For His Service

Turning 40 was hard for me.  Not because I think 40 is "Old"... but it was a transition.  I had the sneaking feeling that I had to be error free, as errors were for those under 40. LOL...       Now, another transition.   I have been a teacher off and on  (public school and private school) for the last 23 years.    Two days ago was my last day as a paid teacher.   My youngest child has dyslexia and dysgraphia ...and needs me to be his full time teacher, which means I can't leave to teach other children.  A transition.  A new calling. My 2nd class  as a public school teacher..  my first class was 1991- 1992 at Tinsley Elementary, Bibb. co., GA My last class as a teacher   (2013-2014   1st and 2nd grade combo)  I hope there will be more time for painting.   I have been a paid artist for 15 years and the more I have time to paint...the easier it is for me.  Here are a couple I finis...

Are you feeding a thorny plant when you think you are feeding a real fruit tree? I was.  8 years ago, a sweet old lady shared several plants with me... for free.   She gave me a few butterfly bushes, monkey grass, a couple of apple trees, ..etc.   I was especially excited to have the apple trees.  I planted them in full sun, fertilized them each spring, watered them during drought, ... I was just sure that I would have apples in a couple of years.   I trusted what this little old lady said.... I trusted  that those trees were apple trees.   Surprise!  When I went to prune some lower branches of those two apple trees yesterday, I realized they had HUGE thorns on them.  I knew of no apple tree with thorns... so I went to trusty Google.. News?  No apple tree.   They were   Callery trees.  Callery pear, Pyrus calleryana , is an ornamental pear with wicked thorns.... a FALSE apple tree!    (It is the large ...

I just saw an odd sight. I really didn't know what it was.  It appeared to be a bumblebee -hummingbird.  After I took photos of it in my backyard, I could see it was a clear winged hummingbird moth.    I found a video on YouTube to give you an idea of what it was like..in motion.. VERY cool... Here it is in my garden.. dead center..to the left of the tomato cage..  I googled them..and this is what I found...  The Hummingbird Moth is not a hummingbird at all. It is a moth. They are sometimes called a Sphinx Moth or a Hawk Moth. The hummingbird moth can sometimes be mistaken for hummingbirds or even baby hummingbirds , however, baby hummingbirds do not fly. And those little feathers out of place on the top of its head are not feathers, they are antenna. Another clue is if the creature allows you to get closer to get a second look without giving you an earful and zipping away at the speed of light, it is probably a hummingbird moth. Al...

  Look at these beauties in my yard.  Sunflowers, Texas star hibiscus, .. tomatoes, ..  The birds and I have really enjoyed them.  On the most solemn day, my joy grows when I look out the window.  I just wish I could fix everything... fix people's meanness; fix people's lack of compassion for each other and God's creatures.  Fix people's lack of empathy.  Fix broken things.     I look for practical ways that  I can do that. Whether it is helping out at the horse farm, listening to my child tell of their feelings about the same subject that is stuck on their hearts, pulling weeds in my own heart..and in my own yard, etc. ..   My husband kept leaving the cabinet doors open to the computer desks because the computers were getting too hot.  The kids would often trip on the doors.. or swing on the doors. :)    So, I went to fixing them.  I enjoyed using a hammer to create a hole in the...

 Whatcha been doing?  It has been almost a week since I blogged.  John-Michael tried to do his MRI without sedation..it didn't go well the first time around.   Thankfully, we went to the Children's Healthcare at Webb Bridge just a few days ago..and they did it!  He was able to get his MRI without sedation.  Dr. Bodyston gave him a good report ..and said we will have a MRI next July to check on the tumors by his spine. We are so thankful to have that behind us. Today is a good day.    Even with the record temperatures in metro Atlanta, we had the blessing of suite seats (air conditioning including).  The Braves won!   We are enjoying the dinner-plate hibiscus by the pond.  I am enjoying my blue-dipped hair (already had pink and purple..it only last a few weeks). I ran my 2nd Peachtree race on the 4th... I was 2 minutes slower than last year..but it was hotter than last year, too!    The Peacht...

  It is the time of year when birds are flocking back to Georgia.   I saw this pretty girl a few weeks ago and was so excited to have several sightings of her this week....in my backyard!  She stayed!  She is nesting somewhere close by.  I have seen her pick up twigs, pits of paper, etc... to carry to her nest.   She has partial leucisim or partial albino.    These birds are rare because they are very noticeable to prey.    These beautiful birds lack their natural colors that would normally protect them from the energy of our sun, keep them safe from inquisitive humans and predators, and  sometimes prevent them from being accepted as a member of their own social group. It isn't uncommon for the parents of baby birds with leucisim will sometimes shy away from their offspring if they’re too far off their "normal" appearance. Once an albino robin beg...

Our front door - I cut the canna lilies and sunflowers to make a fall bundle for our front door (see Dirk looking out the window). We still have lots of flowers blooming a still have humming birds here and there.. Fall and spring are my favorite seasons in Georgia. I cut the ornamental grass from the pond and my fall bundles for the bench swing in the back yard. Even the waterfall and pond still look nice!