Gardening and Instant Results

I confess, I am not much of a gardener. Through the years I have done more maintainence of our yard with its basic clean up and cutting back - not really gardening. I don't really know much about how much light, water or type of food plants need. Except for rose and maybe two or three other names, I don't even know their names. (Would it be sacreligious to say that I really don't care either?)

Perhaps that's one reason why I married my husband...he's my total opposite in the area of gardening. While in Tahiti I saw him in full bloom, so to speak. We would enjoy romantic walks and he would point to and name every flower, shrub, tree and reptile we saw. I'm not kidding! Even the eels along the beach!

What I always have enjoyed about gardening (although I should call it "working in the yard") is seeing the instant results. After raking, trimming, prunning, sweeping, and watering (and that's just about all I do) it looks fantastic! The results are immediate! Granted, the buds and blossoms will take a while longer but after the time you put in, you see results.

Because in life, the times of seeing instant results are few and far between, I think I'll do more gardening.

I Saw A Baby Bird Fall Out of It's Nest

While sitting on the patio last night I heard quite a rustling in the tree. I observed the branches shaking wildly and then, "plop" - a creature was on the ground. So, I ran to get my phone (for the video, of course) and began taping it. (it's posted above)

There was a baby (well at least a very young) bird, wobbling around on the ground. He was very unstable, almost drunk-like. He struggled to even spread his wings and when he did they were so small they could not lift him so of course he did not fly. He looked absolutely horrified. Startled! Shocked! He did attempt sounds and managed to get out some sort of a meger alert.

His parent was quite the opposite! He or she was making this loud, consistant squalking noise. She was flying around the tree under which was her offspring. She watched, and squalked but never (at least while I could see) rescued her baby.
This went on for quite sometime. The baby staggering, tripping, falling, wandering in a foreign place. The mamma never being too far away, watching but not rescuing.

As I think back, I don't know if the baby fell from the nest, decided to step out of the nest on his own, or was pushed from the nest....

I guess this has special significance for me today because my baby turns 19 this week and I know he's not ready to fly alone yet. I also think that somewhere inside of me I know that this year he will face tripping, falling, and wandering in foreign places. I am resigned to watch him struggle to spread his wings and not to rescue him!

I pray that he realizes that I will be ever watchful and squalking out consistant, loud prayers, never too far away.

In a fog?

Fog is mysterious and maybe even creepy at times. It slithers across the landscape, making it's way over mountains and filling valleys, overcoming everything that stands before it. It's facinating to watch, even mesmerising.

Fog forms when the air becomes unable to hold anymore water vapor (becomes supersaturated) and so the vapor breaks out into tiny droplets, or fog. It is different from clouds in that it forms close to the ground whereas clouds are up in the atmosphere. As we all know, fog limits our visibility, I had forgotten tho' that it also distorts or muffles sound.

Fog has the uncanny ability to form suddenly and disappear just as quickly. It is thicker in low places and will form at night or near dawn. It doesn't stay long however, and will evaporate after sunrise, as the sun begins to warm things up from the top down. The thincker the fog, the longer it takes to dissipate tho'.

I have occasionally felt in a fog. My bet is, so have you. Rather than point out the analogy's, what is it that has spoken to you? (...things are beginning to clear up, hugh?)

Amazing Hummingbirds!

I am totally amazed by the smallest bird, the one with no sense of smell. You know, the one that can rotate it's wings in a circle, fly backwards, sideways, up and down AND can hover. The hummingbird!

Watching them is so fun. Their wings beating at 70ish beats per second, darting past you at what seems like light speed (really it's 20-30 mph), unless, of course the're playing their "dating game" (aka courtship dive)then they travel at true hummingbird light speed - 60 mph. This little guy's heart beats at over 1,000 beats a minute and although he has feet, they are very weak. Lastly, (even tho' I could totally bore you with more amazing facts about him), talk about brain power! The smallest bird has the biggest brain of all birds!

They are truly amazing, unique and beautiful creatures! Designed perfectly, no mistakes!

You too, are truly amazing, unique and a beautiful creature. Designed perfectly, no mistakes!

People and their pet pooch pouches

I am still amazed and somewhat disgusted to see people walking their dogs and carrying with them a plastic bag of said pooches poop. I've done it myself, but it still is quite disgusting. Think about it!

On the other hand, it is quite an endearing relationship.

In your life, who is it that knows your most disgusting stuff and is willing to hold it, protect you from it and discard it entirely? And then, do it again day after day...

When you stop paddling, you drift.

In a kayak, when you stop paddling you drift. You don't just stay where you stopped, you actually drift; move away from where you left off and often drastically. On a bike, when you stop peddling you will coast for a while and then either fall over or brace yourself before resuming peddling.

In your life, when you stop doing the things that you know will move you forward, stop exerting effort where it really matters, and quit applying yourself in the direction toward your goals you will drift off course. Don't expect to "take a break" and remain where you left off, for you will drift off course. When you look up from your inactivity you will find that you have drifted far away from your goal, from your values, from what matters.

Don't get tired of doing what is right.

Every animal has it's own sound. What's yours?

Birds churp and sing. Their flight is heard as their wings vibrate in the air. Dogs bark and whimper. Cats purr and meow. Squirrels scurry and squeek. Snakes hissssss. Fish splash and send waves oscillating. Even those seemingly silent animals make sounds. Ants, spiders, rollie pollies... Each sound unique, each sound part of the whole, each sound important in the sympony of life. What sounds come from you? What's YOUR song? What is your contribution? Your song is unique and needed to complete the full symphonic sound of this life and the life to come. Your voice is important and unique. Your contribution is valued. No one has your voice, your sound, your song.

When A Big Swell Comes

On the ocean, when a big swell comes at you, you can't see anything else. This wall of water approaches you and appears as if it will totally overwhelm you. For that moment, the wall is all you see. Nothing beyond the wall is visible, there is absolutely no line of sight. But you must hold your course and when you do, that overwhelming wall somehow flows under you and lifts you up instead.

Life is like that... there are overwhelming walls that come at us. They appear as though they will totally engulf us. During that time, nothing else seems to matter, we can see only that wall. We have tunnel vision and the other issues of life all but disappear in that overwhelming wall. On the water this moment of seeing only the wall is temporary and generally brief. But in life those times can last days, weeks, months and even years.

You must hold your course and keep your faith. That overwhelming wall WILL somehow flow under you. It WILL pass. You WILL rise above it. Your vision WILL be restored.