Yesterday in church while we were singing I was hit with a thought that wasn't new to me but came with particular power, impact. The lyrics, which praised God for Who he is and what he has done for us his people suddenly made me acutely aware of the huge gap between the community of believers and the world in which we temporarily reside. Frankly, I think that gap is greater in OR than in other places we've lived, especially west Michigan with its strong Dutch Reformed culture. Christians really are (or at least should be) strangers, aliens. Our values, priorities, behaviors....
What percentage of people 16 and older take a shower vs. a bath? Whatever that number is, it has changed dramatically over the last 40 years. Back in the day the only place you consistently saw showers was at the gym and now virtually every tub is a tub/shower unit. The exception is a "soaker tub" next to a walk-in shower, a term which answers it's own question.
So, what explains the shift? Why have the vast mast majority of Americans switched from baths to showers? Time considerations?
And at what point do we start calling them shower towels?
As long as we're pondering the odd, why is there a sign outside the Veneta fire station saying they do free removal of wasp nests? Doesn't that cut into the work of pest control companies? And do they use a firehose to blast the nest?
Another odd one: I've reserved a U-Haul van for tomorrow to bring home a chest freezer for goat meat and the construction supplies I need to build a shelter for the weanlings. I got an email last night from U-Haul telling me that at pickup I could get free decals to cover up their logos if I'm heading to Burning Man.
Huh????
So many questions.
On the way home from the coffee shop in Veneta I stopped by the Elmira barber shop, one of only three businesses here. (The other two are an auto repair shop and a nail salon.) Haircuts are $7 and he makes about $1.50 per minute, but I'm fine with that.
There was a customer in the (only) chair when I got there and the two of them clearly knew each other from way back. Language was pretty crude (see paragraph one above) as they compared notes on family issues. The customer referred to his daughter using a very derogatory term and resents having to raise her kid. What I think is his son is in a relationship with a gal that's more of a habit than someone he cares about. Raising this gal's children is, in the customer's opinion, a stupid move that dooms the relationship.
I sat there and gave thanks for our kids and their families.
The term negative split refers to a run in which the second half is faster than the first. We were supposed to hit 97 today and the air is visibly smokey from the fires east of here so I left for today's run, a 4-miler, as soon as I got home from the barber's. When my primary training goal is distance in preparation for a half-marathon it's easy to fall into a casual loping pace, so I determined to focus on tempo for today's shorter run. Sadly, I'm still slow, but did turn in a negative split, especially gratifying since 90% of the out/back route is downhill going and (doh) uphill coming home.
Today's pace was a full two minutes slower than what I typically ran on daily runs 35 years ago and the same as the pace I set as the goal for each of my two marathons back then.
I'm getting old and it slows.
We only (!) made it to 95, but the smoke from the wildfires east of here is so thick that the Eugene and Springfield school districts cancelled all outside athletic practices and events. Going outside is like walking into a campfire, thought the smell is a little different. And the sunsets the last few days have been dramatic.
I recently learned about a mom & pop joint in west Eugene that's open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is supposed to serve pretty good food. Pam and I will be there when they open for b'fast and then on to the U-Haul yard about a mile away to get the van. Then to Home Depot to get eight 8' corrugated galvanized roof panels, 6 pier blocks, 8 sheets of T1-11 siding, six 4x4x8's, about 20 2x4's and boxes of nails and screws. Put together I should have a shelter for the weanlings and a cover for the chicken pen so it's not a muddy mess all winter long.
Job security.
No comments:
Post a Comment