TODAY... Chant the Beauty of the Good

Today... I'm going to try very hard to CHANT THE BEAUTY OF THE GOOD.

Real life isn't a picnic. Neither is real love or... real "almost anything" 

But, today I am encouraging YOU (and me) to shout out about the BEAUTIFUL GOOD to be found around us. In the words of Emerson:

"Don't waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good." ~ Ralph W. Emerson #quotes

#stuckinindiana #MorningThoughts #AtTheENDoftheDAY 

The Simple Joys - May in Indiana

The SIMPLE JOYS surround us... no matter where we are. Savor the simple joys: like blooming trees in Indiana or lush mountain greenery in the Kentucky mountains or... those things that surround YOU wherever YOU are!!

We changed the cover photo on the When You're StuckInIndiana Facebook page today to this shot taken while looking east from our backyard in the "land of stuckinindiana"...

Blooms on one of our ornamental trees -
a crabapple tree :)
Cameo by our NEIGHBOR, Eddy,
over by the white barn.

The old saying says, "April showers bring May flowers." It would seem that we got our fair share of showers in April and, we're getting an extra dose in May. In addition to a lot of rain, we've gotten some pretty strong winds. The wind the other day broke down and/or destroyed the blooms on all of our irises and many of our other flowers. It also continued to beat up on our fence out back:

I am choosing to "embrace the beauty in the broken" - ha ha! The hole in the fence makes a great frame for our wonderful open country view. It also makes this coming holiday weekend's fence tear-down and rebuild activity much easier :/

There's a lesson to be learned there :)

... and now to go outside in the rain to clean those clogged gutters...

Abigail - Wise and Determined 11-29-16

She was beautiful & intelligent... She was wise and determined to take action... She prevented disaster from happening to good people... She set a great example for those around her... She was ABIGAIL, wife of Nabal.

As some of you know, we became "backyard chicken" owners in the spring of 2015. We got 5 pullets (female chickens under the age of 1) when they were about 14 weeks old. Over the past 18+ months our 3.5 acre yard has become their home. I'd been advised by a friend who had grown up with chickens that I would be surprised by how much individual personality they exhibited. And... I was surprised.

I'd decided early on that I wanted to name the girls based upon their personalities & actions. So, I began observing them. While others tried to name them things like "Big Booty Judy", my mind was set upon using women's names from the Bible. I thought this could be a great lesson in the years to come for our then 2 year old "Little" one. A few names came to mind - as I was more familiar with their stories in the Bible. I consulted with my favorite female scholar & sister friend, Aunt Kimmy, for confirmation of my thoughts & additional name recommendations. I took notes of our conversation that day as we sat beside the cement pond. I still have those notes.

As the weeks went by, the first one to be named was Abigail. She was the first to allow the Little to pick her up. She was the first to jump on top of their "Spa". She was the first to investigate the perches I'd made inside their chicken run. She was the first to lead them back to the run and into the chicken coop at dusk. She was the first of many things. She was beautiful -- with 3 dominant white feathers at the base of each wing. The others seemed to put her in a place of leadership. She would often call out for them when a hawk was heard screeching in the distance.

We lost our Abigail to a predator the day before Thanksgiving. I was a bit surprised at how emotional I was over it. It was pretty traumatic seeing what that animal did to her. However, my sadness went deeper than that. I, an educated and most-of-the-time rational adult, had begun to see those chickens as more than mere wild animals.

I returned to the Bible to read the story of Abigail in the 25th chapter of 1 Samuel. And, I consulted a post from Bible Study Tools as I reflected upon the name I'd chosen for her in those early days. If you're able, take a few minutes to read the story in 1 Samuel 25. Also, here are a few excerpts from the Bible Study Tools post:

Abigail ("whose father is joy") definitely belongs in the study of great women of the Bible. She is the one (in our study) whom most people are less likely to know. Scripture presents her as a beautiful, intelligent woman whose lot in life is one of being married to a rich fool. Abigail reveals how wisdom and determined action need to partner in order to save good people from disaster. Being wise in itself may not be sufficient in some situations. Without taking immediate action, it is possible to simply stand by and watch destruction that could be avoided. Abigail was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance. She was both beautiful and intelligent. Except for her intervention, the obliteration of her husband and his household would surely have been the result. She stood in the gap protecting both parties. Her decisive action allowed life to continue. She seized the information given, understood what needed to be done, and then did it.

It appears that our Abigail lost her life in protecting the other 4 hens - who hid up in the branches of a thicket until I came calling for them. Although the outcome of our Abigail and the Abigail in the Old Testament are different, I see so many similarities between them. I am thankful that I felt led to name her ABIGAIL!

11-23-16
RIP ABIGAIL

 05-30-15
1st to perch
each night early on

6-4-16
baby Abigail pic
5 days after arriving
at our home

6-6-15
first to check out
the "Spa" roof

6-7-15
hanging out with the Little

6-13-16
first to eat from
my hand

6-13-15
first to eat from
the Little's hand

6-14-15
first to let
the Little hold her

11-13-16

Abigail & Rachel
helping "rake" leaves

PS In case you are wondering, the names chosen over those early months for the other 4 hens were:

• Esther 
• Elizabeth 
• Rachel 
• Lydia

Abigail - Wise and Determined

She was beautiful & intelligent... She was wise and determined to take action... She prevented disaster from happening to good people... She set a great example for those around her... She was ABIGAIL, wife of Nabal.

As some of you know, we became "backyard chicken" owners in the spring of 2015. We got 5 pullets (female chickens under the age of 1) when they were about 14 weeks old. Over the past 18+ months our 3.5 acre yard has become their home. I'd been advised by a friend who had grown up with chickens that I would be surprised by how much individual personality they exhibited. And... I was surprised.

I'd decided early on that I wanted to name the girls based upon their personalities & actions. So, I began observing them. While others tried to name them things like "Big Booty Judy", my mind was set upon using women's names from the Bible. I thought this could be a great lesson in the years to come for our then 2 year old "Little" one. A few names came to mind - as I was more familiar with their stories in the Bible. I consulted with my favorite female scholar & sister friend, Aunt Kimmy, for confirmation of my thoughts & additional name recommendations. I took notes of our conversation that day as we sat beside the cement pond. I still have those notes.

As the weeks went by, the first one to be named was Abigail. She was the first to allow the Little to pick her up. She was the first to jump on top of their "Spa". She was the first to investigate the perches I'd made inside their chicken run. She was the first to lead them back to the run and into the chicken coop at dusk. She was the first of many things. She was beautiful -- with 3 dominant white feathers at the base of each wing. The others seemed to put her in a place of leadership. She would often call out for them when a hawk was heard screeching in the distance.

We lost our Abigail to a predator the day before Thanksgiving. I was a bit surprised at how emotional I was over it. It was pretty traumatic seeing what that animal did to her. However, my sadness went deeper than that. I, an educated and most-of-the-time rational adult, had begun to see those chickens as more than mere wild animals.

I returned to the Bible to read the story of Abigail in the 25th chapter of 1 Samuel. And, I consulted a post from Bible Study Tools as I reflected upon the name I'd chosen for her in those early days. If you're able, take a few minutes to read the story in 1 Samuel 25. Also, here are a few excerpts from the Bible Study Tools post:

Abigail ("whose father is joy") definitely belongs in the study of great women of the Bible. She is the one (in our study) whom most people are less likely to know. Scripture presents her as a beautiful, intelligent woman whose lot in life is one of being married to a rich fool. Abigail reveals how wisdom and determined action need to partner in order to save good people from disaster. Being wise in itself may not be sufficient in some situations. Without taking immediate action, it is possible to simply stand by and watch destruction that could be avoided. Abigail was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance. She was both beautiful and intelligent. Except for her intervention, the obliteration of her husband and his household would surely have been the result. She stood in the gap protecting both parties. Her decisive action allowed life to continue. She seized the information given, understood what needed to be done, and then did it.

It appears that our Abigail lost her life in protecting the other 4 hens - who hid up in the branches of a thicket until I came calling for them. Although the outcome of our Abigail and the Abigail in the Old Testament are different, I see so many similarities between them. I am thankful that I felt led to name her ABIGAIL!

11-23-16
RIP ABIGAIL

 05-30-15
1st to perch
each night early on

6-4-16
baby Abigail pic
5 days after arriving
at our home

6-6-15
first to check out
the "Spa" roof

6-7-15
hanging out with the Little

6-13-16
first to eat from
my hand

6-13-15
first to eat from
the Little's hand

6-14-15
first to let
the Little hold her

11-13-16

Abigail & Rachel
helping "rake" leaves

PS In case you are wondering, the names chosen over those early months for the other 4 hens were:

• Esther 
• Elizabeth 
• Rachel 
• Lydia

Why Am I Doing This? #write31days 10-31-16

I don't know how many times this month (October 2016) I have asked myself,

"WHY AM I DOING THIS!?!?!?!"

This has been my 5th year of participating in the #write31days challenge that was extended several years back by Myquillyn Smith of The Nesting Place. I decided to "free-write" the posts this month which is a good mental exercise for me. However, I began the month with the first 8 days on the high seas with limited internet connection, then 12 days of the month in Kentucky, and one day in Virginia. That left me with only 7 days in my "regular home". And, I must admit there've been a few days which turned out quite differently than what I'd hoped. Either way, I've enjoyed the challenge. 

Thanks Myquillin for the challenge. Love the byline on the Nesting Place's page:

"It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful." 

And, wow... my writing is certainly NOT perfect... but, perhaps it can be beautiful to someone. What a great motto for each of us to embrace in so many areas of our lives. I lived many years when I strived for perfection and refused to see beauty elsewhere. Those years are over - with just a few bumps in the road from time to time. Life has become beautiful despite the messes, mistakes, challenges & losses.

So... why AM I doing this? This blogging... this Facebook page... this Pinterest page... this Twitter account... this Instagram account...???? Why am I doing it all?? 

An affirmation came this week in the form of a notification from the Facebook page I started and manage (which is affectionately called the stuckinindiana page). I get notice most of the time when someone has liked or shared a post that I shared initially. When I got notice of someone liking & sharing a picture (aka a stuckinindiana pairing) that I'd posted way back on December 9, 2015, I was reminded why I do this. The 2015 pairing liked and shared a few days ago was:

"If I can put one touch of rosy sunset into the life of any man or woman,
I shall feel that I have worked with God."
~ G. K. Chesterton  #quote

Each of us has the opportunity to put one touch of rosy sunset into the life of any man or woman... and thus work with God. That is my hope & my dream... and why I am doing this.

This is MY LAST POST for the 2016 October #write31days challenge. And, over the month, I've come up with ideas for probably another 20-25 posts. Who knows when the next one will happen :)

5 Minute Free-For-All - Why Am I Doing This? #write31days 10-31-16

Here's the page for direct links to all 31 of the posts: 5 Minute Free-for-All 

Success and Sunsets - #write31days 10-06-16

Are you successful? What does it mean to you to be successful? Many people strive tirelessly for success and are continually focused on their goals & achievements. There seems to be a tendency to allow the world around us to determine if we are successful or not. Hence, there are many definitions for success.

Personally, I would feel that my life was a success if I made a positive contribution to my world -- beginning with those around me. Financial success is less important to me than making a strong connection with my family and peers. On the other hand, I would not feel successful if my focus on family & friends was so intent that I was blinded to what the rest of the world needs. 

Many people who are held in high esteem and called successful don't feel as successful as the rest of the world sees them. Many are discontent and looking for something more to feel like a success. While others who seem of little consequence to our world live lives feeling not only content but, fulfilled. Each person must decide for themselves what path they will choose in order to "succeed" at this life.

Since a very young age, two of my favorite things to do in life hav been to watch the sunrises and the sunsets. The beauty held in so many of them stop me in my tracks and remind me of the wonderful beauty that is available to each of us each day at no additional charge. They are there to savor... when we open our eyes to see.

In the words of Donald Miller:

"You will have arrived, not when you have arrived,
but when the sunset stops you
because you see its beauty again.
Success is free."
~ Donald Miller #quote

Not everyone would agree with that sentiment. I, for one, hope that I never fail to see the beauty of a sunrise or a sunset.

Success and Sunsets - #write31days 10-06-16

Broken Things -- All Around

I'm not even certain when it began. Perhaps the problem was visible all those years ago and we didn't notice. Or maybe we DID notice it... but, failed to give it the attention needed. That's the most likely scenario. How often in our lives do we miss the obvious? How often do we neglect something until it's beyond repair?

If I were to read the above words at the beginning of a post, my mind would immediately form these questions:

• Is this post about a failing relationship?
• I wonder what happened?
• I wonder how serious this is??
• What did they do?
• Regardless of the above... I'm sure this is NOT a mistake I've made or would ever make!

A Woman's Most Perfect Curve

It's been said that when you're comfortable in your own skin, you're at home anywhere. I can't really say I've ever been super comfortable in my skin. When I was in grade school, I was grossly thin -- the kind of thin that other kids used for jokes on the playground. To make matters worse, in junior high, I grew several inches & looked a bit like the TV character LURCH on the Adam's Family. In high school, skinny wasn't as much an issue as the fact that my body... well, my body... didn't look very mature. I was told in front of the entire youth group at church (my peers) that I still looked like a 6th or 7th grader. High school moved into college years & the curves I had desired were skipped!. What I got were the "ugly curves" associated with that awful term know as "the College Freshman Forty."

I'll Show You Mine If...

I'll show you mine, if you'll show me yours. That statement comes with some not so great images. Perhaps I should have titled this post "I Told You So" or "Just Keepin' It Real" or "My House is Messier Than Your House" or "When Guests Come Over, I Hide Things in the Shower". Today's post is being written & photographed... and then I'm going to see what I can accomplish around the house besides reading & writing for #write31days :)

I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours...

PAIRINGS - Goodness & Beauty

 I walked outside my door today & took in the goodness & beauty which surrounds me. And, I was once again reminded not to minimize the "little things" placed right in my view! Things like huge, aromatic peonies lining the east wall of our home & lush green ivy covering the ground in the shady areas where grass would not grow well & lilies which come each spring -- lilies which were gifts to the former woman of the house from her two children. I see the birds returning to our outside hanging plants to nest again this year. I hear the horses in the neighboring pasture dashing across the field green & ready for grazing this spring. In our 4th spring here, none of these things are new to me. Yet, not one of them fails to bring a sense of joy & wonder. 

Each one of these "little things" can bring a lot of joy. Let us not forget...  

"How great is His goodness, and how great is His beauty..." Zechariah 9:17

Really, What Are Mere Mortals... Photos From My Drive Home...

I could NOT resist stopping again & again to take pictures as I drove home tonight. The beauty was incredible. My camera couldn't capture it. All of the following pics are without any filters -- just God's colors. Here are a few pics I took...

I cry out with the Psalmist:

What are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority—the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents. O lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Psalm 8:4-9

Linking with Ann Voskamp - A Holy Experience today... 

HOPE, Appreciation of Art & Music 10-13-13

I grew up in a home with parents who valued art & music. My mom had begun drawing at very early age. My dad didn't take up painting until he was in his early 60's. But, he fell in love with painting pictures to remember meaningful locations or to document times with his grandchildren. My mom had been brought up on classical music & church music. My dad liked show tunes, the "crooners" & church music. Our home was always full of art & music.

Two of my favorite things to do have always been going to concerts and going to art museums or shows. My husband & I took our children to such events as they were growing up. Today, both children are talented artistically & musically. And, our home continues to be full of music & art. Our daughter is completing her senior year with an art degree and is already helping her daughter create art even at such a young age...

We are blessed to be able to LOVE on that sweet baby grand-daughter. And, if she's anything like her mommy or her uncle, she will be a lover of art & music as well. If she's anything like me... her "DeeDee", she will love art & music.

The other day (when she gave me the card above), I got to watch our sweet little girl for the afternoon. I picked her up at noon & she feel asleep in the car seat listening to classical music as I headed to Mounds State Park. I enjoyed a leisurely drive through the park until she awoke. We headed into the nature museum to look at God's art :) She loved seeing the displays & watching the fish swimming in a large aquarium. She especially loved a little finger puppet in the gift show - a Monarch butterfly. Naturally, since it was my birthday, I had to buy it for her to document our lovely afternoon at the park on my birthday. 

I can see the beauty of the Lord around me in the sunrises & sunsets... in butterflies & hummingbirds... in a smile... in deer grazing on sweet grass by a pond. And, I believe that art & music are some of the greatest forms of God's creation - each reflecting the complexities of God, as well as the simple pure joy. I see God in art & music>

I'm hoping we will have another family member who will grow to appreciate art & music... but, mostly the beauty of God in everything He created. 

Let heaven and earth praise Him, The seas and everything that moves in them. Psalm 69:34 

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD! Psalm 150:6

Linking this month with The Nesting Place

 for the 31-day Challenge

Linking with Ann Voskamp - A Holy Experience today...

Crazy Dawn Patrol! - 31 DAYS OF CRAZY - 16 October 2012

It's been said, "Set your best foot forward & the other is sure to follow."  And, this morning, I was chomping at the bit (so to speak) to put my foot out the door! The temps in the night had been in the mid 30's and, it hadn't climbed much when I was preparing to head out for what I call a "walk about".  I could see frost on the ground, fences, & barn roof tops.  AND, I couldn't wait to get out.

There's something about cold, cold air filling your lungs in the early morning as you feel the warmth of the sun rising in the east. I feel alive when I am outside watching the day begin. And, so... I do the "dawn patrol" as many days as possible.  And, this time of year makes it even better...  

The morning mist rises in the air...

The shadows are long...

Our corner of the world is ablaze with the birth of autumn...  

Frosted leaves crunched under your feet... 

Row's of newly harvested corn are accented by frost

melting off & being reflected by the rising sun... 

I don't know that I'd say I'm a morning person.  But, I have learned that the morning comes more easily for me when shared with the great outdoors. I walk out the door to see the coming of the day.  In the process, I'm energized for my morning exercise & for the tasks waiting ahead.  Sometimes it only takes one step in the right direction to get the momentum going.  This is true with much more than morning walks. When I start working on a dreaded project, it always seems easier than I anticipated.  Another area in my life where I see this is with my morning quiet time (reading the Bible & trying to hear what God is saying to me). Adopting a "dawn patrol" philosophy makes all the difference for me. If I take the first step, I seem to follow through :)  

"Set your best foot forward & the other is sure to follow."

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