Wednesday, October 09, 2013

STORIES................

Over the next year I plan to write a series of very short stories about my life and stories my father and uncle told me about things they did growing up in the lumber business.
Titles will be something like this.............
The Late Doctor
Chisel, Hammer and Mercurochrome
Playground Lumberyard
Eleven Perfect Years
Broken Bats
The Dog and the Dog Catcher
All Star to No Star
Speech Therapy and Tutored
Jr. High Science
Coronet Lessons
Sittin The Bench
Dick's Sales Technique
Dunker
14-15-71%
Song Spinners/Band
Saw Christ
High School Girl Friend
Chose Mary Jane
Rock Concerts
Joker, Smoker, Midnight Toker
The Tar Kettle
What I Learned I College
10-9-1977
10-13-1978
Be Careful What You Pray For
3-12-1980
10-25-1981
In Business There Are No Friends
OLA
Music Booster Years
Apha
California
Killing Chickens
There may be more and I may decide to leave some of these out.  I hope my children, grand children, and other family members will enjoy reading little bits of my life.  This, in the end, may explain a little of my insaneness.  Keep checking back for the stories.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Happy Fathers Day?

I have come to the conclusion that Fathers Day is a joyous day if you are with your children or your father.  I have also discovered that it can be one of the saddest days of the year if you are not with them.  
This morning was pretty hard for me.  My kids live 500 and 2300 miles away from me and my father is no longer alive.  I guess what has made this day especially hard this year is the fact that my mother-in-law is failing health wise.  We recently moved her in with us and have found we can't take care of her and still make the move we plan in August.
We have started talking about a move for her to the nursing home.  With Father's Day this morning and the thought of Irene failing, all the hard memories of Dad in the nursing home slowly going through the process of death are in my head.  I'm having trouble getting those thoughts out of my head.
The thing that helps are the loving notes and comments from my children and Diana.  They have always carried me through my rough times.  This all of a sudden has become one of those times.  As always it will pass quickly.  One thing my dad taught me is that you have to move on and keep your chin up.  Be positive.  Everything will be alright.  You know what, he has always been right.  
I have faith in God and I know things will work out.  God has blessed me beyond what I deserve because he is a forgiving and loving God.  
I am looking forward to tomorrow, because I know it will be a great day.

Sunday, April 07, 2013

Our new home................

Living room looking toward the kitchen.

Pool and east end of the house.

The front view.
 
    We finally did it!  We bought a house in Visalia, California.  This is the same town Erica, Steve, Otis and Isaac live in.  We will be able to watch our grand children grow up and also have close family support as we grow older.  You see a few pictures above.  It is a very nice house and the bonus is that we got to meet the seller who is a very nice person who loved her house. 
    We feel confident we will really enjoy our new home.  We will be moving sometime in August.  We have a lot to do in the mean time.  The most important thing is for Diana to retire.  Her last day at school is May 31st.
    More coming later............


Saturday, February 23, 2013

Almost Spring!

February 23, 2013
It's another cold and dreary day in NW Ohio. I just heard a flock of geese flying over. I think a lot of them stayed over the winter as I have seen and heard them several times over the winter.
Spring training has started in baseball and my beloved Detroit Tigers won their first per season game. They are picked to compete for the American League East title and the World Series. I hope they do well again this year. On paper they are a very good team.
This may be my last winter in Ohio. We are planning to move to Visalia California within the year. I'm hoping to make the move by my birthday. Time will tell. I have two grandsons growing up out there and if I want to be involved in their lives, I have to be there. When I'm at the round table at Rita's, I hear other guys talking about all the games they go to so they can watch their grand kids compete. I want to be able to talk about my grand kids and actually cheer them on in sports and other school and church activities. Oh by the way, I want to spend time with my own kids and their spouse or significant other.
Spring also reminds me of the resurrection of Christ and how thankful I am for the gift and grace of Jesus Christ. I am nothing without Him and through Him all things are possible. Even though there have been setbacks in my life, I have no regrets. I have been forgiven and I'm sure will continue to need and to ask for forgiveness in the future. Not one of us on this earth are perfect, but we strive to be acceptable in the eyes of our Lord. I pray peace, good will and blessings to all. God Bless you.
Bill L.



Wednesday, January 16, 2013

It's been a while........

It's been a really busy year, 2012. I think the most change in my life ever. This was the year the music stopped. "At Lutterbein Lumber you can do it all." Yes, on March 1, 2012 Lutterbein Lumber no longer existed. A month later we sold our truss business as well. We had things pretty well buttoned up by June and I worked (and am still working) part time taking care of loose ends, rental properties and attempting to sell remaining properties.

I'm a little bored, but can't decide what I want to do. I always thought I'd like to sell cars, so I got a job at Bryan Ford and tried that for five weeks. That was about the most boring job I've ever had, so I quit in early December. It was also 50 hours with two evenings and Saturday hours.

Last summer I registered as a substitute teacher and have done a few days of that, but that just terrifies me. I don't know why, but it does. I guess it is because I was such a poor student and I assume half of the kids are way smarter than me. I don't want to come across looking like an idiot.

So now I'm doing things around the house in my spare time. Laundry, floors, the dishes and some cooking; all while Diana gets up and goes to work. I like helping, but feel funny saying good bye to her in the morning as she leaves.

One of these days, I'll have to get a real job again. In June when Diana retires, we'll have to start paying a lot more for health insurance. If not for the health insurance cost we could probably live nicely on her retirement especially when my social security starts in a few years.

So I'm looking for a part time job of twenty to thirty hours a week. If you have any ideas, please let me know.

We are doing well and love to here from our kids and grandsons. FaceTime is a wonderful thing as we can actually see the grandsons when we call.

That's about all for now. I hope it is a good winter for you all.