Happy Birthday Zeplin

Today is the Zeplin's 7th birthday. They grow up so fast!

Understanding God's Love and Grace

Some words from Tenth Avenue North's "By Your Side" that I love and cannot get out of my head. For those who are trying to earn God's love and grace rather than understand it.

...

Why are you trying to earn grace?

...

Why are you looking for love?

Why are you still searching?

As if I'm not enough?

...

I'll be by your side wherever you fall

In the dead of night whenever you call

Please don't fight these hands that are holding you

My hands are holding you

 

Look at these hands at my side

They swallowed the grave on that night

When I drank the world's sin

So I could carry you in

And give you life

...

And I, I love you

...

I'll never let you go

Swine Flu

This swine flu thing just weirds me out. The entire country of Mexico closing down, WHO alert level 5 out of 6... you just don't hear of things like this in these advanced days. Maybe I should be frightened instead of weirded-out.

The Wind

It sounds really stupid, but I'm really struggling with anger about the wind of central Illinois. I hate driving in this wind and I'm less inclined to spend time outdoors when my hair is constantly in my face and I feel like I may just fall on my face. This is one thing I will not miss about central Illinois and may even prevent me from coming back once I leave.

Semis

For some reason I am semi-infatuated with semis (no pun intended!)--more specifically the cabs. I find myself staring at them on the roads quite often. The captions I list are my own names and categories, not industry standard.

 

The extended cab

The extended cab with wing top

The pseudo-wing top

The double-stack

The flat face

 

From what I've seen, the two broad types are wing-top and no wing-top. From there, you can get standard cab or extended cab. The wing top cabs are for pulling the 53' trailers so the wind hits the wing and goes right over the trailer. The non-wing-top cabs are for pulling flatbeds, canisters, and lower freight, so the semi hits less wind. Obviously, the extended cabs are for the convenience of the drivers. I'm not sure what the difference between the flat face and the regular cabs with noses is besides aesthetics. The double-stack having two smoke stacks gives me the impression that it is the most heavy-duty of all cabs. 

 

I think the grill gives the semi a face, and because they come in many sizes and designs, each semi seems to have its own face.

 

I guess I am most impressed by the semi because of its brawn. A semi seems so massive and hard-working. While others are afraid of them on the roads, I enjoy looking at them. I'm also reminded of how important semis are to our way of life. Could you imagine what our economy would look like--how much things would cost, the types of industries our nation may lack due to the cost of transportation--without the semi? 

The Pocket

I had thrown my gloves and hat into the wash so I could pack them away for the winter. So when the cold weather and snow hit again in APRIL, I didn't have them in my pockets for my walking! That's when I noticed that pockets are a brilliant invention. According to my flash research, the pocket began on the outside of the clothing, hung from a belt at the waist. But whoever made the decision to put them inside the cloak and then into other articles of clothing such as pants, was just ingenious! We tend to take them for granted--carrying our wallets, change, keys, and phones and keeping our hands sheltered from the bitter air--and I am just as guilty as the next guy. But here, now, this is my formal recognition and appreciation of the pocket.

Windmills

I am very much awe-struck by the wind energy windmills. There is a field of them not 10 miles from my home and I love to drive by to gaze at their gigantic magnificence.