Ale for the Soul

The week-long vacation has come to an end.  The time away was filled with lots of activity, including time spent with family and friends.  The previous weekend was the first time my siblings and I have met up concurrently since the passing of our father.  Then I was able to spend a week with Mom in Yoakum.  Friday was my 46th birthday, and I celebrated by smoking a cigar at Pipe World in Austin.  That was the last hurrah before making the trek to Fort Worth.  Traffic through Waco was brutal.  Part of the trouble may have been the holiday travellers; however, I believe the primary cause was due to road construction.  Even though I don't care about living in Fort Worth, I was glad to get back to a life of normalcy or routine.  Unfortunately, I need to buckle down on finding employment.  Thankfully, I have two interviews planned for this week.  Maybe something will come about as a result.  Anyway, I hope all my readers had a great...

On Friday, December 21, I met my sister at the Ol' South Pancake House in Fort Worth.  She flew in from Hawaii in order to spend a few weeks with friends and family.  After a hearty breakfast, along with a couple of errands, we were on the road headed south to Austin.  In Waco, we made a stop at the Magnolia Market at the Silos.  Of course I know who Chip and Jo Ann Gaines are, but my sister was more enthusiasted about checking this place out than I was.  Nonetheless, I still had fun since it was time spent with family.  After checking out the market, we made a stop for gas and some shopping at Bucee's.  This particular "brand" of gasoline and convenience store is a Texas phenomoneon.  They pride themselves on the cleanest bathrooms, and, so far, I have never been disappointed.  Once in Austin, we treated ourselves to a late lunch at Trudy's on Burnet Road and then shopping at The Salvation Army Store.  By early evening, we finally calle...

Almost three weeks have transpired since losing my job with Clark's.  Since then, I have been at a loss as to where to look for employment.  In the meantime, I have been enjoying the free time, but I know this must eventually come to an end.  Last week, I was able to spend a day and a half with a very dear friend.  She is still struggling, burdened with the trials and difficulties of life.  My heart is breaking, along with many tears shed, grieving for her.  She is such a dear friend, even though she isn't emotionally capable of reciprocating that friendship.  Many prayers are cast on her behalf as she walks through the valley of the shadow of death.  I'm not alone in interceding for her.  During church, I reach out to my spiritual family in requesting prayer.  As a spiritual brother, I refuse to let the enemy steal, kill, and destroy her life.  Present circumstances impede her spiritual vision, but I trust Almighty God to get her t...

As the Thanksgiving holiday came to an end, I sadly bade farewell to the week-long vacation enjoyed with family and friends.  Before heading back to Fort Worth, I spent about six hours in Austin.  Once eating lunch and a little bit of shopping were out of the way, I smoked two cigars at Pipe World on Anderson Lane.  Since running out of cigars on Tuesday, the two I smoked were very enjoyable.  In addition, I purchased a new Erik Nording pipe.  The original pipe I purchased about five years ago now has a stress fracture in the bowl.  It's still smokeable, but I've been wanting a new pipe for quite some time.  Eventually, I left Austin at about 3:30 p.m.  Even though I don't care for the present city of my residence, I was comforted by a return to the routine of daily life.  The time away performed wonders for my mental and emotional health.  Too much time had passed since I was last able to get away for a few days.  Now it's back to ...