This spring when we started
brushing the horse and dogs to get their winter coats off them, the
white fur was flying all over the pasture.  We collected buckets
of it.   I predicted to Becca that every bird’s nest on the farm
would be lined with horse or dog hair this year.

The other day I was out mowing the lawn after a storm.  Under a tree I found a tiny nest that had blown down in the storm:

This year’s model is fully lined with horse-hair upholstery.  The
chassis is delicately woven out of grass with a bit of orange baling
twine thrown in for accent. 

An awesome storm moved in this afternoon.  The photos are at: http://www.4050westminookaroad.com/gallery/A-storm-moves-over-the-prairie

If I were clever like my husband and son I could just say the photos
are “here” and not have to put that whole long doodad up there. 
But I’m not. 

I was studying Psalm 139 this
morning as part of a study on God’s knowledge.  When I got to
verse 17 (“How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!”), a
comment in Keil & Delitzsch gave me a new perspective on those
words.  They said: “The knowledge of the thoughts of God is the poet’s precious possession.  To ponder them is his favorite pursuit.”


I guess I’d always interpreted the verse as meaning “It means alot to
me, God, that You are always thinking about me.”  K & D’s
comment gave it a more universal meaning to me – God reveals His
thoughts to me in Scripture.  To know them is to possess
incredible wealth and pondering what He has revealed to me is a
delightful pursuit.  It reminds me of Jeremiah’s attitude – “Your
words were found and I ate them.  And Your words became for me a
joy and the delight of my heart.” (Jer. 15:16)

I have to admit to an inherent laziness when it comes to disciplining
my mind to meditate on the Word.  I’m going outside in a few
minutes to work on some projects in the yard and I want to ponder His
thoughts while I work.  Much more renewing than some of the other
stuff I ponder on.

Ponder is a nice word, isn’t it?  I like the sound of it…it’s
kind of restful.  I don’t think you could hurry and ponder at the
same time.  Kind of like “abide”. 

Mama Goose finally found a “nest” she considered worthy of her eggs:

This is the barnyard equivalent of “when life gives you lemons, make
lemonade” – in this case “when you have a pile of horse manure, make a
nest on it”. 

These eggs are just tantalizingly out of reach of the dogs’ noses even
when they stick their snouts through the holes in the gate.  They
lo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ove fresh eggs!  Never a dull moment on the
farm….

On our walk this morning we
first heard, then saw an eastern meadowlark.  He was sitting on a
telephone wire, singing his heart out.  I haven’t seen a
meadowlark around here for two years.  It made me very happy.

Pete did chores for me
tonight since I had a meeting.  He said Ivy wasn’t sure whether to
kiss him or not.  He didn’t stand there and wait for them but when
he bent over to get her grain out of the barrel he said he felt her hot
breath on the top of his head.  When he lifted his head she
decided against it.  I think the feeling was mutual.

A few weeks ago I decided to
teach my little horse Ivy to turn and let me stroke her neck before I
feed her.  We worked on this a few days and although she didn’t
like it (she stomped her hoof at me one day), she bore with me. 
She’d sidle up to the fence and let me get a few good rubs in before
turning and expecting her grain.   About a week ago I was
standing there waiting for her to turn when suddenly she put her head
over the fence and nudged me very gently on the face with her
lips.  Then she did it again.  I was a little slow but it
finally dawned on me that I’d just been kissed by a horse. 
Someone, somewhere, sometime in her past must have taught her to give
kisses and my wanting to rub her must have reminded her of this. 
So now we have this little routine twice a day before she gets her
grain.  She gives me two kisses with her velvet lips then leans
her cheek up to me so I can give her a peck on her cheek.  It
never fails.  She’s got me well-trained now.  Don’t ever talk
to me about “dumb animals”….

The view from the window over my desk