Take joy in the day! 08/27/2009
THE LAST DAYS OF AUGUST Daily I gather the last of summer's flowers for drying and preserving and potpourri. The season ends all too quickly. It seems I can never gather too much! The hydrangeas will soon be ready to pick. They need another week or so before they turn beautiful blush pink and just in time for the Hydrangea Workshops.  This morning I picked a bushel of pears for canning. The smaller pears will be picked later and made into pear jam or butter for gift giving. Filling the pantry shelves and preparing for winter brings a sense of security and comfort. Perhaps we can prepare for the winter season of life in much the same way. The preparations we make today will hopefully equip us to handle our future with security and comfort.  Add Comment Fresh Berries 08/17/2009
BERRY SEASON  A few days ago, my Amish neighbors told me where I could find blueberries for sale. I pulled up to the house and noticed several generations of Amish women sorting berries. The Grandmother was overseeing several younger girls as they chatted happily together working at a large picnic table in the shade. The little boys were filling their red wagons with boxed berries and taking them to the selling station in the basement. The berries were big as nickels and very sweet. A steady line of customers traveled the long lane to the foot of the mountain. Apparently they sell out without ever posting a sign. RASPBERRY MUFFINS 1 2/3 Cup Flour 1 Cup sugar l/2 teaspoon Salt 2 ½ teaspoon Baking Powder 1/3 Cup shortening (Crisco) 1 egg 2/3 Cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla Cream Sugar, Crisco, and eggs Add other ingredients then fold in One Cup of Raspberries Fill 12 muffin tins and sprinkle with sugar Bake 350 for 20 minutes Found Feathers 08/10/2009
FEATHERS Turkey buzzards were sitting on the fence posts drying their wings in the warm sunshine. Just as I snapped the photo, one nervous bird scared the whole flock and twenty vultures took off in a furious rapture struggling for altitude. The commotion startled the blue heron from his fishing as he honked angrily and flew away. Taking refuge in the half dead willow tree by the creek, the buzzards resumed their sunbathing. Did you ever find a feather on your path? It is a symbol of good luck. My collection of feathers consists of bluebird, woodpecker, dove, crows, hawks, and buzzards.  As I turned to go I spied the feather in the fence….my lucky day. The Fruit of Summer 08/10/2009
"GOING GREEN"   Today's Thoughts 08/08/2009
SOUNDS OF SUMMER I’m sitting on the porch and I hear the piercing whistle of a hawk flying over the ridge. It is rather constant and repeated. I wonder what he sees that excites him.  Two barn swallows are perched on the telephone line. Several crows are calling back and forth to each other. More crows are gathering as they fly to the creek willow.  At this moment, all is quiet with no sound of any birds. Then the sparrow begins to chirp. The hanging fern had been their home for the past several weeks. As I watered the fern today, all three babies suddenly flew out of the nest to the corn field across the road. I was amazed at their successful first flight. Mama bird keeps flying back and forth from the telephone wire to the nest. Her feeding routine is over. As the sun gets hotter, I hear the grinding whirl of a locust. The sounds are of late Pennsylvania summers. Now all is quite again except for the chirping of the sparrow. Today's Thoughts 08/04/2009
AUGUST MORNING    My feet were soaked but the pictures were worth it! The grass was drenched in dew and the fog was just lifting. I managed to pull myself out of bed and capture the moment. |  
A WINTER SUNSET
A WINTER ORCHARD
A WINTER SKY
A WINTER FOREST Copyright © 2010-2012 Natural Designs.
M O N T H L Y A R C H I V E SFebruary 2012 |
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