Resolving chaos

Yesterday I noticed, after gassing up my car (remember the PWT Saturn?), that the odometer had reached 121,312 miles. Anticipating the two-mile drive to church this morning, I put my camera in the car. Sure enough, the odometer reading was 121314 when we got to church, so I took out the camera and snapped a shot. Cat asked what in the world I was doing. When I explained about the one-two, one-three, one-four phenomenon, she said, "So?"

Well, she has a point, of course. The odds of the odometer stopping at 121314 are the same as for stopping at 130086. There is no magic to the consecutive numbers 12, 13, and 14. It's just that I want to assign significance. There is nothing important about the 121,314th mile this car has driven, but I want to see order in the chaos.

Where does that desire originate? Is it a question of security? Do I feel safer in a world where I can sometimes perceive order and regualarity, a world in which I can occasionally count on something happening? Is there something within me that searches for the order which God has employed in constructing my reality?

That's what the first creation account in Genesis suggests: we are trying to find order in God's creation. Look how the days and creatures are arranged in that account. Draw out a table with three rows and two columns. Write down the created items of the first three days in one column. Then write down the created items of the last three days in the neighboring column. Compare the rows (i.e., day one to day four, day two to day five, etc.) What do the items have in common with the others in their column? With the others in their row?

Even if it may be entirely arbitrary, I like finding some order in the chaos. Encourages my hope.

Is it Friday yet?

OK, I'm drawing a blank here. I started to comment on the phenomenon of having holidays in the middle of the week, but that was a non-starter. The last time that I posted a weekend word was months ago and it started with a "U" (remember "uxorial"?) I guess that would suggest a word starting with "V," n'est-ce pas? So, the word that came to mind was vehement [VEE-eh-ment]. It is not an unusual word at all, but I used it in conversation recently and was surprised by the response. Talking with a man who is well educated and for whom public speaking is a significant aspect of his work, I described some of his comments as vehement. Not only did he object that his comments were not spoken in anger (while "vehement" can imply anger, it basically means "intense, emotional, fervent"), but he pronounced the word "ve-hem-e-nent." I didn't know whether to make my case or stop to correct his English.

Hmmm, that does bring up something else. Certainly you have heard people describe an activity as "not my for-tay." They are undoubtedly using the word "forte" which comes directly from French (it means "strength"). Maybe that's why they pronounce the "e" as "ay"--to sound more French. But the word has no accented "e" either in French or English. It should simply be pronounced as if the "e" were silent, which it is. "Ft. Worth is not my fort and creating wealth is not my forte."


Oh did you like the flowers? Yellow hibiscus reminds me of Hawaii, although the hibiscus that grew outside our door on Oahu was a bush over ten feet tall. Had to be trimmed every month or so. I don't know the name of the little purple flower, but the photo turned out nice.

Been there, played that

Well, this morning in church, the adult handbell choir finally played the song that I wrote. The performance was not flawless, but it was better than several of our practice runs. The congregation seemed to appreciate it and bell-ringers from other choirs made positive comments. I think that it set a good tone for the communion service which followed and I was glad to offer it up to the Lord.

A historian friend of mine informs me that today, July 2, is actually American Independence Day as this is the anniversary of the decision made to declare independence from England. The document was signed on July 4, 1776, ratifying what had already been declared. The church will celebrate by having "preacher burgers" this evening (i.e., the preacher will be cooking the burgers).

Cat's sister is in town for the long weekend. We watched Syriana last night. It was a good thing that we watched this at home on a DVD because we had to stop every so often just to be sure we all understood the plot. This is NOT a linear movie. We may watch it again now that we know who is who. But I think I will fast-forward through the torture scene--gives me the willies. Anyway, it is a sad reminder that this is a fallen world and those with lots of money are going to do their best to control the way things go. If you rent this movie, take home a comedy also so that you don't get too depressed.

Gladiolas are starting to bloom now. I don't care for the color so much, but they were already in the garden when we bought the house. As hot and dry as it has been here in Fake Cow Town, we are glad to see anything blooming. The hibiscus is getting ready to bloom so I will try to get a good shot when the yellow flowers unfold. So how is your weekend going? I'm going to take a nap now.

Yes, Clarence the pig

Kudos to Patti. The pig is not ceramic, but your guess was close enough. The pig, a child's bank, is made of compressed fiber, sort of like masonite molded into a shape. It came from my grandmother's house and must have been hers as a child since the name "Lora" is pencilled onto the bottom, right above MADE IN USA. As an adult she went by Lora Pearl (her middle name) until she married, and then adopted the sobriquet "Molly." She married a man whose middle name was Clarence (although he did not go by that name, but by "A.C." or "Fibber").


So since the word Clarence is written on the pig's posterior, the question is, when did she put the name there? The only "coin" it contains is "consumer tax check" from Oklahoma (curently worth about $3-5 on eBay). My grandparents lived in Oklahoma briefly before moving back to Texas, so maybe that's when it was acquired.

The left rear leg has been damaged, evidently when someone tried to drive a nail into it (see photo below). Why was that done? Clarence is too stoic to give a reply. He simply stares off into space, perhaps contemplating those dust bowl days in Oklahoma.

Planning ahead

I'm going to be busy this weekend, so I thought posting a watzat now would be appropriate. You see, my niece is getting married in Big Flat City fifty miles south of here and my sister and her family are coming up here for it. Since they will be driving from the Austin area, using up at least a hundred dollars worth of gas, we have invited them to stay at our house after the rehearsal and after the wedding the next day. So I had better study my Sunday school lesson NOW because we will be busy.

So what do you suppose this object might be? The name "Clarence" is meaningful, but what does it mean?

The weird world of nature

Last weekend, my wife's cousins had a reunion in Austin TX. About fifty people gathered to look at old photos, eat barbecue, swap stories, and just generally enjoy being together. We did an impromptu skit and one granddaughter sang "Crazy" which seemed to fit the audience. It was fun, even for me and the other in-laws. There was a lot of rain on the morning of the reunion, but the skies cleared before it actually began. It has been so dry here in West Texas that I was loving the smell and sensation of the humidity.

On the way home, we stopped at a park for lunch. My sister-in-law noticed something strange going on in a tree near the car. It seems that a wasp had attacked a beetle and some butterflies wanted in on the action. They kept coming up to the beetle until the wasp would chase them away. It was most peculiar. So intent were they on their business that I could hold the camera a few inches away without disturbing them.