Papershell Pecans

Temporary Home ~ Carrie Underwood

September 9, 2014

Dear Readers,

Is it just me or are y'all ready for some Fall weather too? The Papershell Pecan Tree in the front yard is so pregnant with fruit that it looks like it's going to topple over. The branches scrape on the side and top of Graycie when I back out of the driveway and shade most of the front of the house.  I'm surprised that it's doing so well considering the fact that we've had almost no rain to speak of in quite some time.

Dad Seidler planted the tree when it was just a little bitty thing. Mom enjoyed the pecans when they were plentiful and moaned when there was an off year (we haven't had a bumper crop of pecans in quite a few years). When she was in the nursing home, she'd tell everyone she knew to go to her house and pick pecans. We'd tell her, "Mom, there aren't any pecans this year" and she'd laugh. Then the next person she saw she'd still invite them over. Gosh, I miss that lady! She was the quintessential Southern Belle. Anyway, if they turn out good, we'll have pecans to freeze, give away, sell, and still have pecans left over. If they aren't good, we'll have mountains of pecans to feed the squirrels!!

I've been digging out my tubs of Fall decorations from the underground storm shelter. Peeoooeee! It really smelled musty when I went down there. I think I need to switch the stuff in the outdoor shed around to the shelter and vise versa. Or, get a dehumidifier. I'm allergic to molds and have been coughing and sneezing for days... Yuk!

Last year my grandsons, Zachary and Nicholas helped me decorate the Fall Tree in the cottage. Oh my gosh, I love my grandchildren. Just to be able to spend time with them, laugh with them, and make memories thrills me to no end. Since we moved down here from North Texas, I don't get to see them that often and that makes me sad. My granddaughters, Madison and Katrina, are in Florida. My step-grandchildren, Chloe and Camden are in Houston. Being a long distance grandma sucks!!

Anyway, I am enjoying playing with my creative side and basking in the sunshine of cooler days and gusts of wind that wrap the cottage with sounds of "whooooo." I lost about 20 mums due to the cold winter so my Autumn Garden won't be as colorful this year. Last year Walmart put their mums on sale for a dollar and I'm hoping they do that this year too. You know me and digging in the dirt. Best kind of therapy around.

My spirit is filled with the joy of color ~ reds, oranges, greens, purple! I met an artist at the Craft Section of the Farmer's Market a few weeks ago who does watercolors in a folk art form ~ Harley Johnson. It's been pretty cool to meet different vendors and to be able to trade our goods. One week I got a basket of free peaches ~ another I got a whole bunch of Cannas ~ last week a melon. Harley loved my blackberry jam enough to trade for a painting. Can't beat that.  As I mentioned in another blog, my friend Beverly has given me two paintings because she knew how much I love his work. The paintings fit right in with the Autumn decor of  the farmhouse style of the cottage!

Yesterday, I had another electrician give me an estimate on the electrical work that needs to be done on the lil casa and cottage. Gulp! He agreed with the first electrician that we are living on a powder keg. He did hook up the washer/dryer and said it would be safe to use IF I turned off the air conditioning in the house. His bid was $200 less which was a good thing. Have to pray about what to do and when to do it... Now, if I can just get my dishwasher up and running!!! I'm getting dishpan hands!!

It's always been a dream of mind to buy a turn of the century cottage but my goodness, it costs a small fortune to get them fixed up from the inside out. I love the decorating part but hate spending money where I can't see it. Oh I know, Jesus says that we need to build our foundations on the rock or when storms come our homes will fall away (Luke 6:48). I guess that goes for our lives too! Would you agree? Glad I got my built on the Word of God.  AND, on that note...

Always remember you are loved and prayed for ... ya you!

Miss Dottie

Dear God, thank you for the seasons ~ especially for Spring and Fall which are my favorites here in Texas. I'm not much of a hot house hen and prefer the cooler temperatures AND the flowers that seem to burst into color. Thank you for those that follow me on my journey of life. Help me to continue to grow and to reach out to those in need. I love shaking those hands, kissing those cheeks, and sharing the love that I have been blessed with. There are times when I get so down that I wonder if I'm going to choke. Then, someone comes in to my world or something happens in my life that sets my toes to tapping and my perseverance to gain momentum. I have to remember that this world is my temporary home and all the worries of today will float away never to be thought of again.  I pray for those that You bring before me. Help me to stand in the gap for ... the woman hanging on for dear life, the man on his knees, the teenager caught in a web, my brothers and sisters who are ill and needing time for recuperation. I got so excited when Homer told me about Carolyn's progress  ~ Praise God!!! Ah yes, what a privilege it is to carry everything to God in prayer (old Lutheran hymn there!). Come Lord Jesus ... thy will be done and, in the end, the story will end just how it's supposed to.

Amen, it is so...