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Church was awesome.  We had a baptism this morning and it is always great to welcome a new member to God's family! 

After Sunday School I went to Tony's.  He drove my car since her son is here from Florida and was driving their car and we went to 'On the Border'.  Great food.

Then we made a dry run to the Federal Building in Indy.  Now I know my exits and where the building is and where to park and what entrance to go in and all!  Feel better about the whole jury thing but still hope it is canceled!!

Etta Sue:  Thanks for devotions!  I especially like the last sentence on how to pray - asking for guidance first and foremost.  Do you really have a child 50 years old???
 
We went to the Lutheran church that is nearby and have found some very friendly people.  The early service has more senior people so that is the one we have been attending and it is good for Don's hearing.  Also, so nice to have the service we know from years of church and comforting.  We go to an entirely different church at home so now we have the best of both. 

Waiting for neighbors to arrive for the next two days.  And, we just called our friends to find out if they needed a bed this week but Mayo clinic hasn't been in touch with them about his last tests.  Other than that - a cold spell is coming. 

Hi Folks Hope everyone is having a nice day today and have been richly blessed. We went to church this morning and then were invited to some friends for lunch afterwards. This was a nice time of fellowship and just a great lunch. Its nice to get together with freinds once in a while and just be able to enjoy each others company. I am getting my food ready for the road this coming week as I will again hit the trail tomorrow. Where to I dont know yet. Wont know that until tomorrow. Looks like we are in for a cold week up here this week according to the long range forecast but thats the joys of living in the north. think when i retire in the not to distant future spending the winters in the south like maybe Florida looks more inviting all the time. Hope everyone has a great week and stays open to the messages given to us by our Lord. The speaker at church this morning was speaking about that and to get our spiritual priorities in proper order. I'll will run for now. be in touch again sometime at the end of the week when I get back from my adventures on the road. God Bless Bonesy

It's already the last day of January!!!  Now comes February, when we've been known to have some very severe and cold times, but it will soon be gone and we'll be that much closer to spring.   :banana:

Hi everyone.  We awoke to a misty, rainy morning in Georgia but it is 50 degrees so can't complain.  We are forecast for showers off and on throughout the week.

We had a very pleasant surprise yesterday afternoon when our step grandson and his wife stopped by with our almost 3 year old great grandson.  We had a little something for them for Christmas but they hadn't had a chance to come over as they are busy with work, attending college and taking care of the little one.  He was such a joy and they were here for a couple of hours.  He was on the go constantly.  I took a lot of pictures but not sure any came out very good as by the time I clicked the camera he had usually turned away. 

Last evening we attended a wonderful performance of the "Prophets" as I mentioned yesterday.  It was a 93 minute presentation where the actor recited from memory from the prophets with some multimedia shown at various intervals to emphasis certain points.  It was really excellent and if you ever have the opportunity to see it I would highly recommend it.  The program said the actor took a year to memorize the portions of the Bible that he recited in a very dramatic fashion with a few stage props. 

Following the performance the couple we had invited to attend with us went with us to Steak and Shake for supper and a nice time of visiting.

I have a friend who is coming over this morning to spend and hour or so and then will go to my Monday men's luncheon at 1 pm.  So will have a busy day.  This is also our daughter's 46th birthday.  She will come out on Thursday and we will celebrate it then along with my upcoming birthday.  So this will be a pretty busy week.

We did go to the gym this morning to resume our walking program but it was full of little children so not a good place to walk as they pay no attention to where they are going. 

Jeanne you are right, February is a short month and spring seems to be right on its heals.

Larry I am glad you had family over and enjoyed their company.  Little ones are always cute to watch.

We had lunch out yesterday, and a wonderful time of fellowship and laughs with friends.  John has gone, doesn't know what he is doing yet, but that will come.  He really dislikes leaving this late in the day, he would rqther be on the go at 4 in the morning, now his day is half donne and he will have to work into the evening to get the miles.

The sun is shining, the snow sparkling, and the dogs don't want to be out.  It is cold.

Bye for now
Judy

Yes, Carol, my son is 50 years old!  I am really proud of him.  He has had his ups and downs but has never been a disappointment.  Love him to pieces. 

And this afternoon until Thursday, central Indiana is in for ice storms and freezing rain storms.  Everything will be fine as long as we still have electricity!  This is my first ice storm out here in the country.  Without electric I have nothing.  So I have water in a bucket and water in pitchers, candles out ready to light, I made some macaroni salad, bake beans and a cobbler...all that can be eaten cold or room temperature. 

If the electric goes out and I can get the car out and go, Kitty and Bob have a generator so you can keep warm and such!  I would have to get Ivalou, too!  No way could I leave her at home by herself! 

Anyway, I feel like a boy scout...be prepared!  But when they say 100% precipitation...that means something!! 

A rough winter for a lot of people!!

Judy & Jeanne, my sisters, I have some drivel for you.  First of all, of course you know that December 22 is the winter solstice, the point at which the earth is tipped maximally on its axis. That being so, it only stands to reason that December 22 should be looked upon as exactly midwinter.  Before it, days get shorter and shorter, and after it, days get longer and longer.  They try to tell us that that day is the "beginning of winter."  How can it be the beginning, when it's the exact middle?  

If I'm right, then November 5 is the beginning, and Feb. 5 is the end of winter.  I once checked out the daily average temps, found that they decrease after Nov. 5, increase after Feb. 5.  So the solstice winter is from Nov. 5 to  Feb. 5.  Spring, then, begins with Feb. 5 and proceeds toward the spring equinox,  which is actually the middle of spring ("equinox" = midway).

There.  Now you have my version  of the daily drivel.

Very interesting drivel Al, I didn't know that equinox meant midway. that makes a lot of sense.

Now a lot going on here. Well just being my usual busy self. Did a load of laundry, went to the Fitness center, Went to the pet food store and to Ross. Ross didn't have what I was looking for.

It is a beautiful day here today 50° and sunny. going out this afternoon to walk the dogs and might meet with Nita so she can hear my flute.

My knee is acting up today now that my back is all better. It seems like one thing stops hurting and something else starts hurting.

My index finger on my left hand has been doing weird things too. It gets very cold/numb, very white and nothing I do will being it back to normal.  Must let the Dr know about this problem. I don't even have to have cold hands or be in the cold it just happens.

OK Al now explain why our temps go down in February, and don't moderate till March????  -30C in Feb is nothing unusual for us.  Can you explain pls?

You are too funny!

January and February always seem to be the snowiest and coldest months.  And we can usually count on at least one snow storm in April before winter gives up completely.  And today it looks as though February is living up to its reputation.  Over the next two days we may be getting more than 2 feet of snow.   :yikes:

Brrrrr, Jeanne!  I don't envy you living there this time of year, but the views in Spring through Fall are spectacular!  Stay warm!  (Hope that propane arrived.)

It is bitterly cold here, below 0 and wind chill much colder than that.  We have to go to Garden City, hope all goes well.  We have totake the work car and its heater doesn't work very well, so I will take a blanket along.

I will stop by and check on Mom before we leave town.  Will call and check on Mother when I get off here.

Etta Sue, good for you for being prepared.  If your electricity stays on, nothing lost by the preparations!  Doesn't your propane keep you warm at all?  Or is it because you have an electric fan on the propane furnace that it doesn't?

I took all the scam stuff to the police station yesterday.  The detective said they are having a rash of different scams, that it happens about every three months.  He hadn't seen any just like this, so was happy to learn about it.  He asked if he could keep all the stuff, as he wants to contact the FBI about it.  I was happy to leave it with him.

I wish the sun was shining but it isn't.  It isn't raining or snowing either right now.  Like someone on FB said...the ground is covered with Dip 'n' Dots!  Ice pellets.  I have at least 2 inches of dip n dots on my deck and everywhere else.  I can only open my outside screen door half way but I have no reason to go out and do anything.  Traffic is moving on my road and the snow plow has been both directions.  But nothing is worth getting out in this.  Too dangerous.  And we are to get more of this and up to 6 inches of snow tomorrow!!  I may not get out until April!! 

Al, your drivel makes sense to me.  I knew that a day in December  was the shortest day of the year as well as a day in June is the longest day of the year.  Your drivel makes sense!  Like Jeanne, January and February is usually the worst months for snow and low temperatures. 

But this year for Indiana has been extremely cold.  We haven't had as many snows as usual but they haven't melted either!  I have snow on my drive that has been there since before December and a drift beside my bottle gas tank also! 

I just thank God that the electricity is still on.  If that goes off, a lot of people will be in trouble!  Don't want to think about that!  I have a gas furnace but it is hot water baseboard heat.  The water is heated by the gas furnace. I need electricity to pump the hot water through the pipes...plus the thermostat is electric!   

The words "the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord."  supposedly come from Job.  I have read job, and looked in the search engines on line, and cannot find such a verse.  Does this verse exist or is it one of those saying that have been repeated through the years?  Any ideas? Any direction here?

It is cold here but there is some cloud cover so I am hoping it warms up some.

The storm that is expected by Jeanne is also to hit Southern Ontario.  Storms don't seem to recognize borders do they?  Anyway RuthV is heading to Toronto today for Doctors appointments.  I suggested once she gets there she park and use public transit.  Pray for her and  Everette's safety.  This will be a long day for them.

Job 1;21 Very interesting book of the Bible, God teaches us in this book to listen to Him and not man. Have a blessed day.

I have enjoyed my study of Job.  Thank you for the direction.  I have suggested to many to read this book, only one who gave wise counsel, and he was a "young man", in comparison to the others.  Proves that God speaks to the young as well as the old!

In case any of you are interested, we are safely back home.  Not fun to be out at all in wind chill of minus thirty!

Minus 30º !!!  Not that's a "wind chill"   :yikes:   Glad you made it home, Janet .. now stay IN and keep warm.

Glad you made it back home safe and sound Janet. Now Stay home!!!

Hi everyone.  Wow, this has been a very busy day.  I was busy all morning and then about 3:15 two couples came over and we played dominos (Mexican Train) for a coupe of hours and then went out to eat together, as we often do.  It has been foggy here all day and now it is raining but is now 45 degrees. 

I sure don't envy you all getting the severe cold and snow and ice.  Pat just talked with her sister in Independence, Missouri and they have had a lot of snow and blizzard conditions.  The snow is continuing. 

Janet, glad to know you are safely home.  Did you go to see Darrel's mother? 

Etta Sue, all that ice sound pretty dangerous.  Please be careful.

I was just talking to John.  His intent was to make it to Chicago today and stop at a truck stop there.  Well he has made it as far as Milwaukee MN at I94 across from the Flying J.  He has stopped for the night.  Conditions are so bad that he can't see across the parking lot.  He said a lot of what was happening was lake effect from Lake Michigan.  At least he is stopped and safe.

Janet glad you are home safe.

Here I am in Toronto!  After spending the night, we have decided to cancel our three appointments and reschedule for the spring!!
The roads are bad. We are in the northern section of the city and would have to travel down into the city. Schools are closed and the driving looks treacherous.... we know how to drive in these conditions, however other drivers seem to have problems.
We will have lunch with friends and then head home.
We are classifying our trip as an adventurous holiday!!  ::)

Ruth be careful coming home, the storm is up to here with Barrie and Huntsville hit hard.  If possible wait till the plows have been able4 to clear the roads.  It is still snowing heavily, and I can barely see Donny's house across the road.

John is marooned in a truck stop.  Everything is stopped with trucks stuck everywhere, in the driveway , fuel islands, everywhere.  Some drivers have snow up to their bunk doors, (standing up the handle would be at about my shoulder).  He was walking through snow up to his knees and there is a 3 foot snow drift in front of his truck.  The wind rocked his truck all night, but the wind has now eased.  I  suspect he didn't get much sleep.

How does your life reflect God's forgiveness?

Brothers, listen! In this man Jesus there is forgiveness of sins.

Acts 13:38 NLT

Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:32 NLT


Proclaiming God's forgiveness

Proclamation of the Good News of God's forgiveness is what my Christian testimony is all about. That includes forgiveness within my marriage. There is great testimony of God's power when I forgive Teresa as He has forgiven me.

Nothing about myself wants to forgive. It is only through the work of the Holy Spirit that I am able to forgive. Forgiveness is a divine reality that I must first receive from my Creator. Only then can the Spirit prompt me to share that forgiveness with others.

I remember when God humbled me with this truth through the words of Isaiah 53:4-6. Christ took on my sickness of selfishness and price and carried my pain to the cross. Jesus was pierced for my harsh words and snippy attitudes with my wife. He was crushed by my "white lies" and subtle dishonesty. The Savior took on the punishment for my years of neglecting my wife and forgetting my kids.

Because of Christ's forgiveness, Teresa and I can proclaim that it is possible to live in harmony with one another. We are grateful to be able to proclaim God's work in our marriage, to be able to demonstrate to those around us that we don't go to sleep with unforgiveness or bitterness in our hearts. This testimony has only been possible through the divine provision of His forgiveness.

So far no sun here for the ground hog to see his shadow!! 

Good morning from New Iceland!

What a rocky night!  My power stayed on but around 1:30am, I thought Ali was doing something on my dresser...noises!  I yelled at her to stop but the noise kept on.  I turned on the light and Ali wasn't in the bedroom.  Then I realized it was outside.  The wind had picked up and was blowing chunks of ice from the trees and hitting the brick, windows and roof!  I came in the living room and the WeatherFX said the temp was 36 degrees.  I turned on the outside light and sure enough, it was raining...water!  Not sleet.  Not freezing rain.  Not ice pellets.  Not snow!  Rain!! 

So I went back to bed and around 6am, it was 21 degrees!!!  My side door is frozen shut.  But the back door is okay.  At least, I can get out!  The wind is gusting to 45mph.

People here are pretty sensible.  At least they are staying home.  I probably have about 2 inches of ice everywhere and nothing can touch it but salt and/or sun.  I don't have either!  It is to get to above freezing over the weekend but I don't know if it will thaw all of this ice! 

I know a lot of people are facing this bad weather.  The chill factor is to be 6 below tonight...nothing what Janet faced. 

I keep thinking about a sandwich from Woody's, a pizza at Pizza King...even a cappuccino from the convenient store...but I can't get out! 

The snow plow just went east throwing ice everywhere!!

I thanked God that the power didn't go out last night and that my friends and family are all inside safe and warm.  God is good!

Larry, no, we actually went the opposite direction from Amarillo.  We had to repair a security camera in the dialysis center in Garden City.  I called and his mom is improving, so we are trying to wait for a little better weather to make that 400 mile round trip.

It is still below 0 here, but the wind isn't blowing, so I don't really mind.  It's the wind that makes things so difficult.

Lots to do, phone calls to make, etc.  My sister who lives here and I are trying to get things in order for Mom's homegoing, which I feel is coming soon.

Hi Etta Sue!  You never miss the water till the well goes dry... ;)  You will be able to get to all those 'goodies' when it warms up and thaws.  Meanwhile, just stay in and be cozy!  :)

I feel like a visitor here! ha....long time no see.

JudyB, I believe the verse you mentioned is found in Job 1:21, although worded slightly differently. 

We are in the depths of winter, unlike anything we have had here in a very long time.  Not much snow, just wind and sub zero temps.  At least last night's weather report on TV said our town was at minus16 windchill.  Brrrr

We had dear neighbors who sold their home here and are in the throes of winter...the moving van left here Friday heading for Maine.  Our friends left Monday after the closing on the sale of their house.  We had email from them last night from Shawnee, Oklahoma.  They had been stranded for 2 nights and were at a motel there.  (Blizzard)  They said they had taken leftover food from here, otherwise there was only beverages available.....no stores or restaurants open to buy anything.  They hoped to be able to leave there this morning.
They are moving to a condo in Maine, where their daughter lives.

The good thing about this is that our church's fairly new associate pastor (and family), bought the neighbors house....so now we can get better acquainted with them. 

Hope all are doing well, and keeping warm as possible.
Blessings,  Janice

Hi everyone.  Our temperature has been falling since earlier this morning and is now down to 39 degrees.  We did see the sun for a few minutes this morning but now overcast again. 

We attended Bible study, then I went to the DMV to get my car license for the two cars and then joined the group at Dunkin' Donut.  We didn't stay to eat lunch with the group and as soon as I finish here am going to have my afternoon rest period.  I have choir again this evening.

Etta Sue, sure glad you didn't lose power considering the ice that you had.  It is really bad weather across the country. 

Janet, glad you are not experiencing the wind.  I don't have the cities in Kansas well placed in my mind so wasn't sure Garden City might be on the way to Amarillo.

Judy, sorry to hear that John is stuck in his truck.  At least he is at a truck stop and know he takes his food with him.  Does he have heat in his sleeping area in his truck?

Janice, nice to see your post.  I can't image moving to Maine this time of the year.  We had a choir member who moved there during the spring.

Ruth, hope you had a safe trip home from Toronto.

The truck john drives is an International.   The one problem he has with it is that there is little insulation in the walls of the bunk and he can feel the cold radiating in from the walls.  Yes he has a bunk heater, but it doesn't keep the bunk area warm enough.  So to stay warm he has to run the motor periodically to chase the cold out.  Every International he has driven has had this problem.  Now I just heard from him and he will be staying another night at the same truck stop.  He has informed the company as well.  He figures there will be enough cleanup done by tomorrow morning to continue with the trip.

Janice!  How nice to have you posting again.  It HAS been a long time, welcome back!

It's going to stay very cold here for a while, but we aren't fighting the deep snow that others have.  While we do need moisture, we don't want blinding blizzards, either.  (Picky, picky... ;) )

Jeanie and I are still trying to make plans re mom's going home service.  I just want to bury my head in the sand and wait for someone else to make the decisions.  My brother doesn't communicate with me at all, and I don't want problems from that area for anything we decide.   :-\

Larry, after what you have told me about cremation, I am going to inquire (Google) and see if Kansas has anything like Georgia has.  I'm coming around to see the wisdom of that decision.  But not for Mom, we are trying to respect her wishes in the matter.  I'm thinking about Darrel and me.

I will come back when I'm in a more positive frame of mind.  Hope all have a good evening.

Janet it is had to be in a positive frame of mind with what you are facing.  We all understand.  It seems you are being hit on all sides right now.  Know that you are being prayed for.

I have had a time of it keeping the house warm.  The joys of an old house on a windy day in winter.

Cimi and the cat have been playing musical chairs today.  I come to the computer and the cat is in Cimi's chair.  Dog up and cat down.  I go into the livingroom and cat is in Cimi's chair.  Dog up and cat down.  The cat returns to the chair by my desk and goes back to sleep till the dog "tells him" to get off.  It has been fun to watch.

Judy aren't our animals funny.

Yes very ...yet they will lay on the bed together. 

The "Blizzardgeddon" didn't happen. We omly got maybe six inches of snow not the 10-12 they were whining about. Still I got to use the new snow blower I bought  :D
Maybe today they will plow out our neighborhood (and probably bury our dirveway!)

Still ice bound.  But yesterday I saw an SUV driving real slow and then heard car doors slam.  Oh, how nice to live in a small, country community!  It was the Wayne Township Fire Department truck and two men checking to see if I was okay!  One man was from my church.  I had to open the window on the screen door since the door was still frozen shut so David chipped the ice with a tire tool and used my snow shovel to shovel the ice away so I can at least get out.  I asked them if they would get my mail and Ivalou's mail since I thought I had a package in the mailbox.  Ivalou had nothing but ads but I did get one of the books I ordered from Amazon.com. 

But I am not going anywhere.  Everything is ice!!  The sun is shining today and when I look toward the sun, it is nothing but glossy ice as far as the eye can see.  Nothing is worth broken bones for me to have to get out!  And the 7-day forecast shows only Sunday to be above freezing...only 33 degrees and that sure isn't high enough to melt this ice!  I have between 2 and 4 inches of frozen something on my deck and deeper spots on the drive since there was some drifting after snow, then some melting and freezing again! 

Kitty and Bob have both fallen on the ice.  Bob is a walker and pacer.  He HAS to walk.  I think OCD!  He goes to the mall or big stores and walks every day.  He got stuck in his drive, then called a snow plow guy and fell while standing still and watching the snow plow.  Kitty fell when going to the mailbox. 

My friend, Betty, went to her son's house.  They were taking her back home yesterday and she fell at the car.  So went back to her son's home. 

The people on the radio is saying there have been a lot of broken bones from people falling.  One man in a southern county passed away when he got locked out of house Tuesday night.  He was 93 years old. 

It's a super bad winter everywhere this year!! 

Janice...so glad to see you on CP! 

Everyone...do use caution.  If you are in this bad weather, be very careful.  Do not get out unless it is an emergency! 

And I am thinking...once I get out...pizza sounds so good!!!

John is out of the truck stop and on his way to Chicago.  The truck in front of him got our and he had the snow bank in front of him so he backed out.  Once he was on the road all was well..  Glad it was  him backing out not me!

Sun is shining, beautiful blue sky but still very cold.  We have an Alberta Cliper coming this way. They usually only dump 2 t0 3 inches of snow but bring cold weather.

I haven't heard from RuthV yet so don't know if she got home safely.  I will wait.

Tough driving up north! 

Yesterday, I almost went to the emergency room with a sharp pain in left area.  But - it was so cold and windy then late at night so I thought if I could sleep everything would be alright - and I did sleep well.  Still fussy stomach today so I am here inside while Don is getting an oil change for the SUV. 

Doing some embroidery work & will catch up on the chaos in Egypt.  Still remembering to Pray for Israel. 

Hi everyone.  Just back from going to Atlanta to pick up our daughter at her apartment.  She is spending the night ana maybe tomorrow night if the weather is unpleasant.  We came back to the house a to pick up Pat Android then we went to zaxby's for lunch.

This evening we are having shrimp and will celebrate Stacey's & my birthdays.  I think I may be getting a new HD led 42 inch TV for my birthday as H H Greig has one for a very good price. This will be used in our bedroom.

Judy, glad that John was able to get back on the road.

Etta Sue, glad you are staying in & not risking a fall.

Am.writing from my ebook reader so going to stop & not address each person.

I am feeling a huge sense of relief tonight.  My siblings leaning on me to make the prior arrangements for our Mom has been weighing heavily on my mind, so today, I made calls, asked questions, and then Jeanie and I drove to another town 50 miles from here (and 50 miles from where Mom will be buried next to Dad) and we got all the arrangements finalized.  We will go to the bank tomorrow to make an irrovacable trust in Mom's name, to be paid to the funeral home upon her demise.  That will lock in the prices he gave us.

In doing all this, I am saving my family over $8000!!  I'm thinking....that's really good, and I'm thanking God.  I prayed about all this, this morning before I started working on it.  That's a huge difference in price, don't you think?

I'm worn out, but relieved.

Larry, I Googled Kansas Cremation Society, and sure enough!  There is one!

Stay warm and safe, everyone.

Ooops, I started this hours ago and didn't post!!!

Hello everyone!!  I arrived home, safely, last night around 9:30 P.M. and our friend who was keeping our outdoor wood furnace going arrived about ten minutes later!!  I fed him some zucchini and blueberry bread and a cup of hot tea. It's wonderful to have friends who are willing to help!!

I've has a busy day today; into North Bay, this morning then had to get home to send off a contract proposal for one of my bookkeeping jobs and then catching up on my own budget.....

Keeping you all in my prayers!

I enjoyed your visit Ruth!  Thank you for bringing in my mail!

I am still frozen in.  I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel.  I think the only thing that will help is above freezing temps and perhaps rain!  Can't believe I haven't stepped out of the house for 6 days now!! 

I will be missing church Sunday...first time for a long time....over three years.  Oh, how I love church.  I guess I am trying to make up for all the time that I didn't attend church.

I am doing fine food wise and all.  Just getting tired of being in.  But not so tired that I am going to try to get out just yet!! 

Just glad I have my Kindle to read and thank God, the power has not went off.  My niece in Ohio said their power had been off since Tuesday and her house is now 30 degrees warmer!!  Can't imagine that.  But they were able to spend nights at the in-laws. 

Nothing planned today except watch the sunshine and hope for some melting.

Etta Sue do you have Kitty Liter...Not the clumping stuff?  Sprinkle that down on the ice and that will give you traction.  I don't recall if you ever said you had a wood stove, but ashes would work too.  Sorry you can't get out, I know how you like to travel about.

Larry:  Will you be surprised when you get the new t.v. for your birthday?

Janet:  Good on your pre-planning for your mom's funeral.  I was able to put together a pre-paid plan for mom when she was going into assisted living for her Alzheimer's Disease.  It was a God- send as people say.  She died on a Thanksgiving Day & the entire state of Minnesota had icy roads so the drive there & getting things accomplished was indescribable to say the least.  We all walked baby steps even with boots & still slipped.  The funeral home even refunded money so it was a real savings.  It seems like you have to "take the reins" with your siblings waiting for you to decide things.  Same here and it never did change. 

Etta Sue:  I hope you can keep electricity with all of that snowy and icy weather.  You sure have been housebound for a long time.  It sounds like you still have the telephone & that kindle does sound interesting to me too although I can't get one as we both have our iPods & that is about all I can learn anyway.  ;)  As for church, you can find a service on t.v. as well as radio and one of them will have a good message.  Take care & be safe. 

Hi everyone.  A very rainy, dreary day in Georgia and it is 36 degrees.  However, there is no forecast of ice and it is to be sunny tomorrow. 

After coffee this morning I drove our daughter back to her apartment in Atlanta as she was ready to go back.  It was tough driving due to all the road spray as it was raining.  However, I stayed off the Interstate except for maybe 5 miles and while it took longer for the trip it was certainly safer and less stressful.  I didn't get home until about 1 pm and was really beat.  However, after a bite of lunch I had a nice nap and will stay in the rest of the day.

Carol, I am pretty sure there is a Kindle application available for your iPad that should be free in the iTunes apps store.  I have it on my iPod Touch and it works very well.  You should also be able to get the Barnes and Noble Nook ebook reader without cost.  So I wouldn't think there would be any reason to get a separate Kindle or Nook.  I have read several books using the Kindle application on my iPod Touch.  You just have to constantly tap to turn the page.  The iPad and the ebook readers like I have had a 6 or 7 inch viewing screen and of course, do many other things.  I don't know whether we will follow through on the new TV or not.  I had apparently dreamed the price as when I went to check the ad on the computer I didn't find it and even called my friend and he checked the paper where I thought I had seen it. 

Janet, I understand your sense of relief to have those arrangement made and to have the related financial matters settled.  I hope you can now relax a bit and do some painting or something that you really want to do or maybe do nothing at all for a little bit so you can catch your breath. 

Etta Sue, think how much more you will appreciate being able to get out and about when the ice is gone and it is safe to move about again.  Sure glad you didn't lose your power. Do you have any trouble with your new phone running out of power?  My friend recently got one and says it has to be charged often.

Ruth,  glad you made it home safely and I see you apparently visited with Judy, which was very nice and sure Judy appreciated it.  I didnt understand what you met about your outside furnace.  Does this mean you have to go outside and put the wood in the furnace?

Greetings from a balmy 50* day in SW Kansas!  Almost makes me want to go out for a walk!  But I did nearly a mile on the treadmill earlier, and sure don't want to aggravate my back.

I had a busy morning tying up loose ends, running errands, etc.  Had just gotten home, ready to rest a bit, when the phone rang.  It was the doctor's office telling me I had a 2:00 appointment with Dr. Brian, the one who did my tongue surgery.  I went, but told him I am not coming back, as I am no better and don't think I ever will be.  He is really puzzled, says he's never had anything like this and doesn't have any more suggestions.  He still wants me to go to an oral surgeon for another opinion, but I think it would be a waste of money.

I have been asked to go to Hugoton tomorrow to help paint the scenes for the ballet Abby will be in the following weekend.  So, I will be doing that.  They are performing Cinderella.

Now it's time for Janet to get in her recliner and rest for a little while.  See you later.

We were expecting 2 feet or more of snow in this last storm, but wound up with only about 8 inches.  My steps and walk, and a path to get into the car have been cleared, but the car itself hasn't been touched - and there are two storms worth on it.  The temperature hasn't been up to freezing, but the sun has been hitting the car and some of it has slid off.  Now I'm hoping that, tomorrow being Saturday, my neighbor will get it cleared off so I can get out and run some errands.   If not, I guess I'll just have to go work on it little by little until it's safe to drive. 

Yes Larry, the furnace we installed, just after we moved here in 2003, burns wood and needs to be attended to every 12 to 17 hours, depending on the outside temperature. My husband usually looks after it. The logs we cut from our 200 acre property are 4 feet long and are a little heavy   :D

Here is a website that explains it more fully.

http://www.growersheat.com/applications.htm (http://www.growersheat.com/applications.htm)
http://www.heatmor.com/residential-models.php (http://www.heatmor.com/residential-models.php)  We have the 400 model.

We use it to heat the house (forced air heating), the barn, our "guest cottage", our hot water tank (Domestic Hot Water) and our clothes dryer (Washer & Dryer).

The last time we were hit with an ice storm in this area, the electricity was off for DAYS!! however we never went through the problems that Etta Sue is having.... Etta Sue - :aaah: and a big hug!!

I am so fortunate to have JudyB close by..... we are becoming "bestest friends"

After a trip to Toronto and a busy day at my daughter's, today, I am agreeing with Janet; time to hit a recliner (except I don't have one) so, it might be..... early to bed!!

Hi Folks. Well got home last night and all is well. The storm is over and the roads are in good shape again through the areas that I had to travel but there are mountains of snow everywhere you look. One truckdriver trying to dig out of the snow at the truck stop I stayed was taken to hospital with a haert attack but the word was that he would be ok.Judy is much more at ease now that I got through that one. I am som thankful having Ruth just up the road from us and the freindship that her and Judy have. It is comforting to know that there is somsone who is helping Judy while she has this lame wing Thank you Ruth for all you do. Larry I read your posts and have come to the conclusion that yourschedule is as busy as mine. My you seem to have a lot on the go. How did you ever find time to go to work. If thats what retirement is all about I guess I'm looking forward to a busy time when I get there. Well got to go for now. Time for Breakfast. Have a Blessed day Folks. Bonesy

Happy Saturday!

Good to read that our friends in the frozen Northland are doing okay, that John made it home safely and all is well.  Now if Etta Sue and Jeanne can get some warmer temps and thaw out, everybody can move about again.

I plan to drive over to Hugoton to help paint the setsfor the ballet today.  But first I think I will go check out the big garage sale at the senior center.  I don't need anything, but like to look, anyway.

Who are you rooting for tomorrow in the Super Bowl?

Hi everyone.  This morning is another dreary one but we are suppose to have sunshine this afternoon and then a nice day tomorrow.  We are above freezing this morning.

I enjoyed coffee with my friends this morning and now just plan to stay home the rest of the day.  I have been on the go everyday this week and am just tired of going so will take a day off.  I will just do some work here at my desk this morning and then rest this afternoon and evening. 

Janet, I think I am rooting for Green Bay since they are a relatively small town compared to where some of the other teams come from.  I just hope it is a good competitive game.  I read the the commercials will be costing $93,000 per second during the game.  Obviously the advertisers think it is worth it or wouldn't be spending the money.  Hope you were able to find some treasure at the big garage sale.  I don't go to garage sales very often as we just don't have room for anything else.  We need to start getting rid of things rather than add to them.

John, in reality I don't get much accomplished each day with all my going.  I do like to feel I have accomplished a little something everyday.  Sure glad you are safely home.  I was concerned when I learned you were stuck at a truck stop. 

Ruth, thanks for the links for the furnace you have.  I have never heard of this type of furnace.  It sounds like it would very efficient.  It is nice that you and Judy have become such close friends.  Friends are precious and something to be treasurered. 

Jeanne, hope you will be able to get your car out today and do the errands on your list. 

Did you hear me say, 'More snow!!'??  Yep, more snow.  It is almost a white out right now!  I can barely see the mailboxes from where I am sitting!  Big fluffy flakes coming down.  It would beautiful if it were the first snow of the season but...

JudyB ~ I have kitty litter but it is the clumping kind.  In fact, I have a litter box that the purr-girls won't use and need to dump it somewhere.  It would be worth it to use on the grassy areas but I have to get to the grassy areas.  I have some other kitty litter in the garage but can't get to it!

Carol ~ Take Larry's advice and download Kindle on your ipod.  I downloaded when it first got my Droid but I didn't read anything until I downloaded the book for Bible Study!  So easy to read...you can change the size of fonts and I like it with a black background and white letters.  Just tap it to change pages.  When you return, it is right where you left off!  I have read several books on it.  Finished a Biblical fiction yesterday that was free.  I find a book on the laptop at the Kindle Store and then search for it on Droid and click and get it! 

Larry ~ I have never depleted my battery yet but I plug it in every night when I go to bed.  Lately I have been reading it before shutting off the light and sleeping...so I charge it while watching TV.  Works for me. 

Janet ~ Yesterday the prediction for tomorrow was 38 degrees.  Today it is 33 degrees for tomorrow.  I don't see any melting in the near future! 

I read on here or FB that a blow torch would work.  I need one of those blow torch weed killers! 

Here are a couple of photos I took yesterday.  Look at pictures 10 and 11.  Click here (http://www.facebook.com/ettasue#!/photo.php?fbid=10150126393761869&set=a.159860231868.148458.665266868&pid=7870940&id=665266868). 

It's bad everywhere.  My friend in Mexico was only 5 degrees warmer than me this morning! 

That's about it, folks.  I think I am going to watch old VHS tapes this afternoon for entertainment. 

Well, I went to Hugoton but I didn't do any painting!  Instead, I helped make costumes.  It was fun, as daughter Diane was there, too, so we had a nice visit while we worked.  There was another gal there who seemed to have the painting all planned and not to need any help, so that was fine with me.  I helped make horses' manes, pumpkin stems, epulets for guys' shoulders, headpiece for the Snow Queen, odds and ends that are important to the overall look and take lots of time, which they are getting short of--time!

Larry, we are rooting for Green Bay, as well.  Darrel doesn't like the QB of the Steelers.  I'm not that much of a football fan, but if the game is good (close) it's fun to watch.  I have a few snacks planned.  ;)  I must be careful, as I sure don't want to invite that 16# back that I got off!

I will do the new Thoughts sometime tomorrow.

Good Evening (in the voice of Alfred Hitchcock)  :lol: I have been here to read but when I came back just now I see I must not have been here to read today. We went to Walmart this morning, and I have worked on  graphics  the rest of the day until I fixed supper a little while ago.

Tomorrow is my 71st birthday, We are going to Ross to buy me a new purse and to the Sizzler for supper. Sizzler sent me a $10. coupon for my birthday to be used by the 18th, but we will use it tomorrow. I sure don't feel like 71 although I don't know what 71 is supposed to feel like.

I bathed Bebe today, took Happy in for his monthly check up yesterday, i had bathed him and brushed his teeth and the Vet said  he was doing very well. he still has to stay on the Fungus meds though. So both of the fur babies are clean and smell good.

Grubby stinks though and he keeps wanting to get in my lap. Keith sort of bathed him last week but it didn't help he still smells like cat urine. Keith just put shampoo in a bucket of water and washed Grubby that way. He did good for giving a CAT a bath, but it wasn't enough of a bath. he should have put the shampoo on the CAT. :lol:

Last time a cat was bathed in this place Elizabeth decided toput Tom into the Kitchen sink and run water over him out of the tap.  Tom took exception , Elizabeth screamed for Kassie and Kass ran to help and promptly got a good cat bite.  That meant a hospital visit, antibiotics, and a health department follow up.  This is the cat that would, (till that day) get into the shower with Kass!

Happy birthday, Marilyn!!

No church this morning.  It was canceled due to the parking lot being covered in ice.  I guess my place isn't the only place.

So I mentioned that to Kitty in an email and I am going to see if I can get to the driveway after daylight.  If I can, then Kitty and Bob are going to take me to MCL for lunch! 

I went to bed last night and read for awhile and turned out the light.  I woke back up about 3 hours later and here I am.  I tossed and turned for over an hour thinking about getting to the driveway and my strategy.  Then thinking about what I could do to get the ice off for a path!  My mind wouldn't shut off!  It's 29 degrees right now so it sounds like it will be above freezing all day!  But we have about 6 inches of snow over 4 inches of ice!  I am thinking it will take about 4 days of above freezing to melt it all, not a few hours above freezing.

We were suppose to go to Beef and Boards this next Tuesday but I called and canceled.  Now we are to go Feb 24th.  I wonder how many more snows that will be?  In 1961 we had a bad storm on the 25th and was without electricity for 5 days and about 3 feet of snow!  But that was in 1961! 

Everyone have a God-filled day!

I am OUT!!  Well, I can be if I want.


All that busy mind last night must have worked.  A church member brought his tractor and front loader and cleaned Ivalou and my drive.  It isn't completely clean but you can see the pavement in spots.  He even came right up to the back door with the loader and cleaned me a path to the garage.  I got the garage door unstuck and he chipped ice about 8 inches thick next to the garage door so I could get my car out and back in.  I did that twice. 

Now Ivalou and I can go for Pizza!!!

Kitty and Bob are to be here any minute.

Good Morning , Not much going on here this morning, I can't believe how many birthday wishes I have had on Facebook from friends I haven't heard from in months.  We are going to the Sizzler for dinner late this afternoon, they sent me a $10 coupon for my birthday. How about that? Sometimes it pays to fill out those little questionnaires they give you or join the Rewards Club.  they have given me a free salad bar lunch  for filling out the  questions on how're we doing.

Congratulations Etta Sue for getting out and about today!!!

Happy Birthday Marilyn.... and many more to come.

:cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :groupwave: :groupwave: :groupwave: :groupwave:  
:hb2: :hb2: :hb2: :hb2: :hb2: :hb2:

Thank you MArilyn and again Happy Birthday To You!!!

Hello;

The calendar drop down on the above bar does not work is there a reason?

Marilyn:     Happy Birthday and may you have many more   :hb3: :hb2: :hb3: :dogrun:

Judy & John Happy Anniversary how many is that now? 

Larry:   Also Happy Birthday         :hb3:

Let's go over to the lounge now.  I have freshened it all up and set out snacks and fresh coffee, tea and juice for you  here.  (http://www.christianphotographers.com/community/index.php?topic=11456.0/url)