We had a nice Thanksgiving. The Tennessee children have come and gone. My goodness we enjoyed having them here. All of the James family were home for one whole day. The weather co-operated and the grandkids got to play outside - in and out all day and into the evening - in spite of some of them having sniffles. My side of the family are close by and we all enjoyed eating our Thanksgiving meal together this year. Well, almost all of us....a sister-in-law and a nephew weren't able to come and were missed. My dear Dad of 85 (going on) walked over from his house with the aid of his cane. I am so thankful that he can still get around pretty well go do about anything he wants. He amazes me sometimes.

We had a new family member with us this year- - my new grand nephew, Caden. He is only three weeks old and is so sweet. We didn't hear a peep from him but I imagine his parents heard from him that night as he has his days and nights mixed up. I do remember those days but only vaguely as its been a while.

Well, our next family get together is Christmas. We only get together with each other like this maybe four or five times a year....at least those of us who live pretty near each other. There's our two main ones and then there's Father's Day, Mother's Day, and my Dad's birthday.

Here's hoping all of you enjoyed good food, family, and friends. God's blessings to you all.

30 years ago

Yes, it's been 30 years since the birth of son #2. What a day it was! Glad to say I was in labor for only five hours! Don't think I could have stood that kind of pain for very long. He weight 8 lbs. 2 oz. I don't recall his length at birth but he grew to 6 ft. 2 in. He certainly did not mess around coming into the world and not giving his mama much pain - for very long anyway. Actually the actual date was the 18th but I'm slow getting this posted.

My mom and dad flew up from Louisiana to Montana. That in itself is something since my mother always said she'd never fly. Bless her heart- she was really afraid. I am so glad they came. They had driven up in July(I think)of that summer and in November did they ever get a taste of Montana's blowing cold weather and snow. On that
I hope you read this Cody. I love you and if I could have I would have given you electricity for your birthday!

I love this time of year -even all the leaves on the ground that will probably be there for quite a while if it's left up to me to remove all of them. The best I can do is just remove a few or a few at a time. Buddy loves the pile I made using the lawn mower. He is using them for his current bed.

Under this tree the leaves are like a carpet covering a good bit of the front yard. I'll get out with the mower and blow most of them in a pile then burn them. Most of all I hate the gum balls. When the girls I take care of are outside they love picking up these, putting them in the little stroller thingy. They get into pretending and go shopping, making ice cream, and "feeding" Buddy. It's fun watching their play.

My Dad is a WW II vet. He and his cousin who was also in WW II are going to the local Veterans Day Program at the Community Center. Dad was in the Navy on the USS Mississippi and Shorty, his cousin was a bombadere in an airplane. They both had some very close calls. I am so thankful we still have them with us. There aren't many of those vets around anymore. Dad will be 85 in Feb. and I think Shorty is the same age. I'm glad they can do things together.

What great sacrifices men and women of that era made. I'm thankful not only for them but all veterans - long ago as well as our men and women of today. God bless you all!

The Rock Who Stands
(picture a small child standing next to a tree with his eyes covered, playing hide and go seek.)

Have you ever wished,
deep down inside
That you could find a place to hide?
To hide from folks who come your way
With endless problems day by day?
To hide from all that lies ahead,
The unseen foes and griefs you dread?
To flee decisions you must make,
Avoid the path that you must take?
To run away and find a spot
Where even self can be forgot?

Earth has no place as such you seek --
No place of refuge for the weak;
For ev'ry shelter here on earth
Soon proves to be of little worth
And we are left alone to face
The woes that plague the human race.

But wait! The Rock of Ages - - He stands,
A refuge from all life's demands;
A place to hide - - to weep - - to rest;
A place to hover and be blest.

For Jesus is that Rock who stands
Holding forth His nail pierced hands - -
A covert from the storm is He,
Saying, "Come, and hide in Me."

--Author unknown

Leaving Something Behind

It could be like light shinning through the trees, a little hitting here and a little there. Or it could be like seeing a movie through another persons eyes. It could be a lot of things but what I think is will be a legacy - a part of myself left behind. So, to what am I referring? I am attempting to write a book, albeit a short one but still a booklet about mine and my husband's family. Since I know more about my family it will entail mostly about those in my mother's and father's family. I am including what I know about Dave's family and their lives.

I want my children, grandchildren and their children on down the line to be able to say, "Wow, I am so glad my grandmother, great-grandmother, etc. wrote this down about herself and her side of the family." How I wish my mother or grandmothers had written down or told me things about themselves, their memories of growing up, things their relatives shared with them, etc. My mother, her mother, her father, my dad and his mother has told me some things and that's what I want to include in this undertaking. Hopefully, it'll make sense and be of value to the future generations in this family.

I encourage anyone to do the same thing in some form or another....journals, scrapbooks, videos, post-it notes, or whatever. Consider it an inheritance you're leaving to those you love......along with all the other valuables you'll be leaving......riiiiight.

Blood, guts, and tears.....

After having three kinds of glucose tests my blood sugar levels have been determined okay. Yea, thank you, Jesus! This doesn't mean I'm going hog wild with my eating. I'm watching the fats, sugar, and carbs.

Tomorrow will be my second time at Curves. Wow, I knew I was out of shape but some of those machines are difficult to do more than 6 or 7 for me. As time goes by I know I will get better. Getting to feeling stronger and shedding some inches and pounds is my year long goal. My immediate goal is to just get on and off those machines!!!

A Big Tree and a Great Dog

It was time for a new look. The sweetgum tree is in my front yard. As near as I can figure it is 85-100 years old. As much as I love trees I wish we could get this one cut down or at least topped. This isn't the only tree near the house that needs cutting down. My uncle planted many trees too close to the house.....the camouflaged house. I'll have to take a picture of the way it looks and put it in later.

Buddy, our grand-dog has been with us about five years. He came to live with us when Cullen and family moved to Georgia - when grandchild #1 was five and they got him her first year, I believe. Y'all correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway, he is such a good dog and loves staying outside. One of his favorite places to stay is in the dirt right in the drive and another is in the dirt right by the side of the house. When he wants to come inside he'll 'bang' on the door with his paw or he'll bark if necessary. If he hears gun shots/hunters/ he'll want to come in asap. That time of year is soon approaching so he'll be an inside quite a bit. The really bad dog is a ferocious 4 lb. chahuahau named Baby. I'll try and put in a picture of her later.