The beginning of something

I was told by a very good friend that "You should get a blog, you might really enjoy it." I am about to give it a try...
Actually, I think I'm insane by doing this. I have so many ideas and thoughts that run through my head and yet I don't seem to do an adequate job of putting them in writing. Maybe this is a good training medium for a novice writer. I guess that we will see in time.

Today I was looking at the countryside where I live. I saw things in a perspective I had not really been looking in for quite some time. As I drove to work today in the early morning light while passing fields of green corn I noticed their shadowing with the glow of the sun shining off the upper leaves that were stretched to the sky. I could smell fields of freshly mown hay nearby as I dropped over the hill to a more natural area and was amazed at the wildlife I saw. First of all, I came across a half-dozen or so valley quail meandering in the shadows of a cottonwood tree that spread it's shade across our narrow dirt road. I have learned to take my time with the creatures that live in this area, I enjoy their company and would like them to know when I am around there is not much to fear so I can look a little bit longer at them than if my husband were driving. When he is along and driving it seems we are always in a rush to somewhere and are more than a few minutes late.
The quail are quite abundant this year, but it was especially joyful watching these today resting in the shade of the tree because it has been so warm lately. They looked peaceful and relaxed and meandered slowly off the road as I drove by. A few mourning doves were there as well and they seem to always linger a little later than the quail usually do, but they too lifted to the sky. As I rounded the corner to our local creek, there to greet me were more quail wandering back into the sagebrush along the roadside.
To my right lay the creek and I noticed it is not running as full as it was earlier this year and moss has begun to grow rather thickly along the edges. It seems to be a perfect place for ducks to raise their young. As I turned right and crossed the creek on the bride, nature proved this to be a fact as I saw a mother duck and her ducklings watching me closely. Mamma was more on the alert than the ducklings who were taking a break on a rock sitting in the middle of the stream. They were large, but still had fuzz poking from various parts of their bodies. They seemed quite content with the way the world looked to them.

A little farther down the road and one left turn later, I came to a place that I have come to call Quail Hollow. There are always quail here in abundance with a few mule deer passing through as well. Today, I saw many quail again and noticed how they always seem to come to these little draws filled with foilage and shade. "Smart birds!" I thought to myself.

I was on my way to the nearest town to work, but had to make a brief stop at a friend's house and leave an invitation for the party we are having for my son's graduation this weekend, so I took a small detour heading back toward the desert a bit deeper. I was blessed to see a cottontail rabbit sitting along the roadside as I rounded the corner to his house. Of course, I had to slow quite a bit for this fellow as a cottontail always seems to think the best way to avoid those large 4-wheel predators is to run right in front of them. Today, I guess I slowed enough that he even had second thoughts about running and chose to move back into the thick brush instead. After I left the invitation and started off again, I had a chance meeting with the newlyweds of the neighborhood...the pheasants. Mr. and Mrs., I believe, were seeking a place to visit quietly and maybe have a drink and a plate of greens for breakfast. She looked frantically at my car and lifted her wings and took flight. He chose to be a good husband and went the same direction she did....something pheasants usually don't do as they too think it confuses the predator more to both head in different directions.

As I drove on to work, I thought of how blessed I am to live in such a beautiful place...yes, it can be harsh too as deserts are known to be... but God placed me in a Snow-White setting where the animals actually are not afraid to come out and say hello. Well, at least this time of year...

About a week ago, I was coming back from a cleaning job and was nearly home when a little curious fawn stumbled out into the road in front of me. He was absolutely adorable with his gangly legs and huge ears. It appears as if his mother has decided that the corn field near our dirt road is the perfect place to raise a family. Our neighbors said that mother places her fawn in the irrigation ditch next to the field and one day as they passed, their daughter decided it would be interesting to see what the little guy did when she went up to it. To her surprise she got to pet him! Mother is never far away though, and she decided that mother might get a bit testy if she saw her touch her baby so she left them both alone to enjoy their corn.

I always feel a bit closer to God and a bit more like the world is going to be O.K. when I see His creatures going about their business.
I think that I'm blessed to be in this place and have such a beautiful land to live in.
Thank you, God