Springtime Smiles

I love living in Minnesota...heck I just love living in the northern part of the U.S.  I think I could get 'planted' about anywhere in the northern part of this country and be happy even if I might have a tendency to complain and whine a bit when the temps get below 0 and the wind chills bump it even colder into the -25 to -35 degrees below 0 range. 

But there's just something about the diversity of the seasons that I like.  Not just because that's all I know as I lived in Virginia & Tennessee for a couple of years and  there just didn't seem enough of a contrast...plus the fact that I seemed forever sick in the wintertime there.

Springtime is a wondrous part of the year to me.  It's a rebirth after such a cold, long winter and one finds themselves smiling when a sight of spring happens upon them.

A couple of weeks ago I was at the MN Arboretum going around the three mile drive there and I was looking for some of those sights...and I wasn't disappointed.  About halfway around the loop I spied a family of Canada geese out for a stroll and it was a perfect photo op time.

The family seemed to not have a care in the world and kept coming down the path towards me with their brood of six goslings.  The goslings were so cute and you could actually see different personalities in each of them...the 'mommy hugger' which wouldn't let its mom out of sight to 'junior' who had to be shooshed back into line as he wandered away too busy exploring his world to remember to keep up and in line with the rest of the family.

Neither parent gave me more than a second look as they strutted by with their brood though I know that if I had gotten in between them and their brood it wouldn't have been pretty and I would have been running away.  All it took was a warning hiss from one of them to know that you were indeed encroaching on their brood.  After been chased down by an uncle's gander as a kid I did not want a reenactment of that horrifying experience...once was definitely enough!!

I don't know how one could not smile seeing a parade of babies passing them by on a lovely spring day.  Heck...we take our babies seriously here in Minnesota...after all where else can a family of geese bring rush hour to a dead standstill when they decide to take their brood across a road.  Yup... gotta love springtime, babies and traffic jams!!

Now...wherever you are...have a great day!!

I Wish You Enough...

I am not usually one of those people who will forward emails on and on especially the ones that say "you must forward to 10 people within 10 minutes of receiving this or you will have 7 years of bad luck' blah, blah, blah.

However, every once in a while you get one that you just have to share with others because, for whatever reason, it touched you.  

A few weeks after I had returned from Australia I got this in an email from an old coworker and it hit home with me and so I decided to share it today.  It is an excerpt from an original story by Bob Perks, in 'Chicken Soup For the Grieving Soul' who is a motivational speaker and it just hits the mark.

Recently I overheard a father and daughter in their last moments together. They had announced her departure and standing near the security gate, they hugged and he said, "I love you. I wish you enough." She in turn said, "Daddy, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Daddy."

They kissed and she left. He walked over toward the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say goodbye to someone knowing it would be forever?"

"Yes, I have," I replied. Saying that brought back memories I had of expressing my love and appreciation for all my Dad had done for me. Recognizing that his days were limited, I took the time to tell him face to face how much he meant to me.

So I knew what this man experiencing.

"Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever goodbye?" I asked.
"I am old and she lives much too far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is, the next trip back would be for my funeral," he said.
"When you were saying goodbye I heard you say, "I wish you enough." May I ask what that means?"

He began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." He paused for a moment and looking up as if trying to remember it in detail, he smiled even more."When we said 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them," he continued and then turning toward me he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory.

"I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much
bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish enough "Hello's" to get you through the final "Goodbye."
He then began to sob and walked away."

Now...wherever you are...I wish you enough...

Another Deer Affair...

Living in a metropolitan area of approximately 3.5 million people one would not expect to see much in the way of nature with the exception of the multitude of gray squirrels that are forever tormenting the dogs from their multiple rendezvous at our bird feeders. 

 

Once in a while a stray raccoon or two strides across the top of the 6 foot wooden fence that surrounds the backyard under the cover of the night.  I cringe whenever one (or all) of the dogs put up a stink when it's dark outside and beg to go out as I am so afraid they will get into it with a boar (male) raccoon traipsing across the fence.  So far...knock on wood...that hasn't happened but it's been close a time or two.

 

Occasionally one of the mallard ducks that love the pool next door will miss and fly into the backyard but soon exit usually with a dog hot on its tail.  I've even had a turkey hen and her babies land only to leave very quickly and minus a few tail feathers.

 

But I never expected to see what I did this morning as I stepped out onto the upper deck at the house.  Looking between the branches of the sugar maple tree into the neighbor's backyard there stood a doe.  Nothing really unusual about that as I see deer quite often but I have never in my 50+ years seen a doe nursing their fawn in the wild.  I hurriedly shooshed the dogs inside...ran downstairs and grabbed my Canon camera hoping that the doe hadn't gotten too nervous by our movements on the deck.

 

Much to my relief the doe hadn't moved a step and the fawn was butting at its mama impatiently wanting more milk.  This wasn't a newborn fawn but I would 'guesstimate' maybe a week old as s/he could easily walk under its mama's belly with ample space to spare.  It was an amazing sight just standing there watching the two as the fawn nursed and mama gave it a morning bath. 

 

I could have stood there all morning watching but sadly I had to be satisfied with what pictures I had taken, put the camera down and jump in the shower and be off to work.  But that was okay cause if I hadn't been working I probably would not have been up and at 'em that early and would have missed out on this.  Just brings a smile to my face thinking about it.  Anyways...

 

Until next time...wherever you are...have a great day!!

 

On this day...

On this day, Memorial Day in the United States of America, I shall take a moment to remember all those brave men and women who are serving or have served our country throughout the ages unselfishly giving of themselves to protect us.

Fort Snelling National Cemetary, Minneapolis, Minnesota

~Thank you~

I Do Love My Flowers!

Hope you enjoy my flower picture...

Now...until next time...have a great day!!