Weekend Efforts

Last weekend, our results were: a job, a car and a ballgame. Our second encounter with a used car salesmen used a word to describe a sweet deal: a "cherry"--that was the only thing we got from him. However, we did find a cherry on our favorite little website: Craigslist.com/phoenix. We purchased a Hyundai Santa Fe with 30K miles, babied by our new friend, Irwin, a nice older gentleman from Philadelphia with a great accent and a passion to baby his cars. We looked at it on Sunday after watching Connor play at Scottsdale Stadium with sports greats such as Harmon Killebrew in a charity baseball game.
This weekend our attentions turn towards our own home turf. My parents, Dennis and Susan, are coming in for their first parental visit to see the new house and to work in the yard. I told my Dad that my yard was too big and that I needed his pruning abilities and to help me set up my garden. Believe it or not, but its planting time for summer vegetables in the next two weeks, as we have had our last frost. While its ten degrees in New York, its going to be up into the mid to upper seventies this weekend. So, all the gardeners will be at work this weekend.
Another Jansen gardener happens to be in town this weekend too--- Bruce and Barb Jansen, my uncle and aunt from Colorado, are attending a conference in Scottsdale. So on Friday night we are going to show them a hot spot in Chandler, Cyclo, for outstanding Vietnamese cuisine, and then they are going to visit the ranch on Saturday morning before they head out. I am sure all the Jansen men will be conferring on all the gardening possibilities of the yard before long.
The house is almost all ready for guests; beds are made, and the bread is made: I made sourdough rosemary black olive and a fantastic dark rye with cranberries per Peter's latest interests...And we have a new experiment on the stove---three citrus marmalade. I have never made a 2 day recipe before but we'll see how it turns out.
I'm off to pick up Connor to do a little dump run and get rid of some of the junk that has been inhabiting my back patio...I'll let you know how the Arizona sunshine works on the guests...
Here's Connor (#48 in black) with Harmon Killebrew, Zuverina, and Leon.

Life in the Country

At dinner time, my hands are usually dirty with some ingredient. Yesterday it was raw chicken. I was cutting the meat off the bone before I froze it, when the doorbell rang. I don't have many visitors yet so I washed my hands and went to see who was calling. I opened the door and a pot-bellied leathery old man with white hair is standing there with what looks like the water irrigation sign up list.
A little explanation: we don't have a sprinkler system. We have a irrigation canal at the back edge of our property that floods our yard every week. There is a complicated process of closing your neighbor's valves and putting the stopgate in below your valves in order to direct the flow to your yard. Then you have to wade through the couple inches of water back to your porch. I need some Wellies :) or apparently as they are called on a farm "Muck Boots".
Back to the story. As I answered the door, he kind of mumbled through this introduction of himself "You the new customer? Ya need to sign this and there's a fifty dollar change of owner fee." As he's saying this, he's leaning in through the frame of my front door. I asked a few questions then went to go get my check book. He walked right in! I then asked him if he wanted to come in and he followed me right to my kitchen work table. He then plunks his paperwork right down. Its was like he wanted to pull a chair right up and sit and have a chat. As he left he was eyeing my candy boxes, so I asked him if he wanted a piece. So he selects a hard candy and starts telling me all about his children's Valentine's gift of chocolate "They gave us some See's and I shouldn't have more". As we walk towards the front door, he starts telling me all about the previous owners "Epps, he was a real good guy" and how he needs to check on his wife "She broke her shoulder on the 7th" and how slow the 911 response was "They put us on hold!" with a little side wiggle of his head and that old man sucking noise.
Not an East Coast service man with an attitude, a pack of cigarettes and a sour face. We do things different here :)

Mouth to Beak-- From Uncle Chris

--- a contribution from Uncle Chris:
Woman Does 'Mouth-To-Beak' to Save Chicken
AARKADELPHIA, Ark. (Feb. 7) - Sometimes a chicken does have lips, just not her own. Marian Morris saved her brother's exotic chicken, Boo Boo, by administering "mouth-to-beak" resuscitation on the fowl after it was found floating face down in the family's pond.
Morris, a retired nurse, said she hadn't had any practice with CPR in years, but that she was interested to see if she "still had it."
"I breathed into its beak, and its dad-gum eyes popped open," Morris said. "I breathed into its beak again, and its eyes popped open again. "I said, 'I think this chicken's alive now. Keep it warm."'
Morris said she was pleased to find that the bird she saved was an "exotic," and not just an ordinary chicken.
The chicken is called Boo Boo, because she is easily frightened. The family thought Boo Boo was startled and flopped into the pond

HLR Delay

Our grand plans for a grand evening went a little different than planned. At 6:30, I was anticipating his arrival home with a delicious hot dinner and candlelight. And he was anticipating the same. Only he was anticipating it from the side of the 101 Freeway with a flat tire.
Just goes to prove that well laid plans must be laid aside with grace. He got home around eight, and we reheated dinner up. But the most important thing was that we both were able to respond well by God's grace. Another story, another laugh. Isn't that what life's about?
Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

HLR

Happy Valentines Day from HLR...
...that is: Hot Love Ranch.
We think that Arizona is the state for lovers, not Virginia. Not only are Travis and I more in love than we were when we got married, but for the Shanks and Jansens, romance is always in the air. Our parents have set such a wonderful example of staying and growing in love every day of their marriage. We are seeking to emulate them.
We also want to give thanks to God for the gift of His love this morning. As we sat around the fireplace last night listening to our new Australian friends' stories, we were reminded of God's great kindness and mercy to us to have this "extra grace", as Mike so wisely put it. Travis and I have a love that is the direct blessing of God's love for us and the indirect result of Sovereign Grace Ministries. Without this church life, we wouldn't have been born (our parents met through Covenant Life), we wouldn't have been raised to love God, we wouldn't have the family life we enjoy, and we wouldn't have found eachother, nor fallen in love, nor actually made it to the altar without help from our pastors and families. We hope that you are reminded as well to "seek first his kingdom and righteousness and all this will be added to you"