What does a 47-year-old want for his birthday?

REAL MAN FOOD!

Cube steak, white rice, and lots of brown gravy...

followed by a rather large piece of turtle cheesecake.

Daddy's birthday was Saturday. We went to breakfast as a family, did a bit of shopping (Home Depot, etc), and finished with the meal of his request. It was delicious. We bought him two kinds of cake at Whole Foods Market and had him choose the one he wanted. He chose the cheesecake, but the chocolate mousse cake looked splendid to me. When we read the ingredients, Annie discovered that there was tofu in the mousse cake. Daddy will not eat tofu, so guess who got the chocolate mousse cake? Momma and I shared it, but I confess that I ate more than half. Mmmm!

I am so thankful for my Daddy. He is a strong leader, and I know he prays for me daily. His wisdom and love are special to me. God has really blessed me in my earthly father. I love you, Daddy!

The Summer Garden

We planted our summer garden last week. It was great fun, and the plants are doing well. Our strawberries have been producing abundantly, and we have peaches on our peach tree. The only problem is that Bunny has discovered a taste for strawberries. She sneaks into the garden when we are not looking and eats her fill. We had noticed that we were not harvesting as many as we thought we should be, but we did not suspect Bunny until it rained. The next morning there were paw prints in the garden. That evening, we watched as the sneaky little Pit Bull squeezed under the fence and wandered up and down the rows, hunting for the perfect berry. Bad dog! Hopefully we will be able to dissuade her from raiding our berry patch in the future.

Daddy installed a drip irrigation system in the garden for us. It has been such a time saver, since the weather has been warm and dry lately. I was watering by hand every day, and that takes a while. Now all one only has to turn on a faucet to water the whole garden. What a blessing. We now have more weeding time, so we can keep the weeds in check.

Here is today's memory verse.

Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. Hebrews 13:17 KJV

Lovely Weather, Lazy Pets

We've been having splendid weather here. The sun is shining brightly, a nice little breeze is blowing, and the temperatures are in the 70-80 degree range. Our animals think this is napping season, and I'm tempted to join them.

Momma, Annie, and I frequently have lunch on the front porch. It is wonderfully peaceful there. The dogs and cats usually come up to be with us during this time. Abby and Bunny are always interested in the contents of our plates, but they aren't allowed to beg. Therefore, they go to sleep instead.

Zzzz!

Watch Bar McCue turns 20 today.

Rusty, or Watch Bar McCue if you want his registered name, is 20 years young today. The grand old gelding is a treasured member of our family. Rusty has been on our property longer than we have, since he actually came with the house. His previous owner didn't want to sell him, so she gave him to us. We can't imagine life without him.

Rusty is quite a character. He is an accomplished escape artist, and if he gets loose he is nearly impossible to catch. We have learned to leave him alone and wait until he decides he has had enough freedom. Then and only then will he turn himself in, in exchange for a treat, of course. Rusty has been known to drink warm apple cider out of a mug, and he is fond of homemade biscuits. The only foods he doesn't like are onions, bell peppers, and his daily joint supplement.

Occasionally we turn Rusty loose on purpose to graze around our house, and he likes to wander over to our neighbors' houses. He'll peer into their windows, hoping for a handout. When he's in the pasture, he's the boss horse. He rules the others with an iron hoof. He is pretty fair to his pasture pals, unless there is food involved.

Rusty has his own opinions about riding. He doesn't approve of giving ponyrides, nor will his majesty put up with any structured exercise. Momma, whose primary riding goal is to sit on him and follow the group, is permitted to ride. Annie, whose goal is to make Rusty fit and obedient, is not. Easygoing trail rides are permissible, but not workouts. If pressed, Rusty can display a neat and efficient buck which lands his rider in the dirt.

Now, don't think that Watch Bar McCue is a terrible beast, because he isn't. Rusty is strong-willed, but he is also very sweet. He dedicatedly watches over Jasmine when he is with her, and he loves to play with Jack. He enjoys bareback rides around our property, and he likes to be groomed by visiting children. Rusty will stand perfectly still and let kids pet, groom, and play around him (Some children once got into a water-fight while giving him a bath!).

My tale of Rusty wouldn't be complete without this last story. One day, Momma was petting him in his stall. He was resting his mouth gently on her hand, when suddenly he put his teeth on her wedding ring. She pulled her hand away, only to see that the diamond had vanished from its setting. Momma said, "Rusty!" He perked up his ears and spit out the diamond, which landed on the stall floor. Momma picked up the stone. With shaky legs, she sat down on a bench. We thank the Lord that Momma was able to get her diamond back from Rusty.

So, if you ever stop by our house, look out for our big, furry, diamond thief. He'll be the one standing at our back door looking for goodies. That is, unless he's down the road, sleeping in a neighbor's front yard.

Strawberry Success!

We harvested our first strawberries this past week! We are always pleased when the first ones begin to turn red. I think we've picked 5 or 6 so far. Every one of them was delicious. Strawberry season is a fun time for us. When one buys the berries from a store, one never gets enough. We can consume an enormous quantity of berries.

Before the Mother and Daughter Tea, Momma and I went to a small antique store to look for nice, old table linens. When I walked in, there was a large display of Franciscan Apple china. I am collecting this china for my hope chest. It can be hard to locate it at antique stores, and it is usually rather expensive. This display of china, however, was reasonable in price. I became very excited and jotted down some of the prices. After several days of prayer and consideration, I decided to purchase some of the pieces. The seller gave me 25% off the items I purchased, and them she offered to sell me the rest of the set at 50% off. After I bought a few more things, she gave me the rest for free. It was such a blessing. I have nearly 10 place settings now.