The way to truly grow is to let go of your needs, much of what you think you need, you don't. Much of what you cling to holds you back.

Flag Counter started April 3, 2008

Delilah in September, 2003

When Delilah was a baby I used to say I had the cutest grandbaby in the world. When Delilah won second place at the Stockton Walnut Festival Baby Contest, I figured it was more than just a Grandma’s biased opinion!

When Bryce won first place when he was just over one year old, I had more evidence that I had the cutest grandkids in the world!

Bryce in September 2006

So, of course, Emma had to take her turn at the Walnut Festival Baby Contest!

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We got to attend our first Harrisonville football game tonight! Here’s Garland (#58) running in the warm-up.

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We brought Bryce home Thursday, and we got to go fishing this morning. I couldn’t figure out how to cast his little rod, so I just threw the bobber out as far as I could and handed him the rod. I cast my lure out and glanced over to see his bobber under water and running away! I told him to start reeling, and he pulled in his first fish!

We got the hook out, put another worm on, and I tossed it back out. I’m not sure I even had time to cast my lure before he caught another fish!

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Once again Richard and I leave and a big storm passes through. Hurricane Ike spread rain and wind on up into the middle of the country and hit our area Saturday night.

We could tell it was windy here because our sunflowers are almost all down, small limbs littered the front yard, and the rain gauges were full!

Here’s some of the storm reports:

09/13/2008 1139 PM
Bolivar, Polk County; Non-thunderstorm wind damage, reported by Emergency Mngr. Power lines removed from poles by wind

09/14/2008 1230 am
2 miles E of Flemington, Polk County; Flash flood, reported by law enforcement. Highway v just east of Flemington is flooded.

09/14/2008 1259 am
Bolivar, Polk County; Flash flood, reported by Emergency Mngr. Highway d north of Highway 32 closed in Bolivar

09/14/2008 0100 am
2 miles W of Pleasant Hope, Polk County; Flash flood, reported by Emergency Mngr. Highway 215 closed west of Pleasant Hope

09/14/2008 0102 am
4 miles N of Bolivar, Polk County; Flash flood, reported by Emergency Mngr. Highway 83 closed north of Bolivar

09/14/2008 0707 am
Humansville, Polk County; Heavy rain e5.00 inch, reported by broadcast media. Brush Creek is out of its banks and is flooding parts of  Humansville.

09/14/2008 0722 am
3 miles E of Flemington, Polk County; Heavy rain m4.82 inch, reported by co-op observer.

Garland turns 17 today; where does the time go?

It seems like they are little babies and then, next thing you know, they are grown up!

About 2 years ago my wife and I were on a cruise through the western Mediterranean aboard a Princess liner. At dinner we noticed an elderly lady sitting alone along the rail of the grand stairway in the main dining room. I also noticed that all the staff, ships officers, waiters, busboys, etc., all seemed very familiar with this lady.

I asked our waiter who the lady was, expecting to be told that she owned the line, but he said he only knew that she had been on board for the last four cruises, back to back.

As we left the dining room one evening I caught her eye and stopped to say hello. We chatted and I said, “I understand you’ve been on this ship for the last four cruises” She replied, “Yes, that’s true.” I stated, “I don’t understand” and she replied, without a pause, “It’s cheaper than a nursing home.”

So, there will be no nursing home in my future. When I get old and feeble, I am going to get on a Princess Cruise Ship. The average cost for a nursing home is $200 per day. I have checked on reservations at Princess and I can get a long-term discount and senior discount price of $135 per day. That leaves $65 a day for:

1. Gratuities, which will only be $10 per day.
2. I will have as many as 10 meals a day if I can waddle to the restaurant, or I can have room service (which means I can have breakfast in bed every day of the week).
3. Princess has as many as three swimming pools, a workout room, free washers and dryers, and shows every night.
4. They have free toothpaste and razors, and free soap and shampoo.
5. They will even treat you like a customer, not a patient. An extra $5 worth of tips will have the entire staff scrambling to help you.
6. I will get to meet new people every 7 or 14 days.
7. T.V. broken? Light bulb need changing? Need to have the mattress replaced? No Problem! They will fix everything and apologize for your inconvenience.
8. Clean sheets and towels every day, and you don’t even have to ask for them.
9. If you fall in the nursing home and break a hip you are on Medicare; if you fall and break a hip on the Princess ship they will upgrade you to a suite for the rest of your life.

Now hold on for the best! Do you want to see South America, the Panama Canal, Tahiti, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, or name where you want to go? Princess will have a ship ready to go.

So don’t look for me in a nursing home, just call shore to ship.