CORDELL

CORDELL

Armed with a simple slingshot, he was barefoot and wore britches patched over patches and short enough to reveal hairy ankles. Frayed cuffs of a once-white shirt peeked from the too-short sleeves of a tattered suit coat. A limp bowtie that seemed to be anchored in place by the boy's Adam's apple completed his attire. While his apparel attested to a life of too little, his gaze was that of one who'd witnessed too much…too much beyond the death and poverty that were normal occurrences in these hills. War, perhaps.

Aunt Nell's eyes misted. "Cordell is everybody's son and nobody's son. Cordell is just Cordell and he's God's child. It don't matter more'n that." 

 

A Shelter in a Weary Land

WIP rewrite by Julane Hiebert

 

Aunt Nell

 

This is Aunt Nell. 

Plump as a feather tick.

Wears men's boots too large for her.

Eyes big as marbles behind wire-rimmed spectacles

Frilly bonnet tied under a ruffle of chins

She carries a Henry Repeater rifle

AND

She smokes a pipe--although it's never lit and is void of tobacco

You will meet her in the rewrite of A Shelter in a Weary Land.

 EVERYONE NEEDS AN AUNT NELL 💕 

Can yours?

 

My Father can frost trees! 

Can yours? 

FINISH WELL

 Since 2015, I've had 7 full novels and 5 novellas published. It still amazes me because I didn't start young...I was 75 at that first book signing. You can do the math.

In a few short days, 6 of those novels and all of the novellas will be taken out of print. I have full rights to all of them and can do with them what I please. And I do have plans.

But right now, at this writing, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed...like there are hurdles of age and time in front of me and blurred faces of doubt, and fear pushing me toward a finish line I can't see. 

I thought I would know if and when it was time for me to quit writing.  I envisioned huge flags waving like, perhaps, no more stories swirling around in my head, characters no longer talking to me in the middle of the night, or fingers too stiff and slow to continue punching in words. But the truth is: I have three unfinished stories that have pitched their tents in this make-believe world of mine. And 11 stories clamoring to be retold. However, I do not want to go one written word ahead of God's plans for me, nor one letter behind. 

This is not a plea for comments, but I do covet your prayers. 

I want my very faithful readers to know that my desire is that I finish well, however that might look. 

 

Peace Be Still

 

*****

 My Jesus is more than a fair weather friend.

He orders my days from beginning to end.

And when my days grow stormy, I know that He will

Rebuke the winds.

Peace Be Still.

He says Peace! Peace!

Be still my child.

You're safe here in my arms though the storms grow wild.

Come! Lay your head upon My breast and trust me.

I will

Rebuke the winds.

Peace Be Still.

PERSPECTIVE

 

IN MY OWN LITTLE CORNER IN MY OWN LITTLE CHAIR

The Heart of the Lowly

DO YOU SEE IT?

 We often seek beauty in the high places when its heart is already present in the lowly. 

    

LOVE in a. FLANNEL SHIRT

 MY BOB

 IN A FLANNEL SHIRT

I THINK THE TITLE OF THIS ENTRY SAYS IT ALL💗

NO SHAME

 

With only the kiss of a late summer breeze on her limbs, Lady Cottonwood begins to teasingly disrobe, one golden garment at a time.

 Such a coquet.

With no shame!  

RED STOOL REDEMPTION

 

It was old and bent when found at a farm auction. But my Bob brought it home anyway, straightened the dings, filled in the missing parts, sanded away the dirt and grime and rust of years of neglect behind someone's barn, and repainted it. 

If that isn't a picture of redemption, I don't know what is! 

If All Else Fails

Settling in for a day of writing.

See the sticker?

Moment of Zen, it says. Whatever that means.

But let me tell you, the fragrance of eucalyptus and mint is strong enough to make words literally fly from my fingers

OR 

Attract a very cuddly koala bear from the far reaches of Australia.

 

Here's My Sign

Here's my sign.

Proof that God cares for even the smallest and weakest bit of faith. 

What's yours?

ONE BEATER SHORT OF FLUFFY

 Beat brown sugar, flour and butter mixture until fluffy--it said.

And I tried--then it happened. 

After 60+ years of faithful service, one beater fell off long before the mixture was fluffy.

How often I've felt 'one beater short'. 

You know the feeling: One nickel short of having two to rub together; six inches short of being tall; one ingredient short of having what you need to bake the cake you promised for the school cakewalk; etc., etc., etc. 

But this is what I learned from the one little whirly-thingy holding tight: it kept working. It might have had to work a bit harder, but it stayed 'plugged in', held fast, and continued to work hard at the job it was meant to do without complaining that it had no help, and eventually produced the right amount of 'fluffy'.

I don't think I need to elaborate.

Oh, that I might be so faithful!

DON'T DRINK THE WATER

I've been in a cleaning/rearranging/organizing frenzy

For ten years this wee closet right inside the door we use most has been a catchall! 

You know the kind...open at your own risk! 

Ugly!  Handy!  But REALLY ugly!!

Amazing what a coat or white paint, shelves, tap lights and fun containers can do to lift a woman's spirit--and turn UGLY into USEFUL.

Pockets on inside of the door add space for mixes and fun little surprises!  

HOWEVER--I must add this disclaimer:

In times past, this sort of activity was the first sign of a new pregnancy.

I'm 80

You might not want to drink our water!!  

A Way of Seeing

It stormed last night.

A real, literal storm with thunder, lightning, wind, rain…the works!

But the sun still came up and promises to shine again. As I walked into my office this stained-glass hanging was a great visual reminder that no matter the storms that surround me, the ever-changing unrest, hate and chaos that seems to rule the news of the day 

I have ONE who never changes.

ONE who is still on the throne

ONE who is not at all surprised by what is happening around me.

I CAN and WILL withstand the storms because of the promise each new morning brings.

Different Outlook

For the past ten years, this window has been graced with a blind and a valance.

The blind was NEVER pulled, and the valance was there to cover the blind when it was in the upright position.

The scene outside my kitchen window changes only with the seasons, give or take a few head of cattle. 


But what a difference it made to remove blind and the few inches of fabric that covered it.  

Think there might be a lesson in this? 

Get Ye Straw Where Ye Can Find It

Before you yell at me--I am FULLY aware that the title of this blog is taken completely out of context. But somehow it fit so perfectly.

Can you see her? Mrs. Wren? Last evening I watched this busy little bird build a nest in the firehose wound around the spool of an old hose cart. 

Back and forth she went, one small piece of grass/straw at a time having only her beak to maneuver the stems between the spokes and into her hiding place. She'd drop it, and go after it, time and time again until she finally accomplished the task.

Oh, if only I were so faithful to keep on keeping on. 

SHELTERED IN PLACE

He leads me beside still waters! 

In the midst of all the pandemic hubbub, my Father is faithful to remind me…

HE IS STILL IN CHARGE!! 

MAMA HAS BEEN BUSY!

FOUR! 

AND

FEATHERS!!

Do you think it's too early to plan a shower?

NEWBIE?

Well, we're not sure what is happening with our mama goose. 

She has one egg which is left all by itself for most of the day. 

Mama returns toward evening and seems to mess with the egg and then settles onto the nest for a few minutes then is gone again.

Last night she spent a lot of time pulling the dead petunias from the other pot, but we didn't observe her nesting in it. 

Maybe she's new at this motherhood thing. 

Ordinarily we chase the geese off our dock and out of the yard. They are such messy creatures. But we don't disturb this little family until we know for sure they've abandoned the nest. 

For now, we'll allow them to shelter-in-place.