Happy Birthday!

 Monday Miranda and Rebecca and their children went to the lake to canoe. I picked up four canoes from the garage and we rendezvoused at Panther Bay. The rivers and lake were at high levels, but they canoed across the lake (about a mile) and back safely. A good time was had by all. I was able to order a piece of glass for my pantry door while they were enjoying themselves. I also brought the canoes home and pressured washed them before returning them.

I was able to pick up the oak pantry door and am now waiting for Nathan to pick the door and glass up and make the two into one. It will still be a couple of weeks before the glass lady can etch the glass, but at least the door will be hung soon. And the counter top guy called; he had an opening on Friday 30 July to install the counter tops; was I available? No, I won't be, unfortunately. I will be on my way to Utah then. So, they will have to wait until 18 August as originally planned.

I spent three mornings trimming a long fence line that was being overtaken by brush. 60-90 minutes in the heat and humidity were about all I could tolerate, but the work is done and the fence line looks much better.

Thursday, Rebecca and Marian drove to Little Rock to fly out to Utah. They met Dan there and then drove his car to Rexburg to get Marian situated before school starts on Monday. Dan flew out Friday to LR, picked up Rebecca's car and drove here that evening.

Friday I drove to the St Louis Temple; I had invited ward members to join me and two sisters joined me. We were able to check into the hotel and get to the temple before 3 pm to start ordinances. My temple responsibilities did not start until 5 pm, so I had time to get some of my work done before then. I had an opportunity to visit with the temple president and his wife; they will be released next month and in January will serve a mission in Kenya Nairobi. It was good to share some of our experiences from our mission there.

Saturday, after breakfast, we headed back to the temple for on hour and then drove home. 

Church today was good. I presented the lesson in Elder's Quorum where we discussed Elder Rasband's talk about miracles and that they have not ceased. Then there was a short meeting of seminary students and parents. We will start on Wednesday 18 Aug at 630 am, in person. Had an opportunity to minister to one of my families in the afternoon. Our ward is aging and many have health issues. Some people feel the need to hang on to the bitter end when other options are available.  But their choice places greater care giver responsibilities on others who may themselves be struggling with issues. Hope my kids will know when to tell me to shut up and sit down (figuratively speaking).

Quietly celebrated my birthday this week. Did you know that if you switch the last two digits of my birth year, you have my age?

Its Pie Celebration Time!~

 Monday started off quieter since Rebecca and her girls went to visit Kera Sunday evening. I worked on more kitchen upgrades, those lesser important things that still need doing. I managed to get baseboard and one door trimmed; need the pantry door before I can finish that job. I ordered an oak door, which the cabinet maker will trim to accommodate the glass insert which the glass lady in Springdale will make, once she recovers from a recent motorcycle incident. I got part of the pasture bush hogged in the cool of the evening (cool is a relative term). Nathan also came and attached the last of the kitchen cabinet doors. He had installed a turn table in the corner cabinet, but it was not designed for what we wanted. So we went out to the barn where all the old cabinets are stored and removed the old one and replaced it. It is much more user friendly. The only real item left for the kitchen remodel is the installation of the countertops, which won't happen until mid August.

Tuesday I had planned to drive the 90 minutes to Menard's to purchase exterior vinyl siding to cover the new kitchen. They are the only place that carries what my house is sided with, and I can purchase it by the piece. I had a few minutes before I wanted to leave and remembered the girls saying the downstairs bath sink backed up. Simple fix; just put a pan under the p-trap, loosen the nuts, remove the p-trap, clean it out and replace. Unfortunately, the water softener did it's purging about the time I removed the p-trap (the water from that action runs into the drain line for the sink) and instead of a small bowl of water leaking out, the flood gates were opened and the water kept coming. Reattaching the p-trap should have been simple, except I discovered the reason for slow drainage:  there was a butter knife in the trap which made it a little difficult getting it reattached. There may have been some water overflowing onto the bathroom rug, requiring it to be washed; there might also have been water that seeped into the adjoining water heater closet requiring immediate attention. The water was contained, the rug was washed, the p-trap properly cleanout out and the knife thrown out. It had to have been there for a couple of years since I replaced that faucet about two years ago and installed the sink stopper.

I did manage to get to Menard's and get my siding. Rebecca returned late evening with two cute bunnies that Callie had purchased from her aunt. They are now temporarily housed in the old chicken coop.

Wednesday I spent part of the day (that means I worked for a while until it got too hot, came in and rested, then went back out) installing siding. The new kitchen is about 8 feet by 12 feet and I needed to side three sides. I had enough old siding to do the one side that marries up to a wall with the older siding so the color would match. While the color is the same, 20 years of weathering has lightened the original. So I installed the new siding on the two sides that no one will pay much attention to. And that is when I learned that my math skills need refining. When purchasing siding on Tuesday, I computed cutting 12 foot pieces in half would give me two 8 foot pieces. Hence, I am short two pieces. Miranda arrived with her four in the afternoon.

I finished the siding on Thursday and completed bush hogging the west pasture. I also spent some time cleaning up around the exterior of the house and got help from some grand kids in loading into the truck four months worth of building material trash that had been accumulating around the grounds.

Friday I was off to the transfer station to dump my load of trash. While there, the skies opened up with a tremendous downpour. I was inside a huge metal building and the sound of the falling rain was thunderous. There was more organizing needed before family started to arrive later in the day. Jonathan plus four and Andy plus two were coming off a multi day canoe trip and came directly to our house after pulling out of the river and Miranda's Dan also joined us. We had 19 to feed and house for the night. All the canoers required showers and somehow, we had sufficient hot water!

Saturday was the traditional Pie Celebration Day for which Rebecca started baking pies a couple of weeks ago. Her final pie came out of the oven just as the event started at 2 pm.  Kera came with Charlotte and her Dad; Deborah and her entire family also drove over, so by my count we had 28 family members here for the event. The kids took over, rearranging the furniture to open the kitchen for pies and the dining/living room for visiting. With help from Miranda, she and Rebecca made 26 pies and four more were donated by attendees. As in the past, we let the grands have one slice at the beginning and then banished them from the kitchen until the event was near the end; then they could come and eat as much pie as they wanted. Here is a list of pies:

From my perspective, this was our best pie celebration yet; more pies and more people. When the dust settled, we had  two whole pies plus varying amounts of three others left over. People came and stayed to visit. It was a fun time and the grands had fun playing/interacting with one another.  The children put the furniture back and the house was back to order shortly after the festivities. It was an early to bed night for me.

We had two good youth speakers this morning followed by our high council speaker. Interesting quote:  "Sometimes I win, sometimes I learn". This evening, the daughters made lumpia (yum, yum) for dinner and it was followed with a delicious chocolate cake to celebrate (early) my birthday.

Hope you have many winning and learning experiences this week!

12 July 2021

 Last Sunday evening Kera arrived with Charlotte and Elder Fox - he had been set apart earlier that afternoon in Little Rock by his Stake President and was going to attend 'at home' MTC here in Mountain Home for a week.

Monday Kera helped me finished installing the vinyl planking in the kitchen. It was still early in the day, but I did not want to push things so we stopped there. It was great to have additional help putting planking under the fridge and stove. And Kera knows how to do flooring! Later that evening she headed home, leaving the two children behind.

Tuesday I had a follow up appointment with the urologist in Rogers. I drove over there, arriving just in time for my appointment and saw the PA; she was also involved with my surgery so she was familiar with me. It was a good visit and she exclaimed that I was above average in recuperating. Only a few days earlier I had downsized Depend size from maximum to light and that impressed her. She also explained that those occasional uncomfortable internal rumblings will continue for a few more weeks. I do find that I am able to do more and feel more 'normal' as time goes on. Since I was in the neighborhood, I stopped for the usual hot fudge sundae before returning home. There was a stop at Aldis for additional food before arriving home in time for dinner. Rebecca continues to cook excellent dinners that are well received.

Wednesday we went to breakfast and in the afternoon went to visit a good friend that had invited us over to go swimming at their pool. The girls had a wonderful time playing while the adults talked. I left early to come home to cut and install quarter round in part of the kitchen. This is one time when I measure multiple times before cutting; these cuts need to be exact. I need Nathan to bring me the stained baseboard so that can be installed prior to the remaining quarter round. But the kitchen is beginning to look more like a kitchen. We are still trying to find the best place for things; what should go where. I don't lack for storage space; the challenge is there are more items than space in those highly favorable places.

Thursday was a big family day. Isabelle was slated to fly into Kansas City in the afternoon from UT for her endowment session at the temple. Several family members had coordinated to support her; Rebeca's children had offered to babysit as needed. Our plan was to leave Thursday before 9am, check out a couple of thrift stores in Branson, check into a motel 90 minutes south of the temple, drive to the airport to pickup Isabelle, join other family members for dinner, attend the temple and then drive back to the motel. We were half way to KC when we got the text that said Isabelle's flight out Dallas was cancelled. But we were committed and continued on our way. Rebecca and I dropped off 5 girls at the motel, bought them Subway sandwiches for dinner, and drove to IKEA since we had time. Deborah was able to link up with Miranda and drive to the temple. IKEA did not have the specific items I had hoped to find, but we both found some useful things we didn't think we could live without. We enjoyed their Swedish meatballs 

and then drove to the temple to meet up with the other two girls. We enjoyed a great session, 

did the traditional stop at Andy's and Rebecca and I drove back to the motel. You might wonder why we chose a motel 90 minutes away, instead of in KC. The original plan was to go to Silver Dollar City on Friday, and we didn't want to drive to far in the morning.

We got to the motel to find all the girls sleeping soundly. We were up and on the way about 7 am the next morning. Two hours later I missed the turnoff to the park. It seems the highway that was previously designated as '465' is now '76 East'. We were able to link up with Dan Mc who drove three MO Fox children plus Elias English (he is staying there for a few weeks) while Miranda drove her 4 children and we had 5 more children. We spent over 8 hours at the park; ate funnel cakes, 

cinnamon rolls, kettle corn; there may have been a time when the parents thought one of their children was missing, when he was perfectly happy enjoying a ride by himself. A good time was had by all. We got home about 9; I was impressed that 5 teenagers and two adults could all shower and still have hot water!

Isabelle was able to reschedule her session at the temple for 1030 on Friday, while we were off playing. Hopefully, she knows she is loved!

Saturday was a recovery day, that didn't include much recovery. I mowed the yard and helped my neighbor with some issues. Rebecca made more pies. 11 Pies are ready for Saturday's Pie Celebration. We found out today that a ward member passed away this past Friday and her memorial service will be held 20 miles south of here about the same time, so we plan to modify our times to accommodate anyone wanting to attend the service.

Charlotte helped me make blueberry muffins using Adam's recipe. Our bushes have a lot of ripe blueberries this year. Had three members of a family speak in church today, all on the subject of obedience. The two youth stressed that while obedience often lead to affliction in the scriptures, there was always a happy ending. The same should apply to us.

Rebecca is off this afternoon taking Charlotte and Elder Fox back home. Elder Fox flies out to the Provo MTC Wednesday morning. Callie is intent on buying some rabbits from her cousins and will return here with them. They will reside in the old chicken coop until the drive to Utah for Katie's wedding and then to CA to their new home.

Happy 4th of July!

 This week much thought and effort went into organizing the kitchen. Where is the best place to put dishes, or pots and pans? What is the most efficient use of cabinets, cupboards and drawers? Currently blue tape signifies the contents of most cupboards and drawers so we know where things are hiding. Placement of some items seem intuitive, but others are a challenge. Callie and Rebecca have been most helpful in moving things back into the kitchen and providing some semblance of organized chaos. They had to wait until Friday when Nathan arrived with a new lazy susan for the corner cabinet to move a couple of food boxes out of the living room, which by the way is now 90% empty of kitchen stuff! Trying to find shelf and drawer organizers has been interesting. Finding a bin or shelf that fits the specific size that will hold the required item is not always possible, so sometimes second best will do until enough thrift stores have been visited to find that correct item.

I spent a few hours spread over a couple of days patching the hole in my closet wall which was required to run power to the new kitchen circuits. Was even able to match the paint. During this development, my clothes were scattered in two different rooms. Now they are back where they belong.

We had a light rain Thursday evening, but that did not deter Callie from mowing as much of the yard as she could. She finished up the next morning - after running three miles with her mom and sister (who then ran another 3-5 miles). And the past two nights have been delightful with temperatures in the low 60s.

The great news of the week was that the flooring store called to say I could come and pickup my flooring. On Monday I had brought him a drawing to compute the needed amount but then didn't hear anything. I stopped by twice and learned why the silence. He is overwhelmed with work. One big project is a new assisted living facility that has been consuming his time. Another reason for the delay was because my order was in the back corner of his storeroom on the bottom. I stopped by Thursday afternoon to pick up my order; I ended up buying more than needed because he gave me a greater discount (already had a 10% military one) since it was the last of that pattern. So did I really save any money by purchasing more at a lower price than if I had only bought what I needed at a greater price?

Now that I finally had flooring, I had a lot of inertia to overcome. Actually, I was stalling since I wanted this project to be done properly and it needs to look good. It was 10 Friday morning before I started and then it took me an hour to get the first 5 pieces cut and in place. As the first row goes, so goes the rest of the floor. After two partial days of installing 12" x 24" vinyl planking, my knees are revolting, so I am glad to take the Sabbath off. I offered the younger grands to come inspect often, looking for tiles that did not set tightly, paying them $1 for each crack they found. It has been successful in that they found a couple of places that did not seat tightly. By Saturday evening, about 2/3s of the floor is done.

Saturday morning I took Deborah's family (who had arrived Friday afternoon) back to the house that had the downed tree in it that we had partially cleaned up a week ago with Rebecca's family. There was a smaller load of limbs to load which the family did quickly. I on the other hand was not successful in cutting the remaining 20 feet of the trunk. The chain saw had issues. So we cleaned up and stopped by the donut place to reward our efforts. I returned later to finish cutting and loading the trunk.  About 2 pm, we started the bon fire; there was sufficient limbs, branches and such to form three piles; as the first one burned down, I used the tractor to push the next pile in until it was all consumed. But there was sufficient coals for the grands to roast marshmallows for s'mores after dinner. There was still some smoke this morning.

Testimony meeting today was great.  Lots of faith shared thoughts about the founding of this country and on our Savior, Jesus Christ. One 27 year old young lady shared how she had grown up in this ward, moved away, left the church and then came back to the church because this is the only place she felt the love of the Savior.

The Phoenix rises!

 Monday I was still at Deborah's so I could attend an afternoon follow up appointment with the reconstructive surgeon who sutured my eyelid together a couple of weeks ago. He pronounced the eyelid as healing well and entrusted me to the care of my local ophthalmologist although he wants to see me in a year. I drove home afterwards. Deborah, her children and I did drove up to the new temple sight to check on its building progress. This is taken from the north side of the temple:

Tuesday was a big day:  the plumber was scheduled to return - and he did. When he left three hours later, the stove (propane) was functional, the temporary sink had the new faucet and water lines installed, and the dishwasher was connected (to the water). I no longer need to wash dishes or cook downstairs!! So over the next couple of days I brought upstairs the things I had previously taken down there, such as food and dishes. Of course, where do I put things in the new kitchen? The electrician came about 630 pm and installed a new breaker box to run power to a couple of new circuits for the kitchen. He also drew a diagram of how to wire the three way light switch for two over head lights. So while he did his thing in the bedroom closet installing the wire and box, I was in the attic attaching wires. I only had one connected when we tried the light switch; and it worked! Great rejoicing! However, that was short lived once I connected the second light. And now it does not work.

Wednesday, Nathan the cabinet maker returned and finished all he could do. He has a turn table for the corner cabinet and a cabinet door still on order. And he will trim the doors and should be back this week to resolve those issues. But, as far as I am concerned, I have a kitchen!! I also mowed the lawn in the evening. That night, Rebecca plus four drove in about 11 pm, having driven from San Diego in two days. There was great rejoicing before all headed off to bed for a well deserved night of rest.

Thursday I spent the day connecting wires to the new breakers. I was able to get two of the three lines successfully connected and then ran out of time. I was confused about why I had run a particular wire to a box; it made no sense. So I did not work on that connection. I did go with Rebecca to a flooring store to check out their vinyl waterproof planking. Amidst all my other concerns, it did not occur to me that there might be shortages of flooring, but there are. Fortunately, he has something in stock that will work and I will return Monday to pick up my next project. We also made the trip to Walmart for needed stuff.

Friday morning I headed off to the St Louis Temple. They are in need of volunteers to serve there and I had been assigned the Friday evening shift. Fortunately I had made a reservation at a local motel several days ago; they were very busy that night judging by the volume of cars in the lot the next morning. I was able to check in, change clothes and get to the temple in plenty of time. It was a fast paced evening bouncing from one place to another, but it was a good experience. I hope with future visits to be able to schedule myself to perform ordinances for family members. Work can only be done with reservations. I return in four weeks. But that time I hope to reach out to others interested in going to the temple so I don't have to go solo. I did find a Five Guys near the motel and that was my dinner

Saturday I was on the road home just after 7 am; with one stop at Aldi's, I was home by noon. In my absence the girls had removed the remaining linoleum from the kitchen floor. They had also started organizing the kitchen. Where do you put all the odds and ends that are stacked in the living room? They are using blue tape to mark suggested locations, and in some cases, putting items there. Rebecca made a trip to Walmart to obtain some drawer organizers and we are still playing with several options of finding the ideal location for food, dishes, pans, etc. The girls helped me get the final two old cabinets out of the house and into the barn. Progress is being made!

Today was church. Speakers addressed the topic of patriotism and the constitution. And the choir sang for the first time in over 15 months. Less than a dozen of us, but we sounded good.  By an interesting turn of events, I was asked to facilitate the priesthood lesson, which was based on President Nelson's Conference talk about lessons learned that you want to remember from the past two years. He posed some profound questions; what have we learned? Have I made my home a sanctuary? Have I grown closer to my neighbors? How can I help my quorum better accomplish His work? To quote President Nelson:  "Commotion in the world will continue to increase." Are we preparing our ourselves and families?

It is great to have Rebecca and girls here. Rebecca cooks delicious meals and the girls are helpful and brighten things up around the house.  

More Surgery!

 Monday Nathan came and worked more on the cabinet installation. Some of the more critical pieces require more attention; he measures the space and then at his shop will cut the pieces. Once here, they occasionally require minor modifications, which has to be done at his shop. He left early in the afternoon and shortly thereafter I was on the road heading to Springdale. 

Tuesday morning, Deborah drove me to the dermatologist's office for a 730 am check in. Then she went about her daily routine while I had a small cancerous spot on the lower left eye lid removed. This office has this procedure down to a science. I suspect from the number of people in the waiting room, that there were 6-8 of us having the same  surgery performed. I was taken to a surgical room where the nurse anesthetized the lower eyelid; then the doctor comes in, places a large contact lens protector over my eye and then carves out the affected area. His part took 5-7 minutes. Then the nurse patches the eye and sent me to the waiting room while the tissue is sent to their in office lab to confirm complete removal of the cancerous cells.

 I was able to cat nap for the hour I waited. The nurse called my name and took me back to the same room; there was still a small area that needed to be removed. So the procedure was repeated, but after the patch was removed. I learned that if your nurse looks neanderthalish, she is not as delicate as I have become accustomed to. The doctor came in, did his cutting, patched the eye and it was back to the waiting room again. An hour later, the nurse called my name and led me to another office. "Good news?" I asked, to which she responded that only the doctor could do that, and he would be in shortly. He confirmed that he had been successful in removing all the cancer cells and I could go home. Deborah was called and she retrieved me. This entire procedure took about four hours.

Life with only one functioning eye is interesting. On the way home I tried to envision  driving home with one eye patched. Doable, but not ideal. Two hours later I was at the reconstructive surgeon's office. I had a hole in my eyelid (picture available upon request!) which he stitched back together. Deborah was required to remain with me, so after about a 45 minute wait, they took me back to prep me for surgery. They gave me a local, so that I was partially aware of what was going on, but don't ask me what happened, since I don't know. About an hour later I was released. But the best new was that NO eye patch would be required!!!! Can you tell how happy that made me? And not to pass up an opportunity to celebrate, we visited Chick Filet on the way home since I had not been able to eat since midnight.

I stayed at Deborah's on Wednesday to make sure my eye was healing properly. Miranda came down in the afternoon to visit. All three of us did go visit a lady Deborah knows in her ward that has a glass business. Since I am remodeling the kitchen and added a pantry, it only seemed appropriate to have a frosted glass pantry door.  I am now looking for a fox design to be etched in the door. Anyone have a design of a fox laying down looking at you?

Thursday morning Sarah and I drove home without any challenges. Her family arrived after dinner. Nice to be home, although the temperatures are in the high 80s. Friday morning I was able to qualify the three oldest grands in zero turn lawnmowing; that means less work for me. I still spent about 30 minutes doing around the barn. Nathan came back to complete his work only to discover that one piece needs more trimming. He will come back next week; that will be good, since by then I will have the door pulls and he has the template to drill for the screws. Deborah helped me clear off the countertop with the computer. The computer's new home is only five feet away, but there isn't room for the printer - so it is now in the office. This involved disconnecting most of the wires; but I was able to reconnect everything and all systems are working! Friday about 830 pm we were hit with a sudden, exciting, lightening active, intense 40 minute severe thunderstorm. Rain was horizontal due to strong winds. One of two sassafras trees in the back blew over. .46 inches of rain in that time. We are now at 30 inches for the year.

Saturday morning I had intended to empty contents of the two old kitchen cabinets and stick them in the new cupboards; however, Deborah had other ideas. She wanted to tackle the downed tree; so after a brief lesson on chain saw procedures, she basically cut the entire tree.

 Meanwhile, some of the grands loaded the limbs and debris in the truck. Then Sarah drove the pick up the 100 plus yards to the burn pile where the tree was off loaded for future burning. 

Two hours later, the job was done - and so were we. It was hot!

I did scrounge material to serve as counter tops for most of the kitchen, since the real thing won't be installed until mid August. I was able to get one of the two cabinets emptied and moved to their new home or at least for now. It is still challenging to be cooking downstairs when most of the food and utensils are upstairs. And the only table large enough for when family visits is upstairs. My plan this week is to get the last two cabinets off the wall so that I can patch and paint that final section. Then I need to cut a hole for the sink in the temporary countertop so the plumber can come out and connect the sink and the stove. Not ideal, but functional. The electrician still needs to come out to install new breakers so I can see if I wired the place correctly. Oh, then I can install the yet to be purchased flooring. 

Today was stake conference. It was broadcast to our building. Some great talks on receiving revelation. One young lady had previously lived in Utah and was able to attend the temple on a regular basis. Then her family moved to our stake and trips were less frequent. Rather than lament her inability to attend the temple, she started indexing, which then lead her to family search and then accepting President Nelson's challenge and was able to find 150 names for baptisms. Another speaker shared how some of his family members had parted ways with the church and the impression he received was to love them. And they enjoy a good relationship inspite of their differences.

I Survived!

 Sunday I was still at Miranda's house; since her family had departed on an Alaskan Adventure, Sarah came to stay with me. I was still enduring some pain and discomfort due to the catheter and was in no condition to attend church. So we YouTubed the Mountain Home Ward meeting. The rest of the day I did as little as possible.

Monday was not much different. Stay put and try not to move too much. Deborah's family did drive up in the late afternoon and cooked hamburgers for dinner. It was Memorial Day and that is a traditional meal.

Tuesday came at last; the day I had been anticipating for 11 days. Rebecca pronounced June 1st as Tom Fox Penal Emancipation Day! And that it was!! Deborah drove up to take me to my afternoon appointment to have the catheter removed. And what a difference that made! I felt like a new man. The attending PA also assisted in my surgery and was able to share that my prostate was smaller than normal and that the surgery went smoothly. The lab report shows that all the adjoining lymph nodes that were removed were cancer free, so one could conclude that I am cancer free. But one thing I learned from Sandy's experience is that one is never cancer free, it is just hiding someplace to make a later surprise appearance. They recommend regular testing to monitor increased risk, but I am comfortable that there are still a lot of miles in this body of mine. For now, I am just happy not to be attached to 'Fill-up', my urine collection bag, and am able to do stuff. To celebrate, Deborah took us to Andy's Froze Custard; after all, it is tradition.

Now I need to retrain my bladder to take control of urinating instead of leaking whenever it wants. I am now dependent on my new friend Depends; not too awkward, but at least I don't go around with wet pants. I am learning how best to navigate this new situation to minimize leakage; I can almost tell when that will happen and am working on training my body.

I drove myself home on Wednesday without incident. Good to be home. When I first drove to NWA on 20 May, I had hopes of coming home after a few days. But that obviously did not happen. I was gone for 13 days. And I got to sleep in my own bed.

Thursday I returned to working on the kitchen; some drywall touch up, electrical work and such. It felt good to be active again - at least until I got up Friday when my body reminded me that I needed to take things slower and follow the restrictions that doctor gave me as far as lifting and taking things easy for a few weeks. It is hard for me to sit still when I see so many things that need doing. So I basically did nothing on Friday. However, Nathan showed up with the kitchen cabinets and started installing them; he brought his own help, so I just watched and cheered them on. They were able to install a majority of them that day. Nathan and his young son returned on Saturday for a half day to install the cabinet hinges and doors. The kitchen is taking shape, but isn't complete yet. He will return on Monday to hopefully finish, though I suspect there will be a couple of minor items that will linger. Even though the cabinets will be installed, the counter tops are scheduled to be installed late August; even though I made that appointment six weeks ago, they are that busy. I can use some of the old counter top temporarily and I have some plywood that can be cut to fit. 

Here is the kitchen Friday morning:

And Saturday afternoon:

Today was church. Good testimonies and a good Come Follow Me lesson focused on missionary work. It almost feels normal at church now with the restrictions removed.

There is Progress

 I didn't have any out of town appointments this week! It was nice to be able to stay home and get stuff done. Not all of it was fun stuff though. Monday and Tuesday mornings were spent helping a friend install a metal roof on one of the rent houses. Wally comes and measures and orders the material; I go pick it up and pay for it; then I become his helper and it saves on the installation costs. Basically my job is to hoist the  3 foot wide sections of sheet metal up to him so he doesn't have to climb up and down the ladder. This house is 53 feet long and the front and back are about 15 feet. That was 18 sheets a day. But there is more to it than that. Once I help get the metal up to him. then I climb up the ladder (in the back that was 14 feet up), align the bottom edge with the drip edge and hold it while he attaches some screws. Then down the ladder, move it over three feet to be in position for the next sheet, pull a sheet off the trailer, hold it over my head and carry to the ladder and tip it up and help lift it to Wally. My arm muscles got a good workout. Then we had the ridge cap and rack to install, but those were much lighter.

After finishing around noon on Tuesday, I spent the afternoon installing rolled insulation (R-19) in the kitchen walls. 

The previous week, my bush hogging came to a halt when the recently replaced steering linkage disconnected. Although I had put the nuts on tight, they loosened up and one is hiding in the field somewhere. And the threads were buggered up; fortunately a friend from church has his own machine shop; I was able to go over to his garage and run a die over the threads and get them good again. The problem was finding a 14mm nut with a 1.50 thread. No one in Mountain Home has one. But the John Deere dealer in Harrison does; Miranda was able to pick up two for me Friday as she came to visit. 

Wednesday I had a morning appointment with the dermatologist. This time he pronounced me good and did not need to cut, scrap, or burn off any suspicious skin cancers. In the afternoon I had an eye appointment with the ophthalmologist that performed the biopsy on my eye lid. I had been seeing the same optometrist for 20 years and thought it was time for a change. This proved to be a wise decision. Last year's prescription is not much different than this one, and she told me if my current glasses worked well, don't spend the money on new glasses. And when I explained my allergy eye problems, she knew just what to suggest, and it is an over the counter product. Additionally, they did multiple tests to check my optic nerve (nice colorful chart), verify my cataracts aren't worse and that I don't have glaucoma yet. Several of these tests my previous eye guy did, but this time I got to see the results on the computer screen and received a more thorough explanation. The former guy spent more time talking about non related items, so this was a refreshing change.

Thursday was Sandy's birthday. I had previously baked a chocolate cherry cake for the occasion. Then three young men from church came and helped me install three sheets of drywall in the ceiling. Only way it was going to get done. And we enjoyed the cake. Then I spent the rest of the day attaching eight more sheets to the walls. 

Friday, I was able to tape and mud the drywall; most of the joints will be hidden either by cabinets, or back splash, so some imperfections are tolerable. In the late afternoon, Miranda arrived with her children. Camden and Ethan willingly mowed most of the yard while I reattached the steering linkage to the tractor and spent some time bush hogging. That grass keeps growing taller!

Saturday, the ward had a road cleanup, so all of us showed up at 8 am to participate. They cooked breakfast burritos and dutch oven biscuits for us to enjoy after cleaning the road. Then we came home. By day's end, the yard was mowed, more of the pasture bush hogged and Miranda was able to use her mad skills and texture the ceiling. The ceiling is now ready to paint; there are still three wall joints that need additional attention and then the walls can be painted.

And we had to keep with tradition and have a bon fire so the little ones could roast marsh mellows and eat smore's. They were undeterred with it started to sprinkle.

Today was church. Basically all restrictions are off. We even set in every pew.

Tomorrow I have a pre op appointment in Bentonville with the urologist. The plan is to drive there right after seminary and return home in the evening. That will give me Tuesday and Wednesday to get the kitchen painted.  And then I might almost have a kitchen ready for cabinets!

 

9 May 2021 Epistle

 Last Sunday evening, I drove back to North West Arkansas (NWA). Was able to participate in our weekly family call enroute via the phone.  Arrived at Miranda's in time to finish my seminary lesson preparation, participate in family scripture reading and get to bed. 

Monday, after seminary and breakfast, I drove south to Fayetteville for my MRI. Between the GPS and my phone, I was able to locate the correct building and arrived early. The waiting room was small, sparsely furnished and uninviting. I suspect it does not get much use. After filling out the requisite paperwork, they took me back to 'gown up'. Then to the machine for my 40 minute ordeal. This was an entirely different experience than the one at Baxter Hospital six weeks ago; there the machine was quiet. Not so this time. The attendant handed me ear plugs and explained it was like a construction zone; he was not far off. Lots of moans, groans, clanks, clatters and more. But I survived!  On the way back to Miranda's, I stopped at Lowes and found a kitchen faucet that is eager to be part of my new kitchen.

Back at Miranda's later that day I became a human earth mover. They had a load of dirt delivered and needed it moved 50 feet to its final resting place using a shovel and wheel barrow. That evening proved to be the warmest and most humid to date, so my work was slow. They are landscaping around the back deck and have an ambitious plan -  which requires a lot of manual labor.

Tuesday was an open day. After seminary I drove down to visit with Deborah and Hailey before they had dental appointments. A friend from Mountain Home that works in that area texted that he had some donuts for me from a place he really likes. So on the way back to Miranda's I stopped to see what goodies he had for me. After sampling them, I must admit they were tasty. Before returning to my home away from home, I met Miranda and Rachel at Home Depot to look at kitchen flooring, after all, you can't do a kitchen remodel without a women's input. I spent the rest of the day getting some personal matters worked on.

Wednesday I had a 10 am appointment with a pelvic floor therapist. Nice lady. I am now officially kegel exercise trained. She did cover a variety of other important matters, which if followed, will aid in my recovery from surgery. The most devastating news is that there are certain foods that may contribute to bladder leakage, one of which is chocolate!! I may be in serious trouble. Following my appointment, I headed straight home to take care of home duties. First on the list was mow the yard. Unfortunately, the mower had other thoughts. One of the battery cables was corroded and about to break, so it did not start. I did get the cable removed before moving on to my next project: connect the bush hog and start leveling the pasture. I got one section done before it was time to stop.  

Thursday I worked on painting the one section of the kitchen that is ready, got a new cable installed in the mower and got the grass trimmed. Looks so much better. Then back to bush hogging the west pasture. Ah, but for the lack of a nut, the pasture is not getting trimmed. The steering drive link I replaced several months ago was not sufficiently tightened, so one of the bolts backed off and is forever lost in the field. I tried to find a replacement nut only to find that the threads on the drive link were slightly damaged and need to be remachined. That will have to wait until next week. 

Friday, after seminary, the pantry got a second coat of paint and is now ready for new shelving. I was able to start installing soffit over the smaller porch area, (which I as able to complete Saturday). 

Then off to Home Depot and Lowes to purchase adjustable wire shelving. I opted for this approach since it gives me the option of changing the height of the shelves to accommodate what ever needs storing. By Saturday, the project was done, but not without a return trip to Lowes to swap some parts and get a few more. Now time to load up those shelves with the stuff sitting in the cabinets in the living room. Then I can reclaim my living room!

Plan for next week: install batting in the six inch walls; the spray foam people were not optimistic about getting the needed supplies anytime soon; I will still have them do the underside of the roof and floor whenever they can. Once the walls are insulated, it will be time to sheetrock.

It was announced in church this morning that masks were not required, that we no longer need to sit every other pew and distancing is not mandatory. Not that we observed the first or third of those much anyway. And future broadcasts of sacrament meeting will be discontinued shortly. In Elder's Quorum, we had an uplifting discussion about 'Infuriating Unfairness'. Afterwards, we pulled off the blue tape blocking the pews and put out the hymn books!

I also received information in the mail about my upcoming surgery: robot assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. Arrive at the hospital at 5:30 am for a 7:30 start time.

The Never Ending Story Continues

 Monday I worked some on the kitchen; still no foam. Also worked with another local bank to set up an account to put Sandy's LLC money into. 

Tuesday, after seminary, I hastily washed the car - it still had residue of Colorado, Oregon, California and more. Then I was on the road again to North West Arkansas. I had a 2:30 preop meeting with the dermatologist that will remove the minuscule growth on my lower eyelid. I arrived 20 minutes early, was seen early and was done within an hour! The procedure he is doing is called 'Mohs' surgery. They will remove a section of tissue, about a 10-15 minute operation, send me off to a waiting room while their lab analyses the tissue to make sure all the cancer was removed. If so, they will bandage my eye and I go across town to the reconstructive surgeon who will do what is necessary to make things look normal. If not all the cancer was removed, then they repeat the process until they are satisfied all the cancer has been removed. This surgeon and his staff seem very competent and I am comfortable they will do a good job. I am scheduled for surgery on 8 June.

Since I was in the neighborhood, I stopped by Deborah's house to visit with the children, since Mom was still out on her bus route. Then proceeded to Miranda's in time for dinner and Camden's birthday celebration.

Wednesday I awoke to constant rain, taught seminary listening to the rain, drove to the reconstructive surgeon's office in the rain - just want to you get the picture that it was raining a lot. I had previously seen this doctor several weeks ago and this time he seemed less formal and more friendly. He does not think my repair will be very extensive, which is good to hear. The downside is that I will be wearing an eye patch for almost two weeks. Will I be able to drive home that way...?

To celebrate my day's accomplishments, I met Miranda and Rachel at Andy's Frozen Custard. I was delayed because several streets were flooded and I had to make two detours. 

But that did not minimize the enjoyable taste of their hot fudge sundae. These weekly trips to NWA are not as exciting as they used to be. The 2.5 hour drive is now becoming routine. So this time I drove up to Jonathan's. Evidence of a lot of flooding was observed along the road.

One thing I was able to accomplish was to get my prostate surgery arranged. After my last eye appointment, I realized I was only three miles from the urologist's office, so I stopped by. The office manage just walked in, had just received a text from the urologist about me and was able to set that surgery up for 21 May. Guess I won't be teaching seminary that morning! My follow up will be 1 June.

I needed some financial advise from Jonathan and Kristy and it is always fun to visit with their children and check out their baby lambs (there were two recent sets of twins). 

And it happened that Zachary had just broken his arm in an ATV mishap and Izzie was home from BYU. And David fixed a delicious dinner of taco salad.

After seminary on Thursday morning, I returned home. The local area had received almost 5 inches of rain; the pond was overflowing around the edges (rarely happens) and there was evidence of a heavy downfall. My driveway has new gulleys that will require filling. I stopped at Menard's and discovered they have my color of vinyl siding ( can't find it locally).  I need some more to enclose the new kitchen addition. And they sell it by the piece, so I don't have to purchase more than is needed. Since I had the van, I only got j channel, and the inside and out side corners. I discovered you can put 12 foot long flexible trim pieces inside a van and get the doors closed. But just barely.

I spent time that afternoon and Friday getting the pantry ready to paint. Was able to get a primer coat on it late Friday. The plan is to get it painted, install shelving and then empty the kitchen cabinets currently residing in the living room into that newly created space. The foam insulation people have not returned my phone calls which leads me to believe they may not have the materials yet. I still have some time though.

One of the rent houses has needed a new roof and my roofing guy was able to order the metal and I drove out to pick up on Friday. I was able to get the ridge cap, rake and screws, but it seemed that the sheet metal had been delivered to Harrison, 50 miles west of home. But they made a special home delivery for me that afternoon. We are set to install this in 10 days, weather permitting.

Another accomplishment was getting a business checking account set up for Sandy's LLC account that was recently closed. After several trips to the bank with various documents and a few tender mercies, the deed is done and I can finally move forward with the last financial transaction of Sandy's trust.

Saturday I was invited by one of the young men in our ward to join him and a few others to attend the temple for his own endowment. He is slated to go to South Africa for his mission the end of June. I road up with friends and we had our own personal session with only six present. Special time. Made for a special experience and a long day.

On the Home Front

Monday the spray foam people were scheduled to come. When it got to be noon, I contacted them. Opps, we should have called you; our supplier is out of the material needed and it will be at least 10-14 days before we get any more. Major modification of plans for completing the kitchen project! There is plenty to do, such as: taping and mudding the pantry walls and part of the ceiling. Those walls could be painted and maybe shelving installed in the pantry. Then there is the exterior: installing vinyl siding. So this set back didn't extinguish the light, it just redirected it.

Tuesday after seminary I stopped by the countertop business with a rough sketch of what the new kitchen should look like. They were able to draft up a diagram of how much material would be needed and then I headed off to Miranda's. By the time I left she texted a photo of snow covering the ground! Then an hour west of here I drove through blowing snow as the storm proceeded east. By the time I arrived at her house, most of the snow was gone.

Wednesday I taught seminary from Rachel's room. Then Miranda, Rachel and I drove to the countertop warehouse and were joined by Deborah and Hailey. While the two girls enjoyed hiding amongst the 10x6 slaps of granite we three narrowed down our choice of granite. I came back to the same one we had looked at two months ago. Then to make sure it was color coordinated with the oak cabinets, we sought Kera's expertise. I notified the nice lady there of my selection and she will coordinate with my guy locally to get what I need shipped to Mountain Home. We had a few minutes before my doctor's appointment, so we found a park nearby for the two girls to play at. Then to the urologist office. I had previously confirmed that Miranda could join me, but they explained their offices were too small for more. And the doctor is running an hour behind, so if you want to leave, we can call you when he is ready. Since it was lunch time, we took advantage of the situation and visited the nearby Denney's that looked like it was from the 60's. They even played oldies music! We were almost finished eating when the office called, so we finished and Deborah headed back home while Miranda and I returned to the urologists office. These are some of Miranda's comments about this visit: 

     "So I went with Dad to his appointment with Dr Child here in Bentonville.  I was impressed with this doctor.  He explained Dad's choices regarding treatment, reiterating this is a more aggressive cancer (8 on the Gleason scale). Dr Child says whatever national body of smart people suggests both radiation and surgery as equally good options. And proton and electron radiation are perceived to have equivalent outcomes.  As a surgeon, he prefers to do surgery on healthy guys with a good life expectancy ahead of them.  He sees many patients who have gone each way and ten years down the road, patients who chose surgery seem better off.  Also, the main adverse effects from surgery can be corrected or fixed later (either by surgery or drugs) but not so with radiation because that is from tissue damage.  Also, another plus for surgery is he can take a part of the lymph nodes at the same time to check for additional cancer and get ahead of detecting cancer outside the prostate.  With this type of cancer, it is possible to have cancer come back even after radiation, several years down the road. He feels totally confident that Dad is a great candidate for surgery.  Dr Child says there is flexibility in the approach and after viewing Dad's laparoscopic scars,  he's sure he can do the surgery."

Deborah had recommended this doctor; he attends her ward and they were able to discuss my situation and in conversations with Deborah, he expressed confidence that he could surgically remove my prostate. I was comfortable meeting with him knowing that if I decide to have him cut me, I will have a support group to nurse me back to health that is close to home. I now have a date for an MRI in a week and will see a physical therapist after that to learn some technics I can practice at home. Hopefully surgery will be in the next month. I drove home after all this excitement!

Thursday I needed a sheet of drywall to finish an area not affected by the insulation. Home Depot was sold out of half inch 4x8 sheets. But they sold me the green board ($2.50 a sheet more) for the same price. Fearing they might not have any in stock when I need another 10 sheets, I bought 11. Then I had to haul them up to the deck onto saw horses and cover them due to rain. I also put a deposit on the countertop material. Granite isn't cheap! 

Friday and Saturday were spent mostly working in the kitchen. I installed a motion sensing light in the pantry, took the former faucet from the upstairs kitchen and installed it in the downstairs kitchen. So progress is being made, just not as fast as I would like.

End of the Great Fox Adventure

 I was up early Monday morning, like 4 am, to be ready to teach seminary at 445. While I had arranged substitutes for two weeks of seminary, I was reluctant to ask them to do more; and if I had stuck to my original schedule, this would not have been an issue. But the extra two days with Rebecca's family were so worth it! Of course, after teaching, I went back to bed for an hour.

Rebecca had bread ministry on Monday, and stayed long enough to help her get things set up. There is so much good food available and it is heart warming to see that it doesn't have to go to waste. After saying my good byes, I was on the road again; destination: just east of Mesa, AR. Enjoyed some beautiful scenery from tree covered foothills, to the wide expanse of the Arizona desert with its variety of cactus and sage. I arrived in time for dinner with the Clites, a family we knew in Okinawa and later when they lived in Little Rock. Had not seen them in over 20 years, so we did a lot of visiting and talking. They own a large Spanish style home and have two horses.

Tuesday I repeated my previous day's routine:  up at 4 to teach seminary, and then back to bed for another hour of rest.  Bill gave me a windshield  tour of the area. He had just purchased a Dodge Ram 3500 diesel powered pickup truck. I measured it; the floor sill is 28 inches off the ground; I could lift my leg that high and was appreciative of the hand hold appropriately placed so I could barely haul myself up into the cab!  We drove by the Gilbert and Mesa Temples and then to Denney's for breakfast. Then out to Tortilla Flats where we enjoyed some delicious ice cream. Cindy returned home that evening from work and we went out to dinner for some excellent enchiladas. 

Wednesday, after teaching seminary and grabbing a short nap, I was on the road, again. Destination: Cyrus and Kendra's home in New Mexico. Again, drove through some pretty desert areas; lots of saguaro cactus. Was able to arrive at Cyrus's to enjoy delicious hamburgers and hot dogs cooked on the outside grill. Kendra was out of town with her mother, probably on a well earned vacation. Cyrus did a good job of caring for the children; but they were good at self entertaining all by themselves. After eating, we walked to a nearby park and the four children had a great time running amuck and playing on the equipment. They had no trouble falling asleep. Cyrus got me hooked up with his internet and also added more memory to my laptop.

Due to the time change, I was able to sleep in until 5 am to teach seminary. Afterwards, I interacted with the Fox children until time for the oldest two to attend school. Atlas provided a 20-20 minute concert on the cello; he is quite accomplished! I stayed home with Max while Cyrus took the youngest with him to drop the oldest two off at school. And then I was on the road again. One thing I noted about New Mexico:  it is windy.

Wasn't sure exactly where my resting place for the night would be, but I knew I didn't want to get stuck out in the middle of Oklahoma and not find a decent motel. Stopped before dark in Elk City, OK to allow time to prep for my morning seminary class and was able to get a good nights rest. This time there was no need to get up early; OK is in the same time zone as AR and I was able to sleep in until almost 6 am. Was able to teach my lesson in my hotel room without incident. Then it was time to be back on the road. This was my last day of driving. It rained on me most of the way and was cool and windy. There was the mandatory shopping stop at Aldi's in Harrison for milk and such. Was home by 5 pm. House was still standing, although the grass was in need of cutting.

Here are the stats for my trip:  gone a total of 33 days; traveled 5418 miles without any vehicle problems; 26 mpg; was able to connect with three children's families and three additional grandchildren out west as well as other family members and friends. Also listened to five different books on tape; love the collection at the local library.

Friday evening was spent in unpacking and getting organized (at least trying to).

Saturday I hooked up the trailer and drove out the lawnmower service place to pick up the lawnmower. But before I could mower, there were five wheel barrow loads of twigs and small branches to clean up. We must of had some really strong winds to blow that much debris down from the trees. And there was 10-15 feet of the roof cap shingles that blew off. Probably not good that the flap end points into the direction of the prevailing wind. On the bright side, the flocks are beautiful in their various colors, the tulips are starting to bloom, the dogwood is magnificent in bright white. The daffodils are past their prime though. I also got the hole drilled and the wire strung so that the new kitchen island will have electricity.

That evening, one of my seminary students was participating the school play: Thorough Modern Milley, so I went and found it most enjoyable.

Today we had normal church; sacrament meeting and then Sunday School and Primary. Less than 10% of attendees wore masks. Was good to see so many faces that have been in hiding for so long.

California Dreaming

 This week's letter is brought to you live from Southern California, where I have spent the past week visiting with Rebecca's amazing family. And the fun will continue as I hit the road again in the morning and begin my trip back home.

Monday I assisted Rebecca in her 'bread ministry' community service. We drove a short distance to a local Von's market to collect about three cart loads of assorted breads, prepackaged salads, some fruits, milk and eggs. Enroute to this location, I noticed the spires to the San Diego Temple on the horizon; turns out this market is about 1/2 mile from the temple. We returned home and set up the tables and put out the food; then Rebecca texted people that they were welcome to come by and collect what items were available. There is also some paperwork required by the organization that set up this service. I am impressed with the good that this project does and how it gets leftover food into the hands of people, rather than just throwing it away. In the afternoon Rebecca, Marian and I went running; me for under two miles, them for 8 miles. Neat to have three generations running together.

The three of us went running again on Wednesday and Friday; my goal was to increase my distance, not impede their progress and still be alive at the end. I think I succeeded in all areas, mostly. 

During the week Rebecca took me shopping for a variety of items. We went to the running store clearance section (where you can buy last years shoes for half price) to replace my current running shoes which were long over due to be retired. And at that price, why not buy two? So I did. We also got to the commissary and exchange at MCAS Miramar, places I have not visited in at least 15 years. It is always fun for me to do some price comparisons; most items I checked are comparable or slightly more expensive than Arkansas prices where I shop. We also visited a couple of thrift stores as Rebecca looked for clothes for her children. And of course we had to stop at Trader Joes and See's Candy since they were in the area.

Saturday was family hiking day and we drove out to Angie's Canyon in the morning. It was a beautiful day, the hike was not too arduous and some fun was had by the girls. I have included photos as evidence.

If it can be climbed, it will be!

In the afternoon I helped Callie upgrade a used rabbit hutch that she had obtained; she has hopes of buying, and possibly breeding rabbits in the future. Some lumber was required to make this transition and we had to be creative in this area. A neighbor was moving and discarded a piece of furniture that we repurposed to cut to stabilized the hutch. A trip to a Habitat for Humanity Restore netted a cabinet door we cut to use as a ramp. Of course that meant a trip to Harbor Freight to purchase a circular saw so the wood could be cut to size. While not the Taj Mahal of rabbit hutches, it is serviceable for Callie's needs.

After finishing this project, it was time to move onto the next one. Bread Ministry is more than just about recycling useable food; it is also time to catch up on the neighborhood news as you visit with those picking up food. On Friday Rebecca learned that a neighbor had to part with their trampoline; after checking with Dan, she agreed to buy it. So we walked to their house, removed the safety net and legs and then lifted the frame with pad up over the six foot fence and carried it up the street to it's new home. That also required lifting it up over the fence and into the yard. We then proceeded to reattached the legs and safety net. Took just under 40 minutes from start to end and the girls have already enjoyed  their new acquisition. 

 

While Rebecca went off to run with Callie, Dan fixed dinner. Rebecca returned in time to shower and then the three of us adults went to the base theater (haven't been to one of those since Okinawa) to view the spy film "The Courier" based on a true story of the 1960s during the time Russia was basing nuclear weapons on Cuba. A bit of a thriller, there were some tense moments of anxiety; well worth watching.

Today is Fast Sunday. While the Arkansas Governor has declared masks not mandatory and my home ward is now starting all meetings in the two hour block, Church here is still limited to sacrament meeting only; but we learned today that is to change next week. 

I have enjoyed my time here with Rebecca's family. The weather has been beautiful; I have been able to walk Levi; I have learned when sitting at the dining room table to look before stretching out my feet (Levi likes to hang out there); it is fun to watch these girls giggle over episodes of their favorite TV shows they have watched before; and they have fed me all to well. Families are the Best!

Easter Sunday

 It is Easter morning and I am sitting at a table in San Diego writing this weekly update prior to four young ladies excitedly descending the stairs from their bedrooms to enjoy their Easter baskets of  yumminess. And me? I am looking forward to day two of the Church's General Conference talks, building on yesterday's great council and spiritual insights. But, I am getting ahead of myself...

Last Monday and Tuesday I was still at Adam's in Oregon. He had taken those two days off from work so we were able to work together in accomplishing some of the many tasks on Savannah's to do list. We did a little bit of everything:  realign an exterior gate to close properly; install a ceiling fan in the pool room; reattach the decorative stones to the stone wall around the pool; clean up leaves and needles from the back yard; replace some outdated ceiling lights; install self closing hinges on a couple of exterior doors; and more. There were no deadlines to meet, so I was able to work at a leisure pace. 

Most mornings while at Adam's, I would get up and spend about 20 minutes on the treadmill; Miley and Piper were always ready to join me in my morning runs and provided me company. The last two days Carter joined me as well; only he was trying to run 3 miles in under 22 minutes, so he was running twice my speed. He did beat that time, too. I was able to drive Denali to her school two mornings. It was fun to sit on the couch and invite the younger girls to bring me their favorite books to read; there was never an end to the books they would want read. I am happy to share with you why dragons don't like spicy taco sauce or details about the 'pout pout' fish if you are interested. The children would  quietly get up in the mornings and park themselves in front of the fireplace to read, which seems to be one of their favorite things to do. One of the highlights for me was to participate in their 'Come Follow Me' lessons as a family as they prepared for Easter weekend. Those children know their scriptures!

Wednesday, after dropping Denali off at school, I continued my drive south. Saw some beautiful snow covered mountains on the way. 

Ben and Hannah welcomed me into their home for a few hours. Ben gave me a tour of their homestead; they have carved out a nice home for their family. Because it is tradition, we had to play a few games of checkers; but that gave Hannah time to bake peanut butter cookies.  All too soon it was time for me to get back on the road. Ended up in Fresno for the night for a much deserved rest.

Thursday saw me on the road again. Since I was driving right by where I had grown up, I thought it would be interesting to see the house I grew up in. I even drove by where 14277 Van Nuys Blvd used to be; sadly it is not the same inviting open space it used to be. Wall to wall apartments with the occasional mini-mart. All the street frontage from there down to Parthenia (as far as I drove on Van Nuys Blvd) was crammed with buildings, mostly apartments. Driving Rayen, Tyrone, and Wakefield Streets was somewhat discomforting. Except for the drive ways, there was a solid line of cars parked on both sides of the street, in addition to the ones parked in the drive ways. Many homes had ornamental fences in front. Several homes had built additions to their homes. All of this combined gave an air of confinement; there was no open space, no where to play outside in the yards or street; it was an unwelcoming atmosphere. Then I got to the house I grew up in for 20 years and was equally disappointed for the same reasons. It was not recognizable at first glance.

Since I was in the area, I drove down to Panorama Presbyterian Church on Roscoe Blvd. My parents were charter members of this church when they moved to Panorama City in 1949; I attended church here for years, was active in their youth group programs; worked there  part time as a janitor; was married there. The buildings looked the same but it appears the church is supporting some homeless people from the picture I took.

Next on my drive was to Downey to visit with Sally and Steve. They have been busy preparing their house for sale and have done an amazing job of painting replacing flooring and redoing their kitchen; it really looks great. It was fun to visit with them and get caught up on the challenges they are facing as they prepare their house and business for sale and prepare to move. 

After spending the night there, I drove down to visit with Cynthia and Jim. In keeping with their routine, we drove to Laguna Beach and spent time sitting on a bench watching the volley ball game, talking, and enjoying some delicious pumpkin raisin bread they had made. It was a little too breezy, so we drove back to the Village and enjoyed the view from another bench at the edge of the golf course. 

Because of the siblings afternoon zoom call, I departed Laguna Woods at noon for what should have been about a 75 minute drive. But wait a minute, what was I thinking! This is a SoCal freeway - so it took two hours, and I was late for the call. After arriving at Rebecca's house and giving welcoming hugs, I jumped on the zoom call. 60 minutes later I was able to give proper greetings to the family.

Saturday I was up and went running with Callie; I am out of shape. Then we enjoyed the sessions of General Conference. Rebecca was also busy cooking up tasty delights for us to enjoy. Today, after devouring delicious homemade cinnamon rolls, we listened to the first session of conference and received some great counsel (again!)

The Great Fox Adventure Continue

 It is Saturday evening and I have just installed  six handles in the girls upstairs bathroom; I am in another bathroom installing another six handles when Piper announces the toilet in the girls bathroom is leaking. How can that be? I was just in there and there was no water on the floor. The water was in front of the sink, so I assumed someone had done a poor job of washing hands. But 30 minutes later Piper stated the floor was wet again. Adam determined the leak was from the toilet tank. Noting the volume of leakage, we determined that a trip to Lowe's was required. An hour later we are installing a new tank gasket and washers to the bolts. After a few set backs, the toilet is once again fully operational and it is time for bed.

This story illustrates the way my week has been. Wednesday, Fox Dentistry was able to fit me in for a cleaning. Rachel is very thorough, maybe too much so. In the process of cleaning, one of my crowns popped off.  Adam had time to prep the tooth and reattach it. At one point he pushed it into place and had me bite on a stick to help get it into place. Unfortunately, either I bit too hard, or the crown was too thin - it broke. Adam did have time to get a scan of the crownless tooth so his amazing 'I can make instant crowns' machine could do its thing. By now all the office personnel have gone home except Jessica, who had to take time off to pick up her two children and bring them back to the office. In her absence, Adam was able to fill a small cavity. Since the tooth was not sensitive to being bare, Adam did not install a temporary crown. 

Thursday morning there was an opening for me to get the new crown installed and now all is well. Then Denali, Carter and I headed off  to Grover's electric and plumbing store to spend some money. Found some lights for my new kitchen. Next on the list was to visit Harry and David's; it is sad that the only store still open is in Medford. Hence the need to stock up on a couple needed items. I am especially saddened that they are no longer making triple thick chocolate malt balls! After lunch, the four older children and I headed off to a local park with a lot of interesting play equipment. They had a lot of fun playing there and then cleaning up broken glass along a nearby creek.

Between Friday and Saturday Adam and I, either together or separately, got several chores done. I even was able to enlist the help of three young Foxes to wash my van. They were very eager and surprisingly there were no water fights. One of my favorite things is to read books to the three younger children.  They have some very cute books.

Today I was able to join the family for sacrament meetings. I am continually amazed at the  size of some of the young men that pass the sacrament. Or should I say the lack of height?  But while they may not be very tall, they are dedicated and very capable. They actually have some classes after sacrament, so I was able to spend about 45 minutes with the 2 year old all to myself. She enjoys talking and I am getting better at understanding her.

Denali has put her cooking abilities to good use, somewhat to the detriment of my waistline. She has prepared a hot breakfast almost every morning:  chocolate chip muffins, biscuits, cinnamon cake, and blue berry muffins. She cooked dinner at least twice to include a delicious curry and cajun chicken pasta.

And this is Lisa eating breakfast and she is enjoying a good hair day!: