Category Archives: Family & Friends

WORKING IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS

Everything happens for a reason. This has never been more evident than it was yesterday. As you all know I’ve been working on getting to know my youngest again after many years of neglect. We had arranged to meet for breakfast yesterday. While sitting in a booth in a small neighborhood restaurant waiting for her,a woman and an old man walked up and she addressed me by name.’ Remember me?’ It was my late Aunt Gloria’s daughter, my cousin Patty and her dad, my Uncle Bob, neither of whom I’d seen in almost 18 years since Aunt Gloria’s funeral.  They sat down and for nearly an hour the four of us talked about what was going on, who had passed, where our kids were, how many grandchildren everybody had, and I silently marveled at how much my uncle looked like his own dad when we were all much younger.

YD left first, having to take my grandson to the doctor, and Patty and I exchanged phone#s and connected on FB. Somewhere along the way it struck me the Lord intended for this to happen. There’s no other reason I can explain it. Now that I can contact most of my cousins through various means I’m thinking maybe next summer would be a good time for a reunion of a sort. We haven’t all been together since Granny passed and a lifetime has gone on since then. Everybody is getting on, we have children and grandchildren and it would be a pity if we all didn’t get together for some fellowship and reminiscing one more time before we’re all called Home. I can be terribly thick-headed,but God knows I won’t question Him.

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What we’re doing today

Dearest and I had mouth-watering gourmet take-out last night and our youngest is coming tomorrow with her own traditional Thanksgiving meal. She loves to cook, we can’t use the oven (my fault … allergies), so she decided to cook for us at her house and zip on down for some rare “only child” time while her hubby goes hunting with his dad. Works for me!

Today, we got our kitchen goodies and local waterfalls calendars ready to mail. It’s so handy that the calendars fit precisely on top of the 9 jars! Dearest’s Rotary Club sells them every year as a fund-raiser and the girls like to have their reminders of home on their walls all year.

2014_11 27 Canned goods for Cmas

2014_11 27 Labels and bubble packing

2014_11 27 D likes to pack

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WHAT I’M THANKFUL FOR

It’s been quite a year,hasn’t it? It was a year without a summer. A year of outrage by liberals,led by the Boy Who Would Be King. The emotional ups and downs that comes with living life. We face trials and tribulations and glean joy from many sources.

As with most people,we’ve had some difficult financial times and the everyday stresses that come with getting through the day. This year I spent more time with my grandkids,went to some of their baseball games, and watched RJ Pistol excel on the gridiron, all of which was shared with family and friends. God has granted me another year to be with those I love. He saw us through the trials my beloved child bride had with her heart issues and she recovering well.

I am deeply grateful to my oldest daughter,who put me in touch with my estranged daughter and I met my grandson for the first time. We’ve spoken and had lunch several times and I look forward to sharing some time at Christmas with her, something I haven’t been able to do for too many years.

Not the least of all,I’m thankful to have my friends here,who lift me up on a daily basis. Doing these posts give me a mission in life. A mission to inform,provoke and,hopefully,make you laugh once in awhile. Sometimes DW complains I spend too much time doing this,but I’ve been ignoring her for more than 20 years,so why stop now?

This is the first year she hasn’t had to cook for the family,as we’re going to her daughter’s house for dinner. She’s looking forward to letting somebody else do the work.

I ended up with a lot of Thanksgiving pictures and I must warn you….one in particular is a bit disturbing.

Enjoy your day with friends and family.

TO GRANDMOTHERS HOUSE WE GO!
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I SAW THIS CHART AND LAUGHED HYSTERICALLY

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I…WARNED…YOU
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Snowflakes!

Mama Buzz took this photo on Oct 30th.  I have NEVER seen such GINORMOUS snowflakes!!!  I guess Alaska is like Texas; they make everything bigger there. 🙂

2014_10 30 Never seen snow like this!

For some reason, it never occurred to me before that snowflakes are 3 dimensional.  I guess I’ve made too many out of paper LOL.  This video is really cool!

Time lapse video of snowflakes as they form [2:00]
http://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/77698700764

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FRIDAY FREE-FOR-ALL

First,thoughts and prayers to our dear friend and bestest buddy Chrissy for her and her family. Hopefully they’re enjoying some quality time together.
Yesterday was the fastest two-hour lunch I ever had. There’s just so much we don’t know about each other. We’re meeting again next Friday for supper and she asked me to invite DW. It’s still a little early to to try to get close to my grandson,but there’s time. Besides selling insurance she’s also a Zumba instructor and is always ‘cleansing.’ You know,gluten-free and all that. GP would like her.

I DON’T THINK SHE CAN DO MUCH WITH THIS

I CAN’T BELIEVE I WASTED SO MUCH TIME NOT KNOWING THESE TWO
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REID’S OFFICE BLAMED THE BLOODBATH ON BARRY. THE KING DOESN’T TAKE KINDLY TO CRITICISM.
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Bad-Hear-Day

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A VERY SPECIAL LUNCH DATE

Starting this post a little early and I’ll have to cut it short. I’m asking Grunt and Mindful,my new running buddies, to pitch in and help out. I have a very special luncheon today.
You all know about DD, RJ Pistol’s mom and her family. What you probably didn’t know is I have another daughter. Growing up I wasn’t a very good father and that’s something I’ll pay for as long as I live. The problem is she’s as stubborn as I am and neither one of us would budge.
Recall me telling you about the bonfire at DD’s about three weeks ago. She called and said my other daughter might be there with her new boyfriend. Aside from a few words with her at DD’s second wedding I hadn’t seen or spoken to her in almost 20 years. It’s way too long a story. Anyway,she was there and I had a chance to talk to her for about 20 minutes.
She seemed receptive to re-establishing contact,so I told her I’d call her to get together for lunch. She’d finally accepted my friend request on FB and I’ve enjoyed watching her posts. She’s a mom and a career woman.
She said when you get right down to it all you have is family. There’s so much I want to tell her about who I really am,where she came from,her grandma and great-grandparents,family she’s never heard about. It’s very important to me because given my health I don’t think I have a lot of time left.
THESE ARE MY GIRLS; I DON’T DESERVE EITHER ONE OF THEM.
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THIS IS ALISHA AT 260 POUNDS
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THIS IS HER NOW; SHE’S LOST 125 POUNDS THROUGH EXERCISE AND EATING HEALTHY
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THIS IS MY GRANDSON,TYLER. HE’S SIX. UP UNTIL THREE WEEKS AGO I’D NEVER LAID EYES ON HIM.
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I’ll carry this with me for whatever time I have left. I wasn’t even invited to her wedding. Hopefully I can change some of that.

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Can you recommend someone?

Puter tech needed for Pete

We need Pistol Pete here in the garden and Pistol Pete needs his computer WORKING to be with us.  He and Mrs. Pete both have serious health issues, but Pete keeps on working part time.  He paid someone to fix his puter, then had the guy charge more than he said AND then didn’t fix it!  We need to find a tech who will make a house call, actually do a GOOD job, and NOT over-charge.

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Happy birthday, dear Dearest!

1950 Baby D3

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Memories Monday

1979_03 29 D&C engaged

1979_10 13 D&C wedding full

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A POST OF SELF-INDULGENCE

What a beautiful weekend!

[Graphic added by CtH: The mom who posted it on my Facebook said the league issues these to all the coaches.  Wise league!]

They play I coach You cheer

Saturday my beloved child bride and I went to grandson RJ Pistol’s 6th grade junior tackle football game. The weather was perfect and we got to spend some time with my eldest,her hubby,and some of DD’s in-laws. We all cheered shamelessly and when they lost the game in the final minute,we all supported them and there was nothing but congratulations for a game well-played and optimism about next week’s contest.

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Sunday afternoon we took DW’s BFF to an apple orchard to see her BIL,who plays in an amateur bluegrass band. I hadn’t been to this place in many years. It’s a seasonal business,with limited opportunities to make a profit. They used to have horse-drawn wagons you could ride through the fields to pick your own apples from a dozen different varieties of fruit. I guess they don’t anymore because of insurance regulations.

You can still buy paper bags of yellow and red delicious,granny smith,macintosh,winesap and many other kinds of apples. They have a barn with a lot of antique farm equipment to see and an area where children can pet lambs,kids and other small animals. The big draw is THE FOOD!

You can get a slice of fresh,still-warm apple pie(with ice cream,of course), cider, apple butter, fresh fruit jellies, to-die-for (if you’re not diabetic) fudge and my favorite, apple donuts with cinnamon. We are blessed to still have some small farm operations like this in our part of the country,like the farm stands that still have the best produce God can bring forth. There is another place called The Pumpkin Patch that is only open for the month of October that sells gourds,Indian corn,cornstalks and other fall decorations. Oh,they have a LOT of pumpkins,too. There is a pony ring for kids and a corn maze for everybody to try. The things they sell are pricey,but you expect that for a business with such a short window of opportunity.
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I guess the reason for posting this is there was a time,and I can almost give you a date certain,when I didn’t much care for any of this. I was so depressed,I was just waiting for the end,the sooner the better. Then God gave me a crisis and through it,I began to walk closer with Him. I no longer take anything for granted and I plan to do what I can to enjoy whatever time the Lord sees fit to give me with my family and friends taking in the awe of what He created. Don’t waste a day. Ever. They are irretrievable.

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