Memorial Day 2011

Beautiful skies over Buhlaland this morning - a bird soaring in the wind. We are grateful for the sacrifice of those who serve and served our country in the military and the ministry.

Skies can be cloudy, windy - almost stormy but bring beautiful days

"Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow,

for tomorrow will worry about itself.

Each day has enough trouble of its own."

~ Matthew 6:34 ~

We frequently think of and quote this scripture from Matthew - not as a "oh woe is me" but a "praise our gracious Father God - today is all we know and can handle". We do know the One who knows tomorrow, gives us the strength one day at a time. Still rough going in our lives, health is a precious commodity - healthy body, mind and spirit - the trifecta of life.

He Is Risen

He is Risen Indeed - alleluia and amen! Life is good on Buhlaland - and it is well with our souls. Bless y'all

Fragile

My heart is fragile - sometimes I forget how fragile. My old heart was bursting with gratitude Went to a concert yesterday with my beloved great nephew and his terrific grandmother (my SIL who also went to high school with me!) I was in the hospital waiting room the day Gnephew was born, we've prayed for and cried over and rejoiced about young man for many years - right now it appears a major transformation has occurred in his life. Gnephew is the one with black tshirt standing with concert artist Jamie Slocum - it was blessed on Buhlaland and I remember now how fragile my heart can be.

Soli Deo Gloria to God alone the Glory.

Something Different for Me

If you have looked around on this blog page - you've seen the small Compassion International banner and a link to their website. I got an opportunity to serve at a local event for Compassion. Christian recording artist, Adam Paul Williams, was doing a concert and Compassion presentation at a local church - they needed a couple of people who were sponsors to work the booth. Skip would have been terrific at this but definitely not able to go in that kind of crowd. You see the fun and interesting other volunteer, Martha, standing inside our booth area with Adam Paul and his wife Kelly and the host church music ministry director setting up in first picture.




Then we have the completed display - the large banner is the artist and his compassion sponsored child - picture taken about a year ago when he visited Guatemala. Also seen is the adorable child of Mr. and Mrs. Williams - and no I am not in any of the pictures - didn't think to ask someone to take one of me in the group!









I was blown away by the beautiful voice and worshipful nature of Adam Paul Williams. Have added a link to his website and I hope the embedded link will play a little of one of his recordings. Had such a great time telling people about the blessing of sponsoring a child through Compassion and the work Compassion does with over one million children around the world. Wanted to share this with y'all - it is good on Buhlaland to know our two little guys in Bangladesh are cared for with the help of such a wonderful organization. Enough effusiveness - we are blessed so abundantly - being able to share it is absolutely the cherry on the sundae of our lives!

Adam Paul Williams

A Kiss is Still a Kiss

It is still the same old story - but Happy Valentine's Day to all - even the goats nibble in affection and if all else fails - as time goes by - eat some cherry pie!

1 Corinthians 13:12-13(msg. version)
We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

It is good on Buhlaland and we wish you extravagant love today - and for eternity!

Now where DID I leave that word?

Here on Buhlaland we often sky gaze and star gaze and always find something worthy of our attention. Paying attention is harder when we are scattered mentally and emotionally - a situation we've allowed to exist far too often in recent months. DH and I will ask one another "what was that guy's name?" or "where did we read such and such?" or the worst "you know - one of those _____s?!" we exclaim with such frustration. Misplacing a memory, a word, a name, a doe a deer a female deer - oops got carried away there- is so exasperating. I just read a blog posting which tickled me no end - glad to see it isn't our aging brain cells solely to blame for us playing hide and seek with our vocabulary. Thanks for bringing a laugh to Buhlaland ButterflyMama!

Butterfly Mama: A Brain With a View

A bit of a croc(k)

Here's looking at YOU - kid - ala Bogart and Bacall the big time stars or in this case - Ellie and Hannah the goats

Nest is of unknown bird type - tiny little eggs in the ceiling joist of the fiberglass "mama and baby" shelter in our goat pen. Notice the lovely goat hair woven in for warmth and softness!

Haven't been blogging - I'd give lots of excuses but I usually tell the truth - been doing some real work around Buhlaland and lots of running around to stores (Lowes, Depot, Costco - source of my delightful crocky shoes and Wally World) . Even took pictures of food I was preparing for Sunday - and it didn't turn out all that yummy so why blog about it?

Ok Ok - so have also been playing with dogs, chickens, goats and making do without hot water.

Water heater began to leak (thank you - who ever did it - for the invention of drain pipes - very useful) so we ended up almost 5 days without hot water in the house. Blessed by having a small water heater in workshop bathroom so we trekked back and forth like we were at church camp! you know - without the meetings, crafts and some of the annoying songs.

Now we have hot water, addition is finished on the outside and tomorrow we drywall (I am using the royal we and no Prince William isn't coming to help DH). It is warm, we've had rain and are so blessed here on Buhlaland - we can take hot showers and wash dishes. Woo Hoo - it doesn't sound like much until you can't so easily.

I'm listening to Chris Tomlin's recording of Amazing Grace/My Chains are Gone - can't put it here due to limitation at YouTube but here's the link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghZfnQxUhzQ

It is good on Buhlaland and grace is abundant!

Peachy Keen

I'm not a great gardener - I like to garden and my favorite part of gardening would be watering my garden on warm summer mornings. We would be hard pressed to survive on what I am able to harvest from my gardening endeavors. When we first moved onto Buhlaland we industriously planted an "orchard" - 5 or 6 fruit trees guaranteed to be good for this area. The peach blossom you are seeing ---- is not from one of those trees.
Our little orchard was stone cold dead in less than 12 months - I'd picked a spot with clay in the soil, easy access for deer (who like to nibble tender young trees ----to death!) and difficult to keep watered sufficiently. DH dug a trench and ran a water line up to the orchard but it was a case of too little too late.
Being an optimistic soul by choice and inclination - I blew another thirty dollars on a genetic dwarf peach tree. It is an itty bitty thing, but has made it through a winter in our yard and actually has the appearance of being alive in a thriving sense of the word.
well WOO HOOO! If we harvest this year from the tiny twig looking peach tree - they will be the most expensive peaches we have ever eaten. Hope they taste great! It is drought level dry around North Texas right now so I'm thinking, hoping, praying rain. Rain encouragement will extend to washing cars today and making plans to be outside Sunday - do you think my program will work?

Very quiet worship video - I love the words - here on Buhlaland it is good when it rains down - we are asking for physical and spiritual showers.

What's your tune?

Our pastor had this video played at church today - fun with a good point to make.

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Besame mucho!

Nubiana and her daughter Ellie Skees are just such lovin' gals - Nubie looks all puckered up and ready for a big smooch. (A loose translation of besame mucho is generally kiss me lots or kiss me again and again). However "things" may appear one way and turn out to be another. Her lips are swollen from working over the molasses and minerals bucket. The mineral lick is fairly hard stuff and meant for licking not biting- but several of the gals have sore faces. We'll pretend she is smooching up here and Ellie is encouraging a big old kiss for everyone.







The Youtube is a guitar version of the charming song Besame Mucho . Google for Sungha Jung if you are interested in more about this talented young man. He is my new YouTube obsession - it is melodic here on Buhlaland and I'm liking it a lot!