Another Year - 2011

I am trusting and praying that all my family and friends out there that read this blog (yes, all six of you) are having a wonderful end to the year 2011. My prayer is that God will continue to bless you and show you his grace and mercy.

I look back on this year with much thankfulness as God has blessed me with my travels this year that I was able to visit with so many of my friends and family. Now as this year is ending, I pray that all of you will experience the same blessings in 2012.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” God's present to us! Our Saviour was born. --Luke 2: 8-12

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!

More Stuff

A couple of years ago I bought a new laptop and retired the old desktop computer that was more than an antique. It served its purpose alright but was so slow and starting to get noisy again. The new laptop sat very unobtrusively in the middle of my desk because it was so small, even though the old computer was still hooked up and ever present. But I did notice that every once in a while I had to push a few things aside on the desk whenever I sat down there.

Now fast forward to a couple of months ago when all of a sudden I noticed that even I could hardly even get into the office (a 7 by 9 foot entry room off the living room). Where did all this stuff come from? Why are there so many stacks and piles of paperwork on the floor, and getting higher and higher? The desk was overrun with clutter, The file cabinet had almost as much on it as in it. The two bookcases in the room were spilling their contents out onto the floor just adding to the mess already in the room. I realized I have been doing a lot of cleaning out these past couple of years but why is “stuff” still getting in my way? I guess that every time I start cleaning in another room, the room next to it becomes the staging area. It seems like I am just chasing myself around the house as I try to de-clutter one room at a time.

In the process of cleaning out my “stuff” these past couple of years, I ran across an old photograph of when I was setting up the office as a computer room with my first computer. WOW! What a clean and organized room! Nothing extra on the desk and nothing on the floor either. Will I ever have an office like that again? That picture was motivation enough for me to get busy and organize my office. Now that my old desktop computer is gone, the carpet in the room is gone, the extra bookcases are gone and much of the clutter on the desk is gone, how long will it take until my desk is cluttered again?

Maybe this photograph of my "new" office will motivate me keep it that way!!!

Possessions

I have been taking inventory of my life and the way I live. What I am finding is that there is a lot of clutter in my life. Life produces “stuff”. What does a person do with all this “stuff”? And by stuff, I mean things that one can really live without. Usually all these “stuffs” are things that are hardly ever used. So what to do? Do you give it all away? Do you just set it out on the curb for the garbage truck? Do you take time to find someone that can really use it? Do you just pile it up in the basement or garage like all the other “trophies” in life waiting until we might be able to use it?  Right now I am asking myself, "why I'm asking so many questions", when after all, it's “just stuff” and doesn't really amount to anything of value anyway.

We all know what God has to say about these “Worldly Possessions” don't we? Yes, in the end they will all burn up and none of it will count for our salvation or our justification. And yes, God did give us things to enjoy and to use so don't get me wrong.  Don't  think that I am saying that we all need to go back to living like our pioneer forefathers did either........................
But, by the way.............................., how did they get by with so little?

Ice Fishing

I went ice fishing the other day and I didn't catch any ice at all!!

All I caught was some fish!!!

LAUGH, LIVE, and LOVE

These are three of the key ingredients of enjoying LIFE. It's a fact that laughter is the best medicine. Laughter keeps you young and healthy. Laughter brings friends into your life. So LAUGH OFTEN!!

When you feel healthy, you want to live. And life has so much to be thankful for. And thankfulness gives so much to live for. So LIVE WELL!!

As God loves us, so we are to return his love and also love each other. ….. So LOVE MUCH!!

What else can be said? And what better philosophy to hang on your walls to remind you of good times?

The Renaissance Feast

I have never been to a Renaissance Feast. The event of music, song, and antics along with dinner is put on by the Minot Chorale.  My good friends and pastor invited me to the event since their son takes part in the festivities.  It is always so refreshing to be able to go out to events like this with such good friends where get-togethers and good conversations make these times so very special.  Yes, a good time was had by all.

What a Friend.....

Isn't it a great thing to have a friend? You know, the kind of person you can sit down with and talk to. One who listens and talks back to you too? (That's called a conversation, by the way.) A good friend is one to whom we can express all our deep and innermost concerns and in return is not judgmental of us. A true friend is one whom we can call up anytime of the day or night and unload on them. A true friend is also one who can call and unload on us as well. And we can offer any advice....or just listen if that's what is needed. See, in order to have a friend you need to be a friend. True friends understand each other and have like interests.

I was challenged recently to count how many friends I have. As I started counting my acquaintances and people I talk to on a daily basis, I surprised myself as to how many actually met the above criteria. There are many, many more definitions of a “true friend” but it was a very worthwhile exercise for me to contemplate who were really my friends. I am now motivated to be more of a friend to all my friends.

I have such a friend that I can take my cares and concerns to and still listens to me. Yes, I need to listen more too in order to fulfill the true meaning of a friend....You know, carry on that conversation?  The book my friend has written has in it, all I need to know.   My friend has lots to teach me about maintaining the friendships that I do have also. Thank you Lord Jesus for being my friend.

What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.

Thanksgiving Day

Autumn is, and always has been my favourite time of year. The changes in the weather. The beauty that comes in nature. The slower pace in life. The birthdays that so many of us have in the Fall of the year. And especially the time we can take to be thankful on a special day set aside for that purpose: Thanksgiving Day. I have taken some time this year to be thankful for my family who put me up (and put up with me) as I traveled so many times to visit them this year. I am thankful for all my friends that love me and give me support. I am thankful for a measure of health as I progressively get better. But I could not have all these blessings if it wasn't for the grace and mercy of our Creator God. To God goes all the thanks!

Another thing to be thankful for is the terrific weather we have been having, especially for this time of year.  As I was leaving Butte in the morning to travel to my Thanksgiving dinner I was greeted with this scene as I pulled out of town.  Try to tell me that there is no God!!!!!!  

On this Thanksgiving Day I had given some thought to traveling back to California (which would have been the fourth time this year!) to be with my family once again. As much as it would have been nice to be with family at this time of year, I just couldn't see having to travel again! Again, I am so thankful that I do have so many friends here that I was blessed to spend the day with!

Thankfulness

With Autumn comes a certain aire of thankfulness as we contemplate the many blessings that come to us from the hand of Almighty God.  I especially think of the blessings that I have received by way of my family and the many friends that I have.  Without them and their support, it would have been a lonely and uneventful year.  As it was, this year held so many positive events and emotions for me that it would take hours to list them all.  It is for that reason that I started this new blog of my LIFE here in DAKOTA.  I hope to chronicle many more events in my LIFE as time goes on.

With Autumn also comes the aire of thankfulness for the changes of the seasons.  The smells in the air are such a blessing as the leaves begin to fall and the air becomes more crisp.  And with the crispness in the air also comes the first snowfall:  so pure, so white, and so quiet that one can truly pause and give thanks.

With Autumn also come a certain smell in the air.  Only this smell comes from the inside of the house.  I need only let  my family and friends have one guess as to what this delicious odour might be!  Everyone now seems to be standing in line as the stack of lefse starts to build.  I am so thankful that I am able to share this wonderful treat with so many.

IT'S GONE ! ! !

I hope that all of you can see from my previous posts how much my family, especially my grandchildren, mean to me.  I love my travels out west to visit with them as much as I can and I especially love it when they come up here to visit with me!!  (insert HINT here)  I will never stop saying this....... "God has blessed me over and over again.

I will be posting, in the near future, the travels that I made to California in the spring and the summer of this year, 2011. I will also give a little review later on of my trip to Canada and Alaska. So stay tuned!

In the meantime, I have been trying to upload a video to my blog but have been having no success at all and much frustration.  (Where's my techo grandson when I need him?)  But finally I got it to work, so here is the video that Steven took of me this summer, 2011, when I was visiting them in California.  I know, many of you (and I won't name names here) have been waiting, hoping, and praying for this day!!!   SO HERE IT IS!

Birthday Blessings

I must digress a bit here and talk of a day about which I had much apprehension.  MY 65th BIRTHDAY!!!!     I still find it hard to believe that I am now one of society that is on Medicare!!!   I actually never thought that day would ever come!  Furthermore, I thought that whenever I reached that age, I would be some kind of "old foogie" or something.  In reality I must thank God that I feel younger now and, as many of my friends describe me, ACT much younger than I have in the past several years.  I thank God, my family, and my really close friends for that attitude change in my life!

The main reason for that change are all the blessing that God has brought into my life.  Without God's blessings and grace, life would be quite boring and fruitless.  Starting my third year of being alone has been a real experience for me but God has sent his blessings my way time and time again.  I have been blessed by his traveling mercies of thousands and thousands of miles this year by car, RV, plane, ship and bus.  I am blessed by my family and friends, all of whom have, and continue to support me.  I am blessed by good health even though I have reached that dreaded "Medicare age".

I am blessed by a new look as well since I am loosing enough weight to warrant a new wardrobe and I am now sans beard and pony tail.  Finally, and most importantly,  God has blessed me by giving me some very good friends that he brought into my life.  Yes, I am truly blessed!!

Thanks to all of you again for your love and support.

Lego My Boy ! !

And then there's Danny!! What a guy! I am so blessed by him because of his enthusiasm and energy. He is so much like his cousin Leo in that they have such a love of weapons including swords, lasers and light sabers. He has a vast knowledge of anything Star Wars related. This includes toys, books, movies, games, and Legos. I have a bit of knowledge of Lego toys from years past but I am of the Tinker Toy and Erector Set era. Any of those toys takes a measure of engineering and mechanical skills to work with. This little guy has all those qualities. Sitting on the floor with him watching him build space ships and transporters out of Lego parts makes me wonder and visualize what he will be doing as his life progresses.

Will he be an engineer? A scientist? An astronaut? I know one thing for sure: Whatever God calls him to be he will excel, as long as he applies himself,

A North Dakota Piano

When I first moved to North Dakota I bought an old abandoned church building across the street from my house with the purpose of using it as my woodworking shop. Inside the church was the old original upright grand piano. This church was sitting empty and unheated for ten or fifteen years before I bought it and I only put heat on occasionally whenever I had some project to do in the winter months. Even when it was used as a church it's hard telling how often the temperature remained constant. In the summer months the building would get really hot inside because of the high ceilings, not to mention the fact that the building is well over one hundred years old. I don't know much about pianos but every once in a while I would open it up and plunk away at it. At times someone would come over who knew how to play and made the comment that it didn't sound too bad.

A few years ago when my daughter was out here visiting, told me that Abby would like to start taking piano lessons. That motivated me to load it up into my cargo trailer when I had to haul a bunch of stuff out to California anyway. We moved it into Scott and Lisa's house and Abbs got signed up for lessons. Even the teachers commented on how nice it sounds and that it really wasn't that far out of tune.

One of my highlights whenever I visit out there is to sit and listen to her practice. She is not only doing really well at playing but seems to really enjoy it too.     I KNOW THAT I SURE DO!!!!

My "TECHI" Grandson

Steven is my technical computer go-to guy. I wish I had a tenth of the knowledge he has when it comes to anything technical, whether it's computer, phone, camera, games, or you name it. Of course all the other kids know their way around the chips and screens as well.

On this January 2011 trip he convinced me that I need an ipod. At this point I can't even remember what the reasons for having one were, but at the time it sounded good to me. So the two of us went shopping for it one day and he couldn't wait to get home and teach me how to set it up.

Yes, I had a very difficult time prying it out of his hands. After all, the one I just bought was a generation 4 and his was only a generation 3!!!!!

I still don't know a fraction of what I can do with it but every time I visit out there I learn even more about it from one or all of the kids. It keeps my brain working for sure.

Winter in California

On this visit to California (January 2011) I stayed with my son because the last couple of visits in years past I had stayed with my daughter and family. I am always so thankful that both of them are willing to put me up whenever I visit.

One of the highlights of visiting this time was the routine of picking up the kids after school.   It amazes me how well they love school and all the activities that they are involved in. One afternoon we were waiting for Hope to show up at to the car and she wasn't there which was unusual for her. Then Leo said, “Oh, she must be on Safety Patrol today.” Like I said, the kids just love to be involved in school activities.

I was also privileged on this visit to be able to watch my grandson work out at his Taekwondo class. It always does my heart good to see how much the kids pour their hearts into their work.

Travels

Yes, even though I have been talking about journaling about my life here in North Dakota, so far this year (2011) I have spent more time traveling than I've been home. Therefore, from time to time, I will post a bit of my travels from this year just to catch up a little where I might have left off on my old blog.

My first trip this year was a quick flight out to California to see my family. It was another bad winter here in ND and I suppose a little cabin fever had set in. So in the middle of January I took a flight out to see my kids and grand kids for about two weeks.

The day I left home for the airport was a cold and snowy day with the north wind starting to pick up. I had been having a problem with a leak in the radiator of my pickup so I made an appointment with the garage to work on it for the two weeks that I would be gone. (That way I wouldn't have to pay for parking at the airport either! Pretty smart, eh?) I topped off the rad with antifreeze and headed out on the day of my flight. Sure enough! 12 miles from home my radiator completely blew! Naturally, I'm talking with God all the way asking for safe travels, not only because of the icy roads but that the radiator would make it to Minot. All I can say is, as with all things in God's perfect plan, that God had his hand in this since the radiator let go right in front a bar right in the middle of nowhere.

So does God have his hand in bars too? Isn't God Omnipresent? Does his providence prevail no matter what? Doesn't he watch over us no matter where we are and what we are doing? You answer that for me.... I already have. As it happened, when the rad blew and the temp gauge started to get dangerously high I shut the engine off and was able to coast right up to the front door of the bar. Now being out in the middle of nowhere I checked my phone and sure enough...no signal! I knew the bar had been closed for quite some time and the traffic past there was quite sparse. But wait! All of a sudden the front door opened and someone asked if I needed to use the phone. The place wasn't even open yet but the new owners had just moved in a day or two earlier to start getting the place ready for business. I went in, used their phone, they made a fresh pot of coffee and we had a nice chat. When the tow truck finally arrived I thanked my hosts for their help—but only after I thanked God for his protection, providence, and watch care in my LIFE. God is good!

It was still winter in North Dakota when I got home at the end of January as seen from the street in front of my house:

A New Life

So it is established that my title to the blog will be Dakota but what would complete the thought that I want to convey and still be a simple, complete title? I do love living here. I have a good life. Lots of new things are happening in my life. But mostly, God has been blessing my life so much. So why not simply use LIFE to complete the title? There! It's settled: The new title to this new blog is DAKOTA LIFE. In it I will attempt to journal what living in North Dakota is like and what it means to me as well as a little insight in to my life here. Above all, remember to hang on just in case the ride does get a little wild!

A New Blog

I have decided to start a new blog.  What motivated me to do this?  Well, I enjoyed writing my old blog and now there have been so many new things happening to me in my life that I feel like carrying on anew.  I don't want these writings to be a "bragging" thing but rather a history, a legacy, or a journal of what is going on with me up here that I can pass on to my family and friends. 

The biggest struggle I had was coming up with a new title.  I knew that part of the title had to be something to do with where I live:  North Dakota.  I was born in North Dakota and my heart has always been here.  When I lived elsewhere throughout my life I always had the desire to move back here.  I had several opportunities throughout my life to do just that but now that I have finally moved back I know that this is where I belong.  My writings will consist of what is going on with me here in Dakota and my experiences.  SO HANG ON!!  Because, as a very good friend of mine says, "THE RIDE MIGHT GET PRETTY WILD!!!!!"