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!!!!

-------------

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.  

-------------

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  

Bible Study and this and that

good morning lovely friends.        I hope that where you are today, that your day is beautiful!!!!         it looks likes it's gonna be a keeper in my neck of the woods.         the sun is shining brightly and it's slowly but surely melting all the heavy frost as it slowly rises in the sky.         it was brisk 20* when I got up this morning.         I had planted garlic bulbs and some onion roots from a package of green onions back in late november or early december in my mr stacky garden tower and I put a frost cover on them.      we have been checking the weather as of late and see how it's to be turning bitter cold again, so I got out yesterday and put another frost cover on.       I may actually put the 3rd frost cover over them with the single digit temps looming in the forecast.       our weather bug app is a little liar.    hahaha  whatever the weather calls for in our area, the temps always drop much lower than what the apps are calling for.       it has something to do with our specific micro climate in this specific location.        just a quarter mile in any direction and the temp can be anywhere from 5 degrees to 15 degrees cooler or warmer.       I guess that's the way it is everywhere, I don't know.         but I just hope I can do what's necessary to not lose my garlic and onions.  we'll see.

yesterday being the first day of the New year, I made a batch of homemade sourdough bread.        we do love having sourdough bread.        we are enjoying grilled panini sandwiches.        well, I don't know if they are actually panini sandwiches, but they are really good cooked on my cuisinart grill/griddler.       we really enjoy the sandwiches.        

not only do I make homemade sourdough bread, but I also use a bread machine and make brioche buns and cornbread swirls using the bread machine.        a bread machine is a fabulous tool to have in the kitchen to mix your yeast doughs up with.        it does all the kneading for you.        for those of us who have hand and arm issues, it can be a life saver.     

yesterday, I also started the year off with our yearly tradition of blackeyed peas.       they are so good, but we don't have them often.        I like to save them as this special treat for New Year's day and then finish up what I cooked and we'll have them another time or two throughout the year.

I also cooked an electric pressure cooker of my chicken corn chowder.        we love that a lot and the cornbread swirls go well with that.       I like to keep that in the fridge as our fast food.        when I need something quick, I'll have chicken corn chowder and a batch of dried beans of some kind to go to for our fast food.       I know what's in every bite of it.       that means a lot.

I also keep lots of salad fixing in the fridge.       that's another fast food.        I keep all the veggies prepped and read to put on the lettuce.       I have a large box in the fridge with the washed and cleaned lettuce and then a large bag with individual bags of all the different veggies and some fruits prepped and ready to go.       that makes eating healthier a lot faster than if I had to start from scratch with a salad every time.

-------------

well, this morning I read from Genesis 5 to Genesis 12.        there is a lot of genealogy in these chapters and if you can follow it closely, you can see who fathered each nation.       my brain tries to stay on focus, and each time I read thru the bible, it seems like I get just a bit more of the genealogy understood.

some things are easier to understand, so I don't beat myself up if I don't get it all at once.       one thing I do understand is that with free will, comes the choice to sin.         we see sin very early on in scripture and we see the need for salvation at the same time.      people were living for a long time and they were filled with sinful ideas and in Chapter 6, God shortened the life span of humanity.       and then we see the flood and how only 1 man was righteous enough to be spared.       and what I think about, is knowing humanity of the day, this day Jan.2, 2025, is there 1 man that would be righteous in the eyes of God to spare all of humanity and start over?       I don't know, but I do know we don't have to worry about that if we know Christ as our personal Lord and Savor.   

we see where Noah planted a vineyard and got drunk and one of his sons seen him naked and was cursed while the other 2 sons were blessed for covering Noah up.        I think in that scenario we see where drunkenness came into play and we have been dealing with that ever since.       Thanks Noah.    

then we see where people wanted to be smart and build a tower up to God.        well, how did that work out for them?         they all started babbling and haven't stopped since.        things like this happen when we want to claim the power of God.        He will not be mocked.        He will not let unholy attitudes go without some kind of repercussions.       

then we see Abram, as much as he followed God and walked with Him and believed God, he still lied about his wife, to spare his life.        and we'll see that Abram not only lied once but he lied twice about his wife being his sister.      in reality, we'll find that his wife was his half sister.       so, technically he wasn't 100% untruthful, but he was deceptive.        so, we'll see happens there.

with just a little bit of reading the Bible, we can see that humanity with free will has always been a freaking mess and we keep getting worse with all the newer technology that we have today.      it's just so easy to lie, cheat, steal, deceive people.       most people want to that there are "gray" areas that can be tap danced around where the Bible is concerned.         when in reality and in the eyes of God, it's all black and white.        there are no gray areas.       when we start wanting to think there are, we have fallen victim and prey of the devil and his schemes.

I don't know how long I will keep this up, journaling on my blog about what I ready and glean from God's word, but as long as He keeps inspiring me to do so, I will.        but even if I don't journal here, I'll still be journaling a little just for myself. 

I hope and pray that some of y'all are following along and will do the same thing.       ask God to give you clarity.        what I share is just what I've gleaned.         you may glean something totally different.    at any rate, it's interesting to read the Bible and have it play right in our own minds.        what's so neat is that there have been so many good movies made on the Bible, that I can see every one of these scenes playing out as I read it.       that's what makes it so fascinating.        it's like when I start reading, I hit the play button on my mind and the images come to life in my mind and I see it happening as I read it.      I'm so thankful for that too.        but I always try to remember to ask God to show me something new and fresh each time I read the Bible.        I hope you will too.

-----------

well, that's about I have for today.      I hope if you seen something you like that you will share it with someone you love.        tell them about the wonderful journey you are on with reading your Bible.

I hope and pray that everyone has a wonderful day and that you thank God for being a part of it.  blessings of peace and grace be yours today.        hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and 2025 Happy New Year!!!!

good afternoon lovely Ones of God!!          I pray that your New Year is starting off well.         2025 is a good year to be alive!!!!!         I believe that!!           I hope you do too.          one thing I know for sure, is that nothing will happen this year that God isn't aware of.         we just need to lean into Him more this year and let Him deal with what ever comes our way.         that's definitely what I'm gonna try to do.

it seems like the New Year is gonna start off cold.        it's 37* in my neck of the woods and that's the high for today.         we got out and walked first thing this morning and it was 38* then.        now the temp is dropping.        I had to go out to the garage a few minutes ago and get something from the freezer and good night, it was cold!!!          I had to stick the food I was bringing to the house in the pockets of my big coat!!!         hahaha        I looked a little funny with the pockets of my coat hanging and bumping on my knees when I was walking and going up the steps.         hahaha

I don't know if you're into making resolutions each year or not.          I gave that up years ago when I realized that resolutions were meant to be broken.         maybe they weren't intended to be broken, but lets face it, most of us do.         so I just gave up on it because it's kinda depressing to say you're gonna do something and then it falls by the way side.          so, no resolutions for me.

but one thing that I will do.          my husband and I have been doing this for several years now.          and that's on the first day of the year, we'll start reading the Bible, starting with Genesis 1.         if you read at least 4 chapters a day, you'll read thru the whole Bible in a years time.        of course, you can read more than 4 chapters a day and that will give you some leeway, when you come to some of the longer chapters in the Bible.         and if you read thru the Bible in less than a year, then start over, or reread some books of the Bible that you particularly love.

one thing for sure, we can never go wrong by reading the Word of God.          every question that we have can be answered by the Word of God.          the Word of God is the measuring stick that we are to base our lives on.         do I understand everything in the Bible?          a big old honking NO, but I understand enough to know that God has the answers even if we don't know what the questions are.         when we measure what others say, against what God says, we can see a big discrepancy.         but I can tell you one thing for sure, God's Word NEVER lies to us, NEVER misleads us, or NEVER guides us wrong.     

I would advise  you to journal  just a little bit every  day about what you  learned from the  scripture you read.     it is such an awesome thing to go back and see what you gleaned from what you have read on a daily basis.         just like this morning in Genesis 3:21, where God made clothes for Adam and Eve from animal skins.          that is the first imagery of salvation.        God made the first sacrifice of animals to provide a covering in the form of clothes for Adam and Eve.          we know that when Jesus came into the world, He came as the sacrifice to provide a covering for our sin.         how many times do we put that together?          certainly not as much as we should.

I hope that if anyone of y'all wants to read the Bible, that you'll read it along with me daily.         if you have questions or observations, then share those here in the form of a comment and we'll all talk about it.      even if you don't share it here, just try to find answers to your questions.         God will always provide answers to those who are seeking Him.        just make sure that your answers come from His Word and not from someone who is trying to lead you astray.

I look forward to sharing a little every so often about my Bible journey this year.          and I hope you'll join me on this trek thru the Word.         it has the potential to be the best trek we've ever made.

I pray that we all have a glorious year, 2025 is the year for God to lead us where He wants us to go.      I'm ready to follow.          I hope you are too.         may God richly bless us all.        may you feel deeply, the love that He has for you.         blessings of grace and peace to all.       hugs and love, patty

Sharing what I have learned - Sourdough bread from scratch - Part 1

Good morning lovely friends!!!!       I hope and pray that this finds you all doing hunkey dorey for a cold wet day in the south.       it's not the coldest day we've had, but it's still a little chilly right now.    earlier, we actually had lots of rain.       I'm happy that's all we had.      in some places across the US they've had snow and  have been measuring snow by the feet and not the typical inches.        that's pretty scary.         so I'll happily take some rain.          but I do lift all the ones affected by the heavy rain and snowfall in prayer.         it can be so devastating when roofs start collapsing and power lines come down due to trees falling and all that comes with that.        so I just pray that God will take care of them all and that people will help others, like we've seen happening in North Carolina since day one of the devastation of Helene.         God bless all those that helped and those that continue to help.        I continue to hold those all in my prayers also.    

this blog post was started on 12/13/24.        so I've come back to it several times.         it may be a never ending post.        you may have to try to decipher what I'm trying to get at.         I have so much stuff swirling around in my head about sourdough.         I'm definitely not a professional bread maker, but I've learned a lot over the years and this is what I'm trying to share.         my tried and true lessons for me.    that's all.         this may not be what works for you, but it works for me.        so as I come back to this, I'll start trying to remember to date it.       not that it will make any difference, but it may help me in  keeping track  with what I share.          I don't know.   

I've been thinking about the state of my blog.       hahaha         I want to get back to it regularly, but I just can't seem to get motivated.         so what I thought I would try to do is just share some of the stuff that I have learned over the years.       as I was walking this morning and praying, my blog was at the forefront of my mind.         I've always shared about some of the things that I've done and I enjoy that.    I'm not a teacher, but I try to share what little I know and so far, it's been sporadic at best and all over the place.    hahaha          so I thought I would try to harness my thoughts on a few subjects.          we'll see how that goes.            I'm already struggling with it.        hahaha

for this blog post, I want to talk about sourdough bread from scratch.       I had been wanting to get a good sourdough starter going again and I finally just went for it.       I have always loved making sourdough, but I have always hated the waste that comes from feeding and discarding.        so I finally found a recipe that calls for starting out with small amts and doubling the amt each day till you have about a pint or a little more.

one of things that I'll stress right off the bat, is to use a digital scale and weigh all you ingredients in GRAMS.       you'll be surprised at how different the weights are in grams as opposed to a half cup of something.        just for fun, take a measuring cup and measure out a half cup of water and then a half cup of flour.        find 2 containers that you can set on you scale, one at a time and zero out the weight of the container and pour in the half cup of water.      water will always weigh the same.        make a notation of what that half cup of water weights in grams and set is aside.          next take another container and set it on the digital scale and zero out the weight of the container and put that half cup of flour in that container and make a notation of the weight in grams of the half cup of flour.         now compare the weights in grams of both the flour and water.       sometimes the looks of the amt of flour to water ratio can look to be off.         they are not the same weight when measured in standard cup or 1/2 cup measures.        remember this little experiment when getting your supplies together to make a sourdough starter.   but, when measuring in grams, when a recipe calls for 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water, a gram is a gram is a gram, and the weight is the same.

measuring in grams will take into account that on humid days, flour may weigh more than it does on less humid days.           and just for fun, I took my measuring cup and scooped out 3 different 1/2 cup measures of flour and weighed them in grams and there was a significant difference between the 3, 1/2 cup measures of flour.           weighing the flour in grams, what ever your measure is, you get that every single time.           and just to prove that humidity affects the weight of flour, take a half cup of flour and weigh it in grams.          make a notation of that weight and then leave it sitting out all night on the counter, covered with a towel.         weigh it again the next morning.        depending on if it's humid or dry, the weight of the flour in grams will probably have changed.           and it could be a significant change.         if there is a change in the weight of the flour, then take out or add to, what ever is necessary to bring it back to what ever your starting grams was.

that's why it's important to weigh in grams.         if the weight has gone up or down due to humidity or lack of humidity, then the water amount will be off.       but, weighing in grams will account for any humidity change in the flour.          so weigh that same flour in grams again and take out or add more flour, based on the weight in grams.          that's where we get into a lot of trouble with our dough.           we'll start adding more water or more flour and the first thing you know, the texture of the dough is thrown way off.        that's definitely something that we can have problems with.        it will affect the overall texture and taste of the finished product. 

this is probably the most important paragraph so far.       having done these experiments and proving to myself what can actually happen, I now look for starters that have everything measured in grams.          it can be a pain at times, but it does work out so much better.          you don't even have to think about the humidity in your home affecting the flour, because it will already be part of the overall weight of the flour.         you don't have to worry about that because it's compensated for.           where if you measure a half cup of flour, you may need more flour or you may need less flour.          measuring  in grams, whatever can affect the weight of the flour is instantly being compensated for in the "grams" measurement.         I hope this makes a little sense.          hopefully everything in bold cleared up anything that could have been confusing.

remember one thing, if nothing else: a gram is a gram is a gram.    weighing in grams will be precise.      measuring in standard measuring cups is not precise.          you can take 3 people and each measure a cup of flour.        doing all the things we're supposed to do.        fluff the flour, spoon it into the measuring cup and rake and excess off with a knife.         3 people doing the exact same way, and you'll still 3 weights in grams if you take the time to measure in grams.          try it.         that's where the proof is at.       well, now that I have sufficiently confused............hahaha.           I hope that I can stay on track and get down in text that will eventually make sense.         I said earlier, I'm not a teacher and this is proving that point.          I just love to share what I know form my own experience.      

so for now, this should bring us up to making a starter.           it may take a while for you to get a good strong flavorful sourdough starter.          it won't happen over night.         but once you get a good starter going and keep it going, you should have any problem after that.         most starters require feeding daily and removing up to half of the starter daily, know as "discard".           I'm frugal.        not cheap, but frugal.     there's a difference.          with that difference comes the fact that I can't stand waste.        so for the last couple of years I've been searching for the elusive perfect no waste sourdough starter.

I think I've found it.         it's a starter that you have to weigh out in grams every day.       you essentially double the amt of flour and water daily.         it will take a few days to see bubble action, but it will happen.         you stay on top of it daily.          start it in pretty good sized container.         I prefer a container that has straight sides and that will hold about a quart.         I also sit that container in a shallow dish to catch any overflows.          because that will eventually happen.          a loose fitting lid just laid on top of the container so it can breathe, a coffee filter, or a piece of cloth laid over the top is what's required.           the sourdough has to be able to breathe and pick up natural yeast in the environment.          that's what actually makes the "sourdough" is the natural yeast coming from your environment.       at some point in time, there will lots of natural sourdough yeast spores in your kitchen environment.          the house we lived at before the one we live in now, I had made and baked sourdough bead for years.          we built the house from the dirt up, so I was the one that got the sourdough yeast established.          24 years later, I wonder if any sourdough has been made in that house since.        but once you get the sourdough yeast established, it's pretty easy to start another starter from scratch.          but if you've not ever baked sourdough and you're working on a new starter, it can be challenging at best.         

I just started my recent foray into sourdough again on Dec 1, 2024.          so I'm still working on getting a good sourdough starter established.           I have made english muffins, put some in my cornbread wedges and I baked 3 small loaves of bread the other day and all of those turned out really well.        there's just not enough sour to it yet.       they are really good, just not with the sour note yet.      so I keep adding to my starter every day.         I feel like it's getting stronger too.

in the process of adding to my starter every day, I'm taking out some of it every day.        I'm dehydrating about 100 grams daily.         I take my solid dehydrating tray from one of my dehydrators and cover it with starter and spread it out really thin and pop it in the oven with just the light bulb on.    believe it or not, that's enough heat to dehydrate a tray of starter.          I'll dehydrate it till it's crispy and break it up into pieces and put it in a jar with a good lid that will seal good.        I'll be able to use that if I need to jump start a starter one of these days.          I can just rehydrate about 15 grams with 15 grams of water and add to the beginning of a new starter and it should jumpstart it.          if I want to, I could just rehydrate the same 15 grams of dehydrated starter and add that to a cornbread mix, a pancake mix or just whatever I want to add it to.        it should give a little bit of a sourdough taste.         I'm anxious to find that out.

so if you're interested in trying your hand at starting a "no waste sourdough starter", here it is.         pick a day and start.           get a good sized clean jar.       (I prefer a straight sided jar, it's easier to get it all mixed in.          try not to use metal to mix it with.         try not to use regular tap water, because the chemicals in it can inhibit the formation of sourdough yeast.         I always prefer an all purpose, unbleached flour.         I use the least expensive I can find.        I have found that one works as well as the other.         and I get what's the easiest on our food budget.        with all that behind us, now on to the recipe:

day 1: 5 grams of water and 5 grams of flour, mix well

day 2: 10 grams of water and 10 grams of flour.  mix water in first and get that mixed and then add flour.

day 3: 20 grams of water and 20 grams of flour.  mix water in first and then add flour.

day 4: 40 grams of water and 40 grams of flour.  mix water in first and then add flour.

day 5: 80 grams of water and 80 grams of flour.  mix water in first and then add flour.

day 6: 160 grams of water and 160 grams of flour.  mix water in first and then add flour.

day 7: take out the amt of starter the recipe calls for.      I always measure that in grams and make a notation of the weight that I took out on the side of the jar.        then follow the instructions to make your bread.     

this is the perfect "no waste starter".         this is the only starter I'll ever use from now on.        unless I go back to my original starter from about 40 years ago.        if I ever go back to that one, I'll shart it with y'all too.          for now, we'll concentrate on this recipe.    

at some point in time, around day 3 or 4 you should see bubbles start.        take out what you want to use and  either put it in the fridge or feed it again.         if you put it in the fridge, then take it out and let it come to room temp before you attempt feeding it.         it needs to wake up.          give it a few hours.      I like to get mine scheduled where I'll get it woke up and then before bed time, I'll feed it.        look at the number that you should have written on the side of the jar.         the weight in grams of what you took out to use.        if you took out, hypothetically 150 grams of starter, then you'll want to feed it with 75 grams of water and 75 grams of flour.           stir the water in first and then stir the flour in.        cover it loosely and sit it in a tray to catch any overflow.          at some point in time, the starter will actually start bubbling to the point of overflowing and that's an awesome thing!!          you just want to have something on the counter to catch it.         hahaha          it's a mess otherwise.        another lesson learned.        

so, now you've taken out a portion of starter to make a sourdough bread loaf.       and again, I like to get this going close to bed time so it can rise all night.        the first rise is a long rise.     the starter has got ferment in the dough that you've just made.         so, once again, weigh the water and flour, in grams, for the bread recipe just like you've been doing ever since you started making the sourdough starter.         get all the ingredients mixed up really well in a big bowl till you have a nice looking dough ball.        the dough will be semi sticky and a little loose.          grease the sides of the bowl with oil so the dough doesn't stick.          also roll the dough around in the  oil so the top of the dough doesn't dry out.   cover the dough with a cloth and leave it out on the counter all night for the dough to ferment.       the next morning, punch the dough down and work it up pretty good.         divide it into bread pans or make one loaf, what ever the recipe calls for.          get the dough shaped good and in the pans you're going it in.     cover it again with the towel and until it has doubled in size or more.         for me, I give it about  4 or 5 hours and then I bake it.        put it in a preheated 350* oven for about 25 to 35 minutes depending on your oven.          it may take you more time or less time.        just watch it, till you get the color crust you want.         

if you done this, you should be smelling and looking at some amazing sourdough bread.        congratulations!!!!!

I think I'm going to end this blog post right here.          my brain is about fried.        hahaha        which it doesn't take much to do that.        I've just about thought about sourdough all I can for now.         but I hope to come back to it and address it again in a part 2.        we'll see when that happens.        I may post some pictures when I and if I do a part 2.

well, that's about it for now.        remember, that God made a way for you to in right relationship with Him thru the shed blood of Jesus Christ, His Son.       we just got thru celebrating the birth of Jesus and I pray that we all kept Jesus first and foremost in all the festivities of the season.        here's to ending this year with a heart full of love for Jesus Christ and going into the New Year with great expectancy of what God is gonna do in our lives, thru Jesus Christ.       may we praise His holy name every day of this year!!!         I pray that we all have a great year ahead of us!!!         God loves us all, and so do I!!!   hugs and love, patty   

Average or not, and other random thoughts and actions

good morning beautiful, dear friends.           as I sit here this morning finishing up my morning coffee and this blog post that was started back towards the last of October,  yup you read that right, I've heard birds outside calling to their mates and friends.          I've heard dogs barking.         one in particular is unfamiliar.           it's funny how you get used to hearing animals and then all the sudden you hear one that's new and it makes me wonder if someone in the neighborhood did get a new family pet.        in the far distance, I'll hear the random mower, start and stop and wonder what's happening.        hahahaha        I heard the train run thru earlier and wondered about the engineer and what was being hauled from one place to another.         I'll hear the random vehicle go past just outside the house and then I'll hear a car door slam and then all the sudden an alarm in the kitchen will go off and I need to get up and take care of something.       maybe my countertop oven finished baking some bread.        but when I hear the sound for me to do something, I'm quickly brought back to my home and no more wondering what's happening just outside the walls of our home.        anyway, that's just some of the randomness that's taking place here this morning.         and the sun is shining beautifully.          it was a crisp 34* this morning, so it's beginning to look and feel like fall and very closely like winter.          most of the leaves are off the trees by now.         so it's starting to look bare.         and I don't mind telling you that I am missing my garden now.          so that's what I'm dreaming of these days.     

********************************************

I did want to just put up some random pictures and tell a little bit about each one and maybe share a little bit of info.        back early in the year, I got about 80 to 90 seeds started which was the beginning of my outdoor garden.        they was growing really well and looking great.       I would take them from the garage to the porch every day when it got above freezing and give them some sunshine and shade and let them get used to being outside.         I had all the starts outside on a night that wasn't supposed to get any colder than the low 40's.        so I knew if it didn't get any colder than that, all my plants would do well.          a little stress is good for them.         well, the temp dropped like a lead balloon and was at 19* most of the night, after we went to bed!!!!!          all my plants froze to death!!          weather bug is the biggest liar!!!!          I do NOT trust it anymore.         after I cried all day, I started trying to solve my problem.          I ordered a hydroponic system from amazon.         I got it and got some seeds started and they came up in record time and they looked so good  and healthy.        once they was stable, I took them from the hydroponic and potted them in container soil in solo cups and then put the solo cups in larger container that would hold 12 or 13 solo cups.        I put that container in the garage in the little greenhouse that I have out there with grow lights and a couple of heat mats.        with the hydroponic empty, I started 12 more seeds.         my husband ordered another one for me and I could then start 24 seeds at a time.          that's how I even had a garden this time.        I grow everything in containers and off the ground raised beds.

this is one of the containers of my starts that was started in my indoor hydroponic systems.        they grow so well and I'm so excited to have them that I can't hardly wait to get my garden started.

this is just a random picture of some of my babies, just starting.

this is both of my DakRide hydroponics from amazon loaded up with growing seedlings.          it's so exciting to the pictures because I know in a few short months, if the Lord lets me live, I'll get to start more.         yay!!

these are some of the lettuces that I grew.           they were so good.         I've been thinking about starting some more to have thru the winter.

this is what basket looks like that holds the pod that I put the seeds in.        when I get read to transplant the seedlings, I gently pull the pod and the plant from the basket and wash it and put another pod in it and put a seed it and the cycle starts again.

this is where I took the DakRides apart and cleaned them for the season.         if you use tap water, they will build up a lime scale from the water.          it is recommended to use store bought water that has been boiled and all the impurities removed and I learned my lesson.        you even have to take the little water circulator apart and clean it.         one of the best and safest things to clean them with is cleaning vinegar.         it will cut the scale, plus it cleans it well with no harsh chemicals.       

well, I guess this is enough randomness about my hydroponics.         keep an eye out for when I get ready to start my seeds for 2025.          I'll take more pics and share more.  

***************************************

someone here back had asked about dr and going to the drs and how to deal with them when they belittle us.         this is the response that I shared from a real life actual experience.        my nurse practitioner had sent me to this specialist.      I was looking forward to getting some answers to some long time problems, but instead he sat with my file rolled up in his hand like a little horn, I kept expecting him to toot it.         he sat there and talked for about 45 minutes.           he never once looked in my file.        he just kept talking about the "average woman".             when he finally took a breath, he said, "what treatment do you think suits you best?"           I looked at him and I asked him what I should have a thought about, because he never said one thing about "me", just the "average woman".           

he never looked at the file in his hand, if he would have, he would have seen some of the things that's in my history and my family history.               I just told him that I'm anything but "average" and I didn't hear him say one word specifically about me.             I was sitting there with the check for the office visit written and holding it in my hand the whole time.            after I asked him what exactly he had said that was concerning me, he went stark raving mad,  screaming and cursed me up one side and down the other.           

I stood up and looked him square in the eyes and started screaming myself, since that was the only way he would hear me, and told him if he wants payment for this quackery visit, he better have some tape on hand.          I tore that check   up into pieces   smaller than a dime and threw them in the air.          I told him that I would never pay him or anyone else to treat me like garbage!!!          (I also contacted my ins co, so his time with me was on his dollar, not mine or my ins co.)         he was red faced and madder than all get out, still cursing me to the top of his lungs.           

he left the room and slammed  the   door  behind  him and then  went  to  another  room and  slammed  that door behind him!!           when I walked out of the room and went towards the front desk, his 2 employees was standing there crying.          I looked and seen they was crying and I just hugged them both.         they whispered and said he does this to women all the time.          they was so proud that someone finally stood up to him.           I asked them if they was afraid to stay in here with him now and if they was I would stay with them.          they both hugged me tight and assured me that they would be ok.         they was just so happy to see someone stand up to him.           

there is nothing about me or anyone else that's "average"!!!          think about it, God made us all in His image!!!!          that's enough to say that we all are very well "above average"!!!           and we  certainly  don't  have to pay anyone to treat us like garbage!!          that was a pivotal day for me!!!            I am not an "average woman".         an "average woman" would have taken his garbage.           we don't have to!!!!           because we're not "average"!!

***************************

hey y'all.         I posted about my pepper strings that I'm working on. I just wanted to throw this out there for food for thought.           I usually dehydrate all my excess produce.          it takes up less space than canning and I don't have a lot of storage space.

so over the last few years I've done a lot of experimenting with planting seeds.       not just any seeds, but seeds that had been dehydrated.         in the process of experimenting, I found out that most temps that are recommended for dehydrating is just too high to begin with.         yes, it will get the food dry quicker, but you may end up with "case hardening", which means it got dry on the outside, but still wet on the inside.          anything less than completely dry will cause mold in storage.        so I coined my own phrase, "cracker crisp, rock hard and bond dry".          those are my criteria before I can store it.

in all the experimenting I've done, I've found that my produce is much more beautiful when dry, when I use much lower temps than the manuals or others may recommend.           anything with sugars and starches in it will turn dark with the high temps.           a lot of people will recommend dipping everything in lemon juice to prevent produce from turning dark.           that has never worked for me, but lowering my temps is what worked to preserve the natural beautiful colors.

also, during the experimenting I done with my temps, I was also sticking seeds in the soil to see at what temp, a seed would germinate.         seeds that have gone thru the dehydrating process at the higher temps won't germinate.

guess what, all the seeds that had gone thru the dehydrating process with my dehydrators set at 110*, I got 100% germination with all the seeds I tried.         at 110* your seeds will still viable. they may be viable at a little higher than that, but 110* is what I found to be the sweet number for me to use to dehydrate peppers and tomatoes and for sure.           and I wouldn't hesitate to use my small dehydrator to just load it up with all kinds of seeds at the end of the growing season and dehydrate seeds for next year. as a matter of fact, I'm gonna try it for a lot of my seeds for next year.

this is what my pepper string looks like and just a sampling of my dehydrated goods.

    

***********************************

I seen this posted the other day and I thought, you know what, this is exactly spot on.          it can work both ways.         either good or bad.        I pray that we all strive for this to be good.         start reading the bible and let this become who we simply are.        what could be better than that, to become the embodiment of scripture.         to be more like Jesus in every way, every day.        let's do it y'all!!!!        it's needed more now than ever!!!!

like I said, this can be either good or bad, it's just what we make of it.        practicing in sin starts just like this.        also living for Jesus starts the exact same way.        and how we treat others is simply who we are.        intention, behavior, habit, practice, second nature, and it's simply who we are.          let's make sure that who we are is someone living for Jesus with every breath.         

it's hard to do.           because we live in a day and age where people do not care about others.           most people are waiting to jump on someone or shame them in some way.         just like the dude that I called out for jumping on someone for not wording something exactly like he thought it needed to be.      and just like the dr that literally gave me a cussing in his office!!      that's what I call mean spirited.          and nothing about that dr and the dude that jumped on someone on line over him not understanding what the person wrote; there's nothing in these 2 men's behavior would lead me to believe that they sat at the feet Jesus or even knew who Jesus is!!!           and then blame it on having to deal with people all day long.         excuses!!!!     we are who we are and it will definitely show.

************************************************  

so I guess this is enough randomness for one day.        just a bunch of little things that I didn't want to forget, and maybe some that I should.        hahaha        hopefully some of it was worthy of your time being here.       I hope you seen something here that will be a blessing to you.      may you know the love of Jesus Christ in your life today.        I pray that you have a beautiful rest of your day!!!!       hugs and love and blessings beyond measure, patty