Welcoming Fences…

P1020804

Joining TexWisGirl for Good Fences #76.

This fence makes me smile and invites me in to do a little thrift shopping. It’s been ages since I thrift shopped regularly. Something that was fun while it lasted but good to leave behind for a season or two or three!

Yesterday I worked hard in our yard with all the clean-up after our mighty wind storm on Saturday. I picked up all the tree branches that had fallen and then decided it would just be quicker and easier to mow up all the leaves after I raked them out of planters and away from the fences. It was a bit unexpected to be picking up green leaves. Everything looks nice and tidy again but Fall is coming and soon there will be leaves, golden instead of green and in abundance falling from the huge maple in our neighbor’s yard that hangs over into our yard. Despite the extra work, I do love Fall.

Signs Catching Light

Signs of the times around this old house…

Just watched kids in the neighborhood heading out bright and early for school.

Cooler mornings ushering in Fall.

Windows closed and warmer robes and slippers being worn in the mornings.

Daylight is getting shorter.

Soup and crock pot meals sound real good.

Linking to signs, signs with Leslie and Catching Light with Nature Footstep.

High Winds Wreak Havoc…

On Saturday morning the rains came and then high winds began. Early in the afternoon when the high winds really whipped up we knew we had to go out and remove the patio covers before they and our supports were ruined. Shortly after the covers and any light furniture and decor were tucked away nicely the power went out. We were without power from two in the afternoon until seven in the evening. We were the lucky ones who had their power restored. Our kids still did not have power on Sunday morning. When we left the house for church on Sunday morning we saw some of the wind damage in our neighborhood.

Saturday was not a good day to travel anywhere and I’m happy we all stayed at home and rode out the storm. Katie and I worked on a jigsaw puzzle by candlelight.

My neighbors are now waiting for insurance adjusters to come out and survey the damage before they do any removal.

These examples were minor compared to other damaged property and some lives lost when trees landed on top of cars driving down the road. There are still thousands of households without power.

We are very thankful for the rain and that the high winds are dying down. Hope your weekend was more peaceful…

I’ll be linking up to ABC Wednesday started by Mrs. Nesbitt and carried on by Roger and the ABC team on Tuesday. H is for High Winds and Havoc!

We’ve a Story to Tell ~ Hymn

We’ve a Story to Tell

We’ve a story to tell to the nations,
That shall turn their hearts to the right,
A story of truth and mercy,
A story of peace and light,
A story of peace and light.

Refrain

For the darkness shall turn to dawning,
And the dawning to noonday bright;
And Christ’s great kingdom shall come on earth,
The kingdom of love and light.

We’ve a song to be sung to the nations,
That shall lift their hearts to the Lord,
A song that shall conquer evil
And shatter the spear and sword,
And shatter the spear and sword.

Refrain

We’ve a message to give to the nations,
That the Lord who reigns up above
Has sent us His Son to save us,
And show us that God is love,
And show us that God is love.

Refrain

We’ve a Savior to show to the nations,
Who the path of sorrow has trod,
That all of the world’s great peoples
Might come to the truth of God,
Might come to the truth of God.

Refrain

Words and Music by H. Ernest Nichol ~ In The Sunday School Hymnary (London: 1896)

HT: Cyberhymnal

Sweet Pea Table!

I love pink and green. This table was set for ten for a dinner on my niece’s birthday a few years back while she and some of her family were visiting us in August.

The last time I participated in Pink Saturday was back in 2009! I’m in the pink today and it’s raining and I have time to visit some participants so I’m joining in! How Sweet the Sound ~ Pink Saturday with Beverly! Hi Beverly…

What are your plans for the weekend? The only things on our schedule for Saturday and Sunday are church and a soccer event. I woke up this morning to the sound of rain which is a very welcome sound in these parts!

Dear and Me B.C.

For my flashback post today I’m posting photos of Dear and me after we were married but before we had children.

img570Here we are just after our wedding all ready to take off for our honeymoon. I’ve already shared our honeymoon photos but hadn’t scanned this one yet.

In 1976 we took a trip across the country. We stopped in to see Dear’s Great Aunt Matilda in Oberlin, Kansas on our way to Michigan. She never forgot anyone’s birthday and she and I shared the same birthday.

img576This is Dear’s grandmother Nettie from Illinois visiting us at our first apartment in 1974.

Pregnant Josh newbornDear, Grandma Nettie, and Dear’s father.

Christmas at Dear’s parents’ home.

img573Our first apartment and our first couch that we bought with our own money. We had lots of hand me downs when we were first married that furnished our apartment. We also bought a few items from second hand stores.

Today we have a nice cloud cover with some rain promised for today and the weekend. Everyone is excited about the prospect of the rain and hoping it also helps put out the fires that are still raging here…

Hope you all have a great last weekend of August!

Pork Chops!

Click on over to the Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog to see the recipe from Pat at Mille Fiori Favoriti let me share of her family favorite Pork Chop Casserole.

pork chops 019

Being raised semi Kosher my mom never made anything using Pork products. We have embraced the vision that Peter had with the sheet coming down. We now enjoy some pork products but they still aren’t my first choice except for bacon! I’m learning and we do well with smoked pork shoulder and ribs!

Look Closely…

The sign on the gate caught our eye but the surrounding fence really had us investigating. Check out the stone fence surrounding this gate. The fence around this beach home near Oxnard in Southern California holds lots of surprise elements.

When my husband was working in Southern California from 2006-2010 we had a condo so on the weekends we were”foot loose and fancy free” to do whatever we wanted. We really enjoyed early morning walks at the beach and one Saturday we ventured out to the Oxnard area and spotted this house.

Here are some closeups of the wall/fence.

I’m linking up to signs, signs with Lesley and to Good Fences #75 with TexWisGirl at Run*A*Round Ranch Report.

I’m looking forward to some time in the future when Dear and I might be footloose and fancy free. Time will tell. In the meantime I’ll be content with our busy schedules and long prayer lists!

Signs that Teach…

…Good Manners!

Small Points on Table Etiquette

Delicacy of manner at the table stamps both man and woman, for one can, at one glance, discern whether a person has been trained to eat well-i.e. to hold the knife and fork properly, to eat without the slightest sound of the lips, to drink quietly, to use the napkin rightly, to make no noise with any of the implements of the table, and last, but not least, to eat slowly and masticate the food thoroughly. All these points should be most carefully taught to children, and then they will always feel at their ease at the grandest tables in the land.

I’m linking up to ABC Wednesday for the letter G (Good Manners) with thanks to Mrs. Nesbitt and to Roger and the ABC team!

I’m also linking up later this week with signs, signs hosted by Lesley!

Tonight we will be going out to celebrate our son and daughter in love’s 14th wedding anniversary. Thankfully we won’t be at the grandest table in the land and we won’t have a lot of pressure to exhibit the most perfect table manners. The celebration itself will be grand with 4 of our 6 gracing the table!

InSpired Sunday

Backroads of Washington…

Colville, Washington.

Republic, Washington.

Republic, Washington

Holy Rosary in Tonasket, Washington. The whole city of Tonasket was on level 3 evacuation notice last week. The level was later lowered.

These churches are in areas of Washington that have been on fire watch and evacuation notice. We continue to pray for containment of the many fires still burning in Washington State. We have a mountain range between us and the major fire areas and the last couple days the smoke has traveled over the Cascade Mountain range and is hanging in the air in Western Washington. The setting sun was orange yesterday. Rain without lightning would be a very welcome event.

Linking up to InSPIREd Sunday with Beth and Sally!

Today for our Sunday Worship the church doors were closed and we had over 2000 volunteers go out to our area schools to spruce up the grounds and help teachers in their classrooms get ready for the new year. Community Serve Day is a great event that we have the privilege to participate in as a church every year. Here’s a collage of Dear getting areas ready for fresh paint before the event today. Today he painted the brick wall that he pressure washed on Friday. I helped in one of the classrooms doing whatever the teacher asked of me.