Bargain Basement

Does that conjure up an image in your head?  It does mine.  I remember when the bargains were found in a store's actual basement.

The bargains I'm referring to, however, are not FROM the basement, but FOR the basement.  Check it out!

Breaking News

Let's see - I could say we're sinking to new lows around here.  Plumbing the depths.  Hitting rock bottom.

Take your pick.  Or pickax.

Snow Fun

Just playing around with Picmonkey and my tatted snow crystals.
Cropping, adding, reversing, fading . . .fun!

A Winter Walk

I'm back.  Between the holidays and illness, it's taken me awhile to get back into the swing of things.  So let's ease into it with a walk to enjoy a crisp, sunny winter day.

I find it fascinating how frost interacts with different surfaces.

The water may look inviting, but that's actually a layer of ice on top.

And it's probably best to avoid our "hippo".  For the record, I did not even see him until I pulled the pictures up on the computer.

A little warmth on this chilly day - the fiery branches of a Red Bark Maple.

Frost, ice and bare branches:  clearly, this is winter.

And yet, a hint . . .

. . . of the promise of spring.

Sunday's Song

Yes, this is late, again.  But thanks to my niece, Megan, I have a video from yesterday which I wouldn't have had if I had posted on time.  Good things come to those who wait!

First, a bit of background.

It started with this group of seven kids, born over the span of 10 years.  Can you guess which one is me?  Here's a clue:  I'm the poster child for middle children!

We have a long history with music.  Having music in our family history, growing up in a church denomination with a strong singing heritage and attending schools with a reputation for musical excellence, it was inevitable that music would become a major part of our lives.

So, let's fast forward from these pictures taken in the '60s.  The seven became . . .

. . . 30 and counting.  This picture was taken at one of our annual Christmas Concerts, 1999 I believe.  I think this may have been the last concert, after more than ten years.   The recording from Sunday's Song two weeks ago was from one of the earliest concerts.



The reason for all this reminiscing?   Yesterday, at the end of our family's Christmas gathering (there are over 40 of us now), nineteen of us piled into cars and went caroling.  Each stop was meaningful for different reasons, but the last stop was extra special.  We went to our childhood home, the one in the photos above, which is now a home for assisted living.  I couldn't help but think of how we were singing in the very room where we first started singing over 50 years ago.  For me, it was one of the highlights of the day.

From our family to you.  May you realize daily the "wonders of His love."

A Flurry of Flakes

Okay, so four flakes don't qualify as a flurry.

And technically speaking, snowflakes are made of more than one snow crystal stuck together.  That was something I learned a few years ago when I came across the work of Wilson A. Bentley, also known as Snowflake Bentley.  He pioneered the technique of photomicrography, and is recorded as the first to photograph a single snow crystal.  Quite a challenge, considering the equipment needed and conditions required.

Sunday's Song

Most people have heard the carol I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day.  Many may even know that the lyrics are by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  But I wonder how many know that it was first a poem he wrote  in response to the Civil War and during a time of his own personal loss.

Christmas Bells

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
   And wild and sweet
   The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
    Had rolled along
    The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
    A voice, a chime,
    A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
    And with the sound
    The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
    And made forlorn
    The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
    "For hate is strong,
    And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
    The wrong shall fail,
    The right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men."

This is an old recording of Dean Wilder singing an arrangement that uses the two most familiar tunes written for the lyrics.  For me, it beautifully captures the emotions behind the words.

I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day by queenodella