A "Special Award"

I'm the most recent member of Small Town's Volunteer Fire Department & Ambulance Service.

Last night at their Appreciation Dinner, I received a "Special Award."

Remember this post?

Yah. When I received my turn-out gear, I put my leather pants on backwards and couldn't figure out what was wrong. Two of my parishioner (veteran firefighters) stood there and watched me struggle. Finally one of them said, "Uh, Pastor Net? The fly goes in the front."

My award? A teddy bear in full jump gear with signs that say "Front" and "Back."

I am loved!

Homebound

We're entering Round 2 of a significant snow event up here in the tundra of the Great Sinkholes. It's not like the last place we lived where you could get 2 and one-half feet of snow at a time. But the Small Town folks are telling me this is the snowiest winter in a long time.

Some blame me by telling me I brought the Snow Belt down when we moved. I tell them, "I'm not that homesick!"

Anyway, we've got 9" on top of ice with an additional foot on the way.

Wonder how many folks will be at Worship tomorrow?

How Great Our Joy!

Despite feeling really crappy and not being able to be "Narrator 2," I went to Small Town's first Ecumenical Christmas Cantata. There were over 25 community choir members from five churches. Held at Small Town's local Catholic church, it was standing room only!

And to top off a wonderful evening, there was a tureen dinner downstairs. About 7o people stayed to break bread and eat Ham Loaf together.

I overheard several folks asking why no one had ever thought about doing this before. And I overheard the answer: "I don't know, but I betcha God's smiling tonight!" I like our ministerium. We may not be able to agree on the fine points, but we can all say, "Jesus is Lord!"

Joy, joy, joy!!!!

Deja vu All Over Again

First cardiac arrest call in Small Town.

The EMT that showed up with Big Ambulance Service was none other than Former Partner from Small-Town-on-the-River Volunteer Ambulance Service two appointments ago.

He was there for my first cardiac arrest there too. Also former parishioner. Buried his mama. Performed the wedding ceremonies for his kids. His wife and I supported each other through our diagnoses of clinical depression.

Someone from Small Town Volunteer Ambulance asked me if there ISN'T anyone I don't know!

Old Home Day.

Officially Official!

I had my interview and I am an OH-FISH-AL member of the Small Town Volunteer Fire Department.

I've got my pager.

I've been issued my Turn-out Gear.

I've got the Codes to the kingdom.

And I've been deemed "moral enough" to know which button dispenses the beer on the pop machine.

Whoot!

Life in a Small Town

So, D2 and I decided to eat out at a famous restaurant chain after Hubby left to go dove huntin' and we dropped off Son and DIL's cat at the prearranged rendeavous point.

FRC is about 12 miles from Small Town. It's an over-the-river and through-the-woods trip.

We filled up on Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip, Chicken Alfredo Penne, Jack Mac and Cheese with Chicken and two little bitty sundaes. Mmmmmm.

On the way back home, we saw a doe eating supper under someone's clothesline. Ahhhhhh. Never get tired of seeing that. Not far beyond however, we saw two guy dressed in camoflage on a camo-painted four-wheeler. The guy in the back was holding on to a regular old lawn mower. They were mowing a field.

D2 looked at me. I looked at her. We both burst out, "How 'bout that Riding Lawn Mower?" We drove home in silence, but every so often a snort and a giggle came out.

Ah, life near a small town in rural NE state.

Life in a Small Town

I submitted my application last week to Small Town Volunteer Fire Department & Ambulance Service so I can serve the Small Town community as an EMT. I got a call saying that I needed to be "interviewed" by one of the Executive Board members to ensure that I was "morally fit" to be a VFD member.

Snork.

Sounds like an Arlo Guthrie song, doesn't it?

Whoot!

Our church float took First Place in the CornFest Parade yesterday morning in the Church Division and tied for First Place with the Amway Store's float in the overall judging.

Hubby's church float had a Corn Still promoting ethanol.

Free Methodist had kids "eating" corn and prayers of thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest.

The Catholic church had a bunch of senior citizens playing cooking utensils in a kitchen band.

The Lootherans didn't have a float.

I thought the Presby's would win it on the "cuteness factor." They had six little kids wearing muffin head costumes, sitting in a giant muffin baking tin. Another cutie was the cook, stirring corn meal in a bowl and "pouring" it on top of the muffin heads in the baking tin which he then "pushed" into the cardboard replic of a wood-burning oven. My heart sank when I saw their float; and right then and there, I was willing to give a concession speech.

But we WON! WE WON!

The trophy is sitting on the Worship Center today along with some of D2's academic awards and some of Son's athletic awards. I'm preaching on "Excellence in All We Do for Jesus Christ" based on the Romans lectionary passage and the Olympics.

Whoot!

CornFest

It's CornFest Weekend in Small Town! The whole town has turned out for this annual festival honoring ... corn!

What's the theme of the weekend? Why ... corn!

The County Fire Police have blocked off the center of Small Town for the weekend by order of the Mayor and Small Town Police Department. There are corn balloons, corn dogs, chili and corn bread, corn fritters, fried corn, boiled corn and roasted corn-on-the-cob. (There's also hot dogs, sloppy joes, funnel cakes, bake sale items and the like!)

My absolute favorite of the evening was the Bubblegum Machine Dance Factory. The DJ spun really cool kiddie tunes and we did the Chicken Dance, the Hand Jive, the Bunny Hop and Hokey Pokie.

Tomorrow is the BIG parade. Church Around the Corner has a float in it. The Chair of this years' Float Committee is 13 years old. He stood up in worship three weeks ago and announced he was volunteering to Chair, but needed some help putting the float together. He got lots of help! Our float has a working water mill and small grist stone to grind corn (13 year old's idea). Most of our church children will be riding on it and throwing out "Jesus Loves You" bracelets to the crowd. Both the adults and kids will be dressed in pioneering clothes and Psalm 65:13 covers the back of the "mill." We're going to kick some ecumenical church butt (Hubby's church has a nice cardboard corn stalk and loots of hay bales on their float).

And later on tomorrow there's a Chicken BBQ at the Fire Hall; a Jimmy Buffet Cover Band, Pig Roast, Hula Hoop and Limbo Contests at the Small Town Park.

I love this town!