MONUMENT — Hope everyone out there is doing well and enjoying the holiday season! I myself have been resting and not doing much of anything, for I am recovering from surgery. The first trip to anywhere after my surgery was to the Tuesday lunch at the Monument Senior Center. It was nice to get out and breathe the fresh air and feel the cold crispness of winter … ah. The meal was excellent and filling.

Our fabulous cooks, Terry Cade and Carrie Jewell, made us pork loin, scalloped potatoes, carrots, dinner rolls, and pudding for our dessert. It was very tasty and I wish I could have eaten more but I was stuffed. We had 46 meals served and six takeouts. We thank our cooks for the delicious Christmas lunch served to us.

Our greeters at the table were Sue Cavender and Carolyn Peterson. Judy Harris led us in the flag salute and made the announcements. Yours truly prayed the blessing over the meal.

The biggest news I have is that our dining hall has beautiful new flooring! Yes, we all got to walk in and see the fabulous new floor. We thank our friend Bruce Hansen, who knew people who would generously donate to our senior center. We thank our wonderful donors from the Joyce Owens Miller Foundation, who provided the necessary funds to help replace our old flooring. We appreciate all the help from our wonderful and dear friends, Bruce and the Joyce Owens Miller Foundation. Thank you from the bottom of all our hearts!

We had a lot of people from Spray join us for lunch and we had a special visit from all the Hoodenpyl clan. Molly, her husband, Michael, and their daughter, Audrey Foxworthy, have finished their tour in Okinawa, Japan, and are now stationed in Camp Pendleton, California. We thank Molly for her service in the Marines and her husband, Michael, is still serving. It has been five long years since they have been together. We hope they have a blessed time.

Roberta Healey sang some Christmas songs for all of us, thank you. There is a raffle going on for the Silent Wave Horse Rescue and it is for a barbecue smoker. The drawing will be in March. Tickets are $1 each or $5 for six.

With sadness, we lost one of our longtime attendees of the senior lunch and friend, Mr. Ron Odette. May the Lord comfort his family during this time.

It’s been really icy and slippery outside. The snow that we had had melted over one of the warm nights then froze over in the early cold morning. My hubby forbade me from going outside. He is wise, so I obeyed. He and the kids were slipping and falling while tending to their chores, taking care of the animals.

I just wanted to shout a great thank-you to all my friends and neighbors who sent me cards and brought me and my family meals. I cannot express the gratitude that we have for the love and tender care you all have shown us! Thank you so, so very much, and we love you all!

2 Corinthians 8:7 Therefore, as ye abound in everything, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.

JOHN DAY — Today I am in Marysville, Washington. We had wedding rehearsal today and dinner together. My sister’s wedding is tomorrow, Dec. 23.

On Monday, Dec. 19, Carole Roe and David Pasko were at the desk at our center in John Day, greeting all who came in, making sure they were signed in for lunch and their names in the drawings for the day. Janet Binger was signed up to be at the desk, but she had been sick for several days already and didn’t feel like she could work or be at the desk for us as she was still feeling poorly.

Since I needed to call to get the information for this week, the news about Monday’s lunch was not complete, so I am missing some things. Thirteen people were in attendance and there were quite a few deliveries to folks in the community that cannot get out. Pati and Mike Davis and Peggy Molnar were some of the drivers, but any more did not get to me. So sorry for not knowing more.

Dave Pasko did the announcing and Dale Stennett asked the blessing. There were a few takeouts but the number did not get to me. All the volunteers that did take a part in the lunch agenda were very much appreciated. Thank you, each one, for your participation.

Please remember our new assistant chef as she did get COVID and is still not fully recovered. We will have a card for you to sign for her when we resume on the 29th. We will also have a card for Janet Binger to sign. When we are ill and cannot do what we usually do, it is so nice when others let us know they care about us.

On Thursday, Dec. 22, Carole Roe and Judy Thomas were at the desk greeting all the folks who came for our Christmas meal. There were 37 in-house diners. I didn’t get the information on who did the announcing this day, but Father Christy asked the blessing after he led us in a couple Christmas carols. That was really special. Gordon McClean dedicated to flag salute to Mr. Newberg, who has a Medal of Honor for the Navy and is one of the last living Pearl Harbor veterans.

Sixty-four fresh meals were delivered throughout the area by Jim Maples, Matt Jones, Mike and Pati Davis and Rick LaMountain.

Our servers from the Catholic Church saw that everything folks needed was on the table to make the meal great. We dined on ham, scalloped potatoes, candied yams, French bread, veggies, and Christmas poke cake. Wish I had been able to be there to see the poke cake. That is a new one for me.

Our complete Christmas meal was donated by Jerry and Linda McClellan. Thank you, Jerry and Linda, for a lovely Christmas lunch.

The whole house was decorated festively, which really brought the spirit of Christmas alive. The decorations were provided by Bonnie Kocis and Linda Stoltz. Thank you, ladies, for the great atmosphere. They even put some ornaments on the tables for the taking by anyone desiring to do so.

Donna Raschio won the Chester’s card and Maria Strawn won the free meal.

We were all grateful not to have a lot of snow for this Thursday lunch. I am also hoping to have no big snowstorms till after I get home on the 28th. My left arm will still be weak for driving, so I am trusting God to see me through my trip home safely.

Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

PRAIRIE CITY — Hooray! Winter’s here! That means the days will be getting longer! Ahem. (You have to find your happy wherever you can … ) Anyway, it was a cool, crisp day in Prairie City. The thermometer said it was above freezing, but the wind made it a liar. Inside the ol’ hall, warmth and happiness reigned supreme. It’s Christmas dinner, and boy oh howdy did we have a whopper. I told you that you should be here. The meal had ham, stuffing, scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, veggie tray with lots of raw veggies, lime Jell-O salad with veggies, a Jell-O dessert salad with fruit, deviled eggs, apricots, pumpkin pie and another berry kind of pie for dessert. Then a nice lady brought a plate of cookies and candy to pass out before the meal! We were abundantly blessed this day.

Juan led the flag salute, Ginger made the announcements and one of the announcements is that we need people: drivers, board members, dishwashers, floor sweepers. I know I’m preaching to the choir, but we need to get the message out. So if you can’t, maybe someone you know would be interested. We had a man from Dayville come to eat with us today. He was asking if anyone could help him in his Good Samaritan work of driving a Prairie City man to appointments in La Grande every couple of months. Now, why should a person have to come all the way from Dayville to drive a Prairie City resident? Isn’t there someone here that could do that? And a person responded to the plea. PTL. The person who needs to be driven is our friend and neighbor and we should be happy to help. Our faithful volunteers today were Theresa, Mary, Carla, Delores and Tom. Thank you so much. Pam was at her station at the desk.

OK, off that soapbox and back to business. We celebrated December birthdays. There were three on the list and Derrol was the lucky winner of the $10 gift certificate donated by Blaine and the crew at Huffman’s Market. Theresa asked the blessing after going through the day’s trivia. And it was quite a romp! Famous birthdays included Jane Fonda and Frank Zappa. The first crossword puzzle came in 1913; the movie “Snow White” was released in 1937 (Would you believe that those are the years that my dad was born and got married?! Cue “Twilight Zone” theme); Gen. Patton died in 1945; and the most famous item was that this was the day that the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.

The trivia question for which table went first through the serving line had to do with Mr. Potato Head. This was the first toy to be advertised on TV in 1952. And you had to use a real potato. When did the real spud get replaced by a plastic one? (1964.)

Quote from Charles Dickens: “For it is good to be children … at Christmas when its mighty Founder was a child Himself.”

Isa. 9:6, 7 For unto us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.