STARING AT SEPTEMBER

Well, August went fast!
 Hard to believe that this is the last week of August. It went by fairly quickly.
And it is dry here. No real measurable rain in a month and more. Every time the forecast calls for
rain, it fizzles out before reaching us or goes to the North or to the South of us. I'm beginning to think that God has forgotten about our little corner of the county. I am having to water the garden and flowerbeds regularly. The grass is dry and crunchy.
  I have been thankful for the summer lull. I really was nearly depleted before vacation and this slow time has extended and made it feel like summer.
   Now it's figuring out what to teach for adult SS and how far in advance do I plan for - dare I even start thinking of Advent?
   We are now in search of an organist (who resigned the beginning of August - apparently he moves
from church to church every few years) and a Treasurer (who wants to give up it for a second time!) and deserves to be relieved.
    Changes that happen in the life of the church.
   The L Church has begun monthly chicken dinners and selling pepperoni rolls. They have been
doing quite well but it takes most of our active members to pull it off each month. We're hoping with the start of school that the number of dinners increases as people drive by - teachers and parents bringing their kids home after school and practice. It's so convenient - you just pull up and tell them how many dinners and they deliver right to your car! For older folks this is a blessing. They have sold out nearly every month since April. And last month had over 200 orders for pepperoni rolls. I pray it continues to be a good outreach for the church.
   I should have been reading more this summer. I'll get back into it. Since I did most of the driving on vacation, I didn't have as much time to read as I desired. So, it's nose into the books!
   Our mantis egg sacks produced at least 2 mantises that we see from time to time. The browner one is the most elusive and this weekend they were only 12-18" apart from one another. Maybe it's a blessing their eyesight isn't all that good or so I've heard. I did saw the greener one actually yawn.
Maybe I'm spending too much time on the front porch!!!! But it is ever so fascinating. Rather than watch it on TV we have Animal Planet or Discovery Channel right in front of us! One can see life
and death, prey and predator from our own front porch!
    Well, the day calls, lunch is over and I have visits to make.
   Savor this last week of August and these dwindling days of summer.