From My Window: WE HAVE BUD BREAK

Saturday, March 21, 2009

WE HAVE BUD BREAK

I see some interesting/fun things from my window. Last week I noticed that the buds on our silver maple trees had swelled quite a bit. They must have been really tasty because the squirrels were going out of their way to munch on them. I saw several furry acrobats creep precariously far out on tiny twigs to taste those tempting tidbits. YUM.

Then this week the little maple tree flowers burst through the buds. Apparently the flowers don't taste good because the critters haven't been after them this week.

A month later I took the following picture. I just thought it would be fun to add it here to see how the "buds" have progressed. Now they are turning into those pesky maple tree helicopters.

Speaking of squirrels. Something funny happened the other day. I was looking out the window towards the back yard. It was early morning so the sun was shining from the front of the house. A young squirrel was having the time of his life running up and down Tiny Tree. (Tiny Tree is a Colorado Blue Spruce which is planted too close to the silver maples. When we first moved into this house, in 1980, Tiny Tree was only about 14 inches tall. Helena could jump over him. Tiny is now about 20 feet tall, but he will always be "Tiny" to us.)

Suddenly in mid-run, the squirrel stopped and scooted over to the maple tree. He scampered up a good distance and just started scolding for all he was worth. He was looking my way, so I thought perhaps he didn't like me spying on him. Then I saw the real problem, for a shadow passed by! It was a shadow of one of the cats walking by on the roof! I suspect it was Mollie, although I could not see her. (Mollie was above me on the roof, and the sun was behind me, so the shadow was cast in front of me.) In a second or two the shadow went back the other direction, and then I heard a big THUMP on the roof in the same direction the shadow was going. Who knows what it was.

Every year when we have bud break, our deck gets covered with maple tree bud scales. Yes, it's a bit messy, but it's a sure sign that spring is on the way.

We also had some colorful crocus break through.

And speaking of budding--Here's Andy at 10 weeks. He's getting bigger, and cuter all the time! Hey 'lil buddy! what's up?

4 comments:

Helena said...: Ooh! What a lot of crocuses! Pretty!; March 21, 2009 at 11:09 PM
Mamapierce said...: Hey I just nominated you for a blog award! Check out my blog to get it: www.mamapierce.blogspot.com; March 29, 2009 at 5:34 PM
Barbie Mills said...: I LOVE your crocuses! How gorgeous! Kyle planted a bunch last fall, and they were quite lovely too, ubt not as bunched together yet.; March 29, 2009 at 9:05 PM
Sepp said...: Love the crocuses! Spring is truly something to behold after a long Ohio winter.; March 31, 2009 at 8:59 PM

A Random Collection of Favorite Quotes and Scriptures

Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checked by failure...than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat. ~Theodore Roosevelt (from Richard Rieben)

It's much easier to act your way into a new way of thinking than it is to think your way into a new way of acting. --Dr. Oliver Sacks (Author of The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat, and Other Clinical Tales.)

Doing the best you can in this moment puts you in the very best place for the next moment. --Readers' Digest

Success comes as a result of preparing oneself for inspiration, and then being willing to pay attention to it and do what it says. --Leslie Householder. (The Jackrabbit Factor, www.ThoughtsAlive.com)

"If things are tough, remember that every flower that ever bloomed had to go through a whole lot of dirt to get there."
--Barbara Johnson, author. (Guideposts, July 2009, p. 12)

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. --Wayne Gretzky

"There are people who insist that we're made of bone and flesh and muscle but I say instead that we're made of memories. Cherish them but don't live in them…or they'll destroy all the bridges to your future." Dorothy Gilman, Incident at Badamya, p. 195.

"…You've reminded me of something a doctor once told me when my children were small and given to collecting splinters and bits of glass in their knees that needed digging out.…He said, 'Never bleed for the patient. Let him do the bleeding. You just get the job done." Emily Pollifax in Mrs. Pollifax and the Lion Killer, page 51, by Dorothy Gilman

"Use what talent you possess. The woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best." Henry Van Dyke

"Faith is not knowing what the future holds,
but knowing who holds the future." (Author unknown)

"No matter what the past has been, your future is spotless." (Heard on the radio.)

"Give to the world the best you have and the best will come back to you." (Copied from Jill Pierce's blog. March 4, 2009.)

"Help others get ahead. You will always stand taller with someone else on your shoulders." (Bob Moawad, business consultant and motivational speaker. Guideposts, Aug. 2006, p. 15.)

"A Bible won't do a lick of good sitting on the shelf collecting righteous intentions." (Gary & Joy Lundberg, Meeting Amazing Grace, p. 202.)

"Living is a science based on definite laws. If you do not cooperate with its laws, life can go badly. When you learn those laws, and live within them, your life becomes wonderful…" (Norman Vincent Peale "Never Let Mistakes Hold You Back," PLUS Mag. July/Aug. 1996)

"My son, forget not my law, but let thine heart keep my commandments: for length of days and long life, and peace shall they add to thee." (Prov. 3: 1&2)

We stay stuck if we are not willing to abide a higher law… D&C 88:32…"They shall return again to their own place to enjoy that which they are willing to receive, because they were not willing to enjoy that which they might have received.

"We hold some people hostage who God long ago has forgiven." (Neal A. Maxwell)

"Prayers that are not asked are not answered. Father in Heaven would have us ask about the little things in life, to get special help for little things. Little problems solved never become big problems…" (Joann Hibbert Hamilton)

"When you pray too little, you act too soon." (Dr. Howard Hendricks)

“If you want to talk to God, pray. If you want God to talk to you, read your scriptures.” (John Bytheway)

"…Without life's challenges, we won't see God's grace at work. We won't see the unfolding of miracles, or God's transforming power." (Diane Noble, Through the Fire, p. 145)

"To fully thrive, we must not only eliminate the stressors but also actively seek joyful, loving fulfilling lives that stimulate growth processes." (Bruce Lipton, Biology of Belief, p. 147)

"What God is doing 'in' you is much greater than what he is doing 'to' you. (Heard on the radio.)

"The best way to find yourself is in the service to others." - Mahatma Gandhi.

"'Don't feel totally, personally, irrevocably responsible for everything. That's my job.' Signed, God." Jan Karon, A New Song, p. 166. (The Fifth Novel in the Beloved Mitford Series)

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." William James

"…Take [your] eyes off the threatening circumstances and look to God instead." Merlin Carothers, Power in Praise, p. 13

"It's a lot more fun to expect the best than to fear the worst." Philip Humbert

"I do not know the master plan, but it's comforting to know the Master has planned it, and I'm included." Diane Nobel, Through the Fire, p. 29. (Mystery and the Minister's Wife series, vol. 1)

"Most of us don't ever touch the power of God until we have our own power outage. God has to slam on the brakes on our own self-performance to prove to us that He has a better way…" Dr. David Jeremiah, Turning Point (radio), June 5, 1997

"Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records." William Arthur Ward

The Lord gives a little to his humble followers today, and if they improve upon it, tomorrow he will give them a little more, and the next a little more. He does not add to that which they do not improve upon (Brigham Young)

Starve the problems, but feed the opportunities. (Gordon B. Hinckley said at Barbie's graduation from BYU, April 2004)

May you be safe
May you be happy
May you be healthy
May you live with ease
(From Happy For No Reason, by Marci Shimoff.)

Happy is he that condemneth not himself. (Romans 14:22)

One of Satan's tools is to influence a person by giving him an over-active conscience. This is one of the main causes of mental illness. (Dr. James Dobson, Focus on the Family, July 2000)

For with God nothing shall be impossible. (Luke 1:37)

The way to prepare for an unknown future is to reflect upon God's blessings in the past. --Dr. David Jeremiah

Never doubt in the dark what God has told you in the light. --Heard on the radio.

When the emotional and spiritual heart heal, the physical often follows. Dr. Mehmet Oz, Healing from the Heart

And inasmuch as ye are humble and faithful and call upon my name, behold, I will give you the victory. (D&C 104:82)

No one ever plowed a field by turning it over in his mind. (From a 1998 desk calendar.)

When you have what it takes to weather even the worst storm, you will always come back bright and beautiful. You wait and see. --Wendy Parker

Perhaps I can't forget, but I can choose to not remember. (Heard on the radio.)

Forgiveness means to write it off. Let it go. Tear up the account. It is to render the account cancelled (Cloud & Townsend, Boundaries.)

Freedom and liberty are precious gifts that come to us when we are obedient to the laws of God and the whisperings of the Spirit. James E. Faust (LDS General Conference, Oct. 1999)

People with the greatest desire have the greatest energy. --Earl Nightingale

Learn of me and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my spirit, and you shall have peace in me. D&C 19:23

Give thanks always and for everything. It will simplify your life. --Elisabeth Elliot

By small and simple things are great things brought to pass. Alma 37:6

But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage. Mosiah 7:33 (Book of Mormon)