Perfected Wheat!??

Here she be...

Wonderful Wildlife

Darling Deer

The animals around us are enjoying springtime (wet, though it be!).  I took these pictures of deer browsing on the hill behind our house... from the kitchen window!  Often times during a meal, these two deer walk past our dining room windows on their way down the hill.  They then cross the road and go down to the creek for water.  On the way, they nibble daintily at the clover and other wild greens and flowers growing along the driveway.  They move so gracefully and swiftly, and their eyes are always wide open as if they are seeing wonderful things for the first time.  They are awesome creations of God!

 

Crazy Crow

I never knew that a crow could feel the need for a sidewalk of his own, but this particular crow obviously does.  In the mornings, often while we are eating breakfast, he flies from the trees across the street and lands on our deck railing.  He marches importantly down the railing, passing the French doors in the dining room, rounding the corner, passing the windows, then hopping down and flying away.  Why?  I have no idea, but he apparently feels the need for a sidewalk!

 

Squirrelly Squirrels

Perhaps they've been drinking red Kool-Aid... I just don't know.  I have never seen squirrels so silly before!  Squirrelly Squirrel #1 was hilarious.  Mom and I were outside the front door waiting for our ride to Ladies' Bible Study.  In front of us was the driveway, and our big ol' van.  Toward the nose of the van, up the hill, was a grey squirrel (called a grey-digger around here).  He was jumping here and jumping there and scampering in circles and absolutely cutting the craziest capers!  We were delighted and were thoroughly enjoying watching him.  But then it got better.  Running down the driveway, he sprang and climbed halfway up the porch post about 8 feet away from us!  He then jumped off and ran even closer, getting onto the rough stone siding below the living room windows and peeking in.  After he bounced off, he froze, looked up at us for the first time, and took off like a grey streak.  He ran under the van and jumped up into the underside somewhere near the front axle!  Mom and I simultaneously said, "Oh, no!"  But he jumped back out and ran up the hill, disappearing into the foliage.

Squirrelly Squirrel #2 had obviously been watching a certain Crazy Crow.  One morning during breakfast, Aimee said, "Hey everybody... look!!"  There was a squirrel on the deck railing!  It was sitting still, looking around alertly.  (Probably wondering if the crow was about to show up.)  We opened the curtains on the French doors and watched in delight as the squirrel raced down the railing.  It's very difficult to jam 8 curious faces in a 10-inch-wide window.  So it must have looked either perfectly comical or perfectly terrifying to the squirrel to see us all trying to watch as he rounded the corner and jumped onto the deck, disappearing underneath the wooden bench.  And it was hard to say which was cuter (if that's a word!); the squirrel, or Elizabeth squealing and pointing!

 

St. Francis?  Not really.

Once again, this animal happening begins during a mealtime.  The day before yesterday while we were eating lunch, I saw this shape flick past the arched window over the kitchen door.  Then a profound THUNK!  The shape then flew past the other two side windows.  I looked out the French doors behind me and saw and very small bird (perhaps a little smaller than a common sparrow?) sitting very still on the deck railing.  Putting two and two together and coming up with 5x (as usual), I decided the bird must have flown into the window and now had a pretty good headache.  This seemed to be a pretty logical explanation, because when I got up and opened the door the bird didn't fly away.  I walked over to it.  It just sat there blinking dully.  I reached out one finger and began stroking its tiny back!  The bird continued blinking, his mouth hanging open a little so I could see the orange tint inside.  After stroking him for awhile, I remembered that our cockatiel used to love being scratched/rubbed behind the neck.  This bird did too.  He stretched his neck out and leaned into the scratching, closing his eyes.  My family was still sitting at the table watching the whole thing, and I heard my Dad say, "Try telling him the gospel."  He was obviously referring to St. Francis of Assisi.  (BTW- G.K. Chesterton's bio of him is really good!)  I grinned.  I'm no St. Francis, for sure.  But I did talk to the bird some, even a couple little things about praising God and fulfilling His purposes.  To me, the whole thing was like a dream.  I mean, after all, this was a completely wild bird!  After awhile, I decided I'd better go inside and wash my hands.  Paul went out and looked at him, then Anna.  Before she got all the way there, he spread his wings and flitted to the trees across the street.  I guess his headache was gone! 

To me, that experience was even better than getting to revive a downed humming bird by feeding him sugar-water through a pipette!

 

I'd Rather Have a Frog

I wasn't going to post this, but then I thought, "Hey, they already know I'm nuts!"  So I threw caution to the wind, and here it is... 

I've never written poetry before.  It was for a contest; I just won't tell you who sponsored it. ;)  The folks up here might run me out of town.  (Just kidding!)

 

 

A froggy sat alone one day,

A lovely princess for to see,

To come and kiss his froggy nose,

And from his spell, to be set free.

 

The princess came and scooped him up

And stuffed him in her pocket.

"I'd rather have a frog," she said,

"Than a silver locket."

 

"A handsome prince I'll turn into

If you will only kiss me,

A charming prince with blue, blue eyes

If you will only risk me."

 

The princess rolled her royal eye

In its haughty socket.

"I'd rather have a frog," she said,

"Than a prince within my pocket."

 

"A pious minister?" he tried,

"A fire and brimstone preacher,

A most respected citizen,

A real lost-soul reacher?"

 

The princess said, "I've one at home,

His name is Samuel Crocket.

Now, froggy, dear, be nice and good,

And stay inside my pocket."

 

"A movie star so rich and cute

With California abode,

A private plane, a pleasure cruise,

Cash flowing by the load?"

 

The princess cried, "I'll never kiss you!

I like you as you are.

Though a movie star is tempting;

I'd rather have a frog by far!"

 

~Written by Aimee

May, 2010

 

Six Months Already

Such wonderful, musical memories! I can hardly believe it... it's already been six months since we visited AZ. That was the last really wonderful music session I've had, and it was SO good to see all our people again. If I could post videos (dial-up, don't you know), I would post us doing "Days of Elijah" with that big huge group. In a couple of the pictures, Aimee, Kate, and I are practicing "When It's All Been Said and Done" with piano, guitar, and pennywhistle. We got to sing it during communion the next Sunday. It was so good to see my violin-playing friend N; in this picture, we're trying to remember "I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say" the way we used to play it together. Then we had three violins, a viola, two guitars, and my pennywhistle playing our top-favorite Irish jig set, "The Road to Lisdoonvarna/Swallowtail Jig". Why the close up of me making a weird face? Well, if I could caption that picture, it would say, "Sometimes you just feel short. Like when you find yourself standing UNDER the neck of your friend's guitar." ;) We also had a great time catching up on favorite Rich Mullins and Celtic music (even though it was like 80 degrees in November, and silly OR-girl was wearing long sleeves and a woolen Tam O'Shanter!)

So, I remember it all with great fondness. Thank you to everyone who helped make that such a special time. (Especially you, Lisa and Anna, for taking the great pics I just posted!) We miss you!

Astoria Column

An adventure on Saturday...

My head is throbbing-I just climbed the 164 steps of the Astoria Column. I was scared and so was Perry, but I tried not to yelp about it too much. At the top, where it was really cold, you could see the bridge to WA, Young's Bay, Warrenton, and the Pacific Ocean. A really incredible experience... If anybody visits us, we'll have to take you there. That was really cold. :)

Mastering the Social Aspects of Driving

Anyone with a creative imagination can picture my driving so far.  It began, white-knuckled, at about 10 to 15 mph, jolting, jerking, sharply turning, down a curvy country road.  Woe betide the situation in which I should have to drive faster than 25, meet another vehicle coming down the road, use my brakes on a curvy down slope, turn on windshield-wipers or turn signal, or lay eyes on a logging truck.  Can't remember the most exhausting part of learning to drive?  The hysterical giggling.

 

Yeah.  Hopefully you're starting to get the picture.

 

Well, things have improved somewhat (though I've still never driven under more "normal" town circumstances.)  I am able to go about 30, maybe 35 on a rare straight area.  I guide the big, red 15-passenger beast around curves with grace and aplomb (most of the time... heh, heh...), as long as you don't ask me to go too fast. ;)  I can park, back up—sort of; I even backed down the massively sloping driveway!  I passed a loaded logging truck the other day.*  And I only scared my Dad at the end of that trip by flying into the church parking lot... again!  I've driven in the rain (Ha, T!) although I guess I was only going 25-ish, and I used the windshield-wipers without having to stop in the middle of the road!

 

But the big accomplishment...

 

I have mastered the social aspects of driving in the country.  Two girls, one in a large red van, another in a large green van meet each other on a road... and, yes, I properly executed the Friendly Country Wave!!!  Tasha just invites that! ;)  The very next day, when driving home from Ladies' Bible Study with Mom, I spotted a bunch of kids we have met up on their family's hill... what d'ya do??  HONK!  Just a friendly "bip-bip."  I did not run off the road, neither did I halt!

 

So, while I would curl up and die on a freeway, and go back to white-knuckling it in a small town, I am improving at driving home from church. ;)

 

 

*Uh... just a little disclaimer: the logging truck was parked on the shoulder. ;)

 

Kate: Homeschool Convention

The weekend before last, we went to a homeschool convention in a town near Seattle, Washington.  We had to drive for four hours so we got up around four o'clock.  Perry, Aimee, and I took part in a chorale of 211 youth.  Our director was very good and could hear the slightest off-tune note.  He'd have us sing a note and hold it so he could hear if it fit right with the other parts.  The night of the performance, we stood on risers that were built for 180, so we were kinda' squished, and some people had to stand on the stage in front of the risers.  It was really hard to hold our music, so another girl and I worked out a system.  I would hold the music folder and she and her friend would look over my shoulders.  Then, when we had finished a song, I would hand it to her to hold.  During practice, I kept dropping my music, so this was a good plan.  We sang an arrangement of "Fairest Lord Jesus," "God So Loved the World," "The Heavens are Telling," and "Ain't that Good News."

We got changed into our black and white outfits during the lunch break because there wasn't going to be much time to change later.  This turned out to be very wise because, later, in the small time frame between practice, rehearsal, and performance, there was a mad rush for the restrooms.  Tons of chorale girls were doing their hair, changing their clothes, etc.  (The boys took way less time getting ready!)  One girl even brought a curling iron!

Anyway, we had a good time and glorified God.