All posts in Winter

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Jan

Smile a Bit

Categories: Nature, Penny at Home, Penny's Crafts, Winter

Comments: 1

“Sing a song, sing a song,

Ring the glad-bells all along;

Smile at him who frowns at you,

He will smile and then they’re two.

Laugh a bit, laugh a bit,

Folks will soon be catching it,

Can’t resist a happy face;

World will be a merry place.

Laugh a Bit and Sing a song,

Where they are there’s nothing wrong;

Joy will dance the whole world through,

But it must begin with you.”

Joseph Morris

I enjoy the happy swinging of this poem, it brings a smile to my face and a spring into my step. Though truly our world is full of troubles, and as humans we are weak and wounded, we have HOPE in Christ. He satisfies our deepest needs. In Him we find forgiveness, peace, purpose, life and wonder. He is our reason to rejoice as we look beyond our troubles and place our trust in His great Ability and Sovereignty. Once our hearts are settled in Him, we can sing a song and laugh a bit, and folks will soon be catching it. Spread the Joy!

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
His greatness no one can fathom.
One generation commends Your works to another;
they tell of Your mighty acts.
They speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty—
They tell of the power of Your awesome works—

They celebrate Your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of Your righteousness.

The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.

The Lord is good to all;
He has compassion on all He has made.

All your works praise You, Lord;
    Your faithful people extol You.
They tell of the glory of Your kingdom
    and speak of Your might,
so that all people may know of Your mighty acts
    and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom.

from Psalm 145

Dec

Christmas Treasures

Categories: Christmas, Penny at Home, Winter

Comments: 5

Grandma’s Glasses

A little boy said to a playmate, “Do you know what I want for Christmas? I want glasses just like Grandma wears. She must have a special kind because she can see much more than most people.

“She can see when folks are hungry or tired or sorry, and she can even see what’ll make them feel better. She can see how to fix a lot of things to have fun with, and she can see what a feller meant to do, even if he didn’t do it right. She can see when a feller is about to cry and she can see what to do to make him feel better.

“I asked her one day how she could see so good, and she said it was the way she learned to look at things as she got older. So I want a pair of glasses just like Grandma’s so I can see good, too.”

*******

I love nativity scenes ~ the stable, the critters, and the dear people that were chosen to welcome the Christ child.

Our Christmas tree holds a collection of warm family memories from years gone by and many treasured handmade ornaments.

A beautiful variety of Christmas cards from family and friends is another of my favorite Christmas treasures. This following picture reminds me of our farm.

Christmas is a time when we feel so loved, and it is a special time to pass that love around to others.

Penny, waiting by her Christmas mailbox. Is the mailman coming yet?

Merry Christmas to you!

Feb

Snowdays at Home

Categories: Nature, Our Farm, Penny at Home, Winter

Comments: 4

We have had such a mild winter this year, the temperatures have often been above freezing, so we are sorry that we haven’t seen much snow. This past week we had such a mighty snowfall, all in one day, that Penny begged to go out and play. I donned my big boots and lots of layers and out I went to play with her. I had to carry her through the deep snow, glad for my snow boots and wool socks.

Pardon the snowflake that looks like Penny’s mustache here, but it was snowing pretty heavily. Too bad the camera doesn’t catch its movement. Or the sound. I love the quiet sound of snow falling.

Penny was pretending she was a rabbit and digging a deep underground burrow.

And now she is a bird in a tree. She was fascinated by this cup of snow, formed by the remains of a tulip tree blossom.

Wow, Penny, aren’t you getting cold out here in the snow? Yes, she says, and might she just sit a spell inside my warm alpaca hat? This is one I spun and knit from the fleece shorn off my own alpaca, Snufflesworth. It makes a very warm hat for me, and a warm place to rest if you are a little bit of a person and a little bit chilled.

But please, she begs, don’t lets go inside yet, I’d like to ride my donkey over the snow banks for a while.

We have a real live donkey named Dinklepuss on our farm, and this is Penny’s own miniature Dinklepuss. He has the same big ears and gentle eyes. Only he is made of resin. Isn’t he cute?

The next morning, after our outside jaunt, I captured a picture of these ice flakes on our window. What splendid miniature artwork!

And two days later, such a glorious morning of sunshine, but alas, the snow is all melting today.

The suet bird feeder on the porch has been a busy place. Here I only have shown sparrows, but we have also had juncos and woodpeckers regularly that are fun to watch as they peck away at the seed while swinging in the breeze.

Oh, look! Here are little birdie tracks, hop, hop, hopping along in the melting snow. I’m glad we had our play day out when the snow was cold and deep and fluffy.

It is windy today, don’t you love how that horse tail is swooshing back in the breeze? I like to see the little paths that the horses make through the snow in their pasture. How do they decide which way to go?

This last picture is rather pretty, though I think it is sad to watch the snow melt so soon. The early sun was shining across the dimpled surface as more and more grass appeared.

The End. I’m glad that we could share these snow adventures with you, we are thankful to live in a place with such varied beauties outdoors.

What a wonder-filled world God has made.

Apr

All Snug In the Barn

Categories: In the Family, Our Farm, Penny at Home, Winter

Comments: 2

I haven’t been keeping up with this site much lately as my Dad has been pretty sick all winter, advancing from one problem to another. We have all been pretty stressed, but praise the Lord, he is doing better and able to be up and about more than he has in months. We are so thankful. As the spring comes on we are glad to be drawing a deep breath and getting ready to tackle some outdoor jobs in the warm sunshine.

First, to play catch-up a bit, here are some shots of Penny all bundled up out in the barn helping to do chores this winter. I didn’t realize that my camera battery was weak, so I apologize that the focus is a little fuzzy as the camera is dying. But Penny sure did enjoy herself, and the animals were all pretty pleased to see her. They do love attention!

Here is the milking cow, drinking out of her water cup, all snug in the warm hay. She provides us with all the rich milk we can drink, as well as the butter and cheese Mom makes. Dad calls her Matilda.

Penny is checking the connections to be sure the water runs freely into the drinking cup when Matilda pushes the lever. Yep, all is well here.

“Weren’t you going to milk the cow?” asks a thirsty kitten who is always on hand for milking.

The young cow nearby says, “Don’t you have a pat for me?”

After a petting, he gives Penny a big slobbery kiss, “Thank you my friend!”

Down at the other end of the barn the two affectionate donkeys, Claryce and Dinklepuss, await their turn to be scratched and petted.

“Hello? hello!” says little Goatly, “don’t forget about me! Were you handing out treats, by any chance?” Her favorite treat is a soft apple from our basement apple bin.