late october fun times

This is a neat birthday story.

 To call our firstborn a beloved son as well as a friend is a privilege we do not take lightly. We are greatly blessed. Witt called his father last week and said that for his 42nd birthday he wanted to come out and cut wood. An entire day with noisy hand-held men machines cutting huge pieces of fallen trees and splitting logs with his father. His wife, Claire, being the wonderful woman and wife that she is graciously gave him that gift. He arrived at our house around 7:45 where I had prepared a full breakfast before the morning's work began in earnest.He stayed through lunch until mid afternoon. I placed a lite candle amidst the apple crisp and vanilla ice cream and we delighted in this gift that he is to us.

I do not know who enjoyed this gift the most, my son or his father. 

Then it was time to celebrate my granddaughter, who shares the same birthdate with her father.  In a style befitting a fourteen year old  that is growing in loveliness daily as even her soul is reaching toward godliness and purity in glorifying the Lord, we dressed in some of our most tea appropriate attire and headed out to an afternoon tea. In years past I have attended many afternoon tea gatherings with friends at this wonderful hotel as well as sharing precious times with my daughters there too.

But this day it was all Breanna. 

I do not know who enjoyed it the most, Breanna or me.

The weekend was upon us before we knew it and Breanna's brother came to stay a few nights. On Sunday afternoon Ivy joined us with big plans for them to play together. At first my husband tells them not to get dirty sliding by down that hill.   But after a quick second thought of remembering what he would have done if given the opportunity when he was their ages...  enough said. They had so much fun laughing and playing together. Both of them were covered in the dry dusty dirt, it reminded you of the character of Pig-Pen in the Peanuts cartoon when your attempted to brush them off!

considering all things

Titus 2:1 exhorts us, believers, to speak those things which become sound doctrine. I personally believe those things are in all things. In this space of blog world that I am given I desire to be as the woman in Titus 2, to love and value the things the LORD loves and values pertaining to everything in life. I seldom mention world events though, of course, we are all affected by them, but today I want to share this podcast  for your consideration and I pray you will take the time to listen to it, especially if you are a believer and an American citizen. I have mentioned this podcast before and I find these ladies are serious in considering how they can teach women how to go to the scriptures, how we must learn to read the Bible wholly and in context, and  to study the Word carefully and prayfully.

This particular podcast is relevant and urgent for these times. Michelle and Amy do an excellent job in regard to solid Biblical understanding on this matter of a choice to vote for who our next leader will be. They are focused and balanced but not dogmatic. When it is all done and said we can all agree that God is Sovereign over all things.

elections-and-the-freedom-to-choose

Good Drop Cottage

Perhaps ladies you would like to know a bit more about the guest house we have been refurbishing. We bought it at an auction not knowing exactly what we would do with it. We still do not though we are now using it to serve us as a Guest House. My husband, son, and I stayed there during Charlotte's wedding since the female part of the wedding party was staying at our house for several days. We've also had the privilege of a few guests staying there and are hoping it to be a welcoming place for more guests in the future.  Before I get into a few photos showing our current progress I must first share why we call it  Good Drop Ridge because the naming of everything has a definite purpose. I have explained the ridge in a previous post, but Good Drop Cottage is a very special place too. During daily Bible reading times we may have our attention and focus drawn to certain verse as was the case with Good Drop Ridge. 

Psalm 65: 10-12 says,

"Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly; Thou settlest the furrows thereof; Thou makest it with showers: Thou blessest the springing thereof.

Thou crownest the year with Thy goodness: and Thy paths drop fatness.

They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness; and the little hills rejoice on every side." (KJV)

Its beginnings.

Its middlings.

While I am showing this photo I must insert something very important about the kitchen floor.

If you go back and look at its beginning it had a 1980ish linoleum floor. I finally convinced my husband to remove it in order to have the original hardwood. One thing you must realize is that under linoleum of this time is a hard papery glue substance that is a booger to try to remove. We researched several methods and it was not looking promising...Until we discovered a simple and inexpensive way to remove it that was almost unbelievable.

You take old towels and saturate them with diet cola. Let it set overnight. The next morning you remove the towel and the gooey wipes right up without any scrapping or any fancy machine. It was amazing!

And a few photos of its endings, though we are still not completely finished.

Stayed tuned for the completed tour!

a variety of wrappings

 Autumn begins to be inferred

By millinery of the cloud

Or deeper color in the shawl

That wraps the everlasting hill.

                           ~Emily Dickinson

As I rode an hour's drive yesterday to do some necessaries in town, I beheld the initial "shawl" colors wrapping the trees alongside the road and I was greatly satisfied to see this predictable, yet not diminished, annual display of beautiful color. And even more importantly, I was truly thankful that I could be so totally satisfied in such an amazing pleasure that the Lord has given us at this time of year.

I have been occupied with harvesting a few things like the canning of pears and fermenting of peppers. Today I will go to the garden and snip some green leaves of turnips and kale to bring inside and gently cook, because fresh hardy greens are an autumn delight too in my home.

 I hope to put on my blog if not today at least by the weekend my entire blog reading list. I have enjoyed a recent jumpstart of some new homemaking type blogs and in the process a meeting new lady friends who blog.

On the sewing side, I finished the quilt that I made from my mother's nightgowns. The only part of this quilt that was not hand-sewn was the border, it was sewn on with my Janome machine. I do love any stitching done by needle, thread, thimble and my very own hands. Hand-quilting has a rhythm I especially find soothing. It now has a home on a twin bed I added to Charlotte's old bedroom for when the younger granddaughters  stay for the night.

The white-throated sparrow has returned from  the north to my neck of the woods and to hear its melodious song is pure magic. I sat outside yesterday as the late warm sunshine hued the scenery and I enjoyed it's song in the mighty oak tree.

praise Him all you people

Despite what is going on in our nation and the world His people will continue to worship Him.

"One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts." Psalm 145:4

 I thought you might be lifted up and encouraged by this video made this fall by the Worship Collective at the college Charlotte attends. She is the violinist who you see at the beginning...you glimpse her wedding ring :).

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best thought, by day or by night
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light

Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true word
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord
Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son
Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one

Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise
Thou mine inheritance, now and always
Thou and Thou only first in my heart
High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art

High King of heaven, my victory won
May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's sun
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision, O ruler of all

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision, O ruler of all

the marvel of a grape harvest

I rounded the corner into the kitchen bright and early, but not too early as breakfast had been eaten and a load of clothes were already washing. That bucket of grapes was haunting me and the little fruit flies were beginning their flight, the aroma was too sweet even for them to resist.

It was a grape jelly making day.

I wish you were here to taste its sweet fruitiness on a buttermilk biscuit! 

I am also canning some of the juice from the five pounds of grapes I was given. I discovered how simple it was. 

 Basically, after making the juice from the grapes you heavily strain it. The juice is then heated to 190 degrees and poured into the canning jars to process in a hot water bath for 5 minutes. 

 I used purple Muscadine grapes. No extra sugar needed.

after dinner leisure reading

 Through the years I have read a wealth of books aloud to my children. Excellent literature read immediately after lunch and bedside before the lights were turned off when it was time to sleep. Then there were the evenings when we would read after dinner in the living room including my husband for family read alongs. I especially remembered the Little Britches books we read through with such anticipation every evening.

Missionary stories were also a favorite during family read alongs and famous Christian biographies had a place  to be read on Sundays at the table after eating Sunday dinner.

My husband and are are alone now and  last week we began  revisiting this pleasant leisure immediately after dinner clean-up. 

Darkness falls earlier now, but being outside on the porch is pleasing so with the  overhead twinkly lights and a lamp on a wicker table by my side we read several chapters a night. This book was written in 1947 by Mrs. Gordon H. Smith, an autobiography of her family's return to Indo-China  after WWII. We are learning about this country and its history too, Indo-China was the name for Vietnam then. I  found it interesting how the authoress used her husband's name. I like it.

home again

• Maybe that’s the best part of going away for a vacation
•  — coming home again.”             
• ~Madeleine L’Engle
• I went away from home for a few days. This time it was to the shore, or beach as we call it here in the south. This time it was with six precious friends, sisters in the Lord as we think of ourselves. 
• 
• Our days began early at sunrise.
• And would end beyond sunset.

 In between there was much talking and eating and walking the beach. Fun times to fellowship and make memories being together. We had quite a few other things we considered doing, some of those things we did actually do and others things we let simply slip away.

Some stayed the entire week while others, like me, left after a few days. 

I find the veracious quote above to border all of my comings and my goings, whatever my season of life.

interested in podcasts?

 On this last day of September I fervently desired to share several podcasts I enjoy listening to on a regular basis.  Some might be on a youtube platform, yet for the most part overall they are for listening to for enjoyment, for gaining insights and for being encouraged. I especially appreciate these godly women for the good content they bring forth with the added bonus of allowing me the opportunity to listen while I go about fulfilling my homemaking role in the home.

These are not listed in any manner of preferential order. 

Home Living

A Word Fitly Spoken

The Art of Home

Tea Time Tuesday

I will be out of town for most of the week and my computer will not travel with me. I look forward to returning and catching up with you all.

the grape harvest

"We should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, if it is only picking grapes and sorting laundry."

E.B.White

 

Our friend, the clock maker,  has a vineyard and today was the first day of the grape harvest. As I walked down the rows of grapevines that were heavy with ripe grapes, I inhaled the deliciously sweet and fruity smell of those grapes

Because of the damp and somewhat drizzly morning, I exited the vineyard rather wet, but my feet were more tired from my rubber boots than anything. I would walk to empty my little blue bucket into the larger containers that sat on the gator in the middle of the rows of vines. A few yellow jackets would fly around me, but other than that it was a source of joy to be there picking grapes.

 

Then I came home to sort the laundry I had begun earlier in the morning.

September tapestry

The work of Edmund Blair Leighton was brought to my attention once again and what a pleasure it is to observe his beautiful artwork. He was an English painter of the mid-to-late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

This one is called September.

Enjoy!