Summer time so far

The summer has started out hot!  There have been a couple of storms, but the usual tornadoes we experience in Kansas has been fewer in number.  Would like to chase some....

My Bible study friends and I have decided to join an organization called Dress A Girl.  We are meeting at my home to make dresses for girls in impoverished countries.  We will also make shorts for little boys.

 Not everyone sews...some cut out the dresses, others iron, or pin the dresses together or put the elastic through the armholes or neckline.  We make the dresses out of cotton/poly fabric and are open to donations!

It is so much fun and we pray for the children who will be receiving these dresses, that they will love their new clothes but also will feel the love of Christ through our hands.

Speaking of being clothed, I love this next verse!

 "Therefore, as God's chosen people, 

                     holy and dearly loved, 

         clothe yourselves with compassion, 

                kindness, 

                         humility, 

                                  gentleness 

                                                    and patience."   

                          Col. 3:12

On the first Saturday of June, I went on the monthly bird walk.  It was also National Trail Day!

We heard the the great crested flycatcher with its single note song.

The red eyed vireo's "here I am, way up here!"

There were the chips and variety of songs of cardinals, 

and we heard the chickadee - "chick-a-dee-dee-dee".

We saw chimney swifts swoop by in the clearing.  They fly with an alternating wing beat.  Sometimes they are described as a cigar with wings!

And we heard the call of the tree nesting wood duck.

Now that most of the forest is filled with leaves, it was difficult to actually see the birds.  We caught this blue jay on the limb of a dead tree.  Dead trees are great places for woodpeckers to drum and peck at holes!  Did you know that each variety of woodpecker drums differently?

Rod also showed us the varieties of plants on our path,
like purple cornflower,
   foxglove,
          and butterfly milkweed.
Osage orange and golden current.

There was one invasive bush that had lots of berries on it.  The birds love it, like children (or grownups!) love sugar!  It has no nutritional value and fills the birds up when they should be hunting for better food. 

 "Studies have found that invasive plant fruits are high in sugar but not high in lipids [fat], and [migrating] birds are trying to fatten up. Some will double their body mass for migration." 

We also learned that birds can eat berries off poison ivy plants with no adverse effects!

After the bird walk, I went on a little road trip.  Al was working that Saturday so I went by myself.  I first drove to the little town of Florence to celebrate some young girls' first year anniversary of owning this shop.

 Ran into a couple of women that I knew from days when our kids were in school together.

You ought to try this place!  Great homemade baked goods!!

 After Florence, I drove through the beautiful Flint Hill countryside to the town of Hillsboro.  Our kids are always asking us to pick up Dale's sausage and bring it to them!  They all live out-of-state.

 Al and I attended the Newton Mid-Kansas Symphony "European Contrasts".  I LOVE the way John Harrison plays the violin and try to go to concerts he has.  We are also planning to go to Prairie Pines for our wedding anniversary next month!

Besides birding once a month on the trail in North Newton, I enjoy watching the birds that come to my house!  The Baltimore Oriole

 Red-bellied woodpecker

and Eastern Phoebe.

 close up

Mr. and Mrs. Barn swallow have  made a nest in our basement pit.  I've been hearing lots of little cheeps today so I believe the babies have hatched!

 Hard to see this but a small bird was dive bombing a hawk!

 The goldfinch is so gold!

 There is work going on in our neighborhood.  Changes are coming.

We have new neighbors!  They are so nice!!
One day, Al called me to the window.  We had a great laugh!!

 Boys and mud!

It was not easy for the mud to come off! 

 And here are our far-away grand-girls.

The girls up north had their last day of school!

Here are a couple of words of wisdom from a couple of my grandkids:

"The evidence is accumulating.  Drew likes me."

"I have a strategy in dodgeball.  I dodge the ball."

"You know what is true?  You should never put glue or tape on your lips."

This last week, I took a trip to Wichita to shop.  On the way home, I took a little adventure and traveled on some roads I had never been on before.  I was sort of lost, but not really.  I knew approximately where I was.

 My phone is dying so I couldn't even check out where I was on Google Maps.  But I got home just fine and enjoyed driving in the country too!

Our church had our Vacation Bible school this past week.  We call it Summer Quest and instead of having it at our church, we meet at various sites in people's back yards.  We began doing this one summer when a couple of our children had E-Coli.  It was a serious situation and we praise God that He protected these children!  They were hospitalized for some time and it was scary!  But we had to close off the nursery for awhile to majorly clean it.  Anyway, we have continued to do Bible school in the neighborhoods because it has helped people reach out to their neighbors!   I was on the prayer team for Summer Quest and it was wonderful to see God answer prayers in many ways!  There were many obstacles!  Six children decided to follow Christ!

 

 And summer continues....many more adventures to come.