nothing = 0

"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing." 
-Theodore Roosevelt (born in New York City on October 27, 1858)

201 (boldly approach because of Him!)

This is my two-hundred-and-first-post. Here's something insightful:
my next post will be number 202, which is coincidentally "Amazing Grace" in my favorite hymnal, right next to hymn number 203, my favorite hymn, "And Can It Be" -

And can it be that I should gain
An int’rest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

’Tis mystery all! The Immortal dies!
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love Divine!
’Tis mercy all! let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.
’Tis mercy all! let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.

He left His Father’s throne above,
So free, so infinite His grace;
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
’Tis mercy all, immense and free;
For, O my God, it found out me.
’Tis mercy all, immense and free;
For, O my God, it found out me.

Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine!
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness Divine,
Bold I approach the eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach the eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

this little nose

this little nose likes to lead this little dog to some interesting places. . .
tonight, for example, she was sitting at the top of the steps sniffing under the door (leading into our neighbor's kitchen, where she was baking something delectable). 

Loud crickets and louder dogs need not apply...

photo from Orkin

For the past two days in a row Chester, Clyde, and Cletus Cricket have serenaded us half an hour before our alarm (at least they waited until seven in the morning instead of five A.M. today!), and when I went to escort Cletus to the door this morning (Or was it just Clyde returning after feeling he had failed to complete his assignment yesterday??), our upstairs new-neighbor-dog, Boaz, decided I was an axe-murderer and has spent the past quarter hour and the authorities that I am on [my own] premises. 
[nb: Boaz is as "protective" as Sally, but much more relentlessly, persistently annoying in what exits his throat]... 

photo from http://www.etsy.com/shop/geministudio?ref=si_shop - buy his stuff!! 

Needless to say, I could have walked up the stairs to ask him to cease and desist his clamoring and reassured him that I was, indeed, a murderer of the worst sort, but I chose to leave him in suspense and slink back into the apartment, allowing his imagination to run rampant, and his howly-barks to condemningly follow me back to my courtly oasis as I tried to be quiet so my husband could glean a few more needed minutes of slumber. 

I am almost afraid to go into the kitchen and make coffee, because opening the cupboard and refrigerator doors might stir up another dose of you-must-all-hear-her-sharpening-her-knives!




You mean to tell me I could have just set out some molasses?
*link discovered, but not made, by myself....

Baby mobile

Just finished a little mobile for Johnson grandbaby #1 :)  I tried to incorporate all of the colors mama and daddy have in the nursery; the stinkers aren't revealing the gender until baby is born, and they wanted a gender-neutral room. I really hope they like it!

Following

Sometimes following the Master isn't as easy as walking down the street. Those times, I'm grateful for His love that leads me like leash leading my puppy to water after a long walk. She knOws I'll take care of her as we walk dOwn busy roads or sidewalks, and sometimes have to give her a smack when she wants to cross the street to find a more shady path...but I do by best to make sure she knows I love her, even after I have to scold her when she puts herself in harm's way. I am so grateful for His love, that keeps me from straying too far from the safety of His hands.

Walking iris times nine

Blast... just deleted the entirety of my post because I pushed a button  and I'm still trying to figure out my new phone.

Anyways, my friend Jacki gave me the start to a walking iris back in 2011. It decided it liked me, and grew itself a nice little root system after I moved to Florida. Found it a pot so it could move from its gas station cup into something more p permanent and roomy.

While we were staying with David's grandpa, Iris favored us with a few blooms that were blue, white, and heavily scented. She then proceeded to continue growing beautiful, green shoots until the pot was dwarfed by a small forest.

Yesterday I went to go split Iris into some new pots and found NINE separate plants. ... and had only picked up two extra pots. Some garden forums I'd found mentioned planting walking irises in groups of three in a triangle, so that's what I went with. I put three plantlets in each pot in a little triangle . . . And now I get to wait and see if they like their new digs :-)

big move

(from 7/15/2013)
Almost two years after agreeing to move to Florida for a job (and working there for a year, and then moving back to Michigan for about a year), my husband has accepted a position in Maryland... a state I know almost nothing about.

vermicomposting

1) We're in Maryland - it's been almost a month! :)  more later ...

1.74) I realize no one knows what's been happening, so I am going to make more of an effort to post on here using pictures, if not words, to keep life interesting for whatever-who-are. :) You might see a lot of "older" pictures, but there are some things I wouldn't mind sharing with the world :)

2) I'm in the process of digging in the dirt clay to make more room for dirt slash topsoil (The dirt is very much clay-ey, the top inch or so has a little dirt, the next few inches have small rocks, and after that it's one big rock after another. That I get to dig out. I have a trench about 6-8" deep, and maybe 4 feet wide by now. (Not sure of the length, I'm not that cool.

3) I built a vermicomposting bin a few days ago  - we got two 30-gallon tubs at Walmart last night - on sale for $4 each! - and I followed the directions written here to put it together.

This is their prototype:

  It was really easy, and I think it will keep Sally and Scooter (our landlady's tiny dog) from eating composty things. . . (which I think happened a bit ago when I caught Sally nomming on a corn cob, and subsequently having nasty diarrhea for a few days; Scooter had something similar. Ick.)

elbows

I bang or bruise my elbow approximately once every two weeks. ...just enough time for it to properly turn fun colors and heal with a few days' break...

woot, WOOT!