I don’t think I shared with you the pleasure of not keeping a tidy garden?
May 11 the bachelor button volunteers were coming up from last year’s seed that had dropped in the garden.
You can see one flower almost perfectly centered under the window!
Here is a photo from June 1 taken from inside our office when the flowers were getting more full.
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Matthew 6:26 (NIV2011)
And eventually they went to seed. I was not quick to go out and cut the stalks back. Lo and behold my surprise when I caught this vision out the same said window!
As the seeds kept coming, so did the goldfinch. Male and female! Such delight.
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
Psalm 19:1-4a NIV
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Lucky and I were taking an evening walk when we came upon a doe and her fawn. The spots of the fawn were almost gone. We stopped to watch them. The doe was unafraid of our presence. I was not certain if the dog would bark or try to chase them. As you can see in short video below, she watched along with me!
According to https://whitetailhunting.info/white-tailed-deer-qa/deer-stomping-ground/ “A deer is sending a message when it is stomping the ground. The message reads, “I don’t know what you are or what you are up to, but I do not like it. Move on!” In short, a deer stomping a front foot/hoof against the ground is a way of telling you or something else to get lost, go away.
“The stomping of foot is not a sign of aggression towards humans, although dogs and coyotes and other mid-sized critters should definitely stay out of the way because these animals ARE seen as an immediate threat.
“The stomping of a foot is one way for a deer to “test” what it is looking at. If a deer sees something that it is unsure of, the deer may stomp the ground just to get a response.”
Well, this fawn was looking at a woman from the neighborhood who stopped to watch the deer feed. No one was spooked, until a man came down the street walking a barky dog with a kid on a bike. THEN the fawn ran into the woods, followed by mom.
Lucky and I continued our walk marveling at our unexpected encounter.
Here at Siesta Drive I have my island of responsibility.
Even here I find it difficult
to push off the dock
into the quiet river of Living Water
for the renewal of my soul
stilling of my heart, quieting of my mind
floating in Your love
awaiting Your instructions and
anointing for this day.
I want to power up the boat
or maybe stay on the island
ordering about the mundane
resisting the holy and eternal.
Forgive me, again, my desiring
to be in charge and capable.
Take me to a quiet lagoon
with jumping fish
elusive Great Blue Herons
tree branches trialing their leaves at the water’s edge.
Anchor me in Your incredible center-down silence
wash over me with righteousness
grant me the kiss of peace
Your faithfulness and steadfast love
meeting me in holy embrace
of relinquishment to solitude.
Only then
can I meet the mundane
with correct vision
Your holy Kingdom first and foremost
no matter what my activity might be.
So here at Siesta Drive if I will allow it
energy and solace I was hoping for at “The River”
may ebb and flow, around me, within, overflowing,
washing glaring, gaudy colors of importance
off the mundane,
letting those things fall back
into their proper place as incidental
like spoons tossed into the silverware drawer.
When I was a child in the 1950’s this was a popular song. Perhaps one of the first choruses I learned to sing?
Lately we have called our new Beagle “Lucky-To-Be-Alive!” Bob was working in the yard one day while I was out. He decided to let Lucky be on the deck and watch him so she would know where he was (which is on the second story of our house). As he was working down below he would call to her and she would put her head between the bars of the deck. This happened several times. Then he called to her and – no dog.
As he came in the house to see what was going, she met him at the door. She had caught the screen, ripped it with her claw and come in to try to get to him. Oops. He was able to fix the small tear in the screen. Eventually, all was forgiven.
They say the first few days a dog is withdrawn and getting used to their home pack. Then the next few weeks they are learning the routine of the household. Then you finally get to know the dog’s personality. This beagle has quite the personality! She knows what she wants and does not hesitate to tell us.
Yesterday (August 20) I finally found monarch caterpillars in the milkweed! SO EXCITED. One was about a quarter inch long, one about half inch and one fat and older. He was curled on the leaf so I could not tell his actual length. I came in to get Bob and he grabbed his camera to join me in the garden.
We had opened many windows and the door on the lower level to let some of the cooler, less humid air in over night. I actually forgot about the open sliding door in the basement.
As we tried to capture photos in the bright sun, a neighbor came over to find out what we were doing. As we were telling her about the milkweed, monarchs, caterpillars, etc., we could hear Lucky barking and barking. Next thing we knew, Lucky was running around our feet and then across the street to explore. Yep! She had ripped the downstairs screen and let herself out. She was in SO much trouble!!
She ran around the neighbor’s yard. Resisted the urge to come and be loved on. We were grateful she did not take off into the woods. That side of the street would be very difficult to navigate if we had to attempt to capture her. Finally she was so curious about Lisa that she came to her . Lisa held her collar. I said she was okay to pick up . Eventually I took her in my arms. Then Bob took her as he was getting ready to leave. We put her in the kennel. Inspected the screen damage and in some ways blamed ourselves. We could have tied her out, or put her in teh kennel, our taken her with us on a leash. But the sight of those caterpillars was so exciting!
I mean she really tore the thing this time. Our neighbor was the second person to tell us they now make a stronger screening material that is supposed to deter dogs. I don’t know if this one wouldn’t rip that, too. AND I had just gotten her nails cut on Wednesday!
How much is that doggie? Veterinary fees. snacks, kibble, screen doors!, leashes, tags, flea drops, heart worm medication and she is SO worth it. But at times she makes us growl.
For all her eagerness to be part of the pack she is still timid at many times. Cowers if I hold the leash over her when we are getting ready to go out – as if I might hit her? Is reluctant to come to Bob when he offers her a treat. It makes no sense to us, but perfect sense to her.
We may never win her full trust and affection, but she has us as her furever family!
“Touch me not!” Remember this photo from July 2nd of Jewel weed?
Well with Bob’s help we were able to sort of capture the action of the seed pod. At first I did not touch it hard enough. When I turned it in my hand, you miss the action of my touching it, but get to see the seeds released in my hand. The pod curls up into a spring. The second pod is not ripe yet.
From my post July 25th remember about how the fear had no power unless she gave it to him by swatting at it in fear? Been trying ever since then to get a good spider web photo. This time of year the spiders seem to spin the largest webs. How’s this? See the body about center of the center tree?
How much power are you giving to your fears? Are you able to sit still in their presence and know that fear is a choice? There is a debate now how many times the Bible says ‘Fear not.” For me, whether it is 100 times or 365, reworded as be not afraid, we are instructed how to cope. We are also told not to entertain thoughts that draw us away from the Living God. (2 Corinthians 10:5) We are told to LET NOT our hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:1) The choice is ours. Whether reading Genesis 15:1 or Revelation 2:10 fear is not our best choice.
“Molly Lin, the spider is fear. It has very little power on its own. But you give it your energy by flailing and struggling and assuming it is more powerful than it is. Think through this same scene and SEE that had you chosen to sit still and watch that spider, it would have dangled from strings and been as impotent to harm you as the one holding its frames. He has no power over you unless you give it to him. Fear is a choice!”
Out walking Lucky on August 11, 2020, last week. With the cooler temperatures for a few nights at our house this week, the leaf was a welcome reminder that even summer swelter does not last forever.
During Covid it seems as if the days last forever, and then suddenly we are repeating the task of yesterday. It is all so ‘daily.’ We often ask “How did we get towards mid-August already?” Seems like a time warp that circles and twists in upon itself. How many months have we been doing this?
Yikes.
“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.”
Did I tell you about the raccoons? Oh my! We accidentally left the garage door open one night. Usually BOTH of us check to be certain it is closed before bedtime, but that night neither one of us checked.
Bob always gets up first in the morning. He found the mess! Shelves cleared off. Bird sunflower seed storage bucket all over the place. Cardboard box of suet ripped open. Storage bucket of dog food knocked over and spilled. Dog was going wild over the raccoon odor. It was hot and took Bob a long time to clean up. So frustrating.
That night we were careful to check the door was indeed closed. Bob got up in the morning. Same sort of deal. He was now livid! How in the world did the ‘coon get in? Where was it now? Dog was going wild in the closed garage and centering on his car. Bob backed his car out of the garage. Raised the hood and there was a raccoon looking back at him. Zoom! it disappeared into the bowels of the engine. WHAT?!?! Blower did not make it stir.
NOT CUTE!!
How do you get a raccoon out of a car engine? He drove it around the cul-de-sac. Looked inside. Yep! Raccoon eyes! Now. what …?
We were baffled!
We looked on-line to the wisdom of the world. It said put an open can of cat food near the car, open the hood and wait.
Called our local mechanic. He said put an open can of cat food nearby. Open the hood and wait. geesh. Did he go online, too?
Had no cat food, but had those single portion tuna cans. So we put the car in the front yard on the dead dry grass, opened a can and waited. Nothing. Then I began wondering did we have to actually see the raccoon exit? If it did, then what was to keep it from going back in the engine? Had to move the can where Bob could see it while he ate lunch.
Later he had to be some place. He moved his car to the driveway and moved the tuna near it. He took my car. The dog wanted out. I watched thinking she could not reach the can. As she lapped up tuna juice I raced outside to move the can further from her reach. She was still fascinated with the front wheel well of the car. We left it that way all night. I was hoping the entire raccoon hood would not move in thinkin’ “them was some good vittals!”
Next morning, no mess in the garage. And Bob raised the hood of his car to NO eyes looking back.
Trust me, we have been VERY careful every night since then to BOTH check that door. The dog occasionally walks past the car and checks his wheel well, but there is nothing interesting there now.
Treasures in Plain Sight, A Christian Blog 