Category Archives: Summer

Best-Laid-Plans Hodgepodge

Dear and me at a courtyard on the campus of Magdalen College (pronounced Maudlin) in Oxford England. (July of 2014)

The phrase the best-laid plans is a translation of a Scottish proverb that was first published in 1786.

The best-laid plans refers to something that has gone awry, something that has not turned out as well as one had hoped. The expression the best-laid plans carries the connotation that one should not expect for things to always turn out to plan. Like many proverbs, the best-laid plans is usually quoted by itself, though it is not the full proverb. The full proverb is, the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. This is a passage from the poem To a Mouse, written by the Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1786. The verse was translated into English, the original Scottish quotation is: The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft a-gley, / An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain, / For promised joy. Note that best-laid plans is spelled with a hyphen, as best-laid functions as an adjective before a noun. Laid is sometimes misspelled as layed, though layed is not a word. Laid is is the past tense and past participle tense of lay.

And now here are the Hodgepodge Questions on this first day of July!

1. Are you currently making plans of any kind? What kind? 

Currently I am making plans for getting things ready for some summer visitors arriving next week. 

What emotions are associated with the planning process? 

Excitement to be able to share our new environs with some loved ones who haven’t visited with us in our Country Bungalow before.

Tell us about one plan you had to cancel due to the current situation which shall remain nameless. Ha!

We had to cancel our trip to England scheduled for the middle of September. We are very pleased with the cancellation policy of Airbnb. They refunded us our money within an hour. We still need to call British Airways and try to get our money back for our flights. That was a big chunk of change and we hope to have good dealings with the airlines. As you can imagine they are swamped with phone calls. We were going to stay in Oxford. We are disappointed for sure. 

2. Last time you saw stars, either literally or figuratively?

Our country bungalow is in a part of town where there are no street lights and very few lights shine from neighboring properties so star gazing is something we can do most nights when we don’t have cloud cover. It really is amazing to see so many stars and to be able to pick out constellations.

3. Blueberries yay or nay? Blueberry pie, blueberry muffins, blueberry yogurt, blueberries by the handful…what’s your pleasure?

Yes to blueberries. I like them fresh picked by the handful. I also enjoy them thrown into a bowl of cereal/granola.

4. swim against the tide, swimming upstream, in the swim, sink or swim, makes your head swim…choose one of the ‘swim’ idioms listed and tell us how/why you relate?

In the current climate of our country I’m definitely swimming against the loudest tide. I know there is a quiet tide that I’d fit in with but it is being drowned out by all the angry noise.

5. Sum up your June in a single sentence.

A glorious time in June for family to be all together again.

Be happy in your mask! 

Start them young!

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

One of my favorites to quote in good times and bad times, C. H. Spurgeon:

“Visit good books but live in the Bible”

“Let us not fear the enemy until he actually comes, and then let us trust in the Lord.”

“Lord, help us in such a way that we may see that thou thyself art working. May we magnify thee in our inmost souls. Make all around us to see how good and great a God thou art.”

Thank you to Joyce for coming up with the Hodgepodge questions!

Not Blushing Hodgepodge

1. This time last year where were you?

On June 23rd of 2019 we were driving to church for our first summer service. Don’t know what we did the rest of that day.

2. In honor of National Pink Day (June 23rd) tell us your favorite pink food or beverage. Was it on the menu at your house yesterday?

Kensington Dream

In a shaker over ice add juice of 1/2 a lemon, 2 oz. Creme de Cassis, 1 oz. each Brandy and Amaretto. Shake well and pour into Goblet. Add about 4 oz. of champagne. Enjoy but don’t drink and drive! There’s a reason this drink is called “Dream”.

I’m taking the liberty to say this is a pink drink and it is my favorite and I’m enjoying one right now while I type out my answers for the “podge”.

Do you like to wear the color pink?

Yes, I do enjoy wearing pink. (fuschia)

Me and my sisters.

If we came to visit would we find this color in your home decor?

You would see some pink but only in dishes or figurines or fresh flowers and some pink in the play room, like this pink kitchen.

Blush-fuschia-salmon-raspberry-your favorite shade of pink?

I think I’ll go with Blush.

3. Stop and smell the roses, looking through rose colored glasses, a rose by any other name, not all moonlight and roses, no rose without a thorn…which rosy saying currently fits your life in some way? Explain.

no rose without a thorn…

To enjoy something pleasant like our acreage means we have to work hard to keep weeds under control and especially in the Spring and Summer we have to do a lot of mowing and weed wacking and weed pulling.

4. Are you a ‘reader’?

Yes.

Do you tend to read lighter books in the summer months?

I haven’t been reading any light books lately. When we take road trips we enjoy listening to books on CD, usually murder mysteries.

Do you have a summer reading list?

Not a list. The books I’m reading right now are the Bible,  a compilation of works by Spurgeon, a commentary on 1 Corinthians, Strange Fire by John MacArthur.

If so, give us a title or two.

For lighter reading I love going back to some Children’s Classics like Narnia books by C.S. Lewis, The Wind in the Willows, and Anne of Green Gables.

5. Share with us one rose and one thorn from your weekend.

The rose was having time with our grandchildren and honoring Fathers. The thorn was the evil narrative going on in our nation.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

We have lots of Columbine that we did not plant and they come up every year with no help from us. They are always a great surprise. 

Thank you to Joyce who comes up with the questions for us to answer.

People Get Ready Hodgepodge

1. Saturday marks the first official day of summer! Whoohoo! Your favorite thing about the season?

Summer visitors. The photos below were taken in our front yard when we had summer visitors camping out last August. 

2. Love it!, labor of love, not for love or money, no love lost, love handles, love does, love-hate relationship, misery loves company, tough love, love will find a way…pick one and tell us how it applies to your life right now.

I’ll pick LOVE-IT. Love it when family visits. Love it when we can visit our family. Love it when I spend time with the grandchildren and see all their new skills. Love it when our freedoms come back to us. Love it when all the birds flit about in our back yard. Love it when the Truth is spoken and it is louder than evil. 

3. What’s one thing currently causing you to seethe?

When people call evil good and good evil. 

Woe to those who call evil good
    and good evil,
who put darkness for light
    and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
    and sweet for bitter!

Isaiah 5:20 (ESV)

One thing currently making you smile?

See #2

4. Of the following to-dos found on a summer checklist (here) which three would definitely make your personal list of summer want-to-dos?

roast marshmallows over a fire, go berry or peach picking, dangle your feet off the end of a dock, sit on a porch swing, watch the sunset from a beach, nap in a hammock, go barefoot in the grass, collect seashells, play tennis, go fishing, build a sandcastle, catch fireflies, eat a soft serve ice cream cone, make a pitcher of Sangria, swim in a lake, stargaze, ride a bike, paddle a canoe or kayak, make a summer road trip, throw a frisbee

  1. Take a summer road trip. 2. Make a pitcher of Sangria. 3. Paddle a canoe or kayak (although it is getting more and more difficult to get into or out of)

    Do you make an actual list? NO

5. Thursday is National Splurge Day. What might you splurge on in order to celebrate?

Well, since Thursday will be mow the 4 acres day I will celebrate by listening to at least 3 good sermons since that’s how long it takes for me to mow. Maybe to keep the theme going we’ll go out to eat in one of the local restaurants that have re-opened.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

A summary of a good sermon in 5 sentences:

“You can’t change a fallen world. We come and go and are forgotten. The only one who can change the world is God. MY story is not THE story. We need to fear God and keep His commandments.”

By the Fear of the Lord men depart from evil. Proverbs 16:6

Thank you to Joyce for coming up with the questions for the Hodgepodge.

Summer Finale

Another Sunday and after church another lunch in Chewelah and on the way home we diverted here and there to see some new roads. It was our goodbye to summer drive. I didn’t have my big camera with me so had to use my phone.

 

As you drive into Colville you’ll notice a mountain above Main street. Besides the cross there is a big C on this mountain.

Continuing on through town we turn onto our road which is sometimes called skunk alley.

Sorry for the visual of why it got that name. Hold your nose and turn off your air vents.

A favorite weeping willow we see close to home.

Into our drive and we notice one of the trees changing color.

The last day of summer afforded us a nice drive and a relaxing evening. It was the calm before the storm.

The footings for the shop are ready for the support posts to be set and the concrete to be ordered. We were so grateful for our son’s help. Dear continues working hard. I’ll need to take a photo of the holes.

Hope your week is going well.

Borrowing part of a prayer from Spurgeon…

Lord let your living water flow. Flow to my family and my friends, and let it not pass me by…

U-Pick Corn

On Tuesday afternoon we hopped in the car and drove a few miles north of us and stopped at this farm to pick corn. U-pick 4 for a $1. Part of the sign looks like it washed off but we got the gist of what they wanted us to know.

We found 4 ears we thought looked good and put our $1.00 in the metal box and headed back home.

There’s a story behind me having to take a photo of the photo of me at the corn field. Dear mistakenly took a video of me instead of a photo and my computer wouldn’t let me make it into a photo and I couldn’t upload the video, either. Hmmm.

We cooked 2 ears of corn as soon as we got home and boy was it good and sweet. I called it dessert, delicious. We’ll remember this farm next year and enjoy fresh corn again.

Quote of the day from Sprugeon:

“The way to do a great deal, is to keep on doing a little. The way to do nothing at all is to be continually resolving that you will do everything.”

Encouragement of the day:

If you are finding it hard to get started on a task, try setting a timer for 15 minutes and tell yourself to get after that task for at least 15 minutes. You’ll be surprised all you can get done in that short amount of time and maybe it will be enough motivation to continue.

Have a great 9-19-19!

This Little Piggy and Aronia Berries

So this little piggy came to visit and was grunting at Dear while he worked in the garage. Dear successfully shooed it away and it moved on to greener pastures. You never know what animal will end up in your front yard when you live in the country.

The Aronia Berry. We have a bush that produces these berries profusely. The deer really enjoy them and come to find out they have health benefits.

The aroniaberry (also known as a chokeberry) has proven to be one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants. In simple terms, antioxidants are a chemical compound or substance such as Vitamin E and C, found in foods, which are thought to protect the body’s cells from the damaging effects of oxidation.

  • Aroniaberries have higher antioxidant levels than other berries. Not only are they low in sugar, they also contain beneficial nutrients, such as quercetin, quinic, minerals, and vitamins.
  • Aroniaberries contain the highest levels of anthocyanins (the pigment in the berry that gives them their dark purplish-black color) and proanthocyanidins (plant-based super-antioxidants) when compared to many of the other well-known “superfruits.”
  • Reduction of inflammation and C-reactive protein levels
  • Proanthocyanidins offer a wide variety of health benefits as well. Science has shown that foods high in proanthocyanidin content may help:
    • Improve circulation by strengthening capillary walls
    • Inhibit enzymes that break down collagen
    • Reduce allergy production

In addition, the powerful components in the amazing Aroniaberry have been found to:

  • Improve function of the circulatory, respiratory, and digestive systems
  • Prevent gastric damage
  • Protect heart cells from cell membrane damage and DNA fragmentation
  • Protect the liver from chemical damage
  • Enhance overall wellness

It sounds like we have a miracle berry right in our own back yard. 🙂

We are going to pick them and freeze them and hopefully remember to have a few a day to improve our health.

In other yard news our grasses are taking over and in their glory.

I had my final follow-up after my eye surgery and all looks real well! I’m thanking God for that.

 

The Buck Stops Here…

…this buck did stop by this morning for a nibble here and there in our brush.

I thought his coloring was interesting.

We borrowed our son’s tractor and Dear got a great start on getting rid of some piles of rock and dirt depositing the piles into the drained pond.

We still have lots of room for more dirt in the pond. The piles below are all leveled out now.

While watching the tractor work I zoomed in on some late blooms in the yard that are waning with the end of summer.

It was a hot day on Wednesday and I’ll wait to finish some summer weeding on Thursday morning. Mornings have been very cool here these last days of August. After the last of the weeding we are spreading some bark in an attempt to diminish the huge pile of bark left by the former owners. We are swiftly approaching our 1 year anniversary of owning our Country Bungalow. Now that we are more settled I’ll pay attention to the next four seasons of life here to determine which is my favorite at our Country Bungalow.

My Brain is Full…

Lots of good things weighing on my brain and buzzing in my ears.

I’ll be back next week to fill you in on all the excitement around our Country Bungalow!

Here’s a quote I’ve been contemplating from Spurgeon:

If we believe God’s Word, we are orthodox; if we practice, we are holy.”

The Bible is the great umpire as to conduct, and not the changing moral sentiment of passing generations.

Pray God to order your life according to His Word. To this Word we must be conformed. This is our copy to write by; this is the image to which we must be modeled. 

Sprugeon has a way of speaking the truth that gets under my skin in a good way.

See you all next week…I’m seeing real well by the way! Not one floater interfering with my vision. I’m thankful!

I Can See Clearly Now…

…the floaters are gone.

Well not as clearly as I will be seeing once my eye isn’t dialated anymore. Things are slightly blurry but no black feathery objects are floating across my eye.

My particular issue was Asteroid Hyalosis: Asteroid hyalosis (AH) is a degenerative eye condition marked by a buildup of calcium and lipids, or fats, in the fluid between your eye’s retina and lens, called the vitreous humor.

The surgery went well and my follow-up was good. I go back next Monday to get another follow-up. This week I’m suppose to rest and not do anything strenuous. I shouldn’t bend over, pick up heavy objects and do anything that will jostle me like riding my lawnmower. I need to wear my eye patch at night so I don’t do anything to my eye in my sleep. Dr. G. told Dear to wash the dishes this week. Dear will also be on eye drop duty.

When my grands come to visit tomorrow I’ve been forewarned that Addy will be saying, “but why”, a lot. I’ll let her climb into my lap instead of lifting her.

My eyes will be in rest mode for the rest of the week, so I won’t be coming around to read blogs.

Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart for anyone who prayed for me. I was pretty calm for the whole time even before they gave me some happy sedation. I was conscious through out the whole procedure and declared afterward that it was way better then having dental work done. Our stay in a nearby hotel with valet parking and full service within the hotel worked out well for meals and being close to the eye clinic for my followup this morning.

We are back at home now and heating up to 99 for today and tomorrow before we have a little cooling off. We have smoke filled skies because of the brush fire that has grown to over 10,500 acres on the Colville Reservation that is west and south of us. The smoke from this fire is impacting air quality over a large area of eastern Washington.

Staying inside and relaxing sounds like very good medicine.