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...

The row of violet leaves sitting in small, clear vases on my mother’s kitchen windowsill were always fascinating to me. The fuzzy, velvety leaves sprouted thin white roots and then when the roots looked strong enough, I’d help my mother put them in clay pots. Within weeks, a new leaf would pop up, and a few months later, a small violet plant would be vigorously growing and blooming. When my grandmother gave me my first special leaf to start in a vase of water, I was delighted to have my very own violet. It was one I’d admired for its showy double pink blooms. I carefully nurtured the little violet for many months and was proud when it was finally heavy with buds.               The sharing of gardens both inside and out has been long family tradition. When I was growing up, no visit to an aunt, grandmother, or cousin was ever complete without a walk through a flower bed or admiring plant laden windowsills. Each one h...

On Wednesdays I'll be posting some mid-week encouragement and from time to time I'll review a book.  Today I'll be reviewing a Bible study entitled Organizing from the Heart .  Stephanie Baker, Beth Beutler, and Katrina Whisnant are the co-authors of this 12-week study designed for small groups or for personal study. If you're looking for help to find the steps from unorganized and stressed to organized and peaceful, read on. Review for Organizing from the Heart Life can be cluttered, unorganized, and overwhelming. Meals are haphazard. Laundry is never put away or maybe it hasn’t even been washed yet. Our home becomes a dumping area for stuff on the way to another activity. If you desire change that transforms your home into a peaceful and orderly refuge from a hectic world, Organizing from the Heart can help you begin a biblically based journey to accomplish just that. The authors lead you step by step to change not only disorder to order, but guide you to devel...

On Tuesday afternoons you can usually find me at the local Care Net Pregnancy Center. I've been volunteering there for about 2 1/2 years as a peer counselor which means I work with young women and teenagers who are part of the Earn While You Learn program and those who are seeking a free pregnancy test. The schedule is different every week and you never know who will walk through the door needing assistance of some type.  These young women come from every demographic, churched and unchurched, high school student, college student, poor, uneducated, married and unmarried. Sixty-two percent of clients in Sierra Vista are single. Just between January and July of this year the center has provided services to 1,099 women. Last year abstinence education was given to 1500 students.  Care Net which is a national nonprofit organization provides free services to all. They include pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, pregnancy education, parenting classes, abstinence information,...

Patagonia, AZ  is a hamlet of a little over 800 people situated in the valley grasslands near the Patagonia Mountains. It was officially founded by a Pennsylvanian Rollin Richardson in 1896. He'd made his fortune in oil Back East and bought the San Rafael de la Zanja land grant in 1880. Three years later Rollin went into business with some friends as the San Rafael Cattle Company. They were a big deal back in the day. Rollin originally named the town after himself, but residents weren't impressed with that bit of ego. In 1899 they petitioned the Postmaster General for a post office, and decided it was the opportune time to change the town's name to Patagonia, after the beautiful mountains that dominate the valley. The name stuck. Like most places in this part of Arizona, Patagonia's heyday was a ways back. The railroad, mining, and cattle businesses have disappeared over time.  It's now a quaint village with an expansive town square in the middle of it, flanke...

Fall is my favorite season of the year. The intense blue summer sky lightens, the days get shorter, the air a little crisp. There's football, trees changing into technicolor coats, and the menu changes too.  Instead of lighter summer fare, our thoughts and appetites turn to comfort food. Stews, chicken and dumplings, soups, mac and cheese. Of course cider and doughnuts mean fall too. The change in weather seems to bring on cravings for heartier and higher carb food. We're great fans of Guy Fieri and his program Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives so we've enjoyed touring America in the red Camero to discover over the top comfort food in every region.Someday, we have to do a road trip that includes a lot of Triple D places in the South.  But my Yankee roots always show up in my choices when autumn rolls around. Chicken and biscuits probably tops the list with tomato soup and grilled cheese right behind. Pretty basic, but oh so good. So as we pull ...

Living pretty much in the middle of nowhere limits your dining choices, but happily we're not too far from Bisbee. My husband surprised me with a romantic birthday dinner at the Cafe Roka last night. He managed to get a window table at on the third floor and we had the space to ourselves. Our attentive attentive server whose name was Bronwen (for a character in How Green Was My Valley) only added to our wonderful evening. When dining in Bisbee you get the chance to get to know your server. The restaurant has an eclectic menu, featuring local produce and meats. Everything is fresh and homemade. The exquisite appetizer of Medjool dates stuffed with bacon and Gorgonzola got the evening started right and we finished with a dessert sampler of Key Lime tart, Nutella cheesecake, and flourless chocolate cake with fresh strawberries. While we leisurely ate our entrees, we had a bird's eye view of the light foot traffic ...

A couple of weeks ago, I took the picture below. I thought it pretty much sums up our life journey. We never know what's around the corner for us.  Circumstances change in seconds some days. Whether the circumstances of life are good or bad, we're fond of blaming them for how we behave and think. Here are a few of the well-used excuses: "I'm a victim of circumstances.""The situation is impossible." "The circumstances are beyond my control." "Under the circumstances"...fill in the blank. Funny how principles, self-control, and  positive thinking can go out the window when we're "under the circumstances."  And lest you think the author is above blaming circumstances, she is not. I've used most of the excuses above, whether spoken or unspoken.  An imprisoned and wrongly accused Jewish Christian  talked a lot about circumstances in a letter to some men and women in the ancient city of Philippi roughl...

As I've written before, Cochise County doesn't have a long history of law and order. From the early days of the Apache wars to wild times in Tombstone, there's a healthy supply of interesting tales.  Cattle rustling was one enterprise that the Indians, Mexicans and Americans seemed to enjoy.  The terrain is well-suited because of the multitude of canyons, arroyos, and undefined borders which benefited rustlers.  Curly Bill's gang (of the OK Corral shoot out fame) headed an active bunch of rustlers whose most famous exploit was killing a group of Mexican smugglers in Skeleton Canyon. After that awful deed, they proceeded to steal 300 head of cattle in Mexico and jubilantly returned to the Tombstone area with their catch. The Mexican vacqueros pursued the bovine bandits back into the U.S. and recovered the cattle and managed to rustle 200 more head on the way back across the Mexican border.  This only escalated the whole affair with Curly Bill who wasn't going t...

We went to dinner with friends over the weekend and started discussing some favorite movies.  We decided one has to step back in time for really good films. An actual plot and good acting are lacking in many films today.  Those two elements beat glitzy special effects any day.  I'm an Alfred Hitchcock fan myself and never tire of watching his collection of suspenseful and downright scary movies. And don't we all love a good scare? My all time favorite is Rear Window starring Jimmy Stewart, the stunning Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter, and Raymond Burr.  The movie was made in 1954  and is based on a short story by Cornell Woolrich, entitled It Must be Murder .  It was nominated for four Academy Awards and is considered one of Hitchcock's best. The Rotten Tomatoes website says "Hitchcock exerted full potential of suspense in this masterpiece." I consider it his best.  The cinematography alone is worth watching the movie.  He ...

This blog is interrupted for a special announcement. 3-Mice Productions proudly presents its second novel this year-- Darklings by C.D. Davis.  This is C.D. Davis' debut novel with plenty more to come.  You'll be drawn into the little seen world behind the walls of opera houses and grand palazzos where mice and other creatures of the night scamper into danger and thwart all manner of evil plots. With original illustrations for each chapter by C.D., you'll be charmed by this tale of intrigue, danger, and a touch of romance for ages 10 and up. Book Description: Gabriella Caprella, a young mouse with a singing voice like an angel, travels from her home in 1912 New York City to beautiful Venice to claim her inheritance as the new Contessa d’Asiago. With the help of her friend, the bat Mercurio, she fends off murderous relatives, would-be vampire bats, and persistent suitors, while learning to be a contessa worthy of the House d’Asiago and...

It was a beautiful afternoon here today, so I snuck away for a short hike while my husband was mowing.  Ramsey Canyon is beautiful anytime of year, but especially in the summertime.  The gigantic sycamore trees, the sound of running water, and usually hummingbirds, but today the hummers were absent. Instead, I was greeted by clouds of butterflies along the trail.  They didn't seem to be bothered by my presence and continued their wing exercises.  There were several varieties sunning themselves in the dappled sunlight and then fluttering around as if getting the flying thing down just right.  When I was a kid, I used to chase them with a net through the fields and the unlucky ones ended up pinned to a piece of cardboard.  I prefer a camera these days and I was glad I brought it along. So instead of a lot of text this week let me show you some of those delicate and elegant little creatures. As you know, butterflies start out as caterpillars, eati...