Here's Some Pics of Paul, Autumn & the Kids

Well, we finally got those pictures. Looks like everyone is enjoying some birthday celebrations! Autumn's boys are Sam(11), Dawson(6), and Hunter(3).

Yikes!! How Does Time Get Away

It has been a while since posting here. It was just the other day I told Alice that we need to get a new picture for this site. Of course, that hasn't happened. But maybe soon! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELAM!!!!! Our grandson Elam is 7 today! Of course he is celebrating in the UK. They are getting close to being at the end of their first full year there. My how time flies.

Mom is coming down to visit us tomorrow. She'll be here for a week or so. She has been in Delaware with her sister, Helen Pat. Aunt Helen has been sick for quite some time now and died on Tuesday. It was pretty hard on mom. I believe that was the last of her direct family members.

Got word from Paul the other day. Things are going well there. He said he was sending pictures, of course, he said that once before, so .... :) When we get them, I'll be sure to post them. Ashlee will be winding up her stay there this weekend then heading back to Littlefield.

Well, guess I better get busy. Plenty to do with mom coming down.

ain't life grand!

What a Time This Is!

Over the span of my adult life I've dabbled in a lot of things. But one thing that I've always kept alive in one form or another is writing. Whether it's been in a journal, articles for a company newsletter, training documentation or a Bible study lesson I've tried different styles along the way. Some have even been published in years past. Well, as many of you know, I have been putting together a book on Customer Service. That project is in its final stages. But more importantly, and the reason for this little expose', is to share my present journey.

In order to improve my skills as a writer, I've signed up for a two year course through The Christian Writers Guild. It's Jerry Jenkins' company and I believe his credentials are pretty strong. They have assigned me a mentor and I've already begun my first series of assignments. It should be a great learning experience as well as a tremendous challenge.

Now, without being too brash, as they say - "How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, Practice, Practice" -- That's exactly what I'm going to require. So if you are aware of company newsletters, church newsletters, local or regional publications that you think might be a good place to submit articles, I would very much appreciate your sharing that information. Most of all, I covet your prayers that God may be glorified by every thought that's processed and every word that's written.

Thanks y'all....

Ain't life grand

New Photos of Penni & the Girls

We received some new photos of Penni and the girls so thought we'd share them. Sara was down visiting from her Dad's so it was great to see updated pictures of her.

Penni's has been invited to sing at the Annual Boy's Ranch fund raiser in August. It's really a significant event in that area and they only invite high profile performers so this is a great opportunity for her. She'll be performing two songs and showcasing her talent. As mentioned previously, the recording project is still moving forward. It's a slow process, but it's making progress.

Poor Pooch! & Other News

Our little buddy went in today for some dental work. Apparently one of his puppy teeth was not coming out and the Vet was concerned it would cause problems down the road, so he thought it best to take it out now. Although Eli did great, he is still really "hung over" from the anesthesia and can't get more then a few steps in. But hey, it was my kind of dental work - knock me out and take it out!!!

The Invisible Fence is working out great. He loves his freedom. We're starting to remove some of the flags now, so we'll see how that goes.

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Alice has been rather busy these past few weeks. They brought on a new Supervisor and she's been working with him and they have a new community getting started and another just about ready.

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We've been "chatting" with our parents on both "sides" and everyone is doing great. It's wonderful to have folks who are healthy and enjoying life in their 80s. We hope to have my mom down for a visit soon. She's most likely going to be in Delaware in August to see her sister. Then she'll fly down the coast to spend some time with us. That will be nice.

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I've been working like crazy on the book. I've done several revisions; Alice has been doing some editing; I've added some preliminary graphics and working with a cartoonist to purchase some of his work to use; and it seems like we're getting closer. Somehow that thing is taking on a life of it's own!!!

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The kids are doing great in the UK. Ben is back from Germany; Heather continues to provide us with wonderful "snippets" of life with three boys; and it's fun to read both their blogs.

Haven't heard much from Paul lately, so not much to report there.

There is other news that would go under that "unspoken" format which is good news which we are very thankful for.

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Still no word on selling the house in Lubbock - so anyone interested in moving to West Texas and getting a nice house really cheap!! Let us know!!!!


Ain't life grand....

When Ya Gotta Go, Ya Gotta Go!!!

Here's a good one for ya! China now has what may be the worlds largest public restroom facility . It has both music AND television. The city officials say that when folks finish using their restroom they will be "very, very happy". Heck, who isn't very, very happy after using the bathroom!!! Music and television aside - when ya gotta go, ya gotta go, so happiness is pretty easy to come by.

The only socially redeeming value to this kind of super potty, at least that I can figure out is this... at least the women won't have to stand in line!!!! :)

Eli's New Territory

As in a previous post, we installed an Invisible Fence for our buddy Eli. The thought was to give him some space to call his own and get rid of the tie-out. Well, we're in day 4 of our training and things are going very well. At least for us!!!

This picture shows a portion of the flag boundary that marks his 'limits". What Alice is showing him, is where the "warning tone" begins. When he hears that tone he should know to stop and either turn around or hold his position. Which he does very well.

Of course, if he decides to ignore the tone, than there is a little "attention getter" that says I'm not sure you want to do that Eli! We introduced that part yesterday and he learned it VERY WELL. Now - so everyone understands, the collar is on it's lowest setting. I experienced it and Alice experienced it, so it's not harmful at all to Eli, just an attention getter!!!! It startles him more than anything else. Even the "tone" does that. So that's a good thing overall.

I think this is going to work great for him. It's going to give him more room to play and chase his favorite balls and also allow him to stay with us when we are doing yard work or just sitting on the deck. All without having to have him tethered. What I'm not sure of - YET - is what he'll do when the neighbor's cat strolls by!!!! Uhm......that could be a real test!!! But it's gotta come sooner or later.

Big Day Here!! At Least for ELI

You wouldn't believe how much noodlin' I've done over this fence thing! I've gone back and forth it seems like a hundred times on whether we should go with a traditional wooden fence or the "invisible fence" for Eli. The thing about the "wooden" fence that prevents me from moving forward is this: can't settle on a style that I think would compliment the house and second, it would keep dogs out, but cats, lizards, snakes, raccoons, and other critters would still find there way over or under. So nothing accomplished there. Plus, it would be a paid to mow around and maintain. So....... reckon you guessed by now...... I've decided to go with the Invisible Fence. It still has it's limitations - for example we can't decided whether to do two "zones" - front yard and back yard that includes the garage area; or just one - the whole yard. But overall, I think it will preserve the natural look of the landscape, keep Eli contained, minimize maintenance, and be less costly.

And today is the day for install...so that will give us today and the holiday to help train Eli to his new environment. Which will be good. He's a fast learner, so I don't expect it will take long for him to realize where his boundaries are. :)