Mary treasured all and pondered in her heart...

I believe angels said: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, they will call him 'EMMANUEL'(which means),'GOD WITH US'.

Mary believed Angel Gabriel: "You have found favor with God, you will be with child. He will be great and He will be called the Son of the Most High.
The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, the Holy One to be born will be called The Son of God...For nothing is impossible with God".
Joseph believed the angel, in a dream: "Take Mary home as your wife, that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit, she will give birth to a son, name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sin".
Joseph awoke, obeyed all the Angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son, Joseph named him Jesus.

The shepherds believed the angels said: "Glory to God in the Highest and on earth, peace to men of good will and on whom his favor rests.
Don't fear, GOOD NEWS of GREAT JOY TODAY: in the city of David a Savior will be born to you, He is CHRIST THE LORD". Because they believed, they hurried and found Mary, Joseph and the babe.
When they had seen him, THEY SPREAD THE WORD concerning what had been told them about this child, 'ALL WHO HEARD WERE AMAZED'. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through Issiah the prophet: "The Virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son ,and they will call him EMMANUEL-which means God with us".

Luke 2:52. And Jesus grew in wisdom, stature and in favor with God and men.

Remember: As both the shepherds and the Wise Men believed, cared and shared, may we, likewise, all continue to follow Christ.

From: Our 'Blessed' Front Porch to your heart..In Christ's love,Ana & Andy

Merry Christmas-Feliz Navidad

Christmas morning, a beautiful sunny day, thank you God.

Joey woke first, he's always primero in everything.
Davey followed (segundo), both surprised to see Rudolph gave Isaac a thank you treat. His special ear-treat is from Papi. Even the fishes got a treat.

Buenos Dias, Santa Claus (as parents awaken). Boys so excited, bouncing off the walls. Opening their silver stockings: Oh what joy, watching their reaction to each toy. Dada and Momma opened theirs, too, surprised at old favorites given as brand new. On to breakfast, we must hurry, Papa and Buckey will be here in a flurry. Puerto Rican coffee served with tostadillas, all was delicious, one of my favorite traditional Spanish dishes.

Santa Papi arrived, Christmas begun, everyone opening gifts, oh so much fun!
Rebekah got warm fuzzies and pillow. Joe's gifts he received all humble and mellow. My gift is precious, a beautiful frame for a photo of Wello.
Papi got audio gifts and key-chains crafted by the boys; he was very grateful, as together, he played with their toys.
The day was exciting, everyone shared their joy.
Papa and Buckey got warm jackets, Joe took pictures of each boy,
with wide eyes, opening gift packets.
Some favorites have honorable mention, as Joe's restored telescope got their full attention.
I missed sweet Angie, but all her love was there, when I opened her note-card full of care.
Courtney's gift, a personal book done with colorful illustrations, I will always cherish her precious creations.

Home Sweet Home, to be with Andy, a gift bag awaits, oh so dandy!
I got perfume, pins, art pad, what's this a CD player, what a surprise! I can't believe my eyes. Andy got a wooden game, calendar and magazine and all the gifts were great to be seen.

Our Christmas is day done, remember, treasure & share the gift of God's only Son...

From: Our 'Caring' Front Porch to yours...Papi & Nana Ana.

Twas the night before Christmas...Noche Buena

And all through the house; not a person was resting, not even a mouse.
The silver stockings are hung by the bookcase, trimmed with white lace.
Picture children stares, waiting for Papa's call about a Santa that cares.

Noche Buena, is a Puerto Rican traditional night of festivities, anticipating our Lord's birth and Christmas morning. True stories are told of the star of Bethlehem leading a caravan of Wise Men to worship the Christ child.
Parandas (caroling) from house to house, de casa a casa singing for refreshments.
Also the traditional 'pasteles' (pork filled dumpling boiled in green leaves) is served you gotta be there, they're delicious.

Christmas Eve, I stayed with our son, daugther-in-love and grandsons. I cooked a traditional dish of arroz con gandules (rice w/green peas), my son Joseph loves this meal, it reminds him of his Wello's love of cooking.
We watched the video 'Polar Express' together with the kids the animation was great.
It was a quiet and peaceful night.Their neighbor John brought gifts and good wishes.

All of a sudden, we hear carolers singing and the mystery of the twelve-days of Christmas treats was solved. Thank-you cookies were given to the 'secret family' as they sang carols to Joe & Becky and the boys. That night the boys put carrots out for Rudolph, Isaac our dog jumped up to eat them and Davey yelled " NO!!".
Off to bed for their traditional 'Twas the night before Christmas' reading from Papa.

Merry Christmas & to all a Good Night, Nana Ana.

It was a good night, Una noche buena...Thank you, God

A little child shall lead them

'Angels, we have heard on high, Sweetly echo o'er the plains'...

The Sunday I came home, our grandson Davey led singing during worship service. The song book is so large, it almost toppled over but Dad came to the rescue.
Davey spoke so softly, with his eyes gently closed, he said: "Please turn to number 1002, Angels we have heard on high".
It was then, I remembered he had asked me to sing it with him at the dining room table after Sunday-bible class.

We sang 'Acapella' (in manner of the early church). Everyone praised God with much heartfelt enthusiasm. Gloria! In excelsis Deo.

And just as quietly as he began he said softly, "Deo in Latin means God".
"Out of the mouths of babes praises shall be to thee",said Jesus.

Imagine, what we teach our children at our dining room table, they use to praise and honor God in worship.

From: Our 'Loving' Front Porch...Ana & Andy

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Got our Christmas shopping done at Eureka Bayshore Mall.

First stop, The Toy-Box; it's a cute child's store, I love it.
All kinds of goodies for the kiddies.
We got knights on horseback for our gallant grandsons,
and a tiny animal stamp set for a special boy.
I found 3 origami paper packs for VBS (July 2008).

The displays at the Mall are beautiful; one has white lights dangling from a sky-lite, at night it looks like icicles.

Visited my favorite shop, Baa Baa Sheepskins, it has a wonderful assortment of folksy, seasonal items and the scent of cinnamon and cranberries is awesome. Picked up small stocking-stuffers, those are always an added surprise.
Mervyns store is great for inexpensive, 50% off home-deco gifts. Hope Becky likes her stylish surprise. Also found some promised softies for her to mellow out in. Last stop, Dollar Store, bargains galore. Got Andy a slim candy mug with red cardinal motif. Muchas tonterias-lots of stuff for last minute treats.

All in all, a pleasant day-trip, the weather clear and cool, thank you God.
Lord willing, we'll go again after the holidays.


Best wishes & Enjoy the dishes.

Remember: Christmas comes but once a year, yet let us always keep Christ near.

Feliz Navidad Nana Ana & Papi

Jet Lag-What time is it?/ Que hora es?

Finally got home from P.Rico last Sunday afternoon, after being stuck overnight in San Francisco.

Here's how it happened: Got to San Juan airport, Jonathan drove as Millie gave directions, I laughed so hard I almost, well you know. I was so nervous trying to find agriculture-scanning, I totally blanked on my Spanish. Yikes! Calm down, they'll think I'm a spy. The luggage-tagger made light of it saying, jokingly, "this bag's loaded with green bananas and pasteles". Laughing all together, I relaxed.

Next, the kiosk-ticket dispenser(hate those things),clueless, I let her talk me through it. Looking at the monitor, second flight read: "delayed" (oh no!).We gave each other a group hug, then it all comes back to me; (the reason for the trip) eyes brimming with tears, final goodbyes & "bless you" shared, Jonathan said a prayer.

Passing through security, I forgot: no liquid bottles, handed it over, "perdona"(pardon),I said. With watch and wallet in hand, I'm scanned -Beep!- back to basket drop. The humiliation and wearing no sneakers, I felt vulnerable. Anyway,I got settled in the plane(stupid movie); time killer,I dozed off.

Next, Washington-Dulles airport, seemed delays at every booth. Walked a lot and asked a busy receptionist questions(attitudes); "thank you",(kill them with kindness) better said- "fight evil with good".
I felt like telling her:"my nephew used to do this and he enjoyed it"(not),but a little honey goes a long way,"right, Papito?".

San Francisco It'nl Airport was like the Twilight Zone- empty, except for the cleaning crew, I found a phone and called home.
Met a lady from Burbank, we walked and talked through an art gallery. Thank God or I'd be alone.
Found a newspaper and two small blue pillows-coincidence?, I don't think so. God watches out and provides for our needs, even before we ask.
We sat together, she read,I snuggled the pillow, snoozed off with my two pocketbooks wrapped around me like an octopus. She laughed,"Your a native New Yorker alright". At 5am, we smelled coffee. I got OJ for my blood sugar, we exchanged e-mails & "good-bye".

Hoping to be home soon. Onward to Arcata, Ca., small 20 seater plane. With God-sent pillow still in hand,( comforted by remembering, how everyone said: 'We'll pray for you' )and finally boarded I dozed-off. The announcement awoke me, 'decending in 10 minutes',good.
Then it happened: unexpected-nightmare, the worst roller-coaster ride of the universe!!! Due to severe wind, the tiny-turbo plane starts jerking violently up and down. I held on for dear life, praying: 'Lord, you got me this far, get me home safely, please. I slid the window-shade up and we were landing.
The announcer said, "Remember to thank the pilot", what? Okay, calm down, be thankful,I could barely smile with the blast of cold air, from balmy 80 degrees to 50 & windy.

Arrived home on the Lord's Day, in time for worship, thank God.
Luggage opened, everyone received small gifts, (two surprises saved for Christmas). Exhausted...yet,"THANKFUL TO BE HOME" with my wonderful family.

Lord willing, it'll be a while before I'll fly again...Nana Ana.

Keepers of homes

While in Puerto Rico last week, I helped my sister clean out my dad's room. Memories are made of this...

The old dresser originally in our bedroom was there. I found my doll and re-crocheted the original autumn dress for her, like new again. His suits were few and may be saved for great-grandsons. Papi-"Wello", had given me a few ties for Joey (July 2006),and I had asked for a tie-clip for Davey.
Found a small change purse, which 'Peachy'(Wello's pet name for little Joey) said,"it's Wella's!". I gave it to him, he said he'd put it in his treasure-box. Davey calls a change purse Wello gave me (when I lived in N.Y.C.) Wello's "change-chito" purse. I've placed inside momentos: a picture-button of July 15th, Papi-Wello and Diane Marie's-Nune's same birthday, and a white hankie of his.
A desk-side, small-green Spanish New Testament saved.
Some shirts were set aside(ask titi Millie). Even found an old mickey-mouse t-shirt of Dominic's, had holes in it,though.
Wello was a pack-rat, when it came to paperwork! One word kept crossing my mind:"DOWNSIZE". Mostly receipts and very old utility bills. Almost got asthma.

Finally done, the big living-room mirror needs polishing,I thought as I stared at it reflectively, if it could play back all our lives. I'd see all the people who visited during holidays, summer-nights of shared parties: Tata's graduation and my birthday, when I screamed, "I hate teenagers" and Madrina Julie coming to the rescue with a cake, which Tesoro (Diana a toddler) put her toes in. Stolen teen kisses(while mami was in the kitchen, watching through the second strategically- placed mirror). Tata's wedding, we had halloween-crashers theme song: "Will you still love me tomorrow?". Jumping on the bed, styling, yelling: "VOGUE"!!; neighborhood girls lining-up to get hair set and styled; writing love letters to Larry in Vietnam (I felt like Cyrano de Bergerac); baby boys being fed, dressed and treated like dolls; playing Christmas game with titi Annie; spinning Diana around singing:"WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR"(until she practically fainted); Wello cooking everyone's favorite meals; our last pastele dish-making together and Wello and Wella lovingly looking down at their (how many bobos does Wella have?) wonderful grandsons.

Back to the present: there's still a lot work to be done in the "retirement home", where the second half of generations of grand & great-grandkids were raised, lots of living memories to clean and enjoy.

Like Wella would say,(when we'd get depressed):"PONTE A RECOGER ES LO QUE TIENE QUE HACER!" (start picking-up is what you need to do!)

PRECIOUS ARE THE MEMORIES, THAT NO ONE CAN TAKE AWAY FROM US...IN CHRIST'S LOVE, ANNIE.

Bittersweet Reunion

Flew to Puerto Rico: Met with my familia: spanish relatives in the land of enchantment.

However, it was bittersweet: My elderly 'Papi' (Wello), Don Francisco Natal Torres, father to precious daughters; grandsons-daughters, nephews and nieces, great-grandsons-daughters, and precious great-great grand children, has passed away on Sat. Nov.17, 2007. We were all honored to have been in the presence of such a noble and humble patriarch of our familia.

My great-nephew, Stevencito, stood with me during the first viewing, he was very comforting. My oldest nephew, George, spoke of Wello being father, friend and most of all his mentor. My second nephew, Francisco, (his name-sake) was close in heart and is in our thoughts and prayers. My nephews,Aja, Steven and Jonathan were very helpful, all were very attentive and respectful to their 'tias'. I especially appreciate when my nephew Jonathan said, "He was my hero". All in our hearts could identify and agree with that, and all the other precious words spoken by all.

Papi's reina, Dominic, was with us via cell-phone, we heard her cries, it broke our hearts. Diana,(Papi's treasure)'Tesoro', spoke. "I remember", she said, "he was tender with us"- Su Ternura. Our sister Millie spoke, she quoted a scripture Papi told her once, John 1:1, "In the beginning was the word"....(do read it); it is a spiritual legacy and an eye-opener. My oldest sister received his cross as a momento.

Gracias a Kiko and Henry por hablar de Tio con honor. Henry's words were very touching: "Te veo en la Gloria",(See you in Glory) and my cousin Evelyn said: "Bendicion Tio." The Lord, God was FAITHFUL in laying him to rest. Diana and I said the Lord's prayer in Spanish.

Wonderful, caring father: Our First Blessing to thank God for every Thanksgiving Day. Our tender father- Nuestro padre ternuro; Our mentor- Nuestro mentor; Our patriarch- Nuestro patriarco; Our Hero- Nuestro Heroe and Our Chino's namesake: Francisco Natal Torres, our wonderful-precious-papi-wello, rest in peace. Your teaching and love has been accomplished; we are all honored and humbled to have been in your presence.

May the Lord, our God say: "Well done, my good and faithful servant". And to us all: God bless and accompany you, as you live a life pleasing to him; "Dios los bendiga y accompane, viviendo sus vida a la voluntad de Dios. Adios, Titi Annie, Hija y Hermana, sobrina y prima...(Semper Fi), Siempre Fiel. Adios Papi, recuerdos a Mami...Annie

Chappel apple orchard

Ferndale has a beauty all it's own.

One very special spot is God's apple orchard down the lane. We call it the above in honor of our grandson, Joseph Andrew. Fall, being a favored season, can't come soon enough. Joey's birthday is in September, he turned 9 years old (many happy returns). Missed your party this year (allergies), sorry babe (oink,oink).
Also our anniversary is in October (how do I love thee? Let me count the ways).

My favorite day is Friday, a fun-filled day at Nana's, especially during apple picking time. God's blessed us by creating three trees, one (grande) for Joey; one (chiquito) for Davey; and a green-granny apple tree, too.

We love choosing the best red delicious apples. Once collected, I soak them in cold water; wash the dirt off; drain and refrigerate. Early this morning, I began the process: Remove 6 apples from frig, wash & scrub each apple, slice in thin (half-moon shapes). Next, swiftly remove the core area, then gently peel edges. In a cooking bowl, mix apple slices with 1/2 cup melted butter; 1 tablespoon of cinnamon; a tablespoon of flour; 1 tablespoon of brown sugar; two capfuls of apple cider; microwave 10 min. on 50%(2x), then 5 min. on 70%(1x).
To prepare topping: In separate bowl, mix 1 cup of flour; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, melt 1/2 cup of butter, pour lightly over dry mix, creating crumbs.
Place cooked apples in 9-inch glass plate, top with crumbs, microwave 5 minutes on 50%(2x). Sprinkle with white sugar(optional)

Cool, serve and mangia (Italian for eat)...

Enjoy this recipe from Our 'sweetened' Front Porch...Ana & Andy

Some reasons for thanks

It has been a while since I've posted; my wife has been handling things in the last two posts...hello again, for a while.

I have been on a "natural high" lately, since my Boston Red Sox won their second World Series in four years! After decades of frustration, near misses, heart-break and more, there seems to be genuine hope in "Red Sox Nation". This is a team not used to playing in the post-season almost every year, unlike a certain pin-striped team who play in the Bronx, New York. Let's hope these World Champs get used to being post-season regulars. I just had to get that out of my system, folks, I don't have any "Sox" fans way out here with whom to share baseball news. For those who are bored to tears with sports, baseball or Red Sox news.

I'll move on to another subject...the weather here has turned a lot cooler and much wetter as our version of winter is introducing itself once again. This is not my favorite time of the year, but there is no place else to go that would be more accomodating, unless we packed up and headed for inland California. But that is not a practical solution for us, so we will spend another "winter" here and make the best of a soggy situation.
We will dress in layers, wear headgear to keep our heads dry and warm, because we are used to much colder weather: snow, sleet, ice and everything else a New England winter threw our way.

Well, I just wanted to share a few tidbits with you, so I'll sign off for now.

Before I go, my wife and I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving Day. We are spending the day with our son, Joe, his precious wife Rebekah and their two very special sons, Joey and Davey. We plan to spend a quiet day but an enjoyable one, as well, with lots of good food and good company. We hope that you have someone with whom to spend this unique day.

Enjoy, eat well and remember, it is called "Thanksgiving" Day for a reason and, really, it is also America's original holiday...

All the best from Our Front Porch to yours.

Anchors away

Yesterday, my husband Andrew surprised me again.
He took me back (online) to South County, Rhode Island, our old stomping grounds.

I especially enjoyed THE BLUE BIRD CAFE site, where we'd go for Sunday brunch. Ah, the menu made our taste buds melt. I said, "I can do that dish" out loud.
We also went to the shores of Narragansett Beach, what a thrill, remembering the scent of the Atlantic Ocean. We miss beautiful Mystic,Ct., too.

There was a free e-mail link (this is all new to me) and we sent Joseph, our son, an autumn postcard from South County...He loved it. Precious are the memories.

Thank the Lord, God we may, in our old age, remember the good life...In Church of Christ fellowship.

Remember: Romans 12:10 "Be devoted to one another, in brotherly love, honor one another above yourselves"...

Mi casa su casa

Welcome-Bienvenidos, to Our Front Porch (my sanctuary).

I really enjoy it on summer evenings just before and during sunset, as the scent of alyssum breezes thru the air. The hot sunset is awesome, it makes me feel and think like I'm in the tropics. You may read at leisure and enjoy the sounds of little sepia wrens and autumn crows, also.

Sometimes on Monday, I spend the whole day out on our front porch. I listen to NPR and cross-stitch, embroider and even, would you believe, read my bible in the cool breeze of the day.
The "gato"(cat) is our elusive houseguest. As our grandson Davey would say, "He's actually black, Nana". And the dog would be our beloved Isaac, our grandson Joey's charge. Funny, Isaac is "actually black", too. And as for the red hair well, let's just say, my inner child is very young at heart.

Our front porch was restored and we are really glad with how it looks. Actually, it was one of my many answered prayers, of which I will be sharing with you all in the future.

Adios, gotta go read and visit with our Eternal houseguest in the cool breeze of the day.

Dios los bendiga y accompane. God bless and accompany you.

Cozy comfort

Hello again...on our last post I promised some new items.

The first is about our front porch, the actual front porch.
Our porch is not very large; it is at the top of a flight of stairs, leading up from our garage and parking lot. It can seat one person comfortably, and two, less so.

There is a white wooden railing around the porch with several plants by the longest section, which overlooks our neighbors' backyard. The backyard is crying out for some long overdue attention but instead, it continues to languish, posing an ever greater challenge to the most daring of lawn mowers.
Meanwhile, our porch has a corner with a small table which has become a catchall for various planting implements and empty pots waiting for tenants. There is room for a comfortable folding chair, which either my wife or I occupy when the weather is warm and sunny enough.

My wife enjoys reading when she is sitting outside; she usually has some magazines, maybe a book and a glass of juice. When I'm on the porch with a mug-ful of coffee, I like to relax in our chair and take in the sounds of the neighborhood.
It's a nice place just to unwind and collect one's thoughts.

We also have one frequent visitor but he is a story for a future post.

I hope you are enjoying our posts, please stop by again when you have the time...

Second post

Hello again, welcome to OFP (OurFrontPorch) once more or if you are a first time visitor, welcome.

Well, every one in our immediate family, including my wife, has seen our blog and I can safely report that it is a hit(?).
Even though I started OFP on my own, my wife, Ana, wants to contribute from time to time so if you notice a change in writing style, that is the reason.
We will also be using "we", "us" and "our" as well as "I", "me" and "my", just so there will be less confusion.
I am excited about this new venture but I don't want to overdo the introduction, so the next post will be about other items of interest (hopefully).

Thanks for visiting OFP, stop by anytime!

Our first post

This is the first post on Our Front Porch.

I hope this comes out alright. It hasn't been as hard as I thought, a bit frustrating having to learn the new terminology.
My wife, Ana, hasn't seen any part of OFP yet, but was excited to hear about this new project.
I can't tell if I'm excited or nervous or a bit of both. Now, I'm going to say "good night", it's late and I'm going to try to get some sleep.

Please stay tuned...