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.

FALL MAKES US THINK OF YOU, EVEN MORE!

Oh, falling leaves, acid smell from the ground, trees turning lovely colors...it's my favorite time of the year! Autumn. We begin putting items aside that we want to take with us on our Snowbirding trip to Quartzsite: this pile for the church buildings or property, this pile for our place. We just transport things from there to OR and other things from OR to AZ. Kind of funny.

Vern just got back from spending a wonderful time in the deep mountains with our two boys. He is just a tiny bit cranky at having to come back to REALITY. But, this is reality: farm fences not hot today, air out of a tractor tire, dog's been to the vet and costing more money, things to attend to at Albany church that occurred during his absence, a big bill for fixing a small thing on the car. You know, just the normal.

The Quartzsite church of Christ has not gained financially during the summer. Perhaps some of us mean to make up our pledges when we get back. "Life" can also cause a drop in the donations. We've made a big commitment and had a great first year of donations. I have been looking at someway of making some extra money that we can give. Our children, g.children, Albany church, missionaries, etc. have needed a lot of help lately, as probably most of you are experiencing the same thing. This will be a test of our faith in God's word, when he says, "Bring in the whle tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, "if I will not open for you in the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until there is no more need."Malachi 3:10.

Linda Herrings son had his double lung transplant and is doing well. She has been in Tucson for a month, and should be coming home this week. Think Reg might be tired of bachelor life.

Our contacts with the body of Christ which meets in Quartzsite has not been very good lately. Our summer-from June 7-to Aug.28-was spend with a five year old grandson at our house most every day and some nights. Our accomplishments were great though: "we" went from a beginner 'white belt' to an orange belt in Karate for Kids, "we" got a medal for our first year of T-Ball, and "we" learned to swim without a life jacket on, even jumping into the deep end of the pool! "We" also learned to cut with scissors, and immediately trimmed a doll's hair! "We learned to write our name: Conagher. It's not an easy name to write. When I wrote it hurriedly one time, he pointed out that I had left out the "g."

Check in: tell us how you are doing, and we can send it out in this blog..or not.
We love you all and are looking forward to another successful year working in God's little kingdom at Quartzsite.

Hello to the Quartzsite church of Christ, scattered all over the United States.
As soon as we get back to our biological families, we surely get "occupied" don't we!
Vern and I have been on grandchild and dog and horse duty for our youngest son, for 4 weeks now. Not doing too good, either. ha. We sold one of their horses, the grandson has a ecky nose cold, and one of their dogs attacked one of the others, and we have vet bills.
Oh well! That's life...ours anyway.
Vern is haying our fields now. The grass is lovely, but thought we'd never get to hay because we had so much rain in June and the ground is still wet; however, the hay cured out nicely. Baling more today, tomorrow, and to infinity....well, it just seems that way.
Not nearly as much to cut/bale as we used to have.
It was hard planting a garden, for the same reasons, rain, showers, sprinkles, INTERMITTENT SPRINKLES WITH RAIN. Our weather people come up with novel ideas to relay the same message...RAIN!

Heard from Pat Coffey, and Bob's mother passed on. They were very close to her, and he lost his dad not too long ago. They would be celebrating their 70th anniversary, and she wanted to be with him for that! Here is their address/phone in case you care to send condolences.
Bob and Pat Coffey:
311 Pebble Creek Dr.

Mountain View, AR 72560

Phone is 361-648-8686 (Pat's cell)

Earlier, we had a great visit with Bill and Darlene Sturgal, here in Albany. They played some Blue Grass and sang and we got to invite a few of our friends. Our son and his friend enjoyed joining in now and then, when they could.

Kay and Woody Hoyman just bought a house in Twin Falls, Idaho! They will still be wintering in Quartzsite!

Wendell and Joanne Seawright are in New Hampshire now, I believe. They were enroute and stopped for awhile to visit Rose. They attended services there and was surprised to see Joanne (Jo) Moreland there! Her son-in-law leads the singing there! Isn't that great to run into a member of our church family!

Olen and Edie Tackett called and reported they are doing well, and their garden is up and way ahead of ours!

Linda and Reg Herring have been doing some yard remodeling and found muscles they don't know they had! Been moving large rocks and boulders around.

Talked to Hazel Swangel and she reports that Paul and she are doing fine!
Also, visited by phone with Harriett Boenish. She got moved to a city and can attend all services now, and visit with friends. She was so far out and away, and Minnesota has bad winters which kept her house bound. She is much happier and sends her love to all.

A financial report is that we did pay an extra $8,000 to Red and Norma, who sold us the property and buildings, making a total of $21,000 paid this past season. Our bank account is $6,700+ so we are holding well.......but we need to be making some deposits to ensure we can make another $13,000 payment soon. Remember you can send checks to the Horizon Bank, in Quartzsite, for account number: 0303000723, which is the Quartzsite church of Christ. The bank's address is: P.O. Box 4680, Quartzsite, AZ 85359.

We are looking forward to being together again, Lord willing!
That's it for now. Our love to you all.
judy and vern

Our first anniversary

Our first year has gone by so quickly, as they all seem to do for us seniors.
So much has been accomplished at our facility at 76 S. Emelia in Quartzsite: the men made a new front porch ramp (the old one was rickety and unsafe) and then a new porch from the backside of the double wide was built that connected straight across to the door of the single wide, coats of protective roof sealer were put on, electric work modified and improved and beautifying of the outside and inside via women of the congregation, mostly.

Some of us went "door knocking" around our area to welcome and invite the neighbors to worship with us, as well as attend an Open House, potluck. Improvements in the lot/buildings can only be welcomed by the neighbors.

The Snowbird attendance peaked at over 100, and is staying higher than normal for this time of the year (which is the end of the season for many Snowbirds) with 31 present yesterday, March 21.

A congregational meeting was held after evening services last night, and it was decided to apply $8,000 more to our balance due on our loan. That will take us down to $44,000 due. People!
That is phenomenal. That means $81,000 has been paid off of the $125,000 beginning price, just in this year! Praise God! And blessings to all who have invested in this endeavor. OF course this will greatly deplete our bank balance, leaving approx. $3,000, for summer time emergencies. Hopefully the gains will be far more valuable than investments in "stocks and bonds." Every bit we put on the principal lowers our interest we have to pay.

So please help us pay this off quickly so we can begin to think about buying comfortable chairs for old bodies to set in!

Remember that the Church of Christ in Quartzsite has its own address of P.O. Box 5073, and the zip code is the new one for the post office annex, 85359. Contributions can be sent to it.
All donations are deductible as we are a non profit organization. If you need our number, contact us at 541 619-4437.