Live and Learn

Take a seat, Monkeypox. There’s another new virus in town, although so far, it’s affected only one person on the planet: my granddaughter, Sadie. It’s called “Gramsickness” and apparently my granddaughter came down with it just after my husband and I stayed with our grandkids while our son and his wife were at the hospital… Continue reading Moving Beyond a Juice Box & Lollipop Love

On May 3, 2021, a tornado steamrolled through our property, making a huge mess that’s still costing us money, time and energy. A year later on the same exact date, something—or rather, someone—wonderful blew into our lives: Lily Bernadette Crum, our ninth glorious grandchild. This isn’t the first time God has taken His brush and… Continue reading What A Difference A Year Makes

I never actually met Theodore, but he was practically a legend at my house when I was a kid. Hardly a family meal went by when my mom or dad didn’t call one of us kids “Theodore” when they caught us displaying poor table manners. After hearing his name used in vain so many times, I… Continue reading Theodore Continues to Teach Me

I was going to look like a spiritual midget, the only woman at the conference who couldn’t complete the assignment we’d been given by the speaker. And I couldn’t hide because I was up front coordinating and emceeing things. The event was a women’s conference at my church and the speaker was my friend Tammie… Continue reading Does My Purpose Align With His?

Instead of viewing him simply as a “pasture ornament,” I’m now seeing Boo, our donkey, in a whole new light. If the price of gasoline rises to 10 bucks a gallon, as some predict, I fear it may be time to throw a saddle on this obstinate creature. I truly hate to imagine what might… Continue reading Saddle Up? No Thanks!

“But we’ll hardly ever need it … but it’s so expensive … but it means we’ll have an ugly propane ‘submarine’ tank in our backyard … but our power doesn’t usually stay off all that long.” That was me last year when my husband told me he was thinking about getting a whole-house generator installed.… Continue reading Power For Life’s Storms

    Sometimes a chicken is just a chicken, an anonymous bird that pops out eggs for us or ends up being served on a plate next to dollops of slaw and mashed potatoes. But as I’ve learned, a chicken can also be a constant reminder that God may grant even the most seemingly hopeless… Continue reading More Than A Chicken

     We’ve gotten a couple of wee little snowfalls this year, but some of us—not my snow-Scroogy husband, but some of us—are still hoping for one big snow before winter is over. The kind that gently arrives, looks beautiful, and is gone without a trace in a couple of days.     I know the… Continue reading Can A Crayon Make It Snow?

     There’s definitely a pandemic. A pandemic of craziness, caused by an acute deficiency of common sense. I see symptoms nearly everywhere I look. Even in one of my kitchen drawers.     This particular drawer is where I stash instruction manuals for my household appliances and thingamajigs. There is some mighty dumb stuff in… Continue reading There’s Another Virus Out There

     We’re a couple of weeks into 2022 now and I’m wondering how many among us are still on track with our New Year’s resolutions.     I’m doing magnificently! But only because I didn’t make any resolutions. One of the potential perks of aging is a wise realism that keeps one from making overzealous… Continue reading The Best Resolution Of All