When every minute is a Golden Hour

By Elizabeth Prata

Aging isn’t easy. I’m entering my 60th year of age. My teeth are crumbling, my joints are aching, arthritis is thriving, my hair is graying, and my eyes are weakening. Yet my faith given by Jesus is growing, the Light is nearer, and the life He sustains is sweeter every day. I’ve had an immensely great year. I choose to overlook the inconveniences and difficulties, and instead praise the providential care of my God, given through my church, my colleagues at work, my friends, and likely His ministering angels.

In photography, the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset are called Golden Hour. It's because the sun's lowness makes its light appear golden and it imbues everything it streams over as gold, too. See:

I'ts so pretty! That is an unfiltered photo. Just stood outside my door and snapped the backyard.

Someday, every minute of our eternal believing lives will be golden hour. In the New Jerusalem, where believers' citizenship is, we see that

And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. (Revelation 21:23).

I choose to view my life on earth as a Golden Hour, and when I get there I won't have to work at seeing it that way, I'll experience that it IS. I don't know what the future holds, but I know who holds my future, no matter how long or short on earth it may be. It's all golden.

Happy New Year 2020.

Happy New Year!

Well, Happy New Year! I really don't know what else to say. I have a very boring life, and not much to report.

As much as I enjoy reading lists, like "Ten worst blogging mistakes of 2011" or "Five best design moments in your home", or "The inside scoop on where the best five broken meters are in town," I can't think of a list to write myself.

Speaking of meters, I remember a place I worked for 6 years, in a bedroom community of Portland Maine, a large town called Gray. It had a busy intersection, five state routes plus a turnpike interchange met just 100 feet from my office door. It was the only route for Poland Spring Trucks, logging trucks, and modular home trucks from the industries that produced them upstream. Trucks passed by the office constantly. Or I wished they passed. Once they got off the turnpike, they spotted the Cumberland Farms next door, or the McDonald's next to that or the Chinese restaurant across the street, and they screeched to a halt, parking at the first longish straight stretch they passed by: the driveway. Often, like, daily, they would park in front of our exit, blocking us, and our customers in. It was a problem.

Briefly and jokingly, me and my friend who owned the property thought about putting up a meter there, just so see what the truck drivers would do. We didn't, but the idea gave us a lot of giggles.

I'm not much of a retrospective, reminiscing kind of person. I had a good 2011. I assume 2012 will be equally as good. Or it won't. I don't know. That's about it for a year in review.

Happy New Year!

I'm in a new demographic, now!

So the new year is coming and I take stock of the last year. It goes by soooo fast. Faster and faster as you age. There is a mathematical reason for this but I forget its complexities so I'll just say that "time goes fast." Not an original thought, I know. It's even in the bible, with James saying, "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." (James 4:14)

I noticed something this week. The television shows I prefer to watch all seem to target a demographic that needs corn remover pads, walk in showers, and nursing home insurance. Where did the Mountain Dew athletes go? Where did the busy mom needs Tide laundry ads go? I get the Clapper and Medicare.

Actually, I noticed something else. I have developed a corn. I had to look up what it was on my toe, but sure enough, it's a corn. So the next time the corn removal pad commercial came on, I listened. I don't need to buy a new tennis racket, I don't need an iPhone with killer apps, I now need Dr. Scholl's medicated pads for actual corns on my feet.

Oh, incidentally, I turned 50 this month. LOL!

I snapped some photos of the snow and icicles on this bright, bright sunny day:

Happy New Year! Love well, trust the Lord, and live large because life goes fast! 2011 here we come!

Happy New Year

Above, the back yard on a cold winter's day.

The traditional New Year's lunch around these here parts is peas with greens. Peas as in the bean family. Greens, as in turnip or collard greens. Accompanied by cornbread. Sounds lackluster, doesn't it? Well, it isn't. Here are the ins and outs of great southern cooking.

We ate the traditional lunch today, together. My friend had cooked the lunch and invited a couple of us over. It was a feast! The turnip greens were cooked well, tender and juicy. The peas were crowder peas and really tasty too. You top them with a tomato relish. Take a tomato, chopped, and reduce with sugar and vinegar till thick. Plop onto the peas. It is soooo good! Cornbread is baked in a seasoned pie tin - with buttermilk-  for extra moistness and a crusty crust. It is soooo good! A sweet potato oiled on the outside and baked slowly while wrapped in tin foil completes the meal.

We ate slowly, enjoying the cornbread soaked in crowder peas juices, and the potato steaming as we slit the foil. They drank sweet tea, of course. I had water. The peas are supposed to represent coins and the turnip greens, money, for a prosperous new year. So, Happy New Year to all and I hope 2010 is prosperous and happy for all of you.

Weather, wither I go

It's all over the news here about the snow in the central portion of the US and the Northeast as well, and more is on the way. The NOAA weather guy used the word "freaky" to describe this week's upcoming weather . When the weathermen run out of words to describe it, well, that is freaky.

Florida all the way to Miami and Key West will get freezing weather, and we are having actual temps in the teens with wind chill of 5, but in a couple of days all that will be history and by Thursday they are predicting spring temps all over, including NY/New England. But then it cycles back and more snow...freaky!

When people around these parts hear the temps are going so low and they all go out and buy bread and milk...just kidding. That's a New England thing. When they hear snow is coming the first thing they do is run to the grocery store. There's always the ubiquitous local news shots of the grocery stores and people at check out lines. Like the world is coming to an end. But people in here in Georgia do suffer in temps this cold, it's a real trial for them.

My car conked out Sunday, wouldn't start after church, so it's sitting there in the church parking lot. AAA is coming to tow it over to my mechanic's but I have to be there when the tow guy gets there. Which means I have a ten minute walk in the 21 degree weather with wind chill of 10 and snow showers predicted.. and I just gave away all my coats! "It never gets cold hee. SOmeone else could use these." Joke's on me! Oh, well, at least some Georgian somewhere is warm in a real good coat.

I saw "The Great Debaters" with Denzel Washington yesterday with a couple of friends. A tremendous movie. Produced by Oprah's company, she does classy work. Emotionally powerful true story about the debate team from a small black college in Jim Crow South winning and taking on the national championship (white) team. I'd recommend seeing it!

We grabbed a sandwich at the Huddle House and everyone there was doing the black eyed peas and turnip greens thing. Here's a snippet about it-

A Southern Tradition for Luck and Prosperity in the New Year

From About.com: "If you are planning to celebrate the New Year in the Southeast, it is most likely that you will be offered black-eyed peas in some form, either just after midnight or on New Year's Day. From grand gala gourmet dinners to small casual gatherings with friends and family, these flavorful legumes are traditionally, according to Southern folklore, the first food to be eaten on New Year's Day for luck and prosperity throughout the year ahead."

"The practice of eating black-eyed peas for luck is generally believed to date back to the Civil War. At first planted as food for livestock, and later a food staple for slaves in the South, the fields of black-eyed peas were ignored as Sherman's troops destroyed or stole other crops, thereby giving the humble, but nourishing, black-eyed pea an important role as a major food source for surviving Confederates."

"Today, the tradition of eating black-eyed peas for the New Year has evolved into a number of variations and embellishments of the luck and prosperity theme including: Served with greens (collards, mustard or turnip greens, which varies regionally), the peas represent coins and the greens represent paper money."

Well, I did not eat greens nor did I eat black eyed peas. Do french fries count? ;)

Stay warm today and Happy new year!

Welcome 2008

Well, we made it through another one. Some years in the recent past o'mine have been hard & a complete relief to get through and leave behind. Others, like 2007 have been wonderful.

In late 2006 I moved to Georgia, and spent a blissful 2007 getting to know this area. It truly is a little piece of heaven. The rolling green hills, animals grazing, friendly people, and gentle climate are all a balm to my soul. 2007 was the year I began to attend church and I am now a Bible believing Baptist. So now there is peace in my soul. 2007 was the year I started writing for a daily newspaper, people stories that focused on happy things, and the year I photographed for the paper happy children doing cute and wonderful things. The simple life people live here is truly the best: a focus on family, community, and God.

In 2007 I added two stray kittens to my home and they both have been a blessing, even to Crabby Abby, who is coming around and last night began to play with them and with me again. I believe the kits are teaching Abby how to play and be a cat. Abby was a humane society rescue and at age two she never had learned to play or socialize with other people or fellow cats. And at age 7, now she is. It's never too late to teach an old cat new tricks.

This year I entered my first photographs and art in a gallery show, that was fun, and a big step for someone who does art but doesn't call herself an artist.

I have good health, friends, (though my best friend is back in Maine and I miss her wicked), a safe and pretty place to live, water, and food to eat. What else could a person want?

New to me this year:

My new home














additions to my family
















My new eternal home












Happy New Year! What are you looking forward to?