Sunday Luncheon at the Gharrett Cottage

The children took every one of these photos!

Happy Birthday, Jason!

Happy Birthday, Sweet King on the throne,
Of this sweet, little place we call home.
Memories happy, memories sweet,
Promises to hold, cherish, and keep.
Even the long, dark walk through the woods,
With you and your sweet bairns, it was good!
Hoping your year is divinely blessed
With good work, good love, and plentiful rest!


"Old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read." (~Quoted by Francis Bacon)

Knoebels and Cousins ~ Love 'em! Great Memories!

Is it Autumn yet?

"As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease."

I am sooooo ready for cooler weather, for the crisp chill of the air, for the smell of woodsmoke, for the enjoyment of using the oven to make the house smell warm and cozy of things like pie and turkey. I am sooooo ready to say goodbye to the flies, and spiders, and heat, and humidity, and weeds, and air conditioning. I am sooooo thankful that I can look forward to the end of summer.
It has been a long, hot one, but I was content to stay indoors and get to know my baby and enjoy her with all of our sweet children. Hopefully the temperatures next year will be more balanced, and we will have a productive garden again and get the clothesline working well.... these are a few of my favorite things, and without them, summer is for the birds!

My Man

My Man makes wine and cheese
Doo da... doo da
He's as sweet as his bee's knees
OOOhhh dooo da day...

Ned Smith Day ~ and NY

The twins are at the Finger Lakes with Gram and Pap Showers for 10 days..... they sent us this pic.....

We miss you!

The Awesomeness of You

Although I don't really know the reason for it all, I appreciate it. I don't know the mind of God, but I know that He created YOU and that helps me to trust Him....

Jason, you're a wonderment.
A man above men, I say,
With strength, and love, and freedom,
That you give in every single way.
The longer that I know you
The longer I hope that I may.

Avé, precious daughter child,
The first of blessed more.
Sweetness, grace, embodied
With a lovely, precious core.
The words you use are wise
A great future is in store.

Destiny, darling Destiny,
The heart and soul of life.
With favor, strength, and courage,
You will make a noble wife.
I pray for you a worthy man,
And a pathway free of strife

Savannah, sunshine and smiles,
These things surround you, Dear.
Press towards the mark that's calling
Without any worry or fear.
Your head has been anointed.
Your God will make all things clear.

Chester, bright in my heaven.
Acorns are much like you are.
Planted feet in the Good Book,
Guided great men near and far.
Someday the best and brightest
Will say you have set the bar.

Shiloh, gemstones are calling!
Your worth is far above them.
Your eyes shine lively with gladness.
You will waltz among powerful men.
Stay near to peace and nature.
Joy is found in the world of pretend.

Hazel, gift of everything.
Who knew this space was yours?
End, beginning, back again,
Circles representing doors.
Our lives you have enhanced, Love.
We could not have asked for more.

Jehovah, Creator, God,
Maker of all here on Earth.
Men speak loud to deny you,
But nature boasts of Your work.
Little lost sheep you gather,
And offer to all rebirth.


(Like a fish to water, a bird to sky, a honey bee to nectar, and an owl to night, I am compelled to prayer for my loved ones... "May my prayer be counted as a sweet-incense before You; The lifting up of my hands as the evening gift." Psalms 141:2)

A Day in the Endless Mountains (with my most favorite peeps)

My Refrigerator Runneth Over....

Life is beautiful.

God is merciful.

My cup is overflowing with love and good things.

Being raised in a God-fearing, Bible believing community greatly impressed upon me the importance of sacrificing my own desires for God's desires, loving even the unlovable, and dying to self daily. But so many believers seem to be miserably mean people with all their priorities mixed up! (Certainly not all, there are many truly loving and inspiring believers.) These dying to self teachings are not meant to be shoved down each other's throats, they are meant to bring us joy! I admit to speaking up a time or two in defense of the fatherless ("Learn to do good; Seek justice, Relieve the oppressed, Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow." Isaiah 1:17), and sometimes I can get upset about lies and injustice, but mostly I think that actions speak louder than words for those that have ears to hear and eyes to see. And as I am learning more and more to tune out the discouragement from believers that have their priorities mixed up I am finding that my personal priorities are becoming more and more clear and joyful. My calling is calling me and it is exciting! The unlovable are certainly meant to be loved, but we do not need to focus all our energy on the ones that are dreadful, tempting as it may be to want to oil the perpetually squeaky wheel. I am taking my cues from a certain person that ignores everything I say that she doesn't like, (of course it has completely ruined whatever love was ever felt from her,) but ignoring the ones that confuse us is a concept with some merit. Compassion is a noble reason to reach out to do more than we think we are capable of doing, but sometimes even compassion can be manipulated and abused. I guess the point is to take care of the negative stuff when you have to and certainly never turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to the plight of the needy, but when it comes to meditating and habitual thinking... "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." Philippians 4:8

So... for today... I have filed the things I cannot seem to help in the help less, pray more category and I am excited about cheese! Our refrigerator is literally overflowing with the summer's bounty of high quality goat's milk and in my experience it does not freeze well. We can only drink so much, we do share with several other families, but we could share with a lot more at this time of year. So our cats and dog have been enjoying it often and even still we have surplus! This is all a learning experience, but I just read that we can make stuffed manicotti to freeze! That is something that I occasionally buy frozen to bake and the idea of stocking up on it is highly appealing! I am so excited about this! I am laughing at myself at the hilarious domesticity of being excited about freezing manicotti stuffed with homemade goat's milk ricotta... and then I realize how many shows are dedicated to the enjoyment of food, and I realize that each batch of goat cheese is worth $16.00 or more... and I know that this is cool, and not just housewifey cool.
Learning the secrets of turning hay/straw into cheese/gold :-) Loving it!

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalms 37:4

He knows my heart, my motivations, my desires. He has always been faithful, and I am excited to watch Him work in my life. Surely goodness and mercy have followed me all the days of my life... hard times have come and lies have discouraged, but I "know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
Romans 8:28 This verse has always proven true in my life.

P.S. Farewell

I grew up thinking that's what people did. They welcome the outcasts, they reach out to the lost, they take time to look deeper and try to really see, they mean it when they ask "How are you?". I have learned that isn't what people usually do, but that is what he did. He wasn't perfect, and by his own recalling it took him awhile to see what priorities were most important, but by the time I knew him well he had become a ministering spirit. He came into my life in a big way when I was 12. We needed him and he knew it. We were already family, but he welcomed us closer. He invited us to join the gatherings of him and his children. I think now that the hearts of some of his children were not as generous, but I did not know that at the time and I was delighted to be loved and part of a family that took the time to talk about important things. Without him I would not have many of the most precious memories of that time in my life. Without him I would have been lost. With much sorrow I say farewell to my dear Uncle Paul Sangree. No longer will we have the pleasure of your encouragement, but we will remember you always with fondness. I hope for a reuniting in the hereafter. I love you. I thank you. I miss you.

He is gone, and I understand a little more what it means to be human.

Born Yesterday

This little red hen is so cute! You have no idea! Well, maybe you will in a minute. I think she prays :-) Or at least has read a self help book about positive thinking...

This little chicken went broody... she began to sit as if she were hatching eggs, but we were collecting all the eggs, so she wasn't actually sitting on any. Most other chickens would have simply given up after a few days of having their eggs collected, but not this little lady. She sat for two months before we finally came around to her way of thinking and let her sit on a few eggs. And she was rewarded for her perseverance yesterday... aren't Momma and Chick exceptionally adorable?

There you go little chicken, thanks for the lesson in positive thinking :-)

Midnight Moments

Wine, cigars, and wicker

Leather seating, time for two

Kerosene lamps at midnight

Talk of dreams, me and you

Bathrobes, bedsides, babies

What if is what we do

Life doesn't get any sweeter

Here we still are, who knew?

Inside Pennsylvania

Inside Pennsylvania

At the turning of the year

The evergreens hang low and white

Just past the season of good cheer

The whitetail deer are fewer

But still they can be seen

The smart ones and the young ones

Resting quiet midst the greens

Woodsmoke in the morning

Woodsmoke in the night

The comfort smells of warmth and home

Beckon tea by firelight

Just when the winter winds

Seem billowing too long

The spring begins its prelude

Sugaring season now begun

When the maples have decided

To bloom and start their leaves

The crocuses delight us

With their cheerful repartee

The days begin to tease us

With sunny warmth for play

And lambs and kids start calling

For the pastures of mid May

The night time chorus echoes

With serenades here and there

The silent dawn is broken

By an owl song in the air

Then all at once its summer

And crystal waters clear

Beckon every living thing

To spend time very near

Caves, lake beaches, campgrounds

Are worth the out of way

Parks and pools and playgrounds

Bustle in the day

And just to keep us longing

For the summer every year

The harvest time is welcomed

The school books do appear

Pumpkins, corn, and mazes

The farmers now do shine

Their labors in the hot sun

Yield cider, hay, and wine

Tobacco hangs in some barns

Apples fill the press

The atmosphere hangs heavy

With rest and thankfulness

Seasons greetings to the country

Merry Christmas to each town

Inside Pennsylvania

Another year takes a bow ~

(Didn't make the cut for publication, but I had fun writing it!)

nighties at noon

'tis the season for nighties at noon
what's a sun? what's a moon?
lullabies and nursery rhymes
gentle winds and snuggle times
sisters coo and brother smiles
mommy rocks sweet daddy's child
he comes home from his long day
and still has time to sit and play
little fingers, little toes
tiny buttons, ribbons and bows
the bassinet is made for sleep
but arms work best for baby's keep