57 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 6-29-21”

  8. Nice moth/butterfly, by the way.

    I have some pictures to send your way, AJ. Some cactus, some rock formations, some critters, a bird or two. Is anyone adverse to lizards?

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Good night everyone. My suitcase is on its way. So nice to have that done. The rest of my things should all fit in the trunk and suitcase that I have left. Plus sea freight to media mail for books and such.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Well good real morning! The sunrise was beautiful and the sky is clear!
    Husband has taken his brother to DIA for his early morning flight and the house is quiet! The visit ended on a good note and we are thankful…. ♥️

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  14. Real good morning to you as well, NancyJill and all.

    The hummingbirds were buzzing us this morning. They would come right up to the side of the bed and peer at us. Why are you not up? It is the cool of the morning! So I got up. It is Tuesday so laundry day. And there is weeding to be done, and watering. And feeding of animals.

    Yesterday we let the rabbits out of their hutches. Too hot in there. They were wandering around the yard talking all night. We will probably collect them again when it cools off but I do like seeing the rabbits free. But there is a respiratory disease running through the wild rabbits we don’t particularly want. There are always rabbit diseases for them to catch though.

    But it was a beautiful night last night. Stars and satellites and space station and Milky Way all busy doing their thing. The moon came up later. The bats were flying but not the mosquitoes so much.

    It is eighty in the house this morning, sixty seven outside but expecting one hundred four. Off I go to enjoy the cooler outdoor air.

    Liked by 3 people

  15. Came home to tall grass that’s too wet to mow, with chances of rain for the next few days. The sun is shining so maybe this afternoon I can mow.

    Liked by 1 person

  18. I’ve been to the recycling center in the drizzle this morning. It was a good time to do that, in the drizzle. I avoided the crowds.

    I am skipping ladies’ Bible study so I have more prep time for Wesley’s visit. But I will do my online study in Matthew. I have my coffee and Bible ready to enliven me physically and spiritually.

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  19. Peter, you might be OK if it’s not a skink. I found out that Kim doesn’t like them. Last I heard butterflies were still OK.

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  21. The word wet makes is envious out here!

    Zoom prayer with friends last night with my husband laying hands on my leg.

    Potential infection docs feared so much yesterday looks . . . Gone! 🙂

    Liked by 5 people

  22. Good to hear, michelle.

    In the days before antibiotics, people could die from something iike that.

    And rain, glorious rain. We have none, so appreciate it where you are.

    (The downside about rain in the summer, though, is the added humidity it brings later. Misery.)

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  23. That’s what the nurse practitioner said, “You know, that dog could have killed you.”

    Hmm. A bigger German Shepherd, probably.

    That’s when I asked her to retrieve my husband from the waiting room. I couldn’t make the decision about getting a shot or, following Roscuro’s advice, and going to the hospital for IV antibiotics.

    She sent us home with a prescription for the biggest drug they could prescribe if the redness got worse, and her phone number, a line on my leg which meant “ACT!” and an invitation to return.

    I spent the afternoon with my leg up and icing and then attended my meeting via Ipad. They prayed a long time for my leg, as well as for sleep.

    I got 8 straight hours last night and woke up to the redness gone.

    I’m so thankful–perhaps this should be on the prayer line. It still hurts to stand on it, but not as bad.

    We didn’t have to fill the bigger drug prescription.

    I’m still going to ice and prop all day. My husband arranged for a “sitter” tomorrow to run around for me–hey, hey, hey, I’m going to have her scan photos under my supervision! LOL

    A former housekeeper, now lodger’s girlfriend (how do we manage that? Second time), I think I’ll send her grocery shopping, too. Ah, such luxury! 🙂

    So, who needs to work when you can lie around and read all day? I’m like a kid released from the summer–with five more library books to read. 😉

    Liked by 5 people

  24. Ugh, tree crew showed up 3 hours early so lots of noise while I’m trying to do staff calls. And poor Cowboy needs to go out but can’t — the stairs in front aren’t an option for him right now. Hopefully they’ll finish up quickly.

    Liked by 1 person

  25. Have any of you on Facebook heard of, or follow, Frank the Christmas Gargoyle?

    Last Christmastime, a lady in a suburban neighborhood decorated her small “porch” (it’s really not even a porch, not sure what to call it) with a stone gargoyle (in a sitting position, like a dog) for Christmas. One of her neighbors in the area (whom she refers to as “Karen”, *sigh*) sent her a nasty letter, telling her that if she didn’t remove it, she would report her to the homeowners association.

    Well, that just prompted this woman (I’ll call her Frank-lady) to add some other “delightful” (or not) characters to her little not-quite-a-porch. “Karen” continued to complain and accuse her of various things, which only resulted in more and more odd characters being added to the Christmas display. “Karen” had also written to or called the mayor, but Frank-lady never heard from him nor the homeowners association. But “Karen” continued to be nasty in her notes.

    Ironically, considering that “Karen” was being pretty nasty, she accused Frank-lady of not being respectful of Christmas.

    Somehow, Frank-lady’s original post about the matter went viral, and she started a separate “Frank the Christmas Gargoyle” page. (Former WMB friend “Cameron” also follows it.)

    What came out of this silly, but humorous, neighborhood tiff is that Frank-lady has continued to decorate her not-quite-a-porch with these characters, as I call them, for every holiday and season, with little stories about what they are doing. Not only that, but she has had merchandise made with Frank’s image, and others, to raise money for various charities. Last I saw, she had raised quite a bit.

    And yet, “Karen” still complains. 😦

    Liked by 1 person

  26. I don’t know if non-Facebook folks will be able to see this, but it is the Frank page:

    https://www.facebook.com/Frank-the-Christmas-Gargoyle-100433311957105

    Also, here is an update she posted earlier in June about the charitable donations:

    “Update!! We got some updated numbers from Cincy Shirts and have added those along with the fundraiser for the Gary Sinise Foundation to our totals. So far Team Frank merchandise has raised $35,680 for the Cincinnati Zoo and the patriotic Frank shirt and stickers have raised $10,485 for Leashes of Valor. . . The total raised for all charities now sits at $279,077!!!! WHOA!!!! Not too bad for a snarky gargoyle. Thanks to everyone who has donated!!!”

    Liked by 1 person

  29. One of the things many of us have realized with the return to in-person church:

    https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/church-small-talk-important/

    ___________________________

    Church Small Talk Was More Important Than I Thought
    FEBRUARY 11, 2021 | MEGAN HILL

    … In a recent article for The Atlantic, Amanda Mull lamented the disappearance of peripheral relationships:

    ~ Understandably, much of the energy directed toward the problems of pandemic social life has been spent on keeping people tied to their families and closest friends. . . . The pandemic has evaporated entire categories of friendship, and by doing so, depleted the joys that make up a human life—and buoy human health. ~

    Social science identifies various categories of friendship and affirms that even our casual relationships play an important role in our well-being. These weak ties, middle-ring relationships, or lighter relationships contribute to our sense of belonging, strengthen our communities, and increase our psychological happiness. These categories also describe many of our regular interactions, including some of our friendships in the church.

    Thousands of years before the birth of modern psychology, Jesus and Paul both knew the joys of various categories of friendship. In his earthly ministry, Jesus had a particular love for one (John), a close friendship with three (Peter, James, John), a deep commitment to 12, and a special relationship with 72.

    Paul, too, had a dear companion (Timothy), a few co-laborers (Timothy, Silvanus, Epaphras), many beloved friends (Aquila and Prisca, Euodia, and Syntyche), and countless committed supporters.

    It might be impossible to imagine Jesus without his beloved disciple John, or Paul without his beloved son Timothy, but it would also be wrong to think of them without the dozens of looser bonds that supported their ministries and refreshed their hearts.

    Sometimes in the church we are quick to emphasize the particularly intimate friendships that grow in small groups, mentoring relationships, or accountability partnerships. These are vital connections indeed. But it would be a mistake to also conclude that just because a relationship isn’t close it isn’t important. …
    __________________________

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  30. When you see someone in church, you can walk up to them, and speak privately.

    I was talking to a Nurse Practioner friend several weeks ago about relatively minor things when the Holy Spirit stopped me, took her arm, and asked, “How are YOU doing?”

    She began to cry.

    “Am I the first person who’s asked.”

    A quick nod and a hug.

    You’ve never know that seeing her in a Zoom Sunday school class of about 12 people for an entire year.

    She clung to me.

    And I clung to her.

    Liked by 2 people

  31. Mr. Can-Do-Everything has made meals, done laundry, made the bed, cleared up the phone bill, put away the suitcase, driven me to the doctor, and arranged the flowers someone brought over.

    I think I’ll watch a movie next–with my leg up and being iced, of course. 🙂

    For the record, I made dinner. Three weeks ago and put it in the freezer. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  32. Good planning, michelle.

    I’m dancing with a mosquito that’s been hovering over me and my computer for at least a couple hours now. Mosquito lands, I slap, mosquito flits away to over some more.

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  33. That’s wonderful, Michelle. I am glad you are taking it easy, sad for the cause, but God knew. I did little yesterday. It was a rainy day, very strange for us. We usually get an hour of rain not a whole day. So this morning is foggy. I kept walking around my house looking in drawers deciding what else I could put in that suitcase. So Chas, friends were going on furlough and their first stop for a month or so was Portland where my son lives. I casually asked if they could take an extra suitcase and they said yes. I have known for a while that I have too much to fit in just two suitcases, so I sent one off with them, even though I plan on staying for another year here. That’s called planning ahead. Half of it was just pictures and papers that I had already packed up during my two weeks of quarantine.

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  35. *hover

    I also have a fly and a moth in the house. The downside of having to leave the back door open for Cowboy through parts of the day.

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  37. I wonder how I got into Jo’s discusssion about her friends going to Portland??
    Good afternoon. It is a nice day,so I have been sitting outside.
    Doing nothing. That’s my biggest chore nowdays.
    Nothing
    That is a hard thing to do sometime, but when
    I look around, there is nothing to do.

    Liked by 1 person

  38. It’s overcast and 68 here, very comfortable except for the flies (I’ve spotted more) and mosquito inside the house. I’m not as good with a fly swatter as I was a couple years ago, I think it’s because these new fly swatters are cheap and stiff. But my aim is way off anyhow.

    I’ve closed the sliding screen door in the back, the dogs seem content indoors for now and maybe that keep any more insects from coming on in.

    We’re in a pre-holiday doldrums for news right now, 2 daily stories fell through so I may be empty handed at this point so late in the afternoon. I’ll need to find something for tomorrow morning if I can. Thursday and Friday are good, I have stories lined up for both those days.

    We all dread the editor’s question, “What’ve you got for tomorrow?”

    Ummmmm – working on it …

    Some weeks are crazy busy but they’re easier than these slow weeks.

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  41. LA County Sheriff is intervening in the City of LA on the homeless issue at Venice Beach, just to the north of where I am. To the north of that is Santa Monica, a separate city, where rules are stricter than in LA City. Anyway, no small amount of controversy around all of this right now.

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  42. We’re at 97F right now, my office is 91. It’s sort of hard to think. It will be even warmer the next few days. I convinced husband that we should go out for supper to a nice air-conditioned place. It was not hard to do.

    Liked by 4 people

  43. It’s cool but humid here, 80% humidity, but it’s not uncomfortable (some thunderstorms were expected inland, but not for us on the coast). I think that’s what’s bringing out the flies, though.

    A very Amityville Horror look (OK, not quite that horrific).

    Liked by 1 person

  46. We are supposed to be cooler through the week, around ninety nine. But the excessive heat warning is until July 4.

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  47. Nope, 101. But on the fourth it is only supposed to get to 92. The low tonight is supposed to be 63, no cooling the house much.

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  48. Someone is in the PNG training course and will be gone for the next three weeks. They called this morning to ask me to feed their cat for a week. I said yes, but I hate cats. Ducks as folks around here throw things.

    Liked by 1 person

  49. Jo! Gasp. (Cats)

    It’s especially hard when it doesn’t cool down at night. It doesn’t give your body a chance to rebound from the daytime heat before you have to just start it all over again.

    I think I killed the mosquito when it landed on my laptop right near my right hand which slammed down — but I don’t see the body. I’m sure I got it though …

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  50. Cats do seem to be an acquired tasted. I grew up with them, we always had a cat in the house/yard; my mom grew up with them (lots of them) in Iowa (one of her cousins told me once that when she visited — they were all teens at the time — she was amazed as she began noticing cats in most of the home’s nooks and crannies everywhere in that old rambling house.

    I prefer dogs I suppose, but like both cats and dogs. As you all know. lol

    Liked by 1 person

  51. Ugh! That is my comment on those temperatures. It is going to be low 90’s or so here this weekend. The heat makes me ill. I will endure, however.

    I dusted and vacuumed a whole lot today (and a bit yesterday) and have gotten to the point of being grateful for what I can do. Lifting things makes me grateful that I am keeping muscle and helping bones stay strong. Things I never thought of when I was younger.

    We were blessed to get our riding lawn mower returned today all fixed up for use this summer. The lawn was still wet and it is quite high, so no mowing was done yet.

    I watched the last of three robins leave the nest today. It hopped down the wreath the nest is on before finally being brave enough to go all the way to the porch floor. He finally hopped down unto the ground and then back on the porch before heading off. Animals can be so entertainging.

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  52. For those not use to the build up of heat in the house, you need to put a box fan in a window and set it to blow outwards to take the hot air out. Open windows on the other side of the house so cool air will flow through. It is how we dealt with it when I was young and we had no air conditioning.

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  54. We did that growing up. But the outside won’t get down to the inside temp until midnight or after. I will just leave windows open all around and let the wind do what it can. We used to have a box fan. I don’t worry about it much because I spend the day and night outside for the most part. But I will look for the box fan tomorrow. Now, it is off to enjoy the evening breeze and birds and stars and bats and such.

    Liked by 1 person

  55. Good night Jo
    Good morning everyone else.
    They are still searching for people in the building collapse.
    I understand that. But they seem to be searching for survivors.
    I undestand the urgency,k but they need to be careful.

    Liked by 1 person

  56. The same people who blame the building collapse on climate change are talking about defunding the police.

    That tells me something. I wonder what?

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