namely, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,
in the things that have been made.
Romans 1.20
Linking today with Lisha Epperson's "Give Me Grace"
Showing posts with label Wildlife. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wildlife. Show all posts
Sunday
I {LOVE} Sunday::to look for God's invisible attributes in the things He has made...
namely, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,
in the things that have been made.
Romans 1.20
Linking today with Lisha Epperson's "Give Me Grace"
Friday
No beauty contest winners here...
But they're mine - as much as anything wild that shares our space here on Pollywog Creek is mine.
Muscovies may not qualify as one of God's most beautiful creations and they are considered to be a nuisance by most Floridians, they eat their weight in mosquitoes and larva, as well as, flies, spiders, and other insects. It's been said that they eat roaches like candy. For that fact alone, I'm more than happy they often call our little pond home.
Unlike most ducks, muscovies are quiet. The males might hiss and the females sometimes have a faint quack, that's more like a "pip," but if I don't see them, the only way I know they are here is if I hear them crash-land into the pond or they miss the mark and land on the roof. It happens.
I find them peaceful and entertaining - and a photography challenge. They will either fly or paddle away from me if they see me coming, but I enjoy trying to capture the iridescent feathers along their back as they glide across the surface of our pond.
ECHO {Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization} no longer keeps muscovies at their farm in Florida, but they have experienced success in developing countries throughout the world that have muscovies to control insects and as a food source.
I'm content to keep them off our dinner plates and happily munching on 'skeeters around the pond.
{Photos::the pond the last week of August on Pollywog Creek.}
Saturday
Weekend wanderings::it was a beary good thanksgiving on Pollywog Creek...
Weekends {are for} Wanderings on Pollywog Creek
...looking back and {trying to} catch up
"There's a fire in the kitchen," Emily thought when she heard me screaming for Louis.
Drama on Thanksgiving Day comes as no surprise to my family, and considering the fact that I've started a fire in the oven while roasting a large turkey on at least two Thanksgivings, Emily's assumption was a valid one. Little did she know that the source of my panic was a full grown black bear meandering along the thickets by the creek.
My first thought when I saw the bear - not fifty feet from where I was setting the table on the porch - was that Louis was outside and I feared he would unknowingly wander into the bear's path. I also considered racing around the house closing the doors and windows. My only encounter with a bear not in a zoo was when we camped in the Smokey Mountains and a bear destroyed the topper on a truck parked next to our tent trying to get to the food inside. Was this Thanksgiving Day bear attracted to our yard by the aroma of roasting turkey, and would he tear through the screen porch or an open window to get to it?
So I started screaming for Louis. By the time I found him and both he and Emily responded to my hysteria, the bear had wandered to the far northeast corner of the property and then disappeared into the thickets.
Did I get a picture? No. Some photographer I am. It wasn't my first thought. When I did think maybe I should get a camera, I picked up the Sony point and shoot, and between my shaking and the distance the bear had traveled away from the porch, the bear in that photo was only a dark blur.
If Louis and Emily had to rely on that blurry photo for proof, they probably wouldn't have believed me, but they saw the bear for themselves before he disappeared and knew I wasn't just being hysterical.
Trying to reach someone in authority on a holiday was nearly impossible. Eventually, a dispatcher from the sheriff's office reached a wildlife officer who said he would patrol the area throughout the day.
While we were on bear alert, over at Nick's house Kristin (near the end of her first trimester) was throwing up and Gavin slipped off a bar stool and hit his head on the edge of the counter, leaving a stitch-worthy gash on his scalp. To avoid the ER (an hour away), Nick brought him to me. I suggested that we try shaving the hair around the gash and applying a butterfly to close it, but Gavin's response was nothing short of hysterical. In the end, he stayed with us the rest of the morning, we kept the wound clean and dry, and he'll just have one more little boy "battle scar" to add to his growing collection.
By late-afternoon, seventeen of us had feasted on fried gator tail, roasted turkey, baked ham, dressing and gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potato souffle, squash and broccoli casseroles, mandarin orange salad, apple pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and pumpkin bread. The kitchen had been cleaned, food put away, our lovely family guests had scattered for other gatherings, and the garbage can wheeled to the road to be picked up the next morning.
We'd more or less forgotten about the bear until the dog started barking, and Emily thought she should see what all the excitement was about, and sure enough - it was the bear. Guess he was just waiting for the leftovers.
He sauntered around the pond, tried to climb a tree when he was startled by the neighbor's barking dogs, and then galloped up to the fence along the road where he picked up the garbage can, emptied it in the road and then carried the bags into the woods across the street where he spent the next hour enjoying its tasty-to-him contents before dusk fell and the game officer arrived.
And what did the game officer do? Nothing. The bear is tagged and the officer thinks he is the same one who has been getting into garbage cans on the other side of the creek, but he can't do anything without a biologist and no biologist could be found on Thanksgiving Day. All he could do was scare the bear away from the garbage so Louis could pick it up and store the can in the garage overnight.
The bear climbed a tree and the game officer thought he would stay there for the night and we should hear from a biologist the next day. Two days later, we haven't seen the bear again, but we also haven't heard from a biologist. The bear - and the biologist - are still out there. Somewhere.
Needless to say, we look both ways when we walk outside, and it will be a while before I wander about Pollywog Creek with my camera without an armed escort.
So how was your Thanksgiving? I really would love to know.
{Photos} a day after Thanksgiving blue heron along the creek and my Pollywog Creek backyard, and the bear, of course. My "i love saturday" photo/post will go up later.
Weekend wanderings...
...looking back and catching up
It's an odd assortment of photos, I know. I wanted to post a few more insect macros, but out of respect for my insect phobic friends (love you, Allie), I decided to keep them to myself. I simply couldn't resist showing y'all that spider mama and her gazillian babies. She'd nested in one of the azaleas by my backyard swing and I watched her egg for days before finding all those babies one morning.
I caught a glimpse of that lovely hawk as he flew into a pine tree between the house and creek, but I knew I'd likely have to be content with taking a blurry photo through the porch screen. As I suspected, when I opened the porch door in hopes of capturing a clearer picture, off he flew - the brittle limb where he'd perched falling in pieces after him.
Twice this week I spotted a hummingbird circling 'round the flame bush, stopping momentarily to sip nectar from those blazing orange flower heads, but I was much too far away to take a photo. Still. I was thrilled. Though I've delighted in the flame bush's stunning colors, we planted that bush nearly two years ago to attract hummingbirds and it finally happened.
Last weekend was sunny and cool and absolutely perfect for those family birthday celebrations I mentioned. We partied at my brother's lovely lake home for my niece's son's second birthday, and then returned home to attend a party for Nick's in-laws, who celebrated birthdays a few years past two. It was all grand fun, plenty of laughter and chocolate cake.
I'd hoped to travel to the west coast for Mason's t-ball game this morning and then take photos for our church's "Candy Carnival" tonight, but with flaring joints (not to mention the heavy rains), I'm resting at home with a heating pad on my wrists and the anticipation of watching college football while indulging in Emily's awesome college-football-viewing snacks.
Did I mention that Louis and I are celebrating our 35th today? Only by the grace of God, I tell you. Only by the grace of God. It's a story I love to tell, if you want to know more or see me in my wedding dress.
Did I mention that Louis and I are celebrating our 35th today? Only by the grace of God, I tell you. Only by the grace of God. It's a story I love to tell, if you want to know more or see me in my wedding dress.
I'd love to know what you are doing with the gift of this day.
{Photos} 'round about Pollywog Creek and a celebrating life collage - don't you just love Gavin's head popping up in that last frame?
Monday
For the beauty of the earth...
When Susan invited me to her family's ranch to catch morning light sparkle through flowering grasses, I prayed on that pre-dawn drive south down dark rural roads that God would open my eyes to His glory - where ever He chose to display it.
As morning light diffused the dark, low clouds appeared blanketed across the eastern horizon, dulling the rising sun's sparkles we'd hope to capture. But I've learned - if I only look for sparkling grass, I'll wonder what glory I failed to see elsewhere.
As I count God's generous gifts in community with Ann, I'm grateful for Christ and the abundant grace and mercy displayed on the cross, without which nothing else matters - and for the multitude of ways God displays His glory, His grace and his love in my life:
...Susan - for her gracious hospitality, for framing my photos on the wall of her lovely home, for driving me around their beautiful property in an ez-go in search of sparkles at sunrise, and for the fellowship and stories shared along the way
...a glorious sunrise over grazing cattle
...spider webs on barb wire fences
...yellow-breasted meadowlark
...a trio of red-capped sandhill cranes
...fence posts dressed in virginia creepers
...cool breezes on warm afternoons
...a nap on my backyard swing
...quiet mornings on the back porch
...big-eyed tufted titmouse at the feeders
...blue jays, mockingbirds, and cardinals drinking and bathing at the birdbath
...Easter garden flowers blooming still
...wild poinsettias
...the fruit of palm trees
...oranges ripening
...white picket fences
...our rural community and the river than runs through it
...the love of family
...the love of friends
For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.
Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.
~ Pierpoint
Wednesday
As thou has been, thou forever will be...
"The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen Your frame. You will be like a well watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." Isaiah 58.11
My sincerest apologies {again} to all who are clinging to summer's last hurrahs - this last day of August and the final stretch into the Labor Day weekend.
I know your pain. It grips me every spring - when cool, dry days begin to give way to scorching heat, oppressive humidity and mosquitoes - and I grasp and savor every last refreshing breath.
I rejoice at August's waning moments and the hope that cooler days are just around the scorching bend, but I've tried to be careful to not wish my life away - longing for a different time or place....or season.
Today - this very moment even - is what I have....
...to delight in
...to appreciate
...to rest in
...to be grateful for
...to be loving
...to be encouraging
...to pray
...to cherish
...to share
...to create
...to embrace
...to not waste
Added later:
...to play
...to laugh
...to sing
...to dance
...to praise
...to cry
...to kiss and hug
{what would you add?}
Added later:
...to play
...to laugh
...to sing
...to dance
...to praise
...to cry
...to kiss and hug
{what would you add?}
A small plaque inscribed with Isaiah 58:11 hangs on a wall in my home. Taken out of context, I've often thought it was written just for me - encouragement to get through our long and heavy summers. As I look back on these August days and bid her farewell, I'm overwhelmed with gratitude for all the Lord has done for me. He has surely been with me. He has guided me, satisfied my every need and strengthened my frame.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me. {listen}
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be
{Photos} This last week of August on Pollywog Creek
Ten tips for backyard photography devos...
With the most delightfully cool days, steroid induced bursts of energy and considerably less pain and swelling, I've had more Pollywog Creek wandering hours these past four days than all winter and spring. It's been a gift of time and well-being for which I'm most grateful.
Hundreds of photos from these hours are waiting to be edited or deleted - a task I'll consider more seriously when the weather changes and I'm forced to begin tapering off prednisone.
Nature photography enhances my devotional life - to walk and pray and discover beauty in the thickets, fields and around the pond - life rising from dead places, symetry and order in the life cycles of insects and wildflowers and the way all of life is nourished by light and rain and good rich soil.
It's deeply satisfying to sense that this is God's direction for me at this moment in time - and to offer the works of my hands (and camera) up to Him and trust that He will do with them as He pleases - even if every lesson learned from clinging vines and loud-mouthed blue jays is for me alone.
For those of you who'd like to have morning and/or evening photo-devos in your own backyard, I have a few suggestions:
- Always begin with prayer. Ask God to speak to you - to open your eyes to glimpses of His glory and the beauty in the not-so-beautiful around you.
- The best outdoor light is the hour or two just after sunrise and the hour or two just before sunset.
- The weight of morning dew on insects makes it easier to get close enough for photos. It also adds sparkle to the pictures.
- Wear clothing colors that blend in with the surroundings. Avoid wearing bright colors.
- Wear quiet shoes. Avoid flip-flops and sandals. I like to wear ballet slippers or old heavy socks without shoes. It's much easier to quietly sneak up on something.
- Get as close to your subject as you can. Fill the frame, leaving as little "white space" in the photo as possible.
- Practice patience. Be willing to sit, lean against a tree or stand in one place for long periods of time.
- Work with what you've got. Wildlife will not cooperate. You can't tell a screech owl to get out of the shadows or a blue jay to move out of the leaves. If you move around too much trying to get the best angle, your subject is likely to flee.
- Expect the unexpected. It's okay to have a particular photography subject in mind - but be open to surprises elsewhere. If I'm too focused on duplicating a prior wildlife encounter or experience, I'm likely to miss something new God wants to show me.
- Make it a habit to keep your camera batteries charged. At the end of every day, my camera batteries are placed in the chargers to be ready by morning. Put fully charged batteries in your camera before you walk out the door.
Do you have a tip or suggestion you could add to that list?
Tuesday
A Pollywog Creek Creature Feature...
And for those of you brave enough to look: I almost stepped on this one while walking around the pond.
Not all that spectacular, really, except the first one (cuz he's so stinkin' cute) and the last one (if you dared to look), but the photos are proof that I've been outside walking.
I have three more days on a ten day prednisone blast (in preparation for a high resolution c-t scan next week); and though it makes me want to eat everything in the house and stay awake all night, I'm delighting in the extra energy and mobility the high dose prednisone has given me - to wander out into the pasture at dawn to greet the little screech owl (who's moved into one of the fox squirrel breeding boxes) before he retires for the day, and to chase the rabbit around the back yard at dusk.
I've no profound commentary to accompany this brief creature feature (I'll blame it on the prednisone), but I do have a few rambling thoughts to share while I'm here.
Heather Holleman's blog Live With Flair is one of my favorites. She never fails to inspire me with her fresh perspectives and insights, and her journal prompts at the end of each post are thoughtful, as well. Heather teaches writing at Penn State and is the author of the recently published How to Write with Flair. Always searching for ways to improve my writing (especially since I know that Heather reads what I write here on Pollywog Creek), I'm working on lesson one from her book this week: Finding Flavor - learning to "eliminate feeble verbs and spice up the sentence with powerful, image-provoking verbs."
Mary Demuth is a well-known author, speaker and writing mentor. She is an excellent story-teller and her works of fiction are deep and compelling, but it is her heart-rendering memoir Thin Places that has most profoundly affected me. I will soon be interviewing Mary about writing and how she encourages and mentors other writers. It is an interview my writer friends and those who love Mary will not want to miss.
Robbi Cary has been my personal encourager and writing mentor for at least three years. We have been together through multiple "critique group" changes, and I am honored to be collaborating with her on one of her beautiful creative projects that will hopefully be published soon. I encourage you to visit and subscribe to her blog Tough Times and Peace.
I read many excellent blogs nearly every day, which makes me hesitant to mention just a few, but I do want to close by mentioning my friend Barbara Thayer and her new blog A View from Serenity Acres. Barbara and I became friends almost thirty years ago when our boys were babies. Once a week we'd get together in one of our homes for Bible study while we nursed our babies, and our toddlers and preschoolers played all around us. Barbara has been a devotional writer and speaker for many years. I hope you will stop by and tell her hello. She loves to make new friends.
Saturday
Contending for the faith...
"I have to write insisting—begging!—that you fight with everything you have in you for this faith entrusted to us as a gift to guard and cherish."
"Go after those who take the wrong way. Be tender with sinners, but not soft on sin. The sin itself stinks to high heaven."
"Their design is to replace the sheer grace of our God with sheer license—which means doing away with Jesus Christ, our one and only Master."
Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance.
~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
Photos: A baby rabbit, a baby mockingbird, and mid-June rural Florida wanderings.
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