Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens...

I picked these last, few Double Delight roses today and was amazed at how interested Mr. Kitty was in them. At some point in the afternoon, I turned around and couldn't believe my eyes! He was sitting on the very edge of this table, smelling the roses!
My camera was on my desk, so I quick took the picture without thinking or fussing with settings. I'm surprised it turned out at all.
At that same moment, my daughter came in and tried to get the shot with her cell phone. She was about 1/2 sec. too late. Mr. Kitty jumped off the table and that was a scary moment as the vase of flowers went sliding! Thankfully, they stayed on the table and not even a drop of water was spilled.

Pine Cones and Sunflowers

I've always wondered, "What happens to pine cones?" I've seen them on trees and the next time I see them, they are, obviously open, laying on the ground. Of course, I could have googled it, but never had.
On my walk today, the sky was cloudless, the sun deliciously warm and the breeze just on the fresh side of warm - you know, the kind that makes you wish you didn't have to exhale when you breathe it in because it feels so good!
I was enjoying the change in the landscape canvas. It's like the paint brush is reloaded every night and more of the new picture is being revealed every day!
I was listening to the birds and thinking that some of the songs were reminiscent of songs I used to hear as a girl in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
I was lost in a world of senses when suddenly a breeze came across the road and I heard a sound I'd never heard before! Not the sound of leaves, green or colored when blown by a breeze. Not the sound of wood on wood when branches are moving. It was more like a lot of something - delicate, crisp, almost musical.
I stopped to look and there was a shower of pine cone seeds dancing from the very top of this tree!
Another breeze and another shimmering shower of fawn colored wisps - carried along, catching the sunlight, and joyfully "clicking" each other on their way to the ground. I stood mesmerized for a few minutes.
I tried to take a picture, but the top of the tree was just too far away for the iPhone to capture it clearly and the seeds too tiny and moving too quickly.

I continued my walk, and was distracted again - this time, by these sunflowers! Today, all of the colors and sounds of my world are spectacular! I hope hope they are wherever you are too!

Then Sings My Soul...

I have no words - this magnificent display of God's creative, sustaining power is so faith reassuring after a day like today. I thank Him with all my heart.

(photos taken with Panasonic DMC-TZ5 - no editing except slight cropping of 3rd photo)

An Oak Tree is an Oak Tree is an Oak Tree....

I wasn't going to post anything this weekend, but sometimes a person can't resist!

The oak tree has been in the yard for 5 years. It is in the center of the front lawn and it has often made me smile. In both spring and fall, it is highlighted by the sun and I could have taken hundreds of photos of it since it was planted there.

This evening, as if it were under a flood light on center stage, the actress glowed as she performed her best role - that of an oak tree. And what better actress to play the part?

I think it would be simply grand if everyone could know and be comfortable with who they really are and be that person. It doesn't work for an oak tree to try to be a bird, or a flower, or even another kind of tree! It is at its best when it is an oak tree through and through. (I know this sounds silly, but I think you understand what I'm saying)

I can't be someone else and someone else can't be me. You are best when you are who you were made to be. You have gifts to offer the world that only you can give. And just like the oak tree that delighted me this evening, when each of us is doing exactly what we were created to do, we delight, help, encourage those around us.

So, cheers! I hope you enjoy the evening wherever you are!

Friday Skywatch

I am not sure where "Friday Skywatch" came from, but I have seen it on other blogs. I have to chuckle (no disrespect intended) because I watch the sky all the time! I love the sky and the ever changing landscape it provides.
Today, while I was on my walk, the sky was very unusual. I could see even texture like scratches or brush strokes across the clouds. This photo was taken with an iPhone and I am surprised at how well it came out, considering.
I hope everyone has a fabulous Friday and a great weekend! I'm not going to blog over the weekend; I've done a lot of writing this week, but who knows? ;)

Mr. Kitty

Every once in a while, a little life comes across your path and, even though you can't explain it, you just click.
His name is Mr. Kitty, even though he's just a kitten and my daughter would rather name him "Fez". He was born here this spring and was supposed to have been adopted. He came back to us about 3 weeks ago because his owners were going on a trip. I was sure that my daughter would be the "kitty-sitter", so I had no problem with him being here for a few days.
What I wasn't counting on was how the kitten would deal with the temporary situation. He followed me everywhere. He jumped up on my lap while I was working at the computer; would look up at me, close his eyes and fall asleep on my lap! It didn't take long for me to lose my grip and he was able to adopt me with no resistance on my part.
When his owners came to pick him up, I was a little sad, but, "hey!", they're family and I can see him whenever I want to. So, off he went.
A few days later, I got a call. The kitty isn't working out in the neighborhood. Some lady was complaining that this little kitty was really disrupting the lives of her indoor cats, and the question was put to me, "Do you want the kitty back?"
Well, you guessed it. He's back and he is quite a little character. My son and I have been sitting in my bedroom for about 45 min laughing so hard because of Mr. Kitty's antics. He is so funny, and yet, he is so affectionate too.
I haven't "owned" a kitty for over 30 years. Wasn't interested in them, either. I never would have thought that I would connect with a kitty like I have with Mr. Kitty. But, this little one has stolen my heart - at least, the part made for kitties.

Changes In the Seasons of Life

"The leaves are changing color and beginning to fall..." I was stating the obvious to my daughter on the way to school this morning.
I am always pleasantly surprised when the seasons change; pleasantly because I enjoy the personality of each season, and surprised because the change always seems to happen sooner than I think it will and is over before I know it!
Most people like the change of the seasons, except where the winters are long and brutal, which I can truly understand! There is a predictable rhythm from Spring to Summer to Fall to Winter, so I guess one could say, that "the changing of the seasons never changes," and that somehow makes it change that we can live with.
But changes in life are not always as welcome. People like things to remain "the way they are", sometimes, even when "the way they are" is not ideal. The reason is fear of the unknown, i.e., Do I have what it takes to live with the change? And, if I don't think I do, then I want things to remain as they are, because right now, I'm managing very well, thank you.
So, we try to resist change. We campaign against it. We deny it and ignore it; but the fact is, change did or is or will happen and we won't grow or mature if we don't learn how to accept and adapt to it.
Some change happens to us - promotion or loss of a job, illness or the death of a loved one, policy changes at work, at church, or civic group, weather disasters, financial loss due to the stock market failure. These kinds of changes are outside of our ability to control. They happen and we have to deal with them.
Some change is our responsibility and choice - taking a course or continuing education classes so I can be on the cutting edge at my job or become eligible for a better job; taking the initiative to exercise and eat better so I can improve my health and sense of well being; becoming more organized for progress and profit in my fields of interest. We can choose to make these kinds of changes, yet, though they are for our personal good, we often elect to ignore them because we think its too difficult, too much work or too uncomfortable.
We can kick and scream, protest until we're blue in the face, but change will come. We can ignore the opportunities to change and remain stuck in our place in life and in our attitudes. Or, we can accept the fact that change in life is as inevitable as changes in the seasons and grab a warm coat and a cup of something hot so we can get through the change as best as we can.
(photos taken from my yard today)