Magnificent Sunrise

My husband was heading out the door to work yesterday morning a little after 6 a.m. and came into the house saying, "Honey, come look at the sun rising this morning". Grabbed the camera and took several photos. Simply spectacular!! Just had to share. -- in Fort Benton, Montana

Dragonfly Crazy

My kids think I am nuts, but I can't help chase dragonflies and try to get close up photographs of them. Here is one from the other day.

I don't know what the attraction was to the handle of our lawnmower, but this critter kept flitting off and then returning for his photo session with me. I took only 8 shots and these 3 turned out b e a u t i f u l!!! Hope you like them as much as I do.

Marbles

I HAD TO SHARE THIS Story Someone Sent to ME -- I was at the corner grocery store buying some early potatoes... I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily apprising a basket of freshly picked green peas. I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes. Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller (the store owner) and the ragged boy next to me. 'Hello Barry, how are you today?' 'H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas They sure look good.' 'They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?' 'Fine. Gittin' stronger alla' time.' 'Good. Anything I can help you with?' 'No, Sir. Jus' admirin' them peas.' 'Would you like to take some home?' asked Mr. Miller. 'No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with.' 'Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?' 'All I got's my prize marble here.' 'Is that right? Let me see it', said Miller. 'Here 'tis. She's a dandy.' 'I can see that. Hmm mmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?' the store owner asked. 'Not zackley but almost.' 'Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble'. Mr. Miller told the boy. 'Sure will. Thanks Mr.. Miller.' Mrs Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me. With a smile she said, 'There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever. When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, when they come on their next trip to the store.' I left the store smiling to myself, impressed with this man. A short time later I moved to Colorado , but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys, and their bartering for marbles. Several years went by, each more rapid than the previous one. Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died. They were having his visitation that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could. Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts....all very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and smiling by her husband's casket. Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket. Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one; each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket.. Each left the mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes.. Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and reminded her of the story from those many years ago and what she had told me about her husband's bartering for marbles. With her eyes glistening, she took my hand and led me to the casket. Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about. They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim 'traded' them.. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size....they came to pay their debt. We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world,' she confided, 'but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho ......' With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles. The Moral: We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds. Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath. Today I wish you a day of ordinary miracles ~ A fresh pot of coffee you didn't make yourself... An unexpected phone call from an old friend.... Green stoplights on your way to work.... The fastest line at the grocery store.... A good sing-along song on the radio... Your keys found right where you left them. IT'S NOT WHAT YOU GATHER, BUT WHAT YOU SCATTER THAT TELLS WHAT KIND OF LIFE YOU HAVE LIVED! "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" Phil 4:13

Peacock Feathers

I spent a lot of time this past week working on an embroidery piece of a bird I find very fascinating -- the peacock.

Here is some information obtained online through Wikipedia about this special character. The male is called a peacock, the female a peahen, and the offspring peachicks.[1] The adult female peafowl is grey and/or brown. Peachicks can be between yellow and a tawny colour with darker brown patches. The peacock flares out his feathers when he is trying to get the peahen's attention. Peafowl are omnivorous and eat most plant parts, flower petals, seed heads, insects and other arthropods, reptiles, and amphibians. During the mating season they will often emit a very loud high-pitched cry. They also travel in hunting packs between ten and ninety. There are many different cultural significances in other lands that picture a peacock in them. He has many different representations even a deity who possesses benevolence, patience, kindness, compassion and knowledge. In some cultures the peacock is also a symbol of pride or vanity, due to the way the bird struts and shows off its plumage.

Proverbs about bird feathers -- Some I have heard and others are new to me. Chicken are beautiful because of their feathers, women are beautiful because of their make-up. Thai Proverb -*- Fine feathers make fine birds.. Vietnamese Proverb. -*- Every bird is proud of its feathers.. Maltese Proverb. -*- A bird does not change its feathers because the weather is bad.. Nigerian Proverb. -*- The fowl perspires, but the feathers do not allow us to see the perspiration.. Nigerian Proverb. -*- A bird will always use another birds' feathers to feather its own nest.. South Sotho Proverb. -*- The peacock hath fair feathers, but a foul voice.. Chinese Proverb. -*- A bird is known by his feathers.. Yiddish proverb. -*- Words and feathers the wind carries away.. Romanian Proverb. -*- The peacock hath fair feathers, but foul feet.. Romanian Proverb. -*-

I zoned in on my dogwood blooms on this piece as well. One thing I miss living in the South is dogwood trees. We used to have one in our front yard when I was growing up and I loved those delicate petals.

John Deere Harvesting

I was thrilled to spot the Amber Waves Harvesting crew out our front window working away cutting and harvesting Spring wheat on August 2, 2012.

My kids thought I was crazy stopping to snap photos of the big green machines chomping away in the fields and stirring up wheat dust as they kept in rhythm working away.

Hope you enjoy these photos. I think they are massive. My daughter, Savannah Rose, asked "Mama, how did they harvest the wheat before these machines were made?" I told her by hands. Made me think of Little House on the Prairie shows.

A little research also shows that a tool called a Scythe was used to harvest wheat before machines were used.

From Wikipedia: A scythe is an agricultural hand tool for mowing grass, or reaping crops. It was largely replaced by horse-drawn and then tractor machinery, but is still used in some areas of Europe and Asia. The Grim Reaper and Death are often depicted carrying or wielding a scythe. (I hadn't even remembered this last part until reading it again.)-- So I am learning and relearning all over again.