Visits with my substitute preacher.

It was a cold rainy day until the afternoon.  I went to talk with Sharon about the mower in the afternoon.  She was suffering from laryngitis.  She did give me the mower but I knew I couldn’t mow during the rain, so I just parked in in the next door driveway.  I helped Evelyn get the tables arranged and went to invite Wayne and Jean to join us for 15 bean soup.  He will replace me tomorrow at Trail’s End.  John and Sue had agreed to come at 4 to play hand and foot before the supper at 6.  They came and began to tell us the rules they wanted to play by.  They seem to try to bully us in almost everything we do.  But they are good to us in many ways.  I had gone to get some kitty litter earlier in the day, and they gave us some advice as to how to use it as a way to collect moisture in the house.  During the day, Evelyn’s leg was painful, so she too a couple of hydrocodone tablets on an empty stomach.  By 4:30 she was nauseous and went to the bathroom to vomit.  She was still sick by 6 and, after serving the meal, went back to “drive the porcelain bus” some more.  From there she went to bed and never made it back to the dinner.   I think my objective to have John and Wayne become better acquainted worked out well.  The Wilkens are really kind and likeable.  Sue and Jean helped me clean up the kitchen before they went home.  I watched about 1/3 of “Zero Dark Thirty”, a movie about the hunt for and killing of Osama Bin Laden before going to bed.

Sunday we went to worship at the Church of the King McAllen.  The pastor there is good at using Scripture to illustrate the folly of our government and many of the organizations that ridicule and persecute Christians.    The message dealt with our need to praise God even when we are suffering because God’s grace is sufficient for us.  He will give us faith and strength to glorify Him in our suffering.  We went to a Thai restaurant for lunch, but the food was a bit too spicy for Evelyn.  We came home and I planned to cut the grass.  I didn’t want to do it on Sunday, but rain is predicted for the next few days.  Unfortunately neither Glenn nor I could pull the string hard enough to start the mower.  He will take it for repair tomorrow.  In the meantime and rest of the day, we watched the NFL games to decide the playoff matches leading up to the Super Bowl.  Evelyn felt good all day: no nausea nor pain in her sciatica.  We talked with Sue about Wayne’s preaching and were pleased with her report on how smooth he was in his delivery.

Enjoying visitors to our country

I had intended to cut the grass today, but Glenn had not put the mower out for me. I had ridden my golf car to his house intending to drag it behind to my home.  Instead I just went to get our mail.  I did work a bit on dumping email.  We went to the hospital and used one of our complimentary lunch certificates and shared a salad.  Lionell and Lise, our normal partners, so Evelyn and a young Hispanic girl, Karina, worked with us.  There was someone there that must have been under arrest because the Border patrol and Weslaco police came and went throughout the afternoon.  I wanted to give them a Christmas card specifically created for military or law enforcement people but could never get to any one of them.  It was still cold but not raining when we left for home.  We had been invited to Lloyd and Marilyn’s for turkey gumbo and walked the 4 units to theirs.  We had a wonderful visit with them.  They are from a lake area in Manitoba and have been good friends of ours for several years.  They are definitely loyal to their own country but have been very loyal to us.  Of course they spend most of their time with other Canadians, but we have traded meals and table game nights with us.  We really appreciate them but are sad that they have no relationship with Christ nor any desire to have one.  They are educated and talented and have done many things for us.  We try to always reciprocate.  We really appreciate them because they are one of the few couples that have been loyally friendly to us in this park.  Most of the people we have tried to make lasting friendships with have never responded, but they have.  We left the meal (they were willing to play a table game) because Evelyn was tired and they are scheduled to play in a shuffleboard tournament tomorrow.  They are excellent players and have won many tournaments.  We have invited John and Sue for bean soup tomorrow in the late afternoon.

Christ is born!

Evelyn was up much of the night and was forced to take a hydrocodone for the pain.  Unfortunately the medicine made her quite sick.  She stayed in bed all morning while I took our place settings to the hall.  I leaned that our table was to meet at noon, drink and visit for an hour and then eat at 1.  Evelyn had already said she felt too bad to go, but this news made me encourage her to take the extra hour to see if she could remove herself from bed for enough time to visit with us.  Sadly, she could not get up.  I took our Jello salad and fruitcake to the hall at noon and started on my bottle of wine and began to visit with the others.  We all had a great time and enjoyed some hors doerves.  I really enjoyed the wine and became very happy as did the others.  We began our Christmas dinner while everyone was concerned about Evelyn as I was.  The meal was turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy supplemented by the carry ins.  The woman who heads the table is insistent on having tomato aspic on the Christmas dinners.  We have had a good time joking with each other about it for a week.  I felt a bit bad so I agreed to eat some and found it surprisingly good.  We finished around 2, and I fixed a plate to take to Evelyn who had just got up and dressed.  She was at least alert and could eat.  She had just finished when John and Sue arrived to play dominoes.  We had planned this yesterday and were blessed that Evelyn felt well enough to complete the game.  We had thought they would join us for supper, but they had overeaten at noon.  They left around 7 and we watched a Fox News special on the facts and myths of the Nativity.  It was covered well, but had some who didn’t believe in some of the Scriptures.  Being a believer who trusts God to have told us His message, I find that somewhat distressing.  But we were blessed to be endowed with faith in Christ and celebrate his birthday.

We wakened to a heavy rain.  It was cold too.  We didn’t eat any breakfast but had an early lunch before going to look for some after Christmas bargains.  We didn’t find any.  We went on to Evelyn’s appointment with the therapist.  She was there for 1 1/2 hours while I waited for her.  I tried to stay awake by walking out in the cold rain.  She seems to think therapy will help her.  We came home, and I made us egg sandwiches for supper.  Evelyn, who doesn’t like eggs, asked me to make them.  They were pretty bland.  We then watched an old movie I had DVRed a couple of weeks ago.  I t had many stars that have since become famous, e.g. Julia Roberts and Liam Neilson.  I must tell how we appreciate John and Sue.  Evelyn’s passport had expired, and we got some application papers for renewal.  It requires her current passport be included with the application.  Our problem is that we need it to get back from Mexico.  She has been using is successfully despite its being expired and will continue to use it if it is here.  The directions said to paste a small photo to use in the new passport, so John took pictures of her and then took our camera home to print the picture in the correct size.  I decided to try using a copy of the current passport when going to Mexico if it will be accepted.  I sent an email to a Border patrol agent I know to see if that will work but haven’t heard from him yet.  We may have to just go to the agents at the border to find out.  We have 11 more days to celebrate our Savior’s birth.

Moving to Christmas Eve

Monday Evelyn went to the park meeting before we went to Donna to get a case of Rotel.  We planned to take John and Sue so we could have a hamburger and buy the case we would share.  We couldn’t contact them so we went alone.  The big surprise is that Gonzoles Hamburger joint is closed Mondays.  We came back to Whataburger and bought a green chile burger for us and our neighbor Judy.  She has had many health problems since moving here and now has a bad cold or the flu.  It is good for us to be able to help her.  Evelyn had an appointment to be evaluated by a therapist from Mission.  The neurosurgeon had arranged it with some errors.  First the evaluator thought she was homebound.  Second Evelyn was expected to go to Mission for therapy.  We went to downtown Weslaco and found a therapist a friend had recommended.  I suggested Evelyn call the neurosurgeon to ask  him to call the local therapist with the prescription.  She has an appointment Monday.  We wanted to do that ASAP because she will have to start another year and be forced to pay another $300 deductible on our policy.  This was we can have a couple of sessions to see if it does any good.  If so, we will be glad to continue and pay the new deductible.  Her leg began to ache again, so she took some ibuprofen and went to bed.  I went to the hardware store to have some cans of paint shaken.  Our friend, Ron, who does handyman chores around the park came to check our toilet stool and clean our sink.  I will try to replace the part inside the tank and clean the sink drain by myself next time.

Tuesday I went to get a breakfast taco on my way to recycle our materials.  I was surprised that the center was closed as was the place to pay taxes.  I went on to town and placed an announcement about out worship service at Trail’s End in the local newspaper.  I then found a place to recycle paper and cardboard and met a friend from Ranchero Village.  Then, on a whim, I went to Dollar Tree to buy some trinkets to put into our Decked and Jingled bag.  I got in line to check out behind a young mother and 3 children.  I was moved to ask if I could pay for their items—all of which were necessities.  She was moved and I was blessed.  Afterward we talked, and I learned they were from Mercedes and were looking for a church.  I directed them toward the church I used to work for.  She seemed quite excited to learn there was a small school attached.  I told her where the pastor lived and hoped she would go visit him.  Unfortunately I forgot to get her name.  I came home and painted the fascia board (I had primed it yesterday) the maroon color to match the trim on the house.  We then dressed and went to the park vespers service.  I thought it was a minor disaster because the pastor couldn’t remember what he was doing and the sound system is terrible.  We then went to worship at our Lutheran church.  The pastor there wasn’t much better.  But the worship if our Lord overcomes human foibles.  We were invited to Joe and Bonny’s for tamales and beans.  Their son, Randy, and his children, Christian and Mark, were at church and the party.  Randy’s wife, Tracey, had killed herself shortly after we had left in April of this year.  We were all blessed to see them trying to live normally.  We were in bed by 10:30.

We love a parade

Friday is back to the hospital.  I had a confrontation with my friend, Paul.  I was trying to help him give directions to a person needing bloodwork , but misunderstood what he was saying.  He blew up at me, but I kept apologizing and think I healed the wound.  After our normal shift, we served at the children’s party for the children of the hospital employees.  On the way the way to the party site, I met Paul returning with the cart he uses to remove the coffee pot from the ICU waiting room.  He had a confrontation with a different volunteer who had used the cart and not returned it.  Paul was livid and had nearly come to blows with another male volunteer.  He was cordial with me after our earlier confrontation.  I am blessed.  I worked with a woman whose, husband had killed himself during the summer.  He had suffered from a terrible headache and was advised by his doctor to take a stronger dose that had caused the headache in the first place.  I guess he couldn’t stand the pain.  I didn’t learn as to whether she had sued the doctor.  We came home for supper instead of eating out.  We watched a movie, The Lutchin Defense”, about a chess champion who was slightly deranged and committed suicide in the end.  It was very good.

I had missed the Gideon Christmas party, so I went to the prayer breakfast to give some money.  I drove the other Gideon in the park to a nearby town for the meeting.  We were home by 9 and we took a nap.  Evelyn had cleaned both bathrooms while I was gone.  We were both tired because we had wakened before 5.  I couldn’t sleep because I thought of many things I had to complete before Christmas.  But we couldn’t sleep in the morning either so the nap attempt was ineffective.  I went to get the man who does plumbing repairs in the park to work on our malfunctioning toilet stool in the master bathroom.  He said I needed a new stopper for the tank, so I went to get one and installed it.  It solved that problem, but there others I will need to have him repair.  Bonny called and invited us for supper.  Strangely Evelyn had some meatballs in the freezer and a jar of Prego meat flavored sauce.  She had also made a dessert and took them to their house.  In short, we were invited to dinner but took most of it ourselves.  Bonny made some spaghetti and a salad.  We had a nice visit from 6-8 and then returned home so I could work on the service for tomorrow.

We were early for worship today and were surprised at the number of attendees—31.  I had arrange for a replacement for next Sunday, and he and his wife came to the worship.  I had to go let him into the park because the gate was closed.  It turned out that today was their 50th anniversary, so I gave them a coupon for a discounted lunch at Dirty Al’s, a restaurant on South Padre Island where they went to celebrate.  We just stayed at home for lunch, and then I watched Purdue play basketball.  Evelyn was resting her leg.  I got sleepy, and we both took a nap.  We were both catching up on the sleep we had missed yesterday.  We took a bike ride around both parks and then returned to work on my future messages.  I made popcorn while we waited for the golf car Christmas parade.  People decorate their cars and even fix them so they can use Christmas lights by battery power.  It began at 6 but didn’t get to our street until 6:45.  The neighbors across the street were sitting out watching the parade too and invited us to come to their house and enjoy some wine with them.  We went for about an hour and visited.  We were very flattered because few people reciprocate after we invite them to our home.  We had the neighbors come for supper about a week ago.  Perhaps things will change.  I doubt they will though and perhaps in God’s plan.  I have been talking to a couple from Winnipeg about buying our house.

These are just 3 of the 30 “floats” in our park Christmas parade.

Christians should back one of their own

Wednesday found Evelyn sleeping late.  I didn’t wake her until 8:30 because she doesn’t often get a good night’s sleep.  She did last night.  She had an appointment to meet with Janice at the Christian Women’s luncheon at 11, so I had to wake her.  I went to get a haircut and return the DVD player to the office.  When I returned, we left for Harlingen.  It was a bit later than it should have been because some Mary Kay lipstick was delivered.  It was good to have been delayed because we were early.  I left her and went off for lunch at a small Mexican restaurant I found last month.  I was nearly finished with lunch when I had one of my sphincter attacks.  I left the remainder of my lunch and walked around until it passed.  I had attracted the attention of 2 people from the restaurant who came to help me.  Of course there was nothing they could do.  I had a coupon for the restaurant that required I spend $15, but I hadn't eaten enough, so I paid the $15 and left the change for the next patron.  I also left a message about listening to a local Christian radio station.  I returned to get Evelyn, and we talked with Janice who gave us a small evergreen tree to plant in NC next summer.  We returned home, Evelyn went to bed while I delivered next Sunday’s reading to the readers who volunteered.  We then went to the happy hour in our park hall.  The performer was the popular, Diego, a young man who sings well and makes people dance.  We danced several times in the hour and a half.  We went to Whataburger for dinner and then went to Immanuel for Advent worship.  I was surprised at the high quality of the sermon.  We were at home after picking up one of the prescriptions that the doctor had written yesterday.  It is for pain and hope it works.  Evelyn has an appointment with a therapist she visited last week for tomorrow afternoon.  We watched a report on Bill Robinson, the father of the Robinsons on Duck Dynasty.  They are all Christians, but Bill had recently released a comment about homosexual behaviors being unnatural and against God’s will.  Wow! Did a Jewish homosexual lawyer hit the fan.  No one, he says, had a right to say those things and offend a group of wonderful people.  What a joke!  Christians are vilified by homosexual groups and other groups everyday and get protected by the media and others that will likely not be pleased to see the God they ignore and ridicule.  I hope the Christian community comes to the aid of their brother in Christ.

Sciatica, parties and Praising Christ at Christmas

Friday we went to the hospital as usual but had another purpose.  Evelyn was able to have an MRI taken first thing in our shift.  I went to the info desk and waited.  We did some work before we left for the annual Christmas party.  Evelyn had gone there from the radiation department.  She told me later that she could hardly walk after spending so much time lying still in the MRI tube.  We are praying that the MRI shows the neurologist the proper course of action to take to in pursuit of relief for her pain.  She spends many nights out of bed because it is too painful to lie down in bed.  She often cries when she is preparing for bed.  I sometimes apply patches or give her a massage with some medicinal oils and lotions, but it doesn’t give her enough relief to get to sleep.   Our work crew sat together while Evelyn worked at the dessert table.  The party begins at 4 before we are hungry.  We nibbled on some cheese and veggies instead of eating the entrée (meat balls, empanadas, prime rib, etc.).  After many are finished we are just beginning our meal.  We didn’t win any prizes this year, but both won large gifts last year.  Since there was a large buffet at the party, we don’t have supper in the evening.  Evelyn always wants to rest in the evenings because she is normally in pain as she was tonight.  We do a lot of praying and cuddling with each other, but she still can’t find a comfortable position.  We watched a movie in the evening.

We wakened to a cold, windy day.  I had put my trust in last night’s weather forecast of last night.  Therefore, I wore shorts and a short to the sleeve shirt.  We had a package that we wanted to get in the mail to Utah, so Evelyn took me to the site of the Feast of Sharing and returned to the post office to mail the package.  We had volunteered to work from to 10-noon but watched a video on proper attire before going into the large hall to attend the opening ceremonies.  We never started to work until 11:45.  Our job was to empty the partially drunk soda cans and put the cans into a recycling receptacle.  We worked with a nice young man who worked for HEB, the sponsor of the feast.  Many of the employees volunteer to work as wen as some of the general public, many of whom are winter Texans.  The meal, which is open to anyone who cares to come, is always the same: a thick slice of ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, mixed vegetables, a bun, and a piece of apple pie.  Dinks are provided as well.  We returned home so Evelyn could take more ibuprofen or vicadon.  I am amazed at the amount of normal work Evelyn can do while feeling terrible.  We continue to pray.  I worked on practicing the message for tomorrow.

Sunday I learned she had been up about 3 hours during the night.  We were off to Trail’s End to lead worship.  It was a cooler day but sunny.  We had 20 worshippers with us.  After worship we came home for a short while and then went to a Chinese buffet.  I am trying to relieve Evelyn from having to prepare dinner on Sundays.  We came back home and rested until 4:45, time to leave for Rio Hondo.  We had agreed to meet Don and Janice at the Baptist Christmas Cantata—Bethlehem Morning.  They showed videos displaying the words of the songs and scenes from the life of Christ.  It was superbly done.  Afterward we went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner.  We always have a good time with them.  They have decided to buy a Bose radio/CD  player for Christmas and asked me to order it on the computer.  I agreed to do it.  I thought Evelyn might invite them to join us for Christmas dinner in the hall since they will be alone.  She thought of the idea but has decided against it for some reason.

Evelyn was up most of the night and was asleep when I left for the park meeting.  I went because the people at the various tables meet to decide who will bring what to the dinner.  The woman in charge asked us to bring a fruitcake and a salad.  I was about to leave the hall to ride my bike to the hospital to get the read out of the MRI Evelyn took Friday when I saw more than 100 elementary students coming in to sing for the park.  They wore red shirts saying Merry Christmas.  They sang Christmas carols and did some cute motions with some of the songs.  When they finished, I went on to the hospital and got the disk with the MRI results.  I tried to read it on our computer but could not get the written read out.  We saw the images but don’t know how to read them.  I noticed a large box at the hall and discovered it to be popcorn balls from Tom and Stacy.  We ate Ramen noodle soup for lunch and then went to town looking for a cheapo chain for my Via de Cristo cross.  We haven’t found one.  After supper Evelyn surprised me by wanting to play Bingo at the park.  She could only stand half an hour before her leg forced her to come home.  I prepared for my AARP class tomorrow.  Earlier, I ordered the Bose radio for Don and Janice.  When I told him what I had found, he didn’t sound very enthusiastic but ordered the $600 model.  Emily called and chastised her mother about not giving the rolfing a fair chance and insisted she not consider surgery too early.  She wants her mother to come to Utah for massage, but it is too cold and too far to do that.  We are praying the doctor will recommend an epidural injection tomorrow.

This shows the Rio Hondo Baptist choir preparing to sing.  The upper left and lower right show the monitors that were used to show the story of the life of Christ.

The brightest face in this picture is our friend Janice Waters.

These are the more than 100 kids singing to our park members.  Texas allows schools to use Christmas or other faiths in the school curriculum if they wish.  Praise God fpr Texas.

I tried to get a shot of the motions the kids were making to the song “Rudolf, the Red Nose Reindeer” without much success.

Their final song was “O Holy Night” that finished with this Nativity scene.  It was moving and well done.  It is hard to imagine there are states in which this scene would be illegal.  It is a blessing to live where freedom of expression is not condemned.

Progress on the sciatica

We began our participation in the kitchen band for the season.  We drove to John Knox Village ready to perform at 10 but found that we were expected at 10:30 because many of the residents are napping until that time.  I went to the room of one of the ladies who once lived in this park and brought her to the performance area.  This is the one nursing home mostly populated by English speakers.  We returned home for lunch and rested until time to go for the appointment with the neurologist.  He prescribed a MRI.  We went to a site that was too busy to do it and ended up at the hospital where we will volunteer tomorrow.  We were able to get an appointment for tomorrow during our work time.  We came home and had Church’s chicken for supper.  We watched the Christmas special of Duck Dynasty and talked with Janice and Sue about Evelyn’s Doctor’s appointments today.  I also had a call from the man who organizes the Lutheran Hour float, but I had to tell him that we would not be coming due to Evelyn’s sciatic pain.  One sad note: Sue and John, the couple we do many things with during the winter, chose to not tell us of a great deal they had found for a trip to San Antonio for 2 days.  We always tell them of deals we find but will likely not bother them with those deals we find since they are not as committed to sharing as we are.  We will still maintain our friendship but will wait for them to initiate any joint ventures with us.  We have also decided to eat our Christmas dinner in the hall this year.

Still searching for a treatment.

We had intended to ride to a local state park with the bike club, but the weather must have been too bad that it was cancelled.  I didn’t think it was too cold and windy, so I rode to the local pharmacy and Dr. McDougal’s office manager.  I wanted to talk with him about the destroying of Evelyn’s medical records up to 7 years ago.  She needs some records showing what was done in the back surgery she had in the 1990s.  He wasn’t there but I talked with the office staff and was told he would call us later today.  He didn’t.  Without the records, she will need a MRI causing us to wait another week for treatment.  I enjoyed the bike ride, by the way.  I spent some time in the afternoon trying to get the lighted star we hang above the manger scene we put in our yard.  The star is old and doesn’t work 100%.  In the evening we entertained guests for potato soup and cards.  The soup was good (and contained rivels) and we played Phase 10 until Evelyn’s leg began to pain her to excess.  She took ibuprofen and even some vicaden later.  We prayed that tomorrow’s visit to the neurologist will prove to be where the Lord wants us to find a cure.

Cold weather in the Valley

Sunday was one of my big days.  I preached at Trail’s End and then at Llano Grande.  I was very disappointed in the sermon I had prepared but received many more compliments than I ever thought were possible.  I used an illustration about Evelyn’s sciatica and received a story and suggestion for a cure from one of the congregation.  It is amazing that everyone has a cure for back problems.  I praise God that each person has found something that worked for them, but we keep praying that some aid for Evelyn will be revealed to us.  We were home for lunch in a cold day.  I watched some football and gave Evelyn rubs in her left thigh and calf.  We had no company and enjoyed a quiet day at home.  We were able to talk with both girls, an event we enjoy on each weekend.  We praise God that they are faithful in calling and are concerned enough about us to keep in touch.  It is wonderful to have Christian daughters with Christian families.

Monday we had many errands to run in the morning.  The primary concern is to get a product number from the optometrist Evelyn used about a year ago.  We have been unable to get our $150 allotment for the glasses she bought.  The Dr. was not in on Mondays.  I went to Lemke’s new house and got the lawn mower.  I had to tow it back here .  using my golf car.  I cut the grass, and, when I took the mower back, I cut the largest part of their yard because he has a bad shoulder.  Evelyn loves to create food products and spent most of the afternoon preparing for our guest for supper.  Cooking helps take her mind off her leg.  Our friend, George, from Immanuel came for gumbo in the evening.  He is 86 and his wife is 90+.  She is in a nursing home near here, and he goes each noon to feed her.  We decided to treat him for a meal. He left after an hour and a half.  We devoted ourselves to fighting the pain in the leg.

Tuesday I went back to Wal-Mart to see the optometrist.  I knew our calls would never be answered, so I went to get the product number myself.  I got something and hope it was what the insurance company wants.  After lunch Bonny came and took Evelyn to a woman who gave her a deep tissue massage.  Evelyn said she thought it really helped her.  That is until about bed time when things usually begin to throb and pain.  She had an appointment to get her hair cut, but the appointments overlapped.  Her haircut was given to another person, so she made one for Saturday morning.  I was able to work some on the next service before bedtime.

Our Cadillac

Different views of our 2012 Cadillac SRX.  We finally had an opportunity for someone else to take a picture of it.

Saturday morning Evelyn was in pain.  She took some Vicodin before Bonny picked her up to go to the Vintage Christmas.  I went to John and Sue’s to help with their patio sale that featured some items we wanted to sell.  We collected $29 but had to bring several items back home.  It was quite cold but we walked to a shutin’s house to make arrangements for Hamels to bring her to worship with us.  She is 86 and doesn’t want to drive.  It is too cold for her to venture out tomorrow but might go the following Sunday.  I gathered my leftover things and some of theirs before returning home.  I worked on the message for tomorrow and am not pleased with it at all.  I don’t have much time to change it, so I will continue tweaking.  I went to the CVS to use the Extra Bucks that I have accumulated before they expire.  We are concerned about our mold smell and want to freshen the air.  I came home shortly before Evelyn who brought many leftovers from the Christmas party.  We rested in the afternoon because she still has pain.  I peaked in and out of the football games and then, after supper, worked more on the message.  It doesn’t seem to be getting much better.  I can only pray that the Lord puts the messages He wants the hearers to absorb.  I know it doesn’t much matter what I saw but what he causes them to hear.

A Rolfing failure

Monday I waited for Glenn to bring the lawn mower so I could use it.  He heard me ask for it yesterday and implied he would bring it today, but he didn’t.  I went to the park meeting and announced that I would not be doing the AARP Driver Safety class after this one on the 17th.  Evelyn stayed home to do laundry.  Afterward we went to Lowe’s to look for a dehumidifier without success.  Evelyn then went to the Vision Works where she bought her glasses last year.  She wanted some proof of purchase so she could continue to pursue some reimbursement from the insurance company.  I went to Feldman’s to get some Irish Cream before coming home.  In the afternoon I worked on the message for next Sunday.  We watched a movie in the evening because DWTS had finished last Monday.

Tuesday Evelyn was feeling better in the morning and decided to ride with the bike club to the Fiesta Tex Mex restaurant.  It was a pleasant day and the ride was fun.  We enjoyed Mexican food—even though Evelyn is tired of it since we have been eating it almost every day.  We were home by 1 and resting.  At 3 Bonny took Evelyn to a women’s Christmas tea at the local Methodist church.  I worked more on the message and priced some of the items I wanted to take to Hamel’s patio sale next Saturday.  We were leaving for San Antonio tomorrow, so I tried to take the items to them, but John was in bed and Sue was in her pajamas and wouldn’t come to open the security gate for us.  We went to shop instead.  We came home and went to bed early.

Wednesday we were up and on the road by 8:30.  We had looked forward to using our new car in a road trip to enjoy the comfortable drive.  It was comfortable and functioning.  We were able to use our telephone to call both girls and let them know Evelyn would have a Rolfing massage at 4:30.  We thought we might be early and were.  We had stopped in 3 Rivers for lunch at a Dairy Queen.  We arrived early enough to take a nap in the car before the appointment.  Evelyn wasn’t released for 2 1/2 hours.  As we drove to Tom and LuAnn’s she said Sher, the therapist, had not even touched her back.  Instead she had worked only on her torso.  She was really angry.  All this trip and $135 for nothing.  We did get to visit with our friends who had pizza ready for us.  We spent 3 hours just reminiscing before going to  bed.  We had brought them a case of Rotel and some grapefruit and oranges from the Valley.  I had also bought them 2 bottles of wine that we drank while visiting. 

Thursday morning we both admitted we had not had a good night.  Evelyn had been up since 2 and unable to sleep when she came back to bed.  We were up by 7 and visiting some more.  Sher called and tried to talk Evelyn into coming back this morning for another appointment for only $110,, but Evelyn was so disappointed in the approach yesterday that she decided to save the money.  The weather was cold and misty, so we drove to the mess hall for breakfast.  It gave us a chance to take them a ride in our car.  They were impressed.  They have meals provided in the mess hall and we enjoyed breakfast on them.  They have to use the money they didn’t use while they were on the many trips they take in their Airstream or cruises.  We left there around 10:30 because Lu Ann had a meeting about a Christmas party.  It was somewhere around 48 degrees.  I laughed because this was tomorrow’s weather today because the cold front was headed to the Valley.  As we drove south, the temperature went up and reached 82 when we arrived.  On the way we stopped at the small gas station/restaurant in Alice that we had stopped at on our way from New Braunfels a couple of weeks ago.  We had enjoyed it so much that we even shared the same meal—half a chicken.  When we arrived in San JUan, we stopped at the dealership and Ben-James converted our telephone and other languages to English.  They have always been a great help with our problems in handling the electronics in the Cadillac.

Friday morning we took our sale items to Hamel’s and visited a short while.  From there we went to Immanuel to deliver some of the food Evelyn had agreed to prepare for the vintage Christmas party held by and for the ladies of the congregation.  We were back home to had lunch before going to the hospital to work.  Our usual crew was there except for Jean.  Evelyn was to help at what was called the Foundation but has been renamed Community recourses.  The people who lead the organization had little to use her for, so she stayed a bit before my sending her home.  She left about 2:30 and I arranged for Paul to take me home at 5.  During the day, I was given a huge bunch of balloons and took them to the pediatric floor to give them out to the sick children.  Most of them were very happy to receive the one they chose.  I had several left over and gave them to the nurses to give to any newcomers to the floor.  I had called Bonny and invited her and Joe to play cards, but Evelyn was hurting, so I called them to cancel.  We just stayed home and watched a movie. 

Thanksgiving week

Wednesday was spent mostly in preparing for tomorrow.   Evelyn made some cheese dip with Rotel and made dressing for the turkey.  I went to a neighbor/widower and invited him to join us tomorrow.  He accepted.  I worked on the order of service and the message for Sunday.  We went to Whataburger to use our final chilecheeseburger.  It was sad to use our last one, but the coupons expire Saturday and we have too many activities scheduled before then.  Evelyn still has pain that comes and goes.  When it comes, it hurts a lot and she can’t sleep well. 

We put the finishing touches on the dinner like making mashed potatoes.  Don and Janice arrived a bit early and helped with the finishing touches.  We had appetizers and drinks for a while and got to know Ted, the widower neighbor.  We then joined for our prayer.  I tried to emphasize the blessings we have in our spiritual lives.  The blessing of being able to pray together and meet together for worship. I didn’t forget the physical gifts but emphasized the spiritual ones.  The 3 men gathered in the Texas room to watch football.  I did get to know Ted even better.  Don and I have good times together all of the time.  They left around 3:30 even though the Dallas Cowboys were playing on the television.  Evelyn rested for awhile and then we took a walk in the evening.  It was a beautiful day and evening, and we enjoyed being outdoors.

Friday we got some good news.  One of the rolfing therapists called and made an appointment with Evelyn for 4:30 next Wednesday.  This would be better, but we have to drive to San Antonio.  That was the bad news.  The good news is that we will stay with our friends, Tom and Luann Jones.  We will get to catch up on information with them.  We have enjoyed traveling to South America and Israel with them.  We look forward to being with them.  This is our day at the hospital, but Evelyn’s work station was unmanned so she stayed at home.  I went and enjoyed it the afternoon with my male friends that I always work with.  We were busier than expected but did have time to have deep discussions.  Doctors avoid scheduling any surgeries during holiday weeks.  I offered to take Evelyn out to dinner, so we went to a local predominately Hispanic seafood restaurant in town.  We shared a Mexican plate that offered the worst French fries in recent memory.  The rest was good at Ciro’s.

Saturday was small business shopping day.  American Express offered a $10 reward to those who spent $10 or more at a designated small business.  We wanted to go to McAllen anyway, so we decided to go today and eat lunch out.  On the way I stopped at the dealership to learn whether the oil and filter had been changed.  I was assured it had, but the electronic record had not been reset.  They have been very compatible, so I was comfortable taking their word as truth.  We went on to Target to spend the remainder of our gift card.  I wanted to spend it on a dehumidifier, but they didn’t have one.  We did spent the $20 that was left on the card.  We went on to Best Buy looking for what I learned is a wireless stereo headset.  It was more than I had paid before, so I didn’t buy it.  I may have to anyway because I have about $70 on another card for that store.  We went to Costa Messa for lunch.  We have eaten at the original many times but went to the second this time.  It was not as homey as the first but served good food.  We returned home in time to view most of the IU/Purdue football game.  Purdue lost the Old Oaken Bucket for the first time in 4 or 5 years.  I then watched some more football while Evelyn rested albeit in pain most of the time.    I also spent some time finishing the worship service for tomorrow.  Earlier I had heard a man talking about a product that had helped his wife’s sciatic condition.  The product was a script item in the states but not in Canada or Mexico.  We will go to Mexico tomorrow so we can see if it will help.

We were up early and at worship by 8.  Some people from their park had set up the chairs last night.  We would have helped had we been needed this morning.  21 people attended and seemed to be uplifted through my presentation of God’s Word.  We came home, changed clothes and drove to Nuevo Progreso.  We went to my friend Victor, the pharmacist, for the medicine ROBAX Gold.  It contains ibuprofen and some other muscle relaxer.  The pharmacist, Victor, recommended a cream that was to relieve pain within 5 minutes.  I was rightly skeptical but it may work on some people.  We bought 2 bottles of vanilla as well as the medicine and were home for lunchby noon.  I watched football.  Evelyn was hurting and tried to relax most of the day.  I also worked on next week’s message.  Evelyn tried the cream that didn’t work to no one’s surprise.  In the evening we watched an Anderson Cooper special, To Heaven and back during the evening.  It featured 3 people who had been dead for long periods and described their experiences.  The first lady, an accomplished surgeon, and the last young boy both shared their faith in Christ after meeting Him.  The doctor, no backwoods UFO chaser, was especially powerful in the way Christ had changed her life.  I remember when His presence became real in my life back in the 80s and shared the same feelings as she.  Evelyn was in agony most of the day and evening.  I prayed for her several times, but God knows best.  We went to bed around 11, and she went to sleep, getting some relief at last.  I had spent a delightful time during the afternoon talking poetry with the Beeli girls concerning a poem I had read to the class on the day in 1963 when President Kennedy was assassinated.  It was called To an Athlete Dying Young, and had influenced one of my students at the time to commit to being a teacher of English for a career.  The girls did well in our telephone exposition.