Sunday, June 21, 2020

Fresh Produce, Fathers, Whacking Denim, Writing, and Louis Dean Gets His Fence Up!


It came an unexpected rain early in the hours of Saturday morning.
We had been star gazing and they were brilliant right up until a few minutes before 2:00 AM when we came in to go to bed. And we slept so soundly neither one of us knew the power had gone out and that it had rained a significant amount!


Crystal came down late Friday night to spend the weekend with her mom and Dean.
I saw them out in the garden gathering up some produce.
They gave us two of the white squash patties. I don't think I had ever had those before.


Louis Dean has been working on his fence poles in preparation of wrapping his fence around them.
I stayed busy inside and around 7:00 we went up to eat dinner with Dean, Sherry and Crystal.
Crystal had asked her mom to make all her favorites and she did!
Dean smoked ribs, Sherry made potato salad - and a special bowl of it without onions just for Crystal.
There were BBQ beans, corn on the cob, and pepper poppers - some hotter than others. I brought a big bowl of watermelon and grapes garnished with a healthy sprig of fresh mint.
Soon I will be planting the mint in a special bed in the garden.
We ate out on their front deck where Sherry had set up the high table and bar chairs and even had a strand of Edison lights strung up!
There was a glorious sunset and then we had fireworks!
My phone was inside their house and I was enjoying myself too much to get up and go get it!
We came back to our camper/cabin around 10:00 and went straight to bed!
Best Saturday night in the country!!!


Sunday morning I looked out and saw Sherry on her tractor taking down a dead willow up by the big tank and Crystal mowing. Mother and daughter doing what they love to do together!


I made us a BLT for Sunday Brunch.
Tomatoes and onions fresh from our garden at home.


I added avocado slices on mine.

We had our Bible and out loud reading and then sat for awhile watching the kittens play.


They are so cute and we are happy we have them.


They are the best little things and are no trouble at all.
We do keep our water gun out for when they get in the screen windows.
They would only be a morsel bite for the coyotes if they were to get out and wander away.

It's Father's Day and I do not normally do a post about it.
I never knew my real father - not so much as his name.
And I never had a good healthy relationship with any man until I met Louis Dean.
None of my siblings grew up with a healthy male role model.
However, God is faithful and he has blessed our family with many Godly men......

Now I know Louis Dean was a good role model in his family and there were probably many in his life.
His father in law was even closer to him than his own father who died in his 60's.



This is Chandy and her family!
She sent wishes to her granddad this morning for a Happy Father's Day.
Chandy found a good man in her husband, Chris.


Here is Chris with his five sons.


Chandy and her granddad back in February 2018.


I love this photo Chandy shared of Louis Dean, Ellen, their Karate teacher Charro, Dean and Sherry.
I don't know the year this pic was taken but I love to look at it!
I'm guessing Louis Dean was in his 40's and Dean was in his 20's.


This is a pic of my two sons.
Jesse, Jr. and Benjamin.


I am so proud of Jesse.
He did not learn how to be a good daddy from his own .....


but he became one for his children.
I don't know of a better father than he is.


Then there's Mike!


Quad father to his four and he is an amazing role model!
Amber posted on Facebook this morinng that she had no good father figures in her life.
None of my children did.
And now there is an abundance.
Jesse, Mike, Louis Dean....all super examples.
Mike's dad and his Grandpa......
Then there are the uncles......Benjamin, Mark and Chris.
The kids will grow up with healthy experiences from healthy men AND women in their lives.
Amber sent videos of her greetings to her dad, Louis Dean, and from the kids and Mike.
She has one of the best fathers in the world with Louis Dean and is proud to call him DAD!


I have been back to writing again.
So far I have written 61,747 words in my memoir.
Plus the 1215 words I wrote today.
It's not easy writing at this point.
 I decided to wade right in to the waters of the past and write as fast as I can.
I don't want to stay here any longer than I have to.
Today it was the Christmas season of 1973. Richard Nixon was president and there was an energy crisis so he banned all electric Christmas lights that year.
It was a dark year for me anyway.
I was struggling with mental illness and cried a lot.
I was anorexic, suicidal and addicted to tranquillizers.
My psychiatrist had been seeing me for 6 months and could not help me so he said shock therapy would be the next step in his treatment.
I stopped writing at this point and decided I needed some denim therapy.


It's not comfortable to visit our past when it is a dark scary place in our minds and heart.
But God has redeemed so much for me and I feel compelled to tell my story that there is hope when you think you have none. And that God is a God of redemption.
I wish I had known then that I would have such a happy ending.


I whacked denim up for a baby quilt for a soon to be born great grandson - Chandy's baby boy who will be named Jax.


These strips will soon be his first quilt from Great Grandmom.


And Louis Dean was a happy man all day long as he strung up his fence!!

I have made a late supper for us.....
roasted vegetables and a chicken pasta dish.
It is with a grateful and happy heart that I bid you all goodnight from the country!

19 comments:

Deanna Rabe said...

God is in the redemption business and we all need it! God has done amazing things in your family!

Jan said...

God has blessed you with so many good men in your family-Our God truly is a "Good, Good Father"! (One of my favorite songs!)

Wanda said...

Getting ready for bed, but just wanted to tell you after reading your post...my heart is full and my eyes teary. You are such an inspiration and blessing for second chances and more. I love you dear Sister in Christ.

Ginny Hartzler said...

What a wonderful weekend you have had. And how awfully sad and heartbreaking parts of your life have been. I am all the more blessed to have you as a friend!!

Bluebird49 said...

You've got some good Dads in your family now, for sure!
I know it is hard to think of unhappy times, but know you will share what you feel you can! 💕🙏😘
You've had a busy couple of days, and that's perfectly normal for you.😎 Love the kitty vids.

MadSnapper said...

The good news is your saga continues and gets better and better the older you get! You may have been raised without a father but look at all the fathers that the father gave to you and your life now your life is full of fathers everywhere you look. And the. Of Darkness back in the seventies as long gone and you now have a. Of lightness

Vee said...

God is so good to redeem so many difficult situations over lifetimes and through eons. It is His story after all. So glad that He made a way out. What a challenge for you to dip back in to write it down. Not sure that I would have the strength.

Love that photo looking out the window at Louis Dean working on his fence. Perfectly framed and telling a great story.

Tell Louis Dean that if there were not two kittens, ONE kitten would be playing with his ankle. 😆

Stacy said...

What a wonderful work God has done in your family! I have to say that I very much identify with your situation of never knowing your father, not even his name. I fully believed that would be me. My mom always refused to tell me anything about my father. Not even his name. Then two years ago my son did one of those Ancestry.com DNA tests and it kicked back the names of a couple of members it said were his first cousins...which only happens if you share at least one grandparent. He asked me if I recognized the names. Nope. Never heard of them. So I asked my mom. She finally broke down and said those cousins had the last name of my father and told me what she knew of him. Then last summer she got a letter from my half-sister. She and my half-brother had learned they had a sibling and began a search at about the same time my son was doing his DNA test. They didn't know what I knew and didn't want to start something (the same reasoning I had for telling my son not to contact those cousins) so they contacted Mom first to feel things out. A phone number was included so on my 55th birthday Mom and I called my sister. We have been in contact ever since and met face to face once. I've messaged my brother a few times. There is another brother, but he isn't close to the family and probably has no desire to meet another sibling. I have been writing back and forth with my father since late fall and this coming weekend I am going to meet him for the first time. It has all happened so fast and has been such a blessing since I really never thought I'd know anything at all.

Arlene G said...

A good post reminding us that there are good men. As I read stories like yours Linda, I am so grateful that I had a loving father who provided all that I needed as a child. Your story inspires me as I see how God has transformed your life and what an encourager you are to all of us who read your blog.

Changes in the wind said...

So glad that good men are in abundance in your life and your loved ones life now, it is truly a blessing. What a sad time in your life you are trying to recall right now and how grateful it is the past.

Susie said...

Linda, I loved all the photos. Your Jesse is a great young man , who made himself a good father to his children. There are wonderful fathers out there and some awesome step fathers too. I am glad that your family has such a wonderful group of men. LD is a great fellow for others to learn from. Blessings to all, xoxo, Susie
p.s. you are a strong lady to rise above all the woes of your life.

Donna said...

Our blessed Elohim is powerful and merciful! Linda, you have a good (and handsome) family despite past problems (which we all have). My brother were all older than I and they turned out to be good men and fathers, even tho our dad was harsh and I think unbalanced. I struggled for years because we are admonished in Scripture to love our mother and father. If it had not been for our mother, none of the four of us would have been who we were as adults. My oldest brother said he saw in our dad how didn't want to be. I would say you have a gem in Louis Dean. Gorilla Glue and all! ha!

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

It's so good that you now have so many good father figures in your life. It's wonderful to see all the happy smiling faces filled with love of family. Glad the fence finally got done so now you can have that garden. Louis Dean is persistent and his hard work will pay off. You have such a good memory to write about so many years ago. I could never do that. I remember only bits and pieces that come and go. All and all I'd say you had a wonderful weekend. Hope this new week is just as good if not better!

photowannabe said...

Oh Linda, I do love you..I love your transparency and willingness to share your life with us.
I think of the bible verse about life being redeemed and growing through what the locusts came to destroy.
LD is truly an answer to prayer and look at all the strong, wonderful men in your life now.
God is good and I am so happy for you and what your life has become.
Sue

Judy said...

I'm so glad I know the ending of your story...even while you tell the 'before parts'! Thankful for all the good men in your life right now!

Denim therapy sounds like a good diversion. Your sandwiches look amazing! I would like one of those right now.

Debbie said...

great men...wonderful dads, you sure do have a lot of them in your life!!

be sure you plant the mint far away from your other plants, the mint will consume your garden!! your meals aways sound so amazing, fresh grown tomatoes are always the best!!

Hootin Anni said...

My dear Linda...you've been blessed! There really are no other words to say....you know in your heart the best is yet to be. And your "Life's Journal" is a treasure for us all.

Deb J. in Utah said...

Writing is such great therapy. God is so good and brings us through our hard times, doesn't He. So good to focus on the present blessings in our lives. Have a good week, Linda!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

You've been through so much and honestly, I don't know how you write about it. I have had some bad things in my past and I can't even bear to think about them. But you are so strong and have so many wonderful people in your life now. We are both very blessed...and we know it! Enjoy your day! Hugs!