moon rise, sun rise

Posted on January 29, 2021 by Shanda

sparkling white on the water (1/28/21) photo I took before bed last night

Good morning!

Rich is working at his desk in the master bedroom, next to windows that overlook the sea.

David and Caleb are schooling in the upstairs living room, each on their own small but cozy couch, with their own laptops and headphones. Every once in a while, I can hear them talk and laugh. I’m glad they have each other.

Seth and Sarah are in Sarah’s room with the door shut playing with animals (those small nice plastic ones from the Schleich company). They have their own world on the floor, their own dialogue, and sometimes even set up the kindle with “jungle sounds” from youtube to *set the scene*. They will also “do school” today, but have a break right now. (Sarah starts at 8:30, an hour later than the boys).

Yours truly went to sleep last night at 9, after taking a photo of the full moon and spending an hour in bed with my phone, watching Netflix. I was exhausted, and slept soundly, waking up “in the middle of the night” just knowing I wouldn’t be getting back to sleep……I felt around in the dark for my book and notebook, and tip toed away……only to discover that it was 6:30. True morning! I was the first one up. I turned on the heat to get the morning chill out of the air, put on some socks, got a blanket, and made coffee for myself.

And thus the day began. A new one, a fresh one, “without any mistakes in it yet”.

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“Penny wakes me up every morning. At SEVEN! She’s like an alarm clock…….”

I saw golden light starting to shine through the windows and couldn’t resist running outside for a photo (or 15……) of Sunrise. The air was cool, and the only sound was the waves and morning bird calls. This is Georgia winter, but to me it feels like spring and something new. I feel like a young girl running from the door to the ocean, in my pajamas and with my hair loose, wearing Seth’s canvas shoes on my feet……..

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As promised, here is a photo of “fwren” and me. We met online over ten years ago, and she’s been a dear lady whom I have looked up to and drawn encouragement from. We have several of the same most important loves; family, friends, Jesus, photography, nature, and JEKYLL ISLAND. Since we are both here on the Island, we took the opportunity to finally meet face to face. We met at the Sunrise Grille, ordered coffee and avocado toast, and chatted away an hour or so. It was good for my heart and soul to spend time with a friend.

How can I say thank you? The words aren’t enough………..

last night’s moon

Posted on May 7, 2019 by Shanda

my flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is my portion forever

Last night we were driving home from a little league game when I noticed the moon was a beautiful sliver in the sky, thin and barely noticable and I loved it.

Anything that pulls me out of my thoughts and into the present moment is a good thing, and nature always does this for me.

“Let’s trust God and see what He has for us. He loves us more than we can imagine and He will give us strength no matter how things go.” ~notes from my scrapbook

you are loved.

signs of springtime

Posted on March 27, 2019 by Shanda

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The beautiful March Full Worm Moon happened last week.

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And every year we welcome a pair of Mallard ducks to our property.

*****

The winner of the book is Dawn (first commenter on the last post). I will be emailing you, Dawn! Thanks to those of you who left comments!

..the dark sacred night..

Posted on January 21, 2019 by Shanda

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself what a wonderful world

Good morning, it’s -5 outside, ice coating everything, sunshine lighting up the trees so they look all-over silver. The most beautiful world outside, do the little wild animals in the woods enjoy it, too?

My heart is overflowing with joy.

I stayed up last night taking photos of the moon. This morning I woke up to the children being so charming; Sarah already outside with her hair yellow and glowing down her back, Caleb and Seth laughing and fooling around together downstairs, David trying to make a fire using foil and batteries (“it only made smoke”). Sports Center blaring on the TV, cats eager to be fed, and a movie playing on the small TV in the addition with no one around to watch it.

Good morning texts on the phone from my beloved sister and brother. Today is Weston’s birthday, I can’t believe my little nephew is eleven today.

I couldn’t wait to look at my moon photos.

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Dear Joanna watched it with me, way way faraway in Pennslyvania. My family all fell asleep.

The magical moon.

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It was so cold that I went out the front door, said hello, took a few photos, and then went back inside to warm up for another 10 minutes or so.

I didn’t bother with a tripod. I just tried my best to get the settings on my camera correct and then *didn’t fiddle around* simply because it was too cold and I had no mittens on my hands.

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It really does look as if it’s hanging in the sky.

I have needs and hopes and wishes and wants and complaints. But last night when I was standing under an inky black sky, under a beautiful moon, in my slippers on top of a cold hard snow and my nose was freezing and my hands were freezing, and I was wearing a coat and a robe and a hoodie, I thought to myself………..

God is 1,000,000,000 bigger than any of my petty problems.

Vast, immeasurable, mighty, and……. and amazingly…….He loves & cares for you and me!

Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders You have done, and the plans You have for us–none can compare to You–if I would proclaim and declare of them, they are more than could be numbered. Psalm 40:5

nature photos (and knee-spots)

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Shanda

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purple finch at the feeder

The glow of the pond.

I’m sitting in my room, I had to get away from Grace so I could focus. I get easily distracted by her because we have lots to talk about (anything that comes to mind becomes a conversation). I thought I would be all alone in here but Samantha-cat just appeared out of hiding and jumped on the bed.

Jacob, Ethan, and Grace are home for the summer and it’s wonderful (the only time it’s not wonderful is if I am over-tired or have PMS). But seriously I do think it’s wonderful. I’m not just saying that. I no longer have that feeling of “I wonder what the older children are doing”– I know what they are doing. I can see them. Jacob rides to work every morning with his Dad and Ethan goes to work in Jacob’s car. I see them in the mornings getting ready. This morning Jacob asked me where the nail clippers were, and half an hour later his brother Ethan was wondering where tweezers were, he had a sliver in the bottom of his foot from going traipsing barefoot through the woods (photos of that tomorrow, possibly).

During the day it’s still quiet. The children have gone to work and to school.

Every evening is unpredictable family craziness. Practices? Games? Someone missing (briefly)? Big dinners, a whole pie getting eaten so fast so you better get a piece while you can, dirty bowls and cups being left all over the house, laundry piling up, homework reminders, tv turned up and up, loud talking, loud laughing, coins being thrown super hard and me getting mad about it, fortnight gaming, singing, playing the piano, telling the boys to take the garbage out, Seth can’t find a pencil, etc………going to bed and hearing the noice of the older kids getting ready to go to bed, too. Lights being left on. And then the house is quiet again.

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It (photographing this blog post) all started after dinner last evening, when I went out to the mailbox to mail a letter and was surprised by a wild rabbit who didn’t seem afraid of me in the least. I stood still and he stood still. Then, he “came back to life” and commenced his snacking on dandelions and grass. The dandelions have turned into their moon-like state and I was amused that he picked them with his teeth at the base of the stem and ate it, end-to-top. It was funny to watch the stem slowly disappear into his mouth with “the moon” last but not least. I went inside to get the camera and when I returned, he was eating grass. I am a bit concerned as the vegetable garden is nearby, newly planted with radishes, spinach, herbs, and peas. Will he be eating that next? I named him John.

And then I wandered around with my camera.

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I absolutely love the look of this photo of a cardinal in the tall dead tree on the edge of our property (dead tree=GIANT bird perch).

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mourning dove & male cardinal

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I stood and looked up up up into a very tall pine trees to sight this bird. It was singing an evening song with its back to me. Finally it looked over its shoulder and I got this amazing photo. (I had my big zoom lens with me).

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It flew to a different branch. I am almost positive that its a female scarlet Tanager.

Thoughts? I never knew the females were yellow! What a beautiful bird-couple they make. Now I will be on the look-out for the male. I hope I see it!!

I think I took about 25 photos of that bird and then it flew away and I moved on.

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Lady Slippers (a favorite wild flower) are in bloom now.

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Seth (9 years old) saw this photo and said, “Beautiful moon!”

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I sat and watched this duck pair for quite a while. They were peacefully together on the stream at the dam, bathing and grooming their feathers. The female must have enjoyed this stretch with her foot because she held it long enough for me to take several photos. I love the curled up feathers on the male’s tail, and the purple color on the female’s wing.

I walked up the hill and in the distance, where the water of the stream enters the dark woods, I saw a blue heron standing in a pool of water, probably finding some tasty dinner. I was thrilled to see it and get a photo before it moved out of sight. (It saw me as soon as I saw it and it was very suspicious of me right away.)

I went home and found the family sitting around in the living room getting ready to finish watching a movie they had started the night before. It wasn’t a movie I was especially interested in so I got ready for bed and did some reading. I finished a book titled, When I was a Slave, Memoirs from the Slave Narrative Collection, and it was very interesting in a sad, inspirational way. Here is a quote I keep thinking about:

“One thing dat’s all wrong with dis world today is dat day ain’t no ‘prayer grounds.’ Down in Georgia where I was born–dat way back in 1852–us colored folks had prayer grounds. My mammy’s was a old twisted thick-rooted muscadine bush. She’d go in here and pray for deliverance of de slaves. Some colored folks cleaned out knee-spots in de canebrakes. Cane, you know, grows high and thick, and colored folks could hide demselves there and nobody could see and pester dem.”

Andrew Moss, 85 years old

It’s the concept of having a great need and therefore NEEDING TO PRAY. It’s the idea of KNEE SPOTS. All day long since reading it, that term comes to my mind. When was the last time I got down on my knees to pray? All the nature that surrounds me, and do I have even ONE “knee spot” to go to in order to pray to the God I love? Where is my sense of great need? Great gratitude? Great praise? Why go to the knees? After all, I do pray during each day, but oh my, in order to pray on my knees I would have to stop everything else I was doing………….and therein lies the beauty and soul-nourishment of “knee-spots”……..

“Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.” Ephesians 6:13-18

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These are some of the things on my mind this morning as I start the day. I also took this photo through the window of Rich’s office, which is why it’s so hazy, but still a beautiful bird.

beginning with the nighttime moon

Posted on October 10, 2017 by Shanda

“Oh, if there’s only one song I can sing,
When in His beauty I see the great King,
This shall my song through eternity be,
“Oh, what a wonder that Jesus loves me!” ~Philip Bliss

This hymn is stuck in my head this morning and I’m just so happy because today I have absolutely nothing pressing…..in the last week this family has had a total of 10 appointments (mostly dental, one doctor, and others) and I’m ready to have a peace-full morning instead of getting ready to go…….I’m a home-bird…..

I have a steaming Scarlet fiesta mug of green tea on the coffee table in front of me, and a curled up chocolate lab snoring by my side on the couch and I’m ready to let my fingers tippety tap along the keyboard….I love blogging…everyone should do it. Life is so interesting.

Last week, Rich was gone on a business trip for five days straight and our college son Ethan was home for the week, too. After Caleb’s dentist appointment and right before his doctor’s appointment, we had time to sit at the bookstore and drink hot coffee beverages.

(Caleb had no cavities but was put on antibiotics for a sinus infection).

(a page from the latest Victoria magazine–I was so tired last week that I had to read this quote like 5 times before it made sense. And… Seth, waiting for the bus one morning).

Hanging out on the porch with Sarah. She was blowing the whistle CONSTANTLY.

She gets to learn how to play the recorder next year at school and the whistle is a tiny recorder. So she would blow and then take a break to say things like “Can I buy my own recorder, Mom?” “I’m going to get a pink one.” “Did Caleb buy his?” “Where is it?” “What color was it?” “Seth doesn’t bring his home.” “He doesn’t like to play it.” and so on.

These muffins were yummy.

Rich took this at the football games on Sunday.

Reading on the porch with my kitty.

Ethan was home all last week and so (because I’m a good mom) I thoughtfully made him a dentist appointment for a cleaning. (he was less than thrilled because has bad luck always at the dentist). He drove himself. I was at the grocery store when they called me, “Hello we have Ethan here and he has a couple cavities that he didn’t get filled last time and the dentist has time to do them now if you’d like us to do that?” And naturally I said, “Oh yes, that would be awesome, and please have the Doctor check Ethan’s gray front tooth.” Then we hung up. After another hour or so, Ethan came home with his eyes sad and face blank. He put his papers from the dentist down on the counter. Ethan doesn’t talk much so I had to pry. “What did they say about your tooth?” “They said the roots are a little shorter and it might fall out eventually so I have to go to a specialist to get it looked at.” I ran over to the referral paper, and called the number right away just to see if perhaps they could get him in while he was home. And yes, they were able to get him an appointment on Thursday.

So Thursday came. The appointment was at 8:30 in the morning. As soon as the kids left on the bus at 7:30, Ethan and I got in the car to head to his appointment, which was on the other side of Hartford. Ugh busy city traffic. We had no time to go through the Dunkin Donuts drive- thru. So we battled on through the traffic and got to the Endodontist with just enough time to park, find the office, and fill out papers.

Ethan was called to the back for his appointment and I followed, simply because, like I said, Ethan doesn’t talk much and I wanted ALL the information. The dentist took an X-ray, and tapped on his front teeth. Then he held a tiny piece of cotton with his dentist tongs and sprayed icy cold air on it. “I’m going to put this on your tooth and you raise your hand when the pain is unbearable, okay Ethan?” He pressed the cotton on Ethan’s gray tooth and Ethan never raised his hand. “The reason you feel no pain is because that front tooth is dead,” the dentist explained. “You will need a root canal and then eventually we can bleach the inside of the tooth the next time you are home from college. I can’t just put the bleach in it this week or you might end up with a brilliantly refrigerator white tooth and that would be worse than the gray. I need to check the bleaching process every few days so we can take the bleach out once that tooth matches the other ones.” Wow, this was getting interesting. Ethan didn’t say a word.

We left with a root canal appointment for the very next day. Ethan’s bad luck at the dentist continued but you know what? It had to be done and it is all done now. The two of us had breakfast together that morning and then went to the mall and consoled ourselves with new shirts (Jcrew for him and Anthro for me). Rich came home that night and took Ethan the next day for the root canal and now he’s all set until he can get his tooth bleached.

Why was his tooth gray in the first place you might ask? He cannot remember the injury, but at some point when he was younger he bumped the tooth hard enough for it to die. With seven children and five of them boys, it’s a wonder any of them have white teeth. Seth had a gray tooth for a time, too, but it was a baby one and fell out. My brother David says Ethan should just get a gold tooth and be done with it.

I bought this vintage wool hook rug at an antique store this weekend….it’s now on the pantry floor and I love it. I’ve been waiting for just the right throw rug for my pantry. The outer part of the rug is dark gray, then a beautiful dark blue and light blue design, with light gray after that and a bunch of bright flowers in the middle. The blue matches the blue glass bottles in the window.

YESTERDAY it was Seth and Sarah’s turn at the dentist……(and tomorrow is my turn).

For prizes, they got teeth.

And then we went to the grocery store. I made them leave the teeth in the car and when we were checking out, Sarah turned to Seth and cried, “Seth, we can go to the car and put our teeth in now!”

Back at home…… (with a fogged up camera lens again, it was so damp and rainy)

David was on the roof.

He was bouncing a small basketball off the house and trying to make a basket down below, with the help of Caleb and Seth. He made it once.

(I took this one through the window)

It was pouring rain.

Last night my husband went downstairs to check on Seth, who was crying in the basement. He and Caleb had been fooling around. David and I looked at each other with alarm when we heard Rich yell, “DON’T PLAY FOOTBALL IN THE HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!” and Sarah came running upstairs laughing. “What happened? Sarah, tell me!” “Seth hit his head again and it’s bleeding a little bit right here,” she pointed to her head, “on the side of his head.”

Sure enough, Rich marched Seth upstairs, who already had a goose egg forming next to his temple on his forehead, and got him an ice pack.

This morning it already looked much better, but you can see the remainder of his injury next to his eye. (he had a bump up higher on his temple, and a scrape by his eye). I mean, at least it wasn’t his tooth.

7:15 this morning as I put away the dishes. “Mom, take a picture!”

Kids left on the bus. All is calm, all is bright.

The sun is shining! After a long weekend of rain, it is pure delight.

We end with the morning moon.

Happy Tuesday, friends.
You are loved.

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the last of winter

Posted on March 13, 2017 by Shanda

Four nights ago, thanks to a text from my neighbor, we were able to see this amazing lunar halo around the moon. It was so wide around that I almost couldn’t get it all in the picture. It’s a beautiful sight that I won’t soon forget. I learned that these halos mean that a storm is coming and indeed the children did have Friday off from school for a snow day and we have a storm coming tomorrow.

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“It was a long cold winter for the birds and animals on the hill, but the little old man and the little old woman put out food for them until the warm spring came. And that was the end of the BIG SNOW.” ~ The Big Snow by Berta and Elmer Hader

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I aimed my camera through the windows of the dining room, watching the birds, thinking thoughts.

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“Well lived days are completed years, and the years well lived as they come make a life beautiful and full. In such a life no special preparation of any kind is needed. He who lives thus is always ready. Each day prepares for the next, and the last day prepares for glory.” JR Miller

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“And is this heaven? And am I there?
How short the road! How swift the flight!
I am all life, all eye, all ear:
Jesus is here–my soul’s delight.”
~Isaac Watts

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And today? The children are at school. Bright sun is shining but coldly and tomorrow we expect a snowstorm, another snow day?

These are the last frozen offerings of winter weather which will make the springtime thaw even more welcome.

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There is a spot on the eaves which constantly drips, and it’s so cold outside that we have not a burning bush, but an ice covered one! It’s so pretty when the sun shines through it.

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