Big Universe, Small World... ©2013-2020

Psalm 18

2020-06-27T12:08:00.003-04:00

Psalm 18

I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.

4 The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
5 the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God, I cried for help.
From his temple, he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.

7 Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8 Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9 He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
thick clouds dark with water.
12 Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

16 He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
17 He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

20 The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his rules were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23 I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
24 So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
26 with the purified you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
27 For you save a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.
28 For it is you who light my lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
29 For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
30 This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

31 For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?—

32 the God who equipped me with strength
and made my way blameless.
33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand supported me,
and your gentleness made me great.

36 You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.

37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
and did not turn back till they were consumed.
38 I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.
39 For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
you made those who rise against me sink under me.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
and those who hated me I destroyed.
41 They cried for help, but there was none to save;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
42 I beat them fine as dust before the wind;
I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

43 You delivered me from strife with the people;
you made me the head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.
44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
foreigners came cringing to me.
45 Foreigners lost heart
and came trembling out of their fortresses.

46 The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation—
47 the God who gave me vengeance
and subdued peoples under me,
48 who delivered me from my enemies;
yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me;
you rescued me from the man of violence.

49 For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
and sing to your name.
50 Great salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his offspring forever.

Pretty Pineapples!!

2016-08-06T22:05:00.001-04:00

So, I have been growing pineapples plants I planted from pineapple tops for about 5 years or more now. I was told it takes about 2 or 3 years to produce fruit. Well, that just has not happened...

I put them outside about three weeks ago. I have not paid attention to them since I have put them outside. It has rained plenty and been plenty hot, so I have not worried about them at all.

Today, I checked on them. Lo and behold!! I have a baby pineapple.

Love Dove - Part II

2016-07-03T00:46:00.003-04:00

My husband has spent the better part of the other day and today working on adding chicken wire to a chicken tractor for us to move Love Dove to within a day or so with her adopted eggs before they hatch...I wanted the babies to have a safe place to walk around in without the other hens being able to harm them.
Love Dove before the relocation...

Well, tonight my cousin called that we got the eggs for Love Dove from and left a message that her eggs were hatching. So, I went into operation to get Love Dove moved tonight. The only safe place to put her and the eggs was in the old chicken hutch which we can lock for safety against other critters. I grabbed up an old coconut fiber plant shell and placed mail shreds in it for nesting material. She was not happy when I disturbed her...

It was a good thing to move them tonight...two of the eggs are pipped.

I moved the eggs to the bottom of the chicken hutch. It has an upstairs of sorts with two nesting boxes. I thought it might be easier when the eggs hatched if the chicks didn't have to fall to the ground, but could kind of climb out of the nest to walk around. I am not sure Love Dove agreed with me. I do not think she realized her eggs and nest were on the ground.

I thought she would figure it out. I thought wrong. She cackled for about an hour. I thought I would leave her alone and allow her to settle down about being moved and she would figure it all out. She did not.

She did quiet down after about an hour. I went back outside to check on her. The eggs were alone on the bottom of the hutch and she was upstairs. I moved the eggs to the top portion and put her back on the eggs. She fussed when I moved her, but seemed to quiet down when she realized she was back with her eggs. I hope I did not make a misjudgment when I moved her and the eggs, but the nest she was in was quite high and last year we had chicks killed by other hens. I will check them in the morning...but, I hope everything works okay...

Love Dove Egg Swap

2016-06-29T19:55:00.001-04:00

Lately, we have had a very broody bantam hen. Our rooster was killed a while ago, so we know her eggs are not viable to hatch...but, she wants some chicks anyway. She has hatched a clutch before and is a great broody hen and a great mommy hen.

Today, I went to my cousin's house and got some fertile eggs from her. Three regular eggs and 5 bantam eggs...almost more than my little Love Dove could hope for...

She has been mad at me for the last few days for taking her eggs. Today, I disturbed her enough to slip some eggs under her...three times I disturbed her. Then she looked down and noticed all her "babies"...she went about cuckling and cooing and tucking them all up under her until she felt they were all neatly arranged. She fluffed herself out quite well then.

We candled the bantam eggs I stuck under her and these should all be hatching in about a week or so. I will have to move her to a more confined space of her own to get ready for her babies!! I do not know if the three larger eggs are even fertilized...and, I know I will have to move them to an incubator if they are when the other babies are born...but, I figure if they are fertilized, she might as well move the process along. :)

Once she noticed all her new babies (eggs), she was very happy tonight...

Building a Slip Cover Mantle!!

2015-12-26T17:57:00.001-05:00

Making Cabbage Chicken Salad Rolls = Yummy!!

2015-12-26T17:46:00.002-05:00

Homemade chicken salad from chickens we raised...organic, no antibiotics, all natural!!

Steamed some cabbage...from the farmer's market!!

Making the rolls...

Dinner with homemade buttermilk ranch dressing dip...yummy!!

Woodworking in Homeschool

2015-08-15T23:56:00.001-04:00

Making a PVC Chicken Pen

2015-08-15T23:00:00.001-04:00

Homemade Grape Jelly

2015-08-15T22:40:00.000-04:00

My chickens have been going after the grapes in the afternoons lately...so, yesterday I shooed them away to pick the grapes. I left about 1/3 to 1/2 of the amount still on the vine to pick later.

I soaked the grapes to wash them. Then, they were rinsed and washed a second time.

The grapes were placed in a large pot and I added about two or three cups of water. They were set to boil.

They were stirred enough to break the skins and agitate the pulp. After coming to a rapid boil, I let them slow cook just about a simmer for a few hours.

The mixture was drained and the pulp mix set to the side to give to the chickens later on for a treat.

The juice still had some of the pulp and seeds in it, so it was strained again through double linen.

The juice was set to boil about 1.5 cups of sugar. I did not add pectin. I do not plan to can this, as it will probably be eaten within the week.

The drip test off the wooden spoon after about 20 minutes or so indicated it was setting properly.

And, the final item...the finished jar of grape jelly!! Super yummy!

And a light snack! It is hard to see it due to the light, but the toast has a light spread of grape jam!

test

2015-03-30T15:07:00.002-04:00

Baking fruit crostata...

2014-12-23T15:05:00.000-05:00

Woodworking...Homeschool Style :)

2014-12-20T14:16:00.000-05:00

Making a treasure box!

Carving a canoe!

Making Skillet Apple Pies...

2014-12-13T14:04:00.000-05:00

Pie base in the skillet... with butter and brown sugar beneath it...

Apples are diced and spices added to them...I add a small amount of lemon juice...

Apples are placed on bottom pie shell in skillet...

Place second pie shell on top...It is okay if it breaks some...I place some beaten egg and extra spices and brown sugar on top...

Put in oven and bake...then eat!! Num Num Num!!

Fenceline repairs.

2014-12-07T12:34:00.004-05:00

My younger child tried to be helpful today and wanted to dig out a spot to build a new compost bin. He was holding the shovel and leaning on it. We have had rain recently and the ground is soft. He leaned on the shovel and it went easily into the ground and split the underground dog fence line. Urrrggghhhh! So, here we are around the afternoon hours in drizzling rain and digging up a small space of backyard with garden tools so we do go to deep on each dig to not cut more line to try and find the break. We found it and repairs began and all was good - about 1.5 hours later.

I don't think my child thought I could make sure repairs... :) And for once, I was thankful to the years of the past when in my prior marriage I had to learn to be self-sufficient. It turns out that I was thankful yesterday for something that years ago I was very angry for. The pictures get more faded as they go along, because it was at nightfall and by the time we finished, it was dark...

Did I mention I do not like messing with electrical wires in the dark in the rain?

We set out logs to sit on to dig...

Uncovering the wire...bit by bit...

And more digging.

Finding the break in the line...

Trying to pull slack in the line to be able to have enough wire to strip for repair...

Wires stripped and twisted...

Wrapping with electrical tape so the wires aren't exposed...

It was dark and hard to recover the dug out trench dirt, so the trench line was recovered as best as possible and then logs were set on top to protect it until daylight.

Trunk for a treat....

2014-09-21T01:41:00.002-04:00

Tonight I crocheted an elephant for a young lady that I work with...she is due in late October or early November. She is decorating with elephants...

I thought this would be a quick and simple project. It was not...6 hours later, I am finally finished.
Whew!

Becoming Unplugged...

2014-09-07T23:19:00.005-04:00

In less than 13 hours...my family will become more unplugged.

I cancelled our satellite subscription. My husband's first response was had I already called the cable company. The answer is, "No!" And, I am not really sure I am in a hurry to do so.

We will still have the internet obviously, as I work mainly online by teaching courses online and consulting online. But...no television. I am not sure this will bother me so much. My child thinks it will. We will soon see.

I am thinking of game nights with my family again. We have not had one of those in about two years now. I am thinking of family movie nights. I am thinking of not having nonsense noise on in the background nonstop.

I am kind of excited to have no television. Does that sound weird? I am thinking of not watching bad news. I am thinking of not hearing advertisements of junk we do not need. I am thinking of thinking. I am thinking about reading. I am thinking about quiet. And, this makes me excited.

We will see...less than 13 hours and counting... :)

Children on loan...

2014-09-01T13:52:00.003-04:00

I have always believed that my children belonged to the Lord and that they were on loan to me from Him. They were lent to me for a time to raise and live in glory and honor of Him.

Much the same are our grandchildren.

They do not belong to us. They belong to the Lord and are loan to our children, as their parents.

I think some people forget this.

Blessings within the burdens...

2014-08-31T13:47:00.000-04:00

I haven't blogged a lot this summer and a lot has happened. time has been sparse.

My older son got married in May. It was a beautiful ceremony, but I have to admit I could not fully enjoy it, for another individual accusing me or blaming me of something I did not do and had no knowledge of until it was revealed to me. I should be over it, but in some ways I am not, because it hurt me deeply.

My son and daughter in law moved in with us briefly in June and then stayed the remainder of the summer with my parents. My older son's life was threatened in May and it made for a difficult few weeks.

The shower basin in our master bath cracked (massively) in May. This created a major water issue that involved the entire master bath being completely gutted down to the floor joists and wall studs. My entire bedroom flooring had to be pulled up and demolished and a wall in my bedroom was opened due to damage from the bathroom issue. The construction and repair of this consumed the entire summer and was not finished with repair until near the end of August. All summer was spent waiting for contractors and various repair personnel. This equaled no vacations or time away from home.

The boat had issues and was in the shop the entire spring and most of the summer. When we finally did get it back, the boat was stuck in the backyard due to the contractor dumpster blocking it.

A tree fell on the dock and it had to be repaired. It was repaired and then a storm damaged it again. It had to be repaired a second time. Thank God for good neighbors.

A tree fell across the recently repaired chicken fence. It had to be repaired again.

The air conditioner broke. It needed a new motor.

Three of the repairmen who came to the house suffered major vehicle malfunctions en route to repair how bathroom issues. This further delayed the timeline of the bathroom and bedroom repairs this summer.

My younger son was away from home most of the summer. This was helpful in part when my older son, DiL, and grandchild had to move in. He worked as a camp counselor this summer for scouts. This was his first job.

We also finalized the adoption of my younger son with my husband this summer. Now we are a family of the same.

My work hours increased at my part time job, because I got an advanced position of associate dean, which is still part time...it has been an exciting and stressful advancement.

The summer wound up with my older son moving with his family to a neighboring state with a new job. My younger son had his adoption finalized with my husband. My house repairs are complete. I am working an advanced position at the local university part time. My younger son completed his Eagle Scout rank and is receiving his advancement.

We suffered many setbacks as a family this summer and many burdens that affected us financially and emotionally. We prevailed. In the end, we are a family and we have many blessings.

sands and the tide...

2014-07-30T22:21:00.000-04:00

The other day, I finally snuck away to the beach for the day...it was just a few beautiful hours of alone time...

Sometimes, you have to go to check and make sure the water and waves are still there. This is what I miss most about Florida.

The waves reminded me of how God is with our lives...we have issues and problems...

Then, the Lord washes over you. The Holy Spirit surrounds you and your problems are gone...

Your life is smoothed...

Love my Yahweh!

One Thousand Gifts...part 2

2014-07-05T21:51:00.000-04:00

It has been awhile since I have made a post…life has been hectic and much has been occurring lately…it has caused me to reflect often and realize happiness is found most in the simpler things of life.

I am thankful for…

72. colleagues.

73. advancement.

74. thunderstorms in the summer.

75. neighbors that are patient.

76. puppies that nuzzle.

77. my students I tutor.

78. my Godchildren.

79. my son’s Godmother.

80. a grandmother, whom I used to not really appreciate, but am learning to accept what and whom she was to move forward and appreciate some good parts about her.

81. reconciling with family members.

82. cleaning.

83. simplifying.

84. being able to breathe.

85. Michele Whitetree!! J

86. the tribe.

87. ancestry.

88. heritage.

89. the future.

90. waking up each morning.

91. sleep.

92. my marriage.

93. fresh chicken eggs.

94. ladybugs.

95. ants.

96. chocolate.

97. sunbeams.

98. cinnamon.

99. turmeric.

100. ginger.

101. vinegar.

102. the presence of the Holy Spirit.

103. the smell of the Holy Spirit.

104. gifts of the Spirit.

105. knowledge.

106. flowers.

107. children who come home.

108. respect.

109. love from years before not returned.

110. unanswered prayers.

111. arguments with the Lord that led me to deeper understanding.

112. arguments with the Lord that lead me to deeper faith.

113. faith of walking on water.

114. faith of moving a mountain.

115. faith in autism.

116. faith in LD.

117. adoption.

118. God placing events in order for my younger child.

119. a husband that loves my children.

120. a husband that wants my children.

121. a husband that is a father to my children.

122. fish!!

123. Love Dove…a gift from my student Grace!

124. a Lord that hides things to protect us.

125. a Lord that shows us truth to teach and lead us.

126. clouds that give you strength.

127. weather that warns you.

128. thunder and lightning.

129. new employment opportunities.

130. old employment.

131. old colleagues who still believe in you.

132. new colleagues who believe in you.

133. publications.

134. presentations.

135. reading.

136. fireworks.

137. our boat.

138. fishing licenses.

139. hunting licenses.

140. voting.

141. children who can choose.

141. the opportunity to fail.

142. the opportunity to mess up.

143. the chance to make things right again.

144. opportunities to apologize.

145. opportunities to forgive.

146. another day.

147. another hour.

148. another minute.

149. another second.

150. Lisa.

151. Liesha.

152. JuJu Bean!!

153. Katie and John.

154. Mandy.

155. MNOs.

156. juice.

157. my grandchild’s giggle.

158. my grandchild’s smile.

159. my grandchild’s feet.

160. door chimes!

161. protection for A when he is in trouble.

162. protection for A’s family when it is needed.

163. praying friends.

164. Seder.

165. Sukkot.

166. HSLDA.

167. LDASC.

168. the board of directors.

169. Chas.

170. camping.

171. snorkeling.

172. Key West.

173. BSA.

174. Learning Ally

175. BookShare

175. BARD

176. Talking Books

177. libraries.

178. church.

179. volunteers.

180. my former students.

181. parents of former students.

182. students to come.

183. homeschool groups.

184. homeschool support.

185. being able to choose my curriculum.

186. being able to work from home.

187. being able to be with my younger child.

188. sleep.

189. rest.

190. herb knowledge.

191. pictures and photographs.

192. my grandchild’s babbles!.

193. that Christ died for me.

194. that He rose for me.

195. that He knew me before I was made.

196. that He calls my name.

197. that the Spirit intercedes for me.

198. that He talks to me.

199. that I am His.

200. blogging.

201. writing.

202. grass between my toes.

203. the smell of rain.

204. clouds that roll in.

205. sand that allows roots to grab and grow.

206. seashells at the beach.

207. baby blankets.

208. phone calls.

209. texts.

210. peaches.

211. picking blueberries.

212. cobblers.

213. crockpots.

214. contractors.

215. pretty new bathrooms – once complete.

216. pretty new bedroom floors – once complete.

217. insurance.

218. news.

219. adoption attorneys.

220. cousins that answer when you call.

221. passwords.

222. email.

223. veggie co-op.

224. friends that come through at the last minute and help.

225. SEEING!!

226. knowing how to differentiate in what I see and what is revealed.

227. birthdays.

228. washing machines.

229. dishwashers.

230. local businesses!!

231. fish in the rain barrel.

232. grapes!.

233. pallets.

234. rainbows after a storm.

235. promises.

finishing the knife...

2014-06-02T15:26:00.000-04:00

Making Rings...

2014-05-31T15:13:00.000-04:00

My child made a ring for me from a quarter...something he saw on YouTube...pretty cool!!

9/11 Field Trip

2014-05-31T14:37:00.000-04:00

Elk Encounters...

2014-05-29T14:25:00.000-04:00

Son's Eagle Scout Project

2014-05-25T14:19:00.000-04:00

My younger son recently completed his Eagle Scout Project. He wanted to build raised, wheel-chair accessible garden beds for the residents of a local nursing home facility.

existing ground beds were repaired.

two new wheelchair accessible beds were built.

old raised beds were provided with drainage holes and protective cloth was put down to help preserve wood...