Where did March go? It was a most kind month here in the ‘Burgh. No bud-killing frosts ensued. The forsythia are blooming, and the iris leaves are a foot tall.

Just before the dawn of April, it seems fitting that we saw a magnificent sunset out our back windows. I love our view for an urban home! L saw the sky first and came to get us. Drew has much better pictures with his much better camera on Facebook, but my little cell phone ones are okey schmokey.

G’night, March!

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Why is it that I always make a mess when I am trying to do something important? This pie was for the dessert auction at church to raise money to send kids to camp.

I merely tapped the oreo crust a bit to get some white crumbs off the top and BOOM it busted into pieces all over my kitchen counter.

My mother taught me to serve my mistakes, so I shoved the oreos back there the best I could and stuck the cheesecake mixture and blueberries and syrup on top. It won’t stick together when served, but it should taste yummy.

Thankfully, this wasn’t the only pie I sent to the auction. I managed to keep the crust of the chocolate chip cheesecake intact. Yay, Lynard!

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Kunio is a friend from Japan who is attending local Seminary. I was checking out his blog where he has some pics of Levi’s concert last night—a lot of which is in Japanese. And I found some pictures that he took when he ate at our house a couple weeks ago. I had no idea that he was snapping pictures.

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Two miles from paved-road sanity, is a mansion that overlooks a valley in Pennsylvania that made its money from oil. Small oil wells still exist in the Franklin and Oil City area.

Most people know the mansion as the Sibley mansion, built by Joseph Sibley in 1913. Joseph made his money in oil and in the 1890′s was elected to the House of Representatives. Standard Oil’s John D. Rockefeller and President McKinley were both his friends, and McKinley was assassinated when riding in Sibley’s private rail car. Sibley called his mansion River Ridge.

Ironically, the gorgeous estate with its vast orchards and experimental farming became the site of his own imprisonment when Sibley was convicted of unethical business practices.

Today, the mansion is owned by a Christian ministry who rents it out for retreats and pastoral types seeking refreshment. The rates are very reasonable. My understanding is that the contact person is Rich Tygert, P.O. Box 311 Franklin, PA 16323.

The youth in our presbytery attend a Sprinter retreat on the grounds once each spring. This weekend, L attended, and I borrowed some pix from his friends’ Facebook and another source. LOL

    
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Since November, I have been blessed by a Bible study with women in my community. Right now, we are studying 1 John: the book of love.

Our goal is to get better at studying the Bible on our own. We are using the ABCD study method: analysis, basic verse, commitment, difficulties.

I am learning new things and have been strengthened in my faith. God is good.

Today we had Cindy, Patricia, Autumn, Christine, and baby Ben.

 
“This is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the payment for our sins.” —1 John 4:10

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