Time: Never Enough

Things we would like to do seem always to take more time than we would prefer. This past week I was too worn and weary to update my blog. The results of too many hours on a ladder and too much time invested making that which is old new again! Once again I am experiencing the fatigue that comes from hours setting walls in the addition to our 100 year old "victorian" home. God has been good to us, and the energy and stamina are holding true to form. Each day that I put behind me shows on the exterior person and the one that resides within. Muscles that have long been forgotten have ceased their daily screaming and acquired a new taste for life at the top of 14 foot ladders. Amazingly enough, the rest of me continues to adapt to the tasks and perform them without undue stress. My greatest pleasure now comes from the light that I know is at the end of this particular tunnel. Life is like that, as well, we look for the light at the end of the tunnel. Should you have any doubts, please know that my Savior, Christ the King, God's only Son, is the light at the end of the tunnel of life for each of us. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Long Days

I can't show you what is happening because I have not had time to take pictures. My right arm went down due to overexertion so the work goes on at a slower pace. Needless to say the expectations and visions I had concerning the old house continue to materialize. It is a wonder to me to walk in and see it coming together. Eldest grandson, Matthew, graduates this coming weekend so progress may be impeded by the deluge of relatives coming to celebrate with us. Many of them have offered to stat a few extra days to assist us in the work so I may have time for photos by Sunday. As always I give thanks to God for His ability to provide for us even when the body grows weak. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

This Is Spring?

We are so at work on the project home! Snickers does not want to stay home, but he is not really happy with the temperatures where we are working. My wife, Cheryl, picked up our electric space heater for the day due to the low temps where she is wall papering. Snickers was quite happy to sit in front of the heater and cuddle up in the blankets, his opinion is much the same as mine: It is "too" dang cool! We are moving forward with the project(although not as fast as my wife would like), really good work takes time and thought. I do both, but not as swiftly as she would prefer. Today is "Mother's Day" and there is a lot that goes with that thought. We all have one(OR HAD ONE)and they are very special for a variety of reasons. Mine was always supportive and loving, even though we had a combined penchant for bourbon after 2 am. Ma was the very best she could be! For all of the folks I have shared time with throughout the years please know that the love for "mom" never stops. We do what we do and then try to stay warm, like Snickers. Love is an everlasting emotion. Praise the Lord we have been given a Savior by the Grace of God that sees each of us in the light of forgiveness. A mother's love is unending. God's love is unceasing. If you are in need of either there is no quicker way to find that love than to open your heart and sit on your knees. They may hurt from the day's extensions, but the reward is worth the effort! In Christ's Love, Preacher.

A Wonderful, Wintry Wedding

Thursday the 24th I rode the Ultra Classic over to Volga to work on the project. The sun was shining and our temperatures were in the 70s. Then came Friday with a vengeance! Winds howled as snow descended on the Great American Desert. I had a 6 pm wedding rehearsal scheduled but by that time of the day roads were becoming impassable. Late arrivals due to the weather held up our starting time for 45 minutes. It was a perfect day for four wheel drive. We got through the rehearsal by eight only to find that most of the roads were closed or in the process of being closed. North from here the interstate was off limits as were highways 12 & 212(probably all of them). Schools had closed early in the day so most folks were safe except for the ones in the ditches and stuck on the streets.
I took a couple pictures of Saturday. At our house the depth of the snow was between eight and 10 inches. The Harley was not buried, but a few more hours and it might have been. We persevered and the sun came out to begin the process of eradicating the snow. Temperatures bumped up over 45 for awhile, and the wedding party and guests all had a wonderful time discovering they could get out and about again. The wedding was at 7 pm last evening and I must admit it was a treat to look out the windows occasionally at the sunshine as I shared the reading of scripture and a brief message before Corey and Heather completed their vows. Sometimes being the "Preacher" has a real upside. The young lady pictured above is the daughter of the bride. She played a very special role in the ceremony. The picture was shot before the service began.
Whoosh! What a rush this weekend turned out to be and we still have all of Sunday to enjoy. It is now 3:26 am and I should probably close my eyes for awhile before the alarm goes off. I pray it is another sunny day here on the prairie.
In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Access Granted

Last evening I watched the sunset with regret. Body tired and aching I mounted my faithful Ultra Classic and rode the highway home from Volga. Tomorrow I would begin the process of building the stairway leading to the new basement from the kitchen, utility and bathroom area of the addition. My most challenging task to date. If I could have gotten just a few more hours of daylight I might have been closer to my goal of being able to walk down a flight of stairs instead of climbing down a ladder into what has now gained the nickname of the "pit."
The "pit" is ten feet deep, five feet wide and runs under the southern wall of our victorian home and down a fifteen foot hall to the new basement. Out here on the Great American Desert we are never quite certain what the storm clouds may bring us so I decided when we were pouring the concrete and laying block that the new home would have adequate protection for residents. Steel plate 1\2" thick caps the end of the stairwell, and the whole of the construction is geared to providing a comfortable area to sit out even the worst of storms(excluding another cataclysmic flood, of course)on the prairie. Each of the ten steps is 7 1\4" high and 11 1\2" deep by 5' wide. I know that sounds like a really wide stairway, but if we ever have need of being down there for a protracted period of time there should be plenty of room even if all of the bedrooms are in use. I tell folks jokingly that I wanted the stairway and hall wide enough to get the big HD under the house for wrenching in the winter. It also had to be built big enough to allow the passage of my theater organ, a vintage 1953, and accompanying speakers. I look forward in the next few weeks of setting up that organ and playing hymns to the house. I'm certain that there will be some blues and jazz not far behind as time allows. God has truly blessed Cheryl and I with a home we pray will be a blessing to others. A call came in on my cell phone just as I was preparing to leave to pick up more lumber 7 miles away. The call was from the lead guitar player(I have not had much opportunity to get together with anyone lately). He was in town getting lights repaired on the band trailer and wanted to know if there was anything he could do to help. I may not have gotten back to work today if it were not for his offer and the timely delivery of the needed supplies. When my number was dialed Gordon was only a few blocks from the lumber yard with the perfect means for conveying my 2 X 12s on his way home. There is a promise in the Bible which states that God is busy about the task of filling our every need before we are even aware of the need. Quite often I have been a recipient of this blessing and today was one more for the long list of unanticipated answers to prayers before they were uttered. Tonight I give thanks for all of my friends, and especially for my helpmate, Cheryl, who keeps a positive spin going on everything. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Sound on Sound

Whoosh, what an array of speakers and amps! I can only imagine the massive sound they must produce. One of my "sound systems" is a 25 year old monitor setup that I built for doing outdoor concerts. It consists of a pair of Bose design(I borrowed cabinet dimensions from the 501 speakers)and put in 15 inch woofers(JBL), 12 inch midrange speakers by Gibson(they carry that sweet sound of screaming lead guitars quite nicely) and ribbon tweeters for all drum sounds that usually get lost in live performance unless you're sitting less than ten feet from the drummer. It's stereo running 600 watts per side. I don't think I ever missed a lick. When we finally get moved my "boom box" will be placed back in service for the office above the garage. It's more of a loft, but I'm looking forward to it becoming a haven for space and sound. We are continuing to work on the new home. Cheryl is painting bedrooms and I'm doing the little stuff. We were blessed this week by two of our friends. Terry loaned us a four wheel drive pickup, and Brian gave us a tandem axle trailer. Praise the Lord, what a combination. Today I loaded landscaping blocks, pressure treated timber, and an assortment of other materials and got everything onsite without a hitch. That is tongue in cheek, of course there was a hitch, on the trailer. The truck is a sweet 1994 GMC with lots of oomph under the hood. It has 94,000 miles on it but they don't seem to have hurt the beast other than the usual signs of wear. For some reason the person who originally purchased the truck got it without FM. The radio brings in AM just fine, but I do think it's a little weird to not have FM in the vehicle. I noticed that AM radio hasn't really changed much in the past 45 years or so.
God has truly blessed us in so many ways that I couldn't list them here without taking many pages of type. My body continues to argue about the work it is performing. Ah, the plague of pains. I keep telling myself that the more work I accomplish the better shape I will be in and the more I will be able to do. That works in theory, I pray it works in actuality. The day began at 4:45 AM, and by the time I returned home for the evening it was 8:30 PM. It was a productive day, although I could have used some help with the landscaping blocks. They are very pretty, and I got them for an excellent price, but it would be nice if they were made out of something lighter than concrete. Oh, well, I'll be getting in shape soon and my body will not complain. Bet me! Tonight I will once again sleep hard and fast. Perhaps we were created this way for a purpose. I'd still rather be playing music somewhere, anywhere, but for awhile I'll just be listening out here on the Great American Desert where God has planted us and we will be blooming.
That's another thing about the new place. It is quiet. I mean really quiet out in the country! I think I had forgotten that element of country living. I welcome the peace. I've got more time to focus on the projects, and more time to express my faith while working. All I am in need of now is more time, and more energy. Another prayer is in order. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Weekend Winds

We didn't get the worst of the weekend blizzard. Only about 2.4 inches of the thick heavy flakes fell on our portion of the Great American Desert. Further north and west of our location folks had to contend with upwards of 16 inches. Then there is the story of the thirty inches that fell on the US\Canadian border country in Minnesota and Wisconsin. I was out driving between our old place and our new place in the midst of the 35-40 mile an hour winds and driving snow. The little car above did not stand a chance. On that section of highway 14 you have protection in the form of a winrow every mile or so. The thing is the winrow causes snow to build up on the highway and accumulate in sufficient enough quantities to cause a great deal of slippage. Then when you get to where the winrow no longer is blocking the wind it comes across the road full force. I assume that is what happened to this little blue car. I went around to check and make certain that there was nobody in it(that is just South Dakota courtesy when things are not good)and there wasn't anyone around so I headed home. How often do we see folks in trouble somewhere in our lives and never bother to give them a second thought? I can't say as I blame the ladies for not stopping to help someone, but when it comes to us guys making the difference between someone's well being and not so well being we need to make the effort. Maybe because we are a sparsely populated state(less than 3\4 of a million souls out here)that we tend to be a bit more likely to help even the stranger. Times have changed in America. We live in populated areas with more fear than I can imagine. Cheryl worries about locked doors and staying safe. I don't blame her for that, women are targets everywhere it seems. There is a part of me that truly feels sorry for those who must live in fear. And, if we think it isn't good here, we can always look to a country where just going to the market in the morning can get you killed by one of those fanatics without reason. Our world has changed so much in the past few thousand years, and yet one thing remains constant. God is with us today. He was with us yesterday. He will be with us tomorrow, also, if we are willing to open the door of our heart and invite Him in. Then we won't have to worry so much about the weekend winds, snow, sleet, and freezing rain because God will be there to answer our every prayer in accordance with His will. I love that part, His will, because no matter how much I would like things to be my way the only path that can bring me to my goal is through the One who created all of us. I pray you are staying out of the wind and that the snow is not too deep. Here we are watching the weekend's weather melt away rapidly. That's a good thing. Now if we can just get past the mud that accompanies spring(the mini van is covered in speckles from me almost getting stuck on site today)and the hurdle of monsoon season on the plains, life will improve. God bless, Preacher.