Sunday Evening Ramblings, September 29, 2019

New Scandinavia Lutheran Church
Dallas, WI

'Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come before him.
Worship the Lord in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth. The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, “The Lord is king!” Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth*. O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.' From I Chronicles 16

*Note that the LORD coming to judge the earth is a good thing, in which all of creation rejoices - because only He is the just and merciful King, and at last all the wrongs will be righted and all the hurts healed. Our God reigns!

 Morning has broken

It was only 43 degrees F. on the porch yesterday morning, but it was a beautiful, sunny morning! I take my phone with me and listen to the USCCB Daily Scripture Readings, a great way to start my day.

View from the porch to the southeast
Yes, I am grateful every single day for this view, even in the winter.
(Perhaps a bit more grateful May through October, however)

 Lots of work on the Dallas house this week.
New back deck, new paint, new lattice.
Will someone please bring a body bag.
Oh wait. I guess he's just working on something under the bench.
False alarm.

Two someones stopped in to see us.
This cute little grandson is such a happy baby!

Can you believe that Tuesday is already October 1?!  Wisconsin often has gorgeous Octobers. I hope this is one of them. 

 Here are a couple photos from other Octobers,
taken in the neighborhood.

 Really. It was this beautiful!

And from two years ago today,
the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul at Blockley
in the Cotswolds.

Have a blessed Lord's Day, everyone.

Checking in on Wednesday

One of many large rocks in our backyard

Hi there!  I'm sure everyone is dying to hear what's happening in Wausau, right?** (Huh? What's a Wausau???)

Anyway...

We had a landscaper come out here to advise us regarding the huge pond/waterfall project that is in our backyard at the Wausau house. After listening to a couple hours of advice which was mostly suggesting coming up with a plan to completely take out all the rock and pond and make it into mowable backyard, we decided that we might not care to pay for future advice. We love all this rock and the less lawn to mow, the better. That is one thing Mr. C and I agree on. (The only one.) Just kidding.

First day of Fall

The back of the house
(Try to ignore the black temporary drain tile.)
This house is on a hillside, and we've been hearing from everyone in town that this was the worst ever year for water getting into basements. Wausau had a big rain on ground that was frozen solid, so it had nowhere to go, so...   BUT, we're getting gutter and draining away from the house, even with this temporary fix until we can get around to doing the permanent fix. I know, it's a boring and long story.

The sun peeking into our backyard.

My St. Francis statue looked a little lonely, so I cheered it up with the beautiful necklace Mr. C. bought for me. Of course, that was just for a minute in order to get the photo op.

Donna does beautiful work. She can be found in our tiny village of Dallas, WI making jewelry and also collaborating with Kim Losse Pottery. I'm not on Facebook, but Donna is, so you can find her there, or go on Instagram to see what she's up to. @donnacmillard

The weather has been cooperating so that we can still take lunch or dinner out to the gazebo. I swept this walk a couple days before the photo. I'm pretty sure we're going to need a leaf blower here. Good thing Mr. C. has about 3 of them in his work shop. (I think he has 3 of everything.)

 Someone asked about seeing the front of the house, so here it is.

"Rockapulco" impatiens, still going strong

It was so fun to find this box of gluten-free chocolate chip cookies in the freezer. I believe in LOTS of chocolate chips. Otherwise, what's the point, right??

Last but not least,
two of the sweet ladies that greet us when we walk along Fifth Avenue.
I never tire of these creatures. Imagine what a boring world it would be if God had just placed us on a planet with asphalt and no trees, birds, cows, streams, woods, etc. How can our hearts not overflow with praise to Him for his love and generosity!

I hope you've all had a wonderful Wednesday.

Oh wait! I forgot to tell you that our daughter and I went to see the Downton Abbey Movie while Mr. C. stayed with the kids, having a movie and popcorn night at home.

 Very Art Deco

 We got a great deal on the tickets, because evidently tickets on Tuesdays are a much better price. The seating was all large recliners (actually HUGE recliners) and there was an extra-large screen for viewing. Of course we had the mandatory popcorn and Mike and Ike while watching the movie.

So, about the movie: The brilliant Julian Fellowes did not disappoint. He gives his characters such great and clever lines. So much fun. As always, Mary was beautiful, Edith was Edith, Mr. Moseley was a delight of embarrassment, and Mr. Carson was the rock. All the costuming was gorgeous, and the parade through the village was brilliant. If you know what King George V and Queen Mary looked like (as I do - from photos, not from personal acquaintance mind you), you could squint and imagine that these actors were the royal couple. Julian Fellowes managed to tie up all the loose ends very nicely indeed, so that there is no need for a sequel. Although fun to see Downton Abbey on the big screen, the story wasn't any better than any of the others, in my opinion, but then I loved all of them, except for the dead Sybil and dead Matthew episodes. 

It was definitely worth the money and effort to get to the movie theater for another Crawley Family Fix. And so fun to share the experience with our daughter.

Have a great evening, everyone.

**We've now got all the floor tile laid and are ready for walls. But now we have to do some things back at the Dallas house. Are you getting confused? Don't worry. So are we.

Join me on Instagram: @cranberrymorning

Judy

Sunday Evening Ramblings, September 22, 2019

Happy Lord's Day, everyone.
This is a photo of the beautiful St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Boyd, Wisconsin, where Mr. C. just happens to have done a roofing job (stripping the old roof off that steeeeeep roof, so that the steel roof could be installed) some years back. It's just off Highway 29, so we see it each trip we make from Dallas to Wausau (or vice versa).

Terrible light from this angle, but I thought you shouldn't be cheated out of seeing the front of this church. The 300 steps seem a lot steeper than they look in the photo.

 "Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." From Isaiah 55.

A few mornings ago, I rushed out of the house when I saw that pinkish sky and quickly took a photo from the front porch. The beautiful skies lasted only about a minute before the clouds covered them and brought a dreary and wet day. But the sky was so gorgeous when it first greeted us.

 Standing in the soybean field north of the house and looking across the road at the Neighbor Henry's field (where his cows like to roam).

 One of Henry's cows, where she belongs.
She looks innocent, but she's plotting.

 Yes, I know we need to get the lattice up along the front of the porch. I promise it will happen - at some point. Right now, I'm very happy to report that the star which died a few days ago, was resurrected with a new string of lights. I'm so glad. I like to have that star shining day and night, just a reminder of God's grace - and the star that led the wise men to the new King - who is still King and will be forever and ever.

 This is Rita, our new little Amish neighbor. Henry calls her his 'trotting pony.' I always think of ponies as being chubby, but Rita looks more like a sleek and beautiful horse, only smaller than average. I'm not sure what she is called in the horse world, but she's a looker.

"Sweet Little Rita, you'll know her if you see her,
Blue eyes and a pony tail."

 We met Rita and Henry on our walk the other evening. I left the road to get a photo of the sun setting over the huge hay bales.

Only two weeks until our Masrud Early Thanksgiving. I'm hoping for a beautiful October day so we can have a hay ride AND a bonfire in the evening. We'll see. Whether or not those materialize, it will be wonderful to have the family together.

I hope you've had a blessed Lord's Day.

Join me on Instagram: @cranberrymorning

Checking in on Wednesday

Here we are, Wednesday already. It seems impossible. But I thought I'd post the remaining apple photos and then move on to something else. Take a look at that tiki torch. It makes a great apple picker to reach apples, until they're so high on the tree that a ladder is necessary. The torch holds 3 apples, so I place the torch around the apple and turn it until the apple drops into it. Very handy.

A few photos of how we're camping out until the construction project is finished.

Did I already show you our makeshift kitchen? It has all the important ingredients: coffee and chocolate

And two of our regular breakfast guests. They love bringing their tea in to join us. The lavender candle is a huge draw. The purple unicorn is sitting on a box of British novels. 

Autumn has begin on Fifth Avenue, my favorite place to walk.

"Oh give thanks to the LORD for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever." From Psalm 136.

I hope you've had a wonderful Wednesday.

This post was created on my phone, so please excuse any formatting errors.

Join me on Instagram

@cranberrymorning

Apple Picking Time is Here Again

 It's that time of year again!
(This is one of four large baskets full of apples from our solitary McIntosh tree.)

It was a fun Sunday afternoon task, requiring three different ladders and still having to abandon some apples that were too high on the tree to reach. Eventually they'll fall and the deer will eat them. That's okay. Most of the ones we picked will go into the dehydrator, after giving a few bags to new neighbors.

It's a very busy time for us, which is why I've not been blogging lately. Between two places, Wausau and Dallas, we've got lots to get done. So right now it seems like we have two homes. Oh. Make that 3. The other day when I mentioned that we would be 'going home,' Henry said, 'You mean to Menards?'  OK, Smartypants! LOL  Yeah, right now Menards and Home Depot are kind of our homes away from home!

"For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope." - from Jeremiah 29. 

The sermon today was about the lost coin and lost sheep and lost son -  from Luke 15. 

https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/homily/a-coin-a-sheep-a-son/5264/

I posted this photo (above) before, but I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be part of a worship service and stand with an entire congregation reciting the Nicene Creed. It is a real blessing. But of course we can't stay here (Rice Lake) forever, and eventually we will be finding a church in Wausau.

Fall has arrived at the backyard pond garden.
Look at God's marvelous work in Creation!

Morning fog over the creek,
from the porch

 Four boxes containing washed and ready-to-go canning jars to go to our daughter-in-law.
54 quarts and 43 pints, with more to go later. It's part of my downsizing project, of which you have already heard far too much, so I'll move on.

 One of my favorite corners
Our Amish neighbor's barn across the road
You may have already seen this photo on my Instagram account:
@cranberrymorning
Feel free to join me there for daily photos. Posting photos daily is lots easier than writing a blog post, believe me. LOL

And although Henry's cows were in the bean field yet again,
he has since managed to finally contain them with some extra wire and a few huge tires leaning up against the shed. It works. Well, except for the little ones who simply walked UNDER the fence (a different spot) the other evening to get out. Mr. C. didn't bother to tell Henry but simply put the little rascals back in and fixed the fence. Now THAT's a good neighbor!

And did I care if Henry's cattle got into the bean field? Of course not. I thought it must be quite an adventure for them. But realistically, the man who rents Henry's land and put in the bean crop wouldn't be very happy if all the beans were eaten or trampled, now would he.

 September 8 sunrise.
from the top of our driveway.
Awesome skies always fill my heart with joy and praise to an awesome God.

***

On to work on the Wausau house:

 This is the song that never ends...
(but actually, it should be ended by Tuesday of this week. It's been a huge job, laying all that floor tile, and Mr. C. never complains, although laying 18" tile on a floor that's not always perfectly even is a job that requires lots of patience and skill, neither of which I possess, but which he possesses in great abundance. Thank you Lord!)

Right. My job was to stand on the ground and catch the apples and to fret and scold Mr. C. for standing on the very top of a very tall ladder. He just laughs. I told him I wouldn't visit him at either the hospital or the morgue. His response?
Well I'm sure you know.

Anyway, I hope you all had a blessed Lord's Day and found (or remembered) a great many things for which to praise our over-the-top-loving God.

(I did, and especially after the apple picking task was over and Mr. C. was safely on the ground again.)

But I do sometimes ask God why oh why he doesn't make Mr. C. listen to reason.


 ***

May God bless you,