Thoughts From Last Year: True Direction

Thoughts From Last Year: True Direction: "...love believes the best so I am going against what I think." If we are going to stick with what is real and true ...

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

Remember that essay every new school year?

When I was young we never went on vacation.  I only remember one vacation with my family and one summer being left (long story) at my Grandmother's in Missouri.  But many years I had to write this essay telling what I did over the summer.  Luckily my parents took us to the beach, the movies, the park, and the mountains all summer long.  Also I lived on a very entertaining street corner.

Every summer there were at least two car wrecks on that corner, and this was the days before mandatory seat belts so the wrecks were often bad.  Since we were far from town it was a while before the police and ambulance would come to their aid so often my parents would be out there checking things out seeing if they could help.  Mostly though we just watched.

Two other things that happened every summer were a heard of sheep that a man brought down our street every summer. He would walk them from field to field where he had a contract, and they would eat to their hearts content. It was a great way to clear the fields and so we had the joy of seeing this large group of sheep walk right down the street each summer. The other thing that happened each summer, was an antique and classic car rally.  For an entire day, one car after the other, would pass by our house.  It was a fun day watching them travel by.  

So what did I do on my summer vacation?  I turned 61.  I watched/loved on my grands a lot.  I volunteered at a Food Bank on Tuesday and Thursday morning.  I got to Dog and House sit at a 1930's mansion again this summer.  One of my very favorite things to do in the summer.  

And...  My husband and I got to go to Mammoth with my youngest son and his wonderful family.

Just one of the lovely lakes at Mammoth.

This was my first time there and all of it was a treat.  After miles and miles of hot, dry desert and many small towns we made it to this beautiful, lush place called Mammoth.  I can't believe how much there is to do there if you are able bodied. I had a hard time breathing the first few days and I didn't get to go to Devil's Post Pile because I couldn't walk there and back.

My youngest grandson and I sat at a lovely resort, which is one of the bus stops, at Mammoth and we played with rocks.  He has a fascination with rocks. He kept choosing different ones to group together and I started telling him how one of the formations he made reminded me of Corona Del Mar's rocks (A California Beach), that I used to climb each summer as a child.

He then grouped the rocks and told me how it reminded him of a place he and his family had been to in Hawaii.  He is a cutie and he entertained me the entire time we were out waiting for his family and my husband to return from Devil's Post Pile.

Other than that I went to church.  I always go to church. The rest of the time I tried to beat the heat.  All in all it was a great summer vacation.

I hope yours was fun too.  No matter if you stayed home and watched car wrecks on the corner, or traveled to a place you love, or have never been before.

Jeremiah 29:11(NLT)  For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Summer in California is nearly over and every day it is looking more like we are closer to fall.  Well that is it is looking like the kind of fall days we have here in Cali.  Days that are cooler than summer (80 degrees is coming instead of high 90's) and shorter.  I can tell the days are getting shorter because my timed light needs to be adjusted to come on sooner.  My living room gets grey before the light comes on to brighten things up.  But for now there is about a week left of my usual summer routine.

I have three more days of watching grand-children then my schedule changes and I'll only watch them two afternoons a week and a Sunday now and then for one of my sons and the occasional day off for the other son.  I look forward to summer because I get to spend so much time with them.  Then as summer draws to a close I look forward to having more time to myself so I can get a few things done.  It has been this way for a number of years now and I like this routine.

But I am especially excited for this year because my husband and I cancelled the 24/7 internet access and the Fios TV.  Now we only have computer access if we hook our phone up to the computer as a hot spot and our TV antenna doesn't get very good reception so there isn't a TV to capture my attention every moment of the day.

For me it was hard to get used to not having the TV, for my husband it was hard not to have the 24/7 internet access.  It has been about 2 months and we are slowing adjusting.  I was very twitchy at first.  I wanted to watch television so badly.  I missed Flea Market Flip and NCIS more than I though I would.  My husband missed watching videos and cruising the internet whenever he chose.  He also missed being able to work on his programming any time he wanted.  Now he must be selective and careful with his time on the computer.  We find ourselves taking advantage of others 24/7 access to  Wifi when we have the opportunity.

My hope is that without these distractions we will get out doors more and that I will get in my spare room to sew and do crafts. There are many more things around my house that need attention too, we'll see.  We'll see how I/we do at adjusting to life without complete access to technological distractions.  Maybe my brain will grow.  Ha!  I hope so.

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David Phelps & Marshall Hall - Let the Glory Come Down

Random Thoughts:

I must say that I think about this blog a lot and that is as far as I get.  I used to have a very successful blog and so the neglect I show here has astounded even me.  Perhaps I will turn that around.

The last month has been a nightmare health wise.  I know I am healed.  I know that the Lord is watching over me.  I know that attacks happen but this one had me a bit afraid.  I had pneumonia again (it has been a few years) and I had pink eye again (last time as a kid 1960's) twice this past month  (I was afraid that I might go blind) and apparently I had/have a raging case of allergies along with all of this!  Still God is good and wise and loving and healer.  Enough said.  Except to say that other than the allergies and feeling tired easily (I must build up my strength again), I feel wonderful.  Ready to go and get back to my wonderful blessed life. 

It was awesome to be at Church for the second time in over 30 days.  I missed so much at church and only got to see my grands a few times this past month, but I felt a peace in many things.  I listened to my church on line and looked at FB picture of the grands.   

Oh here is something fun I actually got to participate in last Friday.  My beautiful DIL Annmarie turned 30 something years young, 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNMARIE WE LOVE YOU! 

We all went to a place where you paint a picture while an instructor shows you how it is done.  The Hunny and I didn't paint, we watched while everyone else painted.  ALL the pictures turned out beautiful in their own special way. There must have been 15 paintings.  

I wish I had pictures for this post but all I have are ramblings.  Well I am off now to sew.  I am making blinds for the patio so we can beat the heat.  The electric bill is too high to use the air much in the summer so we will cool things down a bit with blinds (curtains) for the patio.