More Funerals

It seems like this is the time for people to move on.  We had two sisters in our ward die on the same day this week. Another went into hospice and Tom met with the family to make funeral program plans.  In addition, there were some high stress families that needed his attention.  So it's been kind of a tough week to be bishop.

I bought a Microsoft Surface tablet with a keypad cover.  It arrived this week and I've had fun working with it... after I spent over an hour on the phone trying to get the key code for Microsoft.  Duh. You'd think they would include it with the computer.

On Monday I went over to my neighbor, Barb's house and did a photo shoot on her necklaces. They really are lovely.  The next step is to get them on a website with an order page.  I've done websites, but not order pages... and I really don't want to take the time to create it. I'm hoping Barb is adventurous enough to learn to do it on her own.

I've put in some time this week working on the Women's Retreat coming up in April.  Still more to do. Actually I've felt a bit stressed with week with everything that seems to need to be done... Especially knowing that I will be off for the next two weeks and then I will need to delve into a big financial newsletter promotion that will take up a lot of time.

Thursday I went to play with clay with Marian.  I had a very pretty short vase that was an Ikebana style- with a well and a pin frog to hold a few stems of flowers and a flat top.  Alas, it had a difficult encounter with the counter top and the ceramic top broke.  So I went to Marian's to make another.  and since one is good, 10 are better.  I decided I wanted to make them as gifts for the teachers for the retreat and for my counselors... and then they were just fun so I made a few extra tops for Marian.  She turned the bottom "wells" on the wheel.  I'm hoping that with gorgeous glazes, they will turn out very unique and attractive.

As with the cycle of life, I went to a shower for Lacey Arrndt Day.  She's due with a baby boy.  The shower had many attendees and lots of games.  I'm not a big fan of games... but many people seems to have fun. And I am pleased Lacey is doing so well.

I wrote a $1000 letter this week. I'd been doing websites for the start up companies and decided to write a letter requesting a form of compensation.  I had some investment into the start up company and asked them to consider my labors as payment in lieu of cash.  And they did!  I love it when my persuasive letters actually save me money!

Friday was Molly Shelton's funeral. Tom conducted it.  It was short and very sweet.  She was a great lady.  After we worked in the garden a bit.  It's been so warm... and last night we had a freeze and they predict one again tonight.  I don't know what that will do to our fruit tree blossoms and fruit.  We'll have to wait and see.

Saturday Tom spent most the the day driving to Springfield, then spending the afternoon with Elder Dale G. Renlund, a member of the 70 and leaders from a host of other stakes in the area.  He thought it was time well spent.  He got home about 7:30.

Today I drove to the Mountain View Branch for their branch conference.  They are such diligent and hardworking people.  It was a pleasure to be there.  Still A long day.  From 6:30 to 5pm including driving time, church, lunch and visiting.  Then  I have letters to write, blog to do, indexing...  I just need to remember to have joy in all the doing.

We skyped with Adam and that was fun and also visited by phone with Rebecca and Deborah.  I love my family!

Comments on adversity and progression

President Chandler- a psychologist and former stake president spoke at the women’s conference. I want to share with you some of what he said.

• ·         We create the world we live in through our minds—how we think and process. Your thoughts drive how you feel. If we’re depressed we look at ourselves and think, I’m no good, I’m broken or defective. And we imagine other people look at us and think the same thing. It’s not true. That’s Satan speaking. No one is a better or worse person. We are all just people- with some strengths and some weaknesses. Change your thoughts and you’ll change your mood. (But with clinical depression, you also need medicine to fix the chemical imbalance.)
• ·         There is no room for comparison in the gospel. If we think we’re better than others, that leads to pride. If we think we are worse, that leads to depression. We need to accept ourselves with our imperfections. Face us and say, yes, this is what I am. Then go to work to fix what you don’t like about yourself.
• ·         Acknowledge and face your weaknesses, but don’t be immobilized by them. They may be your companions all your life.  We may struggle with some weaknesses all our lives.
• ·         Our afflictions are not healed immediately because there are lessons to be learned.
• ·         He read a story about someone who asked about how to overcome pornography or other addictions.  He was told the answers to most of our problems is to understand and know our true identity and purpose.  What is our true identity?  We are gods in embryo. Our genetic coding says we are meant to be Gods. God gave us the capabilities and powers of Godhood, even if it’s in an infant state. It’s an eternal principle that like begets like. Giraffes make baby giraffes, corn seeds make corn. As sons and daughter of God, we have his genetics.
• ·         God knows we are not perfect. He knows. That’s why he sent his son. But you can become clean every day as you repent and look to the Savior. In Moses time, people didn’t look to the snake on the staff (a symbol of the Savior) because they didn’t think it would heal them. Do we trust the Savior to heal us? His arms are always open. We will make it back to Heavenly Father if we keep trying (even if fail a lot) and if we get really good at repenting.

Movin' Along

I'm not sure why I start out with extremely productive days, and then throw in some where I don't think I get anything done at all.

The weather continues to be unseasonably warm. The trees, daffodils, hyacinth, and now the grass all think it's spring.  The grass has greened up.  The phlox is ready to burst into a blanket of color.  Some of the peach trees are in full bloom.  The Bradford pears are all a frothy white.  And we still have a month until the last frost free date. We had forecasts of tons of rain this week.  Some places in the state were awash with water.  We just got a steady drizzle for most of the week.  It's good for the plants and the ground as it just soaked in.

Monday evening we went to empty nesters.  We had not had one in January or February.  No one volunteered to host it.  So it was nice to get together. We had a potluck and played a game and caught up on happenings.

Tuesday I worked on websites in the morning. I met up with another sister and we drove to Ava for their evening conference for Relief Society.  The rain was brutal on the way up!  Some real downpours.  President Chandler, our former stake president and a psychologist spoke at the Ava conference.  He was very good. I think I'll post some of the notes I took.  The lady I road with took her harp and sang.  It was lovely too.

We had a great dinner and the Ava sister were working on the service project A Time for Girls, just like Rebecca's group in Hong Kong was.  The teens there thought the project would be good to make for their 72 hour kits. Fortunately the rain quit and we had a dry drive home.

I've been trying to exercise more.  So both Tom and I have used the treadmill-- especially when the weather is not good. I found time goes pretty quickly when you're watching TV.  I even jogged a little.  I also want to try to play the piano better, so I sat down and practiced a bit about 3 times this week.

Wednesday night I worked on some family history and got the Jacob Joseph Seelbach family ready to take to the temple. I also finished the Stake RS newsletter and sent it to my counselors for review.

Thursday I don't remember what I did.  Some writing.  Some looking for work on Upwork. Exercise. Piano.

My first counselor and her husband had been taking care of his father for several years now-- 3 or 4, maybe more. He was a WWII vet and last week he decided to stop dialysis.  He passed away on Tuesday morning.  We went to his funeral in Ava on Friday.  Tom went with me.  It was a nice service. After, we went shopping at their bulk store and then went to lunch.  We were on the Missouri side of the border and the place that was recommended was a bar/restaurant.  The food was good... but they allowed smoking in there.  It's been a while since I've been around cigarette smoke. It hasn't improved with age.

The rain slowed the process of our septic repairs. Tom went out and marked a 100' arc from the neighbor's well and then 100' from our well.  That doesn't leave much room for the tanks and leech lines.Now the contractor needs to decide how to fit the field in the space.  It looks like it will end up with an expensive solution.  Tom  also worked at Rebecca's house fixing the roof. And next week he will replace a door that a dog chewed/scratched through.

Saturday I went to lunch with Barb.  We talked about how to help her necklace business grow. Do any of you know of some fashionable boutiques that would like to carry lovely necklaces? Both of us would be very grateful. In celebration of Pi day, I made crusts and Tom made an apple, pumpkin, and Toll House chocolate chip pie.  He served them Sunday to the youth for the Bishop's Youth Discussion.  They were a hit.

Today I actually stayed home and didn't travel... except to the Mountain Home ward.  It was nice to see friends and reconnect.  I'd been gone for the past 3 weeks, at least.  The Stake President came to visit and make a change in the Elders Quorum. He came over to the house afterwards and spent 1.5 hours visiting with Barb and answering questions.  Since he'd flown in late, late last night and gotten home about 3am... I thought he was very generous with his time.

I hope I can quickly get used to daylight savings.

Blessings

Some of the ward members speak of driving people to Little Rock for doctor's appointments, and I've always thought What a lot of work and time! But one of the sisters I visit teach needed a ride to see a neurologist, and I thought, why not? I can do that. So I said I'd take her.

Then, another sister needed a ride from the airport home, so I told her if she could be in Little Rock about 12:30 ish, I could bring her home. It turned out to be a delightful day. We chatted all the way down.  I read a book while she was seeing the doctor, and then we picked up the sister at the airport and drove home. I left a little after 9 and was home about 5pm.

I thought we were going to have a young couple over for family home evening at 6... so I was a bit rushed.  But when I got in the house, I learned they had canceled.  It was good/bad.  I was happy to unwind, but sorry we couldn't support and help them.

We had already voted, but were interested in seeing the results of the Arkansas vote on Tuesday. Some of me people made it, some didn't.  The senate contender got trounced and so did my presidential choice. My judges got in.  I also had my mastermind group call in the morning and have no idea how I spent the rest of the day.

I had looked at my calendar and saw no work for pay. Not good.  So I went on Upwork and got two jobs. One is writing emails to encourage people to go to a very interesting blog. www.gskang.com  He writes kind of stream of consciousness, but has some good things to say. It was fun writing the emails in his "voice" and projecting his image.  He is so not a "Guru" or strong leader... I had to figure out a way to invite people to listen to him when he says things like, "I'm not very smart." or "I'm not sure why I'm writing this." On the other hand,  he has a great rags-to-riches story and is willing to help millennials figure out how to live a life of liberation-- for no fee.

Wednesday afternoon I went and printed off invitations for the Stake Relief Society Retreat and then cut them into the quarter sheets. Did some other church stuff and spent the evening on family history.  Found some children for a family, so that was exciting.

Thursday I finished my Upwork assignments and got them mailed off.  I also spent time with a neighbor struggling with some issues. Friday Tom and I worked in the garden. It's far too warm for this time of year. Daffodils are blooming, tulips are emerging, our peach, blooming quince, and wild plum all have blossoms.  I kept waiting for a cold snap... and it can still come. April 15 is supposed to be our last frost date.  In the mean time, we tilled the garden. The chickens and cats were delighted with the turned up soil.

Saturday we went back and planted peas, spinach and broccoli. We attended a baptism that evening. This was the first time I'd met this sister. I guess that's what happens when you gad about to different wards. I had the chance to help her get ready and then guide her where she needed to be. She had been in a car accident and paralyzed at one time and still suffers from some brain damage.

Our newer house in Whiteville has a septic problem. We had the tank pumped last week. They said not good things about the tank.  Tom went back this week to dig to find the junction box and see if the leach lines were working. Alas, they are full of tree roots. We will need a whole new system.

This means getting the county sanitation department involved, having the thing engineered, and struggling to find a place on the property that is 100 feet from our well... and the neighbor's well. Currently the tank and lines are under the old rule of 50 feet from the well. Pray that they will grant an exemption for this system.  I don't think we have a place that's 100 feet from all the wells on the half acre. Alas, this is a big-bucks-cure.

Today was Ward Conference in Houston, Missouri. It's about 2 hours from our house. I left at 6:30 to be there for the 8:30 meeting. I really wanted to take some general conference talks to listen to... but couldn't down load them.  I think my burn drive wanted to do a CD instead of an mp3 disk. So I grabbed some conference talks off the shelf... Alas, they were DVD's and of course, wouldn't play in the CD player.

Still, the ward conference was very good. I taught the lesson again. I'm amazed that while I have the same lesson prepared, it ends up being presented so differently in each ward. Some wards I hardly get past the first page. This time, I got through the whole lesson with time to spare. But still, we had good comments and good stories. I love how the Lord guides lessons for the benefit of those who need it.

Lacey Michele's Castle

Exit from the courtyard around our studio apartment area.

 Walking around the outside of our apartment. It is to the right. There are lighted archways on the left and a fountain straight ahead.

 Here is the rain-fed cascading fountain. We could hear it in bed at night.

 The outside of the castle wall

 The outside entrance to the courtyard for our apartment

 Inside. Kitchen door is behind tom.  Bath to right.

 

 

 The stone walls are all two feet thick.

 My handsome man

 Outer walls.

Life in the Castle

In the off season I try to get away for a writer's retreat.  I found a reasonable deal on VRBO- Lacey Michele's Castle just north of Harrison.  That makes it about 20 miles south of Branson.  Monday morning after running a few errands we headed up to the Castle.

We really didn't know what to expect.  Tom was thinking it was a resort.  I was thinking it was a one cabin deal. It's off the beaten path and a mile down a dirt road... and a single unit.  In spite of that, they did have a swimming pool (burr) a volleyball court, fire pit, man cave with pool table and large TV and our little unit.

The unit was cute and neat.  I had somehow thought it was a bedroom, Living room, kitchen, bath.  It turned out to be a studio with kitchen and bath.  Our Sprint phone connection was mostly nonexistent.  Shelby, the owner showed us two places we could stand-- outside in the cold-- to connect.  There were a few other we found-- by the pond... down the road. And oddly enough, occasionally there would be just enough service in the unit to send and receive texts.  And... while it had WiFi, we only had it periodically.  So that was a bit of a challenge.

Still, it was a secluded, restful place to focus on writing.  I made lists of things I could do offline and things I needed to do online. When the connection worked, I did the online things.  When it didn't, I did other kinds of writing. I got a lot done.  Maybe even more since I couldn't dink around on the internet. I never knew when it would go out, so I had to stay more focused.

The weather threatened snow on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.  Tom had things he needed to do in Mountain Home on Wednesday, so he headed out Tuesday afternoon.  We just got this little bit of snow and the rain that came before and after melted most of it.  While home, we learned of a septic problem in one of our rentals.  Sigh. Tom also attended the Blue and Gold banquet for cub scouts.  He drove back up on Thursday.

I'd gotten up at 5am to write on Thursday, so by 3pm I was brain deal.  Tom and I drove into Branson for some shoe shopping and Harry and David retail therapy.  We went to Panara's for dinner.  I know. With hundreds of restaurants in Branson... why choose Panara?  It was simple and I didn't need to think or drive all over town discussing restaurants.

Friday Tom headed off to Jonathan and Kristy's for part of the day.  He took Zachary's birthday card with him and was able to wish Zachary a happy birthday.  Jonathan and Emily were sick, but Tom had a chance to visit with Kristy and Isabelle.  Jonathan came out long enough to work with Tom to track some wires in the barn.  They want to put lighting in the stalls for lambing season which starts next week.

Motley Fool UK did hire me to write the long sales letter.  They wanted to push the dates back so it totally overlapped the Sib's reunion-- giving me only 2 of the 4 weeks I needed (2 would be taken up by the reunion and travel.)  I made some suggestions and they countered with starting just after the reunion.  That should work out fine.

We came home a leisurely route down Highway 14 and got home about noon. We read the collected mail, unpacked and didn't do a lot more.

Today I drove the 1 hr 40 minutes to Mountain Grove ward.  They were having their Visiting Teaching conference during the Relief Society hour. I wanted to be there.  And I especially wanted to go since I'd missed their ward conference.  It was really a great meeting!  I went to the RS presidents house for lunch afterwards. She's got three kids 7,5, and 3. They were talkative and it was fun to interact. Interesting, like Jonathan, her husband also works from home for a firm in Denver.  They looked in a wide range around the Springfield airport and settled in Mountain Grove.

Tomorrow I will drive one of the sisters I visit teach to Little Rock for a doctor's appointment.  That will take most of the day.

It's Good to Serve the Lord

We had a great time with Deborah, Ian and family here for a short time. They left Monday afternoon and all was quiet... but not for long.

We hustled to get ready for family home evening.  We'd invited the missionaries and a less active couple with a child over.  The wife came early... um... so I stopped preparing and started visiting.  The husband came a bit late. I was so impressed.  He'd gotten lost and wandered up and down roads for about a half hour.  I appreciated his perseverance.  We had a nice visit, invited them to church, and they came on Sunday.

Tuesday I facilitated the every-other-week AWAI Mastermind meeting for some fellow copywriters.  It was a good meeting.  I got some articles written.  That evening Tom and I drove to Gamaliel-- about 12 miles away, to visit some sisters. I visit taught.  He home taught.  They were lovely and chatty and we spent the majority of the evening there.  Nice people.

Wednesday I did a little more writing work.  I also worked on creating invitations for the Women's Retreat in April.  And I spent time looking at family names that could be taken to the temple and printing them off. Tom went to meetings that night.

Thursday Tom went down to the prison to visit with one of the prisoners.  The week before he'd driven the 45 minutes south to the prison for his parole hearing... only to be turned away.  The prison had no records of him applying to come visit.  It was disappointing.   But on Thursday he learned that parole had been granted for this man.  He also talked with the chaplain and they encouraged him to start a study group for LDS or those with an interest.

We both went and voted in the early voting for primary candidates.   Then, later, I watched a video on how the electronic voting machines can be manipulated.  It was disconcerting to see the possibility to hijack an election with the machines.

Friday we got up at 3:45 to get to the van going to the temple by 4:45 and then go off to the St. Louis Temple. There were 23 people from our ward in attendance at the temple that day.  Some did baptisms. I did initiatories, two endowments and several sealings.  We had the chance to seal Franz Maximillian Ingas Ferdnand von Donop to his wife and 8 of the nine children.  It was a neat experience for many of the ward members to be kneeling together around the alter in this sacred ordinance.  I love that it gives them the freedom to choose to accept it or not.  We ended up arriving back home a little after 9pm.  A long day, but a great time!

On Saturday, I got the posters back from Vistaprint for the Relief Society Retreat.  They turned out nicely and got them ready to pass out to the different wards on Sunday. I worked on searching for technologies and prepared for the Ava ward conference I was to attend on Sunday.  I had prepared a lesson for the last ward conference (which I could use this time) and a spiritual thought for the stake council that was pushed back to this Sunday (that I could have used from the last time... if I could have found it.)  I'm glad the scriptures are full of wonderful teachings and it wasn't hard to come up with a new spiritual thought.

Today I left about 7:15 to drive the hour plus to Ava for their ward conference. They really are a wonderful ward.  Very on top of things. I think my lesson went well and they seemed to appreciate the training.  They prepared sack lunches and then we went to visit a sweet 80 year old widow and her daughters-- one lives with her.  After the visit we had Stake council and I returned home about 5:30.  I sent out the missionary letters and now the blog.  I'm looking for an early bedtime. It's been a good week.... but I'm tired!