The Purple Finch State Birds (week 7)

The Purple Finch is the state bird of New Hampshire. It is a strawberry colored bird about the size of a sparrow, with a forked tail, (sort of like a scissor tail, but much shorter.), and a thick cone shaped bill. They nest and breed in coniferous (trees with needles or pine trees) and mixed forests. Males will sing from the tree tops, and build nests on the outer reaches of the pine tree branches. Purple Finches eat seeds, berries, blossoms and fruit; so you will likely see them at a bird feeder if you are patient. It would not be uncommon to see a Purple finch in our area in the winter, however during the winter some will migrate all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.

The Purple Finches colors vary slightly from red and purple to brown. The female has a much drabber look and are less colored and will lay from 3 to 5 light green blue eggs, marked with black and brown. Eggs are laid in a cup of grass, twigs, and hair that the finches make on the outer branches of the pine tree, the female will sit in the nest, or incubate, the eggs for 13 days before the babies hatch. Purple Finch populations have dwindled over the past number of years because of a competition for habitat with the very similar looking House finch.

Both pictures were taken in our yard.

For more info and the Finches, and their call check out:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Purple_Finch/id

If you want to know more about nesting, building a nesting box and feeding a Purple Finch check out:
http://www.birdhouses101.com/Purple-Finch.asp

God Is Not Very Good At This Game

Have you ever played hide and seek with a little kid? "Okay now I am going to count to 10, and you go hide; okay?" I begin to count and the child runs off to hide; "7-8-9-10, ready or not here I come". I look in the bathtub, inside the closet, and under the bed; (I know where they are but it is fun to build up the excitement), where could he be? Then he jumps out and says here I am. "No wait you are supposed to stay hidden until I find you; got it"?


So we try again; "7-8-9-10, ready or not here I come". when I get to the part where I say I wonder where he is, he jumps out again; "here I am grandpa". Well it's time to play something else.


God plays that game the same way a child does. It is not His plan for us to be wandering, and wondering where He is. Where is Jesus? If we pay attention He will show us. Here "I Am". Jeremiah wrote a passage in the Bible that promised that if we seek God, we will find Him. When we really try to find Him, we will. When we search for Him with all of our heart, we will find Him.

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

There is no way for us to know how, where, or when we will find Him, but we will; it is a promise. God can't lie; we do, but not Him. There are also no conditions to this promise other than seeking Him with all of our heart. You could be a addict, or any other type of broken and flawed person, and He will show up. Jesus does not love dogma, philosophy, or religious organizations. He loves faith and the people who respond to Him in faith. He loves broken people with broken hearts; He will never turn away from them. 

The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise.

So let this be your prayer; "ready or not here I come...where are you Jesus?"

Alrightnowyoutellme: Common Gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis)

As their name suggests, this species is Wisconsin's most abundant snake. They are found in every county of the state and in nearly every habitat type, although they have a preference for forest and woodlot edges and rely heavily on open canopy wetlands for overwintering. They may occasionally be found communally “denning” in very large numbers. Females are generally much longer than males and may occasionally exceed 30” in length. Common gartersnakes look much like other gartersnakes except that their lateral stripes only involve scale rows 1, 2 and 3. Their diet includes frogs, toads, salamanders, fish, earthworms and insects.

This species has a subspecies in extreme southeastern Wisconsin called the Chicago garter that looks quite similar to the common gartersnake.  

Caleb and Christal responded that it may be a Butlers Garter Snake which is extremely similar in appearance but is actually on the DNR's list of uncommon snakes in Wisconsin and has had sightings in south eastern Wisconsin. It would be very unusual to see one in our area. 

I am by no means a snake expert or even a curious onlooker but when I saw the snake I knew I needed to photograph it. Thank you for checking in; a lot of people have looked at the picture and three responded, so thank you. This is only an educated guess; a reptile-ologist (is that a word?) may have a different opinion.

This is from my 40 or 50 year old Reptile book.

Check out more info:

http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recNum=AR0121

My New Plan

Oh Boy, I am afraid you will be seeing less of me; but that is a good thing. I have been walking and trying to be a little healthier. I have got this crazy idea that I might try to lose a bit of myself, and well, live longer. I have a friend that is about 25 years older than me, that lost at least 60 pounds. The Lord created us, and encourages us to live in a way, that would honor Him in our bodies. It is a given, a no brainer, if I could be so bold, to honor Him in our hearts but we are encouraged to also honor him in our bodies. I want to be a good steward in regard to the wonderful gift He has given; a healthy body. I want to be healthy. Not "skinny" but healthy.

It will be a long road, of that I am sure. My question to you is; are you in?

A healthy baker at 30

So Guess What I Found

I still have some old books that I bought at rummage sales and Goodwill, sorts of places down in the basement. I thought we might be able to use them for reference books back in our homeschool days. So guess what I found? A book about reptiles and amphibians.  I might be able to get to the bottom of this "Birnamwood Biter" snake thing after all. It looks like the book was last checked out of the Marathon County Public Library back in May of 1973; I am not paying any stinking late fee.

"SSSSSee" ya.

Alrightnowyoutellme

All Right now you tell me. An important part of learning; at any age, is being able to research something, and tell someone else about it. I will never be too old to learn, and either will you.

Tell me what it is. Scour the internet or a book from the shelf, and you figure it out. I will do a little studying and post an entry next week.

So you tell me what it "isssss". Here is a clue we found this fella on the road out near Wittenberg and Birnamwood. Oh and it is a snake. Clocks ticking!

Who  am I?

The Northern Cardinal State Birds (week 6)

Now this is one very popular bird; it is the mascot for many sports teams (when I was in grade school our basketball team was called, the Schofield School Cardinals) and the state bird for seven states. North Carolina, West Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Virginia have named this bird their state bird; it is so colorful. Cardinals are shy birds, they are often among the first to the feeders in the morning and the last to the feeders at night. They don't seem to compete with other birds for time at the feeder, but are very territorial when it comes to breeding and nesting. 

The Cardinal stays all year long around here and this would be an excellent bird to start the hobby of bird watching with. They love and need seeds in the winter so if you put out a feeder with sunflower seeds in it you might get a pair to show up at you house. Make sure you put your feeder in a place where you can see it from a window, then you can stay warm and dry while watching the birds from inside. Cardinals especially will fly off if the sense any type of perceived danger. You will likely see more birds if you stay indoors. Cardinals feed almost entirely on seeds, and to a much lesser extent they will eat insects. In the winter when they cannot find any insects they need seeds.


Cardinals are a medium sized songbird that is about 8.75 inches in length, with short rounded wings, a long tail, a heavy orange cone shaped bill, and a black crest or mask. The males are brilliant red with reddish-gray wings and back feathers. The back and wings are less colorful than it's chest, face, and head. Both male and female Cardinals have a tuft on the top of their heads. The female is a duller brownish-red.

To find out more about Cardinals check out these:

Wild Birds Unlimited,  http://www.wbu.com/education/cardinals.html


Cornell Lab of Ornithology (very good site) http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Cardinal/id

"Soldiers Heart" by Gary Paulsen

Gary Paulsen is a three time Newbery Honor winner; "Soldiers Heart" is a very good book, but it might be a little graphic for younger readers. The story is about a boy named Charlie Goddard, who had never seen anything very much outside of Winona Minnesota. Charlie was 15, too young to enlist, but managed to get into the First Minnesota Volunteers. He didn't know what a shooting war was all about, but was about to find out.

Charlie experienced first hand the horror of combat, and managed to survive. As I was reading this book it made me think of just how tragic it all was. Archaic weapons causing terrible suffering. Charlie knew the rules; when a man went down he was on his own, and to be left alone, even if he was your brother, especially if it was a belly wound. A sad story is told of Nelson, a man that Charlie did stop for, who had a belly wound. Nelson knew that the rebels would be back, he had Charlie load his gun pack the wad and take off his shoes so that he could take care of things. Charlie did not want to leave Nelson alone; the shot rang out after Charlie turned to catch up with the sergeant.

In the First World War it was called shell shock, In World War II the mental damage and stress was called battle fatigue. In Vietnam and the Gulf Wars we know it as Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, but after the years of Civil War no one really understood what it was. People just said that a person had, a "Soldiers Heart". I have often wondered if the trauma experienced by soldiers caused by fighting and surviving the Civil War was the reason that the westward expansion was so violent; shootouts in saloons and the fighting depicted in all of the westerns that we watched as kids. Were many of those, men with Soldiers Hearts, that were on the run from their past? Maybe.

A New Photo of my Dad

I found a photo of my Dad I had never seen before. The photo was actually published in a small newspaper produced on an Indian Reservation up north. I never knew this photo existed; it is a newspaper scan so it is not very clear, and the captions speak for themselves. My Dad and my aunt Ruth are on the far left. I knew that he was a student at an Indian school but did not know he was a dancer. He later graduated from the Crandon High School where he was Class Vice President and Valedictorian.

I miss you Dad.

W.A.H.E. "WooHoo"

The Wausau Area Home Educators had their soccer invitational this month. And you know what? It does not even matter who won or lost; everyone seemed to have a good time...except for a couple coaches. You know it never fails, it seems like some of the adults lose sight of what this is all about, they get a little too intense and began yelling at their own kids. I wanted to walk across the field and display a few of my own kicking skills, but I held back. Caleb was a great goalie in a couple of the games; (way to go Caleb), and scored a few goals as well (woohoo).

When our kids were young we taught them at home and they turned out very well. We did have a number of people warning us that our kids would be socially stunted and backward if they did not have an on campus experience. Everyone knows that home schooled children are backward and shy right? Wrong! Home Education is a great way to get kids to relate to the world around them; old folks, mom and dad, neighbor kids, people at church, and the list goes on. Home schooling takes down the barriers of hallways and age restrictions that keep other kids stunted and cloistered with children of their own age and geographical location. Okay, I am done, that was my rant for the month.

The sun was shining, the air was fresh the competition was fierce and everyone seemed to have fun. Everyone came out a winner. We all rock! WooHoo!

The Tower of Refuge

On a small island in the middle of the Irish Sea is the Island of Man; about half way between Liverpool in England and Belfast in Ireland. The Tower of Refuge is an instantly recognisable feature of Douglas Harbour built on top of Conister rocks which are submerged at high tide. Prior to the building of the refuge the rocks had claimed many lives. This small castle was built as a place of rest and safety for sailors. It's towers stocked with fresh water and bread. It was built in 1832.


Yesterday I was able to fill in for a pastor in another city because he was spending time with family in another state. We were blessed to be there and had a great fellowship with the people from that church. In one of my sermons I spoke about refuge and refugees. I am not referring to people who come to America who are suffering some sort of persecution in their own countries; not exactly anyway. I am referring to people who may be suffering that need a place of refuge. 


Our society operates on a basic economic principle of supply and demand. For example; I might need someone to paint the inside of my house, I simply go to the phone book and find a business who is able to fill my need. We have employers who need employees to meet their demands, and potential employees who need employment that could fill the demand of an employer; simple. We have people who as a job sell, and others folks who need the things that they sell, and they buy. There are no doubt hundreds of examples of how this system works; there are doctors and patients, teachers and students, even massagers (hello Jennifer) and massagees, (is that a word?...people who pay to get a massage) but what about refugers for the refugees.

It gets kind of fuzzy sometimes when someone comes to our church or into our home that might stretch our Christian world view; widows, single mothers, the sick, hurting, abused, and dying. I do not have all of the answers but I do know someone who cares and has written a love letter that addresses all of these needs and more. I have been in church and honestly smelled a person coming, before I saw him coming. I wonder sometimes would I make a "Good Samaritan"? I hope that I never forget where it was that I came from; I had a wonderful family don't get me wrong, but I still had serious needs. I needed a Savior. Every single one of us was, or is, damaged and stained by our situations, sin and satan. I don't mean to sound "preachy", but we rub shoulders with people almost everyday, who desperately need Jesus.

In the Bible a woman was taken in the very act of adultery and they brought her to Jesus. Where was Jesus? In the temple; or church. The men who accused her brought her to "church" for judgement and condemnation. That does not sound like a very safe refuge, for a stained and broken life does it. Not all churches are like that, When I needed a place of refuge I did find it at a church altar where I met Jesus. Moses and Joshua established cities of refuge where people could go for protection if they accidently killed someone. They could plead their case and find safety inside the walls of that city. The church of God needs to be a place of safety. Are all churches safe? Are all people safe? No. We are all human we all make mistakes.


Sometimes as Christians we lose our balance. Church is a wonderful place where we try to meet the needs of our communities, and it still works. We are able to hear from the Word of God and worship together which is vital to our walk with Jesus. But our balance does not come from various church departments, or outreaches to the needs that people have. We must fall in love with Jesus. He is the one who looked beyond all of our faults and failures (and still does in my case) and loves us. He is a safe place our refuge in a time of storm. Many lives are lost and others damaged on the rocks of sin, but Jesus is our Tower of Refuge. 


Let's find our refuge in the Lord.

Psalms 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Check out the Isle of Man and the Tower of Refuge:

http://www.iomguide.com/towerrefuge.php


To check out Jesus contact me I will tell you about him. He can meet your need.

Worlds Ugliest Bird?

I know that people usually talk about cute little song birds, and the majesty of hawks and eagles, or the sport of game birds but no one ever seems to talk about the really "ugly" birds. California Condors are an endangered species of bird, they are gaining in numbers however, and are doing well because of help that the have received from captive breeding. California Condors have a wingspan of over 9 feet, so they are able to spread their wings and sail on the wind currents and soar over canyons and wide open spaces in the southwest of our United States without having to flap their wings very much. A condor can weigh up to 20 pounds and would be almost 4 feet tall if he were perched on a rock ledge or tree.


Condors are part of, and the largest of the Vulture family of birds and are scavengers. Like the turkey Vultures that we have in Wisconsin in the spring and summer, they often eat things that are already dead. California Condors can live up to 60 years, that is pretty old for a bird and represents a lot of dead things. The Condor’s diet consists of medium and large-sized dead mammals like cattle, sheep, deer, and horses in any state of decay. Condors may travel several hundred miles in search of food. Condors are almost entirely black and like our own Turkey Vulture have bald featherless heads. They often stick their heads into the dead bodies of animals...yuck. Their heads range in colors from pink and red to blue and orange.


Check out more at:
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-condor.html

A Turkey Vulture on Hwy KK

Banana Bread (an easy to make great tasting recipe)

 I know this wonderful couple, both are true Christians who love people, and are former missionaries to the men and women of the military  in Asia, including Mongolia. Be honest when is the last time you thought about Mongolia? Rufus and Pam Parker are great people and I am fortunate to name them among my friends; I should ask if they name Mary and I as friends...I sure hope so.


We had Brother Rufus Parker, who was at that time a missionary, come to Wausau and talk to our men at church on a Friday night. As a Command Sergeant Major in the Army he had achieved the highest rank that an enlisted man could attain; so he does know a great deal about dealing with men, and motivational skills. Sis. Pam his wife, is a excellent communicator, and teacher. Teaching practical Christian life skills is what she does best, (at least I think so). Great People!


As a missionary Bro Parker was selling a cookbook that had been put together by families in the military, and friends; it was here I found one of my favorite recipes. You know me I like simple recipes that produce great tasting food, if the recipes is too complicated I will likely not make it no matter how good it is. Croissants being the possible exception. The recipe is for Banana Bread. It is the sort of bread that you can teach a kid to make, it is simple and very good; but you really need brown or black bananas to make it taste best. Don't be shy pick up a brown bag of brown bananas next time you go shopping and give it a try. Here it is.


Banana Bread by Amy Regal
1 cup Sugar
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs
1  1/2 cups mashed bananas (3 to 4 medium)
1/3 cup water
1  2/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)


(here is the best part) instructions:
Mix all together and pour into greased bread pan. Bake 350 until golden brown. (Simple) I use a tooth pick to check the center; like a brownie.


I bake mini loaves. If you oil the blade of a knife and slice the top of the batter before you bake, you will be able to control the "crack" that forms when you bake any batter bread.


If you are interested in the books that have been written by Rufus Parker or his daily devotional, check out:
 http://morningmanna-parker.blogspot.com/


Books by Rufus Parker:
"If God Be For Us, Who Can Be Against Us"
"Developing The Man In The Mirror"
"Reflections of the Man In The Mirror"

Bob Played the Bagpipe

The other day Mary and I were in Manitowoc, and decided to stop by the lake, take in the view, and enjoy some fresh air. It was a beautiful day; the sky was clear and the temperature was in the low 60s; it was a beautiful day to slack off. We stopped at a lakeside scenic overlook, rolled down the windows and turned off the car. It was at that moment I heard the sound that is the brunt of comedy sketches; but I loved it. I love live entertainment. Bob was playing the bagpipe. This was live music and he was the real deal.

One of the only other vehicles in the parking lot was a semi-tractor and trailer; I thought to myself this is so crazy, a bag pipe playing, over the road truck driver. I took some pictures from a distance but as I listened to Bob, the bagpipe playing trucker, I knew I wanted to hear his story. So I walked over and struck up a conversation. He was a great guy, taking his lunch break.

One day Bob was invited to a chili dinner by a neighbor who was part of a group of Irish bagpipers. Bob was very interested that first year and loved the music, being Irish himself he thought it struck a chord inside. When the invitation came again for the annual event, he accepted and took a deeper interest. When lessons came up during the dinner as a possibility, Bob jumped at the opportunity. The instructor told Bob that it might take two years to get "good" at the bagpipe; but after seven months Bob was already passing up his teacher.

Bob has been playing now for a little over two years now and is in a Bagpipe marching band that has it's home in Milwaukee (somewhere). The band will be playing and marching in Door County in a little town called Fish Creek (I think) on the 17th of October. When they are done with the parade route they will very likely continue marching until they find a local pub.

Bob showed me how the bagpipe works; all 4 of the reed locations, where and how to tune a bagpipe, and how to inflate and deflate the bag. When you practice you do not need to play the bag, you can practice with a finger piece that makes a sound all by itself; it is much less distracting to the neighbors than playing the whole instrument.

 I know that I am a nerdy sort of person, but I was fascinated and amazed that this guy would take up bagpiping after he was 50 something years old. I was inspired by Bob. Bob has a neighbor who also plays the bagpipe, but not in the same band that Bob plays in however. Can you believe that there is more than one band of bagpipers in the same city? Bob is an Irish bagpiper; but there are others that are Scottish bagpipers; that is so cool. But I never knew. I am sure there are lots of things I don't know...I don't know what they are, yet, but I am sure they are out there, and I am going to find out what it is that I don't know. Know what I mean?

Bob Rocks on the Bagpipe!

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher State Birds (week 5)

The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher is the Oklahoma state bird and for good reason; it is most common in a rather limited area and one of those states is Oklahoma. I took this photo at a state park in the middle of Oklahoma on the way home from Texas. 


The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher is about 14 inches long and almost half of that is a very long black and white, deeply forked or "scissored-tail". Scissor-tails feed almost entirely on insects and to a lesser extent berries. They consume a lot of grasshoppers, crickets, spiders, and other ground-dwelling insects making them popular with farmers and ranchers. They can be found in open and semi-open country, roadsides. Often seen perched on utility wires, fences and stop signs at state parks in the middle of Oklahoma, (where people often see them on their way home to Wisconsin from Texas). 

Not a great photo but you can see the "scissor"

For more info check out:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Scissor-tailed_Flycatcher/id


The song sounds a little bit like a squeaker toy; check it out at:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Scissor-tailed_Flycatcher/sounds

I am still here!

I have been very busy lately taking pictures, being out of town and basic "life" sort of stuff; but I am still here. I have got some posts that I am going to put up about "Bagpiping Bob", "WAHE woohoo", "Scissor-tailed Flycatcher"a very easy and good Banana Bread Recipe and lots of encouraging stuff. I have just been too cool to post. So don't give up on me. Thanks I knew that you wouldn't.

Tell Them

A young fella rushed into a service station and asked the manager if he had a pay phone. The manager nodded, "Sure, over there." The boy pushed in some change, dialed, and waited for an answer. Finally, someone came on the line. "Uh, sir," he said in a deep voice, "could you use an honest, hardworking young man to work for you?" The station manager couldn't help overhearing the question. After a moment or two the boy said, "Oh, you already have an honest, hardworking young man? Well, okay. Thanks just the same." With a broad smile stretched across his face, he hung up the phone and started back to his car, humming and obviously elated. "Hey, just a minute!" the station manager called after him. "I couldn't help but hear your conversation. Why are you so happy? I thought the guy said he already had somebody and didn't need you?" The young man smiled. "Well, you see, I am the honest, hardworking young man. I was just checking up on my job!"

I know it is a cute story but it tells of the need everyone of us has; affirmation. I need to someone to tell me once in awhile that they think I am doing a good job or that they appreciate me, and love me. I know it is not very manly to say "I love you" to another man, or speak of feelings, or hard lessons learned but we add to others lives when we do. If your son or daughter is doing a good job in school; tell them, it cost nothing and you are building and adding into their lives (like elephants they won't easily forget). What is even more important to remember is that they need to hear it every now and then. They need to know that you think the world of them; that goes for kids, spouses, grandkids, co-workers, bosses (suck-up), mentors, Pastors, Sunday School teachers; the list goes on and on.

Does everyone need this type of reassurance and affirmation? Yes if the truth were told we all have a proverbial "itch" and kind words are the only way to "scratch" it.

I remember I was was called into a friends office one day; I sat down and he began to tell me about how a couple of people got together and began to accuse me of some things that were not true. He listened until they were done and explained that he knew me, and what they were saying could not possibly be true, and that the accusations surely were unfounded. He explained the accusations to me and asked if they were true; I said no and the case was closed. I must tell you, it made me feel great that a friend would stand up for me, and say good things about me when I was not there to defend myself. But I cannot tell you how It felt to hear him repeat those things so I could hear what he really thought of my character and integrity; it was amazing.

If you think someone is doing a good job tell them. Don't just tell others about them; tell them.

If we do not build into the lives of others they will look other places to be affirmed. Not just our family members either. Church people, work people, neighbor people, sick people, and healthy people. "Fat kids, skinny kids, kids who climb on rocks, tough kids sissy kids even kids with chicken pox"...(old Oscar Meyer TV commercial). We all want it, we all need it.


We are all so busy, and we are watching kids turning to each other, and these groups of kids are getting into trouble trying to find attention and affirmation. Dad your daughter needs a hug and a kiss on the cheek, she needs to know that you think she is special. If you drop the ball on this one thing, she may look to a boy at school to fill the need for love from her dad; the boy will only take advantage of her and cause heartache for the whole family. 

If you really want to add something lasting to my life or the lives of people you know; don't buy us something, tell us something

A Beautiful Time of Year

What a beautiful time of year. Don't think of it as the end think of it as the end of Summer, think of it as the beginning of...Winter. A swinging, slushy, snowing, snow blowing, book reading, bundled up, back breaking, long nights for game playing, long talks and hot chocolate drinking good time.

Please tell me what you think Winter is all about.

State Park, a few years ago.

Bird Food

Hwy N

Our Deck

Billy Goat Hills

Our deck at the end of a beautiful fall day

The Wooly Bear Caterpillar...Rural Legend

A Wooly "Teddy" Bear Caterpillar

The other day Mary and I were out for a ride looking at fall colors and came across some Wooly caterpillars crossing the road. It never fails that Mary wants to stop and predict what the winter will be like based on the brown bands that mark the caterpillar. Mary actually picks the caterpillar up; she hates things like that. Maybe it should really be called the Wooly "Teddy" Bear caterpillar.

Isabella Tiger Moth

The Wooly Bear caterpillar is about 2 inches long and covered with stiff bristles; I am guessing that during late summer and early fall this little guy grows himself a winter jacket. A caterpillar is actually the larva of what will become a moth or butterfly; the Woolly Bear caterpillar is the larva of an Isabella Tiger Moth. You can actually capture one and put it in a jar and keep it over winter and watch it become an Isabella Tiger Moth. To find out how to do it check out this website http://www.backyardwildlifehabitat.info/captureabear.htm

After researching the the Wooly Bear I discovered that we have been doing it all wrong. We thought that the number of brown rings actually predicted the number of months that our winter will have, and remarkably the little fellow has been accurate because we have always had months of winter. (Yes, yes I did get my "UH-DUH" patch in boy scouts). We ALWAYS get months of winter so yes this little guy is very accurate.

4 1/2 months of harsh winter?

Well, after years of "brown banded" winter predictions (and might I add again, very accurately); we now find out that the black portions of the caterpillar predict the "severity" of our winter. According to legend, the portion of black on the woolly bear's bristle coating forecasts the severity of the coming winter. The longer the black segments on the ends of the caterpillar, the harsher the coming winter. So I am guessing after looking at this one that we will have a harsh 4 1/2 months of winter. This fellow has a rather long black band in front and 4 1/2 brown bands. Winter starts when the snow stays on the ground. Game on!

Well, after inspecting the photographs that we took I came to the realization that winter really is coming, it is going to be exactly what the Lord sends, and there is not much we can do about it. There is an honest to goodness beauty to winter, even if it is cold and there is a lot of snow to shovel, what a gigantic blessing to be here to experience it. I know people that can't seem to enjoy any season of the year because of failure to see the miracle of waking up everyday and just being alive. I understand people have "seasons" in their lives that are not so wonderful, but hang on, change is coming. Life is not about stuff and money it is about loving God and other people. Winter is on the way, so enjoy it.

What does this mean? Know what it is?