Stay / Spring / Summer Edition

Dear family and friends,
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"There’s no place like home,” the familiar quote from Dorothy of Kansas and Oz, has taken on new dimensions of late! (This photo was taken at the OZ Museum in Wamego, KS, several years ago.) From what many have written and said over the past month, at this point the general consensus would be “any place but home!” ​

We want MountainView Moments to be an interesting update on us, encouraging, and hopefully bring a few smiles to your day as you read. So we will leave the world health crisis to other communications. We do hope and pray that you are staying safe and finding ways to use your stay-at-home time to benefit your own lives and others. We noticed that one trend on Facebook is that to honor this year’s senior class, who are missing out on so many activities, people are posting their own senior photos. We thought we would join in here with ours, Shawnee Heights, Tecumseh, KS, Classes of 1973 and 1974. Just wow. Long time ago. ​

Special shout out to Caitlyn, Class of 2020, Elyria Christian School, McPherson, KS. Caitlyn was on Jeannie’s Youth Advisory Board for the Tresia series. Now she is off to Mid-America Nazarene University. Her mom, Carol, is the official Tresia Webmaster and helps Jeannie get all these technical things accomplished. Carol’s other daughter, Emalee, was also a YAB gal, and is the young artist who drew the “Colors of Tresia” coloring pages that are downloadable from the website homepage. (PARENTS NOTE: coloring pages for stay-at-home activities!) Carol was part of the the church youth group with our Stacie, and we are so BLESSED to have these three gals in our lives. To them, Jeannie is Momma and Grandma Mac. Also congrats to the third member of my YAB, my cousin Jill’s daughter, Lilly, who graduates from Oldham County Middle School in KY. You may recognize these three girls names as characters in Books II and III of the Tresia series. They did a great job on the YAB and Tresia would not be the same without their input. ​

One of Jeannie’s favorite sayings being passed around about what is going on is this: “I’m an introvert. I’ve been waiting for this my whole life!” When she took a personality test years ago during her first library training, the result was mixed. That stemmed from the fact that as a singer and speaker, she was at home in front of an audience, but also needed her alone time! That has changed over the years with her season of performing over. She would just as soon stay home, and her alone time (with God in her Kingdom Corner and also with Dennis) is her main priority. She has enjoyed this time with not only permission, but orders to stay at home! And of course, she is reading a lot! (Check out her Reading Nook on the website to see her book list.) 

Jeannie is also using this time to keep up her blog, Jewels for the Journey, and this newsletter. Also, she is now on Pinterest, Goodreads, Linked In, and keeps up her Author Facebook page. Links on are the website if you want to check out her social media sites. It’s part of being an author these days, and a good way to connect, although she loves to hear from readers and friends by email and old-fashioned snail mail most of all. ​

Dennis enjoyed volleyball and basketball season, but opted not to officiate softball, which made no difference at all as it turned out since no games are being played. The lack of March Madness basketball was tough to get over, but since KU was #1 when it was cancelled, we will just keep that title! Dennis is spending a lot of his time mowing, lopping, trimming, and even planting, as he prepares our land for the beginning of the building process. That begins in May. Macs Music and Ruby Cottage are our God-given assignment and we are anxious and excited to begin to see the Vision God has given us come to pass. We enjoy sitting by the fire and “faithing” about it. ​

Dennis is looking forward to building Macs Music Recording Studio, which is half of the building project we are about to begin. For the first time since he retired, the Lord gave him a new song. Now he is really anxious to have his equipment to get it down! Knowing that his place to write and record his songs is close to being a reality, has prompted his creative side to get going again. We have even discussed and are listening for instructions from the Holy Spirit, about Mr. and Mrs. Mac and Friends making a CD, and/or all the new ways to get Den’s songs, and others, out to the world. Let us know if you would be interested in that. Thanks! 

Jeannie can’t wait for other side of the building to be built. Ruby Cottage will not only be our guest cottage, but will be a place where she can set up her computer and begin the process of writing her next two projects, a devotional and the next fiction series. That is not to say she has been idle. Writing a book takes a lot of preparation, research, brainstorming, and above all, prayer. Those, she has been active in doing since Dennis retired. Her blog keeps her writing monthly, and she is also working on the craft of writing, using books, podcasts, and online resources. Her job as a library director taught her the importance of continuing education, and that applies to writing as well. ​
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We will live in Ruby Cottage except when we have guests, then it is back to the camper for us while our guests enjoy the cottage. Our main home, Sapphire Lodge, will be the next phase! There is a reason for the gemstone names, both related to the Tresia series and our land in Cowee Valley, known for its gem mining. But more on that later. Our vision for Macs MountainView is becoming a reality, step by step. ​

Not much has changed in our schedule as far as staying at home more. The main thing we miss is going out for breakfast! After the Chiefs won the Super Bowl, we found out the owner of one of our favorite places for breakfast is a Chiefs fan! We walked into Rollie Pollie’s the week after to find Chiefs balloons and a Special menu! That was fun. ​

Cherokee Bible Church on Sunday and Wednesday has been different with drive-in services, but the Holy Spirit shows up as usual, and the “distant” fellowship with the folks in the other vehicles is still sweet. With all the online services available, we praise God for the technology to hear those messages, and share the Gospel with the world. 

One of the hardest things about this virus keeping us at home, was that we had to cancel our annual spring trip to Kansas to visit family and friends, many of whom are reading this newsletter right now. Please know you are all in our thoughts and prayers. We will come visit when we can! And once we are all released to travel again, please let us know if you get to our N.C. mountains. Maybe Ruby Cottage and Macs Music will be ready and waiting.  

Of course, with everything happening in this old world, the next time we meet may be in Heaven! And that’s the best news of all. 

BLESSINGS,
Dennis and Jeannie