Charlotte's 7th

Sunday 10/25/20 went to Chad & Christy's for Charlotte's 7th birthday party. 

Probably the last time this year we will see them unless we come home for Christmas. Of course with the virus situation I am not sure how much you can count on traveling until next spring. We gave Charlotte a fairy light kit for her to put together. Hopefully she enjoys it.

Driving down there, and while there, I kept thinking of birthdays and holidays that Mom & Dad were there with us. The kids would be sitting in the chair with Dad or running around playing.  Chase would always have an electroni tow sitting on granpa's lap. Mom would of brought a ton of food and a stack of gifts for the kids. Family get togethers still remind me so much of Mom & Dad. 

Boxes in Storage

Went to Rhonda & Keith's today to look through the remainign boxes we have in storage there - both our boxes and the last few boxes of mom & dad's.

Brought all of our Smokey Mountain paintings home so that we can take them to Floriday. Hopefully we can decorate the shed with them. That leaves a tub of year books and 2 tubs of photographs and albums. We should be able to get those next time and do something with them.

As far as mom & dad's stuff, it is mostly pictures, probably 9-10 boxes of pictures. A lot of memories. Also have the flag and medal display box, fire deptartment axe. I think all of this together will be too much for the shed.

Had lunch and spent the afternoon with them.

Ohio Office

Back in the office for today, needed to move about 10 GB of SMC data over to the network. Took about 3 minutes; would have been like 3 days from home.

Don't know when I will be back in this office, less than 3 weeks we are heading to Ocala, Florida.
If we don't get a campground spot at Frontier Campground for next summer we will probably be staying in Florida next summer.

We would be able to hit the beaches and so some other things that it is normally too cold for us to do. On the other hand, the summer will be hot!

Packing Up...

Rented the 2nd shed today, will have it until we head to Florida.

We can use it to store stuff in so we can better organize the main shed.
I think if we can pack it better we can get a lot more into the 1 building.
In the past the weather has not cooperated either; always seems to be cold and rainy while we are trying to organize and pack things up.

Somewhat dissapointed in having to wait till March 2021 to see if we can get a reservation.

When one door closes, another door opens...

A nice warm day

A nice warm day, low 70's but unfortunately light rain again and the sky is sill grey.

Going to the Library tpnight while Jeni is at the Y. Looking to see if I can find any Peanuts movies to get to watch.

I think Stripe is happier that she can spend more time outside, even staying in the gazebo more due to the rain. Like me, I guess she hates the cold more than the rain.

I am feeling better today than yesterday. I think the greyness weighs on your mood.

1973, Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon, Time.... I would of been 8 years old.

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
Fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way.
Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain.
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today.
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you.
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.
So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again.
The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older,
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.
Every year is getting shorter never seem to find the time.
Plans that either come to naught or half a page…

Wednesday Oct 21, 2020

Warm(er) day in Ohio...

A nice warm day, low 70's but unfortunately light rain again and the sky is sill grey.

Going to the Library tonight while Jeni is at the Y. Looking to see if I can find any Peanuts movies to get to watch.

I think Stripe is happier that she can spend more time outside, even staying in the gazebo more due to the rain. Like me, I guess she hates the cold more than the rain.

I am feeling better today than yesterday. I think the greyness weighs on your mood.

1973, Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon, Time.... I would of been 8 years old.

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
Fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way.
Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain.
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today.
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you.
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.
So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again.
The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older,
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.
Every year is getting shorter never seem to find the time.
Plans that either come to naught or half a page…

Tuesday October 20th, 2020

Cold, rainy, grey day....

Not sure if that is why I feel so sad today or not.

May be missing Mom & Dad a little more than usual. Could be the upcoming holidays without them, could be making plans to go to Florida. I think it is also from working from home so long. I guess working from home is only part of it, it is all the restrictions on dining out and getting together. 

Just not feeling it today, would like to curl up in a warm blanket and stay in bed all day.

Unfortunately there is work to do.

Jeni

I love you! What else can I say. 

   

 

 

Family Vacation Swanton, MD 2020

 

A very nice house for our 2020 family vacation.
Wish Kim & Bill and Rosemary & Tom had been able to join us.

Convenient drive time for everyone to get to. Glad it was a 5 hour dive and not the day & a half to get to the beach, although the ocean has it's advantages!

It is still difficult to go....very emotional.

1st family vacation without Mom, 3rd vacation without Dad & Austin, Not sure it will ever be the same.

Glad we still go though.

Flight 93 Memorial

 https://www.nps.gov/flni/index.htm

An hour away from our 2020 family vacation.

Glad we went over to see the memorial.

Very quiet, somber place to visit, was not very crowded. Spent a few hours walking from the visitor center down to the crash site.

The hate involved to plan such an action...
and the strength and heroism to fight back and crash the plane...
after learning of the other crashes...
knowing what your fate would be.

Ohio at Night

 

I love this night picture.

Need to spend more time outside... as soon as we get rid of the mosquitos!

Floydie 2020

 

I will miss you, you were the best snuggle cat.

Tower of Voices

 I would like to go back when they have all the chimes installed and working

Ocean Isle Beach 2020

1st time vacatioing here, did not have a very good time as it rained the 1st 5 dyas we were there.

The landscape and building was very nice, but the room was small, only had a portable air conditioner in the room.

NO COFFEE!!!

Very few restaurants for the number of people on the island, made worse by the Covid Virus and the restaurant seating limitations. Not really any attractions or things to do other than the pool, beach, and bike riding.

Christams in Ocala, FL 2019

Ocala does a lot of decorations for Christmas.

Was a little strange having all the lights and Christmas music when it is warm and you can wear shorts. 

Wilderness RV Resort

Our 2nd stay at Wilderness RV Resort.

Moving to a larger site was well worth it.

 

New Year @ Disney

 

Was very nice to spend New Years Day with Chad, Christy, Chase, Chloe, and Charlotte at Walt Disney World. 01/01/2021

Christmas 2019

Minimal amount of space in the RV for Christmas decorations but Jeni makes it feel like home for the holidays!

October 2020

 Cold...

This past week has seen the first 30 degree weather.

My feet are always cold and hurt, even Stripe does not want to go outside. She thinks she wants out, but will sit at the open door and just look and sniff. More often than not she stays inside. Not sure why the cold bothers me so much more now, after my heart attack I thought it was from all the weight loss. Now that I have put the weight back on, I am still freezing at anything below 60.

22 days until we leave for Florida. Some excitement that this year will be on our own lot. Can work on some landscaping and plants, also need to look at what improvements we want to make on the shed. A small full bathroom would be very handy.

Christmas 2019

Time to get the strocking out again!
Going to need a bigger fireplace and mantle.

It is nice having a large family that stays in touch.

Family

2014

2020

 What a difference 6 years make.

A mixed bag of happy and sad feelings.

Glad that I have many, many happy memories of the past family vacations.

As far back as I can remember we have always done a family vacation.

I can remember an old green, wood side panel station wagon that we would sit in the back, rear facing seat and have the window down.

It was a blessing to have Gradma Bullen and Sue join us as much as they did. Were always part of our family. I hope then knew and felt that way as well.

Every single day I think of Mom and Dad. Good happy memories, but still makes me a lttle sad.

Growing up in Midland and Blanchester.

Playing near the railroad tracks, discovering what there was to find.

Hunting bottles along creek banks and hillsides on St Rt 68.

Climbing and playing on the Tank at the Reserve Depot.

Then there were the vacation to Tennessee, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Seeing family from Panama City Beach. Walking the mountains or the tourist attractions in Pigeon Forge. To doing nothing but sitting in the sand.

Sad that those we love are only with us a short time and often we don't think to fully appreciate them or devote time to them while they are with us.

Orba Etta Bullen         10/06/1913 02/19/1970

Sue Anne Bullen 07/16/1941 10/16/2007

Chester Arnold Lansing 07/23/1942 04/10/2015

Austin Wyatt Rollins 07/12/2000 03/20/2018

Ruth Etta Lansing         11/17/1945 01/09/2019

Psalm 90 v12

 "Teach us to number our days,
            that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

Our days are numbered... how do you make the most of those days?
Live every beat - more personal to me after my heart attack, still somthing that is very difficult. It sounds like it would be easy. 

Faith...

Belief that there is an eternal life, that in that time we will be reunited with our loved ones. What will that be like? Will we remember the pain of their original loss, or will it be only happiness?

I know, there is no good with out bad, no love without loss, in this lifetime we would not "value" something if there was no comprehension of what it was like not to have it. Faith in the eternal life where the memory of those losses can be erased and replaced with joy.

Hot Sauce

Picked and cut 4 pounds of hot peppers Monday, should make about 2 liters of hot sauce.

 

Very tasty!

32 Days till Florida

Step 1 of many coplete, this one is always harder than it looks and should always be attempted in warm weather.

 

Leaves

While walking Stripe on her leash this morning, she was smelling every blade of grass, I stood listening and watching the leaves.
Green, yellow, brown, and red. Not quite the peak color but the colors was not what really caught my attention. The sound of the leaves rustling in the wind along with the birds chirping was the first.

Then while standing there I started watching them a they fell from high up.
Some came down fast, dropping straight from the limb to the leaf covered ground.
Others however seemed to float on the wind for several minutes as they helicoptered gently to the ground. Floating flat parallel to the ground, the little stem in the air causing the leaf to spin circles all the way down.