Red, White, and Blast Furnace

The almost-100-degree heat continued today, but it was cool enough outside at 8:00 this morning for Evelyn and me to enjoy our breakfast on the deck, looking over the yard and my little flower pot garden. It was quiet, there was an occasional wisp of breeze, and we pulled our chairs into some shade from the morning sun, created by our trees and the neighbor's roof line. It as a nice way to start the holiday.

This was our view as we ate our breakfast this morning on the deck.

The day felt a lot like a Saturday: odd jobs in the yard, a run to the grocery store, bringing the check book up to date. perusing Facebook. I did a lot of hauling the hose to water trees and bushes.

I think the nicest part of the day was receiving a call from Nettie Dunlap, my cousin John's wife, who called to ask all about our wedding and to tell me how very sorry she was that they didn't get to make it. They were planning to come till the last minute, when a power outage caused them to need to stay home to take care of John's mom, my Aunt Louise. It was fun reliving the wedding with her and catching up on their lives. I told her we'd invite them for dinner when we get our video and pictures of the big day.

And the other nicest part of the day was a phone call from Jim Pierson who wanted to know all about the wedding, too. More reliving, more repeating my pride at how special Jennifer and Matt (and Geoff and Lisa) had made the ceremony and the reception. 

This evening Bill and Verna Weber and Terry and Shirley Wuske came for hamburgers on the grill. We heated up the baked potato appetizers left over from the wedding and had ice cream sundaes for dessert. Lots of laughter, a little more reminiscing about the wedding, quite a bit of catching up on Webers' and Wuskes' latest family developments (moving Verna's mom; Jonathan's moving to California!).

They left after 10:00, with the sounds of fireworks all around us, but the neighbors didn't come through with the displays we've seen in previous years. Mostly all we had were kabooms in the distance. But I know there will be other opportunities for fireworks before the summer is over!

Happy to Have Company

We enjoyed an 18-hour visit by Jim and Norma Pierson starting yesterday afternoon about 2:00 through breakfast time this morning. When we visited with them last month, we persuaded them to stop by here on their way home from a trip to Wisconsin where Jim was speaking and Chicago where one of his daughters lives with her husband. As we expected, we had a wonderful time!

We decided on the spur of the moment to go downtown to the Cincinnati Museum Center to see the special Pompeii exhibit on display there till August. We learned a lot; it was very well done. We enjoyed it!

Then we came home to enjoy Honey Baked Ham ribs warmed on the grill, Evelyn's potato salad that always bring raves, and Bush's baked beans. (Jim told us there's a Bush's baked beans museum and restaurant not far from where they live! It's on our list to visit sometime when we get south again.)

It was an afternoon and evening full of laughter and great visiting, punctuated by a fun experience and good food.

The good food continued this morning as Evelyn made us Dutch Babies  for breakfast, accompanied by a bowl of the first peaches of the season. They weren't freestone, but they were very tasty!

The Piersons were on the road before 8:30, and I headed off to work. We had been working ahead since Jim Nieman is on vacation for two weeks, so today was a good day to do some planning and tend to some tasks that kept falling to the bottom of my to-do list.

It rained overnight and into the afternoon, but surprisingly, the grass wasn't wet and the ground wasn't soggy after supper, so (for the record) we mowed. (That fertilizer I put down on Memorial Day is really working!)

Relationships Rekindled and Savored

After 108 days, I broke my record for daily posts this weekend. It was for a good cause, though. We spent Friday through Sunday nights with good friends Jim and Norma Pierson in their comfortable home in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Norma and Evelyn relaxed in a shady spot in their yard.

As usual, Jim hosted us with flair. Everywhere we went, Jim knew someone who gave him and usually us special attention—the car dealership (we were checking on a service light that popped on while we were headed to Knoxville Friday evening), the Walgreen's, the Blount Mansion where he gave us a tour, the restaurants we visited, the soccer field where his grandson was playing, and of course the church. Norma is a most gracious hostess and a wonderful cook. I don't think we've ever eaten more in three days! Jim and Norma are both avid gardeners, and touring or just sitting in their lush, green yard is a relaxing treat. We ate dinner one evening on their shaded deck, overlooking their beautiful back yard. It was wonderful.

Sunday morning we were surprised to see Jana Stiles at the Pierson's church, Woodlawn Christian. She's attending there now and playing piano for their traditional worship service, which we were blessed to attend Sunday morning.

Sunday afternoon we drove to Johnson City and spent the afternoon and early evening with Dick Morris, who is associate minister at Boone's Creek Christian Church. I discovered when I met him last fall that he has a varied career in broadcasting and has done a lot of voice over work. I wrote him this winter and asked if we could come visit with him so I could learn how he does the voice over work from his home. He was a most gracious host, telling me everything he could about how to get started in this business and protesting when I told him we wanted to take him to dinner.  It was a great visit.

Sunday afternoon Jim Pierson's sister, Peggy Doty, came to visit the Piersons, and she was there when we got back to their house Sunday evening. We had a delightful time visiting with her and posed for pictures before leaving for Jennifer's house this morning.
We got here about lunch time and spent the afternoon packing books and some clothes. We filled several boxes, but not as many as we hope to polish off tomorrow.

Time Off Tomorrow!

They say you should work every day like it's the last day before a two-week vacation, because those pre-vacation days are some of the most productive of the year.

Well, we're not taking two weeks of vacation, just several days. And I've been in full production mode since Monday morning. It's nice to see the list of what's getting done. It's difficult to think of all the things I could get done here if I wasn't taking off tomorrow afternoon through next Wednesday.
But I've always said, "There's never time to take a vacation," so I proceed with plans for time off without guilt.

Occasionally I notice a blurb in the newspaper where a columnist's weekly or daily column usually appear. "Sally So-and-So is on vacation. Her column will return next week." And I think, "I wonder what would happen if we just didn't publish an edition of Christian Standard because we all went on vacation!"

But I'm not complaining. We're making progress toward our plan of introducing a new monthly version of Christian Standard in September, and I'm pleased with the way the content is shaping up. So that's very gratifying.

I bought these vining impatiens to give to Jim and Norma
Pierson. He's more of a gardener than I am, but
maybe this will be something new they'll enjoy. 

Tomorrow we head to Knoxville, TN to visit with Jim and Norma Pierson over the weekend. Sunday afternoon we're driving from their place over to Johnson City to visit with Dick Morris whose varied career has included more than one ministry stint as well as disc jockeying and quite a career as a part-time voice over artist. He told me a little about that last fall when I was at his church for a seniors rally. I asked him if he could tell me some more if we'd come visit him this spring. Sunday is the day.

Sunday night we'll stay with Piersons and then drive to Jennifer's Monday morning/afternoon with our car full of empty boxes to help her pack. We'll work Monday afternoon and evening and all day Tuesday and then drive home Wednesday morning/afternoon in time for Evelyn to volunteer at the Healing Center next Wednesday evening. It's supposed to be pretty weather here the next couple of days; I haven't checked the longterm forecasts for Tennessee, but I'm not worried about it. We're looking forward to happy days.