A Bizarre Incident

A Bizarre incident...It  was  8PM after watching Jeopardy last evening when I had gone into the kitchen to get dinner ready [we had a snack at 5]...I had laid out the ingredients ahead: can of salmon,  peppers & onions, etc to chop & saute for salmon patties...So i'm in the middle of sauteeing when a very loud banging begins at our front door. We have had a policeman do that once years ago, but this time there was NO loud voice announcing "Police!", so we did not know what to think at first..After they had gone around to the dining window and banged a second time, i prayed an arrow prayer/was calling the neighbor to ask them to look out to see if there was a police car, [as we are at a disadvantage, unable to see much of our driveway.]

So anyway I was about to call the police myself when I noticed there was Indianapolis Police on our caller ID- just before the phone rang- it was the 9-1-1 operator..Finally-this is after a good five minutes, right after the phone rang- the men called out, "Police!" at the front door... I crawled over all the stuff I keep by the recliner chair, and opened up...I explained we are senior citizens and do not open the door unless we are sure who is there- [I have heard newstories of criminals storming a door pretending to be 'officers of the law'!]....One of the officers offered the only explanation he could come up with that they had received a 9-1-1 call from our number:  "If a phone battery is running low, sometimes it automatically dials 9-1-1!". ..... I still cannot believe that can happen, but it did, so he must have been right....So has anyone here ever heard of that?  ...[I had called my friend Audrey at 4:30 to wish her a Happy Birthday, and then gotten busy w/ paper work while watching our favorite Western reruns & game shows, & just not bothered to place the phone back in the kitchen. I had not touched it on the arm of my chair all that time.]...Crazy, huh?! Should we have gone to the door and looked sooner? ---probably! but it was funnier that way, although we hoped they were not late getting to a real crime scene after banging on our door!

Thank you for Christmas gifts

Hi everyone!

This is for the family. It occurred to me to write our Christmas gift thankyous here, now that Joel is here and to share what the others gave us. You will have to ask your spouses to read here, if you would like for them to read it as well.

Hope's package was awaiting us at the PO when we got back from Joel & Leyla's, but we were hoping to open them w/ the others' gifts. The Dyjaks' and Medieros' were at the Runyans next door for some reason, but they were not home from their week w/ Emily's family in Texas til New Years' Eve, so we opened all the gifts on New Years' afternoon to make it special -as though you were all here.  We called Sarah while opening theirs which was fun to do, and also say Happy New Years to the boys who were at the lunch table at the time. 

Back at the Urbana Kleins' on Christmas Day, we were "more blessed giving than receiving", cuz we had fun watching little Eleanor's face of recognition when she opened her Dora beanie baby, and then curiosity and some pleasure opening her dolly that was wearing a colorful rainhat and slicker and boots.  We thought the clothes would be the fun for taking off and on.... But she could not quite take to the bald baby head- kept feeling the rubbery head w/ a funny-strange look on her face. ...Hair like Dora may have made the dolly more perfect. But anyway that was fun and she also liked the two pairs of pajamas, one blue, one pink, that she opened near her own bedtime, when Leyla helped to change the clothes. We got photos from our disposable camera this week. will send you all some photos of her and her Mom and Dad and us there in their lovely yellow walled living room and of their tree.  [ That reminds me, we so much enjoyed seeing Tom & Amy's album on Facebook yesterday!]

Now to the Thankyous!...Leyla made an inspired choice of a Wt Watchers' cookbook which will bless us both and had me shopping this past week to stock up for delicious and healthy meals for us this winter....Dad received some very nice pens from Joel & Leyla, and we are slowly enjoying the tray of dried fruit for desserts along with some excellent dry roasted organic nuts from Tufts Farm in California that we highly recommend (we buy at Meijer store ).

Amy and Tom gave us the really fascinating and well written book about adventures in Armenia, by the Armenian American gal who was her roommate at the November conference she attended at Pokagon. [Btw, we also will send a few  photos from there.] 

The Dyjaks' package was fun to open; I was looking forward to see what Sarah made. I really like the set of handmade greeting cards- very unique, which the people receiving them will also enjoy!...Our tupperware gift was a pickle or olive container which we are already using. Dad got a CD of Barbershop quartet songs. The front is a picture of  four funny Presidents' faces, which gave us an extra laugh as we had just watched North by Northwest on New Years' Eve. [That is the only Alfred Hitchcock movie I ever really enjoyed-not as scary;  more glamorous and funny w/ Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint. The final scenes of them escaping from the bad guys, climbing down Mt Rushmore are very memorable. On the DVD special feature they show how a replica was built in Arizona for the closeup shots]

We saved Hopie's gifts for last as they are extra special coming from the Holy Land.[ Reading her blog about her Christmas yesterday was our last gift.]  Dad especially liked the olivewood Holy family and my favorite is the delicate carved wood ornaments and the really cool salt and pepper shaker set that fit together. The painted pictures on them of white & yellow flowers on aqua background are so lovely! ...We both esp enjoyed the Christmas card photo w/ snow and the big picture postcard of Jerusalem in the snow, reminding us of Isaiah 1:16-17 about God washing our sins away: "though your sins be scarlet, they shall be white as snow." 

SO THANK you to each one of you for your thoughtfulness and blessing Dad and me, as we think of how special each one of you are as individuals. Also we are always blessed by the way you all enjoy relating to one another!!...THAT is a gift from God, so we thank HIM , too!! AMEN!?

Love to you all,  Dad and Mom

 

 

Never post on here?

YOu say I never post here? Right! [well please see my comment on Sarah's blog for a prayer request and a need for the Parlatos...When my 'comment  over there got rather long, it helped me realize I never blog anymore] ...Somehow, there  never seems to be enough time, but perhaps it's because I get hooked on time grabbers such as the traveler's IQ Challenge that AMY got me hooked into this week- yes, it is all HER fault- or eDiets support group chatrooms, which are vital to weight loss success &/or just fun.

Actually since Hope left, have been trying to not be on there so much in order to get reading and study caught up before the new fall activities- WMF only will meet on Workdays this year but I have volunteered to help Neva Wampler whose DH died this summer, and Beth Kruse whose DH needs her at home more. So I'll be in charge of the missions bulletin board, reading and then posting newsletter, which i'll be wroking on every week or so. Beth 'happened' to ask for me to do that, but had been wanting to make it a little more attactive w/ colorful background, etc. PLus it will help me get the requests sooner and be able to pray more.

Wednesdays are very full this year: My first time helping in Awana, as pianist for K-2 Sparks after I listen to Kdg memory verses. Volunteered to do only that so still can go  pray w/ the Ladies @ last half hour of prayer meeting. So we are up at church 3 times that day.    1.)AM Ladies' Bible Study-[ I'm in the smaller group, led by Rusty Neeley, doing an inductive study in Romans Chapter 8 this fall, rather than Beth M's Daniel the other group & the evening group are doing.]    2.)Pray as we are building a team and hoping to find leaders to take over when we cannot be at Music Ministry at 3-5:30, visiting bedfast residents after we sing in two areas; then church after a small meal at Boson Market or Wendy's.]

Tuesday went to WMF Workday, w/ retired missionary, Lee Dillinger visiting us from Greenfield, and Amie Parlato whom i mention on Sarah's blog w/ prayer request.. .....Thursday we sapent ALL!!! afternnoon @ the ER w/ Barb who fell Wed, waiting hours for Xrays to be done-someone lost the order for 3hours! and then 3 more hous waiting for the results (no broken bones)... but also the ER MD was waiting for results of a blood test that revealed her severe anemia and Hemoglobin is back to normal after 1 1/2 years!, and indicated she will NOT need the lazer surgery [cancelled Thursday Am due to the fall Wed.] on the multiple bleeding sites in  her gastric lining that had developed from many years on arthritis meds.....She lives w/ more pain since the doctor d/c'd the med after her first endocopy in Feb revealed the bleeding sites, but being off the med apparently IS helping the stomach to heal & removed cause of the anemia.

So after a 7 hour wait, Barb came out of the hospital w/ a big smile and praising God all evening for that mysterious* fall Wed -* she does not know what caused it- that she had received some good news for a change! She does not even miond the soreness * bruises from the fall since she learned the anemia is finally gone. Her pain has been horrendous as the pseudogout has eaten away at the membranes that cushion, so she feels bone on bone when she walks, plus all over the body, and the crstals are taking her sight. THat could be really bad as she reads lips to 'hear' people, so she could end up very alone in the prison of her body. She never talks abut this, but she is aware of her prognosis, so that may be why she prays for the Lord to tkae her before then, and frankly we have started to pray the same way and for her to experience His peace about it, in trusting the Lord about His perfect timing.

Saturday we attended the memorial service for a lovely, very gracious Christian lady in our church, Florence Holcomb, whose husband used to sing in the choir w/ Daddy. They retired here and loved Castleview, after they were in the US Army 22 years, and served in Japan after WWII. Had a talk afterward w/ her grandson, a lawyer about to move to NYC. He and his wife are planning to spend 2 months of R&R in Vermont to help recover from the loss of their baby in March due to a defective heart. Perhaps you would like to pray for Nathan and Heather....Florence used to be so gracious to Daddy when he would attend Super Sixties w/o me because I was sick or whatever. Becasue he has been telling me about that, I have decided it is time we pick up where Florence left off, as they are needing new planning board members, which includes the field trips, although we cannot always afford those. They say she had a great sense of adventure and loved to travel. One of my goals/ hopes in losing weight is to be able to fly/ fit in a regular seat, not that first class wouldn't be fun!!:)

Have a good week everyone. You are each in our prayers.