March . . . Lion or Lamb

I totally forgot to mention that yesterday's post was a bunch of random thoughts
all jumbled together. You already figured that out by now.

Random thot's continued . . .

When March comes around each year I start thinking about spring and flowers
and birds and mud.  In MN there could be a blizzard or two, snow blowers,
shovels and snowmen.
       We never know.

Or there could be tornadoes instead like the year Krysta was born.

Krysta's birthday comes near the end of March.
Eighteen years ago 16 tornadoes caused tremendous damage in MN and WI.
Ellis and I were in the hospital waiting for Krysta's arrival.
We saw the news about the storms. Then we heard from our family in MT
that Ellis's dad had pneumonia.

Grandpa Harshbarger hung on for a few more days.
Krysta was not quite 2 weeks old when we drove
to Coalridge to say Good-bye.

I remember people asking me if Krysta was ok.
They never heard her cry and thought something must be wrong with her.
She learned to use her lungs later on - believe me!

Bird Song, Coffee and Prize Coffee Cake

There's nothing quite like hearing a cardinal sing outside the window in the early
morning. It was still dark so I couldn't see the red bird but I could hear him
and the wind chimes that hang close to the bird feeder.

This happened Sunday morning when I was scurrying around making coffee
and Prize Coffee Cake for Krysta's *going on a grand adventure*.  Krysta was
getting ready to fly to India to visit friends and help with renovations at an orphanage.

When we are celebrating special moments like that this is the cake we make. If by any chance
Esther Mae Kauffman is reading she might recognize this recipe. She gave it to me many years
ago. (I added the Streusel Topping and cut down on the sugar in the cake.)

Prize Coffee Cake

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening (butter or margarine works too)
Cream together until fluffy
Add 2 eggs
1 cup milk
Mix all together

Dry ingredients:
3 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
Mix together. Pour into greased 9x13 cake pan.

Topping
I cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 T. cinnamon (more or less to taste)
Splash of vanilla
6 T. Butter
Cut the butter into the mixture with pastry cutter
Sprinkle over the cake evenly.
Bake at 350 for 35-40 min.

While that is baking let's go back to the birds.
When Ellis and I got married I could name a few birds
       and match them up with their pictures.

Robin
Cardinal
Blue Bird
Blue Jay
Crow
Wren
Redheaded Woodpecker

Except for the Crow and the Blue Jay I wouldn't have recognized their songs.

(There was one bird my family listened to up north and it was easy to identify by it's song
. . .  the whippoorwill)

When we got married I started on a life long hobby of matching birds with their songs.
We've been feeding the birds for a few years and enjoy quite a variety at our bird feeder.
This year two pesky squirrels have taken over the feeder. They can be a pain.

If you want to follow Krysta's adventure go to:
www.childrensopportunity.org

Prairie Sunrise

How many people have tried to capture sunrises on paper?
With either paints or words it seems like an impossible task.
You just have to be there.

Was it Emily's teacher who told her to let the sun rise
without trying to describe it in paragraphs a yard long?
I need to read L.M.Montgomery's book - Emily of New Moon -
again and find that little tidbit.

The other day traveling north on a frozen winter morning just at sunrise
gave me a feeling of being in the center of a huge up-side-down
stoneware bowl. This bowl was blue washed with winter white.
A pale pink rim circled the edge.
I looked to the right and to the left and even in the rear view mirror.
It was all the same everywhere I looked.
Before long I saw the faintest yellow tinges
bordering the east side.

I could also see the windmill farm: tall, white, motionless statues.
Only two were moving their arms in gigantic circles . . .
      the others were all frozen in place.

More and more yellow showed at the edge of the world.
Because I was driving north I didn't see the exact moment the sun
showed it's face. I got a peep of a copper colored sliver of sunshine
then I had to concentrate on my driving.

Suddenly the sun was up and I was driving north on a fantastically
beautiful sparkly day.

For a great description of another sunrise read Laura Ingalls Wilder's
in On The Banks of Plum Creek. Mary and Laura are taking the cow
to pasture in the early morning. She describes birds and dew covered
grasses tickling bare toes.

Psalm 19 
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork.

Gertie and Esmerelda

Krysta misses out on the fun. A couple weeks ago Ellis and I hurried in to Hog Slat
early in the morning. We had to unload boxes out of our two cars. We used them for
delivery vehicles over the week end.

Ellis pulled "Gertie," into the back bay to unload.
(I don't know how the green car got that name.
The white Ford is Esmerelda.
Again I don't know how this happened.)
I was in the office working on the computer.
I heard Ellis calling in a quite loud, panicked voice,
"Dawn, where are the keys for the car?"

Oh the sinking sensation!
All the smart aleck remarks that came rushing to my head!
Then he asked, "Where is the spare set of keys?"

The truth is I don't know where the extra set is. One day I put them in my purse in the car.
They have never seen the light of day since. I thought they must have slipped under the seat
but no matter how often I've looked they remained missing.

Ellis drove over to Derrick's to ask for advice.

I found my little flash light from Yoder's Construction. This was another exercise in
standing on my head, flashing the light all around and what do you think? There was a set
of keys under the passenger seat just where I had dropped them months before.

I grabbed them, dashed around to the trunk, unlocked it and opened it and there were the
keys on a ledge just where Ellis had laid them.

By that time Ellis was back looking very gloomy.
"Derrick says try taking the back seat out."

What a change in his expression when I dangled both sets of keys in front of his eyes!
Happy Days!

All Things New

A lot of times I am ten days to two weeks (try a month) behind when it comes to writing
what's happened in our lives.  Christmas vacation was lovely. It went too fast, but that is normal.

This year we rented the township hall and invited the young folks from church
to a taffy pull on New Year's Eve. Ellis and I asked some friends our age to come
too. And some friends younger than us . . . Their oldest daughter is the same age
as our youngest daughter.  It was a nice mix of people.

We played games, cooked two pans of taffy, poured the taffy on buttered cookie trays
to let it cool, then everyone washed their hands, buttered their hands and pulled taffy.
It really does turn ivory colored. We had some experts in the group who showed us how
to get in the rhythm. (Here is where some pictures of the evening should be inserted.)

There were finger foods to eat and coffee, hot chocolate and lemonade to choose from to
either stay awake or quench your thirst.  Many table games were being played all around
the room while two groups prepared skits using random items hastily put together by me.

We had a short time of prayer together then rang in the New Year with bells. Krysta
rounded up bells from our collection and used them for decorations on the tables. 

Our township hall is a lovely old building that's been renovated.
Imagine stepping into an entryway.

Steep, narrow stairs descend to a dark basement on the right.
A combination of smells waft around as you turn to the left and step back in time.

Fortunately they saved the original wood floor. 
We walked on a floor that was installed 100 years ago. 

The ceiling is metal with designs in it.  It has been painted white. 

The windows are long with beautiful wood framing them.

Before the festivities, Deanne, Krysta and I swooped some brooms around
and swabbed down the surfaces with Mr. Clean . . .
 we ran a trap line - removed a mouse and reset mouse traps . . .

then lit some candles and moved in some decorations.

We might be on to a new tradition for us.

Someone has to keep taffy pulling from becoming a lost art.

Snow Mobile Trail

 This morning our little Ford Focus tried to be a snow mobile. Krysta and I were driving to my mom's house. Without thinking I took a wrong turn in town.

I said,"Oh, what was I thinking?"

I turned to the left then got ready to turn left again a couple blocks later. Krysta said, "Go straight ahead! See that road!"

It looked like a road. I kept driving straight ahead. All went well for a block or so. It soon became obvious . . . I was on the snow mobile trail!

"This is the snow mobile trail! I yelped. "Not the road!"

I stopped and backed up. Somewhere along the way I got off the tracks.

We called Ellis. He didn't answer. We called the store where he was going to eventually
meet a customer. We got the answering machine and yelled a message just to be sure he
could hear from the back office.

What did we do before cell phones?

We would have had a long walk.

Ellis called back. We told him the dilemma. He laughed. He brought the four wheel drive pick-up
and a tow rope. I like a tow rope and a four wheel drive pick-up in the snow.

Krysta and I were grateful beyond words.

We went on our way rejoicing!

I hope the guys on snow mobiles won't be too mad.

Luke 1:46 - 55

⁴⁶ And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,

⁴⁷ And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

⁴⁸ For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden:

    for, behold,

        from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

⁴⁹ For he that is mighty hath done to me great things;
    
        and holy is his name.

⁵⁰ And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.

⁵¹ He hath shewed strength with his arm;

        he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

⁵² He hath put down the mighty from their seats,

        and exalted them of low degree.

⁵³ He hath filled the hungry with good things;
 
       and the rich he hath sent empty away.

⁵⁴ He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;

⁵⁵ As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.



Every December I try to memorize these verses. 
Today I read about God's promise to Abraham when he was called
to leave what was comfortable and familiar and go to a new country.

January 2016,  might feel like a new beginning . . .
     leaving what is comfortable and familiar.
          God is with us in the New Year.

 

Psalm 150

 Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary:

     praise him in the firmament of his power.

² Praise him for his mighty acts:
     praise him according to his excellent greatness.
³ Praise him with the sound of the trumpet:
     praise him with the psaltery and harp.
⁴ Praise him with the timbrel and dance:
     praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
⁵ Praise him upon the loud cymbals:
     praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
⁶ Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord.
     Praise ye the Lord.

 

 (KJV)