A busy Monday morning

My husband had an appointment "Downtown" this morning so I dropped him off and drove to the County Library (an easy walk for him when he finished his meeting). The library always brings back such good memories as Christopher and I spent many hours there, not only as a homeschooling family but also as volunteers. Walking through and perusing the books made me miss that time until a preschool boy started screaming while having a tantrum. I definitely do not miss going to the library with preschool boys. :)

I was there long enough to choose one novel (a Laura Child's Tea Room Mystery) and five (count them... FIVE) cookbooks. I can always tell what mood I'm in at the time of a library visit by what I check out. Three of these books were all about baking bread (including muffins, etc.), one was a book about the Shakers... complete with recipes, and the third was one of my all time favorite cookbooks called The Amish Cook. I can't tell you how many times I've checked it out of the library. I need to purchase that one someday.

I'm not usually one for checking out cookbooks about baking in July. However, I'm wondering if it is more about the pull of home and hearth that made these look interesting... or perhaps it was just that I was hungry.

When my husband found me, I was sitting at a table in the magazine/newspaper section with the stack of books to check out beside me and the latest issues of Practical Homeschooling and The Weekly Standard open in front of me. What can I say? I'm no longer "officially" homeschooling or involved in conservative politics but I am still interested in following what is going on with both. :)

I'm going to rest a bit and then head outside to do some necessary weeding and pruning. The temperatures as well as humidity are both giving us a brief respite in this July weather. I also need to sweep the deck again as trees have been dropping thingies from them. I'm sure there is a technical term and I could look it up in one of my husband's Forestry textbooks (but most of them show trees under the microscope, anyway) but I don't care enough to do it. I have to sweep them, no matter what their appropriate name would be... so they are thingies that need to be swept... an entire layer of them over everything.

Thank you for the comments about my delightful yard. Everything shown is just the way they were on Thursday, except the pink peonies. They have now stopped flowering (it is too hot) but left behind a very pretty bush. The two container plants I showed on the deck are the geraniums and the zinnias that I planted especially to look nice for the graduation open house. I like them so much that I'll plant them just like that each Spring... beautiful! Otherwise, I reap the benefits of previous owners with perennials, bushes, and of course (living where a forest once covered this entire land)... trees.

Freddie, I do understand what you were saying in the Comments of the last Sunday Afternoon Tea. I hear people say they "hear from God" or "God told them" all the time and I wonder if He really DID (especially when I hear what He was suppose to have told them). Yet, I know many people who have heard that "still small Voice of God" in their life. I didn't hear an actual voice as such... but I'd call it the "echo" of a Voice. Just like Abraham could not look at the face of God but only saw the back of Him as He walked by him... there are times I just know I hear His thoughts toward me.

Some people may not use the term "Voice" but instead... Calling. Mother Theresa knew the Call of God for where He wanted her to minister. I believe we see the same thing with Brother Lawrence in "Practicing the Presence of God" where he felt the Presence. I've only read a little of the Desert Fathers but it seems like they could discern what God was saying to them. If I feel I've heard from Him that He wants me to do something in particular, I always go to the Bible and wait for Him to speak to me through the wisdom of Scripture, too. I truly understand where you are coming from. :)

I have dinner in the Crock Pot so washing up should be simple this evening. It all depends if I decide to bake something for the guys in late afternoon. Just in case, I have butter coming to room temperature. After all, I do have FIVE extra cookbooks now.

I hope to get the time to write the next pantry post in the morning. This one will take the most thought of all... I also will attempt to get caught up on my e-mails this week. But not this evening. I'm certain it will find me outside in such gorgeous weather (with no rain!!)... either working along the fence line while my husband is mowing or taking advantage of a beautiful day by reading under the umbrella at a table... with my scrapbook journal, a book, a cup of tea, and a cookie for dessert at my side.

Photo: A Good Book; allposters.com