Dec 23, 2013 Prayers Needed

'Nuff said.

The new rod and the old, after
 18 years of wear and tear.

Wild Rose working on MAX!

Friday 12/20.  I get snuggled down in my cozy, winter bed and simply do not want to get up in the morning.  Then I remember when I first began to blog and got up at 5:00 am to post.  What was I thinking??!

Light snow began falling again at about 10:45 am and swung back and forth between heavy and light til about 3:00 pm when it stopped.  We were on the very southern edge of the clouds and the sun was often shining on the south ridge while it was snowing at the house.  The wind picked up when the snowfall ceased and so did the valley fog.  It was a very brisk afternoon walk.  We only received 1/2" of snow, just enough to make everything white again and hide the icy spots.

I made cheeseburger biscuits for our dogs, and some to give to Larry and Elsie's dogs for Christmas.  Oops - nothing for their kitties.

Jesse has really been out and about for the last few weeks, being gone for more than an hour at a time, even when the temperatures are down in the low teens.  He has had some rather odoriferous emissions lately, so he may have come upon a carcass of some sort that he is snacking on.

Saturday 12/21.  And the light is on its way back to us. . .  It was 24 and clear with valley fog that didn't clear out til after sunset.  Our high for the day was 30.

Did the dishes, vacuumed and cleaned the house a bit.  Even actually dusted.  Then after lunch we went out to tackle the MAX job.  It took us 1-1/2 hours just to get the cotter pin out of the center rod!  Then another 1/2 hour to pull the rod out and coax the new one in.  I did not do a victory dance until that was all completed.  Then there was wild celebration!

Larry and Elsie drove up for their Christmas visit this evening.  Hadn't seen them in a while.  We exchanged gifts and enjoyed each other's company.

Sunday 12/22.  It was 26 and mostly clear with low valley fog this morning.  The sky soon clouded over some, and the fog cleared out by mid afternoon to just a light mist.

We were out to work on MAX right after breakfast and got everything put back in, we thought.  Found out that we did not check the opposite middle axle when we put the rod in, so instead of going into the axle, the new rod actually went to the side of it.  I got very discouraged.  Next time I will save the victory dance until we are completely done and have test driven MAX.  Then maybe I will just give a quiet but joyful "Woo Hoo!"  I am sure that "moderation in all things" applies to celebrating also.  However, the French have revised this adage a bit to "moderation in all things, including moderation."  Maybe I'll go with that one.

So after lunch, we put chains on all four tires of JB's Jeep.  With our lack of snow, he will now be able to drive his Jeep down to my Jeep.  MAX would not make it all the way down with the tracks on.  The Universe knew this and we have a game plan for completing the work on MAX. . . after Christmas.  It seems that the original forecast for a wet winter has reversed itself.  Those darn butterflies in China. . .

Prayers would be greatly appreciated for Baby Wes who is just six months old and needs more heart surgery a day or two after Christmas.  He is quite the smiley, giggly little champ who has already been through a lot.

Monday 12/23.  It is mostly overcast and 32 this morning, with a light breeze.  JB will be leaving for Down There by 9:00 am and I plan to bake cookies.  Loving the Christmas season. . .

Thought for the day:  It is not simply that we share with each other a common humanity, but that individually we have no humanity without each other.  Sara Maitland, A Big Enough God