Sleepers wake the night is flying
The watchmen on thy walls are calling
Awake thou O Jerusalem
Hark ye now O comes the morning
The midnight call of solemn warning
Where art thou O ye virgins where
Behold the bridegroom comes
Arise and take your lamps
Prepare yourselves your Lord draws near
He bids you to His marriage feast
Sleepers Wake
Good Friday & Passover Eve, Nisan 14
Remembering both on a blessed collide of calendars.
Bitter herbs with horseradish dug from the garden,
spring asparagus representing hard labor before deliverance,
a hard boiled egg as a peace offering to be dipped in the salt tears,
apple and nut charoset representing the bricks and mortar of slave labor
before fleeing with the unleavened bread.
The shank in the oven represents the atonement sacrifice,
and we remember that the blood of the lamb was shed for our Passover.
Palm Sunday
John 12
“Fear not, Daughter of Zion!
Look! Your King is coming,...."
Song of Songs 2
10 My beloved speaks and says to me:
“Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
and come away,
11 for behold, the winter is past;
the rain is over and gone.
12 The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of singing has come,....
NOT YET BUT ALMOST....
A Table Inspired
Before leaving the Columbia River Gorge on my birthday, we stopped at Helping Hands. I brought home baguettes and chocolate tomatoes. The next morning, Meg brought me a gift bag of her Jersey bounty, Naphtali's grass fed raw butter and fresh milk mozzerella among that bounty. This inspired a feast for the eyes and appetites.
And next morning, we finished off Naphtali's fresh churned butter on Lydia's sourdough waffles.
Birthday Evening Finale
Gifts from my children and husband. Gabe gifted his first half dozen of color selected eggs with see through carton and Sunnyside Up Farm label. Lydia gifted a hand drawn and embroidered tea towel. Marshal gifted me with a light theme even when the power goes out! ...And the last pepper grinder in the warehouse in Nantucket Island to replace our wedding gift from my parents, at least when Gabe's long time jimmy rigged solution fails!
Cake Time
Birthday Afternoon Dinner Out
We made it in and out of the city before rush hour with a favorite meal at Nicholas' Restaurant!
Mmmmm....
Waterfall Tour
Marshal surprised me for my birthday, taking the day off as a holiday, and secreting us away to the waterfalls! We took exit 35 off of I-84 and worked our way west on the Columbia Gorge Scenic Hwy to Crown Point and beyond. The Waterfalls bring me back to our engagment days, driving the scenic highway and photo ops, 22 years ago! Now we have two beautiful young adults joined with us.
I was walking stone steps on my birthday with a heart of thanksgiving for the healing restoration of a tramautic knee injury just 20 days previous. We didn't hike into the falls, but we walked around the roadside waterfalls.
Bridal Veil Lodge reminds us of a family wedding....
CROWN POINT!!
March Birthday Blooms & Breakfast
My birthday blooms opened their sunny heads and fragrant blossoms at the front door... daffodils because they are my March birth flower and violets, just because. Violets just delight me! They are an annual gift from my Heavenly Father!
Do we believe this? Psalm 139:16 "You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.
17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!"
My Bible study fellowship ladies gifted me a spring planter of beautiful blooms!
A full Birthday table with gifts, Ulla's Finnish Birthday Cake in the making, and Finnish Oven Pancake breakfast. (Lydia is the Finnish baker.)
Coyote Wall First Blooms in February
This was a huge achievement for us to get out as a family and take a hike in the Gorge on a weekend. February 21st, we hiked the scenic gorge trail along the Washinton bluffs. The sights are so dramatic, and first signs of spring greeted us to our delight!
Looming vestiges of winter storm clouds chased us back to the car with ensuing wind, sleet, hail, and snow!
