Nature AsArt -- The Creator's Hand At Work

Last Saturday offered us the first real glimpse of the promise of spring.  The sun was out and it was warm enough to haul out the patio chair and to sit in the beam of yellow that spread across the deck.  My intention was to read a bit, but I happened to glance down at the small planter full of succulents that are beginning to awaken from plant hibernation.  Crawling across the top of the succulents was the most brilliantly colored beetle I've ever seen.  Its back was iridescent green and featured several stripes of actual gold...surely it was actual gold because it glowed in the sun as spectacularly as 22 carat.  I have only seen such colors in a National Geograpic spread on some exotic locale.  What a great "first day of spring" gift!  These photos do not do it justice!

Passages

This past week has inundated us with life-changing events.  No less then five of our relatives, or relatives of close friends, have passed away.  While we rejoice in the knowledge that they are enjoying eternity in the presence of the Lord they have faithfully followed and served throughout their lives, we also reel a bit with the changes that come with their passing.  But the circle of life is exactly that--a circle!  So we have also rejoiced in the births of three new babies within this same sphere.  The 60's band Blood, Sweat and Tears succinctly phrased this in one of their songs: "..and when I die, and when I'm gone, there'll be one child born in this world to carry on....to carry on."  And so we must.

And then of course there is the joy and anticipation of the upcoming wedding.  Jessi and Josh were here this weekend and we spent some time helping them make their invitations!

May the circle be unbroken!

Your Tax Dollars At Work!

This would be hysterical, if it weren't so true.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P6omu01EDo

The Winter of Our Discontent...

There is a lovely little patio off of the faculty staff room at the high school where I work.  In the summer, we often vie for seating out there in the one corner where the sun shines...once it gets high enough in the sky to peak over the walls.  Even though the sun is out today, it is bitterly cold (the low tonight is expected to be 13, and that's without the 30 mph winds from the north that they are expecting!)  I couldn't resist taking a picture of the patio with its nice soft, comfy, "cushioned" seats, just waiting for someone to come and enjoy them!

Ridiculous to Sublime

High temperature on Monday, January 10th = 33 and this is the scene in the front yard

High temperature on Friday, January 14th = 55 and this is the scene in the backyard! 

Early Spring?

We had snow last night--wet, heavy snow that coated EVERYTHING and made the dogwoods look like they were in bloom.  It's unusual for us to get snow without wind, so the world looked quite magical this morning.  And the snow was capricious, only falling in Bellingham and just a few miles south...also unusual.  It's usually the north county that is hit hard by deep snow and blowing winds.  And...the forecast calls for more towards the end of the week.

Story-telling At Its Best

My newest favorite read is BLIND YOUR PONIES by Stanley Gordon West.  According to the blurb on the back cover, Mr. West has sold his books "single-handedly from bookstore to bookstore!"  I'm only a fourth of the way through his current book, and I'm already a fan.  There is nothing "new or culturally relevant" in this book, just the time-worn struggle of individuals forging their paths through life and dealing with the hands they have been dealt.  But Mr. West threads his loom with winsom characters,  uses the reader as the weft and then weaves a tale that, I for one, can't leave behind.  He's a master!