The Listening Ear

Still Working

I know that I haven’t been able to post as much as I would like and for that I apologized to my readers. I still have at least a couple of things I want to finish in my ‘What’s the purpose of death’ series, but haven’t had time to complete them.

Two things have gotten in the way of my writing. First, it is Lent which has to be about the busiest season there is for many parish pastors. Secondly, I have been working on setting up my new blog.

I am excited about the new blog because I am creating a new name and a new design to go along with the new purpose for my blog. I hope that you will like it and that you’ll be able to recommend it to your friends.

I am also work on ways to integrate what I do on the blog with other social media including Facebook and Twitter. My goal is to make my blog better known. That will involve offering quality content and doing my best to spread the word.

I hope that you can help with that last part by ‘Liking’ posts that you find especially helpful and making comments on what I write. I appreciate all the support and encouragement that I get from you, my readers.

Made A Big Purchase

Last Friday, I went shopping for a different car and was surprised to come home in the evening having made the deal. I'm never that excited to tackle this task, so when I do I try to buy something I can keep for a long time.

The car I have been driving for about the last 10 years is a '98 Ford Escort that has gotten me 190,000 miles down the road with very little trouble. I finally decided that I didn't want to press my luck much further. So I went shopping for my car of choice, a Toyota Prius. 

I really thought that it would take me longer to get what I wanted for what I thought was a far price. What is so bizarre is that the process is pretty much the same no matter where you go shopping. I came across this video a year or so ago the describes the process just the way it unfolds. It’s a great resource when you have to buy a different vehicle.

 

Every place I went, I started with one salesman, but when I suggested that a lower price than what they had listed with more appropriate, we eventual had to talk with the big guy on the showroom floor. At the last place I stopped, I was ready to leave when by golly they figured out a way to make the deal.

II knew what I wanted—a Toyota Prius. I found a 2008 model. will try to post a picture of my new chariot tomorrow.  Its in the garage tonight so I can't get a good shot of it.

Ophelia Video

Wanda and I got to visit our other granddaughter, Ophelia this weekend. That provided an occasion for me to try another creative endeavor. Here is a like to a video/slideshow that I put together featuring her and her family. Be sure to note the credits for the audio track at the end of the video.

http://gallery.me.com/awnorris/100071

Jazz on the Green

Last night Wanda and I went to see Sugar Thieves play at this week’s Jazz on the Green concert. It was a little warm, but I still enjoyed the blues that they played. I hope I can get there again before the series ends.

Anea Photos

Some who read this blog will be interested in the slideshow that I have put together of our granddaughter, Anea. If you want to see it, click on this link http://gallery.me.com/awnorris/100070.

Tomorrow we head back to Iowa. Later in the week Wanda and I will travel to Sioux Falls to visit our other granddaughter, Ophelia. Soon I hope to have another slideshow for her as well.

Back Again

I know that I haven’t done a good job lately keeping up with my blog. As our trip to Tanzania approaches, I will try to do a better job of that.

We are scheduled to leave on May 18, a week from this Tuesday. That’s only 9 days from now! We will fly from Omaha to Minneapolis, then to Amsterdam and finally on to Tanzania, stopping briefly at Kilimanjaro (at night, darn it!) and then arrive in Dar es Salaam.

On the return, we’ll fly the same route except we come into Memphis before heading to Omaha.

We have been busy assembling our gear and trying to make sure we know how to use our video equipment. It is hard to believe that the trip is almost here.

During our travels, I hope to do some blogging when I can get connected with the internet. Such connections are as easy to come by in Tanzania. We’ll play that by ear. I do how I can keep the blog up-to-date.

New Pictures Of Ophelia

My son, Aaron and his wife Ashley sent us some pictures of our new granddaughter, Ophelia. Here they are for those who haven't had a chance to see them elsewhere.

 

 

 

 
 
 
 

Anea At The Coffee Shop

When I come to Tucson, it is becoming a custom for Anea and me to go to the coffee shop. Today was the day for our trip. Here are some pictures.

 

 

 

 
 

 
 

Do I Look Relaxed?

I left yesterday to spend a week in Tucson, visiting my son, Seth, daugher-in-law, Flor de Liz and granddaughter, Anea. This morning, on his way to work Seth dropped me at my favorite coffee spot in Tucson, the Coffee Exchange on the corner of Campbell and Grant. Its not too far from Seth and Flor’s house, has a nice view of the mountains, is near a Bookman’s used book store and has mochas that I like. 

 So do I look relaxed? I was looking forward to taking a break after Easter. It was a good Lent and I appreciated our Holy Week services in particular. I didn’t have so much preaching to do which made it easier for me to enter into worship and the contemplation of Christ’s passion. Yet, every year when Easter gets here, I am ready for it to arrive. Later this week, Anea and I have a date to go to coffee. We are both looking forward to it!

Sad Discovery

Although we’ve had overcast skies for days on end, at least the temperature has warmed up, the snow is almost completely disappeared and ice no longer covers my pond.

Unfortunately that has led to the sad discovery that my fish didn’t survive the winter. Despite my best efforts, they must not have had adequate oxygen to make it through the winter. I was disappointed to find three fish carcasses floating in the water once the ice disappeared. There’s one fish that hasn’t been accounted for yet, but I don’t have any hope that it survived. I’ll just have to start over with new fish later in the spring and look for a better way to keep the pond oxygenated next winter. I am thinking of using an air pump along with the deicer that I’ve used in the past to keep some open water in the pond.