Warning - this is a vent.
Our new neighbors are really starting to get to me. There is a couple with at least five boys and one girl. After being in the house for one day, their children started climbing our fence to play with our children. We told them (and the stepfather) that we didn't allow the children to have company unless we were outside with them and that we'd appreciate it if they would stop climbing over the fence. Not only did we have to remind them many times about the fence thing, but they started coming over without asking us if it was okay. It seems that the parents are very happy to send the children away from them and we must seem like good baby sitters. How could people send their children off to play at a stranger's house.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH SOME PEOPLE
Three months ago, this family got a dog. One of the boys asked me if I would give them some food to feed their dog. He said they had run out of food and his stepfather would be buying some the next day. One day the dog jumped over our fence. Though this dog was filled with fleas and possibly ticks and was very dirty, we tried to help it back over. Now this is a pit bull mix, so I was very concerned about one of us getting bitten. I asked the little boy if his parents could come out and help him get his dog back. This child told me that his parents didn't like to come outside and that his mother says she is too busy watching the baby to be bothered with them. Neither parent came, but we managed to get the dog back to them.
After this incident, I was no longer upset with these children. I am upset with the parents and remembered something one of them said one day we were out cooling off with some water play. One of the children called my daughter and asked her who was spraying her. She answered, "my mom". The child said YOUR MOM???? as if he were shocked that a mom would interact with her children in such a way. I remembered the time the little girl asked my daughter where she got a certain top she was wearing. My daughter told her that her mom made it for her and the little girl said, "oooh you should tell your mom to make one for me." I haven't seen the little girl in weeks and wonder where she is. If I can get enough yarn and time, I think I will crochet something for her. Although I am a novice, I think she will enjoy having something unique made just for her.
Now this family is irking me again. They have a new dog, a beautiful male pit bull about 8 months old. The dog is tied to a utility pipe just outside their back door, which is about 4 feet from our back fence. They have tied him with something that looks like a cord from an iron or some other small appliance. The cord is only about 3 feet long, so the dog has to eat, sleep, urinate and poop in one tiny area. We had a severe electrical storm a few days ago and this poor animal was out in it with no shelter. After we saw that no one was going to help it, my dear hubby got some scrap wood and made a lean-to shelter against their back door. (we still wonder why no one would come to see what all that noise was about at their door) We took the shelter down after the storm so the dog could catch whatever breeze happened to blow by. Again, no one came to see why my hubby was fussing around their house. Duh
WHAT IS WRONG WITH SOME PEOPLE
Yesterday, the man came out while I was our playing with our pup and I asked him if they planned on keeping the dog (yep). I know I was bolding speaking the truth, though I was not minding my own business, 
but I told him that the dog looked like he was starving and asked him if he would mind if we gave him some scraps from time to time (nope, by all means, he says). He says that the dog was being used for fighting, and he took him (hmmm, I wonder??) He says that the previous owner didn't feed him (I wonder why HE won't either
). I also told him that a dog that size needs a good long walk daily, that he was so weak, he couldn't jump off the porch and that he needed to feed him more. I told him that my hubby put a shelter up for the dog during the storm. He says "oh, I wondered who did that."
WHAT IS WRONG WITH SOME PEOPLE
Why would adults who don't want to be 'bothered' by their own children, get a dog. 
Why would they proceed to chain the dog to the side of their house and let it starve to death in filth. Can't they smell the stench when they peer around the corner? Can't they see that this dog needs to eat, for goodness sakes, you can see his ribs and backbone clearly. Don't they know that dogs need exercise, puppies need to run and play. Can't they hear it barking, whining for help? 
WHAT IS WRONG WITH SOME PEOPLE
Since we have taken to feeding him, the dog now looks at our door each time we open it. He wags his tail each time we approach him with food and water. Though I have been afraid of pit bulls, I think this one would be a good dog for a family. My boys have both taken turns feeding it without any incident at all (though I am ALWAYS right there with them - I'm no dummy 
.) He seems so grateful for our help. Hubby bought a 20 pound bag of food just for him, but the other stray dogs come to eat it, so we'll have to stay near the next time we feed him as he is will let them take his food.
We have fostered dogs before, but can't afford to at this time. We found out that our insurance rate will go up if we get a pit bull. Plus this dog clearly needs veterinary care that we can't afford. I thought of calling the Humane Society, but hubby wants to wait a few more days and see if the family will do right by their dog, thinking maybe they just fell on hard times. If we do end up calling the Humane Society, this family will probably guess that we did it (but I don't mind that so much - this is a desperate situation). But the other thing is that the dog may be euthanized. This is not a no-kill shelter.
With all that's going on in our lives right now . . . well the good thing is that looking at this poor dog throughout the day gets my mind OFF of all that going on in our lives right now.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH SOME PEOPLE
I am NOT proud to say this, just being honest here 
. This type of behavior brings out the worse in me 
. I'd like to give this man a taste of his own medicine - chain HIM to the side of that house in this heat without food and water for a few days. Now I don't place animals on the same level as humans, but what these people are doing is just cruel.
Now that you have seen my dark side, will you still come by an visit ??
Lately I've been feeling tired and blue. I look back over my life and think of all the fights I've had. Nothing seemed to have come easy to me. Its a battle to remain joyful and to keep my peace. So much time has been spent putting out fires only to have others spark somewhere else. My life has not been a storybook one. Nothing typical about my life and but for the grace of God, there's no telling how I would have turned out. But I know it wouldn't be good. Looking back, I can see His hand in my life, though at the time all I knew was that I was hurting and felt damaged.
I have heard the term 'dying to self' most of my life and only recently have I truly understood what that means. If I were dead, would I struggled with feeling offended, tired, blue. Its no fun, this dying process. It means more fighting, fighting these natural feelings. Daily war within one's self is no fun at all and just plain tiring at times.
I want the storybook life (bratty me). Sometimes I wonder WHY ME But I look at those who are having a MUCH harder time that me or who are dealing with circumstances I would find impossible, and I wonder WHY NOT ME. There is absolutely nothing in me that should exclude me from suffering and hard times. Yet, I look in the mirror and there is a tired old woman gazing back at me. So tired, so sad, so resigned to her fate in life with no hope. I don't like the way she looks.
BUT I am old enough to know that while these feelings are real, they are not the Truth. These feelings will pass, but the Truth will stand forever.
I know that when I am feeling like this, it means that I have magnified the cares of this world instead of magnifying the Lord. I have dwealt on the bad things of life instead of the blessings. It means I am not being thankful. It means that I need to run to HIM, read more of and meditate on the WORD, I need to rest in the shadow of HIS wings. I need to think of all I have to be thankful for.
Usually when I'm blue, I keep it to myself. I don't like exposing my moments of weakness. But I'm thinking that maybe, just maybe, someone may stop by who is struggling in the same way I do occasionally. They may need to know that there are others who have felt the same way. Someone may not know the way out - Jesus.
Beloved, if you are tired or feeling blue, run to Him and find rest for your weary soul.
Its one of those times again. Ever have a day (or season) when a LOT of things just seem to go wrong. I think we're in one now. Our insurance company decided not to renew our policy on our house because of a crack on a step in front (repaired now), garage door needed repainting (done) and because the house has no gutters. Hello, this house is 56 years old and has never had gutter, yet this insurance compancy has insured us for around 20 years. What's up with that?
We signed on with a new insurance company, paid a deposit and the first month's premium. Today we get a letter saying that we have to get an electrician to inspect the electrical system and send them a letter stating that it is fine. Otherwise they are going to cancel our policy. Wonder why they didn't tell us that BEFORE they took our money?
We had a great thunder storm last week with lots of lightening. It did a number on our printer. Now the printer acts like it has a mind of its own (crazy mind at that). It turns itself off and on continuously and will not print. Its one of those multi purpose machines that prints, copies, faxes and scans. We've only had it a little over a year AND I just order a lot of ink for the printer, which is now unusable.
The youth at hubby's job is having a yard sale and they had a nice printer which he bought for a dollar. Bad news: It doesn't work either, and he can't fix it. So now with our school year starting, we have no working printer, which I use a lot since we don't do use a lot of traditional texts and workbooks.
The car needed repairs and thankfully hubby was able to do them himself, thus saving us a lot of money. 
But the parts were expensive and that took money from our already tight budget.
I am NOT happy about any of this, but I remain joyful. It will be awesome to see how God works this out for our good.
My darling hubby has been less than happy lately because he truly desires to bless us with a newer larger house. In a practical sense, I agree that we do need more space, but I really hate to see him upset, especially about something like this. I told him that I will be happy ANYwhere, as long as we're together and I truly meant it. I have determined to be content and joyful no matter where. Its easy when I know that in time, more than I can even dream or hope for will be mine.
I've been thinking about eternity and how this life is like less than a grain of sand compared to eternity. Why spend so much time worrying and planning for something that is so brief. We're visitors here for a brief time. After that comes our forever home.
When people go to a place that they know they'll only be for a brief period, it makes a difference. You don't invest in a place you'll only stay briefly. You take a few clothes, not your entire wardrobe. You don't buy a house, you rent a place to stay.
I wonder do our lives reflect the knowledge that we are only here for a brief period. Are there areas of our lives where we are so concerned with the immediate future that we completely forget about eternity? How would our lives be different if we lived as though we were visiting here for a short time? Would our priorities in homeschooling look different if we looked at our children with the knowledge that they too are only here for a short time? Would our relationships with other Christians be any different if we kept in mind that these are the folks that we will spend eternity with? Would we still spend time arguing over various points of the Bible, being critical of each other, making a big deal of our differences? Would our relationship with the unsaved be different knowing that they will spend eternity apart from God? Would we be more open to sharing the Gospel with them and praying for the lost?
Long ago I heard a saying, "only what we do for Christ will last." Nothing else crosses to the other side, nothing else really matters.
You know how when you're going to buy a present for someone, you think about what they are interested in, what things they like, etc. You recall something they have said that might give you a clue as to what would be the perfect gift. So of course I do this with my children.
My daughter enjoys dancing and likes to make (or rather tie) outfits to dance in. So for Christmas we got her a beautiful ballerina outfit, complete with tights, leotard, leg warmers, slippers, tutu, and barrette. We thought she would be so happy to have real ballerina garb. But NOOOOO. We had to make her put it on so we could take a picture of her in it.
All three children destroyed one of their mattresses by bouncing on it, so we decide to buy them a small trampoline to bounce on. Again, we thought they would be thrilled. But NOOOOO. One of them used the trampoline to build a hut and the other two would roll it around like an old tire.
Our little builder uses any scrap wood, the trampoline, old garden hoses, ANYthing to build huts with . . . Well we bought him a tent thinking, oh he'll LOVE this, but NOOOOO. The tent was used as a waterproof top for his makeshift huts and as a shield during water play outside.
We bought daughter play food which sits under her bed. When she wants to pretend cooking and have pretend tea parties, she uses the pattern blocks and the beads which we bought for her to make jewelry with.
We've bought various types of blocks for our little builder, pattern blocks, linking cubes, ABC blocks, building blocks, legos, etc. Will he build with them, NOOOO. He searches high and low for empty boxes, bags, ANYthing to build with, recycling tape, glue, yarn, string and thread to hold his creations together. He uses pencils and spools for tires and axles. So I had the bright idea of buy them a set of tinker toys. What was I thinking? I should have known better. The sticks became swords and the little wheels just got raced across the floor. So like any good parent, we bought them remote control cars that got banged into the furniture and of course little builder guy just HAD to get some tools to see what was inside of them and how they worked. This lead to dh buying a kit so builder boy could actually build a car and learn about them. And of course that was no fun (for either of them)
Oh and we have had lots of games come through our house, and the children will play with these ONLY when we play with them. Otherwise the game pieces get lost or used for some other than the intended purpose.
One thing we were smart about. We did NOT buy a swing set. Instead, we bought some rope and made a swing out of an old tire. The children love that and use is more than anything we've ever spend lots of money on.
There are many other examples, but you get the picture. It took me a while, but I think I've finally figured this out. TOYS ARE 
TOOLS AND MATERIALS ARE 
After five years of homeschooling, I have come to the conclusion that my children just do not learn from books. I know this because I have tried to teach them math, science, reading, writing, history, language arts, etc. from books and they just don't learn from books. If your children learn from books, consider yourself blessed.
When we got to animal classification, the children just weren't getting it. So I went to the library, got some books with big colorful pictures of animals in them, bought some cheap plastic animals and started over. We looked at the pictures and I TALKED to them about what made an animal fit a certain classification. We played games where the children had to get all the little plastic animals back to their proper homes. Voila, they got it!!!
I read the Bible to the children daily. Some things they just don't get from my reading. But I start to TALK to them about our reading, and they are interrupting each other trying to get in on the conversation. History texts are a major bore, so I switched to biographies and stories about important events which went over better. But it seems the children enjoy my stories even better. The problem is that I was horrible at history and it was one of my least favorite subjects. So I have to actually learn it first, so I can teach them.
I hit a brick wall trying to teach my wee ones the alphabets by the book. But one day, I showed them a letter, told them to run to the refrigerator and bring me the letter. They had a lot of fun and learned the alphabets in a week.
I tried helping them memorize addition facts. Not gonna happen. So I sung some, chanted and marched to some. They got it. Same with skip counting, which we're almost done with now, whew.
For almost five years I've been trying to teach Baby Boy how to read 'by the book.' Its not working, He knows all the sounds the letters make. What is going on? Why is this so hard? Oh I remember, this one is the most resistant to books of all three. So I'm leaving the phonics behind for now (shocking isn't it). I'm teaching him whole words. And so far its working. I do slip in mini phonics lessons from time to time, but mostly I just teach him words (printed on homemade flashcards) to a story, and let him read it from the book. I've got a few ideas for some homemade games to play with him that I think he will enjoy. When he becomes a reader, I'll let you know what worked for us.
Baby Boy actually said to me more than once, "Momma, don't READ it to me, just TALK to me." Baby Girl chimed in once, "ya, we like it when you TALK to us." What, don't they know how hard this is? Well, I guess its not really hard, but I do think it would be a lot easier if they learned from books. But I have one on the way to becoming a proficient reader, one learning to read, and one who hates to read, but loves to listen to me read aloud. So maybe things will change when they're all readers, ya think?
Now I understand why the only homeschooling resources I have ever been satistied with are the ones that teach me (I LIKE to read) how to teach the children. I have enjoyed the writings of authors such as Raymond and Dorothy Moore, the Elijah Company folks, Joyce Herzog and my all time favorite, Ruth Beechick. I have a collection of books from such authors that I pull out for motivation. I've bought and sold a lot of homeschooling books over the past five years, but have always hung on to these. God knew what HE was doing. Why did it take ME so long to see it and accept the fact that my children just don't learn from books.
Please excuse me while I go and read the other post on contentment
Okay, I'm back and its all 
I'm content in the way things work for us. Its fun, keeps me on my toes and we're making wonderful memories.
This word, contentment, keeps coming to the forefront of my mind. We live in a tiny house in the concrete jungle surrounded by many ungodly people. I read blogs of others and see their beautiful homesteads or pictures of other countries that I dream of visiting one day . . . Ahhh, I dream of having a few acres in a rural setting, a tree lined lane leads the way to our house, a little orchard of fruit trees, room for the children to run and play without the worry of what they will hear or see and PEACE and QUIET. The simple life. That's the life for me, I say. BUT, my dearest works in the city. We wouldn't want him to drive an hour to get to work. We'd miss him coming home each day to have lunch with us.
The Lord keeps bringing this word, contentment to my mind. Why, I ask. Maybe its because most of my life, I have lived for tomorrow. When I was a little kid, I longed to be a teenager. When I became a teenager, I couldn't wait to be 21. When I was 21, I wanted to be married. When I was married, I wanted children. When we lived in an apartment, we wanted a house. After being in the house, we wanted a bigger house (now a house in the country). We've got extra furniture packed away for when we get the next house. I got curtains that won't fit my windows here, but hey, maybe they'll work in the next house, so I've packed them away.
Contentment, the word of the day (for me). Today I will be content and blossom where the Lord has planted me in this season of life. I arise and sing "this is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." I am looking around our little house and finding ways to beautify it with the resources I have already. I am getting rid of the clutter that is taking up space that I don't have to spare and trying to rework old items into new ones. I am spending time outside with the children, alternating pulling weeds and spraying us all with the hose to cool us off. Getting some sun, exercise and quality time with the children all at once - pretty good eh. How's that for multi-tasking.
Over the five years that we have been homeschooling, I have collected enough resources that I think I could teach the children through highschool utilizing our great library and what we have on hand. I really don't have to buy anything for the coming year. The only thing I will be purchasing is math textbooks when the children finish the ones they're using now. I will get rid of unnecessary homeschooling resources and be content using what we have.
I don't know what the Lord has in store for me on this earth. But I do know that I can not truly rest until I learn to be content, trusting in HIM. I know that ALL things will work out for my good. Isn't that a wonderful bit of truth.
I grew up in a very close knit neighborhood where almost everyone knew everyone. There were several churches in our neighborhood and many of the same denomination. I still wonder why there were Baptist churches at the end of our block, one block in the opposite direction, and one block across from our house. We went to school in our neighborhood and the teachers had a more intimate relationship with the students and families. Actually, the only time we had to leave our neighborhood was if we wanted to shop for clothes or big items like appliances. There was a 'malt stand' down the street where we would go for soft ice cream, malts, shakes, etc., a small grocery store where the owners would even allow shoppers to run up a tab, a dry cleaners, convenience store, barber shop, beauty shop, cafe, shoe shine shop, record shop, laundry mat and a greasy spoon (oops, I mean restaurant).
When mom needed repairs around the house, she'd ask a neighbor who could almost always recommend someone. I don't remember mom ever using a company to do work on her house. There were lots of retired men who were experts at all sorts of things: roofing, wallpapering, plumbing, masonry, electrical, drywall, fencing, etc. These men took pride in their work and we were never disappointed with the quality of their work. They were true masters at their professions.
Many times the men would drop by with some critter they'd manage to get while hunting or fishing. (There were quite a few widowers and my mom was known as a great cook.) My mom cooked like she was feeding an army. She never set a formal table, but everyone was welcome. Her word was "I fixed it, go on in the back and fix yourself a plate of whatever you want." I think the men brought their critters as a thank you to mom for the many meals they ate at our house. If there were sick people in the neighborhood, there was always plenty of folks who would check in on them and make sure they had plenty to eat. Many days mom sent me out walking with a plate of food to carry to a sick neighbor.
There were many elderly people in my community. They seemed to spend a lot of their time sitting outside on their front porches. When the weather was nice, front porches were really like a meeting place. No one waited on an invitation. You just walked down the street, saw someone outside and stopped by for a visit. All of the children were required to speak to the grownups each time we passed their houses. We always had to say good morning Miss So and So, good evening Mr. So and So. If we didn't, they might call our parents to tell them we were being disrespectful and we'd have serious trouble when we got home. Being respectful to our elders was a BIG thing back in those days.
It seemed to us that these elders were a wee bit too observant. Really, if someone came to your house, these old folks could tell you the time, the color and type of car they were driving and what the person was wearing. These elders would also give a swat to a child other than their own, if the child was out of line around them. Then they'd call your parents and tell them what you and they had done, and there would be more trouble at home.
Our teachers and principals could give spanks as needed. And we would be in big trouble at home when our parents found out we had done something so bad as to deserve a spanking. (I know that the 'experts' today say that spanking children makes them violent. Well if this was true, my generation should have been extremely violent. Though to be honest, I see more violence in our community today than I'd have ever imagined.)
Most of the children I grew up with were without a father in the home. There were quite a few who were living with grandparents or other relatives. (While this is not ideal, I think it is better than children being put into the foster care system.) We played games like, red light, hop scotch, jacks, marbles, dodge ball, kick ball, two square, four square, badmitton, jump rope, tag and crack the whip. We skated, rode bikes, made scooters from old skates and scrap wood. When the fire department would open the hydrants, we'd play in the water spraying out. We made mud pies, had tea parties, caught june bugs and tied strings to their legs, put bumble bees and wasps in a jar to see what would happen, went on treasure hunts, searched for fossils, played store, teacher and more. My mom used to tell me not to be in such a hurry to grow up because that childhood was the best time of life. She told me that when I became a grownup, many days I would long for those childhood days. She was right.
Back in the day, our neighborhood was like extended family and I feel blessed to have grown up in that place and at that time. I felt like I had many aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmas and grandpas. I had many people who poured into my life who are now gone. Ms. Echles at church who told me not to be so hard on myself, that just like I grew up in the natural, I would grow spiritually. Ms. Mims, and Ms. Pulliam at school who noticed and nurtured the talent in me. Mr. and Mrs. Bishop who took notice of a skinny quiet shy little girl, were like grandparents to me and were always there for me to talk my 'troubles' to. There were too many to name and I miss them so much.
Well that's a glimpse of what life was like here 'back in the day.' Boy, do I miss those days.
Remember my plea for help regarding the looks of my blog. Well God sent a couple of wonderful people my way and I am so thankful to Him and to them.
First my dear D came and offered much needed support and found a way to fix some of the quirks. Then she went a step further and called on a friend of hers. This lovely J came to the rescue and poof, troubles all cleared up. I need to add that my very first contact with J was in her coming to help me. She must be a super lady to come to the aid of a total stranger. Isn't this much nicer than the squinched up print, so much easier to read.
Oh and I found out that smileys won't work while I have the popup blocker on. Lookie now
So a BIG thank you to D and J, my sheroes of the day. May God richly bless you both. 
Did you ever notice how many people break the laws while driving. Of course, everyone will try to stop at stop signs, obey the traffic lights, etc. But no one (around here anyway) drives the speed limit. I once did an experiment to drive only as fast as the law allowed. I was passed by almost all the drivers around me. Some were quite angry and I got a a few ugly looks as cars passed me. Others showed their disapproval by cutting in front of me really close.
Aren't christians supposed to submit to the laws of government (when they are not opposed to God's laws, of course)? I wonder why we don't obey the laws regarding how fast we drive? Do we think that some laws are more important than others? How do we teach our children to obey the law when we break them?
Surely SOME of these drivers were christians. Are we being good examples of the christian lifestyle? And what about putting those grocery carts back in their parking spaces after grocery shopping?
Things That Make Me Go Hmmmmmm
I've been thinking lately of the friends I've made since being on the internet and how they have impacted my life. Its funny that I've never seen any of them in the real world, yet feel so close to some of them.
E. has shown me that its okay to have high standards for my children and that they can live up to what I require of them. She reminds me to TRAIN my children in the way they SHOULD go and that I don't have to accept the 'fact' that "that's just how children are" or "they ALL do xyz." E. reminds me to live life WITH my children, including them in all that I do (as much as possible). She reminds me to also ENJOY my children.
My friend K. recently had a battle on her hands. One of her children was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. So of course, their family was in a fight for her life. I 'saw' K, preparing for the possibility of losing her daughter, while at the same time, praying for her healing, researching every possible treatment, nutritional and others, and really staying on top of the hospital staff. During this time she continued giving counsel to young mothers and got involved in helping others at the hospital. I think one of the reasons I like K, is that she reminds me of momma, a strong yet compassionate woman. She was giving of herself even during a time of great need.
My friend D. has a sense of humor like me. I think it would be so much fun if we were neighbors. I know for sure my family would be invited to her home often. Why? Because when I think of the word "hospitality" I think of D. Her family lives in a region with great turmoil, but you would never know it by talking with her. She is such a giving person. Yes my D is another example of a strong woman in the Lord.
And then there's Kk. We met on a message board as well. She really challenged my thinking on a few things and made me question some of the things I believed. I admired Kk because of her strength to stand her ground against a majority without flinching. Kk has a lot of knowledge and wisdom for one so young. Many times, I found I couldn't agree or disagree with Kk. She drove me to search for answers and I actually tend to agree with Kk more than not.
There are some things these ladies have in common: They are all christians firmly rooted in their faith. They are all giving, loving, compassionate women. While their lives aren't perfect, they chose to think on things that are lovely, pure, of good report . . . Each of them has contributed to growth in various areas of my life. However I think I would be overwhelmed if they ALL lived around me at the same time (hehe). You see, when I look at them, I see where I'd like to be someday, when I grow up. I thank God for bringing each one into my life and I am better because of having met them.
Never underestimate you online relationships. You never know how you may be impacting someone's life. I pray that the Lord will use me thusly.
Remember Freddie and Wifey? A lot of things were brought to mind by watching those two. I'd like to share a few with you:
Watching Freddie lovingly care for his mate, even when she looked awful, brought this to mind. I have been married to my hubby for almost 27 years. We have truly learned what was meant in the vows about "sickness and health, for rich or for poor." Time, sickness, disease and such take a toll on the body and mind. I am so thankful that my dear hubby still loves and cherishes me so. Though I've put on a bit of weight, started to grey, and overall not as spry as in years past, he still tells me I'm beautiful and treats me like I'm a queen. (He loves me so much that He sent His Son to die for me)
As my hubby wondered just what would make me suddenly take an interest in two little birds, research to find out what foods they preferred, make a special trip to the store for them and continually make sure they had plenty of food and water daily; I was reminded of God's provision, even for the birds. So I never need to worry that HE will take care of me. (He is my Provider)
My worries over Freddie and Wifey making it through the winter without their feathers, and then watching them become fully 'clothed' before the cold weather came; reminded me that God is always the right on time. HE notices, HE cares and He answers and is always on time. (He is my Healer)
Watching Freddie and Wifey care for their young reminded me of human parenting. As newborns, everything is done for them. They start to watch all that we do. Soon, they want to 'help' us, and later the training starts in earnest with our children truly working along side us. Then comes the wonderful day that they can actually become responsible for certain areas. Our babies are growing up. At some point comes the day when they leave the nest. I have to admit that I'm not looking forward to that day. It makes me sad to think of my babies leaving me, but this is as it should be. And even in this, there is a lesson to be learned: enjoy the time I have with them now. I will do all I can to prepare them for a life on their own. (He is my Abba)
I am not so concerned with their academics (of course we are covering that). We are also training them in household responsibilities. We are teaching them the Word of God. My prayer is that in watching our lives, they also learn how to handle disappointments and grief, what patience, mercy, charity, forgiveness, faith, hope and love, etc. look like in the life of a believer. I pray that our lives are filled with such joy and peace that they hunger for things of God. (He is my Teacher)
Well these are a few of the things I learned from watching a couple of cardinals for a few years. Amazing what one can learn from just sitting in the quiet of the day and bird watching.
I have never been a much of a bird watcher, but a couple of cardinals changed all that a few years ago. They would visit us daily even though we didn't have a feeder. I suppose the lady who lived here before us must have been a bird lover, since we regularly were treated to bluejays, cardinals, wrens, mockingbirds and woodpeckers.
These cardinals (Freddie and Wifey) were so cute that I just had to get some sunflower seeds to encourage them to visit more often. And visit they did. Freddie would actually perch on our back door and peak in if I didn't feed him when he thought I should. Hubby would often tell me "your bird is here waiting for you." Actually he came around to enjoy them as much as I. Freddie never allowed me to touch him, though he would fly overhead perching on branch after branch watching me as I would go to put food out. He'd also eat off the porch as I sat nearby.
I noticed later that Freddie had a mate, a cutie that he adored so much that as he ate he would crack open a seed, hop over and offer it to her. A true gentleman! Later I noticed that Freddie and Wifefy wouldn't feed for long before flying away and returning shortly. Sometimes they seemed to take turns coming and going and I wondered if they had chicks at home. Turns out they did indeed have a couple of babes, a boy and a girl.
It was very interesting watching these family members' interactions. At first the mom and dad took food to the babies in their nest. Later I would hear Baby Boy and Baby Girl in the bushes or trees waiting for mom and dad to bring food up to them. After a while Freddie and Wifey stayed at the feed and BB and BG would come down to join them. The parents still cracked the seeds and fed them though. It wasn't long before BG caught on and started feeding herself, while BB still did that chirpy/shakey thing that said "feed me." After a while the parents stopped feeding the babes altogether, leading them to the food, eating and flying off.
This all changed one day. Freddie no longer tolerated BB presence in our yard. He attacked him each time he came to feed. BB still checked in and would feed when he could, but soon learned to leave whenever his dad came around. I don't remember seeing them do this with BG.
One summer we noticed that Freddie and Wifey were loosing their feathers. Freddie wasn't as bad as Wifey who was half bald. But he still doted on her as usual. And the cycle continued on as usual. We were concerned as to how they would make it through the winter. But each year before it got cold, we'd watched their feathers come back in.
We did have an odd summer one year. The chicks came as usual. A beautiful little girl BUT there was an odd black one that we think was a mockingbird. Freddie, being the good provider as always, took care to make sure his little family was well fed. It did look funny watching this balding little cardinal caring for a bird that was much larger that him and obviously a different breed.
After a time we started seeing Freddie without Wifey and assumed she had died. I wondered if he would find a new mate, live on alone or die of a broken heart. I felt so sorry for him. What can I say . . . I'm a softy in many ways. Well anyway Freddie continued to visit . . . for a time and then we stopped seeing him. A neighbor told us she saw a cardinal across the street and we assume it was our dear friend.
I miss those birds. They were the next best thing to having a pet. Anyway, as I have been collecting my thoughts for this post, guess what! I looked out my door yesterday and what do I see . . . a couple of cardinals, a male cracking a sunflower seed and feeding his mate. I wondered if this was Baby Boy. He certainly has the feistiness of Freddie. Who knows, maybe I'll look up one day to see him perched on my back door demanding that I come out right away and feed him.