MERCY ME

Lois & I attended a Mercy Me concert in Sioux Falls on THU night. It was outstanding! Besides Mercy Me, we also so Andrew Ripp ("Jericho Walls") & Ren Collective. They're from Northern Ireland, so they have cool accents. And what's not to like about a band whose instruments include a ukulele, banjo, fiddle, trumpet, & sundry other exotic instruments.

Speaking of concerts, here are the other Christian artists that Lois and/or I have seen over the years:  tobyMac, For King & Country, Casting Crowns, Zach Williams, Big Daddy Weave, Cain, Sanctus Real, Matt Maher, Hawk Nelson, Building 429, Jordan Feliz, & more that we couldn't remember. Impressed? You should be.

SPEAKING OF HOTELS

We stayed in the Holiday Inn & Suites near the Sioux Falls Airport. The room was nice--plenty of room. Since we were able to use Hotels.com points, it only cost us $57. And that included the purchase of 2 breakfasts! The last 2 times we've stayed in hotels, we've had to purchase breakfast--a trend I'm not sure I appreciate. Also, they only left us one bar of soap, which keeps them from getting a 5-star review from me. Well, that & having to pay for breakfast. I was able to harvest the shampoo, conditioner, & body lotion. Also, I've noticed that the hotels we've stayed in most recently have not provided free newspapers. What's with that?

CAPITALISM

Prepare for me to vent. I've read a few FB posts lately that have called for capitalism to be destroyed & our culture reinvented & reimagined. Well, capitalism certainly has its flaws, but more people have been raised from poverty due to capitalism than by any other economic system. If we destroy it, with what do we replace it? Socialism? Please. And who gets to decided how our system is reinvented & reimagined. Social justice warriors? Please.

DOG NEWS

We decided to eat sausage, cheese, & Hawaiian sweet rolls for supper last night instead of going to a. restaurant in Sioux Falls. Lois bought these supplies in Norfolk. She put the sausage & cheese in the refrigerator & left the rolls in our cooler. Sammy, supposedly man's best friend, somehow managed to get the lid off & ate all the rolls. I admit--I'm somewhat fond of the animal--but he is a dork.

DEVOTION BOOK

I think I posted not long ago that I had successfully forwarded my 365-day devotion book & supporting materials to Westbow Press. It took awhile, but I finally heard from them, & it turns out that I've used too much copyrighted materials, which I should have guessed. Anyway, I have a  phone call with Leandra Drummy, my publisher contact, any minute now. I'll fill you in after we've talked. Back in a little bit . . . So, here's the scoop. It turns out that the only issue is that I need permission from Orphan Grain Train to publish material that I have previously published with them. That is a load off my mind. I am very much relieved. Progress has been made!

WEATHER

Nebraska is one among many other states that is suffering from extreme drought. We've also experienced quite a few wind warnings, which have contributed to fires. Although our wildfires pale in comparison to those farther west, we've had wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres. A town in Northeast Nebraska had to be evacuated for a brief time. One fire in south central & south western NE are still being battled. Two firefights have been killed & several more seriously injured. 

Madison County, where we live, experience 4-6" of rain on THU. This happened in southern Madison County, so Norfolk wasn't affected. It hailed so much south of us that we saw a picture on FB of so much hail covering U.S. 81 that it looked like it was covered with snow. We have a chance of rain tonight & over the next few days, which we badly need, but there's also a chance of severe t-storms.

POLITICAL POTPOURRI

"I'm a dad who want schools to teach kids how to read--not how to be gender fluid." Fox News Online

"Biden canceling student debt would make inflation worse, expects warn." Ditto

"President Zelensky insulted by Biden's offer of only $33 billion in weapons when he gave the Taliban $86 billion." Babylon Bee

THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE CALIFORNIA

"Homeless encampment in Oakland goes up in flames." Fox News Online

"National security expert:  Biden must revive Trump's 'energy dominance' to put Putin in his place." Ditto

LIKE CHICAGO

"Chicago's wealthy neighborhoods hire private police as crime rises." Drudge Report  We lived in Chicago from 1975 to 1980, but, in case you're wondering, not in a wealthy neighborhood.

HERE'S TO YOUR HEALTH

"STUDY:  Perfect amount of sleep really is 7 hours." Drudge

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DEPT. OF SHAMELESS JOKE-STEALING *

* Compliments of Reader's Digest, May 22

" I can't do small talk. I just asked the lady cutting my hair what she does for a living."

"Lot of people texting audio messages theses days, & I fear it's a slippery slope to going back to phone calls."