Mountain Musings

Jonathan Edwards

I just stumbled across this website--JonathanEdwards.com. It is a great resource for anyone wanting to learn more about the great preacher of the 1700's. The website lists dozens of sermons, theological writings, and scientific writings, as well as biographical sketches. An excerpt from The Life and Character of the Late Reverend Mr. Jonathan Edwards by Samuel Hopkins:

This is the beginning of a life so eminently holy and useful as Mr. Edwards’ was. He who became one of the greatest divines in this age; has had the applause and admiration of America, Britain, Holland and Germany, for his piety, and great judgment and skill in divinity; and has been honored above most others in the Christian world, in this century; in his being made the instrument of doing so much good: he began his life thus: he entered on a public life with such views, such exercises, such resolutions. This may serve as a direction and excitement to those who are young, to devote themselves to God in good earnest, and enter on the business of strict and thorough religion without delay: especially those who are looking towards the work of the ministry, as they would take the most direct, the only way to answer the good ends which they profess to seek.

Edwards was certainly a brilliant man--skimming through his scientific writings confirms that. He was also a godly man who strove to walk closer to God.

~Jonathan

Approaching Maturity

You know you're getting marvelously mature when:

• You and your teeth don't sleep together.
• You try to straighten out the wrinkles in your socks and discover you aren't wearing any.
• At the breakfast table you hear snap, crackle, pop, and you're not eating cereal.
• Your back goes out but you stay home.
• You wake up looking like your driver's license picture.
• It takes two tries to get up from the couch.
• Your idea of a night out is sitting on the front porch.
• You finally get your head together, and your body starts falling apart.
• You're on vacation, and your energy runs out before your money does.
• All you want for your birthday is to not be reminded of your age.
• You look for your glasses for half an hour, and they were on your head the whole time.
• You step off a curb and look down to make sure the street is still there.
• Your idea of weight lifting is standing up.
• It takes longer to rest than it did to get tired.
• The pharmacist has become your new best friend.
• Having a good day means you found your car in the parking lot.
• The twinkle in your eye is merely a reflection from the sun on your bifocals.
• It takes twice as long to look half as good.
• You wonder how you got over the hill when you don't remember being on top of it.         

       Hat Tip: Country Register, Anonymous

Of course, all this stuff doesn't apply to me...yet (I have my own teeth!), but some of the things I can identify with more now than I could a few years ago. How about you? Are you approaching marvelous maturity, too?

~Deb

P.S. Happy, happy birthday to my friend Carol way out in Texas! Hope you have a special day, Carol!

Carol and I were born the same year, two days apart. I always think it's neat to find someone who has the exact same birthday as you--or even close! Do you know someone like that?

Holiday Advisory!

A recent article states that the deadliest holiday for traffic accidents is not December or even January but at the height of the summer--the July 4th holiday. It's no surprise that alcohol plays a major role. As more drivers are on the road traveling more miles, the opportunity for crashes increases considerably. Follow these fundamental driving rules to decrease your chances of becoming involved in an accident:

• Do not drink and drive.
• Drive at a safe rate of speed.
• Keep a safe distance.
• Always use directional signals.
• Buckle up.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety the top 10 deadliest traffic days are:

• July 4
• July 3
• December 23
• August 3
• January 1
• August 6
• August 4
• August 12
• July 2
• September 2

Where will you be this holiday? Around your home entertaining guests? Out and about locally? Traveling 60 miles or less? Traveling a long distance?

We plan to be home--it's my birthday, and my mom is coming. I have a suspicion that my sister may come to surprise me...but after reading this deadly post, she just may stay put in SC and say Happy Birthday over the phone!

Be safe whatever you do and wherever you go! The 72-hour statistical counting period begins July 2 and ends at midnight, July 5.

~Deb

Free Ice Cream

Tomorrow, Wednesday, June 29, Starbucks is having an ice cream social and serving complimentary samples to those who stop by. Check out their website for more details.

We don't have a Starbucks in this area to sample their flavors--but that's okay--none of us are coffee drinkers anyway. For those of you who are--enjoy!

~Deb

We Aren't Overrun Yet, But...

Zucchini, zucchini, zucchini...we picked our first ones today!! They aren't the sleek long tubes I'm used to, however. These seem to be more bulbous...is that the word? We must have picked a different variety to plant than last year.

Hopefully, they still will make some good zucchini bread (for us and for neighbors). I thought I would share a recipe that's an old standby around here and well worth the time.

Chocolate Nut Zucchini Bread

Can't Say No

My sister has been making noises down in SC about needing a vacation and not wanting to go by herself. Since I am such a helpful and considerate sister, I thought I would volunteer to go with her on whatever excursion she has in mind.

A couple of days ago I received an email from Bet listing several links for me to check out and determine if they sounded like something we both would like.

Well, I liked them all; who wouldn't want to dine at Dillard House or the Red Rocker Inn? Who wouldn't want to explore Biltmore House or stroll through Reedy Park with tons of picture taking opportunities? Who wouldn't want to spend a night in Charleston? Wow! I've never been there! I think the question is how we can fit in everything in the days I can be away from my family.

We're still in the planning stages; she's going to send me an itinerary when we make some definite decisions on which places to choose.

It's a tough job to help a sister out, but somebody's gotta do it. :)

~Deb

Saturday at the Farmers' Market

Hannah, Sarah, and I just returned from the Downtown Farmers' Market with some goodies: tart red cherries and free-range eggs from our friends at Heartland Harvest. Here's a picture of their vendor booth with Sarah (our Sarah's friend) selling her wares.

There were other booths of flowers, homemade soaps, rabbits' wool products, various meats and lots of healthy looking vegetables. But all the red peppers were sold out--that's what I went for! We enjoyed hearing a street musician playing her fiddle on the corner and collecting some change for her efforts.   

It was my first time at the farmers' market after living here for three years. Some photos from our excursion have been added to a new photo album--left sidebar.

I'll have to go back another Saturday morning.

~Deb

Make Hay While the Sun Shines

That's what farmers in our area are doing these warm sunny days--making hay. We didn't quite understand that old saying until we moved to the Valley three years ago. In June you'll see scenes like this all over the area. This field is one of several in our subdivision with the round bales, and I snapped it on my morning walk. I've heard square bales are better, but I can't remember the reasoning behind that. If a farmer is reading this post, clue me in on why.

We live in a subdivision--but in the country. It's the best of both worlds. We have the convenience of a paved road leading to our 5-acre property (good for walks without having to go out on the main curvy roads with cars whizzing by), and we enjoy the rural life of being away from the city--but still only 13 minutes from Walmart. Now who can beat that?

Usually when Hannah and I walk, we don't meet anyone on the road--most folks have already left for their jobs. Today I was alone and met a man who comes into our subdivision to walk. I had seen him around in our comings and goings and wondered who he was and what he was doing in our neighborhood. Today I found out his name, where he lives, and why his doctor told him to start walking--all while trying to keep Pepper from barking him back to where he came from.

A chance meeting.

But was it? We learned in our Bible study last night about these "chance" meetings--when the Lord puts us in the path of others and how we can use words to encourage and make a difference in their lives. I tried to put into practice what we discussed, but I'm not sure I said anything the man will remember by the time he gets home.

I should have had even a portion of a Bible verse ready to slip into the conversation--that he wouldn't have forgotten.

"So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."  Isaiah 55:11

I can be as incapable as ever of spreading His Word...but I like the fact that even if I so much as speak His words, the Lord can use those powerful words to bring someone to Himself.

At least maybe I exhibited a friendly attitude and willingness to listen to him--and maybe groundwork was laid for the next time we meet...huffing and puffing as we traverse Teeter Hill.

~Deb

Around Our Blog Neighborhood

No real subject for a blog post today, and I couldn't talk anyone else in the family into writing one (who are all supposed to be co-writers of this blog, by the way). Hmmm.

So...I'll do what other bloggers do--direct you to a variety of other blogs which are interesting reads if you have the time.

My sister Bet over at Dappled Things recently wrote a post on James Weldon Johnson and quoted his poem "The Creation." Not being an English major like she is, I'm not as familiar with his name or the poem, although I'm sure we studied him at some point during our homeschooling years. I enjoyed reading the poem.

Paula over at Listen In blogs about fasting and the rewards when we do it with the right motives. She's on her way to Alaska for a ten-day missions trip and tells us about it in a recent post. She has arranged for a "blog-sitter" to write in her normal spot while she's away. I'll have to go over and read what he has to say while Paula's off witnessing to the Eskimoes.

Check out C. S. Hayden--a young man whose blog we recently ran across from a link on the Biblical Womanhood site. He writes long daily posts on a variety of subjects. Here's one on A Soft Tongue, which is coming at a good time with my Bible study beginning tonight on "Words That Hurt, Words That Heal."

And lots of pastors have gotten into blogging these days...some as a way to become closer to their congregations through daily jotting their thoughts--a different medium than the Sunday sermon. Others enjoy conveying scriptural principles through stories or posting their views on current topics. It makes me wish our pastor would start a blog! Here are some for you to check out:

Ken in Michigan writes about his recent collision with a bike in Chicago and exhorts us to "look both ways" for spiritual dangers.

Jon at Personal Trainer usually posts a Proverb-A-Day. Here's a recent one on excellent speech.

Pastor Tim out on the central coast of California just posted Part II on Thoughts for Family Worship saying his church is committed to children being a part of the worship service. We definitely agree with that--in fact, the more family oriented the better. Grace Church is located in San Luis Obispo, not a long distance from San Diego where we'll be in August, but our time will be limited as far as getting a chance to check his church out personally.

Anyway, these blogs should keep you reading awhile...until someone around Mountain Musings gets an idea for a post. :)

~Deb

The Case of the Missing Keys

Being a stay-at-home mom, I typically designate some days as going-out-errand days and others as do-stuff-around-the-house days. Nothing is set in stone; I just do whatever needs to be done.

Yesterday was designated as a going-out day--mostly to help Jonathan get some of his CDs mailed out to folks who had requested a copy of his Irish music. So my chore was to buy some padded envelopes or CD boxes, get them addressed, weighed, and stamped at the post office, and send them on their way.

Actually, Jonathan is not in the CD producing business; he's only attempted some trial CDs and given them to immediate family members. But last weekend when we were in Georgia and walked into the engagement party, what did we hear but Jonathan's CD playing in the background! We surmised that Micah and/or Elizabeth had suggested using his CD for the music during the fellowship time. And it sounded nice.

Evidently some other folks thought it sounded good enough to request a copy once they found out the musician was standing in their midst. So...Jonathan has been burning some CDs in his spare time lately.

Back to yesterday's outing. I proceeded to do all the extra primping you do when you actually leave the house rather than stay home all day. I gathered the CDs and made sure future order forms and prices were included, picked up some library books to be returned, and generally made a big production of going to town.

Well, just as I'm on my way out the door, I realized I didn't have my van keys. After a quick search, they were no where to be found. Now, I'm not quite as organized as Tom, but nevertheless, I usually keep my keys in my purse and no place else. No keys materialized after looking all over the house.

My next thought was to check the ignition in the locked van in the driveway. No, not there. But wait...what did I see reflected from down inside one of the trays and projected onto the windshield? It was a bright yellow oval key ring that announced in red letters, "I (Heart) Tom."  I couldn't really see the actual keys, but I knew they were there. Locked in the car. So close and yet so far.

I'm just thankful that we didn't need transportation for an emergency these last couple of days; the keys must have been locked inside since the weekend, and no one knew it. All that anticipation for nothing.

Thankfully, Tom has rescued the keys, and today we'll try again.

~Deb