At Large 1704 days

" You can listen to thunder after lightening and tell how close you came.
When they broke open molecules, they found they were only stuffed with atoms.
But when they broke open atoms, they found them stuffed with explosions."

Today's reading sent by the Upper Room contained a very riveting sentence. "For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths." Doesn't that sound like today? I cannot remember a time in my 68+ years when so many people believed in ghosts and vampires, and magic and other supernatural possibilities. I blame the schools for dumbing down our society so that people no longer have the tools to evaluate seemingly unexplained events.

Have you noticed men holding advertising signs standing on the traffic median in front of businesses? Here in Spring Branch we have about 8 places where men hold up signs. They stand in the approximate same spot all day and motion to drivers who whizz by. Mere inches separate the guys from sudden death. Some of the most vivid pictures I saw from the "Great Depression" were of hopeless men wearing sandwich board signs and walking a beat in front of stores for just pennies a day. I asked the guy in front of "El Patron" pizza joint how much he is paid. He told me "$5 a day but that is OK since I have a full time job at night." I think Washington is wrong. I think we are in the midst of a "Middling Recession".

Yesterday I found Rascal sitting in the doorway to my webbie/computer/bedroom/office/washroom/bat cave looking around at the floor, boxes, ceiling, window with what seemed to be a sadness in his posture and face.

Nothing in the house has stayed in the same place for two days since my wife went into the hospital. Now the flooring has remained constant for over a week so he is comfortable with it. He deals very poorly with change. Truth to tell, so do I. He is so traumatized that I have to carry him to the kitchen at least twice a day and force him to drink from the cold water tap. The whole time he is drinking he is tense and starts at every sudden noise. Between the watering he stays under my desk against my feet. At night he lays between my knees on top of the cover as I sleep in the recliner. He almost always has a front leg extended so that he can touch my chin or exposed arm.

Yet just as he seemed to becoming comfortable, today he received another blow. The tile guy came in with hammers and chisels and saws and dust and frequent trips in and out of the front door. Even worse is that the kitchen was off limits while the guy prepared the floor for new "Porcelein" tile. The stuff is 18 inches on a side and a half inch think and is very heavy. I picked out the color and style while she was in hospital knowing full well that she would probably hate it. A decision had to be made and I made it.

From her reaction when tile man showed her the tile I am sure she doesn't like it. Too bad! She had her chance to pick the color years ago. I don't like the technique he used to lay the tile without moving the refrigerator. But he seems to know what he is doing and I have a full 30 days satisfaction guarantee. Tomorrow I hope to start cutting the wainscoting so I can move on to finish the living room. Then we can paint it, providing she ever decides on a color.

2/26: God, when we are alone, be with us. When we grieve, comfort us. Amen. 2/27: Lord, give us a grateful heart. Help us to glorify you in our body and in our spirit. In Jesus' name. Amen. 2/28: Almighty God, thank you for the seasons and for your promise to be the same today, tomorrow, and forever. Trusting this, may we be transformed into the new creations you want us to be. As Jesus taught us, we pray, "Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation."* Amen. 3/01: Dear God, it is easier to stay where we are than to go where you want us to go. Help us, nudge us along, and give us courage. Amen. I had not realized just how blessed we are until I started driving the church van to bring these Santa Maria women and the residents of Turning Point and Independent Living to Terrace United Methodist Church. Please click on a PRAYER LIST for the women of Santa Maria and Bonita House for the week of February 22, 2010.

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Bacardi Rum Cake

1 pkg Yellow cake mix [18 1/2 oz]
1 cup Pecans or Walnuts [chopped
] 1 pkg Instant Vanilla pudding mix [3 3/4 oz]
4 Eggs
1/2 cup Cold water
1/2 cup Wesson oil
1/2 cup BACARDI Dark Rum [80 proof]

Preheat oven to 325°.
Grease and flour 10" tube or 12 cup Bundt pan. Sprinkle nuts over bottom of pan. Mix all cake ingredients together. Pour batter over nuts. Bake 1 hour. Cool. Invert on serving plate.

Prick top, drizzle andsmooth glaze evenly over top and sides. Allow cake to absorb glaze. Repeat till glaze is used up.

GLAZE:
Melt 1/4 lb. butter in saucepan.
Stir in 1/4 cup water and 1 cup granulated sugar.
Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
Stir in 1/2 cup Bacardi dark rum.

WRAP IN PLASTIC WRAP AND THEN STORE IN AN AIRTIGHT CONTAINER FOR ONE MONTH BEFORE CUTTING.
Thank you again Sammy for another delicious recipe!

"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."
Thomas Jefferson

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