Rabbit Trails

I'm still reading the book about hymns and enjoying it very much.  The other day I read the story behind the song: Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah.  It was written by William Williams.  Personally, I would never name a boy William if our last name was Williams, but I suppose that thought should be saved for another blog......William was the "Sweet Singer of Wales."  This hymn was sung at the funeral of Princess Diana.   The book says several stanzas of the song are seldom sung....here is one of the best you may have never seen! Musing on my habitation, musing on my heav'nly home; Fills my soul with holy longings: Come, my Jesus, quickly come. Vanity is all I see; Lord, I long to be with thee! And may I repeat, Lord, I long to be with thee.

So, this book I'm reading has a chapter on camping.  The author had what he called a *perceptive* friend tell him about his week-end.  He said he kept hearing himself say these sorts of things....."I can't wait to get to the mountains......I can't wait till camp is set up......I can't wait till the fire is roaring.....I can't wait till the food is ready....Can't wait till we get in our sleeping bags....Can't wait for morning!" His friend realized he spent the whole camp-out waiting and anticipating for other things to happen.....while losing all the joy of the experience.......it's an attitude of discontentment. While we may not come out and say it where others can hear it....if we have this attitude, we will miss the day, the hour, the minute that we could be enjoying....enjoying the present. I can't wait to get there.........why don't we just enjoy the drive? I can't wait for *pink* blue-bonnets to bloom.....enjoy th...

This has got to be one of my most favorite pictures. It is Lydia at Brazos Bend. I kept the dress.

There are things in our homes that we would never get rid of.  Things others might look at and wonder why they are on a prominent shelf. Here are three of those kinds of things.....  The glass holder belonged to my Granma.  She lived in a very small two bedroom house.  There was a place for everything, and everything had a place.  (and the kitchen was NOT my place) I'm thinking my Granma always knew where everything was.....I can never see her losing her keys or her lipstick.  Or misplacing her glasses.   The little wooden piece in the back held the first Bible I ever read.  My mom made it in Sunday School and has kept it all these years.  It has an etched picture of a boat and billowing clouds on the front.  The Bible I remember of course was black, and the edges of each page were red.  All the time I was growing up, that Bible was in the little holder.  Truth was SO close and I never knew it.  John 5:39 ...

If you were little and your mom told you to go play outside.... what did that mean to you? If you were older, it meant something different, I'm sure. If you were little, you stayed in the fence, or if it was in the 60's,  you were safe just playing around the house while your mom did housework. If you were older, you could ride your bike and go down the street....and maybe even the store. I'm reading a book by Steve (Annie) Chapman....he's  talking about the glorious days of PLAYING OUTSIDE. Being young and playing outside, WAS a glorious thing. We had cats, swing-sets, bikes, little sheds, and cottonwood trees. You could hang a swing from a cottonwood tree and have your cousins push you to the moon. You could gather the *snow* in summer from the cottonwood pea like buds BURSTING and filling the air and ground with cotton. You could cook those same  pea like buds  in a pot for your dolls. We had a couple ...

Purple things just tend to  smell better. What do you think?

I have slowly gotten rid of some gardens around the yard that tended to grow more weeds than flowers.... and cause more work than they were worth. This particular area should always be  low maintenance....but fun. (if you click on the picture, you can see things better) At the left, you see my buckets. I use them for all sorts of things, and it's nice to know where they are when I need them. Do you spy a mouse? The bird-bath was free on FREE-CYCLE, years ago. The yellow watering pot is full of rain-water. See the blue truck? The boys played with that truck and I will keep it until the wheels fall off. James made me a couple of bird-feeders from old purple posts and coffee pot parts. Our first grand-son made the white bird-house. There are a couple of old bird-cages,  only good for yard art now.... and a pan of beautiful rocks. There is a very healthy yellow purse-lane flowe...

I loved having girls. All four of our girls had wonderful hair. I braided, rolled, pony-tailed, curled, used barrettes, flowers, hot rollers, curling irons, clips, topsy curl, bobby pins.... and maybe some other things I don't recall.... in their hair. I loved every minute of it. As soon as Sara's hair was long enough to  do something with.... I DID. I'm still at it almost 30 years later. Thankfully, there are still heads of hair that I can fix. Little girls at church,  grand-daughters, and the two heads left at home. *sigh* Can *YOU* sleep in foam rollers?

This was ONE day. The sky was changed  every time I went outside. It was easy to see and  appreciate all the colors and clouds. But it only happened because I paid attention. I was LOOKING to see the pretty pictures it could make. If you are having a bad day, things are stormy, the waters are rough..... you have to MAKE yourself see what you CAN be thankful for. It's there, if you look for it. Yes, it takes effort. Psalm 94:18-10   When I said, My foot slippeth;  thy mercy, O  Lord ,  held me up.   In the multitude of my thoughts within me  thy comforts  delight my soul.