Poles and power and prompting

A couple of days ago, the work of replacing the utility poles on our road finally reached our house. A harried, orange-shirted man banged on our door and announced that our power would be off for 2 hours, then dashed away to get his crew on the job.

If the power has to be off, that was the perfect day - cool, breezy, sunny. I had nowhere to go, so I watched.

With a thud(!!) the pole landed on the grass.. a perfectly executed maneuver between trees, existing poles and vehicles. I felt like I was watching "Bob the builder" in fast motion - aka undercranking, who knew? (Actually, I haven't ever seen Bob the Builder so I'm doing some assuming here.)

The scene was vivid with green and orange capped in blue and white. I took pictures through our ancient wavy glass in the kitchen.

I have read about artists who carry a sketchbook to capture inspiring scenes. That morning, the bug bit me. I grabbed my book and scribbled... really... I scribbled. It's addictive... it makes me wonder about the fire that has been kindled.

Apparently, utility pole work crews have the same sense of timing that my it's-a-5-minute-job dearly beloved has. Four and a half hours later the power was on again.

What an interesting day.

I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the housetop. Psalm 102:7

Paint and paste to the rescue

I wish now I had a before picture. It would explain why I had to spend 2 days re-decorating a box of the Sam's Club version of saran wrap. It is b-i-g... 3000 ft. of food wrapping handy-ness.

You may ask, why did you have to have this product? My answer is instant. What sold me on this b-i-g, blue and white and wordy box is the slide cutter.

No more fighting the packaging to try to get a piece of clear film that isn't a tangled mess. Now I can use both hands to dispense as much as I need. This chosen length then lays flat along the front of the box (and counter), freeing both hands. With just a push from one hand, I move the slide cutter, pick up the perfectly flat, perfectly cut piece of film, and cover whatever I want!

I love it!

The only problem is the box. It won't fit in a drawer or cupboard, so it has to sit on the counter. But it's just so b-i-g... and blue and white and wordy. Yep, it's just plain ugly.

So, I did what any self-respecting home cook would do. I painted - brilliant streaks of all the colors in my kitchen. I ripped some great photos/recipes out of an ancient Gold Medal Flour cookbook and pasted them over the paint. Today, tucked away on the bookcase window, my ugly box looks OK.




One of life's little struggles that won't bother me for at least another 2997.5 feet.

Life is good... and good-looking!

The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. I Samuel 16:7

Summer storm

A predicted storm rolled in tonight.

Even though we are in the middle of the extended daylight of summer, the house grew dark around 6:00 pm. Thunder began to rumble in the distance about the same time. Wondering if I should shut down the computer, I looked out the west window... grabbed my camera and ran outside.

I'm sure I looked pretty foolish dashing around the yard with my camera pointed heavenward, but the pre-storm sky was incredible. (I am very fortunate that I don't have any neighbors that monitor my behavior.)






After a few hours, the rumbling thunder turned into wild, sideways rain. It's all over now and once again, I'm thankful. Thankful for the clouds... and the ever faithful reminder of a promised meeting in the sky.

Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it. I Thessalonians 5:24

Moments

Things have been quiet... at this location anyway. But, while my beloved blog was neglected, the real time, duty filled hours of life were overflowing.

So, where do I start?

How about with the little "stuff"? Bright moments in hurried days. The unexpected breeze that refreshes the soul.

An altered library file card that just wasn't right, until it stood on its head.


A rainy construction scene that somehow spoke peace.


An author who reached through the decades to remind me that I am not my own.

Praise God for the moments. Be sure to notice yours.

Be still, and know that I am God... Psalm 46:10

A visit with Ike

There has been so much life packed into the last two weeks that... well, I'm amazed. One of the most delightful parts of that "life" was our youngest grandson's 3 day visit to Gramma's house.

I asked ahead of time about his favorite food. From his list of "mac 'n cheese, pizza, broccoli, strawberries, shrimp, and spaghetti" we managed to hit everything but the shrimp and spaghetti.

While I was cleaning up from one of those meals, he walked through the kitchen in lock step with Grampa. Armed with bow and arrows, they were on their way outside for some target practice.

He passed me (standing at the sink), gave me his philosophical look, and said, "The boys have to do what the boys have to do and the girls have to do what the girls have to do." And out the door he went.


During another conversation we were advised, "You git what you git and you don't throw a fit."

The trip back to his family included a stop at the mill to buy flour. He wasn't very impressed with the mill itself, but when I said (thinking pebbles) he could throw stones in the mill pond, he reached for a 20-pound rock so that he could see some real movement in that water.


It has been a long time since little boys lived here. Great fun reliving that time of life for a bit.

The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the gray head. Proverbs 20:29

My crabby day

This week was supposed to be spent in the Midwest, but because life is full of monkey wrenches, tonight we're in Pennsylvania!

This morning we were in Baltimore, MD, listening to the faceless GPS voice direct us through a maze of back streets until we arrived at our destination - Mama's on the Half Shell.

I have NEVER tasted crab like that. And I will be savoring the memory for a long time to come.


What a day!

Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks... Psalm 75:1

More, with details

This post is more a memory assist than anything else. A record of what went into each attempt to expand the library file card experiments.


Textured gesso on painted library file card, 3 "drop cloth" squares, antique photo (boy) glued to file card, twine tie, bubble wrap stamp on card.


Image transfer on painted library file card, hand carved texture stamp along bottom edge, commercial stamps - wavy lines and speckles (card).


Printed, painted cat glued to painted, gessoed library file card, tied with canvas thread and eyelash yarn, wavy commercial stamp on card.


Painted library file card with gesso center, divided image transfer, commercial stamps (words, wavy lines), grosgrain ribbon tie, bubble wrap stamp on card.

Ah, now my mind is clutter free. Wish I could say the same about my worktable!

I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. Psalm 104:33

I wonder...

Life has been busy. Filled with things that are interesting to me, and most likely only me.

For instance, I am intrigued with how many different ways I can alter my library file cards... but another person might say, "More paint? More transfers? How much gel medium can a person use?"



And, I am dying to know how much whole wheat flour I can use in my mostly white flour bread recipe before it becomes a boat anchor. And, I wonder what would happen if I add cheese when I shape the loaves? A non-baker might think, "Go buy the bread!"


And then, there's my ever-present defiant streak that says (or sings)"anything you can do, I can do better!"... so of course, I have to try making my own whole wheat bread bowls for the Minestrone soup bubbling on the stove. Some well rested diner might laugh... as they walk into Panera Bread and order soup in a bread bowl.


Life without a challenge is like faith without works... how do you know what will happen unless you throw yourself out there?

Jesus said, If ye love me, keep my commandments. John 14:15