Out with the OLD and In with the NEW

We finally took the plunge and bought a flat screen monitor. As you can see, the old one was huge, probably 18 w x 15 h x 24 deep. (I didn't measure it.) It was a monster, but we need a large screen for MOTH who has one eye that doesn't work properly. We have had the old one for quite a few years and it was getting so fuzzy that even I had to sit about 6" away from the screen in order to read a page of normal size text.

You can just imagine how much more space we now have on our desk! All the more space to fill up with more papers! And I thought computers were going to bring in a paperless society!

***********

ODDMENT

When birds sit so near and pose so beautifully, they think they're begging for food -- but actually they are begging to have their photograph taken, especially if there is a blogger around.


This one I think is a juvenile cowbird. It doesn't have its brown head yet and it doesn't have the white eye of the grackle. But you can just see the green sheen on it. Anyway whatever it is, they congregate in great numbers around our shopping malls.

I hope to have a post of just Bailey, doing some thing interesting next week -- that's 'interesting', as opposed to sleeping and eating. I've been trying, but that 'red eye' beast ( I don't mean Bailey), doesn't cooperate even though the camera and the computer program says it is on. But he is appropriate for Halloween, I suppose.

HE'S BACK!

We had another of those bird accidents that tend to happen around feeders. A dove slammed into the patio window, even though we have stickers on them. He was still alive afterwards, so I left him hoping he would recover. Sometimes they do. But by dusk, though he was still alive, he had not moved. There was no way I could put him out of his pain -- I just can't do that sort of thing -- and I hoped he might still recover, so I moved him under some bushes and put an old saucer down in case he needed water. We haven't had rain for about four months.

But the next morning, guess who I saw perching proudly on the bird feeder! Our new young Cooper's Hawk who has made several unsuccessful passes through the bird feeding area lately. He certainly is beautiful and circles the house so gracefully in large swoops. He passes through the area only about 15 feet from the patio window and has even flown under the patio cover.
This was taken through the patio window and from behind the curtain. I didn't dare move or I would never have got this shot.

....and then I went to see what happened to the dove. The picture below tells the story. Sad, but there it is. I guess the hawks have to live too.


On a happier note, just look at these beautiful grasses that are planted in the city's parking lot by the baseball diamond. They are beautiful -- so feathery and frothy and this is only part of the display throughout the parking lot.

*****************

WEDNESDAY'S WORDS
(The Lord says...)"I will put My laws into their hearts and in their minds I will write them." Rather than having to learn and obey all the minute laws as they are written in the Old Testament in order to earn salvation, God says that we will know in our hearts what is right or wrong . Whether we choose to do what is right is another story. So He sent Jesus to be the free gift of sacrifice for our sins (if we want Him to be) and the Holy Spirit to guide us into choosing to do right (if we want to do it).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BAILEY!
Nine Years Old Today
October 25, 2000

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
Jose and Sylvia
28years

Go visit them at
Arizona - but it's a Dry Heat!
and congratulate them and their lovely family

Anniversary Overflow

Out of about 20 shots this was the best we could do! Our problem is that we are a family of photographers (3rd generation actually) and none of us like how we look on camera when we smile! So this is the best photo you will get when we are all together!

This was taken at the Sheraton in Carlsbad. It was a family dinner. The big celebration was our trip to Norway in June.

We all had dessert after the dinner, though we certainly didn't need it! This was our dessert from the hotel. A large chocolate chip cookie and ice cream.

More cards came after this shot was taken. The scene in the front is of Bridlington, Yorkshire at sunset, from our best man of 50 years ago, (whose birthday was actually the same day.) They know my passion for Yorkshire. Flamborough is only 5 miles away from this shot. So we got an unusual Anniversary card from them, by design.

The night before the dinner last week

DEJA VU


Thanksgiving in Kauai last year!

******

WEDNESDAY'S WORDS
Therefore to him that knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. James 4:17

I was about 15 years old when I memorized this Bible verse. It was one of the first that I ever memorized, (that's because it is relatively short and I was looking for a short verse!) Even so, it impressed me because I thought I did try to do good things. But this verse puts a different perspective on that idea. Eventually I learned from the Bible that even though the Lord wants me to do good, it is not the good things that I do that will earn my way into heaven. I could do all the good things every day of my life, but only by asking God for forgiveness for being a sinner would I find my way to heaven.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Yes, 50 years ago today, Saturday 17 of October, 1959

Barry and I were married in Goole, Yorkshire.
Sorry it couldn't have been Flamborough, but my family had moved and travel restrictions meant a compromise. Better that than no wedding! Sadly, the little Methodist church is no longer there.
(If you click on the black and white photo above, you can see what we looked like all those years ago)

Last Sunday at church with the 50 beautiful, golden roses given to us by our friends
Mark and Joyce Lee
(I really am smiling! If you click on the photograph if will enlarge and you can see that I am.)

And though this may look to some as if this photo is more fitting for a funeral picture, we wanted to have a photo of the flowers and the Bible. People often ask those who pass notable wedding anniversaries to what they attribute their happy, successful marriage . We attribute ours to

***COMMITMENT***

Total commitment to the marriage, to each other and our Lord Jesus Christ -- and a healthy sense of humor doesn't hurt either!

( We chose to have the flowers there last Sunday rather than this Sunday, which is closer to the actual date, because a dear friend is celebrating her 100th birthday on that day)

ADDED LATER: If you're really interested you can see a little more of my wedding on my sister's blog CLICK HERE A Patchwork Quilt Made by Design.

WEDNESDAY'S WORD AND OTHERS

First a word about Joe Cool's Blog -- aka Jose. As the banner to his blog page, Jose has a photo of a bright orange mustang almost identical to the one below. Now what are the odds? Jose lives in Arizona and I live near San Diego. A few weeks ago the car below was parked on the street we take to go to church. It is not always there and a few times I passed it but didn't have my camera -- but I thought of Jose. Finally I got this photo yesterday. Check it out at Joe Cool's Blog Almost identical! Now, Jose, I will draw and paint this car for you, because you have been asking for one of my paintings. So give me about a week -- we have a celebration coming up this weekend which will cut into my time.



Also, just a note about the white crowned sparrows which have now returned to our location. According to all the bird books I have, they do not migrate, but I'm here to tell you that ours do -- or at least they go somewhere. They all disappeared from our area in April and they all came back last week. And this one very obligingly ducked his head at the waterfall so that we could see that he is indeed a white crowned sparrow.


NOW: WEDNESDAY'S WORD
(These are short verses of Scripture that have meant a lot to me over the years, with a brief comment as to why.)

"In the beginning was the Word... and the Word was with God and the Word was God....and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." John 1:1,14
These words tell us just who Jesus Christ is. I like to explain it this way. If I were to stand before you and talk to you, and if my words were able to take shape and form into a human being beside me, (shades of science fiction here!) that human being would be me, because they have come out of my mouth, from my thoughts and my heart. They would be the very essence of me. So it is with Jesus. He is the living, breathing Word that has come from the heart of God and taken on the form of a man, yet He is wholly and completely God.

Finally, my plumeria did eventually bloom, only it seems rather late to me this year. They still have blooms but not as many as last year. I must note the date in my diary so I can compare it with next year.

A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT AND PHOTOS COMING UP FOR SATURDAY!