Chris Loehmer Kincaid's Blog, page 63

2020 Christmas Letter, part 2

 Last Friday, I shared with you how the first six months of 2020 went for me. Here’s the rest of the story.

I suppose one of the brightest spots of the year was that the first part of July, I self-published my novel, “The Truth Beyond the River”, on Amazon.com. If you haven’t read it, now’s the time. You can buy it as an e-book or paperback by clicking here. Or shoot me a message and I’ll get one in the mail to you.

The weekend after the Fourth of July, we’ve attended Lifest Christian music festival for many years. This year, as you may have guessed, it was canceled.

Camping in Michigan’s UP, however, was not. Unfortunately, all of the museums and other indoor places of interest were closed. The Upper Peninsula is all about the outdoors, though, and we enjoyed a lot of that. Unfortunately, the morning of our last full day of camping, I woke with a kidney stone. We packed up – okay, Hubby packed up while I writhed in pain and we headed home a day early. After all, this is the year 2020, when very few things are going to go smoothly.

I had another week’s vacation in August. We had a quiet week, working around the house. Then I spent one afternoon with a former co-worker taking a walk around a park in town.

Another day, Hubby and drove to the southern part of the state where we met up with his brother and sister-in-law for lunch, outside, of course.

But the most exciting thing that week was the addition of two fur babies to the family. Emma and Gizmo, who are a whole letter of stories by themselves, but that is for another time.

Then September dawned, as did the reality of the pandemic in my little corner of the world. Though the number of positive cases was going up, school started, with many modifications. With all the changes Hubby had to make just on his bus, I can’t imagine what it’s like for those teachers in their classrooms.

His brother and sister-in-law did come up for one weekend and we visited Timm’s Hill, the highest point in our state.  

For some time, we had planned on a family vacation at a cabin up north for the end of September. We did discuss canceling it but decided that the risk was low as we had mostly outdoor activities planned and very little contact with other people. (I’ve just finished blogging about that here, so I’m sure it’s fresh in your memory.)

One of the reasons we took that family vacation when we did was because I had asked for that week off nearly a year ago. A friend and I had signed up for a volunteer trip to Cambodia this fall, which like so much else, did not happen. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we can go next September.

But all of the bad things which had happened this year up to that point paled with the events of early October. Hubby’s mom fell down her basement stairs on the 8th and broke her hip. They took her to surgery the next day, but she never recovered from it, passing away later that evening.

What more can I add to that? It’s been a sucky year. The final bright spot I’ll share is that two weeks ago, Hubby and I bought a new (used for us) camping trailer. At least if this pandemic continues to drag on, we can take off and go camping somewhere in comfort.

Wishing you all a safe and healthy Christmas with dreams for a brighter New Year. 

God bless. Chris  

The Great Finale - Blog post #9 from the family vacation

I have finally arrived at my last post from our family vacation up north at the end of September.

 

Tuesday, our last day at the cabin, after another day of hiking and driving around and walking the streets of the small towns we visited, the kids and I returned to the cabin for our last night there. My son, daughter, and son-in-law were all ready to call it a day. I had one last place I wanted to explore, and since none of them were up for it, I hiked to the top of Whitecap Mountain on my own, just as the sun came out in the late afternoon. 

 

The views! There are no words to describe the views. 360 degrees of views.

 

I think the leaves were at their peak color. Or at least, I can barely imagine them being more vibrant. 

 

Weber Lake, the lake our cabin was on.

With Lake Superior far in the distance.

 

Unfortunately, it was late in the day. And I still had to climb down off the mountain and find my way back to the cabin. 

 

Down one of the ski hills. Not perhaps the safest route. Who knew there would be standing water on the side of a mountain? And how safe is a barbwire fence at the side of the bottom of a ski run?

 

I made it back in plenty of time for supper. Can’t wait for the next adventure!

Housing During Hard Times

   Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help. (Isaiah 58:7, New Living Translation)

As you all know, when Joseph and Mary finally arrived in Bethlehem, shortly before she was due to deliver, there was “no room at the inn”. I think – I hope – many of us realize that doesn’t mean what we used to think it means. That “inn” was probably the inner room or guest room, which was already occupied by guests. So, the owner of the home put Mary and Joseph up in the just-as-comfortable lower level where the animals were usually kept. I just read an article that hypothesized that when the pregnant Mary was ready to deliver, that the animals were probably removed. I hadn’t thought of that until now, but it makes sense.

   And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2:7, New King James Version)

But here we are in 2020 and other than this being the Christmas story, how do these events relate to where we are right now.

Have you invited anyone over lately? Other than maybe your closest and most trusted friends and relatives? Did you have a bunch of people over for Thanksgiving? Planning on having a house party over the Christmas holiday? No, I hope not. We are still in the midst of a pandemic, so you better not have guests in your house.

Hospitality was a vital part of the Middle Eastern culture during Jesus’s life, and it still is. Here in America, I don’t know that we have ever been as welcoming to strangers, but if we have the room, we invite people over to spend the night, don’t we? Not right now we don’t.

Which is so sad. We need human contact. It’s one of our most vital needs, after food, water and oxygen.

So what are we supposed to do when a pandemic keeps us apart? Call, e-mail, text, mail out Christmas cards – I know, people have been cutting back on sending cards in recent years, but maybe this year it would be a good idea. No matter what you do, don’t feel that you have been turned out in the cold, with no place to lay your head. Reach out. There is room in someone’s home, if not physically, then emotionally.

Lord, God, just like you got Mary and Joseph to a place of warmth and safety, get us through this pandemic and back to times when we can gather together in love. Amen.  

Outside of the nursing home we visited in Ayacucho, Peru in 2009. 

 

2020 Christmas Letter, part 1

      I had planned on spending Fridays in December composing and posting my annual Christmas letter. Then suddenly here we are, two weeks until Christmas and I haven’t really started this thing. Instead of a rambling rendition of my year, you’ll get it crammed into two issues now.

The first of January began with our family Christmas gathering at our house. How could we have ever guessed that it would be the last time we’d all ever be together.

Of course, January was taken up with the first rumors of this new virus which had ravaged a city in China. You know the stories, the facts, the spread, so I won’t repeat any of it here. Except to say that we effectively shut down around my state towards the beginning, and then – well, here we are, today, with some of the highest rates in the country. I wish I could leave the whole pandemic here and not mention it in this letter again, but I’m afraid that the coronavirus did consume our year.

On February 5, Hubby called me at the clinic to say he had fallen on the ice at work and thought he broke his arm, could I get him in for an x-ray. I thought he was being dramatic, until I saw that x-ray. Yikes! He had surgery two days later.

The weekend of February 22, with Hubby’s arm in a sling, we drove down for an overnight at our son’s. For the middle of winter, the weather was stellar and we had a nice visit.

When Hubby went back to his surgeon for a repeat x-ray on March 23, instead of being turned lose with a healed arm, he was told he needed another surgery, the screw they put in hadn’t held and they needed to put in a metal plate. Needless to say, he was devasted.

As would turn out with all holidays this year, Easter came and went, without seeing the family. Good thing there were no travel plans, because nine inches of snow fell throughout that day. Winter hadn’t been too bad up to that point, but it suddenly seemed to want to hang on.

The next day, April 13, we bought a new truck. Ok, hardly new as it is a 2011 with close to 100,00 miles on it. But a solid four-wheel drive in great condition. We’ve been looking for quite a while, and this bad boy was exactly what we were looking for.

Thanks to the pandemic, we had to cancel our spring vacation which had been planned for later in April. We decided that was all for the best, as Hubby’s arm was still in a sling and the weather was still pretty cold out.

We did take a drive to Spirit Falls the end of that week.

And another ride to Manitowish Waters the following week. I remember that day clearly as we heard on the radio that we had the first reported case of COVID19 in our county. It had felt up to that point like we would be able to hold the whole pandemic at bay where we live in the sheltered Northwoods, but we could only imagine what we were in store for.

The end of May, Hubby finally got the all clear from his surgeon to return to work. He drives school bus, and since school had been closed for months due to the pandemic, he didn’t have any work to return to. His checks just flipped from work comp to a much heftier unemployment.

The second weekend of June, we took the new truck (and old camper, of course) camping to Lake of the Falls. Beautiful area which I’ve visited a lot, but never camped at. Nice weekend, but cold sleeping in a popup trailer with no heat. Oh, but if only I knew then that it would be the last time we’d have to deal with cold June nights while camping!

But that’s it for this week. A few teasers in this post to bring you back next Friday to see what the second half of 2020 brought our way.

The Best of Bessemer and Hurley – Blog post #9 from the family vacation

     I think I only have two more posts to share from our family vacation this past fall. The first one covers two of the towns we briefly visited on our last full day up north.

     Bessemer, Michigan is probably best known for being the home of Big Powderhorn ski resort. I know it best for being where the road to Black River Harbor starts out. That last Tuesday in September, we didn’t have time for either one. We did take a side trip to the Black River, though.    

    Then, while my kids were visiting with someone, I snapped a few random shots of the streets of Bessemer 

 

     Every town has its own little places of interest.  

    And fascinating old buildings.

    

     Next stop was back in Hurley, Wisconsin. Once a booming mining town, Hurley’s claim to fame, back in the day, had always been its houses of ill-repute.  

     I couldn’t say that I passed any of those establishments on my brief walk along its brief streets.    

     But I bet these walls do have stories to tell.  

     And no matter where a person goes in this part of the country, you can find beauty.

  Whether in nature. 

   Or man-made.

Traveling through Trials

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33, New Living Translation

We’ve had a rough year. But guess what? Mary and Joseph had a rough time seeing that Jesus was born and had a safe childhood. Read about those events with me this season.

I wrote the above words at the end of October, when I must have been half asleep, because I don’t remember that at all. No idea what I was planning to write about, and here we are, three weeks to Christmas and I have nothing for this year’s series of Christmas blog posts.

It’s come back to me that I got the idea above from a novel I read in the first part of February, a total fictionalized version of the struggles Joseph had in just getting pregnant Mary to Bethlehem. The book, I thought, was a bunch of bunk, so I won’t even tell you its title or any more about it. But it had, at the time, got me thinking about Joseph and Mary and how difficult it had to be – physically, mentally and emotionally – to bring Jesus into the world.

But you know the story.

And then COVID-19 hit and nothing for any of us seemed to be easy anymore. No, we haven’t had to trek, on foot, ninety miles through the wilderness in rainy winter, up and down mountainous terrain, while nine months pregnant. And no, we can hardly compare it to our recent simple travels to the grocery store, wearing our masks and never knowing if the store will be out of the supplies we need.

But we have had our trials and tribulations. And we’ll get through them, with the grace of God.

Lord, God, be with us through these challenging times and help us to remember that You sent Your Son Jesus to save us from sin and suffering. Amen

The drive from Ayacucho, Peru to the little mountain village of Quinua is only 21 miles, but I can’t imagine trekking that far on foot, much less 90. Though I’ve been to Kenya multiple times and it is geographically closer to Israel, I picture the terrain that Mary and Joseph traveled being closer to this.

That Time of Year to Reach Out

I’ve been thinking all week that I should post the first segment of my Christmas letter here today. Last year, it dawned on me that instead of sending out the annual Christmas letter in my Christmas cards, that I could just post it here instead. In segments, so I can share even more of this year’s events without trying to edit it down to one page, plus pictures (which can be a pain to fit into that one piece of paper).

Of course, pretty much all of 2020 was consumed by the coronavirus and pandemic. With that in mind, I’m going to open this first part of the letter with the events of this week.

I woke up Wednesday morning really hoarse with some head congestion. Not too bad, but was feeling pretty run down by the time I got to work. As long as I kept working, I did okay, powering through I guess, but so tired when I sat down for a minute.  

I texted the provider I see, who thought that I should get tested. At the clinic where I work, we’ve been given the option to get tested at any time for any reason, mostly because our chances of exposure are so much higher. I had the rapid test done around 9:30.

When the gal did it, she said they just started using new test kits, which neither one of us thought much of. After shoving the swab up my nose and practically into my brain and holding it for what felt like 90 minutes, she pulled the swab out, broke it off (which she had always done with the old kits), and stuck it in the test tube.

Lab called back a few minutes later to say that you aren’t supposed to break the swab off in these new kits, that the patient would have to be re-swabbed. Well, that’s the kind of luck I have.  

So, back in the testing room I go for a shot up my other nostril. Half hour or so later, it came back presumptive negative. Which means, this particular test came back negative, but the rapid tests have a high percentage of false negatives. Another text to my provider, who said that I should have the more reliable test.

So, back in the testing room again, to have a swab shoved up my nose for a third time. (Too bad I don’t have three nostrils instead of just the two). This other test, known as the PCR, is supposedly the “gold standard” in testing, but it can take three to five days to get the results. However, for certain professionals – those in health care (me), as well as, I found out that day, firefighters, police and other front-line people – the results are fast-tracked to come back in 24 to 48 hours. So that those of us labeled “critical infrastructure workers (as opposed to “essential workers”) can get back to work as soon as possible.  

When I got home that night, I crawled into my jammies and into bed. So cold and so tired. After half an hour, I rallied to get up for supper and didn’t feel too bad the rest of the night.

I woke up Thursday morning feeling totally fine. Hmm? Can a person have the 24-hour COVID?

As I was getting ready for work, wondering if I should go to work, I got a text message from my provider that the PCR test had come back negative. Yeah! (Oh, and also, I didn’t have any patient contact while I was waiting for my results, in case you think I ran the risk of infecting some frail little old lady.)

Of course, that doesn’t rule it out entirely, as I might have been tested too early in the infection. It takes two to three days after an exposure for your body to produce the stuff that they test for. The thing is that I hadn’t had any exposure to anyone but my masked co-workers and Hubby for several days.

Who knows. I could go into the long explanation of when the CDC is telling us to quarantine and when to be set free, when to be tested and when not to. But you can figure that out yourselves. Or not. Coz it’s so complicated that it makes my head spin.

I just hope that all of you are staying safe, wearing your masks, not taking risks. That your loved ones are able to stay in touch without touching. Chris

 Check back next Friday for the actual start of this year’s Christmas letter. 

Aghast at Agate Falls – blog post #8 from the family vacation

               I may finally be to the point of showing you pictures of the last waterfall we visited on our family vacation the end of September.

               Almost from the moment we arrived at the cabin Friday afternoon, my son-in-law had a certain waterfall in the UP in his head. He kept saying it was located much farther north, almost to Lake Superior. He described it in detail, but I knew there was no such falls near the place he was thinking of.

               It finally dawned on my son and me that he had to be talking about Agate Falls on the middle branch of the Ontonagon River, seven miles southeast of Bruce Crossing, Michigan, along Hwy 28.  

               Yup, we got there and my son-in-law took off down the trail. The trail which led down, well, actually to nowhere, because it ended. The kids scampered down the ravine, and I pretty much just slid down, wondering all the time how I would get back up it. 

 It was worth it though. The dogs got to go for a swim too. 

Then there was the climb back up. 

My son-in-law and daughter waited patiently for me. My son took some pictures of me, but they are pretty embarrassing. 

Then we kept climbing, to the train trestle turned snowmobile/ATV trail. 

What a view from the bridge! I figure God must shower us with color in the fall because He knows that grey and white are all we'll soon see outside. 

The bridge on Hwy 28 heading to Bruce Crossing. 

Yup, another spectacular waterfall on a cold and dreary day, which didn't slow us down.

Giving Thanks for God

   Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, New King James Version)

   On Sundays for the month of November, I’ve been sharing the things which I am thankful for – the people and places which I am so blessed to have been given.

   Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. (1 Chronicles 16:8, New Living Translation)

I wouldn’t have any of these without God, the Father Almighty. He is the Giver of all things good and right in our world.   

   That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent. Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever. (Psalm 30:12, New American Standard Bible)

The greatest gift, however, which God has given us is His Son Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to save us from our sins. No matter what we have been given in this life, that one gift is all we really need.

   But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57, New Living Translation)

We cannot thank God enough for the gift of eternal life.

And so I say again, thank You, Lord God, Heavenly Father. Amen

2020 - the year everything looked different

Since I started keeping track of our yearly Thanksgiving dinners, ten years ago, we have been averaging 12 to 14 people around our dinner table. The highest count was 20 in 2016. 

This year? Well, try to guess how many of us were around our table. It looked a lot different from other years. 

2010201120122013201420152016 (the year we served 20, sorry that I didn't get everyone in one picture)

2019 (Somehow, I didn't get any decent pictures from 2018 and in 2017,
Hubby had to work and I was sick anyway)
Yup, 2020 looked a little different 

 

Hope you had a safe and healthy Thanksgiving. No matter how it looked.