Snow?

We are all braced around here for more snow. They're closing schools all around us, so the folks who make the decisions must believe it's coming. Tonight's picture is from Friday when we went walking at the lake. It was great to get some sun for a couple of days, so we thank God for this great break in the middle of winter.

We have plenty of food, so we don't need to go anywhere. If it snows we'll just stay here and enjoy the beauty of it. We mostly stay here, anyway, so it will just make it more interesting for us. I know it complicates life for people who have to get out to work, etc., so I pray that folks will stay safe when they have to go out in this weather. I'm going to thaw some chili for me to eat tomorrow; that sounds good to me.

Back to the kitchen.

I was back in the kitchen today. I cook once a week and put it in the freezer to finish cooking when we're ready to eat it. After church we went to the grocery store, so I had plenty to cook. I forgot to get lemonade mix, so I had to make another trip to Wal-Mart to get that. It was cool today because it was so cloudy; also it's January! I made (in the picture) a quiche, that when it's cool, I'll cut into single servings and it will feed me for 8 breakfasts. I cooked a pound of sausage, so every day I'll cut up one piece and add it to Don's omelet. That's the pound of sausage cooking on the stove.

I thank God that Don is so easy to feed. He's pretty picky, so he doesn't eat much of a variety, but he doesn't want variety. He's happy to eat so close to the same thing every day as long as it's on his favorite list. When he's dieting it's even easier. He's done really well on his diet. I think he's down to 208 these days. He has that omelet for breakfast every day. For lunch he has either baked salmon or cod and a salad. For supper he'll have either a hamburger (on a low carb tortilla instead of a bun) or a hamburger steak with grilled onions. It's not too much cooking and it seems to please him. (Of course he won't touch the quiche; it has cheese, which he won't eat.) Have great week!

69 degrees here today!

Tonight's picture is another one from our walk out by the lake yesterday. It was gorgeous here, again, today, but we walked this morning on the treadmills while they cleaned our unit. It was too cold then, to go walk by the lake. But, after lunch we went over to the fish hatchery and walked some more. Then we came back to the condo and laid out in the sun for a couple of hours. Wow, that felt good!

It's going to be cooler tomorrow, but it was sure nice to have a couple of gorgeous days to get outside and get some fresh air. I thank God the weather has been so nice. Even when it's cold, we can always be warm. I know that is such a blessing because we sure don't enjoy being cold!

The Coal Miner's Daughter is on, again, so I'm going to go watch it for real tonight while Don channel surfs. I saw just enough the last time it was on to make me know I need to see it all this time!

Walking in the sunshine!

This is the walkway out by the lake. We loved walking over there today! We had cabin fever, so this day was delightful for us! After we'd walked a while, Don took off his shirt. Everybody else was walking past us in long pants and coats! One guy said, "You must be from Canada!" Ha! We were never accused of that before today! It was great to be free of bulky clothes! I thank God for a gorgeous day and the ability to walk in it and see it in color! They've got 5 degrees predicted for next week, so we're going to enjoy this sunshine while we can!

Happy birthday, Don!

Tonight's picture is one I took of Don today when we went to the lookout. We are staying in the condos that are white with green roofs: they are off to the right at about the level of his head. Notice the Chateau up on the ridge in the left of the picture. It was fun to get out a bit today. It wasn't cold; it was nice!

Ruthie sent a wonderful reminder today. It reminds us that we are so blessed to have not only vision, but we see in awesome colors! I sure thank God for the blessings of vision and even color vision! If you have time take a look at this: http://www.greatdanepro.com/Just%20Colors/index.htm

I'm going to post; I hope that link works! BTW, Linda's son-in-law, Steve, had a 99% blockage, so they put in a stint and he is doing very well. PTL!!!

The daily treadmill walk.

Tonight's picture is one Don took of me today so I'd have something current to put on the blog. This is my regular walking shirt. At the fitness center, they probably think it's all I have. Today I had my hair pulled back into a low ponytail behind my ears; it just falls into these ringlets over my shoulders. On a cool day it's warming like this. In the summer, I'll wear it in a knot of some sort to be cooler.

I wrote to a girl who is just beginning cancer treatments this month and suggested to her that hair is way over-rated. And, see? In 3 years it has come back this much for me. There is life after cancer! Even hair! Actually, it was so easy when I didn't have to wash my hair or shave my legs! Every hair I ever had came back. I thank God for that. I would so be freezing if I didn't have hair, but it is lots more maintenance!

The wonderful corn buddies Trish made for me that winter that I was bald are right here with me, and I still use them a lot! I finally burned two holes into one of them this week, but I just sewed them up and on we go! Love those corn buddies! In fact the fleece jacket she gave me that year made this trip with me, too. It keeps me warm when Don freezes me out in the car. I still love that, too!

Tax time; ugh.

Tonight's picture is one Don took in the 2nd bedroom; it's becoming my office. I finally quit procrastinating and did some work on my taxes today. It wasn't so bad. It's just paperwork that has to be done. It's nice to have a nice area to work so Don's TV doesn't distract me.

It was nice outside, but we were inside working. We did get out enough to go up to the fitness center and get our walking done. We really thank God that we've been able to get this place week after week. The fitness room is perfect for us, as is the whole unit, and we especially like it that we can get our WIFI right in the unit. It's great for us!

Back in the little kitchen.

We took several pictures that day, and it's a good thing because we haven't gotten out to get more pictures! We go into the little kitchen to weigh; that's where we keep the scales out of our way. Does anyone besides us take their scales with them when they travel? No kidding, when we were loading the car to leave Big Cedar, some guy walked past and said, "There's another inch of space in there, yet." Then he said, "Don't let my wife see this!" It was good for laughs, but it is also so true that we take so much stuff with us when we go! We'll go home with less, though because we'll have taken all the vitamins we brought with us! (That's a couple of big boxes.)

Today it was over 40 here, so it was like a heat wave. We had an appointment with RCI, which we thought would help us understand their new direction, but it turned out they wanted to sell us something. No way we were buying any more vacation time, so we just enjoyed getting out of the condo for a bit. I'm happy we can agree on vacationing. God is great to give us plenty of time health to enjoy the vacation time that we have, so we give thanks but we don't need to be greedy about it!

If it's warm tomorrow, maybe we can get out and get some new pics. Don't hold your breath, but maybe!

2nd bedroom is empty; y'all come!

So this is the second bedroom and it's empty. Y'all come, if you want to join us, we've got room. I think we'll be able to keep 2 bedrooms as long as we're here. I go into this room to lay on the sofa and read; otherwise it doesn't get much use. Come on and join us if you want to work out and diet. (That's doesn't sound too exciting, does it?) Besides that I have puzzles to work! We're enjoying relaxing! Don has watched football all day. I finished a book. Tomorrow we'll start with taxes. Ugh.

Finally it was warm enough to shed the coat for church and wear my blazer. I had to get up and leave to have a coughing fit twice. I have not been sick at all since the first day that I felt bad. I hit it hard with herbs and NyQuil and DaQuil, so I've really felt like I wasn't sick. I know I'm getting better when this worthless cough starts. All of a sudden I have this terrible tickle and know I'd better get out of sight; then I cough like I'm coughing something up from my toes. I never get anything, but there must be a tiny little spot of phlegm somewhere that my body thinks is literally going to kill me and all that coughing jars it free. It produces a ton of tears and a very red face. I hope this is all the cough I have. I eyed the whiskey at the grocery store today in case I have to get some to mix with honey and get through a nasty coughing spell. I'm hoping to avoid that. The last time I had a bad cough, Don said, "Don't you need to make some cough syrup?" I said, "I'm not supposed to have alcohol!" He said, "You're going to die coughing! You don't have to take up drinking, just have a swallow to stop you from coughing." So, whiskey and honey is my back up plan if this cough gets worse. This is nothing new; it's the way my body has always handled upper respiratory issues. If I can just keep bronchitis from setting in, I think I'll be okay. I thank God that I've felt good and haven't felt sick at all; the cough at first has been my only symptom, and I haven't had it since I took the medicines until this tickling cough started today.

Got all excited about date day.

I had Don take this picture in the little kitchen, where the second bedroom is; I figured you were tired of pictures in the kitchen I use all the time. That's where I live, so that's where most of the pictures get made. This was last Wednesday when we went to the Cracker Barrel for breakfast. It was fun to go out for a change, although I really prefer eating in because we have exactly what we want, here. We were fresh out of carbs, so it was the time to go to the Cracker Barrel. Fran and Charlie had sent us a gift card, so we went out on them!

Today they did what they call a 'stay over cleaning' for us, while we went to the fitness center to work out. It was nice to not have to move. We'll get to do that, again, next week. 10 days before Feb. 5th I'll see if I can get this place; if I can, then we can stay another week. Moving is not too bad, but not moving is very, very nice!

We thank God for the ability to move if we need to and for the opportunity to stay at wonderful places even if it's not Hawaii. We watched a show about Hawaii beaches today and counted among our blessings that we've enjoyed most of them. It's a blessing to enjoy Missouri in the winter and spring, too. Spring is coming! Woohoo! (I don't see any sign of it, but I have faith!)

The little kitchen on date day.

Quiche in the making!

This picture is one Don made of me making my quiche the other night. I make a batch of quiche, cut it into servings, and put it into the freezer. Then every morning I warm up a piece for my breakfast. Don has an omelet every morning. (eyes rolling) Let me confess to what I did to his omelet this morning! I put the sweetener that was meant for his coffee into his omelet! I'm really on the lookout for Alzheimer symptoms and I think that may BE one! Bless his heart, he's dieting, and then I ruined his favorite meal of the day! So, the next time you put sweetener in your coffee, think of Don having his in his omelet. He wouldn't let me make him a new one! He went ahead and ate it. He must be some kind of saint.

It was still very cold here, today, so the snow is staying. The sun and traffic are melting it off the roads, but we don't have to go anywhere, so we're staying close. We did go to the fitness center and the sidewalks were clear. It looks like there is probably 3 inches of snow. It's beautiful and a nice change of landscape, but we'll be happy when it's warm enough to hike. I thank God for a beautiful place to be. No matter where we go, there is something beautiful that He made.

You'll all remember me talking of our friends Tom and Linda Rose, who went to Hawaii with us twice and who we visited in the fall of 2009; Tom came to see us last spring and surprised us with his visit. I got a note today that their son-in-law, Steve, had a heart attack today at 45! He's in ICU and doing well. Please include him in your prayers.

Love these shoes!

I
This is a picture Don took of me as I got a bowl down from the cabinet above the microwave. it's cool how adding an inch and a half to my height makes me able to reach more in the kitchen! I'm almost 5'2" in these shoes! They're great! They took some getting used, to, but I love them, now!

However, I didn't wear them today because we had snow and I didn't want to get them out in that. Plus, I wasn't sure if I could handle the slippery as well in them. I think we had a couple of inches. We only walked over to the fitness room (a few buildings from us), but we didn't venture out for anything else.

We thank God for health to walk and a beautiful change of scenery. Whatever I thought I was coming down with the other day seems to be backed off for now. I'm not coughing. I'm throwing all my remedies at it, and it seems to be working. I thank God for that, too! I haven't even used the Vicks tissues; I just admire them!

Awesome tissues!

Now, I'm 'selling tissues!' Seriously, these tissues made by Puff with Vicks in them are awesome. Our friend, Sharon, showed them to us when she was here. I thought I should have some in case I need them in my 'emergency kit.' So, they sit on the kitchen counter and keep all the cooties scared off! I haven't used one, yet! They're so strong, I just lean over toward them and that's good enough! It reminds me of when I was in college and my roommate (and cousin), Suzanne, kept Geritol to keep her perky: just the thought of drinking it perked her right up! She doesn't remember that, but it's something I sure never forgot. Anyway, these tissues are sure fun to have and make me know I'll be able to breathe through this winter! Thanks, Sharon for the tissue tip! Hope your sinuses are happy these days!

Today we got to eat out at the Cracker Barrel! Don's weight loss has hit a plateau, so he wanted to shock his system by eating some out of compliance things. They have plenty of those at the Cracker Barrel! So, it was fun to go out for breakfast! Then I made chicken burritos for lunch and chili for supper. Yum! It was fun to eat out of compliance for a day! We are so blessed to have plenty to eat. We thank God for our food and ask His forgiveness when we eat more than we need. Our intent today was not to eat too much, but to eat enough carbs to shock his system back into the losing pattern. Hopefully, we will never eat more than our share, again, but it's sure a hard habit to break! Thanks to Fran and Charlie for treating us to the Cracker Barrel!

New rocking shoes.

Today's picture is me modeling my new rocking shoes. I went to Wal-Mart today to stock up on remedies and food and came away with all that plus these shoes. I had resisted them the last time we were there, but I was too weak today. I really love them! I was afraid I'd have trouble walking in them, but they are really so comfortable! I've had them on ever since I got home, but a friend suggested I not wear them all day as they made her hips hurt when she did that. Heaven forbid: I sure don't need another pain, so these puppies are going to bed and I'm back to my crocks for the rest of the night.

I got a good stock of everything I might need if I get worse, but I'm really feeling pretty good. Of course I'm taking the remedies, so I think that could be why I feel so good. I thank God that I seem to have caught whatever this is in time to turn it around so that I don't feel so terrible. Ugh. I hate being sick, so I'm feeling better enough that I don't count it as sick. Feeling so bad that I can only go to bed and that doesn't help is what I call sick; I don't feel nearly that bad, although, yesterday I was afraid that was what was happening.

I didn't even get a nap today. Not that I didn't WANT one, I just didn't have time. When I get groceries, it becomes a big work day. All the veggies have to be washed! It was time to make quiche, too, so there just hasn't been time for a nap. They say we're going to get 2 or 3 inches of snow Thursday, so that will be cool! We're ready with plenty of food, so bring it!

Another sunset shot.

This picture is one Don took the first night we were at Big Cedar. It was a great sunset and he got it really well, I think.

It's cold still, so we're hanging close to the condo. Probably there are good sunsets here, but I'll have to remember to watch for them. We have a screened in patio, but I haven't felt the inclination to even go out there since we've been here.

I woke up this morning, coughing. I'm throwing lots of liquids and rest at it. I've got my 'emergency herbs' also. I just hope I can keep it from going into bronchitis and hold it to a few days instead of a couple of weeks. God is with me, so I'm just doing all I know to do to keep whatever this is minimized.

Branson Airport light fixture.

Tonight's picture: Is this not a fancy fixture for an airport? That is pine boughs and cones in metal on the amber shade; totally Bass Pro Shop, not to mention the wooden ceiling and beams. I find that so interesting!

Our granddaughter, Gracie has the chicken pox, so we expect Mason and Raynie will come down with them, soon. Hopefully, they'll be all better by spring break because we're sure looking forward to them all joining us here for that week! We're having a great time and we thank God for this time to relax and for some opportunities to share it with some others.

Settled in for a while.

The picture tonight is one I took of Don and Mary at the Branson International Airport on Wednesday. Notice there were no crowds; there was nobody, but us! So, we did our picture taking thing and called it good. Mary is in her comfort zone in this shot: behind the camera. I've never been in an airport where they had wild animals hanging, stuffed on the walls. Tomorrow I'll put on a picture I took of one of the light fixtures. It's really a pretty awesome place. I imagine in the spring, summer and fall the business picks up. They are building a NASCAR racing facility, here, too. They are always adding something huge.

We are happy to be here in the non-peak season. It's nice not to be run over by mobs of people and lots of traffic. Today was a great day. If we weren't moving, we would have hiked. There will be more great days. We were lucky to get to check in at 11:00 this morning. We'll be here for two weeks, so we won't have to move next week. That will be nice! We did love our week at Big Cedar! We always love time with Steve and Mary, so it was a healing and uplifting time for us. We thank God for good friends and time to enjoy them!

That's how facebook is for me: healing and uplifting because I get to spend time with so many people who mean so much to me. Many people don't get it, but that's what it is for me.

The missing piece!

Here's a picture Don took when we finished the puzzle. It wasn't finished until I made a piece tor it! We put all the pieces we had together and there were two pieces missing! We searched the whole unit and actually DID find one piece under the sofa bed. (That's a heavy sofa bed!) Even after Steve and Mary left, I searched, again, and we never found the last piece. So, I made a piece and even colored it, so it is workable for Jane, Dot's daughter. Dot is my good friend in Springville and her daughter, Jane, is also my friend. A couple of years ago when I was watching a bird nest on my front door, Jane sent me a picture that reminded her of 'my nesting birds.' She also solicited me to help with a project for a friend's grandson, so we have some ties. She likes puzzles and I intended to share this one with her, but I hated to send it with a piece missing! Notice the little tiny picture to the right on that round container; that's the container that had this puzzle in it, and that is the only picture we had to guide us in working this puzzle. This has been a very interesting experience. I'm glad I had two PhD's to help me work it! (Steve and Mary) Jane will have this picture to go by when she works the puzzle!

Tonight we're packing to get ready to check out and go back to The Suites at Fall Creek tomorrow. We really do like it there. This place has been a real treat, so we're glad we got to have a week here. I hope we can do another week here next winter, but this is the most booked resort that Bluegreen has, so it's questionable whether we'll be able to get it or not. They really have their act together, here, so it's worth the extra effort to get here.

It's been a great week. It's warmer for us to pack up and leave, so that's a blessing! We thank God for another great week of special sharing with special friends.

The blog amazes me!

Tonight's picture is one Don took yesterday when we got home from exploring around the area. There was a beautiful sunset over the lake off our balcony. The sunset doesn't look as good in the picture as it really was. Mary told us how to make sunsets show better in pictures, so maybe the next one we take will show up better. It was too cold to do it over last night!

It's been warmer today, but it's still cold. Steve and Mary left for home around noon, so we are on our own, again. We went over to the fitness center and had a great workout.

The interesting thing that when I stepped up onto a treadmill the girl on the one next to me said, "Hi! Do you write a blog?" I was taken aback! Do I look like someone who writes a blog? I told her yes and told her the name of it. She said, "When you walked in I thought I knew you! I work for Big Cedar marketing and I saw what you wrote on your blog about Big Cedar." Her name is Jennifer and she made me think twice before I put something into writing. I should have known that already, but I'll probably forget it. Then I got home and signed on to write tonight's post and there is a comment from someone who reads the blog and relates to working puzzles because of the puzzles she and her mom worked when they were going for her mom's treatments. Sometimes I realize how very small the world can be!

Terrible things happen in this world, but I believe that more often wonderful things happen. It sometimes takes so little to light up someone's life. I appreciate those who light up my life. I thank God for placing them in my life and I pray that I can help to lighten someone's load in life. Thank you for reading and keeping up with us. We are having a wonderful time at Big Cedar!

Freezing cold fun.

Today's picture is one Mary took of Don and Steve and I as we checked out the Branson International Airport today. It's interesting; there was nobody there, except us. I guess this is the down season for the airport as well as the shows, etc. We like it here when there is no traffic and no gobs of people. The airport looks like it's part of the Big Cedar design. It is a privately funded airport; there's no doubt much of the funding came from the owner of the Bass Pro Shop and Big Cedar. I've never been in another airport that had stuffed animals hanging on the walls!

Steve and Mary drive a Prius and they drove us all around the area today as we were watching for birds. We had some awesome sightings, too. The Prius is very quiet; when Steve stops there is no sound while it idles. It's like riding a golf cart, in terms of quiet. It's great because it doesn't scare the birds away! We were glad to be able to watch for birds from the car, because it was way too cold to get outside very much!

We are so blessed with good friends and time to spend with them! PTL!

Puzzling.

Tonight's picture is one Don took of Steve and Mary and I as we were working on this puzzle. It looks a lot better today! Notice the tree on the lamp shade; that tree and bears are really common around here. There are 3 fish on the wall above that lamp, but only a piece of one made it into the picture. Mary doesn't get too far away from her laptop. Today Steve has made great headway on the puzzle. I'd say it's about half done or more. The hard thing about this puzzle is that the picture we have to go by is only about 2" x 3". I've never worked a puzzle with a picture this small!

Today was brutally cold, so we only got out enough to ride the shuttle over to the fitness center. I think it was 11 out there. Tomorrow we plan to go drive around some and inspect the new Branson International Airport. They tell us it looks like a Bass Pro Shop! We'll see and we'll take pictures if it's worthy.

Our nephew one time impressed me when he prayed and thanked God for putting us into families. I thank God for that, too. However, there is a scripture that mentions a friend who is closer than a brother. I thank God for those kinds of friends, too! We are so blessed with family and friends.

Such good company!

Tonight's picture is one Don took Saturday, when we checked in and were making the rounds in this unit. Of course, I love the whirlpool tub. I'll get good use in there!

Steve and Mary arrived last night at about 9:20. They had to slide part of the way, but they arrived, safely. We thank God for that. I'm so glad they came early because we got an extra day with them. We had a great time today. It's COLD, but we still went out hunting birds. The birds are too smart to get out, though. We did see a yellow rumped warbler. A Carolina wren came and ate crumbs Steve put out on their patio! We're playing cards, working Ruthie's puzzle and watching football. Woohoo!

Here come Steve and Mary!

Tonight's picture is one that Don took yesterday of our bed, here, at Big Cedar. They have bears and deer and all manner of wild animals everywhere. Notice the bears on the roll pillow and the bears in the coverlet on the bed. This is a way comfortable bed, too! We really like it here, especially since we have the WIFI in the unit!

We have a prediction for a winter storm, so Steve and Mary are on their way instead of waiting until in the morning to come! Woohoo! I'll be glad for them to get here early, plus I'm really glad for them to get ahead of the storm. She has a smart phone and has sent me two messages that all is well. I love these new gadgets that keep us so well connected! (I'm so glad she has one and knows how to use it! Ha! I'd be up a tree if I had one!)

I thank God for good friends and their safe traveling. What a treat for us to have them join us here. This will be the third time they've joined us at Big Cedar, I think. Steve and I have the same birthday, so we always celebrate our birthday when we get together; we pay no attention to the date. We enjoy celebrating, whatever the day!

Supper time at Big Cedar!

Tonight's picture is one Don took of me fixing supper tonight. We're so glad to be checked in and settled, here. It's really a treat place. Coal Miner's Daughter is on TV, and I've never seen it, so I'm watching it over my shoulder and will go watch it right as soon as I get this posted.

We were so pleased to learn that they now have WIFI in the units! It's free to us because we have an account with ATT. I spend a lot of time mad at ATT, so I'm liking them lots better since we get WIFI access through them! I'll be happier to cut them some slack with all the jacking they do with our account. It's a real drag when we don't have WIFI in our unit, so this is a wonderful surprise. We got pictures of a great sunset off our balcony today and neat pictures of the bed in our bedroom and the whirlpool tub. Ah; this will be a nice week! I'll post those pictures later. Really, every week has been nice. This place is packed to the hilt, though, so I wasn't looking forward to traveling all over just to post to the blog and check email. This is a really nice surprise. The 'cookie lady' has already come and given us cookies, which I'll freeze for spring break and decaf for Don's breakfast. It's so cool when she comes every night; it's a specialty of this place. We were able to check in just shortly after noon, so that was a nice surprise, too.

God is great and we sure thank Him for the abundant blessings in our lives.

Barely awake enough to make it to the car.

Tonight's picture is one I took of Kyle as he left for home last Sunday. I think it's typical for a 13 year old to wake up with difficulty. In his defense, though, he slept on the couch in the living room, so he had to be the last one to bed. I was in there at nearly midnight rushing to type my blog and journal, and he never complained. He totally slept through breakfast, and he was very sleepy as he left. He was still kind enough to give me a smile for the camera, though. We are still enjoying the memories of their visit and we thank God for them and their safe travels!

We're packed and ready to check out of here after breakfast. We're going this week to Big Cedar, which is the most booked resort in all of Bluegreen. We like to go there, but this year we've only booked this one week there because it takes fewer points to do it the way we're doing it (using hot weeks and booking 10 days before we go). So, going out to Big Cedar is a treat. We always have someone join us when we go there. Steve and Mary have joined us twice, I think and they are coming next week. We absolutely love time with them. We hike and hunt birds if it's not too cold. But, it may be too cold and if it is, then we'll love playing cards. We'll go get checked in tomorrow and Steve and Mary will come Monday. So, off we go!

They got the fitness room up and running today, so we were back to the treadmill. We'll come back here for the week after Big Cedar. We like it here, too! We got a post office box in Hollister, so that Joan can forward our first class mail to us, easier. It was tricky moving from one place to another each week! So if you need to mail us something, our address is:

PO Box 1706
Hollister, MO 65673

And they were off!

Tonight's picture is one I took as the kids piled into the Suburban. Water? Check! Sunglasses? Check! It's amazing we didn't find a thing that they left, so they got home with all they brought, I hope! (This is Elise and Gina in the picture.)

Today they were still painting in the fitness room, so Don and I walked around the outside of the resort grounds. It was tolerable to walk in the cold and interesting; so glad the wind wasn't blowing like it does in Oklahoma, or we'd have frozen! I thank God for the opportunity to walk inside or outside; it's a great privilege that many people our age don't have, so PTL!

Otherwise, all is relaxing here! I thank God for that, too. I just talked to David and Dorothy and he gets to go home in the morning if he still is feeling better like he is now. PTL!!!

Good sports!

Gina and "company" got up early to head home on Sunday, so they weren't too excited about me taking pictures. Elise and Sharon were good sports, though! We're so grateful for their stopping to spend a night with us. They got here around 5:30 on Saturday, so we had time for a good visit with them. Then they made it home, safely, so we give thanks! Sharon was fighting a sinus infection, so she introduced me to Vicks tissues. Man, those things are STRONG! Have you smelled them?

Today we went over to the fitness room and it was closed; they were painting. Hopefully, it will be up and running tomorrow. We should have walked around outside, but we were just lazy today. I guess it's okay to take a day off here and there. RIF: Reading Is Fun! Relaxing is great, too. It's great not to have a heavy duty agenda!

I called home to check in today and learned that David and Dorothy spent the night at the hospital last night. David has an infection, so they'll keep him for a few days. I hope they can get him out of there quickly before he gets some bug on top of this. Man, COPD is sure bad stuff! Please keep them in your prayers, and I'll keep you updated about them. (Dorothy is okay; she just stayed in the hospital with David. She is having a terrible time with pain in her leg and hip, though.)

Another fork trick.

Don forgot to bring his extending fork, but we've had fun with the huge forks in our units. When we were at Horseshoe Bend we set the table with a huge serving fork at Phil's place for one meal. That was funny! So, when Gina and the kids were here, we set the table at breakfast with the huge serving fork at Ethan's place. He said, "This is a ginormous fork!" And, I love his expression! He's a real clown, so he was the perfect one for this fork. Gina's a great sport, too!

I mentioned yesterday that I was sweating like a pig and my good friend, Vereal Barton corrected me! Pigs don't sweat! Horses sweat and pigs wallow to get cool; they are unable to sweat. Maybe I've been upgraded? I sweat like a horse. Ha! My good friend from high school (Charlie Clark) says that girls (that's a complement!) don't sweat, but they glow. Well, whatever, I come home from the fitness center glowing like a horse, I guess. I guess I'll never make much of a country girl. I never felt like a city girl, but I must lean in that direction. I thank God that I can sweat. It would be a huge mess if I had to roll in some mud to get cool! 'Glowing' is messy enough! Thanks, Vereal! You sure know how to make me think of you often!

Reliving the visit.

Today's picture is Don getting a hug from Ethan as they were leaving yesterday. It was so fun to get to visit and play cards with this bunch!

Today we got back to our work out at the fitness center. So, I'm sweating like a pig, but very content. We like these workout sessions and appreciate this place for having a pretty good fitness center. Next week we'll go to Big Cedar and they have a great fitness center. They won't have Internet in the room, but I think I can get dial up in the room. We'll see how that works. I'm just grateful to have great places to spend the winter and even more grateful for family visits while we're here. God sure blesses us abundantly!

This morning our power went off for about 30 minutes just as I was setting breakfast on the table. I was so grateful that I had it cooked before it went off and it occurred to me that we're so blessed to have electricity all the time. Just a hundred years ago (and less!) nobody had electricity or water in their homes! When I was born, we didn't have a car. We did have electricity and hot running water in the house, but we didn't own a TV until I was 9. Then we went back to Japan and, by the time I was 14 and we were back in the states, and I had never developed the habit or appreciation for watching TV. My grandparents had only an out house, although they did have a tub in the house and running hot and cold water. Not having electricity this morning reminded me that we live in such abundance that we take for granted. I thank God for, not only life, but a very good life.

Cold!

Tonight's picture is Don giving Elise a hug this morning before they left to go home. We had a wonderful visit. I'll post more pictures this week. We sure thank God for their visit and their safe trip.

It's cold here, today. It seemed cold when we went to church and after church when we went to Wal-Mart to pick up some groceries. I've stayed busy today, but I can't get warm. It's like I'm chilled to the bone. I'm headed to take a nice warm bath; that will do it! Just think 100 years ago they didn't have running hot water and we think times are tough! (I thank God for hot water in the house, too!)

Nearly forgot, again!

Wow! We're having so much fun with Gina and the kids. I started to bed and remembered I hadn't done the blog! I haven't even taken any pictures! YIKES! So, I'll take pictures in the morning before they leave. The picture I put on here is of Gina and Don last September when we were at their house and she was taking us through their greenhouse. So, in the next few days when I put on a picture of Don, you'll see how much weight he's lost!

They got here in great time and we had supper and have played cards and talked since then. I sure thank God for their safe trip and pray that he will keep them safe tomorrow, too.

Sorry I almost missed this post!