I heard a lady talking on the news about a condition called “phone phobia.” She is charging $480.00 per hour to train millenials to talk on the phone instead of relying solely on texting to communicate with friends, family, and business associates.

I had to stop and think about that for a minute…

I have a phone phobia! I hate to talk on the phone. If I call you instead of texting, it’s a real emergency. I will type paragraphs before I will pick up the phone and call someone. If I miss a call, I text and ask if you really meant to call me. I text my kids, my husband, who is sitting across the room, and my friends. I know you can’t text a landline, but every now and then, I try.

So why am I phone phobic?

In my work life, the phone was the bane of my existence. I spent a huge amount of my day returning calls. It was hard to work in the time to take care of the things that I promised to do during those phone conversations. A call from a customer meant there was a problem. We had cell phones, but there was no texting back then. If you’re talking to someone who has a problem, they sometimes restate the issue several times. In a text, they only type it once.

A big part of aging is there is less memory to go around. If I have information in a text, I can refer back to it. If I’m told something in a phone conversation, I won’t remember it long enough to repeat it. I might even think I heard you wrong or missed important details. Worse than that, I might call you up and tell you what you just told me because I forgot it was you who called. I might argue with you when you try to challenge me on the details. This is not going to be easy, is it? I’m starting to hyperventilate just thinking about it.

Nevertheless, I’m going to try to do better. I really do miss the sound of my children’s voices. I think it’s difficult sometimes to read the intended tone into a text conversation. Are they angry, kidding, happy, or sad? Did spell-check change that word? Oh no, spell-check changed my word and I didn’t notice. I once told Cuz Val that Gus had to quarterback for 2 weeks. Spell-check changed quarantine to quarterback. (He had been exposed to covid.) She said, “What team? I’ll be sure and watch!”

I will make it a point to call more rather than texting, but I can’t promise not to be relieved if I get your voicemail.

I guess this will be a New Year’s resolution. I’ve got this! I’ll focus on overcoming my phone phobia rather than eating healthy and exercising. I can only handle one issue at a time.

Anyway, call me sometime…but you might want to follow-up with an email.

I have been binging on all of the Hallmark Christmas movies again. I love them because I know I won’t be offended, and I know the story will have a happy ending. The main character, sometimes a guy and other times a girl, always leaves the big city that they have become disillusioned with, and returns to their quaint and beautiful hometown where their high school girlfriend or boyfriend still resides. Even though they are now in their 30’s, neither of them has ever been married, or if one of them was married, their spouse has died and left them with a darling little girl or boy who is now around 7ish. After being called back to the big city because the offer they thought was dead in the water becomes available, they realize that they can’t go through with accepting the amazing job, and return home to live happily ever after with the reignited flame.

Here is what attracts me to these movies. The towns are always beautifully decorated for Christmas. Everyone has a quaint, but large home that is also beautifully decorated. The residents are interesting and the whole town always plans a lot of festivities during the Christmas season. The main characters always dress in expensive and stylish clothes, and the scenery is always breathtaking. It may not be real life drama, but it sure is fun to live vicariously through these people who are usually people of faith. It’s all very heartwarming. It increases my Christmas spirit and makes me happy.

I have wonderful Christmas memories of my own childhood, and the years my children were growing up. Each year we make new memories. I have been around for 70 Christmases and to me there is no more magical time. The Christmas story is so beautiful and the decorations and bright lights are awesome.

I think people are more inclined to be generous during the holidays as they are reminded of those who are unable to make Christmas festivities happen without the help of others. I think many become more aware of the needs of all of the orphaned and homeless animals. People contribute as much as they possibly can to whatever cause tugs at their heartstrings the most. There are so many worthy organizations that desperately need help. Many people come through, and many goals are reached.

Jesus chose to use people when He fed the multitudes. He could’ve made food appear from thin air or turned rocks into bread, but ordinary people made their resources available to Him, and thus, the needs of a multitude were met. Despite the small amount of fish and bread He had to start with, Jesus turned it into something remarkable. This is so encouraging to me because there are times when I feel that what I have to offer is pitifully sparse. Praise God that He can take our small contributions and turn them into exactly what is needed for that moment. There is always more that can be done to make more happy endings, but the spirit of giving that began with the gift of Jesus is pretty inspiring… Don’t you think?

Enjoy the beauty of this Christmas season, and let us all welcome the promise of a brand New Year.

We hope you enjoy viewing this as much as we did recording it. Merry Christmas from Pat and Jerry and Kip and Mary

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There is nothing that Yram Sicnarf enjoys more than cooking up a holiday feast for her family. Here she shares one of her most talked about recipes. Yram’s main goal in life is to make it into Jones County’s next Treasured Recipes Book. The last one was printed in 1976 and will surely be reprised and updated in 2026…Right? Yram still has her copy of the Bicentennial Collection and also the copy she inherited from her mother. (Loretta had not one, but two recipes in the book.) Yram has tried repeatedly to make her mother’s recipe for lemon bars, but they never quite seem to come out the way her mom’s did. Could she have possibly left out a key ingredient? An ingredient lapse can flat ruin a delectable dish.

Let’s put our hands together and welcome, Yram Sicnarf (stage name) who has invited us into her home for this one of a kind pumpkin biscuit demo.

Spoiler alert! The bracelet Yram proudly displays in the video belonged to her Aunt Irma Sanderson. Thank you, Cousin Mark for the best Christmas surprise, ever.

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I went to see my friends, Pat and Jerry Davis, yesterday with the intention of recording Jerry reading a Grandma June and Grandpa Jim Christmas poem. After we completed that project, we started talking about other things and other songs. I think you will enjoy what I was able to record…

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On at least two occasions, Jolly old St Nicholas brought used merchandise to my house. I think I know why. He is a wise Santa and he knew the thing I just had to have was only a momentary desire that would pass in a flash…hardly worth the investment of the new version of whatever I had my heart set on.

There is a very good reason why I can’t sew, knit, iron, cook, or clean house. Murdo High School did not offer a home economics class. Believe me…the world is full of challenges if you are one of the unfortunate few like me, who was never availed the opportunity to take home economics.

The funny thing is…I wasn’t embarrassed or offended when I got something used. Once I got a pre-owned sewing machine. It was a real clunker, too. I remember setting it up on a big table in the open area of the basement house. I also remember sitting there with my dress pattern, my pink fabric and a zipper, wondering what to do next. Mom had asked me if I wanted some help. I soon regretted my impulsive answer. “I can do it by myself!! There’s nothing to it!”

After sitting there for a while and ripping out several misplaced rows of stitches, I decided being a seamstress was not my calling. Mom made me stick with it and even got our neighbor, Roni Poppe, to try and teach me how a sewing machine worked. I think Mom was still smarting because Mrs. Theisen told my cousins and me that the Sanderson girls never did learn how to do anything useful. I finally finished the pink dress. I never could get one of the sleeves in correctly. I had to hold one arm back like I was about to throw a bowling ball for it to hang right.

Mom sold the pink bowling dress at a rummage sale.

Thankfully, I was able to teach myself how to make chocolate chip cookies.

I’m not sure about what happened to that used sewing machine. The table it sat on was in the way everywhere you went in the house. Maybe Mom sold it with the bowling dress.

The next used thing I got was a stereo. That probably should have been new, but at the time, I didn’t question why Santa decided to find me a good used one. I’m sure he runs across good used stuff all of the time. It only had a few scratches and it was on a new stand with rollers. I think my parents regretted Santa’s choice, because it was a year before I could afford to get any new albums. I got two from Billy for Christmas and I played them over and over again. One was the Kingston Trio and the other was Ray Charles. For some reason I really got attached to his song, “I’m Busted.” Not so long ago, I even sang it at Gus’ American Legion Club karaoke night. I knew the words, but apparently, they didn’t have the music in my key. You don’t get a do-over at the American Legion, anyway.

It’s been fun to reminisce about Santa’s second hand gifts. I guess I come by my enjoyment of shopping at resale stores, honestly. Mom used to bring me things she purchased at garage sales. She told me she only went to those in RICH neighborhoods. I appreciated that. It must be difficult to find people who live in RICH neighborhoods who feel the need to get rid of things for a dollar.

I vowed to write a first at last. I’d never done this in the past.

I thought there would be nothing to it. It seemed like anyone could do it.

I brought my family all together, so we could write a Christmas letter.

I read those I’d received from others. Written with love by grandmas or mothers.

I said,

“These can be a great example, but our own exciting times are ample.”

One friend’s son has lots of knowledge. He’s only ten and goes to college.

I asked.

“Who has something that compares?” All I saw were empty stares.

My son read,

“This mom said she lost a ton. Now she out-runs everyone.”

A daughter said,

“Mom don’t be sad. look at all the fun you had, eating donuts, pies, and cake.

Who needs to run for heaven’s sake?”

Ignoring her I forged ahead. “Let’s write about our trips instead.”

“Do I have a volunteer to highlight our time-off last year?”

“You said we’d soon be on vacation, and then you changed it to staycation.

Instead of seeing Disneyland and building castles in the sand…

We stayed right here in our own house and drew pictures of Mickey Mouse.”

Had I been overconfident? There must be one accomplishment.

“Did anyone get to school on time, clean their room or solve a crime?”

(They were reading others news and it was giving them the blues.)

I said,

“Let’s not continue this. We’ll send pretty cards this Christmas.”

“We should not antagonize all those with less exciting lives.”

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

In light of the wonderful family stories my cousin, Valerie, has written and shared on our blog, I decided this would be a good time to once again share with you, Our Magical Christmas Eve…I hope it warms your heart and inspires you to reflect on your own favorite childhood Christmas celebrations. I intended to include the poem in writing as well as the recording, but I couldn’t find it.

It all started out as planned…

Kip and I decided to go to San Antonio for a couple of days. There is a company there that has a showroom displaying RV furniture. Since at some point we plan to become fulltime RVers, we thought it would be a good idea to actually go where we can see what kind of selections the different manufacturers have to offer. We want the very best don’t ya know.

We loaded Nellie and Rylie into the Jeep and got an early start. When we were a little over halfway, we found a nice big field where the dogs could run. They are still youngsters so we try to wear them out that way. They love it and can really cover the ground.

When we got to New Braunfels, we stopped at a little café for lunch where we enjoyed some delicious sandwiches in their outside courtyard. The day was going great! A couple of hours later, got to the showroom where we were helped by a very nice lady who gave us all the time we needed and answered all of our questions.

We told her we must have a double recliner with a center piece that when folded up, the whole couch is flat…See picture. The arms have to be wide and cushioned. We want the dogs to be comfortable. We also need the lounge type rather than one that has a footstool design…See picture.

The nice lady didn’t have exactly what we wanted and we didn’t feel the types of leather she showed us would be durable enough for the dogs. She handed us some information on things she could special order and then showed us the door. We were glad we had gotten an early start because she said they were closing earlier than planned that day…hmm.

Next, we went to find a motel room for the night. We didn’t need anything fancy so we stopped at a motel 6. Kip went in and came right back out. “They aren’t dog friendly.” he said.

Next we went to a Fairfield by Marriot. It looked nicer, anyway. Kip came right back out. “Weren’t they dog friendly?” I asked. “Not really,” he said as he got back into the Jeep. “They wanted $75.00 per dog for the night.”

“Good grief!” I said. “How much did they want for people?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “I didn’t get that far.”

We got stuck in traffic while driving to a Super 8. This time Kip called ahead and found out they did accept dogs and it was only $40 per night, per dog. When I went inside, the place didn’t look so good to me. When I asked the person if I could see the room, she said, “no!”

Down the street a little ways was a La Quinta so we went there. We were hoping that stop #4 would be more accommodating than Motel 6 and Motel 8 had been. It had not even been a deposit they wanted. It was what they charged extra per night for dogs. I told Kip we should have said they’ve only chewed up a couple of towels and a TV remote. He said to be sure and tell them we wouldn’t go a cent over $1000.00 per night per dog.

We were in luck. We got the room and it only cost us $10.00 extra per dog. We were exhausted! Kip walked to Chili’s and got two salads to go. We had also stopped at this wonderful German bakery in New Braunfels and loaded up on Bear Claws and other delectable pastries. We had last been there 35 years before. We took son, Craig, to Sea World for spring break when he was 11. (When we stopped at the bakery, Craig let the van door hit against something and put a dent in it.)

Anyway, we were settled in and comfy in our nice room. We were very tired so we retired early. I was almost asleep when Nellie heard a car door slam and barked. We had just gotten her to quiet down when the people next to us slammed the door to their room. We finally turned all the lights on and turned the TV to a movie channel. The noise from the television muffled the other sounds that were upsetting her. A while later I asked Kip if he thought we could turn the lights out. He said he thought the lights were soothing to her.

I watched Christmas movies all night and was almost relieved when the dogs woke up at 4 am and wanted to go out. I will say the free serve-yourself breakfast did somewhat offset the dog fees.

We will be working diligently to find suitable furniture for the motorhome. We’ve ordered leather samples from 2 online companies that ship for free.

We just love, love, love RV travel…

I really am a good dog. Just look into my eyes. Dogs as young I am, usually aren’t so wise.

My first home was an old rug my momma found somewhere. She was frail and sick, yet 6 pups she had to bear.

She didn’t have much milk and the smallest 3 soon died. It was only by the grace of God that 3 of us survived.

One day when I woke up, I found myself alone. I didn’t know where Momma and the other pups had gone.

I saw a man run towards me with a rope tied to a stick. He tried to catch me with it, but I was much too quick.

When he was out of sight again, I began to roam. I couldn’t find the rug that we had called our home.

I hardly ever bark, but my tummy growls sometimes. Where were all the scraps that momma always finds?

When I finally fell asleep, I began to dream. I saw a little boy fishing by a stream.

He said hello my friend. I have a cup to dip. I’ll fill it up with water and you can take a sip.

He shared a bite of food and offered me another. He said he’d never seen a dog gulp down peanut butter.

When my dream was over, I woke up with a start. That little boy was there and I saw inside his heart.

He took me in his arms and I gave his face a lick. He said Just like peanut butter together we will stick.

So if you see a dog like me living on the street, please give him some water and a little bite to eat.

If you sometimes feel that you’re not so good at friending. You’ll soon find out a dog’s love is never ever ending.

In honor of Calamity Jane, Frank, Angel, Baby Jane, Sadie, McKenzie, Pixie, Pattie, Sammie, Obie, Missie, Cyndie, Lillie Dale, and a little kitty named Dollie…Who all gave us unconditional love.

We now have 2 new friends….Nellie and Rylie