It's All Good

Egg McReinke

My husband is a self-confessed "gnarly egg" maker. Gnarly as in knotty; not  the slang word gnarly, as in gnarly, dude. The fried eggs Dennis cooks are delicious, they're just not very pretty. Mind you, I'm not complaining. For me, yummy always trumps beauty.

We've had lots of activity at the Reinke Homestead this week. Dennis has almost finished revamping his website: dennisreinke.com. I like the way it's coming together, and feel a little inspired to spruce up my blog. On the other hand, I may just sit still until the feeling passes.

When he wasn't playing web guru, Dennis painted six watercolors for the Estes Park Cultural Arts Council Holiday Art Exhibition and Sale. The event will take place at the CAC Fine Art Gallery - 423 W. Elkhorn Ave., Estes Park, November 26 - December 31, 2011.

We entertained visitors this week. Early Tuesday morning, a doe stopped by. . .

A buck hid behind our barn and ogled the female . .

According to the Rocky Mountain National Park Service, the deer rut begins in November. I like to think of our homestead as a sort of date destination for these lovely creatures.

Yesterday, while working on my novel, I heard the high-pitched call of an elk calf. I gasped when I looked out the window and saw a large elk herd descend the mountain behind our homestead. . .

They came in a steady stream through our property and gathered in our neighbor's yard, across the street, before parading east, down the road. . .

I couldn't capture the totality of the herd with my camera, but there were probably close to 200 elk. The horses expressed interest in the elk show, too. . .

On Thursday we spotted two Bighorn Rams in Big Thompson Canyon. . .

I mentioned my novel earlier. Our homestead purchase and remodel kept me occupied most of this year, but now that we're past all that I've returned to full-time writing. This is my passion and what I feel created to do. Breakfast at the Aurora Borealis Cafe now has a word count of 24,500. Only about 60,000 more words to go. At times it's a daunting task, but I'm in it for the long haul. Besides, I've had some encouragement along the way. One of my devotionals is featured in Gary Chapman's new book: Love Is A Verb Devotional - 365 Inspirations to Bring Love Alive.

My devotional is on January 24.

Seven of my devotionals are also featured in the December 2011/January 2012 issue of Wesleyan Publishing's Light From the Word Daily Devotional. Seven more will be included in the Summer 2012 edition. 

I don't share this out of pride, but rather to show how good God has been to me since I left everything behind to pursue my dream. I have no idea what the future holds. Perhaps I'll finish my novel and no one will like it. Maybe I'll have to go back to a regular 9-5 job. Whatever the case, I'm so thankful that He has given me this opportunity. Even if it only lasts a brief time, I can say, "It is well with my soul." 

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." --- Jeremiah 29:11

To God be all the glory.

Nancy

It Takes Three

I've been struck with a rhinovirus.

I could tell you that I have a common cold, but "rhinovirus" sounds much more intriguing. Actually, the way this thing has hit me, I feel more like I was struck by a rhinoceros. I wish I owned a photograph of a rhinoceros, so I could post it here for emphasis, but rhinos don't inhabit Estes Park. Unfortunately, rhinovirus do. 

I've learned a lot about this nasty little bug the past five days. (How did we ever research anything before the internet?) The details would only bore you, so let's just leave it at this. . . I've got my netti pot, hot Tazo mint tea with lemonade and honey (a recipe given to me by my friend at Starbucks), a hefty supply of chicken noodle soup and orange juice (mucho gracias to my beloved husband), and a pile of books and movies. This rhinovirus is doomed.

Ok, enough of all that. Let's get down to business. I usually post weekly photos when I blog, but since I've been quarantined in our apartment the past five days, I haven't been able to get outdoors with my camera. However, I've been looking through my wildlife photographs and found these taken in Big Thompson Canyon about ten days ago. Do you think these Big Horn are making a statement?

Ok, ok. If you don't like that one, how about this photo of a lone ram?

I was thrilled to finally photograph Big Horn sheep. They are stunning animals.

Next week I hope to be back up in RMNP with my hubby, camera in tow. Speaking of my husband, while walking by a new store in town this morning, The White Orchid, a placard in the window caught his eye. The words about Christian marriage written by Tertullian, an early Christian author, made quite an impression on him. When he got home he told me what he had read, and we looked up the text on the internet. The words were written by Tertullian around 200 AD in a letter to his wife:

How beautiful, then, the marriage of two Christians, two who are one in hope, one in desire, one in the way of life they follow, one in the religion they practice.

They are as brother and sister, both servants of the same Master. Nothing divides them, either in flesh or in Spirit. They are in very truth, two in one flesh; and where there is but one flesh there is also but one spirit.

They pray together, they worship together, they fast together; instructing one another, encouraging one another, strengthening one another.

Side by side they face difficulties and persecution, share their consolations. They have no secrets from one another, they never shun each other's company; they never bring sorrow to each other's hearts… Psalms and hymns they sing to one another.

Hearing and seeing this, Christ rejoices. To such as these He gives His peace. Where there are two together, there also He is present, and where He is, there evil is not.

We printed off the words and posted them on our refrigerator door. It's a visual reminder of the kind of marriage Dennis and I are committed to have. We can't do it by ourselves. Christ must be at the center of our  union. It takes three.