Friday at last!

Long week. Weekend produced lot of building activity which I could not post to the website. If you want a picture of the deck email me and I will send one to you.

I enjoyed all building and progress. So much needs to be done before the decking goes into place it amazes me. Like, you build your own skeleton out of bricks and blocks and then cover it with wood and decorate with plants. It actually does become a living thing because of all the work you have put into the structure. And here my DH thinks I am truly zoning when I stare off into space. Huh! lots of deep work going on there!

This week the weather was suppose to be bad but inbetween all the supposed weather there was lots of progress on the unseen parts of decking. Railings and electric wiring and new posts in place.

After the day job, I changed into super gardener and planted and dug like there was never going to be a day to garden again. That was a great release for all the stress I have been carrying around. I talk pretty loud to God when I am outside and we had the best processing of matters of the heart and head that I have had since last fall when this current stretch of the journey began. Lots of plants were happy to see my activity increase too. I did plant them in pots under the grow light but they enjoy their natural surrounds much better and seem to be happy living in the mud.

At any rate the processing allowed some muscles to relax but not all. Uneven relaxation creates an opportunity to visit chiropractor. Healing nicely today thank you!

This weekend will be busy. I have a Health Fair on Saturday and the children are going to the installation of our new Bishop Briedenthal. Husband has a meeting on Sunday and there are some segments of the skeleton of the deck that need an extra set of hands before it is sheeted.

So I am not sure how the weekend will play out. I am just glad it is Friday and I am here now and ready to enjoy the day ahead.

Blessing dear friend blessings of peace to you today and all days.

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME
ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD

Monday - and other rants

OK Blogging fans

I cannot for the life of me upload any photos. I can barely stay connected to the internet. DH is considering switching from Bill Gates to the BIG APPLE. After more than three weeks of continuous frustration I am standing behind his thought process. Seems that the Anti-virus that we have paid good money for and the anti-virus that Microsoft has installed through the updates do not speak to one another.

A little narcisstic if you ask me.

Narcissism is defined as “A psychological condition characterized by self-preoccupation, lack of empathy, and unconscious deficits in self-esteem,” and is seen as “a normal condition at the infantile level of personality development.” (American Heritage Dictionary)

I had hoped by now that Mr. Gates and his gang of computer geeks had learned to play well with others. Not so much.

Self serving.

Unforgiving.

On the soccer front - Grand Daughter tied in her first game of the Spring soccer season.

On the gardening front... I planted 9 day lilies last night. Hope they are thankful that I did that because I used any reserve energy to plant them and then when it was time to go to bed I was wide awake. Ice pack on the knee and wide awake. Nothing like the rush of good weather to keep you going like an energizer bunny.

We bought a Virbinium last fall. It is blooming. It smells like a gardinia and magnolia combined and I hope that is blooms all summer. It is the best for what ails you unless you have allergies.

On the decking front DH is done with the framing except one set of steps. The electric is almost to the barn because the solvent leaked and melted a connection or two. Yesterday we started decking with the Veranda material that is a really neat color. Only two screws to a joist. and it looks really great.

I cannot upload pictures but that did not stop me from linking to websites that held pictures of what is going on at the place that was once known as Locust Lake.

How far we have come.

How close the Lord has held us throughout this ordeal.

How safe a pasture He has laid before us.

How He loves His children!

Have a good Monday

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME
ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD

Saturday night Sunday morning

I spent the early part of Saturday making kites which went well. Each kite takes 5 minutes to sew. In total each kite takes about 30 minutes to manufacture and the are easy enough - just the repition gets to me after a while.

I spent all the time from noon onward building the deck (also known as an air craft carrier)

It is rather huge! Covers the space from the back sliding door where there was a smallish screened in porch all the way to the sidewalk where there was a concrete patio to the new shed barn. Adds about 800 square feet of living space which about doubles our space and I am so excited. In reality I would rather be outside than inside any hour of the day or night.

I got to use the palm nailer today. What a fun tool. No shoulder pain tonight, just every other bone in my body hurts. The framing is all finished. The builder and designer needs to finish running the conduit under the deck before we start laying the surface because he is going to run electricity to the huge shed for light and running of things electric.

Tomorrow will be another deck building day with a soccer game thrown in there for fun and a little change up in activity. I will do the last stages of the kites and get them ready for delivery.

If I can figure out how to take a picture under 800 bits and bytes I will post a picture here soon. I even downloaded Picasa2 for ease of blogging but alas the shots are too high in bits and bytes. So stay tuned I have been given a challenge. Everyone knows me and if the answer is NO I will work things until the answer is YES in circumstances such as these.

My friend got a job at Children's Hospital and will be moving back here in early May and I am rather excited that she is coming back here. She will enjoy the deck too... Now to look at a few catalogues for plants

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME
ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD

Resolution of frustration!

jpeg's too big

need to make the photos smaller in size of bites and bits

oh

well!

off to do something besides sit here and fret about having pictures too beautiful to post

woo hoo!

part two of skin the cat

Saturday, humph

Saturday

The day off from "WORK" so you can relax and play and recreate

HUMPH

I want to plant the growing collection of plants that have taken up residence in my basement and some I have started from seed are beginning to wonder if this is all there is to life.

My DH wants to build a deck, which is really a request of mine, because we had a HUGE party deck at our previous residence and the small 10x10 was not making it.

I have been having problems uploading pictures to this blogspot for a few weeks now.

So I will finish with the hope that if I sign out and start an addendum I can put up the pictures.

Google Earth can show Darfur - How come I cannot display my basement and backyard!

HUMPH!

TWO INTERESTING COMMENTARIES and other thoughts

In the Cincinnati Enquirer a story tells what Jackie Robinson must be feeling about all this Imus controversy and then author, Barbara Crafton in her daily emo, that I read almost daily offers the best last word on the whole subject.

OK with that finished.

Spring

Box HUGE arrives from Roots and Rhizomes chock full of plants. Tomorrow rain and Sunday snow - guess they will hang loose in the basement with the other assembly of SPRING.

No big deal because tomorrow is also the Granddaughters first soccer game of the Spring season.

I can hardly wait to see 'fleet of feet' take it to field and help the team score. It is a recreational league and they truly play well together and last year went to the championships and came in second - which is honorable to me because they had only played together for about 10 weeks total!

New lighting in the frontroom and dining room where the old lighting was baking the ceiling is nice and bright - yet soft and breaks up the space better than the other that looked a little too industrial for me - but gave GREAT Light!

Time to reboot the brain for another day.

Tomorrow new adventures and new things to consider important.

Disappointment Day

Some days are just like this

Best laid schemes of mice and men aft get the boot!

Imus got the boot!

He was an equal opportunity abuser!

That said - those that listened to him did not take him too seriously - at least I did not.

The weather is and equal opportunity abuser too.

Too cold and too damp to build a deck.

Building decks requires hot weather and charts to see if you are drinking enough to stay hydrated - just like when you roof a house in July (been there done that).

Other disappointments too.

Solution - live on and enjoy the day - being happy is the best revenge.

And so I will - right after I close my eyes for about 8 hours and reboot the day!

FEW STRAY THOUGHTS

"The work of creating is an act of love. The God who flung from His fingertips this universe filled with galaxies and stars, penguins and puffins, gulls and gannets...peaches and pears, and a world full of children made in His own image, is the God who loves with magnificent monotony. ~Brennan Manning

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

With the good Lord willing work will commence on the deck and there will be pictures here tonight!

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

Hopefully there will be soccer practice or the soccer star will become a puddle and that will only add to the messy atmosphere

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Someone suggested a new idea to me and I am muddling through the thought and reading more to feed the new thought - so much to do and so little time... I think that retirement will be the bomb to have all that play time available... I must remember to not volunteer away my days or I will have no time to play in 5 years! Yeah I am on a 5 year plan again - I love it!

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

The seedlings are doing well and I am thinking with the weekend maybe some perennials can get in the soil or at least in a pot outside!

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

DO SOMETHING NICE FOR YOURSELF AND THEN DO SOMETHING NICE FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO FUTHER THE GOODNESS THAT LIVES INSIDE OF YOU

BLESSINGS OF MONOTONOUS LOVE TO YOU THIS DAY AND ALL DAYS

GOOD FRIDAY AND 24 HOURS BEYOND

What matters is that you do not squander your moments of silence and solitude.--

"The Cloud of Unknowing" quoted in "Silent Hope" by John Kirvan

Silence.

A huge place to learn.

Called upon in large venue it is always hard to attain.

Sought out in solitude it is almost deafening.

Once I went on a SILENT RETREAT. The first few hours we so difficult that I almost left. After sleeping and not speaking in the start of the day the silence was a companion to me that was hard to part from when the retreat was finished.

I wonder if there was silence when Jesus was cruicified. I wonder if the people stood there for a moment and had that sunken stomach feeling like "Oh what ever did I do?" I wonder if they even realized how much they had completed a sentence that was started long before they were born.

I can only imagine how the friends and family felt as they saw him dead on the cross. They had no clue that the most wonderful miracle was about to happen because they were loved. I doubt they felt loved then or could even utter the word. They must have been so devastated. I know how you feel when someone you love dies in a peaceful fashion. I cannot imagine even being able to breath after witnessing what history tell us happened.

And yet because we know about the story and how it shifts in 24 hours we can be a people of great hope and love. We know that the cold grave owned by Joseph of Aramathea would not hold the love, could hold the hope, could lessen a life lived. The grave for Jesus was only a beginning of faith - hope - love poured into the world for you and me.

I am an Easter person.

I know that there is resurrection.

I have felt it in life already.

Silence - let us not waste the moments of silence where we learn.

Where we hear the gentle voice of God telling us we are loved and forgiven.

Surely we have time to listen in silence for that great gift... can you hear it? can you feel it? do you see it? I will sit quietly here with you while you wait for that still small voice....

MAUNDY THURSDAY, GOOD FRIDAY

HAND WASHING
FEET WASHING
MASTER
SERVANT

YOU
ME
US
THEM

ALL OF US ARE THE SAME
WE ALL TEACH
WE ALL LEARN
WE ARE ALL MASTER AND SERVANT ALIKE

WE ARE EXHALTED IN LEADERSHIP
PRAISED FOR THE GOOD WE DO
WE ARE HUMBLED IN SERVICE
KNOWING OUR HEART STORY IS PERSONAL
NOTHING WE WANT ON THE FRONT PAGE

WHERE WERE YOU WHEN THEY CRUCIFIED MY LORD?
WILL BE SUNG TOMORROW IN MANY PLACES
THE SONG MAKES ME SO SAD INSIDE TO THINK THAT
I CRUCUFIED MY LORD
I MESSED UP AND I DID NOT STAND FOR LOVE
I DID NOT ACCEPT THE LEADERSHIP ROLE TO LOVE OTHERS
AS GOD SO LOVED US

MASTER
SERVANT
MOTHER
CHILD

ALL THE SAME
ALL ONE

WHERE WERE YOU WHEN THEY CRUCIFIED MY LORD?

I WONDER ABOUT LIFE SOMETIMES

• If you think about executing a plan for a deck the weather will produce snow, rain and hail!
• If the plants you have been waiting for arrive the weather will produce snow, rain and hail!
• If you think that spring is here because the Dogwood trees are blooming the weather will produce snow, rain and hail!
• If you think that the hot tub would feel good because of the weather producing snow, rain and hail! Forget about it! It is closed during construction season!
• If you think that snow, rain and hail are only a description of weather - in actuality - it is a description of a season of growth and internal development of the soul.
• Snow, rain and hail are hard things to endure in a season but as I grow I find the hard times actually produce the best fruits.
• I appreciate the spring more this year having spent a day in a blizzard in subzero winds - thinking that spring will never come and I will never feel alive again because this bone freezing experience was too much to comprehend and almost too much work to recover.
• I chatted with my baby sister yesterday for about an hour.
• Chatting with your sister is good for the soul. It heals the weather that brings snow, rain and hail.
• My sister has a birthday tomorrow. She is gathering her daughter and life friend together for a day. Her life friend may be on the other side of the ether next year so the party this year is important to have for my sister.
• My friend in Louisville has a very important job interview tomorrow. A group sought her out and asked her to interview for the job. She will do fine because she is more than qualified and it is her turn to have a sunny day.
• If the Cleveland Indians make it to the Pennant race we will know that God is in Her heaven and Mom and Dad are sitting beside Her helping the Indians win the series.
• Somethings are no longer important to me and others are so important that they consume my every thought.
• I use to stay awake long into the night and fight the feeling of sleep. Now I feel sleepy and I have beat my Loving Husband to bed on occasion which is so odd that I cannot believe that I am doing it.
• I wonder how beautiful the sky must look from Heaven toward earth.
• I wonder when I learned I could read aloud in church.
• I wonder if my family knows I love them very much.
• I wonder if you met me in a shopping mall would you know that I like all of humanity because we all reflect the face of God.
• I wonder about life sometimes.

LAVENDER THYME HAIRCUT

• SPRING IS CURRENTLY HERE
• I CUT THE LAVENDER TO WITHIN AN INCH OF ITS LIFE
• THYME ALSO TRIMMED TO THE GROUND
• BUTTERFLY BUSHES TRIMMED
• WEEDS PULLED
• OTHER BUSHES TRIMMED
• 6TH ANNUAL QUEEN CITY CHESS TOURNAMENT BEHIND ME
• DOVE KITES TO MAKE
• DECK BUILDING SEASON IS UPON US AND MUD IS OUR MAIN HABITAT
• SPRING BREAK IS HERE
• MOTORCYCLES ARE EVERYWHERE
• LIFE SEEMS PRETTY NORMAL
• LET THE GAMES BEGIN................