This post is going to be all about that snow! But first a picture I took after we got some new unfaded bows put up. We probably won't be seeing a view like this for a while after this week.
On Tuesday evening I made a meat loaf and roasted veggies for Anthony and Lori, and the next morning I took it over to their place, because I knew the snow was coming by noon. I stopped for groceries on the way home, and as I came out of the store the first flakes were flying.
It was fun to be safely home and watch it come down.
What a beautiful sight on Thursday morning!
Then it was time to get to work! For the first time ever Dick had a working snowblower AND a paved driveway! Woohoo! That did not mean it was easy. He was out there four hours. He also did some snow blowing for some neighbor ladies.
I got busy trying to find my van, hahaha!
Almost fourteen inches of snow on top of it!
I cracked up when Dick cleared just one side of his windshield when he parked his truck along the street in order to finish the driveway.
The snow plow had of course made an even higher pile for Dick to remove. It was slow going.
But he got'er done!
I had told Dick to pick up some packs of yeast the day before. There's something about a snow storm that makes me think about making donuts like my mom did and like I did many, many times in years past. But I really didn't feel like going to all that work when we're not even supposed to eat stuff like that. And there were no children here to make it fun. So I looked at recipes to find something quicker that still used yeast. I found a recipe in an old Manheim Christian Day School cookbook called Sticky Quickie Buns. Just what I was looking for! It was a small recipe, and they got really good. While they were still warm I put them in some Christmas containers and we took them to four of the neighbors. I never even got a picture of them.
On Friday I made a chicken pie for Anthony and Lori. Dick was taking another vacation day, and he drove me to deliver it. Lori wasn't sure I would enjoy driving up their road. What a great idea to have Dick driving so I could take pictures!! It was like driving into a glorious winter wonderland!!!
This is my favorite, the entrance to their property.
That's Dick's beloved hunting shack.
I'll end this post like I began it. This morning we had some more snow! Not much though.
I'll post again tomorrow probably. I have so many CUTE pictures of Elizer to share.
It's 8 PM and I feel like going to bed! These dark evenings..... But at least the sunsets are heading in the right direction now - a minute later every few days, haha! From 4:44 PM to 4:46 by the end of this week. Woohoo!
On Friday we took the dinner I had made over to Anthony and Lori's, and I got this sunset picture.
From there we went to check out a new place - Axemann Brewery. We were delighted to meet the owners, Rod and Dorthea Stahl. Back in 1992 our precious foster sibling group, Nicole, Krista, and Joseph, were adopted by Rod's sister and her husband. We have both been living here in the State College area, but have never met before. In July they opened the brewery in the old, abandoned Cerra Metal factory near Bellefonte. Our favorite BBQ place, Doan's Bones, was there this weekend. We ordered take-out after getting a picture of Rod and Dorthea. It was a short, fun meet-up, and of course we both were soon sending pictures to the "kids" and their parents. Hopefully, some day after COVID they can all come to PA and we can meet up at the brewery.
On Saturday morning I went for a few groceries and gas. On Rock Road I snapped this beautiful picture of the sky.
Then I went home and made a pot of chili and some rice. Dick had been over at Anthony and Lori's hunting and got home around noon. We packed up some food and hit the road. Our destination this time was Lancaster. Alex was going to be flying down to join Destiny and Elizer at his mom's house in Ocala, Florida on Sunday. He didn't have room in his luggage to take all the clothes, etc that Destiny needs for herself and Elizer. So we went down to get the things so we could mail them. We said our goodbyes to Alex and went back home.
But we did stop at Sam's on the way back. I had packed up chili and rice and all the fixin's for them to have Mexican Pile-up for dinner. They were outside when we got there. Sammy and Bianca were playing tag with some of the neighbor kids. I didn't even get a picture of them!
I got this amazing sunset picture somewhere between Lancaster and Duncannon. I think we were back home soon after 7 PM.
On Sunday morning we had our second week of "skeleton crew" worship service at GBRV. Or maybe it was the third week. I can't even keep track anymore! Just Dick taking the video, me playing piano and singing, one person to run the powerpoint, one person to manage the Google Meets, and of course Pastor Lynn. I miss seeing all the other people. Those of us who are doing the service don't get to see all the people who join on Google Meets.
We came home then and, as usual, watched Calvary's service on our TV.
In the afternoon we went to UPS to get Destiny's stuff shipped to Florida, and we got a few groceries. Then we came home and watched football.
This morning there was light snow. Just enough to be pretty.
Today was Pastor Lynn's first chemo treatment, and I was allowed to go along to stay with her. Her nurse was WONDERFUL! So upbeat and funny. We were there five or six hours altogether, and Lynn did really well. They said Thursday will probably be her hardest day.
Here she is eating the gingerbread I got for her in the cafeteria. I also got her a yummy hamburger.
This was the view from her window. We thought it was interesting to see the snow at the top of the mountain only.
We could see the ski slopes from her window too. I bet that place is happy about the snow in our forecast for Wednesday. Sounds like there could be some major snow. We shall see.
And as usual, I'll end with a picture of Elizer - sitting up so straight! He melts my heart! Alex is down there now. Today Destiny had her first day of work at a factory called Closetmaid. It was just orientation today, but she thinks it will be a good place to work. Elizer was daddy's boy today. He's such a happy, pleasant baby.
Gotta go to bed now. I have a hair appointment tomorrow morning at 8:45 - that's earlier than usual, but I took what I could get. My last trim was seven weeks ago, and I'm feeling bushy. My hairdresser had been in contact with someone who had COVID so she had to quarantine for a while. When she called me a few days ago to say she'll be coming back on Tuesday, you better believe I took whatever appointment she had open for Tuesday!
We finally got some Christmas decorating done last weekend! Dick took a vacation day on Friday, and our main project that day was the front porch. I decided to go with multi-colored lights this year. I feel like we need to spread all the cheer we possibly can!
We discovered that our bows have really faded. Some of them are more orange than red. We got some more this week, and Dick will put them up this weekend.
Our tree had multi-colored lights the past few years, but this year I decided to go with white. I have definitely learned one thing - all whites are not alike! And they don't all come with green wire! Let's just say that till I was finished putting the lights on this tree we had returned half of the ones we bought, and shopped at three different places. It was Home Depot curbside pick-up for the win!
As I said on Facebook, I have wished for years that I would know how to put a bow and ribbons on my tree. Lisa used to do that when she was my tree decorator during her collage years. When I was in Portland I admired the bows and ribbons on Jeremy's trees, but I was too busy to watch how he did it.
I had grabbed a roll of ribbon the other week, and on Saturday, between watching several YouTube videos and calling Jeremy a few times, I managed to make a bow and dangle some ribbons! I would NOT want any seasoned crafters to take a close look at my bow, however!
On Saturday evening, while my house was still a disorganized mess from decorating, there was a knock at the door. I thought, "Oh no! Who would be coming now?" Turns out it was the UPS driver, and there was a box at the door. One of our nieces had sent us this box of mandarins grown in California. They are huge and sweet and delicious!! Thank you, Juanita!!
One thing I have longed for is a way to play my beloved Christmas CDs with good sound. We have an exterior speaker system hooked up to our TV that Anthony had given us one time. We mainly turn it on when watching The Voice. On Saturday Dick rigged a little portable CD player into it, and VOILA! Mannheim Steamroller never sounded so good! On Monday morning I sat on the couch and took in the sights and sounds and smells of Christmas. I felt very, very blessed.
This has been quite an uneventful week. The most fun thing was Facetiming with Destiny, and with Jeremy's family too.
Elizer is so cute when she's talking with someone. He does not want to be left out! When I took this screen shot he was looking at me on her phone. Mr. Nosey Pants! He is really, really talkative!
Apparently he can also be a little ham at night sometimes when he should be sleeping, haha!
I enjoyed seeing some videos Anthony posted the other day of Austin enjoying the auto CAD he's learning in his Tech Ed class online. That's right down his alley! He was pleased with this AT AT Walker he had created. (Don't ask me what that is, just google it if you need to know, hahaha!)
I'm sorry to talk about COVID again, but it continues to hit close to home. Today I got news of two more deaths. Dick's brother Jim's father-in-law, Harold Geib, died this morning. He got sick two weeks ago and was admitted to the hospital on Thanksgiving Day, having been on a ventilator most of the time since then. There was a period of time when he seemed to be improving, but yesterday Carolyn said that he was not getting any better and their hopes were getting dim.
He was a wonderful man, still very active, probably in his early 80's. Carolyn's mother died five years ago. Jim and Carolyn's family was very, very close to her dad, and they did many things together. It's a tremendous loss. Here is a picture of their family at Josh's wedding in October 2019. It includes Carolyn's brother Ron Geib and his family too. Harold is standing next to Carolyn (striped tie.)
This morning I also learned that my cousin Glenn Miller, age 77, died after battling COVID for a few weeks. He and his wife live in New Mexico. His mother was my dad's sister. The really sad thing is that his sister Betty Ann died in October, after a long battle with heart issues and cancer. She and her husband lived in Colorado, and family came from everywhere for her funeral. The week after her funeral, their youngest brother Don, age 63, who lives in Alberta, Canada, became ill, was COVID positive, and died after a couple of weeks. I also learned today that one of their sisters, also in Alberta, is in the hospital with COVID. Pray for Dottie!
Here is a picture of Glenn and his wife Anna Lois taken at Betty Ann's funeral in October. They were such a lovely couple. Glenn was the first of the Witmer cousins to get married, and I remember going to their wedding as a young teenager. We thought Anna Lois was so beautiful and fun and were disappointed when they moved so far away. I was told by one of his sisters this morning that he was so strong and healthy, still working full-time at age 77! He was also a pastor. I never realized how much he looked like the Witmers (like my dad, even) until I saw this picture.
I hate to end on such a sad note. Here's a sunset picture I got one evening. I had just left home and caught a glimpse of the sunset filling the sky, but I was going in the wrong direction. As soon as possible I made a right turn in order to drive toward it. But there were constantly trees in the way!! By the time I got beyond the trees it wasn't nearly as amazing as it had been just a few minutes prior! Ugh. I should have just pulled over right where I was!
Have a good rest of the week! And please stay healthy!
I woke up way too early this morning, which happens about once a week. I usually try to get seven hours of sleep at night, but sometimes my brain tells me that four or five are enough. I lived most of my adult life on that amount, unfortunately, until the last ten years or so.
So now I'll start out with this beautiful Christmas tree at GBRV. Normally the tree would have been decorated during the "Hanging of the Greens" service, which was this past Sunday. But because of social distancing requirements, it was already done before the service. The beautiful nativity set under the tree was new last year. I remember Sammy helping to put things into place. How I miss having them here for weekends!
Sunday turned out to be a sunny day in the 50's. Deer hunting was permitted that day, so Dick headed over to Anthony and Lori's for the afternoon. I was feeling pretty blue, missing the fun Thanksgiving weekend houseful we normally have. So I went out for a walk, which was good therapy. It's good I did, because we haven't had a day like that since, and the forecast doesn't indicate that we will any time soon.
It was interesting to see a mix of the seasons as I walked - Christmas decorations some places, and someone mowing the lawn at another place, haha! When I got home and sat on the porch I noticed that my one remaining hanging plant still had flowers on it!
On Monday it rained a lot, and on Tuesday we had snow flurries.
By Wednesday morning there was actually snow on the grass and cars. But it was gone by the afternoon. Preparing to take this picture prompted me to cut the yarn that held my autumn pillows onto the rockers all those months and replace them with these Christmas pillows. When I left later in the day to take the food I had made for Anthony and Lori, I found one of the pillows already lying at the bottom of the steps, haha!! So I brought them inside. Today I will stitch them to the rockers! Dick has a vacation day today and the Christmas decorations will finally be put up.
There have not been many good sunrises lately, but Thursday morning we did.
I know I have some readers that are not on Facebook, so I'll share some of the things that gave me chuckles this week. First of all, these very current lyrics to the song "We Three Kings." I just love the humor and the great rhyming. Hopefully this will get large enough for you to see the lyrics if you click on it.
And then there was this, which created some interesting and hilarious discussions in the comment section of my FB post.
When we got married in 1971 I would have LOVED to have a kitchen like this. Or maybe Harvest Gold instead. But we were young and poor, and as renters of a small mobile home in Manheim, we had to put up with our little kitchen and its turquoise stove, lol!! I did spruce it up with my Harvest Gold accessories though - all wedding gifts, I'm sure. Now I think the turquoise was pretty cool, much better than avocado green! But back then I hated that it looked so 50's!
The funny thing is that I knew what avocado green was before I even knew what an avocado was!! I loved this avocado green dress I wore in my friend Elaine Nissley's wedding a few weeks after our wedding. Boy, to be that thin again!
Guess what? I have a new favorite tea! For YEARS my favorite has been Candy Cane Lane, ever since I first found it by accident at Weavers Health Food store in Manheim, probably 15 years ago. Don't worry, I still love it! But when I was in Portland, Mike introduced me to Original Yogi Tea. I wasn't sure I would like it, but was willing to try because I needed to warm up. Before long I noticed the spiciness of ginger, and I knew I loved it. They sent me home with three boxes of it! In addition to ginger root, it also has cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and pepper. On these dark evenings at home, it is the best thing to sip on! Both teas are caffeine free.
COVID is hitting so hard! I have several friends who are hospital nurses, both here in our area and also in Lancaster County. The COVID units are full and are overflowing to others areas of the hospital. My sister-in-law Carolyn's dad has been hospitalized since Thanksgiving day, and on a ventilator most of this time. And they cannot be with him. It makes me cry every time I think of it. In one of our nursing homes here, 90 percent of the residents have it! I cannot imagine working there.
I see pictures of groups of people gathering inside without masks and cannot imagine that either. Some call it fear, but I'd rather call it love. The thought of Dick, with his diabetes diagnosis, getting COVID and being in the hospital without me by his side is enough to keep me careful.
At this point GBRV will no longer be having in-person services. So many of us are older. So just the pastor, Dick and I, and one or two others will be there Sunday mornings to lead the service as it's available online in a variety of ways. Calvary has been online only ever since March, so they do not have to switch gears. Let's get this vaccine, the sooner the better!!
So on a much lighter note, here is some baby cheer! Listen to these giggles when Destiny found his ticklish spot under his arms!
He is getting such a personality. When she in on a video call he wants to be part of it and talks up a storm until she pays attention to him. He likes to see the person on her phone. We were cracking up at him yesterday. I told her that most kids act up when their mom is on the phone, and he's just getting an early start, haha! At the end of our conversation he was falling asleep. I didn't think of taking a screen shot until then.
And last of all, here is Dolly Parton's rendition of "Mary, Did You Know?" during the Rockefeller Center tree lighting ceremony on Wednesday evening. I have heard this song many, many times, but I think I was more emotionally moved this time than any time before. The way she ad libs, practically "preaching," at the end is SO powerful. Realizing that this message was being broadcast from such a public event moved me so much. I still weep every time I watch the finale of the song.
Have a good weekend! Gotta get ready to decorate now FINALLY!
