"If you see a snake, just kill it. Don't appoint a committee on snakes." - Ross Perot

I miss teaching. Too often while I'm working on a chore or project I think about something that grabs my interest and I think, "I want to talk about that with others so they can engage with it, too." Like Paul's use of three unique and expressive words in Rom. 12:1-2, or how the Wesley brothers changed the face of evangelicalism, or how our view of the age of the universe affects our view of Scripture.
I loved the connection between teacher and learner. Almost organic.

I learned a Chinese expression for a very close connection between two people or things:
"As close as teeth and lips."

I once asked a professional musician who worked in the field of classical music if it drove him crazy to hear the sometimes jarring quality (or lack thereof) of music in contemporary worship services.
Yes!
He went on to explain his pain sometimes had to do with the content, but more often with the dismal quality.
I suppose it's like a chef who goes out for dinner at Denny's. How can he not evaluate his meal in light of the standards he knows should be present.
Or an old homiletics prof listening to preaching.

Tomorrow I go get our bees.
Saturday there's a big car swap meet in Portland. There's also a chicken swap in Corvallis. Guess which one Pam thinks we should hit.

Swapping out a gas tank is an unpleasant job. They're typically held in place by two metal straps that go underneath them and bolt to the underside of the car. So I was surprised when I peeked under Sally today and saw ...no straps! Ford made a gas tank that gets set in from the trunk and has a lip that bolts to the trunk floor. This is going to be a snap!
Changing out the leaf springs...not so much. They're heavy, the large mounting bolts WILL be rusted, and gravity is not our friend.

We had a visitor today. Robyn, the Forestry Dept. lady who had authority over our tree operation was headed to a place up the road and stopped in to see how things look now. She's really nice, was easy to work with, and genuinely cares about nature. She liked the "new look" with a goat pen and fruit trees, and had some helpful suggestions about how we can clean up and plant down by the creek. I'm glad she felt free to stop by.

We're just home from our small group gathering. Pam thinks I should talk more. Who EVER thought that would happen?!