Thu, Aug 31st - 2:50PM

Too Many Things

I didn’t write yesterday. Too many things were taking place all at once.  When that happens it is impossible to write about them.  It takes me a day or two to process the stuff.  That was the case with me yesterday.  We bought a mobile home.  It will be moved out onto our country property as soon as the permitting process is complete.  Why should that take so much energy out of me?  It is just a business transaction.   But it is more than a business transaction.  I think I was so worn out because it is going to involve a total life style change for us.   I was worn out because of the emotional energy expended.  A part of me is sad for leaving what we have here and a part of me is looking forward with anticipation to what we are stepping into.

I was feeling guilty about leaving all the dear friends we have made here at church, so guilty that I had considered that we would drive two hours each way just to keep coming to the same church.  That would be foolish, really.  This morning as I was playing at my keyboard, I got a peace about leaving.  God is with us in this move.  He has work for us to do in a different place now.  It is time for us to take up that new thing.  When I look at it in this way I feel a new energy, not the fatigue I felt yesterday.  I am going forward.  There will be new adventures.  To stay where I am would be to stagnate.  And to stagnate is to invite an early death. 

Harvey is looking forward to the move.  He will be physically challenged to the utmost, living out in the country.  But here in town with his arthritis, he just sits.  In the long run that makes things worse.  He will have to move around more, with us living out there.   He will build the chicken coop.  It may take him a few months to complete it with his disability, but that’s okay.  I have enough projects of my own that I will need to do in the meantime.  He can take up to six months to build that chicken coop before I will be ready to order chicks.

But that’s for another blog.

Ask me about my book.

http://www.authorsden.com/aliceelewis

Tue, Aug 29th - 5:44PM

The neighbor’s dog wouldn’t leave me alone.  He thought I was there to play with him.

Yesterday we went out to our country property.  We will put a manufactured home there once we get done with the permitting process.  Part of the property is riparian preserve and the county wants to see what we intend to set aside before they grant that permit.   Most of the vegetation in the area is mesquite bosque which makes perfect cover for quail and roadrunners.  Toward the east end of the acreage, it is so thick that it’s impossible to walk in it.  Impossible for people but not for the neighbor’s dog which the neighbors are allowing to roam freely.

We came there to scout out a site for the future house and to pray God’s blessing on the place.

As I was pacing out the spot where the house was going to be, there was this dog coming out of the thicket into the open area.   A red setter/lab mix.  He had a golf ball in his mouth which he deposited at my feet.  Then he pawed at it, pounced on it to make it bounce, picked it up again, and put it down at my feet.  With questioning eyes fastened on me, his message was clear.  Play with me. 

Well all right, so I threw the ball as far as I could, hoping he would leave me alone.  He was off with a flash.  It took him a good five minutes, but he was back with it, panting.  He deposited it at my feet again and looked quite pleased with himself for having accomplished that feat.  I was there to do some work.  I was putting cement blocks at the corners of where the house would sit and with string enclosing the area, so that I could envision how it would look.  But this mutt would not leave me alone.  Play with me.  His eyes clearly implored that message.  Several times he broke my string, dragging the cement block out of place.  Play with me. 

This time I threw the ball in the opposite direction, into a horse pasture on the other side.  I was hoping that this would be the end of it since the horse pasture was fenced with 4”x4” stock fencing.  The dog couldn’t get in.  But this did not deter him.  When he saw that he could not retrieve the ball I threw, he dashed off in the direction of his home and came back with another golf ball in his mouth.   He kept pestering me the whole time we were there.  Persistent mutt.  I’m not a dog lover.  But who could resist those pleading eyes?  Play with me.

That reminds me of a parable Jesus told.  “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”  Luke 18:1 There was a widow in a town who kept coming to the judge demanding justice.  He kept putting her off.  Finally he relented.  “Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming.” V 4.

Persistence pays off.

Tue, Aug 22nd - 7:28PM

TIME

There is a time for everything.  So says King Solomon.

But is there the time to get everything done?  Modern society is so rush, rush.  I was feeling flustered and harried in the latter part of last week.  We did close on the land in the country.  Now it is time to buy a manufactured home and have it moved up there.  There are so many things to do, permits to get, septic system built, etc. etc. etc.

How am I ever going to find the time to keep up with my writing class.  Part of that assigment is to do daily blogging., 

But getting all tied up with wondering if there is time to do everything makes a person not be able to get anything done on time.  Take one step forward and two steps back.  I won't do that.  I can do only one thing at a time.  When that is done, then there is time enough to do the next thing.  And if there are a dozen things that want to get done all at one, thumb your nose at all but the one you chose as being the next one. 

If there is a time for everything, then there is an order to everything.  I must not forget that.

Sun, Aug 13th - 4:24PM

SAME MESSAGE, MULTIPLE EXPRESSIONS

It’s amazing how God gives the same message to a number of different people at the same time.  Each of them will express the message using different metaphors, parables and illustrations.

Today our pastor talked about David having to hide in the caves of Adullum.  That was undoubtedly devastating to him.  He had been anointed as the next King by the prophet Samuel.  He had spent time in the palace making music before King Saul.  But then things began to happen.   Now he was running for his life. 

“What’s this all about?” he may have questioned God.  “Didn’t You call me to be the next King?  Why do I have to hide as though I were a criminal?   God are you with me?

Ever been there?

I wrote an article a few weeks back that addresses the same issue.  It is titled “Circumstances, God’s Pruning Tools.  You can read it at http://www.christian-writing-career.com/reflections070306.html#article2

David was not yet ready to assume the throne.  He needed to learn some valuable lessons at Adullum.  He needed those circumstances to prune the arrogance out of him. 

There are times each of us feels like we need to hide in the caves of Adullum.  There are times each of us feels the sting of God’s pruning in our lives.

But those times won’t last forever.  David was not a caveman for very long.  He did become the king.  In the same way, you’ll get through your stuff as well, and be a better person for it.

Sat, Aug 12th - 8:19PM

THE FACTS

“Just give me the facts, Mam.”  That’s what Sergeant Friday on Dragnett always used to say.  Don’t tell me your opinions, just give me the facts.  While that sounds like a good policy, it does not necessarily lead one to the truth. 

Recently, I noticed a new brand of eggs at my grocery store.  They cost more than the regular eggs.  The carton read “from grain-fed chickens”.   Well, what else do farmers feed chickens?! - Certainly not steak. There was nothing else on the labeling to distinguish them as being superior to ordinary eggs except the price was twice that of the regular eggs.

The hidden implication of this advertising gimmick was that those eggs were somehow better.

But the truth of the matter is, for anyone who reads and knows anything at all about nutrition,  that all grain based food –stuff  is high in omega 6 fatty acid.  Animals and humans who eat a diet high in grain-based foods and not enough veggies get too much of the omega-6 fatty acid into their bloodstream.  Hence their cholesterol goes up.

If this package had read, “High Cholesterol Eggs,” it would have been telling the truth.  As it is, the packaging is only telling the facts.

The fact is, we are planning on moving out to the country.  I am planning on growing most of our own groceries.  My chickens will be “pastured”.  That means they will get to eat all the grass and vegetables they want to.  Their eggs will be rich in omega-3 fatty acids.  That’s the good fat we all need, the kind that drives cholesterol down.  That’s a fact proven by scientists.  And that’s the truth.

Fri, Aug 11th - 12:31PM

What is truth

I am taking a Christian inspirational writing course.  As part of that course I am required to blog every day. 

That reminds me of our youngest son.  I home-schooled him for a number of years. He was a motor-mouth.  Talking was his favorite activity.  I imposed one day a week as a silent day.  Everything he wanted to communicate to me, had to put into writing.  I enjoyed the quiet, and he was forced to learn to express himself in writing.   I am forced to do the same thing, which is good.

I watched a very disturbing documentary last night.  The people who put it together did a very good job of "proving" that 9/11 is not what the government says it is, a terrorist attack.  They showed very convincing evidence, that from an engineering point of view, those towers could not have collapsed the way they did from just an airplane hitting them.  They maintain that there were explosives inside the building timed to detonate at about the time the planes hit.  It was those explosives that brought the buildings down, not the planes.  They suggested that it was an inside job and our government knew all about it before it happened.

Who would do such a thing, and why?  If our government was involved for some sinister reason, then we are no better than the Nazi's or the communists who have no regard for anyone else other than nurturing their own political agenda.

And then there was this thing in London.  Was that for real or were there other political agendas at work? 

I'm beginning to wonder who are the good guys and who are the bad guys.  What is the truth?  Does anyone really know?  Or do each of us choose to see things out of our own pre-chosen set of lenses?

I'm in the process of writing a devotional on Luke 11:34.  Your eyes are the lamp of your body.  How we view things, how we perceive things, will determine how we will react.  I want to see with God's eyes.

Thu, Aug 10th - 3:08PM

Terror

It is so good to be able to pray one for another.

A frantic mom called me this morning to activate our church's prayer link.  Her son, who had been in Jordan on a mission's trip, was in London on his way home, when terrorists were trying to do their dirty work.  She knew nothing concerning her son's safety.  She had no way of getting a hold of him.  She asked us to pray for his safety. 

Immediately I called all the members of our prayer team.  Within an hour the son was able to get to a phone and call a relative in states to say he was safe.  However the flight he should have been on was cancelled. Now he is on stand-by for any flight coming home to any city is the U.S.

I ask you to pray for him, and all the people caught in this ordeal.

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night: nor for the pestilence that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Psalm 91:6-7

Our world needs help!

Wed, Aug 9th - 11:26AM

Clear Thinking

The biggest problem I have with writing is clear thinking. I can have all kinds of ideas in my head.  But more often than not, they refuse to focus.

 As long as they are in my head and only for myself, I am satisfied with letting them float around at random without striving to bring them into any coherent order.  But that is not good enough for writing.  I need to be the taskmaster of them.  It’s a little like being a schoolteacher. Get those unruly little ones off the playground and get them lined up in rows before marching them into the school building.  There are always a few who don’t co-operate. 

I had a few unruly thoughts like that in my yesterday’s writing project.  I knew what I wanted to say.  But a few unruly thoughts, just like disobedient playground urchins, didn’t seem to know where they belonged in the line, as they were being corralled and marched in.

I’ll have to see if I can apply a stronger hand today and make them mind.

Tue, Aug 8th - 10:24AM

Dehydrating

Well, I’m doing it today.  I am going to cook our evening meal, using the food I dehydrated.  I wrote about that several entries ago.

About a week ago I cooked a huge pot full of pinto beans until they were about ¾ done.  Then I dehydrated them.  Since beans take a long time to cook, I did the whole bag all at once.   It is just my husband and me at home now.  It doesn’t make sense to spend all that time cooking and only cook small portions only to have to do it over again the next day.   Now with my beans dehydrated, all I have to do is to take out what I think we will eat, rehydrate them- and finish the cooking.   Twenty minutes later, we will have a meal. 

The menu for tonight is: baked beans, hamburger patties, and cole slaw.

The cookbook I bought “ Preserve It Naturally” says that it takes only $24.00 dollars worth of electricity a year to dehydrate 500 pounds of food.  To preserve the same amount of food by freezing would cost $81.00 dollars.

As you can tell by now, I’m into becoming more and more self-sufficient.

Mon, Aug 7th - 4:13PM

Dreadful Discovery

I made a dreadful discovery today.  I’m getting old.  I don’t mean in years.  I know how many birthdays I’ve had.  I’m getting old in that I can’t remember things as well as I used to anymore.

That turned out to be an embarrassment today.   You see, I was adamant that a certain party owed me money.  I demanded to get paid.  They said they did and quoted me the date.  I countered that I never got the check.  Well, after checking all my records, to my utter embarrassment, I did get paid.  I even had it written down.  That is a dreadful discovery.  My mother died of Alzheimer’s and so did my grandmother.  I don’t know what that says about me, but starting as of today I’m going to log everything, and check my records for everything, before I open my mouth about anything.   Now what did you say ginkgo biloba was supposed to be good for?

Sun, Aug 6th - 5:07PM

Run Through the Rain

Sat, Aug 5th - 5:32PM

Dominators

 I don’t like people who dominate a conversation or a party.  I wonder what drives some people to do that?

I experienced a party like that last night.  I came home feeling bad.  In order for a party to be enjoyable and fun for everyone, there needs to be equal give and take in conversation all around.  When one guest dominates the conversation, the other people present usually will try to top her.  Then it becomes a contest of who can top that story.  Nothing meaningful gets said.  Also, in a situation like that some people just sit on the sidelines and don’t say anything.  I don’t think they are having any fun.

The lady I’m talking about didn’t even make sense in a lot of stuff she said, but she was adamant that she was right.  I made the mistake of asking her a question.  That led to an hour- long speech, which was nothing more than bragging.

I don’t think I want to get to know this person any better.

Fri, Aug 4th - 1:09PM

Dehydrating

I recently bought a book “Preserve it Naturally”.  It’s about food preservation by dehydrating.  I have become much more interested in dehydrating food for ourselves.  I just took some potatoes cubes out my dehydrator.  They look pretty good.  We live in an unstable world.  And I feel better if I have a good food supply on hand.  I guess that stems out of my experience as a young child living through WWII in Europe.

We lived on a farm in Poland prior to the outbreak of WWll.  I remember much of that.  I wrote a book about that.  Check my website. http://www.authorsden.com/aliceelewis

We had a huge clay oven out in the yard.  A fire would get built in that.  When the clay was hot, the coals got scraped out of it and bread was put into it for baking.  Then when the bread was done, trays of garden produce got put into it. 

Well, I don’t have a clay oven, but I’m experimenting with my newly purchased Excalibur dehydrator.  Then, I will need to learn how to use the dehydrated stuff in recipes.

Thu, Aug 3rd - 4:30PM

Robbery Attempt

I may have thwarted a daytime robbery attempt yesterday. 

We live in the back house on our property.  Our grown children live in the front house.  They are gone to work all day.  The yard is fenced, and the yard gates are kept locked.

There is a narrow pathway from the driveway to our house with a locked gate by the driveway.

Usually when someone comes to visit us, they come walking up the driveway and ring the doorbell on our gate.  Then I go out to let the visitor in.

As I was preparing supper, I happened to look out the window, down the walkway and down the driveway.  I saw two black people come up.  The way they were walking told me right from the start, that there was something funny about them.  They walked furtively, looking back, looking around.  Not the usual way someone comes up to ring my doorbell.

They didn’t ring my doorbell but started looking at the motorcycles and the air-compressor which are parked by the side of the driveway.  Good thing they are cabled down.

I went out right away and asked what they wanted.  They made a lame excuse they were looking for a certain person.  By poking around by our motorcycles? 

They turned around and left in such a way, it made me think of a dog slinking away with it’s tail between it’s legs. 

I’m amazed at my bravery.  They could have been armed.

Tue, Aug 1st - 12:59PM

A limmerick

I put on the coffee to cook,

But my head was still in the book.

The grounds I forgot.

And when it was hot.

My shoulders in laughter, they shook.