Ice storm comparisons!

In 2009 we had the "mother of all ice storms"!

Many people were trapped in their neighborhoods
until crews removed fallen limbs and trees.

Our house is hidden behind this tree
which split into three parts.

Driving was hazardous,
electricity was off for days,
...and many generators were sold!

Sooooo,

it was with apprehension we waited on the arrival of this storm

as the weather channel warned us of its coming last week.

Looking out my window the next morning,
I could see the tree in front of our house
was still standing.
(This is the one spoken of in an earlier post,
and shown above.)

Although ice was quite thick on our cars, 

...it hung gracefully on the trees,

...creating the look of a fairy land!

I love these verses from Job that show the greatness of our God,

especially verse 38 that says:

"From whose womb comes the ice? 

Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens?"

Have you ever thought about God having

storehouses of rain, ice and snow?

 Verse 22  talks about that!

At any rate,

I'm thankful God didn't give us such a big load of ice this time!

Click HERE to see my Name of God for this week!

Thanks for your visit!

Ozarks Ice Storm

I smiled as I saw the cardinal and junco hiding under the eve
of my neighbor's house to get shelter from the freezing rain this morning.

I had spotted this little house finch earlier,
just as the sleet and freezing rain were beginning.

Look at the little ice crystals on the tail of this little tufted titmouse.
 He was taking shelter under a wider banner above him.

The cardinals seemed to be waiting in line at the feeder
for the finches to clear out.

And finches there were!
Is this a goldfinch in winter clothing,
or a pine siskin finch?

The feeder was "aflutter" with them!

I love the verse from Matthew 6:26 that says:

"Look at the birds.

 They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns,

 for your heavenly Father feeds them.

 And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are?"

I guess God was using me just a little bit to help take care of His creatures.

He probably didn't need my help,

but I certainly enjoyed the show!

Click HERE to see my latest post for Names of God on Rocks!

And HERE for Wild Bird Wednesday!

Robot Unveiled!

Last night we had the privilege of watching our grandson

and his colleagues as they unveiled the new robot

for this year's competition.

Although I posted a few pictures last night on Facebook,

I didn't want to post anything that would give away

any of their plans until the one o'clock a.m. deadline for submissions had passed!

As a grandparent, I was proud of my grandson's part
in developing and perfecting this new robot.

Of course, these projects would never become reality
without the wonderful coaching of their mentors!
Rose bouquets were given to these special people
to show their appreciation.

A mentor assists in preparing for a demonstration.

Frisbees are loaded into the robot...

...and projected toward the basketball goal.

The robot was more difficult to maneuver on the slick basketball court
than on the usual carpet flooring.

Many parents squeezed into the smaller robotics room
to watch or record as the robot climbed a tower in further demonstration.

I was amazed at the performance!

We are all so proud of our robotics team!
Thank you, mentors, for all your hard work!
After capturing "World Champions" last year,
the pressure is on to excel again!

Time for a break after the demonstration...
The cookies couldn't wait for the chili to arrive...

But cookies didn't seem to spoil appetites,
and Wendy's chili went over well.

Relaxing around the tables,
some shared conversation...
Others shared earbuds and iphones!
 

Go Baxter Bomb Squad!
We are so proud of you!

Nesting Eagle

A few weeks ago, as my friend T.J. and I were going 

for a short hike on David's Trail along Norfork Lake,

we saw this giant nest in a tree.

At that time there did not appear to be any action

in it, and my friend thought it might be a large squirrel nest.

I didn't have my good camera with the zoom lens,

so could not get a good shot. 

I wasn't sure it was an eagle's nest,

...but I knew that this one was a squirrel nest,
because I had seen squirrels come and go from it when
they were raiding the sunflower seeds from my bird feeder!

This time as we began the descent down the hill toward the lake,
there was no mistaking the white head of a bald eagle
moving around in her nest

My husband took me back with my good camera
so I could zoom in for a better shot.
Although we waited around for some time,
she never flew off her nest.

There's some tremendous verses in the Bible about eagles,

but I guess my favorite is from Isaiah 40:31:
"...those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. 
They will soar on wings like eagles;
 they will run and not grow weary,
 they will walk and not be faint."

Thanks for your visit.
And thank you to Stewart for letting me share my photos
on his Wild Bird Wednesdays blog link!
Click on the highlighted link to fly on over to my companion blog,
 Rock4Today!

Trip to the Lake

It gave me great joy when my husband went to the lake with me today.

Although we were looking for eagles,



...we were delighted to watch this large bird
and get a few shots of it...

 

...as he sailed to his perch overlooking the lake.



Is it an immature bald eagle?

Or do you think it's a hawk?

I'm not sure...

It looks a little like some of the captured birds

that I featured on "Wild Things",

but it doesn't really match any of them.

It didn't seem to perfectly match any in my bird identification book, either...

(Click on any of the pictures above to enlarge them.)



 

So, anyway, I got to wondering, are hawks mentioned in the Bible?

If so, what does it say about them?

 

I found three references in the NIV Bible,

but only one in the New Living Translation.

"Is it your wisdom that makes the hawk soar and spread its wings toward the south?"

This is from Job 39:26 where God is answering Job's complaints.

 

God's answer actually begins in chapter 38 of the book of Job,

and He never really tells Job why he had to suffer so much.

To me it seems that what He does

is to show Job that He is Sovereign.

As the Sovereign ruler of the universe,

and as our Maker,

He knows what is best for us,

and He doesn't have to explain Himself or His actions.

I think if we have a grasp on how much He loves us,

we can trust Him no matter what.

 

 

Click here to see "The Lover of My Soul" post

on my companion blog featuring the Names of God on Rocks!



Low Lake Levels... Please Pray for Rain!

We live between two small lakes.
Although they are called lakes,
 in my opinion they are really just large ponds.
This photo was taken in the summer,
as you can tell by the green grass.

We live nearer to this pond.
This is the one where I got my great shots of the swans
chasing off the Canada geese.
(Click on the highlighted letters above to take you to that post.)

 



A larger pair of lakes exists only a few miles out of town.
Unfortunately, these lakes have been greatly affected
by our present drought, and the low lake levels are
becoming a great cause of concern for our area.
This is the source of not only our water supply,
but also neighboring communities.

Usually you are lucky if you find a few shells
when the lake is at its normal levels,
but my granddaughter and I found that the low water levels
had left waves of shells in some areas.

Not all the shells were small!

My granddaughter is checking to see if she might
find a pearl in this one!

 

 

I'm asking a favor of you!

Will you pray with me

that God will send us some rain

 to fill up our reservoirs?

 

 





1 Kings 18 has the very interesting story of the contest

between the prophets of Baal

and the prophet Elijah.

 

James 5:17-18 says Elijah was a man just like us.

He prayed it wouldn't rain,

and it didn't rain for three and a half years.

Then "Again he prayed,

 and the heavens gave rain,

 and the earth produced its crops."

 

 

Thank you for your visit!

And THANK YOU for your PRAYERS!

 

 

 

Click HERE to see my most recent posting for the Names of God on Rocks!