So, Three Mice Go Into an RV

Once upon a time a lovely young, young beautiful lady discovered water on the floor in her RV.  She hastily removed everything from the area and punched out - without breaking, the panel where the water seemed to be concentrated.  Low and behold she cleverly discovered a leak in a plumbing connection. Noting how wet the area was she deduced it had been leaking for quite some time.  Her tall, handsome and handy husband set about fixing the gusher. The glamorous couple decided to leave the panel off to dry out the area and keep an eye on the hose.  

That very evening the pair returned to their RV mansion and, when they turned on the lights, to the horror of the beautiful and normally quite self-possessed woman, she spied a mouse looking up at them with eyes that quickly turned from surprise to panic. As the rodent darted this way and that, searching for cover, the woman, though quite ruffled, did not jump up on a chair and squeal, yet was plainly adamant in her declaration that the mouse and/or mice had to go!

Her brave and diligent husband bought mouse traps to catch the "only" mouse in the house.  Now, however, the very beautiful woman is left to ponder this: if you have captured three mice over the course of four days, how many more can there be? When did they decide to join us on our tour? And can any of the remaining mice play an instrument? Can they carry equipment? But really, what does it matter? We don't negotiate with rodentists.

PS: I have no photos because who wants to see a dead mouse with his head caught in a.... well, never mind. 

Airing Dirty Laundry

This is my attempt at the Welcome sign as we entered Louisiana - I missed.  So, here is a photo of the very first rest area instead. 

We are parked at Abita Springs, Louisiana, another campground, this one is not involved in any construction, the pool is open and the laundromat is outdoors!  I love it.  Abita Springs, is about an hour north of New Orleans, but that is a blog for another day. Meanwhile, I am airing my dirty laundry. 

PVC PROJECT

We spent two weeks at Lake Conroe, just north of Houston.  The area was lovely, but...

the noise nearly did us in!  They are working diligently EVERY DAY from 7:20 AM - 5:00 PM Beep,beep, beep The pool and the hot tub were closed for renovation. *sigh*  The water and electric were turned off frequently during the work day. Still, it was a fine stay and the staff were EXTRA friendly.  

During our stay, Dave was able to complete his newest PVC project.  Some people spend actual money on a sewer hose holder, but my clever hubby built his own model using supplies we ALWAYS have - PVC pipe :) - and a couple of gutter pieces we already had.

So, on the bright side of construction, the flow of our sewage is much more uniformly downhill. The last thing you want is a pool of sewage sitting in the hose, and that's enough said about that. As Martha Stewart would say, "It's a good thing."

Joy in Houston

Thank you, new friends, for the gift of time together!

Summerwood Elementary School in Houston, Texas, takes on a whole new look each Sunday when it houses Joy Lutheran Church.  Members of Joy take to the school cafeteria/gym and set up chairs, the sound equipment, the altar, the refreshment goodies, and are ready to greet any and all.  It is a mission church - vibrant and growing! 

We couldn't help noticing that one of the school's cafeteria posters - our guess was that it was made by a student as a helpful learning exercise - was particularly appropriate for a worship service: "No tooting or belching at others seated at your table." 

Pastor John and his wife, Linda, took us out for lunch so we could all eat yummy nearly authentic Mexican comfort food (I think cheese is their nod to the American palate). 
During our lunch conversation we, of course, discovered a number of people we have in common. 

The Coming Common

 St. Andrew Lutheran Church located in Houston, Texas, has an interesting life.

During the week they offer Early Childhood Care, we have noticed a lot of churches moving to this model of serving the community. 

On Saturday evening there is a Hispanic Church that worships here.
On Sunday morning at 9:30 AM St. Andrew worships and at 11:30 Hilltop Lutheran Church, a Korean congregation worships.

All of these different people groups use the space, and call it "our" church.  They all come together on occasion for potlucks and other events throughout the year. This is a really big idea it makes me reconsider what God's House looks like from the inside out. We laughingly talk about  "my pew" but what if we shared our pew with someone new?

Dave is pictured with our gracious hostess, Carolyn Koch. 

The Bells of Branson!

Remember the "extra" cold snap a few weeks ago? We were in Branson, Missouri.  It was just plain cold.  It was also the weekend of the handbell workshop at Faith Lutheran Church in Branson.  There were ringers from many area churches and the turnout was great. It was truly inspiring to see all ages and stages of skill together in one place.  The music was delightful - give a listen. We came in the building and thought one of the choirs must be playing. Quite good. Very precise. We looked over the rail to see everyone playing together in a mass choir - as one. It was amazing. 

I have been in a handbell choir for only one season, but it was so much fun and now I am drawn to bells whenever I hear the delightful sweet ring.

We had a great weekend with our friends at Faith.  On Sunday morning as guests raised their hands we counted about twenty - and that was a low count compared to "high season" in Branson.  What a great ministry to have - just being present and having a welcoming place to worship. Faith invites ringers to ring, a traveling preacher to teach and cheerful company for those visiting. I hope you will visit Faith when you are in Branson.

Missouri

Many years ago when we lived in Missouri, we did not see much of the state.  Our travels were primarily limited to work, school, and long drives home to see family in Wisconsin and Minnesota.  This trip through the state has been fun, in a terrifying, wild, freefall sort of way.  When you are traveling in a car on roads with no shoulders, it is not really such a big deal, but when hauling your house it is downright exciting! I am sharing photos of Castleview Campground to document what I mean by "way down the hill."  

Our campground while in the Branson, area. Beautiful. 

pretty sure it was the end of the road - it was not.

Our campsite at Stockton State Park, last week as the cold front came through, the Camp host left, and the water was turned off. We were the only ones in the park. It was great.