A Visit to the Doctor's Office.

 A Visit to the Doctor’s Office.

 

Mary Rhoads was kind enough to take me to see Dr. Vietenheimer today. The usual knee x-rays showed nothing different, or at least it was not mentioned. However, Dr. V had a couple of x-rays of my back taken to see if any obvious problems would show him some reason for the muscle spasms. Other than some stenosis (narrowing) of the spine in the area where surgery had already taken place, he could not see anything that would be the cause of the problems. He thought that since the spasms had already lessened, maybe just rest would improve the situation. Here’s hoping. Will have to try to behave myself.

 

Today the heirloom tomatoes and the sweet peppers brought to my house by Roger were put in a bowl for nibbling. Jenn picked up some sour cream the other day that will mix up good with some ranch dressing powder. Fresh veggies are so much better raw and with some kind of dip. Just my opinion.

 

My grandson Rylan just left with a few eggs and such. He showed me videos of Josiah laughing. That little one is growing so quickly! But then, that is what babies do. Isabella is having some dental work done soon, so it makes me think that she is going to need some soups. Rylan picked up some of the beef Ramen noodles to take home with him for her. Anyway, it is neat to be able to open my pantry to the kids when they need a bit of extra stuff.

 

Patty is sending Roxy to the vet’s office tomorrow with her friend Roy. SO glad that Roy will take her and do this for her right now. The old woman is simply not able to handle anything like that right now. But Rylan said that he could come back and handle anything during the daytime that needed to be done for me. Glad to have his help available. This old woman is SO blessed to have friends and family and good neighbors!

 

Thinking about Josiah and the fact that he is already over three months old reminds me that our children started teething about that age. Rylan said he was very fussy this evening and would have had a melt down if he had put him in his car seat! Can remember our kids doing that a few times! We took Lance and Jenn to a pizza place when she was about three months old and had ordered a beer. Rubbed some beer on her gums and she got pretty happy. Sitting here laughing about that. Could have had a little beer hound on our hands if we had kept beer around!!

 

This is November and a special time to be thankful since the only good public holiday is Thanksgiving. It is not all turkey and dressing and pumpkin pies. It is family and friends and praise to God for all the blessings He has given us. Not that we should not be grateful every day, but this month is a special reminder of how we should be grateful! Veterans Day is on the eleventh this month. SO many lost their lives to preserve our freedom. This month is a time to show them appreciation especially. Finally, we should be grateful to the farmers who feed us. It has to be especially difficult right now with the way things have happened in agriculture! Let us ask God to bless our farmers and ranchers.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

The Ones Who Light Up My Life.

 The Ones Who Light Up My Life.

 

The two brightest stars in my life came today and completed an entire list of “honey-do’s.” The coops, now labeled A, B, and C, were straightened up and feed cans placed in convenient locations. Lance unloaded three 50-pound bags of feed to fill the trash bins that hold the feed. Then Jennifer took my truck and made a quick trip to United on Fairway so that she could also fill up the truck for me. Two neat things also happened: breakfast and din-upper were made by my two kids with ideas for later meals mentioned as we decided that Mom needed to stay off her feet for a while to let her back recover from whatever is wrong. It has been so strange to find that just standing up could hurt from my lower back down both hips to my knees. Go figure!

 

Then we talked about how the old woman would get to the doctor’s office this coming Monday. Susan Thonton was not available since she is taking Roger to the doctor about the same time as my appointment. But she would have been happy to have helped otherwise. Finally, called my friend Mary Rhoads, and she was so happy that she could do something to help me. John had already told her about the dogs knocking me down week before last. Not sure exactly that is what caused this mess, but it probably did not help. Anyway, Mary gets up early just like any country girl, so she will be here bright and early to take me to see Dr. Vietenheimer. We will see what he says.

 

On Thursday, Julian E. came and took down the pagoda that Hanan built some years ago. If we had known that the posts were all set in cement, we would not have been concerned that it might fall over and hit the house. Poor Julian is not any taller than the old woman, but a few years younger and very much stronger. Even so, it was a hard day’s work for him to use a big drill to break up the concrete and then remove those posts. Then he made the front flower bed look so nice and neat. It may not have any flowers this next year, but at least the Bermuda grass has not taken over. He also hauled off the tree branches that the wind took out of the top of the Western Soapberry tree. That thing is SO brittle. It is a blessing that it is not any closer to the house or to the carport.

 

The trash can is pretty full after Lance threw in some branches that he cut off the stupid Bradford pear tree that were going to hit the house. Then he kicked up a couple of stumps from the dead apricot trees and threw those two chunks in the bin. May have to get AJ to haul the thing across the road for me on Monday evening!

 

Julian dug up a small pecan tree that a squirrel planted in the flower bed next to the front porch. It is sitting in a pitcher of water, but it probably won’t get planted since digging holes is not happening for me right now. Oh well.

 

Lance hung the bird house that Sterling made for me, but this time he put it in the pear tree so that the wind would not unscrew the fastener that holds it in place. The only thing that had been thought of and then forgotten was the job of trying to straighten out the new water hose purchased from Amazon. It has more wrinkles in it than my face! Should have bought a more expensive hose that would be easier to handle. Sigh.

 

My reading has not included any deep thinking lately. God knows that sometimes we connect in smaller ways that just have to be reminders that we know He is there and that we trust in Him. Have been thinking about Tami Yonts lately and hoping that she and Mike have more time together. Know how it feels to realize that nothing mankind can do will ever make a true difference and that we have only one true love in our lives. When Lewis came to the last few weeks of our lives together, we could only hold hands and know that the love would never cease. We know that someday we will be together again in God’s kingdom. No matter when we go out of this world, we are assured that we have another place to go that is filled with His love. Praise God!

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

More Grass--and Several Weeds!

 More Grass—and Several Weeds!

 

Every other Thursday, the men come to weed eat and mow this place. Today the guy who does the weed eating listened carefully to what and where my attention was on the front yard. Not letting him hack down my poppies and some bluebonnets worked out fairly well. The guy on the big zero-turn managed to mow around the bachelor buttons out in the east lots. So, all that was really left to do was the sitting down or squatting down on my knees and working the front flower bed. Most of the stuff is done, but those weed roots go all the way to Timbuctoo and back. Got many pulled out or broken off, but still need to do much more. Sat there in the dirt and thought about the times when this job was a real pleasure. In a few days it may seem like a better job, but for now, the old woman is sore and gripey. The weed puller upper did not work well when applied between plants. The poppies or bachelor buttons would have come out just as quickly as those weeds. Oh well. Maybe tomorrow will see some more work done out there.

 

Visited for a few minutes with Shona. Her children have a few days off from school, but she says that they want something to eat every fifteen minutes. That sounds familiar. Quick and easy snacks are not the easiest things to have around unless one buys a bushel of apples and has those and a big jar of peanut butter! SO glad my children are grown and theirs are as well. Keeping the dogs and these hens happy is about all the old woman can handle. Let eight of the hens slip out the gate and scratch around out front. They were not too difficult to get back in the yard. If a bench or chair were out there, might just sit and watch them or read and watch them. Knowing how to be lazy is something of an art, don’t you see!

 

Shona was telling me about some of the things happening in her family while my head was nodding up and down. We agree that some of the stuff today is right out of a soap opera. Almost every family has some drama working out right in front of them. It can’t be easy for children in these situations. Maybe that is one reason that not having any great-grands does not bother me in the least. Let us get on with living and trying to be kind to others without any extra crazy situations coming up. Children being taken by CPS, parents going to jail, grandparents needed for rearing their grands or great-grands are all part of the equation. Recently, learned that one of my grand nieces had decided to cheat on her husband. How can that woman possibly be proud of herself? Fidelity must not be in the vocabulary of some people. Can shake our heads, but the lack of trust that such relationships cause is one of the biggest indicators of why our nation is failing to be what it was when folks gave their word and kept it. May God forgive us.

 

It must be fatigue, but thinking this evening does not seem to produce anything of real value. My mind is concerned with children who are left in limbo between parents and those who will take them to foster just for the money. Some people have more empathy for lost dogs than they have for their own children. And just like adopting strays, we realize we can’t take them all into our homes and love that many at a time. But let us at least pray for the little ones who are left without the assurance of a loving home life or even someone that they can call family. May God bless them today and always.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Grass Grows, and Grows, and Grows!

 Grass Grows, and Grows, and Grows!

 

Tomorrow the guys are coming to denude this ol’ hill of some of the grass, weeds, and burrs that have about taken over. If they give me a chance to explain which parts don’t need to be mowed, then maybe some of the bachelor buttons will stand a chance. However, worse things can happen than to have a few cut down. The family across the street just got their grass cut back to the dirt, but that is not the best fit for my place. If the hens had their way, they would be outside the gate trimming everything up for me! If it were not so difficult to herd them, might just get my little blue stick out and let them trim up the front yard!

 

We got enough rain to soak the ground good last time, but the wind immediately whipped every drop twice before taking it elsewhere. Such is life on this ol’ hill. Wind, high grasses, and more wind. At least we can keep it cut back enough that it is not going to be a fire hazard. Still, need to get my backend in gear and pull out some of the weeds in my front flower bed. Have just had the aches so much lately that it was hardly worth trying to do anything that stretched another muscle. But Lance is coming this weekend, so maybe we can get some of the other stuff done to the coops that has been bothering me. It’s always something. Granddad Pollard said it was a good thing he was a millwright because he could never make a living as a farmer—it would have taken two men to get all the work done on that farm! Feels like that around here sometimes.

 

Was sitting in the living room reading some more on the lessons of Daniel. This man, Lehman Straus, said that on one section of the prophecies, if there was a possibility for two different interpretations, he could list six for each side in the index of references. He believed one way in 1948, the opposite way in 1958, and in 1968 he just could not decide one way or the other. It made me laugh. When we get right down to it, Paul said that what was important was that we believed that Jesus Christ was the son of God and that He was the way to salvation. Everything else is pretty unimportant. No matter what we learn and consider important “knowledge,” nothing is as important as believing what Christ has said. He is the Way. Mankind is going to do their thing and make up scenarios to fit their own purposes. If we keep in mind that reading the Bible is the way to learn what we need most, then we won’t be taken too far off course. Let’s just pray for Godly wisdom.

 

My friend M.M. is terribly depressed right now. Sometimes this happens to all of us to some degree or another. They have not yet developed a little pill to “fix” the depression or soothe the stupid worries that we have. But still, we can text, talk, or simply pray for those whose balance is a bit off because we all know that sooner or later it will be one of us that wobbles in weaknesses from mental and emotional strain. Let us do that tonight. Besides those whose health is precarious, let us pray for those whose mental and emotional balance needs God’s steady hand.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Passover and Easter.

 Passover and Easter.

 

At the risk of ticking off a few folks and of educating a few one way or the other, tonight let’s talk about God’s Holy Days. My brother assures me that no one in my immediate group of friends is even vaguely Jewish, but God established times regardless of our persuasions. The word Easter comes from various spellings: one theory is that it is from an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility—Eostre or Eostrae. Another: Ishtar is an ancient Mesopotamian goddess of war and sexual love¹². She is also associated with beauty, sex, divine law, and political power². She is the Akkadian counterpart of the West Semitic goddess Astarte¹. She was known by different names and symbols in different cultures, such as Inanna by the Sumerians and 𒌋𒁯 by the Assyrians². All kinds of stories have been associated with Ishtar, including the incestuous relationship she had with her brother. He was supposedly killed, and the child she had by him was declared his reincarnation or resurrection. He supposedly came down from heaven in an egg. Oh boy! Do we see where an egg might have been handy? Anyway, the word Easter always makes me think of Ishtar rather than Christ.

 

Now, let’s look at the timing. Easter was supposed to be the beginning of the reawakening of the earth because the goddess came back from the underworld to bring spring. In God’s way of doing things, the months are reliant upon the moon and its cycle.

Passover, also known as Pesach in Hebrew, is a significant Jewish holiday that commemorates the Israelites’ departure from ancient Egypt. The date of Passover varies each year because it is determined by the lunar-based Hebrew calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar. For those of us who see it as important, Passover begins this year on Monday, April 22. And no, you won’t be finding any candy eggs out in my yard. If you happen to see any bunny rabbits, you can bet my dogs are barking at them and would do their best to make them into itsy bits of fur. Baby chicks, on the other hand, will remain in the coop to become egg layers, not symbols.

 

In America, we are considered, for the most part, Gentiles as opposed to Jewish. However, one scripture is for those of us who consider ourselves to be Christian: If ye be Christ’s, then ye are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Gal. 3:29

Sons Through Faith in Christ
…28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.

Romans 4:13
For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world was not given through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.

 

Maybe it is just the way that my parents taught me, although they knew little to nothing about the days that God declared as holy, but if this old woman’s mind finds that something does not match what God’s word indicates, then it becomes anathema to me. Satan uses so many forms of so-called righteousness or godliness that are false. When the Anti-Christ comes to be seen, his coming will be proclaimed because it will be considered the coming of peace.

Jeremiah 6:14

“They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.”

 

Look around you at the political posturing and the declarations of empathy with those suffering. Have any of those been healed by the words of men?

 

For those of you who are offended by my words, may you know that offense has not been intended. But it is not possible for me to wish you a happiness under a false guise. May God bless you with understanding and with His care for your faith.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

 That Strange Soup!

 

Ok, the 15-bean soup turned out pretty decent. The recipe called for sausage to be cut up and included along with onion stirred up with a clove of garlic in a frying pan, grease drained off, and then dumped into the pot to simmer a bit. Did not want to go outside in the wind and uproot a piece of garlic, so just used garlic powder, but otherwise pretty well went with the recipe—except, my sausage was turkey and had no grease in it. Turkey sausage is easy on my stomach, so there’s that. Otherwise, the soup is a teeny bit spicey. Still, not bad for a terribly windy, coolish day.

 

Took Rudy into the vet achingly early this morning. May not have bothered him to get out that early, but my body did not appreciate the wind or the temperature. Anyway, we got a good report on his blood sugar, and he is getting around almost as good as he has ever done. He did have a series of ooops around Patty’s house last night, but the old woman did not even offer to help clean up the messes. Guess that was not very considerate of me, but my dogs wake me up when they need to go out unless they are ill. Which he may have been. Anyway, she got the messes cleaned up and disposed of them in the bin. Not any worse than changing some diapers except for the location.

 

Talked to Sterling and listened to his and Jacqui’s latest problem. Seems one of the family has two German Shepards that are not restrained, fenced, or otherwise kept at home. Those two dogs scared the hey out of Jacqui by killing a cat in her yard. She was afraid to open the door and go out there to try to stop them since her dog thinks it is a Great Dane—about as big as Roxie or less. This is not the first time the dogs have tried to attack Sterling’s dog, so you can almost bet it will be the last time. He hates getting into messes with the family, but those dogs could just as well have knocked Jacqui over if she had gone outside—nevermind their little dog. Folks need to take care of their critters like family—love them and care for them and consider others when they are around. My dogs LIVE here, so no apologies are made for dog hair, but they are kept in the other room if someone like Shona comes over and is afraid of them. They would not hurt her as long as she is not screaming or otherwise making crazy gestures. Have warned her grandson not to act like he is trying to hit anyone because that is their signal to take care of things. Have also told the littlest one not to put her fingers in the fence. Just don’t want the kids hurt or my dogs in trouble.

 

Can’t totally avoid the news out of Israel right now. Moving over a million people here in the U.S. during a hurricane or floods is an absolute nightmare, but when folks are shooting at others at the same time, the scenario is simply unimaginable. If the country of Jordan would allow the Palestinians to cross over into their territory, it would be a simple matter of bulldozing the hiding places and replacing homes, hospitals, or other structures and then allowing the population to return as they are cleared as non-Hamas supporters. Even Egypt could open their border to Gaza for the same purpose. God will allow Israel to continue to do what they are doing no matter how many lives are lost. All we can do is pray that the innocent can be spared. A time is coming when Israel will be overtaken by the Anti-Christ much the same as when Antiochus exercised his hatred for the Jews—allowed by God “by reason of transgression.” Lehman Straus puts it this way: “because of the national transgression of Israel. The remnant returned to the land, but they did not turn back to God, a fact not to be denied as to Israel’s past and also as to her present status in the land today.” Our job is to trust God’s way of handling things and ask Him to forgive His people—including the Gentiles of America. My understanding is far from perfect, but just as Daniel trusted in God to fulfill the prophecies he was shown, those words still have meaning to us today! Let us return to God in all our ways!

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

South Wind!

 South Wind!

 

Have been a bit concerned that the hens might have to lay every egg twice today since this wind is so strong. It has ripped bunches of leaves off the Bradford pear tree and piled them up near my front porch step. It’s not that the pear tree is good for much, but still. Some shade in Texas is to be valued. Just wish it had been a better tree or something useful. Still, the woman who planted it there was not using her head since it is so close to the water meter and front faucet. Sigh. Lewis used to groan every time the notion took me to plant something. He always had to point out that HE was the one who mowed that back yard. If he were around today to see the land that has accumulated to this old place, he might yell just a bit louder. Fenced in the west 40 and two lots on the east side to add to the original place. Now have slightly more than a half acre. The dogs and hens love having all that space to roam. Mowing isn’t too bad, but the old woman has not done any mowing in quite some time. Still have the zero-turn mower, so it’s not like it can’t get done after the lawn service is no longer available like it is currently. Also, have a battery-operated mower and battery-powered weed eater. They are not as effective as the big mowers and weed eaters, but they get the job done without making my back and shoulders hurt. They are just like me—slower.

 

Have to be down the hill to pick Rudy up early tomorrow morning. Will try to have him back home as soon as we see the vet and get the rest of his insulin needles and a Sharps container for disposing of the used needles. He gets such a tiny dose of insulin that it feels almost useless to give him a shot. If Patty can restrict her diet and the dogs’ diet, he may eventually not need any insulin at all. She said she really had not considered how much she was giving them when she ate whatever treat she had. It makes me wonder at what this old woman should be noticing about her own dogs.

 

Need to get in the kitchen and slice up some roast beef that is already cooked and ready to put in Ziplocks for meals. Made a sandwich out of some of it for din-upper. Not bad at all with some good sliced cheese. But have some bean soup mix on soaking for tomorrow. Have always wondered if that stuff was any good, so tomorrow it will be cooked and we will see. The bag contains a seasoning mix and the destructions for how it should be put together with onion, smoked sausage, and garlic. It really sounds good. [And yes, “destructions” is the right word.]

 

Reading more of Lehman Straus’ study of the book of Daniel this morning. It amazes me that many of the stories of that time were all jumbled up into one time period in my mind. Daniel lived to be a ripe old age, Dear Hearts. And he never failed to be obedient to God or to misrepresent what he knew to be right. Oh! How wonderful it would be to have been the kind of man he was! Or person. Three times a day he knelt to praise God and express his gratitude for the many blessings given to him. From a disrespected captive to a man second only to the king, he stood in God’s grace and lived his life as an example of what God expects of us—of all men! The kings and rulers may not have been converted to belief or to lead their lives differently than what was the custom of their days, but they could certainly see by Daniel’s example that God was good to those who were obedient. May we lead our lives as closely as possible to Daniel’s example. Praise God for His grace to us!

 

Again, please remember Raye Louise and little Zeke Ambrosious in their health emergencies. My nephew Danny Pollard is a grown man, but God can reboot his kidneys while he fights this blood cancer. And one woman known to me needs our prayers. Her oldest child is a lot like my youngest son. This young man needs psychiatric help, and there is none of any degree of usefulness in this area. If you doubt that, just ask me how that statement comes to be! Please ask for God’s protection on this family and for healing of this young man’s spirit. Satan works every day in every way and place to ruin lives and disturb God’s people. We need God’s protection and help!

 

Be aware that Satan has stirred up a hornet’s nest both in Russia and in Israel. Let us pray for Israel and those in the line of fire from Satan’s minions throughout this world.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.