If any of you have a memory of "Our Gang" let me tell you that they are alive and well here in Caneyhead! 
"Spanky, will you swing me before we have lunch?"
"Sure Darla!"
"Hey, Romeo, what about your promise to the He-Man Woman Haters Club?!"
And REO Speedwagon breaks into "She Doesn't Like Tough Guys."
Now for the Word on our Words.
I ask all who pass this way to join me in prayer for my hubby's salvation. And also remember his health. He went to a new doctor last week. One who is stunned he has suffered dizziness and nausea for 5 years! One who is rechecking all the work that has been done before. One who is looking to things no one has considered before. 
Have a great day, my J~land friends!
Dear Journal-land friends, you will never know the blessing you have been to me this morning! Yesterday evening I had spent an hour crying, blubbering and praying about how what I have to say and what I feel and think and want seems so unimportant to the people around me. My dear little Bug has all the joy, energy and impatience a child of 5 should have...so she wants to do the talking or be busy and on the go. My precious Bubba has spent more than his fair share of time listening to his Mama. But all he really wants to discuss is car stereos and trucks. Seems just when I think of something special to me to share with him, that's when he is most ready to go on about his business.
And my dear hubby....well, he doesn't want to discuss the issues a TV show raises, and he doesn't want to talk when he eats or too close to bedtime in case something upsets him. 
He never discusses politics, religion or the social concerns of the day. He's a man of action. He values deeds and not words. Which I can understand, as in his life words often were lies, empty promises or otherwise discouraging. He wants only to see what you do/did. To hear what you've done. 
So, this muller, puzzler, ponderer often feels unheard, unappreciated, unvalued. It comes and goes in waves. Yesterday was one of my bigger waves. But God is sssooo faithful! When I stepped outside before bed to let the Boston Terrier pack pottie, there was one lone firefly blinking near the woods. I'm not sure how to word it, but it brought comfort to me. As you can see the firefly intermentantly, God seemed to be saying to me that just because they don't always see, hear and understand me the times that they do are still just as lovely and precious. 
Then I wake and come on-line to find your warmth, and welcome! Your sweet and thoughtful comments! You are all a blessing to me.
Thank you so much! Barb, God must have lead you to mention me at just the right time.....he knew what I needed...to be appreciated! 
My dear Uncle Lenox passed away yesterday. He was 81 and had recently suffered strokes. He was a wonderful and warm Christian man. He served his country in WWII. He and my mother's sister, Billie, raised three boys to be decent and kind men. He served his community and was a deacon at his church. I have never known a more honorable, honest, decent, kind and helpful man. I hope God is giving him a double portion of reward! 
Bubba class didn't do very well at the welding contest; only one second place award. But they enjoyed their day, and know more about how the contest thing works. There were about 60 competing and awards were given to only the top five in each event. Bubba didn't even look to see where he placed. Bug's school is having field day today
Suppose I may try to go up there and surprise her. May God bless each of your's day as you have blessed mine! 
Good day dear Sisters......and any one else! I have another marriage devotion (probably the last) coming along hopefully later today. As I am going thru my mailbox, I am finding amusing and ecouraging things to share with you today. The art above is by ChristArt. The little poem below is from AcraMax.
A Woman's Poem
He didn't like the casseroleLOL Please realize this is for humor only! I would not advise doing this.
And now for a word of encouragement from Godswork Ministry:
Hope ya'll enjoyed this. I'll leave you with a quick update on family life.
Bubba is on a field trip to a Welding Contest today. I hope some of them win something!
Bug complained of her stomach last night. Asked me to pray for her. Then she just repeated, "Please, Jesus." over and over. She said each time she said it, she felt a little better. In about 30 minutes I heard her switch to "Thank you, Jesus." over and over again. Seems her tummy was feeling all better by then. So proud that she knew enough to give Him thanks for His answer! We must all take note and learn a lesson here, after all we must come as children.
My dear Pete is feeling very lousey lately. He rattled off a whole list of complaints last night! And its' not like him to do that. We had almost gotten into an argument. Seems it was my fault he's been running late to work lately, even though I start trying to wake him about 40 minutes before he ever gets up! But, it actually led to a discussion. A discussion where I shared things with him about my prayers for him and his family that I had never shared.
Emmy still has not had her foal! Guess she really is Perpetually Pregnant!
The baby chicks and the little kittens are all living and thriving. Know anyone who wants a kitten?
My Kate Jesmines are blooming! Oh I just love their smell! Like to put them in the house and let the aroma fill it. I think some folks call them Gardenias. Or maybe the two are just closely related? I'll leave that up to someone else to figure out.
May everyone who comes this way have a joyful day! I know your sweet and thoughtful comments add joy to mine!!!!!
I am more certain than ever that I am supposed to post this, as my computer just froze and I lost it right after I finished and here I am starting all over!
Bubba has been after me for almost a week now to make a dewberry cobbler. He and Bug went out and picked what they could find here at the house yesterday, but it wasn't quite enough berries. So I promised I'd go today and get some more, down around the curve, off of Mrs. Key's fence.
Now, while I was out in the sun, misquitoes, briars and poison oak I began to ponder. ( Hadn't had a chance to lately, as it's been too dry to mow. ) Seems life is full of it's own thorns of persecution and trial, poison positions and people, pesky misquitoe-like frustrations and circumstances. A lot of my friends seem to be in the midst of it all right now.
As I continued on with my thinking, with the background of bird calls and an occasional rooster crow, the Spirit began to speak to my heart. I was reaching in deep thru the briars for the juicy plump berries. See our hot Texas sun dries the ones on the fringe so quickly. So, you must work in among the briars and poison oak to reach the best fruit.
Often times in our place of briars and poison oak, Jesus wants us to reach in and take the good fruit he is offering to us there. Can't get it just anywhere, has to come thru a little trial and trouble. Most any really good country fruit is that way. If you go for figs, there will be many red wasps and bees around, drawn by their tender sweetness. Mayhaw gathering leads you to wet, marshy places where you are likely to encounter a watermocosin or two. Climbing after a golden pear, is likely to leave YOU with a broken limb. The alternative is to gently shake them down and that might leave you with a bumb on your head. But it is all worth it when the good fruit is in your possesion, like the basket of berries on my kitchen counter. And the joy and satisfation of sharing the ministry of the fruit with others, like I'll bless my children with that warm berry cobbler this afternoon!
Please, if you find yourself in a briar patch don't scramble to get out. Let the gentle Spirit of our Savior lead you thru the midst of the thorns for the choice fruit. Put on the protective layer of prayer so no harm befalls you when you rub up against the poison of this world. Let Jesus bless you with a harvest of fruit, so that you may feed others of that blessing.
I know without a doubt if I had not gone thru my own very thorny situation a few years back, I wouldn't be writing this post. I would have never searched deep for the choice fruit. I wouldn't have the burden to share my fruit. It was there that he called me to minister to other women the things he showed me in that time. Just as I received scratches reaching thru to get the best berries, you may suffer a little pain now. But my scratches no longer sting and your pain too will be gone when the harvest comes in!
May God Bless and Keep You All, My Friends!
Good day to all who pass this way! I have several things I want to share with you: hope I don't forget anything. First, let me report that hubby was better yesterday evening and I doctored him again last night, so MAYBE he can shake this off on his own.
You ever wonder what country kids do to pass the time? Well, Pete brought home an old scooter the other day and Bubba & Bug had the best time of thier lives! We live right next to a long, rather steep hill that goes down into Jack Gore Baygall. Red clay, covered with rock. The kids took the scooter and Bug's bike down there. Bubba would sit on the scooter like it was a lowrider, push off and hold his feet up and zoom down the hill, crashing into a large pile of pinestraw! Bug rode her bike down with him, braking most of the way. They were a sight! That long hair flying behind Bug glistened all the way to the bottom of the hill in the late afternoon sun. It was great to watch them have so much fun.......sheer joy! But of course, being sane and wise, Daddy said no more scooting and biking down the hill like that. That's okay, they have the memory. It's one of those tales that will be told to their own kids one day. "When I was a kid, we........." You know the kind.
Now what do I do with Matilda? We have three generations of female Boston Terriers living in our house. Zena, the patriarch, the good solid family dog. Diagnosed two years ago with conjestive heart failure, she takes meds every day. Then we have her daughter, Matilda. Tildy, as I call her, had been given away as a puppy to live with another family. But she came back, seems there were stories of her and other dogs hunting down and killing small livestock. We've never had her attack or kill anything here. She's extremely quiete for the breed. And there is the puppy of Tildy, Bugnamed Blackie (she is solid black in her chests and down both front legs and feet.....unusual for the breed.) Recently, Tildy and Blackie have been making excursions into our hog pen and barking at the sows. No harm done. The sows ignore them and all the dogs do is bark. But yesterday morning I let all three out to pottie and get some sunshine. About 45 minutes later, Zena and Blackie came right in when I called, but no Matilda. This is not so unusual. She often justs lays were she is and ignores me. An hour later.....still no Tildy. I go back about every hour and call .......but she never comes. Finally, at three in the afternoon I become concerned she may have wandered away and got in a pickle. So I get in the car and drive slowly down our road looking for her. Right around the curve, there she is! Inside a neighbor's fenced front patch. HHHuuuummm?!? How'd she get in there? I get out and call her over to the fence and she comes right up. But her chest and front paws are covered in blood! My first thought is the poor crazy thing has gotten herself hurt. I reach over and lift her out by the scruff of her neck. I kneel and examine her. She is not bleeding. This is something else's blood! I looked around the pen, but didn't notice anything amiss. I looked up the driveway and knew the folks weren't home. So, I call Tildy to trot along beside the car and come back home. I throw her in an empty chicken coup until I have the chance to bathe her. Too nasty to come inside and I don't trust her to stay. When the kids came in from school, I sent Bubba over to look around and to see if anyone had come home. He comes back to report that there is a goat that has been injured! Oh Bother! No one is home yet. We told Pete when he came in and still no one was home yet. By the time everyone finished what they needed to do and we settled down for the evening, Bubba offered to go back over there, but Daddy wouldn't let him. He figured more than likely the man would be home, but drunk by then. So.......I do so hope that poor animal makes it. That it's wounds aren't serious. Guess we may have to pay for a goat. And now, Tildy cannot go outside without supervision. Better pick up another collar when I go to town, so we can chain her for her outside times.
On the lighter side, right before I went to bed last night I checked my e-mail. There was a note from Pete's cousin Bill's wife letting me know what items her son Cody might need over in Iraq. (Please always remember our soldiers in your prayers!) Attached to the e-mail was a link to a Redneck Video Game. I played it a few minutes and was surprisingly good at it! So for your amusement, I'm passing it on to you. Just click and play! Or at least I hope it works. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
God Bless you all.......and have a great day!
Barbara
