Summer Faves

 

Here it is Friday again!  Time to look back on the week and share FIVE of our Favorite blessings.  I had so many blessings this week.  But I'll share the top five and link up with Susanne at her blog.  Join us! 

FIVE FAVES

Dave pruning our cherry trees 

• SATURDAY WITH DAVE  Saturday morning, Dave had to get up on the very tall ladder that reaches to the roof to temporarily fix the gutter strip that had partially torn away from the gutter in last Thursday night's thunderstorm. I had noticed it Friday morning but he had to work all day so couldn't get to it that day.  After realizing he was going to have to call a gutter service (he temporarily tucked the strip into the edge of the gutter making a loop so it couldn't get loose again) he decided to then get the shorter ladder (he hates heights) to prune both of our  cherry trees.  He pruned/sawed and I carted all the branches to the backyard area where we store brush until it's dry enough to burn. Then we had other chores to tackle and the afternoon was a partial Sabbath rest for us.  For dinner, we dashed out to pick up Chinese food and then we watched the third movie in the Enola Holmes triology.  We agreed the first 2 movies were better, although we did enjoy the ending. I'm thankful we had a day for just the two of us and that we spent the morning getting a lot of yard work done. I'm also thankful for in-home date nights. 

 photo compliments of instagr*m

before 

• RESTORED  I never order from a site I see advertised on social media because the 2 times I did,the product ended up being NOTHING like what the ad showed and both items came from China and were poorly made.  One was a pair of sandals (one arrived with a broken heel!) and the other was a very poor quality dress I ended up trying to send back but of course the company refused to communicate with me.  My credit card company did agree to not charge me for the item.  Anyways, I saw this product on social media so did my own research into the company, read reviews and ordered directly from their website. I'm thankful I have this product because the results speak for themselves.  And it arrived within 10 days of ordering it. It doesn't get rid of gouges of course but look at the water damage in the above pic and look how the salve restored my kitchen cupboard!  I'm thankful I could buy this. 

after!

• EMERGENCY VISIT:  I woke up Friday morning with what I thought was a case of Patellar tendinitis or wicked shin splints. I iced the knee on and off all that day and didn't work out. On Saturday, my knee was feeling a burning feeling and my right foot was tingling and I had sciatic nerve pain going down the back of my upper right leg. So I knew right away....like in 2012...that this was a pinched nerve in the piriformis muscle (look it up) which is exacerbated by sciatic nerve issues. Thankfully, on Monday, after having wrapped it for 2 days, I was able to get into my amazing chiropractor for an emergency alignment and massage of the piriformis muscle with the hypervolt and some PT stretches for the upper thighs that she put me through. It was hell. BUT...when I stood up after she worked on me for 25 minutes, the tingling in my foot was gone, the pinched nerve feeling was gone and I only had mild upper back pain. She said the pain was coming from S1-S2 joints so not a disc issue like 14 years ago. I'm so thankful she considers me an established patient and I'm very thankful for good health insurance that gives me unlimited visits to the chiropractor. She wished me luck on the hike the next day and had me schedule a follow up for today (Friday). She thinks I overdid it with the daily power walking and no rest day and being on hard pavement made things worse. Her alignment of my lower spine brought on some upper back pain on the right side but that's pretty normal for me. 

  

  all wrapped for the hike! 

  
  

• HARD HIKE! Tuesday was a day my friend Joan and I had set aside to go hike a trail that's been on my bucket list for 10 years.  I'll be doing a separate post about Hoffman Notch but for now: it's the iconic Adirondack trail that most die-hard hikers like me wanna hike, but most don't. Why? because it's (per state measurements) 7.6 miles one way. In actuality, because of re-routes and major blowdown and the trail disappearing after the first 4.6 miles, it ended up being 9.05 miles and over 21, 786 steps!! Because we didn't want to hike south to north and then turn around (that would be 18 miles!!), we took Joan's car to the north entry point, then got in my car and drove to the south entry point, began hiking at about 9:30 AM from the south which is Loch Muller (town of Schroon, eastern lower high peaks region) and went north to Blue Ridge Rd in North Hudson (high peaks region).  We bascially were hiking a flat trail except in two spots, and came out at the exit point on Blue Ridge Rd at 6 pm.  We LOVED it. I had no physical pain, God showed up big time which I will write about in the actual hiking post sometime later today or this weekend. We were actually energized!  Which is odd.  We then got in Joan's car, drove south for 3 exits, got back to my car, changed into bathing suits right there in the wilderness (no one is around and we are 12 miles from civilization at this point).  Drove our cars to the Schroon Lake town beach (it's now about 7 pm) jumped in the lake to cool off, wash off the bug spray, got our bag of clean non-hiking clothes and shoes, went off to find bathrooms to change, then had a very late dinner (8 pm) at this fave spot before driving home and arrving at home at 10:45 pm.  We left my house that morning at 6:30 AM.  Long day but very rewarding, and we are super close, tightly knit friends now and it's day we will never forget. I thank God we were safe (we were the only humans in that trail system!!) and that we were able to get through the bushwhacking parts just fine. This was not a hike for my group SoulSteps. This was just 2 friends out hiking and it was perfect. God is good. Here are just a couple of pics to show you and the whole hike will be in a separate post with all of our pics. 

about to start this hike!
Joan and I at about 9:30 AM Tuesday 

This is what the trail looked like for most 
of the 4.5 miles to the Big Marsh
which is the half-way point going from south to north
very narrow and thick vegetation

To clarify: to hike through a notch means to hike a narrow gap or like this trail, to hike through a deep depression between 2 mountain ridges/peaks.  We hiked between the Hoffman Mt /Blue Ridge range and Washburn Ridge. 

Beautiful Big Marsh at about 4.3 miles in
Hoffman Mt is in the background 
(no trail to summit) and it stands at 3,693'
so almost a high peak 

we had to trek through this
yes, this is the trail.......
totally overgrown for about a half mile
after leaving the marsh 
at this point we have another 4 miles to go

This is what most of the "bridges" were like...
walking a balance beam....this was a "dry" section of the brook
Most of the stream crossings involved knee high or higher water
In the hiking post later this weekend, I will explain why at this point I am wearing
an ace bandage on my left leg

THE END!!  9.05 miles hiked
This is the North End where Joan's car was parked. 
We were thrilled we actually succeeded and did the entire trail
end to end....most people turn around at Big Marsh and go back
on the "Easy" part of the south end. 

Schroon Lake about 7:15 PM
The lake felt so good! The air was getting chilly.....

• PHONE CALLS:  my pastor's wife and I talked by phone on Wednesday evening. I was able to share with her about the hike and what God did during it. It was a great conversation and I'm so very thankful for my church leadership. They are the real deal and so trustworthy!! I am thankful I can call them friends. And on Thursday morning, my friend Joan called me to check on something and share a Scripture with me. I'm so very thankful for these friends in my life. And then last night, my very dear friend and therapist from years ago, called me to hear my news about Tuesday and she said she was so happy to hear how God showed up. She informed me that recent psych research has shown that people who have endured spiritual/church abuse have more damage to their souls than the s*xual childhood abuse.  She said because I had both,  this is one reason it took so long to work through.  We ended up praising God together. I never want to take my close, intimate friends for granted. I'm so very grateful for their care. 

That wraps up my week.  

What about you? what made you say Thank You, God? 

because of this .......

 

As a little girl.....and then a teen....and then an adult........this Scripture has been one of my top 10 faves

I've always been drawn to the mountains........

my childhood home was in the foothills of the Adirondacks...the largest publicly protected park in the lower 48 states....larger than Yellowstone,  Glacier, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon combined. Let that sink in for a moment. 

my childhood family camp, until I was about 17, was in the southern Adirondack region.....close to many amazing mountain lakes and trails.....

for 10 days every July, from age 7-18, I was at our church's conference camp.....outside of Saratoga Springs....it was where I became a Christ follower (during the end of the  Jesus Revolution movement) and in my last year of church camp, I climbed my first ADK High Peak: Giant Mt.  That's really when I fell in love with this Scripture and with climbing. Even though we only had sneakers on and nothing but one water bottle each (what were our youth group leaders thinking??) we scaled that mountain and had a praise service on top......it's where I felt safe.....

Giant Mountain,  the ADK's 12th highest peak
elevation 4627"
I climbed that in 1978
this photo is one I took from the summit of Rooster Comb in 2020...
.....where is a fantastic view of Giant Mt and other high peaks
Since then, I have climbed to Giant's Nubble which i think is the 2nd point from the summit, 
going towards the right in the pic. 

Now? 

People ask me all the time why I get up at the crack of dawn (typically) and drive 2 hours to hike a 6 mile mountain. 

this is one reason: 

.....i like challenges....most of the peaks I summit are not like this one pictured..... I just happen to connect with the quote......

they are most like this one.......and it's because of this, I hike......

summit of Cascade Mt High Peak at 4098' elevation
August 2020

the views........the challenge.......

yup.....you have to climb up this and there's no ladder! 
Cascade Mt the "easiest" High Peak to climb in the ADK
this is where I have to walk sideways down so the discs
and the knees and the toes are not injured  
(of course I didn't know this until about 10 yrs ago) 

you must scramble up this 

or when you are on Rooster Comb Mt, which is one of my favorite mountains in the entire ADK High Peaks region, although it isn't  a peak that is over 4000' high, you actually get a bit of help before the final ascent: 

heading up Rooster Comb Mt

Is it worth it, people ask me? even my hiking group friends who only feel comfortable hiking on flat trails (which by the way is perfectly fine....any trail is an adventure!) cannot understand the pull of the mountain summit to me.......

is it worth it? 

Well...yes.......look: 

my niece Mady and I on the edge of Rooster Comb summit 

Mady and I on the summit of Hopkins Mountain, 3156' high
High Peaks region of the ADK 

I mean...look at the beauty!  That's God's art work! and I feel safe on a summit.....

it's because of this......seeing Him in the world He created.....it's where I feel closest to God.......and I feel safe.......

.........and honestly.....this past month, there's been a disconnect.......I've only hiked 4 mountains so far this year and I'm feeling antsy about getting on a summit again......And out of those 4, only one was over 3000' high (Haystack in Vermont). 

I have hiked 17 different trails since March with the SoulSteps group, or solo. 

But the mountains are calling to me, because God is calling me and I know there's this thing ...this obstacle in my life that I have to face......and in the mountains, I feel safe.......

..........and maybe with the hike that's coming up this week in the deep wilderness surrounded by my beloved mountains, I can finally release this to the One who made it all......

......maybe, because of this, I will "feel" that deep connection again......

because of this, maybe I will feel safe again........

on Rooster Comb Mt
looking at Marcy, our state's highest peak
because of this............i find God.........

AUGUST FAVES

 

The first Friday of August! August starts my fave hiking weather....I love August through mid-December....so many changes come with these months.  

I also love that it's still Summer and time to look for the blessings from the week.  I link up with Susanne's blog to participate in the FFF each week, intentionally looking  for the things God blessed us with. 

FIVE FAVES

from one of his oldest friends

from back to front: Hannah and her hubby Scot
Prem and Anita; Dave D

backyard ice cream bash
in photo:  starting on left:  Claire
our nephew Luke, Tyler and Courtney, Dave
not shown: my 2 sisters Joy and Jill and Jill's hubby Mike
Nathaniel and Peter D.  

• PARTY!  Last Friday evening was the party the girls and I planned for Dave's 60th birthday.  He wanted to keep it small and said he just wanted his closest guy friends plus our nephew (my sister Joy's son) and Courtney's college friend Nathaniel.  Dave's closest friends are Peter,  Brian Q, Dave D, Prem, Scot, Nathaniel. Because we've spent a lot of time with my youngest sister Jill and her husband Mike (who helped build our deck!), we invited them too. We all had a blast making our own ice cream sundaes (I had 6 different flavors including 3 that were non-dairy).  It was far too humid to have a bonfire going but between the ice cream and the cold drinks, we kept cool. Dave was thrilled to receive cards and  one gift (even though I wrote on the invites "Your presence is preferred over your presents).  The girls also got him gifts as did I.  I'm thankful we had a fun evening to celebrate my husband. 

• ORANGE CREAM COLD BREW:  All of my friends know I'm over the top obsessed with coffee, orange flavor, and cherry lime flavor.  I was at Target this past week and we have a *$ in ours and I happened to see a sign that said new flavors.  Orange Cream for cold brew was one of them!  I of course had to get one.  I got mine with almond milk and OMGOSH it was like sipping coffee heaven....the orange cream cold foam tasted just like a creamsicle.  Without the  sugar and calories. I had them do just one pump of the vanilla syrup. I'm thankful I had money on my *$ app and that it was so refreshing on a hot, humid day. 

• WORDS OF WISDOM:  My counselor-friend Cheryl had texted and emailed me this week and her words of wisdom really helped and encouraged me. And then our pastor's wife also sent me an encouraging text and I'm just so thankful for friends who tell you they're praying for you and have words of wisdom from God's Word to help. The thing I most appreciate? They both know and have experienced what I'm walking through.  

• MOVIE:  Dave was away all weekend into Monday morning to visit his mom in MA and I couldn't go as I had a commitment on Sunday morning. In the late afternoon, I decided to see what was new on Netflix and found this movie. Oh my.  It's SO very good. A nice, clean, family drama based on a true story!  Hillary Swank was marvelous in this movie. It's a bit of a tear-jerker but it isn't sappy at all.  It was refreshing to see a good clean movie and I'm thankful Netflix is offering more of this type of thing. 

Black Lake at Cherry Plain State Park
eastern NYS

sand, sunshine, and solitude 

• SOLITUDE:  The plans I had with my sister Hope and youngest daughter Claire for Thursday fell through due to Hope's area of the state experiencing thunderstorms.  Our storms weren't expected until about 5 pm so on the spur of the moment, around 9 AM, I decided to drive 40 minutes east to a state park I like because during the week there's hardly anyone ever there. Sure enough, after I swiped my Empire Pass, I drove to the beach lot and I was the only one there besides one of the park rangers who was doing yard work. I passed by 2 campsites that were occupied and in the distance I saw a woman swimming from the other side of the lake. I was the only one on the beach for about 45 minutes and I was so thankful.  I had time to do some journaling, praying, reading and then just 1 mom walked over from their campsite with her 2 elementary aged children who played quietly in the sand and shallows of the lake. It was what my body and soul needed....some sand, some sun, the fresh cold mountain water (I went in 3 times cause the heat and humidity felt like 90 degrees F) and solitude. I'm thankful for our NYS parks and for the beauty God has made. I'm thankful I could spend the morning at the lake. 

Those are the special blessings that made me smile and say "Thank You, God". 

What about you? What good things did God bring into your week? 

The Driftwood Lesson

 

Moreau Lake State Park 

It was just lying there..........

..................stuck on the sand with the waves gently rocking it but not going anywhere........

..............bark stripped bare...........

A smaller piece next to my chair and I pick it up because it's rare to see driftwood at this state park lake. I was alone with my thoughts after hiking a small mountain by myself, asking God to reveal some things.....things that remain a mystery to me but ones that also are such a part of me........

and when I saw the driftwood, I wondered about it.........

I was not at a natural lake.........it's man made and the only time there are waves is when the wind is blowing strong......because no power boats are allowed on the lake........or jet skis.............................

How did it get to the more private side of the lake? 

Away from children playing marco polo and lifeguards blowing whistles and parents cooking on grills smoking hot and fragrant from charcoal...........

Why was there only one piece? Where was the tree it dropped from? 

Is it birch, beech, oak or maple? I know it isn't pine.

and I thought back to childhood when we would collect driftwood from the rugged shore of the Great Sacandaga and my mother would create artful pieces from the bits and have them all around the camp and on the coffee table at home.......lovingly crafted by hands that worked hard. 

and I thought about how I learned about driftwood.....and what love is and isn't. 

Driftwood happens when pieces of a tree are blown off due to storms and are then tossed and turned over and under the waves of a  lake or the ocean. 

The bark is stripped bare.....exposed to sunlight and fades slowly over time......

.......like my soul is stripped bare after being exposed to abuse and betrayals and it will slowly fade.........the memories......over time. 

Some already have. 

That's God. That's Love. He reaches down to break my heart into fragments and they're tossed and turned by all the emotions of grieving a loss.....loss of innocence and loss of trust. 

And when those emotions are all twisted up? 

He loves anyway.

Scripture says God is Love.

Victor Hugo (in Les Miserables c.1862) says "to love another person, is to see the face of God". 

But love doesn't hurt, doesn't abuse, doesn't lie, doesn't betray

Love, instead, is patient. Is kind. Is not rude, jealous or prideful. 

Love doesn't fail.

And it endures forever.......the gift of Love. 

And I am beginning to realize that God still loves me even with the distance I feel in my heart. And I know....I just know one day soon, He will take those twisted thoughts and emotions and straighten them out, bundle them up, and set them afloat......

to become like driftwood.

and the friends He's placed in my path this summer? 

They may say hard things to me.......Truth......but they're doing so out of a place of Love. ........and when I see them........their faces.......I see God in them. When I read their emails, or texts, I sense God in them. 

While my soul is stripped bare.......

..........and I struggle between survival and surrender......

they are patient. they are praying. 

and I can see the face of God in them......

.............because that's Love. 

Please note: the above sculpture pieces are from an exhibit at MASS MoCa this summer that I was fortunate to get to with my husband and oldest daughter. This particular exhibit is titled Spatial Poems by the artist Cecilia Vicuna, Sam Fresquez, Lola Ayisha Ogbara (Scars Insist on Being Remembered)