Monday Monday~Veteran's Day Eve

 This was the sunset over Still Waters (still dry) Pond a few minutes ago!  This picture doesn't do it justice because I took it through the window instead of being outside.

It was too cold and windy to go out, so I had to make a choice to just do the best I could this way. It was really gorgeous!

Here's another reason I didn't want to go outside...Blackie was sitting right outside the window (from my Room with a View), and I didn't want to disturb him and make him move, which he would if I came out.   He was enjoying watching me work here at my desk  through the window, and I kind of loved having him there too.

Tomorrow morning is supposed to be down to at least 32 degrees, with a lower windchill.  I've been fretting over what to do about our porch kitties all weekend long.  Even though I know they have somehow survived cold winters before they became my porch kitties, I feel responsible for them now and I want to do whatever I can to make sure they have a warm place to go.  So early this morning I went out on the porch and turned it into what I hope will be a warm space for them:

These warm beds are under those chairs, which are covered with warm blankets...

They also have these wooden beds that my son made for them, and I turned them towards the wall, leaving space for them to go in and out, 

and put some warm blankets inside:

Blackie was definitely interested and curious about the whole setup...

And Sunshine was typically Sunshine...he doesn't get overly excited about new things and mostly spent the day laying in the "sunshine" and storing up warmth in his body I guess. LOL.  However, I did notice later that he was laying under the chairs and taking advantage of that warm spot out of the wind.

I've done the best I could with what I had to work with, and hopefully the kitties will take advantage of the places to keep warm tonight.  However they may opt to go crawl in a hole in the woods or under a house somewhere in the neighborhood for the night. As long as they are safe and warm, that's all I care about.  They are very independently minded and much like the proverbial horse..."You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink"....so we shall see where they end up for the night. At least my mind is at peace knowing I did what I could.

Other "excitement" in the neighborhood today...around noon we looked out the front window and saw this truck and trailer pull up in front of the house across the street.  It was loaded with aluminum roofing and framework, apparently for a carport. We thought they sure picked a cold, windy day to do this and it would probably take them all the rest of the day.  We finished our lunch and took a nap.  I was not feeling well after being out in the cold wind all morning...had a scratchy throat and was feeling kind of achey all over, and was concerned I might be catching a cold, so I decided not to go to the Ladies' Bible Study this afternoon as I didn't want to spread any germs.

About an hour or so later we woke up from our nap and looked out the window, and the carport was completely built, the truck and trailer gone, and we were amazed that it could be finished so quickly! Wow!

Also, note that there is a metal wheelchair ramp there next to the house. This was installed recently as well.  I don't know the man who lives there as he just moved in not very long ago, but he is elderly and I guess he felt it was time for a ramp.  That was also put together and installed rather quickly in one afternoon! It's amazing what can be done when you know what you're doing!  And actually our new next door neighbors in the new house next to us also just had a ramp installed the other day! The older man in the family is in his 80's, and the son, who may be in his early 50's, has some physical concerns, so I guess they felt it was time to have a ramp installed as well. We think about it here at our house because of course these manufactured homes are all up off the ground and we have to climb 5 or 6+ steps to get in our house.  I'd prefer a wooden ramp to match the deck, but I think they are more expensive, so we will just wait until we really need it. and probably have to get an aluminum one too.

Our neighborhood is starting to look like a  lot of "old folks" live here...oh! I guess we are! LOL.  

Now here's some young folks!  Our son Benton and our sweet daughter in love, Rose.  They came over for lunch after church yesterday, and we celebrated their 8th wedding anniversary, which is actually tomorrow, on Veteran's Day.   God was certainly smiling on the day He brought these two together...He knew what a blessing they would be for each other, and also what a blessing they would be together for us! We thank the Lord for them every day!!

Speaking of celebrations...Tomorrow is Veteran's  Day, and yesterday in church our Veterans were honored in a very special way.    

I took this picture before church, to show the stack of lovely quilts that were waiting to be bestowed upon our Veterans:

The flags are in front, signifying each branch of the service:

At the beginning of our church service, these ladies came up and to make this amazing presentation to our Veterans. These ladies are a few of the members of our Quilting Group that meets each week, primarily to make lap quilts for the Ronald McDonald house and also for Hospice patients.  But this past year they added a very impressive project to their group, making a full sized quilt for each veteran in our church:

One by one each veteran came forward and wa presented with his quilt:

Each quilt was uniquely designed for the branch of service. No two quilts were exactly alike.

This sweet man is 95 years old!

Some had to be delivered at home due to illness, and I don't have pictures yet of all of them,  but here's one special friend:

Here's a few pictures of the ladies who made the quilts...No, I am not a member of this group, but I truly admire them and appreciate all the hard work they do to bless so many. They make on the average well over 100-200 lap quilts a year for the children at the Ronald McDonald House and also those in different Hospice houses.

Here's pictures of the different quilts they made:

This quilt has many hands!  Signifying the many hands that went into creating each of these beautiful quilts!

Oh, this one has hands and feet!!  LOL and an arm!

Hey! That quilt has feet! (and fingers too!)

Aren't they all so amazing? I am so thankful for the hands and feet of  these ladies and the sacrifices each made to get all of these quilts done on time! That had to be no easy feat!

And I know the men who received them were all extremely humbled and blessed and thankful!

And we are thankful for them, the Veterans who sacrificed so much in their lives to keep our country safe and to help keep our freedoms alive and well.

May God bless all of our service men and women,  both active and retired, and may we never take our freedoms for granted.

At the close of our service we sang "America, The Beautiful".

It was a fitting end to a beautiful service,

and a fitting end for this post as well!

America the Beautiful

O beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America! America!

God shed His grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet,

Whose stern, impassioned stress

A thoroughfare for freedom beat

Across the wilderness!

America! America!

God mend thine every flaw,

Confirm thy soul in self-control,

Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved

In liberating strife,

Who more than self their country loved

And mercy more than life!

America! America!

May God thy gold refine,

Till all success be nobleness,

And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years

Thine alabaster cities gleam

Undimmed by human tears!

America! America!

God shed His grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

Amen!

To all our Veterans out there, Thank you! May God bless you each and every one!

• O beautiful for spacious skies,
  For amber waves of grain,
  For purple mountain majesties
  Above the fruited plain!
  America! America!
  God shed his grace on thee
  And crown thy good with brotherhood
  From sea to shining sea!

  O beautiful for pilgrim feet
  Whose stern, impassioned stress
  A thoroughfare for freedom beat
  Across the wilderness!
  America! America!
  God mend thine every flaw,
  Confirm thy soul in self-control,
  Thy liberty in law!

• beautiful for heroes proved
  In liberating strife,
  Who more than self their country loved
  And mercy more than life!
  America! America!
  May God thy gold refine
  Till all success be nobleness
  And every gain divine!

  O beautiful for patriot dream
  That sees beyond the years
  Thine alabaster cities gleam
  Undimmed by human tears!
  America! America!
  God shed his grace on thee
  And crown thy good with brotherhood
  From sea to shining sea!

• O beautiful for spacious skies,
  For amber waves of grain,
  For purple mountain majesties
  Above the fruited plain!
  America! America!
  God shed his grace on thee
  And crown thy good with brotherhood
  From sea to shining sea!

  O beautiful for pilgrim feet
  Whose stern, impassioned stress
  A thoroughfare for freedom beat
  Across the wilderness!
  America! America!
  God mend thine every flaw,
  Confirm thy soul in self-control,
  Thy liberty in law!

• O beautiful for heroes proved
  In liberating strife,
  Who more than self their country loved
  And mercy more than life!
  America! America!
  May God thy gold refine
  Till all success be nobleness
  And every gain divine!

  O beautiful for patriot dream
  That sees beyond the years