gratefulness

Watchful Mother

After I loosed our dog yesterday, I heard the commotion of a killdeer. So I walked in the direction of the noise, saw the bird, and backtracked from it with my gaze.

There they were. Since I had Dora’s camera with 12X zoom, I didn’t have to get too close:

Killdeer eggs

After shooting the eggs, I stood still and watched Mama Killdeer. She gave up pretending to be wounded and started walking toward me:

Killdeer

I stood my ground. Will she attack me?

She didn’t. I held still. I was amazed she finally went all the way to her nest with me standing less than ten feet away!

Killdeer and eggs

What a beautiful bird!

Thank you, Lord! I was so blessed and cheered and encouraged.

Your Choice for Free

This came in our snail mail yesterday (click image for fuller view):

Free stuff from Bible Truth Publishers

My choice: God’s Way of Peace

Oh, and I got a free sample of one of their new tract cards:

Your heart pumped

For God so loved...you!

I’m very thankful to have been introduced to such cards!

And I may eventually order some to give our customers and friends. And maybe a hundred or two customized calendars.

Check it out for yourself: www.bibletruthpublishers.com/adv

UPS, the Weather, Me

OK, I don’t have time for this. It’s the last day of the year and I have so much business stuff to take care of before midnight.

But even though I don’t have time for this, I surely can take a little break, no?

So on December 11, Rod & Staff sends me a small shipment of three boxes via the brown shirts (and pants and skirts and trucks and Web site and jets and semis) at UPS. Two of them arrive on the 18th.

It’s a minor inconvenience but, oh well, things happen. It’s surely arriving on the 19th, a mere one day late.

Nope.

Finally on December 24 (yeah, I know, Christmas Eve) I check their Web site.

Shocking! The package is out for delivery on that very day. Even with all the snow and ice. I figured I’d be very surprised to see it. (We live at the top of a tenth mile driveway.)

The next time I checked their site, it was rescheduled for delivery on December 29.

(Now this is getting too long!) Read it all

Try Gratefulness (It’s in Season!)

ODOT says rush-hour plowing on I-5 was for drivers’ safety

Citing concern for motorists’ safety, the Oregon Department of Transportation on Wednesday strongly defended its decision to close part of southbound Interstate 5 during Tuesday evening’s rush hour, stranding thousands of holiday travelers and commuters for hours.

Officials said that rapidly deteriorating road conditions had created a dangerous situation that left the agency no choice but to act when it did.

Already jammed with rush hour and holiday travelers, an 11-mile stretch of the freeway — from the Southwest Haines Street exit in Portland to the Charbonneau exit south of Wilsonville — was closed about 4:30 p.m. as a “moving blockade” of ODOT equipment lumbered south at about 5 mph.

I wasn’t there. Not behind the wheel of a “civilian” vehicle. Not behind the wheel of an ODOT vehicle. Not behind the “wheel” at ODOT.

But I still say “Thank you!” to all the folks at ODOT for their work.

And to each one of you ODOT equipment operators on the freeways last evening that got the finger from irate motorists, please accept ten thumbs-up from me for each obscene gesture you got.

And an especially-blessed Christmas to you as well.

Thanks again!

Breaking: Woodburn Bomber Caught?

I just read this:

Authorities arrested a suspect in the Salem area Sunday evening in the Woodburn bank bombing that killed two police explosives experts and injured the town’s police chief and a bank employee.

The name of the suspect, address of the arrest or any details about the investigation were not released “to protect the integrity of the investigation and the safety of officers continuing to investigate this crime,” a news release from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said.

Those are the first two paragraphs of the story I just read at The Oregonian.

Good job!

Above all, love God!
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