Help at the Funeral Home

I was in town on a few errands for the church this morning.  I decided to be bold and do the running around on the Rebel.

First, a stop at the workplace of someone whose signature I needed.  Not a problem:  in and out quickly.

Next, to deliver something to the funeral home.

As I pulled into the parking lot, I was relieved to note that it was empty of cars.  I had not wanted to walk in to the midst of someone's wake or funeral, a stranger carrying a helmet.  Luckily, one of the directors was actually standing outside, looking in a flower bed.  Then the owner walked out the door, just as I was pulling into a parking space.  The look they gave me was priceless, by the way.  I raised my face shield to say I was bringing something from the church.  As I took my helmet off, Mr. Coco Sigler walked toward me saying, "I knew I recognized that bike!  Tommy told me he had sold it to you."  He and Dr. T know each other very well.  This past fall, Mr. Sigler joined Mr. H and several others from our church on bike trip to the mountains.

My intention, especially since they were already outside, was to simply make my delivery and be on my way.  They, however, invited me into the office and we ended up talking about bikes for more than just a few minutes. When I went back outside, I realized that I had left the key in my bike.  Not only IN the bike, but in the ON position.  For those of you that don't understand the implication of that, here's the deal:  when the key is on, the headlight is on!

Now you get it!  And you're correct:  the battery was dead.   RRRrrrrrr....click, click, click.

Rats!!

I probably could have waited a few minutes with it turned off and it might have started, but it was HOT out there.  So I walked back  in and asked for help.

I knew that cars with standard transmissions could be pushed started by popping the clutch.  I figured that  bikes could, too, but I'd never done it.  The funeral director hopped on the bike, aimed it down-slope in the parking lot, walked it forward and popped the clutch and that was all it took!

This particular bike is very difficult to get into neutral while the engine is running (I thought it was just me, but Mr. Sigler couldn't get it out of gear, either.)  So he shut if off, and I got on, ready to try a new skill.  The bike had a different idea, though, and cranked right up.  I was prepared to try it at my next stop, too, but it cranked after that one.  (And YES, I remembered to turn the key off and take it with me this time.)

I learned several lessons today:  1) don't leave the key in the bike, ON or OFF.  2) I know the Rebel can be push started.  3)  Funeral directors can be of great assistance in your time of need!

Work Chair

My eldest and I were having a discussion recently about her father.  The man can do just about anything. The Creator's Spirit is definitely alive in him.

He does woodwork.  There are several pieces of furniture in our house that were designed and constructed by him.  The mantle over our fireplace and the built-in that houses our music and movies were all made by him.  We have a canoe that he built, too.

His father thought we needed a welding machine, so he learned to do that, too.

His most recent project has been to replace the home-office chair he uses on his work-from-home days.  The old one was uncomfortable and made lots of noise.  He had an idea to use one of the seats from a car that he had over in the shop (just the seats, not the whole car.)  We're not exactly sure what kind of car they came from.  Mr. H thinks his friend said they came from a Ford Probe.  Anyway, the pair of bucket seats has been over in the shop for several years now. Don't ask me why:  I have no idea.

So he cut the old chair off the casters, whose wheels he had replaced last year.  Then he welded supports on the underside of the seat to weld onto the caster base.  Pretty good looking office chair, huh?



Then he welded the arm rests from the old chair back onto this one and painted the metal parts on the bottom.

This man amazes me.

I Love this Lady

There are some things that I take for granted.

This lady has a way of reminding me that not everyone has that luxury.

I am thankful for her humor.

I hope Ace is, too

Today

Observations from today:

1.  You never know when YOU could be the answer to someone's prayer.  Keep your eyes and ears open.

2. (I know there was another one because I wouldn't have started numbering if there had been only one.)

2.a.  Now I remember:  There are 2 sides to every story, and sometimes you get to hear both.

3.  The friendly attitude of the cashier at the grocery store can make your day.  What is your attitude doing to someone's day?

Just Peachy!!

Mr. H's dad could grow anything.  He brought some peach trees to George County when we moved up here. 

 As I was mowing grass this week, I noticed that the trees were bending under the weight of their fruitfulness.Most of the peaches aren't quite ripe yet, but they are at the stage where we need to check them every day.

We found a few that were ripe (about 20) and decided that peach cobbler was on the menu for the evening. Once they were peeled and quartered, I had exactly 4 cups, just what the recipe called for.

I've never seen a cobbler recipe that called for baking the peaches for a bit before the batter goes in, but this one did.

The final product was yummy and not bad looking, either.

Next week:  peach preserves!

It's the Small Things

This afternoon, as I was on my way home and stopped at a stop sign, I sneezed several times.  There was no one behind me and a truck was approaching from my left.  I was in no hurry, so I just waited until I was sure the sneezing was done.  The truck that was coming ended up turning right beside me, so our windows were side by side.  Since I was driving Emma's car, which has no A/C, my window was down. His was, too.  He didn't immediately accelerate on his way.  He leaned my way and said, "Bless you."

It seems like such a small thing. But on a day like today, when so many people are hurting for so many different reasons, it goes a long way.  I imagine there are people all around you who need to be blessed, too.  Give it a try.