Sunday Church service

After a breakfast of blueberry pancake (1) and sunny-side-up eggs (2), we finished getting ready for church. We had walked there yesterday to clean it (I'm the janitor). The church is only about 6 blocks away if we cut across field. So we waded through knee deep snow to get to a street that leads us straight up to the church. A lady from the church, was there with a few girls from the church. They were practicing an interpretive dance kind of number to perform this morning. So we asked if we were going to have church today. She replied that she had asked our associate, who is defacto pastor now, and he reminded her that they are from Alaska. So this snow was no big deal to them. Plus they live just across the parking lot from the church. So they would be there whether or not anyone else came. She told us she and the others living in her house would be there, because their car gets around very well in the snow. So after our Sunday morning routine, we got ready and walked (the long way) to church. The long way means about 8-9 blocks instead of 6 because we followed the streets instead of cutting through now thigh deep snow and ending up soaking wet for worship, and all this in the snow and moderate wind. So we got to the church and (you guessed it) no one was there. It was 9:30, which is the time our worship service is supposed to start. Lights out; doors locked. So we walked back home. :) Well we got to enjoy God's beautiful world. Right?

White Christmas coming?

So, nothing new today: Just MORE snow.

Kasama generally seems hesitant to go outdoors when he feels the cold air. But once he's out, he seems to thoroughly enjoy running in the snow. Here he is spending a little time with one of the neighbor's dogs, Lucy. I think she had just marked her spot in the snow and Kasama is getting ready to respond in kind. :)

Last night when we went to bed, our car had ZERO snow on her (her name is "Blanca", ergo the feminine pronoun). Now below you can see the snow that came just overnight.

I just talked with FS (favorite sister), who told me that "No, we did not get transported to S.D.; they have -27 degrees wind chill. Thank you, very much, I'll stay here! But yes, on the level we have more snow. They have 2 foot drifts next to bare ground. We have 2 feet of snow on the level.

This is the overhand above our front door. I took this shot, simply to show the snow built up so far.

We hope to get to Mom's for Christmas. But forecasts have all the ingredients that lead to closing the I-84 freeway through the Columbia River Gorge. So...

"I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams!"

ttfn

Getting in the Christmas spirit

FIRST I WANT TO SAY:

NOAH ONLY HAD RAIN!

There is a reason I live in the lower 48 and not in Alaska. There is a reason I live in western Oregon and not certain other parts of the country: Snow. It's supposed to snow in those other places. It's okay to snow in our part of Oregon a few times each winter--maybe 3 or 4, interspersed with an olio (look it up) of clouds, rain, drizzle, clear, windy, and other kinds of winter weather.

IT CLEARLY IS NOT SUPPOSED TO SNOW NON-STOP FOR A WEEK AT A TIME!

Well, now that that is off my chest, I can move on to other things: specifically, giving a glimpse of our world today. It is mostly from indoors, showing the decorations BW has made for the Christmas season. But I could not resist a brief visit outdoors at the effects of a week of snow storms, and more to come. (I just measured it out back at 14" and still falling.)

It has long been my contention that the nativity should receive the greatest attention in Christmas decoration. Thankfully, BW agrees with me, although I suspect she thinks I'm a bit extreme.

So we have agreed, from the first year, that we would have this small, artificial tree. Believe it or not, for me this represents a compromise:

So we had all this additional garland-type decoration. And where to put it? Just when I was starting to get "concerned" about its destiny, BW started draping it over and along-side the railing of our stairway. I think it looks great and gives a warm first impression to some entering out home during this season.

Thank you for sharing these moments with us.

We hope you have a happy Christmas.

We pray the joy of Christmas will surprise you!