Tag Archives: nature

Personal Journey

6 Sep

A Life to Live

Melody Hendrix

Not everyone will understand your journey… that’s fine…It’s not their journey to make sense of…. It’s your.  Zero Dean

Everyone is on their own personal journey, seeking their own truth. Sometimes we take things too personal. I have found that in order to really grow, as a soul, you have to come to an understanding that no matter what someone else has done to you, no matter who you wish them to be, people are who they are. The less you expect of them, the less you can be hurt by them. Melanie Koulouris

Never forget where you’ve been. Never lose sight of where you are going, and never take for granted the people who travel the journey with you. Susan Gale

It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end. Ernest Hemingway

Melody beach

 

 

I am retired and enjoying life. My hobbies are my 5 grandchildren, son and daughter, and my loving husband. I am a photographer and extreme nature lover. I love spending time in my garden or in the wilderness connected to God my Creator.
Melody

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Hummy Hummingbird

25 Aug

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

My husband and I spent a few days this past week in Raleigh, North Carolina visiting family and eating way too much good food. Since we returned home, I have been busy catching up as well as wandering aimlessly.  Fortunately, our guest blogger, Patricia Franklin  sent a story that I am posting today. I feel better missing my posting day if I can share something good. Enjoy- Onisha

Patricia Franklin

A Few Thoughts

 

I just had a quick story to tell you.  We got home last night and I noticed the hummingbird feeder was out of juice.  I wasn’t going to put any more out, as it draws the hornets and they fight with the hummingbird to get it.  Also, it is getting to the end of the season.  But, I was standing at the patio door this morning, about 6 feet away from the feeder, which hangs right in front of my window over the sink.  Little Hummy came up to the patio window and buzzed around several times right in front of my face.  I was a little startled and thought “Is she trying to tell me something?”  I went about my work in the kitchen and went over to the sink to start the dishes.  She came flying over and was buzzing around the feeder.  I watched her and suddenly she came up to the window over the sink and flew around in front of my face again.  I said to myself, “She really does know where the food comes from, and is telling me she is hungry.”  There are fewer flowers around now, so she is looking for food. Guess she does not mind fighting with the hornets.  I sit outside frequently in my chair next to the feeder, and I know she keeps an eye on it because occasionally another hummingbird will come, and she is immediately there to chase it away.  So I made up some juice and hung it out there. She has been back about six times already today.

 

Hummingbird

 

I loved this story. I do believe that hummingbirds communicate with us humans. We have had them fly from the feeder to hover in front of us as though saying “thank you.” One summer my husband put his camera on the tripod and took some great photos we treasure. Here is one of them-Onisha

 

DSC_1203

 

Do you have any hummingbird stories or photos?  If so, it would be fun if you shared them in comments.

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More Baby Animals in our Back Yard

18 Jul

My Take

DiVoran Lites

 

Squirell upside down

 

The next morning, sitting on the porch with coffee, I see a young squirrel crawl along a power line. I’ve never seen one traveling upside down before, I figure he’s trying to catch up with his playmates who zing over trees and over the heavy black lines as if they were running through air. This small one must have slipped off the top of the line and is now clinging to the bottom looking at the sky. He tries to get back on top, but the lines separate throwing him back into his awkward position. He stops and looks up. Surely he is asking God what to do next. I wouldn’t like to see him fall the twelve feet or so, and I join him in his prayer. He crawls for a second then stops to ponder again. I go closer without opening the screen door so I can see him better, but by the time I get to the screen he’s already greeting his pal on the pole.

Rabbit

 

Again, I looked up from my writing and there was the baby bunny I met on the trail a few days ago. (Not really, I’m sure it was a different one.) A larger one came too, probably a sibling. They came from the Diceranda Sanctuary behind our house. The sun through their ears, makes them resemble pink stained glass. Of course the bunnies are looking for something good to eat. Most of what we have is Spider Plant, Mexican Heather, and Purple Queen, as well as pesticide-free grass and our Azalea bush.

 

Pink azelea
Spider Plant courtesy of wikipedia
Mexican Heather
Purple Queen

To farmers the eating habits of rabbits can be devastating, but I wished they’d find something they liked so they would return. When I look up again they’ve gone to the easement. Tomorrow, I’ll bring my binoculars so I can see the critters closer up. You think you know their habits, but they can always surprise you if you watch. I saw a cardinal eat an azalea once. Did you know cardinals ate azalea petals? I didn’t. In season our big bush has so many flowers I’d be hard pressed to know which ones he has consumed.

 

 

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Nature Deficit Disorder

28 Jun

A Life to Live

Melody Hendrix

Many children today have little contact with the natural world.The average 8 to 10 year-old spends nearly eight hours a day with a variety of different media, and older children and teenagers spend more than 11 hours per day.” Television, long a popular “babysitter,” remains the dominant medium, but computers, tablets and cellphones are gradually taking over. Many come to view the real world as fake.
Electronics plays a role in the rising rates of childhood obesity, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), depression, and other social, physical and developmental issues. It’s about the future — not just for young people but for the entire planet. “If we raise a generation of kids whose activities are all indoors, they’ll never develop a relationship with the environment — they’ll see no reason to care. Connecting kids to the out of doors in a way that makes them realize, ‘this is fun, this is a place I want to be’ — that’s going to create a generation of environmental stewards.”
We must teach our children how to connect with nature and care about earth. Let them get dirty, really dirty. Electronics are good, but not when they never have a chance to connect with nature and God our Creator, their senses will never be awaken by the abundant life surrounding them. They will never wander longingly through the forest in search of mystery. They will never experience peace, beauty and gentleness that comes from that which God has made for our pleasure. This image of my granddaughter, was taken at Lukas Nursery’s butterfly conservatory in Oviedo. It’s a wonderful place to give your kids a camera and let them touch nature and take pictures of flowers and butterflies. Go in the gift shop and buy a little butterfly house and raise some butterflies. They will tell you how. It’s a beautiful world. Let’s wake up everyday and be thankful for it and find a way to share it with our children.

Kayla butterflies

 
I am retired and enjoying life. My hobbies are my 5 grandchildren, son and daughter, and my loving husband. I am a photographer and extreme nature lover. I love spending time in my garden or in the wilderness connected to God my Creator.

Melody

 

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Sacred Geometry

7 Jun

A Life to Live

Melody Hendrix

The chambered Nautilus Shell (this one cut in half) has an ancient science in its design called the Golden ratio or golden mean spiral. You see this in many gorgeous forms of art and nature. The eye is drawn to its mesmerizing lure. Geometry is sacred. It is sacred because God used beautiful mathematics in creating the world, our universe and everything in it.
Albert Einstein wrote “The more I study science, the more I believe in God”.
Nautilus
I am retired and enjoying life. My hobbies are my 5 grandchildren, son and daughter, and my loving husband. I am a photographer and extreme nature lover. I love spending time in my garden or in the wilderness connected to God my Creator.
Melody

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Smile

31 May

A Life to Live

Melody Hendrix

Isn’t it amazing what a smile can do. Here are just some the wonderful reasons to smile everyday. Lowers stress and anxiety. Releases endorphin’s. Makes you more attractive. Strengthens your immune system. Decreases pain. Brings joy and zest to life. Make someone’s day today.

Smile
Melody
I am retired and enjoying life. My hobbies are my 5 grandchildren, son and daughter, and my loving husband. I am a photographer and extreme nature lover. I love spending time in my garden or in the wilderness connected to God my Creator.

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Image

Be Soft

10 May

be soft

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There’s a Squirrel in the House!

30 Aug

Judy is on a blogging break and I’m enjoying going through Judy’s older post and choosing favorites to share. I hope you enjoy this one. I did-Onisha

Sunday Memories

Judy Willis

JUDY

I love to watch squirrels.  They are such fun to see – digging in the grass for buried treasures; chasing each other around the tree; sitting on their haunches, tail up and curled, eating some delightful morsel….

For some time, I had been feeding pecans to the squirrels in the back yard.  I would stand in the doorway and place the pecan closer and closer to my foot, just to see how close they would come to me.

Why is the dog, Maxie, running through the house?  Is she chasing something?  Then why isn’t she barking?  As I looked down over the bannister….who/what belonged to that gray tail?  Then I understood, and….FRED!  THERE’S A SQUIRREL IN THE HOUSE!!

As Fred ran to get a broom, I ran down the stairs and grabbed Maxie.  I took her to the front door and opened it and the screen door.  I crouched down, holding her wiggling body by her collar, next to me.  Fred ran into the living room.  Then I heard him scream a word that I had never heard him say before!

Next thing I know, the squirrel is racing for the open door.  And I just let go of Maxie and let her chase that squirrel to her heart’s content!  She didn’t catch it, of course, but not for lack of trying.

Seems the squirrel had jumped up on top of one of the picture frames over the couch.  As Fred swung the broom at it – it jumped at his face!  Hence the “word.”  But he was after that squirrel as fast as possible.

From then on, any time Maxie saw a squirrel outside the house, she went crazy, trying to get to it.  She never barked, but boy! did she race back and forth in front of the windows.

I shall never feed a pecan to a squirrel again!

John 10:10

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Lizard Revenge

8 Jun

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Author, Poet and Artist

Cat catches lizard.

Lizard catches cat

Green anole

Fur in mouth!

Green anole

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Texas Bluebonnets

15 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

                                                    

                                    

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Some of my family is from Texas – actually my brother and I were born in Dallas, but moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico when we were small children. But my mother’s mother (Granny) and her oldest daughter, Jessie, lived in San Antonio for many years.

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Consequently, I had known about the Texas Bluebonnets for longer than I really knew what they were.

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Even though Fred and I lived in Fort Worth for many years, it wasn’t until we moved to San Antonio that I really knew about the Texas Bluebonnets. And they are AMAZING! They have been adopted as the state flower of Texas.

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On the internet I found this: As historian Jack Maguire so aptly wrote, “It’s not only the state flower but also a kind of floral trademark almost as well known to outsiders as cowboy boots and the Stetson hat.” He goes on to affirm that “The bluebonnet is to Texas what the shamrock is to Ireland, the cherry blossom to Japan, the lily to France, the rose to England and the tulip to Holland.”  Well said.

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When Springtime comes to Texas – from the Dallas/Fort Worth area down to the Corpus Christi area – the Bluebonnets are in full bloom, from late March to mid-April. They are the most dainty, beautiful flower, and we’ve see just fields and fields of them – like a blanket of blue in some cases. I’ve been sent many pictures of them via e-mail through the years, and have enjoyed seeing them all.

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There is even one of Bluebonnets in the snow! Must have been a late storm – although Dallas/Fort Worth can have abundant snow in early Spring.

When we moved from San Antonio to Florida, I took some Bluebonnet seeds with me and planted them, hoping for some lovely spring flowers to remind me of Texas. No such luck! As I’ve just gleaned from google, they must be planted in the fall and have to have the wind, rain, and cold weather to make them leap forth in the Spring. And the panhandle of Florida just doesn’t have that kind of winter weather. Shucks! Oh well, I then planted strawberry plants and they did very well.

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But the Texas Bluebonnet is a source of great pride for Texas – as if they needed something else! And they are just a beautiful side of Texas that most don’t know about. I think a lot of people think of Texas as dusty, flat, and unimaginative. But it is full of great differences, including some of the most beautiful flowers in God’s creation.

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                       I’m just so glad I was able to see them, and enjoy their beauty.

 

For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.

 

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