Keeping Busy, Busy Enough Anyway

Last Friday I went over to Kelsey and Andy's to cut up a tree that had fallen over during the spring. I must not have really want to cut any wood. I had a splitting axe, some felling wedges (in case I wedged the saw tight) and a bucket with an extra chain and some tools ready to go. I left them in the shed. I made about 6 cuts part way through the log and wedged the bar tight. Called Kathy and asked her to bring me the splitting axe and the wedges. Before she arrived I managed to use a big chunk of broken limb as a lever and free the saw. The entire "root ball" had rolled up out of the ground when the tree fell. I finished cutting 8 pieces out of the log before making a cut near the roof ball because I thought there would be enough dirt in the bark that I would dull my chain. There was and I did. The bucket with the extra chain was still in the shed. I loaded up what I cut and went home and unloaded it.

Friday night was Lydia's graduation from preschool. She is the last one on the left.

 They sang a couple of songs, with motions.

 Posing for pictures with friends.

Saturday I cut up the remainder of the tree. I had help loading it in the trailer.

Saturday evening I went to a fundraiser at the New Bloomfield Because He Lives Cowboy Church. New Bloomfield is about a 30 minute drive from our house. It was over 4 hours of good old country gospel music, it was great. The last guy didn't start until 8:30PM and he was the best of all.

The setting was an indoor arena with folding chairs and lawn chairs. People came and went during the 4 hours. I doubt that there was ever more than 60 people their at any given time. I took the photo below before things started. Note the 3 ladies near the center of the photo, near the arena wall.

They looked like Grandma, Mom & Daughter all sitting their with their noses in their phones, texting.

I went back Sunday morning for church. The guy who was the best singer during the previous evening led the music. He sang a lot of good old gospel music, I could have listened to him for hours. He did some pretty good preaching between some of the songs. The Pastor had a good message about the character of the "virtuous woman" described in Proverbs. He didn't let the guys off the hook either. He called them to be "virtuous men". He told them that if they wanted a "virtuous woman" they needed to think a little bit about where the best places would be to look for one, and to think about the places where they probably would not find one.
There were 40-50 people at the service. Dress was very causal. There were 4 guys in the row in front of me. Looked like a Dad and 3 sons. The son's looked to be in their mid-20's. One of the sons wore a long sleeve shirt with what looked like a fresh dirt stain on one of the elbows. He wore a well worn pair of cowboy boots and spurs. About halfway through the service he got up and walked out of the arena for awhile. Watching him walk off and walk back in it was easy to see he was HURTING. It looked like it could have been his ribs, or his right him, or his right arm, or all 3. He didn't look dirty enough to have been thrown by a horse before church, but I wonder if maybe he had been kicked by one. After the service I saw him up front with the Pastor praying for him.

Sunday afternoon Kelsey had a Mother's Day diner for the family. I think there were 16 of us there. A good time was had by all.

Kathy watched Nolan today. I spent a couple of hours doing research and writing a "Letter to the Editor". After lunch I forced myself to go out and get a little exercise. I split 4 of the pieces of wood I had cut and my back said it had enough of that. After a break I spaded up a 30 square foot area for Kathy to plant a few garden plants.

The high was in the high 80's today, it is still 82 degrees at 10PM.

Good is good, may He bless you and yours.