Planting time

Tractor at the horizon (look under the ski lifts)

If you look at the horizon line across the field in a distant blurry image you can see a tractor planting corn.  Looking at the field in the foreground it is obvious that this field has already been planted.

Technology has changed so much over the years. Nowadays GPS units guide the men in the tractors to get perfectly straight lines. I love driving by the fields and watching the crops grow slowly throughout the summer.

Freshly Planted Field

Today in the temperature was in the mid 60's. The perfect temperature to drive with my windows down. But with all the tractors in the fields, I can already tell my spring allergies are going to come on tough. I should know enough by now to plan ahead and start taking allergy medicine as believe bud out. I guess I continually hope that by some miracle I will get over my allergies.

Just a few weeks ago I found out my youngest nephew shares some of my allergies. I have an unusual food allergy. I am allergic to bell peppers;  red, yellow, and green. He took a bite of a supreme pizza and immediately started getting sick. He was down sick for a couple of days with all the same symptoms that I have when I eat bell peppers. At least he knows he's not alone. His mom was able to tell him auntie gets sick just like you do. I still say it is amazing how many chefs don't know how to add flavor to food without bell peppers!

Sorry for my tangent. I guess that's why my friends will say, "squirrel!"

How is the weather today?

We were starting a company meeting today as one of the vice presidents of the company heckled me about 3 feet of snow in my yard (today). I told him it was a beautiful day; low to mid 50's and partly sunny.

During the meeting we did a company role call. Roger had put together a map of the US and placed our photos over the region where we live.   Another coworker lives an hour East of me. At this point in the meeting they asked her if I told the truth was it a beautiful day? She hadn't heard my description earlier and she said "No, it is cold.  In the mid 50's and mostly cloudy."

I couldn't help but laugh out loud.  Luckily I was muted. I wonder how many others heard both descriptions and realized they were the same with a different viewpoint.

The temperature dropped as the sun went down.  We stopped by Lake John on the way home for the dogs to run. It was a fabulous view! How could this be considered anything other than a beautiful day?

I was playing with the settings on my cell phone camera.  There is panoramic and fish eye along with a normal setting.

Fish Eye View (6 photos together)

Panoramic View

Standard View

Anticipation!

I have contracted with 3 different contractors to work on 3 projects this spring.  Every two to three years I make a significant investment in home repairs.  Which means that I hire the work done because I want to make sure that it gets done and done well.

This year I am having my basement tuck pointed, my yard fenced, and my roof shingled. The guys were going to work on the basement last week but when I went down to turn the outside faucet on it was too moist.

The North Gate

The team was here today putting up the posts for the fence and the gates.  Working from home is fabulous except when the dogs think they need to run in and out constantly. 

South Gates

Starting next week I will be able to let them out and not need to be tethered to them or tether them to the clothesline pole. God has given the animals to us for us to care for.  And for the protection of our girls I am fencing in nearly 2000 square feet of my yard.  They should like that!

Genesis 1: 26-27
Then God said, "Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Childhood Memories ... Church Steeples

I remember this dexterity game as a child. Put your hands together back to back while you intertwine the middle, ring and pinky fingers together. Roll your hand so the palms are together.  The pointer fingers are touching and the thumbs rest side by side.

Here is the church.  Here is the steeple (tap the tips of the pointers together.) Open the doors (pull the thumbs apart and roll the hands palms up. Then wiggle the fingers) and see all the peoples.

Wooddale Church Steeple

When we walked out of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota Friday evening the steeple was lit up.  The 220 foot steeple is visible for a long distance in the day light but it radiates after dark. It reminded me of a church in Spain, Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.  The architecture of the building presents the gospel.  At Wooddale church the bottom of the steeple reminds me of the church congregation bound together by the Holy Spirit (you can see 2 of 3 sides in the picture.) The Trinity pulls together at the cross that points the people towards heaven.

Pointing mankind towards Heaven

2014 Opening Fishing

It was a beautiful day today despite the cloudy skies and sprinkles that drifted down periodically. We went to Wally's cafe for brunch.  They put tablecloths and flowers on the tables.  They normally have a very good breakfast buffet. But today they added boasted chicken, turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy and corn.

Grandpa! There is a fish in there!

After lunch we headed out fishing.  Misty Blue hasn't been in the boat very much. She was a little nervous. She was absolutely fascinated with what grandpa was doing and had to watch him take every fish off from the hook. 

Duchess takes a bow

Duchess, when she wasn't laying on the bow of the boat, was right next to Misty Blue. I am not sure if it was jealousy or an extended curiosity. 

Look! Look! A BIG sun fish!

It was a day for turtle tanning too! It didn't matter if it was on docks or logs from fallen trees.  I didn't even pick up a fishing pole. I watched the girls and did some  knitting.  For the most part I just relaxed.

Turtles on the dock

Turtle Tanning Time

God whispered your name to me!

God speaks to everyone differently.  One of the ways he speaks to me are whispers mingled in amidst my thoughts.  Mostly names of people.  Friends that I haven't seen from or heard from in a long time when there names come into my active memory.

Driving around the area before the event started, the Lord whispered Linda in my ear.  A friend from years ago that now lived in the area that I was driving (I found that out the next day.) I knew the church we were going to fit around a thousand people.  What were the chances that I would get to see Linda?

Friday evening when my sister was taking pictures of the organ pipes at Wooddale church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, I remembered that the last time that I was there was for my college graduation from Crown College. It was a random memory of one of the last happy events while my mother was alive.

Saturday morning during the break I was talking with my sister in between the sales tables when I heard a voice. As I turned my head the woman speaking stepped in front of me close enough for me to reach out and hug. I am sure that I shocked her as I took her shoulders in my hands and said ,"Hey Linda it's Trisha!" Linda had also attended my college graduation with my parents, grandma Erickson, Aunt Paula and Uncle Alan.



Finding Friends in Unexpected Places

I didn't ask her if I could post her picture so I put a heart sticker over her face.  God works in mysterious ways as long as we are willing to be open ourselves up to his leading.  God worked in both out hearts to move us to a spot where we could meet up and catch up.  A special blessing for the weekend.




Be Among Friends

Friday evening and Saturday morning, May 9-10, Wooddale church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota hosted a Kathy Troccoli conference. 

Kathy Troccoli in concert

It was a beautiful time; a mountain top experience.

Without a formal count I would guess that there were 200-250 women in attendance.  My sister and her friend purchased tickets then sh received an email that she won 3 more tickets.  They invited 3 more people.  At the last minute one person didn't make it.

Be Among Friends

The conference was a mix of Kathy Troccoli's music with worship music by Michelle Margiotta and teachings from both Kelly Minter and Angela Thomas. Every one on stage was truthful, transparent and tested.



Kelly Minter

Friday evening in the hotel room the women in the room shared what they walked away with from the evening sessions.  We all heard the same messages but we all heard something different. The men I know would be more likely to say someone was right and the others were wrong. But as women we accept that the same words can mean entirely different things to different people.

I don't take notes because I've found that I never go and look at them. The key phrases and words that are sticking in my head from the weekend are as follows:

• I am beautiful
• God sees us (and faithfully responds)
• God can use us any where if we are if we let him.
• God works when we work with him.
• When you call on God for help be ready to act.
• Embrace your life.  Yes, it's your life.
• Don't blame anyone for it
• Don't try to pawn it off on someone else
• Don't try to take someone else's life
• Depend on God to walk with you through each day
• God whispers
• God is speaking you need to do your part and listen...that means taking time to be quite.

The last one I need to explain.  I am a thinker and as can happen in a large group, I was deprived of my reflective time by people needed to speak nearly non stop.  I don't mean that derrogetorily.  Their personality leads them to the physical need to talk.  They think through things by talking them out. But when they finished talking through their thoughts they kept on talking.

I am still working through my thoughts. But I wanted to share what a fabulous time that I had. I have already posted two other posts from the event including signing on stage with Kathy Troccoli.  (The photo below was taken before that event.) I have at least one more that I will post. 

Kathy & Trisha