Fall Shares Her Secrets

Fall slips in quietly, waiting for just the right moment to jump up and shout, "Surprise!" Then shakes the golden rain tree and covers the ground in tiny yellow flowers that look like confetti. Like magic, the little golden flowers are turned into pink, paper lanterns
and pumpkins into coaches and mice into horsemen.

An Autumn Tradition

"Hiawatha's Childhood" ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ~

Cold, autumn nights, prayers said, quilts tucked tightly around little warm bodies, Mom would recite "Hiawatha's Childhood." I started the tradition with my children. Now I am thrilled to read this beloved poem with my grandchildren.

Drawing Out Some Joy

"Therefore with JOY shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation (Isaiah 12:3)."
I was watering my flowers yesterday. We have only had a few sprinkles of rain in the past few days. The Florida sand drinks it so fast that it leaves my flowers looking parched and withered.
I filled a bucket with water to pour on the ruellas by the mailbox. Almost immediately they began to perk up. King David knew the kind of thirst that can wilt the soul. He wrote, "As the hart panteth for water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God...(Psalm 42:1).

Today, I will go to the source of life-giving water and experience His over-flowing joy.

October Treasures

I realize the beauties of living, untold
While watching the treasures of autumn unfold. ~ S. Gallisdorfer ~

October

First frost tonight,
Stars wink winter warning:
Yet, warm is the kiss
Of autumn's golden morning.
Becky Hunter
I miss the cold frosty mornings in October, the smell of golden rods from a little chubby hand, the warmth from quilts pulled close to chin. In Florida, we won't have frost in October or November, probably not in December. We may get some icy crystals of frost in January or February. But I miss the changing of seasons.
There is one way I know the season is changing from summer to fall. The Golden Rain tree in my yard puts on her bows of yellow frills.
The slightest sea breeze causes the little flowers to shower down like rain covering my yard with tiny flowers.

"You cannot hope to enjoy the harvest
Without laboring in the field." ~ Plaque ~

A Great Cloud of Witness....

Crisp, starched, calico dresses, black patten leather shoes, a long dusty road, a little white church with a rusty old bell calling us to the meeting. Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights, we met. Our voices rising in harmony as we sang, "Heavenly Sunlight," "Prayer Bells from Heaven," and "Amazing Grace."
I'm so glad I found these old photos. What precious memories they stir! If the old adage is true, "It takes a village to raise a child," these people helped mold and shape my life. How thankful I am for their prayers, teachings and great witness.
Chattaroy Church of God, my Church in the mountains
Pastor Davis was not only my Pastor, he was my boss. I worked at "Jimmy's Shoe Store" for about three years when I was a teenager.
Ruby Jean was our piano player and Pastor Jimmy's wife. She had a kind gentle spirit. At my Bridal shower, many years ago, she bought me a set of pots and pans. I still use the muffin tin she gave me.
Granny Wells spanked me with her fly swatter when I was little. She said I was too close to the state road that ran in front of her house. She knew Mom would never allow us to play close to the road.


Aunt Annie --- what a prayer warrior! She walked down the old dusty back alley once a week to visit us. She and Mom were best friends. Her pinto beans and chow chow were delicious.

Sister Watson would gather a bunch of us girls together, and we would walk to her house after Church. She served us cookies, Kool-Aid and instructions on becoming a woman of God.
Ellen and Taulby Runyon
I don't remember Ellen, but Taulby and Dad were good friends. Taulby loved the Lord and would spend long minutes in Church telling us about Him.
Frank Porter
Brother Porter would preach on Wednesday nights. He loved to preach from the book of Revelation. Walking home from Church on dark nights after Brother Porter preached caused three little girls to walk fast and close together!
Jossie and Haskell
Jossie was a gentle person always willing to help. Haskel would always make us laugh. He had a light-hearted disposition.
Mary Jane and Leon
They were the teenagers' mentors. They loved and cared for us and we knew it.
Lorraine Runyon
Lorraine was a gentle soul, carrying in food for every occassion.

Patsy and Walter Burgett
Their girls had the most beautiful voices. I loved to hear them sing.
Rhodie
Our neighbor and friend. When we were little girls, she would always give us her discarded purses. What a treasure!
Sister Porter. We all loved to hear her sing!
Sara Collins
A faithful follower of Jesus Christ unto the end.

Where's a Rock When You Need One?

My beautiful coquina rocks are native to Florida but not native to my yard. I had to buy them. In fact, Florida has very few native rocks, some limestone and coquinas are about all the rocks you find here.
Nearly all the old east Florida plantations and sugar mills were built with coquina. The rock is made up of shell fragments, and quartz grains held together with calcium carbonate. The deep hole in this rock holds a little "devil's backbone" plant. It seems to thrive there.
Coquina is Spanish and means "cockleshell" or "tiny shell." Take a closer look and see the tiny shells embeded in the rock.
You can tell mine have been highly worn by the ocean and time.
If you need a rock in my yard, you'll have to go to the pond and tug on a coquina.

A Long Way from Home

I love the Internet! My nephew, Jamie is in Iraq. He posts pictures on Facebook. I asked him if I could use them on my blog and he said, "Yep." I'm so glad because we are really proud of him. This is his second time there.



I love this picture. His sign says, "Amsterdam 2,715 miles then below West Virginia 6,720 miles.



Take care, Buddy. We love you and pray for you every day!


Hand-made Persian Rugs. How beautiful!

Yesteryear

Memories of home at Chattaroy, West Virginia (Remember to turn off the music on the right of posts)

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I know You By Heart

I love the words to this song, "I Know You by Heart."
Here are the lyrics.
Midnights in winter
The glowing fire
Lights up your face in orange and gold.
I see your sweet smile
Shine through the darkness
Its line is etched in my memory.

So I'd know you by heart.

Mornings in April
Sharing our secrets
We'd walk until the morning was gone.
We were like children laughing for hours
The joy you gave me lives on and on.

'Cause I know you by heart.

I still hear your voice
On warm summer nights
Whispering like the wind.

You left in Autumn
The leaves were turning
I walked down roads of orange and gold.
I saw your sweet smile
I heard your laughter
You're still here beside me every day.

'Cause I know you by heart.

The Joy of Seeing Old Friends

Driving I-10,on our way to Oceans Springs, Mississippi, my grandchildren and I took exit 85 to Destin, Florida. She knew we were coming and was waiting for us. Patty is my childhood friend.
We hadn't seen each other in forty years. We kept in contact through e-mail and Facebook, but we hadn't been together in years.
When we stepped out of our cars and hugged each other, we pulled each other back to look for old familiar little girls. There was that little blond-headed girl I knew. I could see it in her eyes.
My memories of childhood are packed with scenes of Patty. What a joy to see her again and meet her husband Bill.
We laughed and laughed about old times, but our stay was too short. We'll visit longer the next time.

Slipping Through My Fingers

Slipping through my fingers
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time.
Do I really see what's in her mind?
Each time I think I'm close to knowing
She keeps on growing
slipping through my fingers all the time.




Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture and save it from the funny tricks of time
I'm glad whenever I can share her laughter




That funny little girl
Slipping through my fingers all the time.









Schoolbag in hand she leaves home in the early morning waving goodbye with an absent- minded smile..... Slipping through my fingers...

Sissy's New Bible

"Anyways, I need a new Bible, Gram," my granddaughter said as we stood beside the books lined on neat shelves at the book store. We took it home.
"Gram, it has red letters!" We began to eat it. Slowly at first, letting the sweetness of His red words melt in our mouths.
"and Jesus said unto them, I am the Bread of Life, he that cometh to me shall never hunger... (John 6:35)."

People Rain

I loved this! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Gifts from a Sweet Friend

My grandson, Dylan, brought the mail in and laid it on the coffee table for me and ran outside to play. Later in the afternoon, I saw it lying there and squealed. It was from my sweet friend, Sharon at Sit with Me Awhile. I won her giveaway. Thank you so much, Sharon. How kind of you to send me all these wonderful gifts. The note was precious.

I'm listening to the music now, and I love it. The book, the CDs, the candles, the pin and the shower gel are great gifts. If you visit her blog, Sit with Me Awhile, you will be blessed.

Lost in Time

She loves to explore the boxes in my closest labeled, "Old Things." There it was, lying at the bottom of a stack of faceless books. "Gram, I saw this book at the library at my school," she exclaimed.
"I want to read it!" "Donna Parker Mystery at Arawak."
I hold the book in my hand. I'm 11 years old again. Her age. I'm in the hospital. My mother brings me a package from South Korea. It's from my oldest brother stationed there in the Army. He knew I was sick and sent three books to Mom to bring to me, "Five Little Peppers and How They Grew," "Donna Parker Mystery at Arawak," I, somehow, cannot remember the third book's name. I only have Donna Parker now.
She reads, lost in the world of a camp counselor named Donna. For a while we are the same age, she and I, as she reads the pages out loud.

Nick and the Purple Crayon

He had been coloring "a picture for Mommy." I don't know when he stopped drawing on paper and decided the wall and the cabinet would be a better medium. It must have been when I was changing Kiwi's diaper.
"Nick, did you draw on my wall?" I asked. "Grammy, see it's a giraffe."
I looked at his artwork and thought of all the little scribble marks I have cleaned from walls, tables, doors and anywhere my little children decided to draw.
I think I may leave it. My friends would think I lost my mind. How many times have I painted over marks from my little ones pencils?
I remember when my sisters and I were little. We loved to play in Mom's basement pantry room where she stored all her canning jars. We wrote all over the walls with pencils. She never cleaned it up. Those marks remained on the walls of her pantry long after we were grown. I loved to come visit and go to the basement. The old familiar smells, the dusty canning jars and the scribble marks were still there. It was home. Dad remolded the basement a few years before he went to be with the Lord. The canning jars are gone, the child-like scribbles have vanished, but the memories of hot summer days, pencils in hand, jars lined up on neat shelves and three little girls giggling remain.
I want my children and grandchildren to have wonderful memories of scribbles long ago.

Clouds

I took these photos yesterday, right before the storm. I love the shapes. Is it a bird or a fish?
Look at her cute little face. It looks as though he is going to kiss her as soon as he gets his hair out of his eyes.
A Volcano, maybe?
I am going to get these photos developed and use them in my classroom when we study clouds.

July Days

July
I would know you anywhere.
You ignite my crepe myrtles
And make them burst with color like
Fireworks on Independence Day.
Your breath smells like
new-mown grass in the
Back pasture.
Joyful crickets lull
us to sleep on dreamy,
blissful nights.

Your big, golden sun
bronzes the faces
of little children.
Grasshoppers with fat little bodies
feast at your table.
Don't leave so quickly.
Stay and let me embrace
You longer.
All too fleeting are
Your sun-drenched
days.

Pink Skies in the Morning

I sat on the front porch this morning to watch the sun come up. At first light, the sky was bathed in a golden-rosy hue. It's one of those mornings that sailors are warned about. "Pink skies in the morning all sailors take warning. Pink skies at night, a sailor's delight." It is sure to rain today.
When confronting the Pharisees and Sadducees, Jesus spoke about the signs in the heavens.
"When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, it will be foul weather today; for the sky is red and lowring...Matthew 16:3
Then with a stern warning He said, "...you can discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times (Matthew 16:3).
"Therefore be ye also ready...Matthew 24:44"

Our Writing Spider

In the backyard this morning, we found a writing spider. Her scientific name is Argiope Aurantia. Writing spiders are fascinating. I know she wasn't there yesterday evening because I was pulling some weeds there. She built her web last night. A typical web can take hours to construct but the beauty doesn't last, within hours she will destroy and eat her web then start again.

God's wonders never cease.

"On foggy mornings, Charlotte's web was truly a thing of beauty. This morning each thin string was decorated with tiny beads of water. The web glistened in the light and made a pattern of loveliness and mystery, like a delicate veil." E.B.White

Shopping on the Island

This sign is so cute. It says, "Mermaid Parking." I had to get a picture because Emily loves mermaids.

Savannah's a sheller like her Gram.
"No Guts...No Glory
Mary Beth's new shirt.

Island Shopping

Perfect Day

Gellato Anyone?

We stopped at the "Shake Pit" for ice cream. Everyone had to have a gellato when thy tasted mine.

Sea Oats, Seaweed, Seagulls, Surf and Sushi at Anna Maria Island

Anna Maria Island

Keeping a close eye on three little heads in the water.
In the car, on the way to Anna Maria Island, Emily said, "I'm happy as a clam, Gram." When she found this clam on the beach, I had to get a picture.
One, two, three little heads in the water.
Beauties and the Beach
Happy Birthday, Mary Beth!

When Dylan opened the chips, I think all the seagulls on the beach flew over him.
Beauty and the Beach

Beauty and the Beach

My Rose Rock

When I was visiting my daughter in Oklahoma, she gave me this beautiful Rose Rock. I used to have hundreds of Rose Rocks when I lived in Oklahoma, but I gave them away when I moved to Florida.
I remember when my children were little, we went to Lake Draper in Oklahoma City because a friend told me I could find lots of rose rocks there. I looked and looked for these beautiful rocks and couldn't find any. Then I prayed, "O Lord, You know where all the treasures of the earth are, please show me where the Rose Rocks are." I turned around and looked at a little hill in the distance. As I got closer, I could see hundreds of little Rose Rocks. I scooped them up with a thankful heart. God not only hears our prayers, He listened to the heart of His child who wanted some rocks.
The legend of the Cherokee Rose (Rose Rock) says the brave Cherokee Indians were driven from their homeland in Georgia and forced by the US Government to walk the 1,000 miles to Oklahoma. Many of the Cherokee tribe died on the way.
The legend has it that God looked down on them and turned their tears into rose-shaped stones. These rust-red rose stones are found only in Oklahoma, at the end of the "Trail of Tears."

It Rained Every Day This Week

Just finding things to do on rainy days.

Great Job!

Outside work is so hard. Time for a nap.
Sissy put some crepe myrtle flowers in my plant.
Work's all done. Time to rest.