"There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore looking like an idiot." - Stephen Wright

Welcome to autumn, that beautiful time of year when the air gets a nip and the cacti turn...
OK, they don't turn any color, and the nip means a mid-afternoon temp of 105 degrees.

I took 380 pounds of scrap iron to the recycler this morning. Got a whoppin' $34 for it.
Getting the extra parts from the spare engine sorted and loaded into the car meant I only got the bell housing and flywheel installed before it was time to get cleaned up and hit the books. But I've got a lot more room in the garage to work with those gone. And the ring finger on my right hand should be back to normal size in a day or two. (ouch! flywheels are heavy)

If you want to learn a whole bunch of stuff, rebuild an engine. I probably won't use this knowledge ever again, but I know more about spline counts, 3-wire alternators, and thrust bearings than I ever imagined.

We hit ISIS targets within Syria as part of our strategy to "degrade and destroy" that evil movement that so far has beheaded two Americans.
We did not take any action in Syria when Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons on his own people and has so far killed over 160,000 of them.
The U.N. says he's now using chlorine gas on his enemies.

GM is moving the executive HQ for Cadillac to NYC. To SOHO. They'll still be engineered and manufactured in Detroit but they think putting their execs and sales dept. in a trendy, upscale 'hood will give the brand the cache it needs to compete with its European luxury competitors.
Seems reasonable. Look what living in Sun City has done for me.

My prep this morning included reading some articles on conflict resolution, including constructive and destructive ways to deal with marital conflict.
I can't remember the last argument Pam and I had. We do things that bug each other but I guess we've both decided none of them rise to a level worth making into an issue.
"In the grand scheme of things...."
T'wasn't always so. But along the line we learned skills - some of them the hard way - and a perspective that has us both more connected than I think we've ever been.
Maybe we'd be in the same place doing it on our own, but I don't think so. Having a third Person in our marriage has, I think, made the difference. Someone bigger than either of us. Someone who calls us to a higher standard than self-interest, winning, and walls.
We've been blessed in lots of ways, but God's grace over the last 43 years has to rate pretty close to the top of any list.