Tag Archives: #amblogging

Giving Thanks for Goats

24 Nov

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Author, Poet and Artist

 

 

This is the photo our mother sent to our father when he was in the infantry on the European front during WWII. The story is about the time just before he went away. He did come back, so the story’s not about that, it’s about goats.1

In 1943, my family had a nanny goat. We called her Nanny. When she had a kid, we called him Billy. I loved the warm foamy milk Nanny gave and Billy was glad to share with me. This is all when we lived down in Crowley, Colorado and Dad worked at the tomato factory keeping their machines going. We lived in a “railroad apartment.” That’s a long house built with a room or two going back in a row like train cars and an indoor side hallway to enter them by.

Speaking of trains, we did have one rumble past, practically in our back yard, every day. When we heard it coming David and I would be waiting to wave to the conductor who was always there in his dark uniform and square looking hat to wave back. Something tells me he stationed himself on purpose to say good morning to the two little kids who were so glad to see him.

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Anyhow mother had more jobs than kids, housework, and animals. She cooked dinner, which we now call lunch, for all the men who worked at the factory, so with that, and the care of children and animals, she was a busy woman.

When the tomatoes were ripe, dad would bring some home and I remember sitting outside, on the stoop in the sun, with a salt shaker and salting each bite of that delicious fruit before I bit into it. You can be sure I was “all over” tomato juice when I finished, but I was washable and so was my dress, so that was all right.

Sometimes, Mother would take my brother who was about two, and I over to the factory to see daddy. Everybody went, walking the aisle between tomato plants. Here’s the line-up. Mother, DiVoran (5), David (2), Red, the Irish setter, Nanny, Billy, and Chanticleer the rooster. The baby goat wasn’t so bound by the aisle that he couldn’t divert to where the newest plants lived under panes of glass. Mother said his little hooves went trip-trap, over the glass and he never broke a thing.

This Christmas I’m buying a goat in memory of Nanny and Billy, but I don’t have any place to keep her, so I am sending her to a far away country and the people who live there will keep her, breed her, use her milk. Did you know that goat’s milk is especially nutritious for people who have AIDS? I’ll see my goat and all her progeny in a big tribe spreading over the hills when I get to heaven, (after I see Jesus and my family, of course). I’m looking forward to the whole scenario.

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http://www.heifer.org/gift-catalog/index.html

 

 

Matthew 25:35

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,

http://www.openbible.info/topics/feeding_the_hungry

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An Amazing Adventure~Part 5

23 Nov

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

 

As we were leaving the Grand Canyon, once again we had a picnic meal near the van. After we packed up from our meal, we headed toward Cameron. But before we arrived, Brian stopped the van and we all got out. It was a clear night, at elevation, and with almost no visible “town” light, and we did some stargazing. It was AMAZING! And I was able to see the Milky Way for the first time in my life. It is really beautiful! I never thought I could see it with my “naked eye” like that.

We headed to Cameron for an overnight at the Cameron Trading Post Hotel, in Cameron, Arizona.

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It is near the Grand Canyon, but outside the National Park.   Interesting place—perhaps not as “fancy” as the Ute Casino, but unique in its own way. It was established in 1911 as a Navajo and Hopi trading post, where the Native Americans would bring their goods to barter.

The inside of the restaurant was unique, as well. Notice the hammered tin ceiling.

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There was a small garden near the hotel, that Fred and I wandered through the next morning after breakfast.

From Cameron, we drove northwest toward southern Utah, but we were still in northern Arizona at this point. We were still following the Colorado River—the river that carved out the Grand Canyon. We stopped and walked across the Navajo Bridge, built to replace Lee’s Ferry.

 

 

Lee’s Ferry was essentially the only way for the Mormon’s to cross the Colorado River, leading them into Utah. Lee’s Ferry is designated within the southwestern most extreme of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and is considered the northernmost end of Grand Canyon National Park. It was an important crossing point before construction of the Navajo and Glen Canyon Bridges. It was named for John Doyle Lee, who operated the ferry for many years. The ferry was in use for 60 years, before the bridges were built in 1928. If one didn’t cross on this ferry, one had to travel another 800 miles just to cross the 85 feet of the Colorado River. So it was an important ferry crossing.

 

Driving out of Glen Canyon, from Lee’s Ferry we passed an area with several balanced rocks, and an inspiring vista of Cathedral Peak.

 

 

We then made our way alongside the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument that was set aside in the 1990’s due not only to its beautifully colored cliffs, but also its importance as a preserve for nesting condors.   We continued our journey through the upper end of Kaibab Plateau National Forest where we stopped at the Forest Station for a picnic lunch.

 

~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~

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A Self Pep Talk

21 Nov

From my Heart

Louise Gibson

Louise Gibson

 

Here I am at a ripe old age-

and I can’t argue with a calendar page.

My body is bemoaning.”Woe is me,

Arthritis can be a catastrophe!”

But my mind is saying,

“Go, girl!, you have a life to live.

Good deeds to be done each day,

and much love to give.

 

Keep in mind, your biggest cheer leader

in life is YOU.

Choose a positive attitude in reaching your goals,

and watch your dreams come true”..

 

You go girl

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Talks with Johnnie Lord

20 Nov

Talks with Johnnie Lord

 DiVoran Lites

DiVoran Lites

I was in the first Sunday School class Johnnie Lord taught when she and Peter first came to Titusville. We met in the house next door to our church, the First Baptist, downtown. As I recall, it was a space-filled room with sunshine splashing through the windows and over the wooden floors.

Johnnie talked slow and southern. I, who had just come from California with my husband and two small children, was fascinated by her. She used her hands in teaching, and did I say she was soft-spoken and kind? No? Well, she was the kindest and wisest woman I have ever personally known. I am by no means alone in feeling this way.

One of the first things I recall Johnnie telling us was that a woman was responsible for dressing modestly instead of trying to draw attention to herself by wearing what might be called alluring clothing. That was the first time I ever heard that idea, although I’m sure my mother and grandmother had done their best to instill it in me. Of course she was teaching the Bible, but in a new and accessible way I’d never heard before.

The first time I knew Christian books, besides the Bible, existed was when Johnnie introduced us to, The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life, by Hannah Whithall Smith. It’s a wonderful book. I recently bought a copy to see what had helped me so much. Basically it’s about looking to God instead of to our own thinking- patterns for guidance. It was written in 1875, and is still very popular. I’d say the principle is more needed today than ever before.

Johnnie suggested that if we didn’t understand something or couldn’t put it into practice we might stop reading until we could. That was good advice, but once I was onto Christian books I gobbled them like a starved child. Blessedly she also gave us a hunger and thirst for scripture, and for time spent alone with God every day. Renie and Billy watched Captain Kangaroo first thing in the morning and I, a stay-at-home mom, got started studying the Bible and learning to pray. Peter’s 9:59 plan about journaling inspired me to write letters to God, which I still do today.

It would be hard to say whether inspiration came to us through Johnnie or through Peter. They were sometimes called the dynamic duo, and I know they depended on each other’s relationship with the Lord in leading the congregation. They had many a sore trial, but they eventually counted them all for good.

One time I was sitting across the table from Johnnie and jokingly told her I had stolen Bill’s Bible. She said, “If you stole it, you probably needed it.”

Johnnie would often quote Isaiah 26:3, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee: …” I didn’t get it, but it stuck with me, and after I actually asked Jesus to be my master and savior, I began to understand what it meant.

In the seventies, Bill and I had some trouble in our marriage, and we consulted with Peter. He helped us through it, and there is no doubt that much of his counsel came from what he and Johnnie had learned in their marriage. The idea was that most people, when left to their own thoughts will try their best to figure it out or battle it out, but that if they focus on God and His will, His Holy Spirit will do the work. The prayer we prayed was: “Lord, change this marriage, beginning with me.” Bill and I just celebrated our fifty-seventh wedding anniversary. I hate to think where we and our family would be now, if we’d never met Peter and Johnnie .

Recently I was talking to a friend who grew up at Park Avenue with our gown children. She and I are both deeply grateful that the younger generations of each family are now thriving in goodness. We know that would not be so if it hadn’t been for our beloved leaders, and for the dear helpers and teachers at the church.

Thank you Peter and Johnnie. We hope your crowns in heaven aren’t too heavy with stars. Ah well, you probably won’t wear them anyhow, neither of you was ever looking for personal glory.

Johnnie went to be with the Lord this week. I know He is delighted to welcome her home-

 

Thou will keep in perfect peace

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My Colonial States Trip~Part 1

19 Nov

A Slice of Life

 Bill Lites

Bill Red Spot Plane

 

Since I always wanted to visit the northeastern U.S. Colonial States during the fall foliage color change, I decided to give late September and early October a try this year. My primary museum resource was, of course, my “Guide to Over 900 Aircraft Museums – USA & Canada,” which gave me an approximate route for my trip. Next came the airline and rental car research. One friend, who had lived in the Boston area and still had relatives living there, recommended the Providence, RI airport for two reasons. One, because Southwest Airlines (I could fly free with points) had non-stop flights from Orlando to the T.F. Green airport in Warwick, RI; and two, because it was a smaller airport with much less hassle than JFK or LaGuardia.   When I checked out the rental car prices, I found I could save over $250 by renting the same car at a downtown Providence location instead of at the airport. That savings would go a long way toward paying for my gas on this trip. Here again my Boston friend was able to assist me with Rapid Transit information to and from the airport to Providence. On most of my trips I find that talking to friends who have lived in the areas I plan to visit is a great source of valuable information. Next, I researched the Internet for “Things to do” and “Points of Interest” in the major cities of the states where my initial route seemed to be taking me. This narrowed the route down to more specific locations along the way. Then I approximated the distances between museums or attractions (including time at the museum/attraction) along my route to look for motel locations and rates (nights for the lowest points) so that hours on the road per day were reasonable. All this makes for a very time consuming process, but I enjoy the research and thinking about all the fun places and things I am going to be seeing.

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I had planned to start my first day (flight day) after arriving in the Providence area, to pick up my rental car, and then visiting a museum and a memorial park before checking into the motel for the night. I was a little concerned about the timing of all this because my flight was scheduled to arrive at the T. F. Green Airport at 12:50 pm and the commuter train left the airport stop for Providence at 1:25 pm. If the plane was late, it would mess up my whole evening as the next commuter train would not leave the airport until 3:55 pm. My Boston friend assured me that I would have plenty of time to make the 1:25 train and not to worry. Right, easy for him to say! Well, as it turned out, the flight was early getting into the T.F. Green Airport, and I got to the train stop in plenty of time. Interestingly, there was a young man waiting for the same train I was, and I asked him about how to know which train was my train. He kindly explained and come to find out he was from Melbourne, FL (about 40 miles from Titusville, FL where I live) and had been on the same flight that I was on from Orlando. He was there to visit relatives and was very helpful with information about the commuter train system.

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—–To Be Continued—–

 

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My Second Business

18 Nov

Leon is a new contributor to Old Things R New. Last Wednesday he suffered a serious stoke. Please keep him in your prayers.

My Second Business

 Leon Holecheck

 

When I was 9 years old, my dad gave me 50 cents to mow the front and back lawns.  That was a lot of work and a lot of money. When the lady who lived down the street found out I mowed lawns, she offered me 50 cents to mow her front lawn. I used her lawn mower and  it was in good shape and had been well lubricated. It took me most of that Saturday morning and afternoon to finish the job, because it was a big lawn. It was summer time and I sweated a lot and drank a lot of water. It was a huge relief to sit down on the lawn in the shade and rest from time to time. She required me to trim the edges of the lawn along the curb and on both sides of the sidewalks. I had to do all that edging on my hands and knees. She was happy with my work, and when she paid me, she told me she would pay me another 25 cents to mow the backyard. She wanted me to come back every Saturday.

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Another lady further down the street offered me one dollar to mow her lawn. Then another lady offered me a dollar and fifty cents to mow her lawn. My last mowing job paid me the most, but it was the hardest. The lady paid me three dollars to mow her lawn. The lawn mower was very old and nobody had ever lubricated it. The blades would barely turn and it was very hard to push. I only mowed lawns, during the summers, because in 1949 I got a job working at a filling station, which was close to my house, on Saturdays for thirty five cents an hour. I worked at the filling station job for a little over a year before I started thinking about joining the circus. But, that’s another story for another time.

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—–The End—–

 

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Winter Begins

17 Nov

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Author, Poet and Artist

Suddenly the nighttime temperature was 50 degrees, then 40. It was also time to set our clocks back and stay in our warm cozy beds for an extra hour. Bill got the cat beds down from the attic so our little darlings wouldn’t catch cold, but Jasmine and I both got the sneezes anyway.

Another sign that winter has arrived is that last year’s and the year’s before poinsettia plants on the porch are full and lush, and even have a few leaves turning to red. Isn’t nature is wonderful?

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I got out a red plush sweater and a plaid flannel shirt to wear with my jeans. Soon I will reorganize my closet and drawers putting most of the shorts and t-shirts away, but not all. I do this twice a year, donating things I haven’t liked or worn and thus saving enough room for the ones I do enjoy wearing.

My winter stash yielded a velveteen, long-sleeved top with woven in flowers. I love that one, but each year when I wear it, a woman at church says something like: that top is so pretty. It’s to bad you can’t buy those any more. Well, okay, some people aren’t famous for their tact, but I’m not all sweetness and light myself – anyhow not always. Ask anyone. It’s the truth that counts. Am I going to let public opinion stop me from wearing something I want to wear? I’ll have to give that some thought.

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New International Version
Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. http://biblehub.com/james/3-5.htm

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Love Wins

14 Nov

From My Heart

Louise Gibson

Louise Gibson

 

 

Look deep within yourself-

What is it that you see?

Hope for the future-

A Christ-centered destiny?

 

I didn’t know how to truly live-

until I learned to love

And that didn’t happen until I met Christ,

our amazing God above.

 

If we are all wrapped up in our self,

it makes a very small package, you’ll agree.

But when Christ comes in and fills us with His love,

from the bondage of “self” we are free!

 

As the song goes, “Oh, victory in Jesus,

our Savior forever”-

To Him I raise my voice in praise.

He gives us purpose in living,

and strength to meet the needs of our days.

Love Wins

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All I Have is Chit-Chat

13 Nov

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Another week has passed and it seems all I have is chit-chat. We had a enjoyable visit with my aunt and cousin from Raleigh then almost as soon as they left my husband came down with a weird virus. He had no fever nor obvious symptoms except exhaustion. Then after a day he lost his voice. I spent the next five days thinking I was living with a seal. I kid you not, he sounded just like a seal at Sea World. I thought that was awful, but then he lost his voice totally. At first, that was kind of nice. (Ladies, you KNOW what I mean) To my surprise, I discovered I missed his ranting at the television and radio. After a visit to the doctor, some expensive pills and home remedies, I believe he is on the mend. His energy is coming back too.

There has been some excitement this week. Our daughter, was notified she is a top five finalist for an award in writing and she was asked to participate in a book signing at the U.S. Space Walk of Fame Museum. The other author will be none other than Jay Barbree, author of Neil Armstrong, A Life of Flight He has covered every single flight of the manned space program and she used his books as a reference as she wrote Jessie.

Tonight the seniors group at our church is having their Thanksgiving dinner. Husband won’t be going but I am ready to get our of the house….really ready.I am taking the pumpkin cake recipe that has been all over Facebook. It only uses a can of pumpkin and a cake mix. I pinned the recipe and you can find it on our Pinterest page Rebekah Lyn Books. I put it on the healthy recipes board. The other dish is what I call Pink Stuff. It is also called Cherry Salad. It is light, fluffy and easy to make.

 

 

My cousin Margaret put the recipe in the Ebenezer United Methodist church  cook book. I have included it in case you need a quick and pretty dish for a party.

 Cherry Salad

 23 oz can prepared cherry pie filling

23 oz can crushed pineapple well-drained

1 cup pecans or walnuts chopped

14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

Pint of sour cream

8 or 9 oz container of whipped topping

Blend all ingredients together. Chill 4-5 hours. Serves 10

 

Hopefully next week I will have something profound to share. Or not, maybe we will simply chat again. Oh, I do have one profound thing to share. I spent part of the time creating Inspirational pins for my friend, Janet Perez Eckles. I haven’t perfected it yet, but here is one to share.

Forgiveness is the garden

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WWI Trench Art

12 Nov

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Bill

 

For DiVoran’s birthday I took her to the Orange County History Center in Orlando, Florida so she could view the “Gone With The Wind” exhibition on display there.   She loved it. While she was enjoying the exhibits about that famous story of Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara, I strolled around the galleries on the other three floors of the building. It was a pretty impressive arrangement, with exhibits covering mostly Florida history.

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One exception was the WWI Trench Art exhibit. I was simply amazed at what some of those soldiers had done with what was called, in one description, “War Waste.” There was no end to the creativity shown by the many different examples displayed. There were creations using the smallest rifle cartridges, to those using some of the largest canon shell casings. There were pieces ranging from a small crucifix, to a multi-bulbed desk lamp. And some of the artistic work was breathtaking!

                        

To think that in the midst of one of the world’s worst conflicts, and in the cold and muddy trenches filled with the smell of death, that it was possible for men to be able to remove themselves (thoughts and emotions) in a way as to create such beauty out of some the very components that they were using to perpetuate that devastation.

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It’s disturbing for me to think about the millions of young men who have had to go to a war for any reason, but especially those with such talent as displayed in these art forms. Of course, there was the much used reference of “Turning Swords into Plowshares” which didn’t help when I tried to imagine how much talent has been wasted over the centuries because of the many wars that have been fought around the world. There was a picture of a huge pile of shell casings, which must have been the source of some of the “War Waste” referred to in one of the articles about Trench Art.

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There were several WWI posters (collector items by now) encouraging Americans to “Buy War Bonds” to support the war effort. I remember the stories about how the people of this country tried to stay out of the “War Over There” but how they rallied together to support out military once the U.S. joined the fight.

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It reminded me of pictures and stories of my dad, who had been a medic and ambulance driver with the U.S. Army in France during WWI. I’m sure he saw his share of terrible things during that conflict, as did many, but like most of them he never talked about it to us.

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If you get a chance to visit the Orange County History Center in Orlando, Florida in the near future, be sure to see the “WWI Trench Art” exhibit (there until 12/31/2014). If not, you can go on the internet and Google WWI Trench Art and you’ll be amazed, as I was, with what you will see posted there, and with many references to other links. Enjoy!

 

—–The End—–

http://www.trenchartofww1.co.uk

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