End of Summer Bounty

So...... friends and family are tired of seeing the poor, forlorn bat when they check to see if I've updated my blog. I decided it was time to replace him with a lovely photo of veggies.... the last of my Dad's bountiful garden. 

It's been a busy summer, with little time for blog posts. While I love the summer days, they are filled from start to finish with work. Thank the Lord, I enjoy the work! But the days come and go so quickly.

In any case, fall is officially here with shorter days and cooler temps. Maybe more time for blogging... we'll see.

After Sunrise...

Oops!! Looks like this little guy didn't quite get back into the barn before the sun came out. And he was so close.....

Bath Time

I finally decided it was time for a real good bath for Samson.

I've tried, quite unsuccessfully, to wash him in the bathtub, and have been meaning, instead, to take him to the local groomer.  Of course, it's never convenient to get him there and I'd rather not spend the money...  so a recent 80+ degree day provided the perfect opportunity. I ran up to the discount store and bought a kiddie pool and some doggie shampoo.

Here is the sweet, unsuspecting victim...

And here is the scene of the crime...(of course, I couldn't get a picture as I was holding his leash and washing him at the same time!) 

Wouldn't you know it... as soon as he was perfectly clean, he had a nice, good roll around the yard -- rubbing his shiny clean coat all over the grass.  Sheesh!!

Once we were finished, he decided he'd keep his distance for awhile.  Bet he won't be so unsuspecting the next time!! 

P... U ....

Caught something in the Havahart cage.

Uh - oh!

Are you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'??

Just Dandy!

The last couple of weeks have held a fair share of difficulties.
...a computer virus, which disabled my PC for a few days.
...storms and rain, much more than usual for the spring months.
...a significant challenge (and accompanying motherly anxiety) for my son's fledgling business.
...and a mower repair service in no hurry to return my riding mower.

No big deal, really. Just your standard everyday challenges. But, that explains the gap (again!) in my blog. Ugh.

The lack of a riding mower, and an abundance of rain, have created the biggest challenge. It means mowing two acres with a small push mower. In 2-3 hour evening segments, it takes me all week (11 hrs last week)... just in time to start over again! And I'm no spring chicken anymore!!

I will say, though, that my brain works overtime when I mow. I think. And I pray. And I think some more. This week, as I mowed, I had plenty of opportunities to think. LOTS of time to think. And my mind went to dandelions...

There they were, aaalllll over the yard... creeping taller and taller and poking out their silly yellow heads. I couldn't wait to get them mowed down! And then I remembered something...

My mom thinks they're lovely. :-)

Dreaded weeds I can't wait to get rid of, and my mom sees them as little splashes of God's lovely color on the earth. She doesn't see a difference between dandelions and any other flower you plant and tend and cultivate. As a matter of fact, the fact that they spring up on their own and don't need to be planted makes them that much more a delight to her. LOL!!

My mom.

She sees beyond the natural to the supernatural. Beyond the troubles to the truth. The truth is that dandelions are sometimes more colorful than any flower in the garden. A burst of sunshine in an otherwise plain 'ole green field.

Mom made the comment to me recently that she even finds those dandelion puff balls fascinating. The little seeds are carried off on the wind to settle and grow somewhere else. Once more, God's unique creation. And my mom's always-rosy perspective.


Maybe I should draw on that perspective in times of challenge. Maybe not having the computer gives me more time to connect with friends. Maybe push-mowing the lawn provides good exercise. Maybe life challenges give me more opportunities to trust God.

Maybe a dandelion isn't a weed at all.

What a Difference a Day Makes

Lots of storms have come through My Canaan over the years.... snow storms, rain storms, wind storms.... but nothing like tonight. Without warning. First, heavy rain. Then pounding hail. Finally wind like I've never seen or heard before. Sounded like the house was going to come down.

My neighbor said it was a tornado.

Praise the Lord for watching over us. Once again.

Home is safe. And God is good. 

Picture Perfect Day

(click to enlarge)

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this one tells it all on this "picture perfect" Sunday.

• A sunny, 80 degree day -- after weeks of rain

• Freshly mown grass

• Jeep in the drive, having just picked up flowers from the greenhouse

• Watering jug from patching grass seed

• Radio tuned to the Tribe game (a three-game sweep!)

• Cage & shovel from..... you guessed it!

• A chance for dinner at my favorite place -- my picnic table

• A good book at the dinner table (The Pioneer Woman, my favorite online blogger)

• And, of course, my Samson

Rainy Days

With great optimism, I pulled the picnic table out of storage early this year 

...and then the rains came!
 



So far in 2011, NE Ohio has had the rainiest spring in more than 50 years.  I haven't been able to mow since Mothers Day, and the place looks like a jungle!!

It's also made me aware of ALL of the repairs that need to be made. 

 The downspout on the barn somehow disappeared. 

The full length of gutter on the front of the barn came down in an ice storm this winter and is waiting in the field to be re-hung. 

The gutter on my garage has a gap in it and the water is making a nice little rut in the grass below. 

Yet, Samson has taken it all in stride.  He doesn't seem to mind that a small lake has developed in the back field.  :-) 

And it doesn't look like the poor farmers will be able to plant anytime soon.   

But! I did notice something remarkable as we walked the back field last night...  glimmers of sunshine! 

Ever so slight, and yet even the smallest rays are a welcome sight these days!!

Where Hidden Treasures are Found

This past Saturday I attended a seminar titled “Where Hidden Treasures are Found.”

Where do you think hidden treasures can be found? Your home? Possessions? A bank account? A casino? The premise of this seminar was that hidden treasures are found in the lives of the oldest folks in our communities. They each have a lifetime of experience and wisdom to share with someone who will listen.

Presented by God Cares Ministry, the training focused on serving people in long term care facilities (aka nursing homes). Did you know that 2,000 people will spend their last day on earth today in a care facility? All four of my grandparents were living in a care facility when they died.

Truth be told, this only became a heart issue for me as I watched my grandfather spend his last days in a long term care facility. After he passed away in February, I felt I had failed him. In the years he was in the nursing home, I only visited a handful of times. It was just too painful for me to see him there. And, with every visit, I felt so very inadequate to know how to relate to him.

What I learned is that those who have been left to live their last days in a care home have one primary need: Friendship. How simple is that? All I need to do is be a friend. Maybe what I really need to learn is how to be a better friend.... to listen.... and simply to care.

Sadly, I can no longer reach out to my grandpa. But I can be a friend to someone who needs one at a care facility right here in my neighborhood.

By God's grace.

Be Careful What You Ask For

I adopted Samson two months ago with the hope that he would make the place feel secure and, also, be a deterrent to the critters who have done so much damage around the property.

I couldn’t have imagined my answer would come so quickly and dramatically.
CAUTION – graphic scenes






I had grabbed my camera thinking it might be funny once the groundhog realized the dog was there. I never considered he was headed FOR the dog, nor do I understand why. Samson was on a chain, hadn’t barked or provoked the groundhog. What would have possessed this animal to do this? In the end, Samson did what he was created to do; he defended himself and the property.

Unbelievably, less than a week later, I heard Samson barking and found him, once again, in a battle with a groundhog. This time, though, the animal put up a furious fight and I ended up having to pull Samson away. He was covered in blood, and I wasn’t sure how badly he was injured. Gratefully, the blood wasn’t his and there wasn’t a scratch on him. What a dog.
I’m so grateful that this wonderful dog is now making my home secure and defending the property. Just what I asked for! Yet, I’m not sure I was quite ready for this....

Making Friends

Six years ago Tobe joined our household. It was August, when my son was home from college, and we went together to pick out a cat from the pound. We took a long time trying to find just the right cat, and we sure did! He's been a real blessing to us over the years, curling up on the bed and in our laps and purring his happy purr. I enjoy having him follow me around the yard as I do my chores. He always brings a smile to my face. Amazingly, he even comes running when we whistle!

So, my heart sank when the new dog caused Tobe to hide out in the basement. The first month or so, I hardly saw him. I even had to move his food dish to the basement to be sure he'd eat. When he did come up, he made it clear he wasn't happy with the new arrangement. Poor guy! It's been his house all these years, and now he'd been invaded by a sloppy, noisy dog! I thought for sure the dark, dirty basement would become his new home.

Well, it took nearly six weeks, but Tobe's back. :-) Ever so slowly, these two are getting used to one another. It's actually been quite comical to watch the two of them jockey for position in the house.

Tobe sneaks a drink from Samson's bowl

the two of them maneuver a window view

and -- the funniest yet -- Samson trying to fit on Tobe's stool!

I have a bit of encouragement, though. It came in the form of a photo forwarded by a co-worker. Her daughter's cat and dog, Hugger and Blitz, are now, to me, the poster children for canine/feline friendship. Could my Tobe and Samson look like this one day???

Confession: I'm a Dog Lover!

In the last few weeks, I’ve become a dog lover. I never imagined I would be one of those “dog people,” gushing over a common canine. And yet, here I am arranging and rearranging my life around a dog!

For years I've teased family and friends who have dogs and reorder their lives like they're children. It's so much easier being a cat owner. I can leave for the weekend and the cat is fine with a litter box and a few days of food. A dog is a different story.

Well, in early March at my dentist's office, I happened to mention to the dental assistant, Melinda, that I was considering a dog. Melinda’s office wall is covered with dog photos and she herself owns five. I shared with her that I thought the time might be right for me to look for a dog.

Truth be told, I've been thinking about a dog since I moved in to this old farmhouse. I really want the security of a dog on the property and had hoped a dog might be a deterrent to my ever-present critter problem. Yet, my life was too busy to make the commitment to a dog.

Well, by the end of the day of my dentist appointment, Melinda had emailed a photo of "Spencer," a Rottweiler mix available for adoption from a local rescue organization. She just knew he would be perfect for me.


I’m still not sure what motivated me to drive 40 minutes to take a look at him that snowy Saturday in March. The rescue organization was having an adoption event at a pet store on the east side. And there he was. He looked at me with wary eyes, and lowered his head each time I tried to pet him.


He wasn’t overly friendly, but pleasant and well behaved. Something about this sweet pup caused me to say yes to Canine Lifeline's two-week trial. At least I knew there was an out!

Well…. no “out” was needed. He stole my heart after the first night. He cuddled up on a pet pillow at the foot of my bed and never made a peep.

“Spencer” now answers to “Samson.” It’s a strong name, reminiscent of the strong man in scripture. And the shy, timid fella that arrived seven weeks ago has become happy and confident. I think he finally feels secure, and having him here makes me feel secure too.

I’m still amazed that the very first dog I looked at has fit so perfectly into my world. But he has. And now I must confess...

I’m a dog lover ;-)

...because of Samson.

Hibernation's Over

Getting back in the blog mode after several months isn't easy. I don't know that there's any explanation for the absence... maybe just the doldrums that come with winter. This year, more than any in recent memory, dread came over me like a dark cloud as the oncoming cold weather approached. Just wanted to bury my head under the covers until spring.

So, now spring's here and the hibernation is over!

Seems the logical approach would be to blog in winter, when there is less to do outside and more time for the computer. I guess I'm a bit backwards these days. I'm just now getting back to blogging when it's time to plant, sow, weed, mow... ;-)

In any case, the spring rains have come and deluged our NE Ohio neighborhoods. The upside is that the grass is greener than I can ever remember. Oh, how I love the colors of spring. The small buds on the maple trees are a soft, pale green. My pear tree bloomed this morning with bright white blossoms, and the side yard bursts with the yellow of a fully-bloomed forsythia. Ahhhh... spring!