stilly stuff ...

do you remember the song, the Little Old Lady from Pasadena! by Jan and Dean?

it goes like this:

The Little Old Lady From Pasadena

(Go granny, go granny, go granny go)

Has a pretty little flower bed of white gardenias

(Go granny, go granny, go granny go)

But parked in her rickety old garage

There's a brand new shiny red Superstock Dodge

CHORUS:

And everybody's sayin' that there's nobody meaner ??

Than the Little Old Lady from Pasadena

(She drives real fast and she drives real hard)

She's the terror of Colorado Boulevard

that's kind of what i felt like today ... touring our little town, going for lunch with my work pals, dodging wildlife on our country road ... :o) ... Fall time driving is the best!

......

when i got home, out came the shovel for about the 7th bear poop "gift" ... that bear really wants to help fertilize our yard ... the neighbours say it is 400-500 pounds, with grey around it's mouth ... i haven't seen it yet ... just the evidence of it's being!

......

would you believe i found a "G" movie - a comedy - that we plan on watching tonight? so i must go get the popcorn popping ...

as she hobbles away, singing "go granny, go granny, go granny go!" ...

in Whom i WILL trust

i was encouraged by this pic (copied from Bekah's Musings)
... hope you will be too!

what's on the inside?

i fell in love with a house in town ... well, maybe love is too strong a word - but it’s good looks and listed qualities did give me a strong case of the "really likes" ...

so yesterday we took a look inside ...

*gulp*

the listed features were all there, but they were way past their prime and way past their appeal ... the husband had died and the wife was in a seniors home, so the house was empty ... it was everything i wanted - in theory ... yet nothing had been kept up and things needed replacing ... there was a smell of decay inside ...

it was quite disappointing ... i saw one thing on the outside, but a totally different story on the inside ... everything looked well kept and up to date, but once the interior was revealed, there was a need for a totally cleansing ...

which made me wonder what people "see" when they see me ... how do i stack up as a believer? i may look the part and talk the part ... but what about the inside? when you get to know me better ... will i disappoint? will my inner self show signs of neglect? will i only have a story or two to share of God’s goodness towards me? ... really old stories that have been told so many times i can recite them in my sleep?

more importantly, God ALWAYS sees the real me ... even if i look put together on the outside ... i’m not fooling my Heavenly Father ... He knows what needs to be renovated and cleaned up ... He knows if my faith is growing stale ... if i lack the vibrancy of someone who lives and breathes daily fellowship with Him ...

it just made me think ... looking at that nicely kept exterior, with neglect and age spoiling the interior ... i didn't want that to be me ...

"And be renewed in the spirit of your mind" Ephesians 4:23

* * * * * * * *

p.s. the for sale sign is on our lawn now ... we have taken the first step ... and i’m trusting God to lead in all the other steps to follow ...

westing

A lady opened her refrigerator and saw a rabbit sitting on one of the shelves.
"What are you doing in there?" she asked.
The rabbit replied: "This is a Westinghouse, isn't it?",
to which the lady replied "Yes".
"Well," the rabbit said, "I'm westing".

* * * * * * *

i started a few posts ... but after a busy day i couldn't quite get the right words out ... so i shamelessly went with the cute joke instead!! *smile*

moving along

i took this picture today ... it's of Leo and his fishing boat ... the last ride of the season ... possibly the last ride ever down our channel into the open waterways of a fast moving Manitoba river ... this picture is so bittersweet ... it may well be the end of an era ... a type of lifestyle for us ...

sigh ...

my list only got a few things stroked off of it today ... one of our friends had a day off, so he came to help pull the boat and floating dock out of the water ... when folks take time out of their lives to give a hand, we appreciate it ... though to be honest, we didn't really want the boat out quite yet ... we wanted to go fishing together just once more ... how ungrateful i sound ... i'm not, honest ... there have been days when the weather was perfect, yet leo's health wasn't ... so our fishing trip might not have happened anyway ... it just seems that something very precious slipped out of my fingers today, i saw it leave and couldn't stop it ... there is change in the air ... i have to move forward and be thankful for the times we did have ... no regrets ...

i'm talking like we will be moving soon ... and that may be ... it may also be next summer ...

yet i seem to feel that change advancing quicker than i had imagined ...

tomorrow we will go look at 2 houses in town and also put our house up for sale ... it almost seems like i am pushing something beloved and personal into a hard market place where others won't see the magic and wonder of it ...

sigh ... who knew that seeing leo chugging away in his old fishing boat would make me wax nostalgic about it!

i found a chorus to sing ... to cheer up the part of me that is afraid to move forward ... after all, moving forward is what maturity is all about, isn't it ...

I just keep trusting my Lord

as I walk along,

I just keep trusting my Lord

and He gives a song;

Tho the storm clouds darken the sky -

o'er the heav'nly trail,

I just keep trusting my Lord,

He will never fail!

the start of a new week ....

Is it Monday already?

a new week ... and new challenges ... *smile* ...

i love to have a loose schedule planned ... things that i want to accomplish in the course of a day, and the week ... i don't want the schedule to control me ... flexibility is important ... yet i do want to sit back and put a mental check-mark on some of the items ... a new week - time to roll my sleeves up, and make a dent in my "to do" list ...

may the Lord bless your week ahead ...

"Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation." Psalm 68:19

cycles, pain and solid Rock ...

Autumn is really starting to get serious in our area ... leaves are changing, leaves are falling ... they are showing us what a short lifespan they have ... it's all a part of the cycle ... the rhythm of life ...

Leo really feels these seasonal changes ... his back, which had just started enjoying some dry summer warmth, is reacting to the cool dampness that has invaded the area ... we both know that his body will ache more ... yet it is difficult to watch or accept ... not all cycles are enjoyable ones, just to be endured the best way we know how ...

God's word reminds me that "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer ... in my distress I called upon the Lord ... He did hear my voice ... "
2 Samuel 22

i want my faith to be firm, standing on the solid bedrock of Christ ... everything else will fade and disappear ...

so as i head for bed ... to keep my spirits grounded, the following hymn is what is on my lips and in my heart ...

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

Refrain

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,

All other ground is sinking sand;

All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness seems to hide His face,

I rest on His unchanging grace.

In every high and stormy gale,

My anchor holds within the veil.

Refrain

When He shall come with trumpet sound,

Oh may I then in Him be found.

Dressed in His righteousness alone,

Faultless to stand before the throne.

Refrain

come to the banquet

do you remember The Wedding Banquet song by Sister Miriam Therese Winter? the chorus goes like this:

I cannot come to the banquet, don't trouble me now.
I have married a wife, I have bought me a cow.
I have fields and commitments that cost a pretty sum,
Pray hold me excused, I cannot come!

one day, there will be a spectacular banquet for those who have placed their trust in Jesus ... for those who have humbled themselves and who have asked forgiveness for their sins ...

i stand with that number, the forgiven ones ... eternally sealed within the body of Christ ... sure i have stumbled and fallen many a time - yet the Lord keeps picking me up, reminding me that i am not alone ...

one day by God’s grace, i will be sitting at the banquet table ... my favourite food will be before me, loved ones all around - yet my eyes will be on my Redeemer - the one who called me to come partake of the banquet ... who’s sweet invitation i accepted at the age of 12 ...

how can anyone say they don’t want to be there too?

why would anyone snub their nose at God’s free gift to mankind?

maybe it’s not an outright denial or refusal by some ... people do get caught up in their lives and say "later, Lord - i’ll take care of that later ... when i’m older ... when i’m not so busy ... later" ... but what if later doesn’t come? what if you die and there is no place at the banquet table set for you?

i earnestly pray that all my blog buds will be there - that we will be feasting together ... enjoying eternity with the One who paid the ultimate price for our souls.

 

another season closes

leo is still sleeping, as i contemplate getting another cup of coffee ...

i'm also thinking about another season ending ... how fleeting the summer was! ... how quickly the sand in my hourglass is disappearing ... i can definitely see why the scripture compares our life to grass that is here ... and then is gone ... or is it just because i've lived through my share of summers?

i'm quite contemplative this morning ... the onset of Autumn does that to me, makes me reflect ... or maybe it's just my Finlander blood? *smile*

reflection isn't a bad thing, as long as i don't let it bog me down ... i've done that in the past ... it can keep me "thinking", instead of "doing" ... so i need to be careful here ... it seems that my thinking is just brewing instead ... spilling over like cement, giving me those weighty boots! ... i would prefer it to spill over like soapy bubbles, freeing me to move ahead ...

yes seasonal changes make me ponder, ponder, ponder ...

so i set 2 cups out ... one for you ... one for me ... it is always nice to chat with a friend to clear my head ... shall i pour you another cup too?

* * * * * * * * * * *

"Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust; cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You." Psalm 143:8

The weight of your words

leo and i read books together ... i actually read them out loud during our morning devotions ... we don't do this in the summer because of the time factor, so it was great to get back to this routine again ... i do the choosing of literature - but leo gets to say whether it is of interest to him or not ...

our first book of the season, The Weight of Your Words, by Joseph M . Stowell has been excellent so far ... i must confess, i really did want this book for leo, since this is an area that we argue about ... well argue might not be the right word ... it usually goes like this - leo says something negative or critiques someone ... then i immediately critique leo!!! my bone of contention with my husband, and i'm sure his with me ...

so far, i am getting a lot out of it ... leo says he is enjoying it too ... let's hope it helps both of us be more gracious in our speech ... i shall leave you with a story from The Weight of Your Words ...

Rumors, whether true or false, are devastating for many reasons - one being that they are irretrievable. I recall the story of a young man during the Middle Ages who went to a monk and said, "I've sinned by telling slanderous tales about someone, What should I do?"

The monk replied, "Put a feather on every doorstep in town."

The young man did just that. He then returned to the monk, wondering if there was anything else he should do.

"Go back and pick up all those feathers," the monk told him.

The young man replied excitedly, "That's impossible! By now the wind will have blown them all over town!"

Said the monk, "So have your slanderous words become impossible to retrieve."

born to dance

Nobody cares if you can't dance well,

Just get up and dance.

anon

in other words, we've lost the battle if we don't even try ... and we've lost the zest and fun in living if we never take chances ... how are your dance skills?

bears

the bear was back again last night ... our cat sensed his presence and went running to the sliding doors, staring into the blackness of the front yard, tail swishing ... i turned the outdoor floodlights on ... there was the big beast, lumbering across the front yard ... heading towards the plum trees ... he began pawing at the ground - trying to find the fallen fruit ... of course i ran for my camera, got Leo to hold the cat as i opened the slider ... but the shy bear sauntered off as soon as he heard the noise i was making ... no picture - again! sheesh!!!

the bears are extremely hungry this year - there are just too many of them and too little to eat ... i do feel sorry for them ... closer to town they are being trapped and disposed of ... people are afraid for their children, pets, themselves ... everyone is talking about the bears ...

this got me to thinking ... we all know what a powerful animal the bear is ... and in this area we also know that they can be deadly ... last month, a farmer was killed by a bear, near here (the bear was found and destroyed shortly afterwards) ... so the danger is not imagined but real ... yet the actual danger becomes magnified by fear ... people overreact and shut themselves indoors, just in case a bear might be outside ...

however, more people have died from mosquito born diseases then from bear attacks ... yet people don't go calling each other, saying "Ethel, i just saw a mosquito, you better stay indoors!"

big old bear vs. itty bitty mosquito ...

our worst fears vs. what really does trip us up, unbeknownst to us ...
what we can see and what we can’t ...

yup, i’ve been thinking a lot about bears ...

we are in His hands

would you believe i had 3 different posts on the go ... but there was a piece missing out of each of them ... so they are sitting in a file, for another day ... i wanted to leave an uplifting scripture for you ... in case you need it to start off a busy weekend ... i find Isaiah 41:10 comforting ... hope you do too! ... blessings to you and yours ...

thursday evening rambles

i have been off work for a week and a half now ... see how being a domestic diva has made me look more youthful? ... the wrinkles and lines have smoothed out and i am in a girls size 6 again! *chuckling* ... seriously, it has been great to unwind and try to get back to a home routine ...

i am glad to be finished work again, especially since leo's health hasn't been the best this summer ... there are more than enough jobs around the house to keep me busy! ... we do realize that we need to sell our cottage in the near future ... so i best just enjoy the time we have left in this peaceful little haven ... i just need to keep my eyes on Him who has saved me, so that i can finish the race well ...

"Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6

faith

"It is faith and faith alone that can believe things fit into a pattern for good. The human evidence points in the other direction."
Elisabeth Elliot

being refreshed

this was the view i had from an outdoor cafe at The Forks, in Winnipeg ... it was a balmy 30C (86F) on Sunday ... my cousins and i sat and visited the afternoon away ... we watched the traffic on the water, the people strolling by ... and listened to Jamaican type music being played in the background ... what a restful afternoon! the next day was just as stressful (tongue in cheek) as i visited some more and did some shopping before returning home ...

i had my list of "to do's" all written up before my little 2 day trip ... most of it did get done, but with no anxieties involved ... i love it when i actually go with the flow and allow myself to enjoy life, instead of mounting obstacles and barriers to every event ... you may not believe me, but honestly - i do get like that at times!

today i even feel refreshed after being in the city ... which is amazing!

afterall, it's all about the one thing we can control ... our attitude ...

 

we do go on ...

i was going to go with a light hearted post ... but then i remembered that today was a 9/11 anniversary ... my dancing children picture might not have been appropriate for the day ... life has gone on ... and other "bad things" have happened to "good people" ... yet ... there is still that touch of horror, when coupled with remembered graphic tv images ...

but as i said, life has gone on ... hasn't it? the Lord sure has made us resilient ... we do bounce back ... we do hope for the future and live for the day ...

i am going to the city today (it is the first NFL Sunday, so leo will be busy!), coming back tomorrow (Lord willing) ... so i shall "blog-atcha" later ...

blessings on your day ... remember, this IS the DAY that the LORD has MADE ... let us REJOICE and be GLAD in it ...

my little town

it’s a lovely September day here in my part of the world ... the warmth of the breeze almost fools the unsuspecting that it is still mid-summer ... almost ... but the hint of colour in the forest warns the wise - this is summers last hoorah ...

i enjoyed walking in my little town today ... i took a picture of the town dock and beach to share with you ...

isn’t it quaint? i continued my walk and stopped at the local library and took out some books ... after checking the mail (we have a post office box), i chatted with a local grocer, who gave me 2 lollipops, one for Leo and one for me ... back in my car, i was pulling out on to main street and the grocer played traffic cop ... indicating when it was safe for me to pull into the street ... *smile* ... i love small towns ...

after coffee at my aunts, it was time to head home ...

the only yucky part of the day was filling up my car with gas ... i had just under a quarter of a tank left, i was HOPING (i do have a large reserve of hope most days) to see a drop in the price, but not so ... sigh ... so i paid $54.00 for a tank of gas ... owie ...

i thank the Lord for my day ... and even high gas prices ... after all God has supplied all my needs ... even those expensive fill ups! ... it’s all good ... in my little town ...

here is a weekend chuckle for you ...


When I got home last night, my wife demanded that I take her out to some place expensive .........



So I took her to a gas station!!!!!!!

a little of this 'n that ...

i've been trying to coax my sister (pictured above) into starting a blog ... she sends fam/friend e-mails, with pictures and quips attached ... they make me laugh and they make me think ... i shared one of her notes (with her permission) last month, click here ... i think it would be fun to have her blogging ... i will keep you posted on that ...

and i hope to get back to blogging more myself! ... i know i have relied on pictures and the words of others over the summer ... my excuse is the time factor thing ... and even though my blogging hasn't always reached this site, i have composed posts in my head as i go about my chores or when i drove to work ... it was a therapeutic way to file issues in my own head ...

well my FIRST weekend off in over 5 months is looming ahead of me ... yay ... a weekend i don't have to drive into the park ... not that it was a hardship, but weekends off mean that i am really finished my job for the season ... WOW ...

just some thoughts before i go in search of my pillow ...

How Great Thou Art!

i just wanted to start the day off with one of my favourite hymns ... a Praise to Him who i look at in awesome wonder, and exclaim "my God how great Thou art ..."

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,

Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,

Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,

And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.

When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur

And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

Chorus

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;

Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;

That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,

He bled and died to take away my sin.

Chorus

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,

And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.

Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,

And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

words & music by Carl G. Boberg and R.J. Hughes

can you relate?

do you get a lot of the "forward, forward" type of e-mail? jokes, inspirationals, things like that? i do ... and i am happy that my friends think of me - but many times, i just delete the e-mail ... however i got a "forward, forward" that really made me - stop - and think ... i thought today was the time to share it ... it's called:

The Cross

A young man was at the end of his rope, seeing no way out, he dropped to his knees in prayer "Lord, I can't go on," he said. "I have too heavy a cross to bear."

The Lord replied, "My son, if you can't bear its weight, just place your cross inside this room. Then, open that other door and pick out any cross you wish."

The man was filled with relief and said, "Thank you Lord," and he did as he was told.

Upon entering the other room, he saw many crosses; some so large the tops were not visible. Then, he spotted a tiny cross leaning against a far wall. "I'd like that one, Lord," he whispered.

The Lord replied, "My son, that is the cross you just brought in."

When life's problems seem overwhelming, it helps to look around and see what other people are coping with. You may consider yourself far more fortunate than you imagined.

neck-deep in grace

"Sometimes we get so caught up in the future, we forget to take pleasure in what we have. We become so obsessed with 'I want, I want, I want,' there is no room left to notice that we are already standing neck-deep in grace." Joy, No Matter What by Carolyn Hobbs

today was my last day at the park, for the Season ... it seems like i was just sharing with you about my first day back at work! so much has happened in that 5 month time span ... good and bad ... it seems our lives are packed with every day trials and triumphs ... then fit that into the schedule of world events, and it can become quite intense ...

however, today was not intense ... i finished off tasks, e-mailed the ongoing work to those that will continue it, and just generally cleaned out my desk ...

i have a very sweet boss, who took me out to lunch and also a bit of park touring (a must part of the job - how tough is that, eh?) ... both these pictures were taken today ... a beautiful day in my part of the world ...

today, i truly enjoyed the serenity of the world i live in ... breathed in the pungent aroma of the forest i walked in ... gazed at the tranquil waters that flowed around me ... i looked around and knew beyond a shadow of doubt, i was standing neck-deep in grace ...

It is well, with my soul

Sacred Grove

This hymn was writ­ten af­ter two ma­jor trau­mas in H. Spaf­ford’s life. The first was the great Chi­ca­go Fire of Oc­to­ber 1871, which ru­ined him fi­nan­cial­ly (he had been a weal­thy bus­i­ness­man). Short­ly af­ter, while cross­ing the At­lan­tic, all four of Spaf­ford’s daugh­ters died in a col­li­sion with an­o­ther ship. Spaf­ford’s wife Anna sur­vived and sent him the now fa­mous tel­e­gram, “Saved alone.” Sev­er­al weeks lat­er, as Spaf­ford’s own ship passed near the spot where his daugh­ters died, the Ho­ly Spir­it in­spired these words. They speak to the eter­nal hope that all be­liev­ers have, no mat­ter what pain and grief be­fall them on earth. (copied)

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Refrain

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:

If Jordan above me shall roll,

No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life

Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

Refrain

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,

The sky, not the grave, is our goal;

Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!

Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

Refrain

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

Even so, it is well with my soul.

Refrain

Ho­ra­tio G. Spaf­ford, 1873.

saturation

there are katrina stories pouring forth from all corners ... some sad, some uplifting ...

the blog world has given us a good pulse on what is going on ... i discovered, Finding Direction: The Wind Vane Chronicles through Pilgrim Scribblings ... Dee's husband is in the ravaged area, Dee is not ... she shares stories from both sides ...

then there are those who evacuated their New Orleans home - like biggfish.blogsome ... he shares the frustrations of depending on the kindness of family ...

and of course Debra always gives spiritual perspective in her own quaint way ... our blogging world makes the outer world smaller ... helping us to share and lighten the load ...

if you have the grumpies of late ... you're not alone ... i think it is the stress of this beast trying to eat away at our faith & hope ... i promise to lean more on Jesus ... how 'bout you?

a need to relax

"Every setback might be the very thing that makes you carry on and fight all the harder and become that much better." Les Paul

i am still watching news coverage about New Orleans ... i can't help myself ... i live over a thousand miles away, yet the stories make me teary and i get a pain in my chest from the anxiety ...

i have prayed ... i have given ... now i need to let go of some of this stress ... at some point i must admit that i have done what i can ... i have not been called to do more ...

so in the light of that ... i have pulled out a favourite photoshop type pic ... something that makes me smile ... something that reminds me to RELAX ...

Lord bless your labour day weekend ...