In the process of fall cleaning - really pitching things out the door type - we found the old records that were played in the evening to "put us to sleep"! Mama would put a stack of 3-4 long play records on the record player, and we would go to sleep listening to them play.  Seldom did we hear the last one. My youngest sister was here a few days ago, and I played her a "sample".  She soon had tears in her eyes and said, "Time just goes too fast"  I also played the first part of one record for my father over the phone. He immediately said it was his, how did I get it. He was unaware that it had left his home many years ago, a part of my record collection.  Time has a way of doing that to us, making us think it was only yesterday!

I purchased a nice machine that will allow me to record these records (and cassette tapes) onto a CD, and enjoy them for a long time - not getting more scratches on them then they already have! Anyone have a suggestion as to how they should be cleaned before playing them?  Some of them are really dirty!

There was one record that was a surprise to me, had forgotten about quite a few. It was "Lift Your Glad Voices" by the Mount Pleasant Mennonite Chorus! The director was Jane Burkholder. There are some Bergey, Keffer, Broadwater, Buckwalter, Mast, Miller, Wenger, Hobbs, Layman and other names on the label above the picture. Maybe I should have created a copy of the picture to include here!

December will be busy, so the "recording" will have to wait, maybe til Spring.

We spent Wednesday night with Elizabeth in Columbia, SC. She had been working there, and it gave us time to be with her a little on Thanksgiving Day as well. Our anniversary fell on Thanksgiving Day this year, just as our wedding day was 34 years ago.  We served a Thanksgiving meal of turkey and dressing, corn, mashed potatoes w/gravy, carrot salad and applesauce. There was a piece of wedding cake and ice cream for dessert.  There were 350 that came that day to celebrate our wedding!  (Were you one of them?) We were married at the Cold Spring Mennonite Church in Abbeville, SC, by the same bishop (Uncle Jonas) that had married Merle's parents 22 years before (also on Thanksgiving Day). This year we went to Charleston, SC, instead of the NC mountains as we did for our honeymoon.

Charleston was windy and chilly, we were thankful for our jackets. (Unlike our honeymoon - we had then left our jackets and comfortable shoes at home!) My prayer partner had made the lovely basket for us to enjoy on the trip. We spent the afternoon at Patriot's Point, touring the ships that were on display there. Merle did more climbing up and down the stairs, as he had never been on an air craft carrier before.  Just being able to relax and watch the water and the things going on around me were satisfying to me - also knowing that we could do this again tomorrow!!

This photo shows the one item that probably had more pictures taken of it than any other, the new bridge at Charleston. There are 250 cables holding this bridge, and it will hold over one million tons! Earlier this spring, my youngest sister and daughter participated in a "run" over it. They did not win, but they did not quit!

The houses were made with brick, but it was not "the thing" to have brick, so it was covered with a smooth finish, and then "marked" to resemble stone or granite.  The "bolts" on the side are just that!  They were installed after an earthquake in the 1800's, and made to tighten the building as it would become "loose".

The whole city has gas lanterns throughout.  In the case of flooding or damaging winds, the city cuts off the gas. The "cobble stone" streets were made of ballast stones that had been on the ships from England, and not needed for the return trip. We took a carriage ride, and were fortunate enough to get the slowest horse in the stables!  We even had a mule team pass us! It was Dick's last day before leaving for a three month rest in the nearby plantation, and we enjoyed the ride at the slower pace.

On the way home, I thought about the fact that this trip had the same length of time that our honeymoon had taken. We enjoyed ourselves, and do not recommend waiting as long as we did for your first "anniversary" trip. Thank each one of you who had given us "best wishes" and prayed for us while we were gone.
 

 We had our family Thanksgiving dinner today. Elizabeth took a couple pictures for us, and we are able to share this one of Jacob, Isaac, and Valerie.  (It won't be long and their son will be three!)

Merle had found a child's battery operated 4-wheeler, and brought it home to give to Isaac.  Merle and Jacob were pushing him around on it, until Merle found a rope, then Jacob pulled him!  It doesn't seem real that our grandson is old enough to do things like that.  The time will fly by, and we will soon be telling you of his graduation from school!

Jacob's family is headed to Iowa on Tuesday evening to visit some friends there over Thanksgiving.  Merle and I are going to Charleston, SC, for an anniversary trip.  It will be the first one we have taken in the 34 years of our marriage! Our anniversary will be on Thanksgiving Day this year. We will be spending Wednesday night in Columbia, SC, with Elizabeth, and then go our separate ways the next day.  Elizabeth will be watching Tom for me on Friday, something she is really looking forward to doing.  The digital camera will be going with us-- so we can share a couple pictures with you.  (It will also give a better opportunity to upload and have a photo album made for us.)

We hope everyone will have a wonderful Thanksgiving week, especially thankful for the salvation Christ provides, and that God has placed us in the United States of America where we can serve him unhindered.

30 years ago - we had a son born to us, but we never got to see the color of his eyes.  He went on to wait for us to come the Heaven, and in my mind -- to take us to meet his Jesus! Time has a way of slipping by, with us not paying any attention.  Suddenly we realize there is much less time (according to statistics) left for us to live, and we wonder how it could have happened.

Today - Tom turned 2!  He was only 8 months old when I first began caring for him - hardly rolling over.  Today he was given a Home Depot Child's Work Bench, with 5 "motorized" tools.  Loves his hammer and screwdrivers that came with it.  After "running" the screw-gun for an hour, it was determined that the tools should take a rest, and so should he. (The poor motors were protesting with an "overheated" smell!)  He is learning that when he has one tool out, the others have to be put on the shelf!

Today - my nephew and wife gave birth to their second daughter. All are doing well, and ready for some rest.  The oldest daughter was almost "beside herself" with excitement when she was introduced to her new sister. So begins an new cycle of life.

We have sooo much to be grateful for each day.  I really appreciate several of the xanga sites on my subscription list that frequently list things they are thankful for that day.  It is a real boost to the soul.

My birthday started out very different than any other!  Merle had devotions in church this morning and used the "5 finger prayer" idea I saw on someone else's site. After he prayed, he paused and said, "I have one more thing to say. Happy Birthday Grace!"  I was in complete shock - everyone else was chuckling!

I had made 25 lbs of potatoe salad for a group of cousins, instead of "for 25 people" , so we had some of that along with one of Merle's hamburgers.  Anyone who has eaten one of those knows there is nothing small about them.  They are meal alone.

Never had a problem turning older, but somehow I wonder if the number 60 will be a "hill".  As a friend says - At least you are still above dirt and happy!  That is true, God has blessed us with many rich blessings.

Elizabeth will leave on Tuesday for Haiti.  She will return November 9. When you think of our family, please remember us in your prayers.  Thanks.

Last weekend was a very special one for the Clark and Hilda Yoder family.  All of the immediate family, and two spouses, were there to celebrate their 80th birthdays.  Clark was born on November 18, 1926, and Hilda was born on October 11, 1926. We are not sure how they are supposed to act at this age, but they are still doing most of their own work. Daddy is often found outside working on cleaning up the woods area - cutting, splitting and stacking wood. Mama is still in her flower beds - always pulling that one more weed!

The five of us children were sleeping in the basement on Friday and Saturday nights. The grandchildren were off somewhere else - which gave us five several hours on Friday night/Saturday morning to have a gab fest! We all helped to make breakfast the next morning, omlet with tomatoe gravy and pancakes with meat gravy. We really had a "brunch", as it was 10 am when we sat to the table. Daddy had some pictures copied for us to take home, and Mama had taken boxes out of the attic for us to go through and take what we wanted. What treasure we found!! Saturday afternoon found all of us around a couple mikes, recording a lot of memories from the past and singing some songs that we had almost forgotten all the words. Mama had brought along our homemade song books, and that helped us muddle through a few of them! We had fun, but we sure did not always harmonize! While we were hurting the ears of the one who did the recording, the grandchildren were preparing our supper/dinner. They had made a menu for us to choose what we wanted to be served. It included shrimp coctail, fruit kabobs, 10 oz. rib-eye steak, savory roast, chicken, baked potatoe, mashed potatoe, peas, carrots, cauliflower, ribbon salad, cranberry salad with cottage cheese, and pudding parfiets for dessert. Just what would you have choosen? We were well filled when we finished.

The shortest girls that are standing are Helen's daughters. The others all belong to Dorothy and Wayne. Sitting at the table are Helen, Grace, Melvene Joy, Mama (Hilda), Daddy (Clark), Roy, Lovina, and Dorothy.  (Dorothy's husband, Wayne is on the right in the picture on the left.)

Helen had to leave early Sunday morning, but the rest of us all attended church with Daddy and Mama. Melvene and I left early in the afternoon, and Roy a couple hours behind us.  Thus came to an end of a very special time - now only memories, pictures, cassette tape, and video remain.

Merle and I were given the privilege to watch our grandson for four wonderful hours last evening.  His father had something planned, and his mother wanted to go hunting.  She called and wondered if we would be at home, and would we watch him while she went!! Any other plans were immediately put on the back burner!

  Isaac is watching Merle use the chain saw

        Helping to clean the truck! Both got wet!

They spent time unloading the wood Merle brought home, splitting some wood (Isaac wanted him to "do it again"), feeding the cats, washing the truck, with lots of bonding time.  After supper, they read stories and played with the toys in the dining room.  It does not seem real that he will be three this December.  Time is going by fast.

Our church had meetings this weekend to ordain a second deacon.  We missed all of them, not because we were not interested, but because of a friend in need.

We were told on Thursday that our friend had to be out of her house before Monday morning - or the sherriff would be putting her out on the street.  She had nowhere to go at that point.  Someone found a place for her late Saturday to rent, but could not get the key before 2 PM on Sunday.  Everything had to be packed up by Saturday to go to storage, just in case there was no other place to go. We are planning to have everything moved in time to be able to attend church this evening for the ordination - hopefully!

We have wondered what we should do, have compassion, or be a part in the congregation's business. We hope we chose -- what Jesus would have done.

Leora Overholt Swartzentruber -- a very special person in my life.  My first memory of her goes back to my childhood.  She fascinated me.  Maybe it was the friendly smile, making me feel wanted. Maybe it was because she was a twin.  Not sure what it all started with, but I know that by the time she left us, she had become such a good friend.  She had her own way of using my name -- "Gracie", she would say, "I want you to know that I pray for you - every time I use the silverware you gave me for my wedding"  It was a comfort to know that she would pray for me so often.

She traveled with me to see Eldon's son in Meigs one weekend before they were married.  She enjoyed the trip, but was soooo anxious to arrive home before Eldon would be calling her!  (This was before common day cell phone use!)  It rained so hard on the way home that we missed our road, but we made it in time.  She was so refreshing - to see God lead her into marriage with such excitement in her.

God has truly blessed me with her friendship, and now when I think of her, I will hear "Gracie, I am waiting to show you Heaven, keep the faith, it is so worth it!"  -- and so she will have an influence even after she has gone. I'll thank the Lord for her many more times, and be challenged to keep the faith.

He is indeed!

We have been having electrical problems over the years, and thought my father was able to correct them last fall.  It all went well until I overloaded the small circuit last spring, and blew one of the two fuses!  Put a new one in, and things went well again -- until about two weeks ago.  We began to notice a surge or lowering of the lights.  Merle came home last week and thought it smelled like burnt brakes in the back of the house.  Informed me that I needed to be extra careful in the things I had running until we could get someone to upgrade to a 200 amp service.

Last Friday evening, I came home to very dim lights. I called my father --who I always can rely on for an answer!  He had me check the fuses.  One of them had a hole in it, and the plastic around the damaged area of the fuse had melted!  The fuse had never blown! 

We truly credit our Father God for not having it catch fire.  The house is so old, it would go up in flames in a minute.

We have someone scheduled to upgrade our service, and then I will have all the electric I could want -- at least that is what they say!  (I never have enough space on a computer - so why should I have enough electric?)

Merle turned 55 on Sunday, September 10, Grandparents Day. My parents, my "baby" sister, and Lee were here to help celebrate.  Very relaxed day.