One Eye Willy Stilll There

For the past several weeks they have been destroying the wetlands of the Mariner in Joppatowne. It has been breaking my heart to see them dig up all the dirt. They have been knocking down the trees by the fence line as well.

I had to stop by today to see if they had taken down the tree I have named "One eye Willy". To my relief One eye Willy was still there.

This Spring I hope to have a brochure ready to hand out for the kids who come to visit the Mariner. In it there will be several pictures of trees that look like animals, unusual shapes and faces. With the brochure in hand the children will get to search for these oddities. It will be fun.

So for those who get to visit the Mariner, see if you can find One eye Willy. Tell him I say hi.

Cat's Curiosity

You ever heard the saying "Curiosity kills the cat"? I can understand how that saying can be true. Everyday I watch my cat's curiosities get them into trouble. I don't know how many times I see them fall to the ground and trip over themselves trying to check out things.

Curiosity is not a bad thing. Without it we will never learn new things, discover God's wonders or make new friends. Some of my best memories are from things that caught my curiosity.

The thing I need to be careful of, are the things that goes against the will of God. I need to stay tune to His will in my life so that my curiosity does not dishonor Him. This way I don't fall and trip all over myself trying to check things out.

The Grand Canyon

One of the great sight of a past vacation was seeing a sunset at the Grand Canyon. The colors were spectacular. It really took your breath away. There is very little that can compare to wonder of this place.

You can hear the voices of many gasp when the sun made it finale descent behind the canyon. For a brief second all was silent. Than one low voice announced "And all of God creations say Amen". Chills ran down my spine and many other said amen as well.

I love being one of God creation. I love being in the presence of His many other creations. I just love God. Who is with me?

Many Levels

In this picture there are many level from the water edges to the mountain tops. Today weather had many levels. It started off cold than warmed up than became windy and frigid. Life has many levels. From the moment of birth to the moment of death we experience many up and downs. How we handle these levels defines who we are.

I want to stay at an even level. But I find myself wavering from the highs and lows of living. It is only when I seek the will of God that I can get at an even level.

Today even with the many levels of the weather I stayed warmed with the help of God.

Maybe This Spring

As I pulled into the driveway today I notice something on the next door neighbor's bush. On closer inspection I realized it was a preying mantis' egg sack. Well my heart skipped a beat and hoped aroused. Maybe this Spring I will get some great shots of the egg hatching.

Where I have been keeping an eye out for egg sacks at the Mariner hope was taken away. They cut down all the vegetation near the fence and along with them all the egg sacks. Even though I got some pictures last Spring, they were not so great.

Spring is a time of renewal. Life springs up all over and there is hope of a new beginning. With this Winter being a little brutal I can not wait for Spring. Maybe this Spring I will get that once in a life time picture.

Not Upside Down

I know what you are thinking. This picture is upside down. Well you are wrong. It is the bird that is upside down. He was so busy looking for insect that he did not notice he was under the branch.

There are so many things in life that can turn our world upside down. And sometime we do not even notice or care. We are so busy with our lives that it seems normal to be this way.

But there is always an answer to this situation. God can turn our world around. When we seek Him we are able to get thing straight again.

Today I am not upside down. But tomorrow I may be and I know where my help comes from to get turned around.

Girl's Night Out

At least once a year our church has "Girl's Night Out". This is a time for the women of Mountain along with their friends and family to let their hair down. It is a time for laughter and letting go. It is a time for fun.

Tonight theme was the Olympic. We were divided into four color groups. Red, Yellow, Blue and Green. Through out the night there were competitions. Each team earned points. At the end of the night these points were tallied up and the green team won the gold. I of course was on the winning team. lol

But I think the person who earned the gold the most was our pastor's wife Karla. This has been her act of love for the women of our church. She has put many hours and talent into creating the different themes. She is an inspiration to us all. Thank you Karla for all you do everyday.

Wooden Banjo

I am always looking to take pictures of anything that provoke a story. When I saw this stump with a long limb sticking out I thought it looked just like the banjo that my grandfather would play. Except his wasn't a wooden banjo like this one was.

One of the best memory I have as a child is listening to the twang of the banjo strings as Grandpa played "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". It was one of the first songs I learned to play. How I miss those times with my grandfather.

The enjoyment of the smell of a pipe, the sounds of a banjo and the love for nature can be contributed to the lessons that Grandpa taught. I will always be indebted to him for the kind of person that I have become. He is my example of a kind and loving person.

I miss you Grandpa.

Another Round

Well! here we go again. Another round of snow is on the way. Will we have just a few flurries? No! We will have measurable snow. Yes! Maybe up to ten inches.

The snow is just one part of this storm. The cold will be an issue. So for the next few days I will be staying in my place, under the cover and near the heater. I am going to hibernate for the duration of this storm.

How Far?

How far can a fox run into the woods? Halfway.

Why? Once the fox reaches the middle of the woods he would no longer be running into but out of the woods.

When we run into situations in our lives we may fine that we have made a mess out of our lives. We may ask ourselves, "How did we get into this mess"?

The good news. When we ask God to help and give our messes to Him we are halfway through. With His guidance we are now heading out of our messes. We are not stuck in the middle.

What ever messes you may be facing today, know that all you have to do is call out to God. Like the fox you will have reached the middle and with the next step be heading out of the woods.

Decisions Decisions

This Red-bellied woodpecker seems to be having a problem. He has a decision to make. Does he want the largest, longest or the smaller peanut. The smallest would be easier to handle. The longest could have three nuts in it. The largest might have the fattest nuts. Decisions decisions.

How many times have I had decisions to make? It is not that what ever I decide will be the wrong one. The question is what would be the best one for me? Even more important will it be the one that God wants me to make.

I wonder will this woodpecker pray before he makes his decision? I know that I will.

Birds of a Feather

These birds have one thing in common, they are all ducks. Birds of a feather stick together. But there is one problem. One of these ducks is different from the other. The one in the center is a wood duck. For the past year I have watched this duck interact with the mallards. Yet he will never be a mallard.

When we become Christian we still look like all the rest of the human race. But the problem is that we are not the same anymore. We belong to another bird of the feather. We belong to Jesus.

I want to spend my days getting more to join our flock. We can not change what we look on the outside  but we can change what we look like inside.

Hawk Sighting

Everyday in the past few weeks I see some kind of hawk flying or perched looking for prey. I just think they are cool to watch. They get so absorb in looking for food that they don't pay attention to what is happening around them.

The only reason this red-shouldered hawk turned to look at me was because my brakes squealed. When I stopped he flew away.

I am waiting for the day I get to see the hawk with a catch of the day. But until that day I will continue to watch them.

Climb Some Rocks

This chipmunk is climbing the rocks to get to the top.

I heard on the radio coming home from work these words "You got to climb some rocks to get to the top of the mountain".  The man was talking about his struggles to overcome having disabilities. There was many times he stumble and was hit by the boulders of  ridicule and limitations. Yet he made it to the top and lives a fulfilled life as a doctor treating other with the same limitations.

How many time in  my life have I been knocked down by the boulders of self doubts because of the ridicules of others. The rock slides of mistakes keeps me from continuing forward. But with the help of God I will make it to the top.

So today I take another step and climb some more rocks.

Always There

When I get home my cat follows me where ever I go. If I set on the couch he has to lay on my lap. When I use the restroom he sits on the sink. Doing this devotion he is at my feet. He is always there showing his love and devotion to me.

It got me to wondering how much I want to spend my time with my Lord. I know He is always there. Yet I sometime ignore Him with the business of my life.

I want to be like my cat and follow Him where ever He goes. I want to sit at His feet, rest in His lap and watch everything He does. I want to be always there.

Brighten Your Day

I thought that I would put something up just to brighten your day. Nothing brighten up my day more that to see a bunch of sunflowers. Add a little color and some insects and the picture tell a story.

When God creates something He planned for this creation to co-exist and interact with His other creations. The bees helps to pollinate the sunflowers and the purple flower helps to add just that touch of color to make this picture pleasant to look at.

So today I just wanted to add that little touch of color to brighten your day. I hoped it worked.

Two Is Better

I always get a kick when I watch the squirrels gather the peanuts and try to put more than one peanut in their mouth. They never can get the third one in. So they settle for two. Two is better than one.

There are many thing that are better in pairs. Two dollar is better than one. I would never turned down two helping of dessert. I enjoy two weeks of vacation over one week.

There is only one thing that is better as one. That is my Lord and Savior.

Another Christmas Tree Down

Today I helped take down another Christmas tree. The past several years I got to decorate and take down several friends trees. I enjoy seeing the many unique ornaments and the story behind them. Of course the company helps to make the job fun and interesting.

One of the thing I like about taking down these trees is that we get to reminisce about Christmas past. The older you get the more stories there is to tell. Some are funny and some are heart warming. There are some that breaks your heart.

A dear friend lost her mother this past Christmas morning. So for her each Christmas will be hard for awhile. But as time heals the pain I know she will enjoy decorating her tree again.

It was sad to take another tree down today. But I look forward to decorating it again next year.

Unique Goose

There was a goose that was unique. He was bigger than the rest. Some of the marking on him were different. I think he was a mix of a white goose and a Canada Goose. He was cool.

I first saw him in the industrial pond. Today I saw him at the pond by the hotel off route 40. It is not hard to pick him out. He just stands out among the other geese.

I can only imagine what it was like when Jesus was here on earth. Even though he was in human form, He was different from us. He was not hard to pick out in a crowd. He stood out.

I am glad that I am a part of Jesus family. I want to stand out and tell the world about Him.

Together Always

Each time I drive by the marsh I see these swan. They are always together. There are times that they mimick each other movement. I love watching them interact with each other and the other birds. There are many animals in this world that pick their mate and stay together always.

There are many couples that follow the same pattern. When a man and a women marry they are meant to stay together always. Yet I see more and more devorces. But every once in a while I see that elderly couple holding hands. I love watching them interact with each other and with other people.

One thing that I know for sure. When I gave my life to Jesus I rejoiced knowing that we can be together always.

Cold Enough?

Burrr! Do you think it is cold enough? The wind is howling and it feels like you will freeze any moment. I wondered how these birds seem to be handling it.

I woke up to find that the pipes had frozen and there was no water except for the bathroom sink.I couldn't flush the toilet, do the dishes or do laundry. I forgot to keep the kitchen faucet on to avoid this happening. So I spent the day getting the water I needed to flush the toilet from the bathroom sink. This was until my daughter came home.

Being the smart one she suggested that I turn the dryer on for a while. The heat from the exhaust under the trailer defrosted the pipes. Low and behold the water started running again throughout the whole trailer.

Sometime we just need someone else to see our circumstance from a different perspective to solve the problem.

Rainbow Circle

Sometime the neatest things I come across is the unexpected rainbow colors in unusual places. As I got out of my car to go to work I notice this oil spill. I don't understand how it works. But I don't need to understand it to appreciate the beauty of this rainbow circle.

There is so many things that I come across in life that I do not understand. I don't understand how a seed grows into a tree. I don't understand the process of how a caterpillar changes into a butterfly. I don't understand how a single cell becomes a baby. Yet I am in awe of the handy works of God.

This rainbow circle reminds me that God promises is complete. How beautiful is God's Love?

Worship On

There is a song that I listen to that has the one line "get my worship on". As I came close to this squirrel he seemed to bow down. I know he was not worshipping me but it was cute.

But it did make me think. When I am in the presence of God, do I get my worship on and bow down to His greatness? I am afraid the answer is sometime no. I find myself wanting His blessings without my adoration or gratefulness in return.

 So what do I do? I ask for forgiveness and get my worship on. Because I can not think of anything else more that I want to spend my time doing.

Something New

There was something new at the pond in Bel Air. It was a shoveler duck. It took a while to figure it out since the duck kept her head in the water shoveling for food. I thought I had seen a group of shoveler the other day. They were going around in circle keeping their heads in water so I was not sure. This is why I came back hoping to see them again.

Reading the bible is like that. I discover something new but I am not sure what it is. So I have to come back, reread and wait until it shows me what I need to see.

I like finding new things in nature and in scriptures. I can't wait to see what God has to show me this year.

Hand Raised

Doesn't it look like this tree has it's hand raised? It does not matter what time of day or season we are in, the hand remains raised. It is as if this tree knows to Whom to worship.

When I hear a good song or experience something that can only come from God I raise my hand in worship. It is a small gesture. Yet I know God receives it with an open heart.

Every time I past this tree I will raise my hand and worship along with it to our creator and my savior.

Snowy Day

I love when the snow leaves a nice layer of white powder. It is one of those things that hides a lot of imperfections on the landscape. But when the snow builds up from inches to feet than it is not so pretty.

Like so many things in life moderation is the key. Drink, eat and play but do it in balance with your life before God. Be responsible.

The snow is coming down. It is a snowy day. Let it snow. But be careful when you go out n it.

Happy New Year

Can you imagine the kind of hangover you would have after drinking all the liquor off this tree? How many people lifted up their glasses to welcome the New Year?

When I woke up this morning I could not help but wonder, will this year be better than the last? I don't know. 2013 was not a really bad year. Nor was it a great year. There were many ups and downs.

2014 does offer me one thing, a new beginning. Today I can start this year relying on God. With His help I can make this year a great year.