Happy Hannukah!

Today is the second of the eight days of Hannukah. Our joint Beth Tephila & Beth HaDerek party last night was a wonderful time of rejoicing in our Shammas (the servant candle who lights the other candles). May this holiday season be a time of rejoicing in the Light of the World for you as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!

...just watch the seconds, thirds, fourths...helpings!

God says, "Have a Nice Day!"

How I needed this reminder a week or so ago when a large white truck slammed into my Yukon.

I had enjoyed my day immensely...shopping for toys & clothes & other items to pack into Samaritan's Purse Christmas shoeboxes. After filling the boxes & delivering them to our church for later shipment, I started my drive back home. It was dark as I started to turn back onto Highway 93. Bright headlights, appearing from between Black Jack's Casino & the Hayloft Bar across the street, within milliseconds zoomed towards me as I felt the impact of two vehicles colliding. I squinted to see if I could see the license plate as the vehicle backed up a little, but the headlights were still too bright. A white truck drove past me & I assumed was going to turn around so we could exchange information about insurance companies. I pulled to the curb & waited. After about 5 minutes, it was obvious no truck was coming, so I drove over to the truck stop where it had headed & started looking for a white truck. Perhaps the driver was waiting there for me. No deal. It was a hit & run accident. A saying of my military boss from Fort Leavenworth popped into my mind: "No good deed goes unpunished."

I called the police & reviewed the accident. The policeman, who came & surveyed the damage & scene, said the other driver probably either was drunk or didn't have insurance. Hit & runs were common in this area of the casino & bar. He thought I had at least $2000 damage to the left front side of my car. The appraisals I got the next day for my insurance company were both just over the $2000 mark. Sadly, I will be out the $500 deductible & without my car for 4 days or so when the parts arrive at the body shop. I am asking the Lord to help me respond in a way that will give Him glory.

Minutia of life

This photo is for Elli. Others liked the simple ghost costume, like you.

My life doesn't seem very bloggable at present. Yet, beautiful Fall days - even with the leaves blown from the trees after several hard frosts - & wonderful friends, make my life full to the brim.

. Above is my friend Jan, to whom we long-term loaned Glory, (one of our goldens shown in the photo with Jan), & later Glory's daughter, Genny. Genny returned to our home in September after Jan had been hospitalized with pneumonia & recurring symptoms of lymphoma. Jan never made it home again. She transferred to a rehab. unit to regain enough strength to walk with a walker. Her blindness was almost complete at this point. (She had been losing her eyesight over the last 5 years.) God kept placing her in my thoughts, so I prayed for her & visited her 3 times in the rehab. unit. Esther visited Jan as well, during one of her breaks at the Nursing Assistant Course. Jan passed from sleep in that rehab. unit right into her real home with the Lord in early October. We were so blessed to have known this gentle soul.

. Another friend, Janie, also has had the lymphoma diagnosis for about two years. She looks like she has a good case of the mumps on the left side of her face. Her submaxillary gland appears to contain at least 2 goose eggs. She asked me to accompany her to an oncology appointment this past week as she hoped to delay a surgery to remove this gland. After 4 hours of waiting in the oncology clinic & then arguing her case, she won temporarily. Strong antibiotics are being tried first. Janie teaches me so much vicariously. She's open with her Christian witness despite ongoing health problems.

. Today I reduced a huge Halloween pumpkin that Louis brought home from DirecTV into 23 cups of pureed pumpkin. I baked a couple of pumpkin pound cakes & froze the rest. Perhaps I should give out baked pumpkin treats for Christmas gifts this year ?!

. Although I turned in my resume, was interviewed & watched the current RN do an ultrasound at First Way Pregnancy Support Center, I have not heard yet whether I will be hired for 2 or 3 days a week as the next RN. Thursday evening the Center has a fund-raising dinner, which I plan to attend. Perhaps I will hear something then.

. Our hiking is over until Spring. I missed the last hike. Esther had moved into a studio apartment with her friend, Melissa & only hours later, up-chucked all over the nurses' station at work. She had a temp. of 102 degrees, so she called me 30 minutes before I was leaving on the hike to ask if I would come & spend the day with her. I did. So far I have escaped that virus myself.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun ...at the Women's Retreat

The Women's retreat at Flathead Lake was thoroughly enjoyed by 21 women. I loved speaking on shalom & restoration via the Biblical feasts, but am relieved to have the retreat so well received & now past. Laura's lodge was perfect for this number of women. Thanks to anyone who lended prayer support. The talks were taped & will be shared with at least one unsaved Jewish woman, so I'm continuing to pray for this outreach.

Kim Williams Nature Trail & "The M"

The Hallelujah Hikers so enjoyed our last hike up the Rattlesnake Canyon Trail, we decided to hike one or two more weeks despite the cooler weather. This first photo was taken from the trail to "the M" looking towards the Rattlesnake Canyon to the North of Missoula.

Although hunting season has started & Monday was overcast with temps in the 40's, the Hallelujah Hikers climbed Mount Sentinel to the East of the University of Montana campus. Our Fall coloration has lasted over a month already because we have not had the series of hard freezes that we sometimes get by late October. Part-way up the trail to the white-painted "M" on Mt. Sentinel, I took this shot toward the start of the Bitterroot Mountains & Highway 93 that lies at the foot of the Bitterroots.

This is the center of the University of MT. campus as viewed from about 1/2 way up the "M" Trail. The building to the right is the University Center where only 5 nights earlier we had heard Michael Reagan speak.

Before hiking the "M" trail, we hiked the 5 mile round-trip Kim Williams Nature Trail that runs from the University along the right bank of the Clark Fork River as it enters Hellgate Canyon. InterState 90 is on the other side of the river.

These were my four co-hikers. Three are retired school teachers & the other retired last year from an administrative job with the Forest Service. We are all in our late 50s & early 60s. We wore several layers of clothing on this hike due to the low temperature & a cold breeze.

We discussed how to reach other women for Christ at our second Fall retreat starting tomorrow. It will be held again at Laura's lodge by Flathead Lake. Laura has on the blue coat with light grey pants. (I'm baking two challah loaves & cooking chicken soup with matzah balls for tomorrow evening even as I work on this blog entry. I'm also the main speaker, so I'd appreciate any & all prayer support.) We prayed for several homeless men that we passed one by one along the trail. We also sang our usual praise songs. These hikes are always multi-faceted & up-lifting.

Deer - no, mountain lion - damage

My sister & her husband took almost three weeks to drive with my parents about 7000 miles. They drove to Wisconsin & crossed into Canada from there. After viewing Niagra Falls from the Canadian side, they crossed back into New York State & traveled along the Northern East Coast to view the Autumn leaves. Only once did they come close to hitting a deer...somewhere in upper New York. When they were within 10 miles of home, a grown mountain lion ran out of the trees & smack into their car. Mike, my brother-in-law, is a true mountaineer. He grew up in Western Montana & has been a sawyer for a living - essentially living & working in the forests. He had never heard of a mountain lion doing such a thing, until one bunged up his fairly new car!

Date Night with Michael Reagan

Louis & I try to have dates a couple of times a month. Wednesday night was one of the best we have had recently. Key components included:

. Receiving free tickets to the Friends of the Family Banquet at the U. of M. University Center Ballroom. Those tickets were selling for $75 each from the Montana Family Foundation.

. Being serenaded by soothing harp music, ( performed by the sister of Esther's best friend from Valley Christian School days), while we ate appetizers, baby spinach salad & rye rolls, sliced London Broil, Sicilian vegetables & potatoes with chive & garlic butter & Montana huckleberry cobbler.

. Listening to Michael Reagan, the keynote speaker, talk about being twice adopted... once as a baby by Ronald Reagan & Jane Wyman & then again as a child of God. His speech was probably a summary of his recent book by the title "Twice Adopted". His candor was refreshing yet thought-provoking as he gave unique insights into the Reagan family.

Rattlesnake Trail Hike Revisited

The viral season has started. Since I am preparing to speak at the Lolo Community Church Women's Retreat next week, I just knew I would get to fight off the flu first. As congestion begins & I feel the tickle in my throat, I praise the Lord that now I will be more dependent on Him & can give Him the glory for whatever happens with the two retreat talks. Despite the start of the symptoms, I joined the Hallelujah Hikers in this week's hike... a rehike of a favorite trail, like the Kootenai one was two weeks ago.

We returned to the beaver dam & the old homestead site that we had explored last spring. We had been so taken with the wild iris & lilac hedges in full bloom that we never noticed this old car, half buried in the weeds in the ancient apple orchard, until this trip.





The golden larch were just starting to color.

Psalm 1 - Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord & in His law he meditates day & night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water...

The foliage along Rattlesnake Creek was beyond its peak coloration, but we enjoyed the beauty that remained as we exercised.

As if the Fall coloring in our yard & down the driveway, with our newly planted maples were not enough, the Hallelujah Hikers left in the 40 degree temp. to hike 9 miles of the Rattlesnake Trail. Thankfully the day warmed up as the sun came out.

Choices

Out of the blue, I was asked by the director if I would like to be trained to take & read ultrasounds at First Way Pregnancy Center in Missoula. Although they would like RN coverage full-time, they would settle for three days for now. It's a combination ministry & "some pay" type of job. I have wondered if there were other ways I should use my RN background other than just at church camps. Well, here is an "open door" if there ever was one. Should I walk through it? Am I biting off more than I can chew? Everything is easier to get into than out of...yet, if this is of the Lord, I desire to follow His leading. Decision-time approaches.

Kootenai Creek - More Fall Foliage

I tried to photograph the rain from a dry spot under a rock ledge, but it doesn't seem to show up.

We saw this type of jointed grass everywhere along the trail.

God places some blues & greens together that we might not think go together well. Yet, they blended well with the Autumn leaves.

The uphill side of the trail was just as pretty as the creek side.

Hallelujah Hikers return to Kootenai Creek at the Height of the Autumn colors

The Hallelujah Hikers took their second 2007 Autumn hike entirely in the rain... at first it was only misty rain & later it started to pour. The Fall coloring was spectacular!

Kootenai Creek trail is one of my favorites. You follow the creek for 2-3 miles very closely.

At times the trail gets fairly steep.

Second Anniversary Hike

Laura & I rehiked Sweathouse Creek Canyon today...praying, climbing over deadwood that rerouted the creek & surveying the fire damage. In 2 days it will be exactly 2 years since we first prayer-hiked to Sweathouse Falls & thus began our Hallelujah Hikers group. Fire swept through this canyon the summer of 2006 & a small flash flood followed in November 2006.



The fire damage was spotty in some areas, complete in others. More larch survived than fir or pine trees. In looking over the hillside, we spotted a little color showing that even a few bushes escaped the general devastation.




Once again, we ate our lunch at the top of the falls. Only a tiny stream cascades down the rocky cliff from this point. Our long hot summer has had almost as much affect on the scenery as the fire.

New Beginnings

L'Shana Tova! We are currently celebrating the Biblical Fall Holidays: Rosh HaShana, Yom Kippur & Succot. Each year we celebrate these High Holy Days, I thank the Lord for the new beginnings He gives us.

Esther was working at Subway when she turned 18. Sherry & I took the makings of a small BD party to her work & celebrated with her. Since passing the GED, she has been working as a cashier at Staples. This week, at 19 & 1/2, she began a new job as a nursing assistant at The Village Health Care Center. Monday she began their CNA course, which flows right into working at the Village. She's excited about wearing scrubs, learning a new job & having the chance to minister to the elderly at the same time.

Louis just finished his first year with DirecTV. He is at a supervisory level now that he is on the escalation team - a permanent position with a team of 9 others that is mutifaceted...some phone work, some problem solving, some projects, some presentations to give, some quality assurance work, etc. He loves the variety. He feels so blessed to have this work & mission field.

The women's neighborhood Bible Study that I lead started on September 13th - The Jewish New Year. Eight women are commited to the study so far this year. It is more application oriented than last year. We are working through most of the New Testament 3:16 passages via a workbook by Jennifer Devlin titled "Life Principles for Christ-Like Living." We established the foundational truth of 2 Timothy 3:16 the first week. The second week in Galatians 3:16, we studied our deep roots & how Christ is seen throughout the Old Testament. Now we are in 2 Corinthians 3:16 searching out the promise of the glory of God.

A day & 1/2 of rain has probably concluded the fire season for this year just as Fall began. This morning the mountains are capped with new snow. The wonderful visibility after weeks of hazy smoke & a slight nip in the air invigorates us. We awoke to our first frost. PTL! How I love His new beginnings!

A few metallic facts I learned in August 2007.

Have any of you heard of Sun-Chlorella? I'm experimenting with this natural whole food (pills of algae) as a nutritional supplement. It helps eliminate toxic elements, like heavy metals that have built up in my body from my mercury-silver amalgam fillings & nickel caps/crowns & brought down my immune system. (Yes, I still drink my cider vinegar too.) It's high in fiber, protein & anti-oxidents. At three weeks I have only noticed a slight increase in my energy level.

Several of our small maple saplings planted last Fall look sick. Their leaves turned yellow with a dark brown around the edges. It's not for lack of water, since we water them frequently... almost every day when the weather has been hot. I took a couple of the leaves into Caras Nursery & was told they need more iron. As soon as the temperature drops to the 60's & 70's, we will spray the ironite on them. Our friend Larry was advised to add copper to the soil around his peach trees. So humans need less metals & trees need more?

I have treated the last couple of wasp & bee stings very simply. As soon as I was stung, I taped a copper penny over the stung area & left it in place for an hour or two. Amazingly, the pain vanished & I never developed any swelling. I tried the penny trick on a spider bite, but it didn't work as well there.

Do these facts jive with your experience?

Time Out

• I may be off-line for a few days since a virus has infected our computer & I had a dickens of a time even getting to create this post.
  
  Esther is home & has brought her friend, Claire, with her. Esther had spent the last month at Claire's home, helping to run a bed & breakfast. Yesterday, the forested area near Evaro was evacuated due to the wild fire all along the ridge in back of Claire's home. Highway 93N towards Kalispel was also closed...leaving Claire stranded. She will be staying with us for now.
  
  The poor air quality has given me a continual sinus headache. A couple of my friends with lung problems have completely left Montana for the West Coast to escape the heat & thick smoke.
  
  In the midst of these circumstances, we find God to be our strength & song!! Hoping that He is that for you too in whatever circumstances you are facing.

Photo opportunities lost

It's a soupy brown-grey morning due to the smoke of our nearby forest fires. Louis has been experiencing chest pain after mowing the lawn & other yard work. I can both smell & taste the smoke while working in the garden or watering. In these present circumstances, I have missed two great photo ops. because my camera was not ready to capture the scene.

For a couple of weeks we have noticed a large amount of fall apples when we first let the dogs out in the morning. (Yes, it is now two goldens. Genny is back here with Ari, since our friend, Jan Hall is in a rehab. unit near the hospital for the present. We are grooming Genny & generally caring for her until we know what Jan will have to do long-term.) Some of the apples had been partially bitten - not pecked...clearing the chickens. One evening at dusk, I chanced upon the culprit. A medium-sized doe was standing on her back legs & gingerly picking apples off our trees in her fully stretched-out form. Mind you, these are still green apples that the wasps are not interested in yet. I quietly called Louis to also watch what had been happening before we scared her away.

Where was my camera?

Last week-end my extended family celebrated my parents' 60th wedding anniversary. On Saturday we all drove up the Bitterroot Valley past Sula to eat at the Broad Ax Lodge. A couple of Highway 93 curves before the Sula store, a small flock of wild mountain goats sauntered across the highway in front of us. The rams led the way, followed by the ewes, some with young kids. Now, where was my camera? I had even forgotten to bring it for this important family occasion. The next day we hosted a community potluck at my folk's church after the worship service to honor my parents' special day. I had still forgotten to pick up that camera in my rush to gather all the food & decoration items.

Rest Stops Enroute to Chicago

We ignored Wall Drug on this trip, choosing instead to stop at the pretty rest area in Chamberlain, South Dakota, overlooking the Missouri River. A Lewis & Clark Exhibition is on permanent display there, since it is built on the site of Camp Pleasant -also called Plum Camp for the large, sweet wild plums growing in the area.

The lower floor has numerous displays that explain Lewis & Clark's Encampment & the Indians they met here over 200 years ago. The upper floor is built like the top of their keel boat.
A portion of the boat deck sticks out like a balcony from which to view the picnic areas & the Missouri River.

Lewis & Clark transferred to a smaller boat after this camp & sent several men back with the keel boat. It was loaded with specimens of new plant & animal life for President Jefferson. Live prairie dogs & magpies were sent along with the mounted animals seen in this display. We lingered over the exhibit since the building was air-conditioned against the over 100 degree temperature outside. Both rest stops for our nights on the road are shown in the last picture. Our Yukon XL was surprisingly comfortable as Louis & I took turns driving & sleeping through parts of Montana & Wyoming the first night. Albert Lea, Minnesota was our rest stop for the second night...close to the junction of I-90 with I-35 running to Minneapolis in the north & to Des Moines, Iowa in the south.

Rest Stops enroute to Chicago #2

Before this trip, I had never seen recycling trash cans at rest areas. They're at all the rest areas in Wisconsin & Illinois. The flower beds at those same rest areas are beautiful. Note the huge red & pink Hibiscus blooms & hanging flower pots at one area, as well as the ubiquitous recycling bins behind me.

At LaCrosse, Wisconsin, we left I-90 to drive Hwy. 35 S along the Mississippi River. Some of this upper Mississippi is wide... some is channeled into much narrower stretches with locks & dams. Iowa is on the farther shore.

More of those recycling receptacles - in Illinois this time - along with the meticulous flower beds.

The final rest stop for five days in Lincolnshire, Illinois (a new, elite northern suburb of Chicago) was the Marriott Resort at which the UMJC Conference was held. Our second floor room was just above that wooden lattice arbor seat. It overlooked the main entry to the Marriott with its small waterfall & goldfish.