Oh Dear...

Almost another week has gone by, and I am somewhat at a loss for words. (Can you imagine that?)

I have done very little this week. I did go to the Ash Wednesday service at my church on Wednesday evening. Received my ashes and took Holy Communion...and came home feeling good.

I also joined my friends Ryan and Bonnie Holly for lunch on Thursday. We ate at Olive Garden in Avon, then adjourned to the Hobby Lobby store nearby so Bonnie could show me what to do to re-mat a picture for my living room. (Bonnie is an artist and has done a lot of that sort of thing.) When I got home, I spent the rest of the day loafing...as usual.

Thursday evening, I discovered that my dishwasher is dead. It had been making some strange noises, but I really didn't think it was going to go belly-up. Figured the refrigerator would go before it did. I got out my handy-dandy little house journal to determine out how old it is. Sixteen years, with only one repair. I was ready to call for a repairman before I discovered that, but adding up things in my head, I guessed that I would have to pay for the service visit, only to have the repairman tell me that I need a new one...so I decided to cut my losses and just go for a new one to start with. I was going to shop today, but didn't. Tomorrow, I guess...

Today, I woke up to a call from my friend Patrick of Salvation Army fame. He can be a jokester sometimes, so when he told me that Japan had an 8.9 category earthquake, I scarcely believed him. I mean, 8.9 is almost unheard of, so I thought he was kidding. I hopped out of bed and changed the channel on my TV. Sure enough! Not only did Japan get hit with a devastating earthquake, the tsunami that occurred an hour later wiped out huge chunks of coastal areas. I have watched live footage of that quake. It seemed to go on forever...for a couple of minutes, perhaps. I'm betting that it was the longest minute or two of their lives!

I lived in Japan as a child. Looking at the pictures of that nation, I can tell that it is not the same Japan that I left in 1958. My heart goes out to the Japanese people for whom I have the utmost respect. I seriously doubt that television coverage can do justice to what they have suffered. The magnitude of what has happened there will not be known for weeks, but it won't be pretty. I suspect that death estimates are way low, at this point. I can only imagine...

California--places I have been to--has also suffered some tsunami damage. There were a couple of deaths, at least one of which was due to simple stupidity. A man was out filming the tsunami waves and got washed out to sea. What part of THE BEACHES ARE CLOSED did he not understand????

To add insult to injury, I learned today that the venue for the 50th anniversary party we have been planning for my sister and bro-in-law for months just went bankrupt and has closed its doors. My nieces are now scrambling to find another so they can get out an invitation correction. The party is in two weeks!!!! Good thing we Covill women are flexible!

Ryan and Bonnie went to Tennessee for the weekend to visit their son and family. Hope they are having a good time. Also, my friend Judy is driving to Chicago tomorrow with a Sunday School friend for an adventure. I am praying for all of them for safe travel!!!