28 degrees here with wind and thick fog. Makes for a nice morning to sit under the blanket with a nice hot cup of coffee. The deer have meandered through and are chomping on a smushed pumpkin out at the back of the property. The big ol’ buck was being a food hog as the others looked on. The woodpeckers are hunkered down in two of the nesting boxes and poke their faces out from time to time.
Lunching with oldest daughter today then a gathering with our neighbors tonight for conversation and chili. Enjoying days of retirement 😊
Happy to be home after 25.5 hours of travel–I watched/snoozed through 7 movies–finally falling asleep to Gershwin’s An American in Paris.
147 emails to go, about five loads of laundry and a DEADLINE.
Back to the grindstone, sigh.
We spent 17 fantastic days in Israel–enough to keep me writing for months.
A significant development in my inner healing turned up at the Church of the Holy Sepulchure. It’s not done yet, but we are awed by God’s hand at work.
Truly, a marvelous experience, traveling with 45 (including six homeschooled children 7-14) others of great spiritual depth (that includes the children). SO rich, and glorious–the sites, the trip, the conversations, the ministry.
We traveled with Orbis ministries–with whom we’ve been taking classes the last 2.5 years. Bible teaching was excellent, we knew about 15 or so of the folks traveling, and our Israeli guide was extremely knowledgeable.
We toured the usual spots, but also a number of obscure ones from the OT that my military guy absolutely loved. We traveled from the high of the top of Mt. Hermon–where I was closer to an active war zone than any other time in my life (other than, of course, when I lived at ground zero for 20 years), to the Dead Sea -430 ft sea level.
We saw Herodian forts, a gate Abraham may have traveled through, Masada (husband LOVED that tour), and many spots in Jerusalem.
The folks we traveled with were superb. Twice, I got off the bus with a question and asked the man standing next to men, “Are you a pastor? Can you answer my question?”
Turned out neither was a pastor, but they answered my question. 🙂
Our fellow travelers were from the US, UK, NZ, Australia, and Costa Rica. Wonderful time.
Good morning, all. Back from taking daughter her meds. A couple inches of snow on the ice from yesterday, snowing thick and heavy while turning to sleet. The Kingdom did great. Thanking God for the gift of the car and the time and all. I saw one other car on the ten mile trip and met the snowplow on the way back.
So Mumsee is celebrating Dj’s birthday with snow. Dj, enjoy your rain. We all know that that is a rare occurrence and a blessing from God. May you have time today to celebrate and to thank Him for another year.
My cousin, for years a while back, thought my birthday was in March so I’d get my birthday card from her then. It proved we were related.
Welcome back, M, sounds like an incredible trip.
Yes, rain is amazing, it actually rained a bit overnight despite the forecast saying it wouldn’t start until around noon today.
We shoot all kinds of people, but politicians are a particular favorite.
Janice, that dog story is one I haven’t seen but am looking forward to reading it for inspiration and possible ideas.
I have a last-minute election story to turn in today and we have a staff election call in about 40 minutes (I still need to change the clock in the home office room).
On the dog story, I was looking for the recent one about the Labrador Retriever that chewed up 2K in cash. I found the wrong story but posted it before I realized it was the wrong one.
Got up with a touch of vertigo today but it’s cleared up. I get that maybe once or twice a year, it’s usually just an inner ear issue and more common among women and those who are over 60. But not a good way to start the work day.
Then I had a correction to write up, ugh. (I had the wrong # of units in a new supportive housing development we took a photo of last week.) That’s the worst for a reporter, it makes you look and your outlet look bad. But it happens and it’s done, correction made online & turned in for print.
Ouch. Ouch. Hate that.
It’s been lightly raining here all day, but it sounds like our gardeners still showed up just a little while ago.
I recently asked a long time guy friend to Art and me to send Art a card before his surgery because although Art has many business clients, he has few real friends to send cards and such. Recently we both received cards from this friend. I had not expected the Get Well card for myself and thought that is just like this kind friend. I put Art’s unopened card on his computer where I put his mail. The thing that happened is that is where I also put outgoing mail from myself to friends, often cards for Art to mail. Art picked it up without looking at who it was addressed to and put it in the mail at the office. So now I have to tell this friend that I really liked my card but that Art’s card is ‘lost in the mail.’ I just feel so upset by this dumb thing that happened.
No good deed goes unpunished!
Daughter was out doing chores when she came across a hen with ten brand new chicks. One had died and one was very near death. I held it while she prepped the nursery box, then she and son went and caught them all. The one I had revived and they are all out in the heated nursery box. If the power goes out, the mom can keep them warm. Should be easier for her to care for them now.
I just got the mail. We had two more cards from the other half of the couple I had asked to send cards. They each had been married to spouses who had died from cancer and neither couple had children. We had worked with them years ago. They have been kind to send cards as I had requested. And I just found out that the guy friend did call Art over the weekend. We were getting together for lunch with this couple occasionally before Covid hit.
Janice – My parents were friends with a couple who had each lost their first spouse. They would go with each other to visit the spouses’ graves. I thought that was sweet.
The art of sending personal cards through the mail has really taken a hit ever since emails and computers took over, which is sad.
I struggle now to get Christmas cards out. Once upon a time, I had a list of probably 50 I’d send Christian-themed holiday cards to each year. When I first went to work at my first (small) daily newspaper I realized the staff all sent Christmas cards to each other, passing out everyone’s addresses every year so we’d all have them. How sweet was that?
The tradition sort of died out as old-timers left.
We eventually got an editor who was an observant (now Orthodox) Jew. One of our other Christian reporters was so embarrassed — he told me this story right after it happened — when he casually walked into the editor’s office and asked if they’d “gotten their tree yet.” Editor smiled, said, no, we’re Jewish. Co-worker was, of course, mortified. “I knew that, what’s wrong with me?”
That editor is now a port spokesman so we are still in pretty constant touch.
But I’m guilty when it comes to being lax, too-late, forgetful about sending snail-mail cards (I do get a couple out, but nothing like before).
Wandering Views 
Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday, DJ!!!
And being a dog lover, a dog story which you have probably seen!
https://www.foxnews.com/world/dog-eats-cash-labradoodle-vet-bills
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Morning and Happy Birthday Dj!!! 🎂
28 degrees here with wind and thick fog. Makes for a nice morning to sit under the blanket with a nice hot cup of coffee. The deer have meandered through and are chomping on a smushed pumpkin out at the back of the property. The big ol’ buck was being a food hog as the others looked on. The woodpeckers are hunkered down in two of the nesting boxes and poke their faces out from time to time.
Lunching with oldest daughter today then a gathering with our neighbors tonight for conversation and chili. Enjoying days of retirement 😊
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Happy birthday, DJ! I hope your new year of life is better than last year for you.
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Happy to be home after 25.5 hours of travel–I watched/snoozed through 7 movies–finally falling asleep to Gershwin’s An American in Paris.
147 emails to go, about five loads of laundry and a DEADLINE.
Back to the grindstone, sigh.
We spent 17 fantastic days in Israel–enough to keep me writing for months.
A significant development in my inner healing turned up at the Church of the Holy Sepulchure. It’s not done yet, but we are awed by God’s hand at work.
Truly, a marvelous experience, traveling with 45 (including six homeschooled children 7-14) others of great spiritual depth (that includes the children). SO rich, and glorious–the sites, the trip, the conversations, the ministry.
We’re awed, and so very, very thankful.
M
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AJ, I sent you an email.
Continuing prayers for you, Brother AJ.
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Michelle, glad you made it safely home. Which tour group were you with?
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Happy birthday, DJ!
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We traveled with Orbis ministries–with whom we’ve been taking classes the last 2.5 years. Bible teaching was excellent, we knew about 15 or so of the folks traveling, and our Israeli guide was extremely knowledgeable.
We toured the usual spots, but also a number of obscure ones from the OT that my military guy absolutely loved. We traveled from the high of the top of Mt. Hermon–where I was closer to an active war zone than any other time in my life (other than, of course, when I lived at ground zero for 20 years), to the Dead Sea -430 ft sea level.
We saw Herodian forts, a gate Abraham may have traveled through, Masada (husband LOVED that tour), and many spots in Jerusalem.
The folks we traveled with were superb. Twice, I got off the bus with a question and asked the man standing next to men, “Are you a pastor? Can you answer my question?”
Turned out neither was a pastor, but they answered my question. 🙂
Our fellow travelers were from the US, UK, NZ, Australia, and Costa Rica. Wonderful time.
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Happy birthday, DJ. Glad you got rain. 🙂
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Good morning, all. Back from taking daughter her meds. A couple inches of snow on the ice from yesterday, snowing thick and heavy while turning to sleet. The Kingdom did great. Thanking God for the gift of the car and the time and all. I saw one other car on the ten mile trip and met the snowplow on the way back.
LikeLiked by 4 people
So Mumsee is celebrating Dj’s birthday with snow. Dj, enjoy your rain. We all know that that is a rare occurrence and a blessing from God. May you have time today to celebrate and to thank Him for another year.
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Interesting thoughts on the why of transgenderism:
https://breakpoint.org/why-so-many-young-people-are-dysconnected-from-their-families-bodies-and-reality/
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I just downloaded 2000 photos off my phone. Yikes!
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Happy birthday, DJ. Still concerned about you shooting the county supervisor just because she voted. Seems extreme.
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Thanks for the birthday wishes.
My cousin, for years a while back, thought my birthday was in March so I’d get my birthday card from her then. It proved we were related.
Welcome back, M, sounds like an incredible trip.
Yes, rain is amazing, it actually rained a bit overnight despite the forecast saying it wouldn’t start until around noon today.
We shoot all kinds of people, but politicians are a particular favorite.
Janice, that dog story is one I haven’t seen but am looking forward to reading it for inspiration and possible ideas.
I have a last-minute election story to turn in today and we have a staff election call in about 40 minutes (I still need to change the clock in the home office room).
LikeLiked by 4 people
Um…DJ? Have you seen the cat today? Just wondering. Seem to recall some incident with the cat and the removed grate cover in the past…
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On the dog story, I was looking for the recent one about the Labrador Retriever that chewed up 2K in cash. I found the wrong story but posted it before I realized it was the wrong one.
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Just got a phone call from Boise daughter. It is twins!
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Great news, Mumsee! Double the joy❤❤
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Congratulations mumsee!
And yes, I spotted the cat not too long ago.
I remember that furnace “slide” incident, it was on a Thanksgiving morning. There she went, straight down that chute. Whee. Gone. Yikes.
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Got up with a touch of vertigo today but it’s cleared up. I get that maybe once or twice a year, it’s usually just an inner ear issue and more common among women and those who are over 60. But not a good way to start the work day.
Then I had a correction to write up, ugh. (I had the wrong # of units in a new supportive housing development we took a photo of last week.) That’s the worst for a reporter, it makes you look and your outlet look bad. But it happens and it’s done, correction made online & turned in for print.
Ouch. Ouch. Hate that.
It’s been lightly raining here all day, but it sounds like our gardeners still showed up just a little while ago.
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I have an Ouch.Ouch. Hate that.
I recently asked a long time guy friend to Art and me to send Art a card before his surgery because although Art has many business clients, he has few real friends to send cards and such. Recently we both received cards from this friend. I had not expected the Get Well card for myself and thought that is just like this kind friend. I put Art’s unopened card on his computer where I put his mail. The thing that happened is that is where I also put outgoing mail from myself to friends, often cards for Art to mail. Art picked it up without looking at who it was addressed to and put it in the mail at the office. So now I have to tell this friend that I really liked my card but that Art’s card is ‘lost in the mail.’ I just feel so upset by this dumb thing that happened.
No good deed goes unpunished!
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Ouch, Janice. 😦
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Don Johnson is my friend’s brother. Grew up in small town Saskatchewan.
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Daughter was out doing chores when she came across a hen with ten brand new chicks. One had died and one was very near death. I held it while she prepped the nursery box, then she and son went and caught them all. The one I had revived and they are all out in the heated nursery box. If the power goes out, the mom can keep them warm. Should be easier for her to care for them now.
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I just got the mail. We had two more cards from the other half of the couple I had asked to send cards. They each had been married to spouses who had died from cancer and neither couple had children. We had worked with them years ago. They have been kind to send cards as I had requested. And I just found out that the guy friend did call Art over the weekend. We were getting together for lunch with this couple occasionally before Covid hit.
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Janice – My parents were friends with a couple who had each lost their first spouse. They would go with each other to visit the spouses’ graves. I thought that was sweet.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The art of sending personal cards through the mail has really taken a hit ever since emails and computers took over, which is sad.
I struggle now to get Christmas cards out. Once upon a time, I had a list of probably 50 I’d send Christian-themed holiday cards to each year. When I first went to work at my first (small) daily newspaper I realized the staff all sent Christmas cards to each other, passing out everyone’s addresses every year so we’d all have them. How sweet was that?
The tradition sort of died out as old-timers left.
We eventually got an editor who was an observant (now Orthodox) Jew. One of our other Christian reporters was so embarrassed — he told me this story right after it happened — when he casually walked into the editor’s office and asked if they’d “gotten their tree yet.” Editor smiled, said, no, we’re Jewish. Co-worker was, of course, mortified. “I knew that, what’s wrong with me?”
That editor is now a port spokesman so we are still in pretty constant touch.
But I’m guilty when it comes to being lax, too-late, forgetful about sending snail-mail cards (I do get a couple out, but nothing like before).
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Ah, but aren’t we all?! (A work in progress, that is. 🙂 )
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I hope you had a good day, Dj, despite the one little glitch.
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Happy birthday, DJ. Hope it was a good one.
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