Snow Falling on October 28

It was Rob's birthday on Tuesday and he had an additional present.....SNOW.

We had friends for dinner. A couple of rounds of speed scrabble first. A delicious dinner. A "find out about Rob's past life", a fellow doctor won the contest and then a rousing game of Catch Phrase. The men won.

And in two days we will be off to St. Kitts, where it never snows, especially in October!

VOTE

Vote ProLife



Romans 13:11 "And knowing the time, that it is time to awake out of sleep; for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand; let us therefore cast off works of darkness and put on the armor of light". (italics mine)

There are many more people who will and can write more eloquently than myself on this issue but for those that still read my blog I will add my thoughts on this election.

God is interested in life.

He always has been, He always will be. All life. From the moment of conception to the last lingering breathe of those who have lived a long and healthy life. And we has a Christian community in this nation have let this holocaust of the unborn, (and it seems likely in the future our elderly and disabled), be initiated, perpetuated and gain national acceptance in our lifetime. I'm very sorry and beg for your forgiveness, Lord.

I have recently read through Judges; the ending of the book is chilling. "Every man did what was right in his own eyes". That is never good, either for individuals, communities or nations. What is good for one person, inevietably due to lack of absolutes and truths, will not be good for someone in the group. Sometimes we drift into patterns of life that for us personally are not sinful, but turning a blind eye makes us uncaring and certainly self absorbed with our own life. And we forget issues that God is certainly interested in and passionate about.

God has set before us life and blessing or death and cursing. And we has a corporate nation have chosen the latter in response to the lives of the unborn.

There are many issues in this election. I'm fairly sure that God is more interested in life, especially the life of the unborn who have no voice, than the wellbeing of our economy. God has promised to meet the needs of his people. I don't know how He will do it or how He does it on a regular basis but He does. Nature, birds, animals, plants, all creation is absolutely surrendered to God's keeping hand and they don't worry about their needs. God's enduring, sustaining love towards us in the gift of His Son, tells us each day; He loves us so much that He gave...... Will He not keep us now that we are His?

There are two viable candidates. One who thinks that life begins at conception. The other one thinks that a baby could be a "mistake" and will sign, as his first act, The Freedom of Choice Act. He is prochoice, which is pro abortion. Which is killing a life created in God's image.

We need to raise our voice as a community. Let us not give our hearts away to things that do not matter. We need to always pray and not loose heart, but we also need to take up our responsibilities and rights as Americans, a right that all Christians worldwide do not have, and vote.

"The world is too much with us; late and soon,
getting and spending, we lay waste our powers"

William Wordsworth

God help it not be so.

Fall

"Your beauty golden like summer harmest, Your fruitfulness as autumn plenty." Puritan prayer, author unknown.





A friend gave me this gift- bittersweet- exploded with yellows and oranges when brought into the warmth of the kitchen.



I once heard it said that fall is fickle. It can't make up its mind to be warm or cold, sunny or rainy.

I think it made up its mind here in the North Country. It's supposed to snow tomorrow.

But we have had a magnificient fall. I wonder if it is to compensate for the miserable cold rainy summer we had. And perhaps all the rain we experienced this summer resulted in the brillant colors of our fall. Life is a balance.

The white birches glowed with sparking yellow leaves for the last month or so. The maples were respledent with reds, crimsons, oranges, and golden shades of brown. The berries on the trees have turned bright red and gold.

And I am so thankful for ordinary glories that surround me.

New York is beautiful. Mountains, lakes, seashore, river valleys. The changing of seasons here is a testament to His creativity, His thoughtfulness to provide themes of majesty and nobility amidst our everyday life. The liquid splendor of the sun as it shines through boughs in high peaks. The pokka dots of rain splashing down on nearby rivers. And the millions of leaves, yet to be raked, leave a stark silhouette of branches and limbs and trees waiting to be clothed with shiny white snow.

"Life is more than just breathing. Real living is made up of moments that take your breath away".

We Got This Today

OCTOBER'S BRIGHT BLUE WEATHER

O suns and skies and clouds of June,

And flowers of June together,

Ye cannot rival for one hour

October's bright blue weather.

When loud the humblebee makes haste,

Belated, thriftless vagrant,

And Golden Rod is dying fast,

And lanes with grapes are fragrant;

When Gentians roll their fringes tight,

To save them for the morning,

And chestnuts fall from satin burrs,

Without a sound of warning;

When on the ground red apples lie

In piles like jewels shining,

And redder still on old stone walls

Are leaves of woodbine twining;

When all the lovely wayside things

Their white-winged seeds are sowing,

And in the fields, still green and fair,

Late aftermaths are growing;

When springs run low, and on the brooks,

In idle golden freighting,

Bright leaves sink noiseless in the hush,

Of woods, for winter waiting;

When comrades seek sweet country haunts,

By twos and twos together,

And count like misers, hour by hour,

October's bright blue weather.

O suns and skies and flowers of June,

Count all your boasts together,

Love loveth best of all the year,

October's bright blue weather.

Helen Hunt Jackson

Fall Chores

1. take boat and jet ski out of Higley, transport to A Bay for winterization, pick up jet ski and store in open garage at home

2. cut down perennial beds at camp and home. many wheelbarrow loads to throw off cliff or deposit in woods, pull up annuals.

3. bring outside furniture inside at camp and cover pieces that stay outside. clean out refrigerator and bring food goods to town home, take up stairs to water, bring in whips

4. turn off water at camp and bring home all tools that might be used during winter on projects during those long winter nights when we don't have any thing to do. ha ha

5. rake tons of leaves, home and camp, so we have a viable lawn next spring. this year the brown bags are the chosen vessels for Canton. we're green! they're more expensive!

6. bring outdoor furniture at home inside garden room, candles, fountains, pots, side tables, hanging lanterns, stone pets, etc.

rake

7. rake, we have 100 year old maples- loads of leaves

8. mow lawn, one last time

rake

9. take down screens from 140 year old house

rake

10, put up huge storm windows on 140 year old tall house

rake

11. take out air conditioners first.

rake

12. make sure permenant stationary generator works, run lawn mowers dry

rake

13. put rakes away (i understand that people in texas don't know what rakes are), and get out snow shovels

14. get manure for vegetable garden, compost with gound up leaves and rototill the garden spot in preparation for next spring. put tomato cages away.

15. reinstate bird feeders so we have some feathered friends visit this winter

WHEW

good thing we we had a threesome and later a fourth today. storm windows did not get up, but air conditioners are out!

She Did It/ I Did It!!

She signed up in May to support TAPS. She had never run in a race, she had never run 10 miles. And run and train she did.

She finished the Army Ten Miler, running.

The picture above was at the 8 mile post.

The small crowd of family gathered at the 8 mile post wildly waving signs of encouragement and shouting cheers of support. Ethan, Laura and Lars jumped in with the girls at that point and ran to the finish with them.

I'm so proud of Liz, Maja, Rachel and Meka!!

I Did It Too!

Rob and I went to the Adirondacks to climb our first High Peak. We brought Otis. He scampered right up to the top while we took many rests and breaks to catch our breath and regain a normal heart rate.

It was beautiful at the summit. Cascade has a 360 degree view. I can't believe it but one month short of my 60th birthday I climbed my first High Peak. I want to do all 46 of them now. However, Ethan told us that Cascade was the easiest one. Wanting to have a good positive experience we thought we would start at the bottom of the difficulty chart.

I had to rethink my strategy for the next mountain climb though. If I wait to attempt the most difficult one, I may be 80 years old by then. So I think I may have to attempt the most difficult next and work my way down.

I'd better wait till Ethan can guide us to the top!

Washington

I've been to Arlington Cemetery twice in less than a year.

Both times were visits done with heavy hearts. We were not tourists but participants.

I had never been before. And we have been to Washington several times.

The first time we went we were in terrible pain and grief. Four blackhawks flew above as we sat on the white seats provided in front of the flag drapped casket. The Secretary of the Army came and shook our hands and conveyed condolences. We heard words of comfort, gun salutes of honor, bagpipes of sorrow, revving of the motorcycle engines and muffled sobs and tears hid behind dark glasses. Our friends and family around.

This time, we four went alone to Arlington.

It was a beautiful day. We could drive right in. Right to the grave site. A privilege no one really wants but one we have posthumous.

We walked down silently, hiding our feelings and emotions again, behind dark glasses.

Yes, yes this was the place we were at in December. This is the place he is resting now. The headstone has been inscribed and placed.

We didn't say much. We stood and thought and remembered.

We wandered around other gravesites and found Dave's headstone.

We sat under a tree alone. We wrote in our journal, our intimate thoughts.

We pulled out a pocket New Testament and leaned on each other and read scripture.

We kneeled, embraced and found strength.

And then we drove off in the car to another part of Arlington. An area set aside for slaves. No one had any dates of births or deaths. No one kept account.

Some were unknown. Some were just citizens. Some civilians.

There were unnamed children buried there. Living briefly, not named.

There was an area of small headstones doting the landscape with no names. No names. No way to remember who lived and died so many years ago.

And yet each one had value. Each one had hopes and dreams, interests and giftings. Each one was a unique creation made in the image of a loving creator.

When Elizabeth was in third grade her teacher asked the students to write a paper about their names. We found this paper while unpacking at 34.

My name is Elizabeth.

I like my name because it is pretty.

My mom named me that because I have an aunt named Elizabeth.

My name means conscrated to God.

I wish my name meant cheerful, excellent, amusementing, and funny.

Becuase that is a good way to go through life.

I had not realized that she was such a philosopher at such a tender age but it was a very good thought.

Jesus taught about names. He gave a slight rebuke when his disciples came back with excited reports of power and honor during a missionary trip they had embarked on. His encouragement to them and to us.......Rejoice that your names are written in Heaven.

And so we do rejoice. Christian Philip Skoglund's name is written in Heaven!