Sparrowgrass

the award

2012-01-21T12:50:00.000-05:00

I am just getting around to this-I do apologise, Britt, for taking so long! My blogger friend, Britt awarded me the Stylish Blogger Award a long time ago....I have not forgotten, though!
I'm going to change the rules a little, in passing it on. I'm going to direct you to Britt's blog, and one other. But truly, there are so many blogs I would love for you to read. Look at my profile for the ones I follow.

My friend Britt is 19 years old, and writes from her heart with an encouraging smile in her words. She is mature beyond her age. I am surprised constantly by her posts. I love this young woman! Please visit Britt's blog, called Encouragement For Everyday Struggles.

Another wonderful blog and blogger I am just getting to know is The Fisher Lady. Please visit her blog here.
Her blog is called My Favourite Things. Her writing is poetry. The photos are amazing.

I have been blogging now for almost four years. I deleted a lot of my posts a while ago when I felt that they were all so whiney and depressing. I have thought about how blogging has taken a strange place in my life. First of all, I only started doing it because I wanted to learn how to use a computer for my business. I had no idea the places blogging would take me, or the many friends I would meet along the way.

And photography was a pure surprise-I could never have imagined how looking through a little hole in a bunch of plastic and metal would reveal so much of 'me' to me, and to any one who cared to read my blog.

I have always loved to write, and loved even more-to read. When I was about 13 years old, I saved my allowance for a pocket dictionary. I loved that thing! It was red, and it fit perfectly in my back jeans pocket. So I put it there, and imagined people could see it and discover how smart I was...

So thank you, faithful friends and readers, passers-by, and family, for stopping by here. Thank you for all the comments and encouragement along the way. I am excited about what God is doing in my life.

It's a new day.

2012-01-20T09:41:00.002-05:00

from the old

2012-01-14T11:09:00.002-05:00

I've been reading some of my old journals. I have a stack of them. Mostly I wrote about birds, peepers, the swamp. These are photos of photos-I don't have a scanner. Looking back on my life in that house is like a dream to me now. Most of my time there I lived alone. I had a hand dug, stone-lined well that I dipped my own water from. I heated with wood. Some of that time I didn't have a phone. A spell after my dog Simon died, I didn't have a dog-just my geese, Siegfried and Paris. The photo above is a little alcove in that house with windows that looked out on the scene in the photo below, and a nice swamp.

It was a dead end road, dirt. Across from my house there was a hardwood forest with a swamp in it that had highbush blueberries, pink lady's slipper plants, wild azalea bushes, and many other wild plants I've not found elsewhere in my roaming. The house is now gone-bulldozed by the owner of the land. It's very strange to drive on that road and look where the house used to be.

This is Simon, a dog that I will never forget. I have to say I have not loved a dog as much as I loved him, and I have had two dogs since he died.

My geese were my joy-somewhere on this blog I posted the story of how they first started to love me.

Simon Bar Sinister. My brother called him Stinky, because he loved to roll in bad dead stuff. He had wonderful pointy ears, and this is where all my pointy dog art comes from. This dog.

In the future I hope to reprint some things out of the journals I've been reading.
I'd love to hear about any old memories you may have of places you lived in, or animals that will have your heart forever...

the olde and new

2012-01-06T10:21:00.000-05:00

from my journal-February 6, 2010~ "I'm thankful God uses birds to direct my thoughts to Him. Geese flying over always does it. Sometimes they are low enough I can hear their wings beat the air. And today I am especially thankful for the huge flock of crows in a field. There must have been hundreds of them. They were pretty. I also saw a lone raven-heard him first. I watched his flight over-way up high.

"In seconds he was over the top of the hill behind our house-probably a mile away. Their croaking is interesting. He did a little bit of wing-turning, but not a whole dance in the air like when there's two of them flying together."

Wednesday, March 3, 2010~"I'm so thankful for the robins' spring song. I heard it this morning. We also heard mourning doves yesterday."

I have to be careful adding new photos to this blog-Blogger will not let me add any more to my sidebars. Picassa saves them all, and it's getting full-so I will be using photos I've already used ~ too bad they don't let you resize them when you repost.

I'm still writing out my list for the New Year. Made some good changes- I'm off this computer 2 days each week. It's amazing what I get done when I'm not here. Kind of scary the draw it has on me-I can't say I like that too much.
Another change I want to make is to visit the blogs I follow faithfully and leave comments. I know how much I love getting comments! I do love blogging-and I have changes in mind for this one~mostly in the area of its content, which I hope will reflect the New & Improved content of me!

I raise a cup of tea to you all in greeting and good wishes for this beautiful day!

so much to say

2012-01-04T11:00:00.000-05:00

When I look back on the last year

sometimes it feels like I am looking through a window

I do have lots of thoughts about where I want to go

things I would like to do

thoughts I need to change

books I want to read

new, good habits...

maybe I will get some of these things out of my head and into words

on this blog.

If you have the time,

let me know where you want to be headed this New Year.

Would love to hear about it....

Love, Debra

Merry Christmas

2011-12-08T13:23:00.001-05:00

Taking a break til after the New Year.

Restorer of Paths

2011-11-25T17:27:00.001-05:00

"God is on your side, and if He is for you it really does not matter who is against you. The giants may be big, but God is bigger. You may have weaknesses, but God has strength." ~Joyce Meyer

"...it is impossible for us to be merciful if we have not learned our own need for mercy and practiced receiving it from the Lord. It is our own weaknesses and failures that cause us to have compassion on the weak and erring." ~Joyce Meyer

"David was young, inexperienced, without natural armor or weapons, and Goliath was definitely bigger and more powerful than he was. But David knew his God and had confidence in Him. He believed that God would be strong in his weakness and give him the victory. He went out in the name of the Lord, with a heart full of confidence, and became a giant-killer who was eventually crowned king.(1 Samuel 17)." ~Joyce Meyer

"David had no one to believe in him, so he believed in himself. He believed in God's ability in him.

"The Lord told me once that if I didn't believe in myself, I really did not believe in him properly. He said, "I am in you, but I can only do through you what you believe."

"Confidence is something we decide to have. We learn about God-about His love, His ways and His Word-then ultimately we must decide whether we believe or not. If we do believe, then we have confidence. If we don't believe, we live in doubt about everything." ~Joyce Meyer

"Like everyone else, you will make mistakes-but God will allow you to learn from them and will actually work them out to your good if you decide not to be defeated by them. When doubt begins to torment your mind, start speaking the Word of God out of your mouth, and you will win the battle." ~Joyce Meyer

All of the above quotes are from Joyce Meyer's book, How to Succeed at Being Yourself. I used to feel foolish admitting I was reading a book with that title, but I've read it twice now, and I find help in it.

God is so big. SO much bigger than my dorky little problems and concerns-yet to Him, I am a treasure.

And so are you.

You won't let go of me

2011-11-23T08:20:00.001-05:00

All I know is that God loves me.

There is no path in this life that is as exciting, lovely, full of promise...as the path that He has laid out for me.

It is by His grace that I choose to walk on this narrow path. He knows what's best for me. He helps me. He loves me.

He loves me. This I know.

"They say that love is one of those things.

2011-11-19T10:46:00.001-05:00

"And now I know that grace is another."

""....And I experienced a faintly familiar and distant feeling of holding my head up, as though God himself was gently lifting my chin to look toward Him. It was powerful. And it accomplished an infinitely greater transformation and restoration in me than the rebukes, the criticism, the indifference, and the loaded acceptance that seemed to sentence me to an eternity of being the lesser person.

"I felt God reaching His healing hand into my heart, with all my imperfections and shortcomings, my failures and shattered dreams, and telling me that I was still His and was worthy of love." Naomi Zacharais, The Scent of Water-Grace for Every Kind of Broken

So what is it that we do to one another, and to ourselves?

Do you know what is really in someone's heart?

Grace is so freely given to us.

Why is that hard to remember?

"No matter how I may feel, Christ is my righteousness. No matter how many doubts may arise, Christ is my righteousness. No matter how many accusations I hear from the devil during the day, I stand on this: God sees me as righteous in Christ!" David Wilkerson, World Challenge Pulpit Series, "Brokenness" April 2010

"My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such O God, You will not despise." Ps. 51:17 Oh thank You God, for that...

2011-11-10T13:27:00.001-05:00

Was feeling a load of discouragement today. I took the camera and looked at a beautiful sky.

Sometimes it's hard to resist the pull of discouragement. It's like a drain, taking good things down. But when I started to look throught the lens of the camera, I found a new focus for my feelings.

I was suddenly seeing beauty-my photos don't capture it of course, but it was happening inside me-a change of thoughts.

I like the fact that we can encourage ourselves in the Lord by reading His Word, and by writing it out so it can be seen on paper.

And I love it that God understands me, and is so gentle with me. I really don't mean to make this so much about me. I have hated that in previous posts on this blog. I apologise for it.

There is a beauty in the hardest of things we have to go through if they are filtered through God's amazing love for us. He just will not let go. It's us that lets go of Him.

More like You

2011-11-05T13:17:00.000-04:00

David Wilkerson~"Maybe you're thinking,"I'm one of those little people. The things I do in God's kingdom are so small. I'm not involved in anything important for the Lord." That is not the case. Let me tell you how I believe God sees this whole matter.

"The most useful people in the church of Jesus Christ are those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. Yes, some people are doing great things that are seen and heard by many. But some don't have eyes to see the needs of hurting people. They are project-oriented rather than need-oriented.

"The simple fact is, the Christ who lives in me is not blind or deaf. And his Word says, "Whoso hath this world's goods, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" (1 John 3:17) Jesus sees all the hurts and needs around me. He hears the groanings and cries of the distressed and bound. And if I am to be more like him, then I need his eyes to see the same things.

"This is the love of Christ: to hear the distressing cry of the fatherless, the child of the ghetto...the lonely, muffled cry of the homosexual who's sick of his sin, drowning his torment in alcohol...the agonized cries of the hungry, the poor, the imprisoned. Being like Christ is having such "eyes to see and ears to hear."

"Oh Lord, give me a listening ear.
Help me to quit telling people how much I know.
Instead, help me to hear what you're saying to those who have no public voice.
Help me to be a student at the feet of unknown pastors and servants in the body who are truly bearing much fruit.
Let me hear what you're saying through them.

"And let me love others not in word only, but in deed and in truth." ~David Wilkerson, April 2005

God's Hugs

2011-11-03T10:39:00.000-04:00

David Wilkerson, World Challenge Pulpit Series (January 24, 2011)
"Do you believe God is interpreting every thought you think, as a father does with his ponderous child? Do you believe he is at work as your loving, caring Father-bottling every tear, hearing every sigh, hovering over you?

" That is exactly the way the Bible describes him: Ps. 103:13 'Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.' The Hebrew word for "pity" here means "to fondle, cuddle, love, be compassionate." Scripture is saying God cuddles in his arms those who fear (believe) him. He puts his arms around you, strokes your cheeks, holds you to his breast. And he tells you, "I know all your thoughts, all your concerns. I know every battle you must face. And I care about it all."

" David wrote a famous passage about this very subject. He said, "O Lord...thou hast known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and my uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art aquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before...How precious are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: When I awake, I am still with thee." Ps. 139:1-5, 17-18

" David is saying, "God knows all about me. He sees my every move, even my thoughts. Everywhere I turn, there he is."

Think of it. No matter what you are going through, no matter how you feel, the Lord sees it all-and he cares."

"Many Christians go through life thinking God is angry with them. They think they can never please him. How wrong they are. David was not a perfect man. He sinned more grossly than most Christians ever will. Yet David was able to testify, "How precious are your thoughts unto me, O God!"

"God is not mad at you right now. He is thinking precious, loving thoughts about you. He is even cuddling you in his arms at this very moment. He knows the way you feel. And he cares. He wants to tell you, "Yes, you are going through a great trial. You're being tempted and tossed. But you are my child-and I will never allow the enemy to ensnare you. I'm going to bring you through."

"David held onto his faith-and God met him. "This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles" (Ps. 34:6)

"The Lord will do the same for you."

And me.

It's a good day

2011-11-02T13:43:00.000-04:00

I think it's only fitting for me to have geese. They are notoriously silly-and so am I. After all, who else would 'bake' their step-dad a cement birthday cake? heehee. I really did it. So---with this wondrously LARGE ostrich egg sitting innocently in my studio, I decided to see what the geese would do with it.

I suspected that Sam Houston would be the goose who would show some interest. She's the one in the front. Titus, always the 'could care less' goose, sighed a goose sigh, and moved on.

I had to do a little persuading....

But at last----Sam took the bait, and could not help herself. She HAD to get a closer look.

I think it just set her to thinking---only a goose would know what---but she tired of my silly game too, and found Titus. I wonder what they said about me?

So, back in its home in my studio, the ostrich egg sits. Thee End.

I've saved most of my son's stuff from his much younger years. So glad I found this today.

2011-10-27T17:58:00.000-04:00

This morning...

...and now

it's snowing! I'm not sure if I should be crying or jumping for joy.

But in any case-it's time to get out the Christmas movies and my bags of yarn-

knit while I watch a good movie.

2011-10-25T13:36:00.001-04:00

I made a new blog~

made a new business card.

I plan to visit area thrift, junk and old things stores

meet the people that run them, maybe~

& make things...

just having some fun.

Join me

Hop on over...

Dish to Pass

2011-10-21T08:55:00.002-04:00

Stuffed Camel

1 medium camel

5 pounds almonds

60 eggs

5 Tbsp. black pepper

20 medium chickens

110 gallons water

5 pounds pine nuts

salt to taste

25 pounds rice

1 large lamb

2 & 1/2 pounds pistachio nuts

Skin, trim & clean the camel, lamb and chickens. Boil til tender. Cook rice. Fry nuts til brown

& mix with rice. Hard boil & peel eggs.

Stuff chickens with rice & eggs.

Stuff the lamb with 5 chickens & some rice.

Stuff the camel with lamb & rice.

Broil in a large enough (this is important) oven til brown.

Spread the remaining mixed rice on a large tray & place camel on top.

Place remaining chickens around camel.

Decorate rice with eggs & nuts.

Serves 80-100 people.

A Faithful God

2011-10-20T09:40:00.003-04:00

All that I have

has come from Your Hand.

All I ever know

is Jesus You are

Faithful-

to the end...

~Hillsong

2011-09-26T10:00:00.002-04:00

From Joyce Meyer, "How to Succeed at Being Yourself," Time Warner Book Group, 1999~

"I don't have perfect faith-a perfect attitude-perfect thoughts and perfect ways.

Jesus knew that would happen to all of us. That is why He "stands in the gap" for us. (Ezekiel 22:30) A gap is a space between two things. There is a gap-a space between us and God put there by our imperfections and sins.

"God is perfect and completely holy. He can only fellowship with those who are like Him. That is why we come to Him through Christ. Jesus is just like His Father. He has told us- "If you have seen Me-you have seen the Father." (John 14:9)

" Jesus stands in the gap between God's perfection and our imperfection. He continually interceeds for us because we continually need it. (Hebrews 7:25) Jesus came to us as both the Son of God and the Son of Man. He is the mediator between two parties-us and God. (1Timothy 2:5)

" Through Him-we come into agreement and fellowship with the Father.

In Him we are acceptable to God."

...he hath made us accepted in the beloved. Ephesians 1 :6 KJV

2011-09-20T09:30:00.000-04:00

Malachi 3:16-17a, Amplified Version~

Then those who feared the Lord talked often one to another; and the Lord listened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who reverenced and worshipfully feared the Lord and who thought on His name.

And they shall be Mine, says the Lord of hosts, in that day when I publicly recognize and openly declare them to be My jewels (My special possession, My peculiar treasure).

2011-09-17T18:51:00.001-04:00

Titus has taken over as my lap goose since Cornelius died. Today she slept while I held her. She has fuzzy eyelids and nods her head like a little old lady when she sleeps. I'm loved by geese!

2011-09-16T09:57:00.001-04:00

May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the Holy Spirit [Himself indweling your innermost being and personality].

May Christ through your faith actually dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love,

That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth of it;

That you may really come to know the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!~Eph3:16-19 AMP

from my journal today

2011-09-15T09:36:00.000-04:00

"Self-discipline is the most important feature in any life, but especially in the life of the Christian. Unless we discipline our minds, our mouths and our emotions, we will live in ruin."~ Joyce Meyer

Lord, I give You my blogs, my facebook, my business, my talents and desires. I need You to rearrange some things-to make my inner house fit for You to abide in. I may need it daily.

Will You tire of me?

If You are breaking me of ME-I think it's working...

"If God promises to be with us-and He does-that is really all we need." ~Joyce Meyer

His strength is made perfect in our weakness. (2 Cor. 12:9)

Everything starts and ends with Jesus.

He is the First and the Last. The Alpha and the Omega.

Surround me, Lord.

Taking A Break...

2011-08-15T08:14:00.000-04:00

I need some time away from my blog and from facebook...

I am loving just being back in my journal-still taking pictures, but using them in my journal with my writing. I can't seem to get away from writing-it helps me think, it changes me, and it helps me to see where I've been.

I see good direction as I tread this path.

I have to admit, I miss facebook; I miss my blog, I miss commenting at facebook and reading, I miss all my blog friends.

Til we meet again-God bless and keep each one of you.

I thank God for you all.

Cornelius~June 6, 2001-August 1, 2011

2011-08-05T15:21:00.001-04:00

The music is from Fernando Ortega, "Storm," 2002, Dejamesolo Music, Word Music, Inc.

ashes...ashes, we all fall down

2011-07-25T10:39:00.000-04:00

This could be annoying to read if you've been with me for a while...or informative if you are just getting to know me. I'm hoping by reading this post you will get something useful out of it-even if it's encouragement that God isn't done with you, because He's not done with me either. That point is where I need to start. I can't be absolutely open because there are people I could hurt. But let's just say that I was told that I did not really have a relationship with God. I thought I did, but I didn't. And let's just say that the thought of that statement tormented me and seared me. What could be the point of living? And to top it off, let's say I heaped a big pile of resentment and bitterness toward someone I need to have a close relationship with for not standing up for me when this judgement was passed....the spiral downward had many hands helping it....

I found myself like this bird-living terribly afraid-keeping an eye out, but hidden-thinking I was protecting myself-hurting, hurting so much-beyond hurt even....no words....

I wanted to be free, to fly again...

... to sing in my heart because I was free. But there was that judgement upon me. A good thing kept happening though. God did not let me go each day without bringing me to my time of prayer and reading and still seeking Him, even though I didn't really think it would make a difference. Lies, lies lies. Every second I spent with Him praying or reading His Word was time He spent on me-working, hammering, sanding, finishing, polishing-making me shine so He would be reflected.

I have spent a lot of time looking back and looking recently at my life and feeling I have only left a wake of destruction after myself. An awful tide that seeps in and around everything it touches and poisons instead of blesses.

So here's the thing-on one of my walks recently, the Lord (the same who made heaven and earth, all that I see...) put a remembrance in my heart of a duck I had about 25 years ago. I had to keep this duck (his name was Piglet) in a pen at night for his protection. Not thinking, I put a big pail of wood ashes against his pen to hold a screen in place so he couldn't get out of the pen. The next morning, he was dead. He had eaten some of the ashes and it killed him.

As I remembered this, the Lord spoke in my heart-"Do you want to keep eating ashes?"

.............

This morning I was reading Isaiah and something urged me to stop reading in the middle of Isaiah 44-and I felt like I had heard that lying voice before, so I kept reading instead of putting the Bible down. Verse 20 from the Amplified Version reads-"That kind of man feeds on ashes and finds his satisfaction in ashes..."

God met me.

Yes-I do think I have a relationship with God. I know I do.

I'm not ashamed to put this out where it can be read by everyone-I also know I have messed up. I am messy. There's a pit I've been dwelling in.

I'm out.

finding my heart...

2011-07-20T10:17:00.000-04:00

My morning walks with my dog, Cheyenne, take about an hour. I walk up my road to the only stop sign, then we turn around. Most of the time, this is my view-when I walk and think-I look at the ground.

We walk up a slight hill-I like it-but in this intense heat I'm glad it's not much longer...

Here are our new neighbors-a bunch of chickens. We have not seen their humans yet. Early the door is opened, then in the evenings it is shut with the birds in the house. I suppose someday humans will live with the chickens...

This statue was recently added to the ranch I walk by. It's a huge Christian based ranch for troubled kids. They have lots of horses. I didn't photograph the real horses today, but they are beautiful.

At a certain spot in my walk I see swallows sitting on the wires.

This is part of the ranch.

And this is what I was after today with my camera. When I walk, I have lots of time to pray and wrestle with God about stuff. One day I was especially battling something, and when I looked down at my feet, there was this tar heart. After that day, I have looked for it, and remembered how I felt when I first saw it-it would seem almost absurd to try to explain it, but at the time-I really needed this heart. Still do.

My road cuts through farmland. Paths along a hedgerow remind me of how often the word 'path' is used in the Bible. I din't count it, but it seems like I find it so much in my reading, and in my life.

What an obedient dog! She did not want to sit, but did it anyway. Lord, make me like that.

Someone's birthday baloons found their way to the ditch-who knows how far they came before landing here.

How I love the views as I walk. (When I look up from the ground, that is)

When we turn into our yard, one of my berry patches is right there so we can eat. Both the dog and I are thirsty and tired. She actually picks the berries!

2011-07-14T13:16:00.000-04:00

"What size shoe do you take, Madame?"

"You will have foot problems standing like that..."

And so ends a nonsensical blog post...

The Restorer of paths to dwell in...

2011-06-22T09:19:00.003-04:00

....smooth dirt paths near a river. Grandma, brother and I walking-cool under the thick trees-all green around us except the bare earth path-no sound of our feet.

Crazy-happy with childhood thoughts we run to the water worn tree limbs along the river bank. They are the horses we want. Grandma watches us-patient-maybe thinking of dinner yet to be put on the table at home. But she never hurries us out of play.

My grandma hauled big flat rocks when she was young-before brother and I-maybe before our Mom too. She wanted a patio in front of her house. Grandpa cut locust trees for poles at each corner of the patio. They planted grapes. This was the entry way into the house-you must walk under the grapes and over the smooth flat stones.

Right this minute I am yearning for one of grandma's stones here at my own home...so I can look at it and day dream about that patio in the summer. She'd feed the birds there. Natural holes in the locust were filled with treats for the birds that would lite on their shoulders. Grandma-patient-apron holding bird treats-looking up...

But is it a rock I want-or do I need something that's back there in that little pocket of my childhood-something almost too lovely for words...

It was love-the house, the yard, the stone patio, the river walks-all covered in love and wrapped around and around my brother and I...

This is the place I need.

I walk through my grandparent's house in my mind, grateful I have not seen recent changes to the house. I can still see it with my child-eyes. Is this part of my heavenly mansion? To revisit incredible love? Is that why it's beyond words-beyond telling?

...the paths to dwell in...

One of grandma's aprons is tucked away safe but I've decided I need to get it out and hang it up where I'll see it every day.

birdsong fills the room I'm in

2011-06-02T17:31:00.000-04:00

A beautiful day today, and cooler-even cold-but perfect for a sweatshirt and cropped jeans and my old hole filled straw hat.

I wanted to do some weeding. The leather gloves-too big for my hands, but thankful for them anyway, the tools, the wheelbarrow...and I'm in the middle of my raspberry patch. Wasn't it just a short time ago I was here, trimming this patch? It was cold then, and I was dreaming about the berries. Today I was thinking it would be about 6 weeks, and I'd be picking them.

I spent a lot of time bent over, grabbing those weeds close to their roots, yanking, filling the wheelbarrow...the thought of a spiritual weeding kept knocking on my heart. I knew I needed that-have needed it for so long. So I thought about weeds and what I was doing to them. First-I was making way for what I wanted to grow. More light, more room for fruit-more of it all that would not just go to weeds.

more light....

Renewal...

Thinking maybe that's why I have so many dreams of old houses-of fixing them, living in them, traveling from one to another. I have lived in old houses. Jesus said He was going to build us mansions-He will make all things new.

So while I worked in the berry patch today, I asked Him to clean me, make me new, and fill me with Him. The weeds were dumped in a pile, their sustenance gone. I can help the new baby raspberries grow into the space the weeds were using.

In just a short while, the fruit will be ready to pick, and I think I will smile that day, remembering the day God weeded my heart.

2011-05-27T08:18:00.002-04:00

Some days in May...

2011-05-26T07:53:00.000-04:00

My friend Lynda came to visit.

We had blueberry muffins and tea. I love my friends...And Lynda must be silly-that's one reason I love her.

The orioles get fed every day. This female is content with me taking her photo from my studio window, but her husband is nervous. I'm still trying to get a good picture of him.

I found a snail on my morning walk. I carried it all the way home in my hand-sliming its way around, it left my hand feeling quite awful, but I didn't want him to get run over, and I wanted to take his picture. I guess the salt of my skin was too much-he died.

This is strength-my husband reading his Bible.

2011-05-15T09:03:00.000-04:00

(My dove is back in her favorite nesting spot. She's getting used to me now.)

“People say there are things in life that can’t be explained or fully described, that you will just know when you see it and when you experience it.

They say that love is one of those things.

And I know that grace is another.

When it was help open to me in pure form, it broke something that lived deep within, something unpredictable and raw that was seemingly fastened like a tumor to my heart, responding with an uprising when provoked or lying quietly in wait, but always present.

Grace shattered the fastenings and transformed the fragments into something like freedom.

And I experienced a faintly familiar and distant feeling of holding my head up, as though God Himself was gently lifting my chin to look toward Him. It was powerful.

And it accomplished an infinitely greater transformation and restoration in me than the rebukes, criticism, the indifference, and the loaded acceptance that seemed to sentence me to an eternity of being the lesser person.”

This quote is from Naomi Zacharias's new book, The Scent of Water: Grace for Every Kind of Broken, published by Zondervan. I saw her on cable TV telling about this book, and was captivated, but when I saw this quote from the book at Holy Experience, I grabbed it because it actually was a bomshell exploding in my heart-word for word re-telling what God Himself has done for me, and what wrecks we Christians can make of each other in the name of love-without grace.

"...holding my head up..." Do we do that for someone who has fallen, who maybe can't just see the way up yet? Or do we judge, forgetting the planks in our eyes?

Perhaps this is just too fresh for me right at this moment, having experienced a fresh watering of His grace, but I do think it's a good reminder. We are never too far from needing His grace-every one of us.

2011-05-05T13:14:00.000-04:00

Many dwelling styles in Ithaca, New York...

Cornell University.

College Town. Can't believe I used to live there. It's very different now.

This is more my style...

On a ride, my husband and I found an abandoned house. I want to write a little story about it.

I love the tree buds and flowers. Spring is the most wonderful time of the year.

2011-04-29T10:06:00.003-04:00

It's my son's birthday-a high emotion day for me filled with memories. I don't think I could write a better post than the one I wrote for his 18th birthday, so I'm giving the link. Some of his great art work is above. I think you'll also see why I used the little duckling's picture if you read my post.
Happy Birthday, Micah. I love you.
Read the birthday post here.http://flowersmith-debra.blogspot.com/2008_04_01_archive.html

2011-04-28T09:58:00.000-04:00

I was rumaging around in my blog photos of 2 years ago and found these to post again. I love how photography helps me see the world a different way...

I wanted to tell you about a blog I have found that I love so much. Two blogs actually. One is called
Holy Experience. The other is Yes and Amen. Visit and love.
~Debra

Sunshine and Shoes

2011-04-25T10:09:00.000-04:00

The sun shines but sneaks in like a dream-cold air of perpetual March hanging on and on. Will it ever be warm and sunny and flowery?
So I try my hand at 'thankfuls'-making mental lists of them. It helps-because there are so many.
I hate being a hostage to the weather.

I've neglected this blog which I have thought of just deleting....seems so many things beg my time and attention. But I visit now and then and get a certain comfort from being here.

It's funny-today I had no intention of writing here or getting photos posted. I guess I've been waiting for a purpose or theme to unfold itself here at Sparrowgrass. And now I can see the same thing has been happening in my artwork-and if I were honest-in my life.

My Mom said something that really touched my heart yesterday. She said she was thinking about not really doing much for God right now in her life. But the thought came to her that she could serve the one that was in her home just as she would if it were God Himself. My step-father is who she was talking about. It seemed like a perfect servant's heart thought, and that is where it begins I think.

Let me serve You, Lord...

2011-03-12T12:58:00.000-05:00

Cornelius...

2011-02-26T09:27:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note to let you know my goose is fine....Thank you for your concern....

Photoshop Fun...

2011-02-24T16:54:00.000-05:00

Needing some artistic inspiration, I turned to some of my photos and decided to play with Photoshop. I have Elements 5-I think it's called-and I'm really only beginning to understand the basics. I don't like to use the help sections too much-I just play and see what happens. This effect is in the 'Filter Gallery.' It's the 'cutout' effect. I love it. I'd like to use it somehow in my art, but I'm not just sure what to do.

I've been thinking about making little coloring books-these photo effects sorta remind me of that. By the way, with this new font I'm using on my blog-the comma has vanished-so that's why it looks like I have periods with a small letter beginning a new sentence...

My goose...

2011-02-18T17:01:00.001-05:00

P.S. Cornelius is fine (Saturday morn). I thank God He cares about even the little things that concern us... I'm worried about one of my geese, Cornelius. I noticed early this morning she was staying 'tucked' while the other geese were eating and rambling. I went out and sat in the goose holding chair, and she tucked while on my lap...never has she done that. Always picking buttons, honking at the other geese and probably saying-"Ha ha-I'm being held and you're not!"

So I went out later with the camera. She has had this camera in her face before, and was never afraid of it. I can see something in those eyes-a look of not feeling well...

I have prayed for Cornelius. I know we're not supposed to have favorites, but she is-I love Titus and Sam Houston very much. But I think it's this incredible trust that Cornelius has for me that endears my heart toward her.

My geese sleep in a back room/garage at night-in a kiddie pool filled with straw. So I'll be up a few times tonight to check on my feathered child...

My world this morning...

2011-02-16T09:43:00.000-05:00

When I saw the sky today, it startled me with its beauty and BIGness. I was reminded of God...

Moss is a little world unto itself....

Cornelius

Snow and Starlings

2011-01-29T14:52:00.000-05:00

It's pretty. The birds like black leaves on bare trees...

This morning, and last summer...

2011-01-21T15:32:00.002-05:00

I've heard it will get down to zero tonight.

We have had more snow. About 6 inches now. It's beautiful...

To remember summer can be a stretch of memory...

This is how to use a cat box if you happen to be a goose. That's Cornelius,Titus and Sam Houston from front to back.

This is our screen house. My husband built this little house. I put up some old bed frames for a honeysuckle and a wild rose to clamber over. The front of this house is all screened. We spent many wonderful nights sleeping here. One time there were coyotes not far from us. We were scared and loved every minute of it!

Our raspberries and peas-some of the berries are in the freezer now.

The lilies were so beautiful. This one has an intoxicating smell. On warm nights the perfume wafts around the air like fairy wings.

Stay warm everyone!

A Winter Story

2011-01-15T10:53:00.000-05:00

"Shhhhhh," say the grasses. "Listen to the snow falling..."

"Swoosh swoosh," say the grasses. "This winter coat makes me sleepy..."

"How would you like to be frozen in the ground?" asks the pail. "At least you can move about."

"Look at me, a forgotten collard. Eaten up by those awful worms..."

"Ha! Poor lowly grasses and ugly garden compost! Look at my lovely branches!" says the curly willow.

"Tut! Tut! There's beauty untold in a seed. Look at my pretty stripes. Imagine my new growth in the Spring!"

"Bamboo-now there's a plant that's a plant!" whispers the tall bamboo.

"Look how lovely my blue is against the white snow!" says the blue spruce. "I think I'll grow 2 feet taller this year!"

"Us hemlocks sheltered a fox one day. He slept curled up near my trunk," says the tallest tree.

"Now for elegance, you can't surpass the white pine. Look at my graceful needles-see how long they are!"

"Guess I'm done for," says the lonely aster. "But my seeds will be eaten by little birds."

"I'm too old to talk much. But thanks for stopping by..." said the worn out '60's clock.

"Thanks for rescuing me from a dump," said the beautiful white sink.

"Hush now everybody, let's listen to the snow falling..." says the grass as it fell asleep.

My kitchen

2011-01-10T11:15:00.000-05:00

I love my kitchen. I want to paint the floor. Another owner put the hardwood floor over something else. I think it needs to be sanded, then painted.

This little rocking chair was my grandma's. It sat in her living room, right across from the bigger rocker she always sat in. Visitors would sit in this chair. I love it.

This is the scarf I was knitting at the hospital recently. You may read that story on my Facebook wall. I cherish this scarf now.

One of the many doors in our old farmhouse. It should be replaced, like the ancient windows, but we don't want to do it.

I bought this wonderful old pail at the 50 Mile Long Yard Sale a few years ago. Price: 1 dollar. The flower is a lone blue hydrangea my little bush grew this year.

Hmmmm...I'm not sure what this look means. But it does seem guilty for something.

This cabinet used to be an old ice chest fridge. Someone did a lot of work on it. We use it to hide canned goods.

This is a door that I screwed to the wall.

On top of my fridge-lots of birds, and probably a bit of dust...

I love our table. It's quite long. It was buried under a ton of oiled up old tools in a local antiques shop. I don't think the shop owner could believe I wanted to buy it. But I could see its possibilities. I striped the old finish off it and cleaned it up and painted it, then polyurethaned over the paint. I also redid the mis-matched chairs in a slightly different blue and sanded their edges. I made burlap seat covers for them.
The 'nesting area' sign I made for a killdeer that insisted on making her nest in a turn around part of our road. I actually put it on a pole and tried to protect her nest.

God can see right through all the junk on the surface-you know, all the stuff that's easy for everyone else to see-but sometimes even you don't recognize it. It's a glorious thing to be transformed by Him-to be made new. That's the word He has given me for this New Year-"New."

Gifts....

2010-12-24T09:22:00.001-05:00

When my son Micah was about a year old, we found a baby duck in the yard with the geese we had at that time-Sigfried and Paris. (Pictured in our tub, above the picture of Micah and me)

It was quite a shock to find a baby duck running in the tall grass with our big old geese. The baby duck still had the little tooth on its beak that it had used to get out of its shell!

Right away, I knew I could raise the duck-I had ducks or geese all my life. So I scooped it up in my hands and kissed its little duck head. To find a box was the next thing.

Caring for a little boy and a baby duck was time consuming, but it was my cup of tea. While Micah was napping, the duck (Micah called her 'Fee', we called her 'DuckDuck') was laying on my lap while I watched old movies. That duck plainly loved me. And it plainly hated my husband Geoff! Fee hissed at him and stuck her little duck tongue out at him whenever he came too close. I was hers so stay away!

Geoff has learned to love ducks and geese and birds, but this was a tough learning curve for him. This was a man who did not especially like birds, and had grown up fearing them from childhood barn owl experiences that we won't go into! But-because of his love for me, he tolerated duck and goose hate directed his way.

Well, Fee grew. She spent time in a kiddie pool in our back yard. She was a wild duck, by the way. We have no idea how she ended up in that yard with our geese. Because she loved me and depended on me for protection, a very strong bond grew between us. Micah plainly adored her. The duck would scamper on the kitchen floor, trying to pick his little toes, while he screamed with laughter. I was training a bird-lover, for sure! But she feathered out, and it was getting to be near Fall.

It was time to release Fee.

I knew it had to be done, and I dreaded it, but I wanted freedom for her. She could not live with us, and fulfill her duck life as God had planned for her...So, we picked a wildlife preserve and drove to it. I remember my anxiety as I took her out of her box. Everything she would need was right there, and she'd be protected. But I'd never see her again. Never really know how she was living, or if other ducks would love her like I did.

I let her go in the water. She swam away, and that was it. I cried like a baby.

As I said, that was Fall-time. A few months passed, and Christmas came. There was an envelope in our Christmas tree addressed to me. This is what it said: "Dear Grandma, Yep, you read it right-you're the grandma of the most beautiful pair of boy mallards this side of Utica. Their names are Dodo and Murky. I met my husband about one week after you let me go. He's sweet. His name is Rudder and he says he will always love me. I love him too. I want to thank you so much for saving my life and giving me my freedom. Hope your family is well, and have a Merry Christmas. Love, Duck Duck"

Over the years, I would get 9 more love letters from a duck on Christmas day.

Merry Christmas...

A broken and contrite heart...

2010-12-09T10:25:00.001-05:00

One of the things I adore about my Heavenly Father is the way He uses seemingly disparate ways of getting His point to me across. The first way always is through His Word, but even then, I'll be reminded of verses or subjects that don't seem to fit what I'm battling. Then, He uses books, sermons, people saying something out of the blue-but in the end, it all comes together in such a way that I finally get the point-and in all of it-I see a Dad that loves me so very very much.

I am not ashamed to lay out some of my life before the world on this blog.

When I call on my Heavenly Dad, he drops everything and listens. And He can do that with the millions of other people that call him at the same time, and make each one of us feel like we are the only ones that matter-we are His delight.

In my unforgiving and bitter heart, I have become very hard. The amazing thing is, my Father still wants to hear me, and still wants to teach me, and still wants to gather me up and carry me across His shoulders. God will not revive a hard heart. There are many ways to be hard. Pride is one of the worst. Pride is when you are so hard and dry that a rain will not soak in, it will only bounce off.

I have been drawn to read Zephaniah along with my other reading, and it really hit home this morning. In chapter 2:13-15-"And the Lord will stretch out His hand against the north and destroy Assyria and will make Nineveh a desolation, dry as the desert.
Herds shall lie down in the midst of [Nineveh]. all the wild beasts of the nations and of every kind; both the pelican and the hedgehog shall lodge on the upper part of her [fallen] pillars; the voice [of the nesting bird] shall sing in the windows; desolation and drought shall be on the thresholds, for her cedar paneling will He lay bare.
This is the joyous and exultant city that dwelt carelessly [feeling so secure], that said in her heart, I am and there is none beside me. What a desolation she has become, a lair for [wild] beasts! Everyone who passes by her shall hiss and wave his hand [indicating his gratification]." Amplified Bible

In chapter 3, I read that the rebellious only have to hear and receive correction and instruction-and those who pray will have a promise of restoration and renewal-Revival!
Verses 11 & 12 of chapter 3: "In that day you [the congregation of Israel] shall not be put to shame for all your deeds by which you have rebelled and transgressed against Me, for then I will take away out of your midst those who exult in your majesty and pride, and you shall no more be haughty [and carry yourselves arrogantly on or] because of My holy mountain.
For I will leave in the midst of you a people afflicted and poor, and they shall trust, seek refuge, and be confident in the name of the Lord." Amplified Version

"A people afflicted and poor." What is that if it is not a broken heart before God? And the glorious thing is, that God says in verse 17 that He will not even mention our past sins, that He will rejoice over us with joy, and He will actually sing over us!

I realise that this may not be as meaningful to everyone who reads it as it is to me. But it's just what I needed.

Excuse me-I need to climb out on my rooftop and shout!

2010-12-08T08:23:00.000-05:00

See the cross in everyday little things, but see it. I want the world, the earth out of my eyes so I can see...

2010-12-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure when it started happening, but I have a hard heart. I've let it get hard.

It is not good, to be so full of hardness. A heart full of itself can't see anything or anyone else.

"For, as to have a broken heart,

is to have an excellent thing,

so to keep this broken heart tender,

is also very advantageous."~ John Bunyan

I do know the first step to a broken heart is repentance.

2010-12-05T19:11:00.000-05:00

1 Corinthians 13:12 "For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood [by God]. Amplified Version

2010-11-24T09:02:00.002-05:00

You know what? It's time for me to get out some stuff on this blog. It will be a blog-sweeping. When I look back at some posts, I want to cringe, but it's because I didn't tell the story plainly to begin with-instead I poked and prickered my way around my hurt. I need to do it... Some of this you may have read here before. It keeps coming up like a filth on the beach. Back again, the topic of divorce and remarriage. Turned off? Don't read.

My story is pretty simple. Saved when I was a teen, but nothing kept me in a church. So-I drifted until a music teacher in our school took groups of kids to a local church on Friday nights. It was a coffee house type atmosphere, with lots of praise music. I led a girlfriend to the Lord. I wanted to follow Him.
But-as time went on, lots of other stuff crowded out the path I was on. I fell away...I married when I was 19, divorced at 23. Then married again at 27 or 28-I really can't remember now-but divorced 3 years later. Someone with no direction-that's a fact. Add 2 years of college in there, lots of self-indulgent living and plain sinful living. Where was my head? I can only say I was on a dead end road. The 'Self Only' road does nothing good for anyone, and you can pick up a lot of ugly hitchhikers traveling it....

Forward to 34 years old. I marry a sweet, loving, dear sweetheart of a guy-and we have a son, Micah. We were not involved in a church at all until our baby was maybe 6 months old. We started watching a TV show about the end times-Jack Van Impe. He convicted both our hearts, so we asked Jesus to come in and live there. We found a church.

We decided to go to another church after a while, and had been there for 18 years. Micah grew up there. My parents went there too. After 18 years we were asked to separate-my husband and I, because we both had divorce in our pasts. We left that church. We did not separate.

That was 2 years ago. I want to tell you a little about my particular journey in that time. It has been hell. It's that simple. A pastor you have trusted basically says you have committed the unpardonable sin if you do not separate from your husband. The only way to forgiveness is to separate. You do not really have a relationship with the Lord-you just think you do....This is hard to write, but it was so much harder to live.

So why am I writing this? First-I'm sick of it being caught up inside my head and coming out on this blog in those jabs and briars I mentioned. Always having the feeling that I had to prove my forgiveness, to defend my beliefs-I can't even say how much that affected me-it was enormous. But then to actually think that I would go to hell?? Beyond words.

One day a few weeks ago, I was agonizing over this, and the Lord brought to my memory my dream book. It's just a plain old spiral bound notebook, but inside are all the dreams the Lord has given me over the years, along with some wonderful promises. I was in utter agony when I started reading those old entries, but by the time I had read just a few pages, I knew Jesus loves me. I have copied some of that dream journal and you can read it at my September 1, 2010 post.

He died for people just like me that make a crappy start in their life, but want to make it right...How can a person ever ever ever make all those things right??? You see, it's not about what we do. (And by the way, He died for every person ever born)

It's all about what He did.

I have decided I'm not done with this subject. There are people out there who need hope, and Grace....and so much more.

There is one very important reason to post this in the Thanksgiving season. Because all of this has led me to actually dive into my Bible-it has been my life-saver, my Light. Galatians and Colossians especially-written by a murderer who could never make up for his sins....So I am thankful for the hardness and the hurt, because it literally drove me to Jesus and the assurance I have from Him-not from any other man-that I am in His hands. Do I have crud to work on? Yes. Do you? Just come to Him. There's room.

One more thing- I will garbage can any comments that degrade a pastor or belittle someone for their beliefs. That is NOT what I'm writing this for.

Thoughts from my reading today...

2010-11-11T10:34:00.000-05:00

"In a certain part of the world that I have visited often, right outside the hotel is a little shrine. I have watched every morning, as thousands walked by. Most would pause, bow, fold their hands, or make some kind of reverential sign to honor the deity and then move on. Many of those who ceremoniously carried out that ritual would then walk a few paces and "lie in wait" to see which tourists they could hoodwink that morning. From unfurling nude pictures or offering the services of a prostitute, to selling fake Rolex watches for twenty dollars, their day was spent in the illegal and the immoral. They were zealous and aggressive in leading the gullible astray.
"As I have pondered this, I have tried to put together their habits of worship and their scandalous business. I have come to the conclusion that hypocrite is a very innocuous word to describe such a life. Their activities, both sacred and perverse, were not hidden-they were all done in the open. I believe that what actually happened is a cutting of the nerve of spirituality at the neck, so that it never filters down to the heart, hands, and feet. Life is lived out in self-contained compartments with nothing to connect them. Their bowing recognizes the sacred. Their exploiting grants the material. In living, they desecrate others without a twinge of conscience. Yet if anyone were to hint at desecrating that shrine, his life would be in peril. Such is the amputation of religion that pays homage to God but would be the most surprised if God were ever to show up." Ravi Zacharias, Jesus Among Other Gods

After reading this and after hearing some things God has been speaking to me just this morning, the sentence I underscored in that quote cut me to the quick. I think it pretty well describes me. I have let it happen, as other things crowd in for my attention and perhaps even my worship. Instead of a lengthy description of how I want God to change me, I'll let it rest there, but I still think it's important for us to examine our lives.....

There's just one more thing I want to copy out for you here on this blog, then I really mean it-I'm going to hibernate for a bit-but there's reason I have to include this passage from Max Lucado's devotional called "Grace." I don't think I'll go into the reason. Just read...

"If we are saved by good works, we don't need God-weekly reminders of the do's and don'ts will get us into heaven. If we are saved by suffering, we certainly don't need God. All we need is a whip and a chain and the gospel of guilt. If we are saved by doctrine then, for heaven's sake, let's study! We don't need God, we need a lexicon.
"But be careful, student. For if you are saved by having exact doctrine, then one mistake would be fatal. That goes for those who believe we are made right with God through deeds. I hope the temptation is never greater than the strength. If it is, a bad fall could be a bad omen. And those who think we are saved by suffering, take caution as well, for you never know how much suffering is required.
"It took Paul decades to discover what he wrote in only one sentence: "'A person is made right with God through faith'." Not through good works, suffering or study."

Romans 8:28-
"For we hold that a man is justified and made upright by faith independent of and distinctly apart from good deeds (works of the Law). [The observance of the Law has nothing to do with justification.]"~Amplified Version of the Bible

2010-11-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

Here are some of my fav photos-some I took last year, and the one of me and my ducks is about 20 years old! Yeesh, I'm old! Hey-it doesn't matter to me.

No-this is not me-but it does describe the farmer, who happens to be a friend of ours...

Remember my 'pet' woodchuck, Mr. Ed? Awwww...it was a nice thing until he discovered the goose corn. And the geese. Not a match made in heaven. Relocation was in order. I hope Mr. Ed likes the meadow we moved him to. Probably no corn for breakfast, lunch and dinner...

Brother Ray, these are for you. Here's the barn we played in growing up and spending summer vacations at Grandma and Grandpa's. I think I liked the other barn better. This one always spooked me, but I do remember having fun swinging on some ropes and jumping in the straw.

A view from the farm. I could have grown up here, if things had been very different. My Daddy died-we moved away. But I'm thankful for a wonderful Uncle, who still owns the farm, and makes us feel welcome to wander there when ever we want to.
I'll be away from blogland for a bit-I'm trying to get caught up with my handmades. Til then, take care, and God bless you.

2010-11-08T12:26:00.000-05:00

The grape leaves had a chance to turn yellow before we had a hard frost that sent them all to the ground in a crumbly brown splendor... To see huge blocks of vineyards across the lake, they looked like fields of yellow tulips.
I love the sight of big gray clouds in November and the bare trees. The combination is striking. I feel like the trees are calling in the wind and snow. There is plenty of yellow on the ground still, from maples, mulberry trees, larches. I like feasting my eyes on color-it is wild, and everywhere I look I can feel my brain getting overloaded with it.

2010-10-29T09:08:00.001-04:00

"It is my obedience that puts me right with God, my consecration. Never! I am put right with God because prior to all, Christ died. When I turn to God and by belief accept what God reveals I can accept, instantly the stupendous Atonement of Jesus Christ rushes me into a right relationship with God; and by the supernatural miracle of God's grace I stand justified, not because I am sorry for my sin, not because I have repented, but because of what Jesus has done."

"The salvation of God does not stand on human logic, it stands on the sacrificial death of Jesus. We can be born again because of the Atonement of our Lord. Sinful men and women can be changed into new creatures, not by their repentance or their belief, but by the marvelous work of God in Christ Jesus which is prior to all experience. We have not to work out these things for ourselves; they have been worked out by the Atonement. The supernatural becomes natural by the miracle of God; there is the realization of what Jesus Christ has already done-"It is finished." ~Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

2010-10-28T10:26:00.000-04:00

2010-10-27T11:29:00.000-04:00

I am reading Ravi Zacharias's book, Jesus among Other Gods. It's an incredibly well-written book, especially if you already love hearing this man of God speak. Things keep catching me as I read, and I already know my copy of it will be highlighted to death, and rabbit-eared or dog-eared, which ever animal you prefer. Here's a wonderful passage in my reading today-and I'm just beginning this book, so more will follow, I wager.

"You hear it a thousand times and more growing up in the East-"We all come through different routes and end up in the same place." But I say to you, God is not a place or an experience or a feeling. Pluralistic cultures are beguiled by the cosmetically courteous idea that sincerity or privilege of birth is all that counts and that truth is subject to the beholder. In no other discipline of life can one be so naive as to claim inherited belief or insistent belief as the sole determiner of truth. Why, then, do we make the catastrophic error of thinking that all religions are right and that it does not matter whether the claims they make are objectively true?
"All religions are not the same. All religions do not point to God. All religions do not say that all religions are the same. At the heart of every religion is an uncompromising commitment to a particular way of defining who God is or is not and accordingly, of defining life's purpose.
"Anyone who claims that all religions are the same betrays not only an ignorance of all religions but also a caricatured view of even the best-known ones. Every religion at its core is exclusive."

2010-10-26T15:14:00.000-04:00

Beautiful birthday gifts from my sweethearts...and-tickets to a Fernando Ortega dinner/concert, plus flowers!

And on my birthday while I was walking the daily 3-miler, God gave me: a flock of very low flying geese. This is a thing between He and I (is this correct English?). He always gives me geese to encourage me and it's a special little thing just between us. The colors here are beyond beautiful. The shadbush, or Serviceberry is right outside my kitchen window. Since the picture was taken it has lost about half of those leaves ( I almost wrote 'feathers'!)

I feel bad about not visiting my blog pals-I promise to be better at it!
Have a beautiful day...

In the Ditch

2010-10-15T08:35:00.001-04:00

I just happened to see this as I was taking pictures of trees. Isn't it amazing how we can sometimes almost miss beauty where we don't think it will be? Like maybe in another person, or even in a personal hardship? Maybe God wants to bring gold out of us somehow...

2010-10-11T15:21:00.000-04:00

This is just too much fun!!! The bottom one is Micah-but don't tell!!!! The top three are my very patient husband!! Heehee!!

2010-10-11T10:54:00.000-04:00

Ok...I'm looking for a new hairstyle. I can't help it-being stupid is part of who I am.

2010-10-09T10:40:00.000-04:00

Fifteen years ago...I was scared of the trip I would make to the hospital on October 10 to have brain surgery. Now that doesn't even seem real-to write 'brain surgery.' But I can feel the dent in my head from it-so I know it happened!
God gave me a promise-He told me to read Psalm 118. As I was reading it, nothing really clicked with me until I read verse 17. "I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord." It's just what I needed to hear. I was so afraid.

The Bible is full of promises from a loving God-a Holy God-who desires to be so well known by us that we can hear Him speak to us and that we desire to please Him by how we live. I can't say it so well I guess, but I've come through a lot of stuff in my life because I have known and experienced God's power and His fulfillment of His Word in my own life.

And I look out the window beside me-the sky is blue and it's a beautiful day. Sun is lighting up the yellow birches. My son and I had a little conversation about doing God's will-having peace and knowing what the right thing is to do. Outside, my husband is digging up the sewer! All little things, everyday things, maybe precious things-gifts from God. And I get to experience them here with the people I love.

And again I find myself in a place to declare Your works, Oh God!
You are Faithful, Wonderful, Mighty.
I love You.

2010-10-07T14:13:00.001-04:00

It's fun to take a drive and the camera. I have forgotten the name of this town we found. I do love that mustard yellow desk. Please visit Dee's blog for wonderful tattered houses and barn photos.

2010-10-05T19:28:00.000-04:00

A photo I have-I wish I knew for sure if they were relatives.
I hope you aren't as soggy as we are-it's been raining for days. I have lots more berries to pick-if they haven't gotten moldy. Our apple harvest will be big too.

2010-10-03T21:45:00.000-04:00

Cynthia--
Thank you, thank you for what you said to my Mom after church today. You have no idea how it helped me. God bless you a zillion million times. Yes, I mean you-Coco the dog's 'Mom'. I'm beginning to realize how the enemy has lied to me in so many ways, and I've believed him. But--thank you-you've made a difference-a very good one-in my life today. Love, Debra

2010-09-29T12:20:00.000-04:00

Trying to dry new wings on a dark and damp day...this fellow is just out of his cocoon. Isn't it late in the year for them to be coming out?

Here is our new pet pumpkin. My friend Kathy (hi Kathy!!) adopted this guy and gave him to us. I have named him Mr. Horace P. Bogardus.

Fall Raspberries

2010-09-29T10:51:00.000-04:00

My red raspberries are giving us a huge crop this Fall. These will be a pie or two for my guys....

The ornamental grasses are all in bloom...

My kitchen. Notice the wonderful boat my son made about 8 years ago.

Yesterday my son and husband went for a four mile walk. When they got home, my son said, "I was noticing just how beautiful it is here, and how God reveals part of who He is in the beauty."

I have a wise son.

Marsha, these are for you

2010-09-26T20:54:00.000-04:00

The top photo is taken from our back yard looking toward fields. Used to be open fields when we moved here. I love the over-grown look.

This was taken near Naples. We are just starting to see lots of gorgeous color here.

2010-09-25T15:56:00.000-04:00

When you're a goose, sometimes ya gotta put up with some fluff in your nose...

This is the place I am in...

2010-09-01T21:25:00.000-04:00

from a prayer journal I wrote:
December 20, 2005
Lord, go beyond what I am and bring me out in a plain- a place I cannot see me-only You. Lead me by a simple way- I get hung up on so many things. Help me to let go of everything and cling to You.

February 22, 2006
The Lord gave me a phrase one time during the night as I was awake for a few minutes. The phrase was "songs of deliverance." This morning, He brought it to my mind and I looked it up in my concordance.
Psalm 32:7 "Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from troubles; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah."
Also Isaiah 35:10 says the ransomed of the Lord shall come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads.

March 16
Correction, when done right, is actually encouragement. You want to 'encourage' a tree to grow a certain way, so you prune what is wrong away.

My Birthday, 2005
I had a dream about 2 swarms of locusts going over my head. I saw them so close I could hear their wings hit each other. I was reminded of Joel 2:21-32. About God's forgiveness and restoration. I had the dream 3 times.

April 12
Wonderful, wonderful dream this night. I was singing with lots of people around me. We were all flat on our backs. "How can I NOT praise you Lord?" was the song, and the words that I kept singing. It's not a song I've heard before, but those were the words I was singing. The Lord was all around us and there were gorgeous leaves on the trees above us in shimmering fall colors and they were waving and praising the Lord too. My mom was beside me and we held hands and praised. It was a tremendous dream, and I'm SO thankful for it.
Isaiah 55:12 "For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."

December 20
Early this morning God gave me the most beautiful dream I've ever had. First of all, there was a feeling with the dream. It was total peace, calm, security. There was absolute quiet in the dream.
The picture was first of a path that went through some knee high grass, with other plants and small shrubs on either side, sort of woodsy, but there were no tall trees. It was beautiful. I was on the path, following it as it unfolded before me. The path was lit up more than the surrounding area- it was lit more than the actual path, like a small area on either side of the path.
The path itself was narrow, but there were no bumps or hard places or things to trip me up. I remember the lighting was other-worldly, being that it fell on the path, along it, and not like light would fall from the sun. The path was straight.
I got to a small fork in the path and at that point I heard God say to me, "I will be your Light."
And that was the end of the dream.
(I finally have discovered what He was preparing me for, and He has been true to His word for me.)

May 9, 2007
I was standing in front of a window, with light pouring in, worshipping the Lord, and singing a beautiful song to Him.

April 7, 2008
I had a dream this morning that I didn't even think too much about until I sat down for my prayer time. The dream was this: I was in some house or room and a big white-faced hornet was on my forehead and would have stung me- but 'a man' took the bee and got honey from it when he crushed it in his hand. In fact, he ate the honey.
So I believe it was a precious dream about what Jesus does and will do for me- He takes the sting, yet gives something sweet and life-sustaining in its place. What a Savior.

April 10, Good Friday
This morning the Lord gave me a lovely dream. He gave me a song. I remember singing it beautifully and the words were wonderful too. But now the only words I remember are the very first ones, "It matters not..." He repeated the song-the dream-for me 3 times.
I thought about these words "It matters not" when a worry came to mind...those words were a gift from Him.
Oh, I treasure my Lord...

These memorials, and many more that are not dreams, but reality-actual things that have happened to me and the fact that He meets with me in my times of prayer and Bible reading are all I need to be reminded of His realness, His desire to perfect me and all that concerns me, His total forgiveness- His patience, mercy....this is what I needed tonight Lord. To be reminded. Thank You.

2010-08-15T11:35:00.000-04:00

I just want to say howdy quickly, and tell all my pals I am taking maybe a few months away from blogging or reading blogs. I feel at this time my family and my business need all the time I can spare. My family is not work at all, but my art is. I have spent some time praying over this, and I am going to work at some things as much as possible, without the pull of the computer-I can spend so much time here! And I love it!!! I could list you all by name that I'll miss, but I'll start crying....just know I am really fine---and I do apologise for being so negative so much. This is fading away-in part because of the awesome church we attend, and in part because of God's tender mercy toward me. And ohhh...it is so tender....

So adios until maybe October. I hope to visit my birthplace farm in Pennsylvania and take some pictures.
Til then, love....

2010-08-09T08:38:00.000-04:00

His followers went to him and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We will drown!" Jesus answered, "Why are you afraid?" Matthew 8:25-26

Read this verse: "Then those who were in the boat worshipped him, saying,"'Truly you are the Son of God'" (Matthew 14:33 NIV)
After the storm, [the disciples] worshipped him. They had never, as a group, done that before. Never. Check it out. Open your Bible. Search for a time when the disciples corporately praised him.
You won't find it.
You won't find them worshipping when he heals the leper. Forgives the adulteress. Preaches to the masses. They were willing to follow. Willing to leave family. Willing to cast out demons. Willing to be in the army.
But only after the incident on the sea did they worship him.
Why?
Simple. This time they were the ones who were saved.
~Max Lucado, In the Eye of the Storm

Who I am...

2010-07-20T20:15:00.000-04:00

I'm one who is over-much concerned about approval...

Divorced twice. Married first at 19 years old. Duration: 3 years.

Married second at 26 years old. Duration: 3 years.

Accepted Jesus into my heart when I was 13, at a summer Bible camp. Went home to a non-church going family-except grandparents. On and off relationship with Jesus through the years 'til 1990. My third husband, Geoff, and I loved our son Micah so much, and we wanted to do the best for him. We were drawn to God through some TV shows. We found a church; we gave ourselves and our son to the Lord.

Maybe I'm the only one who reads this blog that can feel the barbs and jabs I feel when I read some of my posts. I don't know. But I do know I'm very tired of living this way, and I've lived it for years.

Mostly from the divorce/remarriage issue.

I have felt I have to defend myself, but end up doing it with prickers and barbs. I want my joy back. That's why I'm writing this.

Another 'Who I am-' clumsy, and not very graceful; out of sorts in groups of people. In the woods, roaming my gardens, looking at the sky or enjoying a loud thunder storm-those are the elements I'm comfortable in. I seek out lost-looking souls, or hurting ones. I'm home with them. We connect.

I admire easy-talkers and self confidence because I don't have it. I'm writing better than I speak because I love to write and I love to read good writing-not because I'm trying to impress anyone.

The main thing I need to get out is about divorce and remarriage. This is a very touchy topic and especially lately I've had to deal with certain things about it. I don't think it's wise to go into a lot of detail because I honestly don't want to hurt anyone. And I truly have forgiven the people in a situation I'm thinking of. I love them. I do.

When it comes to being made to feel that I do not have a relationship with God because of my past- I really have to draw a line and say, "Do not cross."

Actually, God drew that line 2,000 years ago. He knew exactly what He was doing when He took the nails in His hands for me. There were no surprises-my life was plain before Him and yet He accepted me.

I also don't want to sound like I'm justifying my life, my sins. I'm not.

I'm telling whoever has gotten this far reading this post- there is a place of repentance for whatever is hung about your neck in shame-for whatever hurts you have endured or caused.

There is no hill to climb that will make you right with God. The Law will not make you righteous.

There are a lot of people in my circumstance who desire to be known as godly people-not known for the sins they have committed. When you know someone's history of wrong-doing, do you always think of that instead of who they are in Christ?

When I think, even for a short moment, of some of the crud I've done and thought and said- I'm sick. The fact is, I want to be like Jesus, and I see a long road I need to go...

But hey, He's there with me. He's the Light on my path.

P.S. If you're wondering why I bothered to have this on my blog-such a public place-I can't exactly answer that, except to say it has helped me to get some stuff out. If I've offended you by being so personal-I'm sorry. But perhaps in some way this might be a help to someone.

I'm going to take a break from this blog; do my daily walks, hold a goose, work in my studio. And thank God, from whom all blessings flow...

2010-07-15T08:35:00.000-04:00

Faith is trusting what the eye can't see.
Eyes see the prowling lion. Faith sees Daniel's angel.
Eyes see storms. Faith sees Noah's rainbow.
Eyes see giants. Faith sees Canaan.
Your eyes see your faults. Your faith sees your Savior.
Your eyes see your guilt. Your faith sees His blood.
Your eyes look in the mirror and see a sinner, a failure, a promise-breaker. But by faith you look in the mirror and see a robed prodigal bearing the ring of grace on your finger and the kiss of your Father on your face.
~ Max Lucado, When God Whispers Your Name

2010-07-13T07:25:00.002-04:00

2010-07-08T20:00:00.000-04:00

Newness of Life -or- A Well Behaved Skunk...

2010-07-06T09:24:00.001-04:00

I'm excited this morning because I am alive and I'm a new me! And because I didn't get sprayed by a very polite skunk!
I've described my daily walk. I have seen these animals on my walks: horses, cows, cats and kittens, coyotes, white rabbits, many kinds of birds, snakes, newts, squirrels, toads, one 'Eyed Click Beetle' (awesome bug!) millions of snails, and, this morning-an old grandpa skunk!
The dog and I were just walking along, minding our own part of the road and not paying much attention to anything- when up the ditch right beside us, ambles this lovely skunk! Coming directly at us! WHoa Nellie! I was very glad I used a dog leash. Cheyenne wanted to meet Mr. Skunk, and all I was thinking was-arrggg! get me to the other side of the road! Fast!!! Mr. Skunk did not care one particle about us, he just kept on with his little walk up the ditch. He was beautiful! His long white hair draped over his body with only a small part of black showing. Well, enough of the adrenaline for this morning!
Now on to the part about me...
It seems very un-humble (can't think of a better word) to write about me, but I have come to realise that I do it without really doing it, even when I only post pictures. I guess blogs can be a real ego thing, huh? But the reason I'm writing this is maybe it will put a prick in someone's heart that might need what I got, and then they can have what I have. Ok-getting giddy here...on with it!
I have slowly come to realise I have been dragging a dead person around with me for years. As much as I read my Bible and thought I applied what it said about grace and forgiveness, I've been hauling this stinking thing around and even dressing it up and combing its hair for years. A dead me. Stiff and stinking-really bad...
Through a series of circumstances and God's still small voice, I have seen something, and now that I see it-I reject it. I bury that person, and I forgive those horrid hurts that went so deep-I forgive those who imposed them on me....
And I have newness of life because of it.
So many of my blog posts have been tempered with an awful chip on my shoulder-a palpable hurt meant to hurt in return. It seemed I was in a prison.
It is good to be out.
I do not have the weight of that old dead person any more.
Romans 5:20-21 Amplified Bible~
But then the Law came in, only to expand and increase the trespass. But where sin increased and abounded, grace has surpassed it and increased the more and superabounded,
So that, just as sin has reigned in death, so grace might reign also through righteousness which issues in eternal life through Jesus Christ.

Romans 6:4 We were buried therefore with Him by the baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, so we too might habitually live and behave in newness of life.

2010-06-26T20:43:00.000-04:00

I had an experience today that I have to write about. I was driving-heading to see a friend who sells flowers at a local market. There was a long line of bicyclists in an organized event-an official truck followed some of them. After a bit I passed the truck and just kept on my way. Suddenly, a little way ahead of me, I saw one cyclist in the middle of a group of three swerve and the bike went down, and so did the rider. His companions stopped to take care of him. I was the only car driver on the road at the time. I pulled over and ran to the group. One was on his cell phone. I asked how I could help. He told me to drive to a house we had passed, that there would be an emergency truck there. Shaking and my heart pounding, I ran to my car and turned around and drove to the place. I yelled at the first person I found and waited to make sure they were going to help.
When I was at the scene, I saw the guy that had been hurt. I won't describe it because I don't want it on your mind like it is on mine.

This has been haunting me all day. I wondered so many things. Why did I have to see it? Why did he have to be so hurt? Is he alive?

I prayed, and I cried, and truth be told, I will never forget this.

So...I've been thinking that age-old question. Why did You let it happen, God?
I have ~~part of~~ the answer...

God is good. Everywhere, at all times, in all things, under all circumstances. That fact rides right along side the hurt guy.

I was feeling quite overwhelmed-yes, even a tad crazy-letting all the junk of the world crowd out some important things I know about God. Then I listened to one of my favorite songs-"Give Me Jesus, " by Fernando Ortega. It put everything into perspective again for me.

2010-06-23T07:59:00.000-04:00

Walking about 3 miles a day has helped in my weight loss plan. I've lost 26 pounds, and adopted a new way of eating-very low sugar intake, lots of greens (fresh out of my garden now). Walking has been a spiritual help too. I pray while I walk. It's just a very sweet, close time I have with the Lord. When I get back home, I read my Bible and other books I happen to be studying. And I pray some more. Did you notice-there seems to be a lot to pray about??
I thought perhaps you'd like to see what I see on my walks. While I was looking over the photos, I thought about how very blessed I am to live in this particular spot-and God had His hand in that too! The story of how we got this place is only one God could have orchestrated.

2010-06-21T12:11:00.000-04:00

Geoff and I went to a junk shop, and then an antique shop next door. Things were quite pricey, but taking photos is free! I was wondering, though, why anyone would want to buy old toilets that are broken. Something to ponder...These shops are about 20 miles from us, and frankly, considering most stuff didn't have a price tag on it, I don't think we'll be going back. Sometimes that works when you can nicely haggle with the owner, but I think this fellow just wanted to hang on to his junk.

2010-06-19T09:16:00.001-04:00

This is the screen house/shed my husband built in 1995. Not the one with the red door. Does anyone know how to get the writing exactly where you want it with the pictures???I can't do it any more on this blog, and it's driving me nuts. There must be some setting I don't have right. Any help would be appreciated!

Anyway, Patty, from Attic Clutter, the blue shed is the one we used to sleep in. The little one with the red door houses straw for the geese, and occasionally-snakes!

We now have a pretty black squirrel visiting the feeders. She's shy and bigger than the gray squirrels.
P.S. The wooden panels on the shed come off-there are screens under them. Geoff thought of this idea after praying about how to protect them from the weather, and of course, to keep the weather out of the screen house. Didn't he do a great job?

2010-06-11T16:56:00.000-04:00

I have been wanting to post pictures for Attic Clutter of our shed/screen house-I will get to it Patti! But my guys just got back from Gettysburg, and as you can see-they were on different sides in the war. At least my husband finally made it to General, but I fear this war is taking a toll....

My men had this wonderful photo done the real way it would have been done in the Civil War. They got to watch the process with the cyanide. I had a terrible time trying to photograph it, because the tin reflects . The real photo is perfectly in focus and the frame is beautiful. We are going to order prints for gifts. I love this photo!
My sweet General brought me this hat, and some Confederate money. They had a great time, but I'm glad to have them home!
I'll get back to blog visits soon-I miss everyone!

2010-05-29T11:20:00.001-04:00

A walk around our place...

This is a place I have my time with God in the morning. It's my studio porch. I'm surrounded with bird song, and the shade of bushes I planted almost 20 years ago.

Now these bushes make a natural archway over the stairs, and over the path we take in and out of our home.

The 'Hansa' roses are blooming now. We can smell the fragrance in our kitchen. This is a lovely rose to have. The rose hips in the fall are red and orange, and the size of quarters.

We are finally having grapes on our one grape vine! This is a cause to celebrate. I've never pruned it quite right, but this year I did. Grapes are a mystery to me-I mean the correct pruning. I have a friend who does nothing to hers and gets tons of fruit. Oh well...

Here is part of my vegetable garden.

Plants I started indoors. I have to transplant everything today. I have cotton plants in the second tray on the left. Lots of gourds, and white pumpkins, and 3 kinds of tomato.

My husband is a very patient man. He lets me collect this stuff.

This is some of my rusty 'treasure' that is waiting for a good spot in one of the gardens.

The wheelbarrow was free, and the metal banding was too (of course!).

Our peach tree is full of fruit. The cherry trees are also, and the elderberries.

We have cottonwood trees in the yard. The fluff looks like snow. In places our grass is white.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day...

2010-05-18T08:25:00.000-04:00

Dee, from One Foot Out of the Box has inspired me to put some doodles and drawings on my blog-but I don't have a scanner, so the pictures are dark. Please take a look at her blog-her art is fun, and the photos of old buildings are very beautiful. Below is a drawing my son did about 10 years ago. I love it!

He captured our geese perfectly.

2010-05-16T10:58:00.002-04:00

2010-05-16T07:31:00.000-04:00

I found out from my bird book that the first oriole I photographed was a female. This is the male. And oranges do work to attract them! The female was coming all day yesterday for suet-Phyllis said it was to feed the babies. I have been spying out where the nest is, but can't quite find it-just the general idea. They love our tall poplar trees. It has been my delight to have these beautiful birds so close.

This photo is so blurry, but I wanted to show how this Hairy Woodpecker was stuffing his beak FULL of suet-it was so funny to watch!

2010-05-13T19:56:00.000-04:00

This oriole was getting a bird's eye view of me, but wasn't scared. I didn't know they liked suet. I should put an orange out for him. I hear them a lot in our trees, calling for mates.

2010-05-04T08:16:00.001-04:00

Sort of a long time ago, Vicki, from Graceful Moments, awarded me with this...there were rules and regs to follow-I had to pass it on to seven other bloggers, and then tell seven things about myself. Being the HAM I am, the telling part is easy....But so is finding seven other bloggers. I follow so many...doesn't seem right to have only seven-every one is unique and truly wonderful. Do you realise how much I love you all? If you find my list on my profile page, you'll find a group of writers, artists, farmers, chicken lovers, cooks, quilters,and women I want to be like-their attitudes through hard things are an inspiration to me. I love you all. But...I had to pick seven, so here goes....
-Random Red-Headed Ramblings
-Michelle Palmer
-Moments of Mine
-Puddingstone Farms
-Baggaraggs
-Attic Clutter
-Lori's Prayer Closet

I love visiting every blog I follow...please drop in on these folks and say howdy!

Here's my seven things:

Ok, I like geese....

This was my view this morning, looking across the road. I planted a thick row of pines by the road, so I had to get infront of them for the picture. I think it's really wonderful that God gave us this place. Farm land surrounds us.

I have a strange liking for rusty things, and I have been known to carry them for long distances at yard sales. Now where do I put it all??

This is part of my yard full of gardens. This year I'm growing cotton! I started all our tomato plants, and three different kinds of gourds. They are under lights right now. I have all the early crops in the ground. You can see some of the junk I've collected is placed in the gardens.

This is another little area I made. It's in front of my studio porch. If you go right around the bend, you'll see our yard full of gardens and the goose pen. The geese will say "Howdy!"

I played in this barn as a kid.

This is my dog, Cheyenne. She loves me like crazy.

2010-04-26T20:18:00.002-04:00

2010-04-24T11:30:00.000-04:00

I want to be blogging....I miss all my good friends. Please be patient-the yard and gardens need my time, and I have too many other things going on (all happy), but soon I'll get back here, and back to visiting blogs. I miss everyone!!!!

Making birds with Paperclay...

2010-04-11T14:12:00.000-04:00

I am having a hoot making birds. Here is a robin family I am almost finished with. I'm just waiting for the worm's paint to dry. Then he'll be set into the Daddy robin's beak. This will be for sale-I'm not sure if 'twil be Etsy or Lemon Poppy Seeds. I had so much fun making this-even made the nest! Birds are wonderful builders!

2010-04-03T13:18:00.000-04:00

I rescued these old drawers from a certain death. They were suffering under an open lean-to on my family farm in Pennsylvania-the very farm I spent my first 5 years of life. Thankfully, the farm is still in the family, and I had permission to go raid the barn for old stuff, which my uncle knows I am fond of. My pack-ratting is inherited. The very first time I was called a pack-rat was when I was 7 years old. A good start for a kid who was well-trained!
I've been wanting to write about Easter all week, and have started and stopped-looked at You-Tube videos for something inspiring, looked at books for well-written quotes, and sat and pondered....
So today, after visiting a few of my loved blog-writers and artists, I just plunked me down in the computer chair and looked for a photo until something hit the spot.
I think these drawers are a thing of beauty. Tattered, beat-up old drawers with years of lovely colors on them. I cleaned, scrubbed and protected them with a clear sealer. I put them in my studio where I'd see them every day. They're full of stuff I use. They fit perfectly under another old thing I dragged out of the barn-a library table that I painted.
And you know, I can't think of a way to tie this all in with Easter without sounding trite. I know I am thankful beyond words for what Jesus did for me on that cross. I take it personally.
That's what He means to me...He rescued me. He cleaned me up. I am all sorta junky sometimes, but He still uses me. Becasue He died first so when I accepted that death as something I deserved, He moved into my heart and made me His....and I am thankful. He loves me even though I'm a pack-rat.

2010-03-25T07:50:00.001-04:00

I feel something very sickening in the pit of my stomach for this country. I have never been political here. There are plenty of blogs that do that better than I could. I don't like what I see on television, newspapers...This is a hard one to write. I am very fearful for our country.
Will I live to see a one world religion, where Jesus is just pushed aside, or worse-replaced by a mumbo-jumbo of all religions? Will I die for my beliefs?
You think it can't or won't happen. This is America, you say. Think again. Things are changing.

2010-03-03T12:54:00.000-05:00

Mistress Rabbit is dining on bird seed, much to the annoyance of Mister Squirrel. Her back is covered with sunflower shells. I know where her nest is. I'm going to put a carrot in front of the door to her home, and see what happens.

2010-02-25T09:26:00.003-05:00

Nancy...... it's a long story, isn't it? One of my most treasured people in the world knows the story that goes with this pillow-all too well. Dear one-I can't tell you how this pillow has ministered to me. I see it many times a day. Isn't it neat how the chair arms reinforce the words? That's oak wood-very strong. But not as strong as His arms.

Here's the prediction for the day from our old-old barometer. If we each had one of these measuring our spiritual weather, what would the dial be pointing to?

Sometimes doesn't it feel like you spend a lot of time waiting??

Sometimes you need Someone to turn on the light...the path can seem sorta dark.

Trust...

Stay on the path...

2010-02-18T14:00:00.003-05:00

How to be a Goose-Part 2 This is important: You must learn to stand on one foot, and you must do this for long periods of time. You must not ask why...

2010-02-05T11:08:00.001-05:00

How to be a goose: Part One

2010-01-18T10:39:00.003-05:00

Early morning walk in the fog... One of my loves is fog. Whenever I see it, I want to be in it. I love painting fog and how it changes the landscape.

A study in black, brown and white...

The sun was coming out...so soon the fog is gone.

My dog and I loved our walk, but my hands were freezing from wet gloves. I was very glad for the smell of hazelnut coffee in my kitchen, and warm old radiators!

2010-01-13T11:03:00.003-05:00

This is a Red-Bellied woodpecker-a male. The females don't have a red patch over their whole head, it's just on the back of the neck. This guy could see us very well-the feeder is only a few feet from the window. I had to move ever so slowly with the camera.

2010-01-08T09:56:00.003-05:00

Our view from one of the kitchen windows. It's hard to get good photos-the glass is old and wavy and has air bubbles in it. Over 100 years old!

The view looking from the laundry/tv room (I took over the living room as my studio-so we gather here and watch the birds).

A very wonderful and Happy New Year to all my bloggy friends-I love you all so much...