Bachelor Party

We've been having a bachelor party in our backyard the last few weeks. Six bucks have been enjoying our restaurant at the back gate. It certainly brings a smile to my face! The picture above shows the bucks coming across our neighbor's yard on their way to the restaurant.

We have one dominant, two medium, and three yearlings. We've seen the dominant let two of the yearlings come up beside it and eat. They usually visit early in the morning and in the early evening. Jerry was mowing yesterday afternoon and said the dominant buck started walking up the hill and stood there watching him, showing no signs of distress.

The picture below I probably posted before. It was taken another year. It was a beautiful summer evening with bucks, does and fawns all in attendance. I wanted to get a snap of the group, but the dominant buck kept stomping his feet and snorting. He was not happy I was there!


I've had the pleasure of seeing fawns appear the first of July and watch in their training and development. One summer morning before leaving for work, four fawns were running back and forth across the yards (ours and our neighbors). Does were at both ends of the yards and the fawn were dashing as fast as they could. I'm not sure what they were teaching the fawns, but it sure was fun to watch!


We usually see bucks mostly in the summer months, and the photo below is one of my favorites. Mom had just come up with her triplets (yes, triplets), and one of them wandered to the other side of the gate to see this buck. I could just image what it was thinking: "Will I ever be as big as you?"


Another favorite from last year is this fawn I walked into the woods to get. It wasn't until I got home, downloaded snaps, and started working with them that I found the doe on the right!



I'm sure there will be more snaps to post. I usually start seeing fawns on the road the last two weeks of June. We don't see them at home before the first week of July. Can't wait! I never get tired of snapping fawns!

Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage

In the June 14th devotion from the One Year Women's Friendship Devotional by Cheri Heath Fuller and Sandra P. Aldrich, I was intrigued by the quote at the end of the devotion. "There are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before." Willia Cather, 1873-1947, American Novelist.

The devotion was centered around Deuteronomy 31:6, "Be strong and courageous! Do not be afriad and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor bandon you."

These words are very similar to Joshua 1, starting at verse 7, which I've always loved: "Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go"

And Ecclesiastes 3:15 says: "Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before . . ."The devotion talks about courageous people in the life of the author. She narrows it down to this point: "Through the years, I have learned courage doesn't alwasy mean rushing into battle. Often it calls for staying in the battle by trusting the Lord and putting one foot in front of the other."

Ordinary people, extraordinary courage. I'm encouraging a young woman even now to find that extraordinary courage to handle the trials in her life. Back to the quote.

All human stories are similar. We all go through our share of trials, and we fight fiercely when we're in them. Yet God will sustain us through them if we will only let Him.

How is your courage? We all bleed the same. But those with Christ have supernatural powers to get us through. He never fails us!

The picture above I snapped 5 minutes from home. Another lovely lightpost . . . always reminds me that Jesus is the Light of the world.

Surreybrooke

Last Saturday I enjoyed a visit to Surreybrooke gardens. I'd never been there before, or knew it existed. My friend, Shari, mentioned it and we visited. It was a time of refreshment and enchantment. We spent two hours meandering through the different gardens. It was early, and the morning was just beginning to announce the flavor of the day to come.

Of course, I took plenty of snaps. Enjoy!



These cute pigs were in the children's garden!



We found some fish. There were three ponds. The one below was very small.



I love gardens with benches!





This building houses their garden shop where you can purchase all kinds of different things!



This is the medium pond, covered over with lily pads. Shari said they're beautiful when they are in bloom.




Surreybrooke is located in Middletown, close to Frederick.

Blackest Black

Black lambs are hard to snap. At least for me. Yet one early morning recently I found this little guy still in the sheep pen with Mom. Mom didn't seem disturbed at my presence and let me stay awhile and take some snaps.



I recently came across a blog from a sheep farm. The pictures and videos are cute indeed! Stop by sheepgal.typepad.com and take a few minutes to smile.

Surprised me!

I stopped to snap the little fellow on the right one morning, but this older fellow on the left was more interested in me. He came over and wanted my full attention.



I kept telling him I wanted to take pictures of the little guy. So he sure showed me! He turned and walked over to his Momma, whispered in her ear, "she doesn't think I'm little. Let's show her . . ."



. . . and started nursing. He's still a little fellow after all.

Mama's Squat

A few weeks ago I spotted a new gosling family on the way to work. It was a delight to watch them and catch a few snaps. I feel priviledged that I was able to watch the young gathered to Mom and her squat on them.








We are under His wings too!

Here I Go Again

Or at least that's what I thought when I decided on the title and wrote the draft before I left for vacation. The first few paragraphs are what I wrote before I left for Oklahoma to visit my sister, Kathy. So hang in there to read "The Greatest Words" following my initial draft.

Yes, I found another book of quotes. I no sooner spotted it and it was mine. Billy Graham in Quotes

I like Billy Graham. I like him because he has spoken for God, unequivocally, and in good standing, for decades -- 7 to be exact.

I like him because he was content with a little homestead on the top of a mountain. I like him because his morals were high and he loved his wife.

This book is new this year, compiled and written by his son, Franklin, and friend Donna Lee Tovey. It is my newest treasure.

At 92, Billy Graham's years on this earth are almost over. And I have a foreboding feeling that when his spirit leaves this earth, God's hand of wrath will move even stronger on our sick country. I'm no scholar, or theologian, or doctor. I'm not brilliant, or extremely smart, or well read. But the common mind is able to discern the ways of God better than the most brilliant individual.

Yes, I will enjoy yet another book of quotes, and you may be subject to finding a few in my posts along the way. I'd rather read quotes from godly men and women to spur my mind and imagination than 1,000 books on just anything.

Now, the rest of the story . . .

Kathy and I shopped at Mardel, a huge Christian bookstore in Oklahoma City. She had taken me there four years ago, and I remembered how amazed I was at the size of the store. It was easily three times bigger than "His Way" in Ellicott City--and that's a nice store!

I found it there: "The Greatest Words Ever Spoken" written by Steven K. Scott. Subtitle: Everything Jesus said about you, your life, and everything else.


Gary Smalley wrote in the Foreword: "[Steve] wanted the words of Christ to form the concrete foundation of his beliefs on every subject and issue of life and to do that he needed to put everything the Lord said on every subject into an easily accessible format."

I decided to find a topic that means a lot to me and read the Lord's words, as Gary Smalley did. Gary was "overcome with emotion" and said: "This is the most powerful thing I have ever read." I agree, outside of the Bible, of course.

I'm just getting into this new treasure and anticipating the wealth of understanding these words of Jesus will bring as they unfold before my eyes.

Yes, I count all my books of quotes as treasures for my heart, but they can't begin to compare in wonder and power to the pure, undiluted words of Jesus Christ. My "books of quotes" library has reached the ultimate in wisdom!