thankful...

Praise GOD from whom all blessings flow…we are still living in the beautiful mile high hamlet of Strawberry – over 4 years now since Tom retired.  Last August I was allowed to retire TOO, at least from the daily Post Office job.  USPS decided to close our Strawberry Post Office, so I just answer the phone for reservations at The RiversResort.com and go to Pinecrest to pick up the mail. 

NEW ADDRESS:  PO Box 1279

PINECREST CA  95364

Tom got busy and rebuilt the former Post Office to be our OFFICE and guest room.  Thanks to a spare futon from son Tom the grandkids have two places to sleep at Grandma and Grandpa’s house – the futon in our living room and the futon in the OFFICE.  The “pantry” is now the “Japanese Hallway” - Thanks to the silk paintings from one of Tom’s many trips to Japan, a dark blue half curtain and our 1,000 cranes from Takane, our exchange student from Kyoto one of the summers that Kathleen was in High School. 

Kathleen is coming for Thanksgiving from her new home in Boise ID where she will be doing her internship and licensing as she earns her Master’s Degree in Counseling.  We were able to see her new location in June when we took some boxes that wouldn’t fit in her car when she made the cross-country move.  It was only a days drive from the Griffin’s 50^th Anniversary Celebration in Salem OR.   And a very pretty drive through a section of OR that we had not visited – Sisters & Ontario.

Grandson Brandon is working on his Senior Year at Long Barn High School and splits wood and hopefully shovels snow for the Resort after school.  Miss Ashleigh is an 8^th grader at Summerville Elementary and doing quite well with her grades.  Cassidy is pastry chef and chief baker at the Casino in Tuolumne, and Joey and Tom both work at Amazon in Tracy – different departments.

Our first great grandson – Lane Robert-Michael Lema – arrived on Nov 7^th to join Amy and Wyatt and their two doggies.  Lane was 8 lbs 2 oz and all of you on Facebook, by friending Amy Weathers, can see LOTS of photos.  Personally, I cannot remember how to post photos, maybe Kathleen can show me when she is here!  He is an adorable and sweet baby – eats, sleeps, poops and has his parents wrapped around his pinkie!

Joe Poley, Allan’s oldest, has THREE adorable little girls along with his wife Marisa.  They came right up on Tuesday last week to greet Amy and Wyatt’s little one.  Her brother Tom was not far behind – we remarked that the reason the parking lot at the Sonora Hospital was so FULL that day was because everyone came to see LANE, Amy and Wyatt!!  Grandpa Allan had to drive his logging truck that day but was there before nightfall – we pulled up some “baby Allan” pictures and Lane bears quite a resemblance to his Grandpa. 

Our other excitement this Fall was surgery on Tom’s cataracts – both eyes two weeks apart with three eye doctor checkups each.  We decided that the closing of the Post Office was a blessing, just trying to do all the doctors, dentists, hearing specialists for me…we must be in that “falling apart” stage of life!!  “One day at a time, sweet Jesus, one day at a time!” 

MUCH to be THANKFUL for this season and we include you all in that thought!!  Have yourself a BLESSED Christmas and the best of LIFE in 2018.