Uh - oh!
Are you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'??
Friday, June 24, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
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.
...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.
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.
Monday, May 23, 2011
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.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
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
Friday, May 20, 2011
Rainy Days
With great optimism, I pulled the picnic table out of storage early this year
...and then the rains came!
...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!!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
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.
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.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
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....
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....
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