(Wo) MAN vs Nature

After posting pictures of guns, I believe it has given me a bit of an aggressive streak this weekend.  Yesterday, I purchased this:

to tackle some of this:

They are (as it is said in the South) "Volunteer" plants or trees because they volunteered on their own to grow without anyone planting them.  The recent abundance of rain after a brief period of drought has helped these weeds and trees to flourish.

The job was made a bit easier because of the design of this lopper.  It has some sort of power gear which means you don't need as much strength to cut through branches.  I chose Fiskars because their craft & sewing scissors are great.

Next week, this item:

will tackle these vines.

The plant is pretty but it will smother the light from the leaves and kill the tree.  That's a bigger problem than losing the vine.  We knew this was an invasive plant but our visit to Callaway Gardens confirmed it.

(And I still have pictures from Callaway to post sometime.)  Even with the high heat and humidity, I really enjoy yard work.  Some of it doesn't have to be done as often as housework - - plus you get to be outside in God's creation

God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.   Genesis 1:31a

(And obviously my hand is feeling better today.)

Shoot or be Shot!

This isn't a tale of the old west but it is a tale of someone getting older.  She has never shot a gun before or never had her finger on a trigger.

But that didn't keep her from getting trigger finger .  It is in the ring finger, right-hand - - - her dominant hand.  Basically it is a swelling of the sheath surrounding the tendon which causes inflammation in the tendon. 

The hand surgeon said it's caused by aging.  I prefer what the internet said that it's a type of repetitive stress injury.  The doctor said he could fix that with a cortisone shot.  I said I prefer to start with anti-inflammatory drugs and physical therapy.  He basically said that the best option was a cortisone shot.  I know I could have refused treatment and left  the office but I also knew the finger needed some serious attention.

So I received an injection in the palm about a finger width below the ring finger.  I was more concerned that I might faint than I was about the pain so I asked the doctor if he would be bothered if I passed out

Long story short, it was not painful like I anticipated (and I did not faint) - - - but the injection site has been VERY tender  and bruised the last two days!  It can be up to two weeks to know if the cortisone did any good.  I sure hope so because I do not want or "need" surgery at this point in life - - not when we are getting ready to move over 10,000 books to our new church building in about 6 weeks.

And I know this is not a big deal to cope with because many of my friends have serious issues  from MS to cancer and other maladies in between.  But I am a person of little patience when my body is not functioning 100%.  Plus I expect the treatment to fix me within hours rather than days.   Other than that, it's been a great week.

And my treatment was minuscule compared to what our precious Lord endured for us!

 . . the nails in HIS hands . . . John 20:25b

Return to Dothan

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon . . Psalm 91:12

About 30 minutes from Dothan, we stopped at this store - - - I think it was on Hwy 431 near Cottondale, FL.  It had some fun stuff inside.

The oranges were very good.   We took home a large bag.

The following items are definitely indigenous to the beach area.

No, we did not bring home an alligator head - - - or one of the rain gauges you are about to see.  Those and the man of cans were handmade by a local person.

I think the favorite thing bought by my three traveling companions was boiled peanuts.  They claimed they were some of the best they had eaten.  My thought is it is an "acquired taste".  I grew up in upstate NY and was not raised to "appreciate them".

My next post should have pictures of Callaway Gardens (Georgia).  However, it will probably be next weekend before I can post them.  If you are looking for an economical, relaxing vacation - - check out their website.  They have some phenomenal specials going right now if you stay at the Mountain Inn.  Remember they have white sand beaches and a golf course in addition to the other attractions.

July 5, 2010

So how many of you figured out that we were so close to Florida, we might have gone on down to the beach?  You were right.  (Picture was taken through the window of a moving vehicle.)  Panama City was our next stop for lunch at this place.

Pineapple Willy's has an interesting beginning.  Years ago, people buying undeveloped land in Florida wanted it for farming and the "ugly white sand" wasn't of productive use to agriculture.    Gideon Thomas saw the potential to "grow people" and started the tourism industry there in 1936.  Their website shows you pictures of the restaurant and beach.  And to prove we were here, I have to give you a few pictures, including just a few of our favorite signs that were hanging on the side of the building.

Michael & Bill

Lynda - - and I didn't intentionally leave my sister-in-law out of the pictures but she may have been starting the A/C in the van to cool us off since this was the end of our visit.

Although the day was beautiful and the ocean warm, we limit sun exposure.  I don't tan - - just get brown spots - - but we did dip our feet in the water.

 . . when HE gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep HIS command . . . Proverbs 8:29a NIV 

And don't you love it when McDonald's decorates their restaurant to coordinate with the locale?  I leave you with those pictures until the next update.

July 3 & 4, 2010

Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low.  Luke 3:5a

On July 3, we traded this beautiful mountainous scenery

for this part of the country also created by God.

 - - - the flat lands of Alabama.  Yes, it was taken through the windshield while the car was in motion.  Our first stop was at the place we married in Phenix City almost 34 years ago.

My husband's parents built this patio around the tree and obviously did an excellent job because it still looks as good as it did that day in September.  (The yellow house does not belong to the yard of the patio & tree.)  There were people at home when we pulled in the driveway.  When they came out, we asked if we could take a picture and explained the reason.  The guy looked at us like we were crazy, said, "Sure," and went back inside the house.  The wife said, "Aawww.  That's so sweet."

Two hours more down the road and we arrived at "The Peanut Capital of the World" which is what Dothan calls itself since (according to Wikipedia) "approximately one-fourth of the U.S. peanut crop is produced nearby, with much of it being processed in the city."

Have you all noticed how much my husband loves statues?  Some people are tree-huggers.  Not him.  Give him a statue any day.

In 2002, a local downtown group sponsored "Peanuts Around Town".  There are around 50 of these fiberglass peanuts decorated to either complement a business or to honor a person.

This is "Captain Cash" who was sponsored by a bank.  The next statue was to honor a local man who sold peanuts to tourists and locals.  He was very well-liked.  If you get a minute, read this great article about him.

hmmmm -- - Bill forgot to hug this guy.  This inscription is what Mr Trawick said to his customers.

Dothan has a lot to offer.  The peanut people alone might be reason enough to visit here.  You could see them all if you stopped at the Welcome Center and got a map - - but it is not the main reason we stopped.  We went to visit Bill's brother again - - - and had a VERY NICE time with our family!  We even got "adopted" for half a day on July 4th by our sister-in-law's siblings.  They were celebrating July 4th with a delicious cookout that included everything you could hope for in this type meal - - - from the hamburgers and hot dogs all the way to homemade ice cream.  The house and table were decorated with red, white, and blue.  The mood was festive and fun all day.  We really enjoyed meeting some new friends and being included in their extended family's fellowship.

The next update will have one more change of scenery.  If you look at Dothan on the map, I bet you can guess approximately where we went on Monday.

July 3, 2010

This past Saturday morning, we left for a few days of vacation.  As we were filling up the car with gasoline . . .

we noticed some people getting ready for a big party.  They had large tents set up outside to shade them from the sunshine.

They were hoping a LOT of people would show up to get the goodies they had set out on their tables.

Yup - - - - fireworks - - - - on almost every corner just outside the city limits.  People spend a LOT of money at these booths - - - especially the night of July 4th when the explosives are half-price.  If we had stayed in town, we would have had our private show since we live at the top of a hill on a dead end street in our subdivision.  It is a perfect launching place for the evening light show.  My question is do people shoot fireworks to celebrate our nation's independence and to honor those who have paid for that freedom - - - - or is it mainly cuz it is fun for males to create a commotion? . . . . hmmmm - - 

At this point, we are one-third of the way to our destination.  The traffic was worse on the north side of Atlanta.

Once we left the city, it was just a long peaceful road.

Our travel time was enhanced by a ten hour audio book by Karen Kingsbury.  We only heard 3/5 of it before we finished traveling that day.  The next post will tell you where we stayed for 3 nights.

The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth.  Luke 3:5b