Music - Winterpills

Beautiful song…. Singer/songwriter style. I love the soft vocals.

Dragonfly

took this pic out in the garden— 

Hiking to Hairpin Lake

We tent camped the night before… got an early start on the trail…  

Amazing view from the jeep trail that we took up the mountain. 

the trail up the mountain ...

Stopping for a break - the road was so rough, it took an hour to go 7 miles. 

Looking across the steep, deep valley to the other side - another road going up. 

View from the jeep trail - you can see the original road that we started on down below. 

The start! 4 miles of steep down/up hill. The flowers were beautiful. 

View from hiking - there were LOTs of little high mountain lakes up top.
We hiked by and around them, going higher to "our lake". 

We found a snowpack cave thing - the creek was running through the snow.
It was really cool. The guy in the pic walked through it and over it. 

Hiking across the little valley—
The tundra was super soggy and there was still a fair amount of snow - even in July. 

Final destination: Hairpin Lake, a long narrow like that lies turned in and out of a boulder field.  

The five of us ate lunch, fished and messed around for a couple hours by the lake. 

But then giant storm clouds started rolling in and we started the 4 mile hike back to the vehicle. We made it back JUST in time - literally as the last one of us climbed in the vehicle and shut the door, the storm clouds caught up to us. There was a HUGE downpour and hail, thunder and lighting. It was really cool - being up so high, right in the middle of the storm…. The roads did get slick on the way back down, so it took another good hour on the seven mile long jeep trail back to the camp ground. :) *good memories*

-GB

Little Animal

CAT, n.

1. A name applied to certain species of carnivorous quadrupeds, of the genus Felis. The domestic cat needs no description. It is a deceitful animal, & when enraged, extremely spiteful. It is kept in houses, chiefly for the purpose of catching rats & mice.                                                            

 -Noah Webster 

From his description, I doubt Webster liked cats. I think cats are awesome. Meet Nimby, our dear little blimp. She likes to hang out on top of the piano, eat & sleep. 

quite moment

O Lord, our Lord, 

   how majestic is your name in all the earth! 

You have set your glory above the heavens. 

   Out of the mouth of babies & infants,

you have established strength because of your foes,

   to still the enemy & the avenger.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

   the moon & the stars, which you have set in place, 

what is man that you are mindful of him,

   & the son of man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him a little lower then the heavenly beings 

   & crowned him with glory & honor. 

You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; 

   you have put all things under his feet,

all sheep & oxen,

& also the beasts of the field,

     the birds of the heavens, & the fish of the sea,

whatever passes along the paths of the seas. 

O Lord, our Lord

    how majestic is your name in all the earth! 

-Psalm 8 

The sunset's afterglow illuminated the sky in shades of purple mixed with pinky-yellow. The air temperature started to cool down, but the ground is still radiating up the warmth of the dry hot day. I took a long leisurely walk, just as the moon was rising above the horizon. It was beautiful. Quite. Serene. Just perfect. 

Day of Rest?

" A primary qualification for serving God with any amount of success, and for doing God's work well and triumphantly, is a sense of our own weakness. When God's warrior marches forth to battle, strong in his own might, when he boasts, "I know that I shall conquer, my own right arm and my conquering sword shall get unto me the victory," defeat is not far distant. God will not go forth with that man who marches in his own strength. He who reckoneth on victory thus has reckoned wrongly, for "it is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." …Those who serve God must serve him in his own way, and in his strength, or he will never accept their service. That which man doth, unaided by divine strength, God can never own. The mere fruits of the earth he casteth away; he will only reap that corn, the seed of which was sown from heaven, watered by grace, and ripened by the sun of divine love. God will empty out all that thou hast before he will put his own into thee; he will first clean out thy granaries before he will fill them with the finest of the wheat. The river of God is full of water; but not one drop of it flows from earthly springs. God will have no strength used in his battles but the strength which he himself imparts. Are you mourning over your own weakness? Take courage, for there must be a consciousness of weakness before the Lord will give thee victory. Your emptiness is but the preparation for your being filled, and your casting down is but the making ready for your lifting up." 

"When I am weak then am I strong, 


Grace is my shield and Christ my song." 

-Charles Spurgeon

Do we prepare ourselves for worship, like men preparing themselves for warfare? The Sabbath is a day of rest, set aside for worship, but even then, we are still at war. Not only on Sundays, but all through the week, we need to be relentless in rooting out our sins. We need to die daily to self while staying on the straight, narrow path the Lord has set us upon. We should acknowledge our weakness, & dire need of HIS saving grace in our lives. Do we put on the full armor of God before stepping out into the world? Are we trusting in the world, or in Christ? It's so very important to read & study the Bible. Without HIM, we're nothing. There is such a war raging around us! We need to be well disciplined, humble, & quicker then the enemy, while trusting in HIM through all things. No matter where we are in life, God finds us acceptable in the beloved. HIS loving mercies are so abundant! God blesses us, so that we in turn, may bless others. God allows 'bad' things to happen to us, so that we might seek after & glorify HIS name. He never gives us more then we can bare. Our plan 'B', is God's plan 'A'. Everything happens for a reason. HIS grace is sufficient for all things. A glorious bond & truth through Christ have melded us together. We are HIS adopted children. The Lord is so forgiving! Minute by minute, day by day, He forgives you & me, through the blood of HIS son Jesus Christ!  We simply must trust in HIM, serve HIM, & remember that it's not our will, but HIS will, that truly matters in our lives.  Thank you God!   

“For my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9

-GB

Dirt Under My Nails

My garden is small, but there's a lot in it— 

carrots, chives, tomatoes, egg plants, sweet corn, green peppers,

pumpkins, gourds, cucumbers, bush beans, squash, zucchinis, 

sugar snaps, lettuce, onions, weeds & lots of rocks…. 

Gardening. The sound of the swollen river in the distance. 

 Birds chirping contentedly. No phone. Cowboy hat. Warm sunshine. 

Dry breeze. Hum of busy bees. Abundance of life. Ice water.

Hard work. Just me & the plants. I love the outdoors.

Planting, weeding & harvesting. Get out & do it, tend to your garden, whether it's big or small! It's the best kind of work, for one & all! It takes patience & effort, but accomplishes much. It's totally worth it—to have the satisfaction of knowing that your produce is organic & fresh. It's somethin' anyone can do, to promote your health, fitness & beautify a small patch of earth. I grew carrots for the first time, they did really well. I've always had some form of a garden, some years it's bigger then others. Just depends. I enjoy working outside, under the sun. Being physically tired after a day's work is quite satisfying. What's growin' in your garden? 

-GB