Favorite Farm Animals Give Their Two Cents

Welcome, ask the 'Mystic Goat' a question and then click on the video for his answer.

Here's an example question:

Is being a Mystic Goat pagan?

*click the video for the answer*

Ok, we know it isn't a goat, but the 'Mystic Lamb' just doesn't sound right.
The dog photobombing this video just doesn't get it!

This cat's response to learning Obama was elected a second term mirrored ours.

And this sheep's reaction matches perfectly with ours regarding the daily news reel especially the political columns!

This goat sums it up nicely when trying to decipher modern journalism….

Ha ha ha ha!

Concocted from the minds of Alex and Chandra Brown…
This is what you get from too much vacation time!

Mary's Trust in God

I just can't seem to shake this habit of writing about Mary the mother of Jesus during the Christmas season. It is our tradition to read Luke Chapter 1 and 2 on Christmas Eve to remember the facts of the miraculous fulfillment of prophecy about our Lord and Savior, Jesus.

This year I found some old thoughts about Mary in my journal from 1994. It is regarding her thoughts about Jesus. I find it very interesting she was able to witness the life of Jesus lived out from day one.  Her life must have been very rich having the Son of God in the flesh grace her household.

Think about the miraculous events surrounding the house of Joseph and Mary. They knew the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus were fulfilled through them. God using their life for His purpose; they were blessed. (Remember, the word blessed means God's involvement in your life and you recognizing it.)

Nativity Scene: Georgetown, TX
Photo By: Chandra Brown

Here is a short list of prophecies fulfilled in the household of Joseph:

1. The messiah would be born of a virgin: Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:18
2. The messiah would be born in Bethlehem: Micah 5:2, Luke 2:4 (Prophecy written approximately 6 centuries before Christ was born)
3. The Messiah would possess a dual nature (hypostatic union); Isaiah 9:6, John 1:49,11:27
4. The Messiah's birthplace would suffer a blood purge: Jeremiah 31:15, Matthew 2:17,18
5. The Messiah would be carried to Egypt as an infant: Hosea 11:1, Matthew 2:15

It says in Luke 2:19, Mary quietly treasured those things in her heart and often thought about them. This was at the time of Jesus' birth. In Luke 2:51, again it says Mary stored away the things she witnessed concerning Jesus in her heart. This time He was a bit older and she was amazed at His obedience and the things He was saying in the Temple after he was found in Nazareth after three days of searching for their 'missing' son. 

As a mother it must have been difficult to grapple with the future fulfillment of prophecy as it became known to her. Simeon, an elderly follower of God who knew he would not die until he saw the Savior, held Jesus as a baby in his arms and prophesied to Mary and Joseph the turmoil that lay ahead. Luke 2:34- "A sword shall pierce your soul, for this child shall be rejected by many in Israel, and to this their undoing." 

Thoughts As We Read Luke

To think of the ultimate joy and the deepest sorrow felt by Mary as she let God use her life towards His purpose; from the tumultuous scandal of a virgin birth with the accusations that come with it, the torment of heart and shaky trust in the relationship with her betrothed. 

THEN GOD slips in a little comfort when she visits her pregnant family member, Elizabeth and they rejoice in the knowledge of the truth they are living in.

God understands the dilemma of such a situation in the fallen, human world and sends angelic beings ministering to Joseph to strengthen Him in making the correct decision towards Mary.

Oh the struggle in traveling away from close family and birthing your first baby in an unfamiliar setting.

THEN GOD slips in a little comfort in the form of recognition and celebration by sending shepherds, wise men bringing gifts, and angels praising the wonderful occurrence; the invitation was the Bright Star. 

Mary and Joseph were figuring out this new baby/toddler thing when King Herod becomes jealous and stirs up an evil plot to secure his power by killing all children under the age of two as a legal decree throughout the land. God understands the dilemma and sends Joseph a warning dream and Mary and Joseph are now, parents with a toddler traveling to a distant, far-off land with barely anything in their packs and with no job secured when they get to their new home. Oh the stresses of marriage and parenthood! 

Fast forward a few years and Mary and Joseph are living in Nazareth, with more children. They decide to go to Jerusalem and they lose Jesus for three days, oh the anxiety and worry. They must have felt like awful parents. BUT GOD slips in and had Jesus at the Temple safe and doing what he wanted Him to do.

The story goes on, I urge you to read the full account of Jesus' life, I hope what He is and what He has done for you jumps off the page and grabs your soul and you'll ponder the things He has done and promises to do in your heart as Mary did.

For Speculation Sake:

I wonder if Mary ever thought something like this…..

I gave birth to God the one who created me and gave me life.

I feed the one who provides for me.

I give the one who cleanses me a bath.

VIDEO:
I Love your heart Mr. McGee!!!

Leaf, Leaves, Leaving

Leaf, Leaves, Leaving

Leaves By: Chandra Brown

A solitary leaf,
All alone
Meets some leaves one day.

The solitary leaf has found some friends
so now she is a 'leaves' too.

Suddenly her friends are swept away
and again
she is a solitary leaf

All alone.

1994-Chandra Debee
2014-Chandra Brown

Leaf by: Chandra Brown

Christmas Dinner

Have you noticed as the years pass by your focus on the Christmas holiday tends to shift towards, "What's going to be served on the table," versus "What's under the Christmas tree?" Visions of prime rib, roast turkey, hand mashed potatoes, stuffing, home made rolls, wine and pies dance in my head as I remember Christmas past. What delicacies do you cherish from your Holiday food traditions?

Anyone remember sneaking the black olives off the  relish tray and putting one on each finger just for fun? Oh ya, I was that kid!

Norman Rockwell: Family Dinner

Christmas Dinner

Oh, the anticipation Christmas dinner brings
The smells, the aromas and delicacies.

Mom's and Dad's slave all day
measuring, concocting and basting away.

Children ask, "Is it time?"
"Let's get this thing on," they whine.

Soon the dinner call sounds
and the family gathers all around.

Find your place card near the plate
so you can sit down to masticate.

Men are ogling all the glories set before them:
Stuffing, potatoes, the big fat hen
vegetables, gravy and homemade pie
"Let's dig in," they all cry.

Women sit straight and tall with a proud face
at the picturesque scene and the feast
about to take place.

Now children are of a different mindset

I'll let you in on how they think…

"LET'S GET THIS OVER WITH

AND GET THE DISHES IN THE SINK!"

It's not that they don't like the food
or intend to be rude
They've just got different priorities, you see
and they are underneath the Christmas tree.

They wish their mom's would cut them some slack
and make Christmas dinner an evening snack.
Mom's test their patience to the highest degree
and won't excuse them from the table, no siree!

Not until it is socially appropriate and
the adults have had their fill
will Mom let them free.

AND STILL…

The kids will have to wait for the
dishes to be cleared, washed and put away
before they can open their gifts and play.

"Why," the children wonder,
"Do parents participate in this traditional ritual?"
"Every year, every Christmas it's habitual."

"It must be a rite of passage to make us wait,
when I'm older with kids of my own I'll make things straight."

It's funny how it seems like yesterday
I was the kid thinking the same way
and today I repeat the ritual,
my daughter's rite of passage to pay.

My Dog's Life In A Nutshell

Little Boingey Barky
Photo By: Chandra Brown

Little Boingey Barky

Queen of the hood

Sporting off an attitude

and thinks that it is good

Little Boingey Barky

walking down the street

you can hear her clickey toes

as she moves her feet

Little Boingey Barky

patrolling the fence

yammering at the people

trespassing is an offense

Little Boingey Barky

gets called inside

let's go in the car

on a long ride

Little Boingey Barky

trotting down the trail

sniffing out critters

makes her wag her tail

Little Boingey Barky

hears, "Daddy's home!"

she comes a running

and drops her bone

Little Boingey Barky

begs at your side

please let some food drop

my mouth is open wide

Little Boingey Barky

tucked in the bed

sleeping and snoring

on the pillow by your head

And tomorrow she'll do it all again!

BY: Alexandra Brown
Chandra Brown

Snuggling!
Photo by: Chandra Brown

Posing in Nana's Yard
Photo by: Chandra Brown

Slanty Shanty 101

The neighborhood kids have been creatively living on a thought stream when they get together to play in the afternoon. They are determined to build some sort of fort or shelter. They have spent countless hours rummaging through piles, scoping out the pipeline for stray items and sneaking away useless treasures from their homes to add to their material list.  You can see the cogwheels of their brain turning as they try to see their idea to fruition.

I have been a happy observer of this childhood entertainment. I told myself to step back and see what they come up with, this should be amusing at the very least. The first fort was on my back deck using full leaf bags as walls and towels as the roof. It had a couple of rooms and it quickly turned into a 'His' and 'Hers' club.

The leaf bags eventually went away in the trash pick-up and I thought the shelter idea would go away with it, but those kids were determined to build something! This time they stacked round branches we had stored from an old tree in the corner of the yard. It really looked like a fort the Pilgrims may have built. I was impressed to say the least.

Over the next few days the wood pile and towels have taken different forms all over my yard. Some of the wood I have no idea where it came from. When a kid really wants to accomplish a task, magic seems to happen and progress takes place.

One structure made me a little nervous, so I stopped observing and stepped in with a minute lecture on Engineering 101: Stable Structures, OSHA and the statistics of these two ratios creating noggin knots if not executed properly. I think they understood my explanation because they immediately re-engineered the slanty shanty.

The 'Slanty Shanty'
Photo by: Chandra Brown

Their drive and willingness to work as a team has affected me in a curious way. Being an independent person, I like to do it myself, all by myself and take the failure or credit myself. Watching their spirit as they worked in unison toward their goal made me wonder if my independent streak needs a counter measure.

'The Lean To'
Photo By: Chandra Brown

Their passion makes me want to build them a sturdy, permanent fortress that I can use too, namely a shed. Maybe I'll ask the kids if they want to help me and insert myself in their world for a moment. I think they would be a great counter-balance to my independent streak.

My Shed Inspiration:
Leaning Pear, Sugar Shack Bakery-Wimberly, TX
Photo By: Chandra Brown

A Love Letter

I've been thinking about my Grandma's quit a bit lately, both women were lovely matriarchs of large families. The older I get the more I wish I knew about these amazing women. I have splendid memories of visiting them in Wisconsin during my childhood, but I so wish I could have known them as children and learned why they thought the way they did and what events shaped and molded them into the beautiful women I experienced. Their legacy lives in the details and memories of their children and grandchildren, a puzzle that can be pieced together by sharing those specific perceptions.

This is my small view of Arlita, my grandmother on my Dad's side. When I imagine her as a child I would say she was a whippersnapper, as a teenager; spunky, as a wife and mother; hard worker, as a grandma; sweet but sassy and as a woman; fiery.

As I write about her my mind is flooded with the great impressions she left on me. One of which was her way with words. She wrote this when I was seven and I've kept it all these years hidden in the pages of my journal.

Grandma Debee and my Dad at my wedding

A Love Letter

I wrote a letter to my kids

It was short and sweet

And when I read it over

I knew it wasn't very neat.

Should I start all over?

Tear up the messy sheet?

Indeed, they might discover my weakness

I don't write so neat.

No, I'll send it on its way

Another day I won't delay

For I want them to know today

How much I love them every day.

Poem By: Arlita Debee

Heaven

Have you ever had a person grace your life for a short moment and leave an impression on you that lasts a lifetime? I've always wondered why certain wonderful people cross paths only to be together for a hiccup in time, why is so hard hard to hold onto those people you feel a certain affinity toward?

Suzanne was the type of girl you could talk to about words and she wouldn't get bored. She loved literature and poetry. She was constantly trying to get her poems published in contests. We would spend hours chatting about her upcoming writing career.

She called me up one night and said she just had to read her latest creation aloud to someone and she knew I wouldn't mind. When she was done she told me her latest work was dedicated to me and she was entering it in a contest under my name. I asked her why not take the credit for the work with your own name? She said it would be fun to write under a ghost name since famous writers tended to do that. I let her have fun with her little joke and promised when the poem received its due praise I'd be honest and tell the world who really wrote it.

Needless to say, Suzanne moved away to the East coast not long after that. We both said we'd keep in touch but you know how that usually goes. I never knew if her poem made it farther than the post box but here it is for old times sake.

'Trees and Sky' Photo by: quinet

Heaven

I watched the snow flurries falling from mysterious, shrouded heavens last night.

I watched as those pure-white, glittering sprinkles,
frozen tears from the faces of the angels
dusted the slumbering earth with perfection.

Poor Snowflakes
Cast from divinity down into the sullied world of flesh
to breath the finite breath of humanity,
and lie forever in the hands of time.

They lived shortly, quietly, brilliantly
giving only one brief scintillating flash of God
And then mortality.

I watched the snow flurries falling from the mysterious, shrouded heavens last night.

And for a moment I believed that I could see the very curtains of the sky fall away
Leaving only the glow of my spiritual haven forever
burning like a cinder in the depths of my eyes.

April 4, 1994
by: Suzanne Derryberry

Whispering Wind

I've been looking back through my old high school and college journals because I found them lurking in some dark, hidden corner of my attic I desperately want to clean out. I think they would make good kindling as I read some of the entries. There's a load of 'cheestastic' thoughts, (a term my daughter and I coined) a bunch of gushing sentimental ravings and most of the pages take up long sermons. Boy, I haven't changed much through the years. (Ha! Ha!)

Before I decide to chuck the old memories in the fire in my quest for catharsis; there were one or two things in my endless writing that may be worth saving. I may just share a few of my youthful thoughts in the next few posts for old times sake.

Who knows in another 20 years, I may riffle through this blog and have a bonfire, but for now this old poem made it out of the past and still has some bearing for the present.

Saint Matthew and the Angel: Rembrandt, 1661
'Whispering Angel'  Photo by: carulmare

Whispering Wind

A whispering wind bestows its wisdom in the ear of whom it chose,
but who is worthy to receive such wealth in a world full of woes?

What is this secret the wind whispers?
Where did it begin?
Was it from a woman's womb
or perhaps a weathered tomb?

Whose privileged ear does this breeze tend to brush?
A nursing infant whose mother quiets him with a hush
or an aged man sleeping eternally into dusk?

Journeying to the depths and heights,
searching for the answer morn and night,
I questioned wise men near and far
of whose answers seemed quite bizarre.

Traveling far my heart had to know
what was this secret the wind lay hold?
For this was the key to life unbarred,
free from sin and the bondage of scars.

Desperation enveloped my soul,
this curiosity has done its toll.
I fell to slumber under its weight
and that was where I met my fate.

I slid endlessly into a dream,
free from torment of my own scream
for the answer to this undying silence.

And then a whisper gently came to recompense

Speaking lowly and with only one sound,
the Breath of Life filled my ear with
the glorious answer releasing my fear.

Finally, the treasure I have found.

My heart raced with exhilaration
as senses savored this new incantation (mentation)
A smile disclosed this inward vision
and then….
I awoke.

Chandra Brown

UPDATE: 10/27/2017
OK, Since I've been accused of so many things that are not true recently... I am not, nor have I ever been a witch or involved in any divination practices with my consent. The word I used in this poem, 'incantation' certainly has it's roots in words used in magic spells. An unfortunate choice on my part, sure, I'll own it. I have always loved words and stringing them together has been a great enjoyment of mine. I've even admitted to using some a bit too liberally, as an amateur poet, I do this. So, I'll replace incantation with the word mentation. It means to think carefully on a matter. That better fits my personhood.
The poem is about the questioning and discovery of Love. I was single when I wrote the poem and had many musings (yes, I know that word can be taboo too) about the subject, I was studying the Victorian era where they were not open socially with their love interest and usually wrote notes and poems masking their feelings and intentions. (Read John Donne: The Flea- what a 'crafty' fellow).
So I mimicked what I was learning in the style of the poem.
Even the Apostle Paul called the subject of marital union between a man and a woman a mystery (Ephesians 5:32). I have been married for 19 years now and I still am baffled at God's design and gift within marriage.

Tell Me A Story

The neighborhood kids were playing at my house all day, you could hear spurts of laughter as they chased their imagination across my yard. The sun played in the trees casting a perfect environment for carefree outdoor play.

Watermelon, apples and cheese accompanied their picnic in my playground, giving them the extra energy to act out their game. Younger kids and older kids played off each others energy, giving and taking in perfect harmony.

Observing their interactions, remembering times past when space and time had no meaning, when thoughts were barely out of the gate and another soul playmate picked up on the vibe and interacted in sync.

The art of play; living in a moment of innocence, child like curiosity, the art of being in the present and enjoying every minute.

Live in the moment as you listen to this light, airy depiction of a story about a frog told by a girl.  Let's see the world how children see it.

Raconte Moi: Tell Me a Story
Performed By: Stacey Kent
Lyric Translation

Children are giggling and laughing in my office as I write this post: PERFECT!

The Test Of Love

I've mentioned the good man I've found in my husband in previous posts and said I was going to tell you more about him.  Yesterday was his birthday and we celebrated with a homemade meal. I roasted champagne rosemary chicken, tossed a blackberry vinaigrette salad and served it with warmed french bread and a delicious Zinfandel wine. Alex, our daughter has been interested in baking lately so she helped make a lemon orange glazed pound cake for dessert.

Happy Birthday Champagne Toast!
Photo by: Alex Brown

The day was a constant drizzling rain that kept us indoors and we welcomed the lay low atmosphere. It brought memories of when we first met.

It was 1997 and the Winter brought a nasty blizzard to Colorado. He was living in Westminster and I was about thirty minutes away in Lakewood.  We were at that puppy love stage when all you can do is think about each other all day long and just wish to be together. The blizzard meant we didn't know when we would be together again. I remember a phone call and a loving caution to be careful and two hours later Nathan was at my doorstep. He battled hazardous road conditions and potential personal peril driving his 'Big Red' (as I liked to call it) Landcruiser across the town to be with me. Ahh, those early days of love are grand!

Oh, the ways true love can be tested!

Not only did he battle old man weather to be near his new found love, he also sacrificed dearly in the form of material loss. We were planning and getting ready to cleave to each other, which meant leaving our former abodes behind to make one abode but that meant re-arranging priorities. He owned a beautiful car he dearly loved, I got to drive it around town every now and then and feel like a speed demon. We both loved the exhilarating feel of that lovely piece of machinery but the piston (or 2 I'll have to ask him) cracked and the repair bill was the deciding factor between really making a home or not. He gave up the Porsche to be with me.

Nathan's Baby!
Photo by: Nathan Brown

Over the years, we both have had to sacrifice for each other in some form. Each time, each circumstance, we both feel the pain for each other. I say that is true love. We are willing to give away what means something to us for the sake and benefit of the other.  Give me a moment while I swoon!

I saw a good man over sixteen years ago, and I see a great man today!

Nathan Brown you are IT!

Bucket List: Item Number 55

Seven wrinkled shirts are beckoning for my attention in the laundry room and I should make sure they get done before the dinner bell tolls but I just can't seem to find the gumption to pull out the iron and do this chore.  I'm not very good at it although I should be, my Grandpa Koch owned Band-Box Cleaners, a dry cleaning store and my Mom ran the place in high school, you would think that skill would have rubbed off on me at some point growing up. So here I am skirting my duties to play in my own thought world for a few minutes.

Recently I had to listen to myself and take my own advice and I am glad to say it was good advice and I was right.  I wrote a post a long time ago about not letting circumstances get in the way of a possible passionate adventure and my word came back to haunt me, or maybe I should say, taunt me into casting care to the wind and just go with the flow.

A dear friend of Nathan's presented him with an outing that was right up his alley. The tickets for the outing were free, the only catch was the parking, food and babysitter for the day. Nathan was excited, I could tell, with the light dancing in his big brown eyes as he told me about this fun day. I got excited because I was going to be included; a date with the hubs is like winning the raffle at the fair for me. We don't get out much with work and school schedules.

Pace Car leading the racers after the crash
Formula One Austin 2014
Photo By: Chandra Brown

We were excited and grateful at the amazing thoughtfulness of 'Fat Jon' and his wife Teresa for inviting us to the Formula One race here in Austin. They won the tickets through their Combat Vet Association and of all their friends, they asked us.

For those who know,  Formula One is not your typical venue. It wreaks with money and the ticket prices alone, in my humble opinion, should cause mini-heart palpitations. Well, when you research the parking lot tickets a massive heart attack should follow. A general ticket runs about $139 per person. Parking, according to the website was anywhere from $95 to $200 buckaroos. Although I survived the initial sticker shock, I did find that element of crazy to laugh about. I envisioned pulling up to the parking lot in our falling apart VW Passat, that we don't spend a dime on because the old gal just isn't worth it anymore, dole out a $100 dollars and in James Bond bravado tell the parking attendant not to scratch the baby.

The parking tickets got me thinking about the food prices and that's when I went ballistic. If parking is that much, food has to be horrendous and it's probably BAD food. I was threatening to wear baggy clothes and store food in my not so conspicuous parts in order to thwart the food cart scammers.

Then the battle of the babysitter came tumbling down the thought stairs hitting me square in the back of the head. It has not been our luck solidifying babysitters, all of the ones we use are amazing but they tend to be so good they are too busy and we end up not winning the scheduling battle, even when we pay premium prices and have an easy kid to watch. So I try, knowing the end result ends back at square one.  I'll just say, the whole dating scene living here in Texas for the Browns is easily summed up in the Myth of Sisyphus.

Nathan and Chandra Brown
'Kicking Sisyphus in the Nuts'
Photo by: Chandra Brown

Admittedly, we could deal with the monetary problem, eating beans isn't beneath us but finding the child care was looming in our face.  I called two babysitters and to no avail. We were stalled out at this point moving forward.

Now this part is where it gets interesting. Our lovely, generous parents (in-laws) were in town when we were discussing this event. They know we are frugal and responsible and don't do things that are rash, like spend $100 on a parking spot. We chatted about the pros and cons and their over 50 years of wedded wisdom was much appreciated; they said GO! Little did we know they left a little advantage in the form of money to tip the event in our favor which I found in a Bible after they had gone back home. Sneaky, sweet parents!

Problem solved, right? Not really, and here is where the interesting part begins. The part many may not understand and I still am grasping it myself but I know the lesson has to do with obedience and sacrifice and testing. This is where passion may begin to have a deeper meaning for me. I don't like being vulnerable and telling it like it is to the www or to strangers or even people I know for that matter, but this lesson hopefully will show God is in control (something He specifically has said to me, but that's another story)

Even with all the initial hurdles seemingly taken out of the way, there was one last dilemma to encounter. It had to do with loyalty. We were both excited to finally have a date and one that was on our bucket list. Nathan's birthday was around the same time and he tends to take the back seat for celebrations because he has to work or we are a little tight in the budget. This event was beginning to pan out perfectly, when the thought occurred to me, "You forgot to tithe this month."

Don't we know it!
Photo by: Chandra Brown

I did the quick bank check and realized if we went to the event even with the gifted money we would be cutting it extremely close, and mortgage is in the beginning of the month, leaving us with virtually zero in the account. The hounding thought of not giving our first fruit to God nagged me, we've been faithful even during these hard years of struggling financially. I had to be honest with Nathan and be the bearer of not so fun news and make a decision from there.

We would forgo the event and be obedient to God instead.  I sent the tithe check and we went about the next couple of days in our usual way. No complaining, no boo hooing.

Then our friend sent a link he found for parking that was only $20 for motorcycles. This renewed information put that light back in my husband's eyes and got me to put out the S.O.S to my very busy neighbors. Two angels heard the call and said they could split the day and take care of Alex. It looked like we were going to have that long awaited date after all.

Bugatti
A step or 100 up from the VW Passat
Photo by: Chandra Brown

Mama Mia-Ferrari
Photo by: Chandra Brown

Highlights of Race Day:

The first lap of the race a Formula One car crashed and had to be lifted off the track by a crew and a crane. Nathan and I were glad the driver was not hurt but it brought an exhilarating adrenaline rush knowing 2.6 million dollars was put out of commission right before our eyes and we didn't have to care about it.

We made out like bandits, the Formula One event cost us $42 dollars when all was said and done.

Nathan and I got to see so many beautiful cars. One of our favorite at home date nights is to sit and watch Top Gear together. We actually got to see many of the cars Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and the Stig drive.

I say this was opportunity executed with SUCCESS, we totally scored in the passion adventure factor! 

Anger On Tap

I was rummaging through boxed up memories I have deep in the attic when I came across some old journals, I was skimming through them laughing at some of the youthful, sometimes silly, sometimes profound things I thought about as a young girl. Underneath the juvenile volumes I saw my black tap shoes and brought them out of the box to show my daughter a relic from my past. Dancing was my youthful passion and it flooded me with sentimental, good feelings. It also brought up a saying I like to fling out there in jest when someone in the family has a bad encounter during the day. They'll tell of their humiliating ordeal and I'll quip in a mobster tone, "You want I go do a tap dance on their head." At least it makes them smile for a moment.

Photo by: Chandra Brown

My little saying got me thinking about the advice that abounds for releasing anger and stress in this crazy, rat-race, non-stop world. Doctors say exercise, religion says meditate, mothers say take deep breaths, psychiatrists say talk about it, educators say listen to calming music.  This advice has one common thread, divert the negative energy elsewhere.

I asked my daughter how she deals with anger and stress, she says, "Kick something or ripping up paper helps her. "

This woman says, use humor to divert that negative energy. Do the opposite of what you're feeling and turn that emotion upside down; Laugh instead.

What are some funny quips your family uses to get through the 'angries'?

Nancy Sinatra had her boots, Chandra has her tap shoes.

 

For more 'Anger Management' check out this funny song…click here.

Reflections Between Heaven and Earth

'Reflections Between Heaven and Earth'
 Photo by: Chandra Brown

Description:

'Reflections between Heaven and Earth' displays realism and impressionistic subtly through mixed images. Blending of natural elements are balanced with varied color and textured layers.

Deuteronomy 10:14 - "Heaven and the heaven of heavens belong to the Lord your God, the earth with all that is in it."

Intelligence Quotient For Inanimate Objects

INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT FOR INANIMATE OBJECTS

Rating Scale:

Not So Good             -----  >     Not So Smart

Not So Bad               -----  >      Retarded

Bad                           -----   >     Dumb

Worse                       -----   >     Stupid

Worst                        -----   >     POS

Worse Than Worst   -----   >     FU

Wrath of God           -----    >    Apocalyptic

Disclaimer:

The assigning of the I. Q. F. I. O is not a reflection of the individuals politically correct or incorrect views or is not an indicator of moral values, it is a totally relative bias for measuring personal knowledge of individual relationship between said inanimate object and said living entity.

Any misrepresentations, mis-understandings, legal, litigation, personal injury or general mental disparagement is solely, purposefully, absolutely the responsibility of the assignor.

The content of the material contained and the views expressed in this dissertation is not reflective of the egghead who penned said Intelligence Quotient, therefore, peruse and assimilate at your own risk.

General Usage Guidelines:

The rating scale embarks upon the lowest level of emotional output towards said object and progresses up the scale as the emotional agitation increases.

Users have experienced staccatoed vacillations within the varied scale causing neural lapses leading to cerebral exhaustion; although these episodes tend to be quite entertaining to spectators, the individual experiencing the episode may feel the emanation of utter mortification.

Proceed usage with caution.

Case In Point:

A cathartic montage for your I.Q.F.I.O pleasure.

Spawned from the brain of John Debee
with the embellishment assistance of Chandra Brown

A Man And A Maiden On A Warm Summer Day

Here I go again, skirting the monotonous weekend cleaning schedule so I can do what I'd rather do; read or write about something that interests me. The motorcycle boot scuff marks on the floor can wait a few more hours so I can stroke this mental viand.

People that know me best understand my sentimental nature. I like to swoon and reminisce and exaggerate reality just because words mixed with a little varied imagination on paper allows me the simple pleasure.

Alas, this is the tale of A Maiden And A Man On A Warm Summer Day….

A man and a maiden separated ways, one chose the flat Eastern path, the other traversed the hilly Western maze. The morning dew called them both to ensue upon the set fate of their days.

They parted with a sweet loving peck and thought of each other no more as the the daily marks were set. They toiled upon what must ensue to keep their heavenly abode well kept.

At mid day break the maiden did fall upon pathway travails. She pondered the muddle she found herself in and beckoned for her hero to prevail. Although capable of fixing her plight; a man was
what was needed for this particular avail.

And THEN…

She saw him flying from the East on his valiant steed; loud and thunderous and moving at blistering speed. He saw her waiting upon the Western hill ready for him to accomplish his heroic deed. Her heart melted in the sweltering sun knowing she would be saved; yes indeed!

She watched as he worked, beads of sweat on his brow, securing and fastening her plight into oblivion's domain. Gratitude arose from the depths of her being, a euphoric kiss was reward to her swain. Travelers along the Western maze beheld the true love of a maiden and a man on that warm Summer day.

'The Man'
Photo by: The Maiden 'AKA' Chandra Brown

The story of 'A Man And A Maiden' certainly beats reality; I was stranded because of a flat -tire and had to pull my hardworking husband away from his job to come fix a tire on his lunch break. BORING! Ha ha! 

Thanks honey, you were my hero! XO

Backwards Comet

My daughter and I have been reading Inspired Evidence, Only One Reality by Julie Von Vett and Bruce Malone for our morning jump start for school. It is written in the form of a daily devotional and it's main focus is Science.

September 10th's entry really got our 'geek' going. The subject matter is Cosmology and the topic was evidence for the formation of the Universe by our Creator God.

The widely accepted theory for the beginning of the Universe is the Big Bang Theory; The Nebula Hypothesis is the widely accepted theory for the formation of the Solar System and Planetary Bodies, both are heavily set in the evolutionary belief system.

The Nebula Theory in a nutshell
"In this model, a giant cloud in space made up of mainly spinning, ionized gas with a magnetic field is believed to have pulled together by gravity into the sun, planets and other objects in our solar system." 

In order for this model to work, the results should show the planetary objects orbiting in the same direction. 

The discovery of a comet defying the Nebular Hypothesis gave astrophysicists a puzzling dilemma. This iconoclast is called 'Dracula' (2008 KV42) and it was orbiting backwards around the sun, something that should not be possible according to the widely held theory. At first the scientists thought they were mistaken but another backwards orbiting comet was showing supportive evidence that what they were seeing was not a single anomaly, it's name is 2002- XU93. 

Photo By: Elsie esq.
Halley at Perihelion

This information (although old in the science world, but new to me) makes this science nerd really excited.  First, there are holes in the Nebula Theory that when scrutinized only helps point towards a creation model; one of which is, The Law of Conservation of Angular Momentum. The law can be described by the movement of spinning.  When a dancer or ice skater begins to spin with open arms (the birth of a spin) it is a slow movement, as they keep turning (youth) they bring their arms closer into their body causing the spin to speed up and the radius of the circle to become smaller. If the formation of the Solar System began with a large cloud of dust spinning and using gravity to create planetary bodies the result should be fast spinning bodies. For general information, scientists believe the Sun to be a slow rotating body and the planets faster rotating bodies in a Universe thought to be very old; in order for that statement to be fact according to the Nebula Theory, the Sun should be on a faster rotation schedule.  (For further detailed explanation on this matter click here)

All this information just makes my head swim, thoughts are pinging off my brain at an amazing speed, there is so much to write about concerning the realm of Science, but I'll refrain and save that for another post. 

If you clicked on all the links and read the material, I hope you can see the evidence points strongly towards the honesty found in Hebrews 11:3- " BY FAITH, we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." 

I am rejoicing in Psalms 33:9 - "for He SPOKE, and it came to be; He commanded and it stood firm."

Alstroemeria

Alstroemeria
Photo by: Chandra Brown

Alstroemeria
Zygomorphic beauty
Unfolds in symbiotic affinity,
together apportioned truth combine
imparting genuine love; sublime

Silken petals
Curve suspends upon fluent mien
a benevolent theme of paramount,
cautious eyes and breath passing lips
should not disturb where the calyx sits

Intricate anther
dresses fine tenets of rapport,
dissuading flux in sentiment
braced by firm filament

Unfailing frond
worthy to bear the conduct of being,
vaulted in set similarity
no encumbrance to harmony
By: Chandra Brown

Alstroemeria Facts:

• Symbolizes friendship and devotion and the trials and tribulations encountered upon the journey.
• Also called Peruvian Lily, Lily of Incas or Parrot Lily

Proverbs 20:6 - "Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful person who can find?"

John 15: 12-13 - "Love one another just as I have loved you. No greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

Re-Purposed Shovel Head

The end of Summer is the time for yard projects here in Austin, Texas. Recently, my Dad visited and helped me accomplish some goals in the yard. When you are completing projects you are bound to run into problems.

Our dilemma occurred early on, literally the first dig of dirt delayed any further progress because the handle on the flat head shovel busted under the pressure. We laughed over the ironic nature of the problem. How could we proceed to dig out gnarly roots and accomplish our plan without the correct tool?

We had a razorback shovel hiding in the garage to keep the project moving forward and mid way through the day the neck bent due to those darn, gnarly Nandina roots. We took that as our cue to take a break and succumb to buying brand new shovels.

Instead of chucking the old broken shovels in the trash bin, my creative Dad hatched a brilliant idea. See the fun yard art he came up with involving the flat head shovel below. This new piece of Texas art now hangs on my back fence gate. I can see it from my kitchen window and it looks fabulous!

I have some quirky ideas for the razorback shovel, it definitely has an Austin feel to it. The bent neck gives way to the famous city slogan, "Keep Austin Weird". I have a bunch of bottle caps saved up for a craft project, maybe I'll meld the two together and see if I can make it weird enough to pass the Austin standards.

"Use it up

Wear it out

Make it Do

Or Do without"

Front Yard Facelift

Our landscape has gone through drastic changes over the years. When we first moved in it was a jungle with weeds so we rectified the problem and made it into a lush, clean, green scape. Years fly by and the Bradford Pear tree was threatening our neighbors car and our windows; not to mention crowding out our Live Oak tree so my husband felled the Bradford Pear almost by himself. (What a man!) This left a bare area in the middle of the yard with a years worth of new runners to constantly pull up.  The Nandina's planted by the electrical box were out of control and looked more like anorexic weeds than a beautiful bush. 

An update was due but what do you do when your budget is less than two nickels to rub together and your spent from all the other life issues pulling at you? You call in the re-claim, re-purpose, landscape extraordinaire, John Debee. 

I wanted a change, something eye catching, yet drought resistant and easy to take care of. My dad knew exactly what plant to buy, how big it was going to get, and where to plant it.  My hero! 

John Debee and his helper making a re-purposed screen from scrap wood

Working in the yard on my small project brought back childhood memories of helping Dad accomplish his vision for his little piece of heaven in Colorado. Moving bricks, shoveling out grass to make way for raised garden beds, filling wheelbarrows with rocks for dry stream beds all came to the forefront of my mind. He's been fine tuning and tweaking his Colorado paradise for years and every time I go home to visit he has something wonderful planned in his ever changing utopia. It is a place of beauty and relaxation with an enchanting Japanese element to the design. 

PROBLEM: This part of the side yard was gnarled with Nandina roots, and dogs loved to use it as their bathroom. The media box, telephone cable containers and water meter covers were overgrown and hard to access. 

SOLUTION: We found a few fence pickets laying around the garage and a few 2x4 boards from our recent deck repair project. We got out Nathan's trusty table saw and ripped down the boards to the correct size and Voila, a wood screen was created to cover the boxes and act as a backdrop for the plants. We purchases Mexican Feather Grass and Maiden Hair Adagio to give texture and color to the area. We found a few stray, white rocks behind our house in the pipeline and decided to use them as decorative fillers. We added Texas Native Black Mulch as the finishing component and now this corner has design quality I can be proud of.

BEFORE

AFTER: View 1

AFTER: View 2

PROBLEM: Nandina was covering this electrical box but it was UGLY! Leaves and weeds loved this area and made it difficult to clean out.

SOLUTION: We removed the offending plants and prepared the soil. We planted one Maiden Hair grass that will get 5 feet tall and act as a backdrop to Purple Fountain grass.  I could also make a wood screen for this area but the grasses and plumes should grow to cover this box in a short time.

BEFORE

AFTER: View 1

AFTER: View 2

OVERALL: Removing the tall, scraggly Nandina plants helped open the view of our front yard, making it feel bigger than what it really is.  The new plants also helps tie all our other landscape elements together by adding texture and color variation. This is good for the exterior curb appeal and looking at the new and improved areas bring a smile to the soul.

Flowers make people better, happier and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul."- Luther Burbank

“Gardens are the result of a collaboration between art and nature.” – Penelope Hobhouse

Stay tuned for a future blog about a re-purposed project inspired by a mis-hap during this one involving yard tools. 

Storge, Phileo, Agape Love

I think I am ready to admit this has been one of the hardest of my thirty-eight years on this planet. Sometimes all of life's tangents hit you square in the chest all at once and leaves a deep impression. The blow spins you around and you find yourself in a heap on the ground wondering what it all means.

Oh, the lessons to glean from it all! Believe me, life events bring me to my knees and keep me asking God for the answers. Some questions He has answered, others He has kept hidden for now.

This year I have been heart broken over the separation from my dear loved ones. As I get older the old hymn, Turn Your Eyes to Jesus, sets well in my soul. The things that matter take precedence and when it is relationship with other believers and those that understand you, your heart yearns for the time that could have been, mourns for the time lost and cries out for more in the future. To share your experiences walking with God with those that will hold the dealing of your heart in tender trust is rarely found. The deep sadness comes in knowing you have this rare jewel but it is over 1000 miles away and not easily accessed. Oh to see the lovely expressions on the well known face, the mannerisms, being able to hold their concerns in your bosom and lend a shoulder, to dine together; these are the things that bind.

This particular post is my thank offering to God regarding one of my hearts desires. (Psalms 20:4) The love for my family.

Thank you Mom for finagling your hectic schedule and making the visit happen. Your tender kindness through your artful gift giving and pairing that with the way you know what I need filled my soul with even more love for you. Sometimes a woman needs another woman to help her get back in touch with who she is, and you did that for me. You reminded me it's ok to wear a pretty dress, go out and enjoy yourself and it is really ok to take care of yourself with a little pampering now and then. Your carefree, 'no -holds barred' attitude made me laugh and looking at life through your lenses is very entertaining.

Thank you Dad for being the intelligent creative force you are. Constantly thinking, applying abstract thoughts to subjects and a great sense of humor is the result. I love you are so attuned to the God-given beauty in nature and are able to share a view of it through your landscape design. I am so proud of the work we did in the front yard, every time I look outside I think of you.

Thank you both for your generosity, willing to give of yourselves even when you are tired and it seems no one gives back. God sees your heart and I see the fruit of the Spirit in you both. You make my spirit soar because I see Jesus in your life.

I love you naturally, affectionately, and willingly!
(Storge, Phileo and Agape)