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We had snow last night but again just a little that is gone by this afternoon. It is nice for the moisture but with our dry air, I think some of the moisture is just evaporating and not going down into the soil where we need it. It is overcast so maybe we will get more tonight. I am glad that the snow does not stay on the roads after it snows. Even with big snows in Denver, the roads are clear within 24 hours which is great.
Judith - I was up as long as you were last night. It was actually 2am when I went to bed which would be 1am your time. Sometimes I get involved in reading a good book and loose track of time. It is hard to get up in the morning when I do that. We had a meeting with our financial planner this morning soon after I got up and I must admit, my mind was not as sharp as it could have been if we met a few hours later. Glenn gets up early but he also is known to take naps in the afternoon when he is tired. He can go to sleep immediately and wake up after 30 minutes rested and refreshed. We are so different in that way. I take an hour to get to sleep sometimes.
Susan - we are awaiting more information as we vicariously live your travels. Thnks for taking us along on this free trip. I know it is not free for you and we appreciate you letting us go along.
Marilyn - thanks for the quote. It makes a lot of sense.0 -
Evening Hello Everyone, This is an update for me and those who are living in my area. Bottom line please be safe and careful!
We are on the eve of very cold temps with Snow Thursday morning, And potential Floods. We are under a weather alert for the Greater Vancouver area.
Elevated ocean water levels accompanied by significant waves are expected, likely exceeding highest astronomical tide.
Where: Metro Vancouver shorelines along the Strait of Georgia, including Stanley Park, University of British Columbia, Kitsilano, Richmond and Delta.
When: Early to mid-morning on Thursday (near high tide).
Remarks: Large waves due to strong northwest winds, storm surge and seasonably high tides have the potential to produce high water levels on Thursday morning.
Coastal flooding is possible along exposed shorelines, especially in low-lying areas.
Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada.
The first Arctic intrusion of the year is on the horizon.
When: Thursday night to Saturday afternoon.
Where: Metro Vancouver, Greater Victoria, Fraser Valley and Southern Gulf Islands
Hazard: Risk of frostbite and hypothermia.
Wind chill value: minus 20.
Remarks: Arctic air combined with strong outflow winds gusting to 60 km/h will generate wind chill values of minus 20 beginning on Thursday night.
Wind chill values may moderate on Saturday afternoon but uncertainty remains on the timing of the warm up.
Tonight I can feel the icy cold, late this afternoon it was really windy here too!
Hope everyone stays safe for those who are dealing with snow icy conditions and 0 below temperatures . Be safe and careful!
My prayers are with you all. God Bless and Good Nite, 😴 I will be back tomorrow! 🙏❤️🤗0 -
Judith the Artic storm has hit us in the interior. The wind is blowing up to 30 mph, and it is very very cold. I had made an appointment to have my fisquala looked at this morning but have cancelled it because Norm went out to start the car and when he came in he said 'I don't want you out in this cold as you are cold to begin with and you wouldd take forever to just get back to where I am now. So we cancelled the appointment and have rebooked. I understand that by the beginning of next week it should get better - am praying for that anyway
Today is a day where I am going to work on meal plans to help me lose weight. I am stuck at this weight and that is not good - I need to lose this weight to help my kidney function - so today I need to get on the treadmill and make up a meal plan for 7 days in order to lost 1 - 2 pounds for next week. Plan is to lose 3 pounds in the next 21 days. Looked at my weight and decided to work on losing 10% this year. I know it can be done I just need to pay better attention to what I am doing.
Also was looking at my last batch of blood work. The urea levels are all out of wack. So looked that up to see what I can do to change it making it more normal. A few things that were suggested was (1) 2 - 3 L of water each day (2) cut of all the animal protein or have only 2 oz once a week making it that the vegetables will give me enough protein (3) walk on treadmill 30 minutes each day (4) absolutely no salt added to food
One thing I learned was that when we exercise (even just a 30 minute walk) we will sweat and that sweat will include releasing protein. So the walking really is important especially when you are wanting to keep your kidneys as healthy as possible.
Matthew 6:1
Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 6:7-8
And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them for your Father know what you need before you ask him.
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Marilyn - it sounds like you have a good plan.
Judith - I pray for the safety of all our Canadian friends. It sounds dangerous to be outside. When we lived in Wisconsin near the Great Lakes, we had warnings like this to only go outside if it was an emergency when the wind chill was way below 0F.
We had snow again today but it is about a 1/2 inch this time. We did have to shovel our sidewalks but the snow is melting pretty quickly. NOthing going on exciting here today. We have our weekly Bible Study group at our house soon so I need to get the refreshments ready. We are having cheese and crackers and a vegetable tray so it should not be too hard to do. Keep safe everyone!1 -
Thank you Marilyn and Linda for sharing your current weather status, I’m praying for your safety during these snowy icy freezing winter weather. Be careful and be safe my friends. 🙏
This was our morning weather report:
Our local News Station Metrologist gave us this report of our current status:
Snow is coming by this afternoon, temps have plummeted downward and will continue to go down to the freezing temps and thru the night that brings us to the minus temps seeing Friday’s forecast saying minus 8 degrees.
We are currently 4 degrees but with wind chill it is minus 11 degrees; we have arctic type cold winds that is making it so cold! 🥶0 -
Meanwhile in Tasmania it is almost feeling like summer in the day and we even run the air conditioner sometimes. When the Antarctic breezes start at night it chills down. Stay safe, Judith, Linda and Marilyn. Thank you all for your updates.
Some of what we have seen in the last few days:
Anglican cathedral, Launceston
View of the Tamar River from Brady's Lookout
Mathew Brady's story (the Lookout is named after him)
Me with a resilient tree at Brady's Lookout
Road lined with pink barked trees on the way to a blueberry farm
Historic water tower in Evandale
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Good Morning 🌅 Here is an update of our current Weather and Temperatures!
We are in a Winter Arctic Chill, many areas have snow, icy icy roads everywhere. Our temperatures are minus -14 with Wind Chill that varies from minus -21-24 in my area. It is freezing cold here. Please be careful out on the roads, if you don’t have to be out there stay indoors and stay as warm as possible. Stay safe, use due care if you are driving on the icy roads. Frostbite and hyperthermia is a risk for those outdoors. Please dress appropriately and protect yourself! ❄️🥶
Thank you Susan for your care and prayers.
Thank you for the beautiful pictures of the places you have visited. You are seeing such beauty of the land buildings, love the architecture. Safe travels Susan and Colin! 🙏
Marilyn and Linda, my thoughts and prayers are with you during your Winter Arctic Freeze. Stay Safe and Warm as best you can. My Prayers are with you. 🙏0 -
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Good Morning. We're driving to the Red Bridge in Campbell Town today with iffy reception. Hope to be back here later. Looks like rain but light rain!1
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Today I donated blood but unlike the other times, I felt dizzy and really tired. I will be going to bed soon to get some rest. We do not have the artic coldness that Canada is having but it was in the teens during quite a bit of the day. One to three inches of snow is expected in the next two days. We are watching the weather report closely to make sure we are going over the mountain at the safest time. It looks like Monday is going to work when there is no snowfall in the mountains and the sun will have had time to melt some of the snow. Goodnight everyone! I hope I have more energy tomorrow.1
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I had 10 hours of sleep last night and I feel so much better! I guess my body just needed the rest after giving blood. I did not feel sick, I just was so tired I could hardly keep going. Our bodies are so resiliant to "trauma". I am amazed how God has disigned our bodies to do things automatically like healing, breathing, moving around without having to think about it, digestion of our food, etc. We are truely wonderfully made as David says in the Psalms.
We are "warm" today in comparison to the Denver area where we will be next week. Right now we are at 37F with a high of 45F but our daughter says it is -6F in Denver. We may have to change our plans on our travels. Monday is a holiday so there will be more traffic and it looks like the snow will be continuing in the mountains through Monday. Altough our daughter's surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, we may not get there until Tuesday afternoon. Our other daughter is trying to re-arrange her schedule so she can take her to the hospital and stay with her until we get there. We will need to leave very early in the morning Tuesday (ugg!) to get there early afternoon. She will be staying in the hospital over night then we will bring her home and stay a week.
Marilyn - looking at the picture you posted of the man hanging off the edge of a piece of rock makes me nervous to just look at. What it said is true though. Success does not come easy but takes work and being out of my comfort zone.
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Good morning. Hope you three are warm and cosy. Thank you for letting us know you are, Linda. Judith, I know you are in the big freeze. Marilyn, how are the temps where you are? Meanwhile o er here the weather is cooler today. Refrigerated Antarctic winds have started again. Even though it's summer here, the Antarctic doesn't ever NOT have snow.
Linda, so glad you feel better after your rest. And caring for your grandchildren after your daughter's surgery is going to take energy. Please take care. You have only recently been through looking after Glen.
Marilyn, good thoughts and scary pictures!
I found a map that I have been wanting to show you about the comparative size of some countries if overlayed on Australia:
They call Cambell Town the heart of Tasmania. That's where we went yesterday.
Ready for another travel log?
The Red Bridge is the oldest red brick bridge in Tassie, built on land by convicts then they had the river diverted under it.
The big stones are fastened together with metal pins that bind one stone to the other.
There were interesting carvings out of tree stumps in the park next to the bridge, and a 48 hour self-contained camp spot for vans and motorhomes too.
This carving is of a Tasmanian Devil.
In the town itself, we explored an Op Shop (Charity shop) set up inside an old Anglican School. Greg snapped this pic of Lyn and I there:
I bought some granddaughter gifts in a toy and fidget shop located in a little stone building but I didn't take photos.
We saw a book store set up in an old jail situated half underground. That's Lyn in the photo I took. The layout of the store was bigger than it looks with little arched rooms leading off around the corner behind Lyn. I bought a book about Tassie birds and a biography about Sydney's Mr Eternity there. He spent decades writing the word Eternity on public structures.
I went to a Craft store set up in an old town hall (they mainly had wood work but I didn't see anything I wanted), and we saw bricks on the sidewalks telling brief facts about convicts who served their time in the area and why. This is a sample of what they looked like. Colin took this photo:
You know Tasmania was a penal colony, right? England sent out their 'criminals' to settle it, with a few soldiers. Other non criminal people came out later to help establish farms and communities.
That was enough for us for the day. At the caravan park, they are still battling a leaky pipe and shut off our water supply at 9pm. We have our tank water though so are fine. Archie chose this night to be sick with a tummy bug so Col and I are tired from getting up to clean up and take him out on brief walks all night. We're having a rest day today.
Be well and safe and warm, my friends.
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Saturday Evening Blessings
Thanks for sharing Marilyn, I agree with Linda about man hanging from the ledge makes me queasy and actually a little nauseous! 😳 but I do thank you for sharing all your quotes.
Linda, so happy to hear your daughter is scheduled for surgery on Tuesday, will keep her in prayer! Please keep us posted in how she is doing. Safe travels as you head yo Denver to be with your daughter. Happy to see your temps are better there but feel for you in colder temps when you are in Denver. Take good care!
Susan, thank you for the informative post in all the places you visited! Loved the pictures and the architecture of the buildings. I didn’t know Tasmania was a Penal Colony! I love craft stores, so many things to see and buy which in past would come home with bags full.
Hope you all had a good day
And your Sindaybwill be blessed
It’s still so cold here, icy cold 🥶
Temps this morning were -14 degrees
It’s been that way past few days.
Forecast says it will warm by Monday
Have 2 heaters running to keep warm
Being wrapped in blankets and shawls has tired me out so not sure if I will be posting on all the threads tonight! I will try…So for now..
Will say Good Night, 😴 God’s Blessings but will
be back tomorrow. 🤗🙏❤️0 -
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Susan - your pictures told such an interesting story. The convicts were put to hard labor and did some beautiful work. Their laws were quite strict to have to serve for 7 years for shoplifting. Did the women also work on the bridges and buildings I wonder? The map overlaw was eye opening. You are correct that Australia is a huge continent. How big is Tasmania in comparison?
Judith I am glad you are keeping warm with heaters and blankets. Do you have these Artic cold winds every Winter? I don't remember hearing you say it was this cold last Winter. Are the roads kept clear or are there a lot of accidents from ice?
Marilyn - the old saying try and try again is true. It took 1000 failures until Edison got the light bulb to work. I am so glad that he did not give up or we would still be using oil lamps and candles at night. I guess I would not be staying up as late as I do if that is all the light I would have.
Today I am baking communion bread and have sourdough pizza and bread raising for their 10-12 hour raise. I got started late so I am thinking that I will just put the pizza dough in the refrigerator over night and do it tomorrow. Tomorrow will be busy with us packing and getting the house cleaned up. So far Tuesday looks OK to drive over the mountains. I do feel sorry that we will miss seeing our daughter leave for surgery but will be in her room waiting for her when she comes back. She says she is OK with it but I am feeling a bit guilty that I am not there for here. Our middle daughter will be there but having Mom there is different. When she had her c-section, they took her in early and because of traffic, we missed saying goodby to her so I feel we are doing the same this time. Maybe I am putting my emotions on her and she does not care. I am going to call her today and talk to her so make sure she ready for surgery.1 -
Quick check in as we're off exploring again today. Linda, Tasmania is the size of Ohio.
Just a question: do you all have a plan for how to keep warm and fed if the power goes out? I think of you all often with the snow so heavy for some and temps so low....
Be back later. Xx1 -
Evening Hello Everyone,
I was here this morning working on our threads did the games posted the Devotion Bible Reading, my Team Goals,, Weight Challenges, Weather and pretty much all the threads, waited to come back here as I had answered all the posts from everyone last night and you gals hadn’t posted as yet.
Thank you Susan for thinking of us all should our power go out! I have a BBB it propane and I can heat soup and boil water and fill carafe. So I will have water all day to add to anything I make. I was just thinking I have to look into a generator for my place, I don’t have one. I figured out about the cooking. With it freezing outside I can put the milk juices and frozen fruit outside in covered Rubbermaid containers. But for heat with no electricity I will need a generator. Don’t need a huge one but enough to plug in portable heaters.
Thanks again Susan for all the info you shared and the awesome pictures. I am learning so much about these places you are visiting.
Linda, I understand and feel for you, I would feel the same if I couldn’t be there for my daughter like you are sharing. But please don’t feel guilty as your daughter knows your heart. You are going there and will be there when she comes out of surgery. She knows her Mom and Dad love her and are there for her. Will be praying for your trip back and over the mountains for safety and for you to get over the passes with no problems. Trusting the roads will be clear of ice and snow.
I am sure your pizza dough and Communion bread will turn out just fine. You asked me about the Arctic outflow winds and below freezing temps we are having now if we have them in past years? We have cold temps and have had below freezing temps but not as severe as this winter and the freezing temps when we got them were like minus 2 to minus 5 or -6 but they usually don’t last for an extended time. We get winds but
this year with the Arctic Flow winds being -21 to -24 don’t remember having weather like this winter which is exceptional!
Have a great night all, Sleep well! Good Night all! Be back tomorrow! 🙏❤️🤗0 -
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The major interstate has been closed today over the mountain so if we had wanted to go today, it would not have been possible. Schools are closed for tomorrow too due to the wind chill. We won't know untill we see the road conditions if we can go tomorrow. There is more snow expected Wednesday so we are at the mercy of the weather. My daughter said she understands that we will come when we can. She will stay overnight so there is not an immediate need for us to get there right after her surgery.
It has been a busy day doing laundry, doing admissioni paperwork on three new admissions into the computer, getting things ready to leave when we can, etc. I do not like this waiting but I would rather be safe than sorry in a ditch!1 -
I agree, Linda. You do what you can, within reason. Your daughter no doubt knows how reliable your love and watch care over her is. You are prudent not to drive in such extreme weather. My prayers go with you when you deem it safe to drive and I am praying about your daughter's surgery too.
Marilyn, that's a good one today. You ate finding all sorts of good motivational quotes. 👏
Judith, nice to see you posting. I did post yesterday about how we were travelling all day. By the time we got home, we didn't have much energy left! But I have a travel log for you today. Good idea to see if you can find a suitable generator. Heaters do take up a lot of power. Check to be sure any generator you look at will do what you need. Ypu will also need fuel to run it and you know fuel goes stale over time, right? It will need to be used or replaced regularly. I am glad you have food sorted out. It sure sounds cold. When I lived in the NWT we would often get -20F weather, and it did go down to -50F a few times in thst 3 1/2 years, but I was living north of the 56th parallel much closer to the Arctic than you. Stay warm.
Now for the travel log.
Yesterday was a big day of driving. We had only brief stops along the way to walk the dogs and stretch our legs. We packed lunches that we ate in the car. We left at 10:30am and didn't get home till 7pm. It was too long a drive but we did see beautiful countryside, quaint towns and one ghost town.
Here are some highlights:
Ben Lomond peak
Some of the forest we drove through and a river we crossed in the mountains. The roads were windy, hilly, sometimes gravel, and we got cooler the higher we drove into the mountains:
Part of the ghost town at Story's Creek:
St Helen's wharf on the East Coast
Curious cows in a spectacular meadow at Scotsdale with the Ben Lomond range in the background:
Our friend Lyn behind a giant thumb carved by a guy with a quirky sense of humour from a stump he found in his property's driveway:
Today is a rest day.
I have already washed one dog and dried and combed him. I thought we may have to take him to see a vet but they are booked out. He has tummy problems so Colin got a medication from the Vet for him. The other dog won't get washed today but has been thoroughly groomed and tidied up with my scissors. Colin has had our car tyres rotated, aligned and balanced. Between us we are doing the washing. Just as well it is a 'rest' day! Lol!
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Today was my 2nd TOPS meeting for the year and I had a loss of 3.3 pounds so feeling good about that. My goal for January is to lose 3 pounds = done = now to keep it off and work on getting another one off before the month is over.
Have had another victory. 5 years ago I fell and damaged my right side of the body breakng the bone up in the shoulder and damaging some muscles in my leg. Made it difficult getting into the passenger side of the car - hubby has had to lift that leg into the car for me - then in September 2022 when my kidneys decided to fall apart well that right side just seem to get worse. Can walk up stairs without help getting up the first step and still trouble getting into the car. Well, Praise the Lord on this past Saturday we needed to go out and low and behold I was able to get my leg up and into the car without aid - and have done it a couple more times since - victory for sure as it has been 5 years trying with no luck and now able to do it - the Lord is awesome, still cant make the first step into the house but with getting into the car I can see where the Lord is working in my life. Praise the Lord
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Oh, wow, Marilyn! That's a fabulous weight loss and amazing news about your newfound ability to raise that leg! Congratulations on both. You must feel so blessed. You are working hard and the Lord is blessing that! I'm very happy for you ☺️
We're having another day at the van because it's raining today. I'm happy to stay in. Lyn and Greg may come over in the afternoon but may not due to the wet and cold. We have to sit under our awning when there's four of us so it might not happen. It's OK either way!
Linda and Judith, thinking of you both. ❤️0 -
Linda, I am so sorry about all the roads being closed. It’s so important that you and your hubby stay safe an warm. I know you were planning to travel to Denver and be with your daughter when she came back to her room after surgery, it must be a disappointment for you both. I see you wrote this text Monday night I believe as you said you wouldn’t know until the morning if the conditions of the roads would allow you to travel. It’s Tuesday night here in BC Canada so I am thinking it something Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. Let us know if you were able to travel on Tuesday and let us know if you are in Denver.
Sounds you had a busy day with laundry getting ready for your trip and registering students. Hope you got it all done. My prayers are with you Linda for a safe journey over the passes and over the mountain! 🤗❤️🙏
We are under a Weather alert for snow tonight they to Wednesday with cold temps too!
Will be back in the morning and see how you all are doing!
Stay safe and Warm All! 🙏🤗0 -
Judith - I am excited that you have maintained your weight for quite a few days in a row! Keep up the good work and maybe you will get up into the higher 90's.
Marilyn - I am excited that you were successful in your weight loss for the month. Having accountability sure does help like going to the TOPS group. I do not have a group like that here unless I want to pay to go. We travel so much it is hard to find time to go to all the meetings too. Does TOPS charge for your meetings?
Susan - Wonderful pictures again. I hope Archie gets to feeling better soon. It sounds like you had a fun packed day yesterday and a day or rest is a good choice today.
Our trip over the mountain that usually takes 4 1/2 hours took about 6. The pass was closed for the hazzardous material trucks to go over the top of the mountain so they had to stop traffic in the tunnels to let them go through at regular times. We were in a traffic jam two times. One time was 55 minutes and another time 25 minutes. The roads were clear most of the time but for the area where there was the traffic jam, the roads were snow covered or slushy. We made it to the hospital just as our daughter was getting our of surgery. They were able to fix her hiatal hernia as well as make her stomach smaller for weight loss. She said "this is not the easy way to loose weight". She was pretty tired but looked good. She has to drink an ounce of fluids every 15 minutes to be able to keep hydrated and have enough protein to help her heal. Part of the fluids are protein drinks, liquified yogurt, and thin puddings. She took two walks today before we left and says that she has more energy today than she has had after any previous surgeries. They will keep her overnight and we can bring her home tomorrow. We do need to watch her closely for pneumonia because when they fixed the hernia, they had to stitch her diaphram closed around the esophagus which makes it painful to breathe. If she does not deep breathe, her lungs can fill with fluid and pneumonia is the result. Thanks for all your prayers for our safety as well as her surgery.1 -
Snowy day here - overnight we got 5 inches and it is still coming down - they perdict we will get another 5 - 6 inches before it stops.
Linda you asked about TOPS. It started in Michigan 75 years ago and is also in Canada. Cost is $46.00 here in Canada - and that gets you a TOPS magazine 4x a year plus access to their website. To go to weekly meetings - lot cheaper than Weightwatchers. At the chapter I go to we all put in 25 cents in a bin and whoever loses the most weight in any given week gets 1/2 of that amount. We also put in a piece of fruit or a vegetable. The only 'expense' is we pay $60 for the year for the use of the room we have to meet in. There are 21 of us in our chapter and there about 5 different chapters in the city - some are mornings, some are evenings.
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Just lost my post twice so will make this short. I am glad to read all your news, especially that you travelled safely over the mountains Linda and your daughter's surgery is over. Glad you are maintaining your weight, Judith. Interesting to hear about TOPS, Marilyn.
Must go now and get ready for a day with our friends. We'll then say goodbye to them as Lyn has to fly home for surgery. We'll catch up with Greg again after the 28th Jan.1 -
I am glad that you were able to spend some time with your friends before she has surgery. Will Greg travel alone for a while and Lyn join him after she recovers?
Thanks Marilyn for the TOPS information. I will check it out and see if there is anything in my area. It does help to have some fun competition.
We brought our daughter home this afternoon. The pain medication they gave her gives her severe headaches so all she has to take is Tylenol right now. She has put in a message with her surgeon's office to see if she can prescribe something stronger that our daughter can tolerate. She said the surgeon said she cut down the size of her stomach to the width of two fingers and as long as a banana. My husband looked it up and normal stomach is 6 inches accross and 12 inches long. She certainy does not have much room for anything to eat at any one moment. She is on protein shakes, strained soups, puddings, jello and yogurt this week and will eat things with more substance but still soft next week. One of the teen workers brought over some chili and bagettes for us to eat tonight. Our daughter will have to settle for her usual liquids.
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Linda, some of my friends have had that surgery. It is a very difficult one emotionally as well. I feel for your daughter. I hope she can get some better pain meds. Again, it's really wonderful you can be with her. Big hugs to you all. Yes, Greg will be here on his own (well, with us) and with their dog till Lyn flies back after her recovery. Lyn is staying with their friends and housesitters in her own home till she is able to fly back. Her church ladies group is also going to help if she needs it. I hope this plan works out well. It's different to how Col and I would have done it, but both seem content with the plan they have chosen.
Marilyn, that verse is a wonderful reminder. We're each fearfully and wonderfully made.
Our friends have decided to stay on the farm they found with vacancies for another few days to have more time with us before Lyn has to fly home. I'm glad they decided that. We'll have another day of exploring today.
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