Never take a sleeping pill and a laxative at the same time.

I saw this picture on ESPN.com today and couldn't decide whether to smile or cry. I smiled sadly and snagged it so I could share. It had something to do with a story on stock car racing but I didn't really care about the article. That car on the outside of the track, #42, is a 1959 Oldsmobile 2-door hardtop. I can't tell if it's a Dynamic 88 or a 98 from this pic, but my heart wants to think it's an 88. We owned a car just like that back in the late 80's - white and all (but no numbers). It had a 394 with a 2-barrel carb (I had to rebuild ours) and was longer than a visit by your mother-in-law. I could have put a spare car in the trunk.
I'm sure that #42 weighed a lot less than the lead sled I drove - undoubtedly stripped down for racing - and they probably put in a 4-barrel. But even my stock version would move down the road real sweet. Slow off the line, but once it got going it was a thrill. And with the kind of simple pleasures they don't put in cars anymore: crank-out wind wings, 20" steering wheels (I didn't have power steering), chrome column gear shift lever, and a handle for opening the trunk.
I've owned some great rides: a '61 Ghia, a '67 Beetle, a 63 Impala, and let's not forget Stealth Reliabity. But if I could have any one of them back it would be that '59 Olds.
Oh yeah, the numbers: I bought it for $1 (it needed more than a carb rebuild) and sold it to the first buyer who showed up for $1,700. Today, 18 years later, it's very collectible and you could add another zero to that sale price.

I worked this morning installing 39 cabinet pulls and then installed a new outlet in their master bath. This afternoon I built another window cornice for last weeks customer, did 20 miles on the bike in my short-sleeve riding jersey and then hit the gym. Pam and I went out to dinner at Bravi's, a small restaurant close by that features Tuscan food. We've been there 4 or 5 times and always liked whatever we've had. We'll take you there if you're interested.

Tomorrow I'm hooking up with Josh W., one of my former students who now pastors a church about 10 miles from us. He recently got a great deal on a used Honda Shadow. So we're going to take advantage of the mid-70's weather and ride up to Cave Creek for lunch, and then take the long way home. Think twisties and right wrist.

In Genesis 16, the chapter we looked at in church yesterday, God tells Hagar that the son she'll bear will live in a hostile relationship with everyone around him, and especially with his brothers. It is widely accepted that this prophecy is not restricted to Ishmael, but applies to his descendants. The Arabs trace their lineage back to Abraham through Ishamel, Hagar's son.
So the big question is, does this prophecy continue in effect today? Is it a matter of divine decree that the Arab nations will forever be in an adversarial relationship with non-Arab nations? If that's the case, should it inform our country's position in geo-political affairs involving Arab nations?
Or was that decree in force only so long as God was dealing with Israel as his special nation, a relationship no longer operative at this time when Jew & Gentile are equal before God?

Talk among yourselves.

Idaho: More than just potatoes. Well, OK, not really. But our potatoes sure are good!