My Reading Blog

SOS #26 - 10/1/20 - Little Pieces of Magic that have appeared in my life recently

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 19:06:00 +0000

We hear so much negativity and doubt that many become depressed in our country at this time. It's time for us to look to the positive and find the magic that surrounds us. Here's my list of Magic that I've discovered recently.

A phone call from a friend I hadn't heard from in a while

A text message wishing me a great day

A positive reply to my "thought for the day" for Michelle & girls

A hug or two or three from Hubby. And some hugs given to special friends.

The delight in creating a greeting card to send to someone who needs lifting up

The cool morning to take a long walk and contemplate the coming of Fall

The turning of the leaves

A beautiful sunrise and sunset with a full moon rising in the sky

Shutting off the A/C and opening up the windows

The smiles we can see in the eyes of those who wear masks

Talking with a special 98 year old friend who looks forward to my weekly calls

The sound of the wind chimes (they were given to us many years ago by Michelle and I think that she is talking to us with each gust of wind)

Oh, the magic goes on and on, if only we take the time to notice.

Getting Excited - SOS #22 9/3/20

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 18:20:00 +0000

We had to cancel/postpone our BIG trip with family to Hawaii to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. A big disappointment after so much planning, but we'll be patient and wait - it WILL happen next year!

So instead, we have a "mini" trip planned with our son and daughter-in-law to celebrate their 7th wedding anniversary and our 50th. The reservations have been made for months and plans are underway. We have a cabin rented at Big Cedar Lodge near Branson, MO. It is an all inclusive resort and really no need to get into Branson. We've planned meals and what we're going to do - swimming, a boat ride, hiking in Dogwood Canyon, playing games (golfing for them) and just a time to relax with family and a dear friend. Oh yeah, and lots to eat and wine to drink!

A special dinner is planned at the Osage Restaurant at the Top of the Rock followed by the Sunset Ceremony.

It's only for four days, but we are all looking forward to "getting away" from all the stuff that we are so absorbed with at the moment.

Friends of the Library Sale - SOS #20 - 8/20/20

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 18:40:00 +0000

A blurb in the paper

A notice on the radio

An e-mail

All making an announcement

The Friends of the Library will again hold their quarterly book sale

Hooray - today's the day!

Do I need more books?

Such a silly question

Of course, my shelves still have space

Arriving a little after 10:00

A line had formed

A new format

Take a number

Only 20 people admitted at a time

#59

I wait patiently for my turn

I talk with others waiting too

Friends

Volunteers

Patrons of the library

Finally, my number is called

The tables await

New authors calling out to me

Familiar authors waiting for me to pick them

I pick them up, read the cover

Some I put back

Others go into my bag

Off to checkout

And on my way home

to place them on the appropriate shelf

Which one to choose first

Oh wait,

I'm already well into a book

These new books will wait as patiently

as I waited in line.

I love book sales!

Things to Ponder - SOS #18 8/6/20

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Thu, 06 Aug 2020 21:42:00 +0000

I have often fallen back to lists when I can't think of anything to write about. They're easy, fun and a good starting point for a future post.

Things to ponder:

Why do the hummingbirds seem to fight over the feeder? It seems that it would be much easier to share.

Why do clerks not know how to make change when you give them $5.10 for a bill of $3.07? Even after using a calculator, they still want to count out 93 cents in change.

Why does hubby have such a difficult time inserting a pillow in a pillowcase? He is so handy at everything else and yet makes this chore so difficult.

Why is it so difficult to fast on those mornings that you have blood work scheduled? Most mornings I can exercise and start my day before I have breakfast.

Why does time seem to fly by when you have five things scheduled and are already behind before you start? And then time just drags when you're waiting for test results.

Why do I wake up at 2:00 a.m., wide awake with nothing on my mind or bothering me? Then the mind wanders and all sorts of things go thru my brain.

Why is it so simple to think of something to write when you're not near a computer, phone or piece of paper? And when it's actually time to sit down and write, those thoughts are long gone.

Why am I so blessed to have a loving, caring husband and family, good health and everything that I need and want? When so many others are struggling just to keep their heads about water.

The Magic of a Typewriter - SOS 7/30/20

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 19:06:00 +0000

This typewriter image has been an intrigue to me since the beginning of the SOS blog.

An old black Royal with a carriage and paper bail, keys that were hard to press, a return lever, ribbon on a spool - stuffed in a closet until my Dad needed to fill out a form. This was the very first typewriter that I ever used when I was in elementary and high school (just a few years ago!).

When I was in high school and took a typing class, I learned the keyboard and used another manual IBM typewriter - somewhat easier to use, but no speed. As the year progressed, we got to use the Selectric IBM typewriter that had a ball with all the letters and numbers on it. The speed increased and we were graded on that. No backspacing to make a correction - erasures only. You had to be very careful when erasing as you could easily tear the paper. And then there was the carbon paper - one, two, three carbon copies - whatever you typed you definitely did not want to make a mistake! How many times I had to start over from scratch.

Over the years of my secretarial work, I used a variety of typewriters and then word processors. I remember typing a business plan spreadsheet with column after column of numbers only to find out that the numbers needed to be changed. It had to be retyped.

Then the miracle of computers came into being. A multitude of programs to learn and perfect. But oh the ease of making changes. Some of my bosses even got into the picture and typed their own memos for me to edit and redo.

Things have come a long way since that very first Royal that my Dad used. And now the technology of today is beyond my comprehension. I sometimes wish for the "old" days when things were somewhat simpler. When speed wasn't the main focus of doing business or for pleasure.

I still have Dad's old Royal typewriter. It sits on display and reminds me of spending time with my Dad and watching him type.

Even among the turmoil, I can find hope - SOS 7/23/20

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 23:53:00 +0000

With everything that is going on in our country and world, I find myself being very thankful for all that I have been blessed with each day.

The sunrise in the early morning
Time to reflect and contemplate
A good book or two or three
Time spent with friends
An apron display at the library
Creating cards to send to those I haven't seen in a while
The hummingbirds that seem to be peering in the window to see if we're watching
The dragonflies in abundance flitting around
Homegrown tomatoes, green peppers and cucumbers
Enjoying pizza and game night with a dear friend
Zooming with Michelle & Girls on Thursdays
Listening to all of their adventures
Watching their faces as they see themselves on line

The list goes on and on. The days, weeks, months seem to be flying by and yet there is still all of the sickness and turmoil in our country and beyond. I feel sheltered and hopeful and blessed.

Is it consistency or rut? SOS 7/17/20

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Fri, 17 Jul 2020 18:07:00 +0000

As hubby would tell you, I have a routine (aka rut to him) that I do every morning. But this consistency (in my mind) is what gets my day started and propels me thru the day.

I'm an early riser and enjoy my morning time to myself. I check e-mails and then proceed to my "happy place" aka the front porch and read my devotions and offer my prayers to God.

By that time, hubby has gotten up to start his day - with a hug and kiss and off for his cup of coffee.

I'm headed to "my room" for 30 minutes of exercise and then for my cup of coffee and crossword puzzle. Hubby joins me on the front porch - he has trouble going outside the box for answers to the clues, so he bring Google with him.

Breakfast follows and we're off to another great day.

So should this be recorded as consistency or rut?

Would You Believe Me? SOS 7/2/20

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 14:08:00 +0000

Last week while I was sitting on the porch enjoying my cup of coffee around 7:00 a.m., I looked toward the entrance of our subdivision. To my surprise I saw 3 figures dressed in dark blue clothing with a yellow jacket and white hard hat with a white pack on their backs carrying a spray nozzle.

They were around the subdivision sign and then poof , they disappeared into the brush and trees. Hubby came out to join me just as the last one was vanishing out of sight.

I said to him, "I think the Martians have landed". He looked at me as if my coffee was laced with something. But he did get to see the last one disappear.

A few minutes later, here comes a pick up truck with an ATV on the trailer. He stops at the same exact place, drives the ATV off the trailer and poof he's gone too! A few minutes later, he reappears, puts the ATV back on the trailer and drives off.

When I took my walk later that morning, I noticed several markers where "they" had disappeared.

We later determined that the Martians were probably disinfecting the power lines.

Would you believe me? Was itreally the Martians who have landed? Hmmmm!

The Girls Thoughts on E-Learning and more - 6/18/20

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Thu, 18 Jun 2020 19:07:00 +0000

I have been creating a scrapbook for each of our granddaughters and wanted to included their thoughts on Covid-19, e-learning and more. So I thought I'd let them write for me today. Here's their thoughts:

🦠Covid- 19

By: P

Working on-line: Working online and doing e-learning wasn’t too bad. We did a lot of activities we would do in class, but it was not as fun because we were not at school with our friends and teachers. I would rather be at school than at home doing e-learning.

Having Zoom meetings with your class: Having classroom meetings was weird at first because you wouldn’t think that you would have to have an online meeting with your class. It also was different because you are meeting with your class instead of being at school with everyone. We had fun and talked about school things like class awards, how we are doing with the school work, and not being able to get together with friends, and other stuff too. It felt weird to have to do it because we could have been at school, but because of the virus we could not go. It would have been way more fun if we could have been at school doing some of the fun things.

Your thoughts on the COVID-19 virus: I really wish Covid-19 never happened because we had to do e-learning. It’s not that I don’t like e-learning, I just don’t like that we can’t go to school and see our friends.

Would you want to continue learning this way, why or why not: I would want to go back to school because I would want to see my friends and teachers. I would not like to have to stay at home and do e-learning all the time. I also would not like to keep having to do classroom meetings online. Also if you back to school you can work with other people

What did you do as a family while sheltered at home?

We did a lot. We did e-learning (Madison and I) while mommy worked on stuff for her school, and later on daddy studied and passed his electrical test. Madison and I had water balloon and water gun fights in the backyard, went fishing, went on bike rides, went on runs and walks, mountain biking, tennis, played with legos, drew with chalk, two 5Ks, celebrated our birthdays, made homemade pizza, surprise zoom birthday party for our birthday, hiking…. oh and I read A LOT OF BOOKS!!!

M`s thoughts:

Working online

I did not like working online because I would want to go to school and learn. I would also like to learn at school because we could work on it with our friends.

Having Zoom meetings with your class

I liked that we did Google meets to see our class. We played games and shared our highs and lows.

Not being able to get together with friends

I was sad that we could not get together with our friends because of Covid-19. I am so glad I have a sister!

Your thoughts on the COVID-19 virus

I wish that Covid-19 never happened. I wish that because I would like to keep going to school until the end of the year.

Would you want to continue learning this way, why or why not

I would not want to continue this way of learning because I did not like it a lot. I would rather go to school than do e-Learning.

What did you do as a family while sheltered at home?

As a family we…

went on walks and runs
watched movies and TV
went fishing
played with legos
ran 2 5ks
Went bike rides
Painted Mommy and Daddy’s bedroom and bathroom
Celebrated everybody’s birthday
Chalk art
Went on hikes
I lost my first molar
Mountain biking

As Michelle has always said, "Similar but different". P is the more detailed of the two. M is short and to the point. Each outstanding in their own ways. I'm sure in ten years when they look at their scrapbooks that they will remember 2020 to be a year like no other.

A Day to Celebrate! 6/11/20

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 13:55:00 +0000

A day to celebrate

The one person
who has completed my life
The one person
who puts up with my moods
The one person
who cooks for me daily
The one person
who is my handyman and jack of all trades
The one person
who makes me laugh
The one person
who is always supporting me
The one person
who I have spent 50 years with
The one person
who helps me solve crossword puzzles
The one person
who I enjoy being around
The one person
that I make meatloaf & potatoes for
The one person
who I love with all my heart
The one person
that God has blessed me with

Today I celebrate my Hubby
as he celebrates his 73rd birthday!

I Feel Like A New Woman! - SOS #7 - 5/21/20

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Thu, 21 May 2020 14:14:00 +0000

It's the little things that make me happy!

As this shut down comes toward an end

As businesses start to reopen

I wonder who decides what is "essential"!

Short hair seems to grow over night
Needs to be trimmed at least every
six weeks

Hubby trimmed

Then snipped

Then cut

I clipped

I chopped

I complained!

Finally

My wonderful Beautician

is open and found time for me

Mask on face

Temperature taken

All clear and ready

A fresh haircut and breathe of air!

Beauticians and Barbers

are more essential than a

furniture store!

Birds of all kinds - SOS6 - 5/14/20

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Thu, 14 May 2020 20:40:00 +0000

I wrote about the hummingbirds several weeks ago and we still enjoy their antics of flitting, sitting, drinking, protecting and sometimes sharing. They go from the front feeder to the back feeder, over to our neighbor's feeder and back again. Never tiring and always on the looking.

There are some killdeers that have built their nest in our neighbor's rock garden - well hidden and protected and yet out in the open.

Several years ago, we noticing some birds (type unknown to us) trying to build a nest on the downspout. Hubby decided to help them out and built a small structure that they could put all their twigs in. They have been coming back each year and this year it is so packed full that we're not sure how they can even get into the shelter, but they do.

And then, we have some very persistent and inventive cardinals. We kept seeing them fly with twigs in their beaks behind the structure on the downspout. It's only about an inch between the downspout and wall. They had it jam back full and then they tried to attach twigs to that mass and set to build a nest alongside the structure on top of the downspout. Mamma would bring in a twig, then two and so on. Papa would bring his fair share too. And the nest proceeded to be built, but it soon began to slip and slide. Hubby gentle pushed it back and tried to secure it to help them out.

But now we're afraid that they didn't like his help and we haven't seen them for a day.

Last fall, our swan returned and brought a mate with him. They were here for three months or more and then one day, they walked across the grass to an adjacent pond. One that was apparently easier to make a nest. And then, on Tuesday, they both reappeared for several hours. Our neighbor gave them some corn and off they went. Today, they are back, but we don't know for how long. Such beautiful birds and a joy to watch.

God has truly blessed us with these creatures and makes me realize how much JOY I have surrounding me on a daily basis.

My Alphabet of Words - SOS #5 - 5/7/20

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Thu, 07 May 2020 19:19:00 +0000

As I walked this afternoon, I kept trying to come up with a post, but kept going back to Ruth's message about words. I thought why not try to list a word that I relate to, for each letter of the alphabet. So here goes:

A - Adorable
B - Beautiful
C - Courteous
D - Delightful
E - Energetic
F - Fabulous
G - Grand
H - Hilarious
I - Inviting
J - Joyful
K - Kind
L - Loving
M - Mother
N - Neat
O - Open
P - Positive
Q - Questioning
R - Restful
S - Superb
T - Terrific
U - Undaunting
V - Variety
W - Wonderful
X - (e)xciting
Y - Yellow
Z - Zany

And as I look at this list of words, my mind focuses on "M - Mother". My Mother's attributes are covered in each of these words. Even though she is no longer with us, I still can hear her voice and feel her presence. Happy Mother's Day, Mom, and to all of you Mothers out there.

Is My Mind Like a Hummingbird?

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 19:36:00 +0000

They flit

They swoop

They soar

They hover

They land

They sip

They drink

They check their surroundings

Off they go

Only to return and sip again

My mind flits

It swoops

It soars

It hovers

It lands

It drinks up knowledge

It checks my surroundings

And off it goes into another direction

Only to return and begin again

Taking a Hike - 4-23-20

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Thu, 23 Apr 2020 18:40:00 +0000

I have a very dear friend who enjoys hiking and belongs to a group of women hikers called WHO. I usually doing my walking around the neighborhood, but this week she invited me to go on a hike with her since she can't get together with the WHO group. A perfect way to "open up my arms, look toward the sky and enjoy a beautiful day with a special friend."

There is a resort and campground about 30 minutes from where we live and they have a menagerie of peacocks, pheasants, turkeys and various other birds - some in cages but others roaming around. After passing the cages, there is a beautiful path that meanders thru some wooded areas and across a creek. Some of the path is made up of rocks and broken bottles that have been thru a tumbler to smooth the edges. The colors of blue, green and brown shown brightly in the sunlight and gave me a different way of viewing colored bottles.

My friend was in need of doing something goofy, so she brought along Tom - her garden gnome. He was a great companion and willingly had his picture taken at various spots along the way.

Can you find Tom?

As we wound our way thru the path, we saw dogwood trees in full bloom along with a variety of other wildflowers.

And as we finished up our hike, we saw this sign.

Coming back to the cages, here's the peacocks in all their beauty.

So, with this breathe of fresh air and beauty abounding, I felt my heart exploding with JOY!

Spring Has Sprung 4/16/2020

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 13:29:00 +0000

I hadn't thought much about my OLW this year, but as I write this today, I'm thinking that HOPE is my word. We are experiencing such difficult times and I think that what I need most is to know that there is HOPE. So I thought about what Spring has brought me this year (and in years past).. From the very first bud to the final outgrowth, it defines my OLW. I unfortunately didn't take pictures of all of this, but I'm sure you'll be able to envision all that was presented to me in the past month.

Spring Has Sprung!

As I walked up the road, I saw some white in a tree.
I wondered what tree could be in bloom so early in
March.. As I got closer, the was a tree
full of white blossoms - the first of the season.
A wild plum tree hidden among the pine trees.

My first sign of HOPE and a new beginning.

A few days later, I noticed the daffodils with buds and blooms.

And as the month of March moved into April, the Bradford Pear trees sprouted
their white flowers and added to the beauty of the Ozarks.

Then came the redbuds loaded with majestic purple/pink blossoms - why they
are called "redbuds" is beyond me, but their beauty brought smiles to my face.

As the redbuds were dropping petals, the dogwoods started to bring forth
their white flowers and enhance the surrounding trees.

The grass is growing, the trees are bringing forth their green leaves and God
gave me this fantastic sunrise.

And not to be outdone, the "Spring Pink Moon" glowed in its glory over the
setting sun.

And throughout all this beauty, Hubby and I celebrated our 50th wedding

anniversary!

So yes, there is HOPE that these difficult times will pass and we will be
better for all that we've experienced.

Tuesday SOL 11/13/18 - Guatemala Mission/Build #6 - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Tue, 13 Nov 2018 16:25:00 +0000

Last week's post was about our worksite. This week's is about the people of Guatemala.

Driving thru the towns and countryside from Guatemala City to Antigua to Tecpan and further up in the mountains, we saw many Guatemalans traveling from one place to another, to get to market, to a job or back home. They ride "Chicken Buses",

in the back of pick up trucks, walk, some even hitched a ride on the back of large truck.

They smile, they laugh, they are serious, they are sad, but happy!
They work hard and enjoy all that they have.

The house we were building was for a family of four - Mom (Thelma) and Dad (who was working in Canada), 3 year old Jasmine and 2 year old Guatelupe.

Lydia (Thelma's sister) and Guatelupe

Jasmin

Thelma's nephew

Thelma's mother, Isabella

Isabella, Thelma, Jasmine & Guatelupe and two other sisters

Our Team and Family

Tuesday SOL - Guatemala Mission/Build #6 - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Tue, 06 Nov 2018 19:41:00 +0000

Last year was going to be my final trip. I figured five years was enough, but my mind was changed as my friend, JoAnn, really wanted to go to Guatemala, but wouldn't go unless I did. So.....

JoAnn & me with Volcano Fuego in the background - quiet at the moment

We journeyed with twelve other participants to a village to the north of Guatemala City - Tecpan. A small village, not a tourist stop, pure Guatemala. Lots of agriculture - field after field of broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, zucchini and corn - tall corn.

Our worksite was over an hour from our hotel, so we saw lots of countryside with a tapestry of fields spread across the hills and mountains.

Our worksite - ready for staking out the house

and digging trenches

The digging had started

Ready to start cutting the wire

All trenches had to be dug to a depth of 1 meter

Cutting rebar to make the rebar ladders

Even through our team worked Monday to Friday, it didn't appear that we had accomplished much. By Friday, all the trenches were dug and some of the rebar ladders were in place for the pouring of the foundation. Our job was complete for the week. The two masons will continue to work on the house and complete it in 45-60 days. Quite an accomplishment for two masons and a little help from the Gringos. The house measures 10' x 20' divided into 4 rooms, but it will earthquake proof and when the money is available they will be able to add on a second story. They have a beautiful piece of property nestled in between a potato patch and a zucchini patch with an awesome view of the mountains as a backdrop.

View of Fuego from the hotel rooftop in Antigua

View from our drive back to the hotel in Tecpan

Next week, the family and people of Guatemala.

Tuesday SOL - 10/30/18 - Took a Short Hiatus, but now I'm back

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 15:50:00 +0000

The month of October has been a whirlwind of travels with brief spurts at home. So today I'll tell you part of my travels.

At the beginning of the month, we traveled to IL to visit our kids and delight in having our granddaughters for the weekend plus. Eight years old and a bundle of energy (thank goodness Aunt Jen was there to help take the load off). We had fun playing and talking and just being with them.

After I was home a week, the packing and sorting began for my sixth (yes, it's been six years) trip to Guatemala for our mission/build trip. After last year's trip, I wasn't planning on going again, but my dear friend told me that she really wanted to go, but ONLY if I went. So, how could I resist. This trip was JoAnn's first and what a delight it was - she reminded me of all the things that I had seen and experienced my first year. It was like looking at something through the eyes of a child.

We had lots of highs and lows during this trip and I'll go into more detail next week, but I'll share some of my feelings now.

Joy - being able to help others
Happiness - being around a team that I had worked with before
Excitement - seeing the smiles and delight on JoAnn's face
Sorrow - watching a funeral procession a mile long
Desperation - seeing the results of a village demolished by the Fruego volcano eruption
Scared - one of our gentleman worker's passed out at the worksite
Thankful - that we had a nurse (JoAnn) to care for him
Energetic - to be on a worksite and see the beginning of a house
Delight - seeing the smiles on the family's faces, especially the children
Contentment - being accepted by the community as we worked
Sadness - leaving the family and not seeing a completed house
Joy - being back home and enjoying all the comforts we have here in the States
Blessed - with safe travel, a successful beginning to a build, the improved health of Eino and being with friends (who are more like family)

God is GREAT!

More next week with some pictures

Tuesday SOL 9/25/28 - First Week of Mentoring

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Tue, 25 Sep 2018 12:52:00 +0000

As a follow up to last week's post, the first session of our After School Mentoring Program was a SUCCESS!

After a slightly rocky start regarding the bus pick up, the rest of the afternoon went smoothly.

We had 15 kids attend - five of them repeats from last year - 7 from 4th grade and 8 from 3rd grade.

One challenging child (isn't that normal?), but overall, the kids were well behaved, willing to accept our help. Most of the parents came and stayed for supper and talk. We had pizza and one young man ask if he could have a pencil and paper so he could find out what kind of pizza everyone would like to have. I suggested he have 3 choices - cheese, sausage and peperoni. He did this all one his own and I complimented his parents when I talked with them.

The most rewarding moment for me was when I had been working with A (who was new to the program). We had worked on her science paper and when it was time to move to the next area, she looked at me and said "Can't I just stay with you?" and gave me a big hug.

So now we'll see how week two goes. We feel blessed that we can work with these kids and their parents.

Tuesday SOL 9/18/18 - Getting Exciting with some apprehension

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 13:50:00 +0000

Thursday will be the beginning of the 4th year of our church's After School Mentoring Program. The first year we tested our feet (minds) with working with 8th & 9th graders. It was a successful first year, but we had to rethink what we felt comfortable in assisting the kids. So the 2nd year we opened the program to 8th and 3rd graders. We felt it too was successful, although we worked mainly with 3rd graders. We found our knitch. The 3rd year started off with no one signing up in the fall, but we persevered and tried again in January. We had 12 sign up, but only 8-10 showed every week.

When the kids arrive, we have an "active" activity to play followed by a snack and then off to our mentoring.

We revamped our format last year. In the first two years we worked one-on-one with the students helping with reading, writing, math or whatever they needed help with for a full hour. Last year we decided to break it up into three 20-25 minutes sessions - mentoring, working on tablets and learning a craft or game. This was widely accepted by the students and the volunteers.

So this, our fourth year, we are keeping the same format, but are opening the program up to 3rd & 4th graders. We sent a letter to the teachers and counselors, talked with the new principal and sent the application home with the students. That was two weeks ago.

The applications came back slowly at first, but as of yesterday we have our maximum capacity of 18 - nine 4th graders and nine 3rd graders. So this Thursday after school, we open our doors and welcome these 18 kids. Our volunteers are excited, ready and willing. Our cooks are prepared to make some delicious snacks and dinner for the students and their families.

We initially prayed that God would bless us with "enough" students and volunteers. Now we pray that He will be with us as we work with these students and their parents to make this a fun learning time.

Tuesday SOL - 8/28/18 - Back to the Question Jar

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 15:07:00 +0000

Since my mind drew a blank of what to write this morning, I noticed the Question Jar sitting on the shelf. My fall back and a good way to share with my kids and grandkids how it was when I was growing up. So today's question:

What games did you play in your home or neighborhood?

Had to ponder on this one a while. I lived on a farm until I was ten and then we moved into town.

Living on the farm, our closest neighbor with kids was a quarter of mile away. The girls were younger than me, but I remember getting together to play with dolls, hide and seek, Red Rover or we just played outside and somehow found something to do. Our parents always got together several times a month to play cards.

We played Canasta with my Grandma and Casino with my Dad. We learned lots of card games and usually played at least once a week.

Moving into town and being closer to others kids, we enjoyed going to the swimming pool, riding our bikes, playing dress up and used a lot of imagination to create our adventures. I remember some board games, but mainly we just created our own fun.

But, I think a lot of our time was spend helping out around home - cleaning, mowing grass, feeding animals. I learned to sew and bake with the help of our 4-H club and my Mom.

The kids today would probably say, "how boring", but somehow the days quickly sped by and I don't remember saying, "there's nothing to do".

How about you? What games did you play as a kid?

Tuesday SOL - 8/21/18 - A Breath of Fresh Air

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 13:03:00 +0000

Summer
   Hot
Humid
Dry
Dusty
   Pollen
   Insects
   Brown Grass

But,

Today
   A breath of fresh air

Windows open
Breeze blowing
Cooler temps
   Rain to nourish the ground

Breathe in, breathe out
Enjoy the moment
   It's only the middle of August

Tuesday SOL - 8/7/18 - Vacationing in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, the Smokies & Ashville

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Tue, 07 Aug 2018 14:05:00 +0000

What a fantastic week we had! Our son and daughter-in-law invited us to Pigeon Forge for the week where they were meeting up with several of his Army buddies that served together in Germany. They try to get together every couple of years. It was interesting hearing their stories of when they were mere lads of 18 & 19 year olds! Of course, hubby shared many of his stories from when he was in the Air Force. They talked well into the night(s).

We took a trip up to Clingman's Dome - needless to say, I didn't make it to the top, but we still had some fantastic views at the beginning of the trail.

We spent one day at the Biltmore Estate. The gardens were beautiful, the house was unbelievable and the wine tasting was outstanding!

And, the best part of the tour, was the Chihuly Glass Exhibit that was placed throughout the gardens and around the house.

We spent a day visiting with Len's cousin and his wife who are building a house south of Ashville. Drove the Blue Ridge Parkway, stopped at the Folk Art Center and enjoyed a wonderful meal in downtown Ashville complete with a stop at one of the many chocolate bars!

We had rain for a couple of days, so shopping was on the agenda and on Friday we drove into the Smokies and took a driving tour around the 8 mile loop of Cades Cove. We spotted some bears, a fox, and some turkeys. When the boys were in the hot tub, they had a surprise visitor. This teenage bear had a path that went right passed the hot tub and he would have kept going, put the boys gave out a hoot and he stopped to check them out. By the time we all got out there, all we could see was this bear high tailing it down the path.

It was a great trip and when we got home, we had a surprise waiting for us.

Tuesday SOL 7/24/18 - A Chat with my Brother

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Tue, 24 Jul 2018 15:37:00 +0000

My brother, Allan, is four years old than me. We've always gotten along (I'm sure there were times growing up where he would disagree). We usually talk once a month just to catch up on what's happening with our families and to see how each other are doing. He lives about 2-1/2 hours from our kids in Illinois.

This morning I gave him a call - just checking in. He has some health issues, but he feels great. He told me that the test on his kidneys was not normal, but they were going to check again in a month. He exercises, eats healthy, but worries excessively. I kiddingly said, "Not you! You're just like Mom." And then, I laughingly said, "And me". Yes, we are definitely siblings. Our Dad was the happy-go-lucky sort of guy and things didn't bother him (or at least he never let it show). But, our Mom, was the worrier.

We talked about high blood pressure and cataract surgery, about the grandkids and the weather, our upcoming trip and a multitude of other things. At the end of our conversation, he said, "You made my day. I keep wondering if I'm doing the right things and worrying about the medical tests, but you assured me that what I've been thinking is right - to keep exercising, eat right and enjoy life (and stop worrying so much). Thank you for the reassurance."

That made my day, knowing that I've helped to calm some anxieties. God is good and will get us all through our troubles and is definitely with us in those up times.