Beautifully Sunny, Ridiculously Cold

That's the weather update around here. But at least there isn't snow -- which is no guarantee there won't be any more snow. Still, here's hoping against it!

I'd like to make an excuse for not blogging these past two weeks, especially considering -- my youngest son turned 25 -- a pretty significant birthday, don't you think? But I was too busy to blog about him, his accomplishments, the blessing he is to our family.  I'd need a really good excuse to make up for that! But in Sunday School this morning someone shared a Ben Franklin quote, something to the effect that a person who is good at making excuses is rarely good for anything else. I don't want to be that person. So, no excuse.

Two Trips, Three Birthdays

We celebrated birthdays in State College 5 days apart. Our youngest grandson turned 1 and one of our favorite sis-in-laws turned 55. And yesterday our very favorite 3rd son turned 31. We get to celebrate with him later today.

My good friend Nadine was reminding me of what a beautiful day it was when Adam was born 31 years ago. She was watching the 2 big brothers, Nathan 6, Aaron almost 5, her own Matt 5, and Laura 3. She remembers being outside clipping her raspberry bushes while the children played. We thought nothing of watching each others children -- friends like family is what we were are, for lack of our own families nearby. As I recall, we took our two little boys over to her house around 9 o'clock and tucked them in bed. Waited a few more hours to make sure this was the real deal, then headed to the hospital. It was a long night of labor for me, but 'round about 7 in the morning a most welcome little boy arrived, slightly blue, breathing, but not screaming. It had no doubt been a long night of labor for him as well. And his reaction to the end of the drama of childbirth would be indicative of his personality: tenacious, calm under pressure, firm in his persistence to see things through to completion -- his way. Traits that have served him well.

Those were the days when very few of us knew what gender of baby we were getting in advance. For the third time in a row I was hoping for a girl. When he emerged, very much a little boy, I joyfully and enthusiastically said to Tom, "It's a boy, it's a boy, it's a boy!" Tom, who was standing right there and could see for himself that our new baby was a boy, looked at me questioningly and said, "I thought you wanted a girl." And I said, "Yes, but it's a boy! He's a boy, and I'm so happy!"

(Secret -- I was so exhausted from labor, I think I would have been happy with a monkey at that point.)

But it wasn't a monkey, it wasn't a girl, it...he...was a fabulous, wonderful, terrific little boy. And now he's a man. Yesterday he turned 31. Today we celebrate his birthday with him, his dear Alicia, and her parents, here at our house with a birthday dinner. Which I better go get ready for.

Happy (day after) Birthday, Adam Michael!

Oh, by the way, on his birthday 2011 it was not a beautiful day...or wait, it was a different kind of beautiful day. There were no little children running around yards unless they had snowsuits and boots. No one was trimming bushes, which are all ice covered. Because... We had another snowstorm. I'm looking out the window, across the snowy landscape to the flooded flats where geese are swimming right up to the bank that delineates our yard from the field below. (See picture from previous post -- River front property.)

Geese and High Water

This week we have river front property.

The geese circle, honking and squawking by the hundreds, or so it sounds. With flourish and flapping they land and glide around -- much quieter, thankfully.

Meanwhile our dog goes berserk; her carrying on hard to differentiate from the barking geese. Crazy noise.

But it's fun to watch the geese on the water, beautiful to see. And this is winter's last hurrah. Or so we hope.

 

 See! The winter is past;

   the rains are over and gone.
 Flowers appear on the earth;
   the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
   is heard in our land.

Song of Solomon 2:11-12

Goodbye February

Ticking off the winter months. Spring isn't far off. And I'm so ready. Although even I have to admit the wildlife look so pretty against the background of bright white snow. Birds, birds, birds, squirrels, and deer.

 

 

Mr. and Mrs.

Regular visitors include cardinals, tufted titmice, nuthatches, a red bellied woodpecker, downy woodpeckers, doves and, and, and...


                            ...squirrels.

 

But, oh baby, it's been cold outside. So we've snuggled in...even on sunny days...keeping company with laptops, TV, cat, and dog.

 

Cleo didn't like the sun so she moved on over to the other couch and snuggled up with me. 

Cat nap.

 

 

 

 

 

Phoebe toweling off after a bath.

Yep...more snow

Heavy, wet, 8 or 10 inches. Maybe a foot. Trees sagging, roads slippery, parking lots inaccessible (at least the one I wanted to get in this morning). Tom cleared off my car before he left for work, bless him. The trail he and his van forged down the driveway helped me and my little P.T. get out a couple of hours later. Once in town I parked on the road rather than risk getting stuck in the church parking lot. I couldn't update the church website -- my main job on Mondays. The toner for the copier won't arrive until later this week -- I've been dead in the water on that front since last Wednesday. And, I spent way too much time on the phone with Verizon this a.m. -- but I think the issues are all worked out now.

My faithful P.T. powered his way right back up the driveway this afternoon. I was expecting to get stuck. Sometimes it's nice not to get what you expect.

I thought of a way to solve the website problem -- not a for sure fix, but a definite maybe. If I go back to the church. I could combine the trip with errands and  picking up groceries. Should I chance my luck one more time with the driveway? Or snuggle on the couch with a good read? I think I'll close my eyes and think about it...  just for... a few minutes. 

zzzzzz.....

Winter's Broke

Poor grammar aside...we enjoyed a very welcome melt down. Parking lots that were veritable ice rinks and huge piles of snow clogging intersections and driveways are reduced to mud and slush -- so much better than frozen dirt, slippery pavement, and snow -- sort of.  Across the fields plenty of white can still be seen, but it's crusty and sparse. More grass is visible than snow. The thermometer hit 59 degrees yesterday. Harbingers of spring teasing the daylights out of us. Today, down to the 20's. Brrrr. During those two warm days I didn't hear any spring peepers.. So even though it seems winter's broke...I know it'll gather itself back up...won't be on its way out of town till about the end of March. Nice break though.

French Creek fertilizing our back field -- the flats.

For short periods of time every year, winter/spring meltdowns makes ours a river-front property. When it all settles, the creek bank is just beyond that tree line. A lovely walk across the field to have a picnic, launch a canoe, build a fire and roast marshmallows. Hope springs eternal.

Here's What I Was Trying to Add

The World Wide Idol

That's my boy! Well, one of them.

David won a music contest at the World Wide Idol dot Com but I can't seem to capture the picture, so in lieu of that, here's the link. I mean there's the link. And another:

Chris Tomlin I will follow

www.youtube.com

Chris Tomlin's I will follow mashup by David Henning. Featured songs in medley: Our God and I will rise. imovie and Garageband tools used.

Vitamin D, Frostbite? Vitamin D, Frostbite?

Ow, ow, ow, my fingers hurt.I was out catching a little vitamin D. All you need is to bare your forearms, hands and face on a sunny day (no matter how cold?) for 15 minutes and the exposed skin will absorb a day's worth of vitamin D. I did that. Walked to the mailbox and back 3 or 4 times, frontwards down, backwards up so my face would keep facing Mr. Sunshine. I'm not sure that was 15 minutes worth so I decided to sit on the front porch and continue my sunbath. Chickadees and nuthatches, a tufted titmouse and a ladder back woodpecker joined me. They weren't the least bit intimidated by my presence near their feeder. I was talking to them and still they didn't flutter away... That was just too good, I had to get a camera. Look at this. I took off my slipper so the camera could see how close a little chickadee was to my foot -- when his buddy landed right on my foot. Another sat on my lap and hopped down my leg. Another landed on my head. I swear I'm not making this up. I couldn't capture those shots with my digital camera, my feathered friends aren't that tame -- but if I had a photographer I'll betcha it could have been done.

This is the big attraction -- a snowman birdfeeder filled with shelled sunflower seeds, a Christmas gift from Tom's sister.

The little birdies are feeling the love and showing their gratitude, which blessed me no end! Blessed me so much I didn't notice that my fingers were freezing off. I hope I got the vitamin D I was after to make up for the painful thawing out process. Ow, ow, ow.

A Concert of Prayer

Each and every instrument makes a beautiful sound. A collection of  instruments playing together makes a beautiful concert. Individual prayers are like instruments delivering sweet sounds to the ear of God. Collective prayers present a whole concert to Him. Dear family and friends, please join me as I join the blogosphere of pray-ers storming the gates of heaven, asking God to touch and heal Susan of cancer. Click here to join those who will be praying a novena for nine days (nights) in a row, January 31st to February 8th from 8 to 9pm. And if that's not your preferred style of praying, please, please, beseech God in any way comfortable to you on Susan's behalf -- especially during the same days and hours as our Catholic sisters. Our prayers together will make a beautiful concert, a sweet sound on behalf of a sweet sister.

To get to know Susan, read the lovely post about her at http://wrecklamation.blogspot.com/2011/01/fighting-together-with-prayer.html or click the link to her blog, Toddler Planet, or click the Lego princess/warrior in the left sidebar.

Oh, I just can't help myself... in case you're not the clicking type here is part of Wrecklamation's blog post honoring Susan --  In my posting on Lymphedema Sleeves, I talked about my friend, Susan Niebur aka Whymommy, who is currently participating in a clinical trial to battle a locally metastatic cancer, her fourth cancer in as many years. Susan is an amazing person. She shines with love. She radiates joy. She makes you want to be a better person. In the short time she has been part of our church community, she has drawn so many people to her, just like moths to a flame. It might be her cheery smile and her ability to see the goodness in life; it might be her obvious love for her husband and children; it might be her wit, her intelligence, her kindness, her gentleness. I'm not sure.

What I am sure of, however, is that many people have expressed to me the desire to pray as a community for Susan. And, as a result, we are joining together starting next Monday, January 31, to say a novena (communal or private prayer, said over nine days or hours). We will say the novena in our church chapel and we are inviting those who cannot be there in person to pray with us between the hours of 8 and 9, every night from January 31 through February 8.