A to Z Mondays ~ The Letter F

The letter F.

Finally I Found a letter I can call my Favorite ‘cuz I know several F words that tickle my Fancy!

On Saturday I carried 100 pieces of Firewood from our woodshed to our deck. Phew was I aching after that. Our highs have been in the 30’s (F) so I usually have a Fire going at night. My Fireplace is a BIS (from Canada) and is very efficient.

I might have mentioned this before. I love Fire. I’m the expert Fire-starter at our cabin. I know the best way to “build” the kindling to have a perfect Fire every time. Not bragging Folks, just stating the Facts! To build a Fire I like to use a stick or two of Fatwood. Fatwood is the wood from tree stumps that has concentrated sap, so ignites pronto. I usually buy mine from L.L.Bean. I also always make sure to have a charged Fire extinguisher near the Fireplace. That’s prudent, even though I’ve never needed to use one. We also keep a Bible on our Fireplace hearth…God’s word is also a Fire extinguisher of sorts, if you get my meaning here. Anywhooo, we also have these cool little green sticks that when put in a Fire they make the prettiest colors. They have some chemical on them (that Friends will probably Find out was the eventual cause of our croaking!!). Along with the Fotos of all my F words I’m also showing one of my ceramic Fireplace door. Now, I really do love to clean out the ashes each day, but cleaning the door is a real pain in the butt. I have this spray stuff called Stove and Hearth Cleaner that is a help, but sometimes that black stuff is so baked on I need to really to use a powerful arm. You can’t use anything abrasive on it, due to the type of ceramic glass. Well, you get the picture…I do the door about every Five days of burning.

Okay, enough about my Fire related chores. For more A to Z bloggers let your Fingers do the walking on over to Jen’s blog. Have a good week friends!

love, Cassie

Happy Thanksgiving All!

Psalm 100:4-5 4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise.

Give thanks to Him and praise His name. 5 For the Lord is good.

His unfailing love continues forever, and

His faithfulness continues to each generation. Psalm 100:4-5 (NLT)

“It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.” George Washington

Happy Thanksgiving to all who pass this way!

Patrick is in Arizona and will have Thanksgiving with Mom and Dad Phillips, Uncle Deo and Aunt Mary and his sisters and cousins and all their families. They'll have their usual huge gathering, very informal, and filled with lots of love. I'll do the Turkey Trot (our little town's first) with a few gal buddies, then my friend Marilyn and I plan to take each other out to a nice lunch. I'll miss Patrick, but have found I can be thankful by myself or in an intimate setting much easier than in a crowd (just for the sake of being around people)! We have much to be thankful for and all praise goes to God for His many blessings. I'll try to get a few photos of the Turkey Trot to post here.

Love, love, love to you all, & Abundant Blessings,

Cassie

A to Z Mondays ~ The Letter G

The Letter G.

Garrison…as in Garrison Keillor of A Prairie Home Companion fame. Garrison created A Prairie Home Companion which I try to listen to every weekend. It’s on National Public Radio on Saturday and then repeated again on Sunday evening. The 2 hour show goes by so quickly that I’m always disappointed when it’s over. Garrison’s show has a little bit of everything. All different types of music: country, bluegrass, occasional classical, just about every kind! This week he had an artist on Nellie McKay from Great Britain who was really good. She said Doris Day was her idol…but she actually had a way better voice than Doris.

(If you click on Nellie's picture it'll take you to her website.)

Garrison plays several parts on his show, my favorite being Guy Noir, Private Eye. There is so much tongue in cheek and corny humor, but I sure do enjoy it. I have always loved radio shows like this because they allow a person to stretch the imagination. When I was a young girl there was a radio show called Radio Mystery Theatre that I used to love to listen to. Golly, I’m rambling. Gonna go now. If you get a chance, listen to Garrison’s show sometime. Let me know what you think of it.

Thanks Garrison Keillor for the many hours of listen pleasure you have afforded me!

Jen, the genius behind A to Z Mondays, has a list of other A to Z bloggers on her sidebar. Go on over to check ‘em out! Have a great day.

love, Cassie

Another H ~ HERO

Had to add this P.S. to my previous A to Z post: I just checked my e-mail and there was this article taken from The Pulse:

UBS chooses Pat Phillips for Hero campaign

You might recognize the face on the United Blood Services bus. It belongs to Pat Phillips, Digital Control Specialist, Agua Fria Generating Station.

Phillips is a dedicated blood donor who began giving blood when he was in the Army. When he joined SRP he kept giving and now is nearing the 20-gallon mark. In addition to whole blood, Phillips donates platelets which are used in large quantities and over extended periods of time by patients with leukemia, cancer, aplastic anemia and marrow transplants.

It takes longer to donate platelets – about 1 ½ to 2 hours, as compared to a whole blood donation which takes about 30 minutes.

“The slight discomfort and time required pales in comparison to the good it accomplishes for those in need. I like to think that I’ve been able to help save many lives through my participation,” Phillips said.

As a committed donor, Phillips’ name came up when United Blood Services decided to wrap their mobile-donation buses with images of top donors as part of the “Hero” campaign.

“Pat is part of a very small donor base – the people who donate platelets. Platelet donors can contribute more often and so far this year Pat has made 10 platelet donations and two whole blood donations,” said Carla Fields, Director Donor Recruitment for United Blood Services of Arizona.

Earlier this year, five buses were wrapped and the one with Phillips face has been traveling to various sites around Arizona, including Agua Fria Generating Station where he works.

OOooooooo-Oooooooo my H-E-R-O!!!

A to Z Mondays ~ The Letter H

HEART!!

Isn't the heart a miraculous muscle??

Patrick holds my heart in his hand.

And of course, you all know that Jesus holds the key to my heart!

To finish my heart post off here's a clip from a really fun old musical called Damn Yankees. My parents saw the original on Broadway so us kids got to listen to the record from the show as youngsters, so we knew all the songs. You Gotta Have Heart was one of my favorites (I regret that the coach in this clip takes God's name in vain, and apologize for it. I doubt that the original play did that.)

Have a great Monday and don't forget to go visit Jen's blog for more A to Z bloggers. Love and blessings to all who read this blog! Cassie

A to Z Mondays ~ The Letter I

The letter I.

ILSA.

Ilsa is originally from the Rhineland of Germany. She has the cutest little accent that she never lost after many years living in the USA. Everybody in her city in Montana seems to know her, as she is probably one of the friendliest people in existence! We try to visit Ilse at least once a year. Oh, and Ilse is also the BEST cook I know. She has the gift of hospitality and loves to make people feel welcomed...she can lay out a spread on the table to make Martha Stewart jealous...and she does it without any to-do. Amazing woman.

Ilsa is one of my dearest friends in the whole world. She is like a second mother to me...only nicer! Jessica and I met Ilsa about 15 years ago while fly fishing on a river in Montana. Ilsa was walking her dogs at the time and we struck up a conversation. The rest is history. She has taught me so many things. LIKE: How to keep my Revere Ware copper bottoms shiny at all times. How to keep my linens smelling sweet in the closet. She taught me how to make yummy huckleberry jam. I just love the lady! So, my one and only "I" is Ilse.

For more I's go see Jen's blog. Have a good week.

love, Cassie

A to Z Mondays ~ The Letter J

These photos are in Seattle, 2007 when Pat and I spent Christmas with Jessica & David.

Jessica Rose, Queen of the Nile! Jess played 2nd violin in the (City of Phoenix) Desert Strings Youth Orchestra for 3 years.

Not sure, but I think this is when Jessica was in 5th grade at Madison Simis Elementary School. This is Jessica at Christmas at my Mom and Dad's home in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

The letter J.

Jessica Rose, my kiddo!

She has always been a joy to me. We have the same sense of humor so she really makes me laugh. Jess will be 29 on December 12th & I'll post lots more photos of present day Jessica then. Hope you're not too bored!

Happy A to Z Monday friends!! Please visit buddy Jen for more A to Z bloggers. love, Cassie

PS-Today is my 59th birthday & Patrick's and my 21st anniversary. Right now we are celebrating at the Bread Basket with homemade scones, donuts, sticky buns and fancy coffee. Burp!! Yummy stuff. Tonight we'll dine at Papa Byrd's, the best eatery in Idaho!!