A Gentleman with Sandy Whiskers

 We don't have a dog currently, so what made all these tracks on our lawn?

A "gentleman with sandy whiskers" 

according to Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck!

While it is nice to have a fox hunting our large populations of mice and rabbits, we are a bit nervous for our cat. Thankfully, she is very wary and often is the very picture of a "Scaredy-Cat." Yet even our timid little one has been giving us good laughs recently by repeatedly chasing away an overly-friendly stray cat. Picture a high-speed chase starting at our deck and not ending until the stray was exiting our property onto the road!

Our Valentine

Mom surprised Elsa and me with beautiful tulips for Valentine's Day this year!

Wind and Snow and Dirt

Back in January I grabbed a camera, snapped on my skis, 

and dawdled my way around our 8 acres - 

enjoying the unusual beauty of dirt swirled on snow 

by the winds of the Master Artist.

I wasn't the only one leaving tracks in the snow.

This rock in the woods was so "big" when we used to play on it as kids.

Prairie winds at work:

  

Four Years Later

Four years ago today, my body gave out. Years of untreated Lyme and toxic levels of heavy metals and mold accumulating due to a compromised immune system finally took me down. But I have written of that before.

Today I want to remember some progress I've been noticing:

On very low-strength days recently, I am reminded how hard it used to be to climb from one story to another in our 1970's farm-house. This makes it clear how much stronger I am most days the past year - not to have to avoid stairs in general.

I have even made it down the road to our first and second "hill" a few times in the past four years. Of course this is nothing compared to the 2-3 miles we walked every day when training to descend the rugged trails of the Grand Canyon years ago. But it certainly is something compared to being nearly unable to walk a few yards into a store a few years ago, especially if there was even a slight incline to the sidewalk.

Our white-domed shed tucked in the trees shows how far
I have made it from home.

                       

On another note, driving was neurologically impossible for quite some time after my health crash. First I became able to make the three mile drive to the nearest little town to teach or go to church on my better days. But even that short drive on empty, flat roads left me overstimulated and with aching brain.

After a year or two (and after recovering somewhat from thyroid cancer treatments), it was a gift when that little drive became predictably possible. I was even able to start looking around again and enjoying the prairie views in all seasons.

Next I was blessed to be able to resume the half-hour drives to a couple of our main towns for appointments and errands and to teach a few piano lessons. On the day last May when Dad was being rushed around by ambulance to get a stent due to his heart attack, I was even given the strength needed to drive Mom an hour to the bigger hospital. And recently I made my first round-trip drive to that city for Elsa and me to get blood draws for labs.

I look forward to being able to help more with the 6 hour drives to our doctors someday - and even to take my shifts to drive across the country on family trips once again. But today I am grateful for this much healing.

Praise God, from Whom each blessing flows...

Skiing Memories

Mom and Dad's old cross-country ski boots have seen their last use. But they were too fun and "retro" to throw without capturing a few photos to enjoy longer.

I can picture Mom using these with her bright green snowsuit and jacket with its white stripes!

Dad got us on cross-country skis along with him way back when ours were little boards with a loop of metal spring that held our snow boots in place... sometimes!

    

What's Mine's Mine

It is complete!

Nearly 2 years after starting this project, the main audiobook I had in mind to record when I joined LibriVox as a volunteer is now published online and free for download here. 

What's Mine's Mine by George MacDonald

Set in the invigorating wilds of Scotland, clans are crumbling and emigrating as their homeland is bought out from under them. The characters quickly become your friends as you identify with and learn from their struggles and joys. Contrasts abound between true and false (or shallow) relationships, convictions, morals, and faith.

If not familiar with George MacDonald, check out my recent post here.

Warning! This is not 'light reading' nor a 'quick read' at over 15 hours of mp3 audio files. 

Special thanks to Elsa for her proof-listening and to Bethesda Lily who got the proofing started and encouraged me along the way!

Beautiful Shadows

Q: What cast this intriguing shadow?

 A: An October garden bouquet