Thursday, February 26, 2009

ODDS AND ENDS FOR THE WEEKEND

Claude from http://www.du-four-au-jardin-et-mes-dix-doigts.blogspot.com (which I think means"some things from my garden and some made with my ten fingers") had some photos of an old chateau that she visited. Among them was a picture of an old prison door. I liked it so much I asked her if I could copy it for my set of ATC Doorways. So here it is: The Prison Door. Thank you Claude for letting me copy this! Claude is French but she frequently has English translations with her posts. I am trying to brush up my school-girl French with her blog.


This old 'gentleman' was keeping guard outside the apartment of a retiree in a retirement home near us. I thought he looked wonderful and quite real.





The daffodils are back! Of course I had to buy some. Sadly these didn't do too well this time. Perhaps it's a wee bit too early for them. There will be more, I'm sure. Jackie at The Ginger Darlings tells of a daffodil farm near her home on the St. David's Peninsula in Wales. Now that would be something to see!!




I have had this photo of the clouds for several weeks since our last rainstorm. I don't belong to Skywatch Friday, but these were so magnificent and so unusual to be as close as this to Carlsbad. So I had to take a photo. Usually, large cumulus clouds are way back over the mountains.


Monday, February 23, 2009

VISIT TO PALM SPRINGS

Last Thursday we traveled to Palm Springs (Palm Desert to be precise), to see a very dear friend of ours who lives in a retirement home there. Her husband was the long-time pastor of the Palm Springs Presbyterian Church. After he retired, he came to our church in Carlsbad where he was Pastor to Senior Citizens for about ten years. Jim passed away a good number of years ago now and we try to visit Jean when ever possible. Palm Springs is a good 2 and 1/2 hours journey from us. To get there and back and spend some time visiting makes for a long day.


This was our first view of the desert landscape, somewhere just beyond Hemet. Sorry, had to take this photo from the car window. The desert on this side of the mountains looks like the Badlands but in actual fact there is a wide stretch of farm land between our foothills and the San Jacinto range. Palm Springs sits on the desert floor behind this mountain range.


This was our first view of San Gorgonio and the mountains that are set behind Palm Springs. .Yes, they had plenty of snow there -- at 14,000 feet, I believe it is.

We could have taken Hwy 79, which would have taken us up and over the mountains and down the other side to Palm Desert, but that is a long and windy road, 'tho very pretty. We didn't have time to do that today, and we didn't know how much snow was still on the road up there. Instead we went a little further north and cut through the pass at Banning. That route took us around these mountains. We arrived just in time for lunch.



Jean was looking well for 95 years old. Here she is listening intently to what Barry was saying as he sat just to her right. She has some short term memory problems but still knows us and remembers all her friends at the church in Carlsbad. We were able to stay for about 3 hours and it was good to see her so well cared for.


This was a plant in the beautiful grounds in which the retirement home is situated. I was fascinated by its perfectly symmetrical shape, so I snapped this photo.

We arrived safely home about 6:30 p.m. for which we were exceedingly thankful. We had just one scare when someone almost rear-ended us with a great screech of brakes! But we always pray for safety when we take these kinds of trips that involve long hours and much traffic.

Thanks to the Lord from us, and blessings on Jean.


Friday, February 20, 2009

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF BAILEY

8:00 a.m.
Snooorrrre...

10:00 A.M.
Snooorrre!


12 noon
Snooorre...




2:00 p.m.

OOOH! What's that? A Mouse?
Let me get at him!







(Mom: He's hiding under the sheep rug, which I had tossed back when I stepped outside)

OOOH! Plenty of birds. I think I'll hide under here and then I'll pounce!














3:00 p.m.
Birds are getting boring. Guess I'll keep Mom amused by playing in this bag with her.


4:00 p.m.
YAAWWN! Too much effort!



5:00 p.m.
Snooorre!


6:00 p.m.
Snooorre!


Well, you get the picture!

Speaking of pictures...the drawing of the little girl in my previous post is of Alexis Gosselin from "Jon and Kate Plus Eight" the TV show about a couple who had twins and then3 years later were presented with sextuplets. Alexis is one of the sextuplets. I just think she has such a wonderful smile.


Monday, February 16, 2009

NEW ART WORK THIS WEEK

Finally got back into the mood for doing some more drawing.

This is a red squirrel taken from Enid Blyton's Nature Lover's Book (published in England); a book from my childhood that has everything to do with my interest in plants, animals and Natural History. I found it on e-Bay again last year and paid a small fortune for it, but it was good value. I received the book for Christmas when I was about ten years old. I devoured it -- I was a big reader, and still am. I would read it a chapter at a time and then go out into the fields and try to find and identify the flowers, trees and birds the book told me about. How amazing for a writer to have so much influence over a child! I learned to love Nature so much that I minored in Natural History in college.

You can tell how much I labored over this drawing by the smudges on the paper! I have named it, Alexis. I wanted to get the likeness as accurate as possible. Do you think I did? Do you know who Alexis is? You will only know if you watch a certain TV program. Answer next post.


PURPLE MEDALLION
I love doing medallions! You can do so much with colors and design--it is unending. I start by making the circle with a compass but after that it is all by hand.


Visit http/:www.chrisscomments.blogspot.com for WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS


Wednesday, February 11, 2009

UPDATES

Moth has finally returned from his marathon 5 weeks overseas. This time he visited not only Micronesia (Guam, Pohnpei, Chuuk) but also Australia, New Zealand and Western Samoa (as opposed to American Samoa). It was a long stretch of teaching and preaching but very worthwhile. Meanwhile I held the fort at home. (But you know what they say..."While the cat's away....")

Hmmm!!! Seems it wasn't all business...


I think he was trying to keep up with Kay and me because I sent this photo out in our Christmas letter:


NAUGHTY... NAUGHTY!!

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WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS


I want to let you know that I have started up my other blog again "Chris's Comments" at
www.chrisscomments.blogspot.com/ I haven't posted there for about a year, but once I started up my Bible Study on Hebrews in January, I decided it would be a good idea to post the highlights of the lesson, briefly, once a week. That way anyone who misses the study can catch up a little by going to this blog. I also decided I would set it up for a few weeks before I let you, my blogging friends know, in case I couldn't keep it up. But I find I like doing this, because it helps clarify my thoughts.

So the first four weeks of the study are now on this blog and you are invited to read along, if you wish. I call it WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAY....not my wisdom. Hebrews is a difficult book but is full of excellent truths about how we can navigate our lives down here, and why.

It is written from an evangelical Christian's viewpoint and that may give pause to some -- just want to let you know. However, in case you want to know what evangelical Christians really believe, this might be a good place to start.





Sunday, February 8, 2009

YEAH FOR THE KING'S SINGERS!!!

My absolutely most favorite singing music group, The King's Singers, have just won a Grammy for their CD "Simple Gifts" (www.signumrecords.com) Classical Crossover group. You must hear them.
I have been following them since 1983 and have every CD or tape t
hey ever produced. They are the most brilliant a cappella singers around today.




Do go to You Tube and hear them. The best pieces there are "Blackbird", "Danny Boy" and if you want some fun, try "The Barber of Seville Overture". You won't be disappointed.

Link to You Tube here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEYdoNRWw9I


These are the Songs on this Grammy Award winning CD (Sorry you have to squint):

Thursday, February 5, 2009

THE LETTER 'S' followed by PUFFINS

Greg of Greg's general store must be thinking I've opted out, but in keeping with his January 29th post here are my 10 most loved things beginning with the letter :

'S'

for

gregsgeneralstore.blogspot.com

My first three are predictable:

1. Let's hear it for SUNSHINE! I don't mind a warm rain with no wind, but at this time of the year it has to be warm sunshine.

2. SONS. The Lord blessed me with two sons and no daughters. I just don't know how well I would have handled daughters. I don't think I set a good example of how a daughter should be, but maybe that's because I didn't know how a daughter should be. I was a tomboy. My 'boys' are a joy to me. I just don't know how they have turned out to be so handsome and talented as they are. (Maybe their father had something to do with it!)
I would be remiss if I didn't include THE SON of God in this because He has made me all that I am and hope to be.

3. SAN DIEGO. America's finest city! Since I am definitely not a city person, San Diego must be a very special place.

4. This one's a bit off beat, but here it is SHORTCUTS. Not the computer kind, but the kind that makes anything easier or quicker to do. My desire for traveling short cuts has led us into some interesting places.

5. SNOWSHOES -- the cat kind -- taupe grey all over with four white paws, a white triangle on the face and blue eyes. If you read my blog anything like regularly, you know this would appear here.

6. SELF-CLEANING OVENS. Not that I cook or bake much any more but they must surely be up there in popularity with dishwashers.

7. SUGAR. Yes, sugar. A very unhealthy, politically incorrect choice I suppose, but I crave sugar; not cake, pies, ice-cream but cotton candy or anything else that is pure sugar. I think I'll ask for a cotton candy machine for Valentine's Day.

8. SLEEPING LATE. Oh how I love to sleep late! After 40 years of teaching, eighteen of which involved getting my two sons out of the door as well as myself, at an unearthly hour. All my adult life, until retirement I do believe I was sleep deprived.

9. SAN DIEGO STYLE STORMS. That is, the kind that are somewhat exciting after all our perfect weather and the kind that don't hurt any one. I do like to watch "Storm-Chasers" for a taste of the real thing. But when we get a heavy rain storm, I just have to stand at the window and watch.

10. And here's the best: SILENCE. I wonder, does anyone else crave silence like I do? Sometimes I lie in bed at night and thank the Lord for our double -paned windows. I can lie there and believe we're in the middle of the loneliest spot on earth. Not a sound to be heard. I love it. And with that in mind, I should give credit to Simon and Garfunkel and their"Sounds of Silence" So that actually gives you 12 THINGS I LOVE BEST

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Some more art work this week:

This is the original -- a coaster about 4" in diameter. I bought it at Flamborough a few years ago, because there are only a few places in the world where puffins can be seen and Flamborough is one of them.

I copied my picture, below, from the coaster. I changed the cliffs in the background to make them conform to the real Flamborough cliffs.


They are comical looking creatures, but you should see them fly! They just skim over the water, their legs splayed and their little black wings whirring like an overgrown humming bird.


Sunday, February 1, 2009

Sylvia

Dear Sylvia went to be with our Lord this evening at about 6:00 p.m. She was the sweetest lady with a wonderful faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. We know she is safe, happy and whole, with Him. Her faith in the Lord even as her days ended ,only strengthened . We are so happy that she is now free from the pain of these last months and is rejoicing in heaven with all those of 'like precious faith' who have gone before.



FROM SUNSET TO A BRIGHT NEW DAY