WHAT A DIFFERENCE...

A week can make a big difference. Last week I posted pictures showing the beauty of fresh snow, when I didn't have a care in the world. Today, things could have been very different!

We've had very high temperatures since the weekend. Records have been set on several days. Today, the winds were predicted to pick up, and pick up they did, as the transition back to more seasonal temperatures occurred! I was talking on the phone when I felt (and heard) this THUMP! I had previously been looking out the windows and had seen trees rocking in the whistling wind. I felt very relieved that, just a few weeks ago, we had hired a friend's son to take down a dead tree that was near our garage; this would appear to be the type of day that could have brought it down.

So, while still talking on the phone, I began walking through the house looking out again. In the front yard was a large dead tree, with its top end near the porch. As soon as I finished the telephone conversation, I went outside to inspect the damage...

I found one piece of the tree - a small branch from the top that had apparently broken off in the fall - on the porch roof.

There was also one piece on the bottom step of the porch.
























































There appears to be no damage! If the angle had been slightly different, it could have really done some harm to the porch and the house.

In addition, the top of a smaller tree broke off and fell near our well cover. Although much less potentially disastrous, that little structure does not seem to be damaged either.

God protects us and cares for us. There are those who would say, when a tree does fall on a house, or perhaps when someone dies in a tragedy while others are spared, that God doesn't care, that He's not paying attention, or that He's busy with something else. But, God is good all the time. Let me never forget that as 2008 comes to age, with its benefits, its challenges, and undoubtedly its trials.

IT'S SO NEW!!

I really like new things! Most of the cars I've bought have been new. I've purchased some items at garage sales, but most of it just looks too "used" to really consider. There's something about being the first to open the box, to remove the protective wrapper or the little clear plastic sticker that prevents scratching. And, if it's an electronic device, there's the unmistakable smell of silicon when it's new!

In Brasher Falls, our New Year arrived with a fresh, significant blanket of new snow! We got about 12-14 inches, at least in our yard. And now, it's well below zero, with bright clear skies. What a gift!

Like others, I'm sure, I have some resolutions for 2008. I'll not trouble you with them, and I'll not claim that I'm going to stick to all of them, since that often is not the case. But, I do have plans to make 2008 a better year than 2007, as much as lies in my power with God's help.

Next week it's supposed to warm up; the snow will melt, settle, and get coated with a layer of dirt. The month of January will hit double digits and start to feel comfortable. We'll write the correct year on our checks. My spring semester will start...

But for now, it's pretty outside, and I'm still "on break." The year still smells new to me.