The Praying Mantis

As some of you know, I have quite a few flower gardens spread through my yard.  The back slope used to be bare ground but is now a perennial flower garden full of hollyhocks, sweet william, coreposis, black-eyed susans, lilies, bee balm, hot lips sage (yes, that's a plant!), butterfly weed, about 15 varieties of day lilies, Mexican hat (yes, that's a flower, too!), Canterbury bells, lupine, red hot poker (and again, yes!), lambs' ear, and several other flowers that escape my memory at the moment.  The slope is a riot of color which changes from week to week, depending on what's in bloom, and right now, the zinnias, which are not perennials but annuals, that I threw out to fill in the blank spots are in full bloom. 

Our rather large deck is surrounded by more flowerbeds which wrap around three sides of our house.  Because we sit at the end of a cul-de-sac, our front yard is very narrow, but the plot expands rapidly and incorporates .39 of an acre.  So with these multiple flower gardens, we have loads of butterflies, bees, and even praying mantises. 

Early this past spring, I found three praying mantis cocoons -- one on the side of the house, one on an azalea shrub, and another on a small cypress tree, and I was thrilled because a praying mantis can eat a lot of the bad guys that eat my flowers.  But on Sunday, I watched the demise of a hummingbird moth, and it wasn't a pretty sight.  I was standing at the step up into the garden, gazing at the beauty around me and trying to decide where I was going to put the sprinkler (watering has been a continual process due to a severe shortage of rainfall in our area) when I heard a frantic flapping sound.  I located the source of the noise and found a praying mantis that must have been least four inches long with a hummingbird moth in its vice-like grip.  Desperate to be free, the moth was flapping its wings madly, and I wondered if it actually was going to escape.  I called my husband over, and we both marveled at what we were watching. Quickly I ran inside and fetched the camera, and when I returned, the struggle was over, and the praying mantis had already chewed off the head of the hummingbird moth.  There would be no escape.  The praying mantis was the exact same color as the stems and leaves of the zinnias and blended in perfectly, and when the hummingbird moth came to sip nectar from a flower, he didn't see the death trap that was awaiting him.  That hummingbird moth did not harm my garden and was a delight to behold, but it fell prey to an insect that was designed by God to do what it does -- eat other insects.  The attached photo says it all. 

There's a lesson to be learned here.  Often we go places and don't see the dangers, disguised and attractive,  lurking there, and before we know it, we've been snared by the enemy of our souls.  Many times we don't think of the spiritual battles occuring in the heavenlies, and without diligence and protection with God's Word, we may end up like that unsuspecting hummingbird moth -- captured with no way of escape.  Stay close to God, dear friends, and don't fall prey to someone or something that blends in with the scenery around us.

Birthday Celebrations!

Last Saturday, we celebrated the birthdays of two of our grandchildren -- Niland, who turned 3 on July 19; and his brother, Ben, who turned 1 on July 20.  Yes, a day apart in birthdays!  The entire family showed up at their house, and, since it was raining, everyone pretty much stayed inside.  Thankfully, their house has a huge room over the garage that is the boys' play room, and it contained an air-filled bouncy contraption -- you know, you've seen them at parties and at fairs.  They have a blower that fills them with air, the kids get in and jump around, and the parents have to drag them out because they don't want to come.  So we had 3 toddler grandsons bouncing to their hearts' delight in that thing!  I got tired just watching them!  And Ben, even though he couldn't get in it, tried his level best to climb that inflated slide, only to slip back down into my awaiting arms.  He's a determined little fellow!

When I finally got to greet Niland, I hugged him and said, "Happy birthday, Niland!"  He hugged me back and said, "Happy birthday, Nana!"  It made my heart sing with laughter!  That's one memory that I will cherish in the 'too cute' category. 

Last March, we were at another grandson's birthday party, and Niland went with us.  After the cake and ice cream, we headed outdoors to let Niland use the swing that hung from a large tree in the front yard.  We were the only ones there for a while, but later, others flowed from the house to catch a breath of fresh air.  Niland let his cousins use the swing and decided to pick up some of the numerous pine cones that were in the yard.  As he wandered, he held up some of the pine cones in his hands to show one of the visiting mothers.  "Look!" he said as he held them up. "Wow, those are awesome!" was the animated reply.  Niland slowly lowered the pine cones in his hands and looked at them, clearly puzzled, and then he looked up and explained, "They not awesome!  They pine cones!"  And he was right! 

Have a blessed day. 

A Photograph is worth a thousand words!

A few weeks ago, I ventured outside to see the moon shining between  some storm clouds off in the distance.  It was dark outside, so I used the nighttime setting on the digital camera to capture this image.  I took a series of shots, and when my husband, who was working late, came home, he came outside and watched the spectacle unfold with me.  The moon and clouds changed by the second, and we were again reminded of the awesomness of God, who created everything and who put the moon in the sky to give us light at night while still allowing for sleep.  I often ponder why we, in this day and age, don't go outside at night other than to get in a car and go somewhere.  Rarely do we sit in our yards in the dark and gaze into the majesty that is right above our heads.  I used to be a Girl Scout leader, and every year when I took my girls tent camping, I'd take them outside into a field with only their flashlights to guide them, and then we'd spread our blankets on the ground and extinguish the lights and gaze at the incredible sky.  Many of the girls had never done such a thing before and were amazed at what they saw.  Most of us would be amazed, too, I think, if we'd simply stop and take a moment to look at what's around us -- trees, grass, flowers, ponds, lakes, the ocean, birds and bees, bugs of all kinds, cats and dogs, animals of all descriptions -- the list goes on and on -- endless!  Yet most of us simply go about our business without seeing the incredibly diverse world that exists right in front of us.  I think that's sad.  I encourage each of you to look up and look around as you go about your day.  You might be surprised at what you see -- for the very first time. 

God and Zoysia grass

As usual, a busy weekend. Saturday was the day of our Open Garden Party, where we invited co-workers, friends, and family to come visit us and our gardens. Despite thunderstorms within close proximity most of the day, the rain stayed away, much to my dismay, until shortly after 4:00 PM, when the event was wrapping up. Even then, the rain amounted to only a tenth of an inch, a paltry sprinkling for ground that is in desperate need of a good soaking. But at this point, I'll take anything that falls from the sky.

Now you're probably wondering about the title of this post. What do God and Zoysia grass have in common? Or you may even be asking, "What is Zoysia grass?" Well, we have a patch of Zoysia grass in our yard, and it is slowly spreading and taking over the entire yard, which is what we want to happen. Our yard, and most yards in North Carolina, is seeded or sodded with fescue, a clumpy type of thick-bladed grass that requires copious amounts of water to stay green during the heat of summer. We are also the not-so-proud owners of several areas of Bermuda grass, an invasive, fast-growing creeper that can overtake garden space while you watch! Our small patch of Zoysia is originally from my mother-in-law's house in Huntsville, Alabama, which was planted by my husband in 1960. While visiting there in 2007, we returned with a bag full of cuttings of the Zoysia grass, and Bob planted those sprigs in a flowerbed located in the center of our back yard (no, we did not put the flowerbed there -- the previous owners did, and I never saw the sense of a flowerbed in the middle of the yard). Without much care, the Zoysia grass rooted and started doing its thing -- sending out runners, both underground and on the surface. This is the third summer for our patch of Zoysia grass, and its toothpick-thin blades are so thick it's like a carpet and is many times larger than the original spot. As the Zoysia advances, we pull up and discard the fescue, and the Zoysia simply establishes itself.

During the Garden Party, the Zoysia was the focus of the interest of many visitors. Bob proudly explained how Zoysia grows, how it tolerates the heat and takes very little water to stay green in the summer. I think we sold the idea of Zoysia to most of our neighbors and fully expect that half of the cul-de-sac will be Zoysia within a year. We eagerly told our visitors of the benefits of Zoysia grass, and they could see the grass for themselves and verify what we said.

I woke up early this Tuesday morning and took a walk, and during that walk, God impressed upon my heart a truth that stung -- I eagerly tell others about Zoysia but not about Him. OUCH! The truth hurt. When He revealed that to me, I realized that He is much like Zoysia. All it takes is a little sprig of Zoysia to get it started, but after a few years, the grass will spread and cover an entire yard. All it takes is a belief in God, an acceptance of Him into our lives, and little by little, His character, His love, joy, peace and kindness, spread into every area of our lives, weaving a tapestry that covers all of the ugly things about our past. God, like Zoysia grass, can cover the dirt of our lives and create a beautiful carpet that invites people in to experience the same thing. How beautifully simple!

So I can sell you on Zoysia grass, or I can sell you on the God of the universe, who has created everything, including Zoysia grass. As for me, I'm glad to have Zoysia grass taking over and pushing out the fescue and Bermuda grasses in our yard, but I'm even happier about God living inside me and showing me such a thing as what I've shared.

How about you? Do you know the God who's like Zoysia grass?

Getting on With Life

So the book is finished, and now I wait for God's timing. But I'm not being very patient. I worked so hard to get the book in print, and now that it's done, it seems as if nothing is happening, other than me stabbing myself with a phillip's-head screwdriver when the screw went flying; my grandson Luke suffering a hairline fracture on his foot the first day of basketball camp; too much stress at work; Bob being stung by a bee; and someone somewhere in the world trying to use my debit card. I'm grateful for people who keep an eye out for these things, but this means that my debit card has been cancelled and a new one is being sent to me. I'm sure most of you have experienced something like this, and it makes me angry when someone thinks that they have a right to take something from someone else and inconvenience them. If they are so intelligent as to be able to steal my card number without ever seeing the card, why don't they put the brains the good Lord gave them to good use? I could go on and on about this topic, but I won't.

In the meantime, life goes on, and I'd like to know how in the world, when one is a grandparent, life can be so BUSY! This past weekend, for example, my husband and I had one of our pastors and his wife for dinner Saturday evening, so we spent the day preparing for that. But it wasn't just housework! No! We'd had a mowing edge installed around our gardens to prevent the newly-planted Zoysia grass from invading the beds, and the work left a great deal of dirt that needed to be mulched. So we purchased 15 bags of mulch and spent Saturday morning spreading it -- in the sunshine and 90-degree heat! EXHAUSTING! And then I had to go to the grocery store, clean house, and prepare food. The evening was very relaxing, and everyone had a good time, so the results were well worth the work.

Sunday arrived with its usual heat and humidity. I'm still trying to figure out how there can be so much humidity and no rain continuously; we are currently entering a moderate drought due to lack of rainfall, and we've experienced one run of 23 days straight of temps that reached 90 degrees or more. The lawns are parched and crispy, and I feel as if I spend my life watering the flower beds and vegetable gardens. I think we'll have to put our next water bill on time payments! I dread seeing it. Anyway, after church, we ate a quick lunch before my son and his wife brought over their two little boys, Niland and Ben. Niland will turn 3 on July 19, and Ben will turn 1 on July 20. Yep, one day apart in birthdays! In the meantime, my daughter and 8-year-old granddaughter Cami arrived. We filled the kiddie pool for Niland and Cami and tried to get Ben to take a much-needed nap, but to no avail. More than an hour later, we finally put him in the stroller and I took him for a walk, and he fell asleep within minutes and slept for well over an hour. I left him in the stroller in the shade of a tree, away from all the activity in the back yard, and sat near him and read, but soon I was fast asleep. I have no idea how long I napped. I was awakened by one of my husband's daughters arriving with her husband and 2-year-old son in tow, and shortly after, another daughter arrived with another son soon to be two in tow, and shortly after, the third daughter arrived with my mother-in-law in tow! BUSY place! At that time, little Ben awoke, a much happier baby than before. Soon even he was in the kiddie pool, along with his brother and step-cousins. I became drenched with one good squirt of the hose; Ben kept trying to climb on top of the child picnic table which held two 'lakes' complete with water, and virtual chaos ensued as parents endeavored to keep kids from dumping dirt into the pool and pouring water where it shouldn't be poured.

Thankfully, my daughter brought a huge pot of homemade pasta sauce, and my step-daughters brought fresh corn, so with the addition of grilled sausages, salad and bread, dinner was eaten by everyone, some inside and some outside. Later, when everyone was gone, I sighed as I began the cleanup, glad for such a blessing as family -- and glad that they all returned home!

I wasn't reluctant to fall into bed that night! Memories of the day -- Ben hugging me by leaning his head on my shoulder; Cami squirting me with the hose; Cooper singing "Happy Birthday" even though it wasn't anyone's birthday; Niland dumping dirt into the pool; and Wilson eating like no todler I've ever seen -- warmed my heart as I drifted off to sleep.

And despite prolific lightning and thunder in the distance this evening, still no rain at our house as I publish this post. Please, Lord, send us rain!

Completion of Project

"Amanda's Hope -- A Choice for Life" is now completed and available at www.createspace.com/3460190 -- but the book won't do any good unless it gets into the hands of young women and men who need it. Please remember that a portion of my profit (almost 50%) is being donated to centers in the Raleigh/Durham area that offer support for young girls who find themselves facing an unplanned pregnancy. So please go on-line, purchase the book, maybe more than one copy, read it, share the other with someone who needs to read it, and pray for the impact that this book can make.

I've decided to continue writing on this blog, sharing my thoughts, impressions, and observations of everyday occurrences or commenting on the challenges we face as Believers and the condition of our nation.

God's blessings to all. Please keep reading.