Hail hits

A hail storm hit last week, dumping seven-tenths of an inch of rain (a HUGE amount for this high-plains desert). It shredded my morning glories, hammered my sunflowers, and beat down my tomatoes and peppers. But the moisture was not something we can complain about after so many years of drought!

A Lovely Lunch

June brought a Santa Fe luncheon with three lovely ladies: nieces Hallie and Atalie Brown (Wendy's daughters) and my sister, Jeni Hanson. We had a tasty lunch at Tomasita's, and enjoyed one another!

Site Feed Quandry

This post is for RRG: if you get notification of this post, please let me know. I am very confused that I can't seem to walk my dear husband through the necessary steps to get a site feed for this blog, but RRG says he has it fed to his reader. I have several sites fed to my reader (Google Reader) without any trouble, but can't seem to get my own... Anyone else out there have this fed to their readers? If so, how did you do it? Inquiring minds want to know...

Not that it's so important to get a feed for this, I guess, since I so rarely post or have anything important to say... and the answer is probably easy and obvious, but oh well...

Pictured Rocks

Dave and I enjoyed a few days in the Beautiful upper peninsula of Michigan between Tim's graduation and

attending Track Nationals in Oshkosh, Wisc. We roamed the shoreline of Lakes Michigan and Superior, and enjoyed hiking at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The Spring wildflowers were spectacular, as were the pesky biting flies! But the views and the weather were beautiful, and we had a great time!

Almost an engineer...

We enjoyed a treck to Grand Rapids (via Bloomington, where we visited with Ben, saw the townhouse he and Elsa are buying, D.V., and brought him along for the trip) where we saw Tim graduate--- or mostly. He has completed everything for graduation, including all of his classes in electrical engineering, with one small exception. He has purposefully saved a one-credit, required physical education class so that he can run his last year of track eligibility! So, while he won't hold the diploma until after he completes his PE class next spring, for all intents and purposes, he is an electrical engineer. Way to go, Tim!

At left you will see Tim and his young lady, Nikki-Ann Reckman. She graduated (completely), and we had the privilege of getting to know her better and meeting her delightful family from Sarnia, Ontario as well. Above is a photo of the Finfamfour: Ben, Dave, Tim and Chris. At the right, are the boys with their surrogate mom, Angela, our dear friend from Ohio. In addition to coming up for Tim's graduation, Angela returned Ben to Bloomington (with a load of furniture), and she shows up whenever we need her, like for several months in Houston when Dave was ill. Thanks, Ang!

Tim is in Los Almos for several months (the exact extent yet to be determined) working at the Lab on the NASA Chem-cam project. For more info on that, see:

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/sc_instru_chemcam.html
(Click on "Instruments", then on "Chemistry and Camera" to see the instrument Tim will be helping with.)

Saturday of Holy Week

Saturday of Holy week-- that day between church on Good Friday and church on Ressurrection Sunday-- always epitomozes waiting for the day of salvation to me.

One of my favorite hymns of the season is "Ah, Holy Jesus" by Johann Heerman (1630), translated in the Yattendon Hymnal (1899) and found in the Trintiy Hymnal, #248. Add Johann Cruger's excellent chorale music (Hersliebster Jesu), and you have a fitting and moving meditation for every day...


Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended,
that man to judge thee hath in hate pretended?
By foes derided, by thine own rejected,
O most afflicted.

Who was the guilty who brought this upon thee?
Alas, my treason, Jesus hath undone thee.
'Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied thee.
I crucicifed thee.

Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered.
The slaved hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered
for man's atonement, while he nothing heedeth.
God interceedeth.

For me, kind Jesus, was thine incarnation,
thy mortal sorrow, and thy life's oblation,
thy death of anguish, and thy bitter passion,
for my salvation.

Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay thee,
I do adore thee, and will ever pray thee
think on thy pity, and thy love unswerving,
not my deserving.

Visitors

Chris' Uncle Lem (Ron) and Aunt Paula Postel came for their first visit to New Mexico, and we had a lovely visit. Here, they braved the spring winds (when Arizon blows through on its way to Texas) at Overlook Park in White Rock.