Dog days of summer

I have to write something on here to get that personality thing to go away. Why did I leave that up there for a week??? Anyway, Linnea is way prettier! Finally got her out there yesterday. It's hot, hot, hot. But when one is floating around out there, it's lovely! Clear skies, gold finches chirping and flitting from tree to tree, and peace and quiet. Why do I complain??? She's leaving today to get back to her real life. Sad for us. Happy for her. It would be nice to have her closer, like an hour away or something instead of halfway across the country!!! That's what I did when I grew up, I guess.
Will and I also got in the pool. Looks like I have no hair. Ah, but I felt nice and cool!

This may explain things.....

Word Usage

Linnea and I have a good time with words. I guess we have ever since she learned to talk. She was and early talker, I think. And since for eighteen months of her first three years, Den was out to sea (except for 11 weeks) Linnea and I spent a lot of time talking.

Today I was interested in the usage of the prepositions "by" and "from" when used with the word "given". In my first post today (it's a rainy, good computer day), I used both of those prepositions with the word "given". Afterwards, I wondered which was the best usage. Blogging makes one think about WORDS more specifically. Anyway, we went online and they are used pretty much equally. I used both without even thinking until I went back to reread what I wrote. Dinner conversations can be interesting....

Help on posting profile pictures

Anyone know how to upload a picture to the profile or to the title bar? I followed all the directions in the Help section but the program insists that I haven't designated a photo. I've uploaded a picture to the blog, copied the HTML and pasted it. That didn't work. Then I went to Flickr, copied that http. and pasted that in the URL and that didn't work. Same message.I've been working on this for over an hour. Guess I have time on my hands....I just want to learn how to do it. Of course I can upload pictures to this. You've seen plenty, but I can't get them to go anywhere else!! EXCEPT I can just click from my computer, but they are way to big and take up the whole screen. AND THAT WON'T WORK EITHER!

Thoughts on a Tuesday morning

I was on my blog this morning trying to upload a photo, obviously without luck, and editing my profile. I figured I might (or is it may?) as well write something. As far as the profile goes, I cannot think how to describe myself. Do I see myself in light of what I DO? or to whom I'm related? or by past experience? or by my convictions? So I just deleted most of it. While I think... Maybe I do a little too much introspecting?

My aunt gave me a few little trinkets of my grandmother's after she died (gramma, not the aunt!). Linnea had never seen them, so I got them out the other night. My grandmother had written notes with each item describing them and who had them. One is a teeny pair of scissors from 1887. They were given to the woman who raised her from the English ship captain on the boat from Sweden. Another is a very unusual watch fob. It was given to my grandmother's dad from his sister (I'm assuming it's his sister.) It's made from her hair and looks like macrame. The hair is auburn and the fob is about a quarter of an inch in diameter and about six inches long. On the fob is a gold locket with the initials PAL engraved on the back. However, the locket is empty. Too bad. I'm glad she saved these little things AND wrote these notes for us!

We have been getting marvelous rain! During June and July we had less than an inch total. So we were praying for rain. Yesterday was the first big daytime thunderstorm all summer, and that's amazing here in eastern NE! Everything is so green! And I'm sure the farmers are all happy. I am awed by the goodness of God in sending rain when we need it. I remember the place of prayer as a child growing up in an agricultural community. One of the church elders once said, "God sends drought, so we pray for rain. God sends rain, so we pray for it to stop." Meaning that God always draws us to be dependent on him. God is good, all the time. John Piper's blog today (or from yesterday) is very good along those lines. For those of you who don't know, his church is within sight of the 35W bridge. His comments are wise.

Be blessed and be a blessing!

A Hymn of Horatius Bonar

Inspired by "Prone to Wander", I thought I'd share a hymn from my morning devotions. My mom regularly writes us inspirational bits from her reading also. Our hymnbook, The Trinity, has several hymns by Horatius Bonar. All of them make for good devotional reading. This one is from the section of the hymnbook on the opening of worship.

Here O my Lord I see thee face to face;
Here would I touch and handle things unseen,
Here grasp with firmer hand th'eternal grace,
And all my weariness upon thee lean.

Here would I feed upon the bread of God,
Here drink with thee the royal wine of heaven;
Here would I lay aside each earthly load,
Here taste afresh the calm of sin forgiven.

This is the hour of banquet and of song;
This is the heav'nly table spread for me;
Here let me feast, and feasting, still prolong
The brief, bright hour of fellowship with thee.

I have no help but thine, nor do I need
Another arm save thine to lean upon;
It is enough, my Lord, enough indeed;
My strength is in thy might, thy might alone.

Mine is the sin, but thine the righteousness;
Mine is the guilt, but thine the cleansing blood;
Here is my robe, my refuge and my peace,
Thy blood, thy righteousness, O Lord my God.

Some new links and their memories

Another of the lovely benefits of the Internet and computers, besides our ability to communicate so easily with so many, is the ability to take virtual visits back to places in one's past. Rocking chair--computer chair--travel. Without jet lag. So I have included some new links from our travels over the Ord and back. A couple are over the Ord and others are much farther south! Those of you who read this that have traveled parts of the road with us will enjoy seeing the sites. Ah, Sperlonga in August what memories we have of that place in this month. The first year we lived there, we parked at the top of the hill and walked FOREVER through the town and down the steps to the beach. Oh, the view through the town is fantastic, white-washed walls, cascading bougainvilla, fountains, the basket weaving stand, fruit stands, gelato.... We were ready for the water by the time we got down there. As the years passed, we found better and better ways to get down there, and we became friends with the people of Lido Grotta Dei Delfini. Koberniks, Arnolds, friends from Scotland and America all spent happy hours with us on this beach. So enjoy it, people!

I tried to find our happy place in Kinlochbervie from 1994. One can find similar places and scenes. We spent a marvelous week in a cottage on the west coast of Scotland with our friend Elizabeth that summer. We are SO in her debt for that week! It had no TV, no computer, only books, games, a fireplace and acres of hillside near the sea. What more could one ask? And we even had great weather. So visit one of the sites and go to the west coast for wonderful views. If you'd like to stay in a lovely spot in Orkney, I've linked a friend's self-catering cottage. I would love to stay in that cozy spot!

So, when it's 90+ degrees here in Nebraska, I can just sit back and take a virtual holiday to all my former homes...over the Ord and back.

I found that tea site on Moot Thoughts and Musings. Really looks like a fun site!

And I found that Quill and Nail while googling our name, maybe I said that already. But it looks good. Today he has something about John Piper. I've only seen the page, not read the article yet.

Comments welcome! Enjoy your tour!