after berries

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Shanda

savor ~ to enjoy food or an experience slowly, in order to enjoy it as much as possible

*****

“If she were seen holding a stem of beardtongue blossoms to admire their color or stooping to touch the spikes of jimson leaves, some would solemnly call her mazed in the head not to know beardtongue when she saw it, and others would wonder, grinning, was she so wit-scoured as perhaps to eat jimson? Gossip had it that she went about with a notebook and pencil and would stare at a thing–bird or bush, weed, sunset, mountain—and then scratch at paper awhile as if she were addled enough in her thinking that she might forget what was important to her if she did not mark it down.” Cold Mountain, page 77-78

I was walking around the pond and picked the stems of three daisies to gift to little Sarah, who was playing at the water’s edge. I thought she would enjoy floating them in the water like pretty little boats. I happened to see a tiny struggle going on underneath one of the blossoms. A small red bug was pulling and tugging at a worm smaller even than one of the white petals. I put it gently on the ground to watch. A miniature little scene, something real and active, yet silent and easily missed. Neither one of them wanted to let go…the bug holding the worm, and the worm holding the thin edge of the daisy petal. But shortly the worm lost it’s hold and the bug moved fast to carry it away. Of course with the daisy now topsy turvy, it took him a quick second to realize that what was “down” was now “up” and the bug had to run back down from the top of the cut of stem to move off the flower and onto the rock, heading for the sheltering grass.

With a basket on my arm, I later wandered away from the house alone in the golden ending hours of the day. I was after berries. I found a cup and a half of blackberries around the house and garage and wanted to see if I could find more. I had an idea of where some might be, and perhaps even some blueberries, but the bush I thought was likely blueberry turned out to be something unidentifiable. It had little white blossoms on it that looked like the blossoms for blueberries, but no berries, instead, little hard seed pods. I stood in the twilight, letting myself settle into the very quiet of the beaver pond. Three golden birds sang by with their wings fluttering.

I was wearing flip flops which were now soaked with water but as I looked a short distance down, I thought I could see a blueberry bush, so once again I picked my way through tall grasses, rocks, and branches, basket on my arm, heavy camera around my neck. Smiling a little smile.

I tasted a berry, there weren’t very many, and held a thin branch of blueberry bush in my hand. The bark was rough and strong.

Under the bush was like a shelter. The branches were over hanging, all leaning toward the right, making a roof of green leaves overhead. I imagined taking the time to gather in under them, to watch the water, the little bugs skimming on top, the birds flying by not knowing I was there.

The path that I took to get to the bottom of the hill, with the water of the beaver pond.

There is something so satisfying about standing still in a lonely spot of nature for a time, listening, looking, wondering.

the comfort of God

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Shanda

“A pond without dragonflies darting above it or without the exquisitely iridescent damsel flies clinging to the leaves of its border would be a lonely place indeed.” (this and all following nature quotes are by Anna Comstock)

Dragonflies are common at our place as we have two ponds and a stream. It is always a pleasure to stand on the road and lean over the guardrail to peer into the water of the stream and watch the bright green bodied damsel flies, or to walk along the edge of the lawn where the tall grasses grow and observe the various dragonflies fluttering. And it is always a feeling of accomplishment if I can get close enough to one with my camera and snap a clear photo.

“The grasshopper has some means of defense as well as of escape; it can give a painful nip with its mandibles; and when seized, it emits copiously from the mouth a brownish liquid which is acrid and ill smelling. This performance interests children who are won’t to seize the insect by its jumping legs and hold it up, commanding it to ‘chew tobacco'”.

What delightful and beautiful insects grasshoppers are! Watching them jump is highly amusing, their back legs are like springs.

When I look at this photo of a grasshopper, I am struck by an urge to try to draw it.

This was an exciting surprise. I was hunting the trees along the edge of the field for birds and my only thought was determination to take a pretty BIRD photo in the evening light. And what do I see? A tiny, chubby chipmunk way up high, frozen in fear as I photographed it. Look at those tiny ears.

“The lay of the bullfrog, which like the song of some noted opera singers, is more wonderful than musical; the boom of the bullfrog makes the earth fairly quake.”

Even the bullfrog is lovely with it’s green and brown skin and gorgeous round & golden eyes shinier and prettier than any marble. You can see the sky reflected within it’s black iris. The round circle to the right of the eye is the ear. My sons love to catch bullfrogs and consider them friends of the pond.

Notice anything special about this chicken?

The hydrangeas are continuing to dazzle.

Another surprise! Just one week after seeing a baby chipmunk in a tree, I was sitting on the porch talking to my husband when my eyes landed on this one, way up high in the bush by our porch.

“While the chipmunk is a good runner and jumper, it is not so able a climber as is the red squirrel, and it naturally stays nearer the ground……a second glance showed me that it was a chipmunk lying close to the branch, hanging on for ‘dear life’ and with an attitude of extreme caution…”

So what was this chipmunk doing up in a bush? I believe the answer was this:

Kitty on the porch probably chased it up there. And after giving up on the chipmunk ever coming down, went back to his cozy seat on the porch to take a bath.

A chipmunk observer.

The children played a game of catch over by the chicken coop.

*******

I had many real and imagined worries about the children and their future and by the end of the day yesterday I gathered my journal and my Bible to me like a lifeline…knowing that I needed most of all to saturate my mind with the truth of God, that He is in control of all things and that I can trust Him with my (His) children whom I love so much that I never want to let go of them or these days.

How Does God Comfort us?

Through His very nature, He is faithful. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.”

Through His Word. “I delight in your word every day.”

Through Prayer. “Morning, noon and night I complain to you, Lord, and you always listen to me. I rise before dawn and cry for help.”

Through His Holy Spirit. “If we live by the Spirit, let us walk by the Spirit.”

Through others. “Let us stir up each other to love and to good works.”

“I believe, Lord, that as I seek you I find you. You will always show me the way that is good for my life, You will lead me along the right way and I know that you always love me. You pour your love into my heart so that I praise you because of your faithfulness; my innermost being says ‘thank you.’ Through the cross of Christ I have been brought back to you: how I praise you! Through the cross my life is transformed. For Jesus Christ’s resurrection and for my new life I praise you.”

From a little booklet published in 1985 by Gospel Light Publications, “Enjoying God who Comforts”

marvel: to be filled with wonder

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Shanda

It was the perfect summer day full of small marvels. Caleb went off with a fishing pole and his little sister followed him. I was in the house with an illness….diagnosed as the “urge to clean”. Eventually I worked it out and flew outdoors to try to clear the smell of bleach from my respiratory system. Jacob and Ethan were cleaning the chicken coop. I could hear Jacob happily whistling as he worked. Caleb and Sarah were coming out of the woods and I walked to meet them. They were on their way to see me with a present.

They had discovered a big, handsome wild mushroom. They found it while they were looking for fishing bait. I thought they were the sweetest children to think of me. I went to get my camera so I could take a picture of it. It was about 6 inches tall and weighed about 1.5 pounds. We rarely see mushrooms this healthy. The underneath was full of tunnels and I saw a glimpse of a very scared bug wondering how it’s large meal/home had been disturbed.

While I was studying the mushroom under a pine tree, Seth brought over a toad.

Then they began to fish.

But they didn’t catch anything. Caleb said he thought it was because the fish were not hungry.

Many hours later the children were outside making a fort in the woods. I went to go check on them and do a little spying. First I admired my newly cleaned coop and checked on my chicks, all of which are growing up nicely. They still make their peeping sounds and are about half grown. We let them spend the day outside in their fence now and then. It takes some work on our part because they don’t voluntarily go back into the coop at dusk and we have to catch them and/or retrieve them from trees.

I found Sarah and Seth talking in the stream. Seth had gotten a sliver in his foot and was soaking it in the water.

We went over to see how the fort was coming along. The children were busy chopping and gathering suitable sticks. They worked on it until supper time. I left them to it and went up to the field by myself.

It is a wonderful place to see so many ordinary but (if you take a closer look) fascinating wild flowers and grasses, insects, butterflies, and birds. This flower had heart shaped petals. There was a bee on it with legs as golden as the flower, covered in pollen.

This colorful insect that bore an uncanny resemblance to SpiderMan was on a milkweed plant. As I bent to look closer, it scurried underneath the leaf of the milkweed to hide from me. We played “chase” like this until I finally just slowly bent the plant over to take a picture. It was fun. Outsmarting an insect is so satisfying. 🙂

The white spot on this moth (?) is actually shiny silver. Look at it’s eyes and antennae. (if you click on the photo you can see it bigger).

There were the most gorgeous orange butterflies. But they were hyper-active. They never landed. How on earth do butterflies manage to not rip their wings as they fly around? I decided to ignore them but all throughout my walk one would catch my eye and I would grieve that I couldn’t possibly get a good picture. This one was the best I could do. Do you see it? I showed the picture to Grace and we laughed and laughed. Caleb said it looked like a flying slug. (He was traumatized by a slug when he used one for bait that morning. He could not get the slug slime off his hands and it bothered him for hours..another nature marvel).

I almost saw a snake, too. As I walked over to the stream, something dropped down to the ground to slither away…I didn’t see it…but the grass was slithering as it traveled away. I’m sure it was a large snake. For the rest of the walk there were imaginary snakes everywhere I went. There is always an element of creepiness when one walks in fields of tall thick grasses and flowers.

In my mind, I looked like this in the field:

Reality was quite different, but this is the cover of the book I am currently reading. It is rocking my world. I grew up reading the Little House books, in fact they were the first books I read myself as an 8 year old girl. They are as known to me as my mother’s home cooked meals.

I found out yesterday that Pa GAVE JACK AWAY to the man who bought Pet and Patty! He didn’t stay with Laura until he died like in the books!!!!!!!!! They had another dog named Wolfie!!!!!!!!!!!!! To find out more you’ll have to check the book out yourself. Needless to say, I’m loving it while being mildly disturbed, and learning a lot about editing and writing one’s story as a piece of fiction based on truth.

{this moment}

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Shanda

In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous. Aristotle

the backpack

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Shanda

I’ve been enjoying the gardens this spring, more than I ever have. I think it’s because for the first time in almost 2o years I don’t have any children younger than five years old. Although with Seth in my life it is still questionable whether I should turn my back on him…for the most part the children can be trusted to play while I lose myself in the garden for brief periods of time.

I want to fill the house with vases of lilacs.

This is six year old Seth in the stream, peering into the pipe that allows the water to run under the road near our house. He was looking for snake skin. It is common knowledge to the boys that the local snakes use these pipes to pull dead skins off themselves. He counted six of them but after reaching one, he would not get the rest because he also saw a spider.

This morning Seth had a hard time waking up and getting motivated for a day of Kindergarten. He tried the typical “I don’t feel good” but I wasn’t falling for it. I put together his backpack and was quite pleased that I made him a nice lunch and remembered to put the strawberries in his bag for tomorrow’s event. I hung his bag on the doorknob right where he could grab it on his way to the bus. 20 minutes later the bus came…..and what in the??? no backpack to be found–was I going crazy?….I started running around the kitchen as the bus sat and waited. “WHERE is your backpack?” “I don’t know!” “I’ll bring it to you when I find it!” Seth looked at me in shock when I (GENTLY) pushed him out the door. He couldn’t believe that he had to go to school without it. It took some persuading to get him on the bus.

I found the backpack LOCKED IN THE BATHROOM.

I had to drive it to school.

When he gets home I am going to have to talk to him about ~~problem solving, creative thinking~~, telling the truth, responsibility, and the fact that the little trust I had in him is now damaged.

Anyway, back to the snakes. After pocketing the one snake skin that he was able to reach from the pipe, and the two of us talking a lot about how a snake takes it’s skin off like that and whether humans also shed skin (hard to explain), we entered the field not far from our house. I was on a quest to see if the wild rose bush was in bloom.

The wild rose bush was neatly clipped off at the end of each branch (deer?) with no buds to be seen on it (so disappointing) but we did find some wild strawberries.

Little ruby treasures.

There was spit everywhere…..inside of the spit there are little spit bugs to be found…

….they look like this.

water reflections in our pond

the daisies are in bloom

There was a nest was nearby and he did his best to keep me away from it by constant chirping.

This morning I have a cold, Sarah is coughing up a storm, and Ethan is home from school feeling wretched. The entire outdoors is in gloomy suspended animation as we wait and wonder if it will rain. A cool breeze blows through now and then, causing the wind chimes to flutter and play it’s notes.

“He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.” Psalm 107:9

what we’ve been doing outside

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Shanda

“I’m sure I shall always feel like a child again in the woods.” L.M. Montgomery

Isn’t this a really cool picture? David, my 12 year old, caught a couple of these frogs so far this spring and both times brought it to the house to show me and wonder what it was. I said, “Take a picture of it and we’ll research”. Turns out it’s a spring peeper. He catches them down by the stream. He put it in a glass to take the picture…

Seth was using his Dad’s golf club which was way too big for him. He and the boys really enjoy hitting golf balls lately. I found a shopping bag (yellow in the pic) of balls at a tag sale, used, for only one dollar!

Oh Sarah. She’s just thrilled to “take a bath” in the pond, which is what she calls “swimming”. She’s a little more brave this year and will walk out to her waist in water. She is still bragging that she knows how to float (with a life jacket, mind you).

Do you remember that I got 30 new baby chicks almost 2 weeks ago? One of them started ailing and unfortunately died the other day, which was so sad, but the remaining 29 are growing so fast…eating and drinking like little machines.

One day Sarah played on a rock while I read a book. She loves making up little games and stories with her plastic animals.

I found a profusion of tiny fragrant white violets down in the yard by the stream. There are hundreds of them.

One evening last week, I went for a walk with Grace, Dave, and Seth. We went to a part of the stream that spreads out more like a very small shallow pond. David had fun walking around in the water catching toads.

The sun was going down, and I think the way the sunshine is glowing behind the trees is so beautiful. We had such a nice time on our walk, enjoying everything we saw. We even got to eat some wild onion stalks that I found.

Grace with the hems of her jeans wet from wading. As soon as she got home she found tweezers and worked on getting slivers from the soles of her feet, which are tender from winter.

There is an old beaver lodge there and we noticed that it was covered with downy feathers. I wondered if something had caught a bird and ate it. But then, we saw that there was an egg about 8 feet away, along with the remains of two other eggs, just the shells cleaned completely out. Perhaps licked?

David was thrilled with the egg. He picked it up and said, “Grace! I have a baby!”

We carried it home and found out it was a wild Canadian Goose egg. Their nest must have been vandalized by predator. Since Canadian Geese are as common as the cold, we felt bad, but not too bad, about the loss of their descendants. David blew the egg out and carried it to school the next day in a shoebox to show his Science teacher.

Marsh Marigold: Cowslip Caltha palustris

“The flowers of this showy spring plant resemble those of large buttercups rather than true marigolds, of the aster family. The leaves are sometimes used a potherbs but require several short boilings with changes of water between; they should not be eaten raw.” ~ National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers

Bluets carpeting the lawn next to the pond.

My son’s girlfriend Emily babysat David, Caleb, Seth, and Sarah for us on Monday while we went to Grace’s Spring Music Concert. Later on that night after everyone was home again, she texted me these pictures from a walk they went on.

Pretending to be Knights, and a Princess

“….be still and listen….the earth is singing….”

“And at the end of the day your feet should be dirty, your hair messy, and your eyes sparkling.” ~Shanti

my favorite amphibian

Posted on May 6, 2015 by Shanda

The moon was quite distracting two nights ago.

Spring in general is quite distracting and I mean that in the very best of ways….after a quiet winter all nature is alive with growing things, singing birds, visiting ducks, opening buds, blooming flowers,,,,,,,and procreating toads.

I have an affection for toads. Thanks to the fabulous Handbook of Nature Study, I have learned some charming basics of their simple yet fascinating ways.

“Whoever has not had a pet toad has missed a most entertaining experience. Toad actions are surprisingly interesting; one of my safeguards against the blues is the memory of the thoughtful way one of my pet toads rubbed and patted its stomach with its little hands after it had swallowed a June bug.” page 170

Every time I read the above quote I am filled with longing for a pet toad of my own. I need an aquarium and a toad. This would currently be the ideal time for finding a toad, I could take a pick from a very many many many of them right out of my own pond. But soon they will be done with laying eggs and hop away again and we will only come across them randomly in the woods as we walk along.

Toads lay their eggs in very long strings of black dots. Soon a jelly will form around the eggs and the tadpoles will develop, tiny at first and then growing little by little until soon a miniature toad will be perfectly formed about the size of a pencil eraser. When that happens, they will hop out of the pond to make their way in the world. It’s so fun to watch year and after year.

Male toads are smaller than the females, which are plump with eggs. All the single males sit on the side of the pond and sing a magnetic song….with the purpose of calling to himself a lovely female.

I sat and watched this one for quite a while, it never moved, and never attracted a female. I hope it had success after I left.

The males are so ready for action that when the kids catch one it immediately hugs their hand or wrist, and needs to be pried gently off. Interestingly, if a male tries to “hug” another male, he knows something is wrong right away and lets go almost as soon as it grips. “begs pardon”

Our dog Parker came to investigate along with us and caught a couple of toads in his mouth. While Sarah and I were yelling at him, he rushed away up the bank with his prize. But very soon he dropped them and started gagging repeatedly and foaming at the mouth. I was telling my friend about this and she said that her dog did the same thing. She found out that the toads spit some kind of nasty fluid which make the dogs drop them….a lovely defense mechanism.

I learned more this morning: “The warts upon the back are glands, which secrete a substance disagreeable for the animal seeking toad dinners. This is especially true of the glands in the elongated swellings above and just back of the ear, which are called the parotid glands; these give forth a milky, poisonous substance when the toad is seized by an enemy, although the snakes do not seem to mid it.” page 173

Other toad facts:

It eats insects and worms.
It doesn’t drink water, it absorbs it through its skin.
It burrows into the ground, typically staying there during the day and coming out at night to eat…also, it burrows deeply into the earth to sleep all winter….awaking in the warmth of spring.
It breathes air by swallowing it into the lungs.
It sheds its skin as it grows, and eats it.
It likes having its back scratched gently.
Its chief enemy is the snake.

(all facts from The Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsword Comstock—a highly recommended book for all nature lovers)

Dandelions and Violets

Please pet me, little girl. ~Billy Cat

I like to sleep in the garden amongst the tulips. ~Snickers

This little boy SETH is recovering from ear infections, bronchitis and a cracked nose (trampoline collision with Caleb)…but nothing slows him down…usually has a glove and baseball at all times and dirt on the knees and under the fingernails. Very rare boy, one of a kind really, and belongs to a proud mama and papa.

baseball, chicks, Tarzan, garden, toads

Posted on May 4, 2015 by Shanda

Guess what I am listening to right now? You’ll never guess so I will tell you.

a hundred, give or take, TOADS.

You see, every spring, toads hop to our property to mate in our two ponds. Part of this mating ritual is the continuous singing and calling sounds that they make to gather each other from hither and yon area lands. The sound is a long sustained high note that falls a half step. Sounds kind of scary, sort of sci-fi. In fact, it makes me tense. I’m trying to enjoy it, though, because it is another sign that spring has in fact arrived.

I’m sitting on my bed with Billy cat grooming himself next to me. My windows are open and gusts of wind blow through, making the wind chimes rattle on the porch. I hung clothes outside on the line for the first time this year.

This weekend was nuts. This was our agenda for Saturday:

1. Take Ethan to SAT’s half an hour away.
2. Target for much needed supplies
3. Doctor’s appointment for Seth, where we learned he had double ear infections and bronchitis.
4. Little League Opening Day for David and Caleb
5. Baseball game for Ethan
6. Pick up prescription at Pharmacy
7. Grace to be at the H.S. at 4
8. Mom and Dad coming from out of town.
9. Go to H.S. for Grace’s play: Tarzan.

And this was just Saturday. Rich and I had to work separately, so he took Ethan to the SAT’s while I did numbers 2, 3, 4, and 7 by myself. No one went to E’s game. Rich was also preparing to preach on Sunday. I went to half of the opening day, and when Rich arrived I left in order to be home to greet Mom and Dad.

David in the parade. (the only player looking at me is my Dave).

And Caleb. It was fun, the weather was great, and thankfully Jacob was home to watch Sarah. I only had to keep track of Seth…who is a special challenge these days because he can hardly hear, what with the ear infections. They aren’t slowing him down any though.

Dad and Mom with my two youngest. I love it. Mom brought me a bunch of perennials from her garden for which I was extremely thankful. Dad played some whiffle ball with the kids outside.

Mom and I

Jacob with his Grandma, who was laughing over the height difference. 🙂

Mom and Dad at the High School.

Sweet Emily and Jacob.

The drama kids performed Tarzan this year. Grace was a gorilla, a spider, and a plant. She also performed sign language for one of the songs. Here is a video of it, but it is important to note that she is not doing the SINGING, only the SIGNING.

I wish it were taped better but this at least gives an idea of the beauty of the song and signing.

They did so well, it was wonderful, I was so proud of them all.

Mom hugging Grace after the show.

Dad and Mom with Grace the Gorilla.

Yesterday was the final performance of Tarzan and I attended it with my brother Isaac and his wife Cassandra.

Meanwhile, I have baby chicks. The post office called on Friday morning at 5:15 am and I went down to get them.

There are 30. And they are so very cute right now. We like to go in the garage and just sit in front of the cage and watch them.

Do you see in the very back of the cage, there is a dangling piece of cardboard paper…little chicks take turns trying to get it off. It’s so cute.

This is what I have:

FIVE each of Barred Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Red, Brown Leghorn, and Easter Egger. Then, I have NINE Cuckoo Maran, and I am most excited about these because they lay a darker shade of brown than any I’ve owned previously.

Discovered in the woods as I picked up trash this morning.

wildflowers

As I was walking by the edge of the pond I scared a toad (not this one) into the water where a fish promptly grabbed it by the legs and went down deep with it. I gasped as I watched it happen… the poor toad was held by both his back legs, which were half inside the fish’s mouth. It’s little front arms were straight out to the sides with stiff fingers, it was the picture of terror as it was carried away. I watched for a while and it appeared once again with two fish in hot pursuit. I don’t know the ending to the story. I sat by the edge of the pond for a while and also saw a turtle. But the horrors continued when I put my hand in the grass to stand back up. I narrowly missed putting it down on two disemboweled toads! It’s truly a life and death world out there……..

Last but not least, Mom, as I promised I did plant all the plants on Sunday.

This is a little garden Rich made for me a few weeks ago. It was empty and I ordered the animals and flag from amazon. I bought 2 perennials but all the rest were from Mom.

The armadillo makes me laugh.

Happy Monday!

inside/outside good to be home

Posted on April 28, 2015 by Shanda

flower for a thank you

asking for a belly rub

cookies one and two

impromptu cookie jar

so happy to find a screen cover @ Pier One Imports 13 dollars

lily’s dress

really great soup recipe

He shall sit up on the arm of the couch in a sunbeam.

He shall sleep & stretch under the coffee table….not doing a great job of hiding from us.

poetry comes to life: “her early leaf’s a flower, but only for an hour” Robert Frost

moss growing on a fallen tree

blue sandwiching green

I shall sit in the woods and watch the hens scratch with purpose.

Back inside: nature bits gathered from the woods.

W H I T E T U R K E Y C H I L I

1 T. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
2 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped up fine
1 lb ground turkey
salt and pepper to taste
1 can cannelloni beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
1 16 ounce jar salsa (your choice)
1 15 ounce can tomatoes with garlic and onion (or add extra seasonings if you only have plain)

In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until translucent, add turkey and brown, salting and peppering to taste. Add the rest of the ingredients and heat till bubbly and completely heated through.

I triple this for my family, so we can enjoy leftovers. I use mild salsa, the guys pass around the Franks Red Hot.

This recipe is from a cookbook that has literally changed my life, Saving Dinner, by Leanne Ely. It contains recipes for delicious main dishes for each week (6 days) of the year WITH the complete shopping list (!!!!). It is organized by season. All the recipes are as healthy as can be with typically a fish, beef, chicken, slow cooker recipe, meatless, casserole. Each recipe includes side dish recommendations and nutritional content. I don’t use the cookbook every week, but I’ve used it a lot over the last couple of years, (all spring this year so far except the 2 flu weeks). This week I am making Chicken Parmesan with steamed broccoli, Mexican Lasagna with a salad, Beef and Spinach Pitas with baby carrots, Chicken Broccoli Soup with a salad and rolls, Halibut Piccata with steamed broccoli, sweet potatoes, and baked potatoes, and lastly, Greens and Beans with a side of brown rice. Buy it! 🙂

God’s earth day

Posted on April 23, 2015 by Shanda

“….He did good by giving you

rains from heaven and fruitful seasons,

satisfying your hearts

with food

and gladness.” Acts 14:17

Earth day. A day to thank God over and over for this amazing created world that He made from words….beginning with these….”and God said…let there be light, and there was light.” Genesis 1:3

LIGHT is my personal word to study and meditate on this year. Every year in January I wait for the Lord to impress upon my mind and soul a particular word (it’s so much easier that way). LIGHT came to mind and wouldn’t go away, so LIGHT it was. And let me assure you, the study has been marvelous so far. The Bible and Christian resources, books, hymns, are full of this wonderful word.

The Light of the World is Jesus

The whole world was lost
In the darkness of sin,
The Light of the world is Jesus!
Like sunshine at noonday,
His glory shone in.
The Light of the world is Jesus!

No darkness have we
Who in Jesus abide;
The Light of the world is Jesus!
We walk in the light
When we follow our Guide!
The Light of the world is Jesus!

Ye dwellers in darkness
With sin blinded eyes,
The Light of the world is Jesus!
Go, wash, at His bidding,
And light will arise.
The Light of the world is Jesus!

No need of the sunlight
In Heaven we’re told;
The Light of the world is Jesus!
The Lamb is the Light
In the city of gold,
The Light of the world is Jesus!

CHORUS:

Come to the light, ’tis shining for thee;
Sweetly the light has dawned upon me.
Once I was blind, but now I can see:
The Light of the world is Jesus!

It’s nice to sing “The light of the world is” and then point to your child and let them sing “JESUS!”

Before I remembered that it was in fact Earth day, Sarah and I meandered our way outdoors and found a pair of mallard ducks in the stream. They come every year at this time so we are old friends, however they are always shy of us. We sat by the edge of the stream in the sunshine and tried to be still and quiet. Sarah had a very hard time with the quiet part.

“I want to be a duck.”
“Everybody should be ducks, right mom?”
“I’m the girl duck.”
“Mom look at this stick! Can I pick it?”
“I don’t like dirt.”
“I hear a plane.”
“Where are my ponies??” (she was carrying around My Little Ponies)
“Mom, there’s a spider on you.”
“Let’s sit here and wait until they swim in the pipe. Can I go through the pipe sometime? Seth went through the pipe. I want to go through the pipe.”
“Can I throw this stick in the water?”

Sherlock our cat was watching them with us.

Look how funny they are with their bottoms up in the air at the same time. Notice the pipes, we waited and waited and in fact they looked as if they really would take the tunnel through to the other side of the road. But do you know what those silly ducks did? They got out of the stream and waddled across up on the road, on dry land. First the Male went, waiting and looking carefully for cars, and then walking softly and throwing himself in the stream on the other side. The Female slowly went up the bank and stood there nervously until her mate started quacking in impatience. Only then did she rouse herself and cross. “Ker plop” we heard her join her husband. Sarah and tiptoed over to see.

Man duck stood proudly on a rock, the lady duck was there, but hidden in the water. She seemed to enjoy the faster water and would go completely under. Soon our motions made them nervous and up they flew.

They flew all the way over to the pond, so we followed them again. Parker the dog was barking at them, too.

I got comfortable on the dock in the sunshine while Sarah climbed pine trees. I saw a pair of cardinals and some other little birds.

It was getting to be lunch time so Sarah and I went over to see if there were eggs before going in the house for lunch.

There were two lovely smooth eggs, I put one in each jacket pocket. Billy came over to say hello.

And we saw the first of the violets. For all the February babies like myself and friend Cynthia.

“He himself gives to all mankind life life and breath and everything. And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet He is actually not far from each one of us, for ‘In him we live and move and have our being.” Acts 17:26