Saturday Morning

Friends Mike & Sharon are at home in Granbury Texas getting his health issues attended to. All your prayers for our friends surely helped.
Yesterday Butch and I worked on the villas and suites doing battle with the spiders and their webs. The largest building is the worst and I cannot figure out why. It always has much more webs than the other two. One of the primary differences is the amount of sunlight and the side of the building getting the most sunshine is also the worst. Some smart guy is going to tell me it is because there are more spiders there...I can see that one coming.

Butch had some electrical chores yesterday afternoon so I took a break.
And this morning he is doing his green mowing chores. But he is usually home by now and I have not seen him go by so I am beginning to think there are mower problems.

Click on pic to see them better.

I have been busy making bracelets but I must take a break from them now as my wrist that has had one surgery is beginning to give me some trouble. Linda instructed us on a new one last Thursday (Sidewinder-on the bottom) and it is very pretty but I have a really tough time getting the needle through the beads. Near the end I was using pliers to pull it through and that worked well. Part of the problem is that once I start I do not want to put it down till it is completed. So I will dig out my wrist brace and wear it for awhile and quit on the bracelets until the pain has subsided.
So Butch has now made it home and shopping in Alpena is on our agenda so signing off for now...

Catch up...

Fellow workamper Linda and I worked on the villas and suites yesterday to help housekeeping due to an overload of  people checking in and out and a shortage of housekeeping help. We stripped and made up beds and also restocked towels. I am not used to working that hard and I cannot say I like it at all. I think Linda and I agree on that.
I came home, showered, napped and then we played in couples golf. I felt like I wasn't much good to anybody and I was just excess golfing baggage. But then we came to hole number 3 and I step onto the tee box with a 7 wood in my hand and Butch says,"Wait! This hole is farther than you think and you better use your 5 wood." I said, "If I hit it as I should and hit it well I will  be way over." He said, "Okay, but remember what I said." I used my 7 wood and I was on the green 5 feet past the pin. It happened to be a hole with a flag for closest to the pin for women. Not only was I closest to the pin, I then made the putt for a birdie. It was the highlight of my evening.

This morning we beading women met in the Barn for a beading session.We learned a new bracelet this morning(Sidewinder) and I had someone in mind as I was doing it but that someone shall remain nameless for now. It is a pretty thing. I will show it to you when it is complete.
And now for an update on the Kindle. Butch has become an avid reader! This is a total and complete surprise to me. Yes, in the last year or two he has read far more books than the previous 60 years of his life but I had no idea that when we got the Kindle he would go completely nutso! I bought 4 or 5 books when I bought the kindle thinking they would last awhile. He has swallowed them all up and is in need for more. I think I will slow him down by making him do his own shopping. It will be either a blessing or a curse. Just like the Kindle!

Great Grand Nina Grace

I asked her Grandpa Rich for a picture and sure enough he sent one! We will all turn around and she will be close to filling those shoes!  Today is Nina Grace's Grandpa's birthday.

From the online Atlantic (Iowa) News Telegraph

I loved this Goat Nibbling picture from the Cass County (Iowa) Fair.

The Magic Window

The Magic Window This may be primarily for people who grew up in central Iowa but I do remember the Magic Window. One of the first kid shows televised. This link is to old time photo of the day from the Des Moines Register site.

When banks first had drive up windows Butch's mother called them the Magic Window primarily because of the TV show of the same name.

A walk down memory lane for many of you...

Update from friends Sharon & Mike

GOD BLESS TEXAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Stinking miserable heat and all!  We are home, thank God and all your prayers!

 

It was a long day but the hospital there and the staff were beyond amazing, truly someplace special there. (Joplin MO) The doctors said they'd have us on the road by 8:30 and we left there at 8:36!  Stopped only for fuel and grabbed to-go food and ate in the car and never stopped again!  Got to the doctor here in Granbury and spoke with him, then went to pharmacy, dropped of prescriptions and then dropped Mike off at home, unloaded car and then ran back to pharmacy to pick up meds.  Doctor called and said surgeon will call in AM and they are wanting to do some kind of test but not sure what it is, if it's an angiogram or what?  Mike didn't really understand him so I'll have to see in the morning and then we will see surgeon hopefully by THursday.  Our doc was hoping we could get this done by Friday but who knows.  In the meantime we are being very, very, careful and I can't leave him for very long for sure.  Like living with a time bomb!  He's not feeling well tonight, really exhausted so he's tucked in bed.  Sheran and Gene, brought dinner over, thankfully something I didn't have to worry about since the fridge was bare after almost two weeks.  I'm trying to get wash done, mail done, unpacked, etc so I'll be ready for whatever we have to do next.

 

I'm sorry it's taken me to this late to let you know but I haven't stopped and we're just so tired!  Please forgive me!

 

Love you all so much and I'll keep you posted but rest easy we're home now and all will be well!

 

Sharon

Latest Elise Pictures

Thanks to her Grandpa Gary!

Grandpa Gary says:

"It's sad at 11 weeks of age but Elise loves to watch TV. Mom and Grandma don't often let her do it. Grandpa on the other hand lets the little girl do what she wants. How do you think she rewarded me? It was nasty, that is all I will say!"

Italian Cream Cake

I would be tickled pink if someone baked this cake for me on my birthday!
From Linda's Recipe Book.

This recipe has been a favorite of ours for many years. Made totally from scratch it is not the quickest or easiest cake to make but oh so worth it. This cake gets better a few days after it is made. 

Cake:
1 stick butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup coconut
5 egg yolks
5 egg whites, stiffly beaten
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Cream butter and shortening. Add sugar and beat until smooth. Add egg yolks and beat well. Sift flour, measure and sift again with baking soda. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk to the creamed mixture. Stir in vanilla, coconut and nuts. Fold in egg whites. Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 8" cake pans (or two 9"). Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5 minutes. Then turn out cakes on racks. When cake is completely cooled, frost. 

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese(room temperature)
1 lb. powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 stick butter

Beat cream cheese with butter until very smooth. Add sugar and mix well. Add vanilla and beat until smooth. Spread between layers and over top and sides. Sprinkle with chopped nuts. 

Monday Mourning

Moodiness mixed with raindrops,
Makes for a soup that is blue.
I need a walk in the sunshine,
And find something productive to do.

I have found myself to be fractured and distracted today. We need to get some work done but it is outside work and we are having a rainy day here in northeast Michigan.
I broke Butch's chair yesterday. It was on its way to being broke anyway, I just finished it off. I was cleaning it and it needed it. I forgot about its delicate condition and jerked it around and whoops- broken. He can no longer recline. Angel is not going to like this. So then as always happens he decides he is going to fix it. Butch's mind is locked in the 50's where you could go downtown to the hardware store or blacksmith shop and find parts for anything that had parts. So far, no luck. We have contacted the chair manufacturer (Flexsteel) by email and we will see what that brings. Our hopes are none too high. So for you women whose men are none too handy- at times it is not all it is cracked up to be. A quest for something unattainable is not pretty to watch.
I mailed off two bracelets today or rather Butch did while he was off on his quest for parts. These two are going to Missouri. I counted up the other day and I think I have done 7 so far. They are fun to do because they are finished quickly and then off to the next idea. Also they are easier to do in warm weather than an afghan and we are always in warm weather or at least we try to be. I still plan to do Swedish weaving.

Howard's birthday party was Saturday night.

                                                          Anti-Monkey Butt Powder???

 Some Depends now that he is older and a modified golf club  for those really tough shots where it is hard to stand up.

The workamping group has decided to return to our social gathering on Sunday evening as we had such fun at Howard's birthday party. His lovely wife Linda planned it with all his favorite food. Lasagna and Cake- A special cake!

Maybe I can get the very difficult but really scrumptious birthday cake recipe from Linda.

Word from a friend

We met Mike & Sharon Bryce at Snow Mountain Ranch and became good friends with them as well as many others. We have stopped at Mike and Sharon's home in Granbury Texas a couple of times on our way to the Rio Grande Valley. In fact Mike and Sharon wanted to come to Thunder Bay Resort to workamp this summer but it didn't work out and we were both disappointed. Mike and Sharon had come to Michigan from Texas to visit grandsons and headed back to Texas last Friday. I received this email from her an hour ago and they have been in my thoughts and prayers ever since. Please put them in yours for us please.
From Sharon:
"Okay guys, it's our turn to ask for prayers.  Mike is in pretty rough shape right now.  We were on our way home from Michigan on Friday when he said to me, "grab the wheel, I'm fixing to faint."  By the good graces of God we were able to get off the interstate without being hit.  I called 911 and they brought him here to a hospital in Joplin.  They ran all the tests and ruled out a heart attack and stroke but finally yesterday found that his carotid artery is "critically" blocked.  We were talking with our doctors in Texas and trying to make a decision as to whether or not it would be safe to get him home for the surgery but he had another episode this morning and I'm afraid he's going to have a massive stroke so getting him home is not looking better.  It would be easier for sure since I'm having to stay in a hotel and without my meds and I'm out of clothes, no support here, etc but think we'll have to do here.  His BP was so high this morning it wouldn't even register on their machines.  I'm worried to death he'll have a stroke before we can even get it done and then when they do the surgery it's risky because he could have a stroke during the procedure.  If all goes well they would keep him here 3-4 days before we could travel and I'm assuming that once they release him we could come home so 3-4 days may be optimistic.

 

If you could pray that we make the right decision and we get through this I'd appreciate it.  "

Yes, we will Sharon. You can count on it.