Tag: refreshing

Posted in Believe it or not!, Home School, Husbands, Wisdom

Postaday Challenge – January Favorites – 1

Posted on by Katharine
Sleighing

They recommend we repost something from January. I think I’ll do that for this week. Since the temperature jumps far above 100 degrees almost every day, for us, I have chuckled, reading past entries about snow days, and hope you enjoy them, too. And remember: the special effects folks at WordPress were sprinkling snow all over the place on our blogs, as we read them. 🙂

SNOW AND ICE AND SLUSH, OH MY!

Whew! What a treat this blast of winter has been!

We returned last night from visiting our Texas granddaughter for her birthday, to find our world quite cold and bleak. Now our fires are rebuilt, house is re-warmed, chick water is thawed, and icy crud on the car is knocked off. We literally had to plow our way through winter precipitation along a three-hour drive.

That took four hours.

I was surprised and blessed at how excited our passengers were. Our twenty-something offspring, home on winter break, were like little children as they recalled rare snow days from their past and giggled in excitement over the frightening but beautiful scenes around us.

We all learned much about snow tires, black ice, legalities, and travel safety in snow-slush-ice. My husband, born in Iowa and raised in northern Missouri, practiced every safety tip he knew, as he drove us home. Since we were experiencing his expertise first hand, he used it for an old-time, teachable moment, in hopes the rest of us could somehow be safer one day, should we have to drive in such conditions.

We probably won’t drive anywhere today, though. When universities and government buildings close, it’s time to stay home.

Instead, we will build a snowman. The snow will be perfect and it is deep, from our southern viewpoint: six inches. We will make snow angels and have at least one good snowball fight, although, YES, we’re all adults. We’ll have a huge breakfast with meat, and I’ll cook chili for lunch. Of course, we need more hot cocoa mix, so I’ll stir that up, too.

It’ll be a family day off. Why not join us?

Posted in Believe it or not!, Blessings of Habit, Inspiring, Scripture, Who's the mom here?, Wisdom

Supernormal Children

Posted on by Katharine

Children playingMy husband and I have been keeping a couple of sweet kids for a week, while their parents take an anniversary trip.  It has been a most enjoyable and profitable experience.

These children’s parents have made them behave since they were first born. It was not easy, either. The children have normal stubbornness and selfishness enough to test any mom or dad. But Mom and Dad have constantly and consistently met that test with something immoveable: the Word of God.

Therefore, the children know right from wrong. They also practice a strong grasp of mercy and overcoming, so that although the big brother may be right, he also may give in because he loves little sister, and she is much more apt to quietly point out his mistake to him, than to tattle. What an eye opener this has been!

The biggest lesson I have learned is in the area of sowing and reaping. It is the diligence and faithfulness of the parents that has formed these normal kids into such uncommon sweeties. No guessing was good enough for them; they went with the best child-rearing Manual and so far have done their best to understand and follow it. Though at times their decisions have been unpopular with friends or family, they have not backed down.

And we are enjoying a bit of their peaceful harvest.

Posted in Blessings of Habit, Inspiring, Wisdom

The Doldrums

Posted on by Katharine

What Do We Do?

We’re sailing along just fine when we come to the place of great heat and no breeze.

We row and row and it’s just killing us and we cannot find any solution to that sluggish funk. Our get up and go has got up and gone.

Well, we have choices.

We can just wait. Eventually, within the Doldrums, a breeze will come, will shift, will carry us out. It can take a long time, though, and we can lose much productivity that way, can die of thirst and starvation.

We can pray. When God sends a breeze, it is His Holy Spirit. He understands. He fills us but we leak. His supply is never-ending. No prob.

We can find like-minded people who don’t mind standing next to us and shedding some of their sparkle on us. That is the hard one. People don’t stand beside people, anymore. They sit before computers. Computers don’t hug. Don’t sparkle. Don’t pray. So, the computer dependent people don’t either.

I know, I know, Paul sent out handkerchiefs, so you could send me an email.

But I need a handkerchief. I need to hold in my hand something you have held in your hand. I need to feel the warmth of your skin as you embrace me. I need to feel your breath blowing through my hair as you hold me and pray for me. I need you, physically present, if only in a physical letter.

Don’t bludgeon me with bits and bites.

Bless me.

Or we can do all three. We can wait upon the Lord and renew our strength. We can pray for new inspiration. We can call upon our friends, our fellow travelers, to stand by us.

Isn’t that how it is? Isn’t that how it was meant to be?

Posted in Believe it or not!, Photos

RAIN, RAIN, COME AGAIN!

Posted on by Katharine

We Got Rain!

Yes, a few days ago, we got rain! It was only 3/8 inch but it was so wonderful, we sat on our front porch and got wet watching it. Then, only two days later, we received that much, again, putting us at 3/4 inch. Not much, but we were silly with excitement.

Then, of course, I just had to photograph it and see what would show up.

In the camera viewfinder, the drops did not look as if they would show, but here they are:

showers of blessing
Click on photo for zoom to see details.

 

I took MANY shots, but I know although I could look at many more, you might prefer just one. I chose to show how big the drops were and how steam was rising as the water landed on our hot, hot world. Also a view of our parched grass appears here, and dead trees in our neighbor’s pasture. Please ignore the weeds in the patio: it’s been over 100 degrees every day (around 40 C) and the soil has been too hard.

And, yes, even then, while it was raining, the sun was still trying its best to shine through.

I felt a bit silly, like a little girl, taking pictures of rain, but I could not stop myself. I was so happy for it. Since then I have visited with several friends, and guess what: In almost every family I know, someone was photographing this very rain. HA!

Just had to share that fact with you so you could better understand how much we lacked rain and how universally happier everyone is, these days.

Going off to mow a bit, now. 🙂

Posted in Blessings of Habit, Homemaking, Husbands, Inspiring

Weekly Photo Challenge: Lines

Posted on by Katharine

Again!

I only thought I had posted lines for this photo challenge, but after last night’s raging storm, I went out to check for damage, and found the loveliest sight:

rank and file
Rank and File

As we can see, the busy hands have been busy, causing all sorts of lovely things to happen for us. In order, from left to right, these lines show:

beets, cabbage, onion
beets, carrots
radish, tomatoes
corn
corn
tomatoes, green beans
 
You may detect another line in the above photo, a black and orange snake-like thing, slithering through line 3, our drip line. After an inch of rain last night, I doubt we will use it for a long while. We are so thankful, as the tap water just is not the same and costs plenty.
 
The storms brought with them some cool air from the netherly regions–thanks for sharing, y’all! We went from 80 degrees indoors yesterday (and much warmer outdoors) to fifties outdoors, this morning. What a welcome change!
 
And what a welcome sight, to me, all these wonderful plants are! They remind me of children–much work, but worth every drop of sweat!
Posted in Good ol' days, Inspiring, Scripture, Wisdom

Sunday Scriptures – Lines

Posted on by Katharine

In honor of the 400th anniversary of the translation of the Bible into English, commissioned by King James of England in 1611, and originally published by Robert Barker, printer to the King, I will use this version for the rest of this year in these posts. Hope we can enjoy the quaint differences we find here and appreciate all that went into it.

The lines are fallen vnto mee in pleasant places; yea, I haue a goodly heritage.  –Psalms 16:6

The heauens declare the glory of God: and the firmament sheweth his handy works.
Day vnto day vterreth speach, and night vnto night sheweth knowledge.
There is no speach or language, where their voyce is not heard.
Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world: In them hath he set a tabernacle for the Sunne.
Which is as a bridegrome coming out of his chamber, and reioyceth as a strong man to runne a race.
His going forth is from the end of the heauen, and his circuite vnto the ends of it: and there is nothing hidde from the heat thereof.  –Psalm 19:1-6

Whome shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to vnderstand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milke, and drawen from the breasts.
For precept must be vpon precept, precept vpon precept, line vpon line, line vpon line, here a litle, and there a litle.
For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speake to this people.
To whom he said, This is the rest wherwith ye may cause the weary to rest, and this is the refreshing, yet they would not heare.  –Isaiah 28:9-12

Posted in Inspiring, Sayings, Wisdom

Saturday Sayings – Light

Posted on by Katharine

A new day rose upon me. It was as if another sun had risen into the sky; the heavens were indescribably brighter, and the earth fairer; and that day has gone on brightening to the present hour. I have known the other joys of life, I suppose, as much as most men; I have known art and beauty, music and gladness; I have known friendship and love and family ties; but it is certain that till we see God in the world—God in the bright and boundless universe—we never know the highest joy. It is far more than if one were translated to a world a thousand times fairer than this; for that supreme and central Light of Infinite Love and Wisdom, shining over the world and all worlds, alone can show us how noble and beautiful, how fair and glorious they are.

                –Orville Dewey

Light and Love

The night has a thousand eyes,
  And the day but one;
Yet the light of the bright world dies
  With the dying sun.

The mind has a thousand eyes,
  And the heart but one;
Yet the light of a whole life dies
  When love is done.

                –Francis W. Bourdillon

In darkness there is no choice. It is light that enables us to see the difference between things; and it is Christ that gives us light.

                –Julius Charles Hare

Love is something eternal—the aspect may change, but not the essence. There is the same difference in a person before and after he is in love as there is in an unlighted lamp and one that is burning. The lamp was there and it was a good lamp, but now it is shedding light, too, and that is its real function.

                –Vincent Van Gogh

When the Light of Life falls upon the life of men, secret powers begin to unfold, sleeping perceptions begin to awake, and the whole being becomes alive unto God.

                –John Henry Jowett

There is not enough darkness in all the world to put out the light of one small candle.