Catbox Fail

This morning, after about 30 minutes of frantically searching for her, I finally found our ratcha, Lolita. Led by her shamedly small whimpers I discovered her to be stuck here - 

- cold busted and trapped in her snack den due to the fact that the litter box entry/escape hatch is apparently not engineered for canines to exit. Today's lesson? Be very careful not to succumb to temptation so as to get yourself into a bunch of deep mess from which you cannot escape . . . 

Nature Walk and Rattlesnakes

While looking for rattlesnakes today I did not find any, but I found several other surprises~

Hidden in an isolated patch of tall grass located on a small hill that drains well were these . . . 

TURKEY EGGS! Looks like Robert won't be shredding this field with the tractor for a while. :)

While stomping around in the fields, I also found this - 

. . . leaves of three, let it be - yep, POISON IVY. Thankfully, I am immuned to it, but Robert is not. It can be really nasty for him if he mows over a patch of it.

Lastly, I discovered this well-used animal home burrowed beneath a cactus:

A home to something furry or scaly? I'll be returning to this spot often in the hopes of finding my original prey - rattlesnakes. Why? I want to locate their closest den, often abandoned animal homes.

We have them everywhere here, so I figure it is a good idea to be aware of their hotspots so we can peacefully avoid them. Last week one came up to the main lodge here, so now I am curious, alert, and hunting.

 To be continued . . . 

Dove Alighting

For music to complement today's blog, my suggestion is this: Holy Spirit with Francesca Battistelli. Yes, there is a dove on a branch somewhere in this picture, sitting solo and undisturbed.

Upon sitting by our front windows this morning to pray, I noticed a particularly mature and beautiful dove alighted on a tender branch in a tree directly within my view. Moments later, a somewhat energetic and feisty mockingbird swept inward and attempted to replace the dove on said branch. The dove, in its eloquence and beauty, simply raised both wings upward and back into a most stiff and powerful stance, forming a "V" and looking very majestic.

After several attempts to dismount the dove and claim its seat upon the branch, the mockingbird discovered that the dove, in its rightful stance, was impervious to the mockingbird's flailing swoops. At last, the mockingbird receded to a slightly lower but neighboring branch where it rested between small, painful flinches marked with introspection and glances toward the dove. 

The dove, maintaining full composure, now rested too - with wings intact, looking full and sure in its stillness. The two remained there for a time as neighbors, with the dove's disposition unchanging and even appearing to soothe that of the mockingbird's into one of submission and calm. 

Following this display of God in nature, I inquired of Him, "What can I learn from this today, Lord?" 

Three things instantly occurred to me:

1. Doves often represent the Holy Spirit and Peace (specifically God's Peace, not worldly peace).

2. Mockingbirds, in my opinion, because of their ability to accommodate up to 200 different songs in adaptation to others and often singing both during night and day, best represent public servants such as soldiers, priests, deacons, lay ministers (all clergy), police officers, firefighters, EMT, nurses, doctors, teachers, etc. 

3. The actions of these two, as I perceive them, speak of how we all, in God's grace (meaning strength), are to "be still and know that I am God." In plain speak - know His place and your place and be completely at peace with it. 

This can be a hard to truth to ingest, but with God's grace, I can settle on my own rightful branch beside Him as a co-worker instead of frustrating myself by competing with His design. It is a simple lesson in submission. If today's lesson were a math formula, it might be this: TRUST + OBEY = PEACE

The verse on my day calendar serves well as a gentle reminder too: "For in Him we live and move and have our being..." - Acts 17:28. The Holy Spirit is in control of all, including me and you. What a perfect peace that verse brings to prepare us and make way in us for the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. As a closing song and my prayer today, I want to share this: Only You by David Crowder Band. Today, by God I find Peace and pray you do as well.

Dewberry Cream Pie

Dewberry Cream Pie 

(Williams Family Rating = 4.625 Stars)

Serves 8  

Ingredients:

Pastry for 9 inch one deep dish pie

2-3 cups dewberries

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup flour

Topping: 

1/2 stick butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

Directions: 

• Prepare crust in a 9 inch deep dish pan and leave uncooked. Arrange fresh or frozen berries inside the uncooked crust.
• Combine eggs and 1 cup of the sugar; beat until creamy. Add sour cream and then the flour. 
• Pour the batter over the berries in the pie shell. (Continued below).

• (For topping) In a separate bowl (cold ceramic bowls or cold metals work best for this part), cut the butter into 1/4 inch cubes (or just cut it randomly with a fork - don't sweat the small stuff) and mix it with the 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of sugar. Use a pastry blender (or a fork) to work the mixture into coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the top of the pie filling. 

• Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour (or more if the berries were frozen) until the topping is lightly browned.

• Place the pie on a foil-covered cookie sheet to catch the spills. It is normal for it to bubble up and spill over onto the cookie sheet. The pie will recede as it cools.

• Cool it on a rack for about 30 minutes and then DIG IN! 

Note: We want to try this same recipe with other things such as blueberries, apples, and cranberries. Let me know if you find another fruit/filling that goes well in place of the dewberries!

Reference: Smith's Gardens, Inc.

The Pack is Back

Not only is there a full moon, but our pack is back and feeling safe in their yard again.