Dependence

We have power again as of last night after three days without. On Tuesday there was snow and then ice on top of that snow. By Wednesday morning we lost our electricity for about an hour. We were glad when it came back on and thought that all would be well. OBT was home Tuesday and Wednesday as the roads were too dangerous to travel. Our roads were considered on a Level 3 which means that you could get a ticket for even being on them without a very good reason.

An hour later the power went off again and stayed off. Our house has only electricity, and now it had none. We had no backup heat or power. Things did not look good. We decided to try and get somewhere with heat for the night while leaving the faucets dripping at home. As we left the garage and headed up the driveway, there was enough of a slope that it was difficult to make it. On the third attempt, our van slid back into a culvert, and we were stuck with the tires in the air. Almost immediately it seemed our neighbor came over in his tractor to pull our van out. He also cleared a pathway to the road and offered for us to stay at his house for the night. They had a generator. We took him up on the offer.

The next day OBT went to work on the still icy roads. Even though OBT was supposed to be there, not many people were able to come in. After a while, OBT found out that there were ten kerosene heaters in South Charleston, WV. He ordered them online and then called the store to make sure that they were there. The person he talked to first said that they were sold out. When she checked in back, she found that a truck had brought in ten the day before. OBT told her that he had paid for and was coming to get two of them. He drove two hours both ways to get them and three tanks of kerosene. When he got back, he could not get the truck up our road after several attempts. So our neighbor's wife and I drove down to pick him up. We took him to our house where he set up the heaters. Then he came next door for dinner, and we made the decision to return to our house to keep an eye on the heaters.

The house was warm. The faucets were dripping. Thursday OBT got up early and refilled the heaters. Then he went to work, and we had school. That night OBT heated up dinner on the grill in the garage. After dinner OBT talked to the children about our situation and how that in the dark we can see. It made me think of Saul or Tarsus when he was blinded so that the Lord could show His glory to Him. I once was blind, but now I see. Friday morning OBT again went to work, and we carried on here. Later that day OBT told Sarah that we might have power if we didn't live so far out in the boonies. Sarah then said that we lived in the "Daniel Boonies" which made us laugh. For dinner we heated up leftovers on top of the kerosene heater and ate ice cream soup. That night the low was predicted to be zero but only went down to 13. Still our pipes did not freeze.

On Saturday morning OBT went to get more propane for the grill and a heater our neighbor lent us. By Saturday night we were having baked sweet potatoes and pork riblets (grilled). Then the water stopped dripping, and we thought the pipes had frozen. Our power did come back on after the children were in bed. I called our neighbor to make sure they knew and found out about the water. The water tower runs on electricity and barring that on water pressure. The pressure had gotten so low that the water was no longer enough. We were so relieved to find that out.

Today our power is still on, and we were able to get to church this morning. The temperatures have been up in the 40's, and much of the ice on the roads has melted. We have had our moments of frustration, anger, fear, and despondency, our up's and down's, but we also have been reminded of how little we are and of our dependence on One who is able to do all and carry us through. We praise and thank Him for getting us through this winter storm and all of you who were praying for us during this time.

Nancy Drew - a 'Keene' author

As a girl, I often took Nancy Drews with me into the bathroom. These pageturners livened up my days, and I couldn't put them down until Nancy solved the mystery. My Dad is responsible for my introduction to this series as he brought home several copies from a used bookstore one day. Thanks to him that started a lifelong love for all things Drew.

Over the years I have enjoyed reading these books, watching "Nancy Drew" on television, and playing HerInteractive Nancy Drew computer games. This led to reading about and watching other mysteries too. A favorite read is "Behind a Mask", a collection of thrillers by Louisa May Alcott. Last year's Masterpiece Theatre based on Charles Dickens' "Bleak House" and Alfred Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt" are also time well spent. OBT and I enjoy a story with a twist, something unexpected.

Just yesterday I was reading an article called "The Mystery of Millie Benson". How was I to know that this article would solve a mystery in existence for years but unbeknownst to me until now? Those familiar with Nancy Drew probably know that Carolyn Keene wrote the stories, but what you may not know is that Carolyn Keene was only a pen name for the ghostwriters who actually wrote the stories. Millie Benson was the first.

Things I like to hear

Sarah (sung while working on her schoolwork): You can't go near the sycamore tree. You can't go near the sycamore tree. You can't go near the sycamore tree 'cause it's sick today.

Sarah (when we were having chicken for dinner): Can I have an arm?

Leora (during Grandmother's funeral): Jesus is in my heart. Gigi is with Jesus so Gigi is in my heart too.

Sarah: How can God see me (L's note: Since I can't see Him?)?

Sarah: Where will God be when we are in heaven?

More Christmas pictures

Two happy girls!

I hope that he always is this happy about the Bible!

Grandmother

This picture was taken last September when we and OBT's parents went to see Grandmother for the last time. We did not know that then, but at 95 years old we knew that our time with her was growing short.

Many memories come to mind when I think of Grandmother. The time when I sat on the front pew with her at Jackson Primitive Baptist Church and called out "The House of the Lord." Then she told me that it was the first song sung at her home church. The first time OBT came to see me we met at his grandmother's apartment. Our first Christmas after we got married was with OBT's parents and grandmother. When Sarah was born, they all came to see us, and Grandmother remarked as she held Sarah in her arms, "Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful." Having Grandmother with us in the Smokies when Leora was three weeks old and she 91. Taking the children over to Gigi's apartment to play. Going to see her in Missouri. Hearing stories of her from OBT and making her dressing for Thanksgiving.

Grandmother left this world for a home on high on December 22, just a few hours before her 96th birthday. Grandmother, we will miss you.

A first

This year my parents joined us for Christmas, and we had a wonderful time. We took them to the Keim Family Market, anAmish store nearby. We had our first Christmas tree this year, and everyone enjoyed decorating it with handmade ornamentation. OBT got an idea from Food Network - putting gingerbread cookies on our tree. If you do this, be sure to make holes in the cookies beforehand unlike us.Again we anglophiled our Christmas dinner adding Roast Potatoes this year instead of mashed, a must-have for a 'Full English'. You will find the recipe I used here. For dessert, Sarah and I made buckeyes (after all we are in the Buckeye State now. Why not enjoy it?), a mincemeat pie for Grandpa and me in particular, and had fruitcake for OBT.

A Christmas to remember for always - Christmas 2008.

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