In Memory of My Nephew Arthur

On January 20th it will be exactly seventeen years since my sister Donna has seen her son Arthur. We don't know any more about what happened to him now than we did those many years ago. The police were properly notified when he was first missing and there have been moments of hope that he would be found. We do not have hope that he is alive though. Too many reasons to believe otherwise.

Arthur was a favorite nephew and the cousin my children got to know as a friend and brother. He was there for many of their adventures. He is the one that was with Griff when the bike flew down suicide hill and crashed. Arthur observed the accident from the top of the hill. Griff came home with less teeth. Arthur was with Bill and Griff for other adventures too. Laura really loved her cousin, as I'm sure Kathy would echo the sentiment.

Arthur's sister Debra was just one year and a day younger than he was. They loved and fought as brothers and sisters often do. She really misses him and sometimes makes a call to the police to remind them that Arthur has family that cares.

Arthur was my parents first grandson, two years younger than my daughter Kathy, a half year older than Laura. Arthur disappeared while my mother was still with us. Maybe they are together now. My hope is that he is enjoying time with loved ones that have gone on to their reward in heaven. He used to say he loved the Lord and I hope that was true. He had a lot of problems and strayed along the way. He also knew the wrong kind of people.

Arthur, son, husband, father, and even a grandfather. Arthur, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend. It has been difficult for me to find pictures of him besides those taken of him as a child. I know we have a few good pictures of him but I can't put my fingers on them. He was a handsome young man. He would be fifty-three years old now and I bet he would still be young at heart.

From: Glendale Crime Stoppers 2001

Bits and Pieces of Life - January 2011

I still can't even start a new post unless Laura is here to help me. I get so frustrated because I do the same thing as she does and it doesn't work for me. All I get is a page that has nothing to do with starting a new post. Learning new things has always been hard for me. If Laura wasn't here I wouldn't even be on the computer.

Fred gets frustrated because Donna doesn't learn how to use the computer, but she doesn't have someone like Laura to teach her. Fred wouldn't have the time to put into teaching her. He doesn't even have time to go to his Facebook page. His computer is for work, not fun.

Poor Bill, his laptop computer is not working at this time. He needs it for all of his birding and other records. He spends a lot of time on it when it works. I hope the cats didn't do something to it when they jumped across it. He says it was already having problems so they are not the cause. This is not his first laptop as some don't last long for him.

I get ideas to write about, but when I sit at the computer those ideas take flight. Today I put some ideas on paper since I'm sharing about a friend at her memorial service on Saturday. Kathy was my friend that I played Scrabble with. I knew her since our boys were in 5th or 6th grade together. She was a neighbor on the street in back of us. Her husband Ron is still our friend. They always welcomed friends into their home and knew how to give a party which they did many times over the years.

We have been enjoying having Bill with us since he arrived from Florida on Christmas. We have been to the desert, the mountains, Lindo Lake in Lakeside and to Griff's in Valley Center. Bill has taken his Dad birding many times in recent weeks. They have been to all the local birding spots. Bill has gone out with Laura on excursions too. This morning while Bill and Paul were out birding Laura and I took a short walk to a favorite neighborhood spot overlooking the Otay Valley.

On Saturday we had company here. My cousin Dagna and her husband Joe were here on their annual visit with us. Actually we saw Dagna another time last summer when Kathy and John were here. Donna and Fred were also here on Saturday as they were in town for a wedding. They were able to enjoy tamales with us that Dagna and Joe brought for dinner. Donna and Fred were here for a short time when they had to head to the wedding of Fred's niece. Last time they were in town it was for his brother's funeral.

There is always something going on, it seems. I also enjoy quiet days at home. I do a little housework too. But I need to do a lot more housework. It is good to have company to make me do a little extra work. There is never an end to things that need to be done.

We had a problem that Paul had to solve by phone last week. We had changed health insurance providers in December but the old one did not get canceled as it should have. The whole idea was that we couldn't afford the old one. When he first called about it he was told that it was too late to cancel and he was given the run around with voice mail. That is a bad thing to happen to any senior. He finally got hold of someone who could help him late last week so the problem is solved after many sleepless nights on my part. We couldn't just withhold payment as it automatically came out of his pay before it got to the bank. Thankfully things look better now. Hopefully they really are.

We had a nice day yesterday as we enjoyed church and then went with friends to Arby's afterwards. We had talked with Ellen and Dave for several weeks about doing this. Ellen is my good friend from Westview Bible Church that I originally met on the bus. We met her when we were heading to Coronado on Sundays and she was also riding the bus. It has been a blessing to know Ellen and Dave and to go to church with them. We have made other friends at Westview too. We already knew Adria, another dear friend.

I want to get together with my dear friend Madeline soon. We are long overdue on doing this, not any fault of hers. I don't know when we can work this out. She would like to see Bill while he is here. I hope for the best. Madeline, if you read this I will call soon.

We also promised Rosalie we would go see her soon. She is "my other mother" and Madeline is "my other sister". Donna and I both "adopted" Rosalie when we were teen agers to be our "other mother". But we haven't been very good daughters in recent years. We get busy and time slips away.

Lucia "adopted" me to be her "other mother" as her family is in Colombia. She was able to see them recently when they were in California on vacation. She also went with Michael and Sabrina to Oklahoma to see his family for Christmas so they have been on the go. We need to get together soon.

I recently sent birthday cards to two of my nephews and to Josie. I could have sent another nephew a card too but didn't have his current address. Josie was our daughter-in-law, but we still consider her to be family.

Such is the life of this senior citizen. This wasn't about any one thing, just bits and pieces of life. And I didn't even touch on everything. I really need patience with problems I face each day. Best of all, I love my friends and family.  Hugs.  :)

Just As I Am

In Reading Rituals I wrote about enjoying the morning newspaper each morning with my cup of tea. I also mentioned some magazines and books that I have read. But something is missing in this picture. The most important reading ritual I could have would be reading the Word of God.

I do read the Bible, but I can't say that I have been as consistent as I would like to be. Laura and I enjoy reading the Bible and praying together. We begin to be consistent in our reading and prayer time and then we skip some days. Then we have to begin all over again on our ritual together. In the meantime she does her own reading and studying.

Paul has been faithful in reading the Bible for many years. He reads through the whole Bible almost every year. Oh to be so faithful. I confess that I have begrudged him for this in years past since he would not read it with me. It is almost like I blamed him for my failure to be so consistent. I needed someone to lead me in Bible and prayer time. It is not just that either. I wanted family devotions and tried to make that happen. I did my best in a way, but wish I had done better. Our daughters love the Lord. Our sons needed more guidance to come to believe what is truth. I was a baby Christian and needed to mature. Maybe I needed a mentor myself.

Enough years have gone by now and I better understand why some things were the way they were in our family. I am also stronger in my faith so try to let go of some things I can not change. One thing is certain, we can not change other people. I can fuss all I want, but that is not going to change anything. I need to admit my own mistakes and move on. God is the only one who can make a real difference in our lives. I'm so glad that I have Him in my life. I'm so glad that Jesus saved me and he loves me.

I'm thinking of the old favorite, sung at revivals, "Just as I am, without one plea But that Thy blood was shed for me, And that Thou bidds't me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
"Just as I am, and waiting not To rid my soul of one dark blot, To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come! I come!"  The song goes on for three more verses.  Text by Charlotte Elliot. Music by William B. Bradbury.


"Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." John 6:37

Reading Rituals

We each have favorite ways to begin a new day, a favorite tradition or habit. For me it is to open the San Diego Union Tribune and enjoy a cup of tea. It had been coffee for many years until I stopped the coffee routine a year or two ago. I also enjoy other drinks such as hot cocoa or hot apple cider, the kind that come in little instant drink packets. But the main part of the ritual is to read the newspaper.

I remember my grandparents had the newspaper which I sometimes looked at as a child. I don't remember if it was the morning or evening paper. They had some magazines I enjoyed also, such as The Saturday Evening Post. I was a slow reader so it is amazing that I even picked up the paper or any magazines. But there are things of interest to see, even for a slow reader. I don't remember my parents having any newspapers in the house in those days. When I was able to do so I purchased some magazines. First it was children's magazines and then things of interest to teenagers. But I enjoyed The Ladies Home Journal as a young teenager too. My mother must have liked magazines also, as she had a lot of old copies, some as old as me. Somewhere we still have one of the oldest copies of Life magazine, dated the month I was born.

I remember seeing books on the shelves at my grandparent's homes. They didn't seem to be children's books so didn't capture my interest. We used to go to the Coronado Library and I enjoyed this experience. I also checked out books at the school library. I did not own any books until I bought a set of Cherry Ames books when I was a teen ager. I bought books for our children and we now have a library in our house. We have books on many subjects, mainly Christian books. We have a lot of nature books too, especially birding books.

Paul's parents had a lot of books as his mother was an avid reader. Laura must have received this gene as she is a serious reader too. We didn't have TV when our children were young so they enjoyed books, even the encyclopedia. And I enjoyed my other publications such as the San Diego Union and my magazines.

Paul's family got the San Diego Evening Tribune for many years. We got the morning paper for years and years and that is how I got much of the news. The two papers are now combined and are not as large due to cost saving measures. But I continue my morning ritual that has been going on for more than fifty years. :)



Image credits: inkyfingerz; mynaiale; Fríða Rún

We Begin the New Year -2011

Happy New Year!! Yesterday, on the first, we were up very early so we could be on our way at five a.m. Actually it was ten minutes after five when we finally left our Court as I had to go back to find my hat. Then I still wondered whether or not we did everything that needs to be done when we are going to be gone for the day. All safety measures taken, all cats cared for, all our things we need with us? This was just for a one day trip. Can you imagine what it is like for a real trip? Actually someone has to stay home when it is for a long trip as we have too many pets to care for.

The sun was rising as we headed east on Interstate 8 over the mountains. We saw a beautiful sunrise as we reached the desert. It was a jacket kind of day for Laura and me. The guys don't seem to get cold very easy so were comfortable with shirt sleeves. Their minds were on birding in the Salton Sea area. We didn't do our usual walk at the waters edge as they were after a certain bird for the day. They finally found the Bean Goose towards the end of the day. This is a goose from Europe so it would have been way off course.

Between Paul and Bill they found over eighty kinds of birds for the day. Paul had 77, possibly more. Laura also did some birding with them. But I mostly enjoyed reading and seeing the scenery for the day. We went on a lot of country roads as we have many times in the past. That is what birders do when they have certain birds in mind. It is called chasing a bird when they are looking for a certain bird. You could hear hunters in certain spots too. But we hunt with binoculars or scopes. If we had the right camera we could get some shots that way, but not with a gun. We have family members that are hunters so I will not be negative about hunters. It is just not our idea of fun.

Paul, Laura, Bill and another birder saw a Bald Eagle kill a Snow Goose. They were watching Snow Geese by the thousands, lots of White Pelicans and numerous other birds when this happened. That is when they were looking for the Bean Goose. It was quite a while later that they found the only Bean Goose to be found. Other birders were looking for him too, including one gentleman from Canada.

In our travels of the day we found ourselves on highway 111 at 1:11 pm on 1-1-11. I'm not big into numbers but this is a fun fact. Some people planned their weddings for this date. And some babies were born on this easy to remember day. The first baby of the year was featured in the local news. He was born ten seconds after midnight. They were aiming for a tax deduction by having the baby in the old year, but babies have their own schedule. We have our own little December baby since we have our first great grandson, born on the 13th.

On the way home yesterday we enjoyed a sunset as we headed west on the Interstate. It was dark when we left home in the morning and it was dark when we arrived home last night around seven pm. It was an enjoyable day with family, a nice way to begin the new year.


This morning in church we enjoyed the singing and the sermon. The message by Pastor Carey was a blessing to me. A good way to begin the year. We learned about God's holiness, our sin, God's grace and our faith. God is Holy. We are sinful, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23.  God's grace is what he has done for us, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16 Our faith is what we must do in response to what God has done for us. We must receive this gift by faith. We need Christ as our Saviour. We don't want to be caught dead without a Saviour. This is so simple, but we want to complicate it and make our own set of rules. Why don't we just believe what is truth? It will save us. Our works don't save us. Only God can save us from our sins. He loves us!!  :)

Image credits: colin brown; Maggiejumps; Maggiejumps; Billy Lindblom