White Christmas

It started snowing around 9 a.m. this morning to give us a fresh white Christmas. We still had some snow on the ground from a couple of weeks ago, but it was beginning to look a little dirty. By noon we had an inch of fresh snow to cover the old and make for a beautiful white Christmas.

As I write this I'm getting a back massage ... Nancy gave me a Shiatsu Massaging Cushion with Heat for Christmas. Ahhhh. Feels good after shoveling the driveway and walk. It has quit snowing so I decided to work off a few Christmas cookies by scooping snow. We only had a couple of inches but the Denver area and south got quite a lot more. Hope the roads are clear by tomorrow when Jessie and Katie are on the road home from New Mexico.

I have a short schedule driving for SAINT tomorrow. Will work on finishing the new directory for our congregation so I can take some draft copies to church Sunday for editing and any additional input before we go to press.

Hope you all had a good Christmas day!

Winter Wonderland

Well the weather outside is frightful .... let it snow ... let it snow. It is snowing tonight (has been off and on all day) and it puts one in the mood for Christmas. After shoveling the driveway this morning I started working on Christmas cards. Ran a few errands and back to Christmas cards. Nancy needed some exercise so she shoveled the driveway again around 3 pm. I shoveled again at 8 pm since it stopped snowing temporarily. Now I'm in for the night.

We got an elf card today and decided to do one ourselves. I thought it was pretty cute ... Nancy isn't so sure. Anyway you can see it by clicking here. I know .... it's kind of childish, but it's Christmas time!

When we got up this morning there were tire tracks across the lower part of our driveway - into the lawn - the neighbors lawn and ended at his large locust tree. The tree has a fairly bad scar but not too much the worse for wear. I am amazed we didn't hear it happen! Apparently the vehicle backed out about the same way it came in and luckily it missed our plants along the sidewalk. Don't know if someone was drunk or just lost control on the slick roads?

Tonight after supper, while it was snowing pretty good, I went out and took some pictures of some homes in our area. I experimented with using the night settings and just using automatic The automatic setting did the best job. One of my better ones is shown here..

Till next time ... Happy Holidays. Stay safe.

Jon 9 pm

For The Bible Tells Me So - Trailer

This is the "trailer" for a movie we saw today. I would recomend this documentary film to everyone. It will only play in theaters that show independent films so it may be hard to find. The DVD will be available in February. I challenge you to watch it without getting a lump in your throat - it will touch your heart.

Politics and Hate Crime Bill

I hate politics! Most of my life I have avoided getting involved except to try and be an informed voter. In the last decade or so however, I realized that just being an "informed voter" was not enough. I needed to try and influence legislation that was necessary to promote the ideals this country was founded on. For example; before the civil rights movement, the "all men are created equal" principle was simply not being followed. Not that the legislation that passed in that era solved this issue completely, but it went a long way towards making that ideal a reality. Legislation assuring equal rights for African Americans, Women, and Disabled Americans have helped move our country in the right direction at least.

Equal rights for the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender) community is struggling in this country, due in part to the religious right influence in politics - especially in the White House! Now to the reason I hate politics. The Matthew Shepard Act, a critical Federal hate crimes law, has passed both houses of Congress with the help of "The Human Rights Campaign". But now it is in trouble. Why? Well, Senate leadership employed a commonplace strategy with this bill. They calculated that the only chance of the Matthew Shepard Act surviving Bush's veto pen was if it were attached to a "must-pass" Department of Defense bill. But now that House and Senate are reconciling their versions of the DoD bill, it is under attack from anti-GLBT conservatives against hate crimes legislation, as well as progressive, pro-equality lawmakers who oppose some of the bill's provisions for the war in Iraq. Ooops! Backfired!

Now what has the hate crimes bill got to do with funding the war in Iraq? Why shouldn't this hate crimes bill just stand on its own? I guess the answer is politics and the way it works. Last week, the FBI reported that hate crimes rose nearly 8% last year. Isn't this reason enough to let the bill stand on its own? I guess not when our political process is so screwed up!

Till I whine again .........

Happy Thanksgiving

As I consider my blessings and what I am thankful for, family immediately comes to mind. My wife of nearly 17 years, our 4 children, 5 grandchildren and 1 1/2 great grandchildren, as well as siblings and their families add up to a multitude of blessings. We just had word that the 1/2 great grandchild up in Alaska is a boy (unless a girl was playing games with the ultra sound!). This ultra sound picture was the first one done at 9 weeks. (8/22/07)

Speaking of Alaska, Daryl's mother passed away recently. As I write this, he is in Michigan with his siblings and other family members dealing with the loss of a loving mother. We also lost a friend a few days ago. Bob (BG) Anderson died on Saturday after being in a coma for over a week. A 'brain bled" left him unconscious and the lack of brain activity led to removing him from life support on Friday night. His sense of humor, a multitude of jokes and his special friendship will be sorely missed. Several times a year I made the trip to Denver to play cards with BG and other Greenwood congregation friends. Just another reminder of how precious life is and why we shouldn't take it for granted.

Also from up North, I've added to my 'cool links' Pam & Daryl's Happy Howls Kennel website. If you like dogs and mushing you will really love this site. Good job Daryl!

We had hoped that Jessie & Katie would join us for Thanksgiving but they both have to work. Since they are both off on Tuesday we have decided to go to Laramie and take them to lunch for an early Thanksgiving celebration.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues. ~Cicero

Colin * Halloween * Wedding

One of Amber's friends back in Knoxville has been sending us pictures of her baby, Colin, ever so often. Today I decided to make her a slide show, put it on a CD and send it to her. If you would like a sneak preview just click here. (turn up the sound) Colin's mom should get the CD in a few days. Meanwhile don't tell her about this site and spoil the surprise.

The trick or treaters that came to our door on Halloween reminded me of Colin and his "Tootsie Roll" costume from last year (above - also you will see it in the slide show). We only had a few goblins before we had to leave, but believe it or not, the weather was nice this year. It usually is cold, windy, and/or snowing on Halloween here!

Last weekend we went to a wedding near Lyons, Colorado. Paul & Vivian are friends from the Peaceful Heart Sangha that Nancy attends. While it was basically a Buddhist wedding it had elements from several faith traditions. Included in the ceremony was a Catholic chant, a Jewish blessing, a Hindu Prayer, and a Native American blessing on the food at the reception. It was a beautiful day for the outdoor wedding in a mountain setting.

Till next time ........

Delightful Thursday Afternoon

On one of those beautiful October days in Colorado, when there's not a cloud in the sky and the temperature climbs into the 70s, we just couldn't resist getting out. On the spur of the moment we decided to take a hike. Someone had mentioned a special hike just outside of Loveland so we hurriedly gathered our gear and headed south to the Devil's Backbone. The easy two and a half mile hike proved to be as spectacular as our friend had indicated. You can check out some of the pictures we took on our Picasa Web Albums.

On the way home we stopped at Benson Sculpture Park in Loveland and enjoyed some of the sculptures this Colorado city is noted for. It was a delightful way to finish off a beautiful Thursday afternoon. Finding treasures in your own backyard is always a thrill. We took lots of pictures there too. If you have high speed internet you can view a slide show with sound here.

May you have many such days!

Laramie on the horizon

Had a visit from our granddaughter this weekend. Katie and Jessie were in Laramie, Wyoming leasing their first home as a couple. Jessie is enrolled at WyoTech and will begin classes in January. They found a mobile home to rent and excitedly shared pictures with us on Saturday. They will probably move in the next few weeks. Jessie thinks he will be able to transfer to the Wal-Mart in Laramie from the Wal-Mart he works at in Hobbs, NM. They are looking forward to being on their own and having their own place. Nancy took them to Bed, Bath & Beyond to get an early 'house warming' gift from us. We went bowling in the afternoon and played cards after dinner. They left this morning for New Mexico.

As an aside, the weather yesterday was sunny and in the high 70s. This morning we woke up to snow! Typical Colorado weather for October. The Broncos play in Denver tonight and wind chills are predicted to be in the low 20s! Brrrrr. The friend of ours we wrote aboout in our last entry is planning to go to the game. We are pleased to see the progress he continues to make but hope he stays warm tonight.

Drive safely!

Life Can Change in an Instant

We spent Sunday morning with a friend of ours at Craig Rehabilitation Hospital in Denver. Dave and Voni were on their way to visit family over the Labor Day weekend when they were involved in an auto accident near Colby, Kansas. Two days earlier they had climbed one of Colorado's "fourteeners" (a mountain with elevation over 14,000 feet). In their 60s, they are a very active couple. In a matter of seconds their lives were changed dramatically as their car rolled 5 times. Dave's neck was broken and his spinal cord sustained severe trauma. His right arm and leg lost all feeling, etc. Voni, while suffering broken bones and lots of bruises, fared much better.

A little more than a month later Dave is working hard with the physical therapists to regain function of his right side. Dave has a great attitude and plans to be back on the tennis court and the golf course by next summer. If determination and hard work can make it happen, I have no doubt he will accomplish this. Right now however, he cannot perform many of the daily activities most of us take for granted. How sudden our lives can change!

Dave is a retired minister with hundreds (maybe thousands) of friends praying for his recovery. You can keep up with Dave and Voni's recovery on CaringBridge which is a great service found on the Internet.

Life is fragile ... be thankful for everyday - every hour ... you are blessed with life.

Fall in the Colorado Mountains

Thursday (9-27) we took a drive in the mountains to view the colors and to hear the elk bugling in Rocky Mountain National Park. We chose the Cache La Poudre-North Park Scenic Byway to begin our route. The drive up the Poudre canyon is always a treat. As we approached Cameron pass we were surprised how much snow was already on the higher peaks. Once over the pass you enter the quiet, bowl-shaped valley of North Park, located just west of the Continental Divide. North Park was once a favorite bison grazing ground, and today deer, antelope, elk, moose, beaver, and coyote populate the area. They were all in hiding as we passed through however! The drive through Walden and on to Grand Lake provide a diverse landscape

We entered Rocky Mountain National Park at the West entrance near Grand Lake. The views over trail ridge road were spectacular as usual. The clear blue sky and cool air (45 degrees) allowed us to see for miles. Arriving at Moraine Park a little after 5 pm, we found hundreds of elk in the meadow. Watching the bull elk round up their harems and hearing them bugle has become an anticipated annual event for us.

After dark we drove into Estes Park for dinner at the Lodge Restaurant. On the drive home down Big Thompson Canyon we had to make a sudden stop while 3 elk crossed the road in front of our headlights. Fortunately the car behind us was not tailgating when we stopped! "Tis truly a privilege to live in Colorado"

Home Again

We got home today around 3 p.m. Spent last night at the KOA in WaKeeney, Kansas. We really enjoyed our visit with Norma at her new digs in Holts Summit, MO. While we were there we also visited the Wyatt's at their new house and took in Reagan's softball game. Nancy and I rode 21 miles of the Katy Trail on Tuesday and went up to Alexa & Brendan's on Wednesday.

We spent last weekend with Steve and Terri in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Enjoyed football and volleyball games on Saturday. Iowa Wesleyan was playing Grinnell in a girls volleyball tournament so Nancy was able to support her alma mater while the rest of us cheered for Iowa Wesleyan.

Enjoyed our trip - no problems with the RV or our days on the road. Always nice to arrive home safely.

Biking in Wisconsin

The sun is shinning this morning but it is a little on the cool side. (37 degrees) It is suppose to get into the 60s later which should be perfect for our bike ride. Today we are scheduled to do the Elroy-Sparta ride. This will be our third time for this 'rails to trails' 34 mile ride that includes 3 tunnels you have to walk your bike through. We first rode it in 1996 and again in 2001.

Yesterday we rode the Omaha Trail instead of Elroy-Sparta due to the winds. This trail is 12.5 miles one way so we did the first 12.5 miles against the wind and the return 12.5 miles with a tail wind. Is that good planning or what? Thank goodness the wind has died down and minor winds are forecast today.

Nancy's brothers are somewhat of a challenge to keep up with. They are younger and ride much more than we do. We are probably slowing them down! Nancy is enjoying being with them and catching up on all the family news.

Labor Day Weekend - GGHS 1956

Had a little extra time on my hands on Monday (Senior Center where I swim & exercise was closed) and started remembering my 50th High School class reunion a little over a year ago. Pulled up the pictures on my computer and decided to make a slide show. It was fun including pictures from our senior year book and a recent picture if I had one. For those where the faces could be matched I tried to fade from 1956 to 2006 in a way that it looked like morphing from young to older. Added a soundtrack of some music from our high school days. Tonight I put a 'flash' on my website but also offered to put the full size show on a CD for any of my classmates that might want it.

When I rode the school bus into town for high school I thought my class of 27 was huge. The one room, country schoolhouse I attended for primary through 8th grade had a total of 17 students - 2 or 3 in my class during most of those years. Garden Grove was a thriving rural Iowa town of about 500 then. Sadly, like so many small towns in the Midwest, it has continued to decline since that time. Our 50th class reunion was held at the McClung house in Garden Grove in May 2006. Garden Grove High School has since consolidated further taking in more rural small towns and is now known as Mormon Trail High School. Garden Grove was a stop on the Mormon trail in the 1840-50 time period.

If any of my classmates stumble onto this blog ..... when are we getting together again?

My Father

My father was a very special man. Born in a log cabin in Decatur County, Iowa in 1900, he never lived more than 15 or 20 miles from there in his 85 years. Born to a farm family as the youngest of 4, he chose to be a merchant and worked in a general store until after World War II when he opened his own country store. I grew up living behind that store and working in it from the time I could see over the counter. We sold groceries, gasoline, feed, seed corn, fertilizer, etc. In addition we bought cream and eggs from the local farmers, fixed flats and did some trucking on the side.

My dad never met a stranger. His and my mom's home was always open to relatives, friends, and sometimes strangers. Dad's life was not an easy one and financially only moderately successful, but I don't remember ever hearing him complain. He was honest, soft hearted (gave credit to our customers too freely and was not a good "collector"), treated people and the environment with respect, and had a way with animals.

I could write a book about my dad, but for now I'll just express my thanks for all that he taught me, especially by example. He was a special man and I still miss him.

Gettin' Old Ain't for Sissies

Our afternoon thundershower has come and gone. Tuesday is usually an "off day" for me. Catching up on the websites I'm responsible for, projects in & out of the house, etc. Today I went to the lab to give them some of my blood to test prior to my annual physical. Afterwards I broke my 12 hour fast at IHOP. Around 10:30 I went to the Senior Center to get today's exercise by swimming. Yesterday was the 14 mile bike ride and tomorrow will be walking a couple of miles on the track and doing a few weights. All of this, along with Nancy feeding me a healthy diet and the body is still reminding me that it is wearing out.

I have been dealing with sciatica for 2 or 3 months now. Several trips to the massage therapist along with special stretching exercises undoubtedly helped, but it was my trip to Alaska and not getting all that exercise or doing the stretches that finally seemed to turn the corner for me. I was doing much better until last Sunday.

Saturday I landscaped a small area where the grass was having trouble growing and covered it in wood chips. This involved being on my hands and knees and squatting when I tacked down the weed barrier cloth, etc. Just working in that unique position did me in - at least that's what I'm blaming it on. Sunday morning my lower back was acting up and that seemed to bring back the sciatica in my right leg. I was so disappointed with this setback.

Monday I had another session with the massage therapist and as noted above rode the bike. Today's swimming felt great at the time but I'm still in pain this afternoon. As the bumper sticker we saw says, "Getting Old Ain't for Sissies".

Grandson's Weddings

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have 3 grandsons. Matt & Josh Darnell live in Big Lake, Alaska and both were married earlier this year. Both weddings were small immediate family affairs that took place on short notice. I was not able to attend either but have pictures and as my last post indicated I have now met the blushing brides.

This morning I selected a few pictures from their weddings and posted them in a Flash show on my personal website. For those that are interested you can see them by clicking here.
The one on my website has a soundtrack and works best with DSL or faster connections. The one below is for 56k and has no sound etc.

Great Granddaughter

A couple of weeks ago I went to Alaska to visit my great granddaughter and meet my 2 new granddaughters-in-law (or is it granddaughter-in-laws?). Anyway, I had the privilege of meeting Samantha (grandson Josh's wife and mother of Angel - the great granddaughter or GGD) and Leona (grandson Matt's wife). Of course I got to see my daughter, Pam, and her husband, Daryl too.

Now I have visited Alaska 5 times since Pam & Daryl moved there in 1992, but this had to be the best weather I've ever seen there. I even saw Denali (Mt McKinley to some - but not most Alaskans) in all its grandeur. This 20,320 foot mountain is considered to be the highest in the world. What about Mount Everest at 29,000? Well it is the vertical relief of 18,000 feet that gives Denali that distinction. The picture above was taken from the Talkeetna Lodge which is about 60 or 70 miles from the mountain (the way the crow flys).

In spite of Denali's beauty and magnificence - it paled in comparison to Angel (the GGD). I present the picture above as evidence! Of course I could be prejudice. Great Grandfathers are allowed to brag a little - aren't they? For more pictures of my trip to Alaska visit 'My Webpage' and/or 'My Pictures' shown under "Cool Links"

On the road again

Yesterday was spent in the car a lot. Wednesday is my day as a volunteer driver for SAINT (Senior Alternatives IN Transportation). My first pickup was at 8:15 a.m. and the last was a little after noon. After lunch and catching up on a few chores around the house I headed down to Denver to have dinner at a Mexican restaurant with the Bill & Alice, Bob & Doris, Bill Goodwin and Clarke Ballinger. After dinner we went over to the Hyatts for a few games of spades. I got back home a little after midnight.


I have only been driving for SAINT for a month now but I really enjoy this volunteer opportunity. I had to give up my volunteering at the Food Bank after 5 years due to lower back problems. There I was required to stand at a computer checking in and re certifying clients for long periods of time. It finally took a toll on my back. I hated to leave the Food Bank but do enjoy meeting and visiting with the folks I chauffeur around Fort Collins. I'm also getting to know areas of Fort Collins this way.

My Personal Help Desk

My son, Kevin, is my personal 'help desk' when it comes to computer problems. It's a privilege to have access to such good support when the computer gremlins hit. If you have ever had the misfortune to contact support provided by computer companies, software companies, cable internet providers or hosting services, you know what I mean. First you have to decipher the accent (Pakistan? India? China? etc.). Before long you realize they are just reading a manual - probably no better than the one that came with your computer or software, etc. Of course to even get through the automated phone system and to a live person takes the IQ of an Einstein and the patience of Job himself. So I appreciate my son.

We spent 2 or 3 hours on the phone tonight working on slow cable internet problems I'm having with Comcast. We also worked on problems (part learning curve) on a new program we are playing with. Some of it involved "how to" issues right here on blogspot. Like adding this little slide show. Hope you enjoy it [if I get it added and working].

Jason leaves for Kazakhstan

I have 3 grandsons and 2 granddaughters. All are 'adults' now. Typical of a grandparent, I intend to talk about them from time to time. Tonight I'm thinking of Jason. Jason graduated from Eastern New Mexico University (Portales, New Mexico) in May of this year and spent much of the summer at a camp near Rolla, Missouri working as a camp photographer and counselor. Tomorrow he is leaving Washington DC for Kazakhstan as a Peace Corps volunteer. His training will be taking place in the city of Almaty and we are not sure where he will be after that. Jason is a theater major but will be teaching English as a second language. We are very proud of Jason and wish him well on this exciting adventure. Exposure to other countries and cultures will certainly be beneficial as he takes his place on this ever shrinking planet will all call home. Best of luck Jason! We love you.

Geocaching off to poor start

This morning Nancy and I took a bike ride along Spring Creek to one of our usual destinations, watermelon park. That's not really the name of the park but the sculptures there look like large watermelon slices so that's what we call it. I took the GPSr along since I had discovered there was a geocache very near the park. It was easy finding the coordinates but since it was early morning, we had rain last night, and the area was in tall grass and weeds I gave up pretty early. The mosquitoes were pretty bad and since we have had over 50 cases of West Nile Virus in Colorado this summer, I decided not to spend too much time looking. Will go back someday in the hot afternoon sun and try again.

If you are not familiar with geocaching you can learn all about it at: http://www.geocaching.com/