Too Much Time On My Hands

If you said Styx...then you do have too much time on your hands. If you are holding a grand child in your arms then you are blessed indeed.

Cindy and I went to Denver for John Paul's baptism and that was a blessed time.




The littlest Crane.



Entering the family of God.



Matt and Jamie God parents.



Michael

A rare picture of boys holding fairly still.



Proud grand parents.

Happy grandpa.

Cindy went back to Denver for the week to help Ashley as Alex went back to School. So What do I do with my time here?

Making bread.

 

 

Playing games.

Editor's note: File Photo...all cleaning really takes place the day Cindy arrives back home.

jW

Watching basketball.

Big painting project down stairs.  



Spring cooking is here.

Hope your spring has sprung and is going well.

I Want to Fly Like an Eagle

If you said "Steve Miller Band" give yourself 1 point. If you have a picture of an eagle in a nest give yourself 2 points. Oh that's me!

Dene' and Tyler came  to Lincoln for spring break. Yes you heard me right...they came to Lincoln Nebraska for spring break. They may have been the only two in the country here for spring break but we were happy and blessed that they did. We watched a lot of college basketball and even did some birding. Those two activities may not sound like they go together but we enjoyed them both.




Cranes in Kearney

Snow geese.

More cranes.

Bird apparel.

Saturday we took Dene' and Tyler to the airport and Cindy and I went birding at the Desoto Wildlife Refuge, north of Omaha, looking for eagles. Success. 

Here is what we saw at the Desoto Wildlife Refuge:
16 eagles (1 eating a fish on the ice, 12 flying, 2 in a tree across the Platte River, and 1 in a nest)
(3 eagle nests)
Canadian Geese
Snow Geese
1 Red-winged blackbird
1 Wild turkey
1 Downy Woodpecker
Common Merganser ducks
2 Franklin's Gulls
1 Double-crested Cormorant (is this a duck?)
We heard a Black-capped Chickadee (which caused us to pull over, it was so loud, which led to the Turkey and Downy Woodpecker sightings) and a Red-bellied Woodpecker.

On the way home we saw a Northern Harrier and a Red Tail Hawk.  We had to chase the hawk around a little in order to make the ID.  He wasn't too cooperative.

We also sighted 2 wineries: "Too Far North" in Ft. Calhoun (near the Northern Harrier sighting) and "Cellar 426" in Ashland (just south of the Red Tail Hawk sighting).  We didn't stop, but thought of Team Lead.

Eagle in a nest
 

A pair in a tree
 



Flying over head
 

Elusive Red Tail Hawk

 
Next week we are headed for Colorado to check out the Stork sighting at the Crane house.

Bob the Sled, and Other Life Lessons

We shamelessly stole our blog title from Ashley's recent blog, Bob the Cow, and Other Conversations.

Cindy and I have been enjoying the Winter Olympics...late into the evening I might add. Curling to bobsled, skiing to skating with a good amount of hockey and all other events. If it's on we've recorded it and I've watched it. Here are the top 10 life lessons we have learned:

10: Try and stay up-right. (Unless it's the luge or skeleton.)

9: Stay out of trouble and out of the crowds. (Watching the snowboard and ski cross...it's crowded with a lot of bumping.)

8: If you fall...get backup again. (We've seen a few crashes that still finish in the medals.)

7: Be a good sport. (Watching a 4th place finisher congratulate the 3rd place finisher is amazing.)

6: Smile...someone is watching.

5: Life is not always fair. Watching a short track speed skater-snowboarder-skier-get knocked down by another and there is no recourse. (Life is seldom fair.)

4: If you win the gold...great...you were the best/fastest at that moment...anyone can beat anyone at any given moment. (Have a little humility.)

3: Only one person  gets the gold. (A personal best is a good thing.)

2: When someone/something throws a stone in your path, if you can't knock it out of the way, find a way around it. (Who said curling isn't worth watching?!)

1: As you go careening down life's narrow, curvy path, all jobs are important, whether you are steering, braking, or just dead weight.  And, when things crash (and they will at some point), don't make a rash move (e.g., stay in the bobsled until it stops) and be thankful when you are able to walk away.

Christmas by the Numbers

15: Days we were able to spend with our kids!

4: Grand kids. Michael and Liam and Ashley due in March and Dene' due in August!

31: Football bowl games we watched. Dene' BIG winner of bowl picks!

1:  Gingerbread house.

1/2: Cords of wood we burned in 2 weeks.

4: Puzzles put together...2 by Alex with a little help by the rest of us and 2 by Michael all by himself.

2: Batches each of sour dough bread and banana bread.

10: Gallons of milk.

36: Loads through the dish washer.

12: Loads of laundry.

1: String of lights eaten by the squirrels.

Countless: Cookies and snacks.



Lots of story times with grandma.



Michael helping Tyler clear the snow.

Two guys relaxing.

Bundles of joy.

Beautiful.



Merry Christmas.

Great tie.

Happy Grandma and Grandpa.

Liam practicing his walking.

Great gingerbread house.



Christmas movie or football game.

Merry Christmas

and Happy New Year.

It's Not Complicated

It has been awhile since I've blogged. I can't think of any excuses that are clever or true. I wish I had been making fudge 3 times but that excuse has been taken. Speaking of fudge...isn't a "fudge recipe" an oxymoron? Fudge, by the very definition, isn't it suppose to be bent and changed...you know ...fudged. (See the fudge maker here.)While I loved your blog Dan you would have gotten extra bonus points for sending samples and not just a delicious picture.

But I digress. From what topic I haven't decided yet.

Since video chatting with family last Saturday, something Nancy said has stuck with me..."don't kill yourself trying to slow down," at least that is what I heard. Our lives are busy and can be stressful but enjoy the moment. I tell my daughters not to wish their lives away by looking too far into the future. Whoa...we're getting a little cheesy.

Speaking of cheesy...Cindy and I had the privilege of fixing lunch at the Matt Talbot soup Kitchen today. We work with a team a few times a year there and December is always our turn to cook. Cindy makes the best "monster" cookies each year and we made Sloppy Joes and macaroni and cheese from scratch. We practiced making the  mac and cheese using 3 types of cheese here at home a number of times before today - to get the proportions right. A little tip...mac and cheese serving 5 is a little different than mac and cheese serving 150. Try melting 30lbs of cheese on the stove top in some milk and cream. The sloppy joes and 40lbs of hamburger went well though. The kitchen has this giant skillet that makes cooking fun...another oxymoron for some, I know. Cindy did the conversions...how much is 30 tbsp. of minced onion anyway? (Side note to Dan...no trying it 3 times today to get it right....)

We got a Christmas tree the week before Thanksgiving. Kind of early, I know, but 1) the trees were out there, and better in our house being watered than sitting at Home Depot in their parking lot and not being watered.  2) We went to S.D. for a wonderful Thanksgiving with Mom and Dad and family and wanted to get a tree before we left. The tree was drinking almost 12 cups of water over-nite before we left for S.D.  I had these thoughts of rigging some mechanism to water the tree while we were gone...I didn't follow through. Tree dry when we got home...tree not drinking now...needles falling off if you look at them too closely. We don't normally decorate our tree until Christmas Eve...but I did an emergency decoration of the tree when we got home to keep from touching it later. Good idea.

Our new favorite saying is "It's not complicated". Have you seen the AT&T commercial with the guy around the table with a bunch of kids? The commercials are cute but the tag line "It's not complicated" is pretty true, from a common sense point of view. Say something true...then add..."It's not complicated."

Love one another.  It's not complicated.

Make fudge until you get it right.  It's not complicated.

Listen to your wife.  It's not complicated.

Get a Christmas tree before Thanksgiving...but don't stop watering it. It's not complicated.

Mac and Cheese from scratch for 150...wait...that is complicated!

Enjoy...just don't touch.

Cindy and I are keeping you all in our prayers. Have a wonderful Advent and a Blessed Christmas.

Let it Snow...Let it Snow...or Just Let the Leaves Fall

I didn't say where to let it snow. Our family in the Hills have had over 1/2 the annual snow fall average so far this season all before November. We are just shutting off the sprinklers outside and starting to winterize the house and yard. And raking and raking and raking the leaves. Cindy and I sat this morning watching the wind blow the leaves up and down our street and from one yard to the next. Share and share alike is what I say. The large oak tree beside our house has been dropping the acorns on our roof, between the gusting winds and the squirrels, it sounds like hail.


 

Our deck has become a 'Hard Hat' area.

 

No two leaves are exactly alike...at least not in the last 14 bags I've collected.
 

It has been a very pretty Fall season around here.



I had a cord of wood delivered yesterday...so now I feel like winter may come. The price included delivery and dumping it onto my driveway...stacking not included. So that was my workout last nite.

We are part way there.



Now all I need is two aspirin and a massage. 

I know the season has changed when it's time to start cooking a "practice turkey". At least that is what I like to call any turkeys we cook before Thanksgiving. Cindy likes turkey...once in awhile. I think she could do with out the practice turkey (or turkeys) before having it again at Thanksgiving. But she surprised me yesterday when she got home from getting groceries. She could hardly contain herself when she let me know SHE bought the first turkey of the season. Now I know she really loves me. The funny thing is she can't help being so proud of herself that she actually thought of buying a turkey before I brought up the idea. About 10 times last nite she looked at me with this huge grin and said "I bought you a turkey!" Yes dear...I'm very proud of you...kind of like tying your shoes by yourself ...or riding a bike for the first time. I think she wanted a trophy and a parade. I'm pretty sure I heard her say to herself this morning "I bought him a turkey". It was a big deal...now how do I tell Cindy that this is just one of many practice turkeys of the season?

 

 

Practice...practice...practice is what I say.

So whether your Fall consists of snow, leaves or 80 degree weather...be sure to practice what you love the most...and go ahead and throw yourself a parade.

 

I'm goin' to Carolina in My Mind

 

 

 

Cindy and I went to see Dene' and Tyler at Belmont Abbey in North Carolina and had a wonderful trip. They were our tour guides for a week of travel around the state.  We saw vineyards, orchards, mountains, turnip greens and boiled peanuts. We didn't get to the coast but that leaves us something to see for our next trip. We did drive through the town of Pinehurst where the US Open Men's and Women's golf tournaments will be played in 2014, in case you where wondering. Here is a photo log of our trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for flying Southwest.

 

We decided that North Carolina has the most trees we have ever seen, and the most clouds.

Welcome to Belmont Abbey College.

Beautiful church on campus.

 

 

 

 

An amazing adoration chapel at which we were able to spend time at for prayer, with glass walls and a gorgeous view .

 

 

 

 

We were able to visit Cindy's brother John (center) and had an impromptu visit with a local North Carolinian (far right) to pick pears, grapes and black walnuts along the way. 

Visit with Uncle Bill (Cindy's mom's brother), Daniel, Chris and Jessica.

 

Visit with Cousin Larry and Nancy.

 

Visit with Uta over lunch at Carlie's Southern Food buffet.

We hiked Crowders Mountain. The city of Charlotte is in the distance. Oh look...another cloudy day. 

The hike was a little over 5 miles round trip.  The stairs at the summit reminded me of Frodo and Sam's climb up the stairs!

Frannie got to come on the hike.

The gang.
 

We visited a vineyard and tasted the local brew of  muscadine  wine



Our tour guides.



This is the US Olympic Kayak Training Center just outside Charlotte. A man-made river that water is continuously pumped through to create rapids. The US National team was training the day we visited...pretty cool place.

Another day we drove the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway in the north western part of the state...part of the
Appalachian Mountains.

Yes, it was cloudy, but the views were gorgeous.



The colors were almost peak at this elevation.



A very cool Mount Mitchell.



Tyler and I hiked up to the observation deck while the ladies stayed down below and drank hot chocolate.

The cloud cover broke just enough to capture this picture from on top of the Mountain.

Dene' wanted to go to an orchard so we picked one that made hot apple cider and apple donuts...good choice.

We did buy some local apples...a lot of local apples!



 Southern delicacies.

And what do you do with 40lbs of apples?

  

Cut-slice-chop-cook

  

 

Apple sauce.

And a delicious pie!

 

We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Tyler and Dene' and look forward to our next visit. And wherever the Lord leads them next, we hope they are up for toting us around.

 

Good night.