Wintry Thoughts

Yes, that's a very unflattering picture of me when I came in from walking in the snow! I was beat from walking around in 16 inches of snow, still falling, and sat there for 20 minutes. Too bad Jerry didn't get a snap of me when I first came in. He said I was a sight! No vanity there.

I went out at 7 a.m. to get some early morning shots in the lane behind our house. It was wonderful waking up to the winter wonderland. I heard snow again! What a refreshing sound. I've shared this poem I wrote before, but it's worth sharing again:

"When I opened the back door I heard it
Snow
I was amazed at the sound
A whisper different from wind
Yet, precise; like nothing else I've ever heard
Snow falling from the heavens
My heart rested and listened
I couldn't keep away from my back door
I heard snow and thanked God."

The three snaps below were all taken in low light, early that morning, with the snow falling heavy.

The lane looked a lot different from when I took snaps from the ice storm. The one below is looking up the hill at the back end of our yard from the lane.

A little bird sits watching the show.

With all of this cold to look at, here's some facts I recently learned about ice cream!

Which U.S. state once had a law that banned serving ice cream on cherry pie?  Kansas

How many licks, on average, does it take to eat a single-scoop serving of ice cream on a cone?  50, but why not hold a contest and see for yourself! (I like this suggestion!)

Which country's military delivered pints of ice cream right to soldiers in the foxholes during WW II?  The United States

More ice cream is sold on this day of the week than any others. Which day is it?  Sunday

Which dictator banned the sale of ice cream throughout his country?  Mussolini. Even though Italy is the birthplace of ice cream, he thought the confection was "too American."

President Ronald Reagan proclaimed July National Ice Cream month. But you know, we can eat it all year!
And now that I'm retired, I've found it's also good for breakfast!

The snap below is not a great picture. Some might say it isn't even a good picture. But I love it! It was taken at a favorite place I snap lambs. It was early morning, snowing and there is a metal fence in front of half the sheep. I was a fair distanced away. I just love how they're all under cover resting.

My favorite snap from this big snow, which I posted on Facebook, is of the red barn I found on a favorite road early last Saturday morning. Quiet. Serene. Peaceful. Solitude. Now that's a snap!

Valentine Thoughts

This cute picture is a free coloring page on my friend, Karla's, blog page, until March 1st! (www.karladornacher.typepad.com)  I did my coloring in my photoshop program especially for my blog friends.

The well-known verse in the Bible, Proverbs 17:17a, states it plainly. If you're fortunate to have friends, love them. Care about them. Encourage them. Thank them. Honor them. Tell them you love them!

Wise words to consider . . .

"The happiest miser on earth is the man who saves up every friend he can make." Robert Emmet Sherwood (1896-1955)

"A friend is one who makes me do my best."  Oswald Chambers (1874-1917)

"A friend is one who knows all about you and likes you just the same." (Elbert Green Hubbard (1856-1915)

"Do not keep the alabaster boxes of your love and tenderness sealed up until your friends are dead. Fill their lives with sweetness. Speak approving, cheering words while their ears can hear them and while their hearts can be thrilled by them." Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887)

"Friendship is one of the sweetest joys of life. Many might have failed beneath the bitterness of their trial had they not found a friend."  Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892)

"We can never replace a friend. When a man is fortunate enough to have several, he finds they are all different. No one has a double in friendship." Johann Friedrich Von Schiller (1759-1805)

And from a favorite poet:

"Be a friend, You don't need glory. Friendship is a simple story.
Pass by trifling errors blindly, Gaze on honest effort kindly,
Cheer the youth who's bravely trying, Pity him who's sadly sighing;
Just a little labor spend, On the duties of a friend."
Edgar Albert Guest (1881-1959)

So where are those friends of yours? Let them hear from you as we celebrate Valentine's day this week.  Heart's are needy. Fill them with your joy!

Lovely snaps of a winter morning at Knill's Farm. I chuckled seeing geese sleeping on the ice around 8 a.m. and had to turn around and get a few snaps. Most of the geese on the other side of the bush were sleeping on the ice.

I Need a Snap!

These long days of bitter cold temperatures have provided very few opportunities to take pictures! The snap above cost me frozen fingertips! It was taken before sunrise the morning after a beautiful snow fall. You can just begin to see the light pink in the background. I was outside less than 10 minutes, with gloves on that have the fingertips open, and I could hardly push the shutter button down when I came in they were so cold.

Since I've been unable to get out and find new snaps, I've been visiting websites of folks who can! Here are some of my favorites!

NatureScapes (www.naturescapes.net) and Nature Photographers (www.naturephotographers.net) are two websites I love. The snaps far outreach my capability in photography and geographical areas that I could ever visit. Aside from drooling over the great snaps, I love to read how the photographer got the snap. Sometimes the stories are funny, and they show the effort the photographer went to in obtaining the picture.
That's one of the things I enjoy about my own photography. I'm always reliving the moment I took a picture and enjoying the memory.

These sites also provide instructions, forums, galleries, portfolios, workshops and more.

Another site I've recently become acquainted with is Capture Outdoors Maryland  (www.capturemaryland.com). These snaps are taken in our beautiful state by local photographers, and allows an amateur like me to submit my own snaps around Maryland and receive feedback.

I also enjoy reading blogs from others. Two of my favorite blog sites: Susan Branch (www.susanbranch.com), a delightful artist and writer; of course, my friend, Karla Dornacher (www.karladornacher.typepad.com), who also is a talented and gifted artist and writer.

And I must confess that I have six shortcuts on my desktop of Budweiser Clydesdale horses to pull up when I need a warm fuzzy! They sure create delightful commercials. And, yes, the recent Puppy Love is included in that six! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQB7QRyF4p4)

One day soon I'll be able to be out and about again to find my own snaps in God's great creation. But these others help me get through the cold and weary winter (even though I love snow!).

Snowy Thoughts

Last week before the sun was up, I walked out back and took some snaps of the freshly fallen snow. As you can see, the moon was still visible and there was just a dash of pink light in the background. I was out about 10 minutes and my fingertips froze. I had on gloves with the fingertips exposed, and I could hardly press the shutter button down because they were so cold!

It was a lovely snow fall. It snowed all day, and I enjoyed watching it. It calmed my spirit, refreshed my soul and warmed my heart. Snow provides the opportunity to slow down, giving you time to reflect on life and consider the things you're involved in.

Snow makes you yearn for spring as you look at the frozen buds on the trees and imagine the beauty that will arrive in a few short months. The frozen buds look dead, but soon they will become baby leaves. God's creation will bloom once again!

Yes, I like the snow. It helps me see more clearly God's perfect plan.

What beauty we enjoy living in Maryland. We experience all the seasons of the year. Each one is breathtaking in its own right.

"There is no season such delight can bring, As summer, autumn, winter and the spring."  William Browne, 1591-1643

So if you haven't looked at the snow from eyes of delight, I invite you to anticipate the next snowfall, and see it through God's eyes. Just a little piece of His heart for you!

Keep It Simple

We recently went to the new Amish Market in Hanover, PA. The first Amish Market I remember in this area was located in Burtonsville. It was close to my work, and I could drop by on my lunch hour. I fell in love with their cheesecake and other delicious delicacies. Jerry loves their ribs!

I've mentioned before of my love of the Amish area of Lancaster, specifically Bird-In-Hand and Intercourse, a few miles northeast of Lancaster. In any store we go to owned by the Amish, I'm never disappointed in the service or the product.

The snap above shows the runner and centerpiece I purchased last year. Their hand work is beautiful. The flowers are my January-February flowers, and I love the combination!

One of my new devotional books for 2014 is Amish Peace. Each devotion shares a small part of the Amish life, which parallels ours closely. From my observance, the Amish are more committed and stringent. Because they deny themselves from modern conveniences, it distinquishes them from others. They remain unique and outside of worldly people and things. That's why they stand out as they do. I daresay that many of us need to deny ourselves and be a people of distinction.

In these later years I've taken a shine to their fabric work. Oh to have an Amish quilt! But they bring in a pretty dollar, so I'll just admire from afar and pick up smaller pieces or of their work. We've purchased pieces of furniture over the years and enjoy their fine craftsmanship.

And of course, their simple way of living especially draws my heart. Through the years I've taken steps to bring simplicity to my life. I think I've learned I don't need everything, and enjoying nature enhances my day-to-day living.

I've not ridden in a buggy yet. Or gone to a working farm and observed their daily work. Maybe I'll get to that one day.

The Amish Market in Hanover, PA is not finished--about 60% complete. They have furniture, linens, candles, bakery, food court, jarred goods, bulk food, pottery, quilts, crafts and more!

If you haven't been to an Amish Market it's definitely worth a visit. Plan to have lunch or dinner there. They're open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The one in Burtonsville moved to Laure, and there Hunt Valley and Germantown also have one. It will be a treat!

A Little Heart's-ease

"You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on this earth by the Master Craftsman." Max Lucado

I want to share with you a favorite story that continues to inspire me to do what God has put me here to do. The story is told in Volume One of Streams in the Desert. I always shared this story when I spoke on note writing. It's about a small flower that does what it was put here to do.

I didn't know wht a heart's-ease was so I looked it up in the dictionary: a heart's-ease is another name for the viola tricolor flower, a hybrid plant derived from crossing certain species of the genus Viola and having small, spurred, variously colored flowers; is a common European wild flower, growing as an annual or short-lived perennial. The flowers can be purple, blue, yellow or white.

"A story is told of a king who went into his garden one morning, and found everything withered and dying. He asked the oak that stood near the gate what the trouble was. He found it was sick of life and determined to die because it was not tall and beautiful like the pine. The pine was all out of heart becuase it could not bear grapes, like the vine. The vine was going to throw its life away because it could not stand erect and have a s fine fruit as the peach tree. The geranium was fretting because it was not tall and fragrant like the lilac; and so on all through the garden. Coming to a heart's-ease, he found its bright face lifted as cheery as ever. 'Well, heart's-ease, I'm glad, amidst all this discouragement, to find one brave little flower. You do not seem to be the least disheartened.' 'No, I am not of much account, but I thought that if you wanted an oak, or a pine, or a peach tree, or a lilac, you would have planted one; but as I knew you waned a heart's-ease, I am determined to be the best little heart's-ease that I can.'"

What has God given you to do? Are you doing it? Do you think what you do isn't noticed? Do you feel small and over looked? Some would think note writing isn't much. What does it take to write a simple, little note to someone. What difference could it possibly make?

"Others may do a greater work,
But you have your part to do;
And no one in all God's heritage
Can do it so well as you." unknown

God has given few people great gifts but He has equipped every one of his children to accomplish whatever he has purposed for them. As that little heart's-ease demonstrated, whatever God has given you to do, do it to the best of your ability. We all matter in God's Kingdom and must all use our gift(s) so that His perfect plan is realized.

"There is always a certain peace in being what one is, in being that completely." Ugo Betti, Italian judge, author and playwright

"I am still determined to be cheerful and to be happy in whatever situation I may be, for I have also learnt from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions and not our circumstances."  Martha Washington

So whether you're a little heart's-ease, a Japanese maple or a might oak, do it! You will find satisfaction in your work and joy in your heart because you are using the special gift(s) God gave to you. I can testify to that!

"Now may the God of peace . . . equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him . . ."

One Word

Recently my friend, Karla, asked her Facebook friends what their "word" for 2014 is. I haven't been one to choose a word to focus on during the year, but I gave it some thought and one word kept coming to my mind: anticipate. My thinking for this word is twofold: anticipate the needs of others, and anticipate God's direction in my life.

While reading Week 32 in Angela Thomas' devotion book Choosing Joy, I was reminded of scripture which will help me as I pursue anticipating the needs of others: "If you have any encouragment from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also the the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus."  Philippians 2:1-5.

This also is in line with my "call back" suggestion in last week's post. Anticipating the needs of others and telling other's how God has seen me through difficult times are heavy responsibilities.

Angela's book has been the focus in my Sunday School class since last April. Each week my teachers, Pam, Paula and Helen, take the next chapter on "Joy" and provide insight words and inspiration from their study on choosing joy. It has been a wonderful series of lessons!

Angela says: "It's a proven fact: if you are empty of joy, serve someone else. Serve with all of your heart. Serve for no othe reason than to be like Jesus to them. In your service, you've chosen joy." Anticipating the needs of others provides the opportunity to give God's joy to the heart of others.

My other goal of anticipating God's direction in my life and being open to it is a little more difficult. One has to really keep their eyes open, the ears listening and their mind in His Word to be open to hearing His call. The number 14 is a special one for me. I was born on the 14th, saved on the 14th, married on the 14th and retired on the 14th. The date wasn't intentionally chosen by me for any of these events, but rather just fell onto that particular date. Now we're headed into 2014.

I'd already started thinking the year will be something special, but rather in a negative mindset. Maybe I'll die in 2014. What is left of the major happenings in one's life? But the more I thought about it, I decided it could just as well be something very special, so I've decided to open my heart to a positive line of thinking and see what God has planned.

Yes, "anticipate" is a good word for the year 2014.

Some snaps from Lancaster; a sheep and lamb snapped early one icy morning; winter scenes, and a February sunrise that I played with.