It's been a Long Time!!

It has been so long since we sat and chatted, face to face! I loved talking to my dear friend on the phone the other night - that's been a while too!  It's always good to hear her voice, her encouraging words and good advice. Close friends and "kindred spirits" are few and far between. I have some very dear acquaintances and several friends who I consider very 'close', but once in a while there are just those people who seem to understand you, even when you're not speaking. These are friends who you may not hear from often, but when you do connect it is like you've never been apart. Draw up a chair; the tea water is hot and the cookies are still warm.

The rains have come, in answer to our prayer (and those of fellow believers). Our shallow well is filled, quite above the pump now. For this we are truly thankful. It had been six and 1/2 years, toting water and showering with a home made pump shower. Once we had a well, faucets and a shower, it was a miracle! Late this Summer the well was practically dry and the prayers for rain started. The Lord has answered above and beyond our expectations, with weeks of rain and only a few sunny days stuck in here and there. We are so thankful for the way God leads and provides.

Our World's Fair has come and gone. Mom even entered some of her artwork this year. She seemed to enjoy it and was pleased with two blue ribbons! It is so good to have her living so close by now. It has been over two years since Dad died and she has just begun the grieving process within the last several months. For a long time she wouldn't let herself believe that he was gone to be with the Lord. We are happy to hear her say, "well, we know that he was saved", each time she speaks of missing him. How terrible, for those who do not have that assurance.

Syd and I celebrated our 32nd anniversary yesterday. It truly seems like 'only yesterday' that we were married! I am thankful for a loving, giving husband who shows Christ to me, daily, through his life. We had a nice dinner at home and a close friend came over to have Bible study with us later in the evening. These  studies have been a blessing to her and such a blessing to us! It is amazing how the Lord leads us along and changes us, conforming us to His image, from the day we are spiritually born and until the day of Jesus Christ.

My tea is gone and tummy is full of cookies. I suppose it is time to get up and do what needs doing around here. I'm so glad for this little chat. I hope you'll stop by again, more often even. Take care!
Here are a few pictures from an old album I was peeking through earlier:

Sturm, resting on  his big black pillow, Ruger

I see that Sturm and Ruger found a sunny spot on the kitchen floor, nice warm place for a nap

My Sweetie and Sturm on the day he came to live with us

A Winter Poem for a Friend

Have you any snow where you are?  I am sending some with this little poem.


A Tri-Colored Pallette
Softly; falling gently to touch down on the limb.
Quietly; not a sound; as I stand amongst the drifting
  flakes resting softly on my shoulders and hair.
Winterbirds; hear their calls sweetly sing
  to the symphony of snowdrops, falling,
  now drifting swiftly through chill air.

Each gray twig, now encased in white
Stand silhouetted 'gainst a canvas of gray
  sky; steely and looming as if holding back the tide.
Misty, winter-white fingers reach out, as a flight
  of bright blue jays streak through the trees
  to rest, to peck beneath the snow, to fruitlessly hide.

The blue of the jay calls out to my eye;
Snow is more brilliant now; branches alive
  with the indigo ornaments which bob and flit;
For a seed or a twig hidden below, they vie
  while snowdrops cover their tiny tracks
  once left in the white, mounted carpet.

More fervent now; winds furiously gust;
Hiding the distant gray backdrop
  of this masterpiece, so gloriously displayed;
The realization, a most wise choice, I trust;
  to step in where the shelter of window and wood
  brings warmth where once chill snowdrops laid.

Everyone's Chattering

I wish we could have tea on those "special days" like birthdays, for instance. When we're far apart we miss out on outings, crafty-meetings, birthdays and everyday chats! Remember when you used to get in the car with a friend and just go to flea markets? or farmer's markets to buy a HUGE burlap bag of cabbages? Remember when your closest friends would pull into the yard just to say "hi" and do some shooting? I miss those days.  We had South Carolina friends who would come to our house even when we weren't home; let themselves in, start a fire in the fireplace, take the dog (and cats) for a walk, go sliding, whatever...and wait for us to come home.

Let's warm up the teawater and sit at the table for a long chat. See the birds at the feeder, outside the window? They chatter back and forth and so do we! I could tell you, for instance, about my plight of having to go into work this afternoon, called in "at the last minute", and you could share the latest happenings of your son and his family in a far-off state. We watch the dogs out in the yard, tumbling and growling their "happy growls" with one another - while we sit at the table - and sip together!