LIFE DOES GO ON

 Last month we went to an "unbirthday" party for the matriarch of my daughter in laws family.

Tante Gunhild...Norwegian for Aunt Gunhild... was 90 years old and her daughter felt like her time was coming to a close on this earth.  Family gathered and Gunhild was in her prime.  So much laughter and good times.

Thanksgiving morning our beloved friend went home to heaven.

Its sad but now there is no more pain and confusion.  She will be missed but oh the fantastic memories remain.

Last night was our final ZOOM call of the year for our faith based photo club.

December just gets too busy so we will resume in January.

Our last challenge was to choose our favorite or best photo from this year of 2023.

We were to share it and learn from the critique of others.

Everyone liked it and they liked the square crop and the big sky view.  Some said there maybe could have been a bit more contrast in the clouds but this is the way I saw it right out of my phone.  Happy with the results and it is another of God's Masterpieces.  

Psalm 108:4      Every cloud's a flag to your faithfulness.  Soar high in the skies, O God! Cover the whole earth with your glory!

THANKSGIVING DAY

 We had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

It was full of blessings, smiles and Delicious Food !

We were just 8 this year, son Steve and his wife Sigrid, Granddaughter Amanda and her husband Billy and our friends that are like family...Karen and her mom Lynne.

You always hear me talk about Lynne as I do elder care with her every week.

The last two weeks were a bit difficult with her so we were all a bit nervous and concerned for her to be at the house, especially as it gets dark earlier and SunDowners sets in.

It didn't happen..it truly is a miracle.  Lynne was perky and having such a good time.  She didn't know our names but it didn't matter.

After dinner Amanda got out her guitar and we sat around the table and sang old hymns.

Most of us got choked up and couldn't sing..we recorded everything on our cel phones for memories.  If Lynne couldn't get the words out that didn't matter either.  Her voice was pure and right on key and she knew the melodies perfectly.  We all had such full hearts at the end of the evening.

This last photo I took makes me teary eyed every time I look at it.

Precious memories.

When I went to their home yesterday to do my staying with her, she was still talking about being happy.  She knew there was something fun she had done but she had no idea what it was.

I showed her the photo of she and Karen... she said who are they?  I pointed to her and she said "that's me?" She doesn't remember that she has white hair now.

We all need those special times and good happy memories to offset the harder times and those to come.

All I can say is I am so grateful for that day.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND DAYS #22 and 23

 Well, Thanksgiving Day has finally arrived and its bright and clear without a cloud in the sky.

Where do I start to say how grateful and thankful I am for our kids?

Last Saturday evening we had several deluges before the skies cleared.

Dave and I were sitting watching tv and I glanced up at the ceiling corner where the roof is pointed.

I couldn't believe my eyes there were damp spots!

First the left side and then the right side of the beam dripping down the wall .... this is at 10PM..

Not a wonderful time to be up in the attic and trying to figure out what to do.

Fortunately we put some buckets out and then it stopped raining.

Fast forward to yesterday.

Son Steve and his wife Sigrid came over and were our Angels of Repair.

Several cement roof tiles had slid and the (we think) squirrels chewed through some roofing.  Steve said there was an actual hole under the tile!!

So they climbed up on the roof and replaced several tiles.  I am so thankful there were extra tiles from when we moved in 17 years ago..sometimes it pays to not get rid of things.

You can see the size of the heavy cement tile in Steve's hand

All Done and now we are set!

Love my Daughter in Law's sense of humor for that shot.

Soooooo Thankful !!

Be Thankful and Be Kind!

DAY 21 of 30 DAYS OF THANKSGIVING

 Today is day #21 of my 30 Days of Thanksgiving.

I am so thankful for the glorious colors of Fall.

Thankful that I can see them right in my own yard.

God is the Master Artist.

I love the reflection of my Blazing Tree on the windshield of our car.

Enjoy your day.

DAYS # 19 and 20 OF 30 DAYS OF THANKSGIVING

 I am so thankful for God's promises.

At dinner yesterday we were talking about the condition of our world 

and "Our World" that surrounds us locally.

This hymn came to mind and I think it says it all.

IN TIMES LIKE THESE

In times like these you need a Savior

In times like these you need an anchor;

Be very sure, be very sure

Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He's the One;

This Rock is Jesus, the only One!

Be very sure, be very sure

Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

Copyright 1944  Renewal 1972 by Ruth Caye Jones   Singspiration Zondervan Corp.

30 DAYS OF THANKSGIVING DAYS # 17 & 18

 Happy Weekend!

Today I am again combining 2 Days of Thanksgiving.

I am grateful for a good cup of coffee in one of my favorite cups.

I know its not Christmas yet but I do enjoy drinking from this cup.

A friend gave it to me several years ago.

I love the white inside (dark insides make the coffee tasteless to me) and the tall narrow cup and tiny lip make it perfect for my drinking it.

Does the cup make a difference to you?

DAYS #15 and 16 OF 30 DAYS OF THANKSGIVING

 Here I am again trying to catch up on my 30 Days of Thanksgiving.

Day # 15

I'm forever grateful for Bob Goff, an amazing and thoughtful pithy writer .

He has spoken at our church many times.

Day #16

I am thankful for the sun peeking through the clouds this morning and the promise of rain this weekend.

When that rain comes all of these leaves will become a carpet on our ground.

Happy Thankful Thursday..

DAY # 14 OF 30 DAYS OF THANKSGIVING

 I can't believe how fast this month of November is going.  We are already at the middle of the month.

Slow down World!!

I am grateful for Tools.  Grateful we have the right items to care for our backyard and I am thankful for the yard to enjoy too.

Happy Tuesday !

CATCHING UP ! 30 DAYS OF THANKSGIVING

 My Goodness... Catching up on  4 days of Thankfulness.

Time just seems to fly by.

November 10 of my 30 days of Thanksgiving: 

A wonderful call from our son Mark and his wife Kellie.  We treasure the time when we can catch up on their lives.

Nov. 11   thankful for another garage sale and meeting a new friend.

The man named Steve Harris is a relative of the owners of our Granite Quarry and the now gone forever Big Gun Mine.

The quarry is only a short distance from our home.  He worked at the quarry from a very early age learning to cut and polish granite.  It was so interesting learning about the history of our area directly from a person that actually lived it.

Nov. 12  Thankful for my Daughter in Law having me join her at a holiday pop  up arts and crafts show.  We bought a few things and chatted with several people I have only met on line.

Nov. 13  Thankful for our Zoom faith based photography group.  Thankful for the challenges we are given. 

Tonights challenge is "Skyscapes"

My submission...I just love the sky and the brilliant leaves changing at our home.

Whew..glad I could finally catch up.

Always be Thankful and always be Kind.

THANKFUL THURSDAY #9

 Today is Thankful Thursday.  There is so much to be thankful for ...

Today is no exception.

Yesterday my husband Dave said that he was going to call the advice nurse at Kaiser.

He hasn't been feeling well for the last week or so.

I knew he must be feeling poorly if he was going to do the calling all on his own (without any "pushing" from me)

Dave had been feeling light headed and short of breath on occasion.

After discussing it with the nurse it was strongly suggested that we go to ER and have things checked out ASAP.

So we spent the next 6 hours at the extremely busy going through renovations ER.

They tested Dave every which way.  Great ER doctor said he does have some issues, which we already knew, but nothing to worry about at the current time.

Drink more water, eat better, more exercise and less stress.

I am so happy that his records are up to date now and a lot of the problems are just age related.  Getting OLD is hard work.

We were starved by the time we got out of there, found an open restaurant and gobbled down "dinner" at 9:30PM.

We both slept like babies last night.  PTL !!

Today is a new day and we are Thankful.

I meant to post this photo instead of the one above.

Don't know how to eliminate it so you've got two for the price of one.

Haha

DAY 8 OF 30 DAYS OF THANKSGIVING

 Words of Wisdom ... 

I am grateful for the many facets of Fall.

The sun is shining today and there is no rain in the offing for at least another week.  I guess I have to be thankful for the few drips we had a few days ago.

DAY 7 OF 30 DAYS OF THANKSGIVING

 Day 7 of my 30 Days of Thanksgiving.

I have to say that I am more than thankful for Gift Cards.

The cards have come to our rescue so many times.

They have allowed us to buy much needed items and some fun times at a few restaurants too.

Grateful for those who gifted them to us too.

Free can be awesome, especially when funds are really low.

Happy Tuesday

DAYS 5 and 6 OF 30 DAYS OF THANKSGIVING

 Well, I am already behind in my Days of Thanksgiving.

I guess I will have to double up on my contributions today.

Day #5

My sweet Granddaughter Amanda saw this delightful little gnome at the Bishop Pumpkin Patch and thought it was the perfect birthday gift for me and my love of knick knacks and gnomes.

Isn't he the cutest Pumpkin ever with his stem for a hat and pumpkin body?

I just love it and I just love her.

Day #6

We finally got another spritz of rain this morning.

Its so needed.

The rain did a number on the leaves of our tree.  Pretty, but now too wet to rake up for tomorrows waste pickup.

It's a cozy Monday today.

DAY # 4 OF 30 DAYS OF THANKSGIVING

 Well, how interesting that this is day 4 on the 4th which is my birthday!

I am thankful for the 80 years the Good Lord has given me.

There is something very strange to me to say I am now 80.

It sounds soooooo old .... but I am going to embrace it and every single day I have left on this earth.

Grateful for my Hubby and family that surround me daily.

Life is good

A wonderful night last night with our son Steve and wife Sigrid.

Our other son Mark and his wife Kellie were on the last night of their anniversary cruise, so they were there in spirit.

DAYS OF THANKSGIVING #3

 There is much to be thankful for.

Today #3... I am thankful for the ability to worship as I choose.

Happy Friday

Enjoy your weekend.

DAYS OF THANKSGIVING #2

 Today is Day 2 of this month of Thanksgiving.

I am so thankful for HUMOR and my subtle sense of humor.

Where would we be without Laughter, Giggles, Smiles and outright Snorts?

Life would be so dull.

Made me laugh !!

30 DAYS OF THANKSGIVING AND OTHER THINGS

 Since it's November 1st and Thanksgiving month here in the USA, I thought I would try to choose something I am thankful and grateful for to post each day.

I truly am thankful for my husband Dave.

We have "put up" with each other for over 60 years..celebrating 60 years of marriage in January. 😀

 On another note:

We only had 14 kids knock on our door for Halloween.  That's crazy...we usually have so many more.  Kind of sad.

Just a Pretty to end my post with today.

Be sure to enlarge it to see the detail.

BOO!!!!

 BOO !!!

Well, it's finally October 31.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !!

My kids and our next door neighbors ..soooo long ago.

At least 45 years, history in the making..

Don't you just love my hubby's costume from quite a few years ago?

Especially his "feet"...

Don't eat too much candy..

SIMPLY SUNDAY

 Sunday  Sermon 

VERY PROUD OF OUR NEPHEW MIKE

 This past week our nephew Mike received a wonderful award.

Mike is a Deputy Sheriff for the Butte County Sheriff's Department.

He and another Deputy received medals for Meritorious Service and Outstanding performance with Conspicuous bravery in the line of duty.

There was an accidental shooting of a 6 year old little girl.  Before the EMS arrived they administered life-saving aid and were able to place a medical chest seal on her.

She has since made a full recovery.

In the photo, Mike is on the left hand side.  We are so proud of Mike and his commitment to safety and saving lives.

Enjoy your weekend.

FOLLOW UP ON MY PHOTO CLUB CHALLENGE

 The Photo Challenge... MOTION or MOVEMENT

Well my final photo I posted for the Club Challenge is here:

Not the best I have ever done and not what I had planned to do.

I tried and tried to capture the smoke after the candle was blown out.

Total failure..so it is what it is...

Believe it or not, the ending discussion after we all shared our photos was...

"Learning and moving on from our mistakes and failures in photography."

I kind of had to smile at my example of failing to shoot what I had intended to do.

I am late in posting this because our internet modem died over night.

No internet this morning.  Thankfully Dave went to our carrier's office and was able to get a new one.  It was on their "dime"...no cost to us.  If a service guy had come out to the house we would have had to pay $79.00

God does provide..

Now I can get back to business.. scrolling...

SELLING A SUCCESS

 We are so happy for our first attempt at selling our "Stuff" at our yard sale.

This sale will be on going until close to Christmas, since most of it is Christmas ornaments and do-dads for the holidays.

We did this last year but were pretty late getting started.

We made $113.00 Saturday .. Rain washed us out on Sunday.

The best thing about Saturday was meeting 2 new neighborhood couples.  They are delightful "mature" aged people and we had a great Gabfest.

Our Photo Club challenge for tonight is MOTION.

I'm going to try an idea that's rattling around in my brain.  If it doesn't work this is what I will submit....

THE FALLING LEAVES DRIFT BY MY WINDOW:

This was captured from the window inside our office.

That's it for this chilly and foggy day....I guess Summer is really gone!

SPEAKING OF PARTIES

 After doing nothing very exciting for so long, we had a wonderful "party" at our home the other night.

Our Bible Study group got together for a Chat and Chew.

These times are always fun.  We sure know how to talk and eat good food.

As usual, I was too busy to take a group photo..shame on me!

But I did get a shot of our wonderful, special dessert.

Melody's niece is in the baking and candy creation business.  We each got a candy apple with the best homemade caramel over a crisp, tart apple.

What a way to say Fall is here!

Weren't they presented beautifully?

Believe it or not I saw the sunrise yesterday..haha..

I had to be out of the house bright and early, which isn't my chosen way to do things...

The Lord blessed me with a beautiful sky, which by the time I got outside was on its way to being finished.

I love the way the puffs of cloud look like they are hanging from the tree branch.

Today we are going to have a mini yard sale and hopefully sell some of our Hallmark and Disney ornaments plus some other "debris" as Linda Chapman calls it..

Wish us luck..

MORE PARTY PHOTOS

 This post is mainly for me.  I wanted to have a record of the party for Tante Gunhild.

Precious memories

Dave and I and our special "Tante" Gunhild.

Here's Gunhild with our son Steve, wife Sigrid and granddaughters Amanda and Lauren.  Their husbands were unable to attend but at least we got the family in a photo.

Today is our younger son's birthday.

I can't believe he's 50 today!!

How did that happen?

Love him to pieces.  We sure wish he and his family lived closer, but thank goodness for the Face time and cell phones.

Happy Birthday Mark !!

That's it for today...

WHEN THE ROAD IS A "PARKING LOT"

 Yesterday our son, daughter in law and both granddaughters went to an "Unbirthday" Party for DIL's Aunts' birthday (which is really next month).

Gunhild is in her 90's and her health isn't good.  You would never know it by the way she enjoyed herself yesterday.

Gunhild's daughter really felt like this could be the last time her health would allow her to be with family and that her days are numbered.

The beautiful woman has been a friend of mine for at least 35 years.  She knows she knows me but just can't put me in the right memory slot.  Its okay with me.  I hope when my son's photos are edited you will see several pics. of us having such a fun conversation together.

Just about all of the close relatives managed to come to the party, several from Washington state, Las Vegas and from more than a 2 to 3 hours drive to be there.

The first photo is of her and 2 of her nephews and great nephew. 

After the party we had to make our 2 hour drive home again to the Sacramento Valley.

We had to go through the edge of San Francisco to get onto the Bay Bridge.

Traffic was a complete "Parking Lot".  Bumper to bumper in both directions...

Why I really haven't a clue.  Sometimes previous accidents tie up things for hours.

It took us almost an hour just to get onto the bridge and across.  There were other accidents (not that we could ever see) but the evidence was "going no place fast".

It took us almost 4 hours to get back home... sigh, so glad Dave and I were passengers and not driving.

This photo shows the jam getting on the bridge with the San Francisco high-rises ahead of us.  Taken from my passenger front seat.

Enlarge the photo so you can see the detail.

Thanks for looking.