Stuff...

Lila had Sunday school meeting this am & I had class on the Book of Concord.  We are working in the yard this pm.

Labor Day 2013

* In bed this am ... Lila is asleep
* Talked to Brother Don yesterday ... Nancy is in Denver w voids
* Lila & I saw the "Jobs" movie on Saturday and ate at Texas BBQ
* Lila bought me 10 shirts at Good Will
* Cooked Usinger brats on grill last night
* Lila wants me to exercise more ... too sedentary... I agree
* Plan to visit Do & Nancy weekend of 09/21

August items ...

Sitting in Oberweis Dairy while Mark & Lila play chess. Lila brought lunch to me earlier tovar and we ate, walked, and talked in a park in St. Charles. Work life is quiet and my bosses are in Germany next walk.  We all watched a Riff Trax sci go movie last night. Brought PCM home for work & plan to putter around the house this weekend.

Feast of Pentacost

Four new confirmands at a packed Calvary Church

Celebrating Kevin's Birthday

Kevin and Janet & kids are coming today to belatedly celebrate Kevin's birthday.  Will post photos later ...

... and here are the photo's:

Spring at last!

It was warm yesterday (~65 oF) so Lila & I had a day out at Grass Lake on the Fox River.  The water was 5 foot above normal.

 ... Lila ...

... Steve ... 

Lila AT THE the Thirsty Turtle tavern on Channel Lake in Antioch, IL

Oh... by the way ... we ate dinner at the Texan BBQ in Algonquin, IL.  Lila wanted to drop presents at Kevin's for his 31st birthday but he was at his dad's house ... but that's another story.

Work and flood photos

Below is a photo of one of OMRON's opened GM 15A internally mounted fuel pump power modules (FPPM) with thermocouple wires installed for temperature measurement.

Below are photos of a low flooded field across the street from our house.  On April 18 we had a huge rainstorm move through the area.  Our next door neighbor says that he has not seen such flooding here in over 20 years.

Alive and Kicking ...

Way too long between posts.  I convinced myself that if I wanted my posts read, then I would post on FACEBOOK.  FACEBOOK has so much traffic that anything that I posted would likely be overlooked and forgotten.  So as long as GOOGLE keeps BLOGSPOT alive I'll keep posting here ... at least once in a while.

Status:  Still employed and solvent; still obese (100+ pounds of blubber), still married and living in Elgin.

January news:  ... Uh-h-h-h...winter & work?
February news:  Winter, work, Kaylee's birthday party, Paul's birthday ... our 24th wedding anniversary
March news:  More winter & work & Lila and I visited Anne and met her daughter Vickie (see note below).  Vickie stayed with us over her Spring Break.

Lila and I are in her car driving to Sheboygan, WI to meet with Anne.  Anne moved to Sheboygan about 4 weeks ago.  Her daughter Alexandra (18) then returned to Carson City NV with Alexa's boyfriend and his father the next day.  Anne stayed with her husband Dan for about three weeks but moved to Safe Harbor women's shelter with her daughter Victoria (13) after complaining of “bruises” that she attributed to Dan.  Lila and I had hoped to meet Victoria this weekend but Vickie is visiting her paternal grandmother with her father (Dan) this weekend.

... And Elgin had snow ... see below.

April news:  I filed our income tax returns.  Spring is cold so far.  I saw snow flurries yesterday morning.

A general update

*  We left the Hill's Texas compound on Wednesday am, stayed at a Hampton Inn in Oklahoma City on Wednesday night, and then stayed with Ryan last night in Springfield, IL.
* We got to eat lunch yesterday at a Cracker Barrel restaurant and we treated Ryan to dinner last night at Darcy's Pint.
*  Leo was glad to see us when we arrived last night.
*  Older news -  the week before Christmas, Janet's Dad's live-in girlfriend died unexpectedly of diabetes complications.
* I have to sign up an elder for tomorrow when I get back to Elgin.
* I have 8 weeks of Elder service at Calvary late service for Jan and Feb.
* In Wimberly, TX Lila spotted some yard art made of ceramic dinner plates.  She stocked up some plates and will try her hand at this in Elgin.

Texas vacation photos

2013-01-02  Linda's layers

2013-01-02  Four mule deer at Jim & Linda's house

2013-01-02 Linda's Bantam hen

A view of Jim and Linda's house from the back

Sunset at Jim and Linda's house

A view of Jim and Linda's house from the back

Rancher Jim and his tractor

View of the henhouse

A Texas vacation holiday

Lila, Mark, & I left for a holiday in Texas on Christmas Day last Tuesday.  We will probably start our return home tomorrow.  My last work day last year was Friday, Dec 21.  I return to work next Monday, Jan 7.