Thoughts of the Month~May

[Larry Hanna]

Hi Everyone.  We headed for another day of mid-90's.  It was about that hot yesterday.  I did water the yard yesterday morning.  Pat and I went to IHOP and had a delicious breakfast and then to the meeting.  We came home and stayed in where it was nice and cool the rest of the day.  Pat wasn't able to get much sleep last night so is sleeping in this morning and I will attend Church by myself.  Since this is Mother's Day we will not be eating out but will have some roast beef sandwiches.  I fixed Pat a couple of peaches (they are small) and had a couple myself and they were so juicy and good.  I did watch the golf yesterday afternoon and plan on watching the finish of the tournament this afternoon.  It looks like the winner has already been determined as the leader is seven strokes ahead but who knows.  They are playing on a really tough course. 

Janet, it sounds like your area of Kansas is blessed with real art talent and apparently good teachers. 

Carol, I guess the birds don't know the bird food isn't for them.  I haven't heard about the plane crash. 

Marilyn, nice that you could walk with your neighbor and get reassurance about Keith's situation.  One can't blame him for not wanting to accept the situation or think that he can't get better. 

Janice, it sounds like you had a decompression day if you have been hosting relatives.  I hope today will be a better day for you. 

[Janet]

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!
to all the mothers who check in here. Both Darrel's and my mother have passed on, so I try to honor my two daughters and granddaughter in law, for their becoming mothers gave me the joy of being Grandma and great-grandma!

We are going to Hugoton for church, as son in law Jeff is singing, then will go to Liberal for the g-grands' dace recital.  Busy day, what with including Diane's birthday and Mothers' Day in it.

Jentezen Franklin just preached a wonderful sermon for Mothers Day.  Glad I got to hear that one.

It is very misty here this morning.  I pray it will turn into a nice, slow, soaking rain--for maybe three days!  That would be wonderful!

Janice, I pray you have an especially nice Mother's Day, with the company of loved ones, or phone calls--or, better yet--both!

Carol, so nice of your son--I'm sure you raised good people in your household!  Good for you and Don!

Hi, Marilyn!  Yes, I'm sure it's hard for Keith.  I know it would be for me, to think that I wouldn't get better.  I'm sure it's hard to know when to be an encourager and when to try to get him to accept reality.  As the disease progresses, he will need you more and more, even if he seems to be trying to push you away.  At least that's the way it was with my Dad.  And that's really hard for the spouse.  Sorry you're having to deal with this.

See you all later!!

[Jacqueline]

Janet...
...what a wonderful picture you paint, re, where Jesus lives, where we will find him...or Jesus to find us...I remember the wise words of my late father, although back in my younger days these words often went through one ear and out of the other, although now they come flooding back as if he ( Father ) was here with me, he isn't, been gone 30 years now....His often words were..." dont wish your life away girl, you're a long time dead..."

[Larry Hanna]

Hi Everyone.  After a very hot day yesterday it is suppose to only get to 89 this afternoon.  If Pat feels up to it we will finally go to the shoe store and then probably to Honey on the Rock for our main meal of the day. The only thing I did yesterday was to attend Sunday School and Church and then came home as we had food in the refrigerator for our lunch.  On the way home from Church I stopped at CVS and got Pat a Whitman Sampler of chocolates as knew she wouldn't be getting any presents from the kids.  They did send her e-cards and called and she appreciated that on Mother's Day.I did watch the last several hours of the golf tournament. 

Janet, you sure did have a busy day yesterday.  Sometimes those recitals can get pretty long but enjoyable when our children or grandchildren are participating.  I do hope you got some rain and will get some more in the next couple of days.  We are suppose to get rain starting tomorrow. 

Jackie, sometimes fathers do have something important to leave with their children in terms of what they say.  I do hope today will be a good day and you find enjoyment in its moments. 

[Jacqueline]

Just back indoors after visiting a local mobility store...cant believe I have finally made up my mind and chosen it, a mobility scooter...one I test rode the other day, ( different store, 70 miles away, ) not only chosen it but have it home and charging up the battery...I feel I have made the right choice but I would have preferred it if this one had arm rests that came down at the sides..but I was drawn to the fact I could stretch my legs, that they weren't going to be hunched up...The model I have is a Pride Quest travel scooter in the black..which need no parts assembling nor putting back together, just a manual fold - unfold, then it can be wheeled like a suitcase...There are other mobility travel scooters on the market that you press a remote control button and hey presto you stand back and watch it fold up by itself...of course that was what I was hoping to buy...Oh I so hope this will make my life better-improve my get out and about..Oh and not forgetting the store I purchased from comes with an excellent package, and including if one breaks down they come out with another scooter...I hope of course I never have to put them to the test..

[Carol]

We had two days of the children and spouses visiting - treating both of us.  Sunday, it was quiet here.  Today, we will drive to Golden to have a coffee with our granddaughter.  I did finish the everlasting quilt for her.  She is getting ready for her classes at London school of Economics.  The same study as her mother - I had Econ. too but all at the U of Washington and worked full-time as well. 

Larry:  Birds are birds and we are happy the clamor out on the deck is over.  So nice that you and Pat are in agreement on taking things easy when you feel the mood.

Jackie:  I hope this scooter is easy for you to handle. 

Marilyn:  Perhaps Keith forgets his diagnosis - just thinking back on my mom. 

A neighbor stopped by to report a cougar was seen in our ravine.  This has to be the 2nd. report of spotting a cougar in all the years we lived here.  When we lived in the foothills, I could see them often - and 3 at a time.  Creepy.

Don ordered a cell phone and it does not have the "Speaker" function he said he wanted - I notice that the speaker isn't very good either.  Another task. 

Prayers for Jerusalem.  Three previous presidents promised to move the US embassy there and this one - for all his craziness - is moving it.  Praying for peace for Israel. 

[Janet]

Good morning!  It's a lovely day in our neighborhood!  Nice and cool, 94% humidity, and a gentle breeze--I'm thankful.

Yesterday got long and tiring, but we are happy to be close enough to this one "branch" of the family to share in their doings.  Of course, the girls looked really cute, and did a good job in their dances.  We noticed several girls who mostly stood and watched the others....maybe they missed a lot of practices. (?)

We went to church with Diane and Jeff, enjoyed his solo, "Satan is a Liar!" and the rest of the service.  Went to their house and gave Diane her birthday gifts ad Jeff a nice monetary appreciation and card for selling the van.  Diane gave me flowers and a card for Mother's Day.  The recital was very long, but we made it!  And I did get a call from youngest daughter in Salina.  So, other than missing Beth, it was a good day.

Jackie, I hope you really enjoy your new scooter and are not disappointed with it in any way!  It should increase your enjoyment of life.

Carol, I'm really proud of Trump for keeping his word!  That shocks a lot of people, as the last president never did that, and it seems not to even be expected any more.

I worked on the book Saturday, and hope to get more done on it today.
Our calendar is getting so full from now to the end of the year!  We will be careful to not pack it so much next year!  (So we say now, anyway.)

Time to get busy!  I do want to watch some of the news coverage of the moving of our embassy to Jerusalem!

[JudyB]

A mighty fortress is our God
(Click to hear music)

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God's own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God's truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

[JudyB]

On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther hammered into the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, his 95 theses against the Roman Catholic Church. Among the things for which Luther became famous:

• The scriptures to be translated in the common languages of all men

[/list

• The doctrine of salvation by faith alone
• The birth of congregational singing
• The hymn "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" was written by Martin Luther around the time when the term Protestant was first heard. This hymn became the battle cry during the Protestant reformation.

Thank God for men like Martin Luther, John Calvin, Huldreich Zwingli and others who led the way during the reformation and gave us the basis for our evangelical faith.

The hymn, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God," written by Martin Luther, was the battle call for the Protestant Reformation. It is based on Psalm 46. Luther said of music, "After theology, there is nothing that can be placed on a level with music. It drives out the devil and makes people cheerful. It is a gift that God gave to birds and to men. We need to remove hymn singing from the domain of monks and priests and set the laity to singing. By the singing of hymns the laity can publicly express their love to the Almighty God."
[/list]

[JudyB]

I am asking for prayer, This is not to be shared on FB.  I have a medical problem that is causing a lot of pain, and the Dr's are not getting to the bottom of it.  This has been going on for about a year.  Could you please pray that the Dr's have the wisdom to figure out this problem for me? And that God would intervene and give me peace in the meantime.  Thank you.

[Jacqueline]

Judy...
...I can sure empathise with your now situation...there is nothing worse than medics, consultants etc, etc, not putting a name to it...the constant explaining...You will feel much calmer in yourself once they put a name to your issues, then it can be dealt with, or not...but only then, can you move forward...My prayers are here for all who are in need...

[Jacqueline]

I have a question...
...who is in control of our lives?...what I mean by that is...we have two roads, or cross roads or pathways...it is our choice which path at our cross road we take, not Gods choosing but...we know that each road will have, or lead to a different future...and yet I know it is God who is in control of our future, our ending...not us...
So how much in control of our lives are we? and when in our lives does God take over? of course I know He is always there at our side, or failing that, keeping a watch over us at a distance..

Do you ever wonder how your life would have panned out if you had taken the other road?

[Larry Hanna]

Hi Everyone. We expect to have some rain thought out the day and also tomorrow and a nice downpour has just begun.  I expect we will just stay home today and stay in where it is dry with less chance of slipping and falling on a wet surface.  Pat had a rough day with the back pain yesterday so we didn't go out as I had thought we might but just stayed in.  Fortunately we had plenty of left-over spaghetti casserole that combined with a salad made a good dinner meal.  We have a couple of Marie Callendar TV dinners in the freezer that we plan on having for our main meal today.  I will just have a quiet day and will likely do a bit of reading as am into a good book and also a good audio book. 

Jackie, I am so happy for you that you now have the scooter to improve your mobility.  They certainly have improved them since Stacey had hers as they didn't fold up like a suitcase.  Don't you already have a ramp at your doorway to get into your garden?  Recently my best friend, who is suffering with Parkinson's got a scooter to use in getting around his new home they are about ready to move into.  I hope you get many years of use from the scooter.  I don't have the answer to your questions about controlling our lives.  Personally, I believe I must ask God daily to take control of my life and open my mind to what he wants. 

Carol, I remember having an Economics class in college with an instructor that was considered to difficult.  However, I learned a lot from him and felt he was one of the best professors I had, along with the man who taught Humanities.  Did you move the feeder from your porch?  I hope Don can find the phone he needs. 

Janet, nice to read your had a good day on Sunday with all of the activities including the long recital.  Glad your and Darrel are still able to handle a packed calendar. 

Judy, thanks for the posting of the hymn and the very interesting and informative background story about Martin Luther.  Judy, so sorry that you are having to deal with the pain.   

[Carol]

Wonderful - so wonderful watching the happiness from Jerusalem last night.  We found a different station that is bible based carried the festivities.  Several Jewish Democrats were there and really did credit Prez. Trump for making that decision.  The important thing to remember is that he was led to make this statement - finally.  He made a promise and kept it.  Praying for security for all.

Judy:  You are in my prayers that the doctors will research your symptoms and find the correct procedure for you!  Prayer for John as he is concerned for you as well. 

Larry:  We took the bird feeder away and now watch the birds sit on the deck and look into the space where the feeder was hung.  So funny.  There is an intelligence in the bird brain. 

Don has an appointment at the VA - another day of driving in the heavy traffic.  We were so blessed yesterday meeting with granddaughter and not in the heavy hail - it was a foot deep in the area just after we drove through that part.  Hail is so damaging - a few years ago, we had to have two new roofs in the space of only three years.  Talk about high insurance. 

Can someone please post the song "Jerusalem" ? 

[Marilyn]

Gilbert and his lady are coming up from Ca Friday night for the weekend, I have been very busy getting the house in order and the spare room. Sonja has som scent allergies so I  amd trying to be careful about that, however I do use Tide with downy and that has an sctong scent. I haven't asked her if that will bother her. I am really glad they have decided to come up for a visit. He told me there had planned to surprise me for Mother's day but she wanted to be home with her two sons. 

Anyway I have been here to read and not post. I have been doing one room at a time in  between take Freckles for walks going to Tai Chi and teaching Tai chi as well. Tomorrow and Thursday Freckles and i will be  visiting a residential facility and the hospital.

Judy I am praying for you.

I don't mean to offend anyone, however I would prefer that political statements would be posted elsewhere. I do not feel that politics are appropriate for this forum.

[Carol]

A beautiful morning and rain is in the forecast - that is always welcome.

Marilyn:  I am happy for the people of Israel. The broadcast we watched was all about the celebration in Israel and led by several well-know American pastors.  They all quoted scripture of the love of Jerusalem..  So sorry if you took this as a political statement. 

[Larry Hanna]

Hi Everyone.  We had a nice rainy day yesterday and got almost 1 1/2 inches of rain with more forecast for today and throughout the week.  Beyond the normal routine things that have to be done everyday I didn't do anything yesterday.  Today will probably be pretty similar but I decided to try something different in the mornings when all of the morning chores must be done.  I did a few things and began to tire so sat down in my easy chair and worked on my jigsaw puzzles for a few minutes until I felt restored and got up and did some more and repeated the process.  As a result I am not feeling exhausted this morning.  It is not the way I like to work as when I start something I like to see it finished but I may have to change my ways.  Everything got done in the kitchen and I fixed Pat's breakfast and taken care of the dishes.  A little later this morning the tech will be here to do the 3-month check on my oxygen concentrator.  That will only take a few minutes.  This evening I will go to the Church for the Wednesday night dinner and then Scott will come out for a little while.  I never know whether either of the girls will come out.  Tonight we are having chicken and noodles in a casserole as the main dish and that is usually very good.  I will bring a dinner home for Pat unless she decides go to the dinner. 

I spent some time yesterday looking at this site:  https://archive.org/ .  It is really interesting as I looked through all of the old radio shows they have archived as well as the audio books of the classics.  The site is titled "The Wayback Machine" and it is a library of  is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more.  They apparently have over 300 million webpages saved and accessible. 

Carol, I don't think bird are dumb and they certainly have instincts that let them know where to return to after migrating as well as to know where they might find food such as a feeder.  Once again Pat is enjoying seeing the hummingbirds that come to the feeder she has out on the back patio.  I have never heard of hail getting a foot deep.  I take it the hail missed your house and area.  Here is a link to the version of Jerusalem by the Hoopers on one of the Gaither's Homecoming Albums:  https://open.spotify.com/track/0v73dZD2T0yDxNQB1FFHa2?si=lnuNwFTHSMyUynWYq50Upw   I hope this is the one you wanted to hear. 

Marilyn, nice to read that Gilbert and his lady will be visiting you for the weekend.  How is his health doing?  This is a nice delayed Mother's Day gift.  Hope you have a good time with Freckles as you share him with others today and tomorrow. 

[Janet]

Good morning!  I was here and read the posts yesterday morning, but didn't post.  This is unusual for me, but I was intent on working on the book!  And I got over 2000 words written.  I was having backache problems so couldn't stay here any longer at my computer.

Jackie:  I am mulling over your questions, and will be answering them soon, as best I can.  But I want to dig into the Word and be sure what I say is what God said about it.  Just wanted you to know your questions aren't being ignored by me.  If you sincerely seek for answers, you will find them!

Carol, I enjoyed the coverage of the moving of our Embassy so much, and am rejoicing with the Israelis!  And I say, "God bless Donald Trump!"  I do believe God set him in this place for this time in our history!

Marilyn, I don't consider mentioning this as "political" but rather, just keeping up with the news in our world.  I really believe we need to stay aware of what is happening in the world around us, as the Word says, "Be wary as serpents and wise as doves."  For Jesus is coming soon!  Please do not be offended, as we are a small family here, and need to respect each other.  When I read things I don't necessarily agree with, I just go on by and ignore them. 

Larry, I find I wear out much faster these days, too, and need to take a break more often.  I wonder why?    It couldn't be the calendar, could it?  I hope you continue to be able to do the things you enjoy.  I want to look at the site of free books, etc., but no time now--this is WEDNESDAY!!  My day to paint! 

Wishing you all a happy day!  I thought sure we were going to get rain last night, but it sprinkled for about two minutes and quit.   So prayers for rain continue!

[Jacqueline]

Well been out with my new set of wheels, my mobility scooter for the first time..It does take some getting used to what its capabilities are...Well for the first outing, I can sure think of worse places to try it out...we travelled the short distance to the promenade-esplanade overlooking the sea, and it sure felt good getting the sea breeze on my face....I have travelled from one end to the other but only from the road in the car, so this was a real eye opening short outing for me, and what a lovely sight...From the road it is a high long brick wall, there are several slopes from one end to the next, and several in between then its very long travelled and wide pathway stretching what appears to be a few miles...There are a few benches along the way where I sat taking in the sea and the fresh air, only spoilt by me wanting the loo which was at one far end leading towards the entertainment and wider sanded area, once visited the loo, we returned back along the high up walkway but the weather turned to starting drizzle so we never reached the other far end, we had joined in the middle, but I will definitely do the whole one end to the other next time..We took Toby the dog, who many people stopped to make a fuss, I talked to many people, some elderly - middle aged couples strolling together, several people - couples with dog - dogs, there were others like myself on mobility scooter...

Link...

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Eco+Sustainable+Solutions+Weymouth+Depot/@50.6266073,-2.4416131,3a,75y,114.5h,96.7t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sNp87lMqBdM8YLCy9DsKOfA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!4m8!1m2!2m1!1sweymouth+recycle!3m4!1s0x0:0x141b3dcb4f7c04e2!8m2!3d50.6287075!4d-2.4458688

[Marilyn]

Larry Gilbert is my youngest son from Blue Lake close to where I lived before moving to Oregon. His health is very good. YOu were probable thinking of Roger my son who has cancer.
Janet it may be just my own distrust of anything Trump. That makes me cringe when I see or hear his name.  I won't get into any details  here this is not the place for that, but I will say I do think he is not the right person to be the UJSA president. neither was Hillary.

[Janet]

Wow, Jacqueline!  That little 'trip' on your scooter did you a world of good!  Isn't it amazing how just being out in the fresh air and sunshine, visiting with others (and their dogs) can make you feel so much happier and more optimistic?  Good for you!

Today I made a few little corrections on the painting I started last week and thought I had finished yesterday; then did a card with daffodils and a little practice piece with trees and clouds.     My back was still hurting today, and I was blessed to get an appointment with my chiropractor right after painting, then I came home and took a nice nap in my recliner!

Darrel worked outside most of the day, and is exhausted.  We were supposed to go to a meeting tonight at church concerning the Guatemala missions trip we are going on in December.  It started at 6:30, I remembered it at 6:15, and I was already in my pajamas and Darrel was too dirty to go anywhere.  So I called and begged off.  They will fill us in later. We've already paid for our tickets, so they know we are going!

G'Night!

[Jacqueline]

Janet...
...it got me further than I would have got if relying on my feet and legs but, the only thing I will now be lacking in is exercise...I so envied those seniors who were walking - strolling the whole length...This wont exercise my body, tone up my sagging muscles...I will continue walking on my feet and legs as I can but this does give me a whole new freedom to get out and about and explore...There will of course be limits, as my mobility scooter is not an all terrain, just a traveller...

[Larry Hanna]

Hi Everyone.  It is another overcast morning and rain this afternoon is likely.  The same was forecast for yesterday and we ended up with only a light shower.  We had a good meal last night at church and then Scott came out.  We got to chat with one of the great grandchildren for a few minutes.  Today, after coffee, Scott and I are going over to the Target store in Augusta and have our cellphone switched from AT&T to Consumer Cellular.  It is much cheaper and they use the same AT&T towers over the country.  He got my iPhone unlocked and this morning I backed it up onto the computer and then reset it and am now in the process of having it restored from the backup. This will be plenty for one day.

Janet, nice to read you made progress on your book yesterday.  It is hard for us to accept we cannot do what we used to do without it tiring us where it didn't use to do so.  Hope you enjoyed your painting yesterday. 

Jackie, so happy you can now get out and get around easily.  Glad you got to visit the seacoast and nice there is a promenade-esplanade you could use to ride on.  I am sure you will soon get comfortable in driving the scooter as like most things a little practice makes a big difference.  I remember Stacey used to go at full speed and when I sat in her scooter and then electric wheel chair I had to go at a low speed to keep control.  I bet Toby really enjoyed the outing.  Thanks for the link as a pictures is worth a lot of words. 

Marilyn, it was Roger that I had in mind.  Isn't Gilbert the one who you visit when you go down to California?

[Marilyn]

Larry yes Gilbert is the one I visit at Christmas and other times during the year, For the last few years it has only been at Christmas,

[Janet]

I had an appointment at 9:40 his morning in Garden City with the eye specialist I saw five months ago in Wichita.  I got a good report!!  She said the Macular Degeneration has not progressed, mine is still the dry kind, it is stable.  That's the best I could hope for, and I am very thankful!  I will see her again in another five months.

In thinking of this doctor, I told Darrel I bet her parents are so proud of her! Lots of parents want their kid to be either a doctor or a lawyer--she is both! She became a lawyer first, then decided she would like being a doctor more, so she became a doctor!

I called Beth's friend Mindi, and she came and had lunch with us.  We had a nice visit.  I love that sweet gal!

The chair we ordered isn't working out well as my office chair; my back has been hurting a lot.  Today we took a black printer cartridge back to Staples, as it doesn't fit the new printer; and with the refund, got another office chair, which was on sale.  The arms are lower and the back higher.  It fits me better, so am hoping it will work out well.  They ordered it, to be delivered to our house, as a chair won't fit in our car.

Jackie, yes, do exercise as much as you are able, for if we don't use it, we lose it!  The Eye doctor told me to "Keep taking your eye vitamins, eat dark leafy greens, stay active, and DO NOT SMOKE!  I'm doing all those things, so pray my eyes serve me well until Jesus calls me home!

Larry, we also use Consumer Cellular, and have been well pleased with it.
When we first got it, we sometimes had trouble, as AT&T hadn't many towers out here, but they have put up more and we haven't had any problems lately.  They are good about warning you if you are nearly out of minutes, and if they can't contact you, just add $10 worth so you don't get hit with a big penalty.

Boy, Mt. Kilauea is really angry and blowing its top!  I cannot imagine living close to such a thing, although I have wanted to see a volcano erupting.  Not up close, thank you!

[Larry Hanna]

Hi Everyone.  We have another overcast day.  We had rain all morning and most of the afternoon yesterday.  It was just the right kind that soaks into the soil.  I noticed our humidity outside this morning is 97% and we may get more rain today.  This is the day for the housekeeper but nothing else is yet on the schedule.  I am hoping Pat will feel up to going out for our main meal today.  She was feeling better yesterday. I don't plan to do much as am still tired from yesterday. 

Yesterday Scott and I went to a Target store to switch our cell phone carrier from AT&T to Consumer Cellular.  The lady was waiting on other people there ahead of us dealing with a problem and we waited probably 30 minutes only to find out she had only 1 sim card and we needed four as were adding four lines.  She called another Target store and they had the four we needed.  So we went to Panda Express for some lunch and then drove about 20 minutes to get to the other Target store.  The tech there wasn't busy and she really knew what she was doing.  We were out of there in 25 or 30 minutes.  She installed the sim card in my phone and it works beautifully.  When we got back to the house Scott put it in his mother's phone and we couldn't get any signal.  I had to lay down and rest as was pretty exhausted but then heard her on the phone.  Apparently it took an hour or so for the service to be established.  So now we both have good phone service for about half the price of what we have been paying.  It uses the same AT&T cell towers so we really notice no difference in quality. 

Marilyn, I at least remember about Gilbert correctly.  How are his two children doing?

Janet, that was good news on your eyes.  Keep up the good work.  That doctor has some education.  I hope her parents were well off or she likely has some big education related debts.  Nice the Mindi is keeping up the friendship with you.  I hope your new chair works out for you.  Nice to hear you are happy with Consumer Cellular.  As of last evening Scott and Jennifer were not happy with it but they couldn't get good service with AT&T before although Jennifer could call out from the house but Scott seldom could unless he went outside.  He things it related to there being a lot of trees around his home.  Consumer Cellular is sending them new sim cards that will use the T-Mobile lines and sure hope those work better.  We have the plan with the unlimited minutes of talk and text as Pat talks with her sister a lot almost everyday and they are not short conversations.  The only charge that would go up is if I use too much data but then it is just $5 more to get from 250 Megs to 1 Gig of data.  I don't anticipate using the 250 Megs a month. 

[Janet]

What a difference a day makes!  The office chair we ordered online from Staples yesterday arrived today, and Darrel is busily putting it together!  That was really fast!  I hope it will prove comfortable for me as I need to spend a lot of hours here finishing the book!

Larry, I am trying not be be envious of all that lovely rain you are getting!
The Bible says the rain falls on the just and the unjust, but I wonder, what about the drought? 

I just had a lovely lunch with my friend, the judge who read my manuscript thus far.  She said she really enjoyed it and loves the way I write.  That is such an encouragement to me!  Thank you, Lord, for honest friends!

Now we need to get the second armrest on and then I can try out the new chair!!

[Marilyn]

Larry, Forest and Savannah are doing great, both are working at the same place, One of the  growers in  the area. Forest lives with his girlfriend's parents and Savannah lives with her boyfriend in a 3 Bdrm house very nice. It is his mother's house butg she doesn't live there the kids rent it from her. Steven also works where Savannah does and  at a bagel shop too. Gilbert works for Lincare, installing medical equipment in prople's homes.

Gilbert's house is going into foreclosure  and his divorce won't be final un til hopefully next month. Sarah still has some of her stuff there is is always hanging out in the garage, with the plants she has growing there. You know THAT kind of plants.Gilbert has nothing to do with the plants in the garage.

[Carol]

Janet and Larry:  We just switched to Consumer Cellular.  I find the texting to be a little troublesome and I will just have to keep working on that change. 

This week  was a change for me - I went for a blood draw as physical is/was scheduled next week.  My doctor's office would not accept the insurance as there has been a change.  They changed to one insurance that only covers in this state.  I must have all-over coverage and had an oral agreement with my favorite doctor in December for her to keep me on.   Now, there is no call back unless one comes through today - this will work out but sure do dislike having to find another primary care if that happens.   

Oldest son and wife are coming for a two-day visit and they plan two suppers out with friends so that is easy.  Tuesday night, the quilting group comes and  the next weekend one DIL arrives.  I think they will leave - according to them - our favorite grand dog for us to play and walk.  Walking the dog will only be in the housing area because---- a cougar was spotted a few days ago.

Update:  I just had a call from my doctor's office and they are keeping me on as a patient.  Such a relief - very very thankful. 

[Larry Hanna]

Hi Everyone. It is another overcast morning but only a low percentage chance of more rain today.  We did have lightning and thunder last evening with quite a bit of rain.  Yesterday we did go to the shoe store where Pat ordered the shoes she wanted and they should be in after about a week.  We first went to Honey from the Rock Restaurant and had a delicious lunch. I spent the rest of the day resting as was still worn out from the activities on Thursday.  This morning I will go to the fruit stand and get Pat some more fresh strawberries.  I then plan on stopping at Lowe's for an item and then at Aldi for a few things.  Depending on how much energy I have by 10:30 I may go to a meeting before the stops at Lowe's and Aldi's.  That will be it for today.  Pat made some homemade potato soup in the Instant Pot a couple of days ago and that will be our evening meal.  I do plan on watching some of the golf later this afternoon. 

Janet, glad you got the new chair and I hope it does the trick for you.  I am hoping our drought is broken.  Our chances for more rain in the next few days is around 20% so am not going to hold my breath.  God will give your area rain when it is his time to do so.  I am not surprised at the comments of the judge about your writing.  I thought your first book was excellent and look forward to this sequel. 

Marilyn, I have heard of Lincare.  It sounds like your grandchildren are now out and an now living their own lives and staying busy.  Sorry that Gilbert is losing his house but it will give him new options without the expense and worry of keeping up a property.  I sure wouldn't want "THAT" type of plant growing in my garage although know our homes in the past have sometimes had that item in them unbeknownst to us. 

Carol, did you get different phones?  We kept the phones we already have and the texting is just the same as always.  So far everything is fine for Pat and I.  Unfortunately, it is not working for Scott and Jennifer and Consumer Cellular is sending them the SIM Cards for their phones that will use the T-Mobile system rather than the AT&T system.  Neither of them now have phone or text ability but hopefully will have it Monday or Tuesday.  I think it is hard on Jennifer as last month she sent over 10,000 texts.  Glad your doctor's office changed their mind and you can avoid having to find another doctor. Nice you will get to visit with your oldest son and wife and not have to worry about evening meals.