Category: Home

Winter nest

It is winter proper; cold weather, such as it is, has come to stay. I bloom indoors in winter like a forced forsythia; I come in to come out. At night I read and write, and things I never understood become clear; I reap the harvest of the rest of the year’s planting.

Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

This was a paragraph that I read today and continue to think about. I, too, like the winter habits of reading, being still, thinking, and writing. I can flourish in dark winter as long as I have reminders that I have friends out there.

This afternoon I hung a very large magnetic board to display handwritten notes and some art. You’re right, it isn’t arranged very well yet, but we’re on our way to something good.

MLK weekend

Mark assembled our new furniture because he is awesome.

Use me, God. Show me how to take who I am, who I want to be, and what I can do, and use it for a purpose greater than myself.

Martin Luther King Jr.

We are experiencing a fullness of living, with its challenges, loss, connections, fun, and opportunities to serve. Have I cried this week? Oh, yes. I have also laughed, worked, and tried to repair my mistakes. In my daily journal of God’s tender mercies, I wrote during a particularly difficult time last week that my family was a great comfort. Because of them, I had hope for a softer, gentler time ahead. It came as our older children gathered for Sunday dinner and we talked about the influence of a good friend who passed away. It came as we listened to Tim talk about his missionary work and show an interest in his siblings. It came as Richard, Mark, and I spent all weekend together, living.

A new television on a different wall

We bought a new television for Christmas, and this began the rearrangement of chairs, tables, pictures, plants, decor, floor coverings, power cords, dishes, and bookshelves throughout the house. We are mostly making do with the furniture we own, so this has taken some trial and error to find the “next” perfect place for each piece. One morning, after days of shifting, I looked over the rooms and I was finally satisfied. If our furniture could click like a padlock, this is the sound the living room would have made. I’m just going to own that it was kind of fun to rethink the rooms where I spend my days.

wait, come back, we didn’t take a picture

I have lived long enough to understand that gatherings are worth documenting, and I regret that we didn’t pose for a group photo at our Thanksgiving dinner. Richard mentioned he would also have liked to see a picture of all the good food. Thanks to Paige, we have photos of the tables and a few Ross family guests in the background, and look, there are some pies there, too.

Dale and Lorraine

Richard and Angela

Paige and Michael

Daniel and McKenna

Mark

Dave and Shari

Sara and Christopher

Henry, Katie, Fletcher

Susanna and Cameron

Come in!

I like preparing dinner while this light comes through the windows.

I like Mark’s friends. They are the first among our children’s friends to regularly hang out here. I like the sound of laughter coming from our basement. I like sharing treats with them and having them fill our kitchen. They are funny, so smart, good, and lively.

I like having people of all ages at our house. I keep toys ready for children and food for teens. They also like our video collection. To welcome adults, I have had to let go of concern about what the carpet looks like, or that the floor isn’t mopped, and that I don’t decorate like HGTV, and just welcome people inside. I have changed a lot in my level of hospitality. It is good (for a planner like me) to let go of the tidy plan, and embrace the messy one that allows people to feel loved and allows us to be seen as we really are. Our house has been especially full of friends the past few months. Just saying “Come in!” has a strong effect on friendships.

Apples

The family has been working on a really big apple crop from our tree. We have prepared applesauce, frozen apples, dried apples, and caramel apples. Apples, apples, apples, apples, apples, apples, apples. I have named this weekend Apples.

Autumn shelves

I thought I’d do my part to conjure some autumn temperatures by removing the patriotic summer things from these shelves.

It’s still hot, but I feel better having something different to look at. This is a collection of mostly old things, arranged in a new way, and the sight is rejuvenating to me.

Goodbye, Tree

We are losing a tree this week, one of our tall Cottonwoods, and for some reason I didn’t take a hundred photos of it while it was alive. I took a moment last night before the carnage began to look up through its empty branches into the sky in gratitude.

Cottonwood trees sound like a canyon stream as the wind blows through their leaves. They have kept our yard cool and full of shade in the mornings, and given us privacy from neighbors. We have three Cottonwoods, and these trees were one of the things that drew us to this house, as their presence felt kind of sacred. We traveled hundreds of miles to see the Redwood trees one year, and the stillness and permanence of those forests made an impression on me. The blessed realization is that we have a similar feeling in our own backyard. It is a good thing to have tall trees and some wilderness space. I will miss our middle tree!

summertime snaps

We are in the final week of summer break. This morning I took some time to look over some snapshots and screenshots from the last few months, and chose a few to share. These are some of people and places I want to remember. Two really good friends passed away. We have been really focused on wedding preparations. Mark was gone a lot, and his social connections got stronger. Richard worked from home. I lived my own version of The Secret Garden, increasing my strength. We planted a lot of flowers, and I am especially proud of reclaiming my favorite corner of the yard, the one that feels like a forest. We sat beneath outdoor lights on many nights. Paige and Michael were especially helpful hanging the lights. Tim made it to Guam. We said goodbye to friends who are going on a mission. Lots of lasts and firsts this summer. This means growth.

Thou crownest the year with the goodness.

Psalm 65:11

Sara and Christopher

Sara and Christopher’s reception completes our summer as a wedding reception venue. I don’t have many photos, but it was a lovely evening. I love celebrating events and milestones at our house.

Besides the happy couple, my favorite memory is the cousins from Shari, Richard, and Rebecca’s families laughing and joking together in our kitchen as we packed up lots and lots of marbles and flowers. Little things.