It doesn't hurt to try!

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Long Island today...

Lake George, NY

We're driving Abbey to the ranch on Sunday; and because my allergies won't let me stay, Randy and I plan to explore New York a little bit. It's a possibility that we'll take a look around the Lake George area. Here are some photos I got from the WEB. Has anyone out there ever been to Lake George? Comments would be appreciated if you have anything good (or bad) to tell us before we make the decision to go.

Lake George as it appears on a map...


Not my photos, but beautiful none-the-less:

No Fly Zone

We have a huge picture window that overlooks our front lawn. Oftentimes, neighborhood birds think it's wide open and try to make themselves at home in our living room. Poor birds. They never, ever make it.

The most recent attempt, made by a mourning dove, left a lasting impression on the glass...


Click on either picture and you'll be able to see the beak, wing, part of a leg, etc. On a happy note, the mourning dove could not be found on our front lawn after his accident. That means he flew away. Hope he learned his lesson!

Autumn beauty

Yesterday was such a beautiful day that Abbey and I decided to take a drive after we left the office. South Country road carried us past McDonald's where we order two treats and down to a beautiful patch of sunflowers.

Here they are, their head's pointing towards the sun.

From behind...

From the side...

Some with bees...

Some with butterflies!

New Update

Be sure to visit Nathaniel's blog today. He has updated it with lots of news and photos. It is so exciting to see him do the work of a missionary in his country of Bangladesh!

At the home of Frank and Gina...

Look and see what the power of suggestion can do...

Gina wanted homemade bread

The story goes like this...

After five treatments for my allergies, Randy drove us to a local horse ranch to test my response...

The horses were beautiful and very accomodating,

They let me pet them,

And feed them. I so love horses! They're such beautiful creatures,

But I'm still allergic... red, itchy, eyes signal the beginning of an allergic conniption.

A rose by any other name...

Kind and thoughtful, Randy set out to find the prettiest roses on planet earth. When he found them, he bought them - FOR ME! Aren't they just gorgeous? They look so perfect with all the fall decorations I have in my living room. Thanks Rand! You are a blessing to me...

Just a spoonful of sugar...

While waiting for a prescription to be filled, Abbey and I decided to splurge and get ice cream from McDonald's.


I enjoyed every beautiful bite! So did Abbey.


ALL GONE! The very last McDonald's ice cream cone until next summer...


I don't like to take medicine, but sometimes one must do what the dentist says. Here's the medicine that the sugar helped go down.

Bad, bad dog

Mister Higgins rolled in the mud today.


Thank you, Abbey, for giving him a bath.


Grumpy, but clean!

One down, four to go...

There are sooooo many cute patterns this year for culottes! Abbey took these photos of me making her first pair for Family Camp this year.


Marking the pleats...


Pins and needles...



I'll post pictures of the finished product on the weekend (I hope).

Two surprises in one day...

While mixing up a batch of our favorite cookies (see the dough on my hand?), I found the tiniest M&M I have ever seen! I wonder how on earth they printed the "M" on such a tiny surface?


Then, growing from beneath my autumn mums...


I found this! Does anyone know what kind of flower this is? I think it's quite pretty!

Acupuncture...

In an effort to clear up my severe allergy to horses... I'm trying acupuncture! Without trying to explain in detail how this works for allergies, I'll tell you that where ever there's an acupuncture needle (hands and feet), my body experiences all the symptoms of my allergy as it's released from my system. Fascinating. We're going to the ranch on September 30th. When we get back, I'll let you know how I did with the horses...

No, it doesn't hurt; it only looks like it does.

The Phinneys were here!

Kirk and Cathy were here from North Carolina over the weekend. It was so nice to see them again! They left for home after breakfast at the diner this morning, but we'll see them again in three more weeks.

In Memoriam...

Today marks the sixth anniversary of America's darkest day - September 11, 2001."God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear..." Psalm 46:1, 2

Randy, Abbey, and I went out East today and got mums for our autumn garden. We learned that planting them in early September ensures that they'll come back in the spring. Planting mums too late doesn't give the the plants enough time to spread their roots deep enough and turns them into annuals - not perennials.

Abbey took this picture - I'll take another one when all the mums are blooming in our flower bed!

Look what happened in North Dakota...

Randy and I used to live the state of North Dakota. Check out Alisha's blog to view the aftermath of a devastating tornado in the small town of Northwood. My heart goes out to the people there - pray for them.


These cars were picked up by the tornado and tossed into a field. Unbelievable.

On the guitar...

Jay Unger and Molly Mason - traditional music artists who wrote Ashokan Farewell, recently held a stringed instruments class Stonybrook. Randy and Abbey went and had a great time! I love this photo of Randy...

Come right in!

Randy stripped, sanded, and repainted our front door for me! I love the results - THANK YOU so much Rand!

Ready for paint...

All done...

Sign of September...

Early this morning...

...Abbey and I decided to make a peach and blueberry crumble with some leftover peaches and a few frozen blueberries. Delicious!


This girl has become a fabulous addition to my kitchen. They say it's not good to have two women in the same kitchen, but Abbey and I disagree - we get along famously, especially in the cooking and baking department!


A piece for lunch at the office...