Dec 16, 2010

Wow ! It has been a busy week here. On Sunday after service Wendy and I drove to Calgary and met Bob and Kristy at Ika. Bob has to work until the 22nd. so he brought Kristy down and she is staying until Christmas. Sure is good to have her around. On Monday I had a dentist appointment so that took care of most of the morning. Then I met with Pastor Pete and Wayne for prayer at 11:30am. We meet every week for prayer at the church. Tuesday morning Kristy and I  took Madison into Lethbridge for a bath and a good brushing and got her nails trimmed. After dropping her off Kristy and I went to Smitty's restaurant for breakfast and enjoyed that. Then we went to Wall Mart and bought a couple things . We picked up Madison and brought her home and then Wendy, Kristy and I headed into to Lethbridge again and went to Tanya house. I took Kellen out for lunch at Mac Donald's near where Wendy works. He was really happy about going out with Pa Pa for lunch. I usually take all the grand kids out to lunch for their birthday but we were away when Kellen birthday came up . He sure is a cute little guy and after lunch he got his very own Mac Flurry with smarties.I asked him if he wanted one and he said you mean my very own . I think he thanked me 3 or 4 times. He is such a good little boy. I just love him. He is a bit like his mom and will talk your ear off. I'm half deaf so didn't hear it all but got most of it.
Then yesterday Wendy had to work. I had to play at 2 pm. at Piyami Lodge with Barry. Kristy came along to listen.After we played for about an hour and a half they served all the people, Christmas goodies and drinks. It was quite a large crowd about 45 to 5o people. Most of them live right there  at the lodge. Then after we got home from that we waited for Wendy to get home and went to Pastor Pete and Mary's for supper. That was fun. We got home about 8pm. and then a fellow from church (Dan) came over and we played a bit of music. He got a new guitar and wanted me to hear him play. He does play very well.

Today Wendy went to work again and about 9 am. Kristy and I went into Lethbridge again as Kristy needed to buy a few things at Park Place Mall. Wendy came home at noon . She wasn't feeling that great.  At 1 Wendy and Kristy and I went to church and prayed for about an hour and a half for my son in-law's Dad Jorge Santana. They found out early this week that he had a fairly large tumor in his neck the was wrapped around the brain stem in his neck and needed an operation right away.WE got work this evening that the took out most of the tumor and that he seems to be fine and can move both arms and legs.Praise the Lord.
God has been so good to our family.Jorge Dad is only 53 or 54 years old.
 They said it was a very risky operation and it could have left him paralyzed. We  are all thanking Jesus for giving the doctors the wisdom and knowledge to do this operation. We  serve a gracious God.(Jesus Christ).
Well it is snowing just a little bit but if it snows more I might have to get out the tractor eh? It is getting late and I didn't get to take a nap today. ha ha.

May God bless you all and may you all have a MERRY CHRISTMAS. I am going to post a picture of my grand kids. They sure are a cute bunch.

Dec.4, 2010

Well here it is December already. Where did the year go? It just seems that it has gone by so fast but when I really think about it I guess we have had a busy year. The first big thing was the earthquake in Chile that kept us wondering for a while. Then Mandy and Jorge and Josiah came here and little Levi was born into the family. Then they went back to Chile and Wendy went with them for 3 weeks. Then Wendy went to Mexico with Adriana, Kristy and Bob after they came home from South Africa. After they came home we went to Texas for a week with Tanya and Tom and little Sophie. I kinda don't remember much about our summer. Seems I was alone most of it. Oh well that how life is I guess.
I have also been busy playing a few gigs with Barry and that has been fun. We just played for a dance a week or so ago at the Moose Club in Lethbridge.and that was lots of fun also. This week has been real busy. Wendy has been working lots of hours and then on Wednesday Wendy had a Women Christmas party at the church and last night Wendy and I went to the Seniors Christmas Dinner her in Picture Butte.We left about 9:20pm. and walked around town because they were having Midnight madness her in Butt.  We only went to 4 or 5 shops. We bought some stuff at Home Hardware and then to Berts and bought a couple of roast and got home about 10:45.pm.
This morning I went to the church at 7am. and got things ready for a Men's breakfast at 8:30.am. We had 15 guys that came for breakfast.We served pan cakes and sausages and fruit.
I am getting excited about Christmas. Tanya,Tom and the kids are coming on the 23 and staying until the 26 and Kristy and Bob will be her also. Love it when everyone is here. This year we will miss Mandy, Jorge and the 2 boys.
Well it is 2:45am.  and here I am at this silly old computer. Not sure why I can't sleep but been awake since 1:30am.  Must be getting old eh?

Well God Bless you all and have a great day.

November 21, 2010

Wow it has been over a month since I posted anything on here.Not sure I can remember back that far. ha ha.
Well lets see how good my memory is.
Well Wendy had a great time in Mexico with Adria, Kristy and Bob. I think they had 8 others that went on the trip with them. She really enjoyed it and has posted a blog about it with some pictures.
Tanya, Tom and little Sophia and Wendy and I went to Texas at the end of October for a week to a conference there with Paul Washer and Voddie Bauchman  Not sure of the spelling but think it is close. We had a great time and I really enjoyed spending the time with Tanya and Tom. Since they got married we really haven't gone anywhere with them so it was fun. The weather in Texas was really warm and I liked that. I gained 9 lbs. while we were there. We found some real good restaurants while we were there. The conference was great and I enjoy that too. We stayed in a town called Humble .The conference was only 3 days so we got to go see a bit of Dallas which was only about an hour away from our hotel. We got to see the space center and  the Reliance football field.
Wendy has been working lots since we got home. Then our weather here has turned cold so I haven't done much. I did clean out our garage so Wendy can park the car in there at night. That saves a lot of scraping and brushing the snow off. I have been doing a few things at the church. Patched  some drywall. Saturday I went and helped put up some props for our Christmas play that will happening about the middle of Dec.
Oh I put the plow on my little tractor and pushed a bit of snow last week when the snow came. It was almost to much for the little tractor. We got about 8 or 9 inches I guess. It is snowing again today and as soon as I finish here I am going out and plow again. Wendy has made me promise not to shovel. I did shovel a bit the first day it snowed and suffered for a few day with chest pains. She was a bit upset with me over that.
I have been feeling pretty good but the cold weather really affects me. I have to go get my flu shot soon. Was going to get it about 2 weeks ago but caught a cold so couldn't go.
I have been playing a few gigs with Barry and have been enjoying that. On Saturday we played for a dance at the Moose Hall in Lethbridge.  Wendy was off so she went with me and listened. We played from 7 pm. until about 11.40 pm. Normally we do 1 hour or 2 hour gigs so this was a long one for me but the people liked us and we got lots of compliments and they stayed and danced until about 11:30. Yesterday I went to church and played on the worship team. That is always fun and we have an awesome worship team. Usually there is 8 or 9 of us. We had a really good crow on Sunday. I think about 85 or so people. Our little church is really growing and that is great to see.
Well I guess that is it for now have a great day and may God Bless you all.

Saturday Oct. 16, 2010

Well I guess it is about time I wrote something here eh?  Wendy, Adria, Kristy and Bob left for Mexico on Thursday the 7th. Friday I cleaned the church and when I finished I realized that it was not my turn until next week. ha ha. I came down with a runny nose on Saturday so I didn't play with the Worship team on Sunday. I went and prayed at 9:45 am with the prayer team. I got up early and made stuffing for the turkey and got everything ready so I could put the old bird in the oven as soon as church was finished. Tanya and Tom supplied the turkey. Sunday afternoon Tanya , Tom and the kids came over and we had a Turkey supper on thanksgiving day here at my house.  I came down with a bit of a cold on Monday  so that kept me in the house a bit. Didn't do much for a few days except hang around the house and watch TV. Thursday I felt a bit better and went into Lethbridge to get some Earl Grey Tea and a few other things. Friday I felt pretty good so went and cleaned the church again (my turn this time ) Marg and Lawrence came and helped me. It has been a pretty slow week for me and with Wendy gone it seemed longer. Tanya's kids have been a bit sick so I didn't want to go over there to often. Last night I was thinking what I could cook for supper when Tanya called and asked if I would like to go with them to supper at Rickey's so I quickly got ready and headed out.
There was a shooting in Shawnasee( not sure how to spell it )and some guy was killed so there  was a bit of  traffic getting through there. Then there was a large tractor and some Hugh equipment on the road and that took a little time to get by (quite common here at harvest time) but finally got to Tanya's and we went to supper. The kids were really good and the food was great. Came home about 9:30 pm. and was going to watch a bit of TV but I woke up about 11pm. and went to bed. Ha ha. I do that quite often lately. Must be old age eh?
This morning I went for coffee and well here I am at this silly old computer trying to remember what I did last week. Like I said Wendy is coming home on Sunday so guess I should clean the house up a bit. Not much to do, A few dishes and maybe vacuum a bit. It sure will be good to have her back home. Then on next Thursday we are heading to Texas with Tanya, Tom and Sophia to a conference with Voddie Bauchmen and Paul Washer. The conference is only 3 days and then we are going to hang around Texas for a few days before coming home. It will be the first time we have gone anywhere with Tanya and Tom in a long time. Sounds like fun so want to make the most of it right? She has found a couple of families to take the kids for a few days and then Kristy and Bob are coming down and watch them until we get back.The kids are all excited over that and I know Kristy and Bob will have fun with them. Not to sure what we will do in Texas but I'm sure Tom will figure something out.  Maybe check out a football stadium or something . It will be fun just hanging out with them anyway.
Well that's it for today . God Bless you all and have a great day.

September 30,2010

Today was a busy day and I didn't feel that great. Didn't sleep much last night and don't know why. I went to bed a bit to early maybe. I think it was about 9:30 when I got home from practice at Barrys and Wendy was already in bed. Yesterday afternoon she cut her thumb really bad. Split her left thumb with one of my Stanley utility knives. It is cut from the top of her thumb all the way down the center to the quick and pretty deep. Anyway she didn't sleep to well, I don't think because she moaned a lot. I woke up at 1:11am. and couldn't get back to sleep so I came down to the old computer and did some of the things that I should have done for the last two weeks and finially went back to bed about 5:10am.
Tanya and the kids came over early and Wendy and Tanya went out in the garage and painted some chairs that Wendy bought at the auction last Saturday with Kristy.
I didn't do much today just laid around and chatted with the kids. I just didn't seem to have a lot of energy. At 5 pm. I drove to Coaldale as we had to play at the Pemmican lodge in Lethbridge and Barry was going to be running late so I picked up some of his equipment and his wife Gwen and met him at Tim Horten in Lethbridge. We had coffee and he grabbed a bite and we went and play from 7 until 8:30pm. We had fun and it was a real good evening for both of us. We had about 40 people that we played for and they all said they enjoyed it so that was good. Well here it is 11:30 and I am here at this silly old computer. Guess I should call Wendy and then go to bed or I will be feeling bad again tomorrow.Well good night to you all and may God Bless you.

September 24, 2010

Well guess you better check this out. Another post in the same week. Wow am I doing good or what??
Well it has been really nice for the last 2 days and I am glad. Yesterday I went out back in our shed and cleaned it up and have made a bit of room for the fountains . It is so nice out I almost hate to put them away but I know that this weather won't last to long. I saw a few mouse droppings and a hole in one of our chair cushions. I set 3 traps and this morning had 2 mice. Guess I'll reset them for sure.I was thinking of getting some mouse poison but then if the mouse eats that and dies and one of the neighbors cats eat it will they die too?? I don't want to start a war with the neighbors and I guess our dog could eat one if she found it outside of the shed.

Well today I went for coffee and got lots of comments about our playing that I did last night at the seniors center. We had a pretty large crowd and they really liked us. I had fun doing it and didn't miss to many notes. ha ha. That always helps. Barry also did a real good job. I thought that we sounded pretty good but what do I know eh? Wendy worked last night from 7 to 7 so she wasn't able to come and listen.
This  morning I went shopping and bought some eggs, bread, orange juice and some bacon for the Men's Breakfast tomorrow morning at the church. It is at 8:30am if any of you guys can make it. So far only about 12 are coming but we are hoping for more.

Wendy just left for Red Deer and is going to meet Kristy and then they are going to Edmonton. I have to take our dog Matty  to the pet shop and she is getting a bath and her nails cut.I just had to give her a good brushing yesterday as she went out back and got into some bushes and was just covered with little burs in her hair. I'm sure the Pet shop would not be happy trying to get them out. She is a good old dog but guess I have to watch her so she don't get into them again.

I'll have to post on Sunday and let you all know what Wendy and Kristy buys at the auction. I told her if she buys something she has to throw something out to make room for the new item. Not sure that will work.ha ha. The other day Tanya and Wendy came home with an old chair (which is Tanya's) and an old tricycle. Looks like is is really old. Well right now they are both in my garages. sigh. Tanya says she is going to paint the chair and then I hope she takes it home. The bike I guess I'll have to live with unless someone steals it (I hope).Ha ha fat chance of that eh?
Oh well life is like that around my house.
Well guess I have to get ready and take the dog in, so I had better post this and get going. Have a great day and God Bless you all.

September 20, 2010

Well it is still raining out this morning. Wendy is off to work and I am back from coffee. Only thing new about today was the coffee. Same old bull from same old guys. ha ha. All they seem to talk about is their old jobs and all their operations. Heard it all before. ha ha. Guess that is what old guys talk about . Huummm.

Well Last night Wendy and I went to church and heard our friend Darrell give his testimony. He did a real good job we both enjoyed it. It is always good to hear how other came to know Jesus. Hopefully some of the other guys were inspired and will give their testimony one of these day.I suppose that some day soon Pete will ask me too. Not sure mine will be as interesting as Darrell's but who knows.

Normally Pete and I meet every Monday at 11:30 for prayer but he is busy today so guess we are meeting on Wednesday. Tonight Wendy and I are driving up to Calgary after she finish's work to see our friend Anne who is in the hospital there. Anne is a lady that Wendy meets once a week and prays with.
Guess I should take out something for supper but Wendy said not to make anything for her so maybe I'll just fry up a green tomato from our garden and maybe a slice of ham or something.
Well guess I should go out in the garage and clean up but I think I'll have to fire up a heater as it is a bit cool out.
Just came across this picture and thought that it might get a laugh or 2. This was taken over a year ago before little Sophie was born. Tanya and I doing a BBQ at her house. Don't remember what we were cooking but looks like we were having fun. She sure is pretty eh??

Well I hope you all have a great day and God Bless you all.

September 19, 2010

Well today was one of those Sunday when I was glad to see that it was Sunday but sad to find out that Wendy was not feeling well. I know she was really looking forward to going to church but guess God had other plans eh? Last Sunday she was working so that didn't work. This morning I didn't play on the worship team. I just felt that I should go and lead the prayer service before church . There was only 3 of us  there so I am glad I went. The worship team was find with that and they did a great job of leading the congregation in song. The service was really good. Pastor preached on John 16. The topic was (in a little while.) Pastor Pete always does a great job with his sermons.
It was still raining this morning and then just after I got home from church it just poured. It will make it hard for the farmers to get their crops in unless it dries up soon. It is to wet for the Beet Farmers to dig their Sugar Beets. There is still a lot of grain that needs to be harvested.
Wendy made a great salad for lunch. She is such a sweetie. I sat down after lunch to watched a bit of TV and took and hour or so nap. Woke up just before the races ended. Then I watched a bit of football but the Edmonton team is not doing well this year, at the half they are loosing 26 to 7 sigh.
We are planning a men's breakfast for next Saturday morning at 8:30 am.  Not sure what we will do yet. Scrambled eggs and bacon or Pancakes and sausages. I'll talk to my friends Art and Kevin and we will decide on one. I am going to call all the guys and hopefully we can get a lot of guys out. I looked up all the phone number last night. I find if you call them you get more guys out.
Maybe I should  take the mower off my tractor and put the snow plow on but I still think it is a bit early.
Tuesday morning I am playing with Barry at the St Michel's senior home and then on Friday we play here in Butte at the senior hall.

Well I didn't post this yesterday but I should have.

September 15, 2010

Ok Ok  Guess I had better write something before I get thrown by the wayside eh?? For some reason I have just got out of the habit of doing my Blog. I guess I feel that (really  who cares what I do today or tomorrow) and why would they want to read my Blog. I don't think it is interesting . So am I looking at it wrong?? I don't work and I don't have a lot of things going on in my life, so isn't it boring when I just write about what I did today ?? Like mow the lawn,go get bread at the bakery or do a little gig tonight for the seniors.

Ok here goes. Last night I sat home with our tired old dog and watched a bit of sports which was boring. Then I went down stairs and practiced on the Harmonica for a gig that we are doing tonight. We are playing for the next 3 night .Tonight we play at Black Rock Seniors home in Lethbridge and tomorrow we play at The Sunny South  Seniors Home in Coaldale an then on Friday we play at Diamond Willow in Magrath. Next week we have a few more and one is here in Picture Butte for our Seniors Club, (Happy Old timers), nice name eh??? Then I chatted with A friend of Wendy's for a few minutes on face book chat line from the states. I have to make a CD for her of some of my music and send it to her. Oh wow I just remembered that today is Soup and sandwich at the club and it is 5 minutes to 12 now. Guess I'll have to write more later

Ok I'm back
Well went for lunch at the Seniors Club and enjoyed that. Stopped at the bakery and bought some bread. Wendy went to see a friend of hers this morning and hasn't gotten back yet. Then I went out and mowed my 4 lawns and the church lawn and did a bit of trimming. Came home and watched a bit of CSI Miami without falling asleep. Now I have to pack up my amp and Harmonica's and load them in my truck for tonight. I have to leave here about 6 and set up at Black Rock Seniors Home and be ready for Barry when he gets there. He said he might be a bit late so I am going to take my CD player with me just in case he doesn't make it, I at least will have a bit of backup music and will just play along with it until he get there.
I have to get my garage cleaned up in the next week or so because it looks like we might get some cold weather soon. sigh. Well if you read this fairly soon maybe just pray that I will be able to do a good job of playing tonight especially if Barry is late or can't make it.  I haven't done a gig by myself in a long time. I think the last time I did one by myself was when Benny forgot his guitar in Edmonton and had to go from the north side to the south side to get it and I had to do the gig for about 3/4 of and hour before he got back. But things like that happen some time's .ha ha.  It is funny thinking back but at the time it was a bit scary. Well I had better get going and get things packed up. Wendy is going to pick up 3 of our grandchildren in a little while for a sleepover. Not sure how much sleeping we get in but that is what they call it. Well I told you it would be boring but what can I say that has been my day. Hope you all have a great day and may God Bless you all.

July 31,2010

Another month almost gone. Where does the time go.They seem to go quicker as I am getting older.
This morning there weren't to many guys for coffee. Guess most of them went away for the week end. Next week Eddie's where we go for coffee half of the time is closed so guess it will be Monday to Friday at the Cactus. The stories are usually the same just different guys telling it. Ha Ha.
Well after coffee this morning I loaded my little pick up with a bunch of branches and 6 or 7 bags of grass clipping and weed that Wendy and I have pulled from the gardens and took it to the dump. Came home and loaded more garbage and took some of the stuff in my garage and headed for the dump again. Then it was lunch time so had a sandwich and a good cup of tea. After lunch went out and mowed our back lawn and trimmed that up with the trimmer.

Then I just sat down on our swing and soaked up a bit of sun.Our back yard is really pretty now and with all the fountains running it is kind of nice to just sit and listen to them and watch the birds. They just love  the fountains.Should go out an get some lettuce from our garden. We have lots right now. Maybe I'll make a nice salad. Wendy is working until 7 so she won't be home until 7:30. Not sure if she is going to want supper.
Well I'll try to show you some of the fountains. Have a great day and may God bless you all.

July 29,2010

Today has been a bit busy but I am enjoying it. First thing this morning I went for coffee with the guys. Then I went to the Home Hardware store and bought a spray can of bright yellow paint. We have a side walk that has lifted over the years right in front of the door at the church and people are tripping over it. Mostly women, I guess the men are high steppers eh? Maybe most of the women are looking to see who is at church and the men are looking where they are going. Ha Ha. Well I had better get off this subject before it bites me eh? Anyway we have a pretty yellow strip there now.

This afternoon me and my dog went out back and pulled some weeds out of the garden. If I could just get that silly dog to pull weeds. She just follows me around. She is losing her eye sight and she can't see the screen door because she walks right into the screen. She is getting old like me. Our flowers are beautiful and my black hollyhocks are in full bloom. Actually I think they are a real dark purple but they look black to me. I have to post a picture of them. Well then I went and sat in the sun for a few minutes and listened to some music. We are playing next Thursday morning at St Michael's Lodge in Lethbridge and they want just instrumental music.

Then I went into the garage and straightened up a a few things and cleaned up a bit .Then went down to the new shed and rearranged some of the bikes to make more room but that didn't work.  I was going to water the flowers but we have a water ban on here in Picture Butte so thought I had better wait.

I came down here in the basement to blog and talked to my daughter Kristy in England for a while then realized it was getting late and still hadn't started supper. Went upstairs just as Wendy got home but I don't think she will fire me. Went looking for some marinade for the chicken and couldn't find any so had to make my own. It turned out really good. We had BBQ ed chicken and corn on the cob. We had supper in our sun room and watched all the little birdies going in and out of our 4 fountains. The birds just love them and the dog too. She thinks they are drinking fountains
.
Well guess I had better end this it is getting too long.
God Bless you all and have a great day.

July 28.2010

Well I guess it time to Blog again. A lot of people seem to read it so maybe I should be more faithful in writing it.

Ok where do I start? Well it has been a busy summer so far and it looks like I am going to be just as busy come fall. I finally got my metal shed up about 3 weeks ago. Wendy was off and offered to help and the day was real calm. It took the two of us from 1pm until 10:30pm I think it was. We were using a flashlight so decided to call it a day.That sure was a lot of work and I couldn't have done it with out Wendy.
I have been busy at the church a bit doing the odd thing now and then. I mow the lawn every week and the other day I cleaned up behind a shed that we have out in the back of the parking lot. Our little church is growing slow but sure.The people are a real nice bunch. It is like one big family. They really make you feel welcome. I have been playing my Harmonica with the worship team most Sundays. Our worship team is a real great bunch and I really enjoy playing with them.
Wendy and I have been busy with the grand-kids lately. They are a lot of fun but they do keep you busy. Espicailly the 2 1/2 and 4 and 6 year old. They are so full of energy and questions but we love them all. Tanya and Tom went to Edmonton last weekend and we had Adriana (13) Kellen (4) and Isabella (2 1/2) for the week end. Kellen and Isabella want to mow the lawn at least twice a day just to ride on Pa Pa's tractor. The other day Kellen and I were mowing the church lawn and all of a sudden he says Papa stop for a minute. So I stopped and he was looking down and saw the little picture with the tractor and a man and a kid on it with a big X threw it. He said Papa maybe we shouldn't be doing this.(he meant riding on the tractor) so I said yes maybe your right guess you had better ge off. He quickly put his foot over the sigh and said Well maybe I didn't see this yet. No way did he want to get off. So cute.
Well my back yard seems to keep me busy with all the flowers and my garden is really coming along fine but I think sometimes the weeds grow faster than the plants. ha ha.
Last night Wendy went to Tanya's and stayed with the kids because Tom and Tanya went to Calgary with a friend and probably won't get back until late tonight. Wendy doesn't mind and love to be with the kids anyway.They all just love Gram. I had to play this afternoon in Cardston with Barry. I met him at his place about 12:30 and then we took his car loaded with all the equipment to Cardston. It took us about an hour and 15 minutes to get there and then we had to set up and play at 2:30 for a birthday party at a Seniors home.There was about 30 maybe 35 people there and they didn't want us to quit after and hour but the staff was ready with cake and ice cream so we played for another 10 minutes and stopped. Didn't want to make the staff mad.

Well, Wendy just called and said she is on her way home so I had better end this and go up stairs and get the dishes done eh? After supper I watered the garden and flowers and then came down and was on face book for a while. I was talking to my friend George's wife Judy on face book and she said George was wondering why I hadn't blogged for a while. Guess I didn't realize so many people read my blog. He was the third one that wanted to know why I hadn't been blogging. Guess I had better blog more often eh?
Well I will try to keep this thing up to date more. Hey don't forget I said try!
Well have a great day and remember God love you all.May God bless you all.

May 27th.2010

Today is a real rainy day. I guess we do need the moisture and it is pretty dry. Well lets see where do I start? Last week end on Friday evening Tanya and I and the kids drove to Southern Alberta Bible Camp. It was a first for me and the kids but I think Tanya has been there once before with a ladies group. We arrived about 7:30 and registered and unloaded the car. It was pretty well packed. They gave me a room in the lodge and Tanya and the kids had a cabin. The cabins will sleep 10 but they had it all to their selves. They are heated and have lights so it was real nice. My room in the lodge was really nice. It had a queen size bed and I had my own bathroom with a tub and shower. We went to the service that evening and then packed it in after a snack in the dinning room. The food for the week end was just great.We had breakfast on Saturday and then we went to the service. They had a program for the kids and they all liked that. We had about 68 kids there. Most of our church family were there for the weekend. I think it was about 7 couples and then Tanya and I and a couple of single ladies . Some other people came on Sunday for church. It was a real enjoyable time for every one. Our kids had a blast Adrie and Mellisa (Art and Liz daughter) got along fine and spent a lot of time together.Eri and the rest of the kids were busy playing all week end. Amie climbed the climbing wall about or 6 times and went right to the top. I believe we all had a great time and the kids didn't want to go home. (Figures)
I have been a bit busy around the house and yard. Rototilled the garden and planted some tomatoes and pepper plants. I planted Wendy bulbs and she had some plants that I planted too. I mowed the lawn and did the church also. I closed in our deck with some while plastic lattus and that looks really nice and will keep the cats and the dog from going under it. I had to crawl under and screw some boards underneith to attach the lattus to. The next day I was a bit stiff but not to bad.On Wed. evening I went to the Seniors club and took the test for a boat permit. This year it is mandatory that every one has to have if you use a motorized craft of any kind. 4 of the guys that I have coffee with also took it and we all got our cards. It cost $80 but is a one time thing.

Today I went to Pastor Pete and Mary's for lunch . Cleaned the house and did a wash and then went to Lethbrige and picked up Kellen and Amie. We are invited out tonight with Travis to the restaurant next to the Bakery on main street at 5:30pm. Not sure what it is called. Sure will be glad when Wendy gets back. I am not big on doing the laundary but rand out of socks, jeans, and underwear. Sure do miss my beautiful wife. She is coming home on Tuesday. She arrives on Tuesday morning at 9:30am.
Well guess that it for now . God Bless you all and have a great week end.

May 15, 2010

Well here it is Saturday May 15th. 7am. in the morning and I am blogging. What's wrong here?? ha ha. I have been going to blog but seems I always find something else to do. sigh.

Well as you all know Wendy is in Chile with Mandy and Jorge. I hope you all get time or take the time to read Wendy's blog. It's a long one but worth reading about their trip to Chile. I sure do miss her. Oh well it only for 2 more weeks.

I have been busy doing lots of things around here. I have the base for my new shed all finished and today I am going to put the plywood down on the base for the floor. Then I will be ready to put up the walls. It is an aluminum shed so I'll have to do it on a nice day when there is no wind.

I have been busy putting the base to the shed together. I cut down one of our trees that the wind blew over. That took me almost a day and then I had to take it to the dump. It only took 2 trips. I mowed our lawn and the church lawn. I find I really enjoy using my little lawn tractor.

The guy I used to play music with went with another band for a while but called me the other day and wanted to get back together and play again. Guess the band didn't work out for him. On Wednesday I went with him and we played in Cardston about an hour and a half from here. We played at 2 pm.until 3:30 then packed everything up and went to Magraft and played there from 7 to 8:30 pm. I didn't get home until 10 pm. so it made a long day for me. I really enjoyed it and it was fun to get back into playing again. I was a bit rusty but didn't miss to many notes and hopefully I covered up the ones I did miss. The people seemed to enjoy our music so that was good.

On Thursday I worked around here in the yard and then in the afternoon went to watch my granddaughter Erylin play soccer. She sure is cute and did a real good job playing..

Yesterday I trimmed up the lawns and and then went to lunch with my son in law Tom. He gave me a tour of the place he works. The Mirical Channel in Lethbridge. We went to the Guest House for lunch and as usual I ate too much. But it was really good. Then I came home and Barry called and wanted me to go with him to Lethbridge and talk to a lady at the Lethbridge Senior Center about doing a gig there for June 30th. So off to Lethbridge again I went and we met and talked to her and we got the job. It is playing at the center for a dance they are planning for the 30th of June. We will play from 8 to 11pm. This may lead to more jobs there I hope.
Next Friday I will be playing here at the Lodge here in Picture Butte at 2 pm and then Tanya and the kids and I are going to family came with our church. Tom can't go. It should be lots of fun and I think the kids will really enjoy it. Most of our church family is going . Sounds like fun.

Well today I am going to put the floor down on the shed and then maybe do a little fishing right here in the lake. I have a brand new smoker that I have never used. Wendy and the kids bought it for me a couple of years ago and it has been sitting on a shelf in the shed. Now all I have to do is catch some fish. haha.

Well I should go for coffee and then get some work done. I am playing on the worship team on Sunday at the church and that will be fun. I haven't played for a few weeks now so it will be fun to do again.
Have a great day and my God Bless you all.

May 6. 2010

Well here it is May 6 and we have snow on the ground again. Is it never gonna end??? I was hoping for some nice spring weather. We have had some real strong winds that blew a lot of trees over. I have 2 big Spruce trees that are now at a 30% angle. I will have to cut them down for sure. They were about 25 to 30 feet tall. It has been wet and nasty for the last 4 days and this morning more snow. They are saying that it should stop today. So much for the sunny South eh?
This morning I am going to take the van into the Browers Brothers garage and have Wayne check it out. We will need it for Sunday when I take Wendy, Mandy and the 2 boys to the airport in Calgary. They are talking about 8 suit cases so I need the Van for sure.I might even need someone else to take some if I can't get them all in. It's only a 2 and a half hour drive to Calgary. I think it is going to be real quite around here for a few weeks. Just me and the dog and she don't say much.I guess I can turn up the TV,Radio, and my amp. Don't think I will get too many complaints except for the neighbors. Don't worry I'll keep it at a nice loud low.
I guess I should have lots of time to practice my music eh? I guess the guy I used to play with has found another band to play with. Sigh. Maybe i should start looking around to see who else is out there that likes Harmoica music eh? Oh well it was fun while it lasted. I sure do miss the gang from Edmonton. I have a son in-law that plays a mean guitar but he is usually quite busy and with his work, 6 kids and he plays on the worship team at his church, he probably doesn't have a lot of free time on his hands. Well guess I'll just pray about it and I'm sure God will find something for me to do anyway.
Well while Wendy is gone I have lots of things that I would like to get done so guess I won't be sitting around to much. I will be busy at the church and not to forget the coffee hours and I'll have to go into Lethbridge to see Tanya,Tom and the 6 little one. Im sure I will be busy for sure once this silly weather straightens up. I might even fine a few fishing day in while she is gone. Matty likes to go to the lake and run around while I fish.
Well it is getting late and I got lots to do today so guess I should get started. Have a great day and God Bless you all.

Saturday. April 24th,2010

Well I guess it is about time to blog again eh? I was going to do it the other day but got sidetracked. I had to drive to Calgary on Wed. for a doctors appointment at the Holy Cross Cancer Hospital and then on Thursday I drove Jorge to the air port in Calgary so 2 trips in 2 days. Getting lots of miles on me eh?
This morning it was real cloudy and windy. Well it not so cloudy now but still windy. Wendy and Mandy went to Tanya and Tom's so I finished loading the truck with branches. Yesterday I cut some branches off the tree's at the church and still had them in my truck.

As I was raking all 3 of our lawns in the back I had to sit down a few times and take a rest. While I was sitting there I was thinking that it is almost to much of a job for me. Then I remembered how beautiful it is out here when every thing is in bloom and I just love it. It is a lot of work and I do have to sit down and rest but it keeps me busy and most of the time it is fun and I enjoy it.

Yesterday I trimmed 2 of the trees by the church and then mowed the lawn. Trimming and raking wasn't to much fun but mowing the lawn was and when I finished it really looked nice. After I finished that I came home and put together a metal floor frame for my new Aluminum 10' x 10' shed. There was 35 pcs and over 100 bolts. I think it will take me a while to put the shed together. I was just reading the instructions and parts lists. It has 106 pcs. and 437 bolts and screws. Won't do that in a day eh? Oh well that will be a good project for when Wendy goes to Chile for 3 weeks.

Today I mowed all 3 lawns out back and then did the front one as well. It's a lot of work but better than sitting and watching the TV all day and more fun than blogging. Ha ha.

Sure do miss Jorge already. He has a big job ahead of him but I am sure God will be there for him. It will be tough without Mandy and the kids for 2 weeks. Come to think about it I will be without Wendy for 3 weeks and I think that will be tough to. I hope Tanya and Tom don't get sick of me hanging around to often.
Well I guess that's about all I can think of to write at the moment so I pray that you will all have a great day. I thank God every day for you all. May God Bless you all.

April 16, 2010

We have had a real busy week around here and it doesn't look like it is going to slow down this week either. April 13,Tuesday,I had a seniors breakfast at 8 am. then a quick coffee at Eddies with the guys and came home an found CTV in my living room doing and interview with Mandy and Jorge. Little Levi seem to be the star in all that. It just seems that we have been so busy. I have been working on my deck and on Saturday I put the 2x6's on the deck. On Sunday Mandy and Jorge had little Levi dedicated at the church. I played on the worship team and after church Tanya, Tom and all the little's came for lunch. Then in the evening Jorge did a information night at the church and explained about the earthquake in Chile and showed some pictures. Than right after that everyone headed for the gym as the ladies had a baby shower for Mandy and Levi. The guys went to another room and I led the Men's meeting that we have every Sunday evening.

Then Monday I cut and routed out 2 more 4x4's for post for the deck. I cut and made some spindle for the deck. Tuesday was another busy day with interviews for Mandy and Jorge I believe it was Sunny South News and Jorge met with Global news in Iron Springs and did another interview. I helped pastor Peter with the boys at the church. We have floor hockey for the boys in the community. We only had about 12 boys out because it was snowing an blowing. Normally we get about 18 to 20 boys out every Tuesday afternoon.

Wednesday morning we woke up and had no power because we had a real bad storm on Tuesday evening. We lost power about 3:30am. that morning. We had real heavy snow and lots of wind and it blew over many telephone and light poles. We got up and made breakfast down stairs using our gas stove to boil water and make pancakes. Wendy lit the oven and we used that for heat for a while. It kept the house nice and warm. We got electric back on about 3 that afternoon. Some of the people in Iron springs still don't have electric and they are saying maybe a few more days before they will get all the poles fixed. The snow was so heavy you couldn't shovel it. The roads weren't too bad and I had to go into Lethbridge for an interview with the Immigration dept for my permanent resident card and they said DO NOT MISS THIS INTERVIEW but when I got there the office was closed because that end of the city had no power. Go figure. I just left a note saying that I was there and came home.

Thursday was a bit slower day and I worked on the deck some more and put up some of the railing. Friday I finished the railing and then went to the school for a Chilean Chili supper put on by The Huntsville and Sunny Side schools to raise money to help build some new homes for the people at Jorge and Mandy's church in Yumbel.

Today is Saturday and Mandy and Jorge have gone to Calgary to get little Levi's passport and then they are headed to Lacombe where they will stay overnight and then go to Edmonton tomorrow.

Oh yesterday after waiting for 3 weeks I got a call from the Holy Cross Cancer hospital and I have to be there Wednesday the 21st at 9:30 am. for an appointment. They want to try to find out if I have to start Radiation treatments in Calgary or if I can wait until June when the new clinic is opening here in Lethbridge.

I got a phone call yesterday afternoon and now have a new appointment for my resident card on Tuesday the 20th at 10 am.

Then on April 22nd we have to drive back to Calgary to take Jorge to the airport. He is going back to Chile and then Mandy and Wendy and the two boys are flying out on May 9th. Wendy is going to help Mandy with the 2 boys and stay for about 3 weeks. Guess it will be pretty quiet around here for a while until she gets back. I hope to get lots of little projects done around here and that will keep me busy while she is gone. Well today I am going to repair the stairs for the deck. I am using the ones that were by the back door and they need a bit of TLC.

Wendy has a doctors appointment this morning at 11:30. Guess we will be headed to Lethbridge soon.

Have a great day and may God Bless you all.

April 6, 2010

Well we have a new little grand-son. Levi Jorge Santana was born yesterday at 10:21 am.and weighed in at 7lbs-14ozs. Looks just like his brother Josiah.

We have had a busy few weeks.Mandy and Jorge and little Josiah flew in to Calgary on the 25th of March. Wendy's sister and her 2 children arrived here on the 26th and stayed until yesterday around 11 then left and headed back to Edmonton. Our niece Samantha (Cynthia's daughter)drove down on 31st. So we had a house full of people. We were a little tight on sleeping quarters but with air mattress we survived. We all had a great time visiting and talking about old time's as usual. Seems like that is what we do when we all get together. Wendy and Mandy and the girls played a few games and Josiah, Andrew. Jorge and I watched the Incredibles lots of time. As usual when we all get together we had lots and lots of real good food. I think I gained a few pounds but things like that happen when your having fun eh?

Then early yesterday morning Mandy went into labor and little Levi was born at 10:21a.m. They are coming home in a little while. Mandy just called and said they were packing up and coming home. Little Levi sure is cute. We have been praying that he would come a bit early so Jorge could spend some time with him before he goes back. He is flying back to Chile on the 25 or 26 I think and then Mandy and the 2 little ones are flying back on May 9th. Wendy is flying back with Mandy and the 2 boys and will stay there for 2 weeks. I thought of going with them but with money being a bit tight and then I would have to put the dog in the dog pound(another $300) plus I am waiting for the doctor and hope to find out when I have to go for the radiation treatments. I have lots of things that should be done around here so it is just as well.

We had a great church service on Good Friday and again on Sunday. We have the greatest church family. They are all so nice it makes you want to go to church more often. I still can't get over how supportive they are to my family. Just a lovely bunch of people wit a real heart for God.

Well guess I should go do something. I have a new shed to put up and a small deck and stairs on my new sun room to build and here I set at this stupid old computer. Know the feeling??????

Well that is my story for today and I am sticking with it. May God truly Bless you all today.

March 9, 2010 Tuesday

Today has been a day of trying to make plans for flights to and from Chile. Mandy and Josiah and Jorge are now planning to fly here to Canada next week or the the week after. The reason for that decision is because the hospitals in Conception are now in a bad state. There is only one that is up and running and it still doesn't have running water and is at the moment very overcrowded. There are a lot of people that need attention from the Quake and also the aftershocks. As you already know that Mandy and Jorge and Josiah are all fine and were not hurt in the Quake. Their house has a bit of damage but is still livable. The church however is not safe to meet in so they are meeting outside the church or in other homes. There are some people from the church that have lost almost everything but most seem to have only had small damage. They were running low on food but now have the electric and the water back on. The police are patrolling and there is a curfew at 8 pm. We are looking forward to have them home with us for about a month and we are looking forward to our new little grandson coming.

This morning it is snowing just a little bit again.
This afternoon I should go to the church and help Peter with the boy's. Tuesday afternoons we have floor hockey for the boy and so far it is working out real well and there is about 9 or 10 boys every week.

We had our first meeting Sunday evening for the men's group. We only had only 6 men out but are looking for more men to show up this Sunday evening.
We are doing a study on(The Measure of A Man). I am really looking forward to this study.

Tonight Wendy is going to stop at Tanya's and pick up 2 or 3 of the girls for a sleepover. We really enjoy having them over. They are real sweethearts.

This past Sunday I played with the worship team. There were 10 of us. They are such a great group to work and play with. They all seem to love leading the church in song and it is lots of fun. We had about 50 people in church plus the 10 of us on stage. Well I should go get something to eat as it is getting late. I pray that you will all have a great day. God Bless you all.

Feb. 26 ,2010

Wow where did the time go?? It has been almost a whole month since I blogged. Sorry. It just seems that I don't have time but I haven't been that busy so really what is my excuse?? I think that I just get out of the habit or I'm just getting to old to remember to go to the Blog site. I do read lots of other blogs and check many quite often only to find that they didn't blog either. ha ha.
Well this month I did put down a new laminate floor down in our bedroom and it really looks nice.I also finished the trim around the opening that leads to our sun room. I had to make a cover for the heat register because I couldn't buy one that size. I really missed not going into our sun room for a few weeks as we had our bed and the furniture from our bed room in there while I did the floor.
Well I have to leave right now because I don't want to be late for coffee with the guys. Wendy just got home and is sleeping so I am trying to keep the noise level down and hopefully she will get a good sleep because she has to go back to work at 4 this afternoon. The blog can wait but Coffee? I don't think so! I'm out of here for a few hours . Will write more when I get back.

February 27,2010

Well as you can see I didn't get back in time to write more because while I was out and after coffee I went into Lethbridge to do a bit of shopping, Tanya my daughter called and ask if I could take 3 of her little ones for the afternoon because she had to go to Calgary to get her passport. I picked them up and we had a busy afternoon here at my house.Wendy went to work at 4pm so I had the kids until about 9:30pm.
This morning we slept in until about 8am. our pastor called to see if we had heard from Mandy and Jorge about the earthquake in Chile.
We have tried all day but have not heard from them yet. All phones and computers seem to be all down. We have had many of our friends call to ask about them and tell us that they are praying for Mandy, Jorge and Josiah. Mandy and Jorge are about 60miles or 100 klms. in Yumbal which is South East of Conception. Jorge's family all live in Conception and of course we haven't heard anything from any of them. It is not fun just sitting and waiting to hear from them but we know that God is with them. We are praying that we will be able to contact the soon.
I just want to thank everyone who is praying for them.What a great bunch of friends we have. Thankg you Lord for them all.

Jan.30,2010

Well here it is the end of the month and my beautiful wife sort of made me feel a bit guilty for not blogging lately. She is probably right I don't blog often enough but you have to remember that I'm retired,Old and forgetful. So because I am retired I don't have a schedule and because I'm old I don't always remember that I should blog. Oh well you get the idea eh??
Well lets see? The weather here has not been to bad lately but it has been a bit cold. We have very little snow right now but they say that we are due for some more. sigh. If it snows now I am ready for it. Got my tractor with the chains and the plow just setting inside of the garage door ready and waiting.

Today I am going to take the carpet in our bedroom up and put laminate flooring down. Well it will probably take me a while to do that so it won't be done in a day. More like a week or more. Wendy and I moved everything out of the bedroom yesterday and took the bed frame apart so I can cut it down. It is a bit to high now that we are getting older. ha ha. So that will be what will keep me busy for a while.

Wendy and I have been working at our Church a bit lately. She has been fixing up and organizing the Library in the church and I have been doing odd little repairs around the church like putting hinges on a cabinet door, wiping down all the pews and putting furniture polish on them. They really look good and probably haven't been done in a while. I took the light fixture covers down in the library and cleaned them all up. It's a cute little church and I am enjoying doing some of the little things around there. Next week on Saturday morning we are planning a Men's breakfast. The Pastor and I are going to do the cooking. It will be our first Mens meeting so not sure how many men will come. I'm hoping 10 to 15 guys will show up.
Well on Thursday evening Barry and I played at the Picture Butte Senior Center from 7:15 until 8:30pm. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it and it was a lot of fun for us.

Today I am going to meet Tanya, Tom and Wendy and we are going to look at a house that they are thinking of buying. I'm excited for them. Well that about it for today. Hope you all have a great week. My brother in law in France, Derrick says that they have lots of snow over there and they haven't had snow like this for years. Sorry Derrick. I have a brother in law in North Carolina Bryan who just had a back operation and is healing well I hope.
Well it is almost coffee time and I wouldn't want to keep the guys waiting eh?? We only try to solve half the worlds problem in the morning and then in the afternoon we solve the other half. ha ha. Have a great day and God Bless you all.

Jan.14, 2010

We here I am again. Wendy just went to work and I have to do something to keep my mind busy. I haven't been feeling the greatest lately and don't really know why. Just feel over tired, no ambition and if I do go out and walk or something I am done in right away. Must be getting old I guess. Oh well I'll probably live until I die.
Today Wendy and I walked down to the church which is only a half a block away, There are 2 houses between us and the church so it ain't far. Wendy is trying to set up a Library with the books that are there. We were only there for about 2 hours and then we came home and had lunch. Then I read my bible and answered a few e-mails and watched TV with all the news about Haiti. My heart sure goes out to those people. With the pictures you see on TV there is not many if any houses standing. I just pray that aid will arrive as soon as possible and that God will give the people peace and courage to survive this great disaster.It sure makes you feel helpless.
Well looking on the bright side of things. Yesterday and Today I had the privilege of delivering Meals on Wheels to 2 people here in Picture. It only took me about 15 minutes. Both of the people are not able to get around much and they both have walkers. I am happy that we have this service for people that live here in Picture Butte.
I received an e-mail from my friend Bruce who preached at the Hope Mission on Tuesday evening and there were 10 or 12 guys that raised their hand to receive God in their lives. Good job Bruce. Keep up the good work. Pastor Peter and I have been talking about starting up a Men's group and I hope that we can get that going soon. We are having a Pot Luck Lunch on Sunday at our church right after service. I am looking forward to getting to know some of the people better.
Our weather has changed and we are having some real mild weather for a change. I got my new snow blade for my garden tractor on Tuesday and it took me almost all day Wednesday to get it put on. It works much easier than I thought it would and I really like it. Now all I have to do is wait for it to snow again. Come on snow I'm ready for you. haha.
Well it is almost 8 pm. and Wendy won't be home until 7:30 tomorrow morning. Have a great day and may God Bless you all.

Monday Jan. 4, 2010

Happy New Year everyone. So where did 2009 go and how quickly it went past. They say time flies when you are having fun. We must have had fun right? Well here it is 2010 and I never thought that I would be around to see it. Like my friend Bill says (If I had known that I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself).
We have had a lot of fun this past year and met a lot of nice people. I really enjoyed building our sun room and thanks God for giving me good health so I could complete it. We have had our up's and down's but there were more up's than down for sure. Some of our downs could be called up's if we look at them properly. Are you confused yet ??? I am. sigh.
Last year my son in law Bob's grandpa passed away and it brought him home here in July and then Kristy flew home for a few weeks so though it was sad for Bob we did get to see him and Kristy because of it, so out of something bad came something good. Then one of our best friends, Dagmar Tjart in Edmonton passed away. We went to Edmonton for her memorial service and while we were there we got to meet many old friends that we hadn't seen in a long time who came to the service. So again out of something sad something good came because of it. A lot of people will surely miss her and her pleasant smile. I pray daily for her husband Dave as he continues life with out her.
Our daughter Mandy and her husband Jorge and their little son Josiah moved back in with us in early summer. That gave us a bit of time to spend with them until Jorge got a job as a Pastor in Yumbel Chile. They are expecting a new little one in April.
We got a new addition to ur family 3 months ago when our little grand daughter Sophia came. What a blessing and a cutie she is to the Lister family and ours.
We started going to the E-Free Church right here in Picture Butte and are really enjoying it. We have met and become friends with so many nice people. I have been playing on the worship team for the past couple of months and that is a lot of fun.
I have been playing harmonica with my friend Barry Kreick. I really enjoy playing with him. He calls us The Runaway Rascals. This has kept me pretty busy and like I said I am really enjoying it.
We had a great summer and a few great BBQ's with all of us getting together. We have made some real good improvements in our flower garden with Jorge's help. I have enjoyed mowing our lawns with my new garden tractor with the 42 inch mower. Wendy bought me a 48" snow blade and tire chains for it and they should be in next week. Then I will be able to move some of this silly snow away eh? We got to go camping,fishing and took a trip to Halifax Nova Scotia and stayed with our good friends Bob and Lynne Dorland who we haven't seen in about 5 years. We had a great time with them for 3 weeks. What a wonderful couple they are and it was so good to spend time with them.
Well I pray that God will Bless you all this new year (2010) and may it be a wonderful year for you all.