The photo above shows the outside of what remains of the church called Teampall Bhreacain, Na Seacht dTeampaill, County Galway, Ireland. I believe it is also known as Church of the Hollow. I think r m dutina took all of these photos, but honestly I cannot remember. We were wandering separately around the grounds. When he caught up to me I could barely speak!
The altar from afar
Through the window of the ages Past the thick walls of time Stands a symbol of death Nay! Bright resurrection Hope of all men
The rough stones placed In geometrically sound patterns Of worship, of honor, of praise Roofless now that heaven may freely break through to us of long ages later Arches , capstones, edges of time Torn by the worship of long ago Until our hearts are lifted up To worship the same lovely truth
You came for us You come to us still To have us for Your own Encircling with Spirit Invading with Holy Illumine our techno age With truth of heaven Power of Holy Spirit of Life.
Why would I want to return to Church of the Hollow at Inishmore? I could have sat there for hours, listening, praying, in worship and wonder. Next time I would return with a folding chair!
Writing will likely be sporadic this week. I have to stop taking the prescription for arthritic pain for 4 days. Then on Tuesday I am having a lumbar epidural to try to relieve pain in vertebrae 4, 5 and 6. Or is it 3, 4, and 5. All due to bulging discs.
Regardless what numbers the doctor knows and is skilled. Just think of the most sore place in your body and put a big needle there with steroid medication. Ouch is right. SO grateful I learned LaMaze breathing during 23 hours of labor these many years ago. It really helps with pain during an injection such as this.
Conscious (or patterned) breathing used to be the hallmark of Lamaze childbirth education. For many, it’s still an important way to stay relaxed and on top of their contractions. It’s true that conscious breathing can help you relax and feel less pain during contractions. There’s no “right” way to breathe in labor, despite what others may tell you. Slow, deep breathing helps to manage the pain of contractions. But the right way for you to breathe is whatever feels right to you. Issues like your number of breaths per minute, breathing through your nose or your mouth, or making sounds (like hee-hee) with your breaths are only important if they make a difference for you.
It may help you to have a visual focus to accompany your conscious breathing. You can recall an image with your eyes closed, focus on a picture or special object from home, keep your eyes on your support person or simply stare at a spot on the wall. You may also find that as labor progresses, faster, shallower breathing—like a dog gently panting—feels better. https://www.lamaze.org/lamaze-breathing
I was going to show you a photo of needle they will use but it just creeped me out too much. So if the posts are sporadic this week, just remember to pray for me please: that the injection will do its work, that the doctor and I will both be calm, that the rest after the injection will move me more quickly towards a more pain free life. Thank you.
So many things about this Psalm. Before my husband took me to Ireland in 2011 for my 60th birthday I obtained a 3 CD set of Hymns and Songs of the Celtic tradition. The following hymn has blessed me ever since I first heard it.
When we visited Teampall Bhreacain, County Galway, Ireland I had my first encounter with a “thin place.” Not only did the ancient altar mesmerize me, (Photo above by r m dutina) but the bird’s nest high in the wall took my breath away.
photo by r m dutina
“Even the sparrow finds a home where he can settle down, and the swallow,she can build a nest where she may lay her young” say the lyrics!
At the Convent of the Transfiguration in Glendale where I am an Associate they often quote from the Celtic Daily Prayer book organized and printed by the Northumbria Community. After hearing these quotes for several years I recently allowed myself to purchase the book, used. Yes! the first thing I randomly opened to was Page 69, Meditations: Day 28, Psalm 84. Not kidding. The exact lyrics sung by John Begley on the CD. Oh my how blessed I was and am.
While in the Smoky Mountains the song came back. Sitting at my window in morning prayer the song comes back. This is what I mean when I say I am “haunted” by a hymn.
How lovely is Thy dwelling-place O Lord of hosts, to me. My soul is longing and fainting the courts of the Lord to see. My heart and flesh, they are singing for joy to the living God. How lovely is Thy dwelling-place O Lord of hosts, to me.
Even the sparrow finds a home where he can settle down, and the swallow , she can build a nest where she can lay her young, within the courts of the Lord of hosts, my King, my Lord, and my God: and happy are those who are dwelling where the song of praise is sung.
And I'd rather be a door-keeper and only stay a day, than live the life of a sinner and have to stay away. For the Lord is shining as the sun, and the Lord, He's like a shield; and no good thing does He withhold from those who walk His way.
How lovely is Thy dwelling-place O Lord of hosts, to me. My soul is longing and fainting the courts of the Lord to see. My heart and flesh, they are singing for joy to the living God. How lovely is Thy dwelling-place O Lord of hosts, to me.
I believe the following thoughts are worth considering and using for your spiritual discipline and growth in the thing of God. What draws you to the Presence of the Lord repeatedly? Is there a means the Holy Spirit uses to draw you close? Have you considered using that very thing to calm your soul and center your thoughts upon the Holy One?
Have your heard a Thrush? Wood or Hermit I am never quite certain, but always enchanted!
We heard it as we entered the the Porters Creek Trailhead in Greenbrier.
This bird always gives me cause to stop and praise the Lord. He did not have to create birds with such majestic songs, yet He lets us hear them and enjoy His handiwork. When we lived on Siesta Drive I would hear one each summer. I even saw it in our front yard once. Since we moved to Platform Street I have not heard one, until the other morning!
I am blessed to listen To her anthem of worship Not often do I hear her A special treat indeed
Perhaps she will find A place nearby to nest Regardless, she blesses me here now
Straining later to hear her song Was that the now rare Bob White quail? As a child I would hear it on summer mornings Having lost its habitat it is now most rare here
I strain for Your voice Lord Above all the other songs Yours is the one I want to hear over me.
The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17
Treasures in plain sight, and if you cannot spot them, they might be treasures within your hearing!
Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Matthew 6:26 NRSVA
At our senior citizen crochet and knit group we often get our terms mixed up and sometimes call a crochet pattern a recipe. We each chuckle and understand the faux pas.
Did I tell you about my humorous interchange with a ranger at the Great Smoky Mountain National Park visitors center? He had been speaking with Bob for while when I walked up. He asked where we were from and we told the Cincinnati area. He asked if we brought any chili with us. I said, no but you can get it in the freezer section now. He said he tried it canned and did not like it. I told him, “Well I have a recipe do you want me to send it to you?” He seemed eager. Then we spoke about other things regarding the Park. They now charge $5.50 per day for a parking permit. We thought that was more than reasonable since there is no park admission. We asked how many people are willing to pay the fee and how many skip it.
He said, “Funny thing about that! If you buy the permit all the proceeds go to the Park. If you wait and get cited, the rangers have to write the citation and all the proceeds go to the (I think he said) Department of the Interior and the park does not see a dime.” Now wait a minute! The rangers do the work and the park gets nothing?!?
As we ended our visit with him and he shared with me his email address he asked if I would send him the chili formula! I almost busted out laughing. I have done the pattern and recipe faux pas but have never heard a recipe called a formula!
So if you are interested in Cincinnati Style Chili, what follows is the FORMULA my mother used! She and my dad ran a chili parlor in Norwood for several years. A three way has chili, spaghetti and cheese. A four-way has beans, too. A five way has all of those plus raw onion.
Cincinnati Chili *For vegetarian, use (2 lbs. ground beef or venison) 1-1/2 c TVP and more water 2 onions, chopped 1/4 t ground cloves 4 c water 1/2 oz unsweet chocolate 2-8oz. cans tomato sauce 2 T vinegar (or 4-6 frozen, peeled tomatoes) 1 bay leaf 1/2 t allspice 2 t worcestershire sauce 1/4 t garlic powder 2 t cinnamon 2-4 T chili powder 1-1/2 t salt 1 t cumin 1/2 t red pepper Combine uncooked meat, onions & water: simmer 30 min. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer uncovered 2-3 hrs until thick (stir frequently first hour). You may add a can of rinsed red or kidney beans. For best flavor, chill overnight. Serve with spaghetti & cheese, chopped raw onions if desired!
On our hunt 2013 for pink Lady’s Slippers Elusive wild orchids of the Smoky Mountain woods I was surprised to see this woman With a walker that rolled It also had a seat for when she needed to rest
At first sight, I thought “poor thing’ At second glance I realized It likely was harder for her to get here Than me, walking under my own pained power But she was here to see The same sights as me. We both smiled with satisfaction At this glorious creation.
As we parted she asked the Lord’s blessing upon me. She also posed the question “Well, what else are we going to do?” Yes, we cope as best we can Whatever condition life throws at us
Now in 2024, viewing the Lady’s Slippers at the exact same location I pray she too was able to come see them this year
I will not forget her lesson of joy Determination, fortitude, courage Doing what your soul needs done Regardless of what your physique May declare
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
2 Corinthians 4:16-17 NIV
The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.
One of our favorite adventures is wild flower hunting in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. We use to try to go every other year. We have gotten away from that practice. We decided to return this spring and test ourselves to see if we are still able to hike the trails where we have found our favorite flowers, especially Lady’s Slippers.
Lady’s Slippers are wild orchids and are quite rare. We learned not to tell others where we find the flowers. They need a specialized environment to grow. Some folks try to pick them. They do not thrive. Some folks try to dig them up and take them home. You cannot duplicate their environment. They even require a certain kind of fungus to grow.
In order to survive and reproduce, pink lady’s slipper interacts with a fungus in the soil from the Rhizoctonia genus. Generally, orchid seeds do not have food supplies inside them like most other kinds of seeds. Pink lady’s slipper seeds require threads of the fungus to break open the seed and attach them to it. The fungus will pass on food and nutrients to the pink lady’s slipper seed. When the lady’s slipper plant is older and producing most of its own nutrients, the fungus will extract nutrients from the orchid roots. This mutually beneficial relationship between the orchid and the fungus is known as “symbiosis” and is typical of almost all orchid species.
We hiked our first test, The Townsend trail called Middle Prong of Little River. We did not find the Jack-in-the-pulpit. One of my favorites. With global warming it is difficult to know when we should travel there. The “Jacks” along this trail had already bloomed and wilted. The waterfalls, however, were running gloriously. The rushing water always reminds me of the ‘streams of living water’ promised in the New Testament.
37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as[a] the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:37-39
Along the trail we did see Showy Orchis. It too is part of the orchid family. The ones below are fairly bleached out indicating they are older blooms.
If you notice the fly on the leaf you can estimate the size of the flowers!
Here we are, not pros at selfies, but delighted to have made it up our first trail!
Waterfall between us!
We checked into our motel and rested towards our BIG hike. It was amazing how things looked so different. A couple of years of absence, a few wind storms and bunches of fallen trees – we at times had difficulty recognizing the next trail.
Unheard of for me to hike 5.11 miles. My shoulder definitely felt it that evening.
My phone told me about my activity level. It was very high activity level for me. There was some difficulty from pain on the way back to the car. Phone did not record flights climbed, but the altitude did change throughout the morning.
One phenomenon I never tire of is the swallowtails and other butterflies sipping minerals from horse apples.
photo by Molly Lin
photo by r m dutina – notice all the wing movement he caught!
photo by r m dutina THIS is why we hiked so hard!
and these hidden on the hillside, but not from us! photo by r m dutina
Yep, old folks hiking and spotting and then, not exactly scampering, but getting up the hillside for a better shot! The horses are not allowed on this part of the trail, but old people are!
photo by r m dutinaphoto by r m dutina – While up there he saw her, too!
We hope and pray this was not our last time on this trail, but if we cannot make it the next time we visit, at least for this one day we were totally satisfied! the hike back to the car is all down hill and takes a toll on your knees, not to mention your back. We made it! Only had to rest a few times and rest is okay. One friend gave me a sticker that says “It doesn’t matter how slow you go, as long as you don’t stop!“I just imagine if these are the lady’s slippers we know about, how many more are hidden on this part of the earth! The Lord certainly delights us with beauty.
But ask the animals, and they will instruct you; ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you. 8 Or speak to the earth, and it will instruct you; let the fish of the sea inform you. 9 Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? 10 The life of every living thing is in his hand, as well as the breath of all humanity. Job 12:7-10 CSB
Life meanders like a path through the woods. We have seasons when we flourish and seasons when the leaves fall from us, revealing our bare bones. Given time, they grow again.
KATHERINE MAY
During my formative years my parents always kept a dog. Four years ago Bob and I adopted a small beagle from a rescue shelter. She was very, very timid. The shelter had brought her from the wilds of Kentucky. They believed she had run away from a breeder. When they spayed her somehow the vet knew she had delivered two sets of puppies. They also had to pull many of her teeth. It is believed she had chewed her way out of a metal cage that the locals there called a coop. She broke off many of her teeth doing that.
We brought her home and did our best to get her settled. We gave her toys and she had no clue what to do with them. We would roll a ball and she would watch it as if to say, “So?” Eventually she relaxed in our company.
She thoroughly enjoyed her first pup cup of Starbucks whipped cream!
She learned how to help Bob drive.
About 4 months after we adopted her she was attacked by a pit bull in the neighborhood. We rushed her to the vet for an emergency Sunday visit. It was my birthday. She had head trauma, puncture wounds and soft tissue injuries. It was terribly frightening. She recovered and so did we. Bob followed through on getting that dog out of the neighborhood.
after her vet treatment
When we moved from Siesta drive to Platform street, she really came into her own. She began to think that yes, everyone could be a friend. She was convinced that certainly those visiting our house came to see just her.
Time rolled by. We loved her dearly and she in turn began to show a little affection for us. She has only barked a few times over the years, usually going many many months in between episodes. Even as a beagle she never bays or howls.
Best place to be if a thunderstorm occurs!
She is like my silent companion until we put her on a leash. Then she becomes the nose on legs. She has grown front shoulders like a football player and can hold her place while she reads her “pee-mail.”
About a year ago she began to show some pain in one back leg. Then it subsided and we thought no more about it. We did get her canine glucosamine chondroitin tablets. We bought a new couch and put a fabric cover on it. Her favorite place has always been lying on the couch and we allow that. She asks for so little.
I’ve taken to calling her “Beagley-beag.” She is also known as Luck-Luck and a variety of other terms of endearment. I talk to her throughout the day. If we have been gone from the house a few hours she greets us with little whines as if to ask, “Where have you been?” If we had reason to kennel her while we were away she comes out of her crate giving us a piece of her mind. It sounds like, “How dare you? Don’t you know I will be good?” She knows how to bawl us out without a single bark.
When I had shoulder surgery in January she would sometimes want to get up on the couch and had difficulty doing it. She would even cry for me to pick her up but I was unable to lift her while wearing the sling for 6 weeks. I made her a pillow bed on the floor. Occasionally she would screw up her courage and jump up on the couch. That became more and more rare.
She needed a bordetella injection and I was concerned about her refusal to jump up, so I took her to a new vet in March as the other vet had stopped offering boarding and gone corporate. The new vet put her on two medications for her leg pain and asked that she come in for more blood work before they would refill the one Rx. They wanted x-rays of her legs. We refused the x-rays as we do not plan to submit her to surgery.
When we went to the Smoky Mountains in April we boarded her with our granddaughter who likely takes more indulgent care of her than we do! We were shocked when we returned after 4 days. She had declined drastically. She could barely walk. When she did walk she held her tail with a strange bend in it as if trying to improve her balance. Whereas in the past this dog always had to be on a leash or she would take off, now we could drop the leash in the yard and she would not move. A couple times I took her out to “do her business” and she would just lie down. Bob used to walk her about a mile every morning. Now she can barely make it three doors down the street and back.
I began to grieve sensing that her time on earth without suffering had passed. I know, I have messed up this blog with past tense and present tenses all intermingled. Suffice it to say it is just simply difficult to write this out.
We decided to return to the vet that we had left. They have treated her the entire time she has been in our care. They agreed that she is definitely suffering. They offered a monthly injection for osteoarthritis (which the other vet had offered, too). We decided to try it for one or two months to see it is improves her particular condition. The vet says the problem seems to be in her back “knees.” We are weaning her off one medication. Once that is out of her system they might try a steroid medication if she still has not improved from the injection.
The quote at the top of this blog set me off on this telling. Here are a few of the bare bones of my grieving. I never mean to get attached to our pets, yet I do and I love them freely. I have a better understanding now of why farmers say they do not want animals in the house. Once you name them, and house them, and live day-to-day with them it is that much harder to let them go when the time comes.
One neighbor said she wished her 12 year old Corgi could just out live her. Too hard to let go. Another said it is not fair that they die while in our care. I do not want to embrace the alternative of not having a pet. Bob has stressed repeatedly how difficult it is at our ages (read 70’s) to walk and care for a pet. This particular beagle refused to just go outside and “do her business.” She insists on being walked. So there is the conundrum of what to do when she passes. Bob said I can have another dog I really want one. I know if we get another it would need to be half of Lucky’s weight. At 27 pounds she is just too heavy for me to carry.
April 2024 sunbathing on the back deck and favoring that one leg though both now pain her
Recently the Lord reminded me that Lucky is on loan to us. I will try my best to trust the Holy One with her future. I am praying for grace and strength to release her peacefully when it is time. Watching her suffer is so very difficult.
A righteous man has kind regard for the life of his animal, But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.
Recently I met with my best friend from childhood for a 2 hour lunch. We talked about everything under the sun including what is most important to us in our lives right now. I spoke about writing this blog. I spoke about editing my poetry. She spoke about how much I need to get involved in a program in Cincinnati called Women Writing for a Change. (Evidently they offer the program in other areas of the country, too.) I’ve known about this program for years. I have a major objection and a minor one.
The minor one is that there is a charge. The major one is much larger. Let’s discuss moving out of your comfort zone. In my family of origin the #1 method of control was criticism. Constant, unrelenting criticism over anything and everything I ever did. And nothing was ever forgiven or forgotten. When there was any opportunity for criticism the past was dredged up and gone over, rehearsed, rehashed again as if it had just happened this week. One of the tenets of writing groups is, as I understand it, sharing your work for input from others. OUCH! I do not believe I could ever risk taking what is so valuable to me and asking others for their input. That’s likely why I like the blog.
One day while driving to another part of town I was listened to a radio program called One-A on public radio. They were discussing a book I had never heard of. One Thousand Words: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round by Jami Attenberg. I did not want to listen, but I was drawn in. Jut like the “Lookie-loos” at a highway accident I had to know what this book was about. It stressed content for those who are writing a book, but I am just interested in being a better writer, I argued. They repeated more than once the importance of sharing your work with other writers who can help you improve your work. I cringed at the very thought. The book is new, so it was not at the library yet or available used at my favorite place, Abe Books. I ordered it that evening from Amazon.
While I waited for it to come I took the challenge of writing 1,000 words. I mean, how hard could it be? I chose a story from 1954 during my childhood. My first mistake was thinking they meant write 10,000 words. Have I ever mentioned that numbers are not my strong suit?
After I got finished writing my dislike for all of this, I began rolling along. Frustrated at the word count I put it away for a day. Next day I realized my mistake in the number of words required. I edited out my complaining and got to work at trying to finish the vignette. I was able to accomplish the piece.
On Tuesday my same friend sent me information about a free introductory class on Core Groups for Women Writing for a Change. (Core groups are the small groups organized for the writers.) Okay, I did it. Signed up for a free Thursday morning class in May. Oi-yoi-yoi. What have I done?
One of my favorite words is oy. Yes, it’s an exclamation of disappointment, dismay or exasperation, but it’s also many other things.
We use oy when things aren’t going so well. It seems older Jews use it much more than younger Jews, perhaps because they always have a pain somewhere.
Oy-yoi-yoi-yoi-yoi-yoi-yoi (or any multi-syllabic utterance of the term) suggests a more lasting discomfort. Oy vey suggests that things are “hitting the fan”; it says this is not your average oy.
The book has arrived. It includes “wisdom and inspiration from more than fifty beloved writers.” Sure hope they can help me move forward with this experiment. Wonder if they are up for the task of overcoming many years of criticism. Maybe, just maybe I will hit my stride and surprise myself?
Psalm 27 was one of my favorites as a teenager and into my early adult years. It applies now, too.
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me up.
I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yea, wait for the Lord!
My friend, Debbie, told me about a free app called “Merlin.” https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/ Cornell labs developed it and I just love it! Pictured below is how the screen looks for Merlin.
Years ago Bob and I went on a birding adventure with the Cincinnati Nature Center in the Lake Erie area. We were surrounded on a boardwalk by people from many areas. The birds were mostly high in the treetops. Even with binoculars I was unable to see most of them. The birdsong was glorious! I was very humbled when the Amish children walking with us were able to identify the birds by their song. Yes I live in an industrialized society. Sadly most of us lost touch with that sort of skill. I was taught to identify some spring wildflowers but never to identify bird song. Bob and I were not shamed as much as amazed at the abilities of those children!
Shout for joy to God, all the earth! 2 Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious. 3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you. 4 All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing the praises of your name.”
Psalm 66:1-4 NIV
I have my morning prayer and meditation in my bedroom next to a south facing window. One recent morning the serenade was amazing. There were so many birds that I asked the Merlin App to identify who was singing. Twelve different birds! What a wonder and a blessing. Here is the list the app created:
Carolina Wren
Northern Cardinal
House Finch
Tufted Titmouse
American Robin
Song Sparrow
Blue Jay
Brown-headed Cowbird
Canada Goose
Carolina Chickadee
White-throated Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Along with the bird names that were linked with the songs there were photos. I could click on any one of them and get more details.
I know there are many folks who do not like modern technology. I am not saying that all of it is unequivocally good. But to me, this one app is absolutely amazing! Sparrows abound in our neck of the state. So did I see the one pictured above or this one?
So many sparrows, so little time. Will I ever learn to identify all of them by sight? If not, I have Merlin to aid me.
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Luke 12:6-7 NIV
The April 15 New Yorker just arrived. Here is the cover artwork!
Treasures in Plain Sight, A Christian Blog 