SEASON’S GREETINGS 2021!!
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| Filtered rendition of Ginger's 'Cork' nativity |
As I sit here on a 50º December 3 day, the weather sure doesn’t feel like Christmas! But the change is supposed to arrive this weekend with some snow and lows in the low teens. Ho! Ho! Ho!
In this Pandemic Part 2 year, we continue to be thankful for our blessings.
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| Luke and Kady Christmas 2020 |
Luke and his girlfriend Kady are still enjoying Albuquerque. This is Luke’s 5th year, and he is thrilled to have three Young Adult Volunteers in the program. As might be expected, the national program is struggling to attract applicants. The sites evenly divided up the volunteers this year to ensure all the sites remained viable. His YAVs are exploring the Southwest in their off hours. Luke has also been teaching tennis lessons on a regular basis. Kady is working toward a job in the school system, hopefully teaching her own PreK class. New Mexico offers many outdoor opportunities for them.
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| A winter time snowshoe for Luke, Rick, and Jed |
Jed remains at Willamette University, although it appears change is coming!
He has been teaching some classes for the Computer Science department in the computer language Python for the last few years. Willamette is starting up a School of Digital Science and they want Jed to be a part of it. It will include a raise and a multi-year contract, which will be welcomed after six one year contracts! He is excited the volleyball leagues are starting back up again.
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| Our spring Habitat crew |
Habitat for Humanity suspended their Care-a-Vanner program during the pandemic, but we still made two trips to our favorite Kalispell, Montana, affiliate for two weeks each. All affiliates are having trouble recruiting volunteers and thus, the homes are a year behind schedule. It is so sad for the homeowners, but they are being patient. The two homeowners in the duplex we have worked on will be moving in before Christmas! One mom and her kids have been living in a home without running water for three years!
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| One of the few photos I found with all four of us together! |
We did drive back to Pittsburgh in July for a memorial service for Mom
Rembold. It was a great family reunion that included visits with Greenville and Wooster friends and a victorious Pirate game! The rest of the summer found Rick in the mountains and Ginger in her garden. Earlier, in June, we took a trip to the coast and Bandon to celebrate Rick’s “significant” birthday. Jed joined us there.
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| Modeling sling fashion |
The fall found Rick getting his rotator cuff reattached in his left shoulder, plus extensive “cleaning up” of other problems. He should finish his eight weeks of wearing a sling, including to bed, about mid-December. Physical therapy will then switch fro flexibility to strength work. Hopefully, we’ll get back to building the spring. Rick is learning patience and how to dress with one hand! (Addendum! Early Christmas gift – NO SLING!)
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| Garden utopia just 30 paces from the house! |
Ginger continues teaching classes at the art center. She
still serves on the church Session as well as playing piano on a regular basis for worship services. As with churches everywhere, the pandemic has stretched the church into growing and being ‘church’ in new ways – always a challenge! When not at church or teaching? Look in the garden!! (The pumpkins were prolific this year! Also...my sunflower tree!)
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| Elkhorn Mts to the west are ever changing! |
We continue to marvel at the vastness and beauty of the sky overhead from our ‘now-not-so-new’ home. With mountain ranges in both directions and plenty of windows we don’t have to look far to see the glory of Creation. And our little five acres continues to offer on-going projects – landscaping and a hoped-for lawn irrigation system next Spring. We pinch ourselves regularly to make sure our home is ‘for real’!
We pray you all have stayed safe as we all wish 2022 brings renewed hope to our broken world. May the light and love of the newborn baby shine in and through each one of us.
15844 High Country Ln
Baker City OR 97814
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| Sunset alpenglow on the Wallowa Mts to the East is always magical! Especially with new snow! |
PS Please excuse formatting errors - Blogger and I were NOT having a good day together!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
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