Coming home

My mom forwarded a clip to me and though I am sure it's making the email circuit, I was so moved by the story of the special gift to the Panchot family by a special woman that I wanted to share it here.

Kaziah Hancock has taken her talent and channeled it into creating living memorials for those who've lost sons, daughters, dads, brothers, husbands, wives, and friends in Iraq. It's become her passion to give something back to these families who have had to sacrifice so much. She's one cool lady making a difference in the world.

Coneflower visitor

I saw this cute moth (anyone know what he is?) on the purple coneflower and was getting a nice photo of him when he flitted to the next flower and then turned, spread his wings, and looked at me as if to say, "Do you mind? I am busy here." (Click to see him in detail.)

Madder than a hornet

Well, just great... a guy came last night to add a couple of landscape lights around the pool, and I mentioned to him about the bees building a nest in my bluebird house. Since he actually used to make these houses with the family who created them, he was curious. I told him that I had cautiously put duct tape over the entrance hole, but that they are now going in from the bottom vent slits. He bravely went over to the house to pull back the tape and check it out, and then immediately backed up. His "Oh, those are hornets in there... you don't want to mess with them," was enough to make me stay even further back.

I read a little more bit about hornets:

Like most nest building insects, hornets will defend their colony when they consider it threatened. The hornet sting contains 5% acetylcholine which stimulate pain fibers more than stings of other wasps and bees. So the sting of a hornet may be a good bit more painful. Unlike bees, hornets can sting multiple times without dying, and can also bite, and alert the entire nest of potential danger. When hornets are killed, a hormone is released that triggers nearby hornets to attack. It’s a safety mechanism, designed to keep the nest safe from intruders. Rolling up a newspaper and swatting a hornet outside is what we call “signing your death warrant,” especially if it's remains are smeared all of over your pants. If you do happen to see a nest, there are few things you can do to avoid being stung: Do not disturb the nest in any way. Do not make any loud noises. Stay back from the nest. Do not bother a hornet who is trying to go to its nest. Do not disturb the air by moving your hands or arms around. Do not breathe on the nest or on a hornet. Never kill a hornet near its nest. Do not break a hornet’s nest. It is much safer in one piece. Do not attempt to remove a hornet’s nest in the middle of the day. Wait until it is cooler outside.

OkieDokie then.... Did I mention Sam has an allergy to bee stings and we have an Epi-pen I hope never to have to use? I think I'll let my fingers do the walking through the yellow pages towards the "P's" for pest control.

Could it be?

Could Jayne have actually taken a photo of something outside her own backyard? Well, it looks like there was something cool in the cow pasture on the way to work the other morning. Glad I had that trusty camera in the car! Check out the roosting vultures in the early morning foggy pasture. Still wish I'd had my 400mm zoooooommmmm. :c)

Attention all shoppers

Let me set the scene:

I am on the way home yesterday, but need to stop at the Food Lion for some things. I have Sam with me and tell him that we'll run right in and get those things we need. "Can I find a special treat for supper mom?" I tell him that we'll see what we can find.

He did great, staying right with me and the grocery cart, and found a small pack of the Hawaiian Sweet Rolls as a treat. We got up to the check out line, and there was a young teen boy at the register. As it got busier around us, he leaned into his microphone there at his register and announced that they needed "all cashiers and baggers to the front."

I started putting our items on the register belt, when all of a sudden, I hear booming over the loudspeaker at the Food Lion.... "Squawk-eee-Squawk-eee...Ribbit-Ribbit." I turn to find my Sam at the unmanned register behind me, hand on the microphone, with a huge grin on his face. I quickly grab his hand, tell him to stop and please stand with the grocery cart. The cashier has this stricken look on his face as if we'd just pooped on the floor or something. He acts as if this will get him into b-i-g trouble. Then, as I am baggging my groceries, as apparently his call for help didn't get much response, he says to me, "Well, I guess you are pretty embarrassed." I look up at him and smile knowingly, "Who? Me? Nope, it takes a heck of a lot more than that to embarrass me sweetie. That's just my life." I try to let him know that Sam has autism and he didn't mean to break any rules and to just explain that to his supervisor if anything is said. He looked at me as if I were from another planet, clearly not understanding.

As we left, I started thinking about it all, and just snorted and guffawed all the way home. It was pretty darn funny actually. Can you imagine being in the cereal aisle and hearing that over the loud speaker? I asked Sam who said that phrase, and he matter of factly told me, "It's what Tigger says in The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh DVD when they go to the grocery store Mom. He makes funny noises in the microphone at the store. It's funny." Ahhhh... of course. Tigger is one funny tiger. And, so is my Sam.

Miss the art

There was a time that I could not keep enough paper on hand for Sam. He loved to draw, and he'd sit at the kitchen table and draw for hours. Of course, most all his drawings centered around trains and tug boats, but he dearly loved them and loved to recreate them on paper from his head. He never looked at anything. Just sat there drawing from memory. He drew the above montage when he was only nine. And, his perception was uncanny. He'd draw things with depth, like trains coming around the track towards you and, believe it or not, he'd even sometimes start from the back of the train and draw forward. Oh to be in his brain for only a day to understand how he sees things and how it works.

But, in the past year or so, he's drawn little, if any, and I miss his artful creations. He just does not feel compelled to draw any longer for some reason. His talent is not one that can be just called upon. He either is in the mood, or he's not. Maybe it's the hormones of adolescence and once things are settled down, he'll pick it back up. I miss seeing him immersed in his drawings, though I have tons and tons from years past. However, I'd love to see what his now almost 15 year old brain might create.

What's old is older still

A few years back, we got a nice Fuji Finepix Digital camera which I used for a couple of years and loved. It was small, fit my grip, oh so well, and took some nice photos. Once husband decided to invest in a Canon Digital Rebel so that we could use the lenses we already had acquired years back with our Rebel 35mm, I asked my sister if she'd like to have the Fuji. At the time, she had a small inexpensive point and shoot and so I figured that she'd enjoy this camera. I suppose she likes the smaller, more accessible sized cameras as I'd never seen her use the Fuji. I got the bright idea to ask her if she could just bring it back to me so I'd have a smaller camera available in my car to take those "oh my goodness where is my camera" photos when I am out and about.

A couple of weeks ago, she was here and brought the camera. I took it out of its case and smiled as I gripped it so easily and was thrilled to know that I could have a camera available at all times in my car! Then I looked at the box. What? Seriously? This "wonderful" camera I used only a few short years ago, and which was cutting edge then, is a 3.1 MP camera! Now, you can get a wonderful camera the size of an iPod which is 8-9 MP. I found this, now dinosaur of a camera, in used condition on Amazon for $140. It's amazing to me the speed at which technology changes. But, just the same, it's in my car and will be fine for capturing those images I'd otherwise only be blogging about. Sort of like fishermen and "the one that got away." The clarity might not be great, but at least I'll have proof.

Olfactory bliss

I ask you... is there a happier place to be on earth than in a Bath and Body Works store? I dearly love going in there to just be surrounded by all lovely smelling things. I have my favorites... Midnight Pomegranate, Gardenia, Vanilla Jasmine, Japanese Cherry, Brown Sugar Fig.... mmmmmm. I also dearly love their home fragrance sprays, but they are sometimes hard to find. I went to their on-line store last week, and found a fairly good selection and also found that they were on special... TWO for $5! I decided to be adventurous and order something I'd not experienced before so got two of these Shore Breeze sprays. Oh. My. Goodness. Pure olfactory bliss! Makes you never want to leave home. To that end, because I am a sharing person, I will send the first four olfactory curious people who send me an email and snail mail addy to my journeythroughgrace AT hotmail DOT com address a special treat to enjoy! Happy Saturday everyone!

Uh... not what I wanted for a tenant

Last night as I was filling my bird feeders, I noticed something in the entrance hole of my other bluebird house. This house was the one I emptied four or five house sparrow nests out of earlier in the spring, so I was curious to see if they were indeed trying to sneak in and build again. I almost just marched up to pull the lid off indignantly, and then, something made me wait a second... YIKES! What just flew in there?

Holy moley... I almost ripped the top off a house FULL of ummm... yellow jackets? Mud dawbers? What exactly are these wasps? It's definitely a mud type nest. I stood there watching as they flew in and out working on the nest. What to do?


I don't really want to put any poison in the house, as I certainly don't want to end up hurting any cavity nesting birds. Then again, I REALLY don't want to explore this nest any further either. What if the entire house is full? Do I need to get an eviction notice to tack up on the house?

In the eye of a needle

We were watching the news last night when Charles Gibson started a story about a man who creates minute art. Huh? Yes, he creates works of art within the eyes of needles and on the tips of pins. Huh? It seems Willard Wigan of England grew up with learning difficulties due to dyslexia. He can't read or write well, but has a talent like no other human being. He creates micro sculptures! These are one of a kind amazing creations.

I was just in serious awe until he told the reporter that he was once working on a sculpture of Alice in Wonderland, and as he looked back down into the microscope to finish a detail, she was gone. "I think I inhaled her," he said with a serious look on his face. I laughed so hard I had tears streaming down my face. Still... really fascinating talent.

Morning symphony

FINALLY!
It rained!
Oh, BOY did it rain!
All evening long it rained!
The hosta gladly relaxed in the weight of the moisture.
The birds are so very happy!
Just listen to the symphony I heard this morning as
I went out to get the paper! (crank up the volume)
Recognize anyone?
Did I mention it rained? :c)

Trying to trust

The times they are a changing. Over two years ago, the major division of husband's company (where he'd been for 20 years) was sold to a large manufacturer. We did not know at the time if he had a job. Because he knew people at the new company, he was privy to find out that he was on their short list of people they wanted in the transition. He had to make the bold step of going to his boss at the time and asking to be let go, as what was left of the company also wanted him to stay there with him. We knew that this new job would be much more stable and were thrilled to find out that his salary would remain the same and he'd take his seniority and vacation time with him as well. It was a win/win situation and we breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Now, 2 1/2 years later, there is trouble in paradise. He is massively stressed and unhappy. He says he does nothing but put fires out all day long. He says they are in "crisis mode" all the time. He has watched three of his long time co-workers walk out the door and back to their former employer. With the exit of two of them, the work load on husband has increased even more. I tried to remain calm as he told me he was going to call his former boss (and friend) and "just talk."

I suppose the days of working for one company for over 22 years are long past. I realize that he has been very fortunate in having this sort of stability, for it's certainly not the norm any longer. But, to walk away from a very large, very stable company and go back to uncertainty is causing me a weeeee bit of stress. I don't want him to be unhappy or keel over dead of a big heart attack, yet for some reason, everything in me is feeling like this is not going to work out in the end. There have been rumblings that this new company (what was left of where he used to work) may be positioning themselves to be attractive to a buyer. There is no telling what that means, but I do know that I can't and won't move elsewhere. So, if it does not work out for some reason, he may be fully starting over someplace else. I so want to feel OK about all this, but it's weighing heavily on me.

Oh, and I found a long hair growing out of my chin last night. Just lovely... How was your day?

Dear Lord and Father of mankind

(from Cyberhymnal.org)
Words: John G. Whittier, in the Atlantic Monthly, April 1872.

The words are from a long narrative poem, “The Brewing of Soma.” It describes Vedic priests going in to the forest and drinking themselves into a stupor with a concoction called “soma.” They try to have a religious experience and contact the spirit world. It is after setting that scene that Whittier draws his lesson: “Dear Lord, and Father of mankind, forgive our foolish ways…”

Well, the "Occasional Singers" at my church (10 of us) practiced and practiced Dear Lord and Father of mankind for weeks. The planned arrangement called for us to sing the Maker version for verses 1, 3, and 5 and the Parry version for verses 2 and 4. On Parry's version of the music, just the men sang verse 2 and then just the women sang verse 4. To make it more interesting, verse 3 was a cappella, and I think, the best one! So, here it is for your listening pleasure. Again, I am one of the rather loud sopranos... ahem.

**Please forgive me in that I didn't realize I had hit the "record" button as I was trying to get the recorder set up... duh! So, for a minute or so, you'll just hear the rustling. I don't yet know exactly how to edit a .wav file.

Happy Father's Day Daddy

He was my biggest cheerleader.
He came to my basketball games even when he had work to do.
He always let me know that he loved me.
He would quietly put his hand in the backseat of the car to squeeze mine
in a silent, but loud, "I am always here for you."
He taught me to try my best and to be proud.
He is a man of his word... always.
He sacrificed much so that we could have.
He is one of my best friends.
He is my Daddy.

Happy Father's Day Daddy.
"I love you, oh yes I do, and that is true..."

What does NOT bother me...

Hmmm... a "What does NOT bother me" meme.
I was tagged by Penni, and so here we go....




1. A few weeds in the garden
2. Helping elderly people even when they are being impossible
3. My son's obsessing about darn near everything
4. Trash pick up only once a week
5. Filling up the bird feeders
6. Encouraging patients to question their MD (they are not gods people)
7. People who sit/stand/kneel at church when they want to (everyone has a preference)
8. Getting gas in the car
9. Going without a bra at home
10. Dust (won't die from it for goodness sakes)
11. Waiting (well, depends what for... won't wait to eat anyplace)
12. Husband going to play golf
13. Listening to the same CD in the car for days
14. Losing at pool (I am sooo not competitive)
15. Puppy dog kisses
16. Speaking to a group
17. Leaves in the yard (there's a special room in hell where you rake for eternity)
18. Questioning believers (of which I am one) or people who aren't sure at all
19. Gross wounds (and I've seen my share)
20. Being tagged for memes :c) Love ya Pen!

Fire in the trees

I just have nothing to say today...
so I'll just let everyone enjoy this pretty sight.

The end of a long, hot day...

Make yourself at home... take off your shoes and stay a while!

Hot hazy days

"Hey you guys, wait for me!"
"Where are my floaties?"

These little finch babies were so cute yesterday!
At one point, there were probably six or seven of them
in there splashing about. What a show it was!

Roi found!

(Photo from Chattanoogan.com)

I live close to the Tennessee border, and it seems that Chattanooga has been gifted with one of only two known nesting pairs of Peregrine falcons in Tennessee. The male has been nesting here for over ten years with different females. This year, they again nested on a railroad bridge over the river and have had one chick hatch. A few weeks ago, the male Peregrine, Roi, went missing. All presumed he might have died of natural causes as he is now probably at least 14 years old. The birding community was saddened, but knew that the female they named Dreama, would continue to care for the chick by herself.

Lo and behold, they found Roi! Seems he may have launched himself into the side of a house, and was found with a broken wing. His future is unclear in terms of release after rehab, but it's nice to know if he can't be released, he'll spend his days being cared for and well fed. That's a fine tribute to a beautiful raptor that has brought countless joy to those who have welcomed him back to the river each year.

Memories...

I was going through photos in Bridge, and found this one (click to see him larger Mary...lol) taken in June 2005 on our trip to St. George Island, Florida. The state park there is a sight to behold as it's so pristine and undisturbed. Miles of miles of white sand beaches and often not another soul in sight. Wish I were walking along that beach....oh... about now?

The Innocence Mission

Blogging has enriched my life in so many ways, but one of the sweetest gifts has been the introduction to some really wonderful music. Through the blog friends I've made, I've discovered The Wailin' Jennys, Hem, and now... The Innocence Mission. This week, I was gifted with the beautiful sound of this cool group by my bud Beth and I am sitting here soaking in the magical sound as I blog. If you've never heard of any of these, I encourage you to check them out. Music simply lifts my spirits and bathes me in joy. Life would be quite sad without it.

Monster Begonia

Back in the spring of 2006, I purchased a flat of red begonias. I planted some in a bed, but had four or five left over and so put them in a 10" pot on the front porch of our former home. They grew beautifully over the spring, and when we put our house up for sale in June, they were a welcoming beacon of blooms on the front porch. We moved in August, but I left them on the porch as they were so pretty and made the house still look "lived in."

I went by weekly to check on things and water the potted begonias. As summer turned into fall, and we'd still not sold our house, I marveled about how pretty they were and how they continued to bloom. We had a very mild start to the winter, and so it was even more surprising to see that they continued to thrive there on the porch in November.

With the neighbor's Christmas decorations going up, the pretty pot of blooming begonias started to look a bit freakish and artificial. But, because they'd persevered, I decided, what the heck. I loaded them up, brought them here to our new home and threw the pot in the basement by a window where I could enjoy it when on the treadmill. I kept it watered throughout the winter and it continued to shine.

Come spring, I decided I'd better get it outside, and so repotted it in a larger pot left here by the previous homeowners. I placed it at the bottom of the steps going down to the pool and decided if it lived, great, and if it didn't, it wasn't that it was not given every chance.

Huh! Not only has it lived, but it has developed all new growth at the base and the old growth is cascading down the sides of the pot! It's gargantuan! It's beautiful! It's the begonia on steroids! The begonia that ate New York! It is in an 18" pot people, and filling the entire thing. It makes me smile, this year old begonia that started out as four or five small plants in a pot. A minimal investment of time for a thing of such beauty and wonder.

The struggle within

"I have an idea Mom," said Sam as he came downstairs last night. "I've been reading to my young friends and I found new books they might like." I just smiled and said, "What books did you find Sam?" He then explained that since Caylie, Cuddley, and Teddy were still too young to read, he'd been reading books to them, and well, he found some more that he was sure they'd like a bunch. "I found the books on eBay Mom... Poky Little Puppy's Special Day and Shy Little Kitten's Special Place. Can we get them?"

Sam will be 15 in August. There is a part of him that knows that 15 year olds don't read the Poky Little Puppy any longer, and so he has come up with a way in his mind to make his interest in these things OK. He is "reading to his friends" who are young and who enjoy these stories. Not that he'd enjoy them (ahem), but for the sake of Caylie, Cuddley, and Teddy he will sacrifice his adolescent pride and read them.

This is why I can fully see him one day working in an elementary school media center and being happy forever surrounded by his favorite books, knowing where each lovely one is located, and relishing the part of the day where he sits and reads to enraptured first graders. I mean, his friends here love to be read to... just ask them...

L to R: Caylie, Cuddley, and Teddy

More babies

Sweet, sweet baby Brown-headed Nuthatches!

I have so little to say these days as I have been working a good bit more and I am tired. I was on-call last weekend and had to go in both Saturday and Sunday. Though I had yesterday off, it was full of getting errands run and getting to the grocery store etc. I am looking forward to a few days off in a row to relax and get my camera pointed back towards the feeders and the trees.

Sad day

I did not post about this last week because it made me so very sad. I walked out onto my deck and found this precious baby Downy outside the deck door. He was fully intact, with no signs of injury at all, so I knew it was not a predator attack. I emailed Julie Zickefoose, who told me it was most probably windowkill. She explained that "before their skulls are ossified (layered with honeycombed bone) they are the most vulnerable" and so that's more than likely what happened to this little guy.

I just held him in my hand and marveled at how beautiful he was, and then, with heavy heart, took him out back for burial under the pines.

Uncommon visitor to the feeder

Dove thoughts... "Man, just look at those freaky
yellow contact lenses that dude is wearing!"

Well hello there Mrs. Towhee

I posted a photo of her mate last week, and wondered where she was.
Lo and behold, she showed up yesterday.
Such beautiful coloration!

The Great Egg Mystery

Last night, husband and I were out at the pool when he said, "What is that over there?" I looked to where he was pointing by the skimmer input and saw what looked like a small white ball. (Click to see the image larger.)

As I got closer, I realized it was not a ball at all. It was an egg! A perfectly formed, intact egg. A rather large white egg which looked like it belonged to a Mourning Dove. Hmmm... I then pondered... how on earth did an intact egg end up on the concrete around the pool? If it had been snatched by a predator and dropped, it would have cracked. If it had rolled off onto the concrete from the rocks above the pool, it would have broken as well. An egg mystery....

Then, I imagined a poor female ready to lay, waiting to find the "perfect" nesting spot. She and her hubby were probably leisurely looking when all of a sudden, just like a pregnant woman on the freeway, she exclaimed, "Oh my! I have to push!!" and out came her egg, right there on the concrete! Any other logical guesses as to how it got there? (As if my pondering was not logical...haha.)

Everyone RSVP'd

So, the invitation must have read...

"Party on Chickadee! Bring your best clean-up-crew appetite and prepare to chow down! Please R.S.V.P."

I counted EIGHT squirrels, but being squirrely about eating in
close proximity, I could only catch six in this frame.
Two more were on the top of the swing playing chicken.
BTW, they all remain quite "baffled." :c)

Blooming beauty

The purple coneflower is finally in bloom at the mailbox bed.
We've had no measurable rain in... hmmm... can't remember when...
so if it were not for a sprinkler head pointed in this direction,
I'm not sure it would be so lovely.

Does anyone know any good rain dances?