FLOWER KISSERS!

The cowboy was sitting outside relaxing reading the newspaper this morning, when he kept hearing a real fast fluttering noise. It was our new visitor.......a freindly little feathered friend. She worked her wings so quick it made a sound similar to a smoothly running engine. This minature wonder weighs only 2.2 grams! She is a mere 2 inches long, her heart beats 500 beats/minute! and she can fly a quick 25 MPH!

To feed her young she eats 500 insects a day, plus kissing each flower she comes in contact with for that sweet nectar! the feeder also contributes to her energy needs.

To prepare for the coming family, the female is in charge of bldg. the nest, of course!
She uses twigs, lichens, leaves, and anything soft she can find to pad the inside for a comfy warm bed to raise the babies in. Two eggs are normal for the first time family, and the nesting experience is only for 21 days!, then the babies have to be nudged out to fly! A hummingbird will beat their wings 80 times/minute, and breathes 250 times/minute! Babies practice fluttering their wings even before leaving the nest. Just like us, they play and can't wait to try testing those wings for themselves!

The male stays busy protecting the territory and local nectar supply, which is Wilshire Farms porch, for now......until moving day comes and they pack up to leave. (migration) This little male was ferocious in dive bombing any opponent contending for a sweet taste of this food. He would often fly into their path and even bop into their face! We counted 6 at one time trying to get close enough for a quick drink, but he was standing guard, or should I say winging guard!

What magnificent little miracles of nature...........God continues to totally amaze and impress me with the uniqueness of His creation. I can't imagine what He must of been thinking when He created the little "FLOWER KISSERS " but it shows even the smallest of life forms working perfectly and intricately where they find themselves in residence. It just so happened to be here. Isn't God good? He places such examples to us and if you don't slow down to observe them, you can miss them.

We are sometimes just like those little Flower Kissers, rushing here and there in our busy lives.

Thank you, for the sweet little Flower Kissers, Lord. Only you can make such a perfect little design as that.

Fred and Ethel are BACK!!!

Wow, talk about surprises!!!! I was sprawled out all over the couch Sunday afternoon lazily reading the paper when I hear a tapping at the front door. I really wasn't sure if it was the wind or some branches blowing across the glass of the window, so I ignored it for awhile, and went back to my reading.


Then, there it was again, a specific tap, tap, tap, on the front glass storm door. Thinking that the old cowboy must have his hands full of something, and couldn't open the door, I jumped up to swing it open.........lo and behold!!! What a surprise I had!!!! My dear little friends had returned..........................


Fred and Ethel were back!

Yep, he stepped forward swaying his long neck back and forth giving me a spring greeting, for which I was thoroughly impressed! Of course, every year for the past 5 or 6, we have been the spring home for Fred and Ethel, who come from far away to labor at making a home (nest) for the future little goslins. It is so fun to watch them swim around, flying here and there searching for just the right things to build their soft home with. It must be truly an adventure to be able to fly here and there spying all the colors of the world in your life~


So, here it starts, the beginning of another circle of life. It can be harsh though...one year the bull snake grabbed several of Ethel's eggs before we could intervene. As it turned out, Fred was making the loudest form of racket and hearing Ethel screeching at the top of her little Goose lungs, I came running with a rake to ward off the bullsnake..ugh But, it was almost too late she had already lost two eggs and one was really cracked and stressed.


The next couple of years she managed to get her eggs to maturity and even took alot of time and effort teaching them the ins and outs of swimming. It is quite an accomplishment with all of the tornadoes, thunderstorms, coyotes, and other dangers around.


However, you guessed it again, the snapping turtles picked off the little things while swimming in a row following their mother, Ethel.... oh my poor thing.yes, lost her brood this time one right after the other. I can't remember exactly how many survived, but it was not too many...ugh. let's hope this is a better season for Fred and Ethel. I will look forward to informing you of their adventures as it unfolds!! We have managed to remove out of the pond, all the snapping turtles this year, and with Fred and Ethel, patiently await all those dastardly culprits who may be plotting harm to our sweet little family, who keep returning to us.

New Beginnings!

Hi,
Now that it is into the middle of the second month of 2008, thought it necessary to give an update on what is going on in this new year! So far, Randy has started a new job, Matthew and Tamera came to visit for a few weeks during the holidays, and now we have started some new projects! Randy is working for Coil Tubing Services, and loves it! Who wouldn't? He gets to buy people lunch, take them fishing, hunting, skeet shooting, deep sea fishing, and play golf! They catch is one small problem, they have to purchase "coil" tubing! No problem for Randy, he is the world's greatest salesman. He has me sold anyway! teehee!

Matthew and Tammy came to stay for a few weeks during Christmas and New Years. They were on "home assignment" from the mission field in Crimea, Ukraine......

We followed them to Texas and slept in the travel trailer at night just to be close to them. Never imagined that I would have a child grow up and be so hard to keep up with! ha! We enjoyed every minute we got to spend, and as usual tried to be sponges, soaking up every minute we could together. It brought laughter and happy times. It is like we were never apart really, being able to just pick up and continue our relationship and past conversations like nothing has happened these past few years to separate us. We have determined not to let the miles and distance become a factor in our relationship, and thank God for e-mails, skype, and cell phones, we don't have to! All in all we are thoroughly humbled by the way they seem to just sleep anyplace, go without meals, accept any and every situation they find themselves in. Talk about the apostle Paul, our Matthew and Tammy come very close to him the way they are able to adapt and accept each situation they find themselves in! Surely God will honor their beautiful attitudes and how they "sacrifice" for Him.

To be honest, I tried to put a few pounds on Tammy, but she was true to self, and watched everything closely! One funny subject kept popping up in the kitchen, she would say "Mom, you need to toss that milk out!, it will be going down soon...." where she is from they have no additives, or perservatives. She has gotten used to shopping at market everyday and buying food fresh. It made our food look sort of bland, and tasteless to them, but we at least are able to shelve it and keep it for several weeks! ugh! what is wrong with this picture?

We are back into our lives again, after "shelving" our projects while they were here. The house is quiet and different, but the memories remain in our minds and hearts. We share so much through Jesus Christ, and He has been able to comfort me alot lately. After they drove off for Illinois, Randy and I boohooed like little babies. It wasn't as much for the departing, I think it was because I know what the lonely days and nights will be like for us without them around. Alas, we press on toward the goal, though and don't take anything for granted. We have so many blessings to thank God for, we don't want to waste anytime being sad........but, tell that to a mom's broken heart! This is a new beginning for all of us. May God supply all our needs and show us His grace to plow through!~

MERRY BLESSED CHRISTMAS TO YOU!

Just wanted to wish everyone who scans blog sites A Very Merry Christmas......(I know, i know two blog posts in one week is a record for me! yikes~
Anyhoo, this beautiful website reminds me of my childhood and playing in the snow with my sister, brother and neighbor friends! Since I don't work the pictures very successfully, I thought this may represent one of the blessings we share in our past Christmas experiences!

Enjoy and reminesce! And, May our precious Lord and Savior show you His true heart this season!


This is beautiful. It hesitates in a few spots - please be patienthttp://www.greatdanepro.com/Winters%20Long%20Ago/index.htm

Winters Of Long Ago Click either link....

Favorite Things

Have you taken one of those recent surveys lately on line? People want to know your favorite TV show, food, where you came from......etc. Well, I thought it would be fun to list some favorites of mine, so next time I have one of those requests, all I need do is refer them to this blog! So here goes..........

Ice Cream- Moolenium Crunch (Blue Bell) Yummy!
Food- Wilshire Farm Steak(home grown) (barbequed on the grill with Slap yo Mama rub seasoning sauce.(we got that in LA on our Katrina mission trip)
Color- Any shade of purple.
TV show- Grey's Anatomy, 24, Survivor, The Unit.
Bible verse- Philipians 4:13 Romans 8:28, 1Cor.12:13, Psalms 92.
Hobby- Craft projects, painting on things, Reading, Playing piano, any music...
Places lived- Sand Springs, Yukon, OKC,Oklahoma,Duchesne, Vernal, Utah.
People- Randy, he has to be my favorite to put up with me!
Dog- Maltese.
Thoughts and Dreams- The highest thought lately, (I don't usually have too many higher thoughts! ha!) is all the blessings in heavely places that God has given. I love to think and dream about what God has done for me, and shutter to feebly attempt to be more worthy of those blessings.
Sport- 1st favorite has to be OU football, then 2nd I love watching the olympic games, except it only happens every 4 years...
Candy- Dove Chocolates, Snickers Bars. Bit of Honey.
Exercise- Swimming.
As you can see my favorite things are pretty normal......The reason my life is so blessed can be attributed to my Grandmother Boyd who prayed for my life. Whether we realize or not, alot of life's blessings are contributed directly to God answering someone's prayer. It has effected me and the generation after me. Hopefully, my prayers will positively effect the lives of Isaac, Rhea, Abby, and any possible future grandbabies God sends down! The third and fourth generations to come! Yahoo! What are some of your favorites?

Best Friends

Well it has been quite awhile since last contributing to this blog.......sorry, I will try and keep updating as time allows. The season is whirling in with high winds and possible frost on the pumpkins soon here at Wilshire Farms. The last of the leaves are hanging on to the trees with tight death grips! That is what my life seems like sometimes.....hanging on with a death grip until your knuckles turn white!! Those times are when God draws nearer though......and provides some of His sweetest blessings! Best Friends!!!

Maxine is a beautiful jewel from God. She is a prayer warior, women of Faith, owned and operated a thriving antique business in Colorado, obtained 5 college degrees, practiced nursing for several years, worked for a Deputy Sheriff, earned her chaplain degree in the Baptist church, and now serves as one of my best friends in the whole wide world!

Have you ever wished for someone you could tell your secrets to, who would listen and love you no matter what? Laugh with and be silly! Study the bible with and lean on their wisdom and discernment? Call up with tears and troubles and know they would drop everything to listen to you? That is what she is to me! She is my true beautiful jewel from God.

We volunteer together at the hospital, enjoy a red hat party once in awhile, work alongside each other in our Eph. bible study, and share our hearts in prayer. When sometimes God takes your favorite people away, He is faithful and just to "replace" them in your life if you just look. We serve a thoughtful and considerate God, who works all things out for us! Thank you Lord!! But, most of all thank you for sending to me, Maxine!!!!

This Labor day we "Unlabored"

HOW or better known as "Heaven on Wheels" (our travel trailer), came home to park in home pastures for awhile. Yippee!

We got to enjoy a true family backyard barbeque, complete with hamburgers, peach cobbler, and yummy and quite spicey chips/dips. someone brought spiced salsa, another brought spiced quacamole, then someone added spicey pepperflaked crackers!

We were dipping the tongues in cool iced sweet tea all night!

Some fished, and others visited. All in all it was a great family get-together, catching up on all the latest news and happenings to our sweet loved ones. Sometime we should get a tape recorder and secretly get Pa Klein talking about his boyhood memories, those were the days....

Donna Klein swatting misquitos!

What a blessing to be able to kick back and enjoy one another! The generations seem to be ageless, and the laughs went way into the night. If we could bottle this up and manufacture it, I think we would be quite wealthy, come to think of it, we are quite wealthy in the blessings of family! This labor day, my old tired cowboy came home to "Unlabor"! yeehaw!!

Nicole Hawkins fishing!

Wilshire Farms is getting another drenching rain today, so all those little trees and bushes can take a drink. And, yes, my clothes will have to hang another day to dry....ugh!