Festive Flowers for Thanksgiving

This little Calendula beside the house just popped its pretty head out for us when we toured the yard in the warm sun yesterday. Friends, Brian, Rachel, Kate, and Maggie, stopped by for a quick visit on their way to celebrate with other family members. As Kate ran around the dome climber Rachel and I admired this treasure. I was surprised to fine anything blooming, let alone something so delicate and lovely.

Another treasure peaked up from the barrels on the porch too! This "Pink" was one of several hiding among the foliage and leaves by the wood stored on the porch. I am so thankful for these precious flowers.

Below is the real treasure as Brian holds Maggie when they prepare to leave us for the feast at relatives. Maggie is such a darling plumpkin. I wish I'd gotten one of big sister, Kate, introducing my plaid stuffed bear (Belly Bob Thornton) to the cat door in the utility room.

Brian, of course, is a handsome treasure too!

Best Girls Visit!

I have moved away from my "Best Girls", and they honored me with a visit recently. I want to thank their husbands publicly because they, David and Steve, encouraged them to leave, drive the six hours to spend four days with me while they stayed at home with the children! Margaret, on the left has two children (Liam, 10 and Riley almost 7); Stacie, on the right has five children (Josh, 10, Marcus, 8, Jessica, 5 who stayed with Stacie's twin sister, Andrew, almost 4, and Jacob, almost 2). She is due in April with her sixth, and we are praying for a girl to accompany Jessica through life.



We prayed, laughed and cried, toured our ranch and the nearby countryside, studied the Bible and discussed our character flaws in order to improve our ministries. The "Idaho Retreat" was a true blessing for all of us. I feel completley filled up and nurished by the fellowship of saintly women!

My husband let us ignore him as long as we fed him well and made conversation at meals. Personally I thought perhaps he'd used up all his words for the rest of the year, but he is still speaking to me! Here he provided a little humor and entertainment with his moss/lichen mustache. What a character he is, silly man!

Flickers!

In class today we heard a 'kee-oo' sound several times. One of my students spotted this Red-shafted race of Common Flicker up above the patio in the rafters near an old robin's nest. We rushed to the window to observe this colorful bird as it flew to the ground outside one of our windows. It pecked around on the ground before flying off, and I was fortunate enough to have my camera nearby for snapping up these shots!

My Precious Son

Kelly, my first-born, is a military man right now,

and he is pretty serious about it. He is at

Fort Eustis in Virginia for AIT in aviation (helicopter mechanics).

This summer, on a family vacation we took together, he was clowning around

with his dessert...a BBQ banana filled with Snicker candy bar slices, enclosed in foil and

heated over the coals until 'done', and then eaten with whipped cream on top.

He is usually a character, and it shows in the picture below.

We all miss him very much, praying for his safety, his protection

and his homecoming for Christmas.

What a gift THAT will be!

Bristle-Thighed Curlew?

I loved the vivid green colors of the mosses growing on lava rocks near the ocean on the Hawaiian coast near Kona when I accompanied my husband on a trip last March. All the small purple circles are tiny sea urchins holding tight to the rocks as the waves splashed in and out with the tides.

According to my Birds of North America field guide this was a Bristle-Thighed Curlew. A description follows: Winters on central Pacific islands (March was cold there!) Told from Wimbrel by contrast between bright-rusty rump and tail and someber brown back, note also the paler bill. Okay, you 'birders' out there, do you see the rust on the rump and tail? Do you see the pale bill? Would you consider the island of Hawaii a Pacific Island?

Snow, but...

There may be snow on the mountains this morning, but we still have some vestiges of summer.

Garden Tours

This 'Love in a Mist' continues to peak out from the foliage as autumn leaves begin to cover Janet's garden east of Kamiah where Rachel, Maggie Pearl, and I toured last week.

Now doesn't this look like a pleasant place to sit?

I wish we'd had our lunch to eat as we sat to inhale the vivid fall colors surrounding on this

'sit-upon'.

Autumn Reflections

As I waited for Rachel and Maggie at the Clearwater River bridge this scene took my breath away!

There is not a picture of the worms at Connie's garden because I didn't think you would appreciate such; it is something I treasure, but I'll keep the image to myself!