Finding Our Groove...

Monday, August 9th, was the day that Leaf Filter would install gutter protection from all the leaves in our yard. We both agreed after Claude cleaned out the gutters that this was a must do. Claude did some research and determined this would be the best company to go with. The salesman came to our home one evening the week prior and gave us the information to make our decision. This was only two weeks after Claude cleaned the gutters. The salesman had a long pole to which he affixed his cellphone camera. Then he videoed and took still shots from that of our gutters. They were already full of leaves again...and we aren't even to fall yet. Knowing we didn't want Claude up on a ladder that frequently as we age gracefully, we signed on the dotted line and set up Monday the 9th for the install.

Bless the installers heart, it was nice when he started but the rains came and he was in and out of his truck as the waves of rain came through. When he finished and came inside for the check as payment and final signing of documents, he was dripping. It was a good thing for us to do. Lifetime warranty on this house that can be transferred to a new owner. If anything is faulty at all, they will replace for free. That is a good guarantee. We are both happy we did this for our home and for us.

We were also grateful for the rain. Our poor ground in Kentucky suffers if we don't get rain fairly frequently.

Tuesday, August 10th, was our day to go to the Louisville Temple. The last time we tried to do this was March 2020. With the pandemic, the temples around the world were completely closed for months. As each part of the world began to see the numbers decrease and Covid-19 brought more under control, limited use of the temples was opened. We can now go if we make an appointment first. This limits the number of people in the sessions. Claude got us an appointment for our Tuesday evening visit to the Louisville Temple. It was absolutely wonderful to be back in the temple. Saw two old friends that I haven't seen in well over a year. And enjoyed the time to pray and listen. I took this picture and posted it on Facebook with this comment.

I love to see the temple 

I went inside today

To feel the Holy Spirit 

To listen and to pray.

So thankful for this blessing.

Wednesday, August 11th, Claude had an appointment with his audiologist. I have not been pleased with this second set of hearing aids. I know they help Claude but I never felt like they were working so that he could hear as well as he did with the first ones. He has been wearing these 2 1/2 years. He was even frustrated and went in again to have them check the hearing aids. This time the girl took a wire off of each of them and replaced it with a new wire. Then she explained to Claude that these wires come in different strengths. She put a stronger strength wire in his hearing aids. Claude already says he can hear better. Hallelujah!! 

In the afternoon, I saw people coming around the side of the house with something over their shoulder that appeared to have a little gas tank on it. I thought it might be the lawn mowing people but coming on a Wednesday didn't make sense. Then another person joined him and I went to tell Claude we had people in our yard. He checked and it was the tree trimming guy and his sons. They were going to get a start on trimming the ten trees in our backyard. Three of these trees had vines growing in them that needed to be removed. I took these pictures of day one of tree trimming. 

It already looked neater and the trees looked healthier. They assured us they would be back Thursday morning to finish up. We had big piles of limbs on our front lawn at the curb. 

Thursday, August 12th, Mr. Zimmerman and his two sons came back in the morning an worked until about noon to finish the tree trimming. We were totally impressed with their work. Those boys worked hard right with their father. They knew the routine. The older teenaged son was allowed to do some work with the chain saw. The younger son was pulling limbs to the curb. Then he and his brother would cut them into the right lengths to be picked up. Before they finished they had raked and cleaned up the back yard. They also called Georgetown Public Works and had a truck out to our home picking up the debris. I went to the nursing home to visit Papa while they were here and was totally surprised to see that big public works truck with its claw arm picking up limbs in the front of our home. When Public Works finished gathering the big debris. The teenage son cleaned the front curb so that you could not even tell there had been enormous piles of limbs there. Totally impressed with their work and their rates were really good. Will refer him to others and call on him when we need help. These are pictures of the finish of the tree trimming.

I enjoyed talking to the teenage son as he finished the cleaning of the front yard. He told me that the work was hard on the body but he really enjoyed it. I assured him that, if one can find work they love, that is a really good thing. He said, "I don't think I could work in an office." That is okay also. There are lots of jobs to fill and we are really blessed when we have someone who enjoys their work and takes pride in their effort to do things correctly. 

Our personal goal this day was to go in search of blessing clothes for Joel. Traditionally that would be a little white outfit with a white blanket for the baby to be wrapped in. Claude will give Joel a name and a blessing next Sunday. We have provided the blessing outfits for each of Katelyn and Drew's children. We were not expecting this to be difficult to find. We knew where we got Emelia's little outfit two years ago. We would go back to Carter's in Hamburg Pavilion in Lexington. We did and they had nothing. Well, they had a onesie that was a long sleeved cotton oxford type shirt. No pants. Just a onesie shirt. We went to Lowe's, Old Navy, and Target to no avail. I could see a run to a fabric store and me sewing an outfit in our future. I did tell Claude that the reality was there wasn't much in the way of Sunday dress for babies even. People are not going to church and little ones aren't needing Sunday clothes. We went across Sir Barton Way to Buy, Buy Baby. We were able to find two possible outfits and bought both of them. Whew!!

Dinner was purchased at Chipotle. We both enjoyed eating there again. Been a while.

When we got home, I took a picture of the clothes and sent it to Katelyn. Then I asked if she had a white onesie to go under the outfit and a white blanket. Nope. I assured her I would check for that at our Walmart.

Friday, August 13th, we started our morning with a walk at Peninsula Park. I have called this Moss Park all the time we have been walking that path. There is a sign that says no motorized vehicles on that walking path in Moss Park. So, I have called it Moss Park. I learned last weekend that they now call it Peninsula Park. This is appropriate since the land is formed with Elkhorn Creek going around it on three sides forming a peninsula for the park and the housing neighborhood located there. 

We went to Walmart in search of a white onesie and a white blanket. I found the onesies in a package. I found no white blankets. When our Nissa was born 50 years ago, I was given three white woven blankets. I saved two of them. Each of our kids was blessed using one of these blankets. Somehow in my finite mind, I think I will walk into a store and find something like that. Alas, there is no such thing in today's world. I went to the yarn aisle and picked up a big skein of white baby yarn. I was not going to be deterred in getting a white blanket for baby Joel. 

Friday evening I would begin the crocheting of a very simple granny square baby blanket for Joel.

This day Michael had a birthday. Michael is our Andie's hubby.

Saturday, August 14th, I had a perfectly delightful visit with my father. I went in the morning about 9:30am. Papa was asleep. I set up my Kindle to use the nursing home Wi-Fi. Then I found the YouTube section in the Gospel Library app for the Tabernacle Choir. I got my earbuds out of my purse and plugged them into my Kindle. Then I gently reached over Papa and put earbuds in his ears with the Tabernacle Choir singing. He awoke and asked what that noise was. A little background here is important. My father loves music. He is now totally deaf in one ear and almost deaf in the other ear. For him to hear anything, it has to be turned up to full volume. While that is good for Papa, it is not at all good for the rest of us. When he was in his apartment and we would watch his television, it would be set at 100 for volume. I would wear my earbuds so that I heard things at normal volume. All during the pandemic, my music loving father heard no music. This Saturday, he would hear music. He woke up enough for me to get him to understand we needed the earbuds in both ears. Then I stood by his bed holding the Kindle and selecting the next song as soon as one song was completed. For two hours, Papa listened to his beloved Tabernacle Choir. He was so happy. These little things we take for granted in the hearing world. They are a huge blessing to those in Papa's situation. He doesn't have the ability to know how to run the Kindle. But I do and did for two hours. It was a great visit.

Home I went to finish crocheting that baby blanket. I created a nice simple border to go around the outside. Then I took a picture and sent it to Katelyn.

Katelyn had posted a picture of her with baby Joel. How timely!

Katelyn and Drew celebrated their 5th anniversary on this day. 

Sunday, August 15th, has been a nice day. Claude was sustained as Ward Music Chairman. We got salads from Panera for our lunch. Claude is napping while I do my laptop things. One of those was to send a letter to our missionaries I will share that below. I used "Something Cute & Commas" for the subject line.

Hannah Grieving spoke about goals today in sacrament meeting. She began her talk by asking what a goal was. Then she said, "According to Google..." I couldn't help but snicker to myself. Then I heard Sis. Linares snicker behind me. Neither of these snickers were unkind. It was another reminder to us of the generation gap. We would have said, "According to Webster..."

Our closing hymn was #98 "I Need Thee Every House". I have loved this hymn all my life. I am 71 years old. That is a long time. It has been in each of the three different versions of the LDS Hymnbook published during my memory. I am grateful for the words of the hymns and the strength they can bring into my sometimes weak life. Try reading them as a poem instead of singing them. That way you notice the words much more. 

Now, here is where commas enter the picture. When I was in school all those years ago, we were taught to read and observe the punctuation marks as we read. I 'Googled' punctuation marks and found this definition in Dictionary.com: any of a group of conventional marks or characters used in punctuation, as the period, comma, semicolon, question mark, or dash. When you get to a comma, a pause might be in order to get the full effect of what is being said. That pause might be shorter if it is a listing of things. But, it might be longer if it is emphasizing a thought. On the chorus of "I Need Thee Every Hour" you'll sing these words four times.

I need thee, oh, I need thee;

Every hour I need thee!

O, bless me now, my Savior;

I come to Thee!

Because I love music and have led a ward choir a time or two, I like to take a breath after the first I need thee. Then, that comma brings emphasis to Oh, I need thee. I so appreciate that remembrance that I do need my Savior. Can't do this journey without Him. Oh, I need Him!

There you have a lesson in comma (an punctuation marks in general). Read for the meaning that you need in your life not for the speed to get through your reading. It will lift your heart and give deeper meaning to the Gospel message.

I hear my hubby stirring in the kitchen. Time to wrap this Blogging session up. It has been a good week. I think we are finding a good groove for this new phase of our lives.