We live in a beautiful place with a beautiful view and wonderful neighbors.
Our property has about 4 acres and in the center of those is where our house sits surrounded by 13 evergreen trees.
The lawn and trees require a lot of care to keep the trees healthy year round and the sprinkler system working in the spring, summer and fall.
This is the time of year when turning the sprinklers back on and repairing broken ones and adjusting the direction of the water’s flow has to happen.
We couldn’t possibly do all this by ourselves.
Thank God for the helpful guys in our “hood” who volunteer their services annually because without their help, I’m sure we would find it very difficult to live here!
We seldom see moose in our neighborhood during the day. They sometimes come down out of the mountains at night to nibble on our evergreens when their natural habitat up in the Gravellies or the Madison Range is snow covered. But this guy showed up in broad daylight.
Just sitting outside my kitchen door !
He had a ragged spot in his back and a bum leg. Probably had been injured by some other animal that attacked him.
After I got Kenny back inside, Bob & I chased the young moose off to the neighbor’s. He was nibbling on our trees! Fortunately, after I contacted the neighbor and explained, he called the animal protective services. Hopefully they came to help… I don’t want to think about how.
My friend, Lilie, posted a comment today touting her belief in “fairness to all, and justice.” I responded in affirmation. Wouldn’t our world be a better place if everyone practiced fairness to all, and justice?
Fair to all!Celebrate fairnessWhat’s not fair in your life right now?What can we do to promote fairness?Speak up!
Promote fairness for all. Exhibit unconditional (Agape) love!
The Christmas cards are done They’re ready to be mailed But we can’t leave our home We’d surely be derailed
The winds were 40 mph gusts, and The drifts have blown like crazy I’ll have to ZOOM church tomorrow And it’s not cuz I am lazy
I’d attend if I could get out And after church I’d go To the post office to mail the cards But I can’t get through the snow
So we are at the mercy Of a kind and helpful neighbor When he comes with his bobcat blower We’ll watch him work and thank him later
He’ll blow out the driveway And clear a path for us So we can get to church Without shoveling and lots of fuss
But if you don’t see us And if our card to you doesn’t come, You might send out a sled team To rescue us… we’re frozen and numb!
That’s our driveway that’s the culprit The wind swirls the snow in piles Inside between the rabbit brush It blows in from many miles
That photo was a light snow This time it’s at least two feet tall After our neighbor plowed us out The piles were a five foot wall!
We haven’t seen a winter like this This storm has been a doozy It started way too early this year – The freezing wind makes me woozy
The Christmas cards are done They’re ready to be mailed But like I said, I’m stuck in here Our Christmas travel might be curtailed
Try coming in through the drifts I’ve some hot chocolate to share But if you don’t make it here Mr Snowman will be content floating there
Hope you’re having a happy December so far. God bless you! Stay in touch.
Love ya, JanBeek
Take a look at this photo I found! That’s me – pregnant with our 1st child, Ty. And that’s my sis and her hubby with my niece, Denise and my mom and dad… 1964 Christmas … Sweet memories!
Our hearts are hurting today. Yesterday we had to help our 12 year old Boston Terrier, TazE, over the Rainbow Bridge.
She was struggling to breathe, rasping… not eating or drinking for the last four days… and lost the use of her back legs twice during that time. Her organs were shutting down.
We were snowed in and unable to get out. It was terrible to see her suffer.
She had lost all kinds of weight since this picture was taken because even when she still was eating, it was very little.
We knew we were losing her, but we just didn’t want to let go. Who will be my walking partner?
Our wonderful neighbor, Rex, spent over an hour with the snow plow on his ATV here in our driveway yesterday plowing us out so we could take TazE to the vet. The ladies at Mountain View Vet Hospital in Sheridan/Twin Bridges were wonderfully compassionate, empathetic, and professional. TazE went peacefully in my arms.
My heart is breaking, but I know we did the right thing… and I believe when I get to heaven she’ll greet me at the pearly gates! It wouldn’t be heaven if our beloved furry family members aren’t there, too! Would it?
Bob won’t miss having the toenails to clip. That was a stressful job!! But he sure will miss his buddy when we’re out on our “Lucille” (she’s our ATV… a red head who is a Ball).
There is a part of Bob’s personality that only surfaces when he is with his Boston Buddy! I will miss that part of Bob!
Happy TazE
In Heaven our TazE will be forever young! Good-bye for now, sweet pup! See ya over the bridge… keep the light on!
That’s the luncheon at our Madison Valley Woman’s Club yesterday. 45 ladies showed up from our little Ennis community!
My dear friend, Susan P, came and helped me decorate our house from tree to…
…fireplace mantle and lotsa places around the house. She did things I could never do by myself. God bless her!
Those candles on the mantle are battery operated and can be set to change colors!!
Isn’t that fun? They can all be one of any choice of 8 colors or they can rotate. Good ole CostCo. They have lotsa fun things to get you in the holiday spirit!
But nothing depicts the Christmas season quite as well as this treasure that I found at our Christmas bazaar last Saturday. It’s a manger scene made by a darling lady in Nairobi. She used the bark from banana trees!!
It’s not Christmas unless we recognize the nativity as central to the holiday!
Is it beginning to look a lot like Christmas at your house? Tell me about it!
Have fun fixing your home to reflect this holiday season in a way that is meaningful for you.
For me and my family, it’s Christmas…
Thanking God for the gift of Baby Jesus, sharing time with family & friends, sending out cards, decorating with trees, candles, music and presents…
and the fun has just begun!
Our TazE looks just like this Boston on the right. She has decided the blanket under the tree is her bed. She thinks the presents are for her. Help!
Have fun this Christmas season… and good luck keeping your dog, cat or kids out from under the Christmas tree!
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Today I woke after a good night’s sleep. Feeling a throbbing, I looked over at my hand; It was more swollen than when I went to bed. The pins holding the pinky in place were buried.
Yesterday I visited the occupational therapist. She put compression sleeves on the fingers. They are designed to reduce the swelling. Maybe it would have been worse without them.
Who knows?
It doesn’t do any good to complain, To mope around and feel sad and blue. You gotta keep on the sunny side of life – And a good way to do that is to let go!
Let go of the doubts and relinquish grumbles. Find someone who’ll hold your hand and assure you That everything is gonna be okay – be patient! Give your troubles to God and put on a smile.
Bob and I seem to trade off times for help. There I am holding his scarred up hand! Now it’s his turn to gently hold mine. We are so blessed to have one another!
I pray that you have loved ones beside you Who comfort and assist you when you need it. It’s easier to see the sunny side of life When God gives you family and friends who care.
So relinquish your troubles to those who can Be the hands and feet of God beside you. Don’t be afraid to ask for help – and accept it! Let others share the sunny side of life with you.
We overdid ourselves today with five “not so simple” tasks: 1) Get helpers to reassemble our fridge, move it back into the kitchen, and hook it up to water, etc. 2) Move the downstairs rug & pad up into the dining room 3) Move the living room rug and pad back to its place 4) Hang a few pictures back on the wall in the hallway and entry 5) Vacuum the new floors in the living room, dining room, and kitchen & dust everything
It was harder than it sounds – even with wonderful helpers!!
I am going to go to Bob with #8 and then Take you up on #5
Which of those 9 pieces of advice do you think will work best for you today?
Tomorrow gotta clean that fridge and put stuff back into it (Oh – it’ll be so nice to have it accessible again!)
Good night!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek today… See ya tomorrow (God willing)…
All talk and no action Makes for a sad friend indeed. A true friend steps up To help in our time of need.
All talk and no action Is a sorry commentary. We’re not called to pontificate; But what we do may vary.
Each situation’s unique And calls for a different plan. Jesus never hesitated – Likewise, do what you can.
Last Sunday a dear friend Fell in the parking lot at church. Someone fortunately saw her, So she wasn’t left in the lurch.
Friends jumped into action: Her son was called. “Come today!” Another brought her to the ER And got a wheelchair right away.
Their example of action – Stepping up when there’s a need – Was exactly what Jesus did. Remember the bread and fish feed?
Remember the blind man Who said he wanted to see? Jesus showed us how to act – His examples sure impress me!
I want to be like Jesus. I want to step up and be The person you can count on To act at each opportunity.
I’m grateful for the doctors Who saw Bob’s need and acted. Today they biopsied bone marrow. Yesterday a PET scan was contracted.
All talk and no action Allows health issues to grow. Emotional issues likewise fester When not addressed; don’tcha know?
Embrace action, my friends. Jump in when you see a need. Do it out of goodness – Not monetary greed!
Thank you for embracing action, my friends. Your prayers are faith in action. You’re the best!
Tell me about the last time you saw a need and jumped in! Could be as simple as what I did today. I was Bob’s chauffuess!! (He’s usually MY chauffeur!)
The woman’s husband had been slipping in and out of a coma for several months, yet she had stayed by his bedside every single day. One day, when he came to, he motioned for her to come nearer. As she sat by him, he whispered, eyes full of tears, “My dearest, you have been with me all through the bad times. When I was laid off, you were there to support me. When my business failed, you were there. When I got shot, you were by my side. When we lost the house, you stayed right here. When my health started failing, you were still by my side. You know what?”
“What dear?,” she gently asked, smiling as her heart began to fill with warmth.
“I think you’re bad luck.”
OK, LAUGH!! But, no, don’t take that seriously! Our spouses are such an important part of our support system!
But not all are blessed with a supportive spouse. Some live alone; some live in turmoil at home; and some just feel abandoned. Some just need a hand…
In “Mornings with Jesus,” my daily devotional today, the scripture featured was
Isaiah 49:15-16 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palm of my hands…”
The nail prints engraved on Jesus’s hands remind us that He died in our place. We can be sure He will never forget us, even if everyone else on earth does.
Have you ever felt abandoned by everyone else – left with nowhere to turn, looking for solace and finding it only in your faith?
I haven’t!
But I have friends and family who have experienced those emotions. And some of them don’t know how to turn to their faith, either. I had a niece who felt that way – and she committed suicide! So this topic of emotional support systems is very dear to me!
In the case of my niece, she isolated herself from family and friends. She suffered in silence. She left the rest of us wondering where we went wrong. How could we not have picked up the stress signals that let us know the depth of her despair? But we didn’t…
Don’t be deceived by outward appearances! Look deep inside. Be the friend in whom your family and neighbors can confide by asking questions and showing concern!
Yesterday I shared about the grief of losing a friend – – – an ATV buddy who died while we were on our trip. And I shared the difficulty of our news about my husband, Bob’s, health issues. The outpouring of love and support from friends on Facebook and blogging buddies here was heartwarming. I thank you for embracing my grief and sharing my hope and faith in good test results and clear diagnosis and effective treatments. Your emotional support is so appreciated!
This week is full of labs and scans, biopsies and various exams. In the midst of it all, I draw strength from my faith. I know God is with me and Bob. I know He is in control. I believe He works for our good. And I feel your love and encouragement. Thank you for being a part of my support system! I appreciate you!
None of you shared yesterday if there is a way I can pray for you… a specific need you have. Let me know, okay? And thank you for keeping Bob & me in your prayers as we take this one day at a time.
