Halloween

Two days before Holloween and I am remembering when I was a kid. We lived in the country so this was a special treat for us. Mom would give us pillowcases and we were able to go all over town while she visited with her friend, Bernice. We also had something called gate night the night before Holloween. Big kids would block the street and scare people in cars. I remember one night when they did it to us. Mom was very scared but she was able to get through. Probably the best times were when I was a teenager. We had so much fun. One thing that we did was roll a school bus down main street. That may sound simple but it wasn't. One boy drove and we had to push it down the hill that the school sat on and make a sharp turn at the bottom. When I think of how fast we had it going, it was amazing it didn't dip over. It was dangerous but so much fun.

Fall

The colors of fall are magical. I see green but then I see orange. Nature doesn't worry about colors matching or blending. There are no mistakes. Everything is coordinated. No decorator is needed, only the eyes and hands of God.

Bugs

So many people are afraid of bugs. This bee could have caused me pain but I tried not to annoy it. It also helped that I have a long lens. If you ever get a chance to look at a bug through a lens, do it. While it appears that he is just walking around, all the time he was picking pollen up and rubbing it between his legs and it would move to his underbelly, thus keeping it for later. It is a very fascinating  process that will provide him with food later. Take the time to look around and you will see many thing that nature does to provide for its own.

MARY

Today there  won't be a picture, today will only be my thoughts. About 35 years ago, I taught 4th grade Sunday School.  I had about 15 children but one stood out. I will call her Mary because for one beautiful night , she was Mary.  The other children stayed away from her. She was not included because she was quiet and not clean. Her teeth weren't brushed , her hair was greasy and her clothes didn't fit.

I convinced the church to let us have a real Christmas program at night. It was a first. Because I made the costumes and did the planning, I was allowed to pick the children that would play the parts. They were all excited to see who got what parts. I made sure everyone was included.  I started with the main characters. They all wanted to be Mary or Joseph. It became very quiet when I picked Mary to play the role of Mary. She was stunned and started to cry. I thought she was scared but she said no, she never was picked for anything. When classes were over I took her aside and talked to her. I told her that to Play Mary, she had to look her best. I told her to brush her teeth and make them sparkle and have someone help her wash and brush her hair until it shined. She said she was so happy and she would do everything I said.

The night of the program, all the children were excited but Mary was missing. All of a sudden I felt a hand on my arm and looked down and there beside me stood beautiful Mary. All the children were looking at her. I never thought she could look so pretty. She said her Aunt helped her and showed her how to wash her hair and brush it to make it shine. My heart was filled with joy looking at her. She played the role perfectly. The children didn't know it, but at the end of the program before they left the stage, the windows were opened and the bells were rung for all the town to hear. I watched as the children looked up and there was Mary. She was so beautiful and so happy.

I would like to say that the other children accepted her after that but it wasn't to be. She learned from that night and she always kept her hair pretty. She had a sweet shy smile.

Over the years I have wondered what happened to Mary in life. Today I looked at the obituaries, and there was Mary, only 45 years old. I felt so sad and then I really looked at the picture and she really hadn't changed. Same sweet, shy smile and shiny hair. She was a librarian, and lived with her cats. She liked to read and watch tv and go out to eat with her friends.

I pray that she had a good, sweet and gentle life. I like to think that now she is in a special place in heaven and I hope that her special night gave her a happy memory.

GEESE

The beautiful fall colors are a perfect backdrop for the geese. They were enjoying the perfect day, flying up a ways and then landing again, almost like playing tag.

THE PATH

I have always enjoyed a path. It leads me to wonder what is at the end. This picture was take in the woods and it was a one vehicle path. You can tell by looking at it that it isn't traveled often. the further we drove the narrower the path became until we considered best to stop. 

CAMOUFLAGE

Little chipmunk,where are you, playing hide and seek in the fall leaves. You blend in perfectly. You thought I wouldn't see you but I did and now you are mine.

New Life

In death can come new life. This stump's rot is providing nourishment for the wild strawberry plants, that in the future will feed birds and insects thus providing nourishment to continue life.

SOARING

Gracefully soaring through the sky, surrounded by various fluffy clouds, the eagle quietly watches for its next meal in the  white capped waters, of fourth Crow Wing lake. Circling quietly in the heavy breeze, eyes ever watchful, around and around it goes. Eventually it tires and soars over the trees , hopefully to find a meal on the land.

Fall

The season of color is arriving. Birds are collecting into groups to make their yearly trip south. The yellows, slowly turning to gold and the reds that deepen as each day passes. Gone are the various shades of green but the brighter colors of God's pallet that are reserved for this special time are arriving. The harvest moon glows like a golden globe in the sky.  The squirrels are skittering around with acorns in their mouth, eager to stockpile for the winter in the huge nests of leaves that they have built in the trees. Humans are beginning to prepare also. Some dread this season because it means that winter is close behind but others embrace fall with the joys of a child. The crisp air, the fall smells, the beautiful colors, apples hanging on the trees later to be turned into apple pies and caramel apples.

                  The Cultivator

This morning I went to an estate sale. Each time I go to one of these sales, I think of what the person must have been like. This lady could have been me. I could see that she loved her charming, little home. Probably lived in the same house all of her adult life. She took joy in simple things and enjoyed her possessions, cared for them with love. A home filled with memories, music, and joy. One item that struck me , was metal word sign that said "giggle." That sounds like a fun person. Needle work abounded. How many times did she sit in the hospital with a sick child, passing the time with needle and thread. The upstairs had sloped ceilings and she had wallpapered them in cheerful paper with red painted dressers that probably held her treasures. She was a good cook and baker as could be testified by her abundant supply of kitchen utensils, bake ware and pans. She shared my enjoyment of music, a piano marked sold, music books and CD's from the big band era, Michael Buble, broadway and Tony Bennett. Some of which I bought. The garage held an assortment of gardening tools, metal tables and chairs and an old cultivator . The cultivator caught my eye.It has definitley seen better days but it charmed me.It will sit proudly by my she shed, no longer working but enjoying its retirement. And then I think, some day this is what my house will look like. I hope that a lot of strangers will enjoy all my treasures. That they will take a moment to think about the woman that loved her home and just maybe someone will buy the old cultivator to put in their garden.