Mittens Again

It is mitten-knitting season again! 

Elsa is also getting special orders for our coordinating hats. 

Yellow is a popular color this year.

The newest color in the shop is burnt orange.

A brand new design is waiting for a brighter (non-cloudy) day to be photographed in our makeshift "studio."

October Snow

Winter began for us over a month ago. The days of Grandpa's funeral gatherings were wet and white.

There was even enough snow to build a snowman, which lasted a couple days before drooping away.

Only one big van got stuck in the snow at the cemetery, but the wind was frigid. My cousins' babies were well-bundled as we crowded under the tent for a special time around Grandpa's grave.

I spotted my wool mittens on two cousins 
waiting to be casket-bearers. :-)

And the snow kept falling...

Thankfully the hardy kale was still waiting to be picked after the snow thawed.

Eat Your Veggies

Though the season of fresh garden-veggies is past, we still work with many kinds of veggies every day.

This morning I chopped up heads of celery for three days of juice for Elsa and me. That juice also includes lemons, cucumbers, and parsley.

Then I moved on to chopping more celery, frozen peppers from the garden, and onion, plus grating a carrot. That made a delicious soup at noon with the addition of some chicken baked in advance.

  

Meanwhile Mom and Dad cut open several squash that were needing to be baked, so we had some of that sweet treat for dinner as well.

And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.

Genesis 1:29

Providence in a Tea Aisle

Only twice a year I pass through the city that has our nearest Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. How amazing, then, to see God orchestrate that one minute when I "happened" to be standing in the tea aisle and use it to encourage another woman suffering from debilitating allergies for years. A gentle "Excuse me, can I ask where you find your mask?" spoken in an accent dear to me opened up a time of mutual blessing. Her fervent repetitions of "God bless you!" left me in awe of God's love for two of His daughters that day.

You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning;

my God turns my darkness into light.

Psalm 18:28

Passing Tones

“Why is that a G?” a student asked me. When he played it together with the other notes in that beat of the song, they clashed.

 

“It must be a wrong note,” was the obvious thought in his mind. Or maybe the composer was having a bad day and took it out in writing a harsh chord?!

 

But, no. The note only seemed to be a mistake if looked at in isolation. When I had my student play the offending chord along with those before and after, it no longer sounded wrong. I could have pointed out a few reasons that note made sense in music theory, but even a casual listener could appreciate the momentary dissonance bringing even more beauty as it resolved back into sweet harmony.

 

---------------------------------

When I then read the following in a Bible study on Esther, that piano lesson came back to me.

 

“Pause and ask God to give you faith and joy in the truth that He is orchestrating every moment of your life.”*

 

Far too often I get stuck on the “moment’s” dissonance of this life with chronic illness and pain. Often unconsciously, I am feeling that this must be a big mistake:

- this hour’s pain

- this meal’s indigestion

- this day’s utter exhaustion

- this night’s restless sleep

- this week’s worse reactions to chemical sensitivities...

 

But that is just looking at “one note” in the midst of a whole symphony. I believe God is the perfect composer – no matter how I feel. I want to remember that and trust Him even when the notes I am currently playing sound “wrong.”

 

In music theory parlance, they are just “passing tones”!

 

*Esther: Trusting God's Plan by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth of Revive Our Hearts

Welcome, Joseph!

"The days are just packed..."

That Calvin and Hobbes quote comes back to me when I see how long it has been since I blogged. What is the cause? In part: a couple of big handwork business projects, a funeral, and now...

A Nephew!

"Welcome, Joseph! We love you!"

Thrilled Grandma

Grandpa hiding his bubbly excitement

Auntie loving those changing expressions

Parents, the day after the birth!

Joseph, our gift from God!