volunteering

This morning I helped make Braille books with my Lutheran lady friends. We manufactured seven 73 page books which are shipped to California and then distributed to blind people all over the world. Last year I got my five year pin for doing this. This morning one of the ladies was a little late and this was her excuse: she was taking a picture of two hawks that were at her bird feeder. We talked a lot about birds and squirrels getting into bird feeders. We usually have lunch together but it was snowing this morning and everyone was anxious to get home. I'm giving myself a grace period from the gym. My shoulder is still sore and I've put off going to the doctor. Maybe I'll ask my cardiologist about it next week.

mileage

First of all, it's been three weeks since I've had any kind of soda; diet or loaded. I was drinking up to five cans a day and sometimes in the middle of the night cracking one open because I was so thirsty. Yes, I quit cold-turkey I think they call it. What I've been drinking lately: a cup of coffee in the morning, green tea and lots of water with ice and a lemon slice. Do I feel healthier? You bet! I am so proud of myself for getting off the diet soda kick!!
Yesterday was a gorgeous summer-turned-fall day here in Missouri. I took the bike to the Katy and rode twelve miles. It was late in the afternoon and I wanted to beat the bridge traffic home so I cut two miles off of my usual ride. This morning I made Braille books with my Lutheran lady friends and of course that means lunch afterwards. I hightailed it home and changed into my walking clothes and walked four miles on the Greenway. Oh, this morning when I walked out to get the paper, I was surprised by five deer in my front yard munching on my new landscaping. It was a momma and some young ones and I quickly shooed them into the woods. Sam would love to catch them off guard and bark like crazy at them. I still miss him like crazy too.

years of service

At braille this morning some of the ladies received little silver pins for their years of service. I knew that I would not receive one as I have only been volunteering at this for two years and then only as a substitute for awhile when one of the regulars was out of town or having surgery or something that prevented them from making and putting together little books about God. We do this assembly line style and use plain white paper which we sandwich between steel plates and run through an old wooden machine to make the raised dots and then these pages are put together with plastic bindings. These braille books are then sent to a small town in California to be distributed all over the world. There are six of us in our little group and we work and talk and joke together. I am the only one with a tattoo.

monday

I had a nice weekend but I was lazy and didn't log any miles so I was itchin to get on the trail this morning. I rode my usual fourteen miles. I always stop at Cedar Creek to look for the catfish but I never see more than one or two. I did notice the same family of turtles sunning on stuck-out logs. It still seems unreal that morning when I saw all those catfish. Maybe it will never happen again, but I'm glad I was there that morning to see it. Tomorrow I will help make braille books and Wednesday I'm meeting friends for an extended lunch so no riding till Thursday.

braille

This morning I helped my missionary group put together braille books. We made seven 73 page books suitable for second graders. I fed the aluminium plates through the ancient braille machine so now I have done all the positions on the assembly line. We laughed and had a good time telling stories on ourselves. But there is one story that I am keeping a secret; they are all "tea party" republicans and I am a "closet" democrat. I just keep my mouth shut, you can learn a lot that way. 
Over the weekend my brother-in-law found a perfect arrow head in our backyard. The unwritten rule is "whoever finds it gets to keep it." I aways knew that there were Osage Indians living right here in this very spot where I am living now. It really makes me respect my little acre of ground more than ever. I must work on a patio prayer soon.

braille

This morning I helped the Braille ladies from church put together an eighteen page book entitled Alone, Alive, Fulfilled. It is a rainy day here so walking is out of the picture anyway. My job was to work on the assembly line sandwiching the braille plates between sheets of cardboard. We started at nine and worked till eleven making 34 books suitable for second-graders. These books will be shipped to a little town in California and then distributed to blind schools throughout the world.
I also decided to make a big pot of vegetable soup, the rainy day just calls for it!

braille songbooks

This morning I helped make All God's Children Sing, braille songbooks that are shipped to a small town in California and then distributed worldwide. My job was to use the binder to put the ten page booklets together. There were six of us working like beavers all morning and we were able to produce 57 books. One of our volunteers was a "preacher's kid" and she told a story about the parishioners helping out the preacher and his family, especially in the summer time with vegetables from their gardens. One day an older lady appeared at their door with a basket full of beans that had obviously been on the vine too long. "A little tough," she said, "But they're good enough for you."

braille day

Today was braille day. A group of five volunteers got together at a local Lutheran church and used an ancient braille machine to put together, assembly line style, a ten page song book, Children Sing. I assembled the pages using a binder and I admit that a few of the books will have upside down pages which I'm sure will cause all kinds of problems when the poor blind children get together to learn a new song. Dear Jesus, I am so sorry. It's hard to produce a book with no words or pictures, just bumps. We made sixty-seven songbooks which will be shipped to a little town in California, then distributed to blind schools throughout the world.