A little Time in Ozarks Farm Country

Last week as we were headed to spend a few hours on the farm,
we came across a mini cattle drive.

We came at the right time,
and were able to help make sure the cattle went in the right
gate and didn't take any detours!

When we arrived on the farm, there was a new addition in the pasture.
Although this burro looks pretty tame in the photo,
he really was very skiddish, and would bolt and run at our slightest move.

Morning fog enhanced the view of the black walnut tree,
which as you can see is loaded with nuts which will soon be falling.

The poke berries were ripe.
Their juice is bright red, and dyes anything it touches.
I've often wondered how birds can eat berries
that are considered poison to us humans!

The hummingbirds are getting rather chubby again...

They hungrily drink from the feeders getting ready for their
flight to the south.
I've done a few posts on hummingbirds,
because I find them so intriguing.
To see one of the past posts, click HERE!

Well, the fog is lifting,
and it's time to head back to town...

Because there's apples to be picked!
The bucket truck comes in handy for reaching the large fruit
at the top of the tree, and it's a fun ride for grandkids, too!

Thanks for your visit!

To see my name for God that's painted on a rock,

click on Rock4Today!

Apple Thief!

This morning this bird was hiding in my apple tree enjoying the fruit.
He finally came out for a photo-op, but
I still couldn't tell what kind of bird he was until I heard him sing!
The unmistakable loud mewing gave it away.
It was a catbird.

To see my latest post of  Names of God on Rocks,

click on Rock4Today!

If you enjoy birding photos from around the world,

hop on over to Stewart's Gallery, 

where we all get to show off our bird photography.

No Surgery? Sounds a bit "squirrelly"...

About one month ago I was SICK, SICK, SICK!

I was so sick that I didn't feel like getting out of bed.

At first I just thought I had a bad case of the flu,

but when I became extremely nauseous, was "throwing up", chilling, fever,

and had developed extreme pain in the right lower quadrant of my abdomen,

I became suspicious of appendicitis.
My husband insisted on taking me to the doctor's office.
After ordering a CT scan, my family doctor gave me the choice
 of going home on antibiotics or being admitted to the hospital.
I didn't live far from the hospital, so decided to go home.

As a registered nurse, I felt I was pretty familiar
 with the symptoms of appendicitis,

but looked them up to refresh my memory.

Yep!  I had about every one of them!

To see what they are, click HERE to take you to WebMD.

When my symptoms were slightly improved,
but not gone after six days of antibiotic therapy,

my family doctor referred me to a surgeon.

Now, here was the surprise to me - No surgery recommended!

The surgeon changed my antibiotics, 

and stated that appendicitis cases were often treated this way

instead of the standard "appendectomy" that had been done for years!

He stated that European countries had been doing this treatment

successfully for many years.

He didn't send me home without instructing me to contact him

immediately if the pain worsened, if I started throwing up again,

or if I began vomiting again.

He also said,
"I'm not telling you that you have appendicitis,
but I'm certainly not telling you that you don't!"

We have a saying in the south when something sounds unusual,
unbelievable, or possibly outlandish,
we say it sounds "squirrelly"!

So, I went to the "web" and looked up information to verify this.

In one study, to my surprise I found that 88% of patients treated with antibiotics

recovered without any problems!

(Click on the highlighted letters to see that link.)

Although I had some problems with the side-effects of the antibiotics,

one month later, I seem to have had a full recovery.

Thank you, Jesus!

Sooooo,
like these birds appear to be sharing,
I thought I'd share this information with you!

To see my latest Name of God on Rocks post,

click HERE or for one of my related posts on healing, click HERE!

Thanks for your visit!

If you enjoy birding photos from around the world,

hop on over to Stewart's Gallery, 

where we all get to show off our bird photography.

Bird Songs - Random, Inborn, or Learned?

I've been reading the most interesting book by Donald Kroodsma

entitled The Singing Life of Birds.

To view a sample of it or to buy it, 

click on the link above to take you to the Amazon bookstore.
Included in it is a CD of birdsongs which I have really enjoyed.

What I've found the most interesting is that some birds,

like the Eastern Phoebe, seem to have their songs built in them.

Other song birds, like the little wren, have to practice learning

the songs of their parents.

I guess that's like a lot of us...

Some of us are born with a God-given talent,

and some of us have to work very hard at developing that talent!

I'm not sure about the blue jay's songs,
if they learn how to holler out "Thief Thief" from their parents,
or if it's inborn.

But I do know this guy had trouble hanging on to my feeder!

To see my unusual run of Names for God on Rocks post this week,

click HERE!

And if you'd like to see a variety of birds from around the world,

check out Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday blog hop!

Quests...

I've had several quests this summer.

I've tried some unusual feeders (and feed!) for the little hummers.
(Click on highlighted letters above for additional post on the hummingbirds.)

I've tried to catch the yellow bellied sapsucker
who probably made these holes in my dying maple tree,
but only caught pictures of a little hairy or downy instead.

This is the best I could capture of a phoebe this summer.
I love their songs,
but have a hard time catching them for a photo.

But my latest quest has probably been my health...

I'll probably write a blog about it before long,

...maybe after my next doctor visit...

To see my latest Name of God,

click HERE to see the Aramaic writing.

Thanks to Stewart for allowing me to link this post to
Wild Bird Wednesday!
Click on the link above to see interesting bird shots from around the world!



Produce!

When my own little garden doesn't do so good,

I like to visit the Farmer's Market to buy fresh local produce.

 



But this year, my garden has done pretty good!
I've certainly had all the cucumbers I wanted,
...and enough to share!

Our apple tree is loaded,
but we didn't spray again this year, 
because the wren family had already made a nest
in the little house that hung on its lower branches.
(To see the wren's "family photos", click HERE!.)
 

  

My main problem has been my tomatoes...
They keep getting bigger and bigger,
but don't ripen.
Early summer was pretty wet,
so maybe they didn't get enough sunshine!

 
 
 
 



Anyway,

I got to thinking about the word "Produce".

One of the definitions I looked up stated,

"To bring forth yield".

 

So, I thought about my own life,

and wondered,

what kind of "yield" am I producing?

 

Jesus said in John 15:16 that He appointed us

"to go and produce lasting fruit."

 

Hmmm!

Something to think about!

 

 

Like last week,

I'm a little behind on getting Rock4Today posted,

but if the new one isn't up yet,

please check back later!

 

Thanks for your visit!