Things Aren't Always What They Seem...

A couple days ago I "felt like it was the end of the world".  Things just weren't going well... Family problems, house problems, health problems... you know the drill... "when it rains it pours."  (And, by the way, it DID rain - lots and lots - all weekend and all day Monday.) But the last straw was when Moxie went missing.  I got up Sunday morning,  fed all the animals, then the people, as usual.  After I fed Moxie, she went outside like she always does.

On any given day, Moxie would go in and out of the house all day like an eight year-old boy with spring fever.  Ohhhh, but not Sunday.  Moxie went out to play that morning and didn't come back.  I kept looking for her all day, busy with whatever all I did that day, but often realizing that I did not have that usual dog underfoot.  Most days, except when she's outside, Moxie is in the same room with me.  I've often joked by singing "Me and My Shadow" as I enter a room, dog in tow.

So, by about three o'clock in the afternoon, I was quite distressed about Moxie.  I feared the worst, imagining her injured somehow and lying alone in the woods... Or, hit by a car... Or taken away by some stranger... We got in the Jeep and road all around the neighborhood looking for her to no avail.  Periodically I would go outside and call her;  I would walk the perimeter of the house,  peering into the woods, hoping to see or hear her.  But, nothing.





Monday was the pits.  I cried a lot.  I've lost pets in the past, but I have never had a dog before, so this was a new type of loss.  I remember my mother called that day to chat;  I wanted to tell her about Moxie, but I was afraid I would burst into tears.  I cut the conversation short.  I wasn't ready to talk about the dog. And the dismal rain.  And...etc., etc., etc.  Monday was pretty much a wasted day - dark, dismal and rainy all day.  I did the bare minimum...  and went to bed early, sad and longing for the escape of sleep.

Tuesday is errand day, so off I went to town.  On the way home I prayed, "Lord,  please give me a sign that everything is gonna' be alright.  A sign.  Any sign."  A moment later, still talking with God, I said, "Y'know how I asked for a sign, any sign.  Well, I have a specific request.  I will 'know it in my knower' that You are listening to me and that everything will be okay if You send Moxie home. I'm not trying to be presumptuous, but You are God  and with God nothing is impossible."

Me, watching a movie with Moxie and Pickles

Ten minutes later I pulled into the driveway.  Moshe came up to the Jeep to help me carry groceries in. And, he said, "I have a surprise for you in the house."  The surprise was Moxie!  Moshe explained, "About ten minutes ago, she simply walked down the hill and into our yard.  She was real dirty and real hungry, but she's okay."

And so we have our little household back in its rightful order.  And, once again God has proven that He will never leave me or forsake me.  Is life perfect?  No.  Is my health perfect?  No.  Is the house perfect?  No.  But God is!
SHALOM  Y'ALL - TWYLA

Goin' Down the Mountain

       Just a quick post this morning... About a year-and-a-half ago, my purse was stolen.  I lived "down the mountain" at the time.  Today we need to drive to the Barrow County courthouse for a hearing for the burglary suspect.  I may or may not need to testify. While we're there, we will visit family and friends - make a day of it - and, then, drive back up the mountain.
     We rarely drive down the mountain.  There's something about being here... We just don't want to leave...
Is it the beauty here? The general honesty and integrity of the people?  Or something more?  I believe there is a beautiful spiritual state here. 

     LORD, please give us traveling mercies today. Let us accomplish everything we set out to do; then, return us safely to our little farm.  Thank You for Your MANY blessings.     Amen.

         Shalom Y'all -
                  Twyla

Is this near La-La Land?

My Hubby got my account to come back up, so I'm posting again... I'm good at a few things, but, computer is not one of them. If something isn't working, I'm at a complete loss.

We went down the mountain this past Sunday for a family birthday celebration. My oldest brother, his son, and my son-in-law all have birthdays in August, so we had a combo birthday party. Great fun, and way too much food!
"Going down the mountain" requires planning when you have animals and plants depending on you. The chickens must be fed and watered, eggs gathered, crops harvested, and everything secured against predators. We have bears, deer, rabbits, and mountain lions, all desiring to eat our chickens or our garden. So far, we've been extremely blessed and have only lost a couple tomatoes and a few ears of corn. No animal casualties. Praise Adonai.

So, we went down the mountain, ate way too much. laughed alot, talked alot, and headed back up the mountain to get home before dark. We always carry at least one camera with us, so we stopped to take a few pictures along the way. This photo is of an actual business about an hour's drive from home. I laugh every time I drive by. My first trip up the mountain, when I was looking for a house to buy, I was with my friend Pat. When we saw this sign, we laughed 'til we cried. Hope y'all can appreciate this little store being "smack dab in the middle of nowhere".