This scene of at least six to eight birds gathered at the bird bath right outside my writing cottage greets me at different times throughout the day, which only seems to happen like this in the winter months. It just lights my heart up! There is something so grounding and calming – almost meditative – in watching them.
Last winter I was disappointed that I couldn’t keep my bird feeders up because deer come through our backyard and eat the feed in one fell swoop. It took me a few days to figure out why my feeders would be empty the day after I filled them!
I was disappointed that I couldn’t keep feeding the birds as I love to see them all year. Though I do have a suet feeder where woodpeckers visit and the deer don’t seem to bother that feeder.
But the positive side to all this is having a heated bird bath I get to see a sweet scene of a flurry of action as birds flutter in and out, taking their turns at the local watering hole I’ve provided for them. And with all the leaves off the trees, after they have quenched their thirst they hang out out on the bare branches.
And I’m quite sure they are all raving how delicious and five-star the local watering hole is right outside Joyful Paws headquarters!
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Driving home yesterday after a trip to JoAnn Crafts as I neared home, I glanced down at the clock in my car. It read 11:11am. I see that particular set of numbers quite often.
Just as the thought crossed my mind that there must be an angel with me, the song “Away in a Manger” came on the radio. And yes, I was listening to Christmas music already. 🙂 I really had no intentions to listen so soon, but we had our first light snow yesterday, and well, I guess it kind of put me in the mood.
But I digress. As soon as I heard this song I knew who my angel was! It was my grandma Pipping coming for a visit. It was as if she was right there in the passenger seat next to me. When I was a little girl, I loved when she would sing “Away in a Manger” to my sister and I. In that moment, I was there again, in her house listening to her sweet voice singing.
I do believe that our loved ones who have crossed over find ways to make contact with us. And it is usually when we least expect it. For me, it’s a feeling of deep knowing that comes over me that confirms for me that indeed, my Grandma was right there with me in that moment. I just couldn’t see her. But I felt her presence very strongly.
It almost feels like a whoosh and gush of warmth filled with pure love that moves rapidly from the top of my head down to the tip of my toes. I couldn’t help but smile and feel so loved and comforted in that moment.
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I have to first share that John and I used to go camping every Memorial weekend when we were younger and ventured out a few other times also. At first it was in a tent and then we had a camper for a time being. It was fun, but when we decided to give it up, I was more than ready.
Maybe it had to do with buying a home and then that became a priority. Though I must say I didn’t miss sleeping in a sleeping bag in a tent — especially when it rained and was cold and damp.
So I still find myself smiling and quietly chuckling to myself that I’m so excited about this new adventure we have embarked on with converting our cargo van to a camper and plan to travel when we can with it. As many of you know, we tested it out recently for two nights and it went well.
Now phase two of the conversion begins with adding a kitchen area, storage, swivel seats, etc. which we will do over the winter months. Fortunately, John has a heated work garage so that is where the work will be done.
On our recent vacation to Tennessee we took two days to make the trip, staying one night in the van on the way down and back home again.
The KOA campground we stayed in on the way home in Shepherdsville, Kentucky was really nice. After we checked in and we were loading some firewood we bought into the back of the van, I could hardly contain my excitement about building a fire in the fire ring and excited about staying in a campground again.
I said to John, “We should have camping code names!” Where on earth I came up with that I’m not sure!
He said, “Oh my God, no. Why?”
“Well, because it would be fun!” I said somewhat still excited, but feeling a bit let down that he thought the idea was silly and I was being ridiculous.
PAUSE…………………………….
He said, “EarthWind to Bubbling Brook.”
PAUSE……………………………
We both busted out laughing!
Of course, after that, John found it funny to call me Babbling Brook instead of Bubbling. I’ve been quite adamant in correcting him each time he does, saying “I DO NOT BABBLE!” And yes, he just laughs. I do think bubbling fits my personality so much better. 🙂
So perhaps it isn’t as funny to you reading this and one had to be in the moment. But it does make me smile and warms my heart the relationship that John and I have.
We celebrated thirty-two years of marriage yesterday and I can say we are most definitely two peas in a pod. Life with him just gets better and better every day. And even our cards we gave each other and what we wrote were so similar, just worded differently, that we had a good laugh over that too.
Code names or not….I feel so incredibly blessed for this journey I am on with John.
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