Precious Memories

May 11, 2025 / Rebecca / 18 Comments

This is my first Mother’s Day without my mom. She passed away last August. We had seen her health problems and decline, and had an idea that it was coming, but nothing really prepares you for that moment.

Before she passed away, we were able to celebrate my parents’ 71^stwedding anniversary and had just celebrated her 90^th birthday. She was so excited about this birthday. When she told people that it was coming up, she thought it was amusing to see their surprise when she announced that she was turning 100.

She had an infectious laugh and a fun-loving personality. She seldom lost her temper.

She began working as a switchboard operator for a telephone company when she was eighteen years old. Before retiring, she held a number of different positions with this company. After retirement, she went on to work as a loan officer for a local university.

She spent most of her married life as a military wife. She was a devoted mother of four who set an example for each of us by the way she lived her life.

She loved to sew. As I grew up, she made most of our school, prom, and bridesmaid dresses. She didn’t always follow a pattern. She was known to make up her own patterns.

She crocheted Afghans for all her children and grandchildren. She enjoyed making crafts to share with others.

She loved to cook. She will especially be remembered for the tasty desserts that she made at Christmas, a tradition that continued even after she was no longer supposed to have sugar herself.

As long as she was able, her home was a gathering place for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren on birthdays and holidays. She relished her role as hostess.

She enjoyed recounting stories about her childhood. They brought her joy and became treasures to her family.

She valued her faith, and she loved studying the Bible and taking part in her church’s senior adult class.

She fiercely guarded the secrets that her adult grandchildren shared with her.

We didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but we always knew that her love and prayers were covering us.

Even though we miss her physical presence every day, we will hold on to the memories and always be grateful for the legacy that she left behind.

“Losing a Mother doesn’t happen in a moment. It takes years to appreciate the impact of what’s gone.” ~Lisa Jo Baker

Spring Around the Levee

May 1, 2025 / Rebecca / 14 Comments

The fields surrounding the levee were filled with chattering birds …

and adorned with vibrant spring wildflowers.

“Everything is blooming most recklessly; if it were voices instead of colors, there would be an unbelievable shrieking into the heart of the night.” ~Rainer Maria Rilke

A Variety of Birds

April 23, 2025 / Rebecca / 19 Comments

It’s always interesting to see what birds we can spot as we drive around the lake and the Mississippi levee. Here are some of our most recent finds.

You’ll get mixed up,
of course, as you already know.
You’ll get mixed up with
many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great
tact and remember that
Life’s A Great Balancing Act.
~Dr. Seuss

Feasting on Sumac Berries

April 2, 2025 / Rebecca / 14 Comments

In February we spotted an American robin foraging on the vibrant red berries of sumac shrubs which were growing in a colony along the roadside. The fruit of the sumac lasts throughout the winter and provides sustenance to our feathered friends that spend the winter here.

… Growing at field edges and in waste
places, most of us don’t notice the ruby glow.
Bluebirds, robins, and squirrels
know better, plucking at the jeweled lights
to keep their own fires burning.
~David K. Leff

Spring Beauty

March 26, 2025 / Rebecca / 15 Comments

Warmer weather has finally arrived. The landscape is becoming greener and new colorful blooms are appearing each day. It’s a smorgasbord of spring beauty and blessings.

The Spring came suddenly,
bursting upon the world as a
child bursts into a room with a
laugh and a shout and
hands full of flowers.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Pondering Change

February 27, 2025 / Rebecca / 16 Comments

Recently, we experienced heavy rain followed shortly thereafter by a deep freeze. The ditches alongside our highway, which had been filled to the brim with water, quickly froze over.

As the temperatures warmed and the water receded, a frozen layer of ice remained at the high-water mark, clinging tightly to one side of the ditch while extending out over the lowering water level. For a time, the unsupported ice hung there frozen. Eventually it either cracked and collapsed under its own weight or slowly melted and joined the flowing water beneath it.

Seeing the ice suspended over the ditch made me think of the changes we face in life. We often grow accustomed to the way things are or to the way they have seemingly always been. As time inevitably moves forward and change comes, we can choose to remain frozen and unyielding, resisting new ideas and growth.

However, we can also choose to adapt, embracing the opportunity to move forward. Time never stands still, but change isn’t always a bad thing. It’s possible to cherish and honor the old while embracing the new.

Unfortunately, I failed to get photos of the ice on our busy highway. However, I noticed that a similar thing also occurred at the lake. As the water level dropped, it pulled away from the ice formations and left them suspended above it. Here are a few of those photos.

“The secret of change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” ~Socrates

“Change with the seasons of life. Don’t try to stretch a season into a lifetime.” ~Unknown

“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” ~Alan Watts

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16

Birds and Branches

February 20, 2025 / Rebecca / 25 Comments

I enjoy bird watching while out in nature, especially during the winter months after the trees have shed their leaves and their branches are bare. The exposed landscape enhances visibility, allowing for a clearer view of the birds as well as the intricate designs formed by the branches, adding a unique beauty to the scenery.

“Winter perches like a bird. Wings tucked in so the soul is heard.” ~Angie Weiland-Crosby

Annual Winter Migration

February 7, 2025 / Rebecca / 17 Comments

At this time of year, the flooded fields along the Mississippi Flyway are teeming with a variety of ducks.

Mallards are seen most often,

but other types which winter in the area include Ruddy Ducks,

Northern Shovelers,

Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, Gadwall and many others. What a joy to be able to see these ducks during the time that they spend here.

“Wild ducks and tomorrow both come without calling.” ~Russian Proverb

Watching the Snow Geese

January 30, 2025 / Rebecca / 30 Comments

We are fortunate to have snow geese wintering in our area. They enjoy feeding on kernels of corn that have been left behind in harvested fields.

Snow geese in the fields …

taking to the air …

in the air …

and taking off in simultaneous flight.

“What captivated me was they sounded of wild places and the Arctic. That was probably the moment that got them into my soul.” ~Andy Bloomfield

Eyes on the Berries

January 22, 2025 / Rebecca / 22 Comments

A pair of Northern Mockingbirds can be seen almost year-round in our front yard. At this time of year, they are especially attracted to the bright red berries that cover our holly bushes. Mockingbirds find them to be a tasty treat. In addition, they are high in fat and nutrients, which keep them warm and help them make it through the winter.