October News

Good afternoon, my dear friends and family! I read back through my last post and must confess that we didn't end up doing a complete 10-day fast. We had an invitation to a special birthday dinner on Saturday, so we broke our fast on Friday so that we wouldn't be in dire straights after a big meal on Saturday!

We have an interesting twist happening right now. A man from Brazil, Abrao Eliasquevici, came to the mid-Missouri area to purchase a plane and take it back to Brazil. He ended up out here at the Fulton Airport because one of the mechanics on the field has the credentials through the FAA to process a "Certification of Airworthiness" that's needed to export an airplane out of the country.

His deal fell through, so now, we're in the process of selling him our Cessna 172 (4-place plane). It's still in the mechanic shop out in Oklahoma, but is supposed to be finished by the end of this week. (we hope!) After that...it's a matter of doing some inspections, getting paperwork finished to send into the FAA, and wait for money to be transferred into an account here stateside. Of course, you know perfectly well that all of this takes time, time, and more time. So, we'll see how it all comes together.

We also have a mobile home up for sale--that we've used as a classroom for teaching, rooms that we rent out for pilots passing through, etc. We had a guy come look at it the other day and really wanted it for a rental property that he owns. However, he has an old trailer on that space with some renters that he can't boot out easily. So, if someone doesn't come along...he may be purchasing it after the first of the year.

We'll be down to one plane (2-seater) and our contract for managing the airport is up in December. Hmmmmm.....what's coming in the future? We don't know. It's so odd to be in this position. We were so full of enthusiasm and up for change when we were young! But, now we find ourselves much more reserved and trying to do everything from a more mature point of view. Honestly? I'd rather have my youth view back again and not be so worried about things! It was a whole lot more fun!!!

Oh, I have to tell you! I painted my laundry room! I LOVE to paint! Yes, it's a lot of work...especially the prep part of it, but the results are so worth it! It's a light periwinkle blue and it turned out beautiful! Now, I must admit that I'm not a "blue" person anymore, but this color really seemed to fit the room--so to speak! It hadn't been painted since the house was built and needless to say, the walls were very scuffed! Also, the original paint was "flat" and I went with a satin finish, so that I could wash it down, if needed.

I think the best part of all, was hanging up a number of "tole-painted" pieces that my mom and dad had made over the years. Since my dad passed away this spring...I've found that I need to have some of his "touches" to look at and help me to remember him. I have a couple of old "goats" that he welded together out of junk and painted black. (I used to milk goats years ago in Alaska).

I'm enjoying working on Christmas presents for my grandchildren. I found several projects in the bottom drawer of my "craft dresser" that just need some finishing touches and will be used as gifts this year. It's really like being on an adventure! Trying to come up with unique, yet inexpensive, gifts for our growing family!

One last thing--Joah is coming home for about 5 days from Puerto Rico. He'll be here the 8th of November and is bringing his girlfriend, Ingrid, for us to meet. She's Puerto Rican and it seems like they may be a bit more serious about their relationship then we thought. Travis and I are both excited for their visit, so that's also prompting me to get some cleaning/painting/decorating done.

I realized that the whole "I've got to lose weight" deal is out the window. Instead, I found myself thinking, "Oh my gosh! I've got to get the laundry room painted". Ha! My areas of vanity have shifted!

Talk to you later!

How long is too long?

Good afternoon. So, how long is too long to start blogging again? Gosh! It feels like forever. My problem is that I want to blog something of importance, but that's all relative to the reader, isn't it? What I think of as important may be completely boring to someone else.

Because our airplanes have been in the shops for repairs...Travis hasn't needed my help much here at the airport. So, I've been focusing in on starting up on Christmas projects, as well as working on my front yard. I've had plenty of help this summer, as my cousins came from Wisconsin twice, and basically put a flower bed together for me. I've been out weeding and putting mulch down for the winter. It's now full of irises and various kinds of daylilies that really don't require much attention. I should have a glorious bed this coming spring!

Travis and I are reading a book called, "The Shack". Have you read it? Marvelous, wonderful book! I'm also reading, "Three Cups of Tea" about a mountaineer who was climbing in the mountains of Pakistan, ended up in one of the villages, and came back later to open up schools for the little girls in the area. Very interesting reading, as well.

I have been very concerned about the coming election for the President of the US. Our country is facing such dire needs on all fronts and we really need someone that can step up to the helm and "take the tiller", as McCain so aptly said in the recent debate. What a great phrase! "Take the tiller". It will be quite a job for whoever is elected!

Oh, and one last thing. Travis and I are doing a cleansing fast for 10 days. (we're on day 4). We're drinking an interesting concoction of lemon juice, a tad bit of real maple syrup, and cayenne pepper mixed with hot or cold water. It actually doesn't taste bad, but the first 3 days were quite hard for me. My joints ached, and I had severe headaches (coming off caffeine). But, the purpose is to get the toxins out of our bodies and my hope is to get back to eating healthier again.

We were still eating lots of grains, beans (legumes), vegies, etc., but some of our old habits had crept back in..especially eating out so much of the time. Too tired after working all day at the airport to cook, but that's no excuse!

OK...I've done my "diary" thing...hope you've been able to stay with me and I'll try to write more important things in the days ahead!