Monday, January 24, 2011

40 YEARS IN THE MAKING!



Welcome!  Welcome!  Thanks for stopping by the Front Porch.  Busy the last few days...really last few week I guess.  School, church, family...sounds like life!  Anyway decided to take some time the next few weeks, maybe even months and look back 40 something years....walk down memory lane....stopping to smell the roses....a blog jog journal of the my life.

This is going to me sharing some pictures, memories and highlights.  So sit a spell for now and get comfortable.  We'll visit for a while and when you need to go just move on.  We'll say so long until next time.

Well, where do I begin???  Think for today I'll begin with this past summer.  Yep, this past summer.  You see the Preacher and I got to take one of those rare trips with just me and him, him and me ...just the two of us.  We decided to take a camping trip.  Now for some crazy reason we in our old days still love camping!  I love the great outdoors....I think the Preacher loves building and sitting around the camp fire...100 degrees-sweat pouring down your face....he still loves those campfires...

Anyway, featured today is the Big Blue Dodge Dakota....a good ole truck that just keeps running along.  We packed it front, back seat and the bed of the truck packed to overflowing too....just the two of us but I think I packed everything BUT this front porch.

We take off...it had been a busy summer...I worked summer school...it was close to time to start school again-but we set our date and time. set and this trip was awhopping 10 days!!  10 days away from the Barnyard....a treat indeed...thanks to young son Tim and his little two guys who were going to keep a watchful eye and the Barnyard crew


..truck packed and off we go to one of our favorite places...Smoky Mountains...we are not real crazy about Pigeon Forge and all the commerical too much to do...too much money activities.  But we do love those mountains-beautiful...refreshing for the body, soul and spirit.  So off we go into the wild blue yonder.  We had a tent, sleeping bags, and all the gear needed.. EXCEPT Arkansas, Tennessee and several other states were in the grip of a HEAT WAVE!.. Anyway, first night we stop and camp in Arkansas...at a state park...it was pretty nice a little too crowded for our liking and HOT HOT HOT....long night indeed....back on the road and what was the highlight of this little stop was a CRACKER BARREL right there ...had to pass right by it to get back on the highway.  Well, you can guess we just had to pull in there.  One of the best if not the best breakfast meals we ever had-anywhere..anytime..good stuff indeed!









Finally, we make it to Tennessee....second night we found another state park with some of the most unusual camp sites I ever saw.  Huge pillars holding up huge beams on which you pulled your truck, RV or whatever on and set up there high in the air overlooking a beautiful lake.  We make camp, fixed some supper and yep Preacher built us a nice fire.... It was a little cooler-still hot-but oh so pretty and the night sounds so relaxing.  Take a look at those pillars....a real wonder to build...the bonus was that no one was close by at all...as a matter of fact we drove all around and counting us there were only 3 campers in the whole park....nice...quiet and relaxing......say you gotta go...understand...stop by again and I'll be ready to share more adventures and pictures of '40 years in the making'!  Until we visit again..........be blessed from the front porch.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW AND IT DID!!


And snow it did...an unusual site here in the barnyard!



A WINTER WONDERLAND




Tim's car.....snowbound!


The path to the barnyard...snow covered-but beautiful!


Yes, it did snow today....big flakes, wet the kind that sticks to the trees and roads and everything.  It would have been great snowman weather...no grandkids around to do that and frankly I'm getting too old and its just too cold for me and the Preacher to frolic in the snow.

Instead, we went to church-had a good service...slip and slid all the way home...to a Sunday dinner of ribs, mac and cheese, veggies, bread and a brownie dessert.  Cozy fire and hot coffee made the afternoon perfect!

He took a nap, and me I did the usual ...farm chores, house chores and catching up on this and that.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by the snowy....cold front porch.  By the way...at the end of the week temps will be back in the 60's.......go figure!  IT'S TEXAS! 


Saturday, January 8, 2011

"I HAVE CREATED FIRE!"




Welcome to the front porch! Well, the Preacher did it! He built a big roaring fire! It is nice and warm, and oh so cozy. Now the bad weather has not moved in .....yet. It is suppose to start late tonight and early tomorrow and continue throughout the day. This is NOT want any preacher wants to hear on a Saturday!!! It is hard enough to get church folk to be faithful in attendance-even on a good day. But especially around here-
s n o w sends chills and thrills and general over all p a n i c to people in the Dallas area. So we will see. For the meantime, to quote Tom Hanks in his big scene....."I have created fire!'...I guess it is a 'man thing??" Anyway, thanks for stopping by...brrrr...bundle up, stay warm and stop by again real soon!

Friday, January 7, 2011

THE FRONT PORCH IS READY!!




Well, the front porch is ready indeed! The preacher said, "There's a cold front coming and I need a little firewood'. Firewood, firewood and more firewood! The woodbox is overflowing and there is more wood stacked on the front porch. Our sons, Tim and Joe, would be pleased! They love building fires and at Christmas kept all of us warm and cozy (sometimes a little too warm!). An unusual cold spell is due this weekend...maybe a little snow! Did I say SNOW? Yes, sure did!! But with soup simmering on the stove, warm bread baking in the oven, a fresh hot cup of coffee, sitting next to the warm fire, and chatting with the Preacher....what could be better??.....God is indeed good! Until we chat again on the front porch, stay warm in body, soul and spirit!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

1/1/11 The New Year Begins


Greetings from the front porch here in Texas. Kinda cold here tonight. BUT Happy New Year. A New Year, new season and new beginning. A time of lookng back-some regrets, missed opportunities, shortcomings-overall a time to let go...'it is what it is'-has become my new motto. Things happen both good and bad with so much of it being out of our control. Let it go-'forgetting those things behind and pressing forward to the mark...the prize set before us'.


What lies ahead in 2011??..Joe just preached via ustream about the unsteadiness of 2010. His message was to take a cue from Joseph and as we encounter and endure our season in transistion-a prison of sorts-to look at the people God places in our path. Joseph's first encounter was with the butler, one who prepares, then the baker-one who takes all the ingredients and makes 'it' all come together and then finally pharoah-the one who promotes and lavishes blessings and favor on us.


Interesting....can we get a little closer to 'heaven in 2011?'...by that I mean seek Him a little longer and stronger...trust Him a lot more for what He has in store....serve Him in what ever position or situation we may find ourselves in.

What joy to know no matter what 2011 brings We can abide in Him and He abides with us.

Until next time we meet on the front porch...May the joy of the Lord be yours.