Christmas, 2015
At the Olson's Home
Jim is retired from the farm now. It is so nice to not have him caring for 500 cows 24/7! He started a lawn mowing service this past summer, which kept him quite busy. He will probably push snow for people - if it ever snows this winter. No complaints, but it has not snowed here one time thus far, which is highly unusual. The grass is still green!
This is our first Christmas without mother. She passed away last February. Somehow, it seemed fitting to have a quiet Christmas here at home this year. As I put up our tree, so many memories flooded my mind - of her and dad and how they always made Christmas so special for my brother and me, and others. Mother had been with us for three years following her second husband's (Bud Fann) death. She had dementia/altzheimers, which became worse as time went on. The last two years she was in a memory care unit in a nursing home in Texas, close to her grandchildren and their spouses and families. We all miss her terribly. Yet, with passing time, I, for one, seems to be remembering the happy times and how good she and dad were to their family.
Jonathan and Cindy started a special tribute gift fund at Southwestern Adventist University, in Keene, TX to honor mom and dad. It is called" The Good Lord Gave You a Head, So Use It" award. It is to be used for Hunt Scholars each year who have at least a 2.5 GPA, struggle with financial hardship, with preference given to single parents. So, if you feel the need or desire to give in their honor,and are able to, this is a good place to do so. By the way - the odd name is a quote which dad used to use on my brother and I, as well as Jonathan and Tonya so often when we were trying to figure out what to do about this or that.
Jim and I made a trip to Madera Canyon to visit the cabin over Thanksgiving break. We hope to be there for a few months in the winters, when I do retire. One big problem is that I still have my five miniature horses. Originally, I thought I'd take them with me. However, there are bears in the canyon now, as well as mountain lions. it just is not feasible. So, what to do about them is a problem. I'd like to find some good homes for them about now, which is easier said than done.
We hope you have or have had, a wonderful holiday season and that the new year will bring good things into your life!
Blessings,
Jim and Karen Olson, and Tessie, our border collie