I was able to spend some time with my dad today as I was in Indianapolis for a hospital call.  He lives not too far from there and I needed to return something of his, so I gave him a call.  He was home and we had a nice visit.

It is quite a contrast to priors years, not in the sense of it being a nice visit because they ALWAYS are, but in the fact that I can almost always find him available now.  Just a year or two ago he was constantly busy with something and those things often revolved around my brother and sister and their school stuff.  But with Mike going to law school in a month and Anna heading into her junior year at Butler he is often much more available.

And I am probably good for him too.  I am pretty much maintenance free and just like to shoot the breeze with him and he with me.  I am his oldest and I get good advice because my retirement is in sight, and he is already there.  It is always a good time.

This life is stressful enough and quite often a mess.  But I have a lot to be thankful for.  This picture of my dad is probably from 2004 or so (maybe even earlier) when we were all at the 500 Festival Parade.  It is a great picture of my dad and of Steph.  BUT I cut Scott out of it as the small piece of AFRO that you see next to Steph’s head leads to a hideous picture of Scott and BAD HAIR.  And considering he soon will be a US Marine, I thought I would not take my chances.  But my point is connecting with my family keeps me sane….even if it is my dad!!

So I will chalk this up to a good day.  I am at home, tired, and ready for bed.  Tomorrow the rat race continues…….but at least today I got a few glimpses of sanity!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Hey….it has been raining these last few days, and I am not wondering what to do with all the tumbleweeds I invested in and the wild west ghost town makeover I gave my house.  The irony is not lost on me that at the beginning of the week Amanda actually gave up on her garden for the year.  The cost of watering it was just too high, and all the equipment was pulled out of it.  It was already dying but giving up made it worse.  The rain was just a taste of what it should have had all along.  Sadly we will have to wait until next year.

Plus we have been dealing with what are known as “cicada killers,” and not just a few but a convention of them.  They had to be sprayed, TWICE SO FAR, and that included the garden, so that was done then for sure.  I will say that these bugs (actually small bird-sized bugs) are annoying…BUT I also have no cicadas and apparently probably won’t until next year when THEY take over my yard.  I bet however they will be easier to deal with.  After all, these cicada killers kept complaining about my ghost town motif.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yep, this is in my office and this is what I often deal with.  You might THINK that this is Ben, but I am pretty sure it is actually “Hawk-a-guy” or “Hawkeye.”  I am not sure which, but I am hard of hearing and quite honestly, they really are the same guy.

But as I was looking at this I decided to say “Kudos to me,” as despite these kinds of constant visits by superheroes in my office, I still get a ton of stuff done.  PLUS, I love superheroes.  I really am honored to have so many good guys hanging out with me.  Of course right now I am finding it pretty awesome and wonderful, but if he is still doing this when he is 25 then I will get him some therapy.

But I thought you would enjoy the picture….I know I do.  I am not as familiar with Hawkeye as I am most of the others, but it is always a great conversation nonetheless.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+ 

There was a reason why he was hiding……he is sick.  Viper made a trip to the vet today where he is well-known and treated as a “celebrity” (his words, not mine.)  But he got a shot, some pills, some temporary food, and A LOT of attention.  The picture is him on one of his usual poses there.  He is a dog who LOVES his vet, and unlike many animals, he is happy to go see her!

It was pretty funny too, as he had to have the shot she said it would burn.  He didn’t even feel it!  He just loves it there and wags his tail.  He however is home now, and is less peppy than he was on his visit, but she said it would be tomorrow before he should show the progress.  He is a patient boy though and will wait.  And I am sure when Scotty gets home we will see a bit of energy.

But I am thankful to get him in.  He is an amazing dog, and we hate to see him not feeling well.  Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day for him, and for us all.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!


Tommy+

Yep Viper, our 75 pound golden retriever is hiding here in my office behind my desk chair.  Apparently he is afraid of Puddy, our 9 year old 5 pound cat, who is apparently mad at him for some reason and had penned him in here.  I do not blame him.  The cat can be a total psycho sometimes, and tonight she is really on her game.  But if he were any other breed she would be the one hiding.  Goldens are pretty wonderful dogs.

He however has had a couple of bad days.  I do not think he feels well and he has just not been himself.   I am more than willing to run interference for him (protect him) as I am clearly not afraid of the cat.  You see, although Ben SAYS he feeds her, I actually do about 99.9% of the time.  And if she messes with me I have a way to get her attention.  My concern at this point is for him.  I have plenty of grouchy mammals available here (none of them are my wife….mostly kids who get tired of me asking them to be mammals that are NOT pigs) so she can get in line.  Viper however, needs sympathy.

So back to defending the (obviously oblivious to reality) helpless I go.  I need to be useful at something at least while everyone is not at home.  This gives me a bit of meaning and purpose which I find rewarding…..rewarding that is until Scotty comes home and Viper abandons me.

I’ve got to reassess his loyalty.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

It really was a great end to a long day.  Amanda suggested that we go to dinner, and although we all were tired ALL FIVE of us were able to go eat together.  Scotty’s girlfriend Molly was not with us, but all three kids and Amanda and I made it a special time.

And of course as much as I enjoyed it, I could hear the clock ticking.  Steph has about a month left here and Scotty, although scheduled to leave for boot camp on December 10th, could go at any time.  In addition to this, I know that times like this are just a blessing as there are no guarantees that they will all be together like this again very often if it doesn’t happen like this occasionally over the next month.  2012 may be it for this, but in all honesty I have been preparing for it for years.

So tonight was nice, real nice.  Steph was the real trooper tonight as she had been with her friends in Bloomington all weekend and I imagine she did not sleep too much.  She was very tired and not hungry, yet she got up to go with us.

I will always appreciate these times.  I am certain they will not have the meaning that they have to me for them for quite a few more years.  But when I am long gone, I hope that they remember them fondly, and more than that, I hope they get the same joy that I have by spending time with their families.  And maybe then, they can share a story about their goofy old dad.  Good times!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Wow…….I am watching on radar as the rain that we so desperately need goes around us….ON BOTH SIDES, as if Moses himself is parting that storm.  It is disheartening.   We have a garden and fruit trees that need the water.  The fruit trees we will keep watering, but the garden we have given Last Rites.  Sadly too, we use a great portion of our garden to support the Christian Center here in Anderson.  It is not a good year in terms of growing anything.

The rain chance is still just 30% and the next rain chance is Thursday at the same percentage.  There was an overabundance of rain last year…you just wish you could spread it out.  I am just sad for the many farms we have around here that grow crops.  They are going to be hurt something fierce.  And many of the dairy cows will not produce milk in this kind of heat.  It is a tough year here in Indiana.

So I will continue to pray for rain.  My yard is dead, our garden is gone and our new trees are barely limping along.  But others count on the rain for their livelihood………I just hope they can all survive what comes or rather what may not come ahead.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

The first picture is how I started my day, with waking up to find my 5 year old son who SWORE he would never sneak into our bed again after he turned 5, asleep right next to me.  The second picture is how we ended our day, at the movies to see the new Spiderman movie.

Of course I had to be forced to go, because at around 6pm I was feeling like his first picture.  But my wife said “we can go if your dad will go,” which immediately sent him on the task of constant pestering  until his goal was achieved.  It didn’t take long either.  I pick and choose my battles and this was one I knew I would not win (as it was so early).  So I got into the car and off we went.

Of course I am 51 years old.  This movie I already knew was a remake of Spiderman.  I had seen other movies and read the comic as a kid.  Even if I fell asleep I knew that I would be okay.  Same hero, same story, different take……..it was still pretty good.

But now I am home and ready FINALLY for that sleep.  I am confident I will make it there too.

After all, the theatre is now closed…….

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

If your grandmother or mother ever canned, chances are good that they probably used a Ball Jar.  Ball Jars were made in Muncie, Indiana, home of my sister Stephanie’s Alma mater, Ball State University…..and now home of what will be known as St. George the Dragonslayer Anglican Church and a chapter of St. Raphael’s Campus Ministry.   Yes the name is stolen, as it was our intended name for a Church in Bloomington that we delayed planting, but we just were a “hankerin” as they say in Indiana (just ask Father Dan) to use it.  St. George should launch in August, if not before.

This Church will be our first real attempt at doing campus ministry alongside a church plant, and is a real step of faith.  We have a facility that we will move into, and it is close to campus, but a lot needs to be done to get things moving along.  We are asking for your prayers.  AND, if you would like to partner with us financially, there is a link for that on our website.  It would be GREATLY APPRECIATED.  Here is the link to the SITE St. Michael the Archangel  I would give you a direct link to the donate page, but we would really prefer you learn about us before partnering with us.  It is always important to be informed.

But we do truly appreciate all that you can do in any way, shape, or form.  Our lease will be finalized next week and the seeds have already been planted.  God’s work has begun.

Please consider being a part, and if you’d like to see us planting a church in your area (ANYWHERE IN THE US) please do not hesitate to let me know.  Our Order is for Anglicans all over North America, and our churches are too!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Optimus Prime was walking around our house tonight and it was a good thing too, as I saw a lizard of about the same height and weight walking here too a few minutes earlier.   I am just thankful for Prime, as it is he who apparently keeps us safe.

Now I want to be honest and say that the lizard was something that really surprised me.  I am not sure what movie or show he comes from, although I think I do remember a lizard on Scooby Doo.  Optimus Prime I am used to, as I am Spiderman, Batman, Captain America, Superman, pirates, a variety of policemen, firemen, soldiers, space guys and US Marines.

He has now appeared with a “grabber” kind of tool for kids, one similar to the ones they give to us old people to pick things up when we cannot bend over, except it is red and yellow (because as I said, it’s for kids) and not gray and black (for those of us closer to the nursing home).  He says he needs it because it is a robot arm as his doctor has told him not to use his regular arm anymore (because it is no good).   I would have to concur too.  He has a terrible time picking up his room, so this is explaining a lot.  Now I need to figure out how he is getting to the doctor on his own, and who is paying this bill.

There is never a dull moment at the Tirman home.  I am just glad to still be the Chief Lunatic in charge.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+