GET RID OF WHAT SLOWS YOU DOWN!

Our cat, SUGAR, has been looking horrible this summer. He got scruffy looking and it appeared he wasn't feeling well. Wasn't he bathing himself? Was the heat too much for him?

So we began brushing him. First Elliott worked on him. Then Molly (yes, MOLLY). Still he looked pretty sad. His hair is super thick, and the hot weather must have made him feel awful with that big furry coat on.

So twice, I brought him inside, laid a towel in my lap and got serious about combing out all those ugly clumps. Sure enough, we discovered those clumps were loose hair just caught in his thick fur.

He was molting!

Here is some of the hair we combed out of his fur.

He must feel so much better now.

"...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entanges, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus..."

Hebrews 12: 1-2

RAIN

How precious that wet stuff is! And how I took it for granted. It's a lot of work to keep our lawns semi-green and our plants from drooping. When God takes care of it, it is so much easier!

But we have seen precious little moisture in Texas this summer.

Rain has come sporatically,to east Texas! Texas has been in a terrible drought for a long time. The other day, we woke up to rain failling. We had forgotten what that was like. When it comes, it is wonderful!
Thank you, Lord.

As a result of the prolonged dry season, there have been many wildfires and fear of more. I was shocked when I saw this map the other evening on the weather report:

Over July 4th, many counties had cook-out bans as well as bans on using firecrackers. You can see northeast Texas is in the best situation. Even so, Longview has seen very little rainfall this season.

Little League Baseball

For many people a big part of spring and summer is baseball. It certainly is for all the Norwoods. Noel coaches Elliott's team, the hospital's team, and our churches' team. The latter team includes 3 generations of ball players: Papa, Noel, and Johnathan.

Elliott enjoyed and did well on the 9-10 year old player-pitch team this year. The rest of us enjoyed cheering the team on. Molly, Carl, and Johnathan ran the concession stand every night and were super busy throughout the season. Noel made sure all the food and supplies were purchased, but he was mostly busy on game nights when his team was playing or practicing.

The season culminated in Elliott being chosen for the 9 year olds' All-Star team and Noel was assistant coach. Because the boys making up this all-star team had played on various teams throughout the season, they might not know each other, so Noel and the head coach decided to do some fun things together outside of practice and playing. One such event was a cookout at our house, where we had 38 people.

(Dad cleaned and scrubbed the deck and put a sealer on the wood. A considerable job! But is looks wonderful now.)

In the midst of a terrible Texas drought, God blessed us with rain on that very night....but thankfully after the hamburgers had been cooked!  We were glad the kids could play in our game room!

Meanwhile the parents and older siblings sat around the dining table and living room to visit.

The All-Stars played well, but did not manage to win the tournament. Elliott's Little League team was 2nd place in the city for 9-10 year olds! Here, Elliott is batting in the All-Star game. See Noel, 3rd base coach.

The All-Star team gathers after the game.

It's been a great season!