I Have Forgot

Sometimes I wake, and, lo, I have forgot,

And drifted out upon an ebbing sea!

My soul that was at rest now resteth not,

For I am with myself and not with Thee;

Truth seems a blind moon in a glaring morn,

Where nothing is but sick-heart vanity:

Oh, Thou who knowest, save Thy child forlorn.

Diary of an Old Soul, January 3rd

by George MacDonald

Snow Day

The Lyme Sisters

We three sisters have always been "different" than most of our peers. This winter is no exception as we enjoyed a sister-outing to the clinic lab, of all places! We are all in a season of frequent blood-draws for our doctor to keep an eye on how we are responding to medical treatments.

Had I mentioned yet that Maren "joined the club" when she contracted acute Lyme disease from a tick bite this summer? Every member of our family has now been treated for this pernicious disease. Maren's case was extra concerning since she was around 4 months pregnant at the time. We saw God work in those first hard days - closing the wrong doors and opening the way to a doctor experienced in treating Lyme in pregnant mothers. 

Praise God, our little nephew tested negative to Lyme disease at birth!

Snowy Perks

Snow has many benefits:

It insulates perennial plants.

It brightens the house on heavy, grey days.

It makes it easy to track footprints of animals and human boots.

And of course it can be pressed into snowballs to entertain playful kittens...

... serve as a high bar for a vaulting kitten...

... and build snowmen of all sizes to bring us smiles!

Snowbank

How shall I title this post: Snowbank OR Snow Bank?! :-)

After dropping Dad off at the airport on Thanksgiving weekend to visit the family of his brother who had just died, we took Mom to a new experience for her - a riverside Christmas light show. 

Yes, we mourn the loss of a gentle brother and uncle and grieve for his wife and seven children - most of whom are younger than us. But we have such comfort from the fact that he is now with his Lord and set free from a seven year battle with several forms of cancer.

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.