S N O W and M O R E S N O W

Well, we got snow, It seems like thats all its done is snow, blow and snow and blow and more coming for the next week!!!! This has been a Hum-Dinger of a WINTER !!! BUT to me it is like the winters we used to get, lots of snow, high snowbanks, accidents and bad driving conditions.

Well, we had Bingo last Friday Night, it was fun, we went and got everybody that needed help or reminding that it was bingo night. We had a good crew, we divided up the money collected and gave it away for prizes and a good time was had by all, lots of laughter, smiles and SHOUTS of "BINGO" an we only had just *(1) "Oh S#8t" which everyone heard!!!!!!!

The Snow keeps coming and coming and coming instead of like the Battery Bunny where it should keep going and going and going!! AND its only January, they are trying to compare this winter with the winter of 1977 when we got the blizzard and all the snow,but its NOT!!! True, it has been cold, 24 below zero is the coldest so far and that is COLD!!!! February we usually get some good down right cold temps like 36 below and 39 below for about a week so will have to wait and see what February brings!!

So far I have puttered around the legion, My Honey has been volunteering at church and we are keeping busy!!!

The Birds all went away a few days ago, and at the bottom of the feeder was a small pile of feathers, I thought a cat, but looking around we found we now have a regular visitor about 2PM, its a cooper Hawk, the birds eat until about 2 and then in comes the hawk and away go the birds!!! Yesterday he tried for one of the big grey squirrels but missed.

I have had my x-rays, blood work, EKG's, interview and my "Superbowl Sunday Party" will be prepping for surgery on Monday!!! BUT I can have all the lemon-lime jello, pop-cicles, gatorade and water I want starting at noon on sunday until 8PM!!!!

Saw the picture of the deer on "Shipslog" and that is almost exactly what our deer are going thru right now, when the snow gets so deep they can't paw and dig for grass they start eating tree bark, tree twigs and although it is against the law here in New York State a lot of people put out hay and corn to feed the deer but have to do it in secret or get arrested as the state would rather the deer starve to death, they say it weeds out the sick and week deer and makes a better herd.

Right now its snowing hard, we have had lots of it, and not a lot of sun, There is a disease called (SAD) or "Seasonal Affective Disorder" (winter depression), describe a form of depression that occurs in the winter months. Women are affected more often than men, and the prominent symptoms are: low mood starting in autumn or winter. lack of energy. irritability. overeating and weight gain (there is often a craving for carbohydrate food). lack of interest in socialising.
increased sleep and daytime sleepiness. YUP!!-- I GOT EM ALL!!!!!!

SO how do you fix SAD, GET SOME SUNSHINE!!!!!!!
The shorter days of fall and winter mean that millions with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) need to find ways to get enough light to fight off symptoms of depression. THESE people become "SNO-BIRDS!!!!! "One study found that an hour in winter sunlight was as effective as two and a half hours under bright artificial light. Also, if it is too cold to walk outside, find a place indoors where sunlight comes in and spend some time there taking in the sun.

My Friend Mark in Dallas, Texas is progressing slowly, please still keep him in your prayers!! * Thanks!!

also we lost 2 more soldiers from Fort Drum's 10th Mountain Division, just another reminder that there are those still paying to keep you and I free!!!! Lets never forget our service men and women!!

TIRED THURSDAY

I AM TIRED!!! Well, it wasn't too bad today, a little more snow, they had to hire some men to shovel parts of the complex roof's due to the "Snow Load" Last time they shoveled here was 10 years ago, we have more snow this year than in years past, its just piled up all over and now there's not enuff private haulers with trucks to haul snow away from places like the Legion, Our Church, some business's downtown. We went up and set up church for tonights service.






Tonight was our "Prayer for Christian Unity" at church, above is Karl, Carl, Roger & myself who got to church kind of early, tuned up, went thru some new and some old songs, changed some chord keys so they would fit this finely tuned, low pitched "Bull-Frog" - "Screech Owl" voice of mine. The program included some of our area ministers, the reading of scripture, prayers for world peace, and then some mighty fine guitar pickin and singing with 4 part harmony. I have COPD and ran out of air on several songs but did my best and Roger took over where I ran out of air.



Rev. Jane, our Minister said we were going to start at 7:00 P.M. BUT, First Roger started strumming about quarter of 7, I joined in and then both Karls started and we broke into some unexpected good-ole toe tapping, hand clapping songs which WERE NOT part of the program!!!!!


We finally calmed down as I put Roger in a strangle hold after he shined the Bald Spot on the back of my head and settled in and We had a prayer of song and praise which the 4 of us always do with our wifes before we play at any gathering be it in or outside of church!! Then we went down front and the service started at 7 and we played off and on during the hour service. After the service we had a coffee hour and tons of homemade sweets, treats, cakes and cookies. Great Evening!!!


My friend Mark in Texas is holding his own, he's still managing to stay at home and taking it slow and easy and we keep praying for him and his wife!!!


My Doctor and long time friend of many, many years who has cared for me with check-ups, referrals, visits, friendship, and office follow-ups after I had 5 heart attacks, 2 mini-strokes, by-pass surgery, 12 heart catherizations and the placement of 7 stents and carotoid artery by-pass was hit with some bad news today, His wife Arlene has Cancer, she's 51, she and My Honey are very close, she has worked in his Drs. office, and been an angel to me an others all these years ! We have placed her on our Prayer Chain at church and if you could, would you Please say a little prayer for Arlene!



Also lets say a few prayer's for our new President as he starts that he goes calmly, slowly, fairly, and wisely forward as he leads our country.


Let us also never forget those serving, those who have served and those who are going to serve!!!






NEVER FORGET - REMEMBER THE VET!!!

Back in the Saddle

Well, we're felling better, Made it to the Legion and got some work done and dinner was 2 nice big thick country style Pork Spare-Ribs, basted with butter, garlic, BBQ Sause, baked at 350 and turned every 15 minutes and then served with Buttered Mashed Potatoes,and side of Hawaian Fruit. DEEEEELICCIOOOUSSS!

Well, today I got to see another New President sworn in, I wish him "Fair winds and Following Seas", My Honey and I offered prayers at lunch for him and his staff and our country, and as a "Proud American" I will do my part!

I look back and realize that I been around for 12 presidents, My favorite's of the 12 presidents were John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon an Ronald Regan and I had hoped for John Wayne to get in there but it didn't happen. Nixon didn't do anything worse than any of the others except he got caught!!!

Tomorrow I got to tune up with some new guitar strings and tomorrow night I get to play for our Prayer group and then on Thursday Night I will join some others as we hold our Prayer for Christian Unity Service at Church, we will join with the local area churches and have a service and song and afterwards we have a social gathering, My Honey and I will serve coffee and snacks afterwards. We usually get a good turn out every year.

The weather is weird, we get snow, below zero temps, more snow, BUT if you stand in the sun it's actually warm, not shirt sleeve weather yet but soon, maybe 3 more months...................

GREAT NEWS from Texas, my friend Mark is now HOME and I got to talk with him on the phone, ya can't tell me there's not Power in Prayer!!!!!

Well, hope everyone is doing OK.

NEVER FORGET - REMEMBER OUR VETS !

Winters Fury

January sure has shown Winters Fury!!!,, down to 24 below zero, up to 5 below zero, back down to 18 below, then we got about 1 1/2 feet snow!!!

DRs. said rest, relax, SO I am spending my time in bed, sleeping, taking meds, breathing treatments, and resting!!! The bitter cold is worse on me this year for some reason!!!

THANK YOU FOR ALL THE GET WELLS:

But am getting better , We have Community Prayer for Christian Unity on Thursday the 22 and I have Bingo scheduled for the Tenants here on the 23rd and Surgery on Feburary 2nd,

Lets never forget our Veterans ...

FROZEN NORTH

IT is COLD, we went to chruch last night, it was 15 below zero, I didn't make it outside long, I had the wife bring me home, I couldn't breathe, I put on a Nitro-Patch, and monitored my blood pressure and went to bed last-nite at 8PM.

Got up today at 11am, more meds and back to bed, got up at 5, its cold outside, 10 below zero and I'm cold, can't breathe and don't feel good!!

C O L D W I N T E R

If I could find my "SNO-BIRD" wings and some extra cash I would be "Southbound and Down"! The forecast calls for some good "Old Fashioned Winter" temperatures. Tomorrow is OK but then its going to drop down into the BELOW ZERO Range.

We arrived Friday night at the "Promised Land", it was a nice drive back into the woods, all fresh new snow, and cold. Unpacked and settled in, we had a great time, I played the Ole Guitar that evening and we sang, ate and had several prayer services. We split up into 2 teams, and we played "Buzz-Word" which was a lot of fun, we ate, snacked and stayed up till midnight!! We slept great, our room had a window and you could see a big old shiny moon lighting up the woods, the temp was about 10 BELOW Zero, all was well BUT at 5:30AM the power went out.

In the north country nights get cold, at 5:30AM it was 23 BELOW zero, when you go outside, breathe thru your nose and it will freeze shut, stand outside and you can hear trees CRACK, some sound like rifle shots, this is caused by the sap in the tree freezing and the tree splits. The power stayed off from 5:30am till about noon, we were fortunate as the Minister has a large gas generator which was fired up so we could make coffee, lucky for us daylight in the swamp comes early in the North Country. The main living room had a big old Gas Fireplace where we sat around and gabbed and spent the morning and watched the birds at the feeder, some of us took turns "nodding off" and had to be poked to wake up!!!! I bundled up and took a walk as it was sunny and bright and warmed up to about 5 degrees.

We gathered snow in buckets and melted it on the stove, a 5 gallon pail of snow makes 3 inches of water, We had coffee, juice,bagels, doughnuts, cereal and bacon and eggs to start the morning, the biggest thrill was bundeling up, treking thru the 2 feet of snow, and going to the "Out-House"!!! Needless to say one does not take a magazine or newspaper with them to sit on the throne at 6AM with temps at 24 below zero!!!!!

Power came back on about noon, temps shot up to about 10 above zero, lunch was turkey & ham/cheeze sandwiches, fruits, snacks, we spent the afternoon enjoying ourselves, singing and talking and dinner was "Shepard's Pie" and homemade bisquits which was delicious with the cupcakes for desert. We packed up and headed home saturday night with temps about 10 above.

Sunday was Church and then off to the Nursing Home for a short service and some song and singing with the residents who were former church members and some were relatives and friends of ours and then we went visiting to the rooms of patients who could not come down.

Monday I got caught up on my paperwork and book-keeping at the legion and Honey worked at church setting up a new computer system. The temps are going be "Frigid" for awhile!!! We have Coffee Hour & Donuts tomorrow here for the Tenants, Wednesday is our Monthly Birthday dinner and this month we are having a pizza party.

News from Dallas is that my friend Mark is making slow progress!! Please keep him in your prayers!!!!!!!

It looks like a week from today History will be made, A New President, I can hardly wait, With the way things are going in New York State with politics, scandal and corruption, Taxes so high business is leaving, I can only ask the last person who leaves New York State to turn out the light........

Never forget, Remember the Vet!!

FRIGID TEMPS

Well, Its still cold, going down to 10 below tomorrow night. We are heading our tomorrow afternoon for an overnight reteat, I have the guitar all tuned with new strings, we are all packed, we are going to our Ministers place called the "Promised Land", it is about a half a mile back in the woods, it is a big place in a beautiful setting and we're having an overnight Praise and Prayer retreat and lots singing, prayer and plenty of food!!!! Should be fun!!!! Sunday after church I will be going to the Nursing Home with the Minister to Play and on January 22 I will be playing in the Village Ecumenicial Ministries program with a group from the local area churches in a praise and prayer service for Christian Unity.

My friend Mark in Dallas is progressing fairly well, He's not up chasing rabbits yet, going slowly but coming along as good as can be expected!!!! Thank you for the prayers and continued support.

A year ago January 9th, I lost one of my best friends (Ziggy), what a loss and an empty place in my life he left, but life goes on so we hang even closer to those we care about and love. Right after that on January 19 I lost another friend, (Clarence). Also lost old "Vet", (Sylvester") and a friend an class mate and Navy Vet *(Mike), *(all Veteran's).....It's funny how one day everythings going great and lifes wonderful and then it suddenly changes, the Lord works in mysterious ways in our lives. We can only sit back now and think of those "Precious Memories"!!!!!

I know I have been busy at the Legion keeping the records up to date on all the Veterans we lost this year.

My Honey is fairing pretty good but her back is not getting better, the cold does not help it either. My brother is in a Syracuse Hospital now following 9 hours of Back Surgery, this is his second surgery on it, he has a good out look as he said what happens is in the Lords Hands and not his, he just wants less pain.

I'm having my tests, labs, ekg's, blood work and procedures done and am going in February for a "Tune Up"!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend coming up, we are gonna.!!!

NEVER FORGET THOSE SERVING!!!!

C O L D C O L D C O L D

Well its has cooled down again, tonight is gonna go down to 10 BELOW zero, then tomorrow it's gonna warm up to the hight 20's!!! I been down in the dumps but I blame it on the weather.......



We had our Monthly Meeting of the Tenant's Association, good turn out, covered our business and were done in 30 minutes!!! I am going to start some Bingo Games as January and Feburary are cold, quiet, boring months here with not much to do but watch it snow and see how low the temperatures drop!!!! Counting snow-flakes is hard on the eyes!!!!



Today we took down the Christmas Decorations in the Community Room and Dining Room and packed them away for another year.


My Brother in Law from sunny warm Florida is here!!!!! YES, he's freezing, (HA-HA), he came home for a funeral of a nice lady from the community, we called her Saint Elma, Nice lady, never missed mass, always had a house full of kids friends, fed everyone who stopped and I never saw her not smiling!!! raised a big family, (7-Boys), all good men!!! She will be missed!!!!



They don't have big families any more, My Mothers family was 13, my wifes family was 9, mine was 8, my wifes grandmother had 17, I couldn't imagine having 17 kids!!!!



WELL---Good news from Dallas, Texas, My friend Mark is coming out of the Coma, he can raise an arm and move a leg on the Doctors command, he is still in ICU and on a ventilator but these to me are great signs, for all those who said a little prayer for Mark, THANK-YOU!! He has a long way to go but I know he's gonna make it just fine.

My Son who lives in Portland Oregon just sent the pictures from his Christmas Cruise to Mexico, poor boy, had to put up with all that heat, sun and sand on the beaches!!!!





Not much else going on, hope everyone is doing OK, Hope everyone is not too WARM down south!!!(HA-HA)!



Never forget those still serving and those who served !

Winters Back!