Thursday, November 20, 2008

Courthouse Week

It has been an interesting week; a week spent largely at the courthouse for Steve & Kris and their family. The man who shot Jason in January 2007 was finally on trial. Monday, the jury was impaneled. Tuesday, the trial itself started with Jason on the stand. The tapes of his call into dispatch were played: at that time, he thought he was dying. It was almost a miracle that he survived. Witnesses testified all day. On Wednesday, the Doctors who had examined Featherhat testified to their professional conclusions. The Defense did not deny that the man had shot Jason, only that he was not sane at the time. So – today, Thursday, testimony wound up, and the case went to the jury, and he was found guilty – and not insane. The sentencing won’t take place until January. Most of the tension over the trial (and how the re-living of the shooting would affect Jason) is gone now, but there is still that last bit – the sentencing – before it can really be finished.

Keri and family are leaving on Saturday for Florida, and DisneyWorld, as the guests of the ‘Make a Wish’ Foundation for a week. Kody will have his next cancer scan after they come home.

Next week is Thanksgiving, and I am planning to spend the day with Beverly in Ephraim. I hope we have good weather for traveling.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Ward Directory & cold weather

I haven’t posted for awhile. I have been doing a lot of church work on my computer. I had 150 Invitations to the Relief Society’s Christmas Party to design, print, and cut up.(I put 4 to an 8x11 page). That is always a big job, especially since this computer refuses to recognize the disks with my old, favorite images! I have a hard time using some of the pix the new programs have: they just aren’t as good as some of my 30-year-old images. (OK, OK, I know I am just old.) Anyway, I found a way to get around that. Many of the old calendars, or greeting cards, that I have saved on this computer, have some of those favorite images, and I just copy & paste them into the new work. Yay!

When I finished the RS stuff, I dove into the Ward Directory for 2009. Keith’s ward doesn’t even use a hard-copy directory. They are all so technologically savvy that they just use the info the church posts on the Ward website. The Bishopric even puts all kinds of announcements on the web site. That won’t work here. Our Ward doesn’t have enough members who even own computers, let alone know how to use them. Of course, we have lots of college students living in apartments, and they are very savvy. (This positive is counter-balanced by the kids moving – a lot – and that makes our directory go out of date almost as soon as it is printed.) Sigh. Right now, I have everything done that can be done, I just have to wait for the Bp to decide what time he will have correlation meetings, etc., to coincide with the new meeting times. Then my part will be done. (We’ll start at 12:30 in 2009. It will be nice to sleep in a little, but finding a parking space will be harder!)

Does your back ache? Most families have back problems, and we have had our share of surgeries, and just miserable pains. But now, we are having a new version of a back ache. A series of recent xrays show that Taylor has developed Scheuermann’s Disease.(It is not a disease, per se, but a progressive condition of the vertebrae.) He is on bed rest for 30 days, with lots of calcium added to his diet, to build up the bones. (You can Google this and get details of the condition.) Please remember him in your prayers.

Winter is really coming . The mountain that I can see from my window has snow at the top. It doesn't look very deep, but it is a sure harbinger of cold weather to come. What am I saying? The 'cold' weather is here - now. But I am certain that it will get colder before it warms up again.

Snuggle down in your big chair with an afghan around you - winter is coming!