SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS

I haven't posted lately because I wanted to have something weighty to report on and I have a fairly mundane life. But our SS class has been learning a lot about a major Bible figure. David started out by defeating Goliath and playing the harp for Saul and seemed to be the great warrior and musician. But after Saul died and David became King of Israel he developed more personal characteristics. Last week we learned that he fought the surrounding enemies and consolidated the empire, he sought out Jonathon's crippled son, brought him to the palace, restored all of Saul's land to him and took care of him and his son who would have a claim on the throne because of being Saul's grandson.

But then he looked down from his palace and saw Bathsheba taking a bath. Now we learned that David had his human nature. He took Bathsheba to bed, she got pregnant, he had her husband killed in battle, married Bathsheba and God was so angry he caused their baby son to die to punish David. But he was forgiven had another son by Bathsheba named Solomon. We are looking forward to learning more about this poet, singer and ruler.

CREATION EVIDENCE MUSEUM

Nancy and I found the Creation Evidence Museum on my GPS as a tourist site nearby and drove to Glen Rose on Wednesday. We found it and it is closed Sundays and Wednesdays. We went back Thursday morning to view the exhibits and listen to their video about the fossil discoveries that show man and dinosaurs living concurrently. They hypothesize that before the flood man and dinosaurs lived together and their tracks were fossilized in the Paluxy river.

One of their experiments that I heard about years ago was to build a hyperbaric chamber to simulate the conditions prior to the flood to see how the climate conditions affected growth of plants and animals. They had a small chamber that found that the higher oxygen and carbon dioxide and pressures did change the venom of copperhead snakes and lengthened the life of fruit flies. They are building a much larger chamber and want to simulate the magnetic field as well as atmosphere. They ran out of money to buy the large amount of copper wire they need to wrap the chamber that is long (I would guess 50'). They need at least another $250,000. I didn't see an agressive plan to raise the money. They didn't even take the names of visitors or ask for contributions. I did buy a new book GEOLOGY IN THE BIBLE by Billy R. Caldwell, Ph.D., a professional geologist from Fort Worth. Someone I would like to know better.

Nancy's second hip replacement surgery is scheduled for September 30 and we are doing doctor's appointments until then.

PEACHES AND RACOONS

My peaches are getting ripe and yesterday a racoon family with three little coons came looking for dinner. They checked the tree with small peaches but came down and went up the tree with the large freestone peaches. I went out and yelled and a couple ran away but two stayed in the branches. I got my walking stick and started a battle. They didn't want to jump out. I hit one hard enough that he fell out and ran off. The other one took a lot of blows and wouldn't fall, so I quit and presume he came down. I had picked three bags of peaches off of that tree a week ago and it is still loaded with large peaches.

Then this morning about noon I looked out and a lower branch had broken off of the tree. It was loaded with large peaches. I got a large brown bag out and picked all the good looking peaches off the limb leaving those with little flaws for the coons. I hauled the limb out to the woods.

I then picked a bag of the small peaches that were easily pulled off. I gave them to Jeff Ramsey who is repainting my front porch. He spent the morning rebuilding a complete section of railing that was dangerous. I have really appreciated him coming to help. He does all sort of handyman work and has offered to weed-eat for me. I need to mow at the Halsell House lawn but didn't get to it today.

Nancy is walking better every day and walked up the stairs to look at the painting on the upper porch this afternoon. She will meet with her doctor Wednesday to discuss the hip replacement for the other leg. It is the one that hurts now when she walks. I will be involved with the Kiwanis District Convention in Abilene Friday and Saturday and she will have her son visiting her from Kansas this weekend.

When we were in Granbury last week we visited the Granbury Live auditorium and got the listing of the events. We ate lunch across the street at the Nutery?. That was after I took Nancy to Carswell Air Base to obtain a new military dependent ID card that she had misplaced. They took her photo and produced a plastic card that is indefinite in time and her photo looks good. I asked if I could get an ID card as a veteran and found out that you have to have 20 years service to get one. So much for my service in WWII and the Korean scrape. Of course I didn't get overseas so I don't count. And I didn't spend that many years in service. I did buy a GI bill farm as a perk. Got me started in owning West Texas land.

CATARACT REMOVED/ BEARD PHOTO

I had the cataract removed on my left eye Monday morning. I had my daughter, Nancy and her daughter, Victoria all there to make sure I lived. The surgery went well and quickly. I had to go back to their new offices for a post-op look and instructions. By then we were all starving and went to IHOP for a brunch about 11.

I have been growing a beard for over three months after hearing that they wanted to celebrate Cross Plains Centennial next year with beards on the men. I have never, ever had a beard so thought this would be a good time to see whether I could grow one. I have had lots of comments, like "I hate beards" or "you look 90 years old" from my daughter. Nancy took this photo so you can decide.

CELEBRATING INDEPENDENCE DAY

When Nancy and I drive from Granbury to Halsell Hill we try to stop at New York Hill restaurant to celebrate our first meeting Dec. 6, 2009. So last Thursday as we came I took the opportunity to give her an engagement ring that she had picked out as appropriate for the occasion.

Nancy beams

In this next photo taken during the Rodenberger/Taylor reunion party I had to show Christopher's climbing capabilities. He can climb the walls. He climbs the trees our front as well. I missed taking photos of the watermelon spitting contest of Christopher, Brent and Jon-Marc.

Christopher climbs the wall.

We had a great time Saturday. From the Rodenberger's Robert and Tommie came from Antlers and spent the day before driving to their family reunion with their grandson, Cody in Vernon. The Wilcoxs were represented by Keith and Kathy and all of their children and grandchildren. Of course the latest addition, Faith, who is learning how to crawl was the main attraction. I have her with her Aunt Valerie and Uncle Jon-Marc.

The Taylors had Sue, Ike, Diana and Kent, Mandi and Doug Hodel representing Louann. And we all had a lot of Keith's BBQ plus salads, onion pie, and lots of desserts!

1963 DIARY

Last week Dawn Letson returned my 1963 Diary that had gotten into Lou's documents taken to TWU. I have been fascinated by reading it. I shared some of the pages with Nancy when I came in Sunday night. In the first two months I wrote about meetings with Bob Gilruth who was the NASA director during the Apollo flights and a frequent visitor to our department at A&M. We also had Johnson, the CEO of LTV speak at a meeting where I handled the Q&A. I made a trip to the IAS (Institute of Aeronautical Science that later joined with the American Rocket Society to become the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) in New York City at the Astor hotel. I ate at Jack Dempsey's restaurant and went with some friends to Greenwich Village and ate at O'Henry's and walked back to the hotel. I was a member of the Education committee chaired by Ray Bishplinghoff.

I came back and the next day Saturday Jan 26 President Rudder's house burned at noon. Later in the diary I tell about going to work for NASA in Houston, but the diary is very incomplete for the summer. I think I started keeping notes somewhere else but there are a few notations about my trips to North American Aviation in LA and Grumman in NY to discuss the meteroid protection for the LEM that was my assignment.

What also showed up in the diary was my teaching SS every Sunday and giving copies of The Bible and Modern Science to everyone I came in contact with. And I had used it as a study in the College SS class I was teaching. We changed the name of the class from Aggie to College and Career.

When I got home last week there was over an inch of rain in my rain gauge. My neighbors Mary and Pete Shulle said it was Thursday night when a hard rain brought lightning that splintered a large mesquite tree in their yard. When I left Sunday at 3 it was thundering and I watched rain in my rear view mirror as I drove to Granbury. I checked the storm total on the radar and we didn't get much but around Brownwood got a bunch. Today all day we watched clouds all around Granbury but no rain here. Rained heavy north of DFW and some in FW. Mark's plane back from Pakistan was delayed by weather and he was in Chicago waiting to come in tonight. We did see a rainbow in the northern sky as we drove back to Nancy's home.

FATHER'S DAY CELEBRATIONS

Yesterday was Father's Day and for the first time that I can remember I was not on the highway going to or from a professional meeting on Father's Day for the last 40 years. When I left Nancy's house Saturday morning her daughter, Victoria, handed me a Father's Day card and when I got my mail, I had a very fancy card from my oldest granddaughter,Valerie. My daughter, Kathy, called me from Canada. I was feted at Sunday church services with a gift of a bookmark given to each of the father's from the children during the Children's Sermon. I ate with our congregation at our monthly pot-luck dinner at church, got my nap and drove to Mark's house where I received gifts from Mark and Kathy and from Ashley and Ross. Two new short sleeve shirts from M&K. A Christian book to read and Lady Godiva dark chocolate candy bar from Ash & Ross. Then when I got to Nancy's house she had some weights and a pad for me to exercise on to build up my upper arms.

I have been helping Nancy and she is doing really well. This morning we drove to Firehouse Cafe to have breakfast with her old SS class in Granbury. Then bought some more water hose at Walmart.

In Sunday School we had Ruth last week and appreciated no blood and killings after Judges. Then yesterday we started I Samuel and learned about Samuel's birth and his mother, Hannah's prayer plus the sins of Eli's sons.

I am reading Sarah Palin's GOING ROGUE and Bob Favor's life story of all the weird characters that he had to arrest during his service as a Texas Ranger.

REMOVING STAPLES

I have been helping Nancy this week and she gets better every day. Today she went to have the staples removed and replaced with little bandaids on the long incision scar. Twenty eight metal staples were removed. The incision is looking good. She was able to walk in using her walker after her Physical Therapist came in a couple of days ago and found her walking without the walker and scolded her. She is now trying to walk 5 minuted each hour to strenghten her leg and it seems to be working.

After they took out the staples and took two X-rays we drove back to Acton to get her mail, and then she used her walker to eat at the Cotton Patch cafe in Granbury. We then spent a half hour getting a prescription from her eye doctor filled and got home just before the home care nurse came to check her blood. She had been out of range on blood thinness and finally today came back into normal so they won't have to come every day to check on her.

Yesterday I spent the afternoon in Fort Worth at the Annual Conference of the Methodist Church where my resolution on supporting creation science was debated and voted down. More information on that is in my creation blog. While I was gone, Nancy's granddaughter, the math teacher, who is out of school stayed with her and washed her hair.

I will return to Cross Plains to assist the Library during Robert E. Howard Days Friday and Saturday, teach Sunday School Sunday and make the Library board meeting Monday.