Several Posts In One

Did it rain a little the last couple of days?

This is a walkway, not a pond.

I know we don't have nearly the rain trouble here at Vicktory Farm and Gardens that some others in the state do. I know that a swamped walkway and a water covered pumpkin patch and some soggy chickens are not a mud filled house. I am thankful that we live on the head waters of a small creek where the beavers take advantage of it and the low lying hay fields (well what used to be hay fields before the beavers moved in in the sixties) and not on the flood plain of a large northwest river.

Hey Anna, that'll leave a mark.

Yesterday, Bet, Anna and I went over to visit Kathy and see her new batch of Visela-Lab pups. Guess who came home with a funny looking chin?

It was hard to go over for just a quick visit. Kathy and I haven't sat down to solve the world's problems in a long time, and boy the world has gotten into a lot more problems since we have had time to talk. Not sure we could catch up with them all even if we tried. We went through two pots of tea and I still had to push myself out the door.

It was a very pleasant way to spend a rainy afternoon. I love the rain, it feels good, but it was starting to get to me a little.

Well that is not a gate worth anything!

Dirt built this gate from old barn boards quite a while ago. He has made me some beautiful garden structures not to mention some beautiful and functional indoor items too. But old barn boards, while very cool looking, are already closer to the end of their life than the beginning so sometimes they have a hard time hanging on to their nails after ten or so years.

All better now.

With a little whappy whap here and a little whappy whap there, I have it fixed.

Fluffy, stay out of the chicken garden!

This gate separates the backyard proper with the chicken or barn garden. Right now it really is the chicken garden because when it rains hard like it has been their coop becomes a sloppy mess, some little farmer feels sorry for them and lets them out.

Fluffy is learning to deal with chickens being where they are not supposed to be. But I like it better when he can't get into the chicken garden area. If the chickens get into the backyard proper, then I can't really blame Fluffy for taking after them. I feel the same way.

Didn't actually plant the garlic in the ground like I expected to today, but boy I got some major weeding in. Now the beds are ready for the garlic. Tomorrow I'll spend some time planting but then I will be doing some more fall weeding, lots, lots more weeding.

I love to weed. It is a time for me to just chat and listen to the advice of my Counselor. The Holy Spirit. He had a lot to tell me, I was especially needy of a good talking to today..

The other day I started reading the book of Acts. I'm not about to say that it is my favorite book but it is action packed that's for sure.

Mostly I have been wondering about how the early church viewed the Holy Spirit, remind myself of how there was no apparent formula for some things like being filled with the Holy Spirit, believer's baptism, gathering of the believers, giving... lots of stuff running in my head.

So I came across two things. I'm sorry if I am about to bore the more scholarly and better informed of my dear readers and if you have something else better to do, go ahead and skip on out, it won't hurt my feelings, I know this is rather elementary.

In my NIV study Bible (I know, I'm such a heretic), while reading through Acts, I came across the timeline of Paul's life. I didn't realize that the Pauline Epistles were not put in the order that they were written. I knew that the Old Testament was not necessarily in chronological order but I had no idea that the Epistle of Paul were out of order.

I got a lot out of a study of the OT where I read the Books of the Prophets and the books of Kings and Chronicles in chronological order. So I figure, what the heck, it could be a groovy way of looking at some familiar things, and maybe it would bring to light some previously hidden things.

The other thing, nothing to do with the chronological thing, really the more important thing, is some words of St. Stephen from Acts 7:51. It shouted at me and so I thought I would leave today's record here:

"You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit."

If I resist the Holy Spirit's leading am I not one of the stiff necked people, with uncircumcised heart and ears? Resist the Holy Spirit. Resist, not deny, just resist. Resist. What all do I not want to hear, not want to do, not want to not do? Here, we'll go a little farther shall we.

"Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute?"

Was there?

"They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him--you who have received the law that was put into effect through the angels but have not obeyed it."

I'll be thinking some more about that. Good night dear reader.