Wet Dirt and Dirty Floors.

 Wet Dirt and Dirty Floors.

 

It’s so nice to have a good clean rain coming down out there without any real stormy weather. The rain makes things grow good, and the dirt out under the trees just makes nice stuff to track into the house. Just ask the dogs how nice it is to track inside with all that good stuff. They will just look at you and smile with their tongues hanging out. Even if the floors get another layer of dirt, this weather is worth it.

 

Had a cup of coffee and some banana bread for breakfast. The neighbor across the street cooks when he has nothing else to do. Kinda glad his wife is not fond of sweets since he could not eat an entire loaf by himself. Didn’t mention freezing pieces wrapped in Handiwrap and taken in a lunch. He will figure out the best way to keep his lunch cool and use up things like that. His wife brings home cookies and some kind of bread that her coworker shares with her. Those things make nice desserts, too. But she must not indulge very often as she is still just as slender and cute as a girl can be!

 

Patty called this morning to say that she is feeling better. But she couldn’t figure out at first why Roxy was sticking to her like a burr. Then she looked at the weather. Yep, it might not be audible to us, but a dog can tell when it thunders more than ten miles away!

 

My friend Michelle was supposed to come stay awhile today, but she woke up in so much pain that she could hardly move, much less drive herself up here. Not sure just what it is about the weather that is causing us to have so many aches and pains, but doggone if it has not affected quite a few of us. Used to think it was funny when some folks could predict the weather with a knee or an elbow, but, Dear Hearts, it is true and not the least bit amusing!

 

Training mechanics from EU countries at the Base, my neighbor told me about the student who asked about a certain button the instructor was saying would be depressed in order to remove a panel. Student wanted to know why the button was sad. Told my kids about this and they did not get it. Maybe it was the way it gets messed up in my explanation?

 

Watched a movie on my notebook last night. Lance downloaded Netflix for me so that it is not just the Kindle app that get used on there. The movie was called Mysterie. It was about a young girl who stopped talking after her mom died and her surgeon father who tried moving them to the mountains of some country to help them both recover from the loss. The father took them hiking in the mountains and got them lost, and an old man in a cabin helped them. But the old man also gave the girl a puppy who turned out to be a wolf whose mother had been killed by sheep farmers. Well, it was a great movie and just about what was needed right now.

 

Read a series of books about a young woman whose fiancé was killed in the Korean War (nevermind that it was not called a war). She became a “Zepherette” on the California Zepher train that ran from San Francisco in the West to Chicago in the East. The description of the train with the domes on top where the passengers could observe all the beauty of the surroundings just amazed me and made me wish for such a trip. Of course, most of the western portion took them across the deserts where we have driven before, but even so, the trips at night and during the winter sounded astounding. Have seen a train trip across Canada advertised that sounds very interesting, too. Not sure that Amtrak would be as good as what the Silver train was back during those days. Ah, nostalgia.

 

Received my first copy of the Backwoods Home magazine and have tried more than once to sit down to read some in it. Just too many things to read right now. Sometimes my reading leads to prayer, and sometimes it leads me to see blessings right in my own front yard. Yes, the tiny squash that are growing in the flower bed, the sweet potato vines taking the pots, the watermelon vines sprawling across one section of the zinnia bed, and the four okra plants that seem to be doing their best to put on big, bushy leaves are all among the blessings! Can you imagine someone praying over a raised bed planter? Well, it happens around here. Maybe our Father appreciates our love for the little things as much as He feels our concern for the greater things that bother us. Knowing He is in charge of all things is certainly a comfort to me.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Learning Something Every Day.

 Learning Something Every Day.

 

So, today the filter in Patty’s fridge got changed. It might not have THOUGHT it was going to get changed, but it did! Whoever put that sucker in there last time put some torque on it! But it came out finally. She called me later to tell me that the fridge was making ice again like it is supposed to. But that was only one of the things that had bothered her lately. Yesterday the guy she talked to at the oxygen place asked if he could wait until today to come see about her oxygen concentrator. He was supposed to come about eight this morning—and did not. By one o’clock today she had had all the beeping noise she could stand. She called, and the young woman who usually brings her oxygen came and brought her a new machine. Some conversation ensued about the guy who did not even bother to put her on his calendar, too. Have a feeling he is going to hear about that. Anyway, Patty is still hurting rather badly and we talked about calling her doctor. She is putting it off. Understandable. Some doctors just send you to the pain clinic if it is something that they are pretty sure they can’t handle. It seems that it takes a special situation for a doctor to be able to prescribe anything that actually works for pain.

 

Visited for a bit with neighbors today and fobbed off a few branches of rosemary on one. Walked around the yard and looked at my plants. Have a tiny little squash making in the front flower bed and some zinnias that are making heads for blooms. Also walked down in the east lots to see if the Bachelor Buttons are ready to head for collecting seeds. Think the next seed exchange is on the 22^nd of this month, but that is when Jennifer plans to be here. May ask someone to come get the seeds from my “Love in a Mist” flowers to share. Just have to find someone who can stop by to pick them up.

 

Back when my teaching included having students learn to transcribe dictation from doctors whose pronunciation of words into English made for frustrations that included at least one student who threw her keyboard—multiple times—it seemed to me that the tendency to hire foreign doctors, nurses, and assorted workers from foreign (meaning non-native speaking English) countries would eventually cause more and more trouble. How many of us have called our banks or some other entity only to have someone talk to us in a manner that seems to have no relation to the English language? Fast speaking or mumbled speech is one thing, but the tendency to accent and emphasize either end of a word makes that word incomprehensible to some of us. Just to be clear, this ol’ gal does not really speak “English,” but a language known as “Texan.” This is not the same as Southern English where they drink “ahhced tay” or any other cool drink other than Dr Pepper. Even New Jersey English is understandable, and the folks from California can be persuaded to speak more slowly so that the grandmothers of the world can catch their drift. But you just put someone on the phone straight out of some foreign countries where their letter V becomes B and “sh” becomes “cah.” Anyway, not going to take this too far lest the old woman be accused of being a Luddite (look that word up), but it does not seem reasonable to replace real Americans working in important jobs (such as banking, communications, or finance) with folks from other nations who can’t speak English. Yes, folks from Mexico or India will work more cheaply, but somehow that does not make me feel any better when trying to deal with someone on a phone. End of rant.

 

Guess we are not necessarily going to get any rain tonight, but will hope that the cooler temps stick around anyway. Just not ready for the summer heat and having to stay inside most of the day to survive. We can ask our Father in heaven for His blessing on this land, and maybe that will include decently cooler days than what we might otherwise expect.

 

May Israel be blessed to recover or rescue ALL of the hostages, and may its government be stable in the face of all the problems caused by other nations.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Not Ladylike.

 Not Ladylike.

 

It was not considered ladylike to discuss sweat when some of were growing up. But, Dear Hearts, this day is going to swelter and cause entirely more than just a bit of “glistening” on our skins and clothes. My clothes are already sopping wet, and it is not because of giving both dogs a bath. After all, my head is just as wet as my tee shirt. At least the dogs should be slightly cooler. According to Weather Bug, it is only 83 degrees, but it definitely feels much warmer than that.

 

Cut one of those small watermelons this morning and ended up giving it to the hens. Oh well. Think someone said that seedless watermelons are seedless because they have been treated with chemicals. Not sure how that would work, but if watermelon appeals to me again, may just get one of those little tubs that are already cut up. Makes about as much sense as tossing a bunch of rinds and stuff.

 

Have you ever felt as if you were almost unable to deal with your emotions in order to even get things done? Heredity has a lot to do with tendencies to be subdued by emotional changes, but our personality does not necessarily have to allow our minds to submit to sadness in our thought processes. We can recognize when we are sad—something that happens to everyone now and then. And sure, some events and even physical pain can cause us to allow depression or even anger to overshadow our attitude. But when we are constantly in pain, constantly reminded of loss, or simply unable to find a way out of the dumps, we may need some extra help. Back some years ago, it pretty much disgusted me to hear someone say, “Fake it until you make it.” Oh! Right! That might work in some situations, but pain, holidays, constant reminders of loss, and other types of stress simply have to be overcome without some kind of “faking.” When my studies of how to overcome depression mattered more to me, some of the things that were suggested sounded more than reasonable. Physical activity, FUNNY movies or books, upbeat music, really good food that had less sugar and more chew, petting almost any kind of animal, walking and being in almost any kind of nature away from people, and avoidance of crowds and serious discussions. Some people will begin to avoid Facebook soon because of all the political garbage, or they may simply find only certain areas to visit. That usually works for me. Not watching the daily news or any of the constant barrage of critical discussions on TV is also a good way to avoid conflict and stress. My TV has not been on since the last time one of the kids used it. However, the kids also hooked me up with Clarkson Farms and the absolute hilarity that is Jeremy Clarkson and his entry into the world of farming. The folks that turn the TV on early and have it on all day and night are beyond my understanding. The noise must be comforting to them, but the birds and even the sound of the wind in the trees makes me happier than other noises. We have to be aware of our mental health just as much as our physical health. We may not be able to help heal a wound or arthritis, but we CAN help our emotions and our minds by giving them some solid positive vibrations! Let us remember that not everyone has the awareness that comes with clear thoughts and a positive outlook.

 

Pray for those, please, who can not seem to escape negative thoughts and emotions.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Lost Count Again!

 Lost Count Again!

 

Killed two more scorpions last night, but have lost count of how many that is now this year. Usually, not always, but if they are in the house, it takes my breath away for just a bit. It also makes me decide to spray at least some parts of the house again. So, today the house smells a bit like peppermint because of the bug spray. Last night, the first one was in the corner of the bathroom ceiling near the back door. Got a curtain rod out of the bedroom and killed that one after the Windex failed to soak it enough to make it fall down on the floor. Later, in bed, the sound of something hitting a shade on the ceiling fan made me wonder, but the scittering feel of something across my back had me sitting up and looking for whatever it was. Sure enough! Great big scorpion was hiding under my pillow by that time. Picked up one of the antlers the dogs chew on and killed that sucker! Then had to clean off the sheet. BLEAH!! Despise sneaky critters that hurt folks and my dogs or hens! And yes, this old woman told God thank you for the protection from these horrible creatures!

 

Had all kinds of good intentions for going to United and to the feed store today, but good intentions didn’t go get the truck up and get any of that done, so maybe tomorrow or even Monday. Then the question of WHY the old woman does not buy TWO cans of Bavarian sauerkraut at a time comes up. Have noticed that either too much sausage or too much sauerkraut works out to one or the other being left over. Hmmm. Maybe put it on the grocery list with a question mark?

 

When Sterling came the other day, he brought Mom and Dad’s Petrolia Pirate annual from 1944. Daddy graduated that year, and Mom was a sophomore. Both were on the annual staff that year. Then they married July 31 before Daddy went into the Army. They turned 16 and 18 that November. Looking through the annual, Carol Rutledge’s mom and some of the folks my parents ran around with were in there. Then Donna Furhman Reeves’ daddy was in there along with so many people from the Petrolia, Charlie, and Dean area. The young ones were listed and their pictures shown. It was a walk down memory lane. Sometimes the stories my parents told me remind me of what things were like for them before cars were totally the only way to get around. My dad rode his horse to school some of the time while he was growing up, but he only rode to Petrolia school for a while. Not sure if he rode to school with Granddad the last year or not. Wish now that we had talked more about those things. Think one of the neatest discoveries was a picture of Myrtice Moon who taught like 7^th and 8^th grade kids. She was one of my favorite teachers years ago!

 

Checking on Patty this morning and discovered that she had been up because of sciatic pain since about six. Went down there and applied some cream Jennifer had bought for me and discovered that her husband had bought something similar a couple of years ago. So, she now has a good supply of the same thing that stays on my bedroom dresser. Honestly don’t know how folks made it before Aleve, Tylenol, and that assortment of pain meds were invented. Remember that my great-grandmother’s house always smelled like Ben Gay! Well, maybe even the mother-in-law’s house smelled that way, come to think of it.

 

Not getting’ into politics, mind you, but saw a post about the next Super Bowl being between the patriots and the stealers. Had to laugh. Jacqui informed me that my oldest niece is violently anti-Republican. Oh well. Some people don’t see my posts on purpose.

 

Will remind you all that some of these children, especially, need our prayers. Raye Louise, granddaughter of an online friend named Diann Dennis from Arkansas, is having to have treatment in her eyes for cancer. And then there is the grandson of our friend Angel who had the seizures and was treated with a medication that increased the problem. Let us pray for him and his parent that he can totally recover from the damage caused by that drug and whatever caused the seizure in the first place.

 

Finally, may those who grieve be comforted. Even Christ knew grief, and wept. He knew the final outcome, but He also knew how loss affects us.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Being Useless.

 Being Useless.

 

With this heat today, it makes a person very glad not to be needed to do anything special, especially outside away from the shade. How young people actually work in this mess is beyond me! This is the only time of the year when cantaloupe and okra make any kind of summer worth having in my estimation. And it is summers like this that makes visiting the north look attractive. The problem being that folks in the north don’t exactly have great weather either. And they have insects called midges or something like that. Anyway, today is one that makes me feel as if all housework should be done after the sun goes down.

 

This morning a stupid rabbit kept antagonizing the dogs by getting in my front yard and eating grass where the dogs could see it and just flipping its tail and ears at the dogs. It KNEW the dogs could not get to it! Poor Thompson ran back and forth from one side of the yard to the other until he was about to drop. He could have made himself sick at that rate. Anyway, the rabbit is no longer out there in my yard, so maybe another one won’t get out there tomorrow. Usually, they run down to Patty’s or to the field across from her. She is always afraid for Roxy to chase those critters since rabbits can actually kill small dogs with their hind feet. Once Dad told us kids that cats like we had at home could only catch and kill the small ones since jack rabbits could easily gut a cat with their back claws. Anyway, between the wild ducks, squirrels, rabbits, and assorted wild birds, our neighborhood has plenty of critters for a dog to chase. But it is simply too hot for an old dog to be outside barking and chasing critters.

 

Sterling and Jacqui came this morning and took me to Pioneer for brunch. Jacqui had regular bacon and eggs with biscuits and gravy, but the famous enchilada omelet appealed to us when Sterling put our order in. The waitress and Sterling got to giggling about his demand for a bucket of sugar rather than those stupid little packets. She said she already had a bucket ready ‘cause he was not the only old man who hated those little paper packets. It made us laugh pretty good! And she kept his cup filled and refilled Jacqui’s sweet tea when we got ready to go. Jacqui let me drive while Sterling folded up his long legs to sit in the back jump seat. You just have no idea how nice it is to have a real back seat until trying to sit in one of those half seats! We had one like that once upon a time.

 

Sent a couple of dozen eggs to Copperas Cove with them for their breakfast at Karen’s (Sterling’s oldest girl). They were hauling some things that looked like lawn furniture down there. Some truck driver rolled down his window and asked them if they had been to a garage sale. Think Sterling would not have bought such stuff—garage sale or otherwise. His furniture that is made of treated wood is so much nicer than any kind of stupid metal stuff that has to be painted with Rustoleum. Love the bench that he made for my deck out back. The rain just slides right off.

 

It's supposed to be 101 degrees tomorrow and a bit cooler Monday and Tuesday with possible showers. Not going to hold my breath on that concern. If anything, showers would just be steam. But it’s not just Texas that is dealing with this heat. The entire country might be more than a bit steamy for a while. It makes a person glad not to live in those humid states in the South and on the Gulf.

 

Watched a video of Boeings Red Hawk fighter jets used to train our airmen on takeoffs, landings, and such. Have no idea what kind of aircraft are used here at Sheppard, but Boeing wants to sell the Airforce here and in other countries nearly three thousand of these supersonic planes. Not sure where the planes will be used, but let’s hope that none of them are ever used against the U.S. because it looks like they would not be an easy target. The problem with any weapon is that it will eventually be turned around and used against one. Now if only prayer could be recognized as the best weapon! But then, no one hides prayers in a child’s crib as Hamas has done in Rafah. May God bless Israel.

 

Rest well, my friends. You know that God loves you.

The Woman at the Well.

 The Woman at the Well.

Now when the Lord knew that the pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed to Galilee. He had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a city of Samaria, called Sy'char, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and so Jesus, wearied as he was with his journey, sat down beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.

A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink', you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?" Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water."

Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come back." The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the man you are now living with is not your husband. What you have said is true!" The woman said to him, "Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us." Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you."

— John 4:4–26

 

To whom did Christ first introduce Himself as the Messiah?

And who can worship Him? “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

Vs 39 “And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. 

Christ stayed with the Samaritans for two days.

Vs 41 “And many more believed because of his own word: 42 and said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”

Now in case no one ever pointed it out to you, women were not generally received as being persons of concern or to be respected in those countries and at those times. Some things never really change. Today the Southern Baptist Convention does not recognize women as teachers/pastors or other than members. Nope, the Samaritan men’s attitudes remain and have simply been echoed throughout the Christian world for the most part.

Do we believe that a woman can worship God in spirit and in truth? Can God use a woman to introduce Himself to others?

Some things today amaze me for the bona fide stupidity. Churches selling churches or properties so that one or another congregation can continue in its way. All things considered, buildings are just property—not holy and no more sacred than your local barn on the hill. What is truly holy? If worship is “in spirit and in truth,” then it is not the place nor the personage that makes the worship. Let us consider how we worship more than where. Let us consider who is able to open our eyes and ears to God. 

Rest well, my friends. You know that God loves you.

Motorcycles and Helmets.

 Motorcycles and Helmets.

 

Just had a phone call from my neighbor on the west. Back in 2021 she lost her husband and still grieves. Not that there is ever a time limit on grieving, cause there simply is not such a thing. But today she got a call about Allen Ray McCaffity, 64, who was Donny Anderson’s cousin. Seems he was getting ready for a motorcycle trip to Colorado and was bringing his bike back from the shop. Coming down Jacksboro Highway, someone pulled out in front of him. He was not wearing a helmet. None of those men wanted to wear helmets. It makes me so sad and yet at the same time, so glad my grands are not riding one of those things. Folks just don’t see them! And it is never a question of IF you will have a wreck, as much as will you survive a wreck? Hanan survived a couple, but he sat and held a young man who died in his lap years ago. Nope, we take a risk every time we get in a vehicle and go out on the road, but some kinds of transportation are just a lot more dangerous than others. A truck or a larger car is more likely to protect a person than a tiny car or any of those little scooter things. Still, just feel so sorry for Allen’s wife and family. And, honestly, the woman who pulled out in front of him has to be having some problems with what happened as well.

 

Still sore for some reason. Have cleaned out a couple of coops and dumped the fertilizer in good places today, but have not felt like scrubbing the floors. And, to tell the truth, don’t have a lot of ambitious feelings about my floors. Yes, they need it. But unless the old woman gets an early start tomorrow, it just may not get done right away. Will have to make regular caffeinated coffee!

 

Used up the last of the Purina lamb and rice today, so tomorrow the dogs may have to eat Science diet type dogfood or a can each of the Purina stuff. They are not all that fond of the canned food, but they will eat it in a desperate situation. Just trying to wait until Amazon gets their food shipped!

 

Just thought you might like to know about the weather here in Texas: hot and humid. Not much else to say for it at the moment, but we just have to live with it. At least it doesn’t get to 40 below in the winter! Well, not lately anyway.

 

Have you ever thought about how wind works in our world? The Bible tells us all kinds of things about wind and what it brings. For that matter, if you have ever driven out across New Mexico, you may have seen some of the canyons that have been carved out by the wind. Unless you have been hiding in a closet somewhere, you know that Texas winds have created tornadoes and done the work of keeping the water pumped up from below the wind mills all over the countryside. We have some extremes in wind just like everything else. But then, we have some nice breezes that rustle up the leaves and carry the birds aloft. Not sure we could live very well in this land without some wind from time to time. We are not likely to get to know what stagnates some states because something is always getting stirred up around here. Some folks don’t think too much of Texas, but it is my favorite place to live.

 

Not really in the mood to talk much tonight. Even knowing how blessed we are and how much we can hope to see in the future, it is hard sometimes to accept all the things that happen around us. May you all find something to make you smile and joy to share with others.

 

Rest well, my friends. You know you are loved.