A couple of oddities

Friday when we came home from work, we found that someone had left a chalk message on our driveway. This is quite confusing because the only person on our block with whom we regularly exchange favors is a bit old to be down on her knees writing with chalk. Was it the people across the street? We hardly ever talk to them--mostly friendly waves and "Are the 'skeeters eating you up?"

Maybe some children were playing on our driveway and one wrote the message for the others. After all, there is a small "Thanks" scrawled to the side. Could that been a playmate's response? But it seems to be in the same handwriting.

Perhaps friends who do not live nearby did this. I am intrigued that the word "y'all" was correctly spelled (not "ya'll" as one often sees) while "R" was substitutetd for "are." Maybe I am over-analyzing this. Maybe space aliens did this. (Rachel is out of town or I would suspect her.)


Another oddity is this flower growing in our backyard. Like Jonah's vine, it just sprung up all of a sudden. When it was about a yard tall, we thought it was a sunflower. But once it started flowering, the flowers look like brown-eyed Susans. The thing looks rather gangly with the thick stalk and leaves that are many times larger than the flowers. What do you think it is? And who planted THAT in our yard? We are going to have to keep a closer eye on our house!

Mountains of New Mexico

As you may recall, Cat came up to Ruidoso with some friends so we were able to spend a couple of nights together (Cat and me, not our friends). Anyway, we were wondering what to do on Saturday before the play rehearsal and saw a lookout spot on the Chamber of Commerce map. Hey, if it's on the visitors' map, I figure we can go see it, right? So we turn off the highway at the appropriate exit and then depart from the asphalt to take the gravel road uphill. Did I mention that we are in the PWT Saturn? As we grind on up the hill, the rocks and the potholes get progressively larger. Every time I think that we are almost to the top, there's another turn and a long climb.


Finally we make it to the top and people are there. I mean lots of people, some of them camping two yards from the parking lot. Families of people. People with dogs. This is anything but secluded. Well, it was on the Chamber of Commerce map, after all. So Cat and I hike up to the steps that lead up the tower to the lookout.

Wow, what a view! We can't go all the way to the very top, because that's where a forest ranger is sitting behind a locked door, scanning the horizon for forest fires. Or maybe watching TV, I'm not sure. But the view is incredible. Of course, photos do not do it justice. But here's the view from atop Monjeau Tower. Be sure to click on the photo to see it better.

Five things I dig about Jesus

Patti tagged me for this posting. The rules and my selections are below the list.

1. His humility (not to be confused with false modesty). "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" [Matthew 24:36].
2. His sarcasm with the religious elite. "Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue, and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God" [Luke 12:42a].
3. His integrity and willingness to tell the truth no matter what. "When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at [the centurion] and turning to the crowd following him, he said, 'I tell you , I have not found such faith even in Israel'" [Luke 7:9].
4. His compassion. "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" [Matthew 9:36].
5. His acceptance of people's faith. "When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, 'Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven'" [Matthew 9:2b].

Here are the rules:
(a) Those tagged will share "Five Things They Dig About Jesus".
(b) Those tagged will tag 5 people.
(c) Those tagged will leave a link to their meme in the comments section of this post so everyone can keep track of what's being posted.

Here's who I tagged:
Mindy, Annie, Carolanne, Paul, and Phyllis

Shadowlands in review

Wow, I have to say that I am amazed at how well the play went, especially in light of the obstacles. We were only allowed in the Spencer Theater Wednesday through Friday, 9:00 to 5:00. And then we went through a technical rehearsal the afternoon of the performance! So we had to do all rehearsals (except for three-and-a-half days) in some other location. But the crowd was bigger than last year's by at least a hundred people. And they really liked the play and none of us seriously dropped any lines. The theater has only invited one university in the US to present a play on their
stage, ONE. And that is Wayland Baptist University. And they have told us they want us to keep doing this annually for the next seven years! Yeah, I'm proud.

The top photo is the much vaunted wardrobe. As Jonboy stated, it is ten feet tall and nine feet wide. The doors had to open and close automatically three times during the play, twice with fog coming out. And guess who designed the doors, hung them, figured out the mechanics, and pulled the strings to make it happen? Yeah, me, that's right. It was so cool to see this actually work. The wardrobe was disassembled and will be reconstructed on our campus for the ceremonies which welcome the freshman students in August.

The bottom photo is me in the role of Harry Harrington, a stodgy British preacher. The hardest lines for me to deliver came right after the very poignant death scene. I had to be uncaring, saying "Better sooner than later. Better quick than slow. After all, it was no mystery--the writing was on the wall." It was so difficult to watch the actors right before my entrance without weeping. They were really good.

Well, we are experiencing thunder and lightening at the moment, so I guess I should shut down my computer. I will post again later with scenic shots of New Mexico.

"Return to normalcy"

It has been almost two weeks since we returned from Kenya. That is enough time for the body to re-adjust to this time zone. Enough time to get back to the routine foods. Enough time to get consumed by the work and church schedules. But there is no returning to normalcy. I think that "normal" is simply an idea. It doesn't really exist. It is just a collection of attributes selectively extracted from the processes of life. In some ways, the idea of normalcy distracts us from reality. Instead of being attentive to the distinct details of life's progression, we dully register only the "normal" attributes.


Now to something else. While we were gone, a neighbor watered our houseplants. Well, she actually opened the door so her daughter-in-law could take care of them. And the plants look terrific! Our plumeria had started to bloom right before we left and we thought we would miss the show. But it was in full flower when we returned. The plumeria is a constant reminder of Hawai'i for us. When we visited Australia almost a year ago, I collected seeds from a flowering bush and brought them home with me (sssssshhhh! Don't tell Homeland Security!) I waited until spring and planted them. Lo and behold, there are now four seedlings! The leaves fold together at night, and in the morning when they open back up, they actually vibrate from springing open. Can't wait for the flowers because they smell so wonderful.

I'm headed to Ruidoso next week to be in a play. If you happen to be in New Mexico on Saturday 23rd, go to the Spencer Theater in Ruidoso and buy a ticket. It's a small role, but part of a team effort that has not been without its challenges. The play is "Shadowlands" and it is based on events in the life of C. S. Lewis. I will take a photo of the huge wardrobe (free-standing clothes closet) that we built for the play. It is awesome.

Safari

While I attended the e-learning conference, Cat was on safari at Lake Nakuru. This salty lake attracts flamingos and pelicans in great abundance. In this photo, the pinkish white color is thousands of flamingos. Of course there are other animals to see as well. On the early morning trek of the safari there was a family of lions within several hundred yards of the campsite. This video shows them strolling out towards the lake. Cat took this video.