My typical day around here......

Hey, it's me......long time no blog! Today is a typical day for me. After awaking around 7:00 A.M., I took out trash by the curb, fixed coffee, checked e-mail, began receiving phone calls from people needing my volunteer services:
1) Lana, asking me to please come to the Thursday evening First District KEA meeting to hear Reg Weaver, NEA Pres. speak about membership, dinner, etc. She wants to secure my presence there to help with whatever needs helping. I serve the KEA-R (retired) as an elected KEA-R Board Member, and am a life-time member of KEA/NEA. However, I teach piano until 5:00 that day, so I'll have to rush to get there and participate and enjoy the catered spread of yummy foods even.
2) Next call was from Betsy, Girl Scout Office, asking me to secure a place for the Fall Area 23 meeting in Hickman as it is our turn to host that meeting, and reminded me of our Hickman Service Unit Meeting tonight and asked me if I had any requests for "stuff" needed for that (I'm the Service Unit Manager and conduct the meeting of the leadership team and adult volunteers once a month). So, I secured the Hickman Bank for the 14th of November and now the Area Chair can inform the council that we have a date and place for Area 23's meeting.
3) Take a call from Debbie, from our church, who tells me that she and I have been requested to sing a duet at the Praises for Him segment at the bandstand downtown Thursday evening to represent our church's participation. And we need to get together to practice for that. HOW WILL I TEACH PIANO, GO TO PADUCAH TO THE KEA MTG., AND SING AT THE BANDSTAND all at the same time, I wonder????
4) After preparing the agenda for tonight's G. S. Leaders' meeting, I begin to prepare for next week's local Fulton County KRTA (Ky. Retired Teachers Assoc.) luncheon meeting. I am the elected President of this group after much arm-twisting and pleading from the now-long-time president Julia.
5) In about an hour, I have to go with Charlton and a friend of his to retrieve the financial materials from the Civil Air Patrol Finance officer who is retiring and moving to Minnesota with his son and family. Again, I've been recently trained on the financial officer's job, including the CAP's state designated Quicken program that is required for the accounting process. So, the CAP computer, desk, all components will now be in my care and will be placed in a corner of the piano studio for easy access for me and the unit until the new airport gets built and the CAP office is available there.
This is the story of most of my days and weeks. And, it's only 10;00 A.M. So, this is being retired!!! Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
And, all I really have the urge to do is go visit Natalie or Tristyn. :) We are so blessed with our children and their children. We spent three wonderful days at oldest son Steven's house over Labor Day and enjoyed our time there, being with granddaughter Crista so much. We don't get to be with her much. And we are looking forward to this weekend to have Amy and Natalie down for the annual Goodyear picnic, followed by our church's hotdog, hamburger, and icecream get-together outside with a singing quartet, then the Fulton's Pontotoc Festival Grand Parade. Natalie will enjoy all this and we will through her eyes.
I thank God for all our blessings....and the ability to do all this volunteer work ...yeah, and the hard times, too, as they force us to be stronger in Him, and learn over and over again to turn our burdens over to him when we don't know how to handle things....becaues HE DOES. What would we do without Him to help us through this journey, called life?

Barb's Blog

Happy July 4th to everyone! We are thrilled to be expecting a new little grandbaby. We are excited, of course, and pray for a safe nine months prior for Amy. Natalie is already saying "Mommy has a baby in her tummy." :) This past week has been a great one, with the exception of one very sad day for our family. The rest of the week was fabulous. We kept our little GRANDdaughter Tristyn, 10 months, on Monday through Wednesdy evening. Then we had 3 yr. old GRANDdaughter Natalie from Friday until Sunday. What fun! We love spending time with them. Charlton and I took Natalie fishing with her Barbie rod/reel and tackle box with real live worms. We went to the Goodyear Park. She was thrilled (a bit intimidated with the squirming worms, of course, but so am I). It made me remember by childhood fishing days in a neighbor's pond. I also didn't like to bait my hook, but my little brother Dan didn't mind. So he baited mine for me. Now my brother Jim wouldn't do that; he thought if I was going to fish, I had to do the whole thing. He took care of his own hook. :) After church on Sunday, we traveled to Paducah to see the Delta Queen and Mississippi Queen at the river front (since the paper had listed July 2 as a scheduled visit.) But, they were no where in sight. Amy and Nathan met us there to get Natalie. So, we then caught a quick burger at Backyard Burger and went to see the new Superman movie. It was a bit loud and too much action for Natalie who promptly fell asleep on my shoulder, then Grampa's, then Nathan's, then Amy's. ;) It was a fun day. Our sad event ....our beloved collie, 5 yr. old Nikki, that we had in our home for 4 1/2 years, then went to live with Amy in January, (she was Amy's puppy and shadow in 2001; and had to stay with us after Amy married Nathan because of the apartment rule) died peacefully (we hope) in her sleep in the downstairs den room at Amy's. Charlton went up to show our respect to Nikki (100 miles away) and to bury her for Amy who was very very saddened by her passing on. (Nathan found Nikki, as Amy had left for work so she could be off on Monday and Tuesday.) Amy had taken her out that morning, brought her back in, fed her, watered her, and she was fine. Then Nathan called her at work. Charlton dug the hole by himself, while quite upset, which I really worried about. Natalie was with me and knew nothing about any of it. Amy asked us not to tell her until she gets home. She loved Nikki, too. But, the vet said, it could have been a seizure or a heart problem. Such a sweet, sweet dog....and very intelligent with a large vocabulary recognition; we'll miss her very much.

Barb's Blog

Barb's Blog

Yesterday I had a most painful, horrible experience. I have had much pain in my right heel and foot for some time now, saw an orthopedic surgeon about a month ago. He prescribed therapy and excercises and tylenol (that's all I can take). It did not get better. So, I called the dr. back last week and had an appointment yesterday. I had four options, continue what I've been doing, hoping for improvement; wearing a night brace to keep my foot rigid and straight; surgery; or a shot in my foot (heel) of cortisone. Now that was a most difficult decision, but I chose the injection, thinking that though it would hurt, it would feel better later. I almost backed out after the dr. told me that it was the most painful injection that they give.... and that the injection that I had in my shoulder four years doesn't hold a candle to the one in the heel. You see the foot is tougher skin and full of nerve endings and is very sensitive. After praying that I would get through it by myself, since Charlton is visiting Steven in MS and having fun fishing, etc. , I decided to get it over with. When the numbing shot went in first, I thought I would faint with pain, excruciating. I was told that it would lessen the cortisone injection. Well, I felt every bit of the pain......it was the most horrible excruciating pain I've ever felt...I'd even take childbirth again over this. And, she was right, the shoulder injection was nothing compared to the shot in my foot bones. Every nerve in my body seemed to be affected as I cried out in sheer pain, begging for it to be over with in a hurry. My entire foot felt like an exposed irritated nerve all the way to my toes, not to mention that the bones felt like they were being split. Well, that was my extraordinary experience for the week, maybe year. Other than the injection site being still sore and a bit bruised, my foot feels so much better. I can actually walk on it again, without hobbling and limping around everywhere. Praise God for helping me to get through it. I couldn't help but think about the horrific pain I experienced and wonder in amazement how Jesus, our Lord, endured the nails going into his feet and hands. My experience was surely nothing in comparison to his agony on the cross. He had no one to show compassion in that crowd of angry sinners. He knew He would get through it, though, because it was part of God's plan for Him. How he suffered. One can not imagine how much those nails hurt, until they've had an experience such as mine yesterday....and mine was a drop in the bucket to what Christ suffered.....and all for us....are we worthy of His suffering? God thinks so or it wouldn't have happened. It makes me realize that there is an analogy here. After my pain yesterday, my foot felt numb for several hours, and I was so glad that it was over and I could expect pain-free days ahead (if it works as it is supposed to do). After Jesus's death on the cross, how glad He must have been that all that was over and He would be going back to Heaven to live until He returns to take His followers to their reward, too. After our pain on earth is over, we can expect pain-free days forever with Him in Heaven. What a wonderful thought! (see John 3:16,17) Also, in John, "I go to prepare a place for you, so that where I am, there shall you be also."

Barb's Blog

Barb's Blog

I am so thankful for so much. I am thankful for my wonderful daughter and her little girl, and our two amazing sons and their little girls, too. My grandchildren are the highlights of my life, for sure. They are definitely the best there could ever be! God sure knew what He was doing when He spared my life in l999 and brought these little girls for me to love and enjoy. We love grandparenting soooo much. If it weren't for God and His orchestration on that day in July, 1999, I wouldn't be here today. Each day is amazing, never doubt it. Once you have a near-death experience, you see things a whole lot differently. I look forward to the day when I get to go to Heaven and be with Jesus and all His. But, while I'm here on my journey through life, I love being with my family, friends, and all those whom I come in contact with daily. Life is fragile. It can disappear in a moment. And, each of us has an appointed moment, don't doubt it one bit! Only God knows the big picture of our lives. My dad has already had his "Big Exit Moment" and I know that Jesus was right there before, during, and after it and for all eternity. I am so thankful that my Dad was one of the finest Christians that I've ever known. He put his entire being in God's hands and looked to Him for healing, love, comfort, and guidance every moment. My dad touched so many lives, in addition to those of my family, children, and friends; he served his life for God on earth and I know that he is doing the same in eternity. And he is ever present in my memory on a daily basis, reminding me that putting God and Jesus FIRST is how we should spend our brief time on earth. (It seems more brief all the time.) These are my thoughts for today.

Barb's Blog

June 6, 2006 Hey, folks! Here's an amateur blogger in action! Tell me what you think.