A Brief Spring Interlude, Followed By Winter, Giveaway

For the past week, or so, weather on the farm has been spring like...meaning warmish temps, sunny days...a kind of make hay while the sun shines weather. Although it's too early for hay making, you get the point.

This weekend snow flurries are expected and I am reminded that whatever weather we get for Spring Equinox is generally what we'll have for possibly the next six weeks or thereabouts. Sunday is the Equinox with high temps in the low 40's and low temps in the high 20's. This weather pattern is for the entire northeast and I'm praying it doesn't turn into a no'easter. Some of our worst winter storms have been in March and April but the oil tank is full, enough wood on the back porch to carry me well through a week, the propane tank half full, the generator at the ready and I'm making white bean and sausage soup so it's all fine.

Temps today are supposed to be in the low 60's and sunny...thank the good Lord...while temps tomorrow are in the high 50's and sunny...thank the good Lord! As Mark Twain said, "A lot of people complain about the weather but nobody does anything about it." What could anyone do other than be prepared? I know I've got a couple of good days so will work outside and when days aren't so nice, will work inside. This is not what constitutes a Big Deal in my life.

Changing the subject...let's talk potty. If you're on a septic system, you need ROEBIC Septic System Cleaner. It has "special bacteria" to "correct systems that are overworked and sluggish" and was recommended years and years ago by a gent retired from the septic tank business. I simply pour the contents into the toilet bowl, leave overnight and flush in the morning and every now and again, I'll add some brewer's yeast as well.

This next product has the ever so cute name of POO-Pourri and is meant to be used in the bathroom prior to what might prove to be a odoriferous occasion. It has a strong over-scent of ginger which I find pleasant, certainly more pleasant than the "other".

Changing the subject...if you're on Facebook, please, would you consider "liking" Thistle Cove Farm? There are two FB pages for TCF...I got confused...but the "real" page has a photo of the hay field and house. Some of you know the farm sold last year but at closing, financing fell through and I kept the farm. I stated on the TCF FB page, the farm is back on the market and since Monday morning the page has had more than 900 views and more than a dozen shares! I keep saying God will sell our farm when He's ready for the next stewards to take over. I always keep in mind "wait is a verb", so do what I can do while I wait, and, just like heaven, I'm ready to go but I'm not homesick. If you'd rather not, that's fine too...no problem.

There's also a FB page for Thistle Cove Cottage; the little condo I bought after Dave's death. I bought it as both bolt hole and rental income and am getting closer to actually using it on holiday. Thus far, I've been too busy sprucing it up and renting but, hopefully, this is the year that will change.

Changing the subject...a few weeks ago, I talked about planners and now I want to talk about another 3-ring notebook, journal and Bible. Daddy has read his Bible through fifty (50!) times; every year for 50 years he begins with Genesis on Jan 1 and by Sept 15, he's read five chapters every morning. This year he's taking a break and not reading the Bible through but reading some of his favorite bits here and there. Mom reads three chapters every morning and in a year finishes the entire Bible. For a number of years I've read five chapters almost every morning; rarely do I miss and if I'm away from the farm, I take either my Kindle with KJV or a New Testament with me. Way back whenever, I started at Genesis and kept reading...when I finish the last verse of Revelation, I turn back to Genesis and begin again.

The blessings journal was begun in 2013 and is where blessings, prayers, hardships, answers to prayers, etc. are documented. While I'm not as faithful to do this daily, I do it frequently enough I'm able to have a partial diary.

The prayer journal has been an ongoing affair...since the mid 1990's, perhaps earlier...it's a bit scattererd. The sections are PRAY: Praise, Rebuke (forgiveness), Appeal (make your appeals know to God), Yield (to the whisper of His Holy Spirit) and each section has blank paper to jot down more of...whatever needs jotting down. The last section is blog ideas...way more than I'll ever have time to use!

In addition to prayer notebook, it's a journal notebook, answered prayer listing and a place to keep names of those remembered in prayer. Chances are, your name is on my list...but I won't show you so you'll just have to trust me. I don't get all hung up on knowing exactly how to prayer for you and because most of you blog, I know some ways to lift you in prayer. For everyone else, God knows.

My well worn Spurgeon is also read every morning; he gets my mind prepared to receive the Bible yet to be read.

May 30th entry is "Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards" from Song of Solomon 2:15. My sideline note says, "During daylight hours, the sun is always shining, although sometimes behind clouds." Such little comments require me to see with new eyes and strengthen my faith.

Someone once asked me, "I tell God what I want, otherwise how does He Know?" Well, dear one, that theology is weak, very weak indeed. God knows because He is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent and knew you, and everything about you, before He separated light and darkness. IOW, before the beginning of time as we think we know it.

A few weeks ago, I thumbed through my red notebook and read past entries. The above from May 10, 1998, Mother's Day is Holding on to Our Hope : Hope Stealers are criticism, circumstances, bad counsel, self-doubt while Hope Promoters include prayer, faith, perseverance and the spirit of sacrifice. The best...Hope Rewards because God never gives us less than His best for us...according to His will.

It's a very good thing to re-read as it allows me to see my faith journey; how I've changed, grown, matured as a Christian and as a woman. Of course it was the Holy Spirit leading Dave to ask (only five days before his unexpected, sudden death), "How do I make peace with God?" but I think the years of seeing me, every morning, reading my Bible and praying, writing in my journal, recording prayers and answers to prayers, helped lead him to ask.

A dear blogger friend asked me if I would tell her what I told Dave; here it is:

"I believe Dave had a small heart attack on Sunday morning; at the time, I had no clue but looking back and reflecting on events, that's what I now believe. He had 33 radiation treatments straight through his heart to attack the cancer in his lower left lung. His heart was already weakened from decades of cigarette smoking and the radiation not only didn't kill, or even stop, the cancer, it further weakened his heart. The next morning, Monday, at 10, Dave called me to his side and said, "I need to talk to you; I need to know how to make my peace with God." My response was, "Dave, your question makes God so very happy. He and Jesus have already done all the work so you can spend eternity in heaven with Them. God sent Jesus to bring you Home and Jesus said, "To return Home, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Honey, it's not about religion; it's about relationship...the relationship between you and Jesus. Do you believe God sent Jesus to die for your sins? Just tell God you believe and want to spend eternity in Heaven with Him and His Son. God is delighted to hear from you; He's been waiting a long time. Just tell Him."

Dave said, "Okay, please leave me alone for a little while." I went upstairs, about 2 hours later I came downstairs and looked at Dave. He smiled at me, "Everything is just fine; I've made my peace."

Augustine of Hippo said, "our hearts are restless until we find our rest in Him." Dave was a good, decent, kind, honorable man and it was difficult for him to understand we are all sinners. He didn't do "bad" things...not the way people think of "bad". Because we're all sinners, God cannot look at us unless we are shadowed by the holiness of His Son Jesus Christ. Those bad decisions first made by Eve and Adam in the Garden of Eden and, down through time, by each and every one of us set us apart from God. But God loves us so very much, He allows us to make bad decisions...much like a parent allows their child to make bad decisions even when those same decisions will lead to disastrous results. God, the ultimate Parent, is there to pick up the pieces, to hear our repentance, to heal us with love through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Like so many, Dave was hung up on religion and Jesus isn't about religion at all. Religion is man-made; dare I say Satan made to deflect the true focus which is Jesus Christ. I don't think Jesus cares about religion but in order to go to Heaven, we must go through Jesus.  He died for us, He descended into Hell, He was separated from the perfect, good, holy Father God. Jesus paid such a price because of love...incomprehensible LOVE! We cannot stand before a holy God stained as we are with sin...lying, cheating, stealing, gossip and so on. Some find it difficult to believe...again, that's Satan at work, deflecting the true focus from Jesus but to believe is a small act of will. "Jesus, I believe." It doesn't take a theology degree or a preacher or priest or bishop or any religious authority figure. It takes the faith of a child...a child looking at their parent and saying, "Yes, Father, I believe You love me and I accept Your Son." 

As shell shocked as I've been these last four years, two things have gotten me this far...one - Dave made his peace with God and is in Heaven and, two - God loves me and has been with me every breath."

These things I believe with all my heart, soul and mind. 

If you'd like to win the black Bible holder, please leave a comment regarding something on this post and a way to contact you. Next Thursday, noonish, a name will be randomly drawn. The Bible verse is Joshua 1:8 "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your  mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." 

Ponder this ~ "Where one man reads the Bible, a hundred read you and me." ~ Dwight L. Moody ~

I'm So Far Behind, I Don't Know If It's Dusk or Dawn

There's been a little of this...Yellow Tail Sparkling Wine...on the front porch where I sit and sip. There's not nearly enough of this, compared to the work, but I'm getting a better handle on the proportions. I think.

Last month, I took sisters Faith and Becky to my Cherry Grove condo (Thistle Cove Cottage); neither had ever been to the beach nor seen the ocean except in photos. sigh, generational differences. Yes, as it happens that is a mobile phone in her hand...I often forget to turn mine on and she's glued to hers. Just goes to show you...she has a lot more going on outside her life than do I. I don't know that many people I want to be connected to.

Tis the season for fall festivals; this one has been happening, so says memory, for 28 years. I went because I wanted to buy 'lasses but no one had any; they had tons of apple butter which I did not buy because I've been making apple butter. Quarts and Quarts and Quarts and pints and pints and pints and half pints of the stuff. I'll just buy a 25 pound sack of flour and this winter will eat biscuits slathered with home churned butter AND apple butter. Overkill can, sometimes, be a Very Good Thing! (After leaving the Garden, I found 'lasses raised and made by Jaimie; the son of my former mail carrier. He's a delightful young man and he and his father farm...pretty much everything!)

Burkes Garden has signs for residents...you just drive around until you see who/where you want then head in that direction. Essentially, Burkes Garden is a circle; some say a thumbprint; a lot of photos here. I won't show the most famous photo because I don't have permission and consider property theft to be a very bad thing. (Local government has no such pesky conscious and regularly use other people's photos without giving compensation or credit to the owner. I've found my photos several places around the i-net from when the county used them without permission or credit.)

For a donation, the Amish would give folks a wagon ride. No, the gent you see isn't Amish, he's a passenger (just in case you were wondering).

How many remember doing this...front little girl standing on the pedals while sister sits on seat and pushes her feet on the road to propel them along. Both had pretty smiles and were having loads of fun.

I got lost decided to take a road I'd never taken that started out asphalt, quickly turned to gravel then to one lane. Fortunately, it had a (very) few pull-offs so when I met a car we'd both pass slowly. About a mile before the top of the mountain, I met a truck, no pull-offs, and decided he could hit the ditch to pass me while I hunkered in the almost middle of the road. I had my window down so I could apologize, "I'm sorry...it's been raining so much and I'm afraid of soft shoulders. I didn't want to get close to the falling off edge. Can you get around me?" He smile big and said, "Don't you worry none; we're just fine. Do you know where you're headed?" I said, "I think this might be the road to Ceres; is it?" He nodded and said, "You're about a mile from the top of the mountain; at the top, you might want to turn around and come back this side. The other side is a mite slick today."

That's exactly what I did after some folks took a picture of me standing at the Appalachian Trail.

One more reason it takes me so long to do everything...Kit and the rest of the animals all have to be a constant, immediate part of my life. And I wouldn't have it any other way!

Canada Geese came back August 1 and, every morning, just like clockwork they come to the cut corn field across the road. It's impossible to get them all in one photos; there must be hundreds!

Hunting season: hunters watching me watch them. I was impressed because they're wearing blaze orange; a lot of them don't. I left a note on their windshield letting them know; they probably think I'm crazy.

Home of the free,

Land of the brave.

Things to stay away from:

And, finally, I think this might be my new header photo.
Do you approve?

Blessings ~ Canada Geese ~ Appalachian Trail ~ my life ~ my farm ~ my animals ~ sparkling wine ~ Burkes Garden ~ the Cove ~

Seas the Day

Recently I had an opportunity to leave Thistle Cove Farm and drive to Thistle Cove Cottage.

The view from my cottage windows is almost as nice as the view from my farm house windows.

It's not a "beachy" place; rather, it's a place that envelopes, is cozy and peaceful and is the only place in my life where I don't have to take care of animals. This isn't meant as a complaint, merely a comment, but since Dave's death, my life has been work, work, work and more work. It's taken a lot out of me - physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually - to keep the farm going and I'm beginning to see the ragged edges of overwhelming exhaustion. Close friends tell me that same exhaustion made its appearance a long while ago but, in my stubbornness (or tenacity as I prefer to think) I've pushed it back in order to keep moving forward. I enjoy work but am beginning to think there's more to life...lol! 

While staying on Captiva Island, Anne Morrow Lindburgh wrote

"Don't wish me happiness

I don't expect to be happy all the time...

It's gotten beyond that somehow. 

Wish me courage and strength and a sense of humor.

I will need them all."

If you've wished me these things, thank you and if you've prayed for me, thank you and God bless you for I've needed the prayer more than anything.

A few quotes from her book stand out and here I include two more..."The most exhausting thing in life, I have discovered, is being insincere. That is why so much of social life is exhausting; one is wearing a mask. I have shed my mask."  

This is one reason I now live behind a locked gate and, probably, always will (safety being another reason). As I age (thank God for the gift of birthdays!) it takes harsh amounts of energy to be in the company of insincere people and it's simply easier to avoid them. I lack the patience (if ever I had it) to suss the truth from the lies and would far rather use my energy toward things that bring happiness, joy, niceness, kindness to my life. Years past, I would come home and relate an incident to Dave and asked, "What was that all about?!" and he'd respond, "You just don't get it, Jeremiah (his pet name for me), and you never will. Even so, you may thank God for it." I didn't/don't understand the masks and so have taken the easy road by removing myself from the company of most, especially those with masks.

and another quote...

"I find there is a quality to being alone that is incredibly precious. Life rushes back into the void, richer, more vivid, fuller than before."  Being without Dave isn't as good as being with Dave but I've learned...am learning...again, to cherish the richness, the fullness, the sheer life God has given me and am busy fulfilling the expectation for me to continue to live. (Yes, I am a slow learner but, eventually, I do learn -smile-.)

She writes, "Women need solitude in order to find again the true essence of themselves."

Ahhhh...solitude! Dave and I always gave each other the gift of solitude so when we came together it was all the sweeter. We never felt the need to be in each other's pockets when we could simply be together by sharing the same house, car, farm, walk, plane, etc. We also never felt the need to chatter all the time; we could sit in companionable silence and enjoy each other's company. On the other hand, we could talk for hours and never run out of things to say.

Gift From The Sea was an instant classic and remains so today. If you've never read it, please do yourself a favor, find the quiet time and give this gift to yourself.

One of the Cottage wall adornments is the above...it's to remind people who stay at Thistle Cove Cottage of the important things of life. So many of us get bogged down in making a living that we forget to make a life. Making a life is making memories by doing the important things...reading to the children in our lives, greeting the sun rise with a cuppa in hand, taking a prayerful walk, telling...and showing...those we love we love them, preparing and sharing a meal. 

I maintain one of the most important things in your life should be yourself, your family and your home, followed by friends. In my life, God and morning devotions head up that list and He and the devotions keep me grounded. I shudder to think how angst ridden, nervous, anxious and just plain cranky I'd be without Him! Home is my first sanctuary and is where I'm nourished, cosseted and comforted from the friction and burden of daily living. 

I've tried to spill over these same feelings of sanctuary, coziness, comfort and caring at Thistle Cove Cottage. Last year, one young woman visited with her husband and toddler son and left the above note with drawings:

Advice from the Ocean

1. Be shore of yourself

2. Come out of your shell

3. Take time to Coast

4.  Avoid Pier pressure

5. Sea life's beauty

6. Don't get Tide down

7. Make Waves

Don't you like it? I only wish I were half as clever!

I don't get to my small Sanctuary nearly often enough but enjoy it when I'm there. When I walk through the door, the sense of comfort is physical and unconsciously my breathing becomes slower and deeper.

Thistle Cove Cottage is available for rent; if you're interested, e-mail me or click here and scroll down for the calendar. Blog followers receive a discount because if you've been reading my blog, you deserve to share my Gift From The Sea. If you go, don't forget to sign the Guest Book.

NOTE: I would so love to have this job for a year, here.

Blessings ~ Anne Morrow Lindburgh ~ Gift From The Sea ~ Scoraig, Scotland ~ Thistle Cove Cottage ~ 

You've worked me like a convict!

If laughter is good medicine, my heart is full and healthy. For almost a week, Stephanie, Beloved Sistah, visited and I haven't laughed so much, so loud and so long since well before Dave got sick in 2010! Steph is eight years younger than I and slipped into my heart the first moment I laid eyes on her, cradled in Mom's arms. When Mom brought her home from the hospital, the very first night, I slipped her from her crib and into my bed and was fully prepared to do my duty as Big Sister. Except for a very few times (that, frankly make me cringe) I've done just that. I'd definitely give that woman a kidney and, quite possibly, my liver if she needed either. 

Recently, she's had a few health problems so her husband brought her to Roanoke where I picked her up and brought her to the farm where I expected her to do a bit of R&R. Oh no, she did not! What she did do was pack up the dining room and Dave's office...massive jobs both as there were four pieces of furniture in the dining room and all filled with dishes and breakables. Some quite ancient, some antique, some only vintage but all extremely fragile. She would work feverishly (the only way the women in my family know how to work) and then, around 4 in the afternoon, we'd sit on the front porch where we'd shred paper. That's right...we filled eighteen fourteen gallon sized bags full of shredded paper from Dave's grandfather, his uncle, his mother, his first wife, Dave, a couple of companies...madness! We spent half dozen hours, on three nights, shredding paper that dated from 1932 in preparation for selling Thistle Cove Farm, here. The shredded paper was taken to Dr. Anne's for use in cat kennels and wasn't wasted. 

At one point, Stephanie turned to me and said, "You're working me like a convict!" then we both collapsed into laughter. These are halcyon days, even with all the work and made sweeter by Beloved Sistah's presence. She's home now, sorely missed but, God willing, the farm will sell so I can move closer to her and the rest of our family. In the meantime, I feel like Abraham; I'm preparing to move even though I don't know when nor where, exactly but am confident God, in His time, will make things clear. I'm hopeful and prayerful God will move me sooner than He moved Abraham; Abe was 75 when God said, "Go!" and Moses was 80 when he led his people out of Egypt! "Do Lord, O do Lord, O do remember me..."

In past years, God has moved me, several times, and truthfully sometimes I've never understood why. Dave has been dead a trifle more than 2.5 years and it's taken me this long to become emotionally ready to leave this farm. Like I've always said, "It takes as long as it takes"; grief cannot be rushed and it cannot be avoided. Grief will have its way and I believe it's best to walk through that valley of the shadow of death in order to come out the other side, in order to move forward with life.

I've been working on Thistle Cove Cottage, the Cherry Grove, North Myrtle Beach, SC rental condo and lots of other people have been enjoying it. (wry smile) This photo shows a portion of the dining and living areas but the table has been turned so the long side is against the wall. That gives much more space for both dining and walking through the area. 

The cottage is filled with meaningful things from home, such as this Hoosier cabinet in the full sized kitchen. Little touches like embroidery, baskets and Home Sweet Home plaques fill space. 

The master queen bedroom, with private bath, is comfortable and cozy and has balcony access to sit and watch the ocean. I best enjoy early mornings, sitting on the balcony, coffee in hand and having devotions, it's a sweet start to the day.

The second bedroom, with private bath, has twin beds and wall hangings from Budapest. The condo is deliberately not "beachy" because I wanted people to have a sanctuary, a place where they could feel the balm in Gilead when they returned after a long day on the beach, playing mini-golf, shopping or doing what they enjoy. The condo has a private pool, hot tub and rental rates haven't changed in two years. If you, or someone you know, would enjoy a beach vacation, please contact me for available dates. Peggy, "connected kin", is Manager and lives local so there's someone to call upon if need be.

My life isn't all that exciting right now...mainly work, work and more work but it's all good. I'm at a better place, emotionally, since I've been since Dave died and God is healing the hurt. I bless your name for remembering me in prayer; if not for your prayers and God's grace, mercy and love, I would not have made it. If you've time, please listen to Do Lord and Balm; both will lift and renew your spirit. God loves you with an everlasting love and underneath are His everlasting arms.

Blessings ~ prayers ~ Thistle Cove Farm ~ Thistle Cove Cottage ~ a balm in Gilead ~ laughter ~ Beloved Sistah ~ God's timing ~

Quick! Advice Needed and $50 Giveaway

After posting yesterday, I realized Sabbath Keeping's post was number 1,000! It totally surprised me because it's like this:

~ not sure where I found this fabulous quote ~

To celebrate post number 1,000, I'm giving away a $50 gift card, entry rules at end of post.

I'm in the market for a smart phone and am getting either the LG G2, here, or the Samsung Galaxy Note, here. When I rent Thistle Cove Cottage, here, it's imperative I have the capability of Square and only a smart phone can handle Square. Currently, I'm using a Walmart phone that was bought on the advice of employees who assured me it used Verizon network. Trusting idiot me, believed them, even though I told them I only get Verizon, never AT&T, on the farm.

Their phone does not use Verizon, it uses AT&T. (boo, hiss, shame on those employees!)

So, I am being drug, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century. (That is right, right?) 

Dave was the high tech geek. He would, 99 times out of a hundred, come to me and say something like, "Would you like an MP3 player?" and I'd say, "What's that?" He'd look at me rather sadly, go away and a few days later hand me a little something and said, "it plays music and you can listen to audio books." Well, he knew he had me at the "listen to audio books" part! The Christmas after his Mother died, he bought us Kindles; I had no idea what a Kindle was but if he wanted one, so did I. 

~ LG G2, photo borrowed from here ~

I narrowed down my smart phone choices to the LG G2, or the Samsung Galaxy Note. (I can "hear" Dave saying, "And if you get the Note then you've got to get the Galaxy Gear as well." Well alrighty then, if you make me!)

~ Galaxy Note and Gear , photo borrowed from here ~

The LG G2 is $99.00 and the Samsung Galaxy Note is on sale for $179.00 at HHGregg which seems a tad expensive (but I'm not claiming to know much about electronics) but, on the other hand, with all the Note does, it might not be expensive. The Galaxy Gear is more expensive and, would you say, probably more of a toy while the phone is a business tool. Anyway, the watch isn't a consideration just now...I'm interested in the phone only and it has to be Verizon network which both phones meet that requirement.

? for you...Do I have to purchase a Verizon network plan at the same place I buy the phone? Is it less expensive to go someplace like Sam's to buy the network plan? Should I buy the network plan at the same place I buy the phone?

To enter, leave a comment and answer:

*which phone you believe to be best and why

*where should I buy the network plan and why

Thanks everyone; your advice is greatly appreciated. If you're not a high tech person, another $50 giveaway is coming up next week and it's low tech.

Thanks for your comments; this post is closed as of 9 April 2014, 10:45 a.m.

Blessings ~ the wisdom of my readers ~ smart phones ~ Kindles ~ giveaway ~
C. S. Lewis ~ 

Thistle Cove Cottage

Thistle Cove Cottage is ready for rental! 

Located in beautiful Cherry Grove, North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Please visit here and here for photos and information and please

forward this e-mail to your friends and family interested

in a beautiful beach vacation.

If you have questions, please e-mail me at

thistlecovecottage at  gmail dot com

Best wishes,

Sandra 

Blessings ~ Cherry Grove ~ vacation ~ condo ~ 

Thistle Cove Cottage

~ morning has broken over the Atlantic Ocean ~

Nancy, over at A Rural Journal, graciously allowed me to post this blatant commercial during her Rural Thursday Blog Hop. 
As many know, Dave, my husband, died in November 2011 and life has been "interesting"...let's face it, so many adjectives come to mind and all of them pertinent but I'll go with "interesting" for now. -smile- However, life goes on, even in the midst of death, and it's, too often, been a struggle to keep upright. Still and all, I choose happiness even on those days I'm not feeling too happy. Remember the old adage...fake it until you make it? So appropriate! Again, as many know, I'm writing a book to help others prepare for the financial fall-out, some of which can be prevented, that occurs after the death of a loved one. It doesn't matter the marital status, gender or race, death is common to us all. One day, or night, we will die and leave our loved ones to deal with "after" as best they can. Trust me when I say this: it's best to be better prepared than unprepared. 
These past months have found me learning on God more than ever. Since Dave died, God has used this time to strengthen my faith, bolster my courage, has given me wisdom, has been my protector and my provider. Has it been easy? No, it's been hard as nails and, frankly, I'd much rather go back to the way things were! But, I didn't get a vote so I soldier on, daily asking God for wisdom, guidance, protection and what He would have me do. 

~ view from my other window ~

One thing I've done is buy a two bedroom two bath condo in Cherry Grove, North Myrtle Beach, SC. Dave always loved the ocean, could swim like a fish and was a certified scuba diver. Me, I paddle like a dog with three legs but I loved the ocean because Dave loved the ocean. I've learned to snorkel and, while wearing a bell helmet, have walked on the ocean floor at a depth of twenty-five to thirty feet. That's rather amazing to anyone who knows me and my fear of the ocean. Or, rather those things in the ocean!

~ dining and living room ~

Thistle Cove Cottage is available for rent but is not with an agency. I'd much rather rent to family, friends, friends of friends and folks I've met through blogging. The building has an elevator! and is on North Ocean Boulevard with a direct view of the Atlantic Ocean. It's a few blocks from Cherry Grove Pier and only two blocks away, within walking distance, of Boulineau's, another Cherry Grove landmark. For more information on the area, read here, but, please know, I'm not recommending this rental agency.

~ master queen bedroom ~

The master bedroom has access to the balcony, as does the living room. 

~ guest bedroom ~

~ full size kitchen ~

The Thistle Cove Cottage website is under construction and, hopefully, by week's end, all photos and other information will be on site. If you have questions, please send me an e-mail at either gmail account...thistlecovefarms or thistlecovecottage. I'm excited about this new venture which will, hopefully, bless a lot of folks as well as generate income. If you tell someone about Thistle Cove Cottage and they rent from me, you'll receive a monetary compensation as my way of saying "thank you". 

See you at the beach!

Nancy, thank you so very much for your kindness toward me! Readers, please visit those other bloggers who are participating in Rural Thursday Blog Hop; you'll be glad you did!

Blessings ~ Nancy ~ God's hand of providence on my life ~ Thistle Cove Cottage ~ Thistle Cove Farm ~