Months without an r, fishing evening, Mama, getting together

Tomorrow we will enter the period of the year where we work our way through the months without an “r”. There a lot of old wives’ tales about what should not be eaten during those months. Oysters and rabbits among others. Whether or not those have any merit is debatable, but the ideas persist none-the-less. The overarching truth is that Summer is almost upon us. For those of us here in North Texas, this truth will prove itself this weekend as the temperatures fly up into the upper nineties for a day of two. We will have those hot days followed by cooler days for a few weeks yet. Then we will be wholly given over to very hot days through the remainder of the months without an “r”. I do not mind the summer, but that is probably because of air conditioning. The house is always a retreat from the heat. Our bees will love it.

Pastor is coming over this evening to try out the upper lakes. We had originally planned on fishing Monday evening, but the winds were steady at 15 mph. Not a time to be out on the lake. You would think that with the two of us in the 12-foot boat that the wind would have trouble pushing the boat, but that is not the case. We would be blown about like a bobber on the water. It is a little more difficult than blowing a ping pong ball on a tabletop, but not by much. So, when it is that windy, we avoid going out on the boat. It is too frustrating to have to constantly fight against the wind while trying to fish. Last Friday evening, when the winds were up it was very difficult to cast unless you had the wind at your back. Still, a bad day fishing is better than a good day at the office.

This evening should be much better. The water will be very clear since we have not had any appreciable rain and the winds will be still; less than 5 mph. The temperature will be in the mid-eighties. I am not sure what we will find in the upper lakes when we get out on them, but we will give it a try. It will be a little bit more of a challenge to get on the boat onto the upper lakes. There is less immediate access to them than the lower lake, but it is only a matter of a slightly longer walk to access a launch site for the boat. Once in the water, one is the same as the other from the boat. We will figure that out when we have the boat at the lake. The small upper lake has given us some really large bass. I have a hunch the large upper lake will do the same, but that remains to be seen. It will be fun testing the theory. It is certain that the large upper lake has not been fished for a couple decades. It should be fun.

Mama’s business is doing very well. She has progressed within the organization quickly which translates into higher payouts for her sales. So far, this business has proven to be a good fit for her. It may be a little stressful, but it is low impact physically. Which is a good tradeoff because Mama has been hurting a lot lately. Mostly in her knees; including the replaced knee. But lately, her back has been hurting as well. I can sympathize with the back pain. I am starting to be able to sympathize with the knee pain. Some of the issue is how much time she spends reclined on the couch with her legs extended. Some is the result of arthritis setting in. The end of the couch is her office, which serves her well enough for the time being. I am thinking about how to make her a better area to spend her time in, but I have not come across anything yet. I am not sure what I am looking for, but if I continue to think on it and pray about it, the Lord will give me the insight I need. I love living for the Lord.

We will have church this Sunday. There will be some “social distancing” rules in place. No handshaking. No groups in conversation. Every other pew in use. No more than two persons in the restroom at a time. And so on. But we will be together. Some will not attend for fear of the virus. Those who are most vulnerable are being advised to stay home and watch online. Others will stay home and watch online for the convenience of it. I am pleased we are continuing to offer the online services, especially since some of our isolated missionaries are able to enjoy those services. I am looking forward to our congregation being together. Regardless of the restrictions on interaction.

Hopefully, this will be over soon, and we will lose our fear of infecting each other – regardless of the infection in question.