Christian Photographers Community

Jeanne Lee...
...wont hovering your cursor over - above it, ( don't press or click on it ) should Identify its source, by looking at the bottom corner of your screen...if in doubt delete...

Jackie, that was one of the first things I did - no help.      I just thought it might be someone with a unique ID that I dont recognize.

Hi everyone. The day starts out overcast and we are headed to about 90 degrees again this afternoon with a 20% chance of some rain.  I got up this morning, showered and shaved and got partially dressed and laid back down with the head of the bed raised and read my email, devotionals and other readings I do each day.  I also read through all of the postings in the five discussions I follow each day. This seems to be becoming a habit as I am awake but not really ready to get up and start the day.  So it was about 8:15 before got out into the kitchen to start those duties.   

The main activity for today will be going to the dinner at Church this evening and then we will stop by Walmart to pick up an online order.  Yesterday in the paper I read that starting tomorrow there is a delivery to home service that will be instituted for our area.  It will have a $5.95 charge or you could get a yearly membership.  While we don't need this service now the time may come when it will be needed so was really happy to see that the service will be available. 

Yesterday Pat was able to find a new pair of shoes.  She is very hard to fit.  Following that we did go to the Honey on the Rock restaurant.  The meal was excellent and the surrounding very nice.  I was very impressed as a Bible  was on each table. I ended the meal with a big piece of pineapple chiffon pie that was delicious and Pat had their banana pudding.  We will definitely go back.  They offered a full or half portion meals, which was plenty of food for us and left space for the pie and banana pudding.

Jackie, it is amazing what you can do with Google maps and the ability to see buildings and homes.  The restaurant is a separate building at the street end of the big building of the Whole Life Ministries.  I just looked this Ministry up and see it is a full Gospel non-denominational Church. 

Carol, I hope you were able to visit your neighbor yesterday.  Sorry to read that your have many red flag warnings out in your state now.  So far we have not had any problems with Walmart messing up our prescriptions.  That sounds like an interesting old church in Minnesota.  I guess the uncomfortable pews would help people stay awake.  I prefer pews with cushions myself.  :0  This is going to be a year probably long remembered for the hurricanes and earthquakes.  I had the Weather Channel on this morning and they showed what is happening in Puerto Rico this morning. 

Jeanne, that name has no meaning to me. In recent weeks I have gotten a repeated email from someone I know what the email subject line looked strange and I didn't open it. Since I had this persons email address I did email her and asked if she had sent me anything and she said no.  So I have deleted it each time it has appeared. 

Not long home from a church mid day luncheon run by another church's volunteers...although told that they are not the regular meal volunteers, so not so good...I was rather full up with small breakfast of berries and muesli two hours before we left for our 20 minute journey, so not really hungry for a meal and ice cream with lemon cheesecake, I have to admit I enjoyed the cheesecake more than I enjoyed our only choice of lamb, peas, sliced carrot and baked potato, more lik a small Sunday roast...our meal donations went to the Air Ambulance...

Jeanne Lee...
...I knew you were on the ball...

Larry Hanna...
...now that is Impressive, a restaurant with a bible on each table...Before our meal today we started off saying Grace, not something Richard is used to...he is only interested in the food in front of him...This was held in the large opening foyer before the church with a partition separating...but sadly no Bible was in site...

As I am going about my way this morning in the kitchen preparing our Toby's dinner, I found myself mumbling to myself, or to Toby...that I have to give thanks for what we once had...and for what we now have left...not too sure how that came to my mind, but it did...

Hi everyone. It looks like today will be a repeat of yesterday in terms of the weather with a high around 90 degrees.  This being Thursday I will pick up my friend and take him to coffee this morning.  On my way I will make quick stop at Walmart to pick up a prescription and a couple of other things. I doubt I will try to attend the Wisdom class today as have been tired all week and today starts the same.  There is nothing else on the schedule for today.  We did have a nice dinner at Church last evening and then Jennifer came out and played Farkle with Pat for a couple of hours. Scott had traded work days with someone on the day he was sick so he was working last evening and couldn't be with us.

Jackie, nice you could attend the luncheon as it gave you a chance to get out of the house and met other folks.  Ice cream and cheesecake would top off any meal.  I think I have eaten lamb only once or twice in my lifetime. I am sure sitting through Grace at a meal won't hurt Richard.  At our evening meal at Church the little children go up on the stage and do a little singing Grace before the meal.  They love doing it and the group is quite large this year.  Making or thinking a gratitude list helps us focus on the many blessing we have.  I think about the people in the recent hurricane, and especially those in Pureto Rico where the whole island with 3 1/2 million people are without power and the people who have lost their homes and many probably their jobs and I realize how grateful I am for my life.   

Larry Hanna...
...totally agree with you...we-anyone of us on our forum could have been born in a trouble torn Country...many's the time I sit on a comfortable sofa in a warm and comfortable home with a roof, watching our world wide news and thinking how lucky I am to be where I am and not where they are...

I agree, too, Jackie, except that I don't consider it luck, but God's blessings.   

Jeanne Lee...
..so right, I will swap that word lucky for blessed also...which ever it is we give praise and thanks...when we think that our own life could be so so different...

Larry Hanna...
...In hindsight I got that wrong...it wasn't lamb it was pork...the lady opposite me said her piece wasn't cooked properly, it was on the pinkish side so had it returned then replaced...I found the same, I only ate half but Richard finished mine off with no problem...

Wondering when Janet returns and how Beth is faring this week. 

I fell asleep in the chair and Don dropped something so now I am contemplating whether to take a real nap or do something more important.   

Good afternoon from the west coast. Freckles and I went visiting at the hospital today. We took the 4th floor with another team. Yesterday we went to the nursing/residential home around the corner and then in the afternoon I visited a friend from church who is in the rehab place not far from here.

Our weather has been on again off again ran for this past week, I am hoping for some better walking weather as I miss my walking with Freckles several times per day. I have started cooking for freckles, that way she is not getting all the preservatives or fillers that are added to commercial dog food. I am trying to keep her healthy and give her a long life. I also give her Fish oil, Vitamin E and Glucosamine/Chondroitin daily. She gets Blueberries in her breakfast meal and Dried cranberries in her evening meal. Well, enough about Freckles.

We are doing well and will be making another trip up to Portland to the Eye Institute for Keith to see the neuro-ophthalmologist in October. The Aricept seems to be helping him too with his memory. I still say it is the little things that I notice on a daily basis that are not right.

Marilyn...
...I can recommend " Lily's Kitchen " dog food, this is what I feed - fed my dogs on...I notice you can order it from Amazon.com...these food have meat and veg, berries and herbs and other goodness that dogs would eat in the wild...It is one of the dearer and top branded dog foods here in UK...This is just a suggestion..

Hi everyone. Another sunny morning and again headed into the low 90's on this first day of Fall.  We do have a 40% chance of some isolated thunderstorms this afternoon. This is the day for our housekeeper to be here and I anticipate we will go out for our big meal today around noon as we usually do on housecleaning day.  Yesterday Pat made a Mexican soup and this morning some brownies and we are taking some of each over to a member of our Sunday School class who is laid up with a cracked hip and has been ordered to keep all weight off of it for a couple of months in hopes it will heal.  Nothing else on the schedule for today. 

Our granddaughter came over again yesterday afternoon and fixed sloppy Joe's for our dinner last night.  She and Pat got in a few games of Farkle as well. So far this morning I am feeling much less tired than I have all week for which I am grateful.

Jackie, although we all have our own problems we are very fortunate to live where we do.  We had just the opposite of the not fully cooked pork at our Wednesday night dinner when it was probably overcooked and thus had become a bit tough.  However, I will take that to under cooked any day. 

Jeanne, you are so right that these are blessings from God and we need to remember to thank him for them every day.

Carol, I have been thinking about Janet and Darrel and Beth this week also.  I do hope Janet and Darrel have an enjoyable week.  It sounds like Don may be like me that when I try to be very quiet if Pat is napping or still asleep in bed I seem to do something that makes noise. 

Marilyn, it sounds like you have been kept busy doing kind things for others with your hospital visits and visiting your friend from Church.  It sounds like you are taking very good care of Freckles.  I do hope the Aricept continue to extend good days for Keith.     

It is sunny and most probably one of the last warm/hot days of this year.  It is so unusual to have hot days  into this month.  We did visit our dear neighbor last night - she is recovering from surgery for three places on her arm and hand.  For two weeks now, one of the children has been taking care of her while her husband has been in a care home.  The 2nd. son will drive from Texas coming up the soon.  She asked me to fix some hems on newly ordered slacks so I can do that little bit.  I am going to take her to visit a mutual friend sometime soon.   Her very caring and lovely family is all involved in  as well as grandchildren come to help.  It surely speaks to the gifts from raising children in the words of the Lord.

Larry:  Taco soup - that would be nice on a snow day.  I plan a beef stew for tonight and now make it in a crock pot after browning the meat.  Today is still a warm day but the weather people lied again and said this would be really cool.  Time to get moving -it is late.  I did my exercise and now back to real life.   

This has been an "interesting" morning.

First, the cable went off completely, including the internet.  Only for a couple  minutes, then after 5 minutes off again for about 10 minutes.

A half hour later, the power went off - first for just a few seconds, then for about 45 minutes.  Thank God for those tall cans of auxiliary oxygen, and I was able to hook up to one very easily.  The only other problem with no power, at least in summer, is no water.  You can imagine what that could mean with an extended outage.  But at this point, all is well. Thank God

Jeanne Lee...
...oh isn't it typical, when one bad thing happens it all happens together...I am not sure which is worse, a long power-cut or a one minute power-cut, which we tend to get, then its going around the home while resetting everything...

...oh that is an annoyance that you have the extra worry of your oxygen supply, which I was unaware you were on...

This evening I-we have our social evening, which is I believe to do with the church although not all faces I am seeing at the social do, the lunchtime meal and the morning tea-cake and biscuits we had attended, dont all attend the church...One lady who sat beside me at our recent lunchtime meal attends another church and tonight she wont be attending as she attends a singing-choir session...I told her I would love to come and join her but I dont have a singing voice...

Not sure if tonight we are playing beetle drive or 20 questions, whichever one it is, I will need to take my brain along...

Well that was a fun night, we both really enjoyed ourselves...there must have been 30 to 40 of us seniors, with the exception of a lovely young pair, not sure if they are married or boyfriend and girlfriend but a very young pair of students over here from Taiwan learning English...Strangely the girl sat next to me the boyfriend took the last seat the other end of the round set of tables as they were the last people to arrive, so got separated, so I got to speak to her and we laughed and helped each other with the rules and playing of the game and cheered each other on as we got the roll of the dice to add another piece of the beetle, its body, its head, six legs, tail and antennas-feelers and eyes, it was very fast moving around the table with the seven or eight dice's that were being passed around..no sooner had we thrown number one dice, it was then turn of number two, then three, four and so on...I had beginners luck and got all pieces of my first beetle drive game, so had to call out, only I had forgotten what it was I was meant to call out, then after several non stop games we totalled up our points...I had high points but was not the outright winner, no prizes of course, just pure fun all round...

Jackie, my Freckles is on a low-fat, grain-free diet.  Her dry food only has 7.5& crude fat and she only gets ? cup of that, then I add ? Cup of the food I have prepared for her so the total calories is only 275 per meal. She gets 55o calories per day. This is to maintain a healthy weight of under 35 pounds. We are trying to get her down to 32 pounds at the most. That is what her Veterinarian has recommended, although,  I have just started cooking for her.
Here is the recipe.

3 pounds ground turkey
1 pkg frozen peas and carrots,
1 can unsalted Black Beans
Then I cook 1 cup brown rice and let that cool before I add it to the meat mixture.
It make 12 cups of food or 24 servings for Freckles.

I can add other vegetables such as any kind of unsalted beans, spinach, broccoli, string beans, or sweet potatoes. But I haven't done that yet. I have to go to a website and figure how may calories and how much protein is in what I have prepared.

Marilyn...
...Lily's Kitchen do some grain free dry foods....not sure of the calorie intakes...
...I cant believe our Toby is now on " Senior " food...he will be seven November but I have already started him on it, both tinned and dry food, so limits the rest of their varieties for adults, thankfully he enjoys the Senior foods and laps them up...

Well now the weather temps are turning colder I seem to be sleeping an hour or two later, which of course is good, although I still get up through the night for my loo visits.... 

Hi everyone. It looks like we will have a mostly sunny day today getting up to around 90 degrees this afternoon with no chance of rain.  Yesterday afternoon we had a lot of thunder and severe thunderstorm warnings but ended up getting no rain.

I awoke at 4:30 this morning and couldn't go back to sleep.  I laid there for about 90 minutes and then decided to get up and get my day started.  I expect today to be a pretty quiet one.  I do plan on going to my weekly meeting around 10:30 this morning and that will likely be it.  Yesterday morning we took the soup and dessert Pat had prepared to our friend from Church that I mentioned yesterday and we had a nice visit with her for 30-45 minutes.  Then we went from there to the BBQ Barn and had a big main meal for the day and so we didn't have to mess up the kitchen on housecleaning day.  By the time we got home it was almost 2 pm and I laid down to rest for a couple of hours and then had a quiet rest of the day. 

Carol, your neighbor is fortunate to have you all as caring neighbors.  It sounds like her family is also very caring and is looking after her in this time of great need that she is experiencing.  I haven't tasted the soup yet but will probably get it for dinner tonight if there was enough left.  It apparently was very simple to make with only 4 ingredients and all cooked in the crock pot. 

Jeanne, glad you were able to hook up to the auxiliary oxygen.  Is that the first time you have had to do so?  Do you keep extra bottled water on hand in case of an emergency.  I did buy six gallon of water in preparation for Hurricane Irma but we didn't lose the water during the short power outage we had.  It will keep for many months and I have a place to store it in my garage.  We also keep some small bottles of water on hand. Sure glad you didn't have any problems during the outage.   

Jackie, I see your social evening last night was  enjoyable. It sounds like Richard is also enjoying these events. Sure nice to read that you are now being able to have more social contact with folks as this is how we are able to gain new friends.  Winning prizes    is certainly not the main benefit  we get out of playing games but fun to have the high points.  It was nice that the young lady from Taiwan sat next to you and you were able to help each other with the game.

Marilyn, I must say you and Jackie are really taking excellent care of Freckles and Toby by preparing or buying the special foods. 

Fall season arrived today and the house was at 66 degrees this morning - fresh.  We like cool sleeping but I did touch the heat later for we are not doing much activity today.  Don is taking a nap - he is really 'all in" with this head cold. 

Larry;  Those early awakening are hard to deal with later in the day.  After years of rising at least by 5:30 AM, it still hits me that I might as well get up and start something.  Usually, I first read some devotions then go downstairs to the treadmill or walk outdoors (meeting everyone who has a dog).  How is your friend from church? This is the best caring neighborhood we have lived in - we call it a blessing to be here. 

We watched a video on the state of Idaho and even though we have driven through it many times, we certainly did not know of all the beautiful wonders.  Makes us think about a trip to Idaho and going to the north side for a change. 

Jeanne Lee:  You are smart to have extra oxygen and other supplies on hand.  It doesn't take much for power to go out and sometimes takes hours or more to get it back on. 

Washing clothes and being thankful for dryers being invented.  Dish washers too. 

Marilyn:  Do you grind your own ground chicken?  I buy the larger pieces and use some for dishes or saute alone and also grind the big pieces and it saves $ to do that - only takes a minute.  Sounds like fresh food for the doggies. 

Carol, I buy the  Organic ground turkey at the Grocery Outlet.
I think some of the fires are still burning but not much is said on the news lately with the hurricanes and the earthquakes in Mexico.
We are having decent weather here on the coast no smoke here.
I have been on the run today and I am so tired. I had Keith rub my feet for me and that part feels somewhat better. We had tires installed on my car this morning and they messed up the check by putting in the wrong amount. So we had to come back home to get another check. We had done our grocery shopping while the tires were being put on so back we go with the other check, Come home unloaded and put away the groceries. rushed out to the Fire Department to take part in the disaster Awareness program representing Furry Friends. After 1 pm when I got home, fixed lunch for Keith ( I ate at the FD) took freckles for her first walk of the day. Keith hadn't even taken her out to pee. So here I am now. Tired Mama.to say the least.

Be leaving for church in 30 minutes, by the time you all read this, I will have been to church and be back home...Well not sure how I am feeling, as as usual, I look normal on the outside ( my invisible deteriorating-debilitating, MS illness) but only I am aware of the feelings and what is going on, on the inside, the list is too long for me to go through...Although I see my eyes show I am not a well person...even behind the smiles and laughter...

Hi everyone. It is another beautiful and sunny Sunday morning here in South Carolina and our temperatures are only to get to the mid-80's today.  I expect this to be our typical Sunday except we will not go out to lunch after Sunday School and Church.  We have some left-overs in the refrigerator that need to be eaten so will just come home and have lunch.  After resting awhile this afternoon I will probably watch a little football and keep my eye on the golf match. 

Carol, sorry to hear that Don is still fighting the cold.  If you are referring to the lady we took the soup to we found her much improved as she was considering driving her car to do something yesterday or today.  She has to use a walker but seems to be doing well.  I think every State has much beauty and we often are not aware of it as if we take a trip it is usually to a few places in another State and then it is usually to only one or two places.  I still remember the beauty of the mountains and arriving in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho about five o'clock in the evening and driving around a most beautiful lake.  It was spectacular. 

Marilyn, glad to see that smoke has cleared your area.  It sounds like you had a very busy day yesterday.  I hope you can have a more restful today. 

Jackie, isn't it wonderful that God gives us the ability to smile and laugh even when we don't feel well.  I hope you enjoyed your Church service this morning.

Larry Hanna...
...yes I did, we have a large screen in front for singing to, so dont need to bend my head low into a Hymn book, nor need my glasses, so much better when we hold our heads higher, and the Hymns are more joyful, and happier at this church...It is not a " happy clappy " church but a handful of parishioners do often raise up one hand-arm high in the air, as they are joyfully singing...

Well I am glad I woke up to my favourite sound of Blackbird this morning...more than I can say for other parkhome site neighbours...once again for the second or third week we have the road digging machine outside our home, clanking and banging, last week it was somewhere middle of the slope, previously at the bottom, think they must be digging up our road, laying pipes, have no clue what they are doing...just that once again it has become very noisy outside, and the time is only 8.15 am....

I stand corrected, we now have two machines digging and moving rubble into a piled heap, outside our  window...I am just making my breakfast porridge with blueberries and honey, so I doubt I shall be eating it in peace...as for Richard it has gone 9.10am and he is still curled up under his duvet...then he will as usual spend half hour to 40 minutes inside his bathroom before he finally emerges back to his bedroom to get dressed and count out his medications...followed by counting out his loose change in his dish on his dressing table, so as to make sure the " fairies  " never took any through the night...

Hi everyone. The forecast is for partly cloudy all day long with a high in the upper 80's.  I expect to enjoy a very quiet day as have nothing on my calendar.  I am sure I will find something to keep me busy today.  We enjoyed attending our Sunday School class yesterday and then had a fine Church service. 

I was very saddened yesterday evening when I read of the man attacking the church service in Nashville, killing one and injuring several others. 

Jackie, I have attended Church services where the words to the hymns were projected onto a screen and I think this is also quite common in the contemporary type of Church services.  For the last couple of years I have been using an app on my iPhone that has all of the words of the hymns for the hymn book we use.  I have found the hymn book we have to be very heavy and so I can easily hold my iPhone up where I can read the words without having my head down.  However, yesterday when I went to load the app I found it is not compatible with the new operating system that was released a few days ago by Apple.  So it is back to the hymn book, which I need to rest on the back of the pew and thus have to keep my head down.  It sounds like you are in for another noisy day with the diggers outside your home.  I guess we all follow certain routines each day as you indicate Richard does.   

Happy Monday morning to all and have a good night to Jackie!  It is 66* F inside  even with the furnace on - we keep it at that for nighttime.  Low 40's outdoors. 

Marilyn:  Glad to hear the smoke has somewhat abated for your part of the country.  Here, it is clear now and snow will put out some of the fires. 

They say laughter is our best medicine...

Then Laugh - by Bertha Adams Backus...

Build for yourself a strong box,
Fashion each part with care;
When it's strong as your hand can make it,
Put all your troubles there;
Hide there all thought of your failures,
And each bitter cup that you quaff;
Lock all your heartaches within it,
Then sit on the lid and laugh.

Tell no one else its contents,
Never its secrets share;
When you've dropped in your care and worry
Keep them forever there;
Hide them from sight so completely
That the world will never dream half;
Fasten the strong box securely-
Then sit on the lid and laugh.