GOOD NEWS HIPS AND REDBIRDS

Wednesday Nancy had her six weeks checkup a week late and her hip replacement surgeon said she can now bend 90 degrees and since then she has been picking things up off the floor and feeling good. He wrote a prescription for physical therapy. She talked me into getting a membership in the Fitness center and while she had her first meeting with the therapist I tried out several machines to work on my upper arm and abdomen. Nancy reports that she is feeling a lot better after doing the exercises since then.

We came back to Halsell Hill for this Thanksgiving week and I had been feeling bad that all of my song birds in the back yard were gone. I have always had cardinals since I have been here and the last month they have been gone but this morning while we were eating breakfast I saw one young cardinal. There are also a few chickadees and tit mouse but they have quit coming to the feeders on the house eves. I wonder if a blue darter has been hanging around and killing them. There are a few feathers in the yard.

We had a good Sunday School this morning with visitors from California, Diana Miller's parents, and a new visitor who it turns out is a new Cottonwood resident. She and her husband retired about six weeks ago from the USAF in San Antonio and are building a home on a place they bought four years ago. We are growing a new community of newcomers who have followed that pattern. Seems like half of our church members have come in the last five years in the same way. Retired people coming both from the cities and from careers in West Texas and New Mexico.

We looked at the first 9 chapters of 2 Chronicles that describe the 40 years of Solomon's reign. He asked for wisdom and knowledge and was given that plus enormous wealth. He built the Temple of the name of the Lord and also built a huge palace for himself and his wife who was the Pharoah's daughter. We will learn how his son messed up next week.

Nancy is decorating the house for Christmas including the Christmas tree I bought at the Lord's Acre. Lydia helped me bring the heavy metal core tree in and set it up. She replaced the limbs that had been pulled out taking it through the doors of the church and my front door. We have brought in decorations from the garage and from her house. We are preparing for having the SS class come for the annual Christmas party Dec. 7. Nancy has prepared a menu for all of the food and when the class members asked what they could bring she said desserts. I need to send the directions for getting here.

CATCHING UP

Nancy is healing rapidly and decided to come to Halsell Hill for this weekend. We came home Thursday afternoon and stopped to eat lunch at New York Hill where we first met eleven months ago. Friday we made a trip to Abilene to restock my fridge. We ate lunch at Cypress Street restaurant and then visited Texas Star where I bought Elmer Kelton's last book. I had a recall notice on my Avalon in the mail. I called to schedule a repair but their computer was not working and was promised that they would call me, but haven't heard from them.

Sunday I taught Sunday School where we read the Chronicles version of David bringing the ark to Jerusalem and his wife watching him dancing in front of the parade and didn't approve. Then we read about Satan leading David to ask for a census that was abhorrent to God. And the punishment was pretty bad. We are moving right along in our study. I also had to substitute as Worship Leader and helped serve communion.

I have been disappointed with my wildlife. I think while I spent all week helping Nancy my song birds decided I wasn't taking care of them. Although there was plenty of food, there was no water in the bird baths. I have always had lots of cardinals in the back yard until now and there are none. Today we saw a few chickadees, tit mouse and a goldfinch. Maybe they will come back but they aren't eating the bird feed in the feeders like they have for years. The deer are not coming in. I blame that on the hunting ranches on both sides of me providing a lot more feed although I have fed all year long. We did see a doe cross the road near the Halsell House Sunday morning when we went to church. But they haven't come up to the house like they used to. I have seen no turkeys and no swallows. The hummingbirds are gone and I have taken down their feeders.

This morning I went to the Library board meeting. Tomorrow I will get back to my job as president of Kiwanis and then we will go back to Nancy's.