Howdy,

With Jasper out of school on holiday, today I took the three boys up to Epa and Grandma’s in Mariposa.

The creeks gush with flowing water, ponds gather full, and grass grows green (and, for now, the sky grins great big and gorgeous blue).

Here’s a quick, five-second video my mom sent me last Tuesday. It’s a pond and a creek, and it’s just jamming!

My mom just — as in this very moment (almost like an interruption, except I’m using it as a quote 😉 ) — said they know someone who’s “four-foot-wide creek expanded out to a 100 feet.”

So, yeah, there’s water, water, everywhere, and there’s more coming. My parents said that they’re hearing that the next set of storms is supposed to bring another 5-10 inches of rain. That’s on top of the 62 inches they’ve already received. (All numbers unofficial, but, it’s safe to say it’s been wet.)

The pond on the property is full, has been for awhile now, after a drought season of drying all the way up for the first time we’ve ever seen. It was a shame, lots of good fish and fishing lost.

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Howdy,

I have a chance to get caught up on word count today. Right now. With this post, tonight.

(I realize I probably should not talk about the behind the scenes or the process too much when it comes to word count — I mean that’s not really a real topic [huge in my mind this year, but not necessarily my readers’ problem] — but I have a chance to get caught up on word count today!)

Come to think of it, I suppose it’s fair to say that I have a chance to get/be caught up any day, but I’ve been behind for a little while, and a bit more than a little behind. So, today I feel like I’m actually in striking range.

Real striking range, as in, a normal 550-word post will get me there. (Due to the other writing work I’ve also been doing — even further behind the scenes.)

Now I need a real topic — okay, at this point, I apologize to my readers right here. Actually, I think it’s fair to say that in blogging and writing a set number of words, in what I’ve set out to do, that it is not unfair to have posts that are essentially free writes. It’s just you want them to go somewhere.

There are plenty of times I get an urge to just write something different, unconnected, weird, or untapped story; and write, write, write for pages and pages quickly. For it to be free of past posts and maybe even future ones, but for it to be creative and free in that sense, but for pieces of it to be not only writing practice but also a good, interesting blog post.

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Howdy,

And Happy Valentine’s Day to you!

It’s another whirlwind day for us.

This morning Jasper went off to school with a bag of crafted Valentine’s treats for classmates and their class party. (And came back with an even BIGGER bag of sweet trinkets.)

SCORE!

The boys are at AWANA’s now — at least the older two as Riah’s getting some G.G. time, and Sarah works until after 9:00 P.M. on Tuesdays right now, so we won’t see her until later.

If she were home sooner, it seems this year would’ve been a family Valentine’s holiday. Have you heard the Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods Market commercial that says something like “This Valentine’s Day celebration a family affair …?” [And there are kids talking and making noise in the background and maybe an infant crying — or that could’ve been our kid; I’ve only heard the commercial once.] “Then buy such and such for dinner while picking up your dozen roses …” [Maybe it was mac and cheese.] “And grab a bottle of wine for after the kids go to bed …”

The grocery store thinks they’ve got it all figured out, got you covered, and, I must admit, it caught my attention and felt like they nailed the Valentine’s of a family with young kids. Definitely seemed they captured a universal, which, actually, made me feel quite a bit better about it.

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Howdy,

If you used to watch Parks and Recreation when it was airing (or still do, whenever you want, in binges — which isn’t exactly denying yo’ self), you may find yourself walking around and randomly speak out: “Treat Yo’ Self!”

Hopefully, you’re with friends when you randomly shout it out, so that it’s more like an insertion in a conversation.

Or, if you are just speaking it to yourself it might be less embarrassing if you are by yo’ self.

But I was thinking your weirdness would be in the context of being with friends. Making it totally normal. And understood. By your friends. Not your parents, maybe, but your friends. Maybe.

Anyway, I’m thinking the opposite for this post, and that’s Deny Yo’ Self.

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Howdy,

When I wrote about “A week from hell” earlier in the week I should have included the statement “Oh hell!”

Well, not really the statement. More so the phrase, as presented in a Matt Maher song, which we’ll get to here in a moment. It’s a song I heard today and saw the lyrics on screen. In church.

Since my Dad and Uncle Donnie decided to be “on the road again,” moving their visit from Turlock with us to Madera and Fresno to spent some time with a couple of my brothers and their families, today we took the opportunity to follow them south and attend a Sunday morning service in Madera at my youngest brother’s church The Well Madera.

Pastor Dave — though I’m much more accustomed to calling him David or Dave-o when we’re messing with it — gave a great message to highlight and clarify the Gospel of our Great God, showing our hopeless separation from God in sin and His substitutionary salvation for us in Jesus Christ. And Pastor Dav — Pastor Hawes — that’s pretty cool! Pastor Hawes. Dave’s becoming like Rich Mullins or C.S. Lewis or something: two amazing Kingdom guys who had a slew of names used with remarkable familiarity, admiration, and love in various segments of their astounding lives and wide-ranging ministries.

But, David, before you get a big head, let’s be honest, really Jasper and Titus just wanted to make the trip with Grandpa Bill and Great Uncle Donnie in the motorhome.

It’s so good, life so clear, when the truth of the Gospel is preached, aligning mind and spirit with what is important. What is reality. Realigning and rejuvenating. Continue reading

Howdy,

My dad is visiting this weekend. Grandpa Bill, to our boys. My Uncle Donnie is here as well, traveling with Grandpa.

Jasper and Titus and Riah are loving it! Soaking up the attention, the boys have been on tiptoes in excitement since about four and a half hours before their arrival, from the time my dad called and said they were on their way. Seriously, Titus heard me tell Sarah they were coming and stepped behind an alcoved corner next to our front door to hid. To hid, and to be ready to surprise and greet. Excited.

The excitement has continued into the second day, and now, along with it, a readiness for showing off the next thing or seeing what Grandpa Bill or (Great) Uncle Donnie have up their camou sleeves next. Dad and Uncle Donnie have been fabulous with them, giving time and playful interaction.

I say (Great) Uncle in parenthesis because we’re calling him Uncle Donnie like I always have, but it’s crazy that now he’s a Great Uncle to my boys. My dad brought it up, like “Actually, you’d be a Great Uncle to them, right?” And Uncle Donnie saying, “I suppose that’d be correct, more than likely.”

That, and Uncle Donnie said, “I’ve always been a Great uncle — or at least tried to be.”

And I agree. He always has been. Great Uncle Donnie has been a great uncle.

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Howdy,

Another check in on our Jake Jones story: a revision, from “Chapter Four,” as currently constructed.

Here’s just a small piece:

Young and active and ready to play, preferring to “work” on his game, Jake sought to stay far from the shop. Naturally as wildlife flees when spooked, Jake thought park and court and away from stacking changed-out tires. Dad and Grandpa were always greased up but slow-moving. Jake thought of something greased as slippery quick, like a freshly waxed snowboard on a steep hill. But that wasn’t his pops or gramps. Slippery quick, no sir. Neither one of them. And it wasn’t just being old; they were strong — Jake admired their strength — but not fast. They didn’t speed home or get there early.

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Howdy,

Okay, okay, now we have a day.

It’s #NationalPizzaDay!

Which I must admit I didn’t know until on Twitter for something else, but, hey, pizza day? I’m in!

In fact, I think this should be a National Holiday. Yes, capitalized. It’s kind of a big deal, #NationalPizzaDay.

Pizza Factory.

I just sprinkled in randomly the name Pizza Factory in this post, because it’s so good. I love Pizza Factory. I mean, I love pizza, but I love my Pizza Factory. It’s sort of ingrained, sort of a first love. Even the Pizza Plus in Ripon, which we used to go to when I was much younger, before I moved to Mariposa and found one of the two Pizza Factory restaurants open by the founders of the company, is related to Pizza Factory. That is the people behind Pizza Plus and Pizza Factory have connection, or at least did at one point.

Anyways …

What happens to be kinda cool about today being #NationalPizzaDay is that it’s a Thursday.

Why is that important you may ask? (Though if you’re one of my readers it’s probably likely that you already know.)

Well, Thursday night — aside from being integral in Matt Garman’s and my podcast, the TNC Podcast, as in Thursday Night Conversations — is pizza night at the Garman house. It’s family night dinner tonight, and we call it pizza night, whether we’re having a pizza pie (or three) that night or not.

But tonight it’s pizza. Because it’s #NationalPizzaDay.

Oh, yeah. Pass me a slice. It’s pizza time.

You know what time it is. #NationalPizzaDay pic.twitter.com/YIW4wqtSBo

— SpideyNews (@RealSpideyNews) February 9, 2017

Yes, Twitter is having a lot of fun with this whole #NationalPizzaDay. And it’s making me hungry.

Also, word is tonight’s pizza will be heart-shaped, so it’s two holidays in one. Plus a dessert pizza. We are out of control for #NationalPizzaDay!

—Billy

Reading. Writing. Eating.

P.S. I’ll have to mark the calendar for next year’s #NationalPizzaDay. It’s not like I won’t celebrate it on a non-Thursday night …

Word Count: 62,180 / On Pace: 63,800 / Year’s Goal: 200,000

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Howdy,

Hmm …

I was just thinking … How do you follow up a post called “A week from hell …?”?

(That’d be a stronger question without the “…?” at the end of yesterday’s caption.)

And to be completely honest I don’t know, not at the moment. Not beyond what I did in yesterday’s post to bring it around.

Actually, I was just telling Sarah that tonight I feel like I should rename my blog to The Scarecrow. As in, “If I only had a …”

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