ADVENT III MONDAY

"But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see - I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people; to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord" Luke 2:10-11...... PRAYER: God, enter our hearts and lead us to peace and love. Then let that peace and love lead us to adoration for our Savior, the Baby Jesus..... SONG OF THE DAY: Away In The Manager: The author of the first 2 verses of "Away in a Manger" is unknown. It was thought that Martin Luther wrote the song, however, this attribution appears to be false: the hymn is found nowhere among Luther's works. It has been suggested that the words were written specifically for Luther's 400th anniversary and then credited to the reformer. The song was later published with two verses in an Evangelical Lutheran Sunday School collection, Little Children's Book for Schools and Families (1885), where it simply bore the title "Away in a Manger" and was set to a tune called "St. Kilda," credited to J.E. Clark.

ADVENT III SUNDAY - WE REMEMBER MARY, THE CARRIER

"...the angel, Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin named Mary...and said to her 'Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!, " Luke 1:26-28 PRAYER: Heavenly Father, during these days of Advent, may we recall the many promises that You have made to us and rejoice again in Your faithfulness. May we cling to the promise that You are with us in all of the circumstances of our life......SONG OF THE DAY: Carol of The Bells: The words are by English hymn writer Isaac Watts, based on Psalm 98 in the Bible. The song was first published in 1719 in Watts' collection; The Psalms of David. Watts wrote the words of "Joy to the World" as a hymn glorifying Christ's triumphant return at the end of the age, rather than a song celebrating His first coming. Only the second half of Watts' lyrics are still used today. The music was adapted and arranged to Watts' lyrics by Lowell Mason in 1839 from an older melody which was then believed to have originated from Handel. As of the late 20th century, "Joy to the World" was the most-published Christmas hymn in North America.

ADVENT II SATURDAY

"A voice cries: 'In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken'." Isaiah 40:3-5.......PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for this reminder to prepare for your Son's coming into this world. Help us to find the courage to share our faith with those who haven't yet found theirs. Be with us daily and lead us all toward the manger and You. AMEN......SONG OF THE DAY: What Child Is This? The lyrics were written in 1865. At the age of 29, English writer William Chatterton Dix was struck with a sudden near-fatal illness and confined to bedrest for several months, during which he went into a deep depression. It was during this time that Dix wrote many hymns, What Child Is This? is set to the traditional English tune "Greensleeves".

ADVENT II FRIDAY

SCRIPTURE: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name wil be called 'Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace'" Isaiah 9:7.........This brings to mind the wonderful music of Handel. Many feel that Christmas is also a celebration of music, choirs, pageants, special anthems and lesson and carols. PRAYER: Dear God, thank you for talented and dedicated musicians and artists who bring us your story and promises at Christmas time. Be with us as we are lifted out of our daily concerns and problems to join the faithful Chirstians of all times and ages in singing your glory. In Jesus' name, AMEN..... SONG OF THE DAY: "For Unto Us A Child is Born": This song is found in Handel's Messiah. It is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and from the Psalms. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742 and received its London premiere nearly a year later. It has become one of the best-known and most frequently performed choral works in Western music.

ADVENT II THURSDAY

Oops!! I was busy yesterday morning and plumb forgot about the blog. So Thursday's scripture was "In the beginning was the Word." John 1:1........Carol Winegar wrote that God sent Jesus, The Word, as a love letter to all people. But before Jesus began his ministry "There was a man, sent by God whose name was John" John was the intermediary by which many people came to understand that God's Light was coming to earth in human form. PRAYER: Gracious God, in this Advent season, open my heart that I may feel your Light from whatever messenger you send to me. Give me humility to accept my role of service to you, and boldness to share your message of love. AMEN......SONG OF THE DAY: We Three Kings: This is also known as "We Three Kings of Orient Are" or "The Quest of the Magi". It was written by the Reverend John Henry Hopkins, Jr., an American, who wrote both the lyrics and the music. It is suggested to have been written in 1857 but did not appear in print until his Carols, Hymns and Song in 1863. John Henry Hopkins, Jr., then an ordained deacon in the Episcopal Church was instrumental in organizing an elaborate holiday pageant (which featured this hymn) for the students of the General Theological Seminary in New York City in 1857 while serving as the seminary's music director. In 1872 Hopkins was ordained an Episcopal priest and later served as rector at Christ Episcopal Church (Williamsport, PA).

ADVENT II WEDNESDAY

SCRIPTURE: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." Psalm 23.......The comments on this scripture as written by an Olivet member said "Now, I have a grown up Christmas list. What I want, Santa can't carry in his sack. It's not about presents under the tree. It's about Love and Peace. It's about Comfort and Understanding.....It's about a world accepting our Lord Jesus as the shepherd of all mankind."............PRAYER: Dear Lord and Heavenly Father, I have this "want" list because with you all my earthly needs are met. I am so thankful for what I have in my life and because of you - I do not want. AMEN.....SONG OF THE DAY: "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks" is a Christmas carol describing the Annunciation to the Shepherds. The exact date of the composition is not known, but the words appeared in Tate and Nicholas Brady's 1700 supplement to their New Version of the Psalms of David of 1696. It was the only Christmas hymn authorised to be sung by the Anglican Church; before 1700 only the Psalms of David were permitted to be sung. It is based on the Gospel of Luke 2:8-14 and is the only one of the sixteen works in the 1700 supplement to still be sung today.

ADVENT II TUESDAY

DAILY SCRIPTURE: "..prepare ye the way of the Lord.." Luke 3:4...... PRAYER OF THE DAY: Lord, help us to truly understand what it means to "prepare the way of the Lord". Help us keep the true meaning of Christmas at the forefront of all we do this year, and open our hearts and eyes to your will for us. Let your spirit enfold us as we prepare this advent season. In Christ's name we pray. AMEN....SONG OF THE DAY>:....."Go Tell It on the Mountain" It is an African-American spiritual song, compiled by John Wesley Work, Jr. It dates back to at least 1865. It is considered a Christmas carol because its original lyric celebrates the Nativity of Jesus: "Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere; go tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born."

ADVENT II MONDAY

DAILY SCRIPTURE: Again the devotional guide guide chose a line from the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). "O God of Love, O King of Peace,...Make wars throughout the world to cease;... Our greed and sinful wrath restrain...Give peace O God, gave peace again.". .....DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, if it is your will, please guide our world leaders into thinking of ways to design a plan for peace for every nation everywhere. AMEN.......SONG OF THE DAY" : COVENTRY CAROL: The "Coventry Carol" is a Christmas carol dating from the 16th century. The carol was performed in Coventry in England as part of a play called The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors. The play depicts the Christmas story from chapter two in the Gospel of Matthew. The lyrics refer to the Massacre of the Innocents, in which Herod ordered all male infants under the age of two in Bethlehem to be killed. The carol represents a mother's lament for her doomed child. It is the only carol that has survived from this play. The carol is traditionally sung a cappella.

ADVENT II WE REMEMBER JOHN, THE BAPTIZER

Sunday: I apologize for the day delay. We were out of town celebrating my father-in-law's 90th birthday. The scripture for Sunday was "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe thru him." John 1:1-6 and "But as many as received him, to them gave he poser to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." John 1:12......... DAILY PRAYER: God, help us to see your glorious kingdom through others as jesus Christ teaches us today. AMEN............SONG OF THE DAY: "Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella" is a French carol from 16th century Provence. The carol was first published in 1553 in France, and was subsequently translated into English in the 18th century. The song was originally not a Christmas song, but rather dance music for French nobility. Even today in Provence, the children dress up as shepherds and milkmaids and carry candles and torches to the Christmas Eve midnight mass and sing this carol.

ADVENT I SATURDAY

In the Olivet Advent devotional, there was no scripture given. The source of the devotion was anonymous but this is what was used in place of a scripture. It is a verse from a hymn sung by the author when he/she was a child. "Oh the real meaning of Christmas is the giving of love everyday.....Oh the real meaning of Christmas is to live as the Master they say.....So when you're giving your presents....Just remember as you give them away,....That the real meaning of Christmas is the giving of love everyday!"....PRAYER OF THE DAY: Dear Lord, help us remember to live your love everyday. Let us make this season a reminder of your wonderful love. AMEN.....SONG OF THE DAY: LO HOW A ROSE E’ER BLOOMING: It always amazes me when I come across a song that is hundres of years old. In this case it is over 400 years old. This song first appeared in the late 16th century (late 1500's). The writer is anonymous. The hymn has been used by both Catholics and Protestants, with the focus of the song being Mary or Jesus. The tune most familiar today appeared in 1599. The harmonization was written by German composer Michael Praetorius in 1609. It was translated into English in 1894 by Theodore Baker.

ADVENT I FRIDAY

"...let heaven fill your thoughts do not think only about things down here on earth". Colossians 1:2 This year maybe we can put aside the material aspect of the holiday and remember the real reason we celebrate. Jesus was born!....PRAYER OF THE DAY: Stir up your Power, O Lord, and come. Take away the distraction of our sins and make us ready for the celebration of your birth, that we may receive you in joy and serve you always; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. AMEN.....SONG OF THE DAY: "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing": The song was written in 1739 by Charles Wesley, the brother of the founder of the Methodist church, John Wesley. He had requested and received slow and solemn music for his lyrics. The popular version is the result of alterations by various people, one of whom was Felix Mendelssohn. A hundred years later in 1840, Mendelssohn composed a cantata to commemorate Johann Gutenberg's invention of the printing press, and it is music from this cantata that created the carol known today.

ADVENT I THURSDAY

"I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord', ass the prophet Isaiah said." John 1:23...... Heidi Kozak from Olivet said that the work of making His path straight is readying our hearts, minds and souls for Jesus. PRAYER OF THE DAY: Lord, help us to find our way this Advent season. Help us to understand what Your path for us involves. Show us Your will for us as we prepare for Your birth. Remind us daily that the most important preparation is the one inside, the one no person sees, but that You see. Help us prepare and make the way straight. In Jesus' name. AMEN...... On a personal note, this hit home as I read it. I was fairly frustrated yesterday over several things and people. This reminded me to be more accepting and forgiving for what I perceive are shortfalls in systems and people.................SONG OF THE DAY "O CHRISTMAS TREE" or O Tannenbaum...The modern lyrics are due to Leipzig organist, teacher and composer Ernst Anschütz, written in 1824. A Tannenbaum is a fir tree. The lyrics do not actually refer to Christmas, or describe a decorated Christmas tree. Instead, they refer to the fir's evergreen qualities as a symbol of constancy and faithfulness. The original folk song contrasted the evergreen's constancy with the faithlessness of a faithless lover. The folk song first became associated with Christmas with Anschütz, who added two verses of his own to the first, traditional verse.

ADVENT I WEDNESDAY

"Come to me and I will give you rest, all of you who work so hard beneath a heavy yoke." Matthew 11:28. Shirley Christofel from Olivet said that as children, we learn to ask Jesus to come as in the prayer "Come, Lord Jesus, be Thou our guest".........PRAYER OF THE DAY Dear Heavenly Father, may we be ever mindful of the sacrificial gift of Jesus. As we speak to Him, keep us patient, and listen for His answers and guidance. With thankfulness and praise, we pray His name. AMEN..............TODAY'S SONG - ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH: The words of the song are based on a traditional French carol known as Les Anges dans nos campagnes (literally, "Angels in our countryside") composed by an unknown author in Languedoc, France. It is thought that the song was part of a collection of songs dating around 1855. The common English version was translated in 1862 by James Chadwick, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, northeast England. The carol quickly became popular in the West Country, where it was described as 'Cornish' and featured in Pickard-Cambridge's Collection of Dorset Carols. If you go to Wikipedia you will find multiple translations of this song including German, Portugese and Gaelic.

The Olivet devotion guide for this day used the hymn "Fling Wide the Door" as the scripture for the day. It is based on Psalm 24:7-10. Verses 7 and 9 are the same "Lift up your heads, O gates!...and be lifted up, O ancient doors!....that the King of glory may come in!"...PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I ask that you open our hearts to You and only You this holiday season. Guide us on the right path to fully humble ourselves to prepare for the coming of your son. AMEN ...... "O Little Town of Bethlehem" is a popular Christmas carol. The text was written by Phillips Brooks (1835–1893), an Episcopal priest, Rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Philadelphia. He was inspired by visiting Bethlehem in 1865. Three years later, he wrote this poem for his church and his organist, Lewis Redner, added the music................ The fourth verse of the hymn is "Where children pure and happy pray to the blessèd Child, Where misery cries out to Thee, Son of the mother mild; Where charity stands watching and faith holds wide the door, The dark night wakes, the glory breaks, and Christmas comes once more"

ADVENT I MONDAY

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace." Colossians 3:15..... Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for coming to earth to bring your peace to a troubled world. We pray for peace between nations and families and for the spreading of the gospel so that more people would receive you and the peace that only you can give. AMEN...... DECK THE HALLS : The tune is that of an old Welsh air, dating back to the sixteenth century, and belongs to a winter carol, Nos Galan, first found in a musical manuscript by Welsh harpist John Parry Ddall (c. 1710–1782), but undoubtedly much older than that. "Deck the Halls" or "Deck the Hall" (which is the original title) is a traditional Christmas, yuletide, and New Years' carol. (COURTESY OF WIKAPEDIA)

SUNDAY ADVENT I WE REMEMBER ISAIAH, THE PROPHET

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light..." Is 9:2 This first prayer in the Advent devotional was by Pastor William Cox who passed away this year. He was a wonderful man and is very much missed. "Dear Lord, during this waiting season fill us with hope, joy, peace and love. When the darkness is all about us, help us to seek your guiding Hand that will lead us into the light. Amen". O Come, O Come Emmanuel is an advent hymn. It is the mid-19th century translation into English by John Mason Neale and Henry Sloane Coffin of the Ecclesiastical Latin text "Veni, veni, Emmanuel". Its origins are unclear, though it is thought that the antiphons (antiphons are choral responses sung by choirs or congreations) are from at least the 8th Century, but "Veni, veni Emmanuel" may well be 12th century in origin. The text is based on the biblical prophecy from Isaiah 7:14 that states that God will give Israel a sign that will be called Immanuel (Lit.: God with us).

THE ADVENT WREATH AND CANDLES

Families preparing for the coming of the Christ Child before Crhistmas (Advent) began with Lutherans in Eastern Germany. Gathering around the Advent wreath was a quiet time and included lighting the candles, reading scripture, praying and giving a benediction. It means coming or arrival and represents expectation, anticipation and preparation. This is demonstrated both in the secular and sacred traditions. Many households have advent wreaths with four candles for each Sunday before Christmas. Traditionally the colors are purple and pink but the Church of Swedan (Lutheran) began the tradition of using blue instead of purple. The red and green colors are secular (non-church) colors and emerged from old European practices that the colors represent life and hope Usually on the first Sunday, we are honoring Isaiah as the first foreteller of the promise of baby Jesus. The second Sunday is in honor of John the Baptist. The third Sunday honors Mary whom God favored to bear his son and on the fourth Sunday Joseph is honored Advent is the season leading up to Christmas.

ADVENT

In the past for the Christmas season, I have written a story about bears, done the ABC's of Advent and a glimpse of my own Christmas' pasts. This year I am going to publish a scripture reading each day, possibly a comment, a prayer and a Christmas song and a bit of history about the song. A big undertaking and hopefully I will accomplish this. In the process of trying to find a book called "a morning cup of yoga", I ran across an Advent daily devotional guide put out by Olivet Lutheran Church in 2004. Each day a church member contributed a reading, comments and prayers. I am simply going to be referring to that and then adding the Christmas hymn.

THE FALL OF FALL

October was a wonderful month. Usually I am not a fan of the month. It is fine until the middle of the month and then the beautiful trees lose their leaves and they all fall down (similar to Humpty Dumpty). This year however the temperatures stayed warm longer and the leaves took their "good 'ole time" turning colors. However November ushered itself in with a blustery wind and rain. The temperatures are still great but the rain and wind have caused the trees to shed their leaves. On a brighter note, our son decided to run for the local school board this year and was elected. It was close and there will be a recount as dictated by Ohio law. I am very proud of him for all of his service to his community and his belief that he can stand, counted and make a difference. The hard work is just beginning as well as all of those "wonderful" phone calls that he can look forward too! Still, it is nice that he is putting himself out there. Kudos!!!

WEEK THREE IN OCTOBER

This has been a pretty good week. It ramped up greatly on Friday when I went down to see the grandkids. It was Grandparent Day at the elementary school. The PTA had an independent caterer offer sandwiches and salads if you so desired (this eliminated me having to stop somewhere to pick up lunch). Since both grandmothers were there we both opted for the lunch. Afterward we did the book fair. I really had about 1 1/2 hours until my grandson came home from school. I decided to wait. I had brownies to take to the house and I got to play with both dogs. When my grandson came home we talked about the upcoming dance that Saturday night. He told me that they were learning line dances in gym and he actually got up and showed them to me. He is usually so reticent that it was pure joy to watch this. I saw the pictures of the boys and two girls who went to the dance. Based on the dresses on the girls I think my time Friday afternoon was even more precious. He is growing up too fast. With both grandkids I need to corral as much time as I can.

SOCCER

Sunday we were in Bodkins Ohio for the granddaughter's final regular season game. For a moment it seemed as though no one would get to play since the referee did not show up. However one of our moms is a soccer coach and the other team agreed to let her ref. Kudos for them. I am not an expert on soccer rules by any stretch of the imagination but she seemed to do a very good job and for once no one on either side seemed to yell at the ref. However I cannot believe the "grandfathers" of these kids. At one of the baseball games this summer a grandfather went off on the ref and almost started fights among the parents and then Sunday again a grandfather started to cross the line. Just at the end of the game a ref showed up. When one mother questioned him, he said he was there for a 4:00 game (it was not our game). The grandfather did not hear that and just assumed he was the absent ref and started shouting to go home, not needed etc. I mean really!!!! Do these old men lose their perspective after a certain age or do they just think that being old gives them the right to say, act and do whatever they want? The girls lost 3-2 but played well considering that they had no subs while the other team could sub out each player all day. It was a spectatular October day however. It was great to be outside.

EARLY OCTOBER

This will probably seem as though I wrote two articles in one day. My last posting was saved in a draft and I just got around to posting it. I still cannot seem to post pictures and should really try to figure it out. On another note, the October weather so far has been fabulous. I have played some golf but pulled a muscle or injured the sciatic (not sure which) and have had some trouble with the turns etc that are involved in golf. This past week we have had a funeral and a memorial service to attend. One was the mother of a friend and that of course evokes memories of my own parents. It was a Lutheran service and the choice of hymns was great. The memorial service today is for a friend. We have not been involved with him since his divorce over 20 years ago but he maintained a friendly atmosphere with his ex-wife and we are supporting her. He was just 69. That is getting too close to home. The weather is suppose to turn a bit next week. Our grandson has just one more football game and we are attending our granddaughter's last soccer game tomorrow. She will be in a tournment next weekend but we might not be able to make it and it will also depend on the weather. I wish that I lived close enough to attend all their events. It is just a long day to drive over 5 hours (there and back) for an hour or two. Plus now I would be driving back in the dark on an expressway and alone. I just feel that is foolish on my part. Oh well. It is a choice that I make and I hate it.

SEPTEMBER???????

Where oh where has September AND the summer gone. Today is the first day of fall. I so love summer that I am bummed that it is over. I know we have good weather left but still....... A week ago JR and I went to The Wilds in southeaster Ohio near Zanesville. It is situated on 10,000 acres with 2,000 of those acres populated by various exotic species of animals. We went on a 2 1/2 hour safari to see the various animals, checked into our yurt (yes you read that correctly), had dinner, enjoyed a wonderful powerful storm during the night and ate breakfast the next day before heading up to Columbus and Easton Center. I am going to try to load some pictures but have not been able to the last few trys.

LAST VISIT OF THE SUMMER

Just a little over a week ago, JR and I made the last summer trip to visit the grandkids. It was a very busy day for me. The 18 Hole Golf League had our "Bring A Friend" golf tournament in the morning and then a quick shower and we were on our way. Our grandson played his first Junior High football game at 5. We got there about 20 minutes late and the first half was almost over. However the second half was not anywhere near as fast. It was an intense game with lots of back and forth scoring but his team prevailed and won 19-18. During the last quarter there were lots of text messages regarding the rabbit show at the fair as that was our next stop. Once the game was over, I jumped in the van along with Jules, E., and the Rabbit Wrangler. He had to change from his football uniform into his "fair uniform". That consists of jeans, tee-shirt, long sleeve white shirt and non tennis shoes. He managed to button the shirt unevenly and the collar never got turned out. The fair board had changed the time table and the rabbits were up earlier than before. Soooooo, he had a friend showing the rabbits until he got there. We roared in and luckily the rabbits survived the first cut. He was 4th out of 22 entries. They started school this past Tuesday. I wish that I could post pictures but I am having a horrible time doing it. I do not know what blogspot has changed but it is very difficult to post pictures.

GRANDKIDS PART 2?

I spent another Thursday with my grandchildren. With school looming in the future I really have one week left with the final week playing golf here in the morning with a middle school football game at 5 and the rabbit show at the fair after that. They start back to school right after Labor Day. I think we were all tired on Thursday. We did not accomplish much. We wrapped up a few details on our projects. We still have England to pursue (although we did learn about William the Conquer's Doomsday book in 1086). The most laughs were when my grandson asked if I wanted to sword fight. We have not done this for years. The swords are not nerf but plastic and large. I won the first contest by knocking the sword out of his hand. I won the battle with my granddaughter and then they had a match to see who would meet me in the championship. So my grandson and I paired off again and he won. I got to laughing so hard I could not even swing the sword. It was great fun. I will be down there again this week. I missed going down about 3 weeks in July - one week they were on vacation and 2 weeks I was not able to go down due to an outpatient medical procedure. However they came up twice for a total of about 7 days. So all in all I was able to spend some quality time with them.

GRANDKIDS

It has been a few weeks since I last posted. The grandchildren visited last weekend while their parents were on a get-a-way with friends in the Hocking Hills area. Friday was rainy so we shopped for a few school clothes in the AM> and went to the driving range in the afternoon. Saturday I was at the zoo with them. They had picked an animal to learn about and my granddaughter had picked toads and my grandson had picked the silverback gorilla. We saw the wallabies and then headed over to view the apes and gorillas. We then went to the zoo's museum and saw a small display for the Australian Great Barrier Reef and found an amphibian exhibit with frogs and toads and other truly obnoxious bugs (the cockroach exhibit was particullary distubing). Since we had been to the zoo in July we just spent 1 1/2 hours there and came home. We then played golf in the late afternoon. Sunday we went to the pool for awhile and then played golf again. The evenings were spent playing board games - Clue and Aggravation. They did not even bring their electronic devices. It was a very cool 3 days - they are such fun to be with. I was very impressed that they actually did their research on their animals and their presidents. We still have a few more things to learn this summer. We have President Martin Van Buren left, England and Java. We have learned some things about Hawaii, Texas, John Quincy Adams, John Tyler, William Henry Harrison and Andrew Jackson (does anyone remember Johnny Horton's song "The Battle of New Orleans"?). We picked these presidents cause they were included in a set of Pez Dispensers.

RAIN

This week we exchanged one granddog for two grandkids. A very fair exchange. The weather was not very condusive to having grandchildren visiting. We went to the movies twice. The first one was Despicable Me2 and even grandpa went. The next was Monster University. You also have to consider that the previous week I saw Epic and that makes the last three movies that I saw were all animated movies. They were all very good but probably I would rank Monster University first and the other two tied for a close second. The kids fished twice and caught some big bass. We played Clue and pool ("Bob Jackson" actually won 2 games to 1 over "Susie Q McGilicutty"). We had lunch at Hothead Burrito and generally had a fun time with lots of laughs. We get everyone back in about 3 weeks (dog and kids) for about 4-5 days. I just love summer.

YOU GOTTA LOVE WILDLIFE

This past 11 days we took care of one of our granddogs while the family was on vacation. Yesterday we exchanged her for the two grandkids. We were sitting in the family room whiling away time until we went to Despicable Me2 and our resident blue heron flew in. Neither of the kids had seen it before so we watched it for a minutes. Suddenly it dipped it's head int

o the lake and came up with a bluegill - a rather large bluegill in fact. We watched it for another few moments and then it swallowed it whole. I will try to put up some of the pictures so you can see it.

4th of JULY

As much as I love summer, I feel as though the days are more like winter with all of the gray clouds.  I really do need sunshine to be a productive member of society.  My mother always was able to work around the house on cloudy days so that she could "play" on the sunny days.  I really only feel like accomplishing things on sunny days and therefore........ it has been a nonproductive few days.  We have had one of the granddogs with us for about 11 days.  It is really nice to have her here.  Really the only negative is that she injured her ACL and so I try not to have here run much so it will try to heel.  We check the back yard for wildlife and so far the geese have not been around much and the ducks have not come in much.  One day while she was laying in the yard near the bird feeders, several ducks came up.  I have no idea what they thought the large black "thing" was in the yard but they were definitely surprised when she took off after them.  She has not been pleased with the thunderstorms and the fireworks but she deals with it ok.  We took her out last night for a doggy ice cream and she really!! liked that.  I will miss here when she returns home to her family.  There is nothing like being greeted by a dog when you come home.  They are so loving.

FINALLY SUMMER

The heading says it all...and summer roared in with temps close to the 90's.  I love, love summer and am so happy it is here.  I try to eat lunch outside on the deck every day that I am home and either take pictures of birds or read.  It is very relaxing and invigorating at the same time.  I am delighted that the grandkids are out of school.  Now I get to go down to see them.  I have managed to go 3 weeks in a row (including this week) and really enjoy it.  We are learning about the states of Texas and Hawaii.  Later in the summer we will learn about the countries of England and Java.  Each child picked a state, a country, a US President and an animal.  The presidents were from Pez dispensers I found at Big Lots(????).  There are 5 pez dispensers and so far we have picked William Henry Harrison and Andrew Jackson.  The animals are silver back gorillas and giraffes with some toads and frogs thrown in extra.  In addition we are hitting on Australia since the Toledo Zoo has a great Australian thing going on until September.  I just love those kids and we do other things also not just learning.  More to come later.

MEMORIAL WEEKEND

The first part of the Memorial weekend was great.  The temperatures were in the high 60's and the sun was out.  Our son, daughter-in-law and grandkids came up late Saturday and left late Sunday.  It was great to have them here.  Susie Q McGillicutty and Bob continued their pool match.  Susie Q was up from the last time but after 6 games, this weekend ended in a tie (3-3).  She is still up over all.  Great-Grandpa came for lunch on Sunday after going to the casino for a couple of hours.  JR went over to make sure he made it here for lunch and the other 5 of us went to the zoo to see the baby polar bears and meet Baru, the 17 ft, 1500 lb Australian Saltwater Crocodile.  The polar bears were hysterical (I had just seen them less than a week ago) and the crocodile is awesome.  We managed to see the Artic wolves and Lucas the 2 year old elephant.  BDB had not seen the new elephant exhibit - Tembo Trail and was amazed at how the zoo has changed.  It has been about 3 years since he was there.  Since we are going to watch the dog(s) over the 4th of July, I negotiated to make sure I also get to have the grandkids here also.  I mean, that is what summer is for - visiting grandparents.

Sunday night, with tissues in hand, I watched the Capital Memorial Day concert on PBS.  It is not really a celebration of Memorial Day but rather a somber look at those who have sacrified for all of us.  Charles Durning was featured this year.  He usually speaks at the concert each year but passed away last year.  He has a silver and bronze star as well as 3 purple hearts.  The concert is very moving.

True to form, Memorial Day was cold and rainy.  We had planned on playing golf but cancelled.  We did join friends for supper at the club Monday night.  It is now back to reality.  No more playing with grandchildren.

SUMMER COUNTDOWN

In one of my current issues of Good Housekeeping, it was stated that there are 98 days in summer and 14 weekends.  I figure that since summer is my MOST favorite season, I better get busy and start planning.  I failed this week.  I was not able to play golf Wednesday with the ladies and did not make any plans for Friday golf.  Originally this summer I had thought that I would try to play golf on Wednesday, Friday and most Sundays.  So I feel like I have wasted this week.  We are having friends over for euchre this Saturday (it is my turn) and I am getting everything ready (grocery shopping and cleaning) as well as going out and getting plants for the containers.  Maybe next week I can fulfill my plans for golf.

While cleaning last week, I ran across my old Lutheran Book of Prayer.  So this morning I looked up Friday and read the morning prayer.  I am going to share the last part as I have always felt that I struggle with this.

"Grant that I be ready to forgive, earnest in my rejoicing with those who are happy, quick in sympathy, and zealous in bearing the burdens of my fellow men." 

GLORIOUS DAY

On Thursday, I was lucky enough to play golf with 3 good friends.  The day was perfect.  It was one of those spring days when the sky, sun and spring tree flowers were in perfect harmony.  My personal golf game was lacking BUT the camaraderie was excellent.  I do believe that Joyce Kilmer said it best in her poem "Trees"  If you have the time you should reread it.

                                "I think that I shall never see
                                  A poem lovely as a tree.

POST HILTON HEAD

We just got back from Hilton Head South Carolina. We left a day early for a stop over for a baseball game.    The temps were in the high 30's and rainy so thankfully the game was cancelled.  We count that as attendance at a game.  We then drove to Columbia SC the next day and had a short less than 3 hour drive to the island.  Luckily we were actually able to get into the condo around 1pm so I felt like we had an extra day there.  We were in Hilton Head 7 days/nights. On Sunday some friends joined us and spent the rest of the time there.  We also had additional friends at another location so had a lot of fun going to dinner with everyone.  I was able to eat seafood/fish every night and most days except breakfast.  However even saying that there was just too much food and by the end of the trip I could not even think of eating.  I stayed in the last night - I could not even think of eating supper or looking at food.  The weather was great up to the last day and  then it was miserable.  I played golf once while JR played 3 times.  I tried to go birding one day but only took pictures of egrets.  My disc from my camera does not seem to want to load onto the computer so I cannot look at the pictures or post any of them.  I will work on that now that I am back.

POST APRIL 15

I have been trying to get organized after 4 months of working almost 6 days a week.  I call it "shoveling" out the house although it is not really that bad.  I always have trouble with the mail and paperwork while working.  I have no desire to read when I get home from work so now I am throwing out the junk mail and making sure that I did not miss anything important.  I am dusting and trying to spot deep clean but going through the house and getting it in shipshape condition.  Once everything is surfaced clean then I can go deeper.  I am trying to get reacquainted with my new camera.  I literally forgot everything about it but did some rereading today and can now try to work on figuring it out.  The weather has not really been conducive for outdoor activities but looks promising today.

Word of the Day:  Shipshape (adj) Characterized by order and neatness; free from disorder.

4 MONTHS LATER

I cannot believe it has been since Christmas since my last posting.  To be honest, this was a very long tax season and I did not do anything but work and rest on my days off.  I did have a medical issue running concurrently with working and after 22 years I really had no interest in chatting with people in the evening after talking all day.  So we socialized just a tad.  We did go over to a friend's house on many Sundays to watch Downton Abbey on DVD.  That was a nice evening, relaxing and relatively short.  It involved supper and a one hour TV show.  I prepared more tax returns than last year (328) and the last day was really busy for me.  I rarely have clients come in on that day but this year 3 did and they came in at 5, 6 and 7:30PM.  I got home around 8:45 pm but for the first time in 22 years, I did not work on the 16th.  I celebrated my first day off with lunch with my best friend, shopping and buying two blouses and stopping at another store that I had not been to since they changed their layout.  It was a great day.  I am trying to clean the house and that should happen since the weather is so quirky that it makes going outside a non event.