Not Even Winter Yet

The winter solstice, the first day of winter, is December 21. That’s a week away. Yesterday we got another four inches of snow, bringing our total close to two feet for the month. And the temps are down into negative numbers. Very much like February, not early December.

So, as I sat on my sofa, enjoying my living room Christmas tree, I snapped shots of the birds at the feeders in the falling snow and thought I would share them with you.

I made sure the feeders were filled before this latest snow came, knowing how spoiled they have become for easy food options. The upper feeder holds suet filled with seeds for energy and needed for warmth.

Since this feeder got low, I had to shovel a path this morning to refill it.

This morning, with the sun shining, it was a beautiful day despite the -1 degree temperature. The mourning doves fluff their feathers for warmth in the sun as they wait their turn to feed.

The red-breasted woodpecker is a favorite and one of the larger birds that visit the suet feeders. The mourning doves prefer the platform feeder.

Tomorrow, the temps will rise to normal December levels, and hopefully, this snow and cold will not be the norm for this year.

As we approach the Christmas season, remember the value of kindness and share it often.

25 Years Ago

In the summer of 2000, a friend of mine and I took up the new hobby of painting miniature plaster houses to create our own Christmas village. We thought that by Thanksgiving, we could have about five or six houses complete…yeah, 50 houses later, we were way over of our goal.

For the first few years, I gave some away, but then I saw others I liked and bought new ones. Today, of the plaster houses that I painted, I have 41. I have purchased a few that were already complete, that were totally different from what I had, like the observatory for stargazing, a large cathedral, and two different covered bridges.

I will share a few pictures of my favorites, plus the ski mountain I created out of Styrofoam, which includes the abominable snowman, Bumble from the Rudolph movie. If this interests you, I hope you enjoy it.

We will start off with the Christmas Ski Mountain, complete with skiers and snowboarding bears.

Some of the buildings I painted had details and character that made me smile.

Joe’s Burger Shack is shaped like a hamburger

This group of buildings reminds me of my dad, as he was a lawyer. Conveniently, the lawyer’s office is next door to the police station and across the street from City Hall.

Library, Fire Station, and Post Office are at the top of the hill above the Salvation Army toy drive

Out of view is the firetruck that I got on our trip to New York. There are several vehicles I picked up on our travels, like the NYFD fire truck, the San Francisco streetcar, and pickup trucks from the Coca-Cola store in Las Vegas.

Moose Lodge, complete with a pair of moose

There are several homes of various styles, along with shops such as department stores, a toy store, a clock shop, a candle store, and more. I have several styles of churches besides the large cathedral. A fun house to paint was the rock house, and up the hill from it, some children decorate a Christmas tree while others are having a snowball fight.

And of course, every Christmas town needs at least one gas station and one Christmas tree farm.

As we enjoy the fun and festiveness of the season, let us always remember that holidays can be very hard for some. So share an extra smile, a friendly hand, and lots of kindness.

Winter Has Arrived

Hello friends. It has been a while since I posted, but I wanted to share my winter wonderland photos. Many of us living in the Upper Midwest are being hammered by snow. Current totals are over 8 inches with another 3-4 expected. In preparation for the coming storm, I overloaded the bird feeder, which they fully appreciated. Most of these pictures came from this morning, when we only had about 5 inches. I hope you enjoy.

The outdoor tree was planted about 10 years ago. It’s finally big enough to decorate; its lights are hidden under the snow.

There is a large platform feeder, and on the pole is the suet they need for colder weather.

The larger red-breasted woodpecker came by, too, but he refused to let me take his picture.

The cardinals are always beautiful when it’s snowing. Their bright red stands out nicely. Most bird pics were taken from inside, so you get a glimpse of my Christmas decor.

Daisy is not so sure she cares for the snow.

Always remember to share kindness wherever you go. It can easily spread to others.

Memories

Sometimes, it’s our memories that help us move forward in life. The memories of love shared with family, the memories of fun and eventful experiences, and even the difficult events we encounter give us memories.

I want to share a memory of my family before we’re all gone. Of my original family, we are now down to 2. Below is a picture of the last time we were all together at my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. You can see the small children up front – they are now married with children. A picture of a wonderful memory.

Some memory makers are items that belong to those we love. My mother and I are big collectors of trinkets. Many of her trinkets were Hummel figurines; my trinkets are various animals, including both land and water animals. I even have a Christmas tree that features many animals from the ocean. Below are pictures of a few of my animal trinkets. Elephants have always been special to me, thanks to a memory of a favorite red stuffed elephant that my grandmother gave to me when I was very young.

My animal trinkets even get into my planters for the living room.

Last year, I lost my brother to ALS. The second sibling lost to that horrid disease. My brother’s disease was attributed to dementia, evidently a common occurrence. Today, I received a package from his partner that contained a trinket of my mother’s that my brother had taken when she died because of what it meant to her. I don’t remember much of why it was important, but it stayed prominently on her shelf in the living room. I do remember its name, “Bluto”, because one of the children could not say Pluto. I think it was my oldest sister, but I am not sure.

This is Mickey Mouse’s dog, Pluto.

You can see he is now on the shelf with the rabbits, foxes, and bears. Some of the rabbits and other dogs are in miniature form.

We all have things that remind us of wonderful memories. May they always be fun and loving memories that show the world can always be kind if it will just try.

Shades of Yellow

For the past several years, I have enjoyed the grand size and beauty of sunflowers. However, this year, due to medical concerns and knee replacement surgery, my gardening was scaled back significantly. But the birds disagreed with my decision and scattered seed from their feeder in various places in the yard.

With my daughter taking care of the yard, nature moved faster than she did. But I have thoroughly enjoyed nature’s course until a storm came through, knocking the tall majestic plants to the ground. Since they had not fully matured and bloomed, I had my daughter lean them against the fence, hoping they would continue to bloom…and they did.

To me, the sunflower is a wonderful example of resilience in the face of storms and continued proof of God’s intricate design through all of creation. As we look at the single bloom, we see a happy flower sharing its gifts not only to us, but also to the bees and the many goldfinches that seem to love these flowers.

When you look closely, you will see that the sunflower is filled with tiny florets, each with a pollen-filled stamen.

As the bees move across the flower, they pollinate the individual florets, creating the sunflower seeds that the goldfinches love.

So, as you watch the beauty of nature, remember God’s plan for you is just as intricate as it is for a simple flower, a bee, or a bird, and remember to always be kind.

Spring…Finally

I saw today that some of the upper passes in Colorado had snow. I think we are finally done with winter here in the Midwest, even though it is going down in the low 50s for Easter morning.

So I am going to share some of the early color in my yard…for now. I am just getting started. I can’t help but smile when I start seeing trees bud and the early bulbs pop through to share their beauty. Even though my allergies take a hit, I love spring.

My yellow daffodil varieties are usually the first to show their pretty faces. Then the doubled white daffodils come in with the tulips. Most of my tulips have not opened yet, so I still get that smile to come.

I put in some early perennials that I hope return each year.

I have become interested in English daisies since we saw them already blooming when we went to England in February.

This next group I have heard of but never have planted them. The nemesia is a pot of mixed colors.

These last two are from my church. When we did some major cleaning of overgrown shrubs around the courtyard, we found a small azalea trying its best to survive. And now it looks great. Then last summer, a storm took down one of our large oak trees, so we made a planter out of it.

We planted some perennials in the rotting trunk, hoping they will grow and cascade over the sides.

I hope you are enjoying your spring. Let the smiling faces of the flowers help you smile, and as always, remember to be kind. Kindness creates smiles inside as well as outside.

The Tower of London

The Tower of London is a structure of beauty, power, intrigue, and horror. It was built by King William I, better know as William the Conqueror, in the 1070’s after his coronation. He was nervous concerning possible rebellion and built the fortress as a protection and to prove his power. It took 20 years to build and has other structures of interest inside of it. The inner wall has 13 towers of protection while originally the outer wall was a moat filled by the Thames River. The moat was drained in 1843. I learned a lot here but mostly that the Tower of London is not a single building. Here is a picture of today’s map to give you an idea of it huge size.

The heart of this facility of course is the White Tower, Britain’s most famous castle.

Inside the castle is the unique Romanesque chapel, Chapel of St. Joh the Evangelist. The stairs were too much for me so my daughter took some pictures for me.

And of course the most intriguing part is, this is where the Crown Jewels are still kept. And no, we were no allowed to photograph them but I promise they were amazing.

Another interesting thing was the Royal Beast. For those who know what an animal lover I am, this was amazing, not because of the animals that are no longer there but the artists creations of these beast out of wire mesh. This evidently was the first zoo, ever, as animals from different parts of the world were given to the King as gifts from their country. Of course my favorite was the elephant – amazing life size artwork.

Other life size animals were bears, lions and an array for different monkeys.

There are still living creatures around the fortress and are well cared for…and they are noisy. Ravens. Plus they are all named.

There is a long standing legend that states that the Tower and the Kingdom will fall if the ravens were to leave. Now I am familiar with black crows and their size but these birds are huge.

Legends aside…the Yeoman Warders are the true protectors of this amazing place. They have been there since 1337. Today men and women are recruited for the Armed Forces taking on a royal oath of protection.

Another form of protection were massive cannons. This one in particular seem to have more bling that most cannon should.

Below are some of the more interesting building starting first with the main entrance.

Going through this beautiful facility, I was reminded how history can be beautiful, powerful and insanely cruel. I am reminded of how if we could all learn to be honest, kind, and caring for one another to one another, what a difference it may make in the whole world.

Amazing Adventure

Our trip to England, Scotland and Ireland was unbelievable. I have shared with you a portion of day 2 of London and those are only 1/4 of the site we saw…on day 2. For the entire trip I took over 600 photos and trying to get those organized is a challenge.

So lets jump to day 3 as it was a little less busy because we went on a tour out of town to Oxford, Stonehenge and Windsor Castle. We were not originally scheduled for Oxford but their were issues at Rosslyn Chapel and Oxford was put in its place.

There really isn’t much to say about Stonehenge other that …WOW. We have all seen pictures of it, know of its mysteries and curiosities but to stand next to those massive structures, unbelievable.

And to prove we were actually there…in the rain. This was the only day we really saw rain and that is amazing in itself.

My daughter and I at Stonehenge in the rain.

All around the the area were sheep farms. Beautiful rolling hills were filled with sheep. In the distance you could see the formation of possible other henges which are actually round formations with surrounding mounds of protection.

From Stonehenge we headed to Oxford. Oxford seems like a typical college town but the concept is different that what we think here in the US. This town was created because of the college sometime around 1096. Today it is a massive University with 39 separate colleges and these college are not you typical 2-4 buildings per college, they are each full blown colleges.

My daughter and I main purpose in visiting these beautiful historical towns is to see the ancient architecture and the beautiful churches. Oxford did not disappoint as in the middle of town is the church of St. Mary Magdalen.

As you approached the church that is centered between a split of two streets, you first saw the massive monumental spire on the outmost point.

With closer inspection you see the statues and intricate carvings.

The church exterior at first is somewhat plain until you get behind it on the cemetery side.

Since we were not expected to go here, we did not get a chance to study what all we would see. So I have included some of the more interesting buildings.

It was interesting the fast food place we know here are everywhere there. See the Wendy’s sign? The food in London, because it is a major city of foreign trade, did not have a lot of food that interested us. If you into Mediterranean, Indian, or Thai, you will be fine. I am sure that outside the the city proper, you get more a English fare.

I will finish off day three with Windsor tomorrow. Until then, remember to be kind. While on this trip, we really saw the benefits of kindness.

St. Bartholomew The Great

We saw many wonderful churches as we roamed the streets of London, but the one that quickens my heart the most was St. Bartholomew the Great. It is London’s oldest surviving parish church, built in 1123, with the Hospital of St. Bartholomew the Less. St. Bartholomew the Great is the central parish, while St. Bartholomew the Less is a chapel within the parish, situated within St. Bartholomew’s Hospital.

The priory gained the reputation of healing powers, with many people filling its aisles on St. Bartholomew Day. Many disabilities were noted as being cured, and others were cured within the hospital that is still in operation today.

This entrance was adjacent to the hospital and an entrance to the used for the St. Bartholomew Festival, on August 24, England’s largest medieval market attracting aristocrats as well as the poor.

Inside the church is a different kind of beauty, knowing the church’s era and some of its history. Several movies were filmed in this church – Robin Hood, Shakespeare in Love, Sherlock Holmes, and even Transformers.

Like most of the churches we saw, graves and tombs were above ground and on display.

But the beauty of this church was lost on me, even now, because it reminds me of the cruelty of man. An artist, Damien Hirst, created an amazing statue of gold overlay depicting St. Bartholomew’s death as he was skinned alive before being decapitated for preaching Jesus’ love.

Then you go just outside and see where William Wallace was drawn and quartered within sight of the church near the entrance of the hospital.

Have we gotten any better as human beings? I look at today’s news, and still, we see horrific ways that we treat each other. I pray that God reaches our hearts and shows us a better way.

More of Day 2

There was so much to see there that my brain is still on overload. So, I will take the time today to share some of the sights we saw while walking around London on day 2.

The walk along the River Thames was as enjoyable as it was relaxing, and I learned a bunch of stuff, like the image in my head of London Bridge is actually Tower Bridge as it leads to the Tower of London. London Bridge is a concrete bridge much like the ones we see today with wide walkways for people to walk.

From London Bridge, you can see Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge is much more graceful and elegant than the other bridges in London. It was built in 1894 with roadways that lift for passing ships. It is an engineering marvel and an icon for London.

Continuing your walk down the Thames, the first statue/monument you see is that of Queen Boudica. Boudica or Boudicca was a queen of the ancient British Iceni tribe who led a failed uprising against the conquering forces of the Roman Empire in AD 60 or 61. She is considered a British national heroine and a symbol of the struggle for justice and independence.

Our goal was to walk down to Cleopatra’s Needle. Cleopatra’s Needle in London is one of a pair of obelisks, together named Cleopatra’s Needles, that were moved from the ruins of the Caesareum of Alexandria, in Egypt, in the 19th century. Inscribed by Thutmose III and later Ramesses II of the Egyptian New Kingdom, the obelisk was moved in 12 BC to Alexandria, where it remained for over 1,800 years.

It was presented to the United Kingdom in 1819 by the ruler of Egypt and Sudan Muhammad Ali as a diplomatic gift. Although the British government welcomed the gesture, it declined to pay to move the obelisk to London. It was subsequently erected in the West End of London on the Victoria Embankment in Westminster in 1878.

On either side of the Needle are Sphinx that protect it. Along the bottom of the Sphinx, you will see holes and damage from bullet/shrapnel fire during WWI.

As we walked through the city, we kept seeing this tall monument. I took pictures from several streets that showed it’s central location of the area. Standing 202 feet high and 202 feet from the spot on Pudding Lane where the great fire is thought to have started, The Monument to the Great Fire of London is the tallest isolated stone column in the world.

I think this is in Latin, maybe you can read it

Below are other buildings with interesting architectures that I enjoyed.

I hope you have enjoyed these as much as I did. I am always fascinated with these grand structures built so many years ago with such grace, elegance, and artistry.

I close with a reminder to be kind and show that we can change the world with kindness…if everyone is kind.