70

 I start a new decade today.  Where have all those years gone, the older I get the quicker they go by.  I have so much I want to do I best get busy.

I sit and think of all the things that have happened in my life.  Being born in the 50's there were so many things women could not do.  We could not attend a lot of colleges and depending on the degree you wanted you could not.  There were so many jobs we would not be hired for.  I had to have my dad co-sign for a house and car in the 70's.  I could not wear pants to school until I was a Senior (and they had to be slacks, NO blue jeans).  

I saw the first man walk on the moon.  We did not have cell phones, computers, no Kindle or I-Pad or any of those electronic devices. There was no cable TV, we had an antenna with 3 channels and TV went off the air from midnight to 6am.  TV was black and white.  We got our first color TV when I was in Junior High and my grandma came and bought it for us.  We did not have processed food growing up and therefore we did not have a lot of the diseases we do today.  

We had a Blue Law, nothing but emergency facilities were open on Sunday.  We got up and mom popped the roast in the oven before we left for church.  Sunday School and church and then home to eat that roast (which lasted for several meals during the week) (I really do not like pot roast now).  We did nothing on Sundays, maybe a nap, reading, and then back to church that evening.  Stores were not open on holidays, you could not go to the movies, etc. 

Doors were not locked, purses were left in the car when women went in the store, they took out the money they needed and it was still there intact when they got back to the car.  Families had one car because the mom did not work outside the home.  

As kids we played outside as much as we could.  When the streetlights came on we better be home or else we got a spanking. Yes we got spanked and I think we are the better for it.  None of this time out crap.  We rode bikes, roller skated, drank from the hose and had adventures that were beyond any book we could read or vacation we could go on.  

New Year's Eve there was a couple on the block who could not have kids and Peter Pan was on the TV every NYE.  They had all the kids over for snacks and the movie in case our parents wanted to go out.  It was so much fun.  I never had a babysitter.  

We had a telephone that was hung on the wall.  We had party lines, you carefully picked up the phone to see if one of the parties that shared your line was on.  Sometimes you had to wait a while to make your call. Also long distance cost extra, but it was cheaper on weekends and after 7pm.   

 I feel sorry for kids today they are not taught to think for themselves, grow their brain, build an imagination that they could do anything, etc.  We were never bored there was too much outside to play in.  

These are some of the parts of my childhood I wish we could back to.  Life was simple but it was good.  I plan on making this decade a good one because I do not have too many left.   

 

Orb and the Pepper Tree

 This morning I wake up and Orb has 2 webs, he was very busy overnight.  One has food the other is attached to the bird feeder, I hope the birds don't destroy it before he undoes it.  The webs are beautiful.  Not sure what the gobs of stuff are unless he stopped and still spewed silk.  And where does all that silk reside in his small body.  Nature is just amazing.

My pepper plant continues to bloom and produce. I think it thinks it is a tree.

 

The Flag

 I have finally finished the flag.  I will take it in next week to be quilted and then home to finish the binding and hang it.  I am glad it is done. While I loved the project and it was a huge challenge, I loved every minute of it.  Would I make it again, yep I would, but not right now.

 I found some red poppy fabric in my stash that will be the back of it.  In the lower right there is a red piece with a heartbeat and initials.  The initial are to honor my dad who spanned the end of WWII and into the Korean War.  The heartbeat is for my niece who works in the medical field.  I wanted it to somehow encompass the 2 most important people in my life into it.  I would imagine there is around 150 pieces in it and about that many hours.  

There is a border around the flag in a light cream with gold shapes and black dots.  It is very subtle so as not to overpower the flag.  You can not really see it but it does finish the edges and make it easy to finish.  

 I am not real happy with the flag pole but at this point I do not know what to do with it, so I will just leave it. 

Isn't this what retirement is for?

 

Jesus Died at 33

 

Jesus died at 33. The human spine has 33 vertebrae. The same structure that holds us up is the same number of years He held this Earth.

We have 12 ribs on each side. 12 disciples. 12 tribes of Israel. God built His design into our bones. He wrote Heaven into our anatomy.

The vagus nerve runs from your brain to your heart and gut. It calms storms inside the body. It looks just like a cross. That’s the power source running through us. Every time your body heals, every time your heart slows in prayer, every time peace shows up when it shouldn’t…that’s Him.

Jesus rose on the third day. Science tells us that when you fast for 3 days, your body starts regenerating. Old cells die. New ones are born. Healing begins. Your body literally resurrects itself. That’s not coincidence. That’s design.

And it keeps going.

Your heart has an electrical rhythm. Your brain lights up when you pray. Tears contain different chemicals depending on if you're crying from joy or grief. The blood speaks. The bones store memory. The body worships whether you realize it or not.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made. We are walking prophecy. Walking tabernacles. Dust and divinity in one.

God didn’t just create you. He carved Himself into you.

You don’t need to look far to find Him. You just need to look inward. He’s been in the design since the beginning.

Orb Weavers

Last night I looked out to see if my feral had come up for one last feeding before dark.  I noticed a small spider building a web from my gutter to the bird feeder stand.  I pulled up a chair and watched it go back and forth and up and down.  It was too dark to see the web but I knew what was happening.

This morning I got up and looked to see if the web was built and there were various bugs suspended in air, caught in the web.  About 3 hours later when it was daylight I went out to get some picture and nothing was left but the one thread connecting the gutter and bird feeder stand.  

So of course I had to some research and found out Orb Weavers do this.  What a lot of work to build a beautiful web only to tear it down just to catch food.  I am anxious to see if it happens again tonight.

 I did wake up the other morning to find a connector thread in my kitchen from one cabinet to the ceiling light. I never saw a web built though.  Maybe there were not enough bugs in the kitchen to trap which for me is a good thing.

 Nature never ceases to amaze me.  They are a pretty little spider.  I always name all mine Charlotte. So I hope Charlotte number ????? stays around.