Psalm 37

 My personal paraphrase of this comforting psalm, at this point in my life:

Don't waste thought time on people out there who are behaving badly.

And certainly don't envy their lives!

They will go away as quickly as they came,

just outlast them.

Simply trust God each day and do good to others.

Live where God has put you,  and flourish there as you trust Him.

When you find delight in God, He will give you Himself.

Commit yourself to Him above all others,

and trust Him,

And He will take care of your future.

You will be clearly vindicated at the judgment --

But leave that to Him.

In Summer's Heat

Happy Summer, everyone!

I'm quite deliberately attempting to survive the insufferable heat. I have about 5 weeks to go, right?

I've been watching wintry Youtube videos, baking pumpkin pie, and staying in the air conditioning.

I love this stained-glass heart. It was made by a dear friend for us, in honor of our 35th wedding anniversary this summer.

I've been spinning quite a bit, a plan of mine to pass the summer. I start with these lovely batts.

It spins up quite smoothly and nicely. I got two large hanks, and one small one made from the "leftover single."

Late one afternoon I drove 1/4 mile down the road to this lovely scene -- the north prong of the Bay River, complete with shrimp boats. This is an undiscovered piece of water, used only by fishermen like those who man these boats and bring back shrimp to sell on the little docks. Locals line up there once weekly with their coolers to buy.

I did this little painting, inspired by a photo I took at my brother's farm in W.Va. It does not do the scene justice, I'm sorry to say, but it was my best attempt. 

I'm nearly out of soap to sell at the market, so I made two batches this week! 

 I've had to change the recipe I use, after all these years. Olive oil has become so outrageously expensive, so I had to find a different recipe. It turned out just fine.

I hope you are surviving the summer heat wherever you are, friend. In late August, I plan to escape to W.Va again where temperatures will be beginning to cool in the evenings, and autumn's early whispers will be wafting among the hills.

What a July 4th Week!

 No, we didn't do fireworks, but yes, we did go to the beach! Mostly we did LOTS of work in the pasture. Without further ado, here are some photos of the week, complete with great-grandmas and babies and good food!

NO MORE metal in the ground! The raised beds are gone, phew! Also, you'll note there was time to relax (a little). My son made me a wonderful new potting bench/table, which makes me happy every time I look at it. Adam finished upholstering the blue chair (a roadside find) with his mother's help. Our pear tree seems to be producing a bit this year too. Maybe some pear butter this year?