OldnMNNorth

It Never Really Ends!

2009-02-15T11:40:00.006-06:00

On the 6th my lovely wife and I escaped from home on a marriage retreat. I'm not sure why it's called a retreat, there was some work involved. After almost 4 years of separation in a 32 year marriage it was a pleasant respite from the day to day routine. The work part was to discover some new ways to approach the inevitable conflicts of the daily rubbing elbows with a loving spouse and children still at home. Determined to not make the same old problematic mistakes that led to our separation, I was more that willing to take on this little break from home. It was a great weekend, good food, good fellowship and an absolutely heart warming time with my wife. God is gracious and far more patient with me that I deserve. I know that is only through His grace that my family put up with me for all these years. A lot of the issues still remain, but He has given me the grace to look before I leap. For me, I wish all of this would have happened sooner, NIKKI!!, but I understand that God's timing is perfect and out of trials come strength, and I know that He has given me a bunch. He has given me some insights that I pray that I will use to His glory and my happiness. All of these years of sitting under John Piper's teaching has paid off. I am finally seeing some of the joy that comes from glorifying God. Who would have thunk that praying with my wife before bed would bring such joy? All I can do is sing and praise him with what time I have left in this life and wait in anticipation to see what He has in store for me.

His servant,
Dennis

Long Over Due!

2009-02-02T21:11:00.002-06:00

Where do you start when your whole old life changes? If I was as good with words as my wife and my oldest daughter, I would have no problem at all.
For the past 3 years, or so, my beautiful wife, of 32 years and I have been separated. Living at different addresses, had different phone numbers, and for the most part different lives. Lots of reasons for the split, too much talking not enough listening. We both said that if this marriage was to continue God would have to put it back together. Did we challange God? I don't know, all I know is that, in His own time He did just that. During the 3 years he worked on both of our hearts, taught us to wait on Him and WOW!! Really none of the cercumstances have changed, just our ability and wanting to solve them. Puting Him first over all other things, approaching all our mutual decisions with love and patience. If the vertical relationship is in place, all other things just seem to fit together. This weekend, my bride and I, we are off to a marriage retreat, to perhaps learn how to keep this going another 30 years and also have fellowship with other married folks. Enough said for now.

Later.. Dennis

RISK!!

2008-10-06T11:57:00.002-05:00

It has been a long time since my last post. I thought it was time for something of worth!

C.S. Lewis wrote on courage in The Screwtape Letters:

Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means, at the point of highest reality.
A chastity or honesty or mercy which yields to danger will be chaste or honest or merciful only on conditions.
Pilate was merciful till it became risky. (137-8)

John Piper wrote on risk in Don’t Waste Your Life:

Risk is right. And the reason is not because God promises success to all our ventures in his cause. There is no promise that every effort for the cause of God will succeed, at least not in the short run. John the Baptist risked calling King Herod an adulterer when he divorced his own wife in order to take his brother’s wife. For this John got his head chopped off. And he had done right to risk his life for the cause of God and truth. Jesus had no criticism for him, only the highest praise (Matthew 11:11).

Paul risked going up to Jerusalem to complete his ministry to the poor. He was beaten and thrown in prison for two years and then shipped off to Rome and executed there two years later. And he did right to risk his life for the cause of Christ. How many graves are there in Africa and Asia because thousands of young missionaries were freed by the power of the Holy Spirit from the enchantment of security and then risked their lives to make much of Christ among the unreached peoples of the world!

And now what about you? Are you caught in the enchantment of security, paralyzed from taking any risks for the cause of God? Or have you been freed by the power of the Holy Spirit from the mirage of Egyptian safety and comfort? Do you men ever say with Joab, “For the sake of the name, I’ll try it! And may the Lord do what seems good to him”? Do you women ever say with Esther, “For the sake of Christ, I’ll try it! And if I perish, I perish”? (89-90)

We also do not have to go far to know the mind of God on risk and courage. One example of many is Hebrews 11:35-39:

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For,

Yet a little while,
and the coming one will come and will not delay;
but my righteous one shall live by faith,
and if he shrinks back,
my soul has no pleasure in him.

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

Summer?

2008-05-29T16:57:00.004-05:00

Here it has been two months since the last of my irrelevant babbles. Time sure does fly when you are not involved with anything of worth. Here in MN the summer just does not seem to want to take hold. A nice day, a couple of rainy uncomfortable days and then an OK day. I guess I shouldn't complain, all too soon, I suppose, it will stay at 90 and my shorts will melt. I'll really be in a fix then.
The working hours have picked up a little, the company picked up some charter school summer routes, that may run over into the school year next year. But, I really enjoy my short weeks. The older I get the more rest I seem to need. More aches and pains than last year, my back is still not good and my knees are giving me some grief. Come July I need to have my eyes checked, the vision has been getting worse. Unfortunately, since the cataract surgery and the retinal surgery, there is only so much that can be done. The left eye can only be corrected to 20/40, if it gets any worse, I can't legally drive anymore. Well, I guess there is always disability!

Later....

And the Light Bulb Comes ON!

2008-03-23T10:36:00.003-05:00

Having been born in 1947 and growing up in the 50's, 60's and 70's I listened to a lot of, what is now known as classic rock n' roll.But I just listened to it not paying much attention to who the group was or who was in it, except for a few. Now I spend a lot of time at answers.com checking on people who's name rings a bell. I learned, along with many others, that a lot of the mega stars of today started out as members of other bands and groups many years ago. Some were studio musicians and song writers for others and a few recorded their own material.
This blurb was triggered by Creature's finding out some history about Waylon Jennings and Buddy Holly. Some others with an interesting history are: Kris Kristopherson, Paul Anka, Roger Miller, Kenny Rogers and Willie Nelson. If you check out the history of many recording artists you may find some surprises linking song writers and performers.

Later.....

SICK and WHINEY!!!

2008-02-28T20:22:00.002-06:00

I hate being sick. Somewhere in the rule book it should say that we grow out of this sort of thing. Yesterday, on Wednesday afternoon, I started really feeling bad. In addition to the slight cold that I have had for a few days I started feeling crampy and bloated. At first I thought it was just that time of the month but then I remembered that I am male. Just like me to look for a quick way out. By the time I got home I had to run for the bathroom. Just a terrible mess! Everything I ate magically transformed into a baby type of liquid and didn't want to stay in me very long. It has been a little tough taking the meds when I wasn't sure if they would stay there long enough to do any good. Today, in the evening, things are a little better I've been able to retain some toast for a while, but I still don't dare be too far from the little room. Needless to say I have taken a few days off, hopefully back to work on Monday. MasterQ caught the cold!

later

Sports again?

2008-02-13T10:13:00.002-06:00

Richfield girls were at it again in hockey last night. It's probably a night they would want to forget. The were matched up against Blake HS and Blake girls were really on their game. The score does not represent how well Richfield played but, they lost the sectional playoff game. See some you next season and we will be cheering for you all!

Later

#3

2008-02-10T21:16:00.000-06:00

Richfield boys varsity hockey won 3-2!

later

#2

2008-02-09T11:33:00.000-06:00

It's still winter here, we have had some good weather lately. Mid 20's and very little wind, but that is about to change. The prediction is for the wind to pick up and the temp to drop. WIND CHILL!!!! I wouldn't mind so much except that I walk to work and I am there more often. One charter driver quit and another got himself fired so the issue of # of hours available is not an issue. But there is an issue! Around here it's feast or famine. Instead of 20-25 hours it's 40-50, just no happy medium. I think I just need something to bitch about.
On another note, I saw Creature playing hockey last night. In my charter travels I get to transport high schools teams to games. Last night I transported Richfield H.S. girls to Parade Ice to play St. Louis Park. The St. Louis Park #21 sure looked like Creature. About six feet tall, red hair back in a pony tail, and pretty much the same physique. Boy did I have to retake about 4 times. She also got 4 penalties, Yup that was Creature! Never put blades on this girls feet and a club in her hands!! Richfield won 4-2 GOOD TIME. Tonight I take the Richfield boys to West St. Paul, hope they do as well

Later....

New Year....

2008-01-02T13:22:00.000-06:00

To end, the old year, spent Christmas eve and day at MasterQ and Creature's mom's(pictures coming). It wasn't an event that makes the top of the list, but it was better than being alone on the holiday. I now understand why the holidays are sometimes the worst time of the year for some. Spending time with family and friends is a time to be treasured and kept as.....It's terrible when one loses one's cho-cho of thought!!! The KIDS got some new toys, always good, and Me, I got what I think I wanted?!? And Creature got a cute fuzzy TN CREATURE, that I saw in my dream!! (flicker)! Baby cows? If this sounds nonsensical, it is, unless you can put a couple of blogs together. Creature knows...
It is a little nippy here today, this morn, -4. It's about a +15 right now. What I would give for TN temps.
Bought a couple of audio books yesterday. One online that I am listening to today and one that is coming in the mail. Both are Stephen King's. The one with the headphones is the first installment of The Dark Tower (The Gunslinger), the one on the way is Cell. I enjoy some reading, but having to use over the counter reading glasses, my eyes get tired, so I tried this option. I found an inexpensive way to download books to itunes, that if I bought them from the book stores was expensive, $7.49 compared to @ $30. Then if I want them to be more portable I can always burn them to CD.
Enough rambling.....

later..........

Another Year Shot!!

2007-12-03T22:23:00.000-06:00

A sure sign of the season, sidewalks full of stuff that is hard to walk through, lots of cars being towed away because they are in the way of the big trucks trying to get close to the curbs.

This time of year and the high price of fuel just reinforces the decision to go carless this past year. It's a little tiring walking down the unshoveled sidewalks, but I guess I need to toughen up a bit. This past Saturday we got about 5 inches of new snow here in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, just a taste of what may come. I should be thankful, Grand Marais, on the north shore of Lake Superior, got 24 inches. Tomorrow, on Tuesday, the forecast calls for another storm to materialize around midday through the evening rush hour, should be interesting. I'm not too concerned, I have held a commercial drivers license for more than 30 years and have been driving since I was 16, I'm now 60, but it's the others out there that scare me. Most people still drive bumper to bumper and are either going too fast or too slow, both are a danger. Of course, the main problem is that most are in too much of a hurry to get where they may never get. After driving, for a living, for so many years, you learn that you just have to be patient if you are to get where you are going at all. There is something to be said for leaving early and not hurrying. Just accept the fact that we are not in control and we may be late!

Now that I have that off my shoulders, I'm done.

The Continuing Saga

2007-11-12T10:46:00.000-06:00

I had mentioned last time that I was doing some research on my family history. The contact that I had made in Sweden ended up being very fruitful. I was able to get information on both my Grandfather and Grandmother on my Father's side of the family. A distant relative sent me info dating back to the 1600's, it is quite interesting, we're still mostly a bunch of farmers, but it has been interesting to see what they had to go through to get to the US.
Last Sunday I took a little road trip to the northern part of the state to roam some cemeteries, searching for grave stones. Boy was I Unprepared for the time involved. Lots of walking up and down the rows. I had some information, but not enough. Next time a lot more research needs to be done. Perhaps I'll live long enough to see the task through, If not I'm hoping my daughter, Amy, will take up the banner. She, so far, has been the only one showing some interest in this task. I traced my wife's family back to England and the 1600's all she said was ok.
The reduction of work hours has, I guess, been a small blessing as I have been able to spend a little more time on the geneology search than I would have if I was working 40 hours. And just when I thought I had finished getting all of the family pictures into the computer, my sister, Marie, gave me three albums of old black and white pics that my Dad had taken.. I'm at it again!!!

Soon....

PAY ATTENTION!!

2007-10-09T11:32:00.000-05:00

Didn't pay close enough attention to the schedule for today, got up early and went to work. What I thought was a 10:00 start was in reality a 2:15 start. Walked back home and got in the computer.
The last few months I have been researching the family tree. Being an old history buff it has been a great direction for that interest. A lot of the information that I have, was handed down to me from others, on my Mom's side of the family. It was a great start, but I found that information varies a great deal, depending on which side of the family it comes from. I discovered a great site, Ancestry.com, and in using this site I have run into family that I did not know exsisted. Most of the family still resides in MN but I also made contact in Oklahoma and New York. My Mom's side of the family was fairly easy to find info on, my Father's side has been another story all together. All of the previous generation has passed on so no first hand information is available. I did make a contact through Ancestry in Sweden that may prove to be informative, I can only wait and see.
I also have been scanning into the computer, all of the boxes of pictures I have accumulated over the years. If I had realized what a chore it was going to be I probably would have paid someone else to do it. It is not only time consuming but tedious. The only saving grace is that I have Photoshop Elements to ease the task. I think my daughter is about to end my life because of the amount of time I spend on the computer.
Enough chatter for now.
Later...

1966 GTO at Minnesota Dragways Coon Rapids, MN

New OLD Challenge

2007-09-10T03:01:00.000-05:00

Didn't think that I would have to do this again (job search). At my age it's not the most desirable activity. Working for someone else you always run the risk of pissing someone off. The boss sets some perameters concerning the job and whenever he feels like, he changes them. Sometimes you can adapt, but it gets a little crazy when he doesn't tell you! So... Today I get to make some phone calls, it's not like I have a lot of choices on what to do, but you do the best you can. Guess that I should have made better choices years ago. Too late to cry over spilled beer! Anyone know of a decent paying driving job? Keep you all posted!

Later...

TimeFly

2007-09-02T04:17:00.000-05:00

WOW! Labor Day weekend....
Notice how when you are young the time seems to crawl because you want to grow up and as you get older things seem to speed up? When you get to the other end of the rope (the frayed end!) it would be great if things would stay SLOW.
Oh well, the sand is running out of the glass so it really is 3/4 empty not 3/4 Full. That is a bummer, there is a lot more I'd like to screw up!!
Later...

getting started

2007-08-18T11:02:00.000-05:00

This is something new for me. I'm used to an AGE of other forms of communication and also my keyboard skills are not the best. CREATURE'S skills are better. I thought I'd try my hand at this for a while.
It's raining here today, an unusual thing for this summer, it's been hot and very dry in the north for some time and the ground needs it. The plan was to go to the video store today but that may change, it just depends on how much wetness I can put up with. I guess I can look for the umbrella, but it is awkward on the bus... Is this boring or what?
Later.