tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60291954061313173622011-08-14T09:52:50.454-06:00Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.comBlogger491100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-313243123093520242010-06-27T20:37:00.002-06:002010-06-27T20:38:45.935-06:00

I giggled – really it was more of a howl -- when I read the fabric care instructions on the cowboy’s new T-shirt: “Wash in warm with like colours” I mean really – where in the world would I find ‘like colours’? Do you have anything in this fluorescent green? What do they even call this colour? It’s like nothing I have ever seen before – not even in the 80’s when we all dressed in those crazy

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-26425020379159860872010-05-29T22:45:00.012-06:002010-05-30T18:04:26.866-06:00

The desire for personal ‘fame’ is greater now than ever. In fact, it seems that no one wants to slip through ‘unnoticed’. Do we link ‘fame’ with acceptance? Maybe it’s because we think that only the ‘noteworthy’ count. Whatever the reason, in a world where most people desire ‘fame’ more than anything else, I was delighted to read about Gordon Phillips in my most recent university alumni

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-68928669174410339052010-05-20T20:32:00.005-06:002010-05-21T19:35:37.505-06:00

Spring is my favourite time ... especially after a long winter. The sun’s warmth coaxes new life from the barren land…and everything looks cheerful once again.Here at the end of the road, the crocuses have gone to seed... but the buffalo beans are out… The spring storms are out and about… greening up the pasture quite nicely… The creek gurgles more than its usual trickle…I can hear it from

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-92064158373087768362010-05-15T21:08:00.004-06:002010-05-16T05:24:15.579-06:00

In a world filled with distractions, sometimes it's hard to hear the still, small voice of God. In this short video, Tamara Lowe reminds us about the only thing that really matters.

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-35540888179553741772010-05-04T16:12:00.002-06:002010-05-04T16:18:03.088-06:00

GG came to visit not long ago, sporting a lovely necklace – the first ‘girly look’ I’d ever seen on her. Immediately, I thought about my locket from long ago. The one with pictures of my two boys. One lives in a city 45 minutes away; the other lives in Heaven. I showed her how the locket opens...and explained that the picture was her daddy when he was a baby. I didn’t mention that the other

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-81963161596214923832010-04-03T21:43:00.012-06:002010-04-03T21:56:18.757-06:00

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-80027976007848545242010-04-02T21:32:00.000-06:002010-04-02T21:32:33.805-06:00

Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strengthand honor and glory and praise! To him who sits on the throne and to the Lambbe praise and honor and glory and power,for ever and ever! Revelation 5: 12, 13b

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-53284956617085191132010-02-27T16:28:00.004-07:002010-02-27T16:46:32.676-07:00

Photo credit:  Lifeway Christian Stores Over the last several days, I've watched with amazement, the outstanding stamina and determination of the Olympic athletes. I've also noticed a common thread in their interviews: they credited their parents for guiding them along their paths...which ultimately led to their Olympic success. I've also been thinking about our last Bible study. A highly

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-72474417609193464652010-02-20T17:17:00.002-07:002010-02-20T17:22:29.335-07:00

One of my jobs here at 'the end of the road', is taking our trash to the county dump. We don’t have garbage pick up, so it falls to us to haul our own. While we do compost, and re-cycle where we can, we still manage to gather some garbage, and out it must go. Today was ‘dump day’. I arrived early -- about 20 minutes early. But I didn’t have to wait, because the manager arrived right behind me. He

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-56267024889076973872010-01-22T19:00:00.002-07:002010-01-22T19:02:34.152-07:00

The weather here at ‘the end of the road’ has been anything but typical in the last few weeks. Until our recent Chinook, we had lots of white stuff; I was beginning to call this, ‘the winter of the big snow.’ We had even started to plan our annual ‘snow party’ for the neighbour kids. However, I now look out on bare fields and hills and know that unless a big snowstorm heads our way, we won’t be

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-37252679051345968422009-12-11T11:13:00.006-07:002009-12-11T20:56:47.861-07:00

Sometimes I wonder why we ever put a woodstove in this house.  To be fair, it isn’t often; and certainly not when I’m sitting in front of the fire toasty warm enjoying my tea.  But I have to admit, when ‘wood day’ comes when the high is -25 C., I do wonder at the benefit of heating with wood. Our wood supply lasts for a week.  And I try to pick good weather days to replenish the supply.  In

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-29580577670431804862009-12-02T16:50:00.004-07:002009-12-02T18:14:55.935-07:00

I can hardly believe December is here already. November just flew by.Part of the blur was the cowboy's heart. It didn't want to work the way it should, and he landed in the hospital for 9 days.There's nothing quite like an unexpected health scare, to cement some learning in my brain. Through this time, I learned:1. To be thankful. I have some wonderful people in my world who helped in many ways (

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-74953667345199510672009-11-03T09:44:00.005-07:002009-11-05T08:45:42.907-07:00

“It’s not me who wants to wake up this early,” he claimed, “It’s my body.” Ah, we’ve just had our ‘fall back’ time change in Alberta, and here at the end of the road, we’re still getting used to it. The cowboy, who always wakes up before the chickens, is now waking before some people go to bed! When I groggily tell him that it’s still the middle of the night, he apologizes, but insists that it’s

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-252271998326558532009-10-18T23:50:00.012-06:002009-10-19T00:11:47.203-06:00

Last month, the cowboy and I made a quick trip down to Montana. We did a little sightseeing, visited some relatives, and had a great time. While we were in Helena, we toured the Cathedral of St. Helena, a gothic-styled church complete with stunning stained glass windows. While we strolled inside, I remembered our last vacation in Mexico and the small Presbyterian Church we saw there. Two

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-77710995003187568942009-10-06T20:02:00.009-06:002009-10-08T20:45:32.130-06:00

I 'discovered' Jane DesRosier, of Gritty Arts Studio, several years ago. Although we haven't met in person, I have spoken with her on the phone. And from that brief interaction, and what I read and see on her blog, I know she's a gem.Three of her paintings found a home in my living room. I grin when I look at them. Her art makes me happy.Although I knew we shared a love of bluegrass music, I

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-71602091509242115572009-08-30T21:24:00.019-06:002009-08-31T10:48:03.570-06:00

A Spanish poet, Antonio Machado, is credited with these words: "Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar." which translates to “Traveler, there is no path; we make the path by walking.”These words (the English ones!) ring in my brain each time I see a path. It wasn’t there until someone started to walk and others followed. With each subsequent use, the path became more pronounced. Our

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-60320305286704225942009-08-12T10:04:00.007-06:002009-08-27T08:49:46.989-06:00

Since moving out here to the end of the road, I’ve found that I don’t get to town very often. It’s not that it’s a great distance, but it seems a bit of a nuisance when I’m busy. Very often, meals are based on what I have on hand rather than what I’d like to serve. After a couple of weeks without groceries, the combinations can be very odd.Often, I’ll be in the middle of a recipe only to discover

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-28624449743233177152009-07-10T09:49:00.009-06:002009-07-10T17:17:08.150-06:00

When we decided to build our home, and set about choosing a site, we carefully considered many things: the cost of bringing water, gas, telephone, electricity here; and the fact that we’d have to build our own road. However, we loved the privacy and the view, so we began…You’d have thought that we might have noticed the wind.Apparently not.Although we spent many days out here at the end of the

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-78386018288381931732009-06-21T22:15:00.011-06:002009-06-25T16:51:51.634-06:00

Our Golden Elm finally sent out new leaves. It’s always behind the others; and every year I wonder if perhaps the winter was too hard for it. But there they were: beautiful new leaves in that gorgeous new spring green colour. Spring had certainly arrived.Then…a killing frost... the tender new leaves turned black and died. I wondered if it would leaf out again...Nothing happened for weeks, until..

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-8407330764533158272009-05-25T20:56:00.011-06:002009-05-26T08:37:58.200-06:00

After the longest winter of my life, I think I can truthfully say that Spring has finally arrived. But she certainly took her time.We had snow a week ago, and a killing frost after that. I know it was a killing frost because I lost 12 tomatoes and 8 green peppers -- inside the greenhouse!However, that is all in the past. Today we had lovely sunshine and miracle of miracles: no wind! I hummed a

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-69209224923751201742009-04-13T20:55:00.003-06:002009-04-13T21:00:57.601-06:00

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I live on the prairie. It’s mostly flat and without trees, but we have a stand of spruce and pine on one bank of the big coulee, and on a hot summer day, a walk in the forest is a refreshing treat. I can feel the temperature fall as I make my way down the game trails, beneath the towering spruce. Sometimes, I lie down on the springy moss,

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-12150789296631826412009-04-06T10:21:00.007-06:002009-04-06T17:33:15.672-06:00

When I need a big shot of caffeine, I reach for this mug. You might not guess from the picture, but it holds two large mugs of coffee (or whatever) -- and…it’s fun!If I think I’m having a bad hair day, I just look at the mug.Today, this picture made me think about how others see me. Do they see the bad hair – or the smile? Waaaay too often, it’s the bad hair because the smile isn’t there.A number

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-32243097816866125152009-03-27T11:52:00.006-06:002009-03-28T22:01:06.059-06:00

I hate to be late. Truly.But even though I have an aversion to lateness, I can’t seem to avoid it.I have been late for work, late for church, late for a movie (oh, excuse me as I trip over your feet in this dark theatre), and too late for the post office and the grocery store.I’ve been late for birthday parties, weddings, and funerals.I truly hate to be late. I think it sends the message that I

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-79694313992012142002009-03-17T11:29:00.024-06:002009-03-18T08:12:35.362-06:00

Several years ago, one of my students introduced me to the song“You Must Believe in Spring.” Because this winter seems longer than any other I’ve known, I’m holding on to this thought. Just as a tree is sureIts leaves will reappear;It knows its emptinessIs just the time of yearThe frozen mountain dreamsOf April's melting streams,How crystal clear it seems,You must believe in Spring!What crazy

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-31168446942772270322009-03-12T11:19:00.012-06:002009-03-14T20:05:32.962-06:00

Sometimes, here at the end of the road, it seems that we are a long way from anywhere and anyone. But this past weekend, we held our ‘try for yearly, but it depends on the conditions’ Snow Party. The snow was still here, the weather was perfect, and about 30 people came to help us celebrate.I have always loved tobogganing. It was one of my favourite activities when I was young. I remember rushing

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-37631438657494108812009-03-03T22:08:00.008-07:002009-03-17T10:25:17.650-06:00

Last week, I went to visit a friend and return a book she had loaned me. Both the visit and the book were long overdue. As I turned down ‘the last street in town’, I remembered a time, years ago, when a woman arrived on my doorstep looking for that same street. She explained her destination and it made perfect sense. The instructions she had been given were absolutely correct, and she had

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-76068862827608373692009-02-28T12:18:00.006-07:002009-03-17T10:24:09.684-06:00

Last weekend, I caught a tiny bit of the pre-Oscar hoopla. “Who are you wearing?” was the buzz-line as the rich and famous strutted their stuff on the red carpet. The flash bulbs popped and the crowd ‘ooohed’ and ‘aaawed’. Now, please don’t get me wrong – I like fashion as much as anyone – but this was over the top.I thought about some of the getups I wear – especially for chores. What about my

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-69307476214018678902009-02-22T19:40:00.015-07:002009-03-17T10:23:50.646-06:00

It was six years ago, that I pieced my first quilt (pictured above). It was for my niece’s new little baby daughter, Morgan. I remember giving her specific instructions: “Please use this quilt – don’t put it away in a closet – I made it for her to use. And when it falls apart, ship it back to me, and I’ll fix it.”Now, these six years later, my niece, Marcie, came for a visit. She brought the

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-56213836062339848942009-02-12T16:35:00.011-07:002009-03-17T10:23:23.142-06:00

Okay – it’s official – I am officially (certifiably?) an ‘apostrophe loon.’Maybe it’s because I sit at this computer day after day grading students’ writing assignments, that I have become obsessed with apostrophes – or maybe it’s the apostrophe errors that I am obsessed with. I mean ‘with which I have become obsessed’ – I don’t want to end a sentence with a preposition – even in my blog!Monday

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-52405908142449736272009-02-06T10:14:00.013-07:002009-03-17T10:22:56.450-06:00

I’m a Bible-marker. I know that to some that might seem wrong -- but I like to underline verses that speak especially to me, and I like to record times and events in my Bible. I especially like to go back through the pages and remember…Today I celebrate another birthday, so perhaps more than other days, I’m mindful of the passage of time. As I looked in the Psalms, I found this passage underlined

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-49911256286996271032009-01-29T20:56:00.004-07:002009-03-17T10:22:32.180-06:00

I’m in the process of deciding if I want to invest in a treadmill. I love to walk, but this winter, I just can’t seem to get out on the walks I say I love to take. Oh, I can think of a zillion excuses – it’s too cold, too slushy, too icy, too late. Maybe if I had a way of walking inside, I would do it. This week, my husband has been taking a course in the city, and I tagged along to enjoy a hotel

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-43021112992805365562009-01-22T09:08:00.011-07:002009-03-17T10:22:09.207-06:00

For the past week, I’ve had my neighbours’ kids staying with me here at the end of the road, while their parents flew south for a well-deserved vacation. I can’t speak for the kids, but I’ve had a blast. Nothing like young minds and bodies to keep you going!We went sledding, and I pulled them on a toboggan behind the quad leaving a trail that would put to shame any ‘drunkard’s path’ quilt! Daily,

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-4152255100232772122009-01-15T11:00:00.015-07:002009-03-17T10:21:52.874-06:00

I’ve been walking around with a sore toe for almost a week. It’s an ‘old housecleaning injury’ -- somehow that just doesn’t have the same ring as an ‘old football injury’ but anyone who knows me, knows that I could never survive playing football. If I wasn’t creamed by the players physically, they’d ban me from the game because I'd ask too many questions about how it works. Anyway, back to my toe

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-32728083778524461952009-01-10T23:33:00.006-07:002009-03-17T10:21:25.943-06:00

It only takes a spark…That song came to my mind tonight when I tried to ‘get a fire going’ in our woodstove. You’d think I’d have it figured out by now, since this is our third winter here, but I’m still having trouble.If I catch it before the fire has completely gone out, I’m fine. I pile on a few more logs, and soon it starts to roar. But today was so warm, I didn’t notice the fire had gone out

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-39339356711517395982009-01-06T19:09:00.006-07:002009-03-17T10:21:04.297-06:00

It’s been so cold for so long, here at the end of the road, that I haven’t left the place. But today a Chinook blew in and I finally got to town. Hooray!Going to town is a pretty big deal here. It doesn’t happen often – especially in the winter months. One of the real treats about finally getting to town is picking up the mail. Today was no exception. Lots of Christmas cards that hadn’t made it

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-40320880400951679382009-01-01T13:31:00.009-07:002009-01-01T14:02:55.840-07:00

The New Year dawned with this lovely pink sky. I smiled. And I think that God smiled, too. I sat in my sunroom sipping Crème Brulée hot chocolate, (that Santa knows just what to leave in my stocking!) thinking about all there was to smile about.Our little granddaughter, for one. She has a new trick called the ‘herd of elephants’. Pretty sure that Daddy is behind this one. They stomp all over the

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-55714021759701829692008-12-30T09:12:00.004-07:002008-12-30T16:07:51.626-07:00

I don’t know how I could be more than halfway through a book before realizing that it doesn’t have chapters. But I was, and it doesn’t. It happened this morning – I kept promising myself that I would ‘get some work done’ when I got to the end of the chapter. However, as much as I was enjoying it, the chapter just never seemed to end. So I flipped the pages to see how much longer I could delay ‘

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-62401356325301131572008-12-22T23:08:00.004-07:002009-03-17T10:19:51.057-06:00

If you are reading this at your computer knowing that all your Christmas preparations are complete, I want to live at your house! I have never been so far behind – and yet I feel strangely calm about it all.I’m not sure what happened this year… but for some reason, those things that used to matter a whole lot, just didn’t get done. (baking, Christmas cards, lights, and thoughtful meaningful gifts

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-78475271203938513722008-12-18T18:32:00.008-07:002008-12-18T23:35:23.794-07:00

Shoo fly don’t bother meShoo fly don’t bother meShoo fly don’t bother meFor I belong to somebody.I can’t get it out of my head!Our little granddaughter was here today, and as she was being tucked into her car seat, I heard that peppy tune (sung by children, of course) playing in her vehicle. And now it’s going ‘round and ‘round in my head.I walked up the road after they left, and those words kept

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-36993630936350846162008-12-14T15:50:00.016-07:002008-12-15T21:13:02.240-07:00

I ‘ooohed’ and ‘ahhhed’ over the shells and pieces of coral, carefully inspecting each one before adding it to the growing collection in my bag. You see, I have a rock garden here at the ‘end of the road,’ and I love the idea of having all kinds of rocks placed between the creeping greenery. My friend, Elaine, loves rocks, too. She once told me that we don’t ‘steal’ rocks, we just move them. And

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-49591033628244441142008-12-11T22:06:00.014-07:002009-03-17T10:18:37.835-06:00

I just returned from a great vacation in Mexico. This time we travelled with our son and daughter-in-law. SO MUCH FUN!One of the highlights for me was visiting the Mayan ruins and climbing to the top of the oldest pyramid in Mexico! This was a remarkable accomplishment because, you see, I am stair-challenged.No kidding. From as far back as I can remember, I have fallen down stairs quite handily.

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-52438206525720918552008-11-24T18:02:00.018-07:002008-11-24T23:23:45.095-07:00

When I paid my last cell phone bill, I thought it looked pretty steep. Why not check in with the company to see if they could offer me a better rate? This is how it went:After I dial, I have no patience to listen to all the choices, so I just keep pressing ‘0’ and hope that eventually a person will pick up the phone. After several attempts to have me ‘choose from the following options,’ a live

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-18497488737460480862008-11-21T15:14:00.007-07:002008-11-22T18:49:09.419-07:00

There is just something special about women’s friendship. Don’t you just love ‘em? Yesterday I went for a road trip with two good women to see a friend of ours (another good woman!) Shortly after I was on the road, I realized that I’d forgotten to ‘load the tunes.’ The trip was about 90 minutes each way, but we didn’t miss the tunes one bit because we were so busy talking (about everything!) and

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-91812983814862037172008-11-19T14:23:00.005-07:002009-03-17T10:17:19.174-06:00

This morning I noticed my houseplants – almost all in various stages of demise. I’ve been so busy with other things that I’d pretty much forgotten even the basics of care – like watering. Because some of them wouldn’t last another day, I grabbed a bucket of water and my kitchen shears and set to work. While I was working, I remembered that on my blog profile I claim an interest in ‘plants.’ Oh

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-34410232912865244332008-11-17T14:54:00.003-07:002009-07-02T10:51:47.432-06:00

November 17, 2008Taller and ThinnerNot long ago, my friend Debbie shared a great story about one of her neighbours. She picked up her ringing phone late one autumn afternoon and heard her neighbour saying, “Quick – go outside right now. The sun is in a great place and the shadows are really long. You’ll never be as tall or as thin as right now! Go look!”I love that story. I love that neighbour.

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-81713990500018961552008-11-15T14:11:00.007-07:002009-03-17T10:16:20.233-06:00

“At least we won’t go hungry this winter,” my preschool neighbour said in her best ‘practical farmer’ voice. She and Grandma had spent the day digging potatoes, and I’m pretty sure she’d heard those words from Grandma as they worked away at the big job.Today, when our ‘woodman’ came with our winter’s supply, I remembered my little neighbour’s words. “Well, at least we won’t be cold this winter,”

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-14891687755395162162008-11-13T12:14:00.009-07:002009-03-17T10:13:58.736-06:00

I’m hesitant to say that I’m a quilter because when real quilters hear that, they start conversations about techniques I’ve never heard of and use words that sound like a mixture of French, Greek and Latin. Those conversations end shortly with my stammering an explanation that well, "I’m just a beginner." Truth is, I’ve been a ‘beginner’ for about 10 years – and I have yet to finish the binding

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-8888851145888081002008-11-11T12:18:00.004-07:002009-03-17T10:11:59.802-06:00

Many years ago, I visited my great aunt (the little girl shown above standing in front of her mother) for what was to be the last time. She had cancer and died later that year. It was a week of sharing and getting to know each other, she a widow in her seventies and I, a young married mom in my twenties. Because I shared her name, she was very special to me. And I certainly felt special to

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6029195406131317362.post-79477783212032205462008-11-10T17:43:00.003-07:002009-03-17T10:11:33.303-06:00

I grew up on an Alberta farm in the 60’s. While it doesn’t seem that long ago, in some ways it was a very different world. For instance: my mother always had a large meal at noon, and anyone working at the farm for the day, came in and ate ‘dinner’ with us. No one would have packed a lunch; my parents would insist that they join us for our noon meal. It was a given. I can still hear Dad’s booming

Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04212507787410099353noreply@blogger.com1