Summer Is Over

I totally ignored this blog over the summer.  Not many good excuses to offer, mostly it was just
a very busy and unusual summer.  My back was really giving me problems so outside work
suffered, and then I took a trip West to see the kids. That was from Sept. 10th to the 25th.  I was
a great visit, in spite of a nasty head and chest cold, and a bladder infection.  I still enjoyed the
visit!!!  Winter, as it always does, sneaked up on me.  We still have not done the leaves.  Every
free day we have it's rained, so they are piling up.  The front trees are almost bare and we have
done nothing.  The township leaf pick up is now $50 so that's not an option.  We are hoping to
get out on Friday to conquer them, if possible.  My gardens lay dead and in dire need to be whacked
off.  Once again, my back limits me to what I can accomplish.  I am understanding why my peers
are giving in and moving to retirement places.  I just can't imagine not having my birds and flowers
to enjoy. 

Thanksgiving is in a few days and I have another cold. The symptoms are controlled thanks to
Mucinex,  but the fatigue is still to be dealt with.  Tomorrow will be a week of it.  Enough!!!
I'm going to let my meds expire today to see how bad I am.  I may live to regret that move!  So,
this is when we usually tear down the normal and clean, and then do Christmas.  Not sure that
will be happening.  Depends on my partner.

Hopefully, I'll get back on here before the New Year.  Enjoy Fall!!!

GOOD FRIDAY

We had a lovely and serene service tonight at our church at New Freedom Trail.  Part of the service was art work that several of us did for the service.  Thought you would enjoy seeing it.

I can't get the others over onto my photos.  Hope to post them tomorrow after I figure it all out.
Have a blessed Easter holiday.  Thank you Jesus!!!

SPRING ALLERGIES!!! BLAH!!!

Tis the Season!!! Usually I only have issues in the Fall but WHAM!!! I've been hit with something.
I have my trip West in 14 sleeps so I gotta kick this.  Yesterday I almost completely lost my voice.
Today it's way good, but my head is all snarfly???  Is it a cold or allergies?  I think it's both of them.
I just know I feel really crappy and have just been sitting on my butt all day. Yesterday Sam heard
that the Dallastown job fell through so, to add to the head misery I now have depression.  Just want
this all to be over.  There are two jobs at the beginning of their process but we have no clue how they
will work out.  One is lower pay and the other is a long commute to Baltimore area.  But, a job!!!  We'll just continue to let it in God's hands, do a little begging to Him, and Sam will continue to search.

Blossoms, pretty pretty but argh!!!  I love to mow!!! LOVE IT...and the yard is really high.  Not
sure why, but it is.  So, tomorrow Sam is getting the tractor out and running and all gassed up.  But,
with this head condition, I may not be able to go out there without a mask, and I HATE MASKS. I think last time I wore a bandana over my mouth like a bandit.  Whatever works.

Next week I'm doing a painting by Friday for the church service.  I'll post a photo of it when it's
finished.  I'm still trying to figure out how to get my photos on my laptop.  Sam has to do it for me.

 I'll do anything I can to get well for the trip...this is what's waiting for me in Washington...YAY!!!!

WAITING ON THE LORD

Two years ago when Sam lost his job, we never dreamed our wait would last this long.  One of my dear friends said, "life is a waiting room."  Boy, was she right about that!!  Our favorite verse in Isaiah says, "they that 'wait' on the Lord, will renew their strength"...the translation we use (NIV) says
"they that HOPE, on the Lord".  I've posted this a while back, how it's way easy to Hope on Him, but not at all easy to Wait.  I think we attach a negative attitude with waiting.  So, we are hoping on Him.
It was last Thursday (a week) that he had a very good interview in Dallastown, and  no answer at this time. God did provide a good income on contract for a year, for which we are very grateful.  That ends on May 6th.  I'm praying that God will not have us go through another time like the first year with no income. It was really tough!!!

 Sam is in North Carolina with some of his pals from Stillmeadow, golfing.  I encouraged him to go.  We reasoned that when he gets a job, he won't get off for a long time, and if this isn't the job, he won't be able to afford to go for a long time.  So, he's off golfing, laughing and having a stress-free
time.

We had our Nazarene District Assembly this past weekend.  Although some of it is very yawn, as
always, the ordination service is very very spiritual and uplifting.  The Lord gave me some insights
into his plans for me.  It's so encouraging to know that even at 68, He can use me.  In fact, some of
the plans he showed me are just a bit more than I can even imagine.  Where does Sam's job situation
fit into all this?  I have no clue!!!  I only know God knows what's best for us, and has a plan.  We
both have an extreme amount of PEACE.  Peace that passeth all understanding, as the Bible says.
I'm understanding it better as I age.  God is Good!!!  I don't understand it all, but some day I will.

Also, on Monday, my dear friend, Sue (Leech) had a stroke.  Her left hand and foot are affected by
it.  She'll be going to rehab and there is a very good hope for her recovery.  Her family has kept me
updated and all other things are doing very well.  We are praying for her recovery.  Hope to talk to
her today.

Counting down the sleeps till my trip to my daughter's house.  This is her photo of pink hair.  I think
she called it "Rose", which is gorgeous!!!  I wish I had the courage to do this.  I get a perm on Monday and will be transformed, but nothing like this.  Love it.

Well, that's all for now.  Cat is doing good, he's way more attentive since his Daddy is gone.  I'm getting all the love!!  He's not wanting to go out much, but I'm sure that will change once the temp
gets warmer.  A lot of rain right now, typical Spring!!!   Talk to you later.....

TRIP COMING SOON!!!

Well, I'm counting the "sleeps" till I fly to Washington to be with m
y kids  As of today, it's 26 sleeps till I get there, and 39 till I go to Jordan and Chelsea.  Very much in need of this break!!!  Here is
the last photo I have of the family.  My daughter Reenie, her husband Paul, and Eve and Ann.

Chelsea and Jordan at Christmas this past year...

SPRING!!!!!!!

What do I use as my basis to declare that Spring has sprung?  Let's see...,groundhogs are out, skunks
are out, raccoons are lurking, forsythia are blooming, daffydills survived the snow and are blooming,
tulips are almost popped, hyacinths are blooming, lilac bushes have buds...IT'S SPRING!!!!  No
the weather isn't totally stable, but it's getting there.  I always feel when the warm days out-
number the cold ones we've crossed over the line.  That is happening!  And rain, rain, rain.  So
I can officially declare that it has arrived.

Cat had his adventure in the snow, and then he did another 12- hour disappearing act, which un-
nerved me, but since then he's been very timid.  This great hunter, this feral used- to- be, is now a
total scaredy- cat.  A wuss puss so to speak.  Saturday was a very warm day.  I worked in the
studio (yes I did!) all day, with all the doors wide open.  He never ventured off the porch.  In fact
he was in the house most of the day.  I left the house door open also so he could make a choice.
He has been that way since his long day out.  He's eating, playing, and seems to be very normal,
except he won't leave the porch.  Sam's theory is that he had some type of run- in with a larger
critter that terrorized him.  This is the only thing we can figure out.  I have nothing else to go on
so it would be really stupid to go to a vet about him.  We will just wait it out.  Yes, I love him this
way.  He's way more attentive to me, and it's nice to have him around all day.  But I know this is
not who he is, so it makes me sad for him.  Sad little Remi.

I have more cleaning to do in the studio, but about 85% is finished.  I'll need to get my work

station set up for a project I'm doing for church.  I volunteered to paint Mary at the feet of Jesus

as he hangs on the cross.  I'm planning to do a simple painting, on foam board that will give the

impression but not be "painting" quality.  I'll probably do it in acrylics also.  It's for our Good Friday service at church.  I will post it when it's completed.

Well, that's it for now.  More to do online tonight.  Back later!

SPRING?????????

Woke up yesterday (Sunday) to a new 3 in. layer of snow...It was gorgeous and gone by noon.  We are hoping that was winter's last hoorah.  Today is gorgeous but in the 50's and tomorrow will be warmer.  Gives me hope!!!  The cat was finally ungrounded today.  I let him out since the snow is almost gone.  I had errands to run and when I got back he was ready to come in.  Maybe he learned his lesson..wait..he's a cat!!!  I keep forgetting that.  To be fair, he is very good at listening to me and coming when I call him.  His adventure now has him taking a cat nap.  I'm anxious for Spring but not for all the clean up work.  I noticed the tulips are still alive and may put up new buds.  Can't see the daffydills, they are still buried under the snow.  Sun doesn't hit them where they are.  Just hoping winter is over.  Seems the Spring allergies are popping up around me though.  Time for the meds.

"The Cat Came Back"

I'm singing that dumb song, "The cat came back, the very next day, the cat came back, I thought he was a gonner, but the cat came back."  Just a few minutes ago, after a very sad evening of little hope for ever seeing him again.  He just popped up at the front window.  Sam made a new path for him from the hole under the shed to the back porch.  Not sure if that helped, and I really don't need to know.  I only know he is home and safe and in his little bed sleeping. He is soooo grounded for the rest of the cold weather... Thank you God!!!

Our Remi Cat on An Adventure

Yesterday morning (Tues.) we were reeling from a 14 inch snow fall. Our cat, Remi was going from window to window crying to go out.  Usually he ventures onto the porch, sniffs the cold air, gets his feets cold and wet, and bolts back inside.  I let him do that to quiet him. Well, that backfired on me this time.  He went across the porch, off the end into the trench along the house to the front porch. There were foot prints in the snow on the porch, to the other end and off into the deep stuff.  He then made a body trench across our driveway, between the buried cars, through the large side yard to the shed.  He was a feral and was born under our shed. There was a huge ground hog living under there years back and he left his tunnel, which has been used by various critters, including our cat's family.  So, when he goes outside he sometimes goes in there.  So, Sam tracked his trench to the hole on the side of the shed base.  The cat had also dug it out more, as there was fresh dirt in the snow.  Sam called him and tried to get him out, with no luck. So, we left him for a bit and later tried to lure him with tuna and dried food, no luck.  Hours later the food was untouched.  I held out till dusk as it was
so very hard for me to walk in the deep snow.  Sam got me out there and I tried to coax him out with my normal squeaky love talk but nothing!!!  There was no sounds of any kind.  The snow made everything so still, we surely would have heard any sounds he made.  So, I had to spend the evening watching the window and checking the porches for him.  I got to bed at 1 am and was up every 2 hours all night checking.  This morning he reached the 24 hour time, and still no cat.  It's now 2:30 and no cat.  I spent the evening crying because the temps dropped to the teens, and he's never out in this more than an hour.  This morning I was sick to my stomach and still crying, but my dear friends have given me hope.  I recruited prayer for him and in the messages back, many assured me that they have had similar experiences with their tamed feral.  Being outside takes them back to their wild times and they become the great silent hunter again.  We plan to stamp down a path from the hole to the porch today when Sam gets home.  We also are putting more food into the hole, erecting a lean- to shield over it (more snow coming) and checking all the out buildings.  I'm sure he's in the hole because the other snow was undisturbed and would not have been if that fat cat had plowed through it.  Also, they are all sealed up and he couldn't have gotten in there.  I'm feeling a bit better now, and have gotten some hope in spite of temps dropping below 0 tonight.  He is a sweet, loving little guy and the thought of him suffering alone breaks my heart.  Will update tomorrow.

Memories to warm my heart!!

I was just doing some house cleaning of my photos and I came across some amazing ones of my kids and grand kids.  Enjoy them as I did...

Ann & her Uncle Jordan...crazy goobers!!!

Backing up a bit...Christmas 2016

I just wanted to post this photo of us from Christmas.  We are doing great on the weight loss and this is a first step photo.  Will be posting a more recent one soon.  We are both plodding along slowly. Of course, he's losing more and faster than me.  Men are so annoying with weight loss.  More later.

Where Is Spring???

We continue to experience this totally strange winter.  I truly can't remember ever having one quite so bi-polar as this one is.  We flip from 70's to freezing, sunny and warm and yesterday it snowed.  Today is gorgeous again and we're expecting more snow. Our flowers are up and blooming, bushes are budding and the poor things just don't know what to do.  We see critters who have come out of hibernation, such as skunks.  No ground hogs yet.  Sam noticed that our mole is back doing mound tunnels all over our side yard, so I guess he's awake.  I refuse to let myself truly enjoy the warm weather, as tomorrow it will be gone again.  So, we plod along.  I'm looking forward to a trip west
to see my kids, but that's not till late in April.  Spring will surely be here by then...or will it???
Fun to you all!!!

Is This Winter?

Our weather is STRANGE!!!  Seems we've swapped weather with our daughter in Washington State.  Usually they have rain, light snow, and moderate temps.  They are getting snow, and they have four inches of ice on their pond, with very cold temps.  We are having 59 degrees tomorrow with a week of rain.  We've had a little snow, but nothing like usual.  A cold front did put our temps in the teens and twenties for a while, but now it's muddy and warmer.  So, I'm one of those people who likes a good snow fall early on, and then low enough temps to maintain it so the ground is white and pure looking the entire winter.  The roads usually are cleared (unlike Washington) in a few hours, and we just have white yards.  I am not giving up hope for that beauty.  It's still early on in the season and we could really get dumped on.

We still have our Christmas decor up, and the tree also.  We're having guests this Sunday and I wanted one last time to have the house look pretty.  Monday will have me ripping it apart again.  Better late than never!!!