Chatting on the Porch — Randomness

chatsonthefarmhouseporch
“Chats on the Farmhouse Porch” is a group of friends
gathering to visit,
sip their favorite beverages,
nibble delicious treats
and share their likes and dislikes.

Patrice and Wendell have invited me to join the chatting.
Patrice provides the questions,
we answer.

How many animals do you have?
jan 13 cozy hair ballTwo fur balls, Grey – Busterford Jones, male and female Grissabel.
My daughter named them from the musical ‘Cats’.

Have you begun Christmas plans, travel, decorations, crafts, menu, etc.?

My side of the family will get together the Saturday after Christmas at my son’s home for a traditional turkey dinner. Our family’s Christmas date is not decided. We drew names for gifts last month.

Do you celebrate Harvest Season or Halloween?

Harvest Season if any celebrating goes on.

How do you heat your house?

‘Catalytic safety heater’ is the name on the front of the heater in our RV. We turned it on for the first time last night. I sit in front of it (that is where there is room for my chair), the Farmer sits at the table, I cook – he freezes. We have to use a fan to circulate the heat.  🙂

Do you like dishes with white centers or centers with patterns?

I love dishes! When I was young I wanted all white federalist dinnerware, I never got it. I still like a simpler pattern for dinner, but fun stuff for the rest of the time.

Are you interested in reading more answers? Click here.

Published in: on October 15, 2013 at 5:43 pm  Comments (2)  

Ten on Tuesday – This Weekend

ToT-Button

On Tuesday’s Carole hosts ‘Ten on Tuesdays’.
She chooses a topic – we list ten items.

10 Things You Did This Weekend.

My weekend started on Friday at 7:50, when we left for Medford, Oregon to join in the celebration of the life of our sister-in-law, Elsie.

Friday, 10:30, stopping in Redding CA to visit the Farmer’s mother in a nursing home.
Meeting us were 2 of the Farmer’s sisters and their husbands, a brother and his wife, a cousin and his wife and our adopted uncle. This picture shows Grandma at 100 years 9 months singing hymns along with us.
oct 11 grandma crain 004

The whole gang had lunch at Hometown Buffet hosted by Shirley and William, the Farmer’s sister and husband.

Next stop, Ashland, Oregon, can you guess where?
The Web-sters, a yarn shop.
I found yarn for a shawl, but they had only 7 skeins and I need 8,  I’ll order it on line.

In Medford, we had supper at the Farmer’s brother, Darrel with his family, yummy nachos for me.

We stayed overnight at a Senior facility that rents rooms/apartments (as advertising).  A complimentary breakfast is included, I had Eggs Benedict at about 10:00, my favorite time for breakfast.

Elsie’s life celebration was warm, full of laughter and tears.

We left Medford about 3:00pm, driving through intermittent rain (not a lot of fun, but not too bad), stopping again in Redding at the Black Bear, and arriving home about 10:00pm.

Sweet rest in my own bed.

Sunday morning and evening, we attended worship services gaining strength and encouragement from the songs and God’s word.

Sunday afternoon, two of our grandsons spent the afternoon with us, lunch at Garcia’s, a trip to Barnes and Noble and Coldstone ice cream shop (one of the grandson’s had a gift card that was crying ‘use me’.

After evening service, I played a couple games of ‘May I’ with friends.

Oh, and I started a new shawl, My Wish, by Laura Linneman

Not our normal weekend activities, but one filled with love, laughter, memories and comfort.

Other weekends are here

Published in: on October 15, 2013 at 11:34 am  Comments (4)  

October 15, Today’s thought – Chronos vs Kairos

my stuff 001My clock

Good Morning,

To every thing there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
Ecclesiastes 3:1

from Simple Abundance, A Daybook of Comfort and Joy,
by Sarah Ban Breathnach

“Once upon a time.
Up until this time.
For the time being.
Time and time again.
Time’s up!

time’s mystery is difficult for most women to appreciate because we’ve so little of it. Although we’ve all been allotted twenty-four hours each day, it doesn’t seem to go very far. So if we experience anything a all, it’s dread, because we keep running out of time. Again and again. And it doesn’t matter what kind of time it is —Greenwich, daylight saving, standard, eastern, mountain, central or pacific. All that matters is we never seem to have enough of it.Which is why all women I know constantly feel time worn.
. . .
In order to know a semblance of serenity during the days of our lives, we also need to discover Time’s twin mature, which the ancient Greeks called chronos and kairos.

Chronos is clocks, deadlines, watches, calendars, agendas, planners, schedules, beepers. Chronos is time at here worst. Chronos keeps track. Chronos is a delusion of grandeur. Chronos is running the Marine Corps marathon in heels. In chronos we think only of ourselves. Chronos is the world’s time.

Kairos is transcendence, infinity, reverence, joy, passion, loev, the Sacred. Kairos is intimacy with the Real. Kairos is time at her best. Kairos lets go. In kairos we escape the dungeon of self. Kairos is a Schubert waltz in nineteenth-century Vienna with your soul mate. Kairos is Spirit’s time.

We exist in chronos. We long for kairos. That’s our duality. Chronos requires speed so that it won’t be wasted. Kairos requires space so that it might be savored. We do in chronos. In kairos we’re allowed to be.

So how do we exchange chronos for kairos?

By slowing down.
By concentrating on one thing at a time.
By going about whatever we are doing as if it were the only thing worth doing at that moment.
By pretending we have all the time in the world, so that our subconscious will kick in and make it so.
By making time.
By taking time.

It only takes a moment to cross over from chronos into kairos, but it does take a moment. All that kairos asks in our willingness to stop running long enough to hear the music of the spheres.

Today, be willing to join in the dance.
Now you’re in kairos.”

With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on October 15, 2013 at 11:16 am  Leave a Comment  
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