PRETTY LITTLE ANGEL EYES

Angelology is defined as the theological study of angels reflecting the descriptions in the Bible who are often depicted as winged supernatural creatures. The spiritual messengers can be found in the Hebrew Bible, New Testament and the Quran. Their job descriptions include protecting, guiding humans and carrying out God's tasks. A brush with some famous all-star angels might include Malachim, Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Seraphim, Malach HaMavet, HaSatan, Chayot, Hakodesh or Ophanim HaMekavah. My angel encounter involves this bright eyed joy who is in my Sunday School Class and Kid's Church. Born January 11, 1999 this intelligent young tween is the one who always asks to devour my object lessons. What can I say??? The girl loves to eat! She has a deep relationship with the Lord and a broad compassion for others far beyond her years. Angel Dawn has been an irreplaceable helper to me 'round church doin' anything I ask of her without hesitation. She's as country as a baked bean sandwich and loves animals more than anyone this Ozark farm chick has ever met. Ya' can tell by the vast four legged menagerie she keeps around her at all times. This sweet eleven year old lassie is also fightin' the battle of her life!!!!

Angel awoke with a headache so intense that she was unable to attend Sunday services about seven weeks ago. Now this is one little gal who loves, loves, loves Kid's Church. I often begin Kid's Church with, "The best part of my week was....," Angel always answers, "Right now...here!" That night she was taken to the nearest approved hospital who transported her to Barnes in St. Louis where they found a tumor at the base of her brain stem. A successful operation removed the tumor was sadly malignant. Yep, free spirited Angel was diagnosed with cancer. Those old 'C' cells were dividin' rapidly with their uncontrolled fury she was hit with a double barrel of radiation and chemotherapy. The surgery left her right side motor skills compromised and four weeks into treatment Angel had lost twenty pounds and her hair. Isn't she just a livin' doll in her new wig??? Ya'll gotta love that smile! My best friend and I wanted to bless her beyond the prayers we'd been bombardin' the heavens with so we piled in the car and spent a day in the Big City doin' a little Angel shoppin'. Big old Angel tears whelped up in us all as she read her card. I think she was just a little overwhelmed with all her goodies but her concern was for the other children who received no gifts. That's our Angel!!!

This is Long Tall Dave. He happens to be the Ringo Starr drummer of our Tiny Town who promised Miss Angel he would shave his head as slick as a cue ball when she lost her hair. An angel in his own right, Long Tall not only shaved his head, he gave Angel scissors to make the first cuts. Now, if that didn't make her happier than a woodpecker in a lumber yard!!! God bless ya Dave, your a brave man!

We spent a special day in Kid's Church Sunday with our precious Angel just listening to her struggles and prayin' with this young lady of God. When asked to finish the statement, "The best part of my week was.....," she answered, "I only have ten more radiation treatments!" The wisdom of a child will always amaze me. The little cherub stated that she knew there was a reason God was allowing her to go through this battle but she also knew the He was right there with her to fight the fight. Look there...over her shoulder... can ya see Jesus watchin' over her? He has come to her in other ways, like the hospital worker who took time from this day off to take her to the most beautiful flower garden she'd ever seen! The nurse who told her that she had dimples 'cause that's where the angels had kissed her. The unknown stranger in a local restaurant who left the waitress at the register a hundred dollars just for Angel. I covet your prayers for a miracle in this little jewel's young life. Angel has charmed many just as that doo-wop foursome, the Halos, sang in 1961 with those "Pretty Little Angel Eyes!!!"

Our prayers are with you Angel

BEEP! BEEP!

'God is forgiving' is the Hebrew definition of the name Ian. 'A happy blessing' is the interpretation Bible scholars give the Hebrew name Ashyr. All this Ozark farm chick knows is that I was happier than a gopher on diggin' day when he was born into our family. He makes my heart sing!!! Baby Ian blessed us with his arrival 7/8/2009 and has been a babblin' bright eyed bundle of joy ever since. The little guy celebrated the big number one last month with a grand party filled with cake presents and loads of love.

Of course this rockin' Grandma and Gramps had to get something every one year old needs...his first car! Yep, complete with a key which turns the motor (err-err), a cell phone that rings, a shifter that makes shiftin' sounds, a radio that plays his favorite tunes, a gas hole that glug-glugs and a horn that goes beep, beep, beep! Mr. "Lighting McQueen can be used as a push toy or driven as a car. Now, doesn't that just curl your toes?

This sweet talkin' boy took to this mix between a Corvette and Dodge Viper that has the characteristics of Steve McQueen and the voice of Owen Wilson like a duck to water on a hot summer day. Ian's sweet babblin' jibbers are becoming sweet, sweet words. When eatin', and let me tell ya'll...the kid loves to eat, he'll say "more peese and kank kou." It's just never too early to be polite. The little fella knows who butters his bread and bakes his biscuits. Why, just the other day he told his sweet mama while she was puttin' on her face, "mama pitty!" Learn young, don't they??? Heeehehehehe........

Yep, he's a toddlin' charmer who can down a bowl of strawberry short-cake faster than a bee stung stallion can move to the other side of the horse pen. God blessed us richly when he added this one to his creations and our hearts. He'll be wavin' bye-bye as that old 1958 novelty tune of the Playmates is playin ' on his car radio and you can hear him leaving 'cause his horn goes beep-"BEEP! BEEP!

JIMMY CRACK CORN

Tall strong bamboo like stalks wavin' their green flag like leaves in the hot summer breeze tossin' back it's shiny pale yellow silks like
a perky cheerleader in a room full of thick-necked football players. The Indians called it maize, English speaking folks call it corn but this Ozark farm chick calls it 'roasteneers'. MMmmm, pass the butter baby!!! Our corn reached as high in the sky as a lovestruck giraffe during mating season. Then the choppin' crew moved in.

Corn is a grass that was domesticated by indigenous Mesoamerica people in prehistoric times. Around 1250 AD the whole dang continent was growin' the golden grain. By the fifteenth century traders and explorers took it back to Europe shoppin' with it just like cash. Ya'll think that would fly at the Tanger Mall in Branson??? Just sayin...........

The many varieties of corn range from Dent to Waxy and if ya'll will allow me to take on the character of Benjamin Buford "BUBBA" Blue from the movie Forrest Gump, I'll tell ya'll some of the multitudes of food we ingest made from corn. Stand back...here goes....there is corn on the cob, sweet corn kernels, cornmeal, cream corn, cornbread, corn porridge, popcorn, corn polenta, corn mash, corn flakes, hominy, corn grits, corn alcohol, corn pudding, corn salsa, corn chips, corn oil, corn starch and corn syrup........whew, I'm breathless and this chick has the lung capacity of a hot air balloon.

Several other uses that are not for human consumption are silage (used to feed livestock), dog and cat food, fish bait, plastics, fabrics, adhesives, herbal supplements and bio-fuels.

America will harvest 332 million metric tons of corn this year. We harvested 671 tons of processed silage packed down and covered in plastic to 'cook'. Makes for some mighty good eatin' for the cattle. It was hotter than tarnation during harvest and this chick cooked for the Strongbacks (crew) and helped hubby cover the swelterin' steaming pile with plastic. Did I ever mention that farmin' is hard work??? Yep, there I was sweatin' like a tall glass of ice tea on a humid day crawlin' up and over dragging massive sheets of plastic beltin out' that old 1840's song that was later recorded by Burl Ives, "JIMMY CRACK CORN!!!"