Updates for 2005Q4 can be found in   http://www.bolzern.org/journals/vj2005Q4.html

Updates for 2005Q3 appear below with the latest information at the top 

Thursday, September 29, 2005, 8:00pm
It's been a lovely day.  I went over to visit with Inez Guernsey.  She used to live in Lubbock during the 90s and knew my parents.  Someone reminded Daddy that she also lived in LaPine so he was able to get us together.  Inez is a lovely lady. Tomorrow, Mark and I plan to visit the Nazarene church where she attends.  They are having a covered dish luncheon afterwards; Inez and Marie Grant both invited us to come.

I realize that I haven't written much lately.  I've been feeling a little blah.  My guess is that it's because I've not been diligent about my exercise program.  Mark's later leaving time has kept me from getting out when it's so cold and then I sometimes rush off to an activity.  So I'm climbing back on the wagon.  

Wednesday, September 28, 2005, 7:00am
Jan asked me to switch with her today.  I'll work the 3pm-7pm shift.  Tomorrow I want to go to the Salads-on-Tour luncheon so will also work in the evening.

I went to a Bible Study yesterday morning.  I was a little hesitant about going because they are going through Exodus.  We did it in BSF three years ago.  I'm glad that I went.  Marie Grant also leads that study.  She was a good facilitator.  She had someone read the chapter and then we discussed it.  She had a few questions in mind but mostly the discussion carried itself.  

Everyone at this study was older than I.  Of course, I need to remember that even thought I feel about 25, I look closer to my age (especially with the graying hair).  This is the first time I've been at a study of older ladies. It was interesting to actually be listened to and treated like a peer rather than a youngster.  It soon became obvious that I'd studied these passages before.  I was careful to be casual and not act like I knew it all because I don't. 

Sunday, September 25, 2005, 10:38am
Freezing the laundry was been an interesting experiment.  The shoulders and arms of Mark's coveralls were dry when I went out when the temp got to 32 degrees.  I had the legs pulled up and pinned to the coat hanger.  So the inside part was damp as well as the back that had been against the bus.  I assume that if a person had the clothes on a clothesline, then there would have been air to aid the drying.  I will have to experiment some more.  I've been trying to figure out how I can dry some of my clothes without having to spend money for the dryer.  Carol has a chain she hangs on her awning and then hangs clothes on hangers from the chain.  I will investigate that idea.

Sunday, September 25, 2005, 9:22am
Winter has come to LaPine. We got our hard freeze last night; it was 19.4 degrees at 6:43am.  Brr--but I went out to take my walk anyway. Made it a little over a mile before I decided that I'd go inside and try again later.  It's just now 31 degrees so should begin to warm up.

Mark's coveralls needed washing so I decided it was cold enough to try the freeze dry method.  I've read in books about people hanging their wash outside in freezing weather.  Then they'd bring the frozen clothes inside; they'd be dry when they thawed.  I've been wanting to try that but never think about washing clothes at night. This is our first hard freeze.  When I got back from my walk, the coveralls were frozen solidly to the side of the bus.  I'll go out when it gets to be above freezing. Don't want to take the paint off the bus by peeling frozen clothes off.

Last night I finalized my cro-hooking instructions to print out.  I promised the others who have been learning that I'd give them a copy.  The original instructions were pretty vague.  I have also put them on this website in my personal section the  about Us section. Look under Cro-hooking Instructions . I now need to deliver the printed copies.  Guess I can do that to complete my exercise for today.  I will serve us breakfast first and then it will be warmer.

Saturday, September 24, 2005, 7:38am
Someone told me we would have a hard freeze last night.  It was 22.3 degrees when we got up around 6:00am.  Mark isn't needing to go to work quite as early since he's doing wood and it is so cold out.  It's interesting that it actually drops a degree a few minutes before 7:00am, right before it gets sunny.

The lesson with Lila went well yesterday evening.  We ended up at my house instead of hers.  I believe she can do it now.  I got the sample swatch finished this morning. I haven't been sure how to do the finishing row so I figured that out.  Have it partially done but want to show Lila before I finish the entire row.

Friday, September 23, 2005, 4:44pm
Lila and I plan to get together this evening for a cro-hooking lesson.  She attended the one earlier in the month but is still having trouble getting the hang of it.  She has admired the afghan I'm making and asked me to help.  

(A few weeks ago I purchased a cro-hook for an acquaintance but haven't been able to reach her; they went off on a temporary job and haven't returned. I've been concerned about being able to give her a lesson.  Therefore, I have rewritten the instructions giving more detail.  That way, if we move on and I leave the cro-hook with her relatives, she can follow along and know what to do.  Judy crochets so shouldn't have any trouble following. )

I welcomed this opportunity to start at the beginning.  I will make a sample swatch to pass on to Judy. Lila can watch or work on hers at the same time.

Last night was the Girls' Night Out Activity at the  LaPine Middle School. Attendance wasn't as vigorous as we had hoped but everyone had a real good time. The decorations were creative.  They borrowed textbooks from the school.  Tied balloons to them.  Seems like there were flowers as well.  The resource table had baskets that will be auctioned off next month; they wanted to have a few made as samples.  Next month they'll have a silent auction. Theme baskets, a few single items will be auctioned and baked goods will be sold. We've been asked to look around our house for new items that could be used in the baskets; they don't want people to go out to spend money.  I'm going to donate a set of mugs that has a matching cream and sugar pots.  We're going to get together on the 13th to put the theme baskets together with whatever arrives; we have a list of possible themes that will help us when looking around our house.

It's been interesting to hear the speakers.  I still believe the best way to be a witness for Christ is in the one-on-one situation where there can be discussion.  However, speeches such as these are seeds being planted even if the person doesn't make a decision for Christ at that time.

Monday, September 19, 2005, 9:51am
It was so great to wake up this morning and be able to see across the meadow when I looked out.  I enjoy trees but start feeling closed in after a while.  The RV Park is on a area that had been totally cleared of trees  So it's fairly open.  People come into the park worrying that their satellites won't function because of trees.  We assure them that won't be a problem but we'll put them in a site without any trees.  There are more trees in the front section of the park that stays open during the winter; therefore it gets more care.

It froze again last night; we forgot to plan ahead for that so we're just now getting water this morning.  (We normally leave it dripping which keeps it open.) But that's okay.  Without water, I didn't get started with the baking I'd planned to do.  However, it's  not like I don't have other things to keep me busy.

I did take my morning walk.  We weren't the only ones whose water froze last night. I turned off one spigot that was spewing.  They didn't answer when I knocked.  I saw Al, the CM owner.  Jim at East Lake Resort donated some books and videos since we have a clubhouse with book shelves and rent videos.  I got the books delivered but haven't taken the videos yet.

A couple who have been in the park several times this summer checked out this morning.  I saw them on their way out as I was taking my walk.  Sandra told me they were glad they met me--that I was a fun lady.  This is the first time anyone has ever told me that I'm fun.  I'll receive that compliment.  

I've noticed that Mark and I are getting more compliments these days.  I take that to mean that our relationship with God is shining out in our demeanor/behavior/etc. in a way that is being noticed by those with whom we meet.

Saturday evening when I got back to camp, the neighbors called out inquiring about Bussie.  They asked if my husband was the slim man with the beard wearing camouflage who had arrived on a ATV and gotten something out of one of the bus drawers.  Mark thought that was neat to be called "slim" again.  He's really gotten into shape with all the outdoor work he's done this summer.  I haven't done as much hard labor so it's coming off of me more slowly; but I'll get there.  

Sunday, September 18, 2005, 8:05pm
Today has been a lovely day!  D-Day for bringing Bussie back down to Cascade Meadows.  Bussie doesn't like hills; she got pretty hot going up.  So we didn't know for sure how she would take the incline going down.  The Jake Brakes won't work under 25 mph.  We got up early and had plenty of time to relax.

Mark decided we needed to brink his truck down at the same time as Bussie which meant I had to drive a strange vehicle.  The Chevy Lov doesn't have a tachometer and has four speeds instead of five.  I'm used to the Tracker but haven't driven many non-automatic cars.  So we took me out for a test drive so I could figure out the shifting.  At the base of Paulina Peak, we changed drivers.  We've been working here for some time and have never been to any of the "sites" of the Newberry Crater other than East Lake.  

The road to Paulina Peak is steep and curvy.  It believe that road would be a challenge to most drivers.  Mark loves challenges.  I was relieved to get to the top. Paulina Peak isn't the highest peak in Oregon but does have the highest outhouse in the state.  Mark and I climbed up the little hill to the top of the peak. We should have gotten a picture of us when there were other people we could ask to snap one. We were alone by the time we thought about it.  The view was gorgeous.  You could see trees and hills, lots of sky, pretty clouds.  It was a perfect day for sight-seeing. 

It would have been nice if we could have done more things.  (I've been wishing to go to Paulina Falls.)  However, Mark and I both agreed that we needed to come down today 

After we got back, we finished getting the RV ready to move.  I'd cleaned house the day before with moving in mind so had much already put away.  I did fix a light lunch; we were already hungry.  Must have been that fresh air on Paulina Peak.

The drive down turned out to be no problem.  Mark said he put the Jake Brake on (was able to take it off several times) and sailed down at 30-35mph.  After we got ourselves hooked up (water, electric and sewer), we got back in the truck and drove back up the hill to retrieve the Tracker which we'd left in the parking lot at East Lake Resort.  

As you may know, Mark has been doing a lot of wood cutting this summer.  He left the pole yard only to find out they often need wood cut and bundled at East Lake.  (They sell wood to campers for use in the fire pits.)  Odds and ends have been stacking up.  Jim said the employees could haul away these pieces; we filled our truck and took a load down to Chris and Pamela.  They heat with wood.  Although it was probably only 1/4th cord, it should supply warmth for a few days.

After we loaded the wood, Mark suggested we ask if we could take a paddle boat out for an hour.  We've been wanting to do that.  It was perfect weather.  The breeze was light so it wasn't cold on the water.  We paddled around for about 45 minutes.  He paddles harder than I do.  I cycle, skate, etc in slow motion according to Mark.  But I do get there.

We then went to Bend and unloaded the wood.  They weren't home so guess they arrived home to find a pile of wood in the yard.  They'll figure it out sooner or later. Guess we could have left a note.  We went to Carls Jr as a treat, then headed home.

Thursday, September 15, 2005, 8:54am
The Newberry Eagle confirmed that they got the article, photo and caption.  So that's one thing out of my hair.

The last two days have been very busy at the RV park.  We had a big group come in. These are all people who live in a gated community somewhere.  Once a month they go somewhere in their RVs.  Many people own RV;  sometimes others can rent a unit or get a motel nearby.  One of the group is a Cascade Meadows member which is why they came here.  They'll be here during the Music Jam so that will be a treat.  People are coming in for the Jam.  Last night if everyone arrived, every full-hookups site would have been taken plus many of the water/electric only.

There is so much that I think of during the day that I want to write about; it eludes me by the time I arrive home.  I plan to leave in a few minutes to go to LaPine for some groceries, gas, and mouse traps.  It's autumn and apparently the mice are on the move.  Fortunately, I kept a trap when we moved into the RV; we caught a mouse last night.  But I want to get more traps.  I don't want to share our space with rodents.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005, 7:23pm
Today was a busy day at work.  People are beginning to come in for the Music Festival that starts on Friday.  Also, we have a large group coming in tomorrow.  We want to have them more or less clumped together so we're having to keep organized so we have spots available for Wednesday with people currently assigned to those spots being sure to go out.  Today was difficult because we did have a number of sites that were empty (but will be filled tomorrow); people coming in today for a week or so weren't happy when told they couldn't have a spot they wanted.

I finished up the article for the next Girls' Night Out.  Mark helped me attach a picture to the email and got it sent off to the newspaper.  I hope everything will go through okay.  I'll try to follow up with a phone call.  

I'd planned to help pass out flyers for the GNO today; but they switched the "get-together" to Monday.  They put up flyers on the bulletin boards of local businesses. Kathy said she could drop some flyers off at the RV Park so I can have some.  That's nice of her to drive to where I am.

Friday, September 9, 2005, 7:55am
It's been a lovely but busy week.  Yesterday evening I went to LaPine for a Girls' Night Out Prayer and Planning Meeting.  Nine women attended so that made for a nice size group.  I took a picture to send in with the next article which I need to start writing as the deadline is next Thursday.

We're only on 30 amps here at East Lake.  Right now I've got banana bread in the oven.  We unplugged the hot water heater so it won't kick in while Mark is showering.  I'll have to remember to plug it back in so I can shower before going to work.  We must be careful about power usage; it's easier if we don't flip breakers.

I've been surprised at how busy we've been at work this week.  This is the first time we've been involved in the snowbird migration.  It was so busy on Tuesday that I had to call the office to send someone down to help me for a few minutes.  Fortunately Carol didn't have to stay away from her other duties for very long but I appreciated her help.

I'm planning to go in a little early as there is a meeting at the RV park.  It takes about 40 minutes to drive down.

Thursday, September 8, 2005 10:34am
I've been enjoying the morning walks in a different setting.  Although the sun rises as the normal time, the tall Lodgepole Pines filter the sun so it doesn't get blaring. Also, there aren't as many distractions without so many people walking cute dogs.  I'm enjoying just "being alone to spend time with the Lord."  Tuesday morning had just below freezing temperatures; yesterday and today it was around 50.  Which made for a pleasant walk.  Today I walked down the beach to the hot spring.  It needs to be dug out again.  It isn't maintained by the Resort.  

We made it safely up here.  Mark had to stop at the ten-mile sno park to let the bus cool down.  He probably should have stopped another time.  It's hard when there is a lot of traffic because we have to keep our speed up but can't go as fast as cars.  Once we got here, then we went into the 50 amp site.  Unfortunately, our satellite dish didn't get signal in that spot.  We can manage without telephones but the internet access is a necessity.  

In moving to this other site, Bussie had an unfortunate encounter with a tree.  At least the RV shell itself wasn't damaged.  We broke a small window and the convex (I think) portion of the side mirror.  We'll have to check into fixing that once we get down the mountain.  Mark has the original paperwork for the mirror manufacturer who is still in business.  The good news is that we our satellite works from this spot. Duane, the camp host, is checking into putting in a 50 amp outlet.

After getting somewhat settled, we headed back down to the RV park to collect our leveling blocks which we'd left behind as having no way to carry them as I was driving the Tracker.  We fetched Mark's Luv pickup which carried the blocks.  Mark drove faster than I did.  At one point there was a trail through the trees and I saw him stop on the other side of the curve from where I was.  Uh-oh?  When I got around the curve, there was a deer lying across the road.  I skirted it and stopped just past where Mark had stopped.  He told me he would go pull it off the road.  In a minute he came back with anguish on his face.  The doe wasn't dead yet but obviously was injured.  The only weapons we had were a razor blade and a chain saw.  So he did what he had to do and reported it when we got back to the Resort.  His boss said he'd done the right thing to end its suffering.  With dark coming on, someone else might have had a bad accident if they didn't see it.  Mark talked to a Ranger on Tuesday.

The day could have been worse!!  I praise God for small things.  Such as a friend gave me a pair of shorts, two cans of tuna and a candle yesterday.  All things that I can use.  Actually, the Girls' Night Out is having an auction in October and I'll donate the candle to that.  I don't have many new things (which is what they need) that I can donate so I appreciate having this item.  I will continue looking around.  What they are doing is making baskets with a theme; presumably people will bid on them for Christmas gifts.

Monday, September 5, 2005, 8:42am
We're going to take the RV for its monthly drive today.  Our plan is to go up to East Lake where Mark has been working.  The expectation is that we'll stay up there for a week and then drive back down the hill.  I'll commute to Cascade Meadows for my job several days.  

We had a lovely day yesterday.  We visited the church she attends and then went to the baptism and picnic.  The LaPine State Park has a lovely picnic area by the Deschutes River. One of my friends, Edie Henry was baptized.  It was great to see a friend making a commitment to the Lord. The day ended with a devotional service.

We took a walk yesterday evening after I finished a couple of loads of laundry. While waiting for the dryer, I ran down to ask Roberta the name of a carpet cleaning product that she likes.  It is Folex which she buys at Walmart.  Has anyone tried it?

A couple who do computer programming checked in recently.  Will had stopped by one day, commenting on our huge satellite dish.  So Mark and I walk over to visit Will and Mari.  They are an interesting, friendly couple who have been full-timers for several years..

Sunday, September 4, 2005, 7:54am
It's a beautiful morning in LaPine.  There's a haze but the sun is shining through at 34 degrees.  It was quite cold in the morning.  Once the sun comes up prior to 7:00am, it usually warms up quickly.  It didn't so so yesterday morning as it was overcast with fog.  The women at the craft sale were huddled in the coats.  Fortunately, a guest came along asking about coffee while our owner was walking by,  So Wilma made a pot of coffee and told me we could help ourselves to either coffee or tea.  That was appreciated by all.

As far as the craft sale, it was again slow.  Our only guess is that funds have been tighter this summer.  People seem going for things of more practical use (like pot scrubbers) instead of frivolous items like earrings.  Someone did express interest in the Super Dijest-Its but didn't have the cash on him.  I will drop by his place this evening to see if he is still interested.

Yippee!  The article I wrote about Girls' Night Out was printed in the Newberry Eagle.  I'm so excited to see it.

Thursday, September 1, 2005, 8:00pm
It's been a long day.  I had to go into Bend this morning and then dash right back to work.  Each morning it seems like I've had something to do before going to work.  Tuesday, I took the clothes to donate to the Community Closet, then went to a meeting at Wanda's house.  She's been gone for a month or so and wanted to catch up with what's happening for Girls' Night Out.  She had a beautiful home.  They lived in their fifth wheel for some time while they were deciding to where to move and then having the house built.La Pine seems to be the new location for retirees.

Monday, August 29, 2005, 4:29pm
Our August/September newsletter has been posted at  http://www.bbtj.org/newsletters/news0509.html  The email notifications will be going out today and I'm currently addressing the printed copies for posting.

I went to the La Pine Community Kitchen today.  That's always such a rewarding activity.  Volunteers have the tendency to work on the same day of the week; so we get acquainted.  I told Rose, our Monday coordinator that I didn't know how many more weeks I would be able to volunteer.  She was so nice in saying that they had been blessed by my cheery willingness to do whatever task was given for me to do. I've felt that I've received far more than I've been given.  

Today, I received some home-grown tomatoes, apples, chamomile tea, sourdough bread mix, pumpernickel bread, milk, whipping cream, vitamins, and several other miscellaneous things I can't remember off the top of my head.  I came home asking Mark to help me unload the groceries I didn't have to buy today.

Tomorrow if a work day.  In the morning I've arranged to take some donations over to the Community Closet.  Some of the others involved in Stonecroft Ministries are meeting at Wanda Souza's house at 10:30am to discuss some of the issues that came up during the summer.  I'll go over there and then rush back to work at Noon.

Sunday, August 28, 2005, 7:19am
I woke up bright and early this morning despite waking up several times last night.  Each time I got up and went outside but never could see Mars.  I could see stars but there was nothing that was big and red.  I probably wasn't out at the right time.

The fire does appear to be out; at least smoke is no longer billowing up so it must be subdued.  I could see a mountain that was obscured by the most last night.  I'm sure firefighters are still there.  The Bend Bulletin has a story on the front page this morning.

I took my morning walk and have come inside to finalize work on the newsletter so Mark can work on his part the next couple of days.  I did finish my book review of the online book called So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore . It's quite an interesting read, probably not what you would expect.  

Saturday, August 27, 2005, 9:05pm
We're having excitement this evening.  I've been inside since I got home. Just went outside to turn the air conditioner off at the external switch.  As tonight is the night to see Mars up close, I scanned the sky to see if it was dark enough yet.  My eyes met haze.  In the western sky I could see a plume of smoke rising.  I walked toward the end of the row (where I could better see), encountering a group of neighbors. The news was that there is a fire near the LaPine State Park which they evacuated this evening. Nobody knew how it started.  I noticed several tent campers had come in this evening as well as several motor homes.

Estimates are that the fire is about 10 miles away.  No one seems worrying about our area at this time.  Guess we'll wait and see.

Mark has been working today; he should be home shortly.  I've been working on a review plus cleaning house.  I'm planning to make donations to some of the La Pine charities so am trying to clear up some of the clutter.  It's amazing how stuff accumulates.  I cleaned all the mirrors; we have quite a few when the doors of the refrigerator and the showers are counted.  I haven't tackled the one on the back wall at the head of the bed.  We assume the mirrors are to make the RV seem bigger.  When we first moved to Midway, south of Colorado Springs (Fall 2003), we were able to leave the curtains open since we were in the country.  The skies we saw out the front window were reflected in that back mirror.

Friday, August 26, 2005, 5:01pm
Oh, my...the week has gotten away from me.  We've kept busy.  

On Tuesday, I went to visit Pat Abernathy who is the regional representative for Stonecroft on the Road.  She had said she'd read the latest draft of the speech I'm writing.  I also wrote an introduction. I've sent everything off to the speaker trainer and will await comments and constructive criticism.  If I can be approved as a speaker while I'm here, that will make the transition easier when we move to other areas.  I understand a national speaking list is being compiled.

After leaving Pat's, I went by the Community Closet.  That's a new and used clothing depository with items free to the public.  While I looked at their selection and picked up a fleece vest and jacket, I also wanted to scout it out as a recipient for some things I've taken out of my closet.  The CC is moving to Gilcrest so hopefully I can run things over to their LaPine location next week before they truck them away.

Thursday, I swapped shifts with Jan so I could attend the Salads on Tour luncheon.  I probably mentioned that last month.  Marie Grant started this salad luncheon to inspire and encourage Christian women in their walk with the Lord.  The luncheon was interesting.  The question Marie came up with this month was "What is the most costly thing in the world?"  Many responses came from the perspective that our salvation was costly in that Christ had to die because of our sins.  The answer Marie was looking for was "sin" because if we do not recognize and accept Christ's sacrifice, then we are ultimately going to die an eternal death.

We ordered more bacterial treatment for our toilet holding tank.  One of the staff workers offered to deliver the box to our RV and questioned Mark about it; Mark sold him a bottle.  We bought a (less expensive by the) case because we like the product being that it's natural instead of chemical.  We'd already talked about putting a flyer up so I've typed one up for the bulletin board.

Two of the RV park workers had expressed interest in learning to cro-hook after seeing the afghan I'm making take shape.  Roberta sells the hooks and teaches lessons.  A group of us arranged for a lesson in the clubhouse.  I went along to hang out with my friends for an hour before going to work.  It's quite interesting to see how different people approach the same task.  It was fun.

Mark had has today off so has been working on his computer.  He hasn't had a lot of time to do that lately.

Monday, August 22, 2005, 5:47pm
It's been a blessed day.  I blew off things I could be doing away from home and spent the day in the house, mostly on the computer.  Mark was home so we were able to discuss various "stuff."

I made some phone calls this afternoon.  A few minutes, I got a phone call from a friend.  Somehow, I'd dialed her telephone number in Colorado Springs and left a message for someone here in LaPine.  Very odd...  But since she knew who I was, she decided to call me back anyway.  And now I know that I didn't get a message through to the other people.  But I was blessed by Jill's call.  Maybe God knew that I needed to hear from a friend today.

I've been making a torilla casserole with the corn tortillas I was given at the Community Kitchen last week. Another blessing was that when I went to buy ground meat the other day, a couple of packages of the 93% lean meat was reduced for quick sale to at a lower price than the fatter meat that I've been buying lately. I sure said a thank you to God on that one.  I put the casserole in the roaster oven and will turn it on to bake during the night.  Then Mark can have some in his lunch tomorrow.

Sunday, August 21, 2005, 6:28pm
It's been a great weekend.  Mark wanted to take me to Sun River for dinner of Friday as a birthday celebration.  We went to El Pescador for Nachos.  They were really good. Sun River has music in the courtyard of the Village Mall in the evening. The musician played a variety of musical styles.  Finally played a slow one for those who wanted to dance to a romantic slow song.

We pushed the top back on the Tracker so we could drive home under the setting sun. We haven't stayed up late enough to see Mars.  My sister says they've seen it a number of times.  We forgot all about it the one night we've stayed up past 10:00pm.

We visited a non-denominational church this morning where our friends Jan and Duane attend when they are here in Oregon.  Duane is having surgery tomorrow for a kidney stone so she had put in a prayer request.  It's fun visiting churches where we know other people who attend.

Friday, August 19, 2005, 10:21am
Today is Mark's birthday.  He's not having to work today which is a blessing so he can take care of personal and BBtJ odds and ends.  

I've been working on our next newsletter. It's hard to be detailed in a page or two. Even in this journal, I don't write everything that happens.  And, indeed, I often forget some of the best things that happen.

Sleeping temperatures were just right last night.  I slept well for a change and actually slept in until 7:09 am.  That's more than three hours extra sleep for me.  We normally get up so early on the days Mark works that I wake up early on the other days as well.  But maybe it was meant to be...as I took my walk later than usual, I was able to see two ladies whom I would have missed if I'd been out at 6:00am.  We've had a greeting acquaintance but I believe both of them need women friends.  I know one wants to further her relationship with the Lord.  The other, I don't know but we were able to have a good conversation so she could talk to an adult (she's raising her grandson).,

Mark and I believe that opportunities to have positive and uplifting conversations with people are part of our ministry.  We don't have to be preaching eternal damnation.  We believe in winning people by love.  So many have been turned off by hypocritical Christians who say one thing and do another, maybe even things that are sinful.  We seek to love on people so that they want to know what we have and are more willing to listen when we do speak of Jesus to them.

Mark had a compliment the other day.  He's been serving a group of people.  One of the woman asked Mark if he was a teacher.  He said have has not had formal training but he has done some teaching.  She said  "You seem like a natural teacher to me."  "Why is that?"  Her response: "You have an air of peace and confidence about you. " We believe she recognized the peace of God within him.

Wednesday, August 17, 2005, 10:10am
Don't have much time left before I have to go to work.  I'm boiling water to make a cinnamon apple tea to serve this evening at our Who is Jesus? Bible Study.

Walt just mowed the lawn in our area.  He pushed the picnic table right to where I wanted it!!    I watered this morning so didn't want the table moved until after I finished that.  Mark was asked to work today at East Lake.  So I figured we'd just have to cope this evening. The wooden picnic tables are heavy for ladies to move by ourselves--although we've done it before. Walt answered my unuttered prayer!!

Mark and I went to Bend on Monday; he'd finally gotten an appointment at the low income clinic.  I've mentioned that he has been battling some kind of rash.  At first we thought it might be ringworm but didn't go away with topical ointment.  It also could have been an allergic reaction to all the pine pollen he's been encountering, both at the pole yard and at East Lake.  The doctor believes it is pityriasis rosea.  He says their is no known cause for it; it comes and eventually disappears.  We've looked it up on the web which concurrs with what he said were the symptoms.  The things we did for it were helpful as far as relieving itch.  But there is no treatment; you just have to let it run its course.  We did buy some more multi-vitamins to help give Mark's immune system a boost with proper nutrients.

We enjoyed getting to be in a larger town for a change.  We took a leisurely walk around Costco (we no longer have a membership and miss it) and had a hot dog.  We enjoy their beef weiners; planning to go grocery shopping at Wild Oats was a good excuse to have one--so we wouldn't be shopping on an empty stomach.  I believe that's true because we didn't buy much.  The vitamins were the biggest part of the expense.

Monday, August 15, 2005, 8:20am
This will be a busy day.  I'm planning to go to the Community Kitchen today and then with Mark to Bend after that.  I'm also going to make the last phone calls for the appointment setting job I started a couple of months ago.  Even though I've been diligent, it hasn't resulted in sales.  I've begun to resent the time it takes.  Therefore, I turned in my resignation and will stop after I finish calling the current set of leads.

Mark and I had a nice evening yesterday.  He came home with an unopened carton of orange juice that had been left in the fridge at the rental house.  That's a blessing since we don't have juice as often as I would like.

Sunday, August 14, 2005, 4:24 pm
It's been a wonderful, lazy day today (for me).  Time to spend with the Lord and catch up on email.  My inbox has stacked up lately.  But it's great to be able to exchange words with people around the globe.  I wanted to work on our next newsletter.  I am working on it but the computer on which we do the layout seems to be having a problem.  Mark will say it's something simple but I'm not going start punching buttons.  I'll wait until he gets home.

Tursday, August 11, 2005, 8:15am
The water froze in the sprinkler hose again.  I let the water ooze while I went for the first part of my walk.  The sprinkler was going by the time I'd made the .6 mile circuit of the RV park.  So I moved the sprinkler to where I wanted it and proceeded with my exercise.  I came back to an interesting sight. As the ground was colder that the air, the individual grass leaves were adorned with frozen droplets of water.  Very fascinating...  

I have finished the article about Girl's Night Out to be put in the Newberry Eagle. That's a monthly newspaper so the publication deadline is coming up.  I'll finalize it at the Prayer and Planning Tea this evening.  I've already picked out a picture to send with the email.

Yesterday, the office manager at Cascade Meadows asked if we'd decided what we'll do next summer.  My response was that we are still waiting to see where the Lord wants us to go for this coming winter.  I ask you to join us in prayer regarding this.

Tuesday, August 9, 2005, 10:08am
It was a lovely birthday weekend.  (My birthday was yesterday.) We left late Saturday evening for Astoria.  As we were just starting to load the car, someone Mark occasionally does work for called that people at a rental unit in Sun River were having difficulties with one of the TVs.  So we went by there "on our way."  What we'd hoped was a simple job turned into two hours.  So it was quite late for leaving.  Naturally I dozed off. Mark finally woke me up, saying he was going to have to pull over soon.  So I kept him awake in order to reach a truck stop I'd found seen in our truckers guide.  I'd looked to see what was south of Portland that had showers and separate overnight parking for RVs.

The next morning when we awoke, we took showers and split a breakfast before heading out.  We enjoyed the drive.  Took 26 from Portland to connect with 101.  we couldn't see the coast very often from the road.  However, we enjoyed the countryside.  It reminded Mark of Switzerland which was what he pictured when we decided to head to Oregon.  We stopped at a market for fresh picked blackberries, blueberries and plums.  We ate the berries but shared the plums with my relatives in addition to the banana bread I'm made for them.

We arrived about 10:45am.  Aunt Maxine and Cousin Nell were there to great us.  Even though we looked on Yahoo Maps, Nell had insisted on giving us instructions.  For which I was glad.  The street didn't go through so it would indeed have been difficult to find without her instructions.

These group of people goes on vacation together every year.  One of the ladies was a friend of Nell's during World War II.  They'd kept in touch all these years.  That is so wonderful.  I'm sure grateful for my friends from public schools and college.

They took us out to lunch at the Pig and Pancake.  They started out as a breakfast place, renting the facilities of another restaurant in the morning.  Since then they've expanded and serve all three meals.  Mark had the beer-battered halibut and I had a hamburger plus a slice of Nell's chicken fried steak.  I agreed with Maxine that the cfs was one of the best I've ever eaten.

Mark drove us around Astoria so we could see the town.  The town seems to be built on a hill.  I was reminded of San Francisco.  He enjoyed wheeling our Barbie Jeep (Geo Tracker) up and down.  The relatives had a few tales to tell their friends about that jaunt.  We enjoyed relaxing in the living room for several more hours before we headed for Cosmopolis, WA.

We'd made arrangements to visit Dennis and Brenda Peterson.  They treated us like visiting royalty.  I appreciated the light dinner (didn't need much after the large lunch).  While the men visited, Brenda and I walked around the block and to the park.  It was great to actually see some of the sights Brenda has mentioned in her letters.

We went to bed fairly early, got up at 7:00 am.  Brenda served us a snack and then a large breakfast.  I enjoyed every bite.  We talked some more and then headed for home with the lunch Brenda packed for us.

What is there to say about the trip back?  We kept seeing blackberry bushes on the side of the road.  We finally went down a paved side road, pulled off and picked a bag full of blackberries.  We ate a bunch and then decided to share the rest with Chris and Pamela on our way through Bend.  They invited us to partake of grilled chicken, vegetables and fruit salad.  Which really hit the spot after a hot drive--and was a great ending to a wonderful weekend.

Saturday, August 6, 2005, 5:56pm
Hi, Friends...Just a note to let you know that Mark and I are off to NW Oregon and Washington for a couple of days.  My father's sister and their cousin are vacationing in Astoria and invited us to come for "the weekend."  We'll head in that direction this evening; we don't expect to travel the entire distance tonight.  I've located a truck stop where we can pull over for the night.  After spending the day in Astoria, we plan to go to Cosmopolis, WA to spend the night with Brenda and Dennis Peterson.  You'll remember that they came to visit us last summer in Colorado Springs.

We plan to return on Monday so we can get a good night's sleep before going to work on Tuesday.  My hours have changed; I don't have to work until noon but will work 5 days a week.  So I can relax and catch up that morning but Mark will have to leave at the usual 6:00 am.  He sure enjoys the days he stays home instead of going to the resort.  He likes his job but enjoys being able to sleep a little later and spend more time with his prayer and study.

I'm ready to go except for packing the car and washing the dishes.  Will write Monday evening or more likely Tuesday morning.  Keep our travels in your prayers--thanks.

Friday, August 5, 2005, 8:05pm
Hope we can get to bed early night.  Mark has to go to work.  Today was fairly relaxing.  Work was slow for a Friday.  At 3:00pm, a woman I met at the Salad on Tour luncheon came over.  She'd admired my new haircut (I'd done it that morning) so I offered to cut hers.  Most of my hair cutting has been on Mark; but I figured I could do my cut on her.  I thought it turned out pretty well.  She wanted something that will be "wash and wear."  This cut certainly is.  I just blow dry it will gel or hair spray.  I'm fortunate to have some curl but not lots.

Thursday, August 4, 2005, 6:07 am
Yesterday afternoon we went to Klamath Falls to take a seatbelt class.  In June, Mark got stopped for not wearing his seat belt.  If one attends this class, they don't put it on your permanent record if one doesn't get another ticket within a certain period of time.  I didn't have to go but we figured it wouldn't hurt me to sit through it and it certainly was a lot cooler inside the building.  I took my crocheting with me so I was able to get a few rows done.

We had an interesting day.  We had planned to leave in the morning, taking a leisurely drive and see some sites along the way.  (I think I grammatically butchered that sentence.) On Tuesday, Mark's boss asked him if he could work on Wednesday to cut wood.  The Forest Service has put on a chain saw bann because of fire hazard.  So they needed to get more wood cut before the deadline.  Mark talked to me first and then agreed to work in the morning.  We left about 2:00 pm.  

I had made a lunch and we planned to eat dinner at a restaurant.  We split a meal to save on costs.  Mark eats one item at a time.  He'd consume the meat and vegetables.  While eating the mashed potatoes, he came upon something I think was one of these plasticy threads.  We weren't going to say anything but when he found the second strand, we decided they needed to be notified.  I wonder how often people dishonestly put something in the food.  Anyway, they were nice and took off the price of the entre; we only paid for the beverage.  I feel bad that they had to give us a free meal.  Actually we told them we didn't mind paying for the food since we'd consumed most of it but they insisted on comping it.

On the way home, we stopped in Crescent to see Dave and Kathy Schilling.  Mark had worked with him at the pole yard.  You will remember that we had gone fishing  at East Lake with them and Dave's parents a few weeks ago.  Or I should say, Mark and I went for the social while they fished.  It was nice to relax and talk for a while; I got to meet their dogs.  So it was past bedtime when we got home last night.  4:40 am came early.  Snore...I'll have to go to work in a little while.

Wednesday, August 3, 2005, 1:38 pm
Mark and I took Bussie for a drive this past Monday.  We'd anticipated leaving by 11:00 am.  But then it got stuck in reverse; we couldn't go forward.  That happens occasionally but usually fixes itself after shifting a couple of times.  Mark finally went outside and soldered a lead on the shifter solenoid.  He didn't know why that would fix anything.  A year ago when it was staying in reverse, this lead broke and it started working.  This time he replaced the broken lead and then it worked again.  Strange...or was it the prayer I said?

We drove into Bend so I could go to the grocery store.  Although the store I go to in LaPine is good, it is still nice to go to one of the larger stores on occasion.  Mark stayed inside the bus and caught up on some personal reading.  It was nice that the shopping center at which I wanted to shop was on the south side of town as it was rush  hour by the time we got going again.  We still were able to get back in time for our 5:30 Bible Study.  Al had mowed the grass/weeds on the gravel pad underneath where we park.  Grass seems to grow even when it is in the shade.

I am enjoying this study.  We do homework and this discuss the answers.  The guidebook has additional information to be read.  We  have decided to move the study to Wednesday evening starting next week.  Monday seems to be hectic for everyone.

Sunday, July 31, 2005, 12:24 pm
Mark and I decided to visit Crescent Creek Church this morning.  It's a FourSquare church.  Sue and Bob Price attend there.  We sat with them. The sermon reminded us that we are a sweet fragrance to God as we follow Christ.  Afterwards, Sue had some of the prayer team pray for me.  I appreciated that opportunity to share my health issues with others who believe that I will see physical healing because of my relationship with our Creator and belief in Christ as my savior.

I also saw a couple of women that I have met at the Girls' Night Out and Salads on Tour activities.  It's a blessing to meet people in each place where we spend time--and be able to take those relationships with us as we move on.  Sue's husband, Bob, offered to let us park vehicles at his house if we need temporary parking as we are figuring out what to do for the winter.

Mark and I went to the grocery store before coming home.  I've been considering going to Bend for shopping.  It's been several weeks since we went to the health food store and others that we like.  Fortunately, Ray's grocery is pretty good; I've been grateful for that.  It's 25 miles to Bend so we don't go very often.

Saturday, July 30, 2005, 12:54 pm
I decided not to gset up at the Craft Sale this morning.  They've been doing it every Saturday.  I called Jan a few minutes ago.  She said attendance was pooor again this morning so I'm glad I stayed home to work on my list of things to do which is quite long.  

I threw a load of laundry in the washer.  I found that all the dryers were full when I went back.  Washing takes 30 minutes while dryers are an hour--that kind of messes up people.  So Mark and I will just have to dry on rough towels this week.  Hopefully the neighbors won't mind that I hung things out to dry outside the RV.  People do it all the time but I don't prefer to do so.

I've been making phone calls this morning while baking.  Decided it was time to make bread and crackers.  Therefore, I had to grind flour before I could bake.  That heated up the house.  It's always cool in the morning and then once the sun is high, it gets warm.  I'll say warm because 80-90 degrees is pleasant compared to the triple digits many areas have been having.

Carol Goodrich who is a guest of the park for a couple of weeks has loaned me The Gospel of John and The Passion of the Christ DVDs.  Mark and I watched the Gospel of John on Wednesday.  I started watching The Passion this morning.  It's sort of a heavy movie so I plan to watch it in chunks.

Friday, July 29th, 2005, 6:27 pm
The meeting yesterday was really good.  April McDaniel hosted at her house.  They have a beautiful yard with a gazebo.  The food and drinks were placed there.  The tall pine trees offered plenty of shade.  Marie Grant came up with this idea eight years ago--to have a luncheon for women of the church she attended.  During that first year, God impressed upon her that it should be open to women of all denominations.  She has worked to let friends and acquaintances know about it.  A couple of the attendees were a pastor and pastor's wife.

Marie usually reads a scripture passage and asks a question.  The idea is that we are to see a lesson in the passage and then relate a story in our own lives where this lesson applies.  This time she read the story of Balaam and his talking donkey.  I started the discussion with God using tools to deliver messages--that each person affects the lives of everyone else they meet.  We need to be open to messages from God being given to us through odd circumstances or "tools." Many of the women spoke of times when they've resisted God's direction.  

The best part of these meetings is always the food.  Guests are requested to bring salad.  It was surprising that there were no lettuce salads this time.  I fell back on my standard "deviled" eggs.  I've got a pretty egg place.  I put orange honeydew melon in the center.  Marie asked me to say the prayer over the food.  I've always been hesitant to pray in public; although I've had a lot of chanches to do so over the past year.  That prideful fear of looking stupid is slowly wearing off as God is transforming my life.

I met a number of nice women at this activity.  I look forward to seeing them again at this same or other activities.

I have been working at calling the leads for the appointment setting job I've been doing.  It hasn't been very lucrative for the time it has been taking.  But it has given me the opportunity to talk to a number of people.

Thursday, July 28, 2005 10:24 am
Running out of time this morning.  I'm going to the Salads on Tour meeting this noon.  April says she has plenty of shade in the front yard.  I hope so as it was close to 100 degrees yesterday.  I will have to go to work as soon as I return.  So that kills off the rest of the day.

Tuesday, July 26, 2005, 6:10 am
Yesterday was a perfect day with plenty of sunshine.  We went to East Lake for a boat ride with Benjamin and Iris Cox.  They are currently living in Israel and have come home for a visit with family in Portland.  How honored we are that they wanted to spend precious time with us!

Did I say Brr on Saturday?  This morning after getting up, I ran outside to turn on the sprinkler--nothing happened.  I couldn't see a lot so I turned it off and came back inside to check our inside water.  It ran, diminished and then slowly gathered steam.  The thermometer said 34.something degrees.  I looked a few minutes ago and it was back down to 32.7.  Hopefully the sprinkler hose will thaw sometime soon.  I had hoped to finish watering the grass on the west side of the bus before 9:00 am.

With the dry spell we've been having, it's being hard for Clarence,  the park lawn waterperson, to keep up.  I offered to water our "lawn" in the evening and early morning.  He supplied me with a sprinkler and I dug our long hose out of storage.  Mark offered to do it but wouldn't be able to take the time until yesterday.  I got creative.  The 75 ft hose is pretty heavy.  Clarence let me borrow his golf cart so once I wrestled the hose out of the truck, then I could ride it down to Bussie instead of carrying it.  Doing it that way saved Mark some effort and I got the hose two days sooner.

Our Bible Study went great last night.  Judy didn't make it until we were breaking up (don't errands usually take longer than planned--especially when other people are involved); we'll try to do a make up session Friday afternoon.  The first lesson on Who is Jesus? was pretty basis.  While all the lessons are indeed basic, the second lesson was more more interesting. Or maybe it was because I was doing the "guiding" this time.  I look forward to doing the homework for the next lesson during this week with guiding in mind.  Next Monday is Sue's birthday so she asked me to again lead the study as her husband wants to take her out to a concert.  We had planned to switch off each week.  But it doesn't really matter.  The 8th is my birthday.  We may take Bussie for a drive that day.

Saturday, July 23, 2005, 5:56 am
Brr! It's 38 degrees out this morning; Mark had to scrape the frost off the windows of his truck.  It will be toasty outside later, I'm sure.  We're pretty tired.  About 3:00 am we awoke to engine noises; I could tell it wasn't daylight yet.  Our neighbors are connected with firefighting.  They must have been called away to a fire and had to pull out.  They had told me when they checked in that they might leave in the middle of the night.  After that, we had difficulty going back to a solid sleep.

I'm still debating about going to the Luis Palau Festival this evening.  I haven't found anyone going whose schedule fits with mine.  Mark, of course is working.  I think I will just hang loose and see how I feel this afternoon after working and all the other things I need to do today including a load of laundry.

Friday, July 22, 2005, 8:06 pm
Just came home after a wonderful afternoon and evening with Darla and her husband.  I hadn't realized he was along for this business meeting--that was a neat surprise to meet him after all these years.  We went to the Bella Cucina for their early bird special.  At least Mark had the Lasagna.  The rest of us had other things off the menu.  Darla and Mike were so nice to want to treat us.  I enjoyed every bite even if I do have to get right back on my diet tomorrow.

It was pleasant to be with fellow Christians with the same denominational history and many mutual acquaintances.  It really ministered to my soul to be able to talk to an "old friend."

Thursday, July 21, 2005, 6:36 am
Good morning!  Today is my day off from the RV park--I have a long list of things that need doing today.  We finally turned on the air conditioner yesterday evening to try to cool it down for more comfortable sleeping.  I'm hoping that I can maintain an even temperature today while I'm working inside.  They ask us not to run our air conditioners if no one is home; I agree with that.

I will also be making calls for the appointment setting job.  That's been disappointing but then I've realized that it takes many calls to get a few that "are interested" and then only one or two actually end up buying.  So I'm not worrying too much but plodding along, making calls between other activities.  My "boss" said not to stress out about it.  He's happy with the progress I'm making even though nothing has yet turned into a sale.

My friend Darla from college at Big Sandy is in Sun River for business meetings this week.  We're supposed to meet her for dinner Friday evening.  She's insisted on taking us out even though she's on our turf.  I'm looking forward to seeing her; we last saw her at our wedding 19 years ago.

Mark had a kind of skin rash--I'll call it that for lack of a better term. We were careful in case it was something that could spread to me.  He hasn't been able to yet get into the low income clinic in Bend; they're booked up but he has an appointment for a qualifying interview tomorrow.  We have come to believe that it is hives, as an allergic reaction to all the pine sap and pollin he's been coming into contact with during both jobs that he's had.  It is getting better; he's been using over-the-counter medications.

I'm still working on inviting people to the Monday evening Bible Study.  A couple of Fire Fighters have moved into the park for a couple of months.  I'll go over today to meet the one wife who came along.  I've also asked another lady who will be here for a month or so.  While most people are here for only a week or two, they do allow Cascade Meadows members to come in for longer periods.  I have books so can have a makeup session for anyone new who wants to come next Monday.

Wednesday, July 20, 2005, 8:00 pm
The town of Hominy is still reeling after a tragic event that occurred yesterday.  Roy Westbrook, honored as Hominy's 2004 Citizen of the Year, purchased a gun and an hour later alledgedly turned it on a waitress in the Hominy Diner in full view of over 50 people.  No one will ever know the reason; it is guessed to be a tenant dispute. Rebecca Clements will be buried in Prue Cemetery on Friday.

I found out yesterday afternoon when I called a friend to chat.  The slaying had just happened.  Sherry, daughter of Dave Hinton (with whom we worked last fall) was at work in the diner at the time.

Monday, July 18, 2005, 2:42 pm
It's 87 degrees out, the warmest I've seen on the themometer to date.  I've got iced tea  cooling in the fridge for later today.  I got up early, made a cake to take the to Community Kitchen and made a loaf of poppyseed almond bread for the Bible Study this evening (along with the iced tea).  I also did a couple of loads of wash this morning.  Mark vacuumed the vent screens today.  They haven't been drawing as much air as needed.  We've been pulling air in the windows and out the vents for cooling. Pretty soon we'll be having to turn on our air conditioner. 

Mark went with me to "the Kitchen" today.  I've anticipated being there only a couple of hours.  The crew was short-handed today so we stayed around to help clean up.  Mark helped carry the heavy pans and cookers.  I brought home some more cake mix to make cakes for next week.  I enjoy doing that; I can cook without having to eat it.  They get some kind of credit for number of volunteered hours--including time I spend making desserts at home.  

It's interesting how even our desires can be answered without having been uttered as prayers.  This morning when I was dressing, I was pawing through my drawer looking for knee hi hose.  Mine have been gradually discarded as they get past wearable.  I found one white one, one skimpy brown one and one long tan one.  I sighed but since I was wearing long pants today, I put on the two brown versions and "went on."  When I got to the Community Kitchen, on their give-away rack was a box with assorted hosiery.   So I was gifted with a package of beige knee-his today.  Thank you, Lord.

Saturday, July 16, 2005, 4:30 pm
I've been watching the sun the afternoon--or rather, I've been watching the shadow on the right side of Bussie.  To see how much shade we will have on Monday evenings.  We're planning to have the Bible Study outside on the picnic table.  

As yet, not many people have committed to coming.  I've been told that 20 have to be invited to get 1-2 to attend.  Right now I have 3 of us committed to be here.  One couple has been terribly ill with the flu so said they'll see how they feel on Monday; they are obviously still wobbly.  Another lady is being overwhelmed with an ill husband whom they are sending back to California for surgery.  Another lady who is here for just a couple of weeks and may come.  

Others have found excuses from 5:30pm is dinnertime to "my summer is ruined" (because of an upset at work).  Maybe this study isn't the one for them; I just pray for everyone and their walk with the Lord.  I'm excited about doing this study on Who is Jesus?  Even though we may have studied the subject before, I believe there is always more to learn.  Especially about our Savior.  If we don't believe in Him and follow Him, then is there any meaning to life?  Without Him, there is nothing.

I'm cooking a spagetti squash so I have something for Mark's lunch tomorrow.  I need to go to the grocery store but decided he'd just have to have whatever I can give him tomorrow.  I just made a list; apparently I have more foodstuffs than I thought that I can put into a lunch.  That's good! I plan to go into LaPine for church tomorrow so am delaying my shopping trip until then.

We emailed our newsletter notification last week.  I'm hoping to finish addressing the last of the printed newsletters today.  I've got the fan on.  Since the park is full, I'm not going to turn on  airconditioning to add to the load on the park.  We've been having some power surges.

It's finally gotten warm during the days.  It's 80 degrees right now. That won't sound hot to many of you.  But remember that we have a fairly high altitude so there's nothing between us and the sun when it does come out.  We've been having trouble with it being overly warm when we go to bed.  Then we wake up in the wee hours being cold.  Then I wake up numerous times trying to organize the right amount of covers.  It was 37 degrees this morning at 5:00 am.  You can see how the temperatures fluctuate during the day.

We've been continuing with the Saturday craft sale with little success.  We'd hoped that since the park is full that we'd have lots of customers.  However, we were so swamped with arrivals that we mostly told them to read their welcome packet and didn't specifically stress the activities.  Attendance was poor again.

The RV Rally finished on Thursday night.  So we had everyone flooding in here yesterday.  It was a zoo.  But not as bad as the previous Thursday and Friday.  I was still pretty tired.  The nice part was that our owner/boss gave the employees a free meal at the restaurant.  So Mark and I got to go out last night (friends joined us) to a nice meal which I didn't have to cook.  We've only gone to the restaurant here a few times.  It's fairly expensive (this area is very expensive).  Needless to say, we don't eat out much and we've been splitting meals when we do.  Mark doesn't like chicken fried steak--so I opted for that last night since we were getting two free meals instead of splitting.  He ate the 8 oz filet mignon.  I ate enough calories that I'm going to be working off the same two pounds I've been fighting the last couple of weeks.  But I enjoyed every bite.

I guess this is all I have to say for today.  Hope you are having a good weekend!

Thursday, July 14, 2005, 6:38 pm
Another hard day and tomorrow will be even more hectic.  The RV Rally at Redmond is ending tomorrow so everyone who came in last Friday will be flooding south tomorrow.  We already had a number of people come in today.  Our park is almost full.  Fortunately about half the sites will empty in the morning so we can get most of the people in with some sort of hookups.  Our last count was that we have about 17 more reservations than we have sites.  Hopefully the late arrivals won't be too unhappy. Last Thursday we had approx. 200 RV here which means full and overflowing.

We will get to relax a little tomorrow evening.  Sue and Bob Price are coming over to have dinner with us at the Our Place restaurant here at the park.  They've been wanting to do that (and meet Mark).  Because of all our hard work last weekend, Al is giving free meals to the couples who volunteered.  I've been wanting to try the chicken fried steak (one of my favorite meals) so probably will have that.

Sue and I will be discussing our Bible Study we plan to start next Monday.  At this point, there hasn't been much response. But anyone who does come will be sure to be blessed.  We will be studying "Who is Jesus?"

Wednesday, July 13, 2005, 5:56 pm
Are there just coincidences--or does God really orchestrate things to happen in our lives?  I had read in the Frontier Advertiser that the local medical clinic was having an anniversary cookout and that the community was invited.  I called to ask if one needed to be a patient; they said no, anyone could come. It was today 3-5:00 pm.  So Mark and I went into town and had a hamburger.  At one point, people became aware that a boy was saying he'd had a check and it was now missing.  They assumed that maybe it had ended up in one of the garbage cans when he threw his plate and napkin away. Time was passing and entertainment continued.  Mark and I decided it was time to leave and started picking up trash to help out.  Mark found a folded piece of paper on the ground and realized it could be "check sized."  And there it was!  We were glad that we were there at the right time and place.

Tuesday, July 12, 6:52 am
What can I tell you about our day yesterday?  It was long, sometimes hot, sometimes cold, somehwat enjoyable, somewhat boring...  Our group gathered at East Lake Resort at 9:00 am.  We were allowed to take the large pontoon boat so we had plenty of room.  It ended up that each of the other couples sat at the opposite ends of the boat to fish while Mark and I sat in the middle.  Most of the talk was regarding fishing, about which Mark and I know little.  Mark has been learning about it from working at the resort.  Mark and I took snacks; Judy had brought sandwiches, fruit and vegetables (so between hers and mine, we had plenty) and chips.  My banana bread went over well.  I have added the Banana Bread Recipe to my recipes page.

I did enjoy motoring around the lake and just floating.  Since I was in the middle of the boat and used sunscreen, I didn't get sunburned.  I was able to crochet; Judy and I talked about that for a while.  At one point, I laid down on the big seat for a nap.  I was awakened when Dave caught a fish.  The take for the day was one Brown (whatever that is) and 11 chub.  Which was disappointing but I think the fishermen enjoyed the excitement of catching something.

So we considered it was a successful day.  Mark and I stopped by Roberta's house to buy Judy one of the double-ended crochet hooks; I'll give Judy a lesson when we can next get together.  Then we went to LaPine for a hamburger with an A&W coupon and to buy more yarn.  I talked to Roberta who told me I hadn't calculated enough yarn for the larger afghan I'm making.

Monday, July 11, 5:41 am
I'm off for my morning walk.  It's 38 degrees at this hour.  I thought Texas had changeable weather..."wait ten minutes and it will change" really does apply to Oregon.  Yesterday morning it was 51 degrees.  

I'll come back and make our snacks for today, then shower.  I've already got out clothes and stuff like sunscreen.  I'll take my crocheting along and hope not to get it dirty.  I can talk and do that at the same time. I'm looking forward to having a day away doing something different.

Sunday, July 10, 2005, 4:39 pm
It started out as an overcast day.  I took my walk and then went into the pool for an hour.  The pool temperature was 75 degrees.  Interesting how that seemed a lot warmer here and outside than it did inside the gym when the water was that cold.  I was the only one inside the pool--but at 9:00 am on a Sunday, one wouldn't expect many takers.  I really enjoyed my time at the pool.

I made a loaf of bread this morning after grinding more wheat.  I'll have to get more wheat out of storage.  That is, Mark will have to pull out the container; it's under a long, heavy garden hose with which I was unprepared to cope.

You may have wondered how the craft sales have been going.  The July 4th weekend was pretty bum.  We had seven vendors and only six items were sold. We assumed that Frontier Days in LaPine was attracting some of our possible customers.  I took my stuff over to the sale tent then had a SOS from the office so went to work earlier than normal. The other crafters said more people passed through yesterday.  Roberta encouraged me that the pine cone earrings are a good idea; it just takes a while for people to warm up to new vendors.

We lost our RV park volunteer who works on Sunday and Monday mornings.  No one said anything about me coming to work today so everything must be under control.  I didn't get up there until about 4 pm when the afternoon lady was already working; she was busy so I didn't interrupt.  I took a nap this afternoon and was soundly asleep when Mark came home.  It was slow at the resort so they sent him home early.

Tomorrow, Mark is going to take a man who he worked with at the pole yard fishing.  That is, Dave's wife and parents are coming, too.  Dave had mentioned that he really likes to fish but didn't have the time or money to do it. As an employee at East Lake, Mark can use a boat as long as no paying customers want it.  So Mark wasn't to do that for this young man.  I hadn't planned to go but will since the other women are going.  Originally, Dave had planned to invite some other guys--but it is nice that his parents have come for a visit.  I plan to take a bunch of nutritious snacky items. There is a cafe at the resort if we really get hungry.

Friday, July 8, 2005, 9:09 pm
Just a brief note before I leave for "work."  I made a loaf of banana bread this morning.  It seems kind of crumbly.  Don't know if that's because I used my home ground multi-grain flour which is more finely ground or if one actually needs to add gluten.  I thought that was only for yeast breads and didn't matter about batter breads.  Guess I should investigate that.

Yesterday was the big day for people coming in.  I was glad I had the day off; I'll be working Saturday.  Hopefully today won't be too hectic.  Hope you have a beautiful day!

I've passed out the invitations to the Bible Study.  I hope that soneone will be able to come.  I've gotten three nos and two maybes. I'll make a point of stopping by to see each of the ladies by the end of the week.  

Thursday, July 7, 2005, 9:12 pm
It's been a full day.  I woke up early, went for my morning walk.  Then after puttering around for a little while I went to Water Aerobics.  They drafted Dee who is the wife of the man who waters the lawns.  She's attended the classes in the past.  She said she could push the button on the tape player.  Classes did start on Tuesday but, of course, I've been working each day.  I'll plan to go on the days I don't have to work.  There were four of us there; even allowing for the other women being taller than I am, I was the thinnest one there.

I signed up for a free luncheon to hear a speil about Medical Air Services.  I was shocked to win one of the doorprizes--a Oregon lottery ticket.  I had to asked the people at my table how one goes about determining of one has won the lottery.  The answer was to go down to the local supermarket.  Although the presentation was good about the company's services, I wasn't prepared to buy at this time.

In the evening I attended the Prayer and Planning Tea for the Girls' Night Out.  Even though the GNO is on haitus for a couple of months, the women still wanted to meet for prayer and fellowship even though there was no planning.  I really enjoyed getting to know some of the other women.  I asked for some feedback on my testimony speech; I'm still working on that.

Before going to the meeting, I went to Bi-Mart.  That's a locally owned store kind of like but on a smaller scale than WalMart.  They let a person come in several times without buying a membership; it was time to do so.  $5 isn't that big a deal but I'd been putting it off.  They didn't have the main item I wanted but yarn was on sale. Happy!  I am anxious to make something with the cro-hooking method.  Roberta will be here until the 13th if I need to ask any questions.

Mark was able to do some ministry time yesterday with a young man.  He believes in God but had never established a person relationship with Him.  Mark recommended a Bible version for him to study.

Monday, July 4, 2005, 6:27 pm
Happy 4th of July!!!!  I hope everyone is prepared to enjoying the day celebrating our nation and thanking God for the blessings we have.

I've had a good day.  They decided not to start the water aerobics until Tuesday (rather than on the holiday) so I had the pool to myself for a while.  Then a couple of young people came and then a man got into the hot tub.  I went through a number of the exercises we used to do in the classes at the gym. 

After I finished exercising, I went over to Roberta Smeltzer's "house" for a cro-hooking lesson.  Her husband makes the cro-hooks; she sells them for $5.00 and gives the lessons for free.  Cro-hooks exist but are unusual enough that one doesn't find them at most stores. I enjoyed talking with Roberta.  She showed me how to do several rows; then I came home for lunch and to do several more rows.  When I ran out of yarn (Roberta has gives 16 yards of each color for the student to do a sample swatch.), I went back and she showed me how to finish it off.  I plan to wait for our next trip to Bend (and Walmart) to buy yarn.  Guess I'll make a baby afghan.  People have babies often enough that it never hurts to have on on hand for a gift.

When I got home, the electric heater hadn't been turned off and in was 91 degrees inside our "aluminum can."  It gets cold during the night; we are still waking up to frost on the ground.  So we still need assisted-heat during the night.  I threw open the windows and cranked open the vents.  Next time I'll remember to open them before I leave.

Tomorrow I'll start passing out the invitations for the Bible Study that I'm planning to start on July 18th.  I'll be inviting the ladies from the RV park that are here for the entire summer.  I got the invitations all made out so am ready to take them with me when I go to work tomorrow.  I just hope a couple do come.  I'll be praying that those who need to be there will be open to the opportunity.

Mark got home early this evening.  They'd asked him to work at East Lake Resort today since it is the holiday.  When it slowed down this afternoon, they said he could take off.  He worked long hours Saturday and Sunday and will work tomorrow so it was nice not to have to stay until 8 pm--we enjoyed dinner together.

Our June/July 2005 newsletter is now available for your perusal at http://www.bbtj.org/newsletters/news0507.html

Sunday, July 2, 2005, 5:10 pm
It's been a fun day--especially the nap.  Mark had to work.  Sue and Bob Price had invited us to Church in the Park and the luau at Crescent Creek Church.  There was a pretty good turnout.  I was pleased to see that most of the chairs were full.  Sue was in charge of decorations for the stage; she's been stressing out.  But her imagination and creativity worked well.  She made surfboards out of cardboard and covered them with hawaiian fabric.  I can't properly describe it.  BiMart loaned her some fake trees (I thought that was something).  Students from the All that Jazz studio did a hula; they did a good job for such young girls.  

The pastor from Westside Church in Bend was the guest speaker.  He based his sermon on Psalm 136--turning His mercy endures forever into His love never quits.  He got to audience to repeat that phrase.

The luau was quite interesting.  The main attraction was that they actually roasted a pig in a pit.  I'm glad I didn't see it either go in or come out.  Since I didn't grow up eating pork, the idea was a little nausiating.  I was glad they offered chicken as an alternative.  The side dishes were fruit, sweet potatoes, rice, beans and other salads.  And there were a few desserts; I elected not to spend much time at the dessert table.

It was so relaxing to be out in the heat after a meal that I was falling asleep at the table.  I decided it was time to go home for a nap instead of participating in the games.  I ran into a woman I'd met at the Girls' Night Out so talked to her for a few minutes before driving home.

Friday, July 1, 2005, 6:27 am
We're gearing up for the holiday weekend.  We had a bunch of people come in yesterday and are expecting a lot today.  I woke up early and went out for a walk. I wished I could have whipped out my paintbrush to show the world the view we had today. There was a bank of fog in the distance between us and the mountain.  It's impossible to capture the beauty with a small camera.  The pine trees closer to us were standing out because of the fog behind them.  The snowcapped mountain top was peeking up over the fog bank.  It was beautiful.

The craft sale is tomorrow.  I'm just about finished making the earrings.  I'll do that this afternoon.  I need to make breakfast, make my display, print out some signs, etc. this morning in preparation.  We're thinking that we will give a pair of earrings with a donation to BBtJ. I can put out copies of our newsletter and our brochure.  It's an experiment.  Lots of ministries give something with a donation.