Z to A Monday ~ The Letter U

Upright: honorable

These pictures were taken at Meadowlark Log Homes and Farm to Market Store outside of Libby, Montana. Meadowlark is owned and operated by an Amish family with the surname Miller (my maiden name!). Our dealings with the Amish have been undeniably wonderful. Brothers Elvie, Joas and Lloyd and sister Leona are at the heart of the operations. CBS Construction, who raised our cabin for us, is owned by Amish brothers Corneal, Benjamin, Stephen & Marcus Girod and we love them too! We are utterly pleased with our log cabin that they made and feel like we made friends for life. These folks are some of the most honest, upright people that we have ever done business with. Also, Patrick and I are in unison with their support of Israel and admire that they are unashamed to show it. So today I am pleased to introduce you to the upright folks of Meadowlark Log Homes and CBS Construction.

For more Z back to A Monday bloggers, just go to Jen’s blog and check out her sidebar.

Z back to A Monday ~ The Letter V

VISION.

Spelling correction: anomaly...sorry about that folks. No spell check on Picasa!

OH yeah, and for more Z to A / A to Z bloggers go to Jen's blog.

Odds 'n Ends...

Seemingly innocent little angels, right? Pictures #2 & #3 are of a once whole, and quite whimsical fish. I made the mistake of leaving the pooches at home alone the other day and came home to find my fish (which was ON the table) laying on the floor in the chewed up state you see him in. I wish I had a before photo, 'cause he was really adorable. I kept candies in him on the table. Oddly, the candies were still in tact scattered on the table. Do you suppose some ghost dogs came in and did that damage? I can't imagine that my little darlings would do such a thing. Hmmmmm.

The "flower pot" with the geranium in it was once a sugar bowl. My buddy Maria sent me the sugar bowl and it had the sweetest lid. An acorn was the handle. Well, I dropped the lid about a month ago and was heart broken. Pat drilled a hole in the bottom of the bowl for me and now I have a nice little planter. He's going to figure out a way to resurrect the acorn for me too. Clever man.

Okay, I gotta go now, but not before I put out a special prayer request to my friends out there. Tomorrow night at 7pm Ricky Skaggs will be performing a free concert in Bonners Ferry...it's a gift to the community from Mtn. Springs Church, a new church here. (I'm going to help at the information booth.) Anyway, the weather report calls for rain & the concert is outdoors. Could you all pray that it is clear for the concert?? Thanks in advance.

love, Cassie

ps-As of 245pm Friday no stormy weather!! A few gray clouds. Keep on prayin'!!

Z Back to A Monday ~ The Letter W

Wow, too many W words to name them all!

Walking Sticks - My father always used to use a walking stick when he would survey his land. The stick pictured on the left is made of sassafras wood and was a stick I purchased for Daddy a few years before he died. After he was gone my mother thoughtfully gave it to me. I love it. The stick on the right, which I just bought for Patrick a few weeks ago, is probably pine. It was made by Nathanial, a young man whose father makes his living building log furniture. (His dad built our loft bathroom cabinet.)

Wanderlust - This is what my pooches get every once in awhile, just when I begin to trust the little stinkers to stay around the cabin. Yes, those adorable dogs will run off and totally ignore my calling them. Maybe they’ll even turn around and glance at me before heading into the woods like 2 whippets. This causes me to get very upset as you might guess. We are going to have to invest in an underground fence I’m afraid. :>(

Way Up North - One of my favorite blogs! Rev. Paul writes this one and I wish I could get over there to read it more often. He has a really diverse bunch of posts ranging from the weather reports in Anchorage to updates on volcanic activity of Mt. Redoubt to patriotic themes and jokes!

Woven Broom - The very looooong broom laying on our hearth is from the North Woven Broom, a shop in Crawford Bay, B.C. Canada. It’s for getting cobwebs in high places! I’ll do a post devoted to this very cool shop at a later date. (They made the Harry Potter brooms!!)

Whitefish, Montana - One of my favorite places. Years ago we used to spend our summers up on the Big Mountain at Whitefish. That is when we cultivated our love for the farrr north country in the Pacific Northwest.

Wonderful Guy - Yup, that's my Patrick! His big ole Patrick head is plastered on the side of the United Blood Services of AZ bus, 'cause he's a hero. Now his head really does need its own weather system. hehehe.

Wave - Bye bye for now! Please check out Jen’s blog for more Z to A players.

love, Cassie aka: Waskle Wabbit

What Have I Been Up to??

Well, I 've been working on the cabin slowly but surely. While Patrick was still up here I put up a total of 6 venetian blinds. Day before yesterday I made these summery curtains for the kitchen, as well as put up the curtain rod and tiebacks! I kind of cheated on "making" the curtains, as they were actually two 80X60 tablecloths and two twin sheets that I used for the linings. They aren't totally finished, since I need to wash them so they shrink (100% Indian cotton), then I'll do the final sewing. I go through these spates of domesticity...then they fade! More later. Hope you all have a cool weekend. (I have my fans running here at the cabin.)

love, Cassie

Z to A Mondays ~ The Letter X

I took the photos above on Central Avenue in Phoenix. Central's trees need to be watered by the City of Phoenix to live! Most of the landscape is a XERISCAPE.

The term xeriscape is derived from the Greek word xeros, which means dry. Xeriscape defined is, "creative landscaping for water and energy efficiency." While many plants can grow in the Desert Southwest, some are better suited to our hot, arid climate. Xeriscape is a way to provide horticultural practices that are appropriate for our climate.

The previous (in red) was taken from Salt River Project's web sight. SRP is the electric company where my husband has worked for 36 years and where I worked for 10+ years. They are all about water conservation because they are not only an electric company in the desert, but also they are the irrigation company and in charge of the (ancient) canals in Phoenix! Xeriscapes are the best landscapes in that city.

Please go visit Jen to see more Z to A Monday bloggers. Have a good week.

love, Cassie

Z to A Mondays ~ The Letter Y

This smiling guy is Patrick! See the large bump on his right collar area? Yup, he's still healing.

This is the view from the deck of Ainesworth Hot Springs pool. Better than my pic shows!

The caves have very hot water filled with minerals (lithium makes you sleepy!) and are great!!

The Letter Y.

Yesterday. Yesterday Patrick, Baby Rocket Dog, Hootie and I were in Canada. The day before Yesterday we had a Yen to soak in the hot, soothing pools of Ainesworth Hot Springs. So, we packed up the “kids“, all their doggy Yummies, a small satchel for us and headed North. I was the driver since Patrick is still healing…He says the hot springs felt like the fountain of Youth. We checked in to a motel, got the pooches situated with fresh chew bones and went to the hot springs. Ohhhh Yes, the healing waters that we had Yearned for!! While bathing in the pools we could enjoy the beautiful view of Kootenay Lake and the gorgeous Selkirk Mountains. The sheer joy! Made us feel like Yodeling!! Yes, Yesterday we returned from our Yearly trip to Ainsworth Hot Springs --- now we are each 10 years Younger. Hahahhaha.

There are more to see Yet, so please visit buddy Jen’s blog. Happy A to Z Monday!

love, Cassie

PS- If you would like to see a few photos of our Coeur d’Alene cruise from last week just click here to go to the dog’s blog. :<)

Patrick and Window Trappings

As you know Patrick broke his clavicle last month, so that has rendered him "useless" as far as him getting any work done around the cabin. It's not that he doesn't want to get busy with all the stuff that we need to do, it's just that he has to keep immobile to let the bones set and heal. It also still gives him pain. He does seem to be getting better with each day and the real tell-tale sign that he's improving is that he is chomping at the bit to be released from medical so he can get back to work! Thanks to all who have prayed for his improved health and have asked about him.

Now, the photos above are of my mud room window and are kind of a step by step of one of Pat's projects that I took on. It is actually the 5th mini-blind that I have installed in the past week! I also put up a curtain rod and a wall shelf. Patrick bought me my handy-dandy drill for my birthday last year and I just love it. He is my instructor for all these projects and tells me what to do step by step, so all I have to do is listen to him! Sometimes I'm sure I drive him nuts doing things in a little different way than a guy would do them, but he has been (mostly) patient with me. I'm quite pleased with the end results. Now I still have 2 more curtain rods to put up and 3 sets of tie back hooks and I should be done with the window trappings. Yippee!!

Have a great weekend and God bless all who read this.

love, Cassie

A to Z Mondays ~ The Letter Z

Zepher. A gentle breeze.

Ruach haKodesh is the Hebrew for the Holy Spirit and means Divine Spirit or Divine Inspiration. I may be stretching things a bit here, but I think it has been loosely translated to mean holy wind or gentle breeze. You can’t see Him, but He is there. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would come as His representative when He was no longer on earth. (John 14:26) The Holy Spirit is a gentleman…a gentle breeze…He doesn’t force anyone to come to salvation. He points us in the right direction. He whispers God’s truth in our ear. He is available 24/7 as our comforter, counselor and teacher. But He never forces Himself on anyone. As the third person of the Trinity, I believe the Holy Spirit is quite shy. (My spouse doesn’t quite agree with me on this---Patrick doesn’t think the Holy Spirit is shy. Oh well.) He doesn’t want recognition; He wants only to counsel and make God known to us. If you are reading this and don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus, you can ask the Holy Spirit to help you get to know Him. All you have to do is ask, and He will guide you!

So, I’m thinking that the Holy Spirit is very much a Zepher. What do you think?

If you haven't already, now blow on over to Jen's to check out the other A to Z folks on her side bar! love, Cassie

ps-I'm not a theologian, so please feel free to correct or challenge me on this!

A to Z Mondays ~ The Letter Z

ZAPOTEC COLLECTION

The Zapotec Collection is the finest weaving available from the master weavers of the ancient village of Teotitlan del Valle in the state of Oaxaca, in southern Mexico.

Patrick and I purchased 2 Zapotec (100% wool) rugs while we were in Prescott, Arizona for Valentines day this year. We left one on my sweater chest down in Phoenix, and he just brought the other up here when he flew up last week. They were all so pretty I had a hard time choosing just two, but I couldn’t be a greedy guts. The green one in this picture---with the lovely Vanna Rocket Dog---is my favorite.

Please go to Jen’s for more A to Z bloggers. Happy A to Z Monday friends!!

love, Cassie