Flying, Ferocious, Feathered Jewels...Hummingbirds

~See the little hummingbird sitting in the bush? This bush is a few feet from the hummingbird feeder hanging in front of our living room picture window.This little Rufous Hummingbird sits here to guard our feeder , HIS feeder. This little bird is really a ferocious flying jewel, intent on guarding the feeder! This little feathered jewel keeps almost all other hummingbirds away from the feeders by dive bombing them. You should hear the buzzing and whirring, right under and around us as we are outside weeding the flower beds directly under the feeder. ~This is the feeder that used to hang in front of our big window. The other night Hubby and I witnessed no less than 6, SIX!! hummingbirds fighting over this feeder, so Hubby suggested the feeder with 4 little places for the birds to feed. Maybe that would help? ~No way! This is the only little bird the ferocious defender of the nectar will allow to eat her fill of the nectar. A female, wouldn't you know?So, four opportunities for the teeny birds to feed at once, but our knight in ruby feathers will allow only her and himself! ~See? He dares you to test him! He might be small, but he is mighty and fearless, and strikingly beautiful. His red feathers shine so bright and red he seems to glow when the sun shines on his metallic like feathers. And we have this amazing show , free for our own personal viewing from the sofa in front of our picture window!Every day, all day, from dawn to dusk!

If He Had Stayed....by Audrey Yeager

~Trilliums growing in the woods at Cedar Pond~ ~If He Had Stayed ~ If He had stayed Where tender, caring hands had put Him, wrapped around with linen and aromatic preparations Stayed enclosed in the cool, dark rock, to sleep on, decayed and forgotten, while eternity rolled away into foreverness, If He had stayed imprisoned Behind the Roman seal, soon to be but another set of bones added to the numberless skeletons bred of earth... If He had stayed down where tradition layed His head, done with sight, and touch and voice... Oh,beloved! If He had stayed... excruciating contemplation! Hopelessness behind doom ahead no gathering here today Yet, here we are, and it can't be said with enough power, not by human voices anyway; No, imagine it ringingly proclaimed by Heaven's angelic hosts...( He didn't stay) He is risen! poem by Audrey Yeager

Little Lamb...

(above: Bide-A-Wee Chicory with her ewe lamb,a daughter of Goth) The Lamb Little Lamb who made thee Dost thou know who made thee Gave thee life and bid thee feed, Gave thee clothing of delight, Softest clothing wooly bright; Gave thee such a tender voice, Making all the vales rejoice; Little Lamb who made thee Dost thou know who made thee Little Lamb I'll tell thee, Little Lamb I'll tell thee; He is called by thy name, For He calls himself a lamb; He is meek and mild, He became a little child; I a child and thou a lamb, We are called by his name. Little Lamb God bless thee. Little Lamb God bless thee. by William Blake 1757-1827

(Cedar Pond's Tiara with twin lambs; she is Goth's mother)

The Easter Bunny Brought You?

~Oldest son with his four daughters in front of new home.~

~Another birthday for you oldest son! Oldest , but NOT old. Three decades plus do not make you old, but definitely mean you are an adult..and able to do very well for yourself. Well for yourself in spite of what life might have brought others to despair. You are blessed beyond imagination! You have four very lovely and loving daughters. You have the love and respect of your family. You have the knowledge that you have served your country well and loved your brothers in arms well and love your Savior well. You have the knowledge of the Word, that has enabled you to persevere through trials and tribulations that could have brought you so low you would not survive...but you have! Happy Birthday son!!!

~David, our oldest son ( left )~

~You were born on Easter weekend, I spent Easter in the hospital cradling my newborn son in my arms. I remember thinking how very much I loved you and for the first time the beginning of comprehension of the love one has for a son , and the knowledge that God sacrificed His own, PERFECT and BLAMELESS Son for me was truly a sacrifice...I do not think I would sacrifice you for a just man, let alone sinful and undeserving men. Yet, He did. I know I would give my life in an instant to save you, your brother and sister, but to give you up for others? No! ~I remember thinking too , that there was a chance you or your brother would be called to fight in a war...how could I ever cope with that?To have a son who is a warrior..like my father? And then I thought about Mary, the mother of Jesus? She watched her own son, the Son of God, be crucified...what anguish and grief she must have endured. Her son was perfect and blameless...yet I know I love you and your brother and sister so much I would rather die than have such an awful thing happen...And here you were, a Marine, called to battle and war. Your father and I prayed for you and you came home from the battlefield in Iraq to another battle and war. One to save your daughters...and you have remained steadfast for them. Steadfast in your love. Do not ever, EVER minimize your importance in their lives, or the lives of your family. Do not forget Who has spared you and kept you safe. Do not ever cease praising Him who has made you and called you to Him!

~Happy Birthday son ! We love you!~

Blessings: sons, daughters, God's Son, birthdays

Only A Friend Can Betray A Friend....

Some Reminders

~I received a forward I actually appreciated and found encouraging the other day . It was from the mother of our daughter-in-law, Breezy. I thought I would share some of the wisdom contained within it for your blessing. It is a list of suggestions to help remind us we do not need to worry, and there are things we can to do to keep life and our responsibilities in perspective.

1. Pray ( that should go without saying)
2. Go to bed on time ( what is "on time"?)
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed
4. Here's the biggy for me, Say NO to projects that won't fit into your time schedule , or will compromise your mental health ( or proper priorities)
5. Delegate tasks to capable others ( I need to find some of those 'others')
6. Simplify and unclutter your life. (I am trying, I am trying!)

1. 

7. Less is more ( Although one is often not enough, two are often too many ) 8.Allow extra time to get things done and get to places. 9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time;don't lump the hard things all together. 10. Take one day at a time. 11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can't do anything about the situation, leave it in God's hands. 12. LIVE WITHIN YOUR BUDGET; DON'T USE CREDIT CARDS FOR ORDINARY PURCHASES 13. K.M.S. ( Keep Mouth Shut) This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble. 14. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line. 15. Get enough rest. 16. Get organized so everything has it's place. 17. Every day find time to be alone. and I think this goes with the next.... 18. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. 19. Make friends with Godly people. 20. Develop a forgiving attitude. 21. Be kind to unkind people ( they probably need it the most) 22. Sit on your pride. 23. Talk less, listen more. 24. Slow down. 25. REMIND YOURSELF YOU ARE NOT THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THE UNIVERSE! 26. Every night , think of at least one thing you are grateful for and thank God for it!

These are all pretty good suggestions and general enough I can find applicable to every area of my life in accordance to what scripture teaches me ..."Moreover, man does not know his time..." and "The words of the wise heard in quietness are better than weapons of war..." Ecclesiastes 9: 12, 17

Wagging Their Tails behind Them?

~"Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep and can't tell where to find them. Leave them alone and they'll come home, wagging their tails behind them." . "Do I look like Little Bo Peep to you? Goodness, such a fuss and ruckus about tails ? Who needs a tail anyway? I don't! " says Delilah.

~"Then up she took her little crook, determined to find them; She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed, for they'd left their tails behind them." Goth ( above ), ever proud of himself and knowing he is fully entitled to respect and admiration...says " I have a perfect tail! Short and covering a very important part of my anatomy. After all, who wants flies messing around in some very sensitive areas. They might lay eggs there and cause all sorts of distress that might distract me from pursuing my beloved ewes and ramming fences! I am perfectly pleased with my short tail!" ( he is looking a little pudgy here , I think) ~Here is a Jacob lamb with her tail still intact. There is a very tight rubber band on her tail, about 3 inches down from her spine, and it is cutting off circulation to the rest of her tail. It will wither and drop off. Sounds awful, but is necessary as far as I am concerned. " The tail in Jacobs is long, round and woolly reaching to the knees if un-docked.( you can see that this lamb's tail is even longer) Most people prefer to dock for the sake of cleanliness. Although Jacobs are fairly good at lifting their tails up, if they happen to get soiled--especially at lambing time or in the spring when the grass is lush and green-they can get heavy with dung tags. An owner would have to witness fly strike only once in their life to be convinced of the necessity of tail docking." Ingrid Painter JACOB SHEEP IN AMERICA

~" It happened one day, as Bo Peep did stray into a meadow hard by, there she espied their tails side by side, All hung on a tree to dry." Nursery Rhyme (above: lamb tails that have fallen off)

~Here is the posterior of Black Bart. He has a long tail. His tail has not been docked. The shearer needed to shear him to the end of his tail. Black Bart is an easy keeper and he says"My tail is quite beautiful, and I love the curls that grow out as my wool grows. Any cleanliness is your duty as a shepherdess to take care of. Just don't be expecting me to volunteer to stand still while you do that, or make it easy in any way for you to catch me!" You might have noticed I tend towards tail docking in my sheep. Like any other topic, this can be controversial and I have read up on this, and seen the sheep of people who feel strongly that a sheep should not have it's tail docked. I respect their right to do as they wish, but I will continue to dock the tails of my sheep because there are hot and awful summers when flies are pretty pesky and sheep have wool. Wool does not shed like hair on a dog's tail will. The woolly tails of sheep get woollier and manure clings like sticky tar to it. Flies LOVE this gunk. They spread the word and before you know it, you have a thriving fly community in a very unhappy sheep's tail! And that's my sheep tale about tails today. My sheep do have tails wagging behind them, but they are SMALL tails! Blessings: sheep, lambs, sunny spring days to watch lambs play