POLLYWOG CREEK

Links for 2009-07-15 [del.icio.us]

2009-07-16T00:00:00-07:00

When assisted suicide is just banal (Erin) - Crunchy Con
"And if you are not a believer, if you see man as nothing more than an accumulation of carbon who is every moment gathering pain as he heads inexorably toward oblivion, then the lack of outcry at the news of someone's act of euthanasia probably pleases you. I can understand that--but what I can't understand are those who wish to reconcile euthanasia with faith, particularly Christian faith" HT-Chris Brauns at www.chrisbrauns.com
Suicide tourism and Sir Edward Downes
"What true thing can possibly be said about a culture that exalts ordered, ritualized and hygienic self-murder -- especially of the non-diseased -- as an act of valorous liberty, except that such a culture is in terminal decline?"

Links for 2009-07-13 [del.icio.us]

2009-07-14T00:00:00-07:00

girltalk | Blog | Hospitality Questions
Nancy Rogers compiled a list of questions to help us get to know the people we invite into our homes. These conversation starters will help you show God's love to strangers.

Letter from Mimi's Backyard::Week Four

2009-07-11T19:25:00.001-04:00

"Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." ~ Luke 12:32

To Mason, Gavin and Austin - Mimi's little flock,

BIG hugs and kisses from Papa and Mimi. We love and miss you BIGGIE bunches.

Are you having a happy summer? I would love to know what things you like to do that make you happy? Do you like to swim and play with your toys and read books? Do you like to play ball outside? What about ice-cream cones and popsicles - do they make you happy, too?

I happen to know something that makes Gavin happy - singing his favorite song - "Old Macdonald had a farm...", right Gavin? And it makes him even happier if we all sing it with him. Again and again and again. Do you have a favorite song to sing, too, Mason?

When I was outside walking this morning, I heard mockingbirds singing their favorite songs. Mockingbirds are very good at learning the songs of all the other birds and then singing them very loudly so that we will know how smart they are. I think they are just trying to get attention - like some little boys I know?

I also saw flycatchers, a red cardinal, and a great white heron searching for food around the pond while on my walk.

Here are pictures of the red cardinal, a grey mockingbird and the white heron. Can you point to the bird that is red? Grey? White? Can you also count the birds you see here?

It wouldn't be summer on Pollywog Creek without insects. I don't mind most insects as long as they stay are outside. I think they are interesting and fun to watch, don't you?

Here are some insects I saw this week: a white hairy caterpillar, an orange dragonfly and a brown cicada with green and black wings. I also saw a lot of mosquitoes, but who wants a picture of a mosquito - not me!

We also had a couple of visitors this week...

Some of our neighbors chickens "flew the coop" and crossed the fence into our pasture. Another neighbor's peacock hen decided she wanted to spend a week with us on our side of Pollywog Creek. They were all very good visitors and have now gone back home.

We've seen a couple of baby rabbits in the asparagus fun underneath our bedroom window this week, too. Auntie Em (Minna) tried to catch one of them, but even a baby rabbit can run faster than we can.

Unless that white heron I saw this morning caught the bullfrogs for her breakfast, there are still several bullfrogs living at the edge of our pond. I am also still trying to sneak up on one so I can take a really good picture for you, but they are as quick as a rabbit, and they jump into the pond before I can get very close.

One day I bet that all of you will be quick enough to catch a frog - when you are older and bigger and can safely explore around the pond here on Pollywog Creek.

(Click to enlarge the coloring page for printing - there are other frog coloring pages linked below under resources)

Papa and I can hear the bullfrogs from the house at night. Do you know what sound a bullfrog makes? You can watch this video if you'd like to listen to one...

Have you heard bullfrogs in your pond in Texas, Mason?

Do frogs walk or run? No....what do frogs do?

Of course - they jump. They hop just like rabbits do. What about you - can you hop, too? Aren't you glad that you don't have to hop every where you go? God didn't make us to hop, did He?

There is a story in the Bible that talks about frogs and a king in Egypt who was very mean to God's people. Ask your mom or dad or papa or mimi to read or tell you that story some time. Frogs were everywhere. Even in people's houses. I wouldn't want a frog in my house, would you? I'm glad that they stay outside with the rabbits and birds and insects where they belong.

I never know what God is going to show me when I go for a walk outside, but I always ask Him to show me something that I can tell you about and He always answers my prayers. God is so good to us. Don't forget to say your prayers and until I write you again next week...

Don't ever forget that Jesus loves you and so do Papa and Mimi...a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck!

XOXOXO
Mimi

Resources for Further Study and Enrichment
All Things Bright And Beautiful, illustrated by Pauline Baynes
The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones, "God to the rescue!" p. 84-91
Pond & River - Eyewitness Books - "Frogs, toads, and newts", p. 38-39
Bullfrog Coloring Page
Bullfrog Coloring Page (PDF)

Saturday Photo Hunt - Garbage...

2009-07-11T00:02:00.001-04:00

Did y'all see this recent news story about a father and son who are facing $20,000 in fines and fees for the removal of 42 tons of garbage they had accumulated on their Mastic Beach, New York, property? It was enough garbage to fill 10 garbage trucks. I'm sure you can find a picture of that garbage some where on the net, if you really want to see it.

I tried unsuccessfully all week to think of a creative way to photograph garbage.

I considered taking a photograph of our television set. I think most of the programs on television are garbage, but our television set is small, ordinary, and definitely not an interesting subject for photography.

I purposefully avoid garbage in my photos, so I was quite confident that there wouldn't be anything in my archives that would work, either.

Except maybe these old shoes?

They were obviously ready for the garbage, don't you think?

Or these?

Most of y'all would have thrown these empty coke bottles and cereal boxes in the garbage, but not if you are in the Gator Nation.

Do you toss your old and dusty potpourri in the garbage? Not me. I just rinse it off, dry it on a towel in the sun and freshen it with scented oils and it's good as new.

So maybe those wouldn't work, either.

What about these?

Disposable diapers, wipes and a baby yogurt container. They aren't garbage yet, but they will be.
These, too. Not garbage yet, but will be soon...

Disposable cups from Starbucks. I think Starbucks should give us discounts if we bring in a reusable coffee cup for refills, don't you?

EDIT - This was just added this morning.

I can't believe I didn't think of this photo - of garbage eaters - that I took yesterday morning...

I missed my turn on the way to a friend's house yesterday morning and turned down a road I don't normally travel in my efforts to turn around. The normal route to this friend's house takes me down a beautiful country lane where I often see deer and other wildlife, so I frequently have my camera with me when I am going that way. It was on that other road that I saw these vultures. Dozens of them that I didn't even capture in the photo taken from my car. Makes you wonder just exactly what is happening to those "rescued" animals, doesn't it?

Thanks so much to TNChick, for her faithful and gracious hosting of the Saturday Photo Hunt each week. For "garbage" photos from other participants just click on the Photo Hunter Banner or the Technorati PhotoHunt tag below. The theme for next week's Photo Hunt is "rock(s)". I think I'll like that one MUCH better!

Technorati tag - PhotoHunt

Links for 2009-07-10 [del.icio.us]

2009-07-11T00:00:00-07:00

DeYoung, Restless, and Reformed: Withering and the Word: John Calvin at 500
"This is one of the great paradoxes of life. We all want significance. We all want affirmation. We all want to leave a legacy. Some seek significance in work, some in performance, others in stuff, a lot of people in family. Yet, we all have a God-given sense that for all our bluster and bravado we are still grass. But we all want to bloom. So we pour our lives into degrees, and professional advancement, into ministry, and business, and houses, and kids. All the while, knowing deep down that life is fleeting and passing us by and we desperately need to take hold of something that is eternal."
A One Page Overview of Unpacking Forgiveness at A Brick in the Valley
If y'all took my advice and read Chris Brauns' book "Unpacking Forgiveness", you will want to see this chart...and if you failed to take my advice and read his book...then maybe this chart will convince you to do so! =)

Links for 2009-07-08 [del.icio.us]

2009-07-09T00:00:00-07:00

Today's Slice: The Shroud of Anonymity by Jill Carattini
"...the invitation to emerge from our darkest failings, lies, and secrets is not an invitation to dwell in our own impoverishment but rather a summons to light, grace, and reconciliation. The unique message of Jesus is that there is no reason to hide."

Links for 2009-07-07 [del.icio.us]

2009-07-08T00:00:00-07:00

Pentagon Denies Flyover of Patriotic ‘God and Country Rally’ in Nampa Idaho Because of its Christian Content | Ft. Hard Knox
This marks the first time in the 42 year history of the event that a flyover request was denied by the Pentagon.

Summer...

2009-07-07T08:10:00.005-04:00

Caloosahatchee River

(Click to Enlarge)

The bird feeders have been cleaned and stored for the summer. It's the rainy season, and the fields and thickets are producing a bountiful supply of insects, berries, grasses and seeds for every little creature that inhabits our little plot of green earth here on Pollywog Creek.

With six and half inches of rainfall in just one day last week, the brackish creek rose above the banks in places, so I wandered about cautiously - ever mindful that rising creek waters can encourage gators and water moccasins to move much too close for comfort. In fact, I'm not inclined to wander about at all unless Louis is home to "slay any dragons" I might encounter.

It's just as well. These are the days when the heat and humidity are stifling, the mosquitoes are plentiful and hungry, and if I weren't so driven to take photographs of insects and weeds, I'd probably only leave the house to get in the car.

It was from the car window that I took the photo of the Caloosahatchee River. We drive across that bridge every Sunday morning on our way to church, and every Sunday morning I wonder why I keep forgetting to bring my camera. This week I remembered.

One Sunday morning I'm hoping we won't be in so much of a hurry that we can slow down on the bridge long enough for me to get the camera in focus. There is something about the reflections of a big blue sky on the still waters of a summer morning that are lovely and peaceful and perfectly delightful and causes me to forget about all the things I dislike about summer here. If I lived in one of those houses on the river, you'd probably find me sitting quietly in a screen room at the end of a dock on mornings like this.

Links for 2009-07-06 [del.icio.us]

2009-07-07T00:00:00-07:00

'Honor Thy Father' for Grownups | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction
"...the amount of time spent caring for elderly family members can extend from a few tough years to many difficult decades. Even the strongest families will be stretched to the limit when attempting to fulfill the commandment to honor one's parents. So what do you do? You take care of your parents." LOVED this article - it is my work in progress. My only complaint is it stopped short of telling us just what that means. What do you think?

What do you think?

2009-07-06T08:16:00.004-04:00

In a July Christianity Today article, Mollie Ziegler Hemingway asks this...

"Why is it that we heap scorn on "deadbeat" parents who fail to take care of underage children, but excuse adult children who don't take care of their feeble parents?"

Molly goes on to suggest that one of the reasons we neglect the needs of our aging parents is...

"Maybe it has something to do with our unwillingness to confront death."

Molly also offers several very helpful suggestions for overcoming this emotional stumbling block (read more...), but I believe that our difficulty in facing death is just one of the reasons we fail to look at caring for our elderly parents with a Christian worldview.

This is my hot-button (and one of my wips), and I suspect that I am going to step on toes here. Believe me when I tell you that I'm not throwing stones - I'm stepping on my toes, too, but I think it has more to do with our unwillingness to live sacrificially - not just in little moments but in all of life - in order to meet the needs of others.

I'm not naive. I know that there are, sadly, many family relationships that have been severely damaged by dysfunction and abuse that is beyond my comprehension, and the complexity of those situations is way outside of the situations I am addressing. Most of us grew up in more stable - though far from perfect - homes, and I dare say that our own comfort and selfish ambitions are more often the reasons we ignore or relinquish the care of our elderly parents to others.

I'd love to know what y'all think...

(HT - JT at Between Two Worlds)

A little song, a good poem, a fine picture, and a few reasonable words...

2009-07-04T17:28:00.008-04:00

"One ought, every day at least to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Patsy Clairmont posted that quote on her FB page earlier this week, and when I read it I thought, this is a to-do list I can embrace. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was not a Christian, but if framed by the guidelines of Philippians 4:8...

"...whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." ~ Philippians 4:8

...I think it makes an excellent journal prompt, don't you?

It's the Fourth of July, so...

...a little song: "Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Philip Sousa, performed by the United States Marine Band. Really cool website, by the way.

...a good poem: "A Patriotic Creed" by Edgar Guest

...a fine picture: "George Washington Crossing the Delaware" by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze

...a few reasonable words: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness...." from The Declaration of Independence

Saturday Photo Hunt - Pink...

2009-07-03T23:29:00.000-04:00

I'm posting my Saturday Photo Hunt on Friday evening this week. The "pink" theme is to blame. Pink happens to be one of my favorite colors, but I simply cannot bring myself to post "pink" on the most "red, white and blue" day of the year...so I'm bending the photo hunt rules just this once.

While cleaning out my closet recently, I noticed that almost every article of clothing in my closet is either a shade of pink or blue or white. I did say pink is a favorite.

I was tempted to take a photo of my pink clothes for the hunt, but decided that just like my wardrobe, it would probably be a boring photo. So I did what I usually do on Friday nights - I searched through my archives - this time for favorite pinks...

Winters in Florida are so lovely and mild - rarely cold enough for more than a sweater, but sometimes the mornings are chilly enough that a scarf is the perfect addition to a cozy sweatshirt - and mine, of course, is pink. Then late in the winter, the azaleas begin to bloom and the morning light on pink azaleas is divine. The last pink in this collage is from an art journal entry last April, when I declared that my heart was fixed.

I took these photos in my kitchen a couple of weeks ago. The rose bush that produced these lovely pink blossoms was given to me as a gift for teaching vacation Bible school the summer Emily was born - eighteen years ago, and despite freezes, droughts and simple neglect, it has consistently blessed us with an abundance of beautiful and fragrant roses.

Pink was a Photo Hunt theme two years ago and just in case you missed my "pink" photos then, I decided to add them to my very pink post today (the roses are from that same bush)...

A pink sunset over Pollywog Creek
May 2006

And a plethora of shades of perfectly delightful pink flowers...

Pink Hibiscus

Pink Zinnias
Pink Roses

Thanks so much to TNChick, for her faithful and gracious hosting of the Saturday Photo Hunt each week. And pray for her husband. He was hospitalized earlier this week and there's been no further word regarding his condition. For "pink" photos from other Photo Hunt participants just click on the Photo Hunter Banner or the Technorati PhotoHunt tag below. The theme for next week's Photo Hunt is "garbage".

Technorati tag - PhotoHunt

Links for 2009-07-02 [del.icio.us]

2009-07-03T00:00:00-07:00

A Governor, a King, and the Tragedy of Adultery
"His remaining days in office are like a Greek tragedy unfolding into farce. The whole picture is just unspeakably sad." Dr. Al Mohler

Letter from Mimi's Backyard::Week Three

2009-07-02T11:07:00.005-04:00

"Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." ~ Luke 12:32

My Dear Little Flock,

Last week Mason was busy with his daddy and celebrating a birthday while Gavin was having fun in Georgia, so I waited two whole weeks to write to you again. It wasn't easy, either, because Auntie Em and I did something that I could hardly wait to tell you about.

First, I want to show you some of the things we saw around Pollywog Creek last week...

Can you name some of the animals in those pictures?

I saw a mockingbird singing on the branch of an oak tree, a white caterpillar crawling up the rusted fence, a bullfrog getting ready to leap into the pond, a lizard watching from the top of a cypress tree knee, a bunny rabbit hopping in the green grass, and a dragonfly on the barb-wire fence.

It has been rainy and hot and sticky on Pollywog Creek, and I have not been outside as much as I would like to be when it is not rainy and hot and sticky. But when I do go outside, I am always amazed at the beautiful and interesting things I find creeping and crawling and hopping and growing....just like you. But do you know what makes you different than all those animals? God made you to be one of His children and to love you more than everything else He ever made.

Do you remember when I used to sing "Jesus Loves the Little Children" to you as you were falling asleep? I would sing it like this...

Jesus loves the little children,
all the children of the world
Red and yellow black and white,
they are precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Jesus loves the little children,
all the children of the world
Mason Thomas Jackson, too,
he is precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world.

or...

Jesus loves the little children,
all the children of the world
Gavin Nicholas, too,
he is precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world.

What I couldn't wait to tell you about is the "little children of the world" that Emily and I saw in a concert a couple of weeks ago. These beautiful children from Uganda are part of the African Children's Choir that travels all over the world singing about God.

They were full of energy....

...and always on the move.

It was hard to take a good photograph of them because they were seldom still.

They wore colorful clothing...

...and beautiful smiles.

We loved every one of the songs they sang, but "You Are The Shepherd" was my favorite. Here is a video of some of the children from the African Children's Choir rehearsing "You Are The Shepherd".
Isn't that a pretty song? It might not have been easy to understand all the words, so I copied them for you here...

You Are The Shepherd

by Keith and Kristyn Getty

You are the Shepherd
I belong to You
When I walk on rough ground
You can guide me through
You know my name
You know my voice
Before I was born
I was your choice
Show me how to follow
Lord keep me close to You
You are the Shepherd
I belong to You
Open eyes to see
You are the Way
Open ears to hear
You are the Truth
Open heart to know
You are the Lord of life
For every land
You hold a special plan
Open eyes to see
You are the Way
Open ears to hear
You are the Truth
Open heart to know
You are the Lord of life
For every land
You hold a special plan
2002 Thankyou Music MCPS
Did you hear that? It's true. God knows your name. He knows your voice. And He chose you to be one of His children before you were even born.

Don't ever forget that Jesus loves you and so do Papa and Mimi. We love you BIGGIE bunches...a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck!

XOXOXO
Mimi

Resources for Further Study and Enrichment
African Children's Choir
The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones, "The Good Shepherd" p. 130-135
Little Lips Shall Praise Thee by Emily Hunter "You Are Our Good Shepherd", p. 50 and "You Love All Children Everywhere", p. 51

~ Letter from Mimi's Backyard::Introduction

Happy Birthday Mason...

2009-06-28T17:20:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Mason
Happy Birthday to YOU!!!!

No doubt about it - you were the cutest baby in the whole world to be born on June 28, 2006, and today you are the coolest THREE year old!!!

We love you BIGGIE bunches!!!!
Papa, Mimi and Auntie Em

Saturday Photo Hunt - Flags

2009-06-27T06:57:00.000-04:00

Battleship Memorial Park
Mobile, Alabama
May 18, 2009

Ground Zero
New York City, New York
September 11, 2004

On the wall of my study and reflected in the framed glass display case that protects the folded flag honoring my mother (a veteran of WWII) and hangs on the opposite wall.
Small Town in Florida on Pollywog Creek
June 25, 2009
And last, but not least...

Mason's Birthday Flag
June 28, 2007 and 2008

Thanks to TNChick, for her faithful and gracious hosting of the Saturday Photo Hunt each week. For "flags" photos from other Photo Hunt participants just click on the Photo Hunter Banner or the Technorati PhotoHunt tag below. The theme for next week's Photo Hunt is "pink".

Technorati tag - PhotoHunt

Cultivating an eye for mercies...

2009-06-26T15:53:00.004-04:00

"I must try and cultivate an eye for life's mercies...
And life, while it has its ugly swamps, its vile weeds, and its sharp thorns,
has always its fair flowers to charm the eye with their beauty,
or to fill the air with their fragrance..."
Rev. John Flowers Serjeant, 1878

On a short drive through a wooded area yesterday morning, I spotted a bobcat kitten crouching in the grass on the side of the road, and I slowly brought the car to a stop to see what he would do. It was only seconds before he saw my car, turned around and jumped back into the thickets behind him. But even those few seconds were a gift. A "fair flower", in my eyes, nearly hidden in the "vile weeds."

The gifts are everywhere. Purple flowers that nourish little brown moths, and gossamer wings that sparkle in the sunlight over mucky ponds.

The cool, thick grass that soothes our bare feet on hot summer days and offers culinary pleasures to lip-smacking bunnies with their big brown eyes and ears at attention...

...while in the shade of the large oak tree, the mockingbird serenades with a charming melody that defies his drab appearance.

Gifts, each one. Glimpses of mercy. Simple, every day gifts that offer reminders and assurances of mercies that are yet unseen in a world of lives bogged in swamps and tangled in weeds.

Just turn on the news, or read the paper. Or maybe you don't even need to look beyond your own neighborhood.

Two men in the middle of their lives - or so we thought - left our world this week without goodbyes. Just like that.

They weren't celebrities - movies stars or music icons. No Hollywood Stars for these hard-working men unknown to most outside our little world of teachers and farmers and loving people living quiet and ordinary lives.

They were husbands. Fathers. Friends. A grandfather of only one month and just days from the wedding of his only son. His weak heart (who knew) - apparently could beat no more. The other a life mired in brokenness, and his wounded heart (we knew) - it seems could bear it no more. Two unexpected funerals - two lives seemingly cut short. Two families we know and love devastated in just one week. Sharp thorns, indeed.

It is with spiritual eyes - cultivated in the soil of faith and nourished by His Word - that we can see God's mercies in the dark places where flowers do not grow and birds do not sing.

"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever."
~ Isaiah 40:8

Letter from Mimi's Backyard::Week Two

2009-06-20T19:57:00.002-04:00

"Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." ~ Luke 12:32

My Dear Little Flock,

Imagine me giving you a big hug and kiss, because that is exactly what I would do if I could see you right this very minute.

I have been very excited about writing to you this week. When I was walking outside one morning, I thought I saw a turtle swimming in the pond, but it wasn't a turtle at all. It was a big green and yellow bullfrog.

Every day I went outside several times a day looking for that bullfrog so I could take his picture for you, but every time I got close to the pond, it would jump into the water with a big splash before I could even see it.

If I walked very, very slowly around the pond, I might be able to get close enough to see a bullfrog sitting in the mud at the edge of the pond, but if I made even the tiniest sound or moved too quickly, the bullfrog would jump into the pond and out of sight.

Over the week I think I saw at least four different bullfrogs in our pond. Can you count these four frogs, Mason? What about you, Gavin? Can you count them, too?

Papa and Auntie Em must think that your Mimi is very silly to be walking around the pond several times a day like a big bird looking for food. One week I will have to tell you about the herons - those big birds with long legs that walk very, very slowly in the shallow water looking for fish and frogs to eat.

We will talk more about bullfrogs and herons another week. Today I wanted to tell you about the dragonflies I saw this week. They were everywhere - in the pasture, along the creek bank and around the pond. Lots of dragonflies, and I think they are beautiful. If the sun is shining on them just right, their wings sparkle in the sunlight.

There are over 100 different sizes, shapes and colors of dragonflies in Florida. Here are some of the dragonflies I saw this week on Pollywog Creek...

I told you there were lots of dragonflies. Look at those eyes...

Which one of those dragonflies do you like the best?

Do you know what I like best about dragonflies? They like to eat mosquitoes, and I do NOT like mosquitoes.

Have you ever watched a dragonfly fly in the air? Sometimes they look like they are flying perfectly still, then they suddenly take off in a hurry. They can also fly backwards. God was very creative when he made dragonflies, wasn't He?

That makes me think of the song "All Things Bright and Beautiful" that I learned in church when I was a little girl. Some of the words to that song are:

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell,
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well.

God made bullfrogs and dragonflies, and He made you, too. God is great and God is good.

Did you color your butterfly page last week? I'd love to see it if you did.

I have made a dragonfly coloring page for you this week. Give your mom a hug and tell her that she can print a larger coloring page for you by clicking on the picture below.

Can you think of some ways that butterflies and dragonflies are the same?

Can you also think of some ways that butterflies and dragonflies are different?

It's time for me to go look for bullfrogs again, so I better say goodbye for now. What ever you do, don't ever, ever forget...

I love you
A bushel and a peck
A bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck!

BIG Hugs and Kisses,

Mimi

Resources for Further Study and Enrichment
All Things Bright And Beautiful, illustrated by Pauline Baynes
The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones, "The Story and The Song" p. 12-17, "The beginning: a perfect home" p. 18-27
Pond & River - Eyewitness Books - "Dragonflies and damselflies", p. 48-49
Odonata - damselflies and dragonflies
A Beginner's Guide to DRAGONFLIESDragonflies - Designed to Dart

~ Letter from Mimi's Backyard::Introduction

I'm working on it....

2009-06-20T09:13:00.002-04:00

Trust me. I haven't forgotten. How could I?

It's just been one of those weeks. I know you know what I mean.

Here's a little preview....

I told you I've been looking for bullfrogs.

Saturday Photo Hunt - Creamy...

2009-06-20T07:48:00.006-04:00

My favorite time of the day is first thing in the morning - coffee, devotions, scripture, prayer....which means my second favorite time of the day is bedtime, because "first thing in the morning" will come next..........(my facebook status earlier this week)

I was fully prepared to pass on this week's hunt. I could not think of anything in my archives that fit the "creamy" category, there was nothing "creamy" in my week that grabbed my attention, and I've been much too distracted with time-sensitive projects and more pressing matters like looking for bullfrogs (I'll explain in a later post) to spend time searching.

As my facebook status declared, I love first thing in the morning. I often fall asleep in joyful anticipation of that first hour of the day when I can sit quietly with my Bible, a devotional and more than one cup of coffee. Just as I settled down in the study this morning to do just that, I saw it.

More often than not, my first cup of coffee in the morning is hot and black, but I was up with a sick Emily during the night and wasn't thinking clearly when I made a very creamy first cup of coffee instead.

Thanks to TNChick, for her faithful and gracious hosting of the Saturday Photo Hunt each week. For "creamy" photos from other Photo Hunt participants just click on the Photo Hunter Banner or the Technorati PhotoHunt tag below. The theme for next week's Photo Hunt is "flags".

Technorati tag - PhotoHunt

Guess who's coming to dinner?

2009-06-15T00:01:00.001-04:00

Chris Brauns, author of Unpacking Forgiveness, asked his favorite bloggers to briefly answer two questions for him: (1) Pretending that he and his wife Jamie were to take them and their date out for dinner at the restaurant of their choice, where would they like to eat? (2) Other than the Lord Jesus, what two people from the Bible and their dates would they ask to join them?

Chris posted the answers in his blog, A Brick in the Valley: here.

The list of bloggers asked to participate included:

Thabite Anyabwile of Pure Church
Darryl Dash of http://www.dashhouse.com/
Kevin DeYoung of DeYoung, Restless, and Reformed
Lig Duncan – First Pres in Jackson
Andrew Ford of Triangular Christianity
Gunny Hartmann of Semper Reformanda
Patricia Hunter of Pollywog Creek (yep, that's me)
Brian McLaughlin of Triangular Christianity
Andy Naselli – Thoughts on Exegetical, Biblical, Historical, Systematic, and Practical Theology
Dan Phillips of Biblical Christianity and Pyromaniacs
Shannon Popkin – Tiny Paragraphs
Owen Strachan
Derek Thomas of Reformation 21
Mike Wittmer, author of Heaven is a Place on Earth and Don’t Stop Believing
Zach Nielsen of Vitamin Z
Amy Scott of Amy’s Humble Musings

Excluding me, of course, Chris' list is an excellent one, and I'm definitely adding subscriptions to my reader for those I didn't already have.

And Chris, this is for you...

Saturday Photo Hunt - Lock...

2009-06-13T00:02:00.000-04:00

The combination lock on the shed doors keeps unwanted guests out...

...while the lock on this gate keeps Gavin in. For now, anyway. He's likely to realize that he can climb the fence before he figures out how to unlock the gate.

Notice the layered look he had going on with his shirts? He went through a stage where he didn't want to take off his pajama shirt in the morning, so Kristin just put his pre-school shirt on over it. Two year olds are a riot, aren't they?

Here's a couple of characters at Lion Country Safari that we hope will never learn to unlock their cage...

We found it amusing that we were advised to keep the windows closed and the doors locked as we drove through the park. Did they really think any of the animals roaming free were capable of opening an unlocked car door? Interesting.

Thanks to TNChick, for her faithful and gracious hosting of the Saturday Photo Hunt each week. For "lock" photos from other Photo Hunt participants just click on the Photo Hunter Banner or the Technorati PhotoHunt tag below. The theme for next week's Photo Hunt is "creamy".

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Dinner conversation...

2009-06-12T21:09:00.003-04:00

Gavin: (To Emily who he wanted to feed him dinner last night) "Help me."

Emily: "Are you a baby?"

Gavin: (Emphatically) "No! I'm a kid!"

Emily: "That's right. You are a big boy."

Gavin: "No, I'm not... I'm a baby kid."

Letter from Mimi's Backyard::Week One

2009-06-12T11:50:00.004-04:00

"Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." ~ Luke 12:32

My Dear Little Flock,

I want you to know that Papa and Mimi love and miss you very much.

I bet you are a wonderful big brother, Mason, and that you help your mom take good care of baby brother.

Is it hot in Texas now? It sure is hot in Florida, and it rains a lot, too. Gavin came over yesterday after his swim lesson and he and Auntie Em - or Minna, as Gavin calls her - cooled off playing with squirt guns in the backyard.

Did you see the mama duck with her ducklings and the cottontail rabbit I showed to everyone on Monday? Saturday morning Papa found the mama duck and four ducklings swimming in the pond. I walked round and round the pond trying to take a good picture of them for you, but the mama duck was very protective of her little ones. She was careful to put herself between me and her babies. Later that day, we saw her leading the babies through the tall wet grass - waddling back to where they came from - probably Miss Iris' down the road.

The mama duck wouldn't let me close to her babies. I wouldn't hurt them, but she didn't know that. Just like your mama - who always protects you from people and things she thinks might hurt you, too. That's what good mamas do.

Papa was glad that this mama duck and her babies left our Pollywog Creek pond. They are muscovy ducks and muscovy ducks can be very messy.

While I was wandering through the pasture and enjoying the pretty flowers and butterflies, Papa was on the roof fixing cracks in the porch before the afternoon thunderstorms rolled in. Papa is a very good papa, working hard to take care of his family and our home.

Look at all the wildflowers I found growing in the pasture...

They may not be as pretty as the wildflowers I saw in the field behind your house, Mason, but I still think they are pretty.

God made a beautiful world for us to enjoy and take care of, didn't He? Sometimes I need to look very close to see the pretty or interesting things that He made because they are so small and hidden in the grass, like these insects...

While I was in the pasture, a loggerhead shrike perched on a pine tree limb high above the pasture where he could look for the insects and lizards he likes to eat. Isn't that interesting? God made nectar in the flowers for the insects to eat and He made insects for the birds to eat.

I made a butterfly coloring page for you this week. This butterfly is called a common buckeye butterfly and there were many of them fluttering about in the pasture.

Gavin worked on his coloring page yesterday...

(click on the smaller pictures for a larger printable page)

Give your mom and baby brother a kiss for me, Mason, and don't ever forget that Jesus loves you BIGGIE bunches and so do I.

I love you
A bushel and a peck
A bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck!

Hugs and Kisses,

Mimi

Resources for Further Study and Enrichment
All Things Bright And Beautiful, illustrated by Pauline Baynes
The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones, "The Story and The Song" p. 12-17, "The beginning: a perfect home" p. 18-27 Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McLoskey
Loggerhead Shrike
Common Buckeye Butterfly
Muscovy Duck

~ Letter from Mimi's Backyard::Introduction

Letter from Mimi's Backyard::Introduction

2009-06-11T08:41:00.004-04:00

Yesterday morning I mustered just enough determination and stamina to leave the air-conditioned comfort of my living room for a long walk through the high grass and soggy ground in the pasture. I'm not complaining, just (re)stating a fact: I do not like being outdoors in the summer on Pollywog Creek, and God will have to totally recreate my metabolism and give me new knees for that to change. It could happen. Until then, I'll suffer and persevere. The commitment I made to my little flock is infinitely more important than my comfort, and it's difficult to write a letter from my "backyard" if I don't actually go out there. (If you haven't a clue what I am talking about, you'll probably want to read "my little flock...")

Before yesterday, I hadn't spent much time in the pasture in weeks. The hard freezes and long winter drought left little behind to attract me, but the rainy season arrived with frequent and heavy downpours that quickly nourished the barren ground. As I looked out over the pasture dotted with wildflowers and flittering butterflies, I felt as though God had met me at the door - beckoning me along with His delightful beauty, shady spots under the tall pines and a slight breeze that helped me overcome the oppressive humidity for over an hour in the bright mid-morning sun.

The first "letter from Mimi's backyard" is inspired not only by that walk through the pasture, but other encounters with nature this week. It will be posted tomorrow. In the future, my plan is to post them on Wednesday, but I need Gavin for the first one and I haven't seen him all week. Thankfully, he's coming for the day after his swim lesson this morning.

I recently removed the gate to the kitchen and study to give Gavin more freedom when he is here - but that means, of course, that the cat and I will now have less. So far, the only boundaries he has tested have been the refrigerator and the computer in the study, but since he was here a week ago, I've worked to make a corner of the study (opposite the computer) more attractive to a 2 1/2 year old boy. We'll see if it works.

The stories, photos, coloring pages and resource links in each of the "letters" I post here on Pollywog Creek will not necessarily be the same ones that I include in the books, "Consider the birds" and "Consider the flowers", but will flow from our current family life experiences, as well as the nature scenes my simple point-and-click camera captures during the week. The coloring pages are at best crude. Without a quality program like photoshop, I am limited to the free photo software that came with my ancient computer. Tomorrow I am posting two possible coloring pages and would appreciate any constructive criticism you are able to make that will improve the quality and ease of use for your little flock, as well as mine. Many thanks to all of you who left kind comments with other wonderful suggestions for how I can stay connected with my grandsons in Texas.

"Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." ~ Luke 12:32

Pollywog Creek painted

2009-06-09T19:52:00.005-04:00

by morning light and summer's drenching rains...

in blues and pinks...

and yellows and greens...

while a brindle-brown rabbit listens attentively...

and a muscovy duck hen in a bright red mask waddles through the rain-soaked grass with her yellow and brown ducklings ...

He covers the heavens with clouds;
he prepares rain for the earth;
he makes grass grow on the hills. ~ Psalm 147:8

Saturday Photo Hunt - Advertisement...

2009-06-06T00:01:00.001-04:00

"Advertisement" is not one of my favorite subjects for photography. I'm a country girl - inclined to capture the earthy, natural subjects that "advertise" the wonder and beauty of creation, but I've made a few visits to places like the chaotic Time Square in New York City (above) and downtown Nashville (below), where the commercial elements were unavoidable elements of composition that added color and interest to the photos.

New York City and Nashville were cities that I'm glad we were able to visit, but way too much city - and advertisements - for me. This, however, would be almost perfect outside the gate to our home on Pollywog Creek...

Right Emily?

Thanks to TNChick, for her faithful and gracious hosting of the Saturday Photo Hunt each week. For "advertisement(s)" photos from other Photo Hunt participants just click on the Photo Hunter Banner or the Technorati PhotoHunt tag below. The theme for next week's Photo Hunt is "lock".

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Little flock...

2009-06-05T12:50:00.003-04:00

Austin and Mason in Texas

"Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." ~ Luke 12:32

On the two-day drive home from Texas last month, I had a lot of time to think. I listened to my iPod and read and napped, but my thoughts constantly turned toward those two little boys I kissed goodbye and wondered how I could nurture a grandmotherly relationship with them from so far away.

Their lives are surrounded by many good and wonderful things - especially parents and grandparents who love and care for them deeply - but that does not diminish my desires to love on them or release me from the God-given responsibilities that come with being a "mimi."

Gavin in my Pollywog Creek Backyard

I thought about the time I am blessed to have with Gavin - the books we read, the games we play, and the things we talk about while sitting on my backyard swing, and I grieved knowing that those same experiences with Mason and Austin are not possible with so many miles between us.

So I prayed. And I dug into scripture (even my ESV Study Bible went with me to Texas) and though I was inspired and encouraged by many familiar passages that point directly to generational relationships, it was Luke chapter 12, verses 22-34, that grabbed me.

Aside from the leading of the Holy Spirit, I'm not even sure what trail I was on that led me to that particular passage or why I was compelled to consider it in light of my study topic. It might have been the tender words of Jesus in verse 32: "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Jesus was (and is) clearly speaking to His followers, but the words "little flock" made me think of my own "little flock" of grandsons. So I re-read the preceding verses and that is when I began to understand what God might be showing me and I how I could use it to build relationships with my "little flock".

"Consider the ravens: they neither sew nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!" (verse 24)

"Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!" (verses 27-28)

Months ago I began creating a coloring book for the boys from some of the flower and animal photographs I have taken here on Pollywog Creek. A little gift for their Christmas stockings, I thought. But as I meditated on the verses from Luke 12 and thought about this post from my archives (you might want to go take a quick look), I realized that I could do so much more than a coloring book.

"Consider the Birds", "Consider the Flowers", "Storytime from Mimi's Backyard Swing".....

Beginning next week, I will begin posting a weekly "Letter from Mimi's Backyard" with a printable coloring page. The posts will likely (hopefully) be early drafts for a project in the works, and though they are initially intended for my "little flock", I hope other mama's and mimi's will feel free to use them (and kid test them), as well.

Homeschool curriculum for sale...

2009-06-04T11:30:00.003-04:00

After 24 years of homeschooling, my last "student" is graduating this year and I'm officially hanging up my "homeschooling mom" hat. Emily has been an independent learner for a couple of years, and I probably haven't worn that hat much lately anyway - but now it's official.

Many of the books and resources we acquired over the years I intend to keep in our home library. If there is one thing I hope we all realized, it is that learning is a lifestyle - a process that spans our entire lives. I learned more in the 24 years of homeschooling my children than I ever did as a student, and I intend to continue to be a learner for years to come.

Many of the books we used in homeschooling I want to keep on the shelves for our grandchildren, but I also have a sizable number of books and curriculum that would most likely find better use elsewhere, particularly the upper level Saxon math and Apologia Science curriculum.

I am in the process of identifying the books I am willing to part with, and sometime over the next week I hope to post a list of what is available for purchase. (That list is now posted HERE.) Prices are negotiable for everything. If you are interested in either Saxon math or Apologia Science, go ahead and drop me an email (pollywogcreekporch (at) gmail (dot) com). If there is something else you are looking for, just ask me and I'll let you know if I have it.

Running to catch up...

2009-06-02T13:06:00.002-04:00

Birds and flowers on our trip to Texas...

Lunch in Dallas with three lovely and delightful young ladies...

Touring the WWII battleship U.S.S. Alabama in Mobile Bay while en-route from Texas to Florida...

Back on Pollywog Creek - just as the rainy season has arrived...

On an early morning drive to the city - the first day of June...

Every morsel of the month of May was completely consumed. It seemed as though we celebrated the entire month - from Mother's Day and birthdays to birth days and treasured days with those we love who live far away from our Pollywog Creek abode.

To those of you who stuck with me here through the month of May - despite my scheduled posts from the archives - thank you. Your emails and comments have been greatly appreciated.

June will be different - I promise. I am most excited about a second writing project that I have added to my schedule and have decided to share large portions of it here on Pollywog Creek. My goal is to publish one post a week related to this particular project and I honestly cannot wait to get started.

Emily is just a month away from leaving for Rwanda and is focused on finalizing those preparations. She still needs two more vaccinations and possibly a few more items of clothing. What joy it has been to witness God's abundant provisions for Emily to be able to make this trip.

"To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen." (Philippians 4:20)

May::Day 30 and Day 31

2009-05-31T08:47:00.001-04:00

In 2008...

May 30 - Japanese Honeysuckle
May 31 - Asparagus fern

Saturday Photo Hunt - Book(s)...

2009-05-30T00:36:00.000-04:00

A new year greeted with coffee and books

Board books and babies - and a mommy's lap

A cup of coffee, a basket of books, and a sunny September morning

Thanks to TNChick, for her faithful and gracious hosting of the Saturday Photo Hunt each week. For "book(s)" photos from other Photo Hunt participants just click on the Photo Hunter Banner or the Technorati PhotoHunt tag below. The theme for next week's Photo Hunt is "advertisement".

Technorati tag - PhotoHunt