I am getting my DINING TABLE CHAIRS on Thursday! Only 13 months since we moved in! NOTE: If you have sat on a stool or a folding chair, or a kitchen chair, or whatever else we could find…my apologies…and an invitation to come back and sit on my new chairs…that are cushioned…and the correct height…and all matching!

Picture of them in place coming soon!!!

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I have jury duty this coming week. I really do not mind doing it. I think it is a responsibility we all have. But, it is so annoying to sit and wait and wait and wait for lawyers and judges to work things out. Maybe it won’t be so bad this time…we’ll see.

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Sweet Tara went back to work last week. It’s been hard for her to leave the baby, and I can certainly understand that! He’s the cutest thing! Joy and her MIL are keeping him while she works. She works with a very kind and understanding group of girls, as well as the doctors…so I’m sure they will help her get through these hard days. They all work together very well…such a blessing for Tara.

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There is a new service available on the internet, and I am passing the info on to you, because I am sure you can use it, too. The site is www.wiregrasshealth.com
This is a service that lists all the doctors, clinics, hospitals in the Wiregrass Area. FYI: The Wiregrass Area consists of: ALABAMA…Dothan, Ozark, Enterprise, Troy, Eufaula*****GEORGIA…Valdosta, Tifton, Albany, Thomasville, Moultrie*****FLORIDA…Marianna, Lake City, Tallahassee. Other cities in this area will be added as information becomes available.

What makes this site different from others, is the ease of navigation throughout the site and the wealth of information in one place. Here you can find all the doctors in a certain speciality, choose the one that meets your needs, and then find out all the info you may need. You can see his address, directions to his office or clinic, education, what hospital he is affiliated with, a picture, other doctors in his practice, and how his patients rate him on about 10 different areas. This is all free of charge and it is also extremely easy to email the info to another party.

The service will soon be available in Miami, Atlanta, Nashville, and the Triangle area of North Carolina.

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And, finally, I was just wondering…can you do this?

I think I’ll live here…

…swim here…

…visit here…

…take a nap on this…

…worship here…

…have these adoring dogs around me…

…Wear these…

…and these if its cold…

…Oh, and THIS…I’ll wear this, of course…

You can join me, if you like! But, the crown is all mine!

I do not like the cold. That is not news to you if you have read Gatherings for any time at all. And, I do not like a cold bathroom. Big news, huh? Every morning I must turn up the heat in the bathroom before I can go in to get a shower. Because I have a husband who believes that every room in the house needs to be near freezing in order to have a restful nights sleep. He believes it…I don’t. However, I let him live with his illusions to keep peace in the home.

I love the Creek House. I am so thankful for the Creek House. I am blessed to be living in the Creek House. But, because of the kind of water heaters we put into the house (and the DH researched it long and hard)…it takes a few l-o-n-g moments for the water to warm up enough to step in to it. Which is not so traumatic in the spring…or summer…or even fall. But, in the winter…it is an uncomfortable state of being!

So, you will not be surprised when I tell you that once I can finally get into the shower, I am sufficiently chilled to the bone…being without coverings and all. And, it takes a good while for my ‘self’ to warm up once that warm water and I meet!

When I saw this little cartoon…it reminded me of these facts. And, I thought I would share them with you. Not that I think for even a second that it matters one whit in the world if I have a cold bathroom! But, I thought you would enjoy the cartoon…and it just seemed kind of strange to just post the cartoon with out some lead in to it. But, on second thought…it may have been just as well.

FYI: I do not do too well on ‘float’ and ‘meditate’……..I’m just saying…

Right before Christmas, I received a book in the mail. Upon opening the package, I saw it was from an antiques dealer in Savannah. I had purchased several pieces of furniture from him, and also a piece of his artwork.

The canvas I purchased is full of color, and I could see what he was trying to capture as he explained it to me while I was in his gallery. So, I brought it home with me and hung it in the hallway, right outside the doors leading to my bedroom. In the afternoon, the sunshine comes through the bedroom window and hits it in such a way that the whole painting glows.

As I flipped through the book, I was surprised to see my painting depicted there.

There was a picture of the painting, along with a description of what the artist was thinking…

Also included was an inscription from Vincent.

I had recently bought an easel for the library, and this was a perfect place to display the book. I kind of laughed at the final line that said ‘from the private collection of Tonja Owens.’

What exactly would be considered worthy of an art collection? I really don’t have a lot of fine art. This piece and 2 others are all that I would consider ‘fine’. I do have some other original art that I am very fond of. And I have some vintage wooden artifacts that are very valuable to me…and probably only me. Yes, I would consider them art. I have some fabulous photography that is certainly considered art. I also have several artifacts from Africa and South America, given to me by my parents, that would fit in the category also.

So, maybe I do have an art collection. For certain…it is mostly valuable only to me. But, that’s as it should be, isn’t it?

Tomorrow the weather here could reach the low 70’s, so I feel very sure our chances of snow in the foreseeable future are 0 to none! Of course, we will have a few more cold snaps, but nothing like before. Probably. Most likely. Which is fine by me! I am not a fan of the cold weather.

So, I’m taking this chance to post some of my favorite snow pictures…and then, some snow jokes. The last one is a little risque…but it is also cute…I hope it doesn’t offend anyone. I feel sure it was done in the spirit of fun.

Typical Snowman…

This one’s for you, Pop!…

Still, sleepy, snowy, sheep…

A Two-Horse Open Sleigh…

Fido’s Freezing…

Abandoned…forgotten…desolent…

The Glory of the Lord is ALWAYS on display!

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“AH-CHOO!”

Amanda learns the REAL Edmund…

A Cold-Hearted Burglar

The US Surgeon General told you, too!

Bless their little hearts…and every other little part!

I have no words except, he must have done it for love…
Hope you are staying warm!