Be Ye Glad

I penned a little note this morning to send away to my sewing friend thanking her for hosting our Sewing Group just this past Saturday in her gracious home. I knew it must be put into the mailbox before noon to go out. I opened the screen door and I noticed that it was steadily raining.  Always clinging to the adage that" I am not made of sugar, I won't melt", I confidently opened my umbrella and headed down the graveled driveway. The sharp pitter-patter of the raindrops hitting my umbrella and the rain's nervous tapping on the tree's leaves along with the abrasive crunching of my sandals on the gravel filled me with marvelous sound/word pictures.  I was reminded of how I once read that Laura Ingalls Wilder in her Little House series learned this art as a young girl while describing the prairie to a blind Mary. 

We have become accustomed to movies, videos, and YouTube channels showing us everything,  leaving us with little or no  imagination needed to fill in the gaps. Have you ever read a book, then later watch the movie version of that book? How different was it from the pictures you had developed in your brain? Did the characters look similar, were the rooms described in your own mind the same as those depicted in the movie? And this can function the other way as well. You may watch a movie and then read the book. How influenced are you by the characters developed in the movie? Did you imagine them basically the same way? Did you continue with the movie's character images, its  furniture, houses, streets, and location?

Early this morning I went outside and the refrain of this 1987 song came to my mind,

Oh, be ye glad
Oh, be ye glad
Every debt that you ever had
Has been paid up in full
By the grace of the Lord
Be ye glad, be ye glad, be ye glad

I owned this CD back when I was a younger woman and I am extremely glad every time I sing it thinking about what He had purchased for me.

"I will rejoice and be glad in Thee: I will sing praise to Thy name, O Thou most high."  Psalm 9:2

an ordinary place

                                                                        

This is a day

when the road neither

comes nor goes, and the way 

is not a way but a place.

                                              -Wendell Berry

I love the ordinary. I love place, the place I call home, my home with all its carrying-ons, duties, and daily substance. And the many days when I do stay at home this place grounds me, matures me, and provides hours of ordinary flourishing in so many ways.

 I personally stress the making of lists and the hand-written recordings of diurnal events and happenings scribbled within the pages of my daily journal entries. Therefore, when I come to the end of a busy day at home, my place, I know without a shadow of turning the deep soul satisfaction fostered from the achievements of this place and consequently of the upmost importance it holds.

                                                               

                                                           

                                       

                                      

for the love of trees

 There is an old Joni Mitchell song that goes "They paved paradise and put in a parking lot". For the nineteen years we lived in the suburbs  we will attest to that truth as being central in our desire to leave the suburbs and move back to the country. We watched the approaching changes get closer and closer, taking out the woods and creeks and putting in roads and houses. I understand perfectly, people need homes to live in and as the town grows, more land must be developed and houses must be built.

Now we reside in the country, loving the deep woods, open fields, and picturesque ridges. We own 34 acres where our home sits, and 3.5 acres across the street where our guest house is located. Since we moved here three years ago we could compose our own song that goes something like this..."The trees grew big and they called in the timber men...". So many areas around us have been timbered, and we were even contacted about having our trees timbered too.

Just the incessant noise of the large machines that take down one hundred year old trees is stressful enough, though fascinating to see the power of those wheeled machines, but to see the changes in landscape and watching the wildlife scamper and stand puzzled takes a stout heart indeed.

We wanted to buy more land around the guest house, but in the process of contacting the land owner, we discovered she was already under contract to have the land timbered. Grace filtered through, remarkably so because the logging company agreed to sell us some of the trees in the places where our property borders close to the timbering. But trees come with a high price tag, however, we were able to buy all the land as timbered, which goes for a less price. Therefore, the "timbered" land we are purchasing  in the long run we feel was an equal weight exchange overall.

Now for a few extra things to share this last day in July. Everywhere I go I hear people hardly believing July is ending, how about you?

I have been wanting to share a blog post from Under An English Sky. Shirley, a former homeschooling mother, writes an encouraging and inspiring blog and I for one anticipate her book when it is published. When I first read this particular writing, it was as if she had been reading my heart and mind. I had struggled with what I had been witnessing in our culture, and though I do little social media, what would sometimes pop up on my YouTube feeds from homemaking sites I actually acknowledged as spurious created home living.

Slow Living Today Is an Attitude, Not a Dress Code

A slow, intentional life is still very much achievable in 2025. It’s about your mindset—pausing, choosing what matters, and sometimes saying no to good things to make room for the best ones. ~Shirley

Isn’t Romanticising About Deeper Meaning?

The phrase taps into something universal—a longing to reject superficiality and embrace authenticity, simplicity, and connection—the very depths we feel placed in our hearts by our Creator. That’s beautiful. But chasing it through staged aesthetics? That’s another story.~Shirley

visits, burgers, and limelights

Charlotte and Issac are in that season of life that invites changes and sometimes those opportunities and changes can happen quickly. But then we have been praying for the Lord to lead and guide, and for His will  to be done in their lives. In the middle of some major changes they were able to visit for a few days.

I found the most remarkable burger recipe and if you like burgers, and I mean big burgers, then you might want to try this recipe. My husband purchased a
gas grill this summer so he has enjoyed grilling despite the heat and threats of thunder storms. This burger will be memorable and especially popular with the men, young and old! Women  like it too but might only be able to eat one-half of this whopper burger. I actually made my buns too.

The recipe is on Youtube, not her blog. You can go and watch all the little details regarding the recipe, but I will give an ingredient list and the simple process to see if you might like to go and listen to the video.

Hamburger meat, salted, peppered with dash of Worcestershire Sauce

Flatten 1/3 cup of raw meat between parchment paper and fill one patty side with onions and cheese, or whatever you might like. We had some that wanted onions and cheese and some only wanted cheese.

Gently scoop up the other patty and place on top of the filled part, pinch to close.

Take the burger and put on top of two pieces of criss-crossed bacon, tooth picking the bacon together.

Grill until done. 

And today I wanted to say a few words about my Limelight Hydrangeas. First of all I must declare I do love hydrangeas, any variety. Yet limelights are unequivocally my all time favorite at the present.  These bushes around my patio are three years old. I prune them late winter using the 1/3 or 2/3 cutting back ratio, I pruned mine 2/3 this past year. One produces more blooms, yet smaller, the other encourage larger blooms but less of them. I hit the jack pot and had the best of both on my bushes. A bounteous display of large blooms.

 I  am able to adorn my dining room table with these flowers  for weeks. Their fragrance has become even sweeter with the humid heat.

It is a gardener's joy to have flowers to cut and bring inside all summer long. 

a sunflower tale, part 2

Remembering my woeful sunflower tale back in June, I could not wait to share my sunflowers that bloom along the back vegetable garden fence.

Sunflowers in sunlight.

"Ah sunflower, weary of time

Who countest the steps of the sun

Seeking after that sweet golden clime

Where the travellers journey is done”

– Ah! Sunflower, a sunflower poem by William Blake

while the canner jiggles...

Finding myself committed to my kitchen lately as I can vegetables, I like to listen to certain podcasts. I have lately gleaned much enjoyment while listening to Classical Et Cetera from Memoria Press. 

Because I intentionally choose to read Great Books every year I've enjoyed several of their episodes on that topic. 

Then please share your reading habits.

blueberry morning

Bright and early after a heavy night's rainfall my friend and I donned our rubber boots and enjoyed the bounty of these marvelous blueberry bushes. I  felt rather like a bear as I munched along while picking.

There are four very long rows of berries in this field. We always begin our first pickings on the lower limbs, but by the end of the season we will be toting along our ladders to reach those berries high on the top branches of the bushes..

Some are already in the freezer, many being kept in the refrigerator for eating, and six cups will go into this Rustic Blueberry Tart dessert I will serve tomorrow night when company comes for dinner.

*And, as many of you know John MacArthur went home to be with the Lord this week. I've enjoyed listening to all the tributes online given to this Faithful Servant of the Lord as I go about pickling and canning in my kitchen. Mrs. White wrote a beautiful post you may read on her blog. 

So many posts, so little time...perhaps your "song" too?  I have missed being here posting, reading and commenting on all your posts. Alas, there is a formulated plan to record the rewards of my lovely July. So stay tune if you would like...

bountiful living comes in many ways

"A person who is growing a garden, if he is growing it organically, is improving a piece of the world". -        -Wendell Berry

Monday morning and the garden has yielded baskets of fresh produce. It is happening all over again, the same rewarding story every summer. Back in the spring we sowed  all those little seeds into the soil anticipating a harvest. The harvest is just getting strong. 

 The final harvest for the lettuce and beets. I pulled all the lettuce because it becomes too bitter in the mid summer's heat and  all the beets just needed to be pulled out of the ground for storage. They will store in the refrigerator for quite some time.

Tomatoes are coming in strong now, we even had our first BLT this weekend. The little cherry ones are ripening too.

Potatoes, most of them dug; they did so much better in the raised beds on the side of the house this year. What a satisfying chore is digging potatoes if done early enough in the day!

Peppers, though the heat will affect them for a spell, I have been trying to pull the large ones.

And the blackberries... are as jewels on the vine, our first year!

This past Saturday, my daughter stopped by for afternoon tea. She called saying that is what she wanted to do. I was honored. I brewed a pitcher of hibiscus tea, added mint syrup and a slice of lime, served iced. Very Refreshing.I had whipped up a batch of banana chocolate-chip muffins to serve alongside pieces of fresh cut-up peach.

“As far as her mom was concerned, tea fixed everything. Have a cold? Have some tea. Broken bones? There's a tea for that too. Somewhere in her mother's pantry, Laurel suspected, was a box of tea that said, 'In case of Armageddon, steep three to five minutes'.” 
― Aprilynne Pike, Illusions

Meet Knox, her dog.

And we had a front row seat to observe the hummingbirds.

while the peaches preserve...

  "Come to the summer, to the summer we will come"

                                                                 ~John Clare

A storm is brewing, and I am here on a  semi-dark storm infused afternoon with one ear listening to the hot water bath canner, jars of peaches I am preserving for the pantry. Quarts...25 minutes.

It has begun raining hard now, the raindrops splattering my windows creating designs on the glass. I hear it falling despite the steady sound of the canner. A summer's day storm...it will pass as quickly as it has arrived.

My Potager:

The garlic harvest was successful this year. I love the names of the hard-necked garlic I grew as much anything...Majestic, Music, and Burgundy. 

Two years ago I visited a local lavender farm and brought home two white lavender plants known as "Edelweiss". This year they have become a beautiful addition to the back garden.

The English Lavender continues to thrive by the back steps and I always hesitate to cut the full blooming wands. The bees love it so and it is gorgeous and a joy to brush against,  but the pruning only gives more blooms and helps the plant to continue to put more energy into being a healthy plant.

There are huge magnolia trees on this property, and I mean huge! Some of the blooms are way up high in the air on those trees, but there are so many reachable blooms on many of the trees that are regularly cut and carefully placed into a vase of water where they will open and exude one of the sweetest smells of summer.

A  Sunflower Garden Disappointment

"Who knows what may lie around the next corner? There may be a window somewhere ahead. It may look out on a field of sunflowers.”
– Joe Hill

Or Not!

 Still remembering the morning in late April that I sowed the seeds dreaming big of a small field of sunflowers I hoped to enjoy this year, as I have in previous years. The first photo is the deer's first visit, the second their next visit and it has continued to nary a thriving sunflower left now. I was not to be daunted I replanted between the rows...we will see. Not hopeful at the moment. Yet, we do have some tall straight reaching to the sky sunflowers planted around the vegetable fence...

The peaches are out of the canner now. The storm stopped taking with it the humidity, the sun came out bright, now it is raining steadily. I am on the back porch watching the hummingbird...

I realize most of this post is about parts of my flower garden. I will report more on the vegetable garden another time. It is loving the recent rains! But we are now having to be vigilant about the Japanese beetles that my husband literally saw fly in this past Saturday.

I will briefly state I finished reading Christy, by Catherine Marshall. Back in my high school days I read this book and I remember it making an impact on my young life. It is still a very good read. Highly recommend. My husband enjoyed me telling him some of the happenings in this book.

Thank you all for reading and commenting when you are able!  Blessings!

a very special day...one year ago

Saturday, June 8, 2024                     59 degrees, sunny                                                                             

     The Day...it is beautiful. It is perfect... specially ordered.

Later...

    She got married and it was absolutely, wonderfully good.

Some photos of what we were doing last year on this very day.

the journal continues...

     On the front porch overlooking the ridge sipping my first cup of hot coffee. Words. At the present the words are scampering, not able to be spoken or even recorded here in this journal as I would prefer. They are just felt. Many things hidden in the heart, digging, delving deep, to settle a bit. Too much to take in all at one time. Much like a garden dream, the mature garden I hope to have one day, a touch of beautiful senses every single place you set your eyes...

I look up and I pray to my Lord, with tears. S0 very thankful. SO full of the riches of His marvelous grace, enduring mercy, and steadfast faithfulness.

It was under a tall, stately oak tree she married that June day of 2024, just liked she had planned. It was a worship service where hymns of praise were sung and prayers were lifted up before the giving of the vows.

And then we celebrated with a wedding feast... her style... with family, friends, food and dancing.

And all too soon, it was time for the new Mr. And Mrs... to leave together, wedded.

“You have been the last dream of my soul.”

 - Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

In my Journal...

I can not get one beautiful picture off my swirling mind- the beaming brightness of my daughter's face as she walked down the aisle with her father- flowers in her hair- and all.