Chilly Mornings and Nature

THE FROZEN BEAR PRINTS ON THE PORCH!

A VERY COLD MORNING, HERE IN IDAHO

Hello Everyone,

The mornings are getting quite chilly these days and it will not be long before the snow comes! The other morning I found frozen bear tracks on my front porch where a bear had gotten into the crate of old apples I had there. It had eaten the whole box. It is always such a delight when I see God's creatures, or even just the evidence of them. He created each one distinctly, just like you and I, and God's Word says that "Everything that He had made was very good". I wish I had gotten to actually see this bear. They, and tigers are one of my favorite wild animals, so it would have been such a delight!

The same day that we got pictures of the bear prints, we also saw a beautiful bird on the banister. We love birds, and this one happened to show herself just when we were eating lunch, right outside our big kitchen window. I am obsessed with Birds, too. I don't know a lot about them, but whenever we do see a beautiful one, we look it up. This one was a female Northern Flicker. They are from the woodpecker family. Of course, we didn't get a picture of her, because we didn't have time, but it at times like those, that I love being alive! :) She was gorgeous, and very plump...ready for winter. It has been awhile since I have seen a bird so plumb, and even the Blue Jays (which always stay the winter here), are very fat, too. I just have a feeling we will have a cold winter. Probably not as much snow as last year, but colder. Hopefully, I have enough fire wood! Anyway, I heard from a friend, that he had heard that it would be a record breaking cold year (yikes, if it's true), but didn't hear how much snow was predicted. I always get a Farmers Almanac, as they are almost always accurate. I need to grab one for this year, so I will be a bit more prepared for things.

James is coming home on leave on November 10th through the 20th. We are so very excited to see him! I have so missed my love! And the kids are anxious to just see their Daddy after all this time. It will have been 8 months since he left, when he gets here. He will be back for good in April, which by the time he leaves on the 20th, we will have about 4 months, 18 days, to get through and we will never have to worry about a Korea hardship tour again!

I bought a puzzle for James and I to do when he gets home. We love to snuggle close together and put puzzles together and talk, after the kids have gone to bed...a little tradition we started last year, I guess. I'm sure James will want to take each child on separate little icecream or milkshake trips to town (Abbie loves to have a little date with her Daddy) and I'm sure James and I will do something special, as well, though we haven't figured out what, yet! :) Zane has to whittle a little race car for the AWANA Grand Prix car race coming up. So, they will probably go together to buy the paint and finish, and what ever else they want to get for the car. I'm not sure what he and Sheldon could do yet. Maybe just icecream. He hardly even knows his Daddy but I think he's old enough to understand what it means, to go with his Daddy and do something special. We'll see! :)

I am loving being an AWANA leader! It has been so fulfilling! I thought I would be exhausted but it is actually very energizing! :) I think the kids on my team are really starting to like me, too. James will get to go with all of us to AWANA and see what it's all about! Zane is so excited! :)

The dance classes for Zane didn't go well, and he definitely didn't like it! I didn't mind....I don't want to force him to do something that he doesn't want to do and doesn't like.

Well, I just have a few little piddly things on my to do list for winter. I am excited that I will be able to relax and try to enjoy winter. It is my most hated season, but it will be nice to just hunker down and get cozy! One thing I really need to do, is burn some pictures of Abbie onto a CD so I can get her Birth to 1 year, scrapbook done. Maybe I can get Sheldon's done, as well, before James gets home in the spring. I have a table now, just for scrapbooking that is very child proof. You have to sit on a stool to reach it, so Sheldon can't get up there *yet*. Abbie and I did a page the other day and I really liked the table, and how I set it up!

Well, that's all for now! I hope you are all doing well! Blessings!