After a very s tress full couple of weeks at home, my honey and I are finally taking a vacation to visit family. We all rented a lakeside cabin close to another family member. I was one of the first two awake in the house, and I couldn’t resist going out back to spend a moment in nature with my creator. And take some pictures of the beauty I saw.
It was fairly silent at first, but soon nature began to wake also. A squirrel began jumping from branch to branch and tree to tree. Two little Jack rabbits came out from the bulrushes to check me out and then continue on their way across the yard. an unknown species of bird perched on a post in the water and began chittering. I watched a flock of geese disturb the glassy water to take off and then listened to their honking as they glided effortlessly just above the water. There was a smoky mist gliding over the water to my left, and the homes across the lake to the right were crisply reflected in the water. I even glanced at the perfect moment to see a fish jump out of the water, and then enjoyed watching the circular ripples expand out until they were no more.
It wasn’t until I found myself waving away mosquitos that I thought I should go back in the house to start the coffee pot and get a bite to eat. I thanked my heavenly father for the incredible beauty and for loving us enough to make such a beautiful world to live in, and then headed indoors.
Mornings like this fill my soul with peace and a deep abiding contentment, that can last for days. I hope you have something like that, something to brings that deep abiding contentment to your soul. If not, I encourage you to search for that thing, or create something that does. hope you have an awesome day.
Statler is a mouse hunting machine! With summer weather, we eat dinner on our back porch regularly, and have started letting the cats out with us. The first night out, our black cat, Statler, slowly made his way out to the vole holes in the lawn, and crouched. There he patiently waited for about 10 minutes. In a flash he pounced and threw something into the air. He had caught a mouse that was now using the defunct tunnels! He quickly brought it back to the porch where we were, and played with it until it stopped moving. We then made sure it was dead and disposed of it.
It was amazing to watch his hunting instincts kick in so quickly! We weren’t sure since the boys have been inside cats for almost two years. what an amazing miracle to watch. And it was repeated the next night also!
A few days later, Waldo decided to prance out to his brother and try to “help”. He was not stealthy, or slow, but awkward and quick. We think he would be more of a bird cat. He lives playing with a feather toy on a long stick. He also seemed to want to patrol the perimeter of the yard. It was interesting to watch.
Watching animals of all kinds make me praise our Creator, God. It is amazing, and humbling. But, it makes me feel… significant. Because I am also one of His miraculous creations. I hope you have one of those moments in the near future. A moment of feeling significant.
Saw this herd of elk about a mile from our house. Rare, but not totally unexpected. Everyone was pulling over to take pictures and just sit and watch them. A welcome break from the commute hours rush. I felt so at peace looking at them. I hope you do too.
Each morning I wake up. The sun has illuminated the sky from behind the horizon. It will rise soon, an hour earlier (according to timekeeping devices only) starting tomorrow (yuck!) . I lay in bed and thank Yahuah/Yahweh/the LORD/the Creator, that I am alive and have another day to bring joy to him, to hopefully make a difference in the lives I come into contact with throughout the day. I pet the cats, get dressed, fill water bottles for the day, read the newspaper comics section while I eat, then start my day.
Pandemic or no, life has continued with minor changes. I wake up, I do what I do, I go to bed, and start the process the next day after (hopefully) a good night of sleep. My hair continues to get grayer… and thinner… and straighter. I continue to have days when I am happy with my hair, and days when I think it looks old, I should do something different. I just don’t have the mental energy to find a new look, or figure out how to get my old look with new hair. Or, maybe it’s not lack of energy, but a lack of motivation? After all, working in our dusty garage organizing, or out in the garden, my long hair is usually pulled up and out of my face and off my neck for comfort. It’s rare that I have an occasion to look nice. But then, I feel bad that my husband has to see the grungy or freshly showered with wet hair me when he gets home every night. Last night I used a lot of hairspray and curled my tresses for him.
Our grandchildren continued to grow and mature during these unprecedented times too. Yikes! Our oldest is almost my full 5’8” height at 13 years old! What a strange feeling. I don’t remember feeling that weird when our son passed my height. Didn’t have to with our daughter, she is a couple inches shorter than I am. Will they all pass me up in height? Maybe just my sons two oldest? Genetics fascinate me.
Plants continued to grow this year too. Voles continued to create dirt mounds in the lawn area. They even decided to eat the roots of one of my young apple trees this winter. Sad, but true. I found it laying on the ground after some wind. I know it wasn’t the wind, because it wasn’t uprooted, and there were the tell tale mounds of dirt at the base of the tree. Yah willing, they won’t get find the other three tree’s roots as tasty. Maybe I should plant insects in the ground for them so they leave the plants alone. Sigh.
Babies were born last year and are now crawling or walking, eating mush and gooing and cooing to imitate talk. Just like in the past. Cars racked up miles as they were driven. Just like in the past. Businesses stayed open, some closed, some new ones opened. Just like in the past. Trees produced flowers, then pollen (gesundheit!), then leaves, provided shade, the leaves turned colors then fell to the earth. Just like in the past.
Time has passed, and continues to pass. At my age, 55, it sometimes seems to be an alarming rate. I almost feel like 2020 didn’t really happen, but all the signs show it did. Yes, many things changed, masks were worn, telecommuting become common for way more people, less people traveled, etc. But, time continued, each day happened, the changes were just a little more dramatic than we are used to.
I want to be sure not to let the things that did change be my focus. The details of life are always in flux, changing from day to day. Governments change, ways of life change, people change. But, time continues to pass, life continues. As humans, we need hope, something to look forward to. I can be sad because I can’t travel to where part of my family is, or I can be thankful for video calls with said family. I can be angry with governmental changes I don’t agree with, or I can be thankful I don’t live in a war torn nation in Africa. I can be bummed that food prices seem to have doubled overnight, or be thankful I have food and pray for those who don’t. It’s all about perspective.
A card I recently bought.
I wish for this world, an attitude of gratitude. That people could learn to be content with life, with the sun rising and setting each day. To be able to look past the struggle and find something, no matter how small, to be thankful for. Maybe if we all practiced this, this world would be a better place. Maybe.
An Ordinary Life 