Back Yard Bulletin
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byb1

My oldest has been talking about making a newspaper focusing on our nature study. She thought up the name Back Yard Bulletin, and she’s been thinking about how to put it all together using scissors, glue, and so forth. Even though I’m a semi-Luddite, the idea of using MS Publisher seemed a lot easier, and … Continue reading

Posted in Nature Study | Tagged | 8 Comments

From the Notebook: Joy
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th

I received this notebook for Christmas. It’s a present from my husband and daughters. They know I love notebooks and journals, and I’ve been wanting a new one. Inside is an encouraging message about my writing, written by my husband. Like so many bloggers, I think of myself as a writer. I even have one … Continue reading

Posted in Writing | Tagged | 6 Comments

Back Yard Tales
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hawk

This hawk appeared in our back brush today. It’s a mature red-tail, imposing in size, probably one of a pair I’ve noticed roosting together a mile or so from here. It may be the one I photographed the other day just as it landed, with its red tail all fanned out. I’ve never seen a … Continue reading

Posted in Nature Study | Tagged | 3 Comments

Walking with God
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walking-with-god

John Eldredge is a needed voice. He writes about something that might seem obvious — how to walk with God daily. But lately, listening to others, I’ve realized that this is something many people don’t know how to do. They know how to have a “conversion experience.” They know how to go to church, how … Continue reading

Posted in Christianity, Nonfiction | Tagged | 5 Comments

Tree tales, muted colors, birds, and musings
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I took this photo with my phone, but I like its slight blur and dreaminess. It's a good representation of the path into the future, isn't it?

“New Year’s” never has been that meaningful to me, coming as it does in the middle of the year’s school activity. It would seem more intuitively meaningful if it happened in the spring. But this year’s ending finds me noting some new things sprouting up even in the bleak midwinter. For instance, we visited a … Continue reading

Posted in Nature Study, Photos | Tagged | 9 Comments

Books Read in 2011
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1109 jesse wilcox smith copy

It’s the season for lists, and here’s mine. It includes a few (4) of the chapter books I read to my daughters. Alcorn, Randy. Safely Home. Berry, Wendell. “Fidelity.” —. “The Boundary.” Blanchard, Ken and Spencer Johnson. The One Minute Manager. Bowditch, Eden Unger. The Atomic Weight of Secrets. Brooks, Geraldine. March. —. People of … Continue reading

Posted in On Reading | Tagged | 5 Comments

A Wing in the Door
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819809-L

A Wing in the Door by Peri Phillips McQuay is by turns a beautiful and a frustrating book. It narrates the fate of a female red-tailed hawk taken illegally by a would-be falconer from her nest when only a month old. The hawk — named Merak — is confiscated by Canadian authorities and kept at … Continue reading

Posted in Nonfiction | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Christmas Eve hawking and walking
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wave

We went for a walk on Christmas Eve morning. On the way to the trail, we saw this guy hunting for his breakfast. He posed for us in a variety of postures. He looks chilly with his feathers all fluffed, doesn’t he? He changed branches after studying us coldly for a few minutes. Then he … Continue reading

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The Messiah
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lvbhand

Last year, I wrote a post about the reasons I love Handel’s Messiah. It’s one of the posts that was lost when I switched hosts. But again I’m thinking of this sublime weaving of art and truth, delighting in it in my kitchen, in my car, and with my children. On Sunday, my husband was … Continue reading

Posted in Bible, Miscellany | Tagged | 6 Comments

Outliers
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gift_outliers

My pastor mentioned Outliers in a Sunday school class. He’d read part of it, and it sounded interesting. I picked up a copy at the library to read, but I wasn’t expecting it to provoke so much thought or to have such an impact. It’s really given me a lot to think about. “Outliers” are … Continue reading

Posted in Nonfiction | Tagged | 9 Comments