A 70 Degree Day in January

January 19, 2015
Monday

Dear Readers,

What a crazy night I had. My furry kids were absolutely at their worst ~ up and down off the bed, growling at each other if one accidentally touched the other, chewing loudly on their bones, and thinking that 4am was breakfast time. Usually, I have 4 furry kids with me in the cottage and last night I had 5. Maybe that upset the apple cart 'cause Toby seemed to be the main instigator.

I'm not sure I got much sleep and am feeling kinda crabby. Coffee sure tastes good and an "Exodus" attitude adjustment was just what Dr. Jesus ordered!!

I am looking forward to working outside today ~ the sun is shining and the 70 degree warmth will feel so good on my bones (and my spirit!). My iris are looking great and roses are starting to show new leaves. The arborist is coming tomorrow at 9am to trim the Pecan Tree in the front yard and the big old tree in the backyard. I am hoping that the weather will stay nice so after they finish, I can get the yard and back patio cleaned up. Right now, it is looking pretty disgusting!

It felt so good to be back in the saddle attending church yesterday. We got there just a few minutes before the service started so had to find different seats (than our usual ones) to sit in. Didn't have much time for visiting (boo, hiss!). My grandson-in-Christ, Branden, had made me a Faith Journal and feather pen and I looked at the last time I was at a service ... December 21 ~ not good. I need that infusion of fellowship with fellow believers, music that stirs my soul, and the messages imparted that seem to be "right on." I've had good excuses for missing, but still...

My friend, Beverly, asked if I would go with her to Burleson yesterday so she could return some jeans. It gave me an opportunity to go to Petsmart and do some research on grain free puppy kibble. I ended up choosing the Wellness brand after reading lists of ingredients on packaging (I'd done some research also on the Internet as well). I got home in time for Finn's night feeding and he loved it. I mixed a little of his old food in it and he snarfed it up. This morning, I decided to go cold turkey and give him 100% Wellness and so far so good ~ all body functions normal! LOL Praying that this change in food will help his tear staining.

Monday is usually my prep day for the week and this week promises to be a busy one. Michael has Tuesday and Wednesday off this week so we've scheduled not only the arborist to come in the morning but also the furnace repair folks (no heat in the casa for a few days now). In the afternoon tomorrow, I go to pick up my CPAP machine in Waco. Hoping for better breathing at night!! Wednesday, I am headed to Plano (north of Dallas) to see my orthopedic doctor and finalize plans to get my L3-4 fused. It looks like there is never going to be a good time to get that taken care of so I am just going to bite the bullet and "get 'er done." I sure want to be in perfect working order before I need to start my Spring work in the gardens!!

Prioritizing ~ life seems to be about prioritizing these days. Michael and I are thanking God for his job and the opportunity to get a bunch of things done that have been needing work. As we are working on our "to do's," we are putting the major things in a "is it life threatening" order. Since the old tree was shedding huge branches that could maim or kill me or the pups, that moved to the head of the list. The electrical needs to come next as the casa is a time bomb waiting to explode. I laugh because some of the things keep getting moved farther down while others pop up and need tending to asap (like our central heat that has gone kaput).

After yesterday's sermon, I realized how important it is that attending church become a major priority to keeping my spiritual soul in good working order. It's called maintenance and improvement! I go to church for an hour and a half a week and am reminded about God's plan and His ways. The rest of my week I watch the news and select TV programs. It doesn't take long to realize that I am being fed more secular stuff than spiritual food. After awhile, the secular world becomes more normal and my spiritual world dimmer. Now, that's not good!! God's ways need to be my ways. I have decided that I will devote as much time soaking in God's light as I do walking in the world. I breakfast on a hot cup of coffee and the Word of God. Most of the time, I lunch alone so I meditate and pray at that time. I dine sumptuously in the evening hours cultivating a palate for the positiveness rather than the negative. If something isn't making me a better person, I am crossing it off my list. POOF gone!

Today, as I go about spending my minutes, I am reminded that God is good ALL THE TIME. I want to be better and ingest the freshness of my world. I cannot live someone else's life, nor should I try. I learned a long time ago, that if I am spending more time trying to change someone else than I am on living God's purpose for me, I've got it all wrong. Be assurred though, I am wrapping my arms around you in prayer ~ especially you, Homer, my brother in Christ. God's got this!! I'm signing off and headed out...

Miss Dottie

PS Meditating on these two quotes today...

"Life is a bowl of cherries. Some cherries are rotten while others are good; its your job to throw out the rotten ones and forget about them while you enjoy eating the ones that are good! There are two kinds of people: those who choose to throw out the good cherries and wallow in all the rotten ones, and those who choose to throw out all the rotten ones and savor all the good ones." ~C.JoyBellC.

"He that walketh with wise men shall be wise:

but a companion of fools shall be destroyed."

~Proverbs 13:20 (KJV)

Who are you walking with?