happy thanksgiving

We hope everyone has a great day of family, friends and lots of pumpkin pie.

150 years ago

On Saturday, November 15th, the town of Franklin, TN sponsored a re-enactment of the Battle of Franklin.  This is a bit of the history:

"After failing to destroy John Schofield’s Federal army near Spring Hill the previous morning, Gen. John Bell Hood led his 30,000 Confederates to the outskirts of Franklin, Tennessee on November 30, 1864. Determined not to let Schofield reach the safety of Nashville, Hood unleashed a precipitous frontal assault against the entrenched Federal defenders. Despite nearly breaking through the center of the Union line, Hood’s forces were driven back with heavy losses. The bloody assault cost Hood more than 6,000 casualties, including six dead Confederate generals."  

So, on the coldest day that we have seen so far we wrapped up in our snuggies and headed out to the town of Franklin (less than 10 miles).  It is

held at the Carlton Plantation, which is very big and nice.  There were many true-blood southerners there to cheer their side on......some dressed in period costumes (kinda like when a new Batman or Star Wars movie comes out and all the enthusiasts come dressed up in costume).  You can tell this lady is not part of the re-enactment....by the cell phone in her hand.
There were many, many spectators who brought their lawn chairs and placed them along the side of the battlefield.  We even had our own lawn chairs.  After securing a good spot to view the war we had a good time visiting the soldiers' camp.  I have included some pictures.













This young man is getting into the spirit of things at a very young age.  These costumes are not cheap, but to a southerner they are priceless. (I guess)

This was a group of slaves who were singing spirituals.  They were really good. I tried to record some of their music on my phone, but they were just too far away.

Even Abraham Lincoln was there.  He looks like he is holding his nose, but I don't think that was a commentary on the whole affair.

This is the Doctor's wife.  Poor lady.  In order to see her husband she had to go out to the

battlefield.  He just was so over-worked and she comes to give him comfort and a good meal.

These ladies are the cooks for the camp.  They took a few minutes and give me a lesson on how to make these meat pies.  She said to use Pillsbury Grands (heaven forbid if you use Walmart....they just don't work as well).  You roll each biscuit out into a circle, then place some meat or other filling at one side.  You then pull the other side up over the meat and seal around the edges.  These are then dropped into a hot vat of grease.  This is the southern delight.....deep fried pie.

I would love to say this was the
prayer meeting before the battle.....but that wouldn't be true.  They are passing out books, rations, and whiskey.

So the battle begins.....after much practice beforehand.  This is the cannon brigade. They were loud!  They were selling ear plugs, but we were too cheap to spend the dollar.

This is what they were shooting at.  Notice that they are running the wrong way!  They did that a lot.  It was surprising to me that sometimes they got to within 20 feet of the berm and yet the cannons and guns couldn't kill them.  No one was dropping.  I heard later that they did not have as many actors as they wanted so they told them not to die too quickly.  But in the end they did have to die......as least until the bugle sounded and they all got up and walked away.

After we won the war we were ready for another week of Missionary work.  Things were busy at the office with 17 new missionaries coming in on Monday, and 10 leaving on Tuesday.  On Thursday it became necessary for Darryl and I to take a run down to Baxter, TN (about 100 miles east of Nashville).  We had to go because we were setting up a new apartment for Elders there and the Water Company and the Electric Company would not sign us up for service without the Lessee (me) coming in person to sign on the dotted line.  That is a small town thing.  But we

did find a town that is actually smaller than Pikeville.  This is a picture of the only store in the town.  We met with Mert (the landlord) who didn't mind if I called him Bert (of Bert and Ernie).  He was a delightful man.

On Saturday we were able to drive up to Bowling Green, KY, to deliver a washing machine, bike and bike rack to some sisters up there.  The best part was that Elder Dunn got to drive this pickup truck.  It seemed like old times.  He really enjoyed that.  After Bowling Green KY we went to White House TN, which is just north of Nashville by about 30 minutes.  There we delivered this box spring mattress and a bike.  These lovely ladies are Sisters Traughber and Squire.

They have the cutest little house that is behind the home of some really nice people.  They are the landlords. He had just come home from deer hunting where they had bagged their second deer of the season.

Here is a selfie we took this morning so that you will know that we are still alive and well.  We have aged some while trying to keep up with all these 18-21 year-old missionaries.  Today is our 46th anniversary and we look forward to the eternities together.Happy Thanksgiving to you all.  We miss every one of you and think of you all often.  Sometimes when we are doing certain things I remember doing them with one of you.....and then I smile.  Love you all!

Paducah Kentucky

A couple of weeks ago (yes, it has been a while since I posted) we took about a 2-1/2 hour drive to Paducah Kentucky.  It was our Saturday activity.....not suggested by Elder Dunn.  We went to the National Quilt Museum.....well, I went to the National Quilt Museum.  One of us opted to not go in.  But he was sorry later because it was absolutely inspiring and awesome.  I could
have spent hours there, but actually only got about 45 minutes as they close early on Saturday.  What I learned is that I need a lot of practice to make my quilting stitches

smaller and straight.  This is my favorite quilt.  I had to load this pic from the internet as they do not allow you to take pictures, so I will describe it so you can get a better idea of how awesome it is.  It is actually purple with gold metallic thread.  It was done with a long-arm quilting machine.....but I don't know how because it is spectacular.  I wish you could see how great the hair on the bride is stitched.  The guide told me that local math teachers like to bring their students in so they can appreciate how math is used in unexpected ways.  I just stood there remembering how over my head I was when I was using the baby-sized quilt pattern to make my king-sized quilt. I think I re-figured that about 100 times,  Anyway, if you ever find yourself in Paducah Kentucky, be sure to attend the National Quilt Museum because the $10 it costs is cheap compared to what you will find.
Also in Paducah we saw the long wall

that protects the city from flooding of the Ohio River.  This wall runs about 2 blocks long and on  each section a very talented  artist, Robert Dafford, painted portraits of Paducah's past.  There are small plaques explaining what is depicted in front of each picture.  Each picture is a piece of history of Paduch Kentucky.  Here is a link that has more information and photos:

http://www.quiltingpathways.com/paducah/mural-wall.html
The trip to Paducah also gave us the opportunity to have lunch in Paducah with two of our favorite sister missionaries,

Sister Hochstrasser (who was in our District while in Pikeville) and Sister Cotton (who we made German Chocolate Cupcakes with while living under the mission home). It was such fun and the lunch from Panera was terrific.
On our way home to Nashville we were able to connect to three other sister missionaries, Sister McDonald (also known as Happy Meal) and her two companions Sister Rokowitz and Oldroyd.  Sorry, no picture of them.  We had a fun time at Fazoli.  This is a threesome because Sister Happy Meal's companion went home early.  It was a sad time for Happy Meal, so I hope we cheered her up a little.  This threesome serves in Clarksville Tennessee.  It was such a fun day.
Since that  time we have not done much travelling. Last Saturday was the Stake Roadshow.  Each unit (Ward) has prepared a 20-25 minute show using the youth and ward members.  They write and perform a story.  The performances here in Nashville were way above average, which is not surprising because of the ample supply of talent residing in this city.  One of the wards pre-recorded. the sound for their show so that you could hear every line and musical number.  The costumes were out of this

world....some mothers spent a lot of time at the sewing machine, and some were obviously rented costumes.  The judges were pretty professional too.  Several of them were employed by well-known bands or performers as technical assistants etc.  The mission office had it's own representation in one of the shows.  Elder Huntzinger (Mr. Finkel) played a small part (very small.....without a line) in one of the roadshows.  We did give him a big ovation for his performance.  One of the Branches (smaller than a ward unit) who only has 80 members had 40 people in their roadshow.  I happened to be sitting next to their Branch President and he was over-the-top proud of his group.

Well, not long ago I had flash-back moment.  about 30 years ago (not long after we had moved to Tucson), I was in charge of delivering baked potatoes for a Seminary Graduation.  I loaded them and the kids in the car to take them to the Stake Center......only to find out the meeting was not there.  I drove all over town trying to find this place, only to arrive in time to serve the potatoes for dessert.  ....... Well, Sister Godfrey, Sister Crawford (in the picture) and I were delivering the lunch (Subway Sandwich box lunches) for about 40.  The building we were going to is the building I go to church in.....but we were going from the office (a completely different direction).  We had two phones with GPS guiding us......and we got so lost.  We knew we were in trouble when we saw the street sign where the office is.  But we re-couped; but not before the President called to see if we were alive.  We actually were only about 10 minutes late.  I think that was the last time they will trust me to drive.

This is Elder Dunn trying to explain to Elder Shiner what was wrong with his gas receipts and mileage log.

 Yes.....Missionaries do take selfies.  

Okay....it is now getting cold!  Thursday when we drove into the office it was about 25 degrees.  This Tucson girl is not fond of COLD.  I am now dressing with 3 layers and a heater at my feet in the office.  Some people in the office insist on the thermostat being at 70 degrees.  I am only agreeable at 75-80 degrees.  I do have my own office, so it is the warmest room in the Tenn. Nashville Mission Office.

This is all the news I have for now.  Today we went to the 150th anniversary of the Civil War battle in Franklin Tennessee.  I will post about that next week after I thaw out from sitting in the outside cold weather for 3 hours.  I was thankful for the handwarmers my children gave me for Christmas.

Life is a PumpkinI guess

Pumpkins and gourds are everywhere in Nashville.  Large pumpkins and small pumpkins.  I guess when you don't have to worry about them rotting in 95 degree heat you can have pumpkins sit on your doorsteps and lawns for weeks on end.  Last Saturday it got quite warm (in the upper 80s) and it was very humid, but it really cools a lot in the evening and the mornings are quite chilly.  I would be very comfortable here, except someone in the office keeps the air conditioner on 70 and it gets cold. I already have my little heater on at my feet in my little office.      
For our Saturday adventure we first

went and found a winter coat for Darryl.  We are very fortunate to have a great mall 5 minutes from our apartment.  After we spent all of our money at Men's Warehouse, we headed to Hermitage.  Not far...it took about 30 minutes to get there.  However in the early 1800s it took about 5 hours by horse to get from Hermitage to Nashville. Hermitage is where Andrew Jackson, the 7th President of the US (1829-1837), built his Beautiful home and plantation.  However, his wife, Rachel, died a couple of weeks after his election. He built his home in Hermitage in 1803.  It eventually grew to 4,050 acres where he grew cotton.

He started with 8 slaves and eventually had  as many as 150. The house is beautiful and the land around it gorgeous.  It was a warm day when we were there, and it was really humid.
 

  This picture shows Darryl looking over the vast acreage of the Hermitage wondering just how long does it take to mow all this grass? As I said, it was awfully humid that day so we spent a good chunk of time sitting on those benches.
 Inside the home, the walls are covered with a mural/wallpaper in very vibrant colors.  All the wallpaper in the home is original (restored).  The beds all have dark drapes surrounding the bed to keep out the light.  It must have been hot a lot of the time because even when the temp is not high, the humidity is.

 The gardens are beautiful, even in the fall.  This picture shows daisies and pansies, but there is also a very large herb garden that they used for cooking and medicinal purposes.  Apparently in the spring they plant a lot of tulips.  It seems to me, however, that just about anything could grow here in the south.  As Jennifer Crotts said when she was here..."these houses are beautiful but they sure wouldn't look the same in the Arizona desert."  Same with the flowers.  ..... Another point of interest I found here.  The Democratic Party adopted the logo of the Donkey because of Andrew Jackson.  During his campaign for President the press often referred to him as a 'jackass' so he decided

to adopt it as his own.  I don't know about the Republicans, but I will tell you when I find out.
  This is a slave cabin.Each slave family occupied a 24' square room with 1 door, 1 window, a fireplace, & an attic loft. One of their slaves, Betty, was the Jackson cook for more than 50 years.  Her son stayed at the Hermitage after the Civil War with his family for decades, and is buried in the family garden near the family cemetery.

This is a Dogwood tree.  Who knew?
It looked almost like a Christmas Ivy tree.  Darryl mistakenly called it a bush when we asked one of the employees at Hermitage about it. I won't tell you what he said, but he obviously had no sense of humor and needed to loosen up.

On Sundays we go to church at the Young Single Adult branch in Nashville.  We must seem very immature because we keep ending up with the single adults at church.  This would make it the 4th time we have been assigned there.  The kids (18-30 yrs old) are very nice.  Many of them are in Nashville seeking careers in the music business (singers, musicians, or song writing).
      Well, last Sunday we had a special treat for our meeting.  The Ward (congregation) who meets in the building before us is a family ward.  They had presented their Primary Program (by young children) and consented to give an encore performance for our Branch.  It was great, but the best part was a young boy, about 4-5 years old who stood in the front row and absolutely yelled the songs so loud he was all you could hear.  Sometimes he even put his hands up around his mouth to make it louder.  He was singing....but just very loudly. He didn't know all the words, but he could sure boom out the chorus.

The whole congregation just giggled during each song.  He was so cute and trying so hard.  I felt anxiety for the adults who were supervising this group because it was like herding a group of cats.  It was the best sacrament meeting I have been in for quite a long time.

This is Alek Garcia.  He is one of the Young Adults in our YSA Branch.  We met him the first time we went to Church there.  The thing that endeared him to me was that he was born in Phoenix and had lived in Blythe, California.  I told him we were meant to meet.  We picked him up and took him to the David Archuleta Fireside, even though he warned us that he lived in the Hood!.  Yeah....if the hood is in the honors dorm of Tennessee State College.  Because of his good grades and his difficult beginning in life he has been awarded a $100,000 scholarship for college.  He is very shy, but very charming.  He told me he has his genealogy done back to Adam and Eve. I told him that must mean we are related.  He believed me.

This is Denny Burton.  I am putting his picture here in case he ever becomes famous so I can say I knew him.  He is a songwriter from Canada.  He is a young man who knows his priorities and is a shinning example of "good".

Okay, you knew it was coming....... more tractors.  The bonus is that they are John Deere.  It was a special request from Darryl that we took this picture at the Hermitage.

I had to include this picture I found just because it reminds me of those dirty little mud wrestlers we left behind in Tucson.

We are finding great joy in serving here in Tennessee.  It is not easy, and actually, sometimes it is hard, but that is what brings the real joy and satisfaction.  We work with 240 of the most delightful young men and women you ever want to meet.  They have given up 2 years of their lives in order to serve others and bring truth to them.  As part of my work here, I speak with many apartment managers where our missionaries are renting.  Never has one of them ever had any criticism of them, and in fact when we have to close an apartment when they are moved, they request that we remember them in the future because they love renting to these honorable young men and women.  I love it when they come into the office because they just bring a lot of happiness with them.  Of course by the time they leave again they have eaten anything left in the kitchen, the candy bowl etc.  Yesterday they came in and we made them grilled cheese sandwiches with the homemade bread Darryl had brought it.  They were delighted.  The kitchen in the office has a toaster oven, a George Foreman grill, a microwave and a refrigerator.  If you ever have a chance to serve a mission--it is worth every minute of sacrifice it takes to get here.

We still think of you all......except now it is with a southern accent.  We'd love to have you come out here and help to rake up all the leaves that have fallen on the ground.  I guess I had forgotten about leaves from having lived in Tucson for so long.  Every morning we have to swipe all the leaves off of the car so we can drive to work.  Bye for now.

Fun and music

Well, last time we talked I had barely survived the rain storm that made me vow to never wear white again after labor day.  It rained for several days and then cleared in time for Jennifer and Harve Crotts to bring the sunshine back to Nashville.  It has cooled considerably.  It has been in the 60s lately.  The fall colors are still not in full bloom.
   We worked real hard in the Mission Office on Monday through Thursday so we would have time to play on Friday.  The Crotts arrived in Nashville on Thursday afternoon.  It was good to see someone from home, and the 7 dozen tortillas didn't hurt either (5 regular and 2 Jalapeno).  Tim and Emilee were wonderful to go and buy those for us so we could have good tortillas.  We are planning some great chimis and green-chile pork.  We gave 1 dozen to the mission president.
   Because we had worked so hard all week, we were able

to take Friday off and do some sight-seeing with the Crotts.  We toured around Franklin, TN, where the battle of Nashville was fought in the civil war.  There are some beautiful old homes there,  Then we took them down to Pikeville, Tennesse for the grand tour.  There is nothing like it.  Whoever thought I would miss Pikeville.......not me!  But I guess it says something about that little town if I was so happy to go back for a visit.  This is a picture of the Crotts in front of the little blue house on Birchwood.  They are with Elder Hansen and Elder Westra (his new companion).  They came and met us at the empty house so we could run in

  and use the bathroom.  We were all hungry, but no one was brave enough to pic a place to eat in Pikeville.  So, we went up the mountain and visited some of our favorite people.  This is the Pendegrasses.  They were so happy to see us.  Kari is holding a counted cross stitch book in her hands. She showed us her beautiful cross stitch project which is in progress. She is planning on handing that finished work to her mother on the day of resurrection as her mother is raised from her grave.  I hope that works for her.....I didn't have the heart, nor the knowledge, to tell her that may not happen.  Her daughter, Valerie, is still making jewelry and caring for her many cats.  We should all be as sweet as these people are.  I know you have probably been wondering what

William Sapp (the kind hermit) has been up to.  Well, we visited him too.  He is still building his little house. That is it behind him (the black one).  He has done alot, and that is good because it is getting cold up there.  He said it was too cold to sleep in his little travel trailer the other night, so he slept on the floor in his unfinished cabin.  I'm not sure where he found room on his floor to sleep on.  He was happy to see us; but we were awfully happy to see him too.  I think the Crotts enjoyed that too.
   We would have visited another family, but they were out of town.  Darn, I really wanted to see them.  So we wound our way down the mountain and went to Crossville to lunch at the Sister's Cafe.  This is where Harve thought for sure they forgot to put the 1s in front of the menu items, because

everything is so cheap.  We had a hot roast beef sandwich (open faced) with potatoes and gravy, rolls and green beans for $4.50.  that is a ganga.
  Saturday we went to the Nashville Temple for a sealing.  (This is an ordinance in the temple in which husbands and wives are sealed to each other & children are sealed to their parents in eternal families. This means that if we are faithful to our covenants, our family relationships will continue for eternity. People sometimes also refer to this as "temple marriage".) Of course, some of my favorite Tennessee people were there.

 I'll bet you can tell who the couple is and their children. 
Then, the Crotts and the Dunns went to the Country Music Hall of Fame.  It was so much fun.  We were able to watch a short film about all of our favorite old-time country singers.  Can you remember Tennessee Ernie Ford, Minnie Pearl, Patsy Cline, Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers?  This picture is of one of my favorites......Don William's old blue shirt and his worn hat. He sang one of my favorite songs "Lord, I hope This day is good".   Jennifer and I sat and watched the film so long that the men gave up and left us to go downstairs.   But we got even with them.   When we got home, we left them to nap while we hit the one-day sale at Macy's.  We got some great buys, and then we finished it off at J. C. Penneys.  

The next morning we went to Church.  The Crotts were able to make contact with a young man in our ward who served a mission in Tucson.  Then after the 1st hour of church (yes, we do go for 3 hours...broken into different meetings) they left to continue on their trip.  It was really a shame because when we got to our Sunday School class, who sat right in front of me?  

 David Archuleta.  He was the runner up on American Idol several years ago and has since done very well as a performer.  We had a great chance to visit with him.  He is very shy and he is very humble.  He would only introduce himself as David from Utah.  He said he is in Nashville often to record and to collaborate on writing his music.  The picture is fuzzy because I had to take it very quick.  We were in a small room with just a couple of people, and he was kind of hiding from some girls who were trying to take his picture.He said it was okay for me to take the picture.  He gave a wonderful fireside (a meeting where someone speaks) for all the missionaries in the Nashville Mission that night.  It had been a secret as to who was coming to speak, until we saw him at church.  At the fireside he sang and shared experiences from his mission to Santiago, Chile. The format was that he sang 4 songs and he answered questions from the audience. One of the questions he was asked "What was the biggest thing you learned on your mission?" he responded by saying: "I learned of the power of forgiveness and how it is for everyone and of the Atonement of Jesus Christ." He stated that repentance is God's plan for happiness. He shared several very touching stories.  He was so shy when he started on his mission that sometimes he would just ask to sing a hymn to someone. He and his companion sang a lot of hymns.  He did sing the song Glorious from the movie "Meet the Mormons".  It was a great night for us to be there.  I wish you all could have been thee.  He was so inspiring.  He also spoke a lot about how missions change who you are and the need to be sure you don't go back to your old ways when you return home.  When he got home he had to take over his career and had to change managers twice so he would have people around him who would understand his values and priorities.  They all said it was about HIM!  He would be rich and happy....but he found that that did not make him happy.  He knew what would make him happy.  That is why he left and went on a mission in the first place.  He found joy in serving others and putting the Lord first in his life.  The last song he sang was "I"m Trying to Be Like Jesus".  I got a short video on my phone of him singing, but was unable to get it to load on this.  Sorry.
This is a picture of all 250 missionaries who were at that fireside.  I have a yellow circle around David Archuleta and around Darryl.  I am in the picture also.  Can you find me?  Me either!  But I was there. 

 

Starting to look like Fall

Well, the leaves are starting their new wardrobe.  This picture was taken in Kentucky where it is about 10 degree cooler and Fall has a little more of a head start.
The temperature in Nashville is still in the high 70s most days, even though it has been raining.  The other day we actually had a great hail storm.  I am so glad I have a big window in my office (even though it is behind me) to watch the weather.  Elder Dunn watches all the supplies in the storeroom....but he does a great job of that.  Actually, he gets out of the office alot more than I do.  He is still picking up new cars.  He got another this last week, and tomorrow he goes again to pick one up.  He is alot happier about it when it isn't a Toyota Corolla.  When he gets back from driving it to the office we have to unfold him to help him stand.

This is one of the many tents on the side of the road selling flower and pumpkins.  
Last Monday we (the mission) received 14 new missionaries (2 from the Mission Training Center in Mexico, 2 who came from their home, and 10 from the Provo Utah Training Center. The 2 who came from home are called 2 transfer missionaries.  That means they are short-term.  All the new missionaries (well most) look very nervous and some a little scared.  That doesn't last long. On Tuesday there is a big transfer meeting where all the missionaries who are being moved to different areas come into Nashville to meet up with their new companions.  It is really a fun time.  There were also

~12 missionaries who were going home, having finished their time in the mission field.  At this meeting the missionaries who are going home each stand and give advice to the new missionaries......some serious.....some funny.  Then each new missionary stands and reads a paper which identifies where they are going and who will be their trainer.  They don't get very far into the reading (just until the area is named) when their new companion stands and cheers and runs to the front and hugs their new companion.  Well, hug is a loose term for tackles and just about knocks them down. (It is their enthusiasm that is wonderful).  As I said, some of these missionaries are a little shy at this point and really don't know what to expect, but it is really cute and it doesn't take them long to bond.  I would have liked to get a picture of this, but it would be impossible because they move so fast.        Saturday was our negotiated

day of fun and travel.  We dove up to Hopkinsville, Kentucky
 (about 1 1/2 hour drive).  It was rainy and alot cooler.....enough that I did have to put on my white fleese lined jacket (but if you know me, you know that it didn't have to be much cooler for me to do that).  It was 66 degrees.  The locals there call this town Hoptown.  I don't know why.  We went just north of there to find this old Mormon Church and Cemetery.  Here is the description of it from LDS.org.  "James Wells Robins did not want to go on a mission, but his mother intervened and arranged for him to receive a mission call when he returned home from herding cattle.

Once out in the mission field, he disliked asking people for food and a place to sleep and ultimately decided to go home. His small leather suitcase in hand, he walked along the dusty road toward his mission-free future. But first he decided to take his decision to God. He set the suitcase down on the side of the road and knelt in a thatch of trees. After struggling in prayer, he received the answer to stay. He returned and served faithfully from 1911 to 1913, during which time he was a carpenter who helped with the construction of the Haley’s Mill chapel in Christian County, Kentucky. The little white chapel nestled on a green hill in northern Christian County was filled to capacity and beyond on September 15, 2012, just as it was a hundred years earlier when Southern States Mission President Charles A. Callis dedicated the building"

Early missionaries used to go out without "purse or scrip", which means they had no money nor place to stay.  They were completely dependent on the hospitality of local citizens.  I am so happy that is not what they do now.  Missionary work for the young Elders and Sisters (and sometimes seniors) can be hard.  They are rejected constantly, yet they are taught to not argue, but to keep a happy disposition and to be optimistic. They are very good at that.  I have never seen one who did not answer "great" when asked how their mission is going.  But then, they didn't have to use this outhouse!

Well, you knew it was inevitable!  We did find a tractor for Elder Dunn.  This tractor makes his look pretty new.  There were a long line of old farm equipment along the side of a house.  Sometimes Elder Dunn can find the brake in the car very suddenly. He wanted pictures of each one, but as I said before, it was cool and rainy.  I did include this one and one more.

The people in the south love to decorate.......even their farm equipment.  It is so much fun to see all the fall decorated yards......scarecrows, pumpkins, flowers....etc.       There was one other thing I wanted to mention.  I love how many churches there are in the south.  On Sunday when we go to church we pass lots and lots of big churches with TALL steeples.  Sometimes there are 3 or 4 different churches in a row....and they are big.  The people are friendly and very religious.  I love living in a place when God has such a prominent place.  

Well, that is all for now.  Has it quit raining in Tucson?  We watch the weather. Well, we don't have a television so watch isn't really correct.  We keep tract of your weather.  And to think they thought it was going to be a dry summer.  God has surprises for us all!   Love you all!!!!!