Coping with Life...

Daniel and I had a nice drive to Texas this past weekend. It was a quick trip, down and back, for me. On the way, we stopped by a left a book for Nickole with her Grammy. Grammy Lynn remains in a nursing home in Marlow. I had forgotten to take phone numbers, and wasn't sure Nickole and Glenn would be up- or if they would even be home. It seemed most expedient to drop the book off with Lynn.
Having gotten quite an early start, we arrived in San Angelo in the early afternoon. I was scheduled to fly out on a plane leaving at 5:00 am the next morning. Ben was working until 7:00am, so we went to see Ben at the Fire Station. Becky and kids met us there- it was a first time for her kids to get to see the fire trucks up close! After the Fire Station, we made a quick trip to WalMart, and then just visited with Becky at Ben and Paula's house. Still being summer, it was getting (relatively) late when Becky headed home about dusk. Dan and Paula and I visited briefly, then all headed for bed early. Paula had brewed us an herbal night time tea. It was tasty and did a great job putting Dan and I right to sleep. I asked her for the recipe.
3:00 am arrived all too quickly. Dan and I dressed, and arrived at the San Angelo Airport just before 4:00 am. Dan dropped me off and drove away. I went to the kiosk to check in... and learned the flight had been delayed until 10:00 am. I waited in line a good 10 minutes to ask where a pay phone might be located. Finally, a young man with a cell phone joined the line behind me, and called Dan to come back and get me.
I went back to Ben and Paula's house, and Dan and I went back to sleep. A couple of hours later, Paula entered the bedroom where I was sleeping to turn off the fan. When I sat up, it really startled her! She said "You're still HERE! " As previously suggested by Dan, I asked, "Did we oversleep?" He is out on his couch, cracking up.
Ben arrived home a short while later, and we got to visit again! EVERYONE came along to take me back to the airport. The flight crew that had been missing that morning finally arrived on the first flight IN to San Angelo. (Even flight crews can are subject to cancelled flights!) We were loaded and then delayed a bit as the crew had to do all the routine pre-flight checks. I got to DFW in time to RUN to another terminal (making use of the Sky-Tram as well) and narrowly miss the flight to XNA.
I am convinced the gate personnel are trained to not make eye contact with passengers and to blatantly ignore their presence. I remained pointedly invisible even after the flight departed. Eventually, I walked away and happened on a gate crew person-in-training. She met my gaze and offered to assist me. I was set up for a 2:35 departure back at the other end of the terminal. THAT flight also kept getting pushed later and later. It was about 3:40 when I finally boarded (LAST SEAT!), and almost 4:30 when I arrived at XNA.
Monday was a trial to me. I just have to leave it at that for now.
Before bed, I attempted to make some of the tea for Tom and Sam, that Paula had made for Dan and I. I need to consult Paula again for the proportions- both Tom and Sam gagged, but bravely chugged down the tea. It was nothing at all like hers!

Althea, the cutest baby triceratops ever!

Jasher

Today I have been full of misery and gripes from yesterday. I walked the dog- and while out saw a good stand of elderberries. After the walk, I put my buckets and scissors in the car, and drove the countryside for almost two hours, foraging for elderberries. Once back at the house, I washed them and removed them from the stems. I put two trays on to dehydrate, and made what I expected to be a small batch of elderberry 'syrup'. I read a number of recipes, and virtually all of the ones using the syrup for flu and respiratory relief used the same ingredients. I had all those ingredients on hand.

I wish you could see the lovely deep color! As I harvested the berries, I noted that I was in ragweed higher than my head. It wasn't yet in full bloom. My brain put these thoughts together... The ragweed and the elderberries are growing side by side. Ragweed causes respiratory distress, elderberry helps. Is elderberry the best relief for ragweed allergies? Is it really so simple that God provides the cure right along side of the problem?
***** A note on my beautiful "elderberry" syrup. After taking it for a week, God put an article in my face that may have saved several lives. The article had a picture of deadly poke berries among other plants to avoid... guess what my syrup was actually made from? Yep. I had cooked up a batch of deadly syrup. If you forage for wild growing foods, please be 100% certain of your harvest. There are images of the poke berry plant mixed in with images of the elderberry plant in the online searches- don't go by searching images alone! *****
*** In doing some research on poke berries, I have found they are used for some medicinal purposes, in VERY diluted amounts for short terms. However, making a concentrated syrup from them is NOT a good thing.***