There is an old saying that “All good things must come to an end.” Fourteen years ago, on July 13, 2006, The Shelbyville News contained my first “Cooks’ Corner” column. Others had written it before my turn started, and it was amazing to me that the newspaper agreed to accept articles from an inexperienced author. Until then, the only steady writing I had accomplished was putting together devotions and sending them to people by email. I was thrilled to be…..
It’s that time of year again, and I am excited! My hard work is beginning to pay off; my garden is starting to yield fresh produce. I have enjoyed sugar snap peas for a couple of weeks. A few yellow cherry tomatoes have ripened; they don’t last very long after I rinse them off. It is too hard to resist a fresh-off-the-vine bite of golden goodness. I picked some green beans on Saturday, enough to share with a friend at…..
Now it’s July. Half of 2020 is history; it was definitely historic! Things that seemed so routine when we entered this year are no longer the same. Every trip to the store reminds me that things have changed. It may be in the availability (or lack thereof) of certain items. It could be sticker shock from escalating prices. I do know that I miss seeing smiling faces that are unhidden by masks. One thing I am extremely grateful for is…..
During all the recent weeks of isolation, uncertainty, and unrest, there have been times I felt extremely unsettled. I have found only one thing that is sure – the love of my Heavenly Father. Knowing that I am never out of His care has helped me look at these tempestuous times with an assurance I could never come up with on my own. One of the ways God has provided for me is by supplying a weekly focus, often just…..
I was blessed to have all of my family at my home on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. After so many weeks of isolation, we enjoyed our time together. The cousins were excited to spend time playing together, and the adults were glad for a time to chat face-to-face. Most of our time was spent outdoors; however, a mid-afternoon thunderstorm moved our gathering into the house for a bit. Molly (my daughter) and her crew arrived on that Friday,…..
June has arrived – the first month of summer. Yes, I know that summer doesn’t officially arrive until the 20th, but with all that has been going on in our world, it is good to know that seasons are changing as they always do. When I sat down to write this morning, I had a story to tell. However, current events kept flooding my mind. They reminded me that we live in a broken culture, in a society that often…..
May is National Egg Month. It is really not hard to find recipes that include eggs; they are used in a lot of ways. They may be found in cakes, cookies, breads, casseroles, salads, pies, plus many other dishes. They are eaten boiled, baked, fried, scrambled, shirred, poached, deviled; I am sure there are other cooking methods I haven’t mentioned. For many years, eggs had a bad reputation. It was thought that they were a significant cause of high cholesterol. …..
What would life be without asparagus? If that question had been asked of me as a child, I would have answered, “Wonderful!” I hated the stuff. My parents loved it, though, and so springtime meals were often a challenge for me. There was a large patch of asparagus that grew in the backyard of my childhood home. Dad also knew where lots of it grew wild in a ditch close to our house. While other families considered asparagus to be…..
The state of motherhood means there are children involved. Even if they are grown. Even when the title “Mom” is affectionately given to a special lady in one’s life. A mom might have natural-born children, or they may be adopted. Or foster children. Or those that actually belong to someone else, yet she serves as a parental figure of some sort (such as a mother-in-law). One thing I know for sure about children: they are all different. Bob (my late…..
One thing that keeps me from going absolutely stir crazy is watching the world around me. I am blessed to live in the country, and I love watching things “wake up” during the spring. When I need to clear my head of all the negativity going on in our current situation, I often step outside and listen to the birds. They are going about life as normal, trusting their Creator to care for them as He always does. Observing nature…..