• FEBRUARY 2021      

      

                                February is upon us with lots of cold days and a lot of warm hearts.  

Going through antique valentines, I am remembering Valentine Days of many years ago.  Back in the 40's, my older brother by two years  and I  always sat together after school on Valentine's Day and counted the valentines  we had received from the beautiful  box everyone in each class helped decorate.  This was a contest we enjoyed for many years. Of course, he always won as everybody loved him.  This was in the days before children had to give everybody in the class a card.  Right, wrong, or indifferent you could choose the persons that you wanted to receive one of your cards.  My, how times have changed.  

Many bouquets of roses and many boxes of chocolates will be enjoyed on February 14.  

Just want to remind everyone that receives a Valentine gift:

"Never look a gift horse in the mouth"  

In other words, if someone gives you a horse, don't look inside its mouth and check its teeth to see what age the horse is which would have a lot to do with the worth of that horse.  

Whatever someone gives you, just be grateful for the thought behind the gift. Remember you can always regift.

A couple of weather predictions:

If it thunders in February we will have frost in 

April.  

If snow is still on the ground after three days, it will snow again.

As February is the month of love 1 Corinthians 13:7 is one of the best example of love. 

"It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."  

Happy Valentine's Day

💓

 JANUARY 2021

Here it is more then half way through the first month of 2021.  Time is going by too fast.  The older I get the faster time flies but I don't really care how fast this winter passes.  

We completely retired from VHC Brands  at the end of September 2020 just in time to enjoy a beautiful and warm Fall with plenty to do with getting the yard and garden ready for Winter.  Our house sits on two city lots and we have used much of the space to create flower gardens as well as a vegetable garden.  

The vegetable garden is in the back yard and had a  very steep slope as we are on the top of a mountain and the back yard rolls down to the edge of a thick wooded area full of wildlife therefore we have a six foot fence around the back yard to keep most animals out, even though we always have a problem with smaller critters digging under the fence and enjoying eating veggies until caught.    We had a very successful garden last year and were still picking tomatoes in November.  But, the garden had one major problem, especially for folks in their eighties and we took a few soft rolls while picking and working in it.  So to solve this problem we had the whole garden raised so that it is now level and six feet higher on the back side enclosed in a brick wall.  We will have to have a fence put up on the back side so we won't fall over the edge.  Now the fun part starts with ordering seeds and starting some plants inside.  Our average last frost is about the middle of April so we have plenty of time to collect everything we will need to start the 2021 garden.

We are still trying to adjust to so many Saturdays.  As out of town company has been halted and very little entertaining going on we find we have a lot of spare time.  Even though we have a rather large house, with just the two of us, it doesn't take much time to do all the chores. 

I keep seeds from a lot of our plants and will be spending a good bit of time deciding what to plant this year.  

 

This is a picture of the garden wall.  The garden is about 20 x 30 and we usually have four rows.  

Will keep you updated on when I start my seedlings.  I have a little greenhouse with four shelves that will be moved inside the house so I can start seedlings about six weeks before the last frost.  

Nancy Kline

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: December Here it is December again. Where has the...

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: December Here it is December again.  Where has the...: December  Here it is December again.  Where has the year gone?   Ending a year is sometimes sad as we recall relatives, friends, an...

December 

Here it is December again.  Where has the year gone?  

Ending a year is sometimes sad as we recall relatives, friends, and pets that were with us for Christmas last year and are no longer here.  Holidays always bring up memories of past gatherings and fun times spent and still being saddened by the fact that we have lost some important people that made the holidays full of these beautiful memories.   I am thankful that God has given us the ability to remember all these good times.  

As we end the year we are reminded of the resolutions we made for the year and it brings a smile to our hearts as we think about the ones we kept and wondering if the ones we didn't get done will just be pushed into the new year or maybe just marked off our to do list.  

Maud Humphrey's December child calendar picture is a little girl from Canada, a country well aware of cold winters.  She appears to be dressed to keep warm with her coat, hat, and mittens as she plans on a few rides on her sled.  

December is probably the most loved of all the calendar months.  Christmas is the time when we most often get together with family and friends to celebrate the coming of Christ.  It is also a time of more indoor activities for many of us.  A good time to catch up on some of the chores we never got finished and now have the time to get done.  

BLESSINGS AND LOTS OF GOOD TIMES TO ADD TO OUR MEMORY BOOKS

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: NOVEMBER Maud Humphrey must have chosen this bea...

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: NOVEMBER

 Maud Humphrey must have chosen this bea...: NOVEMBER  Maud Humphrey must have chosen this beautiful child of Sweden for a November calendar portrait because of the way she is ...

NOVEMBER

 Maud Humphrey must have chosen this beautiful child of Sweden for a November calendar portrait because of the way she is dressed in her warm coat and red bonnet as the winters in parts of Sweden can get pretty cold and snowy.  Sweden is officially the Kingdom of Sweden and is located in Northern Europe.  Also notice the tree branches in the background have lost their leaves which indicates that the Fall season is in session.  She is holding what appears to be a Bible with a cross on the front.  Although church and government are separate in Sweden over half the nation practice religion under the Church of Sweden which is Evangelical Lutheran.  Sweden still has a royal family of which you frequently see information of such in the news media.  

November has come and with it a lot of thoughts on how to celebrate holidays and keep the leaves under control.   With Halloween just behind us we are seeing lots of Fall decor to help us get through  till Thanksgiving.  And with Thanksgiving comes the season of eating which will last until the end of the year.  For the big day called Thanksgiving, turkey and dressing is the main food item on many of our menus although ham is also on a lot of tables.  Cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, and gravy are always included with an assortment of other sides that are favorites with each family group. 

So once in every year we throng

Upon a day apart,

To praise the Lord with feast and song

In thankfulness of heart.

  by: Arthur Guiterman-The First Thanksgiving

Let us always remember to to be thankful!

Psalms 106:1

O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good:  for his mercy endureth forever.

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: OCTOBER This is the time for falling leaves, cool...

Now and Then by Nancy Kline:  OCTOBER This is the time for falling leaves, cool...:   OCTOBER   This is the time for falling leaves, cooler weather, and getting ready for all the wonderful fall adventures.  This is ...