Visitors

 

A few weeks ago, Mom & Dad came home to the scene above.  It didn't take long for those highly evolved scavengers to figure out what the squirrels could not; they not only got past the Dome of Intrusion, but the next night, the family knocked the entire bird feeder down!  This type of activity just could not continue at the Lodge and so entered Trap 1.  The morning light revealed our first capture, obviously a bit dejected at his predicament.

The score stood at one juvenile down and 3 more, plus the Momma to go.  Dad & I took a trip out to Sugar Creek Lake an dropped our friend off in a new neighborhood.  That night, I brought Trap 2 and, predictably, we got two more.  Another trip to the Lake for a double drop and that night we got Coon Kiddie Number Four!  He was also promptly delivered to his siblings' new home.  Amazingly, the momma hasn't been tempted by a smorgasbord of birdseed a' la bacon grease on a bed of rotting strawberries.  I can't imagine why.

Cleaning Day

A few weeks ago, Grandpa & Grandma decided it was time to clean out the garage.  You have to understand, this was no ordinary garage.  For many years (and 3 or 4 retirements), it was the home of Don's Furniture Service.  The creative den where Grandpa took the mundane or mildewed and recreated antique divinity.  His skill at refinishing and repairing any manner of wooden furniture was so well known that even the Busch family had him on speed dial (yes, those Buschs).  The footprints of a vast and untold number of chair legs, inlaid table tops, upholstered footstools and Time-itself-only-knows-what-else are indelibly etched in the stained and pocked floor of that small piece of real estate.  And today it fell to all of us to pilfer our personal treasures from flotsam & jetsam of a very successful, albeit deliberately collective, career.

Aunt Helen took the helm of organizing the event, complete with a dumpster of epic proportions.  Aunt Janet journeyed from the east to get in on the party.  Unfortunately, Mom & Dad had back-to-back funerals at the last minute and couldn't make it, but J-J & H and S-S & C made an early morning commute to Bridgeton and by 9:30AM the fun had commenced.  Aunt Helen took some time to remind all of us of the work and dedication that Grandpa & Grandma had put into their lives and ours and then delegated duties.  We went through just about ever nook & cranny of the place and filled  that monster dumpster.  Yes, we kept bits and pieces of sentimental value, but 40 years or so of accumulation can, well, cause some accumulation.  You can jump over to the pictures to track our progress.  Needless to say we were pretty tuckered out and in desperate need of a good hosing off by day's end.  We missed Mom & Dad, but it was great fun to be with all the STL clan!

Cooper's Dedication

Last week, we had a short dedication service for Cooper.  Sasha, Suzi's mom was able to attend and it was a nice event.  The Pack of Three wore traditional Arabic clothes in homage to Cooper's birth country.  You can read all about it from Suzi's perspective on our blog.

A Great Weekend

It's odd the types of things that become part of your daily existence with long-term illness.  We've begun using Dad's skin color as a barometer of his strength level and by that we can tell from across a room if he's feeling a bit unsteady.  Over the past two weeks, we've commented to each other that his sallow skin tone has given way to a more lively color.  This week he said, "I just need to get out and pound some nails."  On Saturday evening I called Dad to check in and found him rehanging errant gutters.  This was after he'd worked on his bathroom sink plumbing and completed several other outdoor projects.  As the two of us sat down to some well-earned, hand-tossed Domino's, he said he wasn't winded or exhausted and hadn't felt this good since last November.  On Sunday, he did a devotion during the Sunday School Promotion service and then preached hard Sunday night.

What does all this mean?  As we've said before, it means he's stable.  He's not bleeding.  And for the first time in many months, we can say he's finally getting stronger.

God's good!

A Great Night

When Pastor Vic Comstock at Family Life Fellowship wanted to bring in pastors from the community to preach to his church, he picked ministers from a wide-ranging group of denominations.  To wrap up their "Psalms 133 Summer Lineup," Pastor Vic called on Dad to fill his pulpit.  A great group from APC came to support their pastor and hear a challenge to be "Filled to Flow (Ephesians 5.18)."  The Spirit of the Lord moved and the altar filled as we answered the call to move up... it was a great night.

Wednesday August 25th, 2010! from Family Life Fellowship on Vimeo.

Visitors!

Over the past few weeks, there's been a steady buzz of visitors at the Lodge.  Ted swung by for a few days and got to hang with his great-niece & nephew.  He also contributed some more kiddie gadgets to the menagerie that's become the Lodge!

 

Rudy & Kim Hennigan made a quick trip up from LA for a two night sleepover and gab fest, as well.  (Any time Rudy is in the area, computers seem to work faster & more efficient... thanks to his little black bag of tricks.)  Dennis & Vivian Lake were in town for an event at the church they once pastored and stopped by to catch up on stories.

You never know who might be at the door when the bell rings and a few days ago it was JW & Linda Ballinger.  Long-time Moberly friends, the Ballinger's dropped off a beautiful prayer shawl from Coats Street Presbyterian Church.

Four Month's Old