Sunday's Coming..

Don posted his Sunday's Coming this morning on Count It All Joy blog.

 

Please pray for John Budd, also.  An email from Jeannie is posted below Sunday's Coming.  Here's praying he will be out of the hospital soon.

LaNae & Mike left for Slovakia this morning, so Don & I will be staying with Lydia & Blaine for two weeks.  They are still in school, so we will be responsible for getting them to school and picking them up in the afternoon, etc.  Pray for us!  It's been a long time.  We're going to have a good time with them.  Praise God, neither of them are in the FIFTH GRADE yet, so maybe we can bluff our way through this.  LOL

It's still very windy here... up to 55 mph gusts.  Not very conducive to doing anything outdoors.  Don and I did go to Pei Wei's for lunch today and almost blew away walking to and from the front door.  OK, that's an exaggeration, but our hair was really standing straight up and every which way.

We're expecting Joyce Cooley here Friday.  She has a spot reserved next site to us.  We're looking forward to her being here, if only for one night. 

TO MY WONDERFUL HUBBY, DON...

Norman - Day 12

I woke up this morning thinking about the sermon we heard yesterday morning. Young Brother Reid's message was about "Where's Your Faith?" and he talked a lot about Noah and how much faith he had and how obedient he was to God's instructions. (Hebrews 11:7)

"Noah, build an ark."

"OK, Lord, what's an ark?"

"Noah, I am going to flood the earth with rain."

"OK, Lord, what's rain?"

Did you know that before the flood, it had never rained? Before the flood, God had "watered" the earth with a heavy mist or dew every morning. Water as they knew it came from wells.

Did you know that for 120 years... that's one hundred and twenty, Noah built the ark and told everyone he saw to repent from their evil ways and follow the God Almighty because when the ark was finished God was going to send rain to cover the whole earth with water?

Did you know that not one person, besides his immediate family, believed him? Not only that, the people laughed at him, they ridiculed him, they rejected his message. Can you imagine how demoralizing that would be? We don't like to be rejected for five minutes, but 120 years???? That's faith beyond anything I can imagine. That's knowing God and trusting Him no matter what.

120 years? That's how merciful God is... He gave them 120 years to turn back to Him before He told Noah, his family and all the animals to get on board and He closed the Ark door! Can you imagine how foolish all those people felt as they looked at that closed door and felt the drops on their faces? watched the water puddles form? watched the rivers overflow their banks? begin to move their families further and further up the mountains? Who do you think they cried out to? Their idols down there somewhere under water? I think not. Do you suppose there were still atheists on the earth when there was no solid rocks under there feet? when they could not longer tread water?

Where's your faith?

And then I got out of bed.

We piddled around the house for a bit, emptying the black tank, getting dirty clothes ready for laundry. Don took me over to Mother's to do the laundry and he went to Oklahoma City to the VA Med Center for his 10:00 AM doctor's appointment. When we got to Mama's, we found that she wasn't feeling too good... very light headed. I was glad that I would be there with her today. After eating a little, she laid down and I started my laundry.

Don received an email from Frank Maguire back at Quail Run in Arizona City. It seems there was a horrible accident south of AZ City early Sunday morning. There was a pickup truck with 60 illegal aliens in it, on it being shuttled to somewhere when the truck hit a sign and lost control, rolling numerous times. Frank said it was an awful site.

We have discovered that the last doctor Don saw in Waco, prescribed a high blood pressure medication that Don can not take successfully, thus the reason why he has had no energy for the last week or so. The doctor today established an allergy combatting regimen for Don as we head back (in 3 weeks) to Branson and the area where he developed allergies.

When Don got back from the doctor, we met LaNae at Rudy's BBQ for lunch and then we went back to Mama's. She took another nap after eating the salad we brought her and then my brother Jon called from Guam. She talked to him, which perked her up. We would appreciate any and all prayers for his safety. He should be in the air enroute to Houston right now; will have a 1 1/2 hour lay over in Houston and then on to Nashville, Tennessee. I'm sure his wife, Carolyn, will be waiting for him at the airport to take him home in north Georgia.

OK, back to Mama. When she got up from her nap, she was ready to play Moon (dominos). We played for several hours and then Don and I came back to the "house." We were bored, so we took a stroll around the park and decided to visit old friends, Ronda and Tom Loveless out in Noble. It was so good to see them again. We had missed seeing them back in October as they had gone to Texas on vacation.

We're back home. Sheriff Andy Taylor is displaying his wisdom over there in Mayberry. Don's sleeping and I think I will join him.

Did you hear about the guy in Phoenix who was attaching flares to helium balloons and releasing them into the air in an effort to make people think they were UFO's. It worked for awhile until the authorities located the guy. Oooooo ... red lights over Phoenix.

Please pray for our nation, our government, our leaders and our military.

Blessings, peace, joy and FAITH to all.

Can't believe this was done by a teenager!!

Every year, for the last nine years, a talented artist, Ray (Bubba) Sorensen II, has done a Memorial Day tribute to our servicemen and servicewomen, both past and present, with a stirring tableau painted on a large granite boulder which stands next to Highway 25. The huge granite boulder came out of the nearby Schillberg Rock Quarry and it weighs approx. 56 ton (50.8Mg) and is 12 ft (3.7m) high.

This is my favorite from 2003.  This flag looks draped over, but it's actually painted on.

Click here and see pictures Bubba has painted from every year since 1999!

God Bless our servicemen and servicewomen and God Bless American.

Norman - Day 11 - part 2

  Since we were early to church, Don drove us through downtown Pauls Valley, showing me the streets he "cruised" when he was in high school and a few of his old hang outs. One point of true interest is the brick streets in all of the downtown area.

"Tall, stately trees arch over more brick streets, (17,986 square yards), than in any town in the United States."  That's quite something for this town to be proud of.  When all the other cities with brick streets are paving over them, Pauls Valley still has theirs. Can you imagine how many man-hours it took to "pave" these streets.  I love it when old buildings with awesome architectural design are preserved.  I should do some research on this clock.  As we made our way out of town, Don turned on a farm road that would take us to Beaty Baptist Church.  As we passed this race horse ranch, Don said "this belongs to Toby Keith."  I apologize for the quality... these were all taken through the window or windshield. Didn't seem to be much going on at the ranch, but we did see a few horses in the distance. And you can see there has been a lot of work done here, new buildings and groomed pastures.  This is not the ranch where Toby lives.  That's on the northeast side of Norman.

We enjoyed going to church with Don's mother at Beaty Baptist Church.  Their pastor, Stephen Reid, is very young, but seemed to possess a wisdom beyond his years.  We were impressed, but not surprised as it's wonderful to see someone so young so committed to God's plan for his life. 

After church, we all made our way into Pauls Valley and Punkin's Restaurant and of course, time for pictures.  I knew I needed to take them before the food arrived.  Here's Pauline, Don & Debbie's mother. Fifty years ago today, Mom Pauline made Don a big brother.  In fact, Debbie was almost Don's 10th birthday present, as Don's birthday will be the 30th.  Here's Debbie with her first grandson, Dylan.  He's visiting for a while but goes home next weekend. His little brother, Michael, misses him.  We were joined for lunch by Pauline's sister, Aunt Lois and hubby, Uncle Pete.  Uncle Pete closed his eyes in the first picture, so we told him to keep his eyes open for this one. Good job, Uncle Pete!!  Dylan is only five years old and he has already lost his two front teeth and one permanent tooth is already in. Nobody told him where to sit... he wanted by his Uncle Don.   Debbie had to get a picture of Don and I while Don is still 59. Doesn't he look handsome in his suit and tie?! We finished lunch and headed for Mom's house for that pie, pecan for Debbie and coconut cream for Don.  Don't worry, they shared.  It was so delicious.  We visited and showed pictures of people we've met and places we've been.  And watch Dylan be such a boy.

Around 4:00, we headed back to Norman, but not before getting a picture of the Birthday Pair and the pie Don brought home with us. And a good picture of Dylan... Mom's beautiful white Clematis are blooming. Did you know there is a Clematis Society of American? This afternoon, the clouds were gone and it was a beautiful 40 minute drive home. I think I've mentioned before that just down the road from Don's mom's is a wild horse farm.  The man that owns this farm goes out to the western states and "rescues" wild horses and brings them back to keep and/or sell to people who want to "adopt" them. <--- click and read about the Wild Horse & Burro program. Below is part of the

Pauls Valley Adoption Center

The Pauls Valley facility serves as a resting point for animals arriving from the West and being shipping to adoption locations in the central and eastern United States. With 12 pastures stretching across 400 acres of land, this facility provides wild horses and burros a natural and safe environment until they are placed in new homes. The facility can hold a maximum of 600 animals, although the actual number of wild horses and burros at the site varies throughout the year. A drive-up interpretation site situated near the pastures allows visitors to view the animals as they leisurely roam and graze on the land.

Adoptions are held quarterly at the Pauls Valley facility, with a mixed group of 70 - 80 animals being offered. Click here for schedule information and more details, or call the Wild Horse and Burro Information Line toll-free at 866-4MUSTANGS.
ADOPTION SPECIAL: At the scheduled March 14-15, 2008, adoption at Pauls Valley, approximately 20 wild mares (two years old and older) will be available for a reduced fee of $25 (the normal adoption fee is $125). There is a possibility that some of these mares may be pregnant, so this could be a "two-for-one" opportunity for some adopters. (There's also an adoption coming up on May 16-17) Here's a good picture showing off the famous Oklahoma red dirt. There are a lot of very pretty photo-opps along Interstate 35. Looks like a good fishing hole, doesn't it? Yep, this is Oklahoma... oil pumps every where. Everyone should have one of these in their front yard.  The wild flower, Indian Paint Brush, is blooming and we passed an area where there were just beautiful growing in big patches. When we got back to the 5'er, Don and I promptly went into pie comas, enjoying our regular Sunday afternoon naps.

As I end this post, I am thinking about how I love blogging and how it makes me feel heart connected to all the wonderful people we've met in our lives.  Thank you to all our friends for loving us and praying for us.  God bless you and we love you!  

Bev report--

Sent: 4/26/2008 8:50:22 P.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: RE: Our patient

Saturday evening and Bev is resting quietly. She has suffered the last two days with a bit of an upset stomach which they are treating with something that really works quickly. She has been up a couple of times the last two days but the last two tech's really didn't know how to put it on and Bev had to tell them each step, not a reassuring sign. Tomorrow if she's feeling fit I'll help one of them put her in it.

Our good friends from Las Cruces visited again today and she's cheered by new faces after seeing just me and nurses 24/7. She will be transferred to rehab on Monday and then the work begins. She and I will learn how to make her mobile and to get to and from facilities once again. That will be a huge step in her recovery and make her feel much better. We are both looking forward to that.

Cards and phone calls from our many friends also cheer her and we both want to thank you for continuing your prayers and thoughts on our behalf.

Love to all, Les and Bev Fisher

Rehab... not the time to quit praying for Bev..

Norman - Day 11

It's Sunday, April 27th and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DEBBIE!!.. Don's favorite sister. 

We are on our way to Don's mother's to go to church with her.  Debbie is meeting us there and then we will all go out together to celebrate Debbie and Don's birthday (30th).  Mom has baked two coconut cream pies (for Don) and two pecan pies (for Debbie).  We'll have dessert at Mom's house. Yummmm.

Guess what?  It's windy again today.  Shocker.  And 51 degrees.  Very cool, especially with the wind.

A big shout out and HEY HOW ARE YOU? to Carol and Steve over Utah way.  If you're reading this, send us an email or click us a comment.  We miss you guys!

In case you're wondering, I am writing this, in the truck, on the way to Pauls Valley where Mom lives.  This air card and Live Writer are GREAT!!  (hint hint LIZ) :-)

Snookie said yesterday that they filled up with diesel to the tune of $148 and they have a quarter tank left.  It's no wonder folks are buying sites to park their rigs or purchasing park models.  We were discussing how surprised we are that the truckers haven't gone on strike.  How do they make a living with the diesel/gas prices at this ridiculous price?

I'm also missing my best friend forever (36 years), Linda, down in Texas.  I'd call her right now, but she's probably at church.  Hey Sweetie!  I promise I will call you soon or you can call me!!

We are almost there, so will publish this.  Have a wonderful, glorious Sunday.  Go to church... it's amazing what it does for you to worship with others and it pleases our Heavenly Father, too.

Walk in Truth & Light.

Norman - Day 10

Yeah! The sun is shining AND it's not quite as windy as it's been!  Don took advantage of the sunshine and took a walk.  I joined him for a walk around the "block."    Don put a pork roast in the crock pot this morning and we took it over to LaNae's for dinner.  When we got there, Marley, the dog, has just hurt his leg somehow and was being showered with love and sympathy. Lydia, at 10, sure reminds me of when her mom and aunt were that age... lots of "performances" in the middle of the living room.  While there, wonderful friend Snookie called.  Always so good to hear her voice.  We chatted for a while.  I won't give anything away by telling you where and what she and Bob are doing.  Just read her blog.  They're having so much fun that she's about two days behind in publishing, but she'll get caught up.

Les & Bev Fisher

Since we left Quail Run, the PC has been packed away and I've been using the laptop.  All of the pictures that I've taken at QR are on the PC along with the picture of Les &  Bev Fisher taken on Easter Sunday at our Brunch in the Cantina.  So, I finally got the PC hooked up again and I wanted to post that picture of Les & Bev.  I know that you are all continuing to pray for them as Bev recovers from their accident.  Praise God that Les was only slightly injured and is such a wonderful support to Bev.  There relationship and love for each other is an inspiration to everyone that knows them.

Sunday's Coming

Don was impressed to send out a Sunday's Coming this morning.  If you did not receive an email, you can hear Don's heart at Count It All Joy.  He told me the email started out to be for me and then he decided to share it with all of you.  If you have ever encouraged Don in any way, then this is for you, too.

Thank you, Don.  I love you very much and "you are the wind beneath my wings" also.  I am so grateful that God allowed us this time together, to share in love and service to Him.

Japanese Cherry Blossom

Only readers of "Bring the Rain" will understand this... it's is so pretty.  <<--- click here for a screen saver         

Norman - Day 9

A cool front blew in with all the wind last night and it was very cool this morning (60 degrees at 9:30 a.m.), plus it rained just a little.  It was still cloudy when Don & I went over to Mother's. We played Shoot the Moon for a while and then it was lunch time. Mama made chicken salad, I steam fried a couple of potatoes, sliced some cheese and we called it lunch.  Very satisfying.  LaNae came by after getting her stitches out of her elbow and getting her hair done.  The doctor told her if she would exercise her elbow herself, she would not have to go to PT, so she has an appointment back with the surgeon in a month to see if she is regaining full use of her arm. LaNae took a nap while Don, Mama & I finished our Shoot the Moon game.  I bid "nello" (catch no tricks) on this hand, but got no help from the left-over domino, so I didn't make my bid. That 5/4 was a high off and I caught a trick with it.  Richard and Susan Boyanton had invited us to their home for dinner tonight and a game of spades. We enjoyed a delicious spaghetti dinner and the Susan and I took Richard and Don to Spade School.  Just kidding.  We did win two games though.  Oh, we only played two games.  We had a great time with great friends.

Have to show you Susan's pretty flowers in her flower bed.  Anyone know what kind of flowers these are?

Bring the Rain

It seems that Blogger has been locked to Angie Smith, but now she has published her posts since Audrey Caroline was born and gone home to be with Jesus.  She also has published a video and song that was written for little Audrey.  So precious.  --> Bring the Rain.

Emerald Beach RV Park, Florida

If you are wondering, like Ricky & Wendy are, where Ray & Linda will be this summer... Emerald Beach RV Park on the Santa Rosa Sound.  Also, only the Santa Rosa Sound is between Emerald Beach and Navarre Beach.

"We are located in Santa Rosa County, close to the surrounding counties of Escambia and Okaloosa. The surrounding cities are Pensacola, Gulf Breeze, Jay, Milton, Holley, Fort Walton, Destin and both Hurlburt and Eglin Air Force Bases."

You all must get together and drive up to Branson to see us!!  Great idea!!

Since Rick & Wendy are in Fort Walton Beach until May 11th, you guys should hook up!!

Bev Fisher Miracle

I believe this is the first email Les Fisher sent out on April 9th.  Les is such a dear, gentle man, as you can tell from the tone of his email:

"Hi everyone, I'm sure that I have some of the addresses wrong, if you recognize the mistakes please correct and pass along

Many of you know, some of you do not but to all here is the latest as of 5:25 in Albuquerque.

Bev and I want to thank all of you for your prayers, calls and concerns regarding our unfortunate accident.

The accident happened with our recently purchased 06 Nissan Titan PU and our 08 Terry travel trailer. We had just the past Friday downsized from our big HitchHiker & 450 Ford because of fuel prices and the fact that we had recently purchased a Town House in Casa Grande. (another story)

We were on I-40, east of Albuquerque heading toward Iowa for a summer job when we came off a hill into a wide open prairie area and were caught by a sudden gust of wind. The trailer started fish tailing and I could not stop it. We left the road, hit the ditch and rolled both the truck and trailer. Both landed upside down and both truck and trailer were destroyed. When we stopped I was still in my seat belt, Bev who previously did not before believe in seat belts was ejected and I panicked when I looked over and she was not in the truck. My window was gone and I crawled out and found her close to the truck. We waited some 40 minutes in the ditch, not wanting to move Bevy, for the ambulance which took her only a short distance where she was airlifted to the University Hospital in Albuquerque. The sheriff's department transported me as I just had some scalp lacerations.

Bev will undergo surgery on Friday to repair her broken back. She will remain in the hospital for an additional week for recovery and that will be followed by an additional two to four weeks of in-house re-hab. That will be in another nearby facility. Her broken ribs, collar bone and breast bone will require four to six weeks to heal on their own. It will be a very painful ordeal. During that time I will be staying somewhere close, yet to be determined.

While awaiting the ambulance several good Samaritans stopped to assist. Three very special truckers and others who offered water and comfort. These good people located some of our valuables, the computer, the phone, the fireproof box with all of our important papers and camera. I had one trucker take pictures of Bev and I and also the wreckage. It will be sent in the future as we did not recover the device to download the pictures or to charge either the phone or the computer. So until tomorrow when I will go to the place where the wreckage is stored and I hope to locate the chargers. I will then be able to use the cell phone and the computer. The cell phone battery is 95% gone and the computer is somewhere close behind.

Once again, thank you all for your prayers, I know they are working as we still have Bevy. With your prayers we will once again be the couple we were prior to this awakening.

Love to all, Les and Bev"

That Bev Fisher is alive is such a miracle, an answer by God Almighty, to the prayers of all of us on Bev's behalf.  Les sent out this email with this picture on April 12th and many of you have probably already seen it, but for those who haven't here's the picture and Les's email:

"Heaven has blessed us with family and friends and I am humbled by all of your prayers and kind responses to our situation. So many calls, so many offers of help, so many wanting to be by our sides at this time is almost more than I can comprehend. I want to thank each and everyone of you for this.

Beverly underwent a six hour operation successfully on Friday afternoon. She is now in the intensive care unit at University Hospital in Albuquerque and is there so they can closely monitor her. She is awake, alert and well aware of her situation. She had four vertebrae fused together and a six inch rod to stabilize her with six bolts. She will remain in this facility for about another week and will then be transferred to a rehabilitation facility also under the University Hospital heading. She is in lots of pain with all of her injuries but has suffered no spinal injuries to affect her leg movement or feeling. There is indeed a greater power who must have a greater mission for both of us.

I'm at the rear of the truck holding Beverly in one position

I have rented an apartment nearby and will be close for all of this treatment. We've had no time to talk about future plans for us but lots of time to consider it. We want all of you to know we love you, we thank you for your prayers and God bless all of you.

Les and Bev Fisher"

What's Ray & Linda up to???

Can't you just hear Linda talking?----

HI GUYS..GOOD NEWS..WE'LL BE SPENDING NEXT WINTER IN MERCEDES, TX.  

WE KNEW WE WERE HOMEAGAIN  WHEN WE ARRIVED AT LLANO GRANDE LAKES RESORT  ....EVEN THE DOGS WERE HAPPY .  THEY WERE SELLING LOTS AND SO YUP, YOU GUESSED IT...WE BOUGHT ONE!   I'M SOOO EXCITED AND I JUST CAN'T HIDE IT!!I    I'M ABOUT TO LOSE CONTROL...OOPS, YEAH, RAY SAYS THAT ALREADY HAPPENED A LONG TIME AGO.    I CAN'T WAIT TO GET BACK HERE IN THE FALL TO START MY LANDSCAPING....ADDING MORE CONCRETE AND  A CASSITA FOR GUESTS.  IT LOOKS LIKE THE FIFTH WHEEL WILL STAY ON THE SITE DURING THE WINTER MONTHS UNTIL IT FALLS APART AND THEN WE'LL ADD A PARK MODEL TO THE LOT. THE WEATHER HERE HAS BEEN WARM AND HUMID BUT THE POOL WATERS BEEN VERY INVITING AND THE POND HAS BEEN BECKONING THE PUPS. THEY HAVE A DAILY MORNING SWIM.  IT'S SO FUNNY!!

WE'RE SO GLAD TO HEAR BEV IS IMPROVING EACH DAY...HOW GREAT IS THAT?

THEY'VE BEEN BLESSED.

WELL, MAYBE I CAN CUT THAT HAIR AFTER ALL....WE MIGHT HAVE TO MEET HALFWAY AND DO IT IN THE WALMART PARKING LOT IN ORDER TO SAVE ON GAS!!!  LOL

OH, BOY WHAT FUN WE HAVE . LIFE IS GOOD.

WE'RE TRYING TO STICK TO OUR DIETS BUT THE SEAFOOD WAS WAY TOO MUCH TO RESIST SO WE DROVE TO SOUTH PADRE ISLAND (did she say SOUTH PADRE ISLAND?????  forgive me Lord, for I am envious) AND YUP....INDULGED IN SOME FRIED OYSTERS, FISH,SHRIMP,FRENCH FRIES,  AND ONION RINGS...". FORGIVE US LORD FOR WE HAVE SINNED". OOPS THERE'S THAT CATHOLIC STUFF HAUNTING US AGAIN...LOL

HUGS TO ALL

BE SAFE...ENJOY EACH DAY...

LINDA AND RAY

And today, we received this email from Linda & Ray:

Hi Guys...I checked on the Ministry job and I guess the way they work it out is a group of retired Pastors who live in the area volunteer to preach each week. Whatever offerings are collected go to several charities. Sorry, it would have been great .  We enjoyed your services.They were wonderful. We'll still see you next winter...

Leaving out in the morning and planning on making it through Houston before 5 pm. rush hour.  Then on Saturday we'd like to get to the gulf shore area of Alabama where we'll stay three nights.  We'll get to Emerald Coast RV Park  in Florida on Tuesday, Our home for the summer. We'll travel to Tennessee and Georgia to visit the kids and grandkids from there.  We'll be spending a bit on fuel but when the kids start to get to us....we'll head on down the road to Florida again.  What a plan...just kidding..the granddaughter is already planning on staying with us the whole month of July. She'll definitely keep me busy as she loves to play board games and cards!! 

Life is good and We are Blessed!

Hugs,

Linda

Linda, keep those emails coming!  We're so excited about your new place in south Texas for the Winter.  We checked out the web site and it looks great... a wood shop even!!! Ray's in heaven, eh?  We are having Boston accent withdrawals, though, so you need to call us once in awhile so we can hear that wonderful voice!

Norman - Day 8

Good friends, Larry Weaver and Perry Brown came by today to continue the challenge of getting local channels on TV.  I am sad to say that all their efforts were of no avail. But we certainly are appreciative of their willingness to try.

LaNae called this afternoon and was having stomach cramps and didn't feel good at all... a feeling very kin to food poisoning.  So I picked up the kids at school for her.  "Nonna! You and that camera!"  Blaine was really tired. He went to sleep before we got home. It's been really windy here today, a good day to stay inside.  It's a good thing, as Don hasn't felt like doing much.  We've decided his new blood pressure med isn't agreeing with him.  Our friend, Cheri, says he needs to cut his coffee intake into half.  I agree with Cheri, but Don's going at it slowly: ... 2 1/2 cups instead of 3 this morning.

Received email from Quail Run friend, Joyce Cooley.  Rather, Joyce is a friend that we met at Quail Run.  She's not there, but she is on her way to Norman, OK and will spend one night here in our park next week.  We can't wait to see her.  Pray for good weather for her to travel... no wind or a tail wind... would be wonderful.

We're rejoicing that Snookie & Bob are safe even though they were one day later than planned in leaving El Centro, California.  And thankful for their good price for the set of tires for the dually.  I so glad so many of us from Quail Run have blogs.  Both Nancy and Darlene have indicated that they will create their own soon.  We waiting.  :-)

Blessings to all.  Walk in Truth & Light.