A Simple Joy for You Today

Roger brought this to me this morning. He was stacking hay in the barn and it seems that some of the hens prefer the hay to the cedar shavings that are in their nesting boxes. Isn't it the sweetest thing? It's just barely 1 1/4" long!

I thought it was sweet of Roger to bring it to me. He could have tossed it and I'd never have known. This meant as much to me as if he'd picked a bouquet of wildflowers.

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Ready to Fly Away Home ~ UPDATED

Only two of the "A Bird in the Hand..." pieces are left: #5 in the photo above, and the one in the photo below.

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There is also one silk ribbon embroidered pillow left:

Please visit Honeysuckle Lane to see them.

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Thank you!

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A Bird in the Hand...

I'll Take What I can Get

A few weeks ago, my husband came hurrying into the room making hand motions as if he were taking a picture. I looked puzzled, and he pointed at my camera and motioned for me to come with him. Okay, our kids are actually not kids anymore, they are 22, 19, and 17, but just the same, it was as if we were trying to keep a secret from them, by miming everything instead of just saying it. I'm sure they were sitting there thinking, "I'm so glad my friends aren't seeing my parents right now!" Then my husband whispered... "the sunset!" That was enough for me. I grabbed my camera and we ran out the door yelling to the kids we'd be back in a little while. I was delighted that he thought of how much I love to watch the sun set and was trying to help me catch the last bit of color washing across the sky ~ how romantic and thoughtful! We live in a "swag" surrounded by trees, so we miss many a sunrise or sunset unless we drive down the road to higher ground. One of the best places to watch is 2 miles away where a new, very high, bridge was built across the river. When we got there, we thought we had missed the color show, but we sat there and watched for a couple minutes, and right before our eyes the sky just came to life! It was breathtaking! The longer we stayed the deeper and brighter the colors became... as if God were painting it just for us.

When we finally headed home, my husband took his time driving back down the country road. With the windows down, we could hear the crickets and a few evening birds, smell the fresh cut hay ~~~ and see the deer that had come out into the fields at dusk. Oh yes, it finally dawned on me! Now I know why he was in a hurry to get out and about before the sun set! Dear Husband loves to drive around and see all the deer grazing in the fields in the evenings... oh well... I'll take what I can get! It was worth it, wasn't it?

Dear Dolly

Do you ever feel like this dear dolly? I sure do. Old & worn, cracked & peeling, beat & battered by life. I'm sure she's seen some rough times, scorching hot days, and bitterly cold nights. She's probably been chewed on by the cat, yanked away by a big brother, and squeezed a little too hard by a young girl. But take a closer look... it looks as if she's got a hint of a smile still! And she's looking up! She seems so fragile, and yet so strong to have made it through all that she has lived. After all that she's been through, she is still around, still bringing joy to those who will accept it, and still a beautiful, dear dolly.

This doll belonged to my great grandmother who was born in the 1860s. I'm not sure how old the doll is or when my great grandmother acquired her. I remember my Mama showing her to me several times over the years, taking her out of the cedar chest and unwrapping this precious old doll. A few years ago, Mama told me she wanted me to have the dolls (there's another small china doll that belonged to Mama's mother) but I wouldn't take them just yet. I told Mama to keep them as long as she wanted so she could take them out and look at them once in a while. Last autumn they became mine. Very soon I will have them displayed in my workroom so I can be reminded and inspired every single day...

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