Friday Photos

 This picture was taken from my kayak at the end of a nice afternoon kayaking journey.

"Welcome Home!"

On Monday, we had a wonderful surprise!

We were taking Ellie into the backyard, and as soon as she turned the corner of the house, she went literally berserk!  She was wagging her tail rapidly and went straight to the red kayak propped up against the wall of the house.  I find difficult to describe the sound she was making. It was like a shriek, a whine, and a bark all rolled into one.  

She was at the end of the kayak, trying to get between it and the wall.  At first, I thought she might have found a cat there, but then I realized she only made that sound for one animal.

I walked over to the kayak, pulled it a little toward me and looked down.  Yes, Percival was there!  He had come home!  Ellie was thrilled, I was thrilled and Glen was thrilled.

Thinking he might be a little hungry after his brumation (hibernation for reptiles) I went to get him some food.  

We have not seen Percival since October, 7th of last year.  I knew then he was nearing his brumation period because a few days earlier I had found him nestled in the leaves underneath one of our orange bushes.  But I knew something Percival didn't know.  I knew Glen planned to pull up that bush in a day or two. I uncovered Percival and spoke to him.  I brought him some food and that was enough to encourage him to seek a new hiding place.

I don't know where he was all winter, but I suspect he was close.  At the most, he was in or near the creek that borders our neighbor's property

Last Spring, we first saw Percival again on April 14th.  But the soil is warmer now than it was then, and our highs this week will be in the 80s, so I suspected we might see him sooner this year and had been looking for him around the kayaks each day.

For those of you unfamiliar with Percival, he is the Box turtle who lives on our property.  He is also a primary character in our children's book series "Ellie & Percival." If you would like to read how Ellie first found Percival, how he got his name, or how he became a member of our family, you can read that here.

It is amazing to me how much our family loves this turtle.  Especially Ellie.  She encounters other turtles, sometimes in our backyard or in the schoolyard where we walk each afternoon.  Then she just casually looks and sniffs the turtle and goes back to her business.  But Percival truly is her friend.  We look for him, feed him and try to make sure he is safe as much as we can without disturbing his turtle way of life.

Everyday now until the fall, Percival will be a part of our lives...a part that we love.

All Things Ellie Tuesdays

There is a wonderful experience with Ellie that happens quite often.  As the evening winds down, so does Ellie. She hops up into my chair, wiggles herself across my lap and tucks her face in underneath my arm.  It isn’t long before she is asleep.  

I love these moments, this beautiful, sweet dog deciding to take a before-bedtime nap in my lap.  I feel her whole weight on me, and I know she believes herself to be in the safest place she can be.  I rub her velvety ears and whisper to her how much I love her.  She and I both enjoy the moment immensely.

There are times, however, when Ellie wants to be in my lap that are not sweet, cozy moments.  Like Monday.

On Monday, we had thunderstorms for most of the day.  A peal of thunder in the distance and a crack of lightning sent Ellie scurrying to my lap in record time.  I held her close and reminded her that she was safe, but she would continue to tremble in fear until well after the thunderstorm passed.  Even chicken could not distract her; she wouldn’t even look at it!  I do have medication to give her, and it helps to take the edge off her anxiety, but I feel so helpless when my sweet puppy is so scared.

Ellie’s behavior reminds me so much of our Christian lives.  When everything is going well, we enjoy the nearness, love, and mercy of the Lord.  We “rest in His lap,” as it were, knowing we are in the safest place we can be. We feel loved and protected.

But when trouble comes, we have a different response.  We hear the thunder, we see the lightning, we feel the pouring rain, and we choose to believe there is nowhere safe.  The lap hasn’t changed.  The arms holding us haven’t changed. The words to us through the Scriptures have not changed.  But we have changed.  We choose to see the lightning, to hear the thunder, to feel the rain.  We also choose not to feel the comfort offered to us in the Scriptures.  We choose not to believe that the Lord is exactly the same as when things were going well. Only what we choose to believe is not true.  We are presented a lie by our enemy and because our eyes, ears, and feelings seem to agree, we believe the lie.  The truth of the matter is God has not changed.

“For I am the Lord, I change not.” Malachi 3:6.

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever,” Hebrews 13:8.

If walking by faith is a choice, and it is, then let us believe that our Lord is just as near, as protecting, loving and caring of us in our troubles as He is in our times of comfort.  Let us mark His word in our hearts and cling to them – and to Him-, in our sorrows.  It is then we will realize He is a “very present help in trouble…our Refuge and Strength.”

“Be still, and know that I am God:
I will be exalted among the heathen, 
I will be exalted in the earth.
The Lord of host is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
Psalm 46:10-11

Friday Photos

  

Blackbird Bakery, Bristol, VA

I love this photo.  And I love the bakery in the photo!

Glen and I met Blackbird Bakery while driving home from vacationing in Virginia. There was a sign for the bakery on the interstate, and since we love to find new bakeries when we travel, we decided to try it. It quickly became a must-visit. Everything we tried was absolutely delicious, the atmosphere warm and inviting, and the personnel friendly.

On the day this picture was taken, we were on our way home and stopped to pick up some goodies to take home with us. (We are both aware that when we do this, some—occasionally none—of the goodies will make it home. It is a long 622 miles from the bakery to our front door, and the pastries smell so good! Well, you know the rest.)

Glen had gone into the bakery while I waited in the car because, for the last four years, our sweet beagle, Ellie, accompanied us on our trips.  But Ellie couldn't go into the bakery, so as I looked at the reflection of the lights on the wet road, I knew I had to get out of the car and into the rain to snap this picture.  It was well worth getting a little wet.

If you ever pass through Bristol, VA, stop at Blackbird Baker on Piedmont Avenue. You won't be disappointed!