Thanksgiving

We enjoyed a wonderful time this past week in Branson with a group from Freedom Church. I love Branson. We saw so many great shows and every one of them always pays tribute to our veterans and the military who fight for our freedom to enjoy our lives in this country. They also acknowledge the true freedom we have in Christ and I love that the entertainment there honors our King in such a beautiful way in this special season!! Made new friends, too! (Our pic has a green cast to it because of the lights on the bus 😝 .)

And since we’ve been home, all I’ve done is run here and there. Jack wanted to spend the night so that was fun and, of course, he wanted to go to the park and shopping. 

Today (Monday) I’m running around taking DH to the dentist, to breakfast, taking Annie over to the Petsitters again so we can go to Oklahoma tomorrow for Thanksgiving, to the grocery store, the gas station, discount tires, good grief! It never ends! And on top of that, a crown fell out on Friday evening! Why do these things I ask, always happen on Friday? And a Friday before a holiday week? So, I am blessed that my dentist is having mercy on me and hopefully, the crown will be back in my mouth again this afternoon. 

You probably thought I meant my 👑! I did lose my crown when I had that little fit this morning with paper jams in the printer. Ah well, I’m still thankful in everything I’m giving thanks and praying the forecast changes as I don’t want to be driving in the rain. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Nothing Clever ... Just a Little Ketchin' Up to Do

Now, I be saying, " Is November more than half over??? What happened to October?

Amazing ladies in my BSF group

Most of what I have been doing the past couple of months is tending to business at home, car maintenance, reading, reading, and more reading, and Bible Study Fellowship. I confess to being a lazy blogger, but I have felt no inspiration. My hope is that the holidays bring everyone joy and for me to be able to be more well organized with my time in the months to come so I can get back on track.

All the third graders in Jack's school presented a Living History of character. It was so fun to step up to each one in costume and press the card on the floor and hear them tell about their particular character! They did a great job.

Isaac Newton

NOT SIR Isaac Newton, mind you!

That was Isaac's father.

Just so you know … he died of mercury poisoning ...

and that was the end of his life! LOL!

Pocahontas

Jack's class singing

Little Bo Peep

One of her little lambs

Hunter's first day of school.

Two cuties with the masks off!

Watching Brady play soccer

Kate and Jack backpack/camping with Dad!

Two new boys added to our family.

Maverick and Beckham!

 More than two months have passed and I'm still waiting for our car to be repaired! Aaaauuugggghhh!

The Beat Goes On!

If I don't post this today, I may as well leave it as a draft forever! Sometimes life just gets busy … or boring … no, really not boring, just not a lot to blog about. But somehow blogging just hasn't been a priority these days. Most of my time has been taking care of things around the house, car issues, etc. but mostly preparation for the semester of Bible Study Fellowship. I am hopeful that I am getting settled with that, but I think there will be many surprises along the way and the need to stay in contact with my group leaders and my group!

We now have two weeks of BSF behind us and I have to say God has certainly blessed me with a great bunch of ladies in my group. I am so excited that they are not shy about sharing and so far, have heard some good wisdom from them. Praying for the enthusiasm to continue!

There are so many new people to know. I love it! One of my prayers this year has been for the Lord to bring new friends into my life and He certainly has. Many! I am excited to get to know them all better and learn from them and their experiences and wisdom.

I have a few pictures, but not much. It's too hot around our neck of the woods for the flowers to do much, but the grass is still very green and seems to grow instantly after mowing! Kate was here this weekend and we enjoyed just being with her. She is such a lovely young lady at 11 and so considerate and caring of us.

She still sits with Grandpa on his chair!

We got to see Brady play soccer a couple of weeks ago and his birthday is coming up at the end of the month so we took his gift to him early. He will be 13 and that is just almost impossible to believe! Time! You move way too fast as we get older. Brady is a champ at everything he sets out to do. So proud of him! But then again, I see all the grandkids that way … Noah, Kate and Jack, all treasures!

My nephew's daughter is growing up adorably!!

And her baby brother Mav is growing up!

Friday afternoon was book club and we discussed the book Orphan Train. It was a good book, but very sad to think of the thousands of children who were orphaned or abandoned to be sent out West in the late 1800's and early 1900's to live in homes where they were either treated as family or servants. A few were fortunate enough to find homes, but for many, they were slaves. As we were getting ready to leave, one of our ladies began experiencing chest and jaw pains and high blood pressure. Although she protested, we had 911 come for her and while it turned out that she wasn't having a heart attack, her blood pressure was extreme and so it was good for her to be treated.

We saw the neurologist Monday and good report there … DH holds his own. She said I'm doing a good job taking care of him and his social life!! Funny thing is, I drilled him pretty good before the appointment and she didn't even ask the questions! Hehe! She thought that was pretty funny when I told her, and said that is a good thing for me to do.

We attended our first concert of this season a week ago Friday night and boy, was it fun! We had dinner with our friends beforehand and then had third row seats to watch a group called Sail On … a tribute to the Beach Boys! They sang and played for two hours and had a group of us oldies in the audience dancing! I managed to coax DH up and we managed to dance through a couple of songs. Mind you, it wasn't quite the dance we used to do, but it sure felt good to see him enjoying himself!

Crazy problem with our Volt. It won't turn off!! It is so frustrating to go somewhere or come home and the darn thing won't shut off. You know you can't get out of your car and leave it running. Last week the dealership pronounced it was the key fob that was the problem. So they replaced the battery and I came home only to have the problem continue. Last week I took it back to them and now supposedly, the problem is the shifter. The car doesn't recognize it is in park. Sooooooo, it will need parts. And guess what???!!! GM went on strike the night before at midnight, so we don't know when parts will be available. Praying that someone will have mercy and find the part we need to fix the car.

But as I waited (as I am learning to do more and more!!) I noticed the receptionist wearing GASP!! white shoes after Labor Day. Haha!!! Who cares here in Texas, right? It's still been hot, hot, hot!

On a humorous note, here are some kids getting relief from the heat and feeling the freedom!!!

And the good news for me from my physical on Monday is that I am in great shape! The doctor said she can't believe I am 70!! My prayers for strength and continued good health are heard since one of us here needs to be in good physical shape!

And the beat goes on!

Wednesday Medley: Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day

Our dear friend Terri from Florida is so dear and faithful to her readers that she even posts as she prepares for a hospital trip! What a trooper! And Terri has selected the Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day for us to use in lieu of questions today. 

I loved our little Trudy, and all our little dogs who have crossed over, but Trudy's crossing was especially meaningful to my husband and I. Her story is a testimony of our God's love for His creatures and His care for us. Link us here to share your story.

I have shared several times about our dog, Trudy. One of the sweetest dogs we ever had and a great little fun-loving companion. The way she came to us in the first place was remarkable in itself. After our Miniature Schnauzer Allie died, we thought maybe we shouldn't get another dog, but of course, after you're used to having a lovable dog around, you miss it and the house just feels empty. After a long search to find one exactly like her, it just wasn't happening. That is, until one day after looking at a number of possible dogs to adopt, we showed a pic to the lady at the humane society to tell her this is what we are looking for and the dog has to be like this. We left and about 30 minutes later, received a call saying that a woman and a little girl had just found a dog wandering about their neighborhood. The dog matched our description and would we be interested? Heck yeah! We went over, found this sweet dog and loved her from the beginning.

This docile looking little dog was quite deceiving. We discovered early on that she was a bolter and most likely, that is why she was out wandering the neighborhood where the little girl had found her. We spent many, many times chasing this dog down because she could sneak out of a barely open door faster than anything. She loved going for walks, chasing rabbits, and swimming in the pool.

Let's Walk!

Her last two years were difficult as we watched her go silent into a world of old age and dementia. The last year was especially trying as I had to carry her to the places she needed to be - to her bed, her food and water bowls, and outside to take care of business. She never made a peep of complaint, just wagged that little tail expressing her happiness at being with the people she knew loved her. Friends and family suggested gently many times that it was time to let Trudy go, but we just couldn't do it. I prayed that she would go peacefully because it would have broken DH's heart had I taken her to be put down. Especially the last two weeks it was hard to deal with because DH's surgery was getting closer and I didn't know what to do about her.

One Wednesday night I attended a special memory care support group and the pastor asked for prayer requests. As I explained my DH's love for Trudy and his denial about her condition, my prayer request was that Trudy would die peacefully before Friday morning because I had decided we could wait no longer and she would have to be put down.

That night, DH held her in his lap for the last time. As I tucked her into her bed, she was barely breathing and I told her we loved her and it was okay for her to go.

On Thursday morning, I went to take her from her bed as usual, and discovered she had passed away.

We loved this dog and I knew how much she meant to DH and I was never convinced that putting her down was the right thing to do because of my concern for him. I share this to say how thankful I am that God does care about the events and concerns in our lives and He knew this would be best. I am so thankful to You, Lord for letting Trudy go peacefully in her sleep.

My friend Bettye and Trudy had a great friendship and so it just seemed fitting

that she be buried in Bettye's back yard out in the country.

Continuing to pray for Terri's good recovery from her knee surgery.

Wednesday Medley Flying High

It's time to meddle again! Terri has the medley of questions for the Wednesday Medley right here. No rules and there is no obligation. Join in and link up with other ‘Meddlers’!! 

I am adding to Terri's information a bit of trivia about gyro-copters from the past. A movie with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, "It Happened One Night," includes a landing by a Pitcairn autogyro as a stunt by an alleged "famed aviator" at his intended wedding. The included footage is great shot of a landing on the lawn of a mansion with a close-up of the deplaning, right out of the Pitcairn advertisements of the day (1936). Goofy!

This one looks more like a small plane.

1. Tell us about the first airplane ride you took and do you like to fly?

My first flight was from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Orlando, Florida in a 6 passenger prop jet owned by the insurance company I worked for. The company pilot flew my boss, me and another employee to audit a new company they had purchased. It was so exciting to me and I was totally unaware of the danger that night!! Before we even left Tulsa, one of the plane's generators had to be repaired, and we later learned that mid-flight the other one went down, leaving us with one generator!! We flew through a storm with lightning flashing across the plane's windshield. There was no potty on the plane, and although we made one quick stop in Mississippi, it wasn't enough. I will spare the details. When we landed in Orlando, my boss informed me that the pilot would be fine by Monday when we left. You see, the pilot loved to drink! He promised to be sober by the time our departure arrived. I am living proof of God's protection throughout my life!

Although we have taken countless plane trips, I am not crazy about flying anymore. 

The plane, the plane!!! 

On a glass bottom boat at Silver Springs.

2. Have you ever gone hang gliding and was it on the beach with boat power, or from a mountain with only the wind and your body? No, I'm a little surprised that we haven't done that.

3. Have you ever gone kite flying and with whom? Do you mean fly a kite or kite flying? I think there is a guy in our town who does this. About once or twice a week he flies past our window and over the lake in something that looks like a kite or parachute.

4. Experimental aircraft is quite popular as a hobby where Terri lives. Have you or anyone you know ever constructed a flying machine and did you ride in it?

Oh yes, indeed! My DH constructed such a flying machine! After he got his pilot's license, we did several trips in single engine planes, however, that is not my cup of tea. So he researched and convinced me that gyro-copters were the safest way to go. So he built a one-seater plane (which he later crashed), and I took a ride with one of his instructors in a two-seater gyro-copter. It was quite exhilarating to be up in the sky with nothing but open air around you. He told me when he was up in the sky flying, it brought tears to his eyes it was so beautiful. (Still, I was very thankful when this hobby was done.)

A gyro-copter

His dream: a tri-cycle that would convert to a flying cycle

when he encountered traffic. 

I have shared before that DH has always been the adventurer! His dream was to be able to drive or fly the tri-cycle copter to work and just be over the traffic!

5. Another big hobby around Lakeland is Radio Controlled Airplanes. Have you ever seen them flying or tried your hand at it? No.

6. Please tell us something about your week.

Monday was quite busy with an annual doctor appointment, birthday lunch with old friends, and a visit to the Apple store to get the new battery for my phone. Tuesday I attended Ladies of Grace and Tuesday evening our Monday friends will be over for food and fun! Wednesday is breakfast with the guys, Wednesday night serving in Gracekids, and Thursday lunch with friends. The countdown is on for BSF and I will be in Ft. Worth all day Saturday for training! Looking forward to all that each day brings!

Hunter off to school! What will Mommy do all day?

Keep the younger three! Lol!!!

My brother with his family!

My Christmas cactus! Look at all the leaves on it! 

Hope it blooms like crazy!

Birth Day for Maverick!

Back in the saddle again!!! All it took was two metal parts to get this chair back in the business of holding DH and Annie. Lazy Boy recliner is 20 years old … I would have opted for a new one, but he insisted he wanted to keep his chair! The towels covering the chair have kept the fabric in great condition.

These kids are back in the saddle again also … school started this week for them.

Each one of them is special and unique. Praying for a good year for them … to be good students, good role models in the things that make for good character, and for their minds to be filtered and protected from the world's ideas. All of them so far exhibit excellent character and eagerness to learn! 

A new kid in town!

Nephew Chase with his little family 

Tenley meeting little brother, 

Maverick, up close and personal!

My brother holding his grandson! ❤!!

This one is over the sink

Unedited pics of my light fixtures which our buddy Fred installed this week. The lights are so bright, I don't think you can tell how pretty they are. The LED bulbs are supposed to burn 3 hours each day for 22 years!!! Hahaha!! I sure hope so because putting the light bulbs in was really tricky in that I could hardly get my hands in the glass. We sure do appreciate Fred ... he is the one who fixed the chair and works around our house doing things I can't. 

Several of the broken things mentioned previously have been taken care of or in the process. The hatch door on the Sequoia is fixed ... again! The recliner fixed, door clips are on the way to fix the storm door, and I have an appointment with Apple on Monday to fix my phone!