A nice evening, Glen Rose, Grandma, Victoria

Monday evening Mama and I spent the time together celebrating our anniversary. We drove about an hour away to a Thai restaurant for dinner only to discover that our first choice was closed on Mondays. Their website had not reflected that change in schedule. We only found out as we arrived at the restaurant and read the hand-written sign on the front door. So, while we were parked, we looked for another nearby Thai restaurant and found one only twelve miles away. When we plugged that into the phone for directions, we found out that it would take forty minutes to make that drive. We stopped again and looked once more at potential restaurants and found one we had overlooked that was two tenths of a mile away. We drove the short distance, looked it over, and decided to try it out.

The restaurant turned out to be a great choice as a backup. We had a wonderful meal in a very relaxed atmosphere. I ordered duck for the first time, but Mama stuck with something more familiar. The duck was amazing. I cannot wait to try one of our own. By the way, it is looking like we have three hens in our care, but time will prove whether that is correct. While we were at the restaurant, I looked online to see how close we were to a Rita’s. We were only two miles from the nearest Italian Ice shop. We went there for dessert. By the time we had finished our custard and gelato, the traffic had dissipated, and we had an easy drive home. All in all, it was a very pleasant, much needed time alone together.

Tuesday and Wednesday, I spent in Glen Rose at the Creation Evidence Museum. Glen Rose is about 100 miles from home. An easy two-hour drive. Pastor and I made the trip to and from each day which gave us time to fellowship en route. The time at the museum was spent unpackaging, assembling and testing an electron microscope the museum had purchased. The microscope had been delivered in March but the lab where it would be stationed had not been ready at that time.

In those two days of activity, I was privileged to be around a group of men who are gifted, intelligent, and committed to the Lord. Pastor admitted that a large majority of the discussions we engaged in during those many hours of conversation were far above his ability to follow even on the fringes of those discussions. I admit that is has been some time since I have engaged in such technical and complicated conversations.

Biology, physics, cellular chemistry, electronics, microscopy and microanalysis, all focused on creation and the evidence available to support that truth. It was fun to revisit that part of my mind, to bring out those memories, and access that information once again. It reminded me that nothing is ever wasted in God’s economy. Everything we learn will be used by God at some point in our lives. Therefore, it is best to follow the Bile’s instructions that whatever we do, do it to the best of our abilities. Learn things well so that when God uses those lessons in some future setting, you have well established facts and methods to retrieve and use.

In the future, I will be able to participate in the operation of that electron microscope. There is already a schedule being developed to accommodate such participation. We did not get to run the microscope through the initial startup and test its function for the museums purposes because the power supply set up for the machine was not properly sized for the equipment. We were unable to step the power down properly to plug in the machine and operate it like we would have liked to do. That will come in late September. I am scheduled to be at the lab again for the proper startup and initial testing of the microscope. Everyone is looking forward to that, but for now, the electron microscope is set and ready.

Grandma had a dental appointment today to have her upper teeth pulled out in preparation for dentures. I am a little apprehensive about the recovery process for her after the extractions.  Grandma is not overly willing to follow instructions carefully, so the prospect of avoiding a dry socket from the multiple extractions is a viable outcome if we are not very careful. The extractions took less than an hour and so far, Grandma feels great, but the numbing has not worn off yet. We should know her pain levels in a few hours. Hopefully, all will turn out well and the healing will be quick and complete.

Since Victoria is coming home today, Mama had already put that on her schedule following the trip to Denton for the dental visit, but the flight is not due to arrive until around 7 pm. However, Alex asked Mama yesterday if she would meet Yilin at the airport about 2 pm today. With that change in schedule, Mama will leave to pick up Yilin early in the afternoon and spend the time between that flight and Victoria’s flight in the general area of the airport. That will save us a half tank of gas. The airport is about fifty-five miles away, making the round trip a couple hours – depending on traffic. If Mama brought Yilin home after meeting her flight, she would have to repeat that hundred-mile trip again only a couple hours later. We both want to save that mileage, that time on the road, plus, there are a lot of stores to explore in that area. Not to mention a Chick-Fil-A there was well.

If Yilin is moderately cooperative, Mama could have a good time enjoying the delay.