Life in the Shire

    Do you remember how in the movie of "The Lord of the Rings" the hobbits lived in the Shire? It was beautiful and green and WET...well, this summer we are living in the Shire. We have had rain everyday for weeks now. I am not complaining at all. West Virginia is typically very green and lush but this year it has taken it up a notch. We have to mow the grass a couple times a week, the tomatoes are growing about 8 inches a day and the corn was not "knee high on the 4th of July" but it was waist high. And we were a week behind getting the garden in due to all the rain. Last night I was awakened by the sound of rain falling and as I lay there, I thought how blessed we are to live in such a beautiful state. We are surrounded by green everywhere we look. The flowers are amazing this year. One of my favorites, Queen Annes Lace is just starting to bloom. I think they look like puffy clouds flouting on their slender stems. With all this rain some of them are 6 inches across. Tim and I were able to go blueberry picking at a local farm last week. It was amazing! The farm has over 2400 blueberry bushes and it is nestled in this valley surrounded by woods. We went first thing in the morning, while it was still cool. There were quite a few people picking already and we joined right in. Everyone was so friendly to us. Some of them had been picking there for years and each one had a favorite spot to pick. There were all ages, from tiny babies sitting on the grass under a bush to a couple next to me that were in their 80s. There was one family singing hymns and I have to tell you, it brought tears to my eyes to hear "Count Your Blessings" being sung out in a huge blueberry patch. You know I had to join in and they were happy to have me. Then we sang "The West Virginia Hills" which is a favorite of mine and it was so fitting.  It only took us a half hour or so to pick 2 gallons. We headed home and I had a pie in the oven in no time. We had blueberry pancakes before church on Sunday too. What a blessing it was and what a great God we serve that He allows us such wonderful times. So as the lazy days of summer go on, we are enjoying every one of them. We are savouring the heat and humidity and the millions of lightening bugs on the night air and the sounds of katydids during the day and the crickets and frogs at night because I know, here in just a few weeks there will be a feeling...just a tiny feeling. It will sneak up the back of your neck and you will turn around and say to yourself...."Did I just feel Fall?"