2 Funny Stories

A couple of days ago, we had a guest, Mary Devine, over to our house for dinner. She met Pearl for the first time and could not stop laughing at how cute Pearl was with her tongue hanging out! Any how, she asks, "How old is Pearl?" To which Meredith, who is 12 now, answers that Pearl is almost 2 years old. Then Mary Devine ask, "Well how old is Duke?" Meredith (shown in the 2nd picture -- black shirt with reversed white ball cap) answers, "9 years old." To which Mary Glenn say, "No. We got Duke when Evelyn was 2 and Evy is now 10, so Duke is only 8." Meredith doesn't even pause for a second and she replies, "Yes, but he's been 8 for 2 years now!"

Then today, we had an interesting discussion around the dinner table about the law of diminishing marginal utility -- the law that says that each additional drink of water or lick of an ice cream cone delivers less and less satisfaction (utility), until you finally get to the point where you don't want another ounce of water or ice cream. The topic was brought up by Ellen who was wondering if she would every lose her love and zeal for Camp Susque (since she just got back from camp this afternoon). Needless to say, both she and Evelyn had a great week at Camp Susque (www.campsusque.org). Anyhow, we discussed long and hard about the fact that the law of diminishing marginal utility applies to pretty near EVERY aspect of life. So while we get "bored" of going to our own church, it always seems more exciting to visit other churches, mostly because it is new and different. But sooner or later the novelty would wear off no matter what church you'd attend.

After this long conversation, which was listened to by the entire family, Clint (shown in the top picture with his mother on his 14th birthday), later tonight before he went to bed stopped me in the kitchen and said, (really funny!) "Dad, I just want you to know that I had 2 full bowls of Captain Crunch for a snack and the second bowl was JUST AS GOOD as the first bowl!" I cracked up!

Farm Update

A very brief update. Assuming all goes well, the Glenn's will be relocating to a farm, but not the Tom and Ruth Rose farm as originally planned. By the end of August, we ought to be living at 260 McElwain Lane, New Castle, 16101. Just 7 miles west of the Slippery Rock exit north of Rt. 108. Google it and see the approximate property boundaries on the attached photos.

I'll give you a more detailed update in about a week.

Clint's 14th Birthday Party

Clint celebrated his 14th birthday yesterday (June 8th, 2009) even though his birthday isn't until June 11. A wonderful time was had by all. A few pictures are available at www.dougglenn.smugmug.com. Look for the album entitled "Clint's 14th Birthday."

Ellen's 1st Car

It is a sweet thing when situations arise when all four of a parents siblings work together peacefully on a common cause. Such was the case this last weekend (Memorial Day 2009) when all four of the kids helped clean and prep Ellen's "new" car. The car is an Chevy Corsica. It was prepared to be roadworthy by Pap with many hours of love and care. Ellen absolutely loves it! Show here are (l to r) Meredith, Clint, Evelyn, Duke (the dog) and Ellen.
Today (the day after Memorial Day), Ellen and Meredith washed the car together. Its a wonderful thing when one's children live and work at peace with one another!

April and May 2009

Nothing much new to report in April and May 2009. Our Berkshire Dr. house is still on the market after nearly a month so we have not moved any closer to buying the farm yet. The kids have one more week of Blackburn left before summer break. Ellen is driving now...with her permit, not by herself...and is doing a very good job. Clint landed two lawn mowing jobs for the summer here on Berkshire Dr. Big money for Clint. Meredith continues to be creative and is making good progress with piano lessons with Mrs. Kari Emerick. Evelyn is doing awesome. Tonight she is sick with a 102.2 degree fever. Mary made Meredith a lovely skirt this last week. And Pap and I are in the midst of rebuilding our front steps...a big project.

All in all, God is very good and things are going very smoothly. We're just waiting for our house to sell...which we assume is God's will...but we don't know for sure.

I (Doug) am headed to Philadelphia tomorrow (Wednesday, May 13, 2009) for a 3 day business trip. I miss the family when I am gone. They are at a fun age and I don't like not being here.

The picture above is of Meredith when she was probably 2-3 years old. Just thought I'd include it for posterity sake.

Buying a Farm

It has been Mary's and my idea for a number of years to buy a small farm. Since the kids are getting older, we've decided to make the move. About a month ago now, we learned that dear friends of ours, Tom and Ruth Rose, were selling their farm and we immediately contacted them. As of today, we are on track to purchase a 50-acre farm at 177 N. Spring Rd., Mercer, PA 16137, pictured here. Feel free to check it out on maps.google.com.

This is a lovely farm with gently rolling pastures and hay fields. There is no substantial wooded areas on the farm, but there is nearby. There is a small, spring-fed pond and on small stream.

We are thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to move and we are still praying that God will bring it about, but we are ready to take whatever God wills in this situation. We are currently waiting for our home to sell. If it sells, we should be all set.

Passing of Uncle Clint

My dad is one of three sons born to Clinton Clair Glenn and Agnes Jane Patton. Here they are pictured in my house in August 1979. Back row (dad & mom, Uncle Jim and Aunt Irlene, Aunt Lucille and Uncle Clint. Front row is Grandma and Grandpa Glenn.

My dad's oldest brother was named Clinton Clair Glenn Jr. This last week, Wednesday, February 4, Uncle Clint died of esophageal cancer. He was 74 years old. Uncle Clint was born on October 1, 1933, New Castle, Penna.
Uncle Clint came to our house a couple of times when we were younger. We didn't see him much, but he was always a cheerful person. He is pictured here with his first wife, Lucille who passed away from pancreatic cancer in April 2001. Clint and Lucille's oldest child, Cindy, is pictured in the back left. Their only other child was David James (1st row, left). Middle back is Jo, David James' live-in friend at the time and future wife. The young girl is April, Jo's niece. (David James, by the way, has been working in Iraq helping re-establish sound agricultural practices.)

Early in Uncle Clint's professional life, he was a pastor at Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church in Baltimore.

I know very little about Uncle Clint except that I always thought that he was a happy person. Both he and my dad's younger brother, Uncle Jim, went into the ministry early in their lives. Both got out of the ministry for different reasons. Uncle Clint got out (I believe), because he discovered that he did not have a living faith in Jesus Christ. From his mid-life on, Uncle Clint did not profess belief in Jesus Christ as his savior. That makes the news of his passing all the more difficult for many of us.

My heart hurts for Cindy and David and their families and for Clint's live-in lady friend, Phyllis. I don't believe I've ever had the privilege of meeting her and if I did, it was briefly. Nonetheless, I know that she is hurting.

There are many people that are closer to Uncle Clint than I was, and it is to those people that I wish my sincerest condolences.

Thanks to Shelley (Glenn) McClow for the two pictures and to Jeannie Glenn for clearing up a few facts.

Christmas 2008

It was a wonderful Christmas at the Glenn house this year. Since the kids are getting older, it was calmer and, therefore, more enjoyable. I hope you enjoy the attached video which will give you an overview of what the kids received.

As with most years, we celebrate 3 separate "Christmases." One in Ellwood City with Mary's family; one at our home; and one at my brother's house near Millville, PA, with the Glenn side of the family. This year (2008), my brother's son, Brandon, was married to Samanthan Hahn (sp?). They were married on January 3, 2009. So our Glenn Christmas was held on New Year's Day evening, the rehersal dinner on the evening of January 2, and the wedding at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 3. It was an eventful year, but we all had a wonderful time.