Jambo! I've taken to posting in the late afternoon recently, if you hadn't noticed. I guess it's better than not. Seems I've been working early, which also is better than not, I guess, (depending on the work and depending whether or not it merits and wins appropriate pay, one supposes.) Jambo all the same. How can you make it through the day without a blog-friendly Tanzanian greeting?

It was a weekend of minor accomplishment, but I indulged in twice the relief upon ditching the burden. There was that corner sprinkler, you see, that was in desperate need of replacement (okay: installment. I never got around to it in the first place.) The grass is dying! We're in the midst of a generational drought! So what do I do? Install more sprinklers. Anyway, it was bugging me, so I got it done. Also hooked up that full yard perimeter drip-line, as I am water-conscious and drought-aware, in case anyone cares, or notices. Will the grass come back? Yes. Later this winter. With the arrival of cool temps and a single damp week.

Also mowed the lawn, turned the compost heap, and changed the oil in both cars, because I am awesomely manly that way. I only spilled a bit of the used motor oil on the street, and will probably be fined for it, since it's clear I don't give a rainbird's wingnut what happens to the environment. I actually turned off my front lawn sprinkler timer completely, and just go out there and flip it on once a week or so, keeping the front-of-house foliage on life support (just barely) for the remainder of the hot season. The "flipping on" part happens on one of those off days, I'm sure, (since I am an even-numbered address, I get to water Tues/Thurs/Sat or some damn thing) and probably runs after the allotted hours (which are only before 7AM or whatever) and I just know the neighbors are going to report me, annoyed as they are about the old boat in the driveway (recently revealed as illegal in our city) and me cutting aluminum on weekends -the hellacious screech it makes causes every gardener saddled with a gas-powered leafblower to look over in awe and defeat.

Oh well. Went to church to dignify myself and repent about it all. How was church? It was great. Elevating. Holy. Unsullied by secular preoccupations. I was glad I went. I was going to link to the sermon, but it doesn't seem to be online just yet. I'm not in the habit of ordinarily linking to sermons, but this one I found particularly inspiring. Guest preacher, Alan Roxburgh. (He has a book or two.) It's just nice to walk out of church on a sunny summer morn and feel like you just learned something about yourself, about God, and about his Big Plans in this confounding and misguided world. I admit most days church just doesn't cut it that way for me, and I drive off quietly meditating on why God burdened me with this infernal ADD and how sorry I am for nodding off, mid-homily.

Not that He didn't have a reason for it. It's people like me that will keep this country from descending into communist chaos, as I will not tolerate the apparatchik -but not for political reasons, rather, it's just that I haven't the patience for any of it. I must say the paperwork and bureaucracy of several local city's building departments have me currently, and sufficiently, annoyed. I do not believe they are together conspiring against me, though that would be impressive, I just think it's the way of things as the government gets bigger and bigger... and bigger... Anyway, that had nothing to do with church on Sunday, and everything to do with work today.

That's a Monday. I'd rather fail on my own this Monday and seek the Lord's guidance come Sunday, than fail at the hands of some vast man-made apparatus every other day -if only because I haven't the energy for the blame.


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