Cool temps, rain, Rudy, Rock Island Reds, thunder, lightning

The local fields are evident of the rain during the night.

And the local creeks are flowing… mostly red water.

We went over to see Don’s mom this afternoon.  She’s doing good and healing nicely since breaking her foot and cutting the other leg.  Some people will do anything to get out of gathering the eggs. What???

Don’s sister, Debra, has this cute little Chihuahua name Rudy.  Compare his size to Don’s foot.

Now you tell me that isn’t the classic Taco Bell look.

Don’s sister bought ten Rock Island Reds a week or so ago and now she has seven dozen eggs.  Sounds like the perfect home business to me.

It’s like they’re saying….

Did I mention that it’s been raining here?  All the creeks are flowing and there’s even a flash flood warning in parts of the state.  This is the creek on our park’s property… well, the park where we’re parked.

What I learned today… Because the thunder this morning shook the Q, I wondered, “what makes thunder?”  Tell me you already know the answer.

Here’s the most “technical” (tongue in cheek) explanation I could find (via Google): Lightning heats up the air really, really hot, which forces the air to expand and spread out, in between the lightning and it's like a really long line at a fun ride where the last person in line pushes the person in front of them, who then pushes the next person, and so on, and you're in the front of the line and eventually you get pushed. But with thunder, instead of feeling being pushed, you hear the air that's been pushed, and it sounds like thunder.

Or… Thunder is caused because lightning heats up the air, to about 30,000ºC, causing it to expand quickly. The rumbling occurs as the sound passes through atmospheric layers at different temperatures.

(And the air being pushed moves the Q!!)  I always heard that the number of seconds between the lightning and when you hear the thunder means that’s how many miles the lightning is away.  So if lightning happens and almost instantly you hear enormous thunder… go check to see if your TV is smoking and your refrigerator is still running.

Anyway, the entire rain, lightning, thunder process sure cleans the air.

Wait a minute…. what causes lightning???

Lightning is caused when a large electric charge builds up in a cloud as a result of ice and water particles rubbing together. The electric charge flashes to Earth, or to another cloud, as lightning.

Or…. Lightning is caused by electric charges releasing energy. When the denser (positive charges) go to the top of the cloud, the less dense (negative charges) go to the bottom. This creates an electric imbalance of charges. In the ground, the negative charges are pushed away because the positive charges are attracted to the negative charges at the bottom of the cloud. If an object is in the way the lightning does what it has to to get to the ground, so it will get there faster. When the lightning is discharged you only glimpse it for a second until it disappears. It can travel 75 m/sec, so even though it creates light it is a release of energy so it doesn't travel at the speed of light.

Or…. A rapid flow of charge through the air between the two oppositely charged clouds seen as an intense spark of electricity in the sky is called lighting. It is caused by friction between two oppositely charged clouds.

Isn’t technology an incredible thing?  Did anyone stay with me to the very end of this thing?  Or, am I alone here in this “classroom?” 

Intelligent design = God is the creator.

Kris Progress Report….

Following is the email we received this morning:

Dear friends and loved ones,

Again, I have to say that we are so encouraged and really excited now.  But your prayers are still urgently needed because it looks as though Kris is heading for a new phase in her healing process. 

Late last week, news from our son-in-law, Russ, had been that Kris will likely be moved to a long term care facility.  At first, I was skeptical of the idea, and I had all sorts of questions.  What would happen now? What about physical therapy and speech therapy when she comes out of the coma?  I spoke with her case manager (the military liaison who handles all the relocating of patient and families, along with a myriad of other duties) last week, and she said this is really what has been in the plan.  Kris is reaching a point now when they really can't do that much more in the ICU.  While it has been small steps forward, she has progressed enough to go to another level of care.  The head neurosurgeon has now signed off on Kris, which means he has released her completely to be moved.  I'm familiar with the facility everyone was considering and seemed most pleased with for long term care, and it is a good one.  However...

Earlier this week, Russ called and said they were now considering a highly recommended neuro rehabilitation facility that is extremely well equipped to handle head trauma victims.  Now my questions were finding answers; this is exactly what she needs, we believe, and so does Russ.  We are all in agreement.  Only trouble is, he said, it's in Austin, Texas.  Oh.  But, hey, we live in a motorhome!  It's no trouble for us; we can go to Austin and stay there in an RV park and be with her every day.  Of course, Russ and the kids will likely be able to come up once or twice a week, and especially on weekends.  Austin is only an hour or so north of San Antonio. 

The facility is the Texas Neuro Rehabilitation Center and it seems excellent.  Their website explains quite a lot about it.  They are known for picking up the rehab of a patient when other facilities have taken the patient as far as they can.  They are extremely well staffed and part of their curriculum holds they have more staff per patient than any law requires: PhDs, psychologists, speech and physical therapists, and any other area which would serve to rehab patients from coma to re-entry into community life.  Another step in the right direction.  Statistics are very encouraging.  It's a win - win situation.

But the best news from Russ last evening is that Kris moved her head several inches on her own while he was there yesterday.  And a friend who was there earlier told Russ that Kris sneezed.  Can you imagine people getting excited over a head turn and a sneeze?!!!  We are very excited.  She still opens her left eye, but has not focused on anything yet.  The right eye, as I said before, is likely going to have damage, but it may be fixable.  And Kris does have more surgeries ahead, which is a little worrisome.  The cranial area that had to be removed due to the damage will have to be replaced eventually with a plate of some sort to repair the open area in her skull.  There may be other areas of damage of which we are not yet aware, too.  But God has answered so many prayers, He will carry her through.  He's still letting her heal inside; of this we have no doubt.  And we humbly thank Him for each gift of encouragement and each answered prayer.

Speaking of answered prayer, for those of you who knew our son, John, had been fighting melanoma, he just finished radiation therapy last week, and is now recovering; very slowly, but recovering.  Eating has been difficult, but that is coming, too.  Between the chemo and the radiation, we are praying that he is cancer free and we are certainly encouraged by everything so far.  Again, God has answered so many prayers!!!  It's been wonderful to be able to be here and for his Dad to spend quality time with him now, too.  Speaking of George, for those who knew he had cancer surgery in December, George IS cancer free and that is a BIG answer to prayer!  And, since I mentioned in an earlier update that it was likely a good thing we put our house up for sale last fall, we do believe it may be sold!  More tiny miracles and prayers answered!!!  All things in God's good time. 

As for us and our schedule, a little personal update.  We have done some more rearranging of commitments and I know our friends in Ohio, Indiana and Iowa will forgive us when we say we won't be able to make it this year!  Our last concert in Pennsylvania is June 13th, and we will head for Austin on the 14th.  The concert in Burlington, Iowa scheduled for June 26th has been postponed, and we are deeply grateful to Pastor Jackman at Parkside Baptist Church for being so understanding. 

So that's the very latest update, and we will continue to keep everyone informed.  Were it not for the hard fact of reality ever present (we still have to earn a living!), we would be in Texas now.  But I am at peace with where God wants us for now so that we can afford to go and stay for as long as it takes.  Your prayers continue to sustain us and I know in my heart that Kris will one day thank all of you for those prayers. 

God greatly bless you all... in His love,

Carol and George Kline   

Going down/up the road

A few minutes past 8:30 this morning, we were on the road, headed north to Oklahoma.  Right on Don’s schedule.

Nothing much new or available to take pictures of during our first tank of gas, but after the first fill up,  I took a few pictures.

We topped a hill in the Hill Country and could see for miles.

Continuing my fascination with old houses and barns.

Not to worry.  We’re only 12 ft. 8 in.

Ok, so THIS made me a little nervous.

All the green grass and trees looked so good to us.  He’s enjoying it, too.

You’re probably wondering why I took a picture of this fifth wheel, but I was actually taking a picture of that bank of dark clouds that seem to be getting closer.  We’ve been following rain ever since before Jacksboro, so, are we about to catch the cloud or is it coming toward us?

We decided that we caught up to the clouds, but we never got the rain, which was good.  We don’t relish pulling the fifth wheel in the rain.

Another barn that appears to have not been used in a few years.An old house that was probably converted into hay storage.  That’s what my parents did with an old house on our place when I was a kid.

Odd shape, but old paint job, so it qualifies for the lens!

As I said before, it has rained all along our route.  Oh, look!! I got a bird in this picture!!

Talk about old and not used in years… is that a tree growing out the top of that old silo?

At 2:48 PM, we crossed the Texas – Oklahoma state line, the Red River.  This was our first sighting and then…

we crossed the bridge.

Welcome to Oklahoma.

Red dirt.  Yes.  We are in Oklahoma.

My favorite style of barn, however, it’s not too far out in the country.  Notice the half of a golden arch to the left.

OK, does it look like someone sheared the top out of this tree?

My final picture of the day… a family feeding the cows.  Well, that’s what I imagine they are doing, however, with all the grass here in the Springtime of the year, why would they be feeding the cows?  So maybe they are counting new baby calves.  Anyway, it’s cool that’s it’s a family affair, whatever they’re doing..

Don explained how tired he was as we neared our destination:  “I’ve driven a tank full of gas farther than I usually drive when we’re traveling.”

I haven’t mentioned that along the way, the temperature dropped from the low 80’s to 59, so it was a lot cooler getting set up than it was last summer.

Praise God, we had no problems or incidents and arrived safely.  We’ll take tired, happily, and go to bed.

Two responses!

Remember the antique manure spreader I posted a picture of last Saturday?  No?  Ok, here it is, again.

You may have read Joel Floto’s comment that in his youth, he used one just like this and spread a lot of manure.  It was smelly work, but he enjoyed it.  Funny, isn’t it? When we say that now, we’re usually talking about something other than fertilizing the farm crops. 

Well, tonight I received an email from Bruce Hoover.  Check it out!

“Howdy .. so enjoy Brother Don's weekly messages .. btw, one of my tasks as a young man on the farm was to rebuild a manure spreader, just like the one shown in your picture.  We removed the seat and the hitch and put a draw bar on it so we could pull it behind a tractor.  I replaced the wooden sides (the floor boards were still in good shape ??)  and painted the wood and the wheels .. I think the boards were red and the wheels yellow ;>)  Didn't paint the paddles .. didn't see the point.  I also had the privilege of filling the thing several times as I cleaned out various barns around the farm.  Pulling it behind a tractor it would pitch the poop really high in the air ;>)  Aren't you glad I shared this bit of my past??!!”

Yes, Bruce, I am glad you shared this “blast from your past!!” 

Thanks to Joel and Bruce for sharing their experiences with the manure spreader from yesteryear!!! I loved it!

Churches; “See-you-later’s”; and a horse

After posting the Sunday’s Coming Don wrote this morning and while driving down the street to the Laundromat this morning, something caught my eye about 150 yards off to the right on the St. Richard Episcopal Church property beyond shrubs.  So, before we went to pick up Emma and Camden at their schools this afternoon, we stopped at the church so I could take pictures.

A close-up of the marker reveals:

I’m not familiar with the Episcopal church, so I’m wondering if the church, St. Richard Episcopal, was also named for Richard S. Mourer.  A Google search failed to produce the history.

This is a memorial garden.

There are many roses in the memorial garden and a magnolia tree still in bloom.

St. Richard Episcopal Church

Next to the store where we got gas was a big pasture with a lone horse.  He’s probably 200 yards, at least, from us.

We met Leslie at Carino’s for dinner.

After dinner, visiting and saying our ‘see-you-later’s,’ I finally got the picture I’ve been seeing in my mind every time we pass by the Palm Valley Lutheran Church.  It’s been cloudy all day, plus it’s late in the afternoon, so the quality is not the best.Driving in to the parking lot to get a picture of the front of the church, I was delighted to see activity.

I also liked what I saw when I was leaving the parking lot and with this, I’ll “sign off” for Wednesday.

Tuesday Time with Grands

Tuesday… that’s today and we’re out of drinking water.  They have a really cool water store here, so we take our gallon jugs and head over there.

Now you know it’s May and the end of the school year is near when you see little students going on field trips.

Don’s feeling much better today, so off we go for a drive in the country.  We enjoy this nice country road.

Just for me.  A dead tree.

My history lesson for today:  Lawrence Chapel Cemetery and Methodist Church -Adam Lawrence (1799-1878), pioneer farmer and cattle raiser, donated this tract in 1840.  Born in Kentucky, he received a Texas land grant, 1822.  Fought in Texas Revolution (1836) and many Indian battles.  Once jumped his horse 20 feet into river below to evade war party.  Location:  FM 112, 6 miles southeast of Thrall, Texas.  There is a 14” x 24” Official Texas Historical Marker at the cemetery.

Across the road from the church was a replica of the church on the ranch gate.

Ok, something interesting happened.  As we were driving I was looking through the view finder as we were going down the road.  Everything looked normal and then suddenly there was this red glow on the right bottom part of the frame, so I clicked and there it was on the screen.  I wondered what the picture would look like on the computer screen and now I know.  So do you.  Weird, huh?  Anyone have any explanations or ideas?

This afternoon, Leslie and the kids came over and we all went to the park not far from the Q.  They had a ball playing and I had a ball taking pictures.

Our time with our Grand’s here is quickly coming to an end.  What a great time we’ve had being with them.  One more day.

We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders. - Psalm 78:4

Monday

I need to blog Monday before I forget Monday. :-)

OK Monday.

Well, actually, we didn’t do anything today.  Don didn’t feel well… punky, no energy, generally yucky…. so a take it easy day.

I didn’t even take a picture today.  What?????

Hope your Monday was good.

a beautiful message…

about growing old….

NUTS… I forgot what it was…. 

aaaaaaa

Just as an indescribable sunset or a breath-taking mountaintop vista evokes a spontaneous response, so we cannot encounter the worthiness of God without the response of worship. - Donald Whitney

>>Click here for Sunday’s post<<

Kris Update:

Praying partners, I just received this from Kris’s mother, Carol Kline:

Dear friends and loved ones,

I know Mother's Day will be yesterday by the time some of you read this but I had to tell you about my Mother's Day gift.  Talk about answers to prayer!!!  They were small gifts, but they were welcomed gifts just the same.

First, let me preface this update about Kris by saying that on Friday, the news was disheartening.  Kris's husband, Russ, called to let us know he met with the head neurosurgeon at Brooke Army Medical Center, a Dr. Teff.  Dr. Teff truly is the man responsible for saving Kris's life, I believe, because he headed up and performed the brain surgery on her and likely rejoined the carotid artery at the base of her head.  So he's top knotch in my book; there's no question.  However, Russ said that Dr. Teff was somewhat low-key in his assessment of Kris's condition on Friday.  He said that Dr. Teff seemed to be trying to warn him (and the family) that Kris had not progressed or changed in the two or so weeks since the accident, and he was explaining that she may never come out of this at all.  There was more but, suffice to say, he seemed to be trying to not get our hopes up.  Russ sounded so down and, of course, that just... well, it was not a good night here Friday night, I can tell you. 

BUT... come Saturday afternoon, tunes were changed!!!  Russ called to let me know that Dr. Teff came in to see Kris while he was there Saturday morning.  Dr. Teff touched her right arm or held it or something, and Kris reached over towards her right arm with her left arm.  Well, Dr. Teff was quite surprised and openly admitted that was a response, probably to pain, because her right arm had been badly hurt in the accident.  The upshot of that is that Kris is having response to pain and touch and movement.  Now, if that's the case, she is not brain dead, which is sort of what he had alluded to on Friday.  Dr. Teff said that was definitely a point in the right direction!  WOO HOO!!!  We'll take that point and see him a few more!!!

Early this afternoon -- Mother's Day -- our grandson, Joshua, called to tell us they were with Kris.  He said the nurses had placed her in a geriatric chair just to get her out of the bed for a while, and there was lots of movement.  He also said the nurse had checked her vitals and raised her eyelid to check her pupils and her eye moved!!!  It hasn't done that!!!  And here's a really neat note... however they measure the circulation to the brain, that measurement shows that Kris's circulation to the brain has improved.  YES!!! 

Now for the piece d'resistance!!!  (I'm not good with French!)  Late today, I called the ICU to talk with Kris's duty nurse.  It happened to be one of the captains who had been on duty when we were out there; a very nice young lady.  She said that Kris had opened (OPENED that is) her left eye.  Her right eye seems to have been really badly damaged and we're not sure what's happening there, but the left eye opened.  She evidently is having responses to pain or movement or touch or sound.  There are those impulses again and they are just getting stronger.  Little by little, things are beginning to happen.  We'll take all those little things we can!

So.... that pretty much made my Mother's Day for me.  Well, along with some lovely cards and flowers from the other kids, but you have to admit... this would pretty much knock anyone's socks off!!!  So, all you wonderful prayer warriors and partners and folks in churches, and just everywhere all across these United States... please keep praying.  The prayers are sustaining me, our family, all of us.  And I have no doubt in my mind that they are making their way into Kris's spirit and uplifting her and strengthening her.  How wonderful it is and how very grateful we are.

I will continue to keep you posted.  We sang in a big, beautiful Methodist church in Annville, PA this morning.  The pastor is a dear, dear friend of ours and he and his congregation have been praying right along with everyone else.  It is prayer that makes it possible to do these concerts, truly.  It is just what we have to do right now.  God is so good; so very good. 

Blessings and much love,

Carol and George

We join with Carol and George, rejoicing and praising God for the progress Kris is making.  And we continue to pray for her complete recovery.

The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!" (Revelation 4:8)

DAILY VERSE
Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord. - Ephesians 5:19

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DAILY QUOTE
When we bless God for mercies, we usually prolong them. When we bless God for miseries, we usually end them. Praise is the honey of life which a devout heart extracts from every bloom of providence and grace. - C. H. Spurgeon

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DAILY THOUGHT

Some days find us more eager to rejoice than others. Some days, something big and wonderful happens in our lives, and joyful feelings flow freely. Other days are difficult, and other days are simply ordinary. Nothing to write home about.
But Paul admonishes us to rejoice always. And whether we realize it or not, we have good reason to. We have the promise of God’s love and salvation and His grace to pull us through any circumstance. We also have the promise of His Spirit working within us to make us more like Him and more able to live joyful, productive lives.
When we know God and walk closely with Him, every day can be extraordinary. So rejoice throughout the day!

God, Your presence is the best thing in my life. Today I want to pray prayers of rejoicing and thanks throughout the day. Amen.

We were so blessed to hear an amazing Mother’s Day sermon today. Leslie's pastor used an analogy of the eagle and her eaglets and the nest, and the imprint the mother eagle makes on her eaglets, and the pain of leaving the nest, and the faith it takes to leave the nest for both the eaglet and the parent eagles who watch that process.... you get the picture.  It was eye-opening for me.

I was awake much of last night and how encouraging it is to know that one of our sweet friends was also awake and praying at the same time I was.  How blessed I am to be loved by such caring people.  During that time of my awake hours, God revealed to me that the basis of a loved ones anger and behavior is because they are afraid.... afraid to be alone.... just plain afraid. Fear is a powerful thing… even controlling.  He has revealed this to me before and He reminded me again last night.  So I have been asking Jesus to bind that spirit of fear that torments our loved one and give freedom from all bondages.

In church this morning, His revelations continued... God assured me that He is working, that all I am witnessing testifies to that fact. I have been asking Him to work in the heart and life of a loved one. Did I think that His work in that life would not affect me??  "Count it all joy" came alive in a new way this morning.  Because I know that God is at work, I can and do praise Him for what I'm experiencing, the pain and grief is His promise that He is delivering victory to those we pray for. My pain has been put in it's rightful place!!

Some would argue that it’s too vague, but the most powerful prayer we can pray is that "God's will be done in our life or someone else’s life."  When we pray that God's will be done, we are submitting all to Him; we aren't telling Him how to do it; we are telling Him we trust Him, completely, totally.  Therefore, we can praise Him for the outcome for His Will is perfect.

I recall those stages of sanctification we talked about in Bible study this past winter at Sunscape.   I'm experiencing one of those stages now.  I am another stage closer to more completely understanding what it means to live a "saved" life, to be surrendered to God's plan for my life.  With my life being His life, all things/situations/circumstances in my life are for good, even the pain... I know it's place.  He is totally and completely trustworthy with my life.  Liberation has reached a whole new level for me.  And the praiseworthy fact is that He is doing the same for those we pray for.  Our Father delights in answering our prayers. 

Praise His Holy Name!