Monday, August 28, 2006

Gardening For Wildlife - Junipers

It's almost time for Fall planting and trees do very well going into the ground in Fall since they have that season plus Winter to establish their roots and be ready for the warmer weather. Now is a great time to put in some evergreens that will provide cover for the winter. Birds will roost in evergreens and also weather the winter storms. Here's some words from National Wildlife Federation's site:

When the wind sweeps hard out of the North in winter, piling the snow into drifts and bringing bitter weather, Ron Johnson knows what trees will be sought out by birds and other animals.

“Junipers help pull wildlife through tough times,” says Johnson, an extension wildlife specialist at the University of Nebraska. Not only do native junipers produce abundant food for scores of species, their dense branches also offer crucial protection from both wind and cold. When spring finally comes, mockingbirds and other songbirds often shelter their nests deep inside these conifers.

According to Johnson, many types of trees and shrubs will provide one, or perhaps two, of these benefits. But junipers are one of the few plants that do it all. “They’re one of the top ten plants for wildlife,” he says, pointing out that even one juniper in your yard can give birds and small mammals a boost.

Read the entire article on their website.

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Tattered and Torn

by Donna L. Watkins

© 2006 Donna L. Watkins - Tattered Swallowtail
As usual this morning, I walked out the door, grabbed the scissors that lies behind a cherub on our front porch bench, and headed down the steps and walk to the butterfly bushes.

The smell of the buddleia flowers, as I deadhead to keep the plant profusely blooming, is heavenly. All the cares of yesterdays fade when I can bury my nose inside the blossoms so loved by bees, butterflies and even hummingbirds.

This Great Spangled Fritillary has been an annual visitor, second in popularity next to the swallowtails. They all love the butterfly bushes (buddleias).

Butterfly bushes are considered invasives in some areas, so I make sure I provide no seeds to form only to be carried away by some bird and planted some place where they will not be a blessing as they are in our yard.

Though the aromatherapy itself is enough to drive me out of the house early in the morning, being surrounded by flittering butterflies is a definite attraction also. I've noticed there are many different butterfly personalities. Some float around from bush to bush and plant to plant like they are gliding through life with great peace in their hearts. Others flit about like an overly-energetic child, even colliding with others of their particular species.

The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail which is our state butterfly here in Virginia is one of those peaceful gliders. They seem to be able to take life as it comes, deal with it and keep on moving through until it's time for them to pass on to Butterfly Heaven.

© 2006 Donna L. Watkins - Tattered Swallowtail
We've had a number of tattered and torn butterflies passing through. I watch them with much attention to detail and find that they are doing exactly what the beautiful butterflies are doing. It's what butterflies were made to do.

The average life span of an adult butterfly is only one to two weeks. Seemingly nothing in our eyes compared to our average life span.

It made me ponder what my own reaction is when I get tattered and torn by life nipping at my heels. When I feel like I've had a chunk of who I am taken away, what do I do? The butterflies know what to do. They keep doing what they know to do. We were created by the same Creator that made the butterflies and I know that within us is the ability to keep on doing what we know to do .... AND to do it with peace in our souls.

We can take life's challenges and use them as stepping stones, like the donkey that fell into a dry well. After the farmer tried without success to get him out and no longer heard the donkey's cries, he decided to fill up the well with dirt as a memorial. As he shoveled dirt in, it came down on the tired, hungry, thirsty and worn out donkey's back. With all that the donkey could must he shook off each shovelful of dirt and stepped on it. It wasn't long until he could see that he was rising closer to the top of the well, so he just kept shaking it off and stepping on it.

© 2006 Donna L. Watkins - Tattered Swallowtail
I think we can muster our determination in any situation to keep doing the simple, routine, and mundane things in life while we deal with the wolves around us. In doing so, we will find peace and joy in the midst of it all and we will be fed the dew of Heaven as our Father watches over us and provides us nectar that provides Living Water to flow through us.

Tattered and torn? It doesn't matter. Our time, like the butterflies, is very short here on earth in comparison to Eternity, so we need to redeem our time wisely while we are here and be about our Father's business. We can float and fly on in peace regardless of the storms and wolves that may be nipping at your heels.

Copyright and Reprint Information
All photos remain the property of Donna L. Watkins and may not be republished without written permission. You may forward or use this copyrighted article on a website if you include the following credit and an active link back to this site:

© 2007 Donna L. Watkins - This article, originally published at TheNatureInUs.com, was reprinted with permission. Visit the author's website for more articles and free email subscription.
Link URL: http://www.thenatureinus.com

Friday, August 25, 2006

Butterflies Everywhere


We've had so many butterflies around Bluebird Cove. It's been delightful to look out the windows and see them floating everywhere. Each year we have more plants and bushes that attract them.

This year was the first that our Joe Pye Weed grew huge and bloomed. The Eastern Tiger Swallowtails have been all over it, sometimes 10 of them at a time. Other butterflies have enjoyed this plant also. We transplanted it from a lot that was going to be developed, so it's extra special to us since it's a rescued plant.

This plants loves water so we planted it right by a downspout so it has moist soil. We dug it up from the side of a small stream. It grew last year after the previous Fall transplant, but only had tiny blooms. This year it is well over six feet and full of huge beautiful flowers heads that are a foot high and half a foot wide themselves.

The first Monarch we saw this year was on the Joe Pye Weed. These beautiful butterflies remind many of stained glass. Their colors and design are so striking in any garden or on any plant.

Their polka dot bodies make them look like they are all dressed up for a special date.

Monarch lay their eggs only on Milkweeds. When the caterpillar emerges from the egg, it eats the plant for about two weeks and then forms a chrysalis and this is known as the pupal stage. After another two weeks, the butterfly emerges to continue the cycle.

An adult Monarch will live only two to six weeks depending on the weather. If they migrate they may live longer with the extended warm weather, but there are many risks involved.

Each year thousands of Monarchs arrive in Mexico to winter-over before heading back north again to lay eggs for another cycle.

A couple years back I was on the way to the mailbox and saw a Monarch on one of our grasses along the driveway. It was stretching and there was a chrysalis beside it so I assumed it had just arrived for its first morning at Bluebird Cove and in this world.

Since their life cycle depends so greatly on the presence of Milkweed plants, habitat is getting scarce, so there has been a concern for these butterflies.

MonarchWatch provides a lot of detailed information on them and some projects that would be fun for the entire family. Getting the natural world to be part of your daily lifestyle makes a difference on how adults and children manage stress in their lives. It's well worth the time involved.

We had Bluebird Cove certified as a Monarch Way Station not long ago. This is one of the projects mentioned at the Monarch Watch site. There's not much to do it. You need some Milkweed plants and some plants that provide nectar. The cost for certification is only $12.

We had received a cash gift from some friends and since she loved butterflies it seemed appropriate that we use that gift for the certification. We also purchased a sign that's available. We wanted the sign especially for education since our street has many walkers.

Getting others to consider providing habitat for Monarchs makes it even more rewarding a project. The local newspaper did an article about it and took the photo of us that you see here. With the sign and the article, we've had a lot of questions and others have already begun to add things to their own gardens to enjoy these incredible creatures.

Here's a website that offers lots of article on Butterfly Gardening:
www.thebutterflysite.com/gardening.shtml

Different plants attract different butterflies. There are long lists of what various types of butterflies like. You can gradually add plants to the garden. The obvious ones are those that attract the adult butterfly, but you will want to provide host plants.

Host plants are those that will be used by various types of butterflies to lay their eggs on. Each type of butterfly has very specific requirements for where they will lay their eggs. The plant must be one that the caterpillar (or the larval stage) will consume to become big enough and strong enough to spin its cocoon.

None are as fussy as the Monarch, but you will want to be sure to include some plants for all stages of the butterfly.

That information can be found on the sites mentioned within this blog.

Getting a butterfly field guide is a nice addition to the project and enjoyment factor of butterflies. It's nice to know the names of your visitors.

The one I like the most is a Kaufman Focus Guide. "The Best Guides for Getting Started: Butterflies of North America," by Jim P. Brock and Kenn Kaufman. I'm sure there are many others that are equal or better, but this one has been easy to use. I like to mark the date in for the first time I've seen one here at Bluebird Cove.

I notice that when I begin to see ones that we have seen before, I feel that they are old friends returning. Of course, being a butterfly with such a short life span, they are not the same ones, so I have to consider them kinfolk dropping by. They know genetically that we welcome them, I'm sure.

You will see many of them looking like they're on their last day. They seem so worn. I've taken a lot of photos of some of those Tattered and Torn butterflies and included some in an article.

One new plant we've had this year has been the Jimson Weed plant which some little birdie dropped in. I would've put it somewhere else if I'd know how tall and wide it was going to get, but it's still done well where it is. It was interesting to see a Monarch interested in it.

The incredible number of blooms has been a real blessing to view but this plant is quite toxic to animals and humans, so we will probably not invite it back next year. I've been dead-heading it vigorously.

Here's a site that will give you more information about Jimson Weed: www.holoweb.com/cannon/jimsonwe.htm

Be sure to leave your comments on your own butterfly experiences below at the bottom of this blog. Others besides me will enjoy them so much.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Natural Predators For Japanese Beetles

We are plagued with Japanese Beetles every year and they take over our Rose of Sharon bushes hardly allowing them to bloom since they eat the buds.

One year I picked them off and put them in water and felt so bad about it. Instinct told me that something could possibly benefit by leaving them. We now leave them. The bushes are not good to look at and certainly not nice to be around. They last 4-6 weeks with an interest in about 300 species of plants. Fortunately for us, they seem to congregate mainly on the Rose of Sharons.

Some birds love to eat Japanese beetle, so attract them to your landscape with birdbaths, feeders and nesting boxes that are nearby where you have beetle problems. Don’t chase away starlings! These birds may be considered pests, but again, they have a great purpose when it comes to Japanese beetles. They eat the adult beetles and the grubs in the ground.

Another great natural enemy is the Spring Tiphia wasp, which was imported into America from China to control the beetles. The female wasp goes into the soil and lays her eggs right on Japanese beetle grubs, killing up to 85 percent of the grubs in a lawn. Sounds way better than poisonous chemical insecticides! Plant forsythia, peonies, and firethorn to attract these beneficial wasps.

After they are done feasting, they lay eggs that produce grubs that winter over and become beetles next year. There are many critters that dig these grubs up and eat them. Sometimes I find one while digging in the garden and I put it in the bird feeder as a juicy morsel for some fortunate bird. If you've got turf grasses, these guys will kill it. Fortunately we don't want a lot of grass since it doesn't serve much purpose for wildlife, so that's not been a concern.

My friends and neighbors have tried sprays and the bags that you hang around the garden to collect them, but their bushes don't appear to look any better than ours during this time period. The beetles release a substance that attracts more beetles and these bags have that substance in them. However, I've read online at various places that the bags seem to attract more beetles than they collect, so they're mostly being promoted now by places that sell them.

Patience is something I get to practice while waiting for the beetles to have their fill and be finished with our bushes and then the bushes seem to bloom profusely. It seems that the beetles have given them determination to shine after the battle is over.

Related Articles
Japanese Beetles And Birds
Japanese Beetles Life Cycle
Japanese Beetles Rise Again - Go Natural
Battling Japanese Beetles
Japanese Beetle-Proof Your Roses

Monday, August 21, 2006

Exchanging Gold

by Donna L. Watkins

Have you ever thought about the gifts given to Jesus? Matthew 2:2 says they were gold, frankincense and myrrh. All three of them came from the earth that God created. All three were natural products.

If you've studied essential oils you will know that frankincense and myrrh have some wonderful properties and are very uplifting and healing. Essential oils provided the perfumes of Bible times and they are coming back to popularity in these days when people are beginning to realize the effects of spraying and rubbing chemicals all over their bodies.

Gold is a necessity for economics. We need a medium of exchange to purchase the supplies we need to live. We work for money so we can exchange it for the things we need to survive. Food, shelter, water, heat, transportation and the list goes on and has been made very long by the demands of advertising. Who would've thought that we would be living our lives based on one-minute ads flashed before our eyes on television or in a magazine.

We have become slaves to what corporations want us to buy. Luxuries have been made to be thought of as needs and without them we are told we are not worth much. The status symbols of today have replaced the thoughts that God wants in our hearts. The words recorded in Scripture, told to us for our own benefit so that we would not be deceived. However, it seems chasing after all the status symbols has prevented many from having time to spend in God's Word.

Peace, joy, contentment and love for our neighbors are not commonly seen among most Christians these days. Take notice for a few days as you go about your daily living, how many people do you see that exude peace and joy? How many people are walking the pace of Jesus and not that of the world's demands? Are you taking time for your neighbors? Are you taking time for relationships? How much of what you do has lasting value?

It's so easy to just keep keeping on. Keep on moving, keep on doing, getting, wanting more. Where does it end? Where do we find contentment? How much is enough?

One definition of contentment is:

Contentment is realizing that God has already provided everything I need for my present and future happiness. The secret of contentment is enjoying the presence of the Lord.

Do we enjoy His presence or are we seeking after the presence of more stuff in our homes and lives. How much have we been deceived? What are we spending our "bought with a price" lives on? What heritage are we leaving our children? In a lifestyle of heavy debt, what will we leave behind for our children and grandchildren if we are focusing on having things that we have to go into debt to buy.

The average American credit card debt continues to grow at a record pace. According to CardWeb.com, Americans owe $2 trillion in non-mortgage debt; this equals about $19,000 per household. The numbers are staggering. Most of the things being charged will be tossed away, broken or replaced before they are even paid. When we expect from possession what only God can give, they become idols.

What does contentment feel like? Maybe we need to refocus on what life is truly all about and begin to teach those around us more about living on less. You might enjoy one of our other websites, The Frugal Life, for some tips and articles. There's also a forum where you can post questions and a free email newsletter.

Begin today to slow life down. It's not about how much gold you exchange. Seek to walk at the same pace as Jesus. God never intended for us to run ourselves ragged. We were created to fellowship with Him. Make life more simple. Reduce your list of needs. Find others who are living this lifestyle and develop relationships. In the end it will be people, not things, that really made your life's best memories. It's a choice and a goal you can attain.

"The chief end of man is to know God and to enjoy Him forever." -- Westminster Shorter Catechism

Prayer
Father, help me right now to see a way out of the mess I've made in my daily lifestyle. Help me to focus more on you and less on things. Help me to find a way to redesign my life according to the pace of Jesus. This is my desire but I have long been in the race for all the things the world tells me I need. I desire to worship You and You only. Help me out of this, Lord, and surround me with people that will support me. Show me and direct me on this new path I am choosing today. Amen.

Copyright and Reprint Information

All photos remain the property of Donna L. Watkins and may not be republished without written permission. You may forward or use this copyrighted article on a website if you include the following credit and an active link back to this site:

© 2000-2007 Donna L. Watkins - This article was reprinted with permission. Visit the author's website, TheNatureInUs.com, for more articles and free email subscription.

Link URL: http://www.thenatureinus.com

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Wanting To Be Like The Sparrows

(Photo: Song Sparrow)

We went to Charlottesville to pick up a piece of necessary equipment for my new MacBook. Although it was maxed out on speed because of all the photo work I do, it was loading websites and anything online at a snail's pace. After my technical husband, Randal, finished trouble shooting, he discovered that the new computer didn't want to take signals from the old router.

While he went into Office Depot for the required "upgrades" I stayed outside in the car and listened to "Phantom of the Opera" on CD. Surprisingly, after a number of scorching days, there was still a cool breeze blowing through the car windows at 10 AM in the morning. The music from Phantom was just what I needed to take me away from bad thoughts. After all they are not going to change anything but me. Thinking and rehearsing negative things in my mind only provided me with a bad mood and that affects my health ..... so I chose to be happy.

You see, I had gone to town for two speedy stops, wanting to return home for the breakfast that I did not eat before leaving. Randal had thought of two more places he needed to go to, so now my goal of returning home speedily was not going to be met. Randal often doesn't think about what he needs to do until shortly before he's ready to do it. I have plenty of opportunities to convert goals to desires living with this slower-paced husband ..... and I can assure you he gets a lot of blocked goals living with me too. We have choices every day. We work together, live together, garden together and keep house together. We are seemingly total opposites, but if we choose to, we can make those opposites a blessing in our lives.

The first stop we made was not on my mental agenda, so I sat in the shade and timed how long it would take for this additional errand. Surprisingly it was less than 15 minutes, but in those 15 minutes I was able to get pretty darn grumpy and hungry. So, at the next stop, Office Depot, I began again to entertain myself by watching the clock tick by as I let my mind wonder back into the zone of non-encouraging thinking.

Choosing happiness is not exactly easy when you're a good way into a private rant. It's much easier to go down the tubes to misery and despair at the circumstances of life around us ..... but I've told myself that life around me may never change, but what I do with my own life can. Matter of fact, it's one of the few things I can change each day. So many things are out of my control and learning to define a goal vs. a desire has been a big help.

You can set a goal of walking two miles a day, not eating after 6 PM, not thinking bad thoughts and negative self-talk, or increasing your sales volume for the next quarter at work. Those are all things you have control over. You can do it. It is truly up to you to choose to.

However, a desire is something that you would like to see, but have no control over. You would like to have a family operating like The Waltons. You want a husband that is romantic. You expect your employer to give you a raise because you know you've done a good job. You believe your children should respect their parents because it's the way things were done when you were a child. You have no real control over these desires. You cannot make them goals for your life or you will be absolutely miserable because you cannot control whether or not these things are going to happen.

I thought of Solomon's words in Proverbs: "A merry heart does good like a medicine: but a broken spirit dries the bones." Having rheumatoid arthritis, I thought about how much time I'd spent in my life whining about the way things were. Being an only child I was used to having things go my way, but of course even if this is true of our life as a child, it will never be true for us as an adult. Yet another reason to discipline our children and teach them the realities of life early.

I chose happy and began to speak good thoughts to myself. There were two English Sparrows flying about looking for crumbs to eat here and there on the parking lot. God promises to feed the birds and when I see them in shopping centers, I wonder that it's possible for them to survive. Yet, why would they remain? Why do they build nests there and raise young there? English Sparrows prefer cities and parking lots. We've lived in the country for 17 years and I've never seen an English Sparrow in our yard where there is plenty of bird food, water, shelter and nesting places, yet any time I see them in parking lots, my mind wants to go wallowing in the muck of misery.

I had a choice. I could be happy or I could be miserable. Something else that Solomon said in Proverbs 12:25 was: "Heaviness in the heart of man makes it stoop: but a good word makes it glad."

The birds choose to believe God will take care of them and they go about their day singing and searching for God's provision. Should I do any less?

We have a choice to choose joy or choose despair and depression. Actually our choice is in what we want to think, because you can't think about all the wrong things going on in your life and not be depressed. There is good in every day and choosing to see that good, to be grateful for that good, will make the day good by the end of it. Happiness may be based on happenings, but joy comes from within and we have access to it through our thoughts. We choose what kind of day we will have by what we choose to focus on and think about.

Still don't believe your thoughts and words make a difference in how you feel?

Take the time for this exercise. There are two statements below. Read the first one through slowly three times, visualizing what I was seeing.

#1 --- Those poor birds having to scrounge for food all over a dirty parking lot. How sad. Life is so hard for all of us.

Did you feed these words into your mind three times? Now assess how you feel. Did you feel your heart drop a bit? Even your facial expressions will change. You can almost feel your mouth hanging down and the outer corners of your eyes drooping. Now do the same with the second choice of thoughts and words.

#2 --- Look at those birds chirping, hopping and skipping around to discover God's provision for them. Even in this barren parking lot they find food. They are a picture of faith for God's provision to us all no matter what our circumstances may be. I will choose to have faith also and see that life is good where ever I am.

Do you notice the difference?

You can set a goal to do this. You are in control of your thoughts. Only you! Be diligent and get better at it the more you do it. If it's been a long time since you controlled your thoughts, it will be quite a challenge, but after all ...... aren't you begging for happiness in your heart? Then, take control of your thoughts and get it! Any time you have a negative thought, replace it with a good one. Make it a habit to think Pollyanna style.

Choose joy! Look around! There's always a "little birdie" in your life to show you the way.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Hollywood's Super Woman

by Donna L. Watkins

Are you a doer? This one's for you! If not, share with them the great attributes of your own personality and help them to slow down before their health forces them to.

It's so easy to get caught up in all the things the world wants us to do. We get surrounded by people who have many needs and desires and not enough time. Much of the world lives harried and stressful lives trying to be all things to all people. It's not possible! God never created a Super Woman, Hollywood did.

When do you take time for you? Do you feel you deserve personal time? Do you take time for fun? It's okay to do something just for fun. Go take a walk in the woods. Find a lake and spend some time watching the ripples from a boat, or a frog jumping off the bank, or from skipping rocks across the water. Maybe you just picture yourself passed out on the beach with thoughts of changing your name and disappearing into another lifestyle. You can have another lifestyle within the context of your current life and family .... it's truly your choice!

It seems those with the most health problems are the overly-responsible folks. To over-simplify, there are two types of people walking around this world. Those who are doers and those who are be-ers. The doers never get to the end of their project lists and never get to the end of focusing on that fact. It's all about getting things done ... and usually we feel like it's a have-to because "nobody else is going to do it."

Just because nobody else is going to do it doesn't make it our job to do it. Taking on more than one person can handle is not a wise thing. Jesus had a great call on His life and a great mission to fulfill in very few years on earth, but I have not read where He ever hurried.

I've read that there is always enough time to get everything done that God wants you to do. So ... if we're not getting it all done, maybe we need to re-evaluate what we're supposed to be doing. I have found in myself a sense of self-sufficiency that comes with doing it all, even though I resent the fact that I'm doing things that I know in my heart I shouldn't be doing.

The other type of person is one who can focus on the now and not seem to care about anything else that needs to be done. They can seemingly wait forever for something to be completed. They are laid-back, more patient, and seemingly oblivious to all that's required to maintain a home or to complete a project or run a business. There is no sense of urgency at all in them.

Isn't it odd that, generally, each of these are attracted to the other and end up getting married. Then not long after the honeymoon is over, the responsible person begins to feel like she / he's got double the workload. What needs to happen is a blending of these personalities. The doers could do with a bit less sense of urgency and the be-ers could do with a bit more concern for the overall picture. Be-ers are usually very helpful. They are pretty willing to do whatever to help as long as they are not being attacked and ridiculed for what they are not doing.

The problem is that doers don't really want help with the tasks that we inwardly know should not be ours, we want somebody to take them off of our shoulders and bear the burden that we were never meant to carry.

Having been a doer, and having lived with a be-er, has taught me a lot of things, but at a very slow pace, and not without a load of health issues. Women were never designed to take on the load of cares that our world now discharges onto them. Where is the gentleness, nurturing, mothering, supportive role that we were designed to fulfill? It's been left behind because we believe that it's all up to us.

Let me scream loudly, IT"S NOT! But as long as you stay on the treadmill and believe it's all about doing, you will spin and spin until you drop. My prayer is that you will change your beliefs and have a real heart-to-heart with your spouse or those around you that are be-ers to find a blended environment before you lose your health. Make a list of the toughest tasks and work together to come up with solutions. It's time to quit being Super Woman.

Copyright and Reprint Information

All photos remain the property of Donna L. Watkins and may not be republished without written permission. You may forward or use this copyrighted article on a website if you include the following credit and an active link back to this site:

© 2007 Donna L. Watkins - This article, originally published at TheNatureInUs.com, was reprinted with permission. Visit the author's website for more articles and free email subscription.

Link URL: http://www.thenatureinus.com

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Heritage Petunias - Blooming Where You're Planted

There's so much we can learn in the garden. I am amazed at what Creation can tell us. God speaks to us through His creativity and there is a large world of discovery out there for us if we will take the time to watch and listen. All I need do is step outside my door each day. Although I do live more rural than most, I find that any time I am in the city having to wait in the car, or wait outside a building, I still find lessons abound around me.

We have a senior development going in nearby behind our property and the noise from the equipment and chain saws threatens my sanity. At some moments I get a tiny glimpse of how close that "edge" is that we can slip over in this world of many stressful circumstances. The edge that determines whether we remain in our homes, or travel to the big place with the men in white coats, while we're put in a suit that requires you to hug yourself.

Maybe it's not that our world has more stress. It could be that we're no longer built to deal with it. We've been told we can have it all "my way" so when things don't go our way, we don't have a good mental response to it. Our adrenals take daily irritating circumstances as if they were bison charging at us.

I know this project will take a long time to completion and when the leaves on the trees are gone back there, we will be getting more than noise since there will be no protection for all that dirt flying around. As I get up each day, I have to remind myself that life never was designed to go "my way." This world with all of its evil is one doomed to destruction before we have the true Heaven and Earth ruled by Jesus. However, if we have the Living Christ within us, we are built to deal with it. We are promised to surprise if we hold on to The Rock.

This morning I went on the deck to enjoy the Heritage Petunias that come back every year. They have such a wonderful scent that it takes my mind away to exotic places and rainforests. Since I have them in planters, the roots can't grow deep enough to get bushy like they will in the ground. They begin to look leggy so every week I cut some back. I don't like to do it because I'm cutting away buds and I get very close to my plants feeling like they are actual friends or children, so it's hard to just cut part of them off when they are flowering.

I know God doesn't like cutting away at us either as He allows circumstances to come into our lives that will allow us to grow looking a lot better than long and leggy. He prunes and shapes us so that we will be healthier and more beautiful as we reflect the glory of our Father. Just like these petunias do.

How we respond makes all the difference to our physical and mental health. I often heard the phrase, "Bloom where you're planted." I've never felt planted here in the community, but I've certainly been pruned and tossed in here for some reason.

The birds are God's gift to all of us and they sure make my days special here at Bluebird Cove. With many feeders and more and more plants producing seeds, we are blessed with birds all day long. Their songs remind me that no matter what is going on around them, you can still sing a sweet song.

The bug-eating birds are everywhere looking for a meal. I put some mealworms in the petunia pots, so they're always hopping around our deck looking for a surprise. This little guy has just discovered our turtle on the deck rail.

I keep a pot on the deck behind the glider, in which I put the trimmings. Randal comes around and gathers all my dead-head trimmings around the garden because even though dead-heading produces wonderful results and is so very beneficial to the plants, it is difficult, so he takes care of throwing them away. This community doesn't allow compost piles either, so we are limited to what we compost in some plastic containers that we keep behind bushes between the yard and the end of the screened porch. I'm grateful that he is willing to take that job so I don't have to see the plants go to the landfill.

I grabbed the pot to put some weekly clippings in and saw that Randal had not emptied it from the previous week. It had rained so there was some water on the bottom of it and the plants were still green six days later and some even continued to bloom. That is certainly a picture of "blooming where you are planted." I will have this visual image to remind myself that even though I feel like I've been tossed aside into this pot of Lake Monticello, I can bloom while I'm here. God will send some rain into the pot and allow me to survive if I want to, so I will continue to look for the good of every day.

You can do the same. Hang in there with me. You'll make it through the current circumstances and although it seems like one bad thing has happened after another, it's just a season of time in our lives. Winter brings many storms, but Spring brings refreshing rain and in time we will bloom again in Summer.

Remember that plants still grow in Winter. This is a time when they can sink their roots deep to find water in the midst of drought. We will make it through the bad times. Just sink your roots down where you're planted and find that Living Water that's available to us. Choose to trust in our Heavenly Papa through all circumstances and don't forget to bloom while you're in the pot.

Beginning Of The Blue Ridge Parkway in VA - August 2006

Since we're only 40 minutes from the Blue Ridge Parkway, it's always calling my name to come and ride. One August day I longed for the cooler temperatures of the Blue Ridge Mts. and we headed out for some mountain time. We visited and photographed Greenstone Overlook and Trail and Raven's Roost. These areas are within the first ten miles of the Parkway entrance. Eas

F
irst 10 Miles of Blue Ridge Parkway at VA Entrance - August 11, 2006

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Poke Weed Berries For Wildlife

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Poke Weed
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Depending on your age, you probably remember the song about Poke Salad Annie recorded by Tony Joe White, and also by Elvis Presley. I never knew this was a real plant until we lived in Alabama where Poke Weed grew. Being in the natural health industry, we learned that this was also a plant that had parts used for medicinal purposes and eventually had some friends who had some growing in their yard.

It wasn't until we left it grow here at Bluebird Cove that I realized how much of a wildlife food it is. I enjoy the plants because they growing so wildly and produce huge amounts of large berries. One of the things I like about Virginia is the many vineyards. There's something about looking at grapes growing that reminds me of Jesus' words telling us that He is the Vine and we are the branches and the branches and fruit will not last without the Vine. Never having lived where I could view grape vines, it's been a delight to pass by vineyards remembering that and other parables that Jesus used to teach us wisdom.

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Poke Weed's Abundance

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The Poke berries hanging down remind me of grapes and I think that's why I delight in having them. They've been dropped into various areas of Bluebird Cove and the deer have enjoyed the leaves and berries, while the birds enjoy only the berries, and they produce so much fruit that there is always plenty to go around.

I didn't know that it was such a wildlife plant since poke berries are toxic to humans. I discovered birds liked the berries when a family of bluebirds landed on the plants outside our breakfast area window and jumped from branch to branch eating till they were full. Apparently the mom bluebird was showing her young one of the Bluebird Cove dining selections. I was so excited since we certainly want bluebirds to feel welcome here at Bluebird Cove.

I did some research on Poke Weed and birds and found that poke berries are also eaten by cardinals, finches, woodpeckers, orioles, mockingbirds and other fruit-eating birds. These plants as they mature can grow up to 10 feet high so they can provide a heavy production of berries.

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Poke Weed in Bloom
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The flowers don't seem to attract bees or butterflies at all. At least I've not seen them. The flowers are white and very small as you can see from the photo.

Those berries are processed through the birds and may be deposited where you don't want them. We have to remove some seedlings from areas where we don't want Poke Weed growing. The nice thing is that they are easily identified and easy to remove with the young roots not yet anchored in and there are not many of them for the immense amount of berries it provides.

The plant is also known as Inkberry because the berries were boiled and used for dyes. One identifying feature is the deep burgundy color of the main stalk/trunk. The older the plant is the harder and larger the trunk is, and it's very fibrous, almost like bamboo when you trim it.

At the end of the season all we have to do is cut the trunks and branches to the ground and wait for Spring when they will come up again. A most prolific producer of bird food and very little maintenance. They have grown here at Bluebird Cove in sunny areas and those with only a bit of morning sun. It seems to make no difference to their berry production rate. They make it through droughts without any complaints. We've had a very dry year and it's now August after a week of higher than usual temperatures. We like having mainly native plants so when we don't have enough rain, they continue to do well and survive as they would in the wild.

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Poke Weed Berries
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The birds have already been eating them and it's only August. Poke Weed has become one of my favorites now that I see how much they provide for wildlife. I like having this "take care of itself" plant at Bluebird Cove.

You can also harvest the young leaves for Spring greens, but only the young ones. Here's a post from a website forum from somebody using them in NC: "In the south, a lot of people eat the greens; I certainly do. They are a little strong-flavored so I usually boil them awhile, pour the water off, and then start again with fresh water and seasonings. Cut them off to the ground when they are quite young and tender, before any berries appear, at about a foot tall or less. They are delicious."

From a USDA map, it appears that Poke Weed can be found in all states except these: NV, ID, SD, ND, WY, MT, UT, CO

PLEASE NOTE: Many parts of this plant are poisonous, so do your homework before attempting to use any.

Milk Thistle For The Liver

Our livers have a big job and with all the pollution in our air, water and foods, a little bit of herbal help would prove to be wise. Our forefathers always did Spring tonics for the liver and blood because they knew that keeping their livers healthy had a lot to do with feeling good.

This powerful formula provides nutrients that must be present for the liver to perform its 500 or more functions. It contains Vitamin A & C, milk thistle extract (80% silymarin, 175 mg.), dandelion root (150 mg.), choline bitartrate (60 mg.), and inositol (60 mg.).

Milk Thistle consists of three powerful liver-protective flavonoids. These flavonoids, silybin, silydianin, and silychristin, are usually referred to as silymarin. The effects of silymarin are well researched, showing protection against such hepato-toxins as alcohol, carbon tetrachloride, pesticides, heavy metals, and acetaminophen overdose. Not only can silymarin protect liver cells, it can regenerate already damaged ones. Additionally, silymarin was shown to increase liver, stomach, and intestinal glutathione. Read more about Milk Thistle.

The ABCs of Immune Defense for Kids

It's time for school supplies and getting your children prepared for another year of school. Don't forget to include the supplies you need to keep them healthy. Keeping their immune systems working at peak efficiency will prevent colds and flu from gaining ground.

Here's a great article that will help you to have some direction in keep your kids healthy. They don't have to be sick. Read Defending Kids Against Disease by Brian Gill.

Study Shows Laughter Helps Blood Vessels Function Better

Using laughter-provoking movies to gauge the effect of emotions on cardiovascular health, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore have shown for the first time that laughter is linked to healthy function of blood vessels. Laughter appears to cause the tissue that forms the inner lining of blood vessels, the endothelium, to dilate or expand in order to increase blood flow.

When the same group of study volunteers was shown a movie that produced mental stress, their blood vessel lining developed a potentially unhealthy response called vasoconstriction, reducing blood flow. That finding confirms previous studies, which suggested there was a link between mental stress and the narrowing of blood vessels. Read the entire story.

The FDA Formed 100 Years Ago - Are We Safer Because of It

A century ago, in an era of snake-oil salesmen, dangerous medicines, and horrifying conditions in the meatpacking industry, Congress created the Food and Drug Administration. Consumers’ health and safety has improved remarkably since then. Yet problems with our food and drugs today echo the very reasons the FDA was established.

Congress and some states are considering legislation to require that drug companies make public their clinical trial results. And measures in Congress would empower the FDA to require drugmakers to complete any requested follow-up safety studies once their products are on the market, so patients and doctors know about harmful side effects. But the bills languish, fought by a pharmaceutical industry that flourishes in the status quo. Read the entire article here at Consumer Reports.

Friday, August 11, 2006

A Smaller House Allows More Time For Priorities

In a nation where homes have been getting steadily larger for decades, Jay Shafer thinks "cozy" may be ready for a comeback. CBS News correspondent John Blackstone reports, Shafer builds and designs tiny houses - and lives in one himself.

"The small space is a symbol of something else," Shafer says. "I think it's a symbol of a desire for a more simple life."

The founder of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, Shafer has become a sort of guru to a small house movement. For those who have little need for elbow room, he has a whole catalogue of tiny houses. At $20,000 to $40,000 apiece, he'll build and deliver them almost anywhere.

Wednesday, August 9, 2006

The Wheel Bug Rescue

On the recent jaunt to Charlottesville that I wrote about, when I had to choose between wallowing in unmet desires or seeing the day's events as Providential guidance, my choice to choose happiness and seeing good paid off before I got home.

At our last stop on the way out of the store, I saw a huge bug on the brick pillar so I went to see what it was. I can't even write that without thinking back to how afraid I was of bugs since childhood and how God healed that and took it away as I chose to think about God creating them for a good purpose. It wasn't easy, but after we moved to the woods in Alabama to our home which we called "The Refuge" I realized that I was not going to be able to hate and fear bugs and feel the essence of what a refuge is ... not only for me, but other species of Creation.

I'm not talking about mosquitoes and ticks. I think the devil's in the middle of all of that, but I haven't spent much time pondering on the evil bugs. I've invested time in learning more about the other bugs and the intricacies of their design, which shows me the detail and creativity of God, the Creator.

So, back to Charlottesville. When I got closer to the bug I realized it was an adult Wheel Bug. We had one of these at Bluebird Cove a year or two ago and I studied it and found it's name and realized it was a very beneficial bug to have around the garden. Here he was on a brick pillar at a shopping center surrounded by asphalt and a nearby highway. Certainly grounds for a rescue.

I didn't have a bug jar in the car, so I took my quilted glasses case and put him in it. Enjoying bugs and picking one up or allowing it to crawl on me aren't in the same category, so it's taken time to go from screaming from a chair to simply grabbing a bug. I still remember that I got an F in my 3rd semester of 9th grade Science because I wouldn't do a bug collection. My mother was terrified of bugs also, so I didn't get any complaints from her. I had always had pretty great grades, so somehow we must've made it through that. Now, thinking back, it is a wonderful reminder of God's grace and how we can turn fears into love if we just think differently and choose to look at something in a different way.

I laid the glass case in the car realizing that it was not a sealed or secure container for the bug and if he had any determination at all, he could crawl out the side where it folded down and slid under a fabric tab to keep it closed. Would he remain inside until we made the 25 minute drive home from this last stop? He did.

We got back home and I took him out to a Rose of Sharon bush that had Japanese Beetles on it and released him, blessing him in his new environment and instructing him to be of service to Bluebird Cove. Japanese Beetles are one of the bugs they will eat and we've had plenty of them this year, so we thank God for His provision of an added "assassin" to help control the Japanese Beetle population, which is considered the most destructive garden bug.

As I reflected on the event, I realized that we are many times out on a "brick pillar" surrounded by danger and we don't even know it. This Wheel Bug was surely oblivious to the fact that his odds of surviving in his environment were slim in his current location, and to get to another location across the highway didn't give him a high percentage of possibilities either since they are not good fliers.

You can probably see why they are called Wheel Bugs. The little rounded and raised area on it's back looks like a wheel. They are known as one of the Assassin Bugs and are predatory throughout their lives, with nymphs eating tiny caterpillars and insects and adults sometimes consuming agricultural pests larger than themselves. It is a "monster" of the insect world. With its bizarre appearance and deadly beak, it is a dreaded foe of other insects. It spears its unfortunate prey with its sharp beak and sucks up the victim's body fluids.

Wheel Bugs find a mate in autumn and the female lays a cluster of 40-200 tiny brownish bottle-shaped eggs on a twig and, sometimes after attacking and eating her mate, eventually dies. I'm sure our rescued Wheel Bug had a female already here praying for a mate to come to Bluebird Cove.

Get more detailed information on Wheel Bugs at these websites:
www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek030901.html
insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/aimg54.html

How do we react when God scoops us up and puts us in a dark confined place? Do we patiently wait for release or do we run around looking for any way out that we can get? We moved here to Bluebird Cove hoping to find a piece of land somewhere to build a small home where I could find total stillness except for the sounds of His Creation. With views and running water if we dared to dream so big. And now, here I am, "trapped" at Bluebird Cove.

If you've read the beginning of the story of Bluebird Cove in the archives, you know the fulfillment of our dream didn't work out the way we'd planned at River Trails .... and since then, the command so often given in The Bible to "only believe" has been more of a challenge.

What do we do when we're trapped in a dark place? Do we continue to believe God is good? Do we find contentment in knowing that God has already provided everything I need for my current and future happiness? Do we wallow? Do we fight?

The Wheel Bug must've just decided everything would turn out alright because he didn't crawl out. He also didn't bite me while I put him in or while I released him. He must've "known" that there was safety and rescue involved in being in that temporary dark place. Do we believe that when we go through the storms of life? That there is Somebody out there trying to get us to a better place in life, if we will only release ourselves into Their care and be content until our dreams do come true?

The bug could've crawled out and into some area of the car where I would not have found him. It may have seemed he escaped to freedom, but it would actually have been a slow death of starvation and dehydration since there would be no food or water in the car. Yes, I would've tried to find him, seeking after the lost bug, like Jesus seeks after His lost sheep, but sometimes bugs and children of God run away, thinking they know what's best.

Are you trying to escape some dark confining area of your life? Is it keeping you captive in depression and despair? Why not choose to "only believe" and trust that Somebody greater than you with more wisdom about your life has a plan and purpose for you right where you are. Relax, stop fighting, and look to see what God is providing you. The Wheel Bug's willingness to be patient resulted in him being placed at the "table" with a feast of Japanese Beetles.

God has prepared a table for us in the midst of our enemies, so submit, choose happy and good thoughts, and find your place at the Table of Life.

Gypsy Moths

A female Gypsy Moth has wings, but they're too small to lift the creature into the air. Instead, the moth uses its wings to fan a chemical pheromone into the night sky; a pheromone so highly concentrated that it can be picked up by the sensitive antennae of a male seven miles away.

The male, which never eats, spends its adult life tasting molecules in the air for a hint of a female. When it detects one, it begins flying a zigzag course against the breeze. Each time it intercepts a molecule of the pheromone, it adjusts its course slightly until it finally reaches the female. After mating, the female releases a different chemical that neutralizes the attraction pheromone still left in the surrounding air. Read more about the Gypsy Moth.

Tuesday, August 8, 2006

Joyful Sparrows

by Donna L. Watkins

© 2008 Donna L. Watkins - Rufous-collared Sparrow - Costa Rica City Bird

We went to Charlottesville to pick up a piece of necessary equipment for my new MacBook. Although it was maxed out on speed because of all the photo work I do, it was loading websites and anything online at a snail's pace. After my technical husband, Randal, finished trouble shooting, he discovered that the new computer didn't want to take signals from the old router.

While he went into Office Depot for the required "upgrades" I stayed outside in the car and listened to "Phantom of the Opera" on CD. Surprisingly, after a number of scorching days, there was still a cool breeze blowing through the car windows at 10 AM in the morning. The music from Phantom was just what I needed to take me away from bad thoughts. After all they are not going to change anything but me. Thinking and rehearsing negative things in my mind only provided me with a bad mood and that affects my health ..... so I chose to be happy.

You see, I had gone to town for two speedy stops, wanting to return home for the breakfast that I did not eat before leaving. Randal had thought of two more places he needed to go to, so now my goal of returning home speedily was not going to be met. Randal often doesn't think about what he needs to do until shortly before he's ready to do it. I have plenty of opportunities to convert goals to desires living with this slower-paced husband ..... and I can assure you he gets a lot of blocked goals living with me too. We have choices every day. We work together, live together, garden together and keep house together. We are seemingly total opposites, but if we choose to, we can make those opposites a blessing in our lives.

The first stop we made was not on my mental agenda, so I sat in the shade and timed how long it would take for this additional errand. Surprisingly it was less than 15 minutes, but in those 15 minutes I was able to get pretty darn grumpy and hungry. So, at the next stop, Office Depot, I began again to entertain myself by watching the clock tick by as I let my mind wonder back into the zone of non-encouraging thinking.

Choosing happiness is not exactly easy when you're a good way into a private rant. It's much easier to go down the tubes to misery and despair at the circumstances of life around us ..... but I've told myself that life around me may never change, but what I do with my own life can. Matter of fact, it's one of the few things I can change each day. So many things are out of my control and learning to define a goal vs. a desire has been a big help.

You can set a goal of walking two miles a day, not eating after 6 PM, not thinking bad thoughts and negative self-talk, or increasing your sales volume for the next quarter at work. Those are all things you have control over. You can do it. It is truly up to you to choose to.

However, a desire is something that you would like to see, but have no control over. You would like to have a family operating like The Waltons. You want a husband that is romantic. You expect your employer to give you a raise because you know you've done a good job. You believe your children should respect their parents because it's the way things were done when you were a child. You have no real control over these desires. You cannot make them goals for your life or you will be absolutely miserable because you cannot control whether or not these things are going to happen.

I thought of Solomon's words in Proverbs: "A merry heart does good like a medicine: but a broken spirit dries the bones." Having rheumatoid arthritis, I thought about how much time I'd spent in my life whining about the way things were. Being an only child I was used to having things go my way, but of course even if this is true of our life as a child, it will never be true for us as an adult. Yet another reason to discipline our children and teach them the realities of life early.

I chose happy and began to speak good thoughts to myself. There were two English Sparrows flying about looking for crumbs to eat here and there on the parking lot. God promises to feed the birds and when I see them in shopping centers, I wonder that it's possible for them to survive. Yet, why would they remain? Why do they build nests there and raise young there? English Sparrows prefer cities and parking lots. We've lived in the country for 17 years and I've never seen an English Sparrow in our yard where there is plenty of bird food, water, shelter and nesting places, yet any time I see them in parking lots, my mind wants to go wallowing in the muck of misery.

I had a choice. I could be happy or I could be miserable. Something else that Solomon said in Proverbs 12:25 was: "Heaviness in the heart of man makes it stoop: but a good word makes it glad."

The birds choose to believe God will take care of them and they go about their day singing and searching for God's provision. Should I do any less?

We have a choice to choose joy or choose despair and depression. Actually our choice is in what we want to think, because you can't think about all the wrong things going on in your life and not be depressed. There is good in every day and choosing to see that good, to be grateful for that good, will make the day good by the end of it. Happiness may be based on happenings, but joy comes from within and we have access to it through our thoughts. We choose what kind of day we will have by what we choose to focus on and think about.

Still don't believe your thoughts and words make a difference in how you feel?

Take the time for this exercise. There are two statements below. Read the first one through slowly three times, visualizing what I was seeing.

#1 --- Those poor birds having to scrounge for food all over a dirty parking lot. How sad. Life is so hard for all of us.

Did you feed these words into your mind three times? Now assess how you feel. Did you feel your heart drop a bit? Even your facial expressions will change. You can almost feel your mouth hanging down and the outer corners of your eyes drooping. Now do the same with the second choice of thoughts and words.

#2 --- Look at those birds chirping, hopping and skipping around to discover God's provision for them. Even in this barren parking lot they find food. They are a picture of faith for God's provision to us all no matter what our circumstances may be. I will choose to have faith also and see that life is good where ever I am.

Do you notice the difference?

You can set a goal to do this. You are in control of your thoughts. Only you! Be diligent and get better at it the more you do it. If it's been a long time since you controlled your thoughts, it will be quite a challenge, but after all ...... aren't you begging for happiness in your heart? Then, take control of your thoughts and get it! Any time you have a negative thought, replace it with a good one. Make it a habit to think Pollyanna style.

Choose joy! Look around! There's always a "little birdie" in your life to show you the way.

Copyright and Reprint Information
All photos remain the property of Donna L. Watkins and may not be republished without written permission. You may forward or use this copyrighted article on a website if you include the following credit and an active link back to this site:
© 2000-2008 Donna L. Watkins - This article was reprinted with permission. Visit the author's website, TheNatureInUs.com for more articles and free email subscription.
Link URL: http://www.TheNatureInUs.com

Poke Weed For Wildlife

I've just written on the Bluebird Cove blog about poke weed for wildlife. I've been amazed at the birds this year that are cleaning the berries off of this plant as soon as they ripen. I'm so glad we take time to allow a plant to grow and see if it's something we want to keep in our habitat here. We've discovered so many new options for free food for the birds.

Here's a photo of a Gray Catbird eating poke berries. It was taken through a window at dusk, so it's not an excellent one.

The intricacies of Creation could entertain the mind for ages. Pondering the amazing feats that some species accomplish in their short life span should inspire those of us with a much longer life span to consider our days and what our priorities are.

Monday, August 7, 2006

What Are You Stumbling Over?

by Donna L. Watkins

Don't stumble over something behind you.

Isn't it interesting how much of our present and future gets messed up because we keep stumbling on something behind us. Why walk backwards when we can move forward in life? We have all had horrible things happen and some much more horrible than others, but we've all read stories of overcoming those obstacles from our past and moving on to become something amazing because of them.

That's not just for "somebody else." We all have it in us if we look inside. The only way to step into those abilities is to leave self-pity behind and to grab hold of what Christ gave us in His death and resurrection. New life! We are a new creation. Do you believe the Bible? Believe that!

Faith came singing in to my room,
And other guests took flight.
Grief, anxiety, fear and gloom
Sped out into the night.

I wondered that such peace could be,
But Faith said gently, "Don't you see.
That they could never live with me?"

--- Elizabeth Cheney

I read an article in AARP magazine entitled, "Quit Your Pain." It was about a self-help guru, Byron Katie, who lectured and offered what she considered a surprisingly easy way to zap self-destructive thoughts. For over 20 years she has been showing people how to lead stress-free lives using a technique she calls "The Work."

She says, "The most intimate relationship is the one we have with our own minds. I was in terrible shape till one day I realized a simple thing. When I believed my own thoughts about myself, I suffered. When I didn't believe them, I didn't suffer. Everything changed for me after that day." Although there is no mention of God in the article, God has given all of us free will which is free choice and it's really all about making the good choices for our lives.

Katie states, "Thoughts are like children. They're gonna scream till we pay attention. When we do, and put these beliefs to certain questions, thoughts we've believed 40, 50 or 60 years - the worst, stressful thoughts - get popped. It takes a lot of courage. But isn't it time to get real? Haven't we conned ourselves long enough? If we don't question what we believe, we're destined to live it out."

Her book, "I Need Your Love - Is That True?" involves four questions you ask about a painful belief:

1. Is it true?

2. Can you absolutely know that it's true?

3. How do you react when you think that thought?

4. Who would you be without that thought?

How do we apply that? There was an example given in the article. See if it helps to make it a bit more clear to you.

A seminar attendee on stage says, "My father never loved me."

Katie asks, "Is that true?"

The unloved son nodded emphatically.

She asks, "Can you absolutely know that it's true?"

He says, "Well, that's how it feels."

"Of course it does," Katie agreed and asked, "Now, how do you react when you think that thought?"

"I feel miserable," he replies.

And question number four, "Who would you be without that thought?

"A lot better off, I know that," the attendee replied.

She asks, "Can you turn it around?"

A look of annoyance flashed across his face. "What? He does love me?"

She asks for another turnaround and appearing baffled, his eyes then lit up. "You mean .... I don't love him?" he stammered, as if this thought had never occurred to him, but saying it, the truth rang through.

Katie now asks for three examples of where his lack of love toward his father was clear and he stated that he distanced himself from his father, he gets furious at him for how he treated his mom and family and stated that he could not forgive that. And then, gripping the chair, he confessed that he had never really, truthfully liked his father in the first place.

She now explains that "the mind is a child. It believes what we tell it. Our lives become hell through our self-created stories. But we each have the power to stop the abuse."

It surely sounds too simple, but Byron Katie is one of those examples of somebody turning themselves around and she's not any more special than you are and you have the power of God on your side. She divorced her husband at 33, slipped into a downward plunge of rage, paranoia, and suicidal depression. Morbidly obese, she became agoraphobic and for two years could hardly leave her bedroom, often unable to bathe or brush her teeth.

Until she realized that her thoughts were creating her suffering, she was trapped in a prison of her own making. All of us have prison cells that we have locked parts of ourselves in, but it's time to get out the key and free those parts of us to live life alive, well, joyful and at peace.

To change your tomorrow you must change today!

Prayer
Father, help me to choose Truth! Let me not push this under the rug, delete this email into the trash bin, or relegate this information to another time. Help me to deal with this now. Today. You gave your Son that I might have life abundant. I am not experiencing that life. Help me to choose peace, joy and truth over the thoughts that I am believing. Hold my hand and come with me as I remove each and every wrong thought and replace it with the Truth that You have given me in your Word. Thank you for giving us free will and for giving me strength and courage to choose freedom. Amen.

Copyright and Reprint Information


All photos remain the property of Donna L. Watkins and may not be republished without written permission. You may forward or use this copyrighted article on a website if you include the following credit and an active link back to this site:

© 2007 Donna L. Watkins - This article, originally published at TheNatureInUs.com, was reprinted with permission. Visit the author's website for more articles and free email subscription.

Link URL: http://www.thenatureinus.com

Thursday, August 3, 2006

Uses For Grocery Bags


I found a great way to store grocery bags. I use left over kleenex or puff boxes and stuff full of bags. They can then be stored anywhere. Throw one in the trunk of your vehicle and you will always have a bag when you need one. Never know when you need to put a dirty pair of shoes in a bag or dirty clothes or what ever you need one for it is there.

Another great container is a plastic potato chip container like pringles or lays stax. Keeps the bags organized and easy to find when you need one.
It's an easy way to take your own bags to the grocery also.

Tuesday, August 1, 2006

More About Biodiesel Fuels

Biodiesel fuels have been in the news and are becoming more popular as gas stations are beginning to provide these more environment-friendly fuels. If you go with the straight vegetable oils, you can run your car for free other than collecting the used oils from a nearby restaurant. There's lots of options for saving money on fuels. Here's some websites to help you research this topic.

Benefits of Biodiesel and Finding Suppliers
www.biodiesel.org

Recipes to Make Your Own Biodiesel Fuels
www.biodieselcommunity.org

Conversion kits allow you to use straight vegetable oil. Here's a few links to places you can buy these kits from:
www.frybrid.com
www.greasel.com
www.plantdrive.com
www.greasecar.com

More and Cheaper Ways to Recycle Computers

I gathered this information a few months back so they could've made a few changes since then, but I wanted to pass it on to you. Many people don't like dumping large items like computers into landfills ...especially when you consider the toxic effects it's going to leave for our children and grandchildren to deal with.

Recycling this equipment is a wise decision. First of all call around to see if a local repair place may want to buy what you have for parts. We've recycled a couple computers that way. If you can't find a local dealer who will be happy to have components, then maybe one of these recyclers will be of interest to you.

If you're local, you could recycle for free at some of these places.

AAA Regional Computer Recycling (Rochester, NY) - $15 fee plus shipping - www.ewaste.net

Asset Recovery Corp. (St. Paul, MN) - Range of fees on site. - www.assetrecoverycorp.com

Earth Protection Services (Phoenix, AZ) - $.50/lb. plus shipping - www.earthpro.com

Intercon Solutions (Chicago, IL) - $10 monitors, $5 computers/scanners, plus
shipping - www.interconrecycling.com

Metech Int'l (Mapleville, RI) - $30 fee includes shipping - www.metech-arm.com

PC Disposal (Olathe, KS) - range of fees - www.pcdisposal.com

Resource Concepts, Inc. (Carrollton, TX) - no fee, but you pay shipping - www.resourcecon.com

Surplus Buyers (Houston, TX) - no fee, but you pay shipping - www.surplusbuy.com

United Recycling Industries, Inc. - no fee, but you pay shipping - www.unitedrecycling.com

Wolf Spiders

Many Wolf Spiders have wide distributions. This distribution is aided by their ability to disperse aerially as spiderlings or small juveniles over large distances. Most are wanderers but some build burrows, either open or with a trapdoor, while others may make temporary retreats in vegetation. Read the entire article on wolf spiders.

Recently I took some photos of a spider that had babies all over her back. It looks like a walking Brillo pad or a spider having a bad hair day. I can only assume it was it was a Wolf Spider. Visit our photo gallery to see this spider.

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