Quick Takes (13)

- 1-

Ding dong the mulch is gone, the mulch is gone! Ding dong the wicked mulch is gone!
It took over two months to do, but we finally finished mulching the gardens.  Yeah!  Just in time to weed and deadhead.  It never ends, does it?

- 2 -

You know why it's gone?  We're having company, of course.  We definitely weren't motivated to get it done just for ourselves.  Strange.

- 3 -

We're having a big family picnic.  I am so looking forward to it.  There's a couple of people we haven't seen in a year or two and I can't wait to catch up with them.  Time goes by way too quickly. 

- 4 -

Speaking of time going by quickly, I can't believe August is knocking on the door.  Yelling actually.  I'm enjoying summer and hate to see it go by so fast.  It needs to slow down.  Take time to smell the roses.

- 5 -

We picked our first two tomatoes from the garden this week.  Yum!  That is the taste of summer to me. 

- 6 -

Truth in advertising?

- 7 -

“When we step into the family, by the act of being born, we do step into a world which is incalculable, into a world which has its own strange laws, into a world which could do without us, into a world we have not made. In other words, when we step into the family we step into a fairy-tale.”

– Heretics by GK Chesterton

Don't forget to check out more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.

Have a great weekend!

Did God Say 'No' to Barney and Bluebell

DH and I were feeding the bluebirds meal worms on the patio the other night.  They’re picky eaters.  They only like the meal worms that are alive and squirming.  I was still kind of mad at God for letting something eat their baby birds, when we had this conversation:

DH: “What if God said no?”

Me: “Huh?”

DH: “What if God said no them?  They can’t have babies.”

Me: “Oh.  I’m still mad.”

DH: “I’m sure you’ll find something insightful about this.”

And, as DH usually is, he was right.  My guess it just isn't what he thought I'd come up with.

It struck me weird that I was “mourning” the loss of these baby bluebirds, because they became food for something else, when at the same time I was getting live meal worms out to feed the parents.  There’s this whole cycle of nature and I determined/decided that the bluebirds were worthy of living and the meal worms were not.  Apparently something else decided that the bluebirds made a good meal.  And we tend to think cows and chicken and pigs and fish make good eatin'.

I'm really hoping nothing thinks I'd taste good!

Wednesday Weigh In - Week 3

I'm skipping this week.  AF has wreaked havoc with me in all sorts of ways.  I've slept poorly with really weird, strange dreams that are all too vivid.  I've had migraines for several days.  And I have been exhausted, so, so tired that  I sometimes feel like I can't function at all.  I gave in Monday and had a cup of coffee, something I haven't done in many months. 

So, in short, the scale is something I just do not want to face at the moment.

Quick Takes (12)

- 1-

We went to see the latest, and last, Harry Potter movie last night.  They did a tremendous job with it.  Walking out of the theater it felt like we had said goodbye to some friends.  It's been a treat, each year, to be able to look forward to the latest installment of their lives.  We saw it in 3D, a first for me.  I can't say it was worth whatever extra money they may have charged for it.

JKR did a brilliant job writing those books.  Whether intended or not, there are so many parallels to the passion and resurrection of Christ.  Harry had to die so others might live.  There is a scene that reminded me of Christ praying at Gethsemane.  Also, there is life after death, eluding to the resurrection.

- 2 -

Last Sunday we went to a local art show.  As it is every year that we have gone, it was a scorcher of a day.  But the collection of artists they had didn't disappoint.  Far from it.  There were so many beautiful things that, if money were no object, we would have some home with far more than we needed.  We did bring home this lovely little hand-turned wooden vase.  Now we have no excuses for having fresh flowers in the house.  It only takes a few to make a simple and beautiful arrangement.

- 3 -

I have been reading reading Searching For the King by David C Downing.  If you are a fan of CS Lewis, Tolkien, or Arthurian legend, this is the book for you.  I have been having a hard time putting it down.  It's a great story with interesting characters and compelling discussions on Christianity and faith.  I really want to get it done before the GKC conference as I think it'll probably end up often as a topic of discussion.

- 4 -

Speaking of the GKC conference, is anybody going?  The more I learn about the speakers, the more excited I get about going.

- 5 -

A website I regularly check out is American Thinker.  All the writers are great, but one of the regulars, Robin of Berkeley, often has some very insightful articles.  Her latest is definitely worth reading. 

- 6 -

It's been hot here.  I mean really hot.  Mid to upper 90s, high humidity, just standing in place sweating hot.  But it's summer.  It's supposed to be.  Too many people are complaining about it.  And in six months those same people will be complaining about the cold. 

- 7 -

“The only object of liberty is life.”

 – Irish Impressions  GK Chesterton

Don't forget to check out more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.

Have a great weekend!

I don't get it

Recently, there’s a local serial murder case that has made the news.  The bodies of eleven women, mostly prostitutes and drug users, were found both in a man’s house and buried in his backyard.  He would lure them in with promises of drugs and/or money, then rape, murder and dismember their bodies.  Awfully gruesome stuff.

He, through his defense attorneys, had offered to plead guilty to all charges if the death penalty specification was dropped.  A number of the family members of the victims sent a letter to the county prosecutor asking that he accept this deal.  They wanted to be spared the emotional turmoil a prolonged trial would inflict upon them. 

The prosecutor declined.  He has made it clear he wants the death penalty.  Isn’t the point of our justice system that we punish the guilty not take revenge?  Since when is life in prison not punishment?  

The prosecutor is willing to put the family members through an extended period of anguish and pain, listening to what happened to their loved ones, for what purpose? 

What happens, if for some crazy reason, the jury finds him not guilty?  Don't say it can't happen.  Some people would tell you that it just did in Florida.

Not to be practical, but what about all the time and money spent on the trial?  Couldn't that be better used elsewhere? 

I don't understand the evil this man was able to inflict on so many people.  But what follows is just as confusing to me as well.

I just don't get it.

Summer tunes

There's always some song each year that sounds like summer to me.  Last year it was Kid Rock's All Summer Long, for obvious reasons.  This year it's Zak Brown Band's Knee Deep.  It came on the radio yesterday as I was driving home so I just had to roll down the windows and blast it.  It's so catchy.  The video is a bit goofy though.  Check it out.

Wishing I was knee deep in the water somewhere
Got the blue sky breeze and it don't seem fair
Only worry in the world is the tide gonna reach my chair
Sunrise there's a fire in the sky
Never been so happy
Never felt so high
And I think I might have found me my own kind of paradise

Wednesday Weigh In - Week 2

Well, this week definitely went better than last.  I think I was a little more conscious of what I was eating, and though I have a long way to go, I did better.  I think one thing that helped was that on Sunday I made baked oatmeal so that I would have breakfasts at the ready before work, no temptation to stop at Micky D's for a quickie.

Drum roll, please. . . . .

-2

So now I'm back to 0, which is going in the right direction. 

Yeah me!

Sunday smiles - out of the mouths of babes

These kids certainly got it right.  What a delight!

Pretty

Echinacea.  I just like saying it.  Sounds better than its common name Cone Flower.    Actually, it’s one of my favorite flowers and I have a bunch of them behind my house.  You know it.  It's the purple one that everyone has in their garden.  Except that now there's a lot more than just purple. 

I think Sunrise has to be my favorite.  The picture just doesn't do it justice.  It's a beautiful mix of pinks and oranges.  It's part of the Big Sky series -Sunrise, Sunset, Midnight, Harvest Moon, Summer Sky. 

Sunrise

The next one I had to buy just because of its name - Primadonna.  And it's really lovely too.

Primadonna

 I just love the vivid color of Tiki Torch.  Another great name.



Tiki Torch

 DH and I are big wine drinkers.  This one reminded me of some of our trips to both local and distant wineries.

Vintage Wine

I bought this at a nursery that is on the way home from Cedar Point last summer when I went out there with my dad.  I think he bought the same one then too.  Nice memories.

 

Double Delight

 

Wednesday Weigh In - Week 1

Or should I say Weak 1?  It wasn’t a good week at all.  I wanted to be able to put up some cute graphic with the -1 or -2 pounds that I lost.  Instead I need to report that I’m +2.  Uggh!  Not good. 

This week I thought a lot about why I eat vs. why I should eat.  I eat because:

               I’m bored

               It’s there

               I’m showing the dog that’s it’s good and he should eat it too (yes, really!)

               I have time to kill before an appointment

               It’ll go bad if I don’t eat it now

               The refrigerator needs to be cleaned out

               I’m frustrated with a work assignment

               I’m sad, angry, mad, etc.

               I need to relax

I should eat because:

               I’m hungry

               My body needs fuel

I tend to pick and snack and nibble a lot.  I need to be more conscious of what I put in my mouth.  Just because food is there doesn’t mean I have to eat it.

I really should take a look at what I eat as well.  I guess pizza, Chinese and homemade mac ‘n cheese aren’t diet foods!  Farmers’ Markets are opening up all over the place and there’s an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables available.  DH and I are planning on heading to one of the better ones by us this Saturday.

Here’s to a better second week!