Ponderings about Time

Ponderings while Watering Sh_t!

“Honey, can you help me for just 30 minutes this morning?” Thirty minutes is not that long but in husband/man talk it means I have no idea how long it will really take, but I know that as a woman you want a time frame.
So what was the 30 minute “aka” 1 hour project? It was watering horse poop that My Guy had moved from an area horse stable to our farm to use as fertilizer/compost. I remember when he first started working “THE PILE”, he commented, “Stick your hand in it and feel the heat.” Needless to say, I did NOT stick my hand in the pile of poop! I did admit that there was heat being generated. According to My Guy, you have to rotate and water your poop to keep it working to make it a usable product. So that brought us to today, I watered the poop as he relocated the pile with the tractor. Since this appeared to me to be a boring job, I decided to rotate the sprinkler from “FULL” to “SHOWER” which seemed to keep my interest, but according to My Guy, it was not as efficient, so it was “FULL” only, on the spray nozzle. BORING!

While watering, I reflected on the time issue of Men versus Women and I had several revelations. Men really cannot tell women how long for a project since they have a warped sense of time. I remember My Guy saying this will only take 5 minutes to replace the alternator (took 30+). Man says, “This will only take a minute.” Woman’s translation, “This could be a good 20-30 minutes” OR “They have no idea how long and ‘only a minute’ is just bait to get you to help.” The more I thought about it while watering “The Pile”, I realized that it may not be totally man’s poor sense of time, it might, just possibly, be related to women, aka MOM.

How many of you remember as a child being told, “Two minutes ‘til bed time” and it’s really 5-10? Or consider, “You have 5 minutes to get those toys picked up” and Mom gives you 15. As women, we can adjust as we mature, but for guys, they will somehow revert to that early childhood time frame. So as adult men, 5 minutes really means 15. So consider that equation when your man tells you this will only take 1 minute. It will = 15! So, using that equation 1:15 as 5:X = ____. Answer 75 minutes or 1 hour 15 minutes. This may be slightly out of proportion, learn to adjust the equation to your “MAN’s Ratio”!

Just as I thought that I had this “MAN Ratio” formula figured, I remembered a Scripture from Joshua, and realized that God even has a ratio to consider. Do you remember hearing your Mom say, “We will go as soon as I find my keys, or as soon as you pick up your toys or whatever? This comes from Joshua 3:14-16 Contemporary English Bible, “Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge,the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan…” Someone pointed out that even though the water stopped “as soon as” it was a great distance away and the 90 miles of up-stream water had to first pass by. That was such an amazing revelation to me. I think of this when I say, “I’ll be ready as soon as I ….”.

So, as soon as I get this blog completed, I will be ready to get to work, give or take 5 minutes (Man Time)! (By the way, I measured “Shower” versus “Full” flow in a coffee can and there was NO difference. Just thought you might want to know.)

Junking at Fredericksburg Trade Days

I arrived at Trade Days a day early this month due to an appointment in Fredericksburg. The rains had everything really green, not to mention the mild temperatures we have had this winter, so upon arrival, I noted that Paul had been busy mowing the grounds. After opening the RV, sweeping out dog hair and putting things away, I took a quick walk about the area.

Near our building, Cottage 3, new construction was taking place. Also the Fudge Shop building has new owners, Willie & Betty Mund and they have added a front porch and new paint colors. Willie does leather tooling.

A little further down the way, I met new to me vendors from Northern Minnesota. They feature primitives, antiques and a nice collection of Coleman lanterns and other products. Cherry, the Rada Knife lady in Barn 3 gave me a quick tour of her booth improvements and their new RV. It is really a dream home! As I left Cherry, I continued down the last alley to see what new items Andy might have.

Andy had his grill going for supper and we enjoyed a short visit. He, also, had been busy mowing and trimming the grass from the recent rains. If you are in need of large metal letters, architectual or metal items, Andy has a great selection. As I headed back to our RV, I spotted Cindy sitting on her front porch. After casual greetings, I joined Cindy as we shared what is going on and how big God is. As Cindy and I talked we learned that we had both been in school food service prior to being vendors at Trade Days. Its a small world and you learn alot when you listen.

On the way back to the RV I stopped by Old Gold Cottage. Patti and Megan, mother and daughter, recently moved from Barn 4 to the cottage by Barn 1. They have become great friends, so I had to check out what was new. Once at the RV I signed on to the internet, checked emails, Face Book, played a few games and decided to blog.

I think that I failed to mention that you can also look for Sisters' Treasures by locating the 1954 Trotwood Camper on the north side of our building. This is the location of our Vintage Closet. We have some fun, vintage clothes for women, men and children!

This weekend, the weather should be mild, the vendors plentiful and the pickings outstanding.

Come join us on Friday & Saturday 9-6 and Sunday 9-4. The best place for pickings is here.

Selah - a Pause

What better thing to do in the middle of winter than spend a weekend with 11 friends at a beautiful retreat named Selah Springs Ranch? A year ago I had the winning bid for a 2 night stay at Selah Springs Ranch located 10 miles south of Brady, Texas. My original plan was to stay there this past summer with my family, but due to scheduling conflicts that did not happen. So we went to plan B.

Plan B was to invite Lonnie Lane of Jacksonville, Florida to be a presenter at a winter retreat for a group of my friends (aka "Sisters in Christ"). Invitations were extended, plane ticket was purchased, food was organized and God sent rain to refresh the San Saba River that flowed past the lodge. As everyone gathered on Friday evening we were in awe of the grandeur of the location, the immenseness of the living room with the huge wood burning fireplace and the plush sleeping quarters. As we stepped onto the deck from the living room we could hear and see the river gently flowing through the rocks. Gentle rapids enticed me to the edge, but the temperatures convinced me to not step in the water.

The weekend was spent listening intently to Lonnie as she shared her experiences of being born a Jew and then accepting Jesus as her Lord and Savior.

We were filled with excitement and questions for this wonderful teacher. Teachings led to more questions as the night progressed, and some burned the midnight oil to gain more insight from her. Teachings continued on Saturday, along with great food and fellowship.

As Saturday evening approached, the husbands joined us for dinner and the last sharing of the evening. It was difficult to believe that the weekend was coming to a close and that my new friend would be returning to Florida. On Sunday morning, we were greeted by cold winds from the north as my Floridian friend donned her winter coat. Her recent winters in Florida had de-climatized her from her many cold winters in Pennsylvania. Needless to say, Texas winters hardly compare, but they are colder than Florida.

The drive from Brady, the "True Heart of Texas" to Belton seemed to go by quickly as I delivered Lonnie to her brother for a visit. "Next time we will get Mary and explore the antique stores I may need to buy some red boots!"

Lonnie stated as we said our farewells. We knew that we must meet again soon, for the bond of sisterhood had been established.

"Selah"