When I was a teenager, I remember this ad campaign for some kind of diet aid. The scene for the commercial was a secretary typing at her desk, when her intercom sounded. The intercom announced, “Betty, Betty …This is the doughnut in the next room calling. I’m ready for you to come eat me now. […]
I Don’t Want to Grow Up
At the time I am writing this blog, the two year anniversary of my Mother’s graduation to heaven is only a few days away. Lately, I have been missing those who have gone on before me. My mind drifts to memories of lazy mornings with my Grandmother, Aunt Peggy and Momma sitting around the dining […]
A Clean So Powerful
All of us have seen those adds for laundry detergent or all-purpose cleaning spray or some newly imagined delivery system for dish soap that claim to be so powerful at cleaning, that dirt just flees as soon as it is applied. The close-up camera angles show the little bubbles of dirty grease repelled, as if […]
What’s for Dinner?
Have you ever felt a craving for food, but you just could not figure out what you wanted? When I was pregnant with each of my four children, I had this predicament. It was always something different and it always seemed counterintuitive because it was often accompanied by nausea. I remember with my last child, […]
Perspective
I have a very kind and amazing sister-in-law named Kimberly. She has been married to my brother, Clarence, for 37 plus years. Recently I heard a story about their early marriage. They had had a terrible argument (neither can remember what it was about now), but my brother decided to get Kimberly roses as a […]
Broody Chickens and Conspiracy Theories
When we first moved to Tennessee and started homesteading, the first animals we raised were chickens. My father-in-law, wanting to support our endeavor, brought some of his full grown chickens all the may from Maryland to Tennessee. He gave us an older hen, who did not lay anymore but was an excellent brooder. Since she […]
Restoration
What a Nanny Goat Taught Me about Restoration When I read the Bible, I am struck by how God always restores something to a better state than the original condition. Jacob was cheated in his wages seven times by his uncle Laban, but God blessed Jacob and increased his flocks so he left […]
Tomatoes and Foot Washings
With a large garden, I preserve a lot of my harvest, especially tomatoes, by pressure canning. The process is straightforward. One places veggies in a glass canning jar. Then, one makes sure to wipe off the lip of the jar, very well to ensure a good seal. Next, a flat lid with a rubber seal […]
Squash and Wealth Management
Each Spring, I make the same mistake – I plant too much yellow Summer squash. You see, I love sliced squash, well salt and peppered, and fried in butter, but my children have a different opinion of this vegetable. I guess my over planting comes from my Spring-time hankering and the fact that the squash […]
I Heard it Through the Grape Vine
When my family and I first moved to Tennessee, I was thrilled to discover several grape vines on my property. With glee, I looked forward to my little vines producing grapes and I dutifully weeded around them in expectation; however, they did not produce that year. Thinking they needed fertilizer, I told my sons […]