Wednesday, April 28, 2010

My Mission of Serving



"God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission -- I never may know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. Somehow I am necessary for His purposes, as necessary in my place as an Archangel in His -- if, indeed, I fail, He can raise another, as He could make the stones children of Abraham. Yet I have a part in this great work; I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good, I shall do His work; I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it, if I do but keep his commandments and serve Him in my calling. Therefore I will trust Him. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve him. My sickness, or perplexity, or my sorrow be necessary causes of some great end, which is quite beyond us. He does nothing in vain; He may prolong my life, He may shorten it; He knows what He is about; He may take away my friends, He may throw me among strangers, He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide the future from me-still He knows what He is about.”

~Venerable Henry Newman

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The Gentle Gardener


The Gentle Gardener





I'd like to leave but daffodills to mark my little way,

To leave but tulips red and white behind me as I stray;

I'd like to pass away from earth and feel I'd left behind

But roses and forget-me-nots for all who come to find.

I'd like to sow the barren spots with all the flowers of earth,To leave a path where those who come should find but gentle mirth;

And when at last I'm called upon to join the heavenly throng

I'd like to feel along my way I'd left no sign of wrong.

And yet the cares are many and the hours of toil are few;

There is not time enough on earth for all I'd like to do;

But, having lived and having toiled, I'd like the world to find

Some little touch of beauty that my soul had left behind.

Edgar A Guest

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Spring



The Year's At The Spring

The year's at the spring
And the day's at the morn;
The hillside's dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn:
God's in His heaven-
All's right with the world!

Robert Browning

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Margaret Thatcher Quote


'Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end.
It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing;
it's when you've had everything to do and you've done it.'
~ Margaret Thatcher

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Gem Stone


Your gemstone is Garnet.

Each gemstone has a unique crystalline and chemical composition. For thousands of years, shamans, royalty and healers have used the properties of individual gemstones to bring about desired changes, heal the bodies and minds of people, and ask for blessings or improvements.

You have just completed a test that helped you discover a gemstone that can serve is your crystalline ally. Garnet is inline with who you are as a person and can bring you benefits to different aspects of your life.

Garnet helps bring order and organization to chaotic situations. Being attractive is a characteristic you value. To help you achieve that desired attractivenes, Garnet can be of assitance. Garnet also helps you attract more positive energy into your life. Garnet is a birthstone for the month of January, the month you were born.Garnet is also a stone that corresponds to your astrological sign, Aquarius.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

The Fun Ship Cocktail

Extra! Extra!
For Your Sipping Pleasure:

"FUN SHIP®" COCKTAIL
  • 1/2 oz. Amaretto
  • 3/4 oz. 151 Rum
  • 3/4 oz. Vodka
  • 1/2 oz. Apricot Brandy
  • 4 oz. Fruit Punch (recipe below)
Garnish with a cherry and orange slice.

FRUIT PUNCH
  • 2 oz. Orange Juice
  • 1 oz. Pineapple Juice
  • 1 oz. Sweet & Sour Mix
  • .25 oz. Grenadine
  • .125 oz. Angostura Bitters

"FUN SHIP®" COCKTAIL
(non-alcoholic)
  • 4 oz. Orange Juice
  • 1 oz. Lemon Juice
  • 4 oz. Pineapple Juice
  • 1 oz. Cranberry Juice
  • dash Grenadine
  • dash Angostura Bitters
Blend and pour over ice

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Spring Has Sprung


Our geese have returned!
I love to get up early and
hear them talking outside my office window!



Our ginseng has started to come up.
We planted seeds in the pots early in the year.


We planted seeds in the milk jugs and ice cream tubs a couple of weeks later.
We planted the tubers in the woods last fall.
I'm sure that they are coming up,
but we haven't found them yet.


Our plum trees haven't had plums in several years,
but the dwarf tree is lovely this year.
The sticks surrounding the plum tree
are dwarf blueberries.
the messy greenery at the base
is an assortment of mints and herbs that survived the winter.

Have a joyous spring!
Ruth Ann
http://www.r2swanger.etsy.com

Sunday, April 4, 2010

The Legend of the Dogwood




The Legend of the Dogwood Tree



There is a legend, that at the time of Jesus Christ's Crucifixion the dogwood was the size of the oak and other forest trees. So firm and strong was the tree that it was chosen as the timber for the cross. To be used thus for such a cruel purpose greatly distressed the tree, and Jesus, nailed upon it, sensed this, and in his suffering said to it: Because of your regret and pity for My suffering, never again shall the dogwood tree grow large enough to be used as a cross. Henceforth it shall be slender and bent and twisted and its blossoms shall be in the form of a cross...two long and two short petals. And in the center of the outer edge of each petal there will be nail prints, brown with rust and stained with red, and in the center of the flower will be a crown of thorns, and all who see it will remember.






Ruth Ann