Hodgepodging Beauty and Hope

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1. 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder'  What's something you've seen recently that you thought was beautiful?

This little cowgirl,

whose third birthday is today!

2. Our culture and beauty...your thoughts?

I think that a feeling of hopelessness is evident in movies, games, etc. So much is full of ugliness and violence. And as long as people keep paying to see violence and ugliness, we'll get more of it. We need to teach the younger generation about respect, love, and hope.

"For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope."  There IS joy, love, acceptance, forgiveness, and HOPE, despite what is being portrayed on the big screen. But it's not found deep within our selves. If we're honest, when we dig deep enough, we find fear, emptiness and selfishness. Rather, hope is found in Jesus of Nazareth, the son of God, who gave himself for us.


"But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—  and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus^, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—  not the result of works, so that no one may boast."- Ephesians 2:4-9

 A beautiful Wisconsin sunset

3. Age before beauty, beauty queen, beauty mark, beauty sleep...which beauty-ful phrase resonates with you today? Why?

It must be 'beauty sleep.' And every time I look in the mirror, I determine that I am definitely not getting enough of it. 

 I found this collage under 'beauty' in my photo archives.

'For The Beauty of The Earth'

4. I read here a list of the top ten
beasts animals that scare us the most-

alligators, coyotes, black bears, birds (but pigeons in particular), sharks, bats, bed bugs, rats, rattlesnakes, and the black widow spider. 

Which 'beast' on the list scares you the most? What is the liklihood of you having an actual encounter with that particular beast? Did a movie contribute to your fear of this creature? Have you ever had a real life encounter with any of the animals listed?

 In reality, this was a teeny snake in our backyard.

Yes! I've hunted and eaten an alligator, hear coyotes every summer night from our porch, got a photo of a black bear resting in the maple tree in our front yard, and ate a boa burger (not a rattlesnake). On another farm, we had bats in the attic that occasionally got into the house. I HATE bats in the house, although I don't have a problem with them if they're simply flying around outdoors at night, minding their own business, catching bugs. I hate rats more than anything and hope I never have an encounter with one. I'd say that rats probably scare me the most - even the thought of them!  If a rat scene is in a movie, I turn away until the music changes and I know it's over.

And with that in mind, isn't it lovely that Mr. is always hiding fake rats for me to find!! I threaten to throw them away, but he seems quite fond of them.

This one isn't hidden, but Mr. C. put it there to entertain

the postman when he drops off the mail.

Black bear resting in our maple tree

5. Where were you when you last heard a bell ring? Was it alarming or musical?

On a very calm evening, from our house, we can hear the church bells from the nearby village. 

6. What's your favorite carb? How's that for random?

Chicken pasta casserole, pictured above, is my all-time favorite carb. It is the ultimate comfort food. If I want to put on pounds, I know just the thing to eat, and this is it. I'll have to admit, though, that quantity has something to do with it. Gluten-free pasta, chicken, yogurt, sauteed onion and peppers, garlic, cheddar cheese, olives, potato chips crushed on top before baking. I happen to have some in the freezer, but am trying to stick to meat and salad for a while. I make no guarantees about Friday night, however. It seems to be the one day of the week when I get that overwhelming carb craving. And really. What's the worst that can happen? No, I don't want to think about it.

7. Let's wrap up another month of Hodgepodging and life with an acrostic. Recap your month using the word MARCH.

Miserable weather. It's almost

Always windy and cold. At least we got a

Reprieve the past few days, enough so that I

Could get a good walk in, from

Home to the stop sign and back, a nice 2 1/2 mile walk.

Not this stop sign.

I'm hoping to get down to the Westby area in another couple weeks.

8.  Insert your own random thought here. 

 These little characters

are now 6 months old.
Tommy & Smokey

***


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Gardening in Wisconsin

My body's definitely feeling the consequences of a long and sedentary winter followed by a frantic gardening season. Springtime in NW Wisconsin is about a week long, summer is about three months long, and we can already see next winter on the horizon, so there's no time to waste. Got to purchase perennials, annuals, and vegetable seeds, get the garden planted, and start mowing the grass. I suggested to my husband tonight that we fence in the yard and get goats. He just gave me a look. But doesn't it seem a bit ridiculous to mow all that yard when something could survive by eating it? And then I could make Feta cheese with goats' milk! Yes, I am kidding...kinda.

 As I reached to get the spade so I could transplant strawberries*, I happened to notice a wee little bull snake resting in a warm spot inside a railroad tie next to the house. Doesn't he look comfy - and cute!!

Zooming out, you can see a few of my garden tools resting against the house. You're right, it's not where they belong, but it's so convenient to have them just outside the door! The red arrow points to...the little bull snake. (He was about as big around as a crayon.) Later, I noticed that he was no longer there. I'm really hoping that he didn't decide to slither into the basement. I'd like him to know that his home is outdoors. We have enough pets in the house.

And speaking of pets, I took these pics of the dogs today. Lionel and Tuppence were unavailable for a photo shoot.

 Misty, lying close to wherever I am at any given moment. She snores. Loudly.

When I took this pic, I was sitting at the kitchen counter, checking my e-mail.

Yes, I know I should purchase a new rug for on top of the dog bed, but she hasn't complained yet.

 Bridger, looking his usual handsome self.

I've got to take him to the vet next week for his shots. He's 10, and it's getting harder for him to get into the Jeep. I'll have to provide a ramp for him.

Last, but not least, the visiting grandpuppy.

She gets a Lyme booster shot next week and then she can go home.

* From three strawberry plants that I purchased last spring, I now have 30-40 strawberry plants which I'm transplanting into rows.  Next are the raspberries. Since I neglected to wrap the chicken wire fencing around the raspberry patch last fall, the local bunny population survived the winter by eating raspberry canes. I think it's a good time to move new little plants which are coming up to a new location, inside the fenced-in main garden. And I also need to plant some asparagus crowns. Rodents manage to take one or two asparagus plants per winter.



P.S. The following photo is posted especially for Judy S. who mentioned in a comment that she loves pics of parents reading to kids. Actually, this is Grandpa reading to the boys when they were out last week. I think the book is Tifky Doofky by William Steig. We have several of his books and read most of them to the grandsons while they were with us. Steig's stories are so much fun!!

 Tifky Doofky holds everyone's attention

Back to the garden.

Author, Second Chance - A Tale of Two Puppies

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