Has it really been four months since I posted to the blog?  Am I lazy or what?

Since my last post (March 23) a long winter gave way to a short spring and now summer.  It was mid May before we were free of snow.

When spring finally came and the ground thawed, we buried Uncle Denny.

Things have been fairly quiet.  We made one ten-day trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  Gatlinburg is a tourist town at the entrance of the Smokey Mountains National Park.  The mountains were beautiful.

There was an enormous aquarium there.  The picture is of Erleen looking at a beautiful jellyfish.

We have been busy with church activities, home bible studies and our senior club the Friendly Fun-makers of Hannaford.  Erleen also helps the ladies of the Hannaford church make quilts for the needy.

Erleen's cousin, Becky Hager and her husband, Tim have a huge barn which they have completely remodeled.  They have hosted several musical barn parties which we have enjoyed very much.

My brother, Tim visited for a few days.  We had a great time with him.

The big news will be a life changing event for us.  I have accepted a full-time job with the State of North Dakota as a bank examiner.  I will be based in Grand Forks which is an hour and a half to the north-east. We will rent an apartment there.  My work week will be four ten-hour days.  We will spend four days in Grand Forks and three here in Hannaford.

Hello Snow

Snow has finally come to ND.  Grace asked for pictures of our white town.  Here they are!

The first picture is looking east at the sun rise from in front of our house.  The second is our front door.  The third is a mountain of snow blocking my usual path to the post office.  The fourth is our front yard, you can just see the railing on our steps on the right.  The last is Erleen standing on the walkway to our front door.

We are actually enjoying the snow.  I do not even have to leave the house to "go to work" (what little work I still do), I simply climb the stairs to my little office.  We do walk up to the gym every day unless the wind is blowing.  If it is, we drive.  Even in sub-zero temperatures, if the wind isn't blowing, it is a pleasant walk.

We keep busy with church activities, bowling, family Bible study, two home-groups and going into town to shop from time to time.

Winter is Great

Fall and winter have been busy times.  We spent November and December on the West Coast.  We stayed with Skip, Theresa and kids several days.  We also spent time with Keith and family and with Mark.

Thanksgiving we were invited to Tom and Ginny's home for a feast.
Then we headed for Portland to spend time with Matt, Grace and kids.  Cutting a Christmas tree is always fun
 
                                                                                  Christmas baking with Brendan and Eva is also a big event.

We came home a few days early as Uncle Dennis went home to be with the Lord. We miss him but are happy for him as his quality of life was deteriorating.

Winter has finally arrived in Hannaford.  We had several inches of snow yesterday along with strong winds.  It left drifts as deep as three feet.  Today is better.  We are celebrating 46 happy years of marriage.  We had lunch at the cafe in Binford.  The roads were not open for a trip to anywhere else.  We are planning a trip to a resort in Tennessee in the Spring as a real celebration.