"The best laid schemes of mice and men / Go oft awry."

That didn't take long, did it? We are already back at it on this Monday, August 29, 2011. We actually got some pretty decent rain last Thursday morning. I mean rain rain. The wet stuff, steady, falling from a cloudy sky. For at least a couple of hours. Amen. That old saying about how you don't miss the water until the well runs dry has become an anthem of sorts for this year. Every time we get a sprinkle these days Facebook lights up with folks exclaiming their joy, thanking the Lord, and sharing the good news. Okay. I'm not going to waste much time before I jump right in. President Obama found a way to save money by cancelling the Space Shuttle program which saw a huge number of people lose their jobs. This is all okay because we can depend upon the Russians to take care of our astronauts serving up in the international space lab. Right? Uh oh! The Russians have been gloating over them becoming the sole delivery vehicle but their highly touted first trip since we quit to the space lab has ended in disaster. It was an unmanned rocket loaded with food and supplies but it encountered a little problem on it's way to work. It blew up. They had named the rocket Progress since they would be making some while we would be cooling our heels. Yikes. The folks up in the space station still have plenty of food but I once again wonder out loud if we have the Marx Brothers running our country. Only thing about that is they were always funny and with all that's going on each day, there's really very little to laugh about.

The people living out on the west coast or left coast, as it is often called, are having a big laugh over the way in which the folks on the east coast fell apart when the recent earthquake hit. That little number would have been like a bump in the night to them. Being someone who had never experienced one myself, I well understand the panic. I did think it was overdone a little but let's face it, Washington, D. C. has always led with its own overwhelming sense of importance. Also, given the economic circumstances out in the west, they need anything they can find to laugh about because when you have to start releasing murderers and rapists because you can't house them, well, that says something, and none of it is good. Especially when that is only a sampling of the problems being experienced. I also am glad that Hurricane Irene didn't do as much as it could have. The death toll stands at 21 as of this morning, and no loss of life is insignificant. The property damage will be in the billions, however, that is still small when you think about 65 million people who were in the path of that storm. Having to totally rebuild our home after Ike paid us a visit, we can identify with and sympathize with any who are dealing with the ravages of such a destructive storm. I mention again, droughts, wildfires, storms, floods, and depression like conditions in our economy, does anyone else begin to wonder out loud: Could God be trying to get our attention? America still has an opportunity to mirror the decision made by the prodigal son, as recorded in Luke 15, when he came to his senses and returned to his father. Now that would be a blessing of Biblical proportions! Amen.

I once again thank those who I call my loyal readers. I occasionally hear from some that read my daily blogs and I even have heard them being quoted from a time or two. Obviously I do them because I enjoy the challenge of putting words on the electronic page. What's that you say? No. I am not attempting to see how many words I can use to say so little. I've never dodged the charge of being wordy. God inspired the Apostle Paul to write some of the most astounding truths in our Bible, and many folks say his style is very wordy. I don't claim inspiration, especially in the Biblical context, but I am glad to identify with the charge of wordiness. Just joking. I did elect to get on with the Santa look a little earlier than before. Some days I wear red. Red shirt, red suspenders, and a red ball cap. One person asked me if I was doing that intentionally. Now I ask you, does anyone think I could get dressed in the dark and end up looking like that? Of course I  do it intentionally. And, it works. One evening at the pizza place I was sitting inside waiting and folks passing on the sidewalk outside would go by and then they would return to get another look, or maybe call their children. Also, I get those looks at the drive through and the good news, it almost always produces smiles all around. That's a good thing, even in the sweltering heat of August, and, not bad for a Hornbeck boy. Right? Have a great Monday and may God bless each of us as we seek to honor Him with the life He has given to us. Amen.     .....More later.