Celebrating My Church's 200th Anniversary

Two hundred years. 

Circa 1898

How often do you see a church that lasts for 200 years? In my hometown it is fairly common, since the big five (Catholic, Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, and "our" Baptist) have been around forever. But in this day of mega-churches and smaller pop-ups longevity has become rare. 

The organ is only a façade since 2006.        I have wooden pipes from the organ in my living room.

Lowville Baptist was a life-saver for me back in the early 2000s. I was nearing the end of an abusive marriage and was invited to LBC during the county fair. They sent us a more formal invitation as Sunday School was about to begin in the Fall. My children and I attended for a few months until my marriage turned even uglier and I shied away from people. Pastor Reed had been to my home and decided he needed to help me escape.

Meanwhile, his wife, Carol, decided my oldest son needed to belong somewhere away from what we had been living with. She invited him to be the production team. He ran with it! He thrived in production and still does to this day. His computer knowledge grew at that church. We had so much fun and felt so much love there. 

Eight years later we left the area and found a new church. We loved that church and the church family but it didn't hold as special a place to us as Lowville Baptist. Eventually we moved on and became active in a smaller mega-church. Great pastor but not the same. We missed stained glass windows, organ music and hymns. 

Then I received a letter from LBC inviting my family to their 200th Anniversary!

                     

I was so excited! Not all of my gang could make it but half of my kids did come with me on the beautiful drive to our hometown. 

There was a pretty cool fog bank as we approached the Mohawk River.

I was recognized right away, as was India. People didn't recognize Amanda though. The funny part was that despite all of his involvement with Tech and IT as well as how much time he spent with the Reeds, No one recognized Matthew. Of course, when we left he had no facial hair and had shoulder-length thick blonde hair. His reputation still held though and he was known as the guy who built and installed the system. 

There were photo displays, a wonderful service with each of the living former pastors speaking, culminating in OUR Pastor Reed coming from his retirement home in Alaska to do the sermon. P. Reed had been there since the 1980s but after he left the other gentlemen have led the church.

Pastor Reed left Lowville a few years after we moved away. His son was raising his own family in Alaska so P. Reed and Carol joined him there. Carol past last year but P. Reed was accompanied my Susan. I wasn't able to speak with her very much but she seemed so nice. 

Pastor Reed often said that the Baptist Church runs on it's stomach. Always, and proud of it. I do miss the monthly church dinners. For this event it wasn't potluck but was catered by Squishy's BBQ and Catering. It was so delicious!

                     

After dinner there was cake, cut by Pastor Reed.

And, of course, fellowship. That is, after all, why it's called a Fellowship Hall. 

During fellowship I was able to talk to my former sister-in-law and friend from school who was kind enough to give me a signed copy of her book. Thank you Heidi!

We all went home with wonderful memories and little mementos to cherish. I have a promise from my oldest that we will make the short 2-1/2 hour drive home to church (maybe) once a month. Pastor Reed won't be there, but Pastor Leon seems like a very kind person and he has been there for several years now. I think we would enjoy his sermon.

    

Until Next Time!

    Ingrid

Memories of Halloween's Past

 Where has this year gone? It seems not that long ago that we were up North celebrating the New Year with family and now here we are almost Halloween. 

Halloween is one of my favourite holidays. I love the decorations! I love the costumes! I love the excitement of the neighbourhood children. Add to that the beauty of Autumn with it's colours and the scent of Fall in the air. 

Matthew's father and I used to go all out on Halloween. We had the dry ice, the voice distorter, the darkened house and cemetery in the lawn. One year he even dressed as Dr. Frankenstein to the neighbour's Frankenstein's monster. 

When we moved back to my hometown while my oldest was little, I hand sewed all of his costumes. As more kids came along it became too much to make all those costume, but I still made sure there was plenty of candy for the trick or treaters. I brought my children to the community Halloween party after taking them through my old neighbourhood to collect goodies. Eventually we moved to the country so there were no more trick or treaters. That didn't stop the decorating though.

As the kids grew and we found a church that we liked, I became active as a volunteer. One of our yearly events was a community Halloween party, to replace the one held years earlier. I would take the kids trick or treating around my old neighbourhood and then we would go to the church party where the older kids loved helping out. When that was over we headed to the local Stewart's convenience store where the kids were given free ice cream cones for being in costume. 

When we moved to Western NY Halloweens became more of the familiar. We volunteered at our church for their Annual Trunk or Treat.  

On Halloween we formed a circle around the parking lot with our trunks/hatches/tailgates facing in and loaded up with candy.  Some decorated their vehicles while others left them plain. Of course we decorated. We had bounce houses, hot dogs with chips and apple cider. The best part? It was all free to the public! The last year outdoors we counted 976 kids. After a couple of years we moved everything indoors (well, not the vehicles). There were a lot more kids coming through since they didn't have to brave the snow and cold temperatures off Lake Erie. Cleaning up the hay spread throughout the church with a leaf blower was fun too!

By the time we moved here to our current home the kids were all too old to go trick or treating, although the girls still like to get dressed up. The neighbourhood kids all go to the malls and other places to get more candy than they would in our small neigbourhood. But I still love the decorations. 

I hope you all have a Happy, and Safe, Halloween!

    

Until Next Time!

    Ingrid

   
  
  

Our New Normal

Day 20 of Social Distancing.

Today marks three church weeks of our new normal. 

We aren't gathering together at church. Our production team alone exceeds the 10 person limit. On hold are the days where we have a dozen people working in the background while the band and our pastors are on stage. On hold is the chattering over comms where we make silly comments between giving cues to one another. 

Our new normal is broken down into three days of recordings. We record the band. The modified band, we can't have a full band for now. It exceeds the limit. No more individual bands at each campus. Now we have our four worship leaders and a couple volunteers. We have a production crew of some staff and "key" volunteers, like me. I put up the lyrics. I used to put them up on the band's prompter, the sidescreens, the center screen and the online screen, along with any tags, videos or graphics needed. Now I put lyrics up for the online screen alone. The next day our campus pastor records announcements. Finally we record our lead pastor doing the message. Our Multisite Director on camera, my oldest on wireless camera, our Production Coordinator as Tech Director, and me. I put up the sermon notes and graphics, videos if needed. And record everything to SD cards.

Today this momento of days gone by bothered me. It's our campus pastor's headset. It's been sitting there since the last time we had service in the building. The Saturday that they banned more than 500 people. We had to go online for Sunday because it would have bumped us over the limit. We recorded the Saturday service for online. Our pastor left this here after he was finished. Today it made me sad. 

At this point I'm finding it difficult not to be sad. Not scared. Last week's message talked about fear. I'm not scared. I trust God. He's helped me through so much. I trust Him. I'm just heartbroken. This silent enemy that we're surrounded by is destroying so many lives. So many innocent people are suffering. I have family who are deemed essential. I worry about them. I worry about everyone i care about, everyone who ever has been in my life, everyone that they love. I pray for them. Pray without ceasing.

The saving Grace. What keeps me from sinking into despair is something our Audio Engineer had said. He said he's seeing a change in people. We stopped fighting and started helping. All over this beautiful world that we live in. People care again. 

Lent Isn't Just For Catholics Anymore

Wednesday was the first day of Lent. I am reminded of this by my husband. He was raised Catholic, but attended my Baptist Church before our move, and now attends our Non-Denominational Church.  I don't drink or smoke, and the only thing I could think to give up is my rare sweets. I recently heard about taking a different direction during Lent: Doing good. This would be easy peasy since I am addicted to volunteering and enjoy doing things to benefit others. I found many ideas on various blogs and am already doing many of them.

For starters, let's look at some of the less obvious things you might consider giving up:

1. Gossip
2. Complaining
3. Negativity
4. Laziness
5. Arguing
6. Being picky
7. Judging people
8. Comparing yourself with others
9. Lying
10. Cursing
11. Wasting your life on the internet
12. Checking your smartphone when you’re with people
13. Driving when you could walk

Then there are the ways to benefit others:

1. A chapter of the Bible a day. You can get through all 4 Gospels if you read 2 chapters a day and don’t skip Sundays.
2. 10 minutes of meditation a day
3. Join a Bible study at your parish
4. 20 minutes of Spiritual reading a day
5. List 5 things you’re grateful for every day
6. Journal
7. Blog
8. Make a schedule
9. Call your mother
10. Volunteer once a week
11. Give someone a compliment every day
12. Take someone to lunch every week
13. Perform an act of charity every day
14. Spend more time with family.
15. Give to the poor.
16. Each week write a thank-you note
17. Write a poem of praise for each person in your family.
18. Get a stack of sticky-notes and write one sentence of thanks each day and stick it to the bedroom door of each person in your family so that by Easter they each have 40 sticky-notes.
19. At dinner each evening ask your family to share one thing for which they are grateful.
20. Go for a walk each day with a loved one
21. Exercise each day.
22. Spend at least half an hour each day in meaningful conversation with your spouse.
23. Do a random act of kindness each day.

I hope you can find something on this list that you would like to do. I know I have.

My Turn..

Another survey for your reading pleasure. Feel free to take the questions for your own use.

Promise to be honest?

Easy. I've been surrounded by liars my entire life. I despise lying, and can sense it from the first word.

Do you wish some things would go back to how they used to be?
I wish my Folks were still around. I miss them. I wish Ken's Dad was still alive. He was fun and we could talk for hours. Otherwise, I love my life now.

What's on your feet?

I guess you could say my butt, since I'm sitting on one of my feet.

Honestly, if you could go back and change something in the past 5 months. would you?

I would have tried to see more of my hometown friends, and "Mom" (Matthew's grandmother), for longer times when we visited.

Has anyone told you they would never leave and left?

Matthew's father. No loss. Life went on and I became a better person for it; while watching him become a jerk.

Is there someone you don't ever want to be out of your life?

Ken. I spent 35 years hoping I would see him again. I don't want to lose him. And my children, of course.

Where was your default picture taken?

In my hometown during the Cream Cheese Festival last year. My children's father took the photo of my children, Ken and I posed at the giant cow, Lady Lewinda. She is the mascot for that farming community.

Do you think you'll be married in 10 years?

Yes. Ken and I have wanted to be together since we were teens, when my sister and his brother broke us up. We will definitely still be married in ten years.

Who's the last person you were in a car with?

Ken. Two days in the car traveling across the state and back to pick up my van, that broke down just before we moved here. Matthew bought her from me and had her completely overhauled. We also stopped at our old church so Ken and Matthew could install a new TV in the lobby. I think they mailed it to us, so that we had to bring it there..

Who was the last person you were on a bed with?

Ken. It's my favourite place.

Do you hate anyone?

I was raised Catholic (Religious Education every week for my Dad) and Mennonite (regular church with my neighbours). The biggest thing I learned from being raised Mennonite is that I am incapable of hating anyone. No matter what they have done to me.

Next time you will kiss someone on the lips?

Who knows. My kids kiss on the lips. Ken and I kiss a lot! (Heck, my late brother and I used to kiss on the lips.)  My family is very affectionate. Definitely when Ken gets home from work, if not sooner.

Could you go a month without talking to your best friend?

Ken is my best friend. I barely make it to the end of his workday. So we chat on messenger all day long and sometimes talk during lunch.

Have you ever kissed the last person that you texted?

No. I sent a text to Beverly, the Technology Manager at our church about Ken and Amanda helping us with tear down of our stage, so it can be remodeled next week.  We aren't that close. :D

Last time you laughed really hard?

Last night when Ken was tickling me for no reason. I didn't start it. No matter what he says.

Are you a type of person who cares what people say about you?

Not at all. I grew up with a sister who lied about me all the time. She is still trying to destroy my reputation, but I've heard what people think of her. The same with my last two exes. People know me, and know them. So what they say are just words spilling out of their mouths onto deaf ears. My sister did manage to get Ken's mother to forget that she liked me better than my sister, before she died. But I was away from the woman for so many years that she didn't remember me well. No big woof. Life goes on. I have more happiness in my life than any of those people have ever had. And that is why they lie about me. (My Mom told me this when I was a teenager.)

What's the closest black thing to you?

I guess that would be the laptop on my lap, followed by my cell and tablet on the table next to me. 

Do you know what you're going to wear tomorrow?

I'm thinking that I will probably wear clothes.

What are you wearing right now?

Black Shorts (oh, that would be closer than the laptop) and a Dutch Bros Coffee t-shirt.

Do you prefer to take your showers at night or in the morning?

I prefer morning, so my hair dries wavy. But I usually don't get in until afternoon because I spend too much time looking up "just one more thing" on the computer.

Have you ever walked away from someone who meant everything to you?

Yes, Ken when I was a teenager. But I was told by my sister that he had a new girlfriend when he went to college. (He didn't. He was told that I had a new boyfriend, I didn't.)

Do you ignore people when you're mad/upset with them?

No. I distance myself until they calm down when they are upset. I was a single mom of six, I don't get upset easily. (Mad is what happens to animals with rabies.)

Someone tells you that you're beautiful, you say?

Sometimes I say "Thank you". Other times I don't feel like I am, and deny it. (This is a result of years of being told what a waste I am. Those feelings do surface every so often.)

Did you talk to someone until you fell asleep last night?

Yes. Every night Ken and I talk until one of us starts to doze off.

Are you excited for summer?

It's mid August. We didn't get to go camping this year because of the trip to South Carolina to see Andrew graduate from Basic Training.  But I am looking forward to seeing the Appalachians and taking waaaay too many pictures! We already have our camping reservations for next summer!!

Do you think age matters in relationships?

Yes, I was in a relationship with a man 12 years older. We had no similar interests. Thankfully we lived across the country from each other, so I could do what I like to do and listen to the music I like to hear.  We only saw each other a total of nine weeks out of 12 months together, when I flew out there. Each time things were done his way. He felt that as the older one, and the man, he was in control.

Will you kiss anyone tomorrow?

At least five people. Six, if I force Matthew to let me kiss him. (He secretly likes it, but we've been playing this game since he was a teenager.)

Who was the last person you rode in the car with that was under 21? 

To church Saturday. That would have been Amanda.

Them driving? 

Andrew before he left for Basic Training, he drove our KIA. He loves driving her! Andrew was giving us a tour around the Adirondacks in Southern St. Lawrence County.

What do you tend to use all your money on?

The usual: bills, gas, rent, food; not much else. Sometimes books or e-books for my Kindle Reader on the Tablet.

Do you want to see somebody right now?

Several people. I would love to see "Mom". I haven't seen her in a few months. I can't wait to see Andrew!  I miss Ken while he's at work.

Who was your last text from?

Beverly. We were discussing the stage remodel at church.

How did your night go last night?

After getting home from the other side of the state at 12:15 the night before, We spent a quiet evening with family, as usual. And fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow. 

Do you like to go to the mall?

On occasion.  I'm not a big mall shopper. I don't like spending money, and it disappears too quickly at the mall.  Discount shopping for essentials is my thing. I get a rush when I save a lot of money!

If you could leave your town, would you?

I have left my town many times. I left my hometown to move to Albuquerque. Left Albuquerque to move to Guam. Left Guam to move to San Antonio. Left San Antonio to move to my hometown. Left my hometown to move near Erie Pennsylvania (Findley Lake). Left Findley Lake to move to Latham. After Jerome graduates, maybe. That is four years away. It depends on what house we end up with. I might love it, I might want to move to a town outside of Albany. I miss having chickens and a garden.

What do you do when you're upset?

Clean. Tear drawers and closets apart, and organize them. 

Do you want anyone out of your life?

Should I list them? Ken's ex, her son and daughter-in-law, my vengeful ex, my sister, Ken's brother, their children, my late brother's wife, my half brother. These people have no life of their own, and so they are dead-set determined to try to end our happiness. Sorry. It can't be done. (Really? Damaging the car? How childish.)  Trying to hurt us monetarily won't work either.  Money will never buy happiness. Trust me. I had money, I was miserable. For the last several years I have been comfortable, now I am still comfortable, and have the man whom I always loved. I do forgive these people each time they try to hurt us. They carry their own burdens that caused them the pain that they are showing through their cruelty.  I pity them because they don't know what it is like to love, or to be loved.  Key word: Love. That is why we are so happy!  We have more Love now than they all have known in their lifetimes.  I can't help but feel for them.

Have you spoken to your most recent ex today?

No. I can't. He is so hung up on himself and considers himself to be such catch, that if I even thank him for complimenting a picture of mine, he thinks I want him back. If I tell him I don't want him back, he says I have mental problems. Not worth the headache.

How many months until your birthday?

Three more months until my birthday present (Andrew) and I have our birthdays. That begins the string of birthdays for the next few months after that.

Who last called you?

William. He moved with his Dad in the Adirondacks when we left wine/farm country and moved to the suburbs. He calls me every day or so.

Have you ever crawled through a window?

Yes. At our old house in Findley Lake. We got locked out. I was the smallest so Matthew lifted me to the bathroom window.

Think of the last person you told “I love you” to, did you mean it?

William when we hung up the phone.  Of course I meant it!

What were you doing at midnight last night?

Snuggling with Ken.

Would you feel comfortable with short hair, or do you prefer long hair?

I don't like the look of short hair. I prefer long hair. Right now my hair is shorter than I like because I got a trim and lost several inches. And Ken wanted to see me in bangs.  It will grow out. I like tapered to mid-back, where it still has body and isn't weighing itself down.

Are you going to get hurt by a girl/guy anytime soon?

Nope. I have Ken, And he would never hurt me. He loves me too much.

What are your plans for tonight?

Ken and India have their weekly Dungeons & Dragons night at a local card shop. I make sure supper is ready when they get home from work, so they can head out right away. Then I just relax for the rest of the evening with the other kids. 

Do you think you will be in a relationship two months from now?

Of course!

Is there someone who you're attracted to?

Obviously. I have always been attracted to Ken.

What does your last received text message say?

It doesn't say anything. It can't talk. But  this is what is written: "Awesome!" (Again, having to do with the remodeling of the stage at church.)

When was the last time you were truly, completely happy with your life?

Right now!  I am at total peace with my life. As long as I have Ken and my kids I am completely content.

When's the next time you will see the person who absolutely takes your breath away?

Around 6 tonight, when Ken gets home.

What are you most looking forward to tomorrow?

Snuggling with Ken before he gets up for work. Laughing with Ken and the kids in the evening. Making homemade Kielbasa subs. Ken says they are the best he's ever had. He's Polish, so that means a lot! Snuggling with Ken at bedtime.

Is it easy to forgive and forget?

Forgiving is easy. It is also important so that you get rid of the bitterness, and move on. By not forgiving you are the one being punished. It has no affect on the person who hurt you.

But, it's important to never forget. Forgetting means you never learned anything from whatever happens. You shouldn't focus on it, but just tuck it in the back recesses of your mind in case you need to remember it later. And move on with your life.

A New Year With An Old Love

I can't believe another year has gone by so quickly and my life has changed so much in that time. After giving up on love and believing those who had claimed to love me, but would tell me that no one ever would, I am back with my first love.  Happier than I ever thought I could be and more in love than I thought was possible. We had lost one another for 35 years but found each other, and could only think of how we would manage to be reunited.  It took several months to figure out the logistics.

I owned my own rather large home, but was on year five of a never-ending battle to keep it, while my ex wanted it sold. My children were in a school that they loved.  But most of all, my church family meant the world to me. My entire family was heavily into volunteering there; my oldest was even their Tech Director.  However, I was never able to find a permanent job and worked a series of short term jobs. But we were happy.

My Sweetie was living a life of loneliness and working at a job he loved with the same company for almost three decades, and told me he often dreamed of one day finding me. Then I found him.

I gave up the fight for the house,  found homes for my dog, cats and remaining chicken. We packed everything we owned into storage, sent my minivan to my neighbour's home, until we get transmission work done. Two of my sons opted to live in the country with their Dad and my four remaining children traveled with us and our remaining cats, cockatiel, and dinner plate-sized red-eared slider. We downsized to an apartment in the city. Quite different from our almost 3000 square foot home and five acre property in the country.

We found a church we love; where my oldest is already involved in the tech department. Two of my kids have jobs, another changed her college plans and the younger one is loving his new school that has almost as many kids in his grade as his former school had in K-12 grades. My remaining children and I are closer than ever. We've had many  laughs and fun adventures and are taking part in all sorts of new activities.  But the best part for me is that I am back with the first boy I ever loved. My first serious relationship.  And for the first time in my life I feel like someone really loves me (besides my parents and my children).

I don't know how 2015 can be better than 2014. I can't wait to see what is next.

The Joys of Momhood

I hab a code.

It started fiercely enough. 

Jerome gave me his cough, when I risked snuggling with him.  It is one of those gross, hacking, flemmy coughs that leaves you looking around hoping that no one heard you.  The cough prevented me from volunteering in the pre-school at church last Sunday.

Now that I've stopped coughing as much, I have worked my way to frequent sneezing fits that go on for several minutes. 

And I'm pulling Barista duty at church on Sunday.

Well, I did encourage my children to share. 

So... in that case,

Thanks, Jerome. 

Valentine's Day History

I found this history of Valentine's Day over at Infoplease and thought I would share it with you. 

Pagan festivals, Christian saints, Chaucer's love birds, and the Greeting Card Association of America

by Borgna Brunner

Roman Roots

The history of Valentine's Day is obscure, and further clouded by various fanciful legends. The holiday's roots are in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, a fertility celebration commemorated annually on February 15. Pope Gelasius I recast this pagan festival as a Christian feast day circa 496, declaring February 14 to be St. Valentine's Day.

Valentines Galore

Which St. Valentine this early pope intended to honor remains a mystery: according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, there were at least three early Christian saints by that name. One was a priest in Rome, another a bishop in Terni, and of a third St. Valentine almost nothing is known except that he met his end in Africa. Rather astonishingly, all three Valentines were said to have been martyred on Feb. 14.

Most scholars believe that the St. Valentine of the holiday was a priest who attracted the disfavor of Roman emperor Claudius II around 270. At this stage, the factual ends and the mythic begins. According to one legend, Claudius II had prohibited marriage for young men, claiming that bachelors made better soldiers. Valentine continued to secretly perform marriage ceremonies but was eventually apprehended by the Romans and put to death. Another legend has it that Valentine, imprisoned by Claudius, fell in love with the daughter of his jailer. Before he was executed, he allegedly sent her a letter signed "from your Valentine." Probably the most plausible story surrounding St. Valentine is one not focused on Eros (passionate love) but on agape (Christian love): he was martyred for refusing to renounce his religion.

In 1969, the Catholic Church revised its liturgical calendar, removing the feast days of saints whose historical origins were questionable. St. Valentine was one of the casualties.

Chaucer's Love Birds

It was not until the 14th century that this Christian feast day became definitively associated with love. According to UCLA medieval scholar Henry Ansgar Kelly, author of Chaucer and the Cult of Saint Valentine, it was Chaucer who first linked St. Valentine's Day with romance.

In 1381, Chaucer composed a poem in honor of the engagement between England's Richard II and Anne of Bohemia. As was the poetic tradition, Chaucer associated the occasion with a feast day. In "The Parliament of Fowls," the royal engagement, the mating season of birds, and St. Valentine's Day are linked:

For this was on St. Valentine's Day,
When every fowl cometh there to choose his mate.

Tradition of Valentine's Cards

Over the centuries, the holiday evolved, and by the 18th century, gift-giving and exchanging hand-made cards on Valentine's Day had become common in England. Hand-made valentine cards made of lace, ribbons, and featuring cupids and hearts eventually spread to the American colonies. The tradition of Valentine's cards did not become widespread in the United States, however, until the 1850s, when Esther A. Howland, a Mount Holyoke graduate and native of Worcester, Mass., began mass-producing them. Today, of course, the holiday has become a booming commercial success. According to the Greeting Card Association, 25% of all cards sent each year are valentines.

More Valentine's Day Features

This is one fear I don't think I'll ever conquer

5:45am

That's what time it is right now and I'm as close to wide awake as I can get with less than an hour and a half of sleep.

I love the weather.

Rain?

Love it!  Walking in it. Sitting on a porch watching it. The scent of it. Everything about it!

Snow?

As long as I don't have to go anywhere, I love the beauty of it.  The shimmer of the sun on the crystals.  The frozen droplets on branches. I've been known to wander around in my PJs and boots in 20 degree weather, with one of my kids chasing after me with my coat because I've gotten so heavily into taking photos of snow.

Thunderstorms?

Definitely! I remember as a child sitting on the front porch watching thunderstorms. We never worried because of the lightning rod on the church steeple across the street.  Well, once a tree behind our house was hit and lost a branch. When I lived at Kirtland AFB a tree behind my house was hit while we sat in the carport, sending bark across five lawns. More recently, lightening hit the ground between the house and barn. It grounded with the wiring 3 inches under the lawn's surface, which connected the weather station with the gauges on the barn and, in the process, took out the back-up tower it was connected to (don't worry, Matthew always backs up his back-up). Matthew had just come inside from closing car windows so that one freaked me out.  I still love sitting in the sun room watching the storms roll up. I wish I could get a photo, but I've never been able to.

Wind?

Oh God No!

I live in a draw. A dip in the ridge where the wind comes off of Lake Erie and blows on my house 6 miles inland.  Constantly.  I wake almost nightly from the sound of the wind rumbling through the trees surrounding my house, in my oasis nestled in farmland.

Tonight is a bit different. We are getting a cold front rolling in from the Midwest and it's being led by high winds.  Okay, that is almost a nightly ritual but this time it's a little different.  We have a high wind warning.  No! Really?  No need to tell me.

I woke around 2:30am to the wind, like most nights. Only tonight is different. The wind keeps rolling in and getting stronger each time. It began with a sleep-ending distant light rumble as it made it's way across the field and through the cluster of trees I live in. Followed by the rattling of the cap for the smoke stack left over from the old pellet stove that once stood in the office. I laid in bed thinking "This too shall pass." No. It didn't.

My mind has gone crazy over the last few hours. With each relentless wave of wind I have laid in my bed listening to my house. The winds have increased as I've been listening for anything abnormal. The cap is still rattling. That's good. This means no rain coming down it and into the house.  No sounds of the rolled roofing over the addition peeling off.  This is good because the boys and I would hate to lose the roof over our bedrooms. The shingles. I know they are blowing off the older part of the house.  They always do and we find them scattered throughout our five acres and into the neighbouring corn field all of the time. What about the siding? That panel on the side of the house has blown off on everyone who ever lived here. It's still unattached so, I worry about the rest of the house.

Oh God! Please don't let my house be ripped apart.

The wind. Is that just the regular wind noise?  We are on the edge of Tornado Alley.  No train sounds.  No screaming of the wind. No fire siren going off in town a mile away. Every tornado has missed us because of the ridge we sit on. Should I be so cocky about this?  What if it jumps the hill and decides to land on the house?  What if it's a mile wide like they get in the Midwest and takes out all of the five houses in that swath?  Most of my neighbours are elderly. Would they be okay?  What would we do? We're on the front of the hill with the barn  on top of the hill 300 feet behind us. We would have to get behind the barn.  And it's bitterly cold out.  If the house gets wiped out, where would we go? North East? How would the kids get to school? That's the wrong school district and a long drive to Clymer.

I can't take this!  It has to stop!

Are the cars okay?  They are broadside to the wind with the van catching the brunt of it.  What if she tips onto the Subaru?  How will we get to church? Church. I was going to ride in early with Matthew but I haven't had any sleep and he stays for over four hours.  I have to stay home and try to sleep.  I don't want him taking the interstate. Subie will just be tossed around by these winds.  He needs to take the back way as long as there is no snow.  If it doesn't start snowing until after he gets home then we don't have to worry about Pennsylvania and their lack of snow removal. He'll have to pick up groceries for me, since I do my shopping on Sundays while I'm in town.

For the love of God, would it just stop!?

The house has been here for 113 years, I know she can take this. But she been beaten by the wind for so long, maybe she is too tired to anymore.  Was that the house shaking?  No. She can't be. She's firmly embedded onto the basement. It must have been Miss Purrty giving herself a bath on my bed.

Oh God!  Another gust.

Is she shaking? Miss Purrty ran off so that must have been the wind shaking the house.  Why is she shaking?  She shouldn't be shaking. According to the weather, our gusts are supposed to be 58+ miles per hour.  Damaging winds.  Well isn't that just ducky.

Jerome hasn't slept well since the custody battle and sleeps in my bed most nights.  I want to go downstairs. I can't take this anymore and I really think I'm going to go crazy.  But what if the roof gets ripped off while I'm downstairs?  Who'll rescue Jerome? Who'll rescue all of the kids? Six kids. What was I thinking that I can rescue all of them? Oh come-on. It isn't like they are babies. All I have to do is holler and they'll run out the door.  To where?  It's so cold out and the barn is so far away. The cars? They aren't safe in this wind.  Am I going around in circles on my panicking?  What about the pets?  Who do I rescue?  There are too many and the cats would panic and scatter.  It's too cold for Pepper. Cockatiels can't take cold.

STOP!!!!!  Why won't it stop?!?

That isn't a gust. That's prolonged wind. Okay. It's rumbling, but not train rumbling. No screaming of the wind. Just rumbling.  It's just wind - not a tornado. Oh God! It's wrapping around the house and blowing on my back window now!  Why won't it calm down so I can breathe between gusts? Why is the siren not going off?

Please God. It has to stop.  The sound is maddening.  MAKE IT STOP!!!!

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It's quieter down here. The sounds of the furnace coming from the intake vent are so comforting.  India is asleep on the couch.  She only slept in her room one night since coming home for Christmas break.  I hate that she has to go back to college on Tuesday.  Oh no! I have to drive her to the bus station in Erie in the snow!  In Pennsylvania!  No plowing there.

Romeo is sitting on the back of the chair, staring out the sun-room window, watching the wind by the glow of the street light.  Street lights through farm land to the state line - how odd.

Okay. That was loud.  I think a bird feeder just fell on the deck. I wonder if Outside Kitty is someplace safe.  I hate that he/she won't let us bring her inside where it's warm. Matthew is stirring. He's planned on leaving in another 70 minutes.

Matthew said the wind blowing on his room in the front of the house woke him before his alarm went off. He said he thought we were in a tornado too. He said he knows what my room sounds like in the wind and doesn't want to go in there. Coward.  That 4 foot pop-out making the addition wider than the rest of the house makes the wind sound terrible in my room. Like it's trying to rip the addition off after 39 years.

The wind is relentless.  It seems like it's getting stronger.  I'm so tired and want to go back to my bed.  I like my bed. It's so warm there. Matthew just made coffee.  Coffee or bed.  I know I'm not going in to church.

Seriously??  The house is groaning and creaking from that minute-long blast of strong wind... and here it comes again.

I'm still in the living room. Matthew is in the shower and the coffee is done.  I could grab the first cup. My favourite part of the pot. That would mean getting up and walking into the kitchen. I'm so tired.  The sky is turning grey out there with the sun trying to come up.  Basil, the ferret, knows I'm awake and it trying to get his cage open - he wants me to let him out so he can wander.  That would mean getting off the couch and walking across the room. I would love to call Johannes. He's usually awake about now, even though he is three hours behind. That would mean 4:17am his time. But that still is a walk to the kitchen to get the phone. I need to make a shopping list for India. I know I won't be awake if she calls me after service. She was planned on going to China Jade during Sunday School. I would love sweet and sour pork or a poo-poo platter. We haven't had Chinese food in forever. The coffee smells so good.

The wind is still powerful but I can see outside now and it somehow feels safer.  The trees are blowing about wildly outside the window.

7:27am  I managed to drag myself off the couch.  There was a loud bang on the deck.  A heavy wooden bench fell over.  The earlier sound wasn't a bird feeder, it was shingles landing on the deck.  I walked around  the house and checked things out.  We have branches down but the cars are still upright. I think the angle I left the tires at gave the van more stability.  She's rocking but protecting the Subaru by her mass.  I got some coffee, but it isn't helping.

Johannes' light came on Google chat. I'm going to call him.

Update: We have a plastic doghouse that was only used by Timothy (my beloved, late Maltese mix). Matthew just found the roof of it behind the house and the bottom up the hill near the propane tank.