A view from my neck of the woods

good morning y'all.         it looks to be a beautiful day so far, although it is quite early to make such a judgement call.       it is 7:35 am when I'm typing this out.        I just looked out the back door and the sun is trying to shine.        it's kinda strange, I don't hear any of the usual sounds I typically hear of the morning.        I guess that means everyone is still unactive as of the moment.       I don't even hear the typical birds and frogs talking to each other.        those are sounds that I never get tired of hearing.        it brings joy to my soul to hear the birds and frogs and just all usual morning sounds.        I'm not hearing the train like we usually hear, or road traffic that is the norm for around here.       but I guess I'll start hearing it soon enough.    

I took pics of my deck garden the other day and finally got them sent to me from my cell phone to my computer and thought y'all might like to take a peek at what's growing out back.      lots of tomatoes and peppers.        those are just a necessity.        I'm not the greatest gardener by any means, but I try.       as long as I've been trying to container garden, I still honestly don't have clue, but I keep trying.         I keep praying and God keeps answering my prayers.         I'm clueless about fertilizer and all that stuff, but like I said, I keep trying.   

and, back to first paragraph, just like that, I hear a train on the other side of town, it will be rolling thru here in a few minutes. 

Now, on to the garden:  

the first pic is the shot from the ramp, just before I step onto the deck.    from the back corner to the opposite front corner.        you can click on the pictures and it will bring us the full sized version.

this pic below, I'm still standing where I was for the first pic, I just pivoted towards the corner of the house and took a pic back that direction.         you'll also notice some colorful pieces on top of some of the poles I'm using.          those are pool noodles from the dollar tree  that I cut and put on top of the poles to keep the poles from poking holes thru the mesh that I use to cover the containers.        the pool noodles work well.   

this one below, is down the ramp, to the landing and that's where my 3 fig trees are for now.        they are covered in sheer mesh bags to keep from sprawling out and also to keep squirrels and birds from digging around in the containers.        I noticed the mesh looks funny, I'm sorry about that.        I'd like for the fig trees to show up better.         I'm not gonna have any figs this year, I trimmed them last year and cut them back too much and I cut off all the growth that would have had figs this year.         that's my thoughts on it anyway.         I actually got 36 cutting from the 3 figs and only 1 cutting survived the winter.        so I guess it's fair to say that I don't know anything about fig trees either.

the pic below is the front of the deck facing the woods as you can see.         the tall containers are "Keter" containers.         these were made in Israel.        I don't know where they are made now, but I do love the fact that these were made in Israel.        I got them at a place called Bargain Hunt about 4 years ago.      we kept going and asking about when they was gonna go on sale.       the regular price for them at BH was $85 each.        (they're about $150 from amazon right now)        we went one morning and asked  about  them, and  the lady  we  asked  said  I don't  know  if they're  marked  down yet, let me ask.       she asked the  manager  about them, and  he said that he just got the memo on them this morning and that they had indeed gone on clearance.         the lady told me and I asked how much they are now.         she told me and I started crying!!!        I looked at my husband with tears streaming down my face and he was smiling real big and we both just started laughing and I just had a pretty big Jesus moment right there, praising Him and thanking for such a blessing!!        we got 4 for less than the price of 1 at their original store price.         $20 dollars a piece!!!!!          Yes, thank you Jesus!!!!         and these 2 keters have greenbeans in them.         there is cane poles with pool noodles in the sides and centers of both to help hold the mesh up that I had put over them to keep birds and squirrels out of them.         these are in full bloom and I should have small greenbeans by the end of next week, the first weekend in June.           in front of the are tomatoes, peppers and a planter full of stevia.        I've got dry some stevia so it can bush out even more.

the pic below is just down from the greenbean filled keters.          you can't see it to well, but there are 2 low benches that I have containers setting on.          on the back row and up the rail on the side of the deck is where I have watermelons and all kinds of squash growing.        some of them, I've replanted the seeds two or 3 times and if they don't come up this time, I'm planting more greenbeans.          also, I have 4 containers with corn in them.        this is just for fun, I totally don't expect it to make corn, so I'll probably plant more greenbeans soon.          we love greenbeans.

the pic below is of my early girl watermelon and you can see peppers and tomatoes around it.        I hope it does well.        we had 3 or 4 watermelons last year and they were delicious.

this next pic is where I played "I spy" in the garden and low and behold I spied some fresno peppers in my garden.       yay!!!

this is one of my little dollar tree stackables with micro toms and orange hat toms.       there is 9 tomatoes in this little planter and they are loaded with green tomatoes.         the very last tomato that I planted in the top wasn't a micro or an orange hat.        it appears to be full sixed and I may have trouble with it if the wind blows.        hahaha          I've thought about cutting it off some, I'll wait and see.

this next pic below is down the row where I have the melons and squash set.       some of the seeds haven't come up yet and I may end up planting something else.         I don't know yet.       I have 2 containers with squash/pumpkin that have "hull-less" seeds.         they are stinkers to get sprouted.         the seeds are expensive and I'm just about out of seeds, but I really want to grow some of these.    

ok, now this next pic below is on the wall of the house and you can see the legs of 2 more keters.         I have a container with the mesh over it that has okra seeds in it.          when they sprout, I'll remove the mesh and put forks in the container like the of them have.        then beside the okra is tomatoes and peppers.       

the pic below is another view of the containers on the benches that we had looked at earlier, but I realized that I didn't get a pic of the sunflowers I have growing.       the very last container on the bench is the sunflowers.          these are supposed to be a mini variety.        I can't wait to see them when they bloom.

now, the pic below is back to the keters that are at the back of the house.           this keter is filled broccoli rabe and I don't expect it do much.         they just don't look like much.         so what I actually done was put more tomatoes and peppers in this keter.         so there is broccoli rabe, tomatoes and peppers in this one.        this one and the one next to is still has a black mesh over them just to keep birds out.        the holes are big enough for pollinators to get it, but not birds or squirrels. 

this pic below is looking toward the house where it makes a corner on the deck.         that's the backdoor going into our bedroom.         it catches the early morning sun and make the bedroom unbearably hot, so I covered the storm door on the inside with light blocking barrier and I use heavy curtains on the inside to keep the heat out, that's why it's black.         but, right here is my 2 strawberry greenstalk towers.       I had filled them with 50 strawberry plants just before winter.        some of them survived, but about half of them didn't make it.         that's why there are empty pockets.        but these are putting out runners now and I thrilled about that.         I'm hoping I can the pockets filled before winter and we can have a lot more strawberries next season.         these are everbearing strawberries.         they will have fruit all season, but not a huge abundance unless you have several plants.

so the pic below is the last keter, sitting beside the one with the broccoli rabe, tomatoes and peppers.      in this particular one is "red rat tail radishes".        you don't grow them for the tuber below, you grow them for the seed pods that they produce.        they look similar to greenbeans and they are spicy like a radish.        this is my first year with them, and upon closer reading about them, I would be planting them in the keters any more.        info said that they can get to 5 feet tall.        I'll have to use a step ladder to harvest them.          they already have a to of blooms and the info said they would keep on growing and making blooms.         we'll see how they turn out.

this next pic below is over in the corner of the deck and I have 2 other raised beds containers.        they have green peas and onions in them.         I've never had any success with starting onions from seed so hopefully these will do something for me.         and sitting beside those is my little greenhouse on wheels.        it's where  I brought  my plants  from the garage to harden off before I actually planted them.           I'll take it to the garden shed after the fall season is over.        and then I can bring it back out next year when I start the process all over again.        right now it's full of a lot of the stuff I'm using in the garden, so it gives me a storage area. 

well, this is a look at my garden, such as it is.         I'm sure you noticed a lot of forks.          well, they are to keep birds and squirrels and neighbor cats out of my containers.         I had to put black mesh on my strawberries too.         the birds were trying to build nests and they killed about 4 or 5 of my strawberries that had survived the winter.         so I just got the mesh and made a tube and pulled it down over the strawberries.          the pollinators can get to the blooms, but the birds don't have anywhere to make their nests.        and the squirrels can't bury their nuts.         oh, the things we gotta do to have a garden.

I've always said that I plant and pray and God does the rest.         I stand by that statement.         because I don't know enough about gardening to fill a thimble, but I do know The Master Gardener.        and helps me and blesses me and encourages me to keep on growing.          as long as He is with me, I'll keep growing a garden.        I just think that gardens happen to to be a very happy place.        if you remember, it was in the Garden that God walked with Adam in the cool of the day and He spent time with Adam and I think that's why so many people have peace and contentment in the garden.        I know it is a special time for me when I'm out on the deck working and just praising God for the time that He has blessed me with.

well, I guess that's about all I have for you today.       I hope and pray that you seen something here today that you like and if you did, share it with someone you know who may be struggling with life and tell them that God loves them enough to provide a way for us to be in relationship with Him thru the shed blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.       when we spend with Him, it's time well spent.

blessings to you all and happy gardening.      hugs and love, patty

please overlook any spelling or whatever, I'm not real good at this either.  but if I see something weird, I'll change it.  thanks.

Bible Study and a little bit of this and that

good morning y'all!!!!!            guess what?          if you guessed more rain, you win!!!!          we had another 2 or 3 inches yesterday, making about 8 and a half or 9 inches so far.         I think I noticed I'm starting to grow gills.        I don't know what that means, but it may mean I'm turning aquatic or something.        hahahaha           just wells to laugh as to cry.         and I am so thankful that God's hand of protection has been on us.          I continue to pray for His safety during this bad weather that we've been having.         I did get some breakfast patties in the freezer for my husband yesterday, so that's not a total loss.         I'm thrilled to have gotten done.         I need to get my breakfast jars made for me too, this morning is the last breakfast jar I have, so I may need to whip up some of those today.        also, I got all my garden seedling starts taken back to the garage and put in the sprout house.        we're going to have 3 or 4 nights below freezing, so I needed to get them back in the garage.         I also noticed that my hydroponic unit with strawberry seeds in it has 3 or 4 that has actually sprouted.        I'm so thrilled, I hope and pray that others sprout also.     I was just looking on friday to see how long it took for strawberry seeds to sprout and it said between 12 and 48 days.          so mine was started on March 28th and I'm thinking that's pretty good for mine to be sprouting already.         woohoo!!!         I'm looking forward to getting some of my garden going.         what are you doing in your garden? 

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giggle for the day:

Q - What did one snowman say to the other snowman?

A - It smells like carrots over here!

😂😂😂😂😂😂

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picking up with Ezekiel Chapter 21,             even during the toughest times, God's purpose prevails.      what may look like chaos to us, is the divine purpose of God.         we must trust God's plan even when we don't understand it.           is that easy to do?   absolutely not, but we pray and give our fears and any unbelief to God.          God is impartial and asks us to live holy lives and to seek His mercy.         again, continue to seek after the heart of God in every thing we do.          God's message is hard to share but that's we're called to do, with compassion.          live a life that honors Christ and live a life that is awaiting His return.          God is in control of everything, regardless of what it looks like with our eyes, His purpose will come out on top every time.       

Ezekiel 22,           sin carries a heavy consequence and sinful nations will face God's judgement.         we need to stand in the gap where we see need, injustice and unrighteousness.          God will judge any nation that focuses on corruption, idolatry and moral decay.         I think we are living in these times for sure.          when perversion of all kinds is accepted in main stream life as normal, something is very wrong.        all these perverted ways of life, God has called an abomination and if we support this perversion, we are NOT Christians and we count on being judged just like the nation that Ezekiel was speaking Gods words to.         wicked leaders are responsible for what they expect from the community at large.         if they support perversion, then that's what they push.        no matter what is forced upon us, we as Christians have to live lives of integrity and we must pray for our leaders.          we need to be interceders through prayer and our actions for those around us.         work for a society that reflects the love of God and justice.

Ezekiel 23,          we have a relationship with God and we must keep that pure.        some were committing spiritual adultery.         we have to keep our commitment to God pure and make sure our actions reflects that purity.         we must be vigilant in our modern day influences of idols that can take us away from our relationship with God.         we are set apart, to live holy lives for God.         if the way we  live  looks  like  the  rest of  the world, then there is nothing holy about us and we are living a fools life.        repentance is the first step towards reconciliation and renewal.       

Ezekiel 24,          to serve God calls for personal sacrifice.        sometimes that personal sacrifice is hard to bare, but we have to be willing to serve God.         personal sacrifice will be something that we are all familiar with at some point in time.         during times of loss we have to realize that Gods purposes are for our good and His glory.         God will be glorified.          God's discipline is an expression of His love.           even in discipline, He offers hope of reconciliation thru repentance.

Ezekiel 25,           God's justice is impartial, even thru His love for us.          those who harm God's people will face divine judgement.          we can count on that.         when people take pride and joy over the suffering of God's people, you can trust that they will be dealing with God's divine judgement.        trust that God sees all injustice that's taking place and He will deal with it.        people had taken great pleasure in the downfall of Israel.         make sure that we are not taking pleasure in the downfall of others.        pray for nations and leaders asking God to guide them in making the right decisions.        God is in control of all of history, past present and future, find peace in knowing that God has it all worked out already.

next time we pick up at Ezekiel Chapter 26.

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well, I think this is just about it for the day.         may we all be blessed and know that God is in control of absolutely everything.        I pray that we all have a great day today.          pray for those that you know are hurting and in pain.          please pray for a friend of mine who's husband has been put in hospice home care because there's no way they can help him.          he actually opted out of them trying to help him.          just pray for him and his wife as they go thru this journey together.        pray for God's mercy on both of them.       blessings of peace and mercy be ours today.

hugs and love, patty

Bible study and gardening ideas

good morning from my neck of the woods.          it's starting out to be a smashing day.         we walked a little while ago, it was still a crisp 41 degrees, but it has since warmed up to 56, so it should be a good day today.        I hope so anyway.          over the last 2 days, my husband worked on a couple of tables to set 2 of my larger gardening containers on, up on the deck.        I'm excited about that.         I had gotten a couple of long narrow containers last year, with legs off the ground about 24 inches.        I got one planted last year, but the legs are really shaky on it and I was afraid to do much with it so I just kinda left it alone.          after all the major projects was gotten out of the way this year, he took some treated lumber that he salvaged from 2 years ago when straight line winds took out the neighbors pine trees, which then took out our shed at the back of the property.         we salvaged as much as we could from the flattened and he used some of that lumber to make these 2 tables for me.          the containers also have lids that act as a greenhouse.          so I should be able to keep something like lettuce growing for a longer time in the fall and winter and possibly even get them started earlier in late winter or early spring.         anyway, I have high hopes for these containers.    we'll see what I can accomplish with them.        when I get them set up, I'll try to remember to share pictures.        nothing is pretty, because  we need to  replace  the old  deck, hopefully  some day soon.      with the cost of everything now, it may not be possible.        but, I remain hopeful.          as I'm typing, I hear the train rolling thru and I'm reminded that in just a couple of short months, the foliage on the trees will prevent most of the sound from the train even being noticeable.         that's such a change each year, going from haring that and then not  even paying  any attention  to it.        yesterday, I  kept  hearing  lawn  mowers  in the near area.         it was kinda funny, since all that's growing now is the wild onions and and wild garlic.        they could have been raking leaves though.        but it's that time of year when all the familiar noises of spring and summer start happening.       we hear the birds and even a few tree frogs but it won't be long till even the noise making insects will be kicking in with their noises.         what are the sounds that you hear that makes you stop and listen for a few minutes?

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giggle for the day:

Q - What did one hat say to the other? 

A - You wait here. I’ll go on a head.

well, what else would he say?  hahaha

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starting with Chapter 1 in the book of Isaiah, we see God is bringing a lawsuit against His people for all their sin and rebellion.          any country on the face of the planet could read the Book of Isaiah and think it was written for them in this modern day.        the people all across the planet have become more evil and wicked with the passing days.         sin requires repentance.         nothing more, nothing less and nothing else will suffice.         that is the only way we'll be restored back into full fellowship with Him.

Isaiah 2,    did you realize that there will be a time when ALL nations will worship the One and Only True God?          this chapter is telling us about that time.          what a day that will be!!!          can we even begin to imagine what true peace will look like?         I can't.           pride and arrogance will be brought low.           idols and idol worship will vanish!!!         what a day of reckoning.

Isaiah 3,     this chapter tells us that God will remove corrupt leaders.         I wonder if anyone today would think that they are those corrupt leaders?           I think this world has had it's fill of corrupt leaders and I just  have to know within  myself, that God has seen it all!!!         when  corrupt leaders are removed,  that means  we will have  to turn to each  other to survive.         most  people today don't even know  one thing  about survival.      and then we see that people will start taking from other people just to survive.      keep  on reading  this chapter  and we will  see  where  God will put women in their place.       He will take away everything that most are so proud about today.         I was thinking a little while ago while taking a shower, that I am probably one of less than a hundred women in my area who have never had a single manicure.         most people I know spend more money in a year on manicures than a lot of people spend on groceries for a year.         sad thing about that is that most of the money spent on manicures and braids is government money.        not money they earned.      is that vanity?        I don't color my hair, I don't paint my face, I don't wear jewelry, I'm just a plain patty.        and I'm ok with it.         instead of sweet smelling perfume there will be a stench of rotten.          to be honest, I think I already smell it!!

Isaiah 4,      this short chapter tells us that God will put the women in their place.        they will be begging for a man to take away their disgrace.         I hate to think what women have helped cause the problem, over this big huge planet.         this is what we get when we have women wanting to take men's place in government.          does that sound anti-women?        well, it's not.       God made women and men, both with different jobs.        we have women wanting to take over men's jobs and we now have a world full of "girly men"!!!         but the word of God says that we certainly have our part in it.        but we see that God is cleaning up the bride for future beauty and glory.          there will be a time when Gods people will be holy and cleansed from all corruption.

next time we'll pick up at Isaiah 5.

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well, I guess we'll wrap this one up and we'll get on with our day.         I pray that in everything we do, we'll continue to seek after the heart of God.         times are changing and Christians need to be walking as closely to God as we can.        hard times are coming and they won't be for the weak.         we need to realize that our strength comes from Christ alone!!!!           "I can do all things thru Christ, who is my strength!!!"           this should be our only thought.         I can do absolutely nothing on my own, but with Christ, I can do what ever is necessary.        God will make a way when we are seeking His way and His heart.        keep God at the forefront of all we do and do not take our eyes off the cross!!        blessings of steadfastness and peace be ours today.   

hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and tomatoes

good morning my awesome friends!!!!            I pray that each and every one of you are doing fabulous today.           I hope that you have a great day ahead.           I already know that we have a busy week ahead.          a lot of it will be outside and I do look forward to that.        we both have been cooped up in the house and eating a lot of wonderful meals.         doesn't sound too bad does it?          well, it's great if you can be active and burn a  few calories.        hahaha          but a snow week is not the time to eat everything in sight.        we didn't overindulge, we're just usually more active than we were this past week.        so, I'm hoping to get the activity level a little higher.         I need to pay a visit to aldi, I need to get the utility bill paid, get some meds refilled, we need to go to the bank, a dr's appt, have the oil changed in the car and the tires rotated.         it seems everything piles up when it snows.        just like a snow drift, it all piles up.          so it will be good to get all this behind us and do some fun stuff outside. 

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so this will be a little different "2 minutes in the kitchen with me" today, but it should be a good one.      I know I have been talking about my tomato plants in my hydroponic unit, well, I thought I would introduce you to my little toms!!          they are doing soooooo good and I hope to get them put in solo cups this week and out in the little sprout house in the garage where I have grow lights and heat pads for them to sit on.        it will keep the warm at night.         then if for some reason, it's going to turn off colder than we have planned on, my husband has another area fixed up where we can move them to and it will keep them much warmer.         so I think it will be ok to go ahead and get them put in the graage with the grow light and heat mats.  

I just pray that they all make it.           this pic was taken a week or more ago, so they have grown a lot more now.          I'm looking forward to good tomatoes from these and they should produce well, we'll just have to wait and see.         what all are you growing this year?

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I think it's time for our "giggle for the day":

Q - What does corn say when it gets a compliment?

A - Aw, shucks!

😂😂😂  I know, I know, it was a little corny!!   bada bing bada boom!!  hahaha

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let's pick back up in the book of Psalms with Psalm 9.         I don't know of any other person in the bible that praised God as much as David did.         we would all do well to strive to praise God like David did at all times.          David was continuously asking God to see those who hated him and done evil towards him.          he was thankful for God's justice.         he referred to God as a stronghold for the oppressed and a stronghold in a time of trouble.       I have found that to be true, and I'll just imagine you have found that to be true also.       He is always faithful and just.       He makes Himself known and He always executes justice.        praise Him!!!   

Psalm 10 is talking about the wicked people.        how they desire the wrong things, they curse, oppress and lie.           the lurk around and pull people into their snares.        David cries out to the Lord to help the humble, the orphan and to strengthen them and vindicate the orphaned and the oppressed.        David asks Him to seek the wicked till no more could be found.         I agree with David, Lord seek the wicked till no more can be found.

Psalm 11, David is talking about the Lord being a place to take refuge.        I find comfort in that and a sense of peace that knows we need His comfort and He makes Himself our refuge, a place of comfort away from the evil.        the Lord loves the righteous and we who are righteous will see Him.       I look forward to seeing all that God is.    

Psalm 12, David reminds us that God is our helper against the treacherous.         people speak only lies and have flattering lips and a double heart.        and a double heart is not a good thing.         hypocrisy and deceit are on their tongues.        they say one thing while they mean something else.       sounds very familiar.        from all the power houses across this planet we see hypocrisy and deceit at it's best.        it's in all the government, in every government across this planet.         they are not genuine and they have hidden agendas.          does this sound familiar at all?          it should.       we all see it play out all across this earth.       wicked people in high places.         we just have to remember that God is judge and He is just.

Psalm 13, David asked the Lord if He will forget him forever.          have ever wanted to ask the Lord that same thing?          I'll bet you have.       David said he would trust God's faithfulness.        that's good for me to remember.         do you ever sing to the Lord?         David did, and I do too sometimes.       when I'm in the kitchen, I'm usually singing out loud to Lord, or silently in my heart, but either way, I'm singing to the Lord.

Psalm 14, the fool has said in his heart, there is no God.         it truly is a fool that says that.      are there any who act wisely and seek God?         but the Lord is the righteous persons refuge.  

Psalm 15, tells of the unshakable person.         there is no deceit in him, a person of integrity, righteous, speaks with truth in his heart, no slander, no harm to his neighbor, no shame to his friend, despises despicable people, he honors those who fear the Lord, doesn't change, doesn't take a bribe.      these are the people who will settle on His holy hill!!

Psalm 16, David has put the Lord before him continually.       he thinks on the Lord both day and night and because God is at His right hand, he will not be shaken.        David was seeking after the heart of God and he found it.         David wasn't perfect, he sinned, but he repented and he kept seeking after the heart of God.        God didn't remember David for his sin, he remember David because he was continuously seeking after the heart of God.

Psalm 17, David had asked God to keep him as the apple of his eye and to keep him in the shelter of his wings.         these are two very comforting things to think about.

Psalm 18,  God had rescued David from Saul and David wrote a most beautiful song of praise to and for God.         there are some very powerful words in this song.          strength, rock, fortress, savior, shield, horn of my salvation, stronghold, and worthy to be praised.       do a word study on "horn of my salvation" sometime and see what all that encompasses.      this is a very powerful song of praise to be read back to God during a time of trouble.

Psalm 19, and David tells the Lord that the law of the Lord is perfect, restores the soul, makes the simple wise, makes the heart rejoice, enlightens the eyes, sweeter than honey, purer than gold and endures forever.         he desires the words of his mouth and meditations of his heart be acceptable in the sight of the Lord.       that is my desire also.       I love the words of David in this psalm.

Psalm 20, David was praising God for victory and he said some praise their chariots, some praise the horses, but David will praise the name of the Lord.        what a powerful statement.         in all of David's success, he stayed humble.         that's why he could praise God in such a mighty way.          with a lot of people, a little popularity goes to their head, David remained humble.

next time we pick up with Psalm 21.

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well, I guess that's about it for this morning.          I pray that we all have a great day today and that we can be seen seeking after the heart of God.       what better way to spend our time.        we have some things to get done today and I hope we can find time to praise God for being the lifter of our head, for being our rock, our fortress, our strength and all the other many attributes we learned about Him today.    I think it's fair to say that God, thru the shed blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, is enough!!!         He's enough to meet our every need.         the world tells us we need more of whatever there is to get more of.         but God is enough!!!         blessings of peace and grace be ours today.         hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and sourdough starter

good morning my beautiful lovelies.           I pray that you are doing well and that you are enjoying your day where ever you are on this globe.         I pray that you can say that God is good.         I woke up this morning, God is good!!!       the sun is shining brightly today and it give hope and great anticipation for warmer days and spring approaching.        sadly though, it's still cold.        but the sun will feel good when we get out in a few minutes for our walk this morning.       we let it warm up a little before we get out.        when it gets warmer, we'll go walk as soon as we get up and then have the rest of our day to do what ever we need to do.         I like walking early and getting it over with so it's not something we have to remember to do before it gets too hot.       it won't be long until I'll start setting my hydroponics up to get seeds started for my garden.        I'm looking forward to my garden this year and I just pray that God will continue to bless my efforts.        I hope you are looking forward to spring too.        but, until then, we'll enjoy the days as they come.        sounds like a good plan to me.         so, lets enjoy today!!!

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we're still in Leviticus.        Chapter 24 is where we pick up today.         it's really hard to describe what's taking place in all of this.          my take on this is all the laws that God is giving to His people.        He wants his people to different and set apart from all the pagans that are in the country.          this side of the cross, God has called us out to different and set apart from the rest of the lost world, of let's just go ahead and say it, different from the pagans around us.         we don't think of the lost world today as being pagans, but they are.         when the inside of the church resembles pictures of night club and the ear bursting music and people dancing and screaming, that's chaotic at best.        and no, I've never been to one of those churches and with that as an option, I'll stay home.        when the inside of the church looks like the local bar, then it's pagan.          and I can assure you that Jesus is on the outside knocking, wanting to come in, but no one in the church recognizes Christ.         all the laws was to show us how badly we needed a Savior.         Jesus said, "love God and love your neighbor as yourself".         that summed up all the laws that God put before the Israelites.         Jesus didn't do away with Gods laws, He lumped them into 2 thinks to do.         I believe when we love God and love our neighbor as our self, that covers it all.          sounds too simple.         but then again, people want to be the biggest part of their own salvation by "doing" it all themselves.          there's nothing that you or I bring to the table when it comes to our salvation.        God does it all, thru the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

at the end of Chapter 24, it's talking about taking human life.  God says one life for a life.       this is where this country and all the other countries on the globe will have to answer to God someday for all the lives that have been taken due to abortions!!!!          for all the people that have actively taken part in and all the rioting that has taken place for women to have womens health rights, you will pay dearly for all this.        if you are woman and you care about your health, you might consider a little modesty and just say no when it comes to have sex with anything that looks at you.       you might consider finding a good Godly church, instead of the night clubs you attend.         act like a woman.        if your health is of importance to you, then keep your legs closed.         there, I said it.        look in the what an abortion actually does to your health.        

Chapter 25 is going into resting the land and returning what has bought to the original owners.        I don't understand all of this.         I make no pretenses that I understand it all.         one thing I do know and realize is that we own nothing.         it all belongs to God, He owns it all.         what little I have is mine till I lay down in rest and then someone else will have it till they lay down in rest.         it all belongs to God.          my husband always says not to get attached to temporary things.        and all of this is temporary.           but for today, if you're in a business deal with someone, be honest.        pay your debts, don't steal, don't try to get rich off the backs of the working poor.         these are some lessons that could be put into place in our local governments.         but politicians wants as much of your money in the form of tax dollars as they can get.         they haven't learned the concept of not living above your means.          or if you don't have the money for, you don't buy it.          the govt will just raise taxes on the poor to get what they want.         we see that all the time and with the housing mkt today, people can't afford a roof over their heads.          hell keeps getting hotter.           we have to keep our eye on our Redeemer, Jesus Christ!!!

Gods just wants our obedience!!!          when we are obedient to Him, He will bless us.          but there are stubborn strong willed people that will not be told what to do.          so be it.           disobedience has a price to pay.

next we go into Numbers, a book about, you guessed it numbers.         counting all the people of that are ready to cross over to the promised land.          like doing the modern day census taking.         every family was counted except the Levites.         they were set apart to do the work of the Lord.

Numbers chapter 5 is a chapter on adultery, unfaithfulness and how to see if the wife has been unfaithful.         I've always found this a little curious, but I'll not question God on the matter.        He knows His intentions in all things.

Chapter 6 is concerning the laws of Nazarites and well see a prominent Nazarite on into the bible as we read more.         this is where we'll call it for today.

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let's go back to the kitchen for a "2 minutes in the kitchen with me", again.  

first off, my sourdough is in a fancy new container gifted to me by my bestie in arizona, thank you Sylvia, I love it!!!!!          it's perfect and so nice!!            now "Stinky Bubbles" has a forever home.

I had used the last of our sourdough mini loaves yesterday for our lunch, so I had to get my starter from the fridge and get it up to room temperature.

once it was at room temperature, I fed it before bed time and let it set on the counter overnight.

it rose well, so it will be ready to make dough tonight and let it sit out again all night and rise and then first thing in the morning, I'll work it up and divide it and make my 3 mini loaves and let them rise and then bake them.       so good!!!

it's good and bubbly, ready to make a dough, but I'll wait alittle later, closer to bed time and then it can ferment all night long.

it's ready to be stirred down and I'll do that after supper and get my dough made to rise overnight.       when the bread is done, I'll share pics, if I remember to take them.         hahaha

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I pray that you have a blessed day ahead of you.        prayers of blessings, mercy and grace be ours today as we move into the day.     let us thank God for and be grateful to be a part of it.        God is good!!!!!!         hugs and love to all, patty

Bible Study, 2 types of potatoes 1 way and weather

good morning my beautiful friends.         I pray that you are nestled into a good warm space this morning.       in my neck of the woods, we have ice in the form of freezing rain.         I'm praying it doesn't last long at all.       but it's been going on now for about 3 hours and the temp is hanging in there right at 32*.          it's the perfect scenario for a bad weather scene.        I'm praying against it.       God is in charge of this for sure.           so we'll see what His plans are.        while we're waiting, we'll just hunker down and drink coffee, hot chocolate, hot cider or hot tea.      that sounds like a plan y'all.      stay warm and safe and if you can, check on any elderly people in your neighborhood.       times been I was the one checking on elderly neighbors, all of the sudden, I have become the elderly neighbor.        how does that even happen?        hahaha       oh well, God is good and aging is a part of living, so let's live!!!! 

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starting at Genesis 27 today, we see that we as human being are full of deception at every turn.        yet, God still keeps giving us chance after chance to do better.         in spite of all the deception, God still blesses Jacob.         and in spite of all our deception today, God still blesses us.         giving us ample opportunity to repent and do better.         In chapter 29, yet again, we see more deception.        while I was reading this it struck me that God's chosen people came about from deception and lies.        and we today, as Christians, having been grafted in, have also come about by deception and lies.       that's all humanity know to do.       because the devil is the leader of this world.         we don't war with what can be seen, but with what can't be seen.          evil and wicked intentions can't be seen.        sometimes, even in spite our deception and lies, God has a plan that He will carry out.          and we see that starting to unfold with Jacob and his family growing.          in chapter 31, we can see that God was with Jacob and prospering him.        we find that chapter 32, sometimes we do wrestle with the Lord and what He desires for our lives.         sometimes He just wants to bless us, and we fight to keep from getting a blessing.         do we even know what we're doing?         Jacob knew he wanted the blessing of God and wasn't gonna let the Angel get away with the blessing, no matter the cost.      a limp was a nothing, to be blessed by God.        do you ever find yourself struggling with God and what He wants to do in your life?         I think sometimes we all do.        not knowing what is on the other side of the blessing.    sometimes, the lies and deception start looking good and we have no idea what we may be missing out on.        Jacob knew he didn't want to miss out on what God had in store for him.        I don't want to miss out on what God has in store for me either.   

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we love our potatoes.           so we fix two types of potatoes, one way.          I'll peel and do a good sized dice on them.        then I'll take a bag or a bowl with a lid  and put a tablespoon of avocado oil over them and then I'll put some dehydrated minced onion, dehydrated minced garlic, a dash of salt and a dash of pepper.        once I get them coated really well, I dump them on a sheet pan with parchment paper.        I try to spread it out so there's no stacking of taters.        pop it in a 350*  preheated  oven for at least 45 minutes.         the sweet potatoes will be almost like dessert with a hint of onion and garlic.       hahaha  

I want every bite to be yummy and crunchy.        I'll keep these in the fridge and when I get ready to reheat them, I'll put them in the air fryer.        that bumps them up to the next level of crunch.         these are so delicious.         this is my way of trying to get rid of store bought fries that are loaded with all kinds of preservatives.        sometimes I'll make typical french fries and sometimes I'll make slabs of both potatoes, but still use the minced onion and garlic.        if you're wanting to get rid of store bought fries, this is the way to do it.       you know what's in it.       good healthy oil, onions and garlic, a little salt and little pepper.         you can use any spice or seasoning you want.        

I love being able to use my own minced and dehydrated goods in cooking healthier.         so, if you're not dehydrating your own herbs and veggies, then why not.        now is a good time to get started.          if you'll check out my blog, you'll find a lot of help here to get you on your dehydrating journey.        also, I may be able to help you with a little bit of gardening too.        who knows, 2025 could be our year of spending less at the grocery store and getting healthier.

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well, I hope you all have a beautifully blessed day.         let's try not to miss out on any blessings that God has in store for us.          this story of Jacob will lead into one of the most riveting Old Testament journeys ever.          I'm so thankful that we have the Old Testament to sink our teeth into, so to speak.     we can learn a lot from what we read here.         God doesn't give up on His chosen!!!     

as I leave you today, may the blessings of our Father be upon each of us today.     hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and randomness

good morning beautiful lovelies.           I pray that wherever you are today that it is a most beautiful day, or the start of a most beautiful day.         it's a cool morning here with expectations of several more really cool days to down right cold.       I'm ready for spring.         I guess that's my mantra these days.        hahaha         the older I get, the less I love winter.        yeah, that's so.         but I can start thinking about my garden right now anyway.        I've started getting my seeds together.        I noticed in the dollar tree yesterday that they have their seeds out.        so that's a good sign.       garden time is just around the corner.         yay!!!!

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In Genesis 13, when Abram and Lot was separating from one another, Lot looked towards sin; Sodom and Gomorrah.        the snare of sin always looks enticing.         Abram seen the need to separate from Lot, they both did.         but Abram trusted the LORD and Lot trusted what he seen with his eyes.         Abram was blessed by God saying that his seed would be as plentiful as the dust of the earth.

Chapter 14, Abram let the LORD take lead in the battle and saved Lot from enemies.     Lots eyes had gotten him into trouble.       that's the way it is with sin, most of the time it starts with what see and then goes on from there.       see, think, do.       that's the steps to either living righteous lives or living evil and wicked lives. 

In Chapter 15 is where God tells Abram in a sleep that his heirs will be captive in Egypt for 400 years and then He, God will send someone to deliver His people.        Just as Jesus is our deliverer, so will Moses be the deliverer of Gods people from Egypt.        Egypt represents the sin that we are attracted to.

in Chapter 16 we see where the warring between the people started.      Ishmael and Issac was half brothers and because Abram and Sari didn't wait on the LORD for Sari's conception, Sari and Hagar was at war.  the Angel of the Lord told Sari that her son would be as wild as a donkey and he would be in defiance of his brothers.         this is where all the fighting in the Middle East originated from.        the descendants of Ishmael have been at war with everyone ever since.      this particular verse is where the name El Roi  (El RoHe-how to pronounce) comes from, meaning "the God who sees me".          I love this!!!!!         God is my El Roi, because He has seen me every day of my life.          Praise El Roi!!!!! 

in chapter 17 God makes a covenant with Abraham and the people make the commitment with God in the form of circumcision.        this was symbolic of cutting away of sin and accepting the blessings of God for the Jewish people.         this is when the nation of Israel was taking form and shape.        this was Gods covenant with His chosen people. 

Chapter 18 is where Isaac is promised to be born of Sarah, an old woman.          she laughed at the thought of such a thing happening.          we can see from this experience alone, that anything is possible with God!!!!          this is also where Sodom and Gomorrah have reached the height of their evil and wicked ways and God will put an end to these two cities.            this is where the scripture comes from that tells me that whatever God does is just and righteous.        Abraham said to God, "shall not the judge of all the earth do right!"           God finally told Abraham he would not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if there was 10 just and righteous people in the cities.        10 is all it would have taken for God to spare the cities.         so when we live our lives in sin, expect destruction.         that's what we have seen for many years, the destruction of this country, because it has been pushing the ways of Sodom and Gomorrah for  many years.        our destruction is coming soon, unless there can be found 10 righteous people living in this country.        I pray that my husband and I are 2 of those 10 righteous ones.

in chapter 19, Lot had gone from looking at the sinful cities while he was with his Uncle Abraham, to sitting in the gate of Sodom.        he was some kind of leader now.         he looked at sin and became involved in the city of sin.        that's how enticing sin is.        we see it and then we move closer and closer and the next thing we know it's all around us.       Lot didn't participate in it, but he lived in it.     for those that think the homosexual life style is good, God thinks it's an abomination.       that's not my opinion, that's God's opinion.         His is the only opinion that counts.        think twice before you push this evil and wicked and abominable stuff off on children.         I hear that mill stones are pretty heavy and even if you have one and tie it around your neck and throw yourself in the ocean, you can't get away from Gods wrath.  

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I hope if you're following along on this journey, that you're taking your own notes and that you are asking God to let you see what He wants you to see.           I hope that we can all see this as a great way to come closer to the Lord in 2015.

I'm going to cut this one short and get on with my day.         I pray you all have a blessed day.      always remember that God wants to be in right relationship with Him thru the shed blood of Jesus Christ.      remember as we read thru the Bible, that every page of the Old Testament points directly to salvation in the form of Jesus Christ in the New Testament.  

blessings of mercy and grace be yours.  hugs and love, patty  

What I've learned about Container gardening and other non-essential...

goooooooood morning beautiful friends!!!!           I pray that where ever you are this morning, that it's a most spectacularly beautiful day.         it sure is in my neck of the woods.         I don't know what we have planned for today yet, but if it involves being outside, then it will be a good day.          every time I look out, I see more and more leaves falling and the woods are getting thinner and thinner and the noise from the train gets closer and closer just from the lack of foliage on the trees.          we'll quickly get used to it and not pay it any attention.           this weekend is the weekend that we fall back an hour.       it's about time for me to get back that I hour I lost this spring when we sprang forward an hour.          I don't know about anyone else, but I wish they would leave the time alone!!!       back in the day, it probably was useful, but not any more.         just an old tradition that needs to be buried as far as I'm concerned.          but then again, what do I know?          "they" don't ask me for my opine, so I'll voice it here and maybe some of the big shot big whigs will read it and say, "why didn't I think of that?"      you know what, I'd even let them think it was their idea, if they would just do it.         hahahaha          ok y'all, I put it out there, when it happens, you'll know who was responsible for it.         hahahaha          oh well, on can hope.       

I know one thing that will make me very happy and that's for this election to be over.          how can you tell if a politician is lying?          when they're talking!!!!!!          I've never heard as many lies spewing forth from all parties.         it's not just one,  but all.          a decent human being with morals and integrity doesn't run for political office any more.         it's not even the lesser of the 2 evils anymore.      because they are both evil and wicked.           I'll say one thing, I used to think that women could have a place in politics.         I don't think that anymore.          I've got a gut full of some of the wives of former presidents that despise this country and have done everything they can to undermine this country from within.        they should all, former presidents and their wives, be brought up on treason.         but that will never happen.         the good ol boy and now girl system is so entrenched in this country that there will never be any way of getting rid of it.      I just wait for God to exact revenge, and He will.        I don't know who will win the vote, but I can assure you of one thing, that it will be a LOSS for this country, who ever does walk away with the vote.       I don't know what will happen in the days after the election, but I don't think it will be a shining moment in our history.       those days are gone.        

the fighting taking place all over the planet are the things that just may usher in the return of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and all I can say is "come quickly Lord Jesus!!!"        be ready or get ready for the coming of our Lord!!!         it will happen in the blink of an eye.       if you don't know Him as your Lord and Savior, NOW is the time.       there will never be a better time than now.        so ask the Lord to forgive you of your sins right now and and accept Him as Lord and Savior of your life and start walking with Him and letting Him guide your steps, thoughts, actions and live for Him till He comes to claim His own.

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I keep  up with some  gardening groups on fb.         I like to  learn and even help out some, when possible.       so,  I just thought I would share some of the things I've learned about container gardening and a lot of other non-essential, useless stuff.        hahahaha     

one  of the things that I see people doing that are new to gardening is putting way too many seeds in their seed starter  trays.          when the seeds come up, if you can't see the soil, there's way too many seeds.      they will struggle to even survive.       they will fight for root space.      then when and if they get big enough to even think about transplanting, there is way too many roots to even pull apart.        all plants have had their roots damaged before they even hit the soil.

another thing is not filling their  containers to the top with soil.       I use  only container soil or potting soil in my  containers and above  ground raised beds.       the wrong soil is just as bad as not enough soil.         fill those pots to within an inch of the top with soil and watch the depth as you water.         watering will help/cause the soil to settle, which will also lower the depth of the soil.       you want the roots to have plenty of soil, below the roots and above the roots.       if you see a lot of settling, then top that container off with more container soil.    

container soil and potting soil contains peat and other things that help retain moisture.        they also have a certain amt of fertilizers in them.         fertilizers is what a lot of people will come to blows over.  hahaha      verbal blows anyway.         hahaha           grow up people, it's just fancy cow poop or blenderized fish guts or dehydrated animal blood.        at any rate, use what you like and are satisfied with, but use a good fertilizer.          there are chemical fertilizers too, and if you want to use those, use them.         I'm not about shaming anyone for what they have or what they can afford.        use what you have and don't worry about it.         I always ask God protect me from any purposeful harm created by man.        I always ask God to help my garden grow in spite of my ignorance.          after all, He is the Master Gardener.       

what I will shame people for is making fun of new people who are trying to learn how to garden.         if you can't be helpful, take your keyboard warrior attitude somewhere else.         if I was admin of some of the gardening groups, the first time I seen someone laugh at another person for asking a question, I would delete, block and ban that person from ever being a member again.         that's one thing that wouldn't happen if I was an admin.           if you laughed at someone trying to learn, you'd be gone, as quick as my fingers could get you gone.

I said yesterday on a post that gardeners used to be some of the best people on the planet.          I still believe that for the most part, many are.            but what we have today, is people that wanna be funny and hurt people and make fun of people.         some of these days they will be with their kind, burning in the pits of hell.          if you make fun of someone trying to learn, you'll do absolutely anything for a laugh.         remember that when judgement day comes.

something that I've learned is that you don't have to replace your soil each year like some people suggests, all you have to do is amend really well.         that's where my "black kow" comes in handy.        I keep several bags of it and when I start on a new pot, container or off the ground raised bed, I'll drag a bag out and use it.            earthworm castings are also really good to use.           when I get ready to drop a transplant in a hole, I'll make the hole then I'll put about a tablespoon of earthworm castings in the hole then the put plant into hole and cover it with soil.         that will really give the newly planted seedling a great start.     

another thing, when we grow in pots, containers and above the ground garden beds, seeds are something to take into consideration.          I always always always always look for bush type of everything.        and then I look to see if I can find an adult height of the plant.         I always opt for anything that's on the shorter side.         just so I don't have to deal with a lot of sprawl.        I'll plant my green beans pretty thick because they will help support each other and not fall over so bad.         I also have some poles that I can stick in my pots and clip my plants to, to help them grow upward instead of falling out of the container. 

if you can  keep everything  growing upward, it will  help a lot with keeping down some of the soil borne diseases and diseases that are caused by humidity.          it also helps you find some of the bugs easier.          I keep my clips handy in the garden shed and I'll get a pocket full and just put them on as I see that something has taken a growth spurt.       

as well as bush type, I look for specific wording, like dwarf, tom thumb, mini, patio, container friendly, deck friendly, micro mini and I'm sure I've missed some key words.           but get used to looking on the seed pkts for those those types of wordings and you'll quickly see what I mean.         when I get carrots and root veggies, I also look for varieties that say they are shorter or smaller, so that I don't have to worry about having really deep pots and containers for everything.     

I look for shorter corn and bush type okra too.         even smaller sized eggplants.         what I do actively keep looking for is the perfect place to order seeds from that have done all the hard work for me.         it gets to be such a daunting task to try to find all these smaller, shorter types of garden produce.        I wish it was all in one place.         a place that's specifically for container gardeners.         I keep praying for that.        haven't found it yet, but hopefully it will appear someday. 

I've also learned that it's near impossible to keep squirrels out of your garden.          notice I said near impossible.         but I seem to have found the perfect thing to do just that.         guess what it is?         go ahead and guess.           are you ready for the answer?           well, here it is------plastic forks, lots of plastic forks!!!           it's worked this year.          it may never work again, but I've got 2000 forks to use in my containers.           some of my containers have at least 15 to 20 forks.        with tines up of course and the handles stuck in the pots in such a way that the tines are pointed up and out.           I put them in the soil at a slight slant with the tines pointing upward.          it's working too.            something else I done was take long skewers, 3 feet long, and tie some strips of holographic plastic to them and it's reflective.          it blows in the breeze and that's enough to keep the birds out of my containers.         so between the forks and holographic plastic strips, as of right now, I'm not having squirrels and birds in my planters.         just praying it stays that way.         hahaha.

this is a few pictures of my some of my containers with the forks in the pots.        once I got these in the pots, I went back and added that many more in each pot.         I didn't leave a space large enough for a squirrel or bird to climb up in or land in.        and you can also see the long skewers and holographic strips tied to them.          these 2 things have worked this summer.         the forks will be reusable and the skewers to tie the holographic strips to will be reusable also.         I'm all over reusing what I already have.         hahaha

that's not a lot of info, but hopefully it's enough to help get someone started that's interested in container gardening.

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well that's about it for today.   have a blessed day in the name of Jesus.       thanks for hanging out with me for a few minutes.          hugs and love, patty

It's a Good Day

good morning beautiful friends.        I hope and pray that where ever y'all are that you can say, "it's a good day".         the main reason it's a good day is the fact that we woke up this morning by God's  plan and not ours.        any day my feet hit the floor is a good day.          any day my heart is beating, it's a good day.    it's hard to remind myself of that when my body is in pain, but I still have to say, "it's a good day".       

another reason it's a good day, we got a quick walk in this morning.       it's a good thing we got it in when we did because a severe thunderstorm alert has just come thru the cell phones and the local weather system for tornado sirens are going off, but not for a tornado, I'm thinking it's for the severe thunderstorm warning.         the maps shows a huge mass of bad weather upon us.         I pray that the Lord keeps us all safe till the storms passes by.

we've had a lot of rain this month.          I remember the old timers calling it the "May Fresh".        my husband and I was talking about that yesterday.        I reckon they had gotten the crops planted and the May Fresh would help them come up.         if it rained too much, a lot of the crops would wash right down the rivers, creeks and streams.        there has been a lot of that this spring too.        as of right now, in my particular area, we've had 11.5 inches of rain just in the last 2 weeks, and we're getting more today.  so we'll see how much we end with in all.       the ground is so saturated, there's no where for it all to go.

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I have been taking care of my garden as good as I know how to.         every day is a new learning experience for me and I look forward to the new lessons.     we had gotten 3 inches of rain over the last 3 days, including friday night on into saturday morning.          I have 4 large raised beds on legs called keter raised beds.           you can easily google that and see what they look like.        I had planted greenbeans in them  about a couple of weeks ago, after I got the first 9 inches of rain drained from them.       I amended the soil and planted my beans and they came up and have been doing really good.         

while they were sprouting, I put my mesh covers over them to keep birds and squirrels from eating the sprouts as they come up.       I had been putting off uncovering them till coming monday.           well, as I said, it rained friday night and early saturday morning and then on up in the day, the sun came out.       I was happy to see the sun.          we decided to hop in the car for a minute or two and on the way to the car, I ran to look at my greenbeans in the keters and oh my gosh, water was standing in one of the beds again and the sun had already scalded one bed of my greenbeans.          I don't know if they'll survive or not, but I sure hope they do.        I took a peek at them this morning, and they may, that's a slim may, but they may survive.       so I quickly opened the drains in the bottoms of all 4 and got them draining.       for the time being, I just left the drains open, because as I type, you guessed it, it's raining.  

I had been using the mesh over the keters doubled.        that made it kinda like a greenhouse of sorts and holding all the heat in and then the water, it just made for a perfect scenario  for scalding the beans. when I took the mesh off the raised beds, I went to my garden shed and got scissors and I cut each piece of that mesh into 2 pieces.        so now, I have 8 pieces of mesh and that chore is done.        I had been putting it off for a few years, but it's done now.         better late than never is what I always say.     

my gardening got off to a  very rocky start this year.         I had started a bunch of seeds back in late january and early february and when would have a warm sunny day, I would set my seedlings out in the shade and let them feel the breeze and just breathe  and enjoy the real weather instead of heat mats and fake lights.      they was coming along really good and one day in march it was a beautiful day and weather bug was calling for the 50's at night, so I knew those temps would not hurt my seedlings, and would actually be good for them.         so I left them out over night.  

don't trust a weather app, trust your gut!!!!!         weather bug lied big time!!!        the temperature dipped down to 19*!!!!!!!!!           that's a big difference between the mid 50's and 19*!!!!!!         I lost all of my seed starts but about 6 of them.         I cried for a little bit.        then I got on amazon and looked for a hydroponic garden.         I found a Dak Ride that was less $30 when the coupon was applied so my husband ordered it for me.         it came and I got it set up and had tomato and pepper seedlings coming up in less than a week!!!!!         it usually takes a long time for either of those to sprout.        once they got a pretty good size, I took them from the Dak Ride and put them in pots and keep them really damp for the first 2 weeks and set them out in the shade on sunny days.       during that time, my husband suggested I get another one.          I happily obliged that suggestion and got another one and between the 2 Dak Rides, I've best seedlings I've ever had.         that goes for the seedlings I've bought over the years too.        they are healthy and strong and beautiful.

once I get them all set out in pots and containers, they are just doing so good.        I'm so thankful that I have something now that will help me with having strong healthy seedlings for my  container garden.   plus, I can also grow all kinds of salad greens during the late fall, winter and early spring.       that's a plus all year long.

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I was grocery shopping on friday and went to kroger and then aldi on up in the morning.         I always go to kroger first and get the   sale items and then go to aldi and get what I stay stocked up on there.      I wanted something different, I had no idea what that would be.        I got to the meat department and  was looking.       meat of any kind has gone up so much that I'm picky when I spend money on meat.     hahaha          so as I was looking, I seen a pkg of something that caught my eye.         they called it "pork rib tips", but it looked more like scraps to me.        anyway, I looked at it for a minute and I put a pkg in my cart and went to checkout.         I got home with my groceries and got everything put up and started thing about what I wanted to do with those "pork rib tips".     

I actually done a quick google and they was showing recipes that 14 or 16 hours to cook!!!!       NO WAY!!!         I got out one of my electric pressure cookers and put a rack in it to keep the meat out of the cup of water I added.        I have applewood rub and I rubbed each piece with that and put it in the pressure cooker for 35 minutes on high.         

when they was done, I took some small tongs and pulled out all the little bones out.        once I got the bones out, I fixed a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.       I put the meat on the baking sheet and covered it with bbq sauce and  popped it in the counter top oven on 350 for another 30 to 35 minutes and I'm telling you it was the best meat that my husband and I have ever eaten!!!         it was absolutely delicious!!!!          next time I go, I'll check for more and put a pkg or 2 in the freezer.

so, while I was at aldi, I picked up a pkg of zucchini and this is my fav way to prepare it.          I slice it thin, length ways and put it on parchment paper on a baking sheet and add just a dot of butter on each piece, a sprinkle of parm bread crumbs and this had a slice of gouda cheese cut in real thin strips.  I popped it in the counter top oven on 350* and baked for about 25 minutes and it was fabulous!!!!!!

the below pic is the finished product.           the one thing to do differently is use a melty cheese.        the real gouda cheese turned into cheese sticks.        hahaha         don't get me wrong, it was delicious, but I'll use something a little more melty next time.

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this is something else I wanted to share with y'all.          it is turkey bacon wrapped greenbeans.         this is what I'm doing with all my greenbeans this year.          I've got it down a mathematical science of sorts.          hahaha          for this particular dish, for the 2 of us, it takes 32 greenbeans and 8 pieces of bacon.          cut each strip of bacon in half length ways  to end up with 16 long strips of bacon.     separate the beans into 2 piles of 16 each and the bacon strips into 8 piles each.         wrap 2 beans with 1 strip of bacon.

one you get all your little bean and bacon bundles made, put them in the air fryer on 400* for as long as it takes to the bacon done to your satisfaction.          I usually leave mine in the air fryer for between 12 and 15 minutes.

they are done to perfection here.           we love this so much!!!          you don't even have to season the beans in any way because the bacon will automatically season them.           I also wrap dill pickle spears the same way and asparagus.          it's all better with pork bacon, but pork bacon is very expensive and I have quite a few pkgs of turkey bacon in the freezer right now.         so I try to use what I have as often as I can.

I ask you all to keep my neck of the woods in your prayers.           we are in an active weather situation right now with tornado warnings and tornado watches and all the local tornado sirens going off.        just pray for the Lord to keep us safe as this thing passes thru.

Lord keep us safe till the storm passes by!!

I will leave you all with well wishes and prayers of safety for you all.        if you're experiencing bad weather, I hold you close.        

I hope you seen something here today that you enjoyed.        maybe try a quick recipe idea or something.         I also hope that you leave here knowing that God loves you and wants to be in right relationship with you thru the shed blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.        I pray that if you don't Him, that today would be day that you reach out to Him.       He will save you from the devils torment.     

blessings to all.       God loves you and so do I.        big hugs and stay safe, patty