Last time I mentioned a change in the weather was predicted. It was 60° when we went to bed last Thursday night and 30° the next morning when we got up. That was a bit of a shock to the system when I went out to get the paper.
CHRISTMAS PARADE. Cross Plains had its annual parade Saturday. It was actually pretty good for something that was organized at the last minute. All the fire departments in the county were well represented and deafening. On a quieter note the East Robertson band and the local boy scout and girl scout troops were in line too. All this made up 80% of the parade. Our kids had a great time visiting with school friends and cousins as well as scrambling for candy.
HAVING A FRIEND OVER. Mackenzie Barrow is one of Jenna’s classmates and friends. Jenna invited her for a sleep-over Saturday evening. We took everyone out to Pizza Hut for supper. On the way to eat we went through Greenbrier. We’d heard about one house with a light display choreographed to music. It’s not as big a display as on some of the videos I’ve seen on the Internet but pretty impressive to be sure. When you get there you tune your radio to the frequency posted on a sign in the yard to get the full effect of the show.
After supper we drove by my supervisor’s house. James has been making at least one life size Peanuts character out of plywood each year for the last few years. Snoopy sleeps atop a shed at the end of the driveway (Woodstock is standing on his stomach). Charlie Brown, Sally, Linus, Lucy and others are on the ground around the building. His latest addition is Marcy. He puts a lot of work into these figures and they look really good.
When we got home it was bed time for the boys, but we let the girls stay up and play games. They (Vicki included) had a great time playing together and stayed up later than I did.
FOOTBALL FANATIC. I am not much of a sports nut. I have mentioned this abnormality about myself before. Vicki takes up my slack. The kids and I ate our lunch Sunday at the table. Vicki took hers to the living room to watch the Titans play the Colts. We were eating peacefully when we heard Vicki let out a big scream (that was when the Titans made an interception). The kids and I all looked at each other. Ben, feeling the need to explain the sound for the rest of us, nodded toward the front of the house and simply said, “That’s football.” Her screams reached a fever pitch by the end of the game. And though I don’t keep up closely I am glad both Manning boys went home nursing their wounds, so to speak, these last two weeks.
HOME TOUR. The Cross Plains Heritage Commission hosted a holiday home tour Sunday. Vicki and I went after the game was over. It was a short tour with three homes on the route. Two of them are approaching 200 years old, twice the age of our house. It just made me wonder what stories I’d hear if those walls could talk.
VROOM! A few weeks ago Ben was intrigued with the exhaust from the truck as it was cool enough for it to show up plainly. At the bus stop he walked around behind the truck to get a closer look (he wasn’t close enough to be in danger). At the right moment I revved the engine making the poor boy jump back about five feet. Now, when we arrive at the bus stop, I am given explicit instructions from Ben not to “vroom” him.
NOW THAT’S BIG! Saturday afternoon I was waiting at church for another fellow to take care of a maintenance project. While out in the parking lot I got to thinking about Noah and how big his ark was supposed to be. Using the accepted conversion factor that 1 cubit is 18 inches I began to step off the size of the ark. At 450 X 75 feet the ark would take up all the parking spaces in the back three rows (these are the only rows that run the length of the lot). Then I estimated how the height of the ark (45 feet ) would compare to our church building. I figure it would be just a few feet shorter than the highest part of the roof line. Standing there trying to visualize the ark sitting in the parking lot almost defies the imagination.
For those of you not familiar with our church there is a great aerial shot on Google Earth. Just search for 7109 Highway 25 East, Cross Plains, TN. You can use the measurement tools to get a feel for the dimensions of the parking lot. Or you can do this to a parking lot near where you live. You’ll be amazed. After stepping it off I sure was.
Joe
