October 31, 2008. Mexico. The Country.

The small towns are charming. Every town has a main square, with a large church at the end, and always a gazebo for the band to entertain the residents, along with beautiful foliage around the outside of the square. Benches are placed around the outside, so the good folks of the town can meet and greet during the day and evening. Very small restaurants abound, with many tables on the sidewalk, so over the lunch hour, everyone seems to be eating outside. Chicken and sausage and beef are cooked on the outside grills, making the whole square smell delicious. The towns seem very appealing, in an old fashioned way.

Today we hired a driver to take us to four little towns, up in the valley between the ocean and the mountains. This is a place where agriculture reigns, and where the good folks who work at the resorts can afford to live comfortably. The most interesting town for me was Valle De Bandares, a very old town, founded about five hundred years ago before the Spaniards arrived. I loved it. The church was almost three hundred years old, and is raising money for restoration. The town square held many sculptures, with fountains representing the corn and the rice and the fruit grown in the Valley. The square has two blocks for the Plaza, so it is well used by the school children and their parents, as the place is very spacious and grand. Our driver lived their, as had his parents and grandparents before him.

We all enjoyed our day, which include many things of value. Our day began at ten and ended at four, so it was a full day, ending up with a flat tire just as we were to leave the restaurant. But no problem. We four went back into the outside restaurant, where the owner served us ice mineral water while we waited for the driver and one of the waiters assisted in changing the tire. Drinks on the house, they said. Next time, Ken and I are going to take a bus up to one of these little towns, so we can poke around a bit, and maybe shop and have lunch. These very old towns are very different to anything we see in North America, but infinately interesting.

October 30, 2008. Mexico. Letters.

My Mother wrote me every week. Ken would smile when he read the letters because almost every letter included the report of her friend who had died. He called her letters the death reports. Now being a Salvation Army Officer for so long and being so active in the Danforth Corps meant that she had a wide circle of friends and acquaintances. We left Toronto in 1964 for Texas, and she died in 1974, so for those ten years, from her years of 64 to 74, a lot of her friends died. Now, 40 years later i am bit older than her, the same thing is happening to me. I have been told of three people who I knew well who have died, just these past two weeks. Now this is enough for now. When I am in my 80's I will be ready, but not now. So I am going to resort to the number three. That is it for now, I am sure.

But with death comes birth. Maria and Joe's baby girl was born and Tojo and Connie's baby boy, both told me via the email and telephone. So we have joy and grief during the same time period. Life does go on.

Despite my best efforts to warn Robbie with the exercise routine, he injured a small muscle, so today Ken and I worked out while Joyce and Robbie stayed at home. Then we four took a cab to Bucerias for lunch, where we dined by the ocean and ate fish. And of course we drank huge margarita's. In fact Ken drank two. When we arrived home, instead of coming down to the pool with me, he took a long nap. I arrived up to the apartment at 6:30 to find him still sound asleep. They were good!!

October 29, 2008. Mexico. Kristin Redman.

Kristin has left us and I will miss her. She fought a long and brave battle with cancer, and now she is fighting no more. Since she was first given her diagnosis several years ago she has done everything a person would want to do, given her situation. She travelled as much as possible with Buck, she visited her daughters and their families, she attended to her lovely garden, and she worked with one client at a time. The most important thing she did was show her spirit of gratitude and enthusiasm in everything she did. She certainly was a role model for all of us who at some time will be in her situation. She was a gentle kind lady and I will miss her presence in my life and in the life of the office.

I was always pleased with Kristin and her actions as an agent because she used the business of being a Real Estate agent for her own ends, rather than be driven to succeed. She was a very careful and diligent agent with every transaction, so when she was working with a client I knew and the client knew that she was working hard and competently for the client's wishes. She used the money from her transactions for her travel. She followed the pattern and kept her marketing going out to her area right up until she was not able to continue, but if she was overloaded with work, she referred the client to another agent. Through out her life as an agent in the office she was unfailingly supportive and helpful, not only to me but also to the other agents. She was a fine agent and we are all grateful for her life and her contributions to our lives. But we will miss her.

October 28, 2008. Mexico. The Market.

I do not like the Market in our complex here. There is really no reason, except that the Market has a corner on the market, here in Paradise Village. They act in ways that show it too. There do not have enough choices, and the staff are not helpful. But it is irritating. Of course up to now we were happy to buy our limited groceries at that market, and I did not think a thing about it, because I had no option. But now there is a huge new store in Bucerias, the Mega, and for ten dollars in a taxi I can go there and buy all my groceries. And I can thumb my nose at those unfriendly staff people at our local market.

Bucerias is a small town just north of Puerto Vallerta. It is definately not a tourist trap. Once it was a small fishing village, but it grew. Now a lot of the staff in Paradise Village live in Bucerias. Ken and I have eaten lunch there several times and we have wandered around the town a bit. We took the bus home and we would go there again. But now that the Mega store , the new big Mega store has just opened, I am going to go to Bucerias the very day we arrive, even if Ken will not accompany me. Actually, Ken does not care if the Market in our complex could and should be better, and in fact, he does not even notice. Somehow are other, I can not help myself. First I notice what should be done, then I want them to fix it, and when I can not fix it, I turn a blind eye and go somewhere else . I know it is ridiculous, but it is true, and I am afraid I will never get better. Another Market is supposed to open very close to us, so maybe the competition will help. We will see. But in the meantime, I am shopping at Mega.

October 26, 2008. Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. Exercise 2.

I have never understood why we as intelligent human beings do not always act in our own interests. For instance, every one knows that exercise is good for you, at least in moderate amounts, and yet many of us do not get enough exercise on a regular basis. And the weight thing too. I know full well that every one should be thin, but I persist in being overweight. We are a perverse group for sure, always paying more attention to the short term benefit rather than the long term glory. Not all the time of course, but certainly often enough to be harmful. It is a problem for sure.

This is a book worth reading. "The Snoring Bird", by Bernd Heinrich. I found this book at Borders in San Antonio on Saturday night, on the two for one table. I recognized the author from reading an article in Smithsonian magazine several years ago about ravens. He has written a couple of books about ravens so I was interested to see what he had to see. I also bought two books by Alexander McCall Smith from the same table. Those books I read the first day here, but this Heinrich book needs some digesting slowly. It is a fascinating story about his Father and his life from 1895 until the present, from the viewpoint of the German/Polish point of experience. I am really enjoying the book. Living in East Prussia in the early half of the twentieth century was not easy, as the province became Poland after the first World War, then Germany invaded them and took them back until Yalta. All the while they had to try to escape the Russians who were on the move to their area. Anyway, It is a fascinating tribute to his Father, who although he was difficult, did allow them to all escape to end up in Maine, where of course they were
poverty stricken but alive. This is a book worth reading, after you have finished your exercises.

October 25, 2008. Mexico Exercise

I do not know why we pay a lot of attention to ourselves here, but we do. Perhaps because we have nothing else to do except exercise and read and explore. I only know that we do take better care of ourselves here than anyplace else. The better question is why we don't take care of ourselves at home and in Texas and Nova Scotia? Here we have the time. Here we have the facility. Together we both go to the gym three times a week and we walk every day. Today was the first time Joyce and Robbie came to the Sports Club with us, and they did very well. The trainer put them through their paces and they came through with flying colors. Of course, the best part of the exercise routine is the hot stub and steam room, followed by a lovely lunch. Today we ate lunch at the golf club, outside overlooking the last hole. The four of us were joined by Mike, their son, and friend Sandy, so we were a very festive party of very self satisfied folks. In fact we were down right smug.

I have always been active, but one aspect of my exercise program has been dismal, and that is the weight lifting and the use of the machines. Over the years I have started a program and kept it up for a bit, then I just find something else that must be done, so I quit the program. I am sure this is a character flaw. I suspect that the reason I am so happy to exercise here is that I know I am leaving soon. Joyce is sure that once she knows what to do and how to do it she will continue the exercises. I know the program, in fact I know more than the trainers, but I still only do the exercises here. I walk and I use light wights at home and in Nova Scotia, but I don't go to a gym in Texas or Nova Scotia or Bethesda. Maybe in my next life I will be perfect with my exercise program but I am not counting on it. At least we are looking after ourselves here and we are enjoying it too. So I will continue my drill and hope for the best.

October 24, 2008. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Haircut.

Today was the day all my curls needed to be cut off. I am not sure what triggers this signal in my mind that my hair needs to be cut. All of a sudden, I can not tolerate all my hair for one more day. Most folks I know plan ahead, so they know that in one month or two an appointment needs to be made to cut their hair. For some reason that I don't understand, I will not do
that. I wait and wait until I can not stand my shaggy hair for
one more day, so I am forced to find a hair cutter to make me neat and tidy. Fortunately, my hair is easy, because often I am not at home so my hair is often cut by someone I have never met. In fact, I have gotten into the habit to always have my hair cut when I am away. I have more time when I am away from home and I have been able to find someone to cut my hair in every country or county we have visited.

Most people only have their hair done by only one person, in fact their own person feels upset if anyone else cuts their hair. In the years when my hairdresser cut my hair regularly, she would be uspet if someone else had cut my hair, and she always criticized the cut. Now, this was my hair, not hers, and I was irritated with her attitude of her ownership of my hair. I did what any reasonable person would do and I quit having her cut my hair. From then until now, I have my hair cut by anyone who will cut my hair in the place where I want my hair cut right now. Today I got lucky. At the Mall in the resort, a little lady fixes hair, and at ten this morning, I walked in and she cut my hair. No shampoo, just wet and cut. Before I could stop her she sprayed my hair with some stuff, but when I hollared, she stopped.. She spoke no English and my Spanish words do not include haircut, but we did just fine. I gave her 150 pesos and we were both happy. I am now neat and tidy until the next time.

October 23, 2008. Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. Women 2.

It is a good question? What do women want? I read a recent pole asking women if they are happy, and the answer was astonishing to me. The answer was no. Now I have lived through many changes in the life style of women since the days when my Mother would state that "This is a man's world". My first year of teaching included a different pay schedule for the married men from the women. The moment a woman was pregnant, the teacher was required to resign. Many positions were closed to women entirely. I observed early in my teaching life that for a woman to be promoted to leadership and administration, the woman had to be clearly superior, as the men just got promoted to become a vice-principal. So the world has changed dramatically over the over fifty years. But still the women are not happy.

But some women are very happy. These are women who have a whole life of their own, along with their families. Many young women of today have realized that raising children is a noble activity, and that after the children attend school, employment opportunities are available for the Mother of school aged children. Fortunately, except for a few years, a woman is not totally at the mercy of the husband's purse and this is a good thing. My Father, while he was a Salvation Army Officer saw so many women with no ability to produce money, so were at the mercy of the ill or alcoholic husband. His own Mother was in that situation, so he drilled into the heads of his daughters that we must be able to provide for ourselves at any time. He was much ahead of his time in many ways. Today, whether single or married, a woman can make money.

Now how you look is mostly how you think you look. I have never been beautiful, but I have always treated myself as is I
looked fine, even though I probably did not. Remember that my parents were not wealthy and my clothes were probably not elegant, but I never paid any attention to how I looked. I just pretended that I was fine and every one seemed to follow my lead. My friend Sharyn told me a great story. She was required to attend a party with her husband. She did not want to go. In the past the parties, held annually for the staff, have been deadly dull. In the car on the way to the event she gave herself a talk. She said to herself "Sharyn, you are going to have a good time. You are going to be lively and engaging". On the way into the party she picked up a yellow blossom and put it behind her ear. Her husband commented that the yellow blossom behind her ear made her look beautiful. Now armed with these two facts, she acted as if she looked beautiful and she talked to lots of different people, who all were enjoying the party. Much later in the party, while she still thinks she looks beautiful and acts that way, she went to the rest room, to discover that the blossom had wilted and looked awful. She decided to scrap the blossom and continue to pretend that she looked beautiful. The moral of the story is obvious, as I figured out so many years ago. Beauty is within, not in the exterior shell.

October 22, 2008.Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. Women.

Today at the pool I saw an older lady who looked very elegant. She looked her age, which was around 80, but she was a very good looking woman in every way. I did not speak to her, but I watched from a short distance as she talked to her friends lazing away the late afternoon by the pool. No tucks or stretched chins, no eyes pulled up and back, no botox on her forehead. Just a good looking woman of her age. While I am watching her and the comfort level she shows in her manner, I am wondering how on earth did women get convinced that plastic surgery was a good thing for them. I know that in pictures all the stretching and pulling and tucking looks good, but in the real world of the three dimensions, these women look ridiculous.

I have two main objections, in addition to the look. One is the emphasis in these women having plastic surgery that they do not look good. Now the truth is that most people look very nice already, and when the good Doctors fix these ladies, rather than having them look better, they often look just silly. Lincoln once commented that up until the age of 40 your looks were given by God and after 40 the inner spirit comes out in your face. Now I know that the pictures look better when done by the Doctors, but not so in real life. The second main objection is the lack of internal confidence by these women. They must hate the way they look and feel about themselves, as if the vessel is all that matters. The most important part of a life is what inside the vessel, not what is on the outside.

Women have made great strides in the past hundred years, but we still have a long way to go to find peace and happiness. But we can start by liking ourselves.

October 21, 2008. Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico.

When we walked into the apartment today Ken commented that he felt like he had come home. That is a good thing. First thing we did was retrieve our goods from the lockers. Of course, Ken realized that he left at home his membership card and the keys to the locker at home in Chevy Chase, so first he had to go downstairs and correct the errors. Maybe he is not doing as well as we thought he was doing, but perhaps it was just an error. After a short nap, and putting away all our duds, we went down to the beach for a drink with Joyce and Robbie. This bar on the beach is a favorite for us, so we enjoyed the sun and the warmth and the breezes.

We felt compelled to check out the Hotel, so we four wandered down to another bar in the hotel where they serve two for one drinks. It did look ridiculous. On the table at the same time were two drinks for each person, making a total of eight drinks at the same time. That took awhile, before we ambled along to the market for Mexican food. It seemed fitting to eat Mexican food the first night we were in Mexico, so we enjoyed our meal in this little restaurant on the second floor of the Mall. It was very pleasant and tasty too. After a quick trip to the Market for milk and fruit, we wandered home by nine. Now we look forward to two weeks of walking and eating and reading. We like this place. It feels like home.

oOctober 20, 2008, Canyon Lake, Tx. The Weekend.

Starting Friday morning, we spent the whole weekend with Suzanne and David and the girls. Starting with Grandparent's Day at their school until Sunday afternoon when they went to their Drama class we tagged along for their various and sundry activities. The whole weekend was a success for the girls and for us, but of course for different reasons. Friday morning on the way to the school, Suzanne called to tell us that Sarah was requesting to be the first in the line of the grandparent's visits. Typically, we start at the youngest and proceed to the oldest, which meant that we are always to Sarah late, and always with the twins in tow. She quite correctly requested we visit first to her class, as this was her last year at the school and she would prefer we gave her full attention. Their class had prepared a series of questions to ask their grandparents and she was fearful that she would not be able to complete the task. For Sarah, not completing the task is unacceptable. In addition, she has lived with the twins, who without doing anything at all are an act all themselves, and she wanted our undivided attention on her. Of course we complied, except Ken stayed with Sarah while I visited the other girls. We were introduced to their teachers then showed around their classroom, with special emphasis on Samantha's desk, which was all neat and tidy. Chapel followed, with each class singing a song or two, and the chimes played before the short chapel. Sarah is in the chimes group, and as I knew she played C and G I could hear that she did her part well. The fifth graders only get to play these chimes, and it is a high honor in the school to be in the chimers. Then we were off for lunch, to a deli we could walk to, followed to home for an afternoon of play.

Now this afternoon was a wonderful afternoon, as the girls played outside the whole time. When we got home and changed, I announced that I was going outside, as the weather was beautiful, so all four girls came outside with me. Sarah and Abigail played for the next four hours on their tree house, playing an imaginary game made up as they went along. For an hour or so, Samantha and Allison put on a very active display of gymnastics, while I sat on the ground and watched and cheered. Next they made up a tea party up on the deck, while I was the only guest. They have a little kitchen up on the deck, so the organization and preparation was extensive. All afternoon I observed four girls getting along and using their brains having a wonderful time. The day ended with dinner at the Melting Pot to celebrate Sarah's 11Th birthday. We all overate. Allison stated many times that she was eating so much to get herself ready to hibernate!!

Saturday morning was a lazy time of reading, TV and outdoor play, followed by the soccer game for all. then more play at home, this time swimming and playing by the pool. Saturday evening David and Suzanne went with friends to The Cattleman's Ball, a charity event down town. The six friends hired a car, so no one was required to drive. Ken and I needed shoes, so we headed out to shop at the Quarry and then dinner, in time to relieve the babysitter at nine. Sarah was just going to bed when we arrived, while all three other children were asleep. Sunday morning was the school day at that church, followed by the school barbecue picnic, so of course all eight of us went to Church to hear the children's singing and listened to the chimes twice, once when they practiced and once during the service. Being early gives it's own rewards. Home after the picnic and the pumpkin patch to watch a bit of football, before all four girls were taken by Suzanne to their drama rehearsal.

Ken and I loved the weekend with the family and the children seemed to like us along too. They all love their activities and as an adult looking on, they are getting more and more accomplished with each year. It is always interesting to observe children grow up, certainly less anxiety promoting as being a parent, and we appreciate Suzanne and David allowing us to come and tag along with the children's activities. One very good thing is that both David and Suzanne have a large supply of energy, because they both need every ounce.

October 19, 2008. Canyon Lake, Texas. Sports.

I love to watch sports. For many years I participated in various sports, but now the only thing active I do is walk. When I was a kid, I went from one sport to the next at school, with never a break from one to the next. I was never a particularly good athlete, but I always made all the school teams, probably because I was very coach able and had great enthusiasm. I ended up teaching physical education at the Junior High level, which for anyone was a great job. The kids are eager to play and could learn the sport, so with a good school team and a large house league, I was a busy lady and the kids had a lot of fun. As an adult, the only thing I played was tennis, and I played three or four times a week and loved it. But one day I realized that tennis had become another job, so one day when I was in my 50's I hung up my racquet and I never played again. So now I walk. But I love to watch sports at any level. I love to watch the professionals and I love to watch the college games but I love to watch the young children best of all. The games are so unpredictable.

One of the aspects of sports for kids is that the game allows the kids to lose. Now is the read world of the bright child, most of the time their life goes from success to success, with very little opportunity to fail. So when lack of success does arrive, the young adult has no experience with failure, and the failure is treated as a hugh traumatic event, rather than just something that comes along to everyone. But when you play a game, you win and you lose and life goes on. You evaluate what happens, you figure out how to beat the opponent the next time and then it is over while you get on with your life. No one wins every game. but the experience of working very hard and playing your best but still sometimes loses is a very valuable lesson.

On course, getting into top notch condition is always very valuable. The muscles and stamina developed in youth will stand a person in good stead their whole life through. I loved playing on my teams when young and I love watching sports today. I wish all kids had the opportunity and inclination to be part of a team. The rewards are hugh.

OCTOBER 18, 2008, SanAntonio, Texas. Games.

It looked as if all of the children in San Antonio were playing at the same place. We drove into the YMCA playing field at 11:45. A hugh line of cars was waiting to get out of the facility, so I asked how many games would be playing at the same time as the twins soccer game. No one knew, except to say that many many games go on at the same time. Now I have been to hundreds of soccer games, and often multiple fields side by side, but I have never seen anything like the YMCA playing field in San Antonio. I was stunned at the number of games being played at the same time. While the Blueberries warmed up, I walked around all the fields to see all the games in progress. And I counted. These games started at 9:00, and were being played continuously all morning. Just before noon there were ten fields of under 6year old playing 6 a side with no goalie, fourteen fields of under 8 years old playing 9 side with a goalie who rotates every quarter, six fields of under 11, again playing 9 a side and with a goalie not rotating regularly, and two fields playing regular soccer with 11 players and full size goals. Most often the teams were either boys or girls, although Suzanne said that some teams mix up the teams. Both Allison and Samantha do not like playing with the boys on the team, so they want to be on a girls team only.

I have always said that if you are feeling discouraged and out of sorts, just go to a ski hill to watch all the funny things happening. You can't help but laugh. Today at the playing field, I would say the same thing. I walked around the whole complex and watched a bit of many games, and I must say, I laughed out loud many times. One little girl kicked the ball right down the field on her side of the field. All she had to do was run after the ball and kick the ball into the goal, as no other defender was between her and the goal. But her shoe fell off when she kicked the ball, so she sat right down to put her shoe back own, and ignored the ball and the empty goal. Another girl was playing defense. The ball was kicked in her direction quite hard, so she just moved her legs apart so the ball would not hit her legs. She certainly did not want her leg hit bu the ball. Our Blueberry team played well, but the best part was they loved it. The custom here is for all the parents form a bridge directly after the game, so all the team members come through the long line of the bridge to high five their opponents. It is a very nice custom and these little girls ran through the long tunnel many times.

On the way home in the car, of course all 8 of us were at the game, I asked Allison and Samantha what they liked best about the game. They both said that the best part of the game was running through the arch of parents after the game. "It is such fun," they said,"and we do it every game, whether we win or lose". That sounds good to me, especially for a seven year old.

October 16, 2008. Harper, Texas. Belongings 2.

I think it is all genetically programmed. As we go though life, a lot of events just happened to us. Right now, a lot of things are happening to my body whether I am directing it or not, and I am suspicious the same thing happened to my Grandmother. She accumulated lots and lots of stuff in her home, only to want to get rid of it all. Ken and I were talking just the other day about what to do with all our books. I suspect that we are hard wired to gather belongings in order to provide for our Family, only to have that gene turned off in later life, so we feel inclined to get rid of all our stuff. Certainly the drive to accumulate objects seems universal. Even my parents who moved from one Salvation Army quarters to the next kept taking some treasures from one house to the next. They did not care much for worldly wealth, but they loved one Royal Doulton figurine which was always prominently displayed in the living room. But at some point, My Grandmother decided that enough is enough, and she got rid of all her belongings, and she did it cheerfully. I wonder when that gene will kick in with us?

I was thinking about how we accumulate when I looked at all the stuff being loaded on the truck. Andrew and Christina have been married for twelve years or so, and now they needed two trucks to transport all their stuff. Now I know I have helped them get their house full of objects, as we gave them gifts every year. And Christina owns her Grandmother's china and crystal. but my goodness, one large truck and one small truck to carry all their belongings to Mississippi makes you realize how affluent we all are. Also, I am beginning to try to figure out what to do with all our belongings. But I have decided that now is not the right time. I intend , during my 70's to enjoy my present life and work and visit family and friends at our properties. Then in our 80's, I will slowly and surely,give away our objects. I hope I have the same attitude as my Grandmother's when the time arrives.

October 15, 2008. Harper Texas. Gerry Mewhirter

I have just been told that Gerry has died. He has been a friend for a very long time, so I have very mixed emotions. On the one hand I am very grateful this last period of his life is over, as the past month has been difficult to all his loved ones, including us. On the other hand, I am very sad to miss him in my life, but of course, the Gerry I knew and loved left us a while ago, so I really am selfish to want the old Gerry, the one with energy and enthusiasm and charm, and of course, competence. Every task he took on to do, he did well, from his volunteer work to his business success. Now he is gone, but I will always be grateful to have had Gerry Mewhirter in my life.

Now there are certain facts about Gerry that were apparent. First off, he was Irish. He emigrated to Canada in the mid 50's, and moved to Toronto to work in the travel business. He maintained that Irishness his whole life through. Secondly, he came to church with a friend, Gordon Fairbanks, to the Danforth Corps of the Salvation Army, where I was a member of the Songster Brigade and where I played in the timbrel group, whose leader was Florence Martin. Now Florence was a very proper lady, and Gerry was not particularly religious, but they fell in love, and the rest of history. So the second fact of his life was his strong commitment to his belief in God and in his service to his church. The third aspect of his being was his desire to always get ahead. His success came early and late and he never rested on his laurels. And lastly, he was a good friend. He was willing to do things and try things, and he was always grateful to be in your presence.

Shortly after the surgery for removing the brain tumor, Ken and I visited them at their home north of Toronto at a country property which was named after his family place in Ireland. He was describing to us his situation, which was that the surgeons had told him he had about six months to live. He had been told that the tumour was removed, but that tentacles left behind would begin to grow. So Gerry was putting his business life in order and was getting ready do die. Ken is a Doctor, and knows that every person is different. Ken asked Gerry a very simple question, "what will happen if you do not die in six months?" There was stunned silence on the other side of the room from Gerry. Ken went on to suggest that it would probably be wise to consider life long term rather than life for six months. Now Gerry liked the concept, and for the next 15 years of his life, he spoke to many many group about that concept and because ot it was helpful to hundreds of folks. This was the essence of Gerry. He heard a good idea and then put it into action, with full steam ahead.

I will always remember fondly his enthusiasm and energy and charm, and I am grateful to have met and known my friend Gerry Mewhirter. In The Salvation Army they would say of Gerry that he has been Promoted To Glory. I think he would agree with the sentiment.

October 14, 2008. Double D Ranch, Harper, Texas.

Our top house at the ranch is a little gem. Every time we arrive here we are surprised at it's beauty and function. Now we are here and doing all the things we like to do, but most of all, we remember our beautiful home on the hill. One of the most interesting things about this house is that very few people have ever seen it, perhaps twenty in total. So this really is a hidden gem. So far, since we arrived this morning, we have fed the cattle their treats, counted and fed the fish (eight large gold fish and four baby gold fish and at least one large perch), driven around the land on the Mule, eaten lunch, and last but not least, taken a nap. Now at 5:30 we will go over to our friends, Robbie and Joyce, for a glass of wine. Later tonight we will watch a movie at the ranch house. Robbie and Joyce have just returned from their place on the Bolivar Peninsula so we will be very interested to hear their report.

Alice Ann, who lives on the West end of Galveston Island and who works at the Medical Center in Galveston, reported to us in an e mail today that the city is in very bad condition. Almost all the large oak trees on Broadway Boulevard, the main road into the city. have been blown over and floated away. The Historic District where she owned a large Victorian home until two years ago was under 10.5 inches of water during the storm. The Hospital is still not open. My goodness what a mess. She said nothing about the clean up at her new house on the West end, but without consistent water and electricity, no one can function or do much to restore the place to normal. Jose told me about his friend who lived on the west end of the island and lived their permanently, not only had his house blown away, but his land washed out to sea, so where his house once stood is now four feet of water. He is waiting to see what the Insurance Company will do to his claim. He had a mortgage and had good insurance, but you can not replace his house on the same location. On the other hand, he has a lot of equity in that house and he is afraid the company will just want to pay off his mortgage. His parents live in Dallas, so his wife and three children are living with his parents, and he works in Houston during the week and commutes on the weekend. "It is a big pain", says he. We have been very fortunate in our life, and I am happy to keep it that way.

October 12, 2008. Chevy Chase, Md. Belongings.

It was infuriating reading the letter. So many questions arose in my mind, but no answers could be given. My Mother received a letter from her Mother saying that she felt so fortunate to have shed all her belongings, and she was moving east to be with dear Miriam, arriving only with some clothes. Now I do not know whether she was trying to convince herself that this was a good thing, or was so genuinely happy to have no earthly belongings to worry about. I know she was very religious, but I also know that her Family lived in a lovely home in Victoria, B.C., and before they left England their home was lovely and large. But at some point, she decided that enough was enough, and she got rid of all the belongings. I want to know how she did it? And how did she convince herself that this was a good idea? I found this letter in some of Mother's papers, and I have wondered about it ever since. I have nothing at all of my Grandmother's belongings, and now I understand why. I know that at one time she had many lovely objects, but she she got rid of everything. Now she lived to be 95, and at the time of the letter she was about 65.

Now, when we lived in Vancouver, my Grandmother lived with us every winter. At that time, she lived in Winnipeg with her elder daughter, Miriam. Winnipeg is very cold and Grandmother was thin and had arthritis, so Vancouver was easier on her system to live in Vancouver with us. Then when we moved to Toronto, she lived with us all the time. She had very few items when she moved in with us. She would bring her books and her clothes and one coat. Everything she owned could fit into a very small closet and one three drawer chest. I did not think anything about it. When you are a busy teenager in an active Salvation Army family, my grandmother with no belongings never seemed unusual. But one thing I always thought was unusual. She always used a sterling silver spoon with her cup of tea. One day I asked my Mother why Grandma always liked her special spoon. I was responsible for making and serving the tea, and sometimes I had to search out that spoon. My Mother's response was that Mother reminded herself of happy times. So evidently she shed all her belongings, except for one. Her silver tea spoon stayed with her for the rest of her life. I wish I had known all about these things while she lived with us. But I was young and busy, and she was old and a very proper Victorian lady. She certainly would have never disclosed her inner thoughts to a young person. For her, everything was just fine, and God is good, and she was very grateful with her life. But I wonder about what she really felt about, getting rid of all her beautiful objects. I will never know.

October 10, 2008. Bethesda, Md. Moving Day.

Ken has spent two days at the home of Andrew and Christina. Yesterday the company packed up all their belongings. Ken was there to make sure that everything that was to be left was left behind and everything that was to be moved to Mississippi was put into boxes. It was a long day. He came home at 6:30, looking very weary. Of course, while he was there he cut the lawn, which he has not done for many years. But by last evening, everything had been put into boxes. Except they will not pack coins, or knives or liquids, so his trunk is full of all that stuff. Today was moving day. All the boxes and furniture are being loaded on a very large truck, to be transported to a storage facility, until such time they decide where they will be living. The plan is to rent a house in Jackson until they know that Jackson will be their permanent home. It seems like a good plan to me.

Christina was intending to come up to Bethesda to oversee the packing and moving, but I volunteered us to help out. Actually, I volunteered Ken to help out, as I was at work both Thursday and Friday. This has a pattern in our lives. I agree to have the both of us to help out, but Ken is the one that ends doing the job. Years ago, Alice Anne asked me if I thought we could transport her small sailboat out to her Marina on the top of our big car, and I of course told her yes, no problem. When I told Ken what I had agreed to do, he told me all the reasons why we could not do it, except he was the one who got the job done, while I was at work. Somethings never change. So he is over at Mass. Ave. overseeing the moving. Of course, we go to the farm at noon, so my friend Suzanne is going over at noon to take over and see the moving through to the end. However, nothing is ever easy. Suzanne is leaving this evening for the Gold Team trip to the Caribbean, so we need the job done quickly. Jose will be the fall back person and will attend settlement for Andrew and Christina. So we have a host of folks here helping out, on the journey to their next home. Thank heavens for family and friends.

October 9,2008. Chevy Chase, Md. Observations.

When driving to work, the trees I see at this time of year are beautiful. Every year is different but beautiful. My favorite trees are the big old oak trees, where just the ends of the branches have turned orange and yellow, while the rest of the tree is green. At the farm last weekend, the whole side of the hill had tinges of yellow and orange. It is quite a wonderful sight. This weekend should be even better. For some reason, the amount of bright red colors are in short supply.

The power of suggestion is a powerful thing. The other morning, I had an early appointment, so I had no time to drink coffee at home, so I did what I have done hundreds of time, I took a cup of coffee with me in the car. Ken urged me not to take the cup of coffee with me , as the last time I had coffee in his truck I spilled coffee in his new truck. He was not pleased. I assured him that in my car, a spill or two would make no difference, so off I went, happy as a clam. Within five minuted, I spilled my coffee, not on my car, but right down the front of my blouse. I was too far from home to go home to change, so for the whole rest of the day, I had to try and cover up this big dark stain. Fortunately, I was wearing a jacket, but the jacket had no buttons, so every so often my big dark stain could be seen. Of course, I pointed out my stain to everyone, and blamed the whole thing on Ken, as he put it all into my mind. You can be sure I have not yet told Ken. But next time, I'll probably leave my coffee at home.

October 8, 2008. Chevy Chase, Md. Meetings.

As a new Manager, I felt the need to meet with each agent twice a year. The first meeting in the year was to set goals for the coming year and to map out a business plan, and the second meeting was to review how the plan was working. But the meetings were much more valuable than merely business. These were the only meetings in the year when the doors were closed to everyone and I could meet with one agent only and could discuss their real estate career. The meetings were very valuable for me, as I got to know the agents, and the agents figured out how to move ahead with their career. The office grew, then we merged with another smaller office, so we gave the agents the option to meet either Manager. I had some health issues and was unable to continue the meetings, so our routine was to meet agent for the first three years of becoming an agent. Everyone told me that this was no problem, but I disagreed, but could do nothing about it.... until now. We have three Managers, and our systems are running smoothly, so beginning in July, I started meeting with each agent. I started at the beginning of the alphabet, and now I am up to the E's. I figure I can meet each agent twice in the year.

For me, the meetings with the agents are pure pleasure. We pick apart their successes and try to develop new strategies for those agents who want to make their business grow. For some agents, I have started meeting them twenty one years ago, so it is fun for me to have seen their progress over time. But more importantly, I have been able to discover a few gaps in their routines, and to make suggestions for fairly simple changes in strategies, which should lead to higher productivity. One of the problems with success is that you forget to evaluate everything you are doing. In our meetings, that is what we do together. We evaluate what is being done and evaluate the results, in order to plan for the future. So far, the agents are pleased to be returning to our routine. It remains to be seen if the productivity increases.

October 7, 2008. Chevy Chase, Md. Dinner.

Freddie is sure this country is going to hell in a hand basket. He tends to be a pessimist anyway, but this crisis in the financial sector has left him shaking his head with despair.. What I think is a needed wake up call about the risk of credit in this country he thinks is an unmitigated disaster for everyone. Fred and Phyllis came to dinner here tonight and as usual, our evening was lively and interesting. His general approach is so different from ours that it makes for controversial conversations. They leave in a couple of days to visit their children in California, then they return for a wedding before leaving for Florida the day after Thanksgiving. They will return in April. They have a very nice life style. Fred retired when he was 42 years old. Now he is 71. He laughed when I told him that I would be retiring in 2017, in December, and said that he would be retired 40 years by that time. It seems a waste of talent to me, but he is happy so who am I to impose my work ethic on him.

There are several things about Freddy that we enjoy. Firstly, he is an engineer by training so his approach to everything is different than ours. Secondly, his pessimistic nature is so unusual that we are always being required to defend our position. Of course, I am a real Pollyanna, which he does not understand at all. He pays a lot of attention to his friends and is always sending Ken information about something we talked about months ago. He is a good friend and we enjoy his company but he definitely is not your average American man We will have dinner with them once in November before they drive to Florida. As usual, we rotate houses, so we will dine at their home. They have already told us what they are serving for us. We on the other hand, never think about our menu until just a day or so ahead of the event. That is another charms of Phyllis and Fred. They really go out of their way to cook wonderful food, and we enjoy every bit of it. We can't begin to compete with them in the dinners and never try. Just good basic cooking in our home. Tonight Ken cooked stew and it was delicious. Everyone was happy and that is the only thing that matters.

October 6, 2008. Chevy Chase, Md. Television

Since I came home from work at 6:30 we have been watching TV. We are like children with a new toy. First we watched a baseball game while eating dinner, and saw Tampa Bay win their series. At 8:00 Antiques Roadshow was up, and now we are watching Boston trying to win their series. The picture is so much clearer than our old TV that it is now worth watching. I wonder if we function better today that we did 21 years ago. This TV we bought is just great. We love it. Here was the drill. Our set was not acting right, so we decided to buy a new one. Ken looked up, on line, the Consumer Report, to check their recommendation. Ken ordered the set he chose on line, from Best Buy. Ken spoke to them once, to confirm that they will take our old set , but the rest of the negotiations and arrangements were on the computer. The time for delivery was given to us over the telephone. Today, promptly at noon, the TV was delivered and installed, and our old set was taken away to the land of old TVs. We are happy. No shopping trips. No fuss and muss. Just one great TV.

Ken commented to me that it reminded him of the olden days, when his Mother would call the grocery store and the food would be delivered. If she was away, they would put the groceries in the refrigerator. Now it is even better, in that you do not even need to talk to anyone. All that needs to be done is to place your order on line, pay for it on line, and then wait until the set is delivered and installed. It is a return to the past, only better. It is a grand time.

October 5, 2008. Chevy Chase, Md. Singing on the Road.

There is another thing that ends up with sales. The other day I wrote briefly the reason the agents are doing so well, and that was the sharing of information, and the positive attitude towards success. The other factors that make for success is that the agents do their job with competence, verve and joy. There is no sense that failure is just around the corner. Rather everyone expects that great success is just around the corner. Now I don't really know that comes from, but I do know that the agents do their job with great joy. Over the years, we have added the agents who fit our criteria, and when they joined us, they added our spirit to their spirit. I understand that we have problems with our cases, but I know that we work very hard to solve those issues with a pleasant and professional manner, but over every transaction is the overlay of joy. And I am grateful.

The weather at the farm this weekend was wonderful. Blue sky, breeze, 70 degrees. We saw many deer, all in small groups, and two red tailed Hawks, who screamed at us when we went walking. It has been awhile since we walked the nature trail, so Ken and I walked the trail, then walked down to the farm house. I am in the middle of organizing the farm house. Andrew and Christina have moved to Mississippi, so they will come to farm very infrequently, so I am putting the place to rights. I wonder if they read this small web log, because they will hate that I am organizing the closets and the pantry and the chest of drawers. But it will soon be completed and I will be happy. I like order in my space. While they lived in the old farm house I paid no attention, but now that I am in charge, I feel required to get everything in order, so it will be ready for anything. But the weekend was lovely. Everything is so green, with lost of action at the farm. While we were walking the trail, we saw spider webs all across the trail, often five or six lines right across a span of several feet. Now the question we had was how do the spiders get those lines right across, with no down line to anchor them. It is a magical thing, and I do not understand how they do it. I wonder how they do it?

.

October 3, 2008. Bethesda, Md. The Market.

It is always interesting to watch the herd mentality at work. The national press is saying that the real estate industry is in dire distress, and in some areas of the country that is true. But in the greater Washington area, most jobs are secure. The job growth continues to increase. Most purchasers we deal with have three things needed in today's mortgage market: they have good credit scores, they have cash for down payment and closing costs and they have jobs to support their mortgage payment. This is the old fashioned way to buy. It is also the new way to buy. The prices have come down. So why are good folks holding back from buying? It is fascinating. Many agents buy into this attitude and decide that no-one is buying a house just now, so they quit working hard. This is yet another example of the herd mentality. Everyone seems to just go along with the flow of activity at the moment.

But not our agents. Our volume for September is 85 Million with almost 200 units. The office volume is over double than any other Long and Foster office. How is this happening? The answer is fairly simple but not easy. Our systems have worked in every market and every crisis. So why don't all other offices figure out what we are doing and then implement the program? I have never understood. The really interesting thing is that no one is even calling us to find out how we are doing so well. But I tell you, it is a wonder to behold to see the productivity of these agents.

Every quarter, the top agents discuss,at our weekly lunch meeting, what is happening in the real estate world here in Washington, and they develop the information to be given to both buyers. Betty, our very competent staff person takes notes and organizes that information and e mails to all the agents this wisdom, so all agents are aware of the same data. During the Sales meetings, we give very short snippets of what activities have been successful for buyers and sellers. Most important, we know we have been very successful in every market over the past 35 years, so we are very confident in our ability of not only surviving but thriving in today's world of real estate. So we have knowledge and attitude and it works. It is simple but not easy I know, but these agents are flat out kicking butt!!

October 2, 2008, Chevy Chase, Md. 21 years.

Our TV has broken down. The night before we left for Nova Scotia, the screen on the television went black. In addition, a loud noise came from the set, so we decided that our TV needed to be replaced. It seemed to us that the set was fairly new and it certainly worked well, at least, it worked well enough for the amount we watched on TV. But then we figured out that this fairly new set was purchased in 1987, when we moved into Franklin Street, so the thing was actually 21 years old. No wonder it needs to be replaced. When we returned from Nova Scotia, we discovered to our surprise that the old thing was still working well, so we put off buying a new set. But tonight we have a problem. We have a picture but no sound. It is fine for the baseball game, but not too good for the debates. Ken has ordered a new TV set on line. The new fancy one will be delivered and installed, and the old one hauled away. We are going to be very fancy and modern, at least the set will be fancy and modern. Unfortunately, we lag far behind from being fancy and modern. In fact, I don't think I have ever been either fancy or modern. even when I was young.

Tonight my granddaughter Sarah phoned me. She called me on my cell phone, in response to a message I left for her Mother Suzanne. Now the message I left for Suzanne was to have her Secretary Sarah call me back, because I had a couple of things to tell her. Sarah has the habit of picking up all the messages on their machine at home, then telling everyone their messages. She will be very helpful by dialing the phone for Suzanne to call folks back. She is a very competent helper. Sure enough, she dialed me herself, by using the return automatic dialer, and we had a very interesting conversation, before she turned me over to her Mother. These young folks are certainly far ahead of us oldsters. She has already placed her picture on my phone by taking a picture of herself on my phone, then putting a heart around her picture, so I have her with me all the time. All four girls are in a play just now. They love it. Their rehearsals are on Thursday and Sunday, so it is quite a time commitment, but the productions are produced and directed with high standards, so the training is excellent. Of course, they love the productions. Their lives are busy.

October 1, 2008. Chevy Chase, Md. Baseball Playoffs.

I love post season Baseball. For some reason that I don't understand, I never watch baseball during the regular season, perhaps because Ken does not enjoy watching baseball. But he is somewhat interested in the World Series, and as I love to watch the post season games, we often watch a lot of the games. My Father was always keen on baseball, and I believe kept track of who was winning and losing through the season. But it was my teachers in grades six, seven and eight who really got me hooked on the World Series. I attended Edith Cavell School in Vancouver during those grades. It was a small school, with excellent teachers. There was only one class in each grade. One teacher, Mr. Clark taught the seventh grade and Mr. Bowering taught the eighth grade and also was the Vice Principal. These two teachers taught Math and Science, and the whole World Series season was kept on the radio all day. We calculated all the stats for all the players. We discussed the strategy for the Managers. We discovered all the scientific facts available about Baseball. It was a lot of fun. Of course we learned a lot of math and science too. Both those teachers went on to become very successful careers as Principals in High Schools, in fact Mr. Bowering was the principal of the school that my friend Beverley attended, Gladstone School. So my love with The World Series all started when the games were played during the day and we listened to the games on the radio. That were never happen today. No teacher would be allowed to leave the radio on for the students, letting us hear the games, and no games are ever held during the daytime during the week.

In those years, the competition was between the Yankees and Dodgers, of course both in New York. Right now I am half listening to the game between the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers, but I can not get interested in the Dodgers, even tho they have a great Manager. I would like to see Boston and Chicago meet in the World Series. I have already figured out that I have a problem. We go to Texas on the thirteenth of October. We have no TV at the lake or the ranch. Horrors. Then we go to Mexico for a two week period, and I am wondering if the condo will have the series on the TV. My goodness, the problems in my life are frightful!!