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“B”eaches are music to my ears
Seal Beach © 2014 by Diane Weidenbenner Beaches are an incredible gift of nature. There is nothing like them in the world. The sound of the waves, the horizon as backdrop to the ocean that spills onto the beach. The sound of the waves is so calming and centering. Each year I attend a trade show for work in Los Angeles. For the past two years, after the hustle and bustle of three long days greeting people at our booth, I’ve slipped down to the beach to unwind. I enjoy talking to hundreds of people (out of the 28,000 attendees) about the organization that I represent. While it’s high-energy work,…
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Owly visitors help us celebrate our anniversary
Two barred owls around 8:15 p.m. in our back yard. Joe and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary July 1. We gave each other a card and promised to go to dinner soon to celebrate (Joe’s parents had sent us an anniversary check to sweeten the deal.) It was a busy time at work that included the weekend. I was glad and happy to celebrate 13 years of marriage (and 18 years of relationship) with my best friend and love, but it happened without fanfare or revelry. We actually received our “anniversary” gift two days earlier. On Saturday evening, I was working at the kitchen table and periodically took a…
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Up close and personal
For Christmas, I got a zoom lens for my Canon Rebel camera. I was thrilled. I received gift money, and saved up additional funds, to buy the lens, which I have dreamed of since 2006. I was happy with my camera but wished I could capture more close-up moments when traveling around Indiana and beyond. I’m a “Sunday” driver, but that’s a whole ‘nother story. This photo of two doves taken in February is the product of my first real photo session with my lens. It means a lot to me because of the different textures, the beauty of the birds and the fact that I took it (it’s not…
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Beauty, in the eye of the beholder
We’ve had plenty of rain this spring and with the moisture comes gorgeous green grass and foliage … and dandelions. My friend and I talked about these hearty weeds recently, and how prevalent they are. No one plants dandelions and yet they grow, spread, blow beyond the borders of the yard and fluorish. I haven’t found Dandelion Food at my local greenhouse. And, I won’t be asking the master gardeners what pesticides are recommended to ward off buggy predators, for dandelions. Photo © Diane Weidenbenner There are plants that I want to grow in our yard and flower beds. My husband and I have worked for years to get a…
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“H”ome, sweet home
Photo © Diane Weidenbenner I was born and raised in Denver, Colo., and had no intentions of ever moving. The smog, traffic, nearby mountains and high-tech employment had always been “my home.” Due to a “providential” set of circumstances, I applied for and was offered a wonderful marketing position with a Catholic non-profit in Terre Haute, Ind., near where my husband was born. After I accepted the offer, I had one day to fly out, look at houses with a realtor, make an offer on a house and return home. It seemed like an insurmountable task. Our realtor, Betty Lanke, was a seasoned professional in the area, and had created…
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Blogging from A to Z: Fireflies and faith
Fireflies have shed a little light on Easter for me. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Each night when I take Hershey out to “do his biz-ness” I’m reminded of the firefly’s amazing ability to light up the night. The have a unique gift and offer a flickering dance that draws me closer to God. Unlike me, fireflies are not native to Denver – they are a benefit of living in hot, humid Indiana. Fireflies are cool! There are over 2,000 species of fireflies and their light patterns are unique to each species. Fireflies blink in code to…
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All creatures, great and small
I’m a big fan of God’s creatures. The only things that make me uncomfortable are large, jumping spiders or roach gangs (you know they never travel alone). That said, when I woke up in the middle of the night to let my dog outside, and happened to wander into the living room to find our three cats strategically hunkered down around the swivel chair, I became apprehensive. Tails were swishing in wide strokes (except for Ollie, the Manx cat sans tail) indicating the hunt was on. With only my outdated eyeglasses and lack of courage to guide me, I returned to bed. One of three things would happen: 1) Whatever…
