Update on West Virginia News
Please forgive my neglect of my blog the last couple of weeks. No excuses, except that I have been enjoying our days here and sorta put myself on vacation for a bit.
West Virginia has just gone through a very long dry spell. We had no rain for over six weeks. All of the flower beds and garden seeds that were planted had a rough start as watering from a hose is just not the same as a good slow rain from heaven. The days got into the 90s with humidity almost as high. We had to forfeit our walks along the country lane because of the heat and also because of sightings of a mother bear and her cubs roaming around the area! Finally we got a good soaking rain day before yesterday which cooled off the air as well as gave the grass and plants a good long drink! Thank you, Lord!
Since the area was so dry, we have seen lots of different kinds of animals that have come down out of the woods to our little bubbling creek to get a long drink of water. Deer are a very familiar sight and we get a little perturbed as they decide while they are at the creek to come up into our yards and gardens and eat their "salads" from our newly growing plants! I finally decided that plants growing from pots and placed on our high porch is the only way to guarantee that the deer don't get their fill at our expense! We have seen turkeys and their 14 little ones walking through the fields, as well as many rabbits who find the clover to be their delight! Squirrels scamper up and down trees, as well as little baby chipmunks. The worst animal we've had to deal with is the occasional skunk that tends to walk by our house in the night and spray its lovely perfume at us while we're sleeping! We wake up choking and wondering why we were chosen for this lovely surprise!
I have found great joy in the bird life here in West Virginia. So often while I'm sitting at my computer looking out the window, a bird will light on my hanging plants or on the porch and look in the window at me as if to say hello. I've seen so many different varieties of birds this year. I particularly enjoy a redbird that visits me in the evenings, and hummingbirds that go from flower to flower on my red hanging petunias to get its sweet nectar! We have yellow finches that fly in flocks. They light in the tall grass in the field at once, and then fly off at once---quite a sight. On the negative side, we've also seen so many crows and buzzards this year. I walked one evening and suddenly saw the grass moving. I stopped dead in my tracks wondering if it was a bear or what. A giant buzzard flew right out in front of me and went up to a high tree branch and lit. Then immediately following him, was a baby buzzard following in its mothers' flight pattern! I walked by quickly praying that it would not fly down and swoop me!
We are enjoying attending the little country church where Mom grew up as a child. The Sunday School lessons have been on the minor prophets and we've learned that their warnings to the Israelites would be good warnings for us to heed in today's world as well. There is a loving spirit among the small congregation and God's Spirit is evident there!
We've taken some little excursions around the area to make sure Mom is active and gets a chance to enjoy life a little. We have gone to an arts and crafts show, a heritage days outing, a flea market, a farmers market, and even took her to see a minor league baseball game. Mom loves baseball. I remember her listening so attentively with enthusiasm to the radio in the 1950s rooting for the Dodgers to beat the Yankees! She had never attended a real live baseball game other than the neighborhood teams that played each other. She so enjoyed the whole evening, even though our team lost! It felt good to help her to fulfill a dream of hers to see a "real" game.
Being 85 years old, Mom does many things to ensure her brain keeps active, and lately with the hot weather so heavy and all you can do is stay inside in the air conditioning, she has started several jigsaw puzzles that all of us work with her. One in particular was the hardest puzzle I think I've ever had the privilege of attempting! It took us working it at least 3 weeks before we got it, but got it we did!!! Whew!
Life is different for us here in West Virginia. Our focus is on different things, and our lifestyle much slower. But it has been a joy to spend so much time with Mom and my family here. I must admit, however, I miss my son and his family in Oahu so much! Bryan graduated from 6th grade and we missed the graduation ceremony. Bryan and Bradley are learning to swim this summer and loving it and we're not there to cheer them on! I miss my church family in Maui, and our cat, Trouble. (He's missing us, too, I think). But God has us where He wants us for right now, and knowing we're within His will makes it all good!
I hope I haven't lost too many of my faithful readers. I trust that this summer has been good so far for everyone and that God is proving Himself faithful in all His ways toward you!
Many blessings to you all,
Sandy
West Virginia has just gone through a very long dry spell. We had no rain for over six weeks. All of the flower beds and garden seeds that were planted had a rough start as watering from a hose is just not the same as a good slow rain from heaven. The days got into the 90s with humidity almost as high. We had to forfeit our walks along the country lane because of the heat and also because of sightings of a mother bear and her cubs roaming around the area! Finally we got a good soaking rain day before yesterday which cooled off the air as well as gave the grass and plants a good long drink! Thank you, Lord!
Since the area was so dry, we have seen lots of different kinds of animals that have come down out of the woods to our little bubbling creek to get a long drink of water. Deer are a very familiar sight and we get a little perturbed as they decide while they are at the creek to come up into our yards and gardens and eat their "salads" from our newly growing plants! I finally decided that plants growing from pots and placed on our high porch is the only way to guarantee that the deer don't get their fill at our expense! We have seen turkeys and their 14 little ones walking through the fields, as well as many rabbits who find the clover to be their delight! Squirrels scamper up and down trees, as well as little baby chipmunks. The worst animal we've had to deal with is the occasional skunk that tends to walk by our house in the night and spray its lovely perfume at us while we're sleeping! We wake up choking and wondering why we were chosen for this lovely surprise!
I have found great joy in the bird life here in West Virginia. So often while I'm sitting at my computer looking out the window, a bird will light on my hanging plants or on the porch and look in the window at me as if to say hello. I've seen so many different varieties of birds this year. I particularly enjoy a redbird that visits me in the evenings, and hummingbirds that go from flower to flower on my red hanging petunias to get its sweet nectar! We have yellow finches that fly in flocks. They light in the tall grass in the field at once, and then fly off at once---quite a sight. On the negative side, we've also seen so many crows and buzzards this year. I walked one evening and suddenly saw the grass moving. I stopped dead in my tracks wondering if it was a bear or what. A giant buzzard flew right out in front of me and went up to a high tree branch and lit. Then immediately following him, was a baby buzzard following in its mothers' flight pattern! I walked by quickly praying that it would not fly down and swoop me!
We are enjoying attending the little country church where Mom grew up as a child. The Sunday School lessons have been on the minor prophets and we've learned that their warnings to the Israelites would be good warnings for us to heed in today's world as well. There is a loving spirit among the small congregation and God's Spirit is evident there!
We've taken some little excursions around the area to make sure Mom is active and gets a chance to enjoy life a little. We have gone to an arts and crafts show, a heritage days outing, a flea market, a farmers market, and even took her to see a minor league baseball game. Mom loves baseball. I remember her listening so attentively with enthusiasm to the radio in the 1950s rooting for the Dodgers to beat the Yankees! She had never attended a real live baseball game other than the neighborhood teams that played each other. She so enjoyed the whole evening, even though our team lost! It felt good to help her to fulfill a dream of hers to see a "real" game.
Being 85 years old, Mom does many things to ensure her brain keeps active, and lately with the hot weather so heavy and all you can do is stay inside in the air conditioning, she has started several jigsaw puzzles that all of us work with her. One in particular was the hardest puzzle I think I've ever had the privilege of attempting! It took us working it at least 3 weeks before we got it, but got it we did!!! Whew!
Life is different for us here in West Virginia. Our focus is on different things, and our lifestyle much slower. But it has been a joy to spend so much time with Mom and my family here. I must admit, however, I miss my son and his family in Oahu so much! Bryan graduated from 6th grade and we missed the graduation ceremony. Bryan and Bradley are learning to swim this summer and loving it and we're not there to cheer them on! I miss my church family in Maui, and our cat, Trouble. (He's missing us, too, I think). But God has us where He wants us for right now, and knowing we're within His will makes it all good!
I hope I haven't lost too many of my faithful readers. I trust that this summer has been good so far for everyone and that God is proving Himself faithful in all His ways toward you!
Many blessings to you all,
Sandy
posted by Sandy Fewell at 2:09 PM
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