Posts Categorized: Patience

“We’ll Just Have to Wait and See.”

| Joy, Patience

That’s what the tree guys said, a couple of weeks ago, after some seriously severe trimming of the hedges in our backyard.

The hedges along the side yard didn’t get the epic pruning, because the neighbor next door likes the tallness and fullness that creates some privacy for her yard. The tree guys did a little bit of trimming, but not much, and those hedges are coming back nicely. The bigger hedges at the back seem bare. They don’t exactly look dead. Just bare. Wait and see.

On Wednesday, after spending some time outside, working on plants on the patio, I walked to the back of the yard to take a look. And . . .

Ta-Dah!! It’s happening. I waited. And I saw!

I don’t even know what kind of plants these are. A friend, who lost some plants during the big icy/snowy weather we had back in February, asked what the hedges were. I have no idea. If Daddy had some kind of book or list of what he’d planted over the years, it got lost. I talked to an employee at a nursery where I sometimes shop. I said we had these hedges that lost their leaves, completely, and she also asked what they were. I don’t know, and it’s possible that they were/are some kind of hedge that was popular, ‘way back in the late 50’s, but aren’t “trendy,” or even available these days. The nursery woman said I could bring in some leaves, and maybe they could identify it. At the time, there weren’t any leaves. And I’m reluctant to pull off any of the new, baby little leaves right now. The nursery woman did suggest feeding the plants, and I bought some hedge fertilizer, spread it around the trunks, and watered it in. Maybe that contributed to the amazing, astounding, appreciated new growth.

 

Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life

Philippians 4:6 (The Passion Translation)

 

A few years ago, folks at Kevin and April’s church did some cleaning out. There were several of these metal planters that hung in the church, and held, well, I don’t really know. But they weren’t going to be used any more, and April brought one to me, to see if I wanted it. I did.

I lined the bottom with one of those brown, grassy sort of things, and filled it with dirt. I found that “Herbs” sign somewhere, and planted herbs. Over the years, I had different results. Some years did better than others. I often lost plants when I neglected to water well. But, over the years, I was always able to keep the citronella plant healthy (or at least, alive). Year after year after year. Until February. So, I started over. I emptied out the dirt, shook out the liner, repainted both the planter and the sign, and put in nice, new potting soil. I went off  to a nursery, the first nice day we had. I found some herbs, and, much to my delight, a citronella plant. It’s the large one that has those two stems, and the lovely lilac flower. As I shopped, I walked past a couple who also had a citronella plant. We smiled and nodded at each other, and the man pointed at my face (which, of course, had a mask on it), and said, “University of Hawaii?” “Yes,” I said. On rare occasions, I come across people who recognize the logo.

He’d been in the Air Force, and had been stationed in Hawaii, so we three had a nice conversation about their travels and their time there. They said that, at their home, here in Central Texas, they had a great, enclosed garden room. They had a heater there, to keep the temperature constant for their tropical plants. The kind of plants they’d enjoyed having in Hawaii. “We lost all those plants,” they said. They were without power during the big ice/snow storm. No power, no heat. No more tropical plants.

Springtime! Been Looking Forward to It!

| Faithfulness, Joy, Patience

I can see clearly now the rain is gone.
I can see all obstacles in my way.
Here is that rainbow I’ve been praying for.
It’s gonna be a bright
Bright sunshiny day.

(Song by Jimmy Cliff)

Although I’m not at all ready for all the rain to disappear (here in most of Texas, we’ll be desperate for rain when July comes), there’s been quite a bit of blue sky and moderate temperatures. I made several trips to a nursery or two, or four, or so. I’ve washed almost all of the pots. I’ve cut down all the dead ferns, and new ones are popping up.

The dead leaves from the oak trees in the front yard have fallen, and I’ve raked them all up and am in the process of getting them in the green bins to be carted off by the lawn/leaf/etc. trucks that come by every other week.

These are two different leaves, and I’m surprised, and a little bit impressed, by their being able to drift down, down, down, and to fall exactly into  cracks in the driveway. One is from the white oak (rounder edges), and the other is from the red oak (more pointy edges).

 

I was concerned, after the giant snow and ice and below-freezing temperatures in February, that we’d lose lots of plants. On Tuesday, I raked away all the fallen leaves that had accumulated in the front bed. These two rose bushes have leafed out strongly. I don’t know what the rose production will be, but at least they’re alive! The yellow flowers at the front of the bed are yellow pansies, which will fade away when the weather turns hot. A few years ago, I bought some sturdy yellow flowered plants that reseeded each year and came back, all strong and lovely. There is no sign of them. At all. And there were three, cute, feathery plants with tiny yellow flowers. They lasted three winters, I think. They do not, apparently, thrive when the temperature’s negative one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I bought this “Wolverine” Hosta rather late last summer. I think it might have been on sale. It has come back full and sturdy. I was planning for a nice array of different Hosta plants. The tiny guy on the right-hand side is also a Hosta. I’m not sure what kind it is, but I appreciate its bravery. It certainly looks healthy.

 

 

 

 

I bought a couple of new plants to add to the thyme garden (Magic Carpet Thyme and White Creeping Thyme). I bought a dozen Impatiens for a hanging arrangement. There are some succulents, and some pretty purple and lavender flowers that Peter chose when we went to a greenhouse when he was here last week.

 

 

Let’s do our best  to know the Lord. His coming is as certain as the morning sun; he will refresh us like rain renewing the earth in the springtime.

Hosea 6:3 (Contemporary English Version)

 

 

 

The weather says “Friday-high of 80° and 6 percent change of rain. Sounds like a great day for gardening!

 

That Hedge

| Patience

I wrote before, about the massive leaf drop from our hedge in the back yard, after that giant Big Snow drop, back in February. All those leaves fell, and I’d been able to see homes behind us that I hadn’t seen in years. The hedge, planted decades earlier, had grown very tall. I contacted the lawn service that I use about having the hedge trimmed. He referred me to a tree trimming service. They came last week to look at the overgrown hedge, and they came yesterday to do the work.

 

 

 

Yes, now you can see, even more clearly, the house behind us. The tree guys worked hard, taking down most of the hedge, but leaving the trunks, all the way up and a little beyond the top of the backyard neighbor’s fence. They said that the trunks seem sturdy, and, as far as they could tell, healthy. They saw some green beginning to grow, but also said that, due to the low temperatures we had in February and the duration of the low temps, they couldn’t be sure. It was just going to be a wait-and-see situation.

 

 

 

I wondered what the time-frame was for the hedge, which seemed as though it had always been here. And, after getting out the photo albums, I could see that it had.

 

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, “The Lord is king!”
 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.

1 Chronicles 16:31-34 (New Revised Standard Version)

 

The hedges are 62 years old. I don’t know if that’s average or amazing. I’m hoping that it is average, normal, to-be-expected. I’m counting on them to pull through.

 

 

I Used to REALLY Like New Shoes. Now, I Just Tolerate Them.

| Patience, Peace

Several years ago, when I got a diabetes diagnosis, I was going to doctors’ offices a lot. My primary care physician wanted to see me pretty often, making sure that the sky high carb count was going down, slowly, but regularly. And, because diabetes has such an impact on every other part of the body, I needed to see an ophthalmologist, and a podiatrist, and a cardiologist, and a nepherologist, and, of course, a dentist, and, oh, a retina specialist. At this moment, there are six little cards, clipped around my desk, that have the dates and times of upcoming appointments. (I only saw the cardiologist briefly.)

Because I’m unhealthy and because I’m a senior adult, Medicare pays for pretty much all my medical stuff, which includes a pair of shoes every year. So, when I went to the podiatrist, recently, I remembered to ask about a new pair of shoes. For several years, when I would go in February, I’d also go to another room in the podiatrist’s office, and look at my shoe choices and select which pair I’d like. The shoe specialist would make a mold of the sole of each foot, and a set of insoles would be made to go into the shoes that I ordered. In most recent years, there would be a computer program that would scan my feet to create those insoles.

When I went to my most recent podiatrist’s visit, I asked about shoes. Turns out that the regular shoe lady had gone some place else. The podiatrist said that they had someone who was doing shoes, now, and they were located in an office next to the podiatrist’s office. “Just around from our office,” she said. And I said, “The prosthetic place?” “Yes,” she said. “They’re doing shoes for us. We’ll let them know that you’re needing new shoes.”

And, sure enough, several days later, someone contacted me and said that they’d received my shoe request, and they gave me the date and time. Yay.

Then, on Tuesday evening, while I was walking on the treadmill, I thought, I have a shoe appointment! When?!? Soon!

Wednesday morning, first thing, I looked back through my phone calls and found what I was pretty sure was the right phone number, and called it. No one answered, but I got a beep, and I said that I knew I had an appointment, but I didn’t recall what the scheduled time was. A bit later, I got a text that said it was at 9:15 a.m. I looked at my phone. It was 9:10. I leapt up, grabbed my purse (and my recyclable shopping bags) and raced over to the office. I was just a few minutes late. When I tried the doors, they were locked. EEKKK!!! I called that number again. An amiable young woman recognized the phone number and asked what I needed, and I said that I was at the office and the doors were locked. She said, “That’s right. Your appointment is for tomorrow.” “Ah,” I said. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I got back in my car and thought that I might as well go on to Wal-Mart, since we needed milk. I shopped around Wal-Mart for a while, picked up some groceries, and decided not to get the milk, since I needed to go to Target to get a prescription filled, and didn’t want to leave the milk sitting in the car, even though it wasn’t very warm outside.

And, I went to Target. I asked for the prescription to be filled, and then walked around Target, shopping, for a while, and reminding myself, several times, to get milk right before I went to get the prescription. After fifteen minutes, or so, I went back to pick up the medicine and went to check out. When I got home, I emptied out my bags, put things away, began to work on dinner, and, oh, two hours or so later, when I went to the fridge to get the milk, there wasn’t any. I’d forgotten to get milk.

I got in the car, drove over to Drug Emporium, and bought milk.

And, first thing this morning (Thursday), I showed up, at 9:15, to choose my new pair of shoes.

These are the shoes that I got last year. My new, this year’s pair, are just like these, only black. There aren’t many choices for diabetic shoes. They’ll get ordered, and the insoles will get made. And, in a few weeks, I’ll go pick up my new shoes. Not exactly glamorous. But quite serviceable. (It took me four tries to get “serviceable” spelled right.)

 

I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.

Psalm 7:17 (New International Version)

 

I am grateful, every day.

And Then THIS Happened

| Patience

Since my childhood, here’s been this big ol’ hedge at the back of our yard. In my dad’s day, it was kept nice and tidy. They’d grown up pretty tall, when we first moved in here, and Kevin trimmed them back to a sensible size. But we’ve left them to grow tall again in the past few years. They’re growing up into the utility wires, and they really do need to be trimmed back to a safer size.

But here’s what’s happened now. For the first time in decades, I can see the houses behind us. I can also see the houses across the street from the houses behind us. I knew the house behind us had a very tall storage shed. But, I’d never seen the shed in the back yard of the house next door to that house.

Now, there’s been this epic leaf drop. These hedges shed leaves, a little bit at a time, every now and then, but they are never completely bare. I’ve never seen the like of this massive leaf drop.

 

 

When I look at the lowest minimum temperatures in Waco, I see:

-5 on January 31, 1949 (no hedges in the backyard, actually, no backyard, just prairie)

-4 on December 23, 1989 (hedges are here; we weren’t living in this house, but my parents still were, and on Dec. 23, 1989, we would surely been at the house, at some point)

-1 a tie January 18, 1930, and Ta-Dah, February 16, 2021 (David says that the problem was that the temperature stayed so low for such a long time, instead of being a brief time of the low temperature)

A well-respected Texas horticulturist suggests that everyone wait to see what comes back, leafs out, begins to bloom, before determining what ought to be replaced. I’m really hoping for the rebound.

These are great, heavy plastic, yard bins. The amount of leaves or sticks or yard waste they can hold makes it easy for me to carry, or pull (with the attached handles), from one place in the yard to another. These bins are the first load of the hedges’ leaves, on their way to the large green bins that will be emptied Monday after next on trash day.

I’ve filled them several times and emptied them into the green bins. Then, I spent time putting big black bags in a large garden bin, filling those black bags with more and more and more leaves, and setting them behind our little shed, where, over time, I’ll empty them into the green bins. I could be seeing the trees (and hopefully those hedges) leafing out, just about the time I’ve finally gotten rid of all the fallen leaves.

 

Meanwhile, at Target, they’ve started putting out the springtime gardening stuff. There’s always some potting soil and insect spray, but now they’ve enlarged the area. There are all kinds of tools (and I already have most of them). But, I saw these little bitty scissors, which were labeled “Herb Snips.” They are really sharp and are dishwasher safe. I bought them. They are so cute. Then, on Monday, I was putting together dinner for David, which included roasted potatoes. “These potatoes need some parsley,” I said. And I took those little snips, which really are nice and sharp, to the herb garden, and snipped some parsley leaves. They worked great. Then I took then into the house, snipped parsley on the potatoes, and put the snips in the dishwasher.

 

He spreads snow like a white fleece, he scatters frost like ashes,
He broadcasts hail like birdseed—who can survive his winter?
Then he gives the command and it all melts; he breathes on winter—suddenly it’s spring!

Psalm 147:16-18 (The Message Translation)

 

I’m looking forward to it!

Was That Just a Week Ago?

| Patience

This past Wednesday, I worked outside for a while. The weather was great. Not at all chilly. It was so difficult to remember the previous Wednesday, when I took a long, long hot bath, because we did have hot water, because the hot water heater is gas-powered. I assumed, wrongly, that the hot, hot water, which I kept replenishing, would make the bathroom itself warm. But, when I finally got out of the tub, the surrounding air in the bathroom was still quite chilly. Really chilly. I put on several layers of clean clothing (after two days of wearing the same clothes), and we went to David’s workplace, where we spent the next two days.

Thursday afternoon, just a week ago, the power was back on, the heater was humming away, and we settled back into our regular routine. Well, sort of.

On Friday morning, I thought, “Oh, I can get back to normal,” which is usually housework on Fridays, laundering the sheets, cleaning the bathrooms, the floors, getting things in order. But, we were under a minimal use of water order. No washing machines or dishwashers, limited showers. So my pile of laundry had to stay in a pile. We used paper plates and disposable tableware and cups. I boiled water, except David said that only the small towns around us needed to boil water; our water was safe, but, still limited use. So, I used my nice, boiled water in my tea maker. There was a ban on car washes and commercial laundries for a few days.

Then, ta-dah, everything was back to normal. I washed and dried clothes. I washed and dried all the blankets and quilts that we’d used on the bed for a couple of days, when the temperature was 40° inside, and then on the floor at David’s workplace. And, pretty quickly, things were back to very much normal. Clean clothes back in the closet, blankets and quilts back in the cedar chest, and all the snow, gone.

I had brought some of the most tender plants indoors. They may spend the rest of the winter inside. Of course, it’s almost March, so, that won’t be a very long stay.

 

One plant didn’t do well at all.

And, my understanding that I should find a way to help folks who might be struggling in ways I cannot understand . . .

 

 Discover creative ways to encourage others and to motivate them toward acts of compassion, doing beautiful works as expressions of love.

Hebrews 10:24 (The Passion Translation)

Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out

Hebrews 10:24 (The Message)

Let us be concerned for one another, to help one another to show love and to do good.

Hebrews 10:24 (Good News Translation)

In response to all he has done for us, let us outdo each other in being helpful and kind to each other and in doing good.

Hebrews 10:24 (The Living Bible)

As I scrolled through Facebook at the end of last week, I saw a notice from a friend that the local Family Abuse Center needed liquid soap and twin-sized blankets. I called the phone number listed, explained that I saw the request, and I got directions. The place is a safe haven for women and children who need a place to live when there has been an abusive home situation. There’s no sign on the place, you have to be buzzed in, and they are careful about strangers. The person who buzzed me in explained that, during the deep freeze of the previous week, pipes had frozen and burst and water damage had damaged a lot of bedding. So, last Monday, a dozen bottles of liquid soap and a dozen  blankets were delivered to the center.

 

 

You Might Have Heard. It Snowed.

| Joy, Patience

I don’t know what they’re gong to call what happened this week, but “It snowed,” isn’t going to be enough.

We woke up Monday morning to a significant amount of snow on the ground. An unusual amount of snow. And no power inside the house. I bundled up in a lightweight black knit shirt, a heavyweight black dress, a black sweater and another, heavier black sweater, and black leggings. And my shoes. And my pashmina wrapped around my head and covering my nose.

I was determined to finish Hamilton. It was due that day, and I didn’t have any more renewals. When the sun hit the front of the house, I opened the blinds, and I was quite cozy, sitting on my bed, reading away. The sun set, and we still didn’t have any power. But I did finish Hamilton!

We’re fortunate that, when my parents built this house, they chose gas as an energy source. The stove’s burners have an electronic ignition, which of course didn’t work. But we were able to turn on the burners and light the gas to make a flame. We could heat water for tea. I could scramble an egg in a skillet. David could heat up soup. The oven, while also gas powered, could not be lit. So, no baking. But most importantly, the hot water heater was working. We could wash out hands, wash a few dishes and silverware. It was more than I thought we could have expected. And the heating system didn’t work, so we were pretty chilly.

We have a lamp in the bedroom, and I suggested to David that he turn on the lamp, so we would know when the power came back on. Even if it had come on in the middle of the night, I’d have been glad to know that the power was back. It didn’t.

David pulled more blankets and quilts out of the cedar chest and spread them on the bed. I slept pretty well, except for a couple of trips to the bathroom. I was as quick as I could be, but it was pretty miserable, and took a while to warm back up.

Tuesday was exactly the same. I had finished Hamilton and read another Hamilton book (a lovely, lavishly illustrated book that has heavy pages, illustrations on every page, and four, three-page foldouts, with maps and drawings). We did leave the house in the afternoon, to go return the books. There’s a book drop at the back of the library. It’s automatic. You press a green button and a door opens. You can put the book in, and a conveyor belt pulls your book into the library, automatically scanning the book. When the power is on. Which it wasn’t.

We drove around to the front of the library where there’s a regular slot with a door, and you can just shove the books in. We did that, then we noticed that the Target parking lot had lots of cars, and the lights were on. And we said,”Target has power?” Apparently, they did, and we went to Target. We spent an hour or so doing a little shopping, but mostly walking around and being warm.

We went home, and I bundled up in bed under layers and layers of blankets. The lamp never came on.

Wednesday morning, I wanted a nice, hot bath. Taking a shower in the smaller bathroom seemed daunting. We did have hot water and that would be great. Until I had to step out of the shower into the bathroom itself, where the temperature was maybe 20 degrees. I thought a bath would be a better choice.The hot, hot water would help raise the temperature in the room. So when I got out of the tub, the room wold be nice and warm.

I enjoyed the tub for quite a while, often replenishing the cooling water with additional hot, hot water. But when I did get out, the room was still just as frigid as when I’d gotten in. Brrrrr. I put on nice, fresh, clean, warm clothes, and we drove carefully, over to David’s office, to check on things there. It was fine there. It has heat, lights, and power.

All our pillows and blankets to take for our over night stays.

I charged up my phone. I called my sister. I called Jeremy, who said, “Don’t stay in the house with no power at all! Spend the night in Dad’s office!” And that sounded like a plan.

We went back home, checked the lamp to see if the power had come back on, and gathered up pillows and blankets and quilts, and the blow up mattress that Peter sleeps on when he comes. We did make another trip home, later, just to be sure that the power hadn’t suddenly come on. It hadn’t. David slept on a sofa in the library, in his sleeping bag. I slept on the blow up mattress, which deflated as the night wore on. Still, I had the best night’s sleep I’d had in a few days.

Thursday, we both woke up feeling better than we had in days.

David got lots of work done. I read some of Aaron Burr’s letters in a two volume set that David had purchased for the library a few years earlier. I found a letter that said: “Hamilton is desperately searching for someone to run against A.B.” (i.e. Aaron Burr)

Mid-day, David left to check on the house. I stayed and read. When he returned, a couple of hours later, he said, “Let’s go home.” The heater was running! The house was warm! The power was back!

“Was the lamp on?” I asked. It was.

We had packed up the pillows and blankets, just in case. We put them in the car and hurried back home. The roads were much less slippery and much less covered with ice and snow. It looked like spring. Well, sort of.

 

 

And the King will answer them, “Don’t you know? When you cared for one of the least important of these my little ones, my true brothers and sisters, you demonstrated love for me.”

Matthew 25:40 (The Passion Translation)

Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’

Matthew 25:40 (The Message Translation)

The king will answer, “Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.”

Matthew 25:40 (Contemporary English Version)

 

I have some important work to do in the next day or two. We easily withstood the difficulties of the past few days. I know there are scores of folks who did not. I don’t know those men, women, and families. But I know people who do know them. And I will ask for suggestions about how I can make their lives a little easier in the next few days.

Out with the Old, In With . . .

| Patience, Peace, Self-Control

Nothing

Over the years, I’ve amassed lots of cookware and bakeware. Most of what I got as wedding gifts (ever so long ago) has been broken, dented, and/or warped. I’ve received some replacement and/or new items, like a crepe pan, that I used a couple of times, stored for years, and finally passed on. After my parents were gone, and we moved into the house in which JoAnne and I grew up, I kept a few of my mother’s things. I ended up with some duplicates, like rectangular baking pans with lids, and (Pyrex) rectangular baking dishes.

For a while, I needed those things. When my sister’s family lived in Texas (and they came and went a couple of times), they might come to visit a few times a year, which would mean more kitchen-related activities. When the boys were growing up, we would have their friends over for get-togethers, and I would cook and bake. There would be pot-luck dinners at church, which do sort of happen, or did, until recently, but they’re not quite the same. People often bring boxes of fried chicken or pizzas from local food establishments, and they bring side dishes from those places, too.

Years ago, when a new family moved into the neighborhood, ladies would cook a casserole or a dessert to take to the new folks. These days, people have a variety of food habits, like lactose-free, keto, low-carb, vegetarian. I wouldn’t dream of taking a meat loaf or a gelatin salad to someone I didn’t know. I take apples.

So, ultimately, I don’t need much in the way of cookware and bakeware. I have one large pot with a lid. I have one good-sized skillet, also with a lid. I have one large and one medium sized glass baking dish. I have two (one large, one small) racks for cooling baked goods, like cookies and scones. I do have four cookie sheets, of various sizes. I primarily use them as bases for freezing things like rolls that I will heat up later and things like meatballs, chicken breasts, and fish, that I will store (after freezing) in storage bags and remove one at a time to prepare for dinner. (Well, more than one meatball.) And, of course, those cookies and/or scones.

When Peter comes, we might make bread. I have loaf pans for loaves, muffin tins for rolls, and those cookie sheets for more creative arrangements of dough.

 

By this time they were in front of Peter’s house. On entering, Jesus found Peter’s mother-in-law sick in bed, burning up with fever. He touched her hand and the fever was gone. No sooner was she up on her feet than she was fixing dinner for him.

Matthew 8:14-15 (The Message Translation)

 

If Jesus came to my house, I’d be able to stir up some dinner pretty quickly, because my kitchen is, for the moment, at least, pretty well organized. And, I’m pretty sure there’s food in the freezer.

 

Here’s all the cookware that’s bagged up, in the car’s trunk, on the way to Goodwill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sewing

| Joy, Patience

I have a cousin who, for several years, worked as an interior designer. Her husband was a builder, and she helped make his houses look lovely and up-to-date. We always enjoyed visiting her and seeing what kinds of interesting and beautiful things graced her home. She knew all kinds of trends. Once when we visited, she showed us a long, narrow box which was actually a drawer from an old sewing machine. People were using them for storing small items or displaying a variety of things, such as a few small picture frames with photos or other pictures in a drawer that was lying horizontally on a desk or cabinet. A drawer displayed vertically might have an arrangement of leaves or flowers in a little vase.

I ended up with one that I use, even now, to hold spools of thread and a pincushion, in easy reach of my sewing machine.

 

Around the same time, my mother was interested in refinishing pieces of furniture, and she was poking around in a little “antique” store in Hillsboro, the town where she grew up. She saw an old, treadle sewing machine. All of its pieces were intact, including four, nice and sturdy drawers. Mother asked the owner if she could buy a couple of those drawers. He said, “Fine,” and she left the place all satisfied with her purchase. And, since sewing machine drawers were such a hot, valuable item, she went back the next day and bought the other two drawers. Then, a few days later, she asked me if I’d like to have the entire sewing machine cabinet, itself. My sewing machine was just sitting on a kneehole desk that I’d used as a young teenager. I thought it might be a nice addition to our home, and I said, “Yes.” She went to work refinishing the whole thing, taking it all apart, and then putting it all back together.

That old sewing machine sat in a hole on the top of the table part. The treadle itself was still on the machine, as well as the belt that moved the needle on the machine. Seamstresses would pump the treadle up and down with their feet. You can see the treadle, here, at the bottom of the cabinet. And you can see the wooden piece that was attached to the wheel (on the right side) to make it turn.  There had been a belt (rubber, I think) that went from the large wheel under the machine to a smaller wheel on the side of the machine itself, that would then turn to make the needle move up and down to create a seam.

 

My mother’s very modern sewing machine had a hinged part that would allow her machine to be lowered down into the cabinet. Then there was a lid that would cover the machine, so that it just looked like a small table. My mother used her machine often, so it rarely got to the table part.

My new/old machine had this lovely box to protect the machine when it wasn’t being used. The original sewing machine sat nicely under this box. I think the first machine I used on this sewing cabinet also fit well. The next machine was a little, tiny, bit taller, and, when I cleaned up after sewing, I sat the box on that machine and it swayed a little bit, not reaching all the way to the surface of the cabinet.

Recently, I had to get a new sewing machine. A part on the machine that holds the bobbin (lower part) of the thread, came apart. I went online to order a new one and found that my machine was so old, they didn’t make that exact part any more. But, they suggested another part that should work. I ordered that part, and it finally came, and, Ta-Dah!! It didn’t work at all.

Now, the truth is, I don’t sew very much any more. But, I do sew some. So, I went to the giant fabric/notions/patterns/trim/pillow forms/yarn/thread/sewing machines store and bought a new machine. Not the cheapest one, and certainly not one of the extra fancy, extra ordinary, extra large, extra expensive ones. It’s a plain machine, and it does what I need doing.

The hole that the old, original machine rested in is, of course, not at all usable. I’ve put down a white rectangular piece that was originally a metal, sort of, cutting board. It does a fine job of covering the hole and supporting the machine.

You can see, on the floor, next to the old treadle, a small, black, rectangular thing that has a cord attached to it. That’s the foot control. It’s what I press, with my foot, which delivers the electricity to the machine and causes the needle to go up and down. Pressing slow means sewing slowly, like sewing in a sleeve. Pressing harder means faster sewing, when sewing a long, straight seam.

This machine is a little bit taller than my previous machines, and the piece that holds a bobbin when I’m winding thread on it, is not removable, causing the box to wobble, quite a bit, when I place it back on the machine. So, I glued small wooden spools onto the bottom of the box, which keeps it sturdy and secure.

I do like my new machine. I’ve made a pillow cover and done some repairs to clothes, and am in the process of making a new Christmas tree skirt.

 

 In Joppa there was a follower named Tabitha. Her Greek name was Dorcas, which means “deer.” She was always doing good things for people and had given much to the poor. But she got sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room.  Joppa wasn’t far from Lydda, and the followers heard that Peter was there. They sent two men to say to him, “Please come with us as quickly as you can!”  Right away, Peter went with them. The men took Peter upstairs into the room. Many widows were there crying. They showed him the coats and clothes that Dorcas had made while she was still alive. After Peter had sent everyone out of the room, he knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to the body of Dorcas and said, “Tabitha, get up!” The woman opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.  He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet.Peter called in the widows and the other followers and showed them that Dorcas had been raised from death.  Everyone in Joppa heard what had happened, and many of them put their faith in the Lord.

Acts 9:36-42 (Contemporary English Version)

 

Maybe I should consider broadening my sewing skills. And, while I’ve certainly not done the kind of sewing that Dorcas did, there are a few dolls in the Preschool classroom at church that have extensive, handmade wardrobes.

 

And, because it’s that time of year, Peter has recently had a birthday and is now eight years old.

Mystery

| Joy, Patience, Peace

Post Christmas:

Kevin and April stayed in Waco for a few days at Christmastime. They went back to Fort Worth, and Peter stayed with us for a few more days, before heading back home to be ready to get back into school mode.

A few days ago, Kevin called and asked if Peter’s Dog Man books were here. The author, Dan Pilkey, is a guy who understands the pulse of school-aged readers. One of his first series of books are the Captain Underpants books. I first learned about them when kindergartners at church told me about how much they liked them (and those kids are college graduates now). The books are funny and and appealing to school-aged kids. One site says that the reading level is grades 2-5, but the “appeal” level is grades 4-8. Seems like a big leap. The first book of the series was published in 1997, so they’ve been around for a while.

Mr. Pilkey’s more recent series is the Dog Man series. The web site’s description is: “When Officer Knight and his police dog Greg are caught in a freak accident caused by the evil Petey the Cat, there’s only one way to save them. Doctors carefully sew Greg the Dog’s head onto Officer Knight’s body to create an all-new superhero: Dog Man. Half-dog and half-man, he is here to sniff squirrels and save the city—and he’s all out of squirrels to sniff.”

Peter finds them compelling, and he is not alone. Peter had the first two books, and he received two more for Christmas. I thought he’d probably memorized them by now.

A couple of days ago, Kevin phoned and asked if Peter’s Dog Man books were here. I went and looked at the shelf where books are, in the room where Peter stays when he’s here. I looked at every book, and, nope. No Dog Man. books.

 

Kevin called back a couple of days later. Had I looked in the shed, he said. Well, no, I hadn’t looked in the shed.

Years ago, we bought a shed (a shed in a box) to store things like the lawn mower and lawn chairs. Kevin and April came to help put it together. At first, there were a few fold-up canvas chairs in there. And that’s about all. Peter and David would open up a couple of chairs and sit in the shed (with doors open) and read books have snacks and enjoy the spring-time weather.

Then, after a while, other things got stored in there, like the lawn mower, which wasn’t used any more, because lawn people came to mow each week. There was an old trunk, an old trash can which we didn’t use any more because the city now provided trash bins that the trash trucks would lift and empty.

Years earlier, David and my dad created some shelving above the garage doors, where things that belonged to the boys were stored. A while back, we needed to remove these storage spaces, and we had to move the boxes that belonged to the boys. Those boxes went into the shed.

Periodically, the city has a bulky waste day, and we were able to put out things like that lawn mower that hadn’t been used in years. I looked in the old trunk and there wasn’t much in there, but most of it was unusable. When Jeremy came, in the fall, he and Kevin hauled boxes out and went through things.

 

Jeremy had driven to Waco, and had space in his car to take home lots of stuff. Kevin took his stuff home, which meant that there were only a couple of boxes stored in the shed. I cleaned out more of things that I’d been storing for “Fun with Friends,” a summer activity session that I would provide for preschoolers. Since things had been shut down for the summer, and because I was retiring from my preschool teaching time at church, I recycled all the toilet paper and paper towel tubes I’d been saving for making a golf ball structure.

This is a “bean box” that I’d made from a Dyson vacuum box and a variety of round boxes like oatmeal boxes and wrapping paper tubes. I’d used it for several years at “Fun Friends” on Physics Day. I’d set it on four preschool chairs, two on each side, in one side of the large box that my treadmill had come in. Then, I’d pour several large bags of dried pinto beans into the large box, along with scoops. Kids could scoop beans into the various openings in the Dyson box and watch to see where the beans would come out. It was hilarious fun. It was a little poignant to dismantle it and shove the pieces into the blue recycle bin, which left space on shelves in the garage for the remaining boxes that belonged to Jeremy.

Now, the shed is much more spacious, and Peter found it to be a nice, quiet, undisturbed space. So, when Kevin asked me if I’d looked in the shed, and I said, “No,” he said that Peter said he’d been reading in there.

I went to look.

And that, of course, is exactly where they were, all lined up, along with the very old wheelbarrow, and the bag of compost, and those fold-up canvas chairs, all safe and secure.

And now, they’re on the shelves, ready for when Peter comes to visit again.

 

 

Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?  When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.”

Luke 15:8-9 (New Revised Standard Version)

 

I guess there’s been some rejoicing at Peter’s house. Or relief.