The Story of the Dogwood Tree

Dogwood Blossom


As a child I heard this tale,
Long ago during the days that Jesus
was here on earth in the form of man
there were many dogwood trees.
The dogwood was comparable in
size to the oak tree and other
monarchs of the forest. Because of its
firmness and strength it was
selected as the timber for the cross,
but to be put to such a cruel use
greatly distressed the tree.

Sensing this, the crucified Jesus in his gentle
pity for the sorrow and suffering of
all said to it: "Because of your
sorrow and pity for My sufferings,
never again will the dogwood tree
grow large enough to be used as a cross
. Henceforth it will be slender, bent and twisted
and its blossoms will be in the form of a cross
two long and two short petals
.
In the center of the outer edge of
each petal there will be nail prints
brown with rust and stained with red
and in the center of the flower
will be a crown of thorns, and all who see
this will remember."

~ Author Unknown

The Bee and Me

Buzzy Bee

Since I posted about birds the other day, I thought it would be only fair to give bees equal time, after all it is Spring.
We've had some heavy rain here recently which caused a little bit of water to enter our basement. I was home most of the weekend, so I left the basement door and windows open to help speed up the drying process. Anyway, Sunday night I went down there to close the windows and I saw what I thought was a dead bee, a BIG, furry, dead bee, anchored to the window screen. So I took a piece of paper from the trash and tried to remove this bee from the screen and it started to move and it sounded off a warning BZZZZZZZZZZZ!!! Nope, not quite dead yet! Turned out the fuzzy little buzzer was only sleeping. (Bees sleep???) Anyway, I quickly shut the window, leaving the bee between screen and glass, thinking I'll deal with this tomorrow.
The next day, while I'm walking around the yard doing my daily poop scoop patrol, I remember THE BEE. So I checked the window fom the outside-yep still there. I rattled the screen a little-BZZZZZZZZZZ! Yep-still very much alive. I slide the screen open a few inches, thinking bees have like a thousand little eyes so he'll see the opening and fly away. Nope, that doesn't happen. I find a small stick, slide it between the window and screen and gently poke at the bee in his business end, trying to coax him towards the opening. THE BEE does not like this and moves further inside.
After violating THE BEE a few more times, he finally finds his way outside. He buzzes angrily past me, probably swearing at me in a way that only a bee can. I watch him as he flies into my neighbor's yard and, uh oh- makes a beeline to his open back door.
And like THE BEE, I also buzz off, for I do not want to know what happens next.

MAY DAY! MAY DAY!

Make Yourself at Home

I've been attempting to do some much needed spring cleaning, but being a bit of a packrat and also domestically challenged, I'm not making too much progress. And apparently, it's long overdue. Here's just a few of the treasures I've unearthed so far: (WARNING-IF YOU ARE A CLEAN, NEAT, ORGANIZED, PERSON DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER)
1. A pocket calendar from 2003.
2. A phone book from 1997.
3. Enough cat hair under the bed to make a clone of my kitty.
4. The remote control for the bedroom tv (yay!)
5. Christmas gifts that my husband bought and wrapped for his family at least five years ago (ho ho ho!)
6. Assorted squeaky dog toys.
7. A few dead house plants (please don't ask)
8. And other stuff that is just too GROSS to mention.
This is just the tip of the iceberg in the master bedroom-I haven't even looked in the closet yet!
I'm sure that's a real treasure trove of trash. Maybe I'll be finished by NEXT spring!
Oh, and an honorable mention goes to the jar of pickles in the fridge that expired in 1998!

YUK!!!!!!

Unfortunately, this is true. And I'm sure there are also some dust kitties, doggies, and perhaps even a dust King Kong lurking somewhere ready to attack. What I'm really trying to say is that I need to take a little blogging break and attend to some much needed spring cleaning. So if there are any regular visitors here, I do apologize for the lack of posts for the next few days. Be back soon-God bless.

"Cheep" Thrills

Birds of the Garden Summer

I live in a congested, somewhat urban area in a long, narrow bungalow (think "shoebox-with-a-roof") that sits on a long, narrow lot. I am a nature lover and until I'm able to move to a more rural environment, I try my best to invite nature into my little postage stamp backyard. And the best way I've discovered to do this is by feeding the birds. I have several feeders in a few locations, including one on a post outside my cat's favorite window, a sort of kitty tv for him.

Spring is a great time for bird watching -there's lots of singing and birdie courtship going on out there. Just the other day I spotted a beautiful, blue-suede blue jay trying to impress a lady jay. His normally pointed crest was puffed out into a kind of pompadour and he was doing a little dance that would have made Elvis proud. The two of them flew off together and I'm sure their love nest is located in one of the nearby trees. And this morning I saw a starling with a long piece of palm (the kind that churches give out on Palm Sunday) in his beak. He must be building one blessed nest!

It's a pretty inexpensive hobby, too. I prefer using feeders, but you can also just throw some seed or bread on the ground. Birds also enjoy eating many kinds of nuts, fruits, and berries. Click here for some more detailed information on feeding. For some ideas on homemade bird feeders, check out this kiddie site. A bird field guide is also nice to have so you can identify your new feathered friends. And a pair of binoculars will come in handy if you want a closer look.

One more thing: once you start feeding them, they will remind you if you forget. My feathered friends like to line up on the fence outside my kitchen window and chirp when the feeders are empty. And yes, I do believe they called me "cheap".

Dogs and April Showers

I remember reading somewhere that the difference between cats and dogs is this: A dog thinks YOU are God and a cat thinks HE is God. Well, I know better, but my dog seems to think I can control the weather. It's been raining here today , so the pooch and I did not go for our after dinner walk and boy was she mad! My dog throws things when she doesn't get her way and she also likes to tip over her bowl filled with food. A bit spoiled , you think? So anyway, I let her outside and she manages to sneak by me with one of my shoes in her mouth so I end up chasing her around the yard in the rain to fetch my footwear. And she's enjoying every minute of it and barking at me and I think she's saying: "HA HA - I got you outside! Now make it stop raining and WALK ME!"

So now here I sit, slightly damp, at the computer with my wet and somewhat stinky dog sleeping nearby. And while she did not get her way, she seems content that we're having this time together.

And it's a gentle reminder to me to spend more quality time with God , to thank Him for what He has given us. While I may not have all the things I want, He has provided me with everything I need.

And that's what I call contentment.

As for the cat-well we won't go there today!

You Know Spring Has Finally Arrived in NJ When...

1. You can FINALLY take those flannel sheets off the beds.

2. You can't find a parking space at your neighborhood Home Depot or Lowes on a Saturday.

3. Playballs of various shapes and sizes mysteriously begin to appear in your yard and you do not have children.

4. Your new favorite room is the front porch.

5. Your cat is dive-bombed by a blue jay while he is sunning himself on the front porch.

6. YOU are dive-bombed by bees while gardening in your lime green NY Yankees t-shirt.

7. An ice cream truck playing "La Cucaracha" starts making daily appearances in your neighborhood.

8. The daffodils that you don't remember planting are blooming.

9. You take your dog out for a walk after dinner and it's still light outside when you get back.

10.You spend less time blogging on the computer because it's just too nice to be indoors.

(Hmmm, maybe it's time for a laptop)

Nor'easter 2007

Waaay too much rain today in NJ. It's high tide now, I'm not too far from the bay, and it's starting to get pretty windy here. So far we have a little water in the basement, but we're keeping on top of it so it's not too bad. The heavy rains seemed to have stopped for now, but there are still flood warnings posted. Well, it could be much worse-at least it wasn't snow! Hope you are warm, safe, and dry wherever you live.

Personal Trainers

Yay!!! I went to my Weight Watchers meeting this morning and I lost 1.6 pounds this week. A total of 12 pounds since I went back about 2 1/2 months ago. I was ready to give up because that scale wouldn't budge for the longest time. And that's pretty much my fault-my willpower stinks!! Just look at the recipes I have posted so far on my blog: cake and cookies! What a bad, bad, bad, dieter I am! Well, I've been praying for help with this, since I really need to lose about 40 more pounds to be at a healthy weight. I've asked the Lord to guide me in making better food choices and help me resist all those tempting goodies that come my way. And so far it's working out pretty well. I couldn't ask for a better personal trainer!
Now all I need is for Spring weather to come to NJ so I can spend more time outdoors with my other personal trainer. She's slim and trim, full of energy, and she's nudging me to get away from the computer and get out there and walk. And she means business! I guess I'd better get going! Oh, and here's her picture:

I have no idea what that thing is hanging out of her mouth-I dont remember it being there when I took the picture. Silly doggie! Oh by the way-her name is Raven.
Also, I was wondering if you ladies can reccomend any scripture passages that may be helpful with my weight loss journey. I need all the help I can get!