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Waiting

Waiting

by | Jun 24, 2008 | Daily Life

Hiram and I planted a candy-striped clematis years ago, when the kids were little. But tje nearby black walnut trees grew along with the clematis. The climbing flower never did as well as we’d hoped as the spot grew shadier, so two or three years ago we moved it. For a while it didn’t do much growing, at least not that we could see. This year, however, it has bloomed copiously for almost three weeks, even though the weather’s been cool and wet.

This morning two new blossoms greeted me when I returned from my walk. Earlier, I had watched two Baltimore orioles, brilliantly marked, fuss on the fence by a cornfield. They were arguing about who got to perch where and for how long. They traded places with one another constantly, each lifting of their wings favoring me with another blazing flash of orange and black. Between the beauty of orioles, who have lived along our gravel road for only the past few years, and the clematis which waited a long time to show its true colors, I felt deeply blessed.

Tomorrow I go to Grand Rapids, Michigan for a speaking seminar. While I’m there, I’ll stay with a published author who is a good friend and mentor. She wants to introduce me to one of her publishers and several other authors. I also will visit the Discovery House Publishers office, where my book has been accepted. They’re even taking me out to dinner.

Some days I pinch myself and wonder if this trip is happening. Is my writing, which I’ve been tending for years, about to bear fruit? Is God going to say this is the year things will take off? Thanks to a couple Baltimore orioles and a candy-striped clematis, I’m prepared to wait for his answers. And whatever the answer is, I will remain deeply blessed.

Ruby-Throated Grosbeak

Ruby-Throated Grosbeak

by | Jun 19, 2008 | Walking Down the Gravel Road

Mornings on my gravel road have been glorious this week. The sky’s a bright blue, the temperatures are cool and the humidity is low. The birds are so entertaining, its hard to finish my walk. I stop to watch them and lose track of time.

A few weeks ago the orioles were everywhere  – flying across the road, singing in the trees, perched on fence lines. But they must be busy hatching eggs and giving their younguns flying lessons because I haven’t seen them all week.

The indigo buntings are exceedingly shy this year. The first sighting came after Memorial Day and I’ve seen them only once since then. The goldfinches haven’t shown themselves much either, which concerns me. Usually the indigo buntings chase them out of their territory, and that’s when I get a good glimpse at both of them. Cardinals and robins are everywhere, along with more bossy bluebirds than I like to have around.

A few weeks ago a beautiful song, high in a tree top, led me to a new find, the ruby-throated grosbeak. I didn’t identify the critter. My friend Cindy did that, using my sketchy description. Since then, I’ve heard the song often, but with the trees in full leaf, locating the songster is a challenge.

But yesterday, one burst into song up by my neighbor’s house. I located the bird, a little scruffy around the edges, in the branch of a dead tree and snapped a few shots using a telephoto lens. Too bad  I didn’t have my tripod to get rid of the camera shake.

So here’s a bit of my gravel road: a bird, a blue sky and bit of camera shake. Enjoy!