Paul Harvey: God made the farmer.

 

I grew up on a farm.  My dad and brothers were these people, ones who did all that farming required.  

Farmers are precious beings.  They bring food to your table and to the world.  

God made the Farmer.

Rescuing a Floral Kingdom

Has absolutely nothing to do with this post, but I thought you all would nod.

 

First of all, I am not a gardener of lovely florals, roses, cacti, perennials. Give me some radish seeds, tomatoes, green beans---and I feel at home.

Then we moved to here, our new house, where older people families had lived for about a eighteen years. Some one, some really dedicated person, filled the narrow side yard with roses, cacti, some geraniums, and more cacti.

The last owner ignored it all. He didn't water them or pull weeds. When we moved in, the narrow garden was nearly dying.  Twisted and brown, the rose bushes were barely hanging on. The geraniums were a scattered bunch of leaves, with no blooms.

Well then.

Such lack of care infuriated me. We gave them all a good amount of care, water, and hovering over them. Please, Please, don't die.

I did pruning, pulling, and praying.  Finally, after six months, there were results.

This gardening played havoc on my arthritis and migraines. So, we hired a gardener, Efren Delgado, who is one of the head gardeners in this huge place.  He walked through our floral kingdom, hmmmed, and said I will fix this.

The photos below show how my "yard" looks.  I have no idea what the types, genres, whatever they are. Since I never post photos like this (because) I am ignorant.

These are inherited from our folks.

This is about 50+ years old.

We got this from a rock hound's estate.

This is from the Idyllwild fire.

Quapla: Kah Plah and
Engage, Make it so.

The previous owners who nearly killed these have moved on. These are ours now. Radishes may yet be planted, but I wouldn't bet on it.

 

Time to serve and save

 

True story of Granite Hill Fire

Chris had never been known to be a “waiter”; instead he always threw himself headlong into many diverse adventures…here, there, here...He loved the adrenalin rush, the way it drove him. After that rush came his pride and carelessness.

Who and what Chris was then changed radically when he became a man whose greatest desire in life was to wait upon the Lord.  

Be intense, diligent… …taking on the most mundane of tasks.  Wait upon the Lord…were the words running through his mind when the alarm bell rang.

“Take it, Chris!” cried out a fellow fireman. At the clunk sound of hose thrown to him, adrenaline surged. Gripping the heavy hose tightly, Chris reminded himself ”Time to serve!” as he raced into the blazing house.

YouTube from movie "Fireproof". Video is about 4 min. long.

2015 Yarnell Arizona Fire

June 30, 2015

Arizona family

The underlined words are from Wednesday Words, from April 2015. These are for challenging writer, once provided and encouraged by several bloggers. 

The Granite Hill fire was a horror we cannot ignore. Wildfires spread so quickly.

Idyllwild, this time with photos

People always have a spot, one that is not far away, that is special to them. We call it our "go-to" place.  It is a town called Idyllwild. population: around 3,784.

Much could be written about this town, but right now it is most famous for the recent Cranston Fire.

Following the rains of 2017

June 2018

After Cranston Fire at Idyllwild July 2018

We drove through this moonscape on our way to Idyllwild for the afternoon yesterday. This community of 3,874 was busy with an annual music festival. So many visitors were there that we had real difficulty finding a parking place.  Shop owners told us about the courage and dedication of firefighters and how this tight-knit town were ready for such an event.  

If we had not driven through the black and white burned area, we would not have known a fire had nearly taken their town.

It was saved by three or more days of 24 hour firefighters being so brave.  Around the clock of fire retardant drops and water from Lake Hemet kept their town whole.

Arson was the cause, as in other fires in the news.  It is a felony to do such a horrible thing, with serious consequences. We personally feel that an arsonist should spend the rest of his life on the front lines of fighting a wildfire.

We will visit our "go-to" Idyllwild again soon.  

Random Acts of Kindness

Random Acts of Kindness Blogfest May 27-31, 2013

A teacher gives so much, almost everything inside the brain and heart.  That is what I always believed, always did.  I arrived at school an hour and a half before the required time to make certain that the day’s preparation was just right.  I stayed two hours after school to review student work and make adjustments for the next day.  

Every day for years, this was my work ethic.

Then, one day I received an irate letter from a father who ripped me apart.  

He had found typos in an assignment I had copied from a professionally produced  book of black-line masters.  He did not appreciate the topic being pursued and wanted to adjust it to his superior understanding.  He thought his child needed more explanation and monitoring—by discussing each lesson taught and assignment given, after the rest of the class had been dismissed.  

The letter, written in small font, covered a full page.

My entire being sagged in defeat, taking my heart and brain with it.  I left after school, numb and confused.  Was there more I could have done?

Flashing forward-- I tightened up my checking-for-typos, adjusted my explanations of all assignments, and double checking everything.  It didn't change that father, but it changed me.  For better?  I didn't know.  

 MANY years later, I received a card from the parents of another student.  

While going through old videos, they discovered a video of their son’s reading and speech presentations recorded that same school year.  They expressed their thanks and appreciation for giving their son such a wonderful year, for teaching him.

They will never know how much this act of kindness meant to me.  I could tell them “Thanks!” but that would be inadequate.

I still have the letter and read it occasionally.  And I praise God for these parents who gave me more than they could ever know.

Source: ChIandra4U