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."