Category: Special Event

Posted on in Amazing Creations, Challenge, Faith, Just do it, Obedience, Praise, Prayer, Special Event, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Thanks, Worship, Yield

Did You Know This?

Our church bulletin says: “If you noticed a heavy emphasis on God’s creation in this liturgy, there’s a reason! From September 1 to October 4, Christians around the globe celebrate the Season of Creation.” Below is information copied from the online website https://seasonofcreation.org/about/

The Season of Creation is a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all creation through celebration, conversion, and commitment together. During the Season of Creation, we join our sisters and brothers in the ecumenical family in prayer and action for our common home.

Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I proclaimed 1 September as a day of prayer for creation for the Orthodox in 1989. In fact, the Orthodox church year starts on that day with a commemoration of how God created the world.

The World Council of Churches was instrumental in making the special time a season, extending the celebration from 1 September until 4 October.

Following the leadership of Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I and the WCC, Christians worldwide have embraced the season as part of their annual calendar. Pope Francis established the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation in the Roman Catholic Church in 2015, and in 2019 started celebrating the Season of Creation as well.

In recent years, statements from religious leaders around the world have also encouraged the faithful to take time to care for creation during the month-long celebration.

The season starts 1 September, the Day of Prayer for Creation, and ends 4 October, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology beloved by many Christian denominations.

Throughout the month-long celebration, the world’s 2.2 billion Christians come together to care for our common home.

I like the idea of being united with other churches around the world for this event. As I look out the office window and see our burr oak tree changing her gown from green to yellow to brown, I am reminded that none of us inhabit this earth alone. We need to care for it in community and with future generations in mind. May God lead us in paths of righteousness regarding this gift of the earth we live upon and the air we breathe.

Posted on in Aging, Faith, Illness and Health, medical treatment, Prayer, Rest, Special Event, Thanks

Bob’s Recovery

It is always a relief when the Doctor calls and tells you, “The surgery went fine. He did well.” Total knee replacement is in the rear view mirror. The opening photo is minutes after getting home from the surgery. You can see he is still wearing the wrist band!

Bob’s recovery has gone very well. He is making rapid progress. He always sets such high expectations for himself, at times I have had to try to convince him he is NOT Superman! The opioid medication was only used 2 or 3 times. The new medication Journax along with Tylenol are carrying him along very well.

First physical therapy was rough, but he made it through. I did not have to convince him to allow the ice machine at the end of it! Watching the therapist put the compression sock on his leg taught me how best to do it. Yep, Nurse Molly is in full swing here! He was delighted when therapist said he could quit using the black knee immobilizer. It was causing him much discomfort.

I was laughing the first time I washed his white stockings and thought of the old World War II era movies and women hanging their stockings to dry.

Joan Crawford. No I was not wearing that outfit or those high heels as I hung the stockings to dry!!

The recommendation not to use the walker with wheels and brakes was absolutely correct! He saw right away how it might get away from him, especially on the hill that is our driveway. Wednesday morning surgery and Sunday afternoon he used the basic walker to go down the drive and walk 2 driveways to our right and one to our left.

Rolling in my sewing chair he is making his knee bend more than it wants to, as directed. He is doing his exercises regularly so far! He wants to walk the dog. I said no. First of all she is terrified of that walker (and anything else new to the house). How is he going to accomplish that? He swears he is going to use only the cane before the therapist says that is okay. We will wait until she says he can park the walker. He also declared he is going to be driving asap. Yeah, right. Guess I better hide the extra car keys!!

Thank you for your prayers and cards, meals and phone calls inquiring how he is doing.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  Philippians 4:6-7

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10

Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.  “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Hebrews 12:12-13 NIV

Posted on in Aging, Faith, Family, Special Event, Thanks

Grand Family Celebration Below

This year I turn 75. Our daughter turned 50. Our Grandgirl turned 20. Bob and I will also celebrate our 55the wedding anniversary! We are grateful to God for all of these many blessings.We have a celebration planned at a fancy restaurant downtown called Sotto’s. Below is a description from https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/food/ohio/underground-restaurant-oh

For authentic Italian cuisine in Ohio that’s straight from the Old World, you must be prepared to go on an adventure. In downtown Cincinnati, venture beneath the old cobblestone streets to Sotto, an underground restaurant in Ohio that’s easily one of the most unique and incredible places you’ll ever dine. The food is rustic yet refined, the vibe is somehow both familiar and uncanny, and the experience is wholly unrivaled.

Beneath the streets of Cincinnati, Ohio, a subterranean world of fine wine and Italian cuisine awaits. This is Sotto, an underground restaurant in Cincinnati, Ohio, that’s one of the most unique places to dine in the state. The basement that once housed legendary Cincinnati chef Nat Comisar’s first restaurant, La Normandie, is now home to a restaurant of equal notoriety. Sotto, for reference, is Italian for below.

If we get photos from our dinner I will try to post later this week!

Posted on in Aging, Amazing Creations, Cooking, Humor, Special Event

New Restaurant

There is a new place near us called David’s. When we first visited there many of their appetizers were half price, including the freshly baked pretzel.

Bob’s phone is next to the tray to give you an idea of the size of this thing!

The pretzel comes with a little cup of Queso cheese and a little cup of ranch dressing. Now they no longer reduce the price on the pretzel. (They were likely losing money on it!) In fact when we returned recently we had decided to make the jumbo pretzel our dinner. We ate much of it, but carried 2/3s of it home.

If you like the warm pretzel from Sam’s Club, (I like it with Parmesan cheese), this one is WAY over the top of that!

Happy hunting for edible treasures!!

Posted on in Amazing Creations, Art, Cooking, Faith, Humor, Praise, Special Event, Thanks

Art Museum Adventure

This month we finally made it to the Cincinnati Art Museum. Bob wanted to see the exhibit “Farm to Table.” Such a catchy contemporary title, don’t you think? It featured food in works of art and as the museum says, “The exhibition showcases over sixty paintings and sculptures, including the work of Claude Monet, Eva Gonzalès, Victor Gilbert, Paul Gauguin, Jules Dalou, and Vincent van Gogh, artists who examined the nation’s unique relationship with food. The bounty of France’s agriculture and the skill of its chefs had long helped to define its strength and position on the international stage. ” For more details click on the link below.

https://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/art/exhibitions/farm-to-table/

The painting above was huge. The features on the faces of the sheep enchanted both Bob and me.

Here is the description of another painting.

We studied the painting and discovered many unusual details such as the man with his hand on the bottom of a woman. What caught my attention the most was the woman along the back wall. Is she crocheting or knitting?

I find the detail almost unimaginable. How did they paint these?

We finally decided she is likely knitting and holding her needles in continental fashion. Obviously, she was relaxed and enjoying her work in the midst of the hubbub!

I give thanks to God for those talented enough to paint these amazing descriptions of daily life. To me, some of them actually looked as accurate as photographs.

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” – 1 Peter 4:10

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” – Philippians 4:8

Posted on in Aging, Faith, Family, Memories, Obedience, Special Event, Thanks, Trust, Writing Life

My Mother’s Passing and New Book

This quote stirred in me as I marked year fifty of my mother’s death. The photo above shows my mom with her white gloves at our wedding.

Every sorrow I bear will be supplanted by a greater heavenly joy, when you, O Christ, make all things right and new – even this thing. From Every Moment Holy – For Navigating Difficult Moments

Fifty years ago on Flag Day, I awoke nine months pregnant. My mother was visiting us in Kentucky. She had driven herself down from Ohio. I assured her the baby would not be born this weekend, but she was so excited she could hardly contain herself. She was sleeping on the sofa bed in the living room.

She had brought a Styrofoam cooler filled with food for us. We had put the cooler on the porch the night before to dry. That Saturday morning it was getting ready to rain and a wind had come up. I was afraid the cooler would blow away, so I walked through the living room to go get it off the porch. As I walked by I noticed she was not breathing. I got the cooler, closed the porch door and stopped again. No, her chest was not rising and falling.

That began a time of anguish and grief like none I had ever known before.

This is fifty years later. I know, because our daughter turns fifty in a week or two. Mom never knew any of our children. She has remained Grandma Ann, mostly known for recipes I was able to recreate after her passing.

I still miss my mother. Even though I am now 74 years old, there are still times I long to hear her voice. I wonder what she would say about the book about to be published with Kindle Direct Publishing using my writings from this blog and other writings? I had sort of hoped the final approval for printing would come on June 14th, the date of her passing. Approval did not come on that date though. Page 11 I wrote about her influence upon me by songs she taught us while driving in the car.

The tile of my book will be Treasures in Plain Sight: Growing Closer to Jesus in Prayer. I has 107 pages and is 5 x 7 inches. It will cost $12.00. I will earn only a small fraction of that. I did not print it to earn money though. I worked on this to get the writing out there where hopefully people can use it to draw closer to Jesus. Below is photo of the proof copy.

I am working on Volume 2 which will be about relationship with God.

Please pray for these materials to fall into the hands of folks who are yearning for God. I pray this is all done to God’s glory. I am now wondering if I should submit the poetry for publication through Kindle Direct? So many decisions about so many things!

Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:6-7

Ha! It just came through! Here is the link to purchase the book !! https://a.co/d/1dcvaGf

Posted on in Amazing Creations, Faith, Nature, Special Event, Thanks, Traveling

Albuquerque Sky

If you have ever traveled in the western United States you have likely heard the term ‘big sky’ referring to the clear vistas and blue almost beyond imagination.

The Splendor of the Sun

The pride of the heavenly heights is the clear firmament,
    the appearance of heaven in a spectacle of glory.
The sun, when it appears, making proclamation as it goes forth,
    is a marvelous instrument, the work of the Most High. Ecclesiasticus or Sirach 43:1-2 RSV

This book is included in the part of the Bible called the Apocrypha or Deuterocanonical books of the Old Testament. It is not generalized recognized by the Protestant churches. Why is this sometimes called Ecclesiasticus and sometimes Sirach? Wikipedia says ….

The Book of Sirach, also known as The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach, The Wisdom of Jesus son of Eleazar, or Ecclesiasticus, is a Jewish literary work originally written in Biblical Hebrew. The longest extant wisdom book from antiquity, it consists of ethical teachings, written approximately between 196 and 175 BCE by Yeshua ben Eleazar ben Sira, a Hellenistic Jewish scribe of the Second Temple period. Ben Sira’s grandson translated the text into Koine Greek and added a prologue sometime around 117 BCE. Wikipedia

Regardless of who is right as to inclusion with other Scriptures, I do believe that ‘the pride of the heavenly heights is the clear firmament! The appearance of heaven is a spectacle of glory!”

by rmdutina

I already forgot the name of this tree. Bob took one or two photos of the tree, I took the close up .

Oh, that sky! When the New Mexico morning air was cool I would just step outside and breathe deeply. In fact, you could do that now as you look at the photos! 🙂

Thank you, Lord, for the beauty of the earth. Thank you for the privilege of seigneur our dear friends again in their home. Thank you for the splendor of New Mexico.

Posted on in Amazing Creations, Faith, Nature, Special Event, Traveling

Day Trip to Los Cerillos, NM

Once while in Los Cerillos (fondly called Cerillos) Dan and Bob visited a rock shop where they found a lovely tube of yellow stone from a mine. It sat for years on my windowsill or as a paper weight in my office. Recently a strong wind blew it out of the windowsill and a piece of the end broke off. It is much too rough for me to try to grind down.

Our trip 2-1/2 years ago to New Mexico Dan tried to take us to the same rock shop. Though the sign said open hours, they were closed. This visit we tried to visit there again. They were open!

This man is the actual owner and quite a character!

The shop was much cleaner than when we looked through the windows.

We found another yellow calcite tube for our son. My favorite new rock is the photo above, orange calcite. It seems to draw light to it and through it.

Dan also found a restaurant listed that seemed to have a great menu. I wanted to order my first elk burger. The Blackbird Saloon was very historical from the old wood floors …

to the neat idea for beer pulls …

The elk burger was tasty and not too gamey like venison. I can likely purchase it at Jungle Jim’s, though I hate to think what that would cost! The burger very very thick. I asked for it well done, no blood. It was served with blood on the plate. I sent it back. It was still too raw in the center. drats. I ate around the edges and took the rest home to have for supper. If I was running the restaurant I would have made it into 2 patties and cooked them through before serving. But, no one asked me!

We had a nice ride on another lovely day. If you get to Albuquerque try to visit Los Cerillos. It was fun!!

for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. Colossians 1:16 NRSVUE

God even made the rocks!

Posted on in Aging, Faith, Family, Nature, Special Event, Thanks

Went to The Reds Game

As we walked into the Reds game we saw this.

Yes, well. Storms blow through Cincinnati all the time. About 75 degrees and lovely.

Shortly the heavens opened! We were seated next to folks who were rooting for the White Sox. From our seats the State of Kentucky disappeared! The winds came, the rain blew. We moved under an area with a better roof. There we talked with a pipeline construction worker from Oklahoma who was excited to catch the game. He was worrying that they might cancel it.

The screen kept saying rain delay. We eventually chimed in with “No joke!”

The best reward for waiting through a rainstorm is a rainbow. And this one lasted and lasted!!

They were not very accurate at updating the weather radar. Eventually the game began, almost 1-1/2 hours late. I was wearing shorts and had brought a very thin hoodie made of t-shirt like material.

After the rain came the wind became steady and the temperature dropped. The lady next to me was able to go to her car and get her winter coat. She offered me her tiny scarf which I declined.

We left after 3-1/2 innings as it was just too chilly to be enjoyable. We got home before the game ended. And then the Reds lost 5-1.

We did get to go to the ballgame and eat peanuts and throw the shells on the ground! It was also 1-2-3 Tuesday. $1.00 UDF ice cream cups (chocolate sundae cup was delicious.) $2.00 hot dogs. Yep, they were good, too. and $3.00 beer. Bob enjoyed his Kona wave. My husband always love a thrifty deal! A good time was had by the Dutinas!

Posted on in Amazing Creations, Faith, Nature, Praise, Special Event, Thanks

Yes! They are Opening!!

The opening photo is by r m dutina. Early in the spring, right before a frosty night, I feared I might lose the poppy plant. I covered it a couple times an then decided to let it survive on its own.

They did fine through several very cold nights. I have watched the buds on the poppy plant certain they would open today. Then nothing. Certain they would open. Not yet. And then … drum roll …..

Notice all of the spiny buds!

Yes, they are blooming. I cut the first one to take to a friend. It went into shock but then perked up on her mantel.

Now they are bursting with color.

They were so top heavy with blooms I needed to support them with a piece of fencing or else they would have fallen into the driveway and been crushed by the Volkswagen! I bought these at the grocery store a few years ago. The tag said something about pastel colors. I thought too bad. I really enjoyed the bright red ones at the other house. They did bloom with a few pastel blossoms. Well, here they come all growing in this year with bright red color! They do not bloom for long, but so spectacular! Grateful for these lovelies.

There is another poppy plant growing at the other end of the front flower bed. The Sweet Viburnum shrub has overgrown it. Guess it is time to shovel it out and place in the back flower bed!

As with a house, the work in a flower bed is never finished!

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” ~ Isaiah 40:8

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.” Matthew 6:28-29 NIV