Imagine

My imagination has kicked in to planning where I will go to shoot wildflowers this spring and summer. I have heard that the Crested Butte area is a stunner in springtime. Perhaps a trip back there would be in order. But I also have been told that the roads are crowded because of the notoriety of the wildflower showings.

The blessing of our Idaho trip last year was that we were often the only car on the road for miles and miles. The top photos are of Idaho where we stumbled into an alpine valley filled with hues and smells that were breathtaking. We had just left Stanley headed for Ketchum. We ended up spending four hours off the road in this stunning arena. Spring in northern Idaho would usually mean cooler temperatures for hiking. But that morning it hit 100 degrees, warmer than at home in Texas. A hike with long sleeves and long pants in high country in those extreme temperatures caused some red faces!

The bottom photo is up by Kebler Pass just out of Crested Butte. If God dresses these hillsides like this in the autumn, can you imagine how it might look in the spring?

I am open to suggestions of good wildflower spring travel ideas....

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To everything there is a season!

Hiding Place

One of the activities we planned for our grandkids on Valentine's evening was building a tent. I sometimes have draped a major part of the living room with blankets to make several routes under cover. This time I used the dining room table and draped it with a king-sized sheet. I threw a couple of forest friends into the cave with them. No adults allowed, unless you are invited in!

Last night the kids came over again. Some circumstances made the choice for the grandkid baths to be the guest bathroom. It may become the bathtub of choice, since it has a curtain in front of it. The master bath, though much bigger, is out in the open. I think some of the same inner pull to be in an enclosed, safe and fun space may be at work in the decision.

I remember some good memories as a child of having a tent, or hiding place made for playing. Sometimes I made them for my younger siblings as well. There is something in us that desires those hiding places. They represent safety, peace, control, ownership of space, and getting away with God.

Jesus would slip away from the crowds to pray. He was going to that 'hiding place' to be with the Father. He needed strength, restoration, ministering. If he desired and needed it, don't we?
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You are my hiding place.
Ps. 32:7

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I realized as I write that getting away with my camera into those hiding places is made of the same stuff. I need to 'get away' by myself into those places of peace and beauty to be with the Father. I harvest peace, gratitude, beauty, strength, understanding, and seeds of the fruits of the spirit to take back out to the world of people and relationships.

Sometimes that hiding place is an altar space in my bedroom, or closet, to just hide myself away and melt into the love of my Heavenly Father; submitting myself to the silence and the Potter. We can, anywhere, go to that hiding place. It provides the peace that passes all understanding; the strength we can access in the midst of any circumstance.

Spicy

I began watching the clouds at about 4:00 yesterday because the variety of God painted swirls and formations was holding much promise for a glorious sunset. I went back inside to get ready for dinner, and came outside again to see if they were still so incredible and varied. They were just beginning a touch of pink when we left for dinner.

My husband had called ahead for one of our favorite places, Gloria's. They fix wonderful San Salvadoran entrees as well as more typical Mexican food. On the much crowded highways there was no opportunity to stop and still be at the restaurant on time. When we drove into the parking lot the sky was on fire. The view was not hindered by buildings as it had been on the way over. God provides the setting and opens the way for the picture He plans.

The dinner was exceptional! I had a flatiron steak and shrimp with a chimichurri sauce. The salsa and black bean dip with chips was the best ever. And sharing the spicy meal and on-fire sky with my wonderful husband was perfect.

We returned home way too full, but had a cup of decaf to accompany a slice of the pear upside down cake.
Food, sky, and husband...all fiery hot! ha! ha!
God provided lots of flavor for our Valentine's celebration.
Wonderful spicy evening!

May love be abounding to and from you today!
<>< c

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Jn. 15:12
Love one another as I have loved you.

Oh, Manna!

I wanted to make something romantic, and not from my usual gluten-free mixes, for dessert after dinner tonight. I remembered a recipe for a pineapple upside-down cake cooked in a cast iron skillet. Instead of the canned pineapple rings I substituted slices of fresh pear and put orange flavored craisins in the center to give the appearance of a blooming flower.

I made the recipe half again as much as ingredients called for, since I had a 12 inch skillet instead of a 10 inch. That is something done with much trepidation in gluten-free cooking. Slight changes can be disastrous. I let the cake cook 5 minutes longer because of the bigger size. Then I let it cool while I prayed that it would release with the design intact and the cake throughly done.

Oh, Manna! God blessed my efforts!
Can't wait to share it with my honey.
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How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Ps. 119:103

Preparing a Table

My Valentine's Challenge has been such fun. Since we will be watching our grandchildren tomorrow night, we will celebrate this evening going out to dinner. But this morning I got up to a dozen yellow roses from my sweetheart. Awesome, aren't they? I have had a thing for yellow roses since I was little. I remember a wild yellow rose bush growing in the yard of one of the places we lived in western Nebraska out in the country. Give me a yellow rose over a red one any day.

We are having some friends over midday tomorrow. It is their wedding anniversary, and they don't enjoy trying to find a restaurant on the actual day. He loves my soup, so I made a big pot of ham and bean soup this morning to have for lunch tomorrow. It may be just soup, but it feeds the body and spirit. We may get a few games of Mahjongg in before the grandbabies show up.

The tablecloth and napkins I found at an estate sale a few weeks ago. The Italian pottery set for 4 I found for a song at a Goodwill Store about a month ago. It is a little chipped, which I love. The table is inviting, warm, and I hope will make my guests feel especially loved.

I really want to continue this throughout the year, just having one or two couples over at a time for a homemade meal, some real conversation, and perhaps a game of Mahjongg or cards. Old-fashioned, but has the wrappings of provision of a homemade meal and the gift of spending time with loved ones. I think this may be happening all over the country as we refocus on time at home, saving money and health by not gorging on fast food, and connecting with friends with the television OFF; relying on conversation and social skills to be truly present with one another.

I began thinking about how this resonates with the way God prepares a table for us. His provision and His heart are to feed us and to spend time with us. We may be old and chipped, but when we gather to spend time and food, there is beauty in the preparation, the guests, and the Host that speaks of the supernatural forces of love. We are His bride, His beloved.

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You prepare a table before me...
Psalm 23:5

He has taken me to the banquet hall,
and his banner over me is love.
Strengthen me with raisins,
refresh me with apples,
for I am faint with love.
Song of Songs 2:4-5