>What a blessing my husband and I experienced over the weekend! We participated for the first time in the Southeast Iowa Church Choir Festival, directed by Dale Grotenhuis and accompanied by organist Davis Folkerts.Praising God with around 200 other voices, a brass quintet, and the organ was awesome in the best and original sense of … Continue reading >Festival!

>When I was a young woman, my view of life was based on what I’d heard from older folks. I thought that it consisted of good times and bad times, but the good times always outweighed the bad. My vague concept was that sickness and grief were merely interludes in the play of life. I … Continue reading >The Prayer of Moses

>This morning I walked around outside, taking pictures of the sun coming up in the winter wonderland created by this weekend's ice and snow storm.

>I've added a few websites to my creatively-named "websites" section. Check them out!LOTR fans will find the artwork of Jerry Vander Stelt particularly interesting.

>This is my amazing grandmother, who will be 102 in April, beating me soundly yet again in a game of Scrabble.

>A junco who visits our deck to pick up seed that falls from the hanging feeders has a broken wing feather. It sticks out at on odd angle, as if stuck in a permanent salute.It doesn't seem to interfere with his ability to fly; however, I can only imagine the havoc it must play when … Continue reading >Pity the Poor Junco

>...all's right with the world.My DSL connection, which went down Monday morning, has been restored.

>This morning, while I was simmering in the creative juices of what I've long called the "cozy cocoon" of my early morning bed, a poem began to come to me. I went into my office and wrote this:In a Cold GreenhouseGray filters throughdirt-encrusted glass panes;dead, withered plants hangfrom basket gallows.Stumbling along a pathlittered with filthy, … Continue reading >Cold Greenhouse

>I'm a pretty big Lord of the Rings fan. I don't consider myself a huge fan because I haven't tried to learn the languages, but I'm enough of a fan that I've read the three volumes of the book through each January for nearly thirty years.Last night Sam came home, took Eleanor on his lap … Continue reading >LOTR

>I finally understand why I've continued to feel discombobulated even after curtains are hung and lamps are in place following our painting project.My husband put together a couple of new bookshelves for my office last Saturday and I've been gradually shelving a few books each day this week.Now I know: It was the books. During … Continue reading >It was the books…