![\"\"](\"https://i0.wp.com/www.marshmallowranch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Training-for-my-flight-next-week-Wish-me-luck.png?fit=819%2C1024&ssl=1\")
The world has gone bat-stick crazy! It reminds me of The Lord of the Flies when all the kids went feral. Socially acceptable norms seem to have vanished. Especially on airplanes! Did you see the video that was circulated on social media this week? You don’t usually see women as the perpetrators of violence in the public sphere. She had to be physically restrained after hitting, spitting on, and pulling the hair of a woman sitting in a seat. Do I know what led to this pugilistic outburst? No, I do not. But there is no need to act this way anywhere, let alone on an airplane.
\n\n\nSomeone will say the perpetrator was mentally ill or having a breakdown of some type. That may be true… we don’t know. Let me just say this: social media and those who pander for “likes and shares” are just as guilty as the woman doing the spitting. The people filming and sharing, the news outlets flashing it on the evening news, the algorithms promoting violence, and feeding the millions of humans glued to their screens… hooked and reeled in for their drug of choice… dopamine. This magic neurotransmitter in the brain is associated with pleasure and reward. And yes… it is addictive. Being mindful of the amount of time you spend in front of a screen is the first step in recognizing that you may have a problem.
\n\n\nI guess Boxing Barbie in the video doesn’t recognize that this behavior is inappropriate. So, how do we get the smoke back in the bottle? I’m afraid it’s going to be difficult in this climate. I’m praying that new moms start raising a generation of kind humans who are rewarded with the satisfaction of doing good things and helping people. It won’t be easy, but I still believe it’s doable… someday.
\n\n\nIn the meantime, I hope you realize this was tongue-in-cheek. Violence doesn’t end violence. Love does. I’ll leave my proverbial boxing gloves at home and take a Bible instead. God’s Word is more powerful than anything that could be thrown at me. I don’t take no truck in fighting with people. To quote the infamous Sweet Brown, “Ain’t nobody got time for that!”
\n\n\n💜
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBe sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter: 5-8 ESV
\n\n
***Gratitude Journal*** Today, I am grateful for the love and peace I have in my life. I’m grateful for the friends in my life who have become like family to me. We lost three of our senior classmates in the last week. We don’t have time to act a fool. It’s time to share loving kindness. Put it out in the world. Be the shining light on the hill. Be the change!\n\n", "date_published": "2025-06-20T04:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/06/20/training-for-my-flight.html", "tags": ["Faith","Peace","Anger","Kindness","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2025/04/09/a-change-of-heart.html", "title": "A Change of Heart", "content_html": "\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/f1bd89b990.jpg\")
Image created by Ginny McKinney using Meta AI
\n\n\nI have some very special friends. You know the sort. They’re the ones you can pick right up where you let off. The kind who sees your name pop up in caller ID and you can hear the delight in their voices. Terri is one of those friends. She’s been with me through thick and thin for…oh my goodness…nearly forty years. I can’t even remember exactly how we met. She helped me through a difficult divorce. She celebrated with me when I found and married Mr. Virgo. Then she held me up when I grieved his loss. She is my sister in Christ whose wise counsel I covet. We pray for and with each other. I love her dearly. When I go to Colorado for visits by myself, she has a “suite” ready for me. I usually get to visit her a couple of times during every trip.
\n\n\nI’ve been struggling a little the last few weeks. I’ve involved myself in the news (noise is more like it) far too much and I found anger, fear, and sadness nipping at my heels. I started praying about it and asked God to help me with this. He put it on my heart to talk with you about it this week…hence my last few posts. I had an appointment in town yesterday. I arrived early, turned off the truck, and invited Jesus to come sit with me for a little while. We didn’t say anything. We rarely do. He knows my heart and what I need, and when He knows I’m ready for it, he presses something into my heart much like pressing a coin in the hand of a child wanting ice cream.
\n\n\n“Call Terri.”
\n\n\nI dutifully picked up my phone and dialed her number. (I’ll paraphrase.)
\n\n\n“Well….how are you doing, Miss Ginny?”
\n\n\n“I’m struggling with this dystopian society I find myself living in.”
\n\n\nShe immediately began speaking about Christians and judgment, anger and the enemy, control and release. My biggest takeaway was this…it is not our place to judge anyone. I am no less guilty of talking bad about those I view as “the other side” than they are. This stems from investing in worldly things. The enemy is in the middle, pitting one against another. He thrives on chaos, angst, retribution. He prods us to think we are “better than those who we deem destroyers of peace.” Terri spoke with an earnest, unbroken cadence that held my attention. And with each profession of the Holy Spirit, I felt the angry thoughts falling away from me.
\n\n\nDoes it mean I don’t still have strong feelings? Does it mean my anger and disillusionment will simply fall away and the void filled with songs like Kumbaya? Hardly. But her rapid fire witness shot holes in my preconceived notions that were too readily leaning towards an us vs. them world. I am, after all, a fallible human.
\n\n\nShe helped me gain some perspective and led me toward a change of heart. Anger and frustration breed the very divisiveness I rale against. And who am I to assert myself as judge, jury, and executioner? That isn’t very Christian of me. To quote Terri, “Our only job here is recruitment…to lead others toward the Light to a relationship with Jesus.” It is not our job to solve problems that are not ours to solve.
\n\n\nBut, isn’t that relinquishing control? Literally, yes…when you’re trying to control something that is not yours to control. Give it to God. There’s another side of relinquishing control. It’s called accepting responsibility. It’s about taking care of the assignment we came here to do. To do the things we DO have control over. Our vote and our voice. And the liberal application of self-restraint, forgiveness, charity, grace, and love. Towards EVERYONE…no matter what color hat they wear. No one said it would be easy but the way is narrow.
\n\n\nI know…on my own…I don’t have that kind of strength and patience. But I have a Father who loves me, a Holy Spirit who guides me, and Jesus who walks by my side every step of the way. All I have to do is listen closely, follow directions to the best of my ability, and grow with every lesson and experience. To love Him with all your heart and all your mind with all your strength. And let Him do the heavy lifting.
\n\n\nGod doesn’t ask any more of us than that.
\n\n\n🩵🌷🩵
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n““Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:4-5 NLT
\n\n
***Gratitude Journal***\n\n", "date_published": "2025-04-09T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2025/04/09/a-change-of-heart.html", "tags": ["Faith","God","Choices","Change","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2024/01/02/day-one.html", "title": "Day One: 2024", "content_html": "\n
Today I am grateful for dear friends with wise counsel and a strong faith. Iron sharpens iron.
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/98a1cae037.jpg\")
New Year, New Project. Crocheting a scrappy yarn basket to use up some of my stash. Use it Up!!!
\n\n\nNew Year’s Day. A clean slate. An unwritten book with 365 pages. It’s exciting and filled with hope for great things. What we need to remember is…it’s not infallible. We will not do it perfectly. We’ll make mistakes and we’ll be so tempted to give up and say, “See? Nothing works out!” Or “I knew it was too good to be true!” Spending our lives waiting for the other shoe to drop then giving up and going back to what clearly didn’t work last year isn’t the answer. Flexibility is the name of the game. Flexibility and determination. That’s how you’ll keep coming back and trying again.
\n\n\nI took a four day break from Noom to enjoy the end of the year…guilt free. I’m sure when I get back on the scale this morning, the number will be higher than it was before…but that little number doesn’t define who I am or quantify my worth. All I have to do is get up, recommit to my program, and follow through with the steps I need to meet my goals. That applies to everything in life. When I was abusing alcohol and prescription medications, I had to face my addictions every day as if it were the first.
\n\n\nI chose sobriety on January 6, 2000. Or rather…it chose me. I overdosed with a lethal cocktail and through the grace of God, I survived it. It’s not enough to survive, though. You need to learn to thrive or else you can stay in the victim seat…and that’s no way to live either.
\n\n\nI’ve been blessed to have the people and the resources to get my life back on track. Sobriety is not just a young person’s game. It’s never too late to make changes in your life. Make a decision. Look for the resources to support you. Look for even the smallest of achievements and praise yourself when you make them. And forgive yourself when you slip. Then get back up and start again, no matter how many times you need to.
\n\n\nThrough a lot of prayer, study, therapy, and deep introspection, I learned that my addictions stemmed from my inability to love and forgive…myself and others… for things that happened as far back as I can remember. It took me far too long to let go and let God run my life instead of me trying to hold the reins. It took learning to trust that He had plans for me…that He loved me…and that, since I was made in His image…I needed to love myself.
\n\n\nYes…it’s a new year of new beginnings. I pray your very first choice this year is to love God…and love yourself. You are so worthy of love, dear one.
\n\n\n🩵
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2024-01-02T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2024/01/02/day-one.html", "tags": ["Health","God","Choices","Change","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/12/02/its-okay-to-say-no.html", "title": "It’s Okay to Say No", "content_html": "\n”You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.“
\nSong of Solomon 4:7 ESV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/655296cc18.jpg\")
The fog rolling in over the far field.
\n\n\nGod put it on my heart today to talk to you about something.
\n\n\nWe’re heading into the busiest time of the year. Holiday decorating, shopping, baking, parties. It’s a whirlwind of activity and for many of us…it’s just overwhelming. We can’t all be like Martha Stewart. She works hard, I’m sure. But she has a staff to do the big stuff. So, I’m here to tell you…
\n\n\nYou and I don’t have staff.
\n\n\nIt’s okay to say no.
\n\n\nLet me say that another way…
\n\n\nIT. IS. OKAY. TO. SAY. NO!
\n\n\nYou’re asked to bring five dozen cookies to the craft bazaar but you’re budget is feeling the pinch…just like that nerve in your back. But you hate to disappoint them.
\n\n\nIt’s okay to say, “I’m sorry, I really can’t this year.”
\n\n\nYou’re expected at yet another holiday event and you’ve been overloaded at work this week, but what will they think of you if you don’t at least make an appearance?
\n\n\nIt’s okay to say, “I really wish I could make it, but I’m spread too thin this year. Thank you for the invitation, though! Let’s make it another time when things settle down.”
\n\n\nYou’re grown kids want you to make their 37 favorite dishes this year for Christmas.
\n\n\nIt’s ok to say, “I’d love to do that, but it’s a little much for me right now. Here are the 37 recipes. Why don’t you all go through the list, pick your top three, and come early. We’ll cook together. I’ll provide the wine!” This works for friends, too.
\n\n\nYou’re neighbors have decorated to the nines and you hate for your house to look all dull and Scroogie compared to theirs.
\n\n\nIt’s okay to call your local high school and see if their Booster Club might be interested in earning a little money if the kids could come and decorate for you. The teen group at your church might be interested, too.
\n\n\nYou’re grieving the loss of someone special and your friends want to get you out of the house and “get your mind off things.” Your friends mean well, and this really could be something fun for you to do. But if you aren’t feeling it…
\n\n\nIt’s ok to say, “No, thank you. I’m just really not feeling it this year. I’d love to go to coffee after the holidays, though! Let’s do that.”
\n\n\nAt any given time, it is ok to say no if you’re just over it. We had to go to town nearly every day this week. The last two days, I felt myself getting overstimulated and agitated. So, I politely told Mr. FixIt that I’m going to stay home till Monday morning knitting group and again till my Wednesday mammogram. The roofers are starting soon and I want to ENJOY the holidays. I can’t if I’m overwhelmed and snippy.
\n\n\nI know there’s someone out there that needs to hear this. Just chill a little. You’ll be much happier, as will everyone around you, if you take a little “me time” and get some rest. Eat healthy foods. Get plenty of sleep. Drink lots of water and less alcohol. Get a massage. Meditate. Go to yoga. Take a walk. Listen to soft music. Spend some time with God, or whoever you pray to or consider a Higher Power. I want to be inclusive here because self care isn’t just for Christians.
\n\n\nSending big hugs out to all of you. You’ve got this!
\n\n\n🎄
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.”
\nMark 6:31 ESV\n
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\n\n\nWe’re getting down to the cutoff for Christmas ordering. I’d say by the end of next week, if you’re looking for something from my shop, you should have your orders in. I’d like to thank all of you who have been so supportive and are shopping small! I’m most appreciative.
\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/498e765255.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/0ed4b943d9.jpg\")
The dog days of summer are past, the nights are downright chilly, and folks are getting out to soak up the last of the warmth from the sun. Mr. FixIt and I had a slow start to our day. I made my streamlined French Toast for breakfast then headed over to the farm to mow. Mr. FixIt worked on putting the stuff away that he pulled out to install the new garage door. He’s still pretty beat up from working so hard this week and I wanted to get things done so we’d have today to relax.
\n\n\nThe grass was thick and damp at the farm so I had to go over it twice to mulch it. I had to sit on the front porch for a bit and enjoy the fruits of my labor before I headed home. Mr. FixIt wanted to go to town to see the Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall, so we stopped to pick up some supper and had a picnic at the park then looked at the names. A cousin of Hubby #2 is named on the wall so I looked him up.
\n\n\nA quick trip to Sam’s then we headed home. I needed to help Mr. FixIt put the last of the stuff away that was removed from the garage to install the new overhead door. They predicted rain for last night so we wanted everything picked up and put away. By the time we finished, it was time to write.
\n\n\nI noticed when I opened my iPad that yesterday was my dear friend Sparky’s birthday. She would have been 70 years old. Grief is a funny thing. I’ve lost people I dearly love and it has hurt me to my core. Losing Mr. Virgo was the worst. Losing Sparky was right up there in the top five. My chest still hurts when I think of her and all the fun we had. Even though we graduated from high school together, we didn’t really become friends till I moved to West Virginia after Mr. Virgo died. She kinda took me under her wing and steered me in the right direction when I messed up. She was my confidante…my 3:00am chat partner…the person I went to when I needed to know something. She was a walking encyclopedia. She cussed like a sailor but her heart was an ooey gooey marshmallow. If she liked you, she’d give you the shirt of her back. Cross her and she let you know about it in no uncertain terms.
\n\n\nLittle has “The Gift.” She’s sensitive to messages and communications. She texted me last week and told me my friend came to her and told her to tell me to check in on my brother. I asked her which friend. She said the one who died because she wouldn’t go to the hospital. She said she’s happier on the other side and specifically said to tell me “We’ll see ya eventually, but don’t you dare rush to get here!”
\n\n\nI miss her like crazy…but somehow, that message comforted me. I know I’ll see her again.
\n\n\nEventually.
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2023-09-17T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/09/17/autumn-makes-me-miss-sparky.html", "tags": ["Grief","Friends","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2023/09/07/in-over-my-head.html", "title": "In Over My Head", "content_html": "\n“But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”
\nHebrews 11:16 ESV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/4df848b2c0.jpg\")
I will be the first to admit, I’ve never been the best at keeping house. I mean…it’s not dirty. There aren’t roaches or bedbugs. But, I’m just like my grandma…I would MUCH rather be outside on the tractor or with my hands in the dirt or writing or doing art or camping. Let’s face it, I would rather be doing just about anything besides housework.
\n\n\nIt gets particularly bad in the summer. Between camping and mowing, things just get put down…not put away. Mr. FixIt is one of the most patient people I’ve ever met. I drove all three of my other husbands crazy with my messy piles and things you have to walk around. So, the other night when I heard a slight hint of aggravation in his voice as he declared there wasn’t any place in the kitchen to set something down, I knew I’d just about pushed the envelope as far as I dared go.
\n\n\nI got up way before my sweetheart and headed in to the kitchen first thing yesterday morning. I fixed my yummy cup of RYZE Mushroom Coffee and set to work. The first thing was to go through the spices. It’s been a few years since I had and they really needed cleared out and out of date stuff tossed. I took out the Lazy Susans and gave them a good wash and wiped down the inside of the cupboards. Once the outdated spices were gone, I put just what I needed back in the cabinet and the ones I use the most in the basket next to the stove.
\n\n\nEver since the covid lockdown and my foray into baking sourdough, there have been four huge jars of different varieties of flour on the counter. Between them and my Kitchen Aid stand mixer, they were taking up entirely too much room. I couldn’t tackle that until I worked on the storage shelves in the hall in back of the kitchen. Again, covid found me canning to my heart’s content and some of the things I canned just missed the mark. Like all that butternut squash.
\n\n\nI don’t know if they were a little two ripe or if it’s normal for them to pretty much turn into a soggy mess, but they never looked appealing to me. I had about twenty pints of it canned in 2020 and I’d never once cooked with it. I also had about ten pints of bread and butter pickled zucchini. I don’t know what I was thinking when I put these up, but I just put a couple teaspoons of Pickling Spice in each jar. In my mind, they were going to be softened by the canning process. Not so much. They were like eating pickles with potpourri in them. I always felt they tasting like I swept up the sidewalk and just dumped it in my pickles. I knew we were never going to eat them either, so out they went!
\n\n\nWith the shelves all cleaned and reorganized, I had room to put the large jars of flour on the bottom shelf, thus making more room in my galley kitchen. After washing all the dishes and jars and putting them away, I was finished for the day. My accomplishment? I cleaned one cupboard and about three feet of counter space. But it’s a start. Mr. FixIt came home from his trip to town to pick up the new garage door and I helped him unload it. It started thundering at 9:30 last night so we went out and covered it with a tarp to keep the box from getting wet.
\n\n\nI discovered something new for supper. I’ve been craving Mexican food, so I bought some Taco Seasoned Ground Turkey and fixed lo-cal burritos for supper. They were really good. I used Ole Brand High Protein Tortillas (that are only fifty calories each), a couple tablespoons full of the ground turkey, a generous pinch of finely grated low fat mozzarella cheese, and a serving spoon of my home canned pinto beans. I added shredded lettuce and a generous spoonful of salsa and it was a low fat, quick, and yummy meal!
\n\n\nMr. FixIt has to go to town again today to do something for his friend Joe. He’s also going to get the oil changed and tires rotated on my truck for me. I’m staying home and continuing on the big purge of the pantry next. I know I always feel so much more at ease when my environment is tidy. It’s just so hard to get it and keep it that way.
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”
\nColossians 3:23 NLT\n
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\n\n\nBoo Pumpkins!
\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/e9eace3348.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/82eea314cf.jpg\")
I firmly believe God speaks to us every day in every way. He can manipulate earthly things. Sometimes the message is huge. And sometimes it’s just a way of reminding us He’s here and he’s watching out over us.
\n\n\nI sat down yesterday to do my Bible study. It had been a while since I’d done this, but I just opened the Bible and randomly chose a page and put my finger on a verse. I landed on 1 Corinthians 15…”Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then and you still stand firm in it.” That was God reminding me I am His beloved.
\n\n\nWednesday night, Mr. FixIt and I went to a Dark Sky Park to watch the moonrise and saw the most amazing sunset. As I was snapping pictures, I scanned through them to see if I was catching any good ones. Something in one of the pictures caught my eye and I looked up quickly to see if it was really there. A cross!
\n\n\nIt WAS still there…and stayed there for quite some time. I know the “timbers” of the cross consisted of jet trails. But they were placed there at just that particular time in that particular way to cement my bible study earlier. God winks are the coolest things, aren’t they?
\n\n\nWe had to go to town yet again yesterday. A prescription needed refilled. And I needed to buy a big pork roast for Sunday’s family picnic as well as a few other things. I told you in yesterday’s post that we are dickering with the insurance company over the settlement they are offering. It’s way too low for the condition of the LIncoln and Mr. FixIt is teaching me…you don’t HAVE to settle. You can stand up for what’s right and negotiate with the insurance companies.
\n\n\nMr. FixIt and I came to our relationship with the same insurance company…just different agents. The Lincoln happens to be on my policy, but in the chaotic aftermath of ramming the garage door with his beloved Lincoln, he ended up calling his agent. The company has been giving us some trouble, refusing to increase the value of the car. We went up the food chain (just call us Karen) and asked to speak to a manager. She called while I was mowing and left a voice mail. By the time I was off the mower, it was too late to call back.
\n\n\nI talked about this with God in my morning prayers. When I was getting ready to call the manager back, it popped in my mind that I should contact MY insurance agent to see if he could help us. Two hours later, he called us back and said they had re-evaluated the car and declared it’s value at twice what they originally told me. This brings it up in an area where it may not be totaled after all. They’ll call us today and arrange for us to take the Lincoln to an approved garage for further evaluation. This was great news! If it can be fixed, we can get her back on the road. She’s a good car and has plenty of life left in her. If she can’t be fixed, the value is up where we wanted it. Win-Win!
\n\n\nThis is all to illustrate a point. God looks out for us in every matter…large and small. He relishes our interactions with him. He covets our prayers. But, He’s not a genie in a bottle…you can’t rub three times and expect to get your wishes…at least not immediately. Whatever His will is with this and all situations in our lives…we are grateful for His every presence in our lives. As for showing up in a West Virginia sunset? Well, that’s just icing on the cake…a rare and precious gift!
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”
\nJames 1:12 NLT\n
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\n\n\nCount Your Blessings
\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/677ad513dd.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/e59474f4f4.jpg\")
No, we didn’t buy another camper. The other day when we drove through town, we saw a sign in the park.
\n\n\n“Music Saturday Night 7-9PM”
\n\n\nCool! We love live music. So we made a note to go. But then it started raining and more was predicted through the evening. Mr. FixIt said that would be the end of the music so I took it we weren’t going to go. We went to the farm yesterday to mow before we leave on our trip. Beans texted me early to say the kids were there and there was no water. That pump has seen its better days and try as we might…repeatedly priming it isn’t a long term solution. The problem is, that meant the pump in the cellar house had been running for gosh know how long. It took us quite a bit of time to get the tractor to start this time, but she finally fired up and I got the lawn mowed while Mr. FixIt unplugged the pump and turned off the water heater again. Frank and Beans will get a new tank for the pump and hopefully that will take care of the problem.
\n\n\nWhen we got home, I decided to take a short nap. We had hamburger for the grill. When I got up it was 6:00 and started cleaning up the kitchen to fix supper. Mr. FixIt came in and said, “We’re going to have to leave right now if we’re going to make it to the concert!” What??? I had no food ready and not much to throw together. I don’t handle quick changes to plans as well as I did when I was younger and I may have been a bit snippy to this nice man of mine. I made him a PB&J and threw some grapes, cold chicken, and pretzels in a bag with a couple of cans of Diet Coke and bottle of water. I was done and out the door in five minutes.
\n\n\nWe got to the park and….no one was there. There were a couple of birthday parties at the shelters, but no music. We went around the side where the sign was and someone had added a note saying the music had been moved into…
\n\n\nTHE SENIOR CENTER!
\n\n\nI’ve never been there. I mean…senior centers are where old people go to play bingo and solve jigsaw puzzles, right??? I entered with great trepidation. I took my knitting. I figured I’d fit right in! The band was setting up and the room was pretty crowded. We found seats and I nibbled on the cold chicken and grapes and before long, the music started.
\n\n\nThe three piece band included drums, a bass guitar, and the lead singer who played keyboards, electric and acoustic guitars, the fiddle, and harmonica. The couple next to us smile. The man leaned over and whispered conspiratorially, “He used to play cruise ships.”
\n\n\nGreat. My inner two-year-old was grumpy from her nap, and she didn’t have her corn-on-the-cob and burgers on the grill like she wanted, and now she was being FORCED to sit in a room with OLD people and listen to a guy sing karaoke. I was positively a stink pot! I picked up my knitting and the music started.
\n\n\nThen, the magic happened.
\n\n\nThe lead singer opened his mouth and started singing. His range was remarkable. He easily went from deep, deep bass to falsetto and back again. He had a clever set up with a background vocals track he skillfully played because the other two musicians didn’t sing. He was a one man band with backup.
\n\n\nHe had an impressive repertoire and sang everything from rock and roll to country and gospel. Elvis, Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffet. He had us singing the sha-la-las in Brown Eyed Girl. I looked around. Women were dancing in a conga line up the aisle and back around down the sides. Everyone was laughing and singing along.
\n\n\nSuddenly, it hit me. In my parent’s older years, the music that was played in nursing homes was likely to be songs of longing for the boys who went off to war, or Glenn Miller’s rendition of Pennsylvania Six Five Thousand. They knew all the words. Nowadays, we’ll be in the senior centers and nursing homes singing Neil Young and the Grateful Dead and the Eagles. We’ll know all the words, too.
\n\n\nThat’s when I knew. I’ll be back to the Senior Center. They have live music the third Saturday of every month. They serve a great pulled pork sandwich and there’s vendors with handmade goods like birdhouses and peanut butter fudge. They sell tickets for a 50/50 drawing. I was humbled. Maybe there’s something I can do to help there. When we left I gave Mr. FixIt my profoundest apologies for being a pistol and he smiled and hugged me. He gets me.
\n\n\nHmmmmm…I wonder if they have yoga classes or a knitting group?
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”
\nPhilippians 2:3-5 NLT\n
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
\n\n\nLife is like the ocean…it goes up and down.
\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/ab050f29d1.jpg\")
![\"Tax](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/b7c3ce1336.jpg\")
“It’s tax time!”
\n\n\nHey, remember how I’m always tearing my hair out when it’s time to do the taxes? I get on the laptop and find out its been so long since I’ve been on it that I need to do eight hours of work just updating everything. Then, I realize that I didn’t download anything but the first quarter of the year into my financial software so I spend another two or three days downloading and categorizing everything. It’s crazy making!
\n\n\nWell, this year you’re going to be so proud of me! I had all the financial information downloaded and categorized by the first week in January! And, since I’ve been working on the shop he lat three months, everything is in good working order for the laptop. I gathered all the papers together yesterday afternoon and this morning I’ll sit down and knock those taxes out in record time!
\n\n\nI was thinking back to when I was a little girl and watching my grandma and mom doing their taxes. They went to the post office and picked up the booklet for Federal and one for state then went home and ciphered a little with a piece of paper and a pencil nub. Then they checked their math a second time and carefully filled in the numbers on the forms. They folded them up, stuffed them in an envelope, licked the seal then licked the stamp, and walked to the mailbox to send them off…the little red flag raised. What a simple time it was back then. Taxes seem so complicated now. Business taxes, a rental house, plus the usual stuff gets overwhelming after a while.
\n\n\nSpeaking of a pencil nub, that reminded me of my Pop-Pop. He always carried a little tiny pocket notebook where he kept track of the odd jobs he did for people and how much he charged them. My grandparents didn’t have much money so extras were few and far between. I don't ever remember them having a pencil sharpener. Pop-Pop would take out his penknife and go out on the front porch to shave down and sharpen his pencil. And he would use that thing till it wasn’t more than an inch long. He was good at math and could figure out most anything in his head. I’ve been thinking about him a lot this week. He was born 124 years ago on April Fools Day! I was only seventeen when he died.
\n\n\nI have a picture of him that I treasure. I stumbled on it when I was writing the book about the farm after it sold. Grandma was what my family called “picture poor.” She may not have had money for much, but she’d starve before she went without film and flashbulbs. I used to buy her postage stamps, film, and flashbulbs for Christmas. But her pictures left a lot to be desired. She always stood about 30’ away from people so she could “get everyone in the picture.” Which was nice, but unless you were there, you would never know who was in it. We always teased her about that. She cut people’s heads off a lot. My mom would cut people in half so you’d only get half the person or persons.
\n\n\nYou know…I can’t even remember which eye I used to look through the viewfinder. Kids today wouldn’t have a clue, would they?
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“Like the moon it shall be established forever, a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah”
\nPsalm 89:37 ESV\n
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
\n\n\n*Faith over Fear…a daily reminder.*
\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/9187888622.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/541e9fe2aa.jpg\")
I’ve heard it said that. You never need any of the crap you hang onto…until the week after you get rid of it. And isn’t that the truth? It’s happened time and again. And tools. You buy them, you put them in the building/shed/basement along with all the other stuff only to learn you cannot find it when you need it so you buy another…and another…and another! It makes me crazy!
\n\n\nA dear friend of mine is selling a house and they’re getting down to the wire and it needs the last of the stuff cleared out. Her husband and my husband are cut from the same bolt of cloth. I’ve always greatly admired him and when I decided to start dating after Mr. Virgo died, I was determined to find someone with the same quality of character…honorable, honest, and devoted, with a strong work ethic. I found that in Mr. FixIt. I didn’t really think about the fact that my new husband would have any….unfavorable characteristics. Like hoarding. Not in the likes of those poor unfortunates on the television show. No…hoarding like “I can’t throw this piece of wood away because I may need it someday but then when I DO eventually need it, I won’t be able to find it so I’ll buy more wood!” Yeah…like that.
\n\n\nAfter decluttering forty year’s worth of stuff when I sold the house in Colorado, I was certain I would NEVER have to deal with that again. Ahhhhhh…what do they say? Never say never?
\n\n\n*sigh*
\n\n\nAnyway, I digress. My dear friend’s husband had a stash of wood he was getting rid of and this meme made me laugh. I had to send it to him, of course. And to Mr. FixIt. We all know those folks who can’t get rid of stuff. My late friend Sparky got after me when I was promoting the joys of downsizing. She pointed out to me that she left an abusive marriage with nothing much more than the kids and the clothes she could pack in the car. Everything she had, she worked hard to get and she was proud of that fact. She was frugal and didn’t spend carelessly so she cherished everything she had. I had never thought of it that way and I was glad she called me on it.
\n\n\nMy mom was like that. She loved her stuff. She could find anything in the house, but by golly, it was HERS and there was no one going to take that away from her. She kept shoeboxes full of ballpoint pens that didn’t write. Cartons of cleaned baby food jars with lids. Drawers of disposables from fast food restaurants…plastic cutlery, napkins, salt and pepper packets, ketchup/mustard/horsey sauce, straws, the little plastic cups with lids that salad dressing and cole slaw came in. And who was left to clean all that up when she was gone? Moi. Me, myself, and I. I did it for her…I did it for Mr. Virgo…and if our plans come to fruition and we downsize and move…we’ll be forced to do it again.
\n\n\nI know my husband doesn’t want to get rid of his stuff. He tells a story of his mom having the boys come and haul off some of his dad’s “junk” when he wasn’t there and I think that really stuck with him. He’s worked hard all his life…since he was about seven years old and his dad put him and his brother to work in the theater they owned. He deserves to have his stuff around. However…we really do need to get a handle on it. When we downsize and move to town, it’s not going to happen on its own.
\n\n\nI was going to go to Marietta and hear Fran Lebowitz speak at the People’s Bank Theater for the Esbenshade Series yesterday. But as the day wore on, and I started seeing light at the end of the tunnel on this project, I elected to stay and work as Mr. FixIt was heading to the bowling alley. I get so much more work done when the house is quiet. I’m really happy with the way this is turning out and I hope it goes over well.
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2023-03-06T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2023/03/06/we-may-need-that-someday.html", "tags": ["Downsizing","Choices","Change","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/10/14/an-open-letter-to-every.html", "title": "An Open Letter to Every College Freshman", "content_html": "\n“But all things should be done decently and in order.”
\n1 Corinthians 14:40 ESV\n
![\"Grandma’s](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/c21ece9c08.jpg\")
Hi there, sweetheart…
\n\n\nI hope you’re getting settled into your new routine and you’re making lots of new friends. College is such an exciting time. Because it’s different. It’s a change…and sometimes change can be a little scary. I mean…here you are out there, doing your thing, learning, growing. But you need some stability. You need to know not EVERYTHING is changing. You want to come back home on the Winter Break and have everything just the way you left it because that’s your security blanket…your touchstone. I get it. I’ve been there.
\n\n\nI left home in July 1973 right after I graduated from x-ray school. I’d been married for six months and the very next day, I was getting on a big plane and flying to England to join my new husband. I had just turned 20. I drove out to my Grandma’s farm to say goodbye to her one last time. I spent some extra moments when I was backing out of the driveway to leave. I wanted to memorize every square inch of that place and my grandma’s face because I wasn’t coming back for a couple of years. It felt like an eternity till I would embrace them again.
\n\n\nWhen I finally came back before we moved to our next assignment in Colorado, I couldn’t wait to get back to the farm and see my grandma and Uncle Bob and that house that I so dearly loved. But, when I pulled in the driveway, I was in for a shock. While I was gone, my Uncle Bud had painted the old wood house that had weathered to such a beautiful grey. And what did he paint it? Red. Bright cherry red with white trim around the windows!
\n\n\nI was shocked. Confused. Angry. Hurt.
\n\n\nNo one told me. The one thing I thought would never ever change…did. It was a kick in the gut, I’m telling you. Then, when I walked in the back door, there was my very sweet grandma holding out her hands to take her first great grandchild into her arms. That’s when it occurred to me…I had changed, too. My baby girl changed everyone’s lives. I learned from that experience to embrace change…to make “Change” my middle name. After all, it’s unavoidable so you might as well go through it with love and light instead of fear and loathing. It makes life a lot easier.
\n\n\nI get it…I do. Maybe your grandparents have decided now is the time to downsize and make their lives a little easier and that house won’t be there for you when you come home. There are all kinds of changes that can occur because when you are out there in the world…changing…we’re all back here and we’re changing, too. Just know this…we sure love you and we’re so proud of you and happy you are getting these opportunities. Keep learning and growing and changing into the beautiful being you are becoming, dear one.
\n\n\nLet change rest on you like the new fallen snow.
\n\n\nLove you bunches, honey…
\n\n\nNana
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2022-10-14T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/10/14/an-open-letter-to-every.html", "tags": ["Change","Control","Anxiety"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/10/01/home-sweet-home.html", "title": "Home Sweet Home", "content_html": "\n“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:”
\nEcclesiastes 3:1 ESV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/cdbe2e6cb4.jpg\")
We were supposed to go home today, but we decided to leave yesterday afternoon after looking at the weather reports. There was rain heading our way from the remnants of Hurricane Ian and, given the small leak we found in the wheel well on Wednesday, we felt it was best to drive home while it was dry.
\n\n\nWe had a leisurely camp breakfast. We have a “camp kitchen”…an aluminum framed stand with a shelf on either side and one below. I use our electric skillet out there and cook anything that’s going to have much odor or that creates any oily residue. We buy frozen sausage patties and take them out of the camper refrigerator/freezer as we need them. Yesterday we had sandwiches with scrambled eggs, cheese, and sausage and big mug of piping hot tea. Nothing better than cooking and eating out of doors!
\n\n\nWe sat in front of the propane heater and chatted while I knitted and Mr. FixIt read the news to me. Finally around noon I decided it was time to started gathering and cleaning and putting things away. We left the campground around 2:30 and stopped at Leith Run Recreation Area where we camped last week. We pulled in to the large parking lot in the Day Use area, put the slide out enough to get in the bathroom, and then I fixed us some lunch. I could have stretched out right then and there and taken a nap, but Mr. FixIt wanted to get on home before dark. Always my practical partner in crime!
\n\n\nWe got the camper all set up at home. Rain was expected to hit around 10:00. Mr. FixIt got settled in the house doing some preparatory things. He got the hoses set out for the sump pumps…just in case. We haven’t needed to use them ever since we started using root blocker in the drain! Yay!!! He turned on the furnace to get that “new season” smell out of it. I came out to the camper and got the essentials out….the tea kettle, mugs, and accoutrements. Before long, my sweetheart called and said, “Quick! Come look at the sunset!”
\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/6781faa788.jpg\")
Red sky at night, a sailors’s delight…so they say. It was truly spectacular! One of those sunsets that’s almost as pretty behind you as it is in front. I took a gazillion pictures and hugged my man…thanking him for wanting to share this moment with me. I love this time of year and I love this camper and there are only so many nights I’ll be able to be out here enjoying it. My sweetheart shares my love of camping…traditional camping. Like…at a campground. He’s all for that. But when his bed is fifty feet away, he doesn’t quite see the point. He obviously never wanted to live in Barbie’s Dream House! So, I came back out here.
\n\n\nIt wasn’t fifteen minutes later, he came knocking at the camper door. I got up and unlocked it and said, “Get in here! Did you forget something?” He looked at me a little sheepishly. “I wanted something sweet with my tea and you have all the snacks!” I winked at him and laughed. “Darned right I do, sweetheart! What’ll it be? Cherry pie? Apple pie? Cookies?” He smiled big. He knows I know the quickest way to his heart.
\n\n\n“Cherry pie…AND cookies!” And a big ol’ hug, you ol’ teddy bear! I truly love this man… ‘deed I do.
\n\n\nHappy October!!!
\n\n\n***Oh, and by the way…FB seems to have corrected the comment issue I was having because I saw you ALL yesterday! ?
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2022-10-01T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/10/01/home-sweet-home.html", "tags": ["Camping","Control","Home"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/09/03/the-highs-and-lows-of.html", "title": "The Highs and Lows of a Day", "content_html": "\n“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
\nMatthew 11:28 ESV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/33615bdc0c.jpg\")
I woke up super early yesterday and decided to whip up a batch of biscuits. I made my coffee and took two piping hot biscuits with butter and homemade jams and headed for the pool deck to watch the morning sun come over the hill. I brought you along on a FB Live if you want to catch it. You can see the morning fog in the trees. It was delightful, even though the dew was dripping on me from the pergola.
\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/4bec67f0e8.jpg\")
Mr. FixIt was still snoozing so I went downstairs and started sewing on the quilt. Things were going great for a couple of hours but then I started feeling really hot and within moments I was sick. I seem to have become sensitive to my morning coffee which is a real bummer as I am a coffee hound. I have been burning the candle at both ends this week and haven’t slept well so went back to bed and slept till 2:00 in the afternoon. When I got up, I felt much better.
\n\n\nI took some 7UP and soda crackers, just in case, and went back down to the sewing nook and got several blocks put together. I had to stop and rip some seams out of the first three because I didn’t put them together quite right. I ended up hanging the first block on the fabric board behind my sewing machine as a guide. Once I did that, I didn’t have a problem putting them together correctly.
\n\n\nAround 4:30, Mr. FixIt came down and asked if I could help with a project. A couple of years ago, we finished remodeling the bathroom off the master bedroom. This summer, it has sprung a leak around the exhaust pipe. It did that once before and Mr. FixIt got up there and nailed the rubber gasket down around it and that fixed the small leak. But this week, it started leaking with a vengeance.
\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/ebd2a9e993.jpg\")
The Offending Leak
\n\n\nNow, you know my sweetheart had a couple of small strokes in 2020 and his balance is forever changed by that. He does great, he works hard and he can do just about anything, but climbing up a ladder and going up on a roof is NOT happening. We have boys, but they were working yesterday and it’s supposed to rain all weekend. So…I’m the next best thing. Mr. FixIt said I may not want to do it and if I didn’t, we’d work something out. I told him I’d have a look.
\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/7f2fcb44d3.jpg\")
Stupid Human Tricks
\n\n\nThe first thing I did was say a prayer. A BIG prayer. Then I crossed myself for good measure…in case Mr. Virgo was watching. I know God was…and all my legion of guardian angels it takes to keep my adventurous butt safe.
\n\n\nThe first time I climbed up the ladder, I asked if we could change the angle so the ascent would be less steep. I came down and we repositioned the ladder. The second time I climbed up, I didn’t like that there wasn’t enough ladder at the top so that I’d feel more comfortable stepping onto the roof. I came back down and we extended the ladder another rung. This time I went up and, after just a few moments of hesitation and evaluating where to put my foot, etc., I stepped confidently on the roof and made my way to the offending pipe.
\n\n\nI had a rope tied around my waist and pulled up the battery powered caulking gun. Mr. FixIt tossed up the hammer and a bag of roofing nails. I proceeded to nail down the rubber flashing and caulked the heck out of that thing. I had rubber gloves on and I smeared the black goo into all the seams of the shingles as well as the top of the rubber gasket where it looked dry and aging. If that thing leaks now, I’d be really surprised.
\n\n\nI lowered the caulking gun back down over the edge and tossed the hammer after making sure Mr. FixIt and the cat were nowhere near. Mr. FixIt held on to the ladder with a death grip and, using the top of the extension, I easily held on and stepped around with my sturdy work boots. I was back down in record time. It was still pretty hot up there and the ball of my hand is red from using it to lift myself up and down. I only got a little of the black goo on me so now we’ll wait and see how it does in the rain.
\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/26f8f9d598.jpg\")
The offending pipe…caulked within an inch of its life!
\n\n\nMr. FixIt beamed when I came down the ladder. I know he is so proud of me when I do things like this. He thanks me profusely and tells me I do a good job. That means a lot to me. Losing Mr. Virgo so suddenly has taught me I need to know how to do things around here…anywhere, really. I’m happy to help and to push my boundaries to see what I am still capable of. I didn’t feel unsafe and the pitch of that roof is so low, it’s nearly flat. I would NEVER get up on a steep pitched roof. And hopefully, I won’t have to get back up on this one. But I know I can…at least for the time being.
\n\n\nI remember when my grandma broke her first hip. The doctor asked my aunt if she had ANY idea what her mother was doing at the time. My aunt allowed she did not. Turns out, grandma had tied a rope around her waist and tied the other end to a tree. She was going to have my uncle cut down the tree and she wanted to “make sure that tree didn’t go down into the creek and block it up.” Well, as luck would have it, the rope broke before the tree was felled and she hit the ground, breaking her hip. It’s a darned good thing because that tree would have whipped her down with it! So, see? I get this craziness honest!
\n\n\nOnce I got down from the roof, I went right back down to the sewing machine and worked for another couple of hours. Like I told you the other day…Step Four on this quilt is going to be the most complicated and time consuming of them all so I just have to plug along and be happy with progress.
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2022-09-03T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/09/03/the-highs-and-lows-of.html", "tags": ["Prayer","Aging","Farm Life","Marriage","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/08/27/the-lord-always-provides.html", "title": "The Lord Always Provides", "content_html": "\n“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
\n1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/09d7d009ee.jpg\")
I am the first to admit…I spent a goodly portion of my adult life as a spoiled princess. While I’ve never been exorbitantly wealthy, I had pretty much anything I wanted. I was blessed, even though I wasn’t always aware of just HOW blessed I was till I became a widow and the majority of my monthly income instantly disappeared. I soon learned how to start watching how I spent my money and trimmed back my “gotta have that” list.
\n\n\nEven so, when I started dating Mr. FixIt and it became evident we were going to share the rest of our lives together, I still had some bad shopping habits. I loved shopping till I had to downsize. Now I hate it. I don’t have the patience to hang out in a mall all day and drag bags of crap home that I do not need. Still, every once in a while, I find something that would really make my life easier or that would help me get from Point A to Point B in a more efficient manor.
\n\n\nWhen I decided to make a quilt for my bonus granddaughter’s wedding, I realized I had a huge hurdle to overcome. I have an old Husqvarna Viking sewing machine, but the cassettes that make it run are stuck in a box somewhere in this house. It’s not going to do me a bit of good unless I go dumpster diving in the storage room in the basement. And that ain’t happening.
\n\n\nI’ve thought several times over the years that I would get a new sewing machine, but they can get really pricey. I was really lucky to be able to use the sewing machine at the little quilt shop in our town the last time I made some quilts. When I went in to buy material this week, I found out she stopped selling machines and she needed the floor space for more fabric so there aren’t any sewing machines in there now.
\n\n\nWhat to do? I already made the commitment to make they quilt by buying the material. I woke up yesterday morning and had the answer. I looked on FB Marketplace and there were two machines locally that would work fine. One was $100 and the other was $60. I figured I’d take whichever one answered first. Turned out it was the $100. It’s a Singer that also does embroidery. When I asked her if you need a computer to use the embroidery part she said yes, but straight sewing worked great…and, she would take $50. Sold!
\n\n\nWe drove to town to pick it up. She had it set up on the kitchen table with a little fabric in it and sure enough…it stitched perfectly. Fifty bucks is a steal and if I can get the embroidery part to work, it’ll be icing on the proverbial cake. As we were packing everything up to take it out to the car, I mentioned that I’d be all set if I could just find a serger. She said she had a friend who was selling a Brother serger for $50! She called her friend, gave me the address, and in fifteen minutes, I had a new-to-me serger to complete the sewing room I didn’t know I was going to have!
\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/a5895bde80.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/058a2dd603.jpg\")
I love getting a good deal. I love the hunt for the best price and finding exactly what I wanted or needed. FB Marketplace has really turned out to be handy for us. Once we had the two machines, we ran a couple of errands and headed home with our treasures. We sat out on the deck after the rainstorm and watched the sun go down. I mentioned to Mr. FixIt that we still needed to mount the new rain gauge somewhere. He went to get the drill and a couple of screws and in two shakes he had another job crossed off our list.
\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/eb5e931424.jpg\")
The next couple of days are going to be really steamy hot here so I’m happy the mowing is done and I can work on projects in the air conditioning. I bought buttons yesterday for the sweater I’m knitting. I’m ready to bind off the second sleeve then I can pick up the stitches and knit the front plackets. Once I have the buttons stitched on, I can set up a table in the family room downstairs and start working on the quilt.
\n\n\nI’ll put on a pot of beans with smoked ham hocks today and later I’ll bake a cast iron skillet of cornbread to go with it. We may not be living high on the hog, but we’ve got everything we need to live a sweet, comfortable life. And best of all…we get to do it together. That fact is not lost on me.
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2022-08-27T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/08/27/the-lord-always-provides.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Farm Life","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/07/12/centering-with-mindfulness.html", "title": "Centering with Mindfulness", "content_html": "\n“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.””
\n2 Corinthians 9:8-9 ESV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/c1f1446a36.jpg\")
All done except for the plackets, buttons and buttonholes, and weaving the ends!
\n\n\nWhen I’m riding the tractor, my mind wanders from topic to topic. I try to be mindful and present and actually…you know…mow. With all the feelings and smells and sounds and techniques that come with that. Sometime’s I’m successful at that. Other times…not so much. Yesterday was one of those days. I did manage to keep in the moment when I was mowing the little tiny rises along the road and out by the circular drive because the grass was still a little damp and the tires on this tractor can get a little slippery. But as soon as I had that done, I was off somewhere else.
\n\n\nYou and I have talked a lot here about anxiety and depression and grief and PTSD. I’ve been doing a lot better with those since I had the second parathyroid surgery and my calcium has come back down into the normal range. I’ve used so many things over my lifetime to try to calm my poor brain…lots of prayer, therapy, medication, EMDR, meditation, exercise, diet, better sleep hygiene. Overall, it’s much better. But, from time to time, it still rears its ugly head and it is so disheartening. I know it’s not something I’m liable to be rid of completely, but I am always looking for something that will help.
\n\n\nBecause of the nature of my writing, anytime I use a hashtag on my blog on Facebook, I start seeing sponsored ads for things. Usually I just scroll by and pay them no mind. But, yesterday’s gave me pause and I paid attention. My particular flavor of anxiety is usually anticipatory…usually surrounding an event that’s coming up and my mind takes me in every possible direction trying to plan it all out so I am not surprised by anything. I hop from one unlikely scenario to another till my palms are sweaty and my neck is tight. My tummy gets tied up in knots and my breathing picks up. It’s crazy…absolutely crazy.
\n\n\nThe human mind is an amazing computer that prepares us for anything. The second you feel threatened, it sends out a great big dose of cortisol and adrenalin to get you ready to either stay and fight or run away as fast as your little legs can carry you. But here’s something I didn’t know…and I learned it yesterday. When we have that particular variety of anxiety, we have trained out brains to be on guard at all times…to scout out danger and let the brain and body know right away…whether there is something actually happening in real time or if it’s just something you thought up in your little monkey brain. It sucks.
\n\n\nBut, here’s the good news. Just like you trained your brain to look for danger, you can also train it to look for the light and the good stuff. What a concept! This new app…Mood Mint…gives you little two minute exercises. It shows you four pictures and you look for and choose the happy picture…the good-for-you picture. Like three of the faces may be grumpy or judgy and the fourth is a person smiling. Or maybe it’s faces and fatty foods or exercising. Good for you things. The goal is to select as many of the happy images as you can in a certain about of time. Then it gives you a point to ponder some mental health tip and you’re reading it while you are priming your brain to “happy”. Then you go back to more photo choices. The next thing is word search puzzle with four absolutely positive words to think about as you repeat it in your head because you’re actively searching for it. Once you solve that puzzle, if there is still time, you get more photos to choose from. The last thing is a guided inhale and exhale. The whole thing is fast and easy and they suggest you do at least ten minutes of these every day. Ostensibly, in a couple of weeks, you have retrained your brain to stop looking for threats everywhere you go.
\n\n\nI used the app three times yesterday. And I have to tell you, I don’t know if it was the power of suggestion or placebo effect, but I did feel less anxious. We are leaving for a road trip to pick up Little this week and, while I absolutely adore that child, I worry about all the what-ifs that could happen on my watch. Sorry…it’s just how my brain is wired. And it takes a crap-ton of the delicious anticipation and fun out of it for me when I’m fighting to ward off anxiety. The app cost a couple of bucks, and I’m hoping it might be a good tool to have in my mental health tool box.
\n\n\nI have to add in here…God uses the bad things that happen to us and turns them around for our good and for His glory. Heaven knows the last couple of years have been really difficult with the pandemic and all the upheaval in the world. One of the only good things I’ve seen that has come out of that is an embrace of mental health issues. We are having the conversations we should have been having for decades. I see evidence of people perhaps being less ostracized for their mental health struggles because, let’s face it…it’s a lot more mainstream now.
\n\n\nChange can be hard to come by…but it can be really good for us all. Let’s keep our minds open for changes. We cannot all have everything we want…but we can meet in the middle and that’s worth working for.
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2022-07-12T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/07/12/centering-with-mindfulness.html", "tags": ["Faith","Health","Growth","Choices","Change","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/04/29/yet-another-trip-to-town.html", "title": "Yet Another Trip to Town", "content_html": "\n“for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
\n2 Timothy 1:7 ESV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/e35949ea69.jpg\")
I loved those weeks during the winter when we went a whole week or more without driving to town once. I get so tired of that drive…even though I love driving and the countryside is beautiful. It’s just that, there’s no such thing as a “quick trip”. Every trip turns into a full day ordeal and all I want to do is get home and do stuff that needs doing. After the trip to the beach, we have either been in town or at the farm every day or spending all day mowing…every single day.
\n\n\nI thought we’d have an at home day yesterday, but I woke up and told Mr. FixIt I’d better get to the DMV and get the plates for the new camper so I can get them on for the trip. While I was in town, I decided to go get the oil changed and the tires rotated on the truck. I had to wait nearly two hours so I ran over to the pharmacy to pick up my meds then settled in to knit for a little while.
\n\n\nI still have a couple of yarns left from earlier trips to the beach so I picked one with beautiful muted primary colors. About three years ago, I had some yarn in a basket and when we were expecting the great grandkids over, I hid the basket behind the loveseat so they couldn’t get in the yarn. Things got busy and I didn’t get back to knitting for quite some times. When I got back into knitting this winter, I pulled out that yarn and two or three of the yarn were just ruined by moths.
\n\n\nI salvaged this one and thought I might have success with it. But, alas…I ran into three places that had been damaged before I was even finished with the toe. You really can’t knit something with multiple strands tied together so I just chucked it in the trash and decided it was a lesson learned. I need to place these yarns in the freezer before I store them in bags with cedar chips or lavender to keep the moths out of them. It’s a shame to have to throw out beautiful and expensive yarns.
\n\n\nThe other day, I noticed the turn signal light on the driver’s side mirror has a lamp out. I tried to buy one at the auto parts store but was told I have to get it from the Ford dealership. I ran over to the parts department and…guess what? They had to order it and it’ll be in this morning. That means…ANOTHER drive to town! Argh!
\n\n\nMeanwhile, I bought a beautiful hydrangea for the former Mrs. FixIt for her upcoming birthday. Since I’m leaving for the Colorado Adventure next week, I wasn’t sure I’d get to see her again before I go so I swung by her house on my way home. I really like her a lot. She showed me around her flower gardens. I am in awe of her green thumb! I could kill a silk plant…no lie.
\n\n\nSo, after we go to town to get the light bulb for the truck, we’ll head out to the farm to fix the water pump on the well. Remember how I told you as soon as mowing season hit, we wouldn’t have a spare minute? Well, I wasn’t kidding! I’m not complaining…I love doing it (except for all those trips to town, that is). It keeps me young and healthy and there’s no place I would rather live than in West Virginia country and no one I’d rather be with than my sweet man.
\n\n\nIt’s Friday all ready. This time next week, I’ll be on the road to see my Colorado peeps! I can hardly wait!!!!!
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2022-04-29T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/04/29/yet-another-trip-to-town.html", "tags": ["Faith","Travel","Choices","Road Trip","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/04/09/when-the-images-are-too.html", "title": "When the Images are Too Disturbing", "content_html": "\n“Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.”
\nJob 12:12 ESV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/54e2dc39e3.jpg\")
Our miniature rhododendron is blooming.
\n\n\nWe had a lovely home day. A bowl of oats. Andy Griffith reruns. Knitting. A visit from my bonus daughter and her husband. We watched the most recent episodes of American Idol. It was chilly and rained off and on all day. At 4:30, we bundled up and headed to town for the youngest granddaughter’s softball game.
\n\n\nWe stopped and grabbed a sandwich on the way and at the last minute, Mr. FixIt called to find out if the game was still on and sure enough…it was cancelled. We whipped into one of our favorite discount stores to pick up some pool chemicals. It’ll be time to start working on that project pretty soon.
\n\n\nWhen we walked back into the house and put our things away, I asked my sweetheart to please wait to turn the news on because I just don’t have it in me. When the news anchor says, “I must warn you, these images may be too disturbing to watch.” I’ve only watched the news a handful of times since Ukraine was invaded. And each time was worse than the last. Earlier this week, I saw the bodies in the streets. I simply cannot do that. It is not good for my health…mental or physical.
\n\n\nI do read the news online to get the gist of what’s going on in the world. I don’t have to read all the stories or look at all the pictures to get an understanding of what’s happening. I read a devastating story about a Russian woman who lives in the states. She was a normal person, a good wife and mother, till she started following the news of the Russian invasion. Something broke in her. She became convinced Russian spies were going to come take her children and abuse them. She became paranoid and heard voices. She started drinking heavily and became violent. And finally, she killed her youngest son with her bare hands. In court, she turned to family members in the gallery and told them she loved them and she doesn’t understand what has happened.
\n\n\nWhat happened is what they used to call a “nervous breakdown”. It a sort of trash basket description of a psychotic break, anxiety, or depression. When I was growing up, once in a while I would hear Mom talking about someone having a nervous breakdown. I sort of looked at it as emotional exhaustion. Something that seemed to happen when people were under an inordinate amount of stress. In my child mind, you got to go into the hospital for a nice, weeklong rest from housework and child rearing. It didn’t seem like such a bad thing.
\n\n\nTill it happened to me.
\n\n\nI was going through a terrible stretch in my marriage to Hubby #2. I was stressed, sleep deprived, and had a baby and a sixteen year old. I coped with alcohol and prescription medications. Sometimes I handled things well…other times, not so much. When he’d had all he could take, he was done. My marriage was over and I was so far down the hill, I didn’t know how I would ever get back up again.
\n\n\nI had that “nervous breakdown”. I overdosed on two full bottles of medicine. After two or three days in our local hospital, I went into a behavioral unit for a couple of weeks to get my **** together. That’s when I found out, it wasn’t a nice week off full of tea and cookies and naps in a darkened room. It was brutal and flat out scary. This poor woman who resorted to murder was out of her mind and it doesn’t sound like she was getting any psychiatric help, even though the police had been called to their home at some point.
\n\n\nI am afraid there will be a tsunami of mental health crises in the aftermath of the pandemic and the current events in the world. I’ve had moments in the last year when anxiety overtook me. But, I’ve been to the bottom in the past and I have more tools in my toolbox than I did prior to that hospitalization. I could recognize now if I needed help more urgently. Not everyone has those tools or that insight into their own behaviors. I urge anyone who is struggling with their mental health to reach out to someone for help. You can start with your doctor or clergy person, your spouse or a trusted friend.
\n\n\nThere is absolutely no shame in asking for help with your mental health. No more so than asking for help with a broken arm or a bad gallbladder. Perhaps this time in our civilization will be the catalyst to finally let go of some of the stigmas surrounding mental illness. No one should be left to their own devices during these challenging times to keep both oars in the water. If you are struggling, please reach out to someone who cares.
\n\n\nWe may not be in the same boat, but we are in this storm together. Let’s walk with each other and lift each other up.
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2022-04-09T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/04/09/when-the-images-are-too.html", "tags": ["Health","Fear","Courage","Choices","Insight","Control","Anxiety"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/04/03/a-rough-night-and-a.html", "title": "A Rough Night and a Good Day", "content_html": "\n“The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.”
\nJonah 2:5-7 ESV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/79df478733.jpg\")
I haven’t had one of my “rough nights” in quite a while. When I was a new widow, every night was a rough night. I remember literally clinging to the side of the mattress and willing myself to live until morning. I rode out wave after wave of grief, fear, and anxiety over and over. It wore me out. I will never forget when the sun started to shine again. Those long dark nights finally started to recede and I didn’t feel like I was struggling as much with my grief.
\n\n\nThen, the hyperparathyroidism started and so many of the symptoms mimic the anguish of grief. I felt like I’d been thrown back in the fire and it was almost too much to bear. Around that time, Mr. FixIt and I started dating. A new love interest grew and it did wonders for my healing. Ours wasn’t a bandaid fix or a distraction to grieving. I still had plenty of grief to deal with, but it did show me there was a light at the end of the tunnel and I could live happily again.
\n\n\nHyperparathyroidism wreaks havoc with my physical and mental wellbeing. I’ve gone a long way toward taming that beast but still, from time to time…and for whatever reason…I have a rough night. It starts with a sharp increase in pain. Then I become fidgety and toss and turn and can’t get to sleep. Then my tired brain says, “You’d better get some rest, kiddo. What if something happens and you’ve got to be at the top of your game.” At that point, anxiety starts to creep in and I get hyper focused on trying to get to sleep.
\n\n\nHave you ever tried to will yourself to sleep? It just doesn’t work. I was still counting the dots on the ceiling at 8:00 yesterday morning. I had long since moved into the guest room so at least Mr. FixIt could get some sleep. I finally drifted off around 8:30 or so and woke up at 12:30. Mr. FixIt was gone. He left for the youngest granddaughter’s softball game. I hated to miss it, but I was so glad he didn’t wake me up. I needed the rest.
\n\n\nThe weirdest thing is, after a night like that, I wake up and…other than being a little tired…I feel like a million bucks and I can take on anything. It’s crazy making. Mr. FixIt left me a note telling me he would call me after the game. I decided to just drive on into town and meet him so we could have a date. We got a salad from a local restaurant and went to “The Point” to watch the riverboat traffic. It was a beautiful evening and the barge traffic didn’t disappoint. When we got home, I knitted while we watched the news and that was the end of the day.
\n\n\nI am so grateful those nights don't show up much anymore. They are maddening but I’ve learned to accept them for what they are…my mind and body crying out for a little TLC and time with Jesus. Curling up in bed with my Bible readings when I’m feeling those waves calms me immensely. I used to listen to the enemy and beat myself up, telling myself I’m “weak” and “crazy” but neither one is true. I am strong and dealing with a physical ailment that I have no control over.
\n\n\nChronic illness is a slippery sucker. No one really knows you have it unless it shows from the outside. I have been so blessed with this platform in which I am constantly reminded I am not alone. There are countless others who have physical and mental struggles to carry. I think God put me here to learn that…and to be there for others as they walk a familiar path.
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2022-04-03T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/04/03/a-rough-night-and-a.html", "tags": ["Health","Courage","Control","Anxiety"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/04/02/farm-life-is-fun.html", "title": "Farm Life is Fun!", "content_html": "\n“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
\n2 Corinthians 1:3-4 ESV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/c17e6206b1.jpg\")
I woke up yesterday morning to a weird chewing sound. Anyone who has ever lived in an old farmhouse knows there are any number of critters that could be making this noise, but let me tell you…I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt…this wasn’t your everyday little ol’ field mouse. This sucker sounded like maybe a beaver commenced to making the house his new home.
\n\n\nI gingerly pulled back the curtains that serve as the “door” between the bedroom and the living room…afraid of what I might spook in the process. I didn’t see anything, but after a moment, the chewing commenced again. I listened carefully and from what I could tell, it was coming from the area of the front door.
\n\n\nNot wanting to scare the thing away before I had a chance to identify it, I tiptoed carefully across the living room and carefully pulled the curtain on the door back ever so slowly. There, in all his glory, was a fat grey squirrel doing his best to eat the house! I smacked my hand hard on the wall on the other side of his feast and he jumped three feet in the air…his little legs pumping before he ever hit the ground.
\n\n\nI opened the door with some trepidation. I mean…was he just standing off to the side waiting for me to come out in the open before he pounced? Or did I really scare him away? Did he have friends out there ready to take me on? I wouldn’t put it past the little beasties! But, alas…the critter was gone and I had a chance to look at the damage. Let’s just say this little fellow has been at this for a while. There was a three to four inch semicircular hole in the outer level of wood with distinct teeth marks from the time spent trying to…what? Get in the house? I can’t imagine why he would want to chew through the side of the house when there are easily a dozen places where he could more easily gain access. Wear down his teeth? Squirrels, like beavers, have teeth that continually grow and they need to be worn down with chewing. I imagine that’s where this was going, but why the house of all things? There’s a million trees…standing and fallen…where he could go. There are outbuildings…the old barn…heck, he could have gone to Chicago for that matter. Why did he want to chew that place in particular? We’ll never know because I scared him off before I had the chance to ask!
\n\n\nI sat down with my trusty iPhone and searched the internet for “How to keep a squirrel from eating your house.” It popped up before I had the chance to finish asking, meaning…I’m not the first person to ask this question. Oddly reassuring. It said you could pour hot sauce on the spot, but the poor little squirrel might get it in his little eyes which could lead to blindness and since I cannot have a blind squirrel running into things on the farm, I elected for option #2…mothballs.
\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/613c8e4e5d.jpg\")
Now, did I have mothballs? Well, in all honesty, I thought I had seen some down in the basement but no…it was Epsom salts. Not a good alternative, unfortunately. I needed some light bulbs for the kitchen fixture anyway as they were burned out. And I was out of paper towels. So, I grabbed my purse and keys and headed back over to the Dollar General where I had visited the day before.
\n\n\nI searched up and down the aisles and finally asked a clerk if they had mothballs. She was good…she told me off the top of her head where they were…exactly. After paying for my purchases, I headed back home with my bright yellow sack to banish the tree rat! I needed a mesh sack and didn’t have one, so I cut the scrubby netting off the back of a dish cloth and that worked nicely. I took a length of my yarn and tied up a few mothballs in my makeshift sack and hung it over the place where Rocky Squirrel had been recently noshing. We’ll see next time if it worked!
\n\n\nIn the meantime, we had several snow squalls come blowing through. As is typical this time of year, we saw hail, sleet, graupel, snow, rain and sunshine all in the span of fifteen minutes. It was epic! I changed the light bulbs, loaded up the truck, and headed home. The Piggly Wiggly was PACKED at 3:30. What on earth do people need to buy at 3:30 on a Friday afternoon…the line on both registers was six deep! *gasp*
\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/f76b232de6.jpg\")
With the fixin’s for a big ol’ pot spaghetti in hand, I headed on home to greet my sweetheart. Absence indeed does make the heart grow fonder and we are always tickled to death to see each other after a couple of days. After dinner, I finished the hat I started knitting Wednesday. It was one heck of an April Fool’s Day!!!
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2022-04-02T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/04/02/farm-life-is-fun.html", "tags": ["Strong Women","The Farm","Farm Life","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/03/29/lets-talk-about-anger-and.html", "title": "Let’s Talk About Anger and Redemption", "content_html": "\n“for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?”
\n1 Timothy 3:5 ESV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/52e9721765.jpg\")
Jada Pinkett Smith rolls her eyes in response to Chris Rock’s joke about her alopecia. Initially, her husband laughs with the crowd. Then….not so much. Photo Credit: ABC
\n\n\nI have to tell you…I never watch the Academy Awards. I went eight years without a television. Then, after Mr. Virgo died, there was very little that could hold my attention for more than an hour so movies fell off the list, too. Mr. FixIt and I have been together for five years now and I believe we have gone to the theater maybe twice in that time. It’s just not something I do, so the Oscars are a bit of a moot exercise. I don’t know many of the actors and don’t follow their careers.
\n\n\nI was writing my post Sunday night when Mr. FixIt called me into the living room to see something on TV. He was watching the awards ceremony when the infamous “slap heard ‘round the world” played out on the screen. He, like many others, questioned what he was seeing. Was this a joke? Was it scripted? One look at Will Smith’s face when he was shouting at Chris Rock told me this was real.
\n\n\nSocial media lit up with a fervor within moments with hashtags like #whatjusthappened. As best as I can tell by what I’ve read, there were a lot of things at play here and I think they warrant some discussion…not that there hasn’t been plenty, mind you.
\n\n\nFirst and foremost, let me say there is no place for violence…ever. I do not condone that behavior, nor am I excusing it.
\n\n\nJada Pinkett Smith announced in 2018 that she was suffering with alopecia and decided to shave her head. From what I’ve found, she had only one spot of hair loss at the time, located on the crown of her head. As is her prerogative, she took control of the situation, much as chemo patients do who shave their heads before the poison has a chance to make their hair fall out in clumps. I admire that.
\n\n\nAlopecia is an emotionally painful condition. Much of our identity is tied up in our appearance and let’s face it…our hair is right there, front and center. Short of wearing a ball cap, we can’t do much to hide bald patches. I watch people I love struggle with ways to hide hair loss and I wish I could just get them to be brave and take charge and embrace who they are. But, it’s not my head…it’s not my hair.
\n\n\nChris Rock is a comedian. I don’t think he’s very funny. His jokes are crude and vulgar and it’s never a good idea to joke about someone’s medical condition. So, at the get go, this wasn’t going to go well. When he got to Ms. Smith and made a reference to the next GI Jane movie, he was making reference to her alopecia. Not cool. Then…something happened.
\n\n\nThe room laughed. Will Smith laughed. Jada Pinkett Smith did not.
\n\n\nWhat happened here? Obviously Ms. Smith didn’t laugh because the joke was about her. So why did the audience and her husband laugh? There is something called “mob psychology”. Something happens in a crowd setting that may not normally happen with the individuals within that crowd. It has to do with the need to belong, to fit in, to be one of the “in crowd”. It’s why teenagers succumb to peer pressure. And it’s why some law abiding citizens join in on a law breaking event they might never think of doing in any other setting.
\n\n\nThe people in the audience take their social cues from each other. If a handful of people would have booed at the joke, there probably wouldn’t have been the laughter…albeit uncomfortable. So, they laughed. Will laughed. Then he looked at his wife and saw her annoyance and probable hurt. And, as is often the case with toxic masculinity, he went with his first impulse and walked to the stage to strike the errant comedian.
\n\n\nLet me interject a story here. When I was thirteen years old and my brother was fifteen, Mom left us home when she went to work. My brother is differently abled…he has cerebral palsy. I was, and still am his self-appointed protector. I was in the house one day, cleaning up the kitchen and starting supper. I heard a ruckus out back and went to investigate. There was a neighbor boy on the bank, hiding in some bushes, making fun of my brother and his stutter. I was livid.
\n\n\nI slipped out the front door, went up the street and around the back of his house. I snuck up behind him and before he knew what was happening, I kicked him in the seat of his pants and he went tumbling down the bank and into the street. He got up, skinned and bloodied. I shinnied down that bank as fast as I could and stood right up to that bully…nose to nose…and told him if he ever picked on my brother again, he’d look a darned sight worse next time. He ran crying into the house and I went to get my brother and take him inside.
\n\n\nI understand the deep down gut instinct to protect that which is mine. I do. But there is a huge difference between what I did as a thirteen year old and what this grown man did on national television. I understand we hold celebrities to higher standards because they are looked up to by others. I know what he should have done…could have done. He chose to resort to violence and sullied his reputation in the process. I believe he’s contrite for a number of reasons…not the least of which is the repercussions that may come from the Academy itself like the possibility of losing that coveted Oscar. I understand he and Chris have mended their fences already…which smacks of “boys will be boys”.
\n\n\nDid Jada need rescuing? Probably not. She is a pretty strong individual and can hold her own from what I can see. Did the people involved in the movie he was there to represent get their evening ruined? Probably so. It wasn’t the shining moment they were hoping for…that they deserved. Did the attendees get what they came there for? Maybe. Maybe not. That’s not the point of this exercise.
\n\n\nDenzel Washington probably had the most prophetic comment of the night. During the commercial break…after the altercation but before Will’s Oscar win…Denzel said to him “At your highest moment, be careful. That’s when the devil comes for you.” And, isn’t that the truth? When we are at the apogee of our careers…when we are standing in the spotlight of good things…that’s when we are the most vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks.
\n\n\nWill Smith ignored his better angels that night. He did what he thought was right in the emotion of the moment and defended his wife. And what we witnessed was a fall from grace which is a really hard thing to watch. There’s been a lot of that lately…that “falling from grace”. Maybe society at large have been living a little high on the hog and we’re getting dressed down to size. Maybe mob mentality is challenging our better angels to a duel. I don’t know. I do know that violence is never the answer to lasting peace…not in any arena.
\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/480614655b.jpg\")
Lady Gaga, left, and Liza Minnelli present the award for best picture at the Oscars on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
\n\n\nWhat we really should focus on were the wonderful firsts that occurred during the night. The best picture win went to an all deaf cast, bringing the deaf community into the spotlight in a mainstream movie that normalizes the characters’ lives, showing them as no different than ourselves. But to me, from what limited clips I saw, the star of the evening was Lady Gaga. She accompanied the aging and frail Liza Minnelli out to present the Oscar for Best Movie. While Ms. Minnelli stumbled a bit, her protégé was calm and gently guided her through the entire process in a way that honored the septuagenarian without infantilizing her. What a wonderful example of respecting our elders. These are the people we should be looking up to and talking about.
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2022-03-29T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/03/29/lets-talk-about-anger-and.html", "tags": ["Anger","Aging","Choices","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/03/14/a-short-attention-span.html", "title": "A Short Attention Span", "content_html": "\n“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
\nMatthew 23:12 ESV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/1e60ffd149.jpg\")
I’m finding knitting a shawl to be a bit more tedious than I thought. Granted, if I were knitting a more intricate pattern, or if the yarn changed color more frequently, it might be more entertaining. As it is, you start with one stitch and gradually add two stitches every other row. So, as you get further along in the course of knitting the garment, the rows become longer and longer. There is something of a psychological obstacle when you knit and knit and knit and get two rows done. Ugh. Now I totally get why knitters have more than one project going at the same time.
\n\n\nI decided to start a pair of socks yesterday. I’m using a hand painted yarn. It’s four-strand fingering, 85% wool and 15% nylon for strength. It’s twisted very loosely and it’s not incredibly soft. I got it out of the interest in seeing how the socks match. Because, allegedly they’ll match stitch for stitch. We’ll see. It was a lovely break to see a different color and watch my work grow more quickly.
\n\n\nOf course, when I knit, Mr. FixIt has the TV. Yesterday was actually rather entertaining. He binge watched Modern Marvels where they film how different foods are made. It was really interesting and informative. Something caught my attention on TV recently. There was an ad for a car warranty company that I want to talk about.
\n\n\nThis company has advertised for years. Sometimes a celebrity talks about how important it is to have your car under a warranty. They usually have “customers” who sing the praises of said warranties and how it’s saved them thousands of dollars. However, they have started showing a new commercial and I just couldn’t believe what they did. They did the usual pushing of the warranty, and how it would save you money. But, it was like those posts you see on Facebook that are designed to get you to participate and click. “Tell me you’re old without telling me you’re old.” It was what they DIDN’T say that was so obvious.
\n\n\nThey referenced the economy, and inflation. And how with the way things are going, you may have to keep that old car forever. Then, she went on to say. “It’s our patriotic duty to have a car warranty to keep our costs down.” This is so wrong on so many levels. First of all, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Google car warranties and see how many of them are scams and they turn people down right and left when it comes to fixing the vehicle. And you pay out the nose for these things. Second, it is insidious to call out to “patriots” to buy their product.
\n\n\nThey are marketing to a certain segment of our population. A population that may be coerced more easily perhaps. As I get older, I am more aware of how companies market to the elders in the community and they are likely on a fixed income and can’t afford things like car warranties. I hate seeing people taken advantage of and this smacks of preying on the elderly and those who, perhaps for political reasons, think this company cares about or represents them in some way.
\n\n\nI may be totally off base on that, but it’s just the way it struck me. I’ve watched more television in the last four months than I’ve seen since Mr. Virgo died. We watch mostly comedy shows like old Andy Griffith reruns or Frasier or Big Bang Theory. We watch America Says and The Chase sometimes. We love the singing competitions like American Idol and The Voice. And we watch a half hour of news every day. I’m knitting away the entire time and of course, this will all go to the wayside when it warms up and we are outside working.
\n\n\nIt’s Monday, y’all. The time has changed and there was still light in the sky at 8:08 last night. Mr. FixIt and I were saying how much we love Daylight Savings Time and don’t mind the shift at all. But, as he pointed out, we don’t have to get up and go to work or school either, so that makes a huge difference. Get out there and make it a good week!
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2022-03-14T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/03/14/a-short-attention-span.html", "tags": ["Aging","Choices","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/02/19/spring-rains-and-snow-flurries.html", "title": "Spring Rains and Snow Flurries", "content_html": "\n“Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
\nProverbs 31:9 ESV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/4ffc2db851.jpg\")
We received nearly two inches of rain on Friday, then we woke up yesterday with snow flurries. It was cold and gray and pretty dismal. I was looking forward to a day at home, knitting and cooking a little, but our West Virginia Daughter called to say the bad winds had knocked a big limb out of the tree in the front yard. It was wedged right between the front steps and the front gate and they were kind of stuck. So, we packed up the chainsaw and went to town to help them clear the yard.
\n\n\nThe other night I was sitting in the camper knitting and rocking in the new outdoor rocking chair we bought at Sam’s when there was a loud POP and the seat collapsed. Now, I’ve gained some weight, but not THAT kind of weight. Since we were going to town, I packed the chairs in the truck and we took them back for a refund. It’s really frustrating when shoddy workmanship causes something to break after using it twice. Especially when you pay over $50 for it!
\n\n\nWe finally got back home by late afternoon. I fixed pork roast with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. Oh, my….it was SO good. Then I settled in to knit. I’ve always been a bit of a perfectionist. In the past, I would rip out several rows if my stitch count was off…even by just a stitch or two. With this pattern, and this yarn, I’ve learned you can fudge a little by adding a stitch at each end of a row, or knitting two together (depending on if you have too many or two few stitches.) Things don’t have to be absolutely perfect every single time, right?
\n\n\nI’m at the point where I feel the seasons changing around me and my mind is telling me to gear up and get things done around here. I can’t just sit and knit every day. Spring is coming before too long and I’m itching to get to work on some projects that are long overdue. First things first, I’m saying goodbye to the Christmas tree today. I’ve really enjoyed the twinkle of the lights, and now it’s time for the house to be put back in order. I can live in chaos for a certain amount of time, then I have to get crackin’!
\n\n\nBreak time’s over!
\n\n\n❤️
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2022-02-19T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/02/19/spring-rains-and-snow-flurries.html", "tags": ["Comfort","Change","Farm Life","Marriage","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2022/01/10/lets-talk-common-sense.html", "title": "Let’s Talk Common Sense", "content_html": "\n“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
\nPsalm 51:10 ESV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/76e1152b86.jpg\")
If you look around…wherever you live…especially if you’re “of a certain age”, you’re going to scratch your head and think “What the heck happened to common sense???” I don’t know about you, but I shake my head…a LOT! Sometimes I think my eyes are just going to keep on rolling and stay that way.
\n\n\nOne of my pet peeves is when you ask your health care provider how to correct something and he/she comes back with a prescription. Lord knows…I don’t need any more prescriptions. I’m trying to thin out some of them I’m taking as it is. I’ll tell you more about that in a minute but I’m going to tackle a somewhat sensitive subject…one that now seems to have lots of commercials representing “cures”. Let’s talk…irregularity.
\n\n\nCome on…every body poos. And the healthier it is, the better you are going to feel. What’s that one commercial call it…crankypated? Pretty good description. It seems the older I get, the more that going becomes not going and that causes all kinds of problems. One of the really fun side effects of hyperparathyroidism can be constipation. I mentioned this to my endocrinologist and he ordered lactulose. It is a sugar that gloms onto fluid and forces it into the stool. Ok, that’s one way to do it, but I only tried it once and it was pretty harsh. (Shubs…I’m sending the rest your way!)
\n\n\nMy grandparents drank prune juice to stay regular. I’ve eaten a couple prunes a day without seeing grand, lasting results. Not that they aren’t good…but I just don’t think of grabbing a handful. And prune juice? Ummmm…no, thanks. I’ve tried Metamucil and stool softeners with mixed results. Then, I remembered the “Activia Challenge” commercial. Hey...I love yoghurt! One little cup every night for dessert? Yes, please!
\n\n\nI am happy to report, after just five days having this little taste treat every evening and things are right as rain again! It is because of the probiotics added to the yoghurt. Our gut biome gets all wonky for a lot of different reasons. When you have to take an antibiotic, it can mess with the bacterial balance in your gut. Certain medications and medical conditions cause constipation. We drink less water as we get older and that contributes. We eat less green, leafy vegetables and fruits like whole apples and prunes.
\n\n\nAnother problem I’ve had for the last several years is acid reflux…commonly referred to in medical circles as GERD. I’ve had upper endoscopies and colonoscopies and, even on a strong prescription acid reducer, I still had gastritis the last time. The doctor bumped me up to the strongest dose I could take and it still didn’t make much difference. Add to that…GERD is one of the major symptoms of hyperparathyroidism, so I’ve got a double whammy.
\n\n\nWhen Mr. Virgo died, I needed a little help with my mood so I started taking the St. John’s Wort regularly. When I was in Florida having my parathyroid surgery in March, the PA was going through my pre-op physical and asking me what medications I take. I was on antidepressants for years and I don’t ever want to take them again if I can avoid it. I figured, if I could take something natural that would work, then that’s what I’d rather do…hence, the St. John’s Wort. She said something about being very careful with that particular supplement because it can have a strong interactions with certain medications. I not only promptly forgot what medication she mentioned, but that she had issued the warning in the first place. It only recently came back to me. (Memory is funny that way, isn’t it?)
\n\n\nAnyway, the other night I looked up on WebMD and saw they have a medication interaction calculator. You put in your medications and it tells you if any of them interact poorly. I wanted to find out which one the St. John’s Wort was messing up. Well, would you believe it was the acid reducer? It reduces the effectiveness. And here I’ve been doctoring for this burning in the pit of my stomach, taking the strongest medicine I could take…for YEARS, and not getting any relief. I’ve weaned off the St. John’s Wort now and I can already feel a difference in my stomach…it’s not burning like it used to. Eureka!
\n\n\nThis is when we circle back to “common sense”. Sometimes you just have to take a step back, do a little research, and be your own best advocate in the medical community. They are trained to fix things and their tools are often medicine. You can rest assured, they don’t get kickbacks from the drug companies like they used to. That’s how some people end up in their old age taking a shoebox full of pills every day prescribed by a handful of different doctors.
\n\n\nI’m here to tell you…I was married to a doctor. For twenty years. And he was darned good at what he did. But…he put his boots on one at a time, just like everyone else. Doctors are not God. And medicine is not an exact science. While anyone with that kind of education and professional status commands a certain amount of respect, it should never come at the cost of you not questioning something. If they push pills, ask if there’s an alternative. Tell them you aren’t an avid pill popper and see if there’s some other natural, healthy way to fix your problem.
\n\n\nMy Aunt Peeps was in her 80’s when she died of dementia and untreated (by choice) breast cancer. My cousin was sitting with her in the hospital one day when the doctor asked her what medicine she took. The answer shocked him. One small prescription…period. No vitamins. No supplements. Nothing over the counter except maybe an aspirin or acetaminophen from time to time. She never bought anything fancy for her skin. She washed her face with a washcloth and whatever bar soap was available. She used Prell shampoo and Crest toothpaste, because that’s what her mother used. She stayed away from doctors at all costs save for the two times she broke her hips. (She actually fell on the ice and broke her wrist once but never went in to have it set. It was always crooked after that.)
\n\n\nIn contrast, when I called my mom every Sunday night, I received the rundown on how many doctor’s appointments they were going to every week and which antibiotic they were currently taking. Doctors were gods in her house. You never, ever questioned them. But I’m here to tell you, you’ve GOT to question them. In a non-confrontational manner, of course. But don’t just take everything they say as the gospel. Write down your questions. Be sure you leave enough time in your appointment to feel free to ask your health care professional to answer them.
\n\n\nSo, there’s my TED Talk for the night. Poop and prescriptions. Don’t be afraid to ask and get your questions answered.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2022-01-10T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2022/01/10/lets-talk-common-sense.html", "tags": ["Health","Wisdom","Aging","Choices","Insight","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/12/17/who-gets-your-digital-footprint.html", "title": "Who Gets Your Digital Footprint After You’re Gone?", "content_html": "\n“If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.”
\nProverbs 9:12 NLT\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/670b0d18d9.jpg\")
I follow Heather Cox Richardson. Lately, she’s been sharing some texts that went back and forth during the insurrection on January 6, 2021. Oh, my gosh…was that just this year??? The texters were texting things they ought not to have been texting and it’s going to come back and bite them in the butt, I do believe. At any rate, it got me to thinking about the digital footprints we leave behind without giving it one bit of thought.
\n\n\nWhen my dear friend Sparky died this week, she took with her that close connection we had…in person and digitally. Certainly, during Covid, our connection was nearly exclusively digital. We shared funny memes that were maybe just a little TOO much to put out on our Facebook pages for all to see. We had inside jokes. We talked candidly about everything. I’m really happy I have a treasure trove of her texts that go back over probably five years or more. I have funnies galore. And, I also have private things…the kinds of things you share with your bestie because that’s how you work through things. But they aren’t necessarily things you want your kids finding after your dead, you know what I mean?
\n\n\nSo, I have these things on my phone, which means…unless Sparky erased our conversations every time…these things are also on her phone. Oh, they aren’t state secrets or anything illegal, but if certain people found them, they could be hurtful or perhaps even besmirch a reputation…neither of which is particularly pleasant. It made me think about the digital trails we leave behind and where they go when we die and who gets them and what could they do with them and….well, you get the picture.
\n\n\nI keep a lot of text conversations on my phone because they contain photos, phone numbers, the answers to questions, and frankly…memories of my friend or relative. I probably have every text Mr. FixIt and I ever exchanged, which is sweet. I even have some of the texts Mr. Virgo and I exchanged. But sending out texts between friends isn’t the only place our digital footprints leave trails. Our presence on the internet, no matter WHAT we are doing, or WHERE we are doing it, is…out there. It’s in the Cloud…any number of Clouds, really. It’s on old devices, shared devices, pads, tablets, phones, computers, laptops, readers, home assistance devices like Ring and Alexa and Smart TVs.
\n\n\nI gave up a long time ago thinking that any of this was really going to come back and bite me bad. I mean, after all, I’m a blogger and a storyteller and you all probably know more about me through my writing than some of my own family members do. The things I put out here for you to read aren’t secrets or I wouldn’t be putting them out here. However, private conversations between me and my friends and family on my phone is different.
\n\n\nI’m sure the government officials who were texting directions or updates or whatever during the events of January 6th are pretty upset that the conversations they were having via text are becoming public knowledge. I get that. However, while my friend might be sending me a “you didn’t hear this from me” text, we weren’t in the throes of doing something even slightly illegal. Big difference.
\n\n\nSo, what do you do with all that information? Well, you can ask the executor of the estate to erase it from the phone but that’s not always feasible. You can erase the text histories off your devices, which is time consuming and difficult to remember to do. You can make a pact with your friends or the executor of your estate to clean your phone when you’re gone. I think that’s a pretty good way to do it. Never sharing personal information with anyone ever on digital devices would work, but I’ll tell you what…that horse has long since left the barn for all of us, I’d guess. Except this one strange dude we graduated with. I’ll bet he’s never even had so much as an email address his entire life. I asked him once why he didn’t go on Facebook and connect with us…his fellow classmates. He said, “Are you nuts? Voluntarily let the CIA track me? No thanks!” Yeah, well…ok.
\n\n\nThere are articles all over the internet that discuss this subject and ways to “clean up your mess” but I’ll leave that for you to look up. There’s something to be said for minimizing your digital footprint because your data is like glitter…you will never, ever get rid of all of it. Once it’s out there, it’s out there forever. I’m glad I grew up when I did so my really stupid stuff wasn’t recorded for posterity.
\n\n\n❄️
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2021-12-17T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/12/17/who-gets-your-digital-footprint.html", "tags": ["Wisdom","Warning","Insight","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/05/24/a-day-of-peace.html", "title": "A Day of Peace", "content_html": "\n“For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.”
\nLuke 8:17 ESV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/5880f1cbb2.jpg\")
After an entire week of angst and anxiety, I sat with my bible study on “Overcoming Anxiety” and let it go...again. How many times do we have to let it go?? As many times as it takes. I’m pretty well convinced it’s not the last time, but the peace I felt yesterday was complete and it gave me such an incredible sense of relief.
\n\n\nWe got up early yesterday. We still aren’t attending church outside the home. We will go again...when we’re ready. My church yesterday was found at the farm. The grass isn’t growing terribly fast right now because we haven’t had any rain. But it was still time to mow out there, and I really don’t want the new people to take possession and have to get the baler out. So, we loaded the mowers up on the utility trailer and headed for the country.
\n\n\nI knew there was food out there, so we elected to have breakfast once we arrived. We had eggs and fried cornmeal mush with syrup and sat on the front porch to marvel at God’s precious handiwork. Once we finished and the dishes were washed, I hopped on the riding mower while Mr. FixIt took the push mower around the edges and the ditch out front. My step-son called to say they were coming for a visit, so as soon as the mowing was done, we loaded back up and headed home.
\n\n\nThey had some work to do first, so I took the riding mower right off the trailer and mowed the Ponderosa. I just was finished when the kids showed up with pizza. We sat out on the deck by the pool and ate. They hadn’t seen the new carpeting yet so we went inside and talked while the guys re-hung the door Mr. FixIt painted. We had a lovely day with family and friends through texts and visits and phone calls.
\n\n\nI felt so good. I know to give things to God. I KNOW. But my mind gets carried away and before I know it, I’m down a rabbit hole and we’re off to the races. The good thing is, yesterday was so blessedly peaceful that it was a tangible reminder of the peace that comes with letting go and letting God do the heavy lifting. We weren’t meant to do the heavy lifting. That’s HIS job....if only we hand over the load. I’m grateful for the sense of calm I experienced...all day long.
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2021-05-24T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/05/24/a-day-of-peace.html", "tags": ["Faith","Overcoming Obstacles","Gratitude","God","Peace","Courage","Be Joyful!","Control","Healing"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/05/22/on-mr-fixit-time.html", "title": "On Mr. FixIt Time", "content_html": "\n“Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.”
\nPhilippians 4:6-7 CEV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/c4bb014aca.jpg\")
When you’re retired, things aren’t quite as scheduled as they are when you have limited time to get projects completed. This can be a good thing if you normally stress out about things that you envision need to be finished in a certain period of time. However, once you hit retirement, things may not be done in a timely fashion. I have discovered there are two time configurations in our house...my time, and “Mr. FixIt Time”. Now, do not get me wrong, when this man gets a job done, it is as good or better than any professional you’d have to pay the big bucks to. But...it may take a little longer than you particularly care for.
\n\n\nWe bought this pergola three years ago at the end of the season. We got it half price. I was sure we would be packed up and moved and living on our property near town by then, so I asked him to just put it in the building and we’d put it up at the new house. The new house got pushed back then one day I looked out and the pergola was being erected on the deck. And, I liked it! We went out and bought commercial grade market lights at the end of the season...half off. I wanted to put them up right away, but Mr. FixIt wanted to run electric out to the deck and have a nice GFI outlet to plug them in so we wouldn’t have to run an extension cord. Smart man!
\n\n\nThen he had his strokes last spring. Between that and the pandemic, that was the end of the home projects for pretty much an entire year. Now, I’m happy to report, other than the usual aches and pains of arthritis, my sweet man is back in action and he’s been blazing through these jobs...one after another. Our son-in-law came and helped him dig a trench to run the electric line through a conduit out from the building to the deck. Once they were finished, my step-daughter and I hung the market lights and I just love the way they turned out. If I’d have had more energy, I would have cleaned the table and dressed it better, but I did good to take the pizza box off and put the chairs in. It was a long day.
\n\n\nI didn’t get nearly as much done indoors as I wanted but I made progress on two rooms. I’ve been going through papers that need to either be burned or shredded. I sent the kids home with some things I thought they might like. The doctor called and my brother was discharged and heading back to the mountains. He was feeling a lot better and very anxious to get home.
\n\n\nIt was a busy and productive day and I am incredibly grateful to have this wonderful partner to share my life with and to work beside. Even if he doesn’t work on MY time schedule!
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2021-05-22T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/05/22/on-mr-fixit-time.html", "tags": ["Fun","Love","Farm Life","Marriage","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/05/15/god-has-bigger-hands.html", "title": "God Has Bigger Hands", "content_html": "\n“But do everything properly and in order.”
\n1 Corinthians 14:40 CEV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/c1fff06ce0.jpg\")
Lord, I’ve tried to keep up with everything the last few months. When I posted yesterday’s message, I was so incredibly overwhelmed with all that’s on my plate and I was at my wit’s end. So, I did what I do when the burning ends of the candle are threatening to meet in the middle. I had a conversation with God. I told him I was tired and I really needed to sleep. I said I felt like I was beating my head against a brick wall with these taxes and I just could NOT figure out what was wrong. I handed everything over to Him and said, “Can you take care of this tonight so I can rest. In the morning, you can tell me what I’m doing wrong and what I need to do to fix it.” God has bigger hands than me.
\n\n\nI slept like a baby.
\n\n\nYesterday morning, I got up and was just heading into the office when the carpet dudes showed up. And, of course, they had to play music. It wasn’t objectionably loud, but I have a hard time concentrating when there’s noise and let me tell you...hammering nails down into concrete for fastening carpet is a noisy proposition. I was feeling the frustration rising when Mr. FixIt popped in, touched my shoulder, and said, “How’s it coming?” I said under my breath, “It would be a lot easier if they weren’t playing their music so loud.” He softened, his voice took on that tone of compassion he uses when he knows I’m tense, but he also knows I’m going to have to suck it up a little bit and put on my big girl panties.
\n\n\n“They need the music, baby. It helps get them through long, hard days.”
\n\n\nHe know just what to say and how to say it. I saw it through their eyes and realized, laying carpet is backbreaking work. The least thing they could have is the joy music gives them while doing it. My shoulders loosened and I tuned out the tunes.
\n\n\nI opened the computer and said to God, “Ok...show me what you’ve got.” I closed my eyes and thought it through. There are files on the hard drive where TurboTax saves your returns. Yes...I had started an amended return when I couldn’t figure out what was wrong, but thank goodness I listened to that still small voice and didn’t file it. I had looked for the folder before and couldn’t find it. I looked in a different folder and...eureka!!! I found the original file, opened it...and all the info I thought was missing was right there in front of me! Thank you, God!
\n\n\nI have no idea why TurboTax didn’t transfer the data from the year before, but I just used the figures and it worked out fine. Well...that is, until I filed the returns online. They were rejected. Something about a PIN and my AGI. I decided to print the returns and just mail them in. Alas...no working printers. Went to town to Office Depot, bought an inexpensive printer, and voila...I printed out everything I need...including last year’s return for my records.
\n\n\nTonight I’m going to give it to God again and ask him to help me figure out what I did wrong with the e-file and see if I can try it again this morning.
\n\n\nIn the meantime...we have NEW CARPET! I sent photos to my peeps. Other than the one time I built a house (after a divorce), I’ve never had new carpet. I feel like SUCH an adult! lol It turned out so pretty. And the vinyl laminate flooring Mr. FixIt put in the entryways is perfect! He started putting things back in the room and I asked him to wait. I want to be more selective about what we put in there. I don’t want it to be too cluttery like it was before.
\n\n\nMore things checked off the list!
\n\n\nIt was a good day.
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2021-05-15T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/05/15/god-has-bigger-hands.html", "tags": ["Faith","God","Wisdom","Choices","Be Joyful!","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/04/22/an-employee-shortage.html", "title": "An Employee Shortage", "content_html": "\n“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
\nPhilippians 4:6-7 ESV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/28484db680.jpg\")
This trip to the beach has been different than any I’ve made so far. Usually this week is moderately busy...wedged between Spring Break and Bike Week, you almost always have lines to get into restaurants and bars. Places may be closed on Sunday, but almost always things open back up on Monday. This time, there are a lot of places only open from Wednesday through Saturday. And the reason is...they can’t find workers.
\n\n\nThat may be because of unemployment insurance. If they can get paid the same...or MORE than what they were making working forty hours a week, there are a boatload of folks opting to ride the benefit wave till it runs out. In the meantime, they’re doing I don’t know what...traveling? Taking a class online? Learning to knit? I will say, I saw more kite surfers than I’ve ever seen before, so there’s that.
\n\n\nThe paucity of reliable employees has caused some real frustration with business owners down here. I saw a few signs that said “this location is closed because we can’t get good help. Come see us at our other store. AND, if you want a fun job, call ###-###-####.” For those who ARE open, they’re doing the best they can to provide good service...sometimes to an unappreciative, if not totally clueless crowd.
\n\n\nI stumbled upon this sign in Tullio’s Bakery Tuesday morning. I can only imagine what kind of abuse their employees were faced with to warrant such a warning, but I have to say...when I was in there, the little gal was darling and very patient as I made my choices. BTW...Tullio’s is much better than Duck Donuts. They had real flavor as opposed to the greasy sugar bombs Duck Donuts throws out. (Sorry, DD...assembly line cake donuts from a mix is not a donut...it is fried cake. I don’t usually diss a product, but they left a lot to be desired.)
\n\n\nI left yesterday in the middle of the morning to go to my favorite knitting shop. I was sad to hear Jeanne, the owner, wasn’t there due to a family issue. I really missed visiting with her. But, I picked up a few things. They always have some custom died yarns and I love them so much. As I was heading south to Knitting Addiction, I noticed the thermometer on the truck was already 74! I called Mr. FixIt and told him to be ready...as soon as I finished my little shopping foray, I wanted to pick him up and go have some fun! It was too nice of a day to miss out on play time!
\n\n\nWe drove all the way down to the tip of the island to Hatteras Village. I stopped at my other favorite yarn shop in the back on The Blue Pelican Gallery. I bought a kit for Little so I can teach her to knit, and a shawl kit for me. We wandered around the shops and stopped to see some sights. Then, we got a seafood dinner to go and had a picnic as we watched the sunbeams shining down through little breaks in the clouds. It was really a glorious day. It got all the way up to 78 and I was one happy little camper!
\n\n\nToday is supposed to be much cooler and rainy, so we are hanging around the condo and I’ll start a new knitting project. Tomorrow is our last day and it’s supposed to be warm and sunny so we’ll spend as much time on the beach as we can. The week at the beach always goes WAY too fast and we will soon be heading back to West Virginia. I’ll get out to the farm for a few days alone just as soon as I can. And Mr. FixIt will finish the work on the master bath, with the help of his best friend, Harry.
\n\n\nAt least we didn’t get the snow they had in Colorado...OR in West Virginia! There’s something to be said for getting away to the beach at this time of year!
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2021-04-22T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/04/22/an-employee-shortage.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Grace","Choices","Kindness","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/04/13/getting-back-in-the-out.html", "title": "Getting Back In the Out", "content_html": "\n“But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”
\nRomans 8:25 ESV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/86fbe47188.jpg\")
We’ve talked a little bit here about the apprehension some people are having surrounding re-entry....getting back out into the world after a year of Covid. Now is not the time to totally let down our guard, even if we’ve been fully vaccinated. There are variants of the Covid virus out there that may bomb right through our newfound immunity. And, the vaccines are 95% effective. They’ll more than likely keep you from being hospitalized with a severe case, but you could still carry the vaccine to someone who is not vaccinated or is immunocompromised.
\n\n\nThat’s not the main problem, though. It’s more disconcerting to actually GO OUT simply because we’ve been IN. I’m am a solid ambivert. I love people, and I can be engaged and outgoing and fun at a party. AND...I need my alone time to recharge, I get anxious before social gatherings, and I have to weigh every decision heavily before I commit. There was a time, way back when I was first married to my second husband, that I actually became agoraphobic. I could go to work, come home, and go to the grocery store...but anything else became extremely uncomfortable and fear inducing.
\n\n\nI got over it that time by reading a lot about it and following some recommendations...namely practicing desensitization. I forced myself to go do things that were out of my comfort zone until I worked my way up to spending a long weekend alone in a small cabin up in the mountains of Colorado. That was HUGE for me at the time. The winter of 2019-20 was really busy for me because that’s the year I had the Girl Camper Raffle Trailer and I was out and about all season. Then...Covid hit and I didn’t travel anywhere for months at a time.
\n\n\nI found myself becoming fearful again of getting out on my own and I can’t have that. It doesn’t mesh with my lifestyle and it certainly doesn’t make me very happy to feel anxiety when I go to do something I know I’ve done a hundred times before. Taking a cue from the past, I’ve set out to doing things on my own a bit and yesterday was my first long outing in quite some time. I had a doctor’s appointment in the afternoon, then I took myself shopping and ran errands and had some lunch. I had a wonderful time and felt so much better when I got home.
\n\n\nAs I was driving around, I received a phone call from my dermatologist’s office. She removed a spot on my chest on 4/1 and they just received the pathology report. It was a place she’s frozen twice but it keeps coming back, and I swear...if it didn’t sit right where my seatbelt rubs, I probably would have let it go. In the end, we decided it was probably best to take it off and it’s a good thing. It turned out to be a squamous cell carcinoma. Skin cancer. The good news is, the pathologist said the margins were all clear meaning she got it all. She offered to have me come in and take some more just for good measure or we can just watch it heal and see how it looks. I elected to wait and watch.
\n\n\nI was a sun worshiping fool. I’ve always been fair skinned and I was a devoted tanning bed user in my 30’s. I had to have a little color, right? Well, I’ve had melanoma and now squamous cell...the damage is done, but sunscreen is an absolute necessity. No negotiations there. It’s really hard to make younger women understand the real dangers of tanning beds and I think they should be outlawed...at least for younger women. Please be safe out there, cover up, and wear sunscreen. Someday, you’ll be glad you did!
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2021-04-13T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/04/13/getting-back-in-the-out.html", "tags": ["Health","Comfort","Control","Anxiety"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/02/04/day-weve-been-down-this.html", "title": "Day 325: We’ve Been Down This Road Before", "content_html": "\n“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.””
\nDeuteronomy 31:6 ESV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/3d395ce754.jpg\")
I’m happy to be back today. I was suffering one of the less pleasant side effects of this parathyroid tumor...just another reason to get this thing taken care of as soon as possible. I’d say by this time next month, I should be well on the road to feeling like my old self. Big prayers, anyway!
\n\n\nYesterday was the most beautiful day. One of those really rare treats in a West Virginia winter...a crystal clear blue sky...not a cloud in sight. I slept soundly in the guest bedroom and didn’t awaken till late morning, but when I got up my guy was waiting for me with a great big smile. I always feel so much better when I see my sweet man. I told him we could NOT waste a minute of a beautiful day like this. Within a half hour, we were on the road to run some errands in town.
\n\n\nWe bought birdseed, picked up prescriptions, went to the grocery store, and stopped for Chinese food on the way home. I was telling sue the other night...I have a cross between severe cabin fever and agoraphobia. Something had to go...I needed out of this house. We are exceedingly careful when we go out. We even wear disposable gloves when we go shopping. Lots of hand sanitizer, masks, and we wait our turn going down aisles.
\n\n\nI saw this picture online yesterday and it reminded me...we’ve been down this road before. The very first polio outbreak occurred in Rutland County, Vermont. There were eighteen deaths and 132 cases of permanent paralysis reported. They felt at the time polio wasn’t contagious because families with many children only reported one becoming ill. It wasn’t until 1905 the contagious nature of the disease became apparent.
\n\n\nOnce the contagion was noted, it took another three years to identify the virus. Outbreaks occurred every summer, but it wasn’t until 1916 that it spread like wildfire in the crowded population of New York City. That summer, around 6,000 Americans died from polio and thousands more were left permanently paralyzed. From that point on, summers ran rampant with polio infections and pools, playgrounds and amusement parks were closed to attempt to mitigate the illness.
\n\n\nFDR fell ill with polio in 1921. He was very self-conscious about being seen in his wheelchair so he often used braces and canes in an attempt to look like he could walk. The iron lung was patented in 1929...the predecessor of the ventilator. I remember hearing about people in iron lungs that rested on two kitchen chairs in their living rooms. It was really scary.
\n\n\nVaccine trials began in 1935. Then, in 1952, there was a huge surge in cases. In 1953, Jonas Salk gave his own family the first polio vaccine which he had discovered. In 1954, huge vaccine trials began then in 1955, the results were reported. Unfortunately, there were problems with that initial vaccine. It was through that research that scientists discovered there was an issue with the treatment of the vaccine itself and immunizations were suspended.
\n\n\nAfter the vaccine made by Albert Sabin was licensed in 1960 with a single strain of polio, but by 1963, there was an oral polio vaccine that contained all three strains of the virus. Those are the little pink drops people in my generation remember receiving on a sugar cube. And summers became free again.
\n\n\nThis photo shows children being home schooled in 1937, listening to their teacher read their lessons on the radio. We made it through that period of time. Science now knows so much more about vaccines and the ways to deliver them. We have access to gene splicing and the mRNA carrier that delivers a small segment of the virus. Not enough to make you sick, but enough to tell your immune system... “THIS is what you want to kill when you see it.”
\n\n\nI know it seemed like this vaccine came on board so quickly, but the research has been in the works for years. We were blessed to have this technology available because without it, we surely wouldn’t have the ability to vaccinate the public against this scourge. The problem we are facing now is a race to get as many people as possible vaccinated before the virus mutates to the point the vaccine doesn’t work. Boosters are already being developed that will cover mutations. This is much like what occurs in the yearly flu vaccine.
\n\n\nOne of the most surprising observations during this pandemic is...the flu season just didn’t show up. Why? Because, we are wearing masks, we are washing our hands and using hand sanitizers, and we are keeping our distance and avoiding crowded areas. There are many lessons we can learn in what is happening now. We can be a resilient people. We have been before...we can be again. All those people who die every year during the flu season? Well, if we were more of a mask wearing culture, we could keep that number down, as well.
\n\n\nWe are having to adapt to a different life now. We’ve had it pretty darned easy all these years. If we could have gotten a hold on this in the beginning, we’d be in a different place now, but that’s water under the bridge. This is where we are now. So, this is where we need to build our new foundation for the future. Getting the vaccine into arms is a monumental undertaking. I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished here in West Virginia. Governor Jim Justice and his team have done a tremendous job of showing the country how it’s done.
\n\n\nIt’s coming...help is on the way!
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2021-02-04T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/02/04/day-weve-been-down-this.html", "tags": ["Health","Hope","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/02/01/day-the-path-to-the.html", "title": "Day 322: The Path to The Past is Long", "content_html": "\n““ ‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.”
\nJeremiah 33:6 NIV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/c256dce111.jpg\")
I can see that I am going to need to put a little structure into my time spent chasing rabbits down the pathways to my past. If not, I could very easily sit myself down in my big comfy chair and never get up. It is not lost on me that my mom developed the pulmonary emboli that killed her by sitting in her recliner, day after day, doing genealogy research. I believe I will need to assign certain hours as acceptable research time. The rest needs to be spent on something more physical and productive in order to maintain good health.
\n\n\nThat being said, I spent an extraordinary amount of time the last couple of days clicking on little green leaves and chasing innumerable “hints.” These are generated by the research of others as well as the algorithms of the website itself. You can’t just click and accept, either. You have to take some time and evaluate whether the information actually matches your ancestor or not. It’s tedious, time consuming, and definitely gives my mental faculties a good workout. Now, if I could just figure out a way to make it an aerobic activity, I’d hit the jackpot.
\n\n\nOne of the most frustrating things in genealogical research is when you hit a dead end and there just isn’t any more information. I’m at that point on a particular 2nd Great Grandfather. They had a huge family with something like seventeen kids. Now, add spouses and their own big families and it amounts to TWO three inch thick volumes of The Nutter Family History. Right now, I can’t put my hands on my mom’s copies. I believe they are at the farm and I need to go out and get them. I need to do some laundry this week anyway, so maybe I’ll make a little sojourn out there for a couple of days.
\n\n\nI haven’t found anything too terribly exciting yet. Mostly just documents that support what I’ve already done. But I believe there has been a release of census data since I last did this because I’m finding a big influx of that. You can find a huge amount of information on families if the census asked the right questions. For instance, in the early 1800’s, census takers literally just counted heads, male...female...and, unfortunately, race/freedom. More modern census takers asked for names, ages, what their role and relationship was to the head of the household. It listed whether they were in school and sometimes asked the highest grade completed. (My maternal grandparents didn’t go past 8th Grade, yet they put every child but one through college.)
\n\n\nDelving back into this research is relaxing. And, I have to say, the level of peace I’m feeling these days is remarkable. It hasn’t hurt that I unfollowed, snoozed, or blocked any number of people on my personal Facebook page in the last few months. When you have nothing much more than a “Happy Birthday” relationship with someone you likely will never go out of your way to spend time with...when you have someone who expounds ugly, angry political rhetoric on every single post they make...when you find your blood pressure rises every time you see their name come across your page...seriously, it’s ok to step back and re-evaluate. It’s ok to take a break. And, it’s ok to unfriend and even block people if they’re just plain making your life miserable. Life is seriously WAY too short for that. That being said, I have friends with differing political opinions that I genuinely care for and I maintain a connection for any number of reasons. We’re an odd bunch, humans.
\n\n\nSpeaking of odd, a few years ago I was helping reach out to my fellow high school classmates to encourage them to attend the next class reunion. One particular fellow I reached wasn’t on Facebook. I encouraged him to come on and join us so we could all catch up with each other. I have a robust circle of friends from our graduating class that I sincerely enjoy. This guy was a little...odd in his response. He asked why on earth he should join something that would be able to track his every move for the rest of his life. I poo-pooed the whole thing and thought it was just a little bit more than crazy. Then, I watched 60 Minutes last night.
\n\n\nFirst, their story about the bereaved of Covid just broke my heart. I will forever have tenderness for those who grieve the untimely loss of their beloveds. Then, the subject switched to...of all currently relevant things...the popularity of DNA testing under the auspices of genealogical research. There is so much more going on in the back side of that...namely genetic and pharmaceutical/biomedical research. It went on to discuss security breaches, computer hacks, and the role China is playing in the race to win the next “space race”...the acquisition of DNA, genomes, and the resulting data. It is more than a little disconcerting to hear about the real probabilities of “Big Brother” and the data we’ve already essentially given away.
\n\n\nWell, at this point, my DNA is out there. So is the DNA of my children and grandchildren... simply because I spit in a test tube to find out where my ancestors came from. We really have no idea the impact what we do today will have on the future. It’s anybody’s guess and the possibilities are endless. I think back on my odd little friend from high school and think...
\n\n\nMaybe he wasn’t so odd after all.
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2021-02-01T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/02/01/day-the-path-to-the.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Wisdom","Aging","Choices","Friends","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2021/01/16/day-observing-history-or-doomscrolling.html", "title": "Day 306: Observing History or Doom-Scrolling?", "content_html": "\n“I was young and now I am old...”
\nPsalms 37:25 NIV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/deb73ce245.jpg\")
I’ve watched national disasters play out on TV ever since that fateful day in 1963 when our beloved JFK was assassinated. Bad and good...the theater that is America plays out on the screen before us. We watch for many reasons. To observe, educate, understand, and be advised. From “Ok, Houston, we’ve had a problem here” to “I am not a crook” to “Diana, Princess of Wales, has died in a car crash in Paris.” Our hearts leap to our throats and we turn our attention to the news.
\n\n\nThis has been a solid year of “We interrupt this broadcast to bring you this breaking news report.” Seriously, there were times when I’d think, “OMGosh...what the **** now???” It’s stressful. Our bodies release cortisol in the response to danger and chronically elevated cortisol levels puts us at risk for many health problems including probably the most obvious...anxiety and depression. Not surprising.
\n\n\nIt’s one thing to observe history, take note, feel the feelings, and get back to the business of daily living. It’s quite another to chase down story after story, inhaling them like a desperate chain-smoking junky sitting in the dark on the sofa with a bag of Cheetos and a beer. It’s called Doom-Scrolling....read a story, there’s a link to another, read that, hit the next link. Before you know it, hours have passed, you have no real answers as to what’s really going on, and your mind is buzzing like a toaster in a bathtub.
\n\n\nGuilty as charged. I do this sometimes. I’m an avid learner, a curious critter who wants to find out what makes everything tick. What makes them believe that? How did we get here? Who is saying what about whom. Maybe part of that comes from being in an emotionally abusive household with an alcoholic father. I wanted to know what was coming next and I’d do anything I could to be prepared. But, that kind of preparation lies dangerously close to control and we all know...there is very little in this world that we can actually control.
\n\n\nThe chatter of impending violence surrounding the inauguration has had my inner investigator working overtime this week. I can’t fall asleep because my mind is churning in a dozen different directions, so I end up picking up the phone to check out “just one more thing”. Thursday night was like that and I finally drifted off to sleep around dawn, only to get an elbow to the back of the head when Mr. FixIt turned over. It was a long night.
\n\n\nWe just have a few more days till this moment in time is passed and it becomes relegated to history. I pray for peace. No violence. No injuries or death. It’s liable to be a bumpy ride, so hold on tight. And remember, goodness wins in the end.
\n\n\n?
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2021-01-16T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2021/01/16/day-observing-history-or-doomscrolling.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Fear","Courage","Warning","Choices","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/08/17/after-the-rain.html", "title": "After the Rain", "content_html": "\n“Nothing is impossible for God!””
\nLuke 1:37 CEV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/78c5ad131c.jpg\")
I want to tell you how God works in my life. I've mentioned in some of my posts that I was sexually abused as a child. The first time was the summer between 2nd and 3rd grade at the hands of an older neighbor boy. I estimate he was in high school, but I don't know that for certain. I do know that I was playing under the big tree with my little friend. She is about four and a half years younger than me so I assume she was four or five years old when this incident happened.
\n\n\nThe boy lured us into a garage under the pretense of looking at toys. When he molested me, I was confused and frightened and stood very still...hoping he would go away. But when he went after my friend, my maternal instinct kicked in and I grabbed her and ran before he could touch her. I haven't seen her since she was a senior in high school but I've thought of her often. I've always wondered if she had any memory of that day. I've wondered if she was frightened or if...God forbid...he had cornered her another time when I wasn't with her to protect her.
\n\n\nI pray all the time, but my prayers aren't always out loud. Most often, my prayers are my thoughts as I communicate with God during the day. For some reason, this incident has been on my mind a lot this summer...probably because my youngest grandchild reminds me so much of myself at her age and she isn't much older than I was that fateful summer day. So, I've silently asked God many times in the last few months to let my path cross that of my friend.
\n\n\nSaturday night I was at my high school reunion and a couple was seated at my table. The man had graduated with me but I didn't know him in high school and had never met him. Yet, here he was...at my table. There are no accidents. His wife was seated opposite me and I asked her if she went to our high school. She said yes, but she didn't graduate till '75. A chill went up my spine. I asked her if she knew my friend. With a look of surprise, she said \"OMGosh! I just saw her this evening!\" No doubt. I asked if she could get a message to her that I needed to speak to her. She sent a text and I waited.
\n\n\nMonday night, the phone rang out at the farm and...it was my long lost childhood friend. I did not want to come right out of the chute and ask her about that day in the garage so we spent the better part of two hours catching up and asking about each other's families and what we had been doing the last forty years. It was so good to hear her voice. As the conversation began to wind down and we had made promises to get together soon for lunch, I felt the time was right to ask her. I was so relieved to hear she had no memory of that day and there had never been an incident afterwards. As we continued to work through who lived in the neighborhood and who that boy could have been she said, \"You know...there was this one house near the alley that I was absolutely forbidden from ever going near.\"
\n\n\nWhen my friend's mother had taken her into the house that day, she sent me on my way with a warning to never to speak of that again to anyone...so I didn't tell my own mother till I was 35. It took me a while to realize this woman was merely a product of the times. This happened in the very early '60s...the Camelot years. You never spoke of child abuse back then as it was shameful. She wasn't being mean and I don't place any blame on her. But, just knowing she kept my friend away from that house on the alley let me know she heard me. And...even more importantly...she believed me. I wasn't the \"bad girl\" I thought I was at the time. I never had been.
\n\n\nAnd, that is the gift God gave me on a Monday night on a quiet farm in West Virginia...after the rain.
\n\n\n❤️
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2016-08-17T01:30:47-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/08/17/after-the-rain.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Growth","Courage","Choices","Control","Healing"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/08/12/an-army.html", "title": "An Army", "content_html": "\n“For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.”
\nPsalm 33:4-5 NIV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/60cf2a8c44.jpg\")
You guessed it...I used \"The Enforcer\" on my unwelcome house guests yesterday. It's one step shy of napalm! I sprayed every floor around the periphery then in the center. I kept it closed up overnight. I think I got what few there were in the bathroom from where I danced like a ninja when I found my legs black with the little suckers. Then I went down in the basement for the ultimate test and...those bad boys were STILL doing the Macarena down there. I think I may have decreased the numbers...slightly. That does it...time to call in the pros!!!
\n\n\nHere's where it gets gross. It seems flea eggs can lie dormant for months and then...the VIBRATION from your steps triggers a mass hatching!!! Ewwww!!! He'll be at the farm first thing Monday morning. My instructions are to pick everything up off the floor and vacuum thoroughly before he gets there and take the bag outside to dispose of it. I'll treat the kitties once a month to assure myself they are flea free in case she brings the long haired one in this winter.
\n\n\nIn the meantime, I went yesterday and got my hair trimmed, a MUCH NEEDED pedicure, and a very cute pair of little strappy sandals on sale! This is a big weekend...my 45th High School Reunion!!! It's time to party and forget fleas for a while!!!
\n\n\n❤️
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2016-08-12T01:30:30-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/08/12/an-army.html", "tags": ["Health","Overcoming Obstacles","The Farm","The Cats","Farm Life","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/05/03/downsizing-part.html", "title": "Downsizing, Part 27", "content_html": "\n“The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.””
\nExodus 33:14 NIV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/f48c81fd5b.jpg\")
Ok, for those of you who are fairly new, you may not know that I initially had a 16' camper. The following summer (2014) I realized I was living in the camper and using the house for a very expensive laundromat. I soon decided, for a number of very valid reasons, to sell the house. This allowed me to upgrade to a bigger trailer and forced me to downsize my personal belongings. I got rid of 95% of my stuff. And, as you can see, there's still a boatload of stuff still...and this is just what I took in the house last fall and brought out today. I still have several boxes of stuff in a friend's basement. So, the next phase of downsizing is about to begin.
\n\n\nThe hardest thing for me to get rid of is clothes. I can do without a lot of things, but don't mess with my clothes. The only saving grace is I'm losing weight so next winter my clothes won't fit anyway.
\n\n\n❤️
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2016-05-03T01:30:45-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/05/03/downsizing-part.html", "tags": ["Camping","Downsizing","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/04/30/losing-control.html", "title": "Losing Control", "content_html": "\n““Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.””
\nLuke 22:42 NIV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/e17d79fec9.jpg\")
I was preparing to meet friends for dinner last night, when I heard a loud noise coming from the river. I glanced out the bedroom window in time to see a tugboat and barges swing crossways across the river. I have lived on the river for nearly a year, and have never seen this before. It appeared one of the chains that connected the barge to the tugboat had broken. The pilot of the tug expertly swung the boat around which allowed a worker to reconnect it.
\n\n\nLife is like that tugboat sometimes, isn't it? We can be chugging along happy as a clam when suddenly something completely out of our control occurs. Perhaps it's the loss of a job. Or an unexpected expense. Or, maybe your best friend moves away. I don't experience loss the same as I did before I became a widow. Little things are bigger...they take a little more time to sort through. That's ok. It means you can feel again. Feeling is good, even when it doesn't feel so good. It means you've opened your heart again. And that is where you live.
\n\n\n❤️
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2016-04-30T01:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/04/30/losing-control.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Growth","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/04/14/taxes.html", "title": "Taxes", "content_html": "\n“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
\nIsaiah 43:19 NIV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/9badfbfe9b.jpg\")
I don't know why I do this. Year after year. I have a plan. It just never works out. I have a tendency to procrastinate. And yesterday, it caught up with me.
I have a hard time staying up with my checkbook. It's not a big deal because I follow everything online. But it becomes a big deal at tax time. I then make a frantic dash and download a year's worth of transactions, run a quick report in my accounting program, plug the numbers in my tax program, and voila! Easy peasy, right? Wrong.
It appears my bank changed horses in the middle of the stream and I was too busy with shiny objects to notice. Then when I tried to download, I broke the Internet. Well, ok...the bank's server crashed. Which I'm quite sure had absolutely nothing to do with the gazillion bits of info trying to zoom its way across cyberspace and cram down through teeny tiny wires into my computer. It was just a coincidence...right?
\n\n\nAnyway, after ten hours, at least three of which was spent on the phone with the uber nice bank lady (Jennifer...we're bff's now), I have lost eight months of data and got three of each of the rest of the transactions...one of which shows as a debit and the other two as a deposit. Seriously? It's fixable...really it is. I just have to enter a year's worth of transactions by hand. Oy.
\n\n\nWhy am I telling you this? Well, basically to let you know I didn't let this little fiasco ruin my day. I went out on the deck, took this beautiful picture, meditated, breathed deep, stretched, came inside, and took a hot bubble bath. I made myself stop, relax, and regroup. And then I went to bed. The computer will be sitting in the same place I left it last night. And my mind will be fresh.
\n\n\nJust because I'm three years into this grief journey, and just because I've changed my focus to wellness and making this my year to thrive, does not mean I no longer deal with \"grief brain\". Grief forever changes neural pathways. You just have to learn when it's OK to stop and say \"Enough already!\" Give yourself permission to not be perfect. And download your transactions every month, for crying out loud!
\n\n\n❤️
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2016-04-14T01:30:03-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/04/14/taxes.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Wisdom","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/03/16/taking-a-break.html", "title": "Taking a Break", "content_html": "\n“Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.”
\nEcclesiastes 7:9 KJV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/fd62ed4410.jpg\")
I realized the other day how much I enjoy social media. \"Enjoy\" is a kind way of saying I cannot unhook from my phone, iPad, and laptop. Cannot. The thought sends feelings of dread through me. What if someone needs me? What if I miss something? What will they think if I don't write back in a timely fashion? What if they just came on board...will they stay if they're met with this \"Declaration of Independence\"? It's ridiculous. But it's so true. It has contributed to my sedentary lifestyle and subsequent weight gain. In keeping with my new \"Strive to Thrive\" message, I'm unplugging till Monday, March 21st. Not absolutely unplugging like...locking my phone in the car. I have a brother with a developmental disability that I need to be available for. So, I vow to check my phone once in the morning and once in the evening for the next six days!
\n\n\nSee you Monday!
\n\n\n❤️
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2016-03-16T01:30:49-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/03/16/taking-a-break.html", "tags": ["Health","Fun","Girl Camper","Girl Campers","Road Trip","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/02/21/the-funeral-home.html", "title": "The Funeral Home", "content_html": "\n“The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.”
\nMark 6:30-32 NIV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/a298fed5d8.jpg\")
My aunt buried two husbands. She has never stepped foot in a funeral home since. It's been 25 years. I never quite understood that till yesterday. I went to the funeral home with several of my classmates after we met for coffee yesterday. I've been once before since Mr. Virgo died. It was someone from church. A young man who died from a drug overdose. I wasn't that close to the family. I did fine.
\n\n\nYesterday? Not so much. I hugged my friend and did my best to comfort her. One by one, my classmates hugged her. I was fine till she broke down in sobs and it broke my heart. For her. And for me. I had compartmentalized that huge dose of raw anguish and haven't looked at it in a long time. You can't avoid it when it's smacking you in the face.
\n\n\nIt wasn't too long till one of my friends tugged me by the elbow and said, \"Let's go outside.\" I was so grateful. I felt like a deer in the headlights and I'm not sure how much longer I could have stood there. When we got outside, she asked if I was ok. She said as soon as Deb started crying, I was shaking like a leaf. I was surprised because I didn't feel that. I just felt trapped...and torn. On the one hand I wanted to support my friend. On the other, I wanted to run like hell out of there.
\n\n\nMy way of handling stress has been forever altered by grief. I didn't take inventory of my feelings yesterday at the funeral home. Instead, I tried to be strong for my friend where she of all people would have understood if I would have just said, \"I'm here for a hug, honey...and I can't stay.\" She's lost a husband. She understands.
\n\n\nGive yourself permission to not be perfect. Give yourself all the time you need to grieve. Don't make excuses for why you can't do something. If you can't, you can't. It's ok.
\n\n\n❤️
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2016-02-21T02:30:37-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/02/21/the-funeral-home.html", "tags": ["Grief","Choices","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2016/01/25/midnight-munchies-musings.html", "title": "Mid-night Munchies \u0026 Musings", "content_html": "\n“a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,”
\nEcclesiastes 3:4 NIV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/cc98f190d9.jpg\")
I should never, ever attempt to \"go to bed at a decent hour\". It never really works out for me. It doesn't matter what time I go to sleep...I'm wide awake three, maybe four hours later, ready to plow the south forty, and most people won't be getting up for another four hours, at least. There are few people to talk to at 2:30am. So, I'm reduced to surfing the web eating ice cream and writing about it. And you, my dear devoted readers, are placed in the enviable position of sitting back with your morning cuppa Joe and joining me on a little romp through internet history.
\n\n\nAccording to the Facebook page of The Schriever Creative Agency, I garner approximately .00005% (give or take a decimal point or two) of the daily readers of Facebook. Wow...stellar! This exercise in futility began when I read a guest blog post by Norm Schriever (who I can only assume is the creative genius behind The Schriever Creative Agency) about how to become a best selling author. Apparently, there are some in the author circle who will do whatever it takes to gain the coveted title \"Best Selling Author\". That \"status\" gives one a certain credibility at cocktail parties and when being introduced to strangers. But, what does it really mean?
\n\n\nThere are many best sellers lists, among them Amazon, the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and (according to the esteemed and very funny Mr. Schriever)...Walmart. Then he went on to make a disparaging comment about West Virginians and their teeth, which I'm willing to forgive for a moment of his time and an endorsement. Yeah, ok...maybe not. Anyway, as I continued reading said blog post, I found there are ways of circumventing the system (am I not surprised) and SOAR your way to best seller status on Amazon by either beating their algorithm and buying a couple hundred thousand copies of your own book, or paying someone to navigate you to the top by doing the same thing only adding the much coveted \"book review\". I suppose \"Best Selling Author\" hides the smoke and mirrors but, naïve as I am, I want my status earned the old fashioned way. When people hear \"Best Selling Author\" they automatically think of The New York Times Best Sellers List and it seems a bit dishonest to pull the wool over their eyes.
\n\n\nAfter reading this immensely encouraging little tidbit, I went on to discover a post my new friend Norm shared about the history of social media which further drives home what a tiny little speck of the blogosphere that I command. But I'm not going to let a little thing like virtual obscurity hold me back! I'm 9 ( count them......N-I-N-E!) readers shy of 4,000 and by golly, we're gonna take this thing home! Are ya with me?
\n\n\nSighhhhh.....I need more sleep.
\n\n\nPass the Chunky Monkey, will ya?
\n\n\n❤️
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?”
\nLuke 9:25 NIV\n
Photo Credit: I have absolutely no rights whatsoever to use this photograph and it probably constitutes trademark infringement, or some obfuscated term, but let's consider it my little contribution to further establishing the existence of my two favorite men, Ben & Jerry, in the mid-night munchie marketplace, shall we? You're welcome.
\n\n", "date_published": "2016-01-25T02:30:29-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2016/01/25/midnight-munchies-musings.html", "tags": ["Gratitude","Be Joyful!","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2015/12/30/spirit.html", "title": "Spirit", "content_html": "\n![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/27493aeb9c.jpg\")
The momentum is shifting here on The Ranch. I have a vision. A very clear vision of my books in print. I can see them on shelves. I can see myself at book signings and giving talks and being interviewed. I have been a visual person all my life. I've learned to harness that and use it to create my life. While I am a Christian, I also believe the Lord works in mysterious ways and we cannot come close to understanding how it all works. All I know is, there have been numerous times in my life that I have prayed an intention out into the universe and handed it over to God, and I literally step back and watch Him work wonders. It comes across to some people as something bordering precognizant but that's not it at all. It's trust, and faith, and hope all wrapped into one.
\n\n\nTwo years ago I was paralyzed with grief. I could barely function. Thank God I had my family and good friends who would just sit and listen to me cry and they didn't say a word. There was nothing TO say. By just sitting quietly, I knew I was loved. I knew it was safe for me to let my guard down and cry from the marrow of my bones. On New Year's Eve, I just wanted it to be 12:01 to get that dreadful year over with. I didn't want to breathe any more 2013 air. Even though the strike of 12 only meant a little over nine months had passed since Mr. Virgo's death, to me it meant I had turned a corner. The continued sense of relief I had hoped for failed to hang on though, and I was quickly back on the roller coaster of grief.
\n\n\nNow, two more years have passed. 2014 was difficult being awake and in pain. 2015 has been so much better. And what I'm feeling is this certainty. God's got this. I asked and He's lining up every connection I need to make things move forward with my writing. It has this special feel of ease...weightless, effortless. A big, giant trail of neon breadcrumbs. It's all so peaceful, this faith.
\n\n\n❤️
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2015-12-30T02:30:14-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2015/12/30/spirit.html", "tags": ["God","Insight","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2015/12/10/today.html", "title": "Today", "content_html": "\n“He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.” As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.”
\nEzekiel 2:1-2 NIV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/c73a197461.jpg\")
Not to sound too cliché, but honestly...today is all we've got. There are no promises. We are a heartbeat away from eternity. I don't want to spend what precious time I have left worrying. Or angry. Or jealous. About anything. Yeah, easier said than done, I know. But it's a lofty goal.
Today, I am as old as I have ever been. I have achieved a certain level of credibility merely by riding this planet 62 times around the sun. I've seen 22,824 sunsets. I am some sort of authority on sunsets by now, I think. I can stand proud in my ability to adapt and survive. I am a freaking warrior princess.
Today, I am as young as I'll ever be again...chronologically. Age is a state of mind. I choose to think young...most of the time. I seem to pull it off pretty well as most people don't think I'm 62. I am a lover of life....a dancer of dreams.
\n\n\nToday, I love myself. I'm finally comfortable in my own skin. I live here...in all my impossibly flawed beauty. Baby pooch, flappy wings, cheesy thighs, greying hair, wrinkles and all. I am a wise crone...with fresh, new eyes.
Today, I am flying solo. Sleeping single. Widowed. On my own. But...I am not alone. God walks with me and carries me when I can't do it myself. There are many hearts beating in my chest with me. And the one true heart that stopped beating a thousand or so days ago lives just a fraction away. So near I can feel him because our souls are still one...still connected...always and forever connected. Death didn't take that away. Mere death could not sever that bond. I am fierce and brave.
Today, I get to see my firstborn child. I haven't seen her since the middle of August. I miss her, terribly. Much, much more than I ever have. I am so very proud of her. And happy for her accomplishments. Tomorrow is a big day for her as she gets her graduate degree in Zoology. I am filled with a mighty love.
\n\n\nToday, I get to see my first husband and his family. They are coming for the graduation. I am so blessed to have good relationships with my former husbands. I hear horror stories all the time of people who can't be in the same room with their exes. I understand it doesn't work for everyone. However, I was with these men for a reason. I loved them. I love them still...just in a different way. I love them because they love my babies. Because they are good people. Because they love and respect me. Because we are still family. I am gentle and loving in my heart.
\n\n\nToday. Time and distance heals old wounds if you let them. Hope and love gifts you delicious anticipation for what could come. God can bring you peace if you just ask Him.
\n\n\nI am forgiven and at peace.
\n\n\nToday. This day. It's all we've got. What are you going to do with your present?
\n\n\n❤️
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2015-12-10T02:30:50-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2015/12/10/today.html", "tags": ["Family","Presence","Insight","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2015/11/03/setting-goals.html", "title": "Setting Goals", "content_html": "\n“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
\nRomans 12:2 NIV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/33e0406e3b.jpg\")
Yesterday we touched on ways to ward off the winter blahs. One of the suggestions was to set goals and check items off the lists you create to achieve them. But, how do you set goals? And what do you do when those goals just keep hanging out there like a carrot on a stick? At the end of the first year after Mr. Virgo died, I breathed an audible sigh of relief. Now I could say \"He died last year.\" It gave me a false sense of comfort that it was \"almost over\" and I was going to get my life back...or some semblance of it. Little did I know the second year was going to be harder because the numbness was gone. And now, here I am, over halfway through the third year and what are my goals? I have no earthly idea!
\n\n\nA fellow Rancher said her goal was to find someone else to love happily ever after but now she's five years into this without a knight in shining armor in sight. You could have knocked me over with a feather as I realized that's exactly what I've been doing. I have been looking at every male encounter as a potential mate. Good grief...what was I thinking?
\n\n\nThat's the point though, isn't it? I wasn't thinking. I haven't really been thinking about long range goals. I've been planning to feel better this week. Maybe this month. I've been chasing happiness but at what cost? No one else is refilling the coffers.
\n\n\nWhen I got back from Myrtle Beach, I had to sit down and take a serious accounting of where I am. Not just financially, but in general. That little \"Hey, girl...how ya doin'?\" pep talk we girls gotta have on occasion. And I wasn't happy with what I saw. I have been feeling a shift lately...a ripple in the force, so to speak. Good things will come of this as it is just another layer of the onion.
\n\n\nStay tuned tomorrow for Part Two of \"Setting Goals\". This is far too big a topic for one post to cover.
\n\n\n❤️
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2015-11-03T02:30:00-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2015/11/03/setting-goals.html", "tags": ["Health","Overcoming Obstacles","Positive Energy","Growth","Choices","Change","Insight","Control"] }, { "id": "http://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/2015/10/22/control.html", "title": "Control", "content_html": "\n“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”
\nProverbs 19:21 NIV\n
![\"\"](\"https://mashmallowranch.micro.blog/uploads/2026/484dd625de.jpg\")
You've seen that cartoon on FB where the '50s mom is telling her little girl that \"normal\" is just a setting on the dryer? Well, \"control\" is just a function on a keyboard. Oh, granted...there are things we can control. Our behaviors, our choices, the temperature in the car, the playlist on the iPad. But what I'm talking about is when we get in the business of trying to control everything...other people, namely.
\n\n\nI don't know about you, but I try to be prepared for every possible scenario. I think I'm compensating for not being able to think fast on my feet. Just when everything is going incredibly well, one of the parties involved totally goes off and starts ad libbing. And then I join in and ad lib with them. Pretty soon, no one is following this carefully choreographed script I had in my head of how my life was going to go and where the players were going to stand.
\n\n\nIn the past, this would have thrown me into a tizzy...relentlessly trying to get the ducks back in a row. Now I can look at it objectively and apply the Second Agreement. \"Don't take anything personally.\" At least, I sure do try. It isn't about me. It's about them and where they are on their journey. That's cool. I send out love and light and hope for the best for everyone. I say prayers for happiness and joy. Life is far, far too short for drama.
\n\n\n❤️
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "date_published": "2015-10-22T01:30:59-06:00", "url": "https://marshmallowranch.com/2015/10/22/control.html", "tags": ["Overcoming Obstacles","Change","Control"] } ] }“We all stumble in many ways...”
\nJames 3:2\n