Good Monday morning to all of you! What a beautiful start to this new day God has blessed me with! While sitting outside enjoying breakfast and coffee on the patio, God winked at me by sending this beauty to the feeder. The Cardinals have really been shy about coming up when we are outside. Guess, he's getting more use to people now. Some of the things I enjoy most about living in the country are the sounds of the birds, the melody of the wind blowing through the trees and the feel of it's touch as it passes over my face and shoulders. Then there are the God winks that He sends to remind us of his love and that he is RIGHT HERE with us desiring a relationship! One in which we commune together. He truly loves us and knows our heart. It is because of his great love for us, that he forgives and FORGETS our sins when we come to him confessing. If God can forgive and forget, we need to forgive ourselves and let go of the burden. Forget it and move forward. One of my favorite verses is "Cast all your anxiety on God, because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7. God winks are those little things in life, showing up at unexpected times, causing a smile or warm fuzzy feeling. Sights and sounds you know God sent because he knows you so well. They can be found in the country, on the mountain tops and even on the busy and crowded city streets. He provides peaceful backdrops amongst all the chaos of the world. We just need to stop our busyness and commune with Him.
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Took the back roads to get horse feed this morning. Beautiful and peaceful drive. Love going to this small town grain and hardware store. It's been around since 1938. Though it's a small town store, it's big on service and inventory. They have a complete supply of grain and hardware products. Also have building materials and supplies for home and ranch projects. (Prices are good too.) Headed back home after making my purchase to begin the workday out in my office. Couldn't help noticing these purple wildflowers along the roadside fence lines. Of course I had to stop and take a picture of the beautiful countryside near my home to share with you. Don't get too busy to notice the flowers along this journey we call life my friends! So we were out working in the bee yard the other day when we got a surprise. But let me start at the beginning. We were doing a quick check of all the hives. The two new hives and the two established hives. Hive 2 was the 'experimental hive' with no queen. There were actually a few bees in the hive, but no queen. We decided to move a couple of frames with brood and eggs from Hive 1 to Hive 2. Shortly after doing so, I looked down on the ground to see a small swarm! Small and in an odd location. This was the first swarm we had found! Right under one of our hives at that. Needless to say, we were excited at this find. Being both surprised, and caught off guard, we made the hasty decision to try and put this swarm in Hive 2. We did our best to catch and move bees. We were even able to locate the queen and add her as well. Catching her in a queen clip and placing her in the hive to give her and the other bees a little time to adjust. Almost immediately we thought of a better alternative we should have tried. This was a crazy move on our part. After all, we did just throw bees from two very different environments in a new hive box. Definitely not the best way to start out. Needless to say, at last check the bees were busy working in the hive. We will dig deeper after the bees have had more time to settle and adjust to all the change. Hive 4, our other experimental hive, was looking good. Strong and full of bees! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL MOMS OUT THERE! Those that have given birth, adopted children, or helped to mother the children of others! A sure sign summer will be here before we know it! As you can see, my chocolate mint is also doing well and going wild! This past week, I have been reminded life does go on without the internet or electrical power! A week ago our internet went down due to a storm. Five days later, after several calls to our internet provider, it was finally determined the real issue was with our router. This was determined only after the provider had resolved storm related issues at their towers first. With problems resolved and internet finally restored, via an old router until the new more-powerful replacement arrives, I was looking forward to starting my week in a fully technologically function office early Monday morning. Turns out, God had other plans for my morning. If you ever want to hear God laugh, just tell him your plans! It appears he wanted me to slow down to a pace even slower than that of my backup router. After conceding to His will, I sat in my recliner, Bible in hand. I would use this time to read His word and prepare the lesson I am to each at church next Sunday. Was thrilled to be getting an early start. Not long after getting started, I heard a click and chime. Turns out the power came on two hours earlier that the electric company had expected. I was happy for the quick return of power. But I was also sad to see the forced quite time fade away. It only fades away because of our doings. As I made the choice to remain there in the natural light from the window studying his Word, I remembered the physical and mental rest associated with power outages occurring during the busy times in my life as a parent. Seems we never got a rest during those times from the hustle and bustle of all the demands on a busy family with children and teenagers. I remembered the time I had wanted to declare a weekly "Power Off Wednesday". As you can imagine, this never happened. Why do we find it so difficult to hit that "power off" switch? If you are wondering what I was reading in the Bible, it was passages about resting on the seventh day, the Sabbath, and letting the land rest every seven years. Turns out our inability to to unplug and rest is nothing new. The Israelites were faced with the same challenges of unplugging from the work of their world and resting as well. The end result was not good for them. I believe there is a lesson we need to learn from the past here. Not a lesson we want to learn, but rather one we need to learn. When you unplug and regroup after an unexpected outage, it seems easier to find a little time to stop and smell the roses. Here is a rose from my yard, with petals fully extended, as it shows off all if its inner beauty. Have a beautiful and blessed day! Most people have heard the phrase, "This too shall pass." Well, during the rainy seasons here on the farm, I have updated the phrase by substituting "dry up" for "pass". When we first moved to the farm, we were in a dry season. Shortly there after, the El Nino drought-busting monsoons started! If I have learned to notice and identify anything while living in the country, it's the weather patterns. While living in the concrete jungle of the cities and urban areas where it rains, drains and dries quickly within a few days, weather patterns had passed unnoticed in my field of vision. Well, a few days of rain in the country can linger for weeks until the sun and wind once again return for a few consecutive days to dry the Earth. Many times, the rain returns the very next day after the drying of low areas which hold water. This means you are not always able to get caught up with the mowing before the next rainfall. Average truly means AVERAGE where you take the dry (drought) days and average them with the wet (flood) days. It seems there are actually only a few short periods of time which fall within the "average moisture" range. One learns patients with the spring rains, and to adjust their outdoor chore and 'mowing schedule' accordingly. Knowing that "this too shall dry up", I can once again enjoy the beauties of rain. One such beauty brought about by all the water on the farm, not always present in the urban jungle, is the sound of frogs . I'd like to share the sounds of croaking frogs (and wind) with you today. Checkout the file link below. At times this spring, they have been so loud I could hear them while working in my office building. Enjoy, and blessings for your day!
A Mattingly Meeting of the Ducks, 2016 Copyright 2016 Was walking down memory lane the other day thinking about my Muscovy ducks that use to range the farm. Muscovy are known by many as the quackless duck since the only noise they make is a raspy, airy sound. They are not quackers. On more than one occasion, I would notice how they gathered in groups of four facing each other in a square-like shape. Like that you would find on a vintage pecking hens paddle toy. Heads bobbing and tails wagging as if they were in a serious meeting or conversation. One particular "meeting" stands out in my memory. The meeting was one duck short. Three were in serious discussion as the fourth circled around trying to join the meeting. It was very obvious this duck was intentionally excluded from the talks and was not going to be allowed to join in. Would love to know what all that discussion was about! Found such a duck meeting between a group of Muscovy at a local park the other day... What is it about weathered wood boards, young tender plants and an old galvanized pail that creates feelings of nostalgia within us? Is it the simplicity of the past? A longing for those good old days? Yet, our elders say we haven't a clue as to what "the good old days" were like. Then we think of our kids and how they may view the good old days in their adulthood. Maybe the sight of these things which have weathered the storms and the peace of the past bring back memories of the places and ones we love. For some it will be memories of a grandparent or favorite aunt's house. Maybe working with a parent to plant a garden or new flowers in the window box. The feel and the smell of the rich soft earth filling your hands and nostrils as you gently scoop it around the young plants and pat it down. Some of us will remember the feel of sand, decomposing leaves and tiny stems in the soil while mixing it with a little water to make mud pies and other dining delicacies. Remember the awesome pastry decorations nature provided with the yellow dandelion and purple clover blooms? Spring blooms and seedlings create excitement as we transition from the gloom and cold of winter to sunshine, fields of color and warmth! It's like having a fresh start. A fresh start can be liberating and full of hope. There's just something about digging in the dirt to plant a garden or flower. It's the anticipation of delicious food and beauty in our future. The joy of once again aiding in the growth and development of a young life. We do all in our power to provide water, nutrients and protection as they grow stronger and mature. Have you ever noticed you can water the garden daily to maintain just the right moisture level and the plants will grow, but when nature sends just a little rain the growth is much faster than when we provide the water? That’s a lot like when we try to be in control of our own destiny and fix our own problems. We are able to grow and survive. But do we truly thrive and reach the ultimate potential as we would if we could trust and rely on God instead of ourselves to handle things? There are many times when we get overwhelmed or have decisions to make. Our thoughts and lives become filled with questions, stress and chaos as we try to find answers and solutions. We always think, “I’ve got this”, until the droughts without the nourishing waters needed for growth come along, or the destruction of unexpected flood waters suck all the life out. Both extremes cause the withering of beauty and the collapse of structure. Our direction could be full of peace and clarity if only we could rely on God for guidance and answers. Will these answers be immediate, what we want or expect? No, not always. But we will have peace as we wait, search and take a different path than we may have intended. Just as plants hang on until the land is once again nourished with needed rain, or flood waters are dried by the sun, so we can hang on to our loving God for strength during our times of drought or flood. There is peace when we rely on the power of God to see us through the storms of life which we have no control over. To me, that's part of the beauty radiating from both the old memories and the new spring growth. I know God was there in the past and he is here today as well as tomorrow! Every spring is the promise of a new beginning, a fresh start. A reminder God will forgive us and nourish new growth in us. All we need to do is toss our confessions on the compost pile and let God turn them into a rich fertile soil for us to plant our lives in. A soil rich in nutrients needed for strong solid growth and beautiful blooms! Got all geared up and headed out to the barn for feeding time last night... rubber boots for wading through the flood waters, light jacket, headlamp, and of course, the bucket of feed. Was enjoying the walk in the rain-free weather when I looked up to see a cottontail rabbit hopping around the floodwaters along the dry rises in the yard. What a beautiful sight! Oh man, left the cell phone camera in the house as I usually do on wet days to avoid dropping it in a puddle. Walked on towards the barn, enjoying the moment. As I was approaching the horse stall, I heard a strange sound. Was my feral cat friend back in the barn? I turned to look. No cat. Then I hear it again. Looking around I spot the source.... It's an opossum climbing in one of the old abandoned rabbit cages stacked in the corner. What excitement! I haven's seen an opossum in years. Quick, the camera. Oh man, that's right, it's in the house! I head quickly back to the house, grab my cell phone and professional camera. Returned just as quickly to the barn. Yes! He's still in the cage. Snapped a few good shots and headed back to the house. Wondering, as I exit the barn wading through the high waters, just how many animals have passed through the barn never seen. Over the years, in addition to the anticipated residents, there have been other opossums, unwanted rat snakes, rats, birds and the recent feral cat. Possibly the skunk residing in the barnyard passed through the barn. Yes, I presume so. But what else? Bobcats that have been spotted on my property? There was the morning I scared a couple of coyotes out of the barnyard that were standing just outside the barn door hunting for fresh chicken. I wonder? What other types of critters? How many? How often? Questions that can never be answered. Oh, the stories those barn walls could tell! Back at the house now, I open the door, slide the boots off and go on with my evening. The barn, too, will go on with its evening routine of sheltering all the unseen visitors as they pass through. Peering out the windows while working inside today. Spring rains have once again nourished the dry parched soil on the farm. Yes, that is a blessing as the newly planted fruit trees and daffodils needed a refreshing drink. The plants in the garden have perked up and are standing proud. This little bird seems to be enjoying the crisp clean air as it pecks at a crumb. It's difficult to stay indoors this time of year as spring is beginning to call and there is so much work to be done here on the farm. One has to stop and ponder the thought, "Is this God's way of saying it's time to take a break while I do my part." Goodness knows there is beauty among the raindrops and water puddles! |
A Mattingly
Artist, Writer, Holistic Living Guide Important Disclaimer: Any content discussing medicinal uses of plants, herbs, or food as medicine is informational only and not prescriptive. When dealing with health issues, be sure to do your own research and consult with the appropriate health professional for guidance. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. It is information based on my personal research and studies.
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