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.

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............



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.

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.

Four Generations

Four generations of Snyder and four generations of Lutterbein in the same picture.

Good morning Burky family members,
Diana Lutterbein and Sandy Burky have asked me to e-mail you to let you know Sandy is planning on having the Burky reunion at her place in Pickens on the third Saturday/Sunday in July.  That would be July 21 and 22 for those of us with only ten fingers and ten toes.  :)
Please pass this on to your family members.  I don't have everyone's e-mails.  Randy, please make sure your Mom and brother get this information.  Herman, likewise, please let Alvin know.  Mike, we expect Grand-Pa-Pa to bring his grand daughter so we all can meet her..... oh yeah, you can bring the kid's parents as well.
If you have any questions...............don't ask me.  I don't know anything worth knowing.  Ask Sandy.
Thanks.  Hope to see you all in July.
Stay happy,
Bill Lutterbein

Thanks For the Memory

To my customers, friends and employees:

As Bob Hope always sang, “Thanks for the Memories.”  February 17, 2012 will be the last day for Lutterbein Lumber Co. except in our memories.  In fact, after the 17^th, this will be the first time since 1924 there won’t be a business owned and operated by the Lutterbein family on North Michigan Avenue in Edgerton, Ohio.  It’s been a long and memorable run.

Big C Lumber, based in Granger, Indiana, is buying my buildings, equipment, and inventory and will be open for business Monday, February 20, 2012.  Edgerton will be their 15^th store.  They will be employing many of the same people you have come to know at Lutterbein’s.  I, however, will not be staying.  There are just too many memories of my family members all around those buildings.  Emotionally, it would just be too hard.  Plus I have to work on the auction at our door hanging shop and the closing of our truss plant in Columbus, Ohio over the next three or four months.  After that, I will be seeking a new job.

The folks at Big C Lumber seem to be genuinely good people, and I believe they will serve my old customers well.  They are a family-owned business with the fourth generation of family owning and working at the company.  They are similar to us in many ways.  As Lutterbein’s grew, we went into trusses, construction, real estate management, and other ventures.  As Big C Lumber grew, they stayed with lumber supply.  By concentrating on their core business, they remained successful, even during this economic downturn that has forced me to call it quits.

I sincerely hope you will support Big C Lumber here in Edgerton.  Because of their size they have more buying power and are better equipped to serve both the contractor and the do-it-yourselfer.  Please join me in welcoming them to our community and to the Buckeye State.  I sincerely wish them nothing but the best, and I hope you will support them with your business.

I am very grateful for the employees and customers I have worked with over the years.  I may not miss the headaches of owning a retail business, but I will miss the people who helped make our business a success for nearly 88 years.  Thanks you for your support over the years, and Thanks For The Memories!  Bill Lutterbein, President of Building Concepts, Inc.

A letter to my Dad.

Hi Dad.
I've been thinking about you quite a bit lately. I really miss you when big things happen. Isuppose you already know we've decided to sell the lumber yard. I hope you don't mind too much. When we were deciding, Dennis asked "What do you think John and Dick would do? I said "I don't know about Dick, but you would really buckle down and somehow save the place.". I also said that I don't have the guts for that.

Well we now have a verbal agreement to sell it. We saved it from sure ruin. The company we are selling it to is a good company. They are a family owned small chain from Indiana. It really is a perfect fit. I wish we had the skill and fearless spirit you and Dick had, but we don't.

Thanks for setting everything up for us. We tried, but this recession has been such a long one, we just couldn't make it through. To be honest, I'm relieved it's almost over. Failing is really hard to accept. Now maybe I can do something positive and self fulfilling.

I'm really sorry Dad.

I love you and respect you more than ever, even though you have been gone for a while. You were the biggest man I have ever known.

Love Bill

Yes, It's True.

After 87 years (three generations) of the Lutterbein family operating a business at 444 N. Michigan Ave. in Edgerton Ohio, the last Lutterbein living in Edgerton has decided (along with the board of directors of Building Concepts, Inc.) it's time to sell the business and try something different.

We have just begun to activly market to sell Lutterbein Lumber Company.  As most people know the building industry has been hit hard by the current recession.  There are a number of things that I could site as problems, but you don't want to hear any of them.  Let it be said that if things were better, we wouldn't be doing this.

I just hope we can find a good buyer so there can be a quality lumber / hardware store in Edgerton.  I love Edgerton and the people in Edgerton.  I hope you will continue to support us during this time of transition and if I can find a buyer, I hope you will support them as well.  Thanks!  Bill Lutterbein

White House: We Have Never Communicated with Aliens, Honest | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

White House: We Have Never Communicated with Aliens, Honest | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

I thought the White House was full of aliens!

At least an alien way of thinking from mainstream American thinking.