I Lost a Friend

I've lost a friend. Janet. Cancer. She was a courageous fighter.

Janet was fighting cancer three years before I knew her. She was mentioned in a Sunday School class I attended. I started doing what I do best. I wrote her a note. That was in May of 2010. I've been writing her notes ever since.

It was a number of months before we met. We scheduled a date at the Starbucks in Mt. Airy. I sat there for two hours listening to her share about her life and the opportunities God had given her to witness for Him. I was spellbound.

I continued writing notes and sending emails, listening to her heart as she continued to battle for her life. One of the things we did together was make "Hope" pouches. I had been making "Hope" pillows for a few years to give away, but not pouches.

My friend, Gail, sewed up the pouches for me from the pretty "Hope" material from Longaberger, and Janet made a list of what to put inside. She knew exactly what someone would need when they first began to take chemo. Then the pouches were delivered to the cancer center where she receives chemo to give to people undergoing treatment for the first time.

Janet joined me for a retirement breakfast with other women in my church. I didn't know if she'd be able to attend and was pleasantly surprised when she arrived. She's the first one on the right.

I also met with Janet, and our friend, Shari, (second on the left) a few times for breakfast. Those will be special memories for me. And the Saturday we had an open house at my Mom's home in Rockville, Janet and her husband, Eric, came down to find some treasures.

Our relationship has mostly been through cards, emails and texting. The last few years she was under extreme pain and agony.

The other week she was able to join her team, the Thursday Teal Troopers, for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition Walk in Frederick. Although she couldn't participate, God made it possible for her to attend a few minutes to cheer on her team. In her email message to her friends last February, she said: "My team, the Thursday Teal Troopers (all of us patients currently in treatment) are on a mission to raise awareness and promote education about ovarian cancer in our community." They raised $68,000.

It was very difficult seeing her before she died. She was asleep, heavily drugged. But I took her hand and thanked her for being my friend. I told her I'd see her in Glory.

I've lost very few loved ones and friends in my life. I've considered that a number of times over recent years, and thank God. But I know more friends and loved ones will be passing on as my year's continue to add up. This ain't going to be easy.

Janet was a friend. I only knew her a short time. I'm sorry to lose her. She was saved and is meeting Jesus before me. There isn't any pain in her body anymore. She still shines as a blessing in my life!

Jo loves her toys. She carries them around, bringing them to us to show off. Jerry caught her asleep on the couch with her paws around her rope.

I Volunteered

Somebody has to do it. Why not me? It's National Ice Cream month! Ronald Regean made it official in  1984, and what better month than July during the hot, humid weather. And the third Sunday of July is National Ice Cream Day.

So I took it upon myself to make milk shakes. Not any milk shake. The one I grew up on. Every once in a while my Dad would surprise us and make milk shakes. It was a special treat. And it still it today!

So I gathered the ingredients and my favorite glass and began. First, the right ice cream.

Then the right syrup. (Hershey's, of course.)

A little bit of milk.

A whole lot of ice cream. (No, I didn't eat the whole container. Almost.)

A little mixing . . . some more ice cream and syrup.

And fill it to the brim chocolate milk shake!

 

It's a favorite treat, and I've been enjoying them this month in celebration.

The only negative aspect of this treat is what it does to my waist and hips. But, that's such a small thing compared to a delicious and fulfilling milkshake.

There aren't very many good memories I have about my father, but he did make a mean milk shake that I always loved! There's still time. It's only July 23rd!

Nope, the Minister of Chocolate hasn't retired!

I Struck Gold, Twice

The other year my sister-in-law, Bobbie, sent me over a snap her granddaughter, Sammi, took of two fawns nursing. She was hiking in the woods, and came upon them unexpectantly. She was able to get a snap off before the scene broke up.

 

I was envious. I'd never seen a fawn nursing in the wild. It was a coveted snap. That is until Saturday morning. I got mine.

One thing I miss about working is the drive in each morning. I'd leave home 15 to 20 minutes early so I could drive all the country roads I'd come to love. I knew where I would see deer, sheep, calves and goslings. And in between those would be a lovely sunrise to capture.

Last July I decided to go out on Saturday mornings to spot fawn. I'd leave the house by 6 and enjoy two hours of nature as I drove all those roads I use to drive. The streets were quiet from any other travelers. I was able to get some nice fawn snaps.

Two weeks ago I started on my fawn watch for this year. Leaving a little before 6 a.m. I found nothing the first time out, but the second time I struck gold! I not only found one fawn nursing, but much to my surprise I had snapped another fawn nursing and hadn't realized it! (Below) A doe and two fawns were moving across an open cemetery field, and I was just following them in the car, snapping when I could.

After downloading and working with the snap of the fawn nursing, I then went back and previewed the other snaps. I was shocked to find another nursing fawn. It was a banner morning as I saw fawn at four different locations, and was able to spend 10 minutes snapping at two of those spots.

The picture quality isn't as good as I'd like; they appear grainy. Enhancing them hasn't worked well, but I'm pleased at my good fortune. A much sought after snap was captured.

When I began taking pictures of deer I was amazed to discover I often had 30 seconds to a minute to get several snaps off before the deer ran off. And many times I'd have a number of minutes to watch and enjoy while I snapped away.

I don't know what it is about baby animals. Fawn, lamb, calves, goslings and foal are exciting to snap. Other than they're just plain cute, maybe it's knowing how difficult it can be to get those babies when the Mom's try and shield them from me.

We haven't seen any doe at our back gate since the first of the year, so I don't know if we'll have any fawn coming up this year. The guys are coming up though. Our bachelor of buck number seven this year, and they're antlers are already big. It's amazing. The above and below snaps are from last year. I love seeing them.

I love my hobby of photography. It's a fulfilling pastime and continually provides enjoyment and creativity. And every once in a while, you get a snap of a lifetime!

 

A Way With Words

It's quote time again, those statements that make you think and smile. I've included some here for you to muse over. In between are some of my favorite fawn pictures through the years.

"Books and dogs make good companions."  Penny Abbott

"Courage, my heart! Go on little by little, for many littles will make a great whole."  Charles Spurgeon

"A dog at the feet of her mistress. A cat curled up in front of the family fireplace, a cow in the midst of a green pasture--these are pictures of contentment far beyond what most human beings enjoy."  Dorothy Patterson

"I have come to realize, that the radiance of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not take away the fragrance of the little violets or the delightful simplicity of the daisy. Perfection consists in being what God wants us to be. "  Th'erese

"It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are."  E. E. Cummings

"A good friend is a connection to the past and a road to the future."  Lois Wyse

"God mightily uses Christians who stay cool in a hot place, sweet in a sour place, and little in a big place."  Tommy's Window

"The only way of getting a good life is first getting a good heart."  Henrietta C. Mears

"Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine to the soul and can never be taken in overdoses." Luther Burbank

"And I can live my life on earth contented to the end, if but a few shall know my worth and proudly call me friend."  Edgar A. Guest

"Sometimes in the winds of change you'll find your direction."  Unknown

"Every calling is great when greatly pursued."  Oliver Wendall Holmes

"Laughter is the most beautiful and beneficial therapy God ever granted humanity."  Charles Swindoll

"Blinking back the tears I'm thinking, may just clear the heart for sight: as windshield wipers help us on a stormy, windswept night."  Ruth Graham

"Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability."  Sam Keen

"I hang my own paintings in our home because, as immodest as this may sound, I really enjoy my own work."  Thomas Kinkade

"Nothing to do ... nothing to do ... what a happy thought!"  Winnie the Pooh

 

"That flower which follows the sun, doth so even in cloudy days ..." Robert Leighton



"A healthy perspective on household chores includes determining your maximum acceptable dirt level." Unknown

"Drawing on my fine command of the English language, I said nothing."  Robert Benchley

"Proverbs are short sentences drawn from long experiences." J. Vernon McGee

"Stones and trees speak slowly and may take a week to get out a single sentence, and there are few men, unfortunately, with the patience to wait for an oak to finish a thought."  Garrison Keillor

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." Thornton Wilder

"When at last I took the time to look into the heart of a flower, it opened up a whole new world; a world where every country walk would be an adventure, where every garden would become an enchanted one." Princess Grace of Monaco

A Walk Around the Yard

No words . . . just snaps to enjoy!

Enjoy the beauty!