God's Blessing

Having diligently worked on cleaning the field behind the barn, I was tired and a little depressed.  I found my broody hen dead Monday morning and her seven eggs eaten.  I have put a lot of time and effort in my little brood and laugh if you must, but a whole lot of my heart into my little ladies.  I have yet to find a snake in the coop, but I know I have some kind of varmint that loves my eggs.  

So,  when the slow rain started this morning, I knew God was speaking to my heart and He had provided the quiet relaxing rain to soothe my sore mind.  With cup of coffee in hand, I sat in the rocker watching the raindrops slowly descent on my little world.  There came a flood of blessings as I sat and contemplated all the changes in my world over the last few months.  I could have dwelled on the many hardships and disappointments, but they did not even cross my mind.  God has been extremely good to me. Having always had a deep and abiding trust that God would lead me where He needed me to be, I have leaned on His guidance more in the past year than ever before and true to His promise I have been greatly blessed.

There have been many times in my life that I distanced myself from God and His love and tried to make a go of life on my own.  After all I am an intelligent person with great decision making skills, but it never worked.  There was always something missing or things would just fall apart.  After a good many "fall downs" I realized that God's decision making skills were a great deal better than mine and following His directions were always so much simpler and a positive outcome always followed.

There are still a few projects God has me working on and with the blessings I have received following his instructions, I know He will see these through to fruition. 

Thanks for the visit and until next time . . .

Happy reading!
Belle

Hey! It's hot out there!

Thank you to those who have visited me and my thoughts over the past year!  It has been most rewarding and has brought me much joy!  I hope you continue to visit me as much as possible.

Happy 50th birthday to my sweet hubby!

Innocent - I Don't Think So!

My granddaughters range in age from 8 to 5 to almost 4.  The two older girls come directly to me with their requests for candy, popsicles, cookies, drinks or whatever they think they must have at the time.  The youngest however, stands back to get my reaction and if it is a negative response, she bypasses me to either her Dad, Mom, or Aunt Jenn.  (PawPaw gets bypassed also as he thinks just like Nanna). 

As I sat rocking while watching and listening to their play, the older girls came running to ask for a fudgesicle.  Having just finished dinner with desert, I told them they could have one later, but not right now.  They ran back to their play passing little bit on the way.  Apparently they advised her enroute that the answer was no.  she bypasses me and headed for the door only to be met by Mama.  Trying her best to keep Mama inside rather than out, she started with "I want" only to be rudely interrupted by Nanna.  It didn't work this time. Her Dad was sitting at the patio table and we laughed at her attempt to outsmart me which really made her mad.  Off she went to play with the older girls, crestfallen that she didn't win this time either.  By the way, they did get their ice cream later.

I want to point out that it isn't always the youngest that is the manipulator.  It swaps around as to what is wanted and who feels like the best negotiator at the time.  Sometimes they even recruit the grandson as the negotiator and at twelve he has experience and knowledge the other three are lacking. 

I can see that their parents are in for a hard time as they get older.  Girls have a tendancy to stick together and try to reason things out, whereas a girl and a boy pretty much go their own way and they get what they get. Conspiracy against adults is not a new thing.  My sister and I did the same thing.  Our only problem was our interest did not follow the same routes. 

I always loved to ride and Mom and Dad's Sunday afternoon jaunts were exciting for me, however my sister would get car sick and didn't enjoy the riding at all.  Our annual trips to Daytona Beach were all started at night so Sis would go to sleep leaving Mom and Dad to enjoy the long ride.  But that didn't mean that we didn't conspire on other issues.

It is a pleasure to watch them grow, to experience the expansion of their minds and their desires for their future.  It will be interesting to see if they follow their dreams or find other areas of interest that side tracks them from their goals.  Of course at this young age, they are limited to their exposure to what the world holds.

Thanks for sharing with me this morning and until next time . . .

Happy reading!
Belle  

Pears, Spiders and other anomalies of my life

I have an abundance of pears this year which due to the weight of the little gems has led to the loss of many limbs out of my three trees.  Now the squirrels have started devouring them so I don't look to have many left to ripen.  They love pear seeds and don't mind one bit chopping down to the core of the pears to get to the seeds.  Strange though, once they eat the seeds the rest of the pear goes on the ground to rot.  Finicky little eaters, but I will sure have some fat squirrels to make dumplings with this fall!

The spiders are out again also.  I found the largest milk/writing spider I have seen to date guarding the handle to the barn faucet.  I hate to disturb a web in the wild as they catch so many insects. but this fierce looking spider was not about to get a chance of tasting my skin.  I broke part of the web so I good but on the faucet and left the other alone.  I don't think he/she was happy, but this morning the break was repaired so maybe I am somewhat forgiven.  I hope it understands when I have to break it loose again this afternoon. 

It will be a busy week outside with all the wonderful rain we received the past four days.  The temps are set to rise but I think I can get it all done before it gets too hot.  Work is calling so until next time . . .

Happy reading!
Belle

God's doing some weedeating,
I lost another tree to lightning!

Line dried sheets feel and smell so-o-o-o good!

Happiness is taking your Dad (who is the ace barbecue cooker) a smoked Boston Butt and him ordering another one for next weekend!

Coming to Terms

Dad is 86 years old - I know so are a lot of other people. He believes God has given him 16 years past the 70 years that God promised him as a believer and dedicated worshipper of the Lord.  Has he given up - not by any means, but he has decided that the future is between him and God.  He refuses to die in a hospital, nursing home, or hospice and that is his decision to make. 

I talk to my Dad every day.  I don't see him every day, but either he calls me or I call him.  Sometimes just to say I love you.  There were many many years that we could not say those words to each other, but we are well past that.  He understands me probably better than even my children.  He doesn't like everything about me but loves me unconditionally.  Dad has never "let go" of either me or my sister and it's okay.

Plagued by blood clots for many many years and pretty sure of a blood clot in his right leg and possibly one in his left foot, he is not as mobile as he would wish.  He has resigned himself to moving as little as possible (up and down) and making do with the pain.  I am told he is even trying to be nice even though he is unhappy and uncomfortable. 

Knowing that his time may be short, I have gone through many emotions, reviewed my memories, and I am at peace with his decision.  This is not to say I am ready for him to go - I won't be ready for that in 10 or even 20 years.  I would like for him to be released from pain and the inability to live his life and he once did, but I know that we all face that at some period in life.  Am I saying goodbye?  Yes and no, I prefer to think I am just getting ready, but I don't really believe we are ever ready.  Dad has not been in good health for the last 5 years and I have adjusted myself to the fact that anytime I talk to him it could be the last. 

I am taking him some barbecue in just a while so I will see how he feels.  It doesn't matter at this point whether the pork is good for him or not, he loves it!

Thanks for dropping in to share this time and until next time  . . .

Happy reading!
Belle

What to do?!?

The great paternal leader of our tribe is down and out.  Don't walk so heavy, don't walk so close, don't don't don't!  My Dad is down with his bad (right) leg again and even though we're pretty sure its a blood clot (he has a long and horrid history of the things) he refuses to go back to the hospital even one more time. The answer is no, no, no.  The movement of air close to his leg or the vibration of the floor can set the pain in action causing much groaning and moaning and no end to the torture.   At 86, he can be rather firm in his intent and still considers the rest of the tribe rather stupid and superfluous. 

Mom sits and wrings her hands and weeps now and again, but don't let her fool you, she is tough as nails.  The only problem is she has a concience and as a result feels guility as sin if she tells him to shut up and let's go.  So, mentally she is saying those very words as he is moaning and groaning at her side. 

They are both tired of life and living, tired of family and all that ensues and really would rather be ledt alone, but in our infinite wisdom, we continue to try to take care of them causing unknown despair and frustration.  At the same time, they are afraid of the loneliness and abandonment.  Getting old is so much harder than it looks and getting closer and closer to the end is terrifying, Christian or not - no one is ready for it to all be over.

I do not have the patience to deal with either.  Called pragmatic, uncaring, self-centered, or whatever, their rudeness to others and each other is uncalled for and puts me in a state.  I was raised by the best and have learned their behavior patterns well.  My one desire is not be as mean and cantankerous as they are to each other and to us children.  I am well aware that pain can change anyone and quickly.  It can turn the most meek and mild into a rattlesnake and there is no controlling it.  God bless my sister.  She seems to be able to handle both of them in spite of their actions. 

Regardless, Dad is down and out and Mom is forced to be nice to him and not nag, so please keep them both in your prayers.   Dad has promised to visit the doctor tomorrow if he is no better and he is known for keeping such promises.  You can bet he is sitting in that chair trying to figure out a new way to disguise his suffering to prevent a trip to the doctor.


Update
Press Release from the great tribal leader-
Don't get excited, I ain't gonna die.  I am feeling better, but my leg still hurts.  I got and walked today, but I had to drag my leg behindme a little bit.  It is going to be okay.  I am okay! Can't get any rest cause there are too many people here to sleep.  Wouldn't be proper to tell them to go home.

So, he has spoken.  The truth of it is, he doesn't want to go to the doctor tomorrow and unless he is racked with pain and can't get any relief, he won't go.  Period. The end.  BUT... the granddaughter is on the way home and she is bigger than the great tribal leader!Love to all . . .

Happy reading!
Belle

Danged Ole Rooster

Five tomatoes in five days!, that rooster is getting as many tomatoes as I am.  I know I haven't written about my chickens for a while as I felt I was overdoing my excitement just a bit, but Friday when I was changing his water and cleaning his pen, our errant rooster literally flew the coop!  He has marched and pranced for 5 days and once more is invading my garden.  He is going in the pot, but he will probably be touch as leather.

You know it is gonna be a bad day when your horoscope says
Reading not available!
Belle

Rocking In The Rain

Yesterday afternoon we were blessed with showers that lasted until well after dark.  It had cooled down a bit and I took to the rocking chair to watch the rain and think.  I didn't get much forward thinking done as I sat and remembered Smokey and Fireball the two family horses sticking their heads over the fence and whinnying at me.  Smokey loved to share my cup of coffee with me in the mornings, but she liked it real sweet.  I know, horses aren't suppose to have coffee, but like people they like what they shouldn't have.  Fireball preferred apples and pears, which at the time we had plenty of in the yard, but what he really wanted was just some attention and a good scratch.

I looked at the new barn roof still shiny after several years and remembered the boys climbing onto the steep roof and sliding down onto the trampoline.  They would scare me to death and they would run for the woods to save their tails from a spanking.  The three older boys would run and climb for hours until they were worn out or so hungry they could no longer go. 

The pecan tree that the boys would climb is still there, but the lower limb that secured their climbing rope has been long.  The other climbing trees are still waiting on some little boy to take up the challenge and see how far into its branches they can go.

My daughter and her cabbage patch could be found under some low hanging tree limbs or safe inside a canopy of bushes where she had built a house for the two of them.  She could play for hours with just her dolly, but when she tired of being alone she would capture one of the boys - no they didn't stand a chance - and force him to play with her and dolly for a while.

The old tomato bed, once filled with mulch and super rich dirt, now is the home of a group of red buds that I planted right in the middle of the tomato bed.  The landscape timbers holding in that rich soil have since long gone and the beautiful draping limbs of the redbud is now the playhouse of my granddaughters.  When those red bud seeds were planted I had every intention of transplanting them when and if they came up, but good intentions were lost to other more important things that must be done.  Surprisingly, most of the seeds germinated and have now made a wonderful tree group. 

Several of my beautiful old oaks have been ravished by time and weather.  Lightning has claimed two and another has been hit but is still standing.  It is a beautiful white oak that is so breathtaking in the spring when the little leaves first open and the morning sun shines on the leaves turning the whole tree into shimmering white and silver.  It is only a moment in time for this special show only last for about three days before becoming a memory, but a memory that is well worth hanging on to.

The strong winds have taken their toll on the trees, too.  Many of the older trees could not withstand the winds and their old weak roots could no longer keep them upright.  Many have been toppled over the years. The apple trees are gone as is the old peach tree.  With all the cedar trees in the yard and at the edge of the wood line, the apple trees don't stand a chance.  The plums, figs and pears are still prolific in their production and feed the birds and squirrels as much as feeding us. 

With the loss of trees, the landscape around the house has changed greatly.  I have replaced several trees and have planted 4 oaks and 2 maples which are coming along nicely in the front.  One maple seems to be the target of every car that comes to visit.  It has been run over at least five times since its planting, but always springs back with little harm done.

I miss the smell of the baby calves that once graced our little farm, but I also remember the cold icy winters of making sure that had plenty of hay and water.  On the really cold nights they were kept in the barn.  They enjoy the warmth of the barn, but the call to freedom meant trouble.  Many a time when the barn door was opened one would come barrelling out just to get free which meant a cold wet chase to get the rebel back to the warmth and safety of the barn. 

Yes, the rocking chair and a little rain can do wonders for the mind.  I enjoyed my short visit down memory lane and look forward to another trip soon.

Until next time . . .

Happy reading!
Belle

If this is the first day of the rest of my life,
I hope the road is paved and the air is light.
Belle

Be Very Careful

I am a Facebook fan.  I really enjoy keeping in touch with friends and family via this media.  I have re-connected with so many friends through this medium and on the whole it has been a most rewarding experience. I have learned, however, to be very very careful of not only what I post, but the verbiage I use in expressing myself.  I have learned that what I post can easily be misinterpreted and can lead to a barrage of negative comments.  I have also learned that there are different "kinds " of friends.

When I befriend someone on Facebook, I am allowing them access to my posted actions and thoughts. They are entitled to make what they want of those posts and I am left at their mercy - whether positive or negative.  Sadly, most of the time the negativity takes the lead and I am left open to ridicule or worse pity.  A handful of friends will make supportive comments and offer prayers up on my behalf in the proper Christian manner.

Not long ago, I received a message from someone I know of, but do not "know" accusing me of unkind comments.  I have no association with this person, but have friends that are close friends of theirs and I was confused as to what she was referring to.  Our mutual friends had made some unsavory comments referencing this person to me and my response was "I know the type."  Big mistake, it was carried back that I had made the comments, which was totally untrue.  This was confusion over the spoken word, imagine the impact if this had been written.

I have learned to keep my comments short, positive and hopefully expressive of my Christian faith.  To those that I have poked fun at through any comments, I apologize profusely and will keep those comments off my posts henceforth. 

Written words have the ability to make or break a person.  There is no intonation available to indicate any emotion, there is no facial expressions to judge any emotion, there is just the words written down to be interpreted by the reader in any manner they see fit without the benefit of the emotion of the writer.  So, be very careful of what you write and how you write.  It may not be read by a supportive Christian with love in their hearts.  Until next time . . .

Happy reading!
Belle

Chihuahuas love heat, but mine are panting!
Time to bring them in . . .

This was posted on Facebook recently and has really stuck with me.  The author is unknown.

"It is sad when a great friend becomes a stranger,
but it is a joy when a stranger becomes a great friend."

My Writings

As many of you know I have been writing children's stories for over a year now. No, they are not published!  I keep editing and rewriting and then editing some more.  The once upon a time stand alone stories are now a chapter book.  My sister, my daughter, my daughter-in-law, and my friends have read and re-read the stories and always come back with something that needs fixing.  I am so glad!  I hate to look like a dummy to those to who I submit my stories and I sure don't want any more rejection letters.  I have found three or four agents that handle stories focusing on the "down home on the farm" stories that promote good moral decisions.

I may be pumping myself up, but the rejections I have received so far on the stand alone stories advise me it is not their type of story or genre.  I have yet to be told I can't write or my story line is horrible, so picking myself up, I go back to the blank sheet and write some more.  The most difficult thing I have found is to keep the verbiage on the grade level for which I am writing.  It is easier to accomplish if I stay on the story than when I take a break and then come back.  The story line doesn't change, I just have to re-acclimate my mind to writing at the proper level.

My problem is there are still a bunch of stories floating around in my mind following the same line as the eight or ten I have already written and I don't know how to cut off what is finished.  Do I need to start a new book or let it go with what I have?  It seems kind of ridiculous to start a new book when I don't have the other one published, but I have been told to keep on writing.  Edit the old and start something new.  So, there you have it - I am following the professional advice of these successful people and I just keep on keeping on!

Regardless of the outcome of this writing project of mine, it has been most rewarding and lot's of fun.  There are some excerpts of my Belles Farm stories on my website (click on the link at the top of my blog) and some stories that I really need to go back and expound upon and edit.  Some days I just start writing without thought to where I am going, so there are a few stories that need some polish. 

A busy day ahead so I must run, but thanks for dropping by.  Until next time . . .

Happy reading!
Belle

Unusual

My grandson and great nephew have a most unusual relationship.  They are about a year apart in age and have some of the same interests.  They have never lived close to each other or seen each other on a regular basis, yet during the twice a year visits they mesh totally. There is not doubt they are friends and it is uncanny how they fall into their "play" with such ease.  Is this what is meant by the phrase "blood is thicker than water"? 

Wouldn't it be nice if all relationships were as comforting and easy?

The past week of celebrating Independence Day was filled with eating, visiting, and remembering.  Filled with love and laughter we all had a great time.  Hubby even got the grill and the smoker filled up and we enjoyed a bit of everything.  I liked the smoked salmon and talapia best, but the ribs, wings, roast, burgers, chops, and hot dogs were not to be ignored.  Of course, I had to sample it all and the flavors were greatly enhance by brother-in-law's barbecue sauce.   

I have to put in a plug here for the best marinate and basting sauce I have found.  "Moore's" has both a buffalo wing sauce that is out of this world and also a steak sauce that enhances the flavor of fish, steak, and chicken without overpowering the meat's flavor.  I don't precook (boil or fry) anything.  Anytime you boil meat, you cook out the natural flavors stored in the bone and fat.  If the meat is cooked slowly and thoroughly and kept moist (we use a spray bottled filled with olive oil, water, and vinegar) it is tender, flavorful and juicy.  Then the meat is placed in a roasting pan and covered in the barbecue sauce of your choosing and return to the grill to simmer, allowing the sauce and the meat juices to mesh.  It makes me hungry all over again!

I think the next big cookout will be a low country boil and I have already started gathering ingredients.  This is Hubby's 50th birthday!  We will try to fix him up a good pot of soup!  Blast the oil spill - the cost of shrimp and crab legs are already climbing so he may be stuck with corn, potatoes, onions, and sausage.  He won't mind though, it is the good company and spending time with family and friends that are important!

I hope your holiday was filled with joy.  Thanks for visiting and until next time . . .

Happy reading!
Belle