Author: maryanncrum

   During my third lap around the outside of the fence, I paused to consider the absurdity of what I was doing—chasing chickens.    “Wait a minute. Did I sign up for this? Because I really don’t remember signing up for this.”    I was trying to herd three chickens back into the large enclosure… Continue reading Did I Sign Up For This?

    “Hello … hello … anybody there? … uh, hello?”       The voice sounded strange, muffled, and like it was coming from underneath me.         I was baffled for a few moments until I realized it was coming from my new phone, which I’d grabbed and stuffed under my hindquarters when it started ringing in the middle… Continue reading God Won’t Be Silenced

     It’s pretty pathetic and embarrassing to admit how often I stare at green things sprouting in my yard and wonder, “Are these weeds or flowers?”      As we try to transform our piece of wilderness into some kind of domesticated landscape, I’ve had to come to grips with the fact that I’m… Continue reading Wheat or Weed?

     Shhhh … if you’re very quiet, you can probably hear it — the sound of my husband’s arm being twisted as I sought permission to share some of his ideas in this space.      Unlike me, Joe is not quick to communicate. He ponders quietly, while I ponder, um, more loudly, shall we say.… Continue reading Trusting Science Takes Faith

   If you’re as old as I am, you probably remember when we sometimes had to look through a whole lot of “fuzz” to see what was on TV.     Back before satellite and cable, the quality of one’s TV picture was mostly determined by how close you lived to the station you were trying… Continue reading God’s Signal Isn’t Fuzzy

“The barista put milk in my espresso macchiato, making it very heavy and nearly undrinkable.” “I’m in my bed, but the charging cable is too short for me to comfortably use my phone in my bed whilst it’s charging. WHY IS MY LIFE SO HARD?!” “My temperature-controlled wine room is full, and I worry that… Continue reading When Luxuries Become Complaints

   “What were we thinking? Who in their right mind would strap themselves into a little aluminum tube to defy gravity and fly thirty thousand feet above the ground?!”   “Why did the pilot fly us into this mess? Can’t we land someplace else besides Atlanta? Staying alive is a lot more important than staying on… Continue reading A Little Turbulence Can Be Good

Normal people don’t mean to let things get messy or fall apart. It just happens.    When we moved into a brand-spankin’ new house three years ago, I resolved to keep the garage very tidy.    “If I just keep up with it, it’ll look as good as new for … well, forever. So that’s what I’ll… Continue reading Only God Can Clean Us Up

   Just as I was planning a nice little pity party because another birthday was nudging me closer to the abyss of senior citizenship, I got a letter from a precious lady who reminded me that growing old has a wonderful upside.    Being held hostage in an aging “earth suit” certainly isn’t my idea… Continue reading Here’s to “The Hussies”

   In those moments when Moosetracks ice cream is calling to me from my freezer, my favorite Bible verse is always the last part of 1 Timothy 6:17, which says God “richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.”    I know I’m quoting only part of the verse and taking it completely out of… Continue reading What Satisfies Our Hunger?