“For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him.”
1 Samuel 1:27 ESV
Any healthy male within a certain wide range of ages can, in a matter of minutes, become a father…but it requires a lifetime of love, sacrifice, and commitment to be a Dad.
~Butch Richardson
I believe all childbirth is miraculous and all children are a gift. Many of you know our story, as we were married almost 13 years when our only child was born. It is a story much like that of Hannah and Samuel (today’s opening verse), as prayer and God’s plan did not line up or adjust to the medical prognosis. And look at those 3 additional little smiling faces! I think their daddy was originally on the giraffe.
I think everyone was saying “cheese”!
Pam’s dad is nearing 94 and lives at home, about 10 miles from our house. If you’ve followed everyday living very long you will feel like you know him. An incredible gentleman and wonderful dad, grandad and great grandad. You might enjoy reading more about him in this Veteran’s Day post.
I know, those aggravating Canada geese, but I did give a mother goose and her little ones a spot on Mother’s Day. I felt that this family group was gathering for Father’s Day and all were following the patriarch. I watched for a while and it was follow the leader. Geese do mate for life.
Friday was flag day. We ordered a new flag from Allegiance Flag Supply and it arrived just in time. Their flags are hand sewn in Charleston, SC, and the quality is truly obvious.
Last week I mentioned several challenges to blackberry picking. If I could ride the ATV along the trail and pick ripe ones like these from the ends of the vines it might be an option. But still, those thorns are nasty!
One of our readers last week made an excellent point, somewhat related to the things I mentioned about gathering blackberries…Why is it that good stuff, such as fruits, berries, or other desirable plants are often smothered by undesirables, like poison ivy? I began to notice and sure enough, it is the case more often than I realized. I pulled up poison ivy yesterday where I found it thriving amongst the shrubs and flowers where the grands like to play (EM is highly allergic to it). Above is a beauty berry growing in our yard at the woods edge. The darker green behind and beside is all bothersome poison ivy!
Pam insisted, that as part of celebrating Father’s Day, we dine at Bottega Cafe. Most often we will order a different dessert, but last week was an exception. We both wanted peach semifreddo. When I say both, it absolutely does not mean we shared the dessert, but ordered one each. It was one of the best desserts I’ve had in a while and Pam agrees. Incidentally, the dark sauce (for lack of a better term) around the bottom was from blackberries. I was glad somebody was brave enough to pick them…delightfully delicious!
Pam had a visitor while she was out in the garden working on a tablescape. We rarely see this moth, called an 8 spotted forester, but this one was persistent and determined to get it’s picture taken!
The ragged (same clothes for 3 years) old guy in the back is doing a fair job of keeping birds away from the blueberries which are growing behind the zinnias and wildflowers. However, the berries are disappearing slowly as they ripen. WL has discovered them, is not phased by the scarecrow, knows which ones are ripe, and loves to eat them right off the bushes. We believe he would eat every ripe berry if allowed, and grandparents have been known to allow more than they should!
Ella Mae , on numerous occasions, has told us that these statues in the garden are not appropriately adorned to be displayed publicly. She has mainly taken note of the one standing. To ad’dress’ the issue, I decided to place shorts on him and hopefully this will pass the modesty test. I am inviting EM up to gain approval! Maybe she won’t notice the one sitting.
I enjoyed an orange glow from high clouds on several late afternoons last week, but almost missed a waxing crescent moon hiding behind them one evening.
We saw one living cicada on Friday and none yesterday. Depending on who you read I guess, but most writers say the cicadas do very little damage to trees. As I look at thousands of dead ends on trees, just around our place, I can’t help but believe there is at least some temporary damage. I see that most dead ends are on oak trees. Acorns are born at the ends of branches of oak trees. A lot of wildlife species benefit from acorns. My theory is that the acorn crop could be harmed quite a bit. I’ve not read this anywhere, so it is only my crazy idea.This picture is the end of an oak branch where cicadas laid eggs. You can’t see them all, but there were 25 or 30 tiny acorns on this one branch.
Another “orange” evening enjoyed from the garden. It has been a hot weekend here in the foothills, and becoming very dry too. Many folks are currently experiencing extreme heat!
I think I recognize these people out on Weiss Lake taking in a summer sunset as it drops behind Lookout Mountain. No, Pam and I are not present, but the grands love these family outings only 10 minutes from home!
Wishing you all a wonderful week!
”Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”.
Hebrews 13:8
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes,Between Naps on the Porch,Katherines Corner,Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Imparting Grace,Life and Linda
