Walking is the perfect way of moving if you want to see into the life of things. It is the one way of freedom. If you go to a place on anything but your own feet you are taken there too fast, and miss a thousand delicate joys that were waiting for you by the wayside. Elizabeth von Arnim

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Sunday, November 30, 2014

Thank you and the snow is GONE.

I am thankful for all of you who read my blog.  : )
Thank you for taking time out of your day to come here.  
And a special Thank You to those who leave comments.

Though this is the last day of November and the thankful theme,
I will continue to be thankful every day for the many blessings God gives me.
I will make the most of each day and find joy.
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After all the snow we've had in the last few days,  I was so surprised to wake up this morning and find it all GONE.  It warmed up, got windy and it all melted away.  
Only a short walk of 3 miles this morning.  Once in a awhile I don't get a full walk in on Sunday's before I have to head back home to get ready for church.  
My house is the ranch on the left.  Hard to believe all the snow is gone.
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 Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift.
2 Corinthians 9:15

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed,
do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Colossians 3:17

O give thanks unto the Lord,
call upon His name:
make known His deeds among the people.
Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him:
talk ye of all His wondrous works.
Psalm 105:1-2

Praise ye the Lord:
O give thanks unto the Lord,
for He is good:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psalm 106:1

A blesses Sunday to you all.
God loves you.
happyone : )

Saturday, November 29, 2014

The snow has stopped

I am thankful for the Post Office and mail delivery to my door.
My Mom and StepDad both worked in the post office.
My mom sorting the mail and my dad delivering the mail.
A lot of people complain but I think the Post Office still does a pretty good job.
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I didn't wake up until 7:00 and much to my amazement it wasn't snowing.  Since I started walking later than usual it wasn't dark and before long the sun came out.  So very nice to see a bright blue sky.  It was 26 degrees and no wind so the morning was cold and crisp.  Just beautiful.
I wore my ice grippers but could have gotten by without them.  It was half ice and have dry pavement.

I dropped a book off in the book drop at the library and then walked over to the post office and dropped a Netflix in the mail slot and then continued my walk all over town including the cemeteries with no special way in mind. 
Saw lots of deer and rabbit tracks in the snow.

Only saw one person out and she was taking snow off her car.  We both mentioned how pretty the morning was.

Walking down the main street through town I saw something you don't see every day and I just happened to have my camera so I could take a picture.  A truck pulling a trailer with part of an airplane on it.
A couple more pictures I snapped along my walk.
Icicles hanging off the library roof.
And the little town pond frozen over.
Sure was nice being outside walking on this beautiful sunny morning.
I walked 6 miles.
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This morning I baked another batch of Welsh cookies for the Drane House cookie sale which is next Saturday.  I'll have to bake another batch later in the week to complete the 5 dozen.  Looking forward to the sale.

Doing some knitting this afternoon.  I now have 3 projects going at the same time.  A scarf, mittens, and baby sweater.

I ordered an extra pair of ice grippers (Yaktrax) so I have a spare for when the ones I have now, break, and Ken can't fix them again.  He already has fixed them twice. They came in the mail today and according to the tracking record they have had quite a trip getting here.  They've been in Indiana, La Vergne TN, Bridgeport NJ, NY,  down the other end of MD and finally here.

I wish you a day of sunshine and happiness.
 happyone : )
What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity.
These are but trifles, to be sure;
but, scattered along life's pathway,
the good they do is inconceivable.
~ Joseph Addison

Friday, November 28, 2014

No morning walk

I am thankful for Junior Mints. : ) 
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I woke up late this morning and a little after 7:00 this is what it looked like out of my dining room window and it was 30 degrees.
The snow was too deep to wear my hiking boots and there were snow plows all over so I decided not to walk this morning.  I could have worn my snow boots but they aren't good for going for long walks.

I felt bad about not walking but in the afternoon I went outside and walked around the yard and went for a little walk up and down the street.  The snow was heavy on the pine trees and some of the branches were down on the ground in the snow.
So I walked around knocking the snow off the branches and watching them spring back up.  Sometimes as they went up I had a shower of snow fall on me.  : ) 

Our little water feature is frozen and covered in snow.  Good thing we didn't get any fish.
It was nice getting outside for a while.   I needed a little outside time.  : )

We've been home watching it snow on and off for the past three days and haven't been anywhere so for supper tonight we are headed out to Uno's.

Hope your having a tip top day.
happyone : )
Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire,
if you did, what would there be to look forward to.
~ Unknown

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Snow pictures and Happy Thanksgiving

I am thankful that there is always enough food to eat.
I never have to worry about where my next meal is coming from.
Sometimes, I could do with a little less food. : )
: )
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It was 30 degrees on this Thanksgiving morning and what a beautiful winter wonder land it was out there.  No wind at all, not even a breeze and I was the only one at that time enjoying it.  The sky was cloudy which somehow made it even more beautiful.  A few flurries were floating around.

I wore my hiking boots to keep my feet dry and it was a bit slippery in places, but not enough ice to wear my ice grippers.  Didn't want to wear them out walking on the road.
Everywhere looked so beautiful and I took a lot of pictures.  Here are just some of them and they need no words.




A shorter walk than usual.  
Only walked 3.8 miles.  
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It's just me and Ken today and we aren't even having a turkey, but we shall have a nice holiday being thankful for all our many blessings.

Our Thanksgiving meal will be meatloaf, mashed potatoes, applesauce, beets and pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread.  

Enjoy your day.
Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate the holiday.
happyone : )
In every thing give thanks:
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus
concerning you.
I Thessalonians 5:18 

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

A snowy day

I'm thankful for snow.
It turns the world into a winter wonderland.
 : )
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33 degrees this morning and it just started snowing when I left on my walk.  A wet snow that started sticking right away. 

I walked all over town taking pictures along the way.  The snow plows were out first thing and I tried to stay off the roads where they were.

No school today because of Thanksgiving tomorrow so there were no buses out this morning.  Didn't see any other people out walking again today.  No animals out that I saw either.

This is the house where yesterdays widow picture came from.
It was a nice walk in the snow.  It snowed the whole time I was walking.
I walked 6 miles.
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Last evening at church went well.  Thanks for the prayers and good wishes. : )  Five people gave their testimonies and I was the first one.  I started, said the first sentence and my mind went blank.  I said to myself, Lord please help and words just came out.  I even told a little story about when I was 4 getting my tonsils out in the hospital.  People laughed at times and got teary eyed too.  Afterwards people came up to me and hugged me and said I did great. : )  With God's help I got through it all just fine.  Ken gave his testimony right after me and he did a fine job.  Had people in tears.
Another couple was after us and there was a young teenager who gave hers too.  We are all so blessed to be part of this church and to have such a loving, caring, Pastor.  

There were lots of pies to eat too and I tried way to many of them.  : )

This morning was a baking one for me.  I baked a pumpkin pie for us and seven little loaves of pumpkin bread.  We will eat one and the others will be little Christmas gifts.  They freeze great so I can make them ahead of time.
It continues to snow and we are nice and cozy inside watching it snow.  Here is a look out of the front window.
Our shed out back.
The rest of the afternoon I plan to do a little reading and knitting.  
Hope you are enjoying your day.
happyone : )
Blessed are those that can give without remembering
and receive without forgetting.
~ Elizabeth Bibesco

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Tuesday

This might be a strange thing to be thankful for 
but I'm thankful for Thank You notes.
I know when we do something for someone we do it because we want to
and don't expect any thing in return.
But when I get a Thank You note it warms my heart.
I've said this before but I keep the Thank You notes that I get
in a basket and once in a while I read them.
They always make me smile.
Some notes in my basket are from people I don't even remember.
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This is a window in a house in town that is abandoned and has been 
neglected since I've been walking past it.
In the picture you can see torn curtains at the window.
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When I went walking this morning the temperature was 38 degrees and windy.  It was a cloudy morning but later in the day the sun came out and it was a pretty day.

Today I saw a dead skunk in the middle of the road and it must have just gotten hit because the smell was really bad.

I walked all over town.  Again today I didn't see anyone else out.  While I was walking I tried to plan what I am going to say tonight when I give my testimony but nothing sounds quite right to me.  I decided not to take any notes of what I will say but just say what comes to mind.  
 
The town has put up Christmas wreaths on all the street lights on the main street and some Happy Holiday flags around.
I just can't believe that Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up so soon.

Today I walked my usual 6.2 miles.
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Since the weather was nice I figured I'd better take my car out for a run.  My car doesn't do snow so I may not have that many more times to drive it before winter. 

The annual cookie sale at the Drane House will be December 6, next Friday, and I was asked to bake Welsh Cookies again like I did last year.  This afternoon I made two dozen of them.  I need to make three more dozen.  The cookie sale is a big thing around here and it doesn't take long for them to sell out.  Here is link to a previous post from April of last year (hadn't moved up here yet) showing the Welsh Cookies.

Had a book on hold at the library and it was ready so went over to the library and picked it up.  It's one for my book club and this time if I don't like it right away I'm not reading it.

In another hour we leave for church.  We will be having pie for supper tonight. : )

Hope your day has been sunny and bright.
happyone : )
Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings,
turn routine jobs into joy,
and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.
~ William Arthur Ward

Monday, November 24, 2014

A warm day

I am thankful for books.
My love for reading started when I was 6 years old in first grade.
I'm thankful for my teacher, Mrs Claxton who taught me how to read.
I'm thankful for my Mom who read
me countless books over and over again
before I could read.  
The one book that comes to mind was the Little Golden Book,
The Things I Like.
I asked for that one to be read the most and my mom tells me
that she would get so tired of reading it and would try to change things around but I would let her know that, that wasn't how the story went.
Wish I still had mine.
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Our little pond at Happy Trails yesterday. 
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We've had a warm up.  Stepped outside into a very windy morning but with a temperature of 54 degrees. 
It's been a while since I  walked the Farm Loop and it was so nice walking that way again.  Don't walk it on those cold days with the wind because it is so out in the open.  Sorry to say I saw a little owl and a rabbit in the road that had gotten hit by a car.
Here's some geese I saw alive and well.
My walk continued around town before I headed back home.  Surprisingly on such a beautiful warm morning I didn't see anyone else out walking.

I walked 6.2 miles.
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I took this picture of a White Breasted Nuthatch up at HT yesterday.  There were two of them and this is the first time I've ever seen one. 
I took advantage of this nice day and hung my sheets out on the line to dry.  They dried super fast with all this wind and were back on the bed before lunch time.

I baked a pumpkin pie this afternoon.  This one is for church tomorrow evening.  We are having an early Thanksgiving service.  It is an informal one that will be held in the fellowship hall and it has the clever name of Pie and Praise.  We all bring in our favorite pie for Thanksgiving.   Pastor has asked a few people to give their testimonies and I happen to be one of the ones he asked.  I said yes, though speaking in front of people is not my favorite thing to do.  I ask you to please say a little prayer for me tomorrow evening that I will be able to put in words what I'm feeling in my heart.   Thanks. : )

It's been a warm day but has gotten more windy as the day has progressed.  I don't think this warm weather will be around much longer but it sure is nice.

Hope your day is sunny and bright and that you are smiling.
happyone : )
Do not take anything for granted,
not one smile or one person or one rainbow
or one breath, or one night in your cozy bed.
~ Terri Guillemets

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Psalm 100


Psalm 100
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
Serve the Lord with gladness:  
come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the Lord is God:
it is He that hath made us,
and not we ourselves;
we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
and into His courts with praise;
be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting;
and His truth endureth to all generations.

A blessed Sunday to you, my friends.
happyone : )

Saturday, November 22, 2014

A sunny walk

I am thankful for all the different sounds I hear.
These are some of my favorites.
Rain drops on an umbrella
A baby's laugh
The wind blowing through a corn field
Birds singing
Wind chimes
Water falling over stones in a stream
The church bells in town
 The crackle of logs in a fire
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This morning on my walk it was nice and calm with nary a breeze.  It was sunny too but it was still chilly at 16 degrees.  Not long after I got home the clouds came rolling in and that was the last of I saw of the sun today.  Nice to have it to walk in though.

I walked over to the laundromat and took down the poster that I put up inviting people to church to see the chalk drawings.  Then continued down the road to the industrial park and walked around in there.
This road is at a dead end at one of the roads and I always want to walk down it but it is on someone's land and I don't want to trespass, but it always looks so inviting.
 I've been watching a new huge barn being built on a farm at the edge of town.  There are four parts to it.
Walked back to town and finished my walk around there.  This tree that has had all its branches cut off reminds me of a totem pole.
Early Saturday mornings are quieter than usual around here and I didn't see anyone else out at all and hardly any cars passed either.

I found a dime. : )
Walked 6.4 miles.
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It was a good time to go shopping at Walmart last night after church.  We got there at 8:30 and there were hardly any people there and the shelves were well stocked getting reading for today.  

Today we went to the Dollar General where I picked up some Tide Pods that were on sale.  I love these little pods that you just pop in the washing machine.  No measuring to do and I get more loads washed this way.  When using the liquid Tide I tend to just add a little bit more for good measure.  

We had to replenish our ice cream supply too.  The Shop and Save have really good ice cream sales and we stock up when they have sales.  So nice having that extra freezer in the garage.

This afternoon I've started reading another book.  I'm back to reading the Cedar Cove series by Debbie Macomber.  I'm on book number seven, 7 Seaside Avenue.

It's been a dreary looking day but a good one never the less.
Hope your Saturday is a good one too.
A happy day to you.
happyone : )

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.
~ Cynthia Ozick

Friday, November 21, 2014

Friday

I am thankful for answered prayer.
Sometimes it is not the answer I want 
but in the end I see that God knew what was best for me.
I am also thankful for my Mother's prayers for me.
For a long time I didn't go to church and my mom
prayed every day that I would get back on track with God.
I am thankful that she never gave up praying.  : )
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This morning the temperature was 19 degrees with a bit of a breeze and at first some snow flurries fell around me.  By the time I got home there was some blue sky and the sun was starting to come out. 

First went to public works and slipped the water bill down the slot and then over to the post office to mail off a Netflix.  Then just walked all over the place.

There were two others out walking this morning as well as me, a man and his dog and a woman.

Out in a field I saw a couple of deer in the distance.
 Some beef cattle up on a dirt pile along Barn Sale Rd.
It may have been a bit chilly but what a great morning to be out walking. 
I walked 6.3 miles.
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We've been home today puttering around the house. 

After supper is one more night of chalk drawings at church and tonight the 6 of them will be given away.  Each night people got points for bringing visitors to the service and the people with the most visitors will get a drawing.  No, we aren't getting any.

We were going to go food shopping at Walmart today but decided to go tonight after church because they are just a few miles apart.  Any other place we've lived, we wouldn't think of shopping on a Friday night but it doesn't matter here.  There still won't be a lot of people. : )  Another reason we like living here.

Hope your day was happy and bright.
happyone : )
Thou hast given so much to me,
Give one thing more - a grateful heart;
Not thankful when it pleaseth me,
As if Thy blessings had spare days,
But such a heart whose pulse may be Thy praise.
~ George Herbert

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Sweater Progress

I'm thankful for the every day conveniences that we take for granted like
Indoor plumbing
Hot and cold running water
Electricity
Going to the store and buying what we need, just to name a few.
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This morning it was quite a bit warmer when I walked with a temperature of 31 degrees, but it was very windy and the gusts that came along were quite strong.  I got up a bit late so didn't leave until 7:00.  

As I walked passed the library I realized I forgot the books that I wanted to drop off so I walked a loop around town including the cemeteries and ball park loop and then went home to get the books.  The loop was a tad over 3 miles so after I picked up the books, I walked the loop for the second time dropping the books in book drop on the way past the library.

Another morning when I didn't see anyone else out and no wild life either. 
Nice being out walking and I walked 6.2 miles
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It was Super Senior day out with our church friends today.  We didn't go anywhere  special today but just met at church and had lunch there, but still it was a nice time. : )

Came home and knitted some more on the baby sweater.  I got the front done and thought you might like to see how it is coming along.  I have to make one more just like this for the back.
Another evening at church to see a chalk drawing so I'd better get off the computer.
Hope your day has been a happy one.
happyone : )
The world has enough beautiful mountains and meadows,
spectacular skies and serene lakes.
It has enough lush forests, flowered fields and sandy beaches.
It has plenty of stars and the promise of a new sunrise and sunset every day.
What the world needs more of,
is people to appreciate and enjoy it.
~ Michael Josephson

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

A cold morning

I'm thankful for warm clothing, comfortable shoes and my ice grippers.
: )
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It was pretty cold outside this morning, only 8 degrees, but the sun came out and though there was a bit of a breeze the strong winds have died down.  So I layered up in lots of warm clothes, put my ice grippers on my shoes and went on my walk.  These are my ice grippers which fit right on the bottom of my shoes.
I walked all over town and as you can imagine I didn't see any other crazy people out walking. : )  I laughed when a couple of cars went by giving me the thumbs up.  Not sure what it meant.  : )
Bill, who works for the town stopped his truck and we had a little chat.  
I didn't see any rabbits but did some tracks of one.
It was nice to see the sun coming out and it sure felt nice and warm on my face.  My face is the only part of me that was cold and I had most of it covered up.

The little pond in town is frozen over.
When I first left the house, I thought I'd only walk a few miles but once I started walking and warmed up I stayed and got my full walk in.
It was actually nice and I walked 6.3 miles.  
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I made some corn bread this morning to go with the chili I made the other day and we will have that for supper tonight.  Seems like a good day for it.  Also made a loaf of bread.  Nice to bake on a cold day, helps keep the house warm and smells so good.

I finished reading the fourth and last book in the Cape Refuge series by Terri Blackstock.  This one was Breaker's Reef and it also was very good.  I'm sorry that the series ended.  She has written other book series too and I look forward to reading them.

We did go to the chalk drawing service at church yesterday and are going to another one tonight.

Time now to do a little knitting.
Hope your day is happy and bright and that you smiled often.
happyone : )
You pray in your distress and in your need;
would that you might pray also in the fullness
of your joy and in you days of abundance.
~ Khalil Gibran
Comment Replies:
Kim - Ken caught a Rock Fish.  Cool that you went to church with Jimmy Stewart!!

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

No Walk

I am thankful for libraries.
What a great feeling to walk in the library and know you can
walk out with an armful of books and you don't have to pay for them.
: ) 
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Well, I wimped out this morning and didn't walk.  It was 13 degrees, and the snow was blowing sideways and I was sure the there was ice somewhere underneath the snow.  
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Ken and one of the fish he caught last week.
I went outside after lunch to clear off the truck and to get the mail.  It was still cold and very windy.  I had to wear my ice grippers walking down the driveway.  Thought briefly of going for a walk but didn't want to take a chance of falling on the ice so early in the season. : )
The main roads are just wet but parking lots and sidewalks not so great.

There is Veterans memorial in town and they are selling bricks to honor veterans.  You get three lines of 15 characters to write name, rank and branch of military and dates served.  I bought one for Ken, and we are getting three more for my Dad, Ken's Dad and my step-Dad.  I went through my Dad's stuff this afternoon looking for his military record so I would know what to write on his brick.  After I found what I was looking for I spent some time reading through some of his things.   Nice to be able to read some of things he wrote down about his life.  An interesting bit is when he was in the Army, for a while the actor Jimmy Stewart was his commanding officer and my dad was his driver. 

Planning on going to church this evening to see Don Williams do a chalk drawing.  Hopefully we'll actually get to go this time.

Hope your day has been a happy one and that you are nice and warm.
happyone : )

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not,
but rejoices for those which he has.
~ Epictetus
Comment replies:
John - I guess I just look up and down and all around. : )

Monday, November 17, 2014

Monday

I am thankful for all my friends.  
Old friends, new friends and all my blogger friends 
and friends I've yet to meet. 
Thank you all for being my friends.
: )
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I wore my rain pants and yellow slicker when I walked on this misty rainy morning.  The temperature was 39 degrees.

I walked up and down all the streets all over town and didn't see anyone else out walking.   Waved to all the usual people in cars and the bus drivers.  One man poked his head outside of his house when I walked by to say hi.

I found a dime today. : )
Walked 6.2 miles.
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It's been a rainy day with some snow showers thrown in the mix too and the temperature has stayed in the mid 30's.

Did a little cleaning but mostly I've been reading and knitting.  I am happy to say that I got passed a part on the baby sweater that was a little tricky keeping in the pattern.  Have another tricky part coming up soon but I'm trying not to anticipate a problem and just taking it a step at a time. 

Every night this week at church Don Williams will be doing one of his chalk drawings so we are off to see that later.  He has come every year for the past 22 years.  Don't know if we'll go every night, but will go to a couple at least.  On the way we will stop and have supper first at Brenda's which most of you know is half prize pizza night.

May you realize all your blessings today.
happyone : )
Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don't unravel.
~ Unknown

Edit: -  Temperatures getting colder and roads getting icy.
We decided to stay home this evening.
We had home made pizza instead.