Being cold

 

I probably told you this already--but I'm always cold.

I think it's because I grew up in an apartment in Anawalt, West Virginia that had a coal stove in the living room, but no heat anywhere else.

It was over a grocery store, so the floor was warm until the store went out of business and our apartment got colder.

Our bathroom had only a small electric heater. Cold there too!

The year I went off the college my parents moved to Princeton, WV and bought a house with central heat.

Ask me if I've forgiven them....

So, my chill factor is from childhood.

I have a heater beside me as I write this and one by my side of the bed.

But chill follows me wherever I go....

 

Maybe I'm getting old...

 

Who am I kidding?

I am old! 78, I think, if I did the math right.

But what bugs me is watching kids walking home from school looking at their I-phones and not the traffic.

I see it all the time.

A young teen almost walked in front of my car today because he was watching his phone and not the road.

I have a 'dumb phone'. It takes calls and I can make calls, but not even a way to leave a message.

I like it like that.

And I only look at it when it rings--not all the time.

Maybe I'm getting old--but smart phones are a threat to us all....

 

I was wrong

 

The snow did come and more than I expected.

Our street hadn't been plowed and our driveway needed shoveled and the snow was still falling.

Phone calls ended it all.

Church was cancelled.

I was sorely disappointed.

I had, what I thought, was a good sermon.

I'll try to blog it later.

No church breaks my heart....

 

Snow is coming?

 

The forecast is for light snow tonight stopping at 7 a.m.

First of all, I don't believe weather forecasts--they are off at least as many times as they are on.

But the folks at church are worried about me having to drive in snow.

First of all, 27 of the 31 miles are roads surely plowed and the last 4 miles may be.

Second of all, where do they think I've been? I grew up in the mountains of West Virginia where snow was frequent and I've lived all my life either there or in New England with only 2 years in Alexandria, Virginia. 

I know how to drive in snow.

We agreed to wait until tomorrow and talk then about driving in the snow.

 

The dog gets mail

I went out the door this afternoon and there was a package addressed to "Brigit Bradley".

I laughed, thinking they had gotten Bern's name wrong.

But while I was driving (waiting for the car heater to start pushing warm air!) I realized the package was for our dog!

I got home and shouted for Bern. "Brigit got a package!"

It was indeed for her--some treats in a car sent by Bern's brother.

Even dogs get mail....

 

Weird Wednesdays

 

With Christmas so near and so many things going on for folks, we canceled the Wednesday Bible Studies at Trinity Church.

Wednesday's always revolve around my drive up to Milton and the time we spend talking about whatever comes up that day.

So, from around 11 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. on Wednesdays is set in stone.

Until now.

It feels good not to drive the 30 miles to and from, but I miss the people sitting around the table, having an informal communion service and talking with each other--sharing ideas and wild thoughts!

Today I worked on my sermon--a day or two earlier than usual because there was no Bible Study.

Wednesdays are weird without it....

 

Talking about sermons

 

I'm on a conversation every Tuesday with 6 or 7 others--all male (Bern says, "are you talking to the boys..."--all but one are Episcopalians though we came from other places to get there. There are usually 4 priests (plus my brother-in-law, a liberal RC priest) and we often talk about our sermons.

Today, one told us about preaching and having no one mention the sermon to him afterwards.

I'm on the other end of that. Sunday at least 16 or the 20 or so folks at church wanted to talk about my sermon.

Not that I think I'm a better preacher, it's just that some congregations really relish the sermons and others, not so much.

Kind of odd, I think.

Maybe they come for the bread and wine and not the words.

Who knows?