SimplyLife

An excerpt from Gardens of the Heart     God's Meadow   He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, brings honor to his name. Psalm 23:2-3 NLT The Shepherd King learned about the restorative properties of God’s creation early in life. As a boy, David spent many long hours watching over his father’s sheep in the rugged areas outside of Bethlehem. Those long days allowed him to spend time with God, learn to be still, and also creative in his music.   He honed his slingshot skills, which would prepare him to face Goliath. With cellphones attached to our ears, social media taking our every moment, we lose valuable time connecting with our Creator. We don’t know how to be still and enjoy His presence. We insist that we just don’t have the time to read the Bible, think about God, memorize Scripture, or pray. Isn’t it strange that we devote our schedules to lo...

Cochise County is home to quite a few ghost towns who saw their boom time back in the late 1800s when Tombstone silver was plentiful. The transportation hub in the area was a small town called Fairbank, which is northeast of Casa Wallace. The railroads criss-crossed from Benson to Fairbank, to Bisbee and Nogales.  The New Mexico & Arizona Railroad was the first to lay tracks in 1881. Two other railroads quickly followed suit.  The trains were critical to serving the smelters and mines, as well as hauling people and consumer goods. Fairbank was considered a family town as compared to rough towns of Millville, Contention City, and Charleston. The Grand Central Mill was constructed about 2 miles outside of town and was a silver processing stamp mill.  It was a 24/7 operation with huge pistons crushing ore. It was then processed with mercury in amalgamating pans to bind the silver. Employees, as you might guess did not enjoy a long lifespan working in such toxic condition...

From that first Thanksgiving feast the Wampanoag tribe shared with the Pilgrims back in the fall of 1621 to the present day, America has a history of taking time to express thanks to God for His generous blessings on this country and on us as individuals.  Random days of thanksgiving were celebrated until late in the 1700s when George Washington declared a national day of thanksgiving for November 26, 1789. The celebration was focused on the formation of a new nation and the establishment of the constitution.  It wasn't until Lincoln designated the last Thursday of November in 1863 as the official national day of Thanksgiving that it was celebrated annually.  But as you might suspect, the date wasn't always advantageous to retailers and the Christmas shopping season. They lobbied President Franklin D. Roosevelt to change the date in 1939 because Thanksgiving fell on November 30 that year. This left only 24 days before Christmas and the U.S....

With the Thanksgiving feast only days away, our attention turns to those traditional dishes that we make once or maybe twice a year. They're usually reserved for the holiday table.  The top of the list is green bean casserole, that vegetable concoction with its crunchy oniony topping. No Thanksgiving dinner would ever be complete without it. It was created by the Campbell Soup Company in 1955 and is an iconic part of the American holidays. Then there's pumpkin pie and the marshmallow sweet potato casserole. Are you hungry yet? My favorite part of the turkey is what's inside the big bird--the stuffing or is it dressing? This has been a topic of discussion with friends who hail from all parts of the U.S. Here's a little background from my research. Apparently the term "stuffing" was first mentioned in 1538 in English print.  By the 1880's, the word wasn't upper crust enough for the Victorian age. Somehow calling it dressing made what was shoved into th...

Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest. Ecclesiastes 11:4 NLT Are you someone who hesitates, waiting for perfect conditions to get a job done? Have you said, “Once the weather turns warmer, or colder, or when Christmas is over I’ll organize the closet, start that diet, begin a regular quiet time”? We’re all guilty at one time or another of putting off tasks. If it’s a regular habit, it’s a problem. Conditions will never be perfect to start or finish anything. It’s like the couple who waits until they have enough money to have a baby. What’s enough money? Most of our reasons for not doing something are pretty lame. We excuse ourselves when we know we should have a regular quiet time and we should lose weight to be healthier. Why is it so difficult?   Fear plays a big role in procrastination. We’re afraid of failure. Guess what! We all fail and have to start over many times in life. Solomon tells us t...

Dogs are proven to add to our quality of life. They entertain, lower blood pressure, and are great companions. Wet noses, wagging tails, and sloppy kisses are some of the endearing canine qualities. They're always glad to see you and they love to be in the middle of whatever activity is going on. Our daughter Emily's dog, Dude is no exception.  He's a rescue dog and is most likely a Feist, which is a blend of terriers and other small breeds. Peculiar to the South, the energetic Feist is an avid hunter. Dude is obsessed with stalking rabbits and birds. He's even terminated a hummingbird, which is gruesome, but you to have to give him grudging admiration for the feat. The Dude was visiting this weekend and livened up the household and our senior Lab, Clancy.  They have a good round of tug of war with toys and there's usually a short-lived spat about food or a rawhide bone. As any dog owner knows they can be cagey when it comes to food and we've had some interest...

Here's a devotional from the new Gardens of the Heart     The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise. Proverbs 11:30 NIV If you were going to choose a tree of life in nature, the olive tree is a good choice. Not only does it produce olives, but that wonderful healthy olive oil is pressed from the fruit, the leaves are used in medicinal teas, and there is research into the development of an efficient and renewable energy source from the waste produced by oil pressings. It was an olive leaf carried by the dove to Noah that brought hope to the weary residents of the ark. The olive branch is also the familiar symbol for peace we use today. Olive trees have long lives and there are some trees in the Garden of Gethsemane that are believed to date back to the time of Jesus.   The olive tree isn’t impressive in size or particularly beautiful, but it’s tough, productive, and has loads of character....

There are a lot of interesting sights in our skies you won't see in many places both day and night. The airspace all around the Huachucas is restricted because its one of the most pristine areas in the world to test sophisticated electronics.  A-10 Warthogs and F-16s practicing approaches and other maneuvers are everyday sights in Sierra Vista during the day. Libbey Airfield at Ft. Huachuca hosts these visitors from Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson.  Border Patrol helicopters are frequently over our house, sweeping the area for illegal travelers. David even had one spotlight him as he walked Clancy late one night.  The low hum of a high flying UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) can also be heard under starry skies. They patrol the border about 20 miles south of us-as the crow flies. Ft. Huachuca houses the largest UAV training facility in the world, a 25,000 sq. ft. space with 10 simulators.  These high-tech drones appropriately labeled the "Pre...