Saturday's Scribbles

 

Good Saturday to you from our corner of Iowa where when looking out the window we see a couple inches of snow on the ground. The white stuff finally came to stay along with some colder temperatures although it looks to me like it may not last. Joel saw a bunny rabbit out in the snow yesterday. Blended right in.  Our neighbor has tucked their old pumpkins up against the side of their garage and the deer and the rabbits have been feasting! Fun to see. know Joel did the same with ours but he took them down to the river and broke them open on the side of the bank so the animals could feast. 

Speaking of feasts,  we plan to have Christmas dinner with our oldest son and his kids. That will be nice. Mostly we have quiet dinners here alone and enjoy that too but it's always nice to be around family.

 It is been a busy week without really much going on if that makes any sense. Just getting the wrapping done making sure all the cards are sent out and doing a lot of baking on my part. I made pumpkin bread, Townhouse cookies, and Angel Crisp cookies and then of course my own almond flour cookies with nuts and raisins. On Wednesday night we went to an advent service at the church which was a Holden prayer service. It was nice and peaceful. I spent quite a bit of time on the phone this week talking to family and friends and we all spent quite a bit of time in prayer regarding the one we love and care about who's fighting such a hard battle. We have seen miracle upon miracle in this situation and we are on our knees humbled and grateful for the movement that we see of God in this person's life and their body.  God is the god of Miracles. 

Speaking of Miracles , we're so thankful that all the people that we've talked to this week are doing okay . Three other family members and one friend have taken hard falls in the past couple weeks resulting in a fractures, bruises, and black eyes!  No one sustained major damage but certainly they are in recovery mode for these Falls. Just so grateful that they're going to be okay. Needless to say having so many people fall has put me on high alert for going up and down stairs or walking outside ! Too much falling for my way of thinking !

 Joel has been working on the wooden TV tray tables that he's making for the grandkids. He had to dig out the snow blower and get that going too. I've been walking inside and listening to the second in a series by Jan Karen about Father Tim. I just love those books! Christmas will soon be upon us and we give thanks for our savior Jesus who came to save the world. We're so grateful for his sacrifice and what it means for all of us. 

So today I'm grateful for the first snowfall, grateful for snow blowers and cozy houses. Grateful for being able to bake bread,pumpkin bread, Angel Crisps,  Townhouse cookies and more.  Grateful for presents under the tree and grateful for all the healing on a daily basis. Grateful for Jesus Healing Touch and the amazing miracles that we have seen this week. It definitely has brought us to our knees. Yes grateful for all these things along with phone calls, texts, hugs, and prayers, and so much more.

 Enjoy your weekend

Saturday's Scribbles

 

Good Saturday to you from our corner of North Iowa where the weather report looks grim. Ice, freezing rain, and snow will be covering our state throughout today. It warmed up last night so that we woke up to 25° which sent Joel out on the porch for his morning coffee. God blessed him this morning with some beautiful birds to share his space. There's a nice bush on the corner of our porch and a cardinal spent time there this morning along with some Juncos and a chickadee! Definitely a welcome sight. There is some spiritual thought that Cardinals are messengers from God. Certainly nature sends messages every day to us about our Creator!

Joel has  headed off to Gabby Grandpa  even though the roads may be a little bit slippery. We are still waiting for the snow to arrive.

 It has been a quiet week in many ways. We finished putting out any decorations we wanted, we ordered a few things online and we went to Advent services at the church where Joel served for 10 years, Our Saviour's Lutheran. Joel rode his bike once this past week because it was so warm! He also has been doing some woodworking in the semi-heated garage. He had a good report from the eye doctor and a quick trip to the dentist for a chipped tooth rounded out his week along with the conference Pastor meeting and lunch with fellow colleagues. 

We continue to have issues with lights. We finally got enough lights on the Christmas tree in the living room and then last night the lights on the small angel tree in the dining room went out. Add this to our outdoor lights and the ceiling lights and yeah we're  having light issues.   I'm not sure what it means but we keep fixing the lights! It also has us focused on God's light....We want that light to shine not only in the house but in our hearts!

I had an eye appointment Monday which did not go so well and sent me home to call Mayo and by the grace of God I got a cancellation there at Mayo Ophthalmology for the 27th. It felt like the right thing and we know God is with us as we go to a glaucoma specialist and get an assessment of my eye. I got the Christmas cards sent out, shortening the list this year because it's just too challenging for my vision.  If I have missed any of you, I send Christmas greetings today.  Merry Christmas! God bless! I've been walking mostly in the house the last few days because it's been bitterly cold. Now today we have ice and snow coming, so I won't be challenging the weather but walking inside. I went back on the medication to help keep cancer away 12 days ago. After researching everything regarding the kind of cancer I had this last time, I realized that even though there's some mystery on whether the medication caused the eye issue, we do know that that cancer is fed by estrogen and I need to suppress the estrogen and stop the estrogen receptors from feeding cancer cells. So I'm adjusting once again to the drug that makes me feel out of sorts and giving thanks everyday that God is with me. 

Speaking of God, today I'm grateful for a warm house, a fireplace, a place to walk indoors, a place to walk Outdoors, and nature showing up for Joel this morning. Grateful for homemade whole wheat bread, French toast with strawberries, and pumpkin bread.Grateful for homemade soup simmering..for the phone calls, texts, and emails to keep us connected to those we love.  Grateful for all this and so much more...

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you from our corner of Iowa where the weather has once again been unpredictable. We were dealing with -14 wind chills earlier in the week and now this weekend the highs will be in the upper 40s to 50s.  Okay then! We aren't seeing  any critters very much, many are heading south. Joel is still spending mornings on the porch with his coffee. I can venture out for 2 to 3 minutes and then I'm ready to go in the house.

Speaking of the house, we've been doing some decorating but are being minimal this year choosing carefully what we put out. We have five tubs full of Christmas decorations having gotten rid of that many more a few years ago. Just don't feel like putting everything out this year so we've chosen some of our favorite things and have also decided not to put ornaments on the tree. We can still change our mind on that but it looks pretty nice now that we have the lights working well enough. Some of our decorations hold special memories from the different places we have lived and the different people who've given us the gifts that sit in our home during the holidays. We have one decoration that's over 40 years old that some friends gave us. It's a small ceramic church and you can light a votive candle inside it.  On the outside of the church a mouse pastor stands on the steps and directs other mice in a choir and band. It's so cute! I'm sure  you have decorations that make you smile, too.  We also have several nativity sets... One is from the Philippines and made out of bamboo.. a couple of Hallmark ones add to the mix. We do have our Advent wreath up again this year. We don't light the candles but we'll put it out as a reminder of the season and the memory of when our children were home and every night we lit the candles, opened up the doors on the calendar, read a special devotion, and prayed together. So many good memories

. I finally got out of the house after laying around for a few days. Joel and I seemed to pick up some mild funky virus that kept us close to home. A couple others in the family were under the weather too so I'm thinking it just made the rounds. Nothing serious for sure.   On the coldest day of the week we went grocery shopping.  Maybe we wanted to get outside and face it and defy it! Well most days I just stay inside but once in a while it's like .....you're not the boss of me Mother Nature! Fresh air is good for us even if it's in the winter.   Haha

 I'm hoping that your December is going well and is festive in every way. Today I'm giving thanks , especially for lights. Lights in our house, lights on a Christmas tree, lights from on the fireplace and on the rooftops and the overhangs. And especially the light of Jesus Christ in our lives. Grateful for Joel and his support always. Grateful for phone calls with my supportive friend Lana. Grateful I'm still walking. Grateful for memories through our Christmas decorations that make us smile. Grateful for the Christmas specials on TV. Grateful for Joel's early morning coffee Porch Sitting. Grateful for homemade bread baking today and  grateful for phone calls, texts, emails and so much more. 

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

 

Good Saturday day to you on this last day of November 2024. It's 7° right now, no snow but sunshine and cold temperatures! I have the fireplace going as I write this. The Christmas tree is standing in the corner with its lights on....well most of it's lights on. Yesterday it was carried carefully upstairs and put in the corner of the living room, and all the lights were on but later in the day when I tried to rearrange a couple strands one whole section went out. Well not totally out because every once in awhile it blinks back on for a few minutes and then goes out again so I'm thinking replacement lighting in the near future. It's kind of like what happened with the overhead living room light. Turned it on and it went poof and the lights went out.  Fan quit running....Joel changed out the light bulbs after checking them, turned it on again and poof All the Lights Went Out or so we thought. When the kids were here one of them turned the light on and it turned on and it's been working ever since. We also had checked all the outdoor lights and they were working fine...until up and going and then one secton would not work so Joel had to re-string them.  Don't know what's going on with the electrical but I'm thinking we might need to have it all checked....unless it's us! Then we better have ourselves checked!

Speaking of kids, four of our five children were here for Thanksgiving along with eight grandchildren and 1 grand dog.  . We had such a good time. Thursday was filled with laughter and chess, cribbage,  and Yahtzee with plenty of good food and pies for dessert. Everyone just took over in the kitchen while Papa and Grandma Na tried to stay out of their way! So grateful.  It was hard to see everyone go yesterday. The house got so quiet, but I think we were pretty tired from all the interaction. Joel slept 8 and 1/2 hours last night and I slept over nine. I posted pictures on Facebook of the gathering.

Today we are more than grateful for our family. For our children and their love of God and for each other ......and for the beautiful people they brought into the world. Our Grands are now amazing young adults and adults and for that we are so thankful.  We are so proud of who they are whose they are, and who they are becoming plus the gifts they give the world. We're so grateful for each and every one of them. we are so blessed.

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you on this chilly morning in Northern Iowa. This past week temperatures took a big dip with added wind chills in the teens.  Definitely time to bring out the winter coats! Today will be 40 and then we dip back down on Monday again with an expected high of 30 on Thanksgiving Day.  Mother Nature is back on schedule. 

Speaking of nature,  Joel is still sitting outside in 30° temperatures having his morning coffee. Mainly he's been watching the crows across the street looking for our neighbor to throw some corn out again. There are probably deer coming around but we haven't seen them during the day. This is kind of the dreary,  drab season when the color is fading....Seems like it's a good time to have the holidays to brighten everyone's days. 

Speaking of holidays, our family comes to our home this year for Thanksgivin. They start arriving on Wednesday and will be heading home after lunch on Friday. We're so thankful it's our year to have Thanksgiving with everyone. And we're so thankful that the kids come in and take over the kitchen. Especially this year when we are weary,  it's nice support. 

Speaking of support, it reminds me of that story in the Bible where Moses was to hold his arms up while Israel was in battle and he got so tired but Hur and Aaron helped hold his arms up...they came and held up one arm each to support him in the battle.  That's what we're to do for each other isn't it. Hold up each other in support and encouragement. In battle.  A form of worship.

Speaking of worship that message has been coming loud and clear for over a week now... praise praise praise praise worship worship worship worship. In the process two songs have come to my attention from unusual sources. The song "Believe" that Brooks and Dunn and Jelly Roll sang together on the CMA Awards was beautiful. And another song entitled  "If  I've got Jesus"  . I've been able to put them on Alexa and hear them over and over which is a good thing. 

Speaking of Alexa,  I remember when we first got it for Christmas a couple years ago and our grandson set it up. It was all new to us and one night we were just sitting in the living room watching some TV and all of a sudden Alexis spoke and said, "Good night" in a sing song voice..."Sleep well!"  A little more than creepy. I think I replied,  Alexa you're scaring me! (Haha)  There have been rumors that say that China or our government listens to us through the Alexa boxes. One Pastor said  he sure hoped  they were listening because he had been trying to preach a message to them for years about Jesus! You certainly won't get anything useful here by listening to us.....hopefully just a lot about Jesus1 

 This past week we spent time with our oldest son and grand dog, at the Retina Dr's office, shopping for Thanksgiving, and too many hours trying to get our cable working....I walked some and Joel rode zero unfortuately.  Weather got in the way.  We have been busy getting ready for the family to come.... Cleaning, baking, shopping.    It's all a good thing.

Speaking of a good thing, I'm going to end my scribbles with what I'm grateful for. Today I'm grateful for a warm house, safe trip to the retina doctor. Grateful for good news and a hopeful outcome. Grateful for cookies and pumpkin bread baked and the house cleaned. Grateful the family is coming. Grateful I can get some walking in and we can get the shopping done. Grateful for two new songs to help me worship and focus on Jesus. Grateful for all Joel's support and help. Grateful for the help of our kids. Grateful for emails, phone calls, texts and prayers of so many. Grateful for the opportunity to praise and worship our Lord. Grateful for all this and so much more!

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you on this unseasonably warm day in Northern Iowa. We're tipping the scale into the last two weeks of November but we're still seeing temperatures mostly in the mid 50s.  Definitely a warmer fall. They talk about a bit of snow next week but it doesn't look like it all amount too much if anything. 

 Speaking of snow, Joel was busy putting Christmas tree lights on the outside of the house yesterday, which of course was complicated. He tested all the lights before he put them up and they all worked fine.   Then he got them all up, got the extension cords working and the lights did not work. He spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out the problem and ended up with a few lights not working at all and the rest working fine. Sound familiar? iWhat is it about Christmas lights that tries our patience?  We will have some outdoor lights and for that we are grateful. 

Speaking of outdoors, our pansies are still hanging on for us to enjoy.  Our Maple tree has now given us brown leaves on one side and the other half the tree leaves are green and yellow! The geese are still gathering and the squirrels are still storing food. No deer around this week but maybe they are in hiding as it is deer hunting season.  

Speaking of hunting, Joel used to be an avid hunter until he joined the military.  The first time I went hunting with him and his parents, we were crouched down watching a big buck.....when the buck moved out of sight they talked about where it was now, so being "helpful" I stood up and pointed and said "there it is!"  Needless to say the deer took off and I learned about being quiet and invisible while hunting!  Of course no one ever let me carry a gun which was a good thing.  

This has been a quiet week here in our corner of the world.  There was not much going on and that is okay.Yesterday we made pumpkin bread and we'll freeze most of this batch and then make another batch next week. We send it home with the kids every year either at Thanksgiving or after Christmas. We are looking forward to them coming for Thanksgiving this year! They are taking over the kitchen as soon as they arrive, which is a relief for Joel and I. This year our energy has gone to other things. 

Speaking of other things I have an appointment 2 hours south of us in Des Moines on Monday morning with the retina specialist. We are hoping he can give me some insights into what's happened with my right eye and even suggest a glaucoma specialist if necessary. I try to be honest here with my readers.....needless to say my anxiety levels have been off the charts regarding the future and being told I will lose my vison. A million "what if's" come into my mind making it hard to breathe at times. Yesterday I read a devotional that talked about a woman having anxiety and God telling her to name the"what ifs" in a positive way. Like what if that never happens, what if your children grow up to be strong and healthy, what if this disease leaves your body, what if...... what if..... what if. Last night I woke to seeing the name Jesus in my mind and hearing, "Do what Jesus tells you". It's stuck with me and I woke up this morning thinking .....do what Jesus tells you. In my memories on Facebook came a post that spoke about anxiety and turning your worry into worship and when you do turn that worry into worship God can make the mountain of anxiety  bow down to Him. Yesterday a friend had suggested spending a lot of time praising God regarding my circumstances. Worship andn Praise.  I'm paying attention.  These are the ways God speaks to me and when I receive more than  2-3 verses, or words of wisdom that connect, I listen.

Joel has not ridden his bike much this week. I've continued to walk mostly inside and we've done the usual baking and cleaning and TV watching.  Homemade chicken and rice soup filled our bellies for a few meals.  Tomorrow Joel preaches again at two churches south of town.  Last Sunday we went to worship at the church Joel served for 10 years.  Nice to connect with some familiar faces.  

Speaking of familiar faces,  my niece Deb has created a video of old photos and a taped conversation she had with my mom quite a few years ago.  Listening to my mom share stories of her life was interesting.  AND I learned some things I never knew.  I am still blown away by the fact that my parents knew each other 2 weeks and 2 days when they got married.  Crazy.  So glad Deb took the time to create this 1.5 hours video/audio story of my mom's history.  

So after a week of "waiting" and resting, we continue to be grateful for the doctors who care for us.  Grateful for homemade soup, pumpkin bread, and a full flridge and tummy.  Grateful for Christms lights that are not quite perfect, memories of my one and only deer hunting expedition.  Grateful for warmer temps, our Maple tree rustling leaves, pansies that won't give up.  Grateful for phone calls, texts, a grand's 21st birthday, emails, and new adventures with online food ordering!  Ha.....Grateful I can still see..  Grateful for Deb's video of my mom's life in photos and stories.  Grateful for the love of family and friends.....and so much more.

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you from our corner of Iowa on this second weekend of November. The leaves have pretty much fallen off many of the trees and the beautiful Autumn colors are now gone. Nature is preparing for winter.   

Speaking of nature,  today Joel went out on the porch to have his morning coffee and saw for the first time here a red fox making its rounds in the neighborhood. He was able to observe it for awhile.  You don't see fox very often and you certainly don't see them in town,  but we live close to the river and that makes a difference for the variety of wildlife that we see. We went for a brief walk the other day towards dusk and a large doe ran across just a few feet in front of us on our street.  The squirrels have been busy storing food and I often hear them in the morning running across the roof. Of course the geese are gathering too.  God always shows up in nature.   

 November brought with it a time change. I'm not sure why we do this to our bodies, but it certainly is hard to get things back in balance once they shift the clock. At 5:00 it is dark out and I don't like it! I'm grateful for every sunset but I wish it was later! 

Last Sunday we went to church which was nice. Monday I decided to call my retina doctor's office and get an appointment with him. We had not been hearing back from Mayo Clinic which is not unusual but I just was tired of waiting and wanted to get his opinion on what is going on with my right eye. Made an appointment for later this month down at his main office. Soon after that I received a call from the oncology nurse telling me I was on a wait list for Mayo Ophthalmology. A wait list starting in February 2025! Okay then, that's kind of a long wait when you've been told you're going to lose the vision in your only eye. It made me feel good about seeing the retina doctor. While she was on the phone I told her I'd been called to jury duty and with wondering if I could even manage that. She told me she'd look into it because she thought I had enough serious health concerns that I should be excused. The next day she called and I was excused.   So relieved.  God is working through people and I am so grateful.

It's good to see things starting to fall into place after finding ourselves in a holding pattern. It takes me back to when we first were flying into the Philippines after an 18 hour flight we were in a holding pattern and the plane had to reverse its engines in order to land on the short runway. Everything in that plane was vibrating including us. It was a scary and we didn't know  what in the world was going on but trusted the pilot who assured us.  That's how I have felt with our circumstances...we are in a holding pattern, things seem to be really really quiet or really really shaky and it's unpredictable and out of our hands.  After we've done what we can, we wait. God, our pilot will take care of it all. We need to trust Him.  

Speaking of trusting God, Wednesday we ended up in the ER for Joel. I wrote about it on Facebook. Tuesday night he had some symptoms that came up that were very concerning, and had us questioning if he needed to see a doctor. He called his nurse Wednesday morning and after checking, she said the doctor said he needed to go into ER....... where we spent hours waiting for a room and then seeing a doctor and going through tests. Turns out he's okay except for Vertigo. They ruled out stroke or heart. and even stress as the cause.   We are kind of are tired of all this for sure but grateful that he's okay. 

Joel did a little biking this week and I walked in the house most days.  Yardwork continues and baking for me.......some cleaning and even getting lights on the artifical tree stationed in the basement family room.  It's only 3 weeks until Thanksgiving and our children are coming this year. That's exciting for us. It's always a short visit but it certainly blessed us greatly.

Speaking of grateful......we are!  For Fall, for a fox showing up.  For a deer crossing our path.  Grateful for church worship online and in the pew,  a visit with a friend, Culvers salads, TV, biking and walking, Joel's good heath report. All the good nurses and doctors we encounter.  The oncology nurse stepping in to help me above and beyond!  Grateful for texts, emails, phone calls, and so so much more...

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

 

Good Saturday to you on our first weekend of November here in Iowa.   Earlier this week temperatures were in the 80s but on Halloween it was a frigid 37° when the kids came around. Still, we gave out seven bags of candy and had to close the door and turn off the lights because we ran put!  Had at least least 135 kids. Joel likes to sit on the porch but this year it was a little cold so he sat inside and watched for them to come. Mostly he gets only children who are polite and grateful. There's always one or two who are defiant or want to grab handfuls of candy, but for the most part it's a very enjoyable experience and fun for the kids.

 Last Saturday night after our online worship we watched the movie The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. It was depressing, it was sad and there was no happy ending. I really know how to pick them!  Sunday we headed off to church at Our Saviors where Joel was pastor 10 years. I had not been there for several years and it was enjoyable to be back in  familiar places and see familiar faces....well at least a few! Joel left there in 2006 so some faces are new!

It rained all day Wednesday with us getting over an inch of much needed moisture. On Wednesday night we went to Wednesday Alive at the church where we are members.  They have a meal and then they have a short program for an hour in different areas and for different ages. The last episode of ours was called the Zombies and Joel and I really didn't care for it. Zombies?  At the very end we did talk about death and if we were afraid to die. It brought to mind a quote that I heard recently, " I'm not afraid to die,  I just don't want to be there when it happens". That's exactly how I feel. I know where I'm going, I know that Jesus is waiting for me and my loved ones who've already died but I just don't want to go through the process of dying! Moving on...

Joel has not been able to get out and bike this week as it has been too windy. He has managed to do yard work, getting ready for winter. ....just like the animals around us. One of the days it was 80 so we had the back door open and I could hear the geese honking and flying overhead....Gathering Together and getting ready to go south! Love that sound. 

 Thursday we had a long visit with a friend then headed to the chiropractor in the afternoon. Friday we got our booster shot, this time from Pfizer and I have not had any side effects for the first time. Joel is off to Gabby Grandpa's for his Saturday coffee hour. So it's been a pretty normal week around here and between it all we're waiting for the phone to ring and it has not. It's almost 2 weeks since the referral went to Mayo Clinic.

This week we watched Matlock, High Potential, another Islands documentary and a couple of Northern Exposures.  And also 1 strange movie. Not too crazy about Matlock. There's so much lying and deceit that goes on and Joel and I both find that very disturbing. The show is intriguing but not very ethical at this point. It does show how big law firms can work. I know it's just a show but when the show does not make us comfortable we need to look at it and see if we really want to invest in it. 

I've been walking and I'm connectiong with audiobook mysteries at home but Im still missing Father Tim! Very few of Jan Karon's books are on audio in the free libraries.

 It is November and Thanksgiving will arrive the end of the month. We have much to be thankful for. A warm house, a long beautiful fall, visits with family and friends, Halloween with all the kids running around outside, good food good Fellowship good worship. Grateful for audio books and TV. Grateful for podcast and music. Grateful for the quiet that we sometimes find necessary. Grateful for all this and so much more.

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles om

Good Saturday to you on this last weekend of October 2024. It has been mostly a dry and windy week here in North Iowa. Our resident squirrel has spent time burying his winter food supply in one of our pansy pots! He's going to be surprised when he can't find his stash this winter. This dry weather reminds me of Montana. I remember one day Joel took the kids and drove out to the outdoor pump in the country where we could get nitrate-free safe water. While they were outside of the car Joel looked up and saw this huge wall coming up at them filled with dust and dirt. He yelled at the kids to get in the car and they quickly got inside, rolled windows up and sat as it rolled across the land and over them and kept going. He said it was fascinating to see.

Joel has been busy this week with yard work, a little wood working and fix it projects and yesterday he took me shopping, bless his heart! I am not the shopper in the family, he is. Especially now when it's difficult for me to see in the stores where they have all the bright lights. We were looking for a winter coat for me. I have two winter coats ...one is 20 years old and one is 25 years old but I still think they look pretty good! I figured I may need to get more in style.. haha.. we found two coats that we got on sale and now I just have to decide if I'm keeping them both or not! Everything is always too long in the arms for me to get it to go around my middle. I'm pretty short and round. I'm still thinking I like my 25-year-old cold the best! 

I have been walking and I finished At Home in Mitford, the first of the Father Tim series and found myself kind of sad to have it be over. I spent 19 hours listening to it and found it quite a comfort at this time. I'm now reading a mystery series that actually brings up God quite often and I am impressed by that. Ellery Adams is the author of The Hope Street series. 

We've been watching a couple new shows, Matlock with Kathy Bates,  High Potential and our usual NCIS original series. We also discovered some documentaries that we've enjoyed on the Pacific Islands and American Islands. Martin Clunes does them. There's so much Beauty out there to see and experience!

This is not my first draft of Saturday scribbles this week. I had it all written out and was almost finished and it all disappeared off my new computer. I have searched and searched and cannot find it. I am more than a bit annoyed because once I write it down it's out of my mind pretty much. It is  a big enough challenge to be on a laptop.  Speaking of that, we continue on with the eye drama Journey and hope to hear next week fr om Mayo ophthalmology. It has been rough at times as it was two years ago now that the retina doctors were trying to save my left eye....and now here I am trying to hold on to the vision in my right eye. So difficult to accept.   For now we're covering it all in prayer and doing a lot of deep breathing. And thank you for your prayers.

Joel's cousin Luther sent him a manila envelope this week and inside was Joel's seminary graduation program and a bulletin from his ordination service in 1980.  Joel's Aunt Harriet (Lther's mom) had saved them for all these years and as they sort through her "stuff" they came across these items.  It was fun to look back and reminisce about those two important days and dates in Joel's life.  In all our lives.  

Today is our daughter N.'s birthday.  A big one!  Happy Birthday honey!  We love you so much and are so grateful for you in our lives.  Enjoy the next decade or two or three!  May they all be filled with joy and adventures.

Grateful this week for the trace of rain we had.  Grateful for the doctors working to get me help.  Grateful the urology report this week was good.  Grateful for Fall weather, squirrels so busy, and sunshine.  Grateful for Father Tim series.  Grateful for walking, bike rides for Joel, and good TV.  Grateful for our Na's birthday.  For our Na......   Grateful for new winter coats.  Grateful for phone calls with kids, texts, and emails....and so much more.  

Saturday's Scribbles

 

Good Saturday to you from our corner of Iowa where the views are beautiful as Autumn show off..   It is a little warmer than usual right now but so many amazing colors on display. Again nature is giving us it's very best. 

Speaking of very best, yesterday as we were eating lunch Joel pointed out the dining room deck door and asked if I could see the bird outside in the bush.  It took me a little while to discover it but there it was,  an amazingly beautiful male cardinal all decked out in it's red finery. They say Cardinals are messenger from God and I'm going to take comfort in that. This bird clung to that bush even though the winds were in the twenties moving it all around for at least the 10 minutes that we watched it,  if not longer. Mr. Cardinal sometimes looked directly at us or so it seemed and I thanked the bird for sharing his beauty with us. Cardinals have always been my favorite bird. Always. This Cardinal encounter was a timely gift from God.

It was a stressful week....a bumpy ride. Tuesday I went to a medical appointment  where I encountered God showing up.  I shared that story on Facebook about the young woman who's battling stage 4 cancer with three recurrences so far. An ugly beast it is. Wednesday I saw the oncologist which was quite informational and at the same time overwhelming.She wants to refer me to Mayo Clinic regarding the eye and medication issue because they did find articles linking lack of hormones with glaucoma getting worse but is there a connection?  The medication I was on takes the estrogen out of my body at a high level.  So even though this is a possibility not a probability,,,,there it is. And my oncologist says this is outside her realm.......I dread going back to Mayo and going through tests and talking to doctors and just all of it.  We have had so many emotions surface.    I have longed for Heaven more than once.  Heaven has looked good!  BUT we have put this in God's hands and when I feel like I've had enough I just rest and keep telling him to take over. So now we wait for phone calls. And appointments - possibly. We are both working hard to stay in the "We have today"  place and believing that God will guide this journey.  

Friday Joel and I went on a little trip to just find some gourds and little pumpkins and also big pumpkins. First we stopped at the Dollar Tree for cards and then headed out to a market on the other side of town where most of their stuff was on sale. Then we came back to the local Lutheran Church it has a pumpkin patch this year. We also voted in between so that is done. It was wonderful to do something "normal".  And now we are looking at many good fun fall pumpkins and gourds in the house and outside. Joel says they are "gourdgous".......Ha   Thursday Joel went on a bike ride with members of the church. It was his normal route but it was so very windy. I think winds were sustained at 24 to 25 with wind gusts up to 35 that day. He did a slow ride with other members and they had a good time. He also has been doing some wordworking and yard work.  

I'm reading a new audiobook which I really enjoy. I waited on a list for it for 2 months.  It's called "At Home in Medford by Jan Karen and I think I mentioned it last week.  The book is 19 hours of listening and I only get 2 weeks to have it so I'm keeping busy taking it with me everywhere in the house! I do have the book here on my bookshelf if I run out of time. I've done some walking I baked cookies for Joel and I made quick bread for myself this week. The last surgery was 3 + weeks ago so I'm much better!

This book, this Father Tim series really warms my heart and calms my soul.  When I read it years ago I wished for a town that size where you ran into people you know, a place filled with characters bigger than life.  The quiet theme throughout is based on prayer and God hearing our prayers.  It is an amaziing series and I am so grateful I "found" it again.  Dont we all need the foundation of faith to be fueled by prayer!  Trusting God.  Communication with Him.  EVEN and ESPECIALLY when we don't understand God's plans.

So this is where I am leaving Saturday's Scribbles today.  Sitting in God's presence as we exprience His mysterious ways.  Gratful for all the Fall colors, smells, and sounds. Grateful for the Cardinal showing up at lunchtime and showing us how he could hang on while the winds were knocking him around.  A messenger with a message from God.  Grateful.   Grateful to vote.  Grateful for a normal fun adventure to find pumpkins and gourds.  Grateful for baking smells.  Grateful for God connecting me with the young woman on Tuesday who is fighting for her life....our promises to pray for each other.  Grateful for the cancer nurse who told me God must have a reason for me to still be here...... Grateful for all the phone calls, texts, emails. prayers.  And so much more..........

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

 

Good Saturday to you from our corner of Northern Iowa where Fall is showing off in so many ways. The trees are turning all my favorite colors here.....browns and golds greens rust and oranges. What's not to like! The most beautiful tree in town is right here in our cul-de-sac so we can see it every single day. Nature and its best.

 Speaking of nature, we actually got to see the Northern Lights on Thursday night right from our front yard! They weren't vividly strong but they were there. I could see the pinkish color somewhat and Joel could enjoy all the greens and reds and pinks! After I went to bed Joel went back out and saw them again. He noticed our neighbors lights were on and knocked on their door and they came out and looked too . It was on our bucket list to see them and we're very thankful to have been able. Especially now.

It's been a rough couple of days here getting news that we were hoping not to get. I saw the eye doctor on Wednesday and after the testing she told me that my right eye, the only eye I have now, is only seeing half of the vision field. the top half is gone due to the glaucoma. She believes that since it happened two days after the first surgery on the 14th that I actually had a drop in blood pressure in the surgery which did something to my eye,  causing a stroke in the optic nerve. This happened because my eye is very fragile. For us it was very sobering to hear.  It is really not a matter of if I will lose my vision it is a matter of when I will lose my vision. Next week I see the oncologist and we decide whether the drug that I've been taking for 4 years to keep the cancer away is part of the problem . And so the journey continues and at this point we are trying to process it all and what it means for our future. For those who are open to prayer we ask that you remember us with the decisions we have ahead. 

Joel has been able to get in some biking and some yard work. Enjoying his conference pastors and coffee group.  He has ridden 1000 miles this summer so far,  We are very grateful that our next door neighbor  picked up four and a  bags of leaves for us with the riding mower that he has. So very nice!  I made pancakes for lunch today but have kept close to the house  and sofa in recovery mode.  Been listening to an audiobook and just startd a new one by one of my favorite  authors, Jan Karon.  "At Home in Mitford" is the first of a series about a small town and it's well loved Episcopal priest Father Tim.  Wonderful series!  Joel and I actually went and saw her in person at Luther Seminary and had some of our books signed....so many years ago. 

Giving thanks today for Fall, for our favorite cul-de-sac tree showing off, grateful for seeing the Northern Lights.  Grateful for Joel hitting his goal of 1,000 miles.  Grateful for moving forward in recovery, for good doctors, for God being in the future....whatever it holds.  Grateful for comfort food....pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream. Grateful for phone calls, texts, and prayers...and so much more.

Enjoy your weekend

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you from our corner of Iowa where fall is blessing us with so much Beauty! All the Fall colors are starting to come out and the temperatures have been lovely. Warm and dry. There is just everything to love about October!

Speaking of October,  my sister Jan arrived on the 3rd to spend a few days traveling with a friend who has a daughter in a nearby town. While I'm on the sofa she's in a nearby recliner and we are definitely enjoying each other's company. It is all good!

As I write this Joel is on his way to Rendezvous Days in southern Minnesota just 45 minutes away. He makes a yearly trek there to spend the whole day stepping back in time during those days of trapping, muzzle loading and campfires. It will be a bit more challenging today as the temperature is supposed to get up to 89°, which is insane for October! He will lstill have a good time and he'll come home smelling like wood smoke with a bag of kettle corn and stories to tell.

It was a challenging week in some ways with me spending a lot of horizontal time trying to get some energy back. Slow moving but making progress. Joel has been keeping things going at home and getting in a few bike rides. He also stepped in as nurse to take the stent out of from my kidney and bladder. There is something to be said for that "for better or worse" part of our marriage vows.   He was also able to catch up with his Bible College roommate John and his wife Joan and cousin Norma. Norma lives in town and they were able to get together on Tuesday. I hated to miss it ...they had a good time. It has been a long time since John and Joel roomed together! Somewhere around 56 years? Okay then

A short scribbles today with so much gratitiude for getting through two more surgeries.  For recovery moving forward.  Grateful for Janey being here to visit and hug on.  Grateful for Joel's help.  Grateful for the beauty Fall brings.  Grateful for porch sitting and flowering mums.  Grateful for old friends (John) and new.  Grateful for phone calls, texts, and so much more.

Enjoy yiur weekend!

 

Good Saturday to you from our corner of the world where we celebrate the first official day of fall tomorrow. This past week the temperatures has been pretty hot and humid but starting today they are going to be more "Porch Sitting" kind of weather. The geese are gathering, and the other night we opened our window to listen to an owl serenading us from a nearby tree.  it was rather comforting and made us both smile to listen to our resident friend. Some of our flowers are finally winding down but Joel brought home two big beautiful mum plants this week for me to enjoy. What a nice gift. We are looking for rays of sunshine where we can find them...

It has been kind of a rough week here in the Dahlen house. Recovery from surgery last Saturday was challenging for a few days but it's much better now. Normal enough now to be ready for next week's kidney stone surgery.  Unfortunately, on Monday I noticed that my eye had an area that was shaded. At first I thought it was from the surgery because I do have a funky eye but on Thursday morning I called the retina doctors in Des Moines and was told to call and go into the clinic here in town to see what was going on. The doctor on call said to me after testing, "Well I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is that your macular in the right eye is stable that's not the problem. The bad news is the glaucoma has gotten worse. I have had a tendency to forget about the glaucoma because that has been quiet for so many years. So it has been scheduled that I will go in for a visual field test and a treatment plan two weeks after the next surgery I  have. This coming Thursday the 26th is surgery. It does not seem to slow down. I am working hard to continue to trust God while praying and waiting for my healing.  Losing my vision is not a death sentence, but it darn right scary to think about.  I trust you God.  

Joel has been able to do some bike riding, some putzing in the garage shop, and quite a bit of caretaking. I have been listening to the book The Women by Kristin Hannah who is an amazing author of historical fiction. They are very few books available on the Vietnam era and especially regarding women nurses. She has done an amazing job combining history with fiction in a powerful story. I waited 2 months on hold through Libby to be able to get the audiobook and it is well worth it. Of course all the talk about Vietnam, the climate,  the environment, and military really brought up a vast number of memories. While living in the Philippines Joel was a forecaster of weather for the pilots that flew to Nam and other places. We both participated in operation baby lift when Saigon fell. But we stood on the outside looking in really and had no clue about all the experiences our soldiers, doctors and nurses were going through. Yes we were in the military during the time of War protests where soldiers were treated like crap when they came home. We didn't experience it ourselves.  Some soldiers became extremely broken by Nam and self-destructive or just plain destructive. Enough said.  The book is an eye opener and I highly recommend it.

A couple that we met at Hope Lodge in Rochester Minnesota while we were staying there for radiation,  are coming by to see us tomorrow.  We are excited to see them.  It will have been 5 years ago in December that we stepped into Mayo Clinic for radiation to begin. Five years already.

On that note I am closing today's scribbles.  Laptop work is more challenging than ever but I am grateful I can still see to do it!  Grateful for two beautiful mum plants to enjoy.  Grateful the stent is no longer making my bladder complain.  Grateful for being done with antibiotics and recovering enough to move forward.  Grateful that Joel can ride bike and get out in his shop.  Grateful for fall temps coming. Grateful for Kristen Hannah's book, The Women.   Grateful for porch sitting, a friendly owl, noisy geese and even Friday night football we can hear from our living room.....another sign of Fall.  Grateful for texts, phone calls, emails, and so much more....

Enjoy your weekend...

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you as we end the first week of September. Fall has arrived with cooler temperatures at night. We are liking that! And so are all the birds and little animals as they scurry about. I think our resident squirrel is already storing things away for winter....but then he won't be able to find them later on! Ha   We are still enjoying our black-eyed Susan ivy which our neighbor told me is also called Spanish Eyes! I like that one too! We may get some mums and just bring them in at night. And believe it or not are pansies are still producing flowers! Loving that!

 Joel kept working on projects this week and kept bike riding. Today he's riding and a beautiful trail that starts about an hour north east of us. This trail goes all the way to the Minnesota border so he will have a fun time. He's looking forward to nature at its best.  He usually does this trail once a year. 

I'm still walking 25 minutes a day, listening to audiobooks while I walk. Wednesday morning I saw the dermatologist for a melanoma check and a check for an autoimmune condition I have. Then in the afternoon I saw the retina doctor. It had been a while so it was great to see him. All looked good and steady and that's all we can ask for with this wonky eye. Actually, it's not all we can ask for, we can ask for healing! Jesus healed a lot of eyes in the Bible!

 This past week we watched the movie "The Boys in the Boat".   It was really really good! Monday my sister Kay and her husband Danny came over for strawberry rhubarb pie in the afternoon and we had a nice long visit. We made a visit to the Dollar Tree to stack up on cards. Don't you just love that you can get a nice card for only 50 cents or a dollar ? The card ends up costing less than the stamps to send it!

I have mentioned before that we have a Frank Lloyd Wright House in the neighborhood now. It's called a usonian house for reasons I'm not sure I can remember!. There hasn't been one person that has asked us about it or commented on it that liked it. It has been described as stark or looking like a business center? But the people who built it? They love it. And that's really what it's all about. I'm sure they had to follow Association rules when they built it and there was no plan to paint it pink or purple. It would be a bit boring if we all had the same house......reminds me of a song fromthe 60's..."Little boxes, little boxes and they are all made out of ticky tacky....Little boxes, little boxes. and they all look the same." Sang by Pete Seeger.  I guess it is a matter of making your house look.....and reflect YOU.

 What's your favorite kind of house? We lived in so many personages and we just enjoyed what we had to move into. One was a split level, one was a really old 1 1/2 story house, and a couple of ranches that were quite large actually. Not one of the parsonages we ever lived in had air conditioning. Just saying.   All but one got air conditioning after we moved . When we were moving down here and buying our own home the priority was air conditioning. Don't want to live without it after so many years. We're very blessed to have it! 

Getting back to favorite houses I would say my favorite style of house is a one-story but it's more of a square house instead of a rectangle. A Craftsman style maybe.  We have lived in a split level, tri-level and this weird sorta five level house with lots of steps!  I don't mind an open floor plan but I would never want vaulted ceilings with and open staircase again. I do like bungalows but the number one thing for us besides air conditioning is a porch. When we eventually leave this house I hope we can find a place with a porch. Speaking of porches, we haven't had too many porch days this year because of all the bugs. So many bugs.. But  after the first freeze will be out there a lot!

On the little boxes note I am closing my Scribbles with thanks for having a house to live in!  Grateful ...our son does off duty work among the homeless in his city....so hearing his stories ...and having lived in a third world country?  Yeah....grateful for a home to come home to!  Grateful for good doctor reports.  Grateful for caring doctors.  Grateful for cooler temps and fall weather making it's way into our area.  Grateful for a porch to sit on.  Grateful for biking and walking.  Grateful for movies that make us think.  Grateful for Wordle and other games that keep my brain sharp.  Lets add Wheel of Fortune to that list!  Grateful for texts, photos, emails, and phone calls.  All this and so much more.......

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you on this very last day of August, 2024. September is eagerly waiting for August to pass the Baton. We had some pretty miserable days again with very high heat and humidity and some storms. We also had heavy rain Thursday. But today it is cooler because a cold front has moved through bringing with it low humidity... my favorite two words of the summer. Our flowers are still blooming although we are debating whether to buy mum's this year because of our resident rabbit and pesky deer. They've eaten enough of our flowers already! 

Speaking of passing the Baton I have been watching the Paralympics yesterday and today. I think it takes a lot of courage and effort to do what they're doing. I was watching the long jumpers who were vision impaired or blind.  Their assistants  let them know where they are at when they are running and gauging when to jump. Amazing!! We watched a little archery too . And swimming for vision impaired . Again amazing ! 

Joel has been busy biking, working on projects and doing a little vacuuming,, etc. Monday he drove us to Rochester and the heat index that day was 113! Grateful Beyond grateful for air conditioning. We stopped at Trader Joe's and then  ate out at Culver's where I found a delicious chicken cashew salad to enjoy. On our way home we go through my hometown so we stopped at a relatives for a visit. It was a nice 2-hour break before heading into Iowa. We are very blessed to have Mayo Clinic within 2 hours of our home. 

I've been walking everyday getting some chores done listening to audiobooks and going over articles that I've written for that book that keeps calling me. 

This has been a busy week for our family in regards to transitions and events. Kids getting back to college, a surgery for a grand, and one of our families transitioning with a big move. I certainly remember all the moves we have made. Some easier than others but bringing with them a lot of changes. Over the years we moved 22 times mostly to new cities, states, and sometimes to just to different houses. Anyway we look at it, it was a lot of packing and a lot of unpacking and a lot of making new friends, going to new schools and settling in to new communities. In the military it was a way of life so everyone knew this and just jumped on board and made quick friends before it was time to move on. In the ministry we had a community waiting for us every time we moved to a new congregation. That was really nice and I'd say we still miss that. Now that Joel's retired we don't have that village, we have to make our own and and it's not any easier when you age or have health issues. Just saying. Moves are opportunities though for new experiences, new adventures and new purposes.

It is Labor Day weekend.....most of ours are spent quiet and when the kids were all around we spent some of the weekend preparing for school to start....and for some strange reason we usually cleaned the garage!  I can't give one reason why we picked that time.  Hmmmmm  Joel does like an orderly and clean garage!  He did my sister Jan's when we visited her the end of May!  Today we are making homemade pizza .......we uses a cauliflower crust, refried black beans, ground turkey, red sauce for Joel, black olives and cheese.  I really enjoy it!  It's not Godfather;s Pizza but it is good!  We'll do some grilling too I expect and have a special dessert.  Head to church and maybe the park or lake.

I'm going to wrap this up and share a few things I am grateful for.  Grateful my Mayo check up was good.  Grateful for a trip to Trader Joe's and a family visit.  Grateful for cooler weather!  Grateful for biking, walking, chicken salads, homemade pizza, a clean house, rain, phone calls, lthe prayers of others, a grand's surgery going well.  Grateful for transitions that we walk through with God to guide us.  Grateful for emails, texts, phone calls and in person chats.  Grateful for all this and so much more........

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

 

Good Saturday to you from our corner of Iowa where we continue to have August heat and humidity. Looks like it'll be an indoor weekend with heat indexes into the high 90s or triple digits. The plants seem to like an okay. Speaking of plants, we bought a hydrangeas a few years ago and it just never grew. joel moved it three times in 3 years and this year one beautiful bloom appeared. Sadly it also disappeared before we were able to enjoy it. We think the same pesky rabbit that ate all our geraniums had a tasty morsel last night and now it's gone. Sometimes it's hard to commune with nature. The other night I fell asleep to an owl hooting. We don't get too many in our yard but it was familiar and in some ways comforting. Joel has spotted a few deer on his bike rides too.  We drove to Clear Lake Sunday afternoon to do some people and lake watching.  It was a beautiful day for it.  We continue to enjoy August knowing that in four short months it will be the end of another year.  

Joel has been busy doing some repairs on the house. He did hire a man to power hose above the porch cleaning off the siding and roof, caulking and repairing and then painting that area's siding. He himself has been climbing ladders to put new trim around where the old trim was starting to deteriorate. I could write a speech about how I feel about him on ladders but it has all been said before. He thinks he's Spider-Man I guess. He's also been biking and getting ready for Sunday when he'll preach at a church here in town where he was Pastor for 10 years. He enjoys seeing all the familiar faces!

I've been walking mostly indoors, saw the chiropractor and had my checkup for the glaucoma. Things are steady there so that's good. I've done some baking and some cleaning..... the same old same old that takes up a lot of our days.  Another activity that can take up my days is listening to books on tape.  When I walk I listen....when I clean around the house I listen....when I have rest time I listen.  Yeah....I figured I have listened to around 40 books this year so far.  Lately it is one every 5 days.  I have always gotten "into" the book I am reading/listning to..  Once many years ago I was cooking while reading and set a book on fire.  Really just singed a few pages, but you get the idea.  I limit my book hours.  As a child I would get lost in books...they were my friends inviting me into a different world.  I guess that is still true.  I much prefer holding a book in my hands but also thank God for audiobooks!  I love that you can go on Libby or Hoopla and connect through your library to "borrow" books for 2 or 3 weeks to read or listen to on our phones or devices.  What a world we live in....what opportunities at our fingertips!  Books have always been "members of our family so to speak.  Books grace the homes of our kids too....in abundance!  One extended family member once said, "You know you are in a Dahlen house when there are books for your convenience even in the bathroom!  Haha

Speaking of books, I have been listening to Kate Carlisle and her Bibliophile Mysteries along with an Ann Voskamp best seller from years ago....One Thousand Gifts..  We have watched AGT and Murdoch and Mallorca Files once in awhile along with the quirky Northern Exposure and also Antique Roadshow.  

Bringing Saturday's Scribbles to  close, today, I am grateful for A/C.  Grateful for a few porch sitting hours.  Grateful for the chiro and eye specialists.  Grateful for walking, biking, resting, baking, cooking, cleaning, and all the other day to day activities that remind us we are still here!  Grateful our Spanish Eyes ivy is too high off the ground for our pesky rabbit to get!  Grateful Joel got to see in Hydranges finally bloom...for  day.  Grateful for neighbors, friends, and families.  Grateful for books!  Books we hold, treasure, and listen to.  Grateful for one wonky eye that still works.  Grateful for texting emails, photos, and phone calls from those we love and care about.  Grateful for all this and so much more.

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you from Iowa where the heat and humidity have returned along with too many kinds of bugs. I tried sitting out on the porch and now my ankles are all itchy from the no-se-ums which are just about everywhere even though you can't see them. Thus their name!  Nature comes in all shapes and sizes.  When we walked along the river we enjoyed a lot of birds and when we walked in East Park there were plenty of geese and a deer amongst the trees which is unusual during the daytime. We had two wild turkeys in our backyard on Thursday.  We have a raccoon that likes to visit our backyard and do his business at night. I think he must realize how much it annoys Joel!  Looking outside our living room window I can see a small bar of Irish Spring soap in the rocks by the tree the raccoon visits, so I think he's trying to keep the little bandit away with the smell of that! Supposedly animals don't like the smell of Irish Spring. I don't like it either! 

Speaking of not liking it.....yesterday was one of those days where things were just a little off kilter. I decided to make homemade whole wheat bread and I think I did something different this time or it could have been the humidity but it just did not rise the way it should have so we have bread but it is very heavy and dense. That won't stop us from eating it though! I like to toast up one slice and eat it for supper along with some banana and a glass of milk. Oh and almond butter for protein!  We decided to bring home Culver's yesterday. Joel had a grilled fish sandwich and I had grilled chicken without the bun. Neither one of us were impressed with what we were eating and found it kind of blah. Maybe it was just the cook or maybe it's our taste buds!?! We're going to grill pork chops today. The big thick kind with the bone in. My favorite kind of grilled chop and they're so big you can eat half for one meal and half for another! I also made Joel oatmeal cookies this week so he has a few now in the freezer. 

Speaking of food, I was talking with a friend about just that and how we get tired of the food we eat and get tired of cooking. Since most of our food is made from scratch here I don't dare get into the tired of cooking mode. I remember when Joel's mom moved into assisted living she looked in the kitchen there and said well I'm never going to cook again and she didn't. She has spent her whole life cooking, canning, baking, and gardening.....making meals on the farm and for her husband and family and she decided she was done. She enjoyed going down to the dining hall very much and eating there. She never turned on her stove.  

Joel finished his wood project of another wooden tray table and he got both of them stained now. They look really nice.  He's used different woods.  Some he has taken out of a dumpster, some old wood that he had here at home .....most of it recycled wood. That's what he did when he made all the wooden boxes last year too. He's ridden his bike a few times, although he took a break this week due to waking up Tuesday morning with bad vertigo. It all lasted under 2 hours but it made him cautious since he had a TIA two years ago. He saw the doctor yesterday for his VA physical and talk to her about it and she felt it was more of a blood pressure issue than another TIA. Good to know.  He's back riding and enjoying nature along the way. I've been walking inside mostly, my usual 25 minutes a day..... did some cleaning and some baking and going through articles I've written. I talk on the phone almost every day to my friend Lana. And I do Wordle, Connections, The Mini Puzzle, and Spelling Bee daily to stretch my brain.

Speaking of phone calls, we talked to our friend Joyce Olson whose husband Merv was Joel's internship pastor back in 1978-79.  Joel sent her a copy of his latest book because Merv played such an important part of him writing it.   She was wanting to talk to us about it. Merv has been gone 10 years now. Our internship year had a profound effect on our lives and Joel's ministry. It was nice to visit and see how she and her children are doing. I also exchanged texts visiting with my friend Helen that I met while living in the Philippines. We have not seen each other in person since 1976 but still stay connected..... us in Iowa and them in South Carolina. We used to call each other Sisters in Christ and expect to meet again one day together in Heaven! Our time in the Philippines is yet another example of a season of our journey that had a powerful impact on our lives and still does.

As I sit listening to Alexa play George Winston songs I am so grateful....for music that soothes the soul.  Grateful for biking, riding, Joel's good physical report.  Grateful for the animals and birds we get to see on a daily basis.  Grateful for a walk in the park and along the river road.  Grateful for homemade honey whole wheat bread, food at our fingertips, and meals that fill our bellies.  Grateful for connecting with Joyce and Helen.  Grateful for old friends.  Grateful for Joel's cookies baked, pork chops on the grill, and refreshing drinks like white grape juice on a humid day.  Grateful for phone calls from friends and family, texts that connect us with one another, and emails......grateful for pictures sent by text, and so very much more.

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you from our corner of Iowa as we dip down into cooler temperatures. What a change from the heat and humidity. It's nice to have the windows and doors open and get some fresh air inside. Our plants are still blooming quite well except for our geranium which was completely eaten by a rabbit. A very bold stinky rabbit who actually hopped up into the planter and sat sunning himself after he had leveled everything in there. Joel caught the culprit when he went out to do some porch sitting.  So annoying. We also had a deer try to get to the hostas that we had fenced in the backyard.  The deer pulled the fencing down and dragged it across into the neighbor's yard!  Determination to get to the plants I guess. I donn't get it because they're not starving this time of year. That's nature for you, you can't really control it only so much. Hmmm.......Just like all of life!

It has been another quiet week here in our little corner of the world, except for Joel's colonoscopy procedure on Tuesday. All things were good there. He was back to normal the next day.  I saw the chiropractor on Thursday and had a painful treatment. Not sure why but a few of my ribs were out of alignment and he uses an activator to help me and not usually manual adjustments.  Otherwise we have been in our usual routine except for watching a lot of the Olympics. 

Speaking of Olympics there has been a few surprises this week with those who are winning gold or any medal at all. I think I have enjoyed women's beach volleyball and gymnastics the most but we've taken in everything a little bit, even break dancing briefly.  Really?? What is break dancing doing in the Olympics! I did take in a tense encounter between one of the Brazilian and one Canadian during a beach volleyball match. Anyway, I look at how strong the athletes all are and I'm absolutely amazed at what their bodies do for them.  And we are quite impressed at how much time, effort,  eand energy is put into these athletes from a young age as they push forward in determination and  effort to reach a goal like this ~~a goal to win a gold medal. It sometimes baffles me because I wonder what it would be like if we took the perseverance of these athletes and applied it to any and all areas of life.   What gives some such focus and determination and others not so much.  What do you need inside to have the determination and the perseverance and how many of us already have that but haven't tapped into it.  I guess what I am saying is that we have what it takes in us to walk through life but so often we don't realize it.  

Speaking of doing life, Joel has been making another folding table with leftover wood this week.  I asked him why he was making another one and he said. "For fun".  Well, that make sense doesn't it. He loves woodwworking.   He has been biking most days and is keeping the yard up.  He'll preach at two churches again tomorrow.  I have been walking, reading and sorting book articles I've written, and managed to bake some again.  I finally used up the blueberries!  I have read recently how important blueberries are for our health.  I do eat them most every day in plain yogurt. We eat a lot of plain yogurt here...organic, icelandic, and greek.  It is high in protein and a quick meal.....we also add banana, maybe strawberries, and some kind of nut.....like walnuts, cashews, almonds.....We are never without them.

Time is passing, so will end my Scribbles with things I am grateful for.   Grateful for you all who grace me with your presence,  Grateful for blueberriess, yogurts, full cupboads and fridge.  Grateful for biking, walking, and daily routines and activities.  Grateful for Joel's procedure going well,  Grateful for Danny driving us to and from the surgical center.  Grateful for the chiro and the lower back being so good.  Grateful for the Olympics and all different sports to watch.  Grateful for nature and all the animal " stinkers" that invade our space.  Grateful for phone calls, texts, pictures, and emails.  Grateful for all this and so much more.......

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you from our corner of North Iowa where the heat and the humidity continue. It has been a week to talk about the weather all around us. We have mostly avoided anything damaging but we have 2 families who have damage done to their property in two different states. Definitely this has been a year of winds and large hail and lots of rain.

 Joel has been getting in a lot of riding by going early in the mornings.  He says there's a lot of walkers out then too. Our beautiful path that was created from the River Road now has a nice bench you can rest on and also a sculpture of a deer, although I'm questioning why we need a sculpture of a deer when we have so many deer around here already that are living and breathing! I'm still walking inside mostly and around 25 minutes. Still baking to use up the blueberries although we froze a few. It's nice to have them for a smoothie once in awhile. Last Sunday we went to church outside but when the winds picked up a lot I stepped inside and sat in the library where I could still hear the service. I had to smile knowing that Joel's books he has written are in that library and are also in our Public Library here in town. Also the bookstore downtown and every Lutheran Church has received one here in town. He is now writing his third book, there is no slowing him down! If anyone remembers me saying that I was putting together articles for a book.... I still am. It's slow going with my vision....but it's going! 

Speaking of not slowing down, have you been watching the Olympics? I really enjoy women's beach volleyball but I find it extremely annoying that the men wear loose fitting shorts and tops and the women are all in bikinis.  I would think they would protest this that draws attention to their bodies and from what I understand the French even wore thongs which left their buttocks free to look at. I'm sorry but that is just gross and distracting. This is a sport we're watching not some R-rated movie. That's my humble opinion of course. :)  Joel was able to watch some archery and we have watched all the gymnastics, some of the swimming and rugby which is fascinating. I did notice when the rowing came on that my body relaxed more just from the amount of noise that went away. It was very soothing to just watch them rowing from a distance. I am adding here that our oldest and son in law and my sister and brother in law have recommended watching the movie, "The Boys In The Boat".  Supposed to be great.  Last night we tried to watch the trampoline event and we both got dizzy from the camera moving up and down so much so that didn't last very long! I'm always impressed with nations that send one or two athletes and those athletes work so hard to get there and they're so thrilled just to be a part of it. A medal would be wonderful but they're enjoying just being there.  They realize what a privilege that is to be there. I think most of the olympians feel the same way.  We could say that about living in America.... it is a privilege to live in a country with the freedoms we have, it is a privilege to be able to make choices. it's a privilege to be able to buy a new car. go to the grocery store, turn on the air conditioning, open our fridge and fill our bellies it is a privilege that not everyone in every country has. I know that I have shared before that more than once we would watch young children around the ages four to six digging through our garbage in the Philippines to take out any scraps they found putting them in a bag for their family. At one point a garbage truck broke down outside the cement walls around our house and the man on that truck started a little fire and went through the garbage to pull out pieces of meat or something else to warm up over that fire and eat! You see something like that and you never forget it. 

Well back to the Olympics.  We have enjoyed the events involving horses the fencing just a little of everything I guess! It was very exciting to see America win gold for both the men's and the women's gymnastics. Sometimes I wish we could see more of the other countries performances but they don't have the time to cover al of it. And the closing ceremonies.....we'll see....Guess we should finish what we start!  Haha

Speaking of finishing what you start, Joel finished the wood project he was doing for the local Frank Lloyd Wright house/museum bookcases.  He enjoys working with wood so much.  

Joel has done some porch sitting, and nature usually provides a show.  This week we were annoyed to see that one of God's creatures chewed off ALL of our geranium plants.  Leaves and buds and flowers were all over the ground around it.  Evidentally the creature didn;t like the taste but kept biting off more and more expecting a different taste?  UGH!  I told Joel I was glad he paid only $10 on clearance for the plant instead of the original $60.  So far the rest are safe from the little bugger.  Our pansies are still in full bloom and so colorful.  And our black eyed Susan is beautiful!  \

Yesterday we went to my sister Kay and brother in law Dan's for birthday pie.  She is only three years behind me in age.  Healthy andd happy!  Happy Birthday Kay!

On that note, it is time to end this Scribbles.  Today's writings are presented by a brain working on 5 hours of sleep.  HA!

So, I'm grateful for the 5 hours of sleep because it also makes me thankful that I uually sleep 8 hours.  Grateful for our flowering plants, grateful for a cool home on hot August days.  Grateful for a birthday visit with family.  Grateful for outdoor church, porch sitting, and even our annoying animals that are nibbling on our plants.  Grateful for the Olympics to watch.  Grateful for all the privileges we have in America.  Grateful my food comes from the store and our kitchen and not a garbage truck.  Grateful for phone calls, texts, emails, and pictures.  And so much more......

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you on this hot and sticky day here in Iowa. I'm sure the corn is loving this weather. Us, not so much. But we can't really complain since we have air conditioning in our car and in our house. Joel does some porch sitting early every morning and our resident rabbit is not at all phased by him. He stretches out on the grass puts his paws on the cement lifts his head to the Sun and just dozes. He and Joel have agreed to share space not really interacting but sharing just the same. We haven't seen many cardinals lately but we hear our resident wren singing at times. We have birds in the backyard that must have a nest because they go after any squirrel that is nearby, pecking at them, flapping their wings at them, squawking at them. Two little birds, probably sparrows, going after one big squirrel.....and  the squirrel is losing the battle!

Today our oldest son, Matt turns 53.  He has had a challenging year but continues to move forward with determination and integrity.   Love you son.  Happy Birthday!

 On Thursday I decided to clean another bathroom, washing the floor using my foot. I started cleaning floors this way when we lived in the Philippines because our Filipino yard boy would use a coconut husk and his foot to polish the floors in our house. It was a lot easier than getting down on your hands and knees. So in smaller rooms like bathrooms I have done the same. The problem is now my back doesn't really like that game of moving back and forth across the floor with my foot. I'm not ready to give that up so I'm talking to my back and moving forward. I actually googled Philippines, coconut husks,  and floors and sure enough there were videos of people using coconut husks and their feet to polish floors! Evidently it still is done there 50 yrs later! 

Joel is making the wood fill in behind the side trim for some bookcases in the local Frank Lloyd Wright House Interpretation Center where our neighbor is a volunteer. Our oldest daughter was pretty tickled to hear that. She loves art and architecture and was impressed with Frank Lloyd Wright's houses and hotel here in town. We have one in our association called a usonian house. It is not my style with very few narrow windows.  It is plain and stark to me but the people that built it were extremely precise in the way they wanted it done and they're happy with it. I've thought about what kind of house I would want to buy or build at this age and I'm just thinking a smaller size one level with no vaulted ceilings.... we've had enough of those! Our home has a very open floor plan with the ceilings 30 ft high at the top and that is where all the sound and heat goes. Pretty to look at but not practical.  I do like smaller spaces that are cozy like a sunroom or a small family room. When I was 11 and lived with my mom, there was a large empty closet space with a window that I called my own.  My bed was was the living room sofa so this was my own little space where I had my dolls and my books and it felt cozy and comfortable. I enjoy our home but there are no cozy spaces like that here. We do have large windows and beautiful views to the outdoors though!

Joel has been biking and I have been walking.  I made Joel a blueberry pie,and we had blueberry muffins from the 10 lb of berries from the Mennonites.  They are less sweet this year for the first time but good for baking. We still are searching for shoes ......guess we are fussy!  

I am still managing to cut Joel's hair with one wonky eye.  Today it went well, so that's good.  I clipped his ear once a few months ago but he still wants me to keep being his barber.  Oh boy...

We watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics last night well off and on I guess because some of it was very bizarre obnoxious strange and definitely not for the common people! That is just my humble opinion! I'm looking forward to watching women's beach volleyball this afternoon. For some reason it's one of my favorite. Joel is going to try to find archery. Of course we're excited to watch gymnastics too.

Time to get lunch going here in our corner of the world.  Grateful for a full fridge and cupboards, our electric grill, and appliances.  Grateful for biking and walking, blueberries, and baked goodies.  Grateful for Filipino memories with floor washing, and being able to wash a floor with my foot!  Although those days are coming to an end!  And that's ok.Grateful for cozy rooms of comfort and childhood memories.  Grateful for our resident birds, rabbits and squirrels.  Grateful for Joel's FLW volunteer project.  Grateful for phone calls, texts, emails, and pictures shared.  Grateful for all this and so much more......

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you on this beautiful Sunday morning here in Northern Iowa. We just attended outdoor worship and it was a lovely day to do so. Our temperature will hit 80 today with gentle winds and some sunshine until the rain comes back later this afternoon. Everything is in full bloom this time of year and it's wonderful. 

 We just had our first meal of corn on the cob so the corn is "in bloom" too! The corn is ripe! Ha.  We picked up 10 lb of blueberries from the Mennonites on Friday so we are enjoying those too. Blueberry muffins taste great!  Nothing like seasonal produce.

 We had a special time this week with our oldest daughter and son-in-law who came to visit Thursday afternoon and left Saturday morning. Usually our visits include a house full of people so this was a nice change for us to have some one-on-one time. Our daughter Bethany loves art and we went to a local Museum on Friday so she could see what was gracing the walls there. We also drove past the Frank Lloyd Wright House and hotel here in town. And saw a few of the many sculptures that our little Mason City has throughout the downtown. You can actually take a walking tour of the sculptures quite easily and get your exercise at the same time!

Beth's interest in the art museum gave us a little kick in the pants to see what other things are here in town that we ourselves could go to visit. In the museum I enjoyed the flowers the most and all the different colors and textures and shapes and sizes. I'm not much into impressionism or Modern Art, or a few others to be honest but our Beth has a minor in Art History and art just speaks to her in a language I don't quite understand, so she is a good person to go to an art museum with! 

 Beth and Kevin brought along theie 120 pound dog Koda who is a gentle giant.  I think his head is almost as big as our little Levi's whole body was! He settled down well and found a comfey spot on the sofa next to Grandma at times.

 The rest of the week Joel and I mostly got ready for company,  walked and rode bike and just went through our usual routines. It's nice that the only medical appointment was one trip to the chiropractor.  

So this week at the top of our list for gratefulness is our daughter and son-in-law coming for a visit. For Joel being able to experience Thai food for the first time. Grateful for laughter at the stories told. For hugs in person. For a granddog and all that he brought to the visit. Grateful for nice weather, good sweet corn and blueberries.  Grateful for gentle breezes, worship outside and communion. Grateful for phone calls from family, textsand emails. Grateful for all this and so much more.

Enjoy your weekend !