It's clouds illusions I recall...

We had gone to visit a friend in the hospital. Since northern Arizona is a vastly spread out array of small towns, sometimes you have to go a long way to get treatment for certain health issues. His was heart trouble, so we drove an hour and a half to a town where they have a hospital that specializes in the heart. Under observation and on a variety of medications to make his arrythmia subside, his outlook from ICU was really good. This is a man in his 50’s, saying he was fine with whatever God chose to do…to take him home or leave him here. That’s awfully young for that kind of talk! I didn’t say that out loud, but it was a relief to hear him talk like that. He’s had a tough life, he talked about giving up alcohol 15 years ago and giving his life to Christ. He did a 180 from mean old drunk guy to loving, tender hearted, generous man. He said he remembers the look on the pastor’s face when he came lumbering down the isle that Sunday for the altar call. He is grateful for his life…thankful for God’s mercy and restoration. In fact, I think he encouraged us more than we did for him by coming to see him.

On the ride home, it was a cloud show day. The sky was bright blue and the clouds were big and fluffy, changing shapes faster than I could guess what they were. The first thing I noticed was the bunny running from the bear, which quickly turned into a mouse facing an elephant, who was laughing hysterically. On down the road I saw a long necked dinosaur….I can’t remember their real name, but it’s the one called a ‘long neck’ in the Land Before Time shows. It was tossing a football with a wispy teradactyl (you’ll have to forgive my shortcomings in spelling dinosaur names!) Pretty soon the long neck’s head detached and floated off….I felt like I was watching a weird Alice in Wonderland type of show. As we got closer to Flagstaff, the San Francisco Peaks loomed large in front of us…they are very tall, jagged, sharp pointy mountains rising from a flat horizon. Very cool. Over the highest peak, Mt. Humphrey’s, I noticed the strangest cloud ….it first reminded me of a halo, then distinctly turned into a sombrero, balancing on the very tip of the peak. A mountain wearing a sombrero is pretty comical, you have to agree!

There is another friend. Her husband’s mother is dying of cancer in their home. She was looking up at the ceiling the other day and my friend asked her what she was looking at. “The sky,” she said. I wonder if she is seeing her life changing and floating off into something very grand…something comforting and closer than we can see with mortal eyes. The hospice nurse told them this is common as a person is close to death. They see things that we can’t and it seems to be like gradually stepping into the afterlife.

My family’s life is changing too. My dad is moving on in his dementia and we are finding it is not going to be possible to keep him at home anymore….this is definitely life changing into unforeseeable things. Some changes are very hard. I’ve heard that the only thing we know for sure is that things never stay the same….life is about changing, moving on, learning, growing, accepting. No one can make it stop. But we can watch on and see what it changes into. Hard times are not enjoyable, but they do a good thing….they produce a great strength in us if we let it…..wisdom, endurance, patience, love….it’s all good eventually.

There is a song I love from the 60’s by Joni Mitchell about how clouds, love, and life all change around and become what they will as we stand by and watch, experiencing the new shapes and views in life. It reminded me of our friend in the hospital…I’ll bet his wife could tell a lot of ways his life changed as she was by his side observing, like watching clouds turning into new shapes. Change is okay though and if you know it’s going to happen, it can be exciting to watch and wait for….especially if it’s God who is doing the shaping. Enjoy the song. I never really paid much attention to the meaning of these poetic lyrics as a child or teenager. It was just fun to sing. Now, looking back these lyrics have some rich meaning about how life evolves. One of my favorite groups, Jars of Clay, has a song called “Ordinary Days” with a line in it, “I hope the days and clouds turn into something as they pass us by.” We usually don’t have a whole lot of control over where the days take us and what they turn into, but it’s interesting to see both sides once it has passed. (oh, the hindsight!)


Both Side Now 
Joni Mitchell

Rows and floes of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons ev’rywhere
I’ve looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun
They rain and snow on ev’ryone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way
I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It’s cloud illusions I recall
I really don’t know clouds at all

Moons and junes and ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way you feel
As ev’ry fairy tale comes real
I’ve looked at love that way

But now it’s just another show
You leave ’em laughing when you go
And if you care, don’t let them know
Don’t give yourself away

I’ve looked at love from both sides now
From give and take, and still somehow
It’s love’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say I love you right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
I’ve looked at life that way

But now old friends are acting strange
They shake their heads, they say I’ve changed
Well something’s lost, but something’s gained
In living ev’ry day

I’ve looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It’s life’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know life at all
I’ve looked at life from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It’s life’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know life at all

The Cloud Appreciation Society

Things that go *pop*

God keeps things interesting in our lives. When He is teaching you something, it seems to keep *popping* up in your life. My husband was preaching on Sunday (it’s ok, he’s a pastor) partially on Luke 10. Jesus was preparing His disciples to go out and preach His Message in towns all across the land. It was a monumental task….a dangerous occupation to say the least, challenging old traditions with this new message of love and forgiveness. So Jesus tells 72 of His followers to go with only the clothes on their back….

”Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.' If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages….” Luke 10:4-7

I thought, Wow, that is faith….to go out like that, trusting people to take care of you. (the kindness of strangers, so to speak) Through unfolding events the rest of the day and on during the week, I realized that is what we do as a ministry family. *pop*

It was a good Sunday, but a bit strange. I guess somewhere someone dubbed October as Pastor Appreciation Month. So all month the man of the house has been receiving cards of appreciation…..and we know they all meant every word. We have a wonderful church family that takes care of us, encourages us, and let’s God lead them through my husband. He is a good pastor, and the people trust him. And I can say from living with him every day for 21 years that their trust is not in vain.

So on Sunday the church had a dinner after church and they sat us at the front table, then began standing up one by one to tell Charles, and also our youth pastor, how much they loved them, appreciated them, how they were standing beside them.

These people, as they stood, made me remember things Charles had gone through with them, though they didn’t mention specific events….funerals of loved ones, weddings, babies, vigils in hospitals, sickness, fervent prayers in times of need in their homes, driving people places, fixing their roof, digging a water line up, chopping wood for elderly friends for the winter to heat their homes….I could go on and on. It is always humbling somehow, to be publicly applauded.

Last spring a couple in our church gave us a trip to Israel, which we’ve been planning for ever since…we finally lift off of American soil this coming Monday. So the church presented us with two very nice sets of luggage and spending money for the trip. We felt very grateful, overwhelmed actually….all the public attention for ministry that has been very personal, so much of it behind the public eye. Even though you feel like you shouldn’t be receiving rewards for service, Luke 10:7 says, “Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages.” *Pop*

Of course Charles isn’t in the ministry for public attention, money, or rewards. But it is true that if you’re serving Christ and spreading the Message, He will take care of you through His people. Sometimes He blesses your socks off through them….sometimes you simply have what meets your needs. (and that’s ok too)

What was really hard to accept was when we received another card of appreciation on Tuesday, along with a check from a church member who lives on a very fixed and lowly income.

Charles opened the card and said, “Oh, this is from x.” Then he lifted up the check and our eyes met. “This is for $…..” I immediately said, “Oh x can’t afford that…what should we do?” To which my wise husband explained that this person wanted to do something for us.

He has helped x and been x’s friend…Charles has had many long counseling talks with x….and now x wanted to bless us. I am still struggling, thinking of this humble person giving us a very generous gift. But to give it back would to be robbing x of the blessing God gives those who are generous…who want to bless others. Jesus saw the widow who gave all she had to the Temple in Luke 21:1-4 and praised her for it. *ever so humble a pop*

The note in the card from x was full of sincere joy for us, learning of our trip-to-Israel gift….and asked for one thing….a post card from the Holy Land. Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. I think seeing this attitude and generosity from someone I should be generous to was more the blessing than the monetary gift.

Yep, God keeps things interesting….keeps us humble as we learn to walk along with Him…teaching us lessons that sometimes don’t make sense until we see them through His eyes.

Teenage wisdom

The man of the house (I like that expression and by the way, it’s what Laura Ingalls Wilder called her husband in her writings.) wanted to watch a movie tonight. And since that is kind of a rare happening, we plopped down to watch it with him. My daughters and I love to watch movies. We not only watch them, we memorize certain parts and quote them in our daily conversations. Lately they have all been quoting from Newsies, which I have not seen yet, but think the quotes are silly. We regularly quote from things like Gilmore Girls, Lord of the Rings, You’ve Got Mail, Princess Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory…and a lot of others. Oh, back to my husband….we are watching Master and Commander, a very good movie.

My daughter Emma is beside me and during a scene where a young boy has to have his arm amputated without anesthesia, I commented that her sister Hannah won’t watch this movie because of that scene. Hannah thinks they didn’t have to put that part in the movie…he’s so young and it’s so gruesome. Without missing a beat, Emma said, “Well if he didn’t lose his arm, you wouldn’t see how good of character he has.” While her grammar is iffy, she has a point.

Without the pain and struggle that happens in life, people would never know our true character. Isn’t that what we are still on earth for? We should be drawing all men to Christ…drawing them by sheer curiosity if nothing else. It is the thing that most often baffles people about Christians. They watch us when bad things happen, as if we’ll see God for who He really is…just toying with our lives, not saving us in every situation like Superman or Santa Claus. When a Christian has developed good character in their life, it shows through, loud and clear. If someone is just going through the motions, floating along with a shallow faith, their undeveloped character shows also. I sound like I am standing in a tall observation tower looking down on it all, but the truth is, I"ve learned personally how my poor character has shown through in tough times and I'm trying, just like all of us. I've learned this though....

It’s the small things….like returning the extra change the cashier gave you. Even though it seems insignificant and easier to ignore it and not say a word, it changes your heart and your mind, it improves the strength of your character each time you make the effort to be honest….to be trustworthy, faithful, of good report…in what we say as well as what we do. I think it is not only our conscience that pricks our hearts when some insignificant opportunity for honesty comes up…it is the very Holy Spirit of our Lord providing us an opportunity to be faithful, to grow. It’s like He’s put fertilizer (sorry, it’s the only word picture I have presently) out in front of us and it’s up to us whether we use it to grow, nourishing our character or to bypass it and wilt a little….gnatty white flies annoyingly flitting around our soil which was once so good.

I was so proud of Emma for picking up on that. She is only 13. It is a main theme of Master and Commander, examples of the good and the bad character traits shown through all the men in the movie. For her to realize it and pick it out without a thought makes me realize she is showing a lot of intuition lately…..and a strong inkling of wisdom. Wow, God is showing me a lot lately of how He is working in my daughters’ lives. I love seeing that…it comforts me when I worry about them. It increases my faith, knowing He is in control, teaching them things...making it real.


Ephesians 5:15-17 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

crickl needs material

On one of my daily reads passed on an internet meme that is hilarious. You simply enter your name and the word “needs” after it into the Google search engine and see what comes up. Post the first ten needs that come up.

My real name, Christie, brought up a few other bloggers who had already posted this meme, so I skipped those. I tried to do the search with “crickl needs” and got nothing but some things about my blog. Crick only got one need. So I went with my original nickname (before it morphed over the years), Cricket, given to me by my dad. Keep in mind that cricket is also a very popular sport. ;) This is really fun….try it!

1. Christie needs surgery to remove ... (afraid to see the rest of this sentence…lol)
2. Christie needs to be kept informed on the Vermont Department of Health (I'm very curious)
3. Christie needs to be signed by August 15, 2005 or will become a free agent. (time’s up)
4. Christie needs to write. (which helps a blog along)
5. Christie needs your support in her fight. (puts up my dukes)
6. Christie needs no introduction (heehee)
7. Christie's needs a continuing flow of charitable funding (keep ‘em comin!)
8. Christie needs a bath. (no comment)
9. Christie needs to get tough all right (grrrr)
10. Christie needs to slow down (does my slow motion act)
11. Christie Needs Glasses (mine are scratched)


Crick needs a volunteer to drive the milk (had to post my only find for crick….cracked me up)

1. cricket needs a fresh start (usually)
2. Cricket needs another revolution (turns around and round)
3. cricket needs an overhaul (excuse ME?)
4. cricket needs commitment and devotion. (is it too much to ask?)
5. Cricket Needs Windies (?)
6. Cricket needs humour, but not the crude type (I have an eternal need for humor...crudeness free humor...see #5)
7. cricket needs to give those long on imagination and short on facts a holiday (I shall give them Christmas)
8. cricket needs to be less selfish (afraid this is true)
9. Cricket needs to change, but not so much that it isn't cricket any more (cricket needs clarification)
10. cricket needs desperately to go back to respectable partners. (blushing…I think they mean for gin rummy...you know that yahoo riffraff)

Fall pumpkin recipes!

With my husband gone for 2 weeks on a mission trip, I am struggling with finding motivation to get things accomplished. I just feel kind of withdrawn. I haven’t even had one idea for a blog entry this week. Having big plans of getting some things done while he was gone, I am really disappointed that I’m so unmotivated! So last night when my sister called to tell me she would like to bring my parents up for the weekend, it got my wheels turning. I planned out some menus for meals while they are here and what things to bake to have on hand for breakfast. (I don’t think they will want Fruit Loops)

Then, talking to a friend on the phone this morning, she said she’d come by soon to look at our dvd’s to borrow something. I remembered that our back room where our videos and dvd’s are is a total wreck. So I went back there to just rearrange some things so she could get in and have a look. Well, 3 hours later, I had my homeschool videos that were thrown willy nill into a huge box in the middle of the floor arranged. (We use BJU Homesat for most subjects in high school classes, so I have TONS of videos.) I got them all in boxes, labeled according to their subject and grade. Hmmmm, where to put these boxes! After emptying the top shelf of the video cabinet, I stacked the boxes on top.

In order to make room for the rearranged videos and dvd’s I had to totally rearrange my homeschool supply shelf, where every shelf was askew and awful. I threw away a kitchen garbage bag full of debri from my rampage.

I also had to deal with a huge box of paper towels that was in the middle of the floor in that same back room. So I dragged it to the hall closet, where I had to rearrange sleeping bags and some quilts to make room for it. I also found the curtains I’m going to redo for Maggie’s room in there and put them on to wash. (Hopefully I won’t forget them in the drier, so I won't have a tough time ironing them.)

Finishing all of this rearranging and purging of my closet and back room felt very, very satisfying. Bethany cooked us burgers for lunch (so I don’t have to fix dinner tonight…just a snack supper….yay!) As we were cleaning up lunch things, my eye caught sight of a can of pumpkin sitting innocently where I had left it by the mixer. “Oh, I need to make some things for breakfasts for the weekend!” Out came the laptop and click, click to my recipes folder. No pumpkin recipe looked that great….so I went to allrecipes.com and did a search on pumpkin bread. Finding some interesting recipes, I baked 2 of them, which I will leave you with and one that I will make soon, but didn’t have any cream cheese for it on hand today. (It got very good reviews on allrecipes.com, so I’m sure it’s very good! It’s described as more of a dessert/cake than a breakfast bread.)

I sat down here at my laptop thinking I would only copy and paste the recipes and here I’ve written a whole post! It was a strange kind of day…in between all of this flying about like the tazmanian housework devil, I had several people drop by, several phone calls and had to take or pick up Bethany several times. I feel like a worker ant…and now I feel as though I need to go to my roost and nestle down to rest….a well deserved rest it is too.

This one’s in the oven and it smells terrific!!


Pumpkin Yeast Bread 

5/8 cup warm water
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
2 3/4 cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions
1 Place ingredients in bread machine pan in the order
suggested by the manufacturer. Select basic setting. Start.
2 To bake bread in oven: select dough or manual cycle.
Once cycle is complete, shape dough and place in a greased
loaf pan. Allow to rise in a warm spot until doubled in
size. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven
for 35 to 45 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in
the center of the loaf reads 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).

This one I am eating right now and it is very satisfying….it’s a perfect breakfast or snack bread.

Pumpkin Bread 

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter flavored shortening
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions
1 In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt,
pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and cloves.
2 In a separate bowl, cream together shortening and brown
sugar. Mix in eggs, pumpkin, and milk. Stir flour mixture
into wet mixture until just combined. Fold in raisins and
walnuts if desired. Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 5
inch loaf pan.
3 Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees ) for 50 to 55 minutes.

This is the dessert-ish recipe….looks wonderful!

Pumpkin Swirl Bread 

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup water

Directions
1 Blend cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 beaten egg.
Set aside.
2 Combine flour, 1 1/2 cups white sugar, baking soda,
salt, and spices. Set aside.
3 Combine pumpkin, butter or margarine, beaten egg, and
water. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, mixing just
until moistened. Reserve 2 cups of the pumpkin batter.
Pour the remaining batter into a greased and floured 9 x 5
inch loaf pan. Pour cream cheese mixture over pumpkin
batter, and top with reserved pumpkin batter. Cut through
batter several times with a knife for a swirl effect.
4 Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 70 minutes,
or until tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10
minutes, and then remove from pan to cool completely.

Signs

Seen on a church sign today:

"Each day is a gift from God;
that's why it's called the Present"

Apple Time

Don't you love to bite into a nice crisp apple? My favorite kind of apple is a MacIntosh. (same as my favorite kind of computer!) They have just the right blend of sweet, tart and juicy. Unfortunately for me, they do not offer MacIntosh apples in stores in Arizona.

I learned to love them while living in New Jersey, across the bridge from Philadelphia. One of the things we loved while living there for ten years was the fresh (and cheap!) produce. A lot of times I would buy a bushel of apples for a dollar to make applebutter...of course the kind you buy for that price were the ones they couldn't sell as nice eating apples, but for applebutter or baking, perfect!

When my daughter Bethany was in kindergarten, we went on a field trip to an apple orchard to pick our own. It was a crisp fall day and we rode a hay wagon out to the orchard where there were neat rows of apple trees bursting with fruit! The children had a blast climbing the low limbs, pulling at apples or riding on parent's shoulders to reach up high. There were also a few ladders handy so you could climb up higher into the inner branches if you wanted to.

After filling our baskets with fruit, we rode the wagon back to the barn, where they served us freshly pressed apple cider alongside fresh out of the fryer cider donuts, coated with cinnamon and sugar. What a treat it was and the children were full of that wholesome rosy cheeked, can't help but smiling fall feeling. We got home that day refreshed and sleepy! I spent the next few days searching out apple recipes.

This is just one of the many apple recipes I have come to love, especially in the fall when they are fresh and the air is crisp. Enjoy!

Apple Crisp 

6 tart apples (Granny Smith works very well)
1 cup flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 stick butter

Put sliced apples in a greased baking dish (recipe calls for 7x11 dish, but you can stretch it to fit a 9x13 by adding more apples). In a seperate bowl, mix flour, sugar and cinnamon. With a pastry blender or fork, smash the butter into the dry ingredients until you have kind of large crumbs...the size of peas or larger. Sprinkle this over the apples.

Bake 30 minutes at 350 or until apples are done and soft.

This is good topped with ice cream!

No common thing...

I have updated some things on the Prayer page. And here are some quotes on prayer to provide some motivation.

"A man is powerful on his knees."
~Corrie Ten Boon~

"Prayer is not conquering God's reluctance,
but taking hold of God's willingness."
~Phillips Brooks~

"Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.
Do not pray for tasks commensurate with your strength.
Pray for strength commensurate with your tasks."
~Phillips Brooks~

"Prayer crowns God with the honor and glory due to His name, and God crowns prayer with assurance and comfort. The most praying souls are the most assured souls.
~Thomas B. Brooks~

"In prayer, it is better to have heart without words, than words without heart. Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin entice a man to cease from prayer. The spirit of prayer is more precious than treasures of gold and silver. Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan."
~ John Bunyan~

"Prayer does not equip us for the greater work,
Prayer is the greater work."
~ Oswald Chambers~

"Persons never need hesitate, because of their past sins, to approach God with the fullest confidence. If they now repent, and are conscious of fully and honestly returning to God with all their heart, they have no reason to fear being repulsed from the footstool of mercy."
~Oswald Chambers~

"When we become too glib in prayer
we are most surely talking to ourselves."
~ A.W. Tozer~

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to proper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you."
~Jeremiah 29:11-12~

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
~Romans 12:12~

The spice of life....

We had a very nice Sunday! Church services were wonderful with heartfelt worship and one of our new members gave a testimony. This guy came out of a life of drugs and alcoholism and set it all down to follow Christ one day when he woke up under his truck with snow all around him. Two of the men at church have been helping him along and he has no craving for drugs or alcohol. I know not everyone is delivered immediately from such things when they give their lives to Christ, but it was such a blessing to hear this humble man’s story. He thought he couldn't speak publicly, but he had everyone’s attention as he told his story. He and some others in the church are starting a Bible study in a town 20 minutes from here that is notorious for drugs and ‘low life’. Please pray for them as they minister to the ones Jesus would have been ministering to.

After church Charles took us to Olive Garden for lunch. *Wheeee* We love Olive Garden and had a gift card for a dinner there. All full from lunch, we stopped by the Amazing 99 cent store and let Maggie spend the two dollars that were burning a hole in her pocket. =)

There was a dinner for the Young Life ministry in town tonight, so we didn’t have small group that usually meets at our home. Several of our small group members work with Young Life. So it was a very relaxing day….

I decided to call my family in Phoenix and see how everyone was doing. My dad is having cataract surgery tomorrow. He’s got dementia and they have to put him under to do the surgery so he doesn’t get scared or confused during it. Trouble is, general anesthesia sometimes makes dementia worsen, so add that one to your prayers for Monday if you would. I also talked to my younger sister. They found out she is carrying a little boy! She is 4 months pregnant after years of trying to have another child. Her daughter is 8. They are excited and we’re so happy for them!

While talking on the phone to my sister, sitting out on my porch, my fairly new neighbor walked up, thinking we were having small group. Yikes! Well…we didn’t miss small group because we had a very nice conversation getting to know each other better out on the porch. We talked until dark and then I drove her back around the block cuz we’re girls and it was dark. I love living in a small town ….people just drop by. It's very neighborly. I’ve been watching a few episodes of the Andy Griffith marathon on tv this weekend and a lot of it reminded me of our town in a satirical way. I wish our modern day people here were as wholesome as an Andy Griffith episode, but then we wouldn’t be living in 2005, would we? All in all though, it’s a great place to live.

Sounds like a full day, but it was really very relaxing…..several unexpected things, but I think that is what keeps life interesting...unexpected variety is the spice of life.....

Owen, the baby hippo, finds a home....

A friend of mine sent me an email with this cute story. I looked it up on an email rumors sight and it is true.

After the tsunami this year, which also hit the Kenyan coast, an orphaned baby hippo decided this sea turtle was now his family. God loves His creation and sometimes takes care of us in 'unique' ways.

This story reminded me of all the people displaced and homeless from the Gulf coast. People all over the country are taking in evacuees and helping them find a new way to live.....strange new ways and places to them, but family just the same.