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Showing posts from September, 2015

The Saga of Perfectionism

I’m learning that love trumps my idealistic expectations.  Being perfect is a myth.  God continues to chip away at this antagonist and He’s using Renie to do it.  We turned Renie’s expansive kitchen into a salon the afternoon we decided to color each other’s hair.  The teen daughter got into the act and set up all her nail supplies on the kitchen table with choices of bright colors and designs. I am going to market this! I wondered how to section Renie’s long curly locks and asked:  “Renie, how am I going to color your roots?”  She hunted in drawers until she found two clothespins to suffice.  Funny thing is, they worked!  I relaxed when her daughter soaked my hands in warm sudsy water and I closed my eyes.  I should have kept them closed.  Renie especially should have kept hers closed when her grown up baby girl knocked over the polish remover spilling Acetone all over the table.   I sigh and think to myself: “ I’m glad we’re doing this in her kitchen and not

The Venomous Intruder

It’s the middle of rattlesnake season here on the ranch.  The local news anchor confirmed it.   I’ve seen two already.    While driving along our dirt road yesterday, I mistook a virulent enemy for a branch. I backed up the car, looked again and noticed the branch shifted revealing a rattle at its end. At one of our road association meetings in the barn, Shelby stood up and shouted, “ BOB !” to my next door neighbor.  He’s our vice president and the one all eyes were on as he gave a presentation in the middle of the room.  I sensed fear in the way she yelled his name.  I learned after the meeting that Shelby called out to him like that because she saw a rattler slither in the barn door where she and I sat.  Bob yielded to the interruption and quietly dispatched the enemy.  Ten minutes later, this tough guy was back to center stage falling right back in step with the business at hand.   Bob is my new best friend. In the Corner of the Garage… Last week a neighbor

Summer Touches of Grace

Summer may be behind us now, but the memories are fresh and the lessons they taught me rest deep within my soul. Do grown daughters with busy lives of their own crave mother-daughter time?  I am so glad mine do!  Summer afforded me several one-on-one occasions with each of them. I forgot what a pretty city Tucson is although my oldest daughter didn’t enjoy the heat as much as me.  The resort’s pool made up for any discomfort! My youngest daughter is a power prayer warrior.  We strolled along the Coronado Beach at sunset praying for our family and friends.  I cherish times like these, just her and me….and God.  I am lavishly fulfilled when I think of the summer days with the daughter of my heart.  Thank you, friends, for your concern for Angie.  She made it through her surgery but complications sent her back to the hospital weeks later.    Chronic pain restricts this compassionate, people-loving gal, confining her to her home.  The

Trapping the Right Enemy

The ugly fly swatter and the hanging fly tape is now gone from my kitchen.  I found a prettier way to trap those pesky insects. The clue that summer is winding down is when I’m inundated with flies here in the country where there are as many horses as people.  However, when people enter in through my back door, I no longer have to whisk them in real fast so the enemy can’t get in.  The kids helped me solve my problem a new way; they bought me a pretty plant. The Venus Fly Trap will trap any bug that wanders into its clutches. Here’s How it Works The plant has little hairs around the perimeter of its mouth that snap shut when it’s stimulated by some insect nearby.  It’s not fussy about its menu; it will trap a bee, wasp, fly or beetle.  The plant’s fluid dissolves and digests the captured insects.  We’ve been watering it with distilled water or rainwater devoid of minerals to harm it . I have not seen an annoying fly in my home…anywhere.   This pleasant