A Chicken Post

I still like this picture of Sasha hanging out with the
chickens. She likes nothing better than sitting and
watching them, and rounding them up and putting
them all back in the pen.
I have a story today. When it was so hot last week,
I was afraid I would lose one or some. I stayed outside
with them so much that by the weekend, and it got
cooler, I think I had made myself sick.

This isn't a very good picture but see the black and white ones?
They are my Cuckoo Marans. I am very happy with them and the
eggs they are laying and I love the temperament. I like the New Jersey
Giant which is the blurry one next to the fence.
I was outside in the afternoon changing water and spraying down
the pen. They like damp dirt. I have Black and White Cuckoo Maran
that I call the drama queen.
She complains about everything and she has a funny deep voice, almost
like a duck quack.
I was out spraying down the little chicken yard when she started making
this odd sound like "bock, bock", then as she went bock, bock some more it would
get faster and faster. I had went outside the gate to turn off the water and
I could hear it and I thought Oh, No! One of them is dying. I ran back
into the yard and around the fence when she did a scream like "boooooock."
Then it was silent. I ran around to the door expecting to see a crumpled
little heap of feathers, but no just that hen looking at me with very sad eyes.
Her mouth was open panting and her wings were out as far as she could get them
so I am thinking what can I do, I thought about going and getting ice out of the
ice maker and filling the water dish. Then I remembered the cold cantaloupe
in the refrigerator. I grabbed a basket and ran to the garage and got
some cold cantaloupe and a knife. I brought them back and cut them
and gave them to the chickens.
They did seem to enjoy them and I thought that there wasn't quite
so much distress.

Yesterday, was a beautiful cool day. The high was about 80 degrees.
There was this great breeze that meant I was able to keep the house
open and not run the air. All day. It is so nice to not have it on.
I went outside to check on the chickens and there was the
Drama Queen, looking at me from behind the fence. With
very sad eyes. Then she started her bock sound again.
I stood and watched her and she went through the whole
routine. I thought it sounded like " Let me out, let me out,
Let me out, or I will scream!!!!!" Which she does.
Then she waits for me to do something. Which I did,
I opened the gate so she could go out in the yard.
I was folding laundry and she came up to the porch
and stood under the window and talked and talked to me.
They are not supposed to be on the porch.

So I guess to say, my life is ran by my chickens. I am worried
though about getting attached, as history tells us of famous chickens
in the past, Henny Penny, The Little Red Hen, Chicken Little, it isn't
good to be a chicken different from the other chickens. Foxes always
find those free thinkers first. Remember Jemima Puddleduck.
Have a great 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)

Proud Parent

This is a picture of the shed my son built at his house.
Isn't it awesome? Our son and his wife bought a house that
was not loved by it previous owners. They have worked
very hard and have turned it into such a sweet home.
Her blog is http://bitoflifeblog.blogspot.com/She also
has great recipes and very cool pictures of our grand kids.
My son needed a shed for his tools and the other things
so he could use his garage for cars.
He decided it would be cheaper if he just built it himself.
He thought about it and thought about it and finally came up
with his plans and then I think over the course of a couple of
weekends he built this.
I am so proud of him for building this. I am so thankful that
I have been given the gift of being his Mom.

This is the front of it and I just love the door. He makes
really great doors. I told him that I just needed to come over
and spend a day taking pictures for my blog and all of the things
he has made. When I was teaching him at home. He used to make
the best bow and arrows. He would take pieces of metal he would
find and would make swords. He found a place in our yard that
had a high concentration of adobe and he would make adobe bricks.
Then he would fire them in our fireplace. He had learned to do
landscaping, and sprinklers, and he is a welder and a machinist
He also writes and plays music. He is a great Dad and my daughter-in-love,
thinks he is a great husband.
He is our oldest son, and truly he has been the son of our right hand.
He is also a very good cook, he fed us too last night.
Yes, I have been a very, very blessed Mom.
So sorry if I gush a bit, I talk about the girls all of the time and I
talk about my kids still at home, and I never talk about him, so I
thought it was a good day to talk about him.
Have a great 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)

Progress On My Rug

I thought that since I am a very proud member
if the 10 minute rug hookers I should at least show
some of the progress I made this week. It is starting
to come together and I think it looks neat, and I know
years from now, I might have a good laugh, but this is
really like my first baby so I don't really see that
it has any problems other than weighing a ton.
I also worked on my quilt block and I got that finished too.

I am enjoying this because it causes me to do things
I have never done before and because it is only one
block a month, it helps my confidence. I have to
thank Kaaren at http://thepaintedquilt.blogspot.com
In her post today, she made a quilt out of wool and she
has it hung, I have to say, I have never in my life seen
a more beautiful quilt. I really love it I think because it
is done in wool. She is so incredibly talented.

I thought after my grouchy post I should add another, because
this is what I was going to do in the first place, but
blogger hates my quilt blocks for some reason and turns the picture,
so I had to keep taking pictures until I got one it liked.

I hope today is a nice restful day, it looks like we have rain clouds
moving in, I am keeping my fingers crossed for rain.
It is beautiful though, it feels like camping. I came home
and made a pot of coffee, just so I could sit outside and
pretend it is a campground in October. :)

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

This is one of my pictures from last year, as fast as
this tree is loosing leaves this year, I don't think that
I will be getting much fall color.
Today is Sunday. I am grumpy. I love Sundays
and today, I got up on the wrong side of the bed.
A big helicopter started flying over and over about 5:00 A.M.
The wind has blown so much my allergies are going crazy.

So before I sit here and ruin your day, I have to focus on what
God is telling me this morning.
"God knows me through and through. If I concentrate
on myself, rummaging around in my emotional
entrails, ( I loved that phrase.) I will be distracted from
looking at God. We are to learn to know Him and be at peace."
(The Two Selves, cassette)
"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.
For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
2 Corinthians 4:18)

"Love is the way to maturity. Selfishness stunts growth
and keeps us in a spiritual playpen."
( A Lamp for My Feet, p.136)
"May the Lord make you increase and abound in
love to one another and to all."
1 Thessalonians 3:12)

So what this tells me is that my eyes are on my favorite charity, Me.
I have my eyes on what is going on around me and my eyes are on
circumstances and not on God who is above circumstances and really,
I think I am in the mood to point my finger at God and tell Him that
I really do know best.
Which is I look even further what is the root is my own selfishness has
taken a big hold of me this morning and so I am grumpy because,
I am on the throne.
I heard a quote once, " Do you know what is wrong with living sacrifices?"
"They keep crawling off the altar."
That is me today, except I want to be on the throne.
So it is time to jerk myself back to where I should be, being a wife,
a mother, a grandmother and a housewife who loves her job. :)
But most of all, I should strive today to be a servant and not
want to be served. Because really, I am the happiest, when I am
serving, and really what I do love best is making people happy.

So, I do hope you have a lovely day and it is a beautiful one.
We have the lovely month of September waiting in the wings,
full of the promise of cooler weather, bluer skies and the changing
of seasons that are just blessings in and of themselves.
So I wish you blessings upon blessing today.

Now, not so grumpy

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

(Psalm. 107:6)

Weather

I just had to write this blog about weather. This week,
It was 110 and 107 and even today, I have sweated
like well, you don't want to know but lets say, never
in my mind did I ever think I would come in the house
and have to drip dry.
I just have to give you the weather report from
my favorite weather site, AccuWeather and my favorite
weather man Ken Clark.

Snow! Yes, Weekend Snow in the West

Aug 27, 2010; 1:48 PM ET

That headline is not from a posting from last Winter. It is about THIS weekend. Remember how hot it was earlier this week? The weather pattern is doing a complete flip-flop. As much above normal as it was earlier in the week, it will be that much, or more, below normal this weekend.

A cold upper level trough digs south along the West Coast this weekend. This brings everyone unseasonably cool conditions. But it is also likely to bring scattered showers to the high country of the Oregon Cascades and Sierra too, especially Saturday afternoon and anytime Saturday night and Sunday. This trough is so cold that snow is likely in the high country with snow levels falling to 8,000 feet in the Oregon Cascades Saturday to 9,000 feet in the Sierra, then about a thousand feet lower Saturday night and Sunday. It is very possible that some places could pick up a couple of inches with the best chance in the northern and central Sierra. Even below the snow level it will be much colder with scattered rain showers. High temperatures both days of the weekend.

We never in my memory, do I ever remember snow
before September in the Sierras. So It will be much
cooler but by the end of the week it will be back up
to the 100s. I was just laughing at the weather report
so I just had to share it. I do love weather.

Happy Saturday, I have to go dig out a sweatshirt.

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

(Psalm. 107:6)

Friday Pretties!

Today I am taking part in Joyce's Post, Friday
Pretties. http://iloveprettylittlethings.blogspot.com/

Joyce is like the name of her post, She is just as
pretty. She has a bunch of lovely ladies that have
beautiful pretties too. Hop on over and visit her
she has such beautiful things.

Have a lovely Friday.
Thanks Joyce for having Friday Pretties.

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

This is Thankful Thursday.
I can tell you that I am so thankful for air conditioning.
Today, I am not even thinking about how much the units
have run or how big the electric bill is going to be.
I have been outside in it over and over to take care of
the chickens and the rabbit. I keep changing their water and
spaying down their little yard, I finally felt bad for them and
just let them out in the big yard, I didn't even care if they
tore up my flowerbeds.
I think 110 is just too hot. Every time I walk in the back
door and the air is running I tell God thank you that I live now
rather than when there was not air conditioning, I remember
when my grandparents didn't even have a swamp cooler. I don't
remember them complaining either like I am doing right now.

My other thing that I am thankful for is my husband is going to be home
tonight. I don't sleep well when he is not at home. In fact, I kinda pace around.
There has been a gosh I don't know what you call him but a guy in our area
who has broke into houses but he just stands in the sleeping peoples room and
watches them sleep. Well, until the homeowners wake up, one lady chased him out
of her house with a hammer and another guy chased him out the yard with something
which escapes me. I have been a little jumpy.

We also have something living in our attic. Something big. About 4:15 AM it goes
tromping around in the duct work and it wakes me up because it sounds like
a truck with a diesel engine is driving across the roof.

Monday I had my son go upstairs to
his room and slam his closet door, slam the bathroom door, jump on the bed
all of it, I couldn't hear any of it in my room.
Tuesday at 4:15 AM the BIG THING is walking around over my head. I was very still
and listened to it tromp around and then as it moved through the house, it was gone.
I got up thinking that maybe I had better check and make sure that
creepy guy isn't standing in the living room or something.
I got up, it was so hard to open the door of my room but I did, and everything was very
quiet.
I went back to bed, I was starting to doze off, then I heard it, someone was trying to
get in the back door. I thought, maybe it was my imagination. It wasn't something
was turning the door knob and rattling the door. I got up again, I
went sneaking out of my room, I really don't know what I would have done if
someone was in the house, maybe run real fast. Anyway I crept out into the living
room and it was really dark, so I turned on the light and there looking in the door,
was my cat. Yelling his little cat head off, I don't write about my cats. I have 5 cats.


My son found Mouse abandoned in the cold, thrown out of a car he was so small my
son carried him home in his pocket. Hence his name. Then Mouse started
growing and he is huge, he weighs about 25 pounds. But Mouse had such a
hard life in the beginning he is full of problems.
He is afraid of the dark, new people, the doorbell, outside, loud noises,
just about everything, he lives most of the time under my bed.
So for him to be outside was so strange and being such a big cat,
he is very strong. He has ripped the molding off my bedroom door
so many times that I don't know what we will do next time.

My son got up in the attic today to see if he could see anything, but he couldn't.
I found a dead possum out in the pasture last night and yes, it was dead, not
playing possum. I didn't hear it last night so I am hoping that is what it was.
So I hope you have a very nice Thursday, I know I will.
I know that I get to sleep tonight and that is always
something to be thankful for.

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

(Psalm. 107:6)

Summer Hollyhocks

This is the last of my summer hollyhocks. It is a double.
I love how different it is from the ones in the early spring.
When I was a kid, my great-grandmother brought over seeds
from her hollyhocks that she said had been in her family for over
150 years and that they had been passed on all of that time,
She said she had gotten her hollyhock seeds from her great-grandmother.
My Mom was thrilled and she would carefully collect the seeds
every year. They were beautiful.
I of course don't have any of those seeds. Life moved on and things
like that were forgotten.

This is a 4'oclock. In my Grandmothers garden, she
planted 4'oclocks and azaleas and lilacs. She didn't
like to fool with things like my Mom did and my great-grandmother
did, she also had a job. Once the war (WW ll) was over and she was no longer
working for Lockheed, she liked working and kept
a job. It is funny because she at one time did beautiful
hand sewing like cutwork and she made lace,
but by the time I came along and was old enough to notice
she didn't do that any more.

This is a teddy bear sunflower, but it is tiny, I should
have taken a picture of it, it isn't much taller than
a zinnia plant. I almost missed it because it was in between
all of the other sunflowers. I have to make sure I get seeds
from this as I have never saw a teddy bear so small.

I had to give you a pumpkin update. Doesn't it look wonderful.
Pumpkins just are magic, I know that is why Cinderella's
fairy godmother turned a pumpkin into a coach for Cinderella
to ride to the ball.
We were at Disneyland once and there was a wedding going on
and the bride came to the groom riding in a coach that was a pumpkin
drawn by two horses. It was just beautiful. I have never forgot.
These are just pictures I found out in the garden as I was rushing
to get my outside work finished so I could come in and start my inside
work.
I hope you 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)

Robbing The Bees

After we looked in the hive last weekend, we knew
that we had to rob the bees, because there was just
no more room for honey. So early in the morning,
the sun was just coming up over the mountains we
got the smoker ready. The stuff that goes in it reminds
me of compressed dryer lint. But, it smells like pot.
It sort of makes me sick because the smoke is so sickeningly
sweet. We bought it when we got our bee hive so I have no idea
what it is or what it is made from, I tell myself, next time I am
going to gather pine needles.

We brought frame by frame into the house. Since this is
fly by the seat of your pants bee keeping, I got my largest
pot full of hot boiling water and put my best knife in it
to heat and keep hot to cut the tops off the honey.

This is my husband cutting the wax off with the hot
knife, there is a knife you can buy that is electric that
stays hot and cuts through really nice but since we
didn't have one this worked just fine, just not as fast.



This is what it looked like once the wax was all off
and the honey is exposed. My husband then pressed
the honey with a spatula and got the honey out that way.
We tried to make our own extractor and it might have worked
but the honey was cold so we ended up putting the
stuff in 100 degree oven until it warmed up and then we
poured it through cheese cloth into the jars.

This was the first jars we got, we ended up with 11
little jars.

This is a bit with the honey comb, my daughter wanted
it for a man at her work who suffers with really bad
allergies and he needs a source of local honey and the comb
so we cut it like this for him.
It was so messy, making jam is a piece of cake compared to
this. I would get so mad at my husband because it was taking
so long, I would leave the room and blog hop a bit and then come
back, finally he looked at me and said, " I can see you start
getting that look in your eye and you leave and then you come
back all happy and nice does this really drive you that nuts."
I said,"yes, it drove me big time nuts it was so tedious."
He enjoyed it the peaceful movement of cutting the wax and
watching the honey as if flowed in the pan.
Me, I was happy when I had everything back in order, the kitchen
clean and mopped and all of the dishcloths in the washing machine.
I told him I was re thinking this whole bee keeper thing.
I have been stung, I can hardly walk by without the bees wanting
to have a upfront and personal conversation, which means I am running
around in the pasture like a crazy woman trying to get away.
I am so glad we have no near neighbors, there might be a
truck with padded walls some morning if people could see me
running and hitting myself in the head.
They are really going crazy today trying to get the frame cleaned
up and put back into order. They are a little miffed that all of that honey
is now gone, they had gotten kinda smug about their riches.
Have a great 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)

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods:
The weather today is sunny, and the sky is
robins egg blue. The high today will be about 91
and right now it is a gorgeous 77 degrees.

Book I'm reading:
Praise Her In The Gates by Nancy Wilson.

What I'm enjoying on TV:
I have been getting from Netflix,
Perry Mason, I just started season 5

On the menu for dinner:
Pasta Shells
French bread
Green salad
cantaloupe
brownies

On my To Do List:
School
laundry
water and feed the chickens
and gather eggs,
water the garden
vacuum and dust
sew
New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:
cook pizza on the BBQ
In the craft basket:
hooking a rug
Looking forward to this week:
Starting school
Tips and Tricks:
Don't use your good pan and knife when taking the
wax caps off of honey from the hive. You just can't
get the wax off.
My favorite blog post this week:
Too many good ones to list.
Blog Hopping (a new discovered blog you would like to share with the readers):
See above
No words needed (favorite photo or picture, yours or others you want to share):

Lesson learned the past few days:
That I need to learn to just know God---grow in grace that
I need Him in every area of my life or nothing I do matters.
On my mind:
Doing a good job this year teaching school, and finishing the
race that is set out before me, I want a " well done, good,
and faithful servant at the end."
Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
Streams in the Desert, Daily Light, 

Thanks so much to http://familycorner.blogspot.com/ for letting
me do this today.


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

Summer End

Everything in the garden is tired. Even Morning glory and
it only blooms one day. I wonder why 100 degrees
seems hotter at the end of August than it did in June?

To bad Zinnias don't last until Christmas, wouldn't this
look pretty in a Christmas vase. With candy canes.
It will be but a memory by then.

This is a bunch all growing together. I thought they looked
pretty.

This is a tired clump of Zinnias. I was outside this
morning and I was thinking to myself, that I wish
I could tell my husband to just plow the whole thing
under. With school starting on Monday, I won't be
coming out very much except early morning and
evening.

I hope your Saturday is a restful one.

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

(Psalm. 107:6)

Locked in The Chicken Coop.

No this isn't a picture of the chicken coop, this is
my Silkie outside the coop, I was locked in her coop
for about 30 minutes this afternoon.

Every afternoon, before I start dinner, I go outside and
water my hens, collect eggs and water the garden. It is just part
of my routine.
Today, I didn't take my cell phone, I thought to myself, I am just
going out to collect eggs, I will be right back. Ha!

It was kinda hot and I was changing the water in the big hens
coop and sometimes they are escape artists and they stormed the gate
and made a break for it while I was getting them fresh water. I thought,
I will just let them run around the back yard for a bit while I do this.

In my little coop I have my Bantam chickens. I went in to kick a couple of
little hens off the nest because they are always broody. I got some eggs from
the other little hens and then walked to the door to get out.

It was locked. I thought Oh, No!! I really did start to panic. I had to sit down
because even though I like sitting out with the hens, this was not that day.
I sat there and thought oh my gosh, what would Sidney Bristow do? Since I am
a huge fan of that old show called Alias and I have watched Sidney escape from
many situations, and I am not in heels or a wig or skimpy clothes. Not to mention
no one is after me.

I looked around the coop for a lock pick. I had chicken feeder and a water container.
Nothing. Then I thought well, maybe a feather would work, so I found a long wing
feather and tried to push the metal thing with that. It just broke the feather.

I tried yelling at the house. It just scared the chickens, they started flying around
making dirt fly in the air. I have left the water on in the garden, and all I can think
about is that my husband won't be home for at least another hour. The kids are not
even going to come looking for me until they realize that dinner isn't on the table
or there isn't dinner preparation going on. I just talked to them before I came outside.

I sat down of a piece of wood, at least I had my I Pod in my ear and I had music to listen
to. The wind came up a little so it cooled the sweat running down my face.
Then I got mad at myself for not learning anything about taking over a city
with a toothpick and piece of gum, from all of those T.V. shows I have spent my time watching.

So I stood up and jiggled the gate, it wouldn't budge. The latch is over my head and
I never realized until then that I stand on my tip-toes every day to unlock the silly thing.
One thing I also noticed is that it is a pretty safe coop if I can't even escape.
So I thought what if I push my hand up through this crack and I pushed and my hand
touched the latch. Except, I pushed it the wrong way and really locked it.
I had to put my arms down and I pushed my hand through the wire again and
I could just get my fingers on the latch again, so I pushed with my fingertips and
I felt it move, so I kept pushing and then while I was praying, " Please God make it
open," it just opened.
It was sort of anticlimactic the dog was having fun stalking the chickens all over the
back yard, I collected eggs, the house was quiet except upstairs where the kids are
playing a game with friends. No one even knows that I was locked in the chicken coop.

That won't be happening again, I can tell you that. It is much nicer to sit outside
in a lawn chair than in the coop.

I will take my phone from now on.
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)

Overflowing Cantaloupe

On Thursdays I like my post to be called Thankful
Thursday, and I am thankful but we picked this and
my chickens look at cantaloupe now and look back at me
with a sour expressions and it looks like they say," No,
no more cantaloupe."

Today when the girls came over they said," No, that they
had more cantaloupe than they had room in the fridge. I sent a bunch
with my husband to work. I think he might get to today too.
My grandsons said, "Don't wike cantawope."

I can't stand the smell anymore. I have at least
this much again almost ripe. I feel like the Israelites
when God sent all of the quail, I am so happy to have
it but gosh I am so tired of it.

I told the girls today, that next year in January when all
of my seed catalogs arrive and I am dreaming of gardening
and planting new little seeds, please remind of of August.

So what do I learn from all of this on Thankful Thursday?
I learn " Speak that word to me today, dear Lord; peace.
Let your calm spirit---through the many potentially
rough minutes of this day, in every task--- say to my soul,
Be still."
(A Lamp for My feet, p. 122)
"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You,
because he trusts in You."
(Isaiah 26:3)
One of the favorite stories in Streams of the Desert, is this:
"I went to America some years ago with the captain of a steamer,
who was a very devoted Christian. When off the coast of Newfoundland
he said to me, "The last time I crossed here, five weeks ago, something
happened which revolutionized the whole of my Christian life.
We had George Mueller of Bristol on board. I had been on the bridge
twenty-four hours and never left it. George Mueller came to me, and said, " Captain,
I have come to you to tell you that I must be in Quebec Saturday afternoon."
It is impossible," I said. "Very well, if your ship cannot take me,
God will find some other way. I have never broken an engagement for
fifty-seven years. Let us go down into the chart room and pray."
I looked at that man of God and thought to myself, what a lunatic
asylum can that man have come from?" I never heard as such a thing as this
"Mr. Mueller," I said, "do you know how dense this fog is?" " No" he replied, "
my eye is not on the density of the fog,
but on the living God, who controls every circumstance of my life."

He knelt down and prayed one of the most simple prayers, and when
he had finished I was going to pray; but he put his hand on my shoulder
and told me not to pray. "First, you do not believe He will answer; and second
I BELIEVE HE HAS, and there is no need whatever for you to pray about it.
I looked at him, and he said,"Captain, I have known my
Lord for fifty-seven years, and there has never been a single day that I
have failed to get audience with the King. Get up, Captain
and open the door, and you will find the fog gone." I got up, and the
fog was indeed gone. On Saturday afternoon George Mueller was in Quebec
for his engagement.
(Streams of the Desert,p.257-258)

I read that when I was a young believer, and still I long to have that kind of faith.
I think I am closer than I was when I first read this. But still so far away.

I will share this story. Last November, the doctors called the family
in to be at my Mom's bedside I had to go, it was a week before Thanksgiving,
I was going to leave my kids and I was going to have to trust God. Everything
in me was afraid, afraid of leaving my kids, afraid of what I was going to see
when I got there.
We drove because I don't know why but I just couldn't think of getting on a
plane. We took a motor home.
My Mom was in a hospital in Texas and I am in California.
I forgot how far it is.
When we were one day from home, I met my Waterloo. My brother called
to tell me how bad it was and it would be okay if I didn't come, but that
my Mom kept asking for me. My kids were at home alone and they were
okay, but I was still torn. I just didn't know what to do so I prayed.
We got on the road and when we were at the place to go either to
Texas or back to California there was this truck.
It was just there in front of us.

It is not a very good picture but it says on the back
Finish The Mission. One the side of the truck,
it says, Prepare for Battle.
We both cried, God had answered us so clearly.
He had told me what to expect but I knew that
I would be okay. God was with us.

I was thinking of this when I read this selection in
Streams and I may not be a George Mueller, but
I have the same God and He still does miracles.

Happy 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)

Rug Hooking

Since I first started writing a blog, I have wanted
a button that said "10 Minute Rug Hooker." So last week
when I finally signed up and got to put one on the side
of my blog, I knew I had to finally put the petal to the metal.
I bought this pattern in 2002, I bought the rug hook and then
life got busy and I put it away. I would dig it out and stare
at it and think I want to do this someday.

In the fall of last year, I had read every book, read blogs and
decided maybe if I bought an easy kit I could learn to hook. I bought
a kit from Yankee Peddler and made my very first rug.

I enjoyed it so much and I was so excited to start another one.
But I had made a promise to myself that I will not buy anything until
I finish what I have.

So I have stared at this rug. I don't really like it anymore but I decided
that since it is almost impossible to find wool in my town and after having
my charge card stolen 4 times, yep, in one year, the last time I hadn't even
used it and it was the replacement card. I was not going to charge anything
on the internet. So it had to be something I could buy here.

Then I started reading about Amy Oxford and her punch needle and I could
use yarn with a punch needle so for my birthday my husband bought me one.
I stared at the rug some more. Then did counted cross stitch. Oh and started
making that Raggedy Ann Quilt.

Last week I was reading my hooking thing I get every day in my email box and there was a
sign up for a new 10 minute rug hooker starting. I found it and figured out how to
get the button on and got out my wool yarn, and my Oxford Punch Needle.

As far as I can tell unless I go to L. A. I am about the only one I know of who
does rug hooking in my town... How come Oxford Needle punch is supposed to be like
rug hooking. Okay,I digress, maybe someone out there can tell me. Hint, hint
Cotton Eyed Joe??
Anyway here is my first attempt, but as I was writing this, my rug was on the floor
and my dog came in and chewed out a couple rows of yarn.

Here are my humble attempts. I remember reading that Pat Cross said, her first
rug must have weighed a ton because she didn't know about the different weights
of wool and I am beginning to think that once mine is finished it will hold the house
down in case of a earthquake.
So here are my pictures and because using a Oxford Punch needle you work from the
back side the patten it looks like it does. Well, I hope that is why.
I have read my book over and over and that is how it makes sense to me.
Anyway, my 10 minutes turn into 2 hours if I am not careful. I enjoy it so much
and already my mind races ahead to when I can do a pattern I like. I thought
I would post these pictures so mainly I could get free advice. Like give it up girl,
just grow flowers. :) Just kidding.

Here is with the pattern side up. It looks okay from far
away. It sure is fun.
So I guess all of this post to say, I am very happy to be
a 10 minute rug hooker.
Have a great 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)

Could It Be Fall

I was walking around looking at the trees that seem
to be shedding. I have a favorite Sugar Maple that
I would be so sad if if died because it is just glorious
in the fall. When under it on the ground was this leaf.
I couldn't believe all of the red on it. I didn't even have
my camera I had to go back in the house and find it.

The birds have eaten the sunflower seed into this pattern.
I thought if you looked at it sort of squinty, you can see
a spider shape, sort of like a orb spider hanging in the middle
of its web.

A pumpkin that is almost all orange, I can't wait
to see it on my front porch, or in a pie or as a
funny jack-o-lantern.
The crab-apple tree is loaded with tiny apples.

I would be hard pressed to say what my favorite
season is, I love spring that comes softly and I love the
smell of the dirt warming up and the nights as they
grow shorter.
I love summer with all of the gifts it brings, like the taste
of a fresh picked tomato standing out in the garden still
warm from the sun, or waking up really early and watching
the sun peak over the the mountains.

I love winter and the clouds as they change shape as the
wind chases them out of the valley, or the smell of wood
smoke from the fire places and sitting in front of the wood
stove watching the fire dance and be far away in a imaginary
land.
But fall, I wait for it, I look for it as young wife watches for
her beloved to come in from a ship that has been in far away
places. Fall brings with it the promise of hot chocolate, and pumpkin
pie and thinking of the leaves as they change into all of their finery,
and then watch as they dance and play across the ground.
Of sitting with a sewing project on my lap, or a good book that
begs to be read and sitting and listening to my husband play his
guitar and the wind blowing outside. I think maybe, just maybe
I like fall a tiny bit more than I do the other seasons.
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)