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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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…
I wonder if anyone ever had girl twins that they named Flora and Fauna? Surely somebody has done it by now. Flora probably wouldn’t mind, but Fauna (poor girl) might wish her parents hadn’t been so whimsical.
Be that as it may, I have gotten off track already. My intention is to show you some of the Flora and Fauna I’ve captured with my camera on our property lately. There might be a poem at the end, so persevere.
I think she noticed the camera and is posing for me. You tell your stories and I’ll tell mine.
Why are rabbits so adorable? It makes it hard to hate them when they eat up your lettuces and such.
I realize that this is neither flora nor fauna, but it sets the stage for what comes next, which involves fauna.
We have a perfectly good bird bath, but this bird preferred our fountain. First he got his bearings. And then…
…he took a splish-splash bath! ‘Twas quite exciting on a quiet afternoon. And now for the flora part of this tour.
The clematis are glorious! Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Ukrainian Irises have raised their showy purple/blue heads in triumph over the perennial garden, saying “The garden party can start now!” And indeed, it has.
The Monarda is more demure, making a quiet statement of beauty.
These guys (how could I have forgotten their name?) are ready to burst into bloom.
The coneflowers are biding their time. “What’s the rush?” I heard them saying to the irises.
Flora and Fauna Are God’s primadonnas. In the backyard choir, None sing higher. With feathers and fur, And petals galore, It’s a fabulous show – Get outside and go!
I’ll probably have to delete this Blora and Bauna post in the morning.
And now the word “busy” looks really stupid to me. How do we even pronounce it the way we do?
The point being, however, that there is much keeping me occupied, too occupied to write my usual post (and yet here I am). I’ll leave with you a bunch of photos to tell the story.
BeforeAfter, which lots more just like this to do yet.
Also, big news: I walked a mile on my new knee!
The end.
Not literally. There might be more coming tomorrow. Or this might be deleted in the morning while I’m out pulling weeds.
The fan is moving air quietly around, I hear the sound of the fountain in the front yard, my guitar sits looking accusingly at me, and there is just enough heat and humidity to make me feel a little soggy. It’s altogether possible that you don’t care about those descriptive elements of this moment, but I’d rather imagine that you do.
Look for crosses, and while it is fair weather, mend the sails of the ship. Samuel Rutherford
Enjoy fair weather; be prepared for foul.
In active obedience, we worship God by doing what pleases God, but by passive obedience, we do as well worship God by being pleased with what God does. Jeremiah Burroughs
In other words, in everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Strike from us the empty words of the sons of disobedience, and open our ears and hearts to receive humbly the word of Your wisdom. Amen. Prayer for Illumination
We pray that corporately at our church sometimes before the reading of God’s word and hearing the sermon.
The secret of joy is Christ in me – not me in a different set of circumstances. Elisabeth Elliot
Thank you for the reminder, dear Elisabeth.
Beauty is a gratuitous gift of the creator God; it finds its source and its purpose in God’s character. God, out of his gratuitous love, created a world he did not need because he is an artist.
You need only step outside your house into the world that God made to see the artistry of the creator. Beauty is not an accident.
Our first clematis of the year!
This soggy bloggy will disappear tomoggy. In the morning.
I haven’t been up to much in the workshop lately. I have decided to self-publish my book Small Saul in the Big Bog, and because I am a frugal person, I also decided to try my hand at the illustrations.
Saul is described on the first page as being only four inches long, so my idea was to draw him on the page to scale to give the reader an idea of just how small he is. I found a photo of a bog lemming and enlarged it on the iPad screen until it fit into the four inches on my ruler.
In the photo, the bog lemming just puddled into the ground with no discernible feet, so I have taken the liberty of giving him some. You’re welcome, Small Saul. I don’t think I’ll get very far with doing my own illustrations, but I’ll try a few.
I did some research into self-publishing and immediately ran into problems with terminology issues, the issues being that I don’t understand the terminology of formatting the book. I might have to head over to YouTube to see if I can find “Book Formatting for Dummies.”
This post was formatted incorrectly and is therefore invalid; it will be deleted in the morning once I find a YouTube video showing “Deleting Blog Posts for Dummies.”
Lynniebeemuseoday 