I didn't have much on my calendar for today, and it's a good thing, because I was busy all day.  First the phone rang before 8 this morning.  I hate it when that happens.  It's usually not good news.  Our 7 year old grand-daughter had a bad toothache, and her mom had to go to work and wondered if I could take her to the dentist.  Her mom has the papers to apply for medical help for the 2 girls.  It's called Hoosier Healthwise here.  However she hadn't completed filling them out yet.   We don't have any dentists in our town who will take those patients.  The closest one is about 30 miles away.  Hubby was willing to drive us there.  (I haven't driven out of town since I had my stroke.)   I could but I'd rather not.   Also I have a slight amount of glaucoma, so I prefer to drive in town.  I don't drive at night either.

Ella has been to the dentist several times before.  She was a good little patient.  The only time she complained was when she had to bite down on those little pieces of cardboard for some Xrays.  They seemed to think it was just some food stuck between her teeth, so all they did was floss there, and clean.  Afterwards we had to stop and get her a milkshake.  Hubby drove us home and I gave her some lunch, then I took her back to school.  I also dropped off some things at her house, including the rest of her milkshake.  It was a large one, and she wanted to finish it later.  Then I went to Aldi's to pick up a few groceries for tomorrow's birthday lunch for the 3 older  girls.  As soon as I got home my daughter who lives next door called to say the tree man was coming and she had to leave to go pick up her daughter at school.  So I put my jacket back on and went next door to see what the man had to say about the trees.  I think we are going to have 3 of them cut down in early Spring.  They are so tall and hang over the 2nd floor bedroom where our grand-daughter sleeps.

Oh, I almost forgot.  I had to make several phone calls.  Tried to reach our renters, did reach the plumber/handyman who is going to fix the leak under the house.  It's not only leaking, it's pouring!  The water bills should run around $20. or $30.   Last month's  bill was $124. and the one that came in the mail today is $178!  It will be an expensive fix, but it Has to be done.

So that was my day.  Also I fixed supper for my mom, husband and me and did the dishes, and baked a chocolate cake (box mix) for tomorrow's party.  And I swept leaves out of the garage.  Now I'm writing to all of you.  Next I'm going to read my book for a few minutes, then go to bed.  I think I'll read my Bible too.  I need it after today.  Hope tomorrow will be a bit easier and more fun.  Happy weekend to all.

As I have said before during previous election campaigns.  "I GO POGO."  I wish Pogo Possum really were running.  He had a lot more sense in his little toe than a lot of our politicians.   I guess possums have toes.  I've never looked at one that closely.  Pogo was an unusual possum.  Most of them in our neighborhood are pretty stupid.  We see them dead on the roads.  Anyway, this post is supposed to be about voting, not possums, real or imaginary.  So GO VOTE!

I think I spelled that right.  Piroque is the French word for a dugout canoe.  The Sango language may have a different word for it now.  They keep adding new words to the trade language.  (I guess we Americans do too, especially in regard to computers.)   Anyway, these canoes are incredibly sturdy.    I never rode a long distance in one, but our friends did.  They lived in the northern part of Congo, and would come up to the capital of the Central African Republic to shop.  We were going to go with them to visit in their home.  At that time we had 4 children, the youngest just a baby.  I look back now, and think we must have been crazy.  A day or days on a river with 4 young children!  I guess we were just young and foolish.  We never got to go because my husband got sick, and after that there was no time.  It probably was a blessing although we didn't think so at the time.

The girl in the blue dress on the right is our oldest girl. The little boy in the middle is our oldest boy.
The man with the white hair on the right was our mission Doctor. He and his wife, Ada, spent most of their lives in Africa. He studied medicine in Paris. His wife was a teacher. While he was studying she spent her time in the parks with her children, and learned the French language from the other moms there with their children.  She learned it so well that people referred to them as the American Dr. with the French wife. They lived in Africa during WW 11. They were not able to go to the states for furlough, so they went to So. Africa for awhile.  Ada made all her childrens' clothes during that time, including underwear and even shoes.
Here we are getting in the piroque to cross the river. I'm on the far left. The man standing up is Ed, a fellow missionary, and still a good friend of ours today. The others are the Dr. and our 2 older children. I'm not sure where our youngest was at the time.  She must have been with her daddy.  We were waiting for the rest to get in the boat.

We did sit down once everyone was in the canoe.
The next picture is one my husband took when he and a Swiss missionary went to the east of the country to sell Bibles and Scripture portions.  They didn't give them away, but sold them very cheaply. The idea was that the people would treasure them more if they paid something for them.  The man in the middle of the picture was the Swiss missionary.  The men beside him were soldiers.  Photographing soldiers was not allowed, but these men were happy to pose. Across the river is the country of Sudan. It is hard to believe the suffering that has gone on in those countries since that time, and still continues today.

First we had 2 trick or treaters come, both of them grand-children.  Then we had a mom and 2 children that we didn't know. The mom had a sack for candy too.  I asked who it was for, thinking she maybe had a sick child at home.  She said "for me."  I said "Oh, OK"  and gave her some.  We had plenty.  That was a first for me.  Last  we had 2 great grand-children.  The older one was a tooth fairy, the little one was a tooth.
So cute!  Their mom made the tooth costume out of an old sheet.  That's their daddy dressed as a hunter sitting in the chair.  That's not really much of a costume for him.

The little tooth was adorable. She walked around in that costume just like it wasn't there. Once she fell over backwards and didn't hurt herself at all because she was so well padded. She's only 15 months old. I tried to get a picture of the 2 of them together, but they wouldn't hold still long enough.  I'll show it to you anyway.

Someone said their mom should have dressed as a toothbrush, but she didn't think of that. This is what she looked like.

The next night was the annual fish fry that our son-in-law has.  He fishes all year long and freezes the fish.  Then he invites everyone he knows to a fish fry.  They live next door to us. It was a success. Lots of people came. The food was good. There was enough fish. No one fell into either of the ponds. No one got burnt by the campfire out front or the bonfire out back. No one got too drunk that I noticed.  (Of course, we left early.)  I was really tired so went to bed even though the band in the garage was still playing.  After I lay there awhile  listening to the boom of the drums and the bass, I remembered that I had ear plugs. So I put them in, lay down on my side, put a little pillow on the exposed ear, and went right to sleep.