Here We Go Again

Tomorrow night we're supposed to start getting snow again. The main roads are pretty clear right now although the side roads are still in bad shape. On Christmas Day we were able to go visit Bill's family only because his brother and nephews came and dug our car out. It was surrounded by 2 foot drifts. We went to my mom's on Saturday and had a good visit with her and my brother. The big difference with tomorrow's weather is the wind, as in very little wind. Maybe 5 to 10 mph. That's good, no blizzard, just some snow. We'll see, sometimes the weather guy gets it right and sometimes he misses it.

We had 9 kids in Sunday School yesterday. I was really expecting attendance to be down because of the condition of the roads. We had 3 visitors here visiting grandparents. We all had a good time learning about the magi bringing gifts to Jesus. I wonder if they will cancel Wednesday night's service if we get snow.

I have two new oil pastels to show off here. Also, some photos of our snow. I know that it's not much to people in the Northern states but it was and still is a big deal for us. So, we have 4 photos of the day.

First the 2 oil pastels.

Next, 2 photos of the snow.





Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
Romans 6:4

Bizzard Warning

I've never experienced a blizzard before. As long as we're in the house it's no big deal but I would hate to have to drive in this mess. The wind is what is causing all the problems. The falling snow would be really pretty if the wind didn't whip it into little icy missles that sting your face and get in your eyes. I know because I took Sassy out for a potty break. I had to force her to go out, she didn't like the conditions. I think this is probably the first snow she has ever seen, the wind didn't help any either. She didn't do a thing while we were out except run around. I guess the snow is covering up all the good pee spots. We'll try again later. I had the same problem with Scruffy. I always had to force her to go out in the snow. The drifts behind the house are really deep, I tried to walk through one of them and had to turn back. I know for the states up North this is nothing but it's a pretty big deal for us. People here don't know how to drive in this kind of weather, that's the main reason that I prefer to stay home. Might have some cocoa later. Good cocoa weather.

I've been reading, knitting and just generally laying around all day. Should clean house but I just can't get up enough willpower to do it. Maybe later.

Depending on the weather conditions we'll go visit Bill's parents tomorrow. They just live across town, not very far away. We were going to visit my mom tonight but that's been postponed until Saturday even though she only lives about a mile away. Normally we just get a little dusting of snow and it's gone in no time but I think this might hang around a few days. But by Saturday we should be able to get around really well.

My big concern was losing the electricity. It did blink once but so far it's holding out really well. Now if this was our usual freezing rain storm we'd all be in the dark by now. It would be nice to have a back up generator.

Photo of the day, not a winter one because I'm not willing to go outside to take one and taking one through the windows wouldn't show the conditions very well. So here is a photo taken during warmer times, last summer.



But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8

Time Off

We get Wednesday through Saturday off, whoo hoo! I don't know if we will be able to take any road trips through because the weather is supposed to get kinda nasty tomorrow evening. But, the weather people have been wrong before. We're going to my mom's for Christmas Eve and to Bill's parents for Christmas Day. Haven't done any shopping at all, lack of money has a lot to do with that. We just happen to have a little extra money this week so we're going out tomorrow and get a few things. For Bill's parents all the kids are going together and get them a gift certificate at Cracker Barrel, they really like to eat there. I think for my mom I'll get her some jewelery and maybe a sweater. For my brother, I don't know, we got a decorative pocket knife, it has an eagle painted on it. I think maybe I'll get him a gift certificate at Wayne's Drive Inn, he does go there once in a while. I could get him a sweatshirt too, the kind that zips up, I guess you'd call it a jacket. I think he wears those, seems like I've seen him wearing them. He's very difficult to buy for. He doesn't dress up, doesn't wear cologne or anything like that. He can afford to buy anything and everything that he wants. One year I got him a box of 22 shells, he used to like to shoot guns. He doesn't do that much anymore, too expensive. I bought him a sweater one year that he never wore. Oh well, he'll get something.

I love the new soft oil pastels that I got for Christmas (early obviously). They are so much better to use that the cheap ones that I got several years ago. I got cheap ones at that time because I wasn't sure if it was something I wanted to do. I definitely love oil pastels, it's something that I'm going to keep up.

Photo of the day an oil pastel that I did last night. It's based on a photo that I saw in the Smithsonian magazine. The photo was taken by Ansel Adams. He's famous for black and white photography but he did take some color photos as well.



For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Romans 1:16

It's Nuts Out There

at Walmart that is. We went there just to get donuts for Sunday School and some tea. We almost got run down several times inside the store. We've had an influx (I think that's the right term) of new soldiers and their families and things are congested right now. The traffic is rough and the stores are crowded. That's OK, I think it'll level out eventually.

Today is my MIL's birthday and we sent flowers to her. She is very hard to buy for so we usually send flowers. She doesn't want anything Christmasy and that is hard because most of the arrangements were with a Christmas theme. She enjoyed the flowers we did send her.

My allergies have been really bad the last few days, sneezing, headaches, stomach upset, all that.
We found out today that SIL's soon to be ex husband does have a girlfriend. My in-law's neighbors know her and have seen them together. I thought he had a girlfriend. We also found out that they have been having problems for a long time now (hid it pretty well) and SIL is actually happy and relieved that it's soon to be over. It's sad to me because they've been married 27 years and it seems like that would be worth fighting for but they don't care for each other any more.

I did a couple more paintings. The first one is the star on top of our tree, it's done in semi hard pastel. The second is a landscape, a view from the top of Mt. Scott, it's done in soft pastel.





They look better in person than they do in the photo. They were fun to do. I found a photo in the Smithsonian magazine that I think I want to do next. I think I'll do it in the oil pastels.

Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.
Acts 10:43

Art

Art is not a passion for me, it's my way of life. I see art everywhere. Patterns and colors and designs. It's not just painting and drawing. I consider knitting, crocheting, quilting and beading art also. I love yarns, the color and the feel of them. All the different patterns that you can make with knitting. Crochet is like abstract art because you can do so much with it, even make free form designs. You use geometry in quilting, squares, triangles, and so on. I love planning a quilt, choosing the fabric and colors, all art to me. Then there's beading, so many different kinds of beads and you can make your own if you want to. So many different ways of putting them together, combining color and textures. But then, I see art in nature, the way the sun shines through the leaves, snow on mountains, the colors of flowers. I've been noticing perspective a lot lately. The way the lines converge to a point, roads, fences, roofs of buildings. Of course it doesn't stop with the things I mentioned. I used to do calligraphy and that's very beautiful too. I stopped because when you make a mistake you have to start over from scratch and I had to start over a lot. Photography is another great thing. You can do a lot with it, different lighting, different lenses. The things that I mentioned are things that people usually consider crafts and somehow that's supposed to be less than art. But I think that something that is well crafted, well made is a thing of beauty and an art. I used to make all my own clothes and that was an art to me too. Every now and then I think about making clothes again but buying from thrift shops is so much cheaper.

Moving right along. Bill and I bought new shoes today. My feet are already a lot happier. I don't know how long I had the old shoes, at least 6 months. 6 months is about the limit for shoes. Of course the feet will always hurt but at least not as much, until these shoes wear out that is.

I have a photo picked out and I think I'll attempt it with my soft pastels. It's been years since I used soft pastels and they were cheap ones. The ones I bought recently are better quality, I think.

I need to brush Sassy, I didn't do it last night, she can't wait to many nights. She needs to be fluffed up every so often.

Photo of the day, abstract in wood.

. . .and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.

Acts 10:28

Vacation

For my husband that is. We can't take a vacation together right now because we are shorthanded at work. Our co-worker will be out for several more weeks.

Usually about this time I'm getting pretty tired of holidays and this year is no different. I do enjoy getting a few extra days off. Next week we only have to work a couple of days but I'm ready for things to get back to normal. I think I would enjoy it better if we could afford to buy lots of gifts. I really enjoy giving gifts but that's not possible. To top it off the lights on our tree shorted out. Bah, humbug. I'm really not having a bad time. Holidays are just not a big deal for me.

It's been very cold the last couple of days. No moisture, it's bone dry.

Haven't done much with my new art supplies yet. I got soft oil pastels, semi-hard pastels and soft pastels. So far I've done one picture with the semi-hard pastels. Been too busy for some reason.

Sunday night we had our children's Christmas program. They did a great job and 3 kids from our 5th grade Sunday School class were in it. The backdrops that I painted looked great! And here they are: the play takes place in an airport terminal. The backdrops were placed on either side of the baptistry. This is a doorway and a window.



This backdrop is a view of the plane looking through a window with snow falling.



I enjoyed painting it. I took pictures of the children but I'm not sure if their parents would want their pictures posted on the Internet so I won't do it. We are planning to have a little Christmas party Sunday and hand out some gifts to the kids.

Photo of the day (in addition to the ones already posted): this is a view of Mt. Scott and Medicine Creek.



We must obey God rather than men.
Acts 5:29

Careless

I guess that's a good title. I've been really trying to be gluten free but I didn't take cross contamination seriously enough. I've suffering the last few days because of it. We have been eating out quite a bit and I thought I picked out things that were gluten free but I think they had some in them. Oh well, I'll get over it eventually. Need to be more strict. Eating out is pretty expensive anyway. Bill doesn't care that much for it. I'm the one that drags us down all the time. We could buy a lot of food for the price of just one meal in a resturant. Besides, I'm tired of being sick. Sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Since we bought Bill a camera a couple weeks ago he said that I could have both of our Christmas bonuses. I really enjoyed spending that money. Got lots of stuff. Enough yarn for 2 sweaters, 4 movies, a bunch of art supplies and one dinner out. That dinner didn't bother me, it was sushie which doesn't seem to bother me. I don't think it has any gluten in it. I didn't react to it anyway.

We're watching the movie Up right now. It's so cute!

Photo of the day, a nice view from the mountain.

And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.

Acts 4:12

Cold

It's dadburn cold out yonder. The wind cuts right through you. Feet hurt, back hurts and so on. I think I got a hold of some gluten yesterday. Had some stomach troubles earlier today but they seem to be clearing up now.

I ran out of things to eat so I spent some time this evening cooking. Baked some chicken and roasted a sweet potato with some white potatoes. Then I made some chili and cornbread. Bill will probably eat that even if the cornbread is gluten free.

We're watching Lion King right now. My favorite character is the little baboon priest, medicine man (whatever he is.) I like Timon and Pumba a lot too.

We went to Walmart to get the stuff for the chili and saw a friend that we haven't seen in a long time. It's amazing how you can live in the same town and not see each other. We don't go to the same church anymore and that makes a difference.

Photos of the day, two more oil pastels. They're not very good but I had fun doing them and that's the main thing. The first one is a flower, obviously.



The next one looks almost like an abstract but actually it's a picture of a log, or rather the knot in a log.



And it shall be, that everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved.
Acts 2:21

Baby

it's cold outside. I got to wear the turtleneck sweater that I finished last spring. It's nice and warm. That North wind cuts right through you.

We went to Bill's parents' house and raked the leaves in the front yard. I think we filled about 15 bags with leaves. It wasn't too bad in the front because the house was blocking the wind. The back yard needs to be done but it will have to wait, they may have to pay someone to do it. We both worked until we got backaches. Not as flexible as we used to be.

Speaking of inlaws we found out that Bill's sister is getting a divorce. Her husband decided that he just didn't love her anymore. It sounds like quite a mess. I think he has a girlfriend and just wants his wife out of the way so the girlfriend can move in. He says his wife doesn't "understand" him. We always thought he was a strange character. It's tough happening at this time of the year though.

We had breakfast at IHOP today. We love to go there for breakfast. I can't eat the pancakes but I can eat most of the other stuff. We took the pancakes home and Bill will eat them for breakfast tomorrow.

We're watching the Lord of the Rings, Fellowship of the Ring right now and eating gluten free brownies.

Photo of the day, a view from the mountaintop.



But these things have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
John 20:31

70's Yesterday

40's today, quite a change. A cold front started coming through last night. The wind is still out of the north and cold, to me anyway. Not to Sassy, but then she's wearing a fur coat.

We were down quite a bit in Sunday School. There's a lot of sickness going around and I think some folks may still be out of town visiting kinfolk for Thanksgiving. We had 5 kids and we normally have 7 or 8. But that's OK. We had a good time together. Hopefully they learned something. Starting next week we will be learning about the birth of Christ. I never get tired of the Bible stories even though I've heard them hundreds of times in my life. The kids are familiar with some of the stories and some they're not so familiar with so it's new to them.

Did another oil pastel the other day. It is an orchid that was growing along side Medicine Creek last summer.



The weather was so nice yesterday that we went out to the Refuge to play with our cameras. Sassy survived the trip quite well, didn't get carsick even once. I guess it helps to stop and let her walk around a lot. Settles her stomach.

Photo of the day, Medicine Park has a lot of buildings made out of cobblestones. In fact they like to call themselves a cobblestone community. This one obviously isn't lived in anymore. But I thought it was very interesting.



This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:12-13

Thanksgiving Day

We had our dinner at noon. My mother and brother came over. I was surprised that my mother came, I half expected her not to. The steps up on our deck are kinda steep for her but she made it OK. We had turkey, dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies, cranberry sauce, rolls, pecan pie and pumpkin pie. Some things were gluten free and some were not but I had plenty to eat. I did not overeat, the food was good but I just didn't want to stuff myself. My family stayed for a couple of hours. I think they were going to ride out to the Refuge when they left our place. After they left Bill took a nap and I walked Sassy.

The weather is gorgeous today, nice and clear, no clouds.

Yesterday we went down to Wichita Falls to Lucy Park. I got some good photos and Sassy enjoyed sniffing around. She still gets carsick though but she did hold out until we got home, then she barfed. Sometimes she does OK if we stop often enough and let her out to walk around. I should have stopped on the way home but I drove straight through. Oh well. Poor Sassy.

Photo of the day, one taken at Lucy Park. They have a little thing, building, whatever you want to call it that looks like a Pagoda, cute.



Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.
John 15:4-5

Two More

oil pastels that is. They look better in person than in the photos. I enjoyed making them and I made them from my own photos taken out on the Refuge. Oil pastel artists call it painting so that's what I'll call it even though it seems more like drawing to me but who am I to argue. The first one is based on a photo that I took of some reeds by a lake on the Refuge.



The second one is based on a photo of some of the hills on the Refuge.



Sassy saw the drawing that I made of her and started growling and barking. Hmmmm does that mean I did such a good job that it fooled her into thinking it's a real dog or such a bad job that she hated it. Either way it was funny to see her reaction.

The turkey was thawed out so I'm baking it this evening in an oven bag. I love those things, they keep it from drying out. I'm just baking a turkey breast instead of the whole turkey. There will be less waste that way, no skin and bones to throw away. We both prefer white meat anyway.

We took a little road trip today out to the Refuge. Got a few good photos. It was cold with a strong north wind blowing. Sassy even enjoyed it since we let her get out and walk around several times. At least she didn't throw up in the car this time.

I haven't taken a photo of the backdrop that I painted for the Children's Musical yet. I'm going to wait until it is up on the stage. It will be easier to photograph that way.

Photo of the day, taken today on the Refuge. The wind was blowing hard out of the north and there were whitecaps on the lake.



Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
John 14:27

Oil Pastels

I love pastels and now I'm discovering oil pastels. They're not powdery and they don't smear which is an advantage. I love soft pastels too but I don't own any right now. I think I'll get a set with my Christmas bonus this year. We went to Hobby Lobby today and I kinda drooled over all the things that I want to buy. We went to Sears last night and got Bill a new camera for Christmas. He wanted a digital SLR camera and I think we got a good one, also got a 300 mm lens too. Since the camera costs so much he's going to give me his Christmas bonus so I'll have even more to buy art supplies with. Of course I might not get just art supplies. There are other things to get. Like new clothes. I haven't bought new clothes in a long time. We usually go to thrift shops. I don't have a problem with that, thrift shops have some really good quality stuff. I also got his old camera which I love.

Speaking of oil pastels I have a very helpful book which show some of the techniques. I also found some good blogs to study. The main thing is to just do it, paint, paint, paint. I've done several paintings so far. Following is a photo of the one that I did today. I know it's not perfect but I had fun making it.



Tomorrow our church is having our annual Thanksgiving dinner. Afterwards we'll have to clean up the mess, we usually have a lot of help so it won't be so bad. There's no church tomorrow night so we have the evening off. I want to see who won the next Iron Chef contest. That will be on tomorrow evening.

Vacation is over, sigh. I have another week coming but I don't think I'll be able to take it before the end of the year.

Photo of the day, I took this photo Thursday, from the top of Mt. Scott.



I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.
John 14:6

Vacation

I have enjoyed my vacation so far even if I didn't get to go anywhere. I've spent most of the time painting the backdrop for the Children's Christmas Musical. This is the first time that I have ever painted a backdrop. It has been fun. I'm going to finish it up tomorrow. I think I'll take a photo of it and post it here.

I did do a few other things besides paint the backdrop. Yesterday I vacuumed the whole house, ironed Bill's shirts and baked a gluten free chocolate cake. Yes, I'm back on the gluten free bandwagon to stay this time. The extra veggies and fruit helped but they weren't enough, gluten free is also necessary. We went to the health food store and I got some more flour and other goodies. Bill is not willing to go gluten free with me but that's OK. He eats his Lean Cuisine stuff and I eat my gluten free stuff. Sassy has her lamb and rice stuff. It works out just fine. Our Thanksgiving meal won't be 100 percent gluten free but the turkey is and the veggies will be. Bill and my mother and brother can eat the rolls, dressing, gravy and pumpkin pie. Those things aren't real high on my list of favorites anyway. The turkey is my favorite. It the pie crust recipe that I'm going to try out today works, then I'll make either a chocolate or an apple pie for Thanksgiving. There will also be mashed potatoes and mixed veggies too.

Once again the weather is absolutely gorgeous here, temp in the mid 60's. I think Fall is the best time of the year in Oklahoma. The leaves are almost gone from the trees so it doesn't look very pretty but it feels pretty!

I might get ambitious tomorrow and dust the furniture. Then again, maybe not.

Photo of the day, a nice view of Lake Lawtonka.



Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
John 14:1-3

Chilly

We had a pretty good weather change, with a light rain thrown in. That's OK, it feels more like November now.

I'm on vacation next week and looking forward to it too. Unfortunately Bill and I can't take vacations together for a while because we're short handed. I hope that is corrected soon. I did some snooping and found that the "injured" co-worker has been released from medical care for his ankle and knee (I didn't know anything was wrong with his knee) but he is still under a doctor's care for his left wrist. He has been telling people that his wrist is broken, that there are bone fragments in it but what he really has is a torn ligament. I'll be glad when this whole thing is settled. We really need some help. I saw him the other day at Hastings and he looked like someone who is dying of cancer. He has lost over 200 pounds since he had his stomach stapled last March. He still can't hold food down, still throws up most of what he tries to eat. At least that's what he tells us. He has lied about other things so I'm not sure what to believe.

We had 7 kids in Sunday School today, down 2 from the week before. This was supposed to be a high attendance day. I hope the other classes did better. Of course the cold, rainy weather may have an influence. People tend to stay home when the weather is bad. Kids don't really have a choice, they have to rely on their parents to bring them. If mom doesn't want to get out of bed on Sunday then the kids stay home. We learned about Daniel and the handwriting on the wall. Next week we'll learn about Daniel in the lion's den.

My back finally quit hurting. I had a backache earlier today, muscle spasms.

I need to have Bill take a new profile picture of me. My hair has grown out some since the one I'm using was taken. I don't think I want to cut it that short anymore. The girl sheared me like a sheep the last time. She was griping about her soon to be ex husband and wasn't paying a lot of attention to what she was doing.

Photo of the day, a view from the mountain, looking toward Lawtonka Lake. We haven't been out to the Refuge is a long time. I bet we missed the color change of the leaves, they're probably dropping off the trees now.



A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
John 13:34-35

Afghan

I finally got around to taking a photo of the afghan that I finished from scrap yarn. Here it is:



Yesterday I bought some yarn to make an aran sweater. Traditionally they are done in an off white but I wanted a color. So I bought a royal blue yarn. I think it will look great.

We got the rest of our curtains yesterday and they are all up and the mini blinds are in the dumpster.

Today we bought a new ceiling fan for the bedroom. It was a pain to put up, I think it took about 3 hours to do it. But it's up there now and it's staying there!!!

We were going to take a road trip today but backed out. We needed to get the fan put up. There will be other nice days for road trips.

Photo of the day, this photo was taken out at the park last week.



And he who beholds Me beholds the One who sent Me.
John 13:45

Whoops

I forgot to put a title on the last two posts. I seem to have a problem thinking up titles anyway and with those two posts I decided to write the post first and come up with a title later. Obviously I forgot to do it. Oh well.

Our "injured" co-worker told Bill the other day that he will have to have surgery on his left wrist and will be in a cast for 6 months. His health is really going downhill. I have never heard of some one's health deteriorating because of a broken wrist. I think his problem is the stomach stapling which was botched up and now needs to be corrected. His problem is finding a doctor here in the US who will fix a mess up that was done in India. Right now the man is slowly starving to death. There are things that he could be doing to help himself and his health but he is too stubborn to do them. It's hard to feel sorry for someone who refuses to do the right thing.

I'm going to help paint the backdrop for the Children's Christmas musical. I think it will be a lot of fun. We'll do it on Wednesday evening. I dropped out of the choir because I have no musical ability. It seemed that music was the only way to serve God (talent wise that is) in this church. Artistic talent seemed to go by the wayside. The associate pastor's wife is the one who did all the artistic stuff but she has too many irons in the fire right now. She is also a very musical person and plays the piano for the choir and orchestra. I don't think she'd mind letting someone else do some painting. I guess I just needed to advertise more. Last Wednesday evening I was sitting in our classroom waiting for Bill to get out of choir rehearsal. I had my sketchbook with me and was doing a drawing when our Children's Director walked in and saw it. She oooo'd and ahhhh'd over it and said "we need to put you to work." We've known each other for over 20 years but she never knew that I could draw.

We're closed tomorrow, Veteran's Day and Bill and I have Thursday's off anyway so for this week we get two days in a row off. Wonderful. What will we do? I don't know. Need to vacuum the floor, there is grass everywhere, probably should clean the bathrooms but other than that it's free time. We might just take a road trip.

We have a little extra money this week and I have a hankerin' to knit a sweater. I just might pick out some yarn and start on one.

Photo of the day, the other day in the park Bill was feeding the birds and the seagulls were flying everywhere. It's funny how they could almost hover in the air like a helicopter.



And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.
John 12:32

I wanted to post here yesterday but had trouble getting on the Internet. But obviously it's back now.

About 10 years ago Bill decided to quit his job and go back to school so we were living on my income. Pretty low on the hog, down around the feet. We were in a small, ratty apartment and needed curtains. So I made some quilted curtains from fabric scraps and instead of batting I put in old towels. We have used them in every place that we have lived since then. But, they are too narrow for the windows in this house. That's why we decided to buy new ones, the first new curtains that I've had in many, many years. We went back to Pennys and ordered some for the rest of the house, they were almost out of them. We should get them tomorrow or the next day. I took the quilted curtains and sewed the two panels together and now I have an afghan size quilt that is on my couch. They are still in good shape even though the hot sun has been shining on them for years. Here is a photo, notice the dog, if anything ends up on the floor Sassy claims it.



I finished the afghan and Bill is wrapped up in it right now. I'll take a photo of it later. It was fun making it. I think now I'd like to knit another sweater. The hard part is decided which one. Definitely an Aran pattern, I like the challenge.

I've started working on the pillow quilt again. Gee, I've accomplished quite a bit since I gave up Facebook. I have NO desire to go back.

I did several drawings and now I need to decide what I want to paint. I have some oil pastels and I saw a really beautiful photo of a child in the October National Geographic, I may attempt that next.

We had 9, count em, 9 kids in Sunday School yesterday. I had a great time. Looks like they did too. Hope they learned something.

We took Sassy to the park Saturday. She hasn't been out there in a long time. You could tell she was having a blast. Photos of the day, Sassy at the Park:







Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and eveyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?
John 11:25-26

Yesterday didn't work out quite the way I wanted it to. We needed new tires on the car so we took it to the shop. In the past it took a couple of hours at the most. This time they were shorthanded and we sat there for 4 hours. Even then they weren't finished. They put the tires on put they hadn't done the alignment check yet. We took the car home anyway, they can do the alignment check some other time. We sat there from 10:00 until 2:30, that's not my idea of how I want to spend my day off. Oh well, we have new tires anyway. The old tires were practically bald and it's kind of scary taking road trips on bad tires. Now I feel safer.

We had lunch at 3:00 in the afternoon (I think they should have bought us lunch) at a mexican food place. We shared a plate because they give such huge portions.

We went to Penny's in the Mall and got new curtains for the bedroom. We were using curtains that I had made 10 years ago and they were inadequate for the job. The curtains we got are thermal, they block out the light and the heat. We're going back today and get some for the whole house. They are on sale, buy one and get another one for 99 cents. I think they will help with the electric bill. The mini blinds that we have are worthless, I hate mini blinds anyway, they are too hard to clean. When the curtains are up the blinds will go in the dumpster.

I don't miss Facebook, don't care if the crops are failing or the pies are burning. Several people asked me Wednesday evening at church why I quit Facebook. Seems like everyone is hooked on those stupid games. Maybe we need a Facebook recovery group.

Made progress on the afghan, sewed the squares into strips and now I need to sew the strips together. Then I'll crochet a border around it and use up the last of my yarn.

Photo of the day, a re-run, this is the last painting I made. Need to start another one soon.



My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.
John 10:27-30

Addictive

I think I must have an addiction prone personality because I get hooked on things easily. That's why I have always avoided alcohol because I'm convinced that I would have become an alcoholic, there were several in my dad's side of the family. I've been spending a lot of time on Facebook and I mean a LOT, like 3 or 4 hours a day playing those stupid games. It all seems like such a waste because I have all these things that I want to do, books to read and so on. But, instead, I'm on Facebook, harvesting crops on a make believe farm. So, I'm going cold turkey, that seems to be the only way that I can do things, cold turkey. I don't do well trying to wean myself off of things. I originally got on Facebook because I thought it would be a good way to get to know people, keep up with what's happening and all that. But that hasn't happened, most of my friends on there are also hooked on those games, they don't talk much, just sent little pictures of flowers, hearts and stuff back and forth and play games. I'm tired of it so I deleted it. I doubt if they will miss me. When I made the decision to do that I felt like a prisoner set free. I even got my colored pencils out and drew something. I've been wanting to go back to painting and drawing for a long time but when you spend 4 hours a day on Facebook you don't have time for other things. I also have a stack of books to read. I used to be a real bookworm. I'd like to go back to that.

The attendance at our Family Fun Night on Halloween was down quite a bit. The weather was really nice and I think most people were out in the neighborhoods. When the weather is cold our attendance is up. It didn't bother me, less of a mess to clean up. Bill and I had a lot of fun with the children's cake walk, gave away a lot of cakes, cookies and cupcakes.

The weather has been gorgeous, in the 70's today and by Saturday it's supposed to get close to 80. I wish we could take the week off.

Photo of the day, Sassy at the State Capital patiently waiting for me to quit taking pictures and get a move on.

If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.

John 8:36

Gorgeous Day

It is so beautiful out there, I wish we could take another road trip but we have to work this evening. This is Halloween in case you haven't noticed and every Halloween our church has what we call Family Fun Night. It's a safe alternative to trick or treating. Several places in town are doing similar things. It will be from 6:00 until 7:30 tonight. Bill and I are running the children's cake walk. I think it will be a lot of fun. Afterward we will have to clean up and get things ready for Sunday. We won't be alone, lots of people will help, they always do.

I've been trying to get 5 servings of vegetables and fruits every day. So far I've been doing pretty good. My normal way of eating is meat, bread and potatoes. So veggies and fruit are a big change. It's having a positive effect on my physical troubles, the IBS is pretty much gone. Now it I could just get rid of this cold. Bill and I have both been sick for a week but we can't stay home from work. To shorthanded down there. We still can't hire another full time person because the workmen's comp thing with the other (soon to be former) employee isn't settled yet.

Last Sunday we had 9 kids in Sunday School. I have no idea how many we will have tomorrow, there's been a lot of sickness going around. I hope no one gets that swine flu crud.

I'm through crocheting the granny squares but I haven't gotten around to sewing them together yet. Too lazy. I think all the time about drawing and painting but haven't done any of that either, too lazy. Need to get with it.

Photo of the day, another shot of the state capital building.




I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.
John 8:12

Road Trip

We only had to work an hour today so when we got done we went home picked up the pooch and our cameras and hit the road. At first we were going to go out to the Refuge but we decided to go farther out. We took the smaller highways through Walters, Comanche, some smaller towns and ended up in Ardmore. It's been close to 30 years since I've been there. It's a pretty good sized city. Ate lunch at a mexican food resturant, nothing special, actually the food was pretty bland. We got on I35 and headed north to Oklahoma City. It was a very pretty drive. Some trees were just starting to change color. I think in another week or two they will be more colorful. In the City we went to the State Capital building and took some photos of it. Had dessert at Braum's. We decided to avoid the turnpike and took some of the smaller roads home. Passed through Tuttle and some other small towns to get to Chickasha. We started to go down to Duncan but turned off instead and headed to Cement. That is a really pretty drive, rolling hills, very nice. We all enjoyed the trip. Well, Bill and I did. Sassy didn't get carsick and she did seem to enjoy getting out every so often and sniffing around. She hated to get back into the car though. Now she's on the couch trying to get caught up on her naps.

Bill did catch a cold but he doesn't seem to have it as bad as I did.

Sassy is getting a bath tonight. I usually bath her every Saturday night but I skipped last week. She's getting pretty stinky now.

Photos of the day, this is the State Capital building. I took several photos of it. I'll post them later.

I saw this mural as we were passing through the town of Comanche.

Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.
John 7:24

Rain

We had lots of rain yesterday, I love rainy days. The rain is gone but we still have a few clouds. It's much colder now, I have been looking forward to cooler weather, you just have more energy in cool weather. Sassy is a cool weather dog, wants to walk all day long. But then, she's wearing a fur coat.

I've had a cold the last couple of days. Stayed home from work Tuesday afternoon and all day Wednesday. I feel a lot better today. No flu, just a cold. Bill will probably get it next, we tend to go back and forth.

Made a pizza a while ago, haven't tasted it yet. I don't eat enough veggies and fruit. I do good if I have one serving of each. So I'm going to do my best to get my 5 servings a day, it will be rough but I think it will help my digestive troubles. Probably should do it gradually, too much fiber at once can cause problems.

I'm almost through making granny squares, just one left to make. The next step is to sew them together and put a border on it. I think it will look very nice, I would say pretty but I'm making it for a man (my man) so I guess pretty isn't the right description.

We need to get out and take some photos, the leaves are changing on the trees, lots of pretty oranges and yellows out there.

I hope we will be able to hire a full time worker soon. Bill and I need some time off, we still have two weeks of vacation left, hope we don't loose it.

Photo of the day, a few weeks ago there was an International Festival in the city park. Some folks were there acting out some scenes from the middle ages. Looked like fun.





Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.
John 6:47-48

Gorgeous Day

Not a cloud in the sky, bright sunshine and a north wind. The temperature was in the 60's. After work we took Sassy out to the Refuge. We haven't been out there in a while. I didn't take very many photos. A few trees are starting to change but I think it will be better in a couple of weeks. The colors aren't as bright here as in places like Vermont but it's still pretty here.

My husband has bi-polar and the last couple of days he was suffering from depression. The trip out to the Refuge seemed to help him. He has a doctor appointment on Monday. Seems like his meds may have to be adjusted.

The other day I was in a depression too. Things have been going pretty good lately and it seemed like we were due for a downturn. The valley between the mountain peak experiences. I have learned that the most important thing is to turn everything over to the Lord, the highs, the lows, the depressions, whatever. I'm not saying that I always do that but I have learned that it is the best thing to do. The joy of the Lord, the peace of God that passes all understanding. The only way for me to get that is to stop trying to fix the world, let go and let Him do His thing. Of course He will anyway but I tend to waste a lot of energy struggling against things. I feel really content today. With my home, the area that I live in, my husband (in spite of his depressions), my dog, my life in general. A friend of mine likes to say, "it's all good." I don't know what tomorrow will bring but I know Who holds tomorrow (is that a song or just a saying, I don't remember, it's a good saying anyway.)

I think I'll crochet some more when I get done here.

I have a friend who went into the hospital today. He has been battling cancer and just about has it beat. Now he has congestive heart failure, a blood clot on his lung, and pneumonia. Why does God allow all that to happen? I don't know. This is a hard, tough world. He doesn't promise to protect us from it but instead to go through it with us. I keep remembering that this life and the things that happen to us are temporary but God is eternal and we will spend eternity with Him. Wow, that's exciting.

I'm kinda in the mood to watch one of those old sci-fi movies, the Thing or the Day the Earth Stood Still, something like that. But then again, I wouldn't mind watching Emma or Sense and Sensibility.

I really should get up and do some housework but I don't want to. I did vacuum the whole house the other day and I'm doing laundry right now (actually the machines are doing it). That's enough work.

Photo of the day, I haven't taken any fall photos this year yet so here is one from last year. That's Medicine Creek in the background.



No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
John 6:44

Thankful Thursday

I haven't posted a Thankful Thursday in quite a while. I'm thankful for the rain and the cool weather that we have been having. It's cleared off now and it's a gorgeous day out there. Sunshine, clear blue sky. I wish we could have taken a road trip. Oh well, maybe another time.

I wish I could take some time off from work but we can't. Not until we can hire someone else. The guy I wrote about here a while back is still out with "injuries." We are all convinced that he is lying about where he was injured. He claimed he fell at work but it was 3 weeks before he went to the doctor. When he did go the doc said he had a fractured wrist and both ankles were severely sprained. How would he walk for 3 weeks on sprained ankles? I had a sprained ankle and I couldn't put my weight on it for at least a week. It's been 3 months now since he went out on sick leave. It didn't take my ankle 3 months to heal. It takes 6 to 8 weeks for a broken bone to heal too and his is still broken. What's going on here? I think he was injured either at home or at his mother's house and they are claiming it happened at work so they can get work-men's comp to pay the bills. The other day the guy came in with a note from the doc saying he needed another 6 to 8 months to recover. He said he's temporarily, permanently disabled. What does that mean? Sounds like he can't make up his mind. He's expecting us to pay him full wages that whole time but we're not going to. We're turning him over to work-men's comp. We need to hire someone else and we can't do that while we're carrying him. I think there will probably be a law suit eventually. The guy at the insurance company said there's no point in trying to fight him in court. The judge always rules in favor of the "injured" party. I have no doubt that the guy wants to be declared permanently disabled. That way he doesn't have to go to work (he's allergic to work anyway) and he can get money from the government. The whole thing stinks. I guess the reason things like this bother me so much is that there is nothing that I can do about it. I want to fix it but I can't. It's all in God's hands. It's His church that this guy is ripping off. Actually, it's the insurance company but our rates will go up because of it. I just wish it was all over so we can hire a full time person and move on. We are going to get a part time person next week. She already works at the church as an assistant to the Children's Division Director but she needs some extra money to pay some bills so she is going to work as a custodian in the evenings. It will just be temporary until her bills are paid. It's going to be hard to find a full time custodian. People want to get paid but they don't want to work. The old fashioned work ethic this country used to have is out of style now. Meanwhile Bill and I can't take a vacation. Sigh. My right foot is hurting really bad right now. I wish I could take 6 months off to recover.

Enough griping, move along.

We're having a good time with the 5th grade Sunday School. We had 7 last Sunday. 7 is supposed to be the perfect number so I guess we had the perfect amount.

Still crocheting on my granny square afghan. As a matter of fact, I think I'll work on it when I get done here.

Still hanging in there with the gluten free diet.

Still farming on Facebook.

Photo of the day, a deer that I saw on the Refuge a few weeks ago.




For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him, may have eternal life; and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.
John 6:40

Chilly

I hate trying to come up with titles. But chilly certainly fits. A big cold front came through a couple days ago and it's been nice and chilly ever since. Sassy loves this kind of weather, probably because she's wearing a fur coat. I'm getting to the point where I'm enjoying all the seasons. I used to wish for cold when it was hot and wish for hot when it was cold.

We had 7 kids in our Sunday School class today. That's a good number. Some kids are there every week and some are not. If they all came we would probably have 10 or more. Bill and I are really enjoying planning the lessons. The kids are getting used to us. They were used to the other teachers and now they are gone and we've taken over. We've made a lot of changes that I think are for the better. The Children's Division Director thinks so. One former teacher went into the 6th grade. The other one left on a vacation that will last until the middle of January. I'm not sure if she will come back to this class when she returns. She doesn't like the way Bill and I teach. But, she's not the director, Bill is. So she will have to adjust. I think that if she's going to stay gone for months at a time it would be better if she became a student in one of the adult classes. I don't think it's good for the kids to have someone there for a while and then take off for months.

No sickness in our house yet. I've never had the flu and have only had one flu shot in my life. I'm not worried about it. If I get sick then I can stay home from work for a while. Any excuse to stay home.

Speaking of staying home, we're closed tomorrow!!!! I'm gonna sleep at least until 7:00, that's about all that Sassy will allow us. When ya gotta go, ya gotta go. She's not allowed to pee in the house so we have to get up and take her out. I may crochet some more, work on a jigsaw puzzle, clean house (maybe not) or just sit around and watch TV. We'll see.

Photo of the day, a nice rock picture.

All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.
John 6:37

Rainy Day

Not a whole lot of rain but some. Tomorrow we're supposed to get heavy rain and maybe even some severe weather. The severe I'll pass on but I'll take the heavy rain. We still have big cracks in our yard.

I've been doing a lot of crocheting. I'm using up all my leftover yarn to make a granny square afghan for Bill. I think it's going to be pretty even if it is multicolored. I'd like to knit another sweater sometime soon. Maybe an Aran pattern. I love the Aran patterns, they are complicated but very beautiful.

We had 8 kids in Sunday School last Sunday. We are really enjoying working with the kids. It is fun planning what we are going to do each Sunday. 5th graders are easier to work with than first graders. For one thing they can read and write. Most of the things that we come up with require the ability to read.

My feet hurt, so what else is new.

Photo of the day, another one from Red Rock Canyon State Park.

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."

John 6:35

Failure

Yes, I'm a failure. I said I'd give up Facebook and farming but I only lasted about 2 days. I'm so nosy, I had to go back and see what's going on. Oh well. I got all my work done, cooked something to eat, did laundry, walked the pooch, read my Bible, got the Sunday School lesson ready, so I think I should be allowed to put my brain in neutral and participate in some mindless activity. I lost two crops, pumpkins and cabbage. Oh well, it's just make believe pumpkins and cabbage and the money is definitely make believe. So I'm pathetic OK?

I am still gluten free though. I should get credit for that. Bill doesn't like my gluten free food so we eat separate meals. He likes lots of variety and hates leftovers. So we get those Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice meals for him. They only cost a little over $2. I think it's a good price because otherwise we would have to throw stuff away. I don't mind leftovers. I usually eat them for breakfast.

I'm beginning to lose faith in modern medicine. Some of the pills they give you have worse side effects than the condition that they are supposed to help. I don't need dizziness, nausea and constipation thank you very much.

We went to the International Festival today. It was OK, nothing to write home about. It took us about 30 minutes to go through it. Sassy had to stay home, they don't allow dogs, although I did see a few people with dogs. I wonder if they got thrown out. It would have been too hot for her anyway. I would have had to carry her and she weighs over 20 pounds. That gets pretty heavy after a while.

It's such a gorgeous day out there, I wish we could have gone on a road trip. But my allergies are pretty calm right now and I don't want to stir them up. Fall days in Oklahoma are very beautiful. Lots of sunshine and warm temps but the air still feels kinda cool too. Different than in mid-summer.

Photo of the day, another one from Red Rock Canyon State Park.

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

John 5:24

Facebook

I've decided to drop out of Facebook. I spent way too much time there working on those stupid farms. They are very addicting so the best thing for me is to go cold turkey. I've got so many things that I want to do, books to read, quilts to work on, an afghan to crochet. Can I break the addiction? I'm sure gonna try.

Bill and I started working with 5th graders last Sunday. We had a good time. We had 7 kids. I'm in the process of planning next Sunday. Since it's the last Sunday of the month I think we might have some cupcakes and have a mini birthday party for those who had birthdays in September.

I've really enjoyed the cool weather but unfortunately my allergies are really bad, sneezing over and over, sore throat and so on. It will end when the weather gets cold sometime in October.

I've been working on a granny square afghan to keep Bill warm when he takes naps on the couch. I'm using left over yarn, granny squares are perfect for leftovers. I hope I have enough to make a decent size afghan.

Have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, it's a follow up on my ulcer. I'm feeling a lot better, stomach is calming down. I've stayed gluten free for 3 weeks now and that has helped a lot.

Photo of the day, I took this photo at the Red Rock Canyon State Park a couple weeks ago.

But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

John 4:23-24

A Week

It's been a whole week since I last posted. I've been spending a lot of time on FaceBook working on my farm and keeping up with people. Just haven't felt like blogging.

My DH and I are going back to the Children's Division to teach Sunday School. We finally decided to be obedient to the Lord and go where He has directed. There is a 5th grade class that needs help right now and that's where we're going. It will be work but that's a good thing. We've been sitting in an adult class for a year or more not doing anything. We need to be involved.

I went back on the gluten free diet, again. At first the pills helped with the nausea but then they stopped. Going gluten free has calmed things down quite a bit. Need to quit being so stubborn (bangs head against the wall). Gluten free is a good way to live! I think I've been gluten intolerant most of my life because I've had the same symptoms for years and years. There's a lot of tasty gluten free food out there. I'm going to make some macaroni and cheese when I get done here.

We're watching Ben Hur tonight and hoping for rain. It was thundering a little a while ago but so far no rain. There's very little wind and it's stuffy out there.

Photo of the day, another view from the top of the mountain.


But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.
John 4:14

Impatient

My stomach was causing problems this morning. I've only been taking the medicine for about a week and a half and I tend to expect it to be all healed. I've read that it takes at least a month for an ulcer to heal so I have a long way to go. I tend to think that one pill should do it. Of course it doesn't. The main thing now is to not aggravate the thing. Right now soft drinks don't agree real well, I think because of the acid in them. I had some coffee yesterday and it caused some mild problems too. I think I'll stay away from coffee, tea and soft drinks for a while. They all have a certain amount of acid in them. Gotta keep the tummy calm.

It rained pretty good this morning but not on my house. Most of the rain was east of here. I love rain. I wish it would rain all night but it doesn't look like that will happen.

Haven't been doing much of anything constructive. I'm still farming on Facebook and so far it's still fun. I probably should do something more worth while but I'm just not in the mood.

Sassy needs to go out, she always does when I'm trying to post here so I guess I'll cut it short.

Photo of the day, a nice, muddy river. This was taken down at Wichita Falls a couple months ago.

He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.

John 3:36

Nice Weather

For the last several days it has been cooler than normal, downright chilly in the mornings. What happened to global warming? Hopefully Fall is here? Nah, it'll get hot again I'm sure. Bone dry, still could use some rain.

I feel 100 percent better since I've been taking medication for my ulcer. It's so nice to have a calm stomach, no digestive troubles, the sharp, stabbing pains are gone, intestines are happy too. All this time I was trying to treat my problems with a gluten free diet when all along it was an ulcer stirring up trouble. The medication cost over 100 dollars so there is no danger that I'll forget to take it. I've got enough for a month then I'll go back to the doc for a followup. I'll stay on acid reducers for a long time, I don't want this thing to come back.

I didn't have enough yarn to make a bedspread so I'm just making a cover for my toaster oven. I might have enough yarn to make a cover for my mixer too.

We started watching Cleopatra with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton last night. We'll finish it up tonight.

Photo of the day, taken out on the Refuge.


For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 3:17-18

Feeling Better

Much better, actually. As long as I keep taking the acid reducer and eat small meals, no overeating, I feel good. I may still have gallbladder issues too, but I postponed the ultrasound until a later date. I need to rebuild my savings account first. Besides, I can't afford gallbladder surgery anyway. I really believe the main problem is an ulcer.

We took a little road trip today just to get out and about. We had a shower of rain last night and it was cool most of the day. Everything smells so good after a rain. We had breakfast at IHOP, we split an order and had enough food left over for breakfast tomorrow. Their servings are huge, I can't imagine one person eating all that by themselves, but I guess some people do. Poor Sassy doesn't travel well, she threw up on the backseat, fortunately there was an old quilt back there and she threw up on that. She doesn't always throw up in the car. We have taken some trips where she did alright. I need to check with the vet and see if there are motion sickness pills for dogs. There probably are.

I had about 1/2 inch trimmed off my hair today. It was growing down over my ears. I think I'll keep it this short for a while. I've gotten more compliments on my hair at this length than I have ever gotten at any other style or length. Several men have said they like my hair this way. That's interesting because I had always heard that most men prefer long hair on women. Obviously the ones around me prefer it short. My DH likes it this way and he's the most important one. Later on I may grow it out a little but definitely not long hair. I might just change the shape a little.

I have a bunch of leftover yarn. I'm thinking of crocheting a bedspread. I don't really have any patterns for bedspreads, I think I'll just make up one of my own. It will be multicolored that's for sure.

Photo of the day, rocks on the top of Mt. Scott.

Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

John 3:16

Sick

I have had bouts of nausea and diarrhea the last couple of weeks. On Monday of this week I felt pretty good until noon when I started throwing up and it seemed like it would never stop. I was covered with a cold sweat and shaking. I called the Dr.'s office but it was closed for lunch. I have heard that nausea is a sign of a heart attack in women so I finally decided to go to the emergency room. They checked but I wasn't having a heart attack so I had to sit and wait and continue to throw up until I could see a doc. I hate the emergency room, I really do. It costs an arm and a leg and they don't do much. Just poked around on me a little, determined that it wasn't the stomach flu, gave me a shot for the nausea and a couple of prescriptions and told me to see my primary care physician. At least they gave me a 40 percent discount on the bill. Our savings account is wiped out right now though. I went to my doctor yesterday. He can't order a bunch of tests because I can't pay for them. He listens to my symptoms and makes a guess, he makes pretty good guesses. He said it sounded like a peptic ulcer. I will have an ultrasound done to check the gallbladder just in case. But my symptoms point to an ulcer. My past history points to an ulcer too. A couple years ago I took an anti-inflammatory pill for the pain in my feet. It caused extreme and I mean extreme pain in my stomach. Needless to say I quit taking it but ever since then I've had stomach troubles. My dad had ulcers so there may be a genetic tendency there too.

I stayed home Monday afternoon, worked Tuesday and stayed home today. Dh is so nice he brought some pink roses home on Monday. Roses (of all colors) are my favorite flower.

We got a little rain shower a while ago and I slept through it. Rats. I was having a weird dream about being one of those kung fu fighters that you see in the movies. I was supposed to train young people to fight but no one wanted to learn.

I really scared Sassy Monday when I was throwing up. She hid behind the couch most of the day.

We're still shorthanded at work because of that one guy who claims he was severely injured on the job. I saw him when I was waiting at the emergency room. He always goes there for medical care. For someone with both ankles sprained he was walking pretty good. He sure is running up a lot of bills. Now he apparently is claiming that he fell a second time. He never told any of us about that fall. The insurance company will deal with him. I wish we could find someone to take his place, someone who isn't allergic to work.

The roses are making the whole house smell so good.

Photo of the day, my roses.


And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14