Hello from just over the hilltop in Norwood where the deer and the antelope, I mean squirrels, play. I caught a glimpse of Miss Deer loping across the neighbor’s lawn the other morning, stopping at the sidewalk as though listening for traffic but not looking both ways, then jogging over toward the swamp.
Sunday morning Jami and Karen stopped by briefly and while we were swinging Garrett and Heidi up on the hilltop, we watched Miss Deer eating down in the valley. Last year there were five deer that hung around together, but now there is just her and I wonder if she might be lonely and wonder what happened to the others.
am happy with the few flowers that have grown even in neglect
The tiger lilies have been glorious this year and the hostas were not eaten by the deer so I now know what they look like in full bloom. I haven’t spent as much time in the garden as I wanted but am happy with the few flowers that have grown even in neglect.
Dick installed gutters at the girls’ Potsdam house last week and I think that is his last project at that property. We are praying their sale goes through quickly and smoothly. He also replaced that small back wall of the addition at the schoolhouse and painted it. We are moving along slowly with the plans over there and lost a little momentum and steam as we work through how much we want to invest in another business and how many hoops we want to jump through at this stage in our lives. We’ll keep you posted.
Days gone by
While in Vermont the other weekend, we also stopped at my Grandpa and Grandma Bills’ grave to sit a spell and remember some of their life’s history and unique stories. Walking in and through a cemetery is a quiet reminder that one day each of us will land in one. Just a four by six or eight plot with a name, two dates, and a dash. My grandparents have their stone as a small granite bench in the back of the cemetery along a beautiful stone wall tucked in the shade of the trees. (The picture this week is of their bench). It is a welcoming sight to find and a place to rest. I believe my grandpa planned it that way just for those walking around the cemetery. Last week I mentioned that the 4th and the 16th were special days in July. Well, the 16th is my birthday, but also the day my Grandpa died. I find that the date doesn’t bother me and I rather think it a joy to share it with him. More importantly though is all the days in between when he was born and when he died.
I loved the bantering and laughter shared between my grandpa and me
If we look for it, I believe that good can be found and lessons can be learned from any person and any situation. During my first two years of high school I lived with my grandparents. I loved being the “only child” with them, loved watching them enjoy their work (Grandma was a secretary at the Holstein Freisian in Brattleboro and Grandpa worked for the town), loved how they relaxed (Grandma crocheted and Grandpa cooked and made dandelion wine). But mostly I loved the bantering and laughter shared between my grandpa and me. He was such fun to be with, very patient with me, and taught me to love and sing old folk songs.
Life’s lessons
Anyway, that leads me to my birthday. I like reading Proverbs 16 on the 16th to see if my life is fleshing out any of the tidbits of advice in this chapter. I found I still need to work in the area of pride for verse five reminds me that “every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord,” and verse eighteen says “pride goeth before destruction” followed by “better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud” in verse nineteen. I desire to have a humble spirit rather than a prideful spirit and need to depend on God’s grace to implement it in my life.
Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones
Another verse that stood out this year was verse twenty-four that says “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.” I want very much to speak and to write so that the hearer and the reader might be edified and lifted up. Pleasant words hopefully make for pleasant memories and in years to come, this will be a record of someone whose life may have made a difference. Not because I am special, but because those around me are special and I want to bring sweetness and health to their souls.
Sunday was our granddaughter Elizabeth’s eleveneth birthday and we were able to visit for a little celebration that evening. Happy Birthday to Elizabeth and me as we celebrate having twin digit numbers this year. 11 and 66!
We had wonderful guests over this past weekend of the Potsdam Summerfest. This was the first time I had guests that didn’t know each other before arriving. I have had both rooms let out since we opened but to members of the same family or to close friends. This time there were different breakfast schedules as well as different comings and goings and I loved it! We now have a quiet few weeks, except for family, and I will try to catch up in the gardens, the schoolhouse, and some paperwork.
Have a wonderful week in whatever you are doing. Summer is marching on too fast! Love, Sharon