First Week in February

 The Meaning of  40, 41, 38, 6, and every day moments...

(Photo from church directory)

Sunday we celebrated the 40th anniversary of our church. It was good to see the pastor from those early days when his family lived next door to the meeting room. Since then several building projects have expanded the edifice as the congregation has grown considerably.
(Personally I preferred the steeple on top.)
Every year we share a celebration meal at the Taylor University dining commons.

Monday was our 41st wedding anniversary. For photos of us over the years, go to my post for that day.

 Our day went on as usual. Do you like the heart shaped breakfast eggs?

Lunch chicken pineapple quesadillas were wonderful.

Stephan came out in the afternoon to cut wood. I went out to check on him. He was in the middle of a business call, another ice sculpture ordered.

The ice storm was already coming when we went to Chef and Karen's for dinner. That didn't stop us from enjoying the evening with friends and good food. Later we made it back carefully and spent the next two days at home. We were prepared in case the electricity went out, but it never came to that.
Unlike many, I am loving this winter--the beauty, the quiet, the time to work on projects that have long been on my heart, such as sorting through files, letters, photos of years gone by to sort, digitize, give shape and form to those busy years and pass on the stories to our children and grandchildren. Glimpses into our family history appear occasionally on Facebook and blog posts. The 'conversation' that ensues on these social networks adds so much to the reminiscing.
I also try to tackle a cleaning goal each day. Next week our friend George Verwer will stay with us.

Mike's two main occupations are working with kids at the Red Barn, teaching ceramics, and mentoring the robotics team.

Mentor Mike

He also keeps his worms fed and the garden watered. Everything is thriving, especially the tomatoes. The question we asked, however: "Where did all these healthy tomato plants come from?" Mike said he did not sow tomato seeds. Ah! The worm tea! Those little creatures obviously cannot digest tomato seeds.

Worm Farm

At night we unwind, watch TV or a movie together, and I knit. This week I finished another gift project.

Friday was Leah's 38th birthday. I posted many rescued photos.

For several days we watched a herd of twenty or more deer traverse our back yard. It is a fascinating sight.

Friday was a beautiful sunny day. We explored the winter wonderland that surrounds us and followed the marked deer path for half a mile and back another way.

Today, Saturday, we had lots of plans, but the snow fell all day. This is what it looked like out the front door.

I didn't go anywhere. And I found out later that Elijah's 6th birthday party was cancelled anyway.