They shall bear fruit...

Here we are, the last of June already. We start seeing the blooming & budding of roses about mid-June & the fragrance is truly heavenly.

& perfection.

See the little rose plant behind tiny owl? My husband kept weed-eating it flush to the ground, so I finally set this little guy on a rock in front of the barely peeking out of the ground rose plant ("Is it safe yet?" I heard it ask in plant language.) It is finally starting to grow now. I'll keep you updated on it's progress.

The ladder harbors several miniature roses that haven't come into full bloom yet but it won't be long. You can barely see the pinkish flowers on the miniature lilac bush that flanks the fence. Another captivating fragrance.  
😊

Just one plucked & put in water in the house perfumes the entire house.

But this was it's destiny. 🐱🌹
Kitty Patsy loves roses too, to eat & to take apart. She dips her paw in the water, scoops it out & carries it away in her mouth. I forgot about that, so next time I will have to put it out of reach. If there is a such a place. She's pretty creative when it comes to her love of roses! Still, with a face like that, how could I be mad. She got her first 'lion cut' because her fur is long, thick & dense, so that adds to her adorableness! She also has been going outside in the back yard which is fenced & because of her rotundity she cannot get through the picket slats! But she seems to be contented about it as she's a bit "skittyish". 😊 She chased her first rabbit which was a bit of a surprise to me that her fourteen pound plumpness could move that fast! 'Peter' escaped but only because he could get through the slats. He was getting a little bit too cocky anyway because none of the other cats would chase him & I think he was indulging in some false security. I haven't seen him since which I'm glad because he's been with us for awhile & we kind of look at him at one of the critter family.

 See how big Maisie kitty has grown. She's over a year old now.

She loves shoes, slippers, whatever foot apparel she can find & puts her paws in them as if she would wear them around if she could. Those are my husbands slippers. She found an old pair of our youngest daughters outgrown slippers & carries them around. I will stealthily get them when she isn't looking & put them away. She, not so stealthily finds them & gets them back out & leaves them helter skelter around the house. Come to think of it, she reminds me of said daughter in many ways. Hmmm... Everything with Maisie is on her terms. 'Look but don't touch' is her motto. However, I was up all  night recently with severe back pain & she laid on the pillow on my lap, never stirring the entire  night. She has never done that as she is not a lap cat at all.

Also, she will lay outside of the bathroom when I take a bath until I am finished. & whenever I cry, she jumps up on the bed & snuggles up next to me & purrs. Sometimes she touches or pats my face & looks right into my eyes. Her warm little purring body is very therapeutic & brings comfort & peace. How does she know? I believe the Lord puts it in into their 'DNA'. Maybe also, she knows in her kitty memory that my husband & I rescued her as a week old kitten in the middle of the prairie & she wouldn't  have survived otherwise. Whatever the reason, we love her, even when she seems to only tolerate us most of the time. It's those sweet moments of love & nurturing that she gives that redeem our otherwise aloof (except at mealtimes!) calico Miss! 

We've had the typical cool, warm & hot days that come with June. We had several days in a row of hot weather that even my artificial flowers were wilty!  Then came the monsoon rains every day & my potted flowers were drowning! Talk about extremes! However, I think when it comes to perfect days, the month of June takes the winning prize. They may be strewn throughout the month, but those are days of pleasant warmth, bright blue skies, the days of the balmy breeze or no breeze at all. Early to mid- June in South Dakota is the awakening of all of the senses & how welcome that awakening is, the sweetness of it almost sweeps one away. It is a quiet summer month in comparison to raucous  July & busyness of August both which require a lot of work because of pre-harvest gardening & post-harvest gardening. 

This year my husband did the tilling (three times!) & planting of our garden. He got a late start because of all of the rain, but he finally got it planted, hovering over it like an expectant mother. Green beans, tomatoes, beets, carrots & cucumbers (in hopes of many jars of dill pickles!) Cucumbers are coming up, tiny little sprouts, & some green beans. & the tomato plants are thriving in spite of the deluge of rain. He does the planting, & hopefully weeding. I do the picking, canning & freezing. I think there is hardly anything more satisfying than seeing planted seeds miraculously surface & then grow into full-grown dinner fare. A warm, sun ripened tomato thickly sliced on toast with cream cheese & a freshly picked cucumber for salad, flanked by hot crisp, bacon is a breakfast (or supper!) that makes for exquisite summer dining. The fruits of summer, watermelon, peaches, pears, cantaloupe, & honeydew melons, come in the later summer & oh so welcome too! & as I think about the 'fruits' (not literal) of June & coming fruits (literal) of later summer, I want to switch gears a little with the same word. Fruit.

As I am growing into my senior years (ok, maybe I've arrived but only barely just, bad grammar notwithstanding), in some things, it seems like, as I've talked to other 'senior' believers in Jesus, it seems like we are kind of put out to pasture in different ways. My body may tell me I am growing older in what I can or can't do anymore, but my heart puts up a pretty good argument because I don't feel old. Not in my heart, my being, the real me. That's because the real me is eternal. & the eternal can never grow old. The immortal me is ageless. Now I have the absolute best 'hereafter' plan with Jesus that there is, as in, it just doesn't get any better than that. But what about the here & now, the until death do I depart to my forever home. It isn't in my Jesus DNA to retire, to kick back & enjoy the 'fruits' of my labor, or wait to die. To that I say a loud resounding "NO WAY HOSE'!" But, what about those who think that they are doing you a favor by opening up the gate to those forced retirement  pastures? Well, let me show you in His word what He has to say about it.

"Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh & flourishing, to declare that the Lord is upright..."

Psalm 92 13-15a

 Useful, working His works, being fruitful until He calls us home, to sit down at His supper table to eat the fruits of our labor, because we are the fruits of His labor.  Fruit for fruit. Wow. Don't you love it?! 👴💗👵

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Raintree Perk of the Day:

"...He who abides in me bears much fruit;"

John 15:5

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