Oops

I did a little current events with my 5th graders last Thursday. I had seen an article on a Tennessee woman who had polio as a baby and lived for 58 years in an iron lung. I talked with my students about this amazing thing -- the gift that the family gave to this bed-ridden woman, taking care of her and nurturing her for nearly six decades. I talked about the dangers of bed sores over such a long time and the incredibly physical work of taking care of someone in an iron lung. I tied it all into my experiences with my dad.
I had forgotten that I had one girl, Morgan, who is acutely sensitive to strong stories and images. It affects her and makes her ill. (B, you are 180 degrees in the opposite direction from Morgan!) After we came to the end of the story it was time for recess. As the kids were lined up and heading out, one girl said, "Morgan what are you doing?" She had bumped into another girl and then bumped into the door jam. I was a couple of feet away from her and caught her as she fainted. I lowered Morgan to the floor and sent another student to get some help. When Morgan regained consciousness, she was mortified that she had fainted. I think it was worse that she got so much attention. She is a very quiet, reticent young girl. Mom came and took her home, and she was fine.
This was a first for me. In 35 years, I have never had someone faint like that! I felt badly that my comments had caused such distress in young Morgan. Morgan's mom expressed appreciation for the tender care we gave her daughter, and Morgan was just fine the next day. So now I can add to my resume that girls swoon in my classroom!

Wet & Wonderful

We drove to Canaveral National Seashore today, along with many, many others. The parking and the shore were as full as I've ever seen, but then today is Memorial Day. The day was just about perfect for the beach. It was a little cooler than it has been, down to the mid-80's. There was a good breeze from the east, so the waves were spectacular. The water temp is warming up, but it was still refreshing rather than tepid. We played in the waves a couple of times; we needed a break to recoup from getting slammed around by the surf. We didn't go out too far; the rip currents are on-going and can really pull you out quickly.

We could see the shuttle Discovery on the southern launch pad. Launch is this Saturday in the late afternoon. (The shuttle is on the pad just above a palm tree on the left of the picture.) Good thing it's a few days away; the Canaveral National Seashore would have been off limits just prior to the launch and we would have missed a great day. We did see a roseate spoonbill as we drove through the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on the way to the beach, which is always a good thing! Because it's the end of the dry season, many of the lagoons were dry or at very low water levels which meant not many birds.

What am I?

I took this picture in our yard this morning. We had rain last night, which brought our total for two days to over a half inch. I know it was at least a half inch because the rain gauge held that much, and our automatic shut-off actually kept the sprinkler system from going on early this morning! It cuts out the irrigation if we have had a half inch of rain within the last several days. Nice to know it works!

Sooo, what is in my picture? Get your guesses in by Wednesday. I'll clue you in then...

Growth

Other than a lack of rain in the afternoons, we are really close to summer. The temps are in the upper 80's and the lows are in the low 70's. We did have some rain Sunday morning and a brief shower this afternoon, but it was next to nothing in the rain gauge. However, the plants and flowers are spectacularly beautiful. The second of our gardenia bushes is in full flower. If the scent were edible, it would be completely decadent! Our Rangoon Creeper (what a misnomer - it doesn't creep, it lunges!) is flowering also. Flowers are white in the morning when they first open and by afternoon they are pink. The second day they turn red and maybe last a third day. I have already trimmed it back once, and it will need more pruning in another week. A neighbor down the block gave us a small datura. They are in the brugmansia family and related to nightshade. The bush can get 10 to 15 feet high and has bell shaped flowers about nine inches long. This variety has a pale throat that shades into pink on the bell end. I planted it in the back yard near the west end; it's close to the laurel oak but will get sun in the morning and late afternoon. I'll post a picture when it blooms, but for now check out this site: http://www.abads.net/

The bamboo we planted in early January have both sent up new culms. The Asian Lemon culm is about 3 weeks old and over six feet high. I noticed a new 3 inch culm for the Black Timor today and it is no more than two days old. Each succeeding culm will grow higher than the older ones. Asian Lemon grows to about 25 feet high, and the Black Timor can reach 40 feet...we'll see about that!
We have 11 days of school left with the kids. They are hanging in there quite well. This is the last full week of school. Man, this year flew by quickly!
Gayle and I are hosting a Wednesday evening Bible study for three young Christians in our church. We have supper together and then look at some themes by way of verses. We're trying to get at a Christian world & life view. Last week's topic was Who is God? and this week we will look at Who am I? We had a work morning at the new church last Saturday, and a couple dozen volunteers spruced things up nicely. We still have many things to do. When a new group comes in with fresh eyes, there are a great many things that can be done...a little at a time. We will have two adult baptisms in a couple of weeks, and we continue to have new people come to our service on Sunday.

The new Black Timor culm is a little hard to see, but it's on the left side of the picture. A caladium shoot is between the culm and the two original canes.

Next Step

This has been quite a week for our church. Conway Community Presbyterian Church has been meeting for the past 3 3/4 years in the cafeteria of Lake George Elementary School. We began as a mission outreach of the Central Florida Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of America. We have grown from about 35 faithful members that first year to three times that now. We served 87 for the Lord's Supper today, plus children and guests.
A Presbyterian USA church -- nearly 50 years old -- had dwindled and merged with another USA church two months ago. We were offered a year's lease of the building and classrooms. The classrooms are also used during the week by a child care called Small Blessings. We signed the lease for a church building this past Thursday, and moved our stuff from the elementary school to the church building. On Saturday we cleaned and prepped the sanctuary for our first service, which we had today.
It was fitting that our first worship service in our new place was on the first Sunday of the month, when we celebrate communion and have a fellowship lunch after the service. It was so much fun! The accoustics of the sanctuary are great, and the musicians have a comfortable spot in front to lead our congregation. It was fun to be in pews again after years of plastic stackable chairs. We had a time of celebration and thanksgiving at the beginning of the service.
Our lunch was unique. The sanctuary has large overhangs so we put up tables and chairs on the west side of the building and enjoyed the shade. It was in the 80's but lower humidity yet, and very pleasant. Across the yard from the sanctuary is the lunch room and kitchen. We had a buffet line through the lunch room and around the large counter in the center of the kitchen. People could then eat on the low tables in the lunch room or go to the tables in the shade of the overhang.
I had a sense that this was a unifying moment for our church. We are finished with the beginning stages and are now ready for growth and building Christ's presence in Conway. God has led us to this lovely spot just west of Conway Road right in the heart of Conway. We're standing on tip-toe to see what God has in store for us!





Food line!

Shade, food, & fellowship...









Our new sign in the heart of Conway. The church is next door to Conway Elementary School -- high traffic!