I have a gardening group on Facebook called South Arkansas/North Louisiana Garden Club & Exchange. It is geared for those of us in that area but anyone from anywhere can join. We are a small group & not as active as alot of the other groups. I started it because all the other groups seemed to be either a few hours north of me or a few hours south. My plan is to one day have in person swaps. Meanwhile, I would find interesting articles here, GardenWeb, magazines, etc. & wanted a place to share them.
My interests are all over the place when it comes to gardening. Edibles, flowers, anything. My husband, on the other hand, thinks if you can't eat it or use it some way, there is no reason to grow it. He wants our whole place nothing but edibles. It kills him that we didn't start 20 years ago.
One of the groups I joined was a garlic group & man are they vocal about the crap you get in the grocery store!!! About 3 years ago, I bit the bullet & ordered about $100 worth of garlic from 2 different vendors. One was @Filaree, which is also listed here in the green pages. I had never spent that much on bulbs, not even for something we were going to plant. I was so excited & finally both orders came in. And then my doctor found more pre-cervical cancer cells & this time, since I had already had about 3 procedures & it kept coming back, each time alittle further & harder to get too. This time, this doctor asked me about a hysterectomy, which was what I wanted anyway. But I wasn't given much time to do anything, let alone plant garlic. Thinking it would be ok, I put the garlic in the refrigerator before my surgery. It may have been ok for a short time but due to a couple issues I had, it was 3 or 4 months before I felt like tilling or planting. And by then our planting season was past. I kept the garlic in the refrigerator thinking I would try to see if it was viable the next year. But this time, my twin sister found out she had breast cancer so I was taking her back & forth for chemo, about an hour & a half drive each way. So I put it off.
I mentioned my story to the group. I asked if there was maybe a way the garlic would still grow. Or maybe someone could tell me what I could do with all that garlic, which was dried up by then. Ordering more was out of the question as I had lost 2 of my 3 part-time jobs. I wanted to feel like I didn't completely waste my money or that garlic.
A guy said he would send me some garlic when he started shipping. I told him thank you but honestly didn't think he meant it. He was just being nice I thought & how sweet. That was enough for me to think people would reach out to others. (This after I had asked family members to help me plant my garlic before my surgery but no one showed up).
Imagine my surprise when he sent me a message asking for my address & later saying my garlic had shipped. Call it hormones, but I just cried. He sent me FIVE POUNDS. He says I do not owe for the garlic or postage or anything. I plan to at least send postage & I would like to do something nice for him but I don't know what yet.
I feel incredibly blessed. I want to bless others. So I thought I would do a giveaway for a pound of the garlic in my group. I asked in a few of the other groups but they either weren't interested or didn't allow pages to be tagged. And I thought this contest/giveaway was a great way to have people visit pages they might not visit otherwise. Maybe spark interest. This is one of the chances (I do something every few days or so & will do it until the end of September).
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ππ#GarlicGiveaway chance!!!ππRead til the endππ
πDISCLAIMER: I don't know the first thing about raising any kind of rabbit. If I didn't have dogs or a cat, I would probably keep a rabbit or two (but they would have to be spayed/neutered) as pets. I see where some people make a whole room up just for their pet rabbit & I think why would you do that, & then I remember how much I do for my furkids.
Most of these are catios but I think it would be simple to convert them into rabbit runs/hutches for people with indoor pet rabbits. Catios are as simple or as elaborate as you want them to be or you can afford to make. They are fully enclosed structures that allow indoor cats to get fresh air while being kept safe from predators or traffic. I actually made a post on my page & tagged some animal rescue people because I thought this was such a cool idea.
I think this could also work for pet bunnies, with modifications. Maybe have ramps for the bunnies to go from their indoor hutch, out a window or door, & into an outdoor, fully enclosed run. Give a chance to play in grass. Maybe have plants you don't mind them chewing on (& that you've made sure are safe for pets).
Who has pet bunnies??? Who is thinking about getting one? The more I've been reading up on them, the more I see how much work (but also enjoyment) they are.
I was shocked to read the average cost to spay or neuter a rabbit is about $140, which seemed high for a critter so small. And then I read those suckers can have babies four times a year. Not sure how many they have per litter but that is still alot of bunnies! Probably great if you are raising them for meat but not so much if you are keeping them in your house as pets.
Another DISCLAIMER: I am personally against human beings using their pets as ATM machines. We've all seen the "free" or "for sale" animals in parking lots & on social media. Around Easter people start selling bunnies. Which brings me to Holley's Hopping Habitat - Rabbit Rescue & Education Center in Haughton, Louisiana. They have bunnies for adoption or to be fostered, but they also have programs to educate & inform people about what is really involved in having a pet rabbit. (Hint: its not buying one from some random person & getting a hutch & some carrots).
ππHERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO FOR CHANCE #2 FOR THE #GarlicGiveawayππ
πLIKE & SHARE this post
πLIKE & SHARE the Holley's Hopping Habitat - Rabbit Rescue & Education Center page
While you are there on their page, scroll down until you find the post about the fundraiser they're doing.
πLIKE & SHARE the Johnny's Pizza fundraiser post
πComment Done here
*****YOU MUST DO ALL 4 THINGS FOR IT TO COUNT*****
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Here are a couple publications from the University of Arkansas extension that has information on rabbits. One is for 4H but even if you aren't interested in 4H or showing, still has information on raising rabbits.
https://www.uaex.edu/farm-ranc...
https://www.uaex.edu/4h-youth/...
All rescues & shelters are desperate for people to volunteer at their facilities & at places like adoption events. They also need people to foster & adopt. These facilities are also always in need of donations of money, cleaning supplies, food, toys, & bedding. Visit any of their pages or websites & they should have a wishlist.
Here are some websites for things like toys & treats for pet rabbits:
bingalingstore.com
www.happyrabbittoys.com
squeaksandnibbles.com
thesprucepets.com
If you want to make your own toys for your own pet bun or as a service project for the rescue here are some ideas:
https://www.bunnyapproved.com/...
Interested in helping the rescue with fundraising? Here's a few ideas:
https://charitypaws.com/rabbit...
Housing ideas:
thecapecoop.com
https://best4bunny.com/housing...
Link to the House Rabbit Society
https://rabbit.org/
Different forums for all things bunny
binkybunny.com
https://rabbitexpert.con/foods...
What does this have to do with garlic & how does it tie in with our #GarlicGiveaway? Well nothing reallyπ. Except I found out you should never feed garlic to a rabbit because it "can have an immunosuppressive effect in rabbits & may even cause an anaphylactic reaction".
I hope this has been informative for anyone thinking about getting a bunny. Check out the rescue mentioned in this post. They have good information on bunnies. If you have rabbits, we would love to see pictures of them, as well as your indoor and/or outdoor set up. Do you have any tips or tricks to give for anyone thinking about getting a rabbit as a pet or maybe even ones to have as a meat source? (And yes, I know, these are 2 different things).
Remember, if you have entered the #GarlicGiveaway, you MUST DO ALL 4 THINGS LISTED in the comments. Remember that there could be more chances to enter that have either already been posted or will be posted in the coming weeks. More information about this giveaway is in the Announcements of this group.
ππHERE ARE THE CATIOSππ
The rabbit rescue mentioned above hands out little booklets to kids at festivals, they take some of their bunnies to the library & just about anywhere families go. These booklets have lots of good information & things like coloring pages. Here are a few of the pages I thought were interesting:
Since you've gotten this far, here's the information on the pizza card fundraiser. I believe the only Johnny's Pizza is in the Shreveport & Ruston, Louisiana areas, with maybe a few places in Arkansas.
Here's the pound I'm giving away in the group. Plus the guy's business card.
I was raised by my father & grandmother, & when I was a kid she would drag me to church. When I became a teenager I quit going. For the next 30 or so years, I would occasionally get a wild hair & go to church. But for the most part, I felt church was unnecessary. After all, I was basically a good person. I tried to never lie or cheat & I had never killed anyone. So my kids never had the role model of church being important or the base of everything. For the most part they are great kids. We live in a rural area where its small communities 20 miles apart until you get to town. In a weird teist, both my kids married people from the same Baptist church 40 miles or so away. My daughter-in-law no longer goes to church but my son-in-law does. My son does not go to church but I am trying to talk them into visiting churches & see one they like. My SIL or his mother will take my granddaughter. My daughter has always been a free spirit (& weird. & hardheaded). She use to go because she liked the preacher but he wasesed for being too vocal about some issues within the church or some reason. So she used that as a reason to not go. Now she says its because she works most Sundays but tries to go when she can. They do alot of hunting & fishing & that led her to taxidermy. She's always been crafty & imaginative so it wasn't long before she started making jewelry & other objects from animal bones & feathers, etc. She started hanging out with women who identify as witches, & even have meetings in the woods where they have bonfires & dance & I don't know what all. Then she started making jewelry & other occult themed objects.
Not giving my kids the strong foundation in faith to fight the evil of this world is 100% my fault. There isn't anything anyone can say. They will each have to wrestle with the good & the bad spirits to get on whatever path they travel. I pray daily for them.
My daughter has a Facebook page called The Strange Exchange & she also sells on etsy. In case you are interested, here's the link. http://TheStrangeExchangeCo.et...
***The bracelet at the end is one of her pieces that I thought was pretty.
I had been sharing some of her items but the occult stuff, I just couldn't. And so I made a post telling her that I loved her & would like to promote her business but couldn't promote something I felt was wicked & allowed demons into my home. Several of her friends posted nasty things about me, my religion, etc. I immediately started praying for my daughter & her family & her friends. I also looked in my study Bible & online for information on witchcraft, demons, & the occult. In a twist, I had this on my mind & then the preacher's sermon tied in with all this. But it also made me see how I was being a hyprocrite & how I was influencing the people in my circle.
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Brother Rodney mentioned compromise in his sermon Sunday. His example was when you are putting together something new, like a swing or bicycle or whatever. If you don't first read the instructions you end up doing it wrong or having missing pieces. So you go back & read the instructions, & do it right - like you should have done the first time - but lesson learned. This led him to talk about compromise. One of his examples was when we as Christians say we don't like alcohol, we don't drink, & we don't want to be around it. But then a friend or family member shows up at our house with a beer in their hand, & we say "come on in". We just compromised. It's little, seemingly harmless things that will add up. Brother Rodney said we will keep compromising so much that we will eventually compromise ourselves right out of a life of Christ, a life filled with Christ, & compromise ourselves right out of Heaven. God WILL NOT & CAN NOT allow ANY sin into Heaven. If it says it's a sin in the Bible, it's a sin. If it says don't do it, than don't compromise or figure out a way to do it where you feel its ok.
Here is my admission. I have watched 7 seasons of Game of Thrones & looked forward to each new season to come out. I would try to fast forward through the violence & sexual content (MY COMPROMISE). When I first started watching it, it never occurred to me that I was inviting the devil into my house or into my heart/soul/thoughts, or even into my marriage. Kenny didn't like it so I called myself COMPROMISING with him. I pushed my chair up close to the tv so his view was blocked & turned the sound down, or I would binge watch while he was sleeping (these were DVDs). I wasn't hurting anyone by watching. A year or so ago I started noticing that people in the Christian community were mentioning Game of Thrones & not in a good way. Uh oh. So watching it became something I didn't mention. I still read my Bible. It didn't change me that I could see. But I was COMPROMISING myself, my testimony, my Christ-filled & Christ-led life, & my one way ticket to Heaven. I have been almost on pins & needles waiting on the next season to come out on DVD, but now that it's hit me in the face about COMPROMISING, I'll be praying for self-control when I'm picking out DVDs at the library. I mean, it's not the same as being beheaded or flayed or stoned or nailed to a cross. Surely I can choose to not do something that will COMPROMISE my faith & my testimony.
This brings me to the subject of witchcraft, wiccan, & all things pagan. I admit, I do not know a whole lot on this subject. I remember reading books when I was a pre-teen & teenager. Those people seemed like good people, strong women, loved all things nature. I thought how cool it would be to get a ouigi(probably misspelled) board & talk to famous dead people. During this time I was also reading alot about Greek & Egyptian gods/goddesses & unicorns. They all blended together & seemed exciting & wonderful. Eventually, that phase or whatever passed & I went on to other things. But I think alot of people, especially young, unhappy or impressionable girls, don't move past the romanticism of paganism & witchcraft.
You can not serve two gods. And the God in Heaven is very clear on witchcraft & paganism. If you are into witchcraft or anything pagan, you are not a Christian. You may get mad at me for saying these things but I don't care. You better STOP COMPROMISING YOUR SOUL.
Deuteronomy 18:9-13
(9) When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. (10) Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, (11) or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. (12) Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. (13) You must be blameless before the Lord your God.
πexplanation from the Jeremiah Study Bible:
The Canaanites - heavily involved in the occult - practiced witchcraft, interpreted omens, consulted the dead, & practiced divination & sorcery, in addition to child sacrifice. The Israelites were moving into a dark land & needed to be careful to destroy the people & so avoid their wickedness.
From this article in Christian Research Journal & here (www.equip.org/article/modern-witchcraft/):
"First, I want to emphasize that one must be careful that various subtle aspects of the practice of witchcraft do not influence one's own Christian view of the world in a way that is incompatible with the Christian faith. What I have in mind here is how easy it can be for Christians to assume that certain practices that characterize the occult in general or witchcraft in particular are sufficiently neutral that one may safely dabble in their use. Some Christians see no problem with experimenting with seances or tarot cards, not realizing that they could be eroding their own view of the nature of reality, not to mention the danger of encountering demonic activity. Even if these practices "worked", pragmatism is not a criterion for truth (Jeremiah 44:17-18).
Jeremiah 44:17-18
(17) We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven & will pour out drink offerings to her just as we & our ancestors, our kings & our officials did in the towns of Judah & in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food & were well off & suffered no harm. (18) But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven & pouring out drink offerings to her, we have had nothing & have been perishing by sword & famine."
πThe people's view of reality was $o twisted that they believed Josiah's reforms that had put an end to pagan practices were the cause of the calamity that had befallen them. They were disloyal to the Lord because they were convinced that the pagan gods could protect them in a way that He could not.
πThe Queen of Heaven refers to a fertility goddess, either the Babylonian Ishtar or the Canaaite Asherah. Worshipers offered cakes in her image to gain her favor & blessing. Women believed these female deities would bless them with the ability to bear children.
The belief systems of Christianity & witchcraft are mutually exclusive, but Christians are called to love all human beings & consider as their true enemy the evil spiritual force that lies behind the world's anti-Christian belief systems (Eph.6:12, Matt.5:43-47).
Ephesians 6:12
For our struggle is not against flesh & blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world & against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
πChristians live in a spiritual war zone where the enemy - Satan - uses many tactics in his attempts to defeat them. Those tactics are evidenced by some of the descriptions of Satan in Scripture: he leads the world "astray" (Rev.12:9); he is a "liar" & a "murderer" (John 8:44), the "tempter" (Matt. 4:3), the "accuser of our brothers & sisters" (Rev. 12:10), & the "evil one" (1 John 5:19).
πSatan's war against God's people follows an organized strategy. 'Rulers' refers to Satan's head officers; 'schemes' refers to clever plans, crafty deceptions, & cunning methods. Like a military general, Satan plans his attacks & directs his demonic forces (2 Cor.2:11).
Here are a couple more links:
http://www.focusonthefamily.co...
http://www.ministrymatters.com...
Matthew 12:43-45
(43) "When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest & does not find it. (44) Then it says, "I will return to the house I left! When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean & put in order. (45) Then it goes & takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, & they go in & live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation."
πThese are words spoken by Jesus Christ. If people clean up their lives & do not fill them with God, they are left vulnerable to even greater evil than what they were originally exposed to. True change replaces evil habits with good ones & unrighteousness with righteousness.
Galations 5:19-21
(19) The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immortality, impurity & debauchery; (20) idolatry & witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions (21) & envy; drunkenness, orgies, & the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
2 Chronicles 33:7
This is referencing Manasseh, King of Judah, who did all sorts of wicked things.
(6) He sacrificed his children in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced divination & witchcraft, sought omens, & consulted mediums & spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.
Later........
(12) In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God & humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. (13) And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty & listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem & to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.
Leviticus 20:6
I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums & spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, & I will cut them off from their people.
Leviticus 20:27
A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.
***I m not advocating to kill anyone but I wanted to show people who have bothered to read this just how serious & how strongly God feels about witchcraft & paganism. However, He will forgive each of us IF we ask him to & IF we are truly repentant. Repentant means you change your behavior; you don't keep doing it. God forgave the man who sacrificed his own children & did other horrible things. If we ask for forgiveness, he will grant it.
Isaiah 8:19-22
(19) When someone tells you to consult mediums & spiritists, who whisper & mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? (20) Consult God's instruction & the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. (21) Distressed & hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged &, looking upward, will curse their king & their God. (22) Then they will look toward the earth & see only distress & darkness & fearful gloom, & they will be thrust into utter darkness.
Revelation 21:8
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters & all liars - they will be consigned to the fiery lake of butning sulfur. This is the second death.
πHere is a stark contrast between those who will be cast into the lake of fire & those who have tasted the water of life (Rev. 21:6; 22:17; John 4:10). Although several types of sins are listed, those who commit them are lumped into 1 group by the single word "the". Their inheritance is the second death. Rev. 20:14 explained - Once death (the state of death) & Hades (the place of death) - these twins from sin's curse - are cast into the lake of fire, there will be no more death. THE SECOND DEATH IS ETERNAL SEPARATION FROM GOD. The contrast in outcomes for both groups is laid out in no uncertain terms: failure to respond leads to an unthinkable eternity.
This is a 52 minute long YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
******If you've bothered to read to the end, most of this is from The Jeremiah Study Bible.
EDITED TO INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
From this really long - but really interesting article at www.jubilee-centre-org/covert-world-of-witchcraft-by-jonathan-burnside/
"The contrast between the biblical worldview & the world of witchcraft is well expressed in Psalm 91, which can be read as a celebration of the protective power of God over against demonic threats."
And further down........
"Witchcraft, then, is a relational issue. It expresses our failure to enter into a relationship with God, to make discoveries about the spiritual & the material worlds in partnership with him, & to fully trust him with our lives & futures. Witchcraft robs us of spiritual reality. With a crooked finger it points away from the speaking God who wants to be known, who always does everything that is necessary for us to enjoy a relationship with him - & who is not far from each one of us."
From https://Jenniferleclaire.org?s...
This lady had a couple comments that just caught me (for lack of a better word):
"Fear opens the door" - to doubt, to uncertainty, etc.
"The Lord always exposes"
Jennifer LeClaire also mentions reading about Jezebel & witchcraft in 2 Kings 9.
I am 49 years old. My husband, who is 10 years older, is on oxygen due to COPD. He also has a host of other life threatening illnesses & ailments, AND he has a spinal cord injury & takes a ton of pills. So, I do all the yard work. If I'm lucky, I'll get some family member to come do stuff I can't do. But most of the time someone will say "Oh, I'll come by & do that for you". So I'll put back some money to pay them. And they never show up. I'll end up spending the money on something but I still have the chore to do.
One of the chores was limbs too big for my lopers. I've never used a chainsaw & was sure I'd cut my foot off or worse if I did ever try to use one. I had one of those manual pole saws. You know, the ones that are orange & have a white pvc-looking tube that extends out? But I hate it. Every single time I touch it I feel like I put my hands in fiberglass or something. It itches, burns, & hurts all at once. Not sure if that makes sense but that's how it feels. And then I read up on electric & gas powered pole saws. We have 4 & 1/2 acres so electric really wasn't a good option unless I wanted to run extension cords everywhere. And I didn't know if I wanted to deal with one more thing I had to put gas in or a pull cord. And then I found out they came in battery poweredπππ!!!!!
So we ordered one of the Ego brand pole saws from Home Depot. I was so happy when it came in. Like a kid at Christmas.
I have used it several times & LOVE it. Sometimes I wish I would have gotten the extension piece but to be honest, I don't think I would be able to handle it with the extension.
My photos aren't loadingπ‘so I can't show you anything at the moment.
I have gotten the saw stuck a few times but after praying, begging, crying, & finally getting my husband to strap on his portable tank & going out to help, I've gotten it unstuck every timeπ. A few days ago I was trimming up this holly tree so that I didn't get slapped in the face. Well, one of the limbs also had a limb going up & branching out. When I cut it, it got hung up. Its probably 15 feet up where its stuck. Grabbing the end & pulling does nothing. Its just hanging there. I've about decided to tie a chain around it & using my vehicle (I wish our old truck was running. Its a Fordπππ’πππ).
