Mark's blog

I have to say, it was wonderful to have Casey home all weekend, without church duties, on this weekend off. Today in particular, we spent it mostly together: a relaxing lunch at LA's Place in Pike Lake, followed by our annual 100+ mile round-trip trek to Byrn's up in Zim to stock the garden. We will leave shortly for a Mother's Day dinner with the kids at the new Mexican restaurant in the Fitger's Mall.

Casey and I had just sat down to watch a movie last night when I looked out the window and noticed movement in the trees across the yard, on the other side of the fence. It didn't look like a deer, which we are accustomed to seeing out there, so I looked carefully to try and identify the source of the movement. All I saw was a dark gray to almost black blob at first - hard to tell the color exactly due to the light and shadows of the setting sun - until it raised it's head and I knew I was looking at either a large coyote or a wolf.

No snow in March. No snow in April. Three inches of snow on May 7.

I can't say it bothers me much, as it seems to do to a lot of people. It will all be gone by this afternoon, I'm sure; tomorrow at the latest. And it's moisture that will seep into the ground slowly and not run away. Seems a good thing to me.

Still, Duluth is weird. (Though I know that Duluth was not the only place to see snow.)

This has been a week to remember; one of juxtaposition and opposites; one where the skill of being in two places at once would have come in handy. But you have to decide. When two conflicting needs - or three, or more - present themselves, something has to give.

My second grandchild was due last Sunday. Who would want to miss that event, to not be there to see this child in her first hours, to be with son and daughter-in-law to celebrate and revel in this new life, and to hold her and touch her in those first hours?

I am thoroughly ambivalent about a return to blogging. I want to, and I don't, and there are any number of reasons I can think of to stay away, not least of which is how little I really have to say. Add to that the fact that I have informally dedicated this year to actively spending time away from the computer and reading more (so that, if the Lord should so desire, I might actually have something coherent and meaningful to say again someday), and it just seems best to limit my writing here.