ToXic Flowers

Over the winter season last year 

a "relative of a relative" 

cultivated some shoots of the "Angel Trumpet" plant,

and then shared them with us after my husband
had complimented them on the beautiful and unique plant in their yard.

We eagerly set them out, anticipating the beautiful blossoms they would produce.
After babying them all summer,
(they were very thirsty, and took frequent watering)
I was so thrilled at their magnificent blossoms.

At one time it had as many as 26 "trumpets" blooming,
each of them nearly a foot long.

Their fragrance was as sweet as their showy beauty.

Here's the thing that's troubling,
or as some people say, "Here's the rub" -
They are poisonous!
BEAUTIFUL BUT DEADLY!
Just check it out at Wikipedia, and scroll on down to the part about toxicity.

It's hard to believe that something so beautiful can be so deadly.
Paul has some strong words in Galatians 1:8 that seem to go along with this:
"But though we, or an angel from heaven,
 preach any other gospel unto you
 than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."
Sometimes things that appear so right, can be so wrong!

Beauty can be deceiving!

So here's my dilemma.
After rooting several shoots,
do I want to continue to enjoy their beauty this summer?
...Or are they a hazard to keep?

What would you do?


Oh, I almost forgot!
If you want to check out my Name for God on Rocks for this week,
click HERE!
Thanks for your visit!

Window Wonders ...and Happiness!

Mail is scattered across my kitchen bar.

Laundry is ready to be folded.

Several more loads are ready to be washed...

And what am I doing?

For one thing, I was enjoying watching my bluebirds.

...Well, they aren't mine to possess,

...but they are building a nest in my birdhouse! Yay!

If you read my earlier post about the Nuthatches,

you'll recall that I wondered which birds were residents in the birdhouse last year,

and who might have used a snake skin for nest filler?!!!

(Click on the highlighted letters above if you wish to see that post.)

As the momma bird flew out, it was plain to see the bluebirds had moved in.

Daddy bluebird was close by, keeping watch, and helping build the nest.

I think I agree with the title "Blue Bird of Happiness" for this little bird.

Just to watch them working together,

and to see that bright flash of blue makes me happy!

What makes you happy?

The pastor of the church I have been attending is starting

a study on happiness based on the book of Philippians.

He suggested we read this little book each week in a different translation.

An easy way to do this is by reading on-line with either

Blue Letter Bible or Bible Gateway.

Well, speaking of happiness,

it will make both me and my husband happy

if I get that laundry done,

and get the mail mess taken care of!

To see my most recent Name of God on Rocks, click HERE!

To see my daughter's take on happiness, 

click HERE, and go to the back pages on the "Look Inside".

Oh, yeah, did I tell you why I had such a "mail mess"?
I was looking for some lost Silver Dollar City season ticket passes.
...And I could say, happiness is finding them!

If you'd like to see many interesting bird posts,
visit Stewart's link by clicking on his name!

Vagrant Bird!

If I had to pick my least favorite bird,

it would probably be the cowbird.

"Why?" you ask...

Well, Webster's definition of vagrant is:

"One who has no established residence 

and wanders idly from place to place

without lawful or visible means of support".

That's how I feel about the cowbird,

who lays its eggs in another bird's nest,

and lets them raise its young.

That wouldn't be so bad,

except, they also often kick out the other bird's eggs

before laying their own!

So, are cowbirds mentioned in the Bible?

Not that I know of,

but while looking up verses regarding irresponsible behavior

I found some interesting statements in Ezekiel chapter three.

Click HERE if you're curious enough to read them!

Thanks to Stewart for letting me link up with Wild Bird Wednesday!

Click HERE to take you to a Name for God that I really didn't want to post,

but after the Boston Marathon Bombing felt better about posting!

Water and Woodland Wonders!

That WORDY title with all those "W's"

is especially for Jenny Matlock,

since this is "W" week for Alphabe-Thursday!

It's hard to imagine that eagles build their nest so close to a busy nature trail...

...But I'm glad they did.
I've really enjoyed watching the happenings at the nest.
This is what the little eaglet looked like a couple of weeks ago.
Can you find the little guy in the right side of the nest?

The baby has grown a lot - looks almost half the size of the parent!
Someone told me today that two babies have been seen,
but I've only been lucky enough to see one.

Before I arrived, another "eagle watcher" had seen the mate bring food to the nest.
It looked like the parent was tearing it apart for the baby eaglet.
Very soon the newly formed leaves will block much of this view.
I guess I need to look up how long most babies stay in the nest...

Earlier this weekend, my granddaughter and I enjoyed seeing this egret.

At first I wasn't sure if it was a whooping crane or an egret,but when I looked it up in the bird book, the black legs and yellow bill confirmed it to be an egret.
I love the shades of lavender reflections in the water caused by the blooming redbuds.

The ducks paid little attention as it landed near them,

...and went ahead with their fishing for food.
(Click on the picture to see the water drops from the duck's mouth!)

I love seeing the beauty God has put in nature,

whether in my local neighborhood duck pond,

or a few miles away at David's Trail near Norfork Lake.

To see other bloggers bird photography, check out Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday!

I also love to see the different characteristics of God

that are portrayed by His Names and  His Titles.

They help me get to know Him better.

Click HERE to see which Name I have featured on Rock4Today!

Undecided...

The last few weeks have been a bit stressful on our family.

Besides the usual challenges of life,

there's been a little nagging fear inside me.

The fear is not for myself, but for my husband.

For the past couple of months, he has not had his usual energy.

After several comments like "I just don't feel right",

 "I feel so weak",  and "I just don't have any energy",

we made an appointment to see our family doctor.

We were concerned it might be his heart.

While trying to decide if we could wait for the appointment

or if we needed to take him to the Emergency Room,

we decided to give him our own "stress test".

My daughter, an Occupational Therapist came up with the idea,

and my son, a former paramedic agreed with it.

They took him for a walk,

assessing him for pain and

 checking his pulse and blood pressure every few minutes.

He appeared to pass their test,

so today we got to compare it to the heart experts stress test at the hospital.

This, too, appeared to be normal.

With a 12 pound weight loss within the last two weeks,

and continued complaints of lethargy and weakness,

our doctor is undecided what the problem is

and has ordered more tests.

Your prayers would be appreciated.

" The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power

 and produces wonderful results."

James 5:16

Click HERE for God's Name on Rocks for this week!

Thanks for your visit!

And thank you for your prayers!

Trails Along the Buffalo

I have been so privileged to have a visit from my little sis from Canada.

She does not like the cruel Manitoba winters,

and loves to escape to the warmer climate we have in Arkansas.

She and her husband have done far more exploring of the area than I have,

and they are introducing me to one of their loves -

the walking trails along the Buffalo National River.

Since they are seasoned hikers who often cover 10 - 15 miles a day,
they weren't sure how much I could keep up with them,

...so they took me to the easier trails that were close by.

This trail at Gilbert, Arkansas made use of a former railroad track,
and runs quite flat alongside the river.

It has excellent views from bluff tops...

...and is great for horseback riders as well.

Spring wild flowers were beginning to bloom, ...

and the hillsides were a verdant green.
This was the only spot we covered in our three mile walk
where the railroad bridge had been taken out,
 and therefore involved hiking through a bit of a valley.

Our hike along one of the Tyler Bend trails was
 a bit more difficult,
and required more exertion to climb the steeper hills... 

...but the views at the top were worth it!
And in case you are wondering,
I was not as brave as my brother-in-law,
and did not get anywhere near this close to the edge!

We ended our hike at an old settlement.
This is my sis sitting on the cistern.

Thanks to the harsh Canadian winters,
I get to have time with my sis!
What a great way to spend it,
hiking the trails along the Buffalo National River!

As beautiful as the Buffalo River is,

there is a river that I know will be even more awesome!

It's the "River of Life" spoken of in Revelation 22.

(Click on the highlighted link to read about it!)

To see my most recent post of the Names of God on Rocks, click HERE!