Category Archives: Winter

The Heavens Declare

Psalm 19

The heavens declare the glory of God,
    and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

Day to day pours out speech,
    and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words,
    whose voice is not heard.

Their voice goes out through all the earth,
 and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
    and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.

Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
    and its circuit to the end of them,
    and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

The law of the Lord is perfect,
    reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
    making wise the simple;
 the precepts of the Lord are right,
    rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
    enlightening the eyes;
 the fear of the Lord is clean,
    enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
    and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,
    even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
    and drippings of the honeycomb.
 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward.

Who can discern his errors?
    Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
    let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
    and innocent of great transgression.

 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
    be acceptable in your sight,
    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

We have spent some time this month memorizing Psalm 19: 7-9. Verses 10-11 were easy to add on because of a popular worship song in the early 70’s that has stuck in our memory. Time will tell if we end up memorizing the whole Psalm.

I’ll leave you with this photo from Christmas past, 1958. I’m on the left at seven years old. Our little brother Tim was 11 months old. Our parents added three more siblings after Tim was born. There’s a reason I’m the only one who isn’t dressed in their Christmas clothes in this photo. I had some medical problems that I can only remember as some kind of kidney infection that I was hospitalized for. I ended up having to have a home teacher come to our home for a couple months in the new year, (1959). I know I missed Valentine’s Day because I remember that my home school teacher brought me Valentine’s Day cards from my classmates.

We are ready for our Christmas celebrations and for our daughter’s birthday party on the 27th. It always feels good to be ready. We will relax and not worry about any little thing we might have forgotten and just roll on…

All is calm, all is bright…

Staying on Course

Last Friday after Dear finished up with some work responsibilities we loaded up our snowshoe gear and headed south about 30 miles to the Chewelah Golf and Country Club. I read on our community page that they had opened up the course for snowshoeing and cross country skiing with no charge. It was turning into a beautiful sunshine filled day.

We found a parking spot inquired in the Bar & Grille about where we should set out from. They were very friendly and gave us a map of the course and rules to abide by.

It was strenuous forging our own trail in the deep snow but so much easier to keep going because our fingers were not freezing this time around. Warmer temperatures and better hand gear.

I caught up to Dear so we could take a selfie. We saw the other kind of deer high stepping (prancing) in the trees some distance from us.

We tried to stay in the tree line to avoid water features and the greens. We went 20 minutes out and then turned back. It was easier on the way back to follow the tracks we had made.  We were the only people on the course that we could see. After getting our gear loaded back in the car we headed into the Rusty Putter for lunch. The workers in the Rusty Putter were happy to see us and were very bored friendly. We were the only customers in the place.

I snapped some of the scenery on our drive back to the highway and north again to Colville.

The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.

Day to Day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. Psalms 19:1-2.

We had another snowfall yesterday, 7 inches, and this morning our very kind and industrious neighbor plowed our drive for us again. So many things to be thankful for in purchasing this particular property.

White Wednesday

We got these photos from our dear DIL from Addy’s fun in the snow. I love how her tongue plays a part in her concentration. She loves being outside in any weather. On Tuesday we got piled with snow. It started snowing in the morning and didn’t let up until 4pm. We will have a white covering for a while yet. Our kids in the Seattle area measured 16-17 inches of snow! That is quite the event for Western Washington. Some establishments ended up closing early to let their employees head home. School buses ran normally on our road. February snow isn’t the norm around here and we’ve had light snow until now.

My Winter Views…

Many people in our new corner of the world have said that we are having a mild winter and that we haven’t had enough snow. We are happy to get a mild introduction since this is our first winter living here. In the future I’ll post our Spring views and our summer views.

All these trees are part of our front yard. I haven’t counted them all yet. We have many more in our backyard.

Here comes the snow plow. We are really happy to have all these trees between us and the road. We are also grateful that we live on a road that is regularly plowed during the week. It’s a county road and does not get plowed on the weekend.

This was the very first person we’ve ever seen walking along the road. Not a great road for walking.

This is a side view to the north of us.

Outside our kitchen and dining room windows.

I’ll post my backyard views soon.

The last couple days we’ve started out at about 12 degrees and have stayed below freezing throughout the day. Last night was so clear and it was amazing to see stars, so many stars. That is one of the wonderful things about living in the country without lots of street lights. I’m still waiting to see an owl. We heard one a couple mornings ago.

What’s going on in your corner of the world?

Snow Break

We had a new snowfall on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. The snow on the tree branches melted quickly during the day on Wednesday.

When we were looking for a home in the Colville area of Washington State one of my desires was a home with views that went further then a neighbor’s carport or garage. I wanted to see more. More sky, more land, more trees. God has granted my desire and I am thankful.

I’ll be traveling and might not have much computer time the next several days. If you don’t see comments from me you know why. My Quotes of the Week and Sunday Hymn will pop up as usual.

Hope you all have a wonderful last weekend in January!

Up to Date…

This little munchkin got to spend some time with Baba and Gramps on Monday because these two…

… had things to do without the help of a toddler.

Addy is learning the lay of the land at Baba and Gramps’ house.

Having no skid socks makes running on the tile floors safer.

We had a lot of fun playing with the helium balloon, bouncy balls, the rocking horse, and a stethoscope. We made sure the dollies got their shoes back on. I’ll have to take a photo of where Addy likes to store those dolls besides Katie’s cradle.

My views today after we got another dusting of snow in the night.

1/2

We are expecting rain soon that will melt a lot of this away. Hopefully enough to melt the solid pack of ice underneath.

Today is a good day to stay in and make a big pot of Borsch.

 

Still Whiter Than Snow ~ Hymn

Still Whiter Than Snow

What can be whiter than beautiful snow,
Coming from Heaven to earth below,
Pure and so white as it falleth light
Over this broad world of sin and of woe?

Refrain

Yes, there is something still whiter;
Hearken ye weary, and know!
Tho’ your sins be as scarlet red,
They shall be whiter than snow.

Jesus has died, and now all men may know
That His rich blood for the world did flow;
Saved we may be, and from sin set free,
Washed and made whiter than beautiful snow.

Refrain

Beautiful souls of His saints here below,
What but His blood could have made them so?
All who believe shall His grace receive,
And be made purer than Heaven-born snow.

Refrain

Come to this Savior! He surely doth know
All of your sorrow and sin and woe,
And when you sigh He will hear your cry,
Wash you more white than the beautiful snow.

Refrain

Words: Miriam Stabler.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside

We had a nice lunch and visit with our oldest kids this afternoon. Josh helped his dad with a two man project for an hour after lunch. Then we got a hail/snow storm later in the afternoon that made a mess of the roads. We now have a new layer of white on our grass and deck.

I’ve overloaded my capacity for creativity with a project I’m keen to get done this week. This creative venture is a gift so I can’t share it till it’s given away. In the meantime things will be sporadic on my blog.

Hope all is well with my bloggy friends. Looking forward to the month of March.

Frozen Randomness

It started snowing a little on Wednesday night and into the very early morning. No new snow the rest of the day. We don’t get snow very often in the Seattle Area but when it falls it has an interesting effect on me. I go right into hibernation mode. I did manage to do some indoor things like a load of wash and made a couple of meals for the two of us. I’m going to have to change my ways when we move to Northeastern Washington and experience more snow.

Someone recommended this book but I can’t remember who. Was it you? I started it and I was engaged from the beginning.

Look who is 11 months already! Yikes I was warned grand babies grow fast and now I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Today her mommy shared that she stood up from a sitting position with no help. Nothing to lift her up but her own strength and balance.

Just like we hoped we are beginning to see some dimples to match her mommy and daddy’s.

I’ve enjoyed reading so many great remembrances, tributes and personal stories from people all over the world whose lives were impacted by God through the evangelist Billy Graham.

The photo above is from the Los Angeles Billy Graham Crusade in 1963. My father took us to the crusade every night. My father started his life of following Christ at this crusade. My life as a follower of Christ started in 1963, too. The song, Just As I Am always reminds me of the Billy Graham Crusades and our time at the crusades and what this time meant for the future of myself and my family.

Just as I am – without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
– O Lamb of God, I come!

My mother was home with my newborn siblings, twins, a boy and a girl born on July 29th. I like the illustration above since it has the dates of the crusade. Now I’m wondering how my poor mother managed at home alone with twins!

Here’s a quote from Billy Graham…

“By the time you read this, I will be in heaven, and as I write this I’m looking forward with great anticipation to the day when I will be in God’s presence forever.

I’m convinced that heaven is far more glorious than anything we can possibly imagine right now, and I look forward not only to its wonder and peace, but also to the joy of being reunited with those who have gone there before me, especially my dear wife, Ruth. The Bible says, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12).

But I won’t be in heaven because I’ve preached to large crowds or because I’ve tried to live a good life. I’ll be in heaven for one reason: Many years ago I put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to make our forgiveness possible and rose again from the dead to give us eternal life. Do you know you will go to heaven when you die? You can, by committing your life to Jesus Christ today.”

Billy Graham 1918-2018

Reaching Back…

…for The Barn Collective

This was taken back in the middle of December on our trip to La Conner. We arrived to Skagit County early so we took a detour along the farm roads close to Mt. Vernon before we continued on to La Conner.

Linking up to The Barn Collective with Tom The Backroads Traveller. Click over to see more barns.

Our Sunday has started out cold with beautiful sun breaks and then some popcorn snow. Not enough snow here to cover anything. Some areas of Washington state are getting a lot. Our daughter-in-law sent us this photo of our son and son-in-law in the front yard of our middle son’s home in Northeastern Washington. They had a nice walk in the snow. All of our children are spending a weekend together in this winter wonderland. Praying for safe travels for them tomorrow.

Do you do anything special on our long President’s Weekend here in the USA?