Our car is getting a much needed bath and vacuum at Canopy - they do an excellent job!

Testing my new mobile set-up. Love mobile access.

Christmas House 2009

Here are the pictures from our house on Christmas Day.

Clearing Snow from the Deck

Cynthia and I cleared the deck of snow before the next wave expected later this afternoon!

Charter

Starting last Friday we had a problem with our Internet access. It died and nothing we did following instructions from the Charter phone service helped. After having no connection all weekend, it came back on Monday morning. We thought all was well, but no service again on Monday night - frustrating! We scheduled a tech to come, but of course, he couldn't come until Wednesday morning. Maurice came and changed the modem; we were connected and thought all was well, but alas, we came home from work, and no service. We scheduled another visit for Thursday morning, this one thought we had a problem with our Macintosh computers connecting - WHAT?!? Our second tech on Thursday was scheduled to drop off a new cable box for our TV, and this cable guy knew what to do. Apparently, there is a sequence that has to be followed when replacing the modem : Unplug wireless router, turn Airport off, replug wireless router (WAN solid and Internet Blinking fast), then turn on Airport. We learned something new!! No problems! The moment of truth will be tomorrow morning!

Family

Happy birthday to my sister, Marcia, today. We had a good talk this morning catching up on our lives. Family is important in our lives. Our adult children are in Greenville, SC, Owatonna, MN, Fort Lauderdale, FL, Mankato, MN, Janesville, MN, and Owatonna, MN (in that order :-). Andy will be heading to Watertown, WI this coming week for his senior year at Maranatha Baptist Bible College. We will miss going to his football games, since we're involved at our new school with a totally different schedule. You can be assured we'll be perusing all the football pictures once the season begins.

Oscar and Peyton begin school after Labor Day in Minnesota, and they are buying school supplies in anticipation of new schools. Oscar will go to an all-day kindergarten in Waseca near Tricia's workplace and Peyton will begin 5th grade at McKinley Elementary School near our home in Owatonna. She had attended Washington Elementary School from K5-4, but when they moved to our home, she had to transfer to the neighborhood school and she'll do fine.

I also had a great visit with my sister, Darlene, this morning and caught up on her family. What a glorious day! I'm sure by day's end, I will call my mother to get her updates on my 97-year-old Great Aunt Edith living nearby in a care facility. What a span of generations.

Now off to lunch with friends in anticipation of a new week.

Cousins and Siblings

My cousin, Brenda, just posted a July 4, 1959 photograph showing several of us on the porch swing at the Crane Farm in Orleans, Indiana. The family reunions at the farm were wonderful playing games with our cousins, going to the barn with Grandpa Crane to milk the cows, and feeding the pigs. Grandma Crane always had lots of sweet tea and persimmon pudding plus lots of other food. I remember playing croquet after all food supplies were put away and then my dad, Roy Crane, would walk around the house on his hands to our delight! What great memories. Darlene and Marcia are my sisters, Nathan is my brother, and Brenda and Deborah are my cousins.
(L-R) Nancy Crane McGuire, Nathan Crane, Brenda Chastain Shepple, Marcia Crane Schmuck, Deborah Crane Barrows, and Darlene Crane Sylvia.