Camp

I dropped Madeline off at the carpool spot heading for Pine Lake Camp today. As I drove back to work I couldn't help thinking of the camp and how special it truly is. I don't think anyone can go to that place and not feel some special connection to something wonderful. And the longer you are their, the stronger the connection.
We often talk about the camp and memories from our times at camp. It is a special place and a wonderful gift from God. It is one of those places where you feel God around you. The pure nature of the place itself just reinforces how beautiful and awesome God is. You see His living examples everywhere at the camp. And it is a very peaceful place. If you've ever been you know what I am talking about. I can go on and on but just saying that the camp is an inspiring and breathtaking place just about sums it up.

Random thoughts

Since the blog is back ( hopefully I can keep it going), I may or may not go back to a structured deal. Example: I used to do Music Mondays. Quotes on Wednesday. Don't know. I might go back to that I might not.
Today all I have are some random thoughts. I have so much in my head but lately it is hard to get it out. It seems I have lots of thoughts or ideas in the shower. I need a waterproof pen and paper or a waterproof dry erase board. All you have in the shower is you, soap products, towel (unless you don't use one), manicure type stuff and water.

A while back we were watching Back To The Future and I realized that if you run across someone and they seem sort of in a hurry or sort of weird, it may be for a reason.

I'm thinking about doing that 30 Day Song Challenge I see on Facebook. Not sure but in the past I was working on trying to figure out my 100 top songs of all time. Talk about a challenge. I "may" get back on that. Or at least my 100 top albums. Still a lot of work.

Well that about all I got. Hope I didn't bore ya.

Hate is such a strong word. But is it ok when it comes to plumbing?

Toilet woes. Well were do we start? A looooooong while ago our toilet in the front bathroom started to "run". You know that heart wrenching sound ...... Shshshshshshshsheeeeeewwww ...... So the obvious problem. The flapper. Or depending where you are from Da Flappa. (flap on flap off .... The flappa). So I changed the flapper. yep. The toilet still ran. So I figured the flapper I bought was "malfunctioned". So I bought another flapper then another. Same result. So after talking to many " home plumbers" I agreed that the gasket that the drain tube is on top of must be bad. So off to the store. About 30 bucks later I come home with all sorts of plumbing parts. Well vacation was looming. Alaska. So I figured " hey. Why stress about plumbing now. Wait until we get back from the AK". ( by the way. After flushing the commode I would just turn the water off. Awesome ). So we have a wonderful Kodiak Alaska vacation. We come home. Get back in the swing if things - sort of. And it is time to "tackle the terlet" I take the tank off of the toilet. That took forever. Have you ever tried to take a tank off of a comode that has been there for awhile? Enough said. So Loooooooooooooooong story short. I change gaskets. I change gaskets again. I put old gaskets on. I use silicone. I keep telling my wonderfully patient wife " I have one more thing to try". Etc. Etc. Etc. ( an IHOP commercial just came on the tv while typing this. Mmmmmmmmmmmm. I have no clue what program is on the tube. But that IHOP ad got my attention) anyway back to the toilet. So I keep thinking it through. When I wake up at night I think about how to stop the " running" and the large leak that I have at least reduced to a small, very small leak. ( hey at least I wake up thinking of plumbing instead of work). So finally. I throw in the chips. Throw in the towel. Kick the dirt. Say " awwwe shucks". Call a plumber. Then for some unforeseen reason. We cancel the plumber. A sign? Back to the thinking. More thoughts. Man if a plumber can do it I should be able to. Well the good news ............. A plumber is coming. I hope I can re post and say the toilet woes are OVER. We shall see.
So 2 thoughts. 1 I am tired. 2. I wish I was a better "home plumber" and 3 (hey I know I said 2 thoughts but it is my blog )3- I am craving IHOP. And 4. To the question of the title. Is hate a strong word when it xomes to plumbing. Probably yes. So I will say I strongly dislike plumbing. Is that the same thing?

Do you ever feel like MONK?

I was in a local Printer/office supply store today picking up my new Rubber stamp (I was getting tired of handwriting "Approved - Wade Cortez - Taft and the date on countless numbers of invoices). while I was waiting I noticed a stack of legal pads on the shelf and one of them (about a third way down on the stack) had some bent edges. That actually bothered me. Then while I was paying for the stamp, they had a rack of various business cards and one was cocked up to the left. Yes - I had to straighten it. And on my way out of the store I had to go straighten that legal pad. And I think I unconsciously looked around the store (keep in mind it is a real small area of store where the public actually does business in) real quick to see if anything else was "out of sorts." So was my "Inner MONK" coming out? Not sure.

Just in case you don't know, MONK is a TV show the USA Network. Adrian Monk is a detective who is obsessive-compulsive. It is actually a pretty good show.

http://www.usanetwork.com/series/monk/

Letting things go. Hard? Easy?

I should be working but something is urging me to jot down a quick blog. As I sat this morning (around 4:30) in the dark house thinking of my plan of action (due to a truck breakdown) I had a calm. A calm I rarely had in these situations. I wasn't totally calm but something felt different. Then I read a couple of quick emails and I had one from a friend giving me a phone number I asked for. Then he went on to say he is having some problems at work this week but he has turned it over to Jesus and he is having a great week. After reading that I couldn't help but respond ( hopefully his email doesn't go "ding" - it was early). I basically said that was calm in the currant truck breakdown issue but now I am calmer. He is right. Turning it over to Jesus is what we should do. So letting things go. Hard? Easy? I think it is both. But I think turning it over to Jesus is not sitting back saying " OK Jesus you got it see ya later". But it is trysting that Jesus will see us through our trials. I say this a lot ( but don't always listen to myself). The outcome is going to be the outcome. But how we act through the situation is what affects us and others. This to me is a positive vs negative fight. So, among my issues today, I will give them 100 % of my self to work through and resolve. But I will TRY and I pray that I succeed in being calm. Because I know that Jesus is in my corner through trials. Large and small.

Memorial Day

Driving over to Gonzales to baby sit Hayden today, we had NPR on the radio. An array of topics were discussed but one of those was a short piece on Memorial Day. It said that many people don't fully understand why we actually observe this holiday. Actually it only became a federal holiday in 1967. This is an important day where we remember those who died for our country in any and all wars. As you go about today. Let's do this: 1- remember those soldiers who died fighting for our country. 2- remember their families. 3- pray for all of our military abroad and those who are serving stateside. Those men and women should be honored everyday. 4- not just on Memorial day, but every day we should remember our trips who died and those fighting the harsh battles today. 5- while we are at it don't forget the police force and firemen who risk their lives everyday. 6- make sure your kids know about this holiday and why we observe it. So if you are grilling today or just chilling today. Working or not. Raise a glass, a cup, a rib or a piece of chicken to those who fight for our country and our streets everyday. And remember those who lost their lives doing so.
I tried to find the link for that segment but couldn't. But I did come across the web site below.

http://www.usmemorialday.org/

South Louisiana night

The heat (for the most part) has left this end of May day. The breeze - if you call it that - is trying desperately to chase the muggies away. Dark clouds are slowly moving in the distance. Could they be from the shower I drove through earlier? Could they bring the rain we need? Whatever it is, we can use it. The locusts are singing their tune in the trees. One flies from the oak to the pecan. It is barely visible from ground level. The mocking birds are still working hard feeding their young in the awesome nest they built in the avocado tree. Other unidentified birds are singing their last songs of the day. The squirrels are getting their last bit of play in as they startle a quiet dove from it's perch. The starling pokes it's head out of the orange bird house they have claimed for the past 3 years. The starling checking out the neighborhood before turning in. Daylight is fading. Darkness fast approaching. Another beautiful South Louisiana "heels of summer" day coming to a close. God I love this place. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.