(grandpa’s old barn)

The north wind brings forth rain,
and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

It is better to live in a corner of the housetop 
than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.

Like cold water to a thirsty soul,
so is good news from a far country.

Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain
is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked.

It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it glorious to seek one’s own glory.

A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.

Proverbs 25:23-28

Good morning, friends, how in the world are you?

Imagine!  God’s many numerous good things are all around us, oh to have the eyes to see them, really see them!  Even on the “down” days we are going UP UP UP, on our way to glory land.  Eternal life is NOW, it starts now, never to end……..as believers we have so much hope, it’s hard sometimes to keep our minds focused on the wonderful promises of God, but nevertheless they are there in the Bible, they are real and never changing.  Isn’t it incredible to have security in an unchanging Father?  He always loves us, always cares for us, always holds us in his mighty hands.

My parents have a nice pumpkin patch, we all visited it and “blessed the pumpkins” by giving them a nice pat, you can’t help but want to touch them because they have very smooth looking skins.  I especially love the photo of son David using one as a pillow.

cousins

From a distance, the pumpkin patch.  My prediction is that it will be even bigger next year.

Back at home now, Gentleman Gray is wondering where his friend Snickers is.  Snickers has been missing for a week and we are all beginning to worry.  They keep coming to me and asking about him, but so far there is no news, no letter, no message, no sign.

*sigh* I hate losing cats.  My guess is that the smell of skunk was too much for him.

Speaking of which, the house is smelling much better.  What a relief.  (Now if the dryer would stop screeching….)  Parker the dog is still smelly so he spends most of his day outdoors in the fresh air.

The garden is still producing tomatoes and my favorite way to eat them…….

……is generously placed on toasted & buttered Pepperidge Farm white bread, with salt and pepper (more pepper than salt).  Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

I also made a banana bread.  (Grace’s favorite, turns out Michael likes it, too).

“I can see you!” I remarked to the amusing Grasshopper.  He shifted and twitched.  Being upside down is not a safe place to be if your legs are your number one escape mechanism.

Ah much better.

I looked & looked without touching and he never did jump away.  I think he liked me, too, but most likely he was scared out of his wits.

These are a most wondrous scented wild flower.

I looked it up in my wildflowers book:  nothing.
I looked it up online by googling CT wildflowers, yellow:  nothing
I looked it up again online, using the name of what I thought it was, “morning primrose”:  found it!

Its common names are: Evening Primrose (I was close), Evening Star, or Sundrop.

Wikipedia has a very interesting article about it here.

delightful.  You can smell them before you even get close to them.

And then I decided to pick a pink bouquet.

“It isn’t what you have in your pocket that makes you thankful, but what you have in your heart.” ~ Author Unknown

My heart.

Seth is holding the “tough guy ball” which looks JUST like a coffee bean, and is rewarded to a player after every practice.  The player takes it home for the night and then returns it at the next practice.

Look how handsome he is.  I tie his string and buckle his buckles and then bend down to double knot his cleats.  He looks around as I fuss, ignoring me as I adoringly serve him.  It is an honor for us both but only I am conscious of it.

We arrived at the field’s parking lot for practice and as he briskly took his helmet out of the back of the car, I closed the truck and turned to him to say goodbye, “Have a nice practice, Seth!  Give me a kiss.”  (the test–to see if he would kiss me in front of his friends, I wouldn’t mind if he didn’t.  In fact, I was sure he would wouldn’t.)

Without hesitation, he came over close and gave me a quick, distracted kiss on the arm.  (lip height).  Like of course it was the most natural thing in the world to kiss mama before running off to football practice.

My heart.

**********

I have a song that Jesus gave me,
It was sent from heav’n above;
There never was a sweeter melody,
‘Tis a melody of love.

In my heart there rings a melody,
There rings a melody with heaven’s harmony;
In my heart there rings a melody,
There rings a melody of love.

~Elton Menno Roth~