Paid for Walking

When I walked I found a penny.  Exercise pays.  I saw some friends and enjoyed the fresh air and good company.

Today, I’m going to see Cousin Irene.  I made an ambrosia cake for us to enjoy.

Friday, I celebrating my birthday (June 14) with my sisters.  It’s a little early, but Greta is staying with me a few days on my birthday week.  She is attended the ATU basketball camp.  I’ll carry her there each day.  

The only bad thing about my birthday is I have to share that day with DJT.  I think he’ll be 79.  Me 72.

 

Sigrid—Girls’ State

                               Sigrid and her roomie

Sigrid is at Girls’ State.  So proud.  Sigrid said 700 plus girls are there from all over Arkansas .  Arkansas Girls State is a summer program of education that has been sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary, Department of Arkansas since 1942. As of 2014, it has provided training for more than 55,000 Arkansas girls in the fundamental aspects of citizenship and practical government. The purpose of Arkansas Girls State is to educate young women of high school age in the duties, privileges, and responsibilities of American citizenship and to provide an opportunity for them to participate in the actual functioning of their government.

Reading of Late

 Last two books I’ve read.  Lily’s promise is about an Auschwitz survivor and twice a daughter tells of twins that were adopted!  They never wondered about their birth parents until one finds she may have breast cancer at 50 years of age.  Both books were much better than tv.  I’m quite proud I raised two daughters who love to read💙

Parenting

I did many of these things David suggests.  It makes sense to me.

 8 FIGHTS WORTH PICKING WITH YOUR KIDS:

♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

Parenting is hard.  Parents have to choose their battles.  Here are 8 fights worth picking with your kids:

The Reading Fight:

Make your kids read. Because reading is tied to everything from cognitive development to the ability to focus. Make your kids read now.

The Outside Fight:

Make your kids go outside.  The natural world teaches us things.  Plus, outside there's sunshine, fresh air, and exercise waiting for them.  Most importantly, nature is full of things in short supply in our world: Discovery, wonder, peace, joy.

The Work Fight:

Make your kids work.  I’m saddened by how many parents don’t require their kids to lift a finger at home.  There are priceless life principles you can only learn with a mop in your hand.  Let sweat be their teacher.

The Meal Fight:

Make your kids eat as a family.  Our lives are a blur of incessant activity.  Meals together are a physical pause to recover a truth so easily sacrificed at the altar of busyness.  Nothing's more important than family.

The Boredom Fight:

Make your kids live with boredom.  Don't show a DVD on each car ride.  Kids need unscheduled time.  And, odd as it sounds, boredom is a skill.  It's hard as a parent to deal with the assault of boredom complaints.  But if you give in and fill up their time with external stimuli, you'll raise an activity addict.  Make them learn how to be.

The "Me First" Fight:

Make your kids go last.  Not every time for everything.  But enough to remember that the world doesn't revolve around them.  Take the smallest piece.  Give up the remote.  Do someone else's chores.  Get their least favorite choice.  They won't like it, but they need it.

The Awkward Conversation Fight:

Make your kids have uncomfortable conversations with you.  Sex, dating, body image, values...Your kids will roll their eyes and resist.  You will stumble and stutter.  They need and want your perspective, lessons learned, and wisdom.

The Limitation Fight:

Learning to live within limits is a valuable life skill. In fact, many adult problems arise from an inability to accept them.  Screen time limits, dietary limits, activity limits, and schedule limits are all good.

As a parent, you have to pick your battles.  They're not easy, but they're worth the fight.

*Copied from David Morris

Decernment

 Not much has changed since the days of Asaph.  Corruption reigns and many will follow.  “Open my eyes so I may see” is my prayer choosing good not evil. 

Psalm 73 deals with how the righteous respond to corruption within the ranks of wealth, power and influence. Initially, the good man or woman is scandalized by the revelation that leaders are abusing the power of their privileges. But as Asaph reflects on the nature of God, he comes to understand that even the most powerful authority figures, if corrupt and unchanged (unrepentant), will receive their reward at the hands of the Lord.

Purple Blooms

Purple blooms—Larkspur, Cornflower, and Verbena

 

Yarrow

Yarrow is a plant that has been used for centuries in traditional medicine. It is also commonly known as achillea, bloodwort, carpenter's weed, devil's nettle, nosebleed, old man's pepper, staunchweed, thousand-leaf, and wound wort.

 

Horses in Galla Meadow

Merle takes lots of naps during the day. She’s just two months old.  Looks like her mother said go stay in the corner.

The mare spends her entire day grazing as she is eating for two.

Manchi is the sweetest horses.  He’s calm and gentle.

Merle resting again.  Astrid rode over to visit.

 

Push on

Sometimes going on is difficult.  Just keep pushing upward. 

 

Hens From Helen

Last year this very month, Sister Helen gifted me some hens with little chickens.  I have two water buckets full.  They have thrived and filled the buckets.  Helen is afraid of chickens but not afraid of snakes.  Grandma Gaddy could really grow the hens and chickens.  I recall her showing me her patch at the house on Harrison Hill.  I always think of her when I look at them.  I think of Grandma Powell when I see Geraniums.   She had several and took them inside in the winter and returned them to her big front porch each spring.  I can still see the bright red ones so clearly.  

 I have never had good luck with hens and chickens.  So last year I added pea gravel on top of the dirt.  It keeps them dryer.  They’re a succulent and this seems to help.

Baby Gifts

I crocheted these two blankets for a new baby boy.  I think he’s coming on July.  Today ingrid is taking them to the baby shower for me.  

 

Oatmeal Cookies

 I don’t have a picture of my oatmeal cookies.  So I’m sharing this advice from the State Park near me.  Laura and I had the window of our car smashed and our purses stolen in March of 2020.  It was only 2 weeks after Larry died.  It was horrible.  This is good advice.

Now, for the cookie recipe.  I like cookies much better than cake.  Just me, though, so I need a small batch.  I don’t like stuff after it’s about 3 days old.  I feed it to the chickens.

Healthy Cookies

1/2 scant cup brown sugar.  I like the darkest one.

1/2 stick REAL butter

Mix this with a fork.  I leave real butter on the counter over night.  It’s soft.

1 egg 

1 T. Vanilla

Mix this all in with your fork.

1 cup quick cook oats, but I use 3/4 cup and a 1/4 cup oat bran.

1/2 cup flour with 1/2 teaspoon each baking powder, soda and salt.  Sift this in the batter and mix well with your fork.

Add a cup of extra good stuff.  Maybe 1/2 cup cranberry raisins and half cup of white chips; or maybe 1/2 cup walnuts and 1/2 raisins.  Mix well with your fork. This dough should be thick.  If it’s not real hard to stir with the fork, add another T of flour.

Drop by spoonfuls on parchment paper on cookie sheet.  I smash them with my palm just to flatten them a little.  Should only be ONE pan, about 12 to 15 cookies.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.  On parchment, I bake 14 to 15 minutes.  

Hope it works, Sister Fleta♥️♥️

Glasses…Ugh

Going to Dr. Ann tomorrow to have a eye checkup.  I started wearing glasses at 40.  Both my parents did the same.  I’m ready for new glasses.  But I hate glasses.  My eyes are too dry for contacts.  Do you wear glasses?

 

Greta Wins the Blue

Greta had field day today.  She loved all the races.  Blue ribbon winner💙💙

 

Sigrid’s Trophy

Sigrid won a trophy with her debate group.  I’ll just say it was for being friendly.  You can hit her photo and see.  In a week Siggie will be a senior.  Watch out world.

 

Books This week

I tried kayaking this week.  We went all the way to the Galla Lake earthen dam and back.  I guess it was a mile.  I had trouble keeping my kayak going forward, but got there and back.  Certainly not very good at it yet.  My shoulders weren’t sore.  Not sure what that means.

Last week, I read these books.  All worth reading.  Snakes Eyes is about two murders in Hot Springs, AR.  It’s a true story.  I really enjoyed the book, I could not recall hearing of the murders in the later 1960s.  Jennifer Grey is an actress.  She was in the movie, Dirty Dancing.  It’s a memoir.   The Last Slave Ship was really a great book.  Eye opener to me.  If you are bored, try reading.  Lots of good books at Pope County Library.  These books are there.  Find a library near you.  The folks that work at libraries are always so nice.   At least, that’s been my experience.

 

Mowing Day

 I try to wait 7 days plus before mowing as it’s such a big chore.  I want to see the grass flying.  I do not like being unable to see where I have mowed.  

Mowing took 2 1/2 hours. I discovered another pretty Iris blooming.

Home to Many, Not Just Me

Galla Lake is home to more than me and the birds!  Mr. Cottonmouth lives here too😬

Son in law Eric is student counsel sponsor.  Year is ending and kids are removing all the posters from the walls.  Look what was behind one.  What kind of snake was trying to get an education?

 

A Grave Day

Last time I went to Sisters, I stopped by Larry’s grave.  His flowers were gone.  I thought it was too close to Memorial Day to replace them.  Helen made a new bouquet and she and Fleta took flowers to all the graves we decorate in Alpena Cemetery today.  I am glad he has flowers again.  Thank you, sisters.

The heart and basket Helen fixed for Debbie’s grave was so pretty. My parents would be proud.

 This is the first year that we have had to decorate our baby brother’s grave.  Our baby sister passed in in June of 1983, 39 years ago.  Out of 8, only the three sisters remain.  We decorate about 20 graves here and also several at Gass Cemetery near Omaha, AR.  Helen always decorates our nephew Tony Poor’s grave too.  She has the other flowers ready, but the adorning was cut short as it started to pour rain.  Helen said she’d do the others during the week.

Rider Came By

 Company came on horseback!  

Whoopee ti yi yo, get along little dogies!  

Graduation Day

Back in 1967 at Green Forest, Arkansas, I was a graduation usher for the graduating class.  In 2017, 50 years later, Astrid served as a graduation usher for the Russellville High School graduation, in 2019, Ingrid Christensen Ingrid was an usher.  Now, today in 2022, Sigrid is filling the same position. 🎓