Will you just look at this?

It is interesting to see what the changing seasons reveal in the yard.

The delicate pink Lily of the Valley turns into red berries.


This fungus appears on an old tree trunk. I'm sure it wouldn't qualify as edible, but it is an interesting combination of color and texture.


This miniature rose is just plain beautiful. It shows off when I least expect a spot of "pretty".


For anyone that lives in an area that only has two seasons - nice and nicer - I suggest to you that you really are missing something wonderful... autumn.

The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. Psalm 145:10

A birthday remembered

I have six brothers. Fortunately, I am older than most of them... survival might not have been possible if I had been around for too many years of their... ummm... wit?

Only one brother was older. The first-born. Named for our father.


I adored him when we were kids. His love of reading kindled curiosity in me, and because of his example, I learned the joy of losing myself in a book.

But life marches on. He went to college, then to Viet Nam. I moved away, married and had a houseful of kids.

Distance settled between us... until the last year of his life. We ended up living in the same town, and when cancer took its toll on his independence, I became his ever present helper. Fifteen years ago today, we gathered around my dining room table and celebrated his final birthday.

I'm thankful for those last months, weeks, days. I regained the brother that I knew as a child. Precious times indeed.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. I John 4:11

That was last week...

Have you ever had one of those weeks where, it's over, but you can't figure out what you did with all 7 of those days? That was not me last week. I got so much done that I'll probably have to take this week off to recover!

The most surprising day was the one that found me in the kitchen. By late afternoon, the counters were lined with 4 big loaves of bread, 2 mini-loaves, 1 dozen dinner rolls, a batch of oatmeal-cranberry bars, and a big pot of homemade tomato soup.


I think I'm OK... no H1N1 or flour addictions. However, if you hear a news alert regarding a mysterious earthquake in the Midwest, don't worry. It's not 2012. I probably just polished off the last piece of bread and waddled off to the kitchen in search of cookies.

Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Psalm 141:3

Raking leaves

On Saturday, I really missed my grandkids.

It was a day for raking... and raking... and then some more raking.

After clearing leaves from the north and east sides of the house, I started on the courtyard that faces south. This little area is home to 2 ancient maples, 40' of privet hedge, and countless scruffy trees. Apparently, all the inhabitants of this little courtyard speak the same language... they interpret the current season as a command and they let their leaves fall.

Was I missing my grandkids because I needed help raking? No.

It's because of this... (Normally, the back of the camera is where I like to be... but there was no way to show the true scope of my leaf pile without sitting down in front of it to give some perspective.)


Do you see my problem with this picture?

There is none of the glee that a huge pile of leaves brings to little bodies. There's no running and jumping and squeals of crunchy delight... no freshly raked leaves flying through the air, messing up the clean green grass.

For a moment it was too quiet.... then I remembered that I still have the other half of the yard to clean up.

Maybe next year. I'll have them bring extra rakes from home.

The earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercy: teach me thy statutes. Psalm 119:64

Fireside beauty

So, I sat on the ground during the bonfire and found a little friend - this oak leaf. She was so beautiful in the light of the bonfire that I took pictures from every angle.

This is one of my favorites.


Oh, to be that photogenic.

Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Proverbs 31:30

Long lost recipe

My 70's-orange plastic recipe box was the perfect size for halting the sag in a wooden closet pole. It was only supposed to be a temporary prop, but after a few weeks it became part of the landscape... a few more months passed and it was a fixture.

Long periods of time can pass before a closet needs a fresh coat of paint, so when I finally attacked those walls a few months ago, I rediscovered my little orange box full of old recipes.

There is one that I have to share. It's quick, super easy, and reminds me of crunchy, oaty, granola bars. Yummy!


Chewy Oat Bars

4 cups oats (quick or old fashioned) uncooked
1 1/2 cups chopped peanuts, walnuts or pecans
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup honey or corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Line a 15"x10" jelly roll pan with foil and grease well. Press oat mixture into the pan and bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or till golden brown. (Mixture will be golden brown and bubbly.) Cool thoroughly and cut into 1 1/2"x2" bars.
Makes approx. 5 dozen bars.

I tell my self they're good for me with all those oats and nuts. Yep, that's what I say. Enjoy.

My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste. Proverbs 24:13

364 days to go...

Last night was the night my "pyro-honey" waits for all year long.... the annual CBC Hayride/Potluck/Bonfire.

His duty? To gather materials and mastermind the shape, height and core of the fire. Fortunately, this all happens out in the country, in an open field where nothing dangerous can happen.

I took pictures. It's impossible to capture the true size of this inferno in a picture, so just understand that we all went home with cricks in our necks (from looking up) and with a renewed appreciation for the faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Unlike any other modern day people, we understand a fire that is seven times hotter than normal. (See Daniel 3)

You can stand 35' from this fire and keep perfectly warm.




Approximate number of pallets consumed? 115


Winding down.


... Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent His angel, and delivered His servants that trusted in Him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. Daniel 3:28

Small town USA

A few weeks ago, we drove through a very small midwest town. It was so small that it is completely forgettable - except for the scene at the center of town. And that was so unique that I can't get it out of my mind.

Questions spring up and remain unanswered. Scenarios form and fade, possiblities (and impossibilities!) nag at the edges of my mind.

So, I'll set the scene for you... and maybe you can figure it out.


Benches - for extra seating? for friends and family?

A manhole cover... don't those usually lead to city sewers?

Restricted parking sign... is this area only for the people who live in the building? Is everyone else unwelcome here?

The blue trash container... why is that there?

Yes, there is one more piece to the puzzle. It's the centerpeice of the scene... the part that makes the picture impossible, unthinkable, unforgettable!

Ok, I won't keep you in suspense. Here it is... downtown, small town, mid-America.


Do you have any answers?

Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. Proverbs 16:19