Life, Lilacs and Learning

 A week of firsts. First official visits to produce stands in Haywood Country, first purchase of SC strawberries, first day of many to come of wearing capris and first few days of above average temps. The apple trees have blossoms this year. Think the peach trees survived the one time frost and the plum trees are finished blooming out. Hopefully, we will have a fruitful season. 

Yesterday we drove over to Canton and Clyde. It is one of my most favorite drives and the scenery did not disappoint. Dogwoods blooming out is such a beautiful sight. We went to Christopher Farms to try the frozen, made locally, pot pies. Then over to Ducketts for strawberries and to check the inventory of Lou Lou's canned products. We were looking for her salsa. It is fabulous. 

On Monday we grabbed up some of the buy three get three bags of garden soil, then a brief visit at Hobby Lobby. I needed raffia for a cat toy. Oh, we got two more fire rings for raised garden beds at Lowe's. So Roy will be putting those together in the coming days as we ready for the middle of May and tomato planting season. We will probably do red and green bell peppers and maybe carrots. 

Today, we did the Publix thing and stopped for BBQ at 6 Pigs. No banana pudding today but that's okay. We ate our lunch after unloading the car. Back to Mars Hill and TJs. Got a beautiful hanging basket of a vine like flower as well as some plants. I read about a way to temporally get plants ready for the season and able to get them out of the cold if it dips which looks like that will be Sunday. We shall see. While doing the Publix thing, wisdom discount day...what a mess. We encountered a couple that were rude, rude, rude! I surely fail the Lord when I am in a grocery store, sometimes but Wednesday was not one of those days. The man nearly took me out with the cart so that he could get to the bran cereal. Uh, no thanks but my ankle and calf were clipped by the cart. No, I am sorry for hitting you...nothing. I then determined they might be from up north but she had on a t-shirt designating her as a Big Bend National Park volunteer. So most likely they were from Texas. So I turned the other cheek and blocked them on two aisles and unknownst to Roy about the whole situation, he cut off the escape route after they found themselves behind a slow, very slow cart pusher and shopper. These aggravations are getting fewer and fewer but it is a reminder to keep a renewed mind. Kind of like out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks holds true for out of the abundance of actions...

The kind of crazy, druggy guy is out of rehab or wherever he was. Saw him walking along the road Sunday and last night the crazy guy saw Roy at our gate to the driveway. He both hurried into the garage as the crazy guy came up our road and headed toward the neighbors. We called them but all were out in the barn and didn't call back till later. Guess they saw him the other night coming up to their farm, but they have two German shepherds going crazy to get to him.   

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Our Friday rain is a gentle one. Just enough to water plants and make the roads slick. This spring I have been proactive with the gardening unlike the past two years. No diagnosis of what the heck was going on with me health wise, but this spring I have more energy to do the things I have come to love, which is gardening. The lilac bushes are in full bloom and I hope after today's rain I am able to cut a few of the flowers of to bring inside. Ah, the fragrance. The hybrid hydrangeas are experiencing a banner year and that means the snowball bushes are not too far behind. Haven't seen the plant man who the past few years been a pioneer in the area on the river road that I call the truck flea market. Got flame azaleas from him as well as a few other plants the past few years. So many of the shrubs and flowering plants we put in several years ago are now mature and showing off this spring. Fall has always been my favorite season but living here, spring is giving fall a run for the money. 

These Feral Fam members are entertaining yet frustrating so many times. Fido comes into the garage at night, helps serve the dry food in the mornings and then comes back with Roy into the garage for his own breakfast. Coco is coming around and letting us pet her gently but it has to be her idea. Cha Nay Nay demands lots and lots of pets yet will ignore us at other times. Last night she sat on my lap for the longest time. Don't know if that was more to keep Beanie off my lap or what, but she of all the cats in the Feral Fam, the spiciest cat taken to the spay/neuter clinic cause she got written up, is a great purer and so affectionate. Squeaky is a nuisance to Fido and Cha Nay Nay, but he is a cutie and practically lives in the cat tree that is slowly falling apart. We are looking to replace it for the Fam. 

In the spirit of women's basketball Roy and I have added the Caitlyn Clark shrug and questioning pose after calls and no calls to our lives when we have small disagreements or if I am just feeling funny and want to make Roy laugh. The shrug and questioning could also look like an arm low level praising of the Lord. I watched part of the draft on Monday evening but those kinds of shows are usually not a first or fifth choice. CC has a lot riding on her shoulders for the hope of women's basketball. I hope she doesn't get hurt the first week of the season. Like I have written before I probably won't watch games cause my interest in bb peaks at March Madness time. 

This week as we get ready to cross the river tributary of the Jordan River, Jabbok, with Jacob I have looked at a couple of instances where his experience can help us learn so much in our relationship with God. His twenty years with Laban are bookmarked with encounters of the spiritual kind. The first preparing him for his season of life on the horizon and the second, life changing as his name changes as well as the way he deals with life. He is giving up depending on his wit, persuasiveness and charm. No longer the deceiver, no longer a mad schemer of getting what he wants, on his terms and his understanding. Chapter 31 is so powerful as Laban accuses and Jacob confronts, vents, treaty and leaves. This Sunday we will jump a little into Romans 12 to see how the experiences in walking with the Lord intersect with Jacob and with us. Roy is finishing up the portion on Noah and the Ark, and the beginning look at Nimrod and the tower of Babel. He was asking me what I emphasized with the lesson, for Noah's time in the Ark, me, asking what about the animal poop? For Nimrod and Babel...how much nothing has changed. The gameplan is the same today as it was in the former years. I also had this great revelation to make Roy laugh, Noah walked with God, but were the requirements different to float with God? Just an observation. Yep, it wasn't the tower that is the main theme, it is living in cities and not dispersing throughout the land. The theme is the cities and what the significance meant.  

Also, in my last post I quoted Dr Jordan Peterson. I didn't have any idea of who he is and only quoted him for his views on false adventures. Which the topic still fascinates me. 

Last night I finished the trilogy of Miss Budge novels. There is so much insight to living in a way that brings glory to God with a few laughs and wisdom thrown in. 

 

The Right to Write or Something Like That

 Something I didn't appreciate at the time but in retrospect appreciate more is the amount of time, reading and classes we had on leadership when our pastor came on staff at Houston's First lo those many years ago. Many of the principles we learned are good for church work, business and life. Not that I am in a leadership position now except I do teach Sunday School. Reluctantly, guess that is leadership but I don't think of it that way.

Roy is going to workout earlier than usual today and get a couple of errands ran. While we will have an 86% coverage during the eclipse. The afternoon will certainly warm up. We did a looksee at the apple trees and such last night. Doesn't seem that any frost affected them with our two nights of dipping temps. The tulips out front are the most radiant and brilliant color than any before. Even the ones in the back look healthy. 

Surprise, surprise, we didn't make it all the way through the lesson yesterday. We got at a good stopping point and we will pick up with chapter 31 on Sunday. This look at Laban and Jacob is so interesting, so much to learn. Jacob probably his mom was the schemer extraordinaire but when he met his uncle, he truly had met the master supplanter and schemer of the family.  

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Thursday morning with rain but the apple trees are blooming. That is always a welcomed sight. Last night we had the worst wind. It woke me up enough to get up and check the view outside. Then I was wide awake so I retreated to the front bedroom to read. I was asking the Lord to calm the wind and when Roy got up and checked on me on his way to the bathroom, I asked him to pray as well. Roy was just like Jesus in the boat, sound asleep. I got tickled thinking about waking him up and saying, "don't you even care?" He probably woke up cause he was getting restful sleep with me away cause I toss and turn something awful, especially here lately. The wind died down with puffy gusts once in a while, but I would sing softly, peace be still. Maybe it was too much of a joyful noise to the Lord or maybe He heard my prayer. Think He heard my prayer. 

I saw the most interesting 11 second reel on false adventure. I watched it several times and tried to do some research but with an attention span of a gnat and needing full concentration for lesson study I left it for another time. Some of this I had been thinking about but didn't have a description for what I wondered about. The quote, "People choose false adventures if they don't choose real adventures. Martyrs, enemies and angry when unnecessary, those are forms of false adventures." Dr Jordan Peterson  I think you can really find lots of people on false adventures all around social media. They may have fought a real situation, like twenty years ago, long time over but they'll share quotes or their own thoughts on a situation that really no longer affects them. Most of them are issues that plague modern life but most of these people have been sitting on the sidelines for years. Like all the sudden in the midst of family pics and reports, the bold statement appears on their timeline..." I support those who love their cabbage patch doll!" I'm thinking, cabbage patch kids are back? Are there people who are being ridiculed for playing dolls? Usually there are other odd statements about things or problems that have long ago gone away or has been solved. There is almost a militant voice in these posts. Come on, cross me. Question me on this. I am prepared to defend cabbage patch kids but it doesn't seem like anyone addresses the strange and new stance presented. But this concept of false adventure rings true. Yesterday in class, yes it is Monday and I didn't use *****. I support the right to write into new days without using *****. I defend those who do this, so I guess I am defending myself. Anyway, in class yesterday as we studied Laban and Jacob, we got to the verses where Laban goes through everything looking for his idol gods that have been stolen. Rachel, uses I started my period for the excuse of not moving off her camel saddle. Those period stories can be helpful in times of need or in this case deception. He touches everything that Jacob owns and this is what sets Jacob off as he starts his soliloquy  of  wrongs done to him by Laban during the past twenty years. I was talking to Roy about the lesson last week and the whole touch the belongings really became important to me. Roy was like, this isn't a big deal. But to me and my voice tone gave me away yesterday when I told the class about growing up in a house where my father went through things in my room, touching it all and dumping the contents of the dresser into the middle of my bedroom. He found my diary on one of these tirades. I had written about what was going on in our family and how scared and mad I was over this. Man, once confronted by my words by him, I changed course and only wrote the opposite of what was happening. Like, " we are the happiest family. We are loved and wanted..." Well, by my mom yes but not my father. Side note, I wrote about what was going on and how we were being treated by my father. I wrapped the note up in aluminum foil and buried it by the gas meter in the backyard. Just in case something happened to us but more likely to me. Does this touching and dumping stuff fill my mind everyday. Nope. Have I gone to therapy to be given life tools to heal this trauma. Oh yes I have. But, I am not hitting FB or X today with some rage against the insanity type topic because it is no longer relevant to me. Best advice given was, you're reacting like you did as a child but now you're an adult and can deal, heal and solve the hurts.  Sometimes when I share stories of childhood, I've been contacted by others letting me know how much help they received from the blog post.  The telling thing about the whole Jacob vent against Laban concerns Laban's reaction to what Jacob has said...well be that as it may, everything is mine but your God has handicapped me from taking action against you. Makes me think, wow how powerful was that dream of Laban's? 

We are making a trip to Lowe's for more potting soil and a few other things. Roy will work out later this afternoon. Weed pulling is calling my name, but I may let that call go to voicemail. The week temps look to be warmer so all those things we have been putting off outside should get taken care of...again, might be a voicemail thing. 

Winter to Spring to Winter to Books

 We are in the midst of Dogwood Winter here in the Appalachian mountains. It comes every spring reminding us that winter isn't that far in the background. Our temps have been rather warm until yesterday when the cold wind blew in. In the higher elevations they got snow. Next on the spring look back to winter calendar is Blackberry Winter. Then we hit Mother's Day and Roy will be planting tomatoes. The warmup starts tomorrow. I don't think it got cold enough last night to harm any of the plants or blooms but tonight might be a whole nother story. 

I spent a lot of time reading and researching yesterday for the lesson on Sunday. We are with Jacob and Laban. Wow, Jacob gets schooled in schemes, deceit and lies, something he is quite good at himself. Jacob has the Lord on his side and the promises made to him as well as to his grandfather and father. Reading Laban's deflections and his proclaimed victimhood, reminded me greatly of my father and his tactics. I was telling Roy about the direction of the lesson or how it is shaping up, the Lord reminded me at every trick and turn of my father's plans, the Lord had been there for me/us bringing solutions or people to the crisis my father was creating. I never saw something in Gen 31:41b until yesterday, God saw your abuse and my hard work. If God hadn't been on Jacob's side, Laban would have sent him away empty handed. I never realized what a narcissist Laban was. He blamed, accused falsely, turned others against Jacob and then he became the victim, at least in his thinking. Then after none of Laban's gods/idols were found due to the clever thinking of Rachel...she had sat at the feet of the master...she used her period excuse. Ah, nothing like periods to set things a little askew. Jacob vents...really vents, finally. He and Laban make a pact and celebrate it with a meal. We don't hear about Laban again. 

 I have written before here recently that I am enjoying a series of stories and books by Daphne Simpkins. She is retired from Auburn, I won't hold that against her, as an English professor. The book, Kingdom Come, is the third book in the Miss Budge series. I bought it from Thrift Books and the copy I have is from a previous reader. Very fine pencil marks are made through the first two chapters. At first I thought, oh has the grammar police found something? No, it seems the marks are for some memorable quotes. I just mark through books, never thinking of making notations in the margin with pencil. 

Just read a great article on the silent treatment we have experienced or practiced. The original concept came from sailors. The silent treatment was used for those people on the ship that were obnoxious or just hard to deal with. This could go on for months and months. Those who experienced it sometimes would go mad with the exclusion. There was a time that the silent treatment could be used on me and the outcome would be the desired result. Now, I don't know, not so much. Well except Roy, who isn't exactly wordy at all. So, it isn't the same thing. My father went one year without speaking to us over some furniture, that had been given to us. One day at their house, while he had made a great production of ignoring me, I said to no one particular in the room, cause it was only him. I said, while you have spent this year fuming and angry over a triple dresser, we have been out and about, having fun, never giving a thought to that dresser. It has been freeing. He started talking to us after that. At the time I thought he saw the reasonableness of that statement, but he came to his senses only because his "possession" wasn't responding to his treatment and he might lose me... He didn't count Roy cause he never liked Roy for taking his possession away. 

Maybe I have stumbled upon a biblical thing that isn't talked about too much. While studying Genesis I have come to believe that the Sarahs and Rachels of the world are a pain in the butt. They might be beautiful but there are some personality flaws in them that could get on one's nerves. Who knows? But there is a lot more to learn from Hagar and Leah or at least that is the conclusion I have come to. 

Compost, Fires on the Mountains and Stuff

 Easter weekend filled with the regular Easter activities along with and most importantly the celebration of Resurrection Sunday, contained more than the usual events of the weekend. There was smoke on the mountains and in this case of Sunday the smoke was due to the fire on the mountains. One fire that was contained early in the process and it burned nearby friend's homes. Looking out our front windows we could see smoke that was black meaning water has been applied to the flames. Someone almost let the brush burning fire get out of control to the south of us. This not being the same fire happening in Leicester. There was a house fire happening in another area close by. In the words of Billy Joel, we didn't start the fire... On Saturday our neighbors gifted us with a huge load of compost via their horses. So Saturday late afternoon, we were moving compost to all the flower and veggie beds. I stayed off the incline cause last time, I slid down the mountain, well the incline of our side yard, on compost on down to the driveway. With all of Roy's fall and winter work with the raised beds, the compost will be the icing on the cake...so to speak. 

Roy had deacon's meeting on Monday night so he missed the Iowa/LSU women's basketball game. Fast paced but the outcome is not what we wanted for LSU. Although, the stress level of watching games has now gone back to the normal levels. We are rooting for South Carolina, now cause you know...SEC....SEC! But wouldn't it be a great story if NC State beat them in the semis? We will probably watch the games this weekend but then after the weekend...my interest in basketball goes back to nil until March Madness 2025. All the "stuff" that has been a distraction for the Tigers is a bit concerning. Just like last year the word, class or classless, is thrown around quite a bit. Oh yes, the code word that is quite racist in the tone. You saw it a lot including last year's victory in the Natty cause Iowa kind of losing was never a thought, until it happened. You see it this year in defeat. On a much smaller level, minute in this case, when I played tennis, volleyball and softball, it is difficult to beat a team twice, unless you are South Carolina. This year it would be great if LSU beat Iowa but in my heart of hearts, I didn't think it would happen. I did my part, I didn't watch all of the game trying to help the Tigers like I had done on Saturday. Ha! 

One thing that I have loved about this year's March Madness is seeing players who play with such joy. They are serious about their game but they love the game so much they can't help but overflow in joy. They do their "job" but have fun. We live in such a joyless world. Just my thoughts here, but I think joy is shut down so many times because others who want control can't control joy. Guess that is why it is a fruit of the spirit found in Galatians. Just look at the guy whose friends tore through a roof and lowered him to Jesus in the house. Only the Jewish leaders were upset cause joy overturned their world. They were at the house sitting up close to where Jesus spoke, not to know Him but to accuse Him and look for stuff to take Him down. Throughout my working years I was fortunate to work for several who were joyful in their approach thus influencing our approach to our work and jobs. I also worked with those who sucked the life out of you and that included joy. After sucking out joy they usually make a few new rules because what is a joyless approach to life without some legalism thrown in. It is easier to make rules than to live a life in the Spirit. 

Our area didn't get the storm and wind last night so all the tulips are looking good. The drop in temps certainly was felt today but more of a drop Thursday. We did our usual Wednesday thing of picking up lunch from 6 Pigs BBQ. They are set up on the River Road on Wednesdays. We got there a little after 11:00 and there was already a line. They sold out by 3:20. 

Last night there was a wreck on our road. It was dusk and hard to see from the house but looks like one car crashed off the road into something or one went off into the field across the road. Took a long time to clear it. Never heard a crash sound or anything but it was one of the quietest evenings in a while cause cars, trucks and motorcycles couldn't race down the road. Oh yeah, I just went old lady in that sentence. 

Mostly Weather

 Yesterday morning, I looked out the window and white flakes filled the view. It was above freezing and no precip yet. The blooms are off the trees because of the wind and floated down across the yard. Now this is the kind of snow you like seeing toward the end of March. In the backyard, where the wind doesn't quite have the effect as in the front, the petals have come to rest on the ground. What a beautiful sight to behold. 

Our rain came late in the afternoon Friday and has moved on. The rainy day forecasted for today isn't happening anymore. Cooler temps though. We need to get the fertilizer stakes in the ground for the fruit trees today or tomorrow. Today might be the day because LSU Women's BB plays tomorrow. I hope they play better than they did yesterday. Ugly win. While watching I mentioned to Roy several times that the expressions on some of the players for LSU gave the story that there might be some issues happening. Kim Mulkey said in an ESPN interview afterwards that she felt like there was too much selfishness on the court. Hmm...facial reading did not fail me yesterday. 

I finished the Cloverdale book last night in the Miss Budge series. Y'all, I almost always see the twist at least not to be surprised, but even seeing the twist early on...the story didn't play out at all how I imagined it to do. I loved the story, the wisdom, the funny and the twist in this novel. There is significant character development of Miss Budge and in some of her church lady friends. 

The seasonal produce stands and places are beginning to open up. Think we will try and make a trip to one of them. Spring onions are looking good. It is the most wonderful time of the year.

Every once in a while I see Bobbsey, an earlier member of the Feral Fam. Bobbsey is the twin of HP. When he is around there for just a moment I think it is HP, but Bobbsey has a dark nose. We saw him twice yesterday and once this afternoon. There is a Radley relative hanging around as well. Almost the same markings but not as furry. I haven't seen Radley in a while but he is a wanderer. 

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Whew, I had to do my part to help the LSU Women's Basketball team. The second half I stayed away from the TV and only kept up with the score on Google. Middle TN was a great team but it was so good to see LSU get some defense going and play together as a team. 

We did not get through the whole lesson this morning. Think we will just keep on moving through Genesis and not do an Easter lesson next week. One of the class members surprised us with banana bread, so moist it nearly melted in your mouth. Her husband made it for us and she had enough to share with other church members. The large container was nearly empty after the morning service. That is just one thing I love about our church but more specifically of our class. So giving and generous. We will pick back up with the dysfunctional family of Isaac. There is so much to be gleaned from their approach to life. That Rebekah was a wonderment of Type A temperament. She had her ear to the ground, knew the comings and goings of quiet conversations and was still able to kill, skin and fix up a meal from goat meat. She had purpose and a plan although the Lord probably would have preferred that she would trust Him and not manipulate circumstances to help in His work. Isaac, most commentaries believe, he knew what the Lord had told Rebekah while she carried the twins. He favored Esau, so he wanted to sneak the blessing to him since it would normally be his by being the first born. Esau was purely into the hunting as a sport of leisure. The family owned all kind of flocks so it wasn't necessary to have wild game for meat. He wasn't into the the family business. Jacob kind of had an interest maybe only to use in his duplicitous dealings. Well, that is until he has his Bethel encounter with God. 

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Our rainy Tuesday has arrived. Right now more of a heavy mist. I started another Mildred Bulge book, skipping to book three in the series. It pulled me right in and although it is answers things probably addressed in book 2, it comes as no surprise. The weather makes it a great reading day although there are several chores that need to be done. 

I watched a little of the NCAA women's BB championship last night. I finally decided to cut off the BB and go back to reading. I can only watch so much of Caitlyn Clark. Watched the last quarter of the UConn game which was good. LSU plays UCLA this coming weekend. It should be a good game either way it goes. 

Memories, Books, Hunks and Apps

 Monday mornings are usually the time I sit down to write but this morning I got involved with a card challenge. Some came easy and there were two that came with a great deal of difficulty, so off and on all morning until lunch I would busy myself with chores then come back to challenge. Finally before lunch, I solved it. The chore I chose was cleaning out a kitchen cabinet. So, time well used. We have been outside working on the flowerbeds and getting stuff together for the College Hunk haulers to pick up. There is a brisk breeze and the temps go below freezing this evening. Also a burn ban, not that we are planning on burning yard waste and such. 

Yesterday, I looked at FB memories and there was the famous March 17, 2012 post about the snake at our front door. I don't think the water moccasins have a welcome wagon for new neighbors, but he was sitting mighty pretty on the welcome mat. Roy took care of him and no other snakes ever visited us there. After all that happened with my father toward the end of March back then, it sure seems like it was a warning. 

Almost done with the Miss Budge book and this time it is cracking me up. The ladies are at a mission emphasis luncheon and one of the young missionaries asks Miss Budge if chicken spaghetti will be served. Nope, that is strictly a condolence dish cause it travels well in those aluminum throw away pans. No, for women's missions conference the dish is, chicken with prunes and olives. Ugh! That sounds disgusting but the conversation that takes place about the unjust inequities between men and women events at church is hilarious. For the same mission conference, the men are eating at a BBQ restaurant complete with banana pudding for dessert. The women have a fake meringue, artificial ingredient, damp crust piece of pie, sliced in lady sized portions. Then men have such freedom they can return to church with sauce on their shirts, while is some prune got on a blouse...oh for shame. Mildred and Gertrude had a retreat script for just such observations, the inequities and differences of retreats. Women, mostly are put four to a room, not men. Just two will share a room. Women do crafts, guys get to shoot guns or do crossbow target shooting. If a woman has a hearty appetite, well you'll starve at a retreat. Bring snacks, better yet and the profit would go to the Lord, sell them to the women who didn't plan ahead and find themselves faint due to hunger. I could go on but I think my favorite line in our retreat script was Gertrude telling us she was the last one in her room to be able to take a shower and clean up. By that time all that was left for her was one dry wash cloth. Then she pulls out the wash cloth for proof. Over the years M&G planned Sweetheart Church Banquets, using Abraham, Sarah and Hagar, Jacob with Leah and Rachel...you get the drift of this direction, don't get us started on Solomon...  We did a script for a church out in Magnolia, when Magnolia was just a bunch of pine trees. The lady told us there would be tons of young mothers there. Nope. We only did that young mother skit once, for all those older ladies, but it is a favorite memory of Peggy in the bathroom with leaves and tree limbs stuck in her hair and the fox tail showing from the waist of her pants and no one, not one lady said a thing to her. Like they saw this everyday. I was awaiting our cue and a lady sat by me and asked, now who are your people? She thought I was resident of the area.  

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The College Hunks arrived yesterday afternoon to pick up the recliner on the front porch, old carpets and a trundle bed mattress and the frame. The frame they will take to ABCCM cause it is still good. The chair is as well, but Buddy had scratched a place on the back that opened up the fabric. Were they college hunks? One out of three but they were all so very nice and helpful. Two of the guys loved our front yard with the blooming trees and soon to open tulips. Truly their help was reasonable and like the slogan says, stress free. So while four years ago I was celebrating phase one of the flowerbed I worked on during those ***demic years, now became final phase of shutting down the experiment. We are going to let the grass grow in the bed to become part of the yard again. We will probably move a couple of snowball bushes to help the reclaim back to grass. 

This morning Roy is getting new shoes for the truck. We bought Cooper Tires probably in 2018 and they have lasted. We could really wait a couple of more months, but thought we should get this done now and not later when it is hot. The waiting room is outside. 

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I have decided that Isaac has middle patriarch syndrome...just like middle child behavior. Basically, he rusted away after dealing with some wells. There are particular habits of his that scream middle child but he is the bridge between Abraham and Jacob. I think Rebekah was a type A personality and had her hand in all things. I have most of my notes written for Sunday but I will take the rainy afternoon that is being forecasted to fine tune. Since my style of teaching is applicable, I want us to take home some different things to think and meditate upon, especially with Easter week coming. 

With the dip into the 20s, we weren't sure if the peach tree would be okay or not. Looks like the dip didn't hurt the blooms. We covered our new blackberry plants, much easier than you know a big tree. We got some more daffodils and yellow tulip plants last weekend. It is great to plant when the bulbs that have been previously planted start showing. You add the new plants among them for the next year. Mary Joyce would have been so happy with her daffodils this year. She planted a lot of white and yellow ones and they have popped out beautifully. When Mike was here mowing, he didn't have to mow Mary Joyce's yard. Don't know if Dave, her son in law, will be doing that or not. Haven't heard too much on what they are going to do or not do with her house. Our new neighbors across the way are outside a lot this week working in their, yard...although right now it is just empty space still with straw on the ground coaxing green grass out of the red clay. She has some shrubs in large containers either for easy access to move them with the next chance of frost or that's how they will stay. I kind of like that and during the winter while planning our gardens and flower gardens, I have come to this same idea. Only I think I am coming to it as ease rather than looks. 

My app on my iPhone tells me they predict a fall for me in the next year. I have not fallen since 2016 and I know pride comes before a fall, but this is more in the category of being up in my business. Of course what they don't know is my unsteady gate is related to my hip pain. We eliminated the chair, see above reference of recliner on the front porch, and I have been doing the hip flexor stretches. Those stretches have helped tremendously. I noticed that my right foot has been gearing toward the right while I walk...which tells me I am not walking in alignment. After being pigeon toed for most of my life, this is a different phenonium. I guess this all a part of the aging process. This week Monday, I felt horrible, Tuesday great, Wednesday okay, Thursday horrible and today great. 

A Good Place To Be

 Roy and I just came back in from the front yard. He added raised bed soil to several of the raised beds and checked on a few of the shrubs. The forsythia is blooming as well as the peach, red bud and dwarf dogwoods. The willow tree is all a buzz, really with bees hanging out in the top branches. It is true that bees are as busy as bees. Cha Nay Nay spent a lot of time with me out there as well as Fido, although he likes to help Roy. The clover is everywhere, the thickest and most prolific I have ever seen it. 

This morning we did the Publix thing. There was an older, really older couple that arrived about the same time as we did. They parked in the pick up or curbside grocery places. I told Roy every time we were on the same aisle with them that I wanted to yell in my best Gomer Pyle voice, "citizens arrest, citizens arrest!" We stopped at the BBQ truck across from the post office on the way home. Delicious! I was hoping for some banana pudding cause they had it one time last week at another site. No pudding but Roy got me a cookie. 

The lesson of laying down your Is*ma*l has had me thinking a lot more. Of other times, I let myself respond in not the best ways. Really powerful effect in how I respond or responded to things. There is a fine line of beating yourself up verses letting it all go to the Lord and learn of His ways. Sometimes we and most certainly I am guilty of responding, well that's just who I am. There are all kinds of personality tests to take and use for back up. But the whole Romans 12:1-2 doesn't take that into account. It is God working within us, our personalities, both real and imagined...ha, making us like Him. Using our brains, gifts, and personalities. 

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Well, it must have been the fresh air but I have been up most of the night. Really have had a difficult time sleeping. I was productive though, cleaned out the pantry, worked some on my lesson and responded to a message. Since we had planned to go to Sam's and pick up some bagged soil, I just stayed away and if need be, if haha, I could take a nap in the afternoon. Only can get five bags at a time this round, so we picked up a couple of other items. The best being, our Sam's now carries the Fancy Feast cat food. Yay!

We got home and with the temps going into the high 70s, we did some of the prep work once we got home. The clover is taking over but that is a Mike the Mower Man task. We got some of the soil mixed into the raised beds, better distributing the egg shells into the mix. We won't be able to plant tomatoes until in May, but soil prep keeps one occupied garden wise, until the next stage of the process. 

Roy was able to get his workout in. So all in all with bags of dirt to be carried and toted, along with his regular workout, he did quite well. 

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Fourth Friday in a row of rainy weather. I don't mind it cause it helps me sit down and get all my notes together for Sunday. This morning on FB memories, a post from 2009 reminded me of the difficulties with my father and knowing his actions, now seeing in hindsight, helped spiral my mom quicker into her dementia/Alzheimer's. He had called and as I debated on whether to answer or voicemail it, I decided to answer because we were so close to his upcoming heart surgery. 

It was the all too familiar ring tone of my father that momentarily stopped Roy and I from our cleaning duties yesterday. I hesitated to even answer the phone because there are times it is best the calls go to voicemail and then have time to pray and think before calling back. Sometimes time diminishes the drama or whatever was so urgent a couple of hours ago, cannot even be recalled. Since my dad is anticipating heart surgery sometime after March 23, I thought best to answer. He began saying what he always says, "Nancy, this is your father." Yep a little too Star Wars but I don't think he has ever seen the movies to enjoy the humor of his words. And the next statement always holds an element of surprise, "Do you have a few minutes to talk?" OK, at that point my brain is sounding the alert alarm and calling my body to all hands on deck. As he begins to talk I either heighten the alarm to Anne Frank sounding sirens or the three buzz sounds on the radio for the prepare alert during bad weather. He asks me about my blood type, which is O-. He says did you say B, did you say B? I have type B and type B's have more tendencies to get cancer. I'm sorry, but you are going to get cancer. Me thinking, what the heck? I again told him O-. He was rather disappointed to hear that news. Then he gleefully told me well, I wasn't out of the woods, I could get cancer. Who does this? It is usually an over worrying and micro managing mom who calls with this kind of information.

 In hindsight, I can see that narcissistic personality all over this. Roy also talked with him that day and found out that my father wasn't having valve replacement surgery but going in as an outpatient for some tests. I think this is the first time that my father dealt with Work Mode Roy. He is totally different in work mode. He gave my father some marching orders and out of shock in how talked to him, we remember my father doing everything that Roy demanded uh requested. How timely as we begin to study Jacob, the deceiver as well as being the deceived. An encounter with God transformed Jacob, sadly I cannot say the same about my father. I do love that his friend/caregiver asked him every time she saw him, if he really knew Jesus. She'd go over the plan of salvation with him on every visit.

I've been reading a biography on Donald Barnhouse, well known preacher in the 1940-1950s. His second wife wrote it and man oh man, it is powerful. This man really had a way with the scriptures but knowing the change in him, later in life not so bombastic but loved people God's way. I am also reading the Cloverdale or Cloverleaf novel of Miss Budge by Daphne Simpkins. Such a message given in the folds of a fictional church and friends. Along with the study and reading I did for last week's lesson, as they say, I have more than I can say grace over but in a reading world, it's a great place to be.

Maybe it is the rainy weather but The Boys are quiet this morning. GMoey is extra needy, Mr Mo is slinking around and Willie is more affectionate. Or maybe they've done something that we haven't discovered yet. Even Roy is napping but he had a busy Thursday.