Bob's Stuff

Voice Actuated Remotes?

2009-11-23T01:58:00.003-05:00

I will freely admit that I am one who loves new techno gadgets. I've used a computer since the late 80s and feel lust in my heart when faster computers come available. Not that my current computer isn't fast enough. I just long for the faster.

And I use a fancy cell phone. It not only makes and receives phone calls it also tells me when I am supposed to do something, holds a long list of people, their addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. I could use it to go on the internet but I admit I am too cheap to do so. I also have music and books stored in the thing as well as a copy of Quicken.

But I have limits. The picture here is one of them.. It is a voice actuated remote for use with televisions, dvd players, sound systems, etc. instead of pressing buttons on the remote you can tell it what you want it to do. You can name the channel you wish to see, turn your various techno items off and on, etc.

I am not quite this lazy. I am willing to pick up a remote and push the buttons. Besides I think this remote will be a source of much conflict within families. You see it can be programmed to recognize 4 different voices. Right now the one who holds the remote is ruler of the television. Image if people started shouting out what they wanted to see but disagreed. Dad wants to watch The Office. Mom wants to see the football game. Son wants to watch MTV. Daughter wants to see 60 minutes. And they all tell the poor remote to change to the channel they want.

Anyway, I refuse to get this thing. You of course may do so at your peril. And no, I am not going to tell you when I found this item online.

Dr. Bob

2009-05-04T00:32:00.002-04:00

Yep, Pittsburgh Seminary has promised to give me my Doctor of Ministry. That got me thinking about what people should call me. The Rev. Dr. Robert Campbell? Yeach. I still prefer Pastor Bob. After all that's what I do. Still there is another possiblity from the Muppet Show: . .

Dr. Bob!

Graduation is May 28th

Pastor Bob

This video has been removed due to terms of use violation.

2009-04-20T00:47:00.003-04:00

I just discovered that it's good every once in a while to check the links on your blog. All my Muppet Show links to YouTube no longer connect. And for that matter so had some of the Monty Python links. If you clicked on them you get this: This video has been removed due to terms of use violation.

Now I know that people make money selling entertainment. That's why we aren't supposed to download songs or movies without paying for them. But notice that one of my heroes allows, or at least doesn't insist that we remove his links from YouTube: Weird Al. Although he does have a song and a video on YouTube called, "Don't Download This Song."

Sigh. Now I have to go and find other strange stuff to make links too. And I so like the songs from the Muppet Show.

BTW, Am doing better in the heart department. Am on the Mediterranean Diet, (can I say that without be charged with copyright enfringement?), which means more starches, legumes, veggies and fruits and less meat, particularly red meat. And I have to drink more water which has taken care of the dizziness. I'm supposed to be exercising too, but I haven't gotten around to that yet. Soon.

Anyway, off to work on the links.

Sorry Allan and Ian, no more songs from the Muppet Show.

Brother Bob

A Weak Heart?

2009-04-06T12:25:00.002-04:00

So, I don't have a blockage in my artery. In fact my plaque level in the cardiac arteries is pretty good for a guy my age. No angioplasty. That was fine with me.

But a weak heart? What the heck does that mean? My blood is moving sluggishly, the doctor says. My heart is weak. I guess that's better than a weak stomach for someone who hangs around hospitals and sees blood and wounds and stuff, but still!

So no I'm going to go on some medication. Problem is the meds will lower my blood pressure and I already have low blood pressure. So I walk around dizzy now. (One church member said she already knew I was dizzy and what did that have to do with my heart!) Will I be more dizzy if I take the meds?

Ah well, I see the cardiologist on Thursday and we will work it out.

Still, who knew? I sure didn't expect all this!

Brother Bob

Ebay, Oh Ebay

2008-09-28T02:22:00.003-04:00

Decided to upgrade the phone/pda. Cost me too much so I decided to sell some old stuff, like two old pda's one a phone and one not.

Already sold the non-phone pda for $85.00.

Now I think I'll go through Debby's stuff . . .

Hmm, maybe not if I want to live

Brother Bob

P.S. I don't hurt anymore! Yay! Well maybe a little. Promised Debby I would stay off the bike until after we get back from CA.

Whew!

2008-09-07T12:54:00.002-04:00

I made it through worship! I was tired and in pain at the end so I sat down to shake hands. Next week should be a lot better!

Brother Bob

First Worship Service

2008-09-07T08:35:00.001-04:00

Today is my first worship service PFOB (post fall off bicycle). I'll let you know how it goes, like whether I can last through the service.

Brother Bob

it's Getting Better All the Time

2008-08-26T23:26:00.002-04:00

Well I still have pain. Not a real surprise, 6 broken ribs and it's only been a little over 3 weeks. The oxycoton knocks the pain back so it isn't real bad when the meds are in me but it gets worse when I go past the time the meds are good for.

Still it's getting better. I hear I will need about 6 weeks to get me back to normal.

Staying in bed could be boring but between the laptop and sleeping a lot I haven't been bored. And on top of that I get downstairs and sit up in a recliner and also get out for a short walk. I'm amazed how much energy it take to get a little exercise. I figure it has something to with the pain and lying around for so long.

Anyway, I'm getting better and Debby is taking good care of me.

Brother Bob

DAMN, I HURT!

2008-08-16T10:34:00.003-04:00

Those of you who read this (which is seriously few), know that I've been the hospital for the last week. I a home, thank God. And I have a few observations on the whole thing.

1. I still don't remember how I got hurt. I was out riding my bicycle, that I remember. The next I remember I was in a tube, (no I wasn't dying I think it was the scan at the hospital), and then I was in a room with some guy yelling at his girl friend and other family members on his cell phone. They moved me.

2. If you have to go to a trauma center the UP Hospital is the place to go. I wasn't that serious a case. They kept getting calls about gun shot patients and stuff like that. A bicycle accident was refreshing for the staff. On the other hand I did have a concussion which is serious. I still don't remember much of Saturday or Sunday. And then I had problems remembering words for the next few days. That seems to be gone now.

3. Epidural pain killers are the way to go. For several days I hurt some but it wasn't too bad. Made me wonder why I was still in the hospital. Then they took the epidural out. Boy did I hurt then! Oral drugs help but they aren't as direct and they start to wear out after a while. Still you can't go through life pulling an IV pole.

5. Having your daughter and wife visit is nice. Debby came every day, special thanks to Al Scheetz who provided the transportation. Lizz came and spent two evenings with me and we had great conversations.

4. Hospital beds are torture. OK, they have to be plastic because of people who wet the bed. But my bed felt like it had a metal bar right when my ribs hurt. I am so glad to be home and in my own bed. It may not have cool features like rising up and down but itself but it feels a lot better.

So now I'm home. I'm glad to be home! I can go downstairs and get something from the fridge instead of waiting until mealtime. I can see a video or a DVD. I have Internet connection (Yeah!) I even went for a short walk last night! Debby waits on me hand and foot. Well at least hand. Just what does it mean to be waited on by foot? Does that mean she goes and gets something? Or does she do something for my feet. Hm, kinky!

But if I move the wrong way I hurt. Getting in and out a bed is a pain but not all that bad. Curiously enough the scabs on my knees hurt more than anything else and then only when I'm standing up.

But I'm supposed to be in California!

Brother Bob

Back to Blogging

2008-06-23T22:24:00.003-04:00

The thing about blogging is, sometimes you have something to say and sometimes you don't. And as someone once said, if you don't have anything to say, it's better if you don't.

Anyway, I just wrote something about George Carlin and now I'm going to bore you with what I did last week.

Last week I was on study leave. I decided I should finish up my doctorate sometime before I retire and now looked like a good time.

You have to be a strange person to want to do a doctorate in a field like ministry. Part of the problem is that you spend hours doing research. That's what I did last week. I was either in the library or in my room reading books from the library. And it was fun! One of the best things about university and seminary libraries these days is that you don't have to be in the library to see what books are in the library. You can visit the stacks online. You can go to the Pittsburgh Seminary Library online here and see what books are available. (Isn't it cute that they call the library search engine Calvin?) Of course you have to either go to the library to get the books of ask them to send them to you. They even were nice enough to provide wireless service so I could do this from my room!

I'm working on this project that asks how to make one community out of people from different cultures. The church now has members who were born in Africa and Haiti as well as whites and African Americans. It makes for exciting times but we don't always understand each other. In fact there is one very nice lady from Nigeria that I really have to struggle to understand. But I figure this is the way church is supposed to be. God obviously likes variety. Otherwise why would there be so many different cultures with so many different languages? It's work but it's exciting.

So any way last week I spoke to two professors, (once each), the director of the doctoral program, (twice), had dinner with a bunch of people, (once), and that was it except for clerks in the grocery and convenience stores, the people at the desk in the library and the people who wanted spare change in East Liberty. The rest of the time I spent reading. And I had a blast.

Which of course makes me really weird but like I said, God likes variety.

Brother Bob

Goodby George

2008-06-23T22:08:00.004-04:00

George Carlin is dead. Sigh. He was the rude crude critic of modern American misuse of langauge.
Consider this:

"'Older' sounds a little better than 'old,' doesn't it? Sounds like it might even last a little longer. ... I'm getting old. And it's OK. Because thanks to our fear of death in this country I won't have to die — I'll 'pass away.' Or I'll 'expire,' like a magazine subscription. If it happens in the hospital they'll call it a 'terminal episode.' The insurance company will refer to it as 'negative patient care outcome.' And if it's the result of malpractice they'll say it was a 'therapeutic misadventure.'"

I know the feeling. I hate euphemisms for death too. When I do a funeral I say the person is dead. None of that passed away garbage. Passed away sounds like someone farted.

Besides the hippy dippy weather man, and the seven words you can't say on television, my personal favorite is his description of stupid things that happen on airplanes: "In case of a water landing . . . CRASH on WATER!"

I heard a really great one on an airplane last week. "The flight crew is at the front of the aircraft." Imagine my relief! I was afraid that they were flying the plane from the cargo bay!

So goodbye George.

One last quote:

"Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?"

Something to think about.

Brother Bob

Flowers from East Coast Spring

2008-04-11T01:08:00.002-04:00

And here are those East Coast pictures. Later on you get to see the azaleas, the dogwoods, forsythia and others.

Brother Bob

Israel

2008-04-11T01:03:00.002-04:00

I was going to post a bunch of pictures on the family site from Israel but realized that you could just see them all here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/InterfaithMission

I didn't take these pictures as you can probably tell because I'm in some of them. If you want a power point presentation I can send one but it's 10+ meg.

Shedding Season

2008-04-10T23:27:00.003-04:00

NO THERE IS NO DOG IN THERE!

Yes it's Spring which means that there is animal hair everywhere. The blue rug in the bedroom is red from the Chloe and we just took a ton hair out of April Mae by brushing her. (See the picture. Can you believe all that hair came off a 12 pound dog?)The vet said the undercoat would come off. It is. She's been panting outside and the temp was only 72 today. She looks like she has a ton more hair to come off.

April Mae's problem is she can't run fast enough. We got some big mats of fur out of Chloe last week and now she runs when she sees the brush!

I also have begun to post spring flower pictures for you west coast folks who don't get daffodils and hyacinths.

Brother Bob

The Christmas Blues

2007-12-21T11:54:00.000-05:00

I don't particularly like Christmas. It isn't the religious aspect of the holiday. I love the stories from Matthew and Luke and the celebration of the incarnation. But Christmas day is a bit of a downer. In fact I have the same feelings about Thanksgiving although they aren't quite as strong.

This year we are having Christmas dinner at Elizabeth's. It feels bit weird when one's children are grown up enough to host Christmas but it should be exciting. Debby and I talked last night about getting out the fake tree and decorating the house and decided that neither of us want to do so. We're going to get the wreaths and a nativity set out and leave it at that. I suspect James and Elizabeth will not be amused but it is, after all, our house. They don't live here.

As we thought about it I realized that Christmas makes me feel sad. I finally came to the conclusion that what I really wanted was to celebrate Christmas at Mom and Dad's house with Don, Cathy, Allan and Ian, and all their children in attendance. Christmas feels kind of lonely.

It was different when the kids were young. There was an excitement, their excitement, that made the day wonderful. And still today just being with them makes both Thanksgiving and Christmas worthwhile. But we have reached the point where we all want to sleep in on Christmas. No children waiting until 7 AM to get Mom and Dad up, (with whispering outside our door and sureptiscious shaking of presents before the set time).

Maybe it will get more exciting when we have grandkids, although right now I can put that day off. But for now I wish I would be in Mom and Dad's family room with my siblings around me as we tear off paper, compare wonderful and strange presents, laugh, tell stories, and generally have fun.

I will miss all of you on Christmas. And I love you all, in deeper and more profound ways than I can say.

Brother Bob

Terrible Music

2007-12-19T11:19:00.000-05:00

For good or ill I am one of those people who has music that just runs through my head. This isn't always bad. Some days it's Bach, other days the Doors, the Who, or Hendrix. I even get bagpipes and Weird Al sometimes.

But then there are the bad days. This morning I woke up with Sonny and Cher running through my head, "A Groovy Kind of Love." The worst part is once it starts playing I can't get rid of it until I listen to something else on the stereo! I've been attacked by the Bee Gees with disco music, (which makes me want to puke!).

So I'm going to put on some Celtic music or maybe the Messiah and see if I can drive Sonny and Cher away.

(AGGGHHHHH!!!! I can see then from their TV show with Sonny in that horrible fur vest!)

Heading toward the stereo right now. Fortunately I'm the boss and can choose the music. Life would be much worse if I worked in one of those places that play horrible Christmas music this time of year!

Brother Bob

Natural Law

2007-11-02T18:50:00.000-04:00

I've been involved in a continuing discussion about scientific theory and fact on a blog recently. I've held the position that we should always be ready for evolutionary change in scientific theory but also radical change. Einstein's theory of relativity was a radical change in physics. Curiously April Mae has been a source of my conviction that scientific theory can change. I'm not absolutely sure but I wonder sometimes if she doesn't violate certain laws of physics, including gravity. The attached photo is proof. What do you all think?

Brother Bob

The Philosopher's Song (Monty Python)

2007-09-28T18:22:00.001-04:00

Here is a little philosophical thought from our friends at Monty Python. To hear it sung go here. You can also watch it here.

Immanuel Kant was a real pissant
Who was very rarely stable.
Heidegger, Heidegger was a boozy beggar
Who could think you under the table.
David Hume could out-consume
Schopenhauer and Hegel,
And Wittgenstein was a beery swine
Who was just as schloshed as Schlegel.

There's nothing Nietzsche couldn't teach ya'
'Bout the raising of the wrist.
SOCRATES, HIMSELF, WAS PERMANENTLY PISSED...

John Stuart Mill, of his own free will,
On half a pint of shandy was particularly ill.
Plato, they say, could stick it all the way;
Half a crate of whiskey every day.
Aristotle, Aristotle was a bugger for the bottle,
Hobbes was fond of his dram,
And Rene Descartes was a drunken fart: "I drink, therefore I am"
Yes, Socrates, himself, is particularly missed;
A lovely little thinker but a bugger when he's pissed

I'M GOING TO ISRAEL!

2007-09-20T22:27:00.000-04:00

I got a letter about a week ago from the Philadelphia Jewish Federation asking if I wanted to go on a tour of Israel. By some quirk of providence I received the letter at the Session meeting. I opened the letter and it seems that the PJF is subsidizing the cost so that the trip will only cost $825.00! Well I told the Session about it right away and they voted to let me go to Israel for my 2008 study leave. That means the church is paying for the trip. Talked with the man who sent me the letter today and I am signed up for the trip! I'm excited!

Seriously, it isn't your usual go see the sights tour. While that might be interesting, (although the archeological sites would interest me more), this trip will be more of a trip to get first hand knowledge about the situation in Israel and Palestine. I've been promised conversations with Israeli and Palestinian politicians as well as conversations with all sides of the issues between Israel and Palestine. Now that interests me!

Debby is a bit worried because of the violence but I'm guessing I would be in more danger on LA freeways than on this tour.

Anyway, the end of January I'm off to Israel and Palestine!

Brother Bob

ALL NEW AND PRE OWNED

2007-09-12T23:33:00.000-04:00

I was driving down the highway today and saw a sign advertising some type of car as “all new.” Some of you know that I have a real problem with the misuse of English. All new is one of those terms that I hate.
After all, when you buy a new car, you want it to be all new, right? Has any new car dealer ever advertised that the cars just shipped from the factory are partly new? “Yep that’s right, the whole car is new but we ran out of new radiators so we had to put some old ones in this bunch of cars.”
The same phrase is used of television programs. “See an all new episode of Law and Order Friday night!” “Aww, and I was hoping that the second section would be part of an old episode. If it’s all new, I’m not going to watch it!”
On the other hand we could ask if any car really is all new. Most of the time when a car is advertised as all new it means that the company changed the way the car looks on the outside. If I were a betting man I would bet that there is still an internal combustion engine under the hood. Even when computerized fuel injection came along, with computerized analysis of what’s wrong with your car, (so you can’t fix it yourself anymore), the new car wasn’t all new. It still had pistons, cylinders and tires. All new when talking about cars really means this year’s model looks different from last years, so come on in, trade in last year’s model and spend some money here!
What’s wrong with just calling something new?
And then there is pre owned. I remember when you bought a car that someone owned before you it was called used. You expected that someone drove it around, put gas in it, changed the oil more or less regularly and basically used it as a means of travel. Pre owned suggests that the previous owner didn’t actually use the car. “I bought it and put it in my garage and haven’t used it since I parked it there!”
It’s the same with houses. Houses now are pre owned. Should we believe no one lived there? Someone just bought the house and left it vacant for 20 years. Sure. Wanna buy some swamp land in Florida too? How about the Brooklyn Bridge?
Let’s face it, something pre owned is used. And something that is all new, we hope at least, is just merely new.
I hate new fangled advertisements that suggest that you’re getting something more or better than you are actually getting.
Or maybe we should go whole hog? She isn’t divorced, she’s pre wed! He isn’t a new born he’s an all new born!
Sounds stupid doesn’t it? So do all new TV shows and cars and pre owned stuff.
Brother Bob

Pachebel's Children's Canon

2007-09-03T22:09:00.001-04:00

A little something about children. Loved it and think you will too!

Brother Bob

And Now I'm A Sandwich!

2007-08-18T16:28:00.000-04:00

This in from Allan, who was "Scooter" in the Muppet Personality Quiz:

The Sandwich Personality Quiz!

You Are a Club Sandwich

You are have a big personality. It's hard for anyone to ignore you!
You dream big. You think big. And you eat big.
Some people consider you high maintenance, but you just know what you want... and when you want it.

Your best friend: The Tuna Fish Sandwich

Your mortal enemy: The Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

What Kind of Sandwich Are You?

Alas Allan is the PB&J. Which makes me wonder about this quiz. Allan and I are mortal enemies? I mean, I do hate peanut butter but I won't hate Allan unless he tries to make me eat peanut butter.

Brother Bob

Muppet Personality Test

2007-08-13T22:03:00.000-04:00

It's time to put on makeup, it's time to dress up right!
Always wanted to be a muppet

You Are Animal

A complete lunatic, you're operating on 100% animal instincts.
You thrive on uncontrolled energy, and you're downright scary.
But you sure can beat a good drum.
"Kill! Kill!"

The Muppet Personality Test

I hear Allan and Ian are Scooters. Somehow I just can't see them that way. I always thought they were Animals like me. Maybe it's just when they are around me! Maybe that's why their wives hope I don't visit!

Brother Bob

Misty is dead

2007-08-07T14:27:00.001-04:00

.
We had to put Misty down today. Her kidneys had stopped functioning. We had her in for her annual checkup on Saturday and the blood tests came back with her kidney readings off the chart. We weren't terribly surprised. She had lost 3 lbs. in the last month and she stopped eating and peeing over the weekend. The vet said she might survive if we put her in the hospital and had all these procedures done on her. Even then it wasn't too probable that she would survive. Besides we didn't have the hundreds of dollars that it would have cost and Misty would have hated the hospital

It's hard to believe she was 17 years old. Thinking about it Lizz was in fifth grade when we got Misty and James was in seventh. Now James is 26 and Lizz is almost 24. Time flies.

Misty was our first pet. She was this little bundle of fur and claws when we got her. She was just 6 weeks old. I remember she did this wonderful kitten thing in her first year. She could jump up in the air, turn around in mid air and land heading in the other direction. How do cats do that? She was a constant companion, loving laps, petting, sleeping with us, taking up most of the bed.

Ever notice how each animal is different? It's not just cats are different from dogs. Misty was the affectionate one. Chloe is our famous hunter who kills mice and bugs and leaves them in my shoes. Misty found mice interesting but didn't think they had to die. And she was an easy cat to entertain. She didn't like cat toys. She liked the round plastic things that come off a plastic bottle of milk and, of all things, the tops to yogurt containers. She chased the milk things and carried the yogurt tops around the house.

We'll miss her.

Brother Bob

April Mae

2007-07-31T00:06:00.000-04:00

We are fostering a dog. We plan to adopt her when the time comes. Debby was looking for a new dog on petfinders.com and we came across a listing for a Pomeranian which was about to be put down because the owner didn't want her anymore. So we decided to take her in. Here she is. Isn't she a cutie?

Seems that in NC they don't spay or neuter dogs so there are all kinds of pregnant dogs down there. April Mae is one of them. Well, they think she's pregnant. We'll find out this weekend. Personally I don't see it. I mean she's been here three weeks, was supposed to be 4 weeks pregnant and she isn't showing at all.

She came with fleas, ear mites, hook worm, tape worms, heart worm and a urinary track infection. Fortunately the dog rescue organization is paying for her care at this point. Later, PP - post puppies if she's pregnant, we will adopt her.

April Mae started out scared of everything. We took her out for a walk and she would just stand in the yard. She did her business in the house. Now she drags us all over the neighborhood which in this humidity and heat is not the best thing! She follows Debby around the house and runs from the library to the kitchen to the stairs looking for her when Debby is out. Oh, she doesn't do stairs yet.

She still isn't sure about me. I think part of this has to do with a fear of men from her last home and also because I am the one who forces medicine down her throat and into her ears. Fortunately that stops this week.

Anyway, she is a sweetheart and beautiful. And I think Debby already loves her more than she loves me!

Brother Bob

Family Spread

2007-04-20T09:24:00.000-04:00

Living on the other side of the country from my parents sucks. In fact, being separated from my siblings by hundreds or thousands of miles sucks too.

Let me be the first to admit that this familial distance is partly my fault. After all, I did go to college in Ohio, although I did move back near my parents, sister and two brothers for seminary. Then, a couple of years after I got ordained and went to work in a church I accepted a call to a couple of churches in central PA. I've been in the east ever since. It has been 25 years.

This means that I have not celebrated Christmas with my larger family in all those years. I have had Thanksgiving with my sister and her family twice, through her gracious invitation. I have attended only one of my siblings weddings.

On the other hand, at least my children both live within 60 miles of me. If I had accepted a call to a church in Southern California a few years ago, (less than 20 miles from Mom and Dad!) the kids would have been 3,000 miles away. And I think Debby would have divorced me!

I came to the sudden realization a couple years ago that life will not go on forever. I know, it's stupid to think otherwise, but we humans seem to just drift through life forgetting that life does not go on forever. What brought about this sudden realization was the fact that Dad turned 80. It was like a slap in the face! My gut said, "Dad can't be 80!" For that matter, I still haven't gotten over the fact that I am over 50! But the calendar doesn't lie. And I just happen to know, from doing a lot of funerals over the years, that a lot of people die in their 80's. Heck, a lot of people die in their 70's! And the fact that Mom and Dad are not going to live forever struck home with a force that I had never felt before.

On top of all this, Mom is sick and I WANT TO SEE HER! And here I am, 3,000 miles away and can't get there right now!

I swore then that Debby and I would see Mom and Dad at least once a year. Last summer we spent a week with Mom and Dad. It was great! We didn't feel any obligation to go to the beach, check out the night life, or do anything except spend time with Mom and Dad. We spent a lot of time talking. Dad is as sarcastic and as sceptical about politicians as ever. Mom is still hilarious. Debby and Lori compared "Momisms" and Allan and I went wild together. We're going back this year and taking the kids.

We did go through Pop Pop's slides. That was a real hoot! I never knew Pop Pop took more pictures of trees and flowers than he did of people! And a lot of the pictures of Mom as a child were great.

I still believe that God called me to be a pastor in central PA and then in upstate NY, NJ, and now in the Philadelphia area. But I think we missed something by not being around as the nephews and nieces grew up. I know my children missed a great and wonderful gift by not having grandparents nearby as they grew up. We all missed family dinners with loud talking, political arguments, great food and Mom sticking someone's hand in some sauce or another.

And I really wish I had been around to watch Ian's hair turn gray. I bet he wishes the same about watching my head go bald.

On the other hand, I am fairly certain that Debby, Lori and Elsie are glad that Allan, Ian and I don't all get together very often. Personally, I wish we did. There are still ants in Mom and Dad's back yard that need to be french fried.

Brother Bob

Grown Children

2007-04-01T15:05:00.000-04:00

I used to think that after the kids grew up and moved out the task of parenting was over. Boy was I wrong! Projectile vomiting and dirty diapers are nothing compared to having grown children.

Not that I'm complaining. James and Elizabeth are good people. they both grew up much better than I would have expected, given all the mistakes that Debby and I made. Well, at least the mistakes I made. I'll let Debby take responsibility for her own.

If your are reading this, James and Elizabeth, I'm not complaining. I'm observing.

When children are young, a parent thinks, "I can't wait until they get old enough to have a conversation with!" Then they start talking and never shut up! And just try to get them to pick up their toys and clothes!

Then the teen years come and, as Debby and I said, it was like aliens came and took our kids and left these strange beings in their places and we wanted our children back! All too soon, just after they turned back into human beings they were off to college.

Now, the tough part is, when they have problems we have to be wise. We have to know when to listen and keep our mouths shut and when to give advice. They don't live with us, which frankly is a good thing, but we worry about them when they have problems. On top of that, when the good things happen we aren't always around to celebrate!

Being the parents of adults is one more roller coaster ride. And sooner or later, if we are lucky, we will have grandchildren. I can't wait to see what they do to my kids. I will try to refrain from laughing and saying they deserve everything they get after what they put me through.

But seriously, there are still times when I want to take them on my lap, hug them and tell them everything is going to be Okay. Alas, I can advise when asked, I can listen when they cry, but I can't make it better anymore. They are adults and have to work it out for themselves. It was easier when they were in grade school.

On the other hand, I haven't stepped on a leggo in years.

Brother Bob

First blog

2007-03-25T17:08:00.000-04:00

Fran is dead.

His heart got too weak, he was losing his fur, his liver was partly blocking his esophagus. He slept almost all the time. He didn't even have fun barking at church members anymore. It was time.

We buried Fran in the back yard. Illegal, I know. Don't care either. We even put up a headstone . . . well a headboard(?).

Funny way to start off a first blog, isn't it? But that's the biggest thing that's happening around here. I think about him at the strangest times. This morning I went out to get the newspaper and felt him missing because he didn't bark when I opened the door or come out on the porch to make sure I got the paper correctly. I keep coming into the house expecting him to be on Debby's lap.

Debby still wants to get the people who bred dogs with heart problems. I don't blame her, but think it doesn't do too much good to think about that now.

The really strange thing is that I went off to a conference on ministering to those who are dying or have just lost a loved one three days later. They had a hospice dog there, a dog that is trained to work with the sick and dying. I couldn't go near the dog. It made everything too close. I spent three days talking about death and dying and how to talk about death and dying. Not fun, but part of the job.

On the other hand, I was down in Durham, NC. It was spring there. And yes, Cathy, I was on the hated Duke campus. We didn't see any basketball players. Just a TV show on HBO about how Duke's coach is so picked on. I thought that was ironic. I mean, who really cares what kind of guy a basketball coach is, besides his players and his families? But forgive me Cathy. I went there for the conference, not the basketball.

Got back home to an ice storm. Had less than twenty people in worship for my best sermon so far this year.

Anyway, we don't have a dog sleeping under the covers with us anymore. We now have two cats back on the bed who fight in the middle of the night.

Brother Bob