Posted in Believe it or not!, Inspiring, Scripture, Wisdom, Womanhood

To Be a Friend or NOT to Be . . .

The most important part of undertaking any type of friendship is re-arranging the understanding about what a friend is.

A friend is something you must BE.

It is not something to have, collect, use, or control. People who are kind and loving do not own, collect, use, or control other people. That is not friendship; it is manipulation. A person is not something to collect. We do not have friends, do not own friends. We BE friends.

We befriend.

Given that, we should learn how to befriend. We should care about being a good friend, not collecting friends. So we study the Best Friend we can find and we learn how His words lead us into all truth, even about our earthly friendships.

And His Word tells us and shows us there are five levels of acquaintance, of friendship.

To be a friend, there is so much to learn, first.The most distant acquaintance is the person you recognize from the newsstand or the grocery checkout. You do not know his life or how to be what he needs, but you always smile and wave, acknowledging that fragile link of recognition, of knowing we both don’t even know each other’s name.

The Old Testament ancient Hebrew used words like rea and raa (Proverbs 19:6) to indicate this type of person you might see occasionally, might make a show of friendliness to. In the New Testament, the old Greek words were  hoi par autou, (Mark 3:21) for those who just happen to be with you.

Although you might not know this person’s needs, you can reach out to him. The best way to “befriend” such a person, obviously, is to get to know him more. A simple question about place of origin, number of children, or hobbies, in the right context, will add a few almost invisible layers to your acquaintance with this person.

Your continued interest will tell him someone cares, which is such a life-giving thought.

And haven’t we all been there.

Read more!

Posted in Inspiring, Scripture, Wisdom

Sunday Scriptures – Textured

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

A voice of one calling: In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.

And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”                      –Isaiah 40:1-5

Posted in Believe it or not!, Blessings of Habit, Inspiring, Photos, Womanhood

Another Brave Huntress Story!

Portrait of a raccoon. the picture was taken i...
Image via Wikipedia

. . . AGAIN!

You know, of course, this means another ‘coon after our girlies . . .

Well, we were not home, but it happened again.

And a certain brave young lady, a true huntress at heart, who’d agreed to watch our house and tend our sweet, helpless, innocent chickens (see them here) in our absence, found a disturbing set of occurrences, just as I had found earlier this week.

The difference?

This gal is always packin’.

And she knows what to do.

And she took care of business, as per our instructions.

And I wish I could be like her.

And I owe her a certain favorite pie of her choosing.

And I am asking you, loyal readers, to HOUND me until I make her that pie.

(No photo with RECIPE? It didn’t happen!)

Thanks.

Posted in Blessings of Habit, Herbs, Homemaking, Inspiring, Photos, Wisdom

Lace Scrunchies

blue lace
Blue Lace

This blue lace will become the gathered-up fluff ball we use for bath time scrubbers. Some people call them loufas, but that is not what they are. Loufas are tan in color, actually the inside network of a gourd. Since it looks spongy, some people call them sponges. Also incorrect. Sponges are the network of an underwater animal.

Anyway, bath scrunchies are easy to make. Simply measure out a length of tulle or lace 10″ by 60″ or so, fold in half, lengthwise, to 5″ by 60″, sew the long edges together, turn seams to the inside. Then insert a heavy string or small rope and gather it all by tying the string or rope into as small a circle as possible. This will make a very large, soft, and puffy ball of gathered fabric, gentle on wet skin.

To make it smaller and tougher, for calluses and such, gather the entire doubled length and then tie off, from the outside, like a pom-pom.

I plan to make several of the scrunchies for inclusion in the package for the customer, should she decide she needs one to complete a gift. They will not cost much, maybe only a dollar, which would be a about a 350% return on my costs, since the fabric was only a dollar per yard, and actually, is left over from a curtain project. But the customer will be pleased to receive this small thing for nearly free.

We all enjoy finding something we can feel good about purchasing, don’t we. We all should be looking around for things we can include in our daily dealings with all people. It’s the magazine issue you’ve read and passed on, the jar of jam from a huge harvest, or even the offer to babysit, that makes the day for those we meet.

When we keep an eye open for what we have that we can spare, what someone else needs that we can bear to part with, then we practice generosity. We cannot all live with the terminally ill and give them sips of water. We can, though, give in other small, self-sacrificing ways, to anyone we see.

Reach out. The whole world is waiting for a “lace scrunchie.”

Posted in Blessings of Habit, Good ol' days, Inspiring, Photos, Wisdom

It’s a Worm Table!

The couple that built the house we live in is no longer living, but they had amazing foresight. Everywhere we look, we can see signs of commitment to excellence.

For instance, the electrical breaker box has every switch labeled. Puzzling for months over the one switch labeled “Worm House”, we searched until we figured out the worm house was actually the chicken house/woodshed.

We knew the worm tables were down there, but we hardly guessed what they were.  The industrious ones who built two houses on this property and maintained an enormous garden, were human after all.  They fished. They loved having their own source for worms. Or they sold worms. What work went into their lives for a bit of pleasure or a few extra dollars!

worm table
Worm Table

The worm tables, consisting of framed, 1/2″ mesh wire, were for sifting out worms, I guess. I know the soil under these tables is uncommonly rich and free of the usual rocks from around here. It makes very good garden dirt and a great side-dressing for those plants that seem to need extra nutrition.

I can imagine a grandchild’s wonder as he watches a shovelful of soil reveal its inhabitants. I can imagine the child’s taking all this culture for granted, walking in such luxury of self-sufficiency, hardly guessing all the work others have put into this place.

A little like I tend to do, myself.

I say, “Oh, good, a chicken house,” and forget all the work in those rough-hewn boards. I stroll around a pond and never think that someone had to bulldoze it. I retrieve canned goodies from the basement without realizing all the engineering it takes to perch a house over a hole in the ground.

But I want to remember, to think, to realize. I want to be thankful for someone’s foresight, for those who went before and built for those who would come after.

Posted in Believe it or not!, Inspiring, Photos, Rain, Wisdom

GOING DOWN!

down with temps
DOWN With Temperatures!

I cannot believe we finally have cool weather! I cannot believe it. But I am thankful. Oh, YES!

A week ago, it was a full fifty degrees warmer, here. Now I am running an exhaust fan and drawing all this cool air into my stuffy house and listening to birds and squirrels chirping and chattering.

It is a gift.

scrunched down
Hugging the Sidewalk

Our ma cat appreciates it NOT. No one explained to the cats they would need their warm coats today. The pre-heated sidewalk gives relief, though, as Puddy hugs to it, waiting for the sun to rise over the treetops.

Not me! I’m dressed for 100 degrees, sitting in a 60-degree breeze, shivering and GLAD!

This cool weather did not bring rain with it, though. We are still more than 12 inches below normal for this year. Usually, we receive much rain in August, around 5 to 10 inches. I guess it all went to Mississippi and the Carolinas. Since it is the second year running that we have not received normal rainfall, trees are dropping like flies. We’ve lost about 3 per acre on our property.

tree population going down
One Twin Dies

Our neighbor has lost half of a gorgeous set of twin oaks in his pasture. It is sad, but we must look at what remains and be glad some trees have stronger roots and can survive. Maybe we’ll help harvest the firewood from our neighbor’s tragedy, turning it into something useful, so it is not a total loss.

Life is like that. We help each other turn our tragedies around, don’t we? We help make sure our losses are not total losses. We reach out to each other, perhaps grim-faced, but determined: We will not be completely defeated.

And we’re not.