Dan's Home!

With thanksgiving, we all rejoice that Dan's double by-pass surgery went well! Since his stroke about 2 months ago, he made good progress but eventully encountered the same problem causing shortage of breath due to lack of blood flow. A trip to emergency last week and thorough testing, the recommended solution was surgery. This past Thursday, first thing in the morning, he was anxious to move ahead with the surgery. . .recognizing that although routine, it was risky. Even the head surgeon was a man of faith and asked Dan's Pastor to have prayer with all before the surgery! From 7 to 1 pm before we saw him again and as you can imagine there were so many tubes it seemed impossible to keep track of them all! As he opened his eyes for the first time, we could hardly contain ourselves. . .he wanted to talk but with tubes, he couldn't say a word. The doctor and nurse were amazed at his quick response and recovery and within 3 hours they had removed the mouth tube! which we were told would be in place for 6 hours! He could now talk a little and drink! Now the slow recovery process. . .and as you might guess, that first night was 48 hours long!!!! Day one was liquids and some easy food. By noon of the following day, he was sitting up. . .very gently. Everything was easy does it. They watched him like hawks only they were God's Angels! . . checking all pressures, blood sugar every hour, numerous drains as though he were a new house under construction. . .until Sunday and all tubes were removed. . . including oxygen!!!! This was a great sign that his by-passes were working. The staff felt he was now ready for release! although he was not sure he was ready! He had his ups and downs along the way but the ups have won out and he is now home as of 6 pm today, Tuesday!!!! We plan to travel to Portland again tomorrow and help Sheila in Dan's efforts towards independence. We thank God for mercy, grace and strength and above all for love we all share. It's this love that gives us strength to endure the times like this!!

Lori & Bob's New Pool

About one month ago, the Good's began dismantling their old round swimming pool. Bob rearranged the dirt and several large tree trunks, hauled in sand and they started shaping the foundation for a large pool that would have an 8 foot hole at one end. Sound easy? Well take a look!!!! Carefully they stationed the side frames, then the sides, started with a huge rubber liner and frantically tried to work out the wrinkles. Now it was time to start filling the 24,000 gallon pool. . .up to about 3 inches. . .this held the liner in place while they struggled to reposition it without wrinkles. . .a monumental job!!! With lots of thought and a little luck, it worked and the filling process smoothed out most of the wrinkles!!! Even the experts couldn't believe they had accomplished this difficult task without professional help. The dealer said even the pro's have trouble with these large liners! With the pool full and the salt water filtering system going full blast, you can hardly see the water with all the kids in it! The deck is nearly complete, then a fence will go around to keep the animals out as well as the little kids! And with the next few days predicted to be at least 100 degrees, it will be well used! Come visit and try it out. Adam & Amanda will even furnish towels!

Corsicana, Texas Graduation

Tyler Freed's graduation from Mildred High School with proud parents, Roly and Candy. Tyler was all conference football and still managed to do his school work and finished in the top 10 of his class! We understand that these honor students all wore different colored tennis shoes which looked like a rainbow on stage when they were honored. Congratulations

Tyler!!! we all wish you well as you plan to pursue your education at the University of Colorado, in Boulder.

Birthday in Eugene, Oregon

Jana Freed Hazelton celebrated another birthday this Tuesday. She doesn't remember her age but she was born, I think, in 1954 or 1964! But she loves to celebrate so does her family. It's Brady, Derrick, Jana and Payton, all enjoying the occasion and especially the coconut cake. Paul was at work and got in on the goodies that evening.

Families are wonderful, most of the time. They remind us all that life is worthwhile after all. They are the real treasure we accumulate often while we're seeking other treasures.

We love our families!

Alaska Bound

Thursday, old friends, our age, stopped in Ashland on their way to Alaska. Dee & Ken Pannabecker and his brother & sister-in-law, Roger & Verla Pannabecker have kept in touch over the past 50 years. Ken's live in Los Gatos, CA and Roger's in Florida. The 5th wheel trailer pictured Roger pulled from Florida, connected with Ken's in California and will be companions for the next month as they journey through Washington, British Columbia, Yukon and Alaska. They parked at a near-by Walmart where we picked them up for lunch. We had a delightful time at our favorite Mexican Restaurant in Ashland. The food and conversations were plentiful! They plan to take their time and fully enjoy the beauties of the Northwest! It was a privilege to have them stop to renew spirits and friendships!

Adam Graduates from 8th

Adam Good, Lori & Bob's son made it through AMS(Ashland Middle School) & enjoyed a day of celebration yesterday. The gym was packed with parents and friends. The program was packed full of talent. Their music and their speeches were exceptional. There is hope for the future if these 8th graders keep on track and continue to make wise decisions! Congratulations Adam on this marker on the road of life.

New Addition at the Farm

Lori and Bob have added 2 lively additions. The two Collies added about 2 years ago now have company. Two baby goats now inhabit the former horse pasture in their back yard! In Oregon, the wild blackberries take over in the back country and are difficult to root out. However, goats love blackberry stalks! They eat them to the ground in spite of their nasty thorns. Goats are the best solution for keeping these blackberries under control. Probably within a year, they'll be long gone.