Not Too Good of a Catch Up

 Here we are in July. We just celebrated our country's 250th birthday. Some celebrate with big picnics or cookouts, attending parades and fireworks, but we celebrated by staying home. Not a letdown at all, cause that is what we desired to do. We've done all the above in years past but not until recently, well longer than recently, we find being content and slowing down is the new "buzz" for us. No dedicated home projects or yard work. Roy has rediscovered reading books for enjoyment and my attention span is better to stay interested in whatever book I am reading. Since the World Cup is America during this celebration and the videos of people from Europe finding all the good things about America, we did not jump on the soccer bandwagon. It is still an inordinate amount of running, kicking a ball and having fanatic fans cheering this all on. I didn't care of the player on the US team who received a red card and then got a reprieve...no pony in the race. Now if this were the Oilers from back in the day I might be yelling, "give it to Earl!" (Earl Campbell. A friend just posted on FB, well all this with soccer. meh, because SEC football is not too far away. Geaux Tigers! 

Yesterday, Circle Joy. Love that group of ladies. Our chapter this month is on Strength in Christ. Lagatha brought a good lesson and lively discussion. Somehow, we got on the discussion of women pastors and deacons. Yes, inspired by the fine people of the SBC. I am for men remaining pastors and deacons but what I am not for is, demeaning and designating women to roles in the church where you shut up and never question the men running the church show. Our former church didn't feel that way at first, but slowly things began to change and as they changed or disappeared, people began leaving. Covid helped many make the exit. Then the slow trickle began. The new pastor and the church were not a good fit and that is on both sides of the aisle. Very little joy in those years. I just read an interesting article/blog post by Joe McKeever, retired pastor. He wrote of the time he was the pastor of First Baptist Charlotte. It was a very difficult three years.  https://joemckeever.com/wp/broken-pastor-broken-church-4/

He is gracious in the telling and the comments from people attending in those years are very complementary to his ministry there. It has all the classic moves, secret meetings, digging around for information and the like by leaders in the church. His tenure was in the late 80's and after they gave him severance, generous I might add, they called back the pastor who they had gotten rid of right before him. Over all I like so much of what Joe McKeever writes and his daily thoughts on our relationship with Christ as well as others. 

It seems the saga of heart monitors continued this cardiologist visit. Last year they forgot to send the monitor and then they asked me to do a re-do on the readings. I only found out the results because the cardioversion needed to be scheduled. This year, the nurse put the monitor on me but never got the results. Checked in with the PA on the portal. She read the monitor but a physician has not thus not releasing into my health files. It is probably the best monitor read I've had in a while. In fact I was thinking after sending the monitor back that maybe the palpitations I felt were not afib or flutter at all but probably a slow down of sorts. Ding, ding, ding....winner winner, chicken dinner. I had a few sputters and spurts of fib and flutter but it corrected itself rather quickly. I sensed from the message that maybe the PA thought I wanted another ablation. As in the words of Bugs Bunny, she don't know me very well do she.  I want to live independently without a lot of procedures and such. My idea of fun is not doctor office visits. 

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Another week and less blogging. Screen time is beginning to get to me and had a few things on the calendar that needed to be attended to. One fun thing was the Men and Women's Bible Studies honoring Al and Kathy. Missionaries and long time members of First Pres. They are moving closer to family. We had a luncheon and very good food. Yum! Roy did something different for our potion, he bought Whopper Juniors, had them cut them in half  and sat right there with the finger sandwiches. Great idea and we didn't bring home any leftovers. 

I finished the book from Beth Allison Barr about how the SBC morphed pastor's wife into a whole different type of ministry. It was a good read with lots and lots of foot notes. Think I'll read something light next, a book on how legalism is ruining the church. Nah, have the book but fiction is calling my name. 

Shortly Thereafter

 Way before I began teaching Sunday School when I was able to take sabbatical Sundays, I accidently came across a scene of a lone car in a church parking lot, with an older lady standing beside it dressed in the ubiquitous pencil skirt with a short matching jacket and a fashionable pill box hat. She stood there gazing at that medium to good sized church building. I don't have any idea how long she looked back but in that few seconds of seeing this, she got into her car and made her way to the exit. Several weeks later I read that the church where I had seen the lady had closed. The Sunday I saw her was the last Sunday with only a few there to worship. She told the story of that church in her interview, she had been there since childhood and had watched it grow, blossom, overflow, decrease and come into just a handful of members. They couldn't keep afloat cause that handful of members, now elderly didn't have the funds. Sometime after this, the church property was sold and another church meets there. I think of that woman, church and being a witness of that morning but not in a sense of church closure but in general life lived. We don't always get that opportunity to look, remember and then move on. Many times it is all happening so fast we don't get to make the proper goodbyes. 

We just celebrated the one week in with Millie Mazda. I am still learning and Roy as well where things are, what does what and that includes coming into the house and googling our questions. The print in the manual for the car, well, let's just say the print is small. Feeling limited many times to go anywhere past Weaverville with Mustang Sally, we took a little jaunt yesterday to Burnsville. First stop, breakfast at Pig and Grits. The highlight of that stop is, Christy of Christy's Crafts leaving with family and friends and our chance meeting in the parking lot. So good to see her. We got the invitation to their church's celebration tomorrow complete with dinner on the ground but we are unable to attend. So, this was a nice icing on the cake moment. We then headed over to The Find and I found a few things. We made a quick stop in the clothing store behind them and the name escapes me right now. By this time, with little to no AC in either store, the heat got to me. Once we headed toward home we both took advantage of Millie's cooled seats and dang, if that isn't the best cooled seats we've ever had in a vehicle. We are hoping to venture out a little farther on our next excursion. 

There continues to be reports of the bear I saw on Sunday morning. I am calling him the Tipton Hill Bear cause a whole lot of folks are seeing him and not in the usual places. People are saying this year more bears than ever are being seen due to their habitat being turned into homes and the like. We have not seen him since but I am always conscience of his maybe or might be presence. 

Saturday evening we watered plants so you can thank us for the rain yesterday. Ha! When church was over the rain poured down. We waited for it to let up a little before walking briskly to the car. Our pastor began our new study, the book of John. Looking forward to the coming weeks of John. 

Lions and Tigers, No, But A Bear, Oh My

It was a blissful Sunday morning. We were eating breakfast and I looked up to gaze upon the beauty of God's creation, another type of beauty of of God's creation with a bit of a jog pace moved along the gravel road of our neighbors and into their open wildflower pasture. A bear! Not Yogi. Not Boo Boo but hopefully a Baylor Bear. In the twelve years we have owned this home we have never, ever, nope not once, ever have seen a bear. Oh, there was that bobcat in 2015 that used the front yard as a cut through and there was a bull who wiggled his way out of an opening in the fence, came across the road and stood there until I recognized his existence. That happened when I heard a snorting sound very close to me. Turned to look and there he was moving toward me. I believe I almost ran to the front porch but it was probably more of a brisk walk. Several years ago a pair of deer passed through and one turkey. Other than these mentioned we've had racoons, chipmunks, squirrels and snakes. But, on the seventh day of June in the year of our Lord 2026, I saw a bear. He seemed to be moving along and looked back down the road and continued to make his way over toward our across the way neighbors, who has kiddos and dogs. I texted them and Roy texted our neighbors above us. I tried, really tried to take a picture but I was so rattled and so nervous, I couldn't think fast enough to get that phone ready. That moment of excitement over in those short seconds but the lingering of the "what if "started drifting into my thoughts. Not the what if we had been outside but the what if that bear is waiting for us to come outside. Is he lurking in the shadows? Roy still needed to get some food out to The Feral Fam and he postponed the usual time. They began to congregate around the backdoor. I felt the need to make an announcement to the Fam that Sunday breakfast might become Sunday brunch. Finally, cause he would have been out there sooner if it was up to him. He went out and got breakfast served. Meanwhile I was on bear patrol with the security cameras and going window to window checking out the situation. 

Because of the attention to detail in this reconnaissance mission, I began humming then breaking into full voice singing, The Bear Went Over the Mountain to help guide this wayward bear on his way. Then, I wondered if Baylor University had sent the bear to see where those Alumni By Choice donations were as well as noticing the car with the Baylor sticker was gone. Wow, if this bear was from Baylor, Sic 'em Bears, he did a good job getting my attention. 

I also asked Roy if he had recently made fun of any bald men? I knew I hadn't but in case he had, was this just like the Bible? The story of Elisha being made fun of by some guys and a bear comes to rip them all up into pieces. No, we did not do that. 

The Teen Girl Squad Camp Song? Did the bear know I needed a fresh laugh over old funnies?

And the chumbly wumbly bear came a tumblin' down!
Did he sell beans?
Lord no!
Did he sell eggs?
Lord no!
But he couldn't... so he stapled it down!"

I don't know, but only the fans of Teen Girl Squad will get the above reference. What I do know is this, it is difficult to get ready for church and be on bear patrol. It is comforting to know that all of The Feral Fam have been accounted for. 

Alas, after this visual bear encounter I cannot say if I know or not know the mystery of the universe...Does a bear poop in the woods? No definitive answer on our part. 

Hello Millie, Goodbye Sam

Lately my attention is turned to the tree tops that can be seen from the front upstairs bedroom window. They display quite a show and their daily dance is more classical ballet then modern interpretive dance. The trees take turns being the prima ballerina but their background contributions are stellar. One particular tree in the very back and a few feet taller than the rest almost moves like a mechanical prop. Maybe not to others but I can make out the outline of a dog or sometimes even a horse. When the wind blows that particular tree moves like a dog or horse running while the surrounding trees wave back and forth, to and fro cheering on that one tree moving contrary to the to and fro. 

 In our study yesterday at Circle Joy we looked briefly at Paul's fellow prisoner Epaharus. He brought the good news to the people of Colossae and he was a gentile as well as a fervent prayer. I remember a devotional thought thing I did one year at a retreat about him. Many biblical scholars believe he had himself thrown into prison to be able to take care of Paul. So, it wasn't a Roman Holiday...haha. 

This has been an extremely emotion packed week. So many time intensive concerns. We've been looking at cars because Mustang Sam needs to be enjoyed by someone else. Such a fun car but the last few years we didn't feel Sam to be day trip worthy. The rim noise over sixty miles an hour distracted me. Don't think we will want aluminum rims again. So back and forth to the grocery store and church. Mustang Sam with the top down brought nature up close and personal. Roy got some of the best photographs while driving through the tunnels on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Yet, I was trailed a couple of times by cops and once a state trooper. Only ticket I have received in over forty years, Mustang Sam and me going through Woodfin, a place where one never speeds, but I was singing Christmas Carols and failed to notice that the speed of the car was going about as fast as I was singing. 

We had other appointments that took attention and I taught Bible study on Thursday morning. It has been a year since last teaching. Our teacher has a few health things going on. I kept on the subject of finishing well. We looked at Psalm 92 and some of the highlights of Samuel's life serving and how he dealt with the hurt of the people wanting a king. I didn't have a lot of study time but finishing well is a subject near and dear to my heart. 

Back to buying Millie Mazda, even with all the prep work Roy had done coming in with approval and having the paperwork we would ever need and more organized in a folder was time intensive. Things take time even with email and texts and all that stuff. We drove Mazda's back in the day and in fact, we drove them until there was nothing left to drive. Since our preferred brand of Toyota is kind of messed up right now and we didn't know enough for other brands, we researched the new improved business of Mazda. I was thinking back in the day, we bought and traded cars like baseball cards but now we drive our vehicles much longer. Part of that is immaturity on our part and better manufactured goods on the car makers part. Last year we thought about a Lexus but ruled that out due to no Lexus dealership in our area, so basically we would be getting the Toyota experience which chased us away from the local dealership. That sounds entitled but really, if you're spending that kind of money, the perks are nice to have. Millie Mazda handles like a sports car and even has a sports setting just like the Mustang. The ride is higher off the road and love all the storage capacity in the back. One thing that has changed, I haven't cranked up the music yet, but maybe that is still to come. 

What Happened To May?

 A coolish and foggy Friday morning. We are going between two seasons lately and I don't think most of us mind. Hotter days are ahead, our patterns change. Our trees now look like a forest from all the rain we've had and rain we've needed. I was greeted on the driveway by Roy cutting up the branches from the ornamental cherry trees that hang over one side when returning home Wednesday night from choir. In early May I felt I was so early trying to get flower things done and here at the end of May, I feel so behind. My attention is now toward the middle of summer when most of these seeds will be flowering. Roy looked at the tomatoes and bell peppers yesterday and said they are doing good. He will probably put up the tomato cages sometime this weekend. 

After three weeks of missing Thursday Morning Bible Study, I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the conference room to listen, discuss and study Finishing Well With A Life of Purpose. I have a confession to make, after we finished the mini version, no homework study of Mark by Kay Arthur, I was a little concerned about now having a man teach our study, brilliant man at that cause most of what I know about men teaching is, no discussion. My way or the highway type attitude. On a side note, Roy didn't believe me when I told him that there was a distinctive terminology with work or attitudes divided up by, that's women's work around this area. Upon being here full time, he was quick to verify my observations. He found it astounding, not as in a eureka moment but in, how can this attitude happen in the twenty first century. But of course, I digress. Back to Bible study, I confess I was wrong and this has been one of the best, meaningful and interesting look into the scriptures. Yesterday, when I got home I told Roy all about what we studied. The discussion and the openness of our thoughts is so encouraging. Bryan, is a retired engineer that worked at Lockheed Martin. Sometimes he will add thoughts to our lesson with info on quantum physics. I kind of check out on that part just like always when it comes to math. But he gave us such an applicable example that even I, minimal math Nancy was blown away. He said, what if you took a math class, I think I laughed, anyway, you are taking a math class and you just aren't getting it. You go to tutoring, do extra study but it still doesn't make sense. On the day of the exam, you go to the professor, now I am laughing cause I never took a math class in college, and say, I don't understand this, I am going to fail...  The professor responds, what if I take the test for you? Boom! Bingo! That is the example of what Jesus did for us, he took the test, he bore the price so that we could pass, so we could have life abundantly. He added he once said the same thing to a professor about understanding the class, but the professor didn't volunteer to take the test.  Insert whatever course or what you're good at where math is used. Double boom, double bingo. Bryan's insights into the biblical culture of the first century church is thought provoking. Michael Card, author and musician, teaches imagine study of the scripture that I have always loved. Put yourself in that place...forty days and forty nights is one thing to read, but when you think of a period of time with waiting, wondering and discouragement that we experience, it brings a whole new dimension into your study time. I have a friend right now waiting on an MRI and this time of waiting, antibiotics and such...probably feels like forty days and forty nights, but she knows God is in control. 

The choir is singing one of my all time favorites, Majesty and Glory of Your Name. Memories flooded back singing that anthem with the choir at First Baptist Houston. I was talking with Peggy the other day and mentioned that she and I must have sang a combo of alto/tenor cause some of those notes are just too dang high. 

Something to be grateful for, not being a member of a Southern Baptist Church right now. I mean it seems there are greater things, issues and problems. Some SBC pastors and men, when it comes to nitpicking and such, well, at least they are consistent. Guess one could say they are like Jesus, they are the same yesterday, today and forever. Haha! Old M&G joke. 

Repeat these basic essentials over and over to God’s people. Warn them before God against pious nitpicking, which chips away at the faith. It just wears everyone out. Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple. Stay clear of pious talk that is only talk. Words are not mere words, you know. If they’re not backed by a godly life, they accumulate as poison in the soul. Hymenaeus and Philetus are examples, throwing believers off stride and missing the truth by a mile by saying the resurrection is over and done with. 2 Timothy 2:14-18 Message Bible

Making That Turn For The June Cardiologist Appt

 A joy to be back in choir for our Sunday service. Our director has been out for a couple of months recovering from a fall. We met Wednesday for the first time. I don't think they planned on us returning so soon, but rehearsal went well even with a few of our members playing with the Asheville Band at the Biltmore. We sang the condensed version of Behold Our God, one of my favs. Our pastor is wrapping up the Psalms and soon we will be in the book of John. 

I think in every church and in every choir of churches  I've attended there seems to be a Sunday where the feelings fill up at how much I love being at that church. Happened at First Baptist Houston and when Newfound Baptist had a choir.  Sunday morning I looked across the congregation and experienced those feelings. So many answered prayers, especially this morning as friends returned from surgery, or being with family having surgery and answered prayer for Debbie's return. Our hymns lifted up the Name of Jesus and we rejoiced being a child of His. 

May 22nd was the one year anniversary of an eventful cardiologist visit. That visit prompted the next few months of health concerns and changes that needed to be made. My BP was through the roof, stroke level, and after monitor wearing and dobutamine stress echocardiogram, atrial flutter determined a cardioversion was in order. The flutter with no break into a regular rhythm? No wonder I remained in the state of constant exhaustion and the worst case of brain fog. Believe me, brain fog has been my companion for many years before these senior adult years. 

During that time last year something I read caught my attention and resonated deeply, Steve Bezner, a dynamic pastor in Houston was resigning his pastorship to become a professor at Truett Seminary at Baylor University. What spoke to me was his story, his heart and health story. His cardiologist told him he needed to make some changes in his life or suffer the consequences. My doctors had said, this is a second chance. You have a window of opportunity, take advantage. One day, you won't be able to fight back. That's what I have been doing and changes are coming about slower than I like. Getting my hip on the right track was huge for the progress to begin. Just last week, he wrote these words in the next paragraph and just like last year, this year his thoughts and observations resonated within me. I mean really, how much slower of a pace could I get but it was the stress I was heaping upon myself and it was affecting my health. Yes, there were other things weighing in, but our concern was to restore a good heart beat and walk in good health. I did what a lot of people do now, research to determine what will work and impact. Steve Bezner is on Substack and everything he writes is worth the time.

1. Slower pace has been good for our health and souls. As mentioned at the beginning of this piece, we made this transition because of my health. It has paid enormous dividends. My blood pressure is down thirty points. My weight is down. My bloodwork is the best it has been in a decade. My cardiologist was…happy??…at my last visit. It’s a different pace of life, and it appears I needed it. When I sat on my back patio in Houston, I could hear a highway, a train, and an airport while speaking directly to both of my neighbors. From my Waco back patio? When we sit in our chairs we can hear…nothing. We can see the stars. I miss Houston. I miss HNW. And I miss pastoring. But this has been a welcome and needed shift.

Rain, Yay!

 Looking back at FB memories it seems we plant on this day in years gone by. We have held to that tradition by working in the flowerbeds this afternoon. We have spent two fruitless trips to Canton. Mustang Sam is on his last legs and the cost of repair is just too much for what needs to be done. While driving back to Canton to pick Sam up, my right hearing aid just stopped working. Frustrated beyond words trying to solve the issue. Well, Monday morning holds an appointment to see what the heck is wrong. 

Afternoons filled with construction noise is the norm around here now but today is was just farm equipment. No rain expected for days so hay is fluffed and drying out to soon be put into bales. They are still able to do that across the road but a few more houses look to be built and that will cause that delightful scene to cease. The baling began in earnest in the early evening and as we transplanted tomato plants and pepper plants we moved to the sound of hay baling. Oh the sweet fragrance of that is just about one of my all time favorite fragrances. 

I've also been reading about tell tale signs in creative or just plain oh communicative writing. There are so many styles and ways. A common example is how people treat animals or the stories they tell about animals. Some people just are cruel and heartless and their "humorous" stories or even in the forming of the first few sentences tells me more than I really want to know. It seems like the same can be said about those who love cars and trucks, collect them, working and non-working. Vintage or new but the backseat of their vehicles are filled with trash including unfinished meals of fast food. I know that we don't keep up with washing or vacuuming the inside of our vehicles but we also don't leave snacks or meals in them either. Artists, creative people who sometimes work in chaos which seems opposite of what we are told about our brains, the chaos tells us their approach or maybe more about their brain It would seem writers could be classified in that arena as well. The will to create or communicate how is the story, hobby or art is displayed but behind the scenes is interesting. 

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Well, a little bit of time, like maybe a week or so has gone by. Reading about creative writing and then, just like that, two books have my attention. Small Towns Girls, Jayne Anne Phillips and The Calamity Club. Small Towns Girls is the author's memoir of growing up in West Virginia interspersed with history of systems of the area. I do not want this book to end. I took The Calamity Club, huge book, with me to read while waiting for Roy at the gastro office. A bit of overkill, I know. I had not taken into account some good waiting room people watching. I'm enjoying Calamity but the character buildups are taking a little too long for me. Since dealing with all the side effects and such from the C o^!d era, a couple keep hanging around and one of them is attention span. I did not have a very long attention span before the era. If you have to have a pleasant experience at a gastro place, Roy had one. The people are so nice and he received excellent care. We have prayed over this appointment quite a bit and this one is his best ever. Our doctor likes this group in Hendersonville, so that's where we went. We also got around all the backup on 26 with the lane being closed for the connector for 26. 

It seems all of WNC is happy for rain. We've had so little yet the word on the road is, the peach crop is fabulous this year. We had our first peaches of the season and they were sweet and delicious. Usually, peaches don't start out that well in the first pick of the season. With the rain, we opted out of the Lowe's trip and instead focused on grocery shopping. Got that taken care of, came home and debated whether to go to Windy Hill Farms or go to Mars Hill for lunch. We took lunch in Mars Hill for a thousand Aleck. Stopped at the store, got a few things and came back out. I saw something shine for a brief moment in the tire. Dang, a nail but it was in the tire in such a way that we were not in imminent danger of air loss. Ironic cause we had dropped off the Mustang for a second opinion that morning and now this. Got home and Roy headed over to the tire shop. Second opinion confirmed the first one from last week on the Mustang. We will begin in earnest this week searching for a car. 

May has held a lot of appointments and beginning the middle of June, we will get a brief reprieve till August, when it starts up again.