I couldn't think of a title, as this is just rambling on about how life is going here.
Tomorrow is Tommy's 26th birthday. Not only this week, or this year has flown by, but the cumulative years just keep flowing on.
Tommy (Stephen Thomas) is still attending Christ For The Nations International (CFNI) in Dallas. This summer he will be helping out at a day camp for children. (Kids for the Nations? I can't remember its proper title.)
Next Friday would of been Bill's 34th birthday, and my PawPaw's 102nd. Paw was always so pleased to have a great grand baby born on his birthday!
This has been a run run run week. Tom got the garden (such as it is) planted over the weekend. We have eight tomato plants, six jalapeno peppers, seven bell peppers, two tabasco peppers, and two squash- one each of yellow and zucchini. We had to put several of the peppers in containers, plus I have lettuce, spinach, radishes and carrots in containers. Sam started some tomatoes and peppers from seed... which I accidentally killed by leaving out on frosty night. I replanted those, and now that they are up... we have no place to plant them! Looks like we may need more containers. (I also planted gallardia (Indian blanket) flower seeds. Those have also come up.)
Trim Healthy Mama has been slow going for me, but I am down TWO lbs. Tom fluctuates a lot, but mostly because he hasn't quit sugar... to the tune of ice cream every night, and pretty much whatever he wants when he wants it. I can cook THM desserts, but more often than not, they go to waste.
He does exercise, though. A whole lot. he gets up in the mornings and works out with weights. On his lunch break at work, he does walking, stairs, and other calisthenics. I just walk the dog. But the dog and I generally go about 3 miles every day. Yesterday, I met another, older lady who walked with me. Her name is Stella. We may be walking buddies. (I can use some real life friends!)
Mondays are Tom's and my grocery shopping/ errand days. Tuesdays generally see me going in the opposite direction to get our Aldi list. I try to remember to pick up their sales flyer for next week when I go. Aldi's sales week starts on Wednesday... so when Dan saw the flyer Tuesday night, he requested I go back on Wednesday. He has been learning bike maintenance and repair... and one of the weekly deals for "this" week was a bicycle maintenance stand. As long as I was all the way back down in Siloam, I hit up the thrift shops. I got some summer clothes for myself, but my biggest "score" was a carafe for my blender. It was marked $4.05... but that colored tag was 75% off! So I got it for $1.01. I'm quite pleased.
That's about all from around here. Thanks for reading.
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Public Speaking
Yesterday, my three youngest sons all had public speaking engagements. Tommy (Stephen) gave a short sermon in his Homiletics class. He got a 100 score! Tommy's class was at CFNI in Dallas, and I wasn't able to attend. However, one of his classmates recorded him and posted it to Facebook. So I did get to see it, and hear it (if I listened closely!).
Later in the evening, Daniel and Sam were the guest speakers at a seminar at Lewis and Clark Outfitters in Springdale. Thursday they will do a second seminar at Lewis and Clark Outfitters Roger's location. For an unscripted gathering, they did an awesome job. I expect Thursdays engagement will be even better.
If you are anywhere close to Roger's, AR on Thursday, the seminar starts at 6:30 pm, at the Lewis and Clark store just off Highway 49. Mr C won't get to attend this second session. Daniel ended the evening last night by reciting the poem he wrote on the anniversary of starting the hike. He left the audience wowed.
Later in the evening, Daniel and Sam were the guest speakers at a seminar at Lewis and Clark Outfitters in Springdale. Thursday they will do a second seminar at Lewis and Clark Outfitters Roger's location. For an unscripted gathering, they did an awesome job. I expect Thursdays engagement will be even better.
If you are anywhere close to Roger's, AR on Thursday, the seminar starts at 6:30 pm, at the Lewis and Clark store just off Highway 49. Mr C won't get to attend this second session. Daniel ended the evening last night by reciting the poem he wrote on the anniversary of starting the hike. He left the audience wowed.
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Grateful
The next big adventure Daniel has planned is a transcontinental bicycle ride. He is hoping to do it after applying for (and being accepted) as a firefighter candidate in San Angelo. The hiring process takes about a year, and Dan missed this year's deadline to get the hiring process started.
So, sometime next Spring, he is wanting to be driven out to Oregon, where he will start bicycling East. I forget how long he expects it to take, somewhat less than three months?
To that goal, Daniel the Prepper is starting to train for long bike rides. Sam would LIKE to take the trip with Daniel, but has this thing known as a "career" he is already working on. He is, however, perfectly willing to go on these training rides with Daniel.
Saturday, April 2nd, the boys went to check out the Dogwood Junction Bike Shop in Siloam Springs. Sam bought a brand new bike helmet, which fit his head better than his previous helmet.
Sunday, the boys set out on a 50-ish mile ride... To Siloam for lunch, then back to Gravette. They had originally said they would ride down on Highway 59, and come back on 43 to 72 into Gravette.
Mr. C and I had gone to drop off a couple of items to a friend of mine, then we were going hiking. We decided to check out the Eagle Watch Nature Trail in Gentry. I had never walked the trail before, it is a nice little walk, with some amazing photography opportunities for those who do shoots in natural surroundings. After our walk, We decided that we would also take 43 to 72 back to Gravette, hoping to see the boys. We were within sight of the house on the way home, when we got a call from Sam. He asked us to stop whatever we were doing and please come straight home. We pulled into the driveway about then...
Both boys were bloody messes. Sam was in far worse shape than Daniel. They had been in a fairly serious bike wreck. After their lunch, they had decided to return the same route they had gone down on- Highway 59. Less than 5 miles from home, as they were traveling downhill along the highway at a pretty fast speed, a guy in a Suburban pulled out directly in front of them. He had been watching for cars, not bicyclists. Sam was a few paces ahead of Daniel, and had almost no time to react. The choices were slamming into the side of an SUV, or braking and trying to swerve. Sam braked hard. He somersaulted head over handlebars onto the highway, landing head first on his brand new helmet. He slid and rolled down the pavement, leaving behind a layer of skin and biking jersey. Dan landed sideways on his palms and ankles, which are bloody messes as well.
The Suburban driver stopped to render aid, as did another driver who had witnessed the accident. The boys and their bikes were loaded into the SUV and driven home by the shaken driver.
We checked Sam over, concerned about internal bleeding, broken bones, and concussion. He was ambulant and alert. His pupils equal and reactive. Most of his injuries were superficial, though quite painful. (Having ones skin forcibly rubbed off on rocks is never pleasant!)
We began treating the injuries, getting gravel cleaned out of the deeper gouges, and peroxide poured over everything. Dan and I made a quick run up to the Dollar store for more gauze and larger Bandaids (TM). (Sam prefers the name brand, and if it isn't Bandaid brand, you call it an adhesive bandage... not a Bandaid!)
Sam's adrenaline rush was wearing off, and he was getting shocky before we left. Tom kept an eye on him, and we covered him up and got him settled before making the trip to the store. Once my ministrations were complete (I even used some essential oils on the areas of road burn too big to bandage), and Sam started feeling more alert... he looked at his helmet. He landed so hard that the hard foam liner is cracked. The helmet itself also has some pretty good dents in it, below the visor.
The helmet (a Giro brand "Feature" style) did its job. Sam landed on his helmeted head at a launch speed in excess of 30 MPH... probably closer to 40 MPH. It saved him.
Daniel was talking to me on our drive to the store. He said he knows he didn't wear a bike helmet as a little kid, and was just fine. But when he has kids of his own, they WILL wear helmets when they ride their bikes.
So, sometime next Spring, he is wanting to be driven out to Oregon, where he will start bicycling East. I forget how long he expects it to take, somewhat less than three months?
To that goal, Daniel the Prepper is starting to train for long bike rides. Sam would LIKE to take the trip with Daniel, but has this thing known as a "career" he is already working on. He is, however, perfectly willing to go on these training rides with Daniel.
Saturday, April 2nd, the boys went to check out the Dogwood Junction Bike Shop in Siloam Springs. Sam bought a brand new bike helmet, which fit his head better than his previous helmet.
Sunday, the boys set out on a 50-ish mile ride... To Siloam for lunch, then back to Gravette. They had originally said they would ride down on Highway 59, and come back on 43 to 72 into Gravette.
Mr. C and I had gone to drop off a couple of items to a friend of mine, then we were going hiking. We decided to check out the Eagle Watch Nature Trail in Gentry. I had never walked the trail before, it is a nice little walk, with some amazing photography opportunities for those who do shoots in natural surroundings. After our walk, We decided that we would also take 43 to 72 back to Gravette, hoping to see the boys. We were within sight of the house on the way home, when we got a call from Sam. He asked us to stop whatever we were doing and please come straight home. We pulled into the driveway about then...
Both boys were bloody messes. Sam was in far worse shape than Daniel. They had been in a fairly serious bike wreck. After their lunch, they had decided to return the same route they had gone down on- Highway 59. Less than 5 miles from home, as they were traveling downhill along the highway at a pretty fast speed, a guy in a Suburban pulled out directly in front of them. He had been watching for cars, not bicyclists. Sam was a few paces ahead of Daniel, and had almost no time to react. The choices were slamming into the side of an SUV, or braking and trying to swerve. Sam braked hard. He somersaulted head over handlebars onto the highway, landing head first on his brand new helmet. He slid and rolled down the pavement, leaving behind a layer of skin and biking jersey. Dan landed sideways on his palms and ankles, which are bloody messes as well.
The Suburban driver stopped to render aid, as did another driver who had witnessed the accident. The boys and their bikes were loaded into the SUV and driven home by the shaken driver.
We checked Sam over, concerned about internal bleeding, broken bones, and concussion. He was ambulant and alert. His pupils equal and reactive. Most of his injuries were superficial, though quite painful. (Having ones skin forcibly rubbed off on rocks is never pleasant!)
We began treating the injuries, getting gravel cleaned out of the deeper gouges, and peroxide poured over everything. Dan and I made a quick run up to the Dollar store for more gauze and larger Bandaids (TM). (Sam prefers the name brand, and if it isn't Bandaid brand, you call it an adhesive bandage... not a Bandaid!)
Sam's adrenaline rush was wearing off, and he was getting shocky before we left. Tom kept an eye on him, and we covered him up and got him settled before making the trip to the store. Once my ministrations were complete (I even used some essential oils on the areas of road burn too big to bandage), and Sam started feeling more alert... he looked at his helmet. He landed so hard that the hard foam liner is cracked. The helmet itself also has some pretty good dents in it, below the visor.
The helmet (a Giro brand "Feature" style) did its job. Sam landed on his helmeted head at a launch speed in excess of 30 MPH... probably closer to 40 MPH. It saved him.
Daniel was talking to me on our drive to the store. He said he knows he didn't wear a bike helmet as a little kid, and was just fine. But when he has kids of his own, they WILL wear helmets when they ride their bikes.
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| The helmet, with visor in place |
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| The visor removed, you can see the dents |
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| The cracked foam liner, next to the manufacturing molding line |
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| Blurry, but better shot of the crack |
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| Sam's biking jersey. The grey skid is where the fabric's color is scraped off. A couple of holes wore through. Better than leaving SKIN on the road! |
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