Yesterday was the first day of summer vacation for our three cherubs. We celebrated by visitingWillow River State Park, the Science Museum of Minnesota, and friends in Bloomington. This was our relaxing time at the falls:
My youngest found several of these caterpillars that had fallen into the water and asked if I'd rescue them. About a dozen were scooped out of pools of water and revived.
Two of these Mourning Cloak butterflies greeted us, but my (older) camera wasn't quick enough to capture them fluttering around until one finally landed.
A Garter snake was sunning itself on the side of the path, but quickly slithered away when it became the center of attention!--LKR
Sigh. Mr. Bluebird sees his reflection in our patio door and keeps banging into the glass while his lovely wife admirably looks on. This, more than likely, is the same couple that likes to feed their young on our deck. The last time I saw him by the window, Mister Poochie and Kitten Poo were watching him go at it. I think he saw them 'cuz after that, he stopped slamming into his reflection.
Hopefully he continues to refrain from this potentially destructive practice!!! --LKR
Well, last night, my oldest daughter and I were coming up with songs she could use for an English project to show rhythms, rhymes, and patterns (or lack of!). One song we both came up with was "Stand in the Rain" by Superchick. So this morning when I found myself still listening to this song in my head..., while watching the hummingbirds braving the rain out our patio door..., I just had to post!!!
This is the first in the almost five years we've lived here that our hummers have learned to "play nice" and actually share. I'm glad we've (finally!) "accomplished" comradery!!! --LKR
Happy Memorial Day, Everyone! And many thanks to those of you who have served to defend the freedoms of our country!
Every Memorial Day, my Mom would bring my sister and me up town for the Memorial Day service held on the corner lot of the public library in Chatham, NJ. Both of my parents were immigrants from Hungary, and so appreciated the freedoms they now enjoyed in the states. Mom came over at the age of seven with her mother; Dad in his late twenties after serving in WWII.
There were many memories both my parents shared of how life was in Hungary. One phrase my Dad repeated often describing society in his native country was: "What's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine also," adding, "You don't know how fortunate you are to be living in a country like this. Never forget that." Dad would also relay how the poor stayed poor while the rich stayed rich. And if the authorities didn't like you, for whatever the reason, false accusations could be charged against you without further questioning in your defense made.
Though Dad apprenticed as a tailor, he miraculously passed a virtually impassable test to work for the Hungarian National Railroad the third time he took it. This meant he also moved up a notch in the social realm, something that was seldom accomplished. Jealousy and hatred by a couple commanders clashed with admiration and praise from many others.
This, I fear, is what we are heading for with the change sought after by this new administration. Our veterans have sacrificed their lives for the original, authenticAmerican dream held so dear by our Founding Fathers and the many individuals that sought, and are still seeking, to escape dictating, controlling societies.
After being injured and finding himself in Paris, Dad never saw his parents, family, or homeland again. Tearfully, through letters, his parents urged their only child never to attempt to return home. They all feared for his life if he ever set foot into the country since he had been employed by the government, and the political climate had changed.
Again I will express gratitude to those who have--and will--continue to defend the authentic American dream! May God bless America! --LKR
Yesterday, we visited a friend of mine who is in hospice in Kenosha. Julie is only in her early 50’s.
When we got back to Eau Claire, my oldest daughter heard that a classmate in her culinary class had died in a freak accident. He was only 15!!!
Another really good friend who was like a mother to me and my sister while growing up is taking the last breaths of her life. Her children and grandchildren will not be the only ones missing her when she's gone.
But none of us really knows when our time here on Earth will be over, do we? If we did, I'm sure we'd all do things differently!
Life’s too short. Too short to hold grudges. Too short to hold back on the things we really want to do with our lives. Too short to put off making the right choices when we can do them right now.
In the Psalms, Moses asks the Lord to, “Teach us to number our days.” Here's a song that may help put life in perspective.The video has been made by a school for a project, using some footage from Superchick's website. --LKR
It only takes a spark to get a fire going, And soon all those around can warm up in its glowing; That's how it is with God's Love, Once you've experienced it, Your spread the love to everyone You want to pass it on.
What a wonderous time is spring, When all the tress are budding The birds begin to sing, the flowers start their blooming; That's how it is with God's love, Once you've experienced it. You want to sing, it's fresh like spring, You want to pass it on.
I wish for you my friend This happiness that I've found; You can depend on God It matters not where you're bound, I'll shout it from the mountain top - PRAISE GOD! I want the world to know The Lord of love has come to me I want to pass it on.
I'll shout it from the mountain top - PRAISE GOD! I want the world to know The Lord of love has come to me I want to pass it on.
Aren't they adorable? Ever since I knew these creatures existed, I've wanted one--or two!--for a pet. My daughter and I stopped in at Petco and were delighted to find 12 very friendly, playful ferrets! They climbed up our arms as a means of escape, but they enjoyed being held, too! --LKR
I was out testing my camera when I captured this shot. It's not quite a full moon, but pretty close. The date for this month's full moon, according to Moon Phase, is Saturday, May 9th. --LKR
Okay, so has this picture of my back yard made you very glad I'm not your neighbor? Well, I'll have you know that my yard is incredibly popular with the insect population! Various bees, butterflies, and ants are flocking on over for a feast. Yup, so that means these dandelions will be pollinated and their seeds viable. ...Um, a note to my neighbors: I will make every effort to get these flowers picked before they go to seed!!! --LKR
I've been waiting for this day to come since they last appeared at our feeders. This made for a very long winter! But, finally, as I was sitting near the window cuddling a kitty, a beautiful male Ruby-Throated Hummingbird flew up to our feeder!!! It was 12:26 pm. Our feeders have been up for three whole weeks. Just in case. :-)
Reported the siting to Journey North. I always forget, but this is our location: Latitude: 44.74 Longitude: -91.51
This report was fascinating! I'd love to get the book "White Deer: Ghosts of the Forest"! Jeff Richter spent a decade photographing them, and John Bates did the research and writing. A larger population of white deer reside in the Boulder Junction, Wisconsin area where they were photographed for this book.
I've seen elsewhere that people claim that a true albino deer has pink eyes..., but there are many forms of albinism. Very interesting! --LKR
Happy Resurrection Day!!! An oldie but a goodie by Don Francisco:
He's Alive
The gates and doors were barred And all the windows fastened down I spent the night in sleeplessness And rose at every sound Half in hopeless sorrow And half in fear the day Would find the soldiers breakin' through To drag us all away
And just before the sunrise I heard something at the wall The gate began to rattle A voice began to call I hurried to the window And looked down into the street Expecting swords and torches And the sound of soldiers' feet
There was no one there but Mary So I went down to let her in John stood there beside me As she told us where she'd been She said they've moved Him in the night And none of us knows where The stone's been rolled away Now His body isn't there
We both ran toward the garden Then John ran on ahead We found the stone and the empty tomb Just the way that Mary said But the winding sheet they wrapped Him in Was just an empty shell How or where they'd taken Him Was more than I could tell
Something strange had happened there But just what I did't know John believed a miracle But I just turned to go Circumstance and speculation Couldn't lift me very high 'Cause I'd seen them crucify him Then I saw him die
Back inside the house again The guilt and anguish came Everything I'd promised Him Just added to my shame 'Cuz when at last it came to choices I denied I knew His name And even if He was alive It wouldn't be the same
Suddenly the air was filled With strange and sweet perfume Light that came from everywhere Drove the shadows from the room And Jesus stood before me With His arms held open wide And I fell down on my knees And I just clung to Him and cried
He raised me to my feet And as I looked into His eyes Love was shining out from Him Like sunlight from the skies Guilt in my confusion Disappeared in sweet release And every fear I'd ever had Just melted into peace
He's alive! He's alive! He's alive and I'm forgiven Heaven's gates are open wide He's alive! He's alive! He's alive and I'm forgiven Heaven's gates are open wide He's alive! He's alive! He's alive and I'm forgiven Heaven's gates are open wide He's alive! He's alive! He's alive! He's alive!
Hallelujah! Jesus is alive Death has lost its victory And the grave has been denied Jesus lives forever He's alive! He's alive! He's the Alpha and Omega The first and last is He The curse of sin is broken And we have perfect liberty The Lamb of God is risen He's alive, He's alive! Jesus is alive!
I was taking a trip on a plane the other day, just wishin’ that I could get out. When the man next to me saw the book in my hand and asked me what it was about. So I settled back in my seat. "A best-seller," I said, "a hist’ry and a myst’ry in one." Then I opened up the book and began to read from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John...
"He was born of a virgin one holy night in the little town of Bethlehem. Angels gathered ‘round Him underneath the stars singing praises to the great I AM.
He walked on the water, healed The lame, and made the blind to see again. And for the first time here on earth we learned that God could be a friend. And though He never ever did a single thing wrong, the angry crowd chose Him. And then He walked down the road and died on the cross and that was the end...of the beginning."
"That’s not a new book, that’s a Bible," he said, "And I’ve heard it all before. I’ve tried religion, it’s shame and guilt, and I don’t need it anymore. It’s superstition, made-up tales, just to help the weak to survive." "Let me read it again," I said, "But listen closely, This is gonna change your life."
"He was born of a virgin one holy night in the little town of Bethlehem. Angels gathered ‘round Him underneath the stars singing praises to the great I AM.
He walked on the water, healed the lame, and made the blind to see again. And for the first time here on earth we learned that God could be a friend. And though He never ever did a single thing wrong, the angry crowd chose Him. And then He walked down the road and died on the cross and that was the end...of the beginning."
"The end of the beginning?" he said with a smile. "What more could there be? He’s dead. You said they hung Him, put nails in His hands and a crown of thorns on His head." I said, "I’ll read it again, but this time there’s more.
And I believe that this is true: His death wasn’t the end but the beginning of life that’s completed in you. Don’t you see, He did all this for you..."
"He was born of a virgin one holy night in the little town of Bethlehem. All the angels singing praises to the great I AM. He walked on the water, healed the lame, and made the blind to see. And for the first time here on earth, did you know that God could be a friend? And thought He never ever did a single thing wrong, He was the one the crowd chose. And then He walked and He died, but three days later, three days later, three days later... He rose! Three days later He rose!
You see, He came, He lived, and He died, but that was the end of the beginning.
All hail the power of Jesus' name! Let angels prostrate fall! Bring forth the royal diadem, And crown Him Lord of all; Bring forth the royal diadem, And crown Him Lord of all!
Ye prophets who our freedom won, Ye searchers, great and small, By whom the work of truth is done, Now crown Him Lord of all; By whom the work of truth is done, Now crown Him Lord of all!
Let every kindred, every tribe, On this terrestrial ball, To Him all majesty ascribe, And crown him Lord of all; To Him all majesty ascribe, And crown him Lord of all!
O that with yonder sacred throng We at His feet may fall! We'll join the everlasting song, And crown Him Lord of all; We'll join the everlasting song, And crown Him Lord of all!
Riding home from swimming lessons with the kids, yesterday afternoon, was fun. We had all run--or walked quickly--through the rain to get to our van, and were close to being soaked. (it was a long walk!) As we were driving, the sky began to brighten. I urged the kids to search for a rainbow. "Where?" they asked? "Opposite the sun," I told them.
Turning onto our street, I instructed them to look toward our neighbor's house in the back yard. My son hopped out of the van and started searching the sky. "Over there!" he cried. Sure enough, one was beginning to form. All four of us watched as the rainbow became more vibrant right before our very eyes. I don't know about you, but I never tire from witnessing this phenomena, nor of remembering why the Lord put them there!
As my youngest daughter and I headed for the house, I turned around in time to see the raindrops glistening in the sunshine. It looked like a thousand little sparkling diamonds, and thankfully I still had my camera in hand to capture the moment before this disappeared!
Then this morning, Hubby broke the news that we had gotten snow over the wee hours of morning. My oldest daughter came in to say that it was still snowing before she and her brother headed out the door before 7AM. Monday, donned in tee shirts, refusing to wear their winter jackets, they stood waiting at the bus stop in 22F!!! They sure didn't do that this morning!!! --LKR
Sure, yesterday was officially the beginning of spring. And yes, many states such as New Jersey, Ohio, Minnesota, and Wisconsin all had snow falling from the sky on that promising day.
This morning, I took a few shots of the snow that had yet to melt. But what I discovered shortly after noon was really surprising.
A beautiful violet was in full bloom!!! I'd been lamenting that not a single crocus or daffodil has poked through the ground, but here was this cheery little flowery face looking up to greet me!!! Oh, what a beautiful day it's been! --LKR
Hi, it's me, Mister Poochie! What a beautiful day we had, today! It was in the 60's, it was!
Ice and the white fluffy fun stuff were melting fast. Yesterday, too, was warm! Hurray!
We did not have a really long walk, today, oh, no. Mud and slippery slush kept us from going too far. For cyclists, too!
I helped Mom up this one, I did!
Some trails we had to cross over... .
Mom caught me picking up on scents, she did!
We didn't take this path, oh no!
Nor go down this trail, for sure!
Mom sunk deep into mud right here, she did!
This path is called Bump. I wanted to explore, but Mom said, "No, we go home."
I got to play wild dog on the way back, I did! I lead Mom off trails and into fields where we ran and Mom laughed.
I found a "leave it" running through the grass, I did. Mom wouldn't let me make nice. These are holes where the "leave it" live and travel. We had fun! --Mister Poochie
I was in great need of seeing the top of Big Falls on this beautiful day! We were relatively close by, so took a quick trip on over.
William had just done a solo for cello, and was all dressed up!
This steep path leads to right below the falls.
I love the ice on top of the rocks!
This is the top of the falls. I would have loved to have seen this with more ice and less sloshy snow, but I'm not complaining!
Cool, huh?! While we were here, a large chunk of slush slid down into the river. It was a quieter noise than the last time we were here and heard ice heaving, falling into the icy river below.
Next year, I'd like to spend more time here out in the winter! It's truly beautiful here year round!--LKR
Almighty God, The Great I Am, Immovable Rock, Omnipotent, Powerful, Awesome Lord, Victorious Warrior, Commanding Kind Of Kings, Mighty Conqueror
And the only time, The only time I ever saw Him run Was when He ran to me, Took me in His arms Held my head to His chest, Said, "My son's come home again", Lifted my face, Wiped the tears from my eyes With forgiveness in His voice He said, "Son, Do you know I still love you?" It caught me by surprise, When God ran
The day I left home, I knew I had broken His heart I wondered then If things could ever be the same
Then one night, I remembered His love for me And down that dusty road Ahead I could see
It's the only time, The only time I ever saw Him run When He ran to me, Took me in His arms Held my head to His chest, Said, "My son's come home again", Lifted my face, Wiped the tears from my eyes With forgiveness in His voice, He said, "Son, Do you know I still love you?" It caught me by surprise, It brought me to my knees When God ran
I saw Him run to me And then I ran to Him
Holy One Righteous Judge He turned my way Now I know He's been waiting for this day
And then He ran to me, Took me in His arms Held my head to His chest, Said, "My son's come home again", Lifted my face, Wiped the tears from my eyes, With forgiveness in His voice, I felt His love for me again
He ran to me Took me in His arms Held my head to His chest, Said, "My son's come home again", Lifted my face, Wiped the tears from my eyes, With forgiveness in His voice, He said, "Son", He said, "Son, My son, Do you know I still love you?" Oh! He ran to me When God ran.
Mom took this picture, she did, as my little kitty brother Toby and I were taking our nappy naps. Remember how tiny he was? Well, he's sure not that small any more, no, he's not! At 10 months, he is way bigger than our almost 17 year old kitty sister Rocky!
Mom and Alpha often have to rescue Rocky kitty kitty, they do, when he tries to "suma wrestle" with her. She just does not like that, she doesn't. Mom likens it to a toddler attacking a frail elderly lady!
Anyway, Mom says we're laying low, today. Something to do with a snow storm coming through. But when I saw a flash of lighting and heard Mom squealing with delight, I was confused. This time of year? Mom said "yes"--she knew what I was thinking, she did!
Mom just loves thunderstorms, and danced around the kitchen while I scurried out of her way. She calls it her happy dance, she does, and said the thunder and lightning makes her think of summer, her favorite season. So while we got about six inches of the white fluffy fun stuff, Mom's anticipating the sunny season!
I just want to go play and roll around in that white fluffy fun stuff, I do, but Mom says it's a white out, she did. Maybe later... . --Mister Poochie
Hear My Cry Hear my cry O Lord Attend unto my prayer From the ends of the earth Will I cry out to Thee. And when my heart is overwhelmed, Oh Lord, Lead me to the Rock That is higher than I, That is higher than I. For Thou hast been A shelter unto me, A high tower, Lord, Against the enemy. And when my heart is overwhelmed, Oh Lord, Lead me to the Rock That is higher than I, That is higher than I.
Down at your feet O Lord is the most high place In Your presence Lord We seek your face We seek your face
There is no higher calling No greater honor Than to bow and kneel before Your throne I'm amazed at your glory Embraced by your mercy O Lord, I live to worship You.
Valentine greetings to you all! To celebrate this beautiful--but frigid--day, Hubby and I went to visit the south side of Big Falls County Park in the snow and ice.
It was a beautiful--but sometimes slippery--walk through the woods to get to the Eau Claire River.
My jaw dropped to see how the snow had melted in this part of the park. If the weather were not a factor, one would think this was a mid March day, here in western Wisconsin!!!
Yup, this river is full of shards of ice! Way cool! Hard to believe, but in all my years of existence, this was my first real up-close and personal look at a river in winter! Ponds? Yes. The Jersey shore? Of course. But never a river, and growing up, we were surrounded by the Passaic River and one of it's branches!!!
Cool, huh?! There were several formations like this close to the shore line.
Look at all the layers on this large piece of ice!!!
This kind of reminds me of the scene in the first Superman movie with Christopher Reeve where he finds out who he is and where he came from.
This looks too much like spring, doesn't it?!
Shortly before we left, we heard a horrendous cracking, heaving, and crashing noise. We supposed it must have been a huge chunk of thick ice that broke free on the upper, more spectacular part of the falls at the north of the park. --LKR
I'm a Christian mother of three who enjoys art, animals, raising butterflies, books, baking/cooking, gardening, hiking, insects, music, nature, pets, photography, science, the shore..., and writing.
Please note that all photos posted are copyrighted and cannot be used without written permission from me. Thanks! :-)
Yesterday was the first day of summer vacation for our three cherubs. We celebrated by visiting Willow River State Park, the Science Museum of Minnesota, and friends in Bloomington. This was our relaxing time at the falls:
My youngest found several of these caterpillars that had fallen into the water and asked if I'd rescue them. About a dozen were scooped out of pools of water and revived. 
Two of these Mourning Cloak butterflies greeted us, but my (older) camera wasn't quick enough to capture them fluttering around until one finally landed.
A Garter snake was sunning itself on the side of the path, but quickly slithered away when it became the center of attention! --LKR
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