March 16, 2014

    When I was young I loved animals and dreamed of having a kitten of my own.   We would visit my uncle's farm, and go up in the barn to find the kittens and cuddle them all day, even if they had gunk in the corner of their eyes and a sickly look.

    I would pick up caterpillars and examine them without fear.  Now I skitter away from any living thing no matter what it is.  I don't know what happened to that fearless, curious little girl.  

     When James Herriot's novels about being a veterinarian in Yorkshire were published I loved reading them and later watching the televised version so much that my sons names come from those novels filled with loving anecdotes about people and their pets and animals.

  My son's girlfriend has been a good influence on our family in that way.  Her obvious love for animals  

shames me for the way I shrink away.  We need people like her in our lives to remind us how  loving a pet and being loved by one can enrich our lives.

March 15, 2014

  It is such a joy to find a beautiful garden and then find friends who appreciate it as much as you do.  Northwinds Perennial Farm took my breath away, as does Eder Nursery.  They both have that tumbledown look, with twists and turns that hold surprises around every corner.  I remember telling someone that I almost wept because the gardens were so beautiful and they gave me an odd look of that being incomprehensible.  One has to be careful who one shares their passions with, not everyone is moved by the same things. But when you do find a kindred spirit, treasure their company always!

March 13, 2014

     I had my own secret garden once.  It was quite an effort to clear the detritus of many years of neglect.  The entire time my children were growing up I tweaked the garden as they played as a way of watching what they were doing without them realizing it.  What joy that garden gave us all as they played in and around the plants and the tumble down stones and created stinky brews out of decaying plants and water. I have a new garden now which is neat and tidy, landscaped to perfection to fit the standards of the subdivision.  But I will always have a special place in my heart for my tumble down out of control secret garden of the past.

March 12, 2014

Philippians 4:8

New International Version (NIV)

⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

     I've been told that in these tumultuous times I should be confronting all the issues and be more aware of all the inherent dangers in the world.  I realize that some people love to debate and even to switch sides in the middle of argument, but that has never been me.  Arguing makes me uncomfortable and anxious.  If I absorb all of the current events and dwell on them it will break me. I know this for a fact.
    I think there are people in this world who can be aware of everything that is going on, put it in the hands of the Lord, deal with the things at hand, and choose to think about praiseworthy things instead.  That is the only way I can survive.

March 11, 2014

     One spring day a few years ago, I went for a walk on a rural bike path and it was like awakening from a long sleep.  Life had been tumultuous and uncertain. Walking in nature just coming out of hibernation was the best thing I could have done for myself to rejuvenate my spirits.  It was as if I was seeing the natural world for the first time.  That is a good thing about winter, even though it has a beauty of its own, it makes us appreciate the rebirth of everything so much more than if it was around us all the time.  Perhaps that is why we live in Wisconsin, to experience that awakening every spring each year.

March 10, 2014

     We have yet to see the first robin this year, I have a feeling he will be late if he is smart.  But when he does come, what a welcome sight he will be.  This week it will warm up just enough so the sap begins to rise in the sugar maples.  So...I guess for March, that is just about where it should be.

March 9, 2014

     The character of Dickon in The Secret Garden is one of my favorites in all of Children's Literature.  I love how he is intuitive about nature, how he loves animals, but especially how he draws Mary out of her crankiness with his kind and gentle ways.
       I have a few students this year who passionately love animals and want to work with them when they are older.  They are a good influence on me, since I basically fear anything that moves that isn't human. (It is a family trait from my mother's side.)  It has taught me that we can influence the people around us to take a second look at the things they may not love (or fear) and change their outlook by example.  That is a wonderful contribution to make to the world.