The fairs are over for another summer. The Dog Days of summer are gone. Labor Day is a past holiday. Schools have started. Fall football is in full swing. Fall colors are just starting to show. Corn and beans are approaching harvest time. The fish are starting their feeding frenzy. All this can be summarized in one four-letter word: “Fall.” (To me, fall is the best time of the year.)

I got a bit carried away the other day in asking God to control certain things I was concerned about. At the end of my prayer, I heard a voice in my ear saying, “I’m in Promotions, not Management.”

Have you ever found yourself praying to God to control some trivial thing? (Like “Make the fish bite,” or “Let the Twins game be played cause I’m going,” or “Make it rain so I don’t have to water the flowers.”)

Yes, God, I got the message.

Married to a Registered Nurse has had many advantages over the years. TLC for bumps, bruises, and owies. Plain English to understand the medical terminology. A reminder of what to do and what not to do in regard to minor health situations. One of the great things has been “PRN” (pro re nata, which in Latin means “when necessary”). Genie uses “PRN” either speaking or on paper to me in regard to hugs. Does it work? Fact, is the answer!

Genie and I like to get in the car and go. We plan on doing this until either the health gives out or the money runs out.

Some of the interesting businesses we have seen in our travels are as follows: An implement dealer in Northern Minnesota with the name “Evergreen.” (Yes, they sell John Deere.) A funeral home in Minnesota with the business name “Cease.” A Cenex gas station in Dickenson, No. Dak. that will take your McDonald’s order from the gas pump and deliver the food to your car, and you pay one bill for the gas and food. A food operation in Medora, No. Dak. that serves steak prepared on a pitchfork. A Burger King in Utah that didn’t sell any Whoppers. A rancher in Wyoming that sold alfalfa bales about four inches long, two inches high, and two inches wide. (They were baled to be used as pet food.) Although not a business, a “Dead End” sign just before the entrance to a rural cemetery.

Short Shorts

A. To the exact date, a 50th wedding anniversary at Central Freeborn Lutheran Church. Whose? Genie and I invite you to attend Saturday, Sept. 28 between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.

B. Monday, Sept. 30 – The Area Social Event of the Year at Central Freeborn Lutheran Church (also known as “Soup and Pie Supper”).

C. It took me 50 years to see Arlene and Virgil Thofson dance. Mission accomplished Aug. 31, 2013.

———

Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent, currently working on his master’s degree in Volunteering. His wife, Genie, is a retired RN, currently working on her doctor’s degree in Volunteering. They have two children, Deb in North Carolina, and Dan in Vermont. Bob says if you enjoy his column, let him know. If you don’t enjoy it, keep on reading, it can get worse. Words of wisdom: There is always room for God.