Why Do I Blog?

A while back, I read a blog when the blog author addressed the question of why she blogs.  She made a comment that she had gotten too involved in counting her comments.  Me?  I just wonder who in the world is reading this!

I really just started a blog (with a lot of help from a friend) when I started traveling with my man.  I wanted a way to keep friends and family updated on our where-abouts without bugging them with emails. 

But for me, writing really started in a Junior High UIL Ready Writing Contest.  I won.  I won and went on to district or whatever.  I was very sick that day, went anyway and still placed - but did not win.  But a seed was planted.

For years, I listened to Trina and Melissa extol the benefits of journaling.  Oh, I journaled.  But I don't think it counts if you have to start in a new journal every time you want to record something, because you can't find the last one you wrote in.  So, I had about 10 journals in drawers, shelves, closets, and bags - all with two or three pages written in each one. 

When I finally got serious about journaling and filled a tiny little journal - I felt like I needed to call my journaling mentors so they could congratulate me.

Then one night after a Bible Study, Nathalie threw out a question:  "How many of you think God has called you to write a book?"  I was almost the only one in the room with my hand still in my lap.  By the way - they are an incredible group of gals!  Really incredible.  I had something in me that wanted to write - but I couldn't for the life of me, know what I would write about and sure couldn't see a book in my future.

But I journaled.  And journaled.  And journaled.  Not like a Dear Diary kind of thing, but more like scriptures, and thoughts, and what I heard from God, and I drew pictures, and I made charts.  I filled another bigger journal.  And it was like there was just something in me that needed to be put on paper. 

Now, my journaling has expanded to this blog.  And the crazy thing is...I think in blogs.  Sometimes when we are driving along, he asks what I'm thinking about and I say, "a blog.  I'm just writing a blog in my head."

So sometimes I know what I'm writing here is from God.  Sometimes I know it's just from me. 

Why do I blog?  So my friends and family can stay up with our travels and because I just have this stuff in my head sometimes that needs to come out. 

But I pray that somehow, someway, by the grace of God - someone is encouraged, blessed, or inspired by this blog.

Thinking

There's a lot of thinking going on while spraying mesquite trees.

I should have paid more attention to my daddy's getting rid of them.

I think he poisoned, then grubbed.

He did it the last time just before his 90th birthday.

Bless his hard working heart

I should have paid more attention.

One good thing about the dead grass

is that the trees are easy to spot.

I wonder how much water these things drink.

They're harder to kill when they've been here longer.

It's kind of like sin ~

even stuff like fear, being judgemental,

gossip, unforgiveness ~

the longer we hang on to it,

the deeper the roots

and harder to get free from.

hmmmmm......

Wish those were rain clouds.

Send the rain.

People keep quoting 2 Chornicles 7:14

"if my people, who are called by my name,

will humble themselves and pray

and seek my face

and turn from their wicked ways,

then will I hear from heaven

and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

my people

I never thought about it before

my people - believers?

who are called by my name

Christian?

Not atheists, agnostics, buddaists, or muslims

my people, called by my name

Not them

Me.

humble myself

pray

seek His face

turn from my wicked ways

then He will forvive my sins with these long roots

and heal my land.

Lord, forgive our sins and heal our land

Thank you for protecting us from fires

Please send rain.

Goodness there's a lot to think about.....

Skipping Birthdays

Today is my birthday

What shall I do about getting older?

I know -

I'll curl my hair

and iron the wrinkles out of my birthday suit

umm dress

and 

put on my big girl panties

and deal with it..

while I wait for my knight

in his shining '66 Impala Super Sport

to take me out to dinner

now that I'm finally having a good hair day

Because the good news is...

There's still a burn ban

so I get to skip this birthday

and stay forever 29

(Apologies to Great-Grandmother Raney

- but I just love this picture)

Thanks for stopping by...

He Even Makes the Deaf Hear

Sitting at the front

Leaning a little closer

Reading lips

What?  Excuse me? Can you repeat that?

Missing the conversation
Missing the punch lines
Missing the sermons

Avoiding talking on the phone

Not hearing my sweet grand babies voices

Asking HIM:

"If You are ever just looking for deaf ears to heal,

I'm in line.
Please heal me"

That was my life for years

without and then with
high quality (at the time) hearing aids

that amplified but still distorted sounds

Pre-mature

Age related

Hearing loss

probably genetic

After a year of ear infections

constant squealing in my ear

and reduced hearing,

I asked the question:

"Is there anything that's better than what I have"

"Oh, yes. 

Even today's lowest technology is better"

So they re-tested

 re-evaluated

computer analyzed

 and recommended

the right devices to correct my loss.

Digital

Blue-tooth compatible

smaller over the ear

no big pod

And I can hear

I can understand

I can sing (maybe on key)
I can hear!

And my phone, itunes, radio, TV, and stereo

will all stream directly into my ear

via bluetooth technology



I feel like a new person!
I never realized how handicapped I felt

The birds sing sweeter
Music is clearer
Conversations are complete
I can hear

And I know HE could have
and still can
totally and completely heal my hearing loss.
But for now, with help,
I can hear

I can HEAR!

Thank you, Lord.

Thank you Ted for letting me spend the money

Thank you inventors and designers for new technology

Thank you, Jesus

Sewing Machines and Pianos

My 93 years young neighbor, Dena Faye,

knows exactly what we are doing while we are at home.

Mowing, cleaning, re-organizing, filing, paying bills, repairing stuff, getting ready to go again...

She traveled with her pipe fitter hubby in the 70's and 80's

following him and the 8 X 35 trailer from job to job.

She says she traveled all over the nation without a roadmap!

And her sewing machine AND her PIANO went along, too.

The thought of a piano in a travel trailer is so funny to me.

We have a 38 ft 5th wheel with 4 slide-outs -

which makes it pretty roomy,

and my man is pretty tolerant of the toys I bring along 

(lots of books, beads for jewelry, art supplies)

 but he has drawn the line on a sewing machine

 - and a piano?

Can you hear him laughing?

Sunset

One of the greatest things about West Texas

is the unobstructed view of the sunset

Last night we sat in our regular spot for the show,

then we grilled and ate hamburgers on the patio.

We had been working so hard

and decided to take a break

While on the patio, we saw a couple of shooting stars

so we moved to the front of the house

 for a better view of the night sky.

We wrapped up in wool Indian blankets.

For a least an hour the only moving things we saw

were airplanes

- not even a car passed.

Then we started to get a little melancholy.

The pine tree in the front yard stretched to the sky.

I'm sure it grew 10 feet while we were away.

We remembered it when it was just

a living Christmas tree in a bucket

and nobody loved it.

It was too much trouble to keep it alive,

couldn't have lights,

and didn't hold many ornaments.

Can't remember how old the girls were,

but sure wish we'd done that every year.

The wind rustled through the needles of the tree

and we remembered camping under

 the Colorado pinesand the aspens

and wished for one more elk hunt.

The sky was incredible.

How sad that so many people  never see the stars.

How blessed we are that we can.

We discussed the past and the future.

"Where else do you want to go?"

"What else to do you want to do?"

"We've had a good life, haven't we?"

"I'm so glad for the years we rode motorcycles."

"But, I think it's time to move on."

So today, he polished Harley.

We both got a little teary when he cranked it that one last time.

potato, potato, potato...

I just love that sound.

potato, potato, potato

Only a Harley.

That deep rumble will probably turn my head

 as long as it will turn.

And off they went to the motorcycle consignment store.

And the sun sets on another era of our lives.

Does anybody want to buy a nice used leather jacket?

grAnnie Oakley

Another new experience - my concealed handgun permit has expired.  Ted & I did our original class togehter, but mine has expired before his.  Renewal involves a lot of paperwork, fingerprints, re-testing, and re-qualifying with a handgun.  Ted is in North Dakota so I had to find a gun and practice without him (something I've never done).  The gun kept jamming, so I changed clips, then ammo, then oiled it - with no better results.  The next step was to go to the safe and shop for another pistol.  I looked like I was trying on shoes - not this one - don't like these sights - this one is too heavy - doesn't fit my hand - where are the bullets for this one ----- until I found the right fit and went to practice again.  I passed the test with flying colors and scored very high on the range.  Whew!  And I did it all without my armor bearer!