Hearing Heart Blog

My oldest grandchild, Ayden Paul, turned 6 last month! Happy Birthday again, Ayden! He lives more than 2000 miles away and I don't get to see him very often, so we need to come up with some long-distance fun! Six years old is a great age for silly stuff, so I found some knock-knock jokes for him. I usually don't care for knock-knock jokes because they can be "in your face" rude, but here are two that I think are ok: me: knock knock you: who's there? me: vitamin you: vitamin who? me: vitamin in, it's time to party! Here's another one: you: knock knock me: who's there? you: cow - go me: cow - go who? you: no, silly, cow go MOO! So grab a kid, share some chewing gum (not already chewed, of course), and have some silly, jokin', lovin' time! Grandma's orders! +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

Grunt, groan, strain, wobble. That's me, lying on my back on the floor, working to lift my leg at just the right angle to stretch a muscle in my thigh (I can't remember the name of it right now).* I keep hearing the portion of scripture in my mind "strengthen the feeble knees" as I'm working, but I don't think this is exactly what it means. Does it? While I hold my leg aloft, I'm counting seconds and pumping my arms with lightweight hand weights strapped to my wrists. And so I won't put it off, I'm doing all this as soon as I crawl out of bed in the morning! The purpose of all this? A wind of change. My former foster daughter is here this week. (I've got to find a better label for her than "former" - it just doesn't describe how important she is to us.) We're enjoying our chores and shopping trips together. I'm going through a season of fasting from one meal a day, and taking more time for prayer. Closets and files are ge

It's amazing what you can find for almost free these days. I found a step for our tent-trailer at Goodwill – $1.99. With my tentative knees, this was a welcome addition to our camping equipment. No more “falling out” of the doorway! And a pretty red cotton sweater – $6.99. A rooster for my hens – free. A couch on Craigslist – free. Tomato plants are blooming on my back deck. I found them late in the season – half price. Chicken feed can be expensive, but since my birds roam about and eat more than half of what they need in my yard (including weeds!) – almost free (well, kinda). More eggs are coming than I need - can't determine cost yet, but almost free! At least the entertainment value of keeping chickens is – free! They continually amuse me. Far healthier for my mind than watching TV. Red Bartlett pears are growing on my tree – free. Dragging hoses to water the yard and pear tree gives me a workout – free. Our well pumps clean water – almost free! A 2- and 3-lb set of hand w