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.
11.03.2007
11.02.2007
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!!!
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!!!
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State Meeting Report
Ros Horton
10.24.2007
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.
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.
10.23.2007
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.
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.
10.19.2007
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.'
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.'
10.15.2007
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.
10.13.2007
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!
10.08.2007
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!
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!
10.02.2007
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.
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.
9.30.2007
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.
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.
9.27.2007
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.
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.
9.23.2007
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!
9.18.2007
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.
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.
9.14.2007
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.
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.
9.11.2007
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.
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.
9.10.2007
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.
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.
9.06.2007
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!
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!
8.23.2007
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.
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.
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.
8.22.2007
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."
(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."
8.20.2007
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.
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.
8.19.2007
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.
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.
8.11.2007
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.
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.
8.03.2007
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!
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!
7.27.2007
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.
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.
7.26.2007
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:
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:
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)
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.
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.
7.19.2007
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!
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!
7.15.2007
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.
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.
6.30.2007
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.
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.
6.21.2007
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.
6.18.2007
It's close to 11:pm and I will be leaving the office pretty soon. It's been one loooooong day! It seems like it's been a very long month for that matter, but the calendar tells me that next Sunday is my turn at the jail, so I guess we're on approach for the end of the month.
Tomorrow will be a special day. I'm going to relax, relax, relax.
I'm nursing about 15 bee stings right now. We moved the porch hives last night, something I hope I never have to do again. The contractors started on the house and there was no way my porch would get screened in with those things there. (Sweet that my grandmother's wicker sofa became available the day they started!)
What I learned is as follows:
1. Wear the big suit. It's too easy to get stung in the tight suit.
2. Lighten the thing up as much as possible. If it means robbing honey a day ahead to return it later do it.
3. Make sure your entrance covers are the right size.
4. Make sure everything's tight - no escape holes or skewed top covers.
5. Make sure you can back the truck up to your load and unload spots.
6. Good help/good company make a tough job more enjoyable.
Naturally this is not an all inclusive list, but it will give you an idea of some things done right and some things done wrong. Live and learn!
Tomorrow will be a special day. I'm going to relax, relax, relax.
I'm nursing about 15 bee stings right now. We moved the porch hives last night, something I hope I never have to do again. The contractors started on the house and there was no way my porch would get screened in with those things there. (Sweet that my grandmother's wicker sofa became available the day they started!)
What I learned is as follows:
1. Wear the big suit. It's too easy to get stung in the tight suit.
2. Lighten the thing up as much as possible. If it means robbing honey a day ahead to return it later do it.
3. Make sure your entrance covers are the right size.
4. Make sure everything's tight - no escape holes or skewed top covers.
5. Make sure you can back the truck up to your load and unload spots.
6. Good help/good company make a tough job more enjoyable.
Naturally this is not an all inclusive list, but it will give you an idea of some things done right and some things done wrong. Live and learn!
6.13.2007
Why in the world would two fresh faced, virgin, PCC or HAC type young men stay at a brothel?
It didn't make sense. The mere thought of such a thing in today's "indy-fundy" culture would be scandalous. Somebody would be bound to write about it in the Sword of the Lord and blackball whatever church or institution they came from.
But it was a different time, a different culture and a war was going on. These guys were spies and as such they did their best to, shall we say, blend in with the culture. I mean, surely, spending the evening with a woman of the night should dispel any thoughts that they might be holy.
And what about their 'hostess' who offered her guests the utmost in ummm, accommodations? We know her story. A whole world of hope and possibility opened up when these guys would not have sex with her. They were holy and their polite decline of her additional services were the very thing that opened dialog between two vastly different world views and led to her trust in the living God.
Sometimes a close encounter with a sharp contrast between ideologies is the very thing people need to get a glimpse of who God is and what He's about. While none of us like what we perceive as conflict, it's sometimes the very thing needed this side of heaven to reach others. I am challenged today not to shy away from anyone "out there" in the world who's thoughts and beliefs are vastly different than mine. They need who I have just as Rahab needed two very peculiar young men to say "no" to her solicitation.
It saved her life.
It didn't make sense. The mere thought of such a thing in today's "indy-fundy" culture would be scandalous. Somebody would be bound to write about it in the Sword of the Lord and blackball whatever church or institution they came from.
But it was a different time, a different culture and a war was going on. These guys were spies and as such they did their best to, shall we say, blend in with the culture. I mean, surely, spending the evening with a woman of the night should dispel any thoughts that they might be holy.
And what about their 'hostess' who offered her guests the utmost in ummm, accommodations? We know her story. A whole world of hope and possibility opened up when these guys would not have sex with her. They were holy and their polite decline of her additional services were the very thing that opened dialog between two vastly different world views and led to her trust in the living God.
Sometimes a close encounter with a sharp contrast between ideologies is the very thing people need to get a glimpse of who God is and what He's about. While none of us like what we perceive as conflict, it's sometimes the very thing needed this side of heaven to reach others. I am challenged today not to shy away from anyone "out there" in the world who's thoughts and beliefs are vastly different than mine. They need who I have just as Rahab needed two very peculiar young men to say "no" to her solicitation.
It saved her life.
6.11.2007
Sharing Joseph’s Anguish
I’ve read it hundreds of times – the story of Joseph being sold into slavery, the trials through the subsequent years and the resulting blessings of doing right. There is more to the painful confrontation with his past and subsequent healing and restoration than I recognized before today. You’d think that after all this time I would see the parallels to my own experience.
Wounds – deep wounds caused by betrayal. Wounds that leave your heart injured and your relationship with your betrayers damaged if not broken completely.
So you dig in. You do what’s honorable and right for you to do despite the pain, and go through what's left of your life trying to please God in all that you do. And God is pleased – he wants us to do right and can bless and use us despite painful experiences of the past. The wound gets buried deeper as time and experience crust over it. It eventually becomes a distant memory.
Until it comes back to stare you in the face. There’s no way you can just rush in and embrace the scoundrels who caused you so much pain. No, you hang back, you keep a safe distance and watch. But you don’t trust. You know what they’re really like. You know what they’re capable of.
In Joseph’s case it was having his betraying brothers come to purchase food from him. He was in a position to test them and did just that. Would they abandon one of their own? He kept Simeon to test this. Were they jealous of their father’s favorite son? He gave Benjamin five times as much food to test this. They passed both and it looked good. Just how far they would go do the right thing after all this time was revealed when Judah, the brother who led in his own betrayal offered himself as a slave on Benjamin’s behalf. True repentance had taken place.
The emotions hit Joseph like a freight train and there was no containing the exquisite anguish he carried any longer. There was nothing to do but scream it out. He couldn’t even tell his brothers who he was until it had passed. The buried anguish was released as the healing balm of seeing God right a great injustice was applied.
I have been here. I’ve witnessed the wrong and paid my dues to keep going. I have cried out the old anguish as it was released and known the healing balm of seeing God right a great injustice. No, I didn’t have opportunity to disguise myself or test the betrayers, but God arranged all that. He himself showed this in my presence to open the wound that so desperately needed healing.
So Joseph is not some distant person on a Biblical pedestal to me anymore. He is human. He hurt, he didn’t let it sidetrack him, he allowed God to restore his brokenness and experienced the most acute, exquisite anguish in the process of healing. In that regard he is a kindred spirit. He went on to be a blessing and minister to those who had hurt him. I can only attempt to do as well!
I’ve read it hundreds of times – the story of Joseph being sold into slavery, the trials through the subsequent years and the resulting blessings of doing right. There is more to the painful confrontation with his past and subsequent healing and restoration than I recognized before today. You’d think that after all this time I would see the parallels to my own experience.
Wounds – deep wounds caused by betrayal. Wounds that leave your heart injured and your relationship with your betrayers damaged if not broken completely.
So you dig in. You do what’s honorable and right for you to do despite the pain, and go through what's left of your life trying to please God in all that you do. And God is pleased – he wants us to do right and can bless and use us despite painful experiences of the past. The wound gets buried deeper as time and experience crust over it. It eventually becomes a distant memory.
Until it comes back to stare you in the face. There’s no way you can just rush in and embrace the scoundrels who caused you so much pain. No, you hang back, you keep a safe distance and watch. But you don’t trust. You know what they’re really like. You know what they’re capable of.
In Joseph’s case it was having his betraying brothers come to purchase food from him. He was in a position to test them and did just that. Would they abandon one of their own? He kept Simeon to test this. Were they jealous of their father’s favorite son? He gave Benjamin five times as much food to test this. They passed both and it looked good. Just how far they would go do the right thing after all this time was revealed when Judah, the brother who led in his own betrayal offered himself as a slave on Benjamin’s behalf. True repentance had taken place.
The emotions hit Joseph like a freight train and there was no containing the exquisite anguish he carried any longer. There was nothing to do but scream it out. He couldn’t even tell his brothers who he was until it had passed. The buried anguish was released as the healing balm of seeing God right a great injustice was applied.
I have been here. I’ve witnessed the wrong and paid my dues to keep going. I have cried out the old anguish as it was released and known the healing balm of seeing God right a great injustice. No, I didn’t have opportunity to disguise myself or test the betrayers, but God arranged all that. He himself showed this in my presence to open the wound that so desperately needed healing.
So Joseph is not some distant person on a Biblical pedestal to me anymore. He is human. He hurt, he didn’t let it sidetrack him, he allowed God to restore his brokenness and experienced the most acute, exquisite anguish in the process of healing. In that regard he is a kindred spirit. He went on to be a blessing and minister to those who had hurt him. I can only attempt to do as well!
6.10.2007
We just got back from a weekend wedding trip and I'm so tired I could drop. Actually I will in a little bit.
One of our "kids" got married. Travis Smith spent many a weekend at our house during his high school and early college days. He was a groomsman in our son Brian's wedding last year and Brian returned the favor Saturday. It's always a joy to see the fine young men these boys turn into and we're happy that he's found the love of his life. Erin is a sweetie, that's for sure.
A side treat of this event was spending time with our two older children. Cindy came down as well, and as usual it was "Horton, party of Fun." I've observed that people don't always know what to make of the rowdy bunch who relish the joy of each other's company. And for the second time we've wound up in a huddle at someone's wedding reception. Odd. But it was good. We left the crowd and laid out under the stars at the edge of Pine Mountain at one of those little places on a ridge where you can see for miles for an hour or so after things died down. Good memories. The shooting stars weren't bad either.
And after all the goodbyes this morning Norman took me to Warm Springs and Calloway Gardens. Sweet, sweet man! I must say we need to have a word with the beekeeper there. Norman was pretty upset about the condition of their bee yard. I expected better.
So, we're home, Becky is in Memphis with Cindy, and if Brian's not back in Raleigh he will be soon. It was a good weekend. I've got a truckload to do getting my house and yard back in shape but when it's all said and done there's still no place like home.
One of our "kids" got married. Travis Smith spent many a weekend at our house during his high school and early college days. He was a groomsman in our son Brian's wedding last year and Brian returned the favor Saturday. It's always a joy to see the fine young men these boys turn into and we're happy that he's found the love of his life. Erin is a sweetie, that's for sure.
A side treat of this event was spending time with our two older children. Cindy came down as well, and as usual it was "Horton, party of Fun." I've observed that people don't always know what to make of the rowdy bunch who relish the joy of each other's company. And for the second time we've wound up in a huddle at someone's wedding reception. Odd. But it was good. We left the crowd and laid out under the stars at the edge of Pine Mountain at one of those little places on a ridge where you can see for miles for an hour or so after things died down. Good memories. The shooting stars weren't bad either.
And after all the goodbyes this morning Norman took me to Warm Springs and Calloway Gardens. Sweet, sweet man! I must say we need to have a word with the beekeeper there. Norman was pretty upset about the condition of their bee yard. I expected better.
So, we're home, Becky is in Memphis with Cindy, and if Brian's not back in Raleigh he will be soon. It was a good weekend. I've got a truckload to do getting my house and yard back in shape but when it's all said and done there's still no place like home.
6.08.2007
Rain, blessed rain at last. It's been a long dry spring and my garden and our animals (including the winged ones) have suffered through it. And now it's raining. The sheets pouring down just outside the window and the roar of thunder are welcome guests. I'm hearing drops hit the concrete at the bottom of the old chimney behind me.
Showers of blessing.
Some parts of my life have been a long drought. I have fought the weariness of it all and struggled to keep going. I've sometimes given up looking for God's hand in the circumstances and thrown my own up declaring "whatever!" Each time I bow low I learn I can bow lower. I need rain too Lord. Please send your showers to me, too.
6.04.2007
Today will be a Random Monday, and since I've a truckload of work it will be much shorter.
Life goes so much smoother with extended quiet time.
I found out that a couple of our Prison Ministry students have been made trustees. They are actually assisting the secretary to the Director in the office with paperwork. I couldn't be more proud. Both these ladies have been outstanding students and it's wonderful to see the positive changes in their lives. I'm fully aware that earning the privilege of being a prison trustee isn't exactly what life goals are made of, but hey, it's where Joseph started.
I think the insane Cardinal that's been flying into our guest room window every day for the last five months is getting old and tired. He's not hitting the window nearly as hard or as many times. I suspect he's knocked a few brain cells loose somewhere along the line.
My great niece seems to be finally warming up. (Sigh) It's challenging to love someone so much and want to hold them close and not be able to. The point again - Don't do this to God!
It rained last night. It wasn't much, but everything was washed and the air smelled clean this morning. Maybe it was me but things looked greener too.
Mimosa is in bloom and the bees are all over it. It will probably be our last big nectar producer for this year, at least till fall.
I'm looking forward to Ladies Bible study again. The fellowship of studying with my peeps for the book of Ruth was sweet. I know from the outside it's just another church, but from the inside it's a family of people who love God and love each other. While only God can meet the deepest needs of the heart, it's sweet to have others to be there for us. RP and I have cried many a tear together in the back of Subway. Mrs. C's history here is longer than mine and she's the only regular left who knew me when I was 25. Nancy helped me make my daughter's wedding dress. Connie was a deep sister from the heart from the first month she visited. Yes, sometimes we bump elbows and get on each other's nerves, but that's what happens in families. But we make it right and keep going. The very best part is sharing that love and seeing the family grow. It's a God thing. I've no doubt heaven will be much better, but it is nice to enjoy a bit of it here.
Life goes so much smoother with extended quiet time.
I found out that a couple of our Prison Ministry students have been made trustees. They are actually assisting the secretary to the Director in the office with paperwork. I couldn't be more proud. Both these ladies have been outstanding students and it's wonderful to see the positive changes in their lives. I'm fully aware that earning the privilege of being a prison trustee isn't exactly what life goals are made of, but hey, it's where Joseph started.
I think the insane Cardinal that's been flying into our guest room window every day for the last five months is getting old and tired. He's not hitting the window nearly as hard or as many times. I suspect he's knocked a few brain cells loose somewhere along the line.
My great niece seems to be finally warming up. (Sigh) It's challenging to love someone so much and want to hold them close and not be able to. The point again - Don't do this to God!
It rained last night. It wasn't much, but everything was washed and the air smelled clean this morning. Maybe it was me but things looked greener too.
Mimosa is in bloom and the bees are all over it. It will probably be our last big nectar producer for this year, at least till fall.
I'm looking forward to Ladies Bible study again. The fellowship of studying with my peeps for the book of Ruth was sweet. I know from the outside it's just another church, but from the inside it's a family of people who love God and love each other. While only God can meet the deepest needs of the heart, it's sweet to have others to be there for us. RP and I have cried many a tear together in the back of Subway. Mrs. C's history here is longer than mine and she's the only regular left who knew me when I was 25. Nancy helped me make my daughter's wedding dress. Connie was a deep sister from the heart from the first month she visited. Yes, sometimes we bump elbows and get on each other's nerves, but that's what happens in families. But we make it right and keep going. The very best part is sharing that love and seeing the family grow. It's a God thing. I've no doubt heaven will be much better, but it is nice to enjoy a bit of it here.
6.02.2007
It's Saturday and I'm taking a day off from thinking out things and am borrowing an idea to just post "whatever". So today is a whatever day. It's early, I've already been called upon to deliver the child for a car wash and make a big breakfast for dh so what follows is random. Very random.
Jimmy Dean should get some kind of award for making my husband happy via his Maple Sausage.
Its 73 degrees right now. And it's been dry for weeks. While I like the nice morning and evening temperatures my neighbor says we'll only have rain when it gets sticky hot again.
I've believed for years that in heaven we'll all find out that we were wrong about something. Exactly what is yet to be determined. This was driven home to me again this morning by my daughter. I've been put out with Reliant K since learning they performed at a dance club in Charlotte. Some testimony for a Christian band, right? So Beck has me listen to Deathbed off their newest CD (and no, we didn't buy, it was on YouTube). It was an exquisitely painful nine minute experience that left me crying. I cried because they got it right. They captured all the hopelessness of life without Christ and the joy of becoming His and being ushered into his presence. Plus it was the testimony of my dad who's on his deathbead with few variations from this ballad. Ouch! I will listen to it again, probably several times.
The thought comes to mind, "who am I to judge another man's servant?"
I really miss Ozark Cooperative Warehouse. Breadbeckers don't carry things like 5 lb. bags of dried cranberries. I grieve for the harm done to organic and whole food suppliers when Ozark went belly up.
Which reminds me, I need to make more vanilla flavoring. I don't relish the prospect of visiting the ABC store for the main ingredient.
I wish I could understand the cat when she talks to me. A kitty treat usually settles her down though. (ok, I know I'm missing something - let's just leave that alone)
Red bell peppers and mangos have to be near the top of God's creative agricultural wonders. That and Mrs. Evelyn's 5 gallon bucket porch pineapples.
Propolis doesn't spoil or lose any of its physical attributes if you accidently dump it in the grass and leave it a few days.
After many years of patient obedience God is working it out for our friend Mark to finally get the music that's been in his head and heart on paper and in actual tunes. It crossed my mind (while picking up the afore mentioned propolis) that I may be required to wait in such a manner before I'm given liberty to write the book that's been in my head and heart for how many years now(?).
We've enjoyed For Better or For Worse for years. The similarities between the growing Patterson family and our own have been uncanny at times. I'm glad to say though that our teen is light years ahead of the one in the comic strip in relation to maturity and morality. If nothing else the comic serves to remind us of how fortunate both we and our daughter are.
Jimmy Dean should get some kind of award for making my husband happy via his Maple Sausage.
Its 73 degrees right now. And it's been dry for weeks. While I like the nice morning and evening temperatures my neighbor says we'll only have rain when it gets sticky hot again.
I've believed for years that in heaven we'll all find out that we were wrong about something. Exactly what is yet to be determined. This was driven home to me again this morning by my daughter. I've been put out with Reliant K since learning they performed at a dance club in Charlotte. Some testimony for a Christian band, right? So Beck has me listen to Deathbed off their newest CD (and no, we didn't buy, it was on YouTube). It was an exquisitely painful nine minute experience that left me crying. I cried because they got it right. They captured all the hopelessness of life without Christ and the joy of becoming His and being ushered into his presence. Plus it was the testimony of my dad who's on his deathbead with few variations from this ballad. Ouch! I will listen to it again, probably several times.
The thought comes to mind, "who am I to judge another man's servant?"
I really miss Ozark Cooperative Warehouse. Breadbeckers don't carry things like 5 lb. bags of dried cranberries. I grieve for the harm done to organic and whole food suppliers when Ozark went belly up.
Which reminds me, I need to make more vanilla flavoring. I don't relish the prospect of visiting the ABC store for the main ingredient.
I wish I could understand the cat when she talks to me. A kitty treat usually settles her down though. (ok, I know I'm missing something - let's just leave that alone)
Red bell peppers and mangos have to be near the top of God's creative agricultural wonders. That and Mrs. Evelyn's 5 gallon bucket porch pineapples.
Propolis doesn't spoil or lose any of its physical attributes if you accidently dump it in the grass and leave it a few days.
After many years of patient obedience God is working it out for our friend Mark to finally get the music that's been in his head and heart on paper and in actual tunes. It crossed my mind (while picking up the afore mentioned propolis) that I may be required to wait in such a manner before I'm given liberty to write the book that's been in my head and heart for how many years now(?).
We've enjoyed For Better or For Worse for years. The similarities between the growing Patterson family and our own have been uncanny at times. I'm glad to say though that our teen is light years ahead of the one in the comic strip in relation to maturity and morality. If nothing else the comic serves to remind us of how fortunate both we and our daughter are.
5.29.2007
Memorial Day 2007 was in a word, memorial. It wasn't the typical holiday where you plan to be a bum and do nothing more than pig out all day, but rather we had planned to work and our guests had too. Three of us tackled robbing bees and extracting honey. Others took over in the kitchen and somewhere along the line Norman kidnapped all the young ladies and went horseback riding. The day ended around 10 pm after the guys had done some major destruction to the yard with the tractor and a chain saw and everyone finally tuckered out. We all agreed it was one of the best days ever. There was lots of love, lots of laughter, the company was good and there was lots of good conversation. And yes, there was lots of good food too.
I remember such times from my childhood. Some of my best memories are days on my grandparents farm when the family gathered to butcher a hog. Even though I didn't understand why they wouldn't let me do anything involving a sharp knife I'd be given a job and would do my part. It gave us dignity and a sense of having done something worthwhile. And the talk and jokes with family members forged bonds that have lasted a lifetime.
The family that comes to my house is very different. They're not family of blood but family of kindred spirit brought together by the grace of God. Our work is different too, but I hope and pray that the good part, long after the honey is gone and the grill is rusted, remains a sweet place in our hearts and minds that will go with us forever.
I remember such times from my childhood. Some of my best memories are days on my grandparents farm when the family gathered to butcher a hog. Even though I didn't understand why they wouldn't let me do anything involving a sharp knife I'd be given a job and would do my part. It gave us dignity and a sense of having done something worthwhile. And the talk and jokes with family members forged bonds that have lasted a lifetime.
The family that comes to my house is very different. They're not family of blood but family of kindred spirit brought together by the grace of God. Our work is different too, but I hope and pray that the good part, long after the honey is gone and the grill is rusted, remains a sweet place in our hearts and minds that will go with us forever.
5.26.2007
I'm finding myself convicted by a woman who lived thousands of years ago. She was very rich. Tradition says she was beautiful. She was certainly very powerful as she had an army and more wealth at her disposal than most people would know how to count.
And it wasn't enough. Her heart yearned for answers and upon hearing that answers were to be had she risked it all and set out on a journey in search of what her heart longed for. She took much of her army leaving her country's defenses weak. She risked political ruin by leaving her position. She traveled with a large caravan at risk herself to spend months crossing a dangerous hot desert. She didn't even know if she'd be received as this was an uninvited visit. But she went.
And she was welcomed by one greater and more powerful than herself who didn't immediately answer her questions but told her what her questions were. She found the answers when she found his God.
I know this God. He's been my God and my Savior most of my life. And even living for Him to the best of my ability I suddenly find myself as deficit for answers as she, who had only heard distant rumors of Him. At this point I'm not even sure I know what the questions are. Perhaps I should start with "Am I willing to go extraordinary lengths as she was to find answers to the mysteries I find myself faced with?"
And it wasn't enough. Her heart yearned for answers and upon hearing that answers were to be had she risked it all and set out on a journey in search of what her heart longed for. She took much of her army leaving her country's defenses weak. She risked political ruin by leaving her position. She traveled with a large caravan at risk herself to spend months crossing a dangerous hot desert. She didn't even know if she'd be received as this was an uninvited visit. But she went.
And she was welcomed by one greater and more powerful than herself who didn't immediately answer her questions but told her what her questions were. She found the answers when she found his God.
I know this God. He's been my God and my Savior most of my life. And even living for Him to the best of my ability I suddenly find myself as deficit for answers as she, who had only heard distant rumors of Him. At this point I'm not even sure I know what the questions are. Perhaps I should start with "Am I willing to go extraordinary lengths as she was to find answers to the mysteries I find myself faced with?"
5.14.2007
This is Bit. I think the name is short for Little Bit. He is my neighbor Liz's dog up at the shop. Every morning when I pull up he comes out to meet me and we spend a few moments together. He has to be the sweetest dog ever.
The crazy thing is I've never petted him. He won't get close. He started coming up because I offered him treats and graduated to him licking my fingers almost daily now. But that's as far as it goes. I've longed to pet and play and wrestle him a long time. But it won't happen. Our relationship is strictly on his terms and he refuses to get any closer. I can tell he wants to, but something in that doggie psyche stops him.
It occured to me this morning that Bit treats me like I sometimes treat God. God loves us and deeply longs for more. But no, we have to call the shots. We warm up to a point of having to take the plunge to trust more of ourselves to Him and back off. We get as close as actually touching the hem of his garmet and we know He's good and kind and invites us closer, but we back off, afraid of the consequences of going further, locked behind whatever emotional wall we think we're protecting ourselves with.
This is Bit's problem and he will never know the sheer delight of interacting with a human who cares for him. He'll never romp or get his ears or belly rubbed. He's missing out. I stand convicted wondering how much I've missed out on with my God because I've done the same thing.
Lord, help me to never hold out on you but to trust and love you completely. Help me to long for you as much as you long for me to come to you freely and joyfully.
5.10.2007
All I know about Colony Collapse Disorder, aka CCD
Ahh yes - my favorite topic. - - - - NOT!
I'm asked about this almost daily by non beekeeping people. All the articles have got the public actually CARING about bees. This is a good thing. They've been mankinds underappreciated little caretakers and servants for centuries. We rob and eat their honey, make candles and cosmetics from their wax, and feast on food they pollinate whether directly or indirectly. It's time we cared. So here's the lowdown as I know it today, 5/10/2007.
#1 No known incidents in Alabama. :)
#2 and I quote:
"Good story for sure, (speaking of a mass hysteria cell phone article) except that the study in question had nothing to do with mobile phones and was actually investigating the influence of electromagnetic fields, especially those used by cordless phones that work on fixed-line networks, on the learning ability of bees. The small study, according to the researchers who carried it out too small for the results to be considered significant, found that the electromagnetic fields similar to those used by cordless phones may interrupt the innate ability of bees to find the way back to their hive. Those searching for answers for the recent disappearance of millions of bees in the United States - what researchers are calling colony collapse disorder - jumped on the possible explanation though there was one particular, cellphones and cordless phones emit different types of radiation and what you learn studying one type is not necessarily significant to the other, according to the researchers. We cannot explain the CCD-phenomenon itself and want to keep from speculation in this case, Jochen Kuhn, a professor in the physics department at the University of Koblenz-Landau in Germany who co-authored the bee study, wrote in an e-mail message. "Our studies cannot indicate that electromagnetic radiation is a cause of CCD. "If the Americans are looking for an explanation for colony collapse disorder, perhaps they should look at herbicides, pesticides and they should especially think about genetically modified drops, said Stefan Kimmel, a graduate student who co-authored the study last year with Kuhn and other professors It's not my fault if people misinterpret our data, said Kimmel. Ever since The Independent wrote their article, for which they never called or wrote to us, n one of us have been able to do any of our work because all our time has been spent in phone calls and e-mails trying to set things straight. This is a horror story for every researcher to have your study reduced to this. Now we are trying to force things back to normal." Herald Tribune
#3 University of Ohio claims it's related to stress (so what ARE the stress factors???)
#4 Other universities are looking at the above mentioned items: possible residual pesticides in comb, modified crop dna, contaminated pollen, etc. Nothing conclusive announced to date.
My personal gut feeling is that regardless of specific "causes" that the poor honeybee is groaning under the curse of sin just like the rest of creation. They've gone about their business pollinating the food we eat for thousands of years with little appreciation and lots of abuse. Remember those sweet romantic upside down baskets they used to keep bees in called skeps? You harvested that honey by immersing the skep and drowning the bees! I'm not the only Christian to consider that disappearing bees may be a contributing factor to the end time famine that has not happened yet. It's a frightful thought, and while I love bees, I have to cry "thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!" about the whole issue. God's plan of ultimate redemtion WILL go through, but dark times are ahead till that happens. In the meantime the bees DO matter and as a steward of God's earth part of my job is to take care of them to the best of my ability. It's a mandate I hope everyone else takes seriously now.
Ok , now I'll get off my soap box.
Ahh yes - my favorite topic. - - - - NOT!
I'm asked about this almost daily by non beekeeping people. All the articles have got the public actually CARING about bees. This is a good thing. They've been mankinds underappreciated little caretakers and servants for centuries. We rob and eat their honey, make candles and cosmetics from their wax, and feast on food they pollinate whether directly or indirectly. It's time we cared. So here's the lowdown as I know it today, 5/10/2007.
#1 No known incidents in Alabama. :)
#2 and I quote:
"Good story for sure, (speaking of a mass hysteria cell phone article) except that the study in question had nothing to do with mobile phones and was actually investigating the influence of electromagnetic fields, especially those used by cordless phones that work on fixed-line networks, on the learning ability of bees. The small study, according to the researchers who carried it out too small for the results to be considered significant, found that the electromagnetic fields similar to those used by cordless phones may interrupt the innate ability of bees to find the way back to their hive. Those searching for answers for the recent disappearance of millions of bees in the United States - what researchers are calling colony collapse disorder - jumped on the possible explanation though there was one particular, cellphones and cordless phones emit different types of radiation and what you learn studying one type is not necessarily significant to the other, according to the researchers. We cannot explain the CCD-phenomenon itself and want to keep from speculation in this case, Jochen Kuhn, a professor in the physics department at the University of Koblenz-Landau in Germany who co-authored the bee study, wrote in an e-mail message. "Our studies cannot indicate that electromagnetic radiation is a cause of CCD. "If the Americans are looking for an explanation for colony collapse disorder, perhaps they should look at herbicides, pesticides and they should especially think about genetically modified drops, said Stefan Kimmel, a graduate student who co-authored the study last year with Kuhn and other professors It's not my fault if people misinterpret our data, said Kimmel. Ever since The Independent wrote their article, for which they never called or wrote to us, n one of us have been able to do any of our work because all our time has been spent in phone calls and e-mails trying to set things straight. This is a horror story for every researcher to have your study reduced to this. Now we are trying to force things back to normal." Herald Tribune
#3 University of Ohio claims it's related to stress (so what ARE the stress factors???)
#4 Other universities are looking at the above mentioned items: possible residual pesticides in comb, modified crop dna, contaminated pollen, etc. Nothing conclusive announced to date.
My personal gut feeling is that regardless of specific "causes" that the poor honeybee is groaning under the curse of sin just like the rest of creation. They've gone about their business pollinating the food we eat for thousands of years with little appreciation and lots of abuse. Remember those sweet romantic upside down baskets they used to keep bees in called skeps? You harvested that honey by immersing the skep and drowning the bees! I'm not the only Christian to consider that disappearing bees may be a contributing factor to the end time famine that has not happened yet. It's a frightful thought, and while I love bees, I have to cry "thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!" about the whole issue. God's plan of ultimate redemtion WILL go through, but dark times are ahead till that happens. In the meantime the bees DO matter and as a steward of God's earth part of my job is to take care of them to the best of my ability. It's a mandate I hope everyone else takes seriously now.
Ok , now I'll get off my soap box.
5.07.2007
Wow - A week into May already! I'm happy to report that today is exquisite. Last night was cool and it's in the upper 60's right now. It looks like my bees are starting to venture out into the sunshine - a very good thing considering we're in the thick of honey flow. I added supers to two hives this morning and moved a crowded nuc into a deep. I'm hopeful to do the same for some of my other hives at the farm this afternoon.
Church was good. Pastor's message yesterday morning hit the bulls eye on laying aside weight and sin and running the race. I had never thought about Paul's greatest fear being the same as my own - that of doing something that would dishonor the Lord. I want God's grace and mercy to be magnified in my life - not his justice because I do something stupid or sinful. I find myself being pulled in directions I should not go a lot more often than I care to admit these days. I have no trouble admitting stuggle - I'm just not keen on saying what struggle(s). God knows. Best that this lady have many secrets I guess.
And my stupid back is out, or at least giving me fits. I felt like I was 12 again when Dr. C told me one leg was shorter than the other last week. Thankfully he can and did fix it - it's just the residual pain and tenderness that are so daggone aggrivating. So I move slowly and carefully. But I do move. I want to find a strength training routine. We've got the equipment - I just don't want to tear something else up using it. The machines at the ladies gym contributed to my present situation so there's no going back there. Oh well . . .
Ros out for now. Blessings to all.
Church was good. Pastor's message yesterday morning hit the bulls eye on laying aside weight and sin and running the race. I had never thought about Paul's greatest fear being the same as my own - that of doing something that would dishonor the Lord. I want God's grace and mercy to be magnified in my life - not his justice because I do something stupid or sinful. I find myself being pulled in directions I should not go a lot more often than I care to admit these days. I have no trouble admitting stuggle - I'm just not keen on saying what struggle(s). God knows. Best that this lady have many secrets I guess.
And my stupid back is out, or at least giving me fits. I felt like I was 12 again when Dr. C told me one leg was shorter than the other last week. Thankfully he can and did fix it - it's just the residual pain and tenderness that are so daggone aggrivating. So I move slowly and carefully. But I do move. I want to find a strength training routine. We've got the equipment - I just don't want to tear something else up using it. The machines at the ladies gym contributed to my present situation so there's no going back there. Oh well . . .
Ros out for now. Blessings to all.
5.02.2007
The rest of the story.
As a follow up to last week's rant I think it necessary to tie up some loose ends.
I spoke with my NP and she confirmed everything I wrote about being shut down. She's heartbroken over the turn of events but believes that when God shuts one door, he opens another and is taking care of business until such time He deems good to do so. Her primary concern is that her existing patients continue to receive the care and products she started them on and is advising everyone who calls to that end.
But there ARE some things that can be done. Here's her request list:
1. Pray about the local situation.
2. Write the two owners of her clinic who made the final decision to protest and express concerns. (I'll gladly furnish names and addresses to anyone who emails.)
3. Go to this link and contact your congressman. Wyeth Laboratories (the horse pee hormone specialists) along with Senator Kennedy and a few other misinformed idiots are trying to push through a bill that would restrict or eliminate plant based hormones. THIS BILL HAS TO BE STOPPED.
Also, for what it's worth, there is another local clinic now prescribing bio-id hrt. I'll gladly furnish that info too.
As a follow up to last week's rant I think it necessary to tie up some loose ends.
I spoke with my NP and she confirmed everything I wrote about being shut down. She's heartbroken over the turn of events but believes that when God shuts one door, he opens another and is taking care of business until such time He deems good to do so. Her primary concern is that her existing patients continue to receive the care and products she started them on and is advising everyone who calls to that end.
But there ARE some things that can be done. Here's her request list:
1. Pray about the local situation.
2. Write the two owners of her clinic who made the final decision to protest and express concerns. (I'll gladly furnish names and addresses to anyone who emails.)
3. Go to this link and contact your congressman. Wyeth Laboratories (the horse pee hormone specialists) along with Senator Kennedy and a few other misinformed idiots are trying to push through a bill that would restrict or eliminate plant based hormones. THIS BILL HAS TO BE STOPPED.
Also, for what it's worth, there is another local clinic now prescribing bio-id hrt. I'll gladly furnish that info too.
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