ADD it up

The McDonalds down the road has two parking spots labeled "Drive Through Only." What did I miss?

The Ace Hardware store in the same center is staffed entirely by Sun City residents, some of whom look to be approaching the century mark. Shopping there presents some special challenges; plan on speaking loudly to the employees, and being in a hurry will only drive you crazy. But if you need advice on anything you won't find a better hardware store in the valley. Those old guys all worked in one of the trades and now staff that department in the store.
A bald, short, slow moving guy with a name badge that says J.C. is the plumbing expert. He's also working an attitude. Think "Grumpy Old Men" meets Don Wrinkles. I asked him this morning if the drain pieces I'd picked would take care of the alignment problem I had at the clinic. "Why in the world would you want to do it that way? This makes more sense." But I could tell almost immediately that he's really just bluster so I gave it right back to him...with a smile on my face. Over the next few minutes we had a good time going back and forth and I left with the correct parts and great advice.
Some old people are fun.

Most weeks I send out an email suggesting a small exercise that will prepare us for Sunday's sermon. "Read this passage and look for...." or something like that. This week we'll be in the first part of James 5. Their assignment is to read the passage and then think about and identify any social ills or injustices in contemporary American culture. What would you say? If ten years from now we look back on the second half of this decade what will we say was the social injustice that most needed to be addressed?

I paid $4.07 for gas this morning. It's been a long time since it was that low here.

"There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves." - Will Rogers

McCain had to rush out to a hastily called press conference today to publicly disagree with supporter and former Senator Phil Gramm, a recognized expert on economic issues. Gramm said that America is in a mental recession and has become a nation of whiners. McCain wanted to disavow that view as quickly as possible before Obama could make hay of that statement. He didn't get there in time. But what struck me was the truth of Gramm's assessment and McCain's reaction. Apparently criticism of anything in the public arena is very bad politics. Everything should be blamed on the government. Americans don't want their candidates to tell them the truth but then seemed surprised when, once elected, they lie to us.

I'm getting the itch to take a motorcycle trip. I'd have to leave here about 3 a.m. to ride in temps below triple digits, but if I headed north it wouldn't take long to get out of the desert.
And read another classic.
And write.
But there's this little thing called life.