Just Jump In!

Church this morning opened with the singing of "Power in the Blood," rock 'n' roll version. Wasn't too enamored of it. Team redeemed themselves later, though, by leading the old hymn "And Can It Be?" in the manner to which I am accustomed.
As it was Commencement Sunday, youth leader and congregation honored the graduates.

Pastor Keith's sermon was entitled, "Just Jump In!" This is the second in the series "Living Beyound Myself." The scripture lesson was Romans 12:1 - 6. We won't know how good things are until we jump in, so come on in, the water's fine.
1. Do I want to jump in? Do I really want to get involved?
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10
We are created to do good works.
What matters is not the duration of your life, but the donation of your life.
I need all the others. (v.5) We are all pieces of the puzzle. A missing piece = an incomplete picture.
God made us unique, and your uniqueness is not for your benefit.
"As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." I Peter 4:10
My purpose in life is to serve God by serving others.

2. How do I jump in?
Evaluate yourself.(v.3) "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."
Each person has a special divine gift.
Find out where you need to be involved. (v.6a) "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us."

It might be noted that among persons, there are different measures of the same gift; and note, too, that God may call you in a totally different direction from the one you perceive as your strongest gift, or perhaps not. Note the disciples who were fishermen. Jesus called them to be apostles, writers and preachers. And Paul, though, a scholar and logician, was called to serve in that very area as a scholar for Christ.

3. Just Jump!
It is really about trust. Are you going to trust God?
"Trust and see that the LORD is good." Psalm 34:8

D-Day + 65 Years

June 6, 1944, forever immortalized as "D-Day." May we never forget the cause or the sacrifice.

The ranks of those among us who were in that historic event are thinning daily. Nevertheless the world shall always owe a debt of gratitude to them and to all who served in that war.

Twenty five years ago on June third, I flew to Europe from JFK and had the good fortune to be on a plane loaded with vets and their spouses who were making the trip back to the scene of their heroic efforts for a Fortieth Anniversary celebration. It was a privilege to be in their company, though some might say for a bunch of old guys and gals they were pretty rowdy! It was a celebration. A celebration of victory, of survival, and of life itself.

Ford Gallery

Last week, I shared a bit about the "Oddballs and Orphans" I have driven over the years. This week I'll share a bit about the Fords I have owned. The 1936 Ford was the car I drove for my first driving test. It was not my car, however, as it belonged to my best friend, Wes. The car had three-on-the-floor, mechanical brakes and arm-wrestling steering.

The first car I owned was a 1950 Ford Custom Fordor. In the parlance of the day, it was "loaded," as it was equipped with radio, heater, overdrive, and exterior sun-visor. This baby had about 94,000 miles on it when I bought it and I drove it to about 125,000. A week after I bought it I got married and following the reception as we were driving to our "getaway" we had a collision which seriously damaged the right rear quarter panel, driving capabilities not impaired. Insurance company paid me for "constructive total" the book value of the car, which was more than I had paid for it. A back-alley hobbyist replaced the panel for me for $80 and we had a free car!

Here is a list of the Ford vehicles I've had.

The 1950 Custom 239 ci V-8

1962 Lincoln Continental 7.1L with suicide doors

1965 Mustang 289 ci V-8. Brilliantly (or perhaps ironically) this was our only car during a period during which we had three kids under age ten.

1967 Galaxie 500 289. I actually "owned" three of these at the same time, although I didn't know that until the day I sold one of them. I was driving a beautiful 4-door which I had purchased from my Dad after he had put 139,000 miles on it. (I finally sold it when it had 201,000 miles.) Saw a bright red 500 convertible which I couldn't resist, so I bought it just for fun. Good thing, too, because it got about 100 miles to the quart on oil. Meanwhile, my minor son bought another 500 and kept it at a neighbor's yard a couple blocks away. He didn't tell me he had it until the neighbor told him he needed to get it off his lot. So I took care of it. Sold the thing the first time I ever saw it.

1969 Thuderbird Fordor, again suicide doors. (Couldn't find picture, so imagine the above is a four-door which has been painted Washington (dark) blue. Much prettier than the picture.)

1973 Galaxie 500

1985 Crown Victoria LTD and

1951 Custom fordor which was my principal to-and-from-work driver for many years from 1968 to 1978. It went through several cosmetic permutations. It was Hawthorne green when I got it. I had it painted a bright banana yellow which it presented for several years, then it got a metallic grey paint job, thanks to Earl Scheib.

Also had a 1952 F-1 pickup which Ellie and I refurbished by taking an auto-body course at the local voc-tech school. Painted it fire-engine red and drove it for several years.

And a 1956 F-100 pickup which I owned for about eight days. I drove it home 25 miles from point of purchase, parked it in the driveway, washed and waxed it, and sold it for twice what I paid for it. These two vehicles were the only cars I ever owned on which I made money.

And when BBBH and I decided to get into the RVing thing, we bought a motor home on a 1996 Ford E350 chassis with 460 ci V-8. We used it six years, then traded for a similar MH on a 2009 Ford E350 chassis with V-10 power.

And our current Ford vehicle is a 2003 Mercury Mountaineer.

[Next week: Good Cars, Bad Cars]

Teed Off Yet?

I don't recognize the world I'm living in any more. Probably makes me one of the "useless eaters" the intelligentia would like to dispose of.

Got up yesterday morning to watch the leader deliver his speech in Cairo.

Later at the post office I discovered that a standard 6 x 9 envelope is "oversize" mail and requires premium postage. I would have been less annoyed had the "line" on the scale by which the clerk makes that determination not been set at 5-7/8". (Is this like the 16 oz. can becoming a 13 oz. can, then an 11.5 oz. can, and so on?)

I am way past being able to discuss the theft the gummint and the bankruptcy courts are perpetrating on the people and the nation's retirees. If you don't get this, find out why the Chrysler deal will not go through this morning, at least until after the Appellate Court has heard the State of Indiana. I could go on but enough for now.
I'll just ask the question, "Are you teed off yet? If not, you may be an inert blob of protoplasm; or possibly Pollyanna's more chipper cousin.

"This 'attack on the most fundamental of creditor rights,' Indiana argues, 'has been funded and controlled by the Treasury Department, even though the executive branch is prohibited from spending funds and taking over corporations without congressional approval.' Further, Indiana contends that the Obama administration did not have the authority to spend Troubled Assets Relief Program funds intended for financial institutions to rescue automakers.

"In a 70-page brief that at times takes a spunky tone, Chrysler criticizes the Indiana funds for their 'cockeyed way of looking at the Fiat sale. The transaction is a sale of assets for a price that far exceeds liquidation value, to a purchaser who wants to use the assets in a productive enterprise,' Chrysler said." --Washington Post, June 5, 2009

Around the Yard

Here's a what is it.

While strolling around the yard I snapped a few pix. The columbine is among my favorites. We have several varieties, including a "double" pink which has already gone to seed.

This picture is looking north along Buck Creek, which is technically (well, actually)not in our yard, but it runs from north to south about 300 yards east of the house.

This last shot shows the river birch clump in our front yard just south of the driveway. I planted this nine years ago when it was about six feet tall. I like birches very much. The first picture is also a shot of this birch.

Remember Tiananmen Square, June 4, 1989

Beanie Babies and Collecting

Did you get caught up in the "Beanie Baby" craze once upon a time? I did. A grown man? Yeah, I'm a dork. However, I backed into it or I was backed into it. My spouse at that time, who was incidentally also a grandmother, thought "How cute! The grandchildren will love them." And the purchasing began. The grandkids did, indeed, acquire a bunch of them on special occasions such as Christmases, birthdays and here-we-thought-you-might-like-this-one days.

But for some reason, the acquisition soon outran the distribution and our household had another collection, this time the froofy, cuddly little animals but yet with their versey little tags intact. Then as the collector fad burned hotter and hotter, catalogs were published citing current values of the little vermin. I have a "Baby" to this day that was once "listed" at $120. Oh, had I had foresight. But even then, one had to find someone willing to pay the price. But we weren't in business; though I did visit a couple of stores where the asking price was indeed the "boob" --oops, typo--I mean "book" price.

A decade ago, Grandma passed away, and the BB fad died as well. One can scarce give them away now, and hence I still have a basketful of them in one of the unused bedrooms upstairs. BBBH, who in her turn has backed me into some other "hobbies" has little interest in these anachronistic toys. Here look at this.

[and Happy Birthday to son Delbert]

Am I A Hoosier Yet?

Fifty years ago this month my wife and child and I chose to relocate from Seattle to Indiana. Our first home was in Wilkinson which I tell people who ask is halfway between Maple Valley and Warrington. From there we moved to Lebanon, then to Converse.

Forty years ago this month we moved to Tipton. This little three-bedroom house is where we raised our four children. It is where we were living when wife Frieda died. I moved about a year later and eventually sold the house. But I think I am a "Tiptonite" for I have resided in this town these forty years.



BBBH prepared a great supper for Monday night and topped it off with strawberry shortcake. Homemade shortcake, of course. MMMMmmm! (The evening meal is the main meal, but I still refer to it as "supper." You can take the boy out of the hills....
If you invite me to an evening meal at your house and you want me to call it "dinner" I can do that.)

Above Average

Five or six weeks ago (What Gives?) I was essentially asking what happened to the Bradford pear trees that graced the 100 block of South Main Street. Yes, they are gone; but now there is this: six new ginkgo trees in their stead!




This morning it was reported on the news that the average cost of a gallon of regular unleaded in the nation is $2.49. I know our community is "above average," a fact of which we are proud; but why does it always have to be above average in this commodity pricing arena?