We interrupt this break...

...to give you a glimpse of what I've been doing instead of blogging.

I told you our wood floors in the dining room were damaged due to a leak from the refrigerator. Well, after several days of fans and dehumidifiers, the mitigation guys finally had to pull up the wet floor:


Well, the upside is this: insurance has finally paid off and we are set to get all new wood floors! The flooring people will of course move all the large furniture pieces as part of the installation cost but for the downside: I have to have all the small stuff out of the way, which means all the books and various and sundry junk that were here...


...are now here:



Yep, I've been hauling books from the downstairs bookcase to the upstairs hallway. We only have three bookcases that need emptying (not all of them as large as the one in the photo, thank goodness).

So that's what I've been doing, in case you were wondering! And in a week or so, I'll get to haul them all back downstairs!

And now we return to the regularly scheduled break...

Status Report, June

Sitting...out on the porch, my usual destination first thing in the morning. Besides, my dining room table is currently unavailable with the giant dehumidifier from ServPro set up in there. Yes, we had a leak from our refrigerator and despite all of ServPro's efforts, it's not looking good for the hardwood floors. Our insurance agent may see things differently of course.

Drinking...coffee, black.

Wondering...how it is June already?

Surveying...my to do list for the day: phone calls, errands, grocery shopping, and Bible study preparation, among other things. I think I have more to do than I can actually do, which is par for the course.

Enjoying...my hydrangea bushes. After no blooms at all last year, this year they are covered! Beautiful! I love hydrangeas; I think they may be my favorite flowers.

Reading...Ava's Man by Rick Bragg. Bragg is an amazing writer and this, the story of his grandparents and their lives during the Depression is good, really good. Plus, most of the book's events occur here in northeast Alabama not too far from where I live.

Also reading...What Is the Gospel? by Greg Gilbert, a back-to-the-basics examination and definition of the good news. Gilbert asks: "How firm a grasp do you think most Christians have on the content of the Christian gospel? How would you answer if someone asked you: What is this news that you Christians go on and on about? And what's so good about it?" He provides a sampling of various descriptions of the gospel from different evangelical books and websites, some of which are mutually exclusive, and then devotes the remainder of the book to a clear answer to the question, what is the gospel?

Painting...the trim in the upstairs hallway. Tedious work. I actually began downstairs because I need to ultimately paint the trim house-wide but then came the aforementioned leak and the possibility of replacing the flooring so I moved my efforts upstairs.

Anticipating...the summer book club with the ladies at my church. It's something different for us but I think it will be fun to read and discuss different kinds of books.

Thinking...about this post and how so much of what Kevin DeYoung writes is an echo--a more refined echo--of my own thoughts. If you've visited here for any length of time, you know of my struggle to learn to be ordinary. Of course, DeYoung writes with a great deal more wisdom and insight than I. I am glad he wrote the article. It encourages me. Good stuff. (HT: Challies)

Breaking...from blogging, as you've surely noticed. Also from Facebook and Twitter, though none of the breaks were planned. I just needed--and continue to need--to get away for awhile. How long it will be, I have no idea. As I pretty much stumbled into my break from social media, I've no doubt I will eventually stumble back into the fray. Until then...

Happy June, friends!