Have you seen this? All sizes, styles and sorts of woodpecker!
Interesting educational special about the value of woodpecker nests for so many kinds of other birds. At our other house we sometimes got to see yellow-bellied woodpeckers. We have had none at this location, so far. We often hear the Pileated here, but at the other house they would actually come to our suet feeders especially in winter. If you have not watched this series it is amusing and educational!
Recently a friend wanted to know how to make the receiving blankets she had seen me create. Her desire was to make some for a niece as there is nothing like this in the stores. Plus, she got to choose the fabric patterns! I decided why not post the steps?
When I was a child I watched my mother make flannel receiving blankets for newborns. She noted that she and my grandmother always pulled a thread in the flannel to make certain it was all straight on the warp.
The warp thread is the lengthwise thread of your fabric. The warp thread (or warp yarn) runs parallel to the selvage of the material; it forms the lengthwise grain. The structure is more robust in this direction, and it will stretch the least. This is the reason why professional sewers cut most items along the warp thread.
https://www.creativefabrica.com/the-artistry/needlework/how-to-make-fabric-thread-perfect/
When I began making receiving blanket I decided pulling that thread was too much effort and aggravation. I purchase the flannel. Bind edges of flannel with zigzag stitch and preshrink by washing and drying at cotton settings.
Here is an easier on the hands method, edges sewn with decorative machine stitch.
Place on cutting board. Most flannel is 44-45” wide. Use the yard stick and chalk to mark the lines for 1 square yard, marking off selvage edges and the zig-zag stitches as you go. Cut out 1 square yard of flannel. {You may save any extra for a “burp towel” or collect scraps to piece together for a two-sided blanket.} Wash and dry it. Press it flat. Cut edges in straight lines. Rarely if ever does a fabric store assistant cut a totally straight edge. {Actually these days I cut it with ruler, cutting pad and ‘pizza cutter” quilters use.}
I also just use the 45 inches wide and 36 inches long for a blanket.
Press under tiny hem with steam iron on all four edges. Roll hem over again so that raw edge is covered and press with steam iron. Trim excess fabric from the corner folds.
The easiest and fastest way to create the edge is to stitch on sewing machine with a decorative stitch. Turning at the corners.
My grandchildren all used these blankets. Some of them chewed on the corners if I crocheted them. What follows are the crochet instructions. (sc is abbreviation for single crochet, sl st is slip stitch)
As you approach the corner sc in the corner, ch 3 to the corner, *sc in same hole as previous sc, ch 3, repeat once from the * sc, then ch 5, sc to next corner. Repeat with 3 sc and 2 sets of ch 3 in each corner and sc, ch 5 around the sides.
End with sl st in top of first sc. Leave a 6 inch length and end off by tying the two thread in a single knot. Thread one length into a needle. Hide the ends in opposite directions in the hem.
Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.
Proverbs 17:6 NIC
Well it is saying something that I have outlived both of my parents. My Dad died really young of heart disease. I have outlived my mother by ten years!
This morning I awoke to my typical birthday weather, gloomy, drizzly but also unusually warm. The weather in my heart is good. I am looking for ways this year to please the Lord, my Lord Jesus, risen from the dead.
Instead of my typical morning devotions, I turned today to Thomas R. Kelley’s Testament of Devotion. This chapter is called Holy Obedience. He speaks of George Fox…”the insatiable God-hunger in him drove him from such mediocrity into a passionate quest for the real whole-wheat Bread of Life. The life that intends to be wholly obedient, wholly submissive, wholly listening, is astonishing in its completeness.” He goes on to say “Self is emptied into God, and God in-fills it. In glad, amazed humility we cast on Him our little lives in trusting obedience, in erect, serene, and smiling joy. Nothing else in all of heaven or earth counts so much as His will, His slightest wish, His faintest breathing. And holy obedience sets in, sensitive as a shadow, obedient as a shadow, selfless as a shadow. Not reluctantly but with ardor one longs to follow Him the second half (of the way of obedience).”
Ardor: great warmth of feeling; fervor. intense devotion; zeal. burning heat. Do we follow Him with ardor?
“Self is emptied into God and God fills it.”
“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
Revelation 3:14-28 NIV
So I come before You, my Lord, on this my birthday. Left to myself I am always poor, naked, blind, pitiful and wretched. I cannot do Your will without Your indwelling Spirit to empower me. This coming year of my life I want to reflect Your life-giving whole wheat Bread of Life. I want my life to delight You. I desire immediate obedience to Your slightest wish, faintest breathing. May my ardor for You be fanned into a flame. Amen.
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God
2 Timothy 1: 6a NIV
My family told the story that at my birth the umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck. I was a ‘blue baby.’ They waited to see if I would “pink up.” When I recovered my father was so delighted he wanted my middle name to be Cherry! My mother made him compromise with Cheryl. Now I just want to follow God in obedience, full of His breath, doing His will.
Kelly wrote “holy obedience sets in, sensitive as a shadow, obedient as a shadow, selfless as a shadow.” What a tremendous image! A shadow, as in formed by the Son of God shining upon us, and we giving an outline that is totally dependent upon His light… He moves, shadow moves.
Oh to “be wholly obedient, wholly submissive, wholly listening.” Sensitive to His every desire. Can I do it? Will I take up the challenge for the entire year or drop it after a month or two? I will take it up and pray to complete it with God’s help! Will you try it also?
The weight loss emphasizes How the years wore paths Upon her cheeks The wear and tear Of aging show in Sharp delineation from The chubbiness of her youth Yet her beauty and tenacity Hold on in her eyes A smile that brightened any Room or hallway California coastal breeze has its own unusual ambiance Is it a fine mix of salt air after it crosses the bay Multiple blooming trees and shrubs Mixed with major eucalyptus tones Practically indescribable So unlike Ohio The Air B & B was clean Mostly quiet Safe though subterranean Noisy only when the sump pump protested kitchen sink usage Yet that too provided a loud temporary Rhythm of life after breakfast
We sometimes listen to TED talks. We recently heard “Why Having Fun is The Secret to A Healthier Life,” (link is below). I found the transcript and included a few thoughts from Catherine Price for your consideration. It also touches upon our Small Group study delving into a better definition of joy.
That first photo shows Lucky having fun with Lizzie’s cat while she stayed at their house during our absence.
“The color of fun is sunshine, (said her daughter.) It involves “playfulness, connection and joy.” By playfulness I just mean having a lighthearted attitude of doing things for the sake of doing them and not caring too much about the outcome. Letting go of perfectionism. When we have fun, our guard is down, and we’re not taking ourselves too seriously.
“Connection refers to the feeling of having a special, shared experience. And then flow is the state where we are so engaged and focused on whatever we’re doing that we can even lose track of time.
“The most effective thing you can do to have more fun is to focus on its ingredients, by which I mean, do everything you can to fill your life with more moments of playfulness, connection and flow. So here are some ideas for how to do so. To start with, reduce distractions in order to increase flow. Anything that distracts you is going to kick you out of flow and prevent you from having fun
“And you say “Hello.” And if that goes well, you can introduce yourself. And if that goes well, maybe you can ask them a question, something that’s thought-provoking, but not overly personal or threatening, like “What’s something that fascinates you?” Or “What’s one thing that delighted you today?” And you might be amazed by how good just one little moment of connection can make you feel.
“And if you do find someone to connect with, maybe ask them to join you in trying my third suggestion, which is to increase playfulness by finding opportunities to rebel. Now I am not talking about James Dean-level of rebellion. I’m talking about playful deviance. I’m talking about finding ways to break the rules of responsible adulthood, and giving yourself permission to get a kick out of your own life.
“Make fun a priority. If you know there’s an activity that really does often generate playful connected flow for you, carve out time for it in your schedule. Treat fun as if it is important. Because it is. I’ve been doing this myself for a couple of years now, and it’s amazing to see how many areas of my life fun has touched. I’m more creative and more productive, I’m more resilient. I laugh more. Making sure that I’m having enough fun has made me a better partner, a better parent and a better friend. And it has convinced me of something that I very much hope I can convince you of as well, which is that my daughter was right. Fun is sunshine. It’s a distillation of life’s energy. And the more often we experience it, the more we will feel like we’re actually alive.
Bob recently had his first cataract surgery. The night before we were in bed saying good night. We both had been a little tense about this as neither of us had experienced it before. Trying to lighten things up a bit I said on the next day I would be asking him “Can you see me now?” Drawing upon his bad joke about Helen Keller I placed his hand on one of my body parts. I was laughing so hard I almost could not say the joke line. “Here, find out if you can see me from memory!” Old folks gotta make fun! “Here, try again, do you see me now?” We were gasping for breath as we laughed and laughed. Sometimes fun is just spontaneous. If it is not spontaneous for you today, follow Catherine’s advice and make some fun.
We gifted Levie a Teddy Bear when we met him for the first time. I made the Teddy a scarf. Levie fell in love with that Teddy. He had never named one of his stuffed animals before, but decided this one’s name was “Two.” (Levie is also two years old.) He was swinging Two around by the scarf. Occasionally kissing that Teddy. The next day he took Two Bear to Nursery School to teach him how to go down the slide. That is fun!!
Where can you find godly joy, pleasure and delight today? Can you create it in your midst?
You make known to me the path of life;
Psalm 16:11 NIV
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
What speaks loudest to me? Fleet week is here, where the Navy brings ships to the Embarcadero for citizens to tour. The Blue Angels are overhead practicing their moves. We are avoiding the traffic and crowds by not attending.
We had a family luncheon at Mark and Dawn’s home in Forestville, north of the Bay Area. We even got to visit with their son, Corey, who presently lives in Brooklyn, but was making a brief visit there. As usual the weather was warm and sunny. Sadly for the locals, no rain in sight. The drought is frightening. They served corn chowder with shrimp, warm sour dough bread both garlic and plain. Mark made a strawberry & raspberry crisp with a cornmeal topping and 2-layer chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. It was all delicious.
Peet’s coffee is still our favorite. I used to live across from the first store at Sixth and Walnut when I worked in Berkeley as a nanny. We were married outdoors just down the road from there at Live Oak Park. The first time I walked into one of their chain stores on this visit there was a sign about a new small batch blend called “Sixth and Walnut.” Later Bob bought some. First Peet’s coffee we have not liked! It is a mild roast and to us it almost brewed like weak tea. Next day we bought Major Dickinson! Then the next day we bought my favorite, which they do not market every place “Arabian Mocha Java.” Oh goodness. I love that blend!!
Hopefully before we go home we can find my favorite Bear Claw pastries, which I first ate here. Found some tiny green grapes at Trader Joe’s called Sark’s Little Thoms. So sweet! We are told they sell See’s candy in Cincinnati now, but it can’t possibly be as good to us as going to a store in this area. Besides, they give you a free piece of candy when you enter!!
Yes, we like to eat our way through vacations, especially when we have learned and loved local specialties. We also enjoyed the Golden Gate National Park. Bob, Karen and I had never visited. The sandy beach was not as fine as sand on the east coast. It was fun to watch the surfers in their wet suits. One older guy was doing his stretches on the beach in preparation for surfing.
When we got to the top of one bluff we could barely see the top of the north tower for the Golden Gate bridge. A day of heavy fog that never did lift around the Golden Gate bridge.
I was delighted by the fog horns. Bob thought they sounded Ike tubas. “Each foghorn has a different pitch and marine navigational charts give ships the frequency, or signature, of each foghorn,” says the Golden Gate Bridge highway and transportation website. The foghorns were on the entire span of our visit that day.
Growing up I knew little about warfare. In the neighborhood the girls were relegated to being nurses when the boys played battle games. I never got that. I could make sounds with my mouth like guns as well and sometimes better than the boys could!
I understood my Dad had been a Naval flagman in World War 2. I did not understand what he did during the war until years later when I ordered his service records from the Navy. He was disappointed that his poor health kept him out of the Korean War.
Then I came to religion and the life of faith described so often as warfare. The Charismatic movement sometimes went a little overboard seeing a demon behind every bush. At least they were aware that we are under attack. All the time. I believe complacency just gives the demons more ground in our lives. Too much attention to the devil weakens us by distracting us from the power of Jesus Christ our Lord and the strength of the indwelling Holy Spirit, His greatest gift to us.
Hand in hand with my Bible I go to the dictionary for help in understanding.
Skirmish: an episode of irregular or unpremeditated fighting, especially between small or outlying parts of armies or fleets.
Battle:
1. (Military) a fight between large armed forces; military or naval engagement; combat
2. conflict; contention; struggle
3. (Military) do battle give battle join battle to start fighting
I thought this was well worded truth about the faith life.
https://www.biblestudytools.com/blogs/mark-altrogge/faith-is-war.htmlFaith is war.
It’s a fight. A battle. Faith is hard. It’s a fight to trust God when you can’t see him. It’s a fight to believe God is in control when all around us screams life has derailed. It’s a battle to thank Jesus that his steadfast love never ceases and his mercies are new every morning in the midst of pain and sadness. It’s a fight to believe Scripture rather than our eyes and circumstances. It’s a fight to forgive and resist bitterness and believe Jesus can change others’ hearts. It’s straining and wrestling to rejoice always. It’s a struggle to believe that in the end, God will work all this out for our good. To believe that Jesus will have the final word. To believe our sufferings are producing an eternal weight of glory. Faith is a fight to believe that following Jesus is better than sin.
Throughout the Bible there are references to battle. Repeatedly. Most of us go on our way as if those references do not relate to us. 2022 is rife with warfare, especially against those who love Christ Jesus. I pray you will live with your eyes wide open to this phenomenon.
When the time rolls around for our small group to meet, Bob and I experience some of this warfare. He and I co-lead the study and suddenly there will be friction between us, conflict all around us, a multitude of things against us distracting us from Jesus.
Have you experienced this sort of oppression from the enemy of your soul? I have found the best weapon against oppression is to recognize what is happening, push back against the darkness, and return to praising the God of heaven and earth. Psalm 22 says God inhabits the praises of His people. Even if the King James version has the translation slightly wrong we can be assured that Lord is with us and through His resurrection power the Holy Spirit dwells within us. We do not need to relinquish ourselves to the enemy in the heat of battle. Read the book of Revelation and you will learn OUR GOD WINS. Colossians 2:14 declares that we have been freed from our sin and shame.
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Colossians 2:13-15 NIV
Battles and skirmishes come often to test what we truly believe. I believe the Truth of the Word that declares God wins! Do not be complacent.
In 1975 I thought someone should update the weapons of our warfare with modern day images. Have a person march into the church with riot gear on and other accoutrements of battle. Now in 2022 that person might get shot if the security force of the congregation was not made aware of what the teaching plan entailed. Imagine the weapons however best to encourage you to fight the good fight of faith and not grow complacent or defeated in your faith.
[First photo by r m dutina]
While traveling in the Smoky Mountains one year I bought what could be a flower vase. It was pinched in the middle giving it two ‘spouts.’ The longer I looked at it and handled it the more it became a vessel for my prayers. We were always near the running water of the spring rivers be it the Little Pigeon or “one of the 2,100 miles of rushing mountain streams and rivers that flow through the park.” I would show you a photo, but when we downsized I let the vase/pitcher go. 😦 sigh
Here was part of my inspiration
And so my morning prayer gradually became
Jesus, I pour out this water before the undivided Trinity: Let my living be this day an offering and thanksgiving. This day caress me. This day possess me. Open my ears and eyes to Your Love for us. Try making a ceremony around your prayer time. I have taught that many ways. When you get a drink of water, say a prayer, turning your attention to the Holy One. Are you a coffee addict? Dedicate each sip to the Trinity. Keep a glass near the water faucet and try a water prayer of your own. Or use mine. The idea is to turn your heart and mind to Him who loves you best.
Our soul is like a stream of water, which gives strength, direction, and harmony to every other area of our life. When that stream is as it should be, we are constantly refreshed and exuberant in all we do, because our soul itself is then profusely rooted in the vastness of God and his kingdom, including nature; and all else within us is enlivened and directed by that stream. Therefore we are in harmony with God, reality, and the rest of human nature and nature at large.
Dallas Willard in Renovation of the Heart
She is one of my favorite, new-to-me Christian artists. I recently ordered her CD Forever Amen. I admire so many songs on this CD I thought I ought to order it to support her work and have it on all my devices.
Acts 14:27 NIVOn arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.
Remember, reflect, think, review, grow. Why do we do this so seldom? As I was pondering this my pastor posted a video blog on the value of reviewing our lives. I used to do that during retreats at the Convent of the Transfiguration. Lately it seems we always schedule travel during those retreat weekends. (sigh)
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect
1 Peter 3:15
This is a great song about the Lord’s supper adding to the message, remember. He made the altar into a table.
Praying you will take time this week to review, ponder, elevate His works in your recent life. Can you go so far as to make a list for your own use in praise?
Nature’s first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay. - Robert Frost
Remember the first buds on the trees? I always think they predict the colors the leaves will take in autumn. Autumn is advancing here and the oak leaves out front are turning yellow then rapidly brown and falling to the ground. These deciduous trees should remind us of the impermanence of life. Things sprout, grow, endure, then change. Yet I am often surprised by the changes as if I were not 71 years old. I have seen this happen every single year I have been alive (except when I was in the California SF bay area for a year and a half. The seasons were strange. Daffodils blooming in January is just WRONG for a Midwestern woman.)
Why are we so surprised when we realize our very lives are impermanent? We expect childhood friendships to last forever. Rare occurrence in my experience. Our strength and flexibility wears down and sometimes even vanishes. Oh yes, they mean it when they say “Use it or lose it!”
We age. We change. Our opinions change. Nothing gold can stay. I have been saying they told us after 40 it was patch, patch, patch. I think after 70 we just start to crumble! Yet I am alive and intend to make the most of whatever time I have left.
Been working in that book Everyday is a Poem. This morning my life did not feel like a poem, but then I realized why not write it out? So I did. I surprised myself at what could be mined from a gray morning after a rough night. Will post that another day.
Nothing gold can stay. Rough nights may lead to gray mornings. Sun blasts them both away. These are things we are going THROUGH. We likely will not stay this way forever. If we do, God will give us grace and strength to endure.
Remember Ephesians 3:16-19?
that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
NKJV
Praying that you, BEING ROOTED AND GROUNDED IN LOVE – that you may know the love of Christ. In season and out of season. With leaves or no leaves. Be rooted. Grasp hold of His love, the love that is reaching for you in the midst of this transitory life. His unchanging, everlasting love.
