Dog Days in the Dead of Winter???

Hi! It's me, Mister Poochie!

Mom took this picture, she did, as my little kitty brother Toby and I were taking our nappy naps. Remember how tiny he was? Well, he's sure not that small any more, no, he's not! At 10 months, he is way bigger than our almost 17 year old kitty sister Rocky!

Mom and Alpha often have to rescue Rocky kitty kitty, they do, when he tries to "suma wrestle" with her. She just does not like that, she doesn't. Mom likens it to a toddler attacking a frail elderly lady!

Anyway, Mom says we're laying low, today. Something to do with a snow storm coming through. But when I saw a flash of lighting and heard Mom squealing with delight, I was confused. This time of year? Mom said "yes"--she knew what I was thinking, she did!

Mom just loves thunderstorms, and danced around the kitchen while I scurried out of her way. She calls it her happy dance, she does, and said the thunder and lightning makes her think of summer, her favorite season. So while we got about six inches of the white fluffy fun stuff, Mom's anticipating the sunny season!

I just want to go play and roll around in that white fluffy fun stuff, I do, but Mom says it's a white out, she did. Maybe later... . --Mister Poochie

Sunday's Song--Hear My Cry

Hear My Cry

Hear my cry O Lord
Attend unto my prayer
From the ends of the earth
Will I cry out to Thee.

And when my heart is overwhelmed,
Oh Lord,
Lead me to the Rock
That is higher than I,
That is higher than I.

For Thou hast been
A shelter unto me,
A high tower, Lord,
Against the enemy.

And when my heart is overwhelmed,
Oh Lord,
Lead me to the Rock
That is higher than I,
That is higher than I.

Sunday's Song--No Higher Calling

No Higher Calling

Down at your feet O Lord
is the most high place
In Your presence Lord
We seek your face
We seek your face

There is no higher calling
No greater honor
Than to bow and kneel before Your throne
I'm amazed at your glory
Embraced by your mercy
O Lord, I live to worship You.

--Lenny LeBlanc & Greg Gulley, 1989

Valentine Outing

Valentine greetings to you all! To celebrate this beautiful--but frigid--day, Hubby and I went to visit the south side of Big Falls County Park in the snow and ice.

It was a beautiful--but sometimes slippery--walk through the woods to get to the Eau Claire River.

My jaw dropped to see how the snow had melted in this part of the park. If the weather were not a factor, one would think this was a mid March day, here in western Wisconsin!!!

Yup, this river is full of shards of ice! Way cool! Hard to believe, but in all my years of existence, this was my first real up-close and personal look at a river in winter! Ponds? Yes. The Jersey shore? Of course. But never a river, and growing up, we were surrounded by the Passaic River and one of it's branches!!!

Cool, huh?! There were several formations like this close to the shore line.

Look at all the layers on this large piece of ice!!!

This kind of reminds me of the scene in the first Superman movie with Christopher Reeve where he finds out who he is and where he came from.

This looks too much like spring, doesn't it?!

Shortly before we left, we heard a horrendous cracking, heaving, and crashing noise. We supposed it must have been a huge chunk of thick ice that broke free on the upper, more spectacular part of the falls at the north of the park. --LKR

Long Live the Penny!

On this my oldest daughter's 15th birthday, I learned they were honoring her--and coincidentally (ha ha) Abraham Lincoln--with the release of one of four new designs to the penny, a first in 50 years! Okay, okay, so this is in celebration of Lincoln's 200th birthday. But I always counted myself blessed to have a child born on such a great--yet humble--man's birth date while we lived in the land of Lincoln.

The first of four new designs to the tail of the penny is being released today, and with each new quarter of the year, a new one will be released. Different aspects of Lincoln's life will be represented: reading as a young man (pretty significant since he taught himself how to read!), an image of a log cabin, Lincoln as president, and the US capital dome in it's early stage. I would have liked to have seen his home in Illinois depicted, but no one asked me!

Long live the humble penny!!! --LKR

Sunday's Song--Amazing Love

AMAZING LOVE

MY LORD, WHAT LOVE IS THIS
THAT PAYS SO DEARLY
THAT I, THE GUILTY ONE
MAY GO FREE!

AMAZING LOVE, WHAT SACRIFICE
THE SON OF GOD GIVEN FOR ME
MY DEBT HE PAYS, AND MY DEATH HE DIES
THAT I MIGHT LIVE, THAT I MIGHT LIVE

AND SO THEY WATCHED HIM DIE
DESPISED, REJECTED
BUT OH, THE BLOOD HE SHED
FLOWED FOR ME

AND NOW, THIS LOVE OF CHRIST
SHALL FLOW LIKE RIVERS
SO COME WASH YOU GUILT AWAY
LIVE AGAIN!

Bebo Norman--1989

Duckling Feeding Fish

Sunday's Song--You're Worthy of My Praise

You're Worthy of My Praise

I will worship, with all of my heart
I will praise You, with all of my strength
I will seek You, all of my days
I will follow, all of your ways

I will give, You all my worship
I will give, You all my praise
You alone, I long to worship
You alone, are worthy of my praise

I will bow down, and I'll hail You as king
I will serve You, I will give You everything
I will lift up, my eyes to Your throne
I will trust You, trust You alone

I will give You all my worship
I will give You all my praise
You alone, I long to worship
You alone, are worthy of my praise

I will give, You all my worship
I will give, You all my praise
You alone, I long to worship
You alone, are worthy of my praise

You are worthy, You are worthy
You are worthy of my praise

Well, I'll give You all my worship
I will give You all my praise
You alone I long to worship
You alone are worthy of my praise

I'll give You all my worship
I will give You all my praise
You alone (you alone) I long to worship
You alone are worthy of my praise.

--David Ruis