Odds and Ends of Saturday

I finally finished my first quilt block for the quilt
pattern I got from The Painted Quilt. She is so kind
for doing this and I am always amazed at how her
quilts are a work of art. She has some amazing free
things too listed in her sidebar. I have never done
pinwheels before, but it was really fun, I can't
wait to do some more.

This is the new little hens eggs. See the dark brown
ones, the dark brown one are from the Cuckoo Marans.
That is why I wanted those kind of hens for that deep
warm, dark color.

I just had to publish this picture again, just because
it took so long to finally get one you could see, most
of the one I took look like blurs. I stood out in the sunflowers
and snapped and snapped and finally got this one. The thing
was I could only see one butterfly and then after I got
it on the computer I saw two.

Of course, I had to show you this lovely pumpkin.
I love its texture and the way it is sitting up and flat on its bottom.
so it will look so nice when it finally turns yellow.
I love my pumpkin patch because nestled in its
leaves is the promise of fall. I noticed something yesterday,
my trees are tired. I am seeing leaves that are a bit yellow
and I know they are as tired of the heat as I am.
I hope you have a lovely Saturday, this last day
of July. Now I must go wish my brother a happy
birthday, he is 50 today.

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, for His wonderful works to the children of men!

(Psalm. 107:6)

Field of Dreams Friday

I feel a little bit like this sunflower today. Just a bit
tired and it is hard to face the sun. I worked all day
yesterday. I started before my husband left for work
and finally finished right before it was time to go to bed.
I didn't set out that morning to be that kind of day,
it just morphed into it as the day went on.

I am reminded today as really, I want to sit and whine,
that,
" We are all called to be exceptional in the ordinary things.
faithful in the little things, trustworthy when nobody's looking."
" He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much."
(Luke 16:10)

Sometimes the beauty lives in the ordinary. Like folding laundry,
and seeing it as a reason to thank God that He gave me people to care
for, like using each piece of clothing, to pray for the person who
wears it. Cooking dinner, knowing how it will give the people
coming through the door a sense of security and a place to
know they are loved.
Jesus took the bread, blessed it and broke it, He
fed a multitude. Ordinary service. That is what I must
remember that each simple task that I do, if offered to God,
can be used to bless others each and every day.

My husband and I were talking this morning and he reminded me
that one of the things we are called to do each and every day is to pick
up our cross and deny ourselves. We are to follow Jesus.

It would be easier to whine and complain if my husband complained, he
doesn't, ever. He sees his job as gift from God. He has been given his role as
a husband, father and our protector. He takes his job very seriously.
As I watch him and see the hours he puts in the things he gives up
it makes me want to be more faithful, and more careful of all that I do.

I learned a long time ago from a woman I considered so wise. As a very young
wife and mother. I had been invited to a big fancy high tea,
and I was just amazed at all that I saw, and she was sitting at the table with us and someone
leaned over and whispered who and what her husband did for a living.
Another woman across the table in a sort of sneering tone asked, " Isn't the dress,
you wore last year?"
So gracious, the other woman looked up, and said, " Yes it is, the other woman said, "
surly your husband can buy you another dress?" As she lifted her head, she said, "
"I know he could but you see, I love my husband and I would rather spend time with
my husband than wear a new dress because I always judge everything I buy by how
many hours my husband will have to work to pay for it. "

The table was silent. I was sitting there and I knew what she said was profound. So then
from that moment on, I would ask myself that question, how many hours will he have
to work to pay for this? It has stood me well these last 30 years.
I still stumble and fall off the wagon and buy things like more chickens and more
thread and more books. I always do remember that woman and you know,
I wish I could remember her name because I would send her a thank you letter,
for teaching me one of the greatest lessons of my life.

Have a great Friday!

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, for His wonderful works to the children of men!

(Psalm. 107:6)

Thankful Thursday

Today is Thankful Thursday and I thought I would
share a bit from my devotional this morning.

"If we could simply remember that this is true of
everything---God's purposes are slowly being
worked out for His glory and our good---we would,
like the farmer, keep faith and wait quietly.
(A Lamp for My Feet, p.57)

"See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit
of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it
receives the early and latter rain. You also
be patient."
(James 5:7,8)

I love farming verses. I wanted to share what else
I am thankful for today.

I went in my room and these guys had been playing
and I was getting ready to run them out, when they
looked at me and said, "Want to take a nap."
I laughed and said, " Okay I will tuck you in."
Then I said, " stay there don't move, so I ran
and got my camera and their Mommy's and
took this picture.
They only were here about 5 minutes longer, but
I thought I am so incredibly blessed to have this
in my life and so thankful to God for this part.

I was cleaning up after they all left and I was putting
my pillows back and putting the blankets away and I was
thinking about how wonderful God doesn't always give us
what we think we want. See, as a young woman, the thing
I did not want was a family, or a husband or kids. I wanted
to travel the world and be famous. I wanted to be rich.

But God said no that He had something better. He did,
so I am so thankful today, that God knew me best, and
gave me the desires of my heart and didn't say yes
to what I wanted but gave me what was for my own
good and for His glory.

Have a great Thursday!

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, for His wonderful works to the children of men!

(Psalm. 107:6)

A Bushel Of Tomatoes

I picked this bushel basket of tomatoes this morning.
I think it is just a wonderful sight. When the girls come
over today, they get to take this home.

I hope they want to take nectarines and peaches.
I have decided that I am just going to pick cantaloupe
that are turning that lovely orangy color under the skin
so they can take some home anyway.

I have squash too, and eggs. My little new hens are
laying, finally. I think I am getting 5 tiny eggs from
them.
Of course, a new sunflower was blooming this morning.

This is a new variety that I have never had before.
I went to Wal Mart to their seed section and they
must just get rejects or something, because some
packets might have 6 seeds or you might get some
with 50 seeds and they are always cheap.
I had already planted my good seeds and I was trying
to fill up a row and I just grabbed some packets and
now I am glad I did.

I am almost finished with my quilt block. I realized
why I am a dunce when it comes to sewing. Last night,
I was showing my husband my sad attempt at trying
to make a pinwheel block. I got the first one okay but
the other two were cute but not pinwheels. He looked
at them and said, laughing, " you have to make it pointy-
pointy in the middle." I looked at my first block it was okay,
but my second and third blocks their pointy-pointy
went every which way.

I said, " How could you see that, and he said, " well it looks
like it is supposed to be a pinwheel to me. That is how you would
make a pinwheel. He said, " it is just a pattern."

I sat there and stared at my blocks. Why it is so hard for me to sew,
is I don't see patterns. My daughter when she sews can see patterns but
I can't, but I am really good at ripping out.

I spent more time ripping out today than I did sew, but finally, I got
the thing all together and I am now doing the embroidery part.
I love to sew, it's just I am not real good at it, I have to work harder,
and longer at it.
My daughter came in as I was cutting out material and she said, "
Why don't you just give up?" " It looks so hard when you sew."
I looked up at her, and I said, " Because if I give up, I will never learn,
I would rather have tried and lost than never have tried at all, and because
where would I be if I had given up every time life got hard?"
She said, " Isn't it better to not fail?" I stood there with my rotary
cutter in my hand as I thought this out and I said, " I think it
is better to fail and learn something and go on and do a better job,
failure is a good thing, or we wouldn't have had the light bulb."

She shook her head and went on her merry way.
She has had a very hard time at work lately, so she isn't
her happy, positive self. I am shocked at things people
can say to other people that is so mean. She asked me
to look and see if she has a target on her back. I never wanted
this for any of my kids, but it does help them to learn, to never,
ever be mean to anyone who works in the public.

I told her when I worked in the dark ages about the time,
a lady came in and after staring at me for a bit, said, "
I don't think I care for your eye shadow." I still laugh,
because it was a new color.

I read this today and I will get off my soapbox.
" There is always exactly enough in each of our lives to
provide us with the opportunity to deny ourselves
and to take up the cross and to follow Him---
the opportunity to learn to know Jesus Christ
exactly where we are."
From Aging: The Forbidden Topic.

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, for His wonderful works to the children of men!

(Psalm. 107:6)

Today on Tuesday

I was walking around looking at my sunflowers,
and I was so proud of myself, because I took this
picture of two of those really fast butterfly's.

I was thinking as I was walking around that being
out in my garden is really like going on vacation.
There is so much to look at and so much to do.
I started working on my quilt that I have the button on
at the top of the page.

When I get my first block made I will post the picture.
As I was sewing, my sister called so I ended up visiting with
her and not sewing. I can hardly walk and chew gum so sewing
on a machine is not in my skill set.

She lives in my Mom's house in Oklahoma. She is like me in that
she was born in California and lived here all of her life. Life is rather
extreme where she lives. She sits and tells me stories that just creep me
out.
She had walked down to the pond one night and the pond was just
going crazy, as she stood there she saw two Alligator Gars

I got this picture off of Google Images. I
don't know this man. I just wanted you to see
what these things look like.

I mean okay, doesn't that look like a dinosaur?
She has a creek that feeds the pond and last time
my brother was back there he said the "Gars were
hatching in there."

Another night she walked down to the lake. There is a
really beautiful lake on it too.

One of these things jumped into the water.
It is a musk rat. She said, no way is she going
down there by herself.

She said she was mowing the lawn and she mowed
a Chicken snake about 5 feet long. She said the copper
heads and the water moccasins have been so bad this year.
She said she carries a gun with her every where she goes.

She had to kill one of these as it was going after her dogs. I keep saying,
"Don't you want to come back home? She always says, " No I will stick it
out for a bit longer. Her neighbor has been tracking a mountain lion.
I can take skunks but I like my wild life to be just a bit more tame.
I feel like such a city girl.
Oh why did she call? She was making grape juice and she wished she
had listened better to what Mom told her about canning and could I
remember. That is when it hits me, I just can't pick up the phone,
and call Mom.
Some days, time just goes by too fast.
Have a great Tuesday.
Oh, if your Mom is still around, give her a hug, from me, Moms always
need a hug.

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, for His wonderful works to the children of men!

(Psalm. 107:6)

The Last Week Of July

I woke up this morning and looked at the calendar,
and it said July 26th. I thought the summer for me
is almost over. The above picture is but a memory.
Today, I am anxious.

Then I read this:
"To be afraid of what happens today or what may
happen tomorrow is not only an awful waste of
energy, it is not only useless, it is disobedient.
We are forbidden to fear anything but the Lord
Himself.
(From A Lamp for My Feet, p. 54)
"Do not seek what you should eat or what
you should drink, not have and anxious mind."
(Luke 12:29)

I have my to do list before me and it runs like this:
Wash windows, clean blinds, clean fans, clean light
fixtures, clean base boards.
Now, I have 34 windows, inside and out is 68 and I have
never counted the transoms about the windows. I also
clean the garage because I have 6 windows in there,
I also go out on the roof to clean upstairs windows.

I like cleaning windows I might add. I would hire people
to come clean my windows on my other houses and watch
like a hawk, to see how they did it with no streaks.
They would use a product like this,

They would take this stuff, and a gallon bucket of
very hot water, as hot as you can stand it, and a sea
sponge and then squeegee it off. They would use
very clean rags washed in wash soap with no softener
added. It works too but I added my next favorite product.

I love this stuff and as a cleaning product, has changed
my life. It is in the automotive section of Target and
Wal Mart. It makes windows sparkle. I use it on
all of my glass, my mirrors and everything. I would
buy it by the case I think, it is wonderful on car
windows.

So it takes me 3 days just because I find it to be
such a nice thing to do to bring summer to a close.
It still makes me anxious though, setting aside 3 days
to do all that I do when I wash windows.

I still though as July comes to a close I have not
ordered my school books for the coming year, I have
not sat and did my lesson planning, I have not
done anything that I am usually finished with by now.

I am teaching the Renaissance and the Reformation this year.
I know this is going to take more than a couple weeks in August
to plan so that is why I am being anxious in my mind.

Then I am reminded today, this,

"Dear Friends,
Now we are children of God, and what we will be
has not yet been made known. But we know that
when he appears, we shall be like him
for we shall see him as he is."
1 John 3:2

So in the big scheme of things, if I get my eyes off of my plans,
my things I see that are so important and get my eyes back
where they should be, just like in the 21 years before,
God and only God gets my life in order.

So have a wonderful Monday!

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, for His wonderful works to the children of men!

(Psalm. 107:6)

Securing The Perimeter

Last night I took the dogs out about 10:00 PM
I guess I had got pretty confidant there wouldn't be
any skunks in the back yard.
I was sitting on the porch visiting with my husband,
when something hit the swimming pool fence hard
enough to make it sound like a gate closed.
Sasha started barking and she was barking like she
could see something out in the yard.
My husband said, that he was going to go get a flashlight and
went in the house. He went out our bedroom door, with the flash
light in hand, and I could see from where I was, three sets of
eyes reflected in the light. Two of the cats were watching the skunk.
I jumped up and put the dogs in the house as quick as I could.


We knew this morning we must secure the perimeter today.
We walked around the fence today and we did find places, where some
thing could have dug in or had dug in. I kept thinking, why after
I got rid of the roosters.

We also used the Mantis on the chicken pens and they are all cleaned
with fresh dirt and I sprayed cob webs down and just cleaned.
I sent my son out to take care of his rabbit, you know normal
stuff, thinking we were safe, it was broad day light.

Later I was taking some leftover salad out to the chickens and as
I came out the back door the above skunk was coming toward me
along the side by the fence. I ran in and told my husband that the skunk was
in the back yard, so he came out and the kids came out and we
watched it a bit.

The problem now was the perimeter was secured. It couldn't get
out the gate. Now we know where it was getting in just through
the gate. It pushed and tried to dig and as we watched it and I took
pictures, I told my husband we were going to have to open the gate
so it could get out.

I told him to grab his cell phone and I would get mine and I would stand
in the back and when the skunk went away from the gate, he could open it
so the skunk could get out. Which is what we did, then the skunk did, pushed
on the gate with his little face and went out. Just like he owned the place.

Then he walked around the front of the house to
the front flowerbed and went to sleep. I went out
very quietly with my camera, and took this.
But, my turn coat cat who last night made friends
with said skunk, we caught her touching noses with
the skunk. She started meowing and woke the skunk
up so I ran back in the house. She hung out with it
while it slept, it must have been hot. It is after all
a baby.
I found later where it must have slept the afternoon away
underneath the rabbit hutch. So we worked out there
all day with a skunk very close.

Our cat who is now friends with the skunk, just sits
and watches it as it bumbles along. Now at night I guess
I will have to carry a flash light before I can let the dogs
go outside.
It is little and very cute, I do wonder how hard it would be
to tame.
Have a lovely Sunday!

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, for His wonderful works to the children of men!

(Psalm. 107:6)

No More Roosters

On Friday, I had to go to the feed store to buy
chicken feed. Well, let me back up, earlier in the week
I watched a news special on people who hoard animals.
It really rattled me. Because as I watched it, I saw the
same tenancies in myself. Those poor people, something
happened in their lives to trigger the need to be loved.
The one thing they kept saying was " I never set out
to have hundreds of animals, I don't know how this happened."

As I watched those people I thought, I could be friends with
all of them, in every case they were just sweet people, that
life got away from them.

I started looking at my own life and saw, if I was not careful,
I could be just like that. I knew that playing in the back
of my mind was hen+rooster= chicks. I knew that my life
could just as easily get away from me.

So yesterday, in the feed store I was talking to my niece,
(my brother owns the feed store) and I asked her did they
still take roosters? She said they did and I told her what
kind I had and she said that she would get a pen cleaned and
ready for them.

It was really hard, I mean really hard, I came home, caught them
put them in a box, and took them back down to the feed store.
The whole way, I kept wanting to turn around and come back
home, my mind kept saying, " you could just keep one."

I kept remembering those poor people with the dogs and cats,
and I knew I had to do this. I put them in a really nice cage, in
fact they were pretty happy.
My family laughs at me about how much I take care of my chickens,
and how much I feed them, but my brother takes even better care
of his chickens. He had one cage that had a sign on it that said, "Not
For Sale." Then he had a cage with really nice hens, that M. Said, "
Go ahead and take as many of those hens you want if you want them."
I said " No way, I don't need any more hens."

It is very peaceful out in the chicken pen today. Very quiet, I slept in,
I never sleep in, but still I am a bit sad, I liked those roosters. I won't
let my mind go to what might happen to them. They are after all,
chickens. You eat chickens.

Now today, I am going to do some chicken rearranging and I am going
to clean and get the pens all pretty again. When I went out there in
the evening, it seemed so empty. I will get used to it, but really,
the hens were quite okay with no roosters.

I hope your Saturday is a nice day,

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, for His wonderful works to the children of men!

(Psalm. 107:6)

Bounty From The Garden

I picked this basket of tomatoes yesterday. I love
fresh picked tomatoes, and so do the chickens.
Nothing better than fresh tomatoes!

I was out taking pictures because Kristeen from http://thegoughinn.blogspot.com/
wanted to know what my patio looked like so I just snapped this picture,
I had no idea all of those animals were even in the back
yard until I looked at the pictures when I was putting them
on the computer.

I didn't know that there was a escaped rooster
checking out the flowerbeds.

I made flower bouquets yesterday so I could have
them all over the house. One of the things, that
I think is magical is having fresh flowers sitting
around.

Then I had to share this lovely gift that came in
the mail from one of my lovely friends. I thought
it was cute and when she saw the title she thought,
" A farmgirl needed this," It made my day and I just
had to show it to you.

Life is good and I do love Fridays! I hope your is just
a wonderful day too.

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, for His wonderful works to the children of men!

(Psalm. 107:6)

Growing Pumpkins

This is my pumpkin patch this year. One of my
favorite things to grow is pumpkins. I love everything
thing about them the shape, the color, the pies.
Last year I grew them and I had so much fun,
in the fall.
My grandchildren love them too and got to take as
many home as they wanted, the girls could decorate
with them as much as they wanted and so could I, and then
of course, the best part I got to give them away. That is
as I have said before, I love giving produce away, almost
as much as I enjoy eating it.
Here are some pictures from last year's pumpkins.


My giant ones were so nice. My daughter went out
with a nail when they were still green and decorated
them.

This was one of my favorite pictures because I had
no idea there were that many small ones out there.

This is my old wheel barrow filled up with pumpkins
on my porch. I think that is my favorite thing to look
at in the fall is a wheel barrow filled with pumpkins.

I loved looking out my windows and seeing lots
of pumpkins everywhere.

It is still Thankful Thursday, and I think what I
am thankful for today is " In the Beginning God...
planted a garden...
Have a wonderful Thursday!

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, for His wonderful works to the children of men!

(Psalm. 107:6)

Wednesday Chicken Pictures

I just love the bunches and bunches of these Black-eyed
Susans. They do make me so happy, I don't think
I could ever have enough.

This is part of my flock. I let them out this morning
so they could have a little me time. It was cooler and
I wanted them to just wander around. I did my flower
beds and filled them with mulch so they look real
pretty and my porch is really clean and nice.
I just can't let them have free range all over now.
So they are stuck in the pen outside of the coop,
and they aren't happy about it. But, my husband is
and he does out rank the hens. :) I hope he reads this
post so he can see it in writing.

I had to show you a picture of my prettiest hen,
I know Dog Trot Farm got two new little chicks like
her so this is what they will grow up to be. She is so
gentle and such a sweetie. I don't think there is a single
mean bone in her very pretty body. Her feathers are
so soft, when I touch her her feathers feel like down.
I think one of my Cuckoo Marans is laying eggs,
I got a tiny very dark brown egg the other day.
I am looking forward to seeing what color this hen
eggs will be.
Hope you have a lovely Wednesday!

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, for His wonderful works to the children of men!

(Psalm. 107:6)

Today on Tuesday

If feels like this morning that we finally have a break
in the heat. Just a bit would be wonderful. Earlier
in the summer I took a challenge to walk 10,000
steps a day, for 80 days. Today is day 41. If it takes 30 days
to form a habit I am very glad and I hope this habit
sticks.
My average of steps a day is 14,000. I try to get as
close as I can to 10,000 before 9:00 am because,
then it is easier to get past it.
I have a goal of 20,000 but have only got to 18,000
once.
It has been so hot that by 9:00 am I would be seeing spots
so I had to not walk as much as I like. I have been swimming
in the evenings too. I have to make myself get in the pool though.
I am so glad when I get there. It is that first jumping in
part that I just don't like.

So that is what I have been doing most of the summer plus garden
work plus house work. It has left little time for sewing. I was thinking today
about how to fit that back in but didn't come up with
any solutions.

I hope you have a lovely Tuesday,

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, for His wonderful works to the children of men!

(Psalm. 107:6)

Thoughts on Homeschooling

It is Monday morning and I always have so much
to get done. I always feel like a race horse coming
out of the starting gate.
I thought since I am thinking about home schooling
so much and a strange little conversation I had last week,
I thought I would talk about it today.

We had a appraiser come here last week to appraise our house.
As he walked up to the front door, I went out to meet him, because
when you ring the door bell the dogs go crazy and start barking,
and my little Sheltie turns into a wolf.

As I walked out the door, he said, " I have been here before." I am
pretty good with faces and as I stared at him, I couldn't remember him
at all. So I said, " You have?" He said, " yeah, right after you built it."
I said, "Oh, okay," then he said, " You home school don't you? I shook my head
yes, and then he said, " So, how did they turn out?" I was kind of shocked, not
thinking I heard him correctly, " I said, " I beg your pardon?"
He said," your family was the first home schooling family I had ever seen,
and I have often wondered about your kids and I just wanted to know how
they turned out. "

I think that is a little like asking how many A's did you get on your report card.
So I told him about the kids, and that I thought they turned out really well in
spite of the teacher they had. I know I am really proud of them. That they were
married and that I had 5 grandchildren and that my next two were doing really
well in college and that my last two were in high school and I would graduate one
more this year and I still had a sophomore and after 21 years, I only had two years
left.

So one of the things about home schooling is people will judge you more by how
your kids turned out, rather than whether or not you got math done for the day.
People that you never dreamed of in a million years want to see if it works.
Now as I stand here almost finished, looking to the last year with my 5th child
wishing I had more time, being afraid, that there is whole chunks I forgot to
teach, being afraid for the 5th time I really messed this one up. All of those thoughts
run through my mind like a chorus over and over. Always questioning,
How did time go by so fast and how did I get here.

One of the hardest things that for me to see is my weak areas turn out in the kids
when they do the placements tests. I am so weak in Math, weak, that is a under
statement. I am a idiot when it comes to math. My strong areas are the areas they
excel in, like English and history. The things I love to teach are the things they test
really well in and that is hard.

One of the things I can say we did the best at was talking. There were days maybe
whole weeks, when all we got done was talking, there were days, when all we did was
Bible because the teacher was a basket case.
I tell people when there were years, I was going to have a baby or just had a baby,
all we did for school was lots of Lego's and lots of reading out loud.

When I first started homeschooling the Lord turned my heart to my children. I never
expected that. But I am so very thankful that He did.
I tell people that the kids turned out well, not because I was a good teacher, but because
of who they were, I had the best material in the world to work with, one thing
I found out was all and I mean all children are gifted in a area and to be a teacher
you work to those strengths. Do what they like to do, teach what they like.
You are the teacher, pick and choose and most of all, love what you do, even
if 10 years down the road someone walks up and wants to know how they turned
out.

It has been the joy of my life, my regret is I wish always I had spent less time
on the phone, I wish I had let the boys blow up more stuff, I wish that we had
spent more time outside letting them climb trees and make tree houses, and
then we would have done a bit more school. But only after they had had more
fun than they did.

I hope you have a lovely Monday.

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, for His wonderful works to the children of men!

(Psalm. 107:6)

Simply Sunday

It is simply Sunday, I was reading though How to
Keep a Quiet Heart, by Elisabeth Elliot and she had
list and since I am nuts about lists I thought it would
be good for a Sunday.
Also, since I have been fooling around with blogger,
it has messed up my comments section, I hope with
this post it might be fixed, but who can tell. I have spent
so much time on it I just have to stop and move on.

Several Ways to Make Yourself Miserable:
1. Count your troubles, name them one by one---at
the breakfast table, if anybody will listen, or as soon
as possible thereafter.

2.Worry every day about something. Don't let yourself get out of
practice. It won't add a cubit to your stature but it
might burn a few calories.

3. Pit yourself. If you do enough of this, nobody else
will have to do it for you.

4. Devise clever but decent ways to serve God and mammon.
After all, a man's gotta live.'

5. Make it your business to find out what the Joneses are buying
this year and where they're going. Try to do them at least one better
even if you have to take out another loan to do it.

6. Stay away from absolutes. It's what"s right for you that matters.
Be your own person and don't allow yourself to get hung up on
what others expect of you.

7. Make sure you get your rights. Never mind other people's.
You have your life to live, they have theirs.

8. Don't fall into any compassion traps---the sort of situation
where people can walk all over you. If you get to involved
in other people's troubles, you may neglect your own.

9. Don't let Bible reading and prayer get in the way of what's really
relevant---things like TV and newspapers. Invisible things
are eternal. You want to stick with the visible ones---they're where
it's now.

I love that Elisabeth Elliot is always to the point and so blunt.
I always feel like I need her in my life to keep the blinders off of
my eyes and so she lets me see where I am in error.
I hope you have a great Sunday.

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, for His wonderful works to the children of men!

(Psalm. 107:6)

Odds and Ends of Saturday

I was out in the garden and I thought I would take
a picture standing in my cantaloupe patch looking
toward my Black-Eyed Susan's
and some of my herbs.
I admit to going out and walking through the cantaloupes
and picking them up looking for just one ripe one.
The one thing I love about growing cantaloupes that
I didn't know was when they are ripe, they just fall
off the vine when you touch them. All of them so far
are firmly attached. After growing my own last year,
I got so spoiled. Home grown tomatoes are superior
to the ones you get in the grocery store, but cantaloupes,
are over the top in taste.

This is my row of Zinnias, I love this side of the garden
because it has flowers. I love this row and I sit and stare
at it because of all of the different colors and different
varieties. My Bachelors Buttons are just starting to bloom,
I use them for filler when I bring cut flowers in the house.



I will let this picture stay, blogger turned it sideways.
I love the red.
On to other news. Last night about 10 pm I took the dogs
outside one last time, and the thermometer said, 95 degrees.
I know it is going to be a hot day today because at 6:30 this morning
it was already 85. Not a lot to do when it is like this.
We are having humidity too. I remembered this morning,
how my garden gets away from me, it is when this kind
of weather hits and I don't chop weeds. Hopefully,
this will break soon and I can go out and do some weed
chopping.
I hope you have a lovely Saturday. Chickens are doing just
fine. Though I am afraid, I am almost there in taking my
roosters to the rooster guy. This morning from 4 am until
8 am my roosters crowed constantly. I like mornings but
not that much. I am not yet there though, because I do think
they are so cute and I wish I could keep them but you know
sleep sometimes wins out.
Have a great Saturday!

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, for His wonderful works to the children of men!

(Psalm. 107:6)