Thursday November 12 2015  MUCH TO DO ABOUT NOTHING

It is early in the day but I decided to write my blog anyway.  Usually I wait until evening so that I can share part of what happens during the day.  However, while I was out I received a call from a friend I haven’t talked to for a while and she left a message that she would be available this evening to talk.  So, I decided to write in the afternoon and leave this evening open for our conversation.

The most exciting thing that happened today is that I had my hair cut.  Short, but not as short as I had it before I left in March.  I need a little fuzz on my head when it is so cold.  Today was quite a cold and blustery day.  Perhaps a better word than blustery would be downright windy.  I wore a winter coat over a thick workout jacket and the wind still pierced me to the bone.  Something about the wind that makes it seem even colder.  We had a powerful thunder and lightning storm with lots of rain last evening and all through the night.  So today the yard is once again strew with leaves.  I think they are about all off the trees.  We are a bit more fortunate that last winter.  By this time last winter we had already had two impressive snow storms.  Winter started early last year and when I left in March there was fresh snow on the ground.  It is predicted that we are to receive less than normal snow fall this year due to the El Nino that is expected to take place off the coasts of  Mexico and Southern California. Winter snow is important to us like rain is to California.   It replenishes the lakes and fills the water tables.  We have our own well on our property.  When we have dry weather we have no one else to go to for water.  Another drawback is that when our electricity is out we have no water and no flushing toilets.  It takes electricity to pump the water to the faucets.

Isn’t it amazing how I can begin a paragraph with a haircut and end it with no flushing toilets?  Interesting technique (called bad writing).  But, oh well, you get the picture.

It feels so cozy in the house when I sit here at the window and I can still see outside.  A little more than an hour from now the darkness will be upon us.  I love looking outside.  I just snapped a picture of what I see right now. The sun is just lowering itself behind our woods.  The sun actually never rises over our heads at this time of year.  It just makes a run across the sky like the arch of a rainbow in the distance.  It is getting darker by the moment (snapped another picture) and I can see the sun reflecting off the clouds above the treetops.  Now if I went over to my neighbor’s house through the woods the sun would still be visible and it would be quite a bit lighter.  In the summer we have the best possible situation.  The sun at that time does go over our house, rising in the front is due east and it setting in the back, due west.  Now it appears to be setting in the south west.  In the summer it becomes dark between 9:45 and 10:00 p.m.  And the good part is, that we are in the shade and also on the downside of a hill.  No matter how hot it is elsewhere in the local area it is often 10 to 15 degrees cooler in our backyard.  In the winter we have snow in our yard two or three weeks longer than the houses up the hill.  We also have less wind where we live because of the woods and the lay of the land.  Back to being cozy, it feels good to be inside today, warm and post toasty.  It makes me want a warm cup of my favorite tea, which is Rostaroma by Celeste seasonings.  Stores no longer carry it and I must buy it online.  I order two cases at once and then just hope that when I need to order it again it will still be available.  Try it with a big dollop of French Vanilla creamery!

God is good all the time.  Remember He is always waiting to hear from each of us.  It is so comforting to know that I have His presence living within me.  I am never alone and need never fear. 

OPEN THE DOOR OF YOUR HEART

By Kathleen Martens

November 12, 2015

Whenever fear or doubt assails

Call on God, He never fails.

He reaches down and comfort gives,

And in your heart He desires to live.

Just ask, He will come in,

And forgive you all your sin.

His Word alive and living still,

And your heart waiting to fill.

He desires to be your friend

If you are willing to let Him in.

Just open the door of your heart,

A new relationship you will start.

I had actually intended to end the blog here but I just thought of something else that transpired today.  I will share it with you.

Dave and I were enlightened this morning as we were putting clean sheets on our bed.  Maybe I should clarify, TRYING to put clean sheets on our bed.  Our mattress is thick and heavy.  First off, I forgot about the condition of my right elbow (still not wearing the sling), and reached down to grab my top corner of the mattress, only to discover with a slight scream (well, maybe a loud ouch) when my hand took the full weight of the mattress and caused my elbow to extend farther than it should (or could if measured by the pain).  I finally did get my corner of the fitted sheet on.

Now on the other side of the bed was Dave who is not supposed to do much bending AND NO LIFTING, trying to do the same with his corner of the sheet.  We actually just forgot for that one moment that we are both a bit infirm at the present.  Hmmm…so we attacked with a different strategy.  I would not allow Dave to lift and I knew I couldn’t.  So I used my knee at the bottom of the mattress to lift the edge of the thousand pound mattress (exaggerating) enough to slide the fingers of my left hand between mattress and box spring to get the top sheet tucked in a bit.  Then I used a wide back-scratcher to push the sheet the rest of the way between them.  Then we put the quilt on the bed which dragged on the floor at the end of the bed.  We fixed that by pulling it higher up at the top of the bed and then just let the rest of it hang off at the end.  Then we put our comforter on top of the quilt.  The comforter fits the bed perfectly and doesn’t need to be tucked.  Before we retire this evening I shall bring the other comforter upstairs to pile on top of the first one.  It is very cold at night since we don’t heat that end of the house.  Plus, we are still sleeping with the window open an inch or two and the ceiling fan oscillating on low.  We love the fresh air and I like the air to be moving.  We just snuggle deeper under the piles of weight on top of us for our long winter’s nap (sort of like in THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS).  However, I am not yet sleeping with my stocking cap on.  It’s not quite that cold.  That’s reserved for when it reaches minus 15 or 20 degrees outside.  We then close the window but keep the fan on.

Well, the enlightening part of our morning was realizing that we really are approaching “the latter years” of our life.  It made us realize how vulnerable we are right now due to us both having somewhat of a handicap in using our bodies to capacity.  We are first to admit that our capacity, even at its best, is noticeably less than in yesteryear.  It also makes this house seem a bit larger, not to mention the yard.  I think we will have a lot of decisions to make in the next two or three years.  But for today, we will take each day as it comes, trying to be careful so that we give our bodies a chance to heal.

I am discovering a lot of things I did not know about before now in regards to getting older.  I think as time allows I will do some research and talk to others who are older and willing to share some personal insight as to the aging process, so I can pass it on to you.  Perhaps ignorance is bliss.  I myself want to be informed, educated, and know what to expect.  It’s kind of like going through puberty backwards.  Lots of things happening to the body that you don’t quite understand.

Well, I guess it doesn’t make much difference if we sleep with our quilt hanging out and our floors not vacuumed, I can still cook and clean the toilets!  And those are the two necessities in this house!  I just hope our house doesn’t blow away.  Like in the THREE LITTLE PIGS we have the house made of bricks.  But, we do have windows.

Good night and God bless you.

P.S.  It is now 5:02 p.m. as I finish this part of the blog.  It is pitch dark outside and wind is blowing up another storm.  The sound is unbelievable as the wind blows through the empty branches.  It sounds like a lot of machinery running in the distance and then crescendos with a bit of howling.  This night is the perfect night for a scary mystery movie!