I worked off shift Wednesday morning. I slept all that day. I have tried to get up early in the past but I am both useless and miserable when I do that, so if I go ahead and sleep, I’m still useless but I ‘m rested and feel a lot better. Wednesday was a wash. Did a little around the house and had the little boys read to me before putting them to bed. I pay them for reading, which motivates them to do so.

I was up late that evening. We had a small family emergency that kept me up until about 3 in the morning, I likely could not have fallen asleep much before that anyway. This small emergency seems to have resolved itself to the benefit of all. I hope so, and there seems to be good reason for such optimism.

I slept in a bit on Thursday. My dad called about 10 in the morning. He was on his way to pick me up. We went to work on an old trailer house for my nieces Shannon. It is my late brother Gerry’s old place. It is in very bad shape and we are hoping to make it livable. Gerry and his family moved from there 10 or more years ago. He allowed some of his wife’s kin people to live there for almost nothing. They were supposed to keep the place up. They did not do a good job keeping their end of the bargain very well.

Shannon’s husband is in Iraq. He is one of the those soldiers that was supposed to have returned home but had his time in that bloody God forsaken place extended. Dad and I worked on the place with Shannon. We worked as long as my dad was able. We got a good deal done before dad was to tired to continue. Then we called it quits.

I spent the rest of the daylight hours at home with the family. The boys and I went for a walk. We stopped at the cow pasture to chat. There I sat down in the grass and I explained the Eucharist to them and asked them questions. We then continued our walk.

That evening I propositioned the little boys with a fishing trip. They both wanted to go and Lisa gave her blessing. The boys and I headed to my parents house to spend the night. We got there late, about 10:30, and mom and dad were already in bed. Mom had prepared us all a place to sleep. Grif was asleep before we got there. I placed Grif in a bed and Haden laid on a couch near me.

I stayed up reading until after 1 in the morning. Next morning Mom got up and made coffee, bacon and eggs for the boys and me. After we ate the little boys and I headed for Brian and Sandy’s pond. We fished for a while. Haden was, as usual, the first to become bored with fishing, He went off playing with the paddle boat and other interesting items. Grif and I fished a good bit longer. The fish were not biting real well, but we caught several nice size perch, enough to make a meal for a few people.

Eventualy both boys gave up fishing. and we then went for canoe ride. Then we went for an extended ride in Sandy’s paddle boat. The boys worked the paddle and I worked the rudder. The boys enjoyed this boat much more than the canoe. It is almost impossible to turn over, so I didn't make them wear life jackets. I would never allow such a thing in the canoe.

We had great fun paddling around the pond. We then returned to Mom’s house for dinner (the noon meal). After a good meal of Lima beans, bacon and rice, I then cleaned the fish and we headed back to town. I brought the fish to my in-laws. The boys and I visited with them for and hour are so.

I am blessed with wonderful in-laws. They are fine people and have always supported Lisa and me without the least bit of interference in our marriage. Lisa and I both have very good people for in-laws. This is important. I can’t count the number of friends and family members whose marriages have suffered because of bad (sorry) in-laws.

After a good visit on the back porch with my maw and paw-in-law, the boys and I headed home. Lisa and I worked in the yard for the rest of the afternoon. She and all the boys are now asleep, Morgan is at the college working on an art project, as his her boyfriend.

I am drinking a glass, or two of wine, or maybe three (perhaps four) and watching the movie Rob Roy on DVD as I write this. Rob Roy is a good movie, but it has some very hard scenes in it. Still I like this movie a lot. In it a man, does what he must for the sake of honour. I like honour.

Honour is an old quaint concept lost in the modern, and even more so in the post-modern world. I'm a dinosaur and should not exist in either the modern or post-modern world. I hope to see the return of honour and the death of the modern and post-modern world. (note:My beloved brother Gerry too was a dinosaur. DEO VINDICE)

I will now say a Cajun "bon nuit" (good night).

Coram Deo,
Kenith

Gary and I walked out the refinery turnstiles at the same time this morning (about 5:40 AM), so we went by the Circle K and got us each a beer. Normally we would have sat on the tailgate of my truck, but it was a bit cool this morning, so we sat in his vehicle. We chatted for about twenty minutes while we enjoyed our beer. When we finished the beers I got in my truck and headed for the house. By the time I got home, Lisa and the kids were already up and getting themselves ready. I gave them all hugs and kisses, went to my room and crawled into bed.

I did not sleep very well and woke up earlier than I cared to. I laid there for a good while hoping I would fall asleep once more, but that did not happen. I then picked up a book and read. I was still desirous of more sleep, but instead I read a good bit in the book I picked up and never even blinked.

I finally gave up trying to sleep, turned on Fox News and took a bath. After a leisurely bath I got up and joined the family for a little while and then came to work.

Coram Deo,
Kenith

I’m on my third night of my first set of graveyard shift since I returned to my normal crew. I worked a regular 40 hour straight daylights shift for 10 weeks, so I am adjusting to shift work once more. I have to get back into the routine. I am struggling a bit this time around, but I will be back in the groove soon.

This morning I crawled into bed a little after 6 a.m. I slept until 12:30. I went to the 1:30 p.m. service at church. This is a good thing about having our afternoon service so early. I can now attend worship services when I am on graveyards, which is something I could not do when the service was at 6 p.m.

After worship services I came home. The little boys were all excited when I got home Lisa and the kids came home after the morning service). They, along with the neighbours children had caught a baby blue jay. After looking at the bird (knowing its chances of survival were slim) I encouraged them and went inside. I then ate and crawled back into bed. I was not able to go back to sleep, so I am expecting a long, hard to stay awake, night to night. It will be ok.

I am at work and have other things to do, so I’ve gotta go.

Coram Deo,
Kenith

This was some week. Lisa is now all better. She was sick starting Saturday night, all day Sunday and Sunday night. I offered to bring her to the emergency room several times, but she did not want to go. She felt much better Monday morning, and thinking all was well decided not to go see her doctor. Monday night she was suffering again. She felt better Tuesday, but went to the doctor anyway. We found out she had a kidney stone. She passed the stone and has been back to her normal self since Tuesday.

Lisa felt so bad that she let me buy a new washer and dryer without her input. That is sick for her!

Wednesday, I took my grandfather (Pawpaw) and cousin fishing at my sisters pond. My mom, dad, brother and sister all joined us. It was practically a family reunion. We caught a fair amount of fish. I cleaned them all and Pawpaw took them home with him.

When I took Pawpaw home; we did the obligatory tour of his garden and fruit trees, which is always a wonderful time for me. I love spending time with this 83 year old Cajun who is much more comfortable speaking French than he is English.

Tonight I am back at work on my regular shift. We have a storm approaching and the weather station is predicting severe lightning, wind and possibly hail. It should be here in about fifteen to twenty minutes, so let me get ready. Refineries don’t like these kind of storms.

Coram Deo,
Kenith

Monday was not a great day here. Lisa is still sick and seems to have gotten worse. She slept all day Sunday. She did not sleep well last night after midnight. She has had fever, chills, and body aches since Saturday night. She did get some medicine today will see her doctor tomorrow.

Mike came over last night and we had a few glasses of wine (Chilean) and discussed the usual items (history, theology and current events). After about an hour of discussion we went for our walk-a-bout and had a good time of prayer.

Today I went to the funeral of an old Cajun gentleman. My neighbour, Mr Moreau, had struggled with cancer for a number of years. He had a wonderful old Cajun accent and always had gentle and kind manner about him. That old Cajun accent, like Mr Moreau’s was so common here in Lake Charles when I was growing up, but today it is becoming very rare and will soon disappear. Lisa could not attend the funeral because she was so sick.

The funeral mass was held at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Church. It had been some time since I had attended a mass. It was a beautiful service and was conducted by Father Charles McMillin. I had the chance to speak with Rev. McMillin after. He seems to be a very affable man. It would be a pleasure to speak about our commonality and our differences in the faith with such an apparently good man.

Coram Deo,
Kenith

I started Saturday by a trip to the local Jewish Temple for a book sale. I spent $26 and purchased about thirty books. They're mostly history and biography works, but I did get some poetry and philosophy, several classics and some children books. I left there with a box full of books and very pleased.

After returning from the book excursion. I loaded up the little boys and we headed for Longville. I had promised them a fishing trip, but we drove north to Longville in a downpour, so we had to cancel fishing for a while.

The boys and I went to mom and dad’s. I brought along a couple of DVD’s, because I had watched the weather before leaving the house. Dad, Terry (my youngest brother), and I watched The Count of Monte Cristo. Dad hadn’t seen it before. After watching it he was, like Terry and me, impressed with the movie.

While watching the movie, I glanced out of the storm doors into the woods behind Dad’s house and saw what I thought was a hawk land on a branch in a near by tree. Terry got out a pair of binoculars and informed us that we were looking at and owl and not a hawk. I got the binoculars and saw that it was an owl. While I was watching the owl a small branch fell from above and struck the owl. He then flew off.

The rain stopped about the same time as the movie and Terry the boys and I loaded into the truck and headed for the pond to fish. When we got to the pond we found Brian (our bro-in-law) already fishing. The perch were bighting and we caught a mess of hybrid bluegill and a few nice bass as well. The boys have a great time catching fish. I kept a mess of fish and cleaned them when we got home. We will have them for supper one night this week.

Worship services were nice. The sermon was good. I love our liturgy and we are now (for a trial period) celebrating the Lord’s Supper ever Sunday. I think that is great. It makes sense that Reformed Christians would do this weekly. We believe that the Eucharist is a means of grace. John Calvin wanted to celebrate the supper every Lord’s Day, but was prevented from doing so by the powers that be in Geneva.

Coram Deo,
Kenith

Today was my last day of straight days. I start back on shift next week. I am taking off Monday, which is the day my shift works off, which means I am off until next Friday night. I hope to bring the little boys fishing again tomorrow, if the weather holds out.

This evening I went to a crawfish boil. There are view things in this world better than the combination of hot boiled crawfish, cold beer and good friends. That’s pretty close to Cajun heaven.

Lisa and the little boys are asleep. Morgan and Christian are at their cousins house watching a movie. So I alone am awake at home. I am writing this blog spot drinking a glass of merlot and taking it easy. When I finish this blog I’m going to pick up a good book and read a while before going to sleep.

I am reading a novel right now, which is not something I do very often. It came highly recommended and seems to be pretty well know, though I had never heard of it. Of course I know very little about current fiction. I am more a non-fiction and classics person.

Speaking of books; I hope to go to a book sale in the morning at Temple Sinai in the morning. My friends who worship there tell me that there are loads of books for sale and they will be cheap!!!

Hold on–What is that? Oh- I gotta go I here my book calling me.

Coram Deo,
Kenith

I went to see the (company assigned) doctor about my ribs Monday, they took x-rays and have finally given me a clean bill of health, so I can return to full duty next week. I’ll be happy to get back on my regular shift again.

Lisa has finished the medicine for her stomach that she had to take for two weeks. The medicine was hard on her stomach, but now that she has finished it she is back to normal and feeling good.

MK and I got together Sunday evening. He brought over a bottle of Chilean wine . This was our first experience with wine from Chile. It was really good and the price (wow!) was low. The world can use more good, inexpensive wine and it looks like Chile (followed by Australia) may be able to fill this important need. We discussed some controversial aspects from that morning’s Sunday school lesson. I was not there, but Mike filled me in on it from his vantage point. I am going to get the tape, so I can hear the lesson for myself.

That same evening one of Morgan’s guy friends came over to visit with her and watch a movie. She introduced Mk to the young man ( I had meet him earlier). She later explained to him the routine Mike and I have of conversing over a couple of glasses of wine and then going for our walk-a-bout prayer time. She said he thought that was “cool.”

The young man seems very nice, and makes a good first impression. I think he is a member of Sales Street Baptist Church. I believe they meet in art class. I have not had a chance to discuss much with him, but he did seem interested in theological matters.

Coram Deo,
Kenith

The boys (including Christian) and I went to Longville today. Both the little boys caught a couple of nice bass each, and a hand full of small perch. I was hoping to take a mess of fish home, but we didn't catch enough eating size perch to make a meal and we can’t keep any bass under five pounds. We did catch five nice bass, all were between 2 and 3 bounds, but we had to release them.

My dad’s gardens (2-3 acres worth) are coming along. The corn, peas, okra, and melons have all sprouted and the deer have not yet invaded the garden to eat all the pea sprouts, which they are sure to do soon.

Tomorrow is the Lord’s day, so I am off to bed.

Dominus vobiscum,
Kenith

This morning as I walked through the parking lot at work I could hear the calls of male Great Tailed Grackles . They are very pretty birds, though they can be pests as well. I love to watch the males this time of year. They strut around and try to out do one another to get the attention and affection of the more plain looking females.

This evening after a spaghetti supper the little boys and I went for a walk around the neighbourhood. We listened to the birds as they sang this evening. We heard a Blue Jay, a Robin, a couple of Mocking Birds (my favourite bird), others I could not identify, and then two Killdeer after sunset.

It was a wonderful evening for a stroll; the air was cool and the sky was mostly clear with only a few small cumulus and cirrus clouds. There were cows out in the pasture just south of us and some flowers are still in bloom I walked at a leisurely pace as the boys ran on ahead. One of them was on foot, and the other was pushing along on a scooter.

We walked and watched the sun sink and then set in the west. It was beautiful to see the blues, purples and pinks in the west as the sun settled below the horizon. We were able to wish on the first star to shine in this evenings sky and we talked about nonsensical stuff that 6 and 7 year old boys find interesting. It was great fun.

Coram Deo,
Kenith

We got good news from MK today. Lisa hasn’t been feeling well and had a few tests run. Mike, though he isn’t her regular doctor, took a look at the results and he said things looked ok. MK said that her doctor may want to run another test but we were happy with the news he gave us.

I’m working 10 hour days this week, and next, filling in for Patrick L. at the plant. Patrick is in Houston for two weeks working on plans for a new unit we are going to build soon. Patrick’s knowledge and experience far exceeds my own, so I know I’ll not be able to do his job nearly as well has he does it, but it’s a good change of pace for me, and I might even learn a few things while doing it.

I have started listening to a knew set of tapes from Books on Tape . The title of this set is Nicholas and Alexandra and it is by Robert K. Massie (as was the biography of Peter the Great). I own this book and was planning to read it soon but I found the book on tape at the library and have decided to listen to it instead. This volume is read by Wolfram Kandinsky who also read for Peter the great.

I took Russian History in high school and I’ve always found it interesting. I get on “kicks” at times and concentrate in my reading and study on particular subjects. I guess I’m on a bit of a Russian kick for now. I’ve not read much by Russian authors. The only Russian author have been able to read for any period of time has been Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. I read his Nobel Prize winning work The Gulag Archipelago while aboard ship in the Navy. I’ve been a fan of Solzhenitsyn since that time. Some years ago I also read One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich , which is another great work by Solzhenitsyn.

I’ve tried to read other Russian writer, but not with much luck. I attempted to read Leo Tolstoy’s The Cossacks, but I didn’t get very far. I have read some short stories by Dostoyevsky, though not many. I did notice that the public library has his The Brothers Karamazov on tape, which I have wanted to attempt to read for some time. I think I will try it on tape first.

I've listened to far more lectures on theology, history and economics, etc. than I’ve listened to recorded books, but I am enjoying this change to books. I’m sure I will switch back to the other stuff soon enough.

I have to get up and go to work in the morning so its time for me to go to bed.

Coram Deo,
Kenith

We had a wet storm Resurrection Day in SW Louisiana, but we still were still able to Worship our triune God assembled with brothers and sisters in Christ. We worshipped at First Baptist Church in Longville instead of our on PCA church. Pastor Stuart had a good sermon. Of course I disagreed with him on a few points because I hold to Calvinism and Covenant Theology and Bro. Stuart holds to Arminian/baptistic views. But these are not reasons to avoid worshipping with these precious Christian brethren.

We went to my mom and dad’s house after church and feasted on Red beans and rice along with smoked pork chops. Then it was time to sit around a visit over cups of good, dark roasted coffee (Community Coffee of course). My siblings Sandy and Terry were there. Sandy’s husband Brian and my brother Gerry’s widow (Becky) was also there. Two of Gerry’s children were there and Sandy’s daughter (Recie) was also there. The kids were able to have an Easter egg hunt with their cousins when the rain slacked off. They all got a little wet, but they had a great time and that was the most important thing.

Dad and I walked around and looked at his garden and fruit trees during a break in the weather. It was a good visit. This is something I enjoy to do with my dad and my grandfather.

This evening I caught an interesting discussion on C-Span put on by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. They were discussing a book by Thomas Reed titled At the Abyss: An Insider’s History of the Cold War. It was a fascinating discussion on the cold war. There is so much more that we can learn about that era now that the Soviet Union is no more.

I may have to purchase this book. (NOTE: I'm listening to an interview with the former Queen of Iran (on C-Span) as write this). I know most people find this kind of stuff as dull, but I love hearing new ideas, history and different views on things.

I have not been able to post on my other blogs because of circumstances, I hope I can do so in the near future. But for now it is getting late and I need to go to bed. I have to work tomorrow.

Dominus Vobiscum,
Kenith

I’m off today and have a three day weekend. I’m still on “restricted duty” but next week I will be filling in for Patrick, who has to go to Houston for a couple of weeks. This is good for me, because I will be working 10 hour days. This will help with the bills. There's built in overtime on my regular shift and we have been missing the extra income.

Today is Good Friday, the day we remember the crucifixion (Passion) of our Lord Jesus Christ. Without the passion of our lord there would be no hope of salvation for anyone. All people would be without hope of forgiveness and redemption from the sins of which we all stand guilty of before God (YHWH).

Because of the Resurrection of our Lord, which we will celebrate on Sunday, those who are in Christ have hope of resurrection and eternal life in the presence of the triune God.

I will be home for much of the evening with just the little boys. Lisa is going to a birthday party for one of her lady friends, Morgan is working and Christian has gone to visit his girl friend. So I have grilled some hotdogs for the boys and a steak for me.

I’m reading several books right now and they're all progressing slowly. My time to read is much reduced because I am not working shift work right now. I have much more time to read when I am working nights. I am also reading lots of news, theology, history, etc.. on the web.

I have read the classic biography of Nathan Bedford Forrest titled That Devil Forrest - by John Wyeth. It is a great read. I also recently listened to an unabridged version of Robert K. Massie’s Peter the Great: His Life and World. This too is a great work. Massie is a fine historian and he is a fluid writer. This 48 hour series is worth every minute that it took to listen to it.

Currently I’m listening to Americans at War - by historian Stephen Ambrose. This is only a 12 hour series. The late Stephen Ambrose was, perhaps, the greatest historian of WWII during his lifetime. I should finish this series within a day or so.

I decided to try out a novel on tape, so I checked out Mr. Majestic - by Elmore Leonard. I decided on this book because I saw the movie, which was made from the book in the early 70's. The movie staring Charles Bronson. The book was ok, but the language much more colourful than I like. I may try more fiction in the future, but for now I will stick with the nonfiction stuff I love.

This coming Lord’s day we plan to worship in Longville at the First Baptist Church, where my dad is a deacon. After worship service we plan to go to my parent’s house for Easter dinner and fun. The pastor there, Stuart Graves, is a very good preacher and I have found his sermons to be pretty good. I have to confess that I prefer a more liturgical style of worship than what you find in Baptist churches.

The folks at my own church (Bethel Presbyterian Church) must think I have quit because it’s been so long since I have attended there. Lately I have attended either Covenant Presbyterian Church in Sulphur or First Baptist in Longville for various reasons.

I gotta go,
Kenith

I am back on line here at the house. My old computer is fried, and I have purchased a new Dell Computer. I am hoping to bring my old computer back to life, but that is going to cost me a couple of bucks that I don’t now have.

Lisa is on her way home with the little boys. She is going to pick up supper on the way. She’s picking up boudin (pronounced: boo-dan [you have cut the ‘n’ short]) for all and some beer for me. Boudin is a kind of rice dressing in non-smoked sausage casing. It is an old Cajun favourite.

I am still on light duty at work (because of two broken ribs) and will be for most of this month, but I feel good and I am ready to get back to my regular job. My own doctor (MK) says he thinks it is ok, but the refinery is relying on the doctor they sent me to when I fell and broke the ribs.

I have lots to do tonight, but I hope to blog more later or tomorrow.

Coram Deo,
Kenith

This morning is beautiful. The air is crisp and cool and flowers are in bloom. Azaleas have been in bloom for a while here, but now the flowers have started to fall. I hate to see the azaleas flowers fall, because they are so beautiful and the bush, without them, is rather plain looking. In our front yard we have a number of azalea bushes and some wisteria. When these are all in bloom at the same time the yard is so alive with colour. Its wonderful.

Yesterday the little boys and I went for a walk in the neighbourhood. While we were walking I asked them who made the flowers. Of course they said God. I then asked why did God make them. They know the answer I wanted to hear which is “For his own glory” and they readily repeated it. Then I asked them “How do the flowers give glory to God?”

At this question they were not so sure how to answer and took some guesses, which were pretty good for a 6 & 7 year old. After there several suggestions I told them that the flowers give glory to God because of their beauty and they show us that God is good and likes beautiful things. And added that for such good gifts we should praise the Lord all the more.

MK came over last night, after the little boys and Lisa had gone to bed. At the time he arrived Morgan and Christian were engrossed in a new DVD, so he and I sat at the bar and opened the Bottle of wine he brought with him.

Mike brought over a Rosemount Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1998. This was (imho) the best wine I have ever tasted. It was truly wonderful. MK, too, was awed by what he had brought. We discussed theology and the Bahnsen tapes he’s listening to, but in the midst of our dialogue, after each sip, we would each comment on the fabulous taste of this wine.

After the wine and conversation, we then went outside to walk and to pray. We prayed for about two miles. This was a good time spent in mostly all prayer time. Mike mentioned how long we have done this together. It has surely been for more than 15 years now. (He said “twenty” but I think it is somewhere between 15 and 20, probably about 18 years.)

MK is a good friend. Outside of my own family (dad and brothers) he is my oldest and dearest male friend. And one of the the times I like best is when we walk-a-bout and pray. These are times of spiritual renewal and encouragement for me.

I am sure the neighbours, if they’ve noticed (because our walks never start before 9:30 at night) must think the walks a bit odd. Here are to middle aged men (though we were young when we started this routine) walking around the block and praying out loud for an extended period of time. (Not a common site in most neighbourhoods.)

Well I must get to work.
Coram Deo,
Kenith

This morning as I left the house for work (5:35 AM) the sky was just beginning to lighten up and was a dark inky blue instead of black. As I stepped from the house I heard a rooster crowing, a mocking bird singing and the hoarse cry of a blue jay. I love the sounds of morning. The air was cool and refreshing.

MK and his son and my little boys and I all went camping last Friday night in Longville. The boys had a blast. Mk and his son had to come back to town early Saturday morning, but I took my boys fishing at my sisters pond which has been stocked with some hybrid Bluegill and Florida Bass. Christian and his buddy Paul also joined us as did my niece Reece.

The Bluegill were biting and the boys caught some nice fish. I spent all my time placing worms on hooks and removing fish from hooks. The boy’s had a lot of fun and they also provided us with part of our supper. I cleaned a mess of fish and baked them in garlic and butter sauce that same evening. (YUUMMM).

We came home Saturday night and the little boys, after a bath, drifted quickly off to sleep. I took a break and watched a DVD of Charade, which is an old Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn Classic movie.

Sunday morning the little boys and I went to church in Sulphur. The pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA), Bill Smith, was going to baptise he and his wife Susan’s sixth child (2nd daughter). It was a beautiful event. It’s always a great thing to see a covenant child baptised.

Covenant’s liturgy is longer than Bethel’s. Their liturgy is beautiful, but I think our liturgy (time wise) is better. Bill preached an amazing sermon. I have always liked his style of preaching. I think it is because Bill’s preaching is so similar to that of my late bro-in-law (Ron Davis). I do think Bill is probably the best Bible teacher within a hundred mile (or more) radius of this area.

Morgan and Christian attended Bethel and Lisa was out of town. So the it was just me and the boy’s at Covenant. We ate dinner at the church. They had a feast laid out and there was a lot left over.

Sunday night Bill and Susan had a party at their home to celebrate the baptism of their new baby girl. I would have loved to have attended, but it just was not possible.

The computer at home is still very dead. My buddy Izzy (i.e. Israel) has agreed to look at it for me. I am hoping that the computer is, like the Dread Pirate Roberts in the movie Princess Bride, "only mostly dead." I hope Izzy can fix it, but even if he can I think I am going to look into getting a second (inexpensive) computer.

The little boys are both sick, but they did feel well enough to go outside and toss a Frisbee around with Christian, Ryan (my nephew) and me for a little while.

Christian had Ryan cut off most of his curly hair yesterday afternoon. He now has a buzz cut (on most of his head) that would make a Marine D.I. proud. Lisa was not happy about Christian's new “do.” It's quite a contrast; Christian went from shoulder length curly yellow hair to nearly bald.

Morgan was not home yesterday. She went to visit my folks in Longville. My Sister's friend from Mexico is in visiting with her and Morgan wanted to see her (Vonia) while she's here, so she spent the night at her Aunt (Taunte) Sandy's.

Mk made it over last night for our usual wine and then walk-a-bout prayer time. We had a couple of glasses of a nice Australian red wine while we discussed all the world’s ills. We then went for a walk around the neighbourhood. We talked for a little while longer and then he led off our prayer time and later I finished it. We strolled around the neighbourhood praying for a good while (about two miles worth) praying. I find these prayer times to be very rewarding and useful.

When MK left and I came inside, it was just about midnight. Because of the late hour that I went to bed, I had a hard time getting up for work this morning, but I did manage to do so after hitting the snooze button a few times.

I have worked to do.

Dominus Vobiscum,
Kenith

My blogging is way down and there are two big reasons for this. Reason one is I am working straight (eight hour) days instead of my usual twelve hour shift work. The other (and bigger) reason is my computer at home has crashed and burned. It's totally dead.

Since my last blog I became another year older. Friday night Lisa and I went out to eat with our friends Gary and Liz and Tommy (TK) and Kelly. We all meet at Café Margaux for the wine tasting time, where we meet and visited with a number of other friends. Then we went to the Outback Steakhouse for dinner.

We feasted and visited. TK delivered a letter from his alter ego (Dr. A.R. Minian) and insisted that I read it allowed to all at the table with us. It’s a great letter, but it took me twice as long to read it as I should have because I laughed (Liz said I cackled) so much while reading it.

Saturday, Lisa and I were volunteers at the American Heart Association’s annul banquet and auction fund raiser. I had to rent a tux (it was a black tie affair). Karen K., who is on the board, was one of the main organisers and she asked if we would help with things. Lisa and I were happy to help.

The event was held at the Isle of Capri Casino. The food was very good. The local Newspaper donated the wine for the event and they had some good entertainment after the auction. We didn't get to enjoy the entertainment (an Elvis show) or dance to the music, because there was work to be done. But we did get to enjoy the food and a couple of glasses of wine. It was a lot of work, but I enjoyed myself and I think Lisa did as well.

Sunday we went to Bethel to worship the Lord with others. It was good to praise and worship the Lord for His many blessings that He has blessed us with.

Sunday afternoon the little boys and I went to a near by field and tossed around a Frisbee. We had a good time. Then, after they bathed, we I read several library books to them and put the boys to bed. MK and I were supposed to get together for our wine and walk-a-bout prayer time, but I didn't here from him, which usually means he got called out to the hospital.

Christian brought a young lady to church. He spent much of the day with her playing pool at his (maternal) grandparents house. Morgan came to church, but then had to work afterward.

Yesterday was my 44th birthday. It was also Karen K’s birthday, so Lisa and I went to supper with Karen and Harry. We (actually Harry) drove over to Carrabba’s in Beaumont, Tx. The food and the visiting were both very good.

I have to get back to more important matters.

Coram Deo,
Kenith

I had a good weekend. The little boys, a nephew (my late brother's son), Mk’s son, Mk and I all camped out on my parents land Friday night. While the boys played, Mk and I went to my mom’s house and ate some great pork jambalaya that my mom had made. They smoked the pork steaks, used in the jambalaya, in my dad’s smoke house. They were wonderful.

After eating we went back to the “campsite” and started the wennie roast and marshmallow roast for the boys. After they had eaten their full we lit the bonfire. It was huge and burned nicely. The boys had a blast.

We had lots of company my family) around the fire and had good conversation. Mk and I both brought a bottle of wine. His was a nice California “mutt” red and I brought a Chianti.

So it was a night of food, wine conversation out of doors. We visited and watched the boys play. Then as they slowed down we listened as they sat around the fire and told jokes and “scary stories.”

We finally crawled into the tents at midnight. The weather was perfect. The low for the night was 49 degrees. I slept like a baby. I got up at 6:30, and restarted the fire, drank a cup of Community Coffee and then cooked some eggs and bacon over the campfire. The others began to stir about an hour after I got moving. I cooked the all the same bacon and egg breakfast that I had made for myself.

Everyone had a good time. I spent the day in Longville with my boys but Mk had to come back to town.

Sunday was a normal day. We had a guest pastor at church because our pastor is on vacation. Rev. Mark Duncan filled the pulpit in Jim’s place. Worship was good.

Coram Deo,
Kenith

I went for x-rays today and the ribs still look very broken, but they are feeling a lot better these days. They doctors still have me on restricted duty for two more weeks. This has helped me to get caught up on my operator training (yyuukk). MK said if they are feeling better than they are healing. He said it is hard to see this on rib x-rays.

Lisa isn't feeling well this evening. We are beginning to thing she may have gallstones. When I was on the phone with MK and described her symptoms, and he said that gallstones were a possibility. Lisa went to bed early. Both the little boys were concerned for her and they went in the room an kissed her and then prayed for her. Those were a couple of precious moments.

Except for Lisa not feeling well, this has been a pretty normal evening. Most of it was spent with the little boys and their school work. Christian spent the evening talking on the phone to a girl friend or outside with a neighbourhood friend. Morgan was at work and has now gone to visit here cousin.

The weather has been awesome lately. The evenings and mornings have been cool and the days have been bright and mild. This weather is supposed to hold out until Saturday evening. Mk and I are planning on taking my to young sons and his seven year old camping tomorrow evening. We are going to go to my mom and dad's place. They have cut down a number of trees and have a large pile of wood to burn. Dad has been waiting for the little boys to burn it. So we will have a wennie roast and then a bonfire.

I hope to then do some fishing Saturday. My job will be to put the worms on the hooks for the boys and take the perch off the hooks. If they're lucky they will catch some bass also. It is lots of fun to watch the boys fish.

I do have a Merlot and a Chianti to bring on the trip. I am not sure which of these two wines goes better with hotdogs cooked over an open fire. I guess we will have to try both. This is my kind of camping, because I can get up and go to mom's kitchen in the morning for breakfast and coffee.

Mk saw The Passion Of The Christ this week and he loved it. We got together the next evening for one of our conversation, walking, praying and wine events. We had a lively discussion on that and a number of other topics. He told me about a review of The Passion that is in Chalcedon Report. I read the review, which is by Brian Godawa. I've read many review of the movie, and this is the best that I have found. You can find the review here: Godawa Review.

I will miss the wine tasting event tomorrow night at Café Margaux. I hate to pass it up but spending time camping and fishing with the boys is priceless.

I have posted an article I wrote on religion and the American Revolution on the History blog . It is a bit long (between four and six pages) but I hope some folks will check it out.

It is time for me to finish the two fingers of bourbon (Jim Beam Black) in my glass and go to bed.

Dominus Vobiscum,
Kenith