Green Twig

1. Aloha! On August 21, 1959 Hawaii officially became a US state. Have you ever been? Upon arrival would you prefer an orchid or a hibiscus to tuck behind your ear?  No, I've never been to Hawaii.  I'd like to travel someday.  I'd like to see other places, Hawaii being one of them.  It's one of those dreams that I have a feeling will never come true, but my real home is in Heaven and I'll be content to go there.  I'm a flower fanatic, so either one would be just great but the orchid would probably last longer.

2. Since we're talking tropical...what's your favorite food or beverage made with pineapple?  Mmmmm I like pineapple.  I like fruit cake, but only if it has big chunks of pineapple.  I like pineapple coolers... chunks of ice (I brake mine up with a rolling pin - no wonder my pie crust has divits), plain yogurt (if you feel especially "sinful" get the whole milk yogurt), and crushed pineapple in a blender... I have an immersion type blender, so there is very little clean-up and lots of enjoyment.  I do like pineapple, but wild blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries are even "yummier"!

some fresh wild blackberries and raspberries from around our property

3. Do you believe in soul mates? Explain.I'm assuming you mean as a mate for life kind of "soul mate" as opposed to a "kindred spirit".  I think there is the mate that God has chosen, but if you don't get it right, God can cause love to grow.  We often don't get it right in life and God comes to our rescue over and over.  If we wait on His guidance in our lives we will be in the right place at the right time.  If not we must settle for what we have and what we have can be sweet if we look to Jesus.

So I guess the answer is "yes", I believe there is a perfect mate if God intends for there to be a mate.

4. Share a memory about the house you grew up in. My brother and I grew up in a lot of different houses.  I guess the one I remember most vividly is a small trailer we had in Maine.  My brother probably remembers it better since he's 4 years older than me.  This was a trailer smaller than many modern camper trailers, in fact it was about the same size as the camper I live in right now.  The back room was divided in two with a partition.  My brother had one side and I had the other.  We both had a small closet with drawers under that my father had added.  My parents slept on a hide-a-bed in the front of the trailer.  It was VERY small, no indoor plumbing and wood heat, but it was also a wonderful home with lots of love.  I especially remember Christmases there.  My father loved to tease us about Santa Claus and we always got big boxes from our relatives far away.  My grandmother would sent the most delicious fruit cake (with whole cherries and big chunks of pineapple) all the way from Bellingham, WA to Alexandar, ME... check out a map... that about as far away as you can go east to west and still be in the USA.

5. Are you comfortable with silence? Yes!  I love it when I can think quietly or read quietly.  There are other times when I like noise.

6. You spot a giant spider on your bedroom wall...what's your next move? (all spiders are giant, right?) Funny you should ask... we have an abundance of giant barn spiders... I mean giant.  They live around our camper door and entry way and kill a huge number of flies and moths.  So I keep them.  I should name them since I talk to them frequently and tell them they better get busy reducing the fly population or their lives are in danger.

7. My idea of fun does NOT include the normal stuff that people think of as fun.  I would prefer to take a hike in the woods than go shopping.  I would prefer to spend time in the garden pulling weeds or picking veggies.  I would prefer to watch the ducks swimming in the pond and interacting or sit with a good book or do some cross stitch or sewing.  Those are my idea of fun.  I don't like to spend money at an amusement park, or go to a crowded place with lots of loud music etc.

8. Insert your own random thought here. I had a really grumpy night Monday night.  It was hot in the house and because of Mr. D's allergies we had to close up the house early in the evening.  I had not done all my cleaning on Saturday because of the "chicken swap" that ended up with no sales.  I can't believe no one wanted those beautiful Muscovy ducks.  We have 24 of them that hatched this spring and no one wants any of them which means we will be feeding them until butchering time and then have to kill them all **sniff** 



my sweetie at the "chicken swap" with all our little ducks


Then I thought how foolish it was to be ugly like that in my heart.  Think of all the blessings I have.  I have a wonderful husband who puts up with me when I'm grumpy and shouldn't have to.  I have a beautiful daughter living right next door with my very cute grandson (4 months old) who had for the past two weeks washed all my laundry and hung it out for me in the sun.  God had given us a beautiful piece of property to live on and a night sky filled with a "gazillion" stars.  I have so many blessings I don't even have time to list them all or do I have the space here or anywhere for that matter. 

Norman James Peel,  4 mos, 6 days

My grumpy evening was short-lived.  I would like to abolish all grumpiness but it seems to gradually creep up on me.  It's not invited and when it arrives I kick it out right away, but the damage it can do in that very short period of time is phenominal.

I would like to say "never again", but that would not be true.  I will strive for that though.

Hope you all have a wonderful day... no grumpiness allowed!