70 years of "Turkey Trot"

It had been several years since my husband
 had been to a "Turkey Trot" festival.

For 70 years the little town of Yellville, Arkansas
has hosted this event.
The smell of funnel cakes was in the air!

Live music...

...Funnel cakes...

Food of many varieties...

... Fried Twinkies!
...and more funnel cakes...

Many hand-made crafts...

...More funnel cakes...

And of course, Arkansas Razorback items!

So what does all this have to do with turkeys?

Well, check out our local newspaper's article on this by

clicking on The Baxter Bulletin!

And if you were looking for a bit more inspiration,

click on Names of God on Rocks!

Thanks for stopping by!

"Sukkot", Wagon Trains, and Thanksgiving!

Last weekend on a trip to the Buffalo National River,
we ran into some old friends from school days!
They were taking their mules down to the river for a drink,
and getting prepared for a covered wagon trip the next day.

They invited us to come watch them take off the next morning.
The sun was barely rising when we headed back to the river.

Some campers were still asleep,
and some had camp fires going, fixing breakfast.
The sun's rays were only beginning to hit the valley.
(Notice the hedge apples on the trees...
If one of them had fallen on their tent,
it probably would have awakened them!)

The crew we came to watch were not quite ready to leave...

...So we went on down to the river to wait,
and enjoyed watching the foggy mist in the early morning sun.

Finally, here they came!
We had been privileged to take a ride in that first wagon awhile back.
(The blog post on that can be found by clicking HERE.)

The wagons crossed at a shallow shoals upstream.
It looked like the trailing supply wagon stayed dry,
even though it had plastic to protect it if the water had been too deep.

The last wagon to come was the mule team...
"Dolly and Molly" were the names of the mules.
They appeared to be distracted,
and so did my husband.

Looking downstream,
I saw quite a little commotion!

The rider did a great job hanging on throughout the performance!

We detained the occupants of that last wagon a bit,
so they hurried to catch up with the group,
planning to camp together overnight before returning the next day.

I think this wagon camping trip has become a yearly tradition.

For some reason, it reminded me of how the Jewish people celebrate

"The Feast of Tabernacles", also called "The Feast of Booths",

or Sukkot, celebrated around this time of year.  

(Click on the colored letters for more information.)

The "Sukkot" was a hut built by the Israelis.

They would live in it for 7 or 8 days,

reminding themselves of when their people camped in the dessert

after their exodus from Egypt.

Moses gave instructions regarding this feast in Deuteronomy 16:14-15:

" You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, 

your male servant and your female servant,

 the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, 

and the widow who are within your towns. 

 For seven days you shall keep the feast to the Lord your God 

at the place that the Lord will choose,

 because the Lord your God will bless you

 in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, 

so that you will be altogether joyful.

This feast also sounds a bit like our Thanksgiving

which we Americans celebrate in November.

Canadians, however, celebrate it in October...

and I believe their holiday is coming up next Monday.

So, HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you Canadians!

I'm still pondering on a Rock4Today,

so give me a little time I'll have a new post!

Eagles and hummingbirds!

This morning as I was driving home from the farm,

I spotted what looked like an eagle sitting on a roof-top!

I pulled off the side of the highway,
and grabbed a shot!

It wasn't very clear,
so I switched lenses,
and walked around to get a closer look.

Cars going by didn't seem to bother him...
But humans?
I guess that's a different story!

You many be tired of my hummingbird posts...
Sorry...
I remain so fascinated by them,
and still have a few hanging around my feeders.
Is this a male or a female?
At any rate, she or he is VERY aggressive...
and a bit chubbier than the male it was picking fights with!

They each had a feeder that they claimed...

...And fights would ensue if they tried to get nectar
from the "wrong" feeder!

One fight must have lasted at least 5 minutes!
Usually it's really hard to catch a good shot of them,
because they are so fast.

 

Their little bodies have been "bulking up"
for their flight further south,
and I guess the added weight slows them down a bit.

They are a good reminder to me

that I, too, can move better when I don't carry too much weight!

Hebrews 12:1-2 says,

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded

 by so great a cloud of witnesses, 

let us lay aside every weight, 

and the sin which so easily ensnares us,

 and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

 looking unto Jesus, 

the author and finisher of our faith, 

who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, 

despising the shame, 

and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

James' Names!

James' Name For Himself...

In beginning a Bible study on the 
Book of James
I found it interesting that James calls himself
"A SLAVE OF GOD
and of the Lord Jesus Christ."

...And This is what James calls US!

"Dear Brothers and Sisters"
...TEN TIMES he calls us this 
in FIVE short chapters!

In my last post on Rock4Today,
I also noted that he called us
"God's Prized Possession".
(Click on the highlighted letters to take you to that post.)

These names were taken from 

The Book of James

in the New Living Translation.

I challenge you to do your own study!

I'd love to hear what God shows you!

Thanks for dropping by!

Hummingbirds again...

These little creatures keep me amused.
The clothes pins help show his size.

He used my make-shift clothes line
down on the farm to keep an eye on both feeders,
and would try to keep the nectar all for himself!

Such antics!

And this shot looks like he's "Saying Grace"
before taking a meal.

I just can't help but love those fiesty little hummingbirds!

Thank you, Lord, for making such interesting little creatures!

Actually, I think these are the females!

My apologies to Mrs. Hummingbird and family!

"B and B"

No...

I'm not talking about a "Bed and Breakfast"!

How about "Buffalo River" and "Bible Ladies"?

When my husband and I are down on the farm,

we often think of a few things we need from the small town of Marshall

that is 15 or 20 minutes away.

To get there, we drive through the Buffalo National River area.
With Labor Day only a week and a half away,
I thought the tourist season would still be booming.

...But the number of canoes spotted on the river was down.

While my husband did our shopping
I had a different goal in mind.
I went to visit two very special ladies.
who now live in a retirement home.

For many years they were known as "The Bible Ladies".

They went to many area schools and taught Bible stories and lessons.
"Flannel graph pictures" were used to bring the stories to life.

 

I was surprised to see one of my
"Names of God on Rocks"
sitting on their window sill!

Before they had finished their lunch,
my husband arrived.
Although the school I went to did not allow the Bible classes,
Gary had benefited from their teaching at his school.
In case you're wondering...
Yes, that was quite a few years ago!
Miss Hilda is now 93 years old,
and Miss Jolena is a few years her senior.

Although I love my country,

I can't help but think that our nation would be a much better place

if the Bible was still taught in school!

"How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
    By living according to Your Word.
 I seek You with all my heart;
    do not let me stray from Your commands.
 I have hidden Your Word in my heart
    that I might not sin against You."

Psalm 119:9-11

Fiesty little Hummingbirds!

Hummingbirds never cease to amuse me...
...And amaze me!
Especially their ability to hover like a helicopter!

Their aggressiveness at the feeder
is most interesting to observe.

A "thump" can actually be heard
when they hit each other in flight!

Yes, that is what you probably think it is!
Whether from fear or normal body function,
yes, that is poop!

Fear can do weird things to us...

It often can paralyze me from moving forward in victory!

My favorite Bible verse in combating fear is 2 Timothy 1:7:

" For God has not given us a spirit of fear,

 but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

Also Isaiah 41:10:
"Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

These verses are especially dedicated to my sis, Alice,
who will start a round of radiation today
to fight cancer which has come back in her bones.
You can find some of her past blog posts HERE.

Thanks for your visit!

I hope you have a "Fearless" day!

Drop by Rock4Today sometime.

You never can tell when I might have come across 

another great Name for God to paint on Rocks!