Thanksgiving photo

Today is Thanksgiving 2016.
Present were Tom and Mary, Beth and husband Charlie, Archie and Stephanie, Sara and Jacob.

We had a wonderful meal of turkey, dressing, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, honey carrots, and sweet potato biscuits, a signature contribution from Beth, pumpkin  and pecan pies.

Stephanie is due with twins in late December.
After eating, we watched some football and then hiked in the woods.  Beth showed us the boulders she has picked out for her grandchildren, so far.  These rocks can be followed through the years to see growth around them and when they are older, they can add to the vegetation as they please.
When we started the hike it was snowing lightly, but stopped, so we came home to no snow.

Sunday, October 30
The shower went very well yesterday.  The cake was a work of art, really too pretty to cut.  There was a tent full of hot barbecue ribs, pulled pork, chicken and more.  There were hundreds of gifts and all had a great time.  I will choose a few photos.  

Hazel has enjoyed her swing, playing in the rain and playing with Dad Ethan.  

hazel and Ethan's visit to Maine

Friday, October 28.  It has rained all day so Hazel can't go out and swing, but has had fun inside with "doggie", Mara.  She is the cutest little thing.  I'm reminded how cute Beth was at her age.  My how time flies.  It could make one sad, but enjoying her little smiles and chatter are enough to wipe away the tears.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day weather wise.  I"m hoping to show her off at the trunk and treat party at church Monday night.  Ethan is a super Dad.  I'm sure Archie will be as well.  Tomorrow is the big shower day for the twins.  I must rest good tonight, so I can help tomorrow.

Today is Tuesday, October 25.
Yesterday Tom went for his annual eye exam and the Doc found he had two little tears in his retinas.  So, h is restricted from riding anything that bumps, so the tractor is out.  Boo Hoo for him, but we must get the eyes well.

This afternoon tiny snowflakes are falling.  Nothing serious for sure, but signs of what will come is here.
I'm sad because my Swedish detective Wallandar has alheimers and this was the last episode of the season, so i suppose I'll have to find something else to get involved with.

Tomorrow is our community supper at church.  So far we have not had any outsiders come, but maybe this will be the one.  We had over two hours of prayer Sunday in a video called Cry Out.  This is waving over the country now and is primeraly for women  to get together and pray.  This could be a mighty force for the country, if women really get going on prayer.  Before the great depression  many years ago, a man started  prayer meeting in the city  of NY and 6 people showed up.  Now there are tens of thousands coming to these meetings.

We listened to a spiel on Medicare Advantage yesterday and though it looks very good, we need to investigate more before changing what we have.

A picture of Peter at the Cribstone bridge

October 21. 2016

We have been very busy since Peter arrived Tuesday afternoon.

Wednesday we had nice weather and we drove to Pemaquid Lighthouse.  The ocean was as calm as we had ever seen, but it was nice and Peter enjoyed it.  Wednesday night he and granddad went to the Beaver Pond while I went to church to practice.  A beaver came to the dam, crawled over in front of Peter and Tom and swam downstream right beside them.

Thursday was nice and I walked Peter to the big tree and he took off with the map and hiked about 3 miles of trails.  Thursday night Archie and Stephanie came over for dinner and afterwards, they unpacked all the gifts from Beth's "grandmother" shower from all her clerks of court.  There were  well over a hundred gifts.

Today, Friday we took Peter to the Maine maritime museum in Bath and then went to Baileys island for lunch at Cooks lobster house in sight of the only cribstone bridge in the world.  This was exciting for Peter.  Later we went to Beaver dam, but it was raining and the beavers must have been playing a game in their house.  We didn't see them.

Today is October 15, I have not felt well today, so spent most  of the day in bed.  Mara joined me but couldn't understand why I was not taking her on her long walks.  Every time I got up, she assumed I was going to take her out.  I will make it up to her on Monday as tomorrow is church.  If I make that, I will probably collapse on coming home.

The red tree out back, will probably shed it's leaves tomorrow.  I will post the picture I took yesterday, since it will no longer be pretty.  It was 28 degrees this morning and more frost for tonight.

So here is the tree.

I took a closeup of the mountain in our back yard this morning.  

Today is October 18 and we have been touring the countryside showing Chuck and Luella the fall color which is fabulous this year. Last Friday we went up toward Coos Canyon and yesterday we went to Grafton notch.  I will let the photos show the color. There was little or no water in Screw Auger falls, but it was nice to visit. 

October 3
WE only had Dave and Sandy Broberg yesterday for the church hike, but they enjoyed it as did we.
then we all ate hot dogs in the house rather than outside as it was  too chilly to sit out on the tables.
Sandy brought a pasta salad and picked green beans and we had hot dogs and beans.  We talked around the table until nearly 3:30, when Dave and Sandy went home.  I was sorry more people could not come, but we enjoyed who we had.  the woods were very wet. In fact, I had not realized it had rained so hard Saturday night, but it must have to make the woods that wet.  There is so much moss in the woods now with the little rains we have gotten.  I must go back to reading Beth's book on mosses.

Chuck and Luella hiked to the big tree along with me and the Brobergs.  On the way home, they stopped to rest at the cabin, but Sandy and I trecked home by way of the Luella trail.  I was tired last night, but no more than usual.  I do get tired on all my walks with Mara, but I recover by morning and start  over again.

Beth and Charlie hauled wood up to the house that he has cut in the woods, in anticipation of their wood stove installation on Wednesday.  Tom and I will take C and L to the coast to get out of the house for the noise that I am sure will occur.  Hopefully this wood stove will be very safe and keep us all warm.

October 2

I cannot believe it is October 2016 already.
It is a gloomy day, but we are supposed to host a church hike after church today to the big tree and have a cookout.  The weather man says a sower may be possible, but it is a slight chance.

Yesterday Beth took to  the woods with her chipper.  Tom and Chuck hauled limbs to her as she fed them to the chipper.  that thing scares me to death, but she is careful, thank God.

Tom and chuck positioned a bench part way down Luella trail, so she can rest along the way.  she does not have a beautiful spot to hike in Dallas, as I do, so her walking skills are less than mine.  However, I am so happy to be able to hike along the trails and am sorry that Tom cannot, though he manages well on his ATV.  As long as we are both able and happy, life is good.
I will write tomorrow on the success or failure of our hike.  Pastor Chris is trying to keep the congregation involved in various activities and he has been pushing this  hike.  Last month we had a community cook out and had about 40 people out enjoying good food on a lovely evening.

September 27

It is a rainy day for the arrival of Chuck and Luella from Dallas and the week looks gloomy as well.  Never the less, we will just have fun in the house visiting.  I wish it should be nice and sunny, but whatever will be, will be.

Dean took a nice photo of the two of us at the river looking for the Beavers. It is a most peaceful place to sit and enjoy our woods.  I just  finished reading, "The Hidden Life of Trees" which has made me more aware of trees and their lives.  It's funny how you think of a tree just being that tall thing in the woods, but not how it grows, survives, propagates, nurtures those around it and sound alarms when danger is in the woods.  The trees actually prepare for the different seasons and they prepare for things to befall them in nature.  They do have methods of protection from animals, fungi and little bugs in the soil.
Though I have finished the first read on the book, which is actually Beth's book, I want to re-read and outline each chapter.  It is the most fascinating book, I have ever read.

Final Arrangements

Yesterday, September 24, 2016, Tom, Beth and I sat down with the funeral folder and discussed our final arrangements.  It was a lighthearted meeting, unlike what Beth may have had to face alone in a crisis.  I can rest easy now, that we have all our ducks in a row.

It's so good to have a lawyer in the family and also be the best daughter in the world.  We do have a happy life. She and husband Charlie are happy in their cozy nest in the basement and we roam the upstairs with the 2 cats and dog, who seem to like our activities over their owners life.
I woke up this morning with a dog on my feet and yesterday
Tom and I took an afternoon nap with a cat and dog at our feet.  How cozy can you get?

9/24. Tom has finished the ditch for power lines to the carriage barn and Charlie has two sides up, so work is progressing.   

Tom is confused over the distribution of rocks in the soil.  Many are quite large and others  not so much.

Today is Sunday, September 25.  The exciting news today is that Beth saw a Barred Owl in our woods.  this is exciting and just adds more animal sightings in our 100 acre woods.  

Barn Day 1

Today is September 21, 2016 and work has begun on the carriage barn.  Bob  Runes is here working with Charlie. so far, they seem to be measuring things on the concert pad.  Nothing noteworthy to take photos of so far.
On the wood stove project, Murray oil came yesterday and took out the two gas fire logs.  that project will have to wait on the stove people.
Charlie has many irons in the fire, but seems to be happy seeing things progress.  tom is only a bystander as his energy level is very low right  now, probably because he is in AFIB more.

Today is September 12, 2016 and I am writing about our adventures at the Beaver pond.  Tom and I hop on the 4 wheeler or the Komasaki Mule and ride to the river around dusk.  It is nearly a mile to walk, so we ride.
Settling ourselves in our nice, comfy adirondack chairs, we get our cameras ready to capture any activity.  It is peaceful and serene at our spot.  There is a slight trickle of water going through the tiny logs in the dam that the beavers have so carefully made.  The sunlight dwindles and reflections from the trees fill the pond.
Suddenly one of us spots a beaver swimming and alerts the other.  Tom on his Kindle and I on my tablet might miss the fun.  We gasp in amazement as the skillful swimmers cover lots of water pretty fast.  We are delighted with the sight and can't wait for another day to make our way down to this idyllic spot.  What a treasure we have in our woods. We have lots of animals and are very careful not to frighten any of them when we traverse the many paths in the woods.  Tom and I created may trails when we first moved here some 16 years ago and had such fun making them.  Now we are unable to make new ones, but are happy to travel on the old paths.  I would say that those early years were filled with activity, which we can no longer do, but instead of being sad that we can no longer do,  we revel in what we can still manage.
Having Beth and her Charlie here makes life so much easier for us and they are now taking care of the trails for us.  It is a happy community and like the Beavers working together in their community, we work together in ours.  It is a happy life.

Heaven's perfection daylily  July 15,2016
First bloom from seeds 2013.
It has a study stem about 15 inches high with 10 buds on branching.
The flower is 5 1/2 inches across with petals being 2 3/4 inches across with 1 1/2 inch petals.
The flower is open faced with faint yellow green throat and rich pollen.  The petals are ribbed with deep gold ruffling.  IT is a pale yellow with hint of pink and diamond dusting.  

EYES
My cataract surgery in both eyes is now behind me.  I see great to drive and walk without any glasses, but need a 175 dollar store reader  for computer and piano work.
I am very glad that ordeal is over.  Tom is great with giving me my endless drops.  The right eye now is winding down and will be over when the drops are gone.  My left eye is still on three drops three times a day.

I thankfully can play piano as well as I ever have in my older years.  I don't make many mistakes and manage to get through well enough to play at the Congo church for the full service and only do offertory at my church.  I usually play one song with the congregation. The Praise team uses tapes and sometime I play organ along with the tapes.  That is fun.

The parsonage is nearly complete.  At least Pastor Chris, Heidi and Hannah are in residence.  There was much to be done to renovate the house, but the church got it cheap enough so there was money left for the fixing it up.

The big news today is the weather.  The winds gust over 10 MPH and the 40 degree temp makes walking Mara an unpleasant chore.  BUT the sun is shining.

New life adventure

I am experiencing a new phase of my life at the moment, cataracts in my eyes.  Of course, playing the piano is my favorite hobby and it is actually more than a hobby, it is life to me.  I started lessons in a group in our country school and practiced on a toy piano for years.  When I was14, my mom and grandmom managed to get  a piano for Christmas, my best gift ever.  It was an upright and now sadly, I have forgotten the name.  Lighting was poor on the farm and I struggled with lamplight to practice.  My lessons were paid for by fresh cream and butter from the farm.  My teachers were task masters and I excelled.  Went to college on music scholarship, but lagged in practice due to pressure of other classes. I never was really smart, but just got by.  Didn't deserve the good grades at all and though I got honor roll most of the time, I don't think it was really earned.  Now as I am older, I see how I really needed more structure in my education.  I have messed up badly, but am trying to make the best of the time I have left.  I pray my eyes will get fixed and I can continue to play my piano.  Tom still calls me, "the girl at the piano", because the first time he saw me was at the piano in church.
Needless to say, I am really concerned about this new phase in my life.  

snowy month

We have been spared the worst winter can bring, so far, but that appears to be changing.  We have four new inches of the white stuff that Mara and I wade through when I take her out.  IT's really going to get cold, so I've moved my kitchen window orchids into the little solarium in the Dining room.  They will have warmth away from the window and I can close the blinds to help with the heat.  Not much else I can do to help keep a warm house, but it's been a mild winter for heating fuel so far.  I"m making lots of warming stews and such for food.

February snow, 2016

We had a little snow yesterday, about 6 inches, I guess and today is nice and sunny.  Mara and i walked out in snow and she did her usual rolls in the snow.  Tom suggests we put soap on her so when she rolls, she can bathe.  That's a no no, but she would smell better.  We look forward to a bigger snow storm on Tuesday, so it will be back to snow shoes.  I can walk in the snow now with my boots, but not when it accumulates to a foot or more.

LATVIA

Some of our European trips include the following We walked the shores of the baltic looking for Amber while on a missionary trip passing out 50,000 Bibles in Latvia. This was a life changing experience as we mingled with the Latvian people and saw that fear was still in their eyes as the liberation had only been the year before.  Most walked with downcast eyes and it was rewarding to see their faces light up when they realized we were offering them a gift.  No one refused the free Biblio.We visited a children's orphanage and were blessed by their attention to our stories an songs.  We also visited Lithuania and traveled through forests where we could imagine the voices of the jews calling out in fear.  All in all, it was a great trip.    
While in London, we toured the British museum, walked into Churchhills bunker, saw the tower bridge and Buckingham palace.  We enjoyed  high tea in Herrods and saw a performance of Oliver at the   .
We traveled by car through Holland, viewing fields of tulips, marveled at the beauty in Kuenkenoff gardens and the flower mart.  We walked through Anne Franks house and felt her families's fears from the Germans.  I stood in the closet where Carrie Tenn Boom hid some jews.  We toured all the museums in Amsterdam and spent two full days in the Rike museum.. We took a canal trip through the Red light district, not getting off the boat. We walked into Anne Frank's bedroom where she hid from the Germans with her family.  We visited the Corey Tenn boom museum and stood inside the closet where she hid so many Jews over the years.  Another unforgettable  experience.

Valentine Day is fast approaching.  I remember a big box of chocolates and a valentine when I was seventeen years old from the love of my life.  Once he was going to be in the hospital of just coming home, so he hired a barbershop quartet to come to the house here in Sumner and sing to me since he couldn't take me out.  Now that folks, was romantic.  After 60 plus years, I will not expect any kind of show, but I bet I get a box of chocolates.

Colorado river raft trip though Grand Canyon

Another highlight that I have failed to write in my blog is one I will never forget.
Chuck,  Luella, Bryce, Beth, Charlie, me and Tom took a summer trip that was the best ever trip.
We got into rafts at the beginning of the Colorado River where is starts through the Canyon.  Each day, we got deeper and deeper into the canyon.  We slept on the river bank each night after the guides made a tasty supper of Grilled steak and corn over the campfire and the next morning, we had leftovers with our eggs and toast.
The guides would beach the rafts before we got to the rapids each day and would analyze how to get over the rapids without tipping us over.  The secret was to ride the tongue of the rapid and not get pulled into the hole.  We never had real close calls.  Once our guide had us bailing like crazy but she managed to right the raft without tipping. I can remember her yelling to stop bailing and hold on.
Each day they would lead us to historic sights along  the river to give us exercise.  And it being the desert, it was hot.  I was not immune to jumping into the water when we got back to the raft.  Tom was not happy that I once  enticed him to jump in as well.
When we got to Phantom Ranch, we got off the raft and spent the night at the ranch.  Our cabin had mice and we girls didn't sleep much.
The next day we picked up a reserved lunch and stuck out to hike ten miles with a mile elevation to reach the rim of the canyon where one car was waiting. It was a long walk, but we all made it. We drove back to other car and our camper and continued our vacation.

Grandchildren tours, National Parks, Hawaii and sailing the Carribbean

When Heather and Peter were still young, 12 and 10, I think, we bought a new van and picked up Chuck, Luella and Susan i Colorado springs where we climbed Pikes Peak and walked around in the Valley of the Gods,   from there, we went to Yellowstone, Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon.  We walked all the way into Bryce and it was ver hot as I remember.  Our water spoiled and we had to pour it out.  I really felt sorry for the kids.  We should have planned better.  However, we made the trip and hopefully they have fond memories as do Tom and I.

Taking Sara and Molly to Hawaii was fun as well.  We all took a turn with Hula lessons , no grass skirts though.  We walked on hot lava at the volcano and saw steam rise from the ocean as the hot lava poured into the water.  I worried that our shoes would melt.  Later, we went through a pineapple maze where Molly fell and skinned her knees.  I made a small scene when the office there had no Band-Aids for my sweet Molly.  It was nothing ice cream could not cure.  Molly had an ice cream radar and even when there were no shops in sight, she would tell Granddad to turn down a side street and sure enough, there it would be.
We took them to the black sand beach and signs cautioned the you were not to remove any sand. Sara just walked heavily until here shoes filled up and later in the car emptied the sand into a container.  Sara also almost got us in trouble at the airport.  She had found a tiny  coconut and we had checked to make sure we could bring it home.  However, the drug dog didn't know, but she got to keep in anyway.
During spring break Archie and Ethan wanted a trip on a sailboat in the Caribbean.  We managed to find a boat with a captain. His name was Warren and he did everything possible to make the trip fun for the boys.  When Archie fist dove into a reef and saw the fish, his little head popped up and he threw back his face mask and said, "That is soooooo awesome."  I told Tom, "That comment was worth the trip as far as I was concerned."
We enjoyed many islands barbecue at Foxxy's place on Jost Van Dyke. That was a lot of fun.  Warren got us into a race anytime a boat was around and onee, I was sure he would crash us and I couldn't imagine what I would say to Beth it the worst had happened.  Thank God we got home safely  from all the trips.  

Expanded memories

I decided that I would like to expand more on some of those memories, so here goes.  As I recall, we boarded a bus to ride up to the glacier and then had time to walk around and explore them some. We even drank some glacier water.
  IT was a fun experience, but as I recall, I appreciated the few hardy flowers around the hotel were better memories.  I also liked the fact that Chuck had to stop the car and wait for the big horn sheep to pass and I got our to pet them.  I know I did because I have pictures. The picture shows me feeding them as well.
There were grazing elk that we got to see as well as see elk chasing Coyote. We saw a man playing an alpine horn and listened as it echoed through the mountains.  There were colorful poppies and oxeye daisies everywhere.  We stayed a Moraine Lake which has beautiful blue water from glacier milk.

We later went into Edmonton Mall which held ocean size swimming pools with waves and roller coasters and other park rides.

Life Reflections Continued in Egypt and River Cruises

I guess I didn't reflect enough because I left out some wonderful memories.  While sailing  up the Nile River to the Aswan dam, we viewed camels carrying loads on the banks of the river as well as women gathering reeds and such from the river banks.  We also walked around in the desert marveling at the pyramids and thinking about the years of labor to make these monuments.  You could actually pick up a shard on the ground and find hieroglyphics etched into the stone.
We walked in ruins and on one tour were taken into the small apartment that was touted to be where Joseph and Mary hid Jesus from Pharaoh. We saw the spinx, of course and all the special monuments of Egypt.
We toured the Cairo Museum of antiquities with our knowledgeable guide and caught a nasty bug in the Cairo hotel.  I'm glad we went, and also am thankful we got home alive.
Other river cruises included a trip down te Rhine River and another on the Danube.  A highlight of the Danube was attending a concert in

I enjoyed the Black Forest in Germany and loved seeing all the markets along the Rhine at Christmas time. We soaked up the European culture in the land visits.

As we cruised along the rivers, we saw hills of vinyards along the way and castles were  a frequent sight.

I can't forget the cruise to alaska to mark our 70th birthdays.  We saw a little of the calving glaciers and I really enjoyed walking around in the little villages on the tour.

There is no place we have been that I did not enjoy though I was nervous in the Baltics and in Egypt.  We were brave touring   Holland by car though I would do it again if we were healthy.
Many of these trips were with dear Chuck and Luella and we always enjoying touring with them.
Now I think, I have covered most of our  trip  highlights and have enjoying making the trips again in theses posts.

Life Reflections

Yes, after 80 plus years and being married to the same man, the love of my life, for over 60 years, it is time to pull up some memories.
I walked on glaciers in Bamf, Canada while fearing for my stability on the ice.  I have looked fish of every size and color in the eyes as I floated over reefs in the Caribbean.  I have been warmed in the hot springs of iceland while on a short trip where I also stood with one foot in one continent and the other foot in another.
We had a glorious camping trip in a tent Coleman camper to Glacier National Park.  Highlights included traveling the highway to the sun, finding remote spots to explore. Each day there brought a new adventure.
We took two grandchildren on tours of Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Yellowstone and later took two to the big Island Hawaii and Kawi.  We took two grandsons on a sailboat to the carribean

We have seen the Pacafic, Altantic and Indian Oceans, walked to the tip of the Cape of Good Horn in South Africa, and in Kruger National park we saw elephants, lions, giraffe, hippos, birds of all kinds and on a night safari, we watched a lion eat an empala he had hung in a tree that day.
We enjoyed a night under the stars in old town, San Diego and watched whales from a sailboat.

We walked the shores of the baltic looking for Amber while on a missionary trip passing out 50,000 Bibles in Latvia.
While in London, we toured the British museum, walked into Churchhills bunker, saw the tower bridge and Buckingham palace.  We enjoyed  high tea in Herrods and saw a performance of Oliver at the   .
We traveled by car through Holland, viewing fields of tulips, marveled at the beauty in Kuenkenoff gardens and the flower mart.  We walked through Anne Franks house and felt her families's fears from the Germans.  I stood in the closet where Carrie Tenn Boom hid some jews.  We toured all the museusms in Amsterdam and spent two full days in the Rike museum.. We took a canal trip through the Red light district, not getting off the boat.
Closer to home, we have gazed over seas of bluebonnets in Texas, explored San Antonio, the alamo, McDonald Observatory and walked through Carlsbad Caverns, and Caverns of Senora.
we have explored caves in Kentucky while crawling through mud and have taken tours twice through Mammoth Cave.
When we were first married Tom'a parents took us on a tour of the west. My first tour of the Grand Canyon made me question my eyesight.  it was more than awesome.  Years later, when we, the kids, Chuck and Luella would take a raft trip through the canyon, that would remain implanted in my mind forever.  We never touched this experience with any other trips.

We've done lots of parks while camping and had trips to Florida, Disney World, seeing a rocket blast off, On the top of the map, we have toured Nova Scotia, Canada, New York and plenty of lovely places.  My favorite close by trip is going out to Pemequid point on the ocean.
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