The mornings have been quite cool the last week, mid 40's.  The days still flirt with the 90's, and the swamp cooler gets a mild workout in the afternoons, but there are sure signs that a cooler time is close.  The weather sites predict that our weekend high will be in the upper 60's and lows in the low 40's.  We live on the outskirts, a bit North, and that could mean as much as 10 degrees lower...pushing close to freezing.

With a wonderful gardening season drawing to a close, I still have a lot of good stuff to harvest.  That's school for the next day!  As we observe the seasonal transition, we see the ending of some crops, we consider how to rescue unripe produce or protect it, preserve what we gather.  Life is school, and this aspect of Americana, many students never see.   Imagine the Pilgrims and others who arrived in uncertainty.  What would they eat?  How would they manage?  There was much to learn by experience, without loads of books and websites to instruct and direct.  We have the benefit of centuries of experience and work at our hands, and can make the most of our modest garden. 

The pending chill brings again the sense of urgency, that we must pick, pick, pick!  DS got a 5 gallon bucket of beans yesterday, and thinks he could probably fill two more today.  "Bean" is living up to his nickname!  That bucket gave me 5 one gallon ziplocs of blanched veggies to freeze.  I have my probable last harvest of lemon cucumbers, and am looking to make some pickles today.  I picked a big bucket of tomatillos yesterday, and am going to try a recipe for jam today.  My dd was a little disgusted at the idea, but I figure it's worth a shot.  I haven't even begun to harvest as many of those as I can.  There are still lots of green tomatoes on the vine...we'll probably try to protect the plants with viscuine later today.

The harvest is plentiful...again.  The workers, while many in our house, are still fewer than I could use today.  Some less skilled youngsters lose interest quickly.  Those more persistent still wear out after a while.  Gotta work, but we can do what we can do.

I've been watching the news lately, and the financial and political environments are crazy.  Reading an article about a certain Congressional leader and his relational connections to someone in a troubled housing entity, I realized why I see so little sorrow in the nation's leadership.  Fear in some...for their finances and positions.  Flippancy.  No godly sorrow, but perhaps that's due to no godly values in many. 

The last few chapters of Isaiah are really interesting.  In verse 3 and 4 of chapter 66, there is a portion that says, "Just as they have chosen their own ways, And their soul delights in their abominations, So will I choose their delusions, And bring their fears on them; Because, when I called, no one answered, When I spoke they did not hear; But they did evil before My eyes, And chose that in which I do not delight."  I think we see many becoming fearful, and the fear is feeding into more fear.    Verse 14 of the same chapter says, "The hand of the Lord shall be known to His servants, And His indignation to His enemies." 

Going back to the beginning of the chapter, I think I'll meditate as these events play out:

"Thus says the LORD:

'Heaven is My throne,

And earth is My footstool.

Where is the house that you will build Me?

And where is the place of My rest?

For all those things My hand has made,

And all those things exist,'

Says the LORD.

'But on this one will I look:

On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,

And who trembles at My word.' "

Isaiah 66:1-2


The signs of the times in this world tell me to keep my eyes on Jesus.  Nobody knows the day or the hour, but He will fullfill every jot and tittle!  It's an interesting time for a believer, filled with sorrow for a lost and defiant world, filled with excitement because one knows that there is a hope beyond that spoken of by candidates for office.  The Lord is the true "HOPE" candidate, and He holds our world's mess in His hands.  The harvest is so plentiful.  The workers so few.  Some unskilled?  Some weary?  Some distracted?  May we return our attention to His call and His mandate!  Do you have our attention yet, Lord?  What will it take to gain it, if not?  I pray our attention turn to the need to harvest!

777.68

Generally in teachings that I've heard, and in a LITTLE quick online searching,

7 is the number in the Bible that represents completion.

3 is the number of God.

6 is the number of man.

8 is the number of new beginnings.


As for today, this is the eve of a Jewish holiday, Rosh Hashanah.  In Talmudic times, Rosh Hashanah became a celebration of the anniversary of the world's creation and a day of self-examination, repentance and judgment.  (about.com)   Read at Wikipedia for much interesting info regarding the Jewish holiday! 

Could be coincidence.  Or not.

To the mercy seat, I come alone;
No other accompanies as I draw near.
No other's fault will I bear.
No other's failure need I declare,
For sufficient need is firmly founded,
Sufficient guilt firmly grounded
In my very being.

And there I find the foundation of my faltering faith;
The Faithful, whose faithfulness
Cleared the way for this child to approach!
In Faithful, Forgiving arms,
My hope is confirmed!
In the Faithful One,
My hope is secure!
His compassion is certain,
His mercy shall not fail!


ADW

Matthew 18:21-35 gives an important lesson on forgiveness.  A servant is unable to pay a debt, asks for mercy, and is forgiven his debt.  Having been forgiven, he turns upon another, who owes him much less, demands full payment, and when begged for mercy, shows none.  The master gets word of this behavior, and makes the first servant accountable once again for all he owes.

I imagine many of us know people who are being affected by the economic turmoil of the day.  A friend of mine lost her home last year.  A nephew and his wife found themselves out of their apartment because of a foreclosure just a few months ago...no warning, and they had just signed a new lease.  We ran into a parent of one of DS's teammates from a year ago.  He described having to walk away from their home because the bank wouldn't work with them. 

Some people are being hit hard because they made risky loans.  Some because the industries in which they work have slowed down.  Others, because they are at the mercy of unscrupulous people.  Others, at the mercy of the unmerciful. 

National lawmakers now look to find and pass a plan to help keep things afloat, against the wishes of a great percentage of the "Main Street" crowd.  The justification is that not doing this will be "catastrophic".  Maybe it will. 

I love the movie, "It's a Wonderful Life."  It may be fictional, but in George Bailey, a merciful spirit is portrayed in contrast to the miserly and unmerciful Mr. Potter.  During the run on the financial institutions, Bailey appeals to the folks by reminding them of their helping those who have struggled, reminds them of the unlikeable prospects if the bank and Potter should take over.  Money, though a force to reckon with, is not the highest priority to Bailey.  In Potter's case, things are different. 

I wonder if the institutions who are to receive help through the proposed "bailout" will be more like a Potter or like a Bailey.  Will the mercy being extended to them be conferred, in turn, upon the folks on "Main Street"?  Or will a miserly Potter sentiment take over, will these companies exact their pounds of flesh?  If the sentiment was such to begin with, why should we expect anything different? 

Galatians 6:7 says, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap."  Our nation is reaping the consequences of a greed-driven frenzy.  Money has long been an idol, and is now the god most feared in our nation.  The eyes of the land and of the world are turned upon our leaders in hopes that our dollar will be saved, that our lifestyles will not be strained by its demise.  "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him." (2 Ch 16:9)  Our hearts as a nation are not loyal to God, but to a false god.  I've long thought that our money might as well say, "In THIS god we trust."  I suspect we may find this god to be unfaithful.  And I won't be all that surprised if the big institutions are unmerciful.  And I sorrow for the consequence to the people of our land, that principle is exchanged for comfort, freedom for security.  Peace and prosperity?  We shall see.  I hold my breath in anticipation...well, figuratively...LOL.  I think a sense of humor is a must! 

http://news.aol.com/article/mccain-to-halt-campaign-due-to-economy/172887?icid=100214839x1210303789x1200602924

This is the right thing to do, and I applaud a candidate who recognizes that his involvement in the difficulties at hand requires setting aside the hoopla of a campaign.  This speaks more to me than a debate would, and the complaigning of the opponent speaks as well. 


After listening to all the hoopla in the news, I have to add that when this man stayed in torturous circumstances in spite of the opportunity to get out, he wasn't making a political play.  This is about fulfilling one's duty more than about making a political play.  Perhaps it will work in his favor, perhaps against him.  He isn't perfect, nor are any of the candidates running, nor am I.  But I do respect this decision. 

Someone's not so hip to the jive...and this is the experience on the ticket?

Off Message?  

On the email ad...

A little patriotism, please!

If I had to pick a running mate...

Last week was challenging, my Dad's surgery went well.  He's out of ICU, hoping to get some apple juice sometime soon!

My 6 yo son who speaks his mind sent a handmade card along with me to Grandpa.  I neglected to preview it, and it was nicely sealed in an envelope.  I could have just died when Dad opened up to a message along the lines of "Get well and don't die!"  A kid who speaks his mind, ummm, speaking his mind.

The end of this week will be the annual Fall Festival here.  We've been preparing photos and clay creations and crochet work and such, and of course, selecting poems!  We've surveyed veggies in the garden, and everyone wants to enter the best pumpkin and the giant radish, which we hope hasn't split.  Alas, there's only one biggest radish and one best pumpkin.  Alas, the poor kiddos will have to pick one veggie to enter "best of"! 

DS picked beans the other day, and after snapping them, we had 3 full gallon ziplocs.  As well, a gallon of tomatillos.  Also, a huge bowl of tomatoes, though the chipmunks seem to be taking their share.  We got nearly a 5 gallon bucket's worth of bell peppers, and some of the most beautiful and tasty ones we've grown, at that.  Hope there are a few left on the plants for the festival.  The habaneros are turning a gorgeous orange!  I need to cut some basil, too.  I tend to let it go and forget it, when I could get some great batches of pesto made and frozen.  I have about 6 meals worth frozen.  Still getting a decent, though much smaller supply of squash.  I'm letting the armenian cukes go for the festival.  Then I'll look into pickling some.  Their scalloped edge makes a pretty slice, and I'm betting they'd make a nice looking pickle, as well.

At any rate, that's life on the ranch for the moment.  Incubating some dark brown hatching eggs, keeping our eyes out for those snakes, and savoring the lovely autumn breeze, though there may yet be a little heat left in our warm season.  Did I mention that hubby taught me how to shoot in case I do have any rattler sightings?  That's a little better distance than the length of a machete, you know.  And I think, weather wise, that it will be soup season before we know it.  I'm thinking that "Alpine Village" style chicken soup from last year will be a hit again this fall.

Blessings from the Ranch!

You might be able to put lipstick on a pig, but he won't let it happen easily!

The easiest place to put it might be the back side...but I wouldn't want to get near those big teeth up front.  Oh, well.

Words of the week:

in·nu·en·do  

1.	an indirect intimation about a person or thing, esp. of a disparaging or a derogatory nature.

hu·bris   

excessive pride or self-confidence; arrogance.

Observations: 

One doesn't have to specifically talk about someone or something in order to make a reference that causes others to think of that something or someone. One can carefully choose words, or carelessly choose words, and the effect, intended or not, is there.  Phony outrage is easy to attack because a "letter of the law" look at things says that it is obvious that something was not intended.  However, a "spirit of the law" look would realize that the supposed unintentional effect of one's words is deserving of real humility, not returned phony outrage. 

I love puns.  As a teenager, I loved to make plays on words.  One day at lunch in the school cafeteria, a funny use of a word occurred to me, and as quickly as I thought it, it flew out of my mouth.  I loved sharing my puns with my friends.  I was devastated when, seconds later, a couple of girls close by gave me a horrid look, and I realized that my pun was taken as a racial slur.  It wasn't intended.  Nevertheless, the harm was done.  The memory remains.  I'm sure their outrage was not phony. 

Hubris?  I guess it takes a lot of hubris to use such a word in addressing someone before the general population.  I didn't know the word exactly, but could guess, given the setting and context.  Your average person on the street might take more offense at the snobbish interviewer than at the responses to him.  Culturally speaking, if you want to get through to someone, you should speak to them on their level.  If I want to speak Spanish to professional people, I am going to use more educated language, more proper terms, but if I want to speak to someone who works in the tomato fields of Baja, the prim and proper "correct" approach is going to put a barrier between me and the people I converse with.  You don't oversimplify, but you don't go out of your way to use eloquent terms if you want to get through to average everyday people.    

Aside from that, some of the questions should have been thought through a little bit better.  From some previous interviews, it appeared to me that a certain VP candidate did not go out looking for the job.  If she filled out the questionairres and went through the "vetting" process, she had already determined she was prepared to take the job.  At the point she was picked, the question had more than likely been decided.  I just don't see a lot of common sense in some of the interview highlights.  I think the media is very much out of touch.  Was the purpose to inform other snobby media members?  Or to help the average American get more perspective?

Making fun of someone for not emailing?  When the primary reason is disability?  BAD taste.  Disrespectful.  I don't have a problem with making an issue of real issues.  But I've done tons of dictated emails for my husband due to time constraints, his not wanting to get bogged down at the moment, etc., and doing them for yourself is not a high priority if you have helpers.  If anything, that may be a plus for someone who realizes how technological advances are needed to make things more accessible to the disabled.

Walmart Moms?  Where did that term come from?  I need to research a bit.  Are you a Walmart Mom?  Am I?  I shop there, although our union household prefers to support union businessess when possible and practical.  Sometimes, our limited small town options prevent that.  I think I've watched too much news the last week or two!   

And that's the end of the vent for the moment.  There are more serious issues at hand for my family, as my Dad will be having his bladder removed tomorrow due to cancer.  Please pray for a successful surgery and recovery, pray for peace of mind for my Mom and siblings.

I took some veggies to the local guy we got our incubator from, and asked about snakes.  Describing the ones we have spotted, he mentioned the possibility of a bull snake, which uses its tail to rattle leaves.  Check out the link for more info...that's a definite.  Our source says that if we have a bull snake, we won't have rattlers for long.  Hopefully, he's right!

A nice fallish chill!  The little ones wanted to go outside, but ran back in for jackets.  Soccer practice last night was pleasant.  It's nice to cut back on the electric bill. 

Still dealing with snakes in my garden.  Someone from dd's soccer team (a parent) suggested that animal control will come get snakes, if I hear that scary noise again, I think I'll pursue that route. Or begin learning more about exercising my right to bear arms.  Apparently, a Mojave Green will come after you if it's ticked.  So I need to have a better defense than a shovel and a machete.

I think I'll be spending a little time researching snake noises this morning, and hibernation times...and...?

Pray that I won't have to trample upon snakes and scorpions this day!

Blessings from the ranch!

Tammy has presented me with this lovely blog award!  Thank you!

Now I must:
1. Choose 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award based on creativity, design, interesting material, and overall contribution to the blogger community, regardless of the language.
2. Post the name of the author and a link to his or her blog so everyone can view it.
3. Each award-winner has to show the award and put a name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award.
4. The award winner and presenter should post the link of the “Arte y pico” blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.
5. Please post these rules.

I nominate the following blogs for this award(in no particular order!)...

-Passion for Purple, where Kristy has inspired me to walk, and keeps tabs on our good buddy, Crush!

-LadyPoet, who shares the challenge and enjoyment of gardening (and trying to make good use of lots of squash!).

-Apples of Gold, a lovely, uplifting blog!

-Cherry Blossoms because I appreciate her talent at blog design! 

-With a Taste of Chocolate because her posts are challenging and insightful!

Yes, we now have our very own!  You'd think every man in town was there!  Well, there were plenty of women, too!  They have a HUGE lawn and garden section!  HUGE!!!!!  The parking lot was very crowded, and so were the aisles.  I can't wait to go browse when it's not quite so busy!

I had things so nicely spaced, but you'd never know it from the looks of things.  Still,  this is a great area.  The boys love to pick radishes and carrots, and assist with tomato worm and squash bug control.  Their Daddy is helping them to negotiate better terms, as they were earning 10 cents per tomato worm, but there was so much damage that Mom upped the bounty to 25 cents.  Dad insisted that the raise be retroactive.  Mom insisted that it could only be retroactive on the day the change was initiated.  We reached a decent agreement, though the boys happily look until they lose interest.  Dad's job leads to lots of great learning, and so does Mom's garden.  Well, it's everyone's garden, just that Mom's in it the most.  Anyhow, it's doing well. 

Lots of squash, some corn, hopefully more next week.  Found at least 5 nice watermelons, but I'm leary of searching too hard, as that area got very overgrown, and I'm sure it's a great haven for snakes.  I don't remember my cantaloupe and watermelon plants getting quite so crazy the last couple of years.  The baby carrots are doing great.  I planted so many, I doubt we'll ever pick them all.  A few here and there 'til all the stuff hiding them gets done.  The bean plants are starting to flower, the snap peas are giving a handful here and there.  Dad put up a shade cover for the peas, and the boys do a great job of getting in and picking.  Lots of green tomatoes, can't wait for them to start ripening!  One pumpkin plant left...it looks like it may survive. 

We have 15 eggs in the incubator, today is day 8, we'll candle later.  Also, we have some Auracauna chicks coming in the mail, hopefully by tomorrow.  This will be part of 10th grade DD's biology this year, as we consider dominent traits, recessive, etc.  The Apologia Biology uses the example of an animal with tail verses no tail, and here, we have a perfect breed to study that with.  We already have done a dissection (slaughtering the turkey a couple of months back), and there's so much with the garden.  So practical!  I'm loving it!

That's it for the moment, as sports Mom mode has kicked in.  A few more days of individual instruction for ds at the ball field, and soccer weeknights for the girls.  Coach for 9 yo's team is going to be away, so guess who's warming up the team on Thursday until the assistant coach can get there!  That's funny, to me!

Cooler mornings, a fall-ish smell in the air, and lots of work to keep me busy!  I may have to find time to meditate and write...but some of the best poems happen in the middle of the action!

Blessings from the Ranch!