Be Still

Yesterday as I sat in my car watching the squirrels and birds go after the peanuts and seeds, I enjoyed the peace and tranquility of the day. The tranquility would be interrupted and all the birds would fly away within an instant.

But not this squirrel. He would stay very still and wait. Not even his tail would twitch. You could tell though that he was very alert. Soon the birds would come back and he would go about his business eating the peanuts.

Do you know how hard it is to be still? I can learn from this little guy. There are times that I need to be very still and listen to the voice of God. But it is very hard. I am easily distracted by the activities all around me.

God is always there. So when I am still, I can hear Him clearly. I just need to do this more often.

Genealogy

Off and on, throughout the years I have been working on my genealogy. In this picture on the left is my grandfather Walter Wood. Standing next to him is his grandfather Elias Gardner.

The Gardner's line has been easy to trace. There are many books about the Gardners in Pennsylvania. It is the Wood's line that I am having the most difficulty tracing.

The one thing I have learned about these two men is that they had a great sense of humor and knew how to enjoy life. Everyone took to them right away.

My love for nature comes from my grandfather. His grandfather loved living in the country. They appreciated God's earth.

When I spend time with my grandchildren, I want them to see in me what I see in them. I want them to see a person who has a great sense of humor and loves all the things that God has created. And I pray that they can pass this legacy down to their grandchildren.

Butterfly Garden

I always love to visit a butterfly garden. There is not a butterfly that is ugly. When you are in the garden, beauty is all around. The colors, patterns and shapes of each flying piece of art touches my soul.

If God took the time to make these creatures so unique, I can only be in awe in how He has made us just as unique. It is amazing how we are all different, yet wonderfully made.

We are God's butterfly garden. There is not even one of us ugly in His eyes. I am thankful for that.

A Time To Sleep

There is a time for everything. When it is time to sleep, our body repairs itself and renews us to face a new day. When we don not allow our self a good night sleep, we find that it is hard to function the next day.

There are many things that keeps us awake at night. Worrying about tomorrow's problems, illnesses and the excitement about a day full of surprises. It is hard to close our minds and rest in God.

I go to bed thinking about too much. I worry about things that I should be leaving at the feet of Christ. So I stay awake throughout the night and wonder why I am so tire all the time.

Tonight I am sleeping. I am not going to worry about tomorrow. I am going to wake refresh ready to face another day in the arms of my Lord. Tonight is a time for sleep.

Flying South

I wish I could fly south for the rest of this winter. I envy this osprey as he and his fellow fowls left for warmer shores.

Another burst of snow, ice and rain is making it a stay at home day. And I hate staying inside. I can not wait for sign of the ospreys. They are just like the robins. When they come back I know that spring has arrived.

It is not like there is not a lot I could do around the place. It is just when I need a break I am stuck inside.

So Mr Osprey, please hurry up and come back.

Sandhill Crane

They were there. I heard them. I was hearing some kind of bird that I did not recognized or had heard there at the Mariner before today. They were in a field covered over with vegetation. I could not see them. They were very noisy and I had to know what kind of birds they were.

It so happened that I was standing with two other bird lovers who know their birds just by the sounds they make. "Those are sandhill cranes," they said.

I was so upset. Here was a new bird at the Mariner and I could not get one shot of them. (Note: The picture here is from one of the vacation picture in Yellowstone of a pair of sandhill cranes.)

For several days you could hear them. Believe me I tried to catch them. Now they are gone and I have no pictures to prove they were there.

When I talk about God, I have no pictures to prove He is there. But I can hear Him in His creations, just like the sandhill cranes.

Where's The Bacon?

My friend Sally needed me to come and pick her up from the garage since her car brakes were being worked on. So we decided to go to IHop and have a meal.

Thursday I usually meet my other friend Marcy to eat at IHop.
So I texts her to say I am cheating on her. She just happened to be out, so she came in to eat with us.

Marcy got her plate with two bacon and eggs. So when she reached over her plate to fixed her tea, she notice that one of her bacon was missing.

"Where's the bacon?" She asked. "Didn't I have two pieces?"

Sally looks over at her and started laughing. As I turned to look at her, I could not help but burst out laughing as well. There stuck to her scarf was the bacon.

Every once in a while we need a good laugh. Today we had it and it felt good. Thank you Marcy for being you.

Squirrel Approaching

Today after having a great breakfast with a friend at IHop, I set off to the Mariner. I thought I would have a quick walk about before my grandson got home early from school. But my legs were hurting too much and the sidewalks were still covered in snow. I did not want to risk a fall.

So I parked the car and put bird seeds and peanuts on the posts near the spot where I parked. I than got back into the car and waited for the birds to show. Boy was I not disappointed. They flocked in and I shot off many pictures.

One thing I did notice, the cardinals would chase each other and the other birds away. They can be mean birds. Yet there is one creature that they will not chase. You can see his nose just peeking behind this post. When the squirrels approach the cardinals will fly away.

The squirrel wanted his part of the feast. When he is on top of the post, the birds stay away. That is why I put plenty on the other posts as well as on the ground near the posts. They all can share in the bounty. Even the squirrel approaching.

Always There

The one thing I can count on is that the chickadee will always be there. The other thing I can count on is that they always take a good picture. The chickadee is eager to pose.

It is easy to get them to show. I carry a bag of wild bird seeds and peanuts and place them on the posts, Then I start calling them. They know my voice and within minutes they are there.

Of course many other birds will show up as well. Yet the chickadee holds my heart. I am glad they are always there.

Valentines Storm

When I went into work on Valentines Day, this is what I found in the break room. It was like walking back into my grade school days. I was afraid to look into my bag. I did not bring anything to put into the bags, so I went out onto the floor and bought a bag of candy and put them into the bags.

By the end of the day the weather had gotten bad. The snow was coming down hard and the wind was making it hard to see. I was afraid to go out in the storm. It was like a blizzard.

As I was driving home, there was an accident. I had to spend thirty plus minutes sitting waiting for it to be cleared up. The winds were pushing hard on my car and I was afraid again. I had thoughts of spending the night in the car.

As I looked around the car to take stock of what I would live off of, I notice my Valentines bag. It gave me comfort because there was candy, cards and a homemade brownie inside. I had my water, my food and a warm heart.

God was reminding me that He was in the mist of the storm. Soon the traffic was moving and I made it home safely through the Valentines storm.

Who's Your Valentine?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Who is you Valentine? Is it you spouse, parents, boy/girlfriends or maybe just a friend who needs a little pick me up?

How many times will you say it today? How many times will you hear it said to you?

While I was out helping my grandson pick out a card and flowers for his mom, I notice many others shopping for Valentine as well.

This is a day for showing that you care. When you buy flowers, candies or a card, you are sharing love.

Who is my Valentine? Everyone. I want everyone to know that I care.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

A Marsh Sparrow

This is the first year that I am trying to figure out the different sparrows that hang out at the Mariner. It just so happened that there was another bird watcher doing the same thing. Perched on a camp chair with his camera, he was trying to get pictures of the different sparrows.

As the birds came close, he would tell me what kind they were. This is a marsh sparrow. He was so cute. Smaller than some of the others, he was just as eager to go after the bird seeds that we put out.

I look forward to finding more sparrows. Heck, I look forward to just finding birds of any kind. As long as I am able to walk and get out, I will seek out whatever God allows in my path.

Mute Button

I need to buy a lot of these. I can think of a hand full of people I would love to give it too. But than again I can think of a lot of people who would love to hand me one of these pacifiers.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that if someone is complaining or throwing a fit about something, I need to listen.

When a baby is crying, he is trying to tell you something. He may need a diaper change, a feeding or just some cuddle time.

When a person is crying he is also trying to relay a message. There just might have a valid reason we need to find out about to help.

But I still think I might buy a few a these mute buttons just in case.

Who's Bugging Who?

There is one thing I can say about bugs, they bug me.

Tonight at the Fellowship Circle meeting, Lisa's devotion was about people in life that bugs us. We are so quick to complain about these people. Yet when we look at our own life through the eyes of God, we find that we do many things that must bug Him.

When we judge these people we have who ask "Who's bugging who?"

I know that when I come across someone who just drives me crazy, I have to ask myself what God would expect me to do. I wonder if I am driving God crazy would I want Him to do to me what I am doing to others? Of course the answer is no.

I need to step back and allow God to keep me from bugging others and to be patience when others bug me.

Morning Sky

There are many mornings that I wake up to a red sky. They are so beautiful. Yet the saying is "Red sky in the morning take warning."

I think there are times that we need to read the signs that God shows us and heed the warnings. The Bible is full of warnings. It helps us to see and make good choices.

I know that I do not always make the right choices. The warning signs are there. I just do not see them or I choose to look the other way, Of course I pay the price.

Red skies are a warning of a storm or other bad weather. But I know where my shelter is. I rest in the knowledge that God is my shelter from the storm.

Flower Power

Did you ever notice that when you send anyone flowers, that it lifts up their spirit? It could be just a single bud all the way to a full bouquet. Flowers represents a caring heart.

I think God created flowers to not only provide for his creatures, but to bring joy into our lives when things are looking down. The brightly color petals draws our attention to the beauty that is still all around us.

When you get flowers because of a lost one, an anniversary or after an argument, it just brighten up you day just a little. Sometime it is all you need.

So if you know someone who could use a life me up, send them flowers.

Just Because

Sometime I want to post a shot of a bird who is just too cute. Why? Just because. This is a new sparrow for me. I am going to have to spend some time researching to fine out what kind of bird it is.

While I walking around I notice a few other birds that I have not seen there for a while. It was easy to see them after the short burst of snow fall this morning.

It seemed that all the birds were out searching for a meal. So I obliged. I always carry nuts and wild bird seeds. I leave them on the posts and just step back.

As cold as it was, they were everywhere. And I was snapping pictures after pictures. Why do I do this. Just because.

Groundhog Day Prediction

Every year we can't wait until Punxsutawney Phil shows up to predict how many more weeks of winter we can expect.. This year we can expect six more weeks of winter.

Kirk, the name I gave to the groundhog on base I see often, would have not seen his shadow today. So does that means that we will have a shorter winter?  My money is on him.

In any case, we can not count on a groundhog to prodict our weather. What we can count on, is that if we get six more weeks of winter or not, we can rely on God to see us through it until spring makes it arrival. That is what I am going to count on.