Westwoods

     A day after a holiday makes for a crazy day at the Post Office; especially when Christmas is lurking in the near future and all the companies want to sell their seeds, gadgets, electronics, hunting gear, clothing, and fragrances. This makes for a lot of catalogs and magazines.  One would think that in this epidemic of Internet browsing, they could do without the paper version, but that isn't the way it works.  What actually happens is:  if you browse and order via the Internet, your name gets put on a mailing list and you get even more paper mail.  At the Post Office, we call it job security.        Meanwhile, a customer now and then puts a note in the mailbox requesting we not deliver any 'junk mail'.  Think about that, if even three customers asks us to throw their junk mail for them, out of almost five hundred mailboxes....well, you get the picture.  We would be in the building sorting mail and not actually delive...

The title was just an attention grabber because it may be something of which I do strive, but rarely pull it off completely.  Sometimes, there's a struggle.  Most importantly, I do eventually get there and know we are blessed above and beyond what we deserve.                          HAPPY THANKSGIVING...                      MAY YOU FIND A MOMENT TO READ AND FLOP ON YOUR COUCH. Lately, I've been preaching to myself about trying to present the real picture instead of making sure things are glossy and perfect first.  I know my eye naturally enjoys beautiful things but I think it would be refreshing to see normal and real instead of all the "fixing and editing" we do before presenting it. Whatever "it" may be.  That's why I'm letting you see this wall of words with a view of my son's gun rack and bed.  I'm trying to inspire you with the ...

He's the kind of guy that goes and goes.  He's driven. He doesn't stop to meditate or process; this isn't one of his characteristics.  He sees a need, he fills it.  An opportunity is available to be of use, he signs up for it.  Although he recognizes that life is busy, busier than normal, he knows it will pass.. To get frantic or weary, isn't a thought he has.  He sees life in the moment, choosing to make use of every minute.  He looks at it as if "times-a-wasting";  his attitude is, "Let's do this thing". Behind all the action, his wife stops and processes life as it comes, constantly.  She fears many things:  being forgotten as a wife, that she won't get the attention she thinks she needs, that he will spend too much time with another "team" and because of the type of environment he is in, she's afraid of losing his heart  for another.  She worries what the kids are going to remember about Dad being gone helping others...

   A bit rainy this year.  Usually we have snow too.  This is what you first see when entering the sale.              The apple butter being stirred by William and his family.  We sell lots of that!                                       Steve and Betty Hofer come over from Montana and do the kettle corn.                                                The cashiers line...this year we kept three couples busy full time...                                         plus two other people taking money for the food line...                    The kids crafts brou...

                                      Toria helped a great deal yesterday with the cinn rolls                                Space was limited at this house so I got tricky and rolled out two in one   This old clunker was parked in my basement.  Dad brought it backed fixed, when we moved here but I never tried it till yesterday.  It made terrible noises, but got me through at least five batches of  5 cup recipes.                                  Also, this old oven works quite well... I can't bake a lot at a time                                  but she works!               ...

This year, I'd like to give you a tour of our annual school sale.  It is so much work, but fun too.  Most years I forget that.  Last year, things of life were happening at such a fast rate, I never thought of enjoying it.  It has made me realize how fun preparing has been this year.  I am amazed how everyone pitching in has made every year a success.  It is a huge blessing that each year, people come from all over, for our school sale and that it pays for a major part of our school expenses.  We do not take it for granted.  And it happens the week before Thanksgiving, making us even more thankful. I always feel like I don't add very much, but Kristy pointed out to me, that if everyone brings a little, in a school of forty families, it adds up to quite a lot. One library bag w/felt flowers... One word wood signs...owl hot pads... crocheted hair clips... Christmas stockings...                   ...

Balance: defined as an instrument of weighing things to finding the balance of your checkbook.  That was the first and last definition.  The ones in-be-tween are what I'm looking at...   Def #6-  steadiness of character.   Def #7-make up for the effect or influence of, to counteract... Most interesting.  I've been thinking about balance and how easily it is to slide into one ditch or another.  I think about it a lot, trying to eat a gluten free diet.  I've eaten so many words about that whole thing.  I took an allergy test a year and a half ago.  It claimed I have high allergies in all things wheat.  I paid a lot of money to find this out.  I very grudgingly started this path because I was tired of feeling achy and sore in all of my body.  I hate it.  I still make fun of it.  It has also helped so much, that now when I get sore, I wonder what I ate.  But it still seems like a bunch hype to me...