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!

Saturday's Scribbles

Hope you are staying warm on this first weekend of January 2025. The Dahlen household has been staying inside dealing with Covid since December 26 for me and New Year's Day for Joel . We haven't seen too much of nature inside our four walls,  but we were blessed to observe a young buck in the neighbor's yard and see a few squirrels running around..... but the bitter cold has most everyone and all animals staying tucked inside their winter homes. 

Speaking of homes, we had  had a wonderful Christmas at our son's and were able to spend time with the three grandchildren. On Monday night Matt took us shopping at the Boot Barn and bought his dad a new cowboy hat and cowboy boots for Christmas. What a wonderful gift and surprise! Tuesday afternoon we went to Lutheran Church of Hope and attended one of their 11 Christmas services. Over 33,000 people attended in person at West Des Moines. We watch them every Saturday night so it was great fun to be there worshiping. Christmas Eve was quiet with a nice meal prepared by Matt. Christmas morning we open gifts at 8:00 and the girls left to be with their mom. Matt fixed Grant, Joel and me a ham dinner and by 3:00 we were on the road because our plan was to get rested before going to Mayo Ophthalmology appointments on Friday the 27th. Life had other plans and by the 26th I was very sick so we ended up having to cancel my appointments which was such a disappointment. I had to reschedule my appointments and they're way to the end of March which doesn't say much for helping my vision. The Covid Crud had us spending a lot of time sleeping...between 2-5 naps a day. . The body needs what the body needs. 

It has been  difficult to accept I could not get to the glaucoma specialist. It is been difficult to accept we were sick with covid. It has been difficult to accept that we've had insurance issues.  It has been difficult to start 2025 with more challenges and no answers regarding health. I have struggled with finding much to be grateful for I confess,  and yet I know deep in my heart there is much to be grateful for. 

So let me begin...

No one can take away the good time we had with our son and his children. No one can take away the worship experience we had at Lutheran Church of Hope. Nothing can take away the connection and bond that Joel and I are blessed to have in our 56th year of marriage. No one can take away the miracles that have occurred in our lives in the past and the ones we hope for for the future. Nothing can get in the way and by nothing I mean Satan because he is the enemy that has come to kill steal and destroy. As my energy slowly returns so does my desire to give thanks no matter what the circumstances. I don't give thanks for the circumstances I give thanks in the circumstances because we know who wins the war. Jesus.  I am giving thanks for the reminders of how blessed we are . Giving thanks for people in our lives like Kendra who fights such a difficult battle but does it so well . Giving thanks in our life for people like the family member who had a 1% chance to live and now is discharged from the hospital and in a rehab center with more miracles than we can count ! Giving thanks for people who encourage who stand firm who rejoice who are richly blessed and who serve God Faithfully like Mary Lou and Keith and Jane . The list goes on and on of people and places and memories and blessings . We pray that your 2025 is filled joy we give thanks that we are still here to lift ourv voices and to lift our hearts in 2025.

And more....I am so grateful that we did not have severe cases of covid even though it feels like it's dragging on and on it is not settled in our lungs and we are doing okay. Grateful that homemade soup is helping, grateful for homeopathic remedies for over the counter medications for the power of Prayer. Grateful for all the sleep we've accumulated! A good way to heal. Grateful for family who have reached out to us during this covid battle. Grateful for Herbal cough drops grateful for white grape juice when water tastes bitter. Grateful for recliners and sofas that make our lives comfortable. Grateful for baggy clothes and comfortable bathrobes. Grateful for a warm house and a fireplace. Grateful for distracting TV or music.  Grateful for audio books. Grateful for each other. Grateful, oh so very grateful that this too shall pass! 

Enjoy your weekend and give thanks to God above for 2025!

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!