The Journey

  Strawberry season is still in full swing, and the berries are delicious at this time of year. The Bible says that the Lord put everything on this Earth we need to live (Gen 1:29), and strawberries have to be one of my favorite ways He did this. One of my favorite ways to preserve them for the rest of the year is to make pie filling with them. From the basic pie filling, I can make cheese cake topping, fried pies, top pancakes and of course I can make strawberry pie.  To make strawberry pie filling, I use a product called Clear Jel. This is a modified corn starch that can withstand the extra heat of canning. It comes in different sized containers, but I usually buy it by the pound. I haven't been able to find it in any local stores, so I buy it online, but if you are lucky enough to find it locally, that would be better.  Some of my jars didn't take on that smooth red consistency that store-bought fillings have, with this recipe, so I think next time I will use some of t...

    It's been almost three years since Randy passed (and since my last post). Since then, I sank into a depression,  I took over the machine shop, I've gone through the worst of the COVID "crisis" alone, lost two of my three dogs, watched my daughter fight cancer three times and I have now become a new REALTOR.  Working both the machine shop and as a REALTOR, I don't have a lot of time to do the things I love, but canning seems to keep me grounded and helps me relax. Today, since it's strawberry season, I made and canned strawberry jam. Making jam is pretty easy, uses a TON of sugar, and tastes so much better than anything I find in a store. I found a recipe on Almanac.com, called Prize Winning Strawberry Jam, and I made it my own by changing it a tad.  After I cut the tops off 10 cups of strawberries (a double batch) I put them into the pot and added 10 cups of sugar. The recipe called for 12 cups, but dang that is a LOT, 10 cups even made me nervous, but it ...

I haven't posted in a long time, because for the past many months my husband has been fighting cancer. His doctor has now called in Hospice and told us it could be any day now. The nurse says any day could be several months, so for the time being we are in limbo, with him too weak to do anything and me not willing to leave his side. I almost feel like ghoul, like I am sitting here waiting for him to die, but the truth is I would give my right leg to have him well again. Without him life is scary, but on the same turn I am starting to feel caged. I literally cannot leave him alone, so this means I have to have someone else here for me to be able to work, tend the chickens or anything, which makes me feel caged. This makes me cranky, and I don't want to be cranky to him, but being human it happens sometimes, like when he won't take his meds. I don't even know why I worry about him taking his meds, and I have stopped worrying about it, except with his pain meds. I do NOT...

Tonight, September 30, 2016, will show a black moon. A black moon in itself isn't very spectacular, since it's simply the second new moon in the calendar month. What's so incredible about a black moon is it's appearance. You can see nothing, nada, zilch.....just empty, black, midnight sky. This occurance only happens once every two years or so, or at least the last one was in 2014. Why does this fascinate me so much? Because it keeps me humbled to the emptiness I felt before I followed Christ. Many don't know this, but at one time in my life, I could tell you over 100 ways to commit suicide. I tried a few of them in fact...thankfully (now) unsuccessfully. I KNEW God existed. I KNEW heaven was waiting one day, but that wasn't enough to just KNOW it. I hadn't experienced it to understand it. I was still as empty as the sky on Black Moon Friday. One night, I prayed...throughout my prayer I was screaming at God for everything bad that happened t...

Life has gone crazy around The Garden of Weeden. Business is starting to go well, the garden kept me busier than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, the processing and harvesting has kept me deliciously busy and well that has kept me from doing other things I enjoy....like sleeping. I apologize to all my online friends for neglecting y'all so much lately. We survived our birthdays. That old saying, "Life is like a roll of toilet paper, the closer to the end it gets, the faster it spins." is becoming more apparently true. I still deal with pain almost daily, but I refuse to let it stop me. I did learn about another herb to try, that's supposed to be as effective on pain as morphine without all the side effects. Problem is, noone sells it, and it only grows out west, and well I am as far from "out west" as one can get and still live in USA. I am working on getting some though to try. I finally figured-out the best way to ingest another herb...

My husband "retired" about a month or so ago. Well, that's what he claims he did. We are building a farm. We live mortgage free, we have no utility payments, since we are 100% solar and wind powered. I grow a LOT of our food, and we're adding chickens for eggs and cattle for beef and other trading purposes. We are in the process of building a house, again payment free.  So really, we have no bills other than some food (my Doritos addiction) and entertainment. This is why he claims to be retired. He says he just wants to be a farmer. We are both tired of the hustle and bustle of trying to achieve a standard that was set by someone else. We want simpler, not easier. And we found it.....in our farm. He was talking to his mother on the phone a few days ago, and I heard him exclaim that he's never been as busy as he has been since "retiring". His business, that we used as side money, but now live on the proceeds, has suddenly "taken-off"! It ma...

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2 nkjv   I have always felt like a square peg in a round hole. In school I was too book-smart to be any good for anything else. In sports I didn't have the self confidence to succeed. In life I am too blunt, and I tend to offend people. Whatever the reason, I just don't fit. I used to seek my place in this world. It finally hit me (the renewing of my mind). After too many years of seeking, I now know why I fit into nature more than anything else. I am not a square peg in a round hole. I am a round peg in a square world.  Life is round. It's cylindrical, cyclical, it never ends. Nature is round; a round planet in a solar system that is revolutionary. Plants sprout, grow, produce, die, and then the seed carries on. To really get anywhere in the world you need something round....wheels come to m...

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Proverbs 9:10 kjv I saw this verse posted along the road today, and, though I have read it many times and lately it's been speaking to me, it suddenly hit me what the key word is within this passage. People miss this simple concept, thinking fearing God is the whole shebang. The secret to understanding this verse is the word "beginning". Fearing God is only the beginning. It's the wake-up call we all receive. It's the basis of taking the journey to freedom. Fear can be crippling or it can be motivating, depending how we see it. To understand how it can be the beginning of anything great we have to understand what "fear" means.  This simple transitive verb means "in great reverence or awe", at least at the time of the writing. Modern terms have moved it to mean worry, dread, stress and other silly, crippling notions, but when this verse was t...

Evil takes two people to come to be. One to entertain the evil mind, and one to allow it to come to pass. Everyone has evil possibilities. In fact to God, everyone has evil in them, meaning everyone is capable of evil. To God, lying is evil, smoking is evil, cheating is evil, goading another to anger is evil. Quite honestly, everyone has committed at least one evil, and in every instance, someone else allowed it to happen. The evil of two. Evil cannot work alone and be successful. God has the power and might to be able to overcome ALL things on His own. Gee, I wonder which is more powerful.....Yes, that was rhetorical. I am snarky like that sometimes. This all powerful being, God, gave us freewill to choose the direction our journeys  should take. Why would God, who is all powerful and could simply will us into submission, allow us to choose? God is Love. Love encompasses all things. Love overcomes all things, and in Love is freedom. God doesn't want people, His masterpiece, ...

Today is my birthday. Yayyyyy!! I am really 45, but if anyone asks I say I am 29 and staying 29 until I get it right. I was told once that the best 20 years of a woman's life are between the ages of 29 and 30, and I fully intend to see if "they" are correct...so far it's been great! I love birthdays. Actually I love any reason to celebrate...even just celebrating Tuesdays. The only thing about my own birthday I don't enjoy is the fact that it makes me wonder, "Who am I?" In Psalm 115 we read about the idols men worship: Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men’s hands. 5  They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see; 6  They have ears, but they do not hear; Noses they have, but they do not smell; 7  They have hands, but they do not handle; Feet they have, but they do not walk; Nor do they mutter through their throat. 8  Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them. Back then the ido...

One day many years ago, I was told I was God's Warrior Child. I had no idea at the time what that meant. I started praying and wondering, and then finally I started studying what it meant to be a warrior. According to Webster's Dictionary, a warrior is simply a person who fights battles and has unique skills. Further studying brought me to Einstein's definition of a warrior; someone who is genuine in everything they say and do. I believe a warrior is simply an individual; someone who thinks for themselves, brings reason to every situation and uses this reason to decide when to fight. A warrior is not destined to use the same logic to solve a problem as they used to create the problem. Life in America has become unstable. When I feel insecure in things I take to the books and study, hoping to learn why I am feeling so insecure. Albert Einstein is the closest person to a human hero I have. He believed that science and God should work together. He said something along the li...

1 Corinthians 12:20-25 (NKJV) But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.  Life is a journey. The destination is always the same, but the journey each takes is unique. I don't believe we are bodies with spirits or souls. I believe we are eternal souls with temporary bodies. What we choose to do on our journey through this life can be amazing! Or it can be horrible....the choice is ours to make. I was watching a garden video today by Navajopa on youtube. I love watching this man's videos; he's so down-to-earth and just says it how it is. He made a comment that tomato plants, when grown in flats or close to each other will grow and intertwine, and the weight of the individual plants will be supported by each other. They won't fall over, even though they are technically vines. Separate the plants and they will grow spindly and fall over with the weight of fruits. He mentioned how people can be like this. We were created to be together in groups. We're p...

Jeremiah 17:10 nkjv I, the Lord , search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.   Watch a stone as it hits the water. It makes ripples. Now toss two stones in at once, and then watch as the ripples cross and then merge together, making larger ripples covering more surface. The same can be true of our thinking. To change the world we have to change one life -- ours. We have to line our thinking up with God's thinking. We have to line our lives up with God's way for our lives. The beginning of this, the only way to do this is by learning from God. When we're young we're taught by our parents and extended family first. We're flawed when we're very young, by this alone. I am not faulting parents and families. I am a parent and have an AMAZING family, myself. But I am flawed, therefore I taught flawed premises to my own children, which they must learn to overcome one day.  Then as we get...

My health is what it is. I know my limitations, and I continue to strive past these limits every chance I get. I may never achieve complete healing, and I may have to deal with pain for the rest of my life, but I refuse....REFUSE to dwell in my pain. Part of the reason I have been so impatient to be healed or to at least feel better is because my husband and I have a dream. Our dream has always been to own a farm. Not a large multimillion dollar a year farm, just a small, self sufficient farm. He wants security, mainly: Our own land, mortgage free- our own house, mortgage free- some trees to put a hunting stand, and a few head of cattle in a pasture to sell or eat. I want a place where I can be, and the world can fall down around me, and I won't even know unless I ask. The stock market can crash, but my cow, Bessie, will still need milked twice a day, and my flock of chickens will need care even if the government falls away, and the outside world as I know it is gone. I want garden...

Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10  But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11  To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:9-11 Wow! It's been a busy summer. My Garden of Weeden was a smash success! It was a bit overwhelming at the end, and between time with pain and lack of time without pain, I ended up losing a lot of produce. I just couldn't harvest, clean, peel and preserve everything within the time I had before they rotted to get it all done, so a lot of veggies rotted. All in all, I still had a bountiful year in the garden. I canned I don't know how many jars of tomatoes, I made homemade salsa, and canned it for this winter. My husband and kids said it's addictive and better than they buy! (HUGE coming from teenagers!) I f...

For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galations 6:8   I planted a garden this spring. It's doing wonderfully too, so far. I honestly have never had anything I planted, outside, grow; especially not something I grew from seed. This year, when I planted tomato seeds, and every seed grew, I didn't have the heart to yank some, so I transplanted all 26 tomato plants. Of course that took most of my small garden space, but I managed to add 3 yellow bell pepper plants, 3 red bell peppers, 2 jalapeno plants, 6 green bell pepper plants, 4 mounds of cucumbers-1 in each corner of the garden, and a row of marigolds as an insect and critter repellant. It been an amazing experience for me in the "Garden of Weeden" as I call it now. I planted the seeds, watered them and God grew them. How simple is that?  Earlier today, someone made the connection between ...

I am having trouble writing lately. My thoughts keep getting all jumbled in my head, and by the time I get them down on paper, they make no sense what-so-ever. I don't understand it really. Usually when something bothers me, I write it, and it makes sense, suddenly, to me. Lately, however, so many things are running through my head, that it would be virtually impossible to unwind it all in one blog post. For now, I am going to sort out my feelings on Gluttony. A few days ago I was sitting in WalMart's parking lot waiting for my girls to return to the car. I saw this elderly man walking to his car. I was watching as he slowly walked to his car, using his cane, then he got in, and sat there for a minute. He started the car, adjusted his mirrors and such then slowly backed out of the spot. I noticed other men, young men, pulling in and out of their spots with more precision and speed. He didn't even notice them. He just went on about his business. My heart swelled with lov...

I wrote this quite a while back, but it needs repeating every so often...... Be encouraged!! This is only a season. A stepping stone, and if you need it to be......a learning or teaching moment. Satan attacks us in ways we never think or imagine possible. He thinks if he can take away that which is most important to us (here on Earth), or that if he attacks When things are taken away, then he can cause us confusion. Why is this happening? How can it be fixed? CAN it be fixed? Is all lost? Know, my friends, this is not of God. 1 Corinthians 14:33 (New King James Version) 33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. God loves you and wants you to know how much He wants to help you through this, no matter what decisions you've made to this point. 2 Timothy 1:7 (New King James Version)7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Confusion cause...

Without going into detail, I took a hiatus from writing for a while. This whole endeavor is a learning experience for me, and a wonderful part of my Journey……I hope no one feels I cheated them or anything, but I needed time to reflect and redirect my life. I love you all, and I will be writing more and more as my time and experience allows…. Changes in the Mirror When we moved to South Carolina from Indiana, ten years ago, I think besides myself, the one in my family who had the most difficult time adjusting was my oldest daughter. She had just finished 4 th grade in Indiana and was starting 5 th grade here. She had many friends but two close friends in Indiana, and the three were inseparable, often sleeping over at one girl’s home on weekends together as a trio, always together during recess and gym activities, always on the same teams for games, many secrets shared…..you get the picture. When we moved here, she had to learn all over again how to make new friends. A year passed...