The World of Grandpa Don  

There was frost last Saturday morning, The earliest ever here. But it was just a tinge of frost and didn't seem to effect the plants. However, that was warning enough. The first task of the day, after my usual morning rituals, was to turn some valves off and to open a couple up, then turn on my sprinkler system to let it drain for the winter. I will turn it on several times in the next few days to open and close the control valves just to make sure they are nice and dry. Actually I only used the sprinklers in the back yard this past summer and that mostly to benefit the flowers. With all the rain we had, they weren't needed in the front and my entire lawn looks great ... never better. It was a sunny morning but it soon clouded over. My lawn guys came late Saturday afternoon to do the cutting and trimming. The rains of the week. prevented their usual early Friday visit. They will aerate and fertilize later this month. I have also ordered some landscaping done to freshen up the place a bit.

After taking care of the sprinkler system I went on line and scheduled payment of a couple bills, then ordered my refills for insulin and Byetta. Then I checked my email and replied to a few. I get a kick out of the automatic notices some email clients place at the bottom of outgoing mail. Joe sent an email containing some very funny religious cartoons. They were funny and at the same time held a message. Great stuff. But I really laughed when I got to the bottom of the page. I just had to respond:

Indeed it is worth reading Joe.
And I did read it … and enjoy it … but …
then I reached the bottom of the page and saw that it was meant to be a confidential message and unless it was addressed to me I should notify you and delete it.
Checking the address box I find that you sent it to yourself and NOT to me.

I apologize for reading it and especially for enjoying it.
(Forbidden fruit is often the sweetest)

Perhaps you should have put that notification at the top and then I wouldn’t be guilty of transgressing in your confidential email. Oh, the guilt! I hope I will be able to sleep tonight. Please don’t send the email police after me.
I promise to be more careful in the future and if I find more of these in my in-box in the future and it they are not addressed to me I will delete them instantly without reading them.

Please forgive the transgression,

Of course, Joe was being very responsible in his use of the internet. He could be one of our crusaders. He addressed it to himself and then used the "Bcc" for all the addresses of his friends so he doesn't broadcast their addresses all over the internet. Very commendable Joe. And the "confidentiality" notice is also a good idea to try to keep private email out of the hands of those who should not have it. I don't know if it works ... but it is a try. Just remember that email is not private if the recipient doesn't keep it so and maybe not even then. By the way, I use the "Bcc" (Blind Carbon Copy) when I send to groups of people too. However, I have created a couple of "dummy" email people in my mailing list, all using my email address but entering the name as "Friends & Family of grandpa Don" or such so the recipient can know it was sent to him and also tell him, at a glance, who sent it. Oh yes, ... I would never just delete any of Joe's emails. They are always worth the read. I'll just continue to ignore the disclaimer at the bottom

 

To carry care to your bed is to sleep with a pack on your back.  ~ Thomas C. Haliburton  .

I was up early Sunday ... 7 am ... well, that's early for me. After a delicious breakfast of Jimmy Dean's sausage & gravy, a real "down home" breakfast, I shaved and got ready for church. Then I had my coffee and visit with God and Anne in the comfort of the living room. We had an early freeze during the night but it looked beautiful out. I still had time to check my email before church and I found my usual missive from Grandpa Frank Schober along with some real "down home" music. I share:

If that doesn't go with Jimmy Dean Sausage & Gravy, nothing does, and what a way to begin a day! Now I don't claim to be a "down home" boy but somehow some of that has crept into my blood and I love it. I think I may have absorbed some of it when my Navy days took me to East Texas, a place that was more Louisiana than Texas. It speaks of the simple life, one of soaking up life and enjoying it and all it has to offer. Thanks Frank for sending a lot of life into my life from down 'Bama way.  That, by the way is a reference to Alabama and has nothing to do with the "O" person.

Anne Marie had invited me over for Sunday dinner but Tom called, wondering if I was going to be home for him to visit. I was. But ... there was a condition. He had to bring two slices of bread for me. I don't buy bread any more because to avoid the carbs I don't eat sandwiches. But I had bought two servings of frozen creamed chipped beef and what is that without toast on which to serve it? I am one of the strange Navy guys who actually loved SOS. (Shit On a Shingle, for you who are not in the know.) So Tom came about mid afternoon bearing my two slices of bread ... after I had promised not to serve him SOS for dinner. He had a request for me. Kelly needed a lap top computer and with the newest version of Windows not yet out it is not an auspicious time to buy one. Besides, next spring she will graduate from HS and become eligible for the traditional college computer from Grandpa (& grandma). So, since I seldom, if ever, use my laptop - unless I travel, and I don't anticipate any of that any time soon, Kelly will borrow it. Tom turned it on and since I haven't been using it, it was updating Windows and it's virus protection all the time he was here. That included the duration of our dinner which was consumed at R. C. Mulligan's. Tom enjoyed the Gaelic Steak and I had a bowl of soup and the crab cake appetizer. They served the two generously sized crab cakes with a delicious garnish of salad which they oversized since it was my main course. It was too much for me to finish.

We returned home to continue our evening with a little TV watching and discussion of family stuff. There isn't much news from Caitlin and the left coast. She is so busy with classes, swimming, working (lifeguard) and whatever, that she has no time to communicate. I can understand that. Kelly is just as busy and Tom promised to send me photos from her Homecoming Dance. It was close to bed time when Tom left, a delightful Sunday to be sure.

 

Pain is hard to bear …. But with patience, day by day, Even this shall pass away. ~ Theodore Tilton  .

Monday morning I had my semi-annual visit with the eye doctor. All was well, retinas and all. My left eye had even improved a smidgen. But my eyes, as many "elderly" eyes, are very sensitive to dryness and I was exhorted to the frequent use of moisturizing eye drops. As I attempted to read the eye chart he would keep telling me to blink and sure enough I would be able to read more due to the redistribution of moisture on the lens of the eye. He was also very pleased that I am getting my diabetes under control since that malady is a frequent cause of blindness. I see him next in the Spring.

LuAnn left a message in my guest book. That initiated memories. She is my daughter's age and was one of the kids frequently at our house when they were growing up. She had found The World of Grandpa Don "by accident" and told me how much she enjoyed it. I was so glad to here from her. I let both Anne Marie and Karen know that she is anxious to get together with them and I am sure that they will. They have been in touch off and on, mostly off, since ... well, it's been a long time. I invite you to say a prayer or two for LuAnn's daughter Katie. She must be in her early twenties now and is severely disabled, not able to care for herself or communicate. She lives in a world of her own, one which we can not visit. Her mother provides her with love and care and I am sure that love is returned by Katie and by God. LuAnn is now on my list of "Friends & Family". Many of us "seniors" complain that their friends are fading away. The problem is that they don't know that they can accumulate friends of the newer generations. Having younger friends keeps one younger and in the mix. If we limit our friends to those of our own age and interests as well as beliefs, we put ourselves in a very narrow world.

I received another heartwarming message on Monday and it was soon displayed on our parish web site. It involves the Shawl Ministry of our parish's Human Concerns group. I invite you to see it at Testimonials. Our parish motto is, "Ordinary people doing extraordinary things with faith in the good God and in the goodness of others." This testimonial is just one example of how that works. It is the kind of thing Jesus came to ask us to do. It is not enough to "keep the faith". We are to use it and spread it and to do that by example. Later in the day I got our copy of the parish bulletin for next weekend. In it Fr Steve, our pastor was talking about a couple experiences of his past week but he said something that I thought fits right in here as I reflected on the kindness and love found in the members of the Shawl Ministry exemplifies the true Christian way. Fr Steve said,

"... It reminded me that in many ways the gospel message of Christianity is counter-cultural. It doesn’t “fit” with every aspect of the wider society in which we live. We don’t “fit” with every aspect of the society in which we live, or at least, we shouldn’t".

Indeed, maybe we put too much effort in trying to "fit in" when we should be reflecting the light of Christ and being a light to others.

There are THREE birthdays this week and all in my "Copeland" family. First we have Judi Woodards, the former Judith Barilla, daughter of my sister Rita. Later in the week we have Mark Barilla Judi's brother. To both of them we wish many more and  unending happiness and prosperity. We also remember this week the birth of Sue Palincheck, whom my father married and who is the mother of my Copeland siblings. We thank God for her and her life. She was indeed a gift to us all, me included.. Even my life, at this point, would not be the same without her. She has given me a brother and sisters that are just great. And so ... we shout a great ...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

 

One who would climb to a lofty height must go by steps, not leaps. ~ Pope St. Gregory the Great .

The alarm was set for 6:25 and I was up and about before breakfast on Tuesday. Besides my usual morning rituals, the garbage and recycle bins were brought to the curb and the front door left ajar for Maria. It was a bright but cool morning with the temperature hovering at the freezing mark. There have been several mornings like that now and we are told that even though no records have been broken that this is one of the longest strings of below normal temperatures for this time of year in the history of record keeping. But these days that has little effect on my life. I am warm and comfortable in my home and even when I do go out, the car is comfortable as well. I certainly don't deserve all this luxury but I accept it in gratitude.

Alex sent a bit of wisdom which I must share. Ask the Geese. I have added it to my "Inspiration" page. You can always find these gems of inspiration with the link at the top of this page, on the left, between the Guest Book and the 3 Minute Retreat. But the geese know the plan of God. They know that we get ahead by working together, unselfishly. It is natures way but we humans insist on bucking nature thinking we have to look out only for ourselves and to hell with the other guy. Keep in mind that the only goose you ever see alone is a dead goose.

Minor frustrations abound in life. We must chose to not let them get us down. After lunch on Tuesday I went to bring the garbage and recycle bins back from the curb. But when I opened the garage door, they were right there waiting to be brought in. Maria had seen the empty garbage can with the lid laying next to it near the curb when she arrived and being the helpful person that she is, she wheeled them both up the driveway to save me the task. The only problem was that the recycle pickup had not been made and that bin was still 3/4 full. The next recycle pickup won't be for another two weeks. I will really have a load by then! The second frustration of the day came when I tried to order the backup disks for Office 2007. I had tried on Monday but apparently their web site was overloaded and with several tries my efforts had failed. On Tuesday everything worked well, to a point. You need to give them the date you bought your computer with Office (trial) pre-installed. Then you need to put in the date that you paid for the software. They have to be within 90 days of each other. Then you need to input the 25 character software key. At that point the records are checked and if all checks out you can proceed to enter your name and address and email address. Only then does it ask for your credit card information for the the $9 charge to mail the disks. It was then that my discover card software detected that it was wanted. (It generates a one time only credit card number for on-line purchases) But this time, it said that since I was using Internet Explorer Version #8, Discover needed to upgrade my software. But ... when I pressed the "Update" button, all I got was a small popup with only part of a message that apparently was telling my why the update was required and I could go no further. I decided to just enter my card number by hand. That's when I discovered that Microsoft does not take the Discover card. That posed another little problem. I only have two credit cards and the other, a Visa card, had been used last week for two fraudulent charges in England. How that happened I'll never know. The card of course had been canceled and a new one sent. But with the Columbus Day holiday on Monday, the snail mail had not yet delivered a replacement. So I had no choice but to abandon my attempt to purchase my software backup disks. Several years ago, I would have been fuming with the veins standing out on my neck and heaven help anyone who was anywhere near. So things were not going as planned ... so what. There would be no adventure in life if all went as planned. The surprises add spice to life and are life itself while the plans we make are, just plans which sometimes never happen. Besides, all I need to do is think of those around me who really have problems to keep things in proper perspective. I said a prayer for Katie and her mom.

Oh yes, ... at 5:10 pm my mail announcer sounded ... you know, the device that I have in my curbside mail box that sends a signal when the mail arrives ... and I went out and got the mail, including the new Visa card. After dinner I made the phone call that activated the card and a little later successfully ordered my backup disks. All was well with the world.

When I sent the weekly newsletter for the parish "Include-Me" members I found another statement by our pastor that struck a nerve.

We stand for (and pray for) something different, a vision which stays firmly fixed on the cross and resurrection of Christ—and the transcendent values of the kingdom of God. ~ Fr Steve

This is what we, as Christians, are supposed to be doing ... not to be mired in the pursuits of transient pleasures or false power but by being concerned more with "the transcendent values of the kingdom of God". Our goals and values are supposed to be a cut above the average. I am reminded of the poem by Dean Alfange, given to me by my dad when I was a young teen. "I do not chose to be a common man. I chose to be uncommon, if I can". We are, as Christians, to be better, but not superior, to the rest and to be a light that shows the way. We are, by our example, to bring everyone else up a step. As Gregory The Great (above) points out, we do this not by leaping ahead, but by taking small, measured, deliberate steps, pacing ourselves for the long climb and not leaving the rest behind but reaching back with a helping hand. We are not to arrive at the gates of heaven alone but with a group of people with whom we have traveled, having assisted each other on the journey.

About 8 weeks ago I placed an order (signed a contract) to have most of the windows replaced in my house. I called about 3 weeks ago to get an  idea of when they would be installed and was told they should be received from the manufacturer in about a week and they would call me to arrange for installation as soon as they had them in their shop. Wednesday morning I made another call and the secretary said they would check with the manufacturer and call me back. A half hour later Tim called to tell me they had just received the last window they were waiting for. They could be here on Thursday morning. I had to say no because of bible study. Sr. Gael will not be there and I had been asked to lead the group so I must be there. So, the installers will be here after noon. The same company installed new windows for my daughter a few months ago. She reported a similar experience with scheduling the installation. Strange! However, she was very satisfied with the product as well as the installation. There were problems, ... several ... but the problems were handled pleasantly and with satisfaction.

  

Character is not made in a crisis,  it is only exhibited. -- Robert Freeman   .

And so, I was up early Thursday morning for a busy day. Before going to bible study I made sure that I was ready for the window installers. I made the windows as accessible as possible, moving light furniture out of the way and pushing the beds aside.  We have vertical blinds on all the windows. They are wider than the windows so that when open the entire glass is exposed, and even some of the frame. Hopefully that will give the installers enough working room. I took Mikey to Touch of class early to insure that I will have time to pick him up before the window company's men arrive. Then I was off to bible study.

The group was small. Obviously they were aware that I was to be their substitute moderator.  But all went well. Our readings for this week were about very well tied together. From the old testament we were told to rely on God through our problems. Does God send us trials and tribulations? The writers of the Jewish scriptures were convinced He did. I think not. Stuff happens! He doesn't need to send us problems because we do a good job in getting ourselves in trouble. But if we ask His help, we will find that help is there for us. The second reading tells us of the greatest help, God sent. His son, as our High Priest. Who better qualified? And then we hear that the Apostles still didn't get it. They were all bucking for top position at the head table, still thinking like humans and not realizing that we are supposed to be learning to think as God does and to do for others. It was an interesting session.

When I arrived back home there was a message that my little friend was trimmed and bathed and ready to come home so I went and got him. I returned to find a new message. I was to call the office of the Window contractor. I saw that coming. It had been raining lightly all morning and the temperature was in the low 40's. We are, so far, having the third coldest beginning of October in 185 years and there are still several days like it to come. The rain had slowed their scheduled morning project and they needed to reschedule. And so, we will do it next Thursday, except, I will miss bible study and they will start about 8:30. 

As a result of the change of plans I had a free afternoon and my thoughts went to the previous evening. Ancestry.com had put on a 1 hour "Best Strategies for Searching Ancestry.com" Webinar. A Webinar is a web based seminar. Three of their experts gave tips on how to find information about your ancestors using the search facilities of Ancestry.com. It was very interesting and I learned a few things. So far this week I have done almost nothing pertaining to the building of my database of ancestor information but this was an opportunity to get in there and play with the thing to see if I really learned anything.

Anthony was traveling again but this time it was a short trip mixing business with pleasure. He went to Quincy, Illinois to see the Gully family, his host family when he played with the Quincy Gems. Ginny sent some photos. (She always takes photos)

 

	The baseball park
		At the Gully home.
	At the offices of Gully Trucking

 

Faith is putting all your eggs in God’s basket, then counting your blessings before they hatch. ~ Ramona C. Carroll  .

The Three Minute Retreat Friday morning reminded us of creation ... creation by the Word of God. He willed everything into existence just by His Word. Words have power. They have power for good or evil. We may not be able to create things, material things, by what we say, but what we say is a window into our minds and into our character. This is a problem that polititions and those who are in the public eye have when they speak. We rely on our senses to bring us the truth of things and when people say things that are contrary to what we think they represent it is a shock to us and we then doubt their sincerity. Sometimes they say that it was "off the record". But what does that say of them? Nothing is "off the record" once spoken. The same applies to email. and the effect is often multiplied because you can't say that it was not heard correctly. It is there to be read and re-read.  Sometimes we fall into a trap, the trap of the humorous remark. Maybe it would be funny if the subject matter weren't so serious.  To protect our own integrity we must be conscious of our basic beliefs when we forward an email. Before hitting the "Forward" button we should ask, "What will this say of me and my values and beliefs?"

I awakened Friday to another dark, wet, cold day. I immediately decided that it was going to be a beautiful day. My morning routine was altered. I got dressed, checked my glucose (103) and went of to the Intermediate Care Center. There was a short wait but I was soon at the desk presenting my order for blood work and telling the clerk that I also had a Standing Order. I have appointments next week with my endocrinologist and my GP.  It turned out that my yearly standing order from the GP had expired so I had to sign a release so that a copy of the results would be sent to him. I was soon called by the nurse and the blood samples taken. I didn't go to Ashford House for my usual "reward" breakfast because I had to take my pills, wait a while, then my Byetta shot and wait another while before before eating breakfast. After checking my morning email, my reward breakfast was a Jimmy Dean egg, sausage and potato breakfast bowl, zapped in the microwave for 3 minutes and dressed with ketchup. Delicious!

My coffee was taken too the living room with me for my delayed morning reflection and visit with my friends.  The lawn guys had come and gone doing their work bundled up in jackets with hoods in a light rain. The lawn is beautiful, like a carpet and it is indeed a beautiful day. My Friday emails included the usual from Frank Schober. He had his fasting blood tests also. They do things differently down south where he lives and needs to make an appointment. I just show up when it is convenient for me. But ... Frank sent Amazing Grace. Beautiful!

Kelsey cam down with a case of the garden variety flu and was home from school for a couple days. She went back to school for Friday's classes but will be home for the week end to watch Ana's high school cross country meet. Kelly and her mother went to mid-state Ohio this week to check out Miami of Ohio and a couple other schools. Marc and Nick plan to go Michigan with their uncle Tom to take his boat out of the water for the season. The boat got little use this past summer as everyone was too busy to go up there. Tom said it has been nestled out of the water in the "shore station" and so will need very little cleaning before going into storage for the winter. Tom's father-in-law may avail himself of the extra help and take his pontoon boat out of the water too. Sorry, ... I still don't have Kelly's Homecoming photos.

 

True worth is doing each day some little good, not dreaming of great things to do by and by.  ~ Anon. .

Where did the week go? Just yesterday it was Sunday! I am still planning to weed out my file cabinet of old useless papers. I am still planning to reorganize my incoming paperwork, a task planned for last January so I will be ready for tax season. I am still planning to convert my family VHS tapes to DVD ... I have the machine and the disks. I am still planning to complete the next chapter of "How I Became Grandpa Don". Life keeps interrupting my plans or not even letting me get started. There are many other things for which I haven't even had time to make plans. The bonus thing is that I am enjoying what I am doing ... what ever that may be. 

And so, I thank God for my life and all those who have contributed to making it what it is. ...

I Am blest I Am  anointed I Am overjoyed .