October 27, 2018 Saturday HELP! It is stressful!

Yikes!  Making choices for the house; specifically appliances for the kitchen.  There's too many choices, too many brands, too many stores, too many salesmen, sales--no wait, Black Friday is approaching.

Example: refrigerators.

• want no water dispenser?
• want water in the door?
• want water inside the top refrigerator area?
• one--or two--ice makers?
• where do you want the ice makers?
• read the reviews.  too noisy? ice scatters on floor? water dispenser drips?  
• sticker shock! how much does that cost?

Multiply all those choices by stove, dishwasher, microwave.

Add in choosing a washer/dryer.  

Let's just make a decision and be finished.  Is this your final answer?  

All of the sheetrock is hung in the house.  "Mudding" has started.  

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Ashlynn had two regular season volleyball games last night.  Both were winners!  The team has improved their skills, and is working together.  She was all smiles.

This morning she participated in a 90-minute try-out for "Pursuit", a traveling volleyball team.  This afternoon she called, and successfully "pranked" me.  Her voice sounded gravelly and broken and tearful.  "Grammy," she said, "I just wanted to tell you something."  My heart was breaking and I had tears in my eyes.  

"Grammy, I MADE the team!"  The little squirt fooled me all the way.  She said she was touching the ceiling with excitement.  

Zade had a flag football game this afternoon.  The team is still undefeated, winning 31-6.  There is one more regular season game next Saturday, then there will be a tourney.

Then....there is baseball tomorrow afternoon, and a make-up game Monday night.  This season is winding down.  I don't think there are play/offs or a tourney.  Zade's team hasn't won a baseball game.

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Maybe we say this every year.  We were giving up on fall colors this season.  However in the past week the trees are brilliant with colors.  This may be the peak week end.  Daytime temps have been in the mid 60's: a beautiful fall season.  

In between checking on the house one-or two times a day, going to games, we are mostly twiddling our thumbs!  

We would enjoy hearing from you.

October 23, 2018 (Tuesday) Back in Cape Girardeau MO--for a week. (The Landing Point RV Park, Cape Girardeau, MO)

The days are going by at an alarming rate!

We have been back in Cape Girardeau (or CG) for one week.  We left Greenwood AR, driving without incident back to CG.  Glen admits some apprehension at driving the motor home again.  
(Remember the blow out on the last trip.)

I-40 from Fort Smith across Arkansas to the border is finally in a good, smooth condition, after several sections of construction over the past few years.

Last Friday, October 19, we visited both Ashlynn and Zade for "Grandparents' Day" celebrations at Central Middle School (CGMO).  We brought lunches to each of them, visited the library for the Book Fair, and stayed indoors during recess as it was a drizzly afternoon.

Over the week end there were two volleyball games (Ashlynn) Friday night; flag football on Saturday (Zade); and baseball on Sunday afternoon (Zade).

There is one more baseball game this next Sunday for the season.  I am not sure how many more Saturdays for flag football.  Flag football is fun to watch.  The team has actual plays, is 7-0 for the season, and Zade plays both offense and defense.

Saturday evening we kept Ashlynn and Zade company while the parents went to a community fundraiser.  Ashlynn was picked up by a friend early in the evening with plans for a pizza dinner and a tour of the House of Horrors!  (not my cup of tea!)

There is great progress on the house.  We visited mid morning.  There was insulation being blown into the attic; sheet rock being hung on the walls; plumbers hooking up sewer lines; and electrician working on the breaker box.  The front and back doors have been hung.

We made a trip to Lowe's this morning, choosing the washer and dryer, the refrigerator, and the shower doors we like.  They will be ordered in the next month.  The sales person indicated by waiting until late November we could take advantage of "Black Friday" pricing.

Daughter Trisha had the cast removed from her foot last Thursday.  She is now in a boot for four weeks, but learned that the more she is off the foot the quicker healing will start.  She says it is very sore and tender, and not in a hurry to put weight on it.....which means still using crutches, or the knee scooter.  (Picture a skate board shaped platform on wheels for the bended leg to rest, with handlebars to steer.)

There always seems to be a doctor's appoint or two on the schedule.  The older one gets the more doctors there are to see.....almost a doctor per body part!!!😁

October 12, 2018 (Friday) It Feels Like Fall Out!

The first year we were married Glen was working on a research paper on "radiation, Cold War, fall-out" etc.  One fall week end I made the statement that it "smells like fall out!"  Glen was taken aback, wondering how I knew what "fall out" smells like!

"Fall-out" has been a family joke ever since. (It doesn't take much to amuse us!)  We can smell "fall out", or feel "fall out", or see "fall out"!

Since it has been three weeks since I last wrote, I will bring you up to date, starting with the most recent.

It does feel like "fall out"!  The past two days we have used the heat pump in the mornings and the air conditioner in the afternoon.

We are located in Greenwood, Arkansas.  There is very little color in the leaves of the forest.  

Our daughter Trisha while touring Europe the first half of September stepped and turned her foot in an unusual manner.  She knew she had injured it, but soldiered on during the remaining trip.  As soon as she returned to US, she had an appointment with her family doctor then an orthopedic
specialist.  She learned she had broken a bone at the base of her pinky toe.  The break was causing the toe to curl under and would eventually affect her balance.  She had surgery nine days ago.  She is in a cast and puts no weight at all on the foot.

The surgeon put in a metal plate and screws into her foot, aligning the bones.  Next Thursday she will have stitches removed and change from the cast to a boot.

We have been here since last Saturday, keeping her company.  Tanner goes to college classes; Jeff is flying; and Brady is 90 minutes away at college also.

We will return to Cape Girardeau next Tuesday.  Things are happening at our house.  We talked to builder today.  The windows are in, insulation is being blown in today.  Next week the back and front doors will be installed; and sheet rock on the walls will be started.  

Last Saturday on the trip from Cape Girardeau to Greenwood, the motorhome had a blow out on the front left tire.  Glen was driving in the right lane of I-40 when the blowout occurred.  He skillfully guided the motor home to the left lane, then back into the right lane and off to the side of the road.  Thankfully there were no vehicles on either side of the motorhome during the wild ride. 

There is damage to the left side of the motorhome.  An insurance adjuster has been here, videoed the damage and will forward the video to the main adjuster.  Repairs will be done in the Cape Girardeau area.  

Glen has always insisted that we carry an unmounted spare tire (for the mh) with us.  That insistence paid off as the mechanic removed the blown out tire, used the wheel to mount the spare.  The wheel had some damage but is useable.  

Zade, our youngest grandson, plays fall baseball and flag football this season.  We enjoy watching both sports. Zade is a versatile baseball player.  He plays catcher, first baseman, and pitcher for the team, but likes first baseman best.

The flag football team has five players.  Zade plays both offense and defense.  

Ashlynn is taking a break from gymnastics, playing volleyball.  She has been taking some extra classes in serving and spiking (yes, in sixth grade).  The games start this coming week.  

When we are in CG we make one -or two -or three trips a day to check on the house.  We don't want to miss anything!!! 

Glen expected to be in Seattle WA this week for the Dak To, Vietnam, Army reunion.  However, because of inclement weather in Dallas, the first and second leg of the flights were cancelled.  Trisha had planned to go with him, but because of her foot injury, he was going by himself.  I don't think I can fly anymore.  The thought of being on a plane for hours on a runway causes my claustrophobia to flair.  He wasn't looking forward to flying alone so the cancellations took care of that undecidedness.

One more note:  The air conditioner on the pick up is repaired; the ice maker makes ice in the motor home, and the hot water heater heats in the motor home.  Now--just repairs from the blow out to look forward to!!