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        Certain Man’s Village this year is the best ever.  One of the things I love about him is that he is a man of many, many abilities and there is this artistic side to him that finds expression in little ways that brings order and beauty into our lives as a family that we would miss otherwise.  I took some pictures this morning so that I could more accurately show the details.     

         It is imperative that people understand that my involvement in the village is purely on the observation level  Certain Man creates this village and for him, it seems to take on a life of its own.  Sometimes people will say to me, “I moved something (of the accessories) in the village.  How long do you suppose it will take him to notice?”  The truth is, unless it is a HOUSE, He won’t notice.  In a village, people and animals move around, and so, it is not unusual for an item to be somewhere that it wasn’t the day before.  (The figurines do not become alive at the stroke of midnight, but sometimes it seems like they could!!!)

This is the ” corner view”

To the right of that picture is what he calls the “Wilderness Area”

Here there is a hobo shack (in the middle of the picture), hunting lodges, and an old grist mill.

The train track runs along the edge of the wilderness, and in the immediate front is one of Certain Man’s very, very few “Village 56” items.  The Coca-Cola bottling plant went on sale many years ago, and he picked it up.  He is quite fond of it.  This is the beginning of the downtown section of the village.

More of the downtown section.  The little sign in the front says “Daniel’s Village.”

Here the train makes a turn and goes back into a tunnel that runs underneath the last row of houses and come out on the other end (between the Wilderness area and town).

These two pictures show part of the park and the lake.  This is  the “Residential Section” of the village.

On the left end of the village, Certain Man has constructed a “riverfront” development:

Here he puts fishermen, docks and pilings.  He has a fish “shop” and other mariner type things.  There is actually a lighthouse that is just off the picture. 

And that is the “tour” around Certain Man’s Christmas Village.

Again, we are glad when people stop by and want to see the village.  It is always nice to see old friends and make new ones!

Come on over.

See the village.

Have some party mix!

This photo is not too clear — but it is a Bald Eagle, perched in the tree across the road from where my good friend, www.xanga.com/libreriaelfaro has her Spanish Christian book store.  I am sorry this isn’t clearer, but it was so exciting to get a call from Eldest Daughter, begging me to “come and see!” 

And this was the best picture that I could produce, but I think it is pretty evident that it is, in fact, a Bald Eagle.  According to the authorities, Delaware’s Bald Eagle population has been enjoying a comeback, but I don’t know that we will ever get immune to the sight of one of these majestic birds sailing through our skies unannounced. 

 It just does something for my heart that a turkey buzzard does not!

It is almost 11:30, but I wanted to show you that I am mostly done with my study!  I have the counter to do — and it will wait until Monday, but I am pleased as I can be with what is finished.  Thanks for the encouragement, and especially for those of you who prayed for me.  I could never have made it without the prayers!

Yes, what you are seeing is a baby’s dressing table.  I thought that it fit into this liitle nook quite nicely.  It is the one that Daniel made years and years ago for our first foster baby (In 1975) and it has been a part of our home ever since.  More often than not it is a “collecting place” for left behind possessions, but maybe if it is in here, that won’t happen as quickly. 

Whew!  Am I tired!!! 

Methinks I’m gonna’ go to bed!

G’night all . . .

Still plodding (not so bravely) on . . .

However, now I am

encouraged by a helper!

When I am quiet, I am (usually) working hard on something.

So in the past ten days we’ve had Thanksgiving, (Wonderful, wonderful time!) and now I am doing some cleaning projects.  I am quite pleased with what I got done in my utility room, but now —

OH, PITY ME!!!

I am cleaning my study. 

Everyone who knows me well knows that this is a job that I plan to do, and think I am going to do, and hope to do and start to do and never quite get done.  Well, sir, I actually started yesterday.  I am finding things I never knew I had, some that I remember having when I find them, and things I have been looking for for a very long time.  I would post pictures, but it would embarrass my Sweet Mama, so I shall plod on, alone and forgotten in my dark, dark corner and when I get it done, (maybe) then I will show pictures!

I asked Allen Beachy if he wanted to come over with his backhoe and he asked me if I wanted it inside or just parked outside the window.

J.R. called from his bed in the ICU wanting some real food, and when he found out that I was cleaning my study, he hooted.  Was that nice???  Just for that I am not taking him any.

Like I said, I shall plod bravely on.  Somebody had better pray for me.

It has been a splendid week in almost every way!  I enjoy this season so very much, and I am grateful to God for the healing that continually creeps into my heart and surprises me at special moments. 

Yesterday, my Uncle Eli gave me a tape of one of my precious Daddy’s sermons.  I was on the way to the doctor for a check-up on my broken foot, and the tape was on the seat beside me. 

I kept thinking, “I am not going to listen to it right now.  No, I’m sure I’m not going to listen right now.”  But it kept lying there, staring at me, and finally, I reached over and popped it into the tape deck.  In his inimitable style, the tape began with him recognizing visitors in the congregation, mentioning the pretty “flaurs” (flowers) and just having his usual “before the sermon chit-chat” with which he usually began his sermons.

The memories came flooding down, and he sounded so real!  So alive.  And it didn’t make me cry.  I can’t explain it, because I could cry thinking about it, but it was in retrospect that I realized I hadn’t shed any tears, but I had enjoyed the sermon, and had felt this strange, surrounding delight and warmth and quietness.  What a man my Daddy was!  How very blessed we were to have him for our Daddy!

And yes, I was going to the doctor to see if I could get rid of this removable cast.  I didn’t cry over this either, but my cast cannot come off yet.  It doesn’t appear that there has been any healing since the removable cast was put on three weeks ago, though the doctor did say that the X-rays don’t always show everything.  It isn’t touchy when he puts pressure on the break, but he wants me to wear the removable cast for another month.  I don’t have to wear it all the time, and he said it is okay if I have it off when I don’t need to do alot of walking, but said that he feels it would be better to wear it most of the time. 

I refuse to be sad about this.  I know that I have had a terrible upper respiratory infection over the past two weeks, and have taken cold medicine for that, as well as anti-inflammatory meds, so I may have inadvertantly made a problem for myself.  And, of course, Certain Man is posititve that it comes from too much activity. 

Whatever the reason, I guess I get another month at half speed.  And I’m thinking that it might be a blessing for me in the long run.  There is more time to think, to meditate on this blessed season, and there is less “compulsion to do” than there would be otherwise.  There are plenty of things I can do “from my chair” and that is not necessarily a bad thing.  And of course, I have gotten lots of advice about what I should be taking to fix this – – and I plan to at least try some of the suggestions.  The doctor said again yesterday that this is not at all unusual.  The spot that this is in makes it extremely difficult to mend.  I remain very grateful that I didn’t have to have surgery, and waiting is good fo me.  I suppose so, anyhow. 

Before I sign off today, I want to thank our church family for their spectacular spirit, demonstrated once again last night in the way they came together to pack Thanksgiving Boxes.  We did the packing in The Gathering Place of the church (the basement) and the set-up was perfect, the basement was warm, the lighting was great, but the people!!!  Ah, my brothers and sisters, if you only could have seen yourselves last night — The laughter, the working together, the chatter and the caring!  I watched you all as you milled about packing boxes in a purposeful and well-planned way (Thanks, Women in Christian Service Committee!) and saw young and not so young working cheerfully together and my heart was so glad.  I think all 24 boxes were delivered in a timely fashion, and I just want to thank all of you again for your co-operation and good help! 

Blessings to all of you for a wonderful Thanksgivng.

The trip started with Rain.  Here we had stopped at the nearby convenience store for ice.

We had rain for a while, but by the time we got to THE GAP, the weather was much nicer, and  the scenery was gorgeous!

I love looking across the valley from the parking lot at THE GAP.  But, unfortunately, I wasn’t thinking at the right time and missed a picture of THE GAP itself.  For those of you who aren’t acquainted with this cut in the mountains” it is a tourist center that is also a Vietnam War Memorial.  And it is a beautiful, peaceful place.

We saw lots of nice fall foliage as we went, but many of my pictures did not turn out.  We got to Ohio on Tuesday evening, and Wednesday and Thursday were filled to the brim with things that needed doing.  We even got to have supper with Youngest Son on Thursday night, but I never had my camera out the whole time.  I should have been documenting some health related data, but I didn’t even do that.  We left Ohio after dark on Thursday night.  It was snowing a little bit.  We drove to Morgantown, got a motel for the night, then got on our way around nine on Friday morning.  Imagine our surprise to drive into Grantsville and find this:

It was snowing right along when I took this picture through the windshield of our van.

We drove out of the snow and into sunshine eventually.  We saw some wonderful scenery along the way home, too.

The miles clipped away, and we finally came into familiar territory.  What a good feeling it was to come around the corner at Abbott’s Pond.

Almost Home!!!

And so we came on down the road and around the corner, and our own foliage wasn’t too shabby, either:

And then there was our familiar fence and driveway, and we were home!

As we rounded the edge of our driveway, I was overwhelmed with a feeling of praise to our Heavenly Father for the Traveling Mercies, the enabling He granted us to deal with things in Ohio, and for the many, many miles driven together that were so comfortable and happy.  We have so much to be grateful for in this happy season.

We’re Home, We’re Home!

And the week went well — Beyond our expectations in so many ways.

But home looked so good, and I am so thankful for a safe trip all the way around.  Today, on the freeway, going 70+ mph, a semi in front of us blew his two back right tires.  I was asleep, and brought straight awake with the explosion.  Heavenly protection and Daniel’s quick thinking got us through unscathed, and sleep was the farthermost thing from my mind for many a mile.

I hope to post some pictures later, but just wanted to thank all of you for your prayers for us.  It really was a productive, rewarding time.

My stuffy nose is better, thank you very much!

This has been a busy day of washing, baking bread and getting ready for a short trip to Ohio.  Our chickens are going out today, and that has kept Certain Man home and very occupied.  The crews are still working on the last house, but he needed to dash to Seaford for an order of three gallons of oysters that he is taking to relatives.

I have a few loose ends to catch up, a quick meeting concerning Thanksgiving boxes, some prescriptions to pick up, and some packing to do. 

And then, Lord Willing, we will be heading out in the morning.  Middle Daughter, Eldest Son, and Youngest Daughter will hold down the fort for a few days.  (With some help from Beloved Son in Law, Eldest Daughter and maybe my Sweet Mama).

I wish I could say that this is a trip for pleasure.  It isn’t.  Certain Man’s step-mother fell and has a hair line fracture in her wrist and wrenched her knee.  His Father is dealing with some health issues, too, and the children are scattered (actually from Delaware to California to New York and Virginia.  This time it is our turn to go, I guess. 

I sense keenly our need for wisdom and patience and compassion and grace.