Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Lorraine and Mother




Lorraine lounging in her bed in her new apartment! Lorraine, Mother, and me.

Happy Birthday to Mary and me!



Lorraine and Mother put on a birthday party for our friend, Mary, and for me. Mary's birthday was yesterday and mine today. She is exactly one year older than I am. We had cake and ice cream and root beer floats! Mmmmm!!!
Notice the pendant
I'm wearing! It was a gift from Mother and Lorraine. It's very special and when I see you I'll tell you about it!!! And I'll show it to you.

View



On a clear day I could see snow covered mountain peaks. I hope you can see them. They are so beautiful. They are a little hard to make out, in fact they look a little like clouds but they are mountains. In real life they were so beautiful and stood out clearly. Oh well, I have the picture of them in my memory. I added the second picture here but they still don't stand out. Sorry, I guess you just have to be there!

Photos


I was walking from the cabin when I saw these two eagles and they let me take their picture!

Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary, Pam & Gene! October 30, 1982. We wish you many, many more happy years together. I'm sorry I'm a day late with this. I had so much on my mind yesterday because of leaving my mom and coming home that it just slipped my mind momentarily.

Monday, October 30, 2006

Eagles

I have never seen so many eagles in my life! Today one was soaring above me and then I saw one in a tree, no...I saw four in a tree!Unbelievable!

Last day here

Today is my last day here. I'll leave this evening about 7:30 for the shuttle to take me to the airport. I'll stop in Minneapolis and Detroit and arrive home at 12:55 PM tomorrow. I'm just about ready now and it's only 12:30. I have to go back to my cabin and get my flight bag and lock up. Last evening I went to the neatest program. It was entirely put on by kids, even the emcee was a boy about 13 or 14. The ages went from about 5 - 18. They all played violin, bass vile, cello, piano, fiddle, etc. One boy surprised everyone by coming in from the back playing bag pipes! They sang, told jokes, recited scripture, and played tunes. Most of the songs were old songs like Hey, Good Lookin', What Cha Got Cookin'! They called themselves The Ratpack! Well, I've had a good time here with my mom and the last two days with Lorraine but now it's time to go home. So, so long!

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Mother

Yesterday I went with my Mom to the doctor for a shot to relieve her arm and shoulder. The doctor removed eight vials of rusty colored fluid from her shoulder! The size went down quite a bit as you can imagine. It's still bigger than it should be though and it still hurts. He said the cortizone shot should start working in a day or two. So we're hoping for tomorrow. So please keep praying for her.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Another Day

When I got to my Mom's yesterday (after I wrote my blog) she was not doing well. I felt guilty for getting on the computer before I went to see her. But this computer is a community computer so I use it when it's available. This morning I went to see her first. She's in a lot of pain because her arthritus is really getting bad. Her right shoulder is a little larger than the size of a soft ball! She sees a doctor today so hopefully he can help her. She's resting right now.

Jerry blew so many leaves he burned up his leaf blower! I said he'd better buy a new one. I don't want him raking. So yesterday he went shopping. He found a couple at Wal-Mart on sale because they are trying to get rid of them and put out snowblowers! He bought one of them, I suggested he go back today and get the other one too. $14.00 is not too much to pay!!! I hope the other one is still there! Normally they are closer to $100.00!

Well, I'd better go check on my mom, make sure she's still resting. Please pray for her. She's in a lot of pain.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Beautiful Day!

Well, here I am again. Today is a beautiful crisp fall day. I'm staying in a cabin on the camp ground within walking distance of my mom's apartment. So I get a nice brisk walk every morning and evening and sometimes inbetween! My first two nights here I stayed in a room down the hill from my mom's and it was nice but on Monday I was able to move to the cabin where I have a cozy little house all to myself. I took pictures of a couple of eagles so after I get home and can post them I'll show them to you all. I've never seen so many eagles as this trip here this time. Yesterday I went with Mother to the audiologist in Everett to get a second hearing aide. I can already tell a difference in her hearing but it's up to her if she decides to keep it. It's very expensive. A good friend of ours here in the senior center, Esther, fell in the night and broke her foot, so she's now in nursing. She'll have to keep off of it for about four weeks! We're all thankful she didn't break her hip. Well, until next time, keep looking up and keep trusting our Maker!

Monday, October 23, 2006

Small World

Yesterday Mother introduced me to a woman who is a retired missionary to Thailand. Her children attended a school in Malaysia. This was many years ago. A few years ago her son and daughter-in-law were house parents at that same school. It happens to be the same school where Tim and Shauna are house parents! How small our world is!

American Bald Eagle

This morning I was out walking about 7:30 and I heard the rather distinct call of an eagle. I searched the tree tops and there it was...an American Bald Eagle! So beautiful and majestic. Then suddenly two more came soaring through the sky right above me! I could see their white heads and tails so plainly. I looked over to the one in the tree top and another one flew into view. Four bald eagles in one morning! I had just climbed a very steep hill so I was already out of breath and then to see four eagles was almost more than my heart could take! Once again I found myself praising God because He is my Creator!

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Rush, Rush, Rush!

What a day yesterday was! I got up at 4:30 AM to do all the last minute things I needed to do, like putting a roast beef dinner in the oven for Jerry, watering plants, etc. We left for the airport at 6:40, my plane was to leave at 7:40, I had an e-ticket so I didn't need to be there an hour or two early. I only had carry on luggage, but when my flight bag was going through the x-ray something showed up that the woman didn't like. It turned out that I had to have all my tooth paste, shampoo, etc. in a zip lock bag. So we put everything back in and I went to the gift shop to buy a zip lock bag. Fifty cents for one quart size bag! I put everything in including my hand lotion. Had to go all through the line again. A different lady didn't like something this time. My hand lotion was too big, even though it fit in the zip lock bag it was too many ounces! I couldn't take it with me! I couldn't believe it! I told her it was my best lotion and it was expensive, she didn't care. So I left it with her and went on to board my plane. When it was time to take off the pilot came on the speaker and said we couldn't take off until something was signed and the only person that could sign was a mechanic. Since this was Saturday he didn't know if they could find one. It could be five minutes or up to two hours before we could take off! We all just sat there and sat there. Well. lucky for us a mechanic showed up in about a half hour! But even so that made it bad for folks with connecting flights, myself included. We arrived in Minneapolis and I took off running to the other side, down the escalator, caught a bus, up the excalator, out ran everyone else on the moving walkway, heard my name on the loud speaker!, and made it to my gate just in time! They closed the door just after I got on board! My next stop was Boise, Idaho. I got there in time to buy a blueberry muffin, I hadn't had a bite to eat yet! There was a coffee shop right by my gate, the girl tried to tell me there were resturants up stairs. I told her I just came from upstairs and I don't have time for that, just sell me a muffin so I can get on my plane. Then she gave me a banana to go with it! I guess I must have looked really hungry...well, I was! So I boarded that plane, ate my muffin and banana, and a diet coke. We got to Seattle and I realized if I hurried I could catch the earlier shuttle to Marysville. So once again I ran though the airport...I made it! I called Lorraine and asked if she could meet me at 2:10 instead of 4:10. Yes, she could. So my whole day was rush, rush, rush! But that's not the end of my story! On the shuttle, near Everett, we had a very near accident with a semi cab pulling a long horse trailer! There is always lots of traffic on I 5 and all of a sudden the driver of the semi-horse trailer decided to move into our lane. Well, we were there and there was no place for us to go. My driver laid on the horn and slammed on his brakes which slowed us down enough so the semi merged right over in front of us. A little later we were neck and neck at a traffic light so we all looked over to see who the driver was of the semi. A woman with long blonde hair! She looked at us and made a very obscene gesture and then fell back behind us. Our driver was going to just let it go but some of us said she may have fallen back so she could get his number to report him (even though she was at fault). So he decided to write it up and we all reminded him that he had our names and numbers in case he needed witnesses. So that was my day yesterday!!! What a day. But, I'm here safely and my mom is well and glad to see me.

Friday, October 20, 2006

Procrastinator


I'm such a procrasinator I get mad at myself. I have a Hibiscus plant that didn't have any flowers this year at all, but it grew very tall. Pam suggested we prune it so Jerry got the shears for me and I planned to it but later. So yesterday Jerry pruned it, really pruned it! We'll see how it makes it over the winter. Maybe it won't make it at all! But that's what I get for procrastinating!

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Harvest time


This is for Annie! She wants more pictures of autumn but the trees aren't so pretty any more. So this is my outside harvest decor. The goose has a hooded shirt on for warmth. Someone took off with one of my ears of Indian Corn! I wonder if the new motion light came on in the night! Well, probably not!!!

Back to the Dentist!

Today was my second and last visit to the dentist for the gold crown! Two weeks ago I went in like it was a routine cleaning and got the works! So today I went in expecting the worst and came out ten minutes later with a smile and "We'll see you in six months!" I had to look in the mirror to make sure there was gold in there! It's there, shining brightly!

Class # 3

Class last evening went very well! Me...As A Mother. There was lots of discussion and laughter and some serious time as well. Next week is a break and then Nov. 1 we meet again. Thanks for your interest and prayers.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Morning and Night

How does a marriage work when one person is a night person and the other one is a morning person? That's what we have going on here! Jerry is a morning person and I am a night person. We've been happily married for 47 years. It hasn't always been easy and this morning was no exception. We've been doing several big jobs together here in our house. Today we were going to clean the bathroom fans and also clean out some cupboards. We get up around 7:00 every morning, Jerry makes coffee, we each drink two cups and then I make breakfast. After we eat I immediately get on the computer. Well, this morning I realized he was bringing the ladder in and getting some things around, so I asked if he was ready to start the fans. He looked at me like...dah. It was only about 8:30! I asked if I had time to get dressed. He sighed and said yes. I closed my eyes and said, "what about a shower first?" He turned to me and with kindness and patience in his eyes said, "I think I'll go to Lowe's and look around." I sighed and looked up at him, "Thanks." What a guy! I suddenly flew in high gear. By the time he came home, and by the way with a motion light for the front porch, I had showered, shampooed, dressed, straightened our bedroom, cleaned the kitchen, and was half done with cleaning out the cupboards. Well, we cleaned the fans, he took the ladder back out to the pole barn and we still sat down to watch The Price Is Right at 11:00 AM! Oh, I could never be a morning person! I'm just getting my energy level up to par when he's ready to sit down, read the paper, work the sudoku, watch the news, etc. It takes a creative God to join two such different people together and make it work!

Leaf Blowing # 2

This photo was supposed to be with the one I posted yesterday but I had a big problem getting them on, so I gave up on two and just put on one. It worked. Now I've decided to try this one again. What do you know, it worked!

Monday, October 16, 2006

Fall


Jerry is out blowing leaves again! This is the fourth time he has cleared our yard of leaves this fall! And it won't be the last!

Comments

As a relatively new blogger I look forward to getting comments. It shows me that people really care about me and my world and are interested, as insignificant as it is. So even though my blogging is journaling for myself, I still check every day to see if someone wrote a comment to me! I prefer comments with a name, first name is sufficient. So...may I hear from you?

Sunday, October 15, 2006

National Grouch Day!

Today is National Grouch Day according to my calender! So if you are a grouch today is your day! I used to be a grouch but I don't think I am any more. You see, I'm not a morning person. I move really slow in the mornings and I used to be really grouchy in the morning. It all came to a head one morning years ago. I was the caller for the substitute teachers here in our town, so I had to get up really early in the morning to take the calls and get the subs for the day. It wasn't easy getting up so early every morning, but I was determined to make this job work. And I was pleasant on the phone at 6:00 AM. One morning Jerry and Pam and I were talking about something and I was a very big grouch! Then my school phone rang and I answered it with a very friendly, "Good morning! This is Anita, may I help you?" I heard Jerry and Pam laughing about something so I turned to look at them to see what was so funny and I suddenly realized they were looking at me and laughing at me! It only took a second for me to know why they were laughing at me. I had been so grouchy with them but over the phone I was as sweet as I could be! When I got off the phone I began to laugh too...I was caught. And I was cured! I determined not to be grouchy in the morning with my family any more. I'm sure I probably slipped a few times but I really tried to end my grouchy days. So National Grouch Day is for someone else and if it's for you I hope it is a good day!

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Tigers!

The Tigers are going to the World Series! Yeah!!!

Map

Today in the mail we received a map of Malaysia where our son and family are! It's a good big map! We can see where they go to the mall, to church, to eat, etc. It makes us feel closer to them! It reminds me of two things: several years ago... okay, a lot of years ago, when I was tutoring English as a Second Language, one of my Japanese students was a young boy in first or second grade. His name was Susumu. He was a very good student and a sweet little boy. One day I took a map of Japan to our class. The writing was all in Japanese so I couldn't read it but Susumu could. When he saw that map he grabbed it and ran to an open space in the room, spread the map out on the floor, and laid on it! He was a homesick little boy and that was as close as he could get to Japan and home! Looking at this map today is as close as we can get to Tim, Shauna, Annie, and Kaleb for now. But one of these days we're going to fly over there and see these places and people in person! I can't wait! The other thing I am reminded of is that God is Omnipresent! He is in Malaysia and Japan and Canada and USA, He is everywhere all at the same time! I praise Him!

Friday, October 13, 2006

Friday the 13th

Today is Friday the 13th. I'm not superstitious and I hope you're not either. We are, however, looking into installing motion lights on the front of our house! It's a good thing to see when someone approaches after dark. We'll also probably see more wild life, but that's okay too since we're nature lovers!

It's snowing!

It's snowing outside my computer room window where I am looking out at the most beautiful trees. I'll not take anymore pictures! :) But believe me, it's strange to look out and see snow coming down against the colored leaves! The snow is melting as soon as it hits the ground. The ground is covered with leaves like a thick blanket. Jerry has blown the leaves off a couple of times already. I've been so thankful I bought the leaf blower for him a year or two ago, he's just not up to working like he used to. Jerry went to visit his friend, Lin, yesterday and they gave him three small bushes to plant in our yard. They will have white flowers and then will have berries that the birds love. He's got them planted, one on each side of the house and one on the other side of the far drive. He put stakes in beside them so we'll know what they are next spring and not pull them up!

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Hibiscus

This is my beautiful Hibiscus. It has atleast nine more buds on it yet to bloom! We brought it in the house a couple of weeks ago and I was afraid the change from outside to inside might be too much for it but here it is! The flowers only last a day or two but they are so unique and beautiful! Only God could create a flower like this!

One more picture for Tim!

I couldn't resist taking one more picture for Tim. This again is outside my computer room window. Everyday I have different view! It's so interesting and beautiful! God is such a creator, how can I not believe in Him and praise Him!

Weather # 2

Well, about five minutes have passed. The sky is blue and the sun is shining brightly! Like I said, this is Michigan!

Weather

Well, this is Michigan! The sun was shining. I laid down to rest. Thirty minutes later I woke up to a blizzard! It's cloudy now, no sun but no snow either. Let's wait a few more minutes!

2nd Class

Ohhh, last evening was the 2nd Dilemma of Young Mothers class, Me...As A Wife. We had three new people. I was glad for them but it also made it a little difficult because they missed the first class. But we made it and there was lots of discussion. I even had to insist we move on at one point so we'd get through the entire lesson. I had a tape to play at the end and I didn't want to skip that. I played Steve and Annie Chapman singing Who Are You? It was very fitting at the end. Next week our lesson will be Me...As A Mother.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Scare

Boy, did I have a scare last night!!! It wasn't too late, 10:00 PM. Jerry was in bed asleep, I was sitting in the loft, reading. All of a sudden someone was pounding on the front door! I froze! I hadn't heard anyone walk on the porch like I usually do. Then I thought it's only Rob. But he usually calls first. He began pounding again! And my heart was pounding! I grabbed my robe and started down the steps. I couldn't see well enough to know if it was Rob. Then he shown a flash light through the door window! Ugh! It wasn't Rob. When I got to the door I could see it was a young man in a uniform. I wished we had an intercom so I could talk to him without opening the door. But I slowly opened the door because I was almost sure he was a sheriff's deputy. He asked if Patrick was here. Of course I said no Patrick lives here. He asked a few more questions and then thanked me. I told him he scared the daylights out of me. His car was parked half way between the house and the pole barn and he must have tiptoed across the porch so Patrick would not know he was here! It'll be interesting to hear more about this later in the news or from someone who has a police radio. My heart was still pounding when I went into the bedroom to tell Jerry what had just happened. He said he heard me talking and thought it was Rob. You know what...I've always thought if anything ever happened, like a kidnapping, I'd make sure I had my cell phone with me. I always take it upstairs with me at night. Well, last night I never even thought to grab my phone when I got my robe! Well...if there's a next time...

Monday, October 09, 2006

Trip

I haven't been out to see my mom since June so I'm going out again this month. My plan is for Oct. 21 - Oct 30. I've got my plane ticket, I still have to get my shuttle ticket and a place to stay but I've got time so I'm not worried. This will be during the break in my class that I'm teaching. I've got a lot of work to do here before I go. I'm talking about fall house cleaning! :( We did some major cleaning jobs this morning, like cleaning ceiling fans. That's a job we do together. Well, I've got some pumpkin pies to bake now so until next time...

Holidays

Today is a double holiday! Columbus Day here in the states, no school here in our town. Thanksgiving Day in Canada. So Happy Thanksgiving to all our Canadian family and friends, especially those in Malaysia!

Sunday, October 08, 2006

Autumn colors

Okay, Tim, you wanted to see pictures of autumn so here you are! The first picture is at our church in the back of the parking lot. The second picture is outside my computer room window. The leaves are falling so quickly now, it won't be long til the trees will be bare. We went for a ride in the MG this afternoon so I could take the pictures at the church. Today was a beautiful day. Later in the week it'll cool down and possibly snow Thurs. or Fri.!

Out cruising!

We were out seeing all the beautiful colors and taking some pictures, then decided to look up some friends who have recently moved here to our town. Jerry took Dale for a ride. It's a beautiful day! Here are these two old guys out cruising.

Saturday, October 07, 2006

Thank you, Lorraine!

Yesterday my Mom called me just to chat. She had been reading my blogs, (Lorraine prints them off for her), and so she just wanted to visit. How nice! We did have a very nice little visit and when we hung up I was left with a nice warm fuzzy feeling! So thank you, Lorraine! I know it takes a lot of paper and ink to print them off.

Coming of age celebration


I just came home from a Coming of Age Celebration breakfast. Elizabeth is turning 13 and several of us were invited to breakfast at Bob Evans Restaurant to help her celebrate. This was not a birthday party, I'm sure she'll have that with her peers. This was a time for some of us who have had interaction with Elizabeth through her growing up years. I have known her all her life and I taught Club 56 the two years that Elizabeth was in it, so I was invited. It was a privelege to be a part of it. In the picture Elizabeth is the fourth person back on the right hand side of the table. I'm the second person back on the left. Everyone has written a short message to Elizabeth with words of encouragement and love, these were given to her to read and keep in a special album just for this day. Her parents gave her a beautiful white gold ring with a little heart on it to wear as a reminder to keep her body pure until marriage. She also received a few other gifts, like CDs. This is my third coming of age celebration to be a part of and I think it's a wonderful way of showing these young girls how important they are to us and how they are entering an exciting time in their lives. God loves you, Elizabeth, and so do I!

Friday, October 06, 2006

City Water

Hurray! The judge ruled in our favor! We get city water! Of course, the man who doesn't want city water can still appeal the judge's decision, but we think we'll still win. It'll all take time though. It'll be months before we get can it but atleast it's in sight.

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Foot, Shoulder, Hand

Yesterday when it was raining Jerry fell and hurt his foot. Actually he was carrying a big box from the pole barn to the garage filled with smelly papers to go out with the trash today. It was ackward because of the size and it was rainy, well, he stepped off the edge of the driveway by mistake and down he went! Thank goodness I was in the pole barn so I ran to him and helped him up. Then I got the dolly for him, which he should have been using in the first place. First his foot hurt (not broken), then this morning his shoulder hurt, and now this evening his hand hurts! He insists he'll be okay. He's moving slowly today but atleast he's moving!

New phone?

Is it time for a new phone? We just drove home from town and the leaves on the trees are brillant colors now. I wish I would have had my camera with me. I didn't think I would ever want a cell phone with a camera...but, it sure would have been nice today. After all, we always have our phone with us, right? Take the other night. We were at a fellowship time with folks over 50. I wish I would have had my camera with me! Several folks had cell phones and were taking pictures. Oh well. The more we have the more we want!

Gold

This morning I went to the dentist for a crown on a molar. It won't show so I went for the gold! But I didn't know what all was involved with getting a crown! I went sailing into the office, a smile on my face, until he got out a needle and said, "Okay, open wide. This will only hurt for a second." Yeah right. It's one thirty now and I can't even eat yet because my mouth is still deadened. I don't know what I expected but it wasn't this. Oh well, he says it'll last a life time. Well, we'll see about that too. I guess I'm a little skeptical.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Betty! Betty is Jerry's sister and she is 10 years older than I am right down to the month! Not the day but to the month. So now if you know how old I am you also know how old she is!

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Dilemma of Young Mothers

Ahhh! First class is over! The class is small, but I prayed that the Lord would send just the right people. I was quite nervous but then I calmed down because the women were so responsive to everything! When I handed them the booklets I'd made up they seemed so pleased and then when we read over what each lesson would be they said, "Wow, this is just what I need!" So, tonight we talked about Me...Who Am I? I told them how the Lord just led me along in the planning of each lesson and one said, "I believe it because this is exactly what I need. When I read what the lessons will be I wondered how you could know this about me!" "So thank you, Lord, for guiding me and giving me this privelege of teaching this class to these young mothers."

Mildew

Ohhh! I've been working out in our pole barn emptying a file cabinet. It's been out there since we moved here in 1996! I have thrown away folders and folders and folders of papers. Some things I can't quite part with. Some I think I can scan into my computer and then throw the original away. Everything smells like mildew. We then moved the file cabinet to the garage so I can use it. It's a good plan, I just hope I don't end up sick from the mildew odor!

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Put on the spot!

Oh boy, I blew it. Sunday morning before church started our senior pastor came down the aisle, saw me sitting there, stopped, smiled, and said, "How's it going?" I smiled and said, "Okay. Just the same old, same old." A few minutes later our assistant pastor came by, sat down beside me, smiled and said, "How's it going?" I smiled and said, "Good! How about you?" He told me about a frustration so I know how to pray for him. Then I told him about the day before when I talked to a young mother about the new Wed. night class I'll be teaching. I was very excited! He's praying for me. But right after he left I began to feel guilty. Why didn't I share that with my senior pastor? Well, when I'm put on the spot my mind goes blank! He did that to me-put me on the spot. My assist. pastor sat down by me and we talked together. My mind didn't go blank, I thought about something I wanted to tell him. I actually wanted to tell Pastor Dave about this too.This is a new class and we're all hoping it'll go over. There was something else I wanted to tell Pastor Dave about, something I think he would like to know. But I didn't. And I didn't ask him how things are with him like I did with Pastor Shane. Maybe he wouldn't have said anything...but maybe he would have. He's got an awful lot going on right now. I'm praying for him anyway. Ane I'm going to remember this and try not to clam up when I'm asked a simple question.

Almost here!

One more day and I'll be teaching my class on The Dilemma of Young Mothers! It'll go for the first three Wednesdays of Oct. Then a small break, and then the first three Wednesdays of Nov. And that's it! All done! I'm ready. I'm scared but I'm ready. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow evening. Please be praying for me.

Beautiful fall day

What a beautiful autumn day! We went for a ride in the MG this afternoon and the odometer turned over to 99,000 miles! It runs like a charm. Jerry will soon be putting it away for the winter so on a beautiful day like today we had to go for a ride! We're supposed to have rain and lightning and thunder tonight and tomorrow. But right now the sun is shining on the green, yellow, orange, and red leaves. It's so beautiful!

Good Old Days

I just came home from town. Guess what I bought! Good Old Days November issue! My Dad's story about remembering World War I is in it. I bought mine at Barnes & Noble Book Store. The name of his story is I Remember World War I and is on page 44. I plan to read all the stories though because I remember the good old days back as far as 1940s!