Beautiful Sunrise!!!

OUR MORNING SUNRISE!!!!

This is what I saw when I opened my front door this morning. Is this beauty or what????? See what you late risers miss!!! The early morning air is crisp, 68 degrees, a little heavy as we are promised rain today. That will be OK. A nice shower would be welcome. This has been the most unusual Summer I can remember. We think of August as being uncomfortably hot and humid which is the norm for us. Instead of being hot and humid this year, August has seemed more like our normal Septembers or Octobers. Our temps have reached the low 90's only a very few days and our nights have been in the 60's and sometimes even down into the 50's. We have had showers when we needed them and as a result, our lawns are still as green as Spring-time. We thought our beans had run their course, I even put my canner away, but after our last rain, our bean vines have taken on new growth, begun blooming once again and yesterday, dear 'ole Dad picked almost two gallons of really nice beans. He also brought in two gallons of okra. Anyone want to come for dinner????

Talking about dinner, I understand some VIP's are coming for dinner on Sunday. In fact I believe 16 persons have signed up. Actually some guests will be arriving tomorrow night, others will drive over on Sunday, and of course others will simply arrive from their respective, local homes. It is always good to get together. This time we will be saying "good-by" to Ryan as he will be leaving for his new assignment in CA after having spent the past several months in Little Rock. He seems very pleased with his decision to join the Marines more than a year ago.

I have a busy schedule today getting the guest room ready for our over-night guest and also getting some shopping done for our Sunday Dinner. So, I best get busy!!!!!

Love you,
Dortha

Remember The Lord's Day!!!

1. Only One Broken Key

"For as the body [the Church] is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body … And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it."¹

Evxn though my typxwritxr is an old modxl, it works quitx wxll xxcxpt for onx of the kxys. I havx many timxs wishxd that it workxd pxrfxctly.

It is trux that thxrx arx forty-onx kxys that function wxll xnough, but just onx kxy not working makxs thx diffxrxncx.

Somxtimxs it sxxms to mx that our church is somxthing likx my typxwritxr—not all thx kxy pxoplx arx working propxrly.

As onx of thxm, you may say to yoursxlf, "Wxll, I am only onx pxrson, I don't makx or brxak thx church."

But it doxs makx a big diffxrxncx, bxcausx a church, to bx xffxctivx, nxxds thx activx participation of xvxry pxrson.

So, thx nxxt timx your xfforts arx not nxxdxd vxry much, rxmxmbxr my typxwritxr and say to yoursxlf, "I am a kxy pxrson in thx congrxgation and I am nxxdxd vxry much."

This is what happxns to thx wholx church, and multiply this by many timxs—thx wholx thing just doxs not makx sxnsx!²

So don't be a broken key—be a useful one.

The above article will remind you of just how important YOU are in God's service. If you are not in your place, you WILL be missed!!!! Make special efforts to be in God's house tomorrow!!!

Dortha

A Sad Day!!!!

Yukon

This has been a sad day on Holland Hill. Someone said, "Big girls don't cry!!" Well, I am a big girl and I am going to cry. Wouldn't you cry if you lost a member of your family? I agree, this member had 4 legs instead of two and he looked quite a bit different from other members of our family, but he was a very important part of our family just the same. I miss him already. I was forever looking out different windows to see where he was and I will continue to do that from force of habit. Just seems that I should see that tail wagging and see him coming to me.

Yukon was a very special dog, though we never told him he was a dog. He had an over-sized heart and loved everyone, although he did have favorites. He was almost 14 years old and had not been in good health for a couple of years. He could not hear very well and probably did not see as well as he once did but he could still recognize faces and cars. He belonged to our # 1 granddaughter but when she moved into an apartment, she could not take him so he just became part of Holland Hill. Since we live out of city limits, he was free to roam, to hunt and to watch over this hill. One of his favorite things to do was to go walking with Granddad each morning. When he was no longer able to walk the distance, he still tried with every ounce of strength he had. It was very sad to see him take a few steps and have to stop when I knew how badly he wanted to go. When Merrel was working in the yard or the garden, Yukon would follow him and lie just as close as he could. He simply loved people. He had so much love to give and asked very little in return, he liked to snuggle just as closely to you as he possibly could and if you would pat him and rub his ears, he was so very happy.

Sherlyn and her boys would like to have buried him in our yard---way back, but that was not possible since it would have been difficult to dig a hole deep enough so the final decision was to leave his body with the Vet and plant a tree in his honor. They also bought a nice marker that says, "In memory of a true and faithful companion." G.J. asked my opinion of what kind of tree to plant. I suggested a Dogwood. Several agreed that a Dogwood would be appropriate. We won't need the beauty of the early blossoms to be reminded of him but they will be an added blessing. There will be so many things to remind us of him and his love for all of us, he will never be out of our minds and our hearts. We shall miss him forever but it seemed unfair to him to watch him suffer when we knew he could never be well again. Telling him "good -bye" and allowing him to have eternal rest seemed the right thing to do.

Dortha

School Days!!

School Days, School Days, Dear 'old Golden Rule Days, Reading, Riting and Rithmatic, Taught by The Tune of the Hickory Stick!!!!!!

Well, things have changed over the years. The above words were very familiar and much feared during the early years of my schooling. Most days in our little country school, someone got into trouble and received punishment. Different infractions merited different degrees of punishment. The girls did not get as many physical encounters as the boys did. One of the punishments the girls received was standing at the blackboard with their nose "in the ring". The teacher would draw a circle on the blackboard that was high enough that the recipient's nose could not reach the ring except that one would stand on tip toes which could get very tiring. Another punishment was to stand in the corner and not look around at all.

Well, I am glad the punishments today are a little less drastic but I do believe there needs to be enough punishment that the teachers are in control and not the other way around. During earlier years, parents supported the teachers. Today, many parents take the side of the child and the child does not learn to respect teachers.

I have a lot of fond memories of my school days as well as many years later, when I watched my three leave the nest and everything that was familiar to them and begin a new chapter in their lives. I was very blessed. None of my three caused any problems and were excellent students.

Many other things have changed over the years. Today, the students are required to buy so many supplies and, of course, they want new name-brand clothes. Furnishing all those things would have been very difficult for my family as our resources were very limited. I feel some of those things might not be all that necessary--at least on the first day of school. I realize many things are taught now that were not available for me of even for my children. I do not feel deprived. I am thankful for the education I did receive and am so privileged to live in the land of the free where education is offered to all who desire it. I hope every child realizes how fortunate they are and will take advantage and learn much.

Dortha

Dortha's Shoes!!

Joy, Joy, this has been my lucky day!!!! I set out early this morning to scout out some garage sales hoping to find some fruit jars so I can can more green beans. Well, after driving several miles and stopping numerous times, I found NO jars. But what I did find was the little sign above (sorry it up-loaded 2 times and refuses to delete one) which I desperately needed. Once in awhile my dear husband suggests that I have too many shoes. Now with this priceless sign, he will have to admit that I do not. (Actually there are 3 more rows of shoes behind the ones you do see, but he can't see those either!!!) So my morning was not wasted after all!!!

Have a great Lord's day tomorrow.

Dortha

Merrel's Garden

I am having trouble designing this blog like I want to. Picasa seems to have a mind of it's own and doesn't want to cooperate. Anyway, perhaps you will recognize farmer Merrel. Looks as if he is wondering what to do first---pick the beans, pick the squash or pick the tomatoes. The second picture shows some of the beans he picked one day. He has picked them every other day for the past 3 weeks and as of today, we have canned 123 quarts. The vines are slowing down the producing now but they still have several small and young beans so there will be more days for picking and canning. We could use a nice rain now. Our temps have been in the 90's and the ground dries out pretty fast in this heat. Our okra vines are blooming and soon we will have lots of okra. God is so good to give us all the fresh vegetables each year. Merrel works very hard keeping the garden plowed, weeded and then harvested. I do not like to think of the day when he will not be able to do all the hard work he does. He also mows about 3 acres of lawn and keeps the outside flowers and shrubs watered.

You can click on the picture and see it enlarged.

Perhaps you understand now why I haven't blogged very often. There are lots of chores to do this time of year. The vegetables won't wait---we have to work with them when they are ready.

I wish for each of you a blessed week-end.

My love and prayers,
Dortha

The Lord is My Shepard

~The 23rd Psalm ~

I want for nothing that I need,
I rest in pastures of His will.
I walk beside the waters still,,
Each day He makes my soul anew
There is nothing that my Lord can't do.
For His name's sake He leadeth me,
that His righteousness I may see.
I'm not afraid when I go through,
the valley where death awaits me, too.
His presence with me, shall forever go,
His peace and comfort to bestow.
Mine enemies see me eat His food,
my head's anointed, my cup flows through.
He shares His goodness for me to use,
His mercy I will not refuse-
it shall follow me all my days,
in His house I'll dwell and Him I'll praise!

Sorry I have not had time to compile thoughts of my own so trust the copied words above might bless you as they did me. I am reminded just how good our God is and how He cares for us. I hope each of you might have a blessed day and I will be back when I get the beans canned. The total now is 95 quarts and still canning.

Love and prayers,

Dortha