Today ...

[Grace]

Thought it might be a relaxing weekend, but I watched Operation Toussiant on Prime Video this morning. Story of Tim Ballard and Operation Underground Railroad. They work to rescue children from human trafficking. Pretty heavy stuff. This country is quite sick. The US is the major purchaser of trafficked children. Lord, come quickly.

Another very heavy documentary is "Line in the Sand" where James O'Keefe follows immigrants from Mexico to the U.S. The little 10-year-old girl with those big brown eyes, and traveling alone, breaks my heart. From 2021 to 2024 it only got far worse, as the open borders have caused the U.S. to become the largest, human, sex and drug trafficker in the world. And it was pure evil.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33829507/

It was behind a paywall, so I never got to see it. I would like to watch it.

I know. Hopefully it will become available for all to see some time, without a paywall.

[temporal1]

More storms this week. We're getting tree-fall happening even after the storms are over. The saturated soil on the mountainside is loosening the roots and the trees collapse on power lines. The internet keeps going in and out. Our generator is keeping the AC going so there's that.
Just more "fun" for tired mountain communities.

We lost power for several hours yesterday for a similar reason. Ground is quite saturated here too. Strange for Texas in June. June usually starts the dry season. Seems to have shifted back a month here.

Tornado watch all yesterday afternoon. Storms, wind, LIGHTNING, rain, i was glad to be indoors. Power off+on.
i texted my son in Michigan, about a summer storm, i expected it to blow over fast .. it kinda did. not as fast as i thought.

i didn’t notice hail. i get nervous when it hails. a frequent sign of tornadoes.

i was able to walk at about 8pm. so beautiful! like nothing happened. i was happy.

later i read there were several tornadoes in Illinois - one about 7 miles from me “as the crow flies”.
some damage there, power lines down, no injuries i’m aware.

“ignorance is bliss” - storms can be so beautiful. i love watching the skies.

prayers for all hurting. esp over+over+over.

[JoyE]

In a restaurant a few days ago, my name was called, and I looked over to see an employee coming over to speak to me. Truns out he was a child in one of our Bible clubs many years ago, of which were mostly black. He put his arms around me, said, and repeated twice, that he loved my family for the teaching we gave him, citing the two housing projects where we picked him up in the vans.

A few days later, an employee at Hamrick's recognized my voice and exclaimed to her friend that we were the ones who "did after-school church work" with them at our house. She, too, hugged and thanked me over and over for teaching her the Bible when she was a child; she seems to be following Jesus wholeheartedly.

I am reminded of how Jesus reacted when the disciples tried to block children from coming to Him:
And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
[Mar 10:13-14 KJV]

Back when we were doing that ministry, the pastor of the largest black church in town came over to the van and aggressively asked me what we were doing. I replied that we were obeying Jesus to bring others to Him. He ordered us not to come back; which we did, to keep the peace. That lasted until that pastor was kicked out of his church (for adultery and cussing in the pulpit, we heard). For some reason the image of a millstone keeps popping up in my mind's eye.

Well, as our pastor is fond of saying, "All that wasn't in my notes." I got wound up.

[JohnL]

This post blessed me today.

In a restaurant a few days ago, my name was called, and I looked over to see an employee coming over to speak to me. Truns out he was a child in one of our Bible clubs many years ago, of which were mostly black. He put his arms around me, said, and repeated twice, that he loved my family for the teaching we gave him, citing the two housing projects where we picked him up in the vans.

A few days later, an employee at Hamrick's recognized my voice and exclaimed to her friend that we were the ones who "did after-school church work" with them at our house. She, too, hugged and thanked me over and over for teaching her the Bible when she was a child; she seems to be following Jesus wholeheartedly.

I am reminded of how Jesus reacted when the disciples tried to block children from coming to Him:
And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
[Mar 10:13-14 KJV]

Back when we were doing that ministry, the pastor of the largest black church in town came over to the van and aggressively asked me what we were doing. I replied that we were obeying Jesus to bring others to Him. He ordered us not to come back; which we did, to keep the peace. That lasted until that pastor was kicked out of his church (for adultery and cussing in the pulpit, we heard). For some reason the image of a millstone keeps popping up in my mind's eye.

Well, as our pastor is fond of saying, "All that wasn't in my notes." I got wound up.

[JohnL]

My wife made her almost-famous ham florentine casserole for lunch today. She used leftover smoked ham and it sure was good. The ham bone is simmering in a pot of pintos right now and that lunch is putting me down for a nap.

[Robert]

I painted 8 outside window frames in the 95 degree heat today.

[Soloist]

I painted 8 outside window frames in the 95 degree heat today.

I really prefer the number 3, but if the number 8 is what you want to paint

[temporal1]

I painted 8 outside window frames in the 95 degree heat today.

^^i’m not too happy to read this. i hope you have low humidity.

looks like about 5 more days of low-90’sF here, high humidity. my AC isn’t keeping up in the afternoons. i fear the bill.
i hope we don’t have a week in high-90’s this year - we usually do. sometimes breaking 100F. with high humidity.
not like the SW desert!

sometimes July and/or August can be better. August is typically dry, everything’s scorched. September can be as bad as summer.
by mid-October, things are usually improving.

then, winter.

[JohnL]

I painted 8 outside window frames in the 95 degree heat today.

I hope you didn't become ill in that heat. We're getting a rough round of heat this week. I'm postponing a number of outside chores because it's just not safe. The AC doesn't seem to stop running either. It's a new unit we put in last year so hopefully it will hold up.

It's so hot I'm not even smoking meat.

[Robert]

I painted 8 outside window frames in the 95 degree heat today.

I hope you didn't become ill in that heat. We're getting a rough round of heat this week. I'm postponing a number of outside chores because it's just not safe. The AC doesn't seem to stop running either. It's a new unit we put in last year so hopefully it will hold up.

It's so hot I'm not even smoking meat.

I spent a lot of time the past two days in 95+ on roofs.

Look up radiant barrier for your attic. Can help a lot for the cost.

https://www.atticfoil.com/