Our last day of June ended up being a memorable one with blue skies, bright sun and cooling northerly winds. I did happen to read several days ago where the long term weather outlook for the upper Midwest, being a bit troubling where they’re saying we’ll be getting pounded with severe weather, so if that be the case, then we’re getting a payback from our past exceptionally mild winter.
Another Sunday morning was started off with getting my contemplative prayer session completed, and then going online to see if I could find a copy of a hymn I was sent last evening from the music director over at First Baptist, and as chance would have it, I found a copy. Once I had it printed out and practiced several times, I figured it was good enough, but when I got over to their church, I discovered they were already prepared to sing it to the accompaniment of a guitarist. They asked if I would join in with the piano, but I had to graciously refrain because they’d already practiced it at a much faster tempo which would’ve had me struggling to keep up. I couldn’t help teasing one of the singers by saying, “While you were practicing it, I was being reminded of a horse race.” Wicked me.
The Service went quite well where I played several pieces on their organ before they began, and then one solo during their offering. I did get a nice compliment from one of the younger ones who came up to tell me how much better the organ sounds now, and my only reply was announcing I’m now growing accustomed to their organ’s limitations and learning to work around them. Playing for them once a month has definitely helped with the broadening of my keyboard skills by playing their vintage organ and electric piano. I’m not sure I’ll ever get cozied-up to electronic pianos, and only because they don’t have the resonance of a regular piano.
Upon return to office, I busied myself with getting the area in my workroom cleared of things needing to go to the garbage, along with organizing and then storing away all the cleaning materials I’d been using on this month’s project.
About an hour later, I met-up with the person who’d be the new resident at that home, just to make sure it met her standards, and thank goodness it did because she’d been waiting over a month for it to get finished. I had to smile to myself when she said, “It smells so clean in here.” Oh if she only knew how many hours it took to get it smelling and looking that good.
Once I finished up with her, I changed into my work clothes and headed out to get some gardening done which entailed harvesting asparagus, picking black raspberries and getting some weeding done. I definitely wasn’t a happy camper when finding those vile squirrels had been digging up those acorns I planted, so I grabbed a good helping of my ground hot peppers and sprinkled along the rows in hopes there’ll be at least a few of them that make it past their critical germination and new-growth stages. Ugh! If it’s not the munching deer it’s the digging squirrels.
On a positive note, I noticed my two long rows of beets and carrots are coming up, along with the Butter Cup squash I planted last week. I dare say they were all quick to germinate, so I guess I’ll have a bounteous crop of carrots, beets and squash. It’s been a number of years since I’ve grown Butter Cup squash, so at least I’ll have a potato substitute once in a while this coming winter.
Without a doubt, this year’s crop of black raspberries will be quadruple the size of what it was last season, but I can assure you, their canes are loaded with the king of thorns. In spite of my wearing long pants and a long-sleeve denim shirt, I still managed to get ‘sliced’ several times on my hands, and believe, those cuts looked just like I cut slashed myself with a razor blade.
For sure, the only reason we don’t find black raspberry preserves in the grocery store, is because of those thorns, but the heavenly taste of the jam I make from them is well worth it. The dessert of desserts is buying a half gallon of Tillamook’s vanilla ice cream, and then creating a generous-sized bowl of it which is topped with black raspberry preserves. Oh my goodness! Even the queen of England couldn’t have it any better.
Tonight’s One-liner is: Self esteem is the reputation we acquire with ourselves.
