Fall, once more, has descended -
There’s a briskness in the air!
Beds of pungent, Autumn flowers
Emit their fragrance everywhere.
Trees are changing all their colors -
Hues of red and gold are found.
Leaves are making earth’s new carpet,
Slowly spreading o’er the ground.
Soon old Winter will be calling
With his early morning chill;
But for now, let’s savor Autumn -
While it lingers, soft and still.
written by Mary S. Chevalier
published in ‘Blessings Upon Blessings’
from the Salesian Collection
We are contemplating some major changes to our bedroom. The biggest change will be the removal of our big window into the backyard so we can replace it with doors. The doors will lead onto a new, little patio that will house our hot tub that has sat for a bit longer than planned in its ‘temporary’ spot. We enjoy the benefits of the hot tub but it’s time to get our act together and get moving. Moving the hot tub, that is, before winter arrives in the Pacific Northwest. Final decisions and plans are being made and, hopefully, it won’t be long and the long-dreamed-of sweet place just outside our bedroom doors will be reality. The photo above captured my heart with more ideas than the pocketbook can handle. And my doors will not look exactly like these – my sweetheart’s advice, based on the size and limitations of our space, is to install sliding doors. I long for a pergola – one that will allow me to relax in the hot tub or on our little patio while watching the stars, the moon, the clouds and other flying objects! But how to handle Oregon rains in the winter is still under consideration and discussion. If you have ideas and suggestions that work for you or for someone you know, please feel free to share. We’re still at the ‘kicking-ideas-around’ stage on this one.
I’m anxious for the doors to be reality; however, I have a concern that holds me back from being totally ecstatic about the changes. We don’t have central air conditioning and my sweetheart has lovingly installed a unit in our window. How to deal with that has been a big drawback for me. I’m not fond of the idea of cutting a hole in the wall, installing an a.c. and leaving it there year-round. It seems there must be a creative and decorative way to deal with the hole in the wall when the a.c. is not in use. My best suggestion has been to install shutters that would cover the opening. I even thought of a cute, little door made of a framed picture! Today while wiling away the early hours of the morning in the hot tub an idea suddenly ‘struck’ me – a thought I can’t wait to share with my sweetheart. Why not, or should I ask can we, put a small window in the wall where the a.c. needs to be? That thought makes me smile – if there must be a hole in the wall, why not fill it with a window? And light! I’m sure he will launch into a discussion of load-bearing walls and headers and wiring and all sorts of things that must be important but I’m thinking it’s a question worth asking! And I’m sure he will mention the budget. Oh well, a girl can dream – can’t she?
If you have an air conditioner unit that has been installed in a wall of your home, or if you have some ideas, would you help me decide how to handle it in the big scheme of things? The decorating scheme? If the truth be known my first choice would be to install a whole new heating and cooling system that requires ductwork added to my sweet little cottage home. Brought that one up to my sweetie and you should have heard the discussion on that one! He likes the idea – the the pocketbook doesn’t! Maybe someday!!!
After two days without internet and email service because of a faulty router I have to admit one thing. Hi, my name is Adrienne and I’m a computer junkie! I thought I would go nuts without contact from the outside world and all of you. And every time I thought of information I needed to find, it wasn’t available because it was online! So, now that I understand and have admitted it – I feel SO much better. And with my cute, new router came the news that I can have fiber-optic service right to my home in a few weeks. The engineering department has been notified and they will contact my sweetheart and I to discuss what needs to happen and their timeline and soon we will be in the current century. For a few days! Until something new is invented and comes our way. The benefits of fiber, you ask? My televisions will be on separate ‘lines’ from the computer access coming into my house and the routers that now take up space on my desk will be replaced with a teeny, little box that is just for my computer! What that really means is if there is a problem with the computer access we won’t lose our TV service. Like we did this weekend! And if the TV service goes out for any reason I can happily spend my time on the computer!! Whew, that was a lot to learn. And I didn’t even really want to learn it this way.
But I’m a happy camper now and I will catch up with you and return emails and enjoy what you have shared since I last checked in. Now, I have work to do so I can spend time on the computer this evening while my sweetheart watches a football game or some other sporting event. I fear he suffered withdrawal, too – no sports this weekend! We were forced to talk to each other, read, work on needlework (me) and Sudoku (him), attend a surprise seventieth birthday party for our friend and neighbor and be blessed by the sweet outdoor wedding of a dear friend last evening.
Jesus, Savior, pilot me
Over life’s tempestuous sea;
Unknown waves before me roll,
Hiding rock and treacherous shoal.
Chart and compass come from Thee;
Jesus, Savior, pilot me.
As a mother stills her child,
Thou canst hush the ocean wild;
Boisterous waves obey Thy will,
When Thou sayest to them, “Be still!”
Wondrous Sovereign of the sea,
Jesus, Savior, pilot me.
When at last I near the shore,
And the fearful breakers roar
’Twixt me and the peaceful rest,
Then, while leaning on Thy breast,
May I hear Thee say to me,
“Fear not, I will pilot thee.”
When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Mark 4:39
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10
Artwork: 'At The Helm'
Artist: Danny Hahlbohm
From art.com
Song: ‘The Sailor’s Hymn’
Words by: Edward Hopper
Music by: John E. Gould
Scripture from the New Living Translation
Was it only a week ago that we were at the Oregon Coast with my sweetheart’s brother and sister and their spouses? One brother and sister-in-law who had planned to join us were not able to go so it was just three couples together on a wet and stormy Oregon weekend. At the beach! Some things did not go as planned but we were flexible and changed plans to accommodate the weather. Because of the moisture from the rain – and the fact that a certain little dog had gone with us, making it hard to manage a doggie leash and a camera, I didn’t get many photos on this trip. But what I did get shows a bit of our adventure.
Much of the weekend we were under clouds – most of the rain came down during the night. And when it came down it really came down hard. At one point I thought maybe our little travel trailer would become the next Noah’s Ark and we would float away never to be seen again!
My sweetheart, his brother and brother-in-law were able to take our little boat out on the bay on Saturday. They returned with some nice crabs. They planned to go out again on Sunday and improve on what they had learned about the crabbing conditions – what worked and what didn’t work – but the winds were too strong for a small boat to be out on the water. So the men joined us girls for our ‘antiquing’ ventures as we headed north up the Oregon Coast. We had a great time together, snooping through antique stores along the way and ending with lunch in a cute little eatery. And all the while, my camera was back in the trailer. No pictures of the adventure – no way to share the fun we had together. We were happy campers when we returned ‘home’ to our RV’s. My sweetheart watched Mr. Joey for awhile that evening so I could go on a photo adventure nearby. Walking just across a country lane that ran along the side of our RV park I was mesmerized by the incredible sight of night falling around us. Farms were quiet after a busy day, lights were on in the homes nearby and the clouds reflected a bit of sun peaking through. A last glimpse of day caught my imagination and I found an incredible joy and freedom as I tried to capture it for memory’s sake. (See the lights of farmhouses across the pasturelands?)
Across the coastal highway from our RV park we had a great view – and easy access to – Tillamook Cheese Factory! We made quite a few trips over there for their delicious ice cream, cheese, and our favorite - cheese curds, also known as 'squeaky cheese' because it squeaks on your teeth when you chew it! - and a wonderful farm-fresh breakfast. When evening time came each night I was fascinated by the sight of the now-silent factory bathed in the glow of the lights.
Neither of my sisters-in-law were interested in having tea at the sweet little tearoom in Tillamook. Since I had no vehicle to drive there by myself (I haven’t driven my sweetheart’s new, big pickup yet!), I enjoyed tea alone in my little cabin-on-wheels – a natural Oregon tea – and a hazelnut almandine scone from a nearby bakery.
Well, I wasn’t really alone! Mr. Joey was there, too – wishing he could share my repast with me!! He was such a good little camper.
How can it be that it was just a week ago we were there? Away from home with family dear? There were too many things to see and do. We want to return again, maybe even for just a day, and enjoy the things we missed. For sure, the tearoom will be on my list! And a bit of cheese and ice cream – and who knows what else?
Be silent before the Lord,
And wait expectantly before Him.
Psalm 37:7
In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.
Isaiah 30:15
Two years ago we joined my sweetheart’s brothers and one of his sisters and their spouses at the Oregon Coast for Labor Day Weekend. We had such a good time that one night while sitting around the campfire we decided to do it again. And so our Annual Sibling Reunion - a new tradition -was born! You can see a bit of what we did that first year here. You can read here about our time together last year when we met at a lake in Central Oregon. This year we are returning to the place where the tradition began. In a few hours my sweetheart and I, and our little dog (Joey) will leave home, with our cabin-on-wheels and my sweetheart’s small boat, and we will drive to the Coast to join three of his four siblings and their spouses for time together. We are always so sorry that one sister and her husband live far away and can’t join us each year. And we have talked of heading their direction some year to meet near their home so we can all be together again. (Mr. and Mrs. H., I know this may be news to you. Don’t worry – we’ll give you fair warning that we’re all headed your way!)
Rain is forecast for the weekend but that won’t stop us! We will adapt and have a good time together. Part of our group plans to spend time crabbing on the bay – rain or shine. The rest of us will enjoy the Tillamook Cheese Factory, just across the highway from our RV park, and we will browse through antique and quilt shops on the northern coast. A sweet tearoom is nearby and it may be that we girls can slip away for tea. The weather won’t dampen our spirits! No matter what, we will be together - and that’s really all that counts.
