Mud Season Continues

While I was away, Mr. D strained his shoulder so is not able to lift much on one side.  This week we needed to purchase chicken feed and we get 550lbs at a time in 50lb bags.  Our driveway is impassable due to mud season.  Here's how it goes.  The station wagon is parked at the end of the driveway.  I take that to work, go at lunch to pick up the grain 'cause the feed store closes at 5pm.  Load grain into the back of the wagon.  After work I park the wagon at the end of the driveway and haul all sacks past the mud hole and into the back of the truck.  Then drive the truck as close to the coop as I can get... which isn't too close.  Haul each sack through the mud to the coop and empty it into the grain bin.  It probably wouldn't be so bad, but I'm just not used to all that hauling.  Then we had produce too.  My boots almost came off in the muck a few times too.  Once I almost fell into it.  Yuck!

It seemed quite a bit dryer this morning, so maybe soon we'll be able to drive up again.

I noticed the flowers are starting to work their way up through the soil.  It is exciting to see the green.  Down in town here the Forsythia are blooming... first flowers of spring and I've noticed a few Daffodils here and there.  Where I work is about a week ahead of where we live on the seasonal calendar.  We are just beginning to see signs of spring, but there is still snow on the ground especially in the shady spots and out in the woods.  Our little pond just opened up last week so the ducks can go swimming again... happy little ducks they are too.  The first day one of the Muscovy mommas was out there washing and preening most of the day.  We have one momma who is setting on her eggs so we'll probably have some little ones in about 3 weeks.... yippee.

I don't know if it's the same momma who gave us a bunch of ducklings last year or not.  She was sure persistant and would have raised several clutches if we'd allowed her to set more than once.  It was so hot last year we had trouble keeping it cool enough in the coop.

We will be ordering chicks in the next couple of days for delivery in June.  We need to replenish our supply of egg layers.  When we hatch out our own we get too many roosters.


APRIL 24, 2011
RESURRECTION DAY

I Corinthians 15: 12-22

Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
And if Christ be not risen, then [is] our preaching vain, and your faith [is] also vain.
Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
And if Christ be not raised, your faith [is] vain; ye are yet in your sins.
Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
But now is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become the firstfruits of them that slept.
For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.




II Corinthians 9:15
Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.



We had a wonderful Resurrection Day.  Very busy.  When I sat down for the morning service it was such a release just to sit and not be moving about doing something.  We had a nice sunrise service, then yummy breakfast.  I so love the fellowship and of course the good food.  Then we had Sunday school and morning worship.  After the service we came home and enjoyed a beautifully warm day.  We'd had snow on Saturday.  Though is was a little discouraging to see snow falling the day before Easter it is not unheard of around these parts and Sunday was so nice a warm that it all melted the next day.

Here's what we found...


Little babbling brook... only runs in spring and early summer
and when we get a big rain in the summer.
Sawdust is from a tree Mr. D had to remove this winter.



The pussy willows are going by getting ready for leave and green.



First harvest of spring... sweet parsnips that have over
wintered in the garden.  We had these and roast chicken
for dinner.  Very yummy.



 

little yellow wild flowers

The ladies are getting all clean... not all the snow is gone yet.

The boys are keeping an eye on their hens.  Notice how dirty
Mr. Muscovy is... he never takes a bath.  Must be a guy thing :)

I hope you all had a wonderful day with family and remembering what a wonderful gift God gave us through His Son.

Today is the last day

I have been visiting with my daughter and family in DC this past week.  I arrived on Thursday and today is the last full day.  I will be flying home tomorrow.  It doesn't seem possible that the time has gone this fast.  We have had a good time together.  On Friday evening we went to a great Italian restaurant together with a group of Heather's friends.  It was fun to get to know some of her friends.  Then on Saturday it rained all day so we stayed home and made some food and played some UNO.  Today Brandon and I went to Capital Hill Baptist church for Sunday School and church and then afterwards we took a little tour of some sites.  I had never been to the Pentagon memorial before so we went there first.  It was a sobering experience set just in front of the site where the plane struck the Pentagon on 9/11.  The youngest was a three year old little girl, the oldest a 71 year old veteran.   Each one of the 184 benches represent on person whose life was lost.  There is a small reflecting pool under each of them.  The trees which are small now will provide shade for the memorial in the days to come.  I didn't know this, but the repairs were done on the Pentagon in one year.

We also went to the Capitol building and it was such a glorious day we took some pictures...

There were even a few Cherry blossoms left and I think we must have been under one of the last ones to still be in bloom.  It took a while to get this shot, 'cause there was a group of school kids under... and in this tree taking pictures.

Everyone was out enjoying the beautiful day.  It was warm and the breeze was blowing and the sun was shining.

There's that happy face.  Even though the sun was right in our eyes.  

OK.  Now it's back to mud season in New Hampshire, but this was sure a lot of fun.

Thank you to my wonderful family for getting me out of the cold and mud for a few days.

See ya soon.

Sometimes God Says, "No".

We do not know the reasons, but we trust in a great and mighty God.  We don't see the future but He does.  We don't see dangers ahead, but He is able to take us through those times and keep us safe.

Our loan was not approved.  Because of the uneasiness of these financial times, it may be totally for the best.  We were hoping to get a lower interest rate, but what we have now it not outrageous and will be reviewed in another year anyway.  We have some decisions to make now, but I think it includes a little more elbow grease and a little more grit than we had anticipated.  I'm OK with that.  I haven't been sleeping well the past couple weeks anyway and it probably has something to do with this whole loan process.  Of course the same thing happened to me when I took my first car loan.  It's scary being in financial debt to someone else.  I know there are some who do not think we should take loans out at all.  We didn't have many choices when faced with moving in a fairly short period of time and having to find room for all of Mom and Dad's stuff.

It's just another adventure for us.  Doug and I are just trusting that the Lord knows what He's doing to and for us.  We are His children.

Keep praying please.  We really need to get stuff out of storage and it would be nice to have a home with 2-way traffic. :)

Trying to make progress

I am indeed sorry to not post in so long.  We are trying to make some progress on the land and getting set up in the house.  This is the phase I dislike the most... paperwork... but it is going well and with good help from our financial institution we seem to be going forward. 

Keep us in your prayers this spring as all things must fall into place for this to work out.  We cannot afford to not get it right this time!



Borrowed from another blog... can't remember now who, but really liked it and saved it...
one of my dad's favorite verses.

 Love ya all!

Nicest Day in 5 Months

Yeah!!!!  I think spring has actually arrived in New Hampshire.  I went out at noon for a little sunshine and it must be 50 degrees and the sun is shining and it's definately NOT snowing!!! 

This was the symbol on my computer weather forcast this morning... along with  "high 54".

Other things to celebrate today... the bank loan forms are sent... yeah!  One step closer to getting into our house and out of the tiny camper.   I was able also to get all the documentation off to the insurance company today.  Sooo happy to have those things off my desk.

I got an invite from my daughter Heather to come and visit and she'll fly me down in April.  I'm just a little excited about that.  We thought it would be on the bus, but she was able to get a great price on plane tickets, so that's very nice.

We had snow yesterday at our house, the kind they call "sugar snow".  Would have been great for making a snow man, but it made our driveway really slick and I wasn't thinking much about snowmen.  Hope that's the last of it.  For the last two days on my way home I've seen a herd of deer eating from the grassy patches in the fields above Mascoma Lake.  They're getting excited for spring too.  It was a very hard winter for all the little critters.  

Hope spring comes soon for all of you too.




http://ulocal.wmur.com/_Mud-Season-is-Beginning/photo/8056372/63455.html?enlarge=true
mud season in New Hampshire has officially begun.



The ABC's of me

looks like a nervous little guy  :)

After that last post it's time for a little light-heartedness.  I think these are kinda fun, so thought I'd participate along with some of the others around the "bloggosphere"

A. Age:  56 I have no cause to be ashamed.  God had preserved me this long and I thank Him for that.  My husband keeps me young
B. Bed size: I  think it's a queen, but an odd size since it's a camper.  Queen sheets fit, though a little loosely and full size are too tight.
C. Chore you dislike: I've become accustomed to all of them.  I think I dislike paperwork the most.  Working on the budget is the worst unless there's enough money to pay all of the bills without question which rarely happens in our house.
D. Dogs: Our doggie Spot is a wonderful little terrier.  She keeps us entertained... who needs TV or movies when you got this character around.  She is always happy, happy, happy to see me and makes me feel really special.
E. Essential start to your day: shower, vitamins, and some sort of breakfast with a glass of milk, Bible reading, news and off to work (not necessarily in that order).
F. Favorite color: Green if you couldn't tell already. 
G. Gold or silver: any and all.  I have two rings I wear, my wedding band is gold and the ring my daughter gave me is silver.  I never take them off. 
H. Height: 5' 11" but I think I'm shrinking :)
I. Instruments you play(ed): I play guitar for my Sunday School class.  I have in the past played trumpet and accordian, but no longer own either and am totally out of practice.  Our little Sunday School class just got a set of Melody Bells and the students are learning how to play some simple songs with those.  They really love working with them and it's exciting to see their love for music.
J. Job title: I work in customer service for a paper company (no it's nothing like "Office" - I hate that show and it's on all the time).  I taught school for 15 years until I had to get a "real job" so we could get some financing for our land.  I would love to be able to go back to teaching some day.  That's all in God's hands.
K. Kids: I have two grown-up girls, one son-in-law, another daughter with Jesus and one grandson I love to pieces.
L. Live: New Hampshire
M. Mom’s name: Audrey - she's with my dad in Heaven.
N. Nicknames: Ruthie, Rufus, Hey You.
O. Overnight hospital stays: Only with my 3 cesarean sections and then I have stayed with my Mom when she was in and my daughters when they were in and a good friend Elsie when she was in.  Thankfully for nothing else.
P. Pet peeves: People who think themselves to be so important that it doesn't matter who else they step on to get where they want to go;  who are inconsiderate, impatient, and demanding.  Also those who like to hear themselves talk, complain, go on and on about nothing important, or who think they know it all. 
Q. Quote from a movie: I really don't watch enough movies to know or at least remember any quotes.
R. Righty or lefty: lefties rule!
S. Siblings: I have one brother who is 4 years older.  I was such a brat when I was little I feel sorry for him.  I have 4 great sisters-in-law.  Three are my husband's sisters and one is my brother's wife.  I didn't have any sisters growing up, but I sure have plenty now.
T. Time you wake up: about 5 am, unless I have more to do before I leave at 7.  This may change this summer to 4:30 am so that I can catch the bus to work ... yikes!  It gets more likely as the price of gas goes up.
U. Underwear: who makes up these questions anyway?  yes
V. Vegetables you don’t like: Okra, collard, any other slimy or bitter veggie.
W.What makes you run late: not getting up in time :)  Sometimes my husband has things in his mind for me to do, but doesn't tell me until it's too late to plan ahead for them... ya know what I mean?  I run a tight schedule and it leaves little extra for something I wasn't planning on having to do.
X. X-rays you’ve had: Many.  I'm accident prone, or at least used to be accident prone.  Arms, legs, teeth, hands, back, ankle, etc, etc.
Y. Yummy food you make: bread is something I do well, and my "famous" no-bake chocolate/peanut butter/oatmeal cookies.  I also make a great biscuit/gravy and egg breakfast.  No claim to fame, but my kids used to like it even if my biscuits were called "bowling balls".
Z. Zoo animal favorites: monkeys - resemble some people I know ;)

Spring Contemplation

The Merriam-Webster says this about "contemplation":
1 a : concentration on spiritual things as a form of private devotion
   b : a state of mystical awareness of God's being
2    : an act of considering with attention : STUDY
3    : the act of regarding steadily
4    : INTENTION, EXPECTATION

I would say that what's been happening in my brain is a combination of most all of these.  I've been thinking about my life in general, but also as a Christian.  I've been mulling over in my brain why I believe, what I believe and how it has changed me through the years as a person.

Many years ago... I'm 56 now so I can say that... when I was a high school student in the midst of the "Jesus Movement"  it was "cool" to be a follower of Jesus, or any other religious leader of the time.  I toyed with Eastern Mysticism and looked into many different religions.  My family had a strong faith and it didn't take me too long to realize that they were right after all.  I had joined a Penticostal church and made many new Christian friends in Colorado.  Then my marriage came unglued.  By this time we had two small children and I really had no where to go.  It became increasingly evident that for the safety of my daughters I had to go away.  We ended up packing a few boxes and moving back East.  My folks put us up for a while.  I was totally wiped out and humiliated.  My faith had been shaken to the core.  I wasn't sure what was true or even if I had faith in anything.  God picked up the shattered pieces of my life and gave me hope.  I started school again, but this time with purpose since I now had a family to care for.  It was really tough sometimes and we pinched pennies.  My family helped out some, but the strength to face each day came from God.  After a couple years of praying, my husband came East too and settled in the same area.  I had great hopes that finally we might be able to work out our marriage.  It was a really stressful time, but he really had no intention of getting back together with me.  He had his own agenda and it became evident that he was not a changed person.  We finally divorced.  Even after being separated for 2 years it still felt as though someone was tearing my heart out when the judge granted the divorce.  It was a very dark day that I don't think I've ever fully recuperated from.
He went on to marry another two times.  He had another little girl.  My children still had contact with their father and he meant a great deal to them, and to me as we continued to talk and be friendly with one another even though he at times could be very verbally abusive.  My greatest fear was that he would try to take the children away from me.  I worked even harder.  I went to school and finished by degree in education.  He had the means to buy nice things for the children and I was not able to do that.   I taught school and had the children in the classes I taught.  We were very close, but there is a special bond between a daughter and her father. 

Then he died very suddenly.  Oh what a sad day it was.  We cried and cried.  I couldn't pick myself up and I couldn't encourage my girls.  Once again, God reached down and did a miracle in my heart.  So many times I had no one else to turn to He was there.  He never left me alone.  He never let me wallow in despair for very long. 

I often think of others who do not have a Heavenly Father to walk through life with.  What a sad thought.  It is hard to put into words.  The death of my first baby, the death of my husband's grandparents and my grandparents, the death of my dad and then the long sickness and death of my mom, the death of my husband... the many times I wandered away, the falling away of friends and family and ridicule of many... He has been there through it all. 

The verse that has encouraged my heart like no other...

Isaiah 43
...Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.   When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.  For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour:...

I am redeemed and lead of God.  All the hard times were to bring me to this place where my confidence is not in my own strength, but in my strong and mighty God.

If you are facing hard times in your life, please remember this truth.  God will never leave you.  He will never forsake you.  When the glue wears out on any other relationship... He will never fail.

Sorry this is so long and tedious to read.  I am not saying my trials have been any harder that anyone elses trials.  I know we all face them.  I pray that you are facing them with God by your side and in your heart.  I'm sure there will be many more trials for me to face.  I know God will be there every step of the way and NOTHING happens unless He allows it and has a purpose for it.

I am praying that today you will be bless beyond what you expect.