We Have An Anchor ~ Hymn

We Have An Anchor

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift, or firm remain?

Refrain

We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.

It is safely moored, ’twill the storm withstand,
For ’tis well secured by the Savior’s hand;
And the cables, passed from His heart to mine,
Can defy that blast, thro’ strength divine.

Refrain

It will surely hold in the Straits of Fear—
When the breakers have told that the reef is near;
Though the tempest rave and the wild winds blow,
Not an angry wave shall our bark o’erflow.

Refrain

It will firmly hold in the Floods of Death—
When the waters cold chill our latest breath,
On the rising tide it can never fail,
While our hopes abide within the Veil.

Refrain

When our eyes behold through the gath’ring night
The city of gold, our harbor bright,
We shall anchor fast by the heav’nly shore,
With the storms all past forevermore.

Refrain

Words: Priscilla J. Owens, 1882.

Variety

For this last Saturday of April we are on the letter V. I have a variety of things I’ll share for today.

We’ve had a variety of visitors to our country bungalow in the last month.

Can you see the beard on the larger turkey?

Some verses from the Bible I noted in my readings over the past couple of weeks. These are from the English Standard Version.

Proverbs 18:2 ~ A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.

Romans 12:12 ~Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Romans 15:13 ~ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

And this is a portion of Psalm 19 that we have memorized and continue to keep in our memory, verses 7-11.

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 the drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping of them there is great reward.

One last verse from Psalm 19,

Psalm 19:14 ~ Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

This week we finished our last puzzle that we had in our stash. This one is an old one we’ve had around for years since the Soviet Union fell in the early 90’s and became Russia again. This was a tough one and at the end we thought we had one piece missing but were happy to find it under the table. Have you been putting together jigsaw puzzles while being sequestered in your home?

Have a good Saturday y’all. We are predicted some rain later this morning. I mowed the lawn on Tuesday and it already looks ready to mow again.

Ultimate Lumberjack

I was unable to come up with a good U word so I hope you’ll understand the pressure I was under to make my post fit with the letter U. I give you the Ultimate Lumberjack themed photo shoot from this side of the Columbia River. The broadband I had today was not useless as before and I was able to upload many of the photos from last Saturday the 18th of April. You are under no obligation to view this post. It is ultimately for my use and pleasure. You will undoubtedly confirm Jaymison is the cutest little Lumberjack under 3 feet.

Jaymison Joshua our little lumberjack.

This was my greeting as I got out of my car arriving on our kids’ mountain. Addy was letting me know I needed to keep my distance. UGH! We are going to have to do some un-conditioning once this virus threat has subsided.

Addy rode her little battery operated 4 wheeler over to the photo shoot and climbed through the fence to join the fun.

Hats off to our daughter-in-law for the props, the beards, felt ax rattle, the one sign and to our son for staging his wood pile with the axes and sawdust!

We are so thankful for how you are growing dear Jaymison Joshua. You are mastering walking well. We love your vocalizing and how you are starting to stand up for yourself. It will be interesting to see how you and your sister work out your individual personalities, hopefully with lots of love.  Soon and I hope very soon we will be able to come closer than 6 feet from you. We want to give you a big hug! Baba and Gramps love you so much.

Tough Times for Tea Rooms…

On the letter T for the A to Z Challenge and I’m choosing Tea Rooms and Tea. I hope all the Tea Rooms in Great Britain survive the COVID-19 shut down! All these photos are from our trip to England in July of 2014.

Stow on the Wold 028Although we passed quite a few tea rooms while we were in England I only had tea once and it wasn’t in a tea room. Oye. I will show you many lovely tea rooms that you can choose from if you travel to England. Lucy’s was in Stow on the Wold.

Broadway Day 7 023

This one was in Broadway in the Cotswolds.

Our daily timing was way off for stopping to enjoy a cup of tea in the afternoon. By then we were usually a bit warm and needed something cooler to drink.

Broadway Day 7 072Love the name of this one, Mrs. T. Potts…pretty clever. It was real close to Martha’s coffee house on the main street running through Moreton in Marsh.

Broadway Day 7 070

Sunday-Banbury 010On our way to Banbury we saw Mrs. Brown’s Tea room.

Bourton-Gloucester 020In Bourton on the Water there were a few tea rooms to choose from.

Bourton-Gloucester 021

This restaurant/tearoom was less appealing than the Small Talk Tearoom above.

hereford 104

If we didn’t manage to walk right past a tearoom we enjoyed seeing signs for tearooms.

Hay on Wye 062

2014-07-12 Hay on WyeWe got a little closer to a proper tea experience with these delicious scones and clotted cream but the drink of choice on this morning was coffee in Hay on Wye.

To Windsor 158On one of our last days in England I decided it was high time to have some tea so as not to totally disappoint my tea drinking readers.

To Windsor 162It wasn’t the finest of tea services in the bar of our hotel. The scones were no where near as nice as the ones we had in Hay on Wye.

To Windsor 159This was my tea and tea experience. One hot and the other one cold. The cold one may or may not have had some alcohol in it.

Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post I hope that the many tea rooms in Great Britain will survive the COVID-19 lock down. We are hoping that things will look good enough come September for us to keep our flight and apartment reservations for Oxford, England. We wait and we’ll see.

What is your favorite tea? Do you have a favorite Tea Room? Have you ever attempted to host a proper Tea?

Use It or Lose It Hodgepodge

I’m combining Wednesday Hodgepodge with the A to Z Challenge for the letter S today. Strength, Survivor and Sinner are enough S’s to qualify. Sigh and snicker…

1. What’s something you resolved to do this year? Have you done it?

My motto for the the next few years is “Use It” or “Use It Up”. Ribbons, paper, stationary, stickers, paper napkins, paper plates, etc. etc. Instead of stashing these things away and forgetting about them I want to use them. If I have no intentions on using aforesaid items then I want to give them away.

2. Where do you go to find quietude?

The place that I go for my quiet time activities is our office at our big oak desk that sits in front of our bookshelves. I like being surrounded by the books we love. Bible reading in the Old Testament, a chapter in Proverbs, and finishing up in the New Testament. Then I move on to books written by authors I trust like Spurgeon or MacArthur or Sproul or some of the Puritans to dive deeper into understanding Bible truths. One thing I want to improve on is being more faithful in prayer.

3. A friend asked this question on her Facebook page and said I could borrow it for the Hodgepodge…you’re only allowed to buy 5 things at the grocery store, and all must start with the first letter of your first name. Whatcha’ buying?

I was surprised to find a lot of things that start with the letter E.

  1. Eggs
  2. Enchiladas
  3. Elderflower Cordial
  4. English muffins
  5. Eclair

4. The television show Survivor, the Gloria Gaynor song ‘I Will Survive’, survival mode, survival of the fittest…pick one and discuss.

Survivor, the television show. It has been a show I’ve watched since the beginning. That’s a lot of seasons. I am fascinated by how the human race interacts in this setting. I’d love to reference this show to that professor of mine that wanted us to write a paper on how all humans are inherently good. Haha…no, Mr. So and So, all humans are not good but they are sinners in need of a Savior and I’m one of the chief sinners. So thankful that God provided a way out! I also know I’d never survive on that show. If I ever made it to the island I’d probably be voted off first thing if I didn’t collapse and have to be medivaced out of there!! To other Survivor fans…wasn’t last week’s show one that was so emotional and amazing to see all those children that they flew in!? I was in tears and a little concerned on the welfare of those kids having to leave their parents behind…

5. Share a favorite quote or saying about strength.

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 27:1

6. Insert your own random thought here.

This little guy turned 1 last week and we had fun with a lumber jack photo shoot. I will be posting 1,000 photos as soon as I can upload them all. We had his social distancing party last Thursday and then when the weather warmed up on Sunday we managed a social distancing photo shoot. You have been forewarned.

Thank you to Joyce for coming up with the questions and to all who read my answers! Click here to read more Hodgepodge answers.

Roozengaarde Tulip Farm

On the letter R and let’s go back to remember better days when we could schlep about the muddy tulip fields during the annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. The Tulip festival of 2020 had to be cancelled and the only way to see the Roozengaarde Garden is by a virtual tour.

Our very first visit to the tulip fields in Mount Vernon was a brief one in 1989.

This was in the late 90’s when my folks visited us in April and Katie was at least 10 years older. These photos were taken in the Roozengaarde Farm Garden.

We celebrated my mom’s birthday while they were here so we know they were here before and after April 8th.

The first time I met some of the Mennonite Girls Can Cook face to face was during the tulip festival in 2010.

That was the beginning of a incredible adventure.

In 2014 Katie and I visited the Roozengaarde again before she moved back to Jacksonville, North Carolina.

In 2015 as many of the Mennonite Girls who could, traveled down into the USA to meet me at Roozengaarde.

In 2018 we had a very muddy windy schlep through the fields with my sister, daughter and DIL.

We don’t live on the “Coast” anymore so a quick trip up to the tulip fields and to Roozengaarde Gardens is not easy anymore. I have lots of good memories and photos to remember.

 

Q is for Quail and Questions

Q is the letter of the alphabet that we are on for Monday April 20th.

We are always pleased to see a covey of quail show up on our property.

We are headed to Spokane today to buy some replacement tiles for our backsplash in the laundry room. One piece cracked when Dear was fitting the electric outlet. Oops. We are buying two pieces of the tile this time around…just in case. We are so close to that room being completed.

Questions for you since we are on the letter Q:

  1. Do you know what day of the week it is without double checking?
  2. Do you have a good supply of toilet paper and other paper products?
  3. Do you know where you will spend eternity?
  4. Do you have good internet service and cell phone service where you live?
  5. What restaurant do you miss most?
  6. What is the latest Bible passage you have read that gives you hope?
  7. lf you enjoy sports what sport team do you miss the most?
  8. What is something you have baked during COVID-19 for the first time?
  9. Who do you miss hugging the most?
  10. Do you have a prayer request for me? I will pray if you share.

Have You Not Known, Have You Not Heard ~ Hymn

 

Have You Not Known, Have You Not Heard

Have you not known, have you not heard
That firm remains on high
The everlasting throne of Him
Who formed the earth and sky?

Are you afraid His power shall fail
When comes your evil day?
And can an all creating arm
Grow weary or decay?

Supreme in wisdom as in power
The Rock of Ages stands,
Though Him you cannot see, nor trace
The working of His hands.

He gives the conquest to the weak,
Supports the fainting heart;
And courage in the evil hour
His heavenly aids impart.

Mere human power shall fast decay,
And youthful vigor cease;
But they who wait upon the Lord
In strength shall still increase.

They with unwearied feet shall tread
The path of life divine;
With growing ardor onward move,
With growing brightness shine.

On eagles’ wings they mount, they soar,
Their wings are faith and love;
Till, past the cloudy regions here,
They rise to Heav’n above.

 

Party With Social Distancing

We are on the letter P. Let’s Party! Be forewarned that this will be a photo overload since this is the best way I have right now to share all these photos with family and friends who could not join in for the fun.

Our daughter-in-law sent a text to 7 of us to invite us up to their mountain to help celebrate Jaymison Joshua’s first birthday. It was a conditional invitation with social distancing a requirement. The party was held on the front porch with no one going inside their home.

JJ’s party was going to be a big event on this day (April 18th) with a good crowd enjoying the Lumberjack themed festivities like ax throwing and log rolling but the Corona virus halted all those plans. Some had flights already booked.

Seated on his party throne for the duration!

Let’s start with paper…I mean presents.

The spectators and gift givers and happy celebrants. They are smiling behind those masks! Granny Linda, Gramps, Uncle Scott, Great Granny Florence, Grandpa Jim. Aunt Rhonda was on phone duty keeping other family who joined us on their phones up front seeing and listening to all the festivities. Uncle Andrew, Auntie Katie, Uncle Joshie and Auntie Lolo.

Time for cake!

This next photo is one to illustrate the pain this Baba feels when her little grands don’t understand Social Distancing.

That face, those hands, ugh…the pain is real.

Here are some other photos taken by JJ’s mommy on his birthday.

What a wonderful smile!

Sitting on his sister. It’s going to be fun to see their interactions in the future. Happy Birthday Jaymison. What fun it was to celebrate with you even at a distance!

 

Off With Your Heads!

On the letter O today and I’m using an old saying to show our tree service chopping or felling two trees we were concerned about on our property. Two Douglas Fir trees came down in a jiffy with the right equipment. The grinding of the stumps took a bit longer.

We didn’t like how this tree was leaning towards our bungalow.

Timber!

Our experienced tree service guy said it was a really good choice to take this tree out as the base of the tree was rotting on the side of the trunk towards our house. We were thankful for that decision. We were only going to have the one in the back taken down until the tree people offered to do this one for half the price since they were on our property with all of their equipment already. They got in a full day of work with good pay and we got two down for the price of one and a half! We are counting our blessings!

There are more photos I’d like to share from the grinding and the chipping but my country broadband is acting up again. I’ll have to also show the wide open spaces we now have with these two trees gone. Dear and our son chain sawed the logs into manageable rounds that have been hauled up to our sons place to be stacked to dry. Our son will have enough wood to keep his place warm next winter from these two trees and then some. We haven’t had to burn wood to keep warm at our country bungalow.

Today is Friday y’all. I know some of us need to remind ourselves each day about what day of the week it is!

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 (ESV)