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...if you want it to succeed, at least. I think most of you have heard of Pinterest.  Pinterest is another (very successful) social, idea-sharing, web-site, where members can create "pin-boards" to post pictures, ideas, directions for making an awesome cake, or whatever.  Some people post lots and lots of little sayings, simply printed on virtual pieces of paper, to share some idea, good or bad, with the world. I've noticed that when someone is mad at their friend, boy friend, husband (soon-to-be-ex-husband), scads of these little word-plaques, show up on their pin-boards and facebook walls.  Some of them simply speak to their sadness, and others might make you grimace, sadly, and think, "ouch, i guess i know part of what led to this divorce." So, i thought i would speak to some of these love-and-bliss-numbing words of lack-of-wisdom, that i have found over the past couple of days.  Don't forget.  We're talking about marriage here.  These

This is what happens when country life and modern technology mix. I'm slowly and groggily waking up on Saturday morning, the first day of a much appreciated three-day weekend, and i pick up my phone and see if anything is happening on face book.  The first thing i see is this picture, of MY ducks, posted by a neighbor.  My neighbor friend was trying to go for a walk but noticed she was being followed.  The time on the post read "14 seconds ago." OH NO!   My neighbor friend was kind enough to "encourage" Wally and the wonder ducks back toward home, where they waited impatiently for me to fill up their duck pond with water so they could get a bath. Apparently, their morning work out made them sweaty.

I think we planted this little tree in the ground about two years ago.  I think.  It has been through two of the hardest years that Texas has seen, and it has made it.  It went through on of the coldest winters, the hottest, dryest summer in at least 30 years, and now, it promises a hint of fruit. I'm ecstatic. For posterity, this is a Lone Star Orange tree. It's bred to grow in our part of the country.  It's about my height at its tip top most reaching branch,  and it has two tiny itty bitty green baby oranges on it.   I'm so proud!

Somewhat recently, i had a conversation with a 65-ish year-old friend of mine at work, at the end of which, she told me that my husband and i should consider being marriage counselors. Well, after 13 years of marriage, i'm confident we aren't qualified to be marriage counselors. But "on the other hand," sang Tevia, i look around me.  I talk to people.  More often, i listen to people.  And i observe that the marriage my husband and i have is significantly healthier and happier than 60% of the marriages around me, young marriages and old marriages alike.  So i wonder if i could be helpful. Then "on the other other hand," well, maybe that's too many hands...but marriage has been on my heart a LOT lately.  I want to have a way to influence people's ideas about marriage.  I think the world has had way too much influence on the concept of what it means to be married, and there are so few of us left who think marriage is forever, that we have to

 Before One week later Cool, huh? I took my cousin's advice and put my sprouting lettuce in dirt.  And it turns out he was right.  It's growing.  Yipppeee! The chives are also growing, obviously.  Thing is, we never actually eat chives/green onions.  What am i supposed to do with these? Suggestions are welcome.

Do you remember my telling you about the ducks on the roof ? Well, those ducks haven't stopped sleeping on the roof at night.  That's there spot.  They've picked it, and i think they plan to stay.  But then there's Wally.  Wally is in the picture above.  He's the drake, the male duck.  And he outweighs the girls by 7 or 8 pounds.  I haven't weighed him, since he's not into standing still on scales, but he definitely looks to be a good 15 pounds as is likely for his breed.  The girls, at a mere 7-8 pounds, are much lighter on the wing than Wally.  Flying up to the roof is pretty easy for them.  But poor Wally. At first, when the girls started sleeping on the roof, he instinctually/habitually kept sleeping in the coop with the chickens.  But eventually he got lonely for his family, and we found him in the front yard, trying to be as close to his roofed friends as he could be. One night, i found all four of them on top of the brooder (a much l

Happy Mother's Day to my angel Mom, whom i love and respect and admire so much that i well up with snotty tears when i consider her and how beautifully she reflects the love of Jesus to me in so very many ways. I love you, Mom! Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever. -  Unknown Into a woman's keeping is committed the destiny of the generations to come. Theodore Roosevelt Proverbs 31:2   Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her. The mother is the one supreme asset of national life; she is more important by far than the successful statesman, or businessman, or artist, or scientist. Theodore Roosevelt Peace begins with a smile. Mother Teresa Happy Mother's Day to Mormor, spending it with Jesus, this year. Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. Mother Teresa Happy Mother's Day to all the beautiful moms who have bee

I was really excited a week or two ago about the prospect of resprouting grocery store produce.  I tried it out with some little lettuces and some green onions.  As you may or may not be able to see in this pretty bad picture, above, the green onions are going gangbusters.  The lettuces.....eh.  The one on the right has rotted into the water completely.  The one next to it has simply stopped growing.  And it's the best one. Have any of you made lettuce sprout and grow in this manner? I would love some tips.   Also, what do i do with the onions now?  Keep them in water?  Plant them in the flower garden? I think i'm missing something.

There's a been a lot of buzzing around here the last few days.  We've embarked on a new something.  Involving a lot of junk food.  Haha!   A few weeks ago, my husband realized that he could fill a need and maybe make some bank.  His workplace needs a dependable snack machine.  Yes, that's a need.  Anyway, he started doing some talking to the appropriate powers that be and decided to go for it. There's been a lot of vending machine research and pricing and snack pricing and all sort of things you don't normally do too much thinking about.  You wouldn't believe how many details there are to the different kinds of vending machines.  People put a lot of thought into this stuff. Anyway, this week my husband received a very timely bonus that he planned to use to buy the chosen vending machine.  And even though Uncle Sam took an unkind chunk of it, we were able to get the machine and spend most of the rest of our duckets on the food to fill it. 

I know. It's Wednesday, and i haven't written this week. I know. You know, i write because there are important people to me in this world who like to read it, and for other reasons, and also because writing is one of the things i, personally, need to do.  Some people need to dance.  Some people need to sing.  Some people need to run.  I need to write. But this week, i have all sorts of conflicts and discussions and the learning of lessons, going on in my heart.  And none of them are ready to be written about.  Not here.  Not yet. The good writings must be preceded by much pondering.  So maybe i have some good writings in my future.  Let's hope. I will tell you this much. I find it to be one of the greatest miracles on this earth that a human being, in a human body, can bequest the Creator for instruction and somehow receive communication from Heaven.  This is a truly grand miracle.  The signal is very often very fuzzy, but i can hear the message if i reall