One more time. After many procedures, tests and biopsies in a completely different area - I am once again deemed cancer free! God is good and He does answer prayer. I have decided cancer is like a bully. You think you have gotten rid of him on the playground. Then you discover they have changed the bus route and he now sits beside you finding new ways to torment you. He rides his bicycle past your house, glaring all the way. He sits on the corner with clenched fists, knowing you must pass. The place you used to always feel safe (your own bed) is no longer a haven because he haunts your dreams. I decided years ago to be happy while you can. Laugh at every opportunity granted. Live life as fully as able, while able. Enjoy life any and every time allowed. A day without pain is a good day. Take time to appreciate even the small, often ordinary day to day things. Life is a beautiful gift, be thankful. Being thankful is something that NO bully can take charge of. And remember - Bullies are just NO good.
I am asking for you to pray for my daughter, Nicole Mongeon. She is having a difficult time dealing with several health issues. Please approach our Father's throne on her behalf.
My brother could never keep a watch running until he got a digital (red face, push the button to read the time) watch. That was in about 1977, and he kept that watch for quite a long time.
Here is a taste of the weather we have had last night and today. The temperature is at a high of 35*. The windchill is terrible, making it feel like single digit temperature!
It got down to about 40 the last two nights, which I love. As long as we don't hit 80 again, I'm happy. (But I imagine we will.) The grass is always greener... even if it's covered by snow!
I don't think I'll be in Tampa then, I think you know I'm in Johnson City TN now. I'm not really sure when the next time I will get to go to Tampa. I'm making a trip out to Dallas for a friends wedding in Jan.
I was going to title this Fall In Vermont but why would I want anyone to FALL in Vermont? On a more serious note, I must state that the beauty of God is everywhere! Colors galore! So much breath-taking beauty everywhere one turns. For the past two weekends we have taken drives to admire what Our Creator has established. The season has come alive with a brilliance of tapestry. The leaves are lasting on the trees for a long duration of time, thus extending this season of foliage. While driving I smelled the wonderful aroma of someone burning maple wood in their woodstove. This is such a wonderful, richly sweet and cleanly fragrant wood to burn. It brought back good memories of years long since past. Imagine driving on a country road, temperatures in the high 60's, sunshine and blue skies with a good cup of coffee and great music playing. The crowning touch being colors of beauty that photos cannot do justice for. How blessed are we that He should grant such splendor to behold!
Renovating the house and doing the work yourself/selves is a rewarding BOTHER! For years renovation has been a way of life. It has become a weigh on life. I am so tired of always having more to do. I do not feel comfortable having to work around a mattress, boxspring and dresser in my DINING ROOM! Even more than that, I am tired of fixing one thing just to have another start dripping or stop working all-together. I have just finished my second coat of paint on a particular wall that has needed to be re-done since last fall. I had this great idea of painting a 16' high wall and the adjoining partial 4' high wall a contrasting color from the rest of the dining room. This would would make a lounge/reading area seem more complete and set apart. I primed the area twice. I then gave it two coats of the paint I chose named Chianti. It looked fine but I decided that I liked the CandleLight topcoat I applied in the back bathroom so well that I would also apply it here. BIG mistake. The partial wall looked wonderful. Almost like satin. The 16' wall looked like wet paint. At first I thought it was because it was too thick. I called the company that makes CandleLight and found that the wall would have to be repainted with Chianti before I could apply another topcoat. I repainted, let it dry and applied another topcoat. It looked wet. I repainted, let it dry and applied a third topcoat. It still looked wet. I assessed the reason to be the way the light from the ceiling is angled. To which nothing can be done. I decided to give up and repaint the 16' wall with another coat of Chianti. The weather turned too cold before I could repaint the partial 4' wall with Chianti. Today, I finished the job. Now I must decided where to hang the new painting I got on a fabulous sale (for about 1/20th the original price - no kidding). I will lay the $200 rug I got for $30. I will trade places with the bakers rack and bookcase. Re-arrange the over stuffed recliners and side tables (still another great sale) and the dining room/lounge area will be completed. EXCEPT for the fact that the floor should be sanded, stained, and sealed. Oh yea, don't let me forget the strip of wood that needs to be made and put up along the wall from the top of the partial 4' wall to the top of the redwood ceiling. Ohhh please just let me get this house finished and make it all stop! Right now, the computer/spare bedroom has sheet-rock that needs to be mudded, sanded, primed and painted. The carpet needs to be laid. After that I still have the master bedroom to completely remake into a suite complete with a new bathroom and walk in closets. A bathroom for the spare bedroom from scratch. Then there is the residing the house and all the landscaping. I seriously hope that cancer does not come back and I get to live long enough to get this finished and then enjoy it.
You just need to redefine "finished"! You have some wonderful rug-buying skillz... we've been looking for an 8x12 rug for the living room, but can't really find one we like, and besides, they're insanely expensive.
The price of heating oil isn't coming down? Crude oil is dropping, and so is gasoline. Natural gas is half of what it was in July on the market, but I don't know about the consumer price.
