Is it over, yet?

Happy 245th Birthday to all you Marines! And thank you to all our Veterans! 

Last Monday after seminary and some financial guidance from Kristy, Callie and I headed back to Mountain Home. Any trip through Springfield requires a stop at Andy's Frozen Custard for a hot fudge sundae; Callie did not object. We stopped at Aldi's to purchase food items Callie would need in her cooking adventures.

Callie is an easy keeper; she has been joining in our seminary zoom calls every morning, then spends a good part of the day immersed in home school studies. This allowed me time to go work on the rent house that was vacated on Monday. The plan is to put it on the market. This tenant, who left it clean and neat, was only there for 15 months, so it does not require much to get it ready to sell. I spent about three hours a day Tuesday through Friday doing touch up work there. I was sitting in the kitchen Friday evening when the realtor called; she was most apologetic. While the house is not on the market, she was showing a client some properties and remembered this one since it is similar to what her client is looking for. What she did not know was that I had just painted the wood floor about four hours earlier. They walked about 12 feet across the floor before she recognized her mistake. So they made a quick exit. 

I had not left a note on the door indicating wet paint since I had no reason to suspect anyone would be entering.  I had to laugh at her mistake and told her not to worry. Saturday when I stopped by there was minimal damage. In fact, it was mostly dirty foot prints on the floor. Callie washed those and I painted over that spot. We went out that afternoon to give the porches a fresh coat of paint; good curb appeal. I asked Callie if she had ever painted before; she responded in the affirmative. So I let her paint the porches; and that is when I learned that the extend of her painting experiences consisted mostly of finger painting! I should be able to wrap up the remaining items on Monday and we can get it on the market.

It has been a good experience having Callie here. She has prepared a couple of yummy dinner meals. She has gone running with me three mornings this past week; she helps push me along. Saturday the missionaries requested help doing service for a family that had a large oak tree blow over. She was willing to join me, but brought a book along just incase. She didn't have time to do much reading because her assistance was needed stacking wood as we cut and split it. After a few minutes she asked: 'Can you teach me how to use a chain saw?' I have a 16 inch saw and she was a quick learner. She even tackled logs up to 14 inches thick. On the way home we had to stop and get milk shakes.

The leaves continue to fall. Callie likes seeing the ground carpeted with the various colors, but all I see is the work required to remove them.

Halloween and more...or less

 Monday after my morning run I visited the dermatologist for their 'blue light' special. Evidently my days of soaking up the sun's rays in SoCal have caught up to me in the form of facial skin cancer. The doctor told me I had two options: undergo this treatment to remove the skin cancer or wait until it develops into melanoma and then have it surgically removed. Didn't sound like much of an option to me. This procedure involved applying some ointment to the face, waiting for 40 minutes and then having a blue light focused on my face for 16 minutes and 40 seconds. Somehow the light activates the ointment to kill off the cancer. So far I haven't had any adverse reaction other than occasional itching. I return in about four weeks for a repeat of this procedure. 

 I was cautioned to avoid direct sunlight for a couple of days. This has not been a problem since it rained on Monday. It rained all day Tuesday. It rained all day on Wednesday. It rained Thursday morning. In fact, I did not see the sun all week until Thursday afternoon. The local area received about 8 inches of rain, setting a new record for the month of October.

Wednesday afternoon I attended a funeral for a long time sister in our ward. Born in England in 1936 she survived the bombings of WW2, married an US serviceman and moved to the US, finally settling in Mountain Home. I had an opportunity to reconnect with her five grandchildren since most don't live locally. And before this funeral started, we had word of another 80+ year old passing away; his funeral will be Sunday afternoon.

Thursday after teaching seminary, I headed off to Jonathan's for a few days. I stopped at Menard's to exchange some screws and purchase the last two planks for the deck. The planks are 12 feet long, almost too long to fit in the van. Knowing I only needed them to be about nine feet long, I trimmed two feet off. Even then they stretched from the dash to the back door. Going through Springfield also requires a stop at Andy's Frozen Custard for a hot fudge sundae. 

I arrived safely and in plenty of time for dinner. This was basically a no agenda visit for me. Didn't even bring any work clothes. Friday I was the designated adult in the car as Miriam drove to church (she only has a permit) so the girls could prepare things for Saturday's Trunk or Treat. Using chalk we drew halloween scenes in every other parking spot indicating those were non parking spots (for distancing purposes). 

Saturday was the Trunk or Treat activity at church. Awards were given for a variety of costume attire, hot dogs were cooked, visiting transpired and then the Trunk or Treat activity. Probably 100 were in attendance and a good time was had by all.

Saturday evening we celebrated Miriam's 16 birthday. She asked for peaches and crème french toast for dinner and crème brulee for dessert. You don't need to ask, it was very tasty!

Their ward meets every other Sunday, and so I was able to attend church with them this week. Maybe 60 or so in attendance. It was nice to be able to meet with other members and enjoy the spirit of the meeting. Was able to talk to a couple that recently retired and moved here from SoCal.

Visiting family, especially the grands, is a treat for me. Tomorrow I will return to Mountain Home and Callie will accompany me. She is looking forward to cooking some new recipes and I am excited that she is willing to do so.

Going to the Temple

 It is Sunday morning; outside it is gray, chilly and gloomy. But there is a fire burning in the fireplace that provides warmth and comfort inside, so I am happy and comfortable.

I attacked the deck with minor enthusiasm; partly because I saved the more challenging parts for the end, and also because I knew I would be at least one plank short. I had previously miss cut a piece too short and knew I would be one short. However, I need two more pieces. The old planks are about 1/2 inch wider than the new ones. When calculating how many I needed I just counted the planks when I should have measured the distance. But I feel better about needing two more pieces than just one. Once I get those and install them, the project will be complete.

I also installed some GFIs at a rent home. It was built back in the day of two wire, so most of the outlets are only two prong. The new tenant works from home, has computers and a need for three prong outlets. Problem is hopefully solved.

I drove out Wednesday to visit a friend who rebuilt a 1931 Model A. He took me for a ride in his car; he had some concerns about how it handled on the road. He lives two miles off a paved road, so it is hard to judge when you really never get out of second gear. We were about one mile from his house when the engine died; out of gas, on a narrow two lane dirt road. In less than a minute a pickup truck stopped to see if we needed help, and yes they had gas which we gratefully accepted. Tom let me drive the A back to his house. Runs better than mine. I think he needs to get the car on the real road and gain experience driving it to build up his confidence.

Fall is here; don't seem to see the variety and brilliance of colors of previous years, but the leaves are definitely falling in great quantities.

The excitement of the week transpired Friday night. Katie was able to attend the Memphis Temple to receive her own endowments. Eight other family members were able to join her for this momentous occasion: her parents, Deborah and Ian, Miranda and Dan, and both grandfathers were there. We had our own personal session with the temple presidency officiating. It was a very spiritually inspiring time for all of us, especially because it has been so long since any of us have been able to attend the temple.

One of our group found a BBQ restaurant with a gun range; so you know where we ate dinner. While eating my beef brisket, I could look through the window at the indoor range and the shooters firing away at their targets. They also bought and sold weapons. I was afraid we would never get out of the place knowing the penchant for the younger generation to drool over weapons and shooting. But we did!

After attending the temple, we found a frozen custard place and just had to pay them a visit; after all, it is tradition! Not as good as Andy's Frozen Custard, but it still hit the spot and was a fitting ending for the day.

Saturday morning after breakfast at Panera's, we headed our separate ways to our own homes. Once home it was a good afternoon to be a slug.

Life continues!

Dear Family and Friends,                                    Sunday 18 October 2020 

Monday was a quiet unstructured day. Adam's family was here and the children had fun playing on the swings and zip line. In the afternoon we all went to Hickory Park and had fun with all the play equipment. We returned home and started dinner preparations; we had invited the four missionaries to dinner and were serving breakfast burritos. Two of them were brand new; all were energetic and enthusiastic about their missions.

Tuesday morning we went out to breakfast; then Adam's family finished their packing and headed off to Jonathan's for the remainder of their time. The house gets quiet real quick when family leaves!

I spent time the next couple of days using the now operable tractor to beat the pasture grass into submission. With a new (and tight) drag link, the steering is much more secure and it steers better. I also attacked the unfinished deck, removing and replacing the planks. Here all of the remaining old planks have been removed:

The installation process is a laborious task; I drag the 12 planks from the barn where they are stored under cover the 100 feet to the deck, measure and cut them one by one, drill pilot holes and then screw them into the joists. Unfortunately, I do not have enough screws (only available at Menards - a 90 minute one way drive), so I only put in enough to secure the boards for now. I spent Saturday afternoon ripping out the rest of the old boards, but did not finish installing all the new boards. After several hours on my knees my brain does not function well enough for me to make the correct changes in the angle of cut that is required; so it was time for me to stop for the day. Besides, who is keeping track of my progress anyway?

Thursday was the big family event day. With Adam's family in town, it was suggested we go to Silver Dollar City. Savannah knew that Thursday's were one-half off price days so we were able to get tickets at a greatly reduced price. Only Rebecca was not present, although her family was represented by Callie. We had 36 family members join us by 10 am for a fun filled day. Even Matthew joined us complete with a casted broken foot and crutches:

Cute to see Adam squeeze into the kiddie ride with his girls:

Ethan giving a tired Rachel some hugs:

Masks were required; so I spent a lot of time munching so that I could get some relief. The crowds were not so dense, but when many of the rides only accommodated 1/3 to 1/2 of their capacity, there were some longer waits for the more popular rides. I have learned that we have some pretty aggressive party animals in the family - of all ages. I left by 6 pm; others were still there after 8 pm.

If 'Fall' refers to the number of leaves falling from the trees, then it is here. The maples, which are the most representative of beautiful fall colors, are brilliant but fast losing their leaves. For such a beautiful time of year, it passes much too quickly for me to thoroughly enjoy.

Today was church of one; even though it is just me, it can still be a spiritual experience and I relish those peaceful and quiet times. 

Hope all are healthy and safe!

Dear Family and Friends,                                    Sunday 11 October

 Monday was a beautiful day. Steve joined me as we drove south to a ward member's house to give some blessings. Two couples about my age both have some upcoming health procedures and met at one of their houses to facilitate the blessings. One is experiencing renal failure, his wife is to have a device implanted in her heart that will allow her to go off blood thinners which have been causing her problems. The other husband has spots on his pancreas identified as cancer. Modern medicine is capable of doing some amazing things to alleviate pain and suffering, but you can't beat good health - something I am very thankful for!

It was enjoyable and fun to have Sue and Steve here part of the week. They prepared excellent meals, listened to my stories, and were pleasant company. They left Wednesday morning heading to New Mexico. 

I managed to get some home chores done, to include removing a dozen planks from the deck and replacing them. Only about 20 more to go.

After teaching my seminary class Thursday morning, I did some last minute house organization and then headed off to Miranda's. Stopped by Deborah's for a quick visit first. Once at Miranda's I assisted with the final smoothing of the drywall in Dan's office. Then he and I headed off to the tool rental company to pick up a ditch witch. Home by 530 pm, he started trenching from the house to the shed for the electrical line. Miranda and I slid the gray pipe over the wire. The pipe was 10 feet long, and we were able to get the first nine feet of wire inserted without much effort; the final foot was challenging. Miranda devised a unique fix which made that job easier. We were able to get all 100 feet (no one measured for sure) completed and in the hole. Dan also used the trencher to dig a line where they wanted to plant some azaleas and crepe myrtles along the road. The ground was dry and very rocky, but the trencher did a great job. When it got dark, we brought out the lights and worked until 8 pm. 

Friday morning, Dan took me to the chapel, which has reliable internet, so I could conduct seminary from there. He went shopping at Lowes and came back to pick me up. Then we filled in the trench and he and Miranda, with the help of Ethan and Alex, planted the bushes. He also dug a french drain off the back side of the house but we ran out of time to fill it. I took a quick shower, loaded up the truck and towed the trencher back to the rental place. Then I drove to Northwest Regional Airport, about 25 minutes away, to meet Adam and family. They arrived about 1 pm with Callie.  Deborah showed up with Hailey and Miranda drove over in the AR Fox van so they will have transport while here. And of course, we had to make a trip to Andy's Frozen Custard for the traditional treat. 

After indulging ourselves, I headed back to Springdale, while Adam's family drove to Deborah's for a quick visit. I was looking for a riding mower for my neighbor and only a couple of miles from Deborah's was one for sale. It is relatively new and the price was ride. We loaded it in the truck and I drove to Deborah's to drop off Denali who had been riding shotgun. Then it was time to head home.

Adam's family arrived an hour after I did; Miranda an hour later. So we have four adults and eight children in the house. Saturday morning Miranda, Piper, Camden and I got in our morning run. Then it was time to install the drag link for the tractor. It took the John Deere dealer 4 tries before he got the right part,  but they finally did. Adam was busy devising a method to offload the riding mower from the truck (I don't have ramps). We got the mower cleaned up and Denali drove it over the neighbors; she was shocked and surprise, but was so happy she was out mowing the lawn shortly thereafter. There was a lot of activity raking leaves and picking up sticks to go on the burn pile.

I had been saving a burn pile for this occasion, so we torched the brush, had dinner and came back to a nice bed of coals just right for s'mores. The kids had great fun running amok before bathing and going to bed. Then we adults stayed up late visiting.

Denali assisted making cinnamon cake for breakfast this morning. We had 12 for home church today; nice to have more people, even when they are your own family. Miranda prepared a great lesson for the children about some of the apostles. 

We were able to get in the traditional game of Five Crowns in the afternoon after making some tasty fudge to munch on. Then Miranda headed  home. One of my tenants invited me for dinner last night, so I abandoned Adam and family to join this family of five for dinner. We had a delightful time visiting and enjoying a good chili dinner.  The husband works for one of the local boat companies. With about 70 employees, they produce about 24 boats a week; they are working at maximum capacity and are two years behind in deliveries. You want one of their boats, you will have to pay now and wait two years - and people are lined up for their boats! 

Then home to prepare for my seminary lesson for Monday.

Conference Weekend!

Monday morning I ran; the temperatures are cooling off and it is nice to run in 50 degree weather and not sweat profusely. For the past several months the tire light in the van would illuminate every 3-4 weeks; one tire drops about 10 pounds of pressure which triggers the light so I use the compressor to inflate it. It finally occurred to me:  why am I doing this? So after my run, I took it in to get it fixed. There was a small staple causing the leak. So hopefully, I won't be needing to add air.

And speaking of slow leaks, I have had a similar problem with one of the truck tires; what is good for the van, is good for the truck, so back to the tire place to get that tire problem resolved. Interesting how we let little irritants creep into our lives that we are willing to live with (but don't need to) until one day we wake up and say:  what am I doing!

My neighbor enjoys mowing her yard; it is therapy for her. She has accomplished that task using an 18 year old Craftsman riding mower. With the help of mechanically inclined church members, we have managed to keep that mower alive...until this week. The transmission died. I told her I would be over to mow it on Wednesday. It was evening before I got there. It had not been mowed in 4-5 weeks and was tall and thick. I had to mow it twice and there was a lot of cut grass piled up. I have been trying to find her a used affordable mower in the local area, but they don't seem to exist here.

The tractor has been sitting idle in the north  '40' for over a week. The first part they ordered was not correct. The shop called Tuesday evening to say that the second attempt at finding the right part was in. Since the drive is one half the distance to Menards where I purchased the wood for the decking, I called them to confirm they had sufficient material to warrant another drive there; they did a hands on count and I purchased what I needed. Wednesday morning, after my run, Steve joined me as we first stopped at the John Deere dealer in Harrison to get the tractor part. The drag link has a ball joint at each end, 90 degrees apart. This one had one joint 180 degrees out from the original, but I thought it might work. It didn't. Anyway, we drove to Hollister to get the lumber, loaded the trailer and returned home. Now I have sufficient material to finish the deck on the west side of the house. This trip took half the day. 

Thursday was the 1st anniversary of Sandy's passing. Sue, Steve and I paid a visit to her gravesite. They brought their alp horns and serenaded the local residents with beautiful music.

 Here is Sandy's headstone; someone else had thoughtfully placed a vase of artificial flowers there.

This was my tribute to honoring her life, knowing her like for chocolate:

Steve assisted me in trying to attach the new drag link to the tractor; but it didn't fit. I suspect there is a left and a right hand drag link and they sold me the right when I need the left. So I had to call them and explained the problem. He did find another link which should be the one I need. That will require another trip to Harrison; fortunately I hope to drive to Bella Vista this week and will stop to pick up the new part on my way through town.

Friday after seminary, I was all set to go run again, but then noticed the temperature was 41 degrees! I checked Saturday's weather - it was to be 10 degrees warmer in the morning - and decided I could wait until then to run. A man has to know his limitations!

I have spent some time in Sandy's office this week.. I managed to rearrange things enough to be able to move the computer desk and one file cabinet out of the room. Now I am organizing the many files. Managed to fill one trash can with obsolete files and papers. Sandy retained copies of many of the articles she wrote or had published; I want to ensure that somehow they are preserved for the future. I suspect they may reside on her computer or in the many disks she left behind. I just need to find them. This is what the office currently looks like, but not for long!

Steve was busy resolving some issues with two of my clocks. He oiled the mantle clock and it now keeps time. He also dismantled the 30 day Korean clock and managed to get the hands adjusted so it now chimes on time and not 5 minutes late. And it no longer needs to be hung crooked on the wall to function.

Saturday we were blessed to view all three seasons of conference without interruptions. I especially enjoyed seeing the entire First Presidency and Quorum of 12 Apostles (minus Elder Gong) in the same room. Lots of uplifting encouragement and counsel for me to ponder on. The Sunday morning session did not disappoint either. 

Hoe all of you can 'swing with the boat' this week!

Fall is coming to the Ozarks!

Last Sunday afternoon I drove back from Miranda's house, arriving just in time for our weekly family zoom call. It is always good to visit with family and have a gospel discussion with them. After two plus weeks on the road, it was good to return home. While it is nice to be in the comfort and quiet of my own home, sometimes I long for the commotion and activity of little ones in the house.

The grass was starting to get out of control, as was the pasture. So after running on Monday, I mowed most of the yard, but had to raise the deck due to the height of the grass. I was able to finish mowing on Tuesday and then started bush hogging the pasture. After 90 minutes the tractor started going a different direction than I was steering it. Close inspection revealed that the drag link was disconnected; the ball joints popped out of their sockets they were that worn. I did not want to leave the tractor in the middle of the field in tall grass, so I tried to get it the hundred yards close to the barn and cut grass. It did not want to cooperate. I could get the wheels headed in the right direction by lifting the front end with the bucket, but they still insisted in going to the left. Finally I put it in reverse and did a 270 turn, then went forward. I had offset the heading just enough so the tractor ended up where it can be more easily worked on.

I called the nearest John Deere dealer, 48 miles away, and ordered the part. Friday morning it was in and I drove over to pick it up. Unfortunately, it was not the correct item; there are several possibilities and this was not the one. I had taken in the old part and the parts man was able to identify the correct one. I anticipate a call early in the week and I will make another trip to Harrison. Yesterday I tried to remove the ball joint from the steering linkage; it does not want to budge. Getting the right part may be the easy part of this ordeal.

Tuesday I took the truck in to determine the cause of my power steering fluid leak; it had been leaking for a month, but I did not have time to get it corrected before heading west over two weeks ago, so I just kept adding fluid to the reservoir. Used a quart in that time, but it worked. Turned out it was a leaking pressure hose and 90 minutes and less than $100 later, I was heading home.

Wednesday I met with one of my tenants. He has sediment in the water from all faucets, but only after it rains. He had the water department come out to inspect the meter and they said it is not due to the city water lines. So tell me, how do you get dirt and small grass clippings in your water supply with a pressurized system? And only after it rains? My plumber friend with 35 years experience has never seen this phenomena. 

Wednesday Susan and Steve arrived in time for dinner. They will be spending two weeks here. It is nice to have other adults in the home, although I suspect they may get tired of my talking. Steve has already 'changed the oil' in one of my clocks that was slowing down.

Katie had made arrangements with the Memphis Temple to take out her own endowments on Saturday; we were looking forward to being able to attend this momentous event. Then mid week we learned that her brother Aaron was being quarantined due to another student's virus infection. By week's end, Kera, Andy, one of the girls and Aaron were mildly sick. So Katie has rescheduled to later in October.

I have been teaching seminary three weeks now. While it is nice not to have to meet in a classroom, I miss establishing a more personal relationship with the youth. One youth runs cross country; the team had a meet on Thursday, so on Friday I inquired how the meet went; he responded that he did a virtual run in his neighborhood because he was in quarantine due to another student having the virus. So far he is healthy.

The weather here has been marvelous. Night temperatures are in the high 50's or lows 60's. Daytime has been in the 70's until this weekend. According to the weatherman, it will be cooler this next week. I turned the AC off last Sunday evening, and it has been on only a couple of hours since then. I like it!

I spent time this week going through Sandy's office. I was able to organize her desk and discard a lot of stuff. There are 10 file cabinet drawers; I was able to go through half of them. The office looks like a tornado hit it; there are a variety of piles, one is trash, one to burn, one to this child or another. And I need to first go through all the files to determine what to save before I can put the need to keep items away. A lot of discarded items are her writing notes from various conferences and trainings she attended over the years. And then there are files like the voluminous one from the sale of the trailer park over 15 years ago - it went into the burn pile.

Rebecca kindly had a large family picture made from our July reunion (thank you Kendra and Cyrus); where to put it? I like the current family pictures and did not want to replace any of them. So I removed an oil painting that Sandy had purchased 30 years ago and was hanging in the dining room and hung the picture there. I would much rather see family than a seascape!