2012 February 18

Ella says:  
           Busy week for us. My cataract eye surgery on Monday, stayed with the great granddaughters on Tuesday and Wednesday then led Bible study on Wednesday afternoon. 
          Thursday we found out that it's a great grandson that will make his arrival in July. I'll be hoping for the 3rd which is his great great grandpa Nye's birthday. I worked a little extra on Friday morning.then my usual Friday evening. 

           Today, I work until 2pm today then off for the rest of the weekend. Tom peaches tomorrow morning so our pastor can have some time with his new granddaughter and her parents.

Tom says:  

         Another beautiful day in Iowa.  We have bright sunshine and slightly above normal temps for this time of year.

         Ella is working this morning.  So while she's gone, I've been doing housework.  Feels like spring so I'm in the mood for spring cleaning.

         When you live in an RV and space is limited, things can get messy real quick.  The table and couch have become dumping grounds for miscellaneous stuff.  That is partly because some things really don't have a designated spot in which to be stored and partly because we tend to keep old mail, newspapers and magazines longer than we need to keep them.     

          Ella actually started this process a couple of days ago so I feel that I need to do my part here. (grin)  At any rate, things look a lot neater now than they have lately. (although I still have a cloth grocery bag full of papers that need to be gone through)

           I have lunch ready for when she is done working.  I sliced and browned some Italian sausage, sauteed some spaghetti noodles broken into short pieces and then added a can of diced tomatoes and a small can of V8 juice.  I've seasoned with garlic and herbs and will serve with grated cheese.  It's still about an hour before she is done working....hope I can keep from eating it until she gets home.

       The other thing that I've been working on today is adding video clips to one of my other blogs, Sermons by Thomas E Williams.  Check out "Why 

Do You Stand Looking Into the Sky?" and "Why the Transfiguration?"

2012 February 17

Nice day yesterday and a nice morning so far.  Lots of snow melted away except in shaded areas.  Much more melted away in the bright sunshine and mid forties today.

Last night’s Worship Committee meeting went very well.  We had a good time and got a lot of work done at the same time.  The Seder meal planning for Maundy Thursday is well under way.

We made a trip to WalMart to drop off a couple of RXs for Ella.  She was called in to work from ten thirty to about one thirty.  One of the Cutty members’ funeral was today and the office staff went to the funeral.  So Ella just needed to be there to assist with members as best she could.

While she was working, I went into Des Moines to request a copy of her birth certificate.  We have to send a copy along with lots of paper work, to get my pension started.

Ella is also working this evening from five to eight … as always on Fridays.

2012 February 16

I was up before dawn, however, I forgot to get a photograph at sunrise.  I haven't adjusted my thinking about WHEN the sun comes up now (sunrise was at 7:09 and I didn't take the picture until 7:33

We went to Sam's Club early this morning.  That's one of the perks of being a business member, you can get in several hours ahead the rest and have coffee and cookies while you shop.

Ella wanted to stop at Target on the way home.  She had heard that one of the cleaning items, that they use at Cutty's Clubhouse, was on sale.

At the same time, I wanted to stop at Home Depot to exchange an item that I purchased yesterday.  After returning home yesterday, I discovered that the pocket flashlight I purchased was broken.

Because the Home Depot is just around the corner from the Super Target, I dropped Ella off and then went to Home Depot and exchanged my item.

When I returned to Target to pick up Ella, she was ready to go ... without the cleaning item.  She said that she couldn't ind it.  I asked if she asked for help.  To which she replied, "There wasn't even a place for it."  Personally, I would have asked for help.  However, since it wasn't an item for home, I didn't really care if she found it or not.

We have laundry to do and I have the Bible study at Emeritus this afternoon.  So, I will take Ella to do the laundry while I do the Bible Study. 

This evening I also have a Worship Committee meeting.  This meeting is normally on the the third WEDNESDAY of the month.  However, the Choir Director changed the choir practice from Thursday to Wednesday this week.  Since most of the Worship Committee members are also choir members, we just moved our meeting to the day and time that the choir had vacated this week.

Here is a note from Ella:

The new eye works great.  It is amazing what I can see without glasses.  It is just very awkward to figure out which eye to look out of. And which glasses to wear to read.  But I keep marveling at what I can see out of the new eye without glasses.  Without glasses, I can get around/see pretty good with one eye compensating for the other.  I'm looking forward to the 5th of March when the other eye will be done.

2012 February 14 Happy Valentines Day

Great granddaughter, Lorelia, already experiencing that familiar frustration when the electronics don't do what you want them to do.

Another lack of sunrise in Ankeny

The day started off foggy.  Actually it was microscopic ice crystals suspended in the air rather than water vapor.  It is now nearly three p.m. and bright and sunny. Temperature has reached thirty five, so we have some melting going on.


We babysat this morning and then went to Ryan's for lunch (Valentine treat).  We stopped at WalMart to pick up the two prescriptions that the VA doesn't carry.  One of the RXs was the same price I'd been paying at Walgreens.  The other RX, however, was one third the price that I'd been paying at Walgreens.

2012 February 13

This was sunrise this morning (or as close as it came).

We were already at Wolfe Clinic for Ella's cataract surgery before this mythical sunrise.

Ella using "In Case of Emergency" information from her phone to give the nurse her medications information.

Now in her surgery chic and with eye drops applied, we wait.

Wow! a lovely hat to go with the gown.  And the I.V.is now in her arm.

A little hand holding was good for both of us.

Just a few minutes more.  She is sitting in a wheelchair with a warm blanket over her.

Back from surgery.  I'm not sure if she looks more like a pirate or a terminator. 

And now on home.  The snow is still falling but now as heavily as it was on the way to the clinic.