Incessant chirping signaled the urgent need for food. The infant bobble-head birds were crying for Mrs. Wren’s beak-to-beak deposits. They were desperate. Mother Bird was perfectly willing and able to provide for her babies. She flew with winged efficiency from the nearest “supermarket” to her nest inside her birdhouse. (Ahem . . . OUR birdhouse) The only hindrance was me! I was sitting at the deck table, minding my own business, when she started fussing at me. (Warning: I like to put words in the mouths, I mean beaks, of our feathered friends.) “Get off of this deck and go…
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Two Memories of My Dad
Memory 1: Silent communication in church When I sat beside my dad in church, he would squeeze my hand twice which meant he was asking, “Love me?” I would return two squeezes to say, “Uh huh.” His next two squeezes translated, “How much?” I would squeeze his hand with my two as hard as I could to express my love for the man I most admired. Then, I’d re-start the silent conversation by asking him the first question in the sequence. I’d stifle giggles when he’d wrap my hand in his and apply gentle pressure to indicate how much he…
Gift Ideas for June 2018
After the busy gift-buying month of May, June slows down a little except for Father’s Day and early summer weddings. I recently purchased a wedding gift by simply making a donation for the bride and groom’s wedding photography. This couple will live in a tiny apartment with no wedding gift storage room, so they elected to choose a more practical route. Their registry also included the opportunity to contribute toward dinners at nice restaurants or airline tickets. Practical is the name of the game for many young couples. Gone are the days when brides store stacks of silver trays and…
Gift Ideas for May 2018
There lots of gifts to buy in May for Mother’s Day, graduation, and the end of the school year. I hope these ideas will help. Occasions included in this post: Mother’s Day Mother’s Day gifts for older moms–See my post entitled “Window Box Begonias & Mother’s Day Gift Ideas for Older Moms.” Graduation End of the school year family celebrations, teacher and student gifts Mother’s Day Flowers, gift certificates, jewelry, and clothing are popular and appreciated gifts for this special occasion, but what about personalizing your choice by trying one of the following? a book by her favorite author…
Be the “Sunflower” in Someone’s Day
Sunflowers make me smile. They just look sunny with their petals extending like rays of sunshine. These stunning beauties stand in contrast to the sky and nearby vegetation, punctuating the landscape with brilliant color. These flowers intrigue me for several reasons. Vincent van Gogh, working in southern France, selected sunflowers out of all of God’s creation as the subjects of five paintings in 1888 and 1889. Maybe the artist chose them because they naturally draw the eye or maybe the sunflowers he saw brightened his day. Sunflowers remind me of cheerful people who brighten the day wherever they are. Does…