Saturday's Scribbles

 

Good Saturday to you from northern Iowa, where our heat indexes today are supposed to go over 100.This is not OK! Yikes!  Besides people, I expect all of our resident critters will be hunkering down today trying to stay cool.  We had plenty of rain this week.  Even getting flash flood warnings here in town with a few cars stranded on flooded roadways.  Now it's sunshine wind and humidity and heat....

Joel did manage to get up on the scaffolding and take care of most of what he wanted on the sides of the house. He'll have to finish next week or when it eventually stops, as we're looking at hear and rain almost every day in the forecast. Joel went biking with church people on Wednesday ridiig from here to Clear lake, which is about 8 miles, And then having breakfast before returning on their bikes.  Mostly he's been up on scaffolding. He has one hip that's been complaining some, which took us back to when we lived in Zimmerman, Minnesota and the winter  he climbed up on the roof to fix something by the chimney and slid off the roof and landed on this cement below.  Long story short, the clinic did not call him to tell him that he had fractured his hip.  So he walked on it for a couple weeks beford he got help......it healed, but now, 50 years later, it's complaining We celebrated Father's Day with Rhubarb pie, and also Joel's 45th anniversary of his Ordination. Such a special time that occured at his home church in the country, South of Fergus Falls Minnesota. '

On Monday, I went to the second meeting of a  Visually impaired group at a local church. It's very much a bag of mixed emotions for me to be there. BUT overalll it is a good thing!

 Tuesday, I headed to the dentist and Wednesday to the eye clinic here in town. So far the surgery has not changed my pressure. But we're hoping when I go back to Mayo in a month we will hear better news. Second of all my Doctor was quietly affirming that  I do have severe glaucoma  and losing my vision is part of my future,  He told me to keep moving forward in life, eat healthy, exercise. Do what you can let the doctors do what they can with this age-related eye disease.  Okay.  In-between i did some house leaning and walking.  You know,most everything takes effort and work but as my doctor said ....keep moving forward.   

Minnesota has been all over the news this week. So tragic.  So senseless.  And while children mourn the death of their parents, people still say terrible hateful things about those who died or were injured.  Jesus must be so sad.  

 Last night I noticed the movie "Jaws" was on NBC. It took us back to 1975 when we were living in the Philippine Islands...All I could think of was the theme song to that show and Joel saying we're not going to that movie, it's too scary. Too real here.  I never swam in the ocean. When we were there, we did take a trip across it in a bunka boat.  The kids  played on the beach  by the ocean.  But we kept our feet out of the water except for Joel, when he went on a houseboat with his colleagues for work and they swam in the water.  We didn't watch the movie last night either!

Our youngest daughter Sarah turned 39 this week. Happy Birthday girl.  Hope it was a good one. 

Grateful for a cool house in beastly hot weather, grateful for the rain.   Grateful for the rain ending too.  Grateful for the vision group,  good doctors and the ultimate healer Jesus.   Grateful for energy for work....and times to rest.  Grateful for walking,  biking, painting and cleaning.  Grateful for a daughters birthday.   Grateful for Rhubarb pie, and the good father Joel is.  Grateful for texts and phone calls and so much more. 

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you in our corner of the world where the skies are hazy from wildfires in Canada.  No bike rides for Joel this week but he did spend a great deal of time outside.  He wasn't sitting on the porch either, he was climbing and standing on scaffolding. He was repairing some of the peaks on our house. And I know I mentioned before we have a tall house.  I found it less than peaceful to watch him. And then seeing just the bottom of his feet from over 20 feet off the ground...... seriously not OK, but he said he was fine.  He has finished the tallest area and he's only about 8 feet off the ground now.  I told him, "Well, that's good. You won't break as many bones if you fall off! 

I've spent most of the week telling my body, it's OK to keep moving.   

To be honest, I'm finding it difficult to write a Saturday scribbles today.  Partly because my voice input microphone is not working, but mostly because my heart is heavy with what has gone on this whole week in our home state of Minnesota, our country,  and the world.

 Joel and I have always tried to  stay very neutral when it comes to politics.  As a pastor it was never his desire or purpose to preach a political viewpoint from the pulpit.  What I feel now is not political.  But because of the climate in our country it's hard to speak about it without appearing to be so.  

But I  woke up today hearing about 2 democratic lawmakers and their spouses being shot and two killed in our home state of Minnesota.  This is how we solve issues ? Im going to stop there.  My heart is too heavy for America.  My words too jumbled.  My emotions too raw.  

Still grateful for the many blessings we have.   Grateful for God being with us always.  Grateful Joel is almost finished with scaffolding.  Grateful for all those who don't believe violence is the answer or response to everything.   Grateful for phone calls,  texts  and so much more.

Monday's Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you on this Monday in June. It's hazy here from the wildfires and kind of chilly today. Joel is out scraping sanding, priming and painting a few areas of the house. Blessed to be using the neighbor's scaffolding. Joel is still enjoying his morning Porch Sitting but We haven't seen too much of nature this week as we've been kind of busy for a change. 

Last Monday I had SLT laser eye surgery at Mayo Clinic. It went well. There were a couple of scary hours with blurry to no vision but it slowly came back by Tuesday night. It's changed a little but it still is good and I'm grateful. The purpose is to lower the pressure in my eye and from what I saw on the report they lasered the tissue of my eye 100 times. It's amazing what they can do. Tuesday was a recovery day and part of Wednesday and then we entertained old friends who spent 30 years of their life here in Mason City. They are full-time RVers with a serving Ministry. They work in shelters and salvation armies sometimes as they travel, with a few winter months spent  volunteering in aTucson Mission. It was great to see them again and they were able to come back on Friday and have lunch with us and an afternoon visit. 

Saturday we drove down to Ames Iowa about an hour and a half away to a family graduation party. It was great to see family and hug on them. Yesterday morning we got up and headed to church. Confirmation Sunday. Also were able to see our friends Keith and Mary Lou again for a short church visit so, needless to say, today I'm now in a rest and recovery mode. I'm very thankful that we had so much fellowship this week with people we love and care about. 

Speaking of that our youngest grandson Jonas turned 17 on Saturday! There's just no more little ones around for sure. He's a fine young man and we're grateful.

It's time to end my Saturday scribbles on Monday with what I'm grateful for. And this week it is much amount people. People we love, family, friends. People we care about. So grateful for the time spent with good friends, grateful for the time spent with family. Grateful to be able to Worship in church. Grateful for having friends that love the Lord and are such a good example of serving him and surrendering to his will! Grateful for laughter and for Tears and for just good old thought-provoking conversation. Grateful for the surgery for my eye going well and the optic nerve holding steady. Grateful for another day to enjoy the flowers and the Beautiful scenery outside. Grateful for a husband who works so hard and loves the Lord so well. Grateful for the power of Prayer to reach out to others and the great power of a hug! It's so important, this thing called human touch. Grateful for hugs! Grateful for all the different kinds of people that God brings into our lives. Grateful for safe travel this week to Rochester Minnesota and to Ames Iowa. Grateful for all the phone calls the text the emails and the prayers. Grateful for all this and so much more.

 Enjoy your week!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you on this last day of May. It has been wonderful weather, and Joel has enjoyed his Porch Sitting. He said this is his favorite time of year because the birds are all out singing and mating and nesting and the squirrels are having a hay day. The ducks come around, too.    When I was coming downstairs this morning I saw him at the tall landing window peeking out and watching two squirrels play on the tree. Of course he was chuckling as he observed their antics. Earlier he had been watching two rabbits in our little front garden. They were quite indifferent to his presence. Nature has always been a gift for Joel when seeking peace,  distraction, or joy.

Speaking of Joel, it's on his agenda today to begin sanding and painting the peak of our house. We have a very tall house and I do not like it. It is safer because he is using scaffolding which the neighbor helped him put up yesterday  but It's still a long ways up there and I wish I he had help for this project. He rode his bike only a few times this week, and spent most of his time taking care of the lawn. He enjoys any work outside, and it would be hard for him to live somewhere where there was no yard for him to care for.

I've been getting my walks in every day, doing some baking. doing some cleaning and some of my own Porch Sitting. I spent a bit of time filling out questionnaires for Mayo Clinic again . This started when I went through the second breast cancer and radiation at their Clinic . Every 6 months I receive online forms to fill out asking me questions regarding the aftermath of the radiation . Hopefully it will help others in the future . 

Last Sunday we went to MIller Iowa where Joel preached at Faith Lutheran. He was Interim there 10+ years ago and we enjoy this congregation very much.  On our way home we went to the Buddy Holly Memorial north of Clear Lake IA by a cornfield, as it was our adventure for the month of May with the Scavanger hunt our oldest and her family created for us.  Each month we are sent somewere different to explore in the surrounding area.  Monday we took our devotional books and headed to Clear Lake to sit by the lake, have devotions and people watch.  On our way home we picked up Culver's salads for lunch.  This past week we also watched a good Netflix movie called The Nonna's about Italian grandmothers becoming chefs for a little restaurant on Staten Island. This was based on a true story and it was really quite good. It's really hard to find a movie that doesn't have a lot of swearing, a lot of violence, a few murders...... you get the idea. We have also been watching a few old Magnum PI from the original series of the 1980s. I told Joel they seem so silly sometimes and predictable but still overall enjoyable! Life was simpler and not so dark . That series was on 40 plus years ago already!

Speaking of dark, last night we started watching the Dateline, thinking this one doesn't look so bad. This one doesn't look like it's the wife or the husband who turns into a monster. But again I was wrong! Thejr perfect marriage was anything but perfect . By the time it ended we were both shaking our heads and saying, good grief, and are there really people this evil?! And of course the question we ask ourselves often, why did we watch this? Human curiosity I guess. 

On that note it's time to say what I'm grateful for. The first thing? Grateful for our marriage of nearly 57 years. Grateful for the sunshine this week and warmer weather, for all of nature that comes forth in the spring. Grateful for a movie that made us laugh. Grateful for old TV shows. Grateful for being able to be active and grateful for our nice yard for Joel to work in. Grateful for scaffolding! Grateful for Mayo Clinic. Grateful for Porch Sitting where we can enjoy beautiful flowers and all of nature. Grateful for a Sunday morning at Faith, grateful for an adventure into a cornfield in Iowa, for Memorial Day lake sitting and people watching.  Grateful for the phone calls we get,  for the text and pictures that keep us connected. Grateful for all this and so much more. 

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you on this cloudy May Memorial Day weekend. We have been enjoying cooler weather but it's still warm enough for people to take in all the band Festival activities going on here this weekend.

 Speaking of activities , Joel has been enjoying his Porch Sitting and watching the wildlife. We have rabbits, ducks, Cardinals, wrens, robins and more to enjoy. While enjoying his coffee on the porch this morning he counted eight different varieties of birds ! Joel managed to get in a couple of bike rides this week. Last Sunday he preached at a congregation in a small town east of us and this Sunday he preaches in a church in a very small town about 35 mi from us. Whole lot of preaching going on! He met with his colleague group on Thursday and today he's with his Gabby Grandpa's coffee group. Whole lot of socializing going on too! 

i continue to walk each day. I've done some cookie baking for Joel and for myself . I've always made cookies from scratch when the kids were growing up so  they thought I was a really special treat when they got boughten cookies like Oreos ! Last Monday the Iowa services for the blind had a rehab teacher come to the house to assess me and talk about what they provide if you qualify. Tuesday we went clothes shopping which is a rare occurrence for me. I don't really like shopping and especially for clothing. Wednesday we both made a trip to the chiropractor which was helpful. Today we went to a garden center and bought a black-eyed lazy Susan ivy and a beautiful hanging red geranium. My two favorites! Today we went flower shopping and came home with a beautiful hanging red geranium and a black-eyed susan ivy to brighten up our front garden.

Getting back to the Iowa services for the blind. I wrote about it on Facebook because it was totally a God thing. And so is this. It turns out that they go by the visual acuity report your doctor sends on whether you qualify or not. After assessing me the rehab teacher believes I qualify for services but my report says I still see 20/20 in that right eye. I do see 20/20 on a chart but I cannot see faces clearly anymore. I cannot see the correct depth perception when I look down. I cannot distinguish cracks and bumps ahead of me when I'm walking. So there are things that would qualify me but the 20/20 vision is the issue for now. Or maybe it's not an issue? I have had three eye doctors tell me they cannot believe that I see 20/20 in that eye with all that's wrong with my eyes! So it sounds to me like I need to be grateful that I can still see the chart 20/20 visually! It was a reminder from God . One doctor said its amazing. At the same time The rehabilitation teacher wants to have me be an exception to the rule and still get services, but we're leaving that in God's hands. Enough of the eye drama. Mostly why I shared it's because it shows how often God shows up in our lives, in the details in the big and in the small. 

This weekend we remember those that we love and care about that are no longer here with us.  And we're so grateful for the time we had with all our loved ones. Blessings on your Memorial Day weekend.

With that I share my gratitude for the cooler temperature,for all of nature showing up. Thankful for Joel's bike rides and my walks, homemade cookies, and a chiropractor who does such a good job.  Grateful for a rehabilitation teacher going to bat for me. Grateful for a black-eyed Susan Ivy and red geranium to brighten the front Garden. Grateful for homemade cookies and new clothes.  And grateful for the phone calls that brighten our days, the text that keep us so connected. 

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you from our corner of Iowa where it is cloudy and windy. The temperatures have ranged from anywhere between 53 and 87 this week.  Our resident ducks are busy moving around getting ready to nest. The deer are out and busy eating delicacies like my pansies! We forgot to put them on the porch one night and they were all gone but one flower the next morning. They've already been nibbling on the hostas and on the neighbor's geraniums. When you love nature it is part of the package deal ~

Speaking of nature, Joel has been busy working outside trying to save our grass that looks so tough this year. He's been pulling weeds and dandelions, too. It's time to get some flower shopping done too. He's been biking some but it's been so windy. Next week he plans to use the neighbors scaffolding to paint areas of the house. Hopefully the weather will comply.

I think the influenza B is finally gone. I'm back to walking 20 minutes and made it out to a couple of stores this week and a doctor's appointment. Everything looked good with the kidneys but it was disturbing to hear that my doctor is one of more than a few that are leaving Mason City. All kinds of inner turmoil I guess. I well really miss his good care. he's helped me through several surgical procedures with stones. The good news is everything looks good now and he said I probably won't need to come back until or if I have problems again. I find it interesting that we have our own Cancer Center here and yet the PAs and nurse practitioners that deal with us report back to doctors in places like New Jersey! There is no skin in the game when you're oncologist lives in New Jersey and never ever sees you. It's a whole different world now.

 Last Sunday was Mother's Day and Joel preached in another town. We decided just to have pancakes and bacon for lunch which turned out to be a lot more work than if we had fixed something else for Mother's Day! I enjoyed phone calls with our kids. Joel and I spend some time talking about our own mothers and the memories we have of them. 

We have continued to leak money as more and more things come up regarding the house. We are enjoying a new dishwasher that was already installed. In fact on Monday morning we had a Windows man here, a handyman putting in the dishwasher, and my hairdresser giving me a haircut all at the same time! We had to chuckle. When we were younger multitasking didn't seem like it was hard at all but it's a little more difficult now! But like I said, we have a new dishwasher and we are enjoying it. Our old one lasted 25 years and in a good job. This one is a lot quieter though.

 Speaking of quiet we have been enjoying some porch time on these gentle warm dry days and evenings without mosquitoes. It has been enjoyable to visit with neighbors and catch up after winter. On that note I'm ready to close by saying I am very grateful for this neighborhood. Grateful for a porch to enjoy and the birds that are singing everyday now. Grateful for a good report on my kidneys. Grateful for walking and biking and exercising when we can. Grateful for audio books. Grateful for podcasts and music on my Alexa. Grateful for a new dishwasher that's so quiet and work so well . Grateful for a haircut again and for a hairdresser that's willing to come to my home . Grateful for the two new windows that we can get. Grateful for phone calls especially for Mother's Day. Grateful for emails texts and cards that brighten my days.. and so much more. 

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you from the beautiful state of Iowa  where Spring is fully being embraced. The grass is green, the bushes are green, the trees are filled with blossoms and leaves, and even a few flowers are popping up in gardens and hanging baskets. It's so good to be able to enjoy it all.

Speaking of flowers, it is a tradition here for me to get pansies for Mother's Day. I recall it being a favorite flower for not only my mom but a sister to. Last year the yellow pansies lasted through the summer!  

Speaking of my mother, she went to be with Jesus 23 years ago at the age of 92. I was blessed in my childhood to have three influential nurturing "mothers". My mother who gave birth to me, my older sister Jo who helped raise me from age 10 on,  and my older sister Jan who did her share of nurturing me too. Things were a bit tumultuous at home after my dad died when I was six. I was happy to have Jo plop me down in the middle of her family, creating for me what I needed. So blessed. I spent a couple of Summers with my sister Jan too and she was always there for me when I was little. So blessed. And my mom? So proud of her. She began her recovery with the disease of alcoholism the year I was married. As I've shared before , one of my favorite memories of my mom is US dancing the two step around the dining room and kitchen in our home when she would come for extended visits . Another of my memories is watching her play Yahtzee with our kids ! So blessed. I am also very grateful that our daughters are such good moms. So blessed. Happy Mother's Day to all of you. I hope you have many memories of your own mothers and your time spent with them. The mother and daughter relationship is a great gift to Treasure.

This has been a week of leaking money. It seems we have some windows that need to be replaced or at least restored. And last night the dishwasher quit working. We can't complain about it as we've had it for 25 years! We actually brought it with us to this house because we liked it so much. It seems like every time we store up some money to get new countertops something else comes up that needs to be done first! Just grateful we've got the money  to take care of it . 

I've been walking daily, still resting and napping more, and trying to get a few things done around the house. I saw the retina doctor yesterday and everything is stable. We like that word. Joel and a dental appointment for another crown. His mom did not believe in fluoride. She also did not believe in Novocaine. Joel's done more biking this week, the weather has been beautiful. And he has also managed quite a bit a yard work. We're going to try to head out to look for one of my favorite plants today, the black-eyed Susan ivy hanging basket. I'm pretty sure Joel has already purchased yellow pansies to brighten up the porch! 

In regards to the influenza B, it has come to light that many people have had it this year and been very sick for a very long time. My retina doctor shared that his grandchildren were very sick with it and it was worse for them than covid. I agree. Another couple of Joel talked to said they both were sick 4 weeks and 6 weeks with the stuff. So tired and so much coughing. I seem to have been left with being tired more. I'll have energy and then it's just gone zap like that but it's better and I am only going forward

Speaking of going  forward, Joel is preaching at three different churches in the next 3 weeks any also had to say no to a couple others. So many churches are in need of pastors. 

Speaking of pastors, how  about the new pope. I happen to turn the TV on when the white smoke came out so was able to watch what was going on in Italy at the Vatican. Very interesting. The first American Born Pope with dual citizenship. Speaks five languages. Likes to dialogue with people. 

Speaking of a dialogue I think it's time to end this scribbles. Grateful today that I'm getting much better, the cough is gone, the macular is steady. Grateful for  warmer temperatures and sunshine. Grateful that spring has blossomed everywhere! Grateful that we have  money for the household expenses. Grateful for a dishwasher that lasted 25 years! Grateful for our new hot water heater, the new attic fan, ad the help will be getting for the windows. Grateful for pansies that bring many memories. Grateful for live stream on our phones and TVs to watch our granddaughter graduate from college last Sunday and two other granddaughters run for track. Grateful for walking, biking, yard work, housework and anything that keeps us moving. Grateful for emails, phone calls, texts and so much more. 

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you on this first weekend in May of 2025. The birds are singing, the resident ducks are nesting, and neighbors are out getting their yards for spring. We have so many locust trees which give us shade but a lot of irritation too! We can see the neighbors trees are in full bloom with beautiful white blossoms.  All the trees are filling in with leaves. There's certainly a lot to enjoy with this kind of weather. I'm looking forward to getting out to the greenhouses to find flowers and hanging baskets. 

Speaking of this first weekend in May this would have been when we were moving to the new house. That certainly would not have worked well with me just getting over three weeks of influenza B.  I don't think I shared the story that came to us through a devotional right after we let go of both selling and buying. It was a story of a man who was a putting his acreage up for sale. He had asked someone to describe it for for him in great detail to be put in the paper. The person showed it to him and asked if he wanted to put it in the paper...he said, no I changed my mind. The way you described it made me realize this is exactly what I want and I'm right where I'm supposed to be! It definitely spoke to me. For now and for whatever reasons this is where we're supposed to be.

Today two of our granddaughters are running track for different colleges and one granddaughter's playing softball. The softball playing granddaughter will graduate tomorrow from college and head to Southern Iowa for a medical research job. It's hard to believe that our grandchildren are getting so old. We are proud of all of them.

Joel did not get much time in the wood shop this week but he definitely has been working on the yard. We had a handyman come from 9:00 to 5:00 one day and got a lot of things done that we had on a list for house maintenance. So glad the attic fan has been replaced, the new grounded Outlets are in, and the new wood trim needed up by the roof is taken care of without Joel going up a ladder! Our roofs are very high up! And I say plural because we do have more than one roof. He got in a couple bike rides also. I started to feel pretty good on Monday and seem to be over the cough. Hallelujah! I've kept up my walking and did a lot of listening to books and podcasts.   Sure am happy I have a phone with so many apps available. 

For today I am very grateful for my phone and all the places I can go on it., and what I can learn from it, and who I can connect to with it. I think my mom would have loved having a cell phone. I used to call her every week or two because it was $20 a call and I think how lonely she must have been at times when she did not hear from those of us who lived long distance away. What a blessing it was when she moved into the same town as my sister Jan. She had so much family she could be with! And they took care of her so well! I am forever grateful for that. 

On that note I am grateful for this past week, that the cough has left and the energy is returning, that spring is here to stay. Grateful my chiropractor does such a good job, grateful for a handyman who was able to accomplish so much for us in one day. Grateful that our granddaughter is graduating from college. Grateful for good memories with my mom. Grateful I'm still walking, and listening to books on tape. Grateful Joel got in some bike rides and outdoor work  his favorite place to be besides his Workshop. Grateful for phone calls, texts, emails and pictures and so much more! 

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you on this April morning in our corner of the world where the sun is shining and the temperature is going to hit the low 60s. Spring is here to stay. 

Speaking of spring, unfortunately, that means some wild weather. Our area has been getting warnings for a couple days now that Monday is going to be a very serious weather event including multiple tornadoes,  large hail, and more. Wild weather!  I'm surprised at how far ahead they can predict this. We do what we can to prepare, having a nice solid basement to go down into when needed. The whole state of Iowa looks to be included. 

Speaking of wild weather, I feel like I'm still trying to weather this tornadic influenza B. 18 days in and I am still needing heavy naps and the coughing persists.  You see, there are many many medications to help symptoms that I cannot take . I cannot take Flonase because of my severe glaucoma . I cannot take an inhaler for my lungs because it interacts and stops my glaucoma medication from working . It's a virus so antibiotics do not help . Other medications I'm allergic to . So we have come up with a saline nasal spray that is helping , plus a homeopathic remedy called Cold Calm , and a homemade tea by Dr Andrew Weil that is made from grated ginger root, cloves of garlic, fresh  lemon and then honey to sweeten . And yes it tastes terrible but it seems to help get the phlegm moving out ! I'm slowly improving and ready for it.  So my week was spent napping,  walking throughut the day to get my 20 minutes,  watching too many David Ramsey reels on finance and listening to Father Tim books. Joel worked in his wood shop a lot and also has done preparation and clean up after yet another long day of radon mitigation. This has become a bit of a nightmare....Trying to figure out where it's coming from, and how to revent it in this multi-level mixed up house. We are praying it works this time!  We had good news on Monday because the mold removal people came and checked our attic and said there's no mold at all! Yay. Joel managed a couple bike rides this week which was nice. He's been feeling a little off so pacing himself more too. He's off to Gabby Grandpa's this morning to get his fill of Fellowship!

Getting back to the weather, or rather nature, I read an article in the Reader's Digest about how nature heals us and a lot of therapists and doctors are actually requiring their patients to go Outdoors for a certain amount of time finding different activities whether it's sitting quietly on a bench, laying in the grass,  or hiking up a hill.... being outside actually brings down blood pressure, brings down anxiety and heals our bodies. They have the scientific research to back that and I found it very interesting that what God created us to enjoy isn't just enjoyable but actually brings healing to us in Body Soul and Spirit. It's kind of like he knew what he was doing didn't he!  I am able to be out on our porch where it's shaded and enjoy the fresh air nearly every day. You can hear the birds singing,  watch little squirrels skirting about and see our resident ducks nearby. Yesterday I heard a cardinal singing. So delightful! Joel has always found peace and healing in nature. I remember when he had Lyme disease and was so ill we would take a chair out in the yard for him to sit on so he could be outside and he would just sit and watch and listen the birds or take a nap and enjoy the fresh air in the healing properties from God's creation. The porch is still his favorite place to sit whether it's in the early morning hour with his first cup of coffee or it's the middle of the night when he's awakened by the rain. He heads to the porch where he finds peace and the presence of God. 

So today I'm thankful that we're able to financially take care of what needs to be done here. I'm grateful for a home that keeps us safe. Grateful for feeling a little better and finding a couple things I can take. Grateful for all that Joel does around here. Grateful for the man who's been helping us through the mitigation. Grateful there's no mold in the attic! Grateful for the birds that are back and singing, our resident Ducks nesting, and our porch that beckons us to come and rest and heal with nature. Grateful for all the phone calls, the texts, the emails, and the pictures that just come in an instant. Grateful for all this and so much more on this last Saturday in April. 

Enjoy the weekend.

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you on this typical Spring day in Northern Iowa. We did have 76° on Thursday then around 4:00am Friday morning storms hit. But now we're back to the 50s where it still is comfortable for me to be covered up with my wool comforter. It seems we got about an inch and a half of rain that morning which was greatly welcomed! But the sirens going off at 4:30 a.m.?! Not so welcome.   It had been a rough night of coughing for me and I only had slept two and a half hours before I was awakened by the tornado sirens. By the time Joel and I got our act together the siren ended and we went back to bed. All around us there was golf ball size hail, tornado winds, and plenty of rain. Just a typical spring night in Iowa!

Speaking of coughing, this influenza B is really taking its toll on me. I would say that I am more sick with this than I was with covid after Christmas. A chest x-ray ruled out any pneumonia just inflammation for now. Is it because I've never had a flu vaccine? Who knows why....I just know I want it to go away. There's a lot of things I'd like to go away like disease and sickness and broken relationships and financial burdens and in all honesty what's happening to our country for the most part. 

Speaking of going away we took our house off the market and told our realtor we're not looking for anything else right now. Who has the energy? And who can deny the fact that the door did not open for us. Oh it looked wide open.... the house sold in 3 weeks. We already had another house we put an offer on,  everything was moving forward at a fast pace .....until it wasn't. For now we wait. 

Speaking of waiting, isn't that what the Saturday before Easter is all about? Good Friday is over..... it is finished...in the words of Jesus. But Sunday is still coming! The resurrection of Jesus Christ is coming! His return is coming! We are waiting, waiting with hope knowing what we know. Jesus Christ died for our sins, rose again, and sits on the right hand of God! Eternal life is ours as his children so we wait in Hope.

 That will be Joel's messagc tomorrow as he preaches to a very small congregation south of here.  A handful of people that want to keep their Church going.

 On that note today i'm giving thanks for this Saturday before Easter. For a time of reflection. Giving thanks that we got the rain we needed and  the tornado stayed away from here. Giving thanks for Joel and his dedication to his ministry and to me and to his family. Giving thanks that I'm a little betterI and the coughing is a little less. Giving thanks that I have Joel to celebrate Easter with. Giving  thanks that the X-ray shows no pneumonia. Giving thanks for a 76° day that tells us summer is on its way. Giving thanks for open and closed doors,  giving thanks for phone calls emails text and prayers. Giving thanks for Easter! 

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

 

Good Saturday to you from our corner of Iowa where my writing voice has been silent for a couple weeks. There has been so much going on, none of it drastic, just more than a little overwhelming. It has silenced me and made porch sitting a necesary part of each day. for Joel, 

Speaking of porch Sitting , that looks like it'll be possible for a while longer because our house that was sold is no longer sold and the house we were buying  is no longer bought. These two sentences alone are giving us enough to ponder and come before God with petition and Thanksgiving. Let's just say that the demands the buyers had for us were long and a bit outrageous which makes us suspicious that they wanted to get out of the contract. On the other house across the street we discovered there would be a very large area that would need to be covered with polyurethane sheeting to keep the radon from coming through the crawl space. For the majority of people this is not a problem but for me it could be. Bottom line is I still react to some chemicals.... it would be a risk that we calculated we could not make, sadly. The information above all came together on a Friday morning. Double whammy.   A lot to take in. We are disappointed but we know that God has a plan!

There was good news to share during the last couple of weeks. They had a thank you/farewell for Joel at St Peter's Lutheran in Rockwell, an appreciations brunch for the time he has spent there. It was a great time!  I was able to go with him and meet a few more people. 

This past Sunday we were at Faith Lutheran in Miller Iowa where Joel served as interim 10 years ago. That was delightful. 

Unfortunately this past Tuesday I became sick and by late afternoon so was Joel. I ended up at the doctor because of a bad cough and wheezing jn my  chest. Influenza B. So I've been resting a lot. Joel recovered quickly after 11 hours of slept.  

That being said I am closing my Saturday scribbles and heading back to the sofa sharing things I'm grateful for. Grateful that God has walked with us through the house selling and then not selling. Grateful he's walked with us through buying a house and not buying the house. Grateful that he has made things available for us in ways that we don't understand. Grateful for the people of St Peter's Lutheran Church. Grateful for the people of Faith Lutheran. Grateful little things work together for good according to his will. Grateful that I'm feeling a little better from the influenza. Grateful today for rotisserie chicken when you don't feel like cooking. Grateful for the wisdom and insights from our children. Grateful for Sunshine and some warmer temperatures. Grateful for porch Sitting. Grateful for prayers, phone calls, texts, and emails. Grateful for all this and so much more!

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you on this last weekend of March 2025. The weather continues to amaze us. We are getting rain and temps in the 40s today and they are talking about snow showers tomorrow.... and yesterday? It was 83° here and very windy. Speaking of wind  I do enjoy the sounds of it. Right now the trees are without leaves, but when our favorite maple tree is dressed for summer it has its own conversation to share with us on windy days. I will miss that maple tree when we move. 

Speaking of moving, that journey continues to be up and down and backwards and forwards.This  past week we accepted an offer on our house after negotiations.   This week we also discovered our radon mitigation system was not working correctly. The county came to check it out for the buyers and there was twice as much radon is as is safe. That stinks and I have put that question about exposure to the radon to the side. It is what it is. So now we need to have people come next week and put in a new system. And then move forward again. Our inspection on the other house went well and we are gathering a few notes on what needs to be done.  It is always costly to move.

Joel spent his spare time this week working on those TV trays. He is making them from scratch so it takes a while to get 12 done! Once again he repeated himself by hurting a finger. A month ago or so it was a saw that caught the end of his finger and nail. Yesterday it was a drill that went into the tip of his finger. So far he's hanging on to every digit, thank goodness

Besides church activities we have found ourselves mostly dealing with the in's and out's of buying and selling a home. My energy was low this week so I did just a little baking and cooking and cleaning saving it for my 25 minutes of walking. As usual Joel has enough energy for two of us!

So today I'm grateful for the amazing energy my husband has. Grateful for the offer on our home . Grateful for a solution to the radon mitigation, grateful that the inspection on our new home went well. Grateful for fellowship, for laughter, and even for tears. God created them all. Grateful for a warm day with wind and the familiar sounds it brings. Grateful for phone calls, for texts, for photos, for emails and in person hugs. Grateful for all this and so much more. 

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you from our corner of Iowa where once again we went through a blizzard this week before the warm temperatures returned and melted most of the 4 in of snow that we received. It seems to be a pattern for March! The other night Joel looked out and there were seven or eight deer that were resting in the neighbor's yard....an unusual occurrence. Just like when we looked out the kitchen window with 4 inches of snow on the ground and blizzard conditions and watched our resident duck couple waddling across the yard. This past week Joel rode his bike 10 miles on one day and then was using the snow blower two days later! Again,  as I said before it's an unpredictable weather climate this year! Not unlike life.       

Speaking of life, I celebrated my 77th birthday on Thursday and I'm so grateful to be here to celebrate it. There was a time in my life where I was so ill that Joel wasn't sure that I would make it to 60. And that was before cancer came visiting. Lyme disease was destroying my body. But I'm 77, still here, still able to enjoy life. I will say 77 seems awfully close to 80! On Tuesday we went birthday shopping.  I celebrated my birthday Thursday with a few phone calls, Culver's chicken cashew salad, and a beautiful flower arrangement. Yesterday my sister Kay and her husband Danny came for a visit. It was nice to catch up with them since they returned from snowbirding. I managed to walk 25 minutes most days this week . And I managed to clean a couple bathrooms, and dusted again. Keeping the house ready for potential buyers can be tiring but right now we aren't having many potential buyers! And you know right now that's okay! God has this!

Joel did some woodworking., and also road his bike 10 miles one day when it was so nice. He is off to Gabby Grandpa's this morning. He has also been working on office stuff. Looking back at birthdays I remember when I was trying to lose some weight when I turned 30 so that day he gave me a cake made up of cut up fruit shaped in the number 30. It was such a nice idea but some of my family stopped over and they brought a nice big chocolate cake! He is always trying to find me new treats that are gluten free and not much sugar if any! He's such a good guy I think I'll keep him! By the way, for my 30th birthday, just to be funny, he bought me a cane! I confess there's been one or two times when my back went out over the years where I have used that cane!

So today I am thankful for memories that bring up that 3-0 fruit "cake"and a cane! I'm grateful that I'm celebrating 77 now and that the cane has come in handy once in awhile! Grateful for Culver's salad, phone calls, so many birthday wishes on Facebook,  flowers, a gift card, and birthday shopping, and more. Grateful for the 4 in. of snow that already melted and it nourising the ground. Grateful for a family visit. Grateful for Joel and all he does to encourage and support me. Grateful for texts, phone calls, emails, cards and the love of family and friends. Grateful for all this and so much more. 

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you on this Sunday morning here in North Iowa. The sun is shining, all the snow is gone and the storms have passed. The high today is 44 and tomorrow close to 70 again! Every day is different. Joel and our son Matt observed that there were a lot of birds in the backyard yesterday. A male and female cardinal were joined by joncos and Joel said he saw that the robins were back too. Not too long ago there were six deer resting in the neighbor's yard. All laying down which is unusual. Spring is here or at least it is attempting to make its way in to stay. 

Speaking of our son Matt,  he and one of his daughters were here yesterday. We had a nice visit, ate pizza, played Scrabble, and watched Lutheran Church of Hope together before they each headed to their perspective homes. Our visiting granddog Charlie went back home with Matt. We certainly miss her but know that she was happy to see them! 

Speaking of Scrabble I had not played since 2023 after I lost my eye. I don't see like I used to so it was a bit more challenging and my brain seemed to need to clear the cobwebs out or at least that's my excuse for coming in last! Our granddaughter took the game in the last seconds from her dad! I think we need to pull that Scrabble game out again more often. I have been avoiding games and puzzles where I need help and seeing things but maybe that's okay.... to need help I mean. Don't we all need help at times? Don't we all need support and encouragement? 

The showings on the house are going slow which is really to be expected with the turmoil that our country is in and the unpredictability of the future. We really do feel at peace regarding whether the house sells or not. Joel has surrendered the outcome to God and I'm right behind him. If it sells it sells and if it doesn't that wasn't our door to walk through! Not at this time!

Besides his usual activities,  Joel spent a few days with woodworking tools in his hands sanding and smoothing and gluing the wooden TV trays he's making for all the grandchildren. I did more baking.... cookies and bread. Still walking although sometimes hobbling,  i get my 20 minutes to 25 minutes in.... we have cleaned a few closets and sorted some clothes. It's good to do that periodically whether you're thinking of moving or not! I just finished another Father Tim book and we finished the first season of Ted Danson show, A Man on the Inside. We also watch a show called, The Repair Shop that we get through Prime video and a show called Still Standing which takes place in Canada. Another show is called Handcrafted in America,  and that's a good one too! It's hard to find good TV shows to decompress with. 

I best get on with Sunday's business..... Listening to church, putting a pork roast in the oven, and getting my walking in .....so today I am more than grateful that we had our son and a granddaughter come visit for a day. Grateful  they wanted to stay and worship with us. Grateful for a game of Scrabble. Grateful for homemade bread and cookies that make your house smell good. Grateful for the Irish soda bread that Matt brought . Grateful for an appointment for my laser surgery even if it is months away. Grateful for the home we have. Grateful for the 3 weeks we had with our granddog Charlie. Grateful for all the snow and rain we had and that they're both gone now! Grateful for the birds coming back letting us know that spring is on its way to stay. Grateful for in person hugs and visits, for all the text messages, the pictures that come across our phone, and the emails and phone calls. Grateful for all this and so much more on this beautiful Sunday morning! Enjoy the day!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you on this windy March day in Northern Iowa where the weather continues to act like a roller coaster. Last Wednesday we woke up to a blizzard and yesterday a lot of that snow was already gone because temperatures were rising.. We are supposed to get a high of 65 on Monday?! The only animal we've seen out and about has been Charlie when Joel takes her outside to do her business. The Blizzard didn't seem to bother her at all.

 Speaking of blizzards it has been a lot like our life the last couple weeks. I shared on Facebook earlier than our neighbor moved from her two bedroom ranch style home.  Joel went over and talked to her family and ended up looking at the house. Then he brought me over to look at the house and we went back and looked at it a third time. Joel has been over a couple more times checking it out. Long story short we contacted a realtor and our house is on the market! We have an accepted offer on the ranch with a contingency if this one sells. Basically this is a very nice house but it has a lot of stairs and they have become a bit more challenging. This option seems the best for us, being able to stay in the neighborhood with Joe's bike trail right out the door. But only God knows what's best and we are praying that if this is not the door for us to walk through it will not open!

 Speaking of houses, it's a lot of work to move it's a lot of work to show your house and it's a lot of work to purge and organize. One of our daughters says we're already so organized that it doesn't need much to be open to people looking at it. That's good to know. Speaking of what's good to know, most of the time I feel at peace  with whatever the outcome of this adventure is. If the house sells okay. If it doesn't sell okay. Getting the house ready and hearing other people's comments about it has made me appreciate it more! One showing was done through FaceTime. It's a whole different world now! 

Thinking about moving has me going back to remember a few of our 23 moves over the years.  As an officer, the military packed us up and moved us.  As a pastor we often used U-Hauls to drive across  country.  One move to Montana in 1980 had someone from one of the three churhes Joel served coming with a cattle semi.....there was actually still some straw in the truck where we put our furniture.  That was a fun move!  When we moved from Illinois to New Mexico in the Air Force as an Airman, we took what fit in our 1960 Ford....with me pregnant and throwing up in a garbage bag all the way there.  This move would be across the street.  Moving was always a new adventure that we mostly enjoyed but having lived in this house 20 years and both of us creeping up on 80? Adventure is not quite the word I would use.  

Our oldest celebrated a birthday this week! Happy birthday B...... and and a dear friend celebrated her birthday too! Every year we get to celebrate is definitely a gift! Happy birthday Lana.

 Joel has not been working in the workshop because he'd have to get everything out and put it all away if someone wanted to see the house. He's been in his office taking care of taxes. I have been walking as much as I can with a complaining hip. The house has smelled like homemade bread homemade soup and cookies this week . My 6 months of check up at the dermatologist was all good. Love that! The chiropractor is helping my hip. Love that! We've been watching a new show with Ted Danson on Netflix. A Man on the Inside . It makes us laugh! Love that!

And speaking of love it's time to say what we're grateful for this week. We're grateful for the snow we had because we needed the moisture. Grateful for a warm house during the blizzard. Grateful for the sunshine that his melted almost all the snow already. Grateful for Charlie who has been a great distraction for the grandparents. Grateful for a good report at Dermatology. Grateful for homemade soup homemade cookies and homemade bread. Grateful for the memories of all the moves we've made over the years. Grateful for our future here or across the street! Grateful for all the phone calls, the texts, the emails, and the photos that are sent our way to stay in touch. Grateful for all this and so much more. 

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

 

Another good Saturday morning to you from our corner of the world in the Upper Midwest where snow is plentiful. This last week we had some bitterly cold temperatures with wind chills close to 40 below but now we are heading to 40 above in the coming days! Definitely a roller coaster ride. We haven't seen much wildlife but I expect that the deer are sticking close to the woods or coming out at night when we don't see them. 

Speaking of wildlife, a couple days ago I heard a story about how cows and bison respond in a storm. Of course it's an analogy for how we deal with life. When there's a storm coming cows turn their back to it and they also try to outrun it.   Bison, on the other hand, run towards the storm.... they face it head on and move through it faster. It's a little like life I think..... no, it's a lot like life! There are times we run like heck to try to out distance the storms in our lives and then there are times where we stand firm turn around and face the storm where we are or by moving forward to get through it quicker. Sometimes I'm a cow sometimes I'm a bison.  The vision challenges for my future can have me trying to outrun the storm even though I know it will need to be faced eventually.  With this challenge I need to turn around and face the storm but...I don't like what I'm seeing. Figuratively and literally ! It's a good time to remember that no matter what lies ahead we are not alone. Jesus gives us examples in the BIble on how to deal with storms! And we certainly all are faced with them.

Moving on, Joel worked on the wooden TV trays that he's building this week and he got the whole house vacuumed. He had the snow blower going and took care of the several inches of snow that we got. I did some baking, cleaning and walked every day.  We just finished the Northern Exposure series and are watching quite a few episodes of a show called The Repair Shop on Prime and I believe Acorn but it could be Britbox.  Joel has been reading a book on faith by Jimmy Carter and I'm listening to the 5th Father Tim book in that series by Jan Karon. It's February in Iowa and there's not a whole lot going on for these retired over the hill people. Well that's really not true... behind the scenes there is plenty going on but not much to talk about. 

For today I'm grateful for the slow pace of February. Grateful for the snow that is much needed for the moisture. Grateful for the story of the Cows versus the Bisons. Grateful for friends and family and phone calls and texts and emails that feel our days. Grateful our kids are doing so well in their own lives in their own corners of the world. Even though we miss them greatly they're doing what they're called to do. Yeah grateful for the wisdom of friends, and mentors, plus the little phrases that God sends our way that resonate and you just know they're from him! 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 winter snow has arrived! We've got several inches on the ground and we're getting more this afternoon. Joel has been outside bblowing snow off the driveway and the sidewalks. I forgotten how much the white is bright!

 Last Sunday Joel preached at two churches south of Mason City. He said goodbye to St Peter Lutheran and will do two more Sundays at St Paul's. And then we'll see what life brings our way! On Monday we headed to the post office to take care of getting our passports. Oir original passports were from 1974 when we were in the military heading to the Philippine Islands . We used them when we went to Taiwan while living in the P.I.,too.  We actually have not traveled out of country since we left the Philippines in 1976 , so we decided maybe we should get our passports just in case. You can always hope and dream right,?! After going to the post office for our official passport appointments,  we headed to the local library for the Second Adventure of our monthly  scavenger hunt that our oldest and her family gave us for Christmas. This time we were to go to the author autograph section and find our favorite one and take a picture of it to send them. We decided on George Elliott who's actual name was Mary Evans. The story goes that her dad thought she was too unattractive to ever get a husband so he had her educated instead and her education helped her become an author.... she wrote seven novels.

Tuesday we headed to the grocery store in the bitterly cold weather I think it was nine below if I'm recalling correctly? Wednesday it was cold and snowing enough that most churches canceled their Wednesday evening activities. Joel went to a conference pastors synod assembly meeting on Thursday and on Friday we celebrated Valentine's Day with Culver's salads and a movie starring Harry Connick Jr titled, "Find Me Falling"  It was a light romance and pretty good. 

Our neighbor June had to move across town into an apartment. She's 96 years old and we will certainly miss her. Until 2 or 3 years ago she was mowing her own yard twice a week and doing all the yard work outside, even carrying gravel in a wheelbarrow.  She absolutely loves to be outside. I used to watch her from the porch and think if I could have just half the energy she has! She was strong she was agile and she lived alone for a very long time. An example for us all. Hope and pray she enjoys her new home.

 Tomorrow our son Mark will turn 50! Hard to believe the years have gone by so quickly. He was 5 months old when we welcomed him into the family and he's been a blessing over the years. Happy birthday Mark!

Giving thanks today for a week of moderate activity, moderate snow, and moderate surprises! It seems like there's always a few surprises to deal with! Grateful for the moisture for the land and for the people who love outdoor activities in the winter. Grateful we took care of the passports appointments and information and had a fun time on our second scavenger hunt to the library. Grateful for the homemade bread and homemade soup that made our house smell so good this week. Grateful for our son Mark. Grateful for all the phone calls emails and texts that we receive that keep us connected to friends and family. Grateful for all this and so much more. 

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you from Northern Iowa where I can look out our large living room window and watch a gentle snowfall. The ground is already covered in white.  Even though we expect only an inch or two the moisture is needed for our land. It's a peaceful sight watching this gentle snowfall and at this point peace is what we both long for in this house, in our city,  in our country, in our world. The peace that passes understanding. 

This past week we've had several duck "couples " milling around looking for food I expect at the neighbor's  who likes to throw out corn cobs all winter long. They may have been a little confused by our warm weather, but today mother nature is letting us know that winter is still here. 

This past week Joel has continuined to build wooden TV tray tables for the grandkids in between the daily routines and his sermon for tomorrow. I got an appointment from a cancellation, so on Thursday we headed over to Rochester to Mayo Ophthalmology for a day of testing for my eye and the severe glaucoma diagnosis I had. We got home around 2:00 in the afternoon and we're awake before 4:00 the next morning to get ready to head back for a 7:30 appointment. We're too old for this! Travel was good and we arrived in time to relax before more testing and then an evaluation with a glaucoma specialist. It wasn't really what we wanted to hear. It wasn't worse news...... it wasn't good news.... it was just hearing that this doctor,  this Mayo specialist doesn't know specifically  why my vision changed because so many things are going on in my eye. It could be from the glaucoma that got somewhat worse or it could be from the dry macular  that has changed or it could be from the medication that I'm taking that can affect the eyes but he knew nothing about that particular drug. He did suggest that I have laser surgery to open the drainage tubes in my eyes. If that doesn't work then I'll be put on a second medication I believe. Since this began last fall it has been confusing and unclear besides scary to think about losing my vision completely. We're still kind of in the same spot but we're trusting ths doctor to do laser surgery. It doesn't give us answers for  if or when I would go blind....or the if we should move to a smaller one level home or if we should live closer to one of our children or.....or.. or. There's no definitive answers. But we have today. The Serenity Prayer says God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. 

And that Serenity Prayer brings me to the struggle that I am having over the terrible accusations that have come up by Elon Musk saying that the Lutheran services that have been an establishment since the 1800s are money laundrying among other things. One in 50 people receive some kind of services in their lifetime from Lutheran Social Services Lutheran World relief, Global Refuge, etc. Lutherans have been dedicated to serving others the way God has asked us to according to the scriptures. It's confusing, a bit overwhelming, and a bit more irritating to hear the things that are being said and watch what is being done to stop aid to others. In some ways the Lutheran Church and their organizations are being persecuted. It's not the first time. 

Speaking of time,  Joel got up early this morning and went down to the basement and walked in water. It seems that the meter reading device that they put on the front of our house has malfunctioned and Joel spent a couple of hours cleaning water out of the laundry room area carpet and trying to fix temporarily the problem. You can call the utilities here in town and they will tell you we'll be back on Monday. No emergency number to call. So Joel is off to the store to buy more of this waterproof tape that he just happened to have on hand.  Thank you Lord our garage that looks like a Menards of left over materials! For now it's holding and I was able to shower without adding more problems to the basement carpet. Are we having fun yet?

Speaking of fun, well at least sort of, we spent a lot of time sitting and waiting in between testing and we did a lot of people watching. Our world is filled with such a variety of people ! It's amazing! What we find amusing is that when we go to Mayo Clinic Joel manner of dress with the cowboy hat, vest, and boots draws a lot of ridiculous attention. If he remembers he'll take the hat off before we go in so he's not constantly meeting other people's eyes as they look at him. I find this curious since Mayo Clinic is filled with people from around the world  all unique and special for their own culture.  I guess other people do people watching too!

Tomorrow is Joel's last Sunday as a fill in pastor for a church South of us. He has quite a long history with them having served them as interim before and fill in and having accumulated almost 5 years with this congregation and a smaller one Southwest of there. There is some sadness in saying goodbye while feeling excited for what is ahead for them!

So, today I'm grateful that we got into Mayo Ophthalmology and we have a plan for laser surgery and we have some understanding that I have the dry macular that will eventually cause vision loss and I have the glaucoma which will eventually cause vision loss and then there's that drug for cancer that maybe influencing the timeline for that. Guess I'm saying that I'm grateful that It's in God's hands now as he directs us. Again going back to being grateful..... I'm grateful that I got in over there that I saw a good doctor and then I got all these tests and was thoroughly examined and that there is a plan in place. Grateful Joel has the energy he has to travel like that for 2 days being up at 4:00 in the morning. Grateful for safe travel. Grateful for our Lutheran Foundation. Grateful for all the work that the Lutheran ELCA has done to serve others. Grateful for a gentle snowfall that brings a sense of peace to our hearts. Grateful that Joel is very good at figuring things out and fixing or temporary fixing things to get us through. Grateful for Trader Joe's and grateful for Mr Pizza in Rochester for Joel! Haha Grateful for all the time Joel has served as a fill in pastor for two churches south of Mason City. Grateful for all the phone calls emails and texts we received every week. Grateful for all this and so much more.

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you again from Iowa where winter is not showing up.  This week we had 64 degrees...at the end in January! Such strange weather but then again it's strange weather in many parts of the country. Joel told me this morning that our resident ducks were out front. I don't know if that's because they're confused about what time of year it is or if they are letting us know that winter isn't coming?! 

It has been a quiet week again here with only one appointment for Joel at the VA clinic for his eyes.  We headed to church last Sunday which was nice. We walked outside around the cul-de-sac and for Joel down to the river road for 3 days, enjoying the warmth. We quietly celebrated me being cancer free for 5 yrs this week.  Thnks be to God.  Besides that.....A little bit of shopping has been done, a little bit of cleaning, a little bit of cooking, a little bit of woodworking, a little bit of walking a little bit of visiting... I guess the theme here was "a little bit..." 

It's my sister Jan's birthday today! She is an amazing woman who has lived in amazing life. So grateful for her in my life and in the lives of so many many others. Enjoy your day Jan and have a wonderful year ahead!

It is also our grandson S. birthday today. Seventeen!  Happy Birthday Buddy!

This morning I watched a service about missionaries at a church in California. This church supports or helps support a large number of missionaries across the world. Mission work always stirs my heart and it has since I was 13 years old and stood before the bulletin board in our church, St. Olaf Lutheran in Austin, Minnesota. The bulletion board where letters and pictures of our missionaries we supported in Brazil were shared. The Grant Family with their five boys. I used to stare at that bulletin board and wonder what it was like to be on the mission field.

About 35 years later we were gathering with pastors in West Central Minnesota for a Super. Bowl party and began talking to a pastor and his wife about their history. Long story short turns out that Dave, the pastor, was actually one of the Grant Boys on the mission field in Brazil. My response to him was..... oh my goodness I prayed for you when you were there as a child! We prayed for you and your family as a church.  It felt like a full circle moment and they became fast friends. In fact, Joel just had a long talk with Dave this week catching up on each other's lives. I love how God is in the details of our lives. 

Getting back to the mission field...........as I have shared before, Joel and I were drawn together because we both wanted to be on the mission field. Joel's second cousin was David SImonson who served with the Masai tribe in Tanzania his whole life.  He is buried over there on the land given to his family by the tribe.  His ministry livies on today ....Operation Bootstrap......This stirred Joel on for his own desire to be in the mission field.  The last attempt we made for that was in the early 1980s and God shut the door. He had other plans but it does not take away the fact that we have a interest in Global Missions.  It is part of who we are as Christians following Jesus.  We help others, we preach the gospel, we share the good news, we serve as Jesus served. Whether it's at home or in another country we are all called as missionaries of the gospel. We are all called pray for those who need prayer to help those who need help. God has a plan for each of us in the corners of our world.!  

So,  this week I am grateful that Joel was and is able to serve God in the ministry for so many years.  Grateful to be by his side. Grateful for the mission work that is done in America and in the world. Grateful for warm temperatures this week that gave us the opportunities to walk outside. Grateful for so many phone calls and stimulating conversations. Grateful for our residents ducks while praying that they stay safe when it snow does come! Grateful Joel's eyes are doing well and he's getting new glasses. Grateful for the home we live in and the opportunities presented to us to keep serving God. Grateful for my sister Jan on her birthday and every day! Gratful for our grandson and his 17th birthday.  Grateful for texts and emails, phone calls and whispers from God to our hearts. 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 weather is all over the board. Warm then bitterly cold with high winds and 33 below wind chills.  Now heading into a few days above normal. I'm not sure our local creatures and critters know quite what to do with it especially when it's the third week of January and there's still no snow on the ground! And it's colder here than it is in Alaska. And it was colder in the South than in Alaska!?! Everything seems to be a little off-kilter. Not unlike the whole world I guess. 

On the 24th we celebrated Joe's 13 years of miraculous healing from Lyme disease and other diseases and physical concerns. God is The God Who heals! Made him pumpkin pie to enjoy as a special treat and oatmeal cookies besides.

In the past week we've traveled to Mayo Clinic on Sunday to see the ocularist regarding my eye. They took it out and cleaned and polished it hoping that will help with symptoms. On Monday the country inaugurated a new president. On Thursday Joel went to his colleague group. We have managed to get out once in awhile too the store. Stayed home mostly and cooked and cleaned on cold days.  January in Iowa!

 Speaking of Iowa at times I'm still surprised to find myself living here. As I have shared in the past when you're in the military you always have a home state and our home state of course was Minnesota. So no matter where we have moved when people ask where you're from we say Minnesota because that's where we're from. Now the fact that we've spent 29 years in Iowa doesn't seem to affect the fact that we're still from Minnesota! Haha.. the plan was always to retire in Minnesota but then..... the best laid plans... This takes me back to a time when Joel was in the military and they were granting early outs for people. We decided that's what we were going to do after we went down to the Seminary to see friends and we were so sure that we were supposed to go there to Seminary.  We even looked at a house to buy on that same weekend. When we got back to Duluth where we were stationed Joel went in and said, " I'm applying for an early out" and they told him "Lieutenant Dahlen you cannot apply for an early when you have orders! " Joel asked, " Where am I going?" And the sergeant said to the Philippine Islands. Joel had one question... am I going  accompanied or unaccompanied? Your family can go with you here the sergeant replied. So our plans took a sharp turn and we ended up thousands and thousands of miles away on an island in the ocean for 2 years. It completely changed our lives for the better. We grew our family by two children and we made lifelong friends. We experienced the grace of God, the protection of God and the direction of God while there. We were introduced to people of different denominations and expanded and affirmed our lbeliefs while strengthening our faith. God certainly blessed that "detour" and after our two years in the Philippines Joel got out of the military and went to Seminary. Those two years shaped our lives and still do today. 

And speaking of today, my heart is heavy with what has happened this week regarding the January 6th assault on our capital. You know you can watch the news and in my opinion there is NOT ONE news channel that speaks without bias but when you see something happen LIVE  like I did on January 6th it affects you deeply.This is not a political issue.  It is beyond my understanding how our new president could pardon those who were so destructive on that day. I watched a police officer being crushed by a door and the hands of those holding it. I watched as people chanted hang Mike Pence our vice president at the time. I watched as officers were overrun by violent protesters, beaten, assaulted and fearing death.  I saw it all first hand sitting in my living room.... my tears flowed then and now.  Now these violent men have been pardoned and what the police went through that day and our government has been put to the side for reasons beyond my understanding. Police officers have a special place in my heart and for the most are good people trying to protect the people they serve. How sad that they were betrayed that day and still are being betrayed. This is not political its moral. It is a right vs wrong issue for me

   I've said my piece now and I won't revisit it but my heart is heavy and my prayers for police officers everywhere continues.

Today I give thanks for the police officers that put their lives on the line every day to protect and serve no matter the cost. I give thanks for sunshine today and warmer temperatures. I give thanks today for a warm house, plenty of food, good bed to sleep in, safety and security.  I give thanks today for our safe travels to Mayo Clinic and back. Grateful for 2 years in the Philippines and what it's done to shape Our Lives for the last 50 years. And give thanks for Joel's commitment to going to the Seminary and being a pastor since 1980. I give thanks for being able to walk. Give thanks it the house could smell like oatmeal cookies for Joel and pumpkin pie on his healing anniversary. I give thanks for all the phone calls the prayers the text and the emails that brighten our days. I give thanks for this and so much more. 

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you from Northern Iowa where there is a chill in the air. It seems we're heading down below zero with wind chills around 30 below for tomorrow and Monday. It's January in the Midwest! It's very odd that we don't have any snow on the ground and I'm sure that will not help farmers come spring. Still, there's plenty of time for snow to come. Speaking of chilly weather, we traveled last Tuesday in -25 wind chills to Rochester Minnesota to see the lymphedema specialist at Mayo Clinic. She was able to tell us that my arm looks the best it has since I first saw her 3 years ago. We're being diligent with what we do and it's paying off. And I say we because even though I'm the one putting the glove and sleeve on and using the pump on my arm to circulate fluid every day, Joel is the one that has to wrap my arm twice a week to keep it tight. In regards to that we have been given 6 months off of wrapping! This was good news and we're all for good news! And speaking of cold weather my artificial eye has been acting up with matting and watering ao we head back over to Rochester tomorrow to see them and find out if it's okay. On a Sunday! On a very bitterly cold windy Sunday! Thank heavens for heated seats and good cars! 

I have been walking 15 minutes a day building back up after covid. Every healthcare provider and professional that we have talked to has said it takes a long time for your energy to completely return. So we're grateful that we feel as well as we do......we take an extra nap or two if we need to. Joel has done some woodworking but not very much because his finger is still healing from that saw cut. He's been working in the office and we've gotten some cleaning done. We finally got the tree put away!  We don't really miss the tree but we miss the lights. This past week we watched the movie Six Triple Eight on Netflix. It was an excellent movie and I would highly recommend it to everyone. We also started our scavenger hunt monthly adventures that are oldest daughter set up for us as part of our Christmas gift. We headed down to the local bookstore, Three Bells Bookstore,  to pick up our gift card and to look around this special little place. It was fun and we were required to take a picture of ourselves on one of the sofas and send it back to our daughter and son-in-law! We look forward to more local Adventures every month. We also spoke to each of our kids this week which was nice! We're grateful for their wisdom and insights and their desire to do life well. It has really been a January kind of week here in our corner of the world. Not very boring if I look back at everything that's happened but definitely January. 

I have noticed that the light sticks around till 5:00 now and for that I will add my first thing I'm grateful for! More Daylight! Grateful for a warm car that gets us where we need to go with the luxury of heated seats. How did I ever live without them! Grateful for good news from the lymphedema specialist. Grateful for a fun trip to a local bookstore provided by our oldest daughter and son-in-law. Grateful for all the texts and phone calls this week filled with insights, wisdom and joy. Grateful for a movie that makes us think and helps us learn about history. Grateful that we're at least 90% back to normal from covid. Grateful Joel's finger is healing.  Grateful that I can write a blog post from my phone! Such great technology! Grateful for sunshine on a cold day. Grateful for all this and so much more.

 Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you from our corner of Iowa where there's no snow but plenty of cold weather. It has been another week of staying close to home as we finish up recovering from covid. No porch sitting going on! No animals to enjoy! A quiet week.  

Speaking of Covid, we quarantined ourselves for 14 days for me and 10 days for Joel. He felt good after 5 days, actually, and spent quite a bit of time in the shop. Until Thursday when  the wood that he was cutting jumped and the saw caught his finger putting a deep, short cut through the nail and the end of his finger. For about 3 hours he had terrible pain but then it settled down.  It bled continually Thursday and Friday but now it is healing.  This is the second accident where wood has jumped while cutting it. The first time a board hit his chest and left a good bruise, this time we took a little chunk of finger and nail so we're thinking that he needs to get some kind of a tool to hold things down so this won't happen again! He's been lucky twice and we're not going to test it. Post covid he is back to his normal routines ... like heading off to Gabby Grandpa's this morning, and preaching at two churches tomorrow

We've managed to do some cleaning in the house especially getting the sheets washed,  opening the windows up in the bedrooms and airing things out. There's nothing quite like fresh air and  clean sheets when you climb into bed at night!

I have been getting back to walking slowly and building up again to 15 minutes. I can do things like clean bathrooms etc but it takes all the energy for a while. It's not surprising that I'm slower to recover than Joel but I am recovered! Mainly we rested a lot, ,slept when we needed to, took our vitamins,etc., drank plenty of fluids and we ate plenty of homemade chicken soup while we were sick.  There are just certain foods that seem to comfort when you're not feeling well and one of your them for us is homemade chicken and rice soup. 

On Wednesday I saw my retina doctor and that went pretty well. Yesterday I saw the oncologist and had a good report! Very happy about that! Now if we can just get into Mayo Clinic before the end of March!

I cannot help but mention the fires in California. Such utter devastation. It's hard to imagine and I know the TV does not do it justice. Thousands of people lost everything. Certainly at the least they need our prayers and our compassion. 

I wrote a short post about former president Jimmy Carter this week on Facebook.  He was a man of integrity, honesty, and faith.  His faith permeated everything he did,  I am sure Jesus welcomed him home when he died...."Well done good and faithful servant".   

So I start today's gratitude list with Thanksgiving for all the firefighters from California from the states and from Canada that are fighting to eliminate these fires. Grateful for those who are risking their own lives to save others. Grateful for the life and legacy of Jimmy Carter and Roselyn.  Grateful that covid is behind us and so far we're doing pretty good. Grateful for homemade chicken soup, blankets and throws to snuggle under while we rested, the prayers and thoughts of others, the text and phone calls, and so much more. Grateful the house is clean again and germs have left the building! Grateful for all of this and so much more. 

Enjoy your weekend!