Bob and Yvonne Hightower / Nancy and Charles Rodenberger

FROM THANKSGIVING TO CHRISTMAS

Yesterday we celebrated Thanksgiving with Nancy's two grandsons. One, Brad, made an apple pie and his favorite dish, macaroni and cheese. Nancy cooked a ham because Cliff's heritage turkeys that were the original goal for Thanksgiving still need some weight on their bodies so they are now scheduled for Christmas. We had German green beans, and candied sweet potatoes along with the apple pie and I had bought some chocolate iced brownies on the markdown rack at Walmart.

Tonight Bobbe and Yvonne came for a glass of wine and some leftovers. The candied sweet potatoes became sweet potatoe pie. We then went to downtown Granbury for their annual Christmas parade. Sponsored by the alliance of churches, this year's theme was Jesus Christ- Celebrate the Gift. They had some unique floats. The Baptists and First United Methodists had floats. A unique one was the Roller Derby float preceded by women on roller skates skating around the float. Minature horse driven carts. A number of Christian themed floats. The parade was led by the Granbury marching band that had three red flags in front. Of course the last one was Santa on a firetruck. It was the first parade that I have seen that did not have an American flag in the parade. Of course the theme was Jesus so that figures.

The parade started with my theme "Let there be light" and the string of lights from every corner of the court house came on. I have decided to try to write my tome on God creating light that was used to form all matter and publish it on Amazon. That may be a couple of months, or years from now. We will see. I still can't post on my creation blog from this computer but I am working on that problem.
Charles

Getting ready for Thanksgiving

We have planned the menu and will shop tomorrow. No goody is left behind. Charles has been working all day and only took time to drive to the post office for mail and get gas for the car. Yesterday I used the quiet time to put together a cabinet for the back screened-in porch. It looks nice but still needs the handles put in place. All the directions are in three languages and even English is 'fasten A to Aa, etc'

I needed to use the big packing box from the cabinet for the decorations at our Sunday School Christmas party, and we have laid the Christmas party decorations out on the dinning room table and need the space for Thanksgiving.

This year for Christmas we will focus on missions. Our choice was Java. The world is in such turmoil and we wish the spirt of Christmas for everyone.

Bradferd said he was going to cook an apple pie like his mom. I asked him if he had the recipe and he said, "my mom is the recipe". She makes great apple pies. I gave him one of his great grandma's cook books and wrote her name in the front. She was a wonderful cook and pies were her speciality, and what she made for her church at every occasion. Like most older great cooks, she didn't use recipes much. Once when she gave me her favorite pickle recipe, I read, "make a brine strong enough to float an egg". I had to call her to get an explanation on what brine was and did I break the egg on top of the water. It's an old family story now.

Holidays happen too fast and we will have to put Christmas away until after Thanksgiving time; eating, football, and thankfulness. Have a good day everyone.

WAPLES UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

This morning we went to the Methodist Church closest to Nancy's home in Granbury. Waples UMC is closer than FUMC Granbury. One reason is that it was the church served by Harris Worcester before he came to Cross Plains. I think he had Waples and Tolar. The current pastor, Alan Munger, has Cresson and Waples. It is a good thing we called because he could have preached at 9:30, but luckily for us he comes to Waples at 11. The church averages about 20 members. Except for one middle-aged couple every one looked about our age. We were disappointed when a person listed in the bulletin as finishing the Methodist 101 course online was not present. She was a person that Nancy met when she took the course online.

The pastor was the champion shot-putter from Fredonia, KS and looks like a shot-putter. Like me he attended the Univ of Arkansas. He said he only went one year when I told him that my first year was there. He gave a good sermon based on the scripture of Christ healing the ten lepers and only one, a Samaritan, returning to thank him. They don't "pass the peace" they hug each other! One couple asked us if we know the Hightowers. They live next door to them. We told them we had breakfast with them Thursday and he said he and his wife had breakfast with them yesterday. So it is a small world.

We ate at Neister's for some German food and I indulged in chocolate cheesecake for dessert after trying their German meatloaf, that looked like no other meatloaf I have eaten.

TAKING SUE FOR TREATMENT

Today was a busy one. We ate breakfast, read our devotionals and left at 8 to go to Dallas to take Sue for her radiation and chemo treatment. Mandi had to work today and couldn't take her. She had her radiation treatment that only takes a few minutes. She has had 24 hour chemo all week using a portable pump and was able to take it off today. She is showing no ill effects from the treatments and led us trying to keep up with her as we walked to the different treatment places and rooms. She looks great like a Mary Kay gal ought to look.

We then stopped to eat at Subway near her hospital and took her back to Mandi's. She will drive home to see Ike this afternoon. She has to be back next Monday for radiation all week, except Thanksgiving and Friday after but has to go for the weekend. She will meet with her oncologist Monday morning.

Nancy had to stop at the Party Warehouse to gather more decorations and dishes for the SS party she is working on. A Javanese dinner.

I am behind on my work as a result and missed my nap today. Arg.

Hello

Charles gave me blog privileges. So.... now I can tell you all about him!! He's wonderful and makes me happy. More later Nancy