Storm Watch

Boy! I seem to go for a long time between posts. ( Could it be that E ties the computer up with Facebook???) A lot has been going on since the last post, but for now, our focus is on Tropical Storm Hanna. We've been watching her for quite a while, and now she's right at our back door.

The predictions for Hanna have been all over the place. She was aimed anywhere from Miami to New England, and now she's picked out the upper South Carolina and lower North Carolina coast to come calling.

We've lived in the Lowcountry for 11 years now, but previously lived farther inland from the coast and at a higher elevation. Before, we would only "have" to evacuate for a category 5 hurricane. Our current location is more of a category 2 evacuation area. We're only a short walk from the salt marsh and the harbor. When Hanna was predicted to be a stronger storm, we were preparing to evacuate, but then she stalled out and dawdled around out there in the ocean, and got downgraded back down to Tropical Storm status. So, we decided to just stick around for this one, and only evacuate if it became mandatory.

Yesterday, I was wondering how people "way back when" had any idea that a storm was brewing that they needed to prepare for. As T was driving, I snapped a few pictures of the sky, because it was so beautiful!



When we got down to GH, I snapped a few more. I love the contrast between the clouds and sky.




When GH ended, there was hardly a cloud in the sky. Just lots of bright stars. The only way I can figure that a person might know a storm was coming would be by the change in direction of the slight breeze.

We woke this morning to mostly clouds, but still a fairly bright sky. By late morning, we had a few episodes of "spitting" rain, but hardly even a breeze. Still not much to suggest a tropical storm. However, Ginger, our cat seemed to know something was up. She was running around acting feisty for a while, then later decided it was best to hide under the sofa.

J was scheduled to work today, but not long after he got to work downtown, the store was alerted that there was a voluntary evacuation going on. They decided to secure their merchandise, and sent home anyone that had to cross bridges to get home, which included J! (Thank You!) I was not thrilled about him having to come home when the rain & winds picked up!

We got permission to park our cars across the street, because there are a few ominous looking dead branches in the tree over our usual parking spot. We took care of a few errands, did a few last minute things around the house, then settled in as the rains began.

This is from my back door shortly before the rains began:



And this was during one of the first heavy rain bands:

Right now, just before 9 p.m., we're getting rather heavy rain, but still very little wind. But they say it's coming in the next few hours. So for now, I think I'll just get comfortable, maybe read a book or browse the internet, and thank the Lord that the day has gone as well as it has!

On the Move

I haven't posted in a while, because we're in the middle of moving right now. I'll try to post more once we get settled. Ginger, our cat, is having a blast leaping from box to box. She's acting like she's part squirrel! She seems to be trying to see if she can get from one end of the house to the other without walking on the floor. Until we cleared out the hallway, she could almost do it! Now she has fun racing up & down the empty hall.

Pray for us, as we have a lot to accomplish by the end of this month!

Lean Times lead to Drastic Measures

This winter, we've been scaling back on grocery purchases until income picks up again. We've done pretty well, eating out of the freezer, and having a few beans & rice meals a week. My goal has been to feed our family of 4 on about $45 a week. Sometimes I've done better than that, but most weeks, I've gone over a little. One of the most difficult items to find at a good price in winter months is fresh vegetables. I was longing for warmer weather, and the possibility of a garden, when I came across a few articles about growing sprouts. Yes... those weird things that vegetarians are known for... SPROUTS!

Of course, I had in mind those nice little alfalfa sprouts I used to find on salad bars. I actually liked those pretty well. So, I did a bit more research, learned about how to grow them, and then tried to find the seeds. I tried several natural food stores in the area, and had absolutely no luck! One place recommended that I try a local seed store, but my research had said that you should only use the ones sold for sprouting, as the ones at seed stores sometimes were treated with bad stuff to prevent mold and other problems. Plus, I learned that the reason we no longer see them on salad bars is that for a while there was a problem with E-coli with alfalfa sprouts! Ewwww! We didn't want that for sure!

All that information put me back to square one again. I was still convinced that this would be a cheap way to provide nutritious fresh vegetables, so did more research, and then some online friends suggested that I try sprouting some other seeds. Finally, I bought the seeds (Mung beans, hard red winter wheat berries, and red lentils), waited a few more weeks until I got up the nerve, then got them started.

There were lots of questions from the family about what I was doing, and why, and "do we really have to eat that?" (And the answer was "Yes!")

Tonight, we finally had our first salad with sprouts, and they actually were pretty good. Well... not great, because we're not used to them yet, but only one of the family absolutely hated them. ( I say he just needs to eat them more often until he's used to them!)

The red lentils didn't grow, but I've read some info about why that might be. I'll try them again. The others grew just great. Wanna see?

These are the Wheat Berry Sprouts:

We kinda felt like we were eating somebody's lawn with the wheat berries. They look a quite a bit like grass!

And these are the Mung Bean Sprouts:

You often see these cooked in Chinese food. Hmmm... Maybe I'll try that next time!

Don't ya' want to come eat at my house!?

Phil Keaggy Concert

I finally got to hear in real life a fantastic musician I first heard of about 28 years ago. Phil Keaggy is a Christian guitarist, and was incredible! I never imagined one person with one guitar could produce such amazing sound!

I'll put in a few U-tube links so you can hear for yourself. If you were there, you know what I'm talking about. If you weren't, I'm so sorry you missed it. If you EVER have a chance to hear him, be sure to go. You won't regret it!

Enjoy!

Salvation Army Band



Shades of Green





I couldn't get the U-tube to post the next two here, but they're really worth a listen, so I'll give the links instead: The Reunion
and The Wind and the Wheat

What a gift God has given this man! I'm so thankful that I finally got to hear him. Thanks East Cooper Baptist Church and Citadel Square Baptist Church for having this concert!

What cats do when you're gone

We always wonder what Ginger, our cat, does when we're gone. Many times the evidence is pretty clear. Other times, we can only speculate. This time we're pretty sure we know!

We've noticed that if she's sitting on our lap when the phone rings, she knows to hop down so we can answer the phone. She usually trots towards the phone, getting in our way as we try to get there before the answering machine picks up.

Well, when we came home from church Sunday, we noticed the answering machine had turned off. Usually, this only happens when either the off button has been clicked, or the tape (yes it's a very old machine) has gotten full. We had been hoping for a message from J & E, since they were away with a youth group for the weekend, and were momentarily disappointed that the machine was off and we would have missed their call. Then, I remembered having glanced at it before leaving and noticing that there were no new messages.

So, if the machine was on with no messages when we left, what happened? We turned on the machine and it started rewinding... and rewinding... and rewinding... The whole tape was full! Was it telemarketers? A politician? Or someone with something very important to say? One way to find out... Hit play...

The first sound was phone noises. Then the recording from the phone company... "If you would like to make a call, please hang up and dial again..." Then an entire tape of the usual "phone is off the hook" noises.

Now it became pretty clear what had happened. A few things that belonged on the bureau where the answering machine sits had been knocked to the floor. And a certain feline seemed to have a lot to meow about.

No guarantees, but I suspect someone called us and got our answering machine, which would trigger our voice recording. Ginger, being annoyed by the phone ringing, and hearing our voice, decided to take matters into her own paws. She can't reach the phone (thank goodness, though I wouldn't put it past her), so she did the next best thing and tried to answer for us through the answering machine by pushing the conversation button, thus recording any sounds that came in over the phone line. What do you suppose? Is she guilty?

God spoke in our worship

Sunday, T & I attended First Baptist Church of Charleston. We had debated about where to attend church this week, as we've been attending a different one that we all like. But J & E were not with us this weekend, & this is a church we have wanted to visit for a long time. Afterward, we both agreed that this was where God wanted us on this day, because we needed the encouragement that this pastor presented in this message.


All passages are from:
New International Version (NIV) Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984
by International Bible Society


The Unison Reading was from Psalm 63:1-7 (NIV)

A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

1 O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.

2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.

3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.

4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.

5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.

7 Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.

The choir sang this meditation, a favorite that I sang with a choir many years ago:

Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God
by Carl Mueller

Create in me a clean heart, O God;
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Thy presence;
and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation;
and hold me, uphold me with Thy free Spirit.
Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways;
and sinners shall be converted unto Thee.
Create in me a clean heart, O God.

Then the pastor, Marshall Blalock, used these passages in his message:

Romans 8:1 (NIV)
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus...

Micah 7:8 (NIV)
Do not gloat over me, my enemy!
Though I have fallen, I will rise.
Though I sit in darkness,
the LORD will be my light.

Hebrews 12. The pastor's main emphasis from Hebrews 12 was on verse 6, but I have included more verses, because they really speak to me:

Hebrews 12:5-11
5And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."

7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Ephesians 3:14-21

A Prayer for the Ephesians

14For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Sometimes, we've wondered where God is in all the changes we're facing right now. Sometimes it seems hard to see where He's leading us, but this message helped confirm that since we are in Christ, that He is always with us. We know these things, but it is comforting to be reminded.

O'Dark Thirty

This morning, T was preparing to go to a little one-day job, when suddenly, the lights started flashing, & the phone made that "power's going out" ringing sound. After a few flashes, it was dark. Pitch black dark... or "as dark as 40 black cats."

We scrambled for flashlights & a lantern, & contemplated what could and could not be done with the power out. It seems there are always things you wish you'd done sooner, if only you'd known...

• showered
• shaved (for T at least. Even with a non-electric razor, there's great risk shaving by lantern-light)
• gotten a drink of water

Things you can't or shouldn't do when the power's out:

• open the refrigerator or freezer
• get a drink of water (we're on a well, & you need electricity for the pump to run, so no water, & the water in the fridge requires opening the door)
• flush the toilet... OK, it's good for 1 flush, but the tank can't refill, because the pump isn't running
  
• cook breakfast
• check email
• post on my new blog
• go back to sleep (because it's TOO QUIET! All the little household motor noises aren't running, plus you're wondering every second if the power's about to come back on, and there are things you should be doing...)

It amazes me how dependent we are on electricity, especially when only 75 years ago the REA (Rural Electrification Administration) hadn't been created yet, and rural areas like ours had no electric power.

It makes me thankful that in the New Jerusalem, we won't need electric power. God's glory is all we will need.

23The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.

Revelation 21:23-25 (New International Version)Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

About thirty minutes after the power went out, & just after T left, the power trucks arrived and restored power. Life is back to normal... for now.

A New Blogger on the Block!

We have had so much going on in our lives lately. I thought a blog might help me keep some of my thoughts organized, and give me a place to jot down things I want to remember. Plus, maybe my kids will think it's cool that Mom has a blog, and has finally entered this century! I'm all for learning new things, so I guess a blog is the new thing I'll try to learn next!