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Environment
I’ve always enjoyed the environment and all the gifts that it has to offer. Right now, as I work at my kitchen table, I spy this hardworking pileated woodpecker hopping up and down this poor tree, looking for lunch. Were I to show you the entire tree, it would be a sad photo, as groundhogs, woodpeckers and other animals have ravaged it. It has many holes and missing bark. It’s also lost many of its limbs from storms. It’s a very high tree but my husband and I know that sometime soon, it will fall to earth. Even so, its roots must be deep because it’s holding its own this…
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Content right where I’m at …
When things are crazy busy in my life – work, home, my mind (in the form of worry) – I feel like I’m just rushing from one thing to another. Rushing to get up, get dressed, feed the dog, spend a few moments with my husband and then off to work. At work, I boot up my computer just in time to make it to one meeting, then another. I grab a bite to eat prior to the afternoon meeting, and then I find time to work on my projects. So the days go. I accomplish things and check them off my list. And more things move up the list…
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“J”ust because …
Beauty is where you find it. Just look at these sandstone rock formations in Indiana.
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Alpacas are awesome!
Learning about alpacas reignited my passion for fiber arts.
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“D”affodils
Daffodils, as one of the first flowers that bloom, are virtually synonymous with spring and new beginnings. We inherited some in our backyard around one of our trees and while there are some years that they don’t bloom, most of the time they do. Once they burst open and “trumpet in” the changing of seasons, it’s only a matter of time before our other plants, bushes and trees bud out. They are a perfect reminder of God’s grace and blessings to come. Daffodils make me happy! They remind me to be present in the moment, since they are so visible and beautiful, and then they are gone. They are exceptionally…
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#AtoZChallenge: Sycamore tree (in celebration of Earth Day)
Sycamore tree in winter. Photo by Diane Weidenbenner. Happy Earth Day 2017! This winter, while walking beside Big Raccoon Creek near the Bridgeton Grist Mill in Bridgeton, Indiana, my friend and I noticed this beautiful, notty white-barked tree. It’s leaves were long gone but hanging from the tree were one-inch woody balls attached by small branches. Upon research with Google, we discovered this beautiful tree was a Sycamore, and the balls were actually the fruit of the tree that ripened in October and broke up into many small seeds throughout season. Sycamore “fruit”. Photo by Diane Weidenbenner. There were still very large leaves gathered at the bottom of the tree,…
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#AtoZChallenge: Bouquets or garden flowers?
One thing that I look forward to in the spring and summer is the variety of flowers and plants that spring up around our house. We have several rose bushes, iris, lilac, lillies – all make for a beautiful, fragrant bouquets inside. However, the dilemma is that once I cut the flowers and bring them inside, they don’t last very long. And, they aren’t visible and make for a barren landscape outside. I also struggle a tiny bit with the question, “Who am I to think that I should cut these blossoms and hurt the plant, just so I can have beautiful flowers in the house for a few days?”…
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#CTST: Snow and winter!
In Celebrating the Small Things, I’m celebrating snow (and the beauty of winter) today! I’ve always loved snow. And, I’ve discovered that not everyone is enthusiastic about snow as I am. I try and temper my excitement but it can be difficult. Especially when snow is accompanied by 8-degree weather! Snow brings into focus attributes of nature that don’t always “shine” in spring and summer. For example, there is a wetlands area where I work (on 1,200 beautiful, varied acres) that can’t be seen through the thick trees. In the winter, this area takes on its own personality, with leaf-less trees framing the wooden walkway down to the ravine. I…
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CTST: Baby birds and new life
Celebrate the Small Things: New life in nature reminds us of God’s care for all creation. This week I’m celebrating the new life of these baby barn swallows. They are the second brood of the season. I marvel over the intricate design of the nest that the birds built outside the building where I work. It takes commitment from both parents to make such a sturdy family home with mud pellets, sticks, grass and other plant fibers, working through natural elements (rain, wind, heat, humidity) to create the nest. They even sometimes battle humans whose first instinct is to remove the nests so they don’t make a mess outside the doorways.…
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A to Z Challenge: “T”ree trunk tombstones
Until I moved to the Midwest, I’d never seen a tree trunk tombstone. I’ve visited a few older cemeteries in Indiana and have noticed gravestones in the shape of a tree trunk, with intricate carvings to depict facts and graphical elements reminiscent of the person’s life. They are unusual looking and make an impression. They also are more hearty than regular in-the-ground tombstones. I had to Google the story behind them. They were popular from the 1880s to the 1920s. Joseph Cullen Root was the founder of Modern Woodmen of America (MWA, 1883) and Woodmen of the World (WOW, 1890), both fraternal insurance benefit societies. The goal was to make…
