Safe and Semi-sound

Well, today was another of those great ones, a red letter day, a day to remember, to mark it in the book. We started out from Atlanta at 9:00 am as the fog was the fog of fogs and covered the whole of Northern Georgia. But I convinced my two traveling buddies that we could drive out of it about 30 miles South of Atlanta and would you not know that is just what we did, and it really was not that bad either. All the drivers were slower then normal, only drove about 60mph instead of 80mph. So all went well and we were on the way to the Tampa area as per the prearranged plan as agreed by all who were concerned, that is me and the two traveling buddies. Another 8 hours or so of driving depending on the number of rest stops needed, and we would be at the next stop. However as we were some distant yet from that Tampa area, one of the traveling buddies made mention of how she hates the Tampa area and what about just driving through to Marco, rather then spend the money on a hotel room(in the Tampa area) ( that she hates) how about finding out if we can get into the house a day early, even if there is a fee. This was determined to be the case and the fee was the same as the room in the hotel( in the Tampa area) ( that she hates) so it was cancel the room and drive on through. 11 hours after leaving Atlanta we made it to Marco Island and got the keys in the lock box and opened the house, unloaded the cars, had some pizza and brew and set about to put our things in some fashion of order. Of course we are now able to celebrate the New Year in the comfort of the house rather in some hotel room( in the Tampa area) ( that she hates) Happy New Year!
This was a much better plan, and we should have set that one in motion in the first place, but hind sight has always been better the foresight. So here we are at last, a slight bit of frazzle, I am so proud of Patty for driving all that way, what a trooper my live long buddy is.

The most excellent adventure begins

The big trip to the South of the Land called Florida has started. Leaving the great city of Fair born Ohio behind along with part of the most precious part of my being. As I look forward to being in the warmth and enjoying a well spent time with my wife and my sister I also look back.
The 30th of December the year 2007 and both cars are packed, the garbage is on the street and I am ready to set sail for warmer weather. Patty will drive first and I will drive Char in her car to bring up the rear. It really makes a good way, as Chars car has this radar thing going and when Patty sets her cruise at 70 I can set the cruise at 75 and the radar thing keeps Chars car exactly the same distant from Patty's car. The only time that does not work well is when some crazed driver rams his or hers way between us. Then Chars car slows down and get the spacing right and when that same crazed driving moves out the car zooms forward with all the gusto of a nascar trying to take the lead. But 8 hours of driving is enough for all of us and so after several rest stops and keto walks, That is Chars little dog who is traveling with us, we arrived in Atlanta area about 4:30pm which gives us enough time to unwind and relax with "happy hour" before getting something to eat. We were thoughtful enough to ourselves to bring along the source of "happy hour" and the means to unleash the contents from it's container. New Years eve, our next stop will be in the Tampa area and we did not have the total forethought about that "happy hour". As I have planned this trip to take two days and two nights so as to arrive on the 1st day of 2008 and with driving times that meet not too of a rigorous schedule we need not leave this pet friendly hotel until about 9:00 am as well as trying to miss all the commuters going into Atlanta, if they plan on working on New Years eve, that is. So breakfast with our complimentary tickets and then off we will be.

Waiting

Well, I just don't seem to get around to filling some of the blanks in the blog as often as I probably should, but never-the-less a few of those blanks are being filled in now as I sit waiting for the arrival of my daughter Ann and her husband, that would be my son-in-law Tom with the delightful pair of granddaughters Victoria and Margaret. Now of course some new little one is coming alone, a small, very small dog, one of those Mexican types. How could I say no! what am I crazy! As it is I am one of those people that has a very difficult time dealing with too much commotion which is the usually case when there is a lot of people, even my darling family, which I love extremely. But it is still a lot of noise and motion, and the like when ever more then me is around. Soon the house will be filled to the brim, Tom and Anne will be the basement people and Victoria and Margaret with share Patty's office room, which Mom has been using as her TV room, and of course Patty's mom will remain in the "guest" room, then we will also have the joy of Sarah, Jason, Isabelle and little Sophia. Elliot will stay home. Jammed to the top, with people everywhere, Why do I feel so badly when I want to escape to my office for a moment? These are my children and grandchildren, and it is so great to have them here, yet I know me and you do too, I have to get away from time to time just to keep me from getting to loud inside, my heart needs quite times. This will be four days of great times though and I have to remember to take pictures of the four generations Mom, Patty, Ann & Sarah and the 4 granddaughters. It might be the last time we have that opportunity. Then before I know it, drive mom to Chicago, pick up my sister in Kankakee and the three of us shuffle off to the South, the way South, really far South, and still use the "In God we Trust" money. ( that will be another post someday soon, stay turned)

someday

Someday seems too far away, so much to do, yet someday, worked on the tool room today, perhaps I will get it done, someday. Assembled the new router table today, I am going to make my own picture frames, someday. Thought about the railroad today, someday I will begin, if I ever get the track plan done someday. Put some Christmas lights up yesterday, need more someday. I spend time in study of God's Word, I prepare the lesson in Exodus for the Wednesday Night Bible study I lead. Someday, I may not have to prepare, I will be there. It seems to me there is so much that has to be done someday, or should I say things I would like to get done, someday. Yet at best I have this day. I lay my head upon my pillow at night, snuggle in between the sheets, a relief from the aches and pains within this frame I live in. Spend a few moments being dizzy, wonder if that will go away someday. Then I think about how thankful I am I had this day, and what I was able to do, and wonder if my Lord will give me another day, a day which is called someday.

A Place

Today I had to fill in as one of the Adult Sunday School Teachers, in fact within the class I attend. This is not my normal time spent, as I do the Wednesday Night Adult Bible Study, so I was a bit outside my comfort zone, but then God does that from time to time, get us to move to a place we normally do not visit. This place is not a constant either, as it is a every moving, ever changing place. You see, for the most part I, like many others, I believe, are very comfortable in the place we have made for ourselves. We have developed a view of the world, a view of God, a view of his Word and we see all this within the realms of our own thinking, our own view, our own frame of mind. I think, and perhaps you do to, "how does this fit into the way I think" we interpret the scriptures from our own point of view. And in the course of this thinking we have remained in our own place. No spiritual growth, no personal growth has occurred. As if we say to ourselves, I love sitting in this mud, I am comfortable in this slime of my present thinking, my present belief system, God, no matter what he says, is not going to change my mind. Oh how stubborn can I get! God teach me to open my heart and my mind to your way of thinking, to your way of doing, to your way of loving, and in doing so my place will change.

Reflections

Seven years ago today I was in a condition that should have cost me my life. It was the second day after thanksgiving, the year 2000, and after two days of celebrating and being thankful with two sets of families I had settled down with my wife with a pizza and a movie, then as if indigestion, my chest was in pain, but I knew after just a moment it was something else, "Patty, we need to go to the hospital", she sprang into action and away we went. Arriving I walked into the ER and a nurse met me and asked how may she help me, I stated, " I am in the middle of a heart attack" she asked, "right now" I reply, "yes, right know" a wheel chair ride into the ER work room was my next travel plans. That was in 2000 a Saturday night, and the place was a bit slow, not including the doctor and nurse that was working on me. Lots of things happened very soon, and before long I was laying there with my chest still in pain, but hooked up to Nitro. Then for a moment I found myself alone in this little room, patty had excused herself for reasons I shall not mention, the doctor and nurse were at the counter just footsteps away, making notes, I suppose, and then the lights began to fade, sound was slipping into silence and all I could see was one ceiling tile directly above, I prayed a short and simple prayer, "Lord if there is any way you could let me stay, my wife is not ready to be alone yet" and as if God himself turned everything back on, the lights came back in a flash, the silence was suddenly sound and I knew I would not be stepping into eternity that night, God had answered my prayer. Although it was most of the night that I spent in the CICU with one nurse to attend just me, and morphine to assist the still intense pain within my chest, I had not asked him to heal me.At some time the cath lab people arrived early Sunday morning, at which time I was rolled to their table. After doing the things he had to do in order to be looking at pictures of my heart with that colored stuff within my arteries, he looked down at me and then at the monitor and then again at me, and with as gentle of a voice as he could said, "sir I do not want to alarm you, but what I am looking at, you should be dead." "can you fix it", I asked , and without much of an answer he went to work and rotter rutter was doing the trick, the pain was gone. God had kept me alive until the doctor could do his thing. That was seven years ago and I just spent thanksgiving with almost the same family. Of course there was the addition of Isabelle and Sophia my two granddaughters that I now have the pleasure of watching them grow up. Praise God!

So my list of things to be thankful for includes:

Extra days to take care of my wife,
I am so thankful she has been able to not work and enjoy serving the Lord

God helping me through those hard days getting rid of my pool company
The still small voice of the Lord speaking to me in that model home in Fairborn OH
The fact that I heard him
The move to Ohio
The joy of being near Sarah, God has blessed me
After we moved to Ohio they were reassigned to Virginia, but now they are back
and Just 5 houses down, Yippee!
I still miss being near to Anne, maybe someday Ohio will call them.
What a thrill to be able to watch Victoria and Margaret grew into their teens
What beautiful young ladies they are becoming.
The joy of getting re connected to my sister Oh yes, Marco Island, warm in the winter
who would ever think that little ole me would get to winter in Florida
The fun of learning to play golf
My home, God has been so good to me.
Mornings in the summer time sitting on the deck with Patty and our coffee
Planting new things, the color of the flowers, the humming birds about us, the open area behind us, mowing the grass, finishing the basement, planning for the railroad, collecting items to be used on it.
Holding Sophia, a gift from God, the extra years to be able to see her.
Building the Frank Lloyd Wright house with Isabelle, she is so growing up, lost a front tooth the other day. I love her so much. I love those hugs I get.
The extra days to be able to serve my Lord, in so many ways, it would be bragging to mention them.
My work, oh yes I still work, but not like before, I am still self employed, thank God, for that, He knows I am not one to be employed, except by him. All I do is drive all over Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Kentucky, shaking hands and kissing babies, Being a Manufacturers Rep is right up my alley, I love to drive, I really enjoy my car, even with it's 212,000 miles it is still a great car on the road, I enjoy being a problem solver and helping my dealers.
Being able to be useful, Yes I have some physical situations, but my God will see me through
I enjoy doing handyman stuff, at times, working with my hands, doing woodwork, painting, drywall, plumbing, electrical stuff, building things, designing space, it is good to be able to do it.
I am thankful for my wife, that we are together, do we have our moments, sure, but every couple does, but we love each other, and I am thankful I am able to be here and provide a life for her. God has allowed me to stay and what a blessing each day is. I do not look much to the future, day by day, each day at a time, how many extra I have , he knows, not I but I am thankful for this one.
Oh yes I am also thankful for White Castle, without I would never be. My father met my mother at a White Castle in Chicago. I try to pay homage when ever I am near one, during my travels. Although my digestive system is not always thrilled with the experience. That is why the hamburgers are called sliders.

I am back

Well, as my dear sister has reminded me, I have not posted since the 4th of October in the year 2007, which of course is this year, and the 4th was just a short time ago, how time flies, when your getting older, notice I did not say old, just older, in that old implies aged, like when the Ohio department of ageing sends you a Golden Buckeye card. Older simply states that one is older then one was before, which does not in any way make claims to the age or conditions that accompany such.

To answer to wit a quiry of my state, I am still experincing some dizzy times in my day, The VA here in Dayton is in the process of exploring various reasons for such spells, I have already had a head CT scan of which no results have been sent my way, and I am due to have an Ultasound of my carotid artieries the 26th of the month. After that who but my Lord knows what will occur. I only get dizzy, when I change the position of my head, mostly from horizontal to vertical and visa versa. This was a slight trick as I was in the throws of painting at my sweet little daughters new home. The great room had a wall which extended upwards to 15 feet high, which required the use of my extention ladder. Now if you wanted to see a sight it would have been this large frame, slightly overweight ageing fellow 15 feet in the air on a ladder with a small bucket of paint in one hand and a brush in the other, having to look up to paint the trim line across the wall and ceiling. Looking up is a repostioning of the head, ugh!

So at any rate, I did complete all the painting with Sarah helping in many of the rooms or sarah completed the painting with me helping in many of the rooms. I am sure pictures can be seen on her blog,http://peanutandpumkins.blogspot.com

They had new bamboo floors installed throughout the main level of the house and thus I needed to put in all new baseboards and shoe(that is like a corner round except slightly different) Again this required getting down and up a lot and changing head positions at times. I loved doing this work, and would not ever for a moment think of not doing it, I enjoy working with my hands and doing all that I do. The dizzy thing was just a little bother is all. Maybe VA will find something, maybe they won't. Many of my friends have already figured out want is going on, according to them, I have an inner ear problem, one diagnosed positional vertigo.

So I will keep going with this blog again. I do have more to say about that.