Mad as an old hornet?

Not me! I've decided to not do mad anymore. But, check out this hornet's nest! I'd never seen the inside of one before, but we found this one on our adventures with Steve and Mary when we were in Branson. Of course nobody was at home, but how would we really know that if we hadn't looked? I'll bet my friend Vereal will see this and correct me if this is not a hornet's nest. If he doesn't Dana might because she works at a library and seems to know everything. I trust them both to come up with good information.

I had the biggest treat today! My boyfriend from kindergarten (my first boyfriend as far as I can remember) posted a comment on the Feb. 1 post today! I was so surprised to hear from him (it's been maybe a year) and he was so kind to say I look more and more like I did in kindergarten! Isn't that the kindest thing?

Tonight we played cards at our house! We walked into the Kozy Diner this morning and there sat Bob and Diana Clark. They've been gone to Kazakstan (however it is spelled) doing a security job since early in December, so we were surprised to see them. They just got home last night. Frank and Jo Ann were joining us for breakfast, so we planned a card game for tonight. Joan and Floyd joined us, so it was a reunion of more friends. Bob and I went to school in 8th grade together in Japan. So today has been a good day for recalling good old memories. I sure thank God for the ability to keep up with precious old friends as well as current ones.

I'm behind on my exercises for today, so I've got to go get with the program as my Daddy would say. He's also say, "Let's get this show on the road." Here I go, wrapped in a warm blanket of memories.

Back to cards!

This picture is one Ann took of us at MD Anderson last Tuesday. I look a lot different than I did this time last year! I feel great and I praise God and give Him thanks for the recovery I‘ve experienced!

We played cards tonight at Jo Ann and Frank’s house. We taught a couple from church who have never played with us before and it was fun. We miss the regular group, but we kind of threw this together at the last minute this morning.

Our good friend, David, who has COPD is in the hospital, again. He doesn’t have pneumonia, but he has such difficulty breathing. His breathing passageways are so swollen that it’s very difficult for him. They’ve been able to help by giving him cortisone. I can sure understand that because I’m having a lot of trouble with allergies! It’s not coughing, but the itching of my eyes, throat and ears is driving me crazy! I’ve always had allergy problems, but this is the first year in my life that I’ve had problems in February! If I had COPD I’d be in a heap of trouble.

Two weeks from tomorrow and we’ll be leaving for Branson, again. Woo - hoo!

Precious great nephews. 2-26-09

Here's a quick picture of our precious little great nephews in Houston. We got to see so much of them last year as they were in their first year and we were going through treatments at MD Anderson. They were such a boost to us since we were starved from our grandkids. We count it such a blessing to have been able to be with them during this time. Heather is a precious niece-in-law, which seems so awkward, so she's our niece. She is holding her son, Luke (with that fluffy blonde hair), on her left, and his cousin, Colter. What a treat they were this past weekend! God blesses us so, and Heather is expecting their second son, Logan, in June!

I'm keeping it short tonight since I've put the post from last night on below; I'm afraid you missed it because I had it so out of order last night. This is a slightly different picture, but the same text.

Nate, updated. 2-26-09

***NOTE: I posted a slightly different picture with the same wording below last night, and directed folks to it, but it was really on the next page of older posts, so I doubt if anyone really got there. I want people to see Nate and know how proud we are of him and his achievements, so I'm putting it out front tonight. If you DID wade through it all and find it last night you need not read past this point.

This picture was taken of Nate last week when we stopped to see them on our way home from Branson. I want to brag about him tonight.

He has been selected from his school for Boy's State. I wish I knew the exact way to tell you what all that means, but it is a big honor. He will go to Miami, Oklahoma for a week with all the other winners across the state. They will elect from amongst them positions like senator, representative, etc. so that they have all the officers to run the state. It will be a great experience for him. He is also among the top 5 in his ROTC class of about 200; that's a big honor, too. All this is great, but even better than that he's a wonderful kid. He's the oldest of Tricia's six kids and he's so good with all of them. I remember when he was the only one and he was so special. He still is so special and he has always seemed to enjoy all the other 5 as much as the rest of us do. He's a great big brother. Just ask his Grammy; she's pretty much bubbling over about him. We thank God for Nate.

We had a fine trip home from Houston today. Man, there is so much to do here. Both computers are giving me trouble. We're going to Lawton tomorrow and we're looking for a new one. I really don't have time to set up a new computer, but the laptop won't do ANYTHING and this one won't let me download pictures. I hate when I'm so technically challenged! We're going to Lawton for Don to see a dermatologist about a rash he's had for a couple of months. It's much better, but we have the appointment, so we're going. I thank God that it's better! He also is going to have some blood tests done that he does annually to monitor his heart. That's a good thing. He doesn't have any problems, but we want to keep it that way!

Thanks for keeping up with us. We hope to be home for a couple of weeks before we take off for spring break. We're looking forward to spring break, though! Woo-hoo!

Another wild goose chase!

Okay, I'm home and having computer troubles. I can't get my camera to download to either computer. The laptop won't do anything. Anyway, I wrote a post and used a picture we took of Nate last week. So the blog wants to put it into the day that I saved the picture. You'll have to go past the picture from yesterday, past the picture of Terri and I, past Elena, and past Gabe, THEN you'll find the post I wrote today about Nate. Please go for it! I love you all and I promise to get this blog better organized soon!

Great news!

This picture was taken today of me with Jim and Ann Nelson. You've seen Ann before on the blog and she comments from time to time. She is having tests all this week at MD Anderson and I pray that she has good reports and hopeful plans for their future. It was so wonderful to get to visit with them for a bit today. Notice the pretty flower garden on a patio on the roof of the second floor at MD Anderson; how nice of them to make pretty places like that for us patients to have to enjoy. Notice all the big buildings behind us.

My reports were all good. The radiologist doesn't want to see me for a year! The oncologist will settle to see me in 6 months because I am doing very well. The usual protocol is to see someone with my circumstances every four months for the first two years. Since I'm doing very well and promise to come right in if I notice anything out of the ordinary, they allow me to wait 6 months. Praise God!!!

We are packed and ready to head for home the first thing in the morning. It'll be good to get home and watch my flowers begin to bloom in the yard. Last year I dug up lots of daffodils to share with Gretta and lots of other people, and this year I have precious few. I think I may have thined them too much, or maybe I reburied them too deeply. I have some, though and that's plenty. There are greens coming up in several places, so I know the blooms will be there soon. I'm excited, just anticipating it! We didn't even have time to cut one and bring it in when we were home last week, so I can hardly wait to go cut a few!

Thanks so much to Doris and Jerry for making their home our home when we have to come to Houston. It makes a likely stressful time turn into a reunion.

Look! The post is in the right place!

Look what I was able to do! Jerry found the picture and I managed to get it onto the blog! This is the picture of Terri and I at the restaurant when we met for lunch on the way down here on Saturday. It was a great treat; you can see we both loved it.

Today was a fun day. I slept until 10:30! I love days like that; sleeping is the thing I do best! After lunch we went to a great walking trail not too far from here. I forgot to take my camera, so that was a bummer, but we got to see fun things, anyway. The things I would really have got with the camera were a red headed woodpecker and a neutria. I don't know if that's how it is spelled, but it's a huge water rat. It was actually pretty disgusting, but it was way interesting at the same time. Man, I've got to do a better job of remembering to take the camera! The weather was beautiful; it was a perfect day for walking. After our walk we got to pick up Luke and keep him for a little while. It was just a day full of treats.

I thank God that we can make these trips for my check up be filled with great fun times, thanks to family and friends. They make wonderful times out of times that would otherwise be stressful. Tomorrow we fully expect to find Ann and Jim Nelson at MD Anderson for a visit. Ann has tests all this week and tomorrow she has some in the same building where we will be. That will be a treat for all of us that will make tomorrow a better day, too. Jim and I both went to school at Itazuke, but at different times; we've all become good friends at the reunions and we've bonded like cement at MD Anderson. I pray that Ann and I will both have good results from our visits at MDA this week.

Clues to today's post: Sunday, 2-22-09

Look past Elena, and past Gabe, to Sadie, who marks the post for Sunday, 2-22-09. Thanks for hanging with me on the wild goose chase to read the blog. It's the best I can rig. Love you!

Look past Elena for today's post.

Today's post's title is Gabe, another artist: look for it below Elena's birthday post.

Before I left home I stored several pictures in the blog to use on posts while we are in Houston because I wasn't planning to bring my laptop. So, now the blog is putting them in the order of how I stored them. I don't know how to undo that, so reading the blog the next few days will be like a scavenger hunt. Miss Elena will be up front, since I stored them all before I posted her birthday post. So, you'll have to pass her pretty blue eyes to find the most current post, I guess. Good luck and I'm sorry for the confusion. Thanks for playing along with me! I thank God that you care. I will direct you to each post by the title each day.

Happy Birthday, Elena! She is 2!

Today is Elena’s second birthday. Isn’t she the dolly? Look how she inspects everything with her middle fingers: you can see she’s already run inspection with the right one, and she’s now running the final inspection with her left one. She’s something special, isn’t she! I thank God for her and all she has meant to our family; how blessed we are!

Today I've been busy getting ready to go to Houston for my check up. I hardly know how to pack for just 5 days. I think I’ve got it all ready to just put into the suitcase; maybe I can get that done before dinner if I get with the program. We leave around 6 in the morning.

Gabe, another artist.

The picture tonight is Gabe, who is 14. He is so much like his dad, even down to his art. All of their kids are very artistic, but Gabe takes it more seriously, I think . I think they're all cool kids. It amazes me how much alike they can be and yet still be so different. I took this picture the other day when we stopped to see them on our way home from Branson. Gabe is scratching a picture on a scratch board here. (I didn't even know what that was, but he had some really cool stuff going on a couple of boards.)

We had a great trip down here, today. Sweet Terri met us on the way and bought our lunch, even! I left my camera in the car and she had hers with her. The wind was blowing something fierce, so I didn't go get my camera. She sent the pictures that Don took of us, and I downloaded them, but I've lost them somewhere in Jerry's computer. I'll post them when we get home. In the meantime, I stored some pictures from our visit with Trish on the blog, so that I could just write the blog with those pictures while we're down here. I didn't bring my laptop. I'm making a concentrated effort to travel light!

We got here about 4:30 and have been visiting ever since. It's about time to call it a night for me. Tomorrow we get to see their kids! Woo-hoo. I feel so blessed to have family and friends that make our lives so rich. Thank you, God!

Nate is great!

This picture was taken of Nate last week when we stopped to see them on our way home from Branson. I want to brag about him tonight.

He has been selected from his school for Boy's State. I wish I knew the exact way to tell you what all that means, but it is a big honor. He will go to Miami, Oklahoma for a week with all the other winners across the state. They will elect from amongst them positions like senator, representative, etc. so that they have all the officers to run the state. It will be a great experience for him. He is also among the top 5 in his ROTC class of about 200; that's a big honor, too. All this is great, but even better than that he's a wonderful kid. He's the oldest of Tricia's six kids and he's so good with all of them. I remember when he was the only one and he was so special. He still is so special and he has always seemed to enjoy all the other 5 as much as the rest of us do. He's a great big brother. Just ask his Grammy; she's pretty much bubbling over about him. We thank God for Nate.

We had a fine trip home from Houston today. Man, there is so much to do here. Both computers are giving me trouble. We're going to Lawton tomorrow and we're looking for a new one. I really don't have time to set up a new computer, but the laptop won't do ANYTHING and this one won't let me download pictures. I hate when I'm so technically challenged! We're going to Lawton for Don to see a dermatologist about a rash he's had for a couple of months. It's much better, but we have the appointment, so we're going. I thank God that it's better! He also is going to have some blood tests done that he does annually to monitor his heart. That's a good thing. He doesn't have any problems, but we want to keep it that way!

Thanks for keeping up with us. We hope to be home for a couple of weeks before we take off for spring break. We're looking forward to spring break, though! Woo-hoo!

Sadie marks the post for Sunday, Feb. 22, 09

This is Sadie, right after school, having a cookie we brought from Big Cedar. Every night the 'cookie lady' brings cookies and fresh packages of coffee, so we saved some cookies for the kids. Sadie was the first of three girls at the Oglesby household and she started a precious legacy. She can hang tough with her brothers, but she is a beauty in motion and a great example for her little sisters. We're really proud of her. She won first place in the sidewalk art at our Arts on the Square in Hobart this year, proving that she is another artist in the family.

We've had a really fun day visiting in Houston. It was refreshing to be at church this morning with the many friends we grew to love last year. They've sent many prayers in our behalf and we so appreciate that.

This afternoon Doris went to a baby shower, so I took a 3 hour nap! I must have been exhausted, but it was sure nice to get it! Then both Gregg and Brett came over with their wives and sons for dinner and a great visit. It was so much fun! I got pictures of the little guys and I'll be posting them on the blog as soon as I can.

It's been another great day to give thanks. I think of this time last year when I was just recovering from surgery. I was so delighted to have my drains removed! I was struggling with walking because my knee wasn't cooperating, but I found a great chiropractor who pulled me through that struggle. In the past year I've come a long way and I sure thank God for that. Tomorrow we're going to hike a new trail in town. We're looking forward to it!

Tricia is my blog guru and the mother of 6 of our grandkids.

This is Trish, the mom of Nate, Gabe, Sadie, Mason, Grace, and Raynie. I'm usually snapping pictures of the kids and don't get too many of the mom. She's also my blog guru. Thanks, Trish, for getting me started on this blog and helping me through it. it was great to see Trish and all the kids yesterday. Rob was working, so we missed him, but we'll catch him over spring break.

Today has been busy. I've still got a lot to do tomorrow before we're ready to go to Houston, but I can get it done. It'll be good to see family and friends in Houston, but it'll be good to be home to settle down a little when we get back, too.

Don and I walked today and it was so good to walk around our old route; around the park and around some streets here close to the house. It was brisk, but not too cold for a good walk. It was a 'home, sweet home' feeling.

I thank God for home and for family and friends.

Home sweet home!

Look at the little sweetie we found on the way home! This is Raynie, dolly. She was home with Trish when we got there. Soon all the rest of the kids came home from school and it was a great reunion for us. I'll show more pictures in the days to follow. Raynie calls me Mama Ma; isn't that cute? She's such a hoot.

We made it home just fine. There is so much to do to get all our stuff out of the middle of the floor! I'm such a pack rat. Of course we took way too much to Branson, so we brought it all home. I'm not taking that much to Houston (Doris will be so glad to read that!) nor to Branson the next time we go. Anyway, we had a great time and it's great to be home.

It's late and the memory foam on my bed is calling me! "Is that you, Jo?" Hear it? Thank you, God, for home and for home away from home. We are so blessed. Thank you, God, that I have no worries about my check up in Houston, too. I feel so good. Traveling has been no problem. The lymphedema has been very manageable and I've been able to keep up my exercises. I chose not to swim as much as I'd intended to do because either the pool was too busy or it was cold and just wasn't appealing. I had the opportunities, but chose to do other exercises instead. (I took 4 swim suits with me; there's an example of how over packed I was!) I thank God to be alive and so abundantly blessed on top of that!

This Branson trip is nearly done.

Today is our last day in Branson for this trip. The picture is one Steve took of Mary and Don and I crossing over the beginning of the falls at Big Cedar. I've had every kind of possible technical problem today, so I thought I'd better get a post on the blog right quick while I still can.

My last email came at 9:11 this morning and it's over 6 hours later and we still can't get or send email. That freaks me!

I did have two emails early this morning from folks who can't comment on the blog. Some people seem to be able to comment, but, altogether, 4 have emailed to tell me they can't post. So, if you're having trouble, you are in good company! My blog guru (Trish) is going to see if she can find the problem today, so keep commenting if you can!

We got an extension onto our spring break stay in Branson because we learned that Gina and her family are coming with her mother and father-in-law. That's too good to miss because they are coming to the Surrey, right where we'll be the week before they come. So, we're staying an extra 5 days so we'll get to see them; it was just too good to miss. So, THAT worked out good for us!

I've got exercises and laundry to do, so I'll get this blog done and give up on technical stuff for today. Tomorrow we'll head for home, but my plan is to be home in time to post to the blog. I hope technical issues are solved by then!

I thank God for the freedom to travel and the ability to communicate. I remember the times when long distance calls were too expensive to consider and snail mail was so slow. We are blessed and take so much for granted. I thank Him for memory, too!

Missouri's Eastern Bluebird.

I’ve chosen the picture to post on the blog tonight, so I hope it goes on without a problem. I apologize to those of you who are attempting to post comments without success. Some people have been able to post, so I know that it works sometimes. I wish I knew how to correct it. Please don’t give up! I do love to hear from all of you. The picture should be one that Steve got of an eastern bluebird. I thought it only appropriate that I post him first since he is the Missouri state bird. He is also Don’s favorite bird This one was very friendly. He sat for a long time, seeming to enjoy his audience and he had several friends who were enhancing the show, as well.

Today has been an easy day. We’re eating up the rest of the food we’ve collected since we’ve been here, so eating is pretty simple. (Burritos and hamburgers; it’s always pretty simple!) After lunch we went to see the movie, Taken. We had seen the previews and Don wanted to see it, but I was afraid it would throw me into shock. Our friend, Terri, insisted that I’d like it, so we went today. I did like it, although it was really intense. Don had to wake me up twice; I’m so bad to sleep when I sit! I can’t believe I would doze in that movie, but it was right at the first when they were laying the foundation and it hadn’t gotten so intense. I hate how loud the movies are, anymore. Are customers deaf? I think I was tuning out the deafening sounds of the previews and tuned the whole thing out. Anyway, I would recommend Taken. Thanks, Sis, for giving me the nudge to go see it.

Tomorrow I will do laundry, so we’ll go home with all clean clothes. We like the fitness room here. It’s not as deluxe as the one at Big Cedar, but it’s very nice and nobody here wants to use it besides us, it seems. It’s nice not to have to wait in line or stumble over people. It feels good to get my exercises all done and I’m better able to manage the lymphedema. It’s interesting what a difference the exercise makes. I thank God that I’m able to do them! This time last year I was having so much trouble with my knees, so I give thanks that I’m able to walk, especially. It’s a blessing and I sure appreciate it. If I couldn’t do the exercises, I imagine my arm would swell and be especially miserable, not to mention how stiff my legs and back would get.

Moved and settled into Falls Village.

I can’t get a picture to post on the blog tonight. If it ever does it will be one of Mary and Don and I last week when we had a great day getting lots of bird pictures. I got a few good ones, but Steve and Mary really got the great shots. First I’m showing you the pictures of us; someday I’ll stick in the great bird pictures.

Today Don and I got moved out of Big Cedar and into the Falls Village in Branson. I think the military brat in me loves to move. This kind of moving is way better than moving our real address! We’ll stay here until Wednesday morning and we’ll head for home, then. We’ll stay home until Saturday morning and then we’ll be off to Houston for my check up on Tuesday. Then the next day we’ll head for home. We’ll stay home until March 14th and then we’ll head back to Branson for spring break with Trish and her family. We have one more time share with points to use this year, so we’re excited that they can take the time to spend it with us.

We got up this morning and there was a blanket of snow on everything except the roads. Whew! We had to scrape off the car, but we had loaded most everything last night. The loading was pretty easy this morning. By the time we got loaded the car was covered with snow, again! It was too warm for it to stick on the roads, though. Thank you, God! Today was not a good day to get snowed in because our time was out and we had to move! So, these three days are our last fling for this trip. I’m glad we came. I love these units. It’ll be fun to have three last nights here and then on the drive home we’ll stop and see Trish and Raynie and whoever else of her kids are home.

Terri emailed that the blog won’t let her post. It won’t let me post pictures. I hope you aren’t having trouble with it. I hope it fixes its own problems soon. There! The picture posted! Woo hoo! Thanks for your patience, prayers and love.

Happy Valentines Day!

The picture on the blog tonight is one Mary took a week ago, Friday, when they first got here. I’m in the kitchen of this condo. The kitchen has a bar between it and the dining area. The dining area has a table with 3 chairs and a bench on the bar side with a rainbow trout for a back. This is our last night here, so I thought it appropriate to put on the trout picture. We had hoped to get a three day extension on our stay, but they are totally booked since it’s a holiday weekend (Valentines Day today and George Washington’s birthday on Monday.), so there is no space available for us to stay. So, we’re moving into the Falls Village in Branson for 3 nights. We’ll check out on our way to church and then go check in at the new place after lunch. I think Don was ready to go home, but for Valentines Day he indulged me to stay 3 more nights.

We’ve loaded two carts into the car already. All we have to load in the morning is one suitcase, our toiletries, the computer, and the ice chest. I’ve got everything packed so that we only have to move into Falls Village what we will need for 3 nights. Most everything can stay in the car.

It’s been a wonderful stay. We’ve been blessed with great company, great weather and power the whole time. Thank you, God!

My brother Jim was all set to go ‘home’ (to a nursing home where he has been until he could get well enough to go back to his son’s house) this morning, but he had a COPD coughing spell that left him very weak. So, they’re keeping him tonight and we’ll see what happens tomorrow. If you don’t know COPD stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder. I sure pray that he can overcome this and go home soon and get a chance to recover and improve from the NPH surgery. Thanks for caring and for your prayers for him.

Recalling wonderful visits.

The laptop is so fighting with me today. The problem is that this computer is about 6 years old, so it really can’t keep up with the programs I’m running. It’s just more than it can handle. I’m hoping that the picture on the blog tonight is one of Mary and I last week right after she and Steve got here. I’ve been going over the pictures they took and left with me and I chose this one to share our delight at seeing each other. We really had such a good time with them. We’re planning another trip with them in May or June. This will be an easy trip for us: they want to go to visit a place near Frederick, which is about 50 miles from us, so they’ll come and stay with us. That’s a great time for us to anticipate!

Ruthie and Phil left this morning and I’ve gotten word from them that they are home, already. They had a safe trip, so that’s good. We sure loved visiting with them, here, too! What a blessing for us to have had several people come to share this time with us while we’ve been here.

The very best news is that Jim’s surgery went well today. The last time I talked to his son, John, he said Jim was still in recovery, but he was talking and getting ready to have lunch! Praise God! Thanks to you who joined us in prayer for him. My research tells me that we should know in the next week or so if the surgery has helped him. He’ll need a little time to recover from the surgery, but they should be able to see some improvement from the relief of the pressure on his brain pretty soon.

Even though I struggle with the laptop, I thank God for it. It is a blessing to me to be able to communicate with it. Hopefully, we will replace it soon.

We took an easy day.

This picture Don made yesterday at the convention center. This huge fireplace is right in the lobby when you first go into the building. It’s a great roaring fire; it’s gas logs, but it looks very real.

Today we stayed close in the condo and visited. We spent some time working on some the computer, and that went really slow, but it got some work done. Tomorrow Ruthie and Phil will head for home, so we called it a short day so they could get some rest before making a long trip home. It’ll probably take them 9 hours or so.

Tomorrow is the day that my brother, Jim, has his surgery for NPH. They’ll put a shunt in his head to drain the water from his brain. We are so praying that this will alleviate his symptoms and restore his life to a much better quality. His surgery is at 8 in the morning, at Vanderbilt in Nashville; we’re hoping to hear from them around noon that his surgery went well. We should know within a week or so if there is improvement. Jim is the same age as Phil and Don, so his life should be similar to theirs. We’re sure praying for a successful surgery for him and a safe trip home for Ruthie and Phil.

Big Cedar's Convention Center.

What a fun day! This picture is one Don got of Ruthie and Phil and I in the downstairs of the convention center at Big Cedar. It’s a brand new facility that they just opened last September, and it is absolutely gorgeous! We really enjoyed touring it. It was the second time for us, because we had toured it with Steve and Mary, but we loved it, again! They are opening the new airport in Branson in May; once it is open I’m sure there will be lots of conventions held at this great facility.

This morning we went into Branson to check out the Presidents Day Sales. We had just a few places we wanted to go, so we didn’t do too much. Ruthie and I found some good buys at Bath and Body Works, and I hit the jackpot at the Crocs store! I got four pairs for less than $16, including taxes! I was waiting for THAT sale!

It’s so special to have Ruthie and Phil here with us. I’m so glad they could take this time to be with us. I thank God for what health we all have so that we can share this time and for the opportunity to do it at this special place.

Saw the Pierce Arrow Show.

Woo hoo! If this picture posts like I intend it to, it is one of Don and I that Mary took last weekend. You can see the dam behind us; we were hiking up above the fish hatchery. This was the day we saw six deer as we were leaving the parking lot after this hike. We saw so many wonderful sights in nature in our hikes with Steve and Mary.

Tonight Ruthie and Phil went with us to see the Pierce Arrow show. It was AWESOME! It always is. We laughed so much. They say that laughing adds years to your life; if that’s true we stashed up a bunch of years tonight! The comedian is the absolute best, and the singers are so very awesome! I can’t find words to do them justice. I sure thank God for the Pierce Arrow group’s commitment to Him and this country. It was our pleasure to be a part of this evening’s events. We sat right in the middle of the second row, so we didn’t miss a thing.

We’re blessed to have Ruthie and Phil here with us. I sure hate that Tom and Linda and Steve and Mary weren’t here to share this show with us!

Did you notice that the counter has made it to this blog and also the old blog is here on this one, too! Thanks to our daughter, Tricia, for making those magic things happen. I was struggling to figure how to do it, but she's a whiz and made it happen for me. God bless you, Trish!

NPH is wonderful news!

All is well with us. Steve and Mary left today, so we miss them, but Phil and Ruthie are here, so we’re still celebrating. It’s great to have people join us. This is our last week here, so we feel like we’re going out with a flame. It’s been such a fun time.

We were lucky today because one of the shuttle drivers took us all over the resort on a great tour. I guess he wasn’t busy and we were a good audience. When we were at the fitness center we saw an ad on TV that Pierce Arrow has a Valentines special. Woohoo! We’re so thrilled that they are even open for a show! I called as soon as we got home and reserved seats for tomorrow night. Row 2, center! This is so special! I love this show and it’s going to be so fun to share it with Ruthie and Phil!

I had a little time today to work on getting pictures on the blog, but I still didn’t get it done. It’s still a challenge for me. I thank God I can read and type. I’m asking Him to make sense of it all and He’ll get me there. (I had this ready to put onto the blog and then I posted the picture and IT WENT. Woohoo! Thank you, God! I don't have to make sense of it, it's on there! That's Steve and Mary and I.)

Tonight our nephew called to tell us that they’ve confirmed that my brother DOES have NPH!

http://www.lifenph.com/

That’s good news because they thought his digression was due to his traumatic head injury from 1993 and nothing could be done to help him walk. However, now that they’ve determined that he has NPH, he is having surgery on Friday to have a shunt put into his head. It’s very likely that he’ll be able to walk again and regain a great deal of his memory! This is awesome news! Praise God!

Ruthie and Phil arrived, safely!

We had a great day today, of course! I still haven’t figured out how to get pictures on here, so there will be text only for a while. But when I do figure it out, it’ll be worth the wait! I’m downloading the tutorial to help me figure this stuff, but it’s going so slow on dial up that I’m not sure I can even run it. Please continue to hang tough with me. (Hi, Heather! I see that you found your way over to this blog; love you! Now that I have my own blog, I can come follow yours, too!)

Ruthie and Phil got here just after dark tonight. They had heard so much about Steve and Mary, they were glad to meet them (and vice versa). We ate a simple dinner and then visited and shared pictures Steve has made since they’ve been here.

We’ve had a wonderful visit with them. It makes our time here even more special when friends and family come and share it with us. We sure thank God for wonderful friends and family and opportunities to enjoy them.

You're at the right place. Welcome!

Here is the promised picture of Steve and Mary with me as we cross over a wet spot in the road. The picture is here, but I can't get it to post. I ran out of picture space at the old blog spot, so I set up my own. I'm doing something wrong because it won't let me post a picture, either. I'm done for tonight. I'll have to figure this out some day soon, but maybe not tomorrow. Tomorrow is Steve and Mary's last day and it's the day that Ruthie and Phil are coming. I'll continue to post, but there may not be pictures here for a while. Bear with me. I'm getting good ones and will share.

I got some shots that I thought were pretty good, but Steve and Mary have a great camera and they got some awesome shots. They’ll share their pictures with me and I’ll be posting them from time to time when I don’t have any current pictures to share. We are all great bird admirers, so we have lots of bird pictures. We spent the day admiring God’s abundance to us and this opportunity to enjoy it. I even got a piece of pussy willow to add to my ‘flower arrangement.’ I’ll post a shot of that soon, too.

We’re going back to explore and hike more tomorrow and thank God for all He’s given to us. We are exhausted today, but it’s sweet exhaustion.

MOVING DAY!

This is the day I've moved the blog to another address. This is really Tricia's spot and I've needed to give it back to her for a long time. I couldn't get pictures to post, so I just moved to another spot where I could figure out how to post them. Well, I haven't figured that out, YET, but there is hope and it's my spot I'm jumbling and not hers. Thanks for your patience with me while I figure out how to do this. Tomorrow is a really busy day, so I may not have pictures right away, but I'll have them soon. We have great ones coming, thanks to Steve and Mary!

For now, please mark your computers to find me and news at:

http://maryjoshnell.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much for your love and patience. I love that you care enough to hang with me!

(Ruthie, remember Phil's fork!)

Steve and Mary are here.

Oh, my goodness! I didn’t get a new picture for the blog today! So, I borrowed one from Tricia’s FaceBook album of her family at Christmas. Trish is our daughter who got me started with this blog. She lives in Oklahoma City with her husband, Robert and their family of six. In this picture Robert (I call him Rob.) is holding their baby, Raynie, who is 19 months old. Next is Nate, who will be 17 next month; then Gabe, who is 14; then Trish. In the front is Mason, who is 8; then Grace, who will be 6 in April, and then Sadie who will be 12 next month. These kids are all awesome; just ask their grammy! Their mom and dad are pretty awesome, too; I could write a sweet book about this whole family, but I’ll spare you. I don’t have a title for that book. Hmmmm . . . maybe I’ll write another book. HA!

Our good friends, Steve and Mary arrived this evening just about supper time. We had supper and sat around and visited and I never got any pictures! We’ll go hiking tomorrow, though, and I’ll get pictures. I just got to having too much fun visiting.

I sure thank God for friends like them and for their safe trip. They’ve been to Hawaii with us and we’ve been friends for over 20 years. Steve and I have the same birthday, so we like to celebrate together. We celebrate whenever we’re together and call it a birthday celebration.

They’ve all gone to bed, so I’m out of here to get my rest so we can get at tomorrow as soon as possible. They can only stay until Monday morning, so we’ve got to have fun, quick. Thanks for checking on us.

So fortunate!

We are so fortunate that we still have power, here! I see that more and more each day. Today we've been out of phone service, which means we don't have dial up service. I'm always so frustrated with the dial up, but now we have nothing, so I know how fortunate we've been to have the dial up service! We don't know why the phones aren't working. We can use them to call on the property, so I can call for the shuttle, etc., but we can't get of the property. So, I packed up the laptop and came over to the Big Cedar Lodge, where they have WIFI. You've seen pictures of the Lodge before on the blog. This is where the huge Christmas tree was and where that huge bear IS, not to mention MANY other 'stuffed' animals. It's beautiful in here. There are two big fireplaces, two sofas, three love seats, five big easy chairs and several rockers and other miscellaneous chairs and tables. Nobody is in here, but me, though. It's very quiet with great soft music playing. Just perfect for a little old lady and her laptop!

I put on a picture Don took of me when I got home with the berried yesterday. You may think that's my only shirt. Actually I have two like it with me and I wear one of them to work out every day. Please don't anyone turn me in to the What Not To Wear people. I've watched that show some since we've been here and I so wonder just who they think they are! HA! Notice that even the leaves on that sprig with the berries are red!

I'm headed back to the condo. I just came over here to collect our emails and post the blog. I sure thank God for His care. There are people just a few miles around us with no power, still and Gretta is still without power in Kentucky. We know we are so blessed! The phone guy is supposed to come tomorrow afternoon to fix our phone service, so I'm hoping we can compute from the room tomorrow night.

God gave me more berries!

I got more berries! I love these berries! I put them in with the red stems and the brown dried bloom; now the vase won’t stand! I just cooked all my beans today; they would have been the perfect thing to pour into the vase, but I poured in dishwasher soap instead. I don’t like that as well, but it beats standing there holding it! Don took this picture in the studio side of our condo; that’s the guest side. They have a guardian deer, too. Notice the light fixture overhead with the cedar trees on it. I am amazed at the ‘wilderness’ details all over this place.

Today was cold, again, but it wasn’t windy. I went over and did my workout and then walked over to get these berries. It was refreshing to be outside; it’s wonderful to be able to walk, and this place is so beautiful. I thank God for this opportunity and for my health.

Just for the record, my hair is in a little ponytail about one inch long in the back. I'm so pleased to get it off my neck and face! Well, some escapes, but a little I can handle.

The early lizard.

This is the early lizard. "The early bird gets the worm." The early lizard gets his picture made! I got this picture that day that we discovered the 2.2 mile hike near the lake. We did the whole hike and back and then another mile or so after that. That was the day I posted pictures of the fishermen in the lake and the chateau. I thought those things would be most interesting, but this lizard was my favorite because I got it for Gabe and Mason. Gabe has always been the lizard captor to the max in our family and Mason follows right behind him. They catch everything and take it home if Trish will let them! I didn’t catch this lizard, but I was so proud to get his picture! He was so tiny; it’s a wonder I saw him, so I figure that God showed him to me and had him be still for me. He was only an inch or so long. I can’t believe they come out at this time of year, but that one did.

Today I’ve spent inside because it’s very cold, again. I was working on taxes, so I won’t even ruin this post by going into the irritating details. I am so in favor of tax reform; it’s ridiculous that it should be so hairy ever year.

I went to the fitness center and did my workout today. Don has a sore foot, so he let me go by myself. It was cool; I went around 5 and when I came back it was dark, so all the lights on the property were on and the sunset was just in the background over the lake. What a sight! This property has little white lights year round and it looks like a wonderland year round.

I just talked to Gretta and she and Garrett are almost home. They had appointments in Louisville today so they were on the road while their side of Kentucky is getting 4 more inches of snow! Louisville didn’t get any, so some of they day has been okay. They got to go by a friend’s house and get warm showers, so that was a treat. Their appointments went well (check up for Gretta and orthodontist for Garrett), so I thank God for that and for keeping them safe as they traveled today. Joe stayed home with Elena, who has the flu, and he has her down to bed already. They are all living in their living room where the fireplace is; they don’t expect power anytime soon. Life is hard for them right now, but they are surviving. I thank God for His care and all the friends He sends to them. Kentucky is a disaster area and they are right there; lets pray for the people of Kentucky.

I have the title! Thanks, Bob!

Here’s another picture of my ‘guardian’ deer. He and his bud (the other one in the living room) stand guard over us for our whole stay. (So do the fish!) I put my arrangement of sticks and a dried flower on the mantle when we came in the other day from collecting them. I posted this for you, Dana, so you could see I’m wearing my "lumber jacket" that you liked last year. I love that jacket! (Trish, I think it was a hand me down from Rosie or Janelle!)

I’m having the best day today. A good friend wrote and said I should write a book. Many people say that, but I keep saying, this blog is my book. This guy gave me the title for the book, though, and it really has captured my mind! I just might write a book if I live long enough! I think I’m too big a procrastinator to ever get it done, but I sure loved that title. I’m not telling the title; it’s our secret and is going to be a surprise. Nobody will ever guess it, but it’s perfect and has my mind writing. Thanks, Bob (That’s Bob Winstead; I’m blessed with Bob’s for good friends and I don’t want the rest of you Bob’s banging your heads wondering what you might have said to give me a title idea! Bob Winstead didn’t give me an idea, he gave me a title and it’s perfect!) Maybe I won’t write a whole book, but I think I really will write a short story. Now, THAT’s the joke of the day. I don’t write anything short! Maybe I’ll write an article for a magazine?

It was in the 30’s today, I think, but the sun was shining and the wind wasn’t blowing. So we walked around the property, carefully. It was slippery in some places, but we managed to stay up right. Whew, and thank you, God, for your help. We hope by the end of the week that all the trails will be clear for it to be safe for us to walk all over this place. I broke off some red berries for my arrangement, and stuck them in Don’s pocket since my ‘lumber jacket’ doesn’t have pockets. When we got home they had escaped, so I have to go back on a berry hunt tomorrow. I’ve got to have berries; my heart is set on them. God thrills me with these gifts! He thrills me with good health and the ability to scout around after them, too. God is great!

Happy February!

Here’s a picture Don took today before I got grubby after church. That’s my ‘flower arrangement’ behind me. I love those red sticks and I have no idea what the bloom is, but it makes me happy to have them on the kitchen bar. I thank God for beautiful surroundings all through the year. No matter where we are, I find beautiful things in nature. God amazes me with His awesome creativity and flare for beauty.

I’m exhausted, but it's good exhaustion. After church today we went to the grocery store and stocked up for the week. That means I had to wash all the salad greens and it was time to make more hamburger patties. All that means standing on my feet. Besides that I went to the fitness center and walked by myself today because Don was ‘playing super bowl all day.’ It was nice outside, again, today. The ice is melting off the trails, so I hope to go trail walking tomorrow. All the food is ready for easy preparation through the week; it's worth it to get it all done ahead even if it makes me tired.

I’d better get back to the super bowl; it’s the only time I get to see commercials, so that’s my favorite part. (Don always mutes them.)