Balance

These past few weeks have seen much needed rain in North Carolina. The area was very dry because of the year-long drought and as with everything in life, there comes a time to balance that out. Now we are getting rain. Some people gripe and complain because of the cloudy days, rain ruining their plans, yards turned into swamps, etc. But we all must remember that in order to overcome the drought, there has to be a very wet period. Not only does the current year's rainfall need to be met, but last year's deficit has to be filled. All of these thoughts had me thinking today about our planet Earth.

One of the hot topics on everyone's minds these days is Global Warming. While I will not doubt that the earth has warmed in the last 150 years, I don't believe we are headed for a natural catastrophe as all the papers, news stories, and other media would have us believe. First of all, from around 1300 to the mid-1800s, the earth was in the middle of a "mini Ice Age" that affected Viking settlements on Greenland and wine producing in England, caused food shortages for Native Americans and the flooding of Timbuktu several times, and for a little-known historical trivia that was made famous in the Emanuel Leutze painting Washington Crossing the Delaware, the Delaware doesn't freeze as it did when Washington and his men crossed over it during Christmas 1776.

Around 1850, the earth started to gradually warm and the temperature has increased since then. Now all one hears on the news now is what cities will be under the ocean in 100 years, which areas of the earth will be dust bowls, and how many species will become extinct because of the drastic habitat change. I am not worried over any of these possibilities. Why? Because God is in control. He has sustained this planet we call home since He created it several thousand years ago. Colossians 1:16-17 states

For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven,
and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they
be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers:
all things were created by Him, and for Him:

And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.

All basic scientific principles are implied in these two verses. The Earth and all Creation is held together by His power and nothing will happen to it without His knowledge or His allowing it, including Global Warming. In the future, God will purge this present planet with a fervent heat and will re-create an newly improved Creation that will be free from the Curse of sin for eternity. Can you imagine what that Creation will be? I am constantly in awe when I view God's present, sin-cursed Creation. Just think what the new one will be!

Since today is Earth Day, I felt that these thoughts are appropriate. I am all for conserving energy, saving precious habitats for endangered species, and curbing the rabid growth of concrete, but as my titles says, there must be a balance. Just as the rain comes to quench the dry, parched earth, God is keeping His Creation in balance and we have nothing to worry about with regards to the ocean swallowing up real estate. Keep looking to Him and "the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace."

Have a blessed day.

Beyond Sore

Yesterday was productive. I, along with my friend Moises, started working on the garden around 10 am. We pulled the extraneous plants (most people use the word "weeds", but I don't like that term--sounds like another blog topic!) from the area and moved all of the lava rocks away from the area of the first bed. By the time we finished with that, it was lunch time and Felipe, Dad's buddy, and his cousin had arrived. After a quick bite of pizza, we started laying down the plastic lining. As always, the wind picked up and there were several moments when we weren't sure we would be able to hang on to the plastic! By this time, I was a bit anxious because any further work would be WAY out of my element and I would be needing direction from Dad. He was later arriving because, as usual, people and things hindered him at the clinic. I just wish the people there could actually do what they're supposed to do without having Dad to hold their hands. Isn't that why they went to vet school??? Didn't they realize that being a vet is more than having a love for animals and kissing a dog on the nose? It's hard work! But I digress...

Dad finally arrived and brought the tools needed for building the beds. I was really hoping to get the first bed completed so the potatoes could be planted. He and Felipe started cutting the notches in the wood and laying them down while Moises and I replaced the decorative brick around the bed. The chain saw was giving us problems all afternoon. After a while, the pull just quit working and we were stuck. I was able to borrow one from my brother-in-law and we continued. However, the storm that had been seething on the western horizon finally arrived. Luckily it didn't dump buckets of rain but it was enough to get everyone collecting the tools and putting them in the shed. It quickly passed and we resumed the building. By this time, Dad had to return to the clinic to feed because the people there don't know how to put feed in a stall. It really is a skill that takes years of practice! As we were trying to drill the holes for the rebar stakes, the last of the drills' motor overheated and quit working. We were forced to stop with about 3/4 of the bed made. I was disappointed, but realized that we did accomplish a lot. It looks as if our garden will be a little later than normal.

I was very tired at the end of the day. As the night wore on, it became worse! This morning, I really felt it. I was never so glad to stand underneath a hot shower. Every time I sit for any period of time, I feel the soreness all over again when I have to move. I hope we will be able to continue working on it this week. Time will tell...

On the Eastern Bluebird nesting in our yard, I believe now that I was mistaken about the timing. Moises and I went to check on it last evening and, even after I knocked on the house, the female was still sitting on the eggs after I opened the door. When a female doesn't leave right away, it's a sign that the eggs are near hatching. I quickly closed the door so not to disturb her more but not before noticing a lone egg again on the edge of the nest against the door. I have a feeling that the one I put back in the nest on Friday night is a bad egg and she moved it back out again so as not to waste her energy on incubating it. I will check again this week to see if there are chicks.

Time for another work week tomorrow. YEAH! (Right???) I hope everyone has a productive week.

Continuing Saga

I finally picked up my vehicle on Monday afternoon!!!! It's been nice to ride in my vehicle for almost a week now!! Since I do miss the CD player in the rental, I've decided to go ahead and purchase one in the near future. My speakers are shot and I would love to listen to my CDs while cruising down the paved paths of America. The manager of the place took some of the charges off of the bill in a "good-faith" gesture, including the radiator and oil pump screen. He also gave me 6 free oil changes. I felt as if he was kissing-up. He also told me that I needed to drive it to death and to make sure I come back if the engine light comes on or I notice another problem. After I get all the free oil changes, I don't think I will use them for regular maintenance. They don't seem to know what they're doing.

Well, Tuesday afternoon on the way home, guess what??? The engine light came on. I had the sunken feeling deep in the pit of my stomach. It stayed on for less than 5 minutes and then went off. It stayed off until last night when I was out and about. This time, it stayed on for longer. In addition to that, I noticed that the temperature gauge kept fluctuating. On the way to work this morning, I dropped it off again. They found that the new thermostat wasn't working properly and when they tested the engine light, they found that there are three possible codes that are reflections of the potential problems. The immediately replaced the thermostat, but I had to take it back on Monday because my car is so old, they don't have the proper testing equipment! They will know what to do about the codes by then and can fix it (hopefully in a day!). I am beginning to think that it's not part of the engine and therefore will be another bill to add! Oh well! Who needs to have loads of money, right???

Molly and Rolly have been visiting all week and Mom told me that they brought along Daisy and Duke to scope out the prospects. It will be interesting to see what happens with our goosey friends as the summer progresses. I don't think they will nest in the yard because it's not that close to the lake. Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa) would and certainly do nest this far from a lake, but there aren't any trees with cavities big enough to attract them to our yard. We confirmed this evening that we have Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) nesting in our yard. I counted 5 eggs in the little cup-nest. I don't think she has stated incubating yet because they were cool to the touch. She might have one more egg to lay before beginning. I will keep you all informed of the progress. I know everyone is holding their collective breaths! :-)

Tomorrow is garden day. We are waaaaaaaayyy behind in getting it prepared and we really need to accomplish a lot tomorrow. Since some friends are coming to help, I hope to get far along with the work. The plants I ordered arrived today. I got 4 tomatoes--Pineapple, Tiger-like, Gold Medal, and Purple Calabash, 4 peppers--Fish, Miniature Chocolate, Purple Beauty, Italian Sweet, and 2 eggplants--Casper and Bride, that are not found here in the local nurserys. I will fill in with regular plants from around here and also plant okra, cucumbers, yellow squash, zucchini, patty-pan squash, butternut squash, beets, and potatoes. The potatoes really need to be planted tomorrow as we are already late with putting them in the ground! If my arms aren't dead, I will let y'all know how it went.

Well, I hope everyone has a good weekend. I will be moving dirt and rock! At least think about me tomorrow! :-) Have a blessed day.

The Light at the End????

Yes, it's true, folks. The vehicle is still being repaired. It's been one thing after another. First, of course, it was the motor. While getting it put in, the oil pump strainer failed to arrive with the engine, a new key had to be made for some internal part, the engine wouldn't work properly, the radiator started leaking, and the oxygen sensor broke in two pieces. Needless to say, this one week fix has turned into a three week nightmare. My rental car bill has climbed "up, up, and away" and it's not in a beautiful balloon! Tomorrow will be 3 weeks that it's been in the shop...Dare I hope? Is that a light at yon tunnel end? Stay tuned for another exciting episode in the continuing saga...

Well, we passed the audit with a 95!!!!! Wow!!! That is the best we have done for at least the past 7 years! I think it was the change in leadership that did the trick. Not that the previous manager wasn't nice, but he really wasn't the leader we needed. If we continue at the pace we are going and achieve "DC of the Year", there will be a $500 bonus for all workers! Can we say repair bill payment??? Yes, I think we can.

This past week was also interesting for another reason. On Monday, I placed an order for an engine for one of the stores. I found out on Thursday that I had ordered it for the wrong store! Now for every order that is placed on a particular day, I send a confirmation of it to the store. Therefore, the wrong store received a confirmation sheet and the correct store did not. Did either of those two call me on Tuesday morning to rectify this mistake???? NO!!! Why??? Because they don't take the time to LOOK FOR THE CONFIRMATION SHEETS!!!!!! All of the calls and back-and-forth would have been avoided if they had followed my instructions. (Yes, I have already sent memos to every store--no excuses!) When I explained this little solution to the right store, the person said, "Oh, I didn't know we received them. No one has ever told me about it." (My paraphrase.) After that statement, she received my lecture. I was nice but inside I was a bit ticked off because of all the headache. Granted, I did make a mistake and I am not shirking my responsibility in it, but it was compounded by their lack of communication and failure to follow through with a very simple task. Whew! It felt good to let that out!

Brittany hasn't been seen for a few days. I guess she figured it was time for her to hunt mice since the "fly-through" was closed for the season! Or she could be nesting? Who knows? Molly and Rolly are still coming for visits. They are the two Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) that have taken up residence. Mom named them! Of course, there isn't any seed for them to consume. I guess old habits are hard to break. It's fun to watch Rolly act as Molly's guardian while she grazes. She must be quite the goose because he is constantly taking a "gander" at the surrounding area!

Well, I guess that is all for this posting. I hope everyone has a blessed day!

An Uncle and his Niece

Wow! It's been a while since I posted some new thing or random thought on here! I guess it's because I have been "bummed" over not having my vehicle back as scheduled. Not that I am needing Prozac or any other medication...I'm just ready to get it back home. The rental bill is going to be larger than I had planned!

Wesley and Mikayla are spending the night here tonight. I was late leaving work and guess who greeted me when I arrived home? Mikayla. Wesley was too absorbed in his new machinery book to even acknowledge my presence until I stared at him and cleared my throat. The minute I walked in the door, Miss Chatty Kathy was on my heels telling me about something or another that was on her mind. Of course, everything at this age is sooooo dramatic. I changed clothes while Mikayla tickled the ivories a little. Once I was finished with that she proceeded to tell me more happenings and ask questions. When supper was ready, she wanted ketchup for her nuggets (Yes, ladies and gentlemen, she got the Steve-can't-eat-anything-without-a-condiment gene.), but she didn't want it in her plate because it would touch her other food. All the while, she was pushing her potato away from her nuggets. (Now I must insert a brief note here...I am exactly the same way. Unless it's supposed to be combined, don't go mixing my food!!! Each food is meant to be enjoyed for it's own uniqueness and must be savored as such. I am sooo proud that she is the same!) While she was pushing said potato, she had the brilliant idea of piling her nuggets on top of each other so she would have room for the ketchup on her plate. HAHA! After supper, she got her new camera and was showing me how to operate it. She hasn't learned how to delete the pictures and I certainly couldn't figure it out. She is more concerned with which cover she will use for the next five minute period. After all, the latest style is very important! During all of these periods of time, she was constantly talking about whatever popped into her head--Hillary Clinton, people she does not care for, etc. The whole episode made for a very interesting night.

Wesley, on the other hand, was pretty much in his own space but was able to interject a thought or two every now and then.

Our Bose system was returned this week after a third attempt at repairing it. After only 2 days, it started shutting down again as if nothing had been done to it. We called Bose again and they have decided that enough is enough and are sending us a new one free of charge and will use ours as an experiment to find out what is wrong with it. WOW!! I am glad I will finally be able to use it without wondering when the sound will go off. The regular TV sounds so one-dimensional compared to the Bose!

Well, I had better end this thing for tonight. I have to work tomorrow for some odd reason. I was asked to come in to help finish getting ready for next week's audit. I have no idea what I will be doing. I hope it won't be all day!

Have a blessed day!