We Love Presidents' Day!

Today is like an extra Saturday, an especially long week-end bonus. We had a really busy week with the usual meetings for church and school. My 5th graders had the responsibility for chapel this week, so we practiced for our chapel on Thursday. The really nice thing was that by giving the chapel on Thursday, the topic was a lock! It was easy to tie in Jesus' love for us with Valentine's Day! We had another all-school program on Friday; it was Grandparents' Day. It was one of those good-but-tiring times. You're always "on" meeting the most special people in the students' lives, which is enjoyable but we're grateful when it's finally finished. The kids were gone by noon and we had a quiet afternoon to prepare for the short week ahead.

Saturday I "vacuumed" the yard, i.e., put on the grass catcher and sucked up all of the oak leaves while cutting the grass. I had not cut the grass in six weeks, so it was time. I'm also in the process of repairing the ledge in front of the kitchen window. It's about 24 inches deep, fairly flat, and was rough stucco so it trapped rain water, which then begat mold. I've been filling it in and smoothing it, and giving it just a little slope to easily drain water. One more thin coat should do it. I also have to trim the hibiscus by the bathroom window. Little squeaks and scrapes on the window when the wind blows tell me that it's been growing again.

Yesterday we had a celebration for Vanessa McKenna after church. She became a US citizen this past week. We all wore red, white, & blue to church and her in-laws brought a cake for us all to enjoy. In the evening about a dozen of us met at Don & Tracey Bailey's house. I led a SWOT analysis on Conway Community Presbyterian Church. We need to get a focus for the year's challenges and opportunities. This was a good way to begin that process. We spent about two hours talking through the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to CCPC. Next step is to develop some strategies that will, in God's good grace, effectively move us forward.

Gayle finished her class quilt for the TCS auction on March 1. Every one of her students did a square for the quilt. She's working on her wall hanging and some other stuff today...I hear the sewing machine! After I get the outside stuff done, it's time to do the taxes...Tomorrow I will attend a seminar put on by Christian Schools of Florida. The topic is teaching from a Christian worldview. It's being held in Maitland at Orangewood Christian School. It should be a good day.

Home Project Theorems

After talking with Em twice in two days about sink drain problems, I thought I should share what I've learned about home projects over the past 35 years. So here goes...
1. There will be surprises.
2. Every project will test my creativity, persistence, stamina, and patience. Not necessarily in that order.
3. Plumbing projects take 3 trips to the hardware store. Minimum. If you do get done in less than 3, dance in the street.
4. When you're in over your head, know which friend to call.
5. The learning curve can be steep.
6. While planning for the cost of a project, add 10% -- and then cross your fingers.
7. A new project is a good reason to get another tool.
8. Measure twice, check once more, then cut.
9. I don't pay myself by the hour; slow and careful is OK. I still have all my fingers...knuckles have taken a beating, however.
10. God blesses good stewardship.

If you can think of more, let me know!

A Good Saturday

Gayle and I had busy days yesterday. Much of the day was down separate roads. Gayle stayed home and made cinnamon rolls, chocolate chips cookies, cleaned and rearranged the great room furniture. She needed more light when doing needlework in her chair! GB also did some shopping and put together some necessity bags for street people. We have a significant number of homeless around school and we are regularly asked by them for help. We do not like to give money to these unfortunates. One of our friends told us of something positive she did that did not use money. She put together small bags of soap, clean socks, small snacks, raisins, and packaged fruit to give when a homeless person solicits. So now Gayle can give something rather than just say no when approached by a homeless person.

Gayle also worked on her paper piecing quilt. GB went to a paper piecing quilt seminar last Saturday and this is what came out of the sewing room! Spectacular, eh?

I went on a bike ride with friend Verne from church. Verne keeps score for Alliance church Bible competitions that are held in Florida during the winter months. There was a competition in Punta Gorda on Saturday and I rode with him down US 17. We left at 7 AM and got to the Punta Gorda church about 9:45. I kept on going another 30 minutes to Ft. Myers to friends Bruce & Pam Stanley. We had a nice visit and then around noon I left; thought I'd check out the old neighborhood before going back north to join Verne. A flat tire precluded that idea. Bruce found a hand pump and the Yellow Pages, so I rode farther into town and ended up at a motorcycle shop. They said they could fix my tire, but I had to ride to another shop a couple of miles away to get the inner tube. Nearly 3 hours later I was on my way with a healed tire. The good thing in this was that I was able to get it fixed and I found out that the owner of the shop was a man I knew -- he had a daughter at Summit Christian when I was there! We had planned to be back in Orlando around 5 PM but we finally rolled home at 6:45 PM.

I put on about 350 miles in less than 12 hours. The ride was a true Florida weather day -- we started cool and cloudy, went through drizzle and fog, and had hot and humid afternoon in Ft. Myers. I saw a rainbow in the afternoon and gorgeous, spirit soaring sunset on the way home. A motorcycle ride can be like smell-o-vision as you go down the road; I understand why dogs ride with their heads out the window! Near Haines City there was the old burned smell of a brush fire. We smelled orange blossoms as we went by citrus groves, and in Bartow there was the strong juice and pulp smell of a citrus processing plant. The earthy, muzzy smell of cattle -- lots of cattle -- for miles along the road south of Arcadia thanks to the Ben Hill Griffin cattle ranches. The smell of warm rain on the asphalt, diesel truck exhaust, and the yeasty bread smell of the Merita Bread plant as we came off the interstate into familiar south Orlando territory.
A friend at church said that he was going to ask how the trip went, but when he heard of my flat tire, he knew it was not good. I disagreed with him. I refuse to let an inconvenience like a flat tire define the whole day. Yes, I would rather have spent the 3 hours doing something else. Seeing God's serendipity -- Bruce Stanley helping me, meeting a former student's dad, getting the tire fixed on a Saturday afternoon -- brought a different perspective to the day. I know that I am not in control of most things in my life and I'm comfortable with that. Fun, and joy, are there for us. My duty is to control my attitude and then enjoy the ride!