Thank goodness the temps were up over forty today and little or no wind which gave us a much needed reprieve from these past days of biting cold. I had several little tasks to get completed before heading to office, and once there, I found myself on a burn to get my contemplative session completed before I had to head over to St. Paul Lutheran to play for their Services.
This was likely one of the worst Sundays for getting my much-needed prayer session completed because I was getting test message interruptions, along with earlier than normal phone calls. I did get it completed, but I dare say it wasn’t as fulfilling as they normally are, but as with all things, there are good days and bad.
I didn’t have time to get much practicing done before their Services started, which prompted me to tell the minister, as well as a few others that I was definitely in a funk this morning and it would likely show in my playing. For whatever reason, I was able to stay focused and get their hymns played in an acceptable fashion, with the exception of stumbling on an intro, but that was about it. There were over forty people there, and for whatever reason, they were singing their hearts out which gave me a very warm feeling inside. Since it’s now Advent, they’re having one more hymn played prior to the entrance which I played while they were lighting their Advent wreath. It was all good.
When I got back to office, I spent some time with my well known who arrived several days ago, and after hearing about the many good vacation hours spent in Mason City and Clear Lake, I was happy to hear it was a good drop-in. I didn’t realize they were having a big shindig over at the lake yesterday which my visitor found quite interesting.
Just before the hour of eleven, we headed off to catch a flight out of the Des Moines airport. It was a pleasant drive down, and the only stop we had to make was at that relatively new rest center north of Ames which I found to be very clean and attractive. Oh mercy, the dead deer along the Interstate was beyond alarming to where I’m wondering how many drivers hit one of them on a daily basis along that stretch between Des Moines and Minneapolis. I wouldn’t be surprised if the insurance companies covering vehicles are going to have damages done by deer being an exemption. I’m telling the world, the DNR and our State government has got to do something about culling those expanding herds. I still think somebody needs to open a dog or cat food factory where they’d be using all the road-kill deer as their source of protein. What a great way to re-purpose those carcasses.
The bulk of our conversation while on the road, was about familial happenings from a very long time ago, and up to and including the present. For whatever reason, I was doing most of the narrating, and mostly because I seem to be the one in possession of the most acute memories of people, places and things. We did get a few good laughs in when yours truly started mimicking some of the statements that’d come out of the mouths of various relatives over the years. A few of them were lines which had come out of those that are already dead and buried, but the bulk of them were those spoken by ones still alive. I’m sure there were some ears burning during that two-plus hour drive.
I did have plans to stop at that relatively new Costco in Ankeny on my way back, but since we were delayed a little, I had to skedaddle back to Mason City in time to make it to another celebration of life that was taking place out on the west-side of our City. Thank goodness I made it there a good twenty minutes before it was supposed to end, so at least I was able to visit with the ones I’d planned on. One of the guests happened to be a man whom I’d worked with a very many years ago, so we did have a good chat about the good old days. He and his wife have definitely done well for themselves which I’m very happy about because they did have their struggles in the beginning.
All these recent reported deaths of people I’ve worked with at one point in time, has got me wondering if we’re in that time of the year when death comes a-knocking more frequently. I’ve never really checked, but it always seems to me that there are more people dying during the cold months, or possibly just the way I look at them.
I did stop at a groceteria before heading home, just to pick up a plump frozen duck which I’ll be roasting in the future. I know some don’t like duck because of how greasy they are, but if their roasted properly, there’re just fine. It was priced at $2.99 a pound which is pretty cheap considering how expensive chicken wings are now. The demand for chicken wings must be due to a change in the cooking and eating habits of Americans because not so many years ago, chicken wings were always one of the cheapest portions, and only because they have almost as much bone as they do meat.
That nearly five hours on the road today has me feeling as if I’d put in a 12 hour day, and likely because of the stress associated with driving those Interstates in and around metro areas. Just as soon as I hit Ames, the traffic got heavier, and once I was near Ankeny, it became terrible. The speed limit in the Des Moines area is sometimes 65, and sometimes 60 depending where you are, but forget about nearly all those drivers paying attention to their speeds because there were many driving well over 70 and possibly 80 miles per hour. Don’t even get me started on the eighteen-wheelers because they’ve become quite aggressive these recent years which has made me all the more wary.
Not long after I arrived home, a dear relative of mine called, so that was another narrative session regarding recent happenings. Fortunately we both look at the world thru similar glasses, which keeps us both from thinking we’re the only crazy ones.
Tonight’s One-liner is: From the deepest of desires, often come the deadliest hate.
