John Day — One month of 2022 is gone. We cannot get it back so that time is gone, and what we missed we cannot get again. Some people made resolutions and have already forgotten them. How important are resolutions we promise ourselves to keep? If we do not follow through with resolutions we make, why do we make the effort and take the time to do them?

We waste so much time doing what? I am so guilty of all of this. I get angry at myself over it all. As others share this to me, it seems like they are talking about me. We are all somewhat alike. Everything does have a reason, so when you find the reason, it will be time to do something positive about the time you spend. Hopes are for all of us to be successful and happy in doing so.

February is the hardest part of winter. We had snow two or three times but didn’t last more than a day or two. This causes concern about our water levels this year. We have a well and water does not always fill the well as fast as we use it, so we have to stop and wait 15 or 20 minutes for enough water to fill in so we can run it for 15 or 20 minutes more. We are on the well driller’s list for drilling a new well: It has been eight months now and we are still far down on the list.

There is talk that our senior center is figuring out how to open in-house dining soon. It takes a lot of planning and a lot of people to work together to make it work. Volunteering is a great way to use time to be of service to others. There are so many chores to do to make the senior center successful. The list is long. Think about joining our volunteer team at the senior center. You will feel so invigorated emotionally, and you will know you are being of service to our community. If we do nothing, nothing happens. So many people depend on the senior center to be there for them.

People need nutrition and conversations with others. No one is alone. The senior center is the nucleus that holds us together. Without volunteers an organization stands still, no vision, no opportunity, and no future. It builds upon people or it is nothing at all. When the senior center makes a date to open, we will need volunteers to serve, do sanitizing, beverage servers and lunch cleanup, for a few ideas.

On Thursday, Feb. 10, Shay and Kim are making pork ribs and sauerkraut, fruit salad, and chocolate lasagna. That’s a lunch I really want to get. Sauerkraut is so good for our tummies. Then on Monday, Feb. 14, lunch will be beef tips and mushrooms, rice pilaf, broccoli and red velvet cake. This is a lunch everyone will really enjoy. To reserve your meal/s, call by 10 a.m. Mondays and Thursdays and pick up between 11:30 and noon at the front entrance.

The sponsors for these meals are Janelle Lippert and Sharon Smith. Thank you both. Your donations are appreciated by all. Without donations our organization cannot make it. The delivery persons and drivers for the meals to homes are Peggy Molnar and Joyce Atchley. You two ladies are greatly appreciated for this service. You are so important. Thank you both.

Isaiah 1:19 If you be willing and obedient you shall eat the good of the land.

Monument —

We had a most fabulous lunch on the 1st of February. Our cooks Terry Cade and Carrie Jewell made us beef stroganoff, garlic bread, corn, and cherry tart for our dessert. We are so thankful and grateful for our cooks and we want to bless them for their hard work. We want to give a shout of thanks to Katie Hoffman and the Grant County Veterans Services Office for their generous donation by paying for everyone’s meals! It was a most excellent meal.

We thank Kristi Guimont, who sat at the table to greet everyone, checked in the guests, and helped count up the money with Jan Ensign. Yours truly led everyone in the flag salute, made the announcements, and prayed the blessing over the meal.

We want to recognize Terry Cade for her 25 years of cooking and serving the Monument Senior Center. We also want to applaud and recognize Carrie Jewell’s cooking and serving for 30 years as of Feb. 6, 2022! Wow, thank you to both ladies for their dedication and service, and we are so thankful for them. We gave both ladies a round of applause for their years of work for the Monument Senior Center.

So, continuing from the previous week, I had to partly drag Ginger, oh, I’d say a good 300 yards or so. Mind you, it was in the thick snow, too. I had to stop every now and then because she started crying and acted like she was going to die. I tried to be careful not to choke her. The stopping also helped me to rest in between dragging her and pulling her.

Getting to that tension gate was such a relief — that is, until I got there. It had been so long since I used it that I kind of forgot how to close it! Sigh.

Thank goodness for my little boy being there and helping me. I don’t think I would have had the strength to close it by myself. My son helped me get the gate closed and he was hanging onto Ginger’s leash. She tried to squeeze back into the opening as I was trying to close it. Good thing the billy goats did not come or get too close, because last time I was getting Bonnie out, they were all over her and jumping on her.

Once we were out of the pasture, she willingly walked on the side of the road with me, and when I opened the gate to the goat pen, Ginger went right in! Praise the Lord! I was so happy and relieved. She is definitely pregnant and going to probably have twins. Right now, she seems content to be in the pen and is waddling around. Hopefully when she has her babies, the weather will not be too cold and she won’t have any problems delivering them.

The funny thing that happened, when Ginger went into the pen, the alpacas came over to check her out, wondering who she was. Ha.

Luke 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple.

Prairie City —

Ah. Groundhog Day. And this year’s date is one of a kind: 2-2-22. And I hope there is six more weeks of winter! We need the snow!

Our sponsor for the meal today was Prairie Baptist Church. We thank you for your kind support. We enjoyed spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, a green garden salad, fruit (mine was apricots) and — ta da! — brownies. Wheeee! Head Cook Pam did a great job fixing this delicious meal. Our volunteer helpers included Ginger, Carla, Carlos, Tom, Gwynne, Mary, Del and Pam H. at the front desk. Thanks to you all for doing your part.

The big news is that the new oven was installed after the meal. The electrician had to disconnect the old ones before we could get them moved out of the way and the new one moved in. To help in this endeavor, Pam H. requested the aid of four young men from Prairie High School under the direction of Billy Colson. With Tom and the electrician’s able guidance, they were able to lift, turn and move the old behemoths out of the way without injuring anything or anybody. PTL. Then they got the new one positioned on the moving cart and into the kitchen. They put the legs on it and stood it up, and it looks just beautiful! Thank you so much, fellas, for coming over and doing this task for us. We really appreciate it. And I know Tom and the electrician did! It is a convection over, so we are really modern now! Pam can hardly wait to use it.

Speaking of modern … the craft people that put out catalogs decided many years ago that they would not stock needlepoint thread anymore. Now they have made the same determination about latch hook yarn, apparently. The current catalog has all kinds of “crafty” items and even jigsaw puzzles, but no latch hook yarn. Phooey. So if you have got either of these items lying around the back room or the attic, let me know! I’ll take it off your hands.

The spring cleaning is progressing. Got the worst job done today after our meal — the oven. After that, everything will be easy!

Found some more items to donate to the yard sale. How about you? Don’t wait until the last minute to round ‘em up. Find them and bag, box or crate them to declutter your domicile. Remember, your trash is someone else’s treasure!

Found an odd thing in the book I was reading about the homing pigeon’s work during WWII. Every time a word came up that had an “h” and an “n” together, like in “John,” they used a capital “Y” with a colon between the top legs of the “Y.” ??? So “John” would be printed “JoY” (I can’t put the little colon thingy in). I have never seen anything like this. Somebody please ask Google about it.

Matt: 6:19-21 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.