She's 98, but who's counting?














The Cherry Cobbler complete with three layers of crust.














G'ma and Cousin Mary lost. Dad and Jenn won. High Five of course.














A little jig to end the evening.
Happy Birthday Grandma Opal!

Kent and I walked down to G'ma's Sunday afternoon. Uncle Jim
was outside working in The Park. We wandered around in The
Park for awhile and then he showed me the whole set-up for
his outside shower. I hadn't really had a chance to see the
whole thing put together yet.

After sitting with G'ma for awhile she wanted to play cards.
Now that was a surprise. There were only three of us, so we
played Rummy. Kent beat us. But the funny thing was that I
kept saying, "Humpf" every time someone would lay down a card.
I think it was getting a little irritating and soon Kent began
saying it and then Grandma. She would lay her card down and
then pick it up again and say "Humpf" and when she did her little
head would bob up and down and her curls would shake and then we
would all giggle. Before leaving we got into a circle and hugged
each other and humpfed as loud as we could.

At least we finally got settled her meal for her birthday (98) which
is coming up this weekend. It will be Pork Roast, Mashed Potatoes,
either Sweet Potatoes or Squash (maybe as a casserole) and Cherry
Cobbler (with lots of crust). I'm sure I'll add a few more things,
but that gives me something to start with.

This is a wonderful video posted at Ladies For Life.

At Watts Up With That Is this story about an NBC crew
trying to document climate change and being blocked by
too much ice.

Tip of the bonnet to Challies.

Up and Down the Gravel
















Actually I've still been somewhat out of commission and
don't have a lot of tidbits to share. However these things
I know:

1. Grandma Opal wants me to make a cherry cobbler for her 98th
birthday party. I, since I am the one who got in trouble for
taking so many cherries back in the spring, have plenty in the
freezer for a cobbler or two. She doesn't really care what the
main meal consists of; it was just important to nail down the
dessert.

2. The Kirk's horse, Katie, has been missing for 4 or 5 days.
Joel has been helping to scour the woods round about, but he's
not seen any sign of her.

3. We bought a new fridge. The old one was leaking and had big
cracks in it. It was a double hand me down and had lived a long
and happy life. Probably it was going on 24 or so years old. The
new one is tall and clean and simple. It has no gadgets, no ice
maker, and no water dispenser. The more bells and whistles a thing
has the greater its chance of developing PROBLEMS. I don't like
PROBLEMS.

4. We are headed to The Big City this weekend for some R & R. I am
really looking forward to it.

5. Tyler finished the bush hogging. Kent is working hard on the new
well house. I keep trying to get up the energy to divide peonies and
irises. Maybe next week...after the R & R.

6. Uncle Jim is working on a cool new path down to Aunt Jenny's place.
Hattie told me all about it, but I've not seen it yet.

7. Oh, this is not really a part of Up and Down the Gravel, but Billy
got to see the VP debate at WUSTL last night. He knew he was in the
top 300 lottery picks, but they weren't sure how many tickets they'd
have for students. At the last debate there they only handed out 150
to WUSTL students. This time they let in closer to 500. He really
enjoyed having the chance to be there.

Rules for marrying. These are funny but good.

This, from Against Heresies, is for those who love doctrine
...and...for those who don't.

It's not easy getting ready for bowseason. Actually this
is a late post as the season started 2 weeks ago here in
the foothills.















There are skills to be honed.














There are four-wheelers to be fixed.














There are things to be bought.














There are clothes to be aired-out.

And there are a myriad of other things to do...food plots to keep
up...freezer space to free up...the list continues.

"Idolatry begins in the imagination by conceiving of God
in one's own likeness." A.B. Caneday from Veiled Glory:
God's Self-Revelation in Human Likeness--A Biblical
Theology of God's Anthropomorphic Self-Disclosure an essay
in Beyond the Bounds

Joel's Chinese ducks, Ping and Pong, keep coming to visit.
They will walk all the way down Joel's lane to the gravel,
turn left and walk down the gravel to our driveway, then
they hang another left and come duckily waddling up the drive.

It's hilarious.

Yesterday as we were driving down the gravel we met them on
the road. Kent said, "The road is dangerous; they should cut
through the field."

I asked him, "Do you want me to tell them that?"

Today we saw geese headed south. Soon our hummingbirds
will leave us as well. Tyler has probably mixed up a
hundred gallons of sugar water for the little guys this
summer. They are an endless source of entertainment.

We will miss them.

Thanks to Amy, who has now moved to her dream "forty acres and a mule", for this article on why the middle class should have larger
families.

Between G'ma Opal's illness and then peaches (from a road trip
with Dad to Campbell) and grapes (from Cousin Mary's yard) to
work up, and between starting school and the normal workings
of the home and business it has been a good thing to take a
time of rest from the computer.

But today Kent and I walked down to see G'ma and had a lovely
meander down the gravel. This morning Sister Becky and her
family were visiting her and G'ma said, "I wonder if I'll get
to play cards before I die." Well, they did play two games of
High Five with her and they were both nail biters. G'ma won
one of them.

While we were visiting Aunt Jenny came in and so we decided that
where there are four people there should be a game of High Five.
Jenny and I creamed Kent and G'ma the first game, and then they
came back and beat us the second. So all in all G'ma had a lovely
day!

When we were talking about the rubber game she said, "We'll let
the rain settle it for us." If you live on a gravel road that is
a profound statement.

Shirley Joan Fleetwood

“Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband
also, and he praises her: 'Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.' Charm is deceitful, and beauty is
vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
Proverbs 31:28-30

Shirley was always there for her husband, Paul (Bob), and
her children and children-in law, Mike, Debby, Tandy, Kent,
Laurie, Derrill, and Becky, and her grandchildren and
grandchildren-in-law, Paul, Carolyn, Daryl, Emily, Andy,
Bobby, Joel, Billy, Tyler, Hattie, D.Jay, Julie, Anne, and
Kinsey. When they got up in the morning, when they went to
bed at night, if they came home sick, if their heart was
breaking, if they had a joke that needed telling, when there
was a triumph to report, Shirley was there to listen, console,
laugh, rejoice, and pray with them.

She and Bob were teenage sweethearts, and they had
a lifelong love affair. During their 55 years of marriage,
they taught strong Biblical and family values to their
children and grandchildren. Their relationship has been
a model Christian marriage and a picture of the relationship
between Christ and His Church.

Shirley taught all four of her children to read and write
before they entered school. She taught them to play games,
and she did her best to beat them every time. The Famous
Shirley Shuffle will go down in family lore. She spent hours
without number sewing doll dresses, clothes, and dance
costumes, cooking wonderful meals, and creating a beautiful
and clean home, so that her family would feel the love she
had for them.

Traveling was always fun for Shirley. One of her favorite
places to visit was the home of her brother David and his
wife Dori. They enjoyed driving up and down the California
coast together and chatting about childhood days.

Her family by marriage, the Fleetwoods, became through the
years her own family. She considered Opal to not only be her
mother-in-law but to be her friend. Jim, Jenny, Ken, Bill,
and their families were a big part of her life. Together
they all shared both tears and laughter.

She made friends wherever she went, knew no stranger, and
her emotions were open, upfront and honest. Shirley was a
walking icebreaker. Everyone's day was brightened because
of her.

She loved spending time with her church family and Pastor
John. John and Shirley had a White Elephant joke that
lasted for years. The girls at the sewing circle have
also been her fun companions. Perhaps not a lot of sewing
has been accomplished, but certainly a lot of friendship
has been shared.

Shirley loved to give her time and money to important
causes. She was a faithful member of the Hwy K Firehouse
and the Sheltered Workshop Board. She donated freely to
anyone she knew that had a need. But her great love and
consuming passion was God and His work of salvation,
therefore her time spent in volunteering at church and
in missions was very precious to her. Through the years
she has hosted dozens of missionaries in her home, but
it wasn't until she was 69 that she took her first official
Mission Trip. After returning home she said, “I can't
believe I waited until I was this old to start going on
Mission Trips.”

Since trusting in Christ as her Savior and Lord, Shirley
has been looking forward with anticipation, confidence,
and joy to her first moment of being able to finally see
Christ face to face. We miss her, but we rejoice with her
in entering this reality.

“For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face.
Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also
am known.” I Corinthians 15:12 “Then the King will say to
those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world.'” Matthew 25:34

I am not gone forever, just for a season.

To paraphrase Solomon in Ecclesiastes:

There is a time for writing and a time for silence;
there is a time for sorrow and a time for rejoicing.

Meanwhile know that there are few fireflies this year but
many ticks and very loud frogs.

Between getting ready for the 40 plus relatives that are descending
on Fern Nook Gravel Road next week, and having my mother in the
hospital, things are quiet on the blog-front.

Today I found this and this on nationalizing oil as is being
called for by some politicians.

This speaks for itself.

Tip of the bonnet to Challies.

And so, I relearned yesterday why I play golf so seldom.

I also realized that golf is a very spiritual game.

To some (read me) it is a LONG lesson in 'umility.

To some (read those with me) it is a LONG lesson in
patience.

I always feel bad when the foliage on the sides of the gravel
gets dusty. The freshness of spring has worn off and it looks
old and worn. How delightful when a rain comes and washes it
all clean again.

Cousin Sandy was down for a visit last week with Brandon and
Kayona. She absconded with a jar of cherry jelly I sent down
for Aunt Jenny. Sandy said, "Jenny doesn't like cherries and
she doesn't like jelly, so I'm taking it back to The Big City
with me."

Fern Nook Farmhouse has a new roof. Kent and Billy are glad
that job is over.

This morning I had to walk down to Joel's house to attend to
a small chore. What a beautiful morning it is. On the way
back up the driveway I saw that one of the small nannies had
escaped, so Kent and I had fun chasing her back into her field.

The wildflower colors right now are orange and white. Orange
from the Butterfly Weed and white from the Queen Anne's Lace.

Brother Mike and Sister-in-law Debby are due in today or
tomorrow for a month's stay.

Uncle Jim wants to construct an outdoor shower and an outhouse.
Sounds fun to me. Think how it will save on the air-conditioning
when the kids don't have to run in every time they need to attend
to their needs. He has big plans for solar heating the water so
the shower isn't COLD from the well water.

We are gearing up for the big family reunion we are hosting over
the 4th of July for Kent's side of the family.

Yesterday one of our myriad hummingbirds was being chased by a
bully hummer. It banged right into the side of the house and
was knocked loco. Tyler rescued it and put it in a box and fed
it every 20 minutes or so until it could fly again. Who needs
TV when you can stand and watch the hummer drama all day long
through the front door window?

Who would've thunk that the easy living in the Summertime
wouldn't leave me enuff time to breathe, much less to
blog.

I found this though on Global Warming, it's just as my
Paw said yesterday. There is one group of people who
are lovin' these gas prices.

Dave Ramsey on Drive Free, Retire Rich.

Tip of the Bonnet to Challies.

It started with Sister Tandy picking a small bowlful of
cherries and pitting them and asking me to make a pie.
There really wasn't enough for a pie, but I said I'd do
my best. Then G'ma Opal sent down a bag of cherries
pitted, sugared and frozen. Now, with the combo, there
was enough for one small pie.

A day or so later Aunt Jenny and Cousin Mary came by with
a bowlful of cherries they had picked. So I pitted them
and stuck them in the freezer. Good. Now there was enough
for two small pies/cobblers.

Then Tyler heard that Aunt Jenny's tree still had cherries,
so he went, he picked, and he came home, over the course of
two days, with about 8 gallons of cherries.

I am thankful for a 10 year old girl who is a super cherry
pitter, else I'd have thrown about 4 gallons of cherries
out.

Now we have two batches of jelly, 8-10 bags of frozen cherries
for smoothies/shakes and 8 or so bags of cherries in the freezer
waiting to be made into pies/cobblers.

Won't we be grateful in the deeps of January for some June
Cherries to brighten our dreary days!

Words, Words, Words has an interesting analysis on the price
of oil.

This blog is (a little) about life in Mayberry in Missouri.
Here is a post in defense of Mayberry-by-the-Sea.

Tip of the Bonnet to Amy.

So, after Carbon, which element should we tax next?

Tip of the bonnet to Challies.

Sorry for the silence. I've been up to my head (which, granted,
isn't very high) in cherries.

Meanwhile this post and this post by Wittingshire are fascinating.

Interesting (read disturbing) article about gospel-free zones
in the U.K.

Interesting (read thought-provoking) article talking about the
first interesting (read disturbing) article.

Yesterday we hosted our annual church BBQ at our home. In
the middle of the night, before the BBQ, storms began rolling
through the area and Hattie came into the bedroom worrying
because she was afraid we would cancel the shindig. We assured
her that we try to never cancel.

It cleared up and though, just as people started arriving, a
large storm went just to the North of us, it avoided our place.

We had a hot and lovely time. There was an amazing amount of
food. If we had any more food I'd have to enlarge my kitchen
and build longer counters. It took awhile to get the 100 people
through the food line, but nobody went hungry.

But, shame on me, I forgot something important. Hattie had made
a surprise forme a few days before. I knew she was closeted with
her Grandma working on a project, but I didn't know what it was.
She gave it to me on Saturday and I used it to cook the food for
the picnic, but I forgot to wear it yesterday at the BBQ. I wanted
to show it off for everyone...so I'll just do that here instead.
She made one for herself as well. Aren't we just duckie?

In one of my first ever posts I quoted from Chesterton's
Orthodoxy.

I tend to put down a lovely quote from a book and call it
a review. I'm lazy like that.

John Piper has a much better review of the book.

Up and Down the Gravel
















There used to be a commercial where a pretty lady with gorgeous
hair that she was swishing all over the place said, "Don't hate
me for my beautiful hair."

That's the way I feel about my gravel road. We just happen to
live on the most beautiful gravel in the county. Please don't
hate me for it.

Anyway the summer is quickly filling in. We have our yearly
big church BBQ at our home this Sunday afternoon.

Hopefully next week we'll get in the hay.

My brother and his wife are coming in the middle of June for a
month.

Uncle Ken and Cousin Kenny are coming at the end of June.

Nephew D.Jay, from PA, and his sisters are coming at the
beginning of July.

The entire 4th of July holiday, plus a day or two on either side,
is given over to the Family Reunion on Kent's side of the family
that we host. The them is Hillbilly this year. There will be
a Hillbilly fireworks display, a Hillbilly golf tournament, and
a Hillbilly canoe trip as the big draws this year.

Add in several softball games a week and other odd events and it
looks to be a lovely summer.

For the men in my life.

How to be a modern Renaissance Man.

Subway and Homeschooling.

Jube Dankworth at American Thinker Blog posted on it.

Amy, as usual, has some solid comments worth reading as well.

Of course there's a problem here. Mayberry doesn't have a Quiznos
and my boys love to get their Pa to take them to Subway. I think
we'll just take this one on the chin.

On the Finished Pile:

Faith Beyond Feelings by Jonathan Edwards.

Here is a quote that sums up the book:

"The more a true saint loves God with a gracious love,
the more he desires to love Him. His uneasiness
concerning his lack of love for God will increase. The
more he hates sin, the more he will want to hate it.
He will regret that he still has so much remaining love
for it. The more his heart is broken, the more he will
want it to be broken further. The more he thirsts and
longs after God and His holiness, the more he will long
and breathe out his very soul in more longings after
God. Like a kindled flame that rises higher, the more
ardently it burns, the more it will continue to burn."

Yesterday I walked down to G'ma Opal's house for a good,
long visit. We started out in the screened in porch, which
is where I found her when I arrived. We sat down and she
read some funnies to me from some old magazines. They were
funny sayings by kids that were sent in by their parents
or grandparents. The one I remember the most is the little
girl who looked at herself in the mirror after losing 7 teeth
and said, "My mouth is bald." G'ma can relate to that.

After a while we wandered out into the yard because Uncle Jim
came out and had the Cardinal game on the radio. By this time
Kent had wandered down the road also and so we were a cozy
foursome sitting in the shade on a hot and humid day.

G'ma's feet started to swell from sitting in the lawnchair, so
she and I went into the living room where she could sit in her
recliner for a bit and rest her feet. Finally I said I needed
to go, and she said, "But you haven't eaten yet."

We headed to the kitchen where there was a pot of beans and
a pan of meatloaf. After adding a piece of bread and a glass
of milk, I made a pretty good meal. Hattie, who was popping
in and out all day, had a big bowl of beans as well. Kent
then came in and ate several helpings.

Then Hattie proposed a game of High Five...it was Kent and Hattie
against G'ma and me. We (G. Opal and I) won. We took the last
bid and went out at 53, and, even though Kent and Hattie actually
ended up at 54, we won because G'ma had taken the bid. Jim says
you can't make more than 52 in the game. That is new to me, but
even with his reckoning, it would be 52 to 52 and we still won
because we took the last bid.

I only made one really stupid play. Clubs was trump and Kent led
off with the Q. of spades. I was holding the five of spades. For
some reason I was thinking spades was trump and the five was the
last trump I had, so I plunked it right down. Hattie then countered
with the Ace of clubs. So she caught my five when I didn't even need
to play it. That's why my 97 year old G'ma doesn't prefer me as a
partner. I am easily distracted.

Today Challies featured an incredible testimony by Richard Ganz.
You ought to read it.

Last night, at about 9:30, Kent and I walked down to the
middle of our driveway and watched the moonrise. It started
with a glow of orange over the trees and moment by moment
the brightness increased as Mr. Moon raced up from behind the
treeline to finally shine forth in all his glory alone in
the sky. Then Kent spoke, "Then God made two great lights:
the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to
rule the night."

I'd been hearing rumors that the fireflies were beginning
their nightly show, but I'd not seen any yet. As we turned
and began to walk back to the house I saw them. Little bits
of twinkling magic scattered throughout the field and yard.
They aren't thick yet, as they will be one night soon; then
it will look as though all the stars of heaven have fallen
into my field. But, they were there.

It was a lovely way to end the day. Kent and I celebrate our
26th anniversary tomorrow. He fulfills my definition of
romance. Romance is being there. It is being there when I
wake in the morning, when I am crabby, when I am cute, when
I am in distress, and when I am tired. That moonrise was our
anniversary gift to each other. What else is needed?

Last week was Kent's birthday. Since we were all busy on Tuesday,
which was the actual date of his birthday, we put off having his
birthday dinner until Thursday.

When I asked him (I don't know why I did, I know what he wants)
what he wanted for his dinner he said, "Quiche and pie, please."

So I planned on making Asparagus Quiche, Quiche Lorraine, salads,
side dishes, and both an Apple and a Peach Pie.

We were at G'ma Opal's house the Sunday before and we invited her
to the birthday bash. She offered to make the Apple Pie because
she was planning on baking one that week anyway.

So on Tuesday I got this phone call. "Laurie, this is your
Grandma. I thought that we were having the dinner today since
it IS Kent's birthday and I already baked his Apple Pie. You
better come get it so it doesn't go bad."

So I sent Billy to get it and it was delicious.

Then on Thursday she called and offered to make a Banana Pie.
We said, "Yes!"

So, Kent got two Quiches and three Pies for his Birthday. Spoiled,
ain't he?

Reviews of Caspian by Stand to Reason and Brandywine Books.

Some of the main themes in the Books of Narnia are discussed by Leland Rykan in Tabletalk.

Here's a sneak preview at my favorite sentence from Kent's
sermon for tomorrow (which is based on I Thess. 4:9-12).

"Make it your ambition not to be too ambitious."

If I have time, energy, and enguogh thought provoking ideas,
I'll write more on this later. If not, you'll just have to
think it through for yourself.

Bits and Pieces

Two days ago there were only two of them. We were wondering
if they would all come back, but they have. There are a dozen
or more hummingbirds happily buzzing around my porch. At least
two of them are major bullies, and it provides us never-ending
entertainment to watch them. It also keeps Tyler quite busy
filling the three feeders.

Overheard at Kent's birthday party was this statement by Uncle
Weatherman Jim, "Last year we had May in March and this year
we have March in May."

Billy, Kent, Dad, Hattie, and Tyler took the boat out for the
first time this afternoon to see if it was in working order.
Either it is and they are having a grand time, or it isn't and
they are desperately trying to paddle the river.

Billy starts his internship at CMS Monday. He has had a good
rest.

Joel is loving being in the junk business. He is cleaning up
Ripley County and putting a few dollars in his pocket at the
same time.

I've wanted Crepe Myrtle bushes for at least 16 years, but we
never got around to getting any. This year we got some with
a vengeance. We bought 10 of them and Kent has been planting
them for me.

We're enjoying fresh lettuce and onions from Dad and Mom's
garden. Tonight they are bring a wilted lettuce salad to
our house for dinner. Yes!

When Liberals become Conservatives.

Been gone. Up to The Big City. Off to ballgames.

But in between all the goings and doings we snuck down
to G'ma Opal's house on Sunday and played a game or two
of High Five. What Grandma said while we were playing
will only resonate with those who are Fern Nook Ex-pats
or Fern Nook Wannabees.

Kent and Dad were partners and G'ma and I were partners.
It was G'ma's turn to bid and Kent (the dealer) came after
her. That was when she said, "If I bid 9, he'll bid 10.
If I bid 10, we'll go set."

So, she bid 10, and we went set.

Christmas comes early. This is great fun!

"It is a reasonable affirmation then that the basis of a
true love for God is His intrinsic worth, for He is
worthy to be loved for His own sake. It is this that
makes Him so worthy of love. His divine excellence is
so glorious. This is why God is God: to be loved for
His own sake."

Jonathan Edwards in Faith Beyond Feelings

Up and Down the Gravel

1. Mom and Dad got back from a trip to The Big City for Mom's
latest chemo treatment. So far, so good.

2. Billy comes home today from his 3rd year of college in The Big
City. He is flying high! He will be working in The Big City
this summer, but only Monday-Wednesday, then he'll head home
to dear-to-his-heart Fern Nook for the rest of the week. He
has a full week and a half break before starting his internship.

3. Joel's geese, Amanda and Abagail, have gone missing. Some of
the ducks and chicks are gone also. He's suspecting a dog or a
pack of dogs is getting them. No worry though...the man at work
he got his goose eggs from told him he could have more to
incubate.

4. Joel has also gone into the scrap metal business. If you have
anything you want hauled off then he's the man for you.

5. Aunt Jenny is going to make garden in our old garden spot again.
Kent and Tyler have been working at putting up electric fence to
keep the rabbits and deer out.

6. Yesterday G'ma Opal called me to see if Dad and Mom had made
it back from The Big City. Before we got off the phone she said,
"I have to tell you my big problem." It seems her favorite pair
of shoes had gone missing. She'd had them just the day before.
They are the ones she cut the toes out of and has been wearing
for over a year. She loves those shoes. She looked all in the
house and all outside, but nary a sight of them did she see. Then,
just as I was going to offer to go down and look she said, "Oh, I
just lifted the dust ruffle at the side of the bed and there
they are!" (She'd already looked under the bed.) She hung up a
happy camper.

7. The goats and the cows are fat and happy.

8. Hattie is cooking up a storm. Yesterday she made Lemon Pound
Cake Muffins. They are delicious.

9. Tyler is almost at the end of his spring ball season. One
more regular season game and then they're off to districts.

10. This is not from The Gravel, but it is interesting. Niece
Kinsey is going to be in one of the productions for the Muny
in The Big City again this year. It is the one called, "90
Years at the Muny" (or something like that.)

11. Uncle Jim has The Park looking just lovely. He is not
complaining about the water tables being low right now. Last
week we got another 3+ inches of rain (which washed all our new
grass seed down towards Montgomery's place) and we're fixing to
get more today and tomorrow.

You know you live in Mayberry when at dinner one night your
oldest son calmly picks 3 or 4 ticks off himself during
the course of the repast, and you further confirm your
residency when no one else even pauses in their eating and
talking.

Everyone was hoping that the long, cold winter we had would
cut back on the bugs, but I think that is it is an old wives
tale that this happens. The bugs are just there--always and
ever and forevermore.

Hattie's Art Lesson yesterday was on form. Somehow it
formed itself into her creation of this...














and then this.

Sometime ago I posted about judging a book by how hungry it
makes me get while reading it. There is one other very
important criteria I have for reading a book. The author
has to be able to write better than I do. If they can't
then they are not worth my time.

Before you judge me as a silly goose, listen to my reasoning.

Years ago, many, many years ago, I was sixteen. It is hard to
be sixteen and not be full of yourself. I remember writing
in my diary one day (thankfully that diary is hidden in a
deep, dark place, hopefully never to see the light of day again)
but, I remember writing something horribly gushy in the following
vein--Not an exact quotation by any means, but close in the main
idea---

"Dear Diary,

I know I am destined for some great thing. I have considered the
ways and have come to the conclusion that my destiny is to do
something that will contribute to mankind and beautify this world.
Maybe it will be singing, or dancing, maybe art, but I think it
most likely to be with words. Words make me feel alive." blah,
blah, blah, ad nauseam.

Oh, how I love being closer to fifty than forty. I wouldn't take
sixteen back again for all the tea in China. (Never use such cliches
they PROVE you are not a good writer.)

Well, it is obvious to all that know me that singing could not
be the great thing I do. I am the only one in my immediate family,
meaning by immediate my husband and four children, who cannot
sing. The poor ole' girl can't carry a tune in a bucket (there
I go again). However my dear niece in The Big City is going to
be singing The National Anthem for the River City Rascals in June.
Go Annie!

Dancing is also out of the question. Although I took dance lessons
for nine years sister Becky falls into the cockroach laughing position
when she remembers trying to teach me some basic dance moves
when I was a teenager. My lack of rhythm has continued to plague
Kent to this day. He has this dance step he loves and has had to
resort to dancing with Hattie-girl. Dancing does run in the family
though, as proven by niece Kinsey who will be dancing Sleeping Beauty with the St. Louis Ballet Company the same weekend Annie
is singing for the Rascals.

Art-now there is a field with great possibilities. There are several
professional artists in my family. Uncle David is a professional
artist in California, and niece Carolyn Fleetwood-Blake is one in
Florida (she even has a website devoted just to her artwork for sale).
My home is decorated with artwork by the two of them. Even son Billy
and daughter Hattie are rather artistic. But once again, the talent
fairy passed me by at birth.

You can easily see why I quickly narrowed my options to making a
splash in the world down to writing. Everyone can write. At least
they think they can. But what I've come to discover over the years is that, sure, anyone can write, but only a few
deserve the title of "Author worthy to be read".

I can easily be grammatically correct. I can even, once in a great
while, write a lovely sounding sentence. But to put together a whole
string of interesting sentences, page after page, and to connect those
sentences to a plot or idea worth continuing writing about, that is a
gift that relatively few people through the ages have been given.

In the long run, my writing is stilted and boring...even to myself.
If I cannot hope to amuse my own ego, how can I hope to amuse
others for any extended length of time?

Besides, there is something bewitching in the idea of having to make
a great impression on the world. God has given me my little spot and
it is His grace to me to be surrounded by my own little set of
circumstances. What I can be good at is doing the next job that is
set before me (kudos to Elizabeth Elliot). I can cook the next meal,
make the next bed, wash the next load of towels, attend the next
ballgame, teach the next VBS class, care for the next sick person,
share Christ with the next person I meet and enjoy the life I have
been blessed with.

Maybe I lack drive or intensity, but at least I am a happy and
contented little soul as I plod along through my allotment of days.

Signs of Spring keep popping out. On Sunday we saw our first
turtle of the season crossing the road.

Our first Clematis bloomed.















Hattie took some pictures at G'ma Opal's house yesterday. Here
are my two favorite.

Mayberry (sometimes known as Doniphan) is the best known
little town in the USA. Everywhere you go, if you mention
the name Doniphan, people will say something like, "Oh, I
know where that is." or "My grand-uncle's second cousin's
brother-in-law is from Doniphan...do you know so-and-so?"

Just last week another such story happened.

Taleana and Dan, a couple from our church, escorted one of
the high school bands to Six Flags up near The Big City. They
were both wearing their Doni-fan shirts (you have to live
here to have one!) As they were wandering around the park a
security guard came up to them and asked, "Are you from Doniphan?

"Why, yes we are."

Guard said, "I know some people in Doniphan. My son's in-laws
live there. Do you know the Fleetwoods?"

"Why, yes we do. We go to the same church as their daughter
and son-in-law (that's US)."

It was my sister's father-in-law and one of my parent's best
friends...fun!

Small world.

From Contentment: A Godly Woman's Adornment

We will never know contentment in Christ if we seek him as
a divine referee, however unfairly we may have been treated.
His work in our lives is not about making sure we get the
maximum benefits in the here and now, even when we are
entitled to those benefits. In fact, real contentment often
comes when we willingly embrace the loss of them.

The second thing Jesus does is reveal the spirit of
covetousness that underlies most of our prayers about
obtaining our share. […] We will never find contentment—
freedom from that angry feeling of unfairness—by getting
the things that are rightfully ours. We will find it by
letting go of our entitlement to them.

Tip of the Bonnet to Amy

Did I mention clematis and hoot owls?





























Turkey Season started this week. The practical implications
of this at our house are one boy (man) who gets up at 4:00 am
every morning to sneak out of the house and go hunting. He
was going to get up at 3:00 am to cook sausage and biscuits
for breakfast, but I talked him into cooking it the night
before and reheating it in the microwave. Since I am a rather
light sleeper, I thought that might gain a tich more sleep
for myself. The pictures are of Tyler preparing for T.S. by
checking out his gun.

I forgot to mention the peonies that are ready to pop,
the redbuds, the dogwood, the 20 shades of green in the
forest, the mayapples, the butterflies, and the April full
moon. It has all been rather distracting.

Whew! Go Lars.

Lilacs in full bloom (and I didn't even know they were ready to
bloom yet), and whippoorwills, and thunderstorms, and green-green
grass, and the hummingbirds that arrived this morning, and the
baby leaves and oh my, more than I can keep up with. Spring
just plum makes me dizzy.

A Series of Unfortunate Events:

Yesterday morning was smashing. Probably it was the loveliest
morning we've had yet this year. I know because I spent most
of the morning outside. It was all a result of a series of
unfortunate events.

Tyler came in from the Turkey woods at about 7:30 and told
me that Katie, the horse down the road was in our garden
area and couldn't get out. She had jumped the fence to get
in, but now was running in circles looking for a way out.
Kent told him to catch her (she's quite tame) and take her
into the big field, through a gate and then out onto the
road through another, so that she could be walked home.

I went out to help, but I misunderstood which gate he was
bringing her through. I went to the yard gate. Since I
wasn't there Tyler had to let go of her to open the road
gate. She wandered away and found the cows and then she
went loco and started chasing them. She was having a great
time, but they were frightened.

I ran to the house to get some apples to help in catching
her again and while I was inside the phone rang. It was
cousin Mary. She lives behind us. She said, "Blue says
he saw a cow go racing by the house a full speed a minute
ago."

Oh boy. Now a cow was loose. By this time Tyler had caught
Katie and was walking her down the road. Kent, Hattie and
I went cow looking. Not just one, but all the cows except
for the calf were gone. We found two behind the small field
and they were easy to get back in, but the the calf's mamma
was missing.

We tracked her for quite a ways, she was headed towards the
Greenwood's place, traveling back behind the Crow's fence.
Our neighbors came out to help and between everyone we were
finally able to round her up and get her home. Meanwhile
her calf had gone into a depression. The mamma cow was cut
in several places. She was the one who had burst, in her fear,
through the barbed wire fence, but her calf was cut and
bleeding on the nose. I guess between fear of being chased,
and the pain from the cut, and missing her mother, she had lain
down and wouldn't get up. But once she was reunited with
mom she perked up and was fine.

So it was an exciting morning for us and for several of the
neighbors. Just another in a string of adventures here on
Fernnook Farm.

Joel brought his week-old geese visiting Sunday morning
before church. They have been named Amelia and Abigail.
Of course it is Hattie and Tyler that have named them.
They don't really know that they are both female geese,
but I think the names will stick even if they aren't.

Joel said yesterday that he'd like to get a monkey and
name her Abigail. When I asked why, he said, "If it is an
orangutan it should just be named Abigail, because Abigail
is a name for a redhead."

I wasn't really asking why he would name her Abigail, I wanted
to know why he wanted a monkey. "For tax reasons," he said.
"I could claim it as a child on my taxes." Purely Joel reasoning.

John Piper says in the Appendix of A God Entranced Vision
of All Things: The Legacy of Jonathan Edwards:

As a hell-deserving sinner I never could have dreamed of
spending eternity with God in ever-increasing joy in the
ever-increasing revelation of God himself. All I could
expect was destruction and misery. But wonder of wonders,
"Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the
unrighteous, that he might bring (me) to God" (I Pet. 3:18).

An interesting thing happened yesterday as I was on the phone
with my sister who lives in The Big City. Of course earlier
in the morning we had experienced The Earthquake. We were
chatting away and then Becky said, "We are having another
earthquake." She paused, then added, "It's still going on."

I hadn't yet felt anything, but then after another second
or two I was able to tell her, "I feel it now." Just then
Kent came running out of the office and Hattie came scrambling
down the hallway. It was very noticeable to us.

And so, there is my scientific proof that the quake was located
nearer to The Big City (St. Louis) than it was to SE Missouri.

Two new and interesting blogs have caught my attention. For
my men readers I recommend The Art of Manliness. In it you
will find information on Manly Skills, Dress and Grooming and
Relationships and Family.

For the the Theology Buffs in my life I recommend the blog
Theological Word of the Day. Now you too can know what the big words mean.

Having a headache takes the thrill out of life. There are so
many things that usually give me a thrill, yet when I have a
headache I notice them but really could care less. Even
on dark days, sad days, and difficult days the thrills
break through...but NOT on headache days.

Going over the two spots on the major highway to Mayberry
where the redbuds crowd up to the bridge and seem to hug
the road is worth a thrill.

Seeing herons and hawks and having Hattie point out "The most
beautiful bird ever" through the window ought to give me a
delicious shiver.

Lying on the couch at 5:30 in the morning whilst the coffee is
brewing and listening to the cacophony of songbirds is most
often a wonderful comfort...but not this morning and not yesterday
morning either.

Waking in the middle of the night to hear the soft breathing of
Hattie on the floor next to our bed, and the peepers in the pond,
and the dogs running the woods next to our bed is supposed to be
a joy, but it wasn't last night.

Watching the Mayberry Dons play an exciting game where the other
coach got thrown out and Tyler placed a sweet bunt for one of the
few hits the Mayberry Dons made was more of a chore than a thrill.

Having the first hummingbird of the year looking in at Hattie through
her bedroom window yesterday should have sent me scooting for the
feeders, but it didn't.

These things pass however, and then life will become full and rosy
again. Meanwhile, God is in His Heaven, so all must be right with
the world; the thrills are there, my feelings actually have nothing
to do with it.

A funny thing happened on the way home from The Big City
yesterday. Dad and I took Mom up to Barnes to have a
catheter put in for draining fluids out of her tummy. While
she was there they drained off 2 liters of fluid. That
is not the funny part, but it helps lead up to it.

Partly because of all the fluid she has been carrying around,
Mom has not been able to eat more than a tablespoon or so at
a time. But after the surgery she was hungry, so we stopped
at Cracker Barrel to eat.

She and I decided to split a meal. It had grilled chicken
strips covered in cheese and peppers, corn, potatoes, greens,
and biscuits. Mom ate a small helping of everything, and
then she had a taste for a bite of biscuit with some honey
on it. The waitress had set a little container with honey
on the table. Mom carefully cut open her biscuit and poured
the honey on top. She looked up. "This is sure thin honey,"
she said.

Brilliant daughter replied, "Maybe it is syrup and not honey."

Mom took a bite and got a very funny look on her face. "That
is NOT honey;" she exclaimed, "THAT is vinegar!"

They never told me that daily conversations such as the one
I just had with Hattie would be part of my job description
as a mother.

Hattie: "Mommy, guess what page I'm on." (She is currently
reading Jo's Boys by Louisa Mae Alcott.)

Mommy: "200."

Hattie: "More."

Mommy: "210." (Stupid guess. Not at all scientific; I know
better than that.)

Hattie: "More."

Mommy: "250."

Hattie: "Less."

Mommy: "230."

Hattie: "Less."

Mommy: "220."

Hattie: "Less."

Mommy: "215."

Hattie: "More."

Mommy: "217."

Hattie: "Less."

Mommy: "216."

Hattie: "Yes!"

I've got to love a site that has the following quote at
the top.

Good things, when short, are twice as good.
Tom Stoppard

Farm Update:

We can't find Samantha (Sam). She is the littlest of the
three triplets. Hattie and I divided up the field and
tramped all over it. Later Hattie took Max, Joel's German
Shepherd, to look again. Probably a coyote or bobcat got
her.

A Thunderstorm
by Emily Dickinson

The wind begun to rock the grass
With threatening tunes and low, -
He flung a menace at the earth,
A menace at the sky.

The leaves unhooked themselves from trees
And started all abroad;
The dust did scoop itself like hands
And throw away the road.

The wagons quickened on the streets,
The thunder hurried slow;
The lightning showed a yellow beak,
And then a livid claw.

The birds put up the bars to nests,
The cattle fled to barns;
There came one drop of giant rain,
And then, as if the hands

That held the dams had parted hold,
The waters wrecked the sky,
But overlooked my father's house,
Just quartering a tree.




A Thunderstorm
By Archibald Lampman

A moment the wild swallows like a flight
Of withered gust-caught leaves, serenely high,
Toss in the windrack up the muttering sky.
The leaves hang still. Above the weird twilight,
The hurrying centres of the storm unite
And spreading with huge trunk and rolling fringe,
Each wheeled upon its own tremendous hinge,
Tower darkening on. And now from heaven's height,
With the long roar of elm-trees swept and swayed,
And pelted waters, on the vanished plain
Plunges the blast. Behind the wild white flash
That splits abroad the pealing thunder-crash,
Over bleared fields and gardens disarrayed,
Column on column comes the drenching rain.

Up and Down the Gravel

1. Hattie's goat had triplets. This is the first time she
has had a critter that gave birth. It has been pretty exciting.
Since the mama is a first-timer it is a little unusual for
her to have triplets. And it is more unusual for them all
to survive. So far, though, so good. Hattie (or Kent) is/are
going out twice a day with a bottle to supplement a little
milk for now. Chances are the mama just doesn't have quite
enough this first time around.

2. Joel's goose eggs are due to hatch in a few days. That
should be interesting. I've never been around baby geese.

3. Dad and Mom returned yesterday from another trip to the
Big City for chemo. They are always relieved to be back in
Fern Nook again.

4. G'ma Opal and I had some lovely talk over the weekend. We
talked cookie recipes, cousins, and family history. I was
asking her once again about her Uncle Warren's family. He was
her Dad's brother and lived a ways north through the woods of
where she lived.

It is such a fascinating family to me. They had 10 children...
nine girls and a boy, and out of all those they only got one
grandchild. I've always thought that sad and have wondered
whether it was a genetic issue or if there was some other
emotional thing going on.

We also talked of Ivy Crow, G'ma's neighbor for an eon of years and
how she, when a young woman, would walk to Mayberry, a trek of 11
or so miles, work all day and then walk back home. Of course,
sometimes someone would pick her up on the highway and take her
part of the way, but she couldn't count on that happening.

I think it goes without saying that there's no actor out
there today the least bit like Charlton Heston. If they had
the audacity to remake "Commandments" or "Ben Hur" today,
they'd inevitably have to cast someone with a shorter shadow.
But then the moviemakers would make the part smaller too. In
the 21st Century, we look for heroes who make us feel better
by comparison, not heroes who make us want to be greater than
we are.

From Brandywine Books: You can find the rest of the tribute
to Charlton Heston here.

I did not know that my favorite harbinger of spring, the
peeper, only lived in fishless ponds.

They are a small treefrog and are pinkish, gray or tan with
a dark X on the back.

I just thought you'd like to know.

They are also some of God's great symphony players on spring
nights.

From Prudence is Not a Frequent Google by John Mark Reynolds

This is why there has never been a greater need for the
old virtues, recognized by pagan philosophers and Christian
saints, of moderation, chastity, and charity. Moderation
will not speak when others will speak and so leave a mystery.
Chastity allows for the mystery of what could be and charity
is always a mystery.

Tip of the Bonnet to Challies

From Uncle Weatherman Jim:

My rain total for April to date: 4.7 inches.

April 1st 0.1

April 2nd 0.5

April 3rd 3.8

April 4th 0.3


Year to date 30.15

Jan/08 2.25

Feb/08 5.1

Mar/08 18.1

Apr/08 4.7

That’s a whole bunch of H2O, over 2 ½ feet, the ponds are full. Ducks are looking for cover. I still haven’t found any gopher wood.


Jimmy

There are a lot of images of God floating around in the minds
of people.

Some are looking for a lover. Some are looking for a lap
to crawl up in. Some for a Santa Claus figure who will fulfill
their Christmas list of wants. So, as I was driving to Mayberry
to do the weekly errands yesterday, I thought about just exactly
what is my image of God. More specifically I thought about what
I want from God personally.

There really is only one thing I want. I want Him to BE God.
I am looking for the sovereign, the almighty, the omnipotent,
the ruler, the One Who is in control.

As I meander through the days of my life I want to know that
when I see a beautiful sunrise, He is sovereign. When I stub
my toe on a chair leg, He is almighty. When I am eating a
piece of delicious cake, He is omnipotent. When I have a cold,
He is in control.

LIfe can be big and frightening one moment and lovely and filled
with warm fuzzies the next. Through the rain, the sunshine, the
lazy days on the river, the tense days in the hospital, the
playing of cards around the table, the disappointments in
relationships or circumstances, the sweet fellowship of
friends and family, the flat tires, and the sharing of delicious
meals, thank God that He is there and He is not silent.

He has communicated to us, in His Word, a small part of who He
is.

Psalm 103:19
The LORD has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all.

And so, today, as I go about the dailyness of life, with all its
ups and down, I will remember that God is in His heaven, and all
is right with the world.

The rains continue, but the fields are devastatingly green.
They are a deep, emerald green. As Kent and I were driving
down (never up) a gravel road yesterday the fields beside
us and off into the distance reminded me of the Old Country.

Not that I have ever lived in (or even visited) the Old Country,
but our friend Letty did. She is in her late seventies and came
to America from Scotland back when she was in her late teens or
early twenties.

Several years ago she was visiting with us here in Fern Nook
and as we were eating she told us that recently she had
attended a Celtic Festival in Arkansas. It was deep into the
fall months and the weather was damp and cold. As she was
browsing about she fell into conversation with a man. He
commented on the nasty weather and Letty said, "Yes, it is
unpleasant. What are we doing here? Isn't this why we left
the Old Country to begin with?"

But certainly the beautiful emerald green fields must make up
for a lot of damp, cold weather.

Up and Down the Gravel:

This comes from the email of the weatherman who lives 1/10th
of a mile to the north of me...and who is my very own uncle.

This is for those that may be wondering just how much
rain I have recorded for the month of March.

TaaaDaaaa! The total is 18.1 inches. The year to date total
is 24.45 inches.

What a difference a year makes! Let’s compare.

March 2007

Ave High 70.7

Ave Low 47.6

Precip. 1.45

March 2008

Ave High 60.2

Ave Low 40.5

Precip 18.1


Last March we had 8 days of 80 and above. This March we had zero 80 degree days.

You think we got our April showers early this year?


Jimmy

Rain and headache. Headache and rain. Rain and headache.
Ad Nauseam.

But that was through the yesterdays. Then came a trip to the
doctor and a shot that broke the headache cycle.

The sun burst out gloriously yesterday. The fields are green,
green, green from all the rain.

This morning at 5:30 there was a newly risen golden sliver of
moon floating above the tree line to the East. This was followed
by a lovely gentle sunrise.

And to top it all off, the Proverbs are such fun to read.

Today as I was reading through the 15th chapter I circled every
verse that had to do with the words we speak. Ouch.

Here is just one:

vs. 4
A wholesome tongue is a tree of life,
But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

I dropped by G'ma's house yesterday afternoon for an hour
or so. She was playing Sol and had already lost, so she was
cheating. She told me she'd played several evenings last
week for 3 or 4 games and lost everyone. Then a day or so
ago she played one game and won and got up from the table
and left...she knows when to fold 'em.

She is tickled pink because she had Uncle Jim pick her up
a new floor lamp in town this past weekend. It is quite bright
and makes it much easier for her to read and do crossword
puzzles.

Saturday night when she went to bed she pulled on her favorite
jammies and the elastic in the pants was totally shot. She
pulled them off and put on another pair, but the next morning
when she woke up she found a piece of good elastic and decided
to mend her jammie pants. The pants were a little short in the
waist and she decided to extend that as well. So she went to
look through her scraps and found the pieces that she had cut
off from the pants when she first bought them. Being a Fleetwood
she has to hem everything she buys. (But who, besides G'ma Opal,
would ever save the cut off part from the bottom of the pants
legs?)

Anyhow, she laid out the two leg bottoms and they didn't quite
make it all the way around the waist, so she added a few inches
of a different material. She used her new lamp to pin it all
together and then her machine cooperated and let her sew everything
together.

She is just as happy as a clam with her mending.

As she said yesterday, "Counting from when I was conceived I am
going on 99 and I can still bathe myself and take care of myself.
And I can fix my own jammies!" Well I admit, I paraphrased a
little, but she said something like that.

The idea of "contextualization" by adjusting Christianity to existing beliefs, values, and traditions was probably the twentieth century's most significant contribution to ministry strategy—and it is not a good one. It has made the church indistinguishable from the world, indistinct in its message, and (frankly) ineffectual as an evangelistic force in an unbelieving culture.

You can find the whole article at Pyromaniacs.

Likewise Mark Dever in the book A God Entranced Vision of all
Things: The Legacy of Jonathan Edwards says:

Conformity to the world in our churches makes our evangelistic
task all the more difficult. As Nigel Lee of Inter-Varisty
once said, "We become so like the unbelievers they have no
questions they want to ask us." May we so live that people
are made constructively curious.

I am a light sleeper. Last night, about an hour after I
went to bed I was awakened by a noise outside my window.
It took me a few seconds to wonder what was making the
noise before I lifted my head and looked out. Though
there was a cloudy sky, enough moonlight shone through
to show me a black plastic bag caught in the eddy that
the wind always makes between the back of the trailer,
the side of the new room, and the side of the furnace
room. The bag was swirling along the concrete pad and
making a raspy noise as it went.

I was hoping I could ignore it and fall asleep, but just
then there was a funny beeping from my dresser. I listened
to the beep two or three times and then went over to
investigate. The cordless phone hadn't been settled tight
in its cradle and the battery was getting low. I settled
it and it became quiet.

I went to bed, but the bag was swirling and rasping and I
knew I'd better just deal with it. So I went out the back
door, collected the bag, and brought it into the house out
of the wind.

Then I lay back down and began to listen to all the other
night noises. I was rather wide awake by this time.

There was the wind itself as it found its way about and around
all the corners and sides of the house. It always makes some
eerie howls in doing so. Then farther away was the whooshing
of the wind through the trees along the big pond at the edge
of the field.

There were the peepers, my little buddies, just peeping away
like mad because it was a warm night.

There was the sound of a vehicle going down the gravel. I tried
to figure out who it was and since it sounded like a motorcycle
being driven slowly I figured it was KM (Fernnookians will know
who I mean.)

There was distant thunder rolling about somewhere. I love distant
thunder. I love close up thunder, too. Both have their merits.

And finally, the sound that was keeping me awake most of all, there
was a gentle snore coming from beside me. Hmmm.

I got up, went into the kitchen and took a melatonin. I lay back
down, carefully poked Kent and asked him to roll over, which he
very obligingly did and then I drifted off to....dreamland.

Up and Down the Gravel

Things have been buzzing up and down the gravel lately.

First, there have been a lot of card games. G'ma Opal and
Dad played Mom and Hattie in High Five a week or so ago.
Mom almost did her famous Shirley Shuffle when she caught
Dad cheating. She and Hattie were vindicated though, and
they won the game.

Derrill and Becky and the girls were down from The Big City
over Easter weekend. Becky played G'ma in several games of
Gin Rummy and G'ma lost every one.

Then for Easter dinner, Gm'a, Jim and Jenny joined us down
at Mom and Dad's for the Big Feast. Stacy and the kids came
to visit after we had eaten. Of course there was a ritual
game of High Five and G'ma lost again! I'm surprised she
is able to sleep at all these days with all those plays she
must be mulling over during the sma' wees.

G'ma has had some other excitement this week as well. She
had a new roof put on her house Saturday. Along with putting
up the roof the workers cut down some trees for her and
they even managed to break a window in the meantime. It
happened during the cutting down of one of the trees. One
of the men was between the house and the tree to brace it
and keep it from falling on the house. He was backed up
against the window and he was pushing so hard against the
tree that his bottom just went through the window.

Things are pretty much back to normal from all the flooding.
We've sent what we had here down into Arkansas as the Current
River flows into the rivers down there.

Tandy really, really wanted to bake Easter cupcakes this year.
She began asking me to help her make them 2 or 3 weeks before
the holiday. Finally on Friday we were able to make them.
We made chocolate cupcakes with green and red dyed coconut
on top. Then we put jelly beans in the red and green coconut
grass.

Life is going to be busy for the next several weeks as Tyler
enters his final ball season during his high school years. It
is a good thing we enjoy watching as much as he enjoys playing.
There is a dark lining to this silver cloud though...it is his
white ball uniform. Actually though, I have gotten to the
place where I really don't care how it turns out anymore. It
has become a hopeless cause and not worth a half hour of
scrubbing after each game. I'll just toss it in the washer
and hang it up to dry.

"The enjoyment of him is our highest happiness, and is
the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied.
To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely
better than the most pleasant accommodations here; better
than fathers or mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or
the company of any or all earthly friends. These are but
shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered
beams; but God is the sun. These are but streams; but God
is the fountain. These are but drops; but God is the ocean."

Jonathan Edwards from his sermon "The Christian Pilgrim"

The Mayberry Flood of '08















Our favorite fast food restaurant knocked out of business.















Greenville Ford















The west side of the Current River Bridge














Fred's

If, for those of you who are Mayberry expats or wannabes,
you are wondering just how flooded we are right now,
imagine the restroom/concession stand at the ballpark
standing with just its roof above water and you will have
a good idea.

When the deluge fell, Tyler was cut off from home. He
called from the church and said that he couldn't get home.
Since the church is warm, has facilities and water, and
has food in the kitchen, we thought he might have to camp
out there overnight. Tandy hadn't been able to get home from
the Sheltered Workshop either, and had gone home with her
van driver. He and his wife are good friends of the
family and were more than willing to keep her as long
as needed.

In the early evening on Tuesday, though, the rain slacked
off a tich for an hour or so. It was long enough for the
creeks to ebb a bit and for Dad to take his truck to gather
the lost chickens of Fern Nook so they could be on their
home roost for the night. I'm thinking it would have been
a LONG night for Tyler to have had to sleep on a pew in the
church.

We even had two leaks in our home; we've never had leaks in
our house.

Uncle Jim, official weather keeper that he is, sent me a
report of 10.6 inches. There may have been a wee bit more
than that all told, since that report was slightly before
the clouds started to break up.

I am glad to be one of the hillbillies that live ON the hill
and not at the bottom of it.

Tyler went to check Over The Hill last evening. I wish we
could have seen it Tuesday! It was still incredible though.
He said at one point Little Black Creek was probably 80 feet
across. He could tell how far up the hill the creek has risen
during the night.

I apologize for no pictures. The camera got left in Dad's
truck yesterday. Maybe I can get some before the Sparkling
Jewel (Current River) completely recedes.

Early this morning Tyler needed some plastic eggs to take
to an Easter party he was helping to host for the kids from
the State School. I sent him to the shed to get the box
that stores our Easter baskets, grass, and plastic eggs.

It is times like this that make me covet my neighbor's
basement.

When he brought the box in I told him to watch out for roaches
as they are notorious for running around in the boxes I have
stored in the shed. Little by little I have been able to
either find places to store those boxes in my house, or I
have decided we didn't really need what was in the boxes after
all and they've been eliminated, but the Easter box still
lives in the shed for 51 weeks out of the year.

As we were digging around and counting out plastic eggs for
the kids, Tyler pulled out a ziplock bag with pink grass in
it. This particular bag of grass, of course, is always
destined for Hattie's basket. The boys do not do pink. She
does. Tyler said, as he held the bag aloft, "Look, it is
filled with mouse poison pellets."

Sure 'nuff. It was. Some little mousy has been entering
the bag, which was not quite shut tight, and he has been
storing mouse pellet poison in there. We took the bag out
to the porch and that was when I noticed THEM...the roaches,
dozens of little babies, all crawling around in the bag of
pink grass and supposedly chomping down the mouse poison,
which doesn't seem to hurt roaches AT ALL.

They snuck in when I wasn't looking. Isn't that what happens
to the church? When we are not looking, falsities sneak in
and before we know it they have settled down as though they
are expecting to stay a long time.

I Timothy 4:16
Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them,
for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who
hear you.