Week ending 26 January 2020

Last Monday I was still in Mt Vernon with Jonathan and family and Miranda and family. Kristy spent a couple of hours assisting me with some financial matters that need the attention of one much smarter than me. Then Dan and I braved the freezing weather to install an exterior light at their barn. After a quick lunch, I was on my way home, with a stop at Aldis.

Tuesday was a catch up day. Visit the bank to close an unused account, get the oil in the truck changed - that ended up being an expensive oil change: the radiator was found to be leaking in a couple of different places and needed to be changed, and so it was - signing a contract on the rent house I had been preparing to go on the market, and scanning more documents. And the realtor called in the afternoon to say he had an offer on the house! Since the offer was less than desired, we discussed a proper counter offer. And it was accepted! On the market less than 36 hours and I have a signed contract. It is a cash offer, so the closing date is two weeks away. We bought this house 13 years ago; it sold for about the same price as we paid for it. So I won't see a profit in that sense, but it did pay good rent over that period of time and was paid for.

Wednesday I spent about three hours in the family history center; after all that is my calling. Later in the day I made a batch of cookies for the Thursday night activity. 

Thursday evening was a family history activity which I hosted. We discussed ways and means to record personal and family history and then what to do with all that information. This was billed as a one hour activity with punch and cookies. It was a productive session with about 27 people present and there were lots of cookies. In preparation for this activity, I dug through the 'archives' looking for suitable material to share and found letters dating back to the late 1960's Sandy and I had written. Of course I stop to look at them and this opens the windows of sadness and grief. But it is not all that difficult to cope with; in fact I find a certain joy in reviewing our lives together over the past 50 years. A new concept I read this past week sums up my feelings:  "For many people their grief is their most vital connection to that which is lost."

Friday was tax day. I worked on getting stuff organized to pass on to my accountant. 

We did have a lot of gray, cloudy drizzly days this week. Friday we had big white snow flakes which melted as soon as they contacted the ground; the temperature was just above 32 degrees. But it show looked pretty. This week my weather station decided not to function; I suspect it needs a new battery, but I was not about to go out with temperatures in the mid 30's and to replace it.

Saturday the church youth had organized a wood cutting service project. There were sufficient youth and adults to split into three separate groups to cut and split wood for those in need. I was asked to assist; they needed my truck and trailer and I was a bonus. We had three young men, one young women, and five adults in my group and we spent almost 5 hours splitting wood, loading it in the trailer and delivering it. Our group did not have a hydraulic splitter to start with, so we did the maul thing for the first hour. Then two splitters arrived; good thing because those 30 inch cuts of wood were not easy to split by hand. Evidently the need to clear wood was greater than the need for wood; I still have at least a rick's worth on my trailer. Anyway, I came home and took a long nap.

Today in church one of the youth speakers addressed the new youth program and its four goals. The final speaker lost her husband less than a year ago and commented on how at times when she is in despair, going outside herself is the best thing to do; such as look for opportunities to help others. That thought resonated with me. Later this evening I have a dinner appointment with a church couple.

Sunday, 19 January 2020

Sunday, 19 January 2020

This may be somewhat disjointed today. I am writing from Mt Vernon, MO and don't have the advantage of my calendar to refer to. Monday I did some work at the 'house to put on the market' before attending the grief support group. This week was a good session, at least for me. I rushed home to make a chicken enchilada dish for empty nesters. The county judge was a guest and he discussed his responsibilities, including that of maintaining 700 miles of roads, the 911 center and facts like even the sheriff can't purchase a vehicle without his consent. We also had a briefing on the 911 web sight that allows you to sign up for emergency phone texts in the event of an emergency (tornado, severe weather, etc).

Tuesday I had originally planned driving to Mt Vernon to get some financial assistance from Kristy, but then their internet was not cooperating, so I stayed home. I was able to get the interior of the 'house to put on the market' finished so it could get cleaned.

Wednesday is a blank except I did attend an Eagle Court of Honor for two brothers. Good presentation. One of the boys had received a $5000 grant to build a homeless shelter. With the help of ward members, scouts, volunteers and donations from local builders, he built a small shelter for three on a trailer. It is currently in use in a neighboring county.

Thursday I went to the auto junk yard. The clear coat of paint is worn on the hood of the truck and is starting to rust. The tail gate took a hit when I backed into a tree a couple of years ago. It was time to make some cosmetic improvements; so I found a junk yard with the appropriate parts, purchased them and dropped them off at a guy in town that does paint and body work on the side. I should have them back in a week. 

Friday I spent two hours with the lawyer putting the final touches on a petition to the court to modify Sandy's trust. While it made sense when she initially set it up the way she did, reality indicated it was not the best way to proceed. So now, all six children and three 'no longer minor' grandchildren need to sign the document, have it notarized and then mailed back. Once all nine signed documents are in, then a request needs to be made to get on the judges docket; she will review it and hopefully approve and then I can proceed with some of Sandy's trust holdings.

Friday evening I spent an hour cleaning the chapel. Then later, Miranda and family arrived. The original plan had been for them to come for the weekend and they would help with some of the around the house chores. But that plan was modified when Kristy called on Tuesday asking if I would be available to come for Jonathan's ordination to the office of a high priest, preparatory to him becoming their ward's new bishop on Sunday. So we decided to drive up Saturday evening and spend time there and return to our separate homes on Monday. So Miranda's family helped finish cleaning the chapel Saturday morning and then Dan, Alex and I went to the 'house to be put on the market' to cut a tree down. That project took two hours and three pick up loads of debris, but the deed is done. We did manage to leave Mountain Home about 4 pm, stop in Branson at Chick-filet for dinner and in Springfield at Andy's for a hot fudge sundae before arriving at Jonathan's house.

Today a new bishopric was called, sustained and set apart. The former and new bishops and their wives were invited to share testimony. It is odd not to turn my head when members call Jonathan "Bishop Fox".

12 January 2020

Attended my grief support group Monday afternoon. We had two new attendees. Always interesting to hear others stories about the loss of loved ones. I came home feeling more depressed and lost than usual; did this class cause these feelings? I still find them beneficial and will continue to attend.

The local area has two utility companies that provide electrical service:  Entergy and the local Coop. My experience with Entergy this past week reinforced why I really really really like my Coop. Over a three day period of time and with a combined time of over five hours, I was finally able to get a service request for power to an empty rent house. Day one was like this: after waiting for 20 minutes the agent informs me that their system is down; please call back in an hour. So I waited 90 minutes, waited 15 minutes and was told the same thing. I repeated this one more time with the same results. Day two: after 20 minutes of waiting (their music is repetitive and monotonous) the agent takes all my info and then at the last keystroke rejects the request; so the agent transfers me to another agent hopeful their computer will be more cooperative. But this involves waiting another 20 minutes, providing my info again and then at the last second - opps, sorry the system died. Day three was a repeat of day two, until the second try. I finally got an account set up! I don't understand how this company gets away treating its customers this way! I can drive to my local coop in 15 minutes, have a face to face meeting with a representative and have power turned on in a matter of hours.

So that means I spent several days this week at the rent house. My realtor came and looked at it, gave some suggestions on needed improvements and we discussed options. Hopefully it will get on the market in the next 10 days. I painted and did the normal repairs due to normal wear and tear. I was able to get the exterior pressure washed and the rain gutters cleaned out before the rain. In March I hope to have another house to prepare to put on the market.

Thursday, I became completely chicken-less. Having given all the hens and one roster away a couple of weeks ago, I finally advertised on the local trading post the last four roosters. I got one call and they came out and took them. They have a small farm with chickens and needed roosters and were pleased with the size and look of mine.

This was a week to remind us that it is still winter time. Friday night a storm blew through with heavy winds and rain. I slept through it. But judging by the water run off, it must have been a heavy rain. We recorded almost 3.5 inches of rain in less than two days. Then Saturday afternoon we had a light dusting of sleet. Today it is just cold, in the mid thirties now. I love my fireplace insert! It keeps me toasty warm.

In church today, we heard from a young lady (Alexa) who reports to the MTC in 10 days; she shared some unique experiences in her life that helped her gain a testimony of the Gospel and Heavenly Father's love for her. She was followed by our Brazilian sister who is animated, outgoing and very vivacious, even when giving a talk in sacrament meeting. She compared the attitudes of Johan with Paul in preaching the Gospel. I stopped by the hospital to visit two of our brethren who temporarily reside there.

Now to prepare for another busy week and hopefully meet with great success. May your week be equally productive!

Happy New Years

Last Sunday evening I was busy packing my suitcase and saying goodbye to grandchildren prior to my 0 dark 30 Monday morning departure. Adam was gracious enough to get up at 4:15 to take me to the Medford airport for my flight to Denver. No problems getting to Denver, where I had a 3 plus hour layover. Being hungry I found the food court and while I would have loved to dine at Chick Filet, their line was way too long (yes I had the time, just not the patience); so I had breakfast at McDonalds. I had borrowed a couple of Louis L'Amour books to read and managed to get two of them finished. I prefer them while traveling since they require no brain power. I actually arrived early in Springfield where Jonathan picked me up and brought me to his house - just in time for dinner.

My stay with his family was low key. The weather was cooler and windy, but sunny. They had a couple of barn related jobs to do, and I was able to assist there. And then there was the leaky kitchen faucet which required more work than it should have, but didn't leak when I left. Jonathan's family invited several other families to join them on New Years Eve; there was lots of yummy food to sample and of course, a lot of game playing. It has been years since I stayed up until midnight on New Years Eve, but I did this year.

I drove home Thursday noon and arrived home to find all was well. Friday was spent trying to organize and get back into a recognizable routine. I learned that the tenant we had given notice to move, actually moved two weeks earlier than anticipated. I plan to sell the house and need it empty. So I took a walk through to check it out. Should be relatively easy to get on the market; I will know better next Tuesday when the realtor does a walk through and gives his recommendations.

I came home from Oregon with a developing cold. Started with a sore throat, then a cough. By Friday night it was interrupting my sleep. Today it is greatly improved, so I am happy.

Saturday, Deborah and family arrived about noon; they will depart after dinner tonight. Nice to have laughter in the house and more people to share dinner with (that they made). Sarah was able to rake up a section of overlooked fence line.

We had a good fast and testimony meeting followed by our first Come Follow Me lesson on the Book of Mormon. This should be an enlightening year of study.

Unto Us a Savior is Born!

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!!

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

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!