Sharing Boxley Favorites

Sharing Boxley Favorites Cookbook

Speaking of "the heavens", (see previous entry) our Ladies Ministry at Boxley Baptist Church is excited to announce the publication of our newest cookbook, SHARING BOXLEY FAVORITES. It is a collection of recipes by some of the "best cooks along the Upper Buffalo River".

And that's not all! Scattered throughout the book are photos and art work by professional and amateur artists in the area. The cover picture is by Tim Ernst a well-known nature photographer who lives on Cave Mountain. Other contributors (everyone, by the way, gave us permission for publication without charge) include Alice Andrews, Don Kitz,artists, and Ed Porter, Don Nelms, and Michael Dougherty, professional photographers who live and and work in the area. Other pictures are by members of the church.

You will also find a history with photos of the church and Boxley Valley.

It is truly a treasure for all who live or visit the Buffalo National River area.

For information on how to purchase a copy email me , Camille.

Price is $15 plus $5 mailing.
All proceeds go the the Ladies Of Purpose for mission projects throughout the year.

December Gifts

December Mountain Sunrise

I am again inspired by Ruth's Advent devotions--

These are the words of Zachariah, father of John the Baptist, at John's birth as he proclaimed the coming messiah.

"God's sunrise will break upon us, shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace." Luke 1:78-79

Many of us rise before the sun does, (and if you live in a rural area such as ours, most people do.) They either have a long drive to work, or they farm and have to "get up with the chickens" literally! In talking with friends this week, I have heard several comments on the spectacular sunrises of late. Jack and I have thought the same thing and so, this morning, after Jack drove off to work, I stepped out on the porch, braved the cold winds, and snapped the picture you see above. I told Jack as we drank our first cup of coffee in bed this morning, it would be nice to build a house so that the bedroom window is facing the east. What a wonderful way to wake up each morning watching the sunrise. It can't help but improve one's outlook for the day, nor can one help but praise God for such a beautiful gift each morning!

We moved from a house in the woods to a house on the mountain. It is still an awe-inspiring experience to observe the blazing oranges and reds of a sunrise, the azure blue noonday sky scattered with puffs of white clouds, the fading pinks and purples of the sunset, or the ominous dark gray storm clouds rolling in from the west. Even the vapor trails of silver jets traveling across the "wild blue yonder" are impressive! We named our long driveway up to our house "Blue Sky Road" because one has the feeling of traveling through the sky as the road winds its way to the top.

The weatherman can explain the scientific reasons for these occurrences each day, but no doubt God gave us sunrises and sunsets and a glorious sky as a gift to enjoy and help us remember his omnipotent power over the universe. My picture file of the heavens, as seen from below, continues to grow.

The holiday season is upon us, and there is so much to do. My prayer each morning for myself is -- "Dear Lord, Open my heart to the gifts of this day." I hope it will be yours too.

.

Ready For The Season?

Molly is ready for the season

We had a delightful Thanksgiving holiday--blessings galore! Great travel weather, fun with the grandson, wonderful cabin guests. And, for all that, and much more, we are very thankful. However, most of the time we don't get all the leftover turkey eaten before we are in the middle of "holiday anxiety"--planning, shopping, cooking, decorating (My! I am getting anxious just thinking about all the things I must do!) I was in that sort of mood as we traveled back home on Friday.

Yesterday, Sunday, was a good day to regroup. We attended church at Boxley in light snow. It continued to snow most of the day (I am now looking out the window at snow-covered mountains). In the afternoon, a dear friend, Ruth, stopped by to give me a gift--something she said I would want before Christmas. It is an Advent booklet of daily devotionals--one for each day of the Advent, along with a small candle encircled by a wreath. These are her original writings bound in a little book. What a treasured gift!

I will quote from her introduction:

"The Advent means 'coming' and is symbolic of Christ's coming to earth as a baby, His coming and presence in the believer's heart today, and His coming again in power and glory. This advent wreath is a reminder of God's unending love for us and of the gift of everlasting life that He gave us through His Son Jesus Christ. The candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world, and is to be lit as each devotion is being read. The Advent season begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas (November 30, 2008) and goes through Christmas Eve."

No matter how hectic the day promises to be, I will begin each morning of this Advent season with the reading of her devotional for the day, and the lighting of the Advent candle. It is my hope that you will do your own version of this. And, may it make your holiday season one of joy and love.

Prayer for Sunday, November 30--

Dear God, as we begin the Advent season, teach us the true meaning of Christmas. Each time we light the candle, help us to think about the mercy shown to us, and help us as we look at the lighted candle to "lighten up" and stop needing "perfection" in our lives. Amen

Ruth Moore

Something Told the Wild Geese

Snow Geese

Something told the wild geese

It was time to fly--

Summer sun was on their wings,

Winter in their cry.

Jack and I happened to be on the porch when we heard the cry of wild geese flying overhead. Looking up, we saw the "V" formation as they made their way south, ahead of what was to be a major storm. All night the winds howled at the windows. We had already prepared for winter weather by moving all signs of summer out of the yard and off the porch. Still, a few things bumped and squeaked most of the night. The rains blasted the windows and doors despite an 10 foot porch overhang. We later learned the wind speed got up to 60 mph. I can imagine the jet stream coming right over our house!

Sure enough, the next morning all signs of early fall had disappeared! The brilliant gold, red, and orange leaves had flown south with the geese! What few leaves were still on the trees were brown and falling. That's okay. It is time. This is a transition time preparing us for the winter that is just around the corner, or over the mountain, or still up north. Already, the weatherman teases us with "chances of snow" predictions. We get excited, knowing all the time it won't be but a dusting. And, hoping it doesn't turn into an ice storm.

I love this time of year. Probably because it is my birth month. I can always count on a first winter blast about this time. The woolly worms are out. I have seen solid black ones as well as those with a brown band around the midsection. Never figured out which is a sign of a hard winter. Another harbinger of a hard winter is the persimmon. If there is a "shovel" inside it means lots of winter snows. This is a banner year for persimmons, and I have heard you can find most anything--fork, spoon, knife, whatever! inside. I haven't really looked, but I did eat some that were really tasty!

If fogs in August are any indication of a harsh weather, as some old timers tell us, we are in for one bad winter! I didn't count them, but there were quite a few very foggy days and nights in August. Something that isn't too common. The fogs have been discussed at the feed store since August!

Most everyone around here has a favorite way to predict the coming winter weather. One that makes sense to me is the one about gauging the harshness of winter by watching how high the neighbors' stack their supply of firewood. It makes one want to go out and cut more wood! Just in case.

What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord...When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs. The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings...For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory...What joy for those who trust in you. Psalm 84:5,6,11,12

And A Good Time Was Had By All!

Cave Mountain Road

There is an air of excitement in the mountains this time of the year. The colors are glorious! A main topic of discussion is whether the colors have "peaked" and how do they compare with last year's. Who cares! We don't complain! The temperatures range from cool in the morning to "just right" in the middle of the day. It is a great time to do anything in the mountains!

I was in Jasper this week, and the little mountain town was bustling with visitors and locals. I stopped by Emma's Museum of Junk (by far the best little antique store anywhere!). I am on a mission to rid our house of clutter and "stuff". Emma needs "stuff" to sell in her store. We both agreed it was nice to let go of things now and then. But, it is hard to do. These are little treasures that I fell in love with through the years as I shopped little places similar to Emma's. When we moved to the mountains, those things were packed away in boxes and they have just taken up space in the basement for seven years. I hope Emma's customers will love these old and nostalgic things as I once did and take them home to enjoy. Emma and I agreed on a price, and soon my "stuff" will be on her shelves. She has a way of displaying items that make you want to take them home. I just hope I don't walk in her store some day and purchase some of the same items I sold her!

The same day we took Mother out to eat at one of her favorite little restaurants, The Boardwalk Cafe. They serve only organic foods, most is locally grown, even the buffalo burgers and elk sausage (all meat is farm raised, not wild).

Joseph, the owner, was happy with the business they were getting throughout the week. We both wished for several months of fall weather that brings out the tourists. We ordered our favorite winter meal, Janet's Cajun gumbo. The couple are originally from New Orleans, and the seasonings reflect that!

Saturday was a good day to do some yard work. I always leave some plants standing for the wildlife in winter, but some of the grass had to go! Got one bed done with two more to go! For another day, no doubt! It was a good day all around with the Hogs winning and the cabins full of nice folks who came to enjoy the Ozarks.

We capped off the weekend with a hike to Hawksbill Crag up on Cave Mountain. I really prefer to call it by the name most locals use--Whitaker Point. We went with a group of friends from church and packed a picnic lunch. There were about 15 of us--all ages, from 3 to 63! Lots of fun, even though this was not your "quiet walk through the deep woods" sort of hike. Seems like everyone else had the same idea. This is probably one of the most publicized scenic areas anywhere in the Ozarks, and people come from everywhere to view it, especially when it is clothed in fall colors. We even met a group from Japan! This was our third time to hike there--only about 2 miles round trip--not too strenuous, but hold on to the little ones as they near the bluff line.

Today, it's back to school for Jack, and back to the cabin business for me. Looks like another beautiful week to be living in the Ozarks, or anywhere you live for that matter. It is especially a good one for me. I am having a birthday on Friday, and I plan to celebrate all week!

From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.

John 1:16

'Tis The Season!

Indian Creek Falls

The morns are meeker than they were,

The nuts are getting brown;

The berry's cheek is plumper,

The rose is out of town.

Emily Dickinson

The view from my window is deceiving! Sunshine, blue skies, trees of yellow and gold on the mountains across the valley, birds soaring high in the sky--all make up a perfect October day. However, the brisk fall winds remind us that October is a month of contrasts. One day warm and sunny, the next day a chill is in the air. The dogs are confused! They bounce out of the door expecting the warm temps of yesterday. A few minutes later a scratch at the door means "let us in, the wind is blowing us off this mountain!" This goes on all day! A cold front moved through last night bringing much needed rain and colder temperatures. Looks like a fire will feel good tonight!

I love this change of seasons that we will experience in the next few weeks as fall moves into winter. The cold fronts move in from the north, and are visible for hundreds of miles as they slowly make their way into the mountains. The dark, ominous skies forecast a change. It is energizing and exciting to watch as the winds whip through the trees and send leaves sailing across the yard and down into the hollow. It's a time we rush to save delicate flowers still blooming on the porch and secure all chairs and other loose objects that have been a part of our summer days.

Have I told you I love fall? Okay, at least a dozen times!

These are the days when Jack and Ed take a hike to Indian Creek--Jack is always awestruck with the beauty of the area. This is the month we slip away for a leisurely trip to War Eagle Craft fair, sit on the banks of the river, and have a lunch of corn dogs and ice cream. These are the afternoons when we hop on the 4 wheelers and ride across the road to Delano's mountain pastures. When we reach the summit, we stop and look back across Kenner Creek to our own house and cabins--so far away, they look like a Google map! These are the nights we have a wonderful Italian meal at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch. (So good we have to take the Tiramasu home for later.) Or go to the Ozark Cafe on a Friday night for not only a good meal, but great music with Joe Villines and friends. These are the days we can linger over coffee late into the night as we visit with family and friends that have come for the weekend. And, the days when we look forward to meeting new cabin guests and renewing friendships with returning guests who all want to be here in October.

These are the days I hang out my laundry on my new clothesline just because I want to be outside and feel the breezes blow the sheets over my head. The days I refuse to listen to television and choose, instead, to pull out a book saved for just such a time. The days I sit by the window and do an extra Bible study lesson. The days I meet the horses at the fence and give them a good currying. The days we listen to the Razorback game wearing our "Hog shirts" and cheer or cry depending on the score. On one of these days, I find a reason to take a drive up Highway 103 to Green Forest and Berryville, and maybe on to Eureka Springs, alone and quiet in the car--medicine for the soul. The road is a ribbon through the mountains and valleys. At one point, you can look in the distance and see another stretch of the same highway miles away.

These are the days we pick up walnuts that have fallen in the grass, mow the yard wearing a coat, discover the turnips in the late fall garden have grown to be enormous since we last checked! And, in the evening we stop whatever we are doing,gaze across the valley and marvel at the folliage colors that have deepened since yesterday. On one of these afternoons, I pick the last roses of the summer and collect the wildflower seeds to save for next year. We stay out long enough to see a beautiful October sunset. We notice the big orange ball of the Harvest Moon as it rises over the mountains when we drive home from Sunday night church in Boxley Valley.

This is the season that, unlike summer that lingers too long, flies by too quickly. It is too soon gone. It is a season to drop everything and get out and do something!

"In October in Blue Hill the world was so pretty it set everyone in a good mood. Houses were thick with the scent of apples bubbling on stove tops, and gardens lay ripe with the flowering of good green kale."

from THE BLUE HILL MEADOWS by Cynthia Rylant

Perfect Peace

Parthenon Valley in Newton County

Every good and perfect gift is from above,

coming down from the Father of heavenly lights,

who does not change like shifting shadows. 1 James 1:17

Perfect: exact, precise, true, flawless, complete, absolute, impeccable, ideal, unblemished, faithful, right as rain...

"It was a perfect weekend." I found myself discussing our weekend with Jack after a visit from my brother and his wife. Distance, health, work, and other circumstances make these visits all too rare, and I was wanting everything to be perfect. It was--all of us hanging out on the porch, no real time table--just relaxing, watching the birds, butterflies, feeling the wind blow gently across the mountain-- it seemed the leaves changed colors as we watched.

Being a practical person, I rarely describe something as "perfect". But, maybe, one doesn't have to be a "perfectionist" to use the word to describe something, someone, someplace, a time, etc. I am beginning to look at this word differently. Not a word to throw around carelessly, but one to use for certain times and places in our life.

The word took on more significance after I read the cabin journals from our latest guests. As they recorded their thoughts, the word "perfect" was used frequently to describe their days at Mountain Springs. I now believe "perfect" is a feeling. A feeling of joy, delight, happiness--fleeting, but memorable. A souvenir to take home in one's mind to pull out when things aren't going so very "perfect" at the moment.

Here are their journal entries exactly as they wrote them. (It seems a perfect time to get in a little cabin commercial! :-)

Deer Pond Cabin--

"We love it here! We had the most perfect day ever! Perfect weather, awesome hiking! Ate a fantastic dinner in Jasper, then later saw 3 falling stars from the deck! Oh, of course, the elk. How gorgeous! This cabin is perfect too--it lacked nothing--very homey." Keith, Kim, Scott, Missouri

Eagle's Rest Cabin--

"Wow! Can't say enough about how wonderful our stay here has been. Thank you! Thank you for everything--your hospitality, helpful hints about activities, and absolutely perfect cabin. We will be recommending Mountain Springs Cabins to everyone who will listen. We really needed this vacation and you made it perfect! God Bless you both." The Jacksons from Ft. Worth

I might add, we considered them the perfect cabin guests!!

Enough perfection!

However, in these days when very little seems perfect or right, focus on He who is perfect.

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

Isaiah 26:3

(Don't stop with this verse --read the whole 26th chapter of Isaiah!)