ALREADY MIDDLE OF JULY!

Summer in the Willamette Valley has come late, or not at all. We did have a few days of 80-90 degree weather, but have been cool, following a nice rain to water our garden...garden?? what garden. The seeds don't want to sprout, what did, some nice furry or feathered creation of God's pulled out of the garden and laid them neatly by their rows. Or, as of last night, a deer ate our zucchini !!! This pic shows Vern right behid our house.

Vern is good about not starting to hay until enough days are forecast without rain, so he can get it all sold out of the field with no rain. He was successful, once again. Around here, I've been told that others wait to see when Vern starts his haying. That's quite a compliment. It is so nice to sell it out of the field! We don't pick it up, except 50 bales, for our son's horse, and he and his wife picked it up and me or Vern drove tractor.

Olen called the other night and invited us to a catfish dinner. Would love to have taken him up on that. Told him it was a little too far to drive for dinner. Good to hear his voice.

Have been emailing Kay and Woody, who are enjoying their first year in their house at Twin Falls. We would have loved to go to Darla and Robert's wedding on June 11, my birthday, but we were on Grandson, horse, 3 dogs and farm duty in Central OR at that time. Sounds like their wedding was wonderful.

Wendell keeeps up on things. Was sorry that he lost his mother recently. She has had no quality of life for some time, and they took turns being with her til she passed. From the articles he sent, it sounds like Quartzsite's political machine needs a good oiling. But then we kind of suspected that for sometime, didn't we!

Vern is getting excited about the good speakers we have for the meeting this year...the 2nd annual 'Eight Days of Spiritual Feasting.'

Our children and grandchildren pay us no mind when they plan their babies to be born, and one is due on Thanksgiving Day ( a little brother for the one you met this past winter...Katie's) and another one, yet to be announced, LEGALLY, by their request, to be born in February. That is really going to mess up our time in Q. this year, but family is very important to us, if you didn't already know that.

Reg just had nose surgery to remove -or maybe clean out-??some "filter" thingys we have up our nostrils, that were plugged up. It was a day surgery and he is home now. Linda says he is doing better than feared. She had a big skin cancer removed from her face, and the dr. took 20 stitches (tiny and tight) so she should heal wonderfully.

Vern is anticipating shoulder surgery before we return to Q.

He is at a shepherd's meeting (aka elders meeting)...tonight, and I WAS GOING TO RUN some errands, but I am tired! I don't want to even WALK the errands. :) So think I'll stay home and vegetate.

Bill and Darlene visited with Reg and Linda and went on their way to WA. (we were out over the Mts. at our sons house) and did you know they bought a 3 b-room house in Sierra Vista. AZ close to Bill's daughter? How fun!!!

Please let us hear from you....in this blog or our email, vjmiebach@peak.org

love to you! God be with you, till we meet again!

Starting to get a pull towards home.......wherever that is..:)....?

Well, I think all of us snowbirds hear the call of home ....some are leaving from our little church family. MaryEllen and Noel Teague, Mary and Ken Blankenship, Teresa and Jim Miller, Anne and Don Harnisch. Fran Ruppe and her husband have sold their place here and are moving to Del Rio, TX. They lived their several years back. I love Fran's consistent devotion and attendance in our congregation and will miss her a lot.

The Ground Hog could not possibly have seen his shadow on Feb 2nd, with all the snowstorms, so Spring should be early. Today it is snowing and cold in our

home base of Albany, OR. burrr....!

It has been a wonderful year here this year, church wise and weather wise. Our Gospel Meeting was wonderful and kept us Spiritually fed, but with a built up appetite, we were kind of lost for awhile, with only the regularly scheduled services. We are already excited about speakers for next year!

Our Ladies' Bible Class has been going very well and has been a blessing to all of us. We had a salad luncheon today, following our class, in honor of the group of ladies leaving tomorrow.
We have consistently been having 12-14 attend. (We started with four I think.)

Next year we hope to have a mid-week service, maybe on Thursday or Tuesday night, so we can still go to Olen and Edie's on Wed. night, also

Just wanted to share the good-will and love we have grown into this year!
God's blessings on all.

Eight Days of Spiritua Feasting, Gospel Meeting

We are feeling full in our hearts! The feast of spiritual food has been greaten. We have enjoyed having Darrell Decker as our guest from the congregation where Reg & Linda and Vern & I attend. He spoke Monday night, and we had right at 40 there. Then he will speak again tonight, Wednesday. Vern and Reg will get him back, via airplane out of Phoenix, to his family in Albany. They are missing him.

Jim Miller and his wife, Teresa, are staying at the church's lot, and he spoke Sunday at 2 and is again on Fri and Sat. nights. Gerald Molzahn is speaking in Victor Rodriguez's place on Thur. and Wendell has Sundays and spoke Tues. night also. Different styles of presenting. but taken out of the same Holy Bible.

The weather turned off really warm for January. Has been over 80 and we are fanning ourselves, but is so good for this meeting, and the QIA POWWOW SHOW, and all the other million vendors, etc. This place is hopping busy!

Vern and I just set and grin because this is soooooo good soul-food!
More later

We have had a great two months of worshipping and fellowshipping and planning for our first annual (we hope) Gospel Meeting. It will be held January 16-23rd, and is suppose to have 4 guest speakers, but just found out today Victor Rodriguez, of Wenden, AZ will not be able to participate. He is scheduled to go to Sunset Lecturships and didn't realize the conflict in times. Oh well, it will work out.
We have had lovely warm blue-sky weather, until about a week ago...Burr! it has frozen the last 4 nights. Days are cooler also. This is a result of that cold streak coming down from the N.W. area. (why do you think we're here!)

Two couples from this congregation bought seventy new chairs for us They are burgundy in color, have a rack under them for Bibles/or songbooks, and they have a comfy four inch pad. We all told Wendell that he could talk longer now, but he hasn't taken us up on it yet.

A group of us had Christmas dinner together, played some table games, and had great Blue-Grass Pickin' too. Then we did the same thing for New Year's Eve, but we didn't start until 7:00 so that we could last until after midnight. Only half of us stayed until then. We beat on pots and pans outside, but didn't hear anyone else. Think everyone went to bed early.

We have had more people at an earlier time than most years, so that is encouraging to us.

Hazel and Paul Swangel, long time dear members who live in Iowa, had to make an emergency
return to the ice, cold and snow of Iowa because their youngest daughter, Laura, is seriously ill in ICU with pneumonia and the affects of her body trying to shut down. She is hanging on, but the doctors are cautious with offering much encouragement. She appears to be showing some tiny bits of improvements. Many are praying for her.