Sunday Steeples...

On a gray and cloudy day this past week, I visited Fahlun Lutheran Church near Nelson, MN.

It was nice to be able to read the timeline of the church as well as the history behind the name on a sign out front.



I can only imagine how beautiful this steeple would be with sunshine and blue skies...



May we have PEACE on earth!

ice fishing...

I just got back from spending several days in the lakes region of central MN. On my drive home I was thinking that even though a frozen lake full of fish houses is a common sight here in MN, maybe my readers in the warmer states would like to see...
how a beautiful lake that is blue and filled with fishing boats in July is frozen white and covered with cars, pickups and fish houses in January & February.
The houses are simple homemade ones, recycled campers or deluxe manufactured ones which include bunk beds, stoves and all the luxuries of home.

It was a gray cloudy day today so sorry for the photo quality. Of course yesterday was bright and filled with with sunshine which means the area groundhogs probably saw their shadows leaving us with 6 more weeks of winter. Poor Ole was seriously under dressed for the 8 degree temps!

Mosaic Monday...

My favorite colors in the February garden are black & white with hints of red.

Sunday Steeples...

another one from the archives...
Eksjo Lutheran Church, Lake Park, MN

the winter games...

Since the winter olympics will be here before we know it, I hung out some old skates. Ice skating was always a favorite event to watch with my daughter, Jayme. Her favorite skater was always Kristi Yamaguchi...so today I present the budding skater - Kristi Yamablujai. The judge is standing by for her scores :)








I love the look this one gave me to say the the skates were empty!

Outdoor Wednesday...a gift

Today is a gift:
A package filled with time,
Beauty, and love.
Inside are thousands of seconds
Waiting to be shared
With family, friends,
Co-workers, one's self.
Today is a gift
Filled with sunshine,
Smiles from strangers,
Tears of goodbye, and
Touches of love.
Today is a gift freely given
To you and to me
With no conditions,
Only that we cherish
And use it well.
(Today Is a Gift, by Vivian Doering)
Another beautiful albeit cold day, filled with sunshine and birds waiting in the early morning light for me to get out and fill the feeders.
Please head over to Susan, A Southern Daydreamer, to view the many other bloggers participating in Outdoor Wednesday. She has beautiful camellia blossoms posted, I just cannot imagine such beautiful blossoms in January!

another day...

If there is one thing that can said by our weather this week it would be described as a roller coaster! Above normal temps, a January rain storm, 40-50 mph winds, a blizzard and cold sunshine - all happening within 4 days! This is a view out of our windows yesterday, considering we are protected by a windbreak of trees it was still nasty. Looking across the open fields, it was a whiteout and all the major highways were closed by 3 pm since it was a danger to have snowplows out in the zero visibility.Today is filled with bright sunshine and clear skies but it is still only zero degrees out.
The birds are all fluffed out in the cold...
enjoying the sunshine! Gotta love that beak shadow...
and the sparkle in their eyes!


I'll take sunshine even on a cold day...
rather than gray skies any day!