Productive Writing

Today was fruitful. I started writing after breakfast, and by eight o'clock tonight I had four chapters finished in my rough draft, ready to start editing. 

This is exciting, watching as my brainchild, Hero in Cowboy Boots begins taking form and coming to life. The words flowed easily, and I tried to watch my passive verbs. I couldn't eliminate them all, but I whittled them down to a manageable amount. 

I also went to confessions at the church. We are counting down to the Easter season, and the Lord will occupy a large part of our time and hearts. My OCIA class is also making an impact. Both my husband and myself are praying and reading our Bibles, and trying to manage what we watch, say and read in our lives. I feel so free right now, knowing I am forgiven. Tomorrow I'll be able to take communion at Mass. What an amazing feeling!

For those of you who do not know Jesus, He is the reason I have survived for over 74 years. I can't begin to count all the times He has saved me, with the help of my Guardian Angel, who is kept very busy at times. Like the time I woke up on the left side of the Clifton river bridge, meeting a car that could have been full of kids and family or friends. Or the time I rode a dirt bike down a very long rocky driveway. A classmate was driving a car behind me going about 50 mph. One rock turned the wrong way could have caused me to crash  that dirt bike. We both made it and my friend was very impressed with my riding. But my parents were not so impressed. I didn't get to try that trick again.

I hope I can keep my sinning under control enough to take communion tomorrow. It's been a couple of weeks since I've been to communion.

May God be merciful to my soul.

Back at it finally!

This  post was meant for this blog and accidentally posted to my sister blog Canvas of the Soul. So if you see a duplication, that's why...

  I know it looks like I haven't been writing, but I have been working offline on my outline for A Hero in Cowboy Boots. It's a Christian contemporary romance set in Salina, Ks.

I finished my outline/summary yesterday, and today I posted the rough draft of Chapter 1 in my focused study group at WVU. I'm excited, because it means I'll be getting feedback from others and can progress now to Chapter 2, which is another chapter I had lost in my computer crash a few years ago. 

I may have to rewrite the chapters I've lost, but hopefully they will be better than the originals. I was so thrilled to find my notebook last week with my outline in it. I've also found my notebook with the printouts of chapters from my first novel, which is close to being completed (rough draft) and will be ready to start editing and rewriting.

I'd post my chapters on here, but I don't think anyone is reading my blog anyway. I never hear from anyone about it. It is one of my goals for my life to get at least one of my stories published. I don't expect to get rich or famous, but the idea of being a published author has long been a dream of mine.

My art is another dream. I have sold a few paintings, not for any large amounts. If anything, I practically give them away. As a matter of fact, I am running low on storage space and have a LOT of paintings around my house, so if anyone is interested, I can share pics online of my art and you can purchase them dirt cheap! lol

In the meantime, I'll keep writing and painting, and storing a lot of it in boxes in the basement. Talk about a fire hazard!

Back to work, Dixie!

A good and productive day

Today I decided to clean out my closet. What a mess! I had no idea I had so many clothes. Spring and summer are all mixed with the fall and winter clothes. They were packed in boxes and bags and lying loose on top of a little dresser inside my closet.

I worked for hours on the piles and boxes, sorting them out into summer and winter piles. Each pile went into a bag or box labeled summer, winter, or donate.  Some were hung back into the closet to be worn soon.  I’ve got a nice selection of tops and sweaters.

I have a lot of leggings and jeans. Those were sorted into piles of jeans that fit now, and the ones that don’t fit were put into the donate boxes. I am donating a couple of summer housecoats that really are too tight and aren’t comfortable.

T shirts! I have a mountain of T-shirts. I’m donating a lot of those. I found a lot of Ruby Ribbon Camis, demi cams, and other items that are nice yet and quite expensive to buy. I’m thinking about sending some of the nicer stuff to one of those resell shops.

I’ve got a bunch of blankets. I’m going to put a couple into the car for those frigid mornings when I just can’t get warm, even with the heater on. The rest will go back into the closet for the cold winter nights.

A lot of stuff went into the laundry room to be washed. I’ll have to be careful with some of the delicate stuff that can’t be dried. I tend to dump everything together into the dryer from the washer.

I think I’ve finally gathered up all the Christmas sweaters. I put them in a plastic tote and sealed them up. They’ll go on the back porch until next Christmas season.  I’ve got one Thanksgiving turkey sweatshirt. I might wear it occasionally since it doesn’t have the word Thanksgiving on it.

I packed away my two swimsuits. I don’t think I’ll need them anytime soon, if ever again.  I really don’t look attractive in a swimsuit and haven’t for about 40 years at least. I still remember that little yellow polka dot bikini that I used to wear when I was in college. I looked good then. But that was more than 50 years ago, before having babies. Sigh!

I still have a mountain of clothes to go through, but I ran out of time, so the pile is back in the closet. But the pile is smaller than it was, and I feel good about what I’ve accomplished. I knew I’d never get it all done today. Maybe I can work on it again tomorrow.

I also did some laundry and got my floors swept. So it has been a productive day. And as you see, I found time to write in my blog. YES!

Now I need to get a painting sketched onto canvas so I can get another one done for the bank. With only 3 members at the present time, I must display a different painting every 3 months. That’s going to keep me hopping.

So, here’s to having a good day! It was a good one and I feel good about it. I hope you have a good day too.

January 26: Big Day in Our Family

Tonight, we are going to Becky's house to celebrate the birthday of her daughter Whitley. Her birthday isn't until the 26th, but due to some bad weather coming in, we're doing it tonight. We'll probably have a meal, soup or sandwiches or something similar. Whitley will open her gifts, and we'll have cake and ice cream after singing Happy Birthday to her. All of this is accompanied by laughter, visiting amongst the adults, and a rip-roaring good time by the kids playing with their toys and competing for attention from the adults.

Whitley will have her boyfriend, Blake, with her, and depending on weather conditions, may leave after the party to return to Manhattan, or stay the night. Hopefully, Colin and his little family will be there, as well as other family members.

This has been a tradition since Colin was a baby and extends to all family members. What some may not remember is that January 26 is also my mom's birthday and her wedding anniversary. Mama would be 96 years old, and it would be their 76th wedding anniversary. An aunt of mine also shared a birthday on the 26th.

Traditions are a huge part of my life. Most of them relate to milestones in our lives: birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, graduations, funerals, and religious holidays. We usually try to get as many family members together to participate in these activities. Photos are a large part of these activities also.

My mom was a big one for collecting photos of all of us throughout our lives. She had boxes, bags, albums, and scrapbook pages of all of us. She could usually tell you who we were and characteristics of each of us. She pointed her camera toward us every time we came to visit, even after we were adults. It was her way of making sure we were living fossils, I guess. I treasure most of the photos, but I really wish she would have penciled in who the other family members were on the backs of the photos. Because I may have known them when I was very young, but I can't remember their names any more now that I'm an adult with beginning senility. 

Well, almost time to get this party started. Maybe I can do an "Opal" and snap a few photos of my own. If I do, I'll try to post them on here. Digital photos take up a lot less space and last as long as I don't accidentally delete them or lose where I saved them to.

Party time!

Writers Village University

 I renewed my membership in Writer's Village University; a writer's group I have called my second home since 1998. It's an online group with writing courses for beginners through professional authors, poets, playwrights. 

Yearly dues are very reasonable, much cheaper than paying for college courses that require traveling and attendance in stuffy classrooms. All of these classes are online, and assignments can be completed in your jammies in your recliner, or wherever you are most comfortable. Once your dues are paid, your classes are free of charge, unless you need a book (rare) and those can be obtained anywhere at very reasonable rates.

I signed up for a class today, too. It's called Creativity in a Box. Most writers must learn to use rules and limits set by the editor, publisher, etc. Word limits are the most common and come from the editor's need to fit the story or article into a tight space. There can be other rules as well. For instance, topical or genre limits. An editor might not be happy if you turn in a child's poem when what the editor is looking for is an editorial on a political controversy. 

My assignment will be to write a story using exactly 1000 words, and there is a list of other rules that I can choose from. I need 3 rules. I haven't chosen those yet, but I will later this afternoon. The class will be 2 weeks in duration, so I can't waste time on playing online games, which are a weakness of mine. I can't procrastinate either, because with these rules, it's going to take more time to write than if I were to just, say, write my blog. 

Sometimes in the past, I have chosen my art and writing as procrastination crutches, tools to avoid doing something I really should be doing, like income taxes, paying bills or housework. I don't suppose any of you have procrastination crutches, do you? Well art and writing are mine.

So, while the rest of you are slaving away at your income taxes and other odious chores this next month or so, think of my doing my crutch chores in my recliner, with a cup of hot chocolate and a snack close by.

Sometimes procrastination can be good for the soul. More fun anyway.

What do I see?

What do I see when I look in the mirror?

A face only a mother could love.

I see hazel eyes that reflect the colors in my clothes, eyebrows that are unruly and straight, with a couple of hairs that obstinately stick straight out and are white or gray in color. My eyes are not as strong as they once were. My vision is gradually deteriorating, a consequence of my gluttony: lots of fatty foods and delicious but deadly sweet treats. I do have kind eyes, though. At least I always have strived to look kindly on others.

A mouth that once was delicate, with soft pouty lips, now is either a thin straight line or compressed into a downturned angry expression.  It’s not the face of my dear mother, more the face of my dad, who kept his smiles to a minimum, and only briefly allowed them to peek through his serious persona. Life has not always been kind to me. I do need to work on that expression though.

My ears are rather small, something I’ve always appreciated. I inherited them from my mom. My dad’s ears were considerably larger. My hearing is diminished now too.  Most sounds are garbled and my tinnitus is so loud I can’t understand what I do hear.  I know it is frustrating for hubby to have to turn up the volume on the tv for me. Most of the time, I simply tune everything out and use my earbuds for my phone or computer, where I can have the volume that I need. It’s frustrating, to say the least, but it’s my life.

My skin has aged rather suddenly. I used to use skin products on a regular basis, but now that I’m retired and basically a hermit at home, I don’t bother with the skin creams and ointments that kept my skin supple and soft and wrinkle free.  Age spots appear all the time, with a new crop showing up at least weekly.  Maybe someday they will all join together and I’ll finally have the “tan” I’ve always wanted but always eluded me. Wrinkles are like thieves, stealing my looks and my youth. They surround my eyes and my mouth so far but are creeping upward to my cheeks like a thief in the night.  Too tired to worry about such vanity anymore, I just watch and curse them. I do have some moles that I watch closely, especially since having a cancerous squamous cell lesion removed under my left eye a year ago. The scar is healing well, and I have to look closely to see it now. My glasses also help to hide it.

My hair is straight and a mousy light brown with gray streaks around my face. I think it makes me look tired and old, but my hairdresser thinks my hair color is attractive and “suits” me. Whatever. I stopped coloring my hair back in 2020, after my mom died. I just didn’t have the desire to do it anymore. It does save money to go au naturelle.

So, what do I see when I look in my mirror? I see a woman who is 74 years old, a woman who has led a life of work, sorrow, pain and frustration, but also a woman who has had many joys in her life. My husband is a retired truck driver, who has dedicated his life to “taking care of me” and sometimes that is wonderful, and sometimes it adds to the frustration.

My family, children, grandchildren, and now great grandchildren, are the joys in our lives. Their photos line our walls from top to bottom. My little dog, Maizie, makes me laugh but also annoys me when she snoops around the house and finds things to chew.

My faith in God is my rock. The Lord has been good to me, and my Guardian Angel has been busy trying to keep me out of trouble. When our youngest daughter was killed in a house fire at the age of 21 in 1999, God gave me the strength to carry on. Without Him, I would have dissolved into a mess of quivering sobs. I’ve cried many tears for my Teresa, but we’ve learned to cope and move on with our lives. Having her daughter, Regan and granddaughter, Maliyah help us to see joy in our lives again.

So, I look in my mirror, and see a daughter of God, a wife, sister, mother, grandmother and great grandma who finds joy in her family, enjoys her art and writing and animals in her life.

I see a life well lived.

 

Today was catch- up- on- sleep day. We both were exhausted. We went to church of course. We have to be seriously ill to miss that. But we decided to miss the after-Mass lunch date we usually do, at Clifton's County Divide Cafe, which is the best meal for the money to be had around in several counties, or Concordia's Easy G's Sports Bar & Grill, where you can watch your favorite football, basketball, baseball, hockey, or other sports teams duke it out every day of the week, while chowing down on some great sandwiches, hot or cold, along with some awesome house fries or tater tots, or a huge salad, and coffee, tea, pop, or your favorite alcoholic beverage. Wow! Is that a run-on sentence, or am I just hungry?

Anyway, as I said, we by-passed all of that tasty goodness for a long nap at home in our recliners, which would have been great except for the dog, Maizie, who was so excited to have us back home that she kept jumping all over me and licking whatever skin she could find.

I've been sleeping a lot lately, almost too much, I think. Sometimes I think I have narcolepsy.  Thursday night I struggled to stay awake at our Catholic class session, and it wasn't because it was boring, because it most certainly was not boring. Fr. Andrew makes all of his homilies and lessons very interesting and we get some lively conversations going sometimes. I've been a Catholic since 1969 and I've learned more about the Church in the past three months than I did in all the years before that.

Today's homily was about the Baptism of Jesus Christ, and Fr.  said Jesus's baptism wasn't the same baptism that we all get. Because with our baptism we are freed from Original Sin and Jesus didn't need redemption, because he was perfect already. 

In the bulletin each week, there is a mini lesson, Catholic 101. This week it was on the importance of attending Church every weekend and why missing it was a serious sin. We already knew that, but sometimes a reminder just hits home a little bit. How did Fr. Andrew know that we both had been tempted to stay home this Sunday?

Dennis wasn't feeling well and hasn't for several days. It's nothing like the flus or other viral bugs going around lately, just a common physical ailment that strikes him several times a month. And I was fighting my chronic sinus congestion. I didn't really have a headache, but felt very congested and sluggish, and I have brain fog on a regular basis.

Such is life in the elderly. Now at almost six p.m., I finally coming alive and getting a little laundry done and writing my blog.

I hope everyone reading this hasn't fallen asleep in boredom. I promise to share some new writing I'm doing in the next few days, so please keep reading.

Have a Blessed Sunday!

OCIA Returns

This post was from Thursday evening. I forgot to post it. Ooops!

After having my pupils dilated this morning, my vision was like looking through a drop of water, very distorted and ultrabright and blurry. So, when we had OCIA (Catholic lessons for adults) tonight, I had a few problems copying from the whiteboard. 

We learned a few things though. Even Dennis claims to have learned some things about his faith. For instance, we learned that there is a difference between Sisters and Nuns. Nuns are primarily cloistered (kept separately and in private in convents that are not open to the public, and they have a vow of total poverty. Sisters can inherit some property that is kept in the Church's accounts and Sisters can mingle with the public, doing God's work in schools, hospitals and other areas, while nuns are kept isolated and silent. Nuns may only see family members every few years in some instances, and even then, only through a veil.

We were discussing Mary, the Mother of Jesus and how she was born without Original Sin and died but was "assumed" body and soul into Heaven, still a virgin. 

We discussed a little comparison between Catholicism and Protestantism and how the Protestants came to be separated from the Catholic faith. It was all very interesting.

The weather all day was chilly and rainy. The chill went right through my bones. I couldn't get warm enough. I wore a hoodie to class tonight and my legs were still chilly. But I'm glad I went, even though I was tempted to stay home and warm.

Tomorrow, we'll be taking a road trip to Salina to pick up some insulin at my endocrinologist's office. Dennis has a little shopping to do too. Hopefully, the weather will be a little better.

Maizie has been a little pill today. She grabbed one of Dennis' handkerchiefs and tore a big hole in it. Then she grabbed a small box of Immodium out of my pill box and chewed that up. I need to find a spot to hide my pills during the day

I need to sort my books and magazines tomorrow and find a home for the ones I don't plan to keep. I have a lot of catalogs and magazines and instructional books in totes and boxes.

I'd like to open a little library box in our front yard, but not sure if there are rules about that kind of thing, so I'll wait until I know for sure if I'll get into trouble.

Anyone know how to stay out of trouble with books?

Walmart pharmacy

It'd been a long day already at 2:15 p.m., so I was not exactly in the mood to deal with a cantankerous answering machine at Walmart. Yesterday, I called the VA to check on my Tresiba prescription. Well, that was a bust, because I never got beyond the opening message about how it was a government facility and not to be used by anyone unauthorized to use it---blah, blah, blah, then put on hold for the next available representative. I was on hold for 12 minutes and never got to talk to a human, never got beyond the recording "please stay on the line. All our representatives are currently busy taking other calls. Your call is important to us and will be answered in the order it was received." After about 15 minutes, I hung up the line and called the doctor's office to check on my prescription from that end. 

 

The call -waiting time with the doctor was much shorter, only about 4 minutes, and I reached the doctor's nurse, Lisa, who was very kind and helpful. She investigated the computer records and came back on the line and apologized because she had never gotten the medication ordered. She said she remembered saying she held off on ordering it from the VA because she wanted to see how I'd do on the medication from the sample she'd sent home with me 2 weeks ago. I explained that I was almost out of the pen she'd sent with me and that it would take 7 to 10 days to get it through the VA unless it was put on urgent request and I would still be out for at least a couple of days. So, she promised to put some aside for me to pick up at my convenience. I explained that I lived about 65 miles from her clinic and I wasn't sure when I could get down there but would be there in the next few days.

 

So, this morning, we left Clyde about 10 a.m. and headed for Salina. 

When we arrived at the clinic, the receptionist was polite and asked for my birth date and name, and what I needed today. I explained that there should be a package waiting for me from my doctor. She disappeared into the back office and soon returned with a package for me. I thanked her and we took my package to the car and I opened it. To my surprise, there was not one pen of my Tresiba, there were five pens, enough to last about a month, maybe more.

After we ate breakfast at IHOP, we went to Harbor Freight where Dennis bought a wheeled cart he needed, then headed for home.

 

On the way home, we discussed stopping at Walmart in Concordia to pick up some prescription eye drops I needed. Dennis offered to go in and pick them up for me. I stayed in the car and read my paperback book.

 

After reading for about twenty minutes and then taking a short nap, I was awakened by Dennis climbing into the car and saying “Well, that was a bust. I didn’t get your eye drops. They told him they didn’t have an order for my eye drops. I knew that was bullshit because I had just gotten an email about them being ready for refill the day before. They told him they have to have an order or refill request from the doctor, then they can refill it. They didn’t offer to call the doctor themselves like they used to do.  

 

So, as we’re driving down the highway, I’m on the phone with the doctor’s office explaining my situation. They said that they would get the medication refill ordered. A few minutes later, I called Walmart again, and the answering machine picked up my call and asked for my name, and I explained what I needed. I’m trying to explain, and the machine is interrupting me with more questions. They wanted me to state my name and date of birth. I answered, “Dixie Barnes and 10-09-51”. The machine replied, “You said June 9, 1951. Is that correct? Say yes or type in 1” I said “No! October 9, 1951” The machine replied “I’m sorry, I didn’t get that. Is your birthday June 9, 1951? Say yes or type 1”.

 

By this time, my blood is boiling and I’m shouting in the phone. Dennis is trying not to laugh but is shaking his head no. We finally got my birthdate right, then they asked what I needed again. I told them I needed my Latanoprost eye drops. After a moment, the machine replied, “we show that medication is due for a refill. Is this correct? Say yes or type 1.” I replied “Yes! I need my Latanoprost eye drops.”

Finally, the machine said “your order is being processed and may be picked up tomorrow after 4 p.m.”

“Thank God!” I replied.

I think next month I’m going to go into Walmart myself to pick it up after checking it out online. That seems to work better for me and my blood pressure.

New Year Resolutions Better Late Then Never

I’m a little late with my resolutions this year, although I have thought about what I wanted to do. I want to keep them do-able, but not so easily that I get bored.

I could make the usual resolutions again. Every year I vow to lose weight and rarely accomplish that. Or if I do lose some weight, I usually get it back with the first holiday, usually Valentine’s Day.  I tend to eat when I’m bored, lonely or lazy.

What do I want to pledge this year? I’m on Mounjaro injections weekly, and it has started to curb my appetite. I still think I’m hungry, but if I eat more than I should, I start to feel like I’ve swallowed a lump of coal. That works well to make me stop overeating. Now to stop eating before I get to that point!

Another resolution I would like to try is to get more exercise in my daily routine. We have a new gym business downtown in the former Blackwood’s Department store building. I haven’t been in to visit yet, but it sounds like a good idea.

I like to resolve to do good things each year too. To be less grumpy with Dennis when he’s grumpy with me. I know he’s grumpy because of pain and he feels guilty because he can’t do everything he wants to do outside. I need to be less reactive to his grumpiness by being that way myself.

I need to get our house back into shape, so we can not be embarrassed when someone comes to our door. Dennis has tools and other equipment all over our yard, and inside is the same way. And my art and crafts are everywhere inside. I’m thinking about having an auction of my art, just within the family. That way I can keep it in the family and yet clear space in our home. The art that doesn’t sell can be put on a general auction after we die. I have plenty of supplies in almost every medium that can be donated after I’m gone, or given to members of the family who like to do art.

My books! I’ve books on almost every subject. Maybe I should open a new library, The Barnes Memorial Library. Hey that sounds pretty good. I’ll have to think about that for a while longer. In the meantime, if anyone wants any books, I’m trying to downsize. I have a few I want to keep, but the others are available at any time (the ones I’ve read but don’t want to keep). They are all mine, picked up from shopping sites, bookstores, or from the Weedy Shelf at the local library. They may have some markings and labels on them, and some have plastic coverings for the book jackets, which are nice. I wish I had some of those jackets for the books I want to keep.

Another resolution I am making is to read my Bible through in one year. I’ve done this one before, and did complete it, although I admit I skipped through a lot of some of the boring parts, like all the laws and rules governing the early Israelites and Hebrews. And the begets. Confusing and boring. The only family tree I’m interested in is mine and Dennis’s.

So I guess my resolutions would have to be:

1.         1.           Reading my Bible and studying it in a year.

2.                            Continue working on getting into better shape through diet, medications, and exercise.

3.                            Be more positive in my reactions to others and less irritated by ordinary misfortunes.

4.                            Sort through my art and supplies, paintings and other collections and determine which can be donated, sold or given away to clear space in our home.

5.              Learn to enjoy life without spending a lot of time and money on electronic equipment.

               I think those are enough resolutions for this year. We'll see what my life looks like on December 31.

Back to normal?

I enjoyed sleeping in today. I finally got dressed at 10:30 a.m. and hoped I hadn't already missed seeing Maliyah off with her parents today. We almost missed her; we arrived at Becky's house the same time as Tim and Jessie. That was almost too close. They didn't stay long, maybe only 15 minutes or so, just long enough to load all of Maliyah's stuff into their car and say a quick goodbye to all who were there to see her off. Rusty was there for his daily "siesta" although he wasn't getting much napping done. He was holding little Tate, and they were enjoying watching kid's videos on Rusty's phone. Also there were Karsyn and Jacob, who were sick with a virus. There are a bunch of those going around right now. Abby was there too. They were all watching tv.

After Maliyah left, so did we. Returning home again with a feeling of relief and sadness that Maliyah was gone again, and we probably wouldn't see her again until at least summer, if not longer. She is our oldest great-granddaughter, and she's growing up so fast! But she seemed happier and much more mature than she did the last time she was here in Clyde.

I told her to keep drawing and sharing her work with me online. I think I'll start sharing my work with her too.

After I ate a quick lunch of hot dogs, yogurt and pudding, I logged in on my laptop and worked on cancelling some subscriptions I've been wasting money on, and a few I didn't really want to give up, but needed to cut back on frivolous spending. I really miss a few of my online games, but Jason and others have been hounding me to get them off my computer/phone. I guess in a way its good to purge my electronics, not just for the finances, but because I waste a lot of time on them instead of doing my art, writing and studying my Bible.

A blessing in disguise. You don't realize you are addicted until you lose them. And I'm missing them, so guess that tells me something about myself.

Anyway, Dennis and Jason are making a road trip right now to get haircuts and shop for whatever it is men like to shop for. He's still got money. I've been overdrawn for so long I've forgotten what it's like to shop.

My washing machine decided it needed to be cleaned and wouldn't run a cycle until I used an Affresh tablet. So that's running right now. Then I've got a couple of loads to do to catch up on my laundry. I did my dishwasher Affresh last week. Those tablets are pretty cool and really simple too. Just drop the tablet in and run a cycle. Your machine comes out looking all sparkly clean and smelling fresh. And that's my advertisement for the day! lol

Ok on to other writing projects. I want to get my novel off the shelf and start the finishing part. I only need to write the last chapter or two, then I can get into the editing and revising.. I hope I can get it published before I die of old age. ;)

Thompson's Together

What do you do when you want to get your family together for a late Christmas gathering, but everyone is tired of holiday cooking?  You have it catered, of course!

My side of the family, the Thompson's, gathered today at the Norway, Kansas former school gymnasium, which was built about 1960, while I was attending grade school there. My brother, Tom and his wife, Cindy were the host and hostess and organizers of the event, and I know it was a big job, so thank you both very much. They took care of texting, calling, ordering the caterer, setting up the tables, chairs, getting the thermostat set, and whatever else they had to do. Like I said, "BIG JOB!

The rest of us just showed up and enjoyed the day. Some had to come late, some got almost to Norway and had to turn around because one of the little ones started puking. So sorry about that! We missed you. A few were out of state, and some had to work today. And a few just didn't show up. Oh well, even with all of that, we still had a good turnout. Each sibling took care of their share of the building rental. The meals were reasonably priced and very tasty. 

The kids all enjoyed playing basketball and since the weather was so nice, some enjoyed playing outside. The adults spent the time visiting.

I texted the group and suggested we do this again. Perhaps we could vary the towns and each take a turn hosting, so no one was stuck with all the work and burden of it. I'm waiting to hear back. I don't really care how we do it, but I don't want to see our family lose contact.  Dennis' family has lost contact with each other, and I'm sorry to know that.

Til next time,

Feeling worn out, but happy to have seen my siblings minus one.

Politics

This morning, we were shocked to find that President Trump and his War Cabinet had made a military strike on Venezuela's President Madura and his wife for drug crimes. They arrested President Madura and are transporting him to the US for trial on many different charges. 

President Trump is well known for his "surprises" but I think this was the biggest surprise to date. Of course, the liberals are screaming foul, but they do that every time Trump trims his toenails. Some Republicans are not happy with his brash behaviors either. Many are complaining that Trump did not consult congress first. Come on, get real! What would have happened had he asked for permission or even announced his plans?  The leaky sieve we call Congress would have warned Madura, and the outcome would have been tragic for our military.

Another point of contention is President Trump's plans to "run Venezuela" until a better government can be placed. And some are no doubt crying foul because their corrupt practices may soon be revealed.

Whatever the case, I am praying for our military, for President Trump, and for all who are in danger from the drug cartels in the world. I pray for good judgment from our government in handling these threats, and a return to honest governing in all countries leading to worldwide peace. 

I pray for those who are addicted to narcotics of any kind, and that they might find the help they need to remove all cravings from their systems.

Won't you join me in these prayers? One prayer is heard, but many have a much bigger impact.

I hope you all are having a good year so far.

55 Years Together

Today marks our 55th wedding anniversary. We were married on this date in 1971 at the St. Mary's Catholic Church in Clifton, Kansas. The officiating priest was Fr. Roger Meitl and he baptized our first son in 1972. It started out a beautiful day, a little chilly outside, but the sun was shining and there wasn't much wind. I felt like God was approving of our marriage.

My maid of honor was my sister, Linda, and I also had two bridesmaids, Joyce Derousseau and Janice Bergquist. They were friends from my college days. 

Dennis had his brother, Jim Barnes as his best man, and his brother Mike Barnes and a cousin Randy Brown as groomsmen. After the traditional wedding mass, we had a few pictures taken and then a reception in the church basement. Following that, Dennis' parents hosted a small lunch at their house. We relaxed until early evening at the house and then Mike and his wife, Deb, asked us to go to the movies with them in Concordia. They had been married a few months prior to our wedding, and Deb was expecting her first baby.

The movie was not one of my favorites, Five Easy Pieces, but I survived it and afterward, we said goodbye to Mike and Deb and got a motel room there in Concordia. It was right on the corner of Hiway 9 and Hiway 81 and was called The Baron's Motel. It wasn't a dive, but it certainly wasn't the Hilton either.  At least it was clean and private. 

We had originally planned to travel to Salina for our wedding night, but after the movie, we were tired and didn't feel like driving that far, especially driving his dad's jeep. That was a completely different story.

Dennis had planned to drive his own car home from Great Lakes, Illinois where he was stationed in the USN Seabees. But he had let a buddy drive it before he was due to come home, and the "friend" had torn the clutch out of it. It was a 1969 Ford Mustang with a 429 Cobrajet engine and was so hot he had won trophies drag racing with it up in Wisconsin. Anyway, the car was in the shop, so Dennis flew home and his friend was to bring the car to Clifton to be in the wedding as best man. Confusing, huh? The friend got drunk and didn't show up with the car, so Dennis had to find a new best man, and different transportation.

Our life back then was very complicated.

Anyway, back to the wedding night. We woke up around 3 a.m. and were hungry and thirsty, so we decided to make a run to the nearest quick shop to get food supplies. We opened the door to the room and looked outside. There were snow drifts about a foot deep on the top of the jeep and everywhere, and that was in a sheltered area.  We made a mad dash to the quick shop and got our goodies and returned to the motel.

The next morning, there was even more snow. Drifts were taller than the jeep and the roads were nearly impassable.  We decided we'd better get back to Clifton as soon as possible with that jeep, because we knew it would be needed.  

We did stop a couple of times and helped pull people out of the ditches. It was a real mess and it was really cold! We had thought we would make it back in time for Sunday mass, but it was lunchtime by the time we got back. So we just relaxed at his parents' house.

I'll continue my story tomorrow.