Our Minivacation

Evelyn and I are taking a little long-weekend trip, starting this afternoon. I'm writing from Mentor, Ohio. Tomorrow we're gong to visit the James A. Garfield home, a National Historic Site. Garfield, before he was president, was one of the Christian leaders who worked together to start Christian Standard, and when he died, the Standard's first editor, Isaac Errett, preached his funeral. (Found this article about Garfield published in Christian Standard.) I've always thought I'd like to visit his home sometime, and when I purchased a Groupon for a stay at a bed and breakfast in Millersburg (Amish country), I decided to combine the two destinations into one trip.
We'll visit the Garfield home tomorrow and maybe visit the Holden Arboretum, try to see some sand beside Lake Erie, and do whatever else we can find to do around here. I'm looking forward to a Saturday in a place I've never visited before.
We left home about 2:30 and stopped at a Mansfield exit for supper at Der Dutchman, a place we used to stop on the way to or from Grove City, PA, when Jennifer was in college there.

Earlier this week (Tuesday) we got to spend the evening with Wendy Wagoner who came the spend overnight with us. She will be the missionary in residence at CCU first semester (starting August 18), and she was in town working out some details with them. It was great to visit with her and sense that she's doing well.
Wednesday night we had Dan and Cindi Cooper at our house for our weekly dinner and Major Crimes evening. We really enjoy the series, a spin-off from The Closer, and the weekly fellowship with the Coopers is something we always look forward to.

Wednesday at work we sent the September issue of Christian Standard to the printer, and Jim Nieman has been working since then to get the digital version ready to upload to the new Christian Standard app.

Our tomatoes are starting to come on. Evelyn gave a bunch a of the grape tomatoes to the neighbor before we left, and a few of the regular tomatoes will be ready when we get home.

This Weekend, and Last

The road to blog oblivion is paved with good intentions. I have pictures for my blog, but I haven't been

Isn't this a beautiful pie Cindi made for us?

posting them or writing descriptions. Here's a little make-up with a rundown of last weekend and this weekend.
Last Friday we planned to go the Reds game; they were promoting a special buy-four ticket offer in addition to Friday night fireworks. But when we got closer to the day and realized we'd be sitting in about 55 degrees with a breeze, we decided we weren't that big of fans.
We had the plans with Dan and Cindi Cooper, but Cindi offered to bring dinner to our place, and Evelyn and she decided we'd rent Captain Phillips, the Tom Hanks movie about the ship boarded by pirates off the Somali coast. We had seen it at the theater, but the Coopers hadn't, and we were game to see it again.
Cindi brought a wonderful homemade chicken pot pie and a tasty apple salad, and Evelyn bought some Graeter's to go with her homemade cookies (peanut butter with mini Reese's cups melted inside).
What a nice evening, and I enjoyed the movie as much the second time a the first!
Saturday I got up early to get a haircut at 8:30, and then we met Bill and Verna Weber at 10:45 for brunch at Bob Evans. (They were in town celebrating Ruby Weber's birthday with Donovan and Jocelyn and Nora.) From there we drove to Hamersville, Ohio where we attended the memorial service for Tom Friskney at the Church of Christ there.
Mr. Friskney had been our professor at CBS in undergraduate school. I learned much of what I know about page layout from the yearbook class he led and I attended three semesters. His son Paul was Evelyn's supervisor and colleague all the years she taught English, and we're friends with Paul and his wife, Sev. It was a wonderful service. Jon Weatherly's tribute, as so often happens at funerals, taught us aspects of Professor Friskney's life we hadn't known and challenged us with his qualities that we had known but might have forgotten.
The Hamersville church building was packed (we stood at the back); at least half of the congregation were Hamersville locals who had known the Friskneys through the decades they've lived there. Perhaps the most memorable part of the service was the singing: "Wonderful Grace of Jesus" and Mr. Friskney's favorite hymn, "I Know Whom I Have Believed." The room reverberated with the voices of the enthusiastic singers. It's been awhile since I've been in congregational singing like that; it was thrilling.

 Saturday night we fired up the grill for the first time this year: chicken and vegetables, so good.

Sunday morning I heard the same sermon twice; Mark Sullivan preached it in the first service in the

Mark Sullivan preaching in the 9:00 service.

auditorium, and Trevor preached in the Classic service at 10:30. I was hosting there and chose to attend that whole service too. The message centering on the tragic lives of Rehoboam and Jeroboam told the story of the division of the kingdom of Israel. One quote to remember, referring to the effects of Solomon's sin toward the end of his life: "We make decisions, and those decisions turn around and make us."
This weekend on Friday we tried to eat dinner at Dewey's in West Chester, but by the time we got there at 6:10, they were already standing outside waiting to get a seat. So we slipped over to Friday's and had a nice meal splitting a side salad and sharing three small appetizers. We drove up to the outlet mall one exit north on 75 to pick up at item Evelyn needs and then back down to Kohl's to spend Kohl's cash, a $5 reward coupon, and to use a 20% discount coupon. We bought a couple of picture frames, and believe it or not, even with all those discounts, we still owed a little money.
Saturday was rainy much of the day. I paid bills and managed finances in the morning and then went to

the grocery store. Later in the afternoon, when the skies cleared, I drove to Home Depot for mulch and some bags of top soil (it was about the third trunkful of the week) and came home to spread the top soil and trim one of our hydrangea bushes before coming in to take a shower. I grilled a second time, a variation on the chicken and vegetables theme. This time the meat had a fajita marinade, and we ate it in soft tacos with grilled peppers and onions. It was very good!
Terry and Shirley arrived at our place about 8:30 to spend the night. They'd been on vacation all week at the Tulip Festival in Holland, Michigan (all their stories and descriptions and pictures made me want to go some year!). They brought us a pie they'd bought at a bakery up there: chocolate pecan. Oh my goodness!
We all rode to church together this morning (Trevor's challenging sermon to put our "issue" on the altar

and pray for God to consume it like he did with Elijah's offering), and then returned home to enjoy Mother's Day brunch together. I had said I would cook, but the longer Evelyn and I talked about it, the more we decided she should fix her favorite Amish Breakfast Casserole and her wonderful cinnamon biscuits. I made the fruit salad and poured the orange juice!
Terry and Shirley left early in the afternoon, and I spent much of the rest of the day spreading mulch in the courtyard in front of the house. Jennifer called in the middle of the work, which gave me a welcome break, and later I drove to Home Depot since I was about one bag short for completing that section. I got another trunkful (8 bags), which should take me around the side of the house whenever I get to that.
I took a shower and Evelyn made nachos for supper--we were still pretty full from lunch! Geoff called while we were eating. It's always a good day when we get to talk to both of the kids.
Two good weekends, too good to forget, which is why I wanted to make these notes while I could grab the moments to do so.

The tulips I planted in this pot last fall made a beautiful display on our deck this week.

Welcome Home, Welcome Weekend

Picture of the Day:

John and Sally Skerl hosted an open house at their new house in Maineville yesterday, and we really enjoyed the chance to stop by. The house is wonderful--especially the wraparound deck at the back overlooking a rushing creek in front of a wooded hillside.

They provided a buffet full of yummy treats, and we really enjoyed snacking while visiting with some friends from church as well as Rick Ruble, whom we were surprised to discover is Sally's relative. (Sorry, I've already forgotten the connection.)

The best part, though, is realizing their commitment to the Lord and the Christian spirit underlying their invitation to fellowship. It was a nice way to spend a late Saturday afternoon and early evening!

Back home, we spent the last part of the evening watching Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. I had wanted to see it when it was in the theaters, and I'm glad we got the chance to watch it at home. Some of it is difficult to watch, but it is well-acted and, of course, a compelling story. I learned some history I hadn't fully realized.

Today we attended both Sunday-morning services; I did Communion meditation and offering prayer in the 10:30 service. We grabbed lunch at Skyline with Dan and Cindi Cooper; it was the first we had sat and talked with them in weeks, and we had a nice time.  I got ready for my trip tomorrow in the afternoon and then spent a couple of hours outside in the cool air and warm sunshine cleaning out the flower bed in the front of the house and filling a garbage can with leaves and branches and twigs.

Enjoyed the last few minutes of the Michigan/UK NCAA basketball game and then Sixty Minutes and then another movie on TV before bedtime.

Quote of the Day:

"Grief is the silent, knife-like terror and sadness that comes a hundred times a day, when you start to speak to someone who is no longer there. Grief is the emptiness that comes when you eat alone after eating with another for many years.

Grief is teaching yourself to go to bed without saying good night to the one who had died. Grief is the helpless wishing that things were different when you know they are not and never will be again."

—Edgar Jackson, quoted by Trevor DeVage in his sermon today on Naomi and Ruth. Find a longer quote here.

Happy Birthday, Evelyn!

We've been celebrating Evelyn's birthday since Wednesday night when the Coopers came for dinner and brought a gift for Evelyn and a candle for the chocolate chip cookies!

This morning we met Terry and Shirley at Half Day Cafe in Wyoming for a wonderful brunch.

Bill and Verna Weber are here tonight. Verna's been attending a conference in Cincinnati, and needs to go to Louisville for the NACC meeting Monday, so she's staying the weekend. We said, "Well, Bill should come over Saturday night, too, and we'll celebrate Evelyn's birthday." We've had a wonderful evening. They took us to dinner at Raja India in West Chester, and then we came home to have birthday cheesecake (from J. Annette's in Mason) and lots of laughs as well as serious talk about faith, the past, and the future. It's been great!

Weekend Update

Got home yesterday around 2:00 after driving from Nashville all morning. It rained most of the way till Louisville, which slowed me down a little, especially driving in the unfamiliar, rental car.
Made a salad for a late lunch and went to the grocery store for Evelyn. Checked e-mail, read the mail, changed clothes, and joined Evelyn and a houseful of folks at Dan and Cindi Cooper's place for a baby shower for Jeremy and Cara Lawson. They're expecting a boy, just a couple of days after Cara finishes teaching this school year.
We enjoyed visiting with Tom and Joyce Lawson and three of their kids, plus Ryan and Andrea White (Dan and Cindi's daughter) and JP and Chloe Glenn and a gaggle of preschoolers on the floor and on laps and between legs. Like I said, it was a houseful!
Cindi made wonderful lasagna. Evelyn made her favorite romaine and mandarin orange salad. And Cindi and Joyce made desserts.
It was a pleasant evening--lots of laughter and catching up with each other as well as all the good eating.

Jessica Lyons rehearsed with the
worship team before
the 9:00 service.

This morning I hosted in the 9:00 service; we grabbed breakfast at Frisch's, and I ran by Lowe's to gawk at their flowers and plants and buy a big jug of Roundup. It started sprinkling as I was leaving, and it rained off and on the whole afternoon. Evelyn and I sat in the kitchen and dining room and did work. She graded term papers and finished 'em--the last research papers of her college teaching career! She's very happy about that. I wrote a draft of an editorial, rewrote some marketing copy for our website, sent some e-mails, brought the checkbook up-to-date, and made some phone calls.
At about 5:00 we drove over to Ferrari's Little Italy Bakery and Restaurant where I'm hosting a small retirement celebration for Evelyn and some of her CCU colleagues May 18. We had pizza and salads there (wonderful pizza on homemade focaccia-like crust) and met the manager, Sandy. We enjoyed visiting with her and choosing the menu for our dinner, which will be just a little under two weeks from now.

Weekend Update

A fine weekend, it was. Sunny, but cool. (Yesterday was chilly, but the temperature today got to the mid 60s.) Here's the line-up of our activities:

SATURDAY
Started slowly, as usual. Facebooking, bill paying, coffee drinking. Enjoyed some of Evelyn's
homemade raisin bread toasted and homemade granola with yogurt and fruit.
Ran the Corolla to Toyota for an 8:40 appointment to have some little recall repair done.
After we got home, I continued with some e-mailing etc., and we waited for Wendy to get home so she could Skype us. We had a nice time visiting with her. It was nice to see her smiling, and I entertained her by showing her my new camera and its handy-dandy flip-up LCD screen to make taking self-portraits easier.

While we were talking with Wendy, Toyota called to say the car was ready, and by now it was almost 11:30. Evelyn had a $5 gift certificate to McDonald's she had received as a thank-you for sponsoring a group at Community Service Day at CCU last week, so we used it for lunch on the way to pick up the car. (I can't remember the last time Evelyn and I ate at McDonald's.)

After we got home, I went to the grocery, and after that we talked with Jennifer. It was her birthday, and she had been out a lot of the day having a wonderful time alone, doing things she likes: shopping, browsing antique stores. Matt had baked her a cake, and the four of them were going out for dinner to celebrate.

Evelyn and I got ready and drove to Dan and Cindi Cooper's to pick them up for supper and the Cincinnati Pops. We saw Mandy Patinkin (he's much older than this picture). He is an amazing performer, with a remarkable vocal range. He sang everything from Irving Berlin tunes written in 1918 to Steven Sondheim Broadway hits. I'm really glad we got to see him (although I might not make an effort to see him again). We ate dinner at the Bistro in Josepth-Beth's on the way downtown, meeting a couple there. Cindi works with the woman and had arranged for us all to eat together.

SUNDAY:

I hosted at the 8:30 service, and Evelyn decided to just get up early with me and go with me, especially since the bell choir was playing for the service. Brad Wilson preached and had a fine message on "Greater Than My Sin." I really appreciated his transparency when he spoke about the brokenness we all experience  because of our sin. A quote I jotted down: "God can use our broken pieces when we give him all the pieces" (D.L. Moody).

The bell choir had a nice arrangement of "Holy, Holy, Holy" with "The Revelation Song" and accompanied some of the hymns.

We had breakfast at Cracker Barrel (used up the remnant of an old gift card) and got home early. I did 

some e-mailing for work, and about 1:00 slipped on my jeans to play weekend warrior for the afternoon. I mowed a little grass (Evelyn finished it; that's number 4.5 for this year--she mowed the front Thursday and then gave up because the yard was so wet). While Evelyn was mowing, I  did the following:
1) planted a Knockout Rose I had bought at Costco this week.
2) dug up a big clump of daylilies growing beside the deck.
3) planted some of the daylilies behind the rosebush (this is the spot where our white pine was before it died).
4) gave the rest of the daylilies to two neighbors who were out working in their yards too.
5) edged all the sidewalks and driveway in the front of the house.
6) cleaned up the huge mess created by the edging and the mowing.
7) planted two pots of herbs from plants one of the neighbors gave me in exchange for the lilies.
Around 5:00 I came in, took a shower, and then flopped down in the armchair to check Facebook--and fell asleep, just for a few minutes.
We had a wonderful vegetarian Boboli pizza for supper while we watched "60 Minutes" (more Boston coverage).
A fine weekend, all-in-all.

On the Evening after Easter

After our company left yesterday, we looked around the kitchen and said, "We have a lot of food left

These tulips, growing in a pot
from Kroger's, brightened our
Easter weekend and look like
they'll stay with us for several
more days.

over!" So we invited Cindi and Dan Cooper to come over and help us eat it. They arrived tonight a little after six, and we had a nice time finishing off most of the ham, asparagus, Yummy Potatoes, applesauce Jello, pickled eggs, and rolls. The coup de grace, of course, was homemade strawberry pie (and there's still a little of that left over for one more treat!).
I felt as though today was productive at work--putting finishing touches on the May issue, reading the Mother's Day issue proof for The Lookout, approving the cover for the June issue, and starting the June editing. In between was correspondence related to NACC Networking Breakfasts, an NACC video project that may or may not happen, and a couple of other unrelated matters.
The day was sunny, but chilly, and by nighttime when I was taking out the trash (two cans full of rose bush branches!), I was shivering as I scurried up and down the driveway.

The Day Before Christmas

We decided to spiff up to go to dinner and read
Scripture at the Christmas Eve services.

The day before Christmas was a wonderful day for us!
For starters, we spent the whole day, till evening, at home--not one errand, not one trip to a store or a grocery. We just listened to Christmas music while we took care of other tasks around the house. And I read in a book a little and took a 10-minute nap in the afternoon.
We ate leftovers from our dinner the previous evening for lunch and saved up so we'd be hungry for what we anticipated would be a wonderful dinner.
It was! Due to the generosity of some friends who lavished much more appreciation on me than I deserved, we had a gift certificate at Eddie Merlot's, a fine restaurant on the northeast side of town that I'd always thought about going to someday. Since we were alone, we decided it would be the perfect spot for our Christmas Eve dinner.
It was! Homemade crab cakes for appetizer. A remarkable chopped salad (with artichokes) to share. Evelyn had cedar planked salmon with spinach and fingerling potatoes and I had the 6-ounce filet and a side order of mushrooms. All of it was delectable. Our reservation was at 7:00, and we had promised to be at the church by 9:00. It was a leisurely dinner, and we decided we'd better not take time for dessert. They gave us a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing to take with us, and we ate it before bed after attending two Christmas Eve services at the church.

Kim blessed us with a remarkable
rendition of "O Holy Night"

Dave Lautzenheiser had asked us to read Scriptures for the two Christmas Eve services (9:30 and 11:00), and we enjoyed doing it. Kim Rodarmel sang "O Holy Night," and Greg Henderson accompanied "Silent Night" on the bells --he soloed on about two octaves of them, first playing the melody and then playing chord and descant accompaniments. Mark Sullivan and Brad Wilson spoke--I've never heard them do better. We sat with Dan and Cindi Cooper at the first service and then left after our readings at the second service. It was all very nice.
We took a long way home and looked at Christmas lights on the way, and Evelyn made her applesauce Jello before we went to bed. Three generations of Webers are coming to eat with us at 2:30 today.
We had nice phone visits with Jennifer and then with Geoff late in the afternoon before getting ready to go to dinner.
The day before Christmas was a very good day!

Positive Impressions

Today we introduced two friends to the Taft Museum, a little treasure tucked into a corner of downtown that is always fun to visit. Cindi Cooper and Evelyn both decided they wanted to see the special exhibit there. It was ending today, and Sunday admission to the museum is free, so this was the perfect day to go. "Old Masters to Impressionists—Three Centuries of French Painting" was the special exhibit. We drove Dan and Cindi downtown to visit the museum after church.
We enjoyed it as well as a relatively quick browse through the main museum, and then walked through the small garden outside the museum (I've never done that before; I think we've always been here in cold weather). We had come almost straight from church. Stopped at Bronte Bistro for brunch on the way. Each of us had something different, and every meal was wonderful: trail mix pancakes, spinach and mushroom omelette, eggs and bacon, and breakfast burrito. Bronte Bistro is one of our favorite places to eat.
It was glorious day, warm but not hot, sunny and dry. Evelyn and I ran some errands on the way home and were here by about 3:30. I worked outside for a couple of hours, took a shower, edited one article, and then helped Evelyn fix supper. We watched some TV and ate bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches (tomatoes from the garden).
Quite a pleasant Sunday, although quite a few items on the to-do lists have not yet been checked off.

I persuaded Evelyn and Cindi to pose in the garden outside the museum.

Back to Reality--Almost

After nine working days out of the office, I jumped back in today. The full 68 pages of proof for our first monthly edition, September, was waiting on my desk, and I must say I'm pleased with it. Managing editor Jim Nieman and I tweaked some of the layouts and a little bit of copy; we're meeting with art director Mark Haas tomorrow to get his advice and input. I still need to read proof on 20+ pages, write the editorial, and decide on cover copy. All that will happen tomorrow, and Jim will upload the final issue Wednesday.

Reality was suspended for two hours this evening, though, as we watched last week's and this week's episodes of The Closer. We took Dan and Cindi Cooper to dinner to thank them for cutting the grass while we were out of town, and then we adjourned to their place for our weekly fix.
Boy, these were two dramatic episodes--full of surprises! Next week is the series finale. Will we plan to gather and watch it then? Of course!

On the Day Before Nine Days out of the Office

Some time ago I mentioned that old cliche about getting a week's worth of work done on the day before  vacation. Well, I'm not sure if that quite fits today because

a) the trip I'm taking isn't all vacation,

b) I didn't get a week's worth of work done, and

c) I still have an hour or two of it to do in the morning.

But, no problem. We're not leaving home before 2:30 tomorrow, and, even though I haven't packed yet, I'll still have a little time to be productive at the computer in the morning. 

Tomorrow this time (after 10:00 p.m.), if all proceeds according to schedule, we'll be in a jet reaching for its altitude after taking off from the airport in Charlotte, bound for Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Evelyn and I are just hoping we can sleep overnight before getting off that plane about 10 hours later. If we have Wi-Fi in Brazil, I'll let you know!

I did get a fair amount done today: made two scheduled phone calls, wrote copy for two e-newsletters, checked through correspondence from writers meeting assignments for our October and November issues, submitted my expense report for July, touched base with Diane Jones-Dunham about items to be handled or checked or monitored while I'm gone, submitted the vacation form (for the second half of this trip), did the "out of office" messages for my voice mail and e-mail, and drove to Kenwood to pick up a travel wallet that hooks to my belt but can be hidden under my waistband. 

Tonight we had our "small group" at our house. Evelyn fixed a recipe she'd never cooked but that Jennifer had fixed for us: yummy lemony chicken skewers. And then we watched "The Closer" with Dan and Cindi Cooper.

Tomorrow we'll be up early, checking off items from a long to-do list.

Thank You, SO Much!

So, maybe this will add fuel to the fire of some of the Christian Standard detractors on Facebook: the editor is a fan of TNT's hit series, "The Closer." But he's not the only one. So is his wife, the English professor at Cincinnati Christian University (previous winner of the Teacher of the Year award, given by the faculty). And so are two of their fellow-members of Christ's Church at Mason, Dan and Cindi Cooper. In fact, last year the editor and his professor wife got together most weeks to eat dinner and watch "The Closer" together with the Coopers. (Rumor has it that the editor was going to give their names to the church office and register as one of the congregation's small groups!)
Well, the show is ending this summer, so this happy foursome is watching the final episodes together. It happened tonight. Coopers were the hosts. Chicken on the grill was the main dish, accompanied by Evelyn's famous potato salad and Cindi's incomparable 7-Layer Bar Cookies. Last week's episode was a little dark. This week's was back with funny moments that we're used to seeing from detectives Provenza and Flynn.
This quartet will be watching all summer to see how this ends. (They Taylors will record the episode airing while they're in Brazil.) With the Coopers and Taylors side by side, they'll take all comments with a smile and Brenda Leigh Johnson's typical Atlanta response, "Thank you, SO much!"

A Birthday and the Bee

Evelyn and I were up after 7:00 this morning, to do our 30-minute walk in the coolest part of the day. As it turns out, perhaps dusk would have been almost as cool, because a few rain drops fell from a sky that had been overcast since late in the afternoon. But by then we were out of the house at Cindi Cooper's 60th birthday party for Dan.

Happy 60th Birthday, Dan!

It was a great evening--wonderful food from City Barbecue, plus add-ons from Cindi's kitchen. Texas sheet cake (two kinds!) and ice cream for dessert. And then Minute to Win It games in the family room (60 seconds to perform each trick, appropriate for a 60th birthday party. And the winners of each round each got baggies with 60 M&M's). Cindi really did a lot of work to prepare a fun evening--all the food plus all the props for the games plus counting out those groups of 60 M&M's!
Evelyn and I went to first service and were home shortly after noon--after brunch at Bob Evans and a quick stop at Meijer's for a newspaper and some odds and ends. I moved hoses from tree to tree and watered all the plants in pots outside. It was not as oppressive today as yesterday--that's good!
This afternoon I read a proof and wrote a draft of an editorial for that issue--the last issue in August and our last weekly issue! (Back at the office, we're beginning to discover a routine for creating a monthly instead of the weekly issues that Christian Standard has published since 1866.)
Last night we watched a video I had bought and thought we'd send to Wendy in Africa. "Bee Season," according to my quick read of the cover, was about a dad and his daughter and her quest to be a winner at the spelling bee. It starred Richard Gere, and I thought it would be something Wendy would enjoy watching. But since you have to open the videos and repackage them so they don't look new before you mail 'em to Africa, I decided we'd watch it before sending it on to her.
Well, let me tell you, "Bee Season" is one weird movie. I can't really explain what it was about, except to say that the young girl's progression through higher and higher levels of spelling bee competition was a backdrop for profound family dysfunctions, a mother who ends up in a mental hospital, a son who joins Hare Krishna, and a dad dabbling in mysticism characterized by gibberish about truly hearing God speak to you. All this, plus a disturbing scene that was supposed to depict what happens when God finally breaks through.
"We'll not be sending this to Wendy," Evelyn said. Really, Wendy, I don't think you'd enjoy it. And if any other dear blog reader sees "Bee Season" for $5 at Kroger's, spend your money instead on a good magazine!

Thursday of Wedding Week

Today, the hottest day of the year, and two days before our wedding, I mowed the lawn. Actually, I planned to mow just the green spots around the trees we had watered. But by the time I was done, I had probably run the mower over 3/4 of the lawn. It wouldn't have taken much longer just to run over all of it. 

And then I edged the lawn and the flower beds. I hadn't been done for weeks, and I was waiting to make it sharp just before we have extra company this weekend.

After lunch, the ladies went on an outing to get pedicures, and Matt and Miles and I took two cars to the Thunderbird Car Wash where Ryan White treated us to freebies and upgrades. Thanks, Ryan! Then  I went to the store to buy groceries for the rest of the weekend, including extra soda for the rehearsal dinner and our post-wedding afterglow, protein and other sustenance for lunchtime at the church, between the photographs and the ceremony, food for dinner tonight, and other assorted necessities. I hadn't eaten enough lunch, so when I got home, I foraged for a snack and got beaten in Chinese checkers by Miles. Then they and Wendy went swimming in the neighbor's pool while I worked on flowers for the wedding reception. 

I had found a flat of salmon vinca with maroon centers. I transplanted them into 4-inch terra cotta pots; they'll decorate the food tables. While Jen was gone I lined all the travel cases with black plastic.
 After supper from the grill (hamburgers and asparagus; Evelyn made potato wedges in the oven), Jen and I assembled the centerpieces, and really, we're quite pleased with the result.

We got done in time to meet Dan and Cindi Cooper at the Cone, and then Matt and Miles went home with them to spend the night so we have a bed for Geoff and Lisa who are driving here from NYC even as I write this and will get in sometime in the wee hours of tomorrow morning. 

Pretty Flowers, a Lovely Evening

Two reasons for posting this picture: These are the flowers I sent Evelyn for our anniversary yesterday, and I wanted this picture to help me remember them. And this was the table setting for our dinner tonight with Dan and Cindi Cooper. Evelyn wanted to invite them, not only just because they're friends, but also because she knew they would enjoy visiting with Wendy. Evelyn made salmon with the wonderful topping whose recipe we got from Judy McCann. I grilled asparagus and new potatoes outside and made a salad with lettuce from our lettuce patch on the deck, with strawberries, blueberries, goat cheese, and candied pecans, with a raspberry vinaigrette (store bought). I bought a loaf of organic pretzel bread from a stall at the West Chester Farmer's Market this morning, and Cindi brought a yummy pistachio pudding dessert.
We DID learn some more about Wendy's ministry in Tanzania as she answered all the questions Cindi and Dan had for her. It cooled down outside as the evening wore on, so we ate dessert and visited on the deck.
I busied myself with all kinds of things that needed to be done today, but I didn't get outside to tackle the yard tidying I intended. I'm debating between Christian Standard work and yard work for tomorrow afternoon. I think the yard work is going to win.
Jen e-mailed to say she would be finishing up in Nashville and driving this direction tomorrow afternoon, arriving after supper. Our big week is about to begin!

Our Holiday with Friends

We picked a great way to enjoy a 95-degree holiday. We went to see an Imax film called To the Arctic at the Cincinnati Museum Center. It was the first leg of a late-afternoon/early evening outing with Dan and Cindi Cooper and Dave and Mary Lautzenheiser. The film is beautiful, with narration by Meryl Streep and music by Paul McCartney. The photography of a mother polar bear and her cubs is wonderful.

After the flick, we drove to Hyde Park and enjoyed an early dinner at Indigo Cafe. We had a great time catching up with each other and having a wonderful meal. After dinner we window shopped through Hyde Park Square and ended up at Graeter's, where I treated for ice cream. Then we drove to Ault Park and enjoyed the overlook down to Lunken Airport before walking up to see the marble pavilion that dominates this lush, landscaped park. Then Evelyn and Dave and I walked around the massive lawn at the foot of the pavilion and saw the lovely volunteer-tended gardens around an adjacent lawn.

Sweating in the 90-degree evening, we had forgotten the glaciers we saw in the Arctic movie. But we really enjoyed our outing.

I had worked outside again, this time from about 8 a.m. till noon. Got my tomatoes and zucchini planted by the side of the house and fertilized the lawn. Cleaned my fountain on the deck and got both fountains hooked up to the extension cords so we can enjoy them. 

There's still stuff to do outside, but the major planting etc. is done, and hopefully it will be cooler to finish it up next weekend.

A Nice, Relaxed Saturday

I love a Saturday when you can start a job and stick with it till you're finished or you're at a good stopping point--instead of rushing to quit before you have to go do something else. This Saturday morning was like that. I plowed through several tasks that I had been putting off: tackling a pile of papers, receipts, and reports that needed to be filed; sorting through the folder full of information we need before we can do our taxes; figuring out how to get the balance from our Flex Savings Account online (I finally had to call 'em); ordering some books; balancing the checkbook; and paying bills. I wasn't able to cross everything off my weekend to-do list, but I was pleased that I had the chance to get done as much as I did.

Evelyn and I took a walk too: 50 degrees, sunny, and not much breeze. A perfect day to go to the park, which was also the conclusion of a couple dozen people (and their dogs) we saw there. One little group was even having a picnic of sorts as they huddled in hoodies around pizza boxes. (Best sight of the day: a 10-year-old on skates being pulled down the asphalt path by an enthusiastic dog on the end of the leash he was holding.)

Yummy appetizers at our dinner:
homemade hummus with roasted
tomatoes and pita wedges . . .

This evening we went out to eat with Dan and Cindi Cooper. We told them we wanted to take 'em out sometime soon after Cindi's Dad's funeral last weekend. We went to Teller's in Hyde Park--I think we got the last available reservation they had open this evening. The place was packed. The food was good. The conversation was a good mix of laughter and catching up and considering all they've been through in the last couple of weeks.

. . . and buffalo chicken egg rolls,
an especially wonderful treat!

After dinner we window-shopped for a few minutes in Hyde Park Square, and then Evelyn suggested we drive down to Grandin Drive and gawk at the mansions behind the iron fences on either side of the street. We decided we need to come back in the daylight--maybe some summer weekend evening--when we can see more.

How Beautiful

All day I've been thinking about Twila Paris's song "How Beautiful"  since hearing a gradeschool choir sing it at church this morning.
Evelyn and I went to the 11:00 Classic Praise service today, partly to hear this choir sing but mainly because it fit our schedule for the rest of the day. We got up at the normal time and sat at the dining room table doing the desk work early in the morning that we typically do in the afternoon on Sundays. Right after this late service, we rode with Dave Lautzenheiser to grab lunch and then drive to Springfield, Ohio to go to the afternoon visitation for Cindi Cooper's dad who died earlier this week. Evelyn car pools with Cindi, and we go to church with her and Dan. We're grateful for their friendship.
We found several friends from church there. "You should have driven the church bus up," one of them quipped.
Twila Paris's haunting anthem prompted me to think about how grateful I am for the church and all the connections and examples and forgiveness and help I've received because I've stuck with the church all my life.

How beautiful when humble hearts give
the fruit of pure lives
so that others may live.


I thought about our friend Verna and her dear mother, Mildred Holmes, who has lived for the Lord for all her 95 years, serving him and encouraging others to live for him. Verna is tending to her, frail and  in the hospital now. Verna and Bill, of course, have served in ministry as missionaries in South Africa and at several points in the U.S.  What an example these lifetimes of service are to us. They're beautiful!

How beautiful the feet that bring
the sound of good news
and the love of the King.

Then there are the men at our church seeking to find the right minister to lead us. Their commitment to Christ, their loyalty to the church, their example of purity and faithfulness are, well, they're beautiful.

None of these people is perfect, of course. I could mention weaknesses and quirks and mistakes—but no more than I could list about myself. But because I am united with them in the body of Christ, the blood of Christ heals our brokenness and compensates for our failures. It's beautiful!

How beautiful the heart that bled
that took all my sin
and bore it instead.
How beautiful the tender eyes
that chose to forgive
and never despise. . . .
How beautiful is the body of Christ.

How much of this can a 10-year-old grasp? As I think back upon the first time I heard a choir sing these words, maybe a decade ago, as I remember all the church members who have influenced me and lifted me up, as I enumerate all the ways my life has been enriched by the body of Christ, my answer is, "Very little."

But their unified voices joined with earnest expressions and perfect memory to touch something deep inside me this morning. It leads me to ponder a renewed commitment:

And as He laid down his life
we offer this sacrifice
that we will live just as he died:
willing to pay the price
willing to pay the price.


It's a high price. But it's not much in return for what I've already received, something remarkably and eternally beautiful.

Something else beautiful, but in a different way . . . the Littleton and Rue Funeral Home building where we
visited with Dan and Cindi Cooper and other members of the body of Christ this afternoon.

Friends at a Wedding

Tom Wellage married Liz Pavone at our church yesterday.
Jan Cummins was just one of many friends with us there.

 Writing in the Wall Street Journal yesterday (Feb 18), Alain de Benton suggests alternatives for religion to help contemporary nonbelievers experience a sense of community. I can only wish he did not have to research and write a whole book to propose what I and my wife and so many people I know experience weekly, simply because we have not given up our religion. (His Religion for Atheists: A Non-Believers Guide to the Uses of Religion will be published March 6. I doubt many who read this will rush out to buy it!)

I'm posting this entry toward the end of a weekend that illustrates how Evelyn and I have enjoyed the community we find in the company of other Christians. I can't imagine what our life would be like without them. I feel sad for so many around us, like de Benton, who do not know the support--and fun!--that comes with keeping Christian friendships.

I already posted that we went to the Cincinnati Pops concert Friday with friends Bill and Verna Weber, who were Evelyn's colleagues at Cincinnati Christian University until they both lost their jobs in a significant cutback there last month. It was good to enjoy a "normal" experience with them, even as we  discussed their options in a world that for them has turned upside down.


Yesterday we attended the wedding of Liz Pavone to Tom Wellage at Christ's Church at Mason. It was a happy time, made happier because we have such a high regard for the faith and witness of the bride and groom--and underlined by the friendly banter with longtime friends who attended the wedding with us.

Jan Cummins went to business school with Evelyn long before I knew her. They were roommates after that, and a few years later, Jan was in our wedding. She knew Tom at the church they both used to attend, and she was one of several friends bustling around the fellowship hall and making sure the reception went smoothly.

Four more friends were Dave and Mary Lautzenheiser and Dan and Cindi Cooper, and the fellowship started at the afternoon wedding continued at the Coopers' place where Cindi fed us a wonderful supper followed by more laughing and sharing.

This afternoon Evelyn and I are catching up on housework, grocery shopping, and grading (Evelyn) and editing (Mark). Without our friends we would probably be done with all of that by now, having succumbed to what de Benton labels the "ruthless anonymity" of our time. But we wouldn't be happier for all of our accomplishment. I'm so grateful that God provided the church to create  bonds of community that so many outside of the church continue to long for.