A Finch’s Confusion

I see the little guys swoop all around this water thing. They drink from it through those tiny holes. My beak won’t fit so maybe I can drink from the center. Nope too shallow. Everybody is over at the bath getting water. Too crowded for me. So I will just rest in the shade.

What are you doing here? This is no place for you. Got to the bath with the big guys. This is for us little guys.

I am not bothering you I am just resting.

Then go rest on your feeder. This one is ours.

This cant be a feeder, there are no seeds. This is clear like water. And I was thirsty, less bodies are here.

We don’t eat seeds, we eat nectar from flowers. That’s is why my beak is thin to drink from flowers or here and yours is thick to crush seeds. Go to your seeds.

The young ones just don’t get it sometimes. Can you believe that guy!

As we watch and laugh at the things of nature that amuse us, you can’t help but put words to what seems silly. These two birds watched each other for a good ten minutes before the finch decided to go to the large bird bath with his friends. I know the pictures are not real clear but I think you can still enjoy the silliness of the situation they created.

And as always, I remind you of the power of kindness. Even though they were totally different species of bird, they were kind and sharing of the space…for a short spell.

FOTD – August 28, The Workers

What would we have if we didn’t have the little workers who pollinate our flowers? We would miss out on all the photographs plus the unimaginable benefits we get from the work they do. Cee’s Flower of the Day challenge reminds us of the beauty we see all around us throughout the year. So today while I am showing various picture of my sunflowers(before they fell) the true subject is the bees that so loved these huge flowers.

When a bee lands on a flower, the pollen sticks to the tiny hairs on it legs. Then the bee takes this pollen, which is high in protein, to other flowers and finally to feed its developing offspring.

When water is added to the flower’s sugar, it creates nectar. The nectar is a food source for the bees that gives them energy to fly from flower to flowers, pollinating as it goes. If we didn’t have bees pollinating our plants, we would not have the vegetables and fruit we enjoy eating. It is all a part of the many intersecting rings of life.

So enjoy the many circles of life and understand how very much we need each other to survive. And in doing so, remember the extra advantage of being kind within all the circles. Kindness can be sweeter than any nectar from any flower.

FOTD, August 26 – Jungle

Cee gives us great challenges for us to be creative and have fun and today I am going off the beaten path a bit with Flower of the Day and show you my jungle. Those who have read my post in the past know I had the jack-in-the-beanstalk sunflowers (12 footers) going there for a while until a storm came through and knocked them down – all except two. And the reason those are still standing is because of – my jungle. Every year I get a crazy flower in my bonnet and try to grow something I think would be fun only to have it take over my yard. This year was not exception.

You can see this crazy vine has even taken over the sunflower with wisps of the vine protruding outward at several places goin up the stalk. So what is this crazy vine that I thought would be fun to grow…

Birdnest Gourds…

***They have taken over my baby Christmas trees***

Currently I have about 8 -10 if they all make it and I don’t kill them first. My thought would be -“wouldn’t it be a fun project for the kids at church to paint the dried gourds”. Well we will see if I can complete the process. I will post pictures if we get that far.

In the mean time, remember to be kind. It is something you can always do even when not deserved.

Encouraging Thoughts

Hello to anyone who may need a comforting and encouraging word. I need them often so when I get encouraged, I like to pass it on. My devotion this morning from “His Utmost for His Highest ” by Oswald Chambers really spoke to me and I wanted to share his thoughts with some of my own. Sometimes life comes crashing down around us like out of control ocean waves but we have an advocate that holds us close in His arms during those times. We just have to be still and focus on His face – even though that seems impossible.

“When we are awakened to the realities of life, true inner peace is impossible unless it is received from Jesus.” Oswald Chambers

His Spirit is right there waiting to comfort us surrounding us in His Peace. It is through His spirit that we are able to stand firm in this life.

So whatever wave seems to be crashing down upon you, look to Jesus and let Him calm your troubled mind.

We were not meant to carry the burden of life alone. Scriptures tell us over and over “cast your burdens on Him”. Lay all of the crashing waves at His feet and watch him turn them into a smooth peaceful lake.

And as always remember to be Kind. Kindness coming out of us when we barely know it is there and giving it to another being can bring us calmness and peace we think is not possible…but through Christ, Kindness is always possible.

Amazing Stonework, August 24

Today’s building was an accidental find. I was looking for the QC Coffee & Pancake House and this was across the street. All the buildings in this area seem to be from the late 1800s matching styles of dated buildings but I found no date on this building. While the building itself is interesting by shape, the details on the building are fascinating. I asked someone if the features were carved wood but he said they were probably concrete. I question that as one of the pictures with chipped paint looks like wood but regardless, they are awesome, so there are lots of detail photos for today.

This area of the midwest, back in the 1700s, was owned by right of birth by the Sauk Indians, and their chief was Black Hawk. This building honors the Indians with its design as does much of the area. While not wanting to get into the horrors’ of what all they went through, I do want to share with you the design of this building which is now a dinner theater. Theaters built in the late 1800s and early 1900s show artist flair with their design and this one is no exception.

The building is brick with masonry windows and artist details. I thought it is interesting how the corner was rounded including the window. With all the windows, I have to tie in with Ludwig’s Monday Window.

The window in the corner has a likeness of Black Hawk above it. The window itself is metal with a iron grill.

The details above the curved window closer to the roof line showed more artistic details, even in the brick work.

Here is a closer closer look at the side details. Not sure if this is true representation of the Sauk tribe, but still intriguing.

The door into the theater was pretty plain but the windows above the marquee were very detailed.

The carvings above each window show columns and more intricate details.

The the last photo is of the roofline above the marquee.

I hope you enjoyed this walk through the beauty of this building. Many older building have fascinating stories they could tell if only we stop long enough to listen. And in closing, I remind you to be kind. Kindness is a gift we do not share often enough.

CFFC : Tomorrow

What a fun challenge Cee has given us to match pictures with a song. Here are some pictures that I think may work for this song…

When I am stuck with a day that is gray…

The sun will come out…

So you gotta hang on…

Remember even when your day may be gray, you can still be kind. It make may the day shine bright again.

Morning Encouragement

Good morning friends. We finally got a little rain yesterday and it was great, short but still so much needed. The ground had really been dry. We as people can get dry as well. Not only thirsty for water but dry and parched on the inside. One of the things that helps me remove the dryness from the inside is music, specifically Christian music. It does not matter if it is one of our cherished hymns or one of the new contemporary melodies that reminds us of God’s love and protection. The Psalms originally were songs of worship that we read today reflecting the hope and love of God for all of us.

During the week, the staff at my church prepares for worship for the following Sunday, making sure the slides and sounds for worship service are clear and easily understood. While many of us across the world have a building we call “the church”, the true church is all of us coming together to worship God as a family. And since we are ALL children of God the Father…then we are ALL family.

It’s like a weekly family reunion and we want to make sure that those who come to our building can all feel welcome. So periodically we have to go through the song slides to make sure they can easily be enjoyed. One song we are singing Sunday needed major rework. Not only were the colors not pleasing for the eyes, but it was on 24 separate slides making it a nightmare for the sound booth. So I corrected it, giving it a calming shade of green and cutting it down to 12 slides. But as I did this I had to really study the words and SEE what the song was saying. Sometimes I think we get so caught up in the beautiful melody that we miss the point of the words, regardless of it being a hymn or contemporary song.

Hold Me Close, Let Your Love Surround Me….

Isn’t that what any of us want? Can you imagine how wonderful it would be to sit in the lap of Jesus…as a child…as His child.

So this Sunday, pay attention to the words you are singing and lift them in honor and pray as He showers us with His grace. Down below is one of the songs we are singing at our church this week and it has the words on the screen. It is a song we could sing daily talking about the power of His love for us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9_0jiO5ZRM

And as always in closing, I remind you of the power of kindness. Spread it around wherever you go.

Evening Humor

Monday’s have the potential of being a real beast so this evening we are sharing some humor provided by Max who has the ability of turning a serious frown into a warm happy smile. Come along and smile with us.

Not Just a Bag

I look and I see it

Is it something I will git

Mommy just had it

But I can’t smell it

What could be in a bag so small

Maybe a new toy, maybe a ball

It’s too high for me, oh the gall

If I tried to jump up, I would fall

But the mystery about it is still so sweet

Maybe it’s a goody, a yummy sweet treat

If legs were taller, it’d be mine in a heartbeat

But I am afraid my shorts legs make for defeat

As we find ways to cope with stressful days, remember to be kind. Sometimes being kind can release the pressure of the days stress, even for you.

No Professional, But Fun

There are many novice photographers better than me, but I would venture to say I at least will tie with someone who has the most fun trying. Since retiring a few years ago(I retired when I was very young, Ha) I have developed a love of bird watching and tie that into my love for photography and you have mostly fun photographs.

I work part time at the church and have also placed bird feeder there so today is a sample of birds at home as well as at church. Most of the pictures are new but some are favorites. I have become fascinated with the hummingbirds of the area and most from the church were taken today as the phone were very quiet.

These two seem to fight over the feeder or at least like to play chase. I know the pictures are not real clear but I did not have my telephoto lens with me today, so we are zooming way in per the computer.

They seem to have no tail feathers when they sit as their wings are longer and cover them when they rest. But when they fly, it is amazing how they move those for balance and direction.

I love this picture even though the hummer is not real clear. But his reflection shows up in the water as do the flowers below. And you can see how he spreads his tail feathers.

Both of these birds seem to be females as they males have that legendary red throat. I have a male one at my home that guards that feeder.

I need to learn how to work with the shutter speed on my camera to see if I can catch the wings clearer. Below are some other pictures I took today and a few of my favorites of my bigger birds. The cardinals are beginning their molt so they are looking real sad as they lose old before the new arrives.

As we enjoy nature around us, remember nature likes kindness too so remember to be kind to all kinds.

Amazing Stonework, August 19

Yes, I am behind schedule. Its been one of those weeks. But I have a beautiful building for you today, built in 1904, out of porphyritic granite. After doing my granite research and verifying the many colors ranging from white to black, I believe this to be Dakota Mahogany, from Milbank, South Dakota. This granite bed is 2.6-2.7 billions years old and that in itself is amazing. This being Iowa, that makes more logic sense that the granite on the east coast, but I am no expert.

The building is still used as a high school and will soon be crawling with teenagers. As I pass by it going home from work, I see the marching band is already practicing, getting ready for football games. Football means fall and I am more than ready to be rid of this 90 degree heat.

In reviewing a lot of the columns you see on buildings today, you see them polished and shinny but these they left in their natural block form that was ground into rounded shapes where they came out from the building. You can see the individual blocks and enjoy their wide variety of color.

But when you look close, you can see the cuts in the stone where they shaped the columns plus making their colors more prominent. Even the feet of the columns are cut and sanded into shape.

Above the doorways on the east and west sides of the building are beautiful arched windows with a masonry balcony above them that has interesting metal grillwork. Here I want to tie in with Monday Window and Ludwig’s challenge of beautiful windows for these are indeed striking.

The north side door is not as artistic but still amazing to look at with scroll work and stone columns at the roofline.

The south side of the building is where the school has expanded down through the next block making a quite large school. And while the extension is made of brick, it just doesn’t have the artistic heart of the older building. So I remind all to look at older buildings with a different eye and see the beauty of architects of old. You could not afford to build buildings of this artistry today. So I remind you before destroying an older building, check to see if there is any soundness left to the structure and if so, find a use for it and let its beauty remain among us.

In closing I remind you of always being kind. Kindness can open doors thought to be closed and let light in through windows once thought dark.