Who's Guarding the Hen House?

Are we the only ones out there who are concerned? We think it is perfectly wonderful that this new government is willing to bail out the whole country, and, in addition, provide beautification for the D.C. Mall area, as well as provide birth contol, BUT who is going to pay for all of this? We think we know the answer: We are. As the costs for the stimulus and "bail out" continue to rise, so do our concerns. What "pork barrels" are included in this hugely expensive "stimulus bill"? AND, what, in the meantime, is happening to the annuties that, for so many of us who are retired, have continued to provide for us in our retirement? For those of you who wonder why so many of the former "retirees" are returning to work at parttime jobs, is there really a question? We do not want to have our children trying to provide for us, especially as many of them may end up struggling trying to pay for the new Obama economics.

And who is managing these economic times? Do any of you wonder how your income taxes will look in the future? How about turning these over to Timothy Geitner, who has neglected to pay HIS taxes frequently since 2002. 1HW phrased it pretty well when he said, "Well, there's nothing like having the cat guard the hen house." Well-spoken for a "simple boy from the country." Needless to say, we are concerned. How do you feel?

Our Church in Kerrville

Several people have wondered and asked us about our new church, the First Presbyterian Church here in Kerrville. First, we have been attending this warm church since 2000, and we remember the huge attendance there for prayer immediately following 9-11-2001 when we were here. We have watched the church change ministers and move from the smaller church, now a "chapel," to the larger sanctuary which is one of the most beautiful we have attended. More importantly, it is a warm church in which we have always felt welcome.

As to its philosophy, there are several items that reflect the beliefs of this religious community. One is found in a passage from a recent newsletter, written by the associate pastor who is working on his doctorate in divinity.

"Dear Friends,
The campus was quiet at Austin Seminary the Sunday I arrived. Guadalupe Street has never seemed so strange. In the absence of students the calm spoke louder than the noise. By Monday morning, staff and students arrived. Cars were being unloaded. All were registered and accounted for. By1:00 in the afternoon, I was sitting with seven other ministers around a table with Professor Lewis Donelson at the head. Questions were then fired away, “How do you interpret Scripture? What does the reader bring to the text? To what extent do our contexts play a role in how we interpret Scripture?” The next ten days consisted of an intensive study in biblical interpretation focusing primarily on the letter of I Peter. Such is the life of a doctoral student and I loved every minute of it! One of the values that Austin Seminary holds dear is a solid foundation in theological and biblical reflection. For this reason, the Doctor of Ministry program includes two core courses, one in theology and one in biblical studies. I took the theology core course with Dr. Cynthia Rigby last June and most recently, the Bible core course with Dr. Donelson. Both courses were wonderful! From here, the next step is to learn how to write a proposal for a final project that can be used in the church. Ultimately (and with the approval of the faculty at Austin Seminary which is standard for all D-Min. students in order to advance), I plan to return in June and take the two week course on how to write a proposal. Thank you, the members of First Presbyterian Church for supporting me financially, prayerfully, and allowing me the time away.
Grace and Peace,
Rob Lohmeyer"

The following passage is another description:
"For generations, folks have gathered at First Presbyterian Church to worship God with hearts and hands and voices. God continues to bring new people into our midst, and we are blessed with a diversity of ages, experiences, and talents. Our pews are filled with brand new believers and seasoned Presbyterians, with many of us being somewhere in between. You are welcome here anytime to join us on the journey of faith, to discover more deeply what God is seeking to do among us, and to share in the celebration of God’s abundant gifts. We receive new members regularly. We have visitors with us every week. We have room for you and room for all of who you are. "

That pretty much describes the feeling. When we were unable to obtain a transfer of membership from our previous church in Omaha, we were accepted as members to the congregation here by a simple reaffirmation of faith. That is the way, we believe, that Jesus intended it to be, that followers of Him and His Word are always welcomed in the fellowship of other believers.

We are enjoying and appreciating the beautiful stonework cross hanging on our walls, which was given to us as a welcome gift. We give great thanks for and to all of those people who have welcomed us so warmly, especially Pastor John Wurster. We are certainly blessed to be here!

Different Viewpoints

Most of those who know me are quite aware of my fondness for awards shows, not because I care who wins, but rather because I just love seeing what is worn, how the make-up is done, what the hair styles look like, and what the various people have to say. I have enjoyed this kind of thing since I was a kid, and I still do relish those opportunities, especially since there aren't any good beauty pageants any longer. So, it should come as no surprise that in addition to absorbing the historical moments, I also enjoy good political events in the same manner. Tuesday was no exception!

This morning at Darryl's big birthday breakfast, we began discussing the various costumes seen at the inaugural, and, admittedly, the biases tended to appear along party lines. Those were of the downtrodden Republicans have not cared for the new First Lady's choice of garments, feeling that the yellow(?) brocade ensemble was a bit too much, that a simple wool outfit would have been more appropriate. The inaugural ball gown was also too frou-frou for many tastes. And, the next morning's choice for the prayer service was thought to be a disaster. The Democrats (2) in the group thought, of course, that Mrs. Obama looked delightful.

Jill Biden, on the other hand, received the ax from almost everyone, with nasty comments on her shorter skirt and high boots (Joan Kennedy in the 60's?) to the ball gown (which I personally did not see), which several said barely contained her bosom. The men seemed to quite appreciate it, however, chauvinists that they are!

Personally, I truly enjoyed seeing the delightful representative of the military who was so excited about the opportunity to dance with the new President, and the male sergeant chosen to dance with Mrs. Obama, as well. Quite fun!

Over the next few years, as with all of the previous First Ladies, Michelle Obama will undoubtedly establish her own particular style, and most of the women in America will be making comments as to its style, color, designer, and all of the many other things women can find to discuss about apparel. Seriously, have any of you seen Hillary in anything other than a pant suit in years? Time will tell the whole story! Meanwhile, it was an interesting, thoughtful, historical and PEACEFUL inauguration. Thank goodness we live in this country where it can happen that way!

Duane, Dot, and Daily Life Here

Duane and Dot, from Hastings, NE, are absolutely delightful. They are a few years older than we are, and, for the most part, they have stayed in NE their whole lives, quite different from we two. But we find a great deal to talk and laugh about. The common ground, other than NE, was in finding people who enjoy playing cards, especially Pitch and Pinochle, even if the game rules vary a bit. Dot has over the years also enjoyed many of the same wacky types of crafts I have done, but I was most disappointed to learn that she never has even seen, let alone make, those AWFUL acrylic grapes on logs which I made for so many people one Christmas. She is going to share some innovative knitting projects with me, too.

Their granddaughter was married last summer at the Joslyn Castle in Omaha, and it was absolutely gorgeous! In spite of the formality of the dress, I thought it most creative that she decided to serve cupcakes instead of a traditional wedding cake! Whoever made them placed them on tiered trays so that they had the same effect, and it was really quite fun! Does anyone out there need wedding or reception ideas?

Both of them were full of anecdotes and stories of all kinds, some serious and others not. Some of the best were about "Larry the Cable Guy," whom we actually have seen with Jeff Foxworthy on his TV show. Apparently, "Larry" whose real name is not Larry, is just about exactly in person just like he is in the shows. Duane said their kids got to know him, and now they have. They entertained us completely with "Larry" stories.

That was our fun last night.... Tonight is a big pot-luck supper, and our big casserole dish of chicken enchiladas is bubbling in the oven. Tomorrow has a ladies' sewing group, a history seminar, morning exercise, and in the evening Texas Hold 'Em and a group of Cards and Games. I think we'll bypass those for the OU-FL football game!

And, my big treat for the day.... a new sewing machine! Woooo-hoooo!!! It's a Brother combo sewing-embroidery machine that is just beckoning me! After doing a great deal of research, we decided on the less expensive WalMart version, first because the dealer ones are WAYYYYYYY too expensive, and second, because it has a money-back guarantee from W-M if I don't like it and a 25-year warranty from Brothers. Maybe tomorrow I can break it open and start in!!!! Any requests? The lady at W-M checked out 1HW's "Digger" sweatshirt and said, "Now you can make your own like that!" Ya think? we'll see!!!!!

Sports Fans

As we have traveled around the country, we have found a great deal of fun in getting to learn about and support the local teams wherever we may be. As a result, we have developed a loyalty to several different college teams, whether football, basketball, volleyball, or baseball, depending upon which program(s) receive attention. Since I had lived in Oklahoma and attended OU Sooner football games during its heyday of National Championships, I remember sitting on the 35 yard line, ten rows up...WOW! One cannot imagine the excitement, the roar, and the intense feeling of team loyalty and pride until being in the midst of such a group! As a result, I have always remained an OU fan. Then we moved to Omaha and immediately fell for the spirit of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, cheering them on through wonderful games and awful ones, as well. Even as we moved on, we still maintained loyalty to the Huskers and continue to cheer for them. Then when we moved on to Texas, we discovered the pride of becoming Texas Longhorn fans, and now we yell for them, too. It became obvious to us last night that we have become real Big Twelve devotees, inspite of my father turning over in his grave, as we did not cheer for the Ohio State Buckeyes, the team for which he played in the late 30's and early 40's, during the leather helmet days. When the Longhorns pulled out a victory in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter, we cheered loudly and heaved sighs of relief! (So sorry, James!) They won, the second one of our favorite teams to so in this National Bowl series. Now, on Thursday night, we have one more illustrious team to cheer on for the "National Title," as Oklahoma plays Florida. There is not a question, of course, about the team we will root for! But the big question will come later and is already being loudly tossed around Texas: Who REALLY deserves to be called a National Champion, Texas, Oklahoma, or another team (horrors! Florida?) ? As long as it's one of our favorites, we do not care, because we have enjoyed watching all of them the whole season! Now, as for next year, can the Huskers.......
Happy New year, Sports Fans Everywhere!

Christmas Slide Show

Create A Mosaic!

Our daughter Kristy really does deserve a blogging first prize, not only for her endurance and faithfulness, but also for her creativeness! She had a blog, which she received from someone else, which is a fun way to create a personal mosaic, a Mosaic MeMe. She warned that it was tricky, but I had to try, and the results turned out to be so much fun that I want to try it with 1HW, maybe tomorrow. Thanks, Kristy!


Here’s how it works:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker. Choose 3 columns with 4 rows.


The Questions:
1. What is your first name? Judy
2. What is your favorite food? Steak
3. What high school did you go to? (or, What year did you graduate high school?) Sandia
4. What is your favorite color? Geranium
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Hmmmm.......
6. Favorite drink? Black and White
7. Dream vacation? Tuscany
8. Favorite dessert? Chocolate mousse
9. What you want to be when you grow up? A loving, happy wife
10. What do you love most in life? Family
11. One Word to describe you. Happy
12. Your flickr name. Miss Judy (kid version: favorite animal?)


Try it! It's fun, even if it does take a while...

Cheers!

One of the great aspects of RV living is the people whom we meet. The age range stretches from infants to the elderly (even older than we are!), and the interests vary from knitting to motorcycle riding and hunting (neither of which we have pursued). No where has this been more fully demonstrated than at the River Rock Saloon, where many come to congregate, sip something from root beer to Margaritas, eat heartily quite often, and just enjoy each other's company. This Friday night, the first TGIF of the new year, was no exception. The food for the evening was chicken and dumpling soup, complemented by cheese, olives, finger sandwiches, and crackers, all at no cost. The drinks, from pop to liquor, ranged from $2 to $3, with Don frequently offering a drink on the house. The juke box played country all evening, and under heat lamps, many were out dancing on the open air patio. The shuffleboard table stayed busy with contenders all evening, as well. (I played with Byron as a partner and REALLY lost.) However, it was the people who made the party such fun.

One of the delights about being here is getting to know the work-campers, all of whom are delightful and a great deal of fun. Since we have been staying here for a while, we have also gotten to know Don and Jeanne, the owner/managers, and we are pretty much grouped with the work-campers as far as being included in everything going on. We particularly realized that when we were welcomed back most heartily on New Year's Eve! Tonight we met a couple from Hastings, NE, who have kids in Omaha and Lincoln, and who know our former financial planner in Hastings. Lo and behold, they are card players and enjoy playing Pitch and Pinochle! So we have set up a card night on Monday night to learn their version of Pitch! (We'll let you know, Anne, Rachael, and Dennis!) We also met another financial planner who sounds interesting and promising, and we are planning to talk with her soon.

One of the fun aspects of the evening was talking with Suzie (pictured with a work-camper, Mark), a fascinating character. Her husband was a career Marine officer, who had also been a pro football player, and who died from Alzheimer's about 18 months ago. She has been trying to recover from the long years of tending to his health and subsequent death. Although she is 70, she looks a great deal younger and is quite interesting. She led a cattle drive from Bandera to Wichita on horseback not too long ago, and she has great stories to tell about it. She even wore her spurs on her boots to the New Year's Eve party. Suzie's news tonight was particularly fun. She was chosen to be in a play here, almost at random when the director saw her an at art events and thought she'd be perfect for the role of a former movie star being fought over by two older gentlemen. She is thrilled to be doing the play, and of course, we will all turn out to see it in February and give her a standing ovation!

When we left the Saloon to return to our wee housie some 150 yards away, everyone was saying goodbye, from our "old" (23) buddy Sam (Symmantha the bartender), to our Guadalupe friends old and new. At that point I mentioned to 1HW that I felt like we were in "Cheers," a place where everyone knows your name and everyone's glad you came. That makes this a pretty good neighborhood to live in! I hope your neighborhoods are happy, too! Happy New Year!

A New Year!

Can it be that I have not written in this blog since June 24? Oh, my! One of the reasons is probably because I have not edited and labeled the pictures from the trip to Greece and Turkey last summer, which is why I am writing now. I have resolved to once again begin blogging and to FINALLY finish the pictures. I can only imagine how surprised our fellow-travelers will be when they receive some of the pictures! Also, I am going to try and re-do this site and try some of the things daughter Kristy uses in her blog. That particular apple must have fallen away from MY tree, because she is a great deal more creative than I am! Other resolutions? Well, there are a few: read more challenging materials than just my spy and mystery novels, work on trying to quilt (whenever I can get a new sewing machine, since my old one died a miserable death), and develop a thicker skin so the things people say and do will not be taken so personally. We'll see how far I get on those! In the meantime, Happy New Year to all!