Can't Let It Go

Ok, I started to blog about this several times today and kept shying away from it, but I can't seem to let it go. A few days ago, I saw an interview on tv with a pastor and his 10 year old son. Their story was very touching and caught my interest. I looked them up on the internet and immediately downloaded their book onto Joel's Kindle so I could begin reading it. This story has had a profound effect on me and it seems that I should share with all of you something that has hit me this hard.

You can discount what you are about to read and I'm fine with that or you can be amazed like I was. The name of the book is "Heaven is For Real" and the author/dad is Todd Burpo. You can read excerpts from the book on their website: http://www.heavenisforreal.net/ and if you are as intrigued as I was you will soon find yourself purchasing the book and reading it all in one sitting. Also, you can view the video @ http://video.foxnews.com/v/4419243/heaven-is-for-real . By the way, if you have a tender heart for the Lord, grab the tissues.

The book is neither long nor lofty which makes the effect it has on it's readers all the more amazing. The father is very forthright in his recalling of the events and the son is so believable. I don't usually go "all in" for hyped scenarios in supposed real events books, but this one has definitely caught my attention. Let me know what you think.

Pondering,
Debbie

The Great White Egret

This morning as I sat down in my cozy chair which looks out over the backyard, I looked up and this is what I saw a mere 10 feet away. Isn't he wonderful? He was standing there on one foot, occasionally taking a drink from the pool. I had never noticed how large the feet of these birds are until today.

I started my reading and would occasionally look up to see if he was still there. Then he decided to show off and preen for me. He kept nuzzling his pure white feathers and craning his neck in impossible configurations as he went about his morning routine. Show off!

He took a few more sips from the pool and effortlessly lifted himself off the ground and up over the roof of our house. Maybe I'll see him again tomorrow. Hope you enjoyed the show as much as I did.

Deb

Grandma's cabin

This is the entrance to what we call "Grandma's cabin" up at the river. The owner's mother stays here when she comes to the camp and she's our neighbor's grandma, hence, Grandma's cabin. It sits right on the riverfront and has a pretty little porch, just the right size for sitting a spell and enjoying a cup of coffee.
The raised boardwalk keeps your shoes off the sandy soil and looks pretty, too.

Couldn't you just cozy up with a good book on the screened porch? I know I could. As a matter of fact, I often sneak over there and hang out with my coffee and enjoy the view of the river.

See what I mean? The outside deck is snuggled in under a canopy of oak trees and hugs the bank going down to the dock and the river.

And this is what you see when you look up from the dock down below. Pretty cool place....one of my favorites. Come visit with us......

Debbie

?12 Days of Christmas?

You know the words to the song, right? 12 drummers drumming, 11 pipers piping, 10 Lords a-leaping, 9 bras a-hanging.........whaaaaaaaaaa?! Yes, I made 9 "Ta-Ta" Totes during one of the last trips up to the river and they needed to hang for 24 hours while the glue that holds on the Swarovsky crystals was drying. What better place for them to hang out than from old gym locker baskets in the sewing room?

That's my version of art. Now hum along with me......five golden rings........

Christmas on my brain,

Debbie

Singing

When I opened the blinds this morning and saw the fog over the oak trees, I ran down to the river to click off a few shots before the fog lifted completely. If you double click on the photos you can see more detail.

There is something so peaceful about being engulfed in fog.....like the rest of the world is shut out and along with that your problems and cares are shut out as well.

I was trying to put into words how these scenes make me feel and I decided that mornings like this make my heart sing.

Hum along with me,

Debbie

Winches and Pulleys

" Hmmmm.....so what am I looking at?", you ask. If you follow the orange rope up into the tree, you can see the outline of an old pulley. The old pulley leads down to a boat winch attached to another tree. Hey, stay with me here.

This is Ron, the very handy guy who rigged all this up for me. Now exactly what is at the other end of the orange rope? My staghorn fern, of course! Doesn't everyone hang their staghorn this way? Well, maybe not, but that's how we do it at the river. I have three staghorn ferns at home and brought the medium sized one up here to hang amoung all the oak trees. Hope it's happy here.

The cool thing about this set up is that anytime I want to water or feed the staghorn, I just have to lower it using the boat winch. Love it, love it. Ron is the one who came up with this idea for his wife and I have been admiring it for a couple of years now. He agreed to hang my staghorn the same way and completed the task yesterday. Yippee!

River Rat,

Debbie

Meet Betsy

It's been a busy weekend for us up at the river. Joel and I bought a car to replace my Audi when the lease is finished in a few months. The man we bought the Tahoe from says that his wife and children name all their cars and that our car is named Betsy. So, I guess the name will stick with us.......at least for now.

It'll be so nice to be able to haul anything I need from now on since I'll have great cargo space in the back of the car. My Audi has been fun to drive, but the trunk isn't much bigger than a suitcase!

More later......

Deb