Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Stumpfarmer]

Speaking of waste- I find myself wishing I still had a connection to a commercial tea-and-pot pourri company for waste lavender and mint, must get better about harvesting the stuff for use in bedding! Hopefully next summer won't be quite so strenuously horrible when it comes to dealing with broken appliances.

 

[eenie114]

Hey eenie welcome back to warm sunny Washington.
Jess make sure your patio is fireproof. A few years ago I put my metal bucket of cold ashes out on the brick patio. The next morning the resin patio chair next to it was melted. Lol. A good reminder to not take shortcuts and leave them on the wooden deck.
Also about kindling, I have never cut kindling, every year when I prune the water sprouts off the apple trees, I save them. More than enough to fill my needs for kindling. I can also share with people who have smokers.

Russ

*Teeth chattering* T-t-t-thank y-y-y-y-you.

 

[Imp]

Quote: I'm with you, just turned the furnace up to 73*

 

[Greg Richardson]

As some of you know I have a Christmas story I post every Christmas.
Today you get my Thanksgiving story.
I read this one probably ten years a go but lost it when my computer crashed.
So glad to read it again today.

My prayer is this story helps someone else who ......................



Sandra felt as low as the heels of her shoes as she pushed against a November gust and the florist shop door. Her life had been easy, like a spring breeze. Then in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a minor automobile accident stole her ease.

During this Thanksgiving week she would have delivered a son. She grieved over her loss. As if that weren't enough, her husband's company threatened a transfer. Then her sister, whose annual holiday visit she coveted, called saying she could not come.

What's worse, Sandra's friend infuriated her by suggesting her grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer. "She has no idea what I'm feeling," thought Sandra with a shudder.

"Thanksgiving? Thankful for what?" she wondered aloud. For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life but took that of her child?

"Good afternoon, can I help you?" The shop clerk's approach startled her.

"I...I need an arrangement," stammered Sandra, "for Thanksgiving?"

"Do you want beautiful but ordinary, or would you like to challenge the day with a customer favorite I call the Thanksgiving Special?" asked the shop clerk. "I'm convinced that flowers tell stories," she continued. "Are you looking for something that conveys gratitude this Thanksgiving?

"Not exactly!" Sandra blurted out. "In the last five months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. " Sandra regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the shop clerk said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you."

Then the door's small bell rang, and the shop clerk said, "Hi Barbara...let me get your order." She politely excused herself and walked toward a small workroom, then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and long-stemmed thorny roses.

Except the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped...there were no flowers.

"Want this in a box?" asked the clerk.

Sandra watched for the customer's response. Was this a joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers!?! She waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed.

"Yes, please." Barbara replied with an appreciative smile.

"You'd think after three years of getting the special, I wouldn't be so moved by its significance, but I can feel it right here, all over again," she said as she gently tapped her chest.

"Uh," stammered Sandra, "that lady just left with, uh... she just left with no flowers!"

"Right...I cut off the flowers. That's the Special... I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet.

"Oh, come on, you can't tell me someone is willing to pay for that?" exclaimed Sandra.

"Barbara came into the shop three years ago feeling very much like you feel today," explained the clerk. "She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had lost her father to cancer, the family business was failing, her son was into drugs, and she was facing major surgery."

"That same year I had lost my husband, "continued the clerk," and for the first time in my life, I had to spend the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too great a debt to allow any travel.

"So what did you do?" asked Sandra. "I learned to be thankful for thorns," answered the clerk quietly. "I've always thanked God for good things in life and never thought to ask Him why those good things happened to me, but when bad stuff hit, did I ever ask! It took time for me to learn that dark times are important. I always enjoyed the 'flowers' of life, but it took thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort. You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted, and from His consolation we learn to comfort others."

Sandra sucked in her breath as she thought about the very thing her friend had tried to tell her. "I guess the truth is I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God."

Just then someone else walked in the shop.

"Hey, Phil!" shouted the clerk to the balding, rotund man.

"My wife sent me in to get our usual Thanksgiving arrangement... twelve thorny, long-stemmed stems!" laughed Phil as the clerk handed him a tissue-wrapped arrangement from the refrigerator.

"Those are for your wife?" asked Sandra incredulously. "Do you mind me asking why she wants something that looks like that?

"No...I'm glad you asked," Phil replied. "Four years ago my wife and I nearly divorced. After forty years, we were in a real mess, but with the Lord's grace and guidance, we slogged through problem after problem. He rescued our marriage. Jenny here (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of rose stems to remind her of what she learned from "thorny" times, and that was good enough for me. I took home some of those stems. My wife and I decided to label each one for a specific "problem" and give thanks to Him for what that problem taught us."

As Phil paid the clerk, he said to Sandra, "I highly recommend the Special!"

"I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life." Sandra said to the clerk. "It's all too... fresh."

"Well," the clerk replied carefully, "my experience has shown me that thorns make roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember, it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore so we might know His love. Don't resent the thorns."

Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident, she loosened her grip on resentment. "I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please," she managed to choke out.

"I hoped you would," said the clerk gently. "I'll have them ready in a minute."

"Thank you. What do I owe you?" asked Sandra.

"Nothing." said the clerk. "Nothing but a promise to allow God to heal your heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me." The clerk smiled and handed a card to Sandra. "I'll attach this card to your arrangement, but maybe you'd like to read it first."

It read: "Dear God, I have never thanked you for my thorns. I have thanked you a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed closer to you along the path of pain. Show me that, through my tears, the colors of your rainbow look much more brilliant."



Author Unknown

 

[Imp]

Nice story Greg, and a timely reminder.

Russ

 

[Mumsy]

Then I would suggest never, EVER get a silkie! They will have your heart in an instant!

Ain't that the truth!
Here is an update for you and S. Butler on those 18 Silkie hatching eggs. One broke during the pencilling before going in the bator. One broke first time turning. Today is day four and I candled. It looks like four or five are infertile blanks and ten or so look like they have life! My DH laughs at me for hovering over the bator. He calls me a momma hen. Hah!

 

[Nikki99]

Nice story Greg, and a timely reminder.

Russ

X's 2. That made me cry. It's amazing how true this is. I can't even count how many times I've thanked Him for all the roses in my life, but never once for the thorns.
Thank you for sharing.

 

[CarolynF]

Anyone Need an Older Computer?
We are getting rid of our old computer. It's about 8 years old but runs fine. I'm reformatting it today with Windows XP. When I'm done it will go to Goodwill unless someone wants it.
It's a Dell Dimension 2350. It has 1GB of memory, 30GB hard drive, one CD drive that reads and writes CDs, a floppy drive, USB 2.0 ports. No monitor.
I have the CDs that came with it, too. It will be good for basic stuff like e-mail, internet, homework. Not good for movies or streaming video because it's slower than the PCs for sale now.

If you want it, or know anyone who could use it, please let me know asap.

 

[Chefswifey]

here's what I opened my door to find just a couple of mins ago! They were hoping I'd have treats for them ... lol!!


Then I go in my house and I hear a screech from my broody hen to tell me to let her out of the brooder! lol... I take the lid off every day when she wants me to and she roosts on the edge and poos then hops down and eats/drinks... who's training who?... lol.. her eggs are due to hatch saturday/sunday!! they're safely nested in the baby wipes box in the background





What a fun chicken adventure!! lol

 

[CarolynF]

Then I go in my house and I hear a screech from my broody hen to tell me to let her out of the brooder! lol... I take the lid off every day when she wants me to and she roosts on the edge and poos then hops down and eats/drinks... who's training who?... lol.. her eggs are due to hatch saturday/sunday!! they're safely nested in the baby wipes box in the background

But does she ever point her tail OUTSIDE the box to poop????