Monday, June 23, 2014

Christian Mockingbirds

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Juvenile Mockingbird - Gainesville, FL
by Donna L. Watkins

One Spring night I wanted the window open to listen to the chorus of frogs singing away as I drifted off to sleep. At some point they stopped and the Northern Mockingbird took over. He was such a virtuoso that I couldn't get back to sleep. I got up and went out to the front porch to take it all in at a much louder level.

This guy was singing up a storm going from one bird song to the next. I heard the songs of the Tufted Titmouse, Eastern Cardinal, Gray Catbird, Blue Jay, Carolina Wren, Robin and quite a few more that I just couldn't discern at the time.

Their songs are a long series of calls repeating each phrase 2-6 times before moving right into another new sound. Although male and female sing, unmated males are the most consistent singers, carrying on all day and late into the night.

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Brown Thrasher
Brown Thrashers belong to the same family and can have a similar song, but the phrases are much less varied and they don't go on for as long as the Mockingbird uses them. You can tell if it's a Brown Thrasher by counting the same sound. They stop at 2-3 calls.

Gray Catbirds are also of the same family and can sound similar, but more nasal, hurried and slurred.

I began wondering if the Mockingbird even had a song of its own to sing so I did some studying and was surprised to learn that their repertoire is their song. Not only do they mimic birds, but have been found to mimic frogs, crickets, squirrels, bells and sirens, a rusty gate or even the squeaks of a washing machine. There is told a story that one Mockingbird near Miami mimicked an alarm clock so perfectly that it awakened people early every morning.

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Adult Northern Mockingbird
Scientists find that the birds' singing coincides strongly with hormonal changes that are necessary for mating and nesting in the Spring and Summer. Unrestrained singing by males tracks production of their own testosterone, but it may also serve to "reset" the female's reproductive system.

All this singing during the breeding season sends a message to the females. Life is rough and tough in the wild, where predators, disease and starvation are constant threats. The variety and depth of a male's song list is an indication to females that he's wise to the world around him and has survived for and established a territory with plenty of food, which is important for not only the females survival but of her future fledglings.

Somehow it seems a bit sad that he doesn't have a song of his own to sing. I thought of the many Christians who never get to become who they were truly created to be because they were always trying to be somebody else that they wanted to be. We are all uniquely created with a plan and purpose for our lives. It's sometimes hard to believe that what we desire and enjoy so much could be just the thing that God made us to be.

Instead we look around at what we think "being a good Christian" should look like and try to duplicate that and eventually we get very battle-worn and weary. Trying to be somebody you're not takes a lot of energy. 2 Corinthians 10:12 tells us that "they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." Whose song are singing?

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Pondering Northern Mockingbird
It's important that we find our true purpose in life. Lie is not about doing good things, but about being who God made you to be. If we go through life doing good rather than God things, we will always feel a bit tired, used and abused because we are walking in somebody else's shoes. Busyness is not what pleases God. Jesus had a very short time of ministry and He never hurried or rushed. We certainly don't need to get ourselves all wound up over DOING to where we forget about the BEING that God made in us.

Think about what you do naturally? Jesus only asks that we be ourselves. We seem to think we have to suffer to be of service to God. Not so. Being YOU is a delight to Him since He is the One who created you as you naturally are. So, spend some time with Jesus and find out what you have been made to be and do. And don't become a busy "doer." In Mark 6:31 Jesus called His disciples come apart to a desert place for rest.

Many eager Christians neglect the needs of their physical bodies and cut their ministries short through death or severe illness. In like manner they don't take time to be still and know God (Ps. 46:10). This cuts ministry short through non-effectiveness. One of Satan's deadliest weapons against those involved in ministry is busy-ness. We must balance time ministering to others with time of being ministered to by our Father or the devil will get you "burned out" and "fed up."

Learn to say "No, thank you" to all the many requests people have to turn you aside from time with the Father and aside from who God made you to be. Be confident that God will bless less work that is anointed by Him more than works that just fill our calendar book.

Sing your own song ....


Controlling Army Worms in Your Garden

by Donna L. Watkins

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Yellow-striped Armyworm Moth Caterpillar
(Spodoptera ornithogalli)
Montpelier Estate, Home of James & Dolly Madison
Attracting pollinators to your garden is a great idea until the adults lay their eggs in your garden.  About 10 days later you'll be dealing with caterpillar pests, such as the Armyworm.  They're appetites threaten to finish off your fruit and veggie garden before you can blink an eye.

The Yellowstriped Armyworm (Spodoptera ornithogalli), a moth caterpillar, feeds on a variety of crops including alfalfa, bean, beet, cabbage, clover, corn, cotton, cucumber, grape, grass, morning glory, onion, pea, peach, peanut, sweet potato, tobacco, tomato, turnip, wheat, and watermelon.

The insect usually overwinters as a pupa in the soil but may possibly overwinter as a partially grown caterpillar. Egg masses are deposited on foliage, trees, or buildings. There are three to five generations per year. Yellowstriped armyworms feed during the day.

Here's a helpful article on Armyworm control.


The Power of Preventive Care for Pets - Video

by Dr. Sarah

If you’re like many pet parents, the mere prospect of an annual exam fills you with dread.  Unfortunately, this extends to the care of pet kids, too.

In this episode of Pet Talk, Dr. Sarah explains exactly what to expect from a veterinary exam, and why each step is vital to the long-term health and happiness of your companion animal.

It’s everything you ever wanted to know about proper pet care, demonstrated clearly and with loads of great tips. Watch Pet Talk now ...

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Natural Grocers Bans Confinement Dairy Products

Photo Credit:  Donna L. Watkins
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Scene From Lancaster County, PA
See More Cow Photos
The consumption of certain products can contain inherent ethical conundrums -- and those are the sorts of conundrums that cause outright hostility between, say, vegans and carnivores. What you eat is part of the issue, but another equally important component is how that food product was created and, perhaps, how the animal involved in creating it was treated.

"How our food is produced has always been a concern of ours," says Heather Isley, vice president of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, which recently banned all confinement dairy products from its shelves.

The new corporate guidelines require that milk ingredients in any products are sourced from dairies that provide their cows access to pasture and a natural diet of grass and forage -- and those dairies also may not use non-therapeutic antibiotics, hormone treatments, growth-promoting materials or feed containing animal byproducts.   Read the entire good news article.


Thoughts, Doubts and Fears

Taking Thought - or Not
by Andrew Wommack

Read Matthew 6:25-34

"Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?" Matthew 6:31

The Greek word used here for "thought" is "merimnao" and denotes "to be anxious or careful". In this passage, as well as the parallel passage in Luke 12:22-32, Jesus is commanding us not to worry or be anxious about our material needs being met.

It would be impossible to have no thought whatsoever about our physical needs. Even Jesus thought about His need for money to pay taxes (Mt. 17:24-27). We are simply not to be preoccupied with thinking about riches or spending our time worrying about necessities. These things will be added unto us as we seek first the Kingdom of God.

The way we take or receive an anxious thought is by speaking it. Doubtful thoughts will come, but we do not sin until we entertain them. According to this verse, speaking forth these thoughts is one way of entertaining them; therefore, don't speak forth these negative thoughts.

It is imperative that we watch the words we say. Begin to speak words in faith that line up with God's Word, then positive results will follow. If we speak words of doubt, we will eventually believe them and have the negative things that these words produce.

There are no such things as "idle" words which will not work for or against us. Death or life is in the power of every word we speak (Prov. 18:21). Our words can be our most powerful weapon against the devil, or they can become a snare of the devil (Prov. 6:2).

Today watch your words. Speak only things that will express your faith, trust, and confidence in the Lord and not your fear about the situations you face.

Visit Andrew's Website.


Walmart Drives Down Organic Food Prices

Walmart has joined with Wild Oats organic foods to provide consumers with organic choices at 25% or more less than comparable national brand products.

Although this move began in April 2014, it is not being implemented in all stores at one time.  They will introduce 100 new products as part of the line, removing the price premium that is generally associated with organic groceries.

Read more about this in these articles:

Walmart's Perspective

Why You Should Be Concerned


Sunday, June 15, 2014

Newsletter - 6/15/14

View This Newsletter On the Website.



Hello Dear Friends!

Well, our babies are rolling in ... or should I say rolling out of the nests.  Been seeing a lot of activity.  The new House Finches came as quadruplets hovering by the parents and shivering with starvation (not very convincing to the parents .. they took it in stride).  It wasn't long until they all found the birdbath and had some appropriate summer time fun.  View a previous year's video of a Papa and Baby Finch.

I have only seen on young Northern Cardinal so that nest must have had some challenges.  The Black-capped Chickadees have been split between parents so I'm not sure if there's more than two or not.  They like hiding behind the leaves in the trees.  The baby Carolina Wrens are always such a sweet treat.  I consider that bird my favorite bird because of its loud praise song and it's glory dance with that tail swinging in praise.  Carolina Wrens are not known to destroy nests/eggs/young of other birds like the House Wren.  The Tufted Titmice are numerous again as last year and they are the ones that enjoy their baths the most.  They get really soaked and bedraggled and then clean up good enough to attend the annual ball.  View bedraggled bather.

They wait in line on the deck to take turns bathing. I've seen a young Brown Thrasher in the woods.  They like to hide out with the young 'uns, as do the Gray Catbird.  I know the Catbirds have left both nests because they're not flying in and out, but all I see are the adults now and then.

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Squirrels Waiting For The Peanut
Sweepstakes Winnings to Arrive
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Although our squirrels have created some bird feeder challenges and also enjoyed our new vinyl deck railing when it was installed, we do love their antics.  We sit on our porch chaise chairs and watch Squirrel TV as we call it.  We don't bother to have any "real TV" reception since we live rural and gave up years ago on finding anything wholesome to watch. 

This Scripture comes to mind ...  "whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things" (Philippians 4:8).  Somehow what we saw on our TV didn't line up with what we are to keep our minds on and we finally had enough gumption to disconnect.  Hard on the flesh ... but the spirit has been soaring!

We would be overrun with squirrels if it weren't for the hawks and even though I do not like thinking of that scenario, we are also thankful that we don't have an overpopulation to deal with.  It all comes with a well balanced wildlife habitat which we strive to do our best to achieve, most times just by default.  If you build it they will come.  And if you watch them, you will laugh!

The Bible tells us that laughter is a good medicine.  I'm not one for corny jokes or slapstick comedy so it's not so easy to please me when it comes to finding something to laugh about.  I guess I'm more of a realist since I can get to belly laughing so hard that it still hurts the next day when I see something that's "real" and funny.

Thought I'd share my Top 3 Favorites:
• Bill Cosby - You Bet Your Life
• Shake Your Tail Feathers With Frostie and Ray Charles
• African Animals Get Drunk on Marula Tree Fruit

I keep a file folder on my email with links to things so that I can get some laugh time in.  It's amazing what it does for the immune system.  I published a series on laughter back a few years after getting into the year 2000 when I was editor for A Healing Moment.  You might want to access some of these articles that show scientific proof of the benefits of laughter on our bodies and mind.  You'll want to keep a Laughter Folder also!

Laugh Yourself Well
Laughter Is The Best Medicine
Laughter Health
Humor Therapy
Prescription to Laugh
Laughter as Medicine
Humor's Healing Potential

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Black Rat Snake on Driveway Smiling at Me
View More Snake Photos
We didn't see the Black Rat Snakes for over a year and were wondering if the hawks had cleared them out.  We appreciated having them since it kept the mice out of the garage.  Mice can be very destructive when they get inside of car engines where there is tubing that carries oil to various places.  One little nibble and you've got a slow leak onto the garage floor.  This snake wasn't the one we'd seen before because it was much smaller although it was about 2 feet long.  This charmer was a younger one.

The downside is that snakes also enjoy eating bird's eggs and baby birds and that's heartbreaking since we did in previous years have one that we believe interfered with the Gray Catbird's nest that was beside the screened porch.  They are part of the balance of nature and we welcome them into our wildlife habitat because they do add a lot of good balance.  Black Rat Snakes are very docile.  They are not at all aggressive towards humans so I'm glad that is the kind of snake that chooses to live amongst us ... a peaceful one.

Did you know? .... You don’t need a prescription to get drugs in tiny doses. They're found in our nation's water supply, and reported in a new study, in higher amounts than drug companies anticipated.  They are released into the water supply through urine and flushing old drugs down the toilet. It’s well known by now that pharmaceuticals are affecting fish, frogs and lobsters­.  Small amounts of estrogen cause male fish to develop eggs.  We need to be filtering our water, but is there a household unit that takes drugs out?

Nick Schroeck, executive director of the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center in Detroit, says, “All of these drugs out there on the market are going to be discharged into the environment and we don’t know what the effects are, because there’s no requirement to do an assessment on the front end.  We’re not trying to scare anyone, but we need to know what these chemical compounds will do to the environment and what are the long-term effects for humans. No one seems to know.” Read the entire story here.

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Foxglove - Source of Digitalis
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It's becoming more and more important to filter your own water which not only saves you money but eliminates all those plastic bottles in the landfill.  Besides considering the fact that bottled water is not a purse source of drinking water.  Reverse-osmosis is the only thing I know of that will take drugs out.  They use the process to convert sea water to drinking water on ships. This makes me very diligent in praying a blessing over what I eat and drink.  Psalm 91 offers us protection from this and worse things, but we have to speak out those promises to activate them, just as God spoke out and created the entire earth.

I was listening to a free webinar on "Why Herbs?" and the safety of modern drugs and how the FDA continues to pull herbs off the marketplace that they consider toxic.  Quite interesting .... for thousands of years, herbs have been mankind's primary source of medicine and even now 25% of all "modern" medicine is made from a medicinal plant.  The problem with taking an active constituent out of a plant and isolating it into a chemical compound is you leave out God's balance of nature with that plant.  You can't improve on God's design without a down side.

That's why they pull some of these herbs from the marketplace.  They find a toxic component and say the herb is bad, toxic and can cause death.  If you eat these foods (and many others) you may be in trouble.  Carrots contain carototoxin, a fairly potent nerve poison and myristicin, a hallucinogenic drug.  Radishes and broccoli contain substances that cause goiters.  Potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes and peppers contain solanine which interferes with the transmission of nerve impulses.  Apples contain phlorizin which interferes with enzyme systems.  Oranges have tangeretine which is toxic to developing embryos. 

Gee whiz, wish they would be as up front as that with the drugs they push.  Herbs have thousands of years of testimonials and results ... while drug studies are generally only 6-8 weeks long so they can get to manufacturing them.  Problem is that most problems don't show up until months of use.

Did you know that 50% of all medications approved are withdrawn within 10 years later for harmful side effects and many of them are left out there for years after "discovering" this information.  Iatragenic disease (a condition occurring as the result of treatment by a health professional) is not far behind heart disease and cancer as leading causes of death.  Go figure that one out.

While we're on the topic of "modern" medicine, my sweet friend, Rainbow, sent me a link about new technologies with ultrasound that are considered non-invasive compared to surgery.  The video is from Israel.  After sharing the link with another friend of mine, he informed me he had a friend who was a director on the board of the Focus Ultrasound Foundation that is researching this in the USA.  It is based right here in Charlottesville, Virginia.  How surprising!  They not only have clinical trials available to participate in, but there are treatment centers set up  around the country for specific health problems that the procedure now works on.  I've always considered surgery so invasive.  I have thought that little gadget that Bones had on Star Trek was a much better way to go with internal health issues. 

As you know I have refused open heart surgery.  I just can't wrap my mind around it.  It looks so barbaric.  The areas of health care it is now involved in include cardiovascular, endocrine, women's health, musculoskeletal, neurological and certain types of cancers.  I find it encouraging that "modern medicine" will one day truly be modern with more doctors being called to the world of doctoring rather than choosing it as a good income business decision.  There seem to be so few that are in touch with their patients due to quotas they have to meet and so little time with the patient.  Check out the link above to the foundation to get all kinds of "how it works" information and research publications.

Moving on to a spiritual topic ... I have a friend in Texas who has a granddaughter that has seen her guardian angel.  The child was going through a rough time and during part of it she would be reassured by this angelic presence that she saw.  How sweet and comforting.  We all have angels assigned to us and their purpose is to minister to us (Heb. 1:14).  In Psalm 91 we find that angels are very involved in our lives.  I think of all the battles and times that God dispatched angels to various situations for Israel.  We're probably  most familiar with Gehazi, Elisha's servant where he saw only the army that had the city surrounded and Elisha asked God to open his eyes so he could see the "real" world.

There are books written on how to command your "ministering spirits" but there is no Scriptural example of this being done in the Bible and no instruction to do so either.  Angels are dispatched by God Almighty, but we do have a role to play in our relationship with God. In Psalm 91:1 it's those who "dwell in the secret place of the Most High," that are able to have angels ministering to them.  Verse 2 instructs us to say that "the Lord is our refuge and fortress" and that "we are trusting in Him." 

Verse 14 says, "Because you have set your love upon Me, therefore will I deliver you."  It's our faith/trust in God and His faithfulness to us that releases these heavenly beings to help us in our earthly life.  They were created for this purpose, so speak forth your faith that comes with your close relationship to Him and see the angels move on your behalf.  I love this Scripture since it creates such a great word picture in my mind to keep my faith centered on Him.

Donna on Butterfly Bench in Front Garden
"The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous run into it, and are safe" (Proverbs 18:10).

God Almighty "has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and with the breadth of His hand marked off the heavens"  (Is. 40:12).  That's a big God.  And then consider that Psalm 91:1 says we can "abide under the shadow of the Almighty."  Now that's one very big shadow!  I believe it will cover any circumstance we have!

Consider your trust in the Lord.  Ask God if you are truly trusting in Him.  I was shocked not long ago to find out that I wasn't when I always said I was.  It was a religious idea that had been implanted in my mind, but had not been implemented in my heart.  It's took me many months to reach a place where I knew I really did trust in Him.  I pray you will make sure of your presence there also.

Have a blessed time in the Secret Place this week,
Donna


P.S. Anything in here that might help somebody you know?
Here's a link to the online version of this newsletter:  
www.thenatureinus.com/2014/06/newsletter-61514.html


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written by Donna

Posts Since Last Newsletter

No Thought Is Harmless

How to Attract Pollinators to Your Garden

The Mysterious Brown Thrasher  (DLW)

Ants Are Gardening Assets

Newsletter - 6/1/14  (DLW)

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Master Naturalist Program Locations by State

Newsletter - 5/15/14 (DLW)

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Doctor Speaks on Vaccination Indoctrination

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Medical Journal Classifies Fluoride As Neurotoxin

Soldier Beetles Are Pollinators

Hard Hearts

America's Top 50 Worst Charities

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Newsletter - 4/15/14 (DLW)

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Saturday, June 7, 2014

No Thought Is Harmless


by Dr. Caroline Leaf

Thoughts are real - they occupy mental real estate. Every thought has a “heart” - the intention of that thought. God looks at this ‘heart’ (Jeremiah 17:10).

When we are not using our minds (intellect, will and emotions) to listen to what the Holy Spirit lays down in the depths of our spirit, then we will be listening to the lies of the enemy. Whatever we listen to, we will think about and whatever we think about grows into a physical thought with this ‘heart’ being reflected as our attitude.

People pick up on our attitudes - the intent of the thought - not the detail of the thought. The brain is designed with various structures that facilitate this to happen. So...reflecting our ‘hearts’ is how God designed us.

Watch this video about how our thoughts and attitudes affect our lives and health.


How to Attract Pollinators to Your Garden

by Kathy Vilim

Some homeowners decided to ditch their lawns. A popular lawn-replacement idea was to redesign the front garden with succulents & cactus instead of more water-thirsty plants.

I applaud the use of drought-tolerant plants in any Southern California garden, especially this year with our 3rd year of drought. However, what concerns me is: In their rush to plant drought-tolerant succulent gardens, folks might forget about flowers.

Pollinators need flowers. In order to invite bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds to the garden, we need to make sure there are blossoms. Succulents, for the most part, do not flower heavily.   Read the entire article.


The Mysterious Brown Thrasher

by Donna L. Watkins

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Brown Thrasher
Entertained With His Reflection in the Window
Romanced by a Brown Thrasher
We have Brown Thrashers nesting in the bushes next to our screened porch. We saw them gathering nesting materials from the ground and flying up into the bush. These bushes are very dense so there is no way to see the nest and we don't get near any nests so the parents are comfortable with their choice of location. They typically nest in dense shrubs, especially those with thorns. Some of the shrubs used are gooseberries, native honeysuckle, eastern red cedars, honey locust trees, rose bushes, and small elms trees.

In the front of the house we have a dense area of hollies that usually host a nest or two each year.  This year we have seen the Brown Thrasher fly out of there ... and yet we've also seen the Gray Catbird defending that territory against a Blue Jay.  Was he helping the Brown Thrasher or does he have a nest in there also?  I've seen both of them chasing off a Blue Jay and was rather excited with the thought that they were being such great neighbors to each other.

Besides our honoring their privacy, Brown Thrashers are aggressive defenders of their nest, but are especially likely to abandon nests, lose eggs, or baby chicks if people spend time in the vicinity of the nests, so we will give them that space until they are finished raising their young.

Predators include raccoons, dogs, snakes, people and even cowbirds which is a bird that lays its eggs in other birds' nests. With their long sharp bills they strike hard enough to draw blood. They are the largest common host of Brown-headed Cowbirds. These birds parasitize a nest by laying their eggs, one at a time, in other birds' nests. The Thrashers do resist, often rejecting the eggs that are laid in their nest.

We haven't had Cowbirds on a regular basis, but it is interesting that I have seen one this year when it seems the Brown Thrashers are nesting in several places.  Our Brown Thrasher residency has been growing each year.

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Juvenile Brown Thrasher
Watching the Male American Goldfinch
Brown Thrashers "thrash" about in the leaf litter swinging from side to side in search of insects. In our eastern side of North America, we find them in hedgerows, thickets and overgrown areas of deciduous forests. They will also eat nuts, berries and seeds. We have seen them on the suet feeder also. Since they spend most of their time on the ground or in low bushes, they are quite susceptible to house cat kills.

Both male and females build the nest and incubate the eggs. Brown Thrashers are monogamous birds during breeding season, but it is not known if they remain mated for successive years. There will be 2-6 eggs in the nest and the young fledge from the nest fully feathered within 9 days of hatching which is quite amazing for such a large bird. This provides them with the possibility of having two broods during nesting season

Brown Thrashers are very accomplished songsters (being of the same family as the Gray Catbird and Northern Mockingbird).

They may sing more than 1100 different songs and imitations of other birds. It's the opinion of many ornithologists that their song is richer and more melodious than that of the Northern Mockingbird.

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Me and My Shadow
Brown Thrasher Admiring Himself
You'll have to watch for this bird in the tangled masses of shrubbery, but once you get to see them, you will be hooked. They are so gorgeous with the heavy, dark streaking on their whitish breast. They tend to have a severe expression on their face due to their heavy, down-curved bill and staring yellow eyes. I delight in the fact that they often stand with their tail cocked upward like a wren, which is one of my favorite birds.

Although Brown Thrashers are usually secretive type birds, ours seem to have a bit more trust of us from years spent returning here to nest. It seems our dining room window which is on the front porch has the right reflection for the male to compete with his own image. One year a male Thrasher spent an hour on the table out there giving strange looks and singing and fussing away. As you can see from the pictures, we see them more than just hidden in the brush.

Related Photo Album:
Romanced by a Brown Thrasher



Ants Are Gardening Assets

© Donna L. Watkins
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Ant Carrying a Meal

Not many people think of ants as a blessing.  They comes in such large numbers that one could feel a bit overwhelmed.  Especially if they've begun to climb up your pants leg.  They are especially not welcome when they invade the kitchen at the pet food bowl, or find something on the counter to invite the whole clan to.

As a result of these experiences we tend to think of ants as pests, but there’s more to them than you might think!  Did you know they harvest plant seeds and them plant them in the soil?  One of Virginia's most beautiful and treasured wildflowers, White Trillium ( Trillium grandiflorum), is a plant that benefits from the ants attention.   

Read more on this very interesting topic.



Sunday, June 1, 2014

Newsletter - 6/1/14

View This Newsletter On the Website.



"Not only is your body a temple, but your mind is an architect, busy transforming the ideas and inspirations you feed it."  -- Herbert Benson, MD

Hello Dear Friends!

I was talking with Jesus a week ago after a restless night and apologizing for being so weak and weary of the battle for life. Before I could even finish He reminded me that even He fell down under the weight of the cross.

After an exhausting night of no sleep and horrendous beatings, He was weary and unable to stand.  Somebody came along to help. The devil often tries to do us in with beating our minds that causes us to focus on our circumstances and not Christ.

But we can ask Jesus to help when we are weak.  He is our strength, our refuge.  He will do more for us than we deserve because we don't deserve anything, but by grace we have been given everything, if we will only allow ourselves to receive it.  Many times our self-worth makes us feel unworthy and we don't connect with God on that receiving level.

Remember that God valued us enough to give up all of Heaven to come to the Earth and live as a man.  The Bible tells us that He was tempted ... to be tempted it means you have the ability to sin.  I wonder how many times He had to make that choice in His lifetime of growing up and during His ministry time.  He chose to lie down on that Cross, He chose to spread His arms and to keep them spread until He died.  He did it all for us because of His great love for us.

If there had been only a few people on earth, He still would've come to do this because He loved His creation and wanted relationship restored between us.  Think of all the beautiful things He created just for us to enjoy.  How awesome it is that we can now walk and talk with Him because He dwells in us.  We are now the Temple of God.  How incredible.

Although Louie Schwartzberg's reasons may be different than mine his greatest satisfaction is creating works that can have a positive effect on the future of the planet.  He states, “I hope my films inspire and open people’s hearts.  Beauty is nature’s tool for survival – you protect what you love.  If I can move enough people on an emotional level, I hope we can achieve the shift in consciousness we need to sustain and celebrate life.”

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Common Milkweed Bloom with Swallowtail Butterfly
 View More Butterfly Images
His film Wings of Life, narrated by Meryl Streep, was released by Disneynature in April 2013, and his most recent film, Mysteries of the Unseen World, is a National Geographic 3D Imax that journeys into invisible worlds that are too slow, too fast, too small and too vast for the human eye to see.  It's a beautiful presentation that shows the detail of God's creativity and amazing expanse of diversity.  View the 7-minute preview presentation at Ted.com.

Speaking of viewing something on an electronic gadget makes me remember that we are all aware of how magnetized people are to their electronic devices.  We see it happening all the time.  People walking around looking at their phones, speaking in their phones, texting from their phones.  Then you get to the iPads.  Have you ever sat in a restaurant and looked around to find couples spending more time on their devices than talking with each other?  A group of friends that are eating together but seem to each be in their own digital world?  It's becoming a serious problem. 

Nomophobia is the term created by British researchers in 2008 to identify people who experience anxiety when they have no access to mobile technology.  While certainly not as debilitating as other chemical based addictions, nomophobia has its first recovery center in southern California. 
There is a great look at social media on a YouTube video about this problem.  View video and get a few ideas on doing something about it.

The numbers get really interesting when you look at specific demographics ... the younger age groups have higher numbers of people that would feel distress of being without their mobile phone.  In the 18-24 age group, 77% revealed nomophobia.  In the 25-34 group, that number drops marginally to 68%.  What may come as a surprise is that the third-most nomophobic group was the age-55 and over group.  (Read article:  Cell Phone Addiction Has a Name & Treatment]

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Skipper Says: "Honest Mom,
I've Not Been Near Your Green Drink

I was glad to hear that two big box pet stores are finally waking up to public outcry on pet treats from China.  The side story is why is PetSmart waiting till March 2015 to get all the treats off their shelves?  When asked why it's taking so long, spokeswoman Michelle Friedman said, "We don't want to leave pet parents high and dry."  You're kidding me!  So we pet parents would rather have a toxic treat that can kill than no treat at all?  I don't think they're in touch with the consumer's mindset.  You can read the entire story here:  PetSmart Joins Petco, Stops Selling Pet Treats From China

Friends, this is why we have been selling Life's Abundance has pet foods, treats and supplements.  Life's Abundance has NEVER HAD A RECALL.

About five years ago we planted some Siberian Irises that a friend gave us.  They were supposed to be a dark purple and my favorite color is purple so that fit just right.  However we never saw them bloom.  I guess they may be one of the things that enjoyed our severe winter because this Spring they showed themselves.

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New Purple Iris in Our Garden This Year
Image Closeup of One Flower
They're really not in good areas since they like full sun and we have a lot of shade with the woods around us, but we were delighted to get quite a few blooms and I enjoyed them tremendously.

Although we don't get too far with composting since our fruit and veggie scraps get tossed out for the wild critters, we use our fallen oak leaves for mulch / compost since we have so many of them.  They've been making our garden soils black and rich with earthworms.

If anybody has been interested in getting started with composting and don't know where to begin, this article (The Ultimate Guide to Composting For Beginners) is a great place to begin learning.  It's actually a long page of specific links on getting started with composting, things you can and can't add to compost, green items vs brown item specifics, common composting problems, and a section of an advanced guide to composting.  

If you were growing up in the 60's you'll remember that we had school air raid drills and government warnings of a possible Soviet nuclear attack.  In that era, there was a "fallout shelter craze" that caused people to build fallout shelters in their backyards.  It would be very interesting to know what one would put in a fallout shelter.  What about electricity, ventilation, heat, food, water, plumbing and sleeping quarters?

A family in Wisconsin cleared bushes and brush to access on that had been built there by a previous owner, a surgeon.  It's been estimated that it cost around $1200, or that would be $15,000 today, to excavate, build and equip it in 1960 when it was built.  Interested in taking a look inside?  Here's a New York Daily News article on this 1960 fallout shelter.  Very interesting.  It was fun getting to see some food labels from my childhood.

I've heard a lot of people give Blue Jays a condescending report on behavior.  We've not had a problem here in our habitat.  They are not pushy or aggressive and are actually a blessing since they can send out alarm calls quickly when they see a hawk.

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Blue Jay Waits While
Woodpecker Feeds on Suet
The other day I saw the scene in the photograph where the Red-bellied Woodpecker was feeding at the feeder and the Blue Jay came in to the bird feeder pole and waited his turn for some suet.  I thought that was really sweet.  We like having our property maintain peace. 

I love to hear good news reports on wildlife.  I was on a website that had a sidebar with wildlife news and noticed an option for a video about a Sea Turtle that was badly injured from fishing nets being given a new lease on life with prosthetic fins from the design of a Lockheed-Martin F-22 fighter jet design.  View the 2-minute video of the Sea Turtle.

Our good news from Bluebird Cove (name we chose for our habitat) is that we're getting to see some baby birds.  It was not looking good since we had cold temperatures till the end of May and mamas couldn't keep the eggs warm enough to hatch or the babies were born and died because it was too cold while parents were gone to find food ... which in itself was a challenge since there aren't many bugs around when temperatures are in the low 40's.

I've seen finches (only two) and cardinal (only one) so far and I've been seeing the Gray Catbird busily feeding.  Last year we had babies birds everywhere.  This morning I was sitting on the screened porch and saw a larger bird fly by that had a buff belly so I got the binoculars to see what it was.  I was surprised to see a Yellow-billed Cuckoo.  Not because we don't have them.  We have had them but the only time I see them is when the hawk chases them into our window (View Photo of One Recovering From Shock - It later flew away).  They are beautiful birds (View More Photos of Yellow-billed Cuckoo).

When I was in Costa Rica I was able to see the Squirrel Cuckoo.  They are so named because they can be mistaken for squirrels as they run along tree branches or hop from branch to branch, and with their bright rufous coloration, they are the same color as most of the squirrels that we saw in Costa Rica.  However some of them are brightly colored with a mix of bright red, raspberry, gray and white tail spots underneath. Our Yellow-billed Cuckoo spends the winter in South America and some in the most southern portions of Florida.  (View Photos of Squirrel Cuckoo in Costa Rica)

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Pupa Stage of Ladybug
See All My Ladybug Photos
We've been seeing lots of ladybugs in pupa stage.  They remain in this stage as they go through a metamorphosis into a ladybug.  Many people don't know there are different stages of ladybugs and so many are killed as "bugs" just because they're a bug.  Although ladybugs have earned a great reputation as aphid eaters, the larvae eat the aphids up rapidly.

We always have aphids on our Anthony Waterer Spireas and the first year I discovered them I saw a couple of ladybugs on the bushes which truly excited me.  Getting to see the diversity and balance of nature is awesome to me!  Now we have all stages on those bushes because the mama knows to lay her eggs where there will be a good supply of food when the babies (larvae) come out of the eggs.  We are blessed! 

Make sure you know what the various stages look like so you can preserve the ladybugs that are trying to help you to balance out nature in your habitat garden.  Read Article:  The Life Cycle of a Ladybug.  On the same website there is a link for more photos of the ladybug stages.  These are easier to see than the ones in the actual article.

It's May 31st and I've got two layers of clothing on since it's so cold.  My hubby is back in his long-sleeved flannel shirts and we've been turning the heat on at 65 degrees.  Days' forecasts say in the 70's but it doesn't seem to get there until afternoon and only stays there a few hours and then it heads back down.  I feel like we have totally missed Spring.  I'm sure it's not just our area.  Weather is wacky all over the place.  One of the signs of the end times ... but then who knows the mind of God when it comes to time tables?  A thousand years is as a day.  That's one of those things the mind cannot grasp.

The seesaw of life.  Ups and downs.  All the beauty around us and for us ... all the pain the devil dishes out.  The seesaw (also known as a teeter-totter or teeter board) in my childhood was a long narrow board pivoted in the middle on a bar so that, as one end goes up, the other goes down.  Now there are all kinds of unique designs, but you know, I kinda like the simple one.  How I loved to push and get back up to the top.  How my Daddy loved to tease me and say he was going to drop me.  But he never fooled me.  I would always just laugh harder.

Ben and Randal at Joe Wheeler State Park
The devil likes to kick us back down to the ground with circumstances but through Christ we can rise above it all by kicking back.  Christ has already won the war.  The victory is ours, we just need to enforce it.  Christ dwells in us and His power can overcome anything.  Circumstances, negative emotions, and addictions.  We have to renew our minds to what the Bible says about us and all of its Truth and believe in that and not what we see.  It takes faith ...

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:1). 

Faith has substance.  Although our minds tell us what the physical world is showing us through our senses, we have to stay focused on Jesus and His Word which is Spirit and it has substance and the power to change things.

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit ... (Heb. 4:12).

The Word will divide your soul (mind, will and emotions) from your spirit if you meditate on it.  We have to get our own senses and dissection of the issues out of the way and rest in what God says we have in our spirits to access.  The devil's whole focus is to keep you thinking that God isn't providing, God isn't listening, God isn't for you.  It was his Garden of Eden temptation and they fell for it.  Don't YOU fall for it!  God's Word is Truth.  You are who HE says you are!

Much Peace and Many Blessings to YOU!
Donna

P.S. Anything in here that might help somebody you know?
Here's a link to the online version of this newsletter:  
www.thenatureinus.com/2014/06/newsletter-6114.html


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