Tuesday, December 27, 2011

....nearly over ....2011

This likely will be the last post for this year...unless something really exciting or traumatic happens....hopefully if it does it will be exciting....

An update from my last post....my friend from 'back home' received the home call December 15...have appreciated reading some about her last days and funeral....know the family will miss her but glad she would be out of the natural suffering and on to glory...
The little girl we go to Bible Study with is home after 2 1/2 weeks in the hospital...mostly of that being in ICU...she is doing well...we haven't seen her yet as flu 'bugs' were/are flying about so didn't have Bible Study last week so maybe this week.....so glad she is doing well.  Her, Grandma battling cancer, is also gaining some strength and has been out of the hospital but back in again just now for her next treatment....we sure do hope it is successful and she'll be back to her 'old self'.

I like this one....

Zoie and Papa using Zoie's 'Kindle'...


....Grandma takes a picture of one, have to do the other one, too!


....recent family time ...

...and we couldn't forget Shaun's birthday....

 ...a little pianist!


...two new toys....'Fancy Nancy and Strawberry Short Cake'...


...and so our life marches on...often way too quickly...and before long we'll probably find ourselves on our way for some time in southern Texas.  We had a quick trip down there already and did some work at our new place...and even got our old place sold!  Look forward to being in our new place this winter.


2012....an unknown future but glad we know a Heavenly Father who has all things in his hands....oh for increased faith.....to any one reading this...may your year bring experiences to learn from and special memories to look back on....




Sunday, December 4, 2011

Joys and sorrows interwoven...

I know there are lots of people out there who are much better bloggers than I am but this last week held so many different kinds of experience that I decided I would share a few things here...

From 'back home'...a dear lady from a family that has known my family for 3 generations has come to the place in 20 years of battling cancer to make a decision to have no further treatments as they were not being effective...her Doctor said she likely won't live to Christmas....she has lived an exemplary live and leaves a wonderful testimony....she isn't young but not terrible old either...she will be missed but comforting to know she has much better things to go on to as well as knowing she is at peace about it now.

And our thoughts go to another family near us who are dealing with two rather difficult situations.  The Dad's, of the family, Mother is dealing with cancer....seemed treatments were going well and she would be gaining her strength again but she didn't and then began going down hill to the point of hospitalization again and the diagnoses being made last week that the cancer had metathesized to her brain and she would need more chemo...we do hope the treatments will help...she is very weak and has a lot of other issues related to the cancer so there is a long road ahead for them.  Last Tuesday the family had a real heart rending experience...they have a dairy farm and  were in the barn finishing up the evening milking when their 7 year old girl got a horrific head injury by somehow being trapped in a gate...she was airlifted to a hospital and had 4 hours of surgery...she is yet in ICU...we certainly feel for all of them....and surely want to know how to stand by them....they are a dear family...have 5 children....one surely never knows what may cross our path but glad we can leave it in God's hands.

On a little more up beat note we enjoyed having 4 family members visit our farm.  They are from Ohio and working on putting a plan in place to dairy farm.  They didn't stay quite as long as they had planned as a big storm was coming so want to get home ahead of that...hopefully they made it.  We enjoyed having them...it was like we had always known them!

Then Saturday was our 35th. wedding anniversary...kind of doesn't seem it could be ... glad to look back and realize how much we have been blessed....maybe we haven't gotten all we wanted but I feel I have gotten more than I ever expected. (Unfortunately Farmer Marv has been sick the last 3 days so haven't done anything so extra special for it)

 





Today our world was black and white....it was rather pretty out there...maybe I can share a few pictures!
 how it looks out my kitchen window now!

 everything black and white except for the flag....

even the cows!

And now a little about our Thanksgiving...not all our family made it as Shaun & Helen and household were battling the stomach flu....ugh for them...we missed them but did enjoy this little group...

didn't get just a lot of pictures but here is one more

...Mommy got a better one of him....bib says ...'My 1st. Thanksgiving'...
Will and Becky were also with us for the day...but didn't get a picture...will have to next time...

Now this week holds some busy days for us, too...first a 2 day dairy conference and then flying to Texas for a few days to do some work on our new 'estate' there...painting & cleaning and checking on the agricultural aspects of it.... the orange and grapefruit trees....then we'll be 'home', as in Wisconsin, for while and drive down for a more extended stay after the first of the year...(would love volunteers to do 1099's and W-2's...not my favorite job!)