365-2

Our pear trees are heavy-laden with fruit. Unfortunately, they are not worth eating unless you can them...or are a horse or bear!  Since I am neither species and don't do any canning, I just photograph them!

365-1

The first of my 365 photo project posts is of an early fall sky. Some of the trees in my area have shed their leaves already. The change in weather created a nice background to the skeletal trees.

365 Photo Project

I am participating in the 2010 Mommytography 365 Project! For this year long project I will be posting an image a day, to get me out shooting, using my camera and learning new things with it daily. Anyone interested in photography can join, no need to be a Mommytographer. We have teens to adults, male and female, as well as people from all over the world. Come join the fun!

The Simple Life

On our recent trip to Montana, we passed through a small town called Circle, named for the cattle brand of a local ranch. As we approached the town, population 593 as of 2003, we passed a man riding a horse along the highway. Now here was a bonafide cowboy!


We pulled into the Circle Sinclair service station to gas up and discovered that the station was still  a full service station. I couldn't believe that they still existed.


As we waited for our fuel to fill, the cowboy trotted his horse into the station. He dismounted and led his horse right up to the door. At first I thought he was going to take his horse right inside, but he didn't. He tied the reins to the door handle and emerged a few minutes later. The proprietor followed him out and started to chat.


"How many horses you gonna break this year?" (Please read this with your very best Montana drawl.)
"Oooh. Four 'r five..."
"Weeel....you must be doin' a good job."


That's all I heard of the conversation because the cowboy - complete with lasso, hat, boots, and belt buckle - had wandered over to the side of the building to a bench, horse in tow. He sat down and enjoyed his Mountain Dew and a snack. A couple minutes later and he had mounted up again, heading his horse farther into town.

I found myself envying his way of life.


Why do we lead such complicated lives? A lot of people around the world are happy with their lives, even though they don't have the possessions and conveniences we have here in the United States.


I especially saw this when we took a Jeep tour in Spain, one of the highlights of our trip to Europe.


One of our stops was to a traditional goat farm where they made the most delicious cheese. Maria and Pepe care for over a hundred goats every day. Pepe spent his mornings milking the nannies, then herding them and the billies out to pasture, where he spent the remainder of the day.

Pepe and Maria

We even tried our hand at milking

The cheese rounds

Every day, Maria takes the milk and forms it into cheese in their cheese house, using traditional methods. The cheese is completely organic and resembles a mozzarella. Since it's not pasteurized, they cannot sell it in the neighboring town of Istan. Their product is well known, however, and the locals come to the farm to purchase.

Some days I find myself longing for a simpler lifestyle.

Bookmarks, greeting cards, and posters

It is such a famous scripture we often don't even realize what it means...or stop to think about it. Children memorize it. Posters are made from it and hung on walls. Artists paint and draw images to go with it. It is printed on bookmarks and stuck in our Bibles. Greeting card companies print them on sympathy cards and we buy them for our loved ones.

Yet it seems to have lost its meaning for many of us. Including me, of course. (After all, they say that when you point your finger at someone, there are four fingers pointing back at you.)

But this morning this scripture came to life for me again..

I attended a Walk thru the Bible seminar last weekend and not only did I learn, but I also had a great time doing it! This morning, I was reviewing my seminar notes. I had even dug through my basement to find my notebook from the seminar I attended in the '80s. I had worked my way up to Psalms in my review and I came across a page in my old notebook about applying scripture to your life. The table headings are: Read, Visualize, Memorize, Ponder, Pray, and Worship.

The example was Psalm 23:2-3, which reads "He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me besides quiet waters, he restores my soul."

Now most of us would immediately visualize sheep. (These particular sheep I photographed in England.)

Most of us also probably don't have any real experience with sheep.

Including me!

But I do have experience with horses. When I got up this morning, I did what I always do: go to the kitchen for food! My mother always teased me about that. "Theresa's feet hit the floor in the morning and head for the kitchen."

Anyway, I did just that. When I got to the window over my sink, I spotted a large white mass on the ground where there is normally nothing but grass. Curious, I opened the curtains and gazed out.  It was one of my horses, sprawled out, enjoying the warm ground on a very cold spring morning. A little to her right was her pasture mate, lying down but upright, contentedly nibbling on spring grass. They were absolutely enjoying the peace and quiet of the morning.

Yet I've always been amazed that such majestic, huge animals flee at the slightest perceived danger. They weigh over 1000 pounds, but they are prey. Their instinct is to flee for their lives.

Before me were two creatures, calm and peaceful as could be.

Then it struck me. This is the calm that God offers. This is the peace, the contentment, the security.  We might be surrounded by dangers, seen and unseen, but God is with us. He leads us beside quiet waters.

How do we get this peace?

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You." Isaiah 26:3

So now you've read it. You've visualized it. You've probably memorized Psalm 23 at some point in your life. Now ponder over it and Isaiah 26:3. And when you're done, pray for a steadfast mind and a trusting heart. Ask Him to give you peace. Then praise Him for it!!

Dear Child,

In the parable of the prodigal son in the Bible, the young man yielded to temptation and went to a distant land. He lived a loose lifestyle and was eventually impoverished. He hired himself out to one of the citizens of that land and worked in a field, feeding swine. He came to the realization that his father's hired hands were eating much better than he. He decided to humble himself and return home to ask forgiveness and live as a hired hand.

The young man saw himself as unworthy to be called a son any more.

But his father saw it differently. He welcomed the son with open arms. The young man was still the father's son.

I am still the Father's beloved daughter. No matter what. He wants to hold me and love me and listen to me talk. And He wants to talk to me.

I am His daughter because of the Son, who died on the cross for me.

And so are you..... if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. If you have not, just ask Him right now. Then read the book of John in the Bible and find a church that has solid Bible teaching.

Remember that you are His daughter (or son) when you feel far away. Remember it when you have fallen into temptation. Remember it when the Enemy is telling you that you are not worth anything. Hold up your shield of faith and resist the Enemy. Run into the Father's arms of love.

Roses and Ripoffs

Girls love flowers - their beauty, their scent, their color. A woman especially loves flowers when the man in her life buys them for her. Italian men know this well.

Our last day in Rome led us to the Piazza del Popolo (People's Square), which is just inside the northern gate of the Aurelian Wall. An Egyptian obelisk of Rameses II stands in the center of the piazza. The obelisk was brought to Rome in 10 BC by order of Augustus and was originally set up in the Circus Maximus. It was re-erected here in 1589.

We wandered around the piazza, soaking in the ambiance, when an Italian man approached us with an armful of red roses and declared, "Beautiful flowers for a beautiful woman."

My vanity caved in and I took the three roses he offered with pleasure.

Two minutes passed and the man returned. Uh oh.

"How about you give-a me a little money?" he directed at my unsuspecting husband. Kevin dug into his pocket and pulled out a few euros.

"How about a little more?" the Italian complained.

Kevin gave him another.

"No. No. More."

"That's all I have," replied Kevin.

The man was still not satisfied.

We were trapped. If Kevin kept refusing, the man would make him feel like I was worth more. If he kept handing over euros, we would be broke! My initial pleasure turned to anger.

I turned to the scammer and said, "How about you give the money back and I give you the flowers?"

That did the trick. He frowned and walked away.We did not fall for that trick again!

But I did keep the roses! Here I am shortly after, strolling through the Villa Borghese area, roses tucked into my bag.