Monday, November 11, 2013

The Vacation Is Over: Part Two

The postscript to the vacation? Well, I'm afraid that it ended with a few somber notes. Claire's hacking cough was getting worse and the poor thing endured several tough days before going to the doctor this morning. She was diagnosed with an infection, given antibiotics to bring her back round, and is already feeling a bit better. The other somber notes were that we learned upon our return to Omaha that our health insurance bill and our electric bill were going up ($65 a month and $35 a month, respectively) and that our Oldsmobile needs at least $500 worth of work. The worse news of all, however, is that our mechanic declared that the car may not be worth fixing. Yipes. Maybe we should have just stayed in Branson!

No, that's not true. It's really quite good to be home and we're already in the thick of things. Last Wednesday night and most of the day on Thursday I worked on the latest "When Swing Was King" program. (It debuted on Friday to Immanuel Care Center's assisted living audience and went very well.) Also on Thursday, I enjoyed a coffee with Pat Osborne at the Westroads Panera's and then joined friends for sidewalk counseling in front of the Planned Parenthood abortion mill.

In between coughs, Claire has been working to understand our new Samsung phone and preparing the house and menu for a dinner party we're hosting tonight. Throughout the weekend I worked on yesterday's sermon, one dealing with the responsibility the learner bears for his own spiritual education. And then this afternoon we start a very full week of "When Swing Was King" presentations, beginning with a Veterans Day event at Bethany Lutheran Home in Council Bluffs. 

Yes indeed. The vacation is over.