Rambling Friday: Our Failed Harvest

Oh, yeah, we're not much of a gardener family for several reasons.

Let me be clear, We love planting and having a garden so that's not the problem.

But what is the problem is:

• pesky wild animals (like deer and rabbits and who knows what else) who also like eating food they've not worked for
• busyness.

You see, we live a busy life with work, travel, ministry, family, and just plain life. We love being busy, but sometimes...things get a little too busy. That's where the problem comes in with gardening. Weeds don't get pulled. Watering is skimpy when we forget because we're gone or on the run with work. 

Then there are the wild animals who think we live here to feed them. If they're not eating our broccoli, they're feasting on whatever else looks tempting. Keeping them out is nearly impossible. Somehow they find a way. And probably laugh each time their supper is over--at our expense, of course. 

We have good intentions. We really want a garden and the produce from it. We love fresh produce and the satisfaction of eating the fruit of our gardening labors.

So there you have it. The two big reasons we seldom have much success at gardening. 

Sigh.

But then, there's next year. Maybe we'll give it a shot. After all, we have all year to plan how to succeed! 

Happy day! 

Sunday Sunshine: The Wildness of Winter

The Wildness of Winter

Marvel!

   Wild,
Beautiful
    and

Dangerous

Imagine: moving through the water with a beautiful killer whale beside you. One that you've loved, trained, worked with for years . . .

But now, the black and white creature is showing her wild nature . . . a nature that has been tamed--to a degree. A nature that has been altered--in a minor way, so that she obeys commands and shows off and stuns crowds with her performance. Still, a wild nature.

Whether obeying its killer instincts or whether from wanting its trainer close and trying to show affection to you, you're suddenly on the receiving end of unwanted attention . . . This killer whale has pulled you under the water--a habitat outside of your limits after a certain amount of time and without the proper equipment--and . . . 

with your waist clamped between its jaws, you have minutes or seconds before you're dead . . . what are you thinking?

I'm fascinated with animals. Wild or tame, most of them have a loneness, a dignity about them that commands attention. They are creatures that are beautiful. But wild. And dangerous.

If you heard the latest about the killer whale in Florida who killed Dawn, the trainer, it will refresh your memory that wild animals are dangerous. Especially when big.

A few tidbits about killer whales:

• There's some research that says due to the killer whales superior brain power, pitted against the great white shark, they'll come out on top. How? Not my strength or size, for sure. But by flipping the whale over, who promptly goes into a trance and is at the mercy of the killer whale.
• While there is no known instance of a killer whale attacking a human in the wild, the number of shark attacks continue at the rate of more than one a week.
• Average life span in the wild: 50 to 80 years

And a few more:

• Their size is relative to a bus: Orcas, or killer whales, are the largest of the dolphins and one of the world's most powerful predators.
• They feast on marine mammals such as seals, sea lions, and even whales, employing teeth that can be four inches (ten centimeters) long. They are known to grab seals right off the ice (ouch!). They also eat fish, squid, and seabirds.

Makes you realize that there are some things in our personal lives that we need to stay away from. Things, that without God's help, we have no business messing with. Places, where we shouldn't go. People we should avoid. Weaknesses in ourselves we should guard against. Words that should never be spoken.

In Corinthians God promises that he won't let us be tempted beyond what we can handle. Satan brings temptations to all of us, but God is bigger and more powerful. We can rest in that knowledge!

Quote:

Every great mistake has a halfway moment, a split second, when it can be recalled and perhaps remedied. --Pearl S. Buck

Blessings