“The RoseBouquet”

Last week we had bought a case of peaches. I’ve just had to clean up a bunch and get them into plastic containers for the freezer, as they were beginning to turn bad. I’m running out of those plastic containers, so I may have to go back to using glass jars again if this keeps up. (We have easily over 100 of those). Or better yet, I’ll make my Peach Torte today.

However, I think most of the putting up fruit and berries season is over.

I’m thankful that Dad still takes an interest and makes himself responsible for picking the raspberries (only tasting quantities left, he says), and the green beans, which he washes and cuts and puts into baggies himself.

Mainly though, he’s been busy making more of those Disciples Crosses. When he has this last batch strung up, he’ll have enough stock here, that when sold should earn him over $1000.

Problem is, the contract we thought we had with Blessings, has fallen through. We have to find our own distributors to get into a chain like that. Which means I am the one who has to do that for Dad.

Last week I took some photos of his crosses so I could put them on my web sites and even try to sell them on eBay. However, when we dashed off to the city immediately after, I forgot the film at home! Shesh! It doesn’t seem prudent to go again just for that, so I’m waiting for a couple of other errands to make it worth the gas.

It does make me rather proud of Dad though to see him patiently working away at
making them, then varnishing them, which he does by dipping them out by the back door, and then melting the edges of the little plastic bags he makes with his bag sealer, once he has the crosses neatly arranged over the little white cards I print up for him. He’s never been a businessman, but he’s being a good craftsman in all this.

I’m sure they will sell in due time!

(Hey, would you like to place a mail order through me? I’ll try to get purchase details up soon).

I’m still learning about those php forms for my Get Acquainted pages on my site, but I think I latched onto a good pre-written form/script yesterday, and hope that I can still get all four of them functional in the next few days.

My heart is really ready to move on to something else.

I did spend two nights on a book editing job last week, and am grateful for the income. The e-book I’m creating for Joanne Lowe (you’ll get free download links), is in the formating stage now. I like to think I might finish it by or in next week.

Besides that, I’ve had several long distance calls from NEW friends. Two phoned because they found my number on my genealogy site. Mostly such calls spin me off into a new research drive on behalf of others, but you never know when something like that will pay off down the road of time, right? So I throw myself into every new friendship like Rebecca watering the camels of Abraham’s servant.

Another thing; do you recall when I was all excited about switching from Windows98 to a Linux operating system known as Mandrake? I thought I had got a candy store! Well, I still work in Mandrake (lost Windows at Easter through some fluke), but I’ve been hearing how much better SuSE (pronounced Suz-ah) is. So I had ordered the 5 CDs, and Saturday I did an install. It took all afternoon, and because of other pressing projects and promises, I couldn’t stay long enough to explore it fully, but it appears to have an even bigger candy store. Maybe this one is a department store the size of Wal-Mart! (Hundreds of programs, they say).

I need to fix the bootloader to show both systems on the initial menu. Then I can switch back and forth while I make my transition. But with my busy work week schedule, I’m having to restrain myself until I can snitch some blocks of time out of my weekends - which are also busy - to get into it. It may take a few weeks yet until I’m fully moved in to SuSE. Ho-but I’m giddy with anticipation!

Fiction is fun and for pleasure, the big money lies in writing how-tos and
knowledgeable non-fiction. Want to make a living in this internet
information age?

Make Your KNOWLEDGE Sell! is THE BEST manual to guide you through brainstorming, developing and marketing your info-product. That, and

Make Your WORDS Sell! will give you all the training you need. The rests is up
to YOUR mind and will-power.

Or, look into practical writing for businesses… Now that’s lucrative!

Have you observed that authors tend to give their main character at least, their own
world-view and concepts of theology. It creeps in even when we think we are not doing it.

I got to thinking; I know I was deliberately giving my heroine aspects of my own
relationship with God, but what theological World-view-points does Ruthe live by in my first novel? Which ones crept in without me noticing it?

Since I have not been in the midst of writing it for a few years, (I’m working on a sequel) I think I can be more objective now, and can analyze just what world-view my heroine has inherited from me. I have made some intriguing discoveries.

We’ll look at some passages, and I’ll explain the premises made, and answer some questions of consequence.

To read the full (very long) web page go to: Ruthe’s Theological World-view

P.S. I understand that long personal discussions of a book are helpful to selling them, so I am taking the liberty of doing so. These are not short, inspirational articles I’m writing here right now. We may get to those again, once I have time.

Dad does not remember birthdays, nor does he know how to plan surprises, or even to shop for gifts. I’ve long ago come to terms with that, and it no longer bothers me. It’s not necessarily that he wouldn’t want to, he just doesn’t know how.

Past experiences have taught me that if I want any guests or a special meal on my birthday, I’ll have to organize it myself. It would have been easy to shrug and say, “I’m content to huddle by the computer and write on my next novel. That’s enough fun for me.” (It would’ve been good enough, as I’ve been giving some half days to that novel of late, and feel like I’m eating ice cream in secret)!

However, we have some friends who love any excuse to come over for a meal, and I knew my brother Tom would gladly come, if I arranged a ride for him, so I invited our friends, Helen and Wendell, and they agreed to bring Tom too, for Sunday supper.

I also invited Dad’s buddy, Jona, when he phoned, as he often complains about how lonely his Sundays are. I didn’t tell him it was for my birthday though, as he’d be all embarrassed and refuse to come since he had no time to get a gift or card.

I gave Dad time over Sunday breakfast to remember and wish me a happy birthday. It didn’t happen. When we got home from church I asked if he’d dig up a large hand full of carrots, not a big bucket full as he has sometimes, just a large handful for our supper guests.

I was busy in the kitchen getting us a light fruit lunch ready, and preparing the chicken for the crock to cook out in the garage all afternoon, when Dad comes in with just a small handful of baby carrots. Maybe enough for the tossed salad.

“Dad, do you know what day this is?” I asked him point blank.

Dumbly he looked down at his suit. A clear give-away it was Sunday. He had no idea other than the day of the week.

So I reminded him it was my birthday and I’d been talking about our guests coming since the day before. He shrugged sheepishly and went out to dig up more carrots.

I worked until 2 pm at various dishes and put them in the fridge, or in the case of the carrots, set them in the double boiler ready to cook at 5 pm. Then I went down to my oldest computer, and had a blessed two hours of working on my novel. My personal treat to myself!

By 5 pm I was up in the kitchen again, cheerfully working at setting a nice banquet spread on the enlarged table, and feeling quite content and glad to be alive and in my present circumstances. God is good to me. All the time!

Our guests enjoyed the meal, Helen helped with the dishes, and afterwards, since Wendell and Helen had had some car trouble, the men went out to work on that. Tom has been a garage mechanic in the past, and suggested they go to the carwash sort of across the street, where he forced a huge collection of dead bugs out of the rad with a jet of water. Dad, who has all kinds of odds and ends in his workshop, was able to help them out with a screen for their radiator.

I took Helen for a little tour of our garden and filled up some bags with lettuce, dill and yellow daisies for her to take home.

Very soon we’ll start giving away zucchini and cucs to visitors!

I did have the first two forms of the Get Acquainted forms in the Arbour section working, but as I started the third one yesterday I spotted a problem. Hunting for the solution, I discovered a notice that explained the probable cause. Best answer was to uninstall the phpformgenerator and install a fresh download. So I did that.

This afternoon I’ll make those forms over again, and hopefully everything will work smoothly by the end of this week.

Whew! Will I ever be glad! Those forms have helped me to get to know some friends in a quicker, more thorough way, and I feel badly that they have NOT worked since I moved this site to a new host last November.

Besides that I have a couple of clients for whom I’m doing work. One is an e-book I’m building for Joanne Lowe, who has dedicated her short devotional writings back to the Lord, from whom she receives them. You can read them at her blog;
http://joannelowe.blogspot.com/ From the Heart of Jesus.

Another is a novel editing job, and yet another is building a website for a ministry about small ministries that need notice and support.

Besides all these I’m waiting to hear from my sister Elsie, who is back in Canada, on the west coast with her grown children. She was teaching at the university in Qatar. She’s promised to come visit us, but I know she is heading back in just a couple of weeks, so it’s got’a be soon!

I’ve heard our cousin Iris is joining her this time.

More retailers and shoppers go online every day. 98% fail.
But–hey! Here’s why that can be good news for YOU!
Hard Goods Selling

Your sister-in-law calls to say their little boy is in the hospital, VERY sick. The one you especially love!

Your spouse has some aches and pains that won’t go away and has some tests done by the doctor. Next thing you know, there’s a call from the doctor - “Not Cancer!” you shriek as you pound the wall with your fists.

Maybe it is a call on the prayer chain from church. The most loved, faithful, considerate couple in the whole church have just been in an accident and both killed.

Things can get rather tense and stressed out with your kids, or a co-worker, and you know you are at the end of your rope. It’s time for a panic prayer, and instant answers.

But…you worry about doing it right, don’t you?

Or that God doesn’t like you to be always whining for help on short notice.

Guess what. I’ve got plenty of experience with panic praying. I’ve even given my heroine in my first novel, “Ruthe’s Secret Roses” a personality that is often shrieking to God for help. You should see what kind of scraps she gets into, and how wonderfully God comes through for her.

Here’s a sample from the first chapter:

QUOTE:
“Oh-h Lord!” another part of her whimpered, “I’m sorry, but, unless You give me the courage, I can’t do it! Should I really go in there?”

“Ach-h, you silly country bumpkin,” her fears taunted her again, “Drive yourself to Emergency. There’s St. Paul’s hospital just up the street.”

“Will you shut up!” Ruthe cried out. “The Lord God Almighty is with me. If He wants me to go in there He’ll give me the courage.”

For a stunned moment she considered the echo of those words. The battle eased for her some, but she drove around the block once more.

Three tears dribbled down her cheeks as she prayed with a fresh conviction that there was someone God wanted her to rescue in that place. She vowed to go in. Abruptly, she parked in front of the door and dashed in. Fast.
ENDQUOTE.

Later that night she’s rejoicing–

[to read the rest of this longish article, go to;

Panic Prayers