Merry Christmas

To all our family and friends we wish you a safe and Merry Christmas day.   We hope this little note finds you well………………………….

God Bless………………..

Here's looking at you kid..................

What's the most unusual Christmas present you've ever given?

   I bet we can top it this year.
   Don has been hard at work planning, sawing, drilling, staining and painting























 What's he busy building you ask?

A rooting box! For our grandpiggy, Penelope. (Even though she hasn't been a very good little pig this year. She was snippy with her grandma while on vacation this past Summer).
   Penelope is a dwarf, Vietnamese Pot-Bellied pig. With attitude! She is the only child of our youngest daughter Bobbi-Leigh and son-in-law Dennis.
   Penelope is litter box trained and pretty much has free run of their house. Being quite intelligent and curious, both traits that tend to get her into trouble frequently, it was decided that a rooting box would give her something constructive, safe and fun to play with. And maybe, just maybe, keep her out of trouble. At least for a little while.

River rocks will be added later!!

   Here's oinking at you pig, er, um, looking at you kid................

We did it!

   One more obstacle down, one more obstacle to go.
   The ongoing process of downsizing has advanced a little further. We sold our conversion van. We had tried selling it last Sept. and Oct. We had listed it in our local newspaper, on Craigslist and Auto Trader. We had even put "For Sale" signs on the vehicle itself. It generated very little interest.
"Alright," Don says, "we'll list it again in the Spring just before families start making their Spring Break sojourns south. We'll sell it then for sure."
   I wasn't as optimistic. Don't get me wrong, it's a great running vehicle. Clean inside and out. Plenty of extras. It had received regular oil changes and maintenance, but it was 5 years old and it's mileage was beginning to creep upward. I was afraid we'd be strapped with it right up till the moment we'd hit the open road.
   Then an opportunity presented itself. A lady that Don works with was looking for a van. Not just any van. It needed to have barn doors, middle seats that could be removed, plenty of leg and head room, and be in good running condition. She couldn't afford new. You see, she and her husband had just learned that he had MSA, a degenerative disease, and he would be wheelchair bound before too long. They had found a company that would install a chair lift onto a van for them if only they could get their hands on one.

   Don came home from work that evening and told me about their family's plight. After very little discussion, we agreed that Don would tell her about our van, which suited their needs to a tee, and that if they liked it and wanted it, they could have it for the exact balance of our loan. (Don did a nationwide online search and determined our offer was an excellent offer indeed).
   The family came out to our house, inspected the van, took it for a drive and decided to buy it right on the spot.
   We feel very good about this. Yes, originally we had hoped to make a little profit from the sale, but we are relieved that this is one more thing to have done and out of our way. We are happy that we were able to provide this family with the vehicle they needed.
Our only prayer is that the van continues to run well and for a long time for this family. Our hearts go out to them.

     And the last obstacle? Well, it's selling the house. It goes on the market this coming Spring. Sure hope the economy improves by then.









Here's looking at you kid..........................