wings at rest

Some days it's good to be still and hear what God has to say.

lazy days

Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.

~Sam Keen

book swapalapagos

I bought this book about the time I ordered the ladybugs for my garden. Yeah, I know...I was going through a ladybug stage. Well I never received my ladybugs. I have of course requested a refund for my ladybugs and I have of course heard nothing. I have sent them a "nice" letter and I would share it with you here, but it might not be entirely politically correct so I will resign that notion to a day when I've had an extra glass of wine, which is a rare occasion. I did, however, enjoy this book and so as books are stacking up as they do once you have read them, I decided to propose a book swap. On my sidebar somewhere < or >, I will create a list of books I would be happy to swap with someone...book for book. Simply leave a comment (or email me if you prefer) with the selection you have and we can make our choice. First to comment or email gets first choice. I imagine that I will keep this an ongoing thing and I read a lot, so you can look for new additions to my list at any time. I most usually keep literature books, but there are always summer reads that deserve to be passed on. Sometimes I have duplicates so I'll list those as well. I figure postage is cheaper than buying a new book...sometimes. In any case we'll give it a try and see how it goes...

*as a secondary note - I joined Facebook! I know it will probably get an eye roll from my kids but that's OK. I plan to give them many more opportunities to roll their eyes as I get older, hopefully without much effort. Some of you may have received an invite from me, but of course I would love to have any of you join in...so look me up. I put a Facebook badge on my sidebar down yonder on the right....probably temporarily.

Have a beautiful day ~

summer days

Realizing how fast this summer break is going I decided to take a few days and attempt to finish some projects I wanted to get done while I had this time off. It's been hot and I wilt like a flower in the heat so I have to head for shade about noon and of course I sleep in until about 9 or 10 so that doesn't give me much time to get anything done, but I'm doing my best! I decided to jazz up my garden trellis' and paint them yellow....and I know I should have thought of this in the spring, but I do my most creative thinking when my time is running out to complete any ideas I come up with. My summer is just now getting into full swing and everyone is talking about their kids going back to school and the magazines all have fall pictures on them...I guess I'm just a late bloomer...but I'm not quite ready for summer to be over yet, there's still much more fun to be had!

books, books, books

This is the book I am currently reading and it has a powerful message...one I won't be able to shrug off for some time, if ever. It questions what it means to be a Christian living in America. It stirs up complacency and mixes it with materialism and then feeds it back to you in recognizable truths that you would rather avoid. The author lays it all out on the table and he makes many interesting points that currently have both my head and my heart spinning. Where I live there are homeless people issues, but as with most places they are ignored...I guess people think if they just look the other way they might disappear...Isn't it funny how we pick and choose which of the bible scriptures we think applies to us today, but the ones that seem outdated or make us uncomfortable, we easily skim right over and never give it a second thought....Does that mean we don't really value the countless mentions of the poor and homeless in the bible and how we are to treat them? Or maybe God doesn't mean what He says? We wear our crosses and we ask God to bless our food...maybe it's time we get outside of our comfort zones and share some of that grace. This is a book that will definitely give you something to think about...

and then....

I just finished reading this book and I am thankful to Kristin for introducing it to me...once I started it, I couldn't put it down. It is about the Rwanda genocide in 1994 and the true meaning of forgiveness and building a lifelong relationship with God. It opened my eyes to the horror of things we do not see and it reminded my heart of all the reasons there are to pray and be thankful for where we live.

free to be

Today is my first official day of summer break and I meant to get around early enough to pick berries but it didn't happen. That's one of the nice things about where I live, I am surrounded by valley farmers so we have an abundance of peaches, nectarines, nuts, grapes, and strawberries all about...but the berries I want to pick grow wild out in the country. I've been wanting to make some jams and things and now that I have all this free time, it sounds like a good idea. My last berry-picking experience resulted in Kristin and I bringing home a stray cat and her three abandoned babies we discovered beneath the bush we were picking. That turned out to be an excellent opportunity for a life lesson in "doing the right thing" but I don't necessarily want to have such a discovery this time so I plan to be a bit more selective in my berry bush location, wish me luck! And if you just so happen to have an amazing recipe for berry cobbler...send it my way!

thankful thursday...life is sweet

Days of peaceful reflection
…fresh sun tea
…hydrangeas blooming
…mourning doves cooing
…porch swing swaying
…Norah Jones, Natalie Merchant
…new magazines to leaf through
…no heavy heart of worry or concern
…no alarm clocks, assignments due
…oh, the blessings of these lazy days
with my feet in the pool
making little circles in the water…
little rings that gather
around my ankles,
reminding me inner tranquility can
be found in the most obscure places
in a back yard
where sun touches skin
between fences
in a city
where wind chimes
sparkle and jingle in the wind.

welcome JUNE

What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade.

~Gertrude Jekyll

artwork by poet Sylvia Plath

Reminiscing Pinecrest

The weekend is here. The boys left yesterday for their camping trip. They took the kayaks and enough food for an army so they should have a great time. This is a camping trip they have been planning for awhile in honor of one of them getting married so it has been dubbed Stephen's "bachelors party". It is really a great group of kids. I just cannot believe they have reached an age to consider marriage! They do grow up fast, but 20 seems a little young to me for this day. Of course everyone is praying for them and being very supportive. I need to think of something unique and crafty to put together for them. I will have fun with that. This is the first Summer we have not went to Pinecrest Lake Resort since the kids have been born (almost 21 years!) Just Dave and I went last Summer. Erik and Joanne came up for the day and Kristin could not make it at all. I think it would be nice if we just went up for the entire day and hiked around the lake, but as of yet we have not planned it. Pinecrest has always been a favorite family spot for us. It is a great place where you can just let your kids go and not worry too much about them. There is alot to do. They have a marina where they rent party boats, sailboats, paddle boats, etc. There is great fishing (little kids are sure to catch one!). The hike around the lake is about 3 miles and there are many beautiful things to see. Up until a year ago we had friends that met us up there every year but they have since moved to Kentucky. I have many good memories of the kids growing up through the different summers at Pinecrest. It will be interesting to see what fills that vacancy. I really think I have had the outdoors laid upon my heart. I have been thinking about volunteering some time at the San Luis Wildlife Refuge. This idea has been rolling around in my mind for some time. I looked into what is available, but I have yet to drive there and make a commitment. I think it would be fun. I get these ideas and then I hesitate because I am always unsure of the upcoming workload of school. I do have about 5 weeks until the Fall school semester begins and I would really love to make good use of that time. I just do not want to get involved with something and then not be able to follow through with it. There is no harm in checking it out, a little help can go a long way. Well I really need to water the flowers and take Lacey for a walk before it gets too hot. Her and I both need the exercise.