First, The Bad News...

...but not of my own choice. 

The company for which I worked 42 years closed suddenly this past week.

Not one of those "chains on the doors with employees milling about in the parking lot" scenarios...

...but emotionally it had the same impact.

They claim they're shutting down for 6 months to "reboot" as a new, smaller entity with a skeleton crew and all new software.

That implies a chapter 11 bankruptcy to seek protection from their creditors and dumping the homegrown ERP system I and others wrote and enhanced over 4 decades to accommodate the constantly changing business landscape.

Champagne wishes and legal machinations aside, what it means for most of us in the IT department, all of the whse employees and most of the admin group is a sudden and unwelcome farewell.

Translation:

Naturally all of us are still processing this - that’s not a small blip on the radar for many of us - but it happened, so it’s time to deal with it and move forward.

Yeah...like that.

And now, the good news: 

You either believe God is in control of all things or you don't.

I do.

So I know this must be a good thing; part of God's overarching plan for our lives.

Thus, we have embarked on the 3 P's program:

1) Pray - we're diligently seeking God's will for what's next in our lives.  He speaks to us through His Word, life circumstances, people around us.

It's our job to listen.

³¹  Therefore, take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

³²   (For after all these things do the gentiles seek) for your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

³³    But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

    - Matthew 6:31-33

 

2) Plan - we're meeting with our financial advisor early next week to discuss best options for transitioning from full time employment into full time retirement.

I may be doing some contract work over the next few months, and we're meeting with a realtor re: possibly selling our home and rightsizing to something else.

The point is to gather information and prayerfully consider best options before racing into action.

It's important in times like these to remember: moving fast is not the same thing as going somewhere.

⁵  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

⁶   In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct thy paths.  

    - Proverbs 3:5,6

3) Perform - once we've attended to the steps above, then we'll get busy "doing"...whatever that implies and wherever that leads.

We have ideas of what we'll end up doing and where we'll land, but patience and planning are key.

My dad used to say, "make a speech when you're angry and you'll make the best speech you'll ever regret".

The same is true with snap decisions; their frequent companion is remorse.

It's going to take awhile to get used to my new reality.

I have signed onto the company system literally every day of my life for at least the past 25 years, no exceptions...weekends, holidays, vacation, sick days...I've always been on for at least a brief system health check and email review.

That wasn't altruism in action; it was self-preservation.

For many years all system problems landed either on or near "my desk".

Those days are officially over; exactly what comes next is yet to be fully revealed.

No matter, I know it will be for the best:

¹¹  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

    - Jeremiah 29:11

more to come, mcm fans...

If You Lead...

1st Tiger Lily of the season

...they will follow: 

Elvis keeps a watchful eye as the copycats arrived a few days later

This life lesson provided *free* of charge courtesy of Mother Nature.

Karen and I enjoy sitting in the command center...

...not just for the relaxing views...

best place on the property on a warm summer afternoon

...but also because there's live entertainment:

He's here all summer, don't forget to tip the wait staff.

Speaking of summer, the official astronomical start of summer is here:  <the summer solstice>.

For a variety of reasons, Stonehenge is closely associated with this day...

...but I say we skip the druids / crazies that congregate each year in England at Stonehenge...

...and move this party somewhere more American in honor of our 250th birthday.

Thus, I give you <Fridgehenge>:

Well, it's now more accurate to say "gave", as in past tense.

If you click on the link above you'll see it was a popular creation of Adam Horowitz, but sadly is no longer "extant" (their fancy way of saying it was taken down by the city of Santa Fe).

Not to worry, however...apparently there are many of these knockoffs around the world, made from various materials, including <Strawhenge> near Ann Arbor, Michigan...

...and <one right here in West Michigan>:

Whether you go sightseeing for your nearest faux-Stonehenge or not, give thanks to God in heaven for the start of this beautiful season:

¹⁷ Thou has set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter.

    - Psalm 74:17

Enjoy it!

And finally - as if the summer solstice / 1st day of summer isn't enough to blow your hair back - it's the happiest day on the calendar, the day everyone looks forward to celebrating with unbridled adoration and ceaseless praise!

That's right, it's <National Carpenter Ant Awareness Day>!

No need to thank me.

Really.

I think it's sponsored by Terminix and Orkin.

I do have a vague recollection of something else happening on this day, but I can't remember what it is...

don't mind him; he's not too bright.  Happy Dad's Day.

...hm...it'll come to me eventually.

Unbuckle your seat belts and make a run for it...we're just about to 23 Skidoo...

who needs Mike Hammer when you've got Downtown Brown on the job?  gotta love AI film noir.

when he's not standing in the shadows under the yellow light of a street lamp on the gritty streets of the city or solving cold cases for hot dames, Larry still relaxes at his cottage "up north"

taking the chill off of a recent morning in the 50's 

yuccas starting to bloom

another episode of "hollyhocks gone wild"

a cacaphony of color courtesy of our lilies and geraniums

chippy on the lookout

not only did she plant and weed the garden, Karen also rebuilt and mortared the curved wall in front of it.  my wife...I think I'll keep her. (counting on the fact she rarely reads this blog.)

As you rush the exits - and no matter what your relationship is or may have been with your father - do your best to obey God's 5th commandment on this Father's Day:

¹²  Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

    - Exodus 20:12

later, mcm fans...

Happy Flag Day...

...America!

Old Glory was adopted as the official flag of the United States on June 14, 1777 by resolution of the 2nd Continental Congress.

And in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation designating June 14 as "Flag Day".

Interesting tidbit for the TDS afflicted among us...

AOC, Jeffries, Schumer, Moulton...

...it's also President Trump's 80th birthday.

It's altogether fitting Trump was born on Flag Day...

...as he fights to restore respect, honor and appreciation - not just for our flag, but for our country, all across the globe.

Our Colors...Fly Them Proudly!

When we first moved here in 2017, there was an enormous green spider perched on our wall:

At least that's what it looked like to me.

It was actually an overgrown tree whose wild and woolly branches had breeched the boundaries of the courtyard.

Those untamed boughs also housed some sort of exotic bird - we regularly heard this loud reverberating chirping sound, sort of like a cricket on steroids - emanating from the tree, or so it seemed.

We never found our noisy friend in the spider tree, and a few years later - once we learned more about the home we'd purchased - when it was built, the architect and his original vision (hint: 1961, Dean Bryant Vollendorf, clean lines in mid century modern styling) - 

"Baysweep" by Dean Bryant Vollendorf, circa 1961

- I set about the task of eliminating all the misplaced and unkempt foliage others had planted in front of the wall, then ignored through the decades:

a rainy day look at the front wall now...

...and the erstwhile big green spider, cut down to size today

Every once in awhile we still heard that strange bird call around the courtyard but try as we might, we could never locate the source.

Until a few nights ago.

We were watching tv with the front door open to enjoy the cool night air, when Chirpy started up again.

The acoustics in the courtyard are quite good, so it was loud - so loud we'd have to shut the door, which we didn't want to do.

Instead, we grabbed a flashlight and headed out on safari.

Of course as soon as we opened the screen door he stopped.

So we waited.

And waited.

And just when we were ready to head back inside, Chirpy sounded off again.

Karen quickly pointed the flashlight in the direction of the sound, and finally...after all these years...we said hello to Chirpy the wingless bird:

Aka, a frog.  Who knew?  And he still has great pipes:

If only he could actually sing like Michigan J. Frog of Merrie Melodies fame:

Then again, <maybe not>.

Unless you're a humorless cretin sans moral compass -

[aka a D, in which case you can exit here:]

- it's time to 23 Skidoo, to wit:

he actually stood on Dale's shoulders to get up there

first daisy of the season

perennial geraniums, lilies and hollyhocks all in bloom now

so that's how it gets emptied

so...tired...

roses in bloom

ain't he jes' the cutest li'l thang?

Had to laugh the other day when I read Steven Spielberg's claim that  his new movie...

...would make <Christians question their faith>.

The few reviews I read said it was mostly a slow moving mish mash of tired cliches and that Mr. S has lost his touch.

So yes, Steve, you've done it!

God's Word has been around for millennia, preserved by Him for those who are called to be His children; and attacked, impugned, scorned but mostly ignored by the world for centuries, but NOW...

...now YOU've come up with the definitive foil that will cause the Christian faith to crumble.

How arrogant can one man be?

As the Scripture says, "Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.

"Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud."

    - Proverbs 16:18,19

But it is good to be reminded of what Jesus taught His disciples about the end times in Matthew 24.

He uses the word "deceive" four times because it will be an age characterized by deception.

Paul echoes this in I Timothy 4 when he writes "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron..."

    - I Timothy 4:1,2

Lies, hypocrisy, deception...sounds familiar.

So...are we there yet?

God knows.

If we are, then those who have put their faith in Christ will be in heaven soon.

If we're not, we're commanded to soldier on, doing our best to heed God's calling on our lives.

Either way, hear what Jesus told His disciples: "And what I say unto you, I say unto all: Watch!"

    - Mark 13:37

later, mcm fans...