IT’S NOT TOO LATE. The framing and roof are going up real fast at the First Assembly of God, and I know those folks can hardly wait to get into their own building — these long months after that terrible fire.
But, given our current weather conditions, it might be a good idea to take all of that lumber and build an ark, instead.
In fact, it might even be possible to just ‘flip’ the building. The roofline would then be the keel of the ark. Keel is sailor talk.
Here’s the 2019 rainfall report, according to Noah. These numbers were current as of late Monday afternoon, May 6.
Of 126 days into the year, we’ve had rain on 67 days — more than half.
The rainfall average for the first four months and six days of the year is 18.69 inches. What we’ve actually had in 2019 is 31.12 inches — that’s 12.43 inches above normal.
More rain is forecast this week. Groan.
Every month so far — January, February, March, April — was above normal in rainfall.
My back yard usually drains well, but lately I sink a couple inches into the mud every time I take a step. The grass screams to be mowed, but it would take a hovercraft. Any other mower would sink out of sight.
At the city park Saturday, crowd numbers might have been down just a bit, but the park was crowded. That’s because people were confined to the sidewalks. If you got off onto the grass you immediately sank to your ankles. I believe this affected how much business was done by those vendors who were NOT right beside the sidewalks.
I know that I would have gotten a plate of food at the raw vegetable food truck if I didn’t have to wade through mud to get to it.
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ANIMAL CRACKERS.A neighbor is bragging about how she is being visited — nay, covered up — by colorful orioles.
I’ve put out orange quarters, as Neighbor recommended, but with no luck. I wonder if those old sugared orange candy slices would work.
My only visit by an oriole happened about four summers ago. I looked out my kitchen window and there was a large orange and black bird hovering beside a hummingbird feeder. It was there for a moment, then it flew away. It probably flew away to Neighbor’s place because she knew to put out orange quarters.
MORE ANIMAL CRACKERS.
Suzanne Peebles hung a Easter wreath on her front door couple of weeks ago. Part of the wreath was a cute little bird’s nest with some tiny artificial eggs. Now, she says, a real bird has built an adjoining nest and has left the Peebles some real eggs. All inside that Easter door wreath.
Suzanne and Sammy don’t know what kind of birds they’ve got, but they’ll leave the Easter wreath up ‘til the chicks fly away. That’s weeks away, though.
MORE CRACKERS. The town was abuzz last week when a 10-ft alligator crawled across Hwy. 27 N., and disappeared down a ditch and into the collection of fancy homes in Deerwood Estates. Where did she/he come from? There’s lots of ponds on both sides of that highway, and Lake Nichols and Mine Creek are just a stone’s throw down the hill. I do remember at least one alligator alert at a Deerwood pond, a few years ago. But that gator was only a two-footer.
We know the newest gator’s exact length because Freddie Horne checked it twice with a tape measure.
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AS THE WORLD TURNS.
They lived across the street from us in the early 1990s — Ken and Beth Latham and their unique little dogs, Critter and Lucy.
Ken worked at what was then Beaird-Poulan. Beth was an agri grad from the UA and she worked here at Natural Resources Conservation Service. Husband Ken was especially witty and was a computer guru.
We regretted when they moved on.
Beth has kept up with some old friends here, and is also in touch with my daughter on one of them social medias I keep hearing about.
It is through one of the social medias that we’ve learned that Beth’s career in the Methodist Church has reached a milestone. At first she was ‘charged’ with small churches at Lamar and Mount Olive.
As of July 7, she will be pastor of the First United Methodist Church, Pottsville. God bless.
P.S. — If I was a betting man I’d bet that the people of Pottsville have gotten tired of all the marijuana jokes.
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WORD GAMES. The twins: Peas and Carrots. There oughta be a law against them being on the same dinner plate at the same time.
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THE INCREDIBLE and Mostly Unbelievable Adventures of my distant kin, Uncle Parry Normal:
He swears he was the inspiration for the name of Bad Boy Mowers, and insists that the company should give him a complimentary model.
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THINGS I LEARNED from opening (and believing) email: “If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you.“
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HE SAID: “Remember that creating a successful marriage is like farming: you have to start over again every morning.” H. Jackson Brown, Jr., inspirational writer
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SHE SAID: “As long as the people don’t fear the truth, there is hope. For once they fear it, the one who tells it doesn’t stand a chance. And today, truth is still beautiful … but so frightening.” Alice Walker, poet and writer
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SWEET DREAMS, Baby
