Prolific Vine

This is one prolific morning glory vine.   I am convinced that if I could have tied a string from the trellis to the very top of the house,  this vine would have made a climb that far and beyond.   In fact the tendrils that are reaching out on all sides have wrapped themselves around one another multiple times.   And still, they are looking for places to go!

I have been waiting for and hoping for some blossoms!  I 'googled' 'when do morning glories bloom' and got no specific answer.  It seems to depend upon many different things--the variety, the location of the plant, the location where you are, etc.   So I still do not know exactly when to expect the blossoms.   I do very much hope they materialize. At this point, it is a lesson in patience!

For whatever reason, this has not been a good year for the hydrangeas to put out flowers.  Lots of foliage, but very few blooms.   It has been a very rainy summer.  Maybe that has affected the hydrangea, and perhaps also the morning glories.  Maybe they like shade and are getting too much sun.

I love morning glories.  I have hope that they will come through.  And I hope that they are blue.  Ah, blue morning glories!  That would be nice.   But truthfully, at this point, I'd settle for any color.

It would seem like such a waste of energy and effort on the part of this plant, for it not to produce any flowers.   But maybe that is just my bias.  Maybe the vine doesn't care!  Who knows?

Working on Sermons

I've been trying to figure out why I have not blogged for so long.  Maybe it is because I just burned out after blogging ever day in July.

But also, I have been working on other writing projects, and of course, also socializing.   Today I had lunch with daughter M.  It was good to hear about all her thoughts and feelings and events.  She has recently returned from a visit to her in-laws in Spain.  I got to hear all about that.   We stopped by to see daughter P at her place of work.   It was wonderful to hear that she does not need to have surgery on her knee, as feared.  I am having lunch with a dear friend tomorrow.

My friend Pam was here visiting for a while, and that was a treat.  Other than family,  it is a rare occasion to have a friend come for a two day visit.

I suddenly have a flurry of invitations to preach.  Usually those don't happen very often, but now I have four in a short time frame.  So, of course, I've been working on sermons.   Since I  have lots of time  (don't need to produce one a week)  I like to work on my sermons for quite a while.  And there are also other parts of a worship service to prepare, such as a Children's Message, and other bulletin parts--responsive readings, prayers, etc. Of course, this is something I enjoy very much.

One sermon down, three to go.   Three different locations.   2013 will go down as one that has brought into my life lots of speaking opportunities, and other surprising opportunities as well.   Who knew that retirement could be so rewarding?

Flood Memories

Last night's flood is really hard to comprehend.  I heard on the news last night that people had to be rescued from their cars in the Wal-Mart parking lot.  I thought they had to be mistaken.

But in fact, there was a significant flood at the bottom of my hill.  Fortunately, we live on a hill, and are and should be fairly protected from flood waters.

I have already lived through that, and hopefully will not have to ever do so again.   I was a flood victim in 1981 when a bunch of fluke factors caused an unexpected major flood in some parts of the town where I lived.  I happened to live in the lowest spot in town, and the lowest spot on my street.   My house did not have a basement, so when everyone else was pumping their basement, the waters all flowed into my yard.   The mud that came after the flood was much worse than the water itself.  That was really what destroyed everything.

But I survived, with the help of good friends and neighbors.  Gerry came to help, and he never left my side after that.  It was one of those times in life when something good comes out of disaster.

The damage at the bottom of the hill is major.  My heart goes out to all the people affected.  It will surely take Wal-Mart a long time to recover.

This is what it looked like last night.

There is also an Assisted Living facility in the same general area, which I understand had to be evacuated.    I've always thought that when I am old and infirm, that is where I might go.   Now that I see that it is in a flood zone, I will probably have to rethink that option!

A flood can be a really devastating experience.  In my case, once I got past the devastation,  there was blessing!

A Two-Talk Week

On Sunday evening I was one of the presenters, part of the faculty, at the Chautauqua event in Homer.  It is an annual event that offers ecumenical worship, and educational opportunities.

 I talked about my book In Its Time, and the process of imagining, writing, and publishing it.  Attendees have  to sign up for the "class".   The organizer commented to me that there was an unusually good turnout.

The class is supposed to last for an hour, which I could not imagine.   I talked for about 40 minutes and the audience asked questions for 20 minutes, and before long, the hour was up!  I was exhausted most of the day from rising early, playing tennis, going to church, playing games with V & M, who were visiting, doing dinner, etc.   But I was quickly and completely energized by the event, which I greatly enjoyed.

One person asked me who my favorite character was, and I could not immediately answer that question.  I'm still not sure about 'favorite',  but there certainly is one to whom I relate more than others.

Tonight,  I was invited to do a 'Book Talk' at the local library, where a book club group gathers each month to discuss a book they have read.   This month they had read my book.

One woman, who identified herself as Catholic, asked how I had happened to choose a Cardinal as one particular character in the story.   I honestly could not tell her why or how that had come to pass.  But at least she agreed that he was painted in a very positive light, and she liked him a lot.

I have one more "book presentation" scheduled in October.   After that, they will probably be over.

I am more than pleased with the opportunities that have come my way as a result of publishing this book.  All I really wanted out of the experience was readers!   And that I have had!   Beyond that,  I have been constantly surprised by invitations and good turnouts, as well as positive feedback.

At least in my own community, I am now established as a "local author."

With New Eyes

There is a phenomena that I have noticed over the course of my life.   Something which might drive you crazy at first  (like a big pile of dirt in the yard or a cardboard box in the middle of the office, etc.) will eventually become essentially invisible.   In other words, we grow accustomed to things, and no longer notice them.

That always seemed particularly true in churches, where "stuff" had a way of accumulating over time.  Those accustomed to the piles of stuff no longer saw them.   But I knew that new people coming into the church would definitely notice, if I did.

That same phenomena has been at play for me since I returned home from our trip.  A lot of things both inside and outside the house that I had simply grown accustomed to,  I am suddenly seeing with "new eyes".

That's surely a good thing, but it certainly is generating a lot of work for me, and for us.  While before we would have been out enjoying playing tennis,  now we have been driven to get the weeds out,  or clean the refrigerator, or replace the old toaster.  Or at least, I should say, that is what is happening to me.  Gerry is certainly helping.  Right now, he is in the mindset of edging the gardens and getting some mulch, which we did not do at the beginning of the season because it kills all my tender young plants.  Now the plants are old and dead, so I am not objecting to mulch so much at this time.   It even seems like a good idea after 40 loads of yard waste has been hauled off to the city dump, having no place in our yard to put it.

So my conclusion is that a result of going away and coming back home is that you look at everything around you as if you are seeing it for the first time.

And it just might need a little work!

The Weeded Flower Garden