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April 7 Day 32
Still in Albuquerque. A nice relaxing morning with Lana. Packed up all my paraphernalia and it is ready by the front door. Few things left until morning. I have a load of washing finishing and just hope all the hanging clothes will be dry by morning.
Well, can’t remember if I told on myself about leaving my clothes (some of them) in Denver. So today we went shopping. First, however we walked along the banks of the Rio Grande. It was beautiful in a very brown sort of way. The plants here are all so different than in Wisconsin. It took a bit before I could see that in their own way they are really quite beautiful. Even the brown earth hold a certain beauty. Perhaps I just had to live long enough to appreciate it. The ground is dry and sometimes powdery. Other places are full of boulders and stones while other areas are beds of lava rock. Went through a mountain pass that was carved out of layers and layers of black lava rock. Of course, being in the car going FAST I couldn’t take a picture.
Albuquerque has a population of about one million. It stretches out a long long way. I will say the roads and highways are very well done. Population density is about like Denver. This density would again take some getting used to. Lana lives high up on a mesa. The climb is pretty steep but the top is flat. Everyone has walls and walls surrounding their houses. A lot of what would be a beautiful view is blocked by the cinder block walls on three sides. Landscape is rocks of various colors and maybe a tree or two. That’s a big maybe as I was told it is quite expensive and time consuming to keep a tree alive. Pots are scattered around which I assume will hopefully hold some colorful flowers. Everything here is brown. The dirt is brown, some reddish, the houses are brown stucco, the cinder block walls are brown and the Rio Grande is brown. And if you drop you jacket in the street, like I did, it is brown. At first the monochrome world was very “homely” to me, to put it nicely. Now it has kind of grown on me. Lots of the houses are very square flat topped roofs and look the same. Inside they are as beautiful as many houses I’ve been in at home. The interior decor is quite different. I think I understand why. Inside, homes are filled with color and art and bright hanging rugs and tapestries. The pots are colorfully painted with mosaic patterns. The colors are stunning and bold and bright. Might as well as enjoy all the color at home because when you walk outside your world is brown again.
Now back to the shopping trip. I love going to resale shops and of course that is where we ended up. How is this for a good buy? Purchased three pair of very nice cropped pants, one dress, one sweater, one book, and one long pair of jeans for $36. And all fit!
Home again and more packing and laundry. A wonderful dinner with one other guest besides me. Met a colorful fellow named Michael who has a heart for the Lord. He travels around the country in his motor home ministering and witnessing to those he meets. He hands out books of the Bible from THE PASSION TRANSLATION, translated from the Greek and Aramaic texts by Brian Simmons. I have read the translated version of the Song of Songs. It is so beautifully done. Well, Michael gave me two copies of the book of John that has also been translated. He gave one to me and one to give away. If you have never heard of this translation (it is still in process of being finished) you may be interested in checking it out. I recommend that it be read slowly and out loud to really appreciate the beauty of the transalation. We had a great time of prayer and Michael was then on his way. I have been blessed by so many people praying for me in so many new situations. It is so wonderful to meet so many God loving believers along the way. There are so many people I haven’t told you about due to time and space. This is a trip I will always remember. Michael’s word of wisdom: “I WISH I HADN’T WAITED SO LONG TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUES IN MY OWN PERSONAL LIFE SO THAT I COULD HAVE BEEN A BETTER PARENT AND MORE USEFUL TO GOD”. Michael is older than me so I guess he has lived a good many years. Take it to heart young people (if there are any reading this blog). If you have “issues” get to the base of them by giving them to God, get your head screwed on straight, and take care of what needs to be cleaned up in your life so you too can the best person you can be and accomplish much for God. The latter statement was my wisdom to you…and…”you’re welcome”.
When I asked my son for suggestions as what to name this blog he answered rather too quickly “THE OPINION YOU DIDN’T ASK FOR”. Well as you can see I did not name the website that name…HOWEVER…I looked up the domain name and it was already taken. So I looked up “THE OPINION YOU DID NOT ASK FOR”and it was available. I reserved the domain name and hope to start that blog when I get home. As most of you know I always love giving my opinion..free! And..you don’t even have to ask.
Good night…and get to bed!
P.S. Tomorrow morning I leave for Mesa Arizona to visit my friend JoAnn and her family for two nights before heading to California on Friday. It will be a long drive so please remember me in your prayers.
April 6 Day 31 An Interesting Day
Well, things are happening! Especially at this house. I’m back at Lana and Tim’s in Albuquerque. Tim is cooking dinner. Oh my, that means it will be quite a treat. He is making brussel Sprout Hash. Yeah!!! Here is his brussel Sprout Hash recipe: Sliced brussel sprouts saute’d in coconut oil and Ghee (clarified butter). Add pine nuts or macadamia nuts (tonight it is macadamia nuts), chopped green onions, sea salt to taste. Sprinkle parmessan or feta cheese on top of the hot dish. We had this the other night with pine nuts and it is now one of my favorite dishes. Of course the reason may be because brussel sprouts and coconut oil are my two most favorite foods to eat. Let me know if you try it.
After being up so late last night after losing my May 5th blog I took the liberty of sleeping in late this morning. It was so nice. My friend Len who tutored me so I could administrate my own blog came to my aid again. After I lost the blog I emailed him and asked him to check and see if it was possible that it still existed somewhere. How he found it I will never know, but this afternoon I found it in my text box. I was so very surprised and happy. Thank you Len for your help. I do so appreciate it. So please note that yesterday’s blog was downloaded again today and should be accessible. Len was an excellent teacher, I just didn’t learn all I needed to learn.
I had a very interesting experience this morning. Our daughter Rebecca, who is adopted, found her birth parents in 2006. That story alone is just amazing but I must stick to today’s story that is part of part of my blog story. Rebecca has met her birth Mother Carole, her husband Dave and her three siblings. She also met her birth mother’s mother, her birth father, her birth father’s mother before she died, and her birth father’s father and his wife. She also met her birth aunt Laurie and her husband. I too have now met the entire gang (except for her birth father and birth grandmother who died). Today I met her birth grandfather (her birth father’s father). His name is Leonard Koel and his wife is Lydia Broussard. Leonard is author of many books and I found out today that Lydia’s daughter is also a prolific writer. Leonard and Lydia live within driving distance to Lana and Tim and invited me over for a visit. It was such a beautiful day and such a pleasure to meet them both. I’ll include some photos. That was my highlight of this day. I asked Leonard what his words of wisdom are. He had just one word, “MEANING”.
My friend and current host, Lana, was diagnosed with cancer 5 years ago. She has been doing well through nutritional eating and supplements. She received news today that her cancer markers are up. This was not good news for her. She is praying and believing in healing. Please remember Lana in your prayers. She may have some big decisions to make in the near future regarding surgery. She asks for prayer for “direction, peace as we follow God’s direction, healing, and provision”. Thank you for remembering her in prayer.
I pretty much emptied my car today to start my packing all over again when I leave on Wednesday. I wish I had not brought so much. I am learning how little I really use. I end up wearing the same things over and over and washing frequently so little is actually needed. Well, today I had on my very favorite black pants as I worked. I was close to the garage and corner of the house leading to the front door. I cut the corner too sharply and caught my knit pants on a piece of sharp stucco and ripped a whole in the front thigh area of my very favorite pants. Well, I passed another test because I didn’t even get mad or upset. Maybe it is because the pants originally cost me $4.23 at my very favorite place to shop. Oh well, I’ll just wear them with the hole. Then, as I was organizing my clothes for repacking I realized I was missing some. Yep! I left them in Denver. Sort of like the song “I left my heart in San Francisco”, but rather my lament is “I left my only blue jeans in Denver”. As well as my jean jacket, my red shirt, and white blouse. But I remembered to bring my salad.
Well, I guess my load is lightening.
Dinner is over and was as delicious as I thought it would be. Everyone is settling down and I still sit here trying to be diligent to my self commitment to blog in real time each day. And my computer has frozen up and will not let me go up or down. Will I lose this blog tool Maybe I should close up and get it published if I can figure out how…WHEW, I published it, it worked. Then I closed my computer down and reopened the administrative window to edit all the typo errors. And it worked. If you find any errors now please know they are the fault of a tired brain and not the malfunctioning computer.
Good night 9:50 p.m. Albuquerque time.
P.S. I’d like to say hello to Carole! And ask her: Is this better?
6 April, 2015 19:39
My lunchtime view in Colorado Springs
View from the driver’s seat coming into Albuquerque from Denver. The spots you see is bug splatter.
April 5 Day 30 I HIT THE WRONG KEY
Oh my goodness. I just spent three hours logging this day and somehow hit a key as I was making a correction and lost the entire blog. It may be impossible for me to tell it again with all the fervor I told it the first time but perhaps tomorrow will lend a new light on my loss and I will recover from this grave error of hitting a delete key without realizing it. So no new post today after all. It is 12:20 a.m. and I must go to bed. Oh my, it was a good blog too! Even if I do say so myself.
Leaving Colorado (This is my found copy of what I wrote yesterday April 5)
I drove away from my wonderful friends today. Hugged everybody at Red Rocks Park where we spent the morning, wiped away my tears and said goodbye. Red Rocks Park is located in Golden, Colorado,about 45 minutes from Chris and Cynthia’s home. It was well worth the drive time. It is high up the side of a mountain. The main attraction of the park is a natural outdoor amphitheater designed by nature at the top of the mountain. Many concerts and shows are performed in the outdoor area. It is a bit of a climb to get to it and I was concerned, because of not being acclimated to the altitude, but I could not resist at least seeing if I could do it. I took it slow and did not even get winded or short of breath. That was great considering my first day in Colorado. This park was so amazing. The red stone seemed to be pushed up from the depths of the earth. I was so astounded at the magnitude of the rocks and jagged peaks that jutted upward to form the enclosure of the amphitheater. I just wondered at the force of the heave it must have taken to create such a magnificent display of God’s mighty creation. I did a lot of speculation as to how it happened. Of course none of which are scientific. I think God had a hand in it. It was just breathtaking to be on top of the world so to speak and
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April 4, 2015 Day 29
Okay guys out there in Blog-land here is the scoop. I am 16 days behind in writing this blog and I don’s seem to be able to get caught up as quickly as I’d like. I write a bit daily in long hand in my diary so I willremember what was happening but can’t get it blogged. So rather than write retrospectively I am first going to write about about “real time” and then bring you up to date on the last 10 days. So, today is Saturday Sabbath of the Holy Week, April 4, 2015. It is about 9:00 p.m. Denver Colorado time. And how do I know that? It’s because that is where I am at the present. I am at my dear friend’s home in Centennial, Colorado who are Cynthia and Chris and their two beautiful boys. One being only 2 weeks old. Oh my goodness are these boys precious.
I arrived in Denver on Thursday coming from Albuquerque. It should have taken me less than 6 hours but by the time I arrived after several stops it was over 8 hours. The drive was awesomely beautiful. I didn’t realize how many mountains were in this area. Most of the day was traveling either uphill or down hill. The mountain range is called the FRONT RANGE OF URBAN CORRIDOR. Just to let you know, just as I pulled up to my friend’s apartment complex it started snowing! I woke up to a white morning the next day. Tomorrow it is supposed to be in the high 70’s.
After arriving in Denver I learned a lesson about
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Thursday March 19 DAY 13
Before I start my trip away from Russellville, Arkansas I must reminisce a bit more. Yesterday was my last day here to see all those I love. My dear uncle Buddy, now up in his 90’s was able to visit with my sister and me for awhile. Uncle Buddy is my mom’s brother. My mom was the oldest of thirteen, twelve of whom lived to adulthood. Ten girls and three boys. You can not even imagine the stories that each of those children could tell. Well one of my Aunts did tell her story in an awesome book “A BAKER’S DOZEN” by Anne Chaney. A thick book, but a fast read. Contact me through this blog if you are interested in ordering one and I can give you the info to do so.
Well, Uncle Buddy is the last surviving son. He outlived both of his younger brothers. I dearly love uncle Buddy. He is a gentle spirit who suffered the rigors of World War II with lasting affects. He has been a widower for many years and has one son. Uncle Buddy cannot hear . We communicate with him by his speaking and the rest of us writing on a tablet. His mind is sharp and can hold his own in a conversation. Very interesting to listen to him. He loves to read and is familiar with a lot of current books. Recently he was fitted with a hearing aid that connects directly with his TV. I suppose he has been cut off from all source of TV news for awhile because he was concerned about some of the new laws that he is learning about regarding Medicare now that he can hear what is being talked about. Never take your hearing for granted. It is a powerful and wonderful gift, given as a tool to be used for a lifetime. Take care of it. Many hearing disorders are caused by being exposed to high volumes of UNNECESSARY sound. Living in a family where hearing loss is prevalent you early realize how precious it is.
I said goodbye to Uncle Buddy, again realizing it might be the last opportunity of seeing him on this side of heaven. It is with joy I see my loved ones and I carry these memories with me in a special place in my heart. It is sort of like saying goodbye to my own past. Our children our our future, our parents are our past. Should I live a long life there will be a time when all those who knew me as a child will be gone. Their stories will be gone. As long as I have my memories they will live in my heart.
On the morning of March 19th I worked out, came back to Aunt Esther’s and packed up to leave. Only then did I realize I had not driven by the old country house in Center Valley where my grandparents lived for over 50 years. I could not leave without another little trip down memory lane.
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Visions of Poetry 