Shalom

 

Sunday Blessings

 

Shalom

 

Wednesday Hodgepodge -- September 2, '26

 It's that time of the week!  Every Wednesday, Joyce at From This Side Of The Pond, asks a few questions and bloggers from all over answer them on their own blogs.  

1. What's something you wanted to do this summer that you never got around to doing?

Well, geez, I never got to enjoy summer at all.  It’s been far too hot to do anything.

 

2. Were you the student who sat in the front row or hid in the back of the class? If you could go back and take one high school class again just for fun, which would it be? 

Yes, I was a front row student…for that matter, I like the front row everywhere I go!  The class I would take would be anything home economics but since they don’t teach that anymore I suppose I would lean towards coding.

3. What characteristics do you think are essential in a good teacher (this can be applied to anyone who teaches, not just classroom teachers)?

It would be nice if they would and could actually teach.  I don’t mean that negatively but everything is on computer these days and you can tell by the grades.  Teachers  in my day were hands on.  They cared whether their students were learning and not concerned with the politics of it all.  I’ve seen with my own eyes how detached most…not all…educators really are.

4.  September 2nd is National Grits Day. Have you ever eaten grits? Are you a fan? If so how do you like yours? Would people describe you as 'having grit'? 

Oh yes, I’ve eaten grits and I love them.  My favorite is either grits with red-eye gravy or with butter and shrimp.  Yum!  Yeah, people have described me as having grit - otherwise known as being stubborn as a mule!

5. What's something you're never too old or too young to enjoy? 

GRITS!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Goodbye, August...

 Hey, Hey Friends!  It is finally the 'ber months!  I hope the weather cools off to celebrate!  I haven't posted the bucket lists and ideas lately so I though I would bring in September with a few good lists!  I hope you enjoy and maybe do a thing or two.  If you would like to use the pictures simply click and save to your computer.  Happy September!

The Clothesline...

I have been using the clothesline, a lot, lately. After getting our last electric bill, I had to do something and raising the air condition to a warmer temperature just can't be done in this heat. I've always loved my clothesline. It kept me grounded for many years. One just can't get high and mighty when your drawers are hanging out for all the world to see. The clothesline became my friend during the hard times. I got a lot of thinking done out there. However, over the past couple of years, I got lazy and opted for convenience. I guess I forgot the benefits of my old friend. Not only can I get my mind clear but hanging laundry on the line but it just makes sense. It is free, makes your clothes smell fresh and clean and the sun disinfects and removes stains better than bleach, in many cases.

So, there I was, hanging the towels out to dry and I thought about all those benefits and I realized something.  The SON does the same thing for us!  He cleanses and "disinfects", His blood stains wash away all of our guilty stains and it is free for the taking.  All you have to do is hang our sins out and ask Him to cleanse you, to come into your heart and become your Lord and Savior!  Go ahead...accept that free gift!  

...the blood of Jesus, His son, cleanses us from all sin.  1 John 1:7 (NASB)

What can wash away my sins?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Shalom

 

Wednesday Hodgepodge -- August 26, '26

 It's that time of the week!  Every Wednesday, Joyce at From This Side Of The Pond, asks a few questions and bloggers from all over answer them on their own blogs.  To join in, click 👇 to go to Joyce's blog.

1. How do you feel about the transition from lazy summer days to a busier fall routine? 

I find summer way more busy than fall.  Summer is the time for gardening, vacations, children home all day(if you have kiddos around) and this thing or that thing…go, go, go.  Autumn is much slower.  I’m all about transitioning from summer to fall and this year it can’t happen soon enough.

2. Your favorite cookie? 

Hands down a good old fashioned homemade peanut butter cookie, without peanuts, will make me swoon every time.  I’m not talking about these lame 3-ingredient things they try to pass off as a cookie.  I’m talking the one your grandma made.  All the fat, all the sugar, all the yum!

3. What's something you've learned from a culture different than your own?

From the french…slow down, people watch, walk everywhere(I wish I could), and eat the dang bread and pastries.  

 

4. Food critic, film critic, book critic, art critic...which hat would you most like to wear? Tell us why. 

I don’t know that I would be good at any of those.  Well maybe food critic because I love food and I know how to cook.  I’d probably be the most hated food critic, though.

5. What's a small, random thing from your childhood that you still remember clearly? 

Running through the woods, barefoot with my hair flying every which way.  Finding the stand of small trees that grew over on one another and just knowing that it was where the fairies met for tea.  That explains a lot about me, doesn’t it?

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Have you pootled today?

Late August

It’s hard to believe it is already late August but the ever changing calendar, and the crickets chirping day and night, assures us it is indeed. 

We were blessed with a short reprieve from the brutal heat so I took full advantage and spent most of my day sitting on the back porch.  That hasn’t been possible for months because of the strange weather we have had all this year.  First, it seemed as if it would rain forever then I woke up, one morning, and it was suddenly and without warning, one of the hottest months on record.  And it hasn’t let up until today.  It will be very short lived and will be extremely hot again all next week.  

But for a little while, I enjoyed sitting on the porch with a cup of tea and a book.  In an instant, I was transported to a place that not many know of.  A place of quiet, peace, and restfulness. A place filled with love and the scent of cinnamon and flowers. A place where one feels cozy and safe. For just a moment, I sat on the porch of a small, old cottage with my faithful, furry friend right beside me. Neither one of us had a care in the world. For a bit, I was home.  At my little fairytale home of Bramblewood.   

Oh, how wonderful it is to daydream!  Even at 63 years old!  I’ve struggled to let go enough to do it these past few months, though.  I’m happy for this little dream. 

Do you daydream?  Where do you go when you allow yourself to dream? 

Wednesday Hodgepodge -- August 19, '26

 It's that time of the week!  Every Wednesday, Joyce at From This Side Of The Pond, asks a few questions and bloggers from all over answer them on their own blogs.  To join in, click 👇 to go to Joyce's blog.

1. August 19th is National Aviation Day...do you like to fly? Last time you were on an airplane? The date is chosen in honor of the history and development of aviation, and celebrated on the birthday of Orville Wright. Have you ever been to the Kitty Hawk area of North Carolina? The city of Dayton in Ohio (their birthplace)

I don’t mind flying but don’t you have to go somewhere to do it?  Ha!  The last time I was on an airplane was in 1981.  Tulsa to Salt Lake City.  I’ve been to both N.C. and Ohio but not to those towns.

2. In what area of your life do you tend to 'wing it'? Is this an area you should be winging?

I am not the “wing it” type.  Most everything I do is properly  over-analyzed.

3. A favorite book, song, or movie that relates to flight in some way?

“I’m leaving on a jetplane!  Don’t know when I’ll be back again.”  Aged myself a bit, didn’t I?   

4. Soft serve, gelato, sherbet, frozen yogurt, or good old fashioned ice cream...what's your pleasure? Your favorite flavor? How often do you indulge?

I’m that rare bird that really doesn’t like any of those.  I guess lime or pineapple sherbet would be my favorite if I ate many frozen treats. 

5. I never get tired of_____________.

Jesus and my Grandblessings 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Lawsy mercy, but it's hot.