Christmas Gift

We are not opening Christmas gifts until New Years and we are gathered as a family. Before Christmas packages arrived for me. The packages looked like flowers. The first one was not flowers,but a box of chocolates. The second one was the above vase and flowers from Dr John. Both the chocolates and the flowers were from John.

Christmas

We had a different Christmas. We didn't open gifts. We are going to wait until New Years Day, when the family will be here. We went to church to a nice service. I have had two other Christmas' that were not traditional. When Dr. john was in the hospital 30+ years ago was the first. He was taken by ambulance to the hospital in Green Bay. John's brother-in-law drove his mother and I down behind the ambulance. We stayed at John's cousin home as that family went to Florida. John had surgery. A friend in Crystal Falls who was caring for my children drove down so that the kids could see their father on Christmas. That is when the snow storm came. Very bad driving. I got a parking ticket how the officer found the mark on my tire I do not know. Then as I was driving back to his cousin's house I got lost because you could not see the signs. There were no gifts to give. John's cousin left cookies. John's mother kept saying Santa Claus flew right over. I can't remember if his mother got a meal. I remember I went to the cafeteria but I didn't find the food tasty.

The second different Christmas was when Dr John was in the hospital for the last major illness. That time my children were grown. Peter and Pennie came up and we celebrated at the place I was staying a converted hotel now used for families of those in the hospital. They had Christmas trees in the lounge area. Pat had to come later. We got a meal put together by the grocery store
and we used the kitchen. John could not have gifts because he was in the ICU. Pennie and I went to church Christmas Eve at Messiah. The pastor spoke about how Jesus was not at his home also.

Celebrating Jesus birthday is important even if is not traditional or on the 25th.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

Not wind or snow

It was below zero and the wind chill at -40 but that did not keep us from church. We bundled up and got in the Montana Van and got through the drifts of snow. The choir along with an orchestra of young students did a Cantata. They did a very good job.
After the service the serving group provided fresh cinnamon rolls and sloppy joes along with coffee,juice, and cocoa.
Another former pastor had a picture of different trains which he gave to dr. john.

Raven's 44

Today I face another Raven's Challenge.

he words for this week's ten word challenge were: When pigs have wings, Moonlight, Mystery, Tower of Babel, Butterflies, Bread and butter, Beef barley soup, Charley horse, Novelty, Cold shoulder Mini Challenge: Software, Lottery, Newspaper, Mailman, Ringo Starr’s drum

Thirteen year old Mark continued his search for a new home, one he would be welcomed in. He settled into a community called Couldbe. There were life forms he had never seen. He saw a red horse flying, and it must be an important figure, because he saw a sign on a building having a flying red horse. Mark using his mind asked if he could shift into the form of the red horse. The horse responded,"when pigs have wings." Even though he was given a cold shoulder, the possibility of pigs with wings was not a novelty in this place. He took the form of a butterfly, without asking. Flying with the butterflies he flitted around the town, which was occupied with humanoid forms which again without asking he took the form of. There was a building which appeared to be public so he entered it. There was a man eating alone at a table. He was eating beef barley soup , and bread and butter. Mark asked if he could join him telling the waiter he would have water. The man at the table introduced himself as Charley Horse. Mark snickered. Mark repeated, " Charley horse like a leg cramp?" The man was offended , got up and paid for his meal, leaving Mark at the table alone. Mark also left following the man called Charley out.

It was now evening. Mark continued his exploration of the town. The moonlight made it easy to see. He discovered a object which was a mystery to him. A large form in the middle of a field. It was a very tall structure which reminded Mark of the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel. Around the structure were pigs and they had wings. Now to find that flying red horse.

Mini Challenge;

Sandy read the newspaper Bay News while she waited for the mailman. The mailman was really the mail carrier because it was a woman. She had ordered some new software and was anxious for it to arrive. There was an article about Ringo Starr's drum being shown at the library. A picture accompanying the article . In the corner at the bottom she could see her penguin it was holding up a small sign with words lottery numbers, below which were the numbers. She was tempted to forget about the software and go buy a lottery ticket. Could she trust the penguin? She thought about the gift shop, her date, and the last incident with the roulette wheel. the man in the white hat said that the penguin was para-normal. She was not sure what that meant he had not had the time to meet with her yet. It could mean that the penguin could see into the future and these were the winning numbers, or it could be another way to get her into trouble. Would others see the picture and infer the same numbers? Sandy put on her coat and grabbed the keys to the car. Maybe she would be a winner. She fought the temptation but it won . To the store to get a winning ticket. What could go wrong?

Weather

I have been staying in the last couple of days because of the weather. Cold, not just cold but bitterly cold. I guess that true for everyone in the middle of the country. We are preparing for more snow. O K it is winter.
As far as Christmas preparations: Done some shopping and some wrapping. I decorated the new mantle. I found the stocking holders but not the stockings. Our stockings were knitted by John's aunt Bessie. She gave them to us the first year of our marriage. After the birth of each child she gave them a stocking. Bessie has past away so the stockings mean a lot, but I am not sure of where we packed them. The three moves mean we still have boxes not found. We stayed with my daughter when we first moved here so they may be at her place and she has not had time to begin decorating.
Now I must go get Maggie.

Two For Story

Before you read this truly unremarkable story just a few words about how it came into existence. John and I decided it would be fun to write a story together and thus the idea for this story was born. To keep us from killing each other a few rules were devised.
1. Each person would write one line and then the other a line until the end of the story.
2. We would not discuss what we had in mind or where we wanted the story to go.
3. No hitting or screaming.
This then is the product of our effort published on both blogs on the same day.

Sandy was just becoming comfortable with living with the stupid penguin when she found the two messages from Father Bill on her answering machine. Of all people, Father Bill wanted to know about the penguin. He wanted her to come down to the church hall now even though this was the day of the big casino fund raising effort and the place would be packed. She dressed quickly and grabbed the recently gifted stuffed penguin.
Ann Haggerty met her at the door to the hall and asked her if she knew anything about roulette wheels as it seems nobody could get the church's new wheel to work. Sandy looked at Ann with an odd expression on her face.Out of the corner of her eye she saw her penguin rushing toward the wheel. She felt that there was going to be trouble ,or maybe help,because that penguin was so unpredictable.Suddenly, the wheel began to turn and it certainly looked like it was working. Applause echoed through the hall, and Ann grabbed a bouquet of yellow roses used too decorate the hall and gave them to Sandy.
Sandy, however, was more concerned about where the penguin had disappeared to and what it was up to now. She excused herself , and walked into the sanctuary. Father Bill was not there so she went immediately to his office and waited for him to come back. There was a side door to the office, which opened, causing her to jump back in response . At the same moment she saw through the window her penguin running up and down on the fire escape of the building next door and being watched by a strange man in a white hat. Brother Joe had come in the door and commented on her watching the man in the white hat. Sandy not being able to say anything about the penguin on the fire escape said she had just noticed the fancy sunglasses the guy was wearing and thought she might get a pair.

Sandy heard a commotion coming from the hall , so she left the office running past the softly lit candles in the sanctuary. It seems the wheel was now stopping on number 10 every time and Ann was about as angry as you can get. Sandy said," The penguin did it. The penguin in the cinnamon floppy hat and the yellow jacket did it." It was at that point that the man in the white hat showed up, took her by the arm, and said " They can't see him dear".

"He looks like this." Sandy pushed the stuffed penguin in his face sobbing softly. " I know dear. I can see him. Father Bill called me in to help you. I'm an expert on the para-normal."