Irish Hills

I went running this morning around our loop. I think that I ran about 1 and 1/3 miles but I am still uncertain about that. Since I haven’t run in a long time, it was rather hard and I paused for breaks to do breathing exercises to avoid exploding my lungs. I lasted for about 17 minutes. I should have pushed myself to the 20 (regardless of any pain) but I felt that I just couldn’t. Next time will do.

Ben has been writing several good posts on the art of flopping lately. Everybody around our house has taken to it. Even Mom!

After my workout yesterday my shoulder, back, biceps and triceps all are aching like mad. But that’s good ’cause it means that they are growing now and rebuilding. So I refrain from taking the Tylonol.

I think that I’m the Queen of all Weed Pullers. That gave my muscles yet another well deserved work out, and a sunburn too. But the effect of no weeds in the flower beds is worth it.

Tomorrow is Sunday. A day of rest and peace and quiet. A day of new begginings and a new week. I rest. The Sands of Time Are Sinking!

Coram Deo! Gracey Mae

What sort of person are you?

1

• Wind and rain, and thunderstorms too…with sheets of hail on a tin roof. Keep the fire blazing and a book at hand!

2

• Fall days, with the gold and the red and copper all mixed together in one glorious color. The air is full of smoke (a sure sign that Fall is really here) and a hint of chill in the air is warning enough of Winter ahead.

3

• A mild day. With just the right amount of warmness mixing witih a breeze from the North…the trees are dressing anew and the sky is a bright blue. Spring infects your mind and after the cold winter days of dreariness is a welcome companion.

4

• A winter day in the city is the life for me…the snowflakes slowly drifting down, the silence of them drowned out by the unceasing traffic in the streets…people hurry by, and you catch glimpses of an occasional person passing, a cheery smile on their face and a brilliantly colored scarf around their neck, they really do stand out against all the black bleakness of winter. Your footsteps click clack as you hurry homewards.

5

• Solitary beaches. A stiff breeze filled with ocean salt ruffles your hair and makes you squint into the sun. Lonely gulls cry overhead and the pounding ocean below you fills you with an unusual excitement. The sea, an unruly unbounded free place. It catches at you and pulls you to and fro with the tides. It can be as gentle as a spring day and then as wild and unexpected as…itself.

6

• The sun on the hills dances with a laughter unequaled by any other. It eludes the artists paint brush and loves to keep the picnicers company. It melts the snow and opens the heart.

Leave me a comment and tell me which one you are!

Coram Deo! Gracey

I went out onto the deck today and this is what I saw and felt.

A cold wind blew on me from the East, while the sun warmed my heart from the West, and the clouds were layered upon one another Grey on White and Black on Blue. The shadows passed over my face and slanted down the hills with dappled elegance. The sound of the road a hundred feet below us mixed with the birds singing in my ear.

Coram Deo! Grace

I know that I’ve got to write a good weblog post soon, but I don’t want to right now. The rain has really taken hold here. Everything seems gloomy and dark. My cold is slowly killing me off, I hope to be rid of it in another five months. Gloomy, gloomy, gloomy. If anybody has sunshine in their little part of the world, please send it this way.

Coram Deo, Grace

This year (Lord willing) I will be attending the WCWC with my two older brothers, or at least Ben. Ben is a seasoned attendee of three years, and this will be my first. I am truly looking forward to this special event…there are going to be great speakers, including R.C. Sproul Jr. Anyone else going? I promise you that it will be well worth your time. If you have nothing better to do this Summer then I encourage you to attend.

Coram Deo! Gracie

To all six-year-olds-to-be-tomorrow, alert!! There is only one greatest six-year-old-to-be-tomorrow- and that is my little brother! Happy Birthday!!

Coram Deo! Gracey A.

It seems that we here, get colds far more often than we should. There seem to be hundreds of thousands of different variations. First there is the little common cold, nothing much, a little stuffy at night and a rather sore throat, with a small sniffle. The next step up is the type of cold that likes to make you blow your nose all the time. Then there is the master of all colds, the hang-on-till-death-do-us-part kind. It leers at you, and mocks every move you make to thwart it. It gives you a sore throat, a hard time breathing, a stuffy, runy nose. It takes away your appetite, and makes you feel like something the cat dragged in. Also with this cold comes the worst hacking cough, that seems to shake you all over. Yes, ladies and gentlmen, this is the absolute epitome of a cold.

So, how to enter into battle with these viscious germs? First off, you drink and drink and drink fluids, the trick here is to stay hydrated. Next off, take lots of vitamins…includes Eccinachea Vit. C…don’t foget these! And drinking Orange juice is important too! Then you rest up. Take it easy…read a book watch a movie, something… I can promise you that this cold will wipe you out completely!

Some things to do to avoid colds. Take hand santitizer in the car. Wash your hands frequently, avoid kissing any cute babies at church, many other people have done the same thing!

Coram Deo! Gracie

I have an official request for Master James. Will you put Shenendoah on your playlist?

Coram Deo! Grace

Here’s my heritage:

In order: My Irish. Herein lies my temper, quick tongue, forgiving heart and shortness. My German: Herein lies my stubborn will and hard head, we in our family never quit. My French. Herein lies my sarcasm and tendency toward being prideful. My Icelandic. Hence the Blonde hair and blue eyes, truly a very Nordic appearence….this is also why my brothers are so tall…but I just had to get the Irish in the end.

Coram Deo! Gracey

Yes, we country mice do occasionaly make a trip down to the big city. Only this time it was the dreaded Costco trip. Those readers who know me personally, will know that I am a cheapskate. I guess that it’s that tiny bit of Scottish blood in my veins, doing it’s best to combat the Irish that so overwhelms it. Mom has said many times afore, that she hates taking me shopping, because of my tight fist. But I fear that if I let Mom go out by herself to do the shopping she would buy the most unpractical things for our family, i.e. books and other such nonsense.

Together we make the perfect pair. She restraineth me, and I her.

When we finally reached our destenation, we both got heavy metal pallets and started our shopping. To get rid of some of the tiredness we played a game that I invnted. She counted how many men were wearing earings in their ears, and I kept an eye out for belly button shirts. From time to time I would call out numbers, much to Mom’s amusement. Of course I won the game, but Mom didn’t try that hard…

…When we got up to the cashier with our pallets stacked sky high with groceries, she gave us a befuddled look and asked how often we did this sort of thing, oh only once a month, we told her. Really? You have a big family or somthing? Yeah, it’s only 11 mouths to feed…. Oh my Gosh! I love having so many brothers and sisters, just so I can see the shocked look on peoples faces when I tell them that.

I cannot tell you just how much I love coming home… I enjoy being out, but I love coming home even more. I’m your typical homebody, or even more so. When we come over that horizon and the green hills covered in pines and oaks, and the road stretches on like an avenue with trees shading either side, and a everything is so beautiful, just as the country should be, then you feel a real love for where you live. A small scattering of fluffy grey and white clouds, roll over the hill and make it even more picturesque and dear.

So here I sit, having come home after a busy day, rested up my tired feet, having kissed all the little kids into their beds, and dealing with quilting, an area that God made me particularly stupid in, typing on the computer and yet another weblog post. All around me is peaceful and quiet.

Coram Deo! Gracie