The Bible Tells Me

I’m not the Bible scholar I should be. I know some verses; not as many as I ought. Still, I find most of my experiences can be framed or underscored, explained or illuminated, by Scripture. Or maybe a hymn or a worship song, a devotional or a testimony. Frequently, I have those “Oh, yeah” moments when I see God clearly in an event. Or realized that I should have seen Him.

These are the moments of “The Bible tells me.”

These essays reflect that. Do know that I can proof-text as well as anyone. I have a concordance, and I know how to use it. Well, truthfully, I do all of that online now, where I can quickly find a passage, see it in many versions, and choose the one I like best. I try not to be narrow, but instead broad, as I apply Bible words to my experiences. I know that your interpretations and understanding may be different than mine. But I also know that our God is big enough for all of us.

I have a friend who, in her prayer time, likes to tell jokes to God. “I know He knows the punch line,” she says. “But I tell them anyway. He likes it when I laugh.”

He likes it when I laugh. I’m going to hang on to that. It’s Biblical. The Bible tells me.

Our mouths were filled with laughter then,
and our tongues with shouts of joy.
Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord had done great things for us;
we were joyful.

Psalm 126: 2,3 (HCSB)

The Good, The Bad, The Snowy

April 29, 2021 | Faithfulness, Joy, Patience, Peace, Self-Control

“We’ll just have to wait and see.” That’s what the state’s chief horticulturist says. In his weekly newspaper column and the weekly e-mails he sends out, he answers questions about plants and landscaping and garden care. What he says in, at least one of those outlets each week, is that “we’ll just have to wait and see,” how the perennial/annual plants and trees and lawns will come back (or not) in our landscapes.

My next door neighbor has two epic Live Oak trees. The horticulturist has said, after that giant sleet, snow, and ice storm we had, we should give our Live Oaks the time they need to heal. We don’t have Live Oak trees. We have a big crepe myrtle, and a pecan that’s lost as many small limbs as those crepe myrtles. Both of those trees are probably able to regroup and live!

“We will just have to wait and see.”

Meanwhile, we have some other kinds of plants, and almost all of them have rebounded. Like these:

I can see the still somewhat small, but older, living plants, and then the lower plants which aren’t even trying to make it. (And, don’t be fooled by all the green, green, healthy plants. Those are daisies.)

These plants are a little hard to see well. There are three that are growing back, green and full. Then, in between those good plants, there are some broken down-to-sticks plants. The broken down ones have died off completely, even though the living plants have become found. They are Turk’s Caps. I was at a lovely nursery recently, and an employee has been explaining the growing habits of these plants. I found a pink variety of them, but, couldn’t purchase them, because I’m not sure which ones I’d planted. I know there were three red ones and three pink ones. And, apparently, one kind is much more winter tolerant than the other.

Check later, to see which ones really are winter tolerant.

: Look what I found on these verbenas! It’s a Monarch. I haven’t seen a Monarch butterfly around here for ages.

: This is a Viceroy butterfly. Look straight to the right from the butterfly, and there’s a bee, who is not paying ANY attention to the butterfly.

: Many of the thyme plants have delicate white flowers. Bees like that, too.

: The yellow yarrow is starting to bloom.

: This is an Autumn Gold fern. It doesn’t usually change this much. I’m attributing it to that big ol’ snow and freeze we had.

: This is Salad Burnett, which grows in my herb garden. See that reddish thing at the botom center. That’s a flower. It has NEVER, EVER bloomed before. Until this year.

: I’ve had Apple Mint growing in this planter for a few years.

: It never, ever has grown so lushly in so short a time.

: This is Asian Jasmine, which I’ve grown for quite a while. There were quite a few empty spaces, after the Big Freeze. When the tree guys came to trim the hedges, I asked what they thought the prognosis was, and they said, “It’s not looking too good.” They were wrong! It’s filling in again.

: These yellow roses have been planted in this bed for YEARS. They’ve done all right. So-so. Apparently, it took a giant ice storm to make them sit up and take notice and do their part.

: This is the fifth (the last remaining) Nandina plant, who is finally getting with the program.

I have said to David that he should NOT buy me any birthday gifts, or Mother’s Day gifts. I have spent quite a lot on plants. And potting soil. And plant food. I should start thinking more carefully about perennials instead of annuals.

Hey! I Could Do That. Of Course, I Could. And I SHOULD!

April 22, 2021 | Joy, Love

The glimmer of an idea always seems so possible. So doable. Soooo easy. But, it rarely is. Not that the idea wasn’t a good one. It probably was. However, most good ideas don’t often end up being easy to bring to fruition. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t worthwhile; it probably was. And, when it’s all completed, we’re thrilled it’s done.

And that’s how I feel.

The first good idea-Ten years ago, I had this notion. We’d been married for 40 years. Kevin and April had been married for 10 years. And Jeremy and Sarah had been married for 5 years. I thought we should document these milestones.

One afternoon, when both sons and both daughters-in-law were with us at our house, I said: “We should all put on our wedding duds and have photos made. Don’t you think?” Both girls, as well as I, still had our wedding dresses.

“And,” I said, “we can probably find the same kind of tuxes that you guys wore. And,” I went on, “I’ll pay for the tuxes and I’ll pay to have the wedding dresses cleaned when we’re done.”

The Before Photos:

: David and I-March 13, 1971

: Kevin and April-June 23, 2001

: Jeremy and Sarah-December 3, 2005

It took a little bit of explaining, and encouragement, but, at last, everyone agreed. The guys’ measurements were taken, and I took them, as well as several photos of each of them, in their wedding garb, to the tuxedo rental place. A couple of adjustments needed to happen, but, for the most part, the tuxedo people made everything work. We went to our church on a Saturday morning, where, dressed in our wedding best, we posed. The Welcome Center is a lovely space, and I had asked a church friend, who was a photographer, to please come to take the pictures. We posed, in pairs, in a big group, just girls, just guys, girls with guys.

One of the After Photos

I used some of the photos for our Christmas card the next year. And that’s how the next part happened.

A friend of mine, who had gotten our card that Christmas, thought it was a nice idea, and she put it aside, thinking that she might make a similar plan in a few years.

When she and her husband were celebrating their 50th anniversary, she made cards that had a photo from their own wedding day and a present-day picture of them. She sent them to the people who were in their wedding party, and some additional friends. I got one.

And I had another idea.

I am my mother’s daughter. I, like her, don’t really like a big fuss or a big to-do. When my parents’ 50th anniversary approached, she very specifically said, “No big party.” So, we all (our family, my sister’s family, and a couple of Mother’s sisters and a brother-in-law) went to Salado, Texas, for a nice lunch. Very low key. Very much what my mother felt comfortable with.

This was my 50th wedding anniversary idea: I would find photos from our wedding that included a variety of people. And, I would send the people who were part of the planning, the showers, the luncheon, and the reception, and just being there that day, a photo that included them, along with a note that said, “Thanks for being part of our special day!” I made sure to include our names and the date, in case our friends and family members had lost track of what had happened, and, for some, maybe who we were.

You can send 4×6 inch photos in the mail, like a post card. Write a message on the left side of the photo’s back, write the address on the right side, put a postcard stamp on it, and off it goes. I was able to put the photos on the Walgreen’s site, where I could crop the photos and adapt the older 3×3 inch photos into 4×6 ones.

Amazingly, I was able to locate the man who was the officiant at the wedding. He lives in a nearby town, and is a retired pastor. We’re Facebook friends now.

If I couldn’t find a photo of someone who was present, I’d send this photo to them.I was careful to put my return address on each card, and sure enough, one photo postcard got returned. I’d had the wrong address. So, I’m guessing all the rest of the cards got sent to the proper people.

One of my favorite photos was the one of my dad walking me down the aisle. (That photo is in the group of photos above.) As I was looking through all the photos, I realized that the woman who is to the right of my dad is a neighbor. When I was about eleven, she and her husband and toddler daughter moved in two houses down from our house. The house where David and I now live. They had three more kids. She’s a widow now, but family lives close enough that she sees them often. I walked a copy of that photo down to her a couple of weeks ago. She’s still quite spry, and we had a great visit.

I’ve enjoyed all the parts of all the plans. I loved the anniversary dress-up photo shoot. I liked going through my wedding book and finding the photos of people who were involved in the wedding plans and preparations, and the people who came to one, or more, of the weddings. I read through all the names of folks who signed the guest book, so very many who are gone now. I got a few responses from people, which was nice. And, re-remembering.

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

John 2:1-11 (New International Version)

Now, there’s a wedding.

This was our first apartment. We lived here for the first two years we were married, while David was in the Air Force. I’ve Googled this place recently; it’s not pink any more. And there’s an air conditioner in one of the windows! What luxury!

We found this postcard at a drug store, I think, and we purchased all the copies. It was meant to showcase the new, fabulous, indoor mall, which had scores of stores. Our interest was in the small residential area off to the left. This was an older card, as, since it’s printing, a very large hotel had been built, which would have blocked the sightline of that residential area. But, it didn’t, at the time the photo was shot, so, if you looked hard, you could see our pink apartment.

So . . . It’s Not EXACTLY Springtime, yet

April 15, 2021 | Patience

I’ve worked hard, for hours, the past few weeks, outside. I’ve purchased plants for the patio, plants for the beds around the house, yellow flowers and plants for the front beds and the pots that hang from the porch railing, bougainvilleas for hanging at the back, succulents for hanging by the fence. I found a couple of new-to-me thyme plants (even though I think that the gardening folks might just be making up new varieties). However, “White Creeping Thyme” and “Red Creeping Thyme” really do look different from each other. And, some thyme plants make sweet little white or lavender flowers. And all the thyme plants I have are absolutely winter hardy, which, especially after the epic February ice/snow freeze, I do so admire.

The past couple of days, I worked, raking, around the side edge of the yard, trying to rake away the remainder of the epic leaf drop from the hedges. And, truly, there are lots of leaves that have been lying ‘way back against the fence that I just haven’t gotten around to in the past few years. There’s some Asian Jasmine and Virginia Creeper that I don’t know who planted. Maybe my dad, maybe previous neighbors. Anyway, I was trying to clean things up. As I raked, I picked up piles and put them in the big, round, canvas bin that I use to transport leaves, etc. to the big, green, recycle bins we put out on trash/recycle day, and I spotted a wooden handle. I recognized it as the tool I use to reach into tight spaces to pull out leaves, etc. It has a serious metal claw which efficiently grasps and holds leaves. As I reached down to pick it up, I thought, I don’t remember bringing that down here. And as I held it, I thought, Oh, yeah.

A year or so ago, or maybe longer, I couldn’t find it. It wasn’t on the hook on the tool pegboard by my potting bench. I looked all over the patio, in all the beds around the house, all without success. Eventually, I thought that, maybe, while using it, I’d dropped it in that canvas bin, and then forgotten it was there. And then, when I dumped that bin’s contents into the green recycle bin, I must have dumped that great claw tool in, also.

We had purchased it at Homestead Heritage, which is described as “an agrarian- and craft-based intentional Christian community.” It’s a few miles outside Waco. They have a great restaurant, some wonderful stores where they sell all sorts of homemade crafts and food items, as well as a store where you can purchase handmade tools, like that great claw gardening tool. So, I went and bought another one, which I use to pull leaves and twigs out of the beds around the house, when a rake is too large.

: Yep, that’s what I found when I was raking.

: And, there’s the newer one, hanging on my tool pegboard, and, on the bench, is the old one, frankly, not too much worn from being out in the weather for MONTHS! And it’s still just as sturdy and useful as the other one.

: I bought this a couple of years ago in the gardening area of the Magnolia’s “Little Shop on Bosque.” It was the original Magnolia Store, before they expanded. Now it’s the place where they send out-of-season things when they are restocking new goods. The green shoes came from my sister, for gardening, but, they didn’t fit my feet. So, I poked holes in the toes and planted things in them. Last year it was rosemary. This year, it’s Chamomile. The little pot below has some mint.

: This is a firecracker plant, also described as Russelia equisetiformis, and is a weeping subshrub in the family Plantaginaceae (I knew you would want to know). It wintered over last year, to my surprise, but, this year, my expectations were low. I tossed out most things that spent the winter in the little plastic greenhouse. But, I repoted this, even though it just looked like a bunch of tiny sticks. To my great surprise, there’s some green happening. Don’t know what it’ll look like in July, but I’m going to give it a chance.

: I’ve had this pot for a few years. Several years ago, one of David’s aunts gave me a cutting of an ivy sort of plant. It grew nicely, but then winter happened, and that was that. I dumped out the old dead plant and the dirt, and, when we visited her again in the spring, I asked for another cutting. I explained that the old one had died over the winter. “It comes back,” she said. “Really?” I said, embarrassed. She graciously gave me another cutting, which grew and thrived, and, as promised, returned each spring. Until this year, and the February freeze. I waited for weeks, ‘way into April, long after the plant usually returned. I poked around in the dirt and there was no sign, at all, of any kind of growth. And, David’s Aunt Frances passed away last fall. So, with great sadness, I’ve planted these new plants: Coral Bells. i like them, but it’s not the same.

I’ve planted everything, I think. So, now it’s just a matter of keeping things alive. As I write this, on Thursday afternoon, rain is falling. The temperature was chilly this morning, and I worked for a little while, pulling up weeds in the very back of the yard, where I want to try planting Asian Jasmine, again, with the hope that it will take root before squirrels pull it up, like they did last spring. (I have some squirrel deterrent spray, which, maybe, will work.)

Everything on earth has its own time and its own season. There is a time for birth and death, planting and reaping

Ecclesiastes 3:1,2 (Contemporary English Version)

I’m Fond of Plants That Are Sturdy

April 8, 2021 | Love, Peace

I’ve learned my lesson. Well, pretty much. When it comes to plants, I don’t really do “delicate.” I know folks who have greenhouses and hothouses, and they grow beautiful things. I grow beautiful things, too, but they have to be sturdy. I do purchase and plant things that are annuals (they don’t usually live through the winter). But I’m most fond of the perennial plants, the plants that I put in the ground once and they return each spring. This year, of course, things are somewhat different, after the epic ice and snow and very low temperatures we had in February. It’s April now, and if some plants haven’t returned, then I’m thinking that they’re not going to.

: These slender plants are Nandinas. They were quite bare after the big February freeze. I was anxious about them. My dad planted them years and years ago, and I was afraid that they were too frail for the freeze.

: But, they DID recover. Well, four of them did, putting out new leaves.

: The fifth plant was bare, bare, bare, for weeks. Now, it’s putting out small, barely visible leaves. We’ll just have to wait and see if it’s decided to commit to living.

: This is how a bed at the side of the house looked a few weeks ago. This pile-of-sticks-looking thing was a lantana plant.

: This is the pomegranate. I trimmed it down to the ground, where there were new leaves coming up.

: Now, I’ve replaced the lantana. The pomegranate is pruned back, and I discovered another lantana below the pomegranate.

: I love hostas, but I’ve had hit and miss luck with them, over the years. In the house where we lived when the boys were growing up, I had a few of them, and they bloomed and were lovely. I’ve tried them in a few places in our current back yard, with limited success. Of the three I planted last year, only that one in the center came back. I purchased the two on either side, hoping that keeping hostas alive in this bed would be a trend. (That small green plant at the front of the hostas is a little plant, one of five I bought a couple of years ago. It’s the only one that survived.)

: There had been a hosta plant that put up a lovely flower last year. That old stem was still in the ground, and last week, I leaned over to break it off and discovered, oh yes, small green leaves.

: And, now, it’s ‘way too close to the new plant!

: Why, oh, why, did it wait so long to show up!?! Now, that new plant is too close to that established one, and I’m not sure how large it’s going to be!

: So, I moved the new one to a further away space. That newly emergered plant had better come up nicely and look good! I hope I can figure out what it’s name is. And, then, ‘way over on the left, is a small (I think) hosta that’s been there a couple years. I don’t know what it’s name is, either.

: Meanwhile, a couple of weeks ago, I looked out the kitchen window, and saw this. I stared. I wondered. It looked a little like a cat. I hadn’t noticed cats in the yard, though, a few months ago, I found large amount of bird feathers in this same space, which DID indicate that there were hungry felines in the area. But, it never moved, and I walked out to be sure of what I was seeing, and wasn’t seeing.

: And, this is what I found. Just pieces of wood, from old limbs. Things Peter liked to play with.

I pointed the shape out to David, and he said that, yeah, he’d noticed it, and, at first, thought it might be a squirrel. When Peter came, a week ago, I called his attention to it, and said that, when I first saw it, I thought it was a cat, maybe. And David said that he thought it might be a squirrel. And Peter looked at us and said, “It’s a piece of wood.” Ah, nature.

Outside and inside, of me, of what surrounds me, the sunrise, the sunset, the grass, the flowers, the trees. Life and love, friends and family. What makes me ponder, what surprises me, what comforts me, what’s worth singing and shouting our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah!

Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! Now that we have actually received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah!

Romans 5:10 (The Message Translation)

I am grateful. God is good.

“We’ll Just Have to Wait and See.”

April 1, 2021 | 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.

: They’ve been cut ‘way back.

: This bench used to be in quite a bit of shade.

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!

: They’re tiny, those new green leaves . . .

: but they’re DEINATELYi there!

: I’m so relieved.

: Plants! Gotta love ’em!

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!

March 25, 2021 | 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.

: This is a yellow orange and gold lantana. The yellow lantana at the front of the house has leafed out. This one, on the side of the house, hasn’t. Yet.

: This is a dwarf pomegranate, that’s been growing there for several years. When I gently bend the limbs, they don’t break. I think it’ll be all right, too.

: This is a Turk’s Cap. There are SIX of them, in a row. This one is putting out small leaves at the base. So far, it’s the only one that’s shown any sign of health.

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.

: The squirrels, of course, are doing their part. Here’s a potential oak tree, carefully planted by thrifty squirrels last fall.

: And here’s a pecan tree, showing a strong desire to to become part of the landscape.

: But the most reliable plants we have growing along the side of the house are the daisies. They have been shooting up, and here is the first bud of the season. The large leaf at the bottom of the photo is a canna. There are several of them along the side of the house, and many new, sturdy leaves have popped up.

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

March 18, 2021 | 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.

: There are the hedges, late in 1959. We’d moved into the house in June, so it looks like Daddy planted those hedges that first summer. There they are, at the back of our yard. And a pretty meager snowfall. And a pretty sassy sister.

: Easter, 1963. These are the hedges, planted at the same time, along the side of the back yard, also still there, now.

: And this is December, 1963, with the hedges growing nice and full.

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.

March 11, 2021 | 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

March 4, 2021 | 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.

: Now you can more clearly see the front of the house that’s across the street from the house behind us.

: And here’s the house on the other side, with the shed I’ve never seen before. The large tree to the right of our shed is a pecan tree, which lost its leaves back in November.

: I start raking up leaves.

: The tree to the left of our shed is a crape myrtle, which shed its leaves back in October. And between the tree and the shed, the very large pile of leaves that have fallen from the hedges, raked into the long pile.

: And on the left, under the pecan tree,

: and beyond, leaves from the hedges on the right side of our shed.

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?

February 25, 2021 | 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.

: Last Saturday, just the least bit of snow left.

: Sunday. you’d never have known that any thing unusual had happened here.

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.

: I think the geraniums would like to live indoors all winter lng.

: These little plants are stretching toward the window. They’d like a little more sun, please.

: The airplane plants also like being indoors.

: I have this little greenhouse where I put the less-hardy plants during the winter. Some make it; some don’t. This year, nothing had a chance.

: Much of what I pulled out of the greenhouse was unrecognizable to me. I do not remember what this is.

: Or this.

: Or this. They’re all just dead.

: Rosemary is very hardy, and came through it all quite well.

: The violas and pansies look just like they did before the snow and ice.

: These are herbs: chives, oregano, salad burnet, lemon balm, but the dill didn’t make it.

: And this is the thyme garden, which looks pretty much like it did back in the summer. It’s why I grow them.

: These are mums; very reliable, very sturdy.

: I’ve had this citronella plant for YEARS! It’s lived through many winters. It’s a goner, now.

: And these plants are . . . WEEDS. They’re growing just FINE, thank you very much.

One plant didn’t do well at all.

: Constance, back in mid-October

: This is Constance, now. It may be the last hurrah for her.

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.