Say to wisdom, “You are my sister" and call understanding your kinswoman." (Proverb 7:4)
Monday, October 6, 2025
A Pivotal Time in History
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
Rosh Hashanah 5786
Yom HaDin
On Rosh HaShanah, we attend synagogue wearing the nicest of clothes as it begins a New Year (lit. “Head of the Year), praying through lengthy prayers, while hearing the call of the Shofar. What typically comes to mind of Rosh HaShanah is the ‘sweet’ New Year, where we dip apples in honey and eat delicious round challah loves symbolizing the spiral of time and us moving forward into a new circuit, we can lose the essence of what Rosh HaShanah truly is: Yom HaDin, ie. “The Day of Judgment.”
Many times, we think Yom Kippur is the Day of Judgment because that is when we fast and pray and seek atonement for our sins, however, according to Jewish sources, it is Rosh HaShanah, that each and every individual is judged by HaShem. “On Rosh Hashanah all of mankind pass before Him like sheep -they pass by Him one by one, one after the other, yet He scrutinizes them all with a single glance.”(Rosh HaShanah 8a). This is the Day HaShem judges each and every one of us. The sages say, it is this day that HaShem records whether we will be inscribed in the Book of Life or Death, or have our judgment delayed until Yom Kippur. It is this day that echoes the Master’s teaching, that when He comes and sits upon His Throne (to judge), all nations will be gathered and He will separate them as a shepherd separates sheep from goats (Matthew 25:31-32). This is why it is extremely important to do the deep work of Teshuvah BEFORE the Call of the Shofar. Moreover, it is through those 100 Blasts of the Shofar, our soul is stirred to even do greater Teshuvah before Yom Kippur, where our final judgment is officially sealed. It is on Rosh HaShanah, the Head of the Year, that everything is written for our lives in the coming year. Heaven makes Its judgment, but it is in our hands if we sweeten that judgment through our Teshuvah, our repentance.
This is the day that the Spiritual DNA is coded into the year, and HaShem gives us the ability to help Him write it. The choice is yours, will you know before Whom you stand on Rosh HaShanah, having done all that you could do, so that HaShem would remember your deeds for life? May we do the deep work of Elul, so that we can write a beautiful symphony of a Year with the King of the Universe, proclaiming Him King, following His Son, Yeshua, King Messiah, and actualizing the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. “Leshana tovah tikatev v’tichatem,” “May you be inscribed and sealed for a Good Year.”
from www.shalomacon.org
Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Golden Cottage - Life Changes
Greetings Gail-Friends:
Rabbi Jem and I have going through life changes. Nothing serious. Nothing bad. We have changed our way of eating. I mentioned last month that I would share a little bit about it. Jem has lost over thirty pounds. I've lost fifteen. (Trying not to be jealous, but he loses twice as fast as me.)
This recipe is one I keep on hand, so I thought I'd share it with y'all. I call it Gail's Easy Pickles:
Makes about 2-3 pints
Ingredients:
1 package of baby cucumbers (equals 3-4 cups)
red, yellow, and orange pepper strips
alternative sweetener of choice to equal 1-1/2 c sugar
1-1/2 cups vinegar
OR
I like to buy bread and butter pickles and save the juice. I start with that as the base and add vinegar to equal 3 cups.
OR
sometimes, I just use the jar of leftover pickle juice and add the pickles and peppers. Then I add vinegar to cover the cucumbers.
OR
if I don’t have leftover pickle juice, I add these spices to the vinegar/sugar solution:
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon celery seeds
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
If I have any pickling solution left over, I just save it till I make pickles again.
Optional: I add a spicy pepper to one jar – for my husband because he likes spicy.
Directions:
Cut cucumbers in spears – I do 4 spears per cucumber and this fills up about 2-3 pint jars. I put the cucumbers in and pack them loosely. Then, I put the pepper strips in. I save my jars (all sizes) so if there’s not enough to fill a second quart, I just use a smaller jar.
Combine sugar or sweetener, vinegar, salt, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and turmeric (or your leftover Bread & Butter pickle juice) in a bowl until sweetener and salt have dissolved; pour evenly over cucumbers and peppers. Cover jars with lids. Refrigerate for seven days before serving.
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One of my changes is to eat more veggies, so I keep this tray in the frig filled at all times. I also keep a small container of homemade ranch dip (made with yogurt and mayo) in the tray. I'm reading labels and trying to stay away from additives, preservatives, dyes, artificial ingredients, and genetically modified stuff. It's amazing how much of that junk is in our food these days. Tip: if you can't pronounce it, don't eat it, y'all.
And I roast big pans of veggies with spices:
Turkey, pickle, and cheese roll-ups with homemade ranch dressing is a favorite lunch. Or, sometimes I have a big smoothie with collagen, almond milk, and chocolate.
Oh, and I have to tell you about my new best friend: Palmini pasta. Made from palm hearts. I buy these at Aldi, but you can get them online. My favorite is the angel hair pasta. Jem's not in love with them (yet). He prefers the regular wheat noodles. And I guess I'll never know why he can eat bread, pasta, rice and pretty much everything else and still lose weight. When I moan about this, my friends tell me men just lose weight faster than women. Ugh!
And for a low-carb treat, I make "forgotten cookies." Made with egg whites. They melt in your mouth.
I've been super busy. Now that Jem's book is finished, I'm working on my next book. Coming soon, y'all. His book is doing really well on Amazon. I'm amazed at how many copies he's sold in the last two weeks. It is so funny. You can get it in paperback or as an e-book: https://a.co/d/8IaGWRy
All is well at Golden Cottage and we're enjoying the cooler weather this week -- highs in the 80's and lows in the 70's. Fall is in the air, Gail-Friends. And the goldenrod is blooming. Mama always said when it blooms winter is on its way. YAY!
Toonie Woo and Lucy Loo are doing good:
The last few days have been so emotional. I've been closely following the events surrounding the assassination of Charlie Kirk. We're still praying for his wife, children, friends and family. And I'm praying for this to be used for good -- for the glory of God's Kingdom. I believe it is happening. I read that lots of people attended church the Sunday following the murder.
I've seen signs that say, "I Am Charlie Kirk" and this one really impressed me:
That's what Charlie did. And he did it so well. You can see his speeches and interviews on YouTube. I admire his ability to confront lies with courage, patience, and clarity. He has impacted many lives in his thirty-one years on this earth. He loved God, his family, and his country. I believe his legacy will be like that of Martin Luther King.
I saw this week that Charlie was writing a book about observing the Sabbath. I'm looking forward to reading it when it's released. The title is Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life . The book has already topped Amazon's Christian and religion/spirituality bestseller lists due to pre-orders following Kirk's death.
Shalom and blessings to you all, Gail-Friends.
Thursday, September 11, 2025
Turning Point
photo flickr |
Yesterday a martyr was born. A young man, only thirty-one years old. Charlie Kirk -- murdered while speaking God's Truth about conservative issues. His legacy will live on, though. Please pray for his wife and children and for all who are grieving this great loss of a man who loved God, his family, and his country.
I've known of him through Turning Point USA podcasts, television, YouTube, and the internet. I've heard him speak and admired his ability to make concise statements and to debate issues without hostility. I admired his rock-solid belief in God's Word and his passionate desire to enlighten high school and college students. He was dedicated to teaching the Constitution and encouraged people, young and old, to become politically involved.
Charlie Kirk, I believe, will be remembered in the way Dr. Martin Luther King has been. Charlie stood for speaking truth without violence. I also believe his videos and podcasts will influence many generations to come.
May his death be a "turning point" for America. Dear Lord, please heal our land. I read this post today by Stephen Miller on X and it is so true:
There is an ideology that has steadily been growing in this country which hates everything that is good, righteous and beautiful and celebrates everything that is warped, twisted and depraved. It is an ideology at war with family and nature. It is envious, malicious, and soulless. It is an ideology that looks upon the perfect family with bitter rage while embracing the serial criminal with tender warmth. Its adherents organize constantly to tear down and destroy every mark of grace and beauty while lifting up everything monstrous and foul. It is an ideology that leads, always, inevitably and willfully, to violence — violence against those uphold order, who uphold faith, who uphold family, who uphold all that is noble and virtuous in this world. It is an ideology whose one unifying thread is the insatiable thirst for destruction.
We see the workings of this ideology in every posting online cheering the evil assassination that cruelly robbed this nation of one of its greatest men. Postings from those in positions of institutional authority — educators, healthcare workers, therapists, government employees — reveling in the vile and the sinister with the most chilling glee.
The fate of millions depends upon the defeat of this wicked ideology. The fate of our children, our society, our civilization hinges on it.
Now we devote ourselves, with love and unyielding determination, to finishing the indispensable work to which Charlie bravely devoted his life and gave his last measure of devotion.
Here is the information about Charlie's background (from Grok today):
Charlie Kirk, born on October 14, 1993, in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and raised in Prospect Heights, was a prominent figure in American conservative politics. He co-founded Turning Point USA (TPUSA) in 2012 (when he was only nineteen years old) with Bill Montgomery, a retired marketing entrepreneur and Tea Party activist.
Kirk's background includes a focus on political activism from a young age, leading him to defer college to engage full-time in this endeavor. TPUSA aims to promote conservative values on high school, college, and university campuses across the United States.
Turning Point USA, a nonprofit organization, has grown significantly since its inception, advocating for conservative policies and influencing student government elections. Kirk also founded Turning Point Action, a political advocacy arm, and Turning Point Faith, which mobilizes religious communities on conservative issues. He hosted "The Charlie Kirk Show," a daily radio program on Salem Media's "The Answer" channel, and was involved in various media projects aimed at engaging younger audiences, particularly Generation Z.
Tragically, Charlie Kirk was shot and killed on September 10, 2025, while speaking at a TPUSA event at Utah Valley University. This event marked a significant moment in the organization's history, as Kirk was a central figure in its operations and public presence. The organization continues to operate, maintaining its mission to promote conservative ideals among young people.
When he was shot that day, he was speaking about mass shootings and gun violence.
Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Let's Do This
Monday, August 11, 2025
Golden Cottage Days
Greetings Gail-Friends! Yes, I've been busy again, but my heart is full of JOY! No time to do posts because I've been working on Jem's second book. It is done! Finished! Published! It's been a long haul to get to this point. His book, Shenanigans, is about his adventures (and mis-adventures) as a US Navy sailor back in the 1960's. It is so funny, y'all. You can read a sample at the link below.
It's available in paperback and as an e-book. Here's the link: https://a.co/d/8IaGWRy
We hope you'll buy it, read it, and if you like it, do a review on Amazon.
Now, I'm working on finishing up my book about Proverbs. Hopefully, it will be finished by mid-September.
So other than this, we've been enjoying the garden. The heat has been terrible, but we were able to have a small harvest of the Everglades tomatoes. They are about the size of the tip of my pinky finger and sweet as sugar. They re-seed themselves and (supposedly) come back every year:
Here are some of our beautiful flowers:
I think the zinnias are about finished. May have one more bouquet. They have brought me so much JOY!
I've also enjoyed sitting on our back porch (with a fan blowing on me, of course!). I'm hoping the buntings will be coming back this month, but you never know. But, we had a tit-mouse couple come by and the cardinals are regulars, along with the woodpeckers and blue jays. The birds and butterflies are such a joy during my morning quiet time.

We celebrated Jem's birthday this month. He'seventy-nine and said he never thought he'd live to be so old. Well, he did and I'm so glad. We spent the week celebrating and one place we returned to was the Pig n Whistle, a British pub in Cocoa Beach. Jem had the fish and chips and I had a Reuben. It was so huge I took half of it home. We saw this sweet little Mini Cooper there and had to take a picture. We sure do miss our Minnie (that was her name) and talked about maybe getting another one.
Another day, we took a slow ride down the river and visited a very nice restaurant in Titusville. It's called Shiloh's and it's directly across the river from the space center. Jem had the salmon and I had the fish and chips. We even ordered a key-lime cheesecake to share, but took most of it home.
All of this kind of rich eating is rare for us of late because we are dedicated to eating healthy. I've lost fourteen pounds and he's lost thirty-six, which makes me so upset. Why do men lose weight so much faster? Any way, I am faithfully eating healthy every day and night. Veggies are my friends. Speaking of veg, I thought this was so funny. I opened a new bag of baby carrots and found this super-sized baby:
We had a picture made at the restaurant and I can really tell we've slimmed down. Praise the Lord!
Maybe next month, I'll share how I've lost weight.
Oh, I forgot to tell you about our new car. A 2025 Honda CRV. It's just like our 2016 model, except for the updates:
So, life at Golden Cottage is golden . . . and easy . . . and we treasure every day together. I love our prayer and Bible time together in the mornings. Toonie does, too. He's a very scholarly cat.
We've been doing Shabbat at home on Friday nights and I love that. On Saturday morning, we tune in to the online service from Shalom Macon.I hope all is well in your world. God bless you and keep you, and may His face shine upon you.
Bye for now. 💗
Friday, June 27, 2025
Golden Cottage Happenings
Greetings Gail-Friends!
We've been busy bees around Golden Cottage, so I have lots of good news and praises.
Jem and I celebrated nineteen years of happy marriage in May. I am so thankful for my husband. I know I go on and on about how wonderful he is, but he really is the best husband in the whole wide world. I ask him sometimes, "How did I deserve such a good husband?" He always says, "You said 'yes'!" I often think how different my life could have been if I'd recognized his amazing qualities way back when we dated fifty-plus years ago.
I received a lovely bouquet of flowers that day and, here we are in June, and they are still giving me JOY!
My gift to him was a shopping trip to Ollie's (GOOD STUFF, CHEAP!) to pick out stuff for Golden Cottage Garden. He found a nice ceramic pot the yellow-ish one with pink flowers and a flamingo wind chime. When we first married, we would buy a wind chime on our anniversary, but we ran out of places to put them (or they fell apart, etc.) So, we're starting a new tradition -- buying something for the garden. The flags were placed there for Flag Day.
We went out to an authentic Mexican dinner at a new place in Cocoa Village. Jem really enjoyed the meal, but it was way to spicy for me, so never again!!! But we enjoyed our time together, and walked around the village shops afterward. We found a new business - an old-timey butcher shop called The Forgotten Block. They have fresh meats, cut to your order, as well canned preserves, salsa, jellies and jams. Jem bought this for his breakfast biskits.
We enjoyed our stroll because the weather was perfect that day - warm with a nice breeze off the river.
Another part of our anniversary celebration was our vacation to the Florida Folk Festival and, as always, it was great. It was really, really hot, but the festival always prepares for that. Big fans are placed at each venue, and free ice-cold water is available in coolers in each area. The stages are all covered by tents or shade. But, this year I decided to be even more prepared for the heat. We had neck fans!! Wow - they are amazing! And they are re-chargeable!
I also bought some new clothes - all linen or cotton/linen blend. This makes a remarkable difference. I had a good time shopping online for the clothes. Had to return / exchange some, but I discovered a whole new way to shop. And I love it!!!
Speaking of online shopping, we now order most of our food and supplies using our Walmart+ benefit. They deliver for FREE if you sign up for the program. You do have to do a minimum order, but that's not hard to do for us. It really is a help when we have to order heavy stuff like twenty-pound bags of birdseed and Black Cow for the garden. It's helpful, too, for the heavy kitty litter jugs. We love it.
And...we're getting excited because Aldi is coming to our neighborhood in August. It is much closer than Walmart, so we'll be using it a lot. I like to order everything I can from them and then order the remainder from Walmart.
Golden Cottage Garden is doing really well with flowers. My peace plants are blooming, but again, the weather conditions are affecting them. Our grass looks bad, but Jem's working on it. We'd bought some stuff that was supposed to help fill in the bare spots, but it only made it worse. Gardening is hard in Zone 9 of Florida. We're near the coast, too, so that plays into it. And our soil is pure sand, so we decided to just do pots. Jem works so hard in the yard and he amazes me with his strength. He'll be seventy-nine soon and yet he keeps going like the energizer bunny. I tell him he's a tough old bird.
Here are a few pics - Jem had decorated with flags.
The peace plants are doing okay, but not as good as in the past. The heat is brutal.
I bought a package of wild flower seeds, and this is all that came up. I don't know what it is, but it's so pretty.
Veggies - not so much. I picked my first lettuce harvest. It was enough for a salad. But our other veggies have not produced - peas, squash, zucchini, and peppers did not work out. I don't know if it was the seeds or the heat or the rain, but the lettuce is the only one that made it. :(
Jem and I have started a healthy-eating plan and veggies are a big part of it, so we load up with those when we shop. I feel so good when I stay away from sugar and prepared foods. We are getting healthier and losing a few pounds at the same time. This is my favorite lunch these days - turkey, cheese, and pickle wraps with veggies on the side.
Well, Gail-Friends, I'm going to close out 'cause this post is getting long. I've got more to share - like what we saw and did at the Florida Folk Festival, our grandson's concerts, and what's new with Toonie and Lucy. Oh, and I never did post about our Passover and Shavoat celebrations. I'll be back soon.
Blessings to you all.
Friday, June 13, 2025
Happy Flag Day and Happy Birthday!!
Saturday, June 14 is Flag Day in America. It is also President Trump's birthday. He will be seventy-nine years old. It is also the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. A big celebration and military parade are planned for Washington, D.C., so be sure to watch it.
Until I was married to Rabbi Jem, I'd never celebrated Flag Day, but boy has that changed. Yesterday, he spent hours, in the hot sun, decorating the front yard of Golden Cottage with flags - 100+. Flags are in the grass, in the trees, and in the flower pots. Oh, and on our flag pole, too.
These flags are faithfully put in place on Flag Day, Independence Day, Memorial Day, and Veterans Day. We love our country and hope to inspire our neighbors to follow suit. We do have about half a dozen neighbors who put out American flags, too. God bless them all.
Let's all show our love for the flag, our country, and our president by sending him a message on Facebook, Instagram, Rumble, X, or Truth Social. Tell him how much we appreciate his firm resolve to protect our families, cities, country, and our Constitution. And let him know you are praying for him. He carries a heavy load of concern and care and seems to never tire in his work. And he does it ALL for free. He does not take the salary for his tireless attention to duty. What a man. What a president. The most amazing one I've seen in my seventy plus years. He deserves our respect and encouragement and even more, he needs our prayers
So, tomorrow is a big day for America. I'm sad to say that there are those who want to spoil it all. Protests are planned in 1500+ cities across the country. They say they are protesting Trump's over-reach, mainly about the deportation of illegal immigrants. If you watch the mainstream media, you will hear great sympathy for the riots in L.A. They don't seem to grasp the truth - that entering this country without documentation is a crime. They are criminals. And, the state of California is aiding them in their lawlessness. But I agree with this post on X: "The truth is, these upcoming protests aren’t about illegal immigration, ICE, “Free Palestine,” or anything else. They’re about destroying our way of life, anti-cop sentiment, bringing lawlessness and anarchy to our doorstep, and bringing down the greatest President of our lifetime."
Gail-Friends, we live in a time of great delusion like the Bible prophesied. Never did I dream that we would hear people defending crime, lies, abortion, homosexuality, transgenderism, pedophilia, and other perversions. Not only that, but when they're told THEY are wrong, we are called hateful and judgemental. It's no wonder, really, because the modern-day churches do not teach on these things. Or, believe it or not, they defend and allow those things in their churches. These things are condemned in the Torah, and the New Testament (see the book of Leviticus, especially) and the world is suffering because WE have been told to sit down, shut up, and be nice.
I understand Job's suffering like never before. Like him, my soul is vexed every day as I see the lawlessness, the hate, and the evil played out before me every day on the news. I watched a video on YouTube of a "protest" in NYC. It was night, and most of the people were dressed in black with black masks. They were screaming and cursing and carrying flags and signs that spoke evil and perversion. To me, it was like I was seeing the demons of hell filling the streets. I was horrified to the point of tears. These people are lost, blind, deaf, and incapable of seeing the truth.
Only God's power can set them free. Every one of us was in the same state. . . but God, in His mercy, caused His truth to shine like a light into our souls. We saw that we were lost and without Him....and we had to make a decision. . . to turn to Him . . . or to turn to the evil one.I often read the story of the prodigal son Luke 15:11-32. He went his own way, to do his own thing . . . and he wound up in a pig pen, covered in feces and filth. But, he "came to his senses". He suddenly saw his situation with new eyes. And he decided to return to his father's house. That is repentance, my friends. It's realizing that our way had led to misery. We had heard about the Father and Yeshua through preaching, teaching, or reading of the Holy Scriptures. And we made the decision to go to Him and follow His Word and His Ways.
Oh, how I wish I could make people see the truth and turn to God, but I can't. All I can do is share His Truth, which is love by the way, and pray. And I do. I pray daily for lost loved ones, friends, neighbors, leaders, lawmakers, and especially for those who share the good news of God's Word, His Will, and His Ways. Turning to those things will make America great again.