Dear Family and Friends,
Well here we are with the first week of the new year behind us. Its been pretty much like the last week of last year, tedium mixed with pleasure, friends, meals, clients, uncertainty, negative weather, positive fireside times and several brushes with exercise.
Today found me in Bethel Island at 8 this morning. Shooting photos through the fog, helping a nice guy who is trying to buy the family home after his dad died, one friendly sister and one very unfriendly sister, same old story. Human nature is never as fragile as when there is something free after a death, people show their real colors and sometimes what we see is not that pretty.
As soon as I could get away I raced back to the office and joined a seminar on a confernce call with an expert on doing relocation appraisals. She was originating from the east coast and was very good at what she does. It was a great way to spend an hour, pure learning. After using the same forms which were created in 2003 a new form has been introduced for us to use. It looks like it was created by a committee, its wordy, more challenging and I'm not sure produces a better result but now I realize the motivation behind the form. Turns out when a company moves an employee they offer a package to intice them to move. They promise to purchase the employee's current home if it does not sell in a reasonable time. It offers the guy or gal a chance to relocate without being stuck with two homes. The company doing the moving, Frito Lay, ATT&T, GM has two relocation appraisals done by appraisers who are not allowed to speak to each other at all. They hope we will be within 5% of each other value wise. We often are since we are using the same comparable pool but if we are more than 5% apart then they order a third appraisal hoping to bridge the gap. I love doing these appraisals. They pay very well and for once they really just want the truth. What is a value that will get the house sold in 120 days.
The seminar helped fill in some of the gaps in my understanding of what the new form is looking for.
After the seminar was over I turned to other work, submitted new forms to the mortgage company that has my own mortgage. I'm still trying to get a modification and its been almost 6 months.
At 2:37 I picked up Keanna and after a quick stop at McDonalds for a snack (meal) we came home and went back to work on a desk review of a property in Union City and Keanna played in the family room.
This evening I've been enjoying the fire, the Christian Dish programming and at Sylvia's request I've found out how to reconnect the old VCR so I can tape a special program at 8 in the morning which features someone she knows who used to be a pastor in Northern California. Reaching back in time I was able to remember how to set the clock and then program the VCR to record both programs she would like to see tomorrow. Now if all goes well the recorder will come on, record and then wait patiently to be viewed later. Hope hope! There is a sea of cables behind my TV, cables from two different dish systems, a DVD player, the VCR, the receiver and a CD changer that holds 250 CDs. All of that equates to a whole lot of cables all competing for the same space. Somehow it all works well.\
So having made it through this week I'm ready for Sabbath hours and the calming changes they bring. I get to bring the girls to Sabbath School in the morning. Keanna was set to try out for a part in Annie in Brentwood but they could not locate a director yet so the trials have been put off for a bit.
Love to all and please continue to pray for Bob and Carrol as they cope with the aftermath of her fall and broken hip. They need to know we care and we are sending our prayers and love.
Tim
Friday, January 7, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Freezing fingers
Back again,
After a long day I'm finally sitting here with Starr at my side, Dark Blue in on the DVR, and the fire is unofficially burning on this NO Burn day. This afternoon as Keanna and I drove along I was trying to make a point to her re: dealing with authority, mainly obeying her mother and father on a regular basis. I explained to he that I didn't like to obey rules sometimes and to make my point I told her about no burn days and how i could not have a fire burning today since it was a no burn day. She was understanding fine up to the point where we walked into the family room and there the fire was burning brightly. Seems the fire I had going last night simmered and finally blossomed this afternoon. It was really funny, she was terrified that the police would come and bust her Papa so I went over and shut down the draft and of course the flame went out. She was mollified when there was no more "fire".
This morning I drove to San Ramon and pulled up in front of a huge complicated house. Inwardly I groaned as it was very cold outside. I had my favorite Alaska heavy sweater on and pulled a coat on over it. Then I started to measure this monster, I mean lovely home. It seemed to take forever and then it would not come together. I'm told there is a lovely view of the golf course from behind the home, of course it was totally obscured by fog so think I could see nothing. And then there was the boxer who decided he needed to take a piece out of my leg, I felt his teeth on my ankle but it did not make the full bite before the agent showing the house came and took him and his smaller side kick to the garage. The home was beautifully decorated inside and was one of those places you could see yourself moving into. It even had a courtyard with a full fireplace, I wish it had been burning as the longer it took to get the home measured my fingers grew more and more stiff.
Once I got inside it was warmer and eventually I completed the inspection taking a photo of every room in the house, we do that for relocation appraisals. Once I was safely back in the car seat I started the engine and fired the heater up to high. Thawing out I discovered that I was very near to being out of diesel. I already had 521 miles on the tank so I started to wander about until the Lord delivered me to a nearby Safeway where I filled the tank and consumed a nice hot chocolate. Finally after shooting my comp photos I turned the little car towards home.
At 2:37 I picked up Keanna at school and she played quietly while I kept at the Clayton appraisal. It ended up having 10 comparables. In the old days we used to have just 3 but that just won't cut it anymore.
After emailing the report to the lender on time I joined the girls in Brentwood at a great little Mexican place for dinner. The food was super and the girls were fun too.
So the day has been an adventure of sorts, freezing fingers, report writing, fire building and looking for work. The email brought me an order but before I could even set it up they placed a hold on it, not so fun.
At 8 am I have an appointment to see a property out in Bethel Island, a nearby waterfront community that has very few sales. This one is for a family trying to settle an estate. I've agreed to see the property and have the report written by the end of the day. Of course it is COD and the account needs funds like usual so I'm very thankful for the order. I just hope that I can see the property through the fog in the morning.
I received some very troubling news today from friend Bob in Lodi. Carrol took a tumble in the kitchen and broke her other hip. She has already had the repair surgery but she was just recovering from a knee replacement and before that in the fall a broken hip. They both need our prayers. Their spirits are really hammered right now. Enough is enough and this is overload. Please pray for Bob and Carrol Sorenson, dear friends for many years. They are brave, loyal and incredible people.
Love to all,
Tim
After a long day I'm finally sitting here with Starr at my side, Dark Blue in on the DVR, and the fire is unofficially burning on this NO Burn day. This afternoon as Keanna and I drove along I was trying to make a point to her re: dealing with authority, mainly obeying her mother and father on a regular basis. I explained to he that I didn't like to obey rules sometimes and to make my point I told her about no burn days and how i could not have a fire burning today since it was a no burn day. She was understanding fine up to the point where we walked into the family room and there the fire was burning brightly. Seems the fire I had going last night simmered and finally blossomed this afternoon. It was really funny, she was terrified that the police would come and bust her Papa so I went over and shut down the draft and of course the flame went out. She was mollified when there was no more "fire".
This morning I drove to San Ramon and pulled up in front of a huge complicated house. Inwardly I groaned as it was very cold outside. I had my favorite Alaska heavy sweater on and pulled a coat on over it. Then I started to measure this monster, I mean lovely home. It seemed to take forever and then it would not come together. I'm told there is a lovely view of the golf course from behind the home, of course it was totally obscured by fog so think I could see nothing. And then there was the boxer who decided he needed to take a piece out of my leg, I felt his teeth on my ankle but it did not make the full bite before the agent showing the house came and took him and his smaller side kick to the garage. The home was beautifully decorated inside and was one of those places you could see yourself moving into. It even had a courtyard with a full fireplace, I wish it had been burning as the longer it took to get the home measured my fingers grew more and more stiff.
Once I got inside it was warmer and eventually I completed the inspection taking a photo of every room in the house, we do that for relocation appraisals. Once I was safely back in the car seat I started the engine and fired the heater up to high. Thawing out I discovered that I was very near to being out of diesel. I already had 521 miles on the tank so I started to wander about until the Lord delivered me to a nearby Safeway where I filled the tank and consumed a nice hot chocolate. Finally after shooting my comp photos I turned the little car towards home.
At 2:37 I picked up Keanna at school and she played quietly while I kept at the Clayton appraisal. It ended up having 10 comparables. In the old days we used to have just 3 but that just won't cut it anymore.
After emailing the report to the lender on time I joined the girls in Brentwood at a great little Mexican place for dinner. The food was super and the girls were fun too.
So the day has been an adventure of sorts, freezing fingers, report writing, fire building and looking for work. The email brought me an order but before I could even set it up they placed a hold on it, not so fun.
At 8 am I have an appointment to see a property out in Bethel Island, a nearby waterfront community that has very few sales. This one is for a family trying to settle an estate. I've agreed to see the property and have the report written by the end of the day. Of course it is COD and the account needs funds like usual so I'm very thankful for the order. I just hope that I can see the property through the fog in the morning.
I received some very troubling news today from friend Bob in Lodi. Carrol took a tumble in the kitchen and broke her other hip. She has already had the repair surgery but she was just recovering from a knee replacement and before that in the fall a broken hip. They both need our prayers. Their spirits are really hammered right now. Enough is enough and this is overload. Please pray for Bob and Carrol Sorenson, dear friends for many years. They are brave, loyal and incredible people.
Love to all,
Tim
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Living the good life
Dear Family and Friends,
Any of you that need exercise and don't belong to a gym? I have a great new opportunity for you. This afternoon Keanna and I went on a search for firewood. We started our search in hopes of finding a 1/2 cord of Almond and ended up with a full cord of Walnut in the driveway. Let me tell a full cord is a big stack of wood! There are many wheel barrows of wood waiting.
This was a Keanna day and I picked her up at 12:45 after shooting comp photos in Clayton in the fog this morning. This afternoon she did her homework and then watched some TV, munched on popcorn, we checked out the park where they have taken all the children's play equipment away, said it was unsafe, that is after kids played on it for the past 20 years. They have purchased all new stuff that is PC safe and totally boring.
So here I am with my new cord of fine burning wood and tomorrow is a stupid no burn day. Nikki sent me an article which stated that there are 70 idiots who roam around tracking down odors including smoke on no burn days. They can fine someone with a fire burning up to $400 but don't do it until they have issues some warnings. What a stupid waste of tax payer money, no wonder the state is broke.
This evening when Nikki picked up Keanna she brought Kallie in to visit. Kallie is so fun, she headed for the play house and the barbies but when she went home she wanted to take them with her, it was a tense moment or two but Keanna saved the day letting her take one Barbie home with her. It stopped so big tears from rolling down her cheeks. Nikki happened to mention that I could still make it to spin class. All day I had thought it was Thursday and thought I had missed spin class. So after thinking about it for a bit I dressed down, biker shorts and t shirt, sneakers and off to the club. When I stopped to sign up all the bikes were already signed up for except for 2 and when I got to the room there was someone on the bike I had signed up for. Well there was another one empty so I jumped on and rode. What fun, what exhaustion and what a sense of accomplishment once I had finished the session. The young woman in front of me rode like she were a machine, she never missed a beat, rode fast, rode hard and had muscles that flexed. I thought what different levels of fitness human beings come in, my level which is obese and trying and she fit, lean and strong. Of course since it is the beginning of the year there are lots of people who have decided to do better and they filled the room. One poor boy of about 12 gave up about half way through and left. He looked very tired and his face was red.
Once the sessions was over I walked to the car and started home. On the way I called both my brother and my sister. My sister Sibyl is still in the hospital. She said she went in on the 22nd and so spent both Christmas and New Years in her hospital bed. That was so sad. She was in great spirits and is enjoying the results of having a lot of fluid pulled from her body with lacix. Now she is considering having the surgery to bypass the majority of her stomach. All of her doctors are on board agreeing that it would be very beneficial to her.
I woke this morning to got walking in the icy morning air. Ken and I nearly froze in the 32 degree temperatures and felt the cold over the entire walk. When I returned and was preparing for my shower I happened to look in the mirror and discovered my left eye was filled with a broken blood vessel. It was so red that it was a bit scary, by far the worse I've ever seen. My vision is good but Keanna had a hard time looking into my face, it frightened her. I'm not sure what happened but I think it might have been caused by a combination of my existing medicines with a new one Jim gave me to deal with the heel pain.
Well its time for bed now.
Why the good life? Well its not bad really and tonight I have the memory of Keanna, Kallie and Nikki visiting, of a huge pile of firewood in the driveway, of a gradual improvement in how I feel and of having survived yet another spin class.
Love to all,
Tim
Any of you that need exercise and don't belong to a gym? I have a great new opportunity for you. This afternoon Keanna and I went on a search for firewood. We started our search in hopes of finding a 1/2 cord of Almond and ended up with a full cord of Walnut in the driveway. Let me tell a full cord is a big stack of wood! There are many wheel barrows of wood waiting.
This was a Keanna day and I picked her up at 12:45 after shooting comp photos in Clayton in the fog this morning. This afternoon she did her homework and then watched some TV, munched on popcorn, we checked out the park where they have taken all the children's play equipment away, said it was unsafe, that is after kids played on it for the past 20 years. They have purchased all new stuff that is PC safe and totally boring.
So here I am with my new cord of fine burning wood and tomorrow is a stupid no burn day. Nikki sent me an article which stated that there are 70 idiots who roam around tracking down odors including smoke on no burn days. They can fine someone with a fire burning up to $400 but don't do it until they have issues some warnings. What a stupid waste of tax payer money, no wonder the state is broke.
This evening when Nikki picked up Keanna she brought Kallie in to visit. Kallie is so fun, she headed for the play house and the barbies but when she went home she wanted to take them with her, it was a tense moment or two but Keanna saved the day letting her take one Barbie home with her. It stopped so big tears from rolling down her cheeks. Nikki happened to mention that I could still make it to spin class. All day I had thought it was Thursday and thought I had missed spin class. So after thinking about it for a bit I dressed down, biker shorts and t shirt, sneakers and off to the club. When I stopped to sign up all the bikes were already signed up for except for 2 and when I got to the room there was someone on the bike I had signed up for. Well there was another one empty so I jumped on and rode. What fun, what exhaustion and what a sense of accomplishment once I had finished the session. The young woman in front of me rode like she were a machine, she never missed a beat, rode fast, rode hard and had muscles that flexed. I thought what different levels of fitness human beings come in, my level which is obese and trying and she fit, lean and strong. Of course since it is the beginning of the year there are lots of people who have decided to do better and they filled the room. One poor boy of about 12 gave up about half way through and left. He looked very tired and his face was red.
Once the sessions was over I walked to the car and started home. On the way I called both my brother and my sister. My sister Sibyl is still in the hospital. She said she went in on the 22nd and so spent both Christmas and New Years in her hospital bed. That was so sad. She was in great spirits and is enjoying the results of having a lot of fluid pulled from her body with lacix. Now she is considering having the surgery to bypass the majority of her stomach. All of her doctors are on board agreeing that it would be very beneficial to her.
I woke this morning to got walking in the icy morning air. Ken and I nearly froze in the 32 degree temperatures and felt the cold over the entire walk. When I returned and was preparing for my shower I happened to look in the mirror and discovered my left eye was filled with a broken blood vessel. It was so red that it was a bit scary, by far the worse I've ever seen. My vision is good but Keanna had a hard time looking into my face, it frightened her. I'm not sure what happened but I think it might have been caused by a combination of my existing medicines with a new one Jim gave me to deal with the heel pain.
Well its time for bed now.
Why the good life? Well its not bad really and tonight I have the memory of Keanna, Kallie and Nikki visiting, of a huge pile of firewood in the driveway, of a gradual improvement in how I feel and of having survived yet another spin class.
Love to all,
Tim
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Winter doldrums
Good evening,
Its 9:45 and I'm tired of being cold but the sunshine today was nice for a change. Starr and I ventured out this afternoon to snatch the mail and walk about. She enjoyed the chance to sunshine and the chance to stretch her legs.
This morning Ken and I walked in the cold, dark, damp morning air. I'm not sure how much help that is to the lungs but I do enjoy the return to the house where it is warm and a hot drink waits. No matter what we did the cold crept in around the scarf, gloves, parka, hat. It was just cold but of course to be fair it was only about 34 degrees, not really cold like some of you experience.
I stoked the fire when I returned and heard Starr complaining. This morning she was sleeping so soundly under the covers that I left her on the bed while I was walking. She was very ready to get up once I returned and voiced her complaints.
This morning I tuned into XM and connected to the classical channel so I enjoyed lovely music all morning as I worked. I brought the appraisal for Pleasanton to a conclusion and emailed it out. A phone call changed the day as an appraisal I had to finish today was cancelled so I'll just be paid an inspection fee. Oh well. This afternoon I decided on comparables that need to photographed in Clayton and surrounding areas. However before I could get them shot the day got away from me so I just drove to Brentwood to the Weight Watchers meeting. I was amazed to find the room packed to the walls with many many people, many were signing up for the first time and others of us were there to check in. It was a mess really, not enough chairs and of course my day was spoiled by a defective scales, well at home it was 216 and there it was 222. Now can clothes weigh that much? Of course there were those 3 burritos I made and many other tasty items during the day.
After the Weight Watchers meeting was over I went to my health club. Its the first time in a while and after 5 of the machines I didn't feel so well so I quit. My body was not up to the task and when I walked to my car I didn't feel so well. My blood sugar was very low and I was glad to make it home.
I stoked the fire, checked emails and then created a plate of food with some vege steaks as the base and covered them with freshly cooked Lima beans, corn and some tomatoes. The meal was very tasty.
I certainly am praying for orders. I'm coping with having almost no orders. At the moment I have a new relo order which I will see on Thursday. They pay very well and I also have a new order for a property in Santa Clara. That one pays very well too. So its not like I'm out of work but I'm not dealing with the volume of work I need to keep the bills paid. Many of you know first hand what I am talking about, a shortage of funds or job uncertainty. We are headed into a declining economy again, rates are up for loans, unemployment is up sharply in many cities, foreclosures continue to hit people and this government knows nothing about job creation. There is no one in the current administration that has ever had to meet a payroll or run a business. How we need new blood. I have great hopes for the new congress, perhaps someone will care about the huge whole the government is spending us into.
Yet in spite of everything that is happening we have each other, we have friends and family to relate to and enjoy. Tomorrow I'm going to start teaching Keanna piano lessons when she comes, its just a little thing but she has been asking, what a golden opportunity to use the 6 ft Kawai for a good purpose.
So tonight I'm sending mixed messages, not all is well financially but health wise I'm gradually feeling better and better, still have chest congestion, nasal congestion, some coughing and a lot of heel pain on my left leg but I find life pretty good. Not great, I could not begin to say that but OK.
I so often long for a chance to sit on a park bench with our Lord and just fellowship, understand what His will is, how He would like to use me.
This evening my friends Art and Connie are at their southern home in Indio. They traveled there yesterday through winds, rain and even had to detour due to Highway 5 being closed due to snow. Talk about adventure! The Lord blessed them with a safe trip.
So I extend my love to you all this evening,
Tim
Its 9:45 and I'm tired of being cold but the sunshine today was nice for a change. Starr and I ventured out this afternoon to snatch the mail and walk about. She enjoyed the chance to sunshine and the chance to stretch her legs.
This morning Ken and I walked in the cold, dark, damp morning air. I'm not sure how much help that is to the lungs but I do enjoy the return to the house where it is warm and a hot drink waits. No matter what we did the cold crept in around the scarf, gloves, parka, hat. It was just cold but of course to be fair it was only about 34 degrees, not really cold like some of you experience.
I stoked the fire when I returned and heard Starr complaining. This morning she was sleeping so soundly under the covers that I left her on the bed while I was walking. She was very ready to get up once I returned and voiced her complaints.
This morning I tuned into XM and connected to the classical channel so I enjoyed lovely music all morning as I worked. I brought the appraisal for Pleasanton to a conclusion and emailed it out. A phone call changed the day as an appraisal I had to finish today was cancelled so I'll just be paid an inspection fee. Oh well. This afternoon I decided on comparables that need to photographed in Clayton and surrounding areas. However before I could get them shot the day got away from me so I just drove to Brentwood to the Weight Watchers meeting. I was amazed to find the room packed to the walls with many many people, many were signing up for the first time and others of us were there to check in. It was a mess really, not enough chairs and of course my day was spoiled by a defective scales, well at home it was 216 and there it was 222. Now can clothes weigh that much? Of course there were those 3 burritos I made and many other tasty items during the day.
After the Weight Watchers meeting was over I went to my health club. Its the first time in a while and after 5 of the machines I didn't feel so well so I quit. My body was not up to the task and when I walked to my car I didn't feel so well. My blood sugar was very low and I was glad to make it home.
I stoked the fire, checked emails and then created a plate of food with some vege steaks as the base and covered them with freshly cooked Lima beans, corn and some tomatoes. The meal was very tasty.
I certainly am praying for orders. I'm coping with having almost no orders. At the moment I have a new relo order which I will see on Thursday. They pay very well and I also have a new order for a property in Santa Clara. That one pays very well too. So its not like I'm out of work but I'm not dealing with the volume of work I need to keep the bills paid. Many of you know first hand what I am talking about, a shortage of funds or job uncertainty. We are headed into a declining economy again, rates are up for loans, unemployment is up sharply in many cities, foreclosures continue to hit people and this government knows nothing about job creation. There is no one in the current administration that has ever had to meet a payroll or run a business. How we need new blood. I have great hopes for the new congress, perhaps someone will care about the huge whole the government is spending us into.
Yet in spite of everything that is happening we have each other, we have friends and family to relate to and enjoy. Tomorrow I'm going to start teaching Keanna piano lessons when she comes, its just a little thing but she has been asking, what a golden opportunity to use the 6 ft Kawai for a good purpose.
So tonight I'm sending mixed messages, not all is well financially but health wise I'm gradually feeling better and better, still have chest congestion, nasal congestion, some coughing and a lot of heel pain on my left leg but I find life pretty good. Not great, I could not begin to say that but OK.
I so often long for a chance to sit on a park bench with our Lord and just fellowship, understand what His will is, how He would like to use me.
This evening my friends Art and Connie are at their southern home in Indio. They traveled there yesterday through winds, rain and even had to detour due to Highway 5 being closed due to snow. Talk about adventure! The Lord blessed them with a safe trip.
So I extend my love to you all this evening,
Tim
Monday, January 3, 2011
Still on cruise control
Good evening
Once again it is nearing the time for sleep. A nice thing happened today, well actually several nice things. First one is a chance to help with Keanna on Friday afternoon and take her to a special gymnastic session at Black Diamond. That will be great and will get me back in the area at a decent hour on Friday afternoon which has been a goal of mine for some time. Secondly Ray and I got to play with wood toys today. He has this really great wood splitter which is driven by long handles that you pump and then the ram pushes the wood into a sharp wedge and the wood splits. Sometimes it sort of explodes when the pressure gets too high. It is totally a great piece of equipment. We also played with his gas chain saw but there was a lot of smoke from the chain. Not sure if it was just because the wood was so hard or the chain was not oiling enough. Wish I knew more. Then this evening at dusk I decided to take Starr out front for some exercise in the front yard. Patty, my long time friend from the grief group was driving by, she saw me and came back. We then proceeded to talk for a very long time about life in general. Meanwhile Starr found her legs better than at any point in days, chased a boy on a bicycle, wandered into yards on both sides of mine and eventually came back to sit beside us while we talked. She had a blast so everyone won.
The mail was good to me today, it brought a check from Trimavin, a management company. Then the email turned kind as well. A simple message said that 360 Mortgage had deposited $890 into my Paypal account. Well that was great news. Knowing the money was coming allowed me to make the Honda payment and take care of some smaller things as well. Meanwhile I tried my hand at browning some whole wheat tortillas and then sprinkling Cheddar cheese that had been grated and add in some pinto beans. It turned out pretty tasty but a bit more crunchy than I would like. Not sure how to keep them soft like at Taco Bell. I did learn that with frequent turns both sides will brown nicely.
I had a most interesting experience with EHarmony. A person who has been communicating with me and lives nearby reacted negatively when I mentioned I was a Seventh-day Adventist. I've learned to get that information out early as some people who attend churches which are not SDA tend to really have a strong reaction to my being one. Best to get it out there early in the process. She said she knew nothing of SDAs so looked in Wikipedia, somehow I doubt one gets the real full essence of ones church from that source. She was concerned that there was no dancing, no popular music, basically no fun. My that is certainly different than how I feel about my church. So I wrote back explaining about Loma Linda Medical School being one of the best in the nation, about our educational system being the largest other than the Catholic system, about how Adventists tend to live much longer than the normal citizens and about how much we like to help people medically or in whatever area they need help. It was a fun exchange and I've just read her response. She's not dated for 16 years and is pretty terrified about the whole process but feels led by her Lord to move ahead, very interesting!
So now its time to shut down the lights and end production for the day. One of these days I'll have to start working again. I feel much better now, nearly well again and I've got to think all the rest has helped, that and a very cold and damp 3 mile walk with Ken the drill master this morning. Let me tell you a hot drink sure tastes and feels good after the time out there in the elements, brrrr.
Sending love to all, I got a wonderful clip today of Mia smiling and happy. Wish I could share it but I don't know how to do that yet in a blog. I'm sure that it can be done and then you would just click on it and you could watch a very cute baby do her thing.
Love
tim
Once again it is nearing the time for sleep. A nice thing happened today, well actually several nice things. First one is a chance to help with Keanna on Friday afternoon and take her to a special gymnastic session at Black Diamond. That will be great and will get me back in the area at a decent hour on Friday afternoon which has been a goal of mine for some time. Secondly Ray and I got to play with wood toys today. He has this really great wood splitter which is driven by long handles that you pump and then the ram pushes the wood into a sharp wedge and the wood splits. Sometimes it sort of explodes when the pressure gets too high. It is totally a great piece of equipment. We also played with his gas chain saw but there was a lot of smoke from the chain. Not sure if it was just because the wood was so hard or the chain was not oiling enough. Wish I knew more. Then this evening at dusk I decided to take Starr out front for some exercise in the front yard. Patty, my long time friend from the grief group was driving by, she saw me and came back. We then proceeded to talk for a very long time about life in general. Meanwhile Starr found her legs better than at any point in days, chased a boy on a bicycle, wandered into yards on both sides of mine and eventually came back to sit beside us while we talked. She had a blast so everyone won.
The mail was good to me today, it brought a check from Trimavin, a management company. Then the email turned kind as well. A simple message said that 360 Mortgage had deposited $890 into my Paypal account. Well that was great news. Knowing the money was coming allowed me to make the Honda payment and take care of some smaller things as well. Meanwhile I tried my hand at browning some whole wheat tortillas and then sprinkling Cheddar cheese that had been grated and add in some pinto beans. It turned out pretty tasty but a bit more crunchy than I would like. Not sure how to keep them soft like at Taco Bell. I did learn that with frequent turns both sides will brown nicely.
I had a most interesting experience with EHarmony. A person who has been communicating with me and lives nearby reacted negatively when I mentioned I was a Seventh-day Adventist. I've learned to get that information out early as some people who attend churches which are not SDA tend to really have a strong reaction to my being one. Best to get it out there early in the process. She said she knew nothing of SDAs so looked in Wikipedia, somehow I doubt one gets the real full essence of ones church from that source. She was concerned that there was no dancing, no popular music, basically no fun. My that is certainly different than how I feel about my church. So I wrote back explaining about Loma Linda Medical School being one of the best in the nation, about our educational system being the largest other than the Catholic system, about how Adventists tend to live much longer than the normal citizens and about how much we like to help people medically or in whatever area they need help. It was a fun exchange and I've just read her response. She's not dated for 16 years and is pretty terrified about the whole process but feels led by her Lord to move ahead, very interesting!
So now its time to shut down the lights and end production for the day. One of these days I'll have to start working again. I feel much better now, nearly well again and I've got to think all the rest has helped, that and a very cold and damp 3 mile walk with Ken the drill master this morning. Let me tell you a hot drink sure tastes and feels good after the time out there in the elements, brrrr.
Sending love to all, I got a wonderful clip today of Mia smiling and happy. Wish I could share it but I don't know how to do that yet in a blog. I'm sure that it can be done and then you would just click on it and you could watch a very cute baby do her thing.
Love
tim
Sunday, January 2, 2011
The Winter Chill
Dear Ones,
Tonight marks the ending of one of the least productive days work wise I've ever had. Frankly I've done NO work all day. I've taken naps with Starr under the little Alaska blanket on the love seat several times, I've had numerous mocha drinks and this morning I started with a cup of decaf Kona blend that ended up tasting pretty good.
Mid morning I ventured out into a rainy and windy morning to drive to Modesto where I brunched with my friend Sharon. It was a perfect encounter, the food was perfect, Sharon was in a great mood fresh from a day of painting as she transfers her new home from bland to spectacular. At the moment she has 5 different colors painted on her walls as she tries to decide which is just the right color. Sharon is a very pleasant soft spoken lady who I grown to know through EHarmony. She works long hours as a part of a GI team at a Modesto hospital and is often on call in addition to her normal hours. I really enjoyed our time spent in sharing what is happening in each of our lives. I was able to show her photos of the kiddos and even snapped one of her in the process.
Once I arrived back home I was tired so found more time to nap and enjoy the warmth of the ever glowing fire. Early evening I made some open faced cheese sandwich's which I decorated with small cherry tomatoes cut in half. At Food Max I was able to buy a whole little basket of these delicious tomatoes for $1.00. What a treat for the middle of the winter. There is something very unfortunate happening outside. My precious wood pile is just about depleted. Keeping a fire going takes it toll on the wood stack so tomorrow I'll start to search for a new source of more wood.
You know in some ways I find life so confusing right now. Of course there are mixed emotions swirling around the Christmas and New Years holidays with family so precious and alone time to tedious. I've never been very good about satisfying myself with my labors, I enjoy feed back, ideas, challenges but I'm not good at creating my own scenarios from which I can derive pleasure. I don't like going solo and as I remember back I came to the point where I enjoyed doing duets more than doing solos. There is something so special about blending two human minds, ideas, emotions into one outcome. It is richer, more melody filled, more far reaching than a solo.
Do you like to go it alone? Or do you prefer to join hearts and hands together?
There is something so special about two people living their own lives to the fullest yet under one roof where at times they can do joint ventures. I'm thinking that the world I grew up in where the man was the final authority figure and tended to be the boss never really worked that well for women usually are the ones that really make good thing happen, they tend to have the wisdom and ability to come to important decisions more quickly than men, yet we need each other.
Well my family and friends, its time to move on with this non productive day. I have a fire to watch and some sugarless cookies that need attention!
Love
tim
Tonight marks the ending of one of the least productive days work wise I've ever had. Frankly I've done NO work all day. I've taken naps with Starr under the little Alaska blanket on the love seat several times, I've had numerous mocha drinks and this morning I started with a cup of decaf Kona blend that ended up tasting pretty good.
Mid morning I ventured out into a rainy and windy morning to drive to Modesto where I brunched with my friend Sharon. It was a perfect encounter, the food was perfect, Sharon was in a great mood fresh from a day of painting as she transfers her new home from bland to spectacular. At the moment she has 5 different colors painted on her walls as she tries to decide which is just the right color. Sharon is a very pleasant soft spoken lady who I grown to know through EHarmony. She works long hours as a part of a GI team at a Modesto hospital and is often on call in addition to her normal hours. I really enjoyed our time spent in sharing what is happening in each of our lives. I was able to show her photos of the kiddos and even snapped one of her in the process.
Once I arrived back home I was tired so found more time to nap and enjoy the warmth of the ever glowing fire. Early evening I made some open faced cheese sandwich's which I decorated with small cherry tomatoes cut in half. At Food Max I was able to buy a whole little basket of these delicious tomatoes for $1.00. What a treat for the middle of the winter. There is something very unfortunate happening outside. My precious wood pile is just about depleted. Keeping a fire going takes it toll on the wood stack so tomorrow I'll start to search for a new source of more wood.
You know in some ways I find life so confusing right now. Of course there are mixed emotions swirling around the Christmas and New Years holidays with family so precious and alone time to tedious. I've never been very good about satisfying myself with my labors, I enjoy feed back, ideas, challenges but I'm not good at creating my own scenarios from which I can derive pleasure. I don't like going solo and as I remember back I came to the point where I enjoyed doing duets more than doing solos. There is something so special about blending two human minds, ideas, emotions into one outcome. It is richer, more melody filled, more far reaching than a solo.
Do you like to go it alone? Or do you prefer to join hearts and hands together?
There is something so special about two people living their own lives to the fullest yet under one roof where at times they can do joint ventures. I'm thinking that the world I grew up in where the man was the final authority figure and tended to be the boss never really worked that well for women usually are the ones that really make good thing happen, they tend to have the wisdom and ability to come to important decisions more quickly than men, yet we need each other.
Well my family and friends, its time to move on with this non productive day. I have a fire to watch and some sugarless cookies that need attention!
Love
tim
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Resting
Dear Family and Friends,
Its late so I'll not write a big entry tonight.
Ken and I had planned to walk but we got rained out. Then I just fell asleep under a little blanket with Starr at my side. Finally I got up, showered and drove to Tracy for the Worship Service. I didn't make it for much of the service and then slipped away to Olive Garden for Soup and Salad. It was incredibly good. I then drove home, rested the afternoon away until Steve came with his friend and we loaded up the reef tank. Now I need to paint the wall where the tank stood. I'm very glad Steve has the tank but once again I was caught by a pang of regret over the chapter where Nan loved her tank coming to a close. I'm glad the tank is out and if it can help Steve in any way that is a good thing.
This evening a friend came and we watched a funny video and chatted like good friends do, the fire was wonderful and kept the room warm and cozy.
Now I'm heading to bed because task master Ken wants us to walk in the freezing cold wind in the morning. Then its off to brunch with a friend in Modesto.
I'm gradually feeling better, slightly but so much nasal congestion to cope with. Last night when I went to bed I remembered that I had washed my breathing mask in the dishwasher. Well it had not dried at all so had to go to sleep with some very soggy straps leaking water down my neck. NOT fun at all.
If rest helps a person get well then I should be healed by now.
How is your new year going so far? Mine is pretty much like the old year so far.
I've been thinking about the value of friends today, between friends and family I feel very blessed, yes even rich.
Love
tim
Its late so I'll not write a big entry tonight.
Ken and I had planned to walk but we got rained out. Then I just fell asleep under a little blanket with Starr at my side. Finally I got up, showered and drove to Tracy for the Worship Service. I didn't make it for much of the service and then slipped away to Olive Garden for Soup and Salad. It was incredibly good. I then drove home, rested the afternoon away until Steve came with his friend and we loaded up the reef tank. Now I need to paint the wall where the tank stood. I'm very glad Steve has the tank but once again I was caught by a pang of regret over the chapter where Nan loved her tank coming to a close. I'm glad the tank is out and if it can help Steve in any way that is a good thing.
This evening a friend came and we watched a funny video and chatted like good friends do, the fire was wonderful and kept the room warm and cozy.
Now I'm heading to bed because task master Ken wants us to walk in the freezing cold wind in the morning. Then its off to brunch with a friend in Modesto.
I'm gradually feeling better, slightly but so much nasal congestion to cope with. Last night when I went to bed I remembered that I had washed my breathing mask in the dishwasher. Well it had not dried at all so had to go to sleep with some very soggy straps leaking water down my neck. NOT fun at all.
If rest helps a person get well then I should be healed by now.
How is your new year going so far? Mine is pretty much like the old year so far.
I've been thinking about the value of friends today, between friends and family I feel very blessed, yes even rich.
Love
tim
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