Cool dudes!

I haven't had a chance to make more pictures, so you're looking at a collection of these cool dudes the day we went to the reunion. I look at these pictures and am so very proud of them. Garrett is in the yellow shirt and Gabe is in the orange shirt. Garrett will be 11 in December and Gabe will be 13 in November. They are both very caring and sensitive guys. They love each other as cousins and sure have a lot of fun together. I think back to cousins who were so much fun when we were kids and I'm pleased for these guys to have great time to spend with each other. It was funny listening to them as they played; they called each other 'Dude.'

I look back over the pictures on the blog and realize that I really have a wonderful collection of pictures of our family and friends. I'm so blessed to have not only the picture collection but the collection of family and friends! I am wealthy with meaningful relationships in my life. We've had great times in just the last few months and I treasure the pictures and memories.

The leak in the basement has slowed some, but we still are pumping out hundreds of gallons. We've lost count, but we're keeping track on paper as best we can. Lots is pumping out with the sump pump that we aren't even counting. We are so grateful that our leak is filtered through the ground and not flood water just rushing in with all the debri it carries! Lots of folks in town are dealing with flood waters, and I'm so sorry for them. Of course after the flood waters are gone, they are gone, whereas our leak keeps coming as long as the ground is saturated. We're working with it and getting the job done. We'll be glad to have a break tomorrow, and hope it comes for us! If we don't get more rain, maybe the leak will stop soon. We are both tired of this adventure, but thank God for the positives in it; we've learned so much and we've had the strength to endure it.

We are disappointed that we haven't heard from MD Anderson, yet, but it's all part of God's plan. WE think we should go rushing right down there, but God isn't in that big a hurry. He wants the basement rinsed, I guess. Whatever He wants; I'm good with it. I'm just so glad He gives me rest at night and wonderful friends and family during my waking hours! Thank you for being here with us. I love you.

Reflections of a Grammy.

Okay, you can tell I haven't been out taking pictures; I've been in the basement pumping water! We got the most yesterday, but it has slowed a bit and we only got about 2/3 today what we got yesterday at this time. It was dry long enough outside for Don to get out and mow the grass today. It's been growing so fast with all the rain! I cut off the iris greens and raked them as much as I could quickly do, but it looks rather like a tornado went through the iris patch. They're hardy! I had to hurry because the mosquitoes were really after me and I hate that!

The pictures on the blog today represent fun time for me. The first one is little Elena. I was so proud to get a picture of her smiling! She smiles a lot, but just when I get the camera clicked, she drops the smile. So I got lucky with this one.

The second one is Sadie and Garrett feeding the prairie dogs at the reserve. We aren't supposed to do that, but everyone does, so they come up looking for you to feed them. It's too fun to not do it. I'm sure there is a good reason to not do it, but it didn't weigh stronger than the thrill of feeding them.

The last picture represents so many great memories. Gabe had seen a lizard on that rock and the three of them went chasing it. Look at Gabe's stance. He is such a hunter and he catches just about everything he chases. He missed that one, but I thought he was going to get him. The other two are great supporters. The three of them were so much fun to be with. It's a treasured memory for us to have had them with us for a few days.

MD Anderson Cancer Center hasn't called to make an appointment, yet. I promise I'll let you know the minute I know what we're doing. In the meantime we're counting the blessings. I was looking back over the blog, and am reminded of so many good friends and wonderful family. Plus I have all of you people who care in my life. Wow! That's a lot to count! Thank you, God!

No news, just more water.

The storms that I was running from when I wrote the entry for the blog last night brought us another 1.7 inches of rain. Our dry basement was covered except for one little corner this morning. It's been coming in as fast as Don could pump it out all day. He's pumped out over 500 gallons that he picked up with the wet vac and no telling how many he pumped out with just the sump pump alone. He's worn out. He slipped on that slippery floor this morning and fell flat on his back, so he'll be really stove up tomorrow. He hurt all day today, but we gave thanks that he didn't break a bone!

I worked all day getting herbs and vitamins packaged for the next month and getting them ordered for the next 6 months. That order will come in soon and I'll get busy packaging them so I'll be ready for whatever is in store for me at MD Anderson.

MD Anderson hasn't called me yet for an appointment time. I know you are all wondering about that because I've had no less than a half dozen people call to ask me if I'd heard today. Now that I'm in a hurry, they are in no hurry. I work until I go to bed, but they quit at 5; I guess they have to go home and work until they go to bed, huh? Anyway, patience is a virtue. God is driving this plan, so He knows how it all works and has the right timing in mind and in the works. I trust Him.

The pictures on the blog tonight are all from the reunion. The first is John, our nephew, being 'forked' by Uncle Phil. You haven't had the best laugh in the world until you've seen Uncle Phil 'fork' someone. Be ready if you eat with him! The next one is my cousin, Suzanne, holding Elena. Suzanne and I are a year apart and we were close always because we spent all the summers that I was in the states visiting around at our grandmother's and aunt's houses, making all the vacation Bible schools; between all the family we made about 7 vacation Bible schools, so that was most of the summer. She handed all her clothes down to me, so that was wonderful, too! Then we were roommates at Lipscomb, so she's more like a sister than a cousin to me. The kids always called her Aunt Suzy, so that's Aunt Suzy holding Elena. The last one is my sister, Ruthie, holding Elena. We're all so grateful that Elena is a feather because she's so easy to hold! Click on one of the pictures of Elena and notice that pretty little bib with roses on it; my precious friends, Tom and Linda ROSE sent that little bib and some other 'rosy' things that are still too big for her. Isn't that a precious little bib, though? (Thanks Linda and Tom; yes, that's the same Linda who writes on the blog a lot.)

It's not storming, yet, but we have a chance for storms and more rain tonight. What a weather year this has been. It beats tornadoes all over the place, though, so I'm giving thanks. I'm so thankful for the sump pump and the wet vac; they sure beat my little wet vac and diapers that we started out using to get up the water. I'm shutting down and unplugging the computer, so that I don't have to get up during the storm to do it; there have been so many folks losing appliances, computers, etc. with lightning strikes, so I'm doing the ounce of prevention thing in hopes of not getting hit.

Thanks for caring and checking on us. I promise to post every bit of news that we get and our plans as they develop. Right now we are just hanging loose, getting as ready as we can for whatever shoe falls next, and thanking God for taking care of us all the way.

Whole new plan!

Sorry, but no time for pictures. We just got home from all day in Oklahoma City with the doctor. The thermogram showed that the cancer is hot, so we've got to take another approach. What we've been doing isn't getting the job done. So, we have contacted MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. We'll be going there for tests and treatment as soon as possible. Don't anyone be horrified. This is only another bump in the road of life. We'll get over it. God has a plan and we'll work it the best we can, thanking Him and giving Him praise and glory all the way. We don't always understand, but we always believe and love. I love you all for caring and looking and I knew you'd be looking to see how it's going if you realized today was the day for the thermogram.

We came home to a DRY basement, but a new storm is hitting right now. I've got to get off this computer and shut it down before lightening strikes it. God is good, but His storms are mighty, too! PTL!

Water management, not flooding.

We have learned so much from this flooding experience. We are ready to leave the basement and our friends in charge in case it floods again. We've learned that we don't have to attempt to keep it dry as long as the water is seeping due to water saturation. We just go down every few hours and collect what is there with the wet vac and then pump it out with the sump pump. It's a pretty easy process. We were trying to keep it dry all the time, and that was like trying to clean up the kitchen after Thanksgiving with a cotton ball, only more back breaking. It's just a matter of managing the water with the right tools. When it quits seeping, we can vacuum all that's there and it'll be and stay dry under normal circumstances. We'll leave the wet vac down there handy, as well as the sump pump. It'll never again shake us like it did this time because we know how it works, now. We probably won't have this much rain for another decade, anyway.


Tomorrow is the day I go for my follow up breast thermogram. I'm looking forward to the consultation with this expert. I'll post what we learn on the blog tomorrow night.


The pictures on the blog today are more from when Sadie, Garrett and Gabe were here. That was such a fun time for us, so I treasure these pictures. The first one is of the three of them sitting on a big rock, overlooking the heart rock. The second picture is of the three of them beginning the little climb up to overlook the heart rock. Garrett is wearing the navy shirt and Gabe is wearing the striped shirt. Gabe and Sadie are brother and sister, two of Tricia's 5 children. Garrett is Gretta's oldest and the big brother to baby Elena. The last picture is Gabe holding his proud catch, the desert toad that he named Jerry. He's really a cool toad. Click on the picture and you'll see that he has RED spots. I couldn't be prouder of these kids. They are entertained by the adventure and beauty of this earth that God gave us. They get along great and have huge hearts. We had a wonderful time making a trip with them and having them with us here. I guess you can tell that, huh? Amongst the counting of our blessings they are right up there at the top with all the rest of our family. I'm pleased to be able to show them to you. Thanks for looking and counting blessings with me.

Count it all Joy.

Tonight's lesson was taken from James and it reminded me that we are to count it all joy, even problems. I've been all wrapped up in the flooding basement, so it was good for me. We've learned so much from this flooding experience!

We were trying to keep the basement dry. We figured out that the water is coming, and coming, and coming as long as the ground is this saturated. What we have to do is accept that and pump it out from time to time to keep it from winning. When it quits seeping in, THEN we can get it dry, again. We've got fans going, so air is circulating. We can get it nearly dry, then we just leave it and go back and do it again. It's a doable thing. Staying with it like I was last night is not the way to go. I took a 3 hour nap today, and we're going to bed early. The basement is only the basement. It's not everything. It's purpose is to provide shelter in case of a storm and I sew down there and the kids play a lot down there. As long as we keep it where it's okay to be wet for brief periods, it won't be a big deal. I value that basement as a storm shelter. The kids love it for playing. All the kids in this family treasure times spent down there when this house was Grandma and Grandpa's house.

The pictures on the blog today are from the reunion in Tennessee. My sister, Ruth, and my brother Jim:

Me, with Elena, and my brother, Jim:

Elena working her magic on her great Uncle Phil, Ruthie's husband:

Precious memories; treasured moments; counting the blessings and thanking our God with praise to Him. Thank you for looking; I love you all.

I know that God loves a clean basement!

I haven't had time to download the pictures I took of the basement leaks this morning. It started leaking around 7 this morning and I've been down there ever since. That's 18 hours. I'm bushed. I'm going to write a dab for this blog, go power plate and then take a look at what has happened since I left it. If it's too scary, then I'll vacuum up some more water. If it looks like I can take a bath, then I'll do that before I look again. I'd like to go to bed, but I don't want to get up to an inch or more of water in the basement. I keep thinking it will stop seeping, because it hasn't rained since this morning. I don't get it. All I know is that it's God's basement. If He wants it clean, then I've got to stick with it. I don't want mold to get started down there. Don says that will take days, and he went to bed. He worked until a couple of hours ago and then he just gave out. He really wanted me to go to bed, too, but I refused because I still had some energy. I figured God gave me that energy and it was for the basement. I can always sleep.

Okay, the pictures on the blog are about this flooding. The first one is the road around the park. I stood where that water is and took a picture of the lake and the dam to put on the blog once. Now, the road is covered with lake, and it goes WAY past that, too. Just last week Gabe and Garrett and Sadie were down to the left of the guard rail in a little swampy area catching frogs and tadpoles. It would be over their heads, now.

The other picture is the little bull snake who made the mistake of going into our garage yesterday as we backed out to go touring around to see all the flood damage. I'm not real fond of snakes, but they don't freak me out like they do most people. My brother always had snakes around, so I find them interesting. However, when they go into my garage I find them threatening! So we chased him out and killed him with the hoe. I didn't know he was a bull snake until I looked him up on the internet. If I'd known I would have just thrown him out into the yard and let him get mice for me since we don't have a cat. He'd have probably gotten birds, instead, though. Anyway, I didn't have time to run look him up on the internet, so he got the hoe. Sorry, Gabe; I know you'll hate that I killed him.

Okay, I've rested enough. I'm going to go power plate and then take a look in the basement. I'm thanking God that the snake didn't come into the basement with me down there working. I'm thinking I might ought to take a hoe down there, you think? I'm thinking a shop vac won't help me much. No problem, God won't want snakes in the basement, so He'll take care of that for me. Ha! If He sends a snake to the basement, I'll KNOW He wants ME OUT OF THE BASEMENT! I find them interesting when I'm in control, but I'm thinking I'm too tired to be in control and the basement would be really small if I was down there with a snake. I'm glad God cares about even small things like me! Still counting . . . not in any order, just counting lots of blessings.

Relief from the flooding!

We got only .2 inches of rain last night, so the basement was DRY when we got up this morning. That's the good news. The rest of the good news is that we can move even if it is like 90 year olds in pain. That was a tough day and I'm so grateful that we got a break today. We went to the Kozy Diner for breakfast and then drove around and looked at the damages from the flash flooding in town. The bad news is that it was devastating for some; so our water in the basement was a small thing. We aren't out of the woods, yet, as there are lots of chances for rain in the forcast. We had intended to go to a baseball tournament in Wichita Falls, but we are afraid to leave the basement with the ground so wet, plus we aren't moving very well. It's a good time to stay home and rest if possible.

We drove to Altus and viewed the full Lake Lugert, and then went to lunch at the Western Sizzlin. Lake Lugert has been so near empty for the last several years; it is beautiful to see it full and water going over the dam. We ate lunch late, so that'll be as close as we get to supper. On the way home we stopped to see our friends Jo Ann and Frank; Jo Ann had her knee replaced nearly 2 weeks ago and she's doing great, so that was a good visit.

I have a load of clothes in the washer and will go to bed as soon as they are done. I'm bushed. Rest is good and I'm ready for some.

Today's pictures on the blog are of Sadie and Garrett and Gabe when they were here with us last week. The first one is Sadie wearing Poppy's hat. The second one is Sadie and Gabe sitting on the 'heart rock' with Poppy and Garrett leaning against it. The last one is Sadie and Garrett looking on as Gabe proudly displays the desert toad that he caught at the reserve. Treasured memories for us!

God is great and I thank Him and give Him praise!

Flooding!

Oh, my goodness! I sent pictures from our lake last night. We got up this morning and our lake was way out of it's boundaries! We had water beginning to come into our basement and we've been all day shop vacuuming it to stay ahead of it. Joan brought over her brother, Floyd's, shop vac, so we had two to use. We had made over a hundred trips up the stairs to empty those when David and Dorothy came over to bring us Subway sandwiches for dinner. They went and got their sump pump and hoses so we could pump the water out of the basement instead of having to tote it up those stairs! We still have to vacuum it, but we just empty it into a big plastic bin and then pump it out the escape hatch of the basement. It's also slowing as it comes inside, so if we can miss the rain all around us, then we'll get some sleep tonight. We are under flash flood warnings, and also there is a 70% chance of rain! God knows what we need and what we can handle, so we give thanks for the strength to get through today. I'm thanking him for the diapers I've hoarded over the years. I must have squeezed a million today into a hospital bath pan and toted it up the stairs. I filled 3 washers full of water which I squeezed out of diapers before we got the second shop vac. Both hands are blistered in 3 places; I think that means I'm a pansy and haven't been working hard enough. I'm sure God is a fanatic about clean basements. I keep being concerned about getting the house clean and He wants the BASEMENT clean. I thought it was pretty clean, but I guess he wanted it rinsed good.

My new cables for the camera came today, so I've got pictures galore. I'll give them to you 3 at a time. Today's pictures are Gabe and Garrett mesmerizing Elena; she thought they were awesome; can you tell? Then there is a good shot of the two of them before we left for the reunion. Then there is one of Gabe, Garrett and Sadie getting to ride in the rumble seat of Uncle Phil's car. How cool are they? Tomorrow I'll show you more great pictures.

God is great; praise Him, and I've lost count of the blessings, but I'm just starting over counting.

From our Hunter Lake.

Pictures on the blog today are pictures I've caught over the last month in our walks around Hunter Park Lake. We see the turtles sunning almost every day. It's fun to see how many of them stay even though we're walking in the area. Usually most of them slide off into the water when they hear us. Often there are 6 or eight on this log, but only two stayed long enough for me to get this picture. The yucca plant was in full bloom; I love those plants for some reason. We used to have a bunch of them growing in our yard when we lived in OKC; I should get some more. They are hardy and I love them. I love low maintenance plants. The last picture is of the blue heron. He is out there almost every day, too. I love him, too; he usually stays even though we are there, so I think he might like us, too. When we lived in Oklahoma City, 20 years ago, there was a creek that ran behind our house. There were great blue herons who lived back there with us, so these herons feel a little like family to us.


Today was quiet around here with no kids. We did our walking, which we hadn't done since we left for Branson/Louisville/Nashville, so it was quite a trek. We waited too late to go, so it was really hot. Went before breakfast, but that's too late at this time of year. We're going to bed at 9 and getting up EARLY to walk in the morning. Hot is good because cancer doesn't like it, but too hot brings on a migraine, so I have to find a balance. What a trick; that's pretty much the trick to life: finding the balance in everything. I'm not good at balance; I'm good at over-indulging. That's why it's a good thing I don't smoke or drink; too bad I did sugar! I don't do sugar anymore, so I'm working on cleaning up my habits.


I have to tell you this: I decided the birds were through with the nest, so I took the nest down and set it in our flower box out front. Then I cleaned off the door where they had turned it into the "bottom of a bird cage." After I cleaned all that off, I swept off the porch. As soon as I got inside I heard them out there chirping! I went to the window to see a little female hopping around, inspecting the nest and picking up pieces of nesting that I'd swept into the yard! What a hoot! I wonder if she'll use the nest in the planter box or rebuild on the door! I'm amazed at those birds. God's amazing. I'm counting and thanking Him for small and great wonders; join me!

Home, again; tired.

We took the kids home today; stayed and watched Sadie play ball; went grocery shopping and made it home. She's a good little catcher and a precious granddaughter. We are so blessed!

We are absolutely exhausted, though and heading to bed. I'm putting a picture on today's blog of a gorgeous calla lilly Gretta had blooming in her garden when we were there last week. It's nothing compared to all the kids, but it's a flower I could never get to grow and it's sure gorgeous! God bless us all; thanks for reading about us.

Fun day at the reserve and in the lake.

Actually, nobody went to the lake, but Gabe, Garrett and Sadie went to the edge of the lake in a little run over type swampy area and caught gobs of frogs, some tadpoles and a fish or two. They got way dirty and loved it, I think. Before that we went to the reserve and had a great day. I'm too tired and it's too late to go into details, but we had lots of fun and that's the bottom line. Tomorrow we take them home and go to Sadie's softball game. It'll be another long and fun day.

I never found my camera cable and Gretta says it's not at her house. So, I ordered another one from the guy on ebay, who has become my cable supplier. UGH. I hate when I can't get to my pictures to share with you. I got good pictures of the reunion and great pictures today, but I just filled up the card on the camera with good stuff; can't share until the end of the week. So, the pictures on the blog today are some I took of Elena when we were there last week. She's a dolly and Sadie and I enjoyed picking out the pictures to use tonight. God Bless!

It's a long road home.

What we thought would be an 8 hour trip home turned into a 12 hour trip. As we were coming right through Oklahoma city a tire shreaded on us. It was our right rear tire; it didn't go flat, but the rubber just shreaded all over it. It was banging and knocking something awful and we couldn't pull off for about a mile. We thought it was flat and ruining the rim, but we finally pulled off and it wasn't flat but it had torn up the back fender and bumper. Don's passenger door wouldn't open because the panel was coming off the door; I guess that was from all the shaking? Some guy walked up and said he could fix the door for us, which he did and then he asked us for some change. Gladly! We were so grateful for the door to be working! AAA came and put the spare on for us and we went to Wal-Mart and bought a tire. When Don went to get gas he noticed the gas tank is all shaken out of place, too. No telling how thick this plot may get. He will take it tomorrow to see how bad the damage is. All we know is that it sure could have been a lot worse and we're grateful.

The kids were GREAT through all this. They thought it was an adventure, not a catastrophe; they're right! They didn't complain ONE time about having to wait. They were awesome!

We came straight to Hobart and ate at the Pizza Hut. We came on home and they are happily playing in the basement. Tomorrow we'll go to the part; they wanted to go tonight, but it was nearly dark by the time we pulled into the garage.

At the Pizza Hut we had just ordered when our friends, David and Dorothy came in! What a fun surprise! We asked them to join us, but they had another couple coming to join them, so we just visited a bit. It was sure good to see them; it made us really feel like we were home.

I haven't found the cord to download pictures, yet, so no pictures tonight. Bear with me and keep counting the blessings with me. PTL!

Reunion day and coming home with 3!

I don’t have the vocabulary to tell you how much a family reunion means to us. After we got through, Don said, “Four hours with the family; was it worth all that driving.” My reply was, “Absolutely!” Every one of our cousins was there, and someone is usually missing; often it’s ME. Two years ago our youngest daughter, Gretta, impressed on me, “Mom, there will always be baseball, but there won’t always be reunions with all of these people.” She’s so right. Each year we lose someone, so we’re committed to make every one that we possibly can. It’s a wonderful time. We have a heritage and family to treasure, so this is treasured time for us. I was really pleased to have 4 of our grandkids with us. We got to bring 3 of them home with us; Gretta wouldn’t let us take Elena.

So, we have Gabe, Garrett and Sadie. Gabe is 12 and Garrett and Sadie are 10, so they are low maintenance. All we have to do is feed them and remind them to settle down every now and then. Sadie and I played cards all the way from the reunion to here, which was about a 5-hour drive. The boys played until they fell asleep in the very back of the van. We all got up at 6:40 this morning, so we’re ready to crash. They swam at the pool after we got here tonight. We’ll head for home early in the morning.

I’m putting pictures on the blog tonight of Garrett headed to the pool at his house this week; one of Gabe holding Elena; and one of Sadie with Elena. I think I left my camera cord at Gretta’s house. UGH. I can’t find it to download the pictures from the camera that I took today. As soon as I can download them you’ll see the great haircut that Gretta gave to Gabe. These are some of the many blessings we are counting! PTL

Oh, my! Today has been full and wonderful. Gina came with her 3 kids to spend the day with us, so that saved us the drive up there. It’s not that far (about 45 minutes), but with all the driving we’ve been doing, it was a big deal to us, so we really appreciate it. The kids played in the pool and we had a great day of visiting.

We’re pretty much packed and ready to head to the reunion and then toward home tomorrow. If I don’t get to make a blog entry tomorrow, don’t worry about us. I’ll catch up when we get home.

Pictures on the blog tonight are: Sadie holding Elena; and Elise and Kyle on their way to the pool.

I may not get this stuff onto the net tonight because I’m having trouble connecting. It might be morning before I get it done. I’m going to bed, counting the blessings!

safe in Louisville

I’ve barely got connectivity here, so I’m just going to say we had a safe trip and got here in good time. We missed Peggy and Mike in Louisville, so we missed that connection. We got here in time to enjoy some afternoon and dinner. It’s been wonderful. No time for pictures today. I’ll catch up.

All is good and, man, are we counting the blessings!

Branson has been fun.

Today was our last day in Branson, and we had lots of fun. We had lunch with Bob and Diana Clark at Ruby Tuesdays and it was delicious and fun. Pictures on the blog today are the four of us at lunch.

We went to the condo and stayed with the kids while Trish and Rob went out tonight. While we were there I did our laundry, so we have clean clothes for the rest of the trip. I played cards with Nate and Gabe, too. They are all too fun.

Nate may decide to go home instead of with us on the rest of the trip. It’s a lot of riding in the next 4 days and he’s got yards to mow at home. He’ll decide before morning. We’re leaving at 7, so I’ve got to get off here and get to bed.

I thank God for keeping us safe as we travel and for blessing us with such marvelous family and friends. Counting . . .

Elena has her Derby hat ready.

Life is all joy, when you have a pretty dress. Here's Elena to prove it.
But, life is very serious when you're talking about a Derby hat. I think this one is perfect, but she's got to be sure she's got the right dress to go with it. Gretta must have a new camera; she's showering us with pictures and teasing us to death; we can hardly wait to get there to see them! We'll leave as early as possible Thursday morning.

I had to show you this swan that was on our bed when we checked into this hotel. I've never seen such a thing; I tried to see how they did it, but the best I could do was take a picture.















The weather is smiling on us, here. We're all having a great time. We did our owner's update today and managed to say 'no' to buying anymore time, so we feel really good. We have plenty to enjoy and then some!

We're feeling good. God is taking good care of us. Counting and praising . . .

Fun day in Branson

Today went by, flying like a bird! Time flies when you’re having fun, you know. We were staying in one hotel last night and we checked out this morning and moved to this one this afternoon. This one is better. Last night was fine, but this is nicer. We’re staying here for 3 nights, so we can kind of settle a bit. We went over this morning and stayed at the condo with Sadie, Mason and Grace while Trish and Rob and the big boys (Nate and Gabe) went and did big people things. The little kids played at the playground and then had lunch. After lunch and a rest we went to the pool. Grace wanted me to take pictures of all the kids at the pool; they were all her friends. She is such a hoot. Any new person came to the pool and she was their friend within 90 seconds, that is, however long it took her to get to them. It was really a fun day. Then at 3:30 we met Bob and Diana and we all went over to the Branson Theater Review that the Surrey throws for owners and guests. We had a buffet dinner and then watched about 3 hours of bits of shows from all over Branson. We really enjoy these evenings and see a lot of talent.

On the blog tonight will be a picture of Gabe and Sadie in the pool and another of Grace with Mason’s goggles on upside down. She was saying ‘Cheese.” As soon as Trish and Rob and the boys came home, Gabe came immediately to the pool to join us. He swims like a fish. They all do. Rob’s Mom has a pool at her house, so they’ve always spent lots of time in the water. They were all born in the bathtub, so I wonder if that has anything to do with their no fear of water?

Gretta sent precious pictures of Garrett reading to Elena, too. I’ll put one of those on the blog tonight, too. We can hardly wait to get there to see them!

I’m ready to jiggle and hit the bed. God is so good to us; it’s a joy to spend time with the kids. Counting . . .

In Branson

We made it to Branson, and so did Trish and Rob and the kids. I'm at the computer at the condo, so I just wanted to report that we all made it fine.

It was pouring rain when we left this morning, but we drove out of the rain before we got to OKC and it was beautiful the rest of the way. Poor wheat farmers did NOT need rain today, so I know they are hating it. This is how it is every spring for them; I'm surprised we have any bread at all. Farmers have got to be tough!

Bob Clark made it safely back from Russia and he and Diana are on their way here. They have a unit close to Trish and Robs. We'll see them sometime this week. We haven't seen Bob since November, so it'll be like a reunion. I had lunch with Diana last Friday, but we love every moment together. Bob has been gone for 3 months, so we're going to leave them to themselves to get to spend some time together.

It's nice to relax and not have a ceiling to fix or weeds to pull! God takes care of us and we give thanks!

Tournament cancelled; the sky is falling!

We were about an hour away from home when Davy called to tell us the tournament had been cancelled due to rain. We went on to Wichita Falls and enjoyed breakfast with him for about 3 hours. It was a great visit, and then we came on home. We walked and got some Vitamin D, then cleaned up and went to the Mexican Restaurant for dinner with David and Dorothy.

We came home and I was doing some research on the internet as Don was watching TV when we heard a click in the hallway as if someone had dropped a clothes pin or some such. I went over and looked and a bit of the ceiling had fallen! It wasn't wet or anything. It was just more of 'the sky is falling.' That piece of ceiling was tired of being there. I had two cans of repair stuff from years ago when we did some repairs and painting. One didn't work. The other one did all over the ceiling, me and the floor. Good thing I had followed the directions and spread a sheet out over the nearby chair in the living room and put on a pair of safety glasses. I haven't checked my hair for ceiling repair. I have the sheet and my shirt in the washer. It's always something, but I'm so glad to be able to climb on a ladder. How lucky that I had TWO cans and one worked! So the ceiling is fixed and the mess cleaned. I'm headed for a session with the jiggler to repair me and then to bed. Whew!

We got home in time to get pictures of Elena in her baby seat. She's a big girl now; probably weighs over 9 pounds, and she can sit in her seat by herself. Gretta used to have to stuff her in there with a half dozen blankets, I think. One picture she's napping at her brother's baseball game. Another picture she is the bikini babe and another she's taking a nap with her big brother, Garrett.

Tomorrow we'll see Trish and Rob and all their kids in Branson. Then in less than a week we'll get to see Elena and Garrett again, as well as Kyle, Elise and Ethan. It'll be a big week. We're excited and counting the blessings God gives so abundantly! PTL

Heading out of town.

Okay, I’m really rushing to get everything loaded for the trip in the morning. We’re leaving at 6, so we have to get up at 5 and be ready to roll.

Tonight I’m putting onto the blog a couple of pictures of flowers from the yard. The clump of lavender is one. I have two other clumps, but this one is the best so far. I hope the others don’t finish before I get home and can harvest it. So much to do; so little time!

The other picture is a close-up of my purple and white larkspur. They grow easily and spice up the yard with brightness, so I love them.

Tomorrow we head for Mesquite for the baseball tournament. I think I’ll be able to connect to keep up with the blog tomorrow night, but Sunday night is questionable. We’ll stay as long as the boys are in the tournament and then head for Branson. We’ll go as far as we can and spend the night and then go on to Branson on Monday. If you don’t see a new post on the blog, don’t worry. I’ll catch up as soon as possible. I’m not sure what kind of connections I’ll have in Branson; so take no news as good news.

Oh! We got a call today from Karen in Hawaii. She is the lady who painted Bob’s house while we were there this winter, and she wants us to house sits for her for 5 weeks in August and September! Woohoo!!! We’ll aim to firm up those plans as soon as we get home from this trip. I got all tangled up in frequent flyer miles this evening, so I’m rushing, now. Ugh!

God blesses; I give thanks!