Look What Sarah Did!

We're blessed to have Sarah back in our lives. When I was growing up, Sarah was my younger neighbor. I used to babysit for her little sister, Amy (but not for Sarah because she was "too old"). I just "hung out" with her.  She would ride her bike to the house and sit and talk with my mom as Mom decorated cakes or caned a chair. She has been away for many years and recently the Lord has lead her back to the North country. She came back in contact with me via both Facebook and the blog. At this time she's spending quite a bit of time on Darling Hill and look what she did for us the last two days!!! This is something I do, usually twice per year. I'd not gotten to it this Spring, so the Summer 'weeding frenzy' was a big job!! 

                                                                       Thanks, Sarah!!

I can see my mailbox up by the road again! we don't use it for mail, just curb-appeal ( :   She cleared the bramble bushes away from the driveway so well that they weren't even nearly scratching the door of my car as I backed down in last night. I wish I could pay her in more than food and coffee. She is now putting her name out for local employment. Job searching will get easier now, as the satellite dish guy actually CAME today!! We have been without it since May 30th, as many of you know, and we've been on the phone to our provider, sometimes two times per week. Today's free service call was such a blessing (well, we'd already paid for it last time a tech came, and whatever he did did not work). We had gone back on to dial-up. Everyone laughs when we tell them that, but there was no other way if we wanted internet at home. Now Syd and Sarah can fill out their applications on line and save the gas in their tanks for interviews, which will surely come soon.

Our rooster, Buck-buck, made his way into the stew pot the other night. We knew we would't be keeping him for the winter, and his feed had run out. The dogs are now eating their food very slowly, but we assured them that we would buy them more food and keep them around. I truly do miss Buck-buck's crowing ---all day long. He was cute. His feathers made beautiful earrings though! Syd has tied some and taken them to one of the local art stores where he sells his goods.

Syd stopped at his former workplace to help them put a machine part back together. It could have gone together in about 6 different ways, so he thought he'd make it easier on them since he was the one who had disassembled it. His boss said, "I can't believe you came back just to help us out like this, after getting laid-off." Syd told him that he fully believed that they are going to call him back when work picks up. His boss said that they certainly are planning on it. We praise the Lord for that job in the past and again in the future, if the Lord is willing.

Coco is with us for a week and a half. She and Sturm are in constant motion while Ruger lays to one side, missing his little white friend. It used to be he and she playing all the time. Coco has finally gotten used to Sturm's rough style and it seems that he's actually toned it down just for her sake.

an old picture; Ruger and Coco

Well that's just a little update from the Hill. We're glad you stopped by!

Life Lessons

"What man is he that feareth the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way that He shall choose." 

Psalm 25:12

Have you ever thought about the way that the Lord's lessons come to us in bits and pieces? I used to believe that God would allow us to go through particular trials to teach us something, right then...something that would follow us through life and which we would always be able to look back on as a "lesson learned". I can think of particular situations and look back several years as to when God cemented that truth in my heart. If I looked even further back, however, I would probably realize that He had been teaching and leading me up to that decision for quite some time. And still, He uses reminders to keep me thinking "right" in that particular of  life. I read somewhere that He may not always lead us through a trial to teach us a new lesson, but to "undo" my thinking in that area so that He can teach me how to think correctly. --to simplify my belief so that my trust is like that of a little child.

I cannot pretend to know His ways; all I really know is that He is all-knowing!

As I read in the book of Mark yesterday I read again the account of Jesus just after He fed the multitudes with the loaves. He "constrained" His disciples to enter the ship and go to the other side while Jesus went into the mountain to pray. When he came by them, walking upon the water, entered the ship which was being tossed, the winds became calm. The disciples had a hard time understanding how Jesus could have such power. It said that their "hearts were hardened" and they had already forgotten about the miracle of the loaves which had happened that very day. These were lessons that our Lord was using to train these men who would one day be the pillars of the early church as well as the first martyrs. I find it wonderful to know that He is still doing the same thing in Christians today!

On Friday Syd got news that his place of work just didn't have enough business to keep all the workers on. His boss had tears in his eyes as he had to lay him off. When work picks up they want Syd to come back. We are grateful for the job that he had there and know full well that the Lord will supply all of our needs as Syd goes back into the job hunt. Our God has never failed to provide and will not fail us now. Through these 32 years we have been amazed over and over at the Lord's faithfulness to His children. It does not take just one lay-off to teach us every lesson we need to learn in this area. Perhaps this time He has new heights that He wants to take us to. We can trust the Lord, we know that. He is always good to us!

This old  hymn comes to my heart:

I'm pressing on the upward way; new heights I'm gaining every day. 

Still praying as I onward bound; 

Lord lead me on to higher ground.

Lord, lift me up and let me stand by faith on Heaven's table land;

A higher plain than I had found; Lord lead me on to higher ground!

After I wrote this post, Syd called saying that he has met a couple from town (I have known them only through the post office). They would like him to come and do some work for them, as the husband has had a stroke. They asked if he could take about 20 minutes to come and look things over at their house. He was there for almost an hour and a half. Praise the Lord for this opportunity for work and, through prayer, we wish to be a good testimony and have open doors with our neighbors.

Just want to leave you with some "peaceful" pictures from the hill...

nephew, Nathan's, stone piles stand, even after several winters

Dennis' outhouse at the cabin

my brother, Dennis, built the end of the stone wall around this stone post