Good RIDDANCE, Irene!

As we all endured Hurricane Irene in the Northeast, we were very thankful that the LORD kept Rosa-land in one piece. Our roof looks to be free of any leaking and no major basement flooding!  As the storm was raging and things looked grim, we focused on the portion of Mark 4:41 that says;  "What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"


We are SO thankful that the LORD gave us wisdom in dealing with the challenges that came along and that He worked out all of the details.

(Our make-shift pump that usually pumps basement water through the sewer pipe needed to be re-routed out the side window.)

Our poor neighbors at the end of our block were truly under water. The amount of water in the immediate area was amazing. Thankfully, it all receded fairly quickly...

Trip to Bermuda - 2011

We were blessed to be able to take a trip to Bermuda this year through Brian's job. The island had some really nice scenery and the water was so clear! Thankfully it was a mostly paid for trip because everything was SO expensive. (A basic lunch for 2 was about 75 bucks!!!)  The most interesting thing we did was something called a "Helmet Dive". The pictures speak for themselves, but this fellow who runs it actually has these fish trained where they swim up to you and stay still while posing for pictures. The fish actually let you hold them like a household pet! Just amazing. Here is a really neat video of what it's all looks like and a little history about the Bermuda Helmet Dive.

The fish above is named "Leroy the Grey Snapper". He's a regular visitor and very friendly. The fish below is a hogfish named "Charles IV".  Apparently Charles IV doesn't always come around, so when he showed up it was a pretty big deal to Greg (who runs the dive) as he was all wide-eyed and visibly excited when this fish appeared.

Union Night Out 2011

Each year our town runs a night out against crime. They had lots of cool things for kids (and parents) to do and see.  There was the tour inside Union Headquarters where we were even able to see the holding cells...the empty jail cells anyway. They provided food, games...and one treat for the kids was a picture in a police uniform inside the Union Police Car!  The boys loved it and we all had lots of fun.

A Very Special Day

John and Karyn were just recently married! The Lord gave them beautiful weather and worked out all of the details.  It was a wonderful ceremony and they both were so happy.  May the Lord bless their marriage!

WE FIXED THOSE THIEVING SQUIRRELS!!

For the last several years, the squirrels have been having fun STEALING our tomatoes right as they turn red and are ready to be picked! The first couple of times it was funny-but when we were basically robbed of all of the ripe tomatoes it wasn't so funny anymore.  We've built all sorts of nets, but they always seem to figure out a way to get in the garden and ruin the tomatoes. It wouldn't be so bad if they took a few here and there...but they take a few bites and leave them half eaten. It's as if they leave them for us to see just to mock us! Wicked little things. We thought of dealing with them by way of traps, different sprays...and oh yes...pellet guns. (PS- we can't take credit for the picture of the squirrel...but that's exactly what we see them doing just to give you an idea!)

Instead, Brian and the boys built a really cool cage out of PVC pipe and chicken wire. It has a nice door hatch to make it easy for picking tomatoes and closing it all back up. So far, NOT ONE tomato has been taken by those little thieves since the new contraption was built.  After years of taunting us, we aim to get back at them after growing season by putting a nice big pile of acorns and birdseed INSIDE the cage so they can't get at them! HA HA HA!! (Is that wrong?)