The Promise of Things to Come

Our beautiful spring continues---many fruit trees are full of blossoms still, but some now have the start of what will be juicy fruit in just a few months. It's fun to walk among these trees in our small orchard, checking them over for every little change that mark this season. It was even funner tonight to do it with my hubby who grew up on a small farm who pointed out the 'baby' fruit already evident in what is left of many blossoms.

In our transitional garden, where my love for edible landscaping is most evident, the rhubarb continues to grow larger and lingonberries, an evergreen huckleberry & our four blueberries all have many blossoms.

Soon, we will be enjoying the bounty God has blessed us with this year;

already we are enjoying the beauty He's filled our land with.

As you enjoy the bounty at your table,

remember to give Him thanks

for

He truly is a GOOD God!

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"And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day."

Genesis 1:11-13 KJV

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Blessings,

Aimee

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Photos:

apple tree blossoms

baby fruit on plum tree

rhubarb (taken about 2 weeks or so ago)

A Vision in White

Maybe I've been spending too much time looking at the ground or gazing straight ahead of me. Or maybe I've just been looking in the wrong place in search of my beloved white lilac blossoms.

You know it was just a few days ago when I was in search of their seemingly elusive flowers that I saw this...

and today, when I was standing on a raised area,

this was the view in front of me.

Come to think about it, maybe it's none of those things.

Maybe it's just that spring is here and everything seems to be in bloom.

---

Blessings, Aimee

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Photo: White lilac bush--a few days ago & now.

Homesteading Dreams

Wrote this awhile back

OK--I know that I should be a responsible adult and go to bed but I have one more topic on my mind and that is homesteading. Many, many, many years ago I took a series of classes on homesteading that was taught by a family that had actually done it. It was fascinating and the dream to do this has never gone away...though the books I purchased from them seem to have disappeared (deep sigh).

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But though their books seem to have walked away for awhile, I have many, many other books that I've collected over the years on subjects such as organic gardening, fruit, vegetables, herbs, raising chickens, homesteading, building log cabins and much more. And the dream I've had for so many years still lives on.

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We will see where this leads ...but I am learning to be very content where God has placed me NOW and use this land to it's fullest to bless us and others. And now I bid you all a good night:)


Blessings, Aimee

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Photo: rural NW barn

And a sweet sighting in the making!

This weekend I saw--

• two snakes (there were two more near me that I didn't see)
• two frogs in the pond
• two Canadian geese flying right over us
• one koi 'flashing" (leaping way out of the water)

and--this is a biggie for me...

blueberry blossoms!

These blossoms mean that, God willing, I'll be feasting on beautiful, juicy, sweet blueberries in only 2-3 months from now! YUM!

I so LOVE gardening:)

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Note: we have several different types of blueberries--this is probably our Earliblue which is the first blueberry we have to ripen. Because I can never get enough blueberries (and I'm not alone in this), I'm thinking of adding another blueberry plant this year. I am told Ivanhoe might be a good choice as I like my berries a bit on the tart side -- I'm always beating the birds to ours:) I might also consider one of the latter blueberry type and maybe several of the 'dwarf' type berries--depends on whether I can find room for them.

Besides the wiki link above which has a lot of info and links of its own here is a website I just found tonight. It is sponsored by several of the NW universities (ID-OR-WA) & the USDA-ARS. Looks good and it has info on some other fruit crops grown in the NW including some more of my favorites!

Blessings, aimee

A good sighting

My hubby has an uncanny and sometimes unnerving ability to be able to sight animals and things which, try as I might, I cannot see --- even if he points them out to me.

One of the things I actually saw--on my own--today was this guy (actually he had a friend close by too)-

Now isn't that TOO neat?

And the really sweet thing about it was that not only did I see them, but they even stayed posed while I ran into the house to get my camera, walked back to the pond and while I shot several photos of them for you all!

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Blessings,

Aimee

A Quiet Weekend Morning

One morning I was in the shower;
relaxed as I stood under a warm stream of water there

When all of a sudden there appeared,

seemingly out of nowhere,
a strange shadow --

right on the shower wall.

It had long ears-
two of them

and

a very strange shape.

And then the shower curtain moved,

just ever so slightly

and

something...

I’m still not sure what to call ‘it’,

peeked past the curtain there.

'It' had a face only a mother,

or

a wife of almost 30 years...
could and does most definitely love so VERY, VERY much

(and always will)!

Yep, that would be my hubby playing a joke on me again!

--

And because I know him so very well--

I could only do ONE thing

and that was to break up laughing---

and he, who knows me SO very well

knew that I would.

-

Bless you my darling for filling my life with laughter!

aimee

---

Note & disclosure:

These photos were actually taken in our reenactment of this morning's real life adventure--

I know that I shoot tons of photos, and take my camera almost everywhere,

but the shower isn't one of them!

Oh and seeking full disclosure here-

in the real life adventure I never saw the ear shadow coming!

I sincerely hope no one is offended by our little 'adventure'-

believe me

NO offense is meant or intended at all :)

--

Blessings,

aimee

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"A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken."

Proverbs 15:13 KJV

A Moment in His Presence

A beautiful evening here--from my window I see some flowers and trees. So nice to look at and always a reminder of the goodness of God!

The Japanese-style garden is moving closer to being finished---well 'finished' being a relative term. LOL! Nevertheless, we are closer to being done then we were last week...

Today I was listening to my usual Christian reflective music and heard a song that made me cry. It wasn't a cry from sorrow or pain, but one emanating from a feeling of total humility and awe when faced with the perfect love, grace and mercy that God shows His imperfect children. And although I was sitting on the sofa at the time, my spirit was on the floor bowing before the only King---God. Truly He is an amazing God and Father to us!!

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God..."
I John 3:1 KJV

Some of my favorite songs/artists which remind me of God's mercy, grace & love--
"Ocean of Mercy", John Michael Poirier
"Kyrie/I Call to You ", Jeff Johnson/Janet Chvatal.
(and more....:)

Blessings always,
Aimee

Photo: Pacific Ocean (Oregon) No, this was not the scene I was looking at this day but it reminded me of the song "Ocean of Mercy".

The Encounter

It was a quiet day in our gardens and

a perfect day to get some things done outdoors.

My best friend had been out there working for 2 hours;

she arrived while I was still resting.

I decided it was time to help her.

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She suggested several tasks;

I chose to clear the mess which has been under my son's window

for the last year or so.

You know boy things--like greasy clothes and other stuff.

I don't want to go into further details here--anyone who has had boys will understand and maybe even empathize with me.

I hope.

--
At first it was relaxing (while being strenuous at the same time)

pulling weeds, moving the rocks which border the path and bed there,

and picking up the garbage.

--

The day was on the cool side, but not cold--

perfect for this type of physical labor.

Recent rains had made the soil soft and weeds weren't too hard to pull.

I was making good headway;

AND

my hubby man would be pleased!

--

One lawn bag full;

by this time I was sitting down to pull the weeds out, being of the lazy gardener sort.

I was pretty comfortable--maybe too much so.

Thinking back that was a mistake--a grievous error even.

-

I should have known not to relax and sit down on the job;

should have known that wasn't a safe thing to do in the garden

at this time of the year.

I moved on to the next rock,

not too much more left to do.

--

But first a recap here:

The first thing I had asked my best friend when I came out to help was if she had seen any visitors today; she said no.

You see we'd been having a lot of trouble with uninvited, unauthorized visitors on our property lately.

--

I moved the rock, just as I had done all the others.

Odd.

There was this thing under the rock.

A thing with a stripe--an orange one, I think--and it was curled up,

kind of like a brooch jewelry sort of thing.

Maybe?

--

Strange. It wasn't moving.

Could it be some kind of weird overgrown snail or maybe a shed skin thingee.

--

Hum.

I thought about poking it; maybe I did.

I don't recall now.

Was it dead?

--

Things seemed to move really fast after that...in fact

I lost track of the exact sequence of the events around this time.

I sort of went into a state of shock...

but I do remember asking my best friend,

a much braver and more knowledgeable person then I,

to come and take a look at this

odd discovery of mine.

AND

it was somewhere during this time (or before she got there) that she said it was

and I realized it was

--

A SNAKE!!!

--

You've never seen an antique granny of five move so fast while making such loud noises.

Honestly.

If you were in our area today at about 1 PM I'm sure you heard it;

there was NO way you couldn't have.

I must remember to apologize for the noise pollution to everyone in a 10

or maybe 20 mile radius of our property someday.

I know they'll understand;

after all I'm the type of person who screams when I see a snake on the ground as I whiz by safely on our lawn tractor--so it's not the first time they've heard it.
--

Moral of the story:

1. Always be prepared for unexpected visitors; you never know where, how or when they'll show up.
2. Never, ever--under any circumstances--move a rock in the garden without being prepared for a possible surprise under it; most likely it won't be a hidden treasure you will find there.
3. Hip boots and full body armour are a good and proper uniform for a granny weeding on a spring day in the NW. And the most important moral....
4. A creature that looks like a coiled up, totally immobile, snake-skin-brooch-orange striped, hiding under a rock thingee is most likely (meaning absolutely) a VERY live snake.

The End--I sincerely hope (of this story)

--

Photo: a rock and weeds

And you thought I was going to post a photo of him???

Obviously you haven't read my snake posting policy here;

please understand that I'm a stickler for important policies like this.

I actually take personal pride in upholding firm standards and you really have to be when you are posting publicly -- I mean this is the Internet and this post is accessible by almost everyone.

-

. Besides if we had to recreate the event for a photograph my friend would have been calling 911 for me;.

an antique heart like mine can only take so many encounters of this kind in a day.

--

May your day be blessed with only flowers.

Blessings, aimee

Note to readers

I know change can be a bad thing;

in fact it can be a very bad thing.

But

sometimes it can be a good thing

and

this change is good--actually very good,

well at least for me it is.

You see this wife of almost 20 years, mom of three children and grandmother of five

has eyes older then an antique.

You doubt me??

Well it's true--at least most likely it is.

And since my eyes are THAT old and since I don't want to wear reading glasses to do this blog (because I LOVE my contacts a whole bunch)...

it's time for a change here--at least to the font color.

I thank you for your understanding about my granny eyes and the change :)

You will be blessed for it I'm sure.

-

As per usual please feel free to leave comments, suggestions and questions.

I can even handle legitimate complaints too should you feel the need.

Just be nice as I am a granny.

Remember this is your blog too and one of you may have a better idea!

--

In other business, a special welcome to any gardening friends from that particular forum.

Hope your flowers are blooming and your days of snow gone:)

Blessings, aimee

-

Photo:

Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

A Walk in His Gardens--NW Parks in Spring

This was to be a walk in the parks of the NW--truly it was. But apparently the upload is tired this evening so I will have to ask you to use your imagination as we walk through the beautiful landscapes of God's gardens.

Update: we have pictures; the upload must be rested now :)

You can still use your imagination though to 'smell' the fresh air of the park, and to hear the sound of birds as they fly over your head and sing from the many trees surrounding the trails.

Do you feel the warmth of the sun? Nice, huh?

Makes me want to return there--soon, maybe tomorrow.

Here, in the parks, there is green everywhere one looks.

But when you're there it doesn't feel like it's overdone in any way, for along the trails you'll also find flowers in yellow, light purple and other colors. Brown too. And the green--well its not just one shade of green; nope - there are several shades and different textures which make up the forests here . And all the green on the forest floor looks so soft--like one could sleep on it. I wouldn't do that though because it might be a bit wet as we have a lot of rain here; it's why everything is so green in the parks.

Speaking of wet ...usually there is some type of water in the parks here -- waterfalls, a river, a bay, the ocean or a lake. In fact, I can't think of a park without water of some kind.

We have a lot of parks in the mountains too--and it's especially nice there!

I am a mountain girl you know

(well maybe more like a mountain woman--now that I am a grandmother 5 times over)

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Speaking of parks in mountains... a lot (maybe all??) of these seem to have old growth trees--lots of tall, closely spaced, really old beautiful trees, like the type my pioneer forefathers saw when they came here before Oregon and Washington were states.

At times I imagine what it would have been like then--those many years ago--when there were no big cities or freeways and everywhere you looked there were tall trees covering the mountains, hills and valleys.

Makes me happy to think about that type of world and a simpler way of life.

Simple but hard too.

-

I wonder if my ancestors liked the tall, beautiful evergreens as much as I do. They probably got tired of them because they had to cut so many to be able to grow food to feed their families and make a living. And to keep warm in their cabins and later in their homes (my ancestor's home is still standing by the way)

-

Since we have supermarkets and Farmer's Markets today,

and since we're not dependent on our land to survive,

and since our family doesn't have to clear the land we live on now,

I can just enjoy the trees and wish there were more--a lot more.

And I do.

-

But back to the parks....

In some places the trees there grow so close together and are so huge that the path below their canopy is dark and shadowy (Hum. Is shadowy a word?) , like parts of the Trail of Shadows near Longmire in Mt Rainer National Park

(a magical place; a place where the world feels ancient)

*Sorry but I haven't scanned in my photos of that particular trail, but the first link will take you to an awesome site with a lot of information on the whole Park and great, better then mine, photos!

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I also like parks where the light filters through the forest, lighting up the bark of the trees and the vegetation below them. This is beautiful too, especially when the light hits the green moss on trees.

.

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It's a peaceful place there in the forests within the parks.

It's a world where it's easy to be 'green' and even easier to be filled with joy and peace!

-

Thank you Lord for the beautiful forests of the Pacific NW.

They make my heart sing and remind me of You, the Master Gardener.

Blessings, aimee

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"Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness...The Lord will give strength unto His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace."

Psalms 29:2, 11 KJV
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"Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and He that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by Myself."

Isaiah 44:24 KJV
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Photos:

Parks in the NW part of Oregon.

Composing Compost

Disclaimer: I'm not a garden expert---(I know you are all saying 'duh' right now!!) -- but I am a definite wannabe one and I do have a bit of experience in our little bit of country for these many years. I've also learned a lot from my best friend who has more gardening experience then I, from garden books I've collected over the years and from state extension/other gardening websites. That being said -- I am still in the process of learning about the following topic--composting.

One thing all gardeners have to deal with is the yard debris that we seem to collect large quantities of -- that and kitchen scraps (the latter being true for all people not just gardeners--LOL!). Now in the urban areas people often have collection bins for this kind of thing; here in the country we don't have that option--but even if we did I'd still prefer to have some sort of compost pile - but

(warning! confession ahead)...

---

until this year we didn't have much of a system to deal with all of the grass clippings, weeds and such that we produce here. At one time we had an unofficial sheet compost 'pile' --and it did produce real compost. It's also true that we have used grass clippings before, in an unofficial way, to mulch one of our landscaped garden beds (I was less fond of this as it tended to mound up the way we did it in a very unbecoming way; not the right way I'm sure!).

We also have had a burn pile/garden dump area for a long time---but what I dreamed of having was a regular, semi-enclosed "as seen in" gardening magazines or websites compost pile AND a separate burn pile, and that was that (I can be a very determined woman...). So despite some dissension on this subject in our family, I took the task on.

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I did not want to spend any money on this new little addition to our land and I wanted to be a good steward too; that meant trying to use what we had available. What I had my eye on was the fence/pen enclosure that our now grown dogs had stayed in as puppies. Of course, it was still where it had been then--um, those many years ago. But as I have said---I can be a very determined (some would say unkindly---stubborn) woman. I set to work...

after much tugging from me and my son, use of tools, giving up, going back, yelling, tugging with prayer with use of tools and tugging the fence was free at last and it was moved to the main garden area where it was set up awhile later.

--

And then the fun began...by that I mean countless loads of weeds, grasses, small twigs, dried leaves and grass, sod and more of the same. All went the same direction--to their new little home which made this gardener very, very happy!

Still to come will be the kitchen scraps (egg shells, fruit, veggies, etc--no meat), maybe manure and some other things. In time we shall see what comes of this compost and if the composition turns out to be a masterpiece or not.

Blessings, aimee

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Do any of you compost and what has been your experience with it?

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Note: I might have to add stakes for support to the fencing--it is meant to stand on its own but with the wind we get at times this may still be necessary.

Easter

A blessed Easter from our home to yours.

"He is not here, but is risen..."

Luke 24:6 KJV

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Blessings,

Aimee

A Project

Not too long ago my sibling gave me a bamboo bench (something I had been wanting for our Japanese-style garden for a long time). As they put it "it's going to be a lot of work". And it will be but I was very excited to get it nevertheless because the 'skeleton' is intact and strong!

To repair and refinish the bench we'll have to replace the seat and back, sand and then shellac it (possibly stain it too if the shellac doesn't change the color enough). FYI: originally the bench was the golden color we're all accustomed to seeing. Finally I will make or buy a pad for the bench's seat and back; possibly some pillows too.

SO sometime in the near or distant future I'll be posting a "real" done photo....but until then here is the look I'm after in terms of the seat and back of the bench.

Blessings, aimee

Edible Landscaping

I'm a big fan of edible landscaping--that is incorporating fruit trees and plants into garden beds along with strictly ornamental ones.

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In our developed garden beds some of the edibles we've included are: 4 blueberry plants, 2 evergreen huckleberries, 3 lingonberries, 1 rhubarb, 2 gooseberries, several fruit trees (apple, Asian pear, pear and fig), kiwi, Oregon grape, salal and mint. These edibles grow near or alongside plants that you would expect to see in a NW garden--lilacs, irises, rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, etc and they're not ugly or strange looking at all!In fact they are quite beautiful as you can see from the photo above.

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Other edibles you can include in your landscaped areas are the many herbs -- just make sure you note carefully their requirements for light, size, moisture and soil preference (in other words don't put a herb that likes to be kept on the dry side next to strawberries which require more water).

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If you are dealing with a small space (like an urban garden), it is good to know that many fruit trees are available in dwarf and semi-dwarf sizes. These can be planted closer together then your standard fruit trees and you will still have sizable harvests! This is what we mostly have here--even our mini orchard which has 13 more fruit and nut trees is made up of these (well except for one but more about that later). By pruning these trees we've been able to keep them all at reasonable sizes---this makes it easier to care for them, pick their fruit and conserves space as I've noted. The only exception for us has been our 4-way sweet cherry which, even though it was marked as being a smaller tree, just keeps growing up, and up... and up! We think it is most likely a standard. The 4 way cherry brings me to another point--there are 4 different varieties of cherries that grow on this one tree! This can be a space saver you might be interested in too :)

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Edible landscaping works for us--and will also work for those of you who dwell in urban areas (albeit on a smaller scale then we have here). I invite you to do a 'google' search for this term if you are interested in learning more, or leave me a comment. One word of warning---for those with small children. If you are including edible plants with ornamental, poisonous plants (such as rhodies) you will obviously have to teach your children what can be eaten and what can't (but then you already knew that one:) )

Blessings, Aimee

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Note: Please forgive me if this post sounds odd; it's really early in the AM here and I think well past the time I should have gone to bed:) I will include some photos of our edible landscaped areas in time but right now we're working on them to get them back in shape (and I hate showing the world my weeds; it's just too embarrassing)!

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Here is one site that looked interesting. Out of Ohio....

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There are also good books available on this subject. This author's book was the one that really helped me get into this type of gardening. The link above is to her website which looks as it might be worth spending a lot of time at :)

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Photo: evergreen huckleberry (we have had one of these in our Japanese-style garden for years; this is a new one)

Peace in the Garden

Recently the old hymn "In the Garden" has been going through my mind and occasionally I find myself humming this tune.

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have Christ come to our garden here -- to stroll with Him amidst the trees of our small orchard or to sit with the Son of God beside the still waters of one of the ponds.

When I think of sitting down and talking with Christ, as His Disciples once did, I feel great peace and deep joy ... imagine what it will be like when we're in His presence daily in heaven?

Wishing you a Blessed Easter season!

Aimee

Photo: Japanese lantern and magnolia blossoms.

Before and After

Before

and...

after, but not quite done yet.

White and blue pansies added to basin of our once working, but now leaking, Japanese Lady fountain (too early for impatiens yet per my gardening expert), some weeding done (but spearmint left in bed and some grass still needing to be removed) and camellia Japonica fully in bloom-but in need of fertilizer.

May your spring be filled with flowers and your days filled with blessings.

Aimee

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Photos: as described above.

In the Garden

Being out in the gardens recently has been such a pleasure; everywhere I look buds and blossoms are evident. The plum fruit trees have, of course, been blooming for awhile. Soon the blossoms of the pear trees will join them and not too long after that--the Asian pear will bloom too.

-

-

Other blossoms include the camellia which is now covered with beautiful flowers, Oregon grape, viburnum, candytuft, trillium and columbine (the latter two bought at a nursery recently) and many, many more...

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What is blooming in your garden?

Blessings, Aimee

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Photos:

• Daffodils--these were the last of our daffodils to bloom
• Plum Fruit Tree blossoms (this is either the Shiro or Satsuma Blood plum)
• Trillium (one of my favorite flowers)
• Columbine (also a favorite; I love native wildflowers)
• Candytuft (I find the center of the bloom interesting)
• Oregon Grape (love the yellow of this one)

An Unexpected Gift From My Hubby

See what came in with the mail and my husband tonight? That man of mine is SO very sweet! Thanks Honey--I really LOVE them :)
Blessings to you always,
Your wife, Aimee

Update from Aimee's

Since my last post, spring has really taken over here on our little blessing from the Lord. Blossoms of yellow, white, purple and pink abound in the landscape; the Japanese maples and other trees are starting to leaf out and glimpses of new delicate leaves can now be seen! Our native moss is lush, a beautiful green and indescribably soft to the touch. Blue skies occasionally appear now and there is even a rumor that this weekend's temperatures might be warmer then it's been for a long time.

Work continues on our Japanese-style garden and blessings abound there. My sibling has offered me free bamboo (they have a Japanese-style garden too) and I was able to find the evergreen huckleberry, lingonberries and trillium I wanted at not too bad a price. My best friend and I moved a statue/fountain to a new area and so the garden looks less crowded now. Still to come lots and lots more weeding, pruning, mulching, adding a few more plants and a bridge, seating area and definite paths. Oh and solar lights too.

In our other gardens -- the Asian pear bed is starting to look better--with its fresh layers of newspaper (for a weed barrier) and bark mulch. Just needs an azalea, some bulbs and a border now. Still to go is weeding the pear and apple/transitional beds (the last one being very scary as it is known to harbor some snakes---eek!).

There is some work to be done in the main garden/mini-orchard area too---and that is what I will work on this afternoon if the weather permits. Hopefully by the time my hubby gets home he will find two fully weeded and temporarily tarped raised beds (that will be used for bulbs, lavender and wildflowers), the fence for the new compost area up and maybe more. Do you think that is too unrealistic of goal to be done in just a bit over 2 hours??? LOL

A final note---as I type this, beautiful reflective Christian music is playing in the background and I am again reminded that placing my focus on the things of God and not on fallible, fallen man is the best way to live in these and all times.

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"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you." Philippians 4:8 KJV

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Blessings always, aimee

Photos:

• Native Pacific NW moss--homegrown even:)
• Camellia -- not homegrown but happily living here for many years now.
• Plum Tree blossoms--from one of our fruit trees
• Washington State view

Have a blessed day this Friday before Palm Sunday!

Life

The last two days reminded me of the fragility of life; first with the very sad news of the passing of a young mother and then today when chest pain hit me with unexpected ferocity. I prayed, laid down, took some medicine and in time it passed--but it wasn't pleasant and it was in fact quite frightening.

As I lay there I was reminded that every minute we're given and every breath we take is indeed a gift from God and that we should not waste any moment of life; for we can't count on having a tomorrow-whether we are young or old. I know this morning's pain caused me to examine my priorities and I did not like everything I saw.

By this afternoon I felt better -- even well enough to do some 'light' gardening, talk on the phone with a friend, take the dog out, cook dinner, chores ...you know the beautiful things that some call mundane. I was thankful and happy to be able to do them.

Blessings,
Aimee

"The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away... So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." Psalms 90: 10, 12 KJV (A Psalm of Moses)

"As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children. " Psalms 103:15-17 KJV