So This Happened

 

Well, today was a very, very long day, but after a lot of research and a long, long time in the presence of those who sell cars, we were able to find and purchase a used Mazda CX5, so that there are now TWO reliable cars in the driveway. That hasn't been the case for a while now. 

This car has low miles and it was a reasonable price, so I went ahead and got it. I was planning to shop around a bit more, but the price was comparable to the others that I found, and I just didn't have the energy or the stomach for it. Really, because I got there at 11:30, just to see what they had, and ended up leaving at 3:30, with no lunch in between. 

I am praying that I don't have to do this again for a very, very long time. Mazda had better live up to it's reputation.

Oh, and Autumn is fat and happy. I case anyone was wondering.

Such a Gorgeous Day!!

 Wow. It was so nice out today. I went to Mass and then to Weis for groceries. Lilly was still asleep, but I picked her up at 10:30. She worked on school. She has worked really hard this week. Having Ivy is very motivating. I went for a walk and then came back and got Lilly and we went down to the farm so that she could have her lesson. It went very well after we got her out from under about three pounds of dried mud. That girl does love a good roll. Lilly is starting to see what Ivy can do. Ivy is a sweetie. She has a silly side, but she is a thoroughbred...so that's kind of expected. 

Confessions of a Horse-Mimi

 I have to say, whenever I see one of those little car magnets that says "I love my grand-dog" I want to gag. I am no dog's blood relative, and Maggie is NOT my fur baby. While I don't claim to love this hilarious horse anything like I love the kid that loves her, I have to say, that it's a lot easier to see myself spoiling her silly, kissing her nose and love-talking to her. I guess I just identify....

Grace

 Tuesdays are special. 

I got up at my usual time, got my stuff done and got to the church in time to pray the Rosary AND morning prayer. 

I picked Lilly up to come and do school, and then had lunch and went to Adoration. Sweet time! Jesus is so good!! 

Now we are getting back into the day.

The woods in Bayview

The snow is melting!! It is sunny and beautiful out there and I want to go for a walk later. 

Walked over to Bayiew and it was just so nice!!

Yes, It's Really a Monday

 Wow. This was an expensive Monday....

So last weekend we had an issue with the boiler. It was stopping and Tim had to babysit it just to keep it going. This is not OK when it's 30 degrees out. He arranged for someone to come and look at it today. 

Now, according to this guy, the work that was done by the company that serviced it in December was all wrong and he spent ALL day setting it to rights. Almost $1K later he says we are all good...except the boys rooms aren't heating up. Hmmm....Well if this doesn't fix itself by tomorrow... The other company is, of course, not answering the phone, in fact they are gone. Can't get that money back...Oh well, it's only money, right?

Also it snowed again. Blah. I hope that tomorrow is as warm as they say it's going to be, and that we don't go back into deep freeze in March, as we often do. I am ready for spring. 

Poor Maggie is sure slowing down. She has been having a really tough time lately. I feel so bad for her, but I don't know that I have any solutions. We are just trying to keep her comfortable. 

We had leftovers for dinner. I am so tired. Last night Brendan was working on a paper and we were up until midnight. I didn't get up at 5:30, needless to say. I think Jesus understands. I gave up an hour of sleep last night instead. At least I got to mass, and I did get my walk eventually. Heading to bed soon though.

Here Comes the Sun(day)

 Ah Sunday! What a wonderful day! It's still freezing, but the sun is out and the snow will be melting off over the next few days. 

John has decided to move up to Nina's basement, as a between measure. He can save money on rent because he only has to pay her about a third of what he would need to pay for an apartment. He has the whole basement, except the laundry room, and Nina is going to put a door on the room that he has. He also has access to the kitchen and shower of course. 

We will be doing some reorganizing around here as he moves his things up there. Brendan will be able to fix up his room to suit him. He will also be able to work up there and have his own space, which he cherishes.

I have the storage spaces to work on, and I have a lot of cleaning to do! Worked in Brendan's room to get stuff stowed, dusted and vacuumed. We will do a bit more and then I will get a new double mattress and put up the double bed in that room. It will be nice for Brendan to have a bigger bed, and I can also use that as a guest room when we have people over. It needs something done with the floor though. New carpet or flooring of some sort. The carpet is still the original...

I am really looking forward to the warmer weather more than ever. I want to get out and walk and take pictures! I just love our town when things start waking up!

I made teriyaki chicken, rice and roasted broccoli for dinner. It was good! 

I'm going to work on the logs for a while.

Happy Friday!

 It is very cold, and icy and just plain uncomfortable out there. 

So this is a good day to stay inside. 

Lilly is here for school, and I have been working on blogs, bible studies and baking bread! Holy alliteration Batman! 

I decided that I would make Mom's Cracked Wheat Bread, since I have the cracked wheat. Now that's a funny story. I ordered cracked wheat from Amazon just before Christmas and between the holiday deliveries and the Covid mess with the mail, they were completely overwhelmed. So the day my delivery came, I got an email saying that my cracked wheat had been delivered. I went out and sure enough, on the deck was a small package. I brought it in and opened it up and it was a toddler's hoodie. So, not cracked wheat at all. I contacted them and they refunded my money and said to keep the hoodie. I gave it to a friend to give to her daughter for Christmas, and then I waited until after Christmas to order again. So today was the day. It came out just like I remember!

Yum!

Ice Art

  I know, ice is not good news for the utility and road people, but it sure is beautiful!

Today the ice moved in and I had to get out for some pictures. This only happens once every few years and it will be melting fast, so I captured a few shots of God's handiwork before it disappears.

Some Problems....

 Woke up to a dead boiler! It was so cold!! We noticed that it was really cold in the house last night, so it much have gone down around 9:00. Tim messed around with it and it's running again, but we don't know why it stopped, so that's a bit concerning.

ICE! We also woke up to very little snow, but a whole lot of ice, and it is continuing! What a mess! I was glad to be able to stay in and stay warm, once it was warm. Might be a bread baking day. 

I was very happy to get a hot shower, considering that I didn't think that was going to be possible when I got up. I really need to appreciate the little things more. 

I have been reading and working on the other blog today. Have to head into the kitchen in a few to make dinner. 

Jambalaya and biscuits. YUM!

Ash Wednesday

 Today Lent begins. It is a fast day and we begin our journey of penitance. 

I am getting up earlier, adding some prayer time, and not eating between meals. That's a tough one, but it is always so good. 

Rush Limbaugh died. It is hard to believe. He has just been there for so long. I have listened off and on since he started his show. I didn't always love his delivery, but I grew to understand his amazing heart and love for his country and his audience. I do believe that he did make a huge difference and a good difference. Just can't believe that we can't tune in and hear his voice again. 

We're going to Mass tonight, as usual and I will go to Adoration at 5:00. I will be going to a Bible Study after 6:30 Wednesday Masses for most of Lent. Our small group will mostly be attend the study so we won't meet on zoom during that time. 

Fr Dale would like April and I to create a zoom course on Theology of the Body. We could present it once a week. I have to write to April and see if she is up for it. 

Got our ashes!

Big snow tomorrow!

Fat Tuesday

 I have never been into Fat Tuesday, but tomorrow the season of Lent does begin. 

It's always such a grace-filled time! My goals are to get up at 5:30 EVERY morning, except Sundays. Right now I do on the early Mass days, but on the other three it's hit or miss. I will also add morning and evening prayer, from the Breviary, steer clear of the junk food, and try to pray at the clinic in Fullerton once a week. Tim and I usually go on Saturday. and I will be reading through these books. 

40 Days for Life will start a new campaign tomorrow! Another 40 days of praying for moms, babies, and medical workers. It is the most effective way to share the gospel of life! God always pours our grace during these times. 

Took Lilly down to ride. Our girl was a mess! Wow. She has been enjoying the mud. She was willing to go into the barn this time, so that's progress. She was great out in the ring, but it was very sloppy so Lilly didn't do much more than walk. A little trotting, but we don't need her highness slipping and hurting herself. 

When I got home I found this!

I am really excited! 

Lilly is doing a study of the Susquehanna River this semester for Science and this is a guide to the geology of a portion of the river. It is excellent! We can do a couple of hikes and see all of it! 

I am going to see if anyone in TORCH wants to join us!

Well it's almost time for dinner and I have to get ready for a small group in a bit.

Happy Monday

 Well, my Monday started off as they always do. Up at 5:20 to get my walk, shower and prayers before Mass. Tim is off today, and home, but then, he is always home, just not working today. 

I decided to walk to Mass and say my Rosary which was really nice. It was cold, and gray and there is still snow in most of the yards, but I love walking in the winter, because it just makes me think about how awesome the spring is going to be. 

The Cookes are freezing down in Texas. They got ice, four inches of snow, and the temps are in the teens. There are 2 million people without power and they are very worried about the water situation. That's not even fun to play in.

I have been working around the house, putting things away, doing laundry, and the like. We will have leftover lasagna tonight for dinner so that's easy. I can't decide whether to go to the book study or not. Guess I will play it by ear. 

Tim and Paul are leaving to see if he can sell the van to someone from Craiglist. I hope she shows up. He is asking 1100.00, but it has some issues so he may not get all that. 

Lilly is going to be studying Greece for a month or so. She is learning about the gods this week. What a mess.

I want to start a new blog project, but it's going to be a big one. I want to get Grandma Maggie's journals into a format that people can add to and enjoy. 

John III, Grandpa Weaver and Grandma Maggie at the Camp '42

Happy Valentine's Day!

 It's already been a very nice day!

I got up late because I didn't feel well last night and I didn't want to go to bed and feel nauseous. I got up around 8:00 and Tim had set out chocolate covered strawberries, a lovely miniature rose bush, and some chocolates. He also gave me a very nice card! It was nice and quiet in the house until around 10:00. 

I had gotten goodies for the boys, but I am making lasagna and a chocolate torte for dinner. Nina and Lilly will be coming down as well. 

It has been a nice quiet day. I have most of dinner prepared, so I can listen to the videos from the Bible summit and work on my projects. I have typed some of Grandma's journal, blogged a post on my other blog, done my calendar for the coming week, and tried to get some reading done. I need coffee before I can read and concentrate on anything. I am still tired! I'll take some pictures tonight at dinner.

Ice Storm Day and Amazing Grace!

 So far it's been a pretty nice Saturday. 

I got up a little later than usual, got my coffe and did my prayers in a quiet house. 

We thought, given the forecast, we should get Paul's car off the street, so I drove it to Nina's to park in their lot, and then walked home. It was a very cold, but nice walk! I got to listen to Fr Mike and the Bible on the way home. 

I am hoping that Mass won't be canceled, but the weather is supposed to be really bad by then, so we'll see. John went to work so I hope he is watching the roads and comes home before they get bad. Who knows, maybe it will miss us. Haha. I am ready for Spring. 

I am listening to Fr John speaking right now. I hope that all of these videos can be shared, because is some amazing content here. Very challenging. He is speaking about the demands of discipleship. What we need to be doing to build up the body of Christ. 

Today, at 2:00, I will be able to watch a live stream of Maggie Watkins wedding!  Even though we can't be there, we will be able to watch the blessed event on the screen. 

Tim and I will be heading to Mass at 4:00 and then we will come home and tuck in for the night. Not sure what is happening for dinner. 

Dinner is beef stew. 

Friday, But A Lot Like Saturday

Today didn't seem like a Friday. I didn't have Lilly here, and I did a lot of my usual Saturday chores. 

I stayed up late last night watching a show, so I didn't want to get up real early. 

I went to BJs and did a large shopping. I wanted to get that out of the way because the weather is supposed to be really bad over the weekend. I want to be able to stay in except for Mass tomorrow. I am going to cook a Valentine's dinner for the family on Sunday. Lasagne, some kind of salad, homemade bread, and a double chocolate torte with strawberry sauce. I'm pretty excited. I hope that Nina and Lilly are going to be able to come down. The ice will be a deciding factor. 

I also got to watch a few great videos from a virtual conference that I am attending this weekend. 

Word 2021. So many great speakers!!

I went to Adoration at 5:00 and it was just wonderful. As always. 

Tim came down after his MRI and we went to Mass. A good day.

I am still listening to a talk. Fr Mike! I sure have been listening to him a lot lately. Every day in fact.

The Bible in a Year is his podcast. 

Guess we'll see whether this winter weather worry ends up being a thing.

More Snow....But Prettier!

It snowed again last night!

It is a particularly beautiful type of snow. The kind that sticks to the trees and piles up nice and fluffy. I took a few pictures early this morning, before Mass.

 Ivy had a photo shoot today, and she did great! She hates the barn, so when the photographer said to just walk her in and turn her around, I said "Well, that's probably not going to happen." I thought maybe we might just get her to back in though, and it worked! She was a very good supermodel, and these photos will be a black background, so I can't wait to see how they come out!

Old Dogs and Old Rivers

 Old dogs. Oh my gosh....

Maggie was up last night, just pacing the room and wanting us to get up. She didn't want to go out, she didn't want water, she just wanted company...at 3:00am. I have to say that I was less than gracious. Tim, on the other hand is always so nice about it. He just took her out to the living room and slept on the couch while she pretended that it was daytime. I am tired today. 

Found a special surprise in my purse! Lucy gave me a wonderful tea awhile back and I tucked it away and just came across it this morning. So nice to have a friend lift my spirits on a cloudy, chilly day.

Adoration was wonderful, of course. So wonderful that I kept nodding off, which I know is OK with Jesus, but maybe not so much for the other people in the room😉

We are supposed to get another bunch of snow tomorrow night. Even a little is more than I want right now. It is so hard for Maggie to navigate the outdoors in the snow. Looks like a frigid Valentine's day.

I want to find the rest of Grandma Maggie's journals. We are missing the 70s. I think Terry may still have them, but I could be wrong. 

Found this today while I was looking for something for Lilly to study in Science:

https://www.susquehannaheritage.org/river-roots-unique-geology/

This site is great and I ordered a guidebook that we can use on a driving tour of the unique geology of the Susquehanna River. We are studying as many aspects of the river as we can. Today we learned about the mapping ot the river in 1899. Fascinating!

Tacos, etc for dinner....

Small group in an hour!

Monday...Blah

I got up at 5:30 to get my life back to normal after the week of snow last week, got my walk and a shower so I should feel like taking on the day....

 Got to Mass, so that was wonderful.

It is a gorgeous sunny day outside!

I need to get out there and be in it, because I have a serious case of the Blahs.

Too much thinking on a Monday is not a good thing. Too much trying, not enough trusting. 

The Buccaneers (patriots) won the Superbowl, which, actually I was happy about for lots of reasons. Patrick M and his guys played a less than stellar game, and he has years and years ahead to get another ring, but Tom Brady and the Buccaneers (patriots) really showed what they are made of, and they earned it.

Lilly still hasn't texted to let me know that she is up. It's going to be a long day....

Finally picked her up at around 11:00 and she has been doing schoolwork in the basement. I hope.

I have been reading for book club tonight. We are finishing "Time For God" by Jaques Phillipe. It is a great little book on prayer. We are starting the Consecration to St Joseph that Tim and I did last year. I don't think I will do the consecration again this soon, but I will follow along with them in the book and discuss. I am also reading a book on baptism in the Holy Spirit, which Fr Dale asked Holly and I to read. After that one I have two more....

Well, fixed chicken and asparagus for dinner. Nina came a got Lil and they are all tucked in for the night. 

I am heading out in a few. Hope the roads stay dry. 

Well...

Superbowl Sunday! Snow, Again....

 

Well, today is a big day for football fans, of which I am one. 

It's a rather historic day in the NFL for several reasons. First, with the way Covid has ravaged all that is normal in this country, the fact that there is a Superbowl at all is pretty amazing! Another amazing thing is that the two quarterbacks are a bit historic themselves. Patrick Mahomes is a young quarterback, only 24, but he led the Chief's to the Superbowl last year, and now here they are again. He is a joy to watch, unless he is playing Lamar Jackson. The other QB is on the other end of the age spectrum. Tom Brady, 43, isn't everyone's favorite, but he has a pretty steller career and you really can't ignore that. He has WON the Superbowl six times....So, like him or not, he's a force to be reckoned with.

Oh yeah, and it's snowing again, but it's really not much of an imposition this time. Just a slushy mess.

We are going to order out and I am going to bake cookies. Pictures to follow.

We also received these fine fellows from a good friend, Fr Roy Pollard. They make a definite Havre de Grace statement in the front room.

We are ordering from Lin's Hibachi for dinner. Paul is on his way home from Ohio, where he was unable to ski, but it sounds like he had a good time anyway. At least he can see the last half of the game! 

This Is Good

Just had to share this picture...

Sweet Saturday

 Nice day today! It's cold, but not bitter. 

I was able to go for a walk earlier and by the time I got back I was way too hot. It was nice to be out in the outdoors. 

This afternoon Lilly had her first ride on Ivy at the farm. It was cold but they just did great! Ivy takes good care of her girl. The ring was really sloppy, but Ivy didn't seem to mind. She is good hearted and solid-minded, which is really such a Blessing. Lilly will be able to ride her for years and they will teach each other so much! 

After the ride I shopped at Wegman's and came home for coffee and to get ready for Mass at 4:00. I bought some nice Cod. It will be a nice change. Paul is going to stay with his friends an extra night because we are supposed to get bad weather again tomorrow. Ugh. No more snow, please!