Happy New Year

Well, hey - it's been over a year - I admit it - since I last posted. But I had to get on here and think of the new year and decade that is upon us. There have been some years in the past that I've said, 'thank God, that year is gone and a new one is coming!' Our pastor, this week, said that we should be thankful for even the smallest blessings. 2009 was tough for a lot of people, but we made it through. Hopefully, we made it through running closer with the Lord, rather than lagging behind in our messes.

My mom sent out an e-mail from her daily devotional from Joni Eareckson Tada. It was a reminder that no matter what heartaches we faced this year, there is encouragement in realizing that Jesus Himself will wipe away every tear. "Commit afresh and anew to deepen your walk with Jesus Christ in the new year, preserving for yourself an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade, kept in heaven for you (I Peter 1:4)".

I know a lot of people who are facing the biggest challenges of their lives in their marriages, finances, work, and personal traumas. It's so hard to watch them go through these times, knowing that while I can help carry the load by listening, crying with them, and praying for them, it's still ultimately up to them to get into the yoke with the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is the One who strengthens and gives wisdom, peace, and comfort when everything is in chaos.

I pray for my mom, husband, children, and siblings that they will call upon the One who answers - both to heal the heartache, and to give wisdom in going forward. God always calls us forward, never backward. For my grandchildren, I pray that they will rise up to the heights to which God has called them; that they will not be pulled down by other interests, but that they will hear the Spirit in their lives calling them to a higher place in Jesus.

For my church family, I pray that we will go forward in God's kingdom reaching out to grab those that are lost, so that they would be saved and delivered, to know the full blessings of God on their lives.

For my nation, especially, I pray that our leaders will either listen to God and shun their greed, selfishness, and sin, or that God will put them aside and raise up others who will put this country back to its Constitution!

Lord, help me to show mercy, to pray continually for those that are hurting and facing the biggest challenges of their lives. I know that I don't have answers, nor am I the answer, but Lord, I call upon you to help me to encourage and speak Your word into their lives, that they may see You in the midst of their troubles. Lord heal marriages and hearts and minds! Thank you, Amen!

Disappointment in Politics

My family and I have very active and sometimes heated discussions about politics. Most are conservatives but we also have the more liberal members as well. It’s educational and entertaining, but there have been those heated exchanges. It's all good though, because we learn from each other and come out of it with our love and respect for one another still intact. I’m not sure that we’ve changed the opinions of anyone, but that’s not the full intent of our discussions.

Anyway, the conservatives among us have been trying to cope with our disappointment and anger over the election results. I admit that I wonder at the stupidity of people who elected this radicalized liberal person to become the next president. But I have to come to grips with my emotions about it. After all, we've got four years ahead of us and that's a long time to be mad.

I found Cal Thomas’ commentary about putting politics aside. It was a good lead-in for me because I’d already decided I had to begin with the Bible this morning to get God’s word on how I should respond when it seems that our nation got it wrong last Tuesday. http://www.calthomas.com/

First I had to look at Romans 13 and though I knew some of what was already there, I decided that I either had to be honest about my commitment as a Christian who chooses to obey God, or do what I want instead.

When our children were growing up and they’d say to me, ‘but, it isn’t fair’, I’d respond that ‘very often life isn’t fair, get used to it.’ When the grandchildren have their little spats, or want to argue about something I've told them, I tell them that we don’t always get our own way, even though all of us want our own way. It's unfair that so often our words to others come back to bite us, isn't it!

Romans 13 is pretty straight-ward and doesn't allow for wiggle-space.

"There is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God".

It doesn't start out very well, does it. I get the feeling that if I read on it's not going to get any better either, that is, if I want to have an excuse to have my own way. But I have to put it all here, because it only gets better (or worse, depending upon who you choose to follow on this).

"Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good (good work) behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil. Wherefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience sake. "

And this next verse especially rubs me the wrong way, because I'm reacting with my flesh and even pointing my finger at those who voted for this man to lead our nation. But if I choose to obey God, I have to obey the whole thing. Obedience requires me to obey all of it, otherwise, it's not obedience.

"For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them; tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor."

But I'm encouraged by what Paul says next. Remember that these Christians and Jews lived under the Roman Empire who required and exacted the full allegiance and taxes of their subjects. I'd venture to say that they had far less freedom than we Christians living in the United States. He was telling them to honor and live in peace with the government, pay their taxes and do good. But he also shows them the way to do this.

"Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, 'You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet,' and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love therefore is the fulfillment of the law."

"And this do, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us therefore behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts."

I think the above is the basis for Cal Thomas' admonition to us about laying politics aside in order that we may grasp the righteousness of Jesus Christ. I don't think this means we not do what we can to make good prevail instead of evil, but it seems that Paul is telling us that God will take care of His part and we should do out part - 'owe no man nothing except to love him'.

By the way, if you want to see some other examples of how God works in spite of evil leaders, read I Kings 18-19 and Daniel 2-3.

I'm open to suggestions on how to apply God’s word in this, actively!

Remember today, that even when we don’t get our own way, we still receive God’s mercy and we still must give mercy, even to those with whom we don’t agree.

Grandson - ATS

This is our youngest grandchild, he's 3 1/2. I remember when he was about four months old that my sister-in-law was visiting us and we took her to his house and she was holding him and he laughed and laughed for a very long time. I had never heard a baby laugh like that. Just when we thought he would stop, he'd start up again. He still has that same laugh. He's a constant blur of movement and loves to be around people. He has a lot of cousins on both sides of his family and from the time he could get around, he has always wanted to be right in the thick of things. He's a tough little guy, recently he was playing outside and got stung by a bee. Even I carry on when that happens to me, he just wiped the bee away and went on playing.

I think he thinks he can do anything. In fact, his house is surrounded by farmer's fields and one day the workers had left some large equipment around. He and his dad were riding bikes near them and he got off of his and started to go towards the equipment. He told his dad that he was going to climb on it and his dad said 'no, you're not.' He looked at his dad and said, 'why not, I'm a guy?'

I watched him for five minutes this summer while he shot baskets with a small basketball and made a handful of them. He kept throwing it up and going back to do it some more even when he didn't make a basket. He learned to ride a bicycle by just getting on it and going. When we were on vacation all four of the children had their bikes and we adults walked with them as they rode around the block and to a large deserted parking lot. He kept up with the rest of the children, never slowed down.

He's playing soccer now with kids older than him and he runs and plays and kicks and falls down and jumps right back up to get the ball so he can run some more!

I love this picture of him. He's so sweet, when he sees me, he always lets me hug him and he hugs back.
When we were on vacation, he ran into Lake Erie and jumped up and down in the waves with the older children. He'd go under the water and swim around just like it was something that he had always done. At the pool he had a life jacket on and he jumping and diving and playing all day in the water.





These last pictures have a funny story with them. On the beach he found this piece of drift wood and picked it up. First he played it like a guitar (his dad is a guitarist). Then he looked at the wood and took off toward the water with it and was about ready to see if he could surf on it! I grabbed my camera and took video, I'm having trouble adding video, or I'd put it on. But he was certain he could surf on that wood. Now where did he ever see surfing? Certainly not on Lake Erie. Our fun was soon ended, however, when the lifeguard told him he'd have to give him the wood. Spoil sport! It was okay, Andrew gave it to him and went on to do something else.



This boy amazes me with his confidence and full-spirited adventurism. I think he'll do some mighty things. And I'm going to have a whole lot of fun watching him do them!!!!!!

Granddaughter - ASAK

Before our youngest granddaughter was born my daughter asked me if I wanted to be with her in the operating room as she knew she would be having a c-section as she had with her first child. I eagerly said yes and we had the date planned for a Monday. On Saturday evening our son-in-law called to say our daughter had gone into labor and they were going to do the surgery right away. Since I was three hours away, I couldn't make it in time. So I missed being at her birth, but the good part about that was that HB and I were able to pick up my mother and the three of us got to see her early the next day.

She's five years old. Whenever I look at her, I see her mom when she was a little girl - those beautiful blue eyes and that smile that goes clear across her face. Her mom said she was her reward when she was born, because she was a quiet and easy baby. No one could quiet her except her mom and she clung to her above all other people. Every mom should have a child like that. Today, she is probably the most loving child I have ever known.



She melts my heart. She will look me straight in the eye and say, "Nana, I just love you so much!" At that point I'm ready to say to her, "What do you want, you can have anything I own". But she's not doing it to get anything, she honestly loves people. I've heard her do the same thing to her Grams, my mom. She was given two middle names, one after her parents' best friends' daughter who had died several months before and the other after her Grams. Her parents gave her a long first name, but shorten it and most people call her that. But I think her name is beautiful, so I call her by that. She's made comments about that and so I asked her if it was okay with her and she said she loves that I call her that.

She started kindergarten this fall and on the first day our daughter was driving her and she heard her praying in her car seat. "God, please help me today. There are going to be a lot of people there I don't know and Mommy and Daddy won't be there to help me." She also practiced introducing herself to people and asking them their name. She sings and makes up songs and dances. She can amuse herself for quite a long time, and seems quite comfortable with being by herself.



Her mom never never liked wearing dresses but ASAK prefers them over shorts or pants. Here she is making a funny face.



But, lest you begin to think that she doesn't have other moments that aren't quite so loving and compliant, I have a story to tell about her. She and her brother were spending the night while her mom and dad went camping near our home. For some reason she did not want to take a bath or put on her pajamas and her brother was telling her over and again that she had to take a bath. Finally, she stamped her little foot and said, "That's enough, I don't want to do that and don't say it again!"



I love these last two pictures of her, but then it's hard to get a poor picture of any of my grandchildren, they're all 'hams' and did I mention - beautiful?

Grandchildren - DRK

This is our first grandson, he's seven years old. When our daughter was pregnant with him she was attending and graduated from Kent State University as a physical therapist. She'd already received a degreee in Sports Medicine and was working with various clinics and hospitals, and well, physical therapy seemed to be a natural progression for her. I have a feeling that he was listening to the professors as she was going to school, because he's a very bright little boy. He can add and subtract large numbers without writing them down. Like our oldest granddaughter, he also learned to read early and it seemed almost effortless to me, because one day he could not read and the next he could. He loves trains and engines and one day while looking through some books we have, he looked at a picture and began to explain to me what kind of engine it was and how it worked. An amazing little guy.

He also writes books and makes his own illustrations. Two of them have won special awards in a young students' writing contest. When he was a little guy I remember my daughter calling me while she was driving somewhere and I heard this noise in the background. When I asked her what it was, she explained it was our grandson doing what he still does best - talking. The boy can talk all the time about everything! Here he is with AMS. I overheard their conversation and they were talking about the price of oil and imports from China and how that affects our economy.



And that was just some of their conversation, because they were at it for over a half-hour, just floating in the pool and talking quietly. But he's not all just talk. Here are some pictures I took when I spent a few days with them this summer. All the grandchildren were together and I had a great time with them.







This is a funny one. The children were playing house and he was playing the dad. The other three were asking him questions and he was ignoring them, until finally he told them to 'leave me alone, I'm reading the paper.' Now I know he didn't hear that from his dad, because my son-in-law has always been an attentive and hands-on dad. Maybe he was just being himself, I think that's probably it, he can forget everything else when he's into something.



This is one of the favorite pictures I got of him on my vacation. Pure joy, as it should be with a child.



What's a day at the beach without getting buried in the sand - courtesy of your cousins!



I have to tell a couple of stories about him. He was five years old and they were staying with us while our daughter did a triathlon. At the park, he got sick and I had to bring him home. When we got home, he needed a bath and change of clothes. While I was getting the bath ready I told him to use the toilet. I left the room and came back and he was starting to get into the tub and I asked him if he had gone on the potty. He gave me this quizical look and said, "Nana, I went IN the potty, not ON it!"

Last winter he was playing basketball with a team and it was his last game. His mom and dad were telling him on the way to the game to go ahead and shoot when he got the ball. It seems that up to that point, he had been working to perfect his dribbling and passing and hadn't actually shot the ball yet. So at the game, he got the ball and began dribbling all over the place, up and down the court and all around and his mom and dad and others in the crowd were telling him "Shoot, shoot!" In the middle of dribbling he stopped, held onto the ball, looked to the people and told them, "Stop yelling at me. I can't shoot, these kids are in my way!" I just love him! He's deep and imaginative and funny and literal and smart, and as cute as he can be on top of all that! He has an unusual laugh, it reminds me sort of like the jack-in-the-box, it's musical, going up and down notes on the scale. I enjoy watching him grow up, but I like to imagine what he will become when he's a man. I know he will be a fine one - he'll probably talk everyone's ears off, but he'll be a fine man.

Granddaughter - AMS

Now that I've learned to put pictures in my blog, I thought I would begin to put in some of my favorites of our grandchildren. I'll use their initials rather than names since I don't have nick names for them. Their parents gave them beautiful names and I've always preferred their given names.

So, I'm starting with the oldest, she's nine, which is incredible for me to imagine. We were present at her birth, heard her first cry and got to hold her when she was just minutes old. HB and her other grandmother and I cried and jumped up and down when we heard her voice. We're still jumping up and down, we're very proud of her.

She is a very good student, her mom home-schools her. She reads everything and loves to write stories. She tends to lead rather than follow and she does it with caring, charm and a lot of humor.


Like most children, she likes to make funny faces and poses ....



If you need to buy a gift for someone, she's the one to take shopping with you. She always picks the right thing for each person. She loves to shop and knows what she wants and will not settle for less. I hope this is a trait that she keeps throughout her life. Knowing what she wants and not settling for less will help her make right choices. She takes acting lessons and is not afraid to stand before a crowd and recite, sing and dance. Recently she has learned to sew. She's made a dress, a handbag, doll clothes, and now is learning to quilt. She's something else!

This is her welcoming guests at her ninth birthday party. She had a luau theme complete with leis for each guest.


Did I mention she has a sense of humor? She's a lot of fun to be around. She's usually laughing and making those around her laugh too.

Here are a couple of the guests sunbathing....


Here she is with her other grandmother. We have known our daughter-in-law and her family since she was in middle school. Her mom was always at the sports and other events at school and we got to know her then. She's a great mom, grandmother, and person.



Finally, this is my favorite recent picture of her. She planted these sunflowers and I couldn't resist taking a picture of them. Her brother joined her not long after this in his underwear! I guess this was fortunate, because of late he has taken to going without any clothes, but I'll save him for last!



Well, those are just a few sides of our oldest grandchild. She is truly a joy to us!

September Evening

I haven't blogged in a very long while. I got a new digital camera early in the summer and have wanted to learn how to put pictures in my blog. So here is my first try. I thought I'd use some of the ones that I took when Penny and I went for a walk earlier this evening. It was a perfect night for walking. The first picture is of two of our willow trees. The one in the forefront was given to us by a former neighbor. We purchased the smaller one and it was just a small branch when we planted it about three years ago. I've already taken several cuttings off both of these and planted them elsewhere and those are also growing fast.


The corn is like a wall at the back of our property and I feel very small when I'm walking alongside. Pretty soon the farmers will be harvesting and all that will be left are corn husks and ears that will get thrown about from the equipment. It's pretty messy, but hey, it's the country!

I had to see what I could get close up, so here is my attempt at 'art'. Oh well....

As we were walking about the track several more times, I got some decent pictures of the sunset.

The corn looks like a black wall in front of the sun.


And of course, I can't finish off the pictures without including one of my walking companion, the faithful Penny. It's great now that I can mostly let her walk without having to hold onto her leash. I keep it on her just so I can step on it in case Mr. Rabbit runs across her path. If that were to happen the nose would take off and the body would follow! Here she is, I can't believe I actually got one of her face, usually, all I can get is her back end because she has her nose to the ground constantly. But she has also learned 'sit' and 'stay' pretty well, so that worked this time.

Such a sweet face.


So, I guess my first attempt at adding pictures wasn't so bad. Although, now a monster may have been born, because I have some great pictures of the grandchildren, and our July 4th cookout, Ashtabula vacation, church picnic, Labor Day picnic, oh and the downtown pictures. Yep, this is going to be fun!

The Lamb and the Lion

In my family e-mails we were discussing the proverb, “March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb.’ There is the reverse of that too, that if March comes in like a lamb that it will go out like a lion. This year it came in like a lion and we’re looking for the lamb part. It still has twelve days to make an appearance, but all of us are feeling overcome by the constant rain, wind, and gray clouds that shield the sun from shining and are beginning to cause some seasonal despair and depression. Add that to the list of worries and woes that we're facing, pain that increases with wet and cold weather; a broken-down truck that will cost thousands to repair and the implications of that on a family business; rising gas prices that make us re-think every drive we make and keep us from making trips to visit family; anxieties about job losses; house-bound children that begin to drive their parents up the walls; and even worse, anxiety and concerns for family members undergoing medical operations and treatments. This list could go on, these are just the ones that people have talked about. Each one of us always carries around other burdens that we don’t share with other people. But I was thinking about the lion and the lamb.

Many people experience mood changes at this time of year because the winter weather has kept us more cooped up and the sunlight is scarce. Sometimes feelings can erupt into full-blown depression that can become more dangerous. So we hope for the lion to go away and for the lamb to make his appearance. This is a great analogy for this time of year having to do with the Resurrection!

Jesus is referred to as the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world, and also as the Lion of Judah, mighty on His throne. So we have a picture of a gentle and innocent creature, yet slaughtered as a sacrifice to cover sins of mankind. He who knew no sin was made sin for us, all of us. His sacrifice covers our sorrows and griefs, and sometimes each one of us let those overcome us to the point that we forget what the Lamb did for all of us.

As for the Lion, He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, there is none greater than Him. I have this picture in my mind of the majestic and powerful Lion with a scepter, the symbol of His power. When He opens His mouth, it is with a strong voice that protects those of His kingdom, but is a warning to those who would attempt to trample His kingdom or His children. The lion in C.S. Lewis' book, 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe' or in Disney's 'Lion King' are both powerful pictures of this creature and yet they don't do my King of kings and Lord of lords near justice!

So, we have this Lamb and this Lion, both symbols of the character and personality of Jesus Christ, the Son of God Most High. And we have this miserable weather that overhangs our list of woes. There isn’t a whole lot that we can do about the things that happen to us. Most of the time, we can accept the things that happen because of our own wrong choices. They may cause problems, significant changes and even worse. But there are also a lot of things that come from the outside and drop in uninvited and at a bad time. How can we move through all of these and come out at the end with more thankfulness and wisdom?

You would call me a fool if I told you that you should smile through all this. I think of the young family in my church whose daughter died suddenly a week after her first birthday. This is one of three funeral services, the other two were for a 59-year old grandmother, and a 22-year old husband and father of one child with another on the way, that my pastor has had to preach right after coming back from an African trip that has changed his ministry and will change a people, maybe a nation. This family is mourning their empty arms, but each week for each service I see them praising God and entering into worship with even more passion.

We’ve all got burdens, problems, pains, anxieties, and worries. So what are we going to do about them? Will despair help? Will depression make a difference? Actually, I’m all for the cleansing power of tears. In fact, when I asked God about the death of the baby in our church, I felt the Holy Spirit remind me that I don’t have all the answers and on this side of heaven, there are going to be a lot of questions without answers. But one thing I do have are tears.

I can hold my family to me and say, “I know it’s rough and I don’t understand and I don't have any way to make this any different than what it is. But I’m here to cry with you, and to remind you that we have a Heavenly Father that cares so much that He sent the One He loved most as the Lamb and the Lion that can change our lives, as we let Him.”

My heart is full for people going through all that they’re going through. And yet, through our tears, let’s look outside of the despair and depression to consider how God can heal us and use us; not to get more for our own selves, but to reach out to other people with the same comfort that He gives to us in these times.

I didn’t want this to be depressing, I hope it isn’t. If you’ve come onto this feeling really happy and joyful and everything is going great in your life, Wow! Wonderful, I’m really happy for you! But because my passion in life is to see people change from the despair where they sit, and move into the Light and Life of Jesus Christ, I have to address depression and problems and the future in the only way that I know and that’s through the Word of God.

He is the only Hope, the only Holy and Unique God, there is none other like Him. At the sound of His voice the earth trembles and mountains are moved from one place to another. His breath is like fire burning through all that is not real, and purifying the gold that is left. There is no escaping His justice and His love, His throne is everlasting! And He sent us the Lamb first, followed by the Lion to bring us back into His kingdom.

This word that we have heard, that our eyes have looked upon, and our hands have handled is manifested to us and we proclaim and testify of it to you so that you may have fellowship with all the saints, but mostly with the Father and His Son.

Praise Him today, because His grace and peace are for us now and we can experience His mercy through the Lion and the Lamb every day. As always, give mercy the opportunity to change your life, and in giving it to someone else today.

Six Months!!!

Yes, six months since I last blogged, well, almost six months. Geeminy, what could keep me so busy that I haven't written anything since then? Just living, I guess - but that's a good thing, beats the alternative!

Last time I wrote I had started the diet. Well, I'm still on my eating plan, but I'll say this, it has been sloooooooooow. Very slow. I don't understand it, sometimes it's a little discouraging, but then I stick with it and know that I can't go back, I just can't. One thing I've stepped up is my exercise.

After Christmas I got some exercise videos from the library. I started out with some that were aerobics, mostly dancing. I never did like dance steps since I'm a total klutz. I also got some yoga and pilates and those didn't work. When you're overweight - no obese is what I am, you don't move around on the floor very well and getting up and down is torture. I didn't expect to be able to jump right in and be terrific the first time. But I also need to have some success or chance at success in order to stick with something. Then I got Joyce Meyer's book, "Look Great, Feel Great" and she mentioned some walking DVDs by Leslie Sansone that you can do indoors. Now walking I can do and I really like doing it, so I borrowed several from the library. I found one that I liked better than the others and ordered one of my own.

It's terrific! It's called the "Four Mile Challenge" and you walk four miles, indoors. Of course, you can only walk part of it and that's the beauty of her videos, you pick out how long you want to go and the types of walking steps you want to do. The music is uplifting and there are no fancy dance steps to learn. She talks the whole four miles, but she's encouraging and I can deal with the chatter, because I know it's working. It's an hour workout and you really get the heart pumping, so this is something I can really stick with. I have to because I'm registering to walk a half-marathon in April!

I was looking on-line one day to find where there is a bike trail near our home. Though we live in the country and I'm okay to ride on the country roads, I thought it might be nice to find the bike trail, especially since it gets muddy here when it's wet and I need someplace to walk with my short, four-legged walking companion. Well, H.B. found the bike trail on-line and I found some other information and also learned that someone is planning the half-marathon as a money-maker for the trail. I'm excited, I'm pretty confident that if I keep up the training, April 19 will be a blast and not a torture. So, I've got something to work toward.

As for the weight, even at the snail's pace that it's coming off, at least it's coming off. One thing that is adding some power punch, my insurance plan has this program where you sign up to get information and phone calls from someone who will help you get through a program, stress, quit smoking, etc. I signed up for weight management. The coach that calls me once a week is very nice and she sent me this 300-page book (I love anyone who will send me a book) about weight management. It's a decent book. Right now, I'm learning about nutrition. All through the book, there are interactive quizes, plans and questions to help you focus on your goals and plans to help you make them. There are some very good tools in there and I know it will be helpful.

I was just reading the blog of a woman who weighed nearly 300 pounds and she lost 167 pounds and maintains her 129-lb. weight. Wow! Her name is Lynn Bering and I'm going to go back through her early blogging. She says it is what helped her to lose and keep off the pounds. So, if she can do 167 pounds, I surely should be able to do 60 that way. Anyway, it's inspiring to hear stories like that.

Well, tomorrow will be exciting. We're traveling to see our northern grandchildren, oh yeah, our daughter and son-in-law too! We haven't seen them since Christmas and I miss them. We're celebrating a birthday. My big-boy grandson will be SEVEN next week! I can't believe it! They have a new puppy too, so it will be nice to meet my new grand-dog! Penny should like that too.

So, I will keep up the blog, I really will. Not that anyone actually reads this stuff!