Too Blah to Blog

This is shot of one of the MANY roadside farm stands with the sun setting on the coloring leaves and a full moon.


When we got home the full moon was over our parking lot in the back of our apartment.


I just read that statement on a blog and that's about how I feel......just too blah to blog about our sight seeing, etc. And very frustrated with this $%^&**%$%^*(*&%#>+)*^ computer. Had it "tuned" up at Staples and it didn't fix a thing. The biggest problem is it won't download my pictures to the blog without entering the "not responding" mode and I have to reset the computer and I say bad words to myself and threaten the machine with destruction. Then, on top of that, the system can't keep up with my speedo typing and skips letters nd stalls!!! Drives me to drink (diet coke).

The first week in October we had a short but fun visit with the Lundberg's...our neighbors in Sandy. They were going on a New England Fall Leaves tour.



On our visits to inspect missionary apartments we find some amusing things. Two of the Elders, one from Idaho and the other from St. George gathered leaves and were drying them before sending them to their families so they could see how pretty leaves are!!






Our missionary work is soooo slow. We've had one workshop in a New Hampshire Stake but half the people signed up didn't show. And that seems to be the story all over!!! The one captive audience we have is when we speak in Sacrament meeting and do the fifth Sunday class the same day. We've done a couple Bishops Councils and Welfare Meetings so some of the Stakes are really trying to move along. But it's a problem with the unemployed an underemployed.....they just don't think they have a problem and lack the drive to move forward. Like they believe it'll all work out in the end.........or that something will drop right into their laps. Of course, our job is mostly to train Stake leaders and if they are doing their job, the we would be out of a job :) Maybe they are all doing their job. We know that's the case in a couple of Stakes.

The church has opened a new comprehensive employment website. It won't be officially announced until January but is available now and we had a training meeting a couple weeks ago and 50 people showed up!! So there is interest in some of the leadership.

This last weekend we drove to Rochester, NY.....about 420 miles!!! Our NY leader had another commitment so we went to a Preparedness Fair put on by the Stake. We taught a couple of employement classes. But it was surprising how UNDER attended the fair was. We talked to a total of 10 people. They had good stuff from the Red Cross, Fire Department and good stuff on canning, food storage, dehydration, 72 hr kits. But there should have been 800 people there!!!! Is this complacency rampant around the nation??? We're seeing entirely too much of it. And it's very discouraging. It's hard to think we are accomplishing anything. But we did a fun thing Saturday night. We went to the Choral concert by the Eastman School of Music. WOW what voices!!!

A couple weeks ago the Cambridge Stake had their conference and Elder Ballard was the General Authority. The Stake does not have a Stake Center.....long story there. Because Elder Ballard was here they expected a big turn out. It was Halloween weekend so the usual Saturday night meeting was Friday at Trinity Church-a historical church in town. A fantastic beautiful Episcopal Church with all the stained glass windows, cathedral ceilings, dark wood, terribly uncomfortable pews, a fantastic organ...I think the church organist played and he sure boomed out the music...it was fabulous!! The church was filled to capacity nnd of course you know how poorly those meetings are attended. Sunday meetings were in the big Marriott hotel downtown and then he stayed for a missionary meeting aftr that.





But there have been bright points. The second week in October, Rick and his family spent the week here. It was the first cold rainy week we've had and they came from 99 degree Phoenix!!! Our 16 yr old granddaughter was frozen the whole week. But they were good sports and we did the Concord/Lexington trail, New England Six Flags, Plymouth, the Mayflower, Corn Maze, downtown, two birthdays lots of eating out. Dan and 9 yr old Kalissa came 4 days during this time so we had a good group. Kalissa is the sibling of two of the grandkids that came in July. I made hard cover books of their trip so I won't include pictures on the blog. Thinking back to when the four grandkids were here in July-----that was 4 months ago!!!! Already!!!! And in 4months we'll be coming home.....the last few months have made us realize how much we miss home and our kids!!!!

Here's Dan and Kalissa at the Manchester airport.


Ive only resent the computer 5 times downloading the pictures onto this blog!!! AARRGGHH But at least I got a few. I really like this one of Rick and his family. I took it too:)

Here it is Thanksgiving week already. We are volunteering at the hospital on Thursday and Friday. On Thursday the Mission President and his wife have invited all the senior missionaries to their home for Thanksgiving dinner which will be fun.

The fall leaves are all gone which makes me a little sad......we won't see a fall so beautiful again. I got a few good pictures.....I'll see if I can download a few without losing my cool!!!




OK, no more pictures today!! At least if you haven't given up on us, you know we're alive and kicking.....well, maybe not so much kickin....