Saturday, June 25, 2011

Ode to Daisy

“She appears so quiet and shy,
Who would guess her to be sly?”
                                            CTP
Hello, Everyone!

Dear Daisy Flower is for sale to the highest bidder. Barbara, I wonder how much she would bring at Family Camp's auction next year. Probably thousands $. When the auctioneer tells how sweet and attentive and well-mannered she is, all hands will go up to bid higher than the last person. Who wouldn't love to own a yellow lab? The most popular breed in the USA she is.

He might say Daisy makes a wonderful house dog because she lays in one spot and doesn't wonder from room to room. But don't tell that she smells like a dog and sheds hair like a dog and eats wood like Marley in the book “Marley and Me”, a must read even if you are not a dog lover.

By the time I finish writing this page, Daisy should be home again. The neighbors love her too and she probably spent an overnighter with her friend Ellie, our first yellow lab. That's another story.

Is there a clue here? Probably three, but I can't think of one except Daisy will always be Daisy – faithful but untrustworthy, sweet but frustrating.

Summer finally arrived this week. I have been waiting nine months for this season. Picnics and blooming roses. Hooray!

Juanita
folks7777@gmail.com

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Communication

Visualize this picture I'm holding in my hand - a man and woman in a long, green canoe floating down a quiet river. The distant background reveals a scene of brilliant fall colors in a forest of fir trees. This breath-taking view is mirrored on the calm water. Sadly, the couple are not facing each other or communicating in any other manner. They are not fishing for lunch or rowing for exercise and they are missing the scenery.

What are they doing? Talking on their separate cell phones to someone else. The beauty of their world passes them by as they float down the river with their hand to their ear.

I realize the value of enjoying nature, either from my library window or walking/working in the beauty of my garden. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, so I might be the only one who thinks my garden is special. 

           My Caribbean Roses

Where best to communicate with our Creator than in the midst of his creation? The beauty of this world is here to remind us of God's gifts to us.

Remember the 1995 TV show that aired at Thanksgiving time called “Hasn't God Been Good to Oregon?” It was a tour of the breathtaking sites around the state of Oregon.

I vote for Crater Lake as the most magnificent scene anywhere in Oregon. I’ve had the pleasure of hiking down to the lake three times and taking the boat trip around Wizard Island. (Not three times in one day, of course) The clear indigo blue water is almost indescribable when you rest about six inches above it in a boat. If I have tempted you to visit the lake and stay at the rustic lodge, July is a good month for a tour. I have actually talked with people who have never been there. Can you imagine that?

Enjoy your summer. It begins next week. Hooray!

Juanita
folks7777@gmail.com

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Trust

Good morning or good evening! Maybe you live on the other side of the world from me. I noticed someone from Russia visited me blog recently. That's amazing! May I offer you a cup of Russian tea?

Brown tree squirrels live here in the Willamette Valley. They usually run and hop around the yard, but today, from my library window, I actually see one in a tree. It is difficult to distinguish them from the branches until the limbs start bouncing.

I already introduced you to Daisy, our yellow lab. She just zoomed by the window again with her tail spinning in a circle. The sweet dog is heading for the fish pond for her ritual morning drink. Thank goodness Daisy doesn't swim in it; she prefers the slimy slough behind our house. By the way, she is not a house dog. Exception: during thunder!
Don't ask me why she has a blue collar!

I spent the last couple months assisting in the planning of an Enrichment Seminar and then presided as the moderator. With that behind me, I can now focus on improving the view from my library window by visiting the Little Red Farm to buy more perennials. I thank the Lord everyday for my little Garden of Eden and I appreciate the energy He gave us to maintain it.

First time visitors: I have a new conversation every Saturday.

Here's a promise for you and me:

“But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 NLT

Juanita
folks7777@gmail.com

Friday, June 3, 2011

Birds and Snow Balls

Welcome! Will you join me for a cup of tea while we sit in the library?

Today, everyone is here for breakfast: the Stellar's jay, the scrub jay, the northern flicker woodpecker and the little dark-eyed junco. Did you know there is a certain junco race called Oregon race? That's what you can learn in a bird book. (Smile) Even the European starlings are here. Seems they’re all here except the robins, but when the word gets out, the robins will probably show up too.

Do you take time to relax and watch the birds in your yard? Move a comfortable chair to a big window and sit a spell, then you can enjoy discovering the many curious habits of our feathered friends. I used to think bird watchers were “different” people, but they're not. They're just like Jeannine and myself!

Someone or some bird must have given the signal because while I was writing, all the birds instantly disappeared.

In my personal garden of Eden I have snowballs the size of baseballs. I'd rather enjoy them instead of the baseball-size hail that fell in Texas recently. Do you ever wonder why people live in Tornado Alley? When they have a storm, they run for cover; however, when we have a storm in Oregon, we run to the window and say, “Wow!” Wherever you and your family live, I hope you are safe today.

Money talks. Chocolate sings. Beautifully!

Juanita
folks7777@gmail.com