Togetherness

I love this view of our churches'  'Rose' window!  The choir loft is located on the inside of the window.  Today we sang with the funeral choir for a special funeral.  The funeral Mass was for a married couple, both in their 90's, who had died on the same day!  Their names were Harry and Mary.  Mary died first, in their home.  Harry died later, in the hospital.  They had been married for 71 years.  The church was nearly full with their family and friends; many people had sat around their table over the years.

A Winter's Afternoon Tea

We filled a thermos with hot tea, bundled up in our warm jackets, and took the short drive over to Mitchell's Bay to check out the ice fishing scene.  It was a cold and cloudy Sunday afternoon.  I am walking across a portion of frozen lake where the

ice fishermen park their vehicles.  The camera is pointing towards shore.  Looking out over the bay over Martin's shoulder, you can see four fishermen walking towards us.  The black dots in the distance are dozens of people fishing through holes they

have a dug in the ice.  Br-r-r-r!  We were glad to go back to our warm truck and drink some hot tea.  It was a very nice outing.  The delicious smell of fish frying could be detected in the air, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Physical Therapy

It's been a month since I fell on the street and broke  my arm, near my shoulder.  The orthopedic Doctor took me out of the sling last week, studied my CT scan, and said surgery is not necessary! He prescribed physical therapy  for the next three weeks, when he will x-ray the arm and pronounce me healed, I hope.  The PT is quite painful (now I know why Audrey calls them "physical terrorists"!) but my range of motion increases daily.  I've never had this type of injury before, and did not realize what's involved in living with pain and a handicap.  It's been a very humbling and enlightening experience.  The exercise in the photo was impossible for me to do a few days ago;  all I could do was lay on the floor and cry.  Now I can do it well, without any tears.  Progress!  I'm amazed at the way God has made our bodies to heal so well after they are damaged.

Anniversary Bouquet

We celebrated our wedding anniversary by going out to lunch and buying some flowers at the Purple Pansy Flower Shop downtown Chatham.  Instead of cut flowers, we spotted a tub of sprouting bulbs, and have been enjoying watching them open day by day.  It's our bit of colour and fragrance during these short cold days of winter in Canada.

My Achey Breakey "Arm"

Puzzles are a great one-armed activity!Thank you, puzzle-loving sisters-in-law!  This one is called "Souvenir Plates" by Springbok.
A friend from church gave me a very chic circular scarf sling for my arm. Thank you, Janet (whose own arm is in a cast!)  The orthopedic doc has ordered a CT scan to see if he needs to put a screw in my shoulder. I feel like singing that tear jerking tune, "Don't tell my 'arm', my achey breakey  'arm', I just don't think she'd understand. . ."

from snow to sun

While we chill out in Canada, our granddaughters bask in the warmth of a sunny southern California afternoon on a bench in their garden.  They even have their own orange tree, although I don't see any ready to pick just now.

Last Sunset of 2012

Carrying on our tradition of photographing the last sunset of the year,  we stayed close to home this year, not wanting to venture out on icy walks with an arm in a sling.  I'm sure the sunset we drew is the way it actually looks beyond all those wintry clouds.  It has been a year filled with many blessings, and we send out good wishes and prayers for the new year to all our family and friends, near and far!!