Catching up

When I woke up this a.m. a little after 7, Stan was gone. Very unusual at this household because he is a night owl who has worked 2nd shift almost constantly since Jacob was 6 weeks old. Supervisor of his shop has canceled 2nd shift for who knows how long so my poor hubby has to hit the road before 5a.m. to get to work by 6a.m. I believe he'd prefer to hit the sack at 5a.m.

We are grateful for the job & as a church friend reminded me, grateful that he didn't get transferred to Mayport thus forcing a family move. We do enjoy small town life complete with little traffic (Stan said,"we're gonna have to move" when we got the 2nd traffic light - LOL!), the compact community college & our wonderful church family. We are very blessed.

I heard Jacob leave about 7:30. He opens several days a week at 8a.m. He's a hard & steady, dependable worker who has learned a good amount about plants at Ace. His friendly people-personality is a plus for the company. A month or so ago, the indoor crew asked him to transfer inside seeking to entice him with air conditioning but he prefers the variety of the nursery dept. plus the more independent work environment so declined. He told me that if he switched to indoors, EVERYONE would be telling him what to do. I know I wouldn't care for that!

When I was at Ace the other day, several nursery/pet department people were off work so Jacob & Ann were holding down the fort. Someone was waiting to purchase parakeets. Ann called Jacob (who was filling propane) to come catch the birds. I was surprised that she didn't do it but curious to see him in action. Ann folded a box, Jacob reached in & grabbed the desired bird & deposited it into the box. He grabbed the 2nd bird before the 2nd box was even ready. The birds darting around in the cage were no match for his quick and accurate aim. It takes me longer to catch ONE bird alone in a small cage. I was quite impressed.

Andrew is a good employee for them also. The other day, Kelly said he wished they had more workers like them then asked Caleb if he was ready to clock in. Kelly is looking forward to Andrew turning 18 so he can fill propane, learn to drive the forklift, use a ladder and not have to take the govt mandated 30 minute break every 4 hours. Andrew is regularly scheduled to work on Mondays so he can feed the snakes. I'm guessing that not all the employees enjoy that task.

Andrew is hoping to get his driver's license some time this week. It will be useful to have another licensed driver but I will miss our time together commuting to work & school. He's also not excited about having to pay for insurance but understands that's part of it. Dual enrollment registration begins next week. Didn't summer vacation just begin?

Caleb & Rachel have both started school. FLVS wanted to get them going so Rachel is active in m/j Spanish 1 & Caleb in Spanish 1 & Computing for College & Careers - a prerequisite for the web design class that he's interested in. I told them it is something they can do when it is too hot to play outside (most of the day) & that by starting early, they can finish early - doesn't that sound like a good argument to you?

Both are still riding regularly M, T & H plus have some horse shows coming up. Not sure if they will actually ride in them but they will attend at least one since the 4-H club is doing concessions there as a fundraiser.

Rachel & I have been going through a study for moms & daughters based on the book The Princess and the Kiss (available in the church library) in which the "kiss" symbolizes purity. It has some hands on activities and discussion questions. It's a nice little focus for some mother/daughter time.

Caleb, Andrew & I have started reading & discussing the book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S Whitney (yes, it is available in the library - when I return it!). So far we've covered Bible reading/study/memorization & meditation (Caleb contributed the fact that medication - you know the "traditional" position & verbalization - originated with the Hindus. We discussed the differences between emptying & opening one's mind to spirits vs. filling one's mind with God's Word & being open to His Spirit) and today begin a chapter on prayer, which, of course, goes along with meditation & scripture > praying God's Word.

Time to fix a non-traditional (for us) lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches. Guess our main meal of the day will be supper for the foreseeable future. I know Stan will appreciate your prayers and condolences. Have a blessed day!