Christmas Week

 With her finals completed and the departure of Katie, it was time for Isabelle to return home. On Monday I drove her to Branson to meet with her mother and Mariam. We had an enjoyable lunch at a Greek Restaurant near Branson Landing, and since we were in the vicinity, stopped by Dick's 'fine and dime' store. This is a variety store of literally a million unusual and hard to locate items, as well as the normal things one feels the need to buy and then never uses again. Not a store to get in and out of quickly.

Kristy had wanted to make the rounds of thrift stores; the first two we visited are closed on Mondays, but the third one was open and it was not one that Rebecca had taken me to previously, so it was new to me, which is why I was able to spend a productive hour there. Since Kristy and the two girls were just getting warmed up by then, I said my good byes and headed home. Aldis is on the way, so a stop there was required to stock up on necessities. 

Tuesday I burned a couple of huge piles of leaves for the neighbor; they had previously been raked, but were too wet to burn at the time. Now they were mostly dry and burned well.

Wednesday I vacuumed and washed the van; it was looking grimy and dirty. A few weeks ago I had inadvertently crossed over a newly painted white paint stripe on the road and now have white speckles on the lower portion of one side of the car. There seems to be no easy way to clean if off. Any suggestions? I also packed for my trip to Andy's. That evening the youth were to go caroling, and since I had been involved in encouraging this event, I thought it prudent to attend.   While it had rained in the late afternoon, it was dry and cold as the 13 youth who showed up walked the neighborhood caroling to those that were home. We had met at on the youth's homes in that area and when they returned from their caroling an hour later, we had hot chocolate and treats for them to eat. They appeared to have had a fun time.

Thursday I was on the road by 7 am, heading to Andy's for Christmas. It was a beautiful morning and there was no traffic, but then these are two lane roads out in the middle of no where. Their family does their Christmas meal on Christmas eve, so throughout the afternoon we enjoyed the wonderful smells of yummy food cooking and later dined on that delicious food. It is always a treat to review with family the birth of our Savior and the real meaning of the season's celebration. 

Friday the children were up early, and even though they were quiet, there was no sleeping in. After a great breakfast, it was time to unwrap the gifts. Kera put her amazing creative juices to work and wrapped gifts for the children in various shapes (whale, elephant, sloth, duck, goat).

Some of the family members modeling their distinctive shirts:

We spent most of the day relaxing, reading, playing games and enjoying ourselves.

Saturday, I assisted Andy in reattaching the trim around the five doors in the their laundry room. They were previously removed so new flooring could be installed. They were also painted and were ready to return to their original homes, While finishing this project, Kera mentioned something about wanting to stack the washer and dryer and moving the overhead cabinets. No better time than the present; so we did. It just took about seven hours from start to finish, longer than expected. But the deed is done and the momma is happy! And here is the 'after' picture.

We needed to move the dryer outlet 24 inches which did not pose too much difficulty. The time consuming challenge was in routing the air vent down and over.

And meet Cob, the family corn snake. He enjoys hanging around your neck! 

I was able to attend church today at Andy's ward; they actually have the two hour block of meetings. Was nice to attend the 'normal' meetings, even with masks on. Following dinner, I drove home in time for the weekly family zoom meeting. It is always great to visit with this awesome family!

It was a good Christmas; lots of delicious food and a wonderful family to spend it with

O Holy Night...

 We did get some snow by Monday morning; 1-2 inches. It did not stick to the roads but did linger through Thursday because the temperatures never rose above 36 degrees. Even the pond had a layer of ice for a couple of days. 

Tuesday morning, while visiting the bathroom in what is becoming a far too frequent nightly event, the night light suddenly went out, as did the power throughout the house. It was 1:30 am. I returned to bed wondering if it would be back on in time for me to conduct seminary. And I woke up at 5:30, still without power, but now wondering how I could conduct my morning zoom with 13 students without power. A call to the power company only revealed there had been an accident and personnel were working to restore power. Here were my options:  Plan B: use the laptop; opps, there is not sufficient battery power to last the required time. Plan C: send a text message canceling seminary - not an option for me. Plan D: use my phone instead of the computer; screen is too small (besides, I have never done that before). Plan E: drive the 11 minutes to church and use my laptop there. I was packing the laptop into its case at 6:10 when the lights came back on! God does love his seminary students in Mountain Home, AR!! It was seminary as usual and they never knew the anxiety I experienced that morning!

Later that morning I drove into town; 3/4's of a mile from my house this is what I saw:

If you look just to the left of the pole, you will see about three feet of a severed pole, obviously run into by some type of vehicle. Note that the mailbox is untouched. There were no skid marks, or tire tracks in front of the pole.

Thursday was my last day for seminary. I have enjoyed studying the Book of Mormon the past couple of months; when teaching others I have found that I gain so much more than just reading and studying on my own.

Isabelle spent the week here and kept herself busy studying and starting her final exams. She kept some interesting hours. She completed her last final about 6 Thursday morning. Then she headed to bed to get some much needed sleep. I took her into town just prior to 1 pm to meet with some other young people that were going to Silver Dollar City where they were going to meet Katie. I did not wait up for them. But they had a good time and were home prior to midnight. Needless to say, they did not make an early appearance on Friday.

But Katie was able to get another driving lesson in the Model A on Friday and again on Saturday since she will be off to school in January to attend BYU-I. Here she is navigating the roads of Mountain Home. She is quite proficient at double clutching now. 

The girls helped rake up leaves along some of the fence lines and they were dry enough to burn. Then to celebrate, just to celebrate, we went out to dinner. Besides, my mantra is to spoil the grand children. And what better way than to go to the local Thai Restaurant and indulge in good food. Katie is not frowning, just chewing.

Today we had church via You Tube and received some great counsel on remembering the birth of the Savior and the importance of serving others in helping us Light the World. Isabelle is making pizza for an early dinner so Katie can return home this afternoon; something about going to work tomorrow. I will drive Isabelle to Branson and hand her off to family tomorrow.

I will spend Christmas with Andy and family. I hope all of you can be with some family during this time of joy and celebration as we remember the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and the eternal impact that simple birth in humble circumstances has on all of humanity.

It's Beginning to feel a lot like Christmas (Brr)

 If using my calendar as a benchmark for this week's activities, I didn't do anything; it is blank. But my memory is still sharp enough to remind me that I did accomplish some things.

I managed to use the treadmill three times (too cold to run outside). With Izzy's help we got a lot of leaves along the fence line raked and burned. I pressure washed one of the rent houses on Thursday when the temperatures were in the low 70s. On Saturday I assisted a single sister who is moving. We have an independent 90 year old sister in town who has finally realized she just may need to have someone else living with her and she acquiesced to this other sister moving in with her. We were mainly packing up her stuff and putting it into a storage facility. 

I did make a large batch of cranberry nut bread and distributed it to local friends.

Today we held an in person elder's quorum meeting and had about 25 in attendance. Haven't been to a church function with that many in attendance for over six months! Then home to catch the YouTube broadcast of sacrament meeting. One advantage to watching church at home is it provides an opportunity to comment about the talks. One sister related how she had prepared her talk and then had a week to make the finishing touches. However, the spirit prompted her to go another direction, and after ignoring that feeling for a few days, she followed that prompting and wrote an entirely different talk. Her comments focused on the scriptural admonition to: "Fear Not". Her comments related to how this phrase was spoken by the angel to Zacharias (concerning the birth of John), Mary (being highly favored of the Lord), Joseph (Mary is with child), and then to the sheppards in the field.

The weatherman had forecasted a wintry mix for the day. We had some light sleet, then bug fluffy white snow flakes. But nothing stuck and now it is just cold.

It's December

 Rebecca's family started their two day drive home by 7 am Monday morning. All of a sudden the house was empty again. But they thoughtfully left little reminders of their presence in the form of 'love' notes strategically placed around the house. They arrived home Tuesday night after an uneventful drive.

The house did not stay empty for long. Kristy drove down Wednesday afternoon with her three girls for a couple of days. The purpose was to leave so she would Isabelle to have a quiet place to finish her last two weeks of BYU classes where she can concentrate on her studies and not be interrupted by other family members also studying from home. It was fun to have a different family present and enjoy time with them. Kristy returned home Friday with two of the girls. Izzy will remain with me for the next two weeks to finish out the semester, at which time I will drive her back home for the holidays.

Thursday I returned to the dermatologist for my second 'blue light' treatment for potentially harmful facial skin cancer. The 16 minutes under the light feels like lots of needles pricking the skin simultaneously across the face. Not unbearable, just not pleasant. And then the affected area is itchy for the next couple of days. Curse you California sun!

Prior to Kristy's arrival, I mowed the yard to mulch any leaves that had fallen in the past couple of weeks. The yard does look much better even though the grass is mostly brown. The only leaves still left are along the fence lines. Their removal will be a future activity involving raking and moving to the burn pile. Of course, the leaves need to dry before they will burn. So I have a couple of days to procrastinate! 

While family was visiting, Emily helped move some of the leaves (that Callie had previously raked into a large pile) to the burn pile for future burning. The pile is about a third of its original size. I appreciate youthful enthusiasm!

Saturday, Izzy joined me as I returned to the rent house where the tree had previously been cut down. We had already removed the firewood, but the branches still needed to be hauled off. We spent an hour loading the trailer and were able to get the branches removed. They won't be quick to burn since they are still green, so I will just pile them up and at some future time use the tractor to push them into the burn pile for burning.

We had temperatures fall into the mid 20's at night this past week; even had some light drizzle; but for the most part the sun has been shining each day raising the day time temperatures into the 60s'. I am still holding out for a white Christmas this year!

Photos found on my phone this week:

Thanksgiving Week

 Monday several of us did a recovery run after the previous Saturday's race. Rebecca and others went off to visit the local thrift stores. I suspect that she could drive to them with her eyes closed. The seminary youth had a service project to rake leaves at the neighbor's house; they had most of the leaves in piles within an hour. Unfortunately the leaves were too wet to burn. Then we fed them Dominoes pizza.

Tuesday was shop at Branson Day. Miranda, Marion and Rebecca joined me. We stopped at Menard's for more deck screws and found a few unplanned Christmas gifts (those are often the best kind). Then to Chick filet for lunch. We visited a couple of thrift stores since you never know what hidden treasures they may have. The Salvation Army store is closing next month; they rely on tourists and the virus has reduced the number of visitors. Sad. We actually did visit a couple of real stores looking for specific items, with varying degrees of success. Since we drove right by an Aldi's, we stopped there for groceries.  Spent more money for food than for gifts! And we had to visit Andy's for a hot fudge sundae. It was a fun, but long day.

Ian returned home Sunday evening so he could be at work. On Monday he discovered the heater was not functioning and scheduled an appointment for someone to check it out Tuesday afternoon. So Deborah packed up her family and headed home to be there when the repairman arrived.

Wednesday Andy's family arrived early afternoon and people started getting serious about baking. It appears that a minimum of 17 pies were baked: chocolate chess, chocolate truffle, pecan, pumpkin, lemon cheese, peach, apple and banana crème. Today only two pies remain. The cousins had great fun playing together and life was a bit chaotic at times. We did manage to find a way to feed and house 20 people.

Thursday we had the bird in the oven by 8am; the goal was to eat the main meal before 1pm to avoid having people in the kitchen eating lunch or snacking. And it worked. The yams with marshmallows, mashed potatoes, home baked rolls, dressing and turkey were all being consumed by 1230. And it was a glorious feast for all. Today, only a couple of small leftover containers are proof of our sumptuous feast. Pie and leftovers were enjoyed later that evening.

Friday I was notified that the tree service company would be cutting down a large elm at one of our rentals. Knowing I had a youthful and ambitious work force, we headed over around noon to pick up the fire wood.

The grand children are hard workers and with their help and that of Andy and Miranda, we had the trailer filled in less than an hour. Back to the house to offload and then return. This time I had fewer helpers but they were just as efficient. They had cut the tree into firewood length; the trunk was about 30 inches across. Some of those pieces were too heavy to get on the trailer and we left those for another day. The branches would wait until then as well. That evening Miranda's family headed home.

This is the second load of wood.

Saturday we returned and were able to get most of the branches and the rest of the tree trunk - after I used the chain saw to reduce their size, and weight. Once the wood dries, it will make a nice bon fire.

Andy's family also headed home Saturday, and only Rebecca's family is left. It is a bit quieter here.

Today I spoke in sacrament meeting - if you can call speaking to a total of four people a meeting. I was staring at a small camera so that the meeting could be viewed on YouTube. The bishop also spoke and we were done in 35 minutes. Then home for the administration of the sacrament and lunch. We drove out the cemetery to view Sandy's grave sight. We did a family zoom meeting later.

This young lady likes taking selfies on my phone when my back is turned, so I thought I would join her for one.

And that was my week.

Week of the Great Race

 

Sunday night Rebecca arrived with her three daughters (Callie had been here for the previous two weeks), having driven from San Diego in two long days. It was a joyful reunion since Callie has been visiting family for the previous two months. 

During the week, I spent a couple of hours beating the carpet of leaves into smaller pieces. This is a dusty job and goes slower than just mowing the lawn. And if the wind kicks up, I end up remowing areas previously mowed due to shifting leaves. Job security.

After sitting on the work bench for three months, I finally installed the new set of points in the Model A; it starts much better now. 

The children had fun raking leaves so they could then run and jump in them. Leve, the dog, enjoyed jumping as well. If you look carefully in the second picture you can see a head and two hands peeking out.

If you look carefully, you can see Callie's hands and face.

With Rebecca and Marian here, we (Callie and I) went running twice this week in preparation for the race on Saturday. I had invited family to join me in the annual 5K, 1/2 half and full marathon that is run locally. This race was sold out, probably due to the number of similar events cancelled this year due to the virus. It is flat and is a Boston Marathon qualifier. Close to 750 participants in all three events. I had 10 family members join me for this event.

Deborah drove up Friday afternoon (Ian drove up later with Sarah after work). Dan White had flown in the night before and spent the night with Miranda, who drove him to Deborah's house so he could drive up with her family. Miranda and Dan arrived in time for dinner. We managed to find bedding down space for all 21 of us.

Most of us were up shortly after 5 AM to prep for a 6 AM drive to the race area, about 12 miles away. Social distancing posed some challenges to their normal routine; they took everyone's temperature, encouraged us to wear face masks up to start time. They had broken the 700 plus runners into about 15 groups, stating about 5 minutes apart, with the marathoners going first. The 5 K runners were last; about 40 minutes later. I really like this race; the course is runner friendly; there is a .5 mile downhill at the beginning which propels me into running faster than my pace, and then I try to maintain that pace. It is level the rest of the way, which is why the distance runners like it; it is a Boston Marathon qualifier. Every finisher gets a medallion and the top three in each age group (every five years) get a medal. Once you complete the race, at the bottom of the hill, they have shuttle buses to run you back to the school where they hand out the awards. They also have food; soups, sandwiches and more.

Dan White and his daughter Marian ran the full marathon; Rebecca ran the half. The remaining 9 of us ran the 5 K. Marian, finished 150 of 221 and ran about 9 minutes faster than her Dad who was 160 of 221. Rebecca had a respectable time finishing 156 of 314 runners. Of the approximately 120 5 K runners, Camden (age 10), was 5th overall and first in his age group, Ethan (age 8) was 10th and 3rd in his age group; Dan McClellan was 31st (1st in his age group); Alex (age 7) was 17 seconds behind his Dad; I was 46th (1st in the over 70 male group),  Miranda was less than 2 seconds behind me; Deborah and Samantha were 91st and 92nd. Callie chose not to register to run, but ran anyway. Don't have a time for her though. It was great to have 12 of us participate in all three events and all do well.

Miranda and Tom approaching the finish line

Callie sprinting for the finish.

Deborah at the finish!

Rebecca and Marian approaching the marathon turn around and the finish for the half marathon. They ran together for the first half.

Marian at the turn around starting her last 12 miles.

Rebecca saw the photographer and put on this finish.

The rest of the day we just vegged. We ordered pizza for dinner.

Today we held an in person elder quorum meeting at 8 AM. 13 attended. We viewed President Nelson's Gratitude talk of Friday and had a short discussion. At 10 AM we had a sacrament broadcast from our local chapel followed by our own administration of the sacrament meeting. With 14 children in the house, it can get a little chaotic; but they have been quieter today.

We also celebrated Simon's 7th birthday today.

Hope all are well.

Arkansas Happenings.

The days alternate from lazy to too busy. This was one of those fluctuating weeks. Monday and Tuesday I put the finishing touches on the rent house so it could be put on the market. Had to wait until the power was back on Tuesday morning to vacuum and clean the kitchen floor. Filled out the normal disclosure statement which contains a lot of interesting, but non-applicable questions. Signed the right to sell application with the realtor. Now, let the bidding begin!

Tuesday during seminary I got a text from the elder's quorum president wishing me (Marine Corps) 'happy birthday'. So I invited him over that evening for cake. Callie made a delicious round two layer chocolate cake that afternoon and the EQ president showed up with his wife and two members of their presidency - they came straight from their weekly meeting. Following tradition, the first slice of cake went to the youngest Marine present (the EQ president's wife) and the second slice to the oldest (that would be me). Had a good time visiting before they departed.

Church members have access to six canoes and they see a lot of action during the warmer months. I had taken on the role of maintaining them since no one else seemed interesting in caring for them. Recently, a young family used them; the father had fond memories of canoeing with them 20 plus years ago as a youth and wanted to ensure they would still be functional for years to come. He had some brackets welded on the trailer supports so the straps had some place to be secured. Unfortunately, if they aren't idiot proofed, the straps get lost or abused. So I brought the canoe trailer with canoes to the house, purchased some new straps with keepers on the hooks, cut the straps so there is only 12 inches of excess and then used hog rings on the end to prevent the straps from pulling through the ratchet. Time will tell if my efforts will be successful.

And I mention the canoes because a 90 year old church member had two canoes she and her husband purchased, probably in the 1980s, and had no need for them. So she donated them. I went over to her house Thursday, met with her ministering brother and the elders, and worked on repairing her fence, moving a compost pile and loading the canoes on my trailer to bring home. I had to hurry since I had a phone call with a stock broker to attend to. But that had to be cut short since I was asked the day before to participate in a funeral of an 81 year old church member. I had assisted in clothing his body the day before at the funeral home. This is the third funeral in two weeks.

Friday I got the two additional canoes cleaned and ready to haul to the garage where they are kept. On Saturday I made two trips to get all the canoes safely stored in the garage across from the chapel.

One of the ward families with seminary aged youth has pancake breakfast for all the seminary youth each Friday. So Callie and I went again this week. Always look forward to opportunities to associate with our youth; they are exemplary. And Friday night this family hosted a movie night for the seminary youth and we watched "The Fighting Preacher".  Great movie about a couple called on a five year mission to Palmyra NY in 1915 and were released almost 30 years later!

Callie continues to spoil me with great meals, some of which she is trying for the first time and they turn out excellent all the time. She has also been a big help sorting through the books in the library. She has organized them according to subject and we made labels to identify which shelf they go on. Hopefully visiting youthful readers will help us keep the books organized!

 And we managed to go running three times this week; and while Callie won't admit it, she is a good runner.

I was awakened at midnight last night by a magnificently wonderful thunderstorm; that means there was lots of bright flashes of light and rumbling thunder...and 3/4 of an inch of rain in short order. And the wind was blowing the rain horizontal. Now I am glad I didn't rake any leaves yet; the trees are almost denuded and there is a carpet of leaves covering the yard. Let the fun of raking begin! or not.

We are excited for the arrival of Rebecca and girls this evening. Rylee had some teeth extracted on Friday and they were on the road early Saturday morning. Let the party begin...!!

Is it over, yet?

Happy 245th Birthday to all you Marines! And thank you to all our Veterans! 

Last Monday after seminary and some financial guidance from Kristy, Callie and I headed back to Mountain Home. Any trip through Springfield requires a stop at Andy's Frozen Custard for a hot fudge sundae; Callie did not object. We stopped at Aldi's to purchase food items Callie would need in her cooking adventures.

Callie is an easy keeper; she has been joining in our seminary zoom calls every morning, then spends a good part of the day immersed in home school studies. This allowed me time to go work on the rent house that was vacated on Monday. The plan is to put it on the market. This tenant, who left it clean and neat, was only there for 15 months, so it does not require much to get it ready to sell. I spent about three hours a day Tuesday through Friday doing touch up work there. I was sitting in the kitchen Friday evening when the realtor called; she was most apologetic. While the house is not on the market, she was showing a client some properties and remembered this one since it is similar to what her client is looking for. What she did not know was that I had just painted the wood floor about four hours earlier. They walked about 12 feet across the floor before she recognized her mistake. So they made a quick exit. 

I had not left a note on the door indicating wet paint since I had no reason to suspect anyone would be entering.  I had to laugh at her mistake and told her not to worry. Saturday when I stopped by there was minimal damage. In fact, it was mostly dirty foot prints on the floor. Callie washed those and I painted over that spot. We went out that afternoon to give the porches a fresh coat of paint; good curb appeal. I asked Callie if she had ever painted before; she responded in the affirmative. So I let her paint the porches; and that is when I learned that the extend of her painting experiences consisted mostly of finger painting! I should be able to wrap up the remaining items on Monday and we can get it on the market.

It has been a good experience having Callie here. She has prepared a couple of yummy dinner meals. She has gone running with me three mornings this past week; she helps push me along. Saturday the missionaries requested help doing service for a family that had a large oak tree blow over. She was willing to join me, but brought a book along just incase. She didn't have time to do much reading because her assistance was needed stacking wood as we cut and split it. After a few minutes she asked: 'Can you teach me how to use a chain saw?' I have a 16 inch saw and she was a quick learner. She even tackled logs up to 14 inches thick. On the way home we had to stop and get milk shakes.

The leaves continue to fall. Callie likes seeing the ground carpeted with the various colors, but all I see is the work required to remove them.

Halloween and more...or less

 Monday after my morning run I visited the dermatologist for their 'blue light' special. Evidently my days of soaking up the sun's rays in SoCal have caught up to me in the form of facial skin cancer. The doctor told me I had two options: undergo this treatment to remove the skin cancer or wait until it develops into melanoma and then have it surgically removed. Didn't sound like much of an option to me. This procedure involved applying some ointment to the face, waiting for 40 minutes and then having a blue light focused on my face for 16 minutes and 40 seconds. Somehow the light activates the ointment to kill off the cancer. So far I haven't had any adverse reaction other than occasional itching. I return in about four weeks for a repeat of this procedure. 

 I was cautioned to avoid direct sunlight for a couple of days. This has not been a problem since it rained on Monday. It rained all day Tuesday. It rained all day on Wednesday. It rained Thursday morning. In fact, I did not see the sun all week until Thursday afternoon. The local area received about 8 inches of rain, setting a new record for the month of October.

Wednesday afternoon I attended a funeral for a long time sister in our ward. Born in England in 1936 she survived the bombings of WW2, married an US serviceman and moved to the US, finally settling in Mountain Home. I had an opportunity to reconnect with her five grandchildren since most don't live locally. And before this funeral started, we had word of another 80+ year old passing away; his funeral will be Sunday afternoon.

Thursday after teaching seminary, I headed off to Jonathan's for a few days. I stopped at Menard's to exchange some screws and purchase the last two planks for the deck. The planks are 12 feet long, almost too long to fit in the van. Knowing I only needed them to be about nine feet long, I trimmed two feet off. Even then they stretched from the dash to the back door. Going through Springfield also requires a stop at Andy's Frozen Custard for a hot fudge sundae. 

I arrived safely and in plenty of time for dinner. This was basically a no agenda visit for me. Didn't even bring any work clothes. Friday I was the designated adult in the car as Miriam drove to church (she only has a permit) so the girls could prepare things for Saturday's Trunk or Treat. Using chalk we drew halloween scenes in every other parking spot indicating those were non parking spots (for distancing purposes). 

Saturday was the Trunk or Treat activity at church. Awards were given for a variety of costume attire, hot dogs were cooked, visiting transpired and then the Trunk or Treat activity. Probably 100 were in attendance and a good time was had by all.

Saturday evening we celebrated Miriam's 16 birthday. She asked for peaches and crème french toast for dinner and crème brulee for dessert. You don't need to ask, it was very tasty!

Their ward meets every other Sunday, and so I was able to attend church with them this week. Maybe 60 or so in attendance. It was nice to be able to meet with other members and enjoy the spirit of the meeting. Was able to talk to a couple that recently retired and moved here from SoCal.

Visiting family, especially the grands, is a treat for me. Tomorrow I will return to Mountain Home and Callie will accompany me. She is looking forward to cooking some new recipes and I am excited that she is willing to do so.

Going to the Temple

 It is Sunday morning; outside it is gray, chilly and gloomy. But there is a fire burning in the fireplace that provides warmth and comfort inside, so I am happy and comfortable.

I attacked the deck with minor enthusiasm; partly because I saved the more challenging parts for the end, and also because I knew I would be at least one plank short. I had previously miss cut a piece too short and knew I would be one short. However, I need two more pieces. The old planks are about 1/2 inch wider than the new ones. When calculating how many I needed I just counted the planks when I should have measured the distance. But I feel better about needing two more pieces than just one. Once I get those and install them, the project will be complete.

I also installed some GFIs at a rent home. It was built back in the day of two wire, so most of the outlets are only two prong. The new tenant works from home, has computers and a need for three prong outlets. Problem is hopefully solved.

I drove out Wednesday to visit a friend who rebuilt a 1931 Model A. He took me for a ride in his car; he had some concerns about how it handled on the road. He lives two miles off a paved road, so it is hard to judge when you really never get out of second gear. We were about one mile from his house when the engine died; out of gas, on a narrow two lane dirt road. In less than a minute a pickup truck stopped to see if we needed help, and yes they had gas which we gratefully accepted. Tom let me drive the A back to his house. Runs better than mine. I think he needs to get the car on the real road and gain experience driving it to build up his confidence.

Fall is here; don't seem to see the variety and brilliance of colors of previous years, but the leaves are definitely falling in great quantities.

The excitement of the week transpired Friday night. Katie was able to attend the Memphis Temple to receive her own endowments. Eight other family members were able to join her for this momentous occasion: her parents, Deborah and Ian, Miranda and Dan, and both grandfathers were there. We had our own personal session with the temple presidency officiating. It was a very spiritually inspiring time for all of us, especially because it has been so long since any of us have been able to attend the temple.

One of our group found a BBQ restaurant with a gun range; so you know where we ate dinner. While eating my beef brisket, I could look through the window at the indoor range and the shooters firing away at their targets. They also bought and sold weapons. I was afraid we would never get out of the place knowing the penchant for the younger generation to drool over weapons and shooting. But we did!

After attending the temple, we found a frozen custard place and just had to pay them a visit; after all, it is tradition! Not as good as Andy's Frozen Custard, but it still hit the spot and was a fitting ending for the day.

Saturday morning after breakfast at Panera's, we headed our separate ways to our own homes. Once home it was a good afternoon to be a slug.

Life continues!

Dear Family and Friends,                                    Sunday 18 October 2020 

Monday was a quiet unstructured day. Adam's family was here and the children had fun playing on the swings and zip line. In the afternoon we all went to Hickory Park and had fun with all the play equipment. We returned home and started dinner preparations; we had invited the four missionaries to dinner and were serving breakfast burritos. Two of them were brand new; all were energetic and enthusiastic about their missions.

Tuesday morning we went out to breakfast; then Adam's family finished their packing and headed off to Jonathan's for the remainder of their time. The house gets quiet real quick when family leaves!

I spent time the next couple of days using the now operable tractor to beat the pasture grass into submission. With a new (and tight) drag link, the steering is much more secure and it steers better. I also attacked the unfinished deck, removing and replacing the planks. Here all of the remaining old planks have been removed:

The installation process is a laborious task; I drag the 12 planks from the barn where they are stored under cover the 100 feet to the deck, measure and cut them one by one, drill pilot holes and then screw them into the joists. Unfortunately, I do not have enough screws (only available at Menards - a 90 minute one way drive), so I only put in enough to secure the boards for now. I spent Saturday afternoon ripping out the rest of the old boards, but did not finish installing all the new boards. After several hours on my knees my brain does not function well enough for me to make the correct changes in the angle of cut that is required; so it was time for me to stop for the day. Besides, who is keeping track of my progress anyway?

Thursday was the big family event day. With Adam's family in town, it was suggested we go to Silver Dollar City. Savannah knew that Thursday's were one-half off price days so we were able to get tickets at a greatly reduced price. Only Rebecca was not present, although her family was represented by Callie. We had 36 family members join us by 10 am for a fun filled day. Even Matthew joined us complete with a casted broken foot and crutches:

Cute to see Adam squeeze into the kiddie ride with his girls:

Ethan giving a tired Rachel some hugs:

Masks were required; so I spent a lot of time munching so that I could get some relief. The crowds were not so dense, but when many of the rides only accommodated 1/3 to 1/2 of their capacity, there were some longer waits for the more popular rides. I have learned that we have some pretty aggressive party animals in the family - of all ages. I left by 6 pm; others were still there after 8 pm.

If 'Fall' refers to the number of leaves falling from the trees, then it is here. The maples, which are the most representative of beautiful fall colors, are brilliant but fast losing their leaves. For such a beautiful time of year, it passes much too quickly for me to thoroughly enjoy.

Today was church of one; even though it is just me, it can still be a spiritual experience and I relish those peaceful and quiet times. 

Hope all are healthy and safe!

Dear Family and Friends,                                    Sunday 11 October

 Monday was a beautiful day. Steve joined me as we drove south to a ward member's house to give some blessings. Two couples about my age both have some upcoming health procedures and met at one of their houses to facilitate the blessings. One is experiencing renal failure, his wife is to have a device implanted in her heart that will allow her to go off blood thinners which have been causing her problems. The other husband has spots on his pancreas identified as cancer. Modern medicine is capable of doing some amazing things to alleviate pain and suffering, but you can't beat good health - something I am very thankful for!

It was enjoyable and fun to have Sue and Steve here part of the week. They prepared excellent meals, listened to my stories, and were pleasant company. They left Wednesday morning heading to New Mexico. 

I managed to get some home chores done, to include removing a dozen planks from the deck and replacing them. Only about 20 more to go.

After teaching my seminary class Thursday morning, I did some last minute house organization and then headed off to Miranda's. Stopped by Deborah's for a quick visit first. Once at Miranda's I assisted with the final smoothing of the drywall in Dan's office. Then he and I headed off to the tool rental company to pick up a ditch witch. Home by 530 pm, he started trenching from the house to the shed for the electrical line. Miranda and I slid the gray pipe over the wire. The pipe was 10 feet long, and we were able to get the first nine feet of wire inserted without much effort; the final foot was challenging. Miranda devised a unique fix which made that job easier. We were able to get all 100 feet (no one measured for sure) completed and in the hole. Dan also used the trencher to dig a line where they wanted to plant some azaleas and crepe myrtles along the road. The ground was dry and very rocky, but the trencher did a great job. When it got dark, we brought out the lights and worked until 8 pm. 

Friday morning, Dan took me to the chapel, which has reliable internet, so I could conduct seminary from there. He went shopping at Lowes and came back to pick me up. Then we filled in the trench and he and Miranda, with the help of Ethan and Alex, planted the bushes. He also dug a french drain off the back side of the house but we ran out of time to fill it. I took a quick shower, loaded up the truck and towed the trencher back to the rental place. Then I drove to Northwest Regional Airport, about 25 minutes away, to meet Adam and family. They arrived about 1 pm with Callie.  Deborah showed up with Hailey and Miranda drove over in the AR Fox van so they will have transport while here. And of course, we had to make a trip to Andy's Frozen Custard for the traditional treat. 

After indulging ourselves, I headed back to Springdale, while Adam's family drove to Deborah's for a quick visit. I was looking for a riding mower for my neighbor and only a couple of miles from Deborah's was one for sale. It is relatively new and the price was ride. We loaded it in the truck and I drove to Deborah's to drop off Denali who had been riding shotgun. Then it was time to head home.

Adam's family arrived an hour after I did; Miranda an hour later. So we have four adults and eight children in the house. Saturday morning Miranda, Piper, Camden and I got in our morning run. Then it was time to install the drag link for the tractor. It took the John Deere dealer 4 tries before he got the right part,  but they finally did. Adam was busy devising a method to offload the riding mower from the truck (I don't have ramps). We got the mower cleaned up and Denali drove it over the neighbors; she was shocked and surprise, but was so happy she was out mowing the lawn shortly thereafter. There was a lot of activity raking leaves and picking up sticks to go on the burn pile.

I had been saving a burn pile for this occasion, so we torched the brush, had dinner and came back to a nice bed of coals just right for s'mores. The kids had great fun running amok before bathing and going to bed. Then we adults stayed up late visiting.

Denali assisted making cinnamon cake for breakfast this morning. We had 12 for home church today; nice to have more people, even when they are your own family. Miranda prepared a great lesson for the children about some of the apostles. 

We were able to get in the traditional game of Five Crowns in the afternoon after making some tasty fudge to munch on. Then Miranda headed  home. One of my tenants invited me for dinner last night, so I abandoned Adam and family to join this family of five for dinner. We had a delightful time visiting and enjoying a good chili dinner.  The husband works for one of the local boat companies. With about 70 employees, they produce about 24 boats a week; they are working at maximum capacity and are two years behind in deliveries. You want one of their boats, you will have to pay now and wait two years - and people are lined up for their boats! 

Then home to prepare for my seminary lesson for Monday.

Conference Weekend!

Monday morning I ran; the temperatures are cooling off and it is nice to run in 50 degree weather and not sweat profusely. For the past several months the tire light in the van would illuminate every 3-4 weeks; one tire drops about 10 pounds of pressure which triggers the light so I use the compressor to inflate it. It finally occurred to me:  why am I doing this? So after my run, I took it in to get it fixed. There was a small staple causing the leak. So hopefully, I won't be needing to add air.

And speaking of slow leaks, I have had a similar problem with one of the truck tires; what is good for the van, is good for the truck, so back to the tire place to get that tire problem resolved. Interesting how we let little irritants creep into our lives that we are willing to live with (but don't need to) until one day we wake up and say:  what am I doing!

My neighbor enjoys mowing her yard; it is therapy for her. She has accomplished that task using an 18 year old Craftsman riding mower. With the help of mechanically inclined church members, we have managed to keep that mower alive...until this week. The transmission died. I told her I would be over to mow it on Wednesday. It was evening before I got there. It had not been mowed in 4-5 weeks and was tall and thick. I had to mow it twice and there was a lot of cut grass piled up. I have been trying to find her a used affordable mower in the local area, but they don't seem to exist here.

The tractor has been sitting idle in the north  '40' for over a week. The first part they ordered was not correct. The shop called Tuesday evening to say that the second attempt at finding the right part was in. Since the drive is one half the distance to Menards where I purchased the wood for the decking, I called them to confirm they had sufficient material to warrant another drive there; they did a hands on count and I purchased what I needed. Wednesday morning, after my run, Steve joined me as we first stopped at the John Deere dealer in Harrison to get the tractor part. The drag link has a ball joint at each end, 90 degrees apart. This one had one joint 180 degrees out from the original, but I thought it might work. It didn't. Anyway, we drove to Hollister to get the lumber, loaded the trailer and returned home. Now I have sufficient material to finish the deck on the west side of the house. This trip took half the day. 

Thursday was the 1st anniversary of Sandy's passing. Sue, Steve and I paid a visit to her gravesite. They brought their alp horns and serenaded the local residents with beautiful music.

 Here is Sandy's headstone; someone else had thoughtfully placed a vase of artificial flowers there.

This was my tribute to honoring her life, knowing her like for chocolate:

Steve assisted me in trying to attach the new drag link to the tractor; but it didn't fit. I suspect there is a left and a right hand drag link and they sold me the right when I need the left. So I had to call them and explained the problem. He did find another link which should be the one I need. That will require another trip to Harrison; fortunately I hope to drive to Bella Vista this week and will stop to pick up the new part on my way through town.

Friday after seminary, I was all set to go run again, but then noticed the temperature was 41 degrees! I checked Saturday's weather - it was to be 10 degrees warmer in the morning - and decided I could wait until then to run. A man has to know his limitations!

I have spent some time in Sandy's office this week.. I managed to rearrange things enough to be able to move the computer desk and one file cabinet out of the room. Now I am organizing the many files. Managed to fill one trash can with obsolete files and papers. Sandy retained copies of many of the articles she wrote or had published; I want to ensure that somehow they are preserved for the future. I suspect they may reside on her computer or in the many disks she left behind. I just need to find them. This is what the office currently looks like, but not for long!

Steve was busy resolving some issues with two of my clocks. He oiled the mantle clock and it now keeps time. He also dismantled the 30 day Korean clock and managed to get the hands adjusted so it now chimes on time and not 5 minutes late. And it no longer needs to be hung crooked on the wall to function.

Saturday we were blessed to view all three seasons of conference without interruptions. I especially enjoyed seeing the entire First Presidency and Quorum of 12 Apostles (minus Elder Gong) in the same room. Lots of uplifting encouragement and counsel for me to ponder on. The Sunday morning session did not disappoint either. 

Hoe all of you can 'swing with the boat' this week!