My Reading Blog

Dear TWT Hosts, Fellow Slicers, Readers and Commentors, We've arrived at the final day of this challenge.  It has been exciting, invigorating, thought provoking and difficult. As I finish up my sixth year of writing in this challenge, I want to thank each of you for the encouragement, the comments and joyous celebrations and sorrows that I have experienced from your slices. I want to especially thank my daughter, Michelle, who pushed me the first year to join this awesome group of writers and keeps encouraging me each year thereafter. Thanks to the hosts of TWT for beginning this journey 10 years ago.  I thank you for giving each of us the opportunity to learn more about ourselves by writing each day. Thanks to all who have commented on my slices.  That's one thing that keeps me going. This challenge has made me look around and see all that there is to take in.  The little things that pop up and give food for thought.  The inspiration from others to ...

Once again, I was struggling to figure out what I was going to write about and Voila, I read an e-mail. When I lived in Illinois, I worked for Elgin Sweeper Company for fourteen years.  During that 14 years, a great friendship grew with Monika.  She started working for the President of the company when she was 18.  Tomorrow she is retiring and will be turning 70 in July. She has seen a lot of changes go on during those years - the company going from privately owned to becoming a public entity, the number of presidents and vice presidents she's trained over the years, the knowledge that she has of the history of that company, going from a union to a non-union shop and the strike that came about because of it, the high and lows of sales....  The list is much longer and she has so many memories. I had sent her a congrats card and she said it was going on her bookshelf along with all the other Elgin Sweeper memorabilia,  She is an amazing women and has so much...

This is the first time in many years that we haven't spent Spring break and Michelle's birthday with her and her family.  They headed south for the week and are enjoying themselves amongst many Disney characters.  They invited us along, but we didn't feel that we could keep up the pace and didn't want to slow them down. Michelle put her writing in this challenge on hold so that she could enjoy family time without the added stress of getting a slice written.  I understand, but still miss her thoughts and comments, as I'm sure many of you do. I'm glad that this challenge is in March because I've gotten to write tributes to her on her birthday and get to share with you a special woman.  And this one will be another tribute to a special (one and only) daughter. Michelle came into the world two weeks early, but still a healthy baby.  Our second one.  Scott was enthralled by his baby sister (at least until she started getting into his stuff).  She will...

I don't know if it's just the area we live in or if it happens all over.  Since we've moved to the Ozarks, we've had some frustrating situations. After we bought property here and still living in Illinois, we contracted with an excavator who was suppose to clear the property so that we could begin erecting our pole barn.  He said, "No problem.  I'll have it complete by the time you get down here to do the concrete work."  Hubby arrived with a crew to pour the foundation and floor, but the area remained as it was when he had talked with the excavator.  He tried to contact him, but couldn't get a hold of him.  So he found someone else to do the work quickly. When we were building our log home 18 years ago, we ordered many different components for the house.  Namely, we had ordered some lights.  They had to be ordered for somewhere else.  We waited and waited.  No call, no lights.  So we contacted them after six weeks and they said...

This morning is gray and dreary with raindrops falling, but I got a lift of joy when I read my e-mail. A friend who's husband died from cancer a year and a half ago, sent an e-mail.  She is one of those remarkable women who has persevered thru some difficult times.  Monte had been sick for six years and she cared for him.  The last six months before he died, she took a leave of absence and stayed with him.  Monte had prepped her and left her with knowledge of how to do things and survive on her own. Even though it has been rough to carry on, JoAnn has kept moving forward.  She went back to work, attends a grief support group, has tried her hand at kayaking and now goes on outings with a group of women who are avid hikers and canoer's.  She has a strong faith and many supporters.  She stays busy. She sold her big house and purchased a condo.  She is settling in.  She did research this winter to find just the right kind of battery operate...

Sunny is shining Spring is springing Flowers are blooming Grass is growing Max is snoring Book is calling Eyes are closing Nap Time

Last night we had our small group/Bible study.  Our group has been together for over 10 years.  We've lost a few due to moves and other commitments, but our core group of 10 is pretty consistent.  Last night there were only seven of us.  The other three were sick.  Our topic was Comfort - how God comforts us and teaches us to comfort one another. One of the questions was "How do you comfort others?"  We talked about my hubby's "Hug Ministry", our Stephen Ministry program, reaching out, listening, praying...  The list went on and on. The other question was "When have you been the recipient of comfort?" This questions brought many responses of our different difficulties that we've encountered over the years and how we felt receiving comfort from others. Then I asked, "Does anyone need comfort now?"  C. poured out her heart about how she and her husband have been trying to deal with their son.  He is an alcoholic and has some bi-po...

This morning Mom is really tired.  I had her up several times during the night.  I just haaaad to goooooo.  But then I got out the door and I kinda forgot why I came out. I'm pacing and pacing while Mom is exercising.  Dad doesn't hear me - he's still sleeping.  I keep pacing, finally Mom opens the door and encourages me to come in and then SHUTS THE DOOR.  I don't like closed doors, so I just stood there waiting for it to open.  Finally Mom is done.  She turns off the light, so we won't disturb Dad.  I'm standing in front of the door, so I back up.  My eyesight isn't what it used to be, so with the lights off and the door open, I turned into the closet, not knowing where I was.  Mom turned around and steered me in the right direction.  We went directly to the patio door and out I went.  Being an old pooch, I need to go out often. I waited patiently while Mom did her crossword puzzle, put it was getting time for breakf...

How I begin each morning: An early riser am I Up at 5:00 without an alarm Isn't retirement a charm First to the computer to check messages Then to my cozy chair to read devotions and pray Off down the hall to spend 30 minutes with weights or a DVD A cup of coffee calls my name A hug and kiss from hubby to begin our day A crossword puzzle And a Voxer message to Michelle God has blessed me with a new day.  What JOY that brings me!  What plans does He have for me today?

Part of our property is on a natural spring.  One area of our front yard is like a bog - spongy and soggy the majority of the year depending on the amount of rain we have.  It cannot be mowed, we have to weed wack it with knee high boots on. Once upon a time, many years ago, some drainage pipes were placed in the ground to help steer the water to the ditch leading to the pond.  But as the years have passed, the drains have ceased to function, therefore our bog. We have been searching for a guy who could give us some direction.  We had one come out and he told us what he would do, but it would be costly for him to do it as he would have to bring his equipment over 50 miles.  So we looked for someone closer.  We contacted a neighbor who has a lawn care service and he said it was out of his expertise, but he did know of a guy who could help.  The guy came, looked at it, gave us a quote and said he would do it when it dries up.  Hubby laughed and ...

Today is our 47th wedding anniversary and his mother said it would never last. Here's 47 reasons why I love this man in no particular order. 1.  His Faith in God 2.  Positive attitude 3.  Holds my hand 4.  Kisses me each day 5.  Gives me hugs - lots of them 6.  Comforts me when I'm down 7.  Loving Father 8.  Proud Grandpa 9.  Fabulous cook 10. Always wanting to please me 11. Loves going to Hobby Lobby 12. Creative 13. Dedicated 14. Caring 15. Friend 16. Encourager 17. Handy man 18. Jack of all trades 19. Trouble/problem solver 20. Quiet 21. Assists with solving my crossword puzzles 22. Praises me for what I accomplish 23. Builder 24. Caretaker 25. Imaginative 26. Has a great vision 27. Loves sports 28. Enjoys target shooting 29. Great photographer 30. Loves animals 31. Compassionate 32. Loves to try new recipes 33. Listens (most of the time) 34. U.S. Air Force Veteran 35. Dedicated to our Country 36. Loves...

Everything had been working fine.  I could do what I wanted to do on my "smart" Tracfone.  Then.... My phone said I had NO data times left - what?  I don't use data on my phone.  Where did the minutes go?  Apparently something ate it up and I didn't know about it.  Then.... Hubby doesn't use his phone which is a "dumb" Tracfone so he has lots of minutes.  His year was up, so I wanted to transfer his minutes to my phone and let him start over.  Easy right?  Ha!  I called, the tech said, "no problem, it'll be complete in two hours".  I checked my phone at two hours, three hours, four hours to see if they had transferred - nope and his was still reading the same. So I called back, explained what I wanted to do, got transferred three times (each time repeating my request).  Finally, I got to someone I could understand and she transferred the minutes and all is good.  Then... I have been using Voxer Walkie Talkie to tal...

This morning, I awoke refreshed after a good, no great night's sleep.  I awoke thinking, "Oh my goodness, Max didn't wake me up.  What kind of mess will I find?" So let's back up.  For the last few months, Max has gotten me up at least twice during the night (thus my lack of sleep).  When I get up, my hubby seems to be restless and doesn't sleep well either. Hubby is a member of the Twin Lakes Gun Club and they were holding their annual gun show.  They needed someone to stay at the fair grounds all night.  He volunteered for the 12:00 midnight to 6:30 a.m. shift.  So last night, he wasn't home.  Usually, I don't sleep well when I know he's not there.  And, I was concerned about him being in a setting by himself. Last night, I had a difficult time getting to sleep, but when I did, I must not have heard anything.  Max didn't come to his bed, he stayed in the living room.  No nails clicking on the floor during the night, no movem...

This morning, I'm tired This morning, my mind is a blank This morning, my fingers can't type But, This morning, the sun is shining This morning, the temps are suppose to soar to 70 This morning, I pray asking God for guidance This morning, I really don't have anything to write.

I can honestly say that I have NEVER thought of myself as "writer".  Oh, I write letters and notes.  I journal in my scrapbooks.  I make lists.  I relive events and memories.  But a WRITER? So why do I write these slices every day during March and every Tuesday during the year? My daughter - Michelle. She asked me to join her.  She encouraged me. I asked what will I write about.  She said life - what's going on each day, what happened in the past, what might be in the future.  Share your knowledge and help me and the girls to know what it was like when you were growing up.  Share more about Grandma & Grandpa.  Share those little things that you find funny, silly or serious.  Share about Dad and your life together.  Remind me of when I was growing up.  Share your experience.  Share your time with the girls. Yes, Michelle was the reason I started on this challenge, but I write because I want to put life an...

Daylight Savings Time arrived Timers need to be reset Hubby's challenge for the day(s) Digital Timers Multiple days AM/PM Correct Time What's so difficult about changing the time one hour on a timer? Hubby is handy with most everything.  He understands electronics.  He's done this before.... But, it took him three days to get the lights to come on and shut off at the correct time.  He read the directions, set the timers.  Ummm - the lights didn't come on.  He re-read the directions, reset the timers.  Still not right. He said, "Third times a charm or else they're going in the garbage!". Once more he read the directions, reset the times and Voila!  They magically worked. I would have given up the first time and just turned the lights on and off when I wanted them!

The other day, there was a commercial from an insurance company on tv and they were giving tips of what you need to do before a tragedy occurs. One of there tips was to walk through your home, take pictures of everything and documents the items, when you got them, the cost, sentimental value, irreplaceable, etc.  Put the pictures and documentation in a safe place - away from your house. That way if a fire, tornado, hurricane, or any other type of disaster should occur, you would know exactly what you lost. I got to thinking about that and today, I started this task.  Just writing down each item.  I'll have hubby take pictures to coincide with what I have written down. I started in the living room - simple - right?  I thought that would be an easy room - just a little furniture, tv, oh, the tables and lamps, the handmade table runners, and now the corner hutch - filled with so much, so many memories.  I looked at my Mom's china, the top of our wedding cake...

Last week, my tube of toothpaste was getting down to the last bit that I could squeeze out.  It was time to check out the toothpaste aisle.  I usually get the same brand and don't pay attention to the array of brands which are then broken down into different types for all sorts of teeth issues. There's  Colgate, Crest, Sensodyne, Arm & Hammer, Aquafresh, Tom's of Maine???, the brands go on and on.  And then.... Each brand has a whitening, refreshing, gel, paste, maximum white, sensitive, tartar control, mesermizing white???, protective floride, cavity prevention - the products fill a whole aisle. Now I ask you, what ingredient(s) need to be added, changed, deleted to make all of these different types of toothpaste?  Are they really the same with maybe a hint of mint added?  Or are the toothpaste companies just trying to confuse us with all these fancy words?  Isn't toothpaste, just toothpaste - a way to clean our teeth?

Yesterday, hubby was sitting in his chair and saw a flash go past the window and then another. He got up and yelled at me.  Come look.  There's one, two, five, seven.... ten.  Oh my gosh, do you see them?  There's fifteen, no wait eighteen and finally twenty-three.  Running, following the leader.  In a hurry to go some place.  Running away from what? They hunkered down to wait for everyone to catch up, then jump across the ditch, over the road and they were once again on the run. A herd of deer crossed our yard - 23 in all.  Running, following. An amazing sight.  We have only seen one or two deer in this area, so it was unbelievable to see so many following each other. No pictures, they were too quick and we were awe-struck.

Yesterday, I wrote about that Nasty Four Letter Word and yes, the weather forecasters were correct, we got SNOW. It came down fast and furious, huge flakes, heavy at first and then floating to the ground.  We only got 2" of snow.  It covered the trees and grass, but the roads remained clear. So today I'll share some photos of the beauty of this Nasty Four Letter Word. Max loved the snow