A Good Question

I've been reading "A Maze of Grace" by Trish Ryan and at one place she says "I sensed God asking, 'Trish, what would your life be like if you believed that I'll take care of everything you've prayed for?  If you knew it would all work out?'"

Hebrews 11:1 says "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

I've been thinking of this a lot.  There were so many times in my life that I prayed desperately; I certainly wasn't sure I'd get the answer I was hoping for.  And for certain - I was not certain of what I did not see.  But what would life have been like if I would have believed -- after all, I was and am a child of  God.  But I didn't really believe that God thought enough of me to answer my prayers. 

So I wonder about the present time.  When I pray, do I just say the words or do I really believe that God is listening and that He will take care of what I'm praying for?

If we really believe when we pray, then we would not worry and scurry around trying to fix whatever the situation might be that we're praying for.

I had a wonderful grandmother who had several plaques on the walls that said things like "Why worry when you can pray"

And yet we worry.....

The day after

We had a really nice Christmas Day with the family - at least most of the family was present.  Lots of good food, a time to open the gifts, mostly watch the children open their gifts and some good visiting.  I was really tired when we got home and fell asleep in front of the TV set watching a movie that wasn't good enough to keep me awake. 

Woke up feeling refreshed this morning, so I met my friend Janet for breakfast, then we went to the Christian Book Store so I could buy next year's Christmas cards at 50% off.  Then to another store where I bought a skirt and top for a friend.  This friend has been in a nursing home since October a year ago.  She's diabetic and had a leg amputated and has finally gotten her prosthesis leg, but hasn't had much therapy with it yet.  Her husband was able to bring her to church on Christmas Eve, and that was a blessing. 

This has been a Christmas season rich with blessings and answered prayers.  I've had so many Christmases that were very sad for a variety of reasons.  In January 1972, my mother suddenly died, only two weeks after Christmas.  And in 1991, my dad died two days after Christmas.  My first marriage ended a week or so before Christmas and then there were many other Christmas seasons that were very difficult for one reason or another.  Of course my life is not perfect now, nor do I expect it to be, I feel very blessed this year, and very thankful.

A Blessed Christmas to All!

It's a beautiful Christmas morning here; the sky is blue, the sun is shining, the mountain tops are glistening with new snow.  My heart is warm this morning because of all that God has done for me and my family.  Most of all that He came as a baby so that He would walk where we walk, but then make the way for us all to be in heaven with Him some day.

I am busy making my contributions to the Christmas dinner:  the traditional "green bean casserole" and a pineapple bread pudding that goes so well with ham.  We are heading out to Ft. Collins where Paul's younger daughter and her family live.  There will be a houseful, including our young grandchildren Joey and Carly, as well as our adult grandchildren, and then also the two great-granddaughters.  The great-grandson lives in Bailey, CO, but we were able to see him and give him his gifts Monday evening. 

Our church service last night was beautiful, lots of Christmas music, a short message from our Pastor, and finally the song "Silent Night" sung with everyone holding candles.  It's always such a warm feeling to greet my friends at this service, and last night was special because Sharon, a friend who has been bedfast for over a year was able to attend.  It was so good to see her again. 

I am filled with thanksgiving for the blessings I have received from God.  Yesterday there was a really big blessing as I returned to the clinic for more tests which showed that the area in question on my last mammogram was benign. 

Pictures from last night

My favorite gift that I gave my grandchildren was a book I wrote for them; it's the story of how they became part of their family, and I titled the book "How God Made a Family".  They were the first gifts I gave them last night.

Joey immediately sat down and read his book from cover to cover.

 

Carly was a little less excited about the book:

 

 

I always give them some clothes too.  Joey is never too excited about clothes, but this time he was.  He's really into dinosaurs now, and I found a pair of pajamas for him with a dinosaur motif.

 

 

 

Carly loved her new outfit....it's fun when they're so excited about new clothes that they immediately want to change into the new clothes.

They are both growing up so fast, and are such a blessing and joy to me.  I had to wait a long time to be a grandma, but this has made it the wait worthwhile.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

This morning there is a white blanket covering everything outside, and it's about 18 degrees as I write this.  But that's what makes it feel like Christmas!  I love the snow and the bright blue sky; in fact, when we don't have snow at Christmas, it just doesn't feel right.

I'm looking forward to my Sunday School class this morning.  It is a women's class - women of all ages (I am the oldest in the class, a title I gladly wear) and everyone speaks from the heart.  There is a lot of love in the class, we are all always glad to see each other on Sundays.  It is the best Sunday School experience I have ever had in all my 78 years.  We talk about personal issues in the light of God's word and it is great.

Last night my daughter and her family were here for our gift exchange.  I love to see my grandchildren open their gifts and be delighted with what they received.  And now they are old enough that they also like to give gifts and that also is fun. 

This week promises to be rather busy.  Tomorrow evening we'll be going out for dinner with part of the family, and on Wednesday the whole family will gather at the home of Paul's younger daughter.  We'll have lots to eat of course, but we'll also have fun playing board games.  Of course there will be gifts for the children.

Tuesday - I have to have a repeat mammogram; apparently something was found on my recent mammogram.  I'm trying not to worry, but no woman likes to receive a phone call of this nature. 

But now - it's time to get ready for church.

A grateful heart

Depression is a mental illness.
I know that's true, but I don't like it.
I'm not talking about "down in the dumps" or "feeling blue" kind of stuff.
I'm talking about real depression that almost makes life impossible.
I have had a problem with depression for many years.  In fact as I look back to my childhood, I think I was experiencing it even then but of course so many years ago no one thought much about depression.  But I remember having bouts of crying, of feeling very sad, without any special reason for it.

My brother likes to tease me about the time I ran away.  I was about 6 or 7 years old; we were living on the farm, and I packed some clothes in a paper sack and started walking down the driveway.  The last time he teased me about it, I told him the real story.  I've never forgotten it.  I felt unloved in my family, like it was my Mom and Dad and Brother on the inside, and I was on the outside looking in.  So I ran away, just hoping against hope that someone would call me back - "come back, we love you" - but it never happened.  I remember very clearly the feeling of resignation that came over me as I turned around and came home realizing that I didn't really matter.  That feeling of not belonging in my family never left me. 

One summer as a teenager, I went to church camp and as I walking along the path one day, the camp director and his wife stopped me and asked me how I was doing.  They showed genuine concern, and I can still picture them.  I couldn't say anything, and I just started weeping.  I wept and wept - and I couldn't say anything.  I can't imagine what they thought, and I never could explain myself to them.

Then through the years there were so many more rejections, betrayals, decisions that turned out badly.  So many times I was blamed for things that were not my fault and yet I had to carry the blame and the guilt. 
Life was hard.
There wasn't much joy.
Ever.
The problem with depression at this age is that it takes my mind back to all those experiences; I think the term is "rumination" - it's like turning every event over in mind to see why it happened the way it did and what I should have done or not done and why on earth did it happen, etc., etc., etc.  And then it feels so unfair.  Why did God bless others and not bless me?  Was I so much worse than everybody else?  I knew that from the time I was young, it was always my intention to serve the Lord - and yet life was so awful. And so at this age, with this rumination, there are so many regrets, so many "what ifs", so many "whys". 
By now you're wondering why the title of this post is "A grateful heart". 
It's because I have recently learned to be grateful for everything.  But oh my goodness -- it's not easy.  Most of all I am grateful to God for bringing me through very tough situations.  For bringing me to a place in life where I am loved and valued.  For providing a loving group of supportive friends who love me dearly. 
And now - and I hope I am able to continue this - when depressive thoughts knock on the door of my mind, I start thanking God for all His blessings, naming them one by one.  And the depression is turned away.

What a difference a few days make!

When I last posted here, it was bitterly cold with subzero temperatures for quite a few days.  As I'm writing this at 3:15 pm, it's 62 degrees! 

This morning I attended the funeral of the husband of a dear friend; he had suffered from depression a long time, and last Monday he took his own life.  The funeral service was really beautiful; their two daughters had each written tributes to their father and read them, and the pastor had a sermon about how nothing can separate us from the love of God.  The manner of his death was not avoided, but he had been well loved and respected by many and the church was filled to capacity.

I've finished my Christmas shopping, everything is wrapped and under the tree.  On Christmas Day the whole family will be at the home of Paul's daughter Janette; we will have a feast and it will be a fun day.  On Christmas Eve we will be going to church; this is something I always like to do.  Our church has a puppet ministry and they usually perform on Christmas Eve and they are wonderful. 

So now I'm doing the laundry, and resting a bit, as after the funeral I did a little shopping and that always tires me completely.  I have an electric wheelchair, and we have a lift in our van, but I don't know how to operate it and so I seldom use it when I go shopping, but when I do - it makes everything so much more enjoyable.  I know Paul would drive me to the store and pick me up again later, but I always think I should still be able to get around without the scooter, and then I get very tired.

Still cold.....

This is the longest streak of sub-zero temperatures in Colorado's history.  It has really been cold!  But it hasn't kept me at home all the time; on Friday I went Christmas shopping, and yesterday I went to a ladies tea.  Today is church, and afterwards we're invited to the home of some friends to watch the Broncos play Tennessee here in Denver; the predicted temperature for this afternoon is 12 degrees.  At least that's 12 degrees above zero!  The good thing about all of this is that I'm retired and I no longer have to leave the house at 7 a.m., get in a cold car and head off to work.  Such a blessing to be able to stay home where it's warm!

Brrrrrrrrr

That's all I can say this morning.  It's cold outside!
The sky is blue, the sun is shining, but it's about -10 where we live. 
Fortunately, we are retired and we don't have to leave the house if we don't want to.
The house is nice and warm, thanks to a roaring fire in our fireplace (and of course a very good furnace).  And warm clothes. 

It will not warm up for a few more days and I'm hoping I won't get stir-crazy in the meantime.
On Saturday afternoon I'm going to a ladies tea - no matter how cold it is!
After all, during my working years, I always got out in this kind of weather.
And - I grew up in South Dakota where it gets REALLY cold.

Actually, this is unusual for this part of Colorado.  We have had winters here where I never once put on a pair of gloves.  And once this huge cold air mass moves away from us, it will be back to the pleasant Colorado winter.

Thanksgiving

This Thursday is Thanksgiving Day, and we have much to be thankful for. 
Most of all, I am thankful for my husband's successful heart surgery, and very thankful for the thing I mentioned in my last post -- that my granddaughter does not have cancer! 

Here are some pictures of her right before the CT scan.  She was very brave; of course she didn't know that the possibility was.

 

 

But then there are so many other things that rank right up there.  The fact that at the age of 78, I am still of sound mind (sometimes that may be questionable), that I have a loving family and a warm home and security.  There were so many years when it was hard to be thankful, because I had none of that.

Most of all, I give thanks to God from whom all blessing flow.

We are having a big Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday at my daughter's home.  Not only will our side of the family be there, but also my son-in-law's family will there, so it will be a houseful!  Fortunately they have a big house, with plenty of television sets because of course the men will want to watch the football games.  We women will be content to sit around the table and talk, and the children will be having fun doing what children do.  Everyone is bringing food, so it will be a feast.  I signed up to bring the pumpkin pies and the cranberry sauce.  We also bringing some folding tables and folding chairs and some extra silverware.  I know it will be a really nice Thanksgiving Day.

The last week in October, I took care of my grandchildren while their parents were in Hawaii.  On that Sunday, we first had Sunday School at home, then I took them to a nearby park.

Joey immediately made friends with some boys playing basketball.

 

No, this picture isn't upside down; Joey is the one who is upside down.

 

Carly took this picture of me in the park.

 

 

They love exploring things on the IPad.

 

This is a recent picture taken in their back yard.

 

Irrational Fear

This morning I was dealing with a lot of irrational fear.

I spent a lot of time praying about it.

I believe II Timothy 1:8 -- "God has not given us the spirit of fear...."

There was a legitimate reason for the fear.  This past Monday, my granddaughter had to have a CT scan to determine if she has cancer.  We were expecting the report today or tomorrow.

I did really well till this morning, then I started worrying and fearing.

This little girl stole my heart the minute she joined our family when she was fourteen months old.
She and I have a very close relationship.
I know that sometimes bad things happen to good people.
And sometimes cancer happens to children.

I tried very hard not to fear, but I was really having a struggle about it.

Finally, this afternoon I got the word -- no sign of cancer!

Praise God!  Answered prayer!
I can breathe again.

I'm still here

I haven't posted for a while -- it's just been a busy time.  Paul isn't cleared to drive yet, so I'm kept busy driving him to his various doctor and rehab visits.  We see the surgeon this Thursday and I'm sure after that visit, he'll be driving.  He is doing quite well, but he's getting impatient with how long it takes to get his strength back.  He forgets how major the surgery really was.

Speaking of the surgery, we got the statement from the hospital the other day.  The amount billed for 6 days in the hospital -- and this is only the hospital, not the bill for surgery, doctors or nurses  -- it was for $174,173.00, which comes to $29,000 per day.  Just for being in the hospital.  Fortunately we have very good insurance and our co-pay is really very manageable.  But what do people do without good insurance? 

That's why I don't understand why the Republicans are fighting against the new health care plan.  They don't even want to give it a chance.  There is so much good about it but they have to fight it just because they hate our president.  If the Republicans would have come up with a better plan, I could understand it, but they haven't, and they won't.  There are big problems with the rollout of the plan, especially with the computer programs needed to let people enroll.  But this is a massive program, with millions of lines of computer code, and anyone who is at all familiar with computer code knows how difficult it is to get such a complex system working correctly. 

We are enjoying some beautiful fall days, but the cooler weather is coming.  It seems impossible that Christmas is only a few weeks away.  This year has absolutely flown past. 

My task today is to re-arrange the living room to see if we have room for another recliner.  We have one recliner, but we both like to sit in it, so if we can make room, we'll get a second one.  The one we have is very big and manly, but I know they make more "lady-like" recliners and that's what I would be looking for.  But our house is small so this will be a challenge.  So now - I'm ready to start solving this problem....

Getting back to normal

Whatever normal is.

I came back home yesterday after babysitting my grandchildren for a week.  It was uneventful -- nobody broke a bone, nobody tried to break into the house, I didn't fall down the stairs -- we all survived.  Actually, it was a very special time with the children.

After I got home yesterday, my stepson who had been staying here, flew back home to Nashville.  I appreciated his help more than words can say.  The whole family was very helpful, and I am grateful.

But it's good to be home and just the two of us.  I did have to take Paul to the doctor today unexpectedly, for a chest x-ray, but fortunately he didn't have to be re-admitted to the hospital. 

Now I am trying to get the house back to normal and trying to catch up on some rest.  I'm not sure where the month of October went -- but here it is November already.  We're having some beautiful autumn weather, the leaves have been beautiful in their golden colors, and fortunately I'm not the one who does the leaf raking.  I think a couple of good strong winds should take care of the leaves on the ground!

Now for a cup of tea and some chocolate -- and a quiet evening.

Things are better

Paul had his open heart surgery,
had to be re-hospitalized for what was thought to be pneumonia, congestive heart failure, and COPD,
but turned out to be mainly fluid overload
And now he's home again and doing better.
Getting a little stronger every day, even if he doesn't think so.
Yesterday he went outside and drove his little garden tractor for a few minutes. 
He's so used to be working all day long that this enforced time of doing nothing is very hard on him.

I'm feeling a bit better too. 
I got very exhausted.  I stayed at Tanya's house because she lives only a 10 minute drive from the hospital and it was very convenient.
However, from the parking lot to Paul's room was a very long hike, and I was exhausted by the time I reached his room.
But he's home now, and getting stronger every day.
I've had so much help from his children.
Darold is here from Nashville, staying with us, and that is such a help and a joy.
Sharlene comes every day to massage is legs and other muscles, and is always bringing food.
Dale and Janette help too; Dale is limited by his recent back injuries, and Janette is limited because she lives a long distance away.

And now - I'll have another cup of coffee.

Tonight's update

Today was the second day since Paul's open heart surgery; the doctors say that all is as can be expected at this point in his recovery.  He is in a lot of pain, but the nursing staff is very good about trying to stay ahead of his pain with appropriate pain meds.  He is still not entirely coherent, but that too is to be expected.  It was a long surgery, and there are still tubes coming out of his lungs and elsewhere.  They had him up and walking several times today, but it was very exhausting for him.  Paul is one who never complains about pain or fatigue, but it's very obvious that this is very hard for him.  In the meantime, I'm staying at Tanya's house because it's only a 10 minute drive from the hospital, and it's a beautiful drive through tree-lined streets - and the leaves are in their beautiful fall colors now.  Darold is keeping things under control at our house, and tomorrow he, his brother and a sister will be painting my living room.  I am so grateful for family and friends, and for all the prayers that have gone up to heaven in our behalf. 

I am very tired and will be going to bed shortly and I'm hoping for a good night's sleep.

Our first taste of winter

Yesterday morning it was snowing -- the heavy, wet snow that brings us the moisture that we need so badly.  It stopped after an hour or two, but in the mountains it's still snowing today.  That is a good thing for the ski industry; there are many people who can hardly wait to get out there, everyone wants to be the first one on a slope each season.  I have never felt that attraction but I admire those who can ski so beautifully.

One of the blogs I follow is "Mennonite Girls can Cook" and on yesterday's blog there was a recipe for creamy bacon and potato soup.  It sounds like it would be delicious, and I have all the ingredients so it's on my "to-do" list for today.  Normally I'm not a fan of potato soup, but the bacon makes it sound good.

I've finished making the ruffly scarves for our Christian Women's Connection sale on Wednesday; now I'm going to lay it all aside but will take some yarn along to have something to work on while Paul is in surgery.  It will be about a six hour operation, and of course the intensive care unit after that so I'll have plenty of time to make some more scarves to use as gifts (or for myself).

And now -- it's time to get going for the day.

Another busy day

I have a few minutes left before leaving for a committee meeting that will take up mot of the day.  Then it will be on to Tanya's home, pick up the kids from school, and spend the night with them.  Their Daddy is on a business trip and their Mom has to work late today, so this Grammy is always happy to help out.

Did I mention that on Monday I baked 12 loaves of zucchini bread?  The freezer is full!  It's such a good feeling to always have it handy to give as a gift to someone or to serve when someone shows up unexpectedly. 

Here's a picture of my two favorite girls:

 

The children are growing up so fast!  It seems like only yesterday that this 14-month old sweetheart joined our family.  She and I have a very close relationship, as do her brother and I.  I hope I have many years left so that I can see them grow to adulthood.

 

Well - time for me to go.  

 

Beautiful Autumn

Fall in Colorado is beautiful, and today is one of those lovely autumn days that you wish would go on forever.  Not a cloud in the sky, the trees are still green, except the sumac has turned bright red.  The temperature is just right -- not hot and not cold. 

I've been very busy with several projects.  Next week our Christian Women's Connection is having their annual fundraiser for Stonecroft Ministries.  I have made 128 greeting cards to sell at the sale, each one is different.  It was so much fun!  Here are a few of them:

I'm also making the ruffle scarves that are so popular now.  The sale is next Wednesday, and I should have about a dozen made by then; they sell for $20 each.   Here are a few:

They are very easy to make, and it's fun seeing them take shape and knowing that the finished product will be sold and the money used for missions.

Otherwise, I'm just trying to get everything ready for what will happen soon - Paul's surgery.  His son Darold will be coming from Nashville and will stay with us to help with the work around the house and yard.  I am so thankful he is coming; he is very much at home here, and knows where everything is, and really will pitch in and help.  In the meantime, I'm just trying to keep Paul alive so he can have the surgery!  He is one of these men who thinks he can do everything, even when his heart is telling him "slow down" -- he's like the Energizer bunny, he just keeps going and going.....  You often hear of someone dying of a heart attack when everyone thought he was perfectly healthy -- that would be Paul, but his children and I are trying to make sure it doesn't happen.

I think it's about time for a nap or at least a little rest for me.  I've been doing laundry all day, plus went to Costco and Walmart and straightened up the house now and I am tired!!!

So much has happened

Since I last posted on this blog, thousands of people in this part of Colorado lost their homes and all their belongings in a terrible flood.  More than 85% of the mountain roads and the highways in the area just north of us have been damaged or destroyed.  Some of the mountain towns are completely isolated - there is no way to get in or out - other than by helicopter.  Many of the homeowners don't have flood insurance; the regular homeowner's insurance does not cover floods, there is a Federal flood insurance program which actually is very inexpensive.  Before I married Paul I lived in an apartment complex that was not far from a dam, so I inquired about the flood insurance - just in case that 500-year rain came while I was living there. 

In a town about 25 miles from where we live, the trailer parks were completely destroyed.  Living in those trailers were the poorer people, many of them were illegals who had come here to work in the meat packing plants.  I don't know if they can even apply for assistance from FEMA.  Probably they would be afraid to since they don't have documentation and could be deported. 

Our road was flooded one day, so we had to take a detour to get to our place, but that was just a minor inconvenience.

Eight people have lost their lives in the flood, and it's surprising that the number isn't higher.  There was so much water from several days of heavy rains, areas flooded that would normally never be in danger of flooding.  I can't imagine how it must feel to have nothing -- no home, no clothes, none of the things that one holds on too through the years because they have sentimental value. 

The lesson is to not get too attached to things -- they can disappear in an instant.  On one of the TV news programs, they showed people removing their most valuable possessions from their homes as the water came higher and higher.  It was surprising (maybe not?) how many people were carrying out their huge televisions sets. 

Otherwise -- we are going about our daily work, marking time till Paul's surgery.  He was told to take it easy between now and the surgery, but that's like telling the sun not to come up in the morning.  We didn't know his condition was so serious till the cardiac surgeon explained to us what we were seeing when looking at the sonogram pictures.  Lots of people are praying for him, and I'm not worried about the surgery because he's in good hands -- and I don't mean just the surgeon.  His younger son is coming from Nashville to stay with us and help me during Paul's recuperation.  I'm so thankful for that, because I have a difficult time getting around and the pain from the spinal stenosis has gotten worse so I'm worried how I'll be able to cope with it all.  Paul's children and my daughter and her husband have all offered to help in any way.  They will all be at the hospital waiting with me during the 6-hour surgery; we will be having a family reunion in the waiting room while Paul sleeps through the whole thing!

My cleaning gal is here this morning - she is such a blessing!  And such a luxury for me!

signing off for now -
Verlyn

Back Again

I got a new computer!  Now I can post on the blog again - but not tonight.  It's past midnight and I'm tired.....so - maybe tomorrow I'll sit down and bring this thing up to date.

I can't fix the glitz in this software so I'm discontinuing the blog

I'm sitting in our living room, the windows are closed and I'm smelling  the smoke from the wildfires in Idaho.  We've had strong winds from the west all day which explains the smoke.

We'll still be having hot weather this week, but after that we should be enjoying the beautiful weather that makes Colorado so enjoyable.  I do not like hot weather!!

It was a busy week; on Tuesday we had to be at the hospital quite early for Paul to have his heart catheterization.  After he was all hooked up and ready to go, they discovered they hadn't stopped his blood thinners early enough and it was too risky to continue with the procedure, so we came back to return another day.

On Friday, we went to downtown Denver to meet with our attorney and the developer who is disputing our boundary and thinks he owns some of our land.  This disagreement has been going on for more than four years and is getting really tiresome.  Fortunately we have an excellent lawyer...she's little but she's feisty.  A possible compromise is in sight.

My cleaning lady is coming tomorrow -it is such a luxury to such help and I'm very thankful for her.

It's almost bedtime, so this is all for now.

thoughts on a Friday

I just found out I can post using my Samsung tablet, it's a slower process, but the glitch in my computer still isn't letting me post.

It's been a busy week.  On wednesday I had to fight early morning traffic to get to downtown Denver by 8:oo am for an appointment with my neurosurgeon. Paul wasn't able to go with me because he was at another location having a CT scan of his heart as well as some other heart tests.  The traffic was awful, so I left the interstate highway and found some side streets that got me to the medical complex in plenty of time.

After my appointment I hurried back north to attend our monthly  Christian Womens Connection.  After that we met two other couples for dinner, and after that I hurried to my ladies Bible study and potluck dinner.  So it was a very busy day, but very rewarding.

Last night and today my grandchildren here are at our house.  Their mama is in Reno for a two-week course at the National Judicial College.  They are offering interesting classes including safety for judges.

After a few hours of outside play, we'll be going to Chick Filet for lunch; their daddy will pick them up this evening.

Our weather has been perfect lately...I love this time of year.

I lost my cell phone last week somehere in the house or car.  After several days of futile searching, I bought a new one --and then found it the next day...isn't that what usually happens?

Hello again!

I'm at my daughter's house and with their computer, I can post on my blog!  Still don't know why I haven't been able to post on my computer at home, when everything else is working.

Today I'm recovering from a quick trip to my home town for my 60th high school class reunion; my school - Freeman Academy - has an alumni banquet each year, and our class was honored on our 50th year and again this year.  It was so good to see quite a number of my classmates and catch up on each one's life and family.  The only downside was that the speaker at the banquet gave a very long and very boring speech, and the meat - while very delicious, was very tough.  It was "Applejack Pork" and I don't know why it was so tough, because usually pork is quite tender.  I was sad to see that some of my classmates are in very bad physical shape, suffering from Parkinson's, or similar diseases.

I also spent time with my cousin Goldie and her sister Diann and husband Arlen, we had a very good visit together.  Goldie and I decided that in two years - when we have our 80th birthdays, we have to do something special together.  She is only 25 days older than I am, and we always make a big deal about how much younger I am than she is.

I have to make a confession.  I felt sad coming home, for several reasons.  First of all, I may never see some of those friends again.  But also, the thought kept coming to me that if I had stayed around my home town and settled down there, I would have been spared so much heartache and suffering, but unfortunately, there are no do-overs.  I made choices that seemed good at the time but turned out badly and caused consequences that still linger today.

Tomorrow I see the spine surgeon to find out what his recommendations are.  In the meantime we have learned that Paul needs to have his aortic valve replaced, but he wants to wait and have me taken care of first, while I think he should go first, after all, mine isn't life-threatening.

We've been having beautiful weather the last few weeks, except that it's been terribly humid; some days the humidity has been as high as 93% and I HATE IT!  The doors stick, drawers stick, my hair doesn't dry after shampooing, etc.  But lately it's been getting better and pretty much back to normal.

The previous weekend, my grandchildren stayed with us over Saturday and Sunday.  Carly is so helpful; after dinner on Saturday, she washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen so I could sit down and rest.  So Joey and I watched a video "Dumbo, the Flying Elephant"....it brought back memories because it was the first movie I ever saw in a theater.  That was back in the mid 1940's; all the rural schools were invited to the county seat for the annual spelling bee and track contests, and afterwards all the children were taken to a theater to see the Dumbo movie and another cartoon, "The Whale that sang at the Met".  Back then, my church taught that going to movies in theaters was a sin - so during that whole movie I was nervous that Jesus might come back and find me in a theater and not take me up to heaven with Him!!!!  Well, times have changed -- movies are not sin anymore and I'm still waiting for Jesus to come back!

It's funny the things one remembers.....

Venting

I have a need to vent this morning.
Maybe I shouldn't do this on a public forum,
But I will....

My daughter's grandmother died yesterday.  She was in her late 90's and had lived a long and remarkable life, and was looking forward to go to be with Jesus.  She suffered a lot in the last few weeks.  She was born in Germany, married a Russian man and then when World War II happened, was no longer welcome in Russia and with her two small children fled Russia trying to get back to Germany.  It all is a fascinating story of survival during a terrible time; also interesting is how she finally was able to come to Canada, but I'm not going to write about that today.

She was my former mother-in-law.
My daughter is going to funeral which is a long distance from here.
Her father will be there of course.

I know he will take the credit for her becoming a judge, when the truth is that she achieved her goal in spite of him.
He stopped paying child support very early after our divorce; our daughter was 3 1/2 years old when we separated.  He never paid a dime toward any medical expenses, clothing expenses, educational expenses. 
He never remembered her birthday unless I sent him a letter reminding him that his daughter was having a birthday.  Even now in her adult years, he doesn't acknowledge her on her birthday - not even with a short email.  She has learned not to expect anything from him.
Actually this started even before our divorce.  On her first birthday, he didn't come home till 2:00 in the morning.  No happy first birthday in our home!!!

Except this year he just might remember -- because her birthday is the day of the funeral.
The financial cost of her education was paid entirely by her scholarships and out of my income.  It was very difficult for us.  He never even once offered to help.

I didn't see any way that she could go through law school, but she got a full-ride scholarship at a private university; I helped whenever I could, but most of her living expenses during that time came from student loans which she's still repaying.  Nothing from her father.

During the first five years of our marriage, I worked so he could get his Ph.D. degree.  During those years, we never bought any furniture or a house nor did I spend money on myself, but I did it gladly because it was our joint goal.  Then, after his graduation, we divorced because, in his words, "he grew but I didn't".  Duh - yes, I was busy making a living and wasn't able to go back to school to "grow".  Actually the reason I divorced him was because of his constant and open infidelity.  Since then he has had a wonderful career making lots of money.  Truthfully -- it made me bitter, but I have mostly learned to let it go, but whenever I  see his self-centeredness wounding our daughter, it makes me angry! 

But today I'm venting -- forgive me please.  I very seldom write such a personal post, but this morning -- I really need to do that.

Just a picture

Paul and I, at Bill's 50th birthday party; it was a beautiful evening, complete with delicious barbecue, bluegrass band and lots of people, all in the backyard of their house.  My daughter had planned the party and it was a great success.

When I have more time, I'll write a bit about our medical challenges; we both are facing major surgery soon, but other than that -- God is good!

Just a short post today

Carly and Joey stayed with us all this weekend; on Saturday Carly made "thin pancakes" for us (crepes) - she did a great job!

Joey is always far too busy to help, but he sure enjoyed eating the pancakes with his best friend "Froggy"!

This morning they went to church with us.  They love Sunday School and Children's service at our church; in Joey's words "it's the best church ever!  They gave me 3 pieces of candy!!!"

We had a great time with them and the house seems very quiet now that their daddy came to pick them up.  There is always so much to do here:  ride bikes, watch the cows, play on the riding toys, play computer games, watch some good movies -- yesterday it was "The Lion King", and of course help Grammy cook.  In between times they make up games to play with each other. 

These two precious children have been such a blessing to me and to all our family. 

The glitch is gone

And I can post again.  I don't have time right now for a very long post, so I'll just post my new favorite picture:

My daughter in her new role as a judge. 

I am so proud of her, but more than that, those of you who know all my story, know what all she had to go through.  All those years I was so worried about how I would raise her and what would become of her and of me.  Especially when I was "at the end of my rope" - emotionally, physically, financially and mentally.  It was at that time that God gave me a special promise - "I will restore the years the locusts have eaten."  I know what the context of this verse is, but when God gives you a promise, you know it's from Him, and I knew this verse was a special promise to me.  Those years were so very hard because I had no one to confide in; I felt no one cared, and I carried it all by myself.  So now to see my precious daughter achieve her goals as well as having a happy family, I know God keeps His promises!

There's a glitch in Blogspot; it isn't allowing a new post

So sad

The latest toll of the Black Forest fire is 502 homes destroyed completely, and many others damaged, and two people killed.  The authorities still haven't decided what caused the fire, but they have found a lot of clues.  One of the TV stations has said that the closest lightning strike the day that the fire started was eight miles away from where the fire started, which is a clue that there was human involvement.  The Black Forest area was a beautiful wooded area, and now so much of it is charred remains of trees and homes.  I wonder about the wildlife - were they able to escape?  The fire is now 75% contained, so that's a good thing.

I'm not feeling very well today, hope I feel better so I can get some things accomplished.

A fun day

The weather was beautiful today, and since Tanya is on vacation this week before she starts her new position as a Judge, she brought the children out for a visit.

They both love riding the bikes I keep for them out here, but Joey has outgrown his so I'll have to shop around for another one; the thrift stores have lots of good bikes to choose from, so that will be on the agenda soon.

I've been making scrapbooks for each of them, documenting their lives since they came into our family.  Joey LOVES looking at the pictures and remembering what he used to do when he was "little".

Carly was also interested in the albums, but she was multi-tasking:  getting a massage in our recliner, watching the video of her bike riding on my Samsung Tablet, and holding the album on her lap ready to look at it.

After a while, they put on their swim suits and Grandpa turned on the sprinklers so they could play in the water.



It is so much fun to have them here.  I' hoping they'll be able to come more often this summer.

The results of my MRI were as expected, and I'll be seeing a specialist for spinal surgery. 

Thankful for my Father

When I was a little girl, I thought my Dad could do anything. 
I knew he worked hard to take care of us.
I also knew that when he disciplined us, it was for our good.
He was the kind of man who never met a stranger.
As he aged, he never lost the ability to make friends with everybody.
He never told me that he loved me, but I knew he did. 
He showed it by the way he cared for us.
He went to meet Jesus and my Mother on December 27, 1991.
I would love to be able to sit down and talk with him again.
Someday it will happen; I think he'll welcome me when I enter my eternal home.

Good news, bad news

First the good news:  the Black Forest did not grow yesterday.  It was a day of cooler weather, calmer winds and even a few sprinkles of rain.

Bad news:  The Black Forest has completely destroyed 479 homes, and there are quite a few homes that have not yet been reached to be inspected.  Two people died; they were in their garage, loading their valuables into their car - but it was too late.  The fire moved so rapidly that they didn't have a chance to escape. 

Many people have beautiful homes in the forests and the mountains in spite of the fact that the fire risk is so great - and many of the wildfires are started by lightning.

They are still not sure that the Black Forest fire was started by lightning, and since two people were killed, it is now actually a homicide investigation.  The authorities are very skilled in tracing a fire to its begining point and then finding the clues that will answer all the questions. 

The fire at the Royal Gorge is pretty much under control but there has been a lot of damage to the Royal Gorge Park.  The bridge is damaged, many of the buildings are destroyed, the cables that carried the tram across the gorge broke from the heat of the fire.  This park is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Colorado, so this is very sad, but in my mind it's not as sad at the loss of life and the loss of 479 homes.

So I had my MRI yesterday; I was afraid I would feel claustrophobic being in that narrow tube for 45 minutes, but it really wasn't that bad.  Maybe that was because of the pill they gave me beforehand.  I hope the report will be that something can be fixed.  I consider it a great blessing to have good insurance (because I retired from my job with good benefits) and good doctors, and a husband who takes care of me.

Man vs. Nature

Once again that age-old battle rages.  In the past year or so, it has been a battle of hurricanes, tornadoes, and fires, and we have been reminded over and over how powerless man is against the power of nature.

The wildfires in Colorado are showing that power again.  The fire in the Black Forest is still completely uncontained.  Right now the authorities are having a press conference and they announced that as of this morning, a little over 1000 homes are still safe, over 340 have been completely destroyed by the fire, and they been unable to get into areas to verify the status of 79 other homes.  It's tragic - and it was started by a lightning strike, not by man's carelessness. 

The temperatures are a bit cooler this morning, so that will help the firefighters.  One of the problems has been that the fire has been doubling back and burning the homes that at first were thought to be saved.  Paul has a cousin living in the Black Forest, and we have not yet heard from him. 

Fire season is here

There are several wildfires already in Colorado, none of them contained yet, and the season is just starting.
There is a huge fire in the Black Forest which is northeast of Colorado Springs.  We have a relative who lives there and haven't yet heard if his house has burned.  It is a beautiful area with many upscale houses, many of them built of logs, and according to the latest report, the number of destroyed homes is growing hourly and more and more people are being evacuated. 

There's also a fire near the Air Force Academy which is slightly northwest of Colorado Springs; this fire is also threatening the Flying W Ranch which was destroyed by fire last summer but the owners had already started to rebuild.  This is a famous tourist attraction, one that we have enjoyed several times and much of what burned last year is irreplaceable. 

Both of these fires are at least 75 miles from us, but we can smell the smoke from here. 

Another fire is burning at the Royal Gorge which also is a huge tourist attraction.  So far the Royal Gorge bridge has not burned, but none of these fires are under control yet.

The weather this week has been very hot and very windy, so the firefighters have a huge and dangerous job.  The gear that they wear and carry weighs about 75 pounds, and with the temperatures in the high 90's, you can imagine how hard it is for them. 

As I look out of my office window to the west toward the sun, it is shining through a smokey haze; when there is so much smoke in the air, the sunsets are really beautiful - which seems rather strange. 

According to preliminary reports, they think these fires were started by lightning. 

I love birds, but.....

Each spring, a huge flock of grackles comes to roost in our trees, build their nests, and raise their young.  This spring has been no exception.  Grackles are a kind of blackbird, and they have the loudest squawk you can imagine.  They are also very dirty birds, when they are present we have to hose down the patio every day!  The babies are now out of their nests and the mama birds are trying to teach them to find insects and seeds.  I've been watching as mama bird walks through the grass looking for edibles, the baby follows - supposedly to learn to find something to eat, but all the baby does is SQUAWK!  And it doesn't stop -- it is such an annoying noise, especially now that our windows are open.  As soon as the babies are strong enough, the whole flock will leave for a few months, then come back and stop on their way south for a few weeks.  I love all the other birds we have here -- orioles, meadowlarks, mourning doves, robiins, etc., but these grackles sorely try my patience!!

Heading out in a few minutes to my son-in-law's 50th birthday party, complete with blue grass band, catered barbecue meal and lots of fun. 

Mourning my loss

I didn't think I'd miss her so much.

But she had become part of our family.

She first came to us in a snowy evening in February of 2000.  It was actually a snowstorm, the wind was howling, but above the wind I heard a desparate "meow".  I have a soft spot for animals, so I put on my winter gear and headed outside to see what was going on, but I couldn't find anyone.  I did put out some food, just in case a critter was hiding near by.

In the next few days, every so often we would see this wild cat running somewhere to hide in our yard.  I could tell she was half-starved and so I started putting out more food every day.  Eventually, I would sit on the porch steps and each day move the food a little closer to me.  The time came when she made friends with me, and we found out that she had been somebody's pet and either she had gotten lost or somebody dumped her in our area.  We found out she was used to humans, and later on when we started letting her come in the house, we learned she was housetrained. 

I named her Smokie - partly because of her coloring and partly because she could appear and disappear so quickly.  She was a mixed-breed long hair cat with very blue eyes; by her coloring it looked like she had an ancester somewhere who had been of the Siamese cat breed.  She and I became very close friends and eventually she would even let Paul and Darold pet her, but she would never allow any of us to pick her up.  She was the queen and she would decide when she wanted to be touched and when she wanted to jump on our laps.  She earned her keep by keeping our mouse and rabbit population under control.

About two weeks we noticed that she was sick; we knew we couldn't take her to a vet, she would never allow that.  She would come to the house only every other day for a few sips of water and a few drops of liquid food.  Finally we decided it was time, and on Saturday she was assisted on her way to kitty heaven.  I don't know how old she was because she was an adult cat when she arrived at our place. 

Resurrection

Several weeks ago I decided to take this blog off the web.  The main reason was that I felt it was just a one-way form of communication; in other words, people were reading my blog but were not communicating with me in return and I got tired of it. 

But I'll try again so I've resurrected Blossoms and Butterflies and see what happens.

It's a beautiful Sunday, the kind that makes it worthwhile to live in Colorado.  We just got home from Church - no we didn't have services all day, just Sunday School, the worship service and then we had a "cowboy carnival" to raise money to send teenagers to camp.  It was really great - lots of games and prizes for children, delicious barbecue, horses for the children to ride, dunk tank, raffles, etc., etc.  By 2:30 I was tired so we came home, even though the carnival goes on till 6 pm.  We are so glad we are part of this church, for one thing it's only about two miles from our house, and for another we have many lots of good friends, and most of all - it is solidly based on the Bible.

The last few weeks have been busy, not that I've been doing much, but busy regardless.  My physical situation has worsened in the last few months and I'll be having an MRI on June 14 to see about having spinal surgery.  I am actually quite optimistic about hopefully getting rid of some of the pain - ideally it would be so wonderful to be able to move easily again.

Enough for now - time to relax a bit with a tall glass of ice water....

What a day!

The TV news people have been busy all day reporting what is going on in Boston; the entire city is shut down while law enforcement is searching for the one suspect who is still at large after the bombing at the Boston Marathon.  Somehow he has still eluded the police, but I hope he is soon found.

Earlier this afternoon I got the following email from my daughter:  "bomb scare, have to evacuate, I'm out of here".  Her office is in the new justice building downtown, and the offices are occupied by the Attorney General and all his staff, as well as judges and their staffs and anyone who was in a courtroom. 

A few hours later I got this email:  "That was freaky!  All these police came and cordoned off the building and sidewalks – I couldn’t even get to my car to go home!  Bomb scare, but it’s OK now.  I’m leaving soon anyway."

Someone's idea of a joke was to call in a bomb scare in Denver when all that is going on in Boston???

It's a beautiful day today, and the forecast for the weekend is for more warm days, and they are so very welcome!  All the snow this week was welcome for the water it brought.  It was the first time this winter that the foothills of the Rockies were completely snow covered.  The snowpack levels are getting closer to the normal range, which is very good, because that snowpack is essential for our water supply. 

Update

We had 14 inches of snow yesterday and more to come tomorrow.....

April snow brings May flowers???

This time the weather forecasters were almost right, we did get a lot of snow, but it wasn't a blizzard - it was the beautiful kind of snow you like to get on Christmas Eve.  Paul measured the snow on the patio table at about 6:30 last night, it was 10 inches - and it still snowed most of the night.

Yes - that's what it looks like outside our kitchen door.  Much of it will melt today, but then more is supposed to come tomorrow and then melt again the next day.  Personally, I prefer snow in winter, but we need the moisture so badly, we're thankful for whatever form it takes. 

Springtime in the Rockies

There's a song by that name ''When it's springtime in the Rockies" -- makes it sound like spring is a wonderful time in this part of the country.

Not this year!

Last Monday the weather forecasters were all telling us that we would have a "blizzard" on Tuesday, with up to a foot of snow.  Even Denver Public School District cancelled classes for Tuesday on the basis of this forecast, and DPS almost never cancels classes!  The blizzard was a dud.  Yes, it snowed, and yes, there was a little wind, but it was not a blizzard; we had maybe four inches of snow and the sun came out the next day and melted it all.  Now they're predicting another blizzard starting tomorrow evening with up to a foot of snow....we shall see.

I don't think people around here know what a blizzard is.  I grew up in South Dakota and experienced many real blizzards!

I haven't posted for a while; after our trip I was completely exhausted.  And, any time I come home after a trip, I have this strong urge to clean house.  This time the urge was really strong because I was sick for most of March and didn't do much cleaning, so this past week I did a lot of cleaning that I had been meaning to do for a long time.

On Saturday the 6th we went to the town of Severance for the first birthday of our great-granddaughter Avery.

She loved her little birthday cake, and had fun trying to fit the whole thing into her mouth and her hair -- and the more we laughed, the more she did it!

This is Avery with her older sister Rachel who will be four in May:

Yesterday was another special and busy day.  In the forenoon, I attended a ladies tea and fund raiser to benefit an emergency pregnancy center, it was very nice and I was able to meet and visit with several ladies I had never met before.

Then we headed south to the other end of Denver.  My daughter and her husband have bought a different house and they arranged with the realtor for us to come and see the inside.  It is in a better school district, in fact it's the best school district in the state, and even though the house is less expensive than the one they have now, it's bigger, more beautiful and perfect for their family.

I love that it has a guest bedroom on the main floor with a connected bathroom, because often when I babysit, I spend the night to avoid the rush hour traffic.  Tanya wants me to decorate that room, so that will be exciting.  And the basement is a soccer field -- no kidding!  Both children love soccer, so that room will get a lot of use! There are four bedrooms and a large playroom on the second floor; on the first floor there is a living room, family room, kitchen with eat-in area, dining room and the guest bedroom.  It was a custom built house for the original owner, and the workmanship is beautiful.  I'm very happy for them.

After that we went back to their present house to celebrate Carly and Joey's birthdays; both birthdays happened while we were on our trip.

Joey loved the sports outfit I gave him and his new "angry birds" cap:

His Aunt Sharlene was with us, and she gave him this "coolest kid ever" shirt -- which describes him to a "T".





We also had beautiful gifts for Carly; Sharlene and I hadn't coordinated on our gifts, but somehow our gifts were all color coordinated for this 8 year old fashionista:

She loved the denim jacket I gave her, with a shirt underneath that has stripes of yellow, blue and pink; and the blue skirt that Aunt Sharlene gave her.

I had brought a chicken casserole and Sharlene had brought cupcakes, so we had a light dinner with the family and then headed home.  It was a super good day!

This and that

What else can I say about our trip?  It was good, in spite of some bad weather, and in spite of sitting many hours in the van and becoming extremely exhausted.  Darold and Cathy did so much to make us comfortable and to make sure we were having a good time.  Their hospitality was outstanding!

I really enjoyed touring The Hermitage, President Andrew Jackson's home.  Even though I used to be a teacher, I never really knew much about him, but he was quite an interesting character, quite controversial.  I did not know that he started the Democratic Party, and that it was started to get rid of slavery.  That was interesting to me. 

Another day we toured a "plantation", except it was not what we had imagined it to be.  It was a home that was involved in the Battle of Franklin during the Civil War; some of the buildings still have bullet holes in them.  Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and his stories were very interesting.  There was quite a lot of walking involved, so I had to sit out part of the tour.

And another time we went to an antique mall -- it was huge!!  Fortunately I had my electric wheelchair with me so I could prowl through the whole store -- but didn't buy anything. 

We ate at some great restaurants, at one we had the best clam chowder I have ever had.  On Easter Sunday we went to a place called The Pineapple Room for a wonderful buffet.  We had been in church that morning with Darold and Cathy and then headed out for the brunch.  It rained much of that day so we didn't do any special sightseeing that day, except driving through some neighborhoods where there were really big houses. 

We started for home Monday morning, made it back to Freeman to drop off Goldie Tuesday evening, and then we got home Wednesday afternoon.  Almost 4000 miles and 13+ days....I'm not sure I'll attempt another road trip, this one really exhausted me.

But it was good!

Home Again

After thirteen days on the road and about 4,000 miles, we are home -- and home looks good -- even where the racoons chewed away at our porch door!  Oh well, Paul can fix anything!

Will write more soon!

He is risen!

And all the people answered "He is risen indeed" - this was repeated several times in the worship service this morning.  We went with Darold and Cathy to the church they have found; there was good singing and a very good sermon.  After the service we went to The Pineapple Room for brunch.  Oh my goodness!  It was a feast including a dessert table filled with carrot cake, chocolate cake, pecan pie, cheesecake, and many other goodies...we had a hard time waddling out to the car.  But to get to the exit, we had to go through the gift shop of course.

This week has passed so quickly.  On Wednesday the men dropped me off at a mall while they went antiquing.  Fortunately I had my power chair because it was a really big mall.  It was fun exploring and three hours later the men came back to get me and my packages.  That evening we all went to dinner at a place  called "Cheddars".

The next day we toured President Andrew Jackson's home--he was our 7th president.  That evening we went to dinner at The Claim Jumper where I had the best clam chowder of my entire life.


That's all for now -- the final part of the TV show The Bible has just started and tonight it's the story of the Resurrection.

And then....

We headed southeast.  We were a little nervous, because according to the weathermen, a bad snowstorm was heading exactly where we were going.  We wondered if we shoud try to get ahead of the storm or try to stay behind it.  We decided to stay with our originally planned route and take our chances.  Apparently the snowstorm was really bad in Kansas City which was just where we were headed.

When we arrived in KC we were pleasantly surprised ---it had stopped snowing and the roads were not at all bad.

We continued on our way to Branson, MO, stopping at interesting places along  the road like a cheese factory where we could sample hundreds of kinds of cheese.

Thrre was no more snow but it was very cold.  After arriving in Branson, we settled in at our favorite hotel for s well deserved night's sleep.

The next morning we continued southeast for a loooong drive across Arkansas, stopping for night at Forest City.

After another good night of sleep we headed for our final destination-- Darold's house in Nashville, arriving there at noon.

  Waiting for us was Goldie's daughter Kathy who lives in Asheville, NC and had come to take Goldie to her home for the week.  With her was her son Kody who is in the Air Force,  stationed at Andrews Air Base.

After driving these 1700 miles we were glad to be welcomed by Darold.; he and his wife moved to Nashville last fall and this was the first  time we visited them.    They were able to buy a beautiful  house because houses were so much less  expensive in Nashville than the one they sold in Denver.  I hope I can take some pictures tomorrow and post them here.

It was so good to see Darold and Cathy again We sure do miss them!

Since then we've been busy -- and will contine the story later....

Road time

We were in Freeman this past Saturday, attending the 46th annual Schmeckfest - literally a feast of tasting all the German-Russian foods that my people have always enjoyed .

 Foods like homemade chicken soup, green bean soup, pluma mous, poppy seed rolls, kuchen, and many others.  The main event of the evening was the community's presentation of the musical "Fiddler on the Roof".  It was very, very well done, I really enjoyed it.   The temperature that day was 18 degrees!!!  I did not enjoy that part of it!

The next morning my cousin Goldie joined us and ....to be continued.

This is me

Hack Hack Cough Cough -- this is what I'm sounding like...and I don't even want to look in a mirror to see what I look like!  I still have bronchitis, but am on some meds now that hopefully will soon have me feeling good again!

It was unexpected

Several inches of snow fell last night -- we certainly didn't expect it but the moisture is welcome.  Later this week the forecast is for temperatures in the 60's and 70's.  Colorado is funny that way.

I'm still coughing and not feeling well, but not feeling bad enough to go see the doctor.  It's been a week now, so it should be half over, I would think.  I'll be so glad to be feeling good again!!!!

They were right

The weathermen had it right this time, it's been snowing and blowing all day.  I'm thinking there must be 6 or 7 inches of snow already.  That's ok -- I have bronchitis and wouldn't be going anywhere today anyway.  If this isn't better by Monday I'll visit my doctor, but hopefully I will stop coughing soon. 

March is our snowiest month

Yes it is -- and April is almost as snowy.  Yes -- when all the rest of you are having spring, we are having snow.  Yesterday it was 69 degrees, today is supposed to be almost that nice, but tonight a snowstorm is moving in and the forecast is for 8 - 14 inches -- and we will be thankful for it because we need the moisture so badly.

I just got home this morning after a night at my daughter's house.  Her husband is on a business trip (he travels a lot in his job) and my granddaughter had an appointment for a sonogram, so I went to pick up my grandson from school and then just stayed the night.  It's easier than fighting the rush hour traffic to get home, or to drive in the dark.  Things like that never used to worry me, but now that I'm 77 and my eyes aren't as good as they used to be, I'm much less likely to drive at night.  I love watching my grandchildren play.  They have so much imagination and would rather play with each other, making up things, than to play with toys.  But that doesn't mean they don't like toys, because they certainly do and they have a very good assortment of them.

I'm fighting a cold and a cough, and I need to get busy with laundry and cleaning, so that's enough of a posting for today.

More snow

This morning I went to my once-a-month Bible study which was very, very good; I'm not teaching it now, so I can say that.  As I left at noon, it started snowing, and before long was snowing quite hard, but I grew up in South Dakota and learned to drive on snow so I took my time going home and made several shopping stops.  By the time I got home, the sun was out, but I think we got about 2 or 3 inches of very wet snow -- Thank you Lord!

It's been a busy time lately, and my schedule looks like it will be busy right up to the day we leave on our spring trip.  On Saturday I got out all my spring and summer clothes, washed and ironed them, because where we're going -- it will be spring...or maybe not...but we're heading southeast so the chances are pretty good for warm weather.  It was a big job, especially since I only got started at noon after spending the night at Tanya's house.  Bill was on a business trip, so I picked up the kids from school and took care of them till their Mommy came home from work.  I had bought a big bag of popcorn for us to enjoy that evening; unfortunately, in an unguarded moment - the popcorn disappeared into the mouth of Lucy - the 100 pound Bernese Mountain Dog.  Earlier in the day she had gotten hold of a package of chocolate chip cookies and ate all 40 of them!!!  When she was younger, she was terribly rambunctious and caused me all kinds of problems; I'd go home with bruised arms from where she would jump on me.  Now she's quieted down a little, and just loves me -- she expects to sit on my lap -- yes all 100 pounds of her!

Yesterday was such a good day.  We had such a worthwhile Sunday School class, and the Pastor's sermon was also really good.  He spent all last year on Ephesians chapter one; he's now in chapter two and yesterday he parked on verse 6.  Then in the afternoon the women's ministry sponsored an afternoon of Bunco for women, and it was so much fun!  I got to know some ladies I hadn't met before and I was very glad I had gone.  But after such a busy weekend, I was really tired this morning, but it's a good tired. 

When I got home from shopping this afternoon, I started fixing some homemade chicken noodle soup -- this is soup weather!  Paul is fighting a bad cold, so the soup will be just right for dinner.  We saw the cardiologist last week, and the decision was made to postpone his surgery for a while, which is fine with Paul.  I trust the doctor, so it's fine with me too.