RVing Fulltime with Tom and Ella

2020 January 10 Friday

2020 January 10 Friday in Liberty Hill, Texas

f I truly had foresight and wisdom, I wouldn’t have made so many wrong turns on the road of life.

ep! It’s cloudy alright and kinda dark for a sunrise photo, don’t ya think? I expect it will lighten as we go throughout the day.

inds of fifteen miles per hour with gusts over twenty miles per hour has our RV rocking this morning.

50 Plus soup luncheon at Leander UMC. The speaker this month was the marketing director of

Senior Circle at a local hospital. Her name is Mary Clare Spear. The soup was okay and, if I hadn’t been in so much pain, her talk may have been more interesting to me.

nce we were done at the 50 Plus meeting, we took the short drive to Wal-Mart to pick up our prescriptions. Since we were there, I also purchased more milk and more eggs.

was be glad to be home where I could be uncomfortable in the comfort of my recliner.

And we were home before the storm came through.

FOR MORE ON OUR DAY GO TO www.tomandellajournal.WordPress.com

God bless and g’nite

Tom and Ella’s Daily Journal of Our Lives

http://TomAndEllaJournal.WordPress.com

Visit my devotions blog new devotions every day (nearly)

My NEW sermons blog Armchair Sermons. Sermons posted Sundays 10 AM central time.

http://armchairsermons.wordpress.com

All content (except quotations) ©2020 Thomas E. Williams
Day 102 in our Texas home

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*The Over The Hill Gang, (3307 RR 1869) Any area senior 50 years or older is invited to join for fellowship and a meal every Thursday at 11:30 a.m. The first meal is free; afterwards, individuals are asked to donate $6 for their meal.**Grandies welcomes those 50+ every week with friendship, games and a ministry to connect to others. As a special part of their ministry, Grandies sign and send greeting cards with inspirational messages to those serving in the military, the sick or homebound and church members celebrating happy milestones like birthdays and graduation. Since this ministry started, more than 3,300 cards have been sent!

In the summer, Grandies also work to make available snack packs through Operation Liberty Hill for children who may not otherwise have enough food without a school in session. Additionally, they provide meals at Vacation Bible School. and host bake sales twice a year to raise funds for their important works.

Wednesdays, 9 a.m.
Currently meets at the OTHG building (3307 RR 1869)

2020 January 09 Thursday

2020 January 09 Thursday in Liberty Hill, Texas

e had lunch at the Over The Hill Gang* today. That is to say 50 to 60 people had lunch. I, on the other hand, had mashed potatoes and cornbread

because every other thing in the meal contained onions. If you are new to the blog, I’m extremely allergic to onions.

he first flower of spring was seen today at the OTHG building. The trees are budding also, but I’ve been unable to capture a good photo.

The western sky at sunset

The eastern sky at sunset

The eastern sky a minute or so after the photo with the pink sky.

God bless and g’nite

Tom and Ella’s Daily Journal of Our Lives

http://TomAndEllaJournal.WordPress.com

Visit my devotions blog new devotions every day (nearly)

My NEW sermons blog Armchair Sermons. Sermons posted Sundays 10 AM central time.

http://armchairsermons.wordpress.com

All content (except quotations) ©2020 Thomas E. Williams
Day 101 in our Texas home

In the summer, Grandies also work to make available snack packs through Operation Liberty Hill for children who may not otherwise have enough food without a school in session. Additionally, they provide meals at Vacation Bible School and host bake sales twice a year to raise funds for their important works.

Wednesdays, 9 a.m.
Currently meets at the OTHG building (3307 RR 1869)

2020 January 08 Wednesday

2020 January 08 Wednesday in Liberty Hill, Texas

ix and a half hours of sleep! It’s been about a week since I have slept that much! Praise the Lord. I call aloud to the LORD, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep. I wake up again because the LORD continues to support me. (Psalm 3:4&5)

Read, “I’m a Trouble Maker” at www.tomandellajournsl.WordPress.com

randies** was nearly at full roster today. Art least one of these persons I haven’t seen I over a year. Cephas has dementia and stopped coming with his wife. Later on she quit coming also. After the meeting we played canasta while some played bridge. There were boo domino players today.

fter Grandies**, ten of us went to Dairy Queen for lunch. I just wanted a chicken sandwich and ice tea. I was told that the combo was less expensive and came with fries. So that’s what I ordered. Ella had a better idea. She ordered the kids meal which had a smaller sandwich. small fries, drink, and ice cream. Clever woman.

was. glad to be home because the pain level was rising. However, it was too soon for the next round of meds. Sho I washed some dishes, pictured up the mess on my side of the bed and then vacuumed the bedroom, hallway, and bathroom. It was still 15 minutes before time for pills. I took them anyway then stretched out in the recliner to take a nap. I never managed to nap hectares of the pain.

efore I knew it, it was time to go to church for choir practice. This was our monthly party to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. Because of the December schedules, that month’s birthdays and anniversaries were also being celebrated. Our anniversary is in December and my birthday its I January. I ate two servings of spaghetti. One for each month. We practiced four hymns, two of which I had never heard. Then it was home to await time for the next medications.

God bless and g’nite
Tom and Ella’s Daily Journal of Our Lives

http://TomAndEllaJournal.WordPress.com

Visit my devotions blog new devotions every day (nearly)

My NEW sermons blog Armchair Sermons. Sermons posted Sundays 10 AM central time.

http://armchairsermons.wordpress.com

All content (except quotations) ©2020 Thomas E. Williams
Day 100 in our Texas home

In the summer, Grandies also work to make available snack packs through Operation Liberty Hill for children who may not otherwise have enough food without a school in session. Additionally, they provide meals at Vacation Bible School and host bake sales twice a year to raise funds for their important works.

Wednesdays, 9 a.m.
Currently meets at the OTHG building (3307 RR 1869)

2020 January 07 Tuesday

2020 January 07 Tuesday in Liberty Hill, Texas

nother sleepless night. I’m feeling better – not well – but better. The injection yesterday is working. I’m also on steroids and an antiviral for the next week.

e went to breakfast at Hobo Junction. This is my number one place for breakfast. Number two would be IHOP. Number three Village Inn / Baker’s Square (same menu). I just had an idea for am activity for seniors. You’ve heard of a “bar crawl“? Maybe I should get a bunch of senior citizens together and do a breakfast crawl. Have each pick a favorite place for breakfast. Obviously, they would have to be breakfast-served-all-day restaurants. What is your favorite breakfast?

ap time for me was intent of purpose, when we returned from breakfast. I just didn’t know that Ella was also going to take a morning nap.

bout 2:30 we drove to Wal-Mart on Walton way so Ella could get her ears lowered. At the same time, I was returning a Bluetooth earbud. We tried with 3 different devices to “find” the buds. I even disconnected all other possible Bluetooth devises, just on the off chance that they were somehow causing interference. Nope. Didn’t work.

e had several hours before tonight’s prayer meeting art Cross Tracks Church. We had some frozen, boneless ribs but not a lot of time to thaw. I but them in the instapot on saute with the lid on and set to steam. When could smell the meat beginning you brown, I released the steam and opened the lid. Turned the ribs over and added BBQ sauce. I turned a streamer basket upside down over the meat and placed a small spring pan on top with pork and beans. Then set the auto setting to meat and adjusted the time to twenty minutes. Locked the lid and closed the steam valve. ‘Twas good.

The prayer meeting was very good tonight we prayed for the sick, the infirm and the homeless in our families, friends, neighbors and strangers. We prayed for our local church, the corporate church and the church church world wide. We prayed for the people affected by the great fire inn Australia. For victims of earthquakes and clouds. There were prayers for the strife between people’s and nations. Prayers for those who go into harms way for the sake of others. We also sang hymns of praise. We connected as a family.

‘m now sitting here working on my blogs and waiting fire time to take my pills before bed.

God bless and g’nite

Tom and Ella’s Daily Journal of Our Lives

http://TomAndEllaJournal.WordPress.com

Visit my devotions blog new devotions every day (nearly)

My NEW sermons blog Armchair Sermons. Sermons posted Sundays 10 AM central time.

http://armchairsermons.wordpress.com

All content (except quotations) ©2020 Thomas E. Williams
Day 99 in our Texas home

In the summer, Grandies also work to make available snack packs through Operation Liberty Hill for children who may not otherwise have enough food without a school in session. Additionally, they provide meals at Vacation Bible School and host bake sales twice a year to raise funds for their important works.

Wednesdays, 9 a.m.
Currently meets at the OTHG building (3307 RR 1869)

2020 January 06 Monday

2020 January 06 Monday in Liberty Hill, Texas

ot much sleep again. These pains inn my back and side make it hard to be comfortable for sleeping.

irst thing this morning I made an appointment with the nurse practitioner for 1:45. I also made one for Ella at 2:00.

fter a simple breakfast of oatmeal, we drive into Leander and the laundromat. I left Ella and the laundry and went to Jiffy Lube. I spent just under$200.00. However, I got the transmission cleaned and refilled. Same routine with the radiator. I can’t remember having these two maintenance items done previously. I know. I know that’s really sad. Once the truck was ready, I went back to the laundry to get Ella and the clothes. We had two and a half hours before the doctor appointments.

e went back to Liberty Hill for lunch at Golden Chick. My pain level was such the I didn’t really want anything. However they been advertising chicken rice soup. That sounded like something I could eat. That’s what I ordered only to be told that they were out. So I ordered 4 chicken fingers and ate the very slowly. Ella had her usual broast chicken and fried okra. I tried to give her part of my lunch. But she didn’t take any, so it was thrown away.

e managed to kill an hour. Then we went to a gas station and filled the tank. That didn’t take much time.

e went to the doctor and say in the parking lot. Once it was down to about 20 minutes, a went inside and got checked in.

efore long we were issued into an exam room. Vitals were taken. Before long the nurse practitioner came in. Before long I was diagnosed with shingles. And not the goods kind that waterproof your roof. Years ago we had both received a shingles vaccine. Unfortunately it wasn’t very effective and was replaced by a newer vaccine. We never got the need vaccine. So now I have shingles.

rescriptions were called into the pharmacy. So we back tracked into a couple towns over. As of course they weren’t ready. While we were at Wal-Mart, Ella wanted a haircut. However, “her beautician” was not working today. Eventually, the prescriptions were filled as we went home.

e had planned to go to an Emmaus meeting at Cross Tracks Church tonight. However, I’d been uncomfortable or in pain all day and decided to stay home tonight.

READ “THINKING ABOUT RAIN” by going to htpp://TomandEllajournal. WordPress.com

ave you ever noticed how rain changes the smell of things? Oddly enough when it first starts to rain the air smells dusty (if you’re in country). In the city the rain, at first, seems to bring out the smells of hot sidewalks and old oil.

sually you can smell the rain coming before it arrives. During the rain, smells are suppressed. All you smell is rain! Now! After the rain! That’s when everything smells fresh and cool and clean.

xcept the dog!

———————

God bless and g’nite

Tom and Ella’s Daily Journal of Our Lives

http://TomAndEllaJournal.WordPress.com

Visit my devotions blog new devotions every day (nearly)

My NEW sermons blog Armchair Sermons. Sermons posted Sundays 10 AM central time.

http://armchairsermons.wordpress.com

All content (except quotations) ©2020 Thomas E. Williams
Day 97 in our Texas home

**Grandies welcomes those 50+ every week with friendship, games and a ministry to connect to others. As a special part of their ministry, Grandies sign and send greeting cards with inspirational messages to those serving in the military, the sick or homebound and church members celebrating happy milestones like birthdays and graduation. Since this ministry started, more than 3,300 cards have been sent!

In the summer, Grandies also work to make available snack packs through Operation Liberty Hill for children who may not otherwise have enough food without a school in session. Additionally, they provide meals at Vacation Bible School and host bake sales twice a year to raise funds for their important works.

Wednesdays, 9 a.m.
Currently meets at the OTHG building (3307 RR 1869)

2020 January 05 Sunday

2020 January 05 Sunday in Liberty Hill, Texas

t church today we welcomed our pastor back. He had been on a forced “time out” following things that were said in his sermon on September 29. Which was the Sunday before we arrived in Texas, so we have no first hand knowledge if what was said. I only know that it upset a lot of people and a call was made to the bishop.

his Sunday was a very mild retelling of the visit of the magi. Watch It here.

fter worship and Sunday school, we went with some friends to Cherry Creek Catfish. Ella had found a coupon for a buy one get one free. I was in too much pain to enjoy my meal and brought most of it home. The pain in my back and abdomen is becoming much harder to deal with.

The following story is titled How to Name a Cat. I only give you a taste of it here. To read the full story go to htpp://TomAndEllaJournal.wordpress.com

e lived in a house too small . A house built for two, and we were more.

needed an office space that I didn’t have to rent. My publishing business could be run as easily from a home office as from the office space it currently occupied. All I needed was space for my equipment: computers, printers, copier,light table, files, and more files. But we lived in a house too small.

e found a house. A big house. An old house. A house with a basement room with an outside door. A office space where my sales staff could come and to without interrupting life in the home. We bought a house.

he house was Victorian architecture built with huge red, Colorado sandstone in 1890. Although It was now in Des Moines, at the time it was built newspaper stories about it wondered, “Why would anyone want to live so far outside the city?”

lthough it was no longer surrounded by field and forest, we soon discovered that there were wild creatures who wanted to share our home, mice. Continued at htpp://TomAndEllaJournal.wordpress.com

God bless and g’nite

READ AN EXPANDED VERSION OF THIS POST ON http://TomAndEllaJournal.WordPress.com

.caTom and Ella’s Daily Journal of Our Lives

http://TomAndEllaJournal.WordPress.com

Visit my devotions blog new devotions every day (nearly)

My NEW sermons blog Armchair Sermons. Sermons posted Sundays 10 AM central time.

http://armchairsermons.wordpress.com

All content (except quotations) ©2020 Thomas E. Williams
Day 96 in our Texas home

In the summer, Grandies also work to make available snack packs through Operation Liberty Hill for children who may not otherwise have enough food without a school in session. Additionally, they provide meals at Vacation Bible School and host bake sales twice a year to raise funds for their important works.

Wednesdays, 9 a.m.
Currently meets at the OTHG building (3307 RR 1869)

2020 January 04 Saturday

2020 January 04 Saturday in Liberty Hill, Texas

didn’t sleep well. Three hours and twenty four minutes of sleep and not much of that was restful. I have had a backache for several days now. Last night it seemed as though the pain was also on the side of my lower abdomen. I might have to give in and make a doctor appointment on Monday (because they are closed on weekends).

n the early afternoon we played several rounds of Rummikube. I think I won them all. Or that could just my brain protecting me from the agony of defeat.

e went to Subway for a late lunch or early supper. Then we came straight home. See the map.

God bless and g’nite

READ AN EXPANDED VERSION OF THIS POST ON http://TomAndEllaJournal.WordPress.com

Tom and Ella’s Daily Journal of Our Lives

http://TomAndEllaJournal.WordPress.com

Visit my devotions blog new devotions every day (nearly)

My NEW sermons blog Armchair Sermons. Sermons posted Sundays 10 AM central time.

http://armchairsermons.wordpress.com

Day 95 in our Texas home

In the summer, Grandies also work to make available snack packs through Operation Liberty Hill for children who may not otherwise have enough food without a school in session. Additionally, they provide meals at Vacation Bible School and host bake sales twice a year to raise funds for their important works.

Wednesdays, 9 a.m.
Currently meets at the OTHG building (3307 RR 1869)

2020 January 03 Friday

2020 January 03 Friday in Liberty Hill, Texas

ery colorful sky as the sun begins its long, slow climb into the air. With a predicted high of 56, it appears that all the sunshine isn’t going to be converted to heat in the atmosphere. I still have hopes that, as it streams through our windows, we will have some passive solar heat inside. (It did. It was 76° inside when we returned home.)

reakfast was two eggs, toast, bacon, tangerines, coffee or tea. Coffee for Ella and hot tea for me.

efore we left home this morning, we played a couple rounds of Rummikube. We each won a round.

Mad Ella? It must be pronounced mah-della or maybe a Spanish mah-de-yah?

e took our Fast Track game with us to the center, hoping that we could get others interested in playing. They weren’t. We played alone..

fter leaving the center, we stopped at the Ear Nose and Throat doctor to make an appointment for me. My ears have been itching like crazy. I have to keep reminding myself to not stock my fingers in my ears … and it doesn’t always work. They called inn a prescription tho Wal-Mart for some ear drops

herefore, the next stop was Wallyworld. They didn’t have the drops in stock. But They will be here Monday.

rom Wal-Mart we came “straight” home. Hey, what can I say, it’s the Texas hill county and straight roads just don’t happen here.

God bless and g’nite

Visit my devotions blog new devotions every day (nearly)

My NEW sermons blog Armchair Sermons. Sermons posted Sundays 10 AM central time.

http://armchairsermons.wordpress.com

Tom and Ella Daily Journal of Our Lives

https://tomandellajournal.wordpress.comhttps:/

Day 94 in our Texas home

In the summer, Grandies also work to make available snack packs through Operation Liberty Hill for children who may not otherwise have enough food without a school in session. Additionally, they provide meals at Vacation Bible School and host bake sales twice a year to raise funds for their important works.

Wednesdays, 9 a.m.
Currently meets at the OTHG building (3307 RR 1869)

2020 January 02 Thursday

2020 January 02 Thursday in Liberty Hill, Texas

espite some color in the clouds just before dawn, the sky soon turned the same gray as yesterday’s sky.

e drove into Liberty Hill, hoping that the Over The Hill Gang* would be meeting for lunch, fellowship, and canasta. However, the building was dark and empty.

ince the OTHG were not there. We extended our drive into nearby Georgetown and the Madella Hilliard Neighborhood center for lunch.

here were very few there today. Perhaps people didn’t realize that they were back open after the holidays.

*The Over The Hill Gang is about relationships and staying connected to one another. They break bread together and fellowship together.
Any area senior 50 years or older is invited to join for fellowship and a meal every Thursday at 11:30 a.m. The first meal is free; afterwards, individuals are asked to donate $6 for their meal.

God bless and g’nite

Visit my devotions blog new devotions every day (nearly)

My NEW sermons blog Armchair Sermons. Sermons posted Sundays 10 AM central time.

http://armchairsermons.wordpress.com

Tom and Ella Daily Journal of Our Lives

https://tomandellajournal.wordpress.comhttps:/

Day 89 in our Texas home

2020 January 01 Wednesday

2020 January 01 Wednesday in Liberty Hill, Texas

o sunrise this morning. We are completely overcast. And it didn’t change at all throughout the entire day.

was awakened several times in the wee hours of the morning when my Cpap machine stopped and then restarted on its own. I was concern that the power to our home was fluctuating. However, I soon noticed the light from the electric fireplace was still on. The plug for the Cpap was loose in the socket, which is at the head of the bed. Evidently, as I moved around inn the bed, I had loosened it. Then, as I sat up to readjust the mask, I caused it to make connection again. It is now completely plugged into the socket.

know a lot of y’all eat Hoppin John for New Year’s. Well I have my own traditional New Year’s meal, lentils and kielbasa. I don’t know how this became a tradition for my mother. She grew up in southern Iowa from German stock that arrived in Iowa by way of Virginia and Kentucky. So the tradition of hoppin’ John would have fit right in. However, for us it was lentils and kielbasa sausage, which is more of an Italian tradition (sort of).

e have done nothing much but sit around home for this last week. I became restless and suggested a trip to Dairy Queen. Ella is nearly always ready to go to DQ. I needed to stop for gas in the truck first. 24 gallons in a 26 gallon tank. Yep, it WAS getting a might thirsty. After DQ we went to Wal-Mart for a few items. Was then home under that still gray overcast sky. No sunset. No photo.

God bless and g’nite

Visit my devotions blog new devotions every day (nearly)

My NEW sermons blog Armchair Sermons. Sermons posted Sundays 10 AM central time.

http://armchairsermons.wordpress.com

Tom and Ella Daily Journal of Our Lives

https://tomandellajournal.wordpress.comhttps:/

Day 88 in our Texas home