A person recently said to me, “I want to retire at 55 and die when I’m 70.” I replied, “Forever why? Do you think you would be no longer useful at 70?” “Exactly. Seventy is old enough.” It made me think of a scripture in Jeremiah 17: 5-6 which tells us that those who trust in mankind and makes flesh his strength, who turns his heart away from the Lord will be like a bush in the desert and will…
Recently my attention was drawn to the significance of hyssop in the Bible. The first mention of it is in Exodus 12:22 when the Lord instructed Moses how to prepare for the Passover. He said: “You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the…
There is a recent outbreak of the corona virus killing hundreds in China now. It is known as 2019-nCoV and is from a family of viruses that cause everything from the common cold to SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.) The virus has little spikes (like the spikes of a crown) that hook cells so the virus can multiply. The word corona refers to the spikes of a crown. The insidiousness of this virus caused me to think of Revelation, chapter…
As I read through the Bible in a year, I never cease to come across stuff that I swear God has slipped in when I wasn’t looking. It’s like He drops little hidden nuggets for us to find. This happened this past week. I’m up to Deuteronomy 19. In verses 16-19 I read: If a malicious witness rises up against a man to accuse him of wrongdoing, then both the men who have the dispute shall stand before the Lord,…
In preparation for a talk on my book Hard Times in the Heartland last weekend at the Kimberling City, Missouri Library, Meet the Author Festival, I needed to find the letters my dad wrote to Mom and I during WW II. I hunted from the attic to the basement. The longer I looked the more frustrated I became. Had I thrown them away by accident when everything was in total disarray when my house received a new update last year? To…
I recall Grandma used to make Farmer’s cheese. She didn’t call it that—she just did it. She’d bring fresh whole milk to a boil (just until tiny bubbles formed at the edges of the pan). She was careful to stir it so it didn’t burn. Then she turned off the heat and added a little white vinegar and a dash of salt. After stirring the vinegar and salt in, the milk curdled after about five minutes. She then lined a…
As I stood in line at the Dollar Store I spied this the other day. How times have changed! When we were married almost fifty-eight years ago the scenario went like this: You got married. One day you missed a cycle. Soon after you felt sick. You went to the doctor. They took a urine sample and sent it to a lab. The lab injected a rabbit with your urine. About two weeks later, if the rabbit died, the doctor…
On cold winter days baking bread shouts comfort food like no other. I used to bake nine loaves of bread each week. Now, not so much! My favorite recipe uses whole wheat flour and unbleached white. I’ve included it in my cookbook Family Favorites from the Heartland. It’s my go-to recipe for bread. Someone asked me how long this process takes. I answered, “Three hours total, but you don’t have to stand and watch it rise. Go do something useful while…
The weather this year at Christmas was exceptional. It was so warm the kids ate outside and stayed outdoors most of the afternoon. In the spirit of gift-giving (in honor of the best gift of all–Jesus) I made each one a warm blanket for their gift this year. At one point someone suggested everyone put on their new blankets for a quick pic. This is the result. I think I made 22 in all. Couples got double wide ones. I…
A few weeks ago I shared a story about granddaughter, Brooke, searching for buttons to use on her sewing project. She wanted to make a tree skirt for her home. The buttons she picked were off her great-great-grandfather’s long johns. Earlier she had taken old jeans that belonged to her grandfather. She used the good spots from that material to make the Christmas trees on her tree skirt. The buttons served to close the circle and here is the finished…