A-Z 26th

Z

zephyr

The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes;  so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit.
-John 3:8

A-Z 25th

Y

You know the baby ducks are doing well when after a week and a half they have quadrupled in size and

the basement smells like a barn.

A-Z 24th

X

Photo by Shmigget-commonswiki

Xoloitzcuintle

A-Z 23rd

W

When I was a kid I had some Guinea pigs as pets.  One of them was a white one named Wesley.

A-Z 22nd

V

Violet

A-Z 21st

 U


There's a bit of unrest here at the Bad Dog Ranch.

There is talk of taking in another bad dog, you see.

The resident bad dogs are not sure what to make of it.

Will some upstart puppy come along and complicate things?  Stay tuned.

A-Z 20th

 

T

That Texan, The Handsome One better get off my Tractor!   I got mowing to do.

A-Z 19th

S



Surrey with the Fringe on Top

A-Z 18th

 


 R

Baby Ducks!

We interrupt our April alphabet to look at two-day-old ducks.

The dark ones are Cayugas, the light ones are Khaki Campbells.

A-Z 17th

Q

Queen Anne's Lace, also known as wild carrot

A-Z 16th

P

How about a vocabulary word for today!



panacea 
noun  (pan-uh-see-uh)
-  an answer or solution to all problems or difficulties

A-Z 15th

O


Opus One, Mills Brothers.

It seems to me that these guys gotta be singing with the angels in heaven.

A-Z 14th

N

A nut is defined as a seed inside a hard shell.  The stuff surrounding the seed is called fruit.  The fruit is usually edible.  Some nuts defy the definition.  The Bush Nut is a tuber.  The Peanut is a legume. 

How many kinds of nuts are there?   It's hard to say because there are different categories of nuts and sometimes something called a nut is not a nut.  To further confuse things, some people are nuts.

A-Z 13th

M

Mabel passed away a few years ago.  We still miss her.  She was very interested in the ducks.  Even though she had arthritis and it hurt to go up and down stairs, she would visit the baby ducks in their basement brooder.  As we prepare for a new batch of ducks, we remember Mabel. 

Mabel got along with everybody at the Bad Dog Ranch.  (She was shy when guests came over however, and hid herself in a bedroom till they left.)

She never let the fact that she weighed 140 pounds keep her from being a lap dog. 

She loved us. 

 


We salute Saint Mabel the Great. 

A-Z 12th

L

Lily

Easter Lily

A-Z 11th

K

Khaki Campbell

We're all excited here at the homestead because next week there's a batch of day old ducklings expected!

A-Z 10th

J 

Anima Christi


Soul of Christ, sanctify me;
Body of Christ, save me;
Blood of Christ, inebriate me;
Water from the side of Christ, wash me;
Passion of Christ, strengthen me;
O good Jesus hear me;
Within your wounds hide me;
separated from you, let me never be;
From the evil one protect me;
At the hour of my death, call me;
And close to you bid me; That with your saints,
I may be praising you forever and ever.

Amen.

A-Z 9th

I




Quarantine makes one introspect.

  One thing's for sure.  I'm a homebody but this is ridiculous!

We're running low on pasta!

At least I finally painted that bedroom!

Lois was the cutest puppy ever!

I had intended to quiet my mind this Lent.  I failed miserably.

A-Z 8th

H



Hummingbirds aren't here yet but will be soon!

Listen to the beating of their wings!

A-Z 7th

G

Green grass!  Spring will not be thwarted!  Let us be as optimistic as grass.

A-Z 6th

F

Finches have shared our home for at least a dozen years now.  Their beauty, their vocalizations, the way they busily flitter  -home wouldn't be home without them!

A-Z 5th

E

Elmer was a memorable customer.  He lived with three other dogs.  His owner hired me to come by and let them out while he was at work.  We didn't take a walk, just played in the yard.  Elmer was the youngest and most rowdy of the pack.  When we played fetch he'd bring the item back but not release it.  Tug of war ensued with Elmer growling like a cartoon dog.

Soon Abby would step in and box Elmer on the head with her paw.  He would release the toy.  I would throw it again.

A-Z 4th

D

Here's two d's, dandelions and ducks!

A-Z 3rd

C 

If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 
-Matthew 16:24

(What are these crosses we carry?  We could say sitting around waiting for the pandemic to pass is a cross.  The biggest crosses, it seems to me, are the ones we've made for ourselves such as clinging to selfish habits and refusing to acknowledge that we aren't in charge- that God is in charge.  Happily, we don't have to do this alone when we stay yoked to Jesus.)

O my God, I thank you for this cross you have allowed me to carry. Please give me the strength and faith to persevere so that I may bring glory to your name while withstanding the burden of its weight. Thank you for offering me a share in your suffering. I know that you have always been, are now, and ever will be, at my side every step of the way. Thank you also for every "Simon" that you have sent to help me bear this cross.

I have prayed so often that this thorn in my flesh would be removed, but I trust that your grace is sufficient. Change my heart's troubled cry of --"How long, O Lord", into words of trust: "However long, O Lord". May I seek only to do your will and to unite my sufferings with your passion. Help me to not get lost in my own self concerns, but may I find in these trials a way to greater virtue, a call to prayer and a path to trust in you alone. Permit me not to waste my pain, but to make of these struggles a sacrificial offering for others.

Lord, when I am weary and I fall, exhausted under the weight of this cross, please give me the courage to press on as you did. Lord Jesus, I embrace with love my cross, as a share in your own. By your grace, may I carry it all the way to the vision of your glory. I abandon myself totally to your will. Christ Jesus, I trust in you. Amen

A-Z 1st and 2nd

April is A-Z blogging month.  Let's give it a go, shall we?  April 1st and 2nd now.





A

Alternate A:  autonomy.  In light of our current social distancing reality, maybe better to call it anti autonomy.








B

Only yesterday I was wandering around in the mist deciding which bush needed pruning.  This Korean Lilac has lots of deadwood.