Advice From a Canadian Goose

Some words of wisdom from my favorite bird:

Mate for life and stay monogamous;

Travel whenever you can;
Fly south to warmer weather;
Let the sun, moon, and starts guide you to your destination;
Travel great distances but come back to your roots;

When mean things are said to you, just let it roll off your back;
Endure life’s ups and downs with a positive outlook;
Don’t get your feathers ruffled over the small stuff;

Stretch your wings and fly high;
The sky is the limit for pursuing your dreams;

Work cooperatively together to encourage teamwork and when one member is hurt step up to help relieve the burdens;

Always be proud of who you are;

Take time to lie in the grass by a pond and slow things down in your life.
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The Thawing

I saw flies basking on the southside of my car today...
I never thought I would be thrilled to see a fly.
I woke to the sound of thousands...well, hundreds...okay, maybe a dozen Canadian geese honking!
The seagulls are back, waiting for the first plowing.
Our own robins have returned getting ready to build their wooly llama nest.
Scott has been outside a few times, watching his sheep and goats.
I am still wearing my winter coat, but my heart is starting to warm up.
Winter was extraordinarily long this year. It has taken its toll on me.
But, soon....new life will begin. And I will thaw and start to have new life, too.

Ah......Spring!

I Think I Hear the Gulls Coming

My favorite poet, Carol Lynn Pearson, has written a poem that some of you may have felt like in the past few weeks. I know I have had my moments and her poem reminds me that I am not alone in this. I heard the honking of Canadian geese when I went to work this week. It gave me hope that Spring is just around the corner, and the sun will warm the earth again.

Sometimes I just need to be reminded that change is coming and life is still good. Enjoy.

Time for the Gulls
by Carol Lynn Pearson

It’s time, Father,

For the gulls, I think.

My arms shake

From flailing my field.

I sink,

Broken as the little stalks

Beneath their devouring burden.

I yield it all to you,

Who alone can touch all things.

It’s time, Father,

For the gulls.

I will be still,

And listen for their wings.

Advice from a Snowman

Be a Jolly, Happy Soul.

Spend Time Outdoors.

Stay Cool.

It's Okay to be a Little Bottom Heavy.

Avoid Meltdowns.

Be Well-Rounded.

Live Well, Life is Short.

Snowman Fun

On the first day of 2010 we decided to make a huge snowman in our front yard...with Wayne & Michele's help! And of course Scott, Kirby and little Sunshine, too. It didn't take very long because there was lots of snow! He turned out pretty cute, I think. What do you think??





Sunshine loved the snow....We almost lost her in it!

Grandpa goes to North Carolina!

We were so excited that Grandpa got to go to Fayetteville in October to attend Morgan's baptism! It turned out to be a wonderful trip and best of all he got to play with the girls and visit with Anna & Nate! It took little Aleah a minute to warm up to this "strange man," but once she did, she and Grandpa were inseparable! (We haven't seen her since she turned 1 year old and she is 3 years old now!)

Grandpa even got to go to one of Kelsey's soccer games before the baptism on Saturday! She is a super soccer player!

Morgan looked like a little angel in her baptism dress!

They even went out to dinner at a special Chinese restaurant where they fix the food at your table! Looks like fun! What a wonderful reason for Grandpa to fly out to North Carolina! Wish we all could have been there, Morgan, for your big day!

Anna & Dad found time before he had to leave on Monday to go for a beautiful walk on a path that Anna often takes. What a great time he had!

A Wonderful December

Skipping right over November, I'm moving into December and sharing the highlights of all of the good times that we had this month!

What a full and fun month it has been, starting with putting up our Christmas decorations before the week of Christmas thanks to Jenny & Devin's upcoming visit! Thank you! I had to get all (well, at least most) of the shopping done and the presents wrapped and sent off before they came on the 13th. That was quite a job trying to be more organized than usual! I also got all of our Christmas cards sent out.

Scott had fun playing Santa Claus while he got shaved!

And then cutting down our Christmas tree again this year with Michele & Wayne on the Saturday before they came. A special time, as it began snowing right as they went up Strawberry Canyon and parked. It was truly a winter wonderland as you can see from the pictures.

The twins are indescribably sweet! It was so fun to play peek-a-boo with them and hear the new words they are saying. Scottie tried to be so gentle with them and he loved to give them loves. Grandpa got Dylan and Lindsey to both play his "Aboo" game. And what a hoot to watch Olivia run through the house with Lindsey chasing her as fast as she could on her hands and knees, and Dylan trying to keep up with the girls! Special times!

What a great time we had getting to know the twins and watching them cruise around and play with all of Scott's toys! It was wonderful to see Jenny & Devin and play Back Alley (and beating them 3 times!), Cribbage, the Peg Game, and of course, chess with Devin! We had lots of time to talk and catch up on each other's lives, go shopping a bit, eat out a lot (mostly Devin & Jenny!), and just be together. We also went on a sleigh ride drawn by two large Belgium horses. It was wonderful! As you can see, Scott loved it, too!!

On Friday night we had our own little Christmas and opened our exchange presents. Okay, I admit it, the kids were spoiled....but how often does Christmas come??

On Saturday we went to the Pehrson Christmas Party. We were in charge of the dinner and had a Swedish Smorgasbord. What fun and unique dishes we had. The "Swedish Chef" made Swedish meatballs and the traditional crisp rye bread. Everyone did a great job making up the Swedish recipes: Swedish meatballs, Cabbage Rolls, Fish au gratin, pickled beets, cucumber salad, Lime and pear salad, crisp rye bread and Swedish cheese, Christmas sweet cardomon bread, Saffron rolls (Lucia bunns), and hot Glogg! All was yummy! Then there was the musical program and the turkey pinata, along with opening our gifts.

On Tuesday we held a pre-birthday party for Dylan & Lindsey! They got to eat a cupcake each and loved every crumb! Yes, they were spoiled again!!! What fun!

We said good-bye to Jenny, Devin & the twins on Wednesday....very reluctantly! They were blessed with a peaceful flight home and got to bed at 2:30 a.m., Alaska time! Thanks for the wonderful visit!

We held our traditional Christmas Eve program out in the barn with the animals. It was very peaceful and helped to keep us focused on Christ as we celebrate His birthday.

On Christmas Eve, we got our new little puppy, Sunshine. She's a miniature Australian Shepherd that our friends gave to us. She is a sweetie!

Christmas was a very quiet, peaceful day for Carl, Scott & I. We even had a chance to take a nap...upheard of!!! We had a chance to talk to Anna's family, and Mom and Linda. and Jenny's family, making us feel closer together through the miles.

Then we welcomed Michele, Wayne & Olivia later in the afternoon to open their presents and have our Christmas dinner. We love having them here to share our special days!

All we have left to say for this year is thanks for all of the good memories for 2009, and even though there were many sad ones, we rejoice in our family and the love that we have together. May God bless us all, every one!