Happy New Year!

The year is all but over. It has been a very wonderful year for the most part. Maryann and I did get to do some treaveling this year. It has been absolutely marvelous since she had her second hip replaced. She is able to move effortlessly and painlessly. What a miracle. We are constantly amazed and amused at her ability to do things like she when she was much younger.

We are both saddened by the deterioration of her mother's mental health. At age 95 Margaret is doing very well physically, but she has developed a case of demetia that is unfortunate. She does not recognize anyone from the current generation. She does recognize photographs of folks who are long since passed on.

My mother is doing reasonably well at age 92. Her biggest problem is macular degeneration and she, too, is beginning to be pleasantly confused. Her sense of humor is still great. However, she still carries grudges against folks she believes have caused her harm in the past. Just about everyone she has a problem with has passed on. My brother has been the hero in the family because he has chosen to live with Mom in her house. She can no longer live by herself. She has always prided herself in being able to take care of herself and being in control of her life. Now she has to come to grips with the fact she has to relenquish some of that control.

We are looking forward to a very prosperous new year. There will be travel in the coming year. There is at least a trip, perhaps Spain in July and to the Ozarks in Missouri in September. Maryann will have to make a trip to Pennsylvania this Spring and I will have to make trips to El Paso and perhaps Phoenix to visit family.

We wish you all the most prosperous of new years.

Serve well and live fully.

Christmas Greetings to All

Maryann and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Our celebration was as quiet as we expected it to be. As you can see by the photo, we will be warm this winter, and we should eat quite well too.

I place all of our gifts together to be able to get a better photo. After lunch I came back into the den to look for Hazel, our dear cat. She had decided that all of that neat stuff made a very nice, comfortable sleeping area. If you can't find a lap, do the next best thing, make a nest in some new stuff.

We got each other new, warm robes for winter. We also received other articles of clothing, i.e., shirts, sports coats, etc. There were also gifts from our girls. It was a very nice day.

We had arranged to do an instant message chat with the kids. One lives in the Los Angeles area and the other in Portland, Oregon. Before we made that connection our friends in Marsanny le Bois (just North of Dijon), France began instant messaging with us. While "talking" with them our girls came on line. There were five of us in the US on at the same time. Unfortunately we had to call the French connection off a little sooner than we had wanted to.

With the girls we had a very spirited discussion. It is very difficult trying to keep up with everyone and everything that is being said. We did our best and hope to do it again soon. Only the next time I promise not to be such a smart ass and try to one up the others.

After that chat, Julianne and I played a couple of games of Literati. It is a word game like Scrabble. I think I beat her both games. She is really good and it wasn''t easy. Perhaps wc will do that more often.

Well, it is time to rest up or write some more of my book. I am having some difficulty with Chapter Fifteen. You can find it at Things I've Stumbled Across Along the Way.

I wish you well.

Snowy Saturday

The weather forecast indicated we were in for more snow. It was right again. The prognosis is for another 4-6 inches when it finishes on Sunday. The amount is the crap shoot this time. You can never be too sure just how much will fall.

I have already been out once today to shovel it. We are having neighbors in for dinner tonight. It seems the neighborly thing to do to shovel a path for them. I'm reasonably sure the one right next door will walk. As for the neighbors across the corner, they just might drive.

In the meantime Maryann and I have been busy preparing. Actually she has been doing most of the preparing so far. She has baked her scrumptious cheese cake for dessert. Later today I will bake a fresh loaf of parmesan corn bread. I haven't made this one before. If it is anything like the others it will be very good. (That's fact as well as brag.) Besides it should go well with the parsley and parmesan chicken. The Biringer Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2004 should be a nice touch.

Well, I better get back to my duties.

Serve well and live fully!

It is getting closer to Christmas.

Yesterday afternoon the UPS truck pulled up across the street. Maryann and I looked at each other and asked are we expecting anything? I said I was and that this might be it. The box didn't look like I expected it would, but I answered the door. Sure enough it was the one I was expecting. I immediately took to our "gift wrapping center" in the basement and got it wrapped.

With that my shopping is done for this year. The package under the bear on the left is the last one. I am sure Maryann will love it. I don't think she knows what it is. However, she was hinting before it arrived that she might know.


Today was time to bake another loaf of bread. My favorite is this Light Whole Wheat bread. Earlier this year a friend gave me his technique for letting the bread machine make the dough and then letting the dough rise for about an hour and baking it in the oven. Since I have been doing that I have even enjoyed baking bread more.

Last week I was very busy baking three loaves of Pepperoni Pizza Bread to give to friends for Christmas. We had three other couples in for dinner on Saturday. Part of the meal was samples of three different loaves I bake - Pepperoni Pizza Loaf, Whole Wheat Cornmeal, and Light Whole Wheat. There were favorable comments about the Pepperoni Pizza Bread. That was good because that is what they all received.

Marie Jo, a dear friend from France got me started baking about five years ago. We were visiting and she insisted I try it. Even though the first loaf was a disaster I am grateful that she did get me to do it. Within a week of our return home I had my own machine and have been using it ever since. At first I let the machine do all of the work. However, the bread came out very dense. Since I learned about baking it in the oven instead I really love home baked bread.

I hope you have found something similar that brings you pleasure.

Serve well and live fully.

Time Gets Better With Age

I just received this from a dear friend. I thought that more people could see it this way rather then send a bunch of emails.


Read it through to the end, it gets better as you go!

I've learned that I like my teacher because she cries when we sings "Silent Night".
Age 5


I've learned that our dog doesn't want to eat my broccoli either.
Age 7


I've learned that when I wave to people in the country, they stop what they are doing and wave back.
Age 9


I've learned that just when I get my room the way I like it, Mom makes me clean it up again.
Age 12


I've learned that if you want to cheer yourself up, you should try cheering someone else up.
Age 14


I've learned that although it's hard to admit it, I'm secretly glad my parents are strict with me.
Age 15


I've learned that silent company is often more healing than words of advice.
Age 24


I've learned that brushing my child's hair is one of life's great pleasures.
Age 26


I've learned that wherever I go, the world's worst drivers have followed me there.
Age 29


I've learned that if someone says something unkind about me, I must live so that no one will believe it.
Age 30


I've learned that there are people who love you dearly but just don't know how to show it.
Age 42


I've learned that you can make some one's day by simply sending them a little note.
Age 44


I've learned that the greater a person's sense of guilt, the greater his or her need to cast blame on others
Age 46


I've learned that children and grandparents are natural allies.
Age 47


I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
Age 48


I've learned that singing "Amazing Grace" can lift my spirits for hours.
Age 49


I've learned that motel mattresses are better on the side away from the phone.
Age 50


I've learned that you can tell a lot about a man by the way he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.
Age 51


I've learned that keeping a vegetable garden is worth a medicine cabinet full of pills.
Age 52


I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you miss them terribly after they die.
Age 53


I've learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life.
Age 58


I've learned that if you want to do something positive for your children, work to improve your marriage
Age 61


I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.
Age 62


I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catchers mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.
Age 64


I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, the needs of others, your work, meeting new people, and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you
Age 65


I've learned that whenever I decide something with kindness, I usually make the right decision.
Age 66


I've learned that everyone can use a prayer.
Age 72


I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.
Age 82


I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch-holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.
Age 90

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.
Age 92


I've learned that you should pass this on to someone you care about. Sometimes they just need a little something to make them smile.

Our First Big Snow of the Season

Wednesday night we had our first "major" snow storm of the season. It must have dropped about 8-10 inches.

We are lucky to have a neighbor who has a snow blower. It wasn't long on Thursday morning before Gale came over and managed to blow the snow off of the driveway. It would have taken me several hours to get it done with the old snow shovel. This was the first year that Maryann was able to wield a shovel and broom on the walkway from the front door to the driveway. We were both ecstatic about her being able to do that. It must have been at least eight years since she was able to do it.

You may remember pictures I posted about the patio. Well here is what it looked like this afternoon. That has got to be almost a foot of snow on the table. The fence is six feet in height. It will take a while for it all to melt.

The kids were happy about all of the snow. They got two snow days. Many of them live in the county and the roads are not all that safe to travel in such weather. With a warming trend coming this weekend they will be able to have classes next week.

What do I Hate? A response to Alison

As I read Alison's blog today I remembered my own admonitions to my daughters about hating things. Much like Alison’s mum, I too, did not want my children so caught up in negativity. I still don’t. However, I do agree with Alison about a number of the things with which she finds fault. The one that caught my attention and brought out an immediate negative response is this one:

I hate:

# Those who insist that there is every good in everything. I call it the 'Pollyanna' syndrome. These are the people who insist on the old adage of 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger'. Well NO actually. The body, the mind, the soul and the spirit have only so much fight in it. Otherwise people would not turn to drugs, alcohol, suicide, mayhem through desparation. If only one or two 'bad' things happen to you I can see how you can learn from it. But when there are stories of folk going through one thing after another and feeling weaker, depleted and despair than they feel even worse because they are then judged to be 'less than'. Our indigenous population is a good example of this.

At first I got defensive. Then I thought more about it. I have written elsewhere about such a view of the world - In Everything There is a Blessing. That particular essay says what I want to say here. Suffice it to say that looking for the blessing in everything helps keep me grounded in a positive perspective. I disagree with Alison’s comment about: The body, the mind, the soul and the spirit have only so much fight in it (sic). The body is finite and changes over time. We can keep it in better shape by caring for it properly with proper diet, exercise and rest.

Where I tend to differ is the statement that the spirit has only so much fight. In my weird, wonderful, wacky world the spirit is infinite and therefore has all the energy it needs to persevere. When we get bogged down with the negative (don’t ignore the negative, just don’t let it overwhelm you) we lose the positive energy to make a difference in our world. The difference we make may seem “inconsequential”, but it provided succor to at least one individual. That is very profound to me.

So, while I may “hate, can’t abide, loathe, abhor,” and detest certain things that occur in my world, I do not want to give up my personal power to them. There are occasions where I give myself permission to feel down about a current situation, but I only give myself a very short period of time for that. I much prefer to maintain a positive outlook concerning all things. It is difficult sometimes to find the blessing in everything, but I believe it is there. I believe this approach to life keeps me healthier and certainly happier.

Thanks, Alison for spurring me on to put these thoughts in some order. I hope they are helpful to you.

Weird News(?) from Australia

Our local newspaper, The Kansas City Star, runs a daily item called Weird News. It is usually one of the first things I read. I'm not sure where they find these items, but they are amusing.

This morning's item caught my eye because I have been reading Alison's blog. I would like to share it with you.

"In November, to calm down a growing number of apparently horrified Australians, the Food Authority of the state of New South Wales issued a statement assuring people that meat in their refrigerators that appears to glow in the dark is acutally harmless. The light-emitting bacteria responsible for the glow 'is not known t cause food poinoning' and is naturally present in most meats and fish the authority's director said."

I am a bit perplexed about this. It brings to mind some questions.

1. If refrigerators in Australia have internal lights, how do folks see meat glowing?
2. If refrigerators in Australia don't have internal lights, does glowing meat help them find other things in the refrigerator.
3. Does the Australian Goverment have a secret base to study UFO's in NSW?
4. Is this another method for governments to control the minds of its citizens?
5. If there is glowing meat can other glowing foods be far behind?

Does anyone else have questions about this unique (to me) phenomenon?