AUGUST and SEPTEMBER

I hope this finds you all doing okay on your end.  I'm running almost a month behind because I had to buy another printer and then had a back-set from lifting too much when I was in the kitchen, but let me start at the beginning.

August and September are the two months in late summer when things outside look the drabbest due to the earth being dry, dusty, and hot, before the autumn rains and fall flowers bloom. Most of the summer flowers have wilted in the heat, except for a few hardy roses that continue to bloom, along with the autumn clematis. The mini marigolds, that I planted in the raised bed Dwight made me, on the back porch, love the heat and are a riot of blooms  in yellow, orange, and yellow/dark burgundy among the lighter-green sage. They always give me joy every time I look out the back living room window from my recliner. Soon, the hummingbirds will head south, but there are lots of young juvenile birds that eat at the bird feeders, which I so enjoy filling on my front and back porches.

 We had quite the week when my sister, Lois, her husband, Ted, and son, Kyle came down from PA as my niece, Stacy, and her two children: Theo and Mae drove over from NC to meet at my house. Inside, the girls went on a cleaning and painting spree of the living room and my bedroom, dusting and washing curtains, etc. Lois also helped me de-clutter and get rid of stuff that I had kept through the years. Between her artistic eye and Stacy's gift of decorating the two rooms were upgraded. Meanwhile, outside, Kyle trimmed all the overgrown bushes in the front yard, while Ted checked out my beehives. Lois and Stacy brought food and cooked it to give Dwight a break from the kitchen. I enjoyed getting to be with Theo and Mae who has really grown since I saw them from four years ago. There was lots of laughter and chatter with making more memories.

Two weeks later, a girl where we pastored in NC years ago, who is grown up and married, came for a visit with her friend and mother. It was so special to see Lisa after forty years. Both her parents are gone, but we have kept in touch. Lisa brought me a cute bouquet of flowers as well. Now, the little girl she used to play with, my daughter, Dawn, lives with her family around the world.

In Aug, I kept busy chopping onions, green peppers, and celery in my recliner to help Dwight as he made canners full of tomato juice and salsa to refill the pantry. I also broke up a 5-gallon bucket of green beans and then put them in the jars with salt for Dwight to can. It was wonderful not only be able to walk around the  house, be more independent, keep the dishes washed up and put away, cook, and bake some. I even made an apple pie!

I was able to make it nine weeks before having a small setback, then six weeks before I lifted a heavy sugar container over the stove down to the counter, that in my hurry I didn't realize until too late that Dwight had filled it back up, and had to start all over again.

On his end, after over a month with a bleed in his hip, Dwight ended up with an upper, front leg, muscle bleed. Then when working on his truck, Dwight's elbow had a bleed sidelining him. Thankfully, Dwight is doing better right now. He finally got his truck fixed, working on it an hour here and there, after a month. You would think both of us were in our nineties and in an old folk’s home at times around this place. We just have to take it one day at a time and turtle along when our bodies act up.

I’m scheduled to go to my local doctor this week for prescription refills, which has Dwight feeling antsy. He is hovering over me like a broody hen and keeps checking if he hears any noise. Between all the prayers over these past two years, on my behalf, and the new prescription, I’m now able work up to in one week what used to take me a couple months. My last flare-up was more painful, like I had before, because my lower spine, where I have a budging disc, hit me with pain then went through the sciatic nerves in my hip. I am trying to behave, I promise.

Cooking, baking, and doing some canning is new territory that we weren’t even sure I could get back to again after injuring my hip. Being able to stay up on my feet for nine weeks in a row is a record and very encouraging. I had also got up to waking 4,000 steps a day as well. I was really moving around like normal. So, Dwight determined that going forward, I should make sure that I don’t pick or lift anything more than five pounds to prevent more “accidents” where I forget or don’t pay attention when I’m working in the kitchen. He also decided to sit the large sugar and flour containers on the counter where I can slide them when I need to use them. 

JUNE and JULY

Happy 4th of July as we celebrate our nation's 250th Birthday!!!

Fifty years ago, as America was celebrating our 200th birth, Dana and I got married in the school chapel of PVBI at Penns Creek, PA. In fact, even though our marriage didn't make the news, firecrackers were set off at our reception. My wedding colors were red, white, and blue. Five years ago this September, Dana, went to heaven. If not, we'd be celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe that fifty years have already passed. Maybe, it's a good thing though that Dana, his father- a veteran of three wars, and the Walker brother military clan are now nearly gone, or they'd be up in Washington letting the president and the liberals with all their wild stunts know exactly how they felt. Not to mention straightening out the crazy people trying to ruin the beautification of our nation's capital.

Meanwhile, here in the Tennessee Mountains, as the summer weather keeps fluctuating between cold, chilly, very hot, and humid, we are very thankful for the freedom we have here in America. Despite, all the things still needing to be fixed, we are truly blessed as a nation. All the tourist from overseas that have come to the World Series we are hosting this year are amazed at the vastness and grandeur of our beautiful county, not to mention the abundance of food and clothing that we take for granted. Shame on us.

Our nation was founded on Christian principles and the Bible. We still have "In God We Trust" on our money and federal buildings and display the Ten Commandments. God has certainly been good to us! All across our nation, flags are flying high in the breeze as celebrations break out and will continue through next month. Because of God's blessings, we can stand tall and be proud to be an American.

As the roses continue to bloom off and on, my many-colored tiger lilies are blooming and even the hostas are sending up shoots of pale lavender blooms in the shade. The stately Rose of Sharon's are showcasing their two-toned colored flowers as the spreading honeysuckle and hummingbird vines bloom wildly. My beehives are buzzing each warm, sunny day gathering nectar while butterflies hover over flowers and dragonflies flit around. The bird feeders are extra busy as tiny; this season's hatched birds flutter and chirp, following their parent's lead to good food sources. I love going on onto my porches in the dusk and watch the lightning bugs flicker all across the lawn. Yes, summer has arrived with long humid days and nights. I love the smell of newly cut grass and hearing the raindrops on the roof settling the dust and heat.

I'm so grateful to still be up on my feet and able to get around. Just this week, I've begun going up and down the steps into the study. Yesterday, at last, I was able to walk out to the mailbox. Yay! There is nothing like being able to place one's feet on the solid ground and feel the earth underneath you. Poor Dwight is constantly keeping an eye on me to make sure I behave at this stage and don't end up back down like I've battled for two years now. When one feels like themselves and is more independent, it's easy to think your body is stronger than it really is and overdo it, forgetting how quickly one's hip can flare up, even after six weeks. Sigh.

I am really trying to behave and keep my fingers in check that itch to do more. Sometimes they do rebel. I need to stay up on my feet because next week Dawn and her family- that finally got reunited after being apart for six weeks around the world from each other- are coming to visit. I am so excited and anxious to see them once more and make memories that I can remember throughout the next year when they are back in the Philippines.

Then, at the end of July, my sister, Lois, and her family from PA, and my niece, Stacy, and her two children, which are currently in South Korea for the month with Justin (who is in the air force), are coming from North Carolina to my house. Whew! Talk about things happening here on the mountain this summer. My little house’s walls will be buzzing with all the chatter and laughter.  What fun!

Dwight has been working on his knives until this week, when he got down with a hip bleed. So, he is trying to baby it along in order to get back on his feet before everyone arrives. It’s a frustrating but way of life for those of us who daily have to deal with chronic, medical issues when one’s body doesn’t behave itself. I’m extra thankful that Dwight doesn’t have to wait hand and foot on me right now.

Have a wonderful 4^th of July on your end~ 

MARCH and APRIL

This year, I've been so busy enjoying the gorgeous spring weather lately, the dazzling array of colorful flowers, and the many birds that have arrived here to build nests in the TN Mountains, until Easter has snuck up on me before I realized it. This past month, all I can describe the weather as is March madness with the roller coaster temperatures rising up into the 70's, and without warning, plunging down into freezing. One might put on warmer clothes in the chilly morning, only to start sweating in the afternoon when the temperature gets. Towards the end of March, we had a hard freeze right as the blooming pear and crabapple trees, yellow forsythias (in their peak), and pink primrose bushes, and many daffodils- not to mention the violets and lilacs just beginning to flower hit, only for the temperature to rise back into the higher 70's a couple of days later. Right now, the dogwoods and azaleas are blooming. Thankfully, there are still thick patches of white and purple violets carpeting the ground, making the bees go crazy.  Despite the cold, damp days of rain, all the trees and roses are showing new green leaves. Winter has been pushed back to the arctic as warm breezes blow.

I've planted more seeds sitting in the recliner, loving getting my fingers in the dirt. The ones we planted last month have come up and are doing well in the greenhouse. This month, when we get more potting soil, Dwight is going to fill the waist-high, raised garden spot that he built for me on the back porch, so I can putter around and plant more flowers. What fun! Sadly, my days of digging all the garden plots with a shovel are over.

I have made it to the fifth week again of staying up on my feet, as Dwight has fussed over me like a broody hen if I tried to do too much or push it. Yay!!! The exciting and scary part, of trying to be careful with my ratty hip, is that I have been able to walk on all my porches, in the yard, to the greenhouse, and have made it all around the house. What bliss to feel the solid ground under my feet! I'm also able to fill my water, get my snacks, breakfast, and supper throughout the day. I do love being independent.

Dwight has hung out the hummingbird feeders already. I love to see those tiny, winged creatures buzzing through the air. I've begun filling the regular bird feeders hanging on the porch. Another joy is discovering butterflies fluttering about the spring flowers, bushes, and trees. One day last week, after filling the front feeder, I could hear all kinds of birds singing through the open window, as if to thank me. Now, when I'm outside, and they hear my voice, they will gather and begin chirping. Hopefully, one day I will be able to sit out on my porch like I used to instead of just walking slowly around. Breathing in the fresh air and feeling the sun on my face, though, is worth slowly enduring days of waiting and working to get to this point.

I am very blessed this Easter season!

How can one not rejoice being surrounded by all kinds of life and seeing the newness of the earth coming alive? It all points to our resurrected Savior, where death, hell, and the grave could not hold Him. This blessed hope is also a promise of one day being reunited with all our loved ones again forever. Even if I can't kick up my heels like I’d love to, I can still celebrate the wonder and joys of Easter.

When I talked to Dawn last, she and her family all got sick and were down for one week; they think it was from the drinking water they bought, so they are buying their water at another store. Right now, they are in the hottest part of the year when the temperatures soar above 100 degrees, living without any air conditioning, draining one’s body. They constantly sweat in the high humidity, causing itchy rashes all over. Dawn said the side of one’s body facing a fan will feel a bit cooler while the other side stays hot. They have to be careful and stay indoors during the hot afternoons to avoid heatstroke. Meanwhile, they still take people to the hospital, give first aid daily, tote water in, and wash clothes by hand. It’s hard to sleep at night due to the heat, despite the fans constantly going. They can’t count on continuous electricity, as it often goes off for an hour or so, day or night. This Easter Sunday, close to forty people will be packed into their small, sweltering living room for church in the morning. After that, they will go up the mountain in the oppressive heat for another service before lunch, and in the late hot afternoon, Dawn will do a children’s service on her front porch.

Dawn plans to fly back in the middle of next month as she is scheduled for her hand carpal tunnel surgery at the end of the month. Pray that the airport problems and delays will be resolved by then and that she will have a safe flight. The rest of the family will fly back sometime in June.

Well, I need to hush up and get all the cards and letters in the mail first thing tomorrow morning.

Have a blessed Easter season!