Saturday, October 15th, 2022: Swelling down a little, Dump, Hot & Sour soup, Internet cable thrgh wall, Rain, "Autumn in the City", "Alaskan Daily," "A Cowgirls Song"

 

Tampico, Mexico

83rd operating temple

Dedicated: 20 May 2000

By: Thomas S. Monson

Jesus Christ, Son of man

D&C 61:38

Gird up your loins and be watchful and be sober, looking forth for the coming of the Son of Man, for he cometh in an hour you think not.

Book of Mormon

3 Nephi 5:20-6:14

"Come Follow Me"

Read Jeremiah 18, 20

OctGenCon

"Our Earthly Stewardship"

Bishop Gerald Causse

Presiding Bishop

Great spiritual blessings are promised to those who love and care for the earth and their fellow men and women.

My face is still swollen this morning but not nearly like it was yesterday. I am so far behind on everything, I don't know where to start and I really don't feel like doing anything.

I blogged one day today but I'm a week behind. I won't ever catch up unless I do at least two posts a day. 

Chuck came over today to take our trash to the dump. He said he was going in to town first and James wouldn't let him take it. He said our garbage was too stinky to be in his truck for any length of time. James took Chuck's garbage instead. I asked him how much money he needed and he said $5. I had $3 in my wallet and then I robbed James's piggy bank and got 8 quarters and put them in my change purse right next to the $3 on the dresser. He left and I just assumed he found the money. About 15 minutes later he called me and said, "There's only $3 here." I told him the other $2 was in my change purse right next to the dollar bills. He didn't see it and just grabbed the three dollars on his way out the door. He had to come back and get the other two dollars. 

James also made a trip into town today. I asked for some hot & sour soup from the Chinese restaurant and a taco from Jack-in-the-Box. The soup had too much chili and was way too hot to eat. It's a shame because it always feels so good on my sore throat. 

Our ministering brother is also the Crane's ministering brother. His name is Collin DeWitt. Collin offered to help Chuck get some firewood in. I told James to please ask him to help us. He offered to help last year but James didn't need his help. This year he does. I told James if he didn't ask him, I would. I want some fires this winter!

James worked on threading the internet cable from the Starlink satellite down to my desk in our bedroom. He had to do a lot of drilling in our bathroom and it made a big mess. He also had to cut out some drywall so now we are going to have to paint our bathroom. It was a messy job and he is still not finished.

I watched Cheryl Ladd's new movie, "A Cowgirl's Song" on my phone while working on my blog today. I also watched the newest Hallmark movie, "Autumn in the City" starring one of my favorite, Aimee Teagarden. James and I watched the second episode of "Alaskan Daily." I liked it even better than the first. 

I will be happy when my bulldog jowls disappear. I have a cough and sore throat still and I'm sure I won't be going to church tomorrow. 

We got some more rain today.

Jared sent me this picture. I said I wanted one of these trees in my yard. He said that's a lot of leaves to rake up. I told him I wouldn't rake them because they look beautiful as they are.

Scarlett is ready to dance!

Anna and Friends

Friday, October 14th, 2022: Swollen face Globe to ER, Shurwan, glad for a mask, prescriptions, "Alaskan Daily", Sleep at 3 a.m.

 

Cochabamba, Bolivia

82nd operating temple

Dedicated: 30 Apr 2000

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Son of man

D&C 45:39

And it shall come to pass that he that feareth me shall be looking forth for the great day of the Lord to come, even for the signs of the coming of the Son of Man.

Book of Mormon

3 Nephi 5:1-19

"Come Follow Me"

Jeremiah 3:14-18; 16:14-21 The Lord will gather His people. 

Jeremiah 16-17

OctGenCon

The Doctrine of Belonging

Elder D. Todd Christofferson

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

The doctrine of belonging comes down to this for each of us: I am one with Christ in the gospel covenant.

James left for Globe this morning after prayer. I told him my face was swelling but he couldn't really see how bad it was because it was dark in our bedroom. When I got up and went into the family room, I sent him this picture:

As soon as James saw this picture he begged me to go to the emergency room. I told him I just couldn't. He then said he said a prayer and knew he needed to come home to take me, which he did.

I post this picture to remember how bad it can get. I am not proud but I do not want to forget. I have not had an infusion since August. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with this. Another thing, my right foot was swollen twice its size but as soon as I began receiving medicine through the drip the swelling went away. I still cannot lift my right arm.

We got to the ER of the Show Low hospital somewhere between 10:30 and 11. This is one time I was glad that a mask was required so others could not see how freakish I looked. After checking in I was taken to Room 15 in the ER. A cute little blonde nurse came in to care for me. Her name was Sherwan (Surewan). She was named after her mother and grandmother. I loved her immediately. She explained to me that she was going to start a drip with medicine in it. I will be receiving a steroid, an antibiotic, and something like Benadryl for an allergic reaction which is what the doctor originally thought I had. 

Once the drip was set up I was able to relax and James says I slept for three hours. Sherwan said I could not have anything to drink or eat but she gave me lemon flavored swabs to suck on. 

Here are some things I learned about my new friend Sherwan:

She used to be a competitive inline skater. She has four children, she also has rheumatoid arthritis but only takes Naproxen for it. It goes into remission when she is pregnant. Her baby is two years old and she had Covid while she was pregnant. The baby had to be taken early and almost died. She said that even though she just turned two, her baby looks like she is less than one. 

At first the doctor on duty thought I had endema, not cellulitis but my release papers say cellulitis. Jared told me later that if cellulitis gets in to the optic nerve you can go blind. He also said that you can die from it. 

After I was released from the hospital we went to Walmart and James went in to get my prescriptions for an antibiotic and steroid. We also went to Sonic to get something good to eat, a chicken slinger and a drink. James also got some Benadryl for me to take when he was at Walmart. I am so grateful for him. I know it must be painful to look at me.

This evening James and I watched a new series on TV starring Hilary Swank called "The Alaskan Daily." 

When it was time to go to bed I decided to sleep in the family room recliner because of my cough and my inability to breathe well without sitting up. We said our prayers together and James went to bed. I couldn't sleep so I began walking around the dining room table. I was able to get 7,062 steps before the app turned to 0 at midnight. After walking I was awake another few hours. I finally went to sleep at 3 a.m. It was a traumatic day for me and I'm glad it's over.

Sheri's friend Kylee

Kylee lives in Cathi & Terry's basement

and she loves them because they are so 

kind to her.

Thursday, October 13th, 2022: Right arm prblms, J shpng, No taco, Inklings, Pres. Nelson's 22 conference invitations, Bed on recliner - cough, sorethroat, swollen foot & face beginning to swell

 

Reno, Nevada

81st operating temple

Dedicated: 23 Apr 2000

By: Thomas S. Monson

Jesus Christ, Son of man

Mark 13:26

And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

Book of Mormon

3 Nephi 14:15-33

"Come Follow Me"

Jeremiah 2; 7 "They have forsaken me the fountain of living waters."

Jeremiah 7

OctGenCon

"Building a Life Resistant to the Adversary"

Elder Jorge F. Zeballos

Of the Seventy

I pray that we may continue to build our lives following the plans and technical specifications of the divine design authored by our Heavenly Father.

I was going to go to town with James today to do some shopping but I just wasn't feeling up to it. I thought I made it clear that I wanted him to bring me a taco, but I guess not. 

James went to Home Depot to return the wrong sized lightbulbs for the fans. He also went to Walmart and got some juice but forgot his shakes. 

I got my 12,000 steps today but my blog is suffering because of the pain in my right arm. 

James is getting ready to start Barbara Bartels job. I am glad because the Glendale Airport job has been delayed 30-45 days. 

Inklings was so good today. The focus was President Nelson's talk, "Overcome the World and Find Rest." Here are a few notes:

Dear brothers and sisters, my message to you today is that because Jesus Christ overcame this fallen world, and because He atoned for each of us, you too can overcome this sin-saturated, self-centered, and often exhausting world. Because the Savior, through His infinite Atonement, redeemed each of us from weakness, mistakes, and sin, and because He experienced every pain, worry, and burden you have ever had, then as you truly repent and seek His help, you can rise above this present precarious world.

This talk was a powerful talk regarding the Redeeming, Cleansing, Reforming, and Changing power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. 

Because of His Atonement we can Overcome and Become. 

I was uplifted after Inklings but it is hard to stay motivated when you feel so awful physically. 

I made a list of 22 invitations that President Nelson extended during General Conference. Here they are:

1. There are many aids on the Church website to protect others from abuse. I invite you to study them. 

2. I urge each of us to be alert to anyone who might be in danger of being abused and to act promptly to protect them.

3. Please make notes during General Conference of thoughts that come into your mind and stay in your heart.

4. Prayerfully ask the Lord to confirm that what you have heard in General Conference is true.

5. Each person who makes covenants in baptismal fonts and in temples, and keeps them, has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ. Please ponder that stunning truth!

6. I plead with you now to take charge of your own testimony of Jesus Christ and His gospel.

7. Work for your testimony.

8. Nurture your testimony so that it will grow.

9. Feed your testimony truth.

10. Don't pollute your testimony with false philosophies of unbelievers.

11. As you make the continual strengthening of your testimony of Jesus Christ your highest priority, watch for miracles to happen in your life.

12. My plea to you this morning is to find rest from the intensity, uncertainty, and anguish of this world by overcoming the world through your covenants with God.

13.Let God know through your prayers and your actions that you are serious about overcoming the world.

14. Ask God to enlighten your mind and send the help you need.

15. Each day record the thoughts that come to you as you pray; then follow through diligently.

16. Spend more time in the temple.

17. Seek to understand how the temple teaches you to rise above this fallen world.

18. "I call upon you, my dear brothers and sisters, to become a righteous people."

19. Cherish and honor your covenants above all other commitments.

20. I urge you to increase your efforts to seek Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ's help. 

21. Let us never lose sight of what the Lord is doing for us now.

22. May you focus on the temple in ways you never have before.

I am grateful to have this list from our dear Prophet. These are things I want to focus on in the upcoming six months.

Ongoing Nerf war with Ben

against the girls

Names and Attributes of Christ

Hall Family

Bishop Hall was our first Vernon bishop

Our yard almost turned into a lake

Love these two Happy Faces!

Wednesday, October 12th, 2022: Temple w/Sue Hubble, Goodbye Sheri & boys, Sonic, January S, RS/EQ Lessons Pres. Mtg,

 

Memphis, Tennessee

80th operating temple

Dedicated: 23 Apr 2000

By: James E. Faust

Jesus Christ, Son of man

Matthew 24:39

And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Book of Mormon

3 Nephi 4:1-14

"Come Follow Me"

Jeremiah 1:5 God knew me before I was born. Jeremiah 3.

OctGenCon

"And They Sought to See Jesus Who He Was"

Elder James W. McConkie III

Of the Seventy

I witness that Jesus lives, that He knows us, and that He has the power to heal, to transform, and to forgive.

Sheri was at the high table near the entryway this morning when I left to go to the temple. I gave her a hug and told her how much I appreciated her help with the painting of our bedroom. The boys were still asleep when I left around 9:15 to go pick up Sue Hubble. 

Sue met me in the parking lot at Dollar General. We got to the temple early and were in our seats in the front row of the endowment session before 10:30. Sue was the first sister in the room. Sue asked me if Judy Hunter still worked at the temple on Wednesday and I told her I didn't know. After Sue went in to the endowment room I saw Judy in the dressing room and told her I was here with Sue Hubble. Judy taught Sue the temple preparation classes. This is only Sue's second time doing an endowment session. 

I noticed that the same sister who checked names at the door was the only follower sister in the endowment session. She had long dark brown hair but I didn't pay much attention to her because she didn't look familiar. She didn't look familiar until we got in to the terrestrial room that is. With the brighter lights and the closer seating I looked at this sisters name tag: January Stratton. I went to high school with January. I got her attention and said, "It's Karen." She looked at me and said, "I know."  I then realized that January's husband, Blaine, was the officiator in the session. The last time I saw January was 6 years ago at our 50th high school reunion. She was living in Texas at that time. 

Later in the dressing room January told me she didn't recognize me until I spoke to her but that she had been admiring my hair. January and Blaine moved back to Snowflake two years ago when they started building a new home. They are still building that home and are living in a motor home across the street from Ruth Gale. 

Brother Gilliland from our stake took me through the veil. His wife is the second counselor in the stake Relief Society presidency and I visited with her in the dressing room too. 

Sue and I stopped at Sonic and got lunch before heading home. Sue was so happy to go to the temple and we have decided that we want to go once a month together. We will probably go on the first Tuesday of the month when I go with Catherine Halcomb. 

James and I had a joint Relief Society/Elders Quorum Presidency meeting this evening to choose the lessons for the next six months from October's conference. Tamara, Chuck, Tom, James, and I were the only ones who attended. Tamara was very organized and we got the schedule completed in less than an hour. 

My throat was extremely sore tonight. The hot tea James made for me before bed felt so good on my sore throat.

October 6th, 2022

Tuesday, October 12th, 2022: J&G Globe, Sheri runs, Town was car, prescrip, Dilly bars, Paint & tape, Sonic, Steaks & cows, Razr lost muffler, "CFM"

 

Medford, Oregon

79th operating temple

Dedicated: 16 Apr 2000

By: James E. Faust

Jesus Christ, Son of man

Matthew 24:37

But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Book of Mormon

3 Nephi 3:11-26

"Come Follow Me"

Jeremiah 1:4-19; 7:1-7; 20:8-10 Prophets are called to speak the Lord's word. Jeremiah 2.

OctGenCon

"In Partnership with the Lord"

Elder Ulisses Soares

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

The restored gospel of Jesus Christ proclaims the principle of full partnership between woman and man, both in mortal life and in the eternities.

Family prayer with James before he and Greg leave for Globe. 

Sheri and I went to town this morning in my car to wash it, to pick up a prescription and to get the boys some Dilly bars at Dairy Queen. 

While I was getting gas at the Circle K across from Walmart Sheri went inside to get herself a drink. We went through the carwash and got most of the dirt off of the outside of my car. It's clean enough to take to the temple. I picked up my prescription for hydrochlorothiazide at Walmart and then we headed to the Dairy Queen. Evan wanted some cherry Dilly bars. They were out of cherry so we got butterscotch instead. Sheri ordered a box of six and a crunch ice cream cone. The cost was over $19. I almost fell off my seat. I knew Dairy Queen was expensive but this is ridiculous!

I had one of the Dilly bars on the way home and it was okay but not nearly as good as the cherry. 

Sheri and I painted most of the afternoon. We did take a break and took the boys in to Sonic to get something to eat and drink. The boys got chicken, and corn dogs, fries and tater tots, and drinks. Sheri and I got a drink and we each got a chicken slinger. 

While we were painting the boys took my car to the park to play basketball. It's either basketball or video games and I like the idea of basketball better.

Sheri finished all of the upper walls like she said she would do. I am so grateful. This means neither James nor I will have to be on the ladder. There are a few touchup places around some logs but that won't take long. I really like the color and so does Sheri. 

Sheri grilled some steaks for dinner. James says there are cows in the field and goes out to fix the fence. He sends the boys out to chase the cows. While they are chasing cows they lose the muffler on the Razr.

I made mashed potatoes to go with the steaks. We also had asparagus and James wanted some pot stickers so I made some of those for him. 

This evening we had "Come Follow Me" with the boys and Sheri and I said the family prayer. 

Sheri, James and I watched the movie, "Love's Portrait" which was filmed in Ireland. It was a nice way to end the day.

James and I started watching Hillary Swank's new

series, "Alaskan Daily"

Jasmine's family

Patrick's family

Sheri with Charlie and Scarlett last December