Before the skies opened up with hail and thunder, with a downpour overflowing the birdbath and pounding the stove exhaust hood, there was this…
The return of hummingbirds to my feeders.
Swift.
Quiet.
Lovers of the sweet life.
A sermon in itself.
Tag: nature
Photo-A-Day: Knowledge
The scenery driving home from work this afternoon was ethereal. Mist developed from the quickly melting snow, coupled with over an inch of rain. The woods outside our little corner of suburbia looked magical.
I pulled over and snapped a quick photo. It seemed to me that the woods hid a secret.
We ask: “When will it ever be spring?”
The trees stand mute (or so we think) not telling what they know. They listen to their Creator.
“Soon. Not yet.”
I know that the longer days and higher sun angle will work their magic. The sap will rise. Leaves will bud. Every corner of the woods will show new life.
The woods seem weary of waiting. The cold is tiring. The mists cling. The ground is cold, muddy, and unyielding.
For me, this Lenten season is all about the waiting, the preparation, the listening, the acceptance of the Creator’s direction and guidance. The timing is God’s. The task of waiting is tedious.
For now, I wait. I watch. I pray.
The knowledge of the trees is not mine. Soon. Not yet.
But soon…
This season of promise,
of empty boughs and grey branches
cries out for You,
Creator,
Sustainer,
Renewer of all.
We cry too
for new growth
and new tasks,
while our roots grow deep and strong
and we wait…
And wait…
New life beckons.
Soon. Not yet.
Soon.
Blessed be!
After The Storm
It stormed last night
The wind and rain woke me
(or perhaps it was the cats,
running for cover in a panic!)
This morning I found
the air was fresh,
the heat abated,
and the dewy aftermath of the storm
beaded every surface.
How true it is
that storms in life come,
overwhelm and panic,
and soon after
there is quiet and peace,
and reminders of what we saw.
For the debris from the storm
is still there,
awaiting composting
or perhaps some heavy lifting,
but the raindrops
offer a blessing
and a benediction
that yesterday’s storm is done.
We can walk through today’s
knowing that Peace, Shalom, will be ours.
God is gracious.
I could have earned 50 cents. Maybe a dollar.
When I was little, my grandmother would offer me a quarter if I would sit still for 5 minutes. Yes, she knew her money was safe. But this morning, in the quiet and the dappled sunshine, I would have earned four shiny quarters. When I was ready to go back inside and finish up my chores before work, I took some pictures.
Here’s where I…
My grandma would be tickled.
From The Blotter
I had to throw away a desk blotter – the kind that you can slide pictures or little quotes underneath.
(I know it doesn’t make much sense to have this kind of desk blotter, particularly since mine is always COVERED with papers. But I like them.)
Anyway, there were some quotes that I had carefully saved and I didn’t want to lose them. So there will be a series of posts “From The Blotter” so that I can put them on my virtual desk, together with some of my favorite photographs. Enjoy!
from New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton
Give me the strength
that waits upon You in silence and peace.
Give me humility
in which alone is rest,
and deliver me from pride
which is the heaviest of burdens.
And possess my whole heart and soul
with the simplicity of love.
Occupy my whole life
with the one thought
and the one desire of love, that I may love
not for the sake of merit,
not for the sake of perfection,
not for the sake of virtue,
not for the sake of sanctity,
but for You alone.
Amen.
Friday Five: Pests
Jan from RevGalBlogPals offers this week’s Friday Five:
After lots of rain and high temperatures, the flea population has mushroomed in Corpus Christi, TX, more specifically in our home! We have three dogs and one indoor cat, who have had their monthly flea treatments to no avail. Unfortunately, my female body is the one the fleas love to bite. So as you are reading this Friday Five, our pets and ourselves will be gone from the house for 3-4 hours, after a pest company sprays all the floors.
With fleas on my mind and on my body, here is an insect-ious Friday Five:
Since I’m in the middle of a big gardening work-out, this week’s Friday Five is quite appropriate!
1.What kinds of pests are in your neighborhood or area? We have mosquitos, stink bugs and gnats. Those are of the insect variety. Then there’s the four-legged pests: deer, raccoons, chipmunks and squirrels…
2. Is there a time of year or day that increases their activity? Weather affects their activity or not? The mosquitos definitely are on the upswing with all of this warm, wet weather. I do my best to keep things free of standing water, but there’s lots of places for them to breed.
3. Is there any pest that was new to you when you moved to a new location? It would have to be the deer! Those four-legged pests are walking mulch piles. Not to mention the issues with ticks!
4. How do you treat insect bites? Are you allergic to any? I seem to be quite delicious to a number of them. I develop lovely reactions. Just lovely. And usually I seem to get the most bites right before I want to go to an event where I want to wear a skirt.
We have three main comfort measures:
- – Cort-aid sticks or sprays
- – aloe-vera gel
- – Dermoplast spray
When all else fails, a Benadryl tends to take care of the rest of my symptoms.
5. Anything else you want to write about connected with insects/pests. Well, the old saying goes that we have two kinds of mosquitos around here. One kind are the little guys who get through every screen gap. The other kind are the great big ones who just open up the door and walk in! 😉
As far as repellants go — I use Deep Woods Off. The citronella stuff is a nice idea, but I don’t see that it works that well. However, it does make for nice lighting in the early evening. When I finish my yardwork, I’ll post pictures. 🙂
