Turnin’ Up the Heat

When we got back in town Sunday afternoon we immediately noticed the corn was taller and had tasseled. We also noticed everything was dry -- really dry. When we walk across the yard the grass crunches under our feet. Our pleasant weather is gone for a while as the last half of the week has been dominated with triple digit highs.

A SHORT TURN AROUND. Jenna only had a short time at home as she was scheduled to leave with our youth group to Mission-Fuge the next morning. For her it was unpack, do laundry, and repack. We had her at church bright and early Monday morning for her to roll out on the bus. Our group included 84 people who represented Friendship Baptist, Hopewell Baptist, and our church. This year they are doing mission work in Appalachia and are based from the University of the Cumberlands at Williamsburg, Kentucky.

Jenna has had a great time all week. The really neat thing is that we’ve been able to talk to her every night. This may not sound like anything special as everyone seems to have a cell phone these days, but Jenna does not. Jenna saw where they would have free internet so she took her iPad. This has allowed us to talk to her face to face. It’s really made us think about what life will be like around here when she’s in college. (Vicki went in Jenna’s room to put some things away the other day and spritzed some of Jenna’s perfume because she missed her.)

Jenna was assigned to a track where they did some construction, painting, and yard work. She helped with painting the side of a thrift store, cleaning up the landscaping at a local ministry, and helped a couple clean their house after a house fire. We get a full report from them at church next Sunday.

TRASH & TREASURES. The weather did not help our annual Trash & Treasures event this weekend. The heat predictions seemed to scare a lot of people away and rightly so. There were only a few brave souls poking around after 10:00 yesterday, though there were more people today. By the time I got home yesterday afternoon my thermometer had recorded 103°F for the day’s high. Thankfully the humidity was only 40% (when 80-90% is more of the norm). Today was a slight bit cooler at 102°.

I should note here that the Tennessean reported that the temperature reached an all time high of 109° yesterday, breaking the record of 107° set in July 1952. I don’t think I’ll need to mow for a while.

In spite of the heat Vicki and the boys came up and helped us with the hamburger stand that the Heritage Commission had. Nate was great help assembling hamburgers and hot dogs while Ben got some experience working with customers and making change. I am proud of both of them.

AN OLD STORY. This is a story I meant to share in past editions but fled my mind whenever I sat down to write up our news. This happened pretty soon after school was out and I was beginning to get settled into my shop. I tend to keep a few pieces of scrap wood around because it comes in handy for fixing things. Ben noticed the pile of this in the corner of the shop and began to wonder what he could build with it. Eventually he nailed together three short pieces of 2x6 to make a small stool and then he took more scrap lumber and nailed together a short podium (sized about right for a toddler). It even has a strip of wood to keep your papers from sliding off. I was impressed with his work.

Nate was also inspired by Ben's creativity and decided to nail something together himself. We are not really sure what it is, but it looks nice. Nate insists that Vicki use it in VBS somehow.

ANOTHER OLD STORY. This story happened while Vicki and the boys were away at CentriKid. Jenna and I went to visit Mom and Aunt Mar one evening while Larry and Tommy Pinson (father and son) were planting soybeans in the recently cut wheat field behind Aunt Mar's house.

We noticed the planter was being pulled by a Case International tractor which is really odd because the Pinsons have used John Deere equipment almost exclusively for as long as I've known them. That red tractor pulling the green planter was an eye catcher.

As Jenna and I were leaving we stopped and talked to Mr. Larry about this and he confirmed that the unbelievable had happened, they had defected. They had gone to purchase a new tractor but the people at the John Deere dealership didn't seem to want to talk to them so they went to H & R Implements where Greg Keith works and he sold them on red paint. Mr. Larry said it has taken some getting used to but it seems to be a good tractor.

Greg, you may recall, is a cousin of mine and I last wrote about him when he and Cathy married last year. He's been selling tractors for a few years now, but now that he's sold the Pinsons a Case I'd say he could go ahead and retire as he's done the impossible and reached the pinnacle of his career in tractor sales.

Joe