MEN

i was at the grocery store the other day and wanted some 'sun porch' reading, so i picked up a copy of mother earth news.

okay. wow. this magazine is just up my alley :) yeah, sure, there are some hippy dippy things about global warming, and plants being on the same par as humans, that don't jive with my beliefs exactly.

however, it's been a long time since i read a whole magazine cover to cover. i now feel good about not using pesticides in my garden, because that makes me cool. i also have a shopping guide for how to pick the best garden hoe. and when i get time, i am most certainly going to look into getting my guinea chicken coop set up, and building my yurt retreat in the mountains/trees!




sigh. i decided to order a subscription. hopefully, it is compostable :))

and yes, life is good.

earth, wind and fire

EARTH

it started bright and early saturday morning, with a short road trip to montrose, and a whole gang ready to 'pick rock' for anne's flower garden. even though i brought my camera, i never take pictures of actual people. rani has some nice ones on her blog, though.

it was actually quite easy, once rani's husband stepped in and led us to the perfect rock pile. still, rocks are a bit cumbersome. i think my favorite quote came from anne, as she was assessing her ability to pick up a fairly huge boulder: "oh, the light colored ones are LIGHT."

he he. above is my little momento, i spotted his sparkly orangeness from a distance, and anne graciously shared her bounty with me.

WIND

then, saturday night, after 2 days of extreme humidity and a 'heaviness' in the air, the sky finally let loose. the storm was fairly huge. i stood under my stoop (i always like to be outside in thunderstorms) and watched the trees bend and sway in almost cartoon-like fashion. i spotted loco, my outside kitty, bedraggled and afraid, and led him to shelter under my lilac bush. i waited patiently for the 2.5 hours that i was out of power, and thought "wow, how weird to actually have no tv/internet/phone to distract" and i prayed that God would protect all the little creatures, plant and animal, that i have come to love so much.


ps. He did :)

FIRE

then, sunday morning it was 'up' for church. i really was on autopilot, and not having much expectation of the service.

WOW. i guess God had other plans. the Holy Spirit showed up in full force during worship, it was just a really neat time together as a church. i sometimes wish i had more words for how this feels to me. let's just say that words lack to describe the experience.

however, if i were to try, i will say i experienced actual physical sensation of the Spirit's presence. at first, i was thinking it was kind of like the 'pop' of drinking a carbonated beverage, although it was all over my body...then, as i contemplated what God had done later in the day, i visualized a campfire, the sparks 'dancing' in a fire, and that in fact we were the sparks, our Spirits combining with God to create a unique, creative, explosive event that God had planned ahead for us. all we (church) did was show up with open hearts. i wish that you all had been there. i was overwhelmed, tears came and i just love that i love God, and that He loves me. whew.





how can a normal monday ever top that?!
oh well. i plan to have a fabulous one, anyway ;)) i hope you do, too!

coming to a blog near you

ROCKFEST 2010

stay tuned for details.

my check up

so, i guess i need to tell you guys about how much i am lovin' the new church. there are a couple things to love.

1 people that i know (already) and some that i want to know more.
2 a feeling of excitement on sunday morning that has been missing for the last couple of years.
3 chances to serve in my inbox every week - this week, i signed up for the booth we will have at both 'jazzfest' and 'hot harley nights' - yay for getting out into the community and not just talking about it or thinking about it, which is usually where i end up.
4 yesterday, when i got home from a kind of stressful 2-hour meeting about the whole rest of my life, i had a great message in my inbox. it's here if you want to read it/download it (on the top of the page, called summer spiritual check up).

i know to call on God during the day. and sometimes, i do. but this little pdf reminded me that God waits for me each day. and i go to Him not to 'get' something when i need it, but to BE with the God of the Universe. for relationship. the reason i am here. not the things that are going on that scare me or unsettle me, although those things become less obvious in the face of the One who came for me.

i loved this line from the pdf:

Stop. Rest. Delight. Contemplate.

which i did, right then. and which i plan to do today, and tomorrow.

God, You are so good to us! You know the plans You have for us, You know our hearts and our weaknesses. You go before us each and every day, and we worship You for the Strong Tower in our lives that you are. You are what matters most. You are our future, and our present. You are our hope and our delight. You are. thank You for reminding me of that yesterday, and thank You for mercy church, a place that encourages us to go deeper with You, and to find You as we seek You.


amen! happy hump day, ya'll.

refining fire

as i go thru a little bit of a tenuous time over here on the back forty, i was glad for this short story in my inbox last night. it reminds me once again that God uses our most vulnerable moments for His good, and knows far more than us about how much we can take, and more importantly what we NEED to have refined ... thank you for today, Lord, bring it on :)


Malachi 3:3 says: 'He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.' This verse puzzled some women in a bible study, as they wondered what the statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next bible study. That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: ' He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.' She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, 'How do you know when the silver is fully refined?' He smiled at her and answered, ' Oh, that's easy – when I see my image in it.' If today you are feeling the heat of the fire , remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

i know, i know

you were wondering when i was going to post some garden pics :)) ha. sorry, they kind of jump into the camera! i am weird.

gazanias

big pot of pleasure (basil)

my old sweet jackmanii clematis

a new baby - red bee balm

queen anne's lace
(growing in all the wrong places)

prairie mallow
(also not cooperating with the plan)

summer sweetness

momma bunny.
tonite, i saw one of her babies.
he was so cute i could have licked him.
not really, but he WAS cute.

so-ugly-it's-kind-of-cool garage sale find.
the green paint came when i got it home.

flower of the day/week.
lots of purpleness.
and my very fave annabelle hydrangeas.
it's their time to be the star of the show.

drink o' summer
(courtesy the walsh clan in st. paul):

the french soda:
ice
sparkling water
splash of half and half
splash of coffee liqueur (hazelnut, yum)


yum.


topped with unexpected visits from friends.
and a bit of weeding.
and a nice, long nap.

sigh. isn't summer the BEST?! i could not love a day more than today, i don't think.

happy saturday!

friday fowl

one sunny day

makes up for nine rainy days....

yes, yeS, YES

after NINE days straight that involved RAIN, it looks like a SUNNY day! woo hoo!

i hope this guy likes the new turn of events enough to quadruple in size or so!

the next big thing

okay, i might be on to something big here.



i have finally assembled THIS thing that has been in my garage since last fall when i got it really, really cheap at Sams. and i'm kind of not sure what to do next.


so i was thinking i would buy one of these.


and lots of lots of these. so that i can shred the bags and compost them!








or not. i tell ya what, this being a natural girl in a manufactured world in not as easy as one might think :)

rain, rain

i admit i am more than a little ready for the rain to stop. it's actually been a blessing, because the ground has been kind of dry overall for the year. but, 4" in june alone means lots of grey days. we all know how THOSE go around here :))

anyway, things seem calm and good. i am hoping the severe storms stay away. i hate to see uprooted trees and ruined nature. i hope everyone is able to get things cleaned up (rani, thinking of you!).



i did get a nice little package on the doorstep when i got back from st. paul. it's my cool recycled lantern. i fought with myself over whether to indulge in it (obviously lost. or won. depending on how you look at it). my electricity is for some reason not working in the sun porch, so this will be my alternative. i cannot tell you how much i love beautiful things made out of old things. well, maybe i can. this is gorgeous and so intricate and pretty. i guess i will be looking for metal snippers in the future ;)

here's to a sunny day, either in your heart or your world. happy Monday!

heading off to a glamour-filled weekend in a far away land. 3 guesses who is going to miss me the most?!


see ya'll next week :)

wordle wednesday

now go make one for yourself :))
happy wednesday!

up on the roof

i have been thinking about my roof for several days now, because last week i attempted to fix a leak by using tar and some other fine ace hardware products.

it has rained some, and THANK GOODNESS no leak yet, although there is still a fairly big one to fix in my garage.

i am at once amazed that a middle-aged fat girl can fix a roof, yet wondering why i waited so long to do something so easy?!

anyway, James, Carole and i will be going up there again, for sure ;)

yay!

whew. blogger has been down all day, and i have been feeling like my tongue was missing :)) perhaps that is not such a bad thing.

it's just that i have things to share.

like her.


she is my little sweet buddy that likes her 'perch' that carey gave her for christmas. notice how afraid of me she seems to be! i know that i am the crazy lady who talks to all the cats/dogs/bunnies/snakes/squirrels/bugs in the neighborhood, but i SWEAR, they kind of know me. they do. just go with me on this one. look at her, and tell me i'm a liar :)

oh.
and i SO NEED TO SHARE the recipe for corn and black bean salad that i made this weekend.


from rachael ray. who i have an urge to dislike, which i cannot really figure out. but she knows how to make corn and black bean salad, that is for sure.

oh, oh!

except that i go crazy, and substitute about 1/4 cup of zesty italian dressing in for the lime juice and olive oil. and then add a splash or 2 of lime juice just to be sure. and i use sea salt.

oh, and i didn't use hot sauce in there. and i DID put a little green pepper in mine too, cause it is pretty.

so really, it's okay to not like rachael ray either, because this is more my recipe. tell people that, if you want to :)

make some! serve it with a side of tortilla chips and SEE if i am not onto something big!

hiding

meet my new little buddy. yesterday, he was sitting on the front step. today, he is hanging out in the side garden.

yes. he knows how to fly. but i think he wants to get to know me better instead :))

for carey

Autumn Joy Sedum

Gallardia

Echinacea (Coneflowers)

Black-eyed Susans

Bee Balm

here's what i think you should plant this weekend, in addition to lots of crazy grasses!!

:))

what have i gotten myself into?

just this morning i am making a promotional postcard to advertise a series of webinars that i am helping to develop. i have a feeling that i will be asking for prayers around august 17th, because to be quite honest....

i don't know how to do a webinar :))

he he.

thrifty goodness

i feel like i am missing out, because i have yet to go to one garage sale this spring. actually, i am kind of worried to go, because i am afraid i'll find stuff i love. i don't really need more stuff.

but yesterday, carey and i had a fabulous early afternoon meeting that did not last too long. somehow, i gave myself permission to dally all afternoon, because the meeting went well. i think i still have 'vacation head,' to be honest.

anyway. i stopped at my trusty VOA thrift store, and did find some treasure i have been wanting/needing.


vintage plates with states on them. i kind of started being fascinated with these about a year ago. i have a small collection now, and i actually am just using them as saucers on my succulents and house plants. you don't get to see the wonderfulness of the graphic that way, but perhaps someday i will find a spot to hang them on a wall. in the meantime, it's more economical to spend 50 cents or a dollar for a plate, than $2.99 for a plastic thing to put under plants. JUSTIFIED.


i also was really happy to find a whole (almost) box of beautiful stationery. wouldn't it be great to send more handwritten notes to people? i LOVE the box on this one. so much so, i would have bought the empty box :) but the stationery is sweet, too. there are 4 different scriptures and wonderful little drawings, all printed in the fab color combo of hunter green and brown. i hope i don't think they are too pretty to use ;))

happy day, all!