Love Letters From Heaven: Summer

by Kathleen Blease

The Lord's love is all around us, expressed through His Heavenly Father's grand Creation. It's all made for our enjoyment and contemplation. What a love letter! I hope you enjoy a few photos I collected over the summer. Some are of God-made items, others are of man-made. All of them are reminders that God provides in so many ways!



At nearly five feet tall, these cleomes are the largest I've ever seen.
They are the offspring of plants that naturalized themselves here last year.
I collected the seeds last August, but I never suspected they would produce plants this massive.

It seems to me that the swallowtails arrived late this year,
but then again the zinnias were extra late, too. And it's the zinnias the butterflies come to enjoy.

This is Honey Bun's favorite spot to watch her humans. When she embarks on a deep snooze,
she claims the wicker chair as her own. Here's where I like to sit and read,
pray, contemplate, plan, and enjoy a nice glass of wine...on the back porch.

A piece of plywood made into a boat to spend an afternoon on the pond.
That's his dad's really good kayak paddle, but no matter.
 Right now, Max has turned his attention to building a motor-driven bicycle,
and he's thinking about how to build a wooden motorcycle.

Crochet and knitting have taken up some of my time this summer.
Here are some towels I made from left over cotton.
I also completed my first lace piece (a scarf),
played around with curtain patterns, learned a bit about beaded crochet edgings,
and started a sweater that features a cabled shawl collar and cabled cuffs.

A piece of lacework I bought for mere pennie many years ago. It's 22 inches wide.

 Last month, Interweave magazines asked if they may include it in one of their columns.

I still have yet to find out how this was made.
 It is not knitted, crochetted, or tatted. I believe it is a needle tooled lace.
 I'll let you know when the magazine publishes it.

Here's a detail of the lace, pictured above. Imagine the patience required to craft this!
 If you have any knowledge of this lace technique, please let me know.

Our skilled hunter is snoozin'. He's sound asleep. Truly, he has brought home his fare share of rodents.
He knows how sharp his fangs are! When he wrestles with my hands,
he just gums my fingers so he won't hurt me. He's a real sweetheart, our Meemo is.

My mother-in-law sent us packets of seeds from Vermont.
This lovely cosmos, among the bachelor buttons, were just some of the vibrant flowers
that sprung from her thoughtful gift. This month, I'll collect their seeds,
 share them with others, and save some to plant in the Spring