KERSPLAT

365 Days of Thanksliving — Day 120

Fill in the blank. You know it’s spring when __________________________.

I suppose you could answer with any number of things—mostly involving pollen or hay fever. I’ll fill in the blank for you in a bit, once we get to that part of the story. 😊

Holy Week began yesterday... well, kind of, depending on how much you enjoy arguing over church calendars. Within historically minded, traditional denominations, today is known as “Monday of Holy Week.” Wow. Truly the peak of naming creativity, isn’t it? (Can you guess what tomorrow is called? Brace yourself: “Tuesday of Holy Week.” I’ll give you a moment to recover from that shock of originality.) Anyway… moving on.

Mondays, at least for me, provide a nice, slow start to the week. In the corporate world, Mondays are often manic; but in this industry, it’s a day of resetting, focusing, and planning for the week(s) ahead. Today was no different.

After a productive morning of finalizing bulletins for Good Friday, discipling Max, and having a few good conversations with members and friends, I headed home for a late lunch of leftovers and finished up in my home office. By 4:00 PM, I was done. It was time to feed the pups early and hit the road. There was a very specific, smoky reason for that.

Side story: Like a lot of us, we adore mowing down on some charred meats. Steaks, burgers, brats, smoked chicken wings (oh yeah, baby)—if you can grill, BBQ, smoke, or sear it, we’re in. Our Louisiana Pellet grill has been a faithful companion for years, but like any old flame, she’s become a bit temperamental lately. One time she burned so hot the internal temp reached over 700 degrees. I wasn't sure if I was grilling a ribeye or smelting iron for a new sword.

Yesterday, I gave her a good cleaning before firing her up for some ribeyes. Apparently, the computer decided it needed to dump approximately ten tons of pellets into the burn pot. It was slow to ignite, and then—in a move that can only be described as "explosive enthusiasm"—all those pellets decided to catch fire at once. Wuuufffff. Another scorcher, blazing within, melting all that caked-on winter residue of charred grease and fat.

Between that and the burner shield literally cracking under the heat—metal flaking into the drum like spicy confetti—it was time to move on. Sorry, Louise; it was time for a new hottie.

As the workday wrapped up, we ordered a new pellet grill from Wally’s Mart, scheduled it for pick-up, and headed out. Vroom. Of course, we stopped at our favorite Tex-Mex place for supper first. We had a good laugh with the staff; the head waiter asked if they needed to put a nameplate on our table or add special menu items named after us. It’s nice to know there are others out there whose snark meter tips into the red like mine.

We ate the usual, left a nice tip, and headed for the "Big Blue Store with the Yellow Flower Logo." You know the one. We pulled into the pickup lot and, just like the A&W drive-ins of the past, the "carhops" brought out our giant, boxed-up pellet grill within minutes.

After a bit more shopping, we headed home. The sun was starting to set—not quite golden hour, but close. After a mandatory stop for an "emergency" Dairy Queen run (and finally, they got the message; they actually had the chocolate dilly bars this time), we hit the road for the final leg.

Fifteen minutes later, we turned south onto CR16, and that’s when I noticed it. Splat. Kersplat. Smack. Thwap. Field bug after field bug decided to commit early "bugicide" onto our windshield. I turned to the wife and said, “Well, I guess it’s spring. It’s bug-splat season again.”

Tonight, I’m thankful that another sign of spring has made its debut. First, it was the robins; then the three "final" snows; then the schizophrenic temperatures; and now, the return of the bugs (excluding those pesky Asian lady beetles that have been hibernating in my attic all winter). Perhaps I'm not thankful for the bugs themselves, but for the turning of the seasons, tonight I thank the Lord.

So, what are you thankful for today, on this 30th day of March—Blog Day No. 120?

"I will make them and the area around my hill a blessing: I will send down showers in their season; they will be showers of blessing. The trees of the field will yield their fruit, and the land will yield its produce; my flock will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the Lord when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the power of those who enslave them." — Ezekiel 34:26–27, ESV