Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Birthday Weekend, Storm Cleanup, Wednesday Medley

As St. Augustine said,  “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.” There is nothing else that satisfies. There is nothing else. Period. Jesus Christ is not an addition to life to make it more wonderful and meaningful.
He IS life.
 I don't know about you, but this Google greeting kinda creeps me out!
I opened Google yesterday to see this.

I wasn't feeling lucky.
They might as well have said,
"Happy Birthday from your favorite spy!"


But anyway, that was yesterday.
Today is
Wednesday Medley!
Join Terri and the Gang


She writes the questions;
we write the answers.
Plug them into your own blog post
and link up at
Thanks, Terri!

 

And TODAY IS

NATIONAL LIGHTHOUSE DAY

 

Terri's questions are in black; my responses in blue.



1.  Let's start with a number! How many lighthouses have you visited?
 Lighthouse from Duluth at Canal Park
from 2009
I was looking through my photo files
but I guess this isn't a lighthouse. I'm sure there's one there and that I saw it. :-)
Dover, 2017
And I know I've seen the lighthouse at Marquette, Michigan, but evidently I didn't take a photo.
2.  Have you been inside a lighthouse and did you walk to the top? No. But I've walked to the top of York Minster and a few other cathedrals. Does that count?
3.  Do you seek them out when you are traveling the coastlines or are you not that big a fan? 
I don't travel the coastlines or I would. And I'd still like to get up north to Split Rock Light House along Lake Superior.


Morning light, October '16
4.  Do you have a favorite scripture or another reference to share with us concerning a guiding light in your life?
There are more than a few things I could insert here. The first, of course, would be Psalm 119:105 - "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." 
" Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.'”John 8:12
"This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all." I John 1:5 
Paraphrasing theologian N.T. Wright, We are here to be God's image bearers, being good stewards of and bringing God's wisdom to his good creation and offering creation's praises back to him. 

 This morning's light

5.  If you don't collect lighthouses when you travel, is there something tangible that you tend to collect as a souvenir when you are on vacation or a road trip?

 Yes, I collect mugs. And now I have far too many, I know, but all of my England mugs are going with me to Wausau.
6.  Please share something with us about your week.

The weekend of August 3, family gathered here to celebrate three family birthdays, including mine - AND to clear the driveway of the huge eagle spruce that had uprooted and fallen across our driveway on July 19. (Previous post was all about that.)  It was great to have the family here working together, eating together, and for me, it's always so much fun to see the cousins playing together. I thank God for all the years that we've been able to host the family here, and I'm hoping that after we sell our country home later this year, someone else in the family will pick up the baton and keep the family reunions going. 

 View from the porch

 No, I will probably never remember to hold my phone horizontally while taking a video.
The star of the show was the newest member of our oldest son's family - a Great Pyrenees puppy, Freya.



I think I can; I think I can
A note about the guy in the orange shirt, our middle son:  He's holding two boards which he had hauled to near the top of that giant 90' spruce when he was about 14 years old so that he could sit up there and watch the world go by. If I had known, he would never have lived to tell the tale. But anyway, when the tree came down, those two boards were still in there, nailed across a couple limbs. The little boy in the red Ranger is his son and will probably give his dad a run for his money. We can only hope. LOL

I think the only one whose photo I did not get was our granddaughter Elisabeth, who accompanied us to church on Sunday morning. It was a joy to have her with us. She sat between her grandpa and me, and after church, a man in the congregation introduced himself and told her how lucky she was to be our granddaughter. We told her that Mr. Thompson was a wonderful man and a liar. :-) Actually, he had been Mr. C's and my high school music instructor. No kidding. And believe me, he's a great reader at church and makes everyone feel welcome. I love it!
 


I tried to get him to go get a haircut with me again...
No deal.

 This photo has nothing to do with anything.
It's just a bonus.


And, of course, the birthday weekend wraps up with the essential bonfire.


I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday.


***
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Judy


31 comments:

Jodi said...

I used to collect mugs too. We had so many.. .the hubs said we have enough..lol. That cow pic is awesome! Have a great Wednesday!

Vee said...

So much to love and rejoice over in this post. My favorite? Words 25 through 53? Yes, I think so.

If I saw that on grrrrroogle, I would be totally freaked out. How I despise what they do to us, the way they stick their noses into our business and know every little thing. Don’t get me started. Ugh to the tenth power. This is the price we pay for being on the www.

How good that your daughter was able to join you for church. My daughter always enjoys it when she can talk me into visiting her church. 😁

MadSnapper said...

I read the entire post and my most faorite part is that great big PUPPY... I want to hug him and my second is that FIRE at the end and why oh why you did nor remember to show me the fire sideways and not long ways. ha ha.... glad you had your wonderful family there and that they could help remove that poor beautiful old tree... you will have so many fond memories and photos of your fun times at this house. my heart still aches at the thought of you leaving your little bit of paradise on earth. I mean where else can a COW be a bonus photo...

MadSnapper said...

I forgot to say, I have never gotten birthday greeting from Google and I will be UPSET if I don't get my on Sept 5th...

Arlene G said...

Happy Birthday Judy! Your family is so sweet and they seem to so enjoy each other. That is a true blessing. Loved the story about the tree house that could.lol

Wendy said...

How wonderful to have all the family pitch in for the clear up. When our family got too big for anyone to host a get together we had to look for alternative venues. Our local social club has a large garden so that works quite well and of course we rent out an Oast House in Kent for an annual get together but that will soon be too small. We might have to go back to camping! That pup is toooo cute lol

Schotzy said...

Love your morning light for today! whatever that is in the foreground.. monkey grass or something is blooming so profusely! Love it!!!

Mevely317 said...

Happy Belated Birthday, Judy. I hope your 'new year' is wonderful! Too funny about your son's makeshift treehouse! Like Sandra, my favorite part of this post is that delightful puppy. I know of a gal who raises Great Pyrenees puppies and says they're the "best" pets.

Terri D said...

That is pretty cool that your son's 'treehouse' boards were still in the tree when it came down. What a big job that was to move that tree. Thanks for joining the Medley today, Judy, and happy belated birthday to you! The new puppy is precious and I always enjoy seeing the pictures of your kiddos!

Loris Glassworks said...

You are so blessed to have family near to help out in tree disaster moments. I love all your photos of family! Have a great week.
Cheers!
Lori in Blue ridge, GA

Elizabeth "Libby" Day said...

There is so much to comment on in this newsy post; however, I will spare you. I did love the scripture and paraphrase. Truly He is the Light of the world. Loved the story of the adventurous son and yes, it can be gratifying to see our kids get payback. LOL! I can think of no better way to celebrate a birthday than with family. That rarely happens for us. Woe is me!! I told Hubby the other day we have Google tracking us and Alexa listening to us. What a world we live in.

NanaDiana said...

I am so glad to catch up with you finally. What a wonderful family weekend--in spite of the loss of that giant tree. I do hope someone will pick up the tradition of family get-togethers.

I laughed about your son in the tree. That was so my youngest son and now he has one little boy, CJK, that is JUST like him. God does have a sense of humor! CJK is the one that grew his hair out for the whole school year (he wanted to look like a musician because he was taking guitar lessons). Anyway, they went 'down south' for a vacation and everyone kept saying to his parents "she's really cute" or "what a cute little girl". He came home and said he wanted to get his hair cut. lol xo Diana

Mrs.T said...

What a fun post, Judy! It was so nice how the family came together for the outdoor cleanup. Love the cow photo too.

I don't think I've ever received b-day greetings from Gooooooogle. Hope I never do.

I've collected mugs in the past but am now at the point of downsizing the mugs we own. I was sorting out some old photos yesterday and came upon a whole bunch of photos from Prince Edward Island that our daughter had mounted on construction paper to illustrate an oral report back in the early 1990s. Imagine my surprise that tucked in with these was a nifty chart for a cross stitch of Green Gables. Now THAT was a souvenir! It looks easy and I think I'm going to stitch it soon!

Sandi said...

Love the cow at the end! :)

Google is watching... I don't know if that's good or bad. Probably bad.

Lori said...

Happy birthday! I am sure you have so many beautiful memories in that house.
Thank-you for sharing your light houses. Loved your answers! Have a nice Wednesday!

https://lorisbusylife.blogspot.com/

Cheryl said...

I really love your idea for gathering your family near for your birthday . . . great reason to have a family reunion! (And very timely this year with the demise of that huge tree! Many hands make light work, they say, although I'm not sure your guys would consider it "light.")

Adorable puppy . . . adorable grands . . . happy family working and playing together! So blessed!

Nonnie said...

Your photos never disappoint! A happy belated birthday wish to you and a prayer that every mug makes it through the move! Wonderful celebration and cool story about the boards. Love the puppy!

Elizabethd said...

Lovely to have family together for birthdays.
But I didnt get a Birthday message from google.....thankfully!

Lynne said...

Happy Birthday Judy!
Better late than ever . . .
That tree is Huge . . . sad to see it go,
Happy it fell without anyone in, under, around it!
What a family you have . . . working together, staying together!
I am melting over that new pup!

Stacy said...

How nice to have the whole family together for the weekend! I hope one of them picks up the torch, too. I remember wonderful gatherings at my grandparents' home in the country when I was growing up. Now everyone is so scattered across the country that we are never all together unless it's for a funeral. I miss those times.

Michelle said...

Nice to see your family in action. It looks/sounds like you all have a lot of love and respect for each other. I also love that pup :)

songbird's crazy world said...

Love your lighthouse photos.

I’m glad you had a chance to be with the family.

Chatty Crone said...

I have been to one lighthouse and I did not climb it.
I think your steps count.
Gosh the photos you take seem like Heaven to me.
You are going to miss that aren't you?
I hope someone takes up having the holiday dinners for you.
Seems like those great Pyrenees are getting popular. I have two friends with them.
How good that your daughter was able to join you for church.
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!

Love, sandie

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

Happy Birthday sweet friend! I hope you are still celebrating! How wonderful to have your family close for special occasions...oh and to help with big trees! That really is a monster. I love your scriptures. I'll write them in my journal today! Sweet hugs, Diane

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Judy, what a lovely family and gorgeous photos! Did you save the boards from the tree? I would try NOT to, but I don't think I could resist hanging onto them! And don't get me started on birthday cards from the dentist and the insurance company, etc. I can't STAND those!

Lady Fi said...

Wonderful shots!

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

It is great to be able to have all the family at your place and I do hope someone else takes up the family reunion idea. That was a tremendous work of getting tree away but many hands made light work and it looks like it was fun. Happy birthday to you and the others. I am back from my travels at least for a little while so thank you for your comments during that time when I could not comment. Have a fabulous weekend.

Theresa said...

It is creepy what is known about us. I have had a problem commenting from my phone on blogger. I could read (which I do often on my phone) but when I commented, it wasn't there. No problem on my computer. Anyway, I finally tracked it down that my settings were too private... WAIT, WHAT? Oh well, I finally got it fixed and I am back in business. I LOVE the cow picture:) Have a blessed day dear friend, HUGS!

Mike@Bit About Britain said...

Happy Birthday, Judy! Another great family occasion. And I agree with you about the creepy stuff - do these techy-geeks really think we won't notice? Or don't they care?

A Bit of the Blarney said...

I've been away so long that I had forgotten how grand it is to visit your home. It is wonderful to see your photos, especial October 16. Wishing you a grand day!

Little Wandering Wren said...

I did have a chuckle at your mug collection - we started the same, only the massive Starbucks mugs from around the world. That was not very bright of us in hindsight as they fill up all the cupboards (and the dishwasher!). Looks a fun family birthday celebration, love that puppy and the monumental effort with the tree clearing. The photo with your son and the two boards is priceless!
Wren x

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