Merry Christmas!
The week of freezing nightly temperatures and warmer days. The anticipated sleet/freezing rain did not materialize in the local area, but it was enough of a threat that the grief support group was cancelled on Monday.
Tuesday was a busy day. Finished scanning the last major photo album (it had 400 pictures) so now there are a lot of miscellaneous items that need to be scanned and then added to the proper file. This exercise has helped my relive many choice and wonderful experiences we shared as a family over the past 50ish years. I also ran, then had an afternoon meeting with a ward member and the sister missionaries. Then there was dinner at the ward mission leaders home and a missionary correlation meeting following. Then I dashed off to church to catch the tail end of the relief society presidency meeting to discuss self reliance with them and the elder's quorum president.And Katie, who left after work, arrived before 10 pm. She came to visit for a few days before she travels to Memphis late tonight to catch an early morning flight to Okinawa where she will spend the holidays with Rebecca's family.
Over the next few days we were able to rake up the last of the leaves (at least the last of the ones I intend to rake this season), do some kitchen organization, rearrange the downstairs kitchen area, clean the house and do some baking. We made several loaves of cranberry nut bread and a chocolate truffle pie. Saturday was Silver Dollar City day. Miranda and her family, along with Jonathan and his, gathered at this family theme park to enjoy the beautifully wonderful sights and sounds. Over 6 million lights adorn the park; it really is amazing to see. It is tradition to watch Dicken's 'Christmas Carol'; and everyone had fun on the roller coasters. Katie and I left around 6 pm to head home. There is a young man who leaves on his mission the beginning of the year and had spent the week at the St Louis Temple and the family was having a Christmas reception at their house. So Katie went there while I came home.
Thursday morning Katie and I took the sister missionaries to breakfast and then helped them load their vehicle. Both were being transferred and are being replaced with elders. Evidently the number of sisters is diminishing. It was sad to see them go; we have had sisters for the past several years and they have always been delightful.
Today we had a wonderful sacrament meeting. Lots of Christmas songs, two numbers song by the choir and the story of the Savior's birth and life were shared. Beautiful spirit. And then it was over. And unlike other Sundays when church is over, this time people actually lingered to visit!
Hope all have a joyous Christmas!!
Sunday, December 22, 2019
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Happy Birthday Beethoven!
Had my annual meeting with my doctor to review the blood tests of the previous week. Only took me 90 minutes from my appointment time to see him. I found it interesting that he was very articulate in reviewing the various blood tests and what they all mean, but he did not ask anything about me. Makes me wonder: am I just a statistic or am I a real person? I did get out afterward to run.
Tuesday morning I was up and out the door by 605 am to attend the temple. I discovered I can get out the door faster if I don't eat breakfast, but swing by the local donut place and get an apple fritter. The local shop is owned and operated by a Cambodian couple. He was originally a Shipley franchise, but when they wanted him to purchase more expensive equipment in accordance with their business plan, he left them and went to Day Light Donuts; he continued to make donuts the same, just a different name. Just recently Day Light put pressure on him to change how he was doing things, and so he left them and renamed his store as his own business. Still the same great donuts. He and his wife were very poor when they arrived here and started their business; with a lot of hard work and perseverance, they have prospered.
I was able to spend five hours in the temple and accomplish several ordinances. I find being there very therapeutic. I tried out a new Comfort Inn and Suites and saved about $20 with their 'Mormon' rate. It was comfortable and the breakfast adequate. Even found a Five Guys to eat at, just like the old days; just didn't have anyone to share the fries with, though.
Wednesday I got there when their first session started and was able to get two completed before heading home. Of course there was the stop at Aldis in West Plains. I had stopped by the library earlier in the week to obtain a book on tape and found that to keep me awake on the drive. On one of those lonely two lane roads in the dark, the tire warning light came on; not a good sign. I was only a couple of miles from a small town, so I pressed on hoping the best. Didn't happen; about two miles from a better place to pull over, the road noise changed and I knew if I didn't pull over right away, I would ruin the tire. Fortunately there was a place to pull over. It was a beautiful night with a full moon. But I needed the flashlite on the cell phone to find all the tools, get the car jacked up and remove the lug nuts. Unfortunately, one nut had rounded corners and would not loosen. It was just about that time that a pick up truck stopped and asked if I needed help. He was able to get the lug nut loosened and we got the spare mounted. He said he was on his way to church (it was a Wednesday night) and he thought: if God was driving by he would stop to help. I was most appreciative of his assistance. I drove the remaining 30 miles slower than normal. And when I stopped by the tire place the next day, they were able to repair the leak.
Thursday I attacked more of the leaves and was able to get the worst area cleaned up and the leaves burned. Also went running.
Friday I made rolls for the ward Christmas Brunch on Saturday. It has been years since I made any bread, and it was probably the first time doing so without any adult supervision. While they were tasty, I think I did a 'Miranda'; the water may have been too hot and over cooked the yeast. Need to try them again soon.
With five roosters and nine hens, those poor ladies were getting too much of a workout, so I separated them and the hens were much happier. I had previously confided with my neighbor that I was willing to part with the chickens, and on Friday she called to say a friend would be by shortly. He took one rooster and all nine hens. He has lots of acreage and they will be able to free range. Now to find a home for the four remaining roosters.
Saturday I helped a ward member briefly with his yard sale and then took my rolls to the ward brunch. There was a good turn out, lovely decorations, lots of food and good visiting. I had signed up to be on the clean up crew and started putting chairs back in the relief society room (it had been transformed into the North Pole). Then I grabbed the large vacuum and started on the hall ways. I left the vacuum to moved the cord out of the way. When I returned to power the vacuum forward I noticed flames leaping 4-5 inches high from where the cord was plugged into the outlet. That caught my attention. I regret not pulling out my phone and snapping a picture first, but instead I pulled the cord out of the outlet and flames extinguished. The flames blackened the wall and melted the outlet. The vacuum plug was unusable. And I was able to go run in the afternoon, in 42 degree weather!
Earlier in the week I had taken a laptop computer in to see about retrieving data; it was diagnosised with a corrupted operating system but all data was still intact. Unfortunately, it did not contain the Kenya Mission files. I was starting to panic since I had looked everywhere else for those files which contained my journal of that mission plus 10,000 photos. Then a voice said: check out the computer in the office, the one Mom used for her writing. Sure enough, they were there. But the question is: how did they get there? Sandy would know, but she isn't saying... So I immediately backed those up.
The reason why I was motivated to find them is that the area self reliance person's son was recently called to serve a mission in Kenya. I connected with the family and we coordinated meeting after church so I could show them some of our pictures and explain about the traditions, culture and growth of the church. She was able to coordinate with the bishop and the ward council received about 40 minutes of training on the self reliance program. Her boss, from Las Vegas, joined her to do the training and then both spoke in sacrament meeting. She was on the program, and he because the visiting high councilman was weathered in. Good counsel from them both.
After church we enjoyed lunch and then shared experiences and photos. the visiting brother had served as a mission president to Ghana 10 year ago and had traveled a lot in Africa, so he was able to add insight into what to expect.
Looks like we are in for a couple days of cold and rain
Tuesday morning I was up and out the door by 605 am to attend the temple. I discovered I can get out the door faster if I don't eat breakfast, but swing by the local donut place and get an apple fritter. The local shop is owned and operated by a Cambodian couple. He was originally a Shipley franchise, but when they wanted him to purchase more expensive equipment in accordance with their business plan, he left them and went to Day Light Donuts; he continued to make donuts the same, just a different name. Just recently Day Light put pressure on him to change how he was doing things, and so he left them and renamed his store as his own business. Still the same great donuts. He and his wife were very poor when they arrived here and started their business; with a lot of hard work and perseverance, they have prospered.
I was able to spend five hours in the temple and accomplish several ordinances. I find being there very therapeutic. I tried out a new Comfort Inn and Suites and saved about $20 with their 'Mormon' rate. It was comfortable and the breakfast adequate. Even found a Five Guys to eat at, just like the old days; just didn't have anyone to share the fries with, though.
Wednesday I got there when their first session started and was able to get two completed before heading home. Of course there was the stop at Aldis in West Plains. I had stopped by the library earlier in the week to obtain a book on tape and found that to keep me awake on the drive. On one of those lonely two lane roads in the dark, the tire warning light came on; not a good sign. I was only a couple of miles from a small town, so I pressed on hoping the best. Didn't happen; about two miles from a better place to pull over, the road noise changed and I knew if I didn't pull over right away, I would ruin the tire. Fortunately there was a place to pull over. It was a beautiful night with a full moon. But I needed the flashlite on the cell phone to find all the tools, get the car jacked up and remove the lug nuts. Unfortunately, one nut had rounded corners and would not loosen. It was just about that time that a pick up truck stopped and asked if I needed help. He was able to get the lug nut loosened and we got the spare mounted. He said he was on his way to church (it was a Wednesday night) and he thought: if God was driving by he would stop to help. I was most appreciative of his assistance. I drove the remaining 30 miles slower than normal. And when I stopped by the tire place the next day, they were able to repair the leak.
Thursday I attacked more of the leaves and was able to get the worst area cleaned up and the leaves burned. Also went running.
Friday I made rolls for the ward Christmas Brunch on Saturday. It has been years since I made any bread, and it was probably the first time doing so without any adult supervision. While they were tasty, I think I did a 'Miranda'; the water may have been too hot and over cooked the yeast. Need to try them again soon.
With five roosters and nine hens, those poor ladies were getting too much of a workout, so I separated them and the hens were much happier. I had previously confided with my neighbor that I was willing to part with the chickens, and on Friday she called to say a friend would be by shortly. He took one rooster and all nine hens. He has lots of acreage and they will be able to free range. Now to find a home for the four remaining roosters.
Saturday I helped a ward member briefly with his yard sale and then took my rolls to the ward brunch. There was a good turn out, lovely decorations, lots of food and good visiting. I had signed up to be on the clean up crew and started putting chairs back in the relief society room (it had been transformed into the North Pole). Then I grabbed the large vacuum and started on the hall ways. I left the vacuum to moved the cord out of the way. When I returned to power the vacuum forward I noticed flames leaping 4-5 inches high from where the cord was plugged into the outlet. That caught my attention. I regret not pulling out my phone and snapping a picture first, but instead I pulled the cord out of the outlet and flames extinguished. The flames blackened the wall and melted the outlet. The vacuum plug was unusable. And I was able to go run in the afternoon, in 42 degree weather!
Earlier in the week I had taken a laptop computer in to see about retrieving data; it was diagnosised with a corrupted operating system but all data was still intact. Unfortunately, it did not contain the Kenya Mission files. I was starting to panic since I had looked everywhere else for those files which contained my journal of that mission plus 10,000 photos. Then a voice said: check out the computer in the office, the one Mom used for her writing. Sure enough, they were there. But the question is: how did they get there? Sandy would know, but she isn't saying... So I immediately backed those up.
The reason why I was motivated to find them is that the area self reliance person's son was recently called to serve a mission in Kenya. I connected with the family and we coordinated meeting after church so I could show them some of our pictures and explain about the traditions, culture and growth of the church. She was able to coordinate with the bishop and the ward council received about 40 minutes of training on the self reliance program. Her boss, from Las Vegas, joined her to do the training and then both spoke in sacrament meeting. She was on the program, and he because the visiting high councilman was weathered in. Good counsel from them both.
After church we enjoyed lunch and then shared experiences and photos. the visiting brother had served as a mission president to Ghana 10 year ago and had traveled a lot in Africa, so he was able to add insight into what to expect.
Looks like we are in for a couple days of cold and rain
Sunday, December 8, 2019
8 December 2019 Letter
Monday was a busy day. It started with going to the doctors to have blood drawn for a lab work up prior to next week's doctor's appointment. There was another grief support group to attend (again nothing exciting to report); a quick run; green bean casserole to make for that night's empty nester activity and house cleaning to accomplish. Scott Kelley, a long time friend, drove in from Ohio and was able to join us for our empty nester's dinner and gift exchange.
During the week, Scott was a big help in many ways. We cut down a dead fir tree at one of the rentals, put it on the burn pile and proceeded to burn the pile. He helped rake leaves on two separate occasions and burn them. He was able to communicate with this computer and restore the settings that had disappeared. He helped get some things on my phone straightened out as well. It was nice to have another adult in the house to talk with; he was a good emotional support. Unfortunately, he had to leave early Friday morning to return home for a church activity that night.
On Friday, I ran and tackled more of the leaves.The wind graciously blew the majority of them to the eastern half of the yard, so I concentrate my efforts where the leaf population is denser.
This past June we had 7 chicken eggs hatch; five of them are roosters and they are terrorizing the other 7 hens to the point that they stay on the roosting bars so the roosters can't get to them. That means they don't come out much to eat or drink. And it means no eggs. I don't want to go through the effort of killing, de-feathering, etc these chickens. so I am looking at other options to rid myself of these roosters and possibly all the chickens.
Saturday I was up early (0345) to ride to the temple; it was our stake temple day and we had many from our ward there. I have come to appreciate my visits to the temple more these past few months.
Today two of our sacrament meeting speakers addressed the new children and youth program; we heard both a youth and adult leader perspective. The emphasis is on the youth leading and working with their family to devise their own plan; and there are no set rules. In elder's quorum we addressed how as ministers we can relieve much of the burden of the bishop as we establish relationships with our families and then do those things necessary to assist them instead of them going directly to the bishop. This will be a paradigm shift for many.
Quote of the week on a Christmas card I received: "Joy is the serious business of heaven", C. S. Lewis. I suspect that Sandy is heavily involved in that process and that I should be practicing for when I get there too.
Have a great week!
During the week, Scott was a big help in many ways. We cut down a dead fir tree at one of the rentals, put it on the burn pile and proceeded to burn the pile. He helped rake leaves on two separate occasions and burn them. He was able to communicate with this computer and restore the settings that had disappeared. He helped get some things on my phone straightened out as well. It was nice to have another adult in the house to talk with; he was a good emotional support. Unfortunately, he had to leave early Friday morning to return home for a church activity that night.
On Friday, I ran and tackled more of the leaves.The wind graciously blew the majority of them to the eastern half of the yard, so I concentrate my efforts where the leaf population is denser.
This past June we had 7 chicken eggs hatch; five of them are roosters and they are terrorizing the other 7 hens to the point that they stay on the roosting bars so the roosters can't get to them. That means they don't come out much to eat or drink. And it means no eggs. I don't want to go through the effort of killing, de-feathering, etc these chickens. so I am looking at other options to rid myself of these roosters and possibly all the chickens.
Saturday I was up early (0345) to ride to the temple; it was our stake temple day and we had many from our ward there. I have come to appreciate my visits to the temple more these past few months.
Today two of our sacrament meeting speakers addressed the new children and youth program; we heard both a youth and adult leader perspective. The emphasis is on the youth leading and working with their family to devise their own plan; and there are no set rules. In elder's quorum we addressed how as ministers we can relieve much of the burden of the bishop as we establish relationships with our families and then do those things necessary to assist them instead of them going directly to the bishop. This will be a paradigm shift for many.
Quote of the week on a Christmas card I received: "Joy is the serious business of heaven", C. S. Lewis. I suspect that Sandy is heavily involved in that process and that I should be practicing for when I get there too.
Have a great week!
Sunday, December 1, 2019
December has arrived
Monday I attended my grief support group; did not walk away with any profound thoughts this day; maybe I expect each session to have great ideas that will comfort me. I did manage to run and do some leaf mulching. And then strong winds over the next couple of days did a wonderful job of rearranging the leaves. The trees are devoid of leaves, so that is good. Now the leaves just dance around in the yard, moving from one place to another.
Tuesday I got in a short run and then joined the sister missionaries as they visited a single sister. Our goal was to help her input some of her family history into Family Search, but she had trouble with her log in; so we watched the new 'Nativity' video instead. The local appliance repair man arrived with a new control board for the dishwasher. It wanted to wash according to the dictates of its whims and not according to the buttons pushed. It now cooperates.
Wednesday was a busy time; lots of last minute items to complete so I could be on the road by noon to journey to Jonathan's house in Missouri for the holiday. Driving to their house takes me by Branson, which entails a stop at Harry and David's for some house warming contributions; this time it was truffles. I arrived in time to visit before dining; Jonathan made a wonderful dinner for Kristy's birthday, along with a decadent chocolate cake (not what it really was, but I can't remember the correct name). Andy's family drove up from Russellville later and there was much rejoicing between the cousins, and lots of visiting by the adults.
Thursday morning was the day of the Mountaineer 5 K race in Mt Vernon. The weather was a chilly 41 degrees with an occasional drizzle. Fortunately the rain held off until the end of the race. While they had approximately 280 sign up for the race, I don't think there were that many who showed up. Andy, Katie, Aaron, Matthew, Isabelle and I all participated.
They changed the race course from last year and I was thrown off at the finish; coming up an incline last year we turned left and then right through the finish line Thinking it was the same this year, I was ready for the final sprint (I use this term loosely) only to discover that this time we turned right and ran around the court house, at least 200 yards further than anticipated. I survived anyway. We waited inside the court house until they handed out the awards. Andy was 3rd in his age group and I was 2nd in the over 70; age does have its advantages. Matthew was first from our group, followed by Aaron, Andy, myself and then the two teenaged girls. We were glad to come home and take hot showers.
Jonathan and Kristy traditionally invite one or two families for Thanksgiving dinner. This time they had two church families over; there were a total of 21 of us for dinner. Everything was delicious, the turkey was moist and yummy, the stuffing and potatoes, green bean casserole were all tasty. Kera made lots of rolls and two pecan pies. I brought a chocolate truffle pie and there were apple, key lime and pumpkin as well. We did not want for food. And by having lots of people come, each brought something to share so Jonathan and Kristy did not have to slave over the stove providing everything. Then the adults stayed talking and visiting until 9 pm. It was a long and enjoyable Thanksgiving in so many ways. We truly are a blessed family!
Some family photos:
Friday Andy, Jonathan and I installed a new mail box, complete with hole digging in rocky soil. Kera had painted them a 'Fox' mail box patterned after the one she painted for me earlier this year. And we worked on some plumbing and electrical issues as well. In the afternoon we drove to Monett to watch 'Frozen II'. All seemed to enjoy this movie. I was intrigued with the previews; there were at least five shown, all of them animated. Don't they have any movie with real people as actors?
Andy and family departed home after dinner; I left Saturday after lunch. On the way home I stopped by Harry and David's again to collect the annual gift basket for our property manager. Opps, all the shoppers were out in great abundance; nothing wrong with our economy based on the number of shoppers at the mall! Rather than deal with heavy traffic looking for the lone parking space, I drove to the far end of the mall and parked there. That meant a 1/2 mile walk to and fro; but the weather was nice. And I found that their truffles and Moose Munch were 50% off!! So I now have a good stock pile of goodies for anyone who wishes to visit. I got home in time to do the evening choirs and prepare for Sunday.
Today was fast and testimony Sunday followed by Sunday School. Then home to read, scan more pictures and stay inside where it is warm. Tomorrow Scott Kelley will join me for a few days; looking forward to his visit.
Tuesday I got in a short run and then joined the sister missionaries as they visited a single sister. Our goal was to help her input some of her family history into Family Search, but she had trouble with her log in; so we watched the new 'Nativity' video instead. The local appliance repair man arrived with a new control board for the dishwasher. It wanted to wash according to the dictates of its whims and not according to the buttons pushed. It now cooperates.
Wednesday was a busy time; lots of last minute items to complete so I could be on the road by noon to journey to Jonathan's house in Missouri for the holiday. Driving to their house takes me by Branson, which entails a stop at Harry and David's for some house warming contributions; this time it was truffles. I arrived in time to visit before dining; Jonathan made a wonderful dinner for Kristy's birthday, along with a decadent chocolate cake (not what it really was, but I can't remember the correct name). Andy's family drove up from Russellville later and there was much rejoicing between the cousins, and lots of visiting by the adults.
Thursday morning was the day of the Mountaineer 5 K race in Mt Vernon. The weather was a chilly 41 degrees with an occasional drizzle. Fortunately the rain held off until the end of the race. While they had approximately 280 sign up for the race, I don't think there were that many who showed up. Andy, Katie, Aaron, Matthew, Isabelle and I all participated.
They changed the race course from last year and I was thrown off at the finish; coming up an incline last year we turned left and then right through the finish line Thinking it was the same this year, I was ready for the final sprint (I use this term loosely) only to discover that this time we turned right and ran around the court house, at least 200 yards further than anticipated. I survived anyway. We waited inside the court house until they handed out the awards. Andy was 3rd in his age group and I was 2nd in the over 70; age does have its advantages. Matthew was first from our group, followed by Aaron, Andy, myself and then the two teenaged girls. We were glad to come home and take hot showers.
Jonathan and Kristy traditionally invite one or two families for Thanksgiving dinner. This time they had two church families over; there were a total of 21 of us for dinner. Everything was delicious, the turkey was moist and yummy, the stuffing and potatoes, green bean casserole were all tasty. Kera made lots of rolls and two pecan pies. I brought a chocolate truffle pie and there were apple, key lime and pumpkin as well. We did not want for food. And by having lots of people come, each brought something to share so Jonathan and Kristy did not have to slave over the stove providing everything. Then the adults stayed talking and visiting until 9 pm. It was a long and enjoyable Thanksgiving in so many ways. We truly are a blessed family!
Some family photos:
Friday Andy, Jonathan and I installed a new mail box, complete with hole digging in rocky soil. Kera had painted them a 'Fox' mail box patterned after the one she painted for me earlier this year. And we worked on some plumbing and electrical issues as well. In the afternoon we drove to Monett to watch 'Frozen II'. All seemed to enjoy this movie. I was intrigued with the previews; there were at least five shown, all of them animated. Don't they have any movie with real people as actors?
Andy and family departed home after dinner; I left Saturday after lunch. On the way home I stopped by Harry and David's again to collect the annual gift basket for our property manager. Opps, all the shoppers were out in great abundance; nothing wrong with our economy based on the number of shoppers at the mall! Rather than deal with heavy traffic looking for the lone parking space, I drove to the far end of the mall and parked there. That meant a 1/2 mile walk to and fro; but the weather was nice. And I found that their truffles and Moose Munch were 50% off!! So I now have a good stock pile of goodies for anyone who wishes to visit. I got home in time to do the evening choirs and prepare for Sunday.
Today was fast and testimony Sunday followed by Sunday School. Then home to read, scan more pictures and stay inside where it is warm. Tomorrow Scott Kelley will join me for a few days; looking forward to his visit.
Sunday, November 24, 2019
Raining leaves
Monday I mulched leaves on a third of the yard; then attacked another third on Tuesday. By Wednesday it was difficult to tell if any of the leaves had been eradicated. Today it is hard to see part of where the driveway is because of the leaves. The good news is that a majority of the leaves have fallen so that the next time I mulch should be the last time. I did remove three piles of leaves the grandchildren had raked a couple of weeks ago and dumped them in the burn pile. We had rain twice this week and they were soggy.
Things accomplished this week include getting the downstairs carpet and stairs cleaned, the chiropractor visited, a lesson with the missionaries and a member, and running a couple of times. The big news was running on Saturday in my favorite 5 K of the year; this is the full, half marathon and 5 K that supports a village in Kenya with its proceeds. Approximately 750 participate; less than 150 run the 5 K, so that says something about the people that run. Some come from as far as Memphis. I invited the sister missionaries to run, and they did. It was 41 degrees, chilly, overcast, and there was a slight wind. I pushed myself and was surprised with how well I did: 42 of 136 and 1st male in the over 70 age bracket. I am going to need to get a lot faster to maintain that standing, since next year the 69 year male that runs in 25 minutes will be a year older. 2nd place is still good. But today the body is stiff and sore.
Next Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, will find my running shoes in Mt Vernon running their Turkey Strut 5 K. Five members of Andy's family as well as Isabelle will participate. Unfortunately, the weather is forecasted to be in the mid-30s with rain! We will enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with Jonathan's family later that day.
The body shop called to inform me that the van was ready; I got my ministering brother to take me in Thursday morning on his way to work. I arrived about the time the secretary discovered a front end alignment, which was needed, had not be performed. So Chad was kind enough to drive me in again the next morning. It is nice to have the van back after not driving it for 12 days. While the weather is good, I have been driving the Model A more.
Saturday night was also our ward Thanksgiving dinner; it was well attended. I drove 34 miles round trip to pick up three generations of women from one family; it was worth the drive.
Today in church, our newly revived choir sang in sacrament meeting. It is nice to be back in the choir singing again. In elder's quorum we discussed Elder Holland's recent general conference talk given Saturday morning about making Jesus the center of our lives. Some good food for thought on prioritizing what is most important in our lives.
This week I also tried to clean out some drawers in the house. In doing so, several thoughts came to mind: why do we just put stuff in a drawer and then never return to that drawer to use those items or discard them if necessary? What is our criteria, if any, for saving stuff? My problem now is that I don't necessarily have homes yet for the stuff I am pulling out of drawers or off bookshelves; so in the process of organizing things in an orderly manner, at least in the manner that this male thinks, I have several piles through out the house strategically placed where they will eventually end up, but can't yet because their new homes have not been purged of old stuff to make room for them. This could be a very long term project! But. I have been discarding a lot of unnecessary stuff though.
With the weather cycling between cold to warm, the wasps have made a strong showing in my bedroom. This past week I have had to kill at least a dozen of them. They are usually pretty lethargic, so it is easy to discard them, but it is annoying. Every time I enter the room, I find myself on the lookout for them; don't want to step on them. I don't know how they are gaining entry.
Happy Thanksgiving to All!
Things accomplished this week include getting the downstairs carpet and stairs cleaned, the chiropractor visited, a lesson with the missionaries and a member, and running a couple of times. The big news was running on Saturday in my favorite 5 K of the year; this is the full, half marathon and 5 K that supports a village in Kenya with its proceeds. Approximately 750 participate; less than 150 run the 5 K, so that says something about the people that run. Some come from as far as Memphis. I invited the sister missionaries to run, and they did. It was 41 degrees, chilly, overcast, and there was a slight wind. I pushed myself and was surprised with how well I did: 42 of 136 and 1st male in the over 70 age bracket. I am going to need to get a lot faster to maintain that standing, since next year the 69 year male that runs in 25 minutes will be a year older. 2nd place is still good. But today the body is stiff and sore.
Next Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, will find my running shoes in Mt Vernon running their Turkey Strut 5 K. Five members of Andy's family as well as Isabelle will participate. Unfortunately, the weather is forecasted to be in the mid-30s with rain! We will enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with Jonathan's family later that day.
The body shop called to inform me that the van was ready; I got my ministering brother to take me in Thursday morning on his way to work. I arrived about the time the secretary discovered a front end alignment, which was needed, had not be performed. So Chad was kind enough to drive me in again the next morning. It is nice to have the van back after not driving it for 12 days. While the weather is good, I have been driving the Model A more.
Saturday night was also our ward Thanksgiving dinner; it was well attended. I drove 34 miles round trip to pick up three generations of women from one family; it was worth the drive.
Today in church, our newly revived choir sang in sacrament meeting. It is nice to be back in the choir singing again. In elder's quorum we discussed Elder Holland's recent general conference talk given Saturday morning about making Jesus the center of our lives. Some good food for thought on prioritizing what is most important in our lives.
This week I also tried to clean out some drawers in the house. In doing so, several thoughts came to mind: why do we just put stuff in a drawer and then never return to that drawer to use those items or discard them if necessary? What is our criteria, if any, for saving stuff? My problem now is that I don't necessarily have homes yet for the stuff I am pulling out of drawers or off bookshelves; so in the process of organizing things in an orderly manner, at least in the manner that this male thinks, I have several piles through out the house strategically placed where they will eventually end up, but can't yet because their new homes have not been purged of old stuff to make room for them. This could be a very long term project! But. I have been discarding a lot of unnecessary stuff though.
With the weather cycling between cold to warm, the wasps have made a strong showing in my bedroom. This past week I have had to kill at least a dozen of them. They are usually pretty lethargic, so it is easy to discard them, but it is annoying. Every time I enter the room, I find myself on the lookout for them; don't want to step on them. I don't know how they are gaining entry.
Happy Thanksgiving to All!
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Winter has arrived!
Just as I sent off last weeks blog and email, I got a call from the car adjuster; he would be out Monday morning - and he was. The auto repair shop had the van Tuesday afternoon. Now they need to order parts and schedule time to complete the work. Don't think I will have a van before next letter writing.
Fall didn't waste anytime going directly to winter weather this year. The trees had barely enough time to start turning into beautiful fall colors when we got slammed with strong winds (good bye leaves) and cold temperatures. Just about every day this week there was white on the ground; on Monday it was the 3/4 inch of snow we received in the afternoon; the other mornings was due to frost. Night time temperatures were in the teens. Most of the yard is covered with leaves.
But Kristy braved the weather and drove down on Monday afternoon, snow and all, with Emily and David. Tuesday morning we had a conference call with my life insurance company to review my benefits and a meeting with the lawyer about the trust. The legal side of the trust is moving forward. The trust allocation is slower moving. There are several accounts that need beneficiaries changed which requires back and forth correspondence to get accurate. Of course, for $90 an hour the law firm is willing to do that work for us. I am not that desperate; Kristy has been amazing at getting her hands wrapped around the procedures to follow, proceeding forward and leaving good notes for me to follow when she leaves. I finally called USAA and told them about Sandy's death and they modified our policies accordingly. Interesting that deleting one driver from the car insurance only dropped the premium about $6 a year. It is based on the number of miles driven and I did not modify those.
Because of the weather, the grief support group was cancelled on Monday. That was okay since I had my own support group staying with me until Thursday morning. I had invites to two homes this week for dinner; I remembered the Tuesday night one, but completely forgot about Thursday night, until the couple called to verify I was okay. Opps!
Friday was our ward's monthly temple trip. We drove the corporation van with seven of us and enjoyed wonderful experiences in the temple. There is always a peaceful feeling there, something I have come to appreciate more.
Saturday was catch up day. While I have trimmed the number of emails going to Sandy's email account (which I intend to keep open for a while) she continues to receive real mail. I have started writing on their return slips that she has passed away and to please remove her name from their mailing lists. It will be interesting to see if they really do.
During the week, I managed to assist the sister missionaries teach a lesson, spend a couple of hours in the family history center and run three days. Next Saturday is the day of my favorite race; it is full, half marathon and a 5 K. 700 plus runners. I can get lost in the crowd. Not sure how well I will do in the 5 K; I seem to be getting slower. I am still working on scanning photos and documents for posteriority; I keep finding more things to retain. I also organized the downstairs freezer. No mystery food, but I did note all the leftovers or food suitable for meal making so now I know what I will be feasting on the next several days. I try to organize file cabinets, bookshelves or drawers each week and wonder why we haven't touched some of these in 20 years! Do we really need a roster from 1993 of the officer wives? But in the process, I have found some touching gems that trigger wonderful memories of family members.
Fall didn't waste anytime going directly to winter weather this year. The trees had barely enough time to start turning into beautiful fall colors when we got slammed with strong winds (good bye leaves) and cold temperatures. Just about every day this week there was white on the ground; on Monday it was the 3/4 inch of snow we received in the afternoon; the other mornings was due to frost. Night time temperatures were in the teens. Most of the yard is covered with leaves.
But Kristy braved the weather and drove down on Monday afternoon, snow and all, with Emily and David. Tuesday morning we had a conference call with my life insurance company to review my benefits and a meeting with the lawyer about the trust. The legal side of the trust is moving forward. The trust allocation is slower moving. There are several accounts that need beneficiaries changed which requires back and forth correspondence to get accurate. Of course, for $90 an hour the law firm is willing to do that work for us. I am not that desperate; Kristy has been amazing at getting her hands wrapped around the procedures to follow, proceeding forward and leaving good notes for me to follow when she leaves. I finally called USAA and told them about Sandy's death and they modified our policies accordingly. Interesting that deleting one driver from the car insurance only dropped the premium about $6 a year. It is based on the number of miles driven and I did not modify those.
Because of the weather, the grief support group was cancelled on Monday. That was okay since I had my own support group staying with me until Thursday morning. I had invites to two homes this week for dinner; I remembered the Tuesday night one, but completely forgot about Thursday night, until the couple called to verify I was okay. Opps!
Friday was our ward's monthly temple trip. We drove the corporation van with seven of us and enjoyed wonderful experiences in the temple. There is always a peaceful feeling there, something I have come to appreciate more.
Saturday was catch up day. While I have trimmed the number of emails going to Sandy's email account (which I intend to keep open for a while) she continues to receive real mail. I have started writing on their return slips that she has passed away and to please remove her name from their mailing lists. It will be interesting to see if they really do.
During the week, I managed to assist the sister missionaries teach a lesson, spend a couple of hours in the family history center and run three days. Next Saturday is the day of my favorite race; it is full, half marathon and a 5 K. 700 plus runners. I can get lost in the crowd. Not sure how well I will do in the 5 K; I seem to be getting slower. I am still working on scanning photos and documents for posteriority; I keep finding more things to retain. I also organized the downstairs freezer. No mystery food, but I did note all the leftovers or food suitable for meal making so now I know what I will be feasting on the next several days. I try to organize file cabinets, bookshelves or drawers each week and wonder why we haven't touched some of these in 20 years! Do we really need a roster from 1993 of the officer wives? But in the process, I have found some touching gems that trigger wonderful memories of family members.
Sunday, November 10, 2019
Too Much Excitement for One Week!
Following Steve's good example, I was out visiting one of my 'elderlies' (she is 87ish) and was returning home after dark, when a deer decided to run out into the road within 1.5 miles of home. I braked, it turned away, but we still impacted. It was a solid 'thud' as we hit; fortunately no air bags deployed and I was able to drive home - after I checked out the damage. I admit, I did leave the deer laying on the median, legs still kicking slightly. I came home and filed an online claim with USAA.
They called on Monday to follow up. Seems there is no authorized repair facility in my area, so they have to send an adjuster out which they explained takes 24-48 hours. Once I have that estimate, I can take it to the shop of my choice for repair. And, they will cover the cost of a rent car only while my car is in the shop. That was unfortunate since I had planned to travel to St Louis to attend the temple Tuesday and spend the night; already had a room reserved. While I could probably cut the flapping portion of the bumper off, I did not feel comfortable driving an undiagnosed wounded van 500 miles. So I paid for a rental car and drove to the temple Tuesday AM. Was able to get several ordinances completed and felt good about being there. Then, for old time sakes, I went to Denney's for my favorite meal: breakfast.
Was up Wednesday, breakfasted at the hotel and at the temple by 9 AM. Completed two more endowment sessions before heading home. In between the sessions, I had time to ponder/pray in the celestial room, which resulted in a very sacred spiritual moment for me; it was like having a bottle of 'Peace and Calming' poured over me. On the way home, the check engine light on the 2020 Chevy Equinox came on. I called the Enterprise agent in Mountain Home; he was not much help (it was 445 PM). So I just came on home and had no difficulty. An interesting item: I pulled into a gas station to top off the tank and could not find an access door release. I spent several minutes looking; no where to be found. Then I thought: ask Google. Did you know all you have to do is push on the access door and it pops open? And there is no gas cap; just a rubber flap that the gas hose pushes open when inserted. Seems to me anyone could pour something in the tank.
Spent Thursday morning getting caught up on home stuff and then drove the truck to Deborah's. Sarah's school was presenting a veteran's day program on Friday and her band was playing and she invited me to come. So I did. I was impressed with the program which lasted about 90 minutes. The band was superb - not at all what I remember sounding like when our junior high school band played. And the choir was equally talented.
They had four speaker representing the four service branches. The Army was represented by an activity duty Army National Guard's man; he was the most animated, but then he was a recruiter! The Marine Corps was represented by a captain that flew CH-46s in Viet Nam. I was able to visit with him briefly; he only spent five years in the Marine Corps and got out about the time I went in. It was an excellent program. I did learn that the CH-46 was retired a couple of years ago; a milestone in the 1990's we did not believe could happen.
Hailey had a rough night and took an early nap on the couch:
Not sure what happened to fall this year. We went from hot weather, had a few days of transition when the trees started turning color, and then the cold hit. The leaves have not wasted time falling so the pretty colors did not last long. And today is 74 degrees; but Monday we could get a wintry mix and will have temperatures in the teens. Lows for the rest of the week range from 17-26 degrees.
Saturday was mainly spent in scanning photos and documents. The more I scan, the more I find. Guess the gradual cleaning out of desks and bookshelves turns up more items of importance. That evening I was able to get a ride to West Plains for the evening session of Stake Conference. Received some excellent council concerning ministering from several people, all with a different emphasis, but it all came back to disciplining ourselves to act as the Savior would in every situation we find ourselves in. Our initial response to discord or another's need, or friendly encounters should be acting out of love and not hate. Which means we need a lot of practice. Elder Curtis, an area 70 shared just how much God loves us; we underestimate just how much that is. He shared an example when as a stake president he needed some inspiration, and it wasn't coming. As he pleaded for an answer, the thought occurred that he needed to repent; and then what he needed to repent off (something minor); God could not reveal the needed answer since he wasn't clean enough to receive it. Once he repented, he got the answer he needed..
Today we were counseled to promote and elevate our faith in the Savior. Faith leads to repentance which ultimately leads us to be a covenant people. We were reminded that we can strengthen others by inviting them into our homes. And Elder Curtis encouraged us to have practical faith; if we have any eye of faith, we can see as God does.
Oh, the van is still sitting in the driveway waiting for the adjuster to come look at it. I called on Wednesday and was told the adjuster had been canceled - evidently a glitch in the system. So they rescheduled it. When I followed up on Friday I was told something a little different. Bottom line: van still isn't any closer to getting fixed than it was a week ago. Good thing I have a 1930 Ford as a backup vehicle! Late news update: the adjuster just called and will be out in the morning! Hurray.
Have a great week!
They called on Monday to follow up. Seems there is no authorized repair facility in my area, so they have to send an adjuster out which they explained takes 24-48 hours. Once I have that estimate, I can take it to the shop of my choice for repair. And, they will cover the cost of a rent car only while my car is in the shop. That was unfortunate since I had planned to travel to St Louis to attend the temple Tuesday and spend the night; already had a room reserved. While I could probably cut the flapping portion of the bumper off, I did not feel comfortable driving an undiagnosed wounded van 500 miles. So I paid for a rental car and drove to the temple Tuesday AM. Was able to get several ordinances completed and felt good about being there. Then, for old time sakes, I went to Denney's for my favorite meal: breakfast.
Was up Wednesday, breakfasted at the hotel and at the temple by 9 AM. Completed two more endowment sessions before heading home. In between the sessions, I had time to ponder/pray in the celestial room, which resulted in a very sacred spiritual moment for me; it was like having a bottle of 'Peace and Calming' poured over me. On the way home, the check engine light on the 2020 Chevy Equinox came on. I called the Enterprise agent in Mountain Home; he was not much help (it was 445 PM). So I just came on home and had no difficulty. An interesting item: I pulled into a gas station to top off the tank and could not find an access door release. I spent several minutes looking; no where to be found. Then I thought: ask Google. Did you know all you have to do is push on the access door and it pops open? And there is no gas cap; just a rubber flap that the gas hose pushes open when inserted. Seems to me anyone could pour something in the tank.
Spent Thursday morning getting caught up on home stuff and then drove the truck to Deborah's. Sarah's school was presenting a veteran's day program on Friday and her band was playing and she invited me to come. So I did. I was impressed with the program which lasted about 90 minutes. The band was superb - not at all what I remember sounding like when our junior high school band played. And the choir was equally talented.
Hailey had a rough night and took an early nap on the couch:
Not sure what happened to fall this year. We went from hot weather, had a few days of transition when the trees started turning color, and then the cold hit. The leaves have not wasted time falling so the pretty colors did not last long. And today is 74 degrees; but Monday we could get a wintry mix and will have temperatures in the teens. Lows for the rest of the week range from 17-26 degrees.
Saturday was mainly spent in scanning photos and documents. The more I scan, the more I find. Guess the gradual cleaning out of desks and bookshelves turns up more items of importance. That evening I was able to get a ride to West Plains for the evening session of Stake Conference. Received some excellent council concerning ministering from several people, all with a different emphasis, but it all came back to disciplining ourselves to act as the Savior would in every situation we find ourselves in. Our initial response to discord or another's need, or friendly encounters should be acting out of love and not hate. Which means we need a lot of practice. Elder Curtis, an area 70 shared just how much God loves us; we underestimate just how much that is. He shared an example when as a stake president he needed some inspiration, and it wasn't coming. As he pleaded for an answer, the thought occurred that he needed to repent; and then what he needed to repent off (something minor); God could not reveal the needed answer since he wasn't clean enough to receive it. Once he repented, he got the answer he needed..
Today we were counseled to promote and elevate our faith in the Savior. Faith leads to repentance which ultimately leads us to be a covenant people. We were reminded that we can strengthen others by inviting them into our homes. And Elder Curtis encouraged us to have practical faith; if we have any eye of faith, we can see as God does.
Oh, the van is still sitting in the driveway waiting for the adjuster to come look at it. I called on Wednesday and was told the adjuster had been canceled - evidently a glitch in the system. So they rescheduled it. When I followed up on Friday I was told something a little different. Bottom line: van still isn't any closer to getting fixed than it was a week ago. Good thing I have a 1930 Ford as a backup vehicle! Late news update: the adjuster just called and will be out in the morning! Hurray.
Have a great week!
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