Puzzling over perhaps a trip to New Zealand at Christmas. So many details. The problem is our centre is completely closed down for two weeks. So you have to leave before or after we close. Also I would be going alone and that is hard. I will do what I usually do, just wait until God makes it clear what I am to do.
What a pretty picture. It looks almost like the photos that used to be in our History text books of New England. You remember, the ones that almost looked like a patchwork quilt?
It’s beautiful standing there alone. I had a maple tree like that in Annandale.
Elvera talks about how pretty it is in the mountains. She loves them. I mostly can’t see them.
A problem with driving in the mountains is that as soon as you turn one way, you have to turn another. I haven’t really seen much around here.
Did I tell you that I’m married to an old woman?
The Sweetest Woman In The World turned 84 sometime early this morning.
After the session at the Y, we went to Denny’s for breakfast. At lunch yesterday, the waiter told her that Denny’s would give her a free breakfast on her birthday.
I don’t know how he knew. She must hove told him, but I don’t recall that.
Anyhow, she had a free breakfast. (I tipped generously.)
I’ve told you many times before; she doesn’t have to do that.
It’s her nature.
I’ve also told you a hundred times; if it hadn’t been for that nature, we wouldn’t have survived the first seven years.
She told me Saturday, “I can’t seem to get out of the grocery store for less than $100 anymore. I can remember when she couldn’t get out of the grocery store for less than $10.00.
One of the things I love about my priest is his honesty and ability to admit what a failure he has been. 🙂
Yesterday’s sermon was out of Mark where Jesus tells the disciples for the 3rd time. He had three different titles for his sermon and one of them was How to Get Out of God’s Way When He Is Using You to Share the Gospel. Two couples were there yesterday from the 2nd church he served. He spoke of coming from a much larger church where he was the 4 clergy on the staff to going to a little Episcopal Church with only 70 members. He didn’t know what to do so he organized them. Softball teams, bowling trips, youth trips, He had the ORGANIZED!!!! Finally he had to face that he wasn’t growing as a Christian nor was his congregation. Finally he let go and let God start working through him and a couple who had been married 20 or so years came to him for counceling. He asked why they hadn’t come before. They told him he had nothing to offer before. Of course there was a lot more to the sermon but it is the personal stories that stick with me and make me want to be better. All that to say this….
You may remember that some time back I told you of a mother and son who attend our church. They sit up front and are among the first to take communion. He is 39 and has Down’s Syndrome. It was really grossing me out to take communion after him because he sniffed, snorted, hacked, coughed, and got choked. I really wrestled with it. I firmly believe that God would not let you get sick taking communion, but for the first time the whole backwash issue bothered me. I felt awful about myself for feeling the way I did. What kind of horrible person would deny someone with Down’s partaking in the Lord’s Supper, to being in Communion with everyone else. I’ll tell you what kind; a really uncharitable, cold hearted witch –that’s who!
What was I to do. I started sitting with them. The mother is in my Bible study on Monday night. She has become an important woman in my life and I really respect her. Remember the Prayer Weaving that AJ posted after the Women’s Retreat? She is the weaver. The first time I sat with them and took communion I scooted ahead so that I could drink from the cup before the son. It really upset him. It was off his routine. I couldn’t do that to him again, so now I am the third person on that side of the church to take communion. I dip my bread in a tiny amount of wine rather than drink from the chalice, but I feel better because my heart has softened and is not as stone cold as it was towards this situation.
Chas, women can’t resist a bargain. Haven’t you ever heard that a man will pay $2 for a $1 item that he wants and a women will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn’t want.
Chas, my grandmother was that way. As a young woman I went to the grocery store with her. She sent me home with food for two dinners, she had food for herself and my grandfather for a couple of meals and wait for it…..she spent a grand total of $15–with NO coupons. This was sometime in the early to mid 1990’s
Now most of it was reduced for Quick Sale. Don’t buy chicken that is reduced. No bug is as bad as being sick off of bad chicken. Beef is always OK to buy reduced. I laughed at myself yesterday as I,,, gasp… was running through WalMart on my way home and they had several shelves of items reduced in the back of the store. I scanned them for anything I needed but there wasn’t anything.
We’ve had a wonderful weekend away from home. Attended the wedding of a wonderful young man to a wonderful young woman. How much better a wedding is when God is the focus.
We had coffee with old friends – so great to see how the husband has grown in the Lord. (Well, both of them but…). Then yesterday we had lunch with more close friends and their lovely children (I got my fill of hugs!) And supper was with our son and his girlfriend!
We attended church in the little church we attended for 17 years. So good to see so many familiar faces and to see all the new ones as well. Melissa, the young woman who had the stroke just over 2 weeks ago, was AT CHURCH!!! She needed a walker for stability and her speech was slower than I remember as she searched for the right words, but she was there!
Then last night a major case was called to my husband and we were only 40 minutes away, so he was able to go out and gather evidence and oversee the whole thing – so now part of our trip might be paid for by his work!
Today is shopping at stores we don’t have back home and more fun stuff!
It finally feels like fall here. “Brisk,” as the newscaster said last night.
OK, so it’s still in in the high 70s (and it looks like we’ll be back to low 80s for the next week as this low pressure system moves out tomorrow). But still, when you’ve been in the mid to high 90s for Sept. – Oct., high 70s seems downright cool. I think it’s time for everyone at the dog park to break out the long pants.
And the overcast mornings are so welcome, I hated waking up to that already-hot sun glaring in through the window, the house still at 83 degrees from the night before.
I’m so sleepy this morning, wish I could go back to bed …
Donna – Until a couple days ago, we were having an October heat wave, too. It kept getting up to the upper 60s & lower 70s! 😉 But at least the nights were cool, down in the 40s or upper 30s.
Then we jumped from mid-September-like temps in October to late-November-like temps. It was in the lower 20s this morning. Time to put the heat on, I guess.
Karen he attends most of the time but not when he has had a rough night. I tease him and tell him I will tell Jesus he said hello to which he replies Jesus and I are on good terms
Lee recently explained to Pastor Billy (our new pastor) about missing church sometimes because of his work. (You may remember that he goes out early on Sunday mornings to make sure the supermarkets on his route have enough bread on the shelves. It’s referred to as packing out. If there’s a particularly big sale going on, it takes longer to do that.) Pastor Billy assured him that he didn’t need to worry about that, he understood.
Speaking of Lee’s route…This Wednesday is the day scheduled for the closing. Praying there is no hindrance to it this time.
Then he finishes out the week (including packing out on next Sunday), & Mike officially takes over next Monday.
BUT…
Lee will be going out with him to train him for a couple weeks, maybe even three. He may not even get paid for this, unless Mike decides to pay him a little something. But he feels it is important to properly train him as he takes over the route. (I don’t know why this couldn’t have been done while Lee still owned the route – & was making money – but for some reason, it couldn’t.)
I think that after the first week Lee won’t have to get there as early as Mike, to load the truck, but will meet him out on the route, & then be able to come home when the deliveries are finished rather than going back to the depot & doing all the end-of-the-day work. I hope that is the case.
We are in the office after going to the doctor earlier.
I love seeing the header tree picture. Our neighbor has a similar maple, but this year it was losing its leaves before the pretty colors showed. I think all the rain has done that to certain types of trees in our area which usually would take first place in a beauty pageant. Now the beauty of the other trees are being highlighted.
Husband had received a summons for jury duty at month’s end. The doc has signed off that he won’t be able to make it. That was the highlight of the visit. This is a doctor who is still keeping up with us from the ER visit. He did not want to do any more testing today that would muddy the waters of diagnosis for the other docs.
The weather here is spectacular! Crisp air, blue skies, and colorful tree leaves contrast with the sky. I told husband that this is the kind of day that feels almost too beautiful for me to bear.
Well, the three hearts before Elvera, and her name, along with the last three hearts were suppose to appear on the second line. I try but often fail in getting formatting right on computers.
I’ve written two posts and plan two more so I’ll be focused over there for awhile. It was a good experience, I’m glad I went and the attitude of the homeowners was breathtaking–focused on God and full of thanks.
Me? I’m ready to get rid of most of my possessions. They’re all going to burn anyway, right?
An unprecedented number of Californians left for other states during the last decade, according to new tax return data from the Internal Revenue Service. …
Happy Birthday to Elvera…. 🙂
Had the day off to run errands and get some things done around here….I get my hearing aids next Monday….they will be the behind the ear type….they are very small and the doc believes they will work for me better than the in the ear type.
And jumping in on the progressive lense conversation….I have worn them for the past twenty years….when I first got them I fell flat on my face a couple of times…once coming out of church I couldn’t negotiate the line between the snow on the lawn and the sidewalk…I was ok and my beloved family had a good laugh on me!! 😛 I now have a new pair of Nikon progressives with a wider range of the peripheral….I love them!
Today I worked hard on my blog post, I edited it several times, but what got onto the blog was not the edired version. I do not know if it is me or domething else happening. The reason I would even think of something other than me is because this morning I got a message that a nearby wifi network had ended connection. Then I saw my wifi button was pushed to ON which I do not use much
And most unusual was that an audiobook I have not listened to was up on the listening screen instead of Redeeming Love which we finished listening to. The audiobook up instead was a collection of Sherlock Holmes stories I got thinking husband would enjoy those. And, no, he would not know how to access that so it was not him. His own smartphone is enough for him without tangling with mine.
Wandering Views 
Oh, thanks for sharing a bit of Fall with me, Aj. Not too many trees turning color here.
Morning all.
LikeLike
Puzzling over perhaps a trip to New Zealand at Christmas. So many details. The problem is our centre is completely closed down for two weeks. So you have to leave before or after we close. Also I would be going alone and that is hard. I will do what I usually do, just wait until God makes it clear what I am to do.
LikeLiked by 2 people
What a pretty picture. It looks almost like the photos that used to be in our History text books of New England. You remember, the ones that almost looked like a patchwork quilt?
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s beautiful standing there alone. I had a maple tree like that in Annandale.
Elvera talks about how pretty it is in the mountains. She loves them. I mostly can’t see them.
A problem with driving in the mountains is that as soon as you turn one way, you have to turn another. I haven’t really seen much around here.
Did I tell you that I’m married to an old woman?
The Sweetest Woman In The World turned 84 sometime early this morning.
After the session at the Y, we went to Denny’s for breakfast. At lunch yesterday, the waiter told her that Denny’s would give her a free breakfast on her birthday.
I don’t know how he knew. She must hove told him, but I don’t recall that.
Anyhow, she had a free breakfast. (I tipped generously.)
I’ve told you many times before; she doesn’t have to do that.
It’s her nature.
I’ve also told you a hundred times; if it hadn’t been for that nature, we wouldn’t have survived the first seven years.
She told me Saturday, “I can’t seem to get out of the grocery store for less than $100 anymore. I can remember when she couldn’t get out of the grocery store for less than $10.00.
LikeLiked by 8 people
One of the things I love about my priest is his honesty and ability to admit what a failure he has been. 🙂
Yesterday’s sermon was out of Mark where Jesus tells the disciples for the 3rd time. He had three different titles for his sermon and one of them was How to Get Out of God’s Way When He Is Using You to Share the Gospel. Two couples were there yesterday from the 2nd church he served. He spoke of coming from a much larger church where he was the 4 clergy on the staff to going to a little Episcopal Church with only 70 members. He didn’t know what to do so he organized them. Softball teams, bowling trips, youth trips, He had the ORGANIZED!!!! Finally he had to face that he wasn’t growing as a Christian nor was his congregation. Finally he let go and let God start working through him and a couple who had been married 20 or so years came to him for counceling. He asked why they hadn’t come before. They told him he had nothing to offer before. Of course there was a lot more to the sermon but it is the personal stories that stick with me and make me want to be better. All that to say this….
You may remember that some time back I told you of a mother and son who attend our church. They sit up front and are among the first to take communion. He is 39 and has Down’s Syndrome. It was really grossing me out to take communion after him because he sniffed, snorted, hacked, coughed, and got choked. I really wrestled with it. I firmly believe that God would not let you get sick taking communion, but for the first time the whole backwash issue bothered me. I felt awful about myself for feeling the way I did. What kind of horrible person would deny someone with Down’s partaking in the Lord’s Supper, to being in Communion with everyone else. I’ll tell you what kind; a really uncharitable, cold hearted witch –that’s who!
What was I to do. I started sitting with them. The mother is in my Bible study on Monday night. She has become an important woman in my life and I really respect her. Remember the Prayer Weaving that AJ posted after the Women’s Retreat? She is the weaver. The first time I sat with them and took communion I scooted ahead so that I could drink from the cup before the son. It really upset him. It was off his routine. I couldn’t do that to him again, so now I am the third person on that side of the church to take communion. I dip my bread in a tiny amount of wine rather than drink from the chalice, but I feel better because my heart has softened and is not as stone cold as it was towards this situation.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Chas, women can’t resist a bargain. Haven’t you ever heard that a man will pay $2 for a $1 item that he wants and a women will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn’t want.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Chas, my grandmother was that way. As a young woman I went to the grocery store with her. She sent me home with food for two dinners, she had food for herself and my grandfather for a couple of meals and wait for it…..she spent a grand total of $15–with NO coupons. This was sometime in the early to mid 1990’s
Now most of it was reduced for Quick Sale. Don’t buy chicken that is reduced. No bug is as bad as being sick off of bad chicken. Beef is always OK to buy reduced. I laughed at myself yesterday as I,,, gasp… was running through WalMart on my way home and they had several shelves of items reduced in the back of the store. I scanned them for anything I needed but there wasn’t anything.
LikeLike
We’ve had a wonderful weekend away from home. Attended the wedding of a wonderful young man to a wonderful young woman. How much better a wedding is when God is the focus.
We had coffee with old friends – so great to see how the husband has grown in the Lord. (Well, both of them but…). Then yesterday we had lunch with more close friends and their lovely children (I got my fill of hugs!) And supper was with our son and his girlfriend!
We attended church in the little church we attended for 17 years. So good to see so many familiar faces and to see all the new ones as well. Melissa, the young woman who had the stroke just over 2 weeks ago, was AT CHURCH!!! She needed a walker for stability and her speech was slower than I remember as she searched for the right words, but she was there!
Then last night a major case was called to my husband and we were only 40 minutes away, so he was able to go out and gather evidence and oversee the whole thing – so now part of our trip might be paid for by his work!
Today is shopping at stores we don’t have back home and more fun stuff!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Happy Birthday to Elvera!
Kare, sounds like a great trip you’re having.
It finally feels like fall here. “Brisk,” as the newscaster said last night.
OK, so it’s still in in the high 70s (and it looks like we’ll be back to low 80s for the next week as this low pressure system moves out tomorrow). But still, when you’ve been in the mid to high 90s for Sept. – Oct., high 70s seems downright cool. I think it’s time for everyone at the dog park to break out the long pants.
And the overcast mornings are so welcome, I hated waking up to that already-hot sun glaring in through the window, the house still at 83 degrees from the night before.
I’m so sleepy this morning, wish I could go back to bed …
LikeLiked by 1 person
Kim – Does Mr. P attend church with you?
LikeLike
Donna – Until a couple days ago, we were having an October heat wave, too. It kept getting up to the upper 60s & lower 70s! 😉 But at least the nights were cool, down in the 40s or upper 30s.
Then we jumped from mid-September-like temps in October to late-November-like temps. It was in the lower 20s this morning. Time to put the heat on, I guess.
LikeLike
Karen he attends most of the time but not when he has had a rough night. I tease him and tell him I will tell Jesus he said hello to which he replies Jesus and I are on good terms
LikeLiked by 2 people
Kim – That’s understandable.
Lee recently explained to Pastor Billy (our new pastor) about missing church sometimes because of his work. (You may remember that he goes out early on Sunday mornings to make sure the supermarkets on his route have enough bread on the shelves. It’s referred to as packing out. If there’s a particularly big sale going on, it takes longer to do that.) Pastor Billy assured him that he didn’t need to worry about that, he understood.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Speaking of Lee’s route…This Wednesday is the day scheduled for the closing. Praying there is no hindrance to it this time.
Then he finishes out the week (including packing out on next Sunday), & Mike officially takes over next Monday.
BUT…
Lee will be going out with him to train him for a couple weeks, maybe even three. He may not even get paid for this, unless Mike decides to pay him a little something. But he feels it is important to properly train him as he takes over the route. (I don’t know why this couldn’t have been done while Lee still owned the route – & was making money – but for some reason, it couldn’t.)
I think that after the first week Lee won’t have to get there as early as Mike, to load the truck, but will meet him out on the route, & then be able to come home when the deliveries are finished rather than going back to the depot & doing all the end-of-the-day work. I hope that is the case.
LikeLiked by 2 people
So now we are praying for a good job to come along quickly.
LikeLiked by 4 people
We are in the office after going to the doctor earlier.
I love seeing the header tree picture. Our neighbor has a similar maple, but this year it was losing its leaves before the pretty colors showed. I think all the rain has done that to certain types of trees in our area which usually would take first place in a beauty pageant. Now the beauty of the other trees are being highlighted.
Husband had received a summons for jury duty at month’s end. The doc has signed off that he won’t be able to make it. That was the highlight of the visit. This is a doctor who is still keeping up with us from the ER visit. He did not want to do any more testing today that would muddy the waters of diagnosis for the other docs.
The weather here is spectacular! Crisp air, blue skies, and colorful tree leaves contrast with the sky. I told husband that this is the kind of day that feels almost too beautiful for me to bear.
LikeLiked by 2 people
❤ HAPPY 🙂 BIRTHDAY ❤
❤ ❤ ❤ ELVERA ❤ ❤ ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, the three hearts before Elvera, and her name, along with the last three hearts were suppose to appear on the second line. I try but often fail in getting formatting right on computers.
LikeLike
Oh, yes, I forgot to say…
Happy Birthday to Elvera, aka The Sweetest Woman In The World!
(Thanks for the reminder, Janice. 🙂 )
LikeLiked by 2 people
Anxious?
http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/use-anxiety-to-your-advantage
LikeLike
Celebrating Elvera with you Chas.
Happy you have another year together, and even a free breakfast!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Happy Birthday, Elvera!
From the anonymous lady in an anonymous state with a certain number of arrows. 😉
LikeLike
I’m writing blog posts about our experiences over the weekend sifting at the fire. You can see the Pinterest photos here: https://www.pinterest.com/michelleule/visiting-cobb-after-the-valley-fire/
I’ve written two posts and plan two more so I’ll be focused over there for awhile. It was a good experience, I’m glad I went and the attitude of the homeowners was breathtaking–focused on God and full of thanks.
Me? I’m ready to get rid of most of my possessions. They’re all going to burn anyway, right?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Her child called. She knew he would.
And that completes the birthday thing for her.
She says it was a nice day.
I told her that you all wished her happy birthday. She said,
“OH? Wasn’t that sweet of them”.
😉
LikeLiked by 3 people
I’m with you michelle, this fall will be a Salvation Army bag whirlwind for me.
Too. Much. Stuff.
Argh.
LikeLike
Californians coming your way
http://www.sacbee.com/site-services/databases/article32679753.html
________________________________
An unprecedented number of Californians left for other states during the last decade, according to new tax return data from the Internal Revenue Service. …
________________________________
LikeLike
Wait. Is that legal? Isn’t there some sort of emigration/immigration code? Regulations? Something to protect us? Are you ok, Texas?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Several comments about Idaho, too. They’re among you …. And Californians are happy because now they can carry guns without getting hassled.
One of the weirdest news stories I heard plugged today was something about someone getting shot at a zombie convention.
I didn’t hear the details.
LikeLike
That was probably in California, though.
LikeLike
Oh, Florida.
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/world/one-dead-and-five-injured-after-shooting-at-zombie-convention-in-florida
LikeLike
But also in the news was a candlelight vigil held last night for some palm trees that were accidentally cut down.
Bet they don’t do that in Texas or Idaho.
We’re very sensitive out here.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Happy Birthday to Elvera…. 🙂
Had the day off to run errands and get some things done around here….I get my hearing aids next Monday….they will be the behind the ear type….they are very small and the doc believes they will work for me better than the in the ear type.
And jumping in on the progressive lense conversation….I have worn them for the past twenty years….when I first got them I fell flat on my face a couple of times…once coming out of church I couldn’t negotiate the line between the snow on the lawn and the sidewalk…I was ok and my beloved family had a good laugh on me!! 😛 I now have a new pair of Nikon progressives with a wider range of the peripheral….I love them!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Today I worked hard on my blog post, I edited it several times, but what got onto the blog was not the edired version. I do not know if it is me or domething else happening. The reason I would even think of something other than me is because this morning I got a message that a nearby wifi network had ended connection. Then I saw my wifi button was pushed to ON which I do not use much
And most unusual was that an audiobook I have not listened to was up on the listening screen instead of Redeeming Love which we finished listening to. The audiobook up instead was a collection of Sherlock Holmes stories I got thinking husband would enjoy those. And, no, he would not know how to access that so it was not him. His own smartphone is enough for him without tangling with mine.
LikeLike
domething=dumbthing, LOL
No, really: domething=something
LikeLiked by 1 person
I liked ‘edired version.’
LikeLike
Just wonder what the word edired means? Maybe tired of being edited?
LikeLike
That awkward moment when you tell wife one that wife two is bringing the cash to pay for son’s book order…..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aj, I am getting worried as haven’t heard from you in a number of days. Are things alright?
Praying for you all.
LikeLiked by 1 person