Saturday, March 18, 2023

Saturday's Scribbles


Good Saturday to you from the upper Midwest where winter keeps hanging on.  Woke up to 7 degrees today.  Thursday we had mostly rain though, so can't complain as winds were sustained at 30 mph and with snow?  That would have been bad.  Joel is getting restless to ride again, he does not like to walk for exercise.  I tell him, I do a lot of things I don't necessarily like, but I know are good for me but I'm thinking he needs a winter bike to ride.  I walk around inside the house and make my goal 21 minutes a day.  Strange number?  I had read that you need walk only 11 minutes a day briskly in order to decrease the chance of heart disease, diabetes, etc.  I thought, "I can do that!"  And more.............  With my body still fighting this "sick" eye, 21 is a good number. Can I just interject here that I am so sick of being sick?  Annoying.

Speaking of my eye, we head to Mayo Tuesday for a surgery evaluation.  Since last Sunday I have had and increase in balance issues and the pressure/pain in my head.  The "referred pain".    I am off the pain med but still on Tylenol and two eye drops.  I am still sleeping at night so am very thankful for that.  The doctor says the cornea looks good but still swollen and my eye is shrinking too.  I have been happy to report I have not shrunk at all height wise, but now alas....I have a shrinking eye! 

Joel and I are both struggling with the Old Testament readings.  It seems like so far it is mostly about, war, sex, and death.  Seriously not okay.  And we find the OT God  more than a little gruesome in His actions.  We head into the book of Ruth Monday so I am hoping for a more pleasant read!  Or "listen" as it is.  Give me the New Testament any day.....just saying.

I have really enjoyed looking at slides (on USB) this month.  So many memories come flooding back.  Today I am remembering my "Little Sis" Zita, who was assigned to me at Bible College our second year.  Her husband Mike died this week at age 73.  We remember them both back in 1967 and as Zita and the family grieve their loss now.  So many years ago and yet it can seem like just yesterday that we graduated from Golden Valley Lutheran College and left many friends behind.

We have had 15 major moves and a few moves from one house to another besides.  We left friends behind with every move...many we have stayed in touch with, like Helen and George although we have not hugged on them since 1976!  We will more than likely hug on them in Heaven!  There is something to be said for traveling and living around the country and overseas, but there is also something to be said for putting deep roots down in one place.  

I just put honey wheat bread into a loaf pan for a second rising.  I enjoy making bread for the most part.  Did it for years when the kids were young and our family was not so big.  I think it will be a French toast and bacon kind of weekend.  We try to eat bacon only a few times a year........why?  I guess because it is not so good for us.  I usually buy nitrate free and with the surge in prices we paid a whole lot of cash for 1 package of nitrate free bacon!  And yogurt?  Yikes....and lets not forget eggs.  Just grateful that even though we complain about the prices, we can still afford them.  Yes, grateful.

We started watching a new series on Britbox which is a spinoff from Death in Paradise.  It is called Beyond Paradise and is really good. We like it better than the original series.   I have added in a few teachings by Randy Clark and Kris Vallotton to my week too.  

Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day.  Joel and both had the Ancestry testing to see what ancestry we have.  Surprisingly Joel came up with a bit of Irish.....and I have a bit of Irish too but not as much as I thought.  He thought, due to family lore that he was part European Jew, but it is me who carries some of that one!  Add to those, Norwegian, French and English for me and Norwegian, Dane, and English doe Joel.  A melting pot, just like our family.  We represent many countries...besides the above our kids and their families add, The Philippines, Koralso ea, Mexico, China, Puerto Rico, Germany, Northern Cheyenne, African American, and probably more.  It is nice to be a melting pot of God's creation.

So today I am thankful, for rain this week (and no snow).  Grateful for sunshine and winds.  Grateful for the life of Mike, well lived.  Grateful for old friends across the country and world.  Grateful for good memories and slides that pop right up on our TV to make us smile.  Grateful for teachings that keep us focused on God.  Grateful for struggling with the OT as it stretches us, and the New Testament that inspires us.  Grateful for homemade bread, bacon, and being able to afford the food we want and need.  Grateful for riding bike and walking.  Grateful for phone calls, texts, Facebook friends, and so much more...

Enjoy your weekend!



 




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