On the Eleventh Day of Summer…

July 1, 2018July 11, 2018 ~ Beth ~ 1 Comment

…my camera gave to me,

Eleven butterflies a-sipping.

A tiny parable for you:

“Come with me!” called one butterfly to another as she floated past on the soft breezes of a bright June day.

“Where to?” the other asked from her perch on a clover bud, “Why should I leave this perfectly good flower?”

“Because I want to take you to the most wonderful flowers I’ve ever had the pleasure of landing on,” she replied joyfully. “They’re like big round tables spread with the finest lace tablecloth, with room for the largest of nectar-sipping parties. The nectar served is the sweetest for miles—and it’s free for the taking!”

She believed her friend, and followed, and having reached the patch of cow parsnip and finding everything just a wonderful as she had been told, never once regretted the clover bud left behind.

And, so it is for us, when we take God at His Word, and forsake what does not satisfy for that which eternally does.

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live…” (Isaiah 55:1-3)

“Jesus…cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink...” (John 7:37-38)

“…whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14)

On the Fifth Day of Summer…

June 25, 2018June 27, 2018 ~ Beth ~ 3 Comments

My camera brought to me,

Five pink petals.

I was looking for five things for this project, but the only compelling things I could find were roses. They were exceptionally pretty and summery, but all as solitary as could be. This presented a quandary, until it dawned on me that there can be five things within one thing. I had been so intent upon counting flowers that I had forgotten to count petals! I was a little sheepish at the discovery that I’d been frowning in puzzlement at exactly five identical things the whole time, but was too blind to see them!

While we’re on the topic of roses, I have five rosy things for you, one for each of those pretty pink wild petals. I hope one or two of them brightens your day:

If you’re feeling adventurous in the kitchen, a lovely recipe for chocolate pots de creme that includes a splash of actual rose water. You’ll be surprised at how delicious it is!

A waltz, by Strauss, about roses.

A quote from a favorite childhood book that pretty much sums up this time of the year: “It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.”—Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy-Tacy and Tib

The song about roses that always reminds me of my Grandma, right down to the Southern Gospel style she loved.

A verse, speaking of the glory of Zion: “The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.“ (Isaiah 35:1)

In case you missed the other posts in this series, this way to the first day, second day, third day and fourth day.

On the Fourth Day of Summer…

June 25, 2018June 25, 2018 ~ Beth ~ 2 Comments

…my camera gave to me,

Four tall white trees.

As all poplars know, white never goes out of style, particularly in the summer.

White bark,

white flowers,

white shirts,

white linens,

white dinnerware,

and, for the one victorious in Christ, gloriously, someday,

white robes.

“But you do have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments, and because they are worthy, they will walk with Me in white. Like them, the one who is victorious will be clothed in white garments. And I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father and His angels.” (Revelation 3:4-5)

In case you missed them, here’s the first day, second day and third day!

On the Third Day of Summer…

June 24, 2018June 25, 2018 ~ Beth ~ 4 Comments

…my true love gave to me,

Three turtles crossing.

That first mama snapper? She was big and black and dinosaur-like, but kind of boring. She lumbered up into the yard one morning, checked out our puddles, bulldozed through my freshly-planted bed of onions, then lumbered back off to the lake, without so much as doing us the courtesy of letting us watch her lay eggs.

The second painted turtle was mostly rather cross about being herded out of the way for departing Wednesday night Bible study traffic.

I’d like you to notice, however, that I switched to the traditional line “true love” for today, because the little snapper in the third photo was, literally, given to me by my true love. She was handed to me by my husband after being saved from certain doom on a busy highway, because I was in the passenger seat and he was not, and driving a vehicle while holding a snapping turtle is not necessarily recommended in the books. In hindsight, I’m really not sure why we didn’t just switch places so I could drive while he held the turtle, but he says he thought it would be good for me to brush up on my turtle handling skills, and I suppose he was right.

This was after a failed experiment of containing the creature in the only container we could find in the car, a (breathable) shopping bag, from which she escaped and was temporarily lost under the driver’s seat. If you’ve never had a snapping turtle loose in your vehicle, you are really missing out, by the way. It’s very exciting, and you will discover what you always wanted to know, which is how nimble people actually are at tucking their feet up. It will also leave all occupants vowing to always keep A Proper Turtle Container in the trunk for future such emergencies.

So there was nothing to do but hold her, and I took lots of one-handed photos while she intermittently fought my grip on her shell with her powerful webbed feet, and hung submissively, eyeing me closely.

“She either likes you or she doesn’t,” Zach observed helpfully. Then, as if to settle the question, she stretched out her neck very long and arched it menacingly back toward my hand, and I raised my eyebrows and said firmly, “DOESN’T,” followed with some urgency by, “Are we there [at a safe turtle launching point] yet?!?!”

“Hold on,” he said encouragingly, “We’re almost there.” This was true, and I must say that I was relieved to hand her over to his much more capable hands when we arrived.

But seriously? Encounters with wildlife, even when they’re just a tiny bit too close for comfort, are one big reason why I love these summer months, right along with the rest of my family. Each creature, in all the glory of their splendid masterful design, armored shells, powerful beaks, elastic wrinkles, inquisitive intelligent eyes, brings praise to their Creator as they move and breathe and go on that annual search for the perfect place to lay some eggs.

If we can help them out a bit, and get close up looks in the process, we consider it an honor.

“My mouth will declare the praise of the LORD; let every creature bless His holy name forever and ever.” (Psalm 145:21)

Did you miss the others in this series? This way to the first day and second day.

On the First Day of Summer…

June 22, 2018 ~ Beth ~ 5 Comments

…my searching brought to me,

A droplet on a lady slipper.

An alternate caption might read: “You know it’s really summer when…”Go take pictures of ladyslippers” makes the Top 3 on your to-do list for the day.”

As we all know, summer in Minnesota is furiously fast and fleeting. Every year I vow to slow down and savor it better; every year, I promise you, it’s shorter. But the faster it seems to go, the more determined I am to enjoy it, and so in that spirit, I’d like to announce the first in a series of a summery, illustrated version of “The 12 Days of Christmas”! Stay tuned!

“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)

Perfumed Palace

June 10, 2017June 8, 2017 ~ Beth ~ Leave a comment

A little farmhouse on a lake is a very nice place to live, but there are a couple times every year when something happens to make it feel pretty much like a palace. Like when the big old lilac bush out front blooms. We’re rich in lilacs over here, folks.

Bonus if you have a friendly chipmunk who lives deep inside this marvelous perfumed bush and scurries out to seek handouts at al fresco luncheons.I wonder if he feels as rich as I do when his home is in bloom?

“Praise the LORD! How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments… Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.” (Psalm 112:1, 3)

In Celebration of Pink

June 24, 2016June 24, 2016 ~ Beth ~ 2 Comments

Some of the prettiest pink things God ever made happen in the month of June.

It’s the month of glorious pink roses billowing in the ditches… wild rose / rejoicing hills And pink begonias blooming on my porch…

And pink peonies bowing their full ruffled heads gracefully to the ground…And foggy pink sunsets on summer solstice……and my personal favorite this year? The pink toes of a certain wee baby girl.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:17)

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Light After the Storm

July 26, 2015April 6, 2016 ~ Beth ~ 3 Comments

This was the light that broke forth after the storm, making the fields sparkle golden-green and the daisies by the roadside glow shining white. The contrast was spectacular between the lowering navy underbellies of the receding storm clouds, and the land beneath suddenly bathed in the piercing evening light.

We, on our walk through the fields, stopped and caught our breath in wonder. The ordinary grasses and trees were highlighted in stunning relief, and for a few minutes, the landscape was almost surreal in its beauty. The splendid effect of the most brilliant light is always the most striking when contrasted with the darkness it chases away.

So was the coming of the Messiah into the darkness of our world:

“The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great Light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a Light has dawned.” (Isaiah 9:2) swans on lake at sunset / rejoicing hills And He, the Light of the world, continues to shine, the glory of His brilliance all the more breathtaking when contrasted with the darkness it chases away. He beckons all to step into the piercing rays of His light, and let Him wash away their drabness, robing them in the stunning beauty of His holiness.

“I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.” (John 12:46)

Come to the Light of Christ—it’s shining for you and no one is ever turned away. And if you are already walking in it, take a moment to rejoice in the wonder that you no longer “walk in darkness, but have the Light of life” (John 8:12)! How glorious to be His child!

Porch Tenants

July 7, 2015April 6, 2016 ~ Beth ~ 6 Comments

We’re happy to be the landlords to a pair of barn swallows this summer. They’ve tucked their neat little mud nest snug up under the eaves of our porch upon the solid (?!) foundation of a single long nail, and don’t seem to mind our comings and goings below. In return, we have chosen to overlook the mess they are making in favor of enjoying the sound of them twittering affectionately at each other in the mornings and being buzzed as they swoop through the open flyway around our heads.

Barn swallows often fall on the list of “common birds” for most people (you know, not nearly as exciting as, say, a purple martin or a bluebird)—but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to know these ordinary little neighbors better this year. For the first time, I’ve had a chance to observe their unique coloring and markings up close (really quite stylish!) and I maintain that there is no small bird quite so swift and elegant in it’s flight as a swallow. We’ve (I hope) developed a bit of a bond over our mutual aversion for the red squirrel who lurks around the house—and they’ve even (I think) forgiven me for taking this picture: If you will note from the first picture in this post, they built their nest just far enough away from the roof to allow their slim, stream-lined selves in and out. They didn’t really take into account the fact that they were taking up residence on the porch of a photographer, and I was a little put out with them about that for awhile. What’s the fun of having a birds’ nest next to your front door if you can’t even photograph what’s inside? Then, a friend had a genius idea: what about using a mirror? (Thanks, Tami!) I can’t believe I never thought of that myself! A few gymnastics with a small mirror and a camera on top of a dining room chair later, we got this peek at the five prettiest little freckled eggs you ever saw!

I went looking for a verse about birds to pair with these photos, expecting to settle on some kind of general reference—and was surprised and fascinated to discover that swallows are actually specifically referenced in the Bible. And not just once, but four times! The following psalm was my favorite, but you can check out these links (Proverbs 26:2, Isaiah 38:14 and Jeremiah 8:7) to read the others!“How lovely are Your dwelling places, O LORD of hosts!

My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.

The bird also has found a house, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts, My King and my God.

How blessed are those who dwell in Your house! They are ever praising You. Selah.” (Psalm 84:1-4)Stay tuned—hopefully there will be a baby bird sequel soon!

Fireworks

July 4, 2015April 6, 2016 ~ Beth ~ 2 Comments

The Oriental poppies along the milk house are exploding fiery orange and black right now, as stunning as the fireworks will be against the evening sky all over our nation tonight. As we celebrate the birthday of this land we love, I offer this verse of our national hymn as a prayer, both in gratefulness for our heritage, and for the revival of her people:

“Thy love divine hath led us in the past,
In this free land by Thee our lot is cast;
Be Thou our ruler, guardian, guide and stay,
Thy Word our law, Thy paths our chosen way.”

For “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34)