It's Orange Season!

It's January and that means the oranges are on the tree and ready to pick. We don't have that many this year. I think that's because we had a storm when the blooms were coming on and we lost a bunch, but anyhow we do have some oranges. And the cool thing is that they are BIG and taste great!

This is the neighbors tree...just behind us. They let us have what they can't pick.
This is our tree....not so many oranges. You can see that it's foggy here this morning.
This is the behemoth Dave picked this morning. No exaggeration...it was as big as a grapefruit!

For all my family in Colorado and Idaho: If I could afford to box up a bunch of these and send them to you, I would. We were there (Colorado) at Christmas and found that oranges are worth as much as gold!

Most...The Bridge

"For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

The wise in heart?

Lesson from yesterday morning's Bible study:

Proverbs 16:21 The wise in heart will be called discerning, And sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness

Lesson from yesterday evening:

...Haven't quite learned the art of sweet, persuasive speech.

Maybe if I could just connect the dots and remember that what I just read in the morning can be applied in the evening....hmmm, that's a thought!

Anyone out there feel the same way?

Night Of The Stars!!!

It's been two weekends of dress up around here....last week Jen went to a winter formal and this weekend Nacoya went to her winter formal or N.O.T.S. (Night of the Stars). She went with Andrew whose family just happens to be good friends of ours through homeschooling.

We added some tulle to the bottom of her dress to give it a little more "pop" and add some length. I was rather proud of myself for figuring out how to sew it on. I miss sewing so it was fun, and fun to see the finished result.

At the salon getting her hair done...

She was very patient while the hairdresser used a wave iron to create mermaid waves. She has lots of hair so it was about an hour and half process.
All dressed up and ready to go!

Andrew and Coya

Taking silly pictures with their group...

The corsages

And of course...the shoes...

The girls

Jen and Coya. Jen had just gotten off work and rushed over to see her before she left for the formal.

Off to the Formal

Tonight Jen is off to the Buchannan formal with her good friend Vince. Here are a few fun photos......

The Many Faces of Jenna and Coya....

The other night I came home and found the girls taking very silly pictures and laughing hysterically at themselves. They don't start school until Monday, so what else to do with our free time, but take goofy pictures! I'm used to Jenna taking silly pictures of herself, but this was a first for Coya. (Reminds me of someone else I know who loved the camera as a young one...not naming any names, but she lives in Colorado and shares the same b'day a me and everybody who meets us thinks Jenna is her daughter...just saying.)

Foggy Day Schedule

Current Temp 43 °F
Fog/Mist
Wind : Calm
Humidity : 93 %
Pressure : 30.20" (1022.8 mb)

As anyone from around here knows, fog is as common in the winter as 105 degrees is in the summer. It can last for a couple of weeks at a time, with very little sun to be seen. This is one of those weeks. I'm not complaining though, spring comes early and it gives me a reason to pour a cup of hot tea and either sit down with a good book or watch a movie on these foggy nights. (Tonight is the movie with Jen, Coya and Melissa as they are all still out of school until next week.) As my fellow bordie collie lovers also know, no exercise for the dog means no rest for the master. This master worked today and didn't get out this morning to take the beloved pet on his morning run. So, what does the master do? Bundle up and go for a walk in the fog! Underneath that hood is an ear wrap and underneath that jacket are two other layers to keep me warm. This fog tonight is something we don't always get. It's more like a mist than a heavy on-the-ground kind of fog. The ground looks like it just rained, but it's just the mist in the air. Why can't some of this stuff roll in about mid July when it is a sweltering 105 degrees outside?!! That's why we go to the coast, which is kind of funny in and of itself. We wait all winter for the fog to lift and then what do we do when it gets hot....head for the coast for more fog!!

My glasses get covered in mist....

In Memory of a Dear Friend...

Yesterday marked the 1st anniversary of the passing of my good friend, Rose MacAlpine. There almost hasn't been a day that has gone by this past year that I haven't thought of her. She was such a vibrant individual. Many mutual friends have commented that it still doesn't seem possible that she could be gone....I feel the same way. The more that time goes by, the more I am able to accept it, but her energy and her passion for life, music and the Lord lives on in my memory. Now and then when I really miss her I ask the Lord to tell her hello for me. Maybe that's crazy, probably not very theologically sound either, but I do know that one day I will see her again. I look forward to that time and keep singing in her honor. If I can communicate just a portion of the praise for our heavenly Father that she did, I will have accomplished much and honored her well.