A Church Moment

We were just getting used to having church almost like normal. Then we had Vacation Bible School and two positive Covid tests showed up the following week. We're not totally sure it came from VBS, but just to be on the safe side we closed up church again. So far it's just for two weeks, but that could change. Who knows from day to day what will happen? It's turned into a crazier world than what I would ever have dreamed it could be.

Last Sunday it was so strange not be at church early in the morning. I know most people don't think twice about something like that. To them it's just another day, one that they can dawdle away with sleeping in, or going to the beach, or fishing down a creek somewhere. To anyone that is a church goer like me it's hard to deal with not being there.

We're told in the Bible to keep the sabbath, not to go fishing. We're to fellowship with like-minded people and being involved for one or two hours a week isn't asking a whole lot when you compare that to all the blessings God is continuing to supply to us.

Exodus 20:8 reminds us to "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy."

Leviticus 26:2 says "Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord."

There's lot more references, but you get the idea.

Ever since I was a real little girl and we used to play Beat You to Jesus when seeing who could swing highest on the swing set I've always felt close to Jesus. I wonder if He might not have been my imaginary friend that Mama fretted over until the doctor said it was a normal thing for kids.

My feeling of closeness has never gone away. Many times I've thought He was sitting right in my car with me on a long lonely journey. Sort of like a big Brother that I couldn't see. And I'm always chatting with Him about something or other going on in my life. He's been with me through lonely times, sad times, and good times. He knows whenever I play the piano I'm playing for Him. When I was just starting out I'd tell Him I was playing for Him and then I'd say "let me start over" so many times when I'd mess up and want to get it perfect for Him.

I've asked Him for help when I was publishing a newsletter. I'd be sitting there drawing a blank and always after an out-loud conversation with Him the answer or inspiration would come within a few minutes.

I love going to church through the week too, when it's cool and quiet, and kind of mysterious in a good way. I know every crook and cranny. Sometimes I have a meeting; sometimes I need to get or drop something off. I never feel afraid, even at night and it's dark inside the building. It's like a second home. Sometimes when I'm there alone I just sit in the sanctuary and listen to the quiet and wait for Him to speak to me.

Yes, I really do miss going to church on Sunday mornings. Hopefully this latest situation will clear up quickly. I miss the sounds of church music and the people chattering to each other. I know it's a joyful time for many. It's always good to be in His House.

Call me crazy if you want to... won't be the first time. I reckon people who don't understand will think church is boring or old-fashioned or just not for them. I hope one day they do understand what's in it for them and at least visit church once in a while to find out for themselves. 

Meanwhile, I will listen for the hourly church bells wafting through the woods on the breeze. Still there.

Hot, Hot. Did I Mention It Was Hot?

It's hot and humid outdoors. I haven't even been going out there except to go to church twice a week and to see the chiropractor once a week. Bah! Humbug to hot weather. I always say you can get warm if you're cold, but you can't always get cool if you're too hot!

I guess we've gotten so accustomed to having air conditioning that it's almost heart-stopping if the AC goes out for any time at all!  I remember when Hurricane Irene came through and we lost power for four days! It was so hot and miserable. Luckily at that time we had a swimming pool and kept using it until it started getting too yucky (because the pumps were not running due to no electricity). Danny and the fur babies spent most of the time just laying on the floor where it was cooler.

All of that is artificial though, when it comes right down to it. There's really nothing better than the real deal...

I'm glad it's almost Fall. I can't wait for the cooler air to show up and for the trees to start changing colors. When the leaves fall I think of them as Autumn snowflakes. Makes me cooler just to think about it.

I love that we have several outdoor rooms now since our trees have grown up so much. By that I mean that our weeping cherry tree and a few other low-hanging canopies have created a sense of being enclosed and it's pretty awesome when sitting under those trees. The air is so much cooler than the rest of the yard and the gentle breezes seem that much sweeter too. Natural air conditioning! I find a lot of peace surrounded by nature at her best. We have a hammock in one area and swaying back and forth while looking up towards the sky is beyond awe-inspiring. 

I grew up without air conditioning until I was in my teens. I lived in a big old farmhouse and my bedroom was on the upper floor with four big windows in it. In summer I'd enjoy beautiful breezes filtering in and fluttering the cotton curtains. The air was perfumed with honeysuckle and Ligustrum blossoms. I could hear the honeybees buzzing around the flowers and the birds singing from the top of the huge oak outside. The windows were open on Summer nights and I could hear the mosquitoes buzzing, trying to get in, and the frogs singing for rain. Sometimes there would be a Mourning Dove cooing or an Owl making itself known. I remember jumping out of bed to quickly close those windows when a storm would come, closing them before too much rain came inside and got the curtains and wooden floors wet.

I remember the feel of it, of what the coolness felt like.

I am grateful for my air conditioning these days. I like using a fan with it too, because it makes the air swirl around like a good summer breeze.

It's a Wild Life Adventure

 Another over-due post, I know. When it's hot like this I don't hardly feel like thinking.

Our lives have been filled with critters lately. Even this morning when we awoke we were delighted to see at least 3 Pileated Woodpeckers working on the cherry tree. Since we usually only see 1 at a time around here, I'm thinking perhaps a baby was being shown the how-to of scouring berries. I think the squirrel that was leaping around in that tree was also making them crazy because they kept flying back and forth so much. I doubt the squirrel was bothered at all.

We also had twin fawns hiding out in the middle of the field of wheat stubble a week or so ago. That was too cool to see two little heads bobbing around. One stood up for a few moments and we saw the spots on it.

The turkeys made a few passes across the back yard as I sat on a dewy chair on my deck at the break of dawn several mornings. What a delight to see a Mama with 5 hand-sized babies trailing being her! I loved watching them take a dust bath one day! The visits lasted until the morning when Toby spied something moving and ran after them. He came back, thankfully, but Mama is taking no chances anymore - we haven't seen them again.

My brother saw a big bear running between his house and the next one down. After getting his phone call we went outside clutching our binoculars to see, but I guess the bear was long-gone by then. Now I keep looking across the wide field on the other side of the road hoping to catch sight of the bear roaming around. One of these days I just might!

Beyond critters, my little garden plot of cabbage and broccoli was attacked by tiny worms and when discovered it was much too late to save anything. The damage happened practically over-night so I don't feel too bad for not catching it sooner. Needless to say, we had to pull everything up and at least were able to get enough cabbage for one meal. So good, too!!

I must say that the container gardening plants are doing much better.

As for my flowers I never did get anything from a garden center this year. I'm practically grooming weeds! Luckily, before my daughter moved from VA to GA she brought me a bag of gladiola bulbs this spring. We planted the largest ones before we got tired and then chucked the tiny ones into a barely surface scrubbed pile of mulch under a pine tree. I didn't figure any of those would amount to anything.

They did just enough to brighten the spot!

Those we really took time to plant did much better although staking would have been good if we'd just thought of it sooner. I think God's paintbrush is stunning on these!

I'm somewhat curious as to how we've ended up with corn growing in a metal fire pit. It would seem that I actually have a new over-large planter available! Hmmm...the wheels are turning!

I've been working on paternal genealogy for a client in PA since June 22. It's gone very well too. I've never had someone with so many foreign ancestors before. I'm considering upgrading to an international account for a month to see if it's any help. Before I do I want to finish everything I possibly can ahead of time so I can really focus my efforts once I'm on the clock.

I also had an inquiry through the church's website from a man in NJ who was looking for ancestors in the church cemetery. Unfortunately some of the church's records were accidentally burned in the 1930s by an over-zealous janitor. There was no record to share with him. His relatives had moved from Franklin to Blackwater between 1880 and 1900 and later moved to Richmond. In 1908 the woman was traveling back to Blackwater by train when she took sick. She died 3 days later in Portsmouth where she'd been removed from the train. I did find a blog by the man's cousin who indicated that perhaps the woman had been buried on a farm. She mentioned Land of Promise Plantation in her blog and I contacted the family who now lives in that area. Perhaps I'll be updated as to how this mystery turns out one of these days!

This was a very interesting case because supposedly the woman was traveling to visit her childhood home in Blackwater, even though censuses show her folks living near Franklin prior to her marriage. So where was this childhood spent? I finally let go of my overwhelming desire to investigate and sent the man a link to a map showing names of families living around the 1930s and earlier.

Last week I spent 3 days using a cane to walk after screwing up my "good" knee. After doing a few morning computer chores and genealogy research I spent the rest of each day propped up in my recliner with a large ice pack on my offending leg. My goal was to at least get to church and back without too much problem. That's about all I did too, because just as I was finishing up after worship I felt my knee starting to give out again. Back to an afternoon of ice and a good book. Thursday I had a chiropractor appointment and she showed me how to stretch out the tight parts and now I'm doing much better, but I'm still being careful!

A Little Heap of Hodgepodge

 I was sharing photos with my daughter and thought I should be posting, so here I am.

First my garden

We had despaired that cabbage and broccoli would grow much because it was already getting hot outside when we bought it. Every time cool weather came we were thankful.The plants have actually done well.

Next we whacked limbs from under another cedar tree:

It seems so strange to see under it. There were remnants of at least 4 bird nest under there! We waited until we were sure no one was "at home" before starting this project. Glad to say all the nests were old and no longer used.

Since Abby hurt herself a few weeks ago we've been trying to keep her as still as possible. We're hoping she will heal rather than need surgery. At her age it probably wouldn't be a good thing. She's already so much better!

We have to walk her on a leash and She's definitely not a fan of just walking and not running around, climbing stairs or jumping on the bed.

Last of all my little skinks are always on the lookout for bitty bugs and other tiny critters. Apparently under the porch post is a good place to hang out!

We have both the brown looking ones as well as the blue-tails. I am not scared of them, but I do jump out of my skin sometimes (especially if one gets inside the front door) and startles me!

Tale of The Quail

I couldn't quite believe my ears! Then I heard it again. That sweet sound of a Bobwhite calling to another Bobwhite. I didn't imagine it! They are out there somewhere!

Hear my bobwhite

The echoing response from one to the other makes my heart sing! It has been years since this has occurred. We used to have so many that my dad used to hunt them. I remembering seeing little families of them scooting along the edge of the woods or ditch bank, babies running in spurts to catch up with the mother while the father trailed behind keeping watch.

https://dwr.virginia.gov/quail/

After watching the video above I'm stunned to learn that quail populations in Virginia have dropped 80% since I was a kid. That's awful to know, that development and human greed has destroyed the habitat of such a sweet bird and other creatures like bees.

I'm blessed to hear this sound again. I don't want to lose it. It makes me want to let my front yard go to seed! 

A Swing, A Miss, A Hit

I was so excited at the prospect of seeing the Lyrid meteor shower this week. I got up off and on for two nights hoping to glimpse something. All I got for my efforts was to see a a stray airplane or two and a couple of cars go by. That was a swing and a miss if ever there was one.

Then I heard that Space X was doing another rocket launch from Cape Canaveral early on April 23. (Hey, I was going to be up early looking for meteors anyway). At 5:45am SpaceX launched their 2nd six-month crew mission (Crew-2) to the International Space Station. Based on the maps I'd seen from the previous week's space train, I figured I'd be seeing this rocket about 6 minutes after launch.

I was RIGHT!

I got up, pulled some warm pants on under my nightgown, got my puffy coat and a warm hat and headed out the front door for a really good look in all directions. I wasn't sure exactly where to look. A few cars went by heading to work and I thought if they saw me standing out here like a fence post, looking all bag-lady, I'm sure I'll be named the crazy person of the neighborhood! The trees on the ditch bank were blocking my view so I headed to a clear spot under the trees to peer through the trees. And all of a sudden I could see the rocket coming up from the south and headed right for me! This was better than a meteor!

It moved slowly across across the sky towards me. Now, I'd mentioned this event to Danny the night before and he had been OK with getting up to see it with me. But I hadn't awakened him when I got up and he was still in bed. Why wake him if it didn't show up, right? Standing outside with an actual visual I now wondered if I'd have time to get back in the house, wake him up and get back out before the rocket vanished from sight. I've had both my hips replaced so moving real fast is usually not an option. I started my "fast" walk and thought it'll be Christmas before I get to the house so I hitched up my giddy-up and started running, which I never do. OMG! It was like running through mud on Pogo sticks! I didn't get far, but what little I did helped me get Danny out of the house in time!

We both watched as it crossed our front yard and went over towards the barnyard. I'd grabbed my camera on the way outside again but didn't expect to get anything with my extremely limited cheap camera. I was surprised to get images of some kind of separation from the main rocket happening before it headed off into the wild blue yonder! Wow! How cool was that?!

This was a total hit in my book of missed swings!

Now there was nothing left to do but go back to bed. and so we did.

 

#spacex

#spacexlaunch

#rocketlaunch

#crewdragon

The Best Easter Ever

 We had a phenomenal Easter season this year. That was partly because our Florida gal came home for a long visit after being homesick for a way too long. We were so glad to see her again! The weather was perfect the whole time and we had lunch on the deck many days, enjoying the birds and all the flowers. On the Saturday before Easter our whole family met for lunch at Olive Garden. While we missed those who are no longer with us, our smaller group had a pretty wonderful time. A fellow diner even offered to take our picture.

On Easter Sunday Danny and I got up for early sunrise service and later picked up Sleepyhead for the 10am service. It was so nice having her there and seeing her while I was singing. We were so excited that I forgot to even suggest getting a picture there as many others did!

After church we went over to the Shop and had a fish fry. Bro had saved a big catfish for just this occasion! As we sat around after eating someone suggested we do a boat ride to see the eagle's nest. Oh my gosh! Who gets to do this on Easter Sunday?! It was so awesome! 

The eagles nest was huge! Alas, we didn't see anything flying but an osprey. But we've seen eagles from the house so they are close by.

We spent several hours out there, meandering all around. We waved to the guys fishing from the bridge as we scooted by, then we went past the boardwalk almost to the church before heading back towards home. 

By that time the fishermen were gone so we all ducked down inside the boat and went under the bridge to see the beautiful still waters behind our homes. It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Such peace!

Finally we headed home. We all slept so good that night!

Our adventures were not over yet though. I saw on the news one day that the Space Station was going over that evening. So I called next door to let them know and bundled myself up against the mosquitoes to watch. Knowing they were outside next door we started hooting and hollering back and forth. And all of a sudden, there it was.... gliding silently though the night sky. Through my binoculars I could see twin white orbs moving together as the thing went quickly beyond our sight. It was really cool. 

Then I found out it was coming again the next night! Everyone came to our house and while we waited Danny lit the fire pit he'd made for the inaugural fireside fun. Ah... so cool! Well done, Danny!

As it got darker we cranked our necks up to scan the sky and finally saw our target. It was even better than the night before! It went by quickly and for almost 10 minutes afterwards we chattered away, discussing our sighting when I noticed something glowing behind the trees.

 

We all watched as a long line of lights moved into view. It was slower than the space station and we had plenty of time to talk about the many lights we were seeing. We could only think it was some kind of meteor, but days later I did some research I found out that SpaceX had launched close to 60 satellites that same afternoon. After viewing videos and various news casts online I'm sure we witnessed the SpaceX Satellite "train!" The map shows approx 6½ minutes after launch and it was so close to our location. My theory is that if it followed the same trajectory at all, it must be what we saw hours later. We're going to keep tabs for another launch date and have a watch party and hopefully confirm the coincidence. I wish I'd had my binoculars or taken a photo, but it was so strange and exciting we never even thought about it.

I must say, this was absolutely the best Easter ever! Can't wait to see what Summer brings!

And Then There Was March

Gosh! I missed March entirely! The best thing about March was that we both finally got our Covid shots! We had the Pfizer shots and absolutely no reactions whatsoever. Activity-wise, other than the shots, we pretty much did the same things we've always been doing - just chilling around the house.

Danny's been working on various projects outside as the weather has warmed, like fixing a boat trailer and cleaning out the shop. A sudden appearance of an ABS light on the truck caused a flurry of activity but I think that's on the mend now and moods are much better around here because of it ;)

I've enjoyed watching nature do it's Spring thing. This year our flowering trees were stunning! Yellow daffodils ran across the back of the yard and have even gotten into the woods now. The red Camellia was loaded to the gills this year too. The color combinations simply took my breath away! God has blessed us with a very peaceful back yard! 

Lindsey gave me a bag of gladiola bulbs from her house, saying I'd better get them while I could since she's moving to Atlanta soon. I'm happy to say that we have at least 30 bulbs that are coming up! I can't wait to see them in full color!

My walking was going well for a good while. I was doing just over 3 miles a day, but noticed that since beginning in September, my foot that was previously injured in a stair fall in February 2019 was getting worse each day. So I started lowering my daily walking goal and now have a doable 2 miles per day to aim for. I was afraid if I just stopped entirely I'd never get "back in the groove." I was finally able to get an x-ray and now have a lace-up boot on my foot. I'll see the surgeon again in a month to check progress. Originally I'd thought my foot would get better on it's own so I delayed mentioning it to my doctor. Then when I finally did he just said go see an orthopedic doctor. By then Mom was sick and shortly after she passed we went into Covid lock downs. But at least I now know it wasn't broken all this time!

My Florida daughter has finally visited us. Missy was getting so homesick. She usually comes in every 6-8 weeks or so and it's been a struggle for all of us not being able to see her. One of the first things we did when she arrived was "do Christmas!" Among other gifts, I'd made her a hat and scarf which she promptly put on! That's my crazy girl, alright!

I snagged a few more novels during a quick visit to the thrift store again. I feel so much better when I have a book to read. Kids who never pick up an actual book and only read from a screen don't know what they are missing! I think I'll be in good shape for a while as Spring turns into Summer. I enjoy reading out on my back deck with the birds singing in the background.

I've also been working on genealogy projects. In January I finally bit the bullet and bought the 2019 version of Family Tree Maker. What a difference it is from my 2009 version; it was a slight learning curve, but fairly easy to transition. I use both version now - the old one because it's easier for me to maneuver through the families and the newer one for the reports and lists it generates. It's a nice blend.

I almost forgot... we were recently visited by a bear one night! We didn't see him but he'd left his calling card in the yard by the next morning. Apparently he's not small either! We've been putting the game camera out to see if he comes again, but so far all we've managed to see is a stray cat. Needless to say, I don't do much walking that is too far from the house anymore. Oh well. Life is a challenge, right?

Walking and Watching

Gosh! Just when the driveway had finally dried out it had to rain again! Grrr! It's just one long mud hole now. I have moved my walking from the back yard to the deck now. The back yard had a river running through it yesterday. But I must say, despite such setbacks, my walking is improving to the point that I'm now doing 3 miles or better each day! To say it's extremely tiring is an understatement!

On the weekend of February 12-15 the Great Backyard Bird Count took place. I was delighted to see many birds show up. My list includes: American Goldfinches, a brave Blackbird, Bluebirds, Bluejays, Black-capped Chickadees, Brown-headed Cowbird, Brown Thrasher, Cardinals, Carolina Wren, Downey Woodpecker, Grackle, Mockingbird, upside-down Nuthatches, Red-bellied Woodpecker, various kinds of Sparrows, Tufted Titmouse, and Yellow-rumped Warbler.

The Warbler was new to me or at least I'd never noticed before. He looks like an over-inflated sparrow at first glance, but then I noticed the bright yellow spot on his head; he also sported a shot of pale yellow just below his wing "elbows" and had white bands on either side of his tail fan. I find that he is rather mean like a territorial hummingbird and runs all the other birds off to sit on the top of the feeder station to keep watch. A couple of days ago he hit the glass window and addled himself. We ran outside and wrapped him in a cloth because it was so cold and after a few minutes he was able to fly off again. I haven't yet been able to determine if there is more than one around here; if so, they don't congregate.

On Sunday Danny stayed home from church and while home he saw a Red-tailed Hawk light in the back yard near the feeders. He tried to take pictures but wasn't sure if he got anything. When I looked to see what he got he had accidentally gotten a short video of the hawk flying back into the tree. What a great surprise!

Special Friends

 Growing up life wasn't so filled with that kind of knowledge. My own sister died before I was born when she was just 2 years old so there was always a void in my life because of that. I often wondered what it would have been like if she had lived.

When we're young kids can be cliquish without meaning to be. In my case there were older girls who all had friends, and there were younger girls who all had friends. I wasn't included in either age group because I was not in the right age group. I always felt like a loner.There were only 4 boys in the neighborhood who were my age. No girls. The boys didn't include me in anything, of course.

When I was 12 a new girl moved into the neighborhood and I soon had a best friend who became like a sister to me. We did tons of stuff together and had so much fun. In our teens there were several other girls that we were close to and so we all grew up together. It was wonderful. We were all real close until, as the oldest, I went away to college. Then things gradually started drifting apart as they usually do. We grew up, married, etc, etc, etc.

Later I came back home, married and had two daughters. Right before my children's dad left God sent me another best friend. When she moved here I hadn't been going to church because home life wasn't going well, but once I started attending again it was just a matter of time before we met. She asked me to host a Mary Kay party and when she came to my home she asked why she had never seen my husband. I shared my story and she helped me over the hard times when my marriage dissolved. She and her family pretty much adopted us and we spent more time at their house than at home. She became my chosen sister. We both shared a love of singing at church and had a deep friendship. Eventually though, she moved away.

Now that I'm older my life is filled with my extended church family. We have a wonderful loving church family out here in our rural neck of the woods. I know I can call on any of them if I ever need help. And there are very special places in my heart for my singing sisters (Hollie, Jennifer, Nina, and Laurie) that I've been extra blessed with over the last few years. I love each one of them.

Thanks to Facebook we're not as separated as we once were. You can message someone any time. God gave me these special people during different times in my life. I am so grateful He did!

It's nice knowing people care about you, so when you take a moment to write Happy Birthday on someone's profile it really does brighten a day. It's a simple reminder that goes a long way. Just saying!

YEAH! We Got Snow!

 Awaking to more than predicted snow was simply awesome! Getting snow at any time is close to miracle status around here. We got just over 3 inches. Everything was coated like I haven't seen in  a long time. The path going through the woods was outrageously beautiful. Of course I had to get outside as quick as I could and take some photos. 

 

Toby had a great time outside running in circles, examining everything and even photo bombing one of my photos - look for the streak as he zipped past me at 100 mph! But poor short-legged Abby! Everything was going along so nicely when we suddenly noticed that she was having difficulty walking. The snow had caked on her front legs and formed huge snow balls! When I tried to break them off I quickly discovered that they were just mashing into serious chunks of ice. We headed inside and grabbed the hair dryer. Now, she hates the hair dryer but we had to get these things off her so she had to deal with it. She took a nice nap afterwards. Ah! the stress of romping!