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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: “Q”uite the hardworkers!
I am fascinated by squirrels. First, they are one of the hardest working animals I know. You never see a squirrel kickin’ back on a Chaise lounge, drinking a fruity drink with a little umbrella sticking out of it. They are always running hither and yon, finding nuts, burying nuts, unearthing nuts, chasing each other (usually over nuts), harassing my dog, attacking our bird feeders (you guessed it – for nuts!) Second, they have incredible memories. How do they remember where they planted their nuts? I can’t remember where I put my keys and my brain is larger (at least I think it is!) In the spring, it’s like they…
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“W”here did the summer go?
Can you believe it’s July?! Where did the summer go? I had knee replacement surgery in April, recuperated in May, fell twice and began recuperation again in June. I’ve noticed the seasons change and have been outside some to enjoy it. We’ve had a lot of rain, too, so it’s made the corn tall, the rivers full and the greenery lush. Before we know it, it will be August, then September, then fall, my favorite time of year. I know, for a lot of people in the midwest, they prefer summer to other seasons so I’m trying not to look too far ahead. I thought I’d list my 10 favorite…
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“E”arth
I love visiting the mountains and although I grew up and lived most of my life in Denver, I never spent enough time admiring nature. I was always working or traveling elsewhere. Trees in foreground, snow covered mountain in background “Long’s Peak from North, Rocky Mountain National Park,” Colo. The U.S. National Archives. My dad liked to go fishing with his work buddies or go camping with the Boy Scouts. Sometimes my brother and I would go along and hike the trail before the entire troop went camping overnight. Again, I wish I had spent more time in the mountains when I lived nearby. One of my first Colorado mountain…
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Winter wonders
It’s been a winter to remember, that’s for sure. As a transplant to Indiana from Colorado, having snowy winters is not new to me. However, this has been by far the snowiest winter we’ve had in our nine years in the Midwest. Here’s a recap of our winter thus far at the Weidenbenner home: To clarify, I love snow, whether it’s falling, drifting, being formed into cool snow sculptures and yard art, or adorning various trees, houses, and other outside structures. I am not in favor of, nor have I prayed for, freezing temperatures, ice, traffic accidents/rollovers or power outages. I think you can and should have one without the…
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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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Early morning magic …
To say that I’m not a morning person is an understatement. I work days (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.) but many mornings it is all I can do to get up, move into the bathroom, wash my face and put mascara on (which requires that my eyes remain open). My preference would be to stay up late and then sleep until 9 or 10 the next morning. Early morning sun near Deming Park, Terre Haute, Ind. © Photo by Diane Weidenbenner On those rare occasions when I have woken up early, I have encountered the most amazing things. There is a special kind of magic afoot in the morning hours,…
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“Z”zzzzz’s
We live in Terre Haute, Ind., with a population estimate (as of 2011) of 60,961 (okay, I have to ask – where did they get the “1” from?) It’s a fairly small town compared to my birthplace of Denver, Colo. (estimate of 619,968). It’s amazing to me the number of sounds that we had to get used to, after moving here. Especially at night. When you’re trying to sleep. Photo thanks to en.gtwallpaper.com First, there are a lot of trains going through Terre Haute. I can’t emphasize “a lot” enough! There are trains coming and going. There are trains stopped, slowly moving forward or slowly moving backward. After awhile, the…
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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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Little blessings – an oxymoron
I’m all about the little blessings in life. By “blessings,” I mean a special, unexpected sign or gift bestowed by God (I believe) to us. Not exactly the Webster’s Dictionary definition, I know. One of these blessings has been the wildlife that has appeared in our yard over the last few weeks. It’s not uncommon for us to have “sightings” of animals – a coyote, fox or turtle cutting through the backyard that runs parallel to Lost Creek. The blessing has been that we’ve had a family of foxes that repeatedly come out at dusk to romp, play, climb on our fallen tree and generally amuse my husband, Joe, and…
