Lord's Day, March 29, 2020

 Thanks  be to God!

Read Psalm 136

Hi friends,

Aren't we living in a surreal time! We are very blessed to have a large backyard for the kids to play in and are also able to get out for walks when the weather permits.

 A little like a ghost town!

 Somehow I was not eager to buy the 'hand breaded' chicken tenders.

When we do fuel up, we wear nitrile gloves, pump the gas, pay at the pump, throw the gloves away in their bin, and leave. We are very cautious. I can't believe how many people are still mingling with their friends.

 Now We Are Six!

Someone has a birthday today! It was a party of 5: her mom, brother, and Grandpa and I were the party. She was the one who got all the candles.

 Since I didn't have any wrapping paper with me, I hid all the little gifts in the card catalog.

Reading 'The Cat in the Hat' to Gramma's bears, tiger, and German Shepherds.

I don't know how much you're watching the news, but our only news channel is Sky News out of London. The whole coronavirus issue looks pretty grim. I suspect that we'll all be social distancing for a few months yet at least.

The photo I took (above) of Sky News weather:  I'm always trying to figure out the temperature in Farenheit, but Mr. C. found this easy formula for roughly converting Celsius to Farenheit. But roughly is better than struggling and not coming close. Now I can actually have an idea of what's happening around the world temperature wise.  

That reminds me. Remember that the circumference of a circle is Diameter x Pi? and that the diameter of a circle is Circumference /Pi?  Why didn't our teachers tell us it was 3, rather than 3.14.??? I mean, really. How easy is it to figure it with the number 3, and how difficult to try to come up with an exact answer (in your head) with the 3.14!  Good grief. Life is less complicated than we thought!

Our church is holding online live Matins and Compline devotions on M, T, Th, F, and Lenten Vespers services on Wednesday evenings. And they broadcast the Sunday morning worship service on WSAU.com radio at 9 AM. Especially in this time of not being able to attend church, it is wonderful to feel connected for worship.

Home Church
Watching videos from Zion from our living room sofa
minus the sparkles

I hope you are all doing well. I'm hoping to join in the Wednesday Hodgepodge this week. I've always loved being part of that. We'll see if I get there this week.

I'd be very interested in knowing what's happening in your neck of the woods. So far, there's one case of the corona virus in Marathon County, and I think that most people here are practicing social distancing. Our daughter in Madison loves social distancing. She says it suits her just fine. LOL

But not everyone feels that way:

God bless you all.

Stay home.

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Positively Posting on Pets - Wednesday Medley

Awwwwwww, my favorite photo of Bridger and Misty.

Note: No animals were hurt in the making of this blog post, although the only ones still with us are the two at the end, Tommy & Smokey. The others lived long and happy lives. I still miss them. And to those of you who have been around a while, many of these photos will be reruns for you. So this post will contain a mixture of old and new.

Join Terri and the Gang

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Thank you for hosting the Wednesday Medley, Terri!
We all appreciate the hard work!

Tuppence, ready to take a nap in the baby buggy

NATIONAL LOVE YOUR PET DAY

On February 20th, pet lovers everywhere observe National Love Your Pet Day.  This holiday is a day set aside to give extra attention to and pamper your pets.  This is a good day to focus on the special relationship that you have with your pets.

Did you know that most households in the United States have at least one pet?  While there are more cats than dogs in the United States, more households have dogs than cats, but not by much. Pets are not limited to the canine and feline categories.  There are quite a few who prefer the companionship of birds, reptiles, fish or rats.  Whoever your pet companion is, we are sure you will enjoy spending a little extra time with them on National Love Your Pet Day and reap the benefits, as well such as stress relief and lower blood pressure.  So on February 20 (and every day) show your appreciation to your pets! (blue added for emphasis - by me)

 Jazzie, the grandpuppy, enjoying our front porch in wonderful July, 
the shortest month of the year.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Bring your pet a special treat, take an extra long walk or give them more attention on National Love Your Pet Day.  Whatever you decide to do, spoil and appreciate your pets!  Use #NationalLoveYourPetDay to post on social media.

Our pets are spoiled every day. No need to take it to a new level. They would totally take advantage of it and demand it every day! :-)

 Misty, in her favorite hunting ground, the alfalfa field north of the house.
She loved chasing butterflies!

HISTORY

Within our research, we were unable to identify the creator of National Love Your Pet Day.

 Lionel, still very much missed. This is the cat that would crawl under the covers and come up next to me, put his head and paws on my pillow and sleep!
Oh yeah, Mr. C. just loved that. LOLOL
It was SO CUTE!!

By the way, I am grateful every day that God, our Creator, didn't just stick us on some remote outpost made of concrete, but gave us a beautiful earth, full of so many good things (rivers, trees, mountains, flowers, etc.) AND all the incredible animals. Thank you Lord. Help us remember that these all belong to You and we are merely stewards of your good creation. You alone are so deserving of our worship!

1.  Have you ever had a special pet in your life?  Will you tell us about it?

 I know, I know. But Terri did ask!
This is Bridger, for any of you who haven't seen his photo before (multiple times). That would probably be almost no one. LOL

2.  Did you grow up with pets in your home?  What did it teach you?

Yes, we had pets on the farm. But it wasn't the same. Although I think our dog (a Border Collie) was allowed in the house once or twice, it wasn't a regular thing. She was a work dog, whose job was rounding up the cows. I think my parents, like lots of people on farms, thought that animals do not belong in the house. Oh, how mistaken they were! :-))

 Bridger, Misty, and Jazz

3.  Do you ever wonder what animals are thinking?

I'm pretty sure that Bridger was thinking what a lucky dog he was to live in the house and yet be able to go out and play (or lie in the snow) anytime he wanted, and how he wished I'd forget the way to the vet's office. And that's probably what all our pets were thinking. Except for Tommy, who is 99% of the time thinking, 'Where is that tuna??'

This guy loved the snow! I don't know how big, hairy dogs survive in the southern heat.

4.  Sometimes a pet gets out and doesn't return for a few days. What do you think happens to them when they go on a walkabout?

They take a crash course in how to become parents, which is why it's our responsibility to get our pets spayed or neutered. Millions of animals are euthanized each year because of pet overpopulation.

 Allowed on the road ONLY when on lead.

5.  With cats and dogs being the most popular pets, what is the most exotic pet you have personal experience with (didn't have to be yours)?

Our daughter had a pet tarantula, Rosie. Believe it or not, Rosie was a nice pet and didn't seem at all like a you-know-what.

Our granddaughter had a pet rat. Unfortunately, it never ceased to seem like a rat, to me. Ewwwww! I did let it climb up my arm once, just to try to prove something, but catching sight of that tail just makes me shudder!

This rat, on the other hand, is not alive,

and just used to encourage our grandson to eat. You know, imagined competition.

It worked.

 Waiting for me to finish picking green beans.
He never offered to help, although he kept all the wolves and bears away.
I always felt safe from predators with Bridger around.
(UPS, FED EX, USPS, etc.) :-)
Seriously, a German Shepherd would probably give his life to protect his person.
When Mr. C. had to be gone overnight, I always felt safe with Bridger and a 12 gauge shotgun at my side. It's not that I don't trust God, but He did give us tools and a brain!

6.  Please tell us something random about your week so far...

Well, I guess the only random thing I can think of is that we're expecting another couple snowstorms to come through in the next day and over the weekend. Not that we don't have enough snow already. 

 Back Deck

February 19, 2019

 This cute little fella was the subject of the goat?/sheep? debate on my Instagram account this week. I snapped this pic on our way home from Madison, when we took a nice little detour from the Interstate and instead drove on Highway 27 north of Black River Falls. More barn photos coming soon. I was sure that he was a sheep, but the majority of Instagrammers who weighed in say he's a goat. Whichever, it was so sweet of him to pose for me.

 Tommy, held by Mr. C.

That cat loves being upside down!

 Smokey, lying against the footstool, next to the fire.
I told Mr. C. that when we move from the farm, that block of wood is going with us.
He just gives 'that look.' But that block of oak has been used by everyone who sits next to the fire, including the grandkids (and obviously, Smokey!).

 Tommy & Smokey,
our current pet residents
who are SUCH a delight.
(and almost always together)

So, do YOU have animals in your home?  How many and what species and breed?  Inquiring minds want to know! (That would be all of us!). :-) 

 
(Spouses do not count.) :-D

You might be interested to know that my soap room is off limits to furry critters. Just in case you were wondering. :-)

P.S. I LOVE your comments!

***

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Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone! 

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Hodgepodging Pigmania and Fairy Tales

 Our Amish neighbors, hoofing it into town.
 (Taken from the front porch in a split-second opportunity)


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Thank you, Joyce, for another fun Hodgepodge!

1. I feel most energized when I _______________________.

am outdoors and walking!! 

OR, when I'm out taking more photos.

OR, when I've just had my morning coffee.

OR all of the above.

2. Where were you ten years ago?

July of 2008

I was here, enjoying the family for the weekend. Pictured above are son and grandson.

3. July 17th is World Emoji Day. Do you use emojis? Which one's your favorite? Your most used?

I do use emojis, hopefully not overuse them, but I'm not sure about that. My favorite emojis were the cute dog, cute cat, and cutest ever blackface sheep. Now my phone (or somebody) has changed the emojis so that it's not a cute dog, it's a stupid looking cat, and blackface sheep have been replaced by boring sheep. I'm so sad.

How hard would it be to bring back my favorite sheep to Emojiland???
Maybe I should start a petition.

4. What song would you put on a wedding DO NOT PLAY list?

I know that I'm really living dangerously to reveal this song as one I hope I never ever hear again, because probably many bloggers have had this song sung at their wedding. 'The Wedding Song' aka There is Love.  It has been SO overused, oversung, and overrated. And it's just plain dreary! I wouldn't like it any better sung by Patricia Forbes than by Peter Paul, and Mary. Well, maybe I would. Well, yes actually I guess I would. .. but...Did the Beatles sing it?? That might have helped it. Anyway, you get the drift. Please forgive me if it's your very favorite wedding song. I'm just trying to be honest here, Joyce, and you did ask. Wouldn't it be safer to just stick with reading Scripture?

 Tommy & Smokey on the window seat
Do you think Smokey is comfortable??

5. What deserves less of your attention? More of your attention?

Hmmmmm. What deserves less of my attention? Probably cleaning the refrigerator - Oh wait. It couldn't get any less. And what deserves MORE of my attention? Same ole, same ole... downsizing. Sigh. But what I loved giving attention to last weekend was this:

Pigmania, Popcorn, and Progeny

If you've never played Pigmania (more recent version called Pig Out),
you must do as soon as possible! 
Toss those pigs like dice.

Will it be a razorback, a hoofer, or a leaning jowler?? 

The suspense is killing me!

These two fun grands LOVE playing games.

And I love THEM!

6.  Insert your own random thought here. 

We are waiting to hear news of the birth of our first great grandchild. I am hoping that she will be born on her grandfather's birthday (our son, the guy pictured above in Question 2), whose birthday is on the 19th.

This is one of my favorite photos of the soon-to-deliver mama. 

She's a bit older now, but just as cute.

I hope the new mama reads fairy tales to her little one (well, maybe not right away, but...). Do you remember reading fairy tales or having them read to you and being scared, and enjoying being scared? Well I came across this quote the other day and love it (as I do most things from that brilliant, eccentric man):

"Fairy tales, then, are not responsible for producing in children fear, or any of the shapes of fear; fairy tales do not give the child the idea of the evil or the ugly; that is in the child already, because it is in the world already. Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon. Exactly what the fairy tale does is this: it accustoms him for a series of clear pictures to the idea that these limitless terrors had a limit, that these shapeless enemies have enemies in the knights of God, that there is something in the universe more mystical than darkness, and stronger than strong fear." - G.K. Chesterton (of course). 

***


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Hodgepodging With A Smile

 Sunrise, January 24
View from our front porch


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1. Speaking of endings....at your wit's end, at loose ends, a dead end, burn the candle at both ends, all's well that end's well, or no end in sight...which 'end' phrase might best be applied to your life lately? Explain.  

'No end in sight' is what I'm tempted to choose, mostly because the others don't fit, and also because about this time of the year it seems that there's no end in sight when it comes to winter. It was -12F yesterday morning and we still have March and April to endure before spring has actually arrived. And yes I know I've complained about that before. But really. You know it would seem unnatural if you came here, asked that question, and didn't find that particular answer. I didn't want to disappoint you.

Haugen's Village Grocery

2. What was a must have accessory when you were growing up? Did you own one? If so tell us what you remember about it.

Shoes. Well seriously, I was a kid during a time when no one was into name brand anything. Or if they were, our family and friends were oblivious to it. We had shoes, book bag, bought school clothes once a year, and everyone else was in the same boat. And no, I wasn't alive during the Great Depression. But my parents were, and I think that had a lasting impact.

There's a reason why I don't blog as often as I used to.

#tommyandsmokey

3. Something that made you smile yesterday?

There are many times a day that I smile over many different things. Yesterday's smile got lost in the crowd. I smile over some particular blessing that I've observed, some stupid joke someone has told me, hearing of the antics of the grandkids, watching the kitties snuggle together (is that redundant??), a particularly good point in a book I'm reading, something funny that I think of at an inappropriate moment, a comment on an Instagram post, etc. etc.

 Maybe those horses should look for a different shelter.

Photo taken at a nearby Amish farm

This photo is for Carla

(From the River Flowing blog) 

Do you see a theme here?

And BTW, the above photo was not taken in January.

I'm pretty sure you've seen this one before,

but this is what January looks like. :-((

4. January 30th is National Croissant Day. Do you like croissants? Sweet or savory? We're having chicken salad for lunch...would you rather have yours served on a croissant, a wrap, a bagel, bread, or a roll of some sort?

I rarely eat croissants but love them. My favorite are strawberry/cream cheese. And I've not eaten one for years. I'd always rather have my chicken salad on a croissant than any of the other choices - and with almonds or pecans and berries mixed in.

But I did eat a blueberry/lavender/lemon scone yesterday morning and it was worth every single moist, delicious, carb-filled morsel.

 Beef stirfry, lots of peppers and onions, salad.

My favorite food.

5. Sum up your January in fifteen words or less.

Cold, colder, coldest. January can't leave soon enough for me.

6.  Insert your own random thought here. 

 An interested audience provides incentive to eat one's lunch.

Visiting grandson and ratty. 

This little guy makes me smile (the grandson, not the rat)

***

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