Harvesting June Strawberries

A Journal During the Coronovirus Pandemic
Reflections and Inspiration from Maple Grove
June 21, 2020

We are enjoying a bumper crop of strawberries this season. . . another of God's blessings to brighten the mood for all that our nation has been going through.  Strawberry varieties fall into three classes. June-bearing plants produce one monster crop of large berries once a year, usually in June.  Ever-bearing plants produce smaller crops of smaller berries, but bear throughout the summer.  Day-neutral plants have three peak periods of bearing. Strawberry plants have a short life span (3-4 years), and we just replanted our patches last year with June-bearing strawberries.

Re-Entering Society

A Journal During the Coronovirus Pandemic
Reflections and Inspiration from Maple Grove
June 14, 2020

While taking a walk this week, we happened upon a mother duck guarding her brood of 15 ducklings.  Ducks will typically lay a clutch of 10-15 eggs, so this mama had a full nest. The mother duck leads her brood out of the nest about 10 hours after being hatched.  From the appearance of these little ones, I would guess this was their first time out, a very hazardous time for them. She was patiently guarding them while we paused to admire and take photos.

Sheltering in Place

A Journal During the Coronovirus Pandemic
Reflections and Inspiration from Maple Grove
June 7, 2020

It is the first week of June and the twelfth week since the sheltering-in-place order was given.  Our area has just entered the "green phase" of re-opening. Shops and restaurants are beginning to open, and people are getting together again. It's a beautiful time of year with everything growing greener and flowers blooming.  We've been shooing the Robins away from building nests on our porch rafters and window sills.  They love to build in areas where overhead cover such as roofs or overhangs provide shelter.  I was caught off guard when I discovered a Robin's nest in my Clematis plant.

Growing Vertically and Horizontally

A Journal During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Reflections and Inspiration from Maple Grove
May 24, 2020

We are now in the tenth week since the stay-at-home order was issued, and we are glad to have entered what they call the "yellow phase" of reopening the country with some eased restrictions. That is a bit of relief, and we are hopeful that we can continue to move toward what we think of as "normal." It would also seem that the winter weather is finally behind us.  What a month of May it has been. Nothing has seemed normal.  With no more frost warnings in the forecast, I was able to plant my Kitchen Garden this week.  I had started tomato and pepper plants from seed back in the middle of March, and I was so happy to transplant them outdoors. I have a small Kitchen Garden, 16x16 feet, so I practice the square foot and vertical methods of gardening.  Last year I decided to try to grow pumpkins vertically. That was a challenging experience, but mission accomplished!

God Bless America

A Journal During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Reflections and Inspiration from Maple Grove
May 17, 2020

I like to decorate for each season.  Toward the end of May, I switch from spring to summer decor. Because the upcoming months recognize the national holidays--Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day--it's fitting to display Americana.  We made this American flag art several years ago.  (You'll find a link to how we made it at the end of this post.) The crucifix is very special to us.  When Danny student taught for his degree in Industrial Arts Education, one of his students made it for him.  It has hung in our home since we were married forty-four years ago.

Be a Child

A Journal During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Reflections and Inspiration from Maple Grove
May 3, 2020

We've turned the calendar to the merry month of May, but we are still in stay-at-home mode. Our Pennsylvania Governor has eased restrictions in 24 counties, but ours is not one of them, not yet.  One of the projects I worked on during this seventh week of sheltering-in-place was cleaning out my Potting Shed.  During the winter, we store our patio furniture in it, but once we bring the furniture out, the shed becomes my  Potting Play Shed.  I took down the curtains and washed and ironed them, and gave the shed a good thorough cleaning. Then out came all the tea party paraphernalia, which of course I had to play with.

Waiting and Waiting

A Journal During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Reflections and Inspiration from Maple Grove
April 19, 2020

Five weeks of stay-at-home confinement, and it seems the weather has become as unpredicatable as our situation.  This week has been mostly cold and even snowy.  March and April have apparently decided to trade places.  It was too cold and wet for me to go out and mow or do yard work, so I spent most of my time this week sewing.  I continue to sew face masks and dresses for Dress a Girl Around the World.   Simply shopping for groceries has become a challenge.  We have turned to the online pickup ordering, but trying to reserve a time slot is nearly impossible.  We have to keep trying over and over, waiting for an available time to open up. When will it ever end? We're all waiting for this confinement to be over, and the waiting is so hard. Life has changed so drastically so suddenly.  All this waiting reminded me of a post I wrote nine years ago when I retired and was uncertain what my future would be like.  I pulled the post up again,  finding it comforting to revisit at this time.

Planting for New Growth

A Journal During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Reflections and Inspiration from Maple Grove
April 12, 2020 - Easter Sunday

Here we have been in our fourth week of stay-at-home confinement due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.  We enjoyed beautiful Spring weather again this week, even reaching into the low 70's F.  Last week we cleaned out the flower beds and mowed, and this week we power-washed the deck and porches, got out the porch furniture, and set up the sunroom.  Of course, my favorite part of springtime is getting ready to plant my Kitchen Garden.  Fortunately, I bought my seeds several weeks ago and had everything on hand to get them started indoors.

The Grass is Always Greener

A Journal During the Coronovirus Pandemic
Reflections and Inspiration from Maple Grove
April 5, 2020

There is an old saying that goes like this:  "The grass is always greener on the other side," meaning that other people seem to be in a better situation than you, although they may not be. During this Coronovirus Pandemic, I am hearing many people expressing the opposite--how much better their situation is compared to some others. We are now at the end of the third week of "social distancing," "sheltering-in-place," and "staying at home."  The latest orders from our Governor are that "stay-at-home" means exactly that and has been extended to the entire state of Pennsylvania.  Furthermore, if
we do have to leave our home for essential reasons such as food or medical, we are instructed to wear face masks.  This crisis is not easy for anyone, but there are valuable lessons to be learned from it, and hopefully they will be remembered.

Stay at Home

A Journal During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Reflections and Inspiration from Maple Grove
March 29, 2020

We just finished our second week of "social distancing" and "sheltering-in-place" during this coronavirus pandemic.  We have been given a new term to add to the now familiar ones. Our governor has issued a "stay-at-home" order for our county in Pennsylvania.  We are stay-at-home kind of people anyway, so it doesn't really change our day-to-day routines much, but we really feel the difference on the weekends.  We so miss our family Sunday gatherings at Maple Grove, and we also miss gathering with our church family for worship and fellowship. The uncertainty of how much longer we will be confined or how extensive the outcome will be weighs over our country and the world like a dark cloud. We ourselves are fine, but we feel concern and compassion for those who are suffering or in harm's way.  It truly is a blessing that the timing of this stay-at-home order is in the Spring when we can enjoy the warmth and freshness of the outdoors.

Look Beyond the Challenge

A Journal During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Reflections and Inspiration from Maple Grove
March 22, 2020

The first I recall hearing about an outbreak of a virus was probably in January when headlines carried news of a mysterious respiratory illness spreading from China through Europe. In February, we learned the disease was identified as a coronavirus and was named COVID-19. It had reached the United States and by mid-March had been declared a worldwide pandemic. It quickly spread to all 50 states. A United States National Emergency was declared, and that's when life began changing for all of us.  

The purpose of these posts is not to provide details about COVID-19 nor to offer opinions about political or economic ramifications.  It has been a long time since I got away from "blogging," and I see this as an opportunity to simply share a journal of my personal experiences and reflections about life for us at Maple Grove during this crisis.

PRAY - 30 Days of Prayer

 I invite you to download this free E-Book to your computer or reading device and join me in
30 Days of Prayer for the month of June or on any time you want to begin your own prayer journey.

You may also download and print this free companion Children's Coloring Prayer Book
to include your children on your prayer journey and teach them how to pray.

Please feel free to share these links with your friends,
and God's blessings on your own prayer journey!

THE PURPOSE OF ALL PRAYER IS TO GLORIFY GOD

AND DEEPEN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM

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Building a Stone Cairn

The sound of water gently trickling over a bed of stones. The smell of rich earth mixed with fallen leaves and branches. The feel of damp air in the cool shade of the trees. The warmth of a patch of sunlight reaching down through the tree tops.  "Let's erect a cairn as a marker to commemorate how special this place is to us, this place we call Maple Grove. Let's erect it to the glory of God and give thanks for all His blessings."

Maple Sugaring Season

You know that spring is just around the corner when you see the sap buckets hanging on the maple trees.  The fields and trees are still brown and bare, but the air is getting warmer. In late February and early March there is a very short season when the temperatures are above freezing in the daytime and below freezing at night. That is when the sugar sap starts flowing; it is harvest time in the maple groves of the northeastern United States.  

The Sights and Sounds of Christmas

I will miss the beautiful decorations and the special music of Christmas when we put it all away.  But the Good News of the Christmas story, the joyous songs of the angels, the love of the Christ Child never goes away.  That will remain in my heart and on my lips long after the season's greetings and holiday traditions are retired.  

Even when the fire burns low in the fireplace, His Love burns strong in my heart.  When the lights dim on the trees, His Light glows bright on my path.  May it be so for you in your life, now and always.

"God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

Lord, Make My Heart a Manger

How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given!

So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven.

No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin,

where meek souls will receive Him still,

the dear Christ enters in!

Tender Hearted

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32)

Sometimes it is very hard to forgive someone who has wronged us.  Sometimes we don't want to forgive. We want to hang onto the anger because it feels like a way to punish the wrongdoer.  But in reality, we become the wrongdoer too when we refuse to forgive.  

God forgives us for all of our sins because of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross to receive the punishment we deserve.  Why be a punisher when we can be a forgiver?  The truth of the matter is that the one we are really punishing is ourself. When we refuse to forgive, we are allowing resentment and bitterness take up residence in our heart.  

God forgives us, not because we are forgivable, but because He is forgiving.  God loves us, not because we are lovable, but because He is loving.  We need to become like Him.  We need to be loving and forgiving, not because others deserve it, but because Christ's love flows through us into the lives of others.  When Christ resides in our heart, there is no room for a bad tenant like unforgiveness.

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