Last one for the year................

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!
See you in 2009

January 1st is the Big 50................

Happy Birthday Glenda!!!!!!! WOW! I can't believe its been 50 years. Wait a minute......... what would I know............. I mean I can't believe you are 50 years old. (think I've said 50 enough??)

Hope you have a great birthday. Wish you the best on your day and the new year to come. If your at a New Years bash maybe you'll the beginning of your day with family and friends. Nice to be with you last week. I forgot to go through the pictures at home to find a baby picture. This one was from a family picture taken in 1983. (I think)

Last Week............

Last week we went down to my folks, in Evansville Indiana, on Tuesday. We had snow the first little bit and then freezing rain most of the way. We probably averaged around 45 miles per hour. I think we could have gone faster (probably best I wasn't driving) but Dan wasn't taking any chances. We probably saw close to 40 vehicles in the ditch including semi trucks and large trucks. We came back Saturday because we wanted to get back for our Winter Meeting. When we left Evansville it was getting close to 70. Just before we left Joseph was enjoying some time on the front porch swing with Grandpa and Grandma. I will post some pictures from last week.
He is still talking about the time down there. He asked me Monday if we were going to Grandpa and Grandma. Yesterday he asked if we were going to go see Uncle Andy and I said no.............. then he said go see Uncle Steve.
We had a very good day Sunday. Two very helpful meetings. Yesterday noon we had Gaylon here for lunch. Dan came home from work for lunch.



Dan's brother Jim was here for the night


on Sunday before we left. He had his
dog with him which I think Joseph liked.


Joseph with Grandpa and Grandma just


before going to Wednesday night mtg and
on the front porch swing.

Joseph playing the piano with Grandpa
























Joseph with his Skyler....... his first
cousin once removed.
Skyler with her Dad, brother and
Mom. Which is my niece Shauna,
her husband Chris and Caleb.

My oldest sister Janet with her grandchild Caleb, also Joseph
and Dan in the background.



I was not on the ball when it came to taking pictures. I didn't take
hardly any pictures. Wish I got pictures of the rest of the family.
Some day we need to get a family picture made again. Last one
was probably six years ago.







Wanda S and Cheryl L came over from Kentucky Wednesday
late afternoon. They were there till after lunch on Thursday.
Nice to have some time with them.
My family didn't get together till Friday.










Joseph enjoyed playing the piano with Grandpa Sam. In this video I got a little of them playing
When the Roll is called up yonder............... I think I got the name right.

Going South..........

Tomorrow morning we are heading south to Evansville IN. Which isn't as far south as I would like to go. If it is warmer we just might stay. Dan is already having problems with his hands and feet keeping warm, now this new medication isn't helping. I wish I could find him a different job. If I could I would take his place at work.
We hope to leave at an early time tomorrow morning and be down there for a few days. We will come back probably on Saturday because our Winter Meeting is on Sunday.
Now I better get back to my laundry, dirty dishes and packing.
If I don't get back next week................ you'll hear from me next year.

Put on the brakes and switch gears....................

We went to the VA in Madison yesterday for Dan's appointment. We were figuring on hearing news about the upcoming surgery as to when and where. Dan's appointment was at 1:00 so we left here sometime between 8:30 and 9:00. Best to allow about one and half hours to get there and beings we were in the last part of our snowstorm ...................... we wanted to allow time. We averaged around 40 miles an hour. I guess we got around 11 inches in Milwaukee area and probably close to that around here. More is on the way................ (wonderful)

Any how................. after the Cardiologist looked over and talked about Dan they've decided to hold off on surgery. With his heart being enlarged and weak they are wondering if the greater problem being a weak heart. One of his test showed severe where another test showed moderate. They've decided that the leakage is between moderate and severe. They are starting Dan on blood pressure medicine to lower his blood pressure and pulse. I think this is to help the heart not work so hard. Then they plan to put him on something to strengthen his heart. He does not normally have high blood pressure but this medicine is often used for mitral valve problems and other heart problems. One of the side effects of the medicine is tiredness which he has a severe case of already. He is also to see a heart specialist there that specializes in heart failure and weak hearts.
So................ we do have mixed feelings over the news. We are glad that surgery isn't needed at this time but Dan was wanting a quick fix. He is tired of being tired all the time. We can understand they are wanting to save us from doing the surgery if it turns out that surgery might not be the answer.
Now we start the waiting again...................... we are looking at two months maybe three to see some results.
Another side effect is lack of circulation to hands and feet which will cause coldness. He is already complaining about is feet and hands being cold. In this weather..................... not a good thing.

Happy Birthday Peggy................

Happy Birthday to Peggy Jansen. She and Mom share the same birthday............ just a few years apart......... like maybe 12 years.
Peggy was my first co-worker in North Carolina. She had been in IL then some years in IN and then on to NC in 1992. My folks took us down in time for Denton convention. A trip none of will probably forget for more reasons then one. Peggy enjoyed all the times Dad would stop at the scenery lookouts.........................NOT. When one is on a schedule they don't have a lot of time for looking out.............. except the windows as we are passing by.
I probably should call or email Peggy. I doubt if she will ever see this................ probably because she doesn't know it exists. Beings I haven't been in touch for sometime................ she probably doesn't know exist. Remember me....................... yes, after two years with me how could she forget me. I wish I had a picture handy...........................

Happy Birthday Mom................

Happy Birthday to you Mom.......................... and Grandma. We are running behind on the post as we were running behind on our phone call. The coldness here makes one move slower.

The years have gone by but she still looks the same.

I don't know when the picture of Dad and Mom
was taken but it seems it might have been
before they were married. Also known as Sam and Mary Mobley

Then came the children .............................. now everyone
will know who Joseph takes after................ the dorky

looking one in my Mom's lap. (poor Joseph)

Then came the grandchildren................... 11 of them

plus 2 great-grandchildren.

It would be nice to get an updated picture of the

grandparents and grandchildren. It always seems

when we are together there is someone missing.

Pictures from last week..............

Short time in our "first" snow of the

year.
Every morning now Joseph says - Play

in the snow tomorrow and I say yes. He
says that because one morning he asked
to go out and I said not today but maybe
tomorrow. He doesn't know yet that
tomorrow never comes. (shame on me)













I have tried all morning to download a video of Joseph but it won't come through and we have got to go out for a bit.





Note: Saturday - it worked this time.

Thanksgiving pictures and deer pictures. I'm sorry if the deer pictures offend or gross anyone out. I for one am very grossed out but not offended. I was told once we can't be offended unless we allow ourselves to be offended. Which is true but sometimes I find it hard not to allow it. I also heard if we let another offend us then we make that person an offender. Hhmmm........ I don't want to do that (for then I would be married to an offender)

Six very delicious pies. Two pecans, two pumkins and two buttermilk.

HIS FIRST TIME FOR PIE BAKING


















Joseph put on one of Cuylers shirts to go outside. You have to wear orange if your going to be outside.



Great-Grandma Swonger, Dan and Joseph

Grandma Swonger, Dan and Joseph

The dinner..........................

The kill...............................

Randy with his buck





Dan with his doe...................... sorry I didn't get
out there before it was skinned. YUCK!!!

Here are a couple pictures of Joseph's new John Deere tractors.
Grandma Swonger saw them on sale at Farm Fleet or Fleet Farm or what ever the store is called up there. I can't even remember what the ones around here are called. See what happens when two brothers don't get along and go their seperate ways. They have the same store but two similar names. (that is the story I heard as to why different names) Any way back to the tractors that were on sale......................... We went out on Friday to get these................. yes I know, that is "Black Friday" and yes there was a mob there and yes, as soon as we got of there we went straight home.

It is cold here...............

Okay, so I couldn't think of a better title......................... but it is cold. It makes me feel like it is going to be a long winter. If I was a bird I would fly south........... way south.

We spent Thanksgiving up at Randy's and most of the family was there for Thanksgiving day. Nice to see Grandma Swonger (great to Joseph) there and Dan's aunts Mary and Martha. Dan did get to go hunting and he did get some venison. I asked him if he slept any out in his stand because when he sits down he takes a nap. (not intending to) He said he did, so guess he is lucky that he got the shot he did since he said didn't see very many deer. So now, with the venison gift we got earlier (someone heard that Dan might not get to go hunting) and now this poor deer, we have a freezer full to live on while Dan is off work. If anyone knows of a venison recipe book or good recipes................ please............. I beg................... let me know!!!!!!!!!

Monday (before Thanksgiving) was Dan's first day back to work after being off from his heart cath and back. I didn't allow him to stay the whole day because after going to the doc I had to have a procedure done which he came home for and then stayed home with me on Tuesday. The good that came out of it is Dan bake six pies for me that I was going to bake for Thanksgiving. In between the pies he took Joseph outside to play in the snow for a few minutes. It ended up being a very short time because it was all his back could handle. I did slip down the stairs, in my pj's, and get a few pictures. I will post them and shut up now.