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We are in a short series of Revival meetings at our little country church.  Over the years, with children and ladies and homeschool and all the many things that occupied our time, We would often hire someone to come in and watch the ladies so I could go to church and enjoy the meeting without distractions.  But Cecilia and Nettie go to church with us on Sunday mornings, and I decided against trying to find someone for this week. 

Yesterday afternoon, after lunch was pretty much cleared away, I went in to Nettie’s room and said, “Nettie, we have church tonight.”

She looked up in her usual Sunday afternoon sleepiness and said, “Do I hafta’ go?”

“Yes, I think you will.  I don’t have anyone to watch you and Cecilia, so I thought you could just go along.”

She looked a little displeased, but said, “What time do I hafta’ be ready?”

“Six-thirty,” I told her.  “We’ll probably try to get out of here around then.”

She snuffled around a bit, but didn’t fuss too much.  She has been very comfortable with the women of our church, and she had not been to Sunday School yesterday morning because Middle Daughter had worked the night before, got in very late in the morning and opted to stay home with Nettie and Cecilia.  I suspected that she really wasn’t too upset.

We had a good service last evening, and even though we were done by around eight o’clock, people hung around and talked.  I wanted to get my ladies home because Nettie likes to be in bed by nine o’clock.  But the fellowship was sweet, and before we knew what was happening, once again, it was almost 9:30 and it was Gary, Robert and Loretta and Certain Man and me — and our two ladies, sitting in their chairs at the back of the sanctuary.  Robert and Gary locked up and turned out the lights, Certain Man went and got the van, and I got Cecilia’s shoes on her and gathered up the various belongings and headed out.  Certain Man helped Cecilia down over the troublesome front foyer steps and out into the car, and I made sure that Nettie didn’t need help with her seat belt.

“I tell you what,” said Our Girl Nettie as we pulled out of the parking lot,  “Cecilia and I are nuffin’ but a pain in nuh neck!”

“Don’t say that, Nettie,” I said good naturedly.  “You are NOT a pain in the neck!”

“I ‘fink we are — ” she ventured.

“Nope,” says Certain Man, who teases Nettie whenever he gets a good chance (to her great delight — she loves him to death) “You guys aren’t a pain in the neck, you’re a pain in the BUTT!!!”

That made her laugh, but I got to thinking about who was really inconveniencing whom, and I said, “You know, Nettie, Daniel and I are the real pains in the neck.  You guys wait and wait and are so patient and we stay around and stay around church and never go home ’till the last cat dies, and you never complain–“

“I doan wan’ you never to mention ‘at to me again!” I heard a very firm voice in the back seat say.  It had a tenor I have seldom heard.  I was very confused.

“What are you saying, Nettie?” I asked.  Was she really being so protective of Certain Man’s and my right to stay at church as long as we wanted?

“I doan wan’ you never to mention ‘at to me again!”  Firmer voice.  No edge of laughter.   

H-m-m-m-m-m-m.  I looked over in the darkness at Certain Man.  He was clearly as puzzled as I was.

“Mention WHAT???”

“THE CAT!” 

Oh.

 

“I got you covered, Nettie-Girl!”

(If you don’t understand this post, see my September 22, 2010 posting)

 

First things first:

Our baby is 20 years old today!

Happy Birthday, Rachel!  

 

We are making special efforts to be sure
that this little girlie doesn’t forget her “Auntie Rach”.
(So far she gets it right every time!)

We miss, miss, MISS you!
We are counting the days!

 

This splash of color gives me a sudden burst of joy every time I see it.

Certain Man and Middle Daughter both bought mums for me in the last week.
I have never had much luck in keeping them over the winter.
You know what?
I’m going to try again!

Shady Acres had its first hard frost last night.  I looked out at the expanse of yard and saw the markings of white that circled around.  In the area that is from the house to about a hundred feet out, (a point where the “concentration of vegetation” lessens) there appeared to be no frost.  I wonder if my flowers might have made it through.  Certain Man is quite sure that the lima beans did not.  I am sorry on one hand.  But on the other, over 75 quarts of frozen lima beans from my little patch is nothing to complain about.  They surely did not owe me anything.  I did think when I picked them this week and got over two bushels that it might be my last picking, so I picked them “tight” — taking some that I would have left if I was certain to have another chance at them. 

Remember this picture?

Certain Man is antsy when his yard looks like this. 
So he got busy the very first night and worked and worked on it.
Then Chainsaw Gary came down and worked almost every day–
cutting up the usable branches into logs for his outside furnace,
and stacking the brush on a pile.
He has hauled a nice amount of firewood up to his house.
Yesterday, he came up and loaded the brush on his dump trailer
and hauled it out to the old burn pile.
(Yep, Certain Man is starting a new burn pile!)

Today, this is what it looks like in the side yard:

All cleaned up and ready for the winter. 
One of these days, we will get the deck railing on and it will all look a whole lot better.

It’s a gorgeous day in Southern Delaware. 
I am having trouble concentrating on house things that need doing.
Now that this is done, I really have no legit diversion.
Oh, boy!!!
I guess that means:
“Kitchen, kitchen, here I come!”

 

 

Five years ago, Old Gertrude went home to Heaven.

Today I mourn the loss of a good friend.

Her Love was the purest form.

Her forgiveness was up to date.

Her loyalty — uncompromising.

And I don’t wish her back.

Never!

But sometimes, the smell of Scrapple frying–

The first fire in the pellet stove in Autumn-

The sight of her Santa Claus that still sings “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town”–

Hearing and seeing jingle bells tied to velvet red bows —

And setting up the Christmas tree-

These things remind me of a severely handicapped old lady

Whose presence in our home

Changed us all

And made us better people.

 

I have had such a happy day today!

My two sisters asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday. 

I seldom get to spend time with my sisters.  We are best friends, but we go to different churches, and we all three have very diverse lives.  Each one of us dearly loves the church family we belong to, and have good friends there.  But we often do neglect getting together like we should because we each have lots of things to attend to with our families and our church responsibilities.

And so, when they asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday, I said,
“All I really want for my birthday is a day to be with my sisters and do something fun!”

And so, they made plans to go down to Salisbury,
visit the famous Country House,
eat lunch together somewhere,
and TALK. 
Today we did just that.

I feel so incredibly cherished and relaxed and happy!
We had a wonderful day together.

And look what I got for my birthday!

Certain Man will hang it up for me and when I look at it, I will remember this happy day and be so very grateful to my precious sisters for the gift of this golden day!

Sarah and Alma, THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU!!!

 

 

Over the last several days, Certain Man has been broaching (again) the subject about cutting down the two trees that are at the corners of our deck(s).  Many years ago, (like maybe 18) he had planted two Thornless Honey Locust trees.  They were quick growing, and he was pretty sure they would be perfect for what he needed them for — quick shade for the front side of the house.

I was hesitant at first.  Honey Locusts are a dirty tree, and they usually have those big old thorns.  The thorns of a honey locust can actually puncture a tire.  I just didn’t think we wanted that.  But Certain Man convinced me that these had no thorns (Duh!) and that given the rate they were supposed to grow, he really had a good plan.  And so he planted them and they grew, and grew, and grew.

They were wonderful trees for the many birds who visited the feeders, and the squirrels loved them, too, but in the summer, almost before August came around, they started sending down tiny leaves that covered the deck, got into the rain gutters and in general, complicated Certain Man’s life.  He planted a beautiful little Maple between them, and looked in dismay as they crowded out the sunlight, and the maple, though healthy, was almost imperceptible in its growth from year to year.

“I think I’m gonna’ cut down those two Honey Locusts” he said to me one day, several years ago.  “They are just dirty trees, and that Maple won’t grow as long as they are crowding out the sun.”

“Oh, Sweetheart,” I pleaded.  “Please don’t do that!  They are so nice for bird feeders and for shade in the summer time.  I know they are dirty, but they have grown so big, and I really do like them alot!  Those trees weren’t cheap, and you’ve invested so much in them.” 

He would ponder and look out at them with dismay.  “I know,” he would say patiently, “but look at how they are losing so many branches.  Every year it seems like another part of the tree is just dying off.  I think it is time for them to come down!”  But then he would kinda’ forget about it again until the next year when his rain gutters would fill up with tiny honey locust leaves just before hurricane season.  There is nothing like a gutter overflowing like Niagara Falls in the middle of a downpour to make a man decide to clean gutters RIGHT NOW!!! (And nine times out of ten, in the DARK!)   And there is nothing like a soaking wet, cold, inconvenienced, tired man to make loud declarations as to what he is going to do with certain trees that he holds responsible for his discomfiture.

Then a very strange thing happened.  After we built the sun room last fall, Middle Daughter procured a telescope of large proportions.  She wanted the top of the sun room made into an upper deck so she could sit out there and look at the constellations.  She and her father discussed long and often about the best way to go about it, and they did, in fact, agree as the how it should be done.  And when it was finished, Middle Daughter hauled her telescope of large proportions up there and discovered that the trees not only made a problem for the rain gutters, they also made it impossible to see an unobstructed view of said galaxies. And she began to quietly mouth reflections about her wishes for a better view.

I’ve been thinking and thinking about these things.  And about the fact that the “sun room” is really a “shade room” and I’ve been trying to picture the landscape without the beloved trees.   So when Certain Man said something again about wanting to “Call Gary and have him come and take those two boogers down!” I said, “I think you might just as well.  I wonder if it wouldn’t be better all the way around.”

He looked at me like I had taken leave of my senses.  “Do you mean it?!?!?”

And it didn’t take him long to converse with Gary of the mighty chainsaw, and tonight I looked out and there was Gary’s old blue pickup coming across our lawn.  He had a big yellow rope and his chainsaw and he was ready for business.  When Certain Man got home, they set to work, and in about 15 minutes, what had taken almost 20 years to grow big and tall was lying in piles on the ground.

This is the first one, already on the ground.
Mostly I was staying out of the way.
(Too many stories of trees falling the wrong way!)

Gary has a rope tied to the other tree because it was leaning in the wrong direction.
He pulled his trusty blue pickup as far as he could without breaking the rope.
Then he was READY!

 

This is the next one to come down.

  

Certain Man watches to see what Gary has up his sleeve to do next 
The tree in the foreground is the little Maple that Certain Man has been overly protective of.
It is a sweet little tree, and much prettier than the Honey Locust.
I am anxious to see how it does with more light and less competition.

 

Ah, so that was what was next!

Getting closer!  Everybody out of the way!

 

TIMBER!!!
The ground shook, and some of the branches of my precious Quanson Cherry got a little disheveled.
But the tree was DOWN!

 

This side of the house certainly looks different!

 

It will take some massive cleaning up efforts!

 

 

Middle Daughter is always ready to lend a helping hand to her Daddy.
She was out long into the dark, helping to haul branches.
In this picture, she is trying to figure out Gary’s knot that was really, really tight around that tree.

 

Certain Man hangs something on the deck rail, out of the way.
The landscape looks incredibly bare and different.
To be truthful, I’m actually happy with how it looks! 
I don’t know what Certain Man has in his head for how this will all turn out.
What I do know is that I can trust him.
He has better ideas for design in his little finger than I do in my whole head!

Stay tuned!

 

 

The wind has been blustery today.  It came in on the trailing skirts of yesterday’s rain, brushing the rain clouds from the sky, and bringing a stellar day, bright and sunny and windy.  I looked out over the yard from my back door this morning and saw the fabric casing from a camp chair blowing across the yard.  I went out and rescued it and brought it into the garage where it can (maybe) get matched up with the proper chair.

The hammock, drying on the wash line was often straight out.

This is my birthday.  I’m 57!   My Sweet Mama, home again from a trip to visit my brother and his wife, Nel and Rose, said that I was born early in the morning.  So I got to really celebrate all day.  People from church as well as other friends are coming for a bonfire and hot dog roast and a hay ride tonight.  Certain Man and I have worried a bit about the wind, but it seems to be abating and it wouldn’t be worth having a bonfire if it wasn’t chilly!  Our brave souls will wrap themselves up and things should be just fine.

There was some chicken stock and deboned chicken in the garage fridge, so I decided that it would be a good day to make some soup.  Our family was on its last loaf of bread, too, so it seemed good to get a batch of bread going.  So morning hours were spent in the kitchen, and the soup and the bread got made.

     

The soup will help to warm chilled bones tonight, and the small pan of rolls, steamed to the finish, became an after work treat for Certain Man.  It’s called “Dumpf Knepf” (My spelling) and translation is “steam buttons” according to Certain Man.  He pours milk and honey on them and if he has fresh fruit, he puts that on, too.  He ate all but about a third of the pan and went out to get the fire started for tonight.   The bread got baked, some given away and the rest sliced for the freezer.

Every single one of The Offspringin’s called to wish me a happy birthday, and the wonderful wishes racked up all day on Facebook.  Then, in the middle of everything, our precious grandbaby came for a birthday hug for Grammy, and that pretty much made my good day even better!

Almost eighteen months, and very much her own person!

 

I headed out to the garden to pick some late tomatoes, and when I came back in, I found this sitting on my kitchen table:

      

Our neighbors brought me a birthday cake!  The timing was perfect, because I can share it tonight.   (This is the family of our little Latin Lupe Lou — far away in Guatemala.)
Her daddy had a birthday just a week ago, and I had made a big crock pot full of succotash for them.  I had discovered (quite by accident) that they loved my succotash made with our own lima beans and home frozen corn.  It seemed like a very small thing for a good friend’s birthday party, so I had sent the crock pot over, and this is what they gave back.  It is hard to outgive these people.  They are the most generous, open hearted people we’ve ever had in our trailer.

And now I am outta’ here to finish getting ready for this evening.
Good friends, good food, and a cold Autumn night.
What a wonderful way to celebrate a 57th birthday!!!

 

 

 

It’s a chilly morning at Shady Acres.  Autumn is in the air, and Certain Man’s Wife’s Flowers are probably having some of their last days for this season.

The nights are chilly, and Certain Man is drawn to his fire ring.  He pulls the outdoor chairs into a circle and invites people to come and bring their own food.  “I’ll have the fire and hot water for drinks” I heard him say on the phone.  “If you want to bring something to roast — hot dogs, s’mores or whatever — help yourself!”  A friend works at Dover Millworks and he sometimes brings scrap lumber to throw into the outside woodbox.  Certain Man loves these pieces of wood that catch fire so quickly and burn so evenly.  He sometimes finds chunks of wood to cut up with his chainsaw (Is there a man anywhere that doesn’t somehow love a chainsaw???) and he cuts the chunks into smaller chunks that he can split with his trusty hatchet.

The fire that draws us all in  . . .

. . . looses some of it’s intrigue by the light of day!

I took a morning tour of our yard this morning.
I am caught “flatfooted” by the things I saw and by the way Autumn is creeping up on us.

 

The little arbor that Certain Man put in towards the “Shady Way” frames the corridor of the seasons.

 

The leaves are already falling!

 

 

   

Over in the fence row, some of the roses are bravely trying to hang on!

 

I babied and babied these geraniums when I first planted them.
More recently, I can say that I’ve scarcely remembered they were there.
But they’ve thrived — in spite of my neglect!  

And these bad girls!!!  Let’s just say that they look better than
they ever have.  They just wouldn’t take off and grow! 
Then we put a soaker hose on them and forgot about them.
Maybe they’re just late bloomers.

 

One of my favorite Fall looks is this Coleus:

It grew up, volunteer-like, at the edge of our walk,
between the stones that edge our front garden and the black top.
I was loathe to pull it out, so I let it grow, and I’m so glad I did. 

 

Just above the Coleus, I have this planter:

My spindly geranium in this pot has survived in spite of extreme hardship —
Mainly that the person responsible for watering it (CMW) often forgot.

 

I have a few other pots that are still blooming:

This is an old pressure tank that Certain Man cut in half and I filled with Miracle Grow potting soil.
These flowers have bloomed their hearts out.  Red and White Pentas, blue Salvia and Vinca Vine have proved to be
a far better choice than I thought they might be when I bought them all on clearance in July.

 

About six weeks ago, I cut back this container of petunias that had gotten scraggly.

The result has been better than I dared hope for.
Also, I learned a few things about cutting back these forgiving flowers.
I think that next year, I’ll be quicker with the shears — but more discerning of the cut.

 

This is a strange container:

This Celosia is also volunteer.
When it started to grow in this container, I decided to see what it would do.
Sure enough, it got to be really showy!

I wish there were a few more in the container, then it might be a little more balanced looking.
But everytime I see it poking its head up like an important soldier, it makes me laugh.
And it really does have the look of Autumn to it.
It’s another volunteer that I am glad I left alone!

I have another container that I planted all my “left overs” in this year.
There are Zinnias, Snapdragons, Celosia, portulaca, even some lilies
in this brown bucket kind of thing.  The Zinnias and Celosia have done the best.

 

I planted this Shasta Daisy over by the barbecue pit.
I kid you not, it has been a mess all summer.
I thought at least three times that it wouldn’t live.
Now that the weather is cooler, and it is time to put the flowers to sleep,
It decided it was time to shine!

I have a few Zinnias in the same bed as the Shasta Daisy . . .

Most of them haven’t been my stellar picks,
But the color of this one is perfect for this time of year.

The leaves are beginning to fall in great numbers, even though there is plenty of green.
I look across the yard at the patio and appreciate the colors and the changing landscape.
There is a delicious nip to the air, and everything is changing every day.

I’m looking forward to the holidays.  Looking forward to having Youngest Daughter home for a week, and for the times for family to be together.  The nip in the air reminds me that Winter is coming.  Our family will experience the longest separation that we have so far, and that grips this mama’s heart with an icy hand.  I try hard to not think about it, and busy my hands and my head with the joyous preparations of the season.  The secrets of Christmas are already beginning to accumulate in my heart and in my Christmas room, and it delays the thinking (and dreading) of the coming parting.

And I know the Master of the Seasons.  There is the promise of Spring   There is the promise of New Life.  There is the Hope of Eternal Life.  And the Keeper of the Stars is the Keeper of Youngest Daughter and all my children, Certain Man, and me.

^{Romans 8:38}For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

 

 

 

Anybody out there who would like to go to a Pampered Chef party?

Oldest Daughter is having one tonight in our lovely church basement at 6:15.

The demonstrator is none other than my lovely niece,

Joni Slaubaugh Geissinger.

Anyone who wants to come could come as my guest!

I think it sounds like it will be a fun time with a great group of people!

Or you can order online at:

www.pamperedchef.biz/jonigeissinger

Just go to this website and click on “shop online”

then enter “Christina Bontrager” to find her party.

(You need to put her first name in the first block and her last name in the last block.  I seriously had a time when I went through the loops to see if I could get in — but I did it and you can, too!)

This week has been an extraordinarily “full of blessing” week.

For one thing, the Thursday Morning Women’s Study Group has begun to meet again.  And after a year off, I am remembering why it is something that I really don’t want to let fall by the wayside.

And the children!!!  May I just say that these gals have the nicest children?  We have a whole passel of lap babies — there’s Alex, and Amani, and Katie and Danika.  Alex is the oldest and he is not yet six months old.  Danika is the youngest.  She is less than three weeks.  These little ones are so precious. 

And then we have Victoria, Hannah, Derrick, Charis and Delaney.  Nine little ones all together.  Thank God for Ivy, our incredibly capable baby sitter!  She snapped some pictures for me on Thursday:

Mr. Daniel’s toy box is always more fun when you can get inside it!

Here ‘Laney, Victoria, Derrick and Hannah were enjoying their own “Bible Study”. 
(This was after we decided that the piano had to be closed down so the Moms in the other room could concentrate.)

You can always imagine that you are playing the piano —
Or leading a Bible Study —
Or directing the choir —
There is no limit to a good imagination!

When Study Group was over, I went out to my pole bean patch.

Oldest Daughter and I had picked just one row Wednesday night and it got cold and dark, so we decided that we would wait until Thursday afternoon to finish our little chore.  We were astounded that we got almost two bushels off of one row!  Certain Man, Beloved Son in Law, Eldest Daughter, and Our Girl Nettie and Certain Man’s Wife had gotten them all shelled and into a large stainless steel bowl in the fridge over night, awaiting the rest of the picking.

I got a pretty good start on things, and then Eldest Daughter came with our scrumptiously wonderful grandbaby, and we went over the rest of the patch.
Whew! a little over two more bushels, making over four in all from this picking.
Friend Lynn had stopped earlier in the afternoon and had helped me shell the one five gallon bucket, but it did seem like the shelling of the lima beans was never going to stop!!!
Certain Man, Beloved Son in Law, Oldest Daughter, Middle Daughter, Our Girl Nettie
certainly didn’t get off easy these two evenings.
They shelled and shelled and shelled.
Steadily and determinedly.
With minimal complaining.
(I think I can say that without telling an untruth . . .)

When there was only about a bushel left to shell,
I got busy with the washing of the shelled beans.
I had some really good help.

 

“Gimmie a chair pushed up to the sink,
a plastic apron from Grammy’s stash,
and we are ready to go!”

“Push up my sleeves and let me at’em!
Grammy gave me a bucket for a reason, I’m sure.
I think I’m supposed to move these beans one little handful at a time
from the sink over to my little bucket!”

“Uh-oh!  A wormie!
Grammy, why is he putting his head up like that?
I don’t think I like him much!”

 

“Oh, Well, back to work.
Grammy put the worm someplace else!”

“This is really hard work!
These beans are getting the stirring of their lives!”

“Grammy, am I doing this right?
I’m a good helper, am-n’t I?”

“Mommy!
Come see me helping Grandma!
And look!
I like these raw lima beans!
One bite out of each one!”

 

“See, I can wash whole handfuls at a time!
Swish, swish, swish!”

I’m quite sure they couldn’t do this without me.
My busy little fingers certainly are making a difference!”

“Lookee, Lookee! —
Beans!
And did you know that the water is really, really cold!?!?!”

“Grammy and me!
We’ll work, and work and work and work.
And soon, we’ll be all done!!
Whew!
This is hard work!
I’m glad that I can be a helper!
Grammy is getting tired, and she really needs an extra pair of hands . . .
Swishy, Swishy, Swishy!
What fun!”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

On a note of praise, I’ve kept a general record of how many beans we’ve gotten this year off our patch, and with what we’ve given away and last night’s tally included, we have gotten around 70 quarts off Certain Man’s 24 pole lima bean plants.  The plants are still hanging full.  If we don’t get frost before full moon, I can probably get at least one more picking. 

What a wonderful gift from God!  I truly give grateful praise.

And my Daddy would be so proud!

Our Middle Daughter just finished the latest “Thankful Wall” mural
and got it securely fastened to the wall.
“I think this part gets easier every year,” she said cheerfully.
(And it does!)

This shows the details a bit better.
I am so pleased with the results. 
But then, I always love her creations.
Every year I think it is my favoritest one of all!

 

Here is the “whole story”

If you should happen to be by our house in the next few months,
Please take a moment to sign our wall with your name
and something that you are thankful for from the year that is just past.

Even if you stop in to just sign the wall, you are welcome!
You will find the mural on the wall behind the door that comes into the utility room from the garage.
It will be a joy to have you!
(I’ll even fix you a cup of hot chocolate while you do your writing.)