Length of Time

When folks say time is short, they are referring to our time (life) here on earth.  When they say time lasts forever, they are speaking of eternity - an infinite, indeterminately long period of time.  Stevie Wonder said "Time is long, but life is short."  That's the truth of it.



Time and grace heals our wounds, but time is not always a friend.  I know how short life can be. I've lost loved ones, friends, and students who were young.  Accidents and sudden illness can take away a life quickly.  Cancer, diabetes, aneurysms, embolisms, and other catastrophic events can change a person's health and life in a moment.  What about my family and friends who have not accepted God's words of life?  What if they were to die today?







I pray that my faith will be a guiding light and an influence upon those around me who do not yet know God, and an encouragement and example to those who know Him but are spiritually malnourished.  I actually fall into this second category much too often.

Saturday started with the predicted rain, coming down light but continuous.  Perfect for getting my new seed to germinate, although the ground temperature needed to be in the 60's.

Fireplace without the fire going, but has the LED lights on,
which makes it look like hot coals and embers in there.

Time was ticking and I had a long 'to do' list before Courtney's arrival.  So I hit it quickly with laundry (including bed and bath linens), cleaning bathrooms, making the guest bed in Britney's room, hanging a few more pictures, going grocery shopping, and doing a little cooking.  Seen below, the sunset painting is one of Britney's I recently unpacked and just hung up.

I also spent some time in my Bible Study.  It is hard for me to 'slow down' the busyness of life and take time to read, meditate on God's words, and pray.  One can not or should not, study fast.  You need to take time to let things sink in.  Well, in the middle of my study time, I got a phone call from a friend, asking if I had heard the bad news that Judy Gibson passed away during the night.  My first reaction was complete and utter dismay, trembling, and a sick feeling. 
I was shaking all over, but then I came to my senses, and remembered that I had just texted with Judy a few hours earlier about our rendezvous time for the evening.  Long story short, it turns out it was a different Judy Gibson.  Boy was that a wake-up call however.  Any one of us, at any time, can be swiped from the face of this earth.  My only hope, is that we will each be called home to heaven.  It took my nerves a while to calm down.

Courtney arrived about 3:30.  I had taken medicine for my cold (sinus headache, earache, post nasal drip, & sore throat) and was feeling l needed a nap.  Her allergies were bothering her, so we watched a movie (Zootopia) here at home rather than going out to the theater.  The movie was cute. 

We met Judy and Shirley at Reds for dinner, followed by Karaoke.  Terry wasn't the DJ, so we missed out on his great voice, but there were some good singers that we enjoyed, along with the conversation and food.


A little old lady, whom I haven't seen at Reds in ages, was there, and as usual, dancing up a storm.  She really enjoys moving to music, and I must admit, I got up and joined her during a few songs.

Once home, Courtney started a movie (about 11 pm) but I was quick to climb into bed.  Courtney took this photo of Maggie who had crawled under the blanket on her doggie bed. 

I didn't get up until almost 7:00 Sunday morning.  I was feeling pretty lousy.  I took more cold medicine along with all my morning vitamins and dietary supplements.  Courtney, who slept on the couch in the balcony, not in Britney's bed, got woken and was up just a half hour after me.  She did not feel well either, and reported that Mike had been sick.  We had banana muffins for breakfast, and then she fell back to sleep in front of the fire, and I got this blog started.


We were lazy girls all morning, but eventually got dressed and went to the barn.  Neither of us felt great and Courtney decided riding Zorro was a bigger task than she felt like tackling with the way she was feeling.  We each brought our own horse in and got them all cleaned up. 




Courtney decided to do some work in the pony pen (seen below) and I hopped on Amiga, bareback.  I soon discovered how sore I still was from our mishap last Thursday.  At least Amiga seemed sound, with no signs of stiffness.  She was very wound up though.  I took this video of Courtney working Zorro while I sat on Amiga. 

 

We turned our horses back out to pasture (seen left, Amiga heading to the herd) and then we returned home for a late 3:00 lunch, consisting of a big salad, made to each of our liking.  And then, too soon, Courtney was on the road for home.  The length of time together never seems long enough, for me anyway. 😍

I took Maggie on an hour walk, got back, and settled in for a quiet evening at home.  I took care of a few household chores and then computerized, read, and watched TV.  My right ear, head, and throat really hurt.

Monday morning sunrise reflected in the pond.

Time seemed to stand still during parts of the night.  I felt absolutely horrible.  My pounding head, cough, ringing ears, runny nose, and aching body would not let me rest peacefully.

Upon waking Monday morning, I decided a trip to the Dr. was going to be necessary.  No one really knows the length of time they are going to be sick.  With a vacation coming up, I did not have time to 'ride this cold' out.  But, I didn't feel like going anywhere, especially to a doctor.  I called once they were open and was able to get in at 10:45.

The doctor appointment and trip to the pharmacy took almost two hours of my time, but I guess that isn't too bad.  This is the arsenal of drugs I now had.  I was being treated for an upper respiratory infection.  The Dr. said my right Eustachian tube was totally compressed from all the pressure in my sinuses, thus the earache.

I took the two antibiotic tablets with lunch and then took Maggie on a 30 minute walk.  I figured fresh air, sunshine, and exercise might do us good.  It was exhausting and I was starting to feel achy again.  Once home, I laid down out on the deck in the sun to read and nap.  Maggie joined me.

The Amaryllis is now in full bloom.

It had clouded up and I started feeling cold, so in we came and I turned the fire on and took a better nap in front of it.  Then I got too hot.  I think I might have started to run a fever.  I just couldn't get comfortable.  I really started aching all over, coughing, and was feverish.  I finally decided to take more Mucinex.  It wasn't in the Dr's. orders, but I needed something for the pain.  It helped a lot, and by the time I went to bed, I was able to rest.

Tuesday morning I needed another Mucinex to clear my head and relieve me of the aches.  Later, I decided I felt good enough to go to Bible Study, which I did.  I prayed I wouldn't share any germs. 

My noon antibiotic gave me a little intestinal upset like it had the day before, but not so bad I couldn't go for a long walk.  I took Maggie on the Seven Bridges hiking trail, thus these photos.






Joe arrived home from his one week Florida golf vacation shortly after I got back with the dog.  I was still feeling bad enough that I wasn't up to conversing (pulling information from him) about his week.




It wasn't that cold out, but the increasing winds pushed in the clouds which carried rain.  I had a cup of tea out on the back porch, watching the rain, which had just started.  Later I heated up some soup for dinner.  And before bed, Joe and I watched TV with the fire going.  I took more meds before going to bed, and hoped the length of time this ailment lasted, would be short.

Wednesday I rolled out of bed at 6 am, feeling pretty good actually.  I love that the sky is already light at this time of day.  It was 53 degrees, misting, and the birds were singing.  It felt like spring.  A pair of ducks were feeding on corn down back and mucking around in the pond.

It ended up raining all morning.  I worked on my Bible Study and then went to the library to return the Janet Evanovich book I had finished and get the next one in the series.



Still being low on energy, after lunch I laid on the couch on the balcony and started my new book.  Then I took a nap with Stevie curled up against my side.  It was nice.  But I woke abruptly, realizing I had forgotten to take today's antibiotic, so scurried down stairs to do that before forgetting.  I felt I needed to do something productive, so worked at cleaning off my desk.  Then I stained the duck house with our dark accent deck stain.





Before the sun went down, I took Maggie for a long walk.  We saw this herd of deer when heading up Baltusrol Dr.  There were at least seven of them that scurried across the road and into the woods.  Seen below, if you look closely, you should see seven I think.  They are so well camouflaged.  I count the tails and noses.

Forty minutes later, as we were coming back by way of Snead, we saw the deer again.  I think it was the same herd, and they were still on the move.  In left photo, you should be able to count seven of them.

Joe was at poker, so I spent more time than necessary, here at my computer.  Oh well, it entertains and helps me feel connected to some of the people I know and love.  I actually won solitaire twice in a row.  Unbelievable!


Thursday morning Joe helped me install the duck house down by the pond.  We hung it on this large white pine.  Some dead branches had to be removed first.


I am so excited to have it up.  It would be wonderful to get some ducky inhabitants.

Its a little hard to see it in this first (right) photo.  The two pictures below give you a better view of it's location.

Since we had the ladder out, we did some tree trimming.  I soon discovered being up 15 feet was a bit shaky for me because I was still feeling rather dizzy from my head congestion.  So Joe climbed the ladder to do the trimming.  Time was short so we didn't get much done.  I headed to the barn and Joe was soon off to golf.

Seen left, Amiga with a mouth full of grass (actually winter wheat).  I let her graze here every time I ride.



The three dogs accompanied me as usual, and we met Karen and Jan on Marmaduke, a paved road.  It was a beautiful day to ride.  Amiga was a little stiff in the back left hip again, but held up well.  We rode for almost two hours, going on the dirt roads, which have perfect footing.






Once home, I had to eat and nap before continuing my outdoor work.  I still don't have all my energy back.  I skipped going to my usual weight and stretch workout (third one to miss now), but did clean leaves out of some of the flower beds.



I noticed the Lenten rose (seen right) were blooming once I uncovered the leaves from on top of them.

Joe grilled pork chops for dinner and we started watching the old series "Missing."  I remember the broken hearted search for a dog years ago and can't even imagine if it were a child.  Length of time would take on a whole different realm in this situation.  

Friday morning the ducks were back.  It was warm, sunny, but windy.  Joe left to golf at 8:00.  I worked at this blog, Bible Study and was out the door by 10:30.

Amiga let me walk right up to her out in the pasture.  She has been very good about letting me catch her.

Georgia cools off and gets a drink when we get to the creek.

She was a little stiff leaving the barn, but got better as we went down the trail.  I gave her a few minutes of grazing time out in the bean field, and it is because of this, partly, that I think she likes going out on the trail.



It was windy, partly cloudy, but a very warm day.  I took the new trail to Stratford, where I met up with Jan.  We headed out in a different direction, going to the east side of Westchester.
We rode for 2 1/2 hours.  Cash and Amiga both got tired, and near the end of our ride were dragging a little bit.  Amiga even got a little tripsy.  Our horses are so good to work so hard for us. 

Can you see what the dogs are doing up ahead in the left photo?  They and the horses got quite warm.  So the dogs took every opportunity to cool off whenever possible.  The right photo shows a closer view of what was going on in the left photo.  Silly dogs.  They stayed with us until the last half hour, where they cut through the golf course to get home early.

Back at the bean field, I got off Amiga to stretch my legs, let her rest, and reward her with some good eatin's.  I gave her 15 minutes of chow time.  The length of time of our ride was the longest one since last fall.  After the long rest, when I got back on and rode the last half mile back to the barn, Amiga was a bit stiff again.

The Daffodils are now in full bloom.

I wanted to rest once I got home, but the length of time remaining in my day was short, so I got to work in the yard.  I finished trimming the tall trees so we could then store the big ladder back under the porch.  Then I started trimming bushes until time ran out.



After getting cleaned up, Joe and I were off to Jan and Mike's where we enjoyed their beautiful back porch along with cocktails.  Time is short, maybe shorter than you think, so spend it in good company.

Next, Joe and I went to Legends for their "Breakfast for Dinner" Buffet.  I ended up with this huge omelet at the 'make your own' station, and then added more bacon and hash browns to my plate.  I squeezed in fruit and then a waffle with strawberry sauce on top.  I don't usually eat like there's no tomorrow, because when tomorrow comes, there are consequences to pay.  

I like this prayer - "Dear Lord, If tomorrow never comes on this earth, I pray that I will leave behind a testimony that points to you. Help me to live as if today were my last before entering eternity, for I know not what the day may bring. I pray that I will love others with a godly love, that I will be kind and considerate, that I will share who you are and what you have done, that I will smile at those I see throughout the day, that I will remember and pray for others, that I will appreciate every little thing and have an attitude of gratitude, that I will be honest and responsible in all things. Thank you for blessing me and loving me and filling me with your spirit. Please feed my soul and give me strength today.  May you be glorified and my family be blessed. May I touch lives and sow seeds throughout the day. Amen."  

Self Control

I mentioned last week how it is easy to get sucked into negativity, unhappiness, anger, and the like.  To avoid the pitfalls of loosing yourself in the ugliness of this world, we need to practice self control.  We need to be mindful of what we say and do, so we don't lose who we are and what we stand for.  There are many areas in our life where we harm ourselves or others because we lose control of our self, our thoughts, our actions, and our words.

Self-control can be defined as restraint exercised over one's own impulses, emotions, or desires.  It is having willpower over one's actions.  There are many places in the Bible that speak on self-control. 
1 Corinthians 9:25 - Eexercise self-control in all things. 
2 Timothy 3:1-5 warns of stressful times when people will not use self-control. 
"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people."  1 Peter 5:8 - Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
 
We need to learn to use self-control in all areas of life, to control ourselves in all ways. Our mouth, in particular can be a problem... consuming or saying things that are harmful.  So, how can we learn to control ourselves?  I try to remember to stop and pray. 
Self control is a fruit of the spirit.  It is a gift from God.  The Holy Ghost is your spiritual GPS.  He will tell you where you are, where you are headed, and guide you as to the best path to take.  Learn to control your life by the power of the Holy Spirit.

For those of you who do not seek God for help and direction, I pray for you, but for now, here is a more secular way to go about strengthening your self control.  It has good advice for all who want to practice better self-control.  And honestly, many non-Christians have far better self-control (loving, kind, compassionate, tolerant, giving, and moral, with clean mouth, heart, and mind) than many professed Christians.

Okay, I'll admit it, when it comes to cute pet photos, I have little self-control. 
Saturday morning I didn't roll out of the sack until 7:00.  Quite late for me, because I had gone to bed late and not slept well.  It was 52 degrees out, warmer than the high the day before.  It felt like spring.  However, I smelled rain and the forecast said it was coming.

I spent the morning at my desk, finishing and posting last week's blog, and catching up with the 'going-ons' of family and friends.  Eventually, I was feeling too sleepy, and took a little cat nap.  Maggie is yawning out of boredom in this photo.

The rains had not yet come, so after lunch, I did some work on excavating our end of the pond.  I worked a couple of hours, resulting in more earth movement, but I wasn't yet done.



Here is a before (left) and after shot to show my progress.  Most of the dirt moved was actually underwater.




Seen left, an action shot of Maggie in hot pursuit of a chipmunk.  She has yet to catch one.  I took this video of her on the hunt.

Maggie in search of any critter she sees or smells.

Once it started to sprinkle, I came in, cleaned up a little, and then headed to town.  I went to six stores and was gone five hours (3-8 pm).  I was shopping for several specialty items, but basically had no luck finding any of them.  I did get grass seed at Lowe's, and some household staples and food at Wal-mart, before heading home.  So the trip wasn't a total waste.


Sunday was another warm, sunny day, with rain in the forecast again.  There was one little shower on the way to Church, and a minute or two of sprinkles when I was out back working, but that was it.

My yard work started out front, to trim (way back) the two dead arborvitae and then clear leaves and dead foliage from around iris bulbs.  I carefully cleared from around some of the daffodils, which are already at least six inches above ground and many have blooms on them.

When I took the dead bush clippings down back, I lost control of myself, and started clearing a path along the creek for the deer.  I started out near the pond, on the far side of the creek, and went towards Lakeview Dr.  I later took these photos as I was walking back towards the pond.  In the left photo is Allen's bridge over the creek and the new path at the right side of the photo.






The path continues to the right of the creek, following along it, all the way down to the pond.







Then, as originally intended, I worked at clearing the rest of the earth from the pond.  As I told Brian and Allen, I try to stay out of political feuding.  All my mud slinging is down at the pond.  Below photo taken on a sunny day, looking up stream, with deer path to left of the creek.

Late in the afternoon, while I was dredging more dirt and leaves out of the pond, I heard deer in the woods.  They were coming down the new path, but when they saw me, they headed up the hill, through the uncleared woods, towards the 18th tee of the golf course.


I worked until 6 pm, dark; and finally finished this project.  Here is a before I started photo (bottom left) compared to after I finished (taken Monday).















This next series of photos is a progression, over the past year or so, of the change (due to my mud slinging) that has taken place where the creek enters into the pond.  It also shows the area at varying water levels.

This is a view from the other side of the creek, of the new bank down by our bench on the rock. 

Before I was even done out back, my back, arms, and legs were already feeling quite sore.  I lingered in the shower longer than necessary.  I try to keep showers quick for environmental reasons, but just couldn't control myself.  Joe was at poker so I made a big salad for dinner and watched a Fixer Upper episode by the fire.


Monday morning Maggie and I frightened a black cat from near our deck when we went out on the screened porch by the bedroom.  The cat ran down the hill and jumped the creek.  Then sat on a log, assessing the danger.  It slowly walked along the new path and up to the 17th green where I lost sight of it.

It was a sunny day, but with the wind and temperature, it felt a little chilly.  I was in no hurry to get going, so I started this blog post.


At 11:15, I threw on barn clothes, grabbed a quick lunch, and was out the door by 11:45.  I loaded tack in the trailer and went out in the field to catch Amiga.  That's her butt in the photo, with Zorro hogging the hay pile.

I got Amiga all brushed and cleaned up, and noticed that both her back hips seemed much improved in terms of lumps and soreness.  Once Joe arrived we loaded her on the trailer.  She was a little more difficult this time, but was on in less than ten minutes.


Coming off the trailer at Terry's was typical, with Amiga crashing out backwards.  I really think she hates walking on the plank.  She had been all jittery before unloading, but as soon as she was off the trailer, she calmed right down.  She is always good about standing quietly while tied to the outside of the trailer.  I got her tacked up and Jan got Cash ready to ride and then we were off.





We did the Kirkstone Loop plus some more backwoods roads, saw two different sets of hikers, and thoroughly enjoyed our ride.  Amiga did well.  Walking up and down a few hills I noticed her short stepping some.  But when we cantered up one hill, she seemed fine.  It seems easier for her to move out when she is collected.



I rode Amiga back to Wildwood, by way of the new trail.  Steve (a new boarder at the barn) and his wife had worked on the trail and I could see the improvements.  I took this video from the creek to half way up the easier hill, going towards the barn.

After un-tacking and brushing Amiga, when backing and turning her from the wash rack, her front right leg buckled on her.  Jean was there and saw it too.  I just don't know what to think any more.

I unloaded horse manure once home while Maggie watched from up on the deck.

Looking at the sky reflected in these windows, it's no wonder the birds get confused by this view.  Joe and I watched our weekly show, 24 Legacy.

Tuesday morning I picked Shirley up and we went to Jan's church for a Bible Study.  We are doing a seven week study by Priscilla Shirer, of Ephesians 6:10-19, called The Armor of God.  I was very impressed with her video, and study guide, but am going to need self control to do the daily reading and workbook activities.

It was just after noon when I got home.  I had lunch and then was trying to talk myself into working outside.  While I was looking out the window, thinking about all that needed doing out there, a little rain shower hit, and that was all it took to convince me that staying inside, reading and napping would be best, which I did by the fire (video).  So how's that for self control?

Joe and I did go to the Wellness Center and work out for almost two hours before getting gussied-up for our Valentine dinner at Legends.  Gwen and Jan, and their husbands Michael and Mike met us there.  We had a fun evening together, enjoying food and wine, and even some dancing.

I don't know why I slept horribly again.  I had a stabbing pain in my chest and was trying to assess if it was a symptom for a heart mal-function.  I couldn't take a deep breath without it really hurting.  It felt worse when I was lying flat, rather than on my side.  My heart burn doesn't usually hurt that much.  Finally I got out of bed at 2 am.

The moon seen in the sky as the sun comes up.

My Wednesday morning was a fog.  Joe left for Florida at 3 am.  I had to walk Maggie in the rain around 4:30.  I spent quite a bit of time at my computer, and I did nap by the fire.  But, while I was lying down, the chest pain did kind of crop up again.

I made a quick stop at Food City on the way home from Ballroom Aerobics.  I was so tired during class I kept making mistakes.  Proof enough for me, that dancing does take brain power.




I ate some of my newly bought food for lunch, laid down in front of the fire to read because I was cold, and ended up taking another little nap.  Stevie loves the hot hearth.

I did go down in back to pull a few more leaves out of the pond.  It is easier to see them when the water is still.  Once I start raking them out, I can no longer see what is underwater.


As I was walking the back nine of Druid, I got news, and a photo, that Joe made it safely to Mom's.
Instead of coming down the 18th fairway (from green to tee) I took the library trail.  It had been recently cleared of leaves, but they are also in the process of changing the route at the bottom of the dip, where the creek runs, so I had to cut through woodland to get home.  I had a big salad for dinner and then watched Fixer Upper to finish the day.

I took four 20 minute (1 mile) dog walks throughout the day Thursday, starting first thing in the morning while my tea steeped.  It was a leisurely morning with lots of time spent at my computer and a little time on reading for my Bible study.  Each morning the house has felt cool enough to warrant a fire.

I went out to sow some plant seeds.  This is a mix of special Tetraploid Ryegrass, Rape Brassica, and clovers.  All nutrient rich and deer loving forage foliage.

I ate lunch early and went to the barn to ride Amiga.  We were meeting Jan on Stratford Dr.  The dogs lead the way as usual.  On the way out, at the pond, Amiga spooked big time (maybe ducks flew up).  She jumped and spun around so fast, I got pitched right off.  I landed on my right hip while still hanging on to the reins with my left hand.  She might have taken off without me had I not kept contact with her.  After brushing off the dirt and assessing bodily harm, (only my left hand hurt and had a burning flesh sensation) I swung back on Amiga and continued down the trail to meet up with Jan, all the while thanking God I didn't get hurt.

The three dogs greet Jan and Cash.

Jan and I enjoyed a good ride.  Amiga did well, although seemed stiff in the right front leg.  I noticed her favoring it when walking down steep hills and on some up hills.  If I let her canter up a hill, it seemed much easier for her, probably because she is better collected.  We took the new trail to and from the Glade.  This video was taken of Amiga going up the steep hill to Stratford Dr.







When I got back to the barn, Zorro and all the other horses were already in their stalls.  I ended up being
'in the saddle' for almost 2 1/2 hours.

Before dinner, I went to the CC hot tub to soak, hoping to alleviate any soreness I might have. 

Upon waking Friday morning, I did discover a very sore muscle, down the inside of my left leg.  I probably hit it on the pommel and pulled it as I came off and down onto my right hip.  My right hip was fine and so was my hand.  My back and neck were a little tight.  But all in all, I came out smelling like roses.

Seen left, a hawk that regularly hunts down near the pond.  I also saw a pair of deer walking along the new trail, from the pond towards Allen's bridge.


I rode both Amiga and Zorro today, for about 30 minutes each.  Amiga had very little signs of soreness.  Seen right, Amiga and I look down the large switch back that the livery horses take on both trail rides. 




Seen left, Zorro and I coming out to the power lines from the new trail.  I only took him a little ways into the woods on it.  This video is of us just hitting the trail.  He did a nice job, considering it has been so long since he has been ridden.  I spent a lot of effort slowing him down though.



Maggie gets closed into the Mancave when we aren't home.  Stevie has run of the house.  She was lying here in the sun on Maggie's bed when I got home.


I got right to work planting grass seed for the remainder of the two hours of day light we had left.






Seen above, this old piece of netting was used on the steepest slant of the bank.  The seed is under the net.  Then I put dirt over the top of the net and some mulched leaves over the dirt.  There were lots of deer tracks near this part of the pond bank.  I hope they don't disturb this section.
 After dinner, I worked on this blog rather than doing my Bible Study reading for the day.  Ugh, I need to be bettered disciplined, to use self control.

In closing, Romans 12:2 says- "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing, you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."  Don't become so well adjusted to your culture, that you fit into it without even thinking.  Instead, fix your attention on God.  You'll be changed from the inside out.  Don't let the culture around you drag you down to its level, let God bring the best out of you.  I pray, Holy Spirit help me not rely on the flesh, but to depend on Your power.  Pick me up when I fall, prod me when I slow down; and when I stray, pull me back into the straight and narrow path.  Help me to be better able to walk daily by faith.