Journal - A Stormy Week

So this has been a pretty enjoyable week.

Sunday night we had some pretty intense storms. I generally like storms, especially at night, but I was worried about my pumpkins and other plantings. We got an awful lot of rain, pretty hard at times, and it also hailed for a few minutes although the hail was not very large. Also, the wind blew so hard that the rain was blowing straight across the yard at times. I just wasn’t sure if the garden would survive at all.

Monday morning I went out to take a look. The pumpkins were kind of beat up but it looked like they would survive. None of them were broken off anyway, and the hail hadn’t stripped the leaves very much. Overall I thought they would probably bounce back just fine. I did lose a sunflower and I’m pretty sure one of the two watermelons that came up won’t survive. I seem to be missing a cucumber or two as well.

Monday afternoon we went to Mom’s house. Aunt LeeDel, Uncle Marvin, and Uncle Butch were here for their annual Memorial Day visit. Mike and Bobbi were there as well, but had to go shortly after we arrived. Mike said about half of his tomatoes had been destroyed by the hail. It was a fun afternoon with the family. Uncle Butch, Uncle Marvin, Joni, Adam, and I played three games of croquet in the back yard. Mom has a large pile of bricks that were there when she moved in I think, and she said I could bring some home. She also had a few bricks from the old school building and she let me have those as well.

So on Tuesday I got to work with the bricks. The ones from the school still had a lot of mortar stuck on them so first I had to clean those up with a hammer and chisel. The mortar came off pretty easy for the most part. Then I finally finished up the brick border that I had been working on along the north and west sides of the patio. When that was done I planted some marigolds along the new section I had just put down. Joni and I really like how the brick border turned out and if we can get some flowers to come up it will be even nicer. Actually we do have a few hollyhocks coming up but they’re not very big yet. It doesn’t look like the catnip I planted is going to come up, and I’m still having trouble getting any mint to take. That stuff just doesn’t like to be moved. The other day (was it Monday?) I gave them some plant food we had on hand so maybe that will help them along a little.

Wednesday we had more storms, but nothing like the storms of Sunday night. There was plenty of lightning and thunder and rain, but not wind or hail. It rained off and on for most of the morning and afternoon. We enjoyed that but now I’m starting to worry that the pumpkins are getting too much water. Always something to worry about. I can’t imagine how farmers must feel all summer long: not enough water, too much water, wind hail, weeds, insects…

Anyway I looked at everything today it looks like they’ll bounce back just fine. They seem to have enjoyed the rain at any rate.

Nehemiah 9:6You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. ESV

Job 26:8 He binds up the waters in his thick clouds, and the cloud is not split open under them. ESV

Job 26:11 The pillars of heaven tremble and are astounded at his rebuke. ESV

Job 26:14 Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand? ESV

Journal - Memorial Gathering

Tonight, Tuesday, we had our second Memorial weekend gathering at Bobbi and Mike’s house. Aunt LeeDel, Uncle Butch, and Uncle Marvin were there again, along with Mom, Bobbi, Mike, Brandon, and Elliot. Me, Joni, and Adam were there of course, and Brad, Cindy, Daniel, DJ, and Taylor. Our surprise guest was Carly who is Daniel's girlfriend. That was kind of exciting, Daniel has never introduced a girlfriend to the family before as far as I know. As I mentioned before, Kyli wasn’t there because she left for her band trip early Tuesday morning, and Brenna had a softball game. I'm sort of feeling like I goofed on that. I feel like I should have gone to Brenna's softball game tonight. I’m still trying to figure out this whole "Dad" thing. I guess I don't have to go to every single thing she does. I guess that’s how it is with families, sometimes you have to choos. My heart was with her, though. There were storms in the area tonight, so I hope she didn’t get stormed on.

Anyway, we had a good time at Bobbi’s. Mike cooked hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill which is one of my favorite things about summer. There was potato salad and Brad’s famous macaroni salad, and ribbon jello which I love. For dessert there was brownies and Mom’s famous jello poke cake. After dinner we just sat around and talked while all the kids went outside to play hacky-sack or something. It was a fun evening, and also tiring. All those voices!

Tomorrow Uncle Marvin will be driving back to Texas, Aunt LeeDel back to Sioux Falls, and Uncle Butch back to Crete. It sure was good seeing them again, and I’ll be prayingfor safe journey's tomorrow.

Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Journal - May Wrap-up

Well, May is over already. I had a few things that I wanted to write about during the month but I kept putting it off. Now I’m not sure if I can remember what they were.

I’m pretty sure I already mentioned Brenna’s violin recital back in April. In May she had a singing concert at the school. I’m trying to remember what day that was, but I can’t. I think it was on a Monday. Brenna didn’t sing a solo so I couldn't really pick out her voice from the others, but I'm willing to bet she sounded great. This summer she is playing softball. Two games so far and her team won both. I haven’t been able to go to one of her games yet, but I’ll make it to some before she’s done. She said that she plays catcher sometimes. I wish I could see that. In a couple of weeks she will be in a play over in Amherst. She’s supposed to sing a solo and play a solo on her violin so I’m really looking forward to that.

On Sunday we all got together at Bobbi and Mike’s house. Uncle Marvin from Dallas, Uncle Butch from Crete, and Aunt LeeDel from Sioux Falls are all here for Memorial weekend. Brenna got to come for the day too. I was glad she could come because I don’t think she's seen any of the aunts and uncles for a long time. We’re all getting together again on Tuesday. Brenna can't come this time, but Brad and his family will be there. Oh, Kylie won’t be there because her school band is taking a trip to Chicago and they leave that morning. Maybe the rest of us will get some cucumbers for a change!

A couple of weeks ago, Joni and I bought a ceiling fan to put in our bedroom. We had one in our apartment in Carrollton and I’ve sure been missing that. We were going to have Mike put it up for us since he’s very handy with just about everything, but he works in the agriculture industry and is super-busy this time of year. So we decided to try hanging the fan ourselves. It actually wasn’t very hard to do. We got it up without too much trouble, and it actually works! We put it up just in time because we’ve had some very warm nights recently.

And that’s about all I can think of right now.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.