Not Silenced

Today I cried over the death of a man I had never met. I knew him through his many videos in which he had real conversations with college students. He was conservative politically. Most importantly, he loved Jesus — his greatest message. A message that will live on.

Well done, Charlie Kirk. You will be missed.

A Busy Week

We had a busy week in our household. So busy that my father didn't write his post on Thursday — and I forgot to put any update until today!

Dad's been dealing with swollen legs due to cardiovascular issues (resulting in fluid buildup). Lew and I took him to Urgent Care on Friday. He had a great doctor, who ended up doubling the dose of one of Dad's prescriptions. Dad's lower legs are wrapped, and we will take off the wraps either tomorrow or Tuesday. Then he should wear medium-strength compression stockings. That will be fun. (I call them "the evil stockings.")

Let's see... did anything else major happen in the world recently?  Operation Midnight Hammer!

We're embarking on an exceptionally warm week. Air conditioners are in the windows. Stay cool.

It's May

Happy May!

I meant to post on the 1st... my birthday... but didn't. It was a lovely day. Lew made breakfast, and then I pretty much was a bum for the rest of the day. Lots of reading and resting. Just what I needed.

I meant to post on the 4th... Star Wars day... but didn't. "May the Fourth be with you!" The best meme I saw for this was Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. They were joined by a Fourth, the Son of God....

Yes, may the Fourth be with us all!

One Out of Two

As most people know, we are in the final days of the NCAA basketball tournament. I was rooting for Duke on the men's side because of Maine native Cooper Flagg. I was rooting for University of Connecticut on the women's side because of Paige Bueckers (no Maine connection that I am aware of).

The UConn women did not let me down. Congratulations to the Huskies on their championship win today!

I don't really have much to say about Duke's semi-final game last night. A heavy sigh pretty much sums it up.

Tomorrow night's championship game between Houston and Florida doesn't start until 8:50 p.m. This is far too late. I don't think the scheduling folks care about those of us who live under the constraints of Eastern Standard Time. But since Duke isn't playing, I may just go to sleep early.

In other news, I bought a ukulele!

Under the Weather

Spring and I were both under the weather for a few days.

It snowed again on Saturday, and it wasn't all that nice out yesterday either. Today was a bit of a dreary day, but it was a little warmer. I think it's supposed to be even warmer by the end of the week.

As for me, I've been dealing with a couple different ailments. But, just like Spring, I am on the mend. Hooray, I say!

Ending my post with this note: Josh's destination in Thailand is over 400 miles south of last week's earthquake, which was a relief to hear. Please be praying for those affected.

A Confession and Some Updates

Confession:  I am doing a post tonight so that I will have written something before my father's post tomorrow.  I couldn't let him have two posts in a row, ha ha!

Updates:

The State of Maine has accepted all of the tax filings I submitted, which makes me quite happy.

I've been questioning my decision to go back to a three-day work week. But then I saw what my net pay will be this week, and suddenly I'm okay with it again!

Our snail-mail has been more snail-mail-ish than normal.  After several weeks of sporadic mail delivery, we got a mail delivery on Sunday of over 50 pieces!  Forty of those were for my father. We got bills that should have been delivered two to three weeks ago.  Thanks, USPS.  (Our mail also was delivered yesterday and today.  It had been a while since we had received mail on three consecutive days.)

Thanks for checking in!

The Number Two

The last few days have been tough in America. Two plane tragedies with loss of life. Devastated families and communities. May they find peace in the Lord during these times.

Our church had one service on Sunday mornings until today. Needed to expand to two services because we were at capacity. Lew and I went to the second service, which was nicely attended. Apparently the first service had a nice turnout, too.

Groundhog Day today. The 2nd day of the 2nd month. I heard the groundhog predicted six more weeks of winter. Sounds about right.

Tomorrow I start my final two-day work week. I'll be going to three days the following week. I'm hoping to go back to two days at some point, but we'll see.

May you have a blessed February!

The Earth Did Not Stand Still

We had an earthquake in Southern Maine yesterday morning! It was pretty minor as far as earthquakes go, for which we are thankful.

Lew and Dad did not feel the earthquake, but I did. I was at work when it happened. My officemate looked over at me and said, "That feels like an earthquake!" We laughed because we really thought it was people moving some heavy things around upstairs in our building. But then text messages started coming in and the local news sites were reporting it. It was even on Facebook, so we knew it had to be for real.

Song cue:

I feel the earth move

under my feet....

Last Post of the Year

I've been averaging two posts per week on the blog. One written by me, one written by my father. So in all likelihood, this will be my final post of 2024.

When I was younger, I found it funny when people would comment about how fast another year has gone by. But now I'm doing it myself, ha ha! I think it is because every year is a smaller percentage of your lifetime as you age. Time seems to go by faster... although it really doesn't.

When I was a kid I thought about how "old" (as in "ancient") I would be in the year 2000... the ripe old age of 37. I will turn 62 in 2025, and I don't feel "ancient." Well, maybe a little when I stand up after looking for my cats under the bed.

Happy New Year! Wishing you many blessings in 2025.

Happy Veterans Day!

Thank you to all veterans for your service to our country.

A special shout-out to my favorite veteran — my husband, Lew.  💗

May God bless America!

Fall Back Tonight!

Twice a year we need to change our clocks. "Fall back, Spring ahead" as the saying goes.

Legislators are always talking about whether we should stick to just one time. There are pros and cons to both. I know that one argument against Daylight Savings Time is that school children would be waiting for the morning bus in the dark. Hence the need to "fall back" to Standard Time.

I personally would be okay with Daylight Savings Time year round. It would help with S.A.D. (seasonal affective disorder) in the winter, and we would still have extra light on beautiful summer nights. Now to figure out the morning bus situation.... Hmmmm....

Updates

Tomorrow we will already be one week into October. Lew put the red door back up in our entryway. The appearance of the red door is a sign that colder days are ahead.

The WORLD Magazine staff members located in the Asheville, NC area are all accounted for. They and their families are safe. But, although it was expected, the loss of life from Helene is much greater than I wrote last Sunday. "Sad" doesn't seem like a strong enough word to describe it.

Despite the tragedy in the South, daily life goes on. Church gatherings, sporting events, work schedules....

Love and prayers to all.

Hurricane

I've tried to type this post three times, and I'm not sure what to say. Hurricane Helene has done major damage. Loss of life currently is reported to be 84. That number will probably increase.

I have subscribed to WORLD Magazine for many years. Their headquarters is in Asheville, NC, a town that has been devastated by the hurricane. Both of WORLD's buildings have had several feet of flooding. I'm praying that all of their local staff is okay.

So I guess this is what I ultimately should say in this post: Please pray for everyone affected by this storm. Pray for the emergency responders who will be busy in the days ahead. May God grant His peace and comfort to all.

Praying for USA

The song "God Bless America" by Irving Berlin provides a good start when offering a prayer for our country:

God bless America, land that I love

Stand beside her and guide her

Through the night with the light from above

From the mountains to the prairies

To the oceans white with foam

God bless America, my home sweet home

As our friends at World Watch say, "Remember, whatever the news, the purpose of the Lord will stand."

Thankful that God is sovereign. Always.

Medals

I enjoyed the Olympics, especially since Team USA had great success!

Watching the women's soccer team win gold yesterday was nerve-wracking, but that didn't compare to the women's basketball gold medal game today. I expected Team USA to win by a comfortable margin and they won by only ONE point. I was happy they pulled it out, but my nerves were "shot" afterward.

I am not a huge fan of the events decided by judges, although I am certainly impressed by the athletes (for example, gymnasts and divers). I much prefer events that are more easily measured.... You get there first and you win. You score the most points or goals and you win. You throw it the greatest distance and you win. You jump the longest or highest and you win. 

These Olympics were not without controversy (are they ever?) but the athletes were fun to watch. Congratulations to them all for being Olympians. That alone is an outstanding accomplishment.

Any Breaking News Recently?

Ho hum.  Things are quite boring in the country right now.

Ha!

The President withdrew from this fall's election yesterday — via a memo posted on Twitter (or "X" as I guess it's called now).  Bizarre way to do it.

The months ahead are going to be interesting.

😳

Derf Tomorrow!

Dad will be writing tomorrow, so some random stuff from me:

Trump was almost assassinated on Saturday. Thankful he is okay.

But the would-be assassin did take the life of a rally attendee. Prayers for his family.

I got bit by spider (we think a spider, anyway) sometime on Monday. Big red circle on my right shoulder. Ended up going to the doctor today. I'm now on a topical steroid. I don't think the steroid will make me super strong, unfortunately. And the spider bite didn't give me any superpowers. Bummer.

I closed the books as of 6/30 at work. Now I can breathe.

Speaking of breathing, it has been hot the past few days. Air conditioners are running, making it easier to breathe while sleeping.

Thanks for checking in!

You Saw What You Saw

Kim, Joe, Kaelen, and Cocoa arrived yesterday. They were happy to have the long drive from Illinois completed! Kaelen is staying in our guestroom. Her parents and the dog are staying at Debbie's house until the "little camp" (as the family calls it) is ready next week.

Last night I watched the presidential debate. It was... umm... interesting. Lew and I watched a little bit of the post-debate analysis. After the initial shock, the spin machine kicked in. I encourage everyone to read the short story The Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen. Prescient.

Tuesday Musings

The NCAA tournaments are over. Congratulations to the UConn men and the South Carolina women for their decisive wins! And now I can try to get to sleep at a decent time. 😴

My work colleagues shared eclipse glasses yesterday. We weren't in the path of totality, but we were able to see some of the effects of the eclipse. The glasses showed us that most of the sun was blocked by the moon at the peak point of the eclipse, but it still wasn't dark out. The sun is certainly a powerful star.

The weather has been nice the past couple days. I think that Spring got the message and decided to show up!

DST Day One

At 6:15 PM today, I commented to Lew, "It's still light outside!"

Here's hoping I can get to work by 8:00 AM tomorrow.