No, I didn't fall off the end of the earth!  But so many things have happened to me that kept me from blogging.  First of all, I was diagnosed with cancer.  In the meantime I had major issues with my back and knees.  I had knee replacement surgery.  So, now I hope I am back on the mend and can resume sharing some inspirational thoughts with you.  Last week I had the opportunity to visit Longwood Gardens and my sister took my picture with the flowers in the background.  Please look at the other pages now available on my blog.  I have discontinued my web site but...I have a second blog that I enjoy posting on.  You can check that out at www.rootedinfaith.wordpress.com.

Can you guess what this is?

Sweet Memories

On a beautiful spring day my friend and I decided we needed a real “girly girl” day.  We headed for a tea room Sue had heard about on a recent flight to Fla.  She didn’t remember the name of it.  She didn’t remember where it was.  She thought she remembered the person telling her it was in Macungie, so we decided we would just drive there and look around.  We giggled and laughed and didn’t really care where we ended up.  We were making sweet memories, the kind you make when a friend celebrates a special victory with you.

When we couldn’t find any tea rooms in Macungie, we decided to try the Blue Butterfly Tea Room in Emmaus.  But when we pulled into the parking lot we found it closed on Tuesdays.  We certainly weren’t getting too far.  By now it was well past noon and we were both pretty hungry.  Undaunted, we said to ourselves, “Let’s drive into town a little bit farther and see what there is.”  We were on an adventure!

Emmaus is a quaint little town with tiny shops and beautiful old buildings.  We loved the feel of it and enjoyed looking at the architecture.  Sue was driving and I said “Hey!  There is a little gift shop with a bunch of ladies going into it.  I wonder if that is a tea room?”  With that, she turned the car around and we looked for a parking place.  Eureka!  We found the tea room we were originally looking for.  And the name of it was Sweet Memories.

I must say, the name of the place is very fitting as one can certainly make sweet memories with your friends at such a lovely place.  We found it delightful!  The rooms are tiny and cozy with unique decorations to fit each season.  It is housed in one of those beautiful antique buildings that adorn the town.  As hungry as we were, we were immediately mesmerized by the myriad of items on display for purchase.  And since I am a tea buff, my eyes drank in the vast display of tea and tea implements for purchase.  I made a mental note of which shelf I would explore when we were done eating.

We each chose the same things from the menu: a spinach salad with strawberries, onions, and diced nuts; and a veggie burrito with mushrooms, peppers, and squash, topped with sour cream.  They were soooo delicious.  We could tell everything was fresh and top quality.  We giggled as we thought about how much are husbands would dislike the menu and how much we absolutely loved it!  (My husband is a McDonald’s man.).

 We sat right next to a large glassed case full of the most scrumptious desserts you ever saw.  All were home made by the owners.  As diners finished their lunches they came up to view the desserts in the case to make their selections.  It was hard to choose, but chocolate usually wins, hands down, for me.  We both decided to try the chocolate toffee cake with cream icing.  Yum!  A thousand times, YUM!  It was so moist and chocolaty and had these wonderful little toffee chips between the layers.  Not chips as in chocolate chips, but real candy toffee chipped into little pieces…way better!  And, the icing tasted like real cream and wasn’t that overly sickening sweet type, which I usually pick off of a cake.  It was light and fluffy and just right.

I asked for permission to take a few photos so I could show my on line friends what a great place this is.  I know as you view these pics you will surely be picking up the phone to make a reservation.  You can reach them by phone at 610-967-0296.  Their address is 180 Main Street, Emmaus, Pa.  They are closed on Mondays.  You can view their page on facebook at Sweet Memories, Emmaus PA.

I made sweet memories with a friend that day.  We were celebrating a victory.  I am a cancer survivor.  I finished radiation and I am moving on.  I thank God for such a special, sweet day and for all the precious friends He has given me.  I am truly blessed.      

           

           

This bunny is dancing on the desserts and saying "Happy Easter"!

The Shepherd - Part II

Last time we talked about Psalm 23 and how the shepherd provides for the sheep.  I introduced you to my friend Louise and her sheep farm.  I just have to tell you another cute story from Louise that brings another scripture verse to life, this time from the New Testament.

      Louise had to continuously lead her sheep from one field to another so they could have clean fresh pasture land.  She told us, “Sheep need new pastures to keep down the bugs and illness that can plaque them if they stay in one spot with too many droppings. They need you to lead the way.  They won’t go through the gate to another pasture unless you take them there.”

          She also told us how her sheep would come to her when she called.  She learned from her sheep keeping days that sheep only heed the call of their shepherd and don’t answer when other people try to call them.  She tried a little experiment with her husband, Ernie.

          “One day as Ernie and I drove to the farm,” she explained, “I asked him to stop the car next to the fence rail, beyond the barn.  I asked him to call out to the sheep ‘Here girls!’ and to wait and see what happened.  He called out, but nothing happened.”  She was excited to show him this because she wanted to make a point and share with her dear husband how God had opened up the scripture to her.  “He wasn’t their shepherd, you see, and they never even looked at him.  Then I called ‘Here girls!’”, she told us, “and pretty soon we saw heads pop out of the barn and they came out and ran over to me.”

          How exciting to feel the scriptures come alive before our very eyes as the ladies in our Sunday School class listened to these stories of sheep and read John 10: 27-28
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:  and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

          In John 10:14 Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd.  He calls to us and bids us come.  For those who are part of His flock He not only gives us an abundance of what we need here on earth, but He gives to us the promise of eternal life.  By His loving grace we can respond to His call; we are fed and led to that perfect restored garden in the paradise of God.

          Good and gentle shepherd, help me to always follow where you lead.

         

         

The Shepherd – Part I

          I’m sitting on my back porch listening to the locusts hum and the birds call.  My lawn is a lush green carpet after all that voluminous rain.  As I look at how the rain brought the grass back to life after the long drawn out heat wave and drought, I find my mind’s eye traveling to a beautiful little farm setting.  As I walk along the old dirt road, I can envision the gentle woolly sheep in the pasture that my friend Louise talked about in our ladies’ Sunday School class a few weeks ago.

Louise raised sheep for about 15 years and during that time the Lord taught her some lessons about His Word.  She so generously shared with us (in our Sunday School class) about her experiences with the sheep and the scripture verses she associated with taking care of them.

 She said “Sheep won’t lie down unless they are fed and cared for.  They have to be comfortable and content with their surroundings.  I thought it would be easy to care for sheep.  I thought they would eat the tall grass in the field and it would save me from mowing.  I thought they would drink from the little tumbling creek running alongside the field.  Boy, did I learn a lot.”

          I chuckle to myself as I think of Louise having to ride a big tractor to mow the field for her cute little flock that she thought would be so easy to manage.  She found out her lovely little farm animals would not eat the grass unless she mowed the field.  They just happen to like short grass and they weren’t content.

          Not only would they not eat the long growth in the field, but they would not drink from the beautiful little bubbling brook.  Come to find out that sheep like still water…not running water.  They are afraid of the running water.  She had to go out and find some of those old antique, claw foot bathtubs so she could put them in the barn in the shade and fill them with clean water for these wonderful woolly sheep to drink from.

          Louise was a good shepherdess to her sheep.  She took good care of them and gave them everything they needed.  She mowed the field so the grass was short and green; she installed special tubs for clean, still water; she kept the fences mended so the sheep couldn’t get out and nothing could get in to hurt the sheep.

          So I contemplate the 23^rd Psalm and how Louise related her sheep stories to us that day.  I am so thankful that the Lord is my shepherd.  I am content because He has given me all the things I need in life.  He has led me along the path to righteousness and has given me an abundance of blessings.  When you read the 23rd Psalm may you remember these special stories about Louise and her sheep.  May they be a blessing to your heart and bring your thoughts to the Good Shepherd. 

Psalm 23

¹The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

²He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

³He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

⁴Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

⁵Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

N Y Botanical Gardens

The New York Botanical Gardens
In June my husband and I had the pleasure of going on a bus trip to see the New York Botanical Gardens.  Who would think that such a beautiful site bursting with nature lies right in the middle of the city!  It sure was hot that day.  But inside the conservatory were some beautiful plants.

Click here to view these pictures larger

Joseph's Coat

     Last Thursday was a gorgeous day. My husband and I traveled, with our daughter, son-in-law, and grandson, out to Lancaster County.  We stopped at a cute little farm that offers cart rides pulled by miniature horses.  Since horses are my favorite animal, I was excited to see my grandson enjoy this new experience.  I was all about taking photographs.  By the time we left, I was ready to purchase one of the horses and take it home with me in the mini van.  I just knew it would fit in my fenced in yard back home.  I could imagine petting it, grooming it, and adding home grown fertilizer to my garden.  Wouldn't it make a wonderful pet for my grandchildren? 
     Reluctantly, I gave up my happy thoughts of a soft muzzle waiting to caress me and came back down to reality.  My grandchildren like cats and dogs better than horses and I would have to enjoy this adorable little creature all by myself.  My father reminded me, "It's too small to ride.  What can you do with it?"  (Not that I could ride it anyway!  I think I'm a little past my prime when it comes to horseback riding!)

            Harnessed up for a cart ride.

     Ok.  Ok.  On to the next step in our day's adventure.

After lunch we went to Sight And Sound Theatre to see their production of Joseph.  Joseph is a man who lived thousands of years ago.  His story is told in the book of Genesis in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible.  His father made him a cloak of many colors and his brothers were very jealous of him.  The things that happened to Joseph are a nightmare.  But the unusual dreams God gave him really did come true.  God used him to accomplish great things.
     The common name of the plant pictured below is "Joseph's Coat".  It reminds me of the story of Joseph and the coat of many colors he received from his father.  It grows as an annual in our area.  I found this specimen on a previous trip to Lancaster County and I believe this is the best one I've ever seen.  The Latin name is Amaranthus tricolor.  It is grown for the beautiful colors on the foliage.  You can purchase seed for this plant through a seed catalogue like Thompson's or Burpee's.  In our area be sure to start the seed indoors 8 to 12 weeks before the last frost date.

Amaranthus tricolor

Joseph's Coat

This plant reminds me that God has a plan for those who know Him.  No matter how bad things seem to be, His hand is guiding the events going on behind the scenes and the outcome will be for His honor and glory.  These precious thoughts are very comforting in times of trouble.

If you have a chance to go see this play at Sight and Sound I highly recommend it.  It will only be running for a short time yet.  Their next production is Jonah and the Whale.  I bet that will be a Whale of a Tale!  For information on  visiting Sight and Sound go to http://www.sight-sound.com/. Remember to take your camera if you are a photography buff.  You can't take pictures during the production; however, right before the performance some of the actors come out dressed in costume and do a swirling dance scene just for this purpose, right in the middle of the lobby.  If I had known that ahead of time I would have been prepared.  That would make a great photograph!

Visiting Mt Cuba Center

Barley Mill Road in Greenville, De is the site of Mt. Cuba Center Inc., the former home of Mr. and Mrs. Lamont du Pont Copeland. This beautiful estate has become an educational opportunity of discovery. Over 1900 plant species, varieties, and cultivars on 600 acres of breathtaking gardens entice visitors into the world of conservation and native plants.


I traveled with the Pottstown Area Garden Club on a beautiful day last week to take a docent led tour of this inspiring Appalachian Piedmont regional garden. Down the “Woods Path” to the “West Slope” brought us upon a peaceful setting of ponds, water plants, and frogs. Each part of the garden was lovelier than the last. I hated to part from the idyllic setting next to the ponds. But back up the path we went past the meadow, the “Trillium Garden”, the “Lilac Allee”, and then onto the “South Terrace”.

Our docent was very knowledgeable about many of the native plants growing along the paths. We oohed and aahed at the lovely specimens and planned out in our minds where we might place such plants in our own gardens.

This garden is only open for group tours. You must call ahead and be part of a group of 10 or more to receive a guided tour. It seems to be located way out in the middle of nowhere and we were told that visitors to Mt. Cuba often get lost on their way in. The staff recommends that you follow the directions on their web site at www.mtcubacenter.org. You can visit their web site for more information about tours or call them at 302-239-4244.

I enjoyed taking photo after photo…more than I could share. But here are a few of some of the loveliest plants blooming that day.

Mountain Laurel getting ready to burst forth in beauty.

Each area of the garden can be a slighty different mini zone.  At a different spot this same plant is in full bloom.

This Maidenhair Fern looked beautiful in the woodland garden.

These Lady Slippers seemed to put on a sad face.

Looking through the branches a gorgeous dispaly of rhododendron.

Down by the edge of the pond Blue Flag were in bloom.