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.