begins to take shape on paper. There are far more details than I would have thought possible six months ago. There aren't any workers on site during the weekends so I have time to draw my lines and begin the process of drawing out where the walls will be placed. Originally I had planned a kitchen width(the working area)of 12 feet. That has now expanded to nearly fifteen as I recalled one of the architects telling me that 12 feet was the minimum he would suggest for a kitchen that included an island.
As I walk the hundred year old portion of the place that was at one time a bed & breakfast I become enamored with the beauty of the old oak pillars and doorways. Even though I know I have to get things accomplished because Snickers is waiting and the ground outside is warming, I pause far too often envisioning the project in completion. So many details that must be kept track of that I do believe I will need one of the office computers on site to make notes. That should not be too hard to do, and it would allow the fellows working there a way to communicate with me as we progress. Anyway, lots of thoughts, and lots of plans riding on the point of a pencil and the prayers I offer up to my Creator for wisdom this day! Soon all of the "roughin" work shall be completed and the interior will take shape. All in God's time, I persist in reminding myself. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Is It Spring Yet?

We did the Christmas with the pretty snow. We tolerated January and most of February with sub-zero temperatures out here on the Great American Desert. Yesterday the ducks got to go swimming, and now the question remains, "Is This Spring?" No, it is not! We still need to experience mornings of snow mixed with winds of indeterminate velocity(I don't want to be out there long enough to set up a wind gauge)plus, mixes of rain and sleet. This is all in keeping with the season which is proving so far better than most. This year we have an event! Easter will(not in my lifetime)come so soon again! I don't worry about this too much since I know that the world has a different time table than it did 2,000 years ago. That's alright. Everyone in politics has messed with the calender in one way or another. This past year they changed the "daylight" savings time to better accommodate folks out on the road really early. Why don't we make it mandatory that the sun come up at a predesignated time and if it refuses to do so fine it for being late? This year Easter is going to come very soon. I look forward to the traditional celebrations of breakfast and worship(or is it the other way around? I was never really certain if this was a superimposed fund-raising event or a mandate of my Creator). This is the other time of the year when we get to meet(as clergy)folks we haven't seen for most of the year. Just try to remember 300 names of folks that you don't see but twice a year, I dare you! Anyway, the hint of spring is in the air, and for that I am verily thankful. It means that soon, and very soon, I shall be free once again to roam the highways and biways of our country on two wheels in search of the lost. I prayerfully submit that they are always out there. And who are they? Good that you might ponder. They are amongst the throngs that in our world today do not know Christ as their personal Savior, and His Father, my Lord God, of course! "Taste and see that the Lord is good!" In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Today Was Just Ducky!

January 14, 2007

I could not resist sharing the first sign of the weather actually breaking here on the Great American Desert. The ducks were attempting spring baths in their water dish so I figured I should get the "tub" up and running. God bless, Preacher.

Happy Sunday!

This is a foggy overcast morning on the Great American Desert. Yesterday, on the other hand, was a perfect winter's day. The sun blazed through the great window which face south providing all of our plants with enough rays to continue growing and blooming. Snickers spent much of the day laying in the sun on his new "bed" a black and red ladybug that my wife could not resist at the local Walmart. We have only two grocery outlets in our fair city, the Walmart "superstore," and HyVee. When I first purchased this home in 1993 there were five grocery outlets and an independent meatmarket. Progress, I have heard, is good for the economy. There are times, though, when "progress" simply limits our choices. Personally I like a lot of choices. So does the little Chihuahua, Snickers, who has adopted Cheryl and I as his "people." Cheryl purchased the ladybug pillow after Valentine's Day for a pittance of what it had sold for a few days prior. Her logic extended to providing Snickers with another choice to make concerning where to veg out. He has a carrier which is employed for travel and home confinement when he gets too excited about guests. Then there is the fully insulated indoor house which looks a little like a small footstool, chair and couch pillows if they happen to be in the "right" place, our bed if the door is open, and that was about it until the ladybug arrived. It is so soft and cuddly that I really can't blame him for enjoying it when it is right there in the sun up off the floor which is invariably colder than the rest of the house this time of the year. But, I'm losing track of the thought I wanted to share. LOL...like I don't do that much of the time these days! Yesterday Gordon and I had many choices, they all concerned the music that we were going to rehearse. One of the agents has decided that we need to "put something together" so he can have us performing on the road for the endless summer days that are awaiting us. I suppose we are going to have to make choices. Everyone has to make choices about their lives. I'm one of those folks who truly detests change. I know, it is inevitable, unavoidable, and that in the greater scheme of life I'll be able to look back and appreciate change for what it truly is....an "excercise" in choices! Each of us has to do that with our faith, as well. Today, for instance,I could have chosen to sleep through the morning and avoid the dreariness of the outdoors, not to mention the damp(that word has a "p" in it)cold. But what about church? My mind yells through the fog my morning coffee will assist in clearing? During the season of lent maybe I should have sacrificed my presence in Sunday worship to make space for another person just waiting to take their seat in the congregation.
Choices! We all make them every day. Some are imposed by the world we live in, others by the circumstances surrounding our lives. Most importantly for enjoying this life we have been gifted with the choice of living in faithful response to our loving Creator. I pray this is verily a "Happy Sunday" for you! In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Language Perceptions

 

January 14, 2007

What was that saying? "When In Rome....."

Stairways - Fantasy versus Reality

January 14, 2007

We shot all of my grandson's graduation pictures in the house we are in the process of building\refurbishing. The stairway made an absolutely beautiful backdrop for the pictures, that and the pair of oak pillars that frame the colonade area leading to the "parlor." Everything is on hold at the present time awaiting the breaking of the sub zero temps. There are times when my patience wears thin and I feel as though I am climbing that stairway on top, one built on fantasy and dreams. Days like we have been having keep me close to my piano and the entertainment that surrounds this 'puter. My mind rambles along on projects that I can see moving forward. Most of those concern the choices that have to be made concerning wall and floor coverings for the addition to the victorian home we have chosen to become our new residence. It feels this past week as though I'm trying to dig a hole in the water and it is not frozen. That's when I have to lean on my faith and the gracious goodness of the loving God that I worship and pray to each day. The presence of the Holy Spirit infuses me with fresh resolve and patience that is well beyond me. When I think of it in these terms I can only say that the fantasy will become reality and the dream will come true. I don't, at this time, have any idea of the time line, I just know it will be. That is the best of feelings, knowing that everything is going to work out according to God's plan and in His time. So, I'm looking at all of the project files and pictures, drawings and dimensional stuff and all I can say is, "It is good!"
In Christ's Love, Preacher.