Weather Extremes

This past week of early summer has been dominated across our nation with nature's fury.  With out of control wildfires out west and threatening tropical storms in the gulf, it has been a week of extremes for this country.  Between families losing their homes to the fires from record high temperatures to those losing theirs to the unrelenting winds, rain and eventual flooding that follows, it has been a tough week for many.  Our state has seen many record temperatures already this year, but we've been so blessed to not see the damaging aspects of Mother Nature's wrath yet this year.  As I have cousins on the Gulf and more family out in Colorado, I need to be checking to see how everyone's doing.  

This week has been dominated with dogs.  It was time to give the dogs their summer grooming and because things went well when I attempted this on my own before our Spring trip to Florida, it was time to give everyone their hot weather-do.  They weren't particularly thrilled to be put under the clippers, but after several days of plopping them on the picnic table under the deck and trimming away the majority of their cool weather coats, I must say, they are ready for the warm weather that awaits.  And as typically as it usually happens, we have a nice crisp morning today in the low fifties, so I have four shivering, shaking and shaven malti-poos.  I'm going to enjoy this refreshing morning because once it reaches highs around eighty today, I believe we are headed for a heat wave where our highs will be in the nineties for the foreseeable future.

We are also getting close to drought conditions here in Scott County.  I've been watering each evening and our water bill reflects my efforts.  Hopefully, we'll eventually have some produce from the vegetable garden, though it appears to be a slow process of growing this year.  And, although I had to eventually cut down the majority of my poor hollyhocks that did not survive the rust fungus, I did plant some Morning Glory seeds and they are coming up nicely.  I believe there are still three of my hollyhocks that survived and I'm not sure what will be in store next Spring for them. The flowers I'm most enjoying now are the varying shades of purple petunias and the peachy colored lilies my friend, Billy brought over last year.  Yes, I call them Billy's lily's. I'm also hoping my hydrangeas will add some blooms and I have a few little bulbs to try planting that my sister gave me....we'll see what happens.

The birds continue to entertain and exacerbate us.  I occasionally see the bluebirds, the first brood of five, and also the parents as they make a decision to start brood number one at their little house.  And, we continue to be under siege by the Summer Tanager pair, though not quite as often.  We are especially enjoying the hummingbirds under the deck.  Never tire of them.

We've had some recent encounters with deer on our last several walks.  We were not surprised to hear a deer startled and spooked last week as we passed by, but it was a surprise to hear what sounded like someone doing a cannonball off the diving board into a pool, as it apparently jumped right into a roadside pond.  It was a shock hearing that and I did get to see it as it climbed up from the water.  Several days later, another deer decided to run across the road, just in front of us.  I'm just glad we weren't a car or that he didn't run us down in his haste to get to his destination.  On the home-front, I did get to see my first glimpse of a mama deer and her little fawn.  I've known they've been close by as Pepper has managed to come home covered in fawn poo where he enjoys rolling around in it. 

At our little church we have bid farewell to our former minister, Andy, and have welcomed our new minister, Jeremy.  It's always difficult to have change, but as a small church, we are a learning ground for newly graduated seminary students to spread their wings and learn to fly.  We enjoyed our flight with Andy and it looks like Jeremy is off to a great start.  He is an Okee, though not from Muskogee, and he looks like Doogie Howser, aka Neil Patrick Harris.  Andy's wife, Laura was an integral part of our women's Bible study on Sunday morning, and we'll miss her terribly, but it was so nice having Jeremy's wife, Meredith join us.  We've decided to start the Bible Study from Beth Moore on the Psalms of the Ascent once more.  One session for each weeks worth of material was not enough, so, after viewing the DVD's during our hour the first time around, these next six weeks will be spent on discussing the material.  We're all looking forward to that.

And as the sun has climbed in the sky, I realize that the sooner we get out for our morning walk, the better.  I hope you have a great day.  Stay safe, luv, Susan  

  

Happy Father's Day 2012

I'm feeling strange today.  My son is turning thirty!!  I'm not taking it so well and he's not taking it so well either.  If you know Dustin, just wish him a Happy 29th Birthday, so as not to send him into a tailspin.  Most of my friends have been going through this same event during these past years, not like I didn't know it was coming.  Just seems like it got here way too soon.  Weren't kids supposed to be married and starting their own families by thirty?  Well, mine don't seem to be in any hurry, and I'm not complaining, but I have to admit, even I have bought a couple things for the first of the grandchildren, if we are so blessed, but, please don't tell my kids.

And speaking of grandchildren, I am happy to report that I have a new grandpuppy.  No, Taffy and Pepper aren't at it again, this is a new kind of grandpuppy.  Christina and boyfriend, Joe, have added a new Blue Great Dane puppy to their household, which previously, included two cats.  Beulah has been over a couple of times and has warmed up to her cousins, the malti-poos.  They have even been playing and running around the yard.  She can make it around the yard in about thirty leaps and bounds and it takes them each about three hundred running steps. We look forward to many ridiculous playtimes in the future as she continues to outgrow them.

Today was not a good day for walking.  Even though it started out well, as Pudge, Riff and I walked with one of our neighbors, Helen, it turned ugly when we were met up the road by a Rottweiler.  I thought I had seen this dog before and it had checked us out and had gone back to it's house.  Unfortunately, this was a recently adopted rescue dog and it was her first encounter with us.  She did not take kindly to Pudge, as she ran toward us and easily picked him up by the back of his neck and shook him.  You can imagine the hysteria of my screaming, Riff's barking, Helen's yelling for the owner and Pudge's yelping.  It was not pretty and I thought  the Rottweiler  had killed him, but once the owner appeared and yelled, she ran off and Pudge seemed to be shaken, but otherwise okay.  Later, however, I realized that he was bleeding at the top of his chest from a small puncture wound, so after calling the vet, I cleaned and treated the area.  We're hoping it doesn't become infected.  Poor Pudge has been resting since he went through the original ordeal and the follow up trauma of having me clean the spot three times with peroxide.  It was reassuring to talk to our neighbor and make arrangements so this, hopefully, won't happen again.

Last week brought me several disappointments in the sports department, as the Celtics went down in game 7 against the Heat, I'll Have Another was unable to compete for the Triple Crown and Henderson County's Baseball Colonels got beat in the Championship Final of the State Tournament.  I think I'm over it, but was disappointed not to even make it to one game in Lexington to visit with Henderson friends.  Hopefully, they'll be back in years to come.

Tomorrow is Father's Day!  Mark and I are so very blessed that each of our fathers is doing well.  My dad is still in Paris, Kentucky, where he's been since 1965. Mark's dad is in Jupiter, Florida, where he has been retired for over twenty years.  Both dads were in the Navy during World War II.  We are so very proud of them  and wish it wasn't such a long trip down to Florida.  Thankfully, Mark gets to talk to his dad frequently and Dad's familiar  with the computer for emailing and facebook and we do get down there at least twice a year.
 
We travel to Maine every year because that is where Dad Libby was born and raised, on an island fifteen miles off the coast of Rockland, Maine.  We used to have a grand old time each summer while our kids were growing up.  They used to get a big kick out of all the Libby "island traditions" including picnics on Lane's Island, erecting the Libby Flag, seaweed fights, clamming, fishing for mackerel, visiting the quarry for a swim, picking blueberries, visiting smaller islands, going seal watching and doing all the wonderful things that are available on a little island off the coast of Maine.  We really miss that Mom and Dad Libby are unable to make the trip up each year, like they used to.  It's not the same up there without them at their camp for the summer, but we Libby's still have our reunions with this younger generation.  Maybe someday we'll even have a grandchild join us and all the grandpuppies.

I hope you're able to enjoy Father's Day tomorrow.  I know some of you may be missing your dads and I hope you'll be able to recall fond memories and recollections of good times.  I'll wish my Dads both a Happy Father's Day and look forward to having a fun day Sunday as we celebrate fathers and birthdays.  Take care and be safe, luv, Susan    

PICTURE PERFECT WEATHER ( So Far Today)

Okay, I've been playing with some of the icons on this blog site.  I don't know if I'll be able to actually indent paragraphs now, but I may have figured out how to ad color to my posting.  We have continued to ride on the roller coaster weather right up til today.  It gets hot, it gets cold, it gets mild, it rains, I never know what to expect.  We may have the air conditioner on one day and Mark mentions turning on the gas logs the next.  I just hope we have plenty of mild days this month so I can have a lower electric bill and not use the gas logs at all.

The dogs and I took a wonderful walk this morning.  The weather, in fact, is perfect so far today.  We encountered a couple of deer crossing the road in front of us.  At that point, I needed roller skates on my feet, and they would have simply pulled me up the hill.  I understand their excitement, but I wish they could keep from barking when they see the deer, because that pretty much assures we won't see any more.

I was hoping that I'd be able to go to Lexington this morning to see the KHSAA State Baseball Tournament, but I had other commitments, in addition to taking the dogs for a walk.  My former hometown of Henderson has won their regional tournament and is playing at Whitaker Park as I type.  I would be listening to the radio, but there is evidently no coverage of the games.  I wish them luck and hope I can make it to one of their games, maybe the championship final.

The Bible Study I'm helping with is moving right along.  We are making our way through the Psalms of the Ascent (Psalm 120-127).  We are currently in the midst of 127.  Because these are the "songs" that were sung as the pilgrims made their way back to the temple, I am reminded that I am also a pilgrim, making my way back to a closer relationship with God.  Each Psalm is a reminder to us of how God's relationship is an integral part of our life. I so look forward to the remainder of the study and also am hopeful that we'll have the opportunity to do another Beth Moore study in the near future.

I wish I could say that God has blessed all of my days this Spring with many beautiful flowers and blooming shrubs, as well as my other gardening escapades.  Sadly, many of my plants and flowers are just barely holding on.l  I had such high hopes for my attempt at Hollyhocks, that I positioned them right in the front of the house so everyone could see them when they drove up and walk by them as they passed by going to the front door.  As it turns out, I am so embarrassed whenever anyone comes by for a visit because my hollyhocks look so awful.  After the rust fungus took over and killed about 99% of the leaves, it left the 2-4 foot stalks with nothing left on them but a few little leaves at the top and flower buds that are struggling to bloom.  Mark finally placed a green lattice behind them to give the illusion that there is more to them than there actually is.  I'm not giving up, but things aren't looking good right now.

Mark and I finally went to the local nursery that's out our way.  We've been meaning to go for, dare I say, years now.  Anyway, we went Saturday and because they are basically between seasons for most gardners, we were able to get some bargains.  We brought home some lavendar petunias, multicolored impatiens and even some coleus plants.  So, after picking up some gerbera daisy plants, I'm almost able to say that most of my gardens are finally planted.  Please remember, I am queen of the procrastinators.

Also, I'd like to report that my newly planted Mimosa tree is doing well since Mark placed it not far from the bluebird house, but I'm afraid it also looks kinda pitiful, as a deer must have made a snack of the majority of the newly sprouted fronds.  Thankfully, there is one remaining and I hope and pray that this little tree makes it.  In the meantime, it's surrounded by a tomato plant guard.  And speaking of the bluebirds, I did see the first brood across the street on the fence around the horse pasture.  I counted five birds, most looked like the young ones.  Now I'm looking forward to the parents getting ready for brood # 2.

Because I am a birdwatcher, I was excited to see a pair of Summer Tanagers in the backyard last week.  It was rather odd how they would fly from the back yard to the deck railings and back.  Finally, they decided to start landing on the ledges beneath our large windows on either side of the rock fireplace.  And, now at this point, it has become an all out assault on our six large windows that make up the A of our A-frame house.  These two nutty birds have been attacking our windows for days now.  They start as soon as it's light and continue til nightfall, and at this time of year, that's a long day of birds banging into the glass.  I've known male cardinals to do this, thinking it's another male they're seeing reflected in the glass, but I've never had something like this continue with a pair of birds.  Thankfully, this morning I allowed the dogs to stay on the deck while they had breakfast, and I think the birds decided to wage war elsewhere, at least I hope.

It was sad to see the UK baseball, tennis and softball teams end their seasons without going farther, but it was fun keeping up with their seasons as they made it to their respective year ending tournaments.  I hope you're enjoying a beautiful, but mild day where you are.  Stay safe and have a great one.  luv, Susan    ps  Go Celtics!!!
 

SUMMER'S HERE

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!! Yes, it is almost here..............long awaited Summer is starting this weekend. Spring has been really unusual this year, like I mentioned previously, it's been like a roller coaster with near record highs and lows. Finally, we were able to enjoy some really nice mild springtime weather. We've been taking our walks and it has been nice. But, it looks like the weather is going to again hoover near record highs in the coming days as we are expecting temps in the nineties to start out the summer season. I hope you'll be enjoying your holiday weekend somewhere that includes shade or water, hopefully, plenty of both. I got the doggies in for their preseason veterinarian visit. They were tested for heartworm, all negative, and put on their heartworm medication for the summer. They were also weighed. Pudge is my largest malti-poo at 15lbs 8oz and daddy Pepper is the smallest at 6lbs 8oz. It's always amazing to me that little Pepper's son is so much larger than he is, I hadn't realized Pudge was nine pounds heavier. What a brute. We got well into our Beth Moore Bible Study at church. We are studying the Psalms of the Ascent, which are the fifteen "songs", Psalm 120-134, which pilgrims sang on their way back to the temple at Jerusalem. It is relevant for us because we, in many ways, have been away from our God due to busy lives and our reluctance to seek Him out on a daily basis. How rejuvenating it is to find myself again on the pilgrimage to reconnect with and reestablish a closer relationship with God and other pilgrims from my own "tribe" in the process. I am disappointed with my bluebird watch. Mark and I were aware that Mom and Dad Bluebird had been busy taking care of their little nestlings in the birdhouse. However, while I was away last weekend, the babies evidently left their nest, as there is no activity at the house this week. I have spotted the parents a time or two, but haven't yet been able to identify the entire brood in any particular tree or area of the yard. I am hoping they will all eventually come visit one of our birdbaths or at least become visible when we are enjoying down time under the deck. We are also enjoying the return of the hummingbirds. Mark told me that while he was watering the garden the other day, a little hummingbird flew through the spray near him, not once, but four times as it showered and enjoyed the refreshing spray. The vegetable garden is coming alive with many plants of green growth, I can't wait for green beans and cucumbers. I've been disheartened with many of my flowers, however. After waiting an entire year for my hollyhocks to bloom, I am now in a struggle to try to save them altogether. Seems a fungus has infected the leaves of the plants and I believe it will be up to me to spray them with the right fungicide to insure their survival. I was also hoping to have three pots of petunias by now, after sprinkling seeds from last year's blooms over the soil. Sadly, only one pot has flowering plants, one other has a few teeny tiny growths and the third has one plant and a lot of ants, sigh. I am indenting my sixth paragraph, since blogspot redesigned their format, I haven't been able to figure out how to manipulate the right maneuver to signify a new paragraph. Anyway, it was a wonderful time last weekend in Henderson. I was able to attend my little neighbor and friend, Katie's graduation party in my old neighborhood. It was so good to see my friends, neighbors and prayer partners there. When Katie was four, I had a preschool in my walkout basement for her and four other little friends and neighbors. It was a memorable year and it is just so hard to believe that all that time has flown by and these little ones are now highschool graduates. I can't wait to see the wonderful things God has planned for their lives. I hope you enjoy your Memorial Day weekend and any graduates you may have in your life. Please stay safe and have a great day, luv, Susan

MOTHER'S DAY

The past couple weeks around here have been rather dull. I don't think I've made the time to blog because there hasn't been a lot going on. But, I am happy to report that things are picking up. Aside from the all day deluge of rain, the Mother's Day Weekend went well. We had an enjoyable Mother's Day Buffet at the Red Mile Clubhouse. We try to pick a new place every year and this was really nice. I especially enjoy it because it includes my mom,my daughter, my sisters and step-nieces and this year my daughter's best friend. It's too bad the weather wasn't nicer, we usually like to do some sort of walking activity. Last year we met in Frankfort for lunch, then walked around the capital and Governor's Mansion gardens. We also enjoy the art show at Gratz Park, but preferred not to attempt that this year due to the weather. The important thing was that we were able to all get together. It is a nice girl's day out for all of us, as we celebrate being mothers. Sunday was also a special day because we started a new Bible Study at church during our Sunday School hour. I've mentioned in past blogs that I enjoyed going to women's Bible Studies at Porter Memorial Baptist church in Lexington. I think I participated in four of them with the same group of ladies before I stopped. After having a fender bender on New Circle Road, I started thinking that I should try to participate more in studies at my own church. After a couple years of hoping to do another women's Bible study, a friend asked me if I wanted to help her with one at our little church. Sunday was the introductory session for a Beth Moore Bible Study entitled "Stepping Up". This is actually one of the studies I did at Porter Memorial. I enjoyed it so much that we're borrowing their DVD's to do the study at Mt. Gilead UMC. I'd love to do one of her studies that I haven't done, but for the first one, we thought this would be a good place to start. We hope to have good participation and continue with more of her studies in the future. If you haven't ever heard or read something from Beth Moore, I highly recommend her teachings and books. We are making it through Spring, even though the weather either wants to be hotter than normal, or colder. Today, it is just about right. I'm enjoying the bluebirds as they go back and forth feeding new babies in the birdhouse. I've spotted several other birds in the yard as well. For the past several years, we've also had Orioles nesting nearby and we always have flycatchers, carolina wrens and cardinals. It's also time for hummingbirds, we've had several visits to those feeders as well. Hopefully, we'll get in the habit of filling our finch feeders, we usually have a backyard full of goldfinch and indigo buntings. We've managed to start our garden. Looking forward to some tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, zucchini, yellow squash and green beans. It looks like all the Iris have just about finished blooming and I'm hoping to see some day lilies appear soon. One of my friends at church brought over bags and bags of some from his yard last year and they have made it through and appear to be ready to start blooming any time. I'm also happy to see that my hydrangea survived and is all leafy and growing, as are some petunias that I scattered seed from last year's flowers. And, my best friend gave me a mimosa tree that is now planted down by the bluebird house. I'm so thankful to friends with more gardening experience helping me along. The flowers and trees given by friends make them even more enjoyable. I did manage to take Pudge and Riff for their walk this morning. I hope to get into a good routine with walking now that we're heading towards summer. I hope you have had a great spring so far and enjoyed a nice weekend for Mother's Day. Stay safe and have a great day, luv, Susan

BRAIDED FAITH

Boy, I sure did cover a good part of Kentucky last month. I know I mentioned that I'd be visiting with friends who have helped shape me, especially, those Christian friends who have been key in guiding and directing me during difficult times in my life. Of course, I know that God was doing all of this. When you are surrounded by friends who have a strong faith in God, you will have a great chance of staying very close to the path that God has paved for you. It was so much fun going to Morgantown, Bowling Green, Paducah and my old hometown of Henderson. I have a back way of traveling from Georgetown to the Bluegrass Parkway. It's not easy for me to explain, but it involves going on Wisenberg Mill Road, Old Frankfort Road and Pisgah Pike. It is one of the loveliest drives I've come across and there are some beautiful country roads in Central Kentucky. I saw on the news a barn burned on the Wisenberg Mill Rd. I hope it wasn't too serious and that no animals or people were hurt. It was fun going to the Annual National Quilt Show in Paducah. I am amazed at what these men and women can do with fabric and thread. I think this was my sixth visit to the show. I have wonderful memories of most of the trips, wish I had more pictures of all the friends that went with me. This year, I did get a great picture of my friend and former next door neighbor, Lori. Because of Lori and her husband, Mike, I felt like Alice Through the Looking Glass as I left their beautiful home in Paducah and arrived at their previous beautiful home in Henderson. Because they were so happy with the house they built across the corner from me on Dogwood Lane, in Henderson, some twenty years ago, they built the exact same house in a rural subdivision in Paducah. It's exact, that is, except for many minor details and one major, the house had to be built completely in the reverse because of how the lot was positioned. Talk about being weird. Even their kids get a kick realizing that this house exists that is a mirror image of their own. I told my friends and neighbors I visited, that I was so happy to be able to come and visit them. They got me through some rough times, as I know I helped them get through even tougher times. I shared with them that one day while walking in our neighborhood, I felt the need to ask God for a Bible verse. I had never done this before or since, though I rely on my Bible a lot. This was different and just then, I received Ecclesiastes 4:12 in my mind. Wow, as a fairly new Bible reader, I didn't know what this book was even about. I was excited to look it up when I finished my walk. It didn't surprise me one bit when I turned to the chapter just after Proverbs and read Ecclesiastes 4:12, which says,"Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Because I had been involved in a neighborhood prayer group, it was not hard to understand that God wanted me to know the importance of my relationships with my prayer partners and Christian friends. Our lives through the days, months and years had become so much more than merely living side by side. We had become entwined in each others lives, joys and trials. Our faith was strong because we supported each other and God, who tells us that where two or more are together worshiping Him, He will be there also. We have all experienced many blessings and miracles of healing by God's hand in our lives. In fact, we continue to experience His wonderful healing each and every day. Things aren't always perfect, but we know that God is using us for His purpose, which is "always" good. I'm so happy to report that after nearly five years in Georgetown, I have many close friends, neighbors and even those who I consider prayer partners. God is good. It was a perfect morning for a walk early today. I also walked yesterday, and knew that it would be too hot by 10:00. Over the past two days, I have enjoyed so many of my neighbors flowers and trees, not to mention seeing deer and even helped a little turtle get safely across the road. I especially enjoyed seeing the young buck lying in the brush and tree cover just ten to twelve feet from the fenced road. He had a very small velvety rack and was just watching me as I went by with Riff and Pudge. I was surprised they didn't smell him. Today they smelled and heard some that were not happy when we interrupted their quiet morning. First I saw a white tail as one leaped away. Then I heard the familiar stamping and blowing as the resident buck let his displeasure be known. Later, as I received a call from my daughter, a neighbor politely turned off his lawn mower as I walked by. I, in turn, stopped to thank him and chat a bit. Turns out I was wrong about the Black Locust tree having beautiful blooms. It's the Honey Locust that has beautiful blooms and the Black Locust has the thorns. He didn't lose any of his honey locust blooms. We figure it's because he's at the top of the hill and I'm at the bottom.......story of my life....ha. I'm supposed to have dinner guests tonight, so I best get busy. I hope you have a great day and stay safe. luv, Susan

FAVORITE THINGS

I have to say that the month of April has just about flown by. When I last posted, UK was about to play the University of Louisville in the NCAA Tournament. Wow, it all just seems like a blur, looking back. Of course, UK beat Louisville and every other team that was in their way as they rolled on to the NCAA National Championship Title. I considered it a perfect birthday present and was able to receive many t-shirts for my birthday earlier this month. I also got out the box that contains previous years' championship t-shirts for 1996 and 1998. Whether the Final Four took place in NYC, San Antonio or New Orleans, I now feel able to wear them all again. As much as I loved Tubby Smith as a person, teacher and mentor of young men, it was difficult to accept the level of basketball excitement that we, in the Big Blue Nation had come to expect during the Pitino era. Yes, we finally feel that Kentucky Basketball is back where it belongs, and we're hopefully going to chip away at the record that UCLA holds at the top of the list of most NCAA championships. Though no one that enjoys college basketball, wants to see players leave after one year, it has become apparent that this is the way it is. So, shall we make lemonade from this sour trend of one and done. We in the Big Blue Nation will support our coach and his method of taking outstanding, talented recruits and getting them to believe in themselves and the philosophy of what's best for the team, is ultimately, best for them as individuals. A fond farewell to Darius, our beloved senior Kentuckian, Terrence and Doron, who both stayed one more year to achieve gr8tness as a team, and our amazing freshmen, Anthony, Michael and Marquis. We wish them all the success in the world as they head on to the next chapters of their lives. I've been blessed over the years to have amazing people in my life. God has given me friends, family and neighbors that have helped, through their loving examples, to mold me into the person that I am. I was even made aware of a special Bible scripture that, I felt, represented the Psalm for me. In Psalm 16, it states that the "saints who are in the land, are my glorious ones in whom is all my delight". I am so happy and thrilled when opportunities present themselves to spend time with those individuals who have been so special to me throughout the years. This Spring has opened up opportunities to spend time with many of those who I consider to be some of those saints. And speaking of saints, I finished Tim Tebow's book, Through My Eyes. As he reflected in the final chapter how God is in charge of his life and he will use whatever platform he is given to glorify Him, I was just amazed to know that God has given him the latest, largest platform available in our country, New York City. I know he will do awesome things with each and every opportunity God gives him. Our weather has been crazy. I think March started out feeling like summer, then winter returned. We got several early morning killing frosts one week. After that, I realized that it had taken a terrible toll on, not only the early blooms of the Black Locust trees in my yard, but also, the wisteria vines. I enjoy both these flowering clusters of fragrant blooms, so much and I am really missing having them in my yard. I'm hoping the wisteria can bounce back and survive as their vines have not produced the blooms as yet. But, out of the many Black Locust trees in my yard, I've counted only two that have surviving white blooms at the tops of their limbs. These are such unusual trees, many of which you need to be careful of, as they have painfully sharp thorns growing from their trunks and branches. Amazing that they also produce some of the most beautiful and fragrant flowers. I did enjoy finishing my Lent study as it culminated it's readings of Holy Week. Next year I'll strive to be more disciplined in the weeks leading up to Easter Sunday. I'm afraid there were a lot of distractions this year. Now my attentions have turned to helping with a Beth Moore Bible study for my own church. I had enjoyed taking such studies at Porter Memorial Baptist Church in Lexington and the time appears right to finally get one going at our little country Methodist church. If you haven't heard Beth Moore do a Bible Study, you should try to experience one. She is an awesome Bible teacher. Today looks to be sunny and heading back to average April temperatures. I hope to visit a quilt show over the coming days. Would love to rekindle my love of quilting. It's been a while since I've done that. Quilting ranks right up there with birdwatching and taking country walks on my list of favorite things to do. And, we do have a pair of bluebirds setting up housekeeping in our bluebirdhouse out in the yard. I look so forward to seeing them start their first family. I just hope the recent appearance of bluejays in the yard, doesn't cause any problems. Bluejays can be vicious. The UpperRoom daily devotional readings these past few days have included two of my favorites. Luke 6:41 states, "Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?" And today, Leviticus 19:18 states a theme that is repeated over and over in the New Testament, "you should love your neighbor as yourself". I think if we can all practice these two main focuses of Jesus' teachings, we will have a much greater impact on those around us. I hope you have a great day and enjoy some of your favorite things. luv, Susan