Author: Foodiness

Too old to figure out how to start a blog; too young to give up entirely.

Thursday, June 25, 2026 A Good Friend, An Acrylic Adventure

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I hosted a paint party recently. It was my job to not only find enough people to come, but also to pick out the painting that we would do. I had about 10 paintings to choose from. They were all nice, and I dragged my feet on the selection. Finally, the event was drawing nigh and I had to choose, so I picked one that I thought was quite striking.

The paint party was lots of fun and I got to know some of my neighbors a little better. It’s always interesting to see how the paintings turn out when you do one of these paint parties. They’re all basically the same subject with the same paint, but rendered in different ways. Still, that striking painting struck me differently when I thought about where to put it in our house. The bright red and yellow in the sky just didn’t fit anywhere here. What to do?

My good friend Teresa visited today and among other things we talked about that painting. She is an interior designer, a skill I do not possess on any level (hence, picking a painting that doesn’t work well in my house).

“Should I just throw it away?“ I asked.

She looked at it thoughtfully and said, “I wouldn’t do that. Why don’t you repaint the sky and the sun? You could put in some more muted tones that would make it more suitable“ The fact that she thought I was capable of this was quite encouraging. I had a few dozen small containers of acrylic paint that I had not looked at nor opened in probably 15 years. Why not?

As soon as she left, I got to work. It felt rather touch and go the whole time. At one point I accidentally spilled a little orange paint in the sky and had to just blend it in and hope for the best. The final result, while not perfect, is a painting that I think I can find a place for on one of our walls. I would not have been brave enough to try it without her encouragement.

That’s the difference that a good friend can make.

I’ll probably repaint this post in the morning.

Monday, June 22, 2026 Garden Gazing

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I always bring books with me to the garden bench, but I am surprised by how often I put them down, compelled to gaze around me instead. I go from reading words on a page to reading what God has written in this small garden. Read it for yourself!

I’ll probably delete this in the morning.

Friday, June 19, 2026 What Do You See?

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Note: I wrote this post for my previous blog, “Further Up and Further In” back in 2012. My father passed away in 2013. I reprint this in honor of his memory for Father’s Day.

What do you see? Do you see an old man? Of course you do, for that is what he is, an old man nearing the end of his journey. He sleeps most of the time, rarely talks, doesn’t remember much. And that, if you don’t know him, is all you can see when you look at these photographs. That is the limitation of photography and, in fact, a limitation of our eyes. We can only capture what is visible in that moment in time; we don’t see the broad spectrum of what makes that person who he is; we don’t see the rich and varied history of his life.

You see an old man. I see my father. You see white hair, age spots and wrinkles. I see the gentle, good-humored, kind and dependable man who helped raise me. You see his current uselessness, while I see a gymnast, a musician, a band teacher, a fisherman, a handyman, a fellow who worked hard, dressed like Mister Rogers and was lovingly faithful to his wife. You see a man who no longer interacts with his world; I see someone who read to his children, took them on endless camping trips, went swimming with them often every summer, told funny stories, whose knees creaked as he came running up the stairs at night saying, “you kids settle down up there!” and who much later quietly grieved the loss of his oldest daughter. And even what I see isn’t all there is to the man. Think what his wife and parents could tell, what they could add to our understanding of his life. Yet with all of that, our picture still isn’t complete, for only God knows the deepest parts of a man’s soul.

What do you see? What can any of us really see? Pray that the God Who Really Sees would open our eyes and give us compassion for those who can no longer tell us who they are.

Me in my Dad’s lap.
Leslie, who died in 1987, is also in the photo.

I love you and miss you, Dad!

Will I delete this in the morning? I didn’t last time, apparently.

Friday, June 12, 2026 Sir Fatty Frog

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I came across Sir Fatty Frog in the perennial garden the other day – gave me quite a start. He didn’t seem to notice me, so I presume he was thinking froggy thoughts in accordance with the way he was created.

Sir Fatty Frog
Sits on a leaf
(Why not a log?
Ask the frog!)

He’s plump and green,
Sir Fatty Frog
(I’m awfully keen
On that kind of green)

Sir Fatty Frog
Has bulgy eyes
(He’s all agog,
Sir Fatty Frog)

Give glory to God,
Sir Fatty Frog
(Just blink and nod,
He made you odd.)

Dedicated to my friend, Jeannette, who has been asking me to write more whimsical poetry.

Sir Fatty Blog will go on a deletion diet in the morning.

Thursday, June 11, 2026 Dear Diary…

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Dear Diary,

I have been hither and yon since last I wrote. How I do love visiting our loved ones, seeing their faces in person, having good conversations; it’s all a very sweet joy, especially spending time with the grandchildren. I hosted a Camper Party that was the Mother of All Camper Parties for our two oldest grandchildren (6 and 3). We told stories and had real tea and real cookies (Grandma usually doles out water and graham crackers and requires the guests to use their imagination). The laughter during our story telling time nearly rocked the camper. I let the young’uns pick four characters (stuffed animals) for each story out of the infamous Green Knapsack and off we went, improvising all the way. Ah, good times.

—- interruption for weather report! — As I was sitting here reminiscing and writing, I suddenly became aware of a terrific wind picking up. The trees are in a veritable frenzy out there! I don’t do a lot of jumping out of chairs anymore, but you should have seen me move. I turned off the water fountains and watched out the back door for a moment. “He bringeth forth the wind out of his treasuries.” That’s a phrase I’ve come across in the Bible and I must say, today’s the day for it, this very hour. Way off in the perennial garden I could see our wind spinner making a blur of itself. Quite exhilarating!

You will have to take my word for it – the wind was blowing fiercely!

Back to our travels, it was a grand time. With the possible exception of being woken up in the middle of the night in our camper hearing a woman screeching at the top of her lungs looking for her lost cat. She and her group had been in the camper next to us and couldn’t find their cat before leaving earlier in the day. I’m all sympathy about wanting to find the cat, but sympathy dissolved into antipathy at the caterwauling that went on for 10 minutes or so. “FRIS-BEEEEEEE!” FRIS-BEEEEE! MEOW, MEOW, HERE, KITTY, KITTY!!!!” I do have a hard time being charitable at times like that. In retrospect, she’s given me an entertaining story to tell, which softens my heart.

As much as I enjoy the delights of travel, I am always thankful to get home, back to our comfy bed and our even more comfy routine. Even when I was all the way across the nation, I think the Sticky Chair was calling me.

Writing from the S.C.

Me.

I’ll probably go looking for this post in the morning, screeching at the top of my lungs.

Wednesday, June 10, 2026 The Workshop: Tiny Art Restart

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Yes, I finally got out the carefully packed zipper bag of art supplies that I brought with me out West in April, having intended to do some Tiny Art out there. Hope springs eternal, apparently, since I have done this many times in the past and the result was the same as this time: Zip. Nada. Null and Void. But today, the muse struck me like a mallet hitting a gong. Tiny Art Happened.

Quirky flamingo with a serpentine neck:

This is the truth:

You’ll only get this next one if you know the song “Where have all the flowers gone?” If you do, you’ll be singing it for the next few hours – sorry.

Flower siblings:

And now you know what happens when inspiration strikes! Full disclosure: I copied all of these from art I found on Pinterest. But the words, as always, are mine (for what that’s worth).

Where have all the blog posts gone…long time passing?

Tuesday, June 9, 2026 Commonplace Quotes: LOTR Edition

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I’m currently reading a book called Bandersnatch, about the writing collaboration between JRR Tolkien and C.S. Lewis and other writers that called themselves “Inklings.” I am astounded to think that we might never have had the gift of Lord of the Rings, were it not for C.S. Lewis’s encouragement to his friend “Tollers.”

A few quotes from the trilogy (which, if you haven’t read yet, you really should do so):

There is a seed of courage hidden (often deeply, it is true) in the heart of the fattest and most timid hobbit, waiting for some final and desperate danger to make it grow.
JRR Tolkien, Fellowship of the Rings

As someone who has often had a very timid heart, I find this fabulously encouraging.

Indeed, in nothing is the power of the Dark Lord, more clearly shown than in the estrangement that divides all who still oppose him.
(same)

“The counsel of Gandolf was not founded on foreknowledge of safety, for himself, or for others,” said Aragorn. “There are some things that it is better to begin than to refuse, even though the end is dark.”
JRR Tolkien, The Two Towers

“Work of the enemy!” said Gandolf. “Such deeds he loves: friend at war with friend; loyalty divided in confusion of hearts.
JRR Tolkien, The Return of the King

There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end, the shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty forever beyond its reach.
(Same)

Well, here at last, dear friends, on the shores of the Sea, comes the end of our fellowship in Middle-Earth. Go in peace! I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.
(same)

Of course, those quotes are just a pittance compared to the full breadth of the book. Go and read it.

I’ll probably delete this in the morning, but not all deletions are an evil.

Monday, June 8, 2026 The World and They That Dwell Therein

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The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof;

The world, and they that dwell therein.

Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

Who is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, O ye gates..and the King of glory shall come in.

Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

When your garden and the creatures who pass through it speak the psalms to you.

I think it’s bedtime; I shall dream of deleting this in the morning.

Wednesday, June 3, 2026 Oldie But Goodie

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Years ago I tried doing a daily art piece or comic that I put on Instagram. It lasted about 30 days. Here’s one of those since I haven’t had time to do anything remotely artsy lately. Of course, you may look at the item below and say to yourself “This isn’t remotely artsy either.” That would be fair.

Not artsy, but definitely true.

Deleting blog posts keeps me minimally flexible as a writer. In the morning.

Tuesday, June 2, 2026 Commonplace Quotes: Gluttony

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Gluttony! I can’t say I’ve ever heard a sermon on gluttony, but there’s plenty in the Bible about it. I struggle with self-control when it comes to eating, so it’s an area where I need a great deal of prayer and encouragement. We all have our thorn in the flesh, right? It keeps us humble and directs our gaze to the Lord.

Here are a couple quotes I wrote in my Commonplace Book to keep them at hand.

Gluttony is the fool’s impulse to say “again, again,” when it is not time for “again.” …gluttony is not a problem of excessive pleasure. It’s a problem of pleasure that never reaches its fulfillment. …The God who gave limits to the tides has also given limits to our stomachs. …We can eat with thanksgiving and get the full spectrum of what a meal has to offer, or we can dive our heads into a shallow bowl of pleasure, demanding repetition.
Tilly Dillehay, from the book Broken Bread

…if you have goals of developing self-control – a spiritual end – through spiritual and physical means, then fasting may be one way to approach that. Part of self-control is knowing what it feels like to tell our bodies no when we are used to telling them yes.
Tilly Dillehay, from the same book.

Those are some meaty quotes! I’ve given you quite a bit to chew on (sorry for all the food references – I can’t seem to help it).

Here’s one last quote from my book that will put hope in your heart and a spring in your step.

The LORD God is a sun and shield;
The LORD will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
Psalm 84:11

I’ll probably delete this in the morning unless I’m busy doing something else, which frequently happens. In fact, if you were to fact check all this deleting that I talk about…