downacountryroadblog

 

My brother tells me that our road isn’t wide enough to qualify as a “road” so I guess it we should call it a “lane.” I’ll look up the definition of a lane when I can find my dictionary. (I’m still unpacking after our move – November 2012!)

Don’t remind me that I can look it up online – there is something about holding a book in my hand that makes a difference to me. I love my Kindle for convenience when traveling but it will never replace my library shelves.

But I digress.

I like that we live on a quiet country “lane” – something that requires cooperation with our neighbors. For when we happen to meet someone coming in the opposite direction then one of us must yield, for there simply isn’t enough room for us to pass each other. Someone has to yield.

And that is true in life – someone has to yield. There is give and take. Problems arise when you find the person who always gives or the one who always takes.

No one likes the person who always takes without giving for they are selfish, with no thought for others. Not someone we want to hang around with.

But the one who always gives has a problem also. For they must learn how to accept gifts graciously, be it actions or words, lest they rob another of the joy of giving.

All of us need the others. God created us to live in community.

Now, how did I find myself on a quiet country lane in Missouri?

That is a story for another day!

 

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”                                         William Shakespeare – Act II, Scene II Romeo and Juliet

 

When my youngest son would get into mischief – as all little boys are prone to do – there were some who said to me, “You should never have named him Jason!” Inferring that all little boys named Jason were mischievous.

 

In the book of Acts we find three men with the same name – Ananias – and yet they are very different men at heart. The Ananias we meet in chapter five is a man of means, a property owner, a man of faith, or so he claims. He wants to support the church by selling a piece of property and giving the money to the church. But God knows his heart. God knows that Ananias cares more about appearances than he cares for God. Instead of being honest, Ananias pretends to give all the money when he actually keeps part of the proceeds for himself while telling everyone in the church he was giving it all. His sin wasn’t that he kept part of the proceeds from the sale of his property. His sin was in pretending to be something he was not.

 

The Ananias we meet in Chapter nine is a very different man. He is not just a follower, he is a disciple. Paul says of him in chapter 22, verse12 of Acts: He is a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews in Damascas. And he has heard of Paul. He knows that Paul is coming to Damascus on a mission to arrest all the followers of Christ. When God calls on him to go to Paul and lay hands on him to restore his sight, Ananias questions the wisdom of that assignment. However, when God says go, Ananias goes. He lays his hands on this man that he fears and he prays for him. Ananias trusts God. He is obedient when God calls him.

 

In chapters twenty-three and twenty-four we meet Ananias the high priest who sought to destroy Paul. This priest who was supposed to serve God was working his own angle for his own benefit. He never considered what God wanted. He was doing what he thought was best for his career. He couldn’t allow the followers of Jesus to gain public support because that would undermine the system that he had put his faith in. Ananias the priest had forgotten Who was really in charge.

 

Three different men with the same name but with very different hearts.

 

When the Ananias from Jerusalem was given the opportunity to tell the truth he persisted in his deception and paid a heavy price – his life. The Ananias from Damascus questioned his assignment at first but when God said “Go!” Ananias went. He trusted and obeyed. As for the high priest, here was a man who was supposed to be serving God but evidently wasn’t listening to God but doing what served his own interests.

 

God knows our heart. No matter what happens we can be honest before God, trusting in His grace. There is nothing that we can do that will cause God to stop loving us. Because He loves us we can trust that He will keep us headed down the path He has for us. He will let us know if we start to stray from that path. We will be given the opportunity to repent, to confess, to turn back. Our task is to keep our eyes on Jesus, to read and study God’s Word, and to spend time in prayer, seeking His direction for our lives. God desires a relationship with His people. Do you want a relationship with Him?

 

 

Give ear to me words, O Lord, 
          consider my meditation.
Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God:
          for unto Thee will I pray.
My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O Lord;
in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, 
          and will look up. 
                                         Psalm 5:1-3



I love mornings on the farm!


And this morning was beautiful even in the rain.
Or maybe because of the rain.

The dogs took me for my morning walk.

Halley and Hobby ran off to the pond. But they came back. 
It was raining - whats a little more water! 
Ms. Pepper stayed with me because she wanted back in the house.

 
It was a nice walk. A good time was had by all!


When morning gilds the skies, 
          My heart awaking cries:
                    May Jesus Christ be praised!

Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.     Haggai 1:6

We like to believe that we are in control. Helpless is not a state we enjoy.

Sometimes we are reminded that God is in control and we are not.

Gardening is one of those reminders for me.

I can prepare the soil.

I can plant the best seed.

I can water and fertilize.

But I cannot make the plants grow or produce.

Only God can do that.

Last season I had a beautiful row of lima beans. They were loaded with blossoms that became pods but very few developed into beans that could be harvested. Why? I have no idea.

This season we put in a raised bed garden.

I prepared the beds.

I planted the seeds and watched for them to emerge.

I was expecting a bumper crop!

But sometimes things don’t go the way you plan.

One of the tomato plants developed strange fruit, really deformed.

So I pulled the plant.

The yellow squash and zucchini produced but then the plants wilted and died.

Then there were the critters!

Hungry grasshoppers.

And whatever is eating my tomatoes just when they are ripening.

Raised bed gardening still has its challenges but we have enjoyed the fruits of our labor just the same.

And there is always next year!

This experience has served to remind me that I’m not in charge.

But I do know the One who is and I trust Him.

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:                                    Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.                                          Habakkuk 3:17-18

To everything there is  a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven: 

A time to be born, and a time to die;

A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

 

A few years ago Olin decided to grow a plot of corn and harvest with his antique equipment. Another year we grew a plot and harvested by hand. It was an adventure. Our neighbors came over to help pick the corn and then we celebrated with a picnic on the front porch.

The farmers in our neighborhood are beginning to harvest the corn crop. It is a busy time for them -hard work and long hours in the fields. We pray for good weather for the harvest season.

In the garden it is a different story. We enjoy a longer harvest season, beginning in the spring with the asparagus, lettuce, radishes, spinach, kale, onions, and peas.

Then the carrots, green beans, lima beans, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and squash.

We also have apple and peach trees, red currant bushes, and blackberries.

 

We are blessed! It does take effort but it is well worth it. Nothing tastes better than something fresh picked from your own garden.

HAPPY HARVEST!

 

And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden . . .

I love to ride the country roads in the springtime and see the ground being plowed and planted. Then all summer long we watched to see the progress of the wheat or corn or soybeans, or whatever the crop may be. Riding down the road I listen for my husband to comment “Too wet.”, “Need rain.”, or “Looking good!” Then in the fall we watch as the harvest begins and finally the fields are put to bed for the winter. The cycle of life is played out before us on those farms that surround us.

I guess that is why have always loved gardening. There is something special about planting a seed and watching it grow (or not – as sometimes happens with me). We have always had a garden. I started out small but over the years it has grown. Even though our children are grown with gardens of their own – my garden has not gotten any smaller.

In fact it has gotten quite a bit bigger. Do I really need five rows of lima beans? Maybe not – but someone can use them and I love to grow them.

These pictures are from our Garden of 2016. Everything laid out in neat long rows, although some may be a little crooked.

This year, however, we made a change. Last August I read an article about Len Pense and his raised-bed revolution. It sounded interesting so I made a phone call and he invited us down to Strafford, Missouri to see his garden and to learn about his system.

We had a great time touring the garden and listening to Len’s story of how this all came about and before we left he had converted us. We decided to try his system in our garden.

This spring we put down the black weed protection fabric and began building our beds.

I did make one mistake. The beds are supposed to be 4 feet wide by 16 feet long (inside dimensions). My first beds are 4 feet by 16 feet – outside dimensions.  A little smaller than his but they functioned well for this season!

 

These are the rice hulls which we mix with cotton burr compost, peat moss and trace mineral elements to make up the planting medium.

Olin bought a Feed Grinder-Mixer to mix our ingredients. It works pretty well as long as he doesn’t stick his head down in while it is running!

It made it easier and quicker to fill all those beds.

We used tubs for some plants – squash, zuchinni, peppers, cantaloupe, watermelon, cucumbers, and some tomatoes.

 

We spread mulch in between the beds to help with weed control – and it makes it look nice! Olin also made me three new composting bins.

And let the planting begin!

In addition to the benefits of fresh produce I also had a great exercise program lifting concrete blocks and shoveling mulch!

Stay tuned for the next installment of our gardening adventure!

 

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.                           In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.             Proverbs 3:5-6

In this past week I have been reminded of the importance of trust. And it was a tiny bundle of fur (only 12 ounces) who brought the lesson home to me in a personal way.

We live on a farm and our barn cats are an important weapon in the battle against the field mice. Our feline population ebbs and flows with the seasons. Last winter we were down to only five but this summer we have experienced an increase with several litters of kittens. One little kitten went exploring and managed to fall down between the slats of the horse barn. She was there for several days before my husband was able to get her out by removing a portion of the wall. He brought her to the house where we began “operation rescue” with an eye dropper and Kitten milk replacer. One week later she has moved on to a tiny bottle and is thriving. She is determined to be friends with our black lab but Ms. Pepper is not about to have her personal space invaded.

It amazes me that this tiny kitten has totally accepted the situation. She trusts me to feed her and care for her. What an example of faith.

Look at those eyes. She has accepted me as her caregiver and follows the sound of my voice.

And seek not ye what ye shall eat or drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.                                                                                                                                                                       Luke 12:29-32  

I have been reminded in this that my Father in heaven knows all of my needs and He will provide all that I need.        I can rest in the thought that He loves and cares for me. I need not be anxious for anything. My God is able!

When we cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge I know that I’m returning to my roots on the Delmarva Peninsula and looking forward to time with family and friends. The trip we made in June was bittersweet. 

We celebrated our oldest grandson’s high school graduation. How quickly the years have passed.

The baby became a little boy.

The little boy is now a young man.

In the fall he will begin his college years and I am confident he will make his way in the world.

We also celebrated our youngest grandson’s 14th birthday. Another reminder of how quickly time passes.

 

 

With the anticipation of seeing family comes the realization that there will be a face missing from our family circle.

 

As we gathered to remember my father’s life we laughed and cried as stories were told of a life well lived.

Going home will never be quite the same again.

 

 

On this first day of summer there is a hymn running through my mind – This Is My Father’s World – so appropriate for this beautiful summer day. The flowers are in bloom, the vegetable garden is growing, we’ve already enjoyed spinach, kale, lettuce, summer squash, zuchinni, and two peas! Thank You God for Your amazing creation!

This is my Father’s world,

And to my listening ears

All nature sings, and round me rings

The music of the spheres.

This is my Father’s world:

I rest me in the thought

Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;

His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father’s world,

The birds their carols raise,

The morning light, the lily white, 

Declare their maker’s praise.

This is my Father’s world:

He shines in all that’s fair;

In the rustling grass I hear Him pass,

He speaks to me everywhere

.

This is my Father’s world,

O let me ne’er forget

That though the wrong seems oft so strong,

God is the ruler yet.

 

This is my Father’s world:

Why should my heart be sad?

The Lord is King:

Let the heavens ring!

God reigns: let the earth be glad! 

 

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,

Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low:

And the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together:

For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.         Isaiah 40:3-5

Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people:

But the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee.

And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.    

Isaiah 60:1-3

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God.

All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.

In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.

And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.  

John 1:1-5

Dear God, on this day You remind us that when all seems darkness – You bring Light – the Light of the world – Jesus. You call on us to share that Light. Not just to talk about Jesus but to let Jesus shine through us – to be the hands and feet of our Lord. If we are disciples then all should see Jesus in us – in our actions – in our speech – in everything we do and say – in who we are – every moment of every day.