“Nothing is a joke with me. It just all comes out like one.” ― Lorrie Moore, Author of the book,'Like Life'

Here we are again at the bookend to this workweek, on Friday, August 5, 2016. I do enjoy seeing folks laugh. However, I could do without so much laughing at my expense. There's this little C-Store where I purchase all the Company's fuel products. The people there all know me. If I go by there early in the morning I like to snag me this little sausage rolled up in a flour tortilla. $2.00. Nothing on it. Just a good smoked sausage in a tortilla. While I am pumping diesel into the tank on the back of our truck, I mosey on in and pick-up my little snack, then I line up to pay. They are usually very busy. I had to wait a minute or two. It became my turn. I had my money in one hand and the sausage in the other. When I handed her the sausage instead of the money everyone laughed. She laughed too. I told her that's part of the calling that old people have. Making people laugh. To be honest, I didn't think it was that funny, but, I suppose those who responded have the last say or last laugh. I'm not altogether happy to report how this type of situation seems to be occurring more often these days. If I put myself to it I could most likely recall doing a little laughing myself at older folks when I was a whole lot younger. And, a whole lot dumber. That boomerang may go out there and travel a long way, but, eventually, it typically will return, and, sometimes when it does, it's right upside your head.

I've been out in the heat off and on this past week and I can tell you that it zaps a whole lot of your energy within a few seconds. I heard one 'feels like' prediction of 110 degrees and it sure felt that way to me. One fellow said we are supposed to get a big rain this weekend. That was news to me. When I looked up the forecast, it did not appear to offer any hope of that kind. They do have a 60% chance next Wednesday. That's way too far off  to start even beginning to begin to anticipate some relief. Our eldest son's A/C unit went out while he and his wife were on vacation in Mexico last week. I assisted our granddaughter in getting someone out to work on it. It took three days to get it back up and going. She was a real trooper but in the course of our conversations I mentioned to her that I had grown up without air conditioning. She was stunned. She said, "Poppy, how could you survive that?" That's a good question. I actually think it had more to do with the fact there were no alternatives for us to choose from. We didn't have it and that's just the way it was. Were we hot? You betcha! I told her how that when we put a fan in the window it would draw in moisture from the humidity and the next morning you were not only uncomfortably warm, but everything was also damp and sticky. I know it was unpleasant but I really can't remember us doing a lot of complaining. Maybe that's because, here again, it would not have changed anything. The good news is that I lived to tell about it. Joking only.

I wrote about the Pokemon Go craze the other day and how that it continues to prove itself to be dangerous in many ways. Well, just this week, two mid-twenties parents, caught up in chasing wherever the game told them to go, essentially forgot about and abandoned their 2-year-old. Here's an excerpt from the news report: "Police said a neighbor discovered the child at 10:30 p.m., who said the infant was barefoot, alone and wearing a diaper and a T-shirt. After police found the child 'red-faced, sweaty and dirty,' according to the statement, authorities called the dad, who replied, 'Whatever,' and hung up on the deputies." I tried to think of some of the things I heard my grandfather say about people like these two. I'll go with this mild one, "Sorry as all get out!" As for their punishment, his ideas for what they deserved would not be politically correct, I can assure you of that. Becoming addicted to a game is one thing. The 'whatever' response is much worse. To me. But they didn't ask me. And, you didn't either. I suppose it's just another bit of insight into our culture today. Sad but true. We can pray for them, for ourselves, and for all those who seek to find meaning in this fallen world. Getting it all together requires that we know God and His Son. That's the need we all have. Period. Amen. Now it's on to Saturday and Lord's Day Sunday. May God help us all to stay close to Him as we continue our journey. Amen. ....More later.