Cedar Rapids

July 26 - 31 Don and I had the privilege of serving on a disaster relief team in the Cedar Rapids area. The people of Cedar Rapids have suffered a severe flood, destroying an area of 19 sq. miles. The flood reached a 500 year level of destruction. The little we could contribute in the short time we were there included, mucking out crud, removing destroyed interiors of 4 homes, pulling countless nails, listening to the victims of the flood tell their stories. We continue to pray for our new-found friends. Their agony continues.

A mystery flower

This lovely, fluffy flower was blooming in our yard. I'd seen it before but did not know what it was. We got our answer at the Plant Clinic at the Morton Arboretum. It is a fernleaf peony, which comes only in red!

Roses theme: New page on site!

We have placed a Roses Theme page on our site and will be adding more there each day. Your fireplace may be used less in the coming months, yet you may want to decorate it with one of our lovely stained glass fireplace screens by Meyda.

Weather

There is an old jingle from my youth: "You gotta have weather, whether or not, whether it's cold or whether it's hot! It has been about 8 degrees all day with gently falling snow as well. Amazing that Don just got back from the Wheaton, Il. area and he only encountered snow after getting to the Walgreens in Sandwich. It is also a wonder to me that the finches feeding in our back yard can survive the extreme temperatures. I found a sweet heart basket for a picnic for 2! It is classy and has the necessities for picnic for 2 (not the food or drink, but accessories). A little late for valentine's day, but would make a great gift for a wedding or an anniverary. I just put it on sale at ForMyHomeMyCastle.com.

Family!

The Christmas holidays are long past. We enjoyed the visits we've had with our friends and family. New Year's Eve weather was not nice here. We all agreed to stay at our own homes and avoid the hazards other people's celebrations. We continue to add products to our site. We have added more lamps and some stained glass firescreens. We found a delightful Wood Duck window, new to our site.