They are coming one by one

Seen my first customers. I may have to re-think where this is hanging. I am delighted that they are coming. But like a lot of things in life, there are two purposes for hanging it here. One to feed them and of course the other to take their picture. Don't ask me which is more important.

The little fellows see me coming through the window. And I can't camp there waiting for them to come back. I can't sit still that long.

Me and My Shadow

They really should call weimaraners --velcro dogs. You wear them on your leg except for when they wander when you turn your back. Buddy has some big shoes (or paws) to fill to be like Tucker to us. But he is trying hard.  He is very respectful of Tucker. Having a young dog is like having a teenager. You could kill them one minute and you treasure them the next. He is such a good companion, a clown and fits in this family just fine.

Wouldn't you like to feel 

this good!

Storms

In Matt. 14 Jesus had sent the disciples ahead in the boat and He went up to pray. A big storm came and tossed the boat and the disciples were afraid.

Sometimes in the middle of storms in our lives we feel like we can't see Him but rest assured He is aware of your storm. Even when we can't see Jesus we must trust Him. The disciples weren't looking for Jesus to come walking on the water. Notice that Jesus had sent His disciples into the storm alone. Even as He went up the mountain to pray He could feel the storm's force. Finally in the 4th watch He came.  (vs. 21) "But Jesus immediately said to them, Take courage, it is I. Don't be afraid."
Jesus came in a way they didn't expect and they almost missed seeing the answer to their prayers. The message--when you can't see Him, trust Him. Jesus is closer than you ever dreamed. Don't focus on the waves in storms in your life, keep your eyes on Jesus' power.
It is hard to see God through our pain. Pain disturbs our peace more that anything else. When all we have are questions we must cling to faith. Even when we can't see Jesus, we must trust Him. [copied from the writings of Max Lucado]
Ps. 107:28 "They cried out to the Lord in their trouble and He brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper..they were glad when it grew calm and He guided them to their desired haven."

Ps. 18:28b "My God turns my darkness into light."

Exodus 33:21 "Then the Lord said, there is a place near me where you may stand on rock. When My Glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and over you with My hand until I have passes by, then I will remove My hand and you will see My back..."---You will see My back. The darkness could be His hand over us.

Looking at Old Photographs

Love this one. My aunt holding me. I like the shadows and the light filtering through.

This one of my Grandmother. Can't you hear her calling her children for suppertime. And this little house that held a lot of memories. That door led to a dog run (an open area with a bedroom on one side and a bedroom/living area and kitchen on left.) A two-seater outhouse was out back.

And this one. Haven't a clue who they are. I saw it online and it is from another person's pictures. I put it with ours just to save and found out my Aunt spent a day trying to figure out who it was. To help confuse her I told her it was Uncle Claud and Aunt Maude
But I like the depth of the photo.
I have alot of questions. Was she mad? (her arms are crossed). What made them pose sitting in a boat on dry land? Look at the crops and dusty road behind them.

Making of a Good Day

Warm weather, my best horse,

blue blue skies, beautiful scenery ( winter wheat), a good friend on beautiful horse who says "I can ride a long time"

This is an area where they have burned. In a couple of months it will be covered again.

After this ride I dug up wood ferns that I discovered behind my house. I don't know which place I acquired the 3 ticks I found on me. I guess you have to take the bad with the good.

Life involves Change

Life for a Christian is never about sameness. It's always about change. Life involves change. Change involves loss. Loss involves death of one kind or another. Christ never allow the hearts of His own to be shattered without excellent reasons and eternal purposes. Christ dearly loved Martha and Mary, yet He purposely allowed them to suffer a loss.  The most debilitating loss for a Christian is not the loss of a loved one but the loss of faith. Nothing is more natural than grief after a devastating loss but those of us in Christ can experience satisfying life again. When our hearts have been shattered by loss we have an opportunity to welcome a supernatural power to our lives. That power is to live on this earth when we really rather die. God becomes the only explanation for our emotional survival and revival. Perhaps the most profound miracle is living through something we thought would kill us. No life will never be same. It is always about change. When our hearts are hemorrhaging with grief and loss never forget that Christ binds and compresses it with a nail scarred hand. (copied from "Breaking Free" by Beth Moore)

A Hunting We Will Go

My cousin pasted pictures and captions to this card. 

Such a funny card and such a funny story. 

Mom on the right and her sister on the left and another cousin in the middle.  They had planted a garden and had planted corn. 

Pesky raccoons kept coming in at night and eating their hard worked garden. So they decided to sit out there in the dark and see if it was raccoons and scare them away. So they sat....swat mosquito.....more waiting...then... they heard them comin...They had a flashlight and waited till they got close to turn it on...and there they were

a family of 

SKUNKS...
They

had to sit very quietly while the family had their dinner. I would have loved to seen this.

"Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him and He will do this. He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him."

"He has made everything beautiful in His time." Ecc. 3:11

Before and After

This was 

BEFORE Glen threw hay bales in the back of the wagon.

BEFORE he said don't hold the horses they won't go anywhere....

And this is AFTER.

No horses were hurt in the filming of this.

A Special Woman

I love my Aunts. Being around them is kind of like getting a visit from mom.
I saw one this week who is in her 80's.  She has gone through alot in her life. Recently the loss of her granddaughter. When we pulled up at her house, the curb was lined up with sacks of leaves. I thought she must have paid to have her yard raked. But as I watched her get up, she winced. I found out her knee was hurting from being down in this giant ditch sacking wet leaves. Said she didn't know how she was going to get out that ditch, but she noticed a washed out area and said that the Lord had provided and she was able to somehow climb up.
For 28 years she helped care for her granddaughter with spinal bifi and now caring for her husband with health problems. I never hear her complain.
Lord give her a special blessing today. She is a precious lady.

Once upon a Time

God said to Noah, I am going to put an end to all people...so make yourself an ark....Noah & family went into the ark..
You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, (No, I don't know if the dogs were weimaraners) male and female, to keep them alive with you. Then God sent the flood..

After the waters receded from the earth and dry land appeared, Noah and animals came out.
Then God made this covenant...Never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth and made a rainbow as a sign of the covenant.

"Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." Genesis 9:16

Maybe since my life was changed
Long before these rainy days
It's never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on you, oh Lord
My only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these times
So I pray

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings
You glory And I know there'll
be days When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You Jesus, bring the rain 
(song Bring the Rain, Mercy Me)

Horse Quotes

• It is not enough for a man to know how to ride; he must know how to fall.
• Riding:  The art of keeping a horse between you and the ground.
• It's a lot like nuts and bolts - if the rider's nuts, the horse bolts! 
• All I pay my psychiatrist is the cost of feed and hay, and he'll listen to me any day
• In riding a horse we borrow freedom. 
• Horses give us the wings we lack. 
• If you want a stable friendship, get a horse. 
• "If you can't imagine life without a horse... DON'T!"
• Scars are tattoos with stories

Attitude

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company…a church..a home.  The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude...I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our Attitudes.  

copied --written by Charles Swindoll

Light of a Clear Blue Morning

"Then you will lift up your face without shame, you will sure forget your trouble recalling it only as waters gone by. Life will be brighter than noonday and darkness will become like morning. You will be secure because there is hope. You will lie down with no one to make you afraid." Job 11:15

Forsaking

All

I

Trust

Him

Anticipation

Okay I ready.
The clerk at the store said the hummingbirds are sending out scouts. So I got my feeder loaded and ready....
Waiting.....

What can I do to get the attention of the scouts?
 Maybe a sign....still waiting..
Uhhhh, is that one? No, just a leaf.

View from my Window

"As the Deer pants for water, so my soul pants for You."
Psalm 42:1

My Love of Horses

I guess when you put a baby in a saddle and they laugh and then you try to take them off and they cry--that is clue #1 of a life ahead of loving horses. Dad would put me in front of him and we would ride for miles. He said sometimes I would fall asleep. My own version of a rocking horse. 

Horse lovers run in our family. Dad’s father was a farmer and horse trainer in the Mississippi Delta. Dad said fox hunters from “up north” would send their horses by train for him. It is so funny to hear some of the tales of their training. I ask Dad if they ever lost a horse to colic. He said not that he remembered. But if one had a stomach ache, Papa would tie the horse's head up high, and pour buttermilk and soda down their throats and then tie the horse’s head to its leg and sent the horse off (don’t try this at home.) Dad says he just doesn’t understand what he calls “that scientific training” (ground work) that we do today. “All this slapping a stick on the ground and the horse going round and round, why don’t we just get on the horse and ride it.” He keeps telling me to get off and cut a limb size of my thumb when I have trouble with her. But he says my horse is a dandy and he is proud of her and her gait, so that is music to me.

A few years ago, Dad took a ride with me. It was a dream of mine but we both knew that he probably wouldn't be able to do it again. His parkinson made his balance be off and his back hurt. I am thankful his last ride was a good one.

  I thank God for my Dad and even though some of the days ahead will be difficult, I know my Dad’s faith in our Lord and his family’s love will see us through.

"Great are the works of the Lord, they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are his deeds and His righteous endures forever. He has caused His wonders to be remembered."

I live in a rural area and you would think these silos are nearby, but they are not. They are in one of the busiest areas of Memphis near Poplar Avenue and Kirby Parkway.

Even though his message is correct, I don't think I would put much faith in a site he promoted.

but I do have faith in this message--

Luke 17:22 "The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. Men will tell you, There He is or Here he is! Do not go running off after them. For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other."

"Un-Steal"

"Character is what you do in the dark"

Mom and Dad often spoke about being honest. Good words but their actions spoke louder.

I thought I was doing Mom a favor by giving her a gift
card to Walmart. But I didn't explain that you had to spend a certain amount. She starts to check out and the clerk tells her that her total must be at least $15. Everything was sacked but it didn''t total that much. You would have thought they told her that her check bounced. She was so embarrassed and just said never-mind and walked out. When she got home she realized they had given her the gum and she had put it in her purse.

So what does she do?--
1. Reason that somewhere down the line they probably overcharged her
2. Next time I am in there....
3. I will give a $1 to the church....
No, when my hard working Dad came in tired, she made him drive the 10 miles back to Walmart. They walked around the store with him having the gum in his pocket. She asked one time "Have you done it yet". "Not yet" he replied. Finally he slipped the gum back on the shelf and they left.
Can you imagine the security cameras catching someone un-stealing?
Matthew 6:1 "Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men to be seen by them, if you do will have no reward from your Father in Heaven."

EASTER

Then came the morning, night turned into day. The stone was rolled away, hope rose with the dawn. Then came the morning, shadows vanished before the sun. Death had lost and Life had won, for morning had come

Acts 2:23 “This man was handed over to by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing Him to the cross. But God raised Him from the dead freeing Him for the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him.”