Expecting Chester

Things happen in life which are totally unexpected, but which are so appropriate at the time.  We were sitting around our dining table, eight of our family including two guests, enjoying our Thanksgiving dinner.  The subject of cats came up and my son made the astonishing statement that "when cats look at humans they do not see a human face, rather a cat image".  This was hotly challenged by all at the table, but he did not back down as no one had proof either way.

When I announced that I was looking for a guard cat to keep the squirrels away from my plants, I set off a series of plans which ensured that I would indeed be the recipient of a manly, no nonsense one eared cat which had earned the reputation of  school yard bully.  His owner proclaimed he could protect my place from cats, dogs, deer and any other approaching animal.

That was exactly what I was looking for.  I want a pet that can stay outside, find his own food and stave off marauding woods critters, which I now have in abundance.  I can only imagine I will need to entice him with some treats and tidbits not found on the run, but that, I am willing to do.

In the back of my mind I wondered if there were any red flags fluttering about in our conversation, especially when his owner said "I'd pay someone to take him."  But when you are blinded by desire you do not see those streaks of red.  All I could feel was the hot heat of anger from the squirrels eating all of the fat buds on my Christmas Sasanqua on the west side of my house.  The county extension service agent confirmed that squirrels indeed will eat the  buds off  winter blooming Sasanqua.  I needed to act quickly before they discover the fat buds on my red Camellia on the  east side of my house.  I could not  bear it if I could not see those beauties next month when nothing else was blooming here.

So, I feel a new era is upon me, in the reign of Chester, long awaited savior.

Where I Want to Be

Where Life Goes On

 

 

Exactly where I want to be, in the shelter of the house

I helped build

Built to let the light stream in, through windows wide and tall

To warm the earthen tile

Laid where the pattern yields angles and lines,

North, south, east and west

Where high stone walls

Climb up to meet the ceiling,

Easy steps curve gently to the upper room.

A balcony invites resting on the long, long, couch

A house with many places to stop and look and think

To lose oneself in silent thought and resist the urge to move

Just rest, reflect on how it was

The last time you were here

Study the paintings on the wall

Paintings done so long ago

Of people, flowers, birds and things that lived in the artists soul

Leave me here that I may be forever in this favored place

Where life goes on if only in my mind

 

 

Fall Feelings and Family Fellows

Fall Feelings and Family Fellows

 

Before the sun was up, I was

Sleep had flown away

Ideas filled my head while I in bed still lay

Of food like pumpkin pie and stuffing and such

Thoughts came and left in frantic rush

Of peach scent wafting through the air

Yellow, dancing mesmerizing flames

Dominating the scene with fire like games

While folks gathered together for the ritual of fall

It is Thanksgiving after all

A time to go back to grandmother’s house

To greet and meet and laugh and talk

And perhaps to take a woods path walk

Gather some colorful found leaves along the way

To grace our table for the day

We miss those no longer here

We may even shed a tear

Remembering those days gone by

We never lose them you know

For in our hearts they live and grow

While we are making ones anew to

Carry forward to future times that bind us

Forever to each other

To live again, another day when future families

Come this way

Autumn's Waning Gift

One of the pleasures of gardening is
harvesting the fruits of your labor.  On this cold cloudy day, after being up late to witness an historic event, the election of President Obama's second term of office, I went outside to gather what I could find in my slowly vanishing garden flowers.  The picture shows what is left of the Cosmos,  Stone Mt. daisies, Chrysanthemum pacificum, pink Rose, Lantana, Zinnias, Ageratum, wild honeysuckle and the blooms of a confused Azalea.

It won't be long before I will have an abundance of
red Camellias, and Christmas Sasanquas.  They will actually begin to bloom in December.  You may be sure that I will be clipping some of those blooms to bring inside also.

One plant which is turning a beautiful salmon color is the Mapleleaf Viburnum, I did not  want to cut, as I am giving  tender loving care the first winter for this new undergrowth tree.

I do not consider it cheating to bring in the wild honeysuckle along with my cultivated flowers.  This vine has been pleasing me since I was a small child in the mountains of eastern Kentucky.  We learned that we could not only enjoy its sweet scent, but also sip the nectar inside the bloom, much the same way the bees and butterflies helped themselves to it as part of their diet.

If you are living in a temperate zone, I challenge you to take a walk around with your clippers and see what you can find to bring indoors for an impromptu bouquet.  It might just lift your spirits on a cloudy day.

A Philosophy of Life

On this Sabbath day before departing to my own house of worship, I took my new revised version of the Bible and reread the 91st Psalm.

It sums up what the faithful has taken to his heart for his life's guide.

Psalm 91 - Assurance of God's Protection

You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust."
For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence;
He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day, or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
You will only look with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent
For He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone
You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name.
When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them.
With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.

In order to understand the symbolic wording of this Psalm, you need to think beyond the temporal things of this life.  It is not a way of looking at life that comes instantly, rather over a life span of faithful living, of trusting in God's presence.  I like the words "I will protect those who know my name".  That is a deep idea.

This Psalm was read at the memorial service of William Craig Matthis, for it had great meaning for him in his lifelong reliance on God's presence in his life.

William Craig Matthis 1921 - 2012

We in our family have lost a beloved brother, father, grandfather and friend.

He lived a long and full life, starting in the small mountain town of Pineville, Kentucky.  He was the fifth child in the family of Rose Gamp Matthis and Chester Craig Matthis.

When he was five years old he was eager to read and ran constantly to his mother to ask her what words said.  She said he taught himself to read as he had a curious and quick mind.  He grew up in another location in a small mountain town called Gulston, Ky.  The distinguishing feature of this area was a grocery store at a crossroads.  Where Bill's family lived was in a large house surrounded by plenty of land for raising kids and cattle.  At an early age he learned to milk the cows which my father kept, to sell milk to augment his income as a bookkeeper.  There was a tennis court and a woods behind the house, plenty of room for exploring outdoors.

The family grew however,  and they  moved into the county seat of Harlan, Kentucky, where Bill and his siblings entered the Harlan Independent School System.  As the years rolled by Bill wanted to get out and be independent.  He had an agreement with his parents that when he had graduated from high school they would sign papers for him to join the army.  Bill already had a talent for understanding engines and mechanical machines.  When our  mother wanted to find Bill she went to the Motor company not far away and looked in the window where she always saw him down on the floor helping and learning from the mechanics there.

When he did enter the United States Army Air Force, he signed up to learn airplane mechanics.  Eventually he was sent to the China, Burma, India theater of war, during World War II.  He lived in the jungles and salvaged airplane parts from downed planes.  During this time he wrote to his mother and used a code they had worked out, to let her know where he was at each letter writing.

After the war he returned home to work on the large machines used to extract coal from the mines in Bell County, Kentucky where his brother Kenneth was the General Manager.   He fell in love with, and  married the sister of Kenneth's wife.  His bride's  name was Axie Belle Marsee.  Bill and Axie had two daughters, Ann and Jane. 

When the girls were in their teens, Bill and Axie went to live in Litchfield, Illinois where he continued to work on giant machines, in a large number of Coal Mines.  In order to minimize travel time between the various mines he trained for a pilots license and flew himself where he needed to be.  He and Axie found many new friends, in a new hobby of square dancing, as they traveled around with a dance group.  He was a member of the Presbyterian church and served as Elder for many years, in The Parish of the Open Door.

Cancer took Axie, the love of his life and he slowly began to build a new life. He continued living in his home and was always finding ways to help his neighbors and also the farmers in the area who had large machinery needing maintenance.  Bill was adventurous all of his live.  At age 85 he went sky diving with a friend.  He spent years helping his grandson Adam with scouting and other pursuits over the years.  He went each year to the annual reunion of the Veterans of the China, Burna, India theater of war.  An event he enjoyed as long as he was able.

We grieve for the presence of Bill.  When a man has lived a productive life and served his God, his family, his country and his friends in positive ways, we remember him in positive ways, by honoring him with memories of who he was and what he did with his life.

His daughters and their families were with him when he passed on to another dimension, a journey he embraced with hope and courage.  As a symbolic "bon voyage" they opened the window of his room so his spirit could fly away  home.  We can rest in the knowledge that his last journey will be as successful as all the others.  God bless you Bill.  The world is a better place because you of what you did to make it so.

Martha Says: Use Vinegar

I hear about cooking ideas all the time and usually I just file the idea away and  then it may come back to me later.  Recently I stumbled upon Martha Stewart on television doing her online cooking class.  She was showing different ways to cook eggs.  She was using eggs grown on her estate and of course they were fresh and naturally fed via free range or organic food.  One of the ideas hit me as worth trying, so I did.  I share it now as it really does make the egg taste better cooked by her vinegar/boil method.

First she got a small pot of water up to a fast boil, then while boiling she added a little vinegar, then promptly cracked an egg into the boiling water.  I have forgotten what chemical action caused it to happen  but the white immediated began to gather itself  into shape and in about three minutes it was removed with a slotted spoon and placed on a plate.

When I tried it , I had to have a couple of runs to get it right but even after the first try the egg white had a much improved taste.  For about three cups of water I used almost 1/4 cup of white vinegar and let it boil about 2.1/2 minutes.  My water comes from a deep well and I think has a much better taste than the common faucet water in a city.

For breakfast this morning I had cheese grits, the vinegar boil eggs and sliced mellow, green delicious apples.  It was a fine breakfast and I choose not to have the yolks but I did taste them and they had a better flavor also.  So, if you are tired of corn flakes you may like to try Martha's trick.

This vinegar method reminds me of the first time I had breakfast at my new husband's home.  His mother also raised chickens for eggs and she prepared for my breakfast eggs cooked in hot bacon grease.  They were delicious but I am not so sure about the health aspects of her method.  I think Martha's way is far healthier.  So, if you are a vegetarian or just aspire to eat healthier, I recommend the vinegar egg method, and it has definitely been tested and tried by me, as recently as this morning in October , the 21st.