LOOKING THROUGH MY WINDOW

Hey friends! I hope that everything finds you well, wherever you are. If you were to peek through my front window, you would see a lot of uneventful, mundane things going on. Since you’re not standing in my front yard, I thought I would give you a glimpse of what is happening on Primrose Lane.

First of all, we got a lot of rain yesterday. I mean a LOT. If you were standing in my front yard, you would definitely need an umbrella and rain boots. Harold’s rain gauge said that we got 4.5 inches in a little over 48 hours. I felt a little like Noah on our way to church yesterday. It was really pouring! Griffin was home for the weekend and he had to leave yesterday afternoon to drive back to South. What normally should be a 4 hour drive ended up being more of a 6 hour drive because of the rain. He told us that from Montgomery on, he didn’t get above 45 MPH because of the rain. I’m just thankful that he made it back safely. I have seen on the news all of the terrible flooding that is taking place in Arkansas right now, so I am praying for those people.  One thing about the rain - it has definitely brought out the green leaves. It amazes me how just suddenly everything is green. I know I have said it already, but springtime is my favorite. The old adage really is true. April showers bring May flowers. Like God showed me last week with the pollen, I will take the rain, knowing that it will bring the flowers soon.

Speaking of flowers, Harold and I are working in ours. I have been busy pulling weeds, thinning my perennials, and working on my beds.  We had to pull up some boxwoods from the front of our house because they had died. That was a lot of work for two folks in their 70’s! We did it, and we ended up planting some dwarf loropetalums in their place. I am already loving the change in the front of our house. I will have to take some pictures after the rain stops to share with you.

If you’ve been here for a while, then you already know that I enjoy decorating for the seasons. I have been working on my Easter tablescape for a week or so now. I don’t have my centerpiece quite finished yet; I just can’t seem to get it just right. I am still tweaking it so hopefully I will settle on something soon.  Speaking of decorating, I have decided that I am tired of our master bedroom look, so I am about to embark on redecorating it. Walmart has the most beautiful comforters and bedspreads and I am deciding between a few of them. Once I make my decision, I plan on getting started with the redecoration process. Of course, I will bring you all along for the process. 

A closeup of my centerpiece. Do you think the cross is too big for this space?

A wider shot where you can see my place settings and napkins.

We had to take Scout back to the vet last week. My sweet boy just isn’t doing well. He is old, and we are seeing more and more that his time here with us is getting short. He is our baby and he brings us so much joy. I believe that God is concerned by the things that concern us, so I don’t feel bad at all to admit that I pray for my dog. You may think that it’s silly, but I don’t. If you are the praying kind (and I hope you are), I would appreciate you saying one for Scout. 

Our sweet Scout is getting old.

I appreciate all of you for taking a few minutes out of your busy day to read my blog. This is such a great outlet for me, and I really feel like I am sitting on my sun porch talking to my friends when I write these blogs. If you are looking for scholarly wisdom and academic conversation, this probably isn’t the place for you. BUT if you are looking for a place where we can share about the Lord, enjoy good cooking, and talk about our gardens and flowers…then you are home! Pull up a seat, fix you a glass of Y’all Sweet Tea, and stay for a while. I am glad you are here.  Leave me a comment and let me know where you’re from and what you are doing.  I love to hear from you! Share my blog with your friends. I am wanting to grow this platform. There’s plenty of room on my sun porch for all of us.

Don’t forget to leave me a comment and share a glimpse of what’s going on in your window recently. Remember to be salt and light.

CORN MUFFINS

These muffins are easy to make, with simple ingredients making them the perfect side for to any Southern meal. Harold likes to put his in his soup. This recipe can be found in the Volume 1 cookbook.

Cookbook: Volume 1

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LESSONS FROM THE POLLEN

It’s April the 2nd, and here in the south that means one thing. The pollen is out. I don’t know if it’s the same in your neck of the woods, but here in central Alabama, everything is yellow. Our cars are covered in a yellow coat of pollen. My front porch (and everything on it) is now thick with yellow dust. Even if you couldn’t see the pollen on every single thing, you would know it has arrived just by listening to Harold. 

Or Amy.

Or Griffin.

Or suddenly…after almost 72 years - ME! I seem to have developed the seasonal allergies that have plagued my family for years.  Last weekend, I found myself with the allergy symptoms that are so common: runny nose, facial congestion, sneezing, coughing, and itchy, watery eyes.

The bed cover on the back of Harold's truck is covered with pollen.

Harold has always had bad allergies. He takes allergy medication every single day; allergy season or not. Amy inherited the bad allergy trait from her daddy. Griffin may have it worse than any of them. Bless his heart, this time of year has always been brutal for him. When he was growing up, there was nothing that we could do to help him. Amy and Shawn tried every kind of medication on the market. The only thing that gave him any kind of relief was when Amy learned about an essential oil remedy. She would use grapeseed oil as a carrier oil, and add lemon, peppermint, and lavender oils to a glass roller ball. Griffin would apply this concoction to his throat, on his chest, and even under his nose. I promise you it worked better than anything. Let me tell you, if it’s spring time, you won’t catch Griffin without one of his oil roller ball bottles. He still uses them to this day. 

The makings of Griffin's "allergy bomb" rollers.

It is my job to be on social media, so I see a lot of what people post. I recently noticed a lot of posts about the pollen this year. I have even commented about how bad it is. Wouldn’t you know, God used something as silly as pollen to teach me a lesson?

Just last night I was about to type something about how much I disliked the pollen on my porch, and God spoke to me. Now before you ask me, I didn’t hear an audible voice. I just felt Him speaking to my heart. He said, “Sue, you can look at it as a nuisance, or you can choose to see it a different way. You need to look for the good.” 

What? It’s POLLEN. What in the world is good about the pollen?

This is one of the chair covers on my wicker chair. I moved the cushion away and look at the pollen outline!

Well, for one thing, pollen means that it’s spring time. Spring is my favorite time of the year. Spring means new growth, working in my yard, planting flowers. Springtime is when Shawn and I get the garden ready to plant. Spring is what we look forward to after the doldrums of winter. Another good thing about the pollen is that it makes the flowers grow. Without pollen, there wouldn’t be any new growth. Like my pastor Jason Allums says, “that will preach.” Isn’t that just like our walk with God? We have to go through some difficult times in order to grow. In the grand scheme of things, our temporary discomfort is okay when we enjoy a beautiful spring day, work in our growing flowers, and see the earth come alive again after a cold winter.

God used something as silly as me wanting to complain about pollen to teach me a lesson. He’s good like that. He is always wanting to speak to us. All we have to do is listen.

How is the pollen where you live? Do you have seasonal allergies like my people do? What do you do for them? Leave me a comment and let me know. The pollen isn’t going anywhere, so we might as well help each other learn to live with it. I know that when I see my yellow-dusted car today, I won’t complain like I might have yesterday. I am going to say, “Thank you, God for the pollen. I know it will bring the flowers soon.”

“See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19