Sunrise, Sunset

One of these pictures was taken at 0046 and one was taken at 0252.

Can you tell which is which?

In between these two time periods,

the birds pause their songs,

the wind tousles the treetops,

the city lights twinkle...ever so slightly,

and the residents slumber.

Duke of Dogdem

I borrowed Duke from a co-worker to go on an excursionary walk. What delightful companionship once we got in stride with who was boss (definitely NOT him although he did make a valiant effort)
and where his place was (definitely NOT in front with my hyperextended arm and NOT under my feet).

Tethered to my side,
our feet running in sync,
enjoying a glorious day,
passing small goats in a yard,
sand pipers and gulls,
waterways, channels and falls,
a lagoon,
songbirds in chorus,
newly emerged leaves,
blue sky above,
Sleeping Lady shadowed in the distance,
waves lapping the shore,
interesting people,
myriads of pooches.

At our half way point,
we sat on a bench in silence,
his hot breath on my knee,
my hot hand on his head,
content with presence alone.
Pure delight!

The House of Muscovy OR Duck in a Dog House

This week, I have been house sitting for a friend who has a Muscovy pair of ducks. Here is the hen setting on a clutch of four, due to arrive tomorrow if all goes well! The drake knows that something is up with her and stays fairly close by, but it hasn't hampered his appetite. In fact, I shared some of my spinach leaves with them, putting some on the ground and some inside the dog house for her. After she got over the 'intruder alert' of my hand being so near her golden eggs, he helped himself up the ramp and gobbled her salad. I was a bit miffed, yet she seemed perfectly content to preen her feathers, rearrange the princess and the pea mattress beneath her, and settle back into contented maternal bliss. Note to self!!!

Kept in Stitches

Here is my most recent creation, a little clematis vine on muslin. 

This will become a little pillow cover for a two year old's birthday.

Her initials will be added just to the lower right.

To the Seventh Generation

While driving in to work this last week, I prayed fervently to GOD. Like Hannah, I have yearned for children and have asked GOD to bless me with little ones who will in turn become a blessing. On this particular morning, I said that perhaps when I had previously prayed for children I had not made myself specifically clear. Yes, He has answered by bringing many hundreds of children into my life to bless and be blessed and for which I am grateful, but I really longed for little ones that were my sole responsibility, my life's work, my occupation.

I will continue to be on my knees with a translator who will transform my wept, salty words into glorious heavenly petitions. Here are some verses while I prepare the nursery of my heart.

"Oh LORD,

 all my longing is before you;

 My sighing is not hidden from you.

 My heart throbs,

My strength fails me,

The light of my eyes has also gone out from me.

But for you do I wait.

 It is you Oh Lord my GOD who will answer."

(This posting is dedicated to all the longed for children,

and for the mothers whose hearts are longing)

Check the Wing Flaps!!

The past two weeks have been very challenging, and my weary factor has exponentially increased; not the weary in well-doing, but the weary one step in front of the other while trying to maintain balance sort of weariness. Fighting life's battle's weary. Keep on smiling, head up, chin up, sheer grit and determination weary. Surely you get the picture.

I was walking home from work and feeling that GOD's face was invisible. As tears welled up, I cried heavenward that I felt like Ishmael, close to the promise yet not the one designated to carry the promise, abandoned, unable to be cared for, somewhere UNDER a bush.

As soon as those words took off from my thoughts a childhood song flooded my soul, "Keep me Jesus as the apple of Thine eye; Hide me UNDER the shadow of Thy wing; Keep Thy hand upon me lest I die; Keep me Jesus as the apple of Thine eye."

I wasn't lying abandoned under a bush in the middle of nomad land; I was sheltered UNDER His wing.

Next time I feel insecure as to purpose and place, when I feel alone, when I wonder.....I will remember to peek through the wing flap and look up into GOD's face. I am near His heart.

"The nearness of GOD is my good." "A very present help in the time of trouble"

Meet Beatrix

Here is Penelope's daughter Beatrix!

I haven't seen her twin Bernard for a while.

Either he is off exploring his territory,

or the unpleasant alternative.

Come to think of it,

I haven't seen Penelope with this year's calves either.

And I even had the names picked out and the nursery decorated

with bark and boughs!

Baleen

This evening while walking home from work,

I felt like a baleen whale straining the air for airborne krill.........

otherwise known as gnats!

By the time I arrived home I hardly needed dinner,

just a few strawberries to balance out the protein.

Lovely!

The Faux Pas Cascade Effect

You have heard of the trickle down theory, or perhaps the snowball effect, but have you heard of the faux pas effect?

The other day I passed an older couple who was setting up a hotdog and beverage stand.. I greeted them and asked how their day was going to which he very enthusiastically smiled and said "We're doing GREAT".  Amused at his response I said "Thank You!"        Naturally!!

A few days later I was speaking with the most delightful lady who was suppose to be signing her name, but instead wrote down a word that I said. She laughed and pointed out her mistake but I merely responded that it was really nothing compared to my grand faux pas of all times. I told of the time I was praying intensely at work, answered the phone and said "Dear Heavenly Father".  She said 'Sometimes you just need to verbalize those prayers!

This is not the end of the story however! Read on.....

We went on talking about her baby's due date, chosen baby name, her maiden name and marriage details. As we were ending the conversation I mentioned how lovely it was to meet her and visit. She responed  "Love you too, baby"!

I merely smiled!

Counter Balance

It never fails.

When I am feeling overwhelmed by inadequacy at work due to anything that remotely might connect me to a flaw, whether perceived or actual, GOD sends in not just one, but several people who cheer me with kindness, pinpointed gratefulness, and obvious verbal compensation for the previous words ringing in my ears. GOD is so faithful to provide this, that I cannot think of a single time when He has not applied this salve to my soul.

Even though I feel so low on many days, I distinctly know that I represent a higher calling in my work place. I am not there for my benefit, other than to build character; rather, I am there as a light house to the sick and wounded in my community, to be a steadfast example of godliness and to do the very best in work performance.

I adore the people who walk through the doors.

 I value and appreciate my co-workers.

I choose to honour GOD.

Penelope Photo Shoot

There she is in all her glory,

enjoying warmer weather,

softer ground,

and a much tastier diet

after a winter of fiber!

And Then There Was Green!

During the last few days, the last vestige of snow melted away, taking with it all traces and effects of winter. In its place, leaf buds unfurled on the trees above and enmeshed the sky with verdant hues. The air, once silenced by snowfall, is adorned with bird song whose music dots the sky by day much as stars do by night.

SPRING HAS ARRIVED!!!

Loaded, But Not Weighed Down

Once again I am sitting in the airport, a-waiting a flight to ferry me between past and future concepts of home. My household goods are in limbo, in shipping crates awaiting some ferrying of their own until they reach their final destination of a new nesting spot.

At the end of this journey will still be the essence of me, my home, but in uncharted territory. I am so grateful that I can trust GOD to provide everything I need for every step of the way.

Sleep Studies

My sleep deprivation study is going quite well!

48 hours into it, I have discovered that:

There is a 100% survival rate.
There is an 85% functional rate.
There is a 60% clear communication rate.
There is a 45% comprehension rate.
There is a 25% multi-tasking ability.
There is a surprising lack of cognitive ability to discern that gum laden thoroughfares are NOT sleeping surfaces!!!

All in all, I am surprised at the midway results.

The Healing Balm of Joy

This week was Administrative Assistant's Week, where the typist, paper shuffler and phone intake person gets a card, perhaps flowers, a smile, and then back to work.

This week, I did not receive any of the above from my employer, mind you, I was too busy to notice who or what we were suppose to be celebrating that particular week. Instead, on Wednesday, one of my most cheerful, exhuberant, and ultimately enjoyable patients came in and dropped off a card, gave me a hug and left as deftly as she came. On the front was written Happy Admin Assist Day! It isn't often that customers give so much thought and consideration to a business.

When I read the card at lunch, the tears of sweet gratitude welled up. Here was someone I was not expecting, expressing detailed gratitude, on a day that I was feeling pangs of discouragement. Only GOD could have placed it on her heart to do this deed of kindness, and only GOD can mend the broken. So effective was the mending, that I do not even know the particular words that caused me to feel inadequate this week.

"He gave me beauty for ashes,

the oil of joy for mourning,

the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness,

that we might be called trees of righteousness,

 the planting of the Lord,

that He might be glorified."

Isaiah 61:3

Nesting or Nest Egg?

I have both nested and nest-egged, both serving their purpose and both having given pleasure and satisfaction whether by choice or circumstance. I am currently seated in an airport, awaiting a red eye flight to my former home state and the location of my stored household goods in order to bring them safely to my new northern nest that GOD has provided. GOD has graciously provided the means and I have been diligent to build this nest. Now, I am eager to make it a personal reflection of me, a haven for others and a blessing to GOD. This is a gift for my soul and a sweetness that I have anticipated for a very long time. SOLI DEO GLORIA!

GIVE OR TAKE

It is all a matter of perspective.....

This evening I returned the truck to its rightful owner and felt a twinge of sadness as I parted with something that was never mine to begin with.

The seat adjustment was mine.

The classical radio station was mine.

The temperature adjustment was set to my preferences.

And yet... it was still not my truck.

I walked home several miles and reflected upon this seeming loss,

when a new perspective crossed my mind:

I was given a great chance to get fresh air and exercise.

The sunset was storm clouds smattered across a flaming sky.

I was given some quiet and alone moments to sing to GOD.

I was given very marvelous scientific things to view and ponder.

I was given safety from many possible factors.

I was given this day, when the sun stays up so late, to return the vehicle.

The rain clouds withheld during my walk.

The presence of mad mama moose was withheld.

So, give or take, I am blessed by GOD's goodness!

"The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.

Blessed be the name of the Lord."

Job 1:21

A Cup of Smiles in a Swirl of Coffee

Sometimes the simplest gestures can mean so much.

This cup of coffee was given to me on a day that I needed some cheer.

Wouldn't you know, when I thanked her for such a sweet gift,

she said it was the first time she had made this design!

She made a second cup for a new mother who joined me

and topped hers with a very pretty feathery flower.

The third lady who joined us had her cup made by a different barista who gave her...

nothing but foam!

Illuminated by Truth

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."

Hauling Snow!

What a blessing!

One of my families has loaned me a truck temporarily!

I have been able to run my errands, visit families,

get to know my new home town a bit,

and have the ability to see sights that cannot be obtained on foot.

Grazie Mille!

Fondant and Filling

Recently, one of my little munchkins turned one, and I was asked by the mother to bake his cake. Although it turned out altered from the dream cake she sent as a sample, it is reasonably close!  Despite all of its imperfections and the hard work of learning how to use my very terrible oven (namely throwing out half the cakes), how to make and work with fondant (what decadence!), and how to put everything together, it was a labour of love and ulitimately rewarding in the end. The top cake is banana with custard and fresh banana filling, while the bottom cake is lemon with a lemon cream filling. I did not eat either!

The Imprint of My Expression

Leaving your mark on life is something we all long to do, We want to be liked, memorable, adored, and missed in our absence.

My hope is that as I go through my day, driving through each of life's moments, that I will be an empty vessel used by GOD to do my business and leave the impressions of my actions up to GOD. I relinquish the knowledge of any good I may do and instead live a life pleasing to GOD, with my focus on Him.

The Freedom of a Great Surrounding

A little bird I am,

Shut from the fields of air;

And in my cage I sit and sing

To Him who place me there;

Well pleased a prisoner to be,

Because, my God, it pleases Thee.

My cage confines me round;

Abroad I cannot fly;

But though my wing is closely bound,

My heart's at liberty.

My prison walls can not control

The flight, the freedom of my soul.

Oh, it is good to soar

These bolts and bars above,

To Him whose purpose I adore,

Whose providence I love:

And in thy mighty will to find

The joy, the freedom of the mind.

By Madame Guyon

Waking From Winter

It has been a long time since I have written, not due to any hibernation factors, but rather to the adjustments life brings and the business that ensues.
-I have changed employment and have worked long enough to know just how much I do not know about this office, yet GOD has instilled in me a desire to always do right and to labour well. Above all else, my time here on the frozen tundra is GOD's work as I step Heavenward.
-The winter has been breathtaking. Every snowfall is unique and beautiful, much like the snowflakes of which it is composed. The play of light and shadows from the sun, moon, mountains and trees is like a flowing live tapestry that changes as the earth revolves. Not a day goes by that I am not overwhelmingly amazed at how GOD has designed every detail to work so scientifically precise. He sure did a good job!
-The moose have been delightful to see here and there, hunkered down and munching on their fill of fiber; perhaps we should take note!
-GOD has blessed me abundantly. The road is not smooth or easy but His presence is strengthening and what He teaches me is encouraging. My vision of looking to Him first in all things is improving, but the many times where my eyes falter and discouragement washes over lets me know that I will be working on this quality all my days. Again, I reference my moments with children when they ask for 'help, please' and the pleasure I get from being near to help them in their moment of need. I never tire of it; I never think less of them. I adore the time together and kiss their foreheads. If I as a finite creature can feel this emotion, then how much more can the Infinite Creator feel, He Who created me and these emotions.

Wisdom of Babes

The past two evenings, I took care of a beefsteak of a toddler while his parents and brother went cross-country skiing. We were mutually delighted for my arrival after two weeks of holidays apart and he was chivalrous enough to unbutton my coat and pull it off...all the way off to ensure my continued stay! It was a very sweet welcome followed by a tour of his recently acquired Christmas gifts, one of which was a large dumptruck with buttons that say brm brrm! Who wouldn't love that!

Last night was a slightly different story. I rode home with his mother and him from their first day back to work and early learning center after these last two weeks of uninterrupted family time. After getting out of the car, he ran into my arms, expressing the same delight to see me, and again wanted my coat off! His parents slipped out quickly to get to the trails. After a few moments of getting dinner ready and sitting up to the table, he realized that we were alone and that his beloved DaDa was not present. He wanted me to hold him, take him to the door and see if the truck was indeed gone. He pointed to the refridgerator door at the new family Christmas photo. He pointed to DaDa and looked at me trying to make sure I really understood what he was wanting. He was completely inconsoleable, heart broken and sorrowful. Nothing I could do helped take the place of DaDa. The dumptruck no longer held appeal, my police flashlight was no longer nifty, the myriad of his brother's electronic gadgets lost their magic. There was nothing left but holding him, talking about his DaDa and reassuring him that his DaDa would return soon. He finally fell asleep in my arms, standing at the front window as we watched and waited.

GOD gave me another glimpse of heaven while I held this dear sleeping child. My heart has of late been in anguish for needful things, longings, unmet desires of husband, children, home, garden, kitchen, sense of belonging, genuine self-less love, kindness. But all these things are dumptrucks and flashlights in comparison to GOD's presence. As I saw this little one lean his head on the door crying for his DaDa, I realized that I do not lean my head on heaven's door for GOD as much as I lean on it asking for comfort here and now while I await His return.

This morning, the longings remain and will be a battle throughout my days, but I need to remember the greatness of GOD and put that truth into perspective. Corrie Ten Boom wisely said, "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known GOD."

Blue Moon December 31, 2009

This picture is from the KTUU website, but I actually was able to see the moon with my own eyes.

It was breathtaking and stopped me in my tracks for several minutes.

Words to live by

Theodore Roosevelt had these great things to say. They need no introduction or explanation.

• Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.
• Courtesy is as much a mark of a gentleman as courage.
• If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month.
• I care not what others think of what I do, but I care very much about what I think of what I do! That is character!
• It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things.
• Never throughout history has a man who lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering.
• People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader leads, and the boss drives.
• The best executive is one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.
• The boy who is going to make a great man must not make up his mind merely to overcome a thousand obstacles, but to win in spite of a thousand repulses and defeats.
• The one thing I want to leave my children is an honorable name. 
• The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything.
• The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life.
• To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.
• We need the iron qualities that go with true manhood. We need the positive virtues of resolution, of courage, of indomitable will, of power to do without shrinking the rough work that must always be done.
• When you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, 'Certainly I can!' Then get busy and find out how to do it.
• With self-discipline most anything is possible. Big jobs usually go to the men who prove their ability to outgrow small ones.
• Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat. 

20/20 Vision

My vision needs to be corrected. I have been wearing this prescription and set of contacts past their appointed time due to budget and insurance complications. Everything I view through these imperfect lenses is skewed to the degree of the incorrection. In contrast, when I have the proper prescription, I am able to filter my surroundings through the correction necessary to make accurate vision.

While listening to one of my favourite hymn CD's this morning and subsequently one of my favourite songs, I realized that there is yet another set of eyes that have imperfect vision, that is the 'eyes of my heart'. Over the past few weeks of stress and changes, I can see that my focus has been on both mine and others' short-comings, frustrations, what the Lord requires of me, duties etc. I do acknowledge GOD and choose to serve His will and purpose, but after listening to the words of Be Thou My Vision, I  clearly saw that I was seeing my circumstances and then looking to GOD rather than the other way around. If I want to see things as GOD sees them, then I do need His vision to filter through the rubble of life.
This hymn has always been my prayer. I renew it here today.

Ancient Irish hymn, possibly from the 8th Century, tr. by Mary E. Byrne

1. Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;

Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.

Thou my best thought, by day or by night,

Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

2. Be Thou my Wisdom, Thou my true Word;

I ever with Thee, Thou with me, Lord;

Thou my great Father, I thy true son;

Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

3. Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for my fight,

Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight.

Thou my soul's shelter, Thou my high tower.

Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

4. Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,

Thou mine inheritance, now and always:

Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,

High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

5. High King of heaven, my victory won,

May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heav'ns Son!

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,

Still be my vision, O ruler of all.

The Art of Expression, OR, The Expression of Art

My sister created these beautiful drawings over the past few days.

If she added a third dimension,

I am sure they could walk or fly!

A Mouflon ram named M1Abrams

A Gemsbok named Louis

A Cedar Waxwing named Amber

A Rhino named Montgomery

Starting the year in Praise

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
The King of creation

O my soul, praise Him

For He is thy health and salvation

All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near

Praise Him in glad adoration

Praise to the Lord

Who o'er all things so wonderfully reigneth

Shelters thee under His wings

Yea, so gladly sustaineth

Hast thou not seen how thy desires e'er have been

Granted in what He ordaineth

Praise to the Lord

Who doth prosper thy work and defend thee

Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee

Ponder anew what the Almighty can do

If with His love He befriend thee

Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him

All that hath life and breath

Come now with praises before Him

Let the 'amen' sound from His people again

Gladly for aye we adore Him