Daffodils, Spring Frogs, and a Mountain Sabbath

Spring Daffodils Bloomed Today

   This beautiful Kentucky mountain Sabbath started with a trip to the old country church in McCreary county.  Clouds were scattered but there were hints of sunshine.  We had a wonderful service as usual and were glad we made the long trip.  Along the roadside we saw daffodils blooming and heard spring frogs hollering.  What blessed and long awaited events; it brought smiles to our hearts.  The old mountain preacher told of visiting a man in the hospital a few days ago that was thanking God for having a heart attack; let me explain.  The man was a good moral man, but had never been saved.  When he had the heart attack, he had an out of body experience as some might call it.  I call it a vision from God.  God showed him such a beautiful place, that the man told the old preacher he couldn't even find words to describe it.  Then the man saw that they were bringing him back to, and he asked God why are you sending me back.  God let him know he had some things to take care of in his life; I don't know everything he meant but, I know that God wants us to repent of our sins and live our lives pleasing to Him.  Not everyone gets a glimpse into Heaven, and I thank God for those who do.  When we returned home the daffodils along our roadside were bloomed, the clouds gathered and rain began to fall, all the while bright rays of sunshine peered through the clouds and formed a beautiful rainbow.  Yet another Blessed mountain Sabbath.

Spring Breezes Blow

Forsythia Wreath

       

 Across the fields, the blade is shooting
Robins sing and clover's blooming
Can only mean one thing,  it seems
That Winter's chill has taken wing


And on the rise of this longed morrow
Warm breezes blow, soon Spring will follow
Blessed Spring in all it's glory
A gift from God, that ends my story.







Forsythia

                

    I hope you enjoy the Spring poem I've written, but more than that, I hope you enjoy this beautiful Spring weather that God is giving us.  Many Blessings.

Vintage Baby Dressing Gowns



Baby Dressing Gowns

  Some of my favorite things are these old baby dressing gowns, as my mom always called them.  The one in the center came from an antique store in Old Washington, Kentucky, and the other two came from my sister, Barb.  She bought an old landmark home in Florence, Kentucky; that had once been the area post office.  These two old dressing gowns were in that old home. She didn't want them, so I took them.  Well that has been nearly thirty years ago and they still have a place in our home.  Hope you enjoy vintage items as much as I do. 
Have a Blessed day. 

Herb Gardening in Kentucky



Sweet Williams planted among the Herbs



Pineapple Mint
One of our favorites, makes great
tea, beautiful to grow, and not as
aggressive as some mints.

  Spring is coming and
I'm planning to plant Rosemary, Lavender, Thyme, Chives, Parsley, and the list goes on and on.  Lord willing that is.


Front Yard Herb Garden

 



      

Fresh Parsley Everyday, is good
 for  you, just ask our daughter.

   Growing herbs in Kentucky is very easy.  Most herbs require little care and well drained soil.  At one time I grew about 42 different kinds of herbs.  Now I mostly grow herbs in containers or small areas that are easily taken care of.









Echinacea Cone Flower
Beautiful & easy to grow

   I love to grow herbs as flowers, because they are so hardy, and add a little color to the landscape. 

                                                                              I planted my first herb garden around 25 years ago.

My First Herb Garden



White Cushion Mums

Elephant Garlic

If you like to cook with garlic, you might like to try Elephant Garlic,

 if you haven't already. 

It grows hardily, is easily taken care of, and produces abundantly. 

Winter Savory, Arp Rosemary,
Tarragon, Chives, Sage, Oregano

   Looking at the pictures of my past herb gardens today, 

have inspired me to plant more herbs in the Spring. 

                Have a Blessed Day!                           







Spring Herb Garden in Kentucky

Scoffers Shall Come in the Last Days

   Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
   And saying, Where is the promise of his coming?  for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 
   For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
   Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
   But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition fo ungodly men.
   But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
   The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
   But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.  
2nd.  Peter Ch. 3 Vs. 3-10
(Lately, I have been amazed at how many people we know are acting like the Lord is slack concerning his coming.  Our church crowd was way off this morning, some were actually sick, but many were just sleeping in, sure the crowd no doubt will pick up tonight, but the children are the ones who are missing out, there won't be Sunday School classes tonight.  Children need to be taught about the Lord, sleeping in and missing Sunday School and church are not good teaching methods.  We live in perilous times, and the Bible tells us not to forsake the assembly of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, and so much more so, as we see the day approaching.)  Please remember our church in prayer.  Many Blessings.

Planning a Spring Garden



Garden Seed

   The sun is shinning, the warm breeze blowing, and I'm anxious to get our Spring garden planted. 
   I planned ahead and ordered Arp Rosemary and Sharon Roberts Lavendar from Nichol's Garden Nursery.  They survive Kentucky winters very well.  I also ordered Red Sails Lettuce, it last long into the summer, and I love the pretty color. 
   I have purchased some things locally: Windmill Farms gladiolus, packaged seeds from NK Lawn & Garden, American Seed, Weeks Seed Co., Bently Seeds, and my trusted Jung Seed Co. We are blessed with many garden centers and nurseries near us, so I can usually find most anyting I am looking for there.  God blessed us with a beautiful garden and flowers last year, and if it be His will; we will have another beautiful garden and flowers this year.  May God Bless You is our prayer.  Happy Spring Planting.

Why is Google Restricting my Posts?

  Last month Google robots restricted 12 of my posts, this month they have restricted 6, and put me on a special crawl rate and restricted my blog to root level domains only; whatever that means?  Lately I'm getting very little traffic on my blog.  Can any of the other bloggers out there give me some input?  Do you see anything in my posts that would cause them to be restricted?  Please comment.

Thanks,
Trisha

Real Live Country Woman

Boots

   This is a portrait of a Real Live Country Woman.  We call her Boots.  She was raised in the mountains of McCreary County Kentucky.  Boots is one of the most unique ladies I have ever met.  She is nearly eighty years old and still holds full time job, and is an avid rabbit hunter.  Boots has had a very hard life, but never lets it get her down.  
   She has a passion for basketball, especially when her Kentucky Wildcats are playing.  Her greatest passion may well be her love of rabbit hunting.  She hunts the clearcuts near her home, with her beloved beagles.  Some of her beagles have Christmas names, like Holly and Noel, then there is Dazzle, Red Cloud, and Fireball.  She loves her dogs.  When season is out she gets up very early and takes them out before she goes to work just for exercise, even though she can't take a rabbit.  Now that's love.  
   I say hats off to all women with that much grit.  Boots is an inspiration to all around her.

What's Going With our Birdseed?

Squirrel Caught Red Handed

  We can't seem to keep the bird feeders filled up.  We do have a lot of birds, but lately they've needed filling up almost everyday.  
   Just after noon today, we caught the little culprit, a grey squirrel; he had emptied the feeders and then started eating the seed we had poured on the ground. 
   And what will we do about it?  Buy more seed, I guess. 
   Because like my husband says, "The little fellow has to eat too."
   It is a beautiful grey squirrel and may even have little ones nearby, as heavily as it has been feeding.  We are thankful for the warmer weather,  and even thankful for this little culprit that has been emptying our feeders.  Have a Blessed Day.

Watching Old Fashion Gospel Time

   What a blessed evening it is; we are watching the 'Old Fashion Gospel Time' on MBR TV Channel 2.  These folks are extra special to us, because they are part of our church.  The singing is really good and so is the preaching.  My husband said the preacher is preaching faster than he can hear.  He's just kidding of course, but the preacher is preaching so hard, he hardly has time to catch his breath.  He is doing a fine job.  I always say, if anyone has anything to say they'd better be saying it, because as the bible says, we need to work while it is day for the night cometh when no man can work. 
   I've never seen a time when so much evil is coming upon the world as it is now.  I've been doing some blog surfing, just to see what other people are writing about.   I've found many blogs that are labeled Christian blogs, but in reality they as secular as anything you might find anywhere on the Internet.  Some are even more of a mockery than anything else.  We need to pray for anyone who would make a mockery of Christianity.  Because if they really knew the Lord Jesus Christ, then how could they mock?  Blessings to you.

Watching Egypt Celebrate Democracy

   For the last several hours, the announcement that Egypt's president, Hosni Mubarak's resignation has dominated the news.  His 30 year presidential reign has ended after 18 days of anti-Mubarak protests by the Egyptian people. 
  The world is watching as the events unfold.  Democracy should be a right for every nation.  Why are there, those who want to rule others against their will?  We are witnessing history in the making, as with the recent revolution in Tunisia.  I wish the whole world could be free.  
   One day there will be no dictators, no wars, no pain, and no sin.  One day Heaven will be our home, if we are born again, as Jesus told Nicodemus.

Hiking in Kentucky Forests

Old Grave Marker in the Woods

   Hiking is one of our favorite things to do on a warm day.  On one of our hiking trips we came across this old gravestone in the woods.  It wasn't far from our house so we decided to go back another time and take a picture of it.  I used a piece of chalk to trace over the carved letters.
   It is a very old gravestone, and many of the letters are written backwards.  The name reads like Sarah Micey, or Sarah Hicey and the date 1867 or 1902 it is really hard to tell.  It is interesting, whatever it reads.  We come across old grave sites often when we go hiking, and it is always a solemn and reverent occasion.  A life that was lived and has gone on, one in which we know nothing of, except these old gravestones.  I am so glad that God the Father, and Jesus Christ the Son, knows who those people are, and not only them, but all that has come before and will come after.  Praise the Lord! 

Redbird Watching it Snow



Cardinal Watching it Snow

Just Stopped by to say Hi!

  It has been snowing hard for about thirty minutes or so, and we've had this beautiful Cardinal sitting in the Pine tree in front of the house, taking it all in stride.  I don't think I've ever saw one sit that long anywhere.  Maybe he is in awe of this beautiful snow, like we are. 

   Then as I was writing this post, it flew onto the front porch and perched on the back of a chair, it sat there for about five minutes, just looking around.  How precious is that?  Hope you are having a Blessed day too!

The Beautiful Red Headed Woodpecker

Red Headed Woodpecker Outside my Window

   Outside our kitchen window today, this Red Headed Woodpecker is 'King of the Roost.'  
We've had a flurry of activity around all the bird feeders today, but this woodpecker has one feeder, all to himself.  He is repeatedly flying to the feeder, getting a sunflower seed and flying back to the fence post to peck it open.  All the others birds are keeping clear of him.  He didn't even mind me taking his picture.  
   The birds have been feeding heavy these last couple of days so I threw some seed on the ground when I filled the feeders, so more of them could eat before the snow comes.  View from our kitchen window,  one of God's many Blessings.

God Makes a Way



Robins in the Yard

   About an inch of snow fell last night and quickly covered the trees and grass.  Around ten o'clock my husband opened the front door and motioned for me to come and look.  There was a beautiful Red Fox standing in the front yard.  It eyed us curiously for awhile, then trotted off beyond the trees.
   Today the snow melted off and a flock of Robins came in and fed in the same spot where we saw the Fox last night.   
   I thought how God looks out for the animals.  I also thought how He looks out for us and sometimes we don't even realize it.  I give Him praise!

Cold Water Joke

A good friend told us this joke today, we wanted to share it:

  A grandson went to spend the weekend with his grandmother in the country.  She made a big supper for him and set a plate on the table for him. 

 He looked down at his plate, hesitated for a moment, then proceeded to scrape egg off the edge of the plate.  His grandmother said, "This is so embarrassing, I'm so sorry, they don't come very clean with 'Cold Water.'

  He said,"That's okay grandmother, I scraped it off," and he ate that plate full, then ate two more plates full.  His grandmother asked if he wanted more.  He said,"No." 

   So, his grandmother took his plate off the table, sat it on the floor, whistled, and hollered, "Come here Cold Water."  And in came the dog.

Raising Our Daughter on the Farm



Cheering for the Chickens

   One thing I am thankful for is that we got to raise our daughter on a farm.  She was always outdoors riding her bike or pulling her wagon on pretty days.  She had her cats, a dog, her daddy's coon dogs, and chickens to keep her company. 
   We taught her how to raise a garden, strip tobacco, feed cattle and chickens, and everything else that went along with farm life.
   She loved every minute of it.  She loved to hunt and fish, as well.  She's not a farm girl now, but she got a good dose of it growing up.  I took her picture cheering for the chickens one bright sunny day. 
   Just reminiscing this Sunday evening.  Have a Blessed day.

Baptizing the Old Time Way



The Bible was Read

   A few Churches in South Eastern Kentucky still Baptize the old time way, when a New Convert asks for it.  The Preacher reads the scripture on the bank of the river, lake, creek, or pond.  Everyone Prays.  And the Congregation sings:  'Shall We Gather at the River,' and other Hymns, while the Preacher, or in this case Preachers lead the New Convert into the water. 
   It is a beautiful thing to watch someone following the Lord into Baptism.  It is a Holy thing. 








Baptizing in the Name of The Father,
and of The Son, and of The Holy Ghost

   This particular Baptism is special to me because, the Preacher is my Husband,

and the New Convert is my Little Sister. 

  The pictures were taken a few years ago at

Laurel Lake in Whitley County, Kentucky. 



   This Baptism took place April 29, 2007.  The congregation of Asile Baptist Church, along with relatives, and friends were on the bank, but do not show in these pictures. 
   No one seemed to mind the cold water. 
We thank God for this Blessed event.

Eighth Grade Teacher and 'A Penny's Worth of Character'



8th. Grade Teacher

   One of my fondest memories from school days, was coming in from recess and our 8th. grade teacher, Mr. Paul Steely, reading to us.  We always read age appropriate classics in Literature class, but after recess, we lay our heads on our desks and listened to our teacher read our favorite children's classics by Jesse Stuart, making every story come alive with mischief and adventure.  He always chose stories that had a great lesson to be learned.  One of my favorites was 'A Penny's Worth of Character.'   When our daughter started reading, it was one of the first books we bought for her.  Then when our grandson came along, it was one of the first books we bought for him.  Thank you Mr. Steely for instilling your love of reading in us. 

                                                 Having a good teacher is truly a blessing.  We thank God for him.

Old Premiums from Rosebud Salve



Vintage Prints, premiums from Rosebud Salve

 In an earlier post I wrote about my friend Bertie Mae.  Bertie Mae gave these prints to me several years ago.  She told me they had belonged to her Mammy and Big Daddy, that is her grandmother and grandfather.  She said Mammy had gotten them as premiums with Rosebud Salve.  She said they came rolled up in a cardboard cylinder and the Rosebud Salve was placed in the ends of the cylinder.  I remember Rosebud Salve from when I was a child, it was a common household item.  I was happy to find out the company is still in business.  I love to see good products stand the test of time.  I also remember when oatmeal came with dishes, wash powder came with towels, and cereal came with prizes.  We got many useful items free, with the purchase of everyday items.  Not too much free out there today.  But, it's been nice to reminisce.  

Have a good and Godly day.