Mon Nov 25 08:36 EST 1996
Weekend Update - November 22-24

Miranda's history teacher asked his students to go and ask what
their parents were doing on November 22, 1963 and report back.
Miranda raised her hand and expressed that she didn't think it
would get her much of an answer.  "Why not?" the teacher inquired.
"Everyone knows where they were on November 22, 1963."  "Well,"
she replied, "my parents were 3 and 4 at the time."

My mom says that I was probably messing up the living room, since
she was upstairs cleaning when she got the news that the President
had been shot.  (Dad was out calling.)

On November 22, 1996, we dropped the young'uns of at Allan and Harriet
Douglas' home for a party, then the teenagers off at Dave and Paula
Bickoms for a party, then went to Bill and Lucy Lancaster's (daughter's)
home for a party (of four).  We watched a couple of video tapes showing
old photos of Bill, then Lucy with music dubbed in.  It was a wonderful
retrospective and we had a delightful time.

On Saturday, we took 16 bags of pine needles to the dump because
the trashpersons (I don't see women picketing this industry to
break in, do you) wouldn't take our leaves.  What a mound of compost
at the dump!  If you're falling from an airplane and your 'chute
doesn't open, hope to fall on this pile.  (Of course, Joy, the optimist
said that you'd probably land on a stick and get a stake through the
heart.)

Later, Joy helped me pick out a new winter coat in about 15 minutes.
She wants me to do more out in the Winter cold with her, probably to
change those passing desires to live in warmer climes.  She then took
the next hour to try on every coat in the store and come away empty
handed.  Ah well.

Later still, I helped clear more leaves from the people-paths of
the Bickom homestead.  I started with a rake but then graduated to
a leaf blower.  That thing did hours of work in a short time.  (We
only blew the leaves away - we didn't pick them up.)  The teens were
making rolled honeycomb wax scented candles as a fund raiser.

On Sunday, I got up to sing a song that is in my heart and soul
and I blanked.  I started singing the second verse, stopped the
music and asked the Choir Director (Meredith Debow) what my starting
words were.  Once she told me, I was okay, but that was so weird to
blank out like that.

After church we travelled "over the river and through the woods" to
grandmother's house.   Mom brought out another retrospective of
pictures, one of which shows my brother Russell's family zonked out
on the floor as if they had been served Jonestown Juice.  This picture
probably contributed to the time dad broke down their door fearing
that something had happened to them when actually they had gone
to the store, leaving the lights on and the phone off the hook so Nancy's
mother wouldn't know that they took their sick child Jennifer out that
night.  If you didn't follow that, it's okay; the family knows what
I just said.

Poppy played his trombone in the jazz band at church last night, too.
There would have been a bunch of groupies with lighters aflame but
we all know that Nazarenes don't smoke (or admit it).  They were and
he was good and his ambushure (sp) is improving.

Perhaps the icing on the cake for the weekend is that Stephen's son Jake
finally knows that "the Pinball guy" is his "Uncle Mark."  I'll give him 20
free games for this accomplishment.

A busy weekend; sorry for the length.  I am thankful for each and everyone
of you on these lists and grateful for the innumerable blessings that God
has bestowed upon me.

Have a great Thanksgiving.

Mark
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