RANDOM RAMBLINGS

Sorry, no pictures! It is just really difficult for me to post pictures and I haven't had time to go get all set up at the library to do so!

We've been busy doing alot of cleaning and garden work. I had company coming earlier in the week and that meant major, major cleaning and sprucing up. This is always true when company comes. I feel like we live rather sloppily until we know someone's coming to stay. Others would disagree with me but I have a "make-it-like-a-bed-and-breakfast" mentality when guests are due. Unfortunately, after all the work (I was near exhaustion--a rare place for me to be!) the company could not come due to circumstances beyond their control. Bummer.

I've been striving to finish a few projects as well. I finished the embroidery for a pillow top last week. Now I must construct the pillow. I also finally got my garden under some kind of control after a long hot spell.

Worked on little miniscule projects that just seem to creep up--de-liming the kitchen faucets, etc.! Exciting, huh?

Yesterday we took Emma to the library to see the "alligator" program. "Alldigators," as she calls them are suddenly her favorite thing. Every time she is at Granny and Papa's house she has to get out the "alldigator" movie and watch the whole thing. It's a nature documentary that fascinates her. Yesterday after we loaded her up in the car we realized we didn't have the camera--sorry, no pictures of "Emma and the alldigators." She did get to pet one plus she got to touch a snake, a huge tortoise and I don't know what all. It was a big deal for her. Then we went to the park and took a picnic lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches cut in the shapes of stars and horses. Met Aunt Ranner or "Aunt Rannon," there and that was exciting!

Today was more cleaning and then out for supper and a bit of shopping. Got a couple of nice items at garage sales and that's been about it. Nothing much going on here!

I'm scared to go out into my English garden. It is so weedy, I would rather enjoy it from afar. I weeded like a mad woman last Monday before company was to arrive and got a mild case of poison ivy. I never even gathered up the huge piles of weeds that I created. I suppose it's really bad now.......

Well, that's all for today. Will try to post more when something exciting happens or I find something pretty to photograph! Blessings, LORI

MRS. WREN AND TRUE WORSHIP

"Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord!" Psalm 150:6

I've wanted to do another gardening post for some time, but to admit the truth, the gardens are not too exciting right now. Our weather has been very hot and dry until just a few days ago when we got some rain. It was miserable to work out there and so I let things go. I wouldn't want anyone to see close-ups of the condition of the English Garden especially, although from a distance the weeds don't show! I am kind of ready to give up on it for the year, believing it is too far gone to redeem at this time. Plus this last burst of color is about the last there is until next year!

On Wednesay I decided to defrost the freezer--a horrible job! I knew it had to be done as I missed doing it last year. It is a deep chest type freezer and I'm almost too short to reach to the bottom. It was very, very full of food and with corn coming on soon, the job could not be put off any longer. I worked very fast out in the hot garage unloading every bit of food and placing it in coolers and on the tractor and just about anywhere I could find. I had a regular obstacle course of frozen food sitting around the garage. I used a dustpan to scoop up the falling flakes of ice from the bottom of the freezer, then had to race outside (throught the obstacle course) to dump the ice. I was so hot and tired by the time I got done that I just wanted to crash. I got all the food put back and re-arranged then cleaned up the garage. I had already done two loads of laundry and hung them out, plus some other work. I was really tired.

On Wednesday evenings we have worship practice and I was almost late getting there from finishing up tasks. I was almost too tired to go, but practice is not exatly optional. While I was sitting there at the keyboard struggling with some chords in a new song, I was reminded of a little friend that lives in my garden. This year when we re-did the vegetable garden we put up a birdhouse which has been rented for the season by a wren. She is an awesome singer and we have become friends. I love birds anyway and I am noticing that as she gets used to me, she is so much less skittish. She lingers around longer when I am outside and sits on my clothesline or in my garden and sings. My aunt was staying here last week and she noticed her beautiful songs too. Mrs. Wren, as I call her, is just the best worshipper, the way I see it. She sings her heart out everyday, joyful about the simplest things like a house to live in. She doesn't struggle to hit the right notes. Her worship is spontaneous and comes very naturally to her. We humans often think we need some earth-shattering miracle event before we can break loose in praise. Not so with Mrs. Wren, she is just glad to have her needs met. It humbled me to think of this.

I noticed a similar phenomenon with some of the other garden birds the other day. I was sitting on the deck and had just started the sprinkler. Several birds, happy for the shower, kept flitting in and out of the water. They would linger just a bit, hovering in the air as the sprinkler hit them. It was the most interesting thing to watch. They were overjoyed at something as simple as a shower. It was an obvious event to them. I had to think about how many times I fail to praise the Lord for simple things like running water!

I learned a valuable lesson this week by watching the birds in my garden. I intend to try to imitate their spontaneous praise over life's simple blessings.

I hope you like the pictures of my hollyhocks. They are my favorite flowers. That is partly why I chose to work some of them into the moral of my story in "A Sturdy Fence." If you haven't seen the book, the front cover boasts a lovely picture of hollyhocks against a garden fence. In one of the other pictures, you will notice Mrs. Wren's house!

Homemaking tip: Use a dust pan to scoop up freezer defrost!
If you are like me and don't have a huge storage area for pots and pans forcing you to "nest" your items, try placing used ziploc or other plastic bags between the pans with coated finishes. It keeps them from bumping together and ruining the finishes and provides storage for plastic bags you intend to re-use!

Blessings, LORI

PICTURELESS POST AND A BIG SMILE!

It is difficult for me to post pictures at our home computer set up. I decided to do a quick post on a most unusual subject--a root canal--without pictures! Aren't you glad!?

I was scheduled this week to have a root canal. I have wonderful teeth for a woman of almost 50. I never had a cavity until I was over 40 and that really made me disgusted when it happened! I tend to be a little feisty when it comes to my health, believing I (or any Christian) have been given the privileges of divine health according to scripture (Isaiah 53, 1 Peter 2:24, Psalm 103 and many, many more!). So I am not a happy camper or patient patient when something goes wrong.

Almost a year ago a little sore appeared on my gum, but kept going away. Because I am so healthy, I am often ignorant of the little disturbances that signal something that others would automatically understand and recognize. I let it go for months and months because it disappeared three times. Finally I got disgusted and went to the dentist. He x-rayed and found nothing. By now the sore had gotten bigger and looked weird. He sent me to the oral surgeon. It took a month to get an appointment and I was not happy about it to boot! He kindly agreed to a consultation and procedure all in the same appointment. (I think the medical profession just wants to get me out of their offices quickly!)

After he removed this "thing," it came back within days. I called the dentist. They told me to call the surgeon. I called the surgeon, he told me to call the dentist and get another x-ray. They conferred and I was sent for another look at the closest tooth. By now almost two months had passed. This time the dentist saw the culprit. Two months made all the difference in the development of enough to show on an xray. I had a problem at the base of the tooth. The tooth was otherwise healthy and they believe the root situation was caused from years and years of a bad bite. I had braces in junior high, but the bite correction lasted for only a short time and for a number of reasons, the teeth (jaws or bite) actually never remained correct. The dentist believes that the constant incorrect biting pressure of almost 50 years had put stress on the nerve at the base of this tooth. Root canal. Turns out the little sore was an abscess.

I dreaded this more than you can know. I felt almost grieved for a tooth that has served me well for 50 years and now has to be "fixed." Well, I am so thankful for my very capable dentist and his staff. I was in an out today in less than an hour and had no pain whatsoever during the procedure or after the anesthetic wore off today. I am praising the Lord! They even said they doubt I need the crown that usually follows these procedures!

I had to think about something I've learned about divine healing. There is a scriptural principle that can be applied to a lot of situations. Many verses in the Bible, especially Proverbs, talk about the tongue, the words of your mouth, your speech, your confessions, etc. The woman that touched Jesus' garment and received healing from a 12 year issue of blood, "said" or "kept saying," what she believed. She said something like this...."if only I may touch His garment, I'll be healed." I noticed that after the consultation for the root canal, the dental staff told me it would be no big deal. I kept saying that to everyone. I told everyone that I talked to that I wasn't sure how I'd feel, but that I believed and expected that it would be no big deal. I kept saying I didn't think it would stop me from anything or be a problem at all. The only possible indication that I had that anything was wrong was the sore itself and some pressure that I am still not sure wasn't just sinus from our constantly changing weather.

I am so thankful today for the way the Lord has kept me during this long, drawn out deal and I am thankful for my really good and efficient dentist. I am thankful for a restored tooth that doesn't show one bit of the filling. I am thankful my smile is unaffected since this was a front tooth. I am thankful I live in a country where I can get good efficient help. I am thankful this didn't alter my day one bit. I am thankful for so much. Most of all, I'm thankful to the Lord that this turned out the way it did and I can once again be encouraged by the truth of scripture. May you be blessed with divine health as well and hope and faith as you read and rely on the word of God! Keep saying the truth of scripture and watch yourself receive its promises. Blessings, LORI

WHAT'S COOKING?

What's cooking? Spaghetti with a green pepper? Beets and shredded cabbage? A very bad stew? Well, no......not exactly. Clue: it isn't edible. How about lily of the valley leaves, grape leaves, and cochineal?

On Thursday my spinning and weaving group had a "dye workshop" at the farm of one of the members. I was only able to go for a while since I was spending the day with a friend who was here from Iowa. But I was able to take these pictures during the process. The gals set up lots of large pots in the back yard and some were dying fleeces and others yarn. We were to separate our yarn into bundles of about 12-15 yds., tag them with a plastic tag and then dye them. It's quite a process. I didn't do any, but plan to try some dying at home with powdered drink mix. The lily of the valley and grape leaves make a light green or yellow finished product and the cochineal a wonderful striking rose/pink. I was told that cochineal is some kind of bug! Imagine that!

I would like to learn the art of dyeing. I love the look of naturally dyed wool. As well as the beautiful finished products, the ladies had a great time eating a carry in meal together and just sitting around and knitting or working on other needlework projects while waiting for the wool to dye.

I always feel a little closer to the Proverbs 31 ideal whenever I can do a project like this. After all, that woman was noted for her spinning and textile crafting. "She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands," "She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff." "She is not afraid of the snow for her household; for all her household are clothed with scarlet."I love to learn the old time ways to use in my own homemaking. This looked like a lot of work, but the finished products will be all the more special because of it! Blessings, LORI

"We're Not in Kansas Anymore, Toto!"

On Friday morning last week we made an early trip to Centreville for the "setting" of my mother-in-law's new house! How exciting this was! It was a most amazing, synchronized operation! It seemed like only minutes until the two pieces of the modular home were put together. I never imagined a house could go together so fast! It's going to be very nice. This is a big change for her. She had lived in the same house for almost 50 years until this spring!





I am so excited for her. She has a lovely wooded lot in one of the nicest parts of town. Many neighbors and friends stopped in to see the big event and all were giving their congratulations. I thought you would like to see this as well! Thanks be to God for the way He arranged all this. Many big changes had to happen in order for this to occur. Her house sold in less than two weeks and right now on the Michigan market, that's an accomplishment! She bought this beautiful lot (it overlooks the pond behind her girlhood home!), she was able to rent a lovely apartment for the duration until the house is done, and relatives stored her furniture for free until she can move in! Many, many blessings to be thankful for!



I always think of Dorothy and Toto everytime I see a house being moved. I once saw a clever sign attached to a house that was up on the moving truck. It read, "We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto!" Of course, I loved that, being a fan of the Wizard of Oz since early girlhood. I made it a point to never miss that movie each year when it was on tv. The one experience in Africa with the Ruby Slippers all stemmed from my love of that movie! God will use all kinds of experiences to teach us things. I think I posted the Ruby Slipper Incident on an earlier blog. Check it out if you want, it's an amazing account of a true happening. I have been using it each time I speak for women's groups for the past while. Ladies love the story and it ministers a very special aspect of God's care to people. The incident that happened to me talks about provision. That's just like what I am showing you today with the house pictures--the provision of God. It is really obvious that He intervened in my mother-in-law's situation and put the puzzle pieces together at just the right time after 10 years of her contemplating such a move. Praise be to God!

FILIGREE FROM FENCEROWS

Since fields and fences are significant in my book titles, I thought I'd share a little of the seasonal filigree from our local fencerows.



Rhi took these wonderful pictures about a mile and a half from our house. She's a great photographer! The sweet peas are in bloom and they are profuse all around Colon. I love them! What a beautiful old fashioned flower that doesn't get enough attention, if you ask me! Stay tuned for more in the next few days! Blessings, LORI

The Cost of Freedom--My Family War Heroes

I wanted to be sure to do a post for Independence Day! Here's my offering along those lines....


The first picture is of my great, great, great grandma, Huldah C. (Town or Tower?)Rice Hill Johnson, my grandpa Benjamin's mother-in-law. I have pictured her before and she is the daughter or granddaughter of our revolutionary war grandfather--we haven't yet solved that mystery completely so we are posting her picture in his place!

The second picture is of my great, great grandfather, Benjamin Franklin Bartholomew. He died on July 2, 1864 in a Union Army Hospital after serving for only a short time in the Civil War. Please do me a favor, readers, and go to my daughter's blog to read her touching post concerning him at http://www.loaded6string.blogspot.com/

Below is series of pictures of my grandpa and grandma Happel. This was before they were married. He was in WW1 and was a soldier sent to cut wood in the great forests of Oregon and Washington to help the war effort. I have written about them before as well. He wanted very much to go to France and do his part, only he was never sent. He and grandma married in 1920 after the war was over. I love grandma's dress. She was very stylish and the WW1 fashions are one of my favorite eras!

The picture (right) is of the Boughtins, relatives that we discovered by accident in a search for other family names. The lady, Mary is a sister-in-law to my Civil War grandpa. She is Huldah's daughter. Her husband William was in many major battles of the Civil War. He suffered injury and disease and still survived. He was honorably discharged and signed up to serve again. She and her widowed sister, my grandma Asenath (I love her name--it's Biblical) served as presidents of the Women's Auxiliary of the Grand Army of the Republic in our county!

More WW1 pictures of my grandparents. Note grandma's coat and hat. I think they were standing on the steps of a building in Battle Creek. He was stationed at Fort Custer for awhile before leaving for the west.





Next are some pictures of my mother's brothers, Uncle Tom and Uncle Alan (Uncle Goodie, we called him). They both served in WW2. I don't know too much about Uncle Tom's service, but I know my Uncle Goodie was stationed in the Phillippines and suffered from days in waist high water entrenched against the enemy. He contracted malaria and suffered with the after-effects for years.

Last, but not least is my mom. She was in the Women's Air Corps of the Air Force during the Korean War. Isn't she pretty? She served as a nurses' aid down in Texas at Fort Worth.

I am sure there are more heroes in the family, only I don't know about them. Just like Uncle Will Boughtin, there may be others that we are yet to discover.

The cost of freedom is not free. It was not free for Grandpa Benjamin on July 2, 1864 and it is still not free for those men and women in our armed services who are giving everything today to serve us. Will we remember? I am making a special point to be aware at this upcoming celebration that I probably had a grandfather who gave his time and maybe his life to secure freedom clear back in 1776. I believe we will someday soon be able to make the final connections that reveal his name. We know about him from a small paragraph in a book mentioning Huldah Johnson. It makes me feel more connected to the great sacrifices we so often take for granted. Today more than ever we need to get a grip on freedom, our constitution, our heritage, and realize it's worth saving! May God help us stay free! Please check Rhi's blog if you are not already a follower. Today when I read it, it brought tears to my eyes and the thoughts she wrote about affected my entire day! Stay tuned for some really neat pictures that I hope to post in the next few days. Have a great July 4th celebration. Blessings, LORI