The Front Porch Swing

[lindz8504]

Shew, I really need some peace for my heart! I took the van to get it inspected as soon as Hubby got home. I had already set out hot dogs for supper, and it wasn't going to take me long to get that done. Well, on my way back home, I decided to stop at a little gas station and grill to pick up some chili since I had forgotten to get any at the store. After I left there, and turned off the main highway onto the road before ours, I got to the bottom of the hill, and there was a really bad wreck..... There were a couple of first responders/ volunteer firefighters on the scene and they were just getting into their turnout gear...... The vehicle was either a truck or large SUV, and had crossed center line, hit a tree that caused it to flip, and was about 7 car lengths from where it went off the road.... IT WAS REALLY BAD!!!

The vehicle was flipped over, and there was a man hanging upside down on the outside of the car.
I was stopped beside one of the first responders who was getting his gear on, and I asked him what I needed to do to get out of the way.... He told me to either go around it, or turn around, but I needed to move so they could get the fire trucks and ambulances in there.

I have a friend that works at the hospital, and gets all the 911 call information. She said that there was 1 DOA, and they air lifted one to the major hospital an hour away, and that there were kids in the vehicle. She said that the call came in at 5:52.... my receipt for the chili says 5:55. If I hadn't stopped, I probably would have been involved in the wreck, and they would have hit me head on.
God was definitely watching out for me. I just pray that those hurt are ok, and that the family is comforted with the loss.

 

[Beekissed]

I have the most wonderful praise today!!!! God is so good!!! Hallelujah and praise Him to the highest!

 

[Blooie]

I forgot to tell you what else happened today:

The Itsy Bitsy Spider ran through the chicken pen,
Right past the rooster and in between the hens.
None of the chickens who should have been alert,
Saw the Itsy Bitsy Spider, so he got through unhurt.

But the Itsy Bitsy Spider made a small mistake,
Running up the coop wall was quite a chance to take,
Before he knew what happened he landed on his back,
Eyeball to eyeball with Blooie's hungry flock.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider wound up in Charlie's mouth,
Pearl swatted Charlie and knocked the Spider out,
Gladys pounced behind them and swallowed him right quick,
And the Itsy Bitsy Spider wondered why the heck he didn't just crawl up the stoopid garage.

 

[lovingmyhens]

Hi,

RachaelS, this is not directed at you. You had apologized (even tho I don't think you said anything wrong). Ms. Jellybean is leaving BYC. She was attacked on the Texas thread again....why? Because she doesn't have any chickens yet. She has planned and plotted to get her birds and then things happen. She is a single mom raising 2 or 3 boys. We all have been in this situation where your goal is to get a new washing machine, etc. Then the car breaks down or the roof springs a leak and you can't get the washing machine. This lady has had her share of problems this year. Bam, Bam, Bam She keeps picking herself back up and stays positive. I am just upset that people can be so cruel. I love every person on this "Front Porch'. You guys are great or 'the cat's meow'!!

I am trying to get her to come back to the 'Front Porch'.

Bee, thank you for the prayer. We need them every day and every hour.

Lisa

I invited Missjellybean to this thread after she was, for whatever reason, blindsidedly (is that a word?) attacked in the Texas thread. I do not know her nor do I know any of you guys, but she seemed to be in the same boat as I am, single, no support from family or ex, and children who tend to take advantage of their mothers. My heart had a soft spot for her. She works two jobs, and still seems to not be able to stay afloat in this boat that God has put her in.
One thing that I am constantly reminding my students and my own kids, is that words are like toothpaste-once you squirt it out, you can't shove it back in. Sure, you can apologize. but the toothpaste is out. A poster I keep up in my room at school says "A person may not remember what you say or do, but they will always remember how you make them feel."
If you go back and read her posts on here and on the Texas thread, you will see that she does a lot of reading and investigating. I can't find anywhere that she says something she has found is the God's Bible truth. Even the most expert of experts of anything is going to make mistakes.
I emailed her because I want to keep that connection and she said "I try, but I just can't seem to get it right".
Makes my heart hurt.
For those of you who are married, think about doing everything in your life alone. Raising your kids, making ends meet, sharing ideas and thoughts and fears...with no one. Wondering how you are going to pay for something that breaks or leaks. Having desires for your life and not being able to find the way to make those desires come to fruition because life just keeps kicking you just when you are about to get to your feel again. After I divorced, it was months before I remember to get the trash out on trash day. I'd hear the truck and run around trying to get all the trash out to the curb before they got there, or I'd be leaving for work and see all the trash cans out by the curb. If I wasn't running late I'd rush back in and get what I could. Sometimes, 2 or 3 trash days would go by before I remembered to get it out on the right day. It wasn't my job before the divorce.
I used to be a stay at home mom and it was the joy of my life. I was so blessed to be able to have that time with my girls before I divorced. But now, oh how I wish I could get my 3rd grader off to school...fix her hair and be home when she gets here. Be able to cook a good dinner before it is bed time. Play games instead of grading papers. Live in a nicer neighborhood so she can go to a better school.
Not be exhausted by 8. I wish we could take vacations.
But this God's plan B for me so I just do what I can to make our life the best I can given the circumstances. I am not looking for sympathy-don't want any. But maybe a little understanding about a life most of you don't know about.
As far as MissJellybean giving advice that is not well founded in fact and backed up by years of research, well when I was looking into getting chickens, I read EVERYTHING I could about back yard chickens. I talked to people that had them and I read some more. I took all that I found out and crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. And I realize by reading everyone's posts that my situation with my chickens is not the same as yours, or yours, or even yours!
But if someone is thinking about getting chickens and reads one person's posts about some ideas and thoughts and then takes those ideas and thoughts as Bible truth about chickens, well I think they deserve what they get. They didn't take the time and effort to do the research needed when investing in a venture like chicken rearing. Just like getting a dog. You don't go to the pound and take home just any dog without doing the research needed to even figure out if getting a dog is the right thing for you.
Some of my favs:

Proverbs 12:18
There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Proverbs 16:24
Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
Proverbs 21:23
Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.
Proverbs 19:14
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Saturday. I have soccer and tutoring this afternoon. Is that a grill over there I see???
Let's get it fired up tonight and I will bring some steaks-love yall

Melanie

 

[Beekissed]

Yeah I did get him by the tail finally. Okay I'll be waiting to hear it

I'll tell it....scoot off that there bucket, Blooie, it's my turn to tell a yarn. One night as I walking through my house I noticed my outdoors cat, who used to visit indoors of an evening, was all fuzzed up, back arched and staring at the front storm door like there was a ghost on the porch. Well...me being me, I says "What you lookin' at, Spike?" and swung open that door...

......and in walked a possum. He just waddled right through the door so quick I didn't have a chance to stop him and he looked up at me as if to say, "Thanks, lady...now..where's the vittles?".

He then walked over to the table and sat underneath it like he was some kinda housecat. I got the broom and tried to sweep him out of there. He refused to budge, hissed at me and gritted his teeth at me. The cat just continued to stare and bug out. Once again I try to sweep the possum from under the table and once again he hisses and refuses to be rolled outta there.

I'm thinking, "I'll fix you, buster! I'm bringing in the hounds of Baskerville to paint yer little red wagon!" and I went outside to fetch the two dogs. I bring them into the house and they gallop into the kitchen and into the living room, right past the cat and the possum who sits under the table. They are just bouncing around and happy to be invited in for a TV night. I call them back into the kitchen and tell them, "There is a possum under the table....possum! Look at the possum!" and I point dramatically at the possum.

****Now, here I must add that these dogs are stone cold killers of possum on a normal day when they find one strolling onto the premises...but apparently this isn't a normal day and they feel the possum "belongs" to me because it's in the house. Anything that belongs to the pack leader is off limits.****

They look at where I am pointing, run over and sniff at the possum, run to the cat and sniff the cat, run back to the sink and look at me as if to say, "Ugly new cat. Cool. Now...where's the vittles?" I point at the possum once again and say, "Git the possum!!" and they look in that direction, look back at me, tails wagging and tongues lolling...waiting for the treat. Whatever treat, any treat...all they know is when they get treats in the house they have to be eaten in the kitchen and not on the carpet in the living room. Sigh.

I immediately rescinded their "Dog Cards" and put them back outside. Hounds of Baskerville? More like poodles on parade. I put the cat outside...he's no help either. He is just staring at the "ugly kitty" and waiting to see what the woman will do about it. I suspect he and this possum are old enemies as someone has been stealing the cat food off my front porch for some nights now.

One of the boys was due to come home in a few minutes so I thought...hmmmm...I'll get a man to get Earl out from under the table! Right then my oldest son comes home and he's carrying some take out food in one hand, greets me cheerfully, says he's "starving" which he clearly is not...he's the size of a bull moose, but that's neither here nor there....

I'm surprised he hasn't noticed the large, stinking, white "cat" under the table...I shouldn't have been...men notice so few things when food is present. He quickly sits down at the table and starts to eat before I can warn him about Earl, the unwanted house guest.

I tell him slowly and succinctly, "There is a possum under that table!".

He pauses briefly, mouth full... "What?".

I grit my teeth in my best imitation of Earl and speak through them as I repeat, "There is a possum under that table. He came in a little bit ago and I can't get him out, so I need you to get him out of there for me."

He pauses in his food inhalation, looks under the table and says, "Huh! That's a possum."

Ya think?

I says, "Well! Git him outta there!" while inside I'm quietly steaming as I have had it up to the gills with Earl's bad manners, his ingratiating grin and his big ugly teeth, not to mention his smell. Did you all know possums stink like something crawled up inside them and just before it died it just had strength enough left to fart? Well..they do.

My son continues to eat... lifts up one cheek and rips off a huge fart.... "THAT'LL get him outta there!".... and goes back to snarfing down a burger and fries. I'm suddenly feeling very much like picking up the possum and placing it on his fries.

I prop open the front door and wait....fuming over the combined fumes of wimpy man and ugly possum... and the ineffectual cats, dogs and menfolk in my life...then I demand HIS "Man Card", stride over to the table, hold my breath, bend down and take Earl by the tail and march to the door. I give him a big swinging toss off the porch and as he strolls away he looks back as if to say, "So much for southern hospitality! Hmmmph! Watch yer cat food, lady....I'll be back!".

So I named him Earl because Earl has gotta die! I caught him by the tail a few years later..same possum (had the end of his tail missing)...and tossed him off the porch again. Maybe his tail is missing because it's been worn off by folks tossing Earl to the curb? Seems like I never have a gun handy when Earl comes to visit.

Now, every time we see a possum dead on the road we yell, "Look!! It's Earl's granny or nephew or uncle or some such..." because Earl never dies. That's my possum story and that's how I know they can be caught easily by the tail and carried in that manner, without risk to life and limb...wash yer hands good after.....

 

[perchie.girl]

Hey guys due to the new computer I am Rolling on my book these days so I have been hiding now and then to write. By my calculations the VERY ROUGH draft will be approximately 45,000 words. I also have a boat load of illustrations to scan in and put in place too.

I am on the last Handwritten journal of a set of journals I have written in for the past three years. I am no up to 13372 words on journal five. 96 pages from a Journal transcribes into 34 pages in Word.. These are diaries that run about 200 pages give or take. As soon as i am done transcribing book five I can write something new. Because I am only half way done.... LOL

The push to get it all into the computer started when I lost Journal six when the car got stolen. Thankfully it was only about a quarter filled. Surprisingly loosing it was a blessing in disguise. Because I started writing a time line... Which I sorely needed to do. During that process I named several characters that had been going with "place holders" for some time.

The lost illustrations will come back when I continue. They are just line drawings. I have a character that is a scientist in this book who is keeping a journal. These will be her journal notes and illustrations.


deb

 

[perchie.girl]

My day started out bad and got worse and so im taking some time out to collect my thoughts before I do something rash. Got up at 630 and went out to let my babies out. I decided to sit with them a bit since I had blockaded 3/4 of the balcony so I could clean it to try and build my coop today. Started looking at chicks and was discussing how to mark a few of my birds to tell them apart.

Counted once, twice, 3rd time I was like come here and help me double check I think I missed someone. We grabbed my notebook and my daughter was mom where is that brown funny looking one? Well I lost my biggest NN! I went down stairs and my bil is gone and left the gate open so im out a 2mo old bird. So then I was bound an determined to build that coop today.

Yesterday my mil was a handful and ive been raised to respect my elders but I will not accept abuse from anyone! I had gone out and bought 10 ppr pipes that 13 ft long and im carrying them over my shoulder trying to get them inside the compound walls then up 3 stories by myself. My mil was out and started asking me if I was fixing water pipes in my house.

No, these are to make a green house I told her since yesterday she berated me over half a hour as to why I am keeping animals upstairs. It was lie but I just didnt want to hear her again. I told her its my money I will spend it as I see fit and upstairs is my house and no one has the right to tell me what I cant do on my own premises. Well she began and its enough that I only understand half of what she is saying but that my language isnt enough to tell her to mind her own business.

Well after a few minutes I said where is daddy I want to talk to him? Well she headed to the door telling me he is sick I cant talk to him! Well I beat her to another door and she started telling me get out of her house! Well I informed her that THIS HOUSE WAS MINE, MY BIL AND THEIRS AND I WOULD BE DARNED IF I WAS LEAVING IT! They built this house for my husband and his younger brother. They moved into it to protect it from being taken and let their house go to ruin so no one would want it.

Now im a good person but ive had my share of abusevin my life and im lucky to have a good husband. But I found my voice and my backbone and NO ONE WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ME AGAIN. When we came they had a year to fix things but they did nothing and I have a home that needs everything repaired. Now if I was in the states I have all my tools, know where I need to go to buy things and with my skills can fix it but here its a challenge. Power is deadly, nothing is grounded, everything is metric, most is crap supplies, I dont have even the basics of tools and when I do buy stuff it disappears every time my bil HELPS me fix something.

My roof leaks in the bathroom, windows have no screens and are not sealed well so opening a window becomes a issue. Some of the security shutters are broken either up or down and so windows or doors are exposed. I have only salt water in my house but fresh water I either buy or go down 3 flights to lug up giant bottles. A third of the lights no longer work in my house. Half of the outlets. I have one cooler for the whole house. The list goes on.
My bil is a greedy bas$÷@+. And has gotten my inlaws to put everything in nhis name. So if my fil dies he controls everything! And we will most likely have to fight him to get what is rightfully my husbands when dad dies. Momma is senile. Two months before my son died she was upset I didnt say hi to her for a few days. And was berating my husband and my kids. I told her to stop. Well she told me go away and iasked her what I had done to her to deserve this? Next thing she is telling me get out you daughter of a dog...well in my whole life no one has ever called me a female dog!

I approached her asking her why she said this to me? What did I do? She hurried inside and I followed her. My sil came in to the room hearing us arguing. I told her momma called me a dirty word and I wanted to know why. I took my mother in law by the shoulders and said why u called me this? Well she acted like I was killing her. I left and she began telling folks I hit her! I refused to speak to her again. Everyone said ignore her and I told them no I was no ones dog! When my son died I hadnt spoken to her in two months. I said I will not forget nor will I forgive but I will let it pass for honor of my son.

Sorry folks this was long but I learned the only way to heal is get it out of my system. Im gonna get to the bank, try to used this toolvand fix my coop. I gotva storm brewing with his family.

My apologies oldmomma, I had to break this into paragraphs in order to read it. Thats all I did. I wanna come over there and kick butt and take names for you...

Do you thing your Brother in law took one of your chickens?

I realize you chose to live there. You need to find a way to get your husband there to protect you.
I know this is advice and i shouldn't give it. I have been taught to lead by example. But One thing I do know from experience from a friend who was being abused. Oh her husband was loving but he isolated her to the point she wasnt able to visit her own family or work or even allow family to visit her. He was a truck driver and when he was gone he was gone for three or four weeks at a time. Then he retired. He wasnt retired more than a year when he threw her out saying she had stolen money from him. They lived in a state here that has no community property laws. She was able to leave only with the stuff she could pack into her car.

This doesnt all apply to you certainly

But isolation is a form of abuse, control, manipulation,...

Alsheimers goes through several phases... they dont Just loose their memory they can go violent. One of my cousins did... Hitting and screaming. Reasoning doesnt happen because they are incapable of it. Shes in a facility now where she gets good capable care and under a watchful caring eye. So protect yourself and dont expect reasoning to work with your Mother in Law.

I have tried not posting how I felt because I didnt want to be inappropriate. I have no understanding of your whole picture and it would be presumptuous that I could know. All I do know is your posts pull at my heart strings soo much.

I apologize for being forward... but...

deb

 

[Beekissed]

 

[Beekissed]

Tomtommom, I bet you wouldn't want to take your children with you on that swap. People over there are starving to death, literally. Many of them are being killed by their government as they scurry around looking for food and water. I forgot what the death toll is. It's in the millions. Many are also being taken as slaves. I agree on the trivial things that we have our lives filled with though. I have thought a lot on that lately.

Oh no, I wouldn't want to go for real. It's just one of those passing thoughts. All this excess we have in the west is going to be what does us in. In truth there should be a better balance between us that have and they that have not.

I've been thinking about these things myself. Every time you talk to someone about giving money to those ministering to the poor of these countries, they always come back with the same thing..."I can't afford to give money away, as me and my family are just struggling to get by"~I hear it from my own family. Those kind of comments make me give a loud~but internal~snort! Really? Do they really "struggle" like those people struggle? Do they even know what that word means?

No one in America is poor compared to the poor of those countries. Even our homeless have better garbage to glean out of the dumpsters, they have soup kitchens, they have homeless shelters, etc. Over there? Nuttin'.

I too used to think I couldn't afford to help others but God opened my eyes to my own excess and that's when I really started increasing the efforts towards frugal living. I was already pretty frugal, but He showed me more ways in which I could cut expenditures and even ways to not spend at all. Then it became a way to honor God, as we are to do all things as if we are doing them for Him.

Here awhile back a BYC member was very insulting towards me and accused me of always thinking about money, money, money when I was stressing trying to save money on chicken feed.....well, I do. I do think about it every time I dish out feed to my chickens... that a family could live on for about 3 days...or more.

If we don't think about these things, if we turn a blind eye to these people, what does that say about us and our ability to love our neighbor? How can we continue to consume without a thought of those who have nothing to consume? Do we really need that pair of shoes? Can we get the same thing at Good Will for $3.99 instead of buying it for $35? Can that extra money be funneled towards people who are spreading the gospel and ministering to these countries and people who have never heard it before? I bet it can.

TW is right....our chickens eat better than millions of people out there and should that make us feel guilty and driven to make a change? You bet it should.

This reminds me of a verse and a very specific set of criteria~a set of questions that Christ will ask at the Judgement Seat~ that can indicate where our heart lies....

Matthew 25:35-40
35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

I asked my kids this when we were on vacation: When is the last time we ever truly gave someone food, water or clothing? Was it once or have we formed a habit of it? When did we take anyone in and give them shelter? When did we visit the sick or imprisoned (for Christ's sake)? I think there is an opportunity to do all these things by supporting an honorable mission group who ministers to the poor in these 2/3 world countries, if we cannot go there ourselves.

It doesn't have to be much, just what we have extra. If we never stop spending on ourselves, our kids, our pets and our hobbies, how will we ever have any extra? Chicken math? Really? It's not a joke, it's never been a joke to me and I've never found it to be funny. That's why I subtract before I add, that's why I eat them instead of rehome, that's why I am constantly trying to cut feed costs....because there are better places to spend the money God has given me in this life.

I've been thinking about this a lot and I can do better. I WILL do better. And I will get back to living my life in light of eternity, with the thought of laying up treasures there instead of here. The devil is very good at distracting me from that purpose and he dangles the things I want in front of me...even chickens. More chickens, better chickens, etc. At the end I just want to be told "well done, thou good and faithful servant" and I'm just not sure self-indulgence is the way to hear those words from my Father.

Just ponderings.....sorry...didn't mean to rattle on and do my soul searching out loud but just felt led to do so.

 

[Beekissed]

I 10000% support gay marrage in every way. I would leave the porch to if it was a problem, but because it says this is a place for everyone and caring it shouldn't be. My cousin just married her wife last year in a beautiful wedding. My family has a few gay members. You are born the way you are. I only care about the person inside. No one should care about sexual orenintation.

I don't support gay marriage. That doesn't mean I don't have caring or love for my neighbor, nor does it mean I'm "close minded", though I most certainly am closed in my mind to worldly things as I am instructed by my Father to do so. I don't feel you are "born the way you are", other than we are born with a sin nature and that is true for all of us~ except Jesus Christ. We have the power to overcome that sin nature through Christ and we are commanded to do just that, so I don't feel we have a license to sin just because we live in this world and everyone expects us to follow the pack.

I don't hate gay people just because I don't condone that lifestyle, nor do I want to deny them anything, personally...that's not my place and I could never hate another human being and certainly not for the sin in their lives. I have a full on plenty of sins in my own....I've sinned horrible sins against my Heavenly Father. Sin is sin, according to the Word, none greater or lesser than another....but it is sin nonetheless~not my opinion but directly out of the Bible, the inspired Word of God~ and for that, I cannot condone it, advocate for it or approve of it in any way without offending my Father. He is not "for it" and so, as His child, neither am I.

Having said that, I can say that I hope that this porch is big enough for all views on the subject and this doesn't unleash a firestorm of "intolerance" in reverse, so that folks get mad because there are some of us who are not "cool with it" in regards to homosexuality and gay marriage. I would hope to think that this Porch contains women of intelligence and good sense enough to not open up a can of worms just to see who will eat one on a dare.

Any arguments over the issue WILL result in the thread being closed, as it will the Porch, so think very carefully of what you will say next and how it may affect those who congregate here for fellowship and friendship.