Hope you're well.
Been so long since I've blogged that I spent the last half-hour trying to figure out my user name and password just to log in.
Four months.
Amazing how much can happen in 17 weeks or so.
Think you're stuck in a rut and "things will never get any better"? Nonsense. Your entire world could change tomorrow -- for better or worse.
***
Dad
Went to visit overnight a few weeks ago. Went back that Friday and stayed until Tuesday, while my brother spent time with his kids.
Dad and I had good times.
Drug his butt out of the house and meandered all over the countryside. Took him to Olive Garden and feasted. He had a slug of wine with dinner and dessert. Fun time. My Father's Day present to him.
We were out for five or six hours, I forget. All I remember is Dad was spent by the time we got back to his house. Exhausted. ~~ He flopped into his chair, popped on his TV and we watched westerns for a couple of hours.
This will only sound boring to people who do not miss their parents. If you do, you understand what a treasure it is to have a nice day with your dad. A fussless, anger-free meal and a ride in the country, reading signs like scenes from My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
"Chinese food!" "Motorcycle shop!" "Rock City!" "Bait shop ... worms in rear."
A blessed day, indeed.
Yup. We spent time at the Chickamauga Dam watching people try to catch fish.
Sitting quietly together. Watching trains and boats and walkers and bicyclists.
Stuff Dad doesn't see much outside his window.
No talk of politics or the economy or wars/rumors of wars.
Peaceful communion with the outdoors and one another.
Thank you, Lord.
***
Donna the Honda
Running strong.
337,000+ miles.
Finally figured out how to engage the cruise control with more regularity.
Grateful I was never arrested for harassing women on freeways when I would speed up to 80 mph, jab the cruise control buttons ... slow down to 50 mph ... speed up to 80 ... bang the dang buttons ... drift back to 50 ... terrorizing innocent people on the highway like some creep from The Twilight Zone ... back to 80 jabbing the $#(@$# buttons, and so forth.
A/C works and I get 28 mpg. Since one of the rear windows died in the down position, I use the sunroof less. Caution, fear or lack of faith? I dunno. If I'm not too far from home on clear days, I'm happy to open the roof up. I like the fresh air.
Don't drive much, except to church on Sundays. Honest. Otherwise I use ...
***
My Newer Motorcycle
Sold my 2001 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 for $2,200. Had 56,000 miles on it. Ran great and looked terrific.
Bought a 2005 Kawasaki Concours with 34,000 miles for just under $3,000.
Such a deal.
Detachable hard saddlebags. 1,000 cc high-performance engine. Three disc brakes. Mostly comfy. Insanely fast.
New, it went 0-60 in less than 4 seconds and 0-100 in 10.5 seconds. That's enough.
Have not once scraped my pegs or shaved my boot heels in curves.
Nice bike.
***
The Princess & The Boys
Had another sleepover with the Princess for her birthday. We drove Donna to an Appalachian Trail festival in North Carolina. Had a fabulous time.
Yup. Dinner at Waffle House. Our favorite.
Hope to spend time with her this summer, Lord willing. We'll see.
~~
Sang to Samuel, Ezra and Isaac this past week. Great kids. Just getting old enough to say "hello" and "goodbye" and "Papa" and one lone "I love you!"
What a deal.
God has been so kind.
***
Work and/or The Lack Thereof
I am now officially semi-retired.
Still looking for work.
Still working. Writing for a gentleman who owns three Web sites.
My job is to make him money by writing and posting material on his sites. Readers will, therefore, read our stuff, then click on ads and buy stuff. That might sound too simple, but it's what makes Google and Facebook zillions of dollars.
I love it.
A friend asked me where I get my material. The answer? You have to, that's all.
You comb the Internet for pertinent stories. You take pictures. You speak with people. You write a compelling story. You compose, post, proof and promote your work ... and you pray for God to bless.
After five months on the job income from the sites increased by 250%. My guess is that figure will increase, by God's grace, when I see the six month stats in a few days.
The best quote from my boss? "I wish I'd hired you years ago."
I earn 33% of what I used to, but I choose my hours and have a blast. Last week, for example, I went out for a ride with the police on a local lake. Hoped they'd let me drive the boat, play with the siren, fire warning shots and fish with their stun guns.
It was fun anyway.
Went to a rowing regatta and took pictures from inside the timing tower for another story. Then, had a good time at a big-time BBQ championship in town, tasting samples, meeting nice folks and taking pictures.
All free. All paid gigs. All business trips.
Went to a meeting to hear one of the state's highest officials speak. Got a nice picture of him. He was also fun enough to take a picture of the two of us together holding a goofy sign ... for my girlfriend.
***
My Girlfriend
Yup, we're official. So official that we're Facebook official.
Chorus: "So you have met her?"
Quiet. I'm writing here.
Chorus: "That's what we figured."
~~
OK. It's ... non-traditional.
Chorus: "No, it's screwy. That's not a girlfriend, that's a pen pal."
Have you been talking to her family?
Where was I?
~~
Oh. We've texted, e-mailed and spoken on the phone for a least an hour a day for the better part of six months.
She is the only person alive who always knows how I am, where I am, what's going on and who wants to make my life better.
Not that she's the only person who cares about me. But, well ... "they have their own lives," y'know?
~~
Suz would tell you that God has used me to bless and love her.
We like each other. We care for one another. We love one another. We pray with/for one another. We read the Bible together. We enjoy one another. We are a blessing to one another.
Suz "gets" me. I "get" her. We click. We laugh ... every day ... and we look forward to our next conversation.
We are good to each other. Every day.
Every day.
~~
Not traditional.
Not perfect.
Merely fabulous.
That's how we look at it.
~~
Is the whole, wide world on board with us?
Of course not.
My friends have known for years that I'm "eccentric," as one astute author/friend said.
It's weirder for some of the folks in her life.
I am variously viewed as "the dude in Georgia" ... her "pen pal" ... "what's his name?" and "you've got to be kidding!"
So is everybody on both sides of your family thrilled with you and you-know-who?
Doubt it.
But this relationship has thrived for longer than my Temporary Marriage. That's something, right?
Chorus: "Yeah, the marriage that lasted as long as a tube of duck sauce, right."
Wow! Have you seen the Table of Condiments That Periodically Go Bad?
~~
Where was I?
Oh, yeah. I can't convince anybody that what Suz and I have is precious.
But, in some ways, it's better than having me take up valuable room on a crowded sofa asking why we're watching the Celtics and/or Red Sox when the Braves are also on.
You understand.
Besides, this way I can convince her that I'm tall, thin, young, handsome and wealthy.
Same for her.
:-)
~~
But for whatever it isn't ... it is precious and delightful to us.
I'll make the 1,047 mile trek to hug her, as God provides.
We'll meet each other's kids.
I'll make that awkward yawn/put-my-arm around-her move and gross out all our kids.
Some day.
Don't know when.
God knows.
~~
What I do know is this...
We're going to talk on the phone tonight.
We're going to be happy to hear each other's voice.
We're going to be interested in how each other's day went ... even though we've chatted a few times already.
We're going to pray for our kids. We're going to pray for one another ... and our loved ones.
We're going to read the Bible.
We're going to love and care for one another.
~
We're going to laugh, as we always do.
We're going to be thankful for one another.
~
Even if it's not perfect.
Even if it's only fabulous.
~
Then, we'll say "I love you!"
and "Goodnight"
and we'll sleep well ...
apart
knowing we're loved and happy
and thankful for God's gracious kindness.
