Hot Stuff

It's not surprising today is by far the hottest day of the year. I mean 9 years ago on this very day it was 112 degrees. In Vegas that is. At the Little White Chapel by the Courthouse.

So for Mr. and Mrs. Austin, this 95 degree business is nothing. Of course, we're sitting in the air-conditioning just like we were on our honeymoon. But the scenery has changed. We've got a big ol' TV in the living room now and a teenage boy on the couch.

Yes, it's good to finally have our new flat screen TV hooked up and actually working -- after a week of complications I can hardly explain (yes, they're that technical) -- but it's even better to have that teenager back!

Since his camp was only a half hour from work, I went to go pick him up over lunch hour. I got there in time to see part of their closing ceremony. All the kids were singing and laughing and I could tell our boy had a good time.
I was right. The whole way back to work, I heard about new games, new songs, new things he did over the past 6 days. And although he slept in a tent one night, he wasn't really roughing it, was he?

I am so glad he had a good time and learned a little about nature, God and himself. He's plenty tuckered out, though. All that fresh air. Late night around the campfire and early mornings. Yup, it's a good kind of tired.

Tonight we had planned to watch the Twins on TV since they are playing the Brewers and we can actually see them for a change. And on HD, too. Unfortunately, there is a rain delay so Carter and I are in the basement watching Sandlot to get our baseball fix.

I wasn't even giving that rain delay in the Twin Cities any serious thought. But then my mom just called a few minutes ago and told me it got very, very wicked along the border. She said my sisters up in Grantsburg lost some trees, my twin lost her barn and possibly their cattle and all of them, including my parents, are without power. (But my parents can still call on their lovely rotary phone!)

There was no tornado warning so my parents think it was just high winds. Very high. I told my mom to keep an eye on the weather so they could go in the basement if the radar looks bad again. "We can't watch TV. We don't have electricity," she said. Duh, me. I forget how dependent we are on that! I looked up the radar for them and told them there's another line of bad storms about to cross into their area from Minnesota. Maybe going in the basement would be a good thing. Plus, it's probably way cooler down there.

Now I just need to pray that everything goes OK for them and see what we can do to help. If you're in the praying mood, there's some folks in northwest Wisconsin who could use your support. Thanks.