2009 - The End

Our Son1 came home.  Our Little Loo celebrated her third year as a Rocky Mountain Bride.  Our Son2 was a hero to his little girl and us all, slaying more dragons than anyone would want to meet in a lifetime.  Our Son3 joined the workforce, leaving a hole in the home.  Our Son4 stepped into his man-shoes, tightening the slack in the rope around the farm.  Our bammy passed away.  New chicks lived in the living room for 3 weeks, which was 2 weeks longer than they were cute.  I repeatedly prayed my way out of (vociferously) demanding an apology from everyone who voted for Obi.  I developed a compulsive interest in weaving ... which will follow me on January 1^st to my new blog, NottaLotta Acres 2010, as this one ('07-'09) is officially retired.

If you've been following here or visiting here, do make a note of the new location and come along with me, where you can sign-up to follow again or just poke around from time-to-time, when the mood strikes.




Audio Sermon: Examine Yourself by Paul Washer

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.  Psalm 23 Amen

Pond Feathers

The close-ups may be
Worth clicking for englargements
If you're into pond feathers

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.  Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.  He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.  ~Psalm 91:1-4

My Fish

I'm busy.
Lead them around by the snout to keep 'em fit, and click to feed them.


Gorton - Van - LJ - Milford - Melvern

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?  For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.  Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.  O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! ~Psalm 8:4-9

Sunset on the Prairie

clickable

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.  ~Psalm 145:3

They Don't Tell Me These Things

So I find out about them, when I upload the umpty-hundred photos sitting in the camera.  This time there were 28 thumbnails of a stick.  A stick in the pond.  A stick in the pond?  What's the attraction?

Now picture thumbnails.  You just don't get very much information from a thumbnail.  In this instance, I wasn't getting any wiser with the full-size images.  In full size, this photo of the pond seemed pretty.  Nice glint from the sun on the water's surface.


What's up with the stick?


Someone's chucking things at it?


Repeatedly?



Zoom.
Oh.


Ew.

And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.  And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.  ~Genesis 1:31

Fishing Buddies

clickable for enlargement

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.  ~Romans 13:8

Seven ChickenNots

The first three were taken from the living room, through glass and screen, and the final two are distance crops, so pardon the fuzz overlaid upon these feathery visitors.

The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.  ~Proverbs 15:33

Pond Scum

Pretend it's lily pads.


Can't the girls just have some fun?  The scum wasn't the worst of it.

For starters, I came perilously close to providing a funniest home videos moment, as I boarded the YachtNot and was immediately -- and quite unbecomingly -- stretched between a dock post and the rapidly departing craft.  I hurled myself backward and landed most unceremoniously in my seat, which was embarrassing but preferred above landing face-first in the pond.

I was pedaling, and the plum was steering, when I heard "the 'S' word" being bandied about on the bank.  Nuh-uh.  Say it ain't so.  It was so, and that vile creature was headed straight for the YachtNot.  I didn't know this old nana had that sort of strength left in her decrepit body, but I wrenched that little kid out of her seat and onto my lap so fast, it's a wonder I didn't fully fling her overboard.  Within 3 feet of our craft now, all that commotion hadn't deterred the 'nake from its path, so I pedaled for all I was worth.

Manlikind was now running willy-nilly around the pond with sticks, a golf club, and a rake, having the time of their lives, as they positioned themselves to beat the life out of the invader, when it banked itself.  I, still drifting apond, was neither exhilarated nor amused.  There had gone my dreamy plan of pedaling around the pond in solitude every morning, listening to Alexander Scourby. 

Three more 'nakes were spotted, the YachtNot was moored, SugarPlum went to the woods to ride the tire horse, and I perched myself on a bench, where I'd have a good view of when to run from the scene.  A chair at the kitchen table was sounding awfully inviting to this girl who's not so keen on the greatNot outdoors anyway. When I commented on how odd it was for 'nakes to be in the pond, I learned it's not odd at all.  Last year they managed to dispose of them all without me ever knowing a thing about them.  Comforting.  NOT.

Well, get to it!  I'll be in the kitchen.

Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High.  What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.  ~Psalm 56:2, 3

Postscript:  (from the Comments box)  "My favorite picture was Dad smackin' the snake with the golf club." =) ~ Andie

Would that be this one?


Or what he did to himself in the smackin' process?

Sacagawea and the YachtNot

[photo files clickable for enlargement]

I thought I saw the statue in Lake Sacajawea Park, Longview, Washington, when we lived in the Longview-Kelso area, but a web search leads me to believe that wasn't "the one."  We weren't often in Portland, but a statue there matches the hazy image in my mind — the one responsible for me saying, "Sacagawea!" when this was the scene:


Considering all the things I can't remember, why I remember a statue with an outstretched arm and the correct pronunciation of her name (sä-cä' gä-we´-ä) is beyond me.  All the more perplexing is the fact that her name came flying out of my mouth, referencing Son2's posture in the YachtNot. 

In case you've noticed the conflict in spelling, Clark's maps and journal, as well as the writings of journalists at the time, consistently employed a hard "g" in the Indian maid's name.  A number of noted historians, organizations, and encyclopedias have adopted "g" as the standard.

Finished with Sacagawea (and I'm sorry all over myself that I dragged you through it), here are a couple more photos from the day.  Charles and Sons 3 and 4 had un-wintered and cleaned my YachtNot just the day before this surprise visit by Son2's family.  They'd also captured the runaway dock for the umpty-dumpth time, given it floats away with every 2" rain, and we'd gotten a 6-incher.  I've suggested actually anchoring it to the bank.  Wouldn't that be novel.  But then, this little anomaly results in the dock being situated at various positions around the pond.  Mayhap the fellows need this break in monotony.



One more thing: my 6th grade teacher, Mrs. White, carefully instructed us in the correct pronunciation of Ponce de Leon, although her take — I've since learned — was a little wanky, itself.  Thought you should know.

Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.  I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.  ~Psalms 86:11, 12