Gateway to Joy

For years my family have teased me about my planner.  Of course, I really can't blame them.  I sometimes think I can have borderline obsessive compulsive disorder and one way it can make itself known is through my planner. I have been known to write something down that I already accomplished, just so I can check it off!  But the few times I have gotten out of the habit of using it, I found that I just "spun my wheels", feeling disorganized, disoriented and discouraged.  So, even though I get teased mercilessly about it, I continue to write down each little task I want to accomplish the next day.  There is one danger though, and that is to become too engrossed in pursuit of that little check mark!

This morning I started out my morning in my usual way, walking Mark to the shop, filling his water pitchers, looking for any tickets I needed to take to the house and so on.  Mark started walking around picking up tools and saying what a mess he had out there, how many tools he was missing and the more he talked the more stressed his voice sounded.  I helped him pick up a few things, but my main objective was getting out of there and getting back to the house to start on the "list".  I said, "Well, maybe we should get up early on Monday mornings and we could come out and clean for a couple hours each week."  Then I finally stopped and listened to that still small voice telling me he's feeling stressed today, he needs my help today.  So, I took a couple hours and helped him put up some tools, and straightened his office.  I still think the Monday idea is a good one, but when I stopped to remember that my biblical role as a wife is to be my husband's helper, I saw that he needed some help and some company right then, not several days later!

I have always loved Elisabeth Elliot www.elisabethelliot.org and her writings.  She always says that one of the ways we serve God is to "die to self" and the way we do that is to do the thing we should do instead of the thing we  want to do, (with a cheerful attitude)  It always amazes me though, when ever I do that, the thing I ought to do becomes the thing I want to do.  I actually enjoyed helping Mark clean this morning and there wasn't a single thing on my list that I would have rather been doing. Another Elisabeth quote "Anything, if offered to God, can and will become your gateway to joy"  Even something as simple and easy as cheerfully helping clean a shop, cheerfully cooking dinner, cheerfully wiping a little nose a dozen times a day, cheerfully reading the ABC library book again, cheerfully_______________ you fill in your "gateway to joy!"

DEER - not Dear!

Mark and I were just heading out to the local garage sales yesterday when we got a call from son-in-law Ryan.  They were on their way to Lexi's volleyball tournament when a deer got in their way and their old Suburban was history.  We told them to sit tight, we would be there soon.  Calls were made to locate a car trailer, Mark took off with it to bring the "Burb" home and I followed in another pickup, feeling so badly for them as we knew getting another vehicle was not in their plans.

Once we got there, along with lots of grandbaby hug's, we got the scoop on how it all went down.  Seems Ryan was talking to Karen and had glanced over at her when she instinctively put her hands across her six month pregnant tummy and loudly said "Deer!"  Ryan kept looking at her and said "What?"    "DEER!"  She yelled and he again asked "WHAT?"  He said he was worried she was going into premature labor because she kept holding her stomach yelling "Dear".  Of course by that time it was too late and when it was all said and done and the Burb had come to a halt in the ditch, Ryan looked at her and said "Oh my gosh Karen, what did I just hit!!!!!???" I guess she calmly looked at him and deadpan replied  "Deer - the same word I've been yelling at you for the last quarter mile!"

But they are a couple who don't sweat the small stuff, or even the big stuff.  Even though it sure wasn't what they would have chosen, they knew all that mattered was no one was hurt, (except the deer) any vehicle can be replaced, and Karen now has a great story to tell on Ryan. We got the Burb loaded and the kids car seats exchanged into our pickup, we headed home with the Burb and they headed off in the pickup to go vehicle hunting.  And if it ever happens again, hopefully Karen will have enough time to yell out "Large brown mammal standing in the road!"

Long Live Our Latest Fad!

My four girls and I tend to mimic each other. When one gets into something, we all do!  Calls go out about what we discovered that really works and we all have to try it.  We've gone on exercise binges together, money saving binges together, and organization binges together.  Our latest "fad", as my husband calls it, was couponing.  Stacie showed us how we could get a lot of groceries for free or a few cents using coupons and watching the sales and we were all hooked.  We scrambled around trying to find as many newspapers as possible, then spent hours upon hours cutting and organizing the coupons we had.  Preparing a shopping list, instead of a few minute ordeal, could easily turn into a couple hour ordeal.  We stuck with it a few months, but then we started realizing how much of it was pure D junk food that we were bringing home.  Slowly we realized, no matter how much we saved, this was not the way we wanted to spend our time or the way we wanted to eat.  Even though each of us have enough free toothpaste to last us the rest of our lives, no one was more glad to see that phase leave than us!  Now, on to the next one............

And that is healthy eating.  We are all learning what the healthiest most natural foods are, how to find them, how to cook them, and how to get our families to eat them.  I've told my husband that this isn't one of our fads, this one will last!  He just laughs and says "We'll see".  Who can blame him?  Heck, we all laugh at ourselves!  But..........I really think this one is a keeper.  Jamie went to whole, natural foods about a month before we did, and she was able to lose the ten pounds that have plagued her ever since her last baby.  The others are learning just how much fun they are having cooking and serving their family good, wholesome meals that they feel really good about.  Karen pretty much started this trend when she started a private group on FB about healthy eating and it just exploded with people wanting to learn also.  We have a couple people on there who are very knowledgeable and have given us loads of information.  I know I have learned some things, that are quite honestly, completely different than what doctors have told us.  Since I have a husband who is a cardiac patient, I didn't just believe everything that I saw, but having checked it out and researched it, I found that most everything new we were learning is fact.  And then I read an article by Dr. Oz, a cardiologist himself, who validated all of the things I had been questioning, like the benefits of whole dairy products and coconut oil.  I've learned that when you take all the fat out of milk and other dairy products, you are left with too high a concentration of natural sugars which interacts in a potentially harmful way with your insulin.  And that the fat in butter is a lot better for you than the fat in margarine and it has nutrients like vitamins A & D instead of just being empty calories.  And that coconut oil, once thought to be the worst possible saturated fat known to mankind is actually full of nutrients that majorly boost your immune system, and in countries that use a lot of coconuts and coconut oil there is hardly any cardiovascular disease.  BUT, the most important thing is MODERATION!  Such a hard concept to grasp on to!  But, I have found, that when I know that what I am using is high in fat, I pay attention to how much I am using and portion size whereas when I was using low or no fat, I didn't.  

 I do have to admit, eating this way does make me feel better and have more energy.  And feeding Mark whole, unprocessed foods, and paying attention to what we are eating feels a lot better than worrying about what I've been feeding him that might be clogging up that "Oh so precious" new plumbing in his heart!   So here's to our latest "fad" - may it live a long and healthy life!

Poisonous Watermelon Vines?

 Almost thirty years ago, I came down with the most horrible case of poison ivy.  I got it from helping cut and load firewood that unbeknownst to us was full of the stinkin' vines in the summer, but since it was winter we didn't notice it.  One would think that since they were dead they wouldn't be potent, but since we were cutting into them -  they were!  There was not an inch on my upper body that was not covered with it!  The doctor had me come into his office every night for a shot and to see how I was doing.  The only reason he didn't admit me in the hospital was because I was exclusively nursing a four month old baby, which wasn't easy in the condition I was in!  My mother stayed with us and took care of both me and the kids.  Once I finally recovered though, there was a silver lining, I learned what every single poisonous plant in our area looks like and I stay a mile away from anything that even remotely resembles one.  So the dreaded, torturous rash was just a bad memory from the past.

Until a couple weeks ago.  And the worst part is, I have no idea where I got it!  I have been nowhere other than my own yard and garden.  Thankfully, it never went anywhere but my lower legs, but that just adds to the puzzle.  If Mark had gotten into it and I got it off his clothes, I would have had it on my arms.  That morning, I had waded through our watermelon and cantalope vines looking for melons and they came up about knee high, but who has ever heard of poisionous melon vines?!?  I tried to stay sensible about it, telling myself there has to be an explanation, but I would go out to the garden and feel a blade of grass, a leaf, or a weed touch my leg and literally run back to the house in a panic.

I took it for a week, treating myself with all the home remedies that I knew of, but it kept getting worse and spreading.  I looked on the internet for other home remedies.  One said to scrape all the blisters open, wipe it down with bleach and then rub salt in the wounds!  I thought, Yeah, Right!  I could also pour gunpowder on my legs and set them on fire but I don't think I'm quite that desperate yet!  Finally after much prodding from kids and hubby I went to the doctor.  After being put on Prednisone I started seeing improvement right away.   Why do we resist the doctor so?  (Could it be the $2500 deductible?)  Even though I don't like the way the Prednisone makes me feel, all jittery inside, at least I am not having suicidal thoughts from the insane itch anymore!  Now, if I can just conquer my new-found fear of watermelon vines!

Right Tune, Wrong Song

There's a new song playing on the radio now by Billy Currington that has the most catchy tune, one that stays in your mind long after it stop's playing.  When you hear it's first notes you can't help but feel a little more peppy and start to sing along.  The only thing is - I hate the words!  It's about a couple who don't love each other anymore and how they should just face the inevitable and call it quits.  The song says, it's no ones fault, but the bells have stopped ringing, the music won't play and that "crazy little feeling" has faded away, it's just Love Done Gone!  I'm always annoyed when it comes on.   A song with these words should not have a catchy, happy tune:

"Like snowflakes when the weather warms up,
Like leaves on the trees when the autumn comes,
Like the dogwood blossoms in the late spring rains,
Like a red kite lost in the big blue sky
It's just love done gone"

But you know as I look at all the above analogies, I see something completely different.  Do you remember late spring snows when the flakes were so big and fluffy you couldn't help but comment on how pretty they were, and then how fast the snow melted leaving needed moisture behind?  And who on earth would not say the leaves on the trees are at their most beautiful in the fall even though you know before long they will fall off?  And yes, the spring storms may knock all the pretty blossoms off the trees and bushes, but in our neck of the woods this year, we found out what a summer without those spring storms was like - brown grass, dried up ponds, rivers, and a temperature so hot most of our gardens wouldn't produce anything!  And I remember flying  kites with the kids and our theory was the more string and the higher we got it to go the better!  It was extremely hard to keep track of that small red dot in the sky, but Oh, how excited the kids would be when one of them spotted it screaming "There it is!" and pointing it out to the rest of us.

I actually agree with the verses, I just come to a different conclusion.  I remember the days in our earlier married days when things were more difficult, disagreements came more often, and ugly words were said.  The storms could come on suddenly, without warning, and leave devastation in their wake.  Sometimes the loving feelings could be awfully hard to find, but when we found them again, the days without were quickly forgotten and we discovered that the  rainy days had watered and nurtured the future, making it that much easier and sweeter.  I try to tell young woman that I am around, that if they lovingly and prayerfully work through the tough times when they are young, struggling to make a living and raise a family, doing their best to put each other first, they will be rewarded with a second honeymoon when they get older and the nest empties.  I think God intended for marriage to get better and better as we get older and I think the troubles he guides us through earlier is all part of the process. We grow and learn from them to make the later years even better.

So now I don't have to cringe when I hear the song come on, I can sing along with Billy with one exception, when he comes to the end of each chorus and sings "It's just Love Done Gone", I belt out louder than him that "IT'S JUST LOVE GOIN' STRONG!"

Yes, I Flirt With Turkeys!

 There are dog people and there are cat people, me, I'm a poultry person!  For the past several years, I have had a little flock of chickens who have provided me with wonderful fresh eggs and meat.  Yes, I love my chickens, but when I got them, I knew I had to keep things in prospective, so I call them "pets with a purpose". I did learn the hard way not to name them though, so now I just call them "Ladies". Except for the rooster, who being the "cock of the walk", so to speak, I thought  needed a name, and that name is Gilbert.  He is a Buff Orpington, a breed that is very calm and not aggressive, so he should live a very long and happy life.  Unknowingly, the first rooster I got, named Willie, was a  Rhode Island Red.  Too late, I read that they are a very aggressive breed and he loved to attack me whenever I had my back turned.  On more than one occasion I chased Willie around the chicken yard with a board screaming that I was going to kill you little sob  and that he wasn't near so tough when I had a weapon was he!?!?  (Yes, he would make me so mad I would bring out the cuss words)  Once, I looked up for an instant, and saw a couple dozen golfers across the highway, shading the sun from their eyes with their hands and looking my way.  I realized that the chicken yard's fence was full of weeds, therefore they had no idea I was chasing a rooster, for all they knew I was just running around my yard with a board cussing and screaming that I was going to kill someone or something.  I should have been beyond embarrassed, but instead I got a good laugh out of it.  Willie attacked me one time too many and he ended up flavoring a big pot of homemade noodles.

Once you have tasted eggs that are fresh from the nest of hens who get to run around, bask in the sun, scratch in the dirt eating grass and other natural foods, you will never go back to a store bought egg again.  I know, before I got them I thought an egg is an egg, but now I know different.  The guy's out in the shop like to tease me about my "happy chickens".  But when they are lucky enough to receive my surplus eggs they say my "happy eggs" taste awfully good!  Mark, bless his heart, not only puts up with my poultry hobby, he does everything he can to make it easy for me to take care of them.  He has made me a bin so I can have my feed right there and it only takes a few seconds to fill their feeder, and he even put a water hydrant inside their pen to make it easy to water them.  What a guy!  Is it any wonder I love him so much?!?

This year we tried something new.  We raised turkey's.  This picture was taken on May 1st, the day I brought them home.  The above picture, taken this morning, is of one of the Tom's, at four months old.  We ended up with six Tom's and one hen.  Since we were raising them for meat, I guess that is a good thing!   We have got such a kick out of  them!  We can't BELIEVE how much they eat!  We learned they like to eat weeds so every morning we pull weeds out of our garden and take them a couple big handfuls.  It makes pulling weeds so much more enjoyable when you are pulling them for a reason!  Once they see us coming, we hear them gobbling for us to hurry up!   We had heard they could get mean, especially the Tom's, but they are so gentle and tame. When I am feeding them they come and stand about a foot from me and watch what I am doing.  I have even got in a pet or two, but I can't say they enjoyed it, they tolerated it if they couldn't get away from me.  As the Tom's get closer to maturity, whenever I go out to take care of them, they puff themselves out and spread their tail feathers, turning this way and that way to show off the whole time I'm out there.  I go on and on telling them how handsome they are, and I swear,  they eat it up and try to puff themselves up even bigger!

 The kids have asked why we have them, isn't it cheaper to just go buy one at the grocery store and a whole lot easier?  The answer is YES and YES!  I do think it will be nice knowing the turkey I am eating this winter will have been fed no antibiotics or anything else unnatural, and that they spent their life in an uncrowded area, and like the chickens, out in the sunshine and fresh air, scratching in the dirt and eating greens and other natural things.  But the way they have eaten in the past and the way I am sure they will eat in the next month or so, they will cost about double what one would cost in the grocery store!  But who can put a price on the fun we've had raising them!

Although I do keep things in perspective, reminding myself they are "pets with a purpose",  I don't at all look forward to the dirty deed that comes before you clean them.  I don't mind the butchering process once the deed is done, but thankfully, hubby dear knows the first part is hard on me and he is willing to do it for me.  But as the turkeys get bigger, and we know the day is coming closer, both of us are beginning to realize getting one of these forty to fifty pound birds to the table is not going to be quite as easy as it is with a chicken.  But I imagine with the help on an old homesteading book we will get it figured out, and if that fails, there is always the internet.  Come Thanksgiving, when I host my extended family for dinner, I'll feel that much more like a pilgrim/pioneer, knowing my Turkey, Potatoes, Sweet potatoes, Green Beans, Apple's for pie, Broccoli, and Corn will have all came from our own back yard and were grown with no pesticides, no herbicides, no hormones, and no chemical fertilizers, just lots and lots of love!