August Updates

Dear Persons,

I’m sitting on the front porch with a glass of iced tea, my phone, and my laptop. I have designated our screened porch as my summer office! Today is perfect - temp is about 84 degrees, a gentle breeze is stirring, and there is low humidity. A lovely day.

Lowell is out in his workshop melting lead and making bullets. Yes, you read that right. October is the Nationals and we’ll be making our way to Fort Shenandoah, VA, for the “shoot.” This one is special because he will be recognized for 50 years active membership in the N-SSA. He started shooting competition Civil War armaments long before we knew one another. This is something he truly enjoys.

Our garden is about finished. It’s been a peculiar growing season. Our tomatoes blighted, the yellow squash failed, the zucchini did okay, and the cucumbers were prolific. Gardening in the Upstate of SC is sketchy, and I must say mountain gardening was better.

Speaking of mountains - I recently finished Memoirs of a Modern Mountain Mama. A book born at our friend’s dining table early in the winter. It was a nostalgic project and one I thoroughly enjoyed. There are lots of stories and full-color photos. I had a major computer crash last fall and lost years’ worth of pictures. Thankfully, Facebook had a lot archived, and I was able to download. I love this book. Lowell loves this book. It is one for the family bookshelf. It is a hardcover and is now available on Amazon here.

Another book project I’ve had in the hopper for months is a coffee table, hardcover book of photos taken by one person living in The Villages, Florida. My sister, Peggy, and her husband live there, and I enjoy a couple of Facebook groups showcasing life in “the bubble.” I reached out to the gentleman who posts a photo each day from the many beautiful sites there. This book is purely speculation. Similar to a contractor building a spec house and hoping it sells. I compiled the coffee table style book and have sent a proof to the photographer and am awaiting his response. I’m hoping he approves, and I’ll be able to offer it on Amazon. It is for a very specific reader, but I still think it would do quite well at retail. There are 150,000 people who live there and love it.

And one more book project is a wrap! My Best of Hope Heart Home - 2022-2023. These are the final posts on the website before I took it down. The retirement of my blogsite was a difficult decision for me, but I knew it was the right thing to do. The cost was quite high and being a good steward of a fixed income was important to me. This book is not available yet - as it is in the final proofing stage. I will let you know.

Lowell and I are both well. We haven’t been anywhere because it’s been too dang hot! But our fall dance card is getting full! We are definitely ready to go somewhere!

My One More Thing

These are tenuous times, amen? I am afraid for our great country. I have never been so vocal as I have been recently regarding the 2024 Election. I feel it our moral duty to speak up and speak out. My motto continues to be, “It’s not WHO you vote for, it is WHAT you vote for.” There isn’t a perfect person on this earth - so don’t use that as an excuse. If you have not made a decision as to whom you will vote for it is time to do your due diligence and choose. If you are a Jesus-follower? VOTE. If you’re not? VOTE. For the sake of our kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids, VOTE. Here are ten reasons why Christians should vote:

1. Voting publicly recognizes that we submit to the authority of the political system in our nation as established by God. Romans 13.1-7

2. Voting recognizes the equality of all people and their right to speak and be heard. Deuteronomy 10.17-19

3. It is one way that we can obey God’s command to the good of those around us and our nation as a whole. Jeremiah 29.5-6

4. It shows that we care deeply about who our leaders are as we are urged to offer prayer and intercession on their behalf. 1 Timothy 2.1-2

5. It is a simple yet significant way we can do something about politics in our nation. “All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.” Edmund Burke. Psalms 34.14

6. It makes a difference the way a grain of salt makes a difference, and that is how we are to influence our society for good. Matthew 5.13

7. It is a privilege not to be taken for granted. Those of us who reap the benefits of living in a democracy or a constitutional republic should play a part in upholding same.

8. Not voting is a form of voting, as it will influence the outcome. We need to take responsibility for our actions, as well as our lack of actions. Luke 10.25-37

9. Voting has biblical precedence for example Acts 14.23 describes that the early Christians elected elders by voting.

10. Voting is part of our stewardship to use all the resources we have been given in ways that honor God; to waste a vote is to squander a gift.

The above is some good food for thought! These ten points were taken from Christians in Politics.

Stay well. Email me anytime, hopehearthome@gmail.com

Rejoicing in Hope,

Sus’ xo