Beemusement 101

2012-02-07T19:16:00.001-06:00

Running with the Ball

Have I mentioned that sometimes God just drops awesomeness in my lap? It happened again this week. I was in the Wal Mart parking lot when the phone rang and a fellow beek (slang for beekeeper) asked "Hey, you want my extra Hawaiian queens?"

Do I want Hawaiian queens? That's like asking if I want to live long and prosper, a new SUV, or a winning lottery ticket (not that I play the lottery mind you). But yes, I wanted them!

The deal with a Hawaiian queen in February is, it gives you a serious head start on your bee year. A good honey crop is imperative on having healthy hives with many, many bees. And the sooner said hives can build their population from the winter slump, the more bees will be ready to start making the sweet golden stuff when the surrounding nectar producing flowers are in full swing. The new queens will allow me to split my existing hives with vigorous layers so that I'll have many more bees to make honey with than I would have growing my own queens. It's a good thing.

So yes. Hawaiian queens are my lapload of awesomeness this week. Live Long your Highnesses, and Prosper!

2012-01-10T12:15:00.000-06:00

Welcome 2012!

Yes, I know I'm ten days late and I was supposed to think all this through before now, but I have to tell you, your predecessor threw me under the bus there at the last and I really couldn't think about you.

I guess it's only fitting that 2011 went out on a loud note for me. In a way, 2011 was just LOUD for me. There was the wedding, there were the business and financial issues, there were people coming and going so fast that I thought our door was a high speed fan. There were great blessings, and there were great sorrows.

And there was God. I have to tell you, the only reason any of the other made sense, let alone worked out, was because of Him. It's like everything bad you threw at me, He turned it into good, even the broke ribs you left me hurting with as you whimpered off into the history books.

So I welcome 2012. I don't know if this year will be any better, but you know, that don't matter. I know the One who created and controls time, and I know how the story ends, whether it ends with you or one of your children . . . so it's ok. I welcome you, I embrace you, and while I don't dare hope you'll be kinder and gentler (after all, raw dependence on God does have it's benefits) I look forward to walking with and through the coming months with you.

2011-11-12T11:22:00.003-06:00

Schooled

Since my husband's heart surgery (triple bypass, July 2010) I have watched with happiness and moderate amusement as he's incorporated less stress and more enjoyment into his life. I shouldn't have been surprised that his love of music played into it. Now mind you, about all he can play is anything electronic, or mechanical in the case of his beloved Edison. He did a little trumpet in high school, but that's really it as far as an actual instrument.

One of the results of this is an increasing collection of media. At first it was lp's, also known as 78's. That was ok. We've had a traditional turntable for years. Then one day I noticed a huge box on the front porch. I started to take it in only to realize I needed a hand truck - the sucker was heavy! Turns out it was a pristine condition TEAC reel to reel tape deck that once served a radio station. He'd practically stole the thing on Ebay.

"What are you going to play on that?" I asked. He just grinned. And proceeded to hook it up and whip out a couple of tapes. The sound was phenomenal, Mancini probably didn't sound that good playing live.

"Ok, that's fine. I can live with that - just please throw out those eight track tapes that came with the reels." He only nodded that he'd heard me.

Now mind you, in redneck Alabama where I grew up eight tracks were a scourge. My only memories of them were of raunchy tears in your beer country music and piles of dirty ones laying in the floorboards of pickup trucks along with empty chewing tobacco pouches. This was NOT something I wanted in my house.

More boxes have come and gone since then. Knowing he won't buy anything unless old Abe Lincoln gets squeezed real hard I don't keep track of what he's doing. Evey day I hear what I've come to consider "vintage music" - sounds from the past that shaped America, sounds that our children would only recognize from commercials with no understanding that what they are hearing shaped two, and in some cases three previous generations. I'm hearing history - big band, 50's, 60's and 70's elevator music, a lot of classic gospel, a bit of jazz - the list goes on.

This morning I heard something that hit a nerve - Summertime from Show Boat. My dad used to sing it, and he did it great justice. I've always loved that song, partly for the good memories it invokes, partly for the sheer haunting beauty of it. I found my sweetheart and told him how much it meant to me only to be laughed out of the room.

"It's from a tape of great American music . . . . . and it's an eight track"

2011-10-25T17:58:00.003-05:00

No Moss on this Rear

A few years ago I heard a snippet of a talk on the radio that really, really, caught my attention. The speaker was recalling an old preacher man speaking to a him and his peers, a group of fresh faced college boys who had yet to experience life beyond a dorm room. The talk went like this:

(Imagine a elderly voice with a couple of rocks thrown in for graininess) "You know, most Christians sit on their rears year after year and say, 'God, show me an open door!', and they sit with moss growing on their rear. But not me. I say "God, if you don't want me going through that door you better close it!', and there aint no moss growing on this rear"

My Becky and I loved it and adopted it as a motto which soon turned into a life principal. She went on to a college in the far north, married a great guy and together they are looking and working toward of life of service to others as they complete their studies. No moss there.

Here on the farm, you'd think things would ease up a little with all the kids gone, but that doesn't seem to be the case . . . you see, these wonderful doors keep opening up . . . and God keeps holding them open. I love it and have seen some truly amazing things in 2011.

In May I fulfilled a life goal of ministering to the homeless with my Cindy through her church in Memphis.

I saw God start a new, long prayed about chapter in her life. That was wayyy cool and there's more to come!

I've had opportunity to minister in other unexpected capacities.

My bee business has adopted a charity/ministry organization.

Wonderful, smart, talented and gifted people have come alongside me in learning and working with bees.

I've embarked on a dream of becoming a Master Beekeeper along with two friends.

I think I've taught more than I ever have.

My 16 year old sidekick is becoming a leader and a teacher too.

My grandmother heart is starting to awaken at the possibility of an adoption.

Amazing internet sales after a candle went viral.

More opportunities to fill in for my Extension Agent Mentor.

Blessed reunions with people from my past.

Meeting two favorite authors - one a high school role model, the other a new found treasure.

I'm sure there are others and I may come back and add more later. I mostly just wanted to get this written down while it was fresh on my mind so I don't forget 2011 as the "No Moss" year. What's really ironic about that is that I've got TONS of moss left over around here from Becky's wedding!

2011-09-19T11:53:00.000-05:00

What a Week!

I've been sighing a breath of relief since Friday as the orders finally started slowing down. I know that probably sounds a bit strange coming from someone who promotes, promotes, and promotes, but seriously, I was not prepared for the influx of orders that came after Etsy sent out my Primitive Skep Candle in an Etsy Finds email.

Don't get me wrong - NO COMPLAINTS, in fact, if anything I'm blown away by the awesome power of internet adverting, and even more that Etsy considered me a seller worthy and capable of handling the honor. Now that I've actually said that, I think Etsy's endorsement may be the better of the two.

Regardless - I've given up the 24 hour candle making in favor of more sustainable volumes, and am increasing by volume capacity by taking up mold casting at the same time. This is an adventure I have dreamed of for years and after collaborating with my good friend Phillip G, who made my awesome Tree Branch Candle mold, the time is right.

This morning I got a message from Jeanette, another Etsy seller, at The Play Date blog. She has featured the skep candle in a beautiful collage on that site - a first time honor for this farm girl. After reading her inspirational posts I'm most anxious to get started on the mold casting - like I said, the time is right.

2011-08-27T18:16:00.003-05:00

Choosing Color

"I don't do white."

I felt the room around me kind of pause. The words were spoken to a young lady of color behind the counter of a fast food chain. She had just waited on some other customers of like skin tone and they were silent too. It was a bit awkward as I realized what just came out of my mouth.

You have to understand. I'm a 50+ Caucasian woman, somewhat overweight, obviously not a youth, and obviously suffering from a serious case of foot in mouth disease this day.

The young lady and I were trying to work through some logistics to get my order right. The restaurant only offered packaged dinners - I wanted something different and was trying to explain to this girl why I did not want a biscuit with my fried chicken.

And that's when the awkward statement came out of my mouth.

The long and short of it is, I'm giving up white foods. White flour, white sugar, white pasta, white rice, white potatoes. I'm sure there are some others I need to give up, but that's the big five for me. It's not that I can't have breads, sweets, pasta, rice and taters - I will just have the superior forms and not the inferiors that have become staples of the American diet.

So far so good. I don't know if I'll even be able to tell a difference six months from now, but I do know it won't hurt.

So yeah, I don't do white.

2011-08-19T09:40:00.008-05:00

What's in a Name??

Her life was a wreck. She was sick. She was broke. In fact, she was broke because she was sick, and she was still sick thanks to a medical community who didn't have a clue about what was wrong with her, let alone how to help her. And she was desperate.

What do you do when you're desperate? You do desperate things. For her this meant throwing on enough powder or face paint or hair gel or whatever to fain wellness and mingling with a mob hoping she wouldn't be noticed.

Her purpose gave her strength enough to make her way through the crowd. She knew that if she failed she had nothing left but to go home and die. She was so sick she might not even make it home to die. This was it.

At last she found what she was looking for. She stooped down, reached out, then stood up . . . whole, and well.

There wasn't even enough time to feel a flicker of joy when her heart trembled at hearing an authoritative "Who?" She knew it was her. This wasn't supposed to happen, she had thought to do her deed and get out of of there.

A moment of confusion ensued as the mob stopped and tried to figure out what happened. Then the voice spoke again, "Somebody touched me". This time it was personal - she was being called out.

There was nothing to do but to come clean then and there. This dear nameless woman, fell trembling before the One who had made her, and then made her whole. All she could do was pour out her story before Him and hundreds of onlookers.

Jesus's next words not only gave her permission to rejoice in the new life she was given by touching the hem of His garment, but even more so in a new relationship with Him. Her faith in Jesus Christ, not some ethereal idea of something greater out there, but a real faith in the very real Jesus Christ, a faith that called her to action, had made her whole. The "Who" that was singled out as a "Somebody" was now a "Daughter", instructed to go in peace.

Taken from Luke 8:43-47

From Beemusement 101

2011-02-12T08:28:00.004-06:00

My Sister Bathsheba

I’ve come to realize this week that one of the reasons I like Bathsheba so much is that we have so very much in common.

Both of us were wronged by a very well liked and popular person.

Both of us had our hearts ripped out and stuffed down our throat.

Both of us were blamed in the other person’s sin.

Both of us endured whispers of ignorant waggling tongues.

And both of us chose to remain silent about the incident and let God handle it.

I love the fact that both God and Solomon vindicated this incredible woman. Even David, who sinned against her, publicly took responsibility for his actions, something that never happened in my case. Her son . . HER son, was chosen by God above his elder brothers to sit on the throne of David. Solomon publicly honored her to a place no woman had ever achieved in Israel’s history. Not only did he set her beside his throne, in essence declaring her his equal, but he wrote about her. How many women have aspired to be the Proverbs 31 woman without realizing that they were aspiring to Bathsheba’s godly character?

I love the fact that she is the only female Old Testament type of Christ. What an honor! What a legacy!

Today I feel the ignorant whispers again. I feel the serpent tearing at the scar tissue of old wounds. And I feel close to Bathsheba. I’m glad she endured to the end. She gives me hope.

2011-02-05T23:26:00.003-06:00

Looking Ahead

It's been a while since I wrote about bees. Yes, I still have bees and I love them very much. This is a busy time of year for beekeepers. Even now wild mustard is growing on the sides of the road and it won't be long before we see dandelions pop up in our yards. These are all fresh food sources for the little honeybees who have been cooped up inside all winter long.

Right now I've got about 250 honey supers in my yard waiting for me to clean them. They're not mine, but belong to a beekeeper friend of mine and I get the propolis in exchange for going through them. It's a trade I'm happy to make.

Justin, my 16 year old sidekick, went to Auburn University with me today for the annual Beekeeping Symposium there. With around 400 in attendance, it's the most that have ever gathered for a bee event in this state. With about two thirds of them being new beekeepers, it said a lot of GOOD about the state of beekeeping in Alabama. We split up for a lot of the sessions, him taking more beginner courses and me learning everything else I could. What follows are highlights and a string around my own finger to help remember everything!

First up this morning was a request to do the children's program at the State Beekeeper meeting next October - twice. This will be a pleasure. I've done lot's of children's programs, love kids and have a fun presentation. (Dancing anyone?) It looks like I may be sharing some research on the business end of things I'm currently doing too.

The Master Beekeepers Program excites me. Alabama is actually working on a program for this and once it's finalized and implemented I should be able to be grandfathered in for at least 80% of the qualifications. Dreams do come true!!! Since Justin is getting bees this year he'll be able to go through the program in about 3 years as well starting as an Apprentice. I'm excited for him.

Soap - with as many soap classes as I've sat in on you'd think I'd have made my own by now, but that's soon a thing of the past. I've got a hot process batch in the works and invested in a mold, so we're on the way. No more melt and pour.

AHB . . . Africanized Honey Bees. We were SO UPSET in our part of the state to learn of the death of our GA neighbor last fall from these devils. Well, it turns out he had collected swarms from Central Florida and taken them home to start his own bee business . . . . . if you know anything about Florida's feral bee population and even a hint of the magnitude of this poor soul's mistake . . . The good news is that ALL of his colonies were eliminated so we should still be a few years out on that problem.

And while we're on that topic our local association should be having an important guest speaker the next few months to address that issue since our corner of the state could very well be first to have to deal with them.

Next week I'll start working the hives in preparation for spring honey flow. Between feeding, swapping brood chamber and splits I've got my work cut out for me. My commercial friend will be teaching me to graft as well. While the jury is still out on which queen rearing method I'll finally settle on, I'm just thankful to be back at this threshold for this year. Life is good. Bring on the dandelions, bring on the bees!

2011-01-26T11:01:00.006-06:00

Leviticus Rocks

In this morning’s reading Leviticus 5:1 shook me to my core. It’s not that I’ve not read it before, it was more like this time it read me.

And if a soul sin , and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity.

We had just talked about swearing and using God’s name in vain at the Jail on Sunday. We even read through the Ten Commandments to get it straight. And here it was . . . if you hear swearing, you are guilty.

One of my sons once told me “Leviticus rocks” while going through that class at Word of Life. To me it had mostly been dry, priestly procedures so I had to ask about this new revelation. The bottom line – no matter how hard we try to be clean and guiltless before God, it’s impossible. For the priests, even unknowingly brushing your foot against a dead bug made them unfit to serve – and how would they know?? The certainty of uncertainty forces us to depend on the mercy of God.

So learning that even hearing swear words was somewhat of a slap in the face. I felt like Isaiah: Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Isaiah 6:5

We hear them everywhere – on the street, on the job, on the phone, tv, movies, music, the list goes on and on. To some degree there’s no avoiding it. I had to think back over the times I heard my Lord’s name used wrongfully and how it affected me. And I had to repent of the iniquity I bore in even hearing my God and my Savior maligned in that manner.

And I had to consider why swearing, i.e., using any part of the Trinity’s name lightly is wrong.

1. It usurps God’s authority. Of course we know that anybody using God’s name wrongfully in no way displaces the authority of heaven . . . except in that person’s heart at that moment.

2. It makes false presumptions about God’s character.

I’m sure there are other reasons, but those are the two big ones for me.

Consider Shelomiths’s son. She was a Hebrew woman married to an Egyptian man who left Egypt with Moses. We’re not told how old their son was, but at some point after the Ten Commandments he swore using God’s name. The conclusion of that matter shook the Hebrews to the core much like Pearl Harbor or 9/11 shook the national mindset of our country. The young man was executed by stoning, you might say by Levitical rocks, literally. The Jews became so protective of God’s name that it’s pronunciation was lost to the general population and only passed down from one high priest to the next as he lay dying. That’s pretty serious. To this day orthodox Jews who fear God will not write out the word “God” as I’m doing here.

The big question I face is “Where to now?” How am I to respond? What will I do if someone misuses my Lord’s name in my presence?

The easy answer is to avoid people and situations where that could happen. There’s merit to that. There are many places and situations to be avoided. Avoiding people though? No – people need Christ, and how can our feet be beautiful (Romans 10:15) if we run from them instead of to them? There’s one idea, one glimmer of possibility that has come through this, and that’s to use the situation should it arise. As a follower of Christ I should be offended to hear my Lord’s name taken in vain, but rather than express personal insult, confront the offender in genuine love and humility for their own good. People don’t care how much you know but they do know how much you care. So love the sinner – open a dialog to present the gospel, to present Christ to them. It may be the very reason that God, in His sovereignty and providence had you in a Leviticus 5:1 opportunity to begin with.

2010-05-17T09:27:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday Cindy

This is a significant day.

Thirty years ago I had been admitted to St. Margret's Hospital in Hammond Indiana and was spending my first day with a wee little bald headed girl that was born early that morning.

Cindy's birth and early events were a lot like her. My labor was short and intense - the child wasted no time getting here! Thirty years later no grass grows under her feet if she has somewhere to go - when it's time to go, it's time to go!

And she's still a Daddy's girl. How that screaming newborn knew everything would be all right and that she was safe the moment she touched her Daddy's arms in the delivery room amazed us both. The times she has taken comfort in her Dad's embrace in the years since is innumerable. It's been one of the greatest blessings of my life to see my daughter(s) enjoy this blessing I never had.

And she still knows her own mind about things. Her first feeding was trying. After a while the hospital staff thought it was time for her to eat. She thought otherwise. The child wasn't hungry and a staff member spent a good hour with me trying to coax this child to nurse.

Parenthood is a funny thing. When God places this tiny person into your life you really don't know who he or she is - you just know they're yours and your responsibility to raise for God. Time and time together unfold and reveal the incredible person you brought into the world. Thirty years has revealed unbelievable beauty in so may ways that I never in my fondest dreams imagined possible for one young woman to posses. I find myself humbled that God trusted me to parent this child.

So today I celebrate in my heart. I celebrate God's love an mercy. I celebrate the life of my daughter who has become one of my heroes. And I look forward to our family celebration this weekend when we'll break out the cake and ice cream just like we did when she was a little kid. I don't expect her to put her hand in the cake like she did when she was little, but then, who knows? Maybe I should make two, just in case of a cake fight.

I love you Baby, and I'm so proud of you.

2010-01-06T19:18:00.002-06:00

Memories of Northland

I’ve been sitting here listing the December transactions in our accounting records most of the day. For the most part it’s tedious work, but once in a while something interesting comes up.

It’s cold outside. For south Alabama its been very cold.. Most years we get one or two days of freezing or below freezing temps. We’ve had a lot of it this year with no expected end in sight, at least that I know of. It’s hard on us southerners who for the most part don’t have clothing designed for sustained low temperatures, enough blankets, or any idea how to maintain life below 40 degrees.

So for me, it was a flashback to come to a single odd entry . . $2.71 spent at 200 Sunset Ave Unit 2 in Coleman, Wisconsin.

For just a second it all came back – Norman and I were in a dinky cheapo rental car and had been driving for hours in the worst conditions we’d seen in years. From the time we landed in Milwaukee all we saw was snow, snow, and more snow, and we had to drive. We were headed to NI to surprise Becky had had been pushing north several hours when hunger and fatigue took over. After eating at a seafood restaurant (that turned out to be a bar to our chagrin, but no other restaurants in town), we stopped at a Shell station for coffee for the last leg of the trip. That’s where we made the purchase. It was very dark, the temperature was about 6 below zero, and we were quite anxious about what lay ahead.

“Are the directions to the college right?
Are the roads ahead ok?
Will we make it safe?
Have they got our room ready?
How will we find where to go once we get there?

Will she be glad to see us?”

I don’t know how it happened but I left my red scarf at the station. No idea what happened, but it was missing after that stop. The coffee was good and much appreciated. We made it back to the main road and continued to push north in the dark for about another hour. After that we drove for miles on side roads to get to the college which, true to everything we were told, really was out in the middle of nowhere in the woods.

Everything worked out fine. We watched our daughter practice for a concert maybe half an hour before we were finally able to see her. Fluke that it was, God worked it out for us to have a little time alone there at the beginning as we held her and talked, and laughed and cried, and talked and laughed and cried some more. It was dream come true for all of us.

The rest of the visit consisted of going to classes, attending her concert, meeting friends, meeting staff, seeing the campus, visiting a nearby town, going to church, etc. We had serious life talks about serious life issues. She had finals the following week for which we stayed out of the way as much as possible. Being at NI allowed us a first hand glimpse of who God is shaping her into, and challenged us in our own walk with Christ. In the end, the cold wasn’t a big deal.

The accounting entries are done now. I think I’ll make a cup of good coffee, sit a spell, reflect on the majesty of God, pray, and cherish the cold. It’s only a temperature.

2009-10-13T11:57:00.000-05:00

My Son My Teacher

Mike and Heather came last week. I was in on it but it was a surprise for my husband who didn’t know he was going to be treated to a Conestoga steak for his birthday.

We really didn’t plan for day following. It was just a day to visit and enjoy company and do “whatever”.

For Mike and I “whatever” came in the form of a trek down to the pond to adjust the sights on my rifle. I wasn’t really comfortable doing it myself and he welcomed the opportunity to become acquainted with one of the loves of my father’s life.

So we grabbed paper, a box, tape, shells, an ink pen and the gun, and headed down the hill. Our pond is a great place to shoot because of a steep bank on one side. When you place your target there whatever you hit, or even miss, becomes a permanent part of the ground. With livestock, a road and neighbors, that’s important.

I was impressed. He turned the rowboat up to steady his aim and sort of sit/laid, sniper style to shoot. It didn’t take too many rounds.

Then it was my turn. I grudgingly got down in the dirt and dutifully held the gun as a drill instructor had taught me so I could utilize my dominant eye. It was a good technique, but according to Mike, it was wrong for me.

Teaching, i.e, retraining me came as natural to him as breathing . . . it wasn’t planned – it just happened. He showed me how to hold the gun on the other shoulder and look down the scope with both eyes open. His goal was my success and we went through several rounds, with him coaching to fine tune my skill through each one.

Halfway through all this it hit me that the roles were now reversed. For so many years I taught him and tried to coach him in successful life skills. We both took some lumps and bruises in the process. Now it was his turn, and he was doing the same for me. Line upon line, precept upon precept, he helped me learn something I thought was impossible. I stood in awe of his knowledge, and even more of his teaching skills. He didn’t learn any of that from me.

I kept the last target. It’s folded up in the case as a memento of the day. It’s not that I hit it five times in succession, which I quickly admit I’m proud of, but as a reminder that God makes boys into fine men, and that we’re never too old to learn from our children.

2009-09-09T09:35:00.007-05:00

Of Wine and Ice And Boys and Men

We recently started the New Testament in our study of women in the Bible at the jail. Naturally, Mary, the birth mother of Jesus, is the first one and I have to admit that studying her life has been somewhat of a challenge. I find it easier to relate to wounded or imperfect women than those who seemed to get it right.

So this week I've studied John 2: 1-11, the passage about Jesus's first miracle where he turned the water to wine. It's a very familiar story but for me I just never quite "got it." Sure, it was all there, the wedding, the guests, the water, the pots, Mary, Jesus and the other characters. But what happened between them . . . that's the part that always troubled me. The way Jesus addressed his earthly mother never seemed right. (Without getting too theological here I know it was right, after all He is God. ) One commentator offers this viewpoint, another commentator says that, it seems they're just as confused as I am. Then there's this whole holy mystery of Mary and Jesus shrouded in this theological cloud of mumbo jumbo anyway. Yeah, troubling.

There were a few new revelations. It seems Mary may have been more than an invited guest. As with many weddings friends and family work together to pull off festivities for a new couple. Mary's having the authority to tell the servants what to do give the impression that she's in charge somehow. Else why would the servants obey Jesus?

So I prayed through the passage. It's not something I do often, and admittedly should do more, And this time, boy did I ever get it. When I got to verse four I heard my own son's voice from deep somewhere in my memory.

It was a hot day, a bunch of people were on their way to our house, and we were out of ice. I couldn't leave because I had to greet people and eagerly asked the first person to arrive, my Mike, to run to the store for a couple of bags.

Big Sigh . . "Woman, what am I gonna to do with you?" And he took charge of the situation and saved the day. Nobody knew we had even been out and everyone had a great visit.

Jesus . . . Mike - what an interesting and delightful comparison. Both needs were real, both requests were made by mom's trying to pull off a social event and thinking about the needs of others, and both needs were met by a man/child in process of becoming an independent adult. Mike got the ice. Jesus turned water to wine.

So Jesus's words, "Woman, what have I do do with thee?" no longer read as a rude "get out of my face" remark. I hear Mike. Everything will be ok.

And I hear Jesus lovingly saying, "Roslyn, what am I going to do with you?" And I know he's got it all under control. He's God. He can do that.

2009-09-04T22:17:00.008-05:00

More Weeds to Love

Well, if I keel over before anyone reads this from alkaloid poisoning, this post will have to serve as my last communication.

I don't think I'm any danger though. Yes, I know the photo is downright frightening, but in a way it's super cool as well.

I attempted to have this tree identified some years ago. I don't know if my photo wasn't that good or what, but the tree expert extension agent in the next county missed it completely. I learned it's true identity a few days ago.

It was a rainy day and I had some business to handle with my former neighbor who is now my insurance agent. Like friends do, we caught up on everything under the sun, including a story about how my fire ant cream helped one of his kids. Then out of the blue he reminisces about something that happened to him before that last kid was even born.

An old fellow took him out riding in his old pickup truck down a dirt road up near Evergreen. He showed him a tree, peeled off a piece of bark and had him hold the underside against his gum. In a few moments he didn't feel a thing. . . . the gum was numb. It was an old Indian remedy for toothaches.

It was a fascinating story, and out of the blue Roy had his friend on the phone. I was even able to talk to him and here's the rest of the story. The tree is a Prickly Ash, aka Southern Prickly Ash, aka Toothache Tree. It's not common and is most often found on, you guessed it, fence lines. And there's more to it than numbing gums. Turns out it's good for arthritis and will, in his words, "clean your arteries." It's supposed to "reduce bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol"

I found out earlier this year that I have high cholesterol, so I figure there's not a lot to lose by giving it a shot. I already know it won't kill me because I positively identified my trees by putting the underside of a piece of bark on my gum. It actually numbed the whole left side of my face.

So I'm going easy on the stuff. Bark is soaking in a mason jar with apple cider vinegar and I'm told it tastes really bad, but thats no biggie . . . a spoonful of sugar, I mean honey, will help it go down. And isn't ACV and honey supposed to be some kind of miracle cure for a lot of stuff anyway? So what if it's got a few alkaloids in it.

But just in case, you've got a photo of the molecule for the autopsy.

2009-09-01T23:41:00.002-05:00

Facing Fall

Well, I've got 18 more minutes of Sept. 1, 2009 and I'm still wondering what happened to August. Most years I dread August. Here in the southeast corner of AL it's a miserable month with miserable heat and humidity. I've dealt with it mentally for many years by quietly counting the weeks till the temperatures let up.

I've not had to do that this year. We left early in the month and headed north. Brian had a long anticipated meniscal transplant and we went up to be with them. It was our first trip to Raleigh since he and Bonnie got married. While it was still hot there, except for walking Lucy, our grand-dog, we didn't feel it too much since helping them through those first few rough days after surgery was priority - which meant staying inside. Bonnie has some great shots if anyone wants to venture over to their blog . . . and yes, I was sewing during the surgery. It relieved the frustration of endless CNN newscast repeats and I secretly wished the bags I was stitching were voodoo dolls of certain persons whose leftist lies we had to endure in the waiting room. Making family members endure health reform brainwashing tactics during a stressful time is not the way to win them over.

Coming home was better than anticipated - Norman stopped at Ikea in Charlotte and gave me the tour. At home we were greeted by a tropical storm! I love those things. They don't do nearly as much damage as hurricanes and tornadoes, but do bring blessed rain and cooler temperatures. We even dipped below (gasp!) 70 several nights.

Of course we had an overgrown yard, overgrown garden, piles of mail and projects and bills to deal with on return . . . all expected, and still not all dealt with yet. But we're home and trying to slog through it all. There have been a lot of joys - seeing Beck back to college by the skin of her teeth, reuniting with old friends, Bible study with my peeps . . . and there have been some devistations too. I take comfort that God's got that under control.

In other news, Cindy has taken it upon herself to continually bless us all with her wry humor. I have to be the #1 fan of FriendADay. Those 100 visitors yesterday . . . I love Facebook posts!

The days around the fourth weekend were interesting. Mike, Heather and a friend drove to the west coast to be in a wedding only to be rear ended in southern CA and miss the rehersal after getting lost. Then the minister, our much loved BroJo, came up missing Sunday morning. Our cat, Lucky, (and yes, we heard the crass jokes about her getting lucky) had four sweet kittens under the guest bed while hoards of frantic friends and family, ourselves included, tried to find Joel across three thousand miles. My reward for helping find him finally, and then finding the kittens, was being hissed at by a newborn kitty. I thought I was imagining it at first, but it pretty much hisses at me every day. Ok, so maybe they're not all so sweet - the jury is still out on that one.

I also got to the jail late because of all of the above, only to be turned me away because they were under quarantine.

Then last weekend we doubled our apiary when another beekeeper threw in the towel and we obtained their bees and equipment. God bless my dear husband for his support and help, and for enduring multiple stings after his first encounter with a hot hive.

So now it's, whoops, two minutes into September 2 and my calendar is already bulging. I worked at the computer so long today I thought my eyeballs were going to melt out of my head, and after making a cute repurposed purse, well, here I am again. At least this is somewhat more pleasurable.

So if you see me sometime this month, you can be sure I probably need a hug, a big one even. Between the bees, upcoming classes to teach, upcoming projects to complete, upcoming trips, another farmer's market starting and trying to hold down the fort at home, yeah. . . . it's good to be home.

2009-08-12T00:42:00.006-05:00

Loving the Insanity

I have a new favorite blog - besides my own, and Brian and Bonnies, and my girls Facebook posts, and my pastor's . . . . ok I have a lot of favorites. But this is my first favorite PICTURE blog. Enjoy!

Friend A Day

About Friend A Day

We exist to bring friendship to a lonely, busy world. It’s tough making new friends, so we’re here to bring new friends to you. In fact, we’ll bring a friend a day to you.

Doesn't that just touch your heart????? One question . . . Who is the sexy handsome bearded man with the chickens???

2009-07-19T22:30:00.003-05:00

Touching History

I am so tired I could drop - and I plan to very soon. This has been an eventful day and I wanted to get a few things out of my heart and shot into cyberspace while it was still fresh.

Norman and I celebrated "part two" of our thirty year anniversary this weekend. We drove to Americus, GA late yesterday, spent the night at a cheesy Day's Inn, and hunted down a church in a small town about twelve miles from there this morning.

I'll tell it to you the way I told it to my Mom.

"We visited a different church today."

"Really? How'd it go?"

"Well, Sunday School was really good. The teacher gave a great lesson with a very clear presentation of the gospel. The pastor was a nice guy, really great with children. His style of worship was somewhat more formal than what we are used to but it was good."

"Where did you go?"

"Georgia."

I could hear the bewilderment in her voice by now but wasn't quite ready to spill the beans. "Why in the world did you go to church in Georgia?"

"We wanted to hear the Sunday School teacher."

Then she dropped the million dollar question . . . "Why? Who was it?"

I think she was still puzzled when I told her it was former President Jimmy Carter. It took a bit of explaining before she realized that he had taught Sunday School since he was 18 years old (he's 84 now) and despite political opinion, is a genuine Christian with a heart for God.

And that's how we spent today. We went to church, then hung around Plains most of the afternoon visiting historic sites.

The former president is an excellent teacher. I thought it was neat that his lesson meshed very nicely with the Beth Moore series our ladies group is doing now. I about bust a seam when the pastor used the same scripture passage from II Samuel 7 we've been studying as well.

It was a different kind of church experience. The crowd was greeted by Mrs. Jan - Amy's 4th grade teacher, apparently a very old and trusted friend/co-laborer and church member. She guided the group through Secret Service security, proper presidential Sunday School etiquette, potty breaks and photography procedures. She knew her job well, and while she handled the job with diplomacy and humor, you sure didn't want to get on her bad side! When she started playing the piano for worship service - the room dropped to a dead hush!

There are many more details, but here are some important things currently in the front of my very tired brain:

1. I know America scoffs at "the Carter years" like they are an embarrassment. Thus the Carters themselves aren't held in as high esteem as say, the Reagan's were. This is unfortunate. The Carters are the kind of people that made America great. America needs more people with the values and work ethic these people continue to live.

2. They've probably done more for humanity since the White House than any other president, ever. Good grief - he got the Nobel Prize in 2002. While the Carter Center is not a religious organization, per se, the humanitarian efforts to third world countries generates tremendous goodwill towards the US. Goodwill means those countries keep their doors open to the US. This means missionaries go IN many of those countries. I have a sneaking suspicion that heaven will reveal many a soul saved because his work helped keep the door open. Can you say, "For such a time as this!?"

3. He cares about souls for heaven. Not only did he give a very clear presentation of the gospel, incorporated very effortlessly into the lesson, he challenged everyone present to share it with others.

4. He has made an eternal impact on the community. Norman visited a while with a very nice young black man who works at one of the parks. He's a college student presently writing a book about how his faith has transformed from one of religion to one of relationship. (I'm getting holy goosebumps again!)

With that I bid you goodnight.

2009-06-06T22:37:00.002-05:00

My First Ever Farmer’s Market

I’ve managed to get a few varied events under my belt the last several years with my little bitty bee and honey business. Each one is a new learning experience and I’ve slowly figured out what type events are worthwhile and which ones aren’t. This year, 2009, I’ve actually participated in two new venues. The first one was an art festival where I did a childrens activity. While sales were so-so, the fact that it was in my backyard and the fun with the children made the effort worthwhile.

The second was today – a brand new Farmer’s Market! I have to hand it to the Downtown Group, and Julie Bishop in particular, this was a well prepared event! We were met by a small army of volunteers from First Baptist Church who anticipated our needs before we recognized them. Our spaces were well organized and clearly marked. Vendors had access to nice restroom facilities (though I must admit having difficulty finding them!) and parking for both vendors and guests was more than adequate.

I did not take any honey. (1. I don’t have any yet and 2. If I did I only sell in Dale County anyway), but I did take Cinnamon Creamed Honey of which I sold about 2/3 of what I brought. My partner in crime and fellow beekeeper Bill Miller sold completely out of honey, even down to his sample jars. I think he was pretty pleased.

I’m obviously not an experienced farmer’s market vendor, at least not yet, but based on today’s experience here’s what I’ve gleaned so far:

1. I like my tent better than EZ-Up. It’s easier to set up, at least that’s my opinion for now. Mr. E. Herman of FL is loaning us his brand spanking new one and today we had to put the cover on and various other new tent things. I don’t know, I may change my mind before the month is over.

2. Farmer’s market customers are NICE. They aren’t in a hurry and are at the market because they are genuinely interested in eating natural and wholesome foods. I found that most refreshing.

3. Lord, Please deliver me from loud radio station speakers. It’s too soon to predict a pattern, but I suspect W***Fm to be involved with the massive headache I left with.

4. COOLERS AND ICED DRINKS are life savers. Friends who bring coolers with iced drinks are the best kind of friends. I want to be that kind of friend!!

5. Girls with that special “something” still draw a lot of attention. My girls were in bee costumes, and while they were adorable, loveliness radiated because what’s on the inside radiated out.

6. Ok, maybe the EZ-Up had an advantage; we did put a cover on one side to keep the sun out. That was a tremendous help, especially for the bees.

7. TAKE A CAMERA. There was this one little guy who tried on a bee veil . . . talk about a Kodak moment!

8. Lots of $1 and $5 bills.

9. Plan to crash afterwards.

10. Four hours of intense PR can feel like 2 days without sleep.

That being said . . . it’s time for this girl to crash.

2009-06-03T09:28:00.005-05:00

Jesus and Fame

I thought it a very beautiful thing in John ch. 2 when Jesus turned the water into wine. Here He was, one of many guests at a wedding feast, probably unnoticed in the crowd, when He did this beautiful, generous and kind miracle unknown to anyone but the servants and a few close acquaintances. The grace and humility in his contentment to remain anonymous for this deed was profound. I know people like that. They are full of good works and are perfectly happy if nobody knows a thing.

The passage immediately following the miracle in Cana stands in stark contrast. Here we see Jesus in a completely different light. He patiently braided together a whip with many small strands, then took it into the temple and immediately became a public figure, a spectacle if you will, by overturning tables, knocking things over, and running out the crooks who had set up operations there. The Bible doesn't say if anyone took a hit off that whip, but there's no doubt it was put into use and those guys had a healthy respect for it. This wasn't a hasty action. It was meticulous and planned. And Jesus knew He was essentially pasting a bulls eye on Himself for the rest of His ministry.

A lot of times we think of being Christlike only in terms of the miracle at Cana - good deeds without recognition. I think sometimes we neglect the other side of the coin, that being Christlike requires a willingness to be seen and known.

To Jesus recognition didn't matter. If no one knew, that was fine with Him. Fact is, many times He told people to keep things mum. Yet when He needed to be in the limelight, He didn't shy away from either popularity or unpopularity. All that mattered was bringing glory to His Father.

I once asked a lady to help in a presentation that would essentially bring the gospel to a secular venue. She is known for her quiet good works and I expected her to happily respond to such a great opportunity. It wasn't the case though . . . "I could never have people look at me!"

Jesus wasn't like that. His sinlessness was shown in that He needed no recognition for what He did, and on the opposite end of the spectrum, was perfectly OK with being thrust into the limelight. The underlying factor that made both possible was that He had a greater purpose.

How am I doing? I don't know. I like a pat on the back when I do something good. That's pride. There have been times when I've enjoyed the limelight. That's pride as well. The truth is, both extremes reveal sinful nature. "Look at me" and "Don't look at me" both reveal pride, because both are about "me". True Christlikeness is revealed in obedience that is equally willing to be anonymous or famous, popular or unpopular.

Obedience/ dying to self is the key. Jesus became obedient to death, and if I present myself a living sacrifice today, the Glory of my God is the only thing that matters. I want to be like Jesus that way.

2009-05-25T10:59:00.006-05:00

Rainy Monday Musings

This is kind of a hard post for me to put into words. I know what I want to share but I don't know where to start. I've been in kind of a funk spiritually since April. I don't know whether the exhaustion of moving the office and various other big projects have anything to do with it, spending my first ever Mother's day ALONE this month (as in no kids in sight) or what, but daily devotions and regular church activities just haven't cut it. It finally hit me that I'm missing peace and that "sound mind" part of II Tim. 1:7. Thanks to a visiting speaker that peace issue was addressed. Thanks to Pastor Henry Wright's teaching I know that a sound mind is found in a right relationship with the second person of the trinity, Jesus Christ.

I didn't intend to neglect Jesus. He is my Savior and best friend, yet I've had to admit that I have spent a long time (years) learning to love and trust God (the Father) the way He intended a father/child relationship to function. Fear is no longer a stronghold in my life thanks to this dynamic, for lack of a better word, in my relationship with God.

And now it's time to move on. I'm hungry to know my Savior.

It's his power that has my mind reeling today. A lot of things come to mind when you hear the word "power". There are so may uses of the word and ways in which power is defined, shown, and used it covers a lot of ground. And Jesus said "all power is given me". "All" in itself, considering all the meanings, is pretty staggering. Combined with the word "power" and, well, our gaskets just can't hold that much. It's here we step from the realm of understanding into the realm of faith.

But I do want to offer a faint glimmer of understanding. This is something that God showed me yesterday while teaching at the jail. Consider the atomic bomb . . . Little Boy that was detonated over Hiroshima in 1945 successfully converted 600 milligrams (.02 ounce, the weight of a little dust) of uranium into energy. The resulting explosion killed 140,000 people with those closest to the blast being vaporized in nanoseconds.

When you consider the Holiness of our God having the power of even a few pieces of uranium dust, how dare we think we can stand before Him? At least not without a covering of His provision? This is exactly what God did for his friend, Moses, when he hid him behind a rock to prevent him from being killed by the brightness of His glory.

"The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereoff." My Jesus owns far, far more than a few specs of uranium dust. It's ALL His. When you consider the mass of the earth is generally accepted as 5.9742 × 10²⁴ kilograms, (did you get that, ten to the 24'th power kilograms?), the energy stored in our world alone is so far beyond comprehension we can only express it in terms of power.

And it's all His. I don't know about you, but I know who's side I want to be on! And I'm thankful to have His covering!

2009-05-08T10:52:00.005-05:00

Dead Mice Offerings (image deliberately omitted)

We have two cats, Stitches and Lucky. They are about as opposite in personalities as it’s possible for two felines to be. Stitches is demure and doesn’t like to be held, yet she’s the one who will cuddle against my backside in the sewing room chair when given the opportunity. Lucky on the other hand is a Tigger; impetuous, playful, and affectionate.

We don’t know which one of them is leaving us “presents”.

It started this spring after we were gone for a week. We came home to a thoroughly disgusting dead mouse on the porch by the back door. The unspoken message was, “You weren’t here to feed us, we don’t want you to leave again so we’re going to feed you.”

There have been two this week, and neither were on the back porch by the door . . . no, they were in the work area of the kitchen where thankfully I didn’t step on them. I’ve not figured out what the meow message is supposed to be, unless it’s something like, “I’d like mine medium rare”, which of course we know isn’t going to happen.

It crossed my mind this morning while disposing of mousie #2, (found intact next to the refrigerator unlike it’s predecessor that had internal parts missing) that our offerings to God must seem a lot like that sometimes. I know my cats mean well. My mom told me years ago that it’s their way of taking care of their family and showing appreciation. Yet what possible use could a dead mouse be to a human other than something to throw out and maybe fertilize the garden . . . like compost? And when you consider the diseases that mice can carry do you even want to do that??

I’m reminded that my own works are like that to God, pretty disgusting. While I may mean well, and be very sincere, if it’s not led by His Spirit, and washed in His Blood, it’s not worth a whole lot in eternity’s economy.

And eternity, under the shadow of his wings, is where I want to live. So no dead mice for my God today! He wants my heart and I’m glad to give it to Him – just not on the kitchen floor.

2009-04-20T10:36:00.003-05:00

Monday Musings

I've been in a funk lately. I'm fairly sure it's because of the steady stream of travel, shows, visitors, big projects etc, especially the last few days. I like funky music occasionally, but I don't like being in a funk. It's like you just go through the motions of life with no emotion, no passion, nothing. I know that the walk of faith is not dependent on feelings, but feelings certainly make the passage more enjoyable.

Today I talked to Betty P for the first time. Betty is one of my correspondence students for the prison ministry. I don't know her story, but I know she's been my most faithful student since 2005. Wherever she moves she stays in touch and just keeps on studying. If lessons get lost or returned she'll call the church and give a good address. This time she gave a phone number as well.

If I ever run out of study material Betty will be the one to complete all the lessons. Even though it was our first personal contact, there was a sweet kinship of spirit that only the Lord can give - I've prayed over many a lesson of hers and now I feel like I have a new friend. Hearing her voice and getting to know her a bit more was precious. I've known her faithful spirit for years now. She's my only student to continue Bible study long after leaving a locked facility.

I don't think about it often but I full well expect to meet and rejoice with all my believing students in heaven someday. Today, God banished a funk by giving me a little heaven here. He couldn't have given me a better encouragement to remain faithful and finish strong.

2009-03-31T15:27:00.005-05:00

Finding My Inner Farmgirl

My friend Rachael visited over the weekend. Rachael's visits are always a delight. We do all kinds of crazy stuff like dig in the trash gully on my property, rob bees, sit and sweat for hours, and enjoy insane animal adventures. This visit she went on a swarm call with me and actually found the queen bee in the swarm bucket, by herself! Rach is a true renaissance woman. She's every bit as much at home in a frilly Victorian frock as she is denim and flannel. She makes fine bonnets and can handle a pistol or tomahawk with equal skill.

Needless to say I look forward to her visits.

This time she left me something priceless - a couple of magazines featuring bees and honey as their topic of the month. You know me, if it's honey related, I'm all for it!

One of the magazines is Mary Janes Farm. I have to admit, I was pretty much a goner with the first photo I saw, a little girl in a bee costume. The old timey bee embrodery patterns were a treat too. Interviews with beekeepers, recipes, etc were all presented beautifully and tastefully.

Then I saw the website . . . it turns out Mary Jane is a real person. Her vision, hard work and passion have touched many lives and there are "Farmgirl" chapters, each sporting it's own unique apron, all over the country. It's a great site to peruse while on hold. The networking is awesome - today I found Aunt Daisey , tea jellies, and all kinds of cool crafty blogs. Talk about inspiration! Between all the adorable aprons and links to other women out there doing their own thing, I felt my kind, our kind, of different was a special thing.

So Thank You dear Rachael for your own precious friendship, and also for helping me appreciate my Inner Farmgirl.

2009-03-22T15:08:00.006-05:00

Green Goodness: Just Wear Your Gloves

The stinging nettle stand I mentioned a few weeks earlier has grown substantially, in fact there's a couple of nice bushy mounds of it by the barn. Now that I recognize it every time I see where it's spread to another place I'm pleased. It seems to like to grow against rocks and buildings. I've not seen any out in the open, it's almost like it's trying not to be noticed.

But I notice! And a couple of days ago I donned my gloves and a pair of snips and harvested some stalks with tender greens. I was nervous about the gloves, but I figured the barbs would be less likely to penetrate latex than leather or cloth gloves. It was a gamble that paid off. I snipped them low with kitchen scissors, took them in an washed them, all the while being careful not to get them against any bare skin.

My sister had told me they didn't taste great but were great for you. All my research supported that but I wasn't up to a meal of straight nettles, so I mixed them with canned turnip greens. To tell you the truth, I couldn't tell I was eating anything out of the ordinary, but then, I wasn't doing a high ratio of nettles to greens either. It's been almost forty eight hours and no hint of symptoms, so at least I know it's not poisonous.

What was left after snipping the tender greens off the stalk I bound up in a string and hung it just outside the back door. It may be an old wives tale but it's supposed to help keep flies out. So far so good! They're supposed to be naturally leery of the little barbs. I hope it's true - I HATE flies!

I think tea is next on the agenda. They'll be gone as soon as it gets hot so I plan to harvest soon.
Who would have thought a plant that causes so much pain would do so much good?

2009-02-20T07:29:00.005-06:00

You Knew Me!

It’s been almost a year since I met Buford Stitcher. Mr. Stitcher is an older gentleman who lives in Randolph County. I became aware of him ten or fifteen years ago after my husband saw an article about him in our local paper. The significance is that he’s from my hometown. He travels here once or twice a year for a local event. When I asked my mom if she knew anything about him she was quick to reply, “Oh yes! He and your Dad go way back.”

I thought I knew about all my dad’s friends but this was news to me. Whatever the case after my own involvement with the organization he was with, it was hit and miss trying to get up with him. And it finally happened last spring.

When I met Mr. Stitcher I introduced myself and told him who my parents were only to see an astonished reaction as his face dropped and his hands went into the air, “You little girls! I can’t believe how you’ve grown!”

It was my turn for an epiphany. For a moment I was five years old instead of fifty. He knew me.

I have to believe this is how Nathanial felt when Jesus announced “I saw you when you were under the fig tree,” and how the woman at the well felt when she ran into the village proclaiming, “Come see a man that told me all I ever did!”

There’s something comforting and liberating about being known. I immediately felt a kinship and freedom of relationship in the knowledge that Mr. Stitcher had known me as a child. It meant a lot later that year as he hugged me at my father’s viewing.

I take joy today in that my God, my Father in heaven KNOWS me and loves me, and unlike all my earthly relationships that I can only live in ‘in the moment’, He lives in those moments before and behind me as well and loves me there too. He knows who I was yesterday, and is working to change me into who I should be tomorrow.

How can I not love him and accept his comfort today?

2009-01-26T16:10:00.005-06:00

The Whore in My Heart

Yesterday was my week for Prison Ministry. As usual, my dear husband got a few jollies at the expense of unknowing acquaintances with his usual, “she’s in jail’, or “she’s getting out of jail” remarks. God love him.

I’ve taught on women in the Bible for years. It’s a good fit for what I do as there are so very many “bad” (thank you Liz Curtis Higgs) women in the Bible. The message behind the story is always the same: Jesus loves broken women, Jesus loves YOU, and died to get you back.

So yesterday’s spotlight was on the wife of Hosea, Gomer. The story is never easy for me as I can’t relate to a woman who would leave her husband and children for any reason. And it’s tough because of the way it’s written. The verses in the book jump back and forth from Gomer and Hosea to God and Israel, then back again. Another reason it’s hard is because a precious family member is going through the fire in his marriage because his wife thinks the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, very similar to Gomer.

And it’s tough because the wild life and lovers and desire for independence that called to Gomer call to me.

Don’t get the wrong idea - I don’t know any bad men seeking unholy fulfillment. But just like Israel left her God to go chasing (whoring) after the pleasures and false gods of the world, I find my own heart pulled every day away from God in more directions than I care to confess.

“Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love!”

I’m sure Gomer had no way of knowing that her decisions would ultimately lead to an auction block, her beauty gone, hands tied and barely looking at the ground as people bid on her. The humiliation had to be excruciating. I wonder how she felt when she heard a familiar voice in the crowd outbidding everyone else . . . and I wonder what went through her mind as she heard fifteen silver pieces deposited with the auctioneer, and watched a years worth of food traded as her husband bought her back. Was he going to beat her? Would he invoke the ancient law and have her executed?

No. She was restored, and cherished.

“Such love constrains me.” Gomer reminds me again that nothing, absolutely nothing, will fulfill my heart and my life except relationship with my God. The price he paid to get me off the auction block was heaven's ultimate sacrifice. How can I not love him?

2009-01-24T23:42:00.004-06:00

Loving my Weeds

I spent a little time outdoors today. It was nice to get some fresh air as our temps have been pretty low recently and even though it was overcast, it was warm enough to be enjoyable.

My mission was chickweed. A few weeks ago an angel of mercy disguised as a bank rep called, and upon hearing my cough and learning we were recovering from the crud offered some down home advice: Chickweed tea. Actually, chickweed tea with lime.

It wasn't the first time I'd heard that this lowly pest had value. Initially learning that it was rich in nutrients and edible didn't promt me to go out and eat it, but this time I had a need. I was hacking like crazy trying to clear my chest, and nothing was coming up.

God knew, and had a huge wad of chickweed waiting by the door, hanging out of a flowerpot, when I got home. I rinsed it and laid it on a rack over the broiler pan on the wood stove. It was dry in no time.

Making tea was a bit frightening. I used a tea ball and full well expected it to taste like crap, but it didn't. It had sort of a greenish taste, but a teaspoon of lime overpowered it . . . and of course I sweetened it with honey.

It worked! It worked great, and it didn't take long to learn to like the stuff! I'm hooked now, and don't want to be without a good supply of dried chickweed in case we ever have that need again . . . which is why I was searching around the property for a good stand of the stuff.

My search was not in vain. Not only did I find a good amount of chickweed, I was thrilled to find a few stinging nettle growing by a rock pile at the edge of the garden. I left them alone for the time being as I don't have an immediate need. That way they can grow nice and big for me, and hopefully reproduce.

The other thing I found was dandelion. Lots and lots of dandelion. I'll be gathering some of it in the near future too as my dh is already talking about getting the garden dug up for late winter planting.

Those last few moments outside provided a kind of epiphany. As I surveyed the mess left over from the last garden I realized that many of the plants inhabiting that space now are every bit as valuable as the vegetables we had harvested months earlier. Any other year I would have used roundup on them or tossed them root and all in the garbage. Now they were like gifts from God that I had never wanted, let alone appreciated. And they were everywhere.

Yeah, I love my weeds.

2009-01-21T10:30:00.003-06:00

Wednesday Thoughts

It’s cold outside, a chilling 33 degrees to be exact, and just a few minutes after 10 am at that. This is extreme for south Alabama. I count my blessings though. I spoke to a friend in Indiana who was working outside in 2 (yes, two) degree weather. God bless the sunny south!

Its winter in a lot of ways. Our house is quiet again after a rollicking Christmas break. I’m ok with that as the still makes for good meditation and prayer. I sometimes think God gets tired of trying to get things through our thick heads in the midst of the noise and clutter of life we surround ourselves with.

I think the winter that bothers me most is in the struggles I see my children dealing with. All the merriment did not fend off the routine (and some not so routine) issues of life, and outright satanic attack.

So on this very cold day, my heart is on fire and I’m pleading with God on behalf of those I love. PA, CA, Montgomery, Troy, Dothan, FL, NC, Memphis, the UP, Afghanistan, . . . I've got kids in a lot of places and prayer has no distance. God would hear just as well as if I was in the next room.

You know who you are and you know I love you.

2009-01-12T22:27:00.003-06:00

Wild Life

Life around here is usually pretty tame. We've got our routines and all the animals pretty much know what to expect. The cats have their regular times for going in and out. The chickens pretty much leave the coop in the morning, roam all day and go back to the coop at night. The cows and horses have their favorite hangouts and we all exist peacefully together.

Till today! I woke this morning to a ruckus just outside my bedroom window that would wake the dead. The chickens were having a holy fit about something and I made it outside and around the corner just in time to see a hawk flee from a bush the chickens were hiding behind.

Tonight on the way home I saw the biggest, most beautiful buck I've ever seen just beside my pasture fence. I couldn't believe my eyes and slowed down and just stared at him. Obviously I spooked him because he turned around, jumped the barb wire fence and went back into the pasture. I've got a few more days to maybe put him in the freezer.

I was still in shock over the deer when I drove around the corner of the house to my favorite parking place. What should I see but my dear kitty, Stitches, face to face with a possum about double her size. I don't know if she was staring it down or what, but the nasty thing ran like a son of a gun when it saw me. I blessed my kitty for being a good guard cat.

So maybe it's an illusion that things are tame around here, or maybe it's just that it's winter and the wild critters are hungry.

2009-01-09T04:24:00.003-06:00

Early Morning News

So it's about 4:30 am and I'm up. After a couple of hours of tossing and turning miserably after taking a double first dose antibiotic, here I am, trying to take my mind off my poor churning stomach, surfing the net, laughing over some, and getting sick over other things. I've never been one to stay on top of current events. My world is cluttered and messy enough - more than enough to keep me out of trouble. So I rarely take on the rest of the world's problems. But this morning I've ventured to find the late breaking news, and . . . .

1) The only thing keeping a cease-fire from happening is that Hamas refuses to stop sending missiles into Israel.

2)Add to that that some are putting pressure on our president-elect to initiate low level talks with these thugs . . . .

3) UFO's are being blamed for the destruction of a 66' windmill blade in the UK. Ok, E.T. wasn't really in the photo!

4) A doctor in NY is asking for the return of his kidney (or 1.5 million $) in a divorce.

5) Tom Cruise talks out of both sides of his mouth about health and scienteology. Read the commentary .

6) The Marvel/ Obama/ Spiderman comic coming out, while it may be a collectible, is not highly regarded by insiders . . . One writer refered to it as "depressingly crass."

7) Burger King is giving away Whoppers to Facebook users who will drop 10 friends.

8) Los Angeles was just hit with an earthquake and Yellowstone expereinced 252 small earthquakes the last 5 days of 2008.

9. Google is working on a new and improved search engine called Google Chrome.

10) Continental Airlines successfully demonstrated the use of algae as an aviation fuel yesterday.

11) A 42 state outbreak of salmonella is under investigation by the CDC.

12) Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio will be released in a "bleak drama" set in the 50's called Revolutionary Road. Sounds to me like a sinking ship.

I think that should do me for being savvy on current news for a few days. I have prayed for all the mentioned movie actors, the sick people from the outbreak, our president elect, the peace of Jerusalem and the situation in Israel. Also for everyone on the west coast that they won't disappear into the ocean.

I'm not really sure what I should pray for in connection to the UFO's or the Spidy Comic's. Some things are probably best left alone. While I hope none of my Facebook friends sacrifice for for flame broiled delights, I won't lose any sleep if they do. It's only Facebook.

2009-01-05T12:49:00.011-06:00

Taking it all In

OK, I really don't think I've taken in nearly as much as I wish I had, but I'll just blame this daggone sickness for that. This is the third, fourth (?) day of the great earache. Warm salt compresses and mullin bloom infused olive oil have become my constant companions, and as bad as I detest our healthcare system, I'm wondering if I should just break down and go. I don't like the looks of my options either way.

But being convalesced does have its perks: lots of sleep, much needed down time, piddle time, movies I wouldn't have otherwise watched, and reading. I finished The Shack (by Wm Paul Young) this morning through tears and a hungry heart. WOW.

I'll spare you a book review. Suffice it to say the website will give much more than I could say here, but if you're up to a rubber meets the road, and to borrow a phrase, where tragedy confronts eternity, kind of book, this is an emerging classic that can stand a place in the Christian library. The youtube video is good. Be warned, the book has stirred a theological hotbed of debate, so nitpickers should probably steer clear. As a metaphor, it takes a lot of literary, and even theological license in order to drive home blibical truth. I personally think the underlying message of the love of God is worth the effort for those grounded in sound doctrine. Let me emphasize that last point . . . for those grounded in sound doctrine. Even God's own book, the Holy Bible, can be misconstrued and twisted by those who are not.

I need to go repent of some stuff now.

2008-12-10T21:14:00.005-06:00

The Grinch That Tried to Steal Christmas

Last night for the third year in a row I went to the Ozark City School Bands Christmas Concert to watch our friend Justin play. It consists of three bands starting with the beginners playing Christmas Music. It's always a treat and I look forward to it every year.

The last piece played by the high school band was a medley from the original Grinch that Stole Christmas, the one with the Dr. Seuss comic drawings. . I had to chuckle at the coincidence while listening to "You're as cuddly as a cactus, You're as charming as an eel, Mr. Grinnnnncccch . . . You're a bad banana With a greasy black peel!"

It's the same theme I plan to teach at the jail this month.

Only this version isn't a cute cartoonish story.

Enter, the Terminator movies. Yeah, yeah, I know. Robots from the future didn't travel back in time to try to kill Jesus. Truth be told, the real version is actually freakier, yet all Christendom lives with it like it's nothing.

Think about it - two eternal beings bent on destroying each other vying for power in a temporal world. One is bent on saving the temporal world, the other on destroying it.

And being eternal, the bad one uses time, and time again to prevent the good one from his ultimate mission to save the temporal world. How? He tries to keep him from being born. In order to save the temporal world the good eternal being has to become temporal.

So here you have this huge plot to keep him from coming at all. Key persons are targeted for destruction. Didn't work. Mass genocide is scheduled to destroy all potential ancestors. A single key player prevented it from happening. And in the end he does come.

Enter - The Grinch, i.e. Herod: A despot so full of himself that he orders the slaughter of babies to prevent anyone from threatening his power. This was Satan's last ditch attempt to destroy Jesus before having to deal with him face to face. Had he succeeded, there wouldn't be a Christmas to celebrate, let alone any other good thing in life.

Despite all obstacles Jesus did fulfill his mission. After all, He IS God. He made a way for those in the temporal world (like me!) to be saved. (Yeah!) His mission was his own death, burial and resurrection.

And that is what Christmas is all about.

2008-11-04T19:12:00.002-06:00

Love in a Jar

This evening I got into my stash. Yes, I have a stash. It is kept in a box in a bottom cabinet and nobody gets into it but me. And I only get into it on special occasions.

I’ve had an occasion or two recently to get into it. A visitor came last week and knowing the gentleman’s fine taste, I broke out the box. Only a connoisseur would appreciate it, and he did indeed enjoy the samples he selected.

I got it out again this evening. I had acquired several new specimens to add to my collection and needed to rearrange everything. As I did I thought back over the last several years. I generally don’t partake in the evenings as I did tonight, but somehow I couldn’t help it. Call it the lust of the flesh or whatever, I love my Honey.

Yes, I love Papa Horton with all my heart, but I love my collection of fine, and some rare honeys too. I have specimens Australia, New Zealand and Italy, and quite a few gourmet American honeys. My most recent gourmet acquisition is (Black) Titi, harvested by the above mentioned gentleman who is an outstanding beekeeper.

I couldn’t help but think of all the love that went into this box – the strawberry honey from Mr. Joe’s pollination experiment, the creamed peach honey from his backyard. Several beekeepers from around Alabama have donated samples of fine honey to our club and my kids have blessed me with unusual honeys from their travels. I have an ole timey jar of chunk honey thanks to Brian; cranberry honey from New England compliments of Mike. Cindy started it all with a jar of Outback Honey from Australia. Becky was with me when I found the Michigan Star thistle and Basswood honey.

The Bible records several instances when honey was given as a gift of goodwill. It makes sense. I had to smile as I thought of all the love and goodwill I’ve received over the last few years. Today was a rough day for me and the honey, while I know it was good for me, was only part of the blessing. No matter what you call it, it’s still love in a jar.

2008-10-20T22:44:00.001-05:00

Driving the Caddy or No Ghosts in this Car

After my auto accident a week ago God did a totally unexpected and wonderful thing - he provided another set of wheels. It's temporary, a rental car, but most appreciated. My mom came to visit and getting around was imperative. Truth is, I'm probably enjoying the car a little too much. You see, while my Ins. company approved the car, it was a sweet girl at Enterprise Rentals who actually picked out the car, and I've been driving a Cadillac SRX. It's a sweet ride, and has more bells and whistles than I could learn in a month. The other evening I accidentally hit the OnStar button (trying to turn a light on - duh!) and found myself talking to a real person who graciously excused my ignorance.

This morning on the was to Ozark I found myself reminiscing about how much my Dad loved Cadillacs. I guess he drove them a good thirty years or more. My second summer home from college he handed me the keys to his blue one and I used it for work. When I graduated from college the pimp around the corner in our trailer court drove around and around the court eyeballing Dad's new yellow Caddy. It was the exact year, make, model and color as his own - only it had Alabama plates. It was too weird.

Maybe it was the mellow music, maybe it was because I've not grieved deeply over my Dad's passing, but for a moment, just a moment, it was almost like he was close to me. I had this insane sense that he and Jesus were in cahoots in choosing this particular car for me. My Biblical Baptist theology rejects the idea of Dad having any influence in the process, after all, Jesus is our only intercessor, but it's not beyond belief that maybe, just maybe, Jesus put his arm around my Dad and said, "Carl, you see that girl of yours down there? She's going through a real tough time right now and I want to do a little something to show her that I love her but I also want her to think of you."

The last thing Dad told me the last time I saw him was that he was proud of me. Looking back it means a lot. So I drive - and deep in my heart I know Dad would be pleased.

2008-10-06T17:47:00.000-05:00

2008-09-07T21:18:00.002-05:00

I have a precious friend who should have received Mother of the Year every year for the last twenty. She's pushing seventy and has a house full of bright and energetic teenagers. I know, I know, it's biologically improbable. Truth is, when her biological children all reached adulthood, they adopted. And they didn't take the easy route, they adopted abused children and crack babies.

I've found myself a bit jealous here lately. Our home has been very quiet the last week and a half. Becky left for college not long after Dad passed away and well, the nest is . . . you know.

So far I don't care for it. First of the day's, rare now, are long distance. There's no piano music and no soft singing. The cat doesn't love me the way it loved Becky.

They say this is a transition, a new phase of life and we will get used to it and will even enjoy it. I don't know. Dad and I seem to be getting on each other's nerves a lot lately. Old familiar places and faces, especially church, push my buttons. It's almost like a heavy fog where you can't see what's around you or what direction you're going.

To that I'm just glad I've got a compass, better yet, an autopilot. I think the best thing I can do is just let God set the cruise control and sit back for the ride, albeit bumpy.

2008-08-15T08:52:00.003-05:00

Dad and the Full Moon

My father was a man of the outdoors - he could tell what the weather would be like by the sky or the way the leaves curled on a tree. He could tell from the way animals behaved in the late summer what kind of winter to expect.

I should not be surprised that the same kind of knowledge is carrying him to his final resting place.

I found out this morning that by brother in law, some cousins and the neighbor boys he hunted with went up to the church last night and dug dad's grave. It was a precious, fitting tribute.

And it brought what was to me, a bit bizzare, bit of additional folklore - there won't be enough dirt to fill the hole.

Apparently it has something to do with last night's full moon and the earth's gravitational pull. I googled it and found various explanations . (By the way - DO NOT google "grave digging" or "dig grave" and "full moon" in the same search!)

Whatever the case, I learned something from my dad, again.

2008-08-12T14:35:00.005-05:00

Escape from I-Land

Remember Patch the Pirate? I deliberately raised the kids on Patch - partly because the songs and stories were so daggone good, and partly because I liked them too. I think my favorite was the Misterslippi River Race. Everything about that recording touched a deep, deep south part of my soul. It was a different story with a different villain that I thought about today, King Me First, of Kidnapped on I-Land.

King Me-First's given name was CW. He was a cute impish kid who's dad was away on business a lot. When he was very small he was stricken with a deadly illness and his overwrought mother catered to his every need in fear of losing him. He survived though and became a healthy boy, romping in the woods and learning the ways of the outdoors. The patterns of behavior that were established during his illness never changed however. He became manipulative and conniving and his parents caved in to his every whim all the way to adulthood. This way of relating to the world around him carried over into his own family and caused untold heartache for his wife and daughters. Even in his love for his family, King Me First was always . . . first.

He's an old man now, and the consequences of a lifetime of selfish behavior have taken their toll. His suffering has been profound and we've been told by a man of God that the only reason he's still alive is that God is still trying to do a work in his heart. I found out this morning that he's dying. His kidneys are shutting down and rumor around the hospital is that he won't leave there alive.

But something profound has happened . . . for the first time ever to my knowledge he put someone else first. Twice today, through gasps for breath and a slurred tongue he's asked my mom if she would be ok.

Dad, this person who spoke today . . . where has he been the last fifty years?

2008-07-05T19:52:00.003-05:00

Busy, Busy Summer!

I guess I've been wrong all my life. For some reason I thought people slowed down with age, but it don't seem to be happening that way for me. We've just finished our last year with a school age child at home and it ain't happening!

I even thought I'd get a much needed day for myself today, but it didn't happen either. Cindy's down for the birth of another godchild and went to the first ever Grace Bible Academy reunion. I was invited but Norman wasn't big on the idea so I wasn't going to go until . . . I spotted the blouse. It was her birthday present and I knew she had planned to exchange it, so I went - with Norman's blessing.

This is where I stop and ponder God's doings when he orders our steps.

The reunion was very informal and nothing was really planned beyond visiting and eating. We were only there five years so there were a lot of young people prior to us and after us that I didn't know. To be honest, I didn't recognize most of the ones I DID know. And all the teachers had aged as bad or worse than I had. At least I knew them though.

Because of a more mutual recent acquaintance there was one young lady I wanted to seek out. When we finally did get a chance to visit the years "in between" broke my heart for her, and I was blessed to see the dignity and grace in which she handled a most difficult family situation. And I also saw how God had replaced all she was denied through other Christians who love and appreciate her for who she is.

Another thing to ponder was God's timing in moving our family away from that school and that church. I have to admit that I didn't go happy. In fact I was pretty put out with God for forcing it on us. He knew what he was doing. I just found that out today.

I knew a lot of junk happened after we left. What I didn't know was that the depth of the divisions and disagreements that happened, or the extent of the pain that was suffered. God saw it coming. We were forcibly moved to avoid all that and also so we could heal from our own previous battle wounds. It didn't happen that way for many of my friends and their kids, and their absences today were noticeable.

But back to BUSY . . . Becky and Zack arrived in Costa Rica today. Tomorrow they'll minister in a church and visit an orphanage. Other ministry events are planned for the week.

Nephew Zack was with us 9 or 10 days before they left Friday. Like Beck he just graduated. We've had a boatload of fun - I'd lost sight of just how different guys are. I don't think any of us have been to bed before midnight since he's been here.

And last night was a wonderful evening with friends at Ft. Rucker and seeing fireworks. John and Connie will be moving in a couple of weeks, and we'll miss them sorely. VERY sorely. But I understand. I'm just glad we get to keep friends like that forever. :)

Things will switch gears on the kids return. We'll have Zack another week and plan a trek to Pensacola. After that it will be the final countdown to college. I don't like to think that far ahead. I'm glad God reminded me that even the painful things are for our good. I know it will be good for Becky. I smile through the tears forming at the edge of my eyes knowing that God has something for us parents too.

2008-06-18T01:34:00.003-05:00

Catching up with Toto

Family and long time acquaintances remember Antoine, our first French exchange student. It's a long story how we made this crazy decision but the long and short of it is that one August day some years back we picked up a skinny boy from the airport who could barely communicate with us. It turned out to be an incredible year for us, for him and for GW Long where he attended school.

The last we heard from Toto was right after 9/11. His family called to make sure we were ok. It was a sweet gesture. They are good people. At some point we lost contact with him after a Christmas card was returned. It was no surprise, we couldn't expect him to live at home with his parents forever.

So I've checked online for him every once in a while. I'll spare you the details of point Point A to Point B, but as I write I just checked his GPS position a few minutes ago and watched him on youtube.

Antoine dreamed of driving. One of his great disappointments while here was that we couldn't get the needed papers to take driver's ed. It turns out in the years since he returned to Europe that his older brother became a race car driver and Antoine has joined the family racing team as Navigator for Nicholas. They've got a huge following.

At this writing Team Gibon, Nicholas et' Antoine, is participating in the TransOrientale, the longest rally race in the world. They started in St. Petersburg, Russia about six days ago and will end in Bejing, China sometime toward the end of the month.

Am I proud? Yes. The message we received right before they left from Russia left no doubt that his time here helped shape him into a fine man.

And in case anyone is interested, here's the links:
teamgibon.fr check on "Pilotes" for photo
race site lots of photos, video and interactive stuff
the brothers on youtube Antoine appears briefly while Nicholas (in white) is talking

2008-06-06T11:57:00.002-05:00

Buster and the Chickens

We've noticed for a while that our dog thinks he's a chicken. We got him as a small pup and he grew up with our free range chickens. While he IS a dog, sometimes he does chicken like things. Like eat banana peels and cantaloupe rind. I guess as many times as they've helped themselves to his dog food when his back was turned he may as well hog theirs when the opportunity comes up.

Two weeks ago my dh had to confine the chickens to the coop. It was a hard decision as we all enjoy them so much, but they were scarfing down the tender young vegetable plants in the garden as soon as they came up. There was no way to keep them out without encasing the entire garden in chicken wire, including the top. Large garden plus lots of chicken wire equals lots of expense. Nope. The chickens had to stay put a while.

Enter heat wave. Yeah, it's been bad here. Even with extra shade and plenty of water they've not done well and we lost three layers this week. My dh was devastated. He buried two of them deep near the edge of the garden yesterday.

We knew the dog missed the chickens. He had caught him in the coop with them (he'd dug himself in) just hanging out and enjoying their company a couple of times. Maybe he was "sharing" their scratch feed and water too, we don't know. But this morning as I enjoyed a quiet moment on the screen porch before it got too hot I heard something sad - Buster was howling just off to my left. I wasn't able to see him, but he was howling - a sad slow howl. It seemed odd but I didn't give it a lot of thought till I got the car a bit later.

The howl came from a spot where a dead chicken lay. It was a pretty bad sight and I wasn't about to go near the disgusting thing, so I did what any good farm wife would do. I got my husband. Turns out Buster had dug her up. I don't know if he was trying to encourage her to get up and walk around with him or what, but he was howling, mourning over his friend.

There's a verse in the Bible about all creation groaning in travail while the earth waits for redemption. I would have never thought that a half wolf dog would mourn over the loss of a chicken, but that's exactly what happened.

2008-06-03T15:03:00.003-05:00

Waving at Thunderclouds

I just heard the most beautiful sound I've heard in weeks - THUNDER! It's been another long dry spring and for the second year in a row the bees haven't made their normal quota of honey. There's probably a spiritual lesson in there somewhere but as it is my poor brain hasn't quite figured it out.

Suffice it to say I'm thrilled. If I thought it would do any good I'd go out like the hungry children in third world countries and wave like they do to the approaching cargo plane carrying humanitarian aid. I doubt the clouds would pay attention though, and I'd probably get struck by lightening.

I've spent a good part of my life playing it safe. As a mom I was constantly teaching my kids safety. Don't play with matches (Brian!), don't hang from the rafters (Mike!), don't make three point turns in curves or go wandering off in the woods (Cindy!) and don't talk to strangers (Becky!). These words of widsom were addressed to the issues I knew about (emphasis on the italics). It's the issues I didn't know about that leave me shaking my head and thanking God for watching their backs when neither their dad nor I were around to do so.

I think in adult life each of them have had the pleasure of dealing with their own unique "mom" warnings. I've lost track of the cars that have burned to toast in Brian's care. Mike got his lesson early on with a nasty compound fracture. Cindy . . . well she still drives like a mad woman and camps by herself, and I think Becky has decided that she should only witness to women or children.

Now that they're all grown however I'm cautiously learning to throw caution to the wind. Maybe the bees have helped with that. I mean after all, learning to shrug off a few stings is something of an accomplishment. I didn't worry about sunburn or what the neighbors would think wearing a tank top all day Saturday. Lila still accompanies me but I rarely give her any thought. I crave to ride the horses again. I want to go on the next family excursion to Norway or Kuwait.

Coming close to death may have something to do with it too. It's been a year and a half now.

But whatever the case, I know my days are numbered, and only God knows what that number is. That being the case I'm hanging on to something I heard, that I'm invincible as long as I'm in His service and care. That's cool. So I think I'll go out and wave at the clouds. Maybe God will see me and let some of that wet stuff fall.

2008-05-26T14:30:00.003-05:00

Today is Memorial Day. This holiday has kind of expanded for me over the years because of all the war events I've learned of that have a direct bearing on myself and my family. Only this morning I received an email from my mother in law about one of her prison peers who witnessed brutality in a POW camp in China in WWII. Mom was fortunate. As an underage POW in that war God shielded her from that. Last night we talked to Dennis in Afghanistan. Seven thousand six hundred and eighty miles hasn't changed a thing between us. He still picks on Becky as bad as any biological brother. We heard from our Antoine who grew up on the coast of Normandy in view of the D-Day landings. His grandfather fought in the Resistance. My own dad is a veteran who served in post WWII Germany.

We have a lot to be thankful for that we still have freedom to openly worship in this country. It is not so in most of the world and who knows how much longer we may do so here. Most people think of freedom in terms of where to go and what to do, but true freedom means so much more - it has to do with what you think and believe and ultimately what kind of person you are. The secular world is ok with people being kind, compassionate and giving, but not ok with Jesus Christ who makes true freedom, freedom from sin, possible.

Our celebration is quiet this year. It's been a pivotal weekend for us with Beck's graduation. The service was precious. Cindy came with a huge surprise, their cousin Ryan from Phoenix. Our Jamie's shower for baby Olivia was yesterday and Rachael dropped by for a shower late in the day. Ya, that was odd but we were glad to see her. Hearing from Dennis and Antoine was icing on the cake. And today I painted for the first time in over 18 years. It felt good, and it felt right.

I'm glad for Memorial Day. While I know it's the official "grill out" beginning of summer, and we'll do that, it's also a time to pause, think about things past and thank God He's in control of the future.

2008-05-22T10:31:00.004-05:00

Dealing With Change

I should be working today but instead I'm . . ok, yes, I'm working. Actually the day started very early and I've already stitched a gift, worked the bees, checked orders and found a lost finger splint. I woke around 4:30 am and did the night watch thing with God. I'm loving my screen porch more and more for getting alone in my Bible and what not. Funny thing is - I had to add more chairs as everyone follows me out there, including the cat. She curled up beside the open large print Bible this morning. If I didn't know better I'd swear she was reading too.

The last week has been intense. I cooked for the Awards Banquet last Friday, hosted 15-18 teens after that and spent the weekend running like a mad woman. Currently we're down to a bit less than 36 hours till Becky's graduation and I'm finding myself losing it a little now and again. I can't put my finger on what it is but I don't like it. Graduation is a joyous thing but for me it's more bitter than sweet right now. I don't like to use the word "pride" or "proud", but I am proud of her. She's an awesome (very) young adult who's been an absolute delight to parent. I don't know if it's just the change in my role and responsibility as a parent, facing the reality that I soon won't be needed on a daily basis or what, but I'm not handling it too well. I think I'm tired too.

That being said - I was all weepy and mopey last night when my sister called. Cookie's a RN who works in the pediatric ward of a hospital. Boy did she put things in perspective. Currently she's caring for several children and teens who have cancer and are in the hospital for chemo and radiation. Some are desperate last ditch efforts in hopes of beating it. Her perspective? If you and your family are all healthy and saved and love each other you're wealthy beyond belief.

(WHAP!) I felt that upside the head, theoretically of course. It's nothing I didn't know already, but in the midst of my blues it helped to hear it again.

Beck's always been one to struggle through change. I see her struggling now and make it a point to be there for her and encourage her. I guess I forgot somewhere along the way that some things she has to do alone with God, and some things, I do too. I guess porches are for dealing with the changes and remembering what's really important in life.

2008-04-02T20:38:00.005-05:00

Witches and Words and all kinds of Wonderment

I've struggled with a title to this post. It is my second one today. The first one was written in the depths of despair. This one is written to confirm again to my own heart that God is always in control and working behind the scenes to accomplish his purposes. I take joy in that. And I smile. God has a great sense of humor

After Prison Ministry on Sunday I stopped by a local college enroute home to check on friends who had a booth at an arts and craft festival. The festival had really grown since the first time I visited several years earlier and I had difficulty finding them. I also learned another family we knew from chruch had a booth where the mom was selling her adorable jar candles as well. So I headed off to see them too.

Now, this is a southern born and southern bred family. Daddy and grandma and the kids were all there doing their part even if it was just sitting in the back praying for Momma to sell a lot of stuff. I approached them from the back because of my location and as I neared I saw something that make the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

I knew the neighbors, or at least I used to know the neighbors. It had been many years but it was them. She is an old testament "possessed of many devils" type and he a willing accomplice. They were there hocking their home made new age paraphernalia. I'm sure it was demon possessed too. I'd been to the home. They relished the ghosts of murdered people that lived there. We'd had business dealings with them which ended in being defrauded of a large amount of money. Not nice. Not good.

I had a pleasant visit with our friends, and afterwards kicked myself for spilling the beans about the neighbors to the Dad. I guess I justified my gossipy tongue that the man of the house needed to know such things since they were in such close proximity.

So . . . tonight at church the dad tells me about the rest of the day. After I left his five year old started playing between the tents next to these folks and singing. He sang Jesus Loves Me over and over, and louder and louder, sometimes with grandma joining him, sometimes with his mom singing with him. Mickey just sat back and watched. From the moment it started the neighbors started cussing and fighting, slinging swear words allover the place and it wasn't long before they were packed up and gone leaving a pile of trash where they had been.

I don't feel so bad about telling him now. How else could he have appreciated the sheer power of a child singing praises to his God?

Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. Psalms 8:2

2008-04-02T12:41:00.003-05:00

Embracing Nothingness

I ran across a saying recently that’s stuck with me, “When you’re down to nothing, God is up to something.”

“Nothing” fits of late. Life seems to have hit bottom recently and nothing is what I’m down to spiritually, mentally and emotionally. Nothingness seems to be where I’m headed in this life.

"For nothing good have I whereby thy grace to claim. "

So what does “nothing” mean?

"Blessed are the poor (those who have nothing) in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God."

I think of David’s response to Michael’s rebuke – (my paraphrase) “You think I lowered myself doing that? Just wait, I’ll lower myself even more!”

God taught me a long time ago that the proper response to trials and tribulations was to bow to it – to submit to the authority over me (thereby ducking whatever God dishes out) and to hold still and steady till the storm passes. I find myself there again. Everything seems to be crashing around me and I’m powerless to do anything to stop it.

All my theology tells me that powerlessness is a necessary ingredient.

"I am weak but He is strong."

All my theology tells me that everything will be ok.

"Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning."

It’s dark; the nothingness of the night surrounds me and the fears that attack my soul are menacing. But my God tells me that even darkness is light to him and that He’ll never leave me or forsake me. So despite what I see or what I feel, I know He’s there. I can’t see Him, I can’t feel him – I’m really too numb to sense his presence.

Hope eludes me. So I bow low, and wait. He’s up to something. I just don’t know what. And I don’t want to mess it up by doing something stupid. So I wait, and do nothing.

2008-03-30T20:06:00.005-05:00

Following Up

Prison was good today. This is the second month that one of the guards has brought me iced tea during lunch. I see the women get the same lunch every Sunday, and it's nothing this health nut would choose, but the tea . . . is GOOD. And appreciated.

The muslum lady was still in the cell where they brought her last month after the fight. She stayed on her bunk for Bible study, but she did participate, reading along in a piece of a Bible she had inherited from another inmate and answering questions. It was a nice change.

There's not much that surprises me inside anymore, so when we finished and the guards let everyone out for a smoke break she met me at the door of her cell and gave me a hug. It was very obvious she'd softened up quite a bit since last time we met. Knowing she was Turkish I asked how many languages she spoke. The answer came tumbling out - it was like recognizing she had something different, something special opened a door of communication. She spoke five languages including her native tongue and English. Turns out she was a linguistics major at a prestigious university.

"How . . . . ?" I hardly ever ask, but this was one time I had to. The story she told me was very sad, and if it is true the way she told me she shouldn't be there. There's also the part where she's considered an outcast by her faith and her family. It hurt. I could see it in her eyes. I couldn't help but wonder if the difference between her faith that basically wanted to see her dead and all the stories about Jesus caring for broken women were getting through.

I don't know, but the second hug I got from her more than made up for the February incident. We cried together and had prayer. I continue to pray for her and ask that any other Christians who find their way here do as well.

And oh yes . . she asked for a whole Bible!

2008-03-27T11:47:00.002-05:00

Spring Swarm Tutorial

It's spring here in the south and the bees have started swarming. I caught two swarms within walking distance of my office yesterday. Many people go their entire lives without seeing this awesome phenomenon of nature. Unfortunately many who do are ignorant about what they are witnessing and make unwise decisions when this happens. Honeybees provide a valuable service to humanity by pollinating 80% of our food supply. Bees are now threatened which means it's up to us to go above and beyond to protect them. Many times people will call a pest control service to destroy a honeybee swarm out of fear or ignorance. That's why I write - to dispel fear and educate.

First of all - DO NOT PANIC! A clump of bees on a tree limb, post or flat surface will not stay there permanently. Bees will wait in a clump for scouts to find a suitable new home for them. Unfortunately it sometimes winds up being in the walls of a building where the bees are eventually exterminated. This is why the next thing is important: CALL A BEEKEEPER. A beekeeper will put them in a hive designed especially for them and will take care of them.

If you do not know of a beekeeper in your area you may contact your local law enforcement who may know of one and also your local extension office. Many areas have beekeeper organizations that may be found on the internet.

In the meantime, enjoy the show. I don't advise that you get close to them, especially if you're allergic, but they are fascinating to watch. A queen bee whose pheromone is the unifying factor in the clump is somewhere down in there and every bee is tuned to her. When they reach their new home they'll build comb, the queen will lay hundreds of eggs and they'll continue just as they've done for hundreds of years. Your part in this is to make sure the new home is one where they'll be tended and cared for.

2008-02-28T21:51:00.003-06:00

Sniffing Vanilla Weddings

I had another "moment" tonight. Our kitchen has been a wreck for some time with the constant rotation of eggs (and now fresh farm ones that require washing), flour, butter, vanilla, assorted chips, etc. It's a Flynn Buck thing. Don't ask - it puts Monopoly Money to pitiful shame.

The moment came about with the finding of a decorative storage bottle holding about a precious tablespoon of family history. It's the last of the Horton stash of Hatian Vanilla.

Hatian Vanilla came across the Gulf of Mexico in plastic bleach bottles with my mother in law nearly thirty years ago. At the time she and Dad were serving as missionaries in Port-au-Prince. Thrifty folks they were, the bought high grade vanilla cheap, and shared. I don't know how much of the stuff she stashed in her suitcases when they came for our wedding, but everyone in my family was treated to this wonderful treasure. It was my first exposure to high quality flavoring. All I'd ever had was McCormick Imitation Vanilla. No comparison.

I don't know when we ran out. But we did and it was forgotten about, till a few years ago when my sister gave me what was left of hers. One sniff and I was a newleywed in my first kitchen again. Ahhh, the memories!

And sniff we have. That's mostly what we do with it. The flavor is so unique and I don't want to lose the memory again. The kids savor it too - they understand the significance. But it has been used very sparingly and only for special occasions. The last time was for cheesecake for Mike and Heather's wedding. A piece of my wedding history was tied into theirs. It was only fitting. The next time will be for Becky's wedding. I don't know if she'll want cheesecake or what, but it's set in stone that the remainder is to be used for her special day. And Lord willing I'll keep just a bit, strictly for sniffing.

2008-02-27T10:35:00.002-06:00

60 Minutes and Disappearing Bees

Let me wear a shirt with a beekeeper logo in public and I guarantee questions and comments. "I heard about the disappearing bees!" "Have any of your bees disappeared?" "Have they found out what's causing the bees to disappear?" (Worse yet . . ) "Did you know cell phones are killing bees?"

Hold it! Stop! Yes, there is a problem. And it is a serious problem we all need to be concerned about. If nothing else Colony Colapse Disorder (CCD) has brought much needed public attention to the importance of the humble and much taken for granted honeybee. Since the second airing about the problem on 60 Minutes last Sunday night I can't leave the house without hearing about it. It's a good thing.

So here's the scoop. My bees are fine. They are experiencing the normal life cycle, climate changes, pests, challenges, ups and down of bees, but none of this disappearing stuff. For that matter there are no known cases of CCD in Alabama. This can be verified with our Department of Agriculture.

CCD has mainly affected migratory bees. Your next thought should be "what is a migratory bee?" Bees are kept either in stationary hives or migratory hives. Stationary hives are in permanent locations and are rarely if ever moved. Most hobbyist beekeepers maintain stationary hives. Once the local nectar flow has ceased bees in stationary hives take it easy - there's no mad rush to build a massive population or gather nectar and pollen.

Migratory bees on the other hand are moved from crop to crop to crop all during the year. They may be on watermelons for six weeks during bloom, then corn for four weeks to pollinate it. Every time they are moved they have to reorient their location to the sun and learn their way around. California's bees have been so decimated that beekeepers from many states truck in hundreds of hives for almond pollination. These bees don't get much of a break. Finish one job and go on to the next. It's a vital part of our food production.

But the bees in migratory hives are the ones being affected by CCD. It was recently announced that they've found residue of over 40 pesticides and crop chemicals in the comb of migratory bees. That's a lot of stinking toxins. And commercial beekeepers aren't known for rotating comb but have reused it indefinitely in years past.

Combine that with the stress of getting no rest . . . in human terms I'd probably get sick and go off to die somewhere too if my house was toxic and I couldn't stop and rest.

I'm not saying that's why the bees are disappearing. Research is still continuing and already they've found a virus that weak colonies are susceptible to. And CELL PHONES AREN'T KILLING BEES. That wild claim was based on research that had nothing to do with cell phones and the scientists were ticked. The good news is that beekeepers all over the country are now implementing comb rotation practices and actively looking for other ways to protect our bees. We have no control over many things, like the farmer who sprays his vegetables or the neighbor who puts bug killer on her flower bed, but we can do everything possible where we are with what we have to nurture and protect these little gifts from God. We're in deep trouble if we don't.

2008-02-24T19:54:00.003-06:00

The Rest of the Story

Norman was right. Today Irene went to the jail and the girls in #47 told her the same thing - they felt that the Muslim girl was mocking me and weren't going to put up with it.

I find myself touched very deeply. This kind of love from such an unexpected source is very humbling. I find the roles reversed - I've lived Matthew 25:40 for many years now; And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Now, a week after the fact I am faced with the realization that they acted in love to stand up for Jesus by standing up for me.

I feel very small, and very grateful for the privilege of ministering to these women.

2008-02-17T20:00:00.003-06:00

I spent the best part of today at the jail. I should have known it wouldn't be a routine visit from the outset as things were a little crazy from the start. The last few months I've pretty much entered and exited the building unaccompanied excluding the person who monitors the cameras and unlocks the doors electronically as I pass through. But today was different. A female deputy entered with me and a guard gave instructions to the security monitor who didn't get it and left me stranded in a vacant hall with nothing but locked doors surrounding me. After it became apparent that "whoever" didn't have a clue I was there I hit the intercom button and he/she got me through the next two doors into cell block 45.

Forty five is a nice group of ladies, sweet, low key and amiable. All of the female trustees have come from 45. The usual crowd got up for a Bible lesson and the usual crowd slept through it. I can always teach more and teach deeper truth with this group and they're always a blessing. When we finished I notified the monitor via the intercom that church was concluded in 45 and that I please be allowed to enter 47 next. We heard the door unlock across the hall, but after a few minutes it became apparent the monitor didn't think to let me out of 45. The resident trustee informed him/her of the mistake and I exited and was across the hall momentarily.

Forty seven is the "trustee" cell, though no trustees reside there. It is a much larger cell with four sets of bunks, a larger table and much more space. The usual group of girls was there too - women I've come to know and love over a number of months. They always ask about Becky. They really took to her when she visited with me at Christmas. There were a couple of new faces, most notably a dark haired girl on a cot to the side. She was polite, but wasted no time telling me she was Muslim and asked for a Koran. Bible study was disrupted before we even began with lunch trays - it was funny seeing everyone scurry to put on their blues, a new rule that you have to be fully dressed to receive food. (I like this rule - it prevents the male inmates from seeing them skimpy when the food is served!) In the process the new girl and I got to speak - she complained about being served pork hot dogs and quoted something from the Koran. In typical lion chaser fashion I wasted no time telling her Jesus's take on the topic, that it's not what you put in the man that defiles him, but what comes out from the heart. The lesson was good from there, but she and I did go back and forth a couple of times on that vein. If she was confrontational I never picked up on it and just discussed what the scriptures said. At the end of the lesson I got hugs from everyone except her - she just wanted to shake hands and I told her that I was really happy to get to meet her and that was it. She did ask about a Koran and a prayer mat, things that I didn't have access to and wouldn't provide anyway and I caught some of the other girls giving verbal put downs, "just cool it", "let it alone," behind my back as we hugged and said goodbye. And I left. The monitor got the doors right this time.

Forty six was next. All the women there were engrossed in an ethnic soap opera and only one wanted church. We were in the process of getting permission to study in the hall when things shifted and they turned the tv off and gathered around the door - a fight had started across the hall in 47 and these gals were enjoying the show. 'Dear Lord, NO!" was all I could get out of my heart." He heard me and I immediately called for prayer amid all the racket and ruckus where the guards were now scurrying to break things up. We prayed for peace and that God would contain the bad spirit that stirred up the trouble. Then ALL the girls settled down and were now eager to hear the Bible lesson. We'd barely got started when the cell door opened, a guard and a deputy escorted the muslim girl in, apologizing the whole time. She came in quietly, went to the back where she spread her mattress and remained very quiet through the rest of the lesson.

So that was how my day went. It was quite bizarre compared to normal days. Later when I recounted the events to my family Norman spoke at last and said, "You know what happened over there don't you?" No, not really . . . He continued "They weren't going to put up with her ragging on their preacher lady! They were putting the whoop on her to stand up for you!"

Is that what happened? I don't know. I hope not, but I do know this, I love those girls and they know it. And I know they love me too. People often ask me if I feel uneasy or threatened in jail and I've honestly had to conclude that I feel very safe in there. I don't know how it is during the week, but I know when I go that love is in the house. Were they standing up for me? I don't know. But Irene is going next week, and she's under orders to ASK! I'll post more when I know more.

2008-02-15T07:12:00.007-06:00

Jane and the C Word

Call me a simple Alabama girl. I have to admit that when I heard about yesterdays early morning slip of the tongue I silently had to agree with her statement. Yeah, I'm from Alabama, I don't do that either. Further investigation however revealed that her appearance on the Today show wasn't against vulgarity disguised as art, but that she was there to support and promote the V Monologues in which she's actually participating.

What? The Vietnam activist now turned Christian is now turned to promoting an X-Rated excuse for art??? Remember now, I'm a simple Alabama girl. But I do know how to google a few things and what I found out is that the V Monologues (see, I can't even bring myself to write the biologically correct word) has morphed from a base and crass play to a full fledged movement that seeks to end violence toward women. Ok, I'm all about ending violence toward women.

The whole thing is that dear Jane's participation appears to be a band-aid to a social problem she contributed to in the first place. As an outspoken activist in Vietnam she tore down the moral of an entire armed forces and the American people as well. There is still much anger in this country over what she did. Who does it get taken out on much of the time? Women. Her actions in Vietnam earned her a special traitor status unequaled to any male in history (in my humble opinion) and that anger is still vented against women today.

Then there's the feminist activities. Radical feminism emasculates men. Emasculated men are angry. There again, who bears the brunt of this social problem? Who gets to deal with the men who've been beat down by an ideology that plays down what God intended them to be? Hmmmm.

So here we are - we're living in a world that has pretty much rejected Jesus Christ who elevated women's worth by his holy words and actions and now Ms. Jane who has claimed to know Him is seeking to eliminate the problems she helped create by promoting unholy words and actions. Remember, I'm just a simple Alabama girl but is the irony lost on anyone but me?

2008-02-05T12:32:00.001-06:00

This is a photo of some of my "kids", Dennis and Toni with their son, Dennis III. I couldn't resist sharing the photo. Dennis is in the Army and will be leaving for Afghanistan soon.

2008-01-30T13:59:00.000-06:00

What a busy week! I don't know about others, but I used to think you worked all week and spent the weekend doing "whatever" that included church on Sunday. Weekends are still time to break out of the routine for the most part, but as it adult it seems I work harder on weekends catching up on all the work I let go during the week! Last weekend was that way and this weekend coming will be little different. Saturday is the 13th annual Beekeeping Symposium at Auburn University, and while it will be great to catch up with all my beekeeping buddies and enjoy the classes, I'm also committed to helping with a huge meal and teaching a workshop. So it's won't be all play, but I'll enjoy it nonetheless.

Much of this week has been devoted to web work and product development. I found a graphics designer who is scheduled to have my new product logo ready mid February. We're excited about this - it's been a long time in the works. I've got a new candle design almost ready for the store and have made a few dozen more tubes of Fire Ant First Aid. As soon as I get confirmation I'll have shows lined up for March and April as well. Dates are to be announced!

2008-01-25T16:57:00.000-06:00

It's hard to believe we've only got a week left of January 2008. Even with the cold there has been plenty to do keeping Norman's books, cutting out quilts for my mom, picking out pecans and running kids too and fro. I've a new bee helper, a boy from church who loves nothing better than to be outside catching chickens and the like. We spent a warm Saturday checking hives for food reserves. One was doing poorly and we took measures to keep them safe and fed. Hopefully they'll make it. We've had colder temperatures this year with temps dropping into the twenties several times. Montgomery even had snow!

So there has been a lot to do. Norman and Becky have seen to the cows. He's staying wrapped up with LocalHelpWanted and truck sales. Becky has been occupied with school, music, the school yearbook and friends as time allows. She had her senior portraits taken last night. She's going on a missions trip to Costa Rica this summer and is getting started on her fund raisers.

We found out yesterday that her cousin, Zack from Phoenix, is going too. What's that saying Cindy had . . . . "Horton, party of FUN." Yes, it's a missions trip and it will be serious, but where two or three Hortons are gathered together a party usually breaks out! I have no doubt the laughter will break down barriers so God can really speak to the kids. It will be good and I wish I were going!

I may not be going to Costa Rica but I am going to Auburn. Dr. Tew asked me to teach a workshop on Gardening at the 13th annual Beekeeping Symposium Feb. 2. I've been doing a lot of research for that. Earlier this week I scrapped my original outline and started from scratch with something that flows better. Phillip Carter reviewed it for me and gave it a thumbs up. Now I've just got to get the power point part of it done.

Workwise I'm happy to announce new packaging for Fire Ant First Aid. It took a bit of creativity to make it happen but it's now available in .15 ounce tubes. Westside Pharmacy has already switched their inventory to the new size and I've got to make more before I approach the other stores. I REALLY like it. The tube is small enough to keep in my pocket and I don't have to touch it to apply it. It always bothered me a bit that I seemed to waste a little when I wiped my fingers after applying it. The other plus is that it's much more affordable.

Another interesting thing with Fire Ant First Aid - I've used it with wonderful results on two spider bites this year. My friend Joe told me they were brown recluse bites but I can't confirm that as 1) I didn't see the spiders and 2) I didn't have the classic necrotic symptoms. But I did have small painful ulcers with huge red whelps around them. Both times I applied the cream, covered it with a bandage and repeated that step several times. The redness went away within a few hours and I discontinued treatment once the ulcer made a scab a couple of days later. They heal slow, but thank the Lord, they DID heal.

2008-01-18T11:18:00.000-06:00

What Happens to Your Body Within an Hour of Drinking a Coke

Do you want to be healthy? Drinking soda is bad for your health in so many ways; science can’t even state all the consequences. Here’s what happens in your body when you assault it with a Coke:

Within the first 10 minutes, 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. This is 100 percent of your recommended daily intake, and the only reason you don’t vomit as a result of the overwhelming sweetness is because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor.

Within 20 minutes, your blood sugar spikes, and your liver responds to the resulting insulin burst by turning massive amounts of sugar into fat.

Within 40 minutes, caffeine absorption is complete; your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, and your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream.

Around 45 minutes, your body increases dopamine production, which stimulates the pleasure centers of your brain – a physically identical response to that of heroin, by the way.

After 60 minutes, you’ll start to have a sugar crash.

BOTTOM LINE - Don't touch the stuff.

2008-01-11T18:48:00.000-06:00

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said, "Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups...and then you began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate life provided us life makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups. The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have.

2008-01-07T17:53:00.000-06:00

It's Monday, and the first day of the first normal work week of the new year. I would have never thought to be saying it, but it's good to be back to our crazy version of normal. I spent the bulk of my day in the office doing office things. Normally I detest balancing a zillion accounts, mailing a zillion different things and the like, but today I actually enjoyed it a bit. I had hoped to have all that done for the week but with closing out accounting years for three or four sets of books it didn't happen and probably won't tomorrow either.

A few days ago I reflected on 2007. Presently I'm reflecting on our holidays here as they were so different than they've been in years past. I don't want to forget anything so what follows is for MY benefit only.

12/6 Beekeepers Dinner, I turned presidency over to WGM (big smile)
12/13 Becky's piano recital
12/14 Ladies Luncheon at my house
SS Dinner @ Carrolls
12/18 Justin Saunders band concert
12/20 Packed prison bags with McHughs and Greenes
Teens came to our house for overnight party
12/21 I took the plunge and changed my hair color
The teens volunteered for Salvation Army
12/23 The three of us delivered Prison Bags. NH and Beck went into the jail for the first time
The three of us went up to Moms. I got to see the lights in Wedowee again.
12/24 Norman and my annual day out. We visited Rhenda too.
Becky and MaMaw had a good day together
12/25 Christmas with Mom and Dad.
Visited Uncle Jimmy in the afternoon
12/26 Came home
12/27 Dennis, Tony and my Grandbaby came for dinner
12/30 Lunch and a good visit with Amanda
12/31 Church New Years Eve event. Becky & Karyn did "You're Not That Far Away"
1/1 I visited Kammi's house!
1/4 Hillary came.
1/5 A good regular Saturday with the three of us, Hillary, and (ahem!) doing church and farm stuff topped with good home cooked Chinese food.

Even with all the hustle and bustle we loved Jesus most through it all and I've had to conclude that His love is what makes being with those you love this time of year so special. One of the best parts was rocking Little Dennis to sleep. He's not my biological grandbaby, but every bit mine in a spiritual sense. The evening they were over he was fussy so Mamma Horton took over and rocked him to sleep. He let out a big sigh and slumped into a deep slumber when he heard the tune to Amazing Grace. I was so blessed that he's being raised this way.

So - it's off to chasing lions this year! I'm presently going through Mark Batterson's book a second time and enjoying it every bit as much as I did first time around. My mom and sisters and I are coordinating on a big quilt project which I'm in the process of cutting out. I'll be teaching a class in Auburn early February. Cookie, Kammi and Naomi and going to Kuwait the end of this month and I'm so jealous. Brian graduates college early May, Becky graduates a couple of weeks later, goes to Costa Rica in July and starts college in the fall. Norman and I are choosing shows to do this spring. Whatever happens, if we thought 2007 had a lot of changes 2008 has more in store. I don't know if I'm ready, but Sword in hand, I'm charging full speed ahead.

2007-12-31T11:04:00.000-06:00

Year End Thoughts:

This is it - today is the last day of an amazing year and my thoughts this morning are more about what to do today than they are contemplating the ups, downs, ins and outs of 2007. So far this morning I've 1) made a bed, 2) made coffee, 3) written a commercial for the farm, actually a skit for our New Years gathering at church, 4) been stalked by chickens, and 5) have slugged two cups of coffee.

It's a beautiful day. I'm enjoying the sun room more and more, though I must admit seeing the poor condition of my garden makes me want to go out there and overhaul the thing, starting with the greenhouse.

I guess I should hit the highlights of the year:

We survived a tornado
Cindy and Becky made a CD
Mike and Heather got Married
Norman got Local Help Wanted up and running
Thanksgiving in Phoenix and the Grand Canyon
Brian had knee surgery
Norman and Becky going to jail with me

Actually, the real highlights are more like this:

God protected, preserved and provided for us during a natural disaster
God protected my daughters heart and gave her strength to face trials
God preserved my son and his bride's chastity - they both should have worn white at their wedding
God has poured beautiful music out through both the girls
God has blessed us with amazing relationships with unique young people that we relish watching grow in faith and maturity
God gave me back my best friend from thirty years ago
God has helped my oldest son through multiple trials and has loved and sustained him through an incredible young woman
God helped my dil with deep seated health problems.
God has challenged us in unbelievable ways through the people we've met, the books we've read and an exceptional church family
God has wiped our tears
God gave me a grandbaby - no, not a biological one but a spiritual one. And he went to sleep on my chest Christmas week to Amazing Grace.
God has provided for our needs.
God let my husband spend the first Thanksgiving in 34 years with his family
God let me see my uncle and daughter meet for the first time.

There are others no doubt, and I may add more to the list as I think of things, but all in all, God was the center of 2007. I like it that way, and hope and pray He's even more so in 2008.

2007-12-22T11:14:00.000-06:00

Jesus, I love you. It’s hard to fathom the infinite you left to become finite like us, to understand our sufferings, to live as we live, to feel as we feel, to experience life in an infested corrupt world where we’re bound by time and gravity and our own fears and selfishness. And to think you wanted to do this . . . so I, we, could be reunited with you.

What was it like – to be eternal and all powerful trapped in a little baby’s body? What did you feel as a sinless three year old and the other kids wouldn’t share their toys with you? Were you ridiculed as a “momma’s boy” because you were obedient and did as you were told? Did you ever have to watch your younger brothers and sisters and did it break your heart to see them misbehave? Were you close to Joseph?

I must confess I can’t wrap my mind around your infinity – all powerful, all knowing . . . all those omni’s used to describe a fraction of you. But I do know this, that for you to become like one of us, mortal and finite, just so you could die to get us back – its beyond extraordinary. But it’s Who you are.

And I love you for Who you are. I can’t give you gold, frankincense or myrrh like the wise men did when you were flesh. But I offer you my heart anew and ask that you help me live with eternity in view.

It’s not that far away.

2007-12-10T14:21:00.001-06:00

Book Review

I listed Mark Batterson’s book, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, in my 2007 books a bit prematurely as I’ve only got through chapter three thus far . . . but WOW, what its said so far! I’m taking this book in slowly so I can drink it all in.

This morning I read chapter three, Unlearning Your Fears, a second time. It hit me square between the eyes, again, as fear has been an ongoing problem in my life. It’s a sin I cannot conquer without divine help and I find myself regularly going to the Throne of Grace to deal with it. I’ll spare you the details of how it started and gained a foothold, the various fears that assault me, etc.

To the good stuff!: My favorite excerpts from this chapter:

Half of learning is learning. The other half of learning is unlearning. . . Unlearning is twice as hard, and it often takes twice as long.

Faith is unlearning the senseless worries and misguided beliefs that keep us captive. . . Faith is rewiring the human brain. . . Our minds need to be defragmented . . . . The way to upgrade your mind is to download Scripture. . . . (Part of ) faith is the process of unlearning your irrational fears.

Lion chasers . . . unlearned the fears that kept them captive . . . by chasing their fears instead of running away from them. They exposed themselves to the very thing they were afraid of.

Your fear is worse than the actual thing you’re afraid of. . . When you put yourself in a defenseless position, it sets the stage for God to show up.

I’m concerned that the church has turned into a bunker where we seek shelter when we’re actually called to storm the gates of hell.

The alternative of fear is boredom . . . If you’re bored one thing is for sure: You’re not following in the footsteps of Christ.

2007-12-03T10:31:00.000-06:00

2007-12-03T08:34:00.001-06:00

Junk and Crown Jewels

I love old junk and I love junking. There, I've said it. I love it so much that a few days ago I dragged a bunch of old stuff out of the barn, out of closets and even the yard, cleaned it up good and decorated my house with it. And it looks good.

Even better is the occasional freebie. I ran across an old quilt block this week I'd forgot I had stashed and contemplated how good it would look in a frame on my wall. I didn't even ask and God gave me a frame the very next morning. So what that He had it strategically placed on the side of the road so I would find it - it was too amazing to be coincidence. I knew immediately how I was supposed to mount and display the quilt block when I saw it.

Another favorite freebie is my black skirt. It was rescued from a "help yourself" box at a thrift store in Tennessee a couple of years back. It was in perfect condition, is a classic cut that will never go out of style and fits perfectly. What more could you ask for?

There's a certain feeling when you acquire something almost supernaturally - something unexpected that costs you nothing. Sometimes it's something tangible, like the frame or the skirt, sometimes it's an inspiration that you run with and see amazing results, or an idea that sparks your imagination and concludes with being a great blessing. These are not the humdrum every day things of our lives but those where God intervenes to show us that there is so much more.

I rejoice at thy word as one that findeth great spoil. Psalms 119:162

There is so much more - so much more He whats to show us, so much more He wishes to bless us with, and I'm not talking about material things here, I'm talking about relationships, experiences, and opportunities to be used for His kingdom. At nearly fifty I'm relearning that the Christian life was not meant to be a life of ease and safety, but one of casting your bread on the waters and praying with expectation that ax heads will float.

But it all starts with his Word - that transforming power that defrags our stinking worldly thinking and reprograms us with the mind of Christ. I have to ask myself today if I consistently rejoice over the truths of the Bible as I rejoice over the unexpected spoils God has blessed me with. I truthfully can't say yes. Sure, I do my daily reading and even regular studying, but it's been a long time since I found a beautiful nugget of truth that I wanted to share with everyone.

Maybe it's time I re-evaluate how I approach God's Word. No, it's not spoils and just because it's free doesn't mean it's not precious and valuable. Something as beautiful and pure and good as the words of God should be guarded like crown jewels; kept under lock and key to preserve and protect it. But God chose not to do that, He made it available to all mankind and has done a fine job of protection and preservation without any help from us mere mortals. I however, should appreciate it above crown jewels, protect it as if my life depended on it (it does!), cherish it above all else, and most of all, rejoice in what's spoken to me.

2007-12-02T17:17:00.000-06:00

Christmas is over . . . at least the family part that we have cherished for as long as Norman and I have been married. Things got turned around this year. With two sons married now and Cindy very involved in her own life none of the older three are coming home this year. It's kind of sad in a way, but to be expected with jobs, other families to consider and responsibilities.

But we did have Christmas, just on December 1 instead of the 25th. Mike and Heather and Cindy all came and we went through the standard good times - Christmas Dinner, worship time, presents and fun. Lots of fun. Kammi, Naomi and Vickie came for dinner which made things all the more special.

That being said - the following I write just for myself so I won't forget the special moments of this Christmas.

1. The stockings - with a new one for Heather-hung by the chimney with care.
2. Becky and Naomi playing "wolf" in the back yard.
3. Naomi smiling.
4. My baby sister looking fabulous and having a sound mind and heart despite going through a (excuse my French) hell of a divorce. She questions how sound she is most days, but that's a sign she's got her head on straight. I'm very proud of the woman she is and pray for her constantly.
5. Mike and his outrageous jokes. He hasn't changed a bit and still loves to get a reaction out of his Momma.
6. Worship time. Always the best part.
7. Baked Brie. Have to get that recipe.
8. Sending some of my father's skins home with grandkids and great grandkids. Naomi, Cindy and Mike each took a gray fox pelt. (I write this to keep up with who has what)
9. Cindy's music. She brought Amelia, her guitar, and played some of her new songs. The girl has a gift and I'm glad she's developing it.
10. Laughter.
11. How can I forget Heather covering my sofa and love seat for the fun of it? I'll see this act of love for years every time I walk into my living room.
12. The thickest homemade (as in from scratch) apple pie ever. Cudos to Heather (again) for making Norman one happy man.

These are the kind of things Christmas has been in the past, the love of God and the love of family we have cherished for years. Everything we did in December led up to it. And now it has passed and all of December is before us. I'm thinking that maybe this is a good thing, almost liberating in a way. We're free to concentrate on serving Jesus without worrying about who's going where, how we're getting together, buying the right presents or anything like that. Who knows, maybe an early "Christmas" was His gift to us. It will be a good month for sure.

2007-11-27T14:25:00.000-06:00

A Thanksgiving to Remember

We got back from Phoenix (as in ARIZONA!) last night. Talk about a great trip! I think if we'd have stayed any longer we wouldn't have been able to stand it. Norman, Becky and I flew out a week ago today and the whole trip up till we boarded the plane was pretty much of a whirlwind. We were able to visit with each of Norman's three brothers who live there and their families. We do good to see any of them once every two or three years so it was a big deal for everyone.

Mom and Dad Horton were there too. There were too many Hortons for us to overnight in the same place at the same time with them, but we spent both Thursday and Sunday with the four families and them. Thursday was Thanksgiving of course, and Sunday was nephew Ryan's 21st birthday. Both were held at Keith's house. It was the first Thanksgiving my husband had spent with his family in 34 years.

Cindy came too. Where the kids were concerned . . . she may be 27 but she was the biggest kid there. It was wonderful to see them get to know each other again and bond. Seems to me there was a lot more bonding this time. Beck's hoping Zack and his family can go to Costa Rica with the church youth group this summer.

My personal highlights were getting to visit with everyone. It was neat to see what God was doing in their lives and share the different things we've learned as believers in Christ. We saw a lot of the area in and around the city. Three families and the parents bussed down to Glendale Glitters on Friday night. Ten of us spent Saturday at the Grand Canyon - an unbelievable place. Flagstaff was COLD and it's very dark out on the desert at night.

So we're weary today, but glad to be back in one piece and looking forward to another visit west some day.

2007-11-17T18:56:00.000-06:00

Mama Roz's Economic Indicators

This week Starbuck's reported a loss of sales and now it seems the whole country is in a panic because a decline in latte sales means the nation's economy is in trouble.

What????

Seriously! Starbucks was one of our country's great success stories. Some guy started a coffee chain, gave the sizes funky names, provided a lot of options, decorated the places kind of funky, provided wi-fi and made a fortune. It was "the" safe trendy place for the young and young at heart to drive through or hang out. Lord knows my own kids have contributed to their bottom line. And I'm glad of it. Starbucks or a club? Starbucks, any day!

But as a non-Starbucks person, I have my own economic indicators. Four years ago it was the observation that people were selling items they had spent years collecting on eBay. More recently it's been that lease and finance companies have lowered themselves to making cold calls they're so desperate for business. My dh and I have always kept an eye on the trucking sector of the economy. They've had to operate leaner and meaner for some time to survive. For the companies who finance them to beg for business screams that the same otc companies aren't buying. Is it any wonder with the outrageous price increases in steel?

Today I had a show in Georgia. I sell several of my honey products, candles and other bee related items. Last year it was quite successful. This year . . . well, it didn't do so well. I've not counted sales yes, but I figure I'll do good to break even. Part of it had to do with the weather, part of it had to do with having a booth stuck in a bad location, but a most of it was that people just weren't buying. I take that back . . . I saw a lot of women buying frivolous overpriced items in trendy colors and styles. Sigh . . . maybe I need to be looking at priority indicators.

But that's life. I met some nice folks and made some promising business contacts. It may even out, it may not. But we had fun, that's for sure, and if nothing else I didn't have to stand in a long line for the Corn Dog Man.

2007-11-09T08:45:00.000-06:00

Iodine and Health

This morning as I put together my next two weeks of supplements I realized that I've not said jack squat about iodine. Duh!

It was about a year ago that I had a health crisis. God graciously led me to a PA who incorporated holistic medicine in her practice and got me out of danger. One of the things I was ordered to do was read a book and start taking an iodine supplement. It didn't make a lick of sense at the time, but I didn't have anything to lose (besides my life!) so I followed orders.

What I learned shocked me. Not only was I iodine deficient, it was shockingly clear that the entire country probably is. Several facts I learned:

1. The iodine in our table salt is not enough.
2. The iodine in our table salt does not contain the types of iodine our bodies need.
3. Other substances, toxic halides, take the place of iodine in our cell structure. Our cells require iodine and when there isn't enough, fluorine, chlorine, bromide, all present in our daily life, take its place. Result - improperly working cells . . . result - many types of disease with very few traceable to the underlying cause . . result - medications that treat symptoms and cause other problems, and on and on and on.
4. Lack of iodide (a form needed by women in particular) is a precursor to breast cancer.
5. People with medically diagnosed thyroid problems need iodine too, in fact they may need it more as a deficiency probably led to their condition.

Getting on an iodine supplement changed my health. It took a couple of months to detox the halides out, but it's made a world of difference. My immune system is stronger than it's been in years; I went through the winter of 06-07 with barely a sniffle. I take Iodoral, an otc product that contains both iodine and iodide.

I continue to be alarmed about this issue. Earlier this year I learned that a cousin was dealing with breast cancer. Turns out an md. had misdiagnosed her with a thyroid condition and she'd taken medication that interfered with iodine absorption for 15 years prior to the cancer. I wanted to scream. More recently a beautiful 21 year old niece was diagnosed with Graves disease, an old people's thyroid conditon.

For anyone who may wish to learn more don't take my word for it. Do your own research, prayerfully consider what to do, and start slow. I built up to a full Iodoral tablet over a couple of weeks without noticing a thing till one day I realized I felt 25 again. The book I read was Iodine, Why You Need It, Why You Can't Live Without It. Dr. Brownstein who authored the book has written another one that I've not read, Overcoming Thyroid Disorders. I would recommend it as well.

2007-11-08T21:38:00.000-06:00

Thursday Blessings

While a lot of life is humdrum, just doing our daily thing with work, errands, responsibilities, etc, once in a while God sends a special day our way - sometimes for encouragement and sometimes to remind us what's really important to Him, people! Today was such a day for me. Without doing a blow by blow account, God arranged for me to talk to a couple of ladies that needed encouragement and also encouraged me. I got a call that one of my kids (one of the ones I didn't give birth to) went into labor with her first child. (I'm still praying for this wee slip of a girl and the baby!) I ran into another of my kids the next county down that we'd lost track of when God had me turn the car around and stop for lunch. And of all things the teacher at the seminar I had to attend in the afternoon was an old business associate, actually the head of a state agency who had helped me sort through all the oddball title transactions that landed on my desk over the years. We'd never met face to face, but he certainly remembered me.

So thats what when on today. You just never know what God will do with a day when you give it to Him. The main thing is give Him first place in the day. He's certainly capable of taking us and every situation where we're supposed to be!

2007-11-05T10:13:00.000-06:00

My baby is seventeen today. It hardly seems possible that so many years could have gone by but seventeen she is, and more of a woman than a girl I'm afraid. Every year with Becky has held it's own particular issues and challenges, this last one more than we would have ever imagined in our wildest dreams. While none of us understand it all at this time, by faith we know God's purpose is good and right and look forward to the day when we "understand it better by and by." At this writing she's written off a half a dozen colleges and is pretty much settled on Northland. There again, God knows what he's doing and is giving me a year to get used to the idea of such a great separation. I'm reminded that my own parents let me go to the Chicago area completely by myself. At least Beck will have friends there already.

So that's what's going on and is today's Big Deal. We'll go to the Peanut Festival tonight (Farmer's Night - no charge!) and will eat World Famous Corn Dogs and drink hot cocoa. I'll hunt down my annual chocolate covered banana on a stick and Beck will probably get one too as she learned the joys of this thing last summer. It will be fun; one last peanut fling with the baby. She'll probably go again later this week with her friends. It's all part of that growing up and breaking away thing.

2007-11-03T22:12:00.000-05:00

Blessed Saturday

Today has been one of those Saturdays I live for. Let me rephrase that, I don''t live for Saturdays, but once in a while I have one that leaves me quite fulfilled. Today was such a one. I didn't accomplish everything I hoped to do but that's ok. What was done was worthwhile. Highlights:

Hitting the Mother of All Good Yard Sales. Good products, good prices. Among other things I purchased three cast iron skillets (0ld seasoned ones!) for $2.75. Sweet!!!

Cooking for the masses. I have breakfast for our Sunday School tomorrow. Part was cooked today, part will be tomorrow.
Chased chickens off the porch

Cleaned Sewing Room. It needed it bad.
Set up table for Beck's studio.
Awesome quiet time with God.
Chased a chicken out of my kitchen.

Cleaned back porch, sort of.
Reorganized screen porch, at little.
Decorated front porch. It looks real nice now.
Fed the cat.

Hauled stuff to the barn.
Took clean empty supers off beehives and put them into storage.

Scored points with the cows by giving them hay. Lost points with the horses by not letting them bully the cows to get said hay.

Mowed the grass.
Made supper.
Loaded more stuff in the truck to move

Stung Norman and myself. Yeah, that sounds strange. I did confer with L. Thompson about it beforehand as he's the apiatherapy expert. Norman had been wanting me to do it for something like a wart on his arm. I had something similar on my calf so took a hit too. It's one thing to get a random sting when you aren't expecting it. Picking up a buzzy little girl with a pair of tweezers and deliberately putting her pointed little rump in a specific spot is a whole different experience. It's not easy to pick up a wiggly bee without squishing her. Anyway we each took one sting tonight. Monday we'll each take two an inch apart on either side of said wart thing, then three in a triangular pattern around it on Thursday. He called it "circling the dragon." After that we'll see what happens or what else needs to be done.

The best part of the day was laughing and working with my family. Beck was gone most of the day but Norman and I had a good time doing stuff. He followed me around the yard on the big tractor for a while just for laughs while I was mowing. Passerby had to think we were nuts. I'm glad to have that done as it will make getting pecans so much easier. Looks like a bumper crop this year.

Presently I'm fixing to (that's a southern term for "about to") pass out. I'll finish that cooking in the morning before church. G'nite all.

2007-11-02T09:15:00.000-05:00

Since I had to write a report for our local beekeeping newsletter I'm giving it double duty by republishing it here. The event took place one week ago today and what I didn't mention was that I taught one of the workshops. My topic was Teacher's Toolbox and it was basically sharing ideas for people to talk to groups about bees. I was the only regular club member from our area. One of the state inspectors let me ride up with him (thank you Randy!) and Rachel brought me back Friday night.

The other thing I didn't mention was that I played a couple of numbers (harmonica) with that bluegrass group. Wicked good fun worth staying late for!!!

**********************************************************

State Meeting Report
Ros Horton

This Year’s Alabama Beekeeper’s Association annual meeting was the best I’ve attended in three years of going to this event. Ron Sparks, our state Commissioner of Agriculture spoke to us at the opening. He acknowledged the importance of honeybees and pollination and shared how he helped with his grandfather’s bees as a boy. He pointed out that it was Alabama to catch China importing tainted and toxic products to America several years ago when we found their honey contained unlawful chemicals. Many Chinese products since (fish, toys, baby products, etc.) have followed suit. He also announced the state’s intention of setting up our own laboratory for honey and bee related testing.

Dr. Jerry Bromenshenk was our main speaker and he shared the background, techniques and technical development of using honeybees to find landmines. The University of Montana pioneered research in training bees and is working in partnership with civilian companies to do this around the world. This project is close to his heart as it has the potential of saving many lives for many years around the world. The same techniques used to find landmines are being applied to research for finding meth labs and buried human remains.

Another nationally recognized speaker was Dr. Elizabeth Cantrell, a naturopath physician who spoke about the health benefits of honey, stings, etc. This presentation was a bit disappointing to me. Everything she presented was a generic version of the information we received at our September meeting when Lawrence Thompson spoke to us on the same topic.

There were several breakout sessions during the day that included soap making, lip balm and candles. Even though I’ve attended these type workshops before I always learn something new.

Kelley’s, Rossman, Brushy Mountain and Daniel’s Scientific were all present with many products. If nothing else attending a statewide meeting is a great way to save on shipping costs. Many nice door prizes were given out and the day ended with a steak dinner and fine bluegrass music. Even though I was only able to attend the one day, it was well worth the trip and I look forward to going back both days next year on October 10 and 11, 2008.

2007-10-24T18:10:00.000-05:00

Rescue Remedy
Third in a Series

How do I start. This product is amazing, and I don't even use it for all the stuff it's good for. I'll just give you my history with it, a few thoughts and some links.

A couple of years back or so my sil and friend, LK were visiting and mentioned RR in passing where they had used it for something. "What's that?" I asked. So they explained the product, the concepts behind it and shared experiences with it. My initial thoughts were "this is some kind of new age witchcraft product and they're duped." Flower essences . . . yeah, right.

A year later at the same sil's house my precious and fragile mil had a terrible knee injury where she hit and scraped it good. Right away she cleaned it and sprayed it with RR explaining that it would keep it from bruising. "Right" I thought. "Nothing will stop that thing from being purple in the morning."

Was I ever wrong! Not even a hint of bruising. Three months later my own mom took a terrible fall on a knee that had been replaced. I knew what to do and she too never bruised, at least not the knee. The shoulder that had taken a little of the fall had a bruise the size of her fist. It was obvious that immediate and frequent application of RR the first few hours after receiving blunt force trauma relieved stress on the capillaries so they didn't break.

Topical use of RR isn't the norm, in fact I think it's only been within the last few years it became popular as both cream and spray formulas have come out. The main application is still internal - a few drops in water to relieve stress. For what it's worth, when my son was in an auto accident two days before his wedding RR cream is one of the natural products we used to help him function through rehersal and his wedding day. He danced with his bride very naturally. You'd have never known he couldn't move the morning of his rehearsal.

http://www.rescueremedy.co.uk/about_whatisrescue.htm
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/75640.php

So, that's my endorsement of Rescue Remedy. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself and I have used it many times since. I generally make my own cream with it which has greatly helped my daughter's vollyball teammates with bruising, soreness, etc. I just don't leave home without it - you never know who or what will need help.

2007-10-23T23:41:00.000-05:00

More Adventures In Kefir

No, Kefir is not a place or a new age stage of mind. Those who've been around me the last year or so know it's the latest phase of my off beat healthy lifestyle. I learned about kefir from Jordan Ruben (The Maker's Diet) but had no idea what this strange stuff was. Then I learned a friend in NC made it, and closer to home, my sister in Pensacola. It was a blessed day when I got my first kefir grain and I made and used it all last winter.

Warming weather and time constraints forced me to dehydrate my grains for summer storage. It was making far too fast with the rising temps and I wasn't using it fast enough. Plus I suspected my grains had picked up a contaminate. So we retired for the summer.

But now we're back at it. I got a fresh new grain from my niece and with some inspiration from a set of websites she told me about, am kefir crazy again. I've not even had regular kefir so far. I've been doing some crazy stuff with it.

1: Pollen Infused Kefir: Let it ripen 24 hours or so with 1 tbs pollen per pint. Sweeten with honey. This is supposed to make the pollen digest easier providing a powerful protein and providing immune boosting properties.

2. Kefir Cheese. I missed changing my grain out this morning and the curds and whey had separated . So I ran them all through cheesecloth, mixed a little rosemary and salt with the curds and let it hang in the cheesecloth to drain a bit longer. It's odd, but not too bad for a first try.

And the whey - it's in the pumpkin bread that's in the oven as I type. I'm nuts for being up this late, but hey, it's fall and I just felt like baking. I will pay for it though. I will pay.

2007-10-19T14:58:00.000-05:00

WET PANTS

Come with me to a third grade classroom..... There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives.

The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head
down and prays this prayer, 'Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat.'

He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered.

As the teacher is walking toward him, a classmate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap.

The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, 'Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!'

Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else - Susie.

She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. You've done enough, you klutz!'

Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, 'You did that on purpose, didn't you?' Susie whispers back, 'I wet my pants once too.'

2007-10-15T09:39:00.001-05:00

It's Monday Again

And I can barely move. It's a good kind of soreness, the kind you experience at the end of a hard task, almost a sort of euphoria.

I spent the weekend extracting honey. This is the first time in all these years of beekeeping I've tackled the task by myself, and as things turned out, the largest extraction to date. I'm guesstimating that by the time I strain what's in the bottom of the big extractor and the cappings finish draining we'll have around 300 lb. The task itself is not that difficult, for me it was just a lot of lifting and repetitive motion. I'm feeling it mostly in my right shoulder from all the uncapping.

This was a good learning experience for me. I extracted on the screen porch with the cracks around the door sealed (with a towel) to keep curious bees out. It worked well. The weather was wonderful though I did have to shut it down earlier than planned Saturday. Once it got dark the bees that were trapped inside with me (the few that had come in with the supers) started buzzing around the light on the ceiling fan directly above me. That wasn't good. Also the honey practically refused to sling out because of the dropping temperature. So I had to finish Sunday afternoon when it was daylight and warm.

Another thing I learned was that the right equipment makes the task go much faster and smoother. I borrowed new uncapping knives and an uncapping tank this time in addition to the club's electric extractor. I couldn't believe how fast the uncapping went. I had several buckets of uncapped frames waiting on the extractor by the time it was all said and done.

Next time I'll cover my tables with plastic as removing melted wax wasn't fun. I'll enlist a vacuum cleaner for the bees that are trapped inside with me. They all congregated on the screen attempting escape and left yellow bee poop on the ledge under them. And I'll definitely cover the floor with paper.

Today all the curious bees that were trying to get in are feasting. I put the uncapping tank outside for them to clean before I tackle it with soap and hot water. No need letting all that honey go to waste when they will gladly remove all the sweet sticky stuff.

2007-10-13T00:39:00.000-05:00

It's been a long time since I stayed up so late on a Friday night. One of the things about growing older is that I fancy my sleep. It's not a lazy thing, it's just that I function much better when I've had a good night's sleep, and I like functioning. I don't fancy ceasing to function.

It's been a tough but good week. Norman turned 51 without a lot of fanfare. We made him the coolest plaque ever . . . "When Chuck Norris goes into a sauna, the sauna sweats." It will go on the door of his new sauna.

Kammi and Naomi spent one morning with me. We had a great visit while designing and making two Indian dresses for Naomi. They're learning about native peoples right now. It blew me away when Naomi recognized and understood the purpose of Uncle Norman's "sweat house." She's so adorable and looks like a princess in her moleskin (white) and buckskin (brown) dresses. Her Mom did a good job on the designs.

As I write I just put about 5 quarts of honey in the oven to heat up. I'll cool, strain, mix and jar them tomorrow to make cinnamon creamed honey, a fall favorite around here. Its a big seller too. Last year I pestered every beekeeper I know trying to find light honey. This year I bought five gallons from Jeff Dayton in Tennessee. It's some fine tasting stuff. I'm experimenting with a couple of pints my mom dug up from somewhere as well. It don't have nearly the taste Jeff's has.

And I'm extracting tomorrow too. I've had 3 supers in the freezer a few weeks and robbed three more today. By the time I get the hives here on the farm robbed I should have in excess of 200 lb. I plan to extract on the screened porch. I think as long as I stuff rags under the door we should be ok as far as bees trying to get in. My bee room in the barn is currently a wreck in bad need of cleaning and organizing. And the weather's so beautiful the screened porch will be nice to work in. This time I'm using two extractors, the club's electric one for the bulk of the honey and the little hand crank job for the light honey

Workwise the week has been frustrating. We've wound up changing out both the modem and router at work. I liken working without internet to working with one arm and one leg tied behind you. It's worse than tough.

One bright spot is that Norman has got most of the 200 LocalHelpWanted.net sites up and running. It's the absolute most awesome job board ever. And we got our first check from a customer for the site. I'm tempted to frame it!

Our kids Dennis and Toni will be parents of an active little boy soon. Tony might be 100 lb. soaking wet so this has been quite an ordeal for her. And my friend Connie's oldest son and his girlfriend will be baptized Sunday - talk about an answer to prayer! He was very hostile to the gospel when he left for basic and God did a beautiful work in his heart.

And our professor friend made it back safe from Malaysia where he shared the Christian faith with ten accounting students who had "no religon." He's got a knack for making friends wherever he goes. One of the young ladies cried when he left.

I can't think of anything else. G'nite all!

2007-10-08T14:56:00.000-05:00

Miscellaneous Monday

Well, we're back. The Far Above Rubies retreat our women's group returned from Saturday was wonderful. I've lost track of how many years I've gone now. While it's great to "get away with the girls", it's even better to be refreshed and challenged spiritually. This year's theme and agenda had to be one of the best, but I was very disappointed there was no altar call at the closing session.

I spent yesterday chilling with my family. Becky had spent a couple of days visiting a Christian college in the area and rode back with us Saturday. It was good to catch up.

So I'm back at the office today. My neighbor (at work), Liz, has been by several times. She's a botanical genius and a neat lady. And she loves my bees. Actually, I think my bees love her. She keeps several bird baths with water for them and they've been known to head butt her when the water got low. Once she refills them they're all as happy as can be. Liz and Ken are the ones who rescued the rat snake that got in the office last spring. As far as I know "Ralphette" is still thriving on the mice in my barn where we turned her loose.

For my own benefit I want to jot down some highlights from our trip.

First, an ongoing issue/topic of discussion with a friend took an unexpected turn when I found myself in a workshop face to face with someone who represented our conversations. God used this person to bless and challenge me, and also to remind me that my citizenship as a believer is in heaven, where we're all blood bought sinners regardless of differences imposed upon us in this world. It's all level ground at the foot of the cross!

I didn't flub the monologue Renee asked me to do. (Thank you Lord!)

It was neat to play harmonica with TC again. Talk about a gifted musician! This is the second year we've done the campfire music with her leading on guitar.

This year's theme was Traveling Light. A lot of things in our sessions hit home. Our speaker ran with the theme and spoke on checking baggage ahead (good works we lay up in heaven), things that weigh us down to leave behind (bitterness, anger, etc) and carry on luggage (the rest of the Lord). It was pretty neat. For what it's worth I had already been working on simplifying life. I seem to have accumulated a lot of clutter, both literally and figuratively. Time to clean house!

Today's been pretty neat. I like government holidays that aren't holidays for the rest of us. It's a little less stressful and easier to catch up on paperwork. So what am I doing but sitting here blogging instead of working! Shame on me!

2007-10-02T11:35:00.000-05:00

This has to be fast as I'm on a tight schedule to get everything done before I LEAVE tomorrow! It's our womens group's annual Far Above Rubies retreat. I've lost track of how many years I've gone to this but it's still great enough I don't want to miss. I never leave without being challenged and refreshed.

OK, so I was going to share some of my various potions and remedies . . . so here's a jewel of a quickie: Arbor Oil

I've been using this magnificent product several years now, mainly for cold and sinus related problems. I've use it by spraying it a time or two on the tissue then inhaling the vapors off the tissue. When I catch a sinus or cold condition coming on it will clear my head and kill bacteria which prevents the condition from worsening. One friend uses it on airplanes where the air is recycled.

2007-09-30T20:18:00.000-05:00

Weekend Wonderment

As the weekend draws close I find myself musing about some of the small, and not so small miracles in our little corner of the world.

The one that has blessed me most is the miracle of music. After a long dry spell and some heart rending experiences our Becky is composing again. Part of the hiatus has been merely the busyness of life, but part is out of deep emotion too. Whatever the case what I'm hearing is more beautiful than anything that's come before and I stand in awe of what God does through this child.

On a less dramatic note, our sterile chickens are laying eggs. It took a year and a half for them to develop from steroid stuffed nearly dead fryer rejects to real chickens. But grow they did. They've been free range all summer, sharing the pasture with the cows and reclining under the shade of the big pecan tree during the heat of the day. Silly funny pets, that's all they were. I guess the good life agreed with them.

And Norman has successfully transplanted Tennessee rhubarb to southeast Alabama. His biggest obstacle has been . . .chickens. I don't know if rhubarb is to chickens like catnip is to cats but they won't stay away from it. He planted it under the aforementioned pecan tree and well . . . hmmm . . . I wonder if it had anything to do with the sudden appearance of eggs.

2007-09-27T10:41:00.001-05:00

Sharing the Love

That may not be an appropriate title. More like sharing knowledge, or understanding, gifts of love that God gave to me in order to help others. Ok, so maybe the title will work.

This particular vein has to do with natural means of health and healing and my intent is to write about the things God has and is showing me. It's pretty well known among my circle of influence that Mrs. Horton probably has something that will fix your boo-b00, whether it be a bug bite, a bruise or whatever.

In the beginning . . I was a new beekeeper and had to do a presentation. I chose to speak about something I knew - STINGS! In the process of learning about stings I learned about propolis, also known as "bee glue" to beekeepers. It's a brown substance that looks like dog poo in large quantities. Bees make it to seal the hive and maintain it as a sterile environment. I could park here and spend the rest of the day writing about it's amazing healing properties, but suffice it to say the thing that caught my attention was that it was good for psoriasis which my dad suffered from.

My first attempt to make something to help Dad was both a success and a failure. The tincture was wonderful. But the alcohol dried his skin and which negated the good results from the propolis. Round two found me using knowledge of this product that God had showed me and modifying a lotion recipe to make a cream. What we learned immediately was nothing short of amazing.

During the tincture stage of my experiments I had learned that propolis would help fire ant bites. A girl had several bites on her back and they did well with the tincture formula. I didn't give it a lot of thought. When my husband came in covered with bites while attempt #2 was still cooling off, we put the cream on his forearm where he had received 30 or 35 bites. Poor man was in some kind of trouble, but something happened. The arm felt better. And the next day it looked good. The second day we were dropping our jaws that he had no blisters.

That is how Fire Ant First Aid was born. After additional research, field testing, and more research we launched it in April 2006 on the internet. Several stores picked it up that summer and more have followed in 2007. The list of things it's good for keeps growing and we hope to expand the product line within the year.

2007-09-23T07:49:00.000-05:00

Doing My Time

Today is Sunday and I'll be going to the jail to "minister" to the women there. I use quotations because as a Baptist (no women preachers) hearing myself called that by the personnel at the jail took a bit of getting used to. So unofficially I am a minister. Officially I'm just a woman fulfilling my calling to (admit it) minister to the female inmates.

My lessons have been about women in the Bible for three or four years now. I taught on Eve one January and kept on going. It's been very revealing for myself. I think the most profound lessons have come from the lesser known Bible characters. None of the inmates have been in on more than a few consecutive lessons, but with the repeat offenders coming and going, it's pretty well expected that Mrs. Roslyn will teach about a woman in the Bible.

Today's lesson is about probably the ultimate villain - vixen in scripture - Jezebel. Yuck, yuck and more yuck, yet we all carry the potential to be like her. It will be an interesting morning for sure!

2007-09-18T16:39:00.000-05:00

Daddy Issues

I'm writing a hasty note to tell myself to take a chill pill. I found out last night that my dad was admitted to the hospital. I found out this morning he has pneumonia.

Ok, lots of people get pneumonia. You take antibiotics and get well. Happens all the time. But my dad isn't your typical patient. He's been bedridden, a COPD patient with empyemia, for around five years, getting worse the whole time. Even with oxygen his lung capacity is 92-93%.
89% lung capacity is considered danger zone.

We've known for a long time that anything could really send him into the next life. He chokes several times every day and manages to gain control. There's nothing to be done, but each time could be the last.

So why am I freaking out? I don't know. Maybe because despite the fact that he's been a scoundrel his whole life and we all know he's in this condition because he abused his body with everything nasty he could get his hands on, he's still Dad. If nothing else the position he holds is still one worthy of respect whether he was respectable or not. And he's not.

Part of me wants to run to Ashland. Part of me says "be still." I think I best concentrate on getting my work done and see what Mom says tonight.

2007-09-14T11:41:00.000-05:00

Bad news for Men

A recent article on Men's Health dealt with the phenomena of declining testosterone levels in men. This should come as no surprise. While the use of bio-identical hormone replacement therapy has been gaining popularity among women, the corresponding issue in men is somewhat more serious. It's natural for a woman's endocrine system to change as she ages. The alarming decline of testosterone, and especially for men in their prime, is not normal, and is downright scary. It lends credibility to futuristic si-fi films like Children of Men and Stargate episodes dealing with the end of humankind because we fail to reproduce.

The good news is that the condition is treatable. The bad news is that we continue to shoot ourselves in the foot with new chemicals that come out at an alarming rate. They pass FDA approval because they aren't found to cause cancer, but are not tested for how they affect us otherwise - the endocrine system in particular.

The human male is a complex being who's chemical makeup is every bit as sophisticated as the female. Real men, those who are strong in will, character and integrity, are priceless and few. God forbid that they cease to be men physically as well.

2007-09-11T16:46:00.000-05:00

CCD Cause Found?

It's out, though it's not conclusive. Colony Collapse disorder has been linked to Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus. While it is probably not the only cause, it has been found in affected hives. More study is on the horizon in continued research about this. More information can be found here.

Today was my second day this week playing with bees. It's been good for my heart in more ways than the mild aerobic workout I invariably enjoy. I spent most of yesterday with our state inspector who my eleven hives a thumbs up and good bill of health. We found one to be queenless which was remedied by giving them young brood to grow a new queen. Then today someone gave me a small swarm which I'll merge with the same hive. Either way they'll have a queen.

Today was spent teaching with fellow beekeepers at Landmark Park. It was a lot of fun as usual and our new teaching tools were a great help.

2007-09-10T15:14:00.000-05:00

Today is a difficult day for our family. A dear friend is wounded and while there's nothing any of us can do more than pray, we do feel the pain and confusion he/she is probably dealing with. We pray for understanding, wisdom, and that it will ultimatly be one of many events that lead to great good for this person.

Several passages come to mind:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:28 & 29

This gives me hope because I know my God can take the most awful thing imaginable and use it to further his glory in the lives of those who love him.

The other passage is Jeremiah 9: 23 & 24:

Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

This gives me comfort because I know my God is good despite the tears, what any of us feel or how things appear.

Lastly, Psalms 145:17

The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.
The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.
The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.

This mortal does not have any answers to the big questions of the universe - who, what, when, where and the biggest of all, WHY? But "WHO", (big H), I do know and know well. He is good, he is kind, and regardless of anyone's finite reasoning, loves us even, and especially when we hurt. So with the Sprit's help and in the name of Jesus I cry "Abba!" and cry to him till this cup passes.

2007-09-06T10:05:00.001-05:00

Back to the Grind

I've not posted anything lately largely because of being absent and being swamped. Norman, Becky and I spent the last week of August at the time share in Tennessee trying to have a vacation. The change of weather and change of pace were much appreciated. We visited friends and familiar places, went to a play and the county fair, visited the Mennonites and messed around a lot. We also visited three Christian colleges in the area for Becky's benefit. On the way home we stopped by to see Mom and Dad and got a double treat as my sister and bil were there as well.

It's good to be home though. Labor day was spent in labor, working to put our poor house back in order. Everything was still covered in sheetrock dust from all the tornado repairs and the yard was horribly overgrown. We've still a ton of work, but the end is in sight. The floor and baseboards in the back have to be done before we can move furniture but at least there are no more huge messes on the horizon.

Work wise I'm slowly getting through the mountains of mail that piled up and trying to figure out how the bill situation stands. Norman spent the whole day yesterday returning phone calls. The only time we stop is to pass out at the end of the day. Then it starts over.

So that's whats going on these days. I've got a meeting for our upcoming Honey Festival this afternoon and WBA meeting tonight. Next week will start the annual honeybee workshops at Landmark. It will be an interesting fall, that's for sure!

2007-08-23T17:19:00.000-05:00

Happy one year Anniversary

I just bumped into the fact that I've been keeping a Blogger for a scoch over a year now. (Spell check is telling me "scoch" isn't a word but it has to be - we use it all the time!) Anyway for the sake of consistency and conciseness I'm reposting some of my early ramblings here so I can eliminate an old blog under an unwanted url. The ramblings are ok, I just had to regroup and start fresh because of some problems.

So here it is: Post # uno from August 21, 2006. I'll get the others listed over the next few weeks.

Monday, August 21, 2006

I've been pondering the meaning of "bemeusement" for a while now. It's one of those double edge words. The old English prefix "be" has a couple of meanings:

1. choseness such as "by" or "near". Eg. 'be-fore'.
2. an intensive thoroughness. Eg. "be-wail'.

Muse of course means to think.

And the suffix, "ment" changes the verb and/or noun (however you wish to use the word) and shows the result or product of an action'. Eg. 'refreshment'; 'atonement'.

So the question is, am I close to having a thought or am I intensive and thorough in thought? I like to think the latter applies but in all honestly must admit it's not always the case. One of the skeletons in my emotional front hall closet is a much hated nickname - "squirrel bait." I still don't think too much of the person who came up with this good natured insult. But then, I was a ditzy kid.

Sometimes I'm a ditzy adult. Now that I'm approaching 50 I can blame it on age. My Mike will tell you it's the blond highlights. (My response is that it's meant to disguise super intelligence!) Whatever the case I sometimes find myself wishing I didn't know about some things. I'd much rather have a close (impersonal) knowledge of some things than the heartache of intensive thoroughness.

But then, I'm thankful for the hours spent at the back of Subway crying with my friend who's child was arrested. I'm glad I was there to support the friend who had to flee with her children because her husband crossed the line to molest a child. These are ugly things. I find myself bemused, as in dazed and bewildered, at the idiocy and level of sinful indulgence people can get themselves into. Squirrel bait? Maybe. I don't WANT to understand!

But then I do. I was blessed to be brought up by the Word. We didn't have Awana. Shoot, I was in my teens before I even heard of Wednesday evening service! Nobody knew we were supposed to have family devotions. We went to church on Sunday Mornings and that was pretty much it. Except - every generation (at least in one part of the family) lived the Word. And we kids were taught right and wrong based on it's principals. I can't say we were raised in the Word, but we were certainly raised by it. And without exception we all dug into it and embraced it as our own as soon as we were old enough to appreciate it's impact on our lives. Even my old heathen, citified, cousin dragged his younger brother to the Cross as he approached death. The Word did it's work. The circle won't be unbroken.

But back to understanding. Prison ministry has taught me many things, one of them being that we were privileged beyond measure. Without exception all the people we minister to in the jails had little if any real anything real or good up to landing in jail. Granted, each person is responsible for their choices and their actions, yet when darkness is all you know and all you've ever known, well, walking in light is out of the question. Some just walk in deeper darkness than others. And all need the same thing: redemption, atonement, forgiveness. But for the grace of God, I could be one of the women waiting to be transferred out of a hell hole, living for mail call, abandoned by my family and trying hard to stay out of fights or worse. That much I understand. I don't need deep pondering to get it.

So - as apparently I'm starting a new blog unbeknownst to anyone but myself, I'll try to offer real thoughts. I may even play with my word. After all, the misspelling is intentional, but that's another topic for another day.

2007-08-22T10:27:00.000-05:00

WHITE LIE CAKE
(from this morning's email:)

Have you ever told a white lie? You are going to love this, especially all of those who bake for church events.

Alice Grayson was to bake a cake for the Baptist Church Ladies' Group in Tuscaloosa , but forgot to do it until the last minute. She remembered the morning of the bake sale & after rummaging through cabinets, found an angel food cake mix & quickly made it while drying her
hair, dressing, & helping her son pack for Scout camp.

When Alice took the cake from the oven, the center had dropped flat and the cake was horribly disfigured. she thought, "Oh dear, there is not time to bake another cake."

This cake was important to Alice because she did so want to fit in at her new church & in her new community of friends. So, being inventive, she looked around the house for something to build up the center of the cake.

Alice found it in the bathroom - a roll of toilet paper. She plunked it in & covered it with icing. Not only did the finished product look beautiful, it looked perfect.

Before she left the house to drop the cake by the church & head for work, Alice woke her daughter Amanda & gave her some money & specific instructions to be at the bake sale the moment it opened at 9:30 & to buy the cake & bring it home.

When Amanda arrived at the sale, she found the attractive, perfect cake had already been sold. She grabbed her cell phone & called her mom.

Alice was horrified - she was beside herself. Everyone would know! What would they think? She would be ostracized, talked about, & ridiculed! All night, Alice lay awake in bed thinking about people pointing fingers at her & talking about her behind her back.

The next day, Alice promised herself she would try not to think about the cake & would attend the fancy luncheon/bridal shower at the home of a fellow church member & try to have a good time. Alice did not want to attend because the hostess was a snob who more than once had looked down her nose at Alice because she was a single parent & not from the founding families of Tuscaloosa . But, having already RSVP'd, she couldn't think of a believable excuse to stay home.

The meal was elegant, the company was definitely upper crust old South &, to Alice 's horror, the cake in question was presented for dessert! Alice felt the blood drain from her body when she saw the cake! She started out of her chair to tell the hostess all about it, but before she could get to her feet, the Mayor's wife said, "what a beautiful cake!"

Alice still stunned, sat back in her chair when she heard the hostess (who was a prominent church member) say, "Thank you, I baked it myself."

Alice smiled and thought to herself, "God is good."

2007-08-20T21:38:00.000-05:00

I can't remember the last time my house was this much of a wreck. We're down to the home stretch on all this insurance repair work. Half of my living room is covered with a big plastic sheet where the guys have been mudding the skylights they replaced when they did the roof. There's a pile of sheetrock rubble at the end of the hall where they patched the hole Becky made with her foot when she couldn't stop (some years back). I knew the house had wear and tear from rearing and launching three of our four, but hadn't really paid attention to how bad it was till all this started. Now I see rooms and trim that need to be repainted, carpets that need replacing, etc. But mostly I just want to CLEAN!

Things will be better once all this is finished. No more drips during rainstorms, the barn repaired, fences will be mended. I'm looking forward to cleaning closets and having a huge yardsale.

For the moment I'm enjoying sitting across the table from Beck, listening to Sufjan Stevens and contemplating the shower I need to remove white paint splatters from my arms. (Had to paint the trim on the barn door!) She's struggling through chemistry and I'm enjoying my friend Rachael's new blog. Check it out, http://ccaschooldaze.blogspot.com/. Rach is one of our kids, an extraordinary young woman. We'd keep her but she's needed upstate to teach. Rachel is a recipient of our redbird special. We forgot to tell her about the insane cardinal that flys into the windowpane of the guest room every morning. I'm told she hit the floor standing when it happened.

I guess I better mosey back and get started on that shower before this paint gets any harder to scrub off.

2007-08-19T20:57:00.001-05:00

Reflections on a busy Sunday

Irene and I switched weeks for prison ministry this month because of a schedule conflict. She's gone on the third Sunday and I've gone the fourth for quite a few years now. We pretty much have a routine - I load her up with Bibles and Bible lessons prior to her going, then get many lessons back which have to be checked and delivered along with new lessons when I go a week later. Very seldom do I get to give out Bibles as she makes first contact with all the new prisoners.

There was little of that today. Everyone had a Bible, and only a couple of students needed new lessons. It was nice to be able to concentrate on their needs, answer questions and focus on the lesson. Today's study was on the wife of Jeroboam in I Kings 14. It was a difficult lesson to study, and even more difficult to teach, especially having to do it three times consecutively. At one time long ago we had "church" in the library with only the women who wanted to participate. Those who didn't remained in their cells. We never went past a certain door that went into the female section. Then one Sunday the rules had changed. We were taken through "that" door to the individual cells and things have been very different ever since. It's been that way three or four years now.

It was a good change. We have access to EVERY woman in the jail. Even if they chose to ignore us or sleep during church time, we are at least able to leave a tract or volunteer to pray with or for them. The down side was that we had limited time with each group of ladies. God graciously fixed that around a year ago when they changed visitation days for the women. These days I'll wait or teach through lunch, but can stay as late as I'm needed. The biggest challenge remains following the spirit's lead to give a fresh lesson on the same material with three very different groups of women. They each have different questions, they each have different needs.

Today had several highlights:
1. HA, my best student ever is finally gone. She was one of the only female trustees ever at our jail and is being reunited with her daughter while in rehab. This is an answer to many months of prayer.
2. TB is gone on to rehab too. She was another good student and a trustee.
3. SB, an in and out inmate for quite a few years delivered another classic one liner during a lesson. Concerning Jeroboam's wife, "She done got busted!"
4. KC, a girl I led to Christ some years back and CCJ's only female sex offender, is back. This is not good news. Don't ask me how it happened but the year I knew her before she developed a relationship with a man "outside", supposedly a Christian. Somewhere in the years between she married him and had two children. Now he's dying of cancer, her babies are in foster care and she's behind bars again. She looks awful. We wept as we prayed for him.

Many things will change between now and the end of September when I go back. At least eleven women have court this week and several more are waiting for court dates. Some will make bail, some will go on probation, some will go on to Tutweiler. I make it a point to never ask why or where as it's irrelevant to my purpose for being there. It's still good to see it go well as in HA's case. Seeing lives healed is what it's all about.

2007-08-11T22:36:00.000-05:00

It's around 10:30 pm August 11, 2007 and our youngest son is officially a married man. Hallalujah and Amen! The bride was beautiful, the bridesmaids lovely, the the groomsmen spiffy, and the wedding a wonderful mix of sweet, funny and sentimental. It was uniquely them.

So now the former Heather Truitt is a Horton and we couldn't be happier. We've loved her from the start and am so happy God led our son to such a wonderful young woman. We have two awesome daugher in laws now. Bonnie Carrigan married our Brian a year ago. They were down from Raleigh for the wedding and it's been great getting to spend time with her during all this.

Every wedding has it's bumps and lumps. The ones for this wedding involved Mike's car. He spun out on a slick exit ramp and took out a rear fender and tail light two days before the wedding. This resulted in a very beat up Mike for which we had to seek professional help and a truckload of holistic products to get him through the wedding. The other bump/lump involved his engine going out after Wal Mart goofed up on his drain plug during an oil change. This involved an investigation, filing a claim with Wal Mart, and securing a rental car, all of which had to be done with a heat index of around 110 and Mike in great pain. Norman and I concentrated on helping Mike while Cindy, Brian/Bonnie and Becky concentrated on helping me pull off a rehersal dnner. With God's help everything was done, Mike was able to stand during the serivce and dance during his dinner.

Fyi, I posted a few photos on our farm site. Be sure to check the lower left one.

That's it for now. I think I need to locate our stray children and get some sleep.

2007-08-03T12:56:00.000-05:00

I've nothing profound to say today. Some days are like that - full and rich but not necessarily profound. That's a good thing. I think if we had to deal with outstanding events, outstanding thoughts and outstanding people every day the profound would become mundane, hence the mundane is key to our appreciation of the profound.

Last night however was profound. Mr. Elmore Herman who is the current president of the Florida Beekeepers Association, spoke to WBA and it was a most excellent meeting. We hope he returns often. As close as he is (40 miles from Dothan) several times a year wouldn't be too much. The other profound bee item was that the amendment I proposed and lobbied for within WBA passed unanimously. It puts me out of office this December but will be good for the club in the long run.

The other profound things had to do with people - profound conversation with a friend, and a surprise visit by our Cindy. Good things!

I don't know it it's profound but I had an ionized foot detox yesterday. It was very painless and relaxing, till I saw the water. I'll spare you the disgusting details but suffice it to say that it was so effective I hope to do it again soon.

Today is business as usual, sort of. My friend Donna is finishing her first sandwiched quilt, that is, one with a top, lining and batting. It's been a delight to work with her. She has the capability to become a world class quilter.

And I'm back at my desk on the computer playing instead of balancing accounts (can you say "blech" !?) From the looks of my pile I'll be here a while. (Blech!) Another work related item is that Terri's dad went to hospice and they put him on morphine drip this week. We continue to hold them up in prayer. She told us some months back that he had made peace with God so we pray his homecoming will be as easy as possible for the whole family.

Mike will marry one week from tomorrow. What a blessing! We're getting another daughter!

And the work on the back part of the house is coming along very nicely. You can tell it's an actual room now. I think we've got a color picked out and will be looking for tile here soon, after the wedding no doubt. I've been making cheesecakes for the reception like crazy the last week - 8 made so far and I sacrificed one of them for last night's bee meeting. It was the new white chocolate raspberry flavor (my recipe) and there was none left. Not even a scrap. I've concluded that I like shortcake crusts better than graham, but will be doing graham for the New York ones I'm making tomorrow. Transporting these things frozen to Pensacola is going to be the biggest challenge.

No more rambling! All the talk about food has made me hungry and besides that, duty calls!

2007-07-27T11:33:00.000-05:00

The Least of these my Brethren

I received a few stray prison lessons in the mail today. Whenever the girls get mixed up and send lessons to the publishers in Pensacola Brother Jeff graciously sends them to my home. Ordinarily they go to the church, but either way the lessons make it to us.

Carol M, a student from two years ago was back in cell #46 last month after a year and a half absence. (Absence is GOOD - everyone should want to be absent from jail all their life!) She barely let me see her, preferring to listen from her mattress inside the cell during the Bible lesson, but she did stick her head out long enough to say hi, and was surprised when I called her by name. She'd always been a tad shy and reserved. Last week when I went on my scheduled day for July she'd been moved to the trustee cell. And she was no longer just another woman on a mattress, she had taken the role as the spiritual leader of that cell. I was blown away. A big group of ladies hungry to hear from God joined us and Carol no longer hid away, ashamed at being found in jail again, she sat across from me and helped lead discussion.

I was amazed at the transformation in this woman. Here she was, probably in for a drug violation, but stepping up in the worst possible situation to be what God had ordained her to be all along, a natural leader. She'd been leading the cell in Bible study, with nothing but their Bibles, for days. Every woman there was hungry for more of the Word and I wound up leaving many complete lesson sets for them and a couple of Bibles for the newer women.

I'm reminded that God uses the foolish and base things of the world to confound the wise. There's certainly no news camera's going to pick up on this story, I'm just glad I got to see it. My prayer for Carol is that she'll become on the outside what God has shown her to be on the inside, both literally and figuratively.

2007-07-26T21:11:00.001-05:00

And I'm a Little Kid at a Three Ring Circus . . .

Life feels like a three ring deal these days. I find myself going through motions a lot and looking forward to less stressful days.

I have to preface what follows with acknowledgment to my daughters and Toby McKeenan. March and April this year found me under all out spiritual attack. I'll pass on what the attack was, but suffice it to say it blindsided me and has given me tremendous compassion for others who are taken and fall in the same snare I struggled with.

The day before Easter (with my head still spinning) I heard what sounded like devil music coming from my daughters room (anybody who knows my daughter knows she's a spiritually minded child so it was more annoyance on my part than a need to chastise) Cindy was visiting and it turned out to be her new Toby Mac cd. "Allright, I know he's scripturally sound, but please keep it down, you know I don't like that stuff"

"Here Mom, listen to this one" Becky fiddled with her cd player, and left me in the room alone. What followed can only be described as a worship service as God spoke to me through the lyrics and I tearfully embraced his message to me. So here's my personal version of the first verse of Lose My Soul:

Father God, I am clay in your hands,
Help me to stay that way through all life's demands,
'Cause they chip and they nag and they pull at me,
And every little thing I make up my mind to be,
Like I'm gonna be a (momma) whose in the mix,
And I'm gonna be a (wife) who stays legit,
And I pray that I'm (a woman) who rises above,
The road that is wide and filled with self love,
Everything that I see draws me,
Though it's only in You that I can truly see that its a feast for the eyes- a low blow to purpose.
And I'm a little kid at a three ring circus.

(Chorus) I don't want to gain the whole world and lose my soul
(repeat)

Two months later the three ring circus is exactly where I found myself. Norman took me to Calloway Gardens on a Sunday afternoon and we attended the circus they have on the beach during the summertime. It was beautiful and well done. We sat on the front row almost dead center of the middle ring. The show was great and the whole time I kept remembering the lyrics wondering if there was something I was missing that God was trying to teach me.

That was a month and a half ago and looking at things now maybe it was prophetic as life sure seems to be a three ring circus these days. Between problems at work, the house repairs and Mike's impending nuptials there's just no letting up or catching up.

I'd love the be the little kid watching all this play out but for now I feel more like the tightrope walker who'll plunge to the depths below if I miss a step. I've had to accept that II Corinthians 9:8 doesn't mean I'll get EVERYTHING done EVERY day. "All sufficiency in all things" means the things of God's choosing, not mine. I cling to the verse that God will not give me more than I can bear. I close with the last words of the song and the rest of my prayer:

Lord forgive us when we get consumed by the things of this world,
That fight for our love, and our passion,
As our eyes are open wide and on you.
Grant us the privilege of your world view,
And may your kingdom be, what wakes us up, and lays us down.

2007-07-19T19:22:00.000-05:00

The sky fell and we're picking it back up again.

You think by now I'd know to pay attention to quiet little warnings, but on June 30 I was in such a hurry to get out of Dodge I thought, "ya, that's something we need to do," packed up and left. The following Monday I came to work and nothing worked. Nothing. No phones, no internet, the computer wouldn't turn on. I'd been told to disconnect everything and ignored it. And now we'd taken a serious lightening hit.

My dh has steadily been rerouting wires, connecting hubs since then and today after much frustration, my intenet cable came to life and I'm not able to access from work via an ethernet connection. Thank you Lord! It works as long as the poor worn plug connects, that is. Hmmm . . something else to fix!

We wound up going with a laptop and I'll be learning to FTP my data to a secure server from here on out. The biggest challenge has been getting my old software to work with Vista. Me no like Vista, but scraping it and going with XP is even riskier.

Anyway I give a hearty thanks to God who prevented my old hard drive from completely going up in smoke when everything else in my old computer was burnt toast. We were able to save the data and by His mercy, will install it tonite. He even help my DH get Peachtree 2003 installed on this thing. Amen for no small miracle!

2007-07-15T00:52:00.000-05:00

Seeing how it's almost 1:am this will be short and sweet. This is the first entry on my new computer. The old one partially fried when the office took the brunt of a lightening storm that took out phones, internet, network cards, switches, etc on July 1. It was a major answer to prayer last week when Norman was able to retrieve my data off the hard drive, but the machine itself is toast. So we're slowly getting back up. I'm excited about having my own notebook.

Briefs on what's currently going on: Becky is in Raleigh with Bonnie and Brian enjoying time with them. They'll take her to the Wilds on Monday where she'll be CIT for two weeks.

Mike and Heather will come next weekend for their wedding shower. Interestingly enough I didn't get an invitation, lol. Bee picnic is the morning of the same day.

Found out tonite that ABA meeting is the same weekend as Honey Festival. How did that happen? So maybe I'll teach on Friday and be in Dothan on Saturday.

Amanda S. spent Friday evening and Saturday with us. We worked hard and had fun too. Military dinner is tomorrow. We're expecting 15-20 people.

That's it. Signing off.

2007-06-30T13:59:00.000-05:00

Remembering Memaw

This morning I reached for a spoon from the cutlery drawer for my coffee like I’ve done thousands of times before. My cutlery drawer is an amazing mishmash of sizes, shapes and patterns of all sorts of useful and non useful items. I went for a familiar spoon near the top and found myself in a time warp.

It was one of my grandmother’s spoons. I have two of them in different sizes. Just for a moment I wasn’t in my own house in my own kitchen. I was a little girl with a spoon in my hand in Memaw’s kitchen. I was standing in front of the cupboard where she kept the plates and cups. She was to my right at the sink and I was a kid again. I felt the warmth of her love, knew the familiar sound of the little crackle in her voice, I was at the only safe place I knew in my childhood. And I missed my grandmother.

She was an amazing woman. She had her share of hardships in her life but wasn’t defined by them. I was pretty much an adult by the time I realized the heartaches she had endured through life. All I had known till then was an outpouring of love in the many ways she expressed it. It gave me a profound appreciation for the grace that had been bestowed upon her to rise above those things and minister to those around her. I had truly been blessed – as the first grandchild I knew her longer and probably better than the cousins who came behind me. We lived close enough that I was there a lot, enough that I want my home to be the blessing to those I love just as hers was to me.

So what do I keep of my grandmother’s legacy?

A love of learning. Even during her last hospitalization when we learned she was dying of cancer she wanted to know everything about this strange (puff) quilt I was working on. She was forever learning some new skill.

A love of nature. She did so many amazing things with flowers and rocks and wood. When she went to Hawaii in the 70’s she came back with a suitcase full of rocks for her flower beds. I did the same thing when we went to Alaska a few years ago.

A love of thrift. Memaw wasted nothing. The great depression was a way of life for the Heards. Nothing went to waste, ever. Egg cartons and bags were saved to be reused. Usable clothing was passed on or put in a quilt. Things from the garden were canned, frozen or given away. Pork parts were made into souse in her refrigerator.

A love of people. I couldn’t have been more than six when I accompanied her down to Goat Mitchell’s place to take food and clothing for an impoverished family. Everybody who came to her house was welcomed and treated with dignity and respect. And everybody was expected to behave respectfully. I can’t remember ever seeing an ugly argument or sinful behavior from an adult at her house. Kids had full freedom to just be kids and be loved and enjoyed for who they were. And when it was time to spread your wings and go on with God she bestowed her hearty admonition and blessing with a Schofield Bible.

A love of hard work. I didn’t have the capacity to appreciate this till I was an adult.

A love of simple pleasures. People, music, laughter.

A love of creativity. Rocks, scraps and shells became works of art in her hands. Even on her deathbed she stitched star quilt blocks by hand.

A love of God. I knew from the time I was very little that Memaw loved God. My own fledgling faith took wings the year I was in 11th grade and spent one night a week at her house. No TV there. We had a delightful time studying the Bible together and finding new things. I learned to pray the summer I spent there after high school when my daddy got saved.

So did that spoon have some cosmic energy built up that brought all that rushing back to me? (I’m laughing as I write because that is so ridiculous!) Did her spirit brush by me as I picked it up to remind me how much I missed her? (No, I’m not spiritualist either, at least not in that sense.) No, nothing like that. After the previously mentioned hospitalization she lived several more years at home while the family cared for her. She gradually became a shell of the person she had been. We visited her every chance we got and each time she was less and less of herself. I think part of me had forgotten who she was before she was sick. The spoon just triggered the memories to come back. It was time and I can grieve today.

Tomorrow, her oldest great grandchild and her only great great grandchild will join us for Sunday dinner. We'll love, we'll laugh, and we plan to gather around the piano and make joyful noises like previous generations did at her house. I don't know if Jesus lets the saints in heaven take little field trips down here or peek in from heaven but I hope so. I know it would please her immensely.

2007-06-21T15:21:00.000-05:00

It's done! The "big secret" that we kept from my husband's parents for so many months has come to fulfillment and my dear father in law is now officially Dr. Mahlon Horton. On Tuesday night (6/19/2007) he got the shock of his life when all his kids showed up for a routine missions conference above Atlanta and Carolina Bible College presented him with an honorary/earned Doctorate of Divinity.

So now Dad is "Dr. Dad." (I think I'm the only one he lets call him that.) He's not one to fuss over titles and such, preferring to hold a steady course and focus on serving the Lord. Well, his work has spoken for itself in volumes and it's nice to see a good guy get the honor he deserves this side of heaven.