Glad

One of the pillowcases mother gave us today

I was glad when they said unto me "Let us go unto the house of the Lord." Our services were good Wednesday night missing just one of our regular attendees. Thursday Janie and I went to Henderson by way of Canton. It was 101 degrees there which seems unusual for Late September. We were glad we went even though it was hot. My son-in-law was there and bought three little pigs. He offered one of them to us volunteering to raise it for us if we would pay for the feed. We agreed and so we are looking forward to the spring when Justin will carry them to the butcher. This butcher makes the best sausage I have ever tasted. It makes us feel glad to have our freezer well stocked.

Janie shopping at Canton

Last night I had a long visit with my brother-in-law, Steve, sitting at our mother-in-law's kitchen table. We talked about the end time prophecies and then about fishing. He helped me cull out the lures that were useless so now I am not embarrassed to open my tackle box in public. Some of my lures made him laugh out loud so I am glad I got his advice. One lure I refused to throw away because I thought it was pretty and I told him I would send him a picture of the fish I caught with it. He is not going to hold his breath waiting for it. I wish he and I lived closer together so we could visit and fish often.
My mother was glad to see us this morning and we were glad to see her doing well and very happy. She has been working at embroidery and just loves it. She gave us a set of pillow cases she had done. Her eye sight must be very good for her work is very detailed. She needed some more Glucerna so I will take her some by as we head back to Hillsboro this afternoon.
This morning Janie got a sweet text message with a picture of Naomi which said "Naomi wanted to say good morning to Nana. I am glad we have unlimited texting.
So far I am glad we bought the truck. The past 1,280 miles have been much more comfortable than the last 146,000 miles. God bless you.

Loaded Down

Grandkids trying out our new truck

We had really good services Sunday though our attendance was down a little.  I preached at the nursing home Sunday afternoon.  I love preaching there.  The people seem hungry to hear God's word preached and I am always hungry to preach so it is the best of both worlds.  I preached on the subject of the Holy City New Jerusalem.  I almost lost my voice between preaching Sunday morning, afternoon, and night then closing the day out with an hour of choir practice. 

Okay lets try out the inside of Papa's new truck

Today I got up early and worked on a couple of reports that I will have to give at the meeting on Saturday.  With those done I went to town to take care of some other church related business.  I cooked lunch and then Janie and I went to Waco to do some shopping.  We returned from Waco with our new truck loaded down with cargo.  We had a large item in cab with us and the bed of the truck was loaded down with some tables and a sheet of plywood.  It sure is nice to have a truck again. 

Naomi riding in Papa and Nana's new truck

Janie may be going over to Palestine tomorrow to help Sarah out a little bit.  If she does not we will have a busy day here with Bible Study in the morning and getting some much needed work done here at the house.    God bless you.

Crazy Good

Mother and Naom

Wednesday we had an exceptional crowd at church.  My class had twice as many as usual.  I hope that trend continues.   We had made a special trip to Palestine to take Naomi and Sarah some things they needed.  We took them into town to take care of some business and Naomi broke the new truck in right with a diaper change in the back seat.  We returned to Hillsboro for our evening services then headed over to Henderson to take care of our mothers.
Janie took her mother on Thursday to get a permanent while I spent the day with my mother.  Mother was very happy and I took her for a ride in my new truck.  We went to Wal-Mart and got her a few things she was needing.  On Friday morning I took Janie to see my mother and while there I paid the $4,480.00/month bill at the nursing home.  Before we arrived my mother called me on my cell phone crying saying she needed to talk to me.  When we got there she was still crying and very upset.  We got her calmed down and I took care of her concerns.  She said she had not been given her medicines and Janie proved to her that she had and told her that she must have been sleepy when the came buy and just did not remember it.  That seemed to satisfy her and she was okay from then on.   She needed some more things from Wal-Mart and so Janie and I got some lunch and then got her things.  We returned to the nursing home and mother was crying again.  She said she was loosing her mind and could not remember anything.  She said she did not know who she was or where she was.  I calmed her down again and soon had her laughing.  I talked to the nurse about upping her medicine and she said she would talk to the doctor.  The doctor came to see her right after I left and that pleased mother that something was going to be done to help her.
Today we went by to see her and she was doing great. She was sewing and very happy.  She got to see her newest great-grandchild, Naomi, and was excited about holding her.  It was good to see her happy.
We are on our way now back to Hillsboro.  Janie is driving and it is about dark. She does not like to drive after dark so I will close for now and take over driving.  God bless you. 

Look at that Truck

She is very good looking, very nice, powerful, quiet, sophisticated, sleek, amazingly designed and really well built but enough about Janie... We really like our new truck.  It got 20 mpg on our way down to Lorena tonight.  That is a far cry from 42 mpg but we sure were comfortable and not bothered with road noise.  We could listen to the CD player without having to turn the volume way up. 
Right now the back seat of the truck is piled high with clothes for TBI which we will deliver Thursday.  God bless you.

Truck

Elijah and Jonathan

We traded our car in today for a new truck.  We like the truck so far but we have only driven it 6 miles.  It had 3 miles on it from the factory and we test drove it which brought it up to 6 miles and now it has 12.  It fits in our garage with just 2 1/2 inches to spare.  They tried to sell us an extended warranty that would cover it for 100,000 miles or 5 years but we said no.  We will have 100,000 miles on it in 34 months.  We put 35,000 miles a year on our car and our habits have not changed.  We will still be making trips to Henderson almost every week and that is 400 miles a week right there.
I am amazed at technology.  While we were signing papers the salesman synced my phone with the truck.  I can push a button on the stirring column and tell it who to call and it makes the call with out me even taking the phone out of my pocket.  If they could just make a truck that could get 100 mpg while towing 13,000 pounds we would be all set.  I will post pictures of the truck later.  I did not have time to take any today.
I took a long walk while Janie was at the ladies auxiliary meeting tonight.  I walked a little over 4 miles.  I am in training for a long hike I plan to take next year with my brothers on the PCT.  I am looking forward to that.  
I got an email today saying that our 40th class reunion would be held on October 8th.  If it is in Massachusetts, and I assume it will be, I will not be able to go.  I have not made any of them so my record will be in tact.  I would like to go but this was just to short of a notice.   
Tomorrow we have our usual Tuesday events and the same with Wednesday.  Thursday I will visit with my mother and take her out for a ride if she feels up to it.  Friday I need to get some work done for the MBA of Texas meeting and try to get back to my thesis.  God bless you.

Choir

Naomi Bachman, number 11

We have a record number of people in our choir this year for the Christmas cantata.  We have 4 basses now and with that many you can finally hear the bass from the back row.  It sounded really good and it is exciting to be a part of a bigger choir.  The 2 basses on either side of me really know what they are doing and that sure helps me.  The songs we will be singing are just outstanding! I can't wait until Christmas gets hear I feel almost like a child again.

Janie, Lilia,Caleb,Micah, Andrew,Jason, Arianna, Angie

Our business meeting last night was a long one.  I had to explain some of the business in detail and that took a lot of time.  At one point I realized I was preaching instead of moderating so I tried to tone it back a bit.  I kind of felt bad about it afterward.  It was a subject about which I have strong feelings but as moderator I am not suppose to vent my opinion just moderate.
We got a good rain last night.  I have not checked my gauge but it was a real good rain. Having gone over 4 months without any rain it was good to hear that down pour last night. 
Janie and I are going to trade our car in for a truck.  We are going to head over to the car dealer here in about a 1/2 hour and see how it goes.  I will miss the mileage of our car but I have missed not having a truck more. 
Our new granddaughter is sweet and Janie looks very happy holding her.  Our new truck will very soon know its way to Palestine.   There is a restaurant there called "Little Mexico" which we like real well and I imagine it also will be seeing a lot of us. 
We need to make a trip down to Hardin to see our grandkids there.  I miss them a lot.  I hope to see them this Saturday in Henderson.  We will make plans for an over night trip to see them and go swimming with them. 
We Skyped with Jason yesterday and caught him up on all the news.  When we first hooked up with them as soon as Arianna saw us come up on their computer screen she began to wave.  She is a sweetie and we miss her and the other kids in France a lot.  They are planning to come to the States in June to stay for a couple of months and I intend to spend a lot of time with them.  (The picture above was taken in Normandy, France.)   I JUST LOVE GRANDKIDS!!!!
God bless you.

Break Down Table

My drawing of the Breakdown Table

Mothers Day

Me and my mother

I spent a good part of today with my mother while Janie spent it with her mother.  My mother is very happy with here new home.  She showed me around her room as if I had not seen it before.  She takes walks regularly according to her and has enjoyed the food.  I sat with her while she ate lunch which consisted of 3 small pieces of fried catfish, some French fries, and some pudding.  She ate 2 pieces of fish and ate the pudding then drank most of a glass of milk.  She was then ready to go back to her room.  My oldest brother's pastor came by for a visit and stayed a good while.  After he left mother and I went down to the office and I put some money into her trust account so she can get her hair fixed when ever she wants to.  I took her into the beauty shop to meet the hairdresser and find out how things work.  She just has to tell them she has a trust fund and they will take care of the rest.  Mother was very upbeat and seemed very happy.  She sees the day shift employees arrive in the morning because their parking area is just outside her window.  A humming bird keeps visiting her bird feeder and she likes that.  I told her that next Friday I would like to take her out for a ride and do some site seeing and she liked the sound of that.  She is feeling really good.  She was concerned about her money and I told her that I was taking care of everything and that she was doing fine in that regard.  That put her mind at ease. 

Janie holding Naomi last night

Janie's mother has been in a lot of pain.  I do not know what is going to be done about that if anything.  She had an angina attach and took some nitro which helped almost immediately.  Her mind is still very sharp and right before her nap this afternoon she was on Facebook checking up on every thing on her social network.  Janie is cleaning her house changing sheets and cleaning the bathrooms for her mother while I am blogging.
I went for a long walk around the lake this afternoon.  The lake is not near as big as it once was.  I have never seen it this dry before.   A young couple were fishing but not catching anything.  I have some work to do this evening and then we will head home by way Palestine to see Naomi.  Naomi is borderline jaundice and will have to be tested to make sure that she is okay.  I am looking forward to being back home tomorrow after this really busy week.  God bless you. 

Nick Names

I  like nicknames. I have given most of my grandkids their nicknames. Most earned them by spending time with me. Let's see there is Yayhoshuay, Rufus, Banana Girl, Joe-Nathan, Kolaijah, Leela, Kaleeb, Meekah, (Andrew has not earned one yet), R-E, and now L-E. 5 of the 11 have been born Again and I am praying for the rest of them. God bless you.


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Birthday

Sarah at midnight on Facebook

I do not know her name as yet but I expect today will be her birthday.  I slept in the car for about 4 hours from 1 to 5 this morning.  It was more comfortable than it sounds sleeping in a VW.  The seat leans way back and I had my camping pillow and another pillow that we keep in the car.  Janie did not sleep at all.  I don't know how she does it.  I took a nap this morning fro 10 to 11 and then took Janie out for some lunch.  The labor is getting more intense now.  The nurses keep saying it may be as late as 7:00 tonight and if that is so I will be leaving Janie here in Palestine while I return to Hillsboro for our evening services at the church.  After the services I will return to Palestine and take Janie on to Henderson.  You can expect to see pictures here on my blog of this new arrival on her birthday so stay tuned.  God bless you.

Sunrise this morning out the window of the waiting room

Me and Janie and Sarah's mother-in-law waiting in the room

A New Member

My mother's 3 daughter-in-laws

We had a young lady join our church Sunday.  She has been attending our church for a couple of years now.  We are currently at the hospital in Palestine, Texas waiting for the arrival of the newest member of our family.  I put my  son-in-law and his mother along with Janie and Sarah to work stuffing envelopes for the MBA of Texas.  We stuffed and stamped 184 envelopes.  I took them to the mailbox out in front of the hospital and sent them on their way.  I had mailed 100 yesterday.  I felt a little guilty having Sarah work while she is suppose to be in labor.  She insisted that she did not mind.  We will return to Hillsboro later today for our evening services then it will be off to Henderson to check on my mother and Janie's mother.  We did not go to Lorena tonight due to Sarah being in the hospital.  We probably could have gone and still made it here in time since Sarah's labor seems to be progressing slowly.  I suppose I should try to get some sleep so I can drive back to Hillsboro.  God bless you.

Autumn Leaves

Mother arriving at her room with her two daughters

It is a unique day in your life when you move your mother to a nursing home.  The nursing home is called Autumn Leaves.  It is a nice facility.  My mother's room is at the far end of a long hall (room 321).  Yesterday me and my siblings went to take care of the paper work at the nursing home and left mother at the house alone.  She was taking a nap when we returned and we woke her so she could eat lunch with us.  She sat next to me at the table and asked me about my family.  She could not remember the names of my three children.  She could not remember taking her pills that morning and while she was alone she had gotten the locked box down which contained her medicines and could not get it open.  I dread the day when I walk into her room and she does not know who I am.  If the Lord is willing I will see her every Thursday and Friday each week.  She seems to be fine with the move and I hope she settles in and adapts to life in her new room.  I am keeping my promise to her that her things will stay in her house as long as she lives.  If there is anything she should want from her house it will be right where she left it.  This seemed to be a comfort to her.  My sisters will stay the weekend and go back to Colorado on Monday. 

Mother and the girls who decorated her room

On Monday this week I went to the nursing home in Hillsboro for the services there and enjoyed seeing everyone.  I am very use to visiting in nursing homes and I love to visit people there.  There are many residents who have no one to visit them.  I do not want that to be the case for my mother.  Tuesday we had a good Bible study in the morning but did not have services in Lorena.  I worked on the sermon for Sunday and the Sunday School lesson.  I also was able to get my Wednesday night lesson ready to go.  Wednesday night we had our usual group.  We have moved class rooms and now sit around a table and have prayer and Bible study.  It was a really good service.  I like this new format and hope that others will join us. 

Mother with the boys and daughters-in-law

Tomorrow we will head back to Hillsboro by way of the nursing home to see my mother one more time and then through Palestine for a short visit with our daughter and Son-in-law.  Our number 11 grandchild could come at anytime now.  When that phone call comes we will drop everything and head that way.  God bless you.

More Miles

My mother with the triple doll

I have not blogged in several days and as usual it is because I have been busy.  Janie and I went to Canton and had a good time there.  We stayed only a few hours and it was very hot.   Most of the booths were closed so there was not a lot to see.  I did buy a couple of ammo cans that I am going to use to make a portable outdoor grill.  I got the idea from Youtube.  We met a couple of our church members there and visited with them for just a minutes. 

Ralph and Mother

We got to Henderson Thursday afternoon to find that my mother-in-law had not been feeling well.  She was having some problems so I thought it best that I should go with her and Janie to the beauty shop in Tyler on Friday.  I was glad that I went.  We went to see my mother Friday evening and Ralph was staying with her for the weekend.  Ralph is really good with mother.  He makes her laugh.  One of the things I have always admired about my little brother is his humor.  He is the life of any party.  His wife is sweet and full of energy.  They have taken good care of mother and that has been such a relief to my mind to know she is in good hands.  My older brother, Steve, has been faithful to help mother with her med's and seeing after her.  It has been good to have him and Teresa living next door to her.   

Janie took this picture this morning during my sermon

Saturday morning Janie and I helped her mother can some jelly.  With that project done we headed back to Hillsboro by way of Palestine to have supper with Justin and Sarah.  We had to deliver some gifts to them and the triple doll.
Sunday has been a great day.  We had a fellowship lunch after services and the food was really good.  I preached from Leviticus 19:9-18 on the subject of loving your neighbor.  Our attendance was down a bit Sunday morning but Sunday night it was up.  We had the Lord's supper observance and that is always an emotional service for me.  I preached from Isaiah 53 and then we had the supper.  I am looking forward to this week.  I love work and I have a lot of it to do.  My sisters will be arriving on Wednesday and I plan to see them at mother's on Thursday.  I am praying that all of that will go well. God bless you.