“Playing dress up is fun. Mr. FixIt and me…at a wedding.”
“Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away. If one were to give all the wealth of one’s house for love, it would be utterly scorned.”
Song of Songs 8:6-7 NIV
One of Mr. FixIt’s granddaughter’s got married yesterday. I bought an outfit when I was in Colorado. I needed something nice to wear to weddings...including Daughter #2’s when it comes around in the next year or so. It’s nice to have at least one dressy outfit, even though I don’t have very many occasions to dress up anymore.
Mr. FixIt came home with his tux the other day. He said he thought he would just dress at home and not bother toting it back and forth but I talked him out of that. First, he didn’t want his backside to look like he’d been sitting in a truck for an hour. And second, it was in the high 80’s…I knew he would be miserable.
“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.”
Proverbs 12:1 NIV
There are certain matters of etiquette one must observe when visiting State and National Parks. There is camping etiquette and fishing etiquette. There are matters of law. Then there’s just plain common sense.
It was taken by a Yellowstone National Park visitor and it clearly shows a man taunting a buffalo by yelling at it and waving his arms. I am not sure if he was trying to shoo the behemoth out of the way because he was in a hurry, or if he was just curious what the beast would do. Either way, he got much more than the sought after 15 minutes of fame.
“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!” Luke 12:27-28 NIV
Mr. FixIt and I decided to walk up the road yesterday afternoon before we headed home from the farm. The heavy truck traffic from the gas pipeline construction has eased up slightly and the road repair crew had moved back toward the bridge, so walking was a little safer and more enjoyable. I was particularly interested in a mulberry tree down the road. I wanted to check if the berries were ripening so I could make some jam and jelly. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single mulberry on the tree. Last year at this time is was loaded so the only thing I can figure is the late freezes this spring got them.
Just as we headed out for our walk, this beautiful Hooded Warbler darted into the spicebush next to the porch. I have never seen one and had to look it up to find out what it was. What a beauty…and such a sweet little song it sings.
“West Virginians cook their green beans for hours with bacon or salt pork and onion, salt, and pepper. The house smells divine!”
“For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.”
Hebrews 3:4 NIV
One of my fondest memories is sitting as a little girl on the front porch of the farm house, my grandma in the chair to my left. She had the beat up lid of an old roasting pan turned over in her lap and it was filled with washed green beans fresh from the garden. These were old fashioned string beans, not the stringless bush bean variety you find nowadays. They were a bit more work to prepare. You took a paring knife and cut the tip of one end almost all the way through and pulled. This removed the long, stringy piece from down one side. Then you turned the bean over and did the same thing from the other end. Then you snapped the bean in half, or thirds, with one hand and dropped them in a cooking pot.
When you were done, you rinsed the beans again, and filled the pot with clean water to barely cover the beans. You cut up an onion or two and threw that in along with a few pieces of ham, salt pork, or fried bacon and the grease they were fried in. You might add a little black pepper and salt if the bacon wasn’t too salty. You covered the pot and set it to simmer midmorning, adding water when necessary. Come suppertime, the house smelled wonderful and the beans were nice and tender. Here in West Virginia, we COOK our green beans. None of this crispy “al denté” stuff! Oh, there’s nothing like green beans cooked Grandma style.
“A bicycle stands in the road in Tajikistan where two American cyclists were killed over the weekend.”
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
Psalm 147:3 NIV
Now that the news has been widely disseminated, I can share more about my friend’s son who was tragically killed over the weekend. Perhaps you have seen the story on the news. Jay Austin and his partner, Lauren Geoghegan, were the two American cyclists killed in Tajikistan over the weekend. They had just completed their first year riding their bikes and living a life most can’t even imagine.
“Jay Austin in January, cycling in Spain during a year-long bike adventure.” Family photo from internet
“What do you do when the unthinkable really happens to someone you know?”
Everyone thinks their grief is the worst grief ever…because it is theirs. This is legitimate because it is YOU that is dealing with it, YOU that has lost your person. It’s hard to imagine it being any worse than it is…at least, at first it is. After some time, you begin to hear stories of other’s loss and you begin to see where they have gone through much worse things. This doesn’t negate your experience at all. But it does give you incredible empathy for others who are struggling.
“Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.”
1 John 2:10 NIV
She sat in front of me in class. We were sophomores...our first year in a huge high school where several classes from various junior highs commingled. We didn’t know each other...yet.
We were wearing handmade dresses that day, much like the one pictured here. They were both made from a waffle weave fabric of white daisies with yellow centers on a hot pink background. Very “mod”. Very “flower power”. Very chic, I’m sure.
“Finding peace after losing Mr. Virgo is deeper and sweeter than anything I could have imagined.”
“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.”
2 Thessalonians 3:16 NIV
As I sat thinking over what I would write about for today’s post, the word “peaceful” kept playing over and over in my mind. It made me think of this photograph that I took when I was living on high ground overlooking the Ohio River three years ago. I was blessed with the opportunity to park my camper up there and would often sit on the deck overlooking this amazing, peaceful scene. On this particular evening, the light was perfect, the sky was stunning, and everything took on a soft glow as the sun was setting. I will never forget my time spent in this beauty as I healed from the grief of losing Mr. Virgo. It was a time of testing my mettle, as well. I found inner strength I never knew I had as I lived in that camper through a particularly rough winter with no running water and up to a foot-and-a-half of snow at times.
I look back on that period of my life and compare it to where I am today and it never ceases to amaze me how different things are now. I have the privilege of caretaking for the family farm. I have this wonderful man in my life who brings me joy every day. I have the ability to travel to see my Colorado family. I have my campers. I still own too much “stuff” but I’m happy with my life as it is.
“Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone.”
Psalm 71:9 NIV
Ok, I turned 65 in June. No big deal. Got my Medicare card, which is UBER cool. I get discounts (when I remember to ask for them). But that’s the thing...I don’t remember to ask for them. Because, I’m NOT a senior citizen. How could that be remotely possible?
Oh, but it is. I looked it up. Google says…in many different places…that you reach senior citizen status when you turn 65. It’s pretty standard because that’s when you start receiving Medicare benefits. At least, for now you do. Uncertainty aside, I rebel at that “senior citizen” label. That’s for “old” people. Right? That’s what I used to think, anyway.
“One day’s harvest of fresh tomatoes! I couldn’t grow this many in a whole season in Colorado!”
“Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”
Genesis 1:29 NIV
This is one of the very best things about West Virginia. You can grow just about anything here. The growing season is long, there’s plenty of rain, and the soil is rich. Our tomato plants are producing faster than we can eat these tasty morsels from God. I sent this picture to my son-in-law’s dad yesterday. Ben struggles over his garden, tending his plants with loving care, only to see them be destroyed by drought, hail, and vermin over and over. Sue said the picture would just make him sad.
I remember gardening in Colorado. I lost a 2,000 square foot garden to frost on June 23rd one year. I’ve stood inside and watched hail turn my garden into something akin to chopped salad in minutes, leaving nothing but sticks behind. I’ve watch as deer, squirrels, and raccoons snack on my veggies like it’s the salad bar at Shoney’s. It’s terribly disheartening. That’s why I started frequenting farmer’s markets and produce stands. I get the fruits and veggies I want and the farmer gets the money in his/her pocket.
“Playing dress up is fun. Mr. FixIt and me…at a wedding.”
“Buffalo taken with a LONG lens.”
“Hooded Warbler”
“West Virginians cook their green beans for hours with bacon or salt pork and onion, salt, and pepper. The house smells divine!”
“A bicycle stands in the road in Tajikistan where two American cyclists were killed over the weekend.”
“Jay Austin in January, cycling in Spain during a year-long bike adventure.” Family photo from internet
“What do you do when the unthinkable really happens to someone you know?”
“We were SO fashionable, back in the day!”
“Finding peace after losing Mr. Virgo is deeper and sweeter than anything I could have imagined.”
“7 Tips for Seniors. Am I a SENIOR???”
“One day’s harvest of fresh tomatoes! I couldn’t grow this many in a whole season in Colorado!”