But I do read These Blogs

Click here for the University
Saying for the day: I am far right of the left and far left of the right so nobody likes me.
------Yesterday I listed blogs I won't read. Here are some of those I will read.
1. The blog of anyone who leaves a comment on mine (I owe them)
2. Any blog written by a relative (Sons, daughter, daughterinlaw, sister, cousin, whatever)
3. Any religious blog.(Particularly those that detail a person's struggle to live the life in Christ)
4. Funny blogs ( I recommend Fugetaboutit )
5. Personal blogs that detail the day to day life of a person ( I'm nosy)
6. Raving Liberal and raving Conservative blogs on days they aren't on Bush, Kennedy, or Hillary.(They remind me why I'm a middle of the road person.)
7. Blogs that help me blog.(I need all the help I can get)
Eventually out of this list I intend to get fifty blogs I will visit every week.
@@@ When he finished his 4950th spin our loser found another way to lose at Iwon.com. Its called instant win but of course he lost. He also discovered that Iwon.com is owned by CBS and has vowed not to watch a single CBS program again until he wins something. Wow is CBS upset. Tune in again tomorrow to "AS the World Spins" and see if he gives in and watches CBS after all. ****
Betty went to therapy again today.I finished the changes to the February web page for United and uploaded them. After lunch I went to the doctor's. Got another three month reprieve. On the way there and back I couldn't help but notice the snow banks. How quickly they have developed after just two days of snow. I sure hope we don't get any more. Betty took the recyclables up to the city hall. It's that day.(Recycle day that is) I sent the Lenten meditation to the Suomi Conference ( Now I need a picture of me) . Nothing else happened today ( not even other dull things) Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

To read or not read that is the question.

Theological University Online
Saying for the day:If work is so terrific, why do they have to pay you to do it?
------Good night-slept well. If your reading this because blog explosion sent you here let me tell you what blogs I won't read. I won't read any blog that has to do with George Busch, Ted Kennedy, or Hillary Clinton (pro or con). I won't read any blog where I have to dig to find out what I'm supposed to read.(Too many advertisements etc.) I won't read any blog telling me why they chose such and such a renter. I won't read any stock market blog (I've lost too much already). I won't read any blog about the war in Iraq (pro or con). I won't read any blog with tiny print ( except my daughter's.) I won't read any blog a second time where you have to belong to the team to make a comment. I won't read any blog where the main theme is food ( I eat too much already). I won't read any blog that is trying to sell me something (toys, cuddly things, things that smell good etc.) I won't read any blogs supposedly written by an animal (dogs , cats, whatever except perhaps a dragon) . Tomorrow I will post a list of blogs I will read. Aside from mine what blogs won't you read ? Leave me a comment on your dislikes.
@@@Another fifty spins.That's 4900 now without a prize. We have decided that Packer Fans and Lions fans in 2005 are all eligible for our losers party. Your loss is so great (all those games and two coaches) that it qualifies you no matter if you won something somewhere else (unless of course it was the state lottery). Losers at Iwon.com are also automatically qualified. I suspect that after the next election a lot of Republicans will qualify. Tune in tomorrow to "As the World Spins" and see if the list gets bigger.****
Betty got up at 6:00 and took out the garbage (That's about as exciting as the day is going to get) . I checked all our blogs for comments (there weren't any) and started this blog for the day. Then I had the morning breathing treatment . Betty went to therapy (which seems to be helping) . I continued work on the church web page which I will upload tomorrow. Betty amd I (mostly Betty) cleaned off the dining room table and folded it back into the buffet. We are making room to set up a card table and work on the mountain away from the rugs. I wrote a Suomi Conffence newsletter article for Lent. Now I need to get my picture taken and I can send in the article and the picture. Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Forget the genie be thankful

Theological University Online
Saying for the day: Better to have blogged and been unread than never to have blogged at all.
----Good night. After all that nonsense with the genie yesterday I got to thinking about the things in my life I'm thankful for and wouldn't change. I'm thankful for Betty who loves me as I am (and that takes a lot of love). For my three children all of whom have made me proud. For my five grandchildren who couldn't be more special.I am thankful for a n unbelievably special daughterinlaw. I am thankful for my sisters Dawn and Chris even though we haven't always gotten along (usually my fault). I am thankful for the years God let me be Pastor to His people ( they were good years). I am thankful for all the people God sent to affirm that ministry. I am thankful that despite my failure to care for myself God has taken care of me ( I should be dead ). I am thankful for each new day and the chance to share Christ with somebody.I am thankful for my Baptism when God called me to be his own (I haven't always lived as a baptized child should live) So many, many things and people to be thankful for I can't begin to list them all. I guess the genie is back in the bottle.
@@@ After doing his fifty losing spins (the 4850 th) our hapless loser again turned his attention to the losers party and who is entitled to be invited. The question is does winning anything in your life disqualify you. For example if you were a Packer fan in 2005 but won a stuffed Santa Claus are you off the list. It depends on when you won and what that win meant to you. If it was along time ago and winning didn't mean much your still eligible to be considered a loser if you fit the other qualifications.(Yes Detroit Lions fans in 2005 and 2004 are eligible as well) Our loser will keep working on the rules (he has time because the party now is slated for the 6000th losing spin) Tune in again tomorrow for "As the World Spins"***
We went to church for the luncheon in honor of Charles and Anita's visit. It was good to visit with people we hadn't seen for a long time ( the food wasn't bad either). In the afternoon Charles and Anita pushed through the snow on our front walk and visited for an hour or so. We talked about the Church in Kenya and the United States. We reminisced about the time when Charles was the intern and we had a chance to pray together. It was a very special time.
After Charles left we spent a quiet afternoon. Betty did some housework and I worked on the February web page for the church ( It is almost done) . Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

We let the genie out of the bottle

www.theologicaluniversity.org
Saying for the day:He who kneels before God can stand before anyone.
------Slept well. We had a good life. We weren't rich but we could buy anything we wanted (we didn't want much). WE could make a little extra Christmas gift to our kids( or give them a hand when they needed one). Life was good. Then we let the house genie out of the bottle. Suddenly we were poor. We lived in a house we couldn't sell and wanted to buy a house we couldn't afford. We were up to our neck in loan offers and moving expenses and suddenly we knew we couldn't do it. But the genie was out of the bottle. The simple good life was over. The truth is we are poor. O not dirt poor, but poor. The kids want us to move and if we save all our money and live like hermits and if the prices of houses in Green Bay don't go up in twenty years we could afford a house in Green Bay. Of course in twenty years we will need to move into assisted living. The question is can we back off and go back to life as it was. Can we push the genie back in the bottle? I don't know. I just don't know!
@@@ Well our hapless loser did his fifty daily losing spins. That's 4800 spins without a prize. I won.com could be called Ilost.com. Plans for the losers party progress but he is thinking of holding it off until the 600oth spin. He still needs to work on the invitation list. Hey, give him some help. Turn in those suggestions. Well tune in again tomorrow for "As the World Spins".***
Not much happened during the day. I worked on the February edition of the Church web page and Betty went to the church and set up for the baptismal coffee. Tonight we went to church and it was wonderful. Charles is a better preacher than when he was our intern and he wasn't bad then. Six years of pastoring and four years on the mission field haven't dampered his enthusiasm for the gospel at all. Aside from having a little less hair he's the same old Charles. Anita still has that engaging smile she had when we first met her. God is truly at work in their lives. The sermon was tremendous and Charles worked in the adult baptism that was taking place at this service. After the service we had a chance to talk to both of them and I am really thankful for that. From the church we went grocery shopping. When we came out of the store it was snowing so hard we couldn't see the car. This is supposed to be one of the biggest storms this year. Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

I'm in love with an angel

www.theologicaluniversity.org
saying for the Day:'I have animal magnetism. When I go outside squirrels stick to my clothes.'
-----Good night. Do you know how hard it is to say I love you when your wearing a breathing mask with oxygen pouring in and a machine that is pushing you to breath? Let me assure you its hard. But last night as I looked at the angel who was fixing the straps on the mask and who had just brought me my medication I just had to say it. Why God decided to send such an angel into my life and why she has stayed all these years I will never know. But there she was , as beautiful as when I married her, and I swear glowing. I was compelled , mask or no mask, to tell her I loved her.
@@@Our hapless loser having done his fifty losing spins ( that's 4750 spins altogether) continued to make plans for the big losers party. He is developing rules as to who can be invited. Invitations will go to anyone who lost and lost at Iwon.com. Anyone who played the state lottery more than 30 times without even $ 1.00 win. Anyone who was a Packer Fan in 2005. Anyone who expects George Busch to be impeached before the end of his term. The list may get longer. You are invited to submit your ideas as to loser categories. Tune in again tomorrow to "As the World Spins".
Betty went up to the church and helped to put out the monthly newsletter. Then she went to therapy on her arm. I worked on the update for the church web page. I added a new top ten list and this Sunday's bulletin. You can get to the church web page with a link on this page. Betty mailed the Ebay bidder the train tracks and car so that is done. I then went blogging. There sure are a lot of different blogs out there. You would be surprised how many pastors have blogs. I even came across one in Ireland who makes good coffee. I know because he said so in a comment on this blog (He's a pastor, he wouldn't lie). Betty has gone to birthday club. I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Charles is Coming

www.theologicaluniversity.org
Saying for the day:'I used to have superpowers but my therapist took them away.'
------According to blog explosion 34 people visited this blog yesterday. They were not afraid of the dragon because most of them didn't leave comments. One man , however, after popping in and popping out (of course he stayed his 30 seconds) went out to his garage to find his car had four flat tires. The tires had a small patch that was melted and had little toothmarks. Now were not saying the dragon did that but you draw your own conclusions. In any case you have been warned.
@@@Even as he makes plans for the big losers party our hapless loser made his 4700th spin without a win. Remember the losers party is scheduled for right after the 5000th losing spin. Tune in again tomorrow to "As the World Spins" to see how the preparations are going.***
Betty went to therapy. I called the church and told them I had uploaded a new bulletin cover for Sunday which I hope they will use. Charles and Anita Jackson are coming to preach at United and I thought it would be good to put their pictures on the cover. Charles interned at United and we really enjoyed that year. He went on to become a missionary and is now home on furlough. I really look forward to seeing him. Wow !!!Charles is coming.
Lori called and said that the Apria charge wasn't for the oxygen but for Pete's CPap . Its good to know that sometimes Apria gets things right after all they supply my life support equipment. Of course the oxygen concentrator is still at Pete's though they might pick it up today. My knee hurt so badly that I spent most of the day blogging (wasting time?) Our tracks sold on Ebay for $9.25 so at least that worked out well.I gave in and added a counter to this blog so we could find out how many people do pop in every day. Dawn called and tried to tell me how bad Busch really is. There doesn't seem to be any middle ground for Busch . He is either a hero or a villain . Never is he just a guy doing the best he can (which may not be good enough) . Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

No comments gets 8

www.theologicaluniversity.org
Saying for the Day:I used to have an open mind but my brains kept falling out.
----Well my" no one left a note" blog got 8 comments so somebody reads the blog. Of course there were over fifty visitors that day. Perhaps I should remind people that if they don't leave a comment we can't protect them from our dragon. He ( I think its a he) tends to get upset with people who just pop in and pop out. Please, please don't upset him.
@@@ Another day and another fifty losing spins at Iwon.com. That's 4650 without a prize. Our hapless loser doesn't seem to learn. He wonders if there are others out there in blog land who have lost and lost at Iwon. Tune in again tomorrow to "As the World Spins" and we'll see.***
I spent the morning blogging and making small changes to this blog. Betty went to Tops and then to Iron River to the Drug Store. I went back to working on the HO tunnel which is a long term project. It is not easy to build a mountain. We really didn't get much done today. I thought I would get an email from Pat or Pennie and I didn't. Pennie's phone is out so we can't call her and Pat is not much on communication. Betty finally called Peter to get Pennie's cell phone number. It didn't do any good because she was out shopping with Lori. We did get the news of another Apria mistake. They billed Peter for the oxygen concentrator that Iron Mountain had sent to his house for me. This is the company I depend on for life support. Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA God Bless You All

Blog Thinking

www.theologicaluniversity.org
Saying for the Day:Take my advice, I don't use it anyway.
------Since I joined blog explosion I have been doing some thinking about blogging. It started with the question "Why would I want other people to read my blog?" Having no answer to that question I asked some others. What is the purpose of this blog? It started out as a simple daily diary where friends and family scattered all over the place could see what is happening in the Linna family. It has certainly met that purpose. So then why would I want others to read it ? Some possible answers. I went through all the trouble to write it (not to mention spell check it) .
It is so well written that I want others to see it ( who am I kidding. My granddaughter can write this well and does.)
Just plain ego.(That's a real possibility)
The hope that some other person will get something good out of sharing my experience.(Lofty purpose but probably nonsense)
Ah but all this thinking is hurting my head. I guess I will just have to work on a personal philosophy of blogging. If anyone has one they would like to share let me know.
@@@ Well its another day and another fifty spins by our hapless loser. Given that he now knows of a nice lady that has tried for two years without winning at Iwon.com he held very little hope for today .Now he has spun 4600 times without a win. Will he , knowing what he knows spin again tomorrow? Tune in to "As the World Spins"****
Well Betty went to therapy and I went blogging. I added to my top ten websites list. Betty came home and went to work on the laundry. Then she went out and took a picture of the house. If we decide to list it as for sale by owner we will need the picture. I am amazed every time I use the blog spelling checker because it thinks there is no word like "blog".I read my son Peter's blog and his wife has listed all the things she has to do. It is exhausting to just read the list. My advice to her is not to make lists. Betty continued to clean and haul. I went and worked on the HO layout in the train room. I still haven't gotten all the bumps out of the track. I began to layout the first mountain module which will be removable. Then I spent some time reading " The Soul of the Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe by Gene Veith. This is a very good book and a fine introduction to the works of CS Lewis. Betty went to Bible study at the church. Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Not one left a note !!!!!!

www.theologicaluniversity.org
Saying for the Day:Friends come and go, enemies accumulate.
-----Restless night. Since I joined blog explosion I have been thinking about people reading this blog. According to blog explosion 47 new people visited this blog. That is supposed to be a good thing but why. These people don't know me. They don't care about the day to day happenings of an old man. They are just putting in their required 30 seconds to earn credits so other people will read their blog. I bet half the time they don't even read the blog they have gone to. They just wait their 30 seconds and go on. What a DUMB SYSTEM. AS evidence of this I call your attention to the fact that of the 47 visitors not one, not one, left a note. My regular readers at least know who I am. They have a frame of reference into which they place the blog. The regular readers include my children, my sister, my sisterinlaw, my college roommate, his brother, and some former parishioners. They at least have some reason to look in on what's happening in my life now. I'm not even sure why I joined blog explosion. It has given me the opportunity to read some very interesting blogs and I left notes. Oh well my otherwise dull life goes on and I have a half a Christmas tree that needs taking down. @@@ Now its 4550 losing spins for our hapless loser at IWON.COM. After yesterdays games he's thinking of inviting Denver to the losers party. Perhaps he'll hold the party when he reaches the 5000 th spin. Tune in again tomorrow for " As the World Spins"***Betty took the garbage out (wow what excitement). Then she went to the church office and grocery store (more excitement) . I played on the computer all morning. I fixed my computer problem by taking Betty off of the net. Now she has no internet and mine works fine. We went back to work in the living room just as Donna Ahlberg stopped in. It was good to have company. She has changed churches and now goes to First Lutheran. Then we finished taking down the tree.(hooray)Just when I thought Apria couldn't get any weirder a letter came from a collection agency that said we owed Apria $141 . Our practice is to pay every bill as soon as it comes but of course we might have misplaced one. So we called Apria and the secretary said that according to their records we owed them nothing. She said she would contact the collection agency. But if we owed them nothing how did the bill get to the collection agency in the first place? And this is the company I rely on for my life support equipment. Well the living room is back to normal and we are ready for company. Betty hauled all the Christmas stuff upstairs for another year. Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

A bloging we will go

Saying for the day:We don't change God's message -- His message changes us.
------Good night last night.@@@No Million, no 1/2 million, no 100 thousand, no camera, no dvd player, no Ipod, and not even $10 or $5 . Our hapless losers trip to Iwon.com got him nothing, again! That's 4500 spins without a prize. Do you think he'll keep going to 5000? Will he ever win anything? Tune in again tomorrow for "as the World Spins".**** Because of the weird state of my computer I am changing the way I blog. Instead of bloging at the end of the day when my computer has trouble getting on the internet I will blog whenever I happen to be in the computer room. I will simply edit that days blog so I can keep adding to it. Since I am now visiting many more blogs through blogexplosion I am going to review some of them on my other web page.
www.tengoodblogs.blogspot.com
Some of these blogs are really good and worth your time.Betty went to church again this morning. They are having a fellowship coffee after the service and she needs to serve.I cut up the last of the boxes for recycling. Then I went visiting blogs. My sister Dawn called to find out what we were doing so I told her we were blogging. She is the one that gave us George in the first place and was glad George is going to Peter's house. All afternoon Betty and I began taking down the tree. We are not very fast. We have all the lights off and all the ornaments and the top half. We will do the rest tomorrow. There is nothing that can compare with having half a tree in your living room. Well at least its not in the bathroom. Four people have requested pictures of the furniture we are trying to get rid of but none have offered to take it. Pat sent an email, the first in a long time. He brought the air cleaner back to Harry. He tried to help with the computer but I don't think his solution will work. Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Who's reading my blog?

Saying for the day:1st rule of intelligent tinkering - save all the parts.
-----Good night last night.@@@The spin goes on and on and on but the prizes never come. Now our hapless loser has spun 4450 times at Iwon.com without a prize. Does he still believe he can win? Will he keep trying ? Does anyone still care? Tune in again tomorrow to "As the World Spins". ***We called Apria this morning only to have the person who answered say they didn't even know there was a Green Bay office ( To think my life depends on health equipment from this group). I want to welcome those of you who are here for 30 seconds because of bloc explosion. Stay a little while and get to know us. While waiting for Betty to get ready to go to the basement to work I spent some time reading other people's blogs. There sure are a lot of different blogs out there. If your reading mine and would like to get a low cost fun doctor's degree go to
www.theologicaluniversity.org

Things I've learned by reading other people's blogs. George Bush is a Saint sent by God. George Bush is a selfish devil who will destroy us. Republicans are the salvation of the nation. Republicans all lie and cheat and don't care about ordinary people. There is no hope for this country. We are moving into the greatest era in our history. One ladies husband is very messy.(Others commented that their husbands were just as messy) Some guy loves his kids and hates to leave them. Rose pedals are good for you ( I think you have to rub them on your skin not eat them.) The weather in New England is too much like spring and the flowers are confused. A soldier in Iraq shared all the good the soldiers are doing ( You won't see that on CNN). The Mine Saftey and Health Administration lies about its record. New Orleans must be rebuilt (It hurt the guys heart to look at it as it is now). One can crochet with spaghetti. One poor lady . who swears a lot, was upset by a negative comment she got on the blog and spent a whole section saying she didn't care.

In cleaning the basement we found George who is seen standing with Betty in the picture. I think we will try to sell George to an antique dealer in town. Right after I wrote this Peter called and said they want George. So I guess George has a new home. He used to stand guard at the parsonage front hallway. Betty brought the rest of the Lionel Christmas train downstairs to be stored until? Then we put the lamp she got for Christmas together. I would like to get a hold of the idiot who wrote the instructions for the lamp. He wrote " Carefully tuck the extra wire into the bottom light pole." You couldn't tuck that wire in with a sledge hammer yet alone carefully. We had to take the top part off and pull the wire up tight. All of this with arthritic fingers. But it is together, Betty is happy, and best of all we are still married.
We went to church. They moved the service upstairs and used the green book. It was long. The sermon was good. We needed to hear it. It was on learning to depend on Jesus rather than our possessions. At a time when we are taking inventory of all we own it was a good reminder. Then we went grocery shopping. Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Second prize gone

Saying for the day:MONEY TALKS... but all mine ever says is GOODBYE!
------Another restless night with many sleep interruptions. @@@ A new day and fifty new spins at Iwon.com. Our hapless loser came with hope and expectation and of course he lost again. That's
4400 spins without a prize. Can this go on? Will he ever come to his senses? Does he need professional help? Can he get it ? Tune in again tomorrow for "As the World Spins".**** In the morning Betty went to therapy. I worked some jig saw puzzles on the web . Then I joined a group that is supposed to increase the number of people seeing my blog. I wonder if it will? My sister Dawn called to see if we had changed our mind about going to Green Bay. She also said that George is doing much better . That is good to hear. If you don't know who George is read my sister Chris's blog. When Betty came home she finished cleaning the refrigerator and we started on the living room. After lunch our second prize winner(Esther Kivimaki) from the annual Linna facts contest came to pick up her prize. We talked about our web page and gave her a card with our web addresses on it. She shared a bit about some of the dissatisfaction at United but I told her the Bishop won't let me talk about local church politics (If you read this Bishop I'm being good) . So we ended up talking about family and my health. Esther, remember, is one of the nice people who drove us up to Mayos. She was very happy with the prize and said she has had a lot of fun with the letter announcing her win. After Esther left we went back to cleaning the living room. We took some time out to photograph the chair that you see in this blog which we are giving away on Marquette free cycle. A lady is interested so we sent her the picture. We were doing well on the living room until we got to putting away the Lionel train Betty got for Christmas. She decided to open the box and look at it. It contained along with the train and tracks a DVD that of course we had to watch. It was all about using the Lionel train and how to take care of it. By the time it was over it was time to quit. Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Back to Ebay

Saying for the Day:Accept that some days you are the pigeon and some days the statue.
------Another night of restless sleep-@@@ A friend of our hapless loser played the state lottery eleven times in the period he was spinning. His friend spent $11.00 and won nothing. Our hapless loser spent nothing and won nothing. Today he spun fifty times more to bring him to 4350 spins without a prize. But at least he has spent nothing. Not so stupid. If your going to lose might as well do it for nothing.***Betty went to Bible study this morning. I set up my G scale train pictures on
www.myrrlayout.com
That took all morning. I am listed under G scale. In the afternoon Betty and I went to the basement and finished clearing the two old train tables as well as sorting some of the junk that is downstairs. Then Betty cleaned the refrigerator and I took pictures of some track and a car we are selling on EBAY. The picture is shown above. I then set the track and car up on EBAY.Its listed under G scale track. Had to do it on Betty's computer because mine won't go on the internet in the afternoon which is really weird. This blog is also being written on Betty's computer. Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Dull! Dull! Dull!

Saying for the day:If plugging it in doesn't help, turn it on.
-----Restless night-many sleep interruptions. @@@ Despite his 4250 losing spins our hapless loser returned to Iwon.com still believing that someday he will get a prize. Fifty spins later he is still prizeless. Will he continue this impossible , not to mention stupid, effort or will he finally now quit? Tune in again tomorrow as the World Spins.**** This was Betty's day for therapy and for Tops and she went to both. I went back to the basement and finished stripping the last of the old train tables. Then I updated the church's website with last Sunday's bulletin, next Sunday's bulletin and a new top ten list (Top ten things our mum taught us) .Betty's sister called to say she enjoyed the blog ( as dull as it usually is I'm not sure how that is possible.) My sister called to see what we were thinking about a home in Green Bay today. She knows that we change from day to day. We are still postponing any action. Two loan companies called and I told them we were postponing. When Betty came home we filled out all the blanks for the ELCA money and then went to Stoor insurance to get the forms notarized. We also changed our insurance to save about $80 a year. Coming home Betty took a nap. I think her pain medication affects her by making her drowsy. Then Betty did the AARP puzzle and went to the church for altar guild training. She has been on the altar guild for so long she could do the training but she went anyway. For those of you who read this blog our life is not likely to get any more exciting than this and this is pretty dull. But we like it. Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Well this is home again.!

Saying for the day:A truly wise man never plays leapfrog with a unicorn.
-----Good night last night.@@@He came, he spun, he lost again!With 4250 losing spins behind him will our hapless loser now quit? Will he spin tomorrow? Why ,O why, doesn't he stop? **** I started the morning by getting the pictures of the two houses we were looking at onto the family web page. Having finished that we decided not to continue our search at this time but to get our finances in order. We need to discover if we can sell this house for enough to make the move possible. So for now this is home and we are not talking about moving very soon. Betty's sister called and knew we had decided to postpone our buying a home as she read it on Peter's blog. Lori blogged right after Betty called to tell her that Peter didn't have to check out that last place tonight. I read my sister Chris's blog. Poor George is having a lot of back problems. My sister called and said she thought it was a good idea for us to wait. Anybody else out there want to throw in an idea or two? Betty's therapy got canceled. She went to the Credit Union and the grocery store. I went back to the basement and worked at stripping the old train table. I worked until my hands were too cold and I had to come upstairs. Betty worked on a Top's project then took a nap. I made two more trips to the basement and the table is almost clear. The forms for the ELCA withdrawal came and I ordered forms from Thrivent, so some things continue. It feels good to have that pressure off. Betty decided not to go to Bible study and put the car in the garage. Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Home again or here anyway!

Saying for the day: Do you have trouble making up your mind? Well, yes or no?
-----Good night-slept very well. @@@ We left the hapless loser and his granddaughter having completed the 4150 th losing spin. They survived and came expectantly to spin again. His granddaughter still believing that they could win a prize. But as luck would have it fifty spins later they were still prizeless. Since her grandfather was leaving the little girl felt really disappointed. Our hapless loser ,however felt in his bones that tomorrow would be the day. Are his bones correct or is it just another touch of arthritis. Tune in again tomorrow as the world spins.**** We went to see two more houses in the morning. The first wasn't finished yet and it was impossible to tell what it would look like when it was finished-a complete waste of time. The other was perfect. It had everything we wanted in a house, except it was 20 minutes from Peter's. We put off making a decision until Peter and Lori have a chance to check out one more house near them that can't be seen until tomorrow. Pictures of both houses can be seen tomorrow at
http://www.thefamilylinna.com
In the afternoon we came home only to discover that we had spent too much money and were almost broke-nice homecoming. Now we have to be very frugal until the end of the month. Betty hauled everything in from the car and then worked the AARP puzzle for the day.
When we got to Crystal I thought "Here we are home again". But then I thought "if we are moving to Green Bay then this isn't home its just a stop along the way. Confusing, isn't it? Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Another day, another house

Saying for the day:The just shall live by faith!
------Very good night. The mattress didn't hold. But my daughter bought a smaller blow up mattress with the lift up back which worked very well. In addition I will be able to put it on a motel bed and it is light to carry.@@@ We left our hapless hero and his grandchildren having failed to win a prize after 4100 spins. But this was a beautiful new day and he and his granddaughter bravely spun again . All the enthusiasm of youth went into the spinning but luck again turned against them and they didn't get a prize. Was he crushed? Was his granddaughter crushed? Will they spin again tomorrow? Tune in and find out.**** We started out the day with breakfast at the Country Buffet which was really crowded. After that it was one house after another, after another, until my head spun. We found two that met our requirements. One was brand new. In fact it wasn't finished yet and the other wasn't very old. We might make an offer on the older one tomorrow. We still have a few other houses to see. I am not sure that this is the right thing to do but I'm seldom sure of anything. My entire Green Bay family and my daughter have been very helpful and supportive. Both Betty and I have prayed about this and feel it stands within His plan for us at this point in life. Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Another day .Another bed.

Saying for the day: Seen one house seen em all.
-----Pretty good night. Peter put the half inflated bed on top of the pull out bed and it worked for the night.*** We left our hapless loser having failed day on his 4050 spin. Today he talked his two grandchildren into spinning for him in the hope they would be luckier than him. But 50 spins later it was obvious his bad luck was contagious. Will he now finally give up? Will he spin again tomorrow. Will he have his grand children spin again? Tune in again tomorrow for another adventure of "As the world spins"*** We went house hunting again today. we saw some really nice homes but they weren't just right. We need a main floor bedroom and a main floor laundry room. Finding a place with both is not easy. We did get to see a lot of Green Bay. Coming back to Peter's I got to spend some time playing computer games with our granddaughter. It reminded me of why we want to move to Green Bay. Peter and Pennie patched the blow up bed and we will try it tonight. I could end up sleeping on the floor. Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Here we are I guess.

Saying for the day: For people who like peace and quiet: a phoneless cord.
----Restless night-many sleep interruptions. Breathing mask kept slipping and blowing air in my ear. @@@Yesterday we left our hapless hero having failed to get a prize in 4000 spins. He was very disappointed but he got up again on this new day and spun the machine 50 more times. Again he was doomed to disappointment. Will he try again tomorrow. Will he jump off a cliff. Will he find something useful to do? Tune in again tomorrow for the ongoing adventures of the "Hapless Loser"***We got off to a fast start and by 9:30 we were having breakfast at The Great Northern Steakhouse. It was a nice ride to Green Bay and we were at Peter's by 12:30. By the time we got to Green Bay our original ten houses were reduced to five. We started visiting at 5:00. We saw the $153,000 house first. It was not nearly as nice as our house in Crystal and it was downhill from there. It may be that we should just decide to stay where we are. Our air mattress, our bed for the night, developed a leak. Pete went to Fleet Farm and got a patch. We don't know if it will last all night. It was not a great day. Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Tomorrow it begins

Saying for the day:Any fool can criticize, condemn, & complain. And most do.
------Restless night .Lots of sleep interruptions. Betty had a bad night lots of shoulder pain.@@@We find our hapless hero now going for his 4000 th spin. He has great expectations. Surely this is the day for a prize. How can it be other. Today the sun will shine. But alas the 4000 th spins comes without a prize. Our hero is crushed. Will he still spin again tomorrow? Tune in again to find out.***Betty spent the morning washing clothes. I packed up the Marx Christmas train. That's two boxes done for our moving. In the afternoon Betty's sister called . She was interested in our possible move to Green Bay. My sister called . She was interested in my health. My mouth has healed up so well that we canceled the Dr.'s appointment for today. I still have one for the end of the month. I went downstairs and started cleaning off the scenery from the old train table. That's the one we had in the living room in the old parsonage. It was so cold that I worked for half an hour and then came up and got warm. I then went down and worked for another half hour. It is hard to get old scenery off since we used plaster cloth. I tried to save the trees. Betty went to the Post Office. David Holmes came and got the blowup bed into the car. It was too heavy for Betty to lift. Betty continued to get things ready for the trip. I made one last trip, for the day, to the basement and cleared one of the two tables. I harvested a box of trees. Betty went down and loaded the plaster stuff into a big garbage bag. She also salvaged a lot of usable Styrofoam. I sent sister Chris an e-mail. George has a really bad back .You can read about it on her blog. There is a link on this one. The new train layout with lots of pictures is now at
www.thelinnafamily.com
Tomorrow our move to Green Bay begins as we go and look at houses. I am not sure there is any turning back now. We have started on a new journey and we may be moving too fast to stop.
Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Bits and pieces and pieces and pieces!!!!

Saying for the day: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. (Of course a few more better follow it)
----Restless night -many sleep interruptions.@@@Yesterday we left our hapless hero weeping quietly over having spun the wheel 3900 times without a prize. But today he bravely went back to the wheel and gave it another fifty spins. Did he finally win a prize? Will he now smile. No! He failed again. But tomorrow on the 4000 spin surely he will succeed.*** Betty went to therapy and Tops. I called the ELCA and discovered I can only withdraw $10,000 of the $37,000 in my account. That lowers the down payment I have for the new house. Then I packed up the Lionel Christmas train in a box, the first box for our move to Green Bay. I replaced it with a combined work and passenger train. I then took pictures of the new layout for the family web page. Betty came home and she took pictures of the new layout as well. It may now be the most photographed layout in the world. Then we went to Stoor's to talk about our auto insurance. We may move to Frankenmuth from Auto Owners to save about $ 100 dollars a year. My sister Chris wrote and asked what we were going to sell this house for. I don't have the slightest idea. It was appraised at $150,000 but there is no way way we will get that. I guess we won't know until we sit down with the real estate agent. My computer has been acting up and sometimes I can't get on the net when Betty can. It is really strange. When my computer can't get on my laptop can't get on either. I will never understand computers. Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

working on new layout. Layout # 3. Tomorrow it will be seen with multiple pictures on
www.thefamilylinna.com
Look in.

How heavy our stuff?

Saying for the day:Give me ambiguity or give me something else.
------Good night@@@Yesterday we left our hero having failed to win a prize after fifty spins. Today he spun again! He Lost. 3900 times he has lost now. Will he spin tomorrow. Will he lose or if he does will he quit. Does anybody really care? Tune again tomorrow for the ongoing adventure of the "Spinning Loser"***Betty went to therapy in the morning. apria came and brought oxygen tanks . They checked out the bi-pap machine, picked up the portable concentrator and the empty oxygen containers. When Betty came home she arranged for a concentrator to be brought to Peter's on Friday from Apria of Green bay. Then we worked on picking homes to visit on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I got two estimates on moving expenses. We were supposed to figure out how heavy all our stuff is. They estimated we have 10000 lbs of stuff, wow. In the afternoon I began to clear the box pile in the basement, cutting up the poor ones and setting aside the ones we would need if we move. Betty finished the train table. Then the real estate agent called and we gave him the list of homes we wanted to see. He'll call back tomorrow. It looks more and more like it will happen. We called Peter and touched base with him. Betty will call Pennie later tonight. Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Money? Money? Money?

Saying for the day: You can always spend more than you have.
-----Good night.@@@Did my fifty losing spins at Iwon.com.That's 3850 spins without a prize. I feel like the Bengals after Sunday's game. Will I ever win. Tune in again tomorrow.***My sister Dawn called to check on me. I spent the morning working at lining out a loan for a house in Green Bay. Betty went Post Office and then worked at painting and finishing the tunnels in the living room. We had a number of lenders call us and if we want it we have even been pre approved for a loan. I talked to Peter and looked at the $153000 home in Green Bay. It looks great. This is such a hard decision to make. It would be nice to be near the kids but the thought of moving and packing and all that is involved is scary. We may go to Green Bay this weekend to see the house up close. Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Away we almost go ?

Saying for the day:Phil:4:8-Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
----Good night. Sister Dawn called to see how I was doing.In the morning Betty worked on the tunnel and I updated our family website at
www.thefamilylinna.com
It now contains the answers to the Christmas quiz as well as pictures of two of our recent 027 layouts. All of this under John and Betty's trains. Mouth was still sore so I had mashed potatoes again. @@@ Did my fifty spins on Iwon.com at 3:00 and still didn't win a prize. That's 3800 spins.*** Betty went back to work on the tunnel until Peter called. He thinks he has found a great house for us in Green Bay. After he called I went on the web to begin looking at loan possibilities. We may really move . This is just a little frightening. Betty went back to the tunnel. I went in and helped as we moved houses and tried the first set (life goes on-though if we move all of this has to come down.) We are looking at taking a week and staying at Peter's to see this place. Well I have to have a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Down and up. Or up and down.

Saying for the day:

-----Good night last night-slept till 7:00 this morning. @@@ Did my fifty losing spins at Iwon.c0m. That's 3750 without a prize. Perhaps, tomorrow I'll do them in the afternoon.*** In the morning we went to the basement to see what Ho stuff was down there. After that it was up and down and down and up. We brought up the pieces for the living room tunnel and some more ho stuff. We found some things that are identical to things I just bought. They have been on the shelf since we moved and we forgot. My mouth is still sore so it was mashed potatoes again. I hope this doesn't last much longer. In the afternoon Betty worked on the tunnel entrance and I got the first prize winners prizes ready to mail out. ( We decided not to break the tie so there was more than one winner in the annual Linna contest.)We were going to start assembling the tunnel but we couldn't find the electric nail gun. So Betty went grocery shopping and I played on the computer. When she got back she decided to wait until tomorrow to assemble the tunnel. Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Better.But not well.

Saying for the day: If you build a better mouse trap nature will make a better mouse.
----Okay night. Woke up with muscle cramps several times and had to walk them off.@@@ Did my fifty losing spins on Iwon.com. That's thirty seven hundred without a prize. Am I entitled to a losers party or what?*** Felt a little better this morning. The mouth is not as swollen as it was yesterday. But it is still hard to eat. Betty went to therapy. My sister called and must have a cell phone because she just faded out at the end of the call. I worked at getting the switch tracks operative on the ho layout and got two out of four. One needed a new cord and I've ordered it. Betty came home and was very tired. She has a horrible cold. I had mashed potatoes and pudding again for lunch. Betty took a nap. I went downstairs and painted the tunnel parts. We'll put them together tomorrow. I upgraded the church web site with this Sunday's bulletin. When Betty got up we worked together at getting the bumps out of the HO track until it got too dark to see the track pieces in detail. I ordered one new track. Betty went on the internet and read Peter's blog. They took down their tree while ours is still up and may be till the end of the month. We like it and since it is artificial it doesn't shed. I took a picture of the dragon , Betty gave me for Christmas, on top of a house in her village. Then I posted it to the blog and it is just below this entry. Betty also read my sister Chris's blog. She is beginning to feel more at home on the net. Well I need a breathing treatment an antibiotic.
GBYA

Watch out for the dragon

My little dragon got loose and scared Betty's town people half to death. Right after Christmas too.

Shut my mouth-a trip to the doctor!

Saying for the day:Don't Take Life Seriously, It Is Not Permanent.
------Okay night-several coughing spells. Woke up with a really painful mouth. It hurt to eat breakfast.@@@ I did my fifty, painful spins on Iwon.com. That's 3650 without a prize.*** Betty and I worked on the HO layout by trying to get the bumps out of the track. It will take another day. Betty took the cardboard to the dump. I cut the boards for the tunnel in the living room. The parts are ready to be painted. I couldn't eat lunch because my mouth hurt to open.(That also kept me quiet) So it was back to the doctor who said I had an inflamed salivary gland. He prescribed an antibiotic so Betty went to Iron River to get it. I also took an Aleve. I then took a nap. Changed the control in the living room so I can turn on the houses or either of the trains separately. Betty also has a bad cold so we didn't get the tunnel pieces painted. I had mashed potatoes and pudding for super. My mouth is feeling a little better. My sister called to check up on me. She wondered what I will catch next. Well I need a breathing treatment, cough medicine, and an antibiotic.
GBYA

A tunnel in the living room

Saying for the day:An unbreakable toy is useful for breaking other toys.
-----Very good night last night. Must be the cough syrup.@@@Did my fifty losing spins at Iwon.com. That's 3600 without a prize. But the slot machine spins so nice.*** In the morning I checked out real estate on the computer. Betty got ready to go to Tops and then went. While she was gone I ordered some wood for the tunnel in the living room. Then I laid all the track for the ho layout. Well I laid all the track twice because the first layout didn't work. Tomorrow we have to look for all the bumpy places and fix them. I ran some tests today. Betty came home and ran into the wood that I had delivered. Then she took it to the basement. I cut the two pieces that will have the tunnel holes in them and brought them up. Then Betty and I measured and cut the tunnel holes.(Isn't everybody that cuts tunnels in the living room. We vacuumed up all the sawdust.) It was like an Abbott and Costello movie. But we are still talking and we tested the tunnels on the layout and they work. Tomorrow we will paint the pieces and then assemble them. My cough was a bit better today. Betty said she wasn't going to go to the Board meeting tonight because of the weather and then went. A nice real estate lady from Green Bay called and when we told her where Peter lives she promised to find us homes on that side of town. We still are not sure we want to move but we are pushing ahead just in case. Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Recycled year-day three

Saying for the day:Don't be so open-minded your brains will fall out.
-----Good night last night-back in my own bed. @@@ Did my fifty losing spins at Iwon.com. That's 3550 without a prize. I also got none right in two different lottos. Losing, losing, losing. ***
In the morning I sent an e-mail to Best Western with my complaint. I got back a nice form letter but no action, yet. They said I would hear in seven days. I wonder if legal action is possible? I could sue for the stress and mental pain, not to mention the $100. Ah, I would lose that too. And it wouldn't be fun like Iwon.com. Lori sent a really nice thank you note for the Christmas gifts. She is such a wonderful daughter in-law. Betty went to therapy in the morning. My 1 3/4 inch fastrack came. I added them to the layout. Now we can build the mountain. I'll post a picture when it is done. After Betty returned we worked in the train room. We put down the foam underlayment and started planning the track for the ho layout. In the afternoon I went to the doctor who said the longs were clear and I just had a cold. We went from the Dr.'s to the grocery store. I discovered the store is changing ownership. Then we played on the computers. I looked at real estate in Green Bay and sent Peter two houses to check out for me. Betty went to bible study. I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Recycled year-day two

Saying for the day:Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie!'... till you can find a rock.
----Another rough night. Back hurt and I had coughing spells (which aren't easy in a breathing mask).@@@ Did my fifty losing spins at Iwon.com. That's 3500 without a prize. I see the list of losers now includes a Viking and a Packer coach both of who lost right after winning. Now that's real losing. *** WE got the bill for the motel and discovered Best Western charged us $ 100 more than we had been quoted. We didn't have our confirmation sheet with us and the manager wouldn't listen to us. I know it was a Packer week end but they had already tacked on over $100 for that. Another $100 is just unfair . We will send a copy of our receipt and of the confirmation to Best Western but if the manager is any indication they won't listen. Pennie came and had breakfast with us. Then she helped Betty load the car. We we went to Peter's and picked up my shoes and then to Big Lots where we bought a role of foam underlayment for the train table. On the way home I watched the last of the Burns and Allen DVD. Just as I came in the door Dawn called to check on me. She doesn't like the fact that I have a cold and wants me to go to the doctor. I will if the cough is no better in the morning. We have begun to get serious about moving to Green Bay and Peter will be checking out some houses for us. The ride down seems so long as does the ride back. It would be nice to be near the kids. We called Peter and told him we were home. Called Apria to pick up the concentrator. Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

So this is a new year!

Saying for the day:You should so fear and love God...Martin Luther
-----Rough night. The motel had one of the worst mattresses I ever slept on. By 5:30 in the morning my back hurt so bad I had to get up. @@@Even though we are in Green Bay I did my fifty losing spins. That's 3450 without a prize. I have decided not to invite the Packers to my losers party because of their win today.***Pennie came and had breakfast with us. Then she drove to Peter's house. Pennie, Peter, Pat , and Betty went to the Green Bay game.They had a great time. While they were gone I played scrabble and stratego with Bree. I lost.I seem to have caught a cold and am having trouble breathing. Checked the oxygen level in my blood and it was okay. Pennie brought us bavck to the motel and I took some cough medicine. This is supposed to be a new year but I think it might be a recycled one. Well I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA