My girls are all much more computer savey than I. I never laid hands on a computer until required to take some courses the second time around in college . That was in my mid-40s. I have used a computer for various purposes (accounting, research, writing, etc) for about 18 years now, but it is not by any means a passion. Now that I am retired, I still do a little research, keep in touch through e-mail, and have recently started uploading photos from my new digital camera. I still, however, use a dial up (it's cheap) system for internet access. So when Shelley set up a blog for me, it took a couple weeks for me to get the hang of even posting. It was only earlier this week that I tried posting photos. But ouch! What do I do with all the added features Amy just put on my site? She changed my walpaper to reflect a garden theme, added a new column for videos (not that I'll use it with my dialup), and also added several links to blogs belonging to other family members. Nice work, honey.

It is wonderful that there are all these new options, but it is also a bit overwhelming to this senior citizen. Please don't expect me to add any more updates to anything but the regular posting for some time. Old dogs can learn new tricks, but they don't do it sponaniously. Thank you again Amy. And thank you again to Shelley who got this started in the first place. While I'm thanking everyone, Dianna spent several hours a couple months ago restoring all my programs when I did something stupid and the whole computer was out of wack. I have such great kids.

Bridget called and was so excited to tell us that she and Chris have found a house. Chris was recently transfered from North Carolina to Ft. Lewis, WA. They are currently staying with his dad in Sumner. Not a bad arrangement for temporary purposes, but they are anxious to establish their own home. This place will be big enough for the kids (3) to play and even has a dog run for their pets. It is in Yelm, a short commute to the base. Way to go Chris and Bridget.

My Soap Box

If there was ever a subject avoided in our home, it was that of motorcycles. Having worked out of a busy emergency room (diagnostic x-ray tech)for many years, I have seen more than my share of victims. You see there is no such thing as a "minor motorcycle accident". Therefore, you can imagine my apprehention upon receiving the news that our oldest grandson Doug had wrecked his bike. No details were immediately available so all we could do was pray.

The Lord is good. It seems that Doug was passing a car when a second car entered the roadway. Doug tried to avoid it, but at the last moment the car swerved in the same direction. Doug hit it straight on. The impact tossed him some distance and bent the fork on his bike. There is no doubt that God's hand was upon him. Doug skinned his leg, but there were no other apparent injuries. He was checked out at the VA and I'm sure will be very sore for a long time.

His bike is being repaired by the car's insurance and he has been given temporary use of a friend's bike until he gets his own back. This is important because he has no other way of getting either to work or to his National Guard drill this comming weekend.

We are starting a series on Esther by Beth Moore in bible study next week. This should be a real blessing to all who attend. As you may recall, Esther was a young Jewish girl who was placed in a very dire situation upon which the fate of all her people hung. How she handled it is inspirational.

I have two back-to-back meetings this evening. The Caring & Helping Hands group (C&HH)is charged with providing encouragement, comfort and support to fellow church members who are ill, going through hard times, or in grief. I am also teching a class in Crisis Care Support to help others in the church know how to provide support. These two activities require a lot of prayer and preparation. They also provide a great deal of fulfillment. It is a way of giving back for all the many blessings the Lord has given me and my family over the years.

Welcome to my world

It is Monday, January 5. A new week, the first full week of the year started yesterday. Richard and I got up, ate breakfast, took our medication (I hate taking meds) then went to Sunday school and church. On our return home I heated up some lunch, did a few minor chores, read the paper, and did some suduco puzzles. Our daughter Dianna gave me a book of suduco to occupy my free time on a trip to China in 2007. I am hooked. When I sit down I pick up either my crochet, a book, or a suduco. At least there is variety.

Sunday afternoons are pretty quiet around here. We generally just kick back and take it easy. Yesterday we had a fire going and watched a little TV. There was an old western on with Jane Fonda. I don't recall the name, but it involved the survival of a homestead ranch and a large corporation who tried to swindle them out of the land. Of course the rancher prevailed in the end.

Richard is doing better. We were able to take part in the senior pot luck on Saturday. They had an old time radio announcer sharing portions of audio-only programs from the 30s and 40s. Boy did that bring back early memories. I can recall sitting in front of our floor model radio on Saturday morning hanging on every sound conveyed through programs such as "Let's Pretend", "Red Rider", "Tom Mix", "Staight Arrow", "The Lone Ranger", and "The Green Hornet". Of course we also listened to "The Shadow", "I Love Lucy", "Burns & Allen", "Red Skelton", "Edward R Murrell", and so many other greats from that era. We had a wonderful time, even won a disc of Lucy. I expect it will provide many more evenings of nastagia to come.

Shelley & Eric are on their way to Baltimore this morning for a week of trade show. They hope to take a few hours during this time to wander around Washington, D.C. The last time they were there was just a long lay-over at the airport. They essentially rented a cab in the middle of the night and had it drive around some of the more popular sights. Just enough sightseeing to wet the appetite.

Dianna is home and back to work cooking for some 200+ kids at a local care center. I expect Paul will be "on the road again". It is hard to say when he will darken our doors the next time, probably not soon.

Amy is sick. According to her blog she is spending the day in bed with an audio book, her electric fireplace ablaze. Juergen is working from home and keeping an eye on the kids before and after school. Hope she recovers real soon.

Rick spent most of his weekend empying boxes from his move and putting thins away. I expect that chore will take a few more weeks to complete. The main thing is that all those boxes can be stored in the garage until time for them to be empied. Having a garage must be so nice. No clutter inside. I am definately jealous.

Today I need to work on making name tags for all the ladies in my Tuesday morning bible study group (no, I'm not teaching it), copy some information sheets for the Crisis Care class I am teaching on Wednesday evenings, and develop an agenda for the Caring & Helping Hands ministry I lead. We will be holding our bi-monthly meeting this week. I will be writing more about these three groups as time goes on. Have a great day. God bless and keep you safe and warm, and no matter how small, may you accomplish something positive today.

Holidays over - New Year Begun

It is a new year and as always, there is much to be accomplished. I am not one for making New Year resolutions, but I do subscribe to To-Do-Lists and goals that help keep me on track. My list for 2009 includes such goals as: remodeling my master bath, puting in a gas fireplace so that I no longer need to haul wood, sorting through at least a dozen storage boxes in the basement (one a month is completely reasonable), and pulling the ivy off my walnut tree (it will get out of hand easily and can kill a tree).

Richard is feeling somewhat better today. He ate a bowl of cereal and a banana for breakfast and it is staying down. His blood sugar is a bit low and eating will help. We will see how the day progresses. He has no energy at all right now. It is no wonder after all he has been through the last few days.

All our kids have been or are still away from home for at least part of the holidays. Shelley & Eric are in Portland celebrating their 30th (can you beleive that?) anniversary and will soon be headed for the east coast on a business trip. Dianna & Paul are in Skapoose with friends and are due to head home tomarrow. They spend so little time together (Paul is a long-haul truck driver) so it is nice that they could do this. Shelley and Dianna both live locally. Amy & Juergen just got home from visiting his dad in the north of Germany (they live in central Germany) where Juergen enjoyed a reunion with several old friends from his church youth group. Rick came down here from Washington a couple days after moving into a new house and is again home and back to work. Thank you Lord for their safety.

As I look out over the yard this morning, there are already signs of spring. Buds on trees are swollen, bulbs are pushing through the soil, and the grass is very green. Of course this is Oregon. Winters are normally mild and wet. So why wouldn't the grass be green? Still, it is wonderful to look out and see life and the promise of more to come in the midst of gray skys and the down pour of rain. What a gloreous world we live in.

A New Day, a new year

New Years Eve found Richard & I at home watching nastalgia on TV. Richard has not been well for some time, so we passed on the pot luck for our Sunday school class and it is highly questionable that we will take part in another one for our age group this coming Saterday.

Richard's A1C (blood sugar) has been elevated to the point that he may need to go on insulin, his crohns disease is flaring, he has fallen twice in the past 2 weeks, and has endured a painful bout of gout. I heard him come to bed at around 4:00 a.m. and when I got up at 6:00 this morning, the enchaladas he had requested for New Years Eve were still uneaten. Please be in prayer that the end of 2009 will find my other half in much better condition physically than he is at this moment in time.

It is raining outside today. Typical for a winter day in Oregon . My to-do list is short for today. I plan on taking down the Christmas tree, balancing my check book, paying a few bills, and finishing the laundry I started yesterday. All good things, but very manageable for a holiday where you are supposed to be laid back. Hope everyone out there has a peaceful and stress-free beginning to 2009.