2018 Merry Christmas Family Update

2018
2018 has come… and comes to an end.  I felt something akin to a dizzying disorientation with the changing of the seasons, as one melded into another. The seasons, ever changing, draw us closer to those days of which Christ spoke, “But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days.”

Trout Lake weathered steady and mild seasons, quite insulated from the fires, floods, and shakings that wake and warn the children of men.  Who has an understanding of the times?  Daniel 11:32-35, 12:1-3, 9-10

Marshal settled into a year of steady routine.  The farmer wakes before the sun, and cares for his cattle, pigs, sheep, dogs, and barn cats.  There is at least two of everything.  The chickens, geese, and guineas wait for Gabe to rouse.  Then Marshal grooms himself for his self-employed day job at the clinic, prepares his breakfast, and checks in at the office by 8:00 AM. He is Dr. Harpe until at least 4 PM, although always the doctor night or day when the phone rings with an urgent request.  We receive appreciative and loving feedback from the community in regards to our presence as a clinic in Trout Lake.  Marshal invited his mom, Ruth, to join him as his volunteer staff in the clinic over the summer, and she took him up on it.  Marshal’s dad moved a trailer over here so Ruth would have her own little house three days a week with us.  She not only helped out as a receptionist, but supported Marshal in every task, whether it was an extra hand in patient care, clinic housekeeping, or outdoor maintenance.  She washed windows, dusted, mopped, repotted the dying house plant, weeded and cut back the irises under the plum tree for starters.  It was so nice for each of us to have Mom, Grandma, with us on a weekly basis.  We also enjoyed the bounty of her Eastern Washington garden, fresh produce all summer.
Marshal coached Trout Lake X-Country for his second year and took the high school girls to State along with Gabe, qualifying as an individual.  Running takes up the end of summer and fall, but the weather was perfect for it, and the days were still long to fit it all in.

I follow Marshal every day without a steady routine.  I might fit in a load of laundry, strain the kefir, knead some bread dough, put away the dishes, clean the toilets, scrub the shower, wash the dog, control the clutter, oversee Gabe and Lydia as they embark on the day, forget breakfast, make a smoothie, and then head to the clinic.  I’ll spend hours with a Nutritional Therapy client or two, learn something new, answer the phone, inventory supplements, pay bills, reply to emails, get lost in Quickbooks.  Quickbooks- what an oxymoron.  Then, I’ll follow Marshal home.  What’s for dinner?  Hmmm. The bread dough is still sitting in the pan; the counters have accumulated new clutter; the meat is still in the freezer, and there are clothes to fold.  Think I’ll just see what the rest of the world is doing on Facebook.
I did do something out of the ordinary this year; I joined a small group that went to Baja, Mexico(see my June 1st blog post) for a week in the spring. Twenty years ago, I had become acquainted with Foundation For His Ministry, a children’s mission.  Four years ago, I reread the story of how the ministry was raised up, Charla’s Childrenby Charla Pereau.  It is a testimony of God’s work, not the work of man’s hands.  This year, I had the invitation to go and see firsthand. 

Just before Easter, Gabe joined the Langdon family on their one of many return trips to Malawi, Africa(see Aug 21 post) where they had founded a Baby Nursery ten years ago. When given the opportunity, he seized it. He had three super weeks in Africa, experiencing life, language, culture, food, climate and lots of children and babies on the other side of the world.  His highlights were Easter Sunday worship service with dancing and music, jumping up and down for hours until his armpits were raw.  The other was playing with literally hundreds of exuberant and competitive children.  We loved his little iPhone videos he was taking during the time.  He got quite sick at the end with concerns of Malaria, but in hindsight, figured it was a migraine reaction to the food coloring in Sobo and Fanta drinks.
Gabe came home when track season was in full swing, and it was off to the races in the 800 M.  He went to State and ran well.  He came home with Marshal from State and stepped out of the truck with a Norovirus. That GI bug took us all down throughout the week and cancelled our Anniversary plans to take the kids back to Newport, Oregon coastline.
Gabe hatched a dozen goslings, half a dozen mallards, over a hundred guinea keets, and chicks this spring and summer.  He sold dozens of eggs, chicks, and guineas at the peak of production.  Marshal wonders what we are doing with all the fowl, but I say that they are good for the soup pot if nothing else.  Gabe was employed by our neighboring dairy farmer over the summer, moving irrigation wheel lines twice a day.  Moving wheel lines is hard manual work and good money, but he found his niche in an additional side job, trapping gophers in the cropland. He did such a good job as a gophinator that he had to fill out a W-9 for another farmer!
Currently, Gabe is tanning hides.  He was brought a black bear, a bobcat, and two coyotes all within a week’s time, so he has been busy!
Oh yes, he ran X-Country with Marshal, August until November.  He ran strong through the season and qualified for the State Championship in Pasco on November 3.  He placed 66th at state out of 150 runners.  Not bad.
Last but not least, he bought himself a Dobro, so he can play music like musicians in Josh Turner’s band.  He is teaching himself, watching the promos for online lessons, and I caught him playing along with the radio this afternoon.

Lydia got strep, rheumatic fever, in January and fought the rest of the year to feel good. We were thankful to have a doctor in the house.  Marshal identified and treated the inflammatory response promptly.  I came across a fabulous-four supplement combo, Ubiquinol, magnesium, L-Carnitine, and D-Ribose, in kefir and berries and Vitamin C to strengthen her heart and pulmonary capacity.  She had to push herself harder for a slower time in Cross-Country, but she ran all season without fail and helped her team go to State.
Lydia has been home-schooling herself really well with LifePac workbooks by Alpha Omega. She gets up with an alarm and starts voluntarily with Bible in the morning.  Many times she makes me breakfast.  I take her over to Aunt Meg’s at 10AM.  She joins their school day and studies alongside her cousin Naphtali. She continues to play her violin with weekly lessons and Thursday night Bluegrass.  She just bought herself a mandolin.  She also continues to teach herself piano and plays freely.  
Lydia took a special childcare job, watching a baby boy, on Thursday mornings.  I have joined her this school year so far, but I now get the luxury of sitting on the couch, studying and reading, while she becomes more and more confident and competent in taking care of Stephen, a darling one year old.

Christmas!  
A celebration of Christ incarnate.  Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.  Such a reason to celebrate!  Time to fill the world with royal color, reds and gold, evergreens, and shining light.  Such a reason to do so many things out of the ordinary:  parties, feasting, cookies galore, extravagant gift giving, choirs, caroling, children’s pageants.  Today, Gabe strung lights; Marshal took Lydia to Whidbey to the Nutcracker; I sit down to right a letter.
Look at the heavens, remember the star that marked the time of His appearing.  Today the Light of the World has shone upon our hearts that we might believe in Him, trust Him, obey Him, love Him and know His everlasting love.  May our hearts be set on fire by His holy fire.  May we reflect the light of His presence in a very real way.

Merry Christmas!!!

With Love,

Marshal and Shanea, Gabe and Lydia

Ice Skating

Found some room to play for the first time in a long time.  We went with Meg and Jesse's family a week ago to check out the local skating ice.  Jesse started us off with the first ever annual figure skating competition.  I should have been filming, as there was material worth televising.  At least for AFV.
December at the Lake with Family - Cocoa Break
We have a new puppy!  Saphy came with us to the skating party.

Saphy loves Marshal.

New House Addition

Winter comes, but a violet blossom hangs on.
Pretty Monday Morning
Our new addition!  We purchased Luke's hand built Tiny House this week.  It is official.  Luke brought it to us last Friday, and Marshal helped him settle it in its new location.  We now have guest quarters.  

Tiny House and the Little House
Be our guest.

Front yard view with another morning of new snow to start the week.

December 1, First Snow

Paw prints
Little House in the new fallen snow.

Thanksgiving 2018

Thanksgiving Table

The Playful Fun of Dress-Up

Fall dress up party at Jonah Camp
Lydia found my favorite dress and woolen shawl in my closet, her own hoop skirt, and colonial bonnet and hat from our 2012 trip to Colonial Williamsburg.  Grandma was visiting throughout the summer and fall, camping in her own trailer behind the barn, to spend more time with us and help out Marshal at the clinic three days a week!  Gabe shared with her his dress up idea as a UPS delivery man, so she brought him a shirt and pants from neighbors and friends.  They fit Gabe perfectly.  He printed off some UPS symbols from online and taped them to his hat and shirt.  I love my cuties.  They struck a perfect pose going into Camp Jonah.  It didn't escape my notice that they were perfectly color coordinated with the building!  
Camp Jonah - at the heart of the community - a place where families of the land, put their faith in God and obeyed to be a blessing.  Running the other way when we receive the call of God may be the first response, but because of the Son of Man who went into the belly of the earth for three days and rose again, fulfilling the sign of Jonah, we have a second chance to turn (repent) and obey.  Because God gave Jonah a second chance, one of the greatest cities of the earth, with its king, believed God, repented and was saved.

Fifteen Candles

Relaxed family dinner with all four grandparents.

Grandpa and Grandma


Gabe sent Lydia on a treasure hunt.

Penny Whistle

Gabe tried out his UPS man uniform for delivering presents.

Fifteen Candles
Little light of mine.

More than wishes... blessings!

Banana cream cake.

Happy Birthday Lydia, a beautiful light that reflects the Greater Light.

Endurance - XC 2018

Hebrews 12:1, "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,"
A friend and fellow X-Country mom took this photo of our girls, the sixth hidden behind the middle runner, and Coach Marshal in the foreground.

Last pep talk at the starting line. 
GO!
Lydia running through the trees.

Coming in to the finish line!  Number 22.  She was bumped up to 21st spot and qualified for the State X-Country Meet in Pasco, WA.

Ran their race well.  They took second place as a team in this Washington state regional race, headed to state championship.
Boys are up!  Gabe with the shades, gets set.
They are off!

Running strong
Feeling the pain.

Burn

Throwing all he has into the finish line.

Crossed the line, 18th place.  Bumped up to 16th place of the 28 runners that qualified for State.

I am thankful for my Cross-Country passionate husband who has a love for the race and trains our children to run with endurance, that they might know the meaning of Paul's words in scripture.
1 Corinthians 9
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control,[b] lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
Philippians 3
12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 
2 Timothy 4
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lordthe righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

Late Blooms of October

"Consider the lilies..."
 The lilies continue to bloom until the deep freezes of night will finally arrest.  This year the blooms reflect my own sense of time and seasons.  The days have passed and everything is hazy in my mind. Where did spring and summer go?  The fall has been full of sunshine.  The blooms holding on.  The leaves are turning their brilliant colors though and falling, falling.  The wind tousles them with the verdant foliage.
See, the spring has not yet come and gone.
 I have never seen violets bloom a second time.  This is not a solitary blooming violet in my front yard.  There are a few.  There is one by the Lily at the front step in fact.  I have always had a fondness for this bloom, a birthday gift.  I love their sweet fragrance!  The violets bloomed under the Holly trees at home as a child, and I waited for them with expectancy as I grew older.  When we bought the homestead in Chewelah, the lawn became a carpet of violets the first spring.  When I came home to Trout Lake, the yard again became a carpet of violets.


Handsome mother hen, scratching in the compost among the leaves and Black-eyed Susans.
I don't know this shrub, but I'll call its fruit, luscious bird berries.  The birds will come.

Such a lovely cottage with a warm hearth and geraniums in the window.

I love all seasons of the Crabapple at the front gate.

Radiance of the sun on leaf.

This is what I mean by verdant.  My shadow cast upon fading leaves mingled with a rich green lawn of yarrow.

17

Gabe turned 17 in October!

Blowing out the candles.
One continuous soft breath.
And last one extinguished.
Fly Rod from Dad
Card from Grandma and Grandpa
Card from Grammy and Grandpa
Good gifts.
Gaming with the cousins.  Gabe bought himself a Wii at the annual rummage sale.

Found out later, Gabe wasn't so pleased with us stealing Havah for the adult "gaming," dominoes at the kitchen table.  (No gambling involved.)  We were missing Grammy, who was connecting with family and grammar school classmates in California.  Overall, Gabe had a happy birthday.