Find that where I previously thought I would never run out of things to say.... I ran out of things to say. So I have not done a "writing" in a long time. Needless to say much has happened and not much has happened. I find that to be true as you get ......well.....older.
Been retired officially since the second week in January. Enjoying it a lot. Wanted to do some giving back for all I have been given, so Mate and I are involved in several "good works". I am attending Ladies Bible Class for the first time ever. Every Wednesday morning during the fall and winter, ladies of a certain age (estimating from 55 on up through and including 98) meet for an hour of Bible study and just plain old sharing of information. I have known these ladies almost my entire life. I love them. I am confident of few things at my age, but one of those things is that they also love me. We share a history that cannot be obtained other than through the love and belief in a Savior. Its so ......well.....WOW wonderful.
I also decided I would become a better neighbor. I know to say "Hi" and sometimes, "Boy we need some rain" with 3 others on our 6 house cul de sac. Sad isn't it. I aspire to correct this. But I am not doing too good a job. Seems we don't go outside a lot. Neither do my neighbors. We no longer work in the yard. We hire it done. I do walk the dog but not so much anymore since she has a visitor and they run for hours on end in the back yard. I don't even see many people in a neighborhood with seldom an empty house. When I was growing up we at least came out the front door and walked to the garage. Now I go through my hall to get to the garage and car. Where has everyone gone? But I digress.
Did see a for sale sign on a house across from our cul d sac and saw a moving van with a young couple moving in. Thought about it a while. This is a good place to start. Baked a chocolate cake, even put walnuts in the icing. Took it over and with a smile announced my name and welcomed them to the neighborhood. Blew this one big time. Seems this was the young couple still moving out and they had lived there since 2000. They could not even keep the cake as they were on the road. However with much embarrassment I noted later that evening that no good deed goes unpunished. We had a death in our congregation. Wanda Ganzer, beautiful lady, one of those I have known all my life. Ladies responsible for feeding her family needed a cake. I happened to have a welcoming one all iced even with walnuts . I knew Wanda well and it was indeed a welcome home to Paradise cake.
