When I was a little girl I loved to watch our mother hens with their chicks, gathering, clucking & tenderly tucking them under the wing. Unfortunately the Windy Ridge hens aren’t the motherly sort so we took matters into our own hands. Spencer and the little girls gathered up the eggs and put them in the incubator and then we watched and waited. What a splendid morning it was three weeks later when we heard chirping and watched one little chicken peck her way into the world.
Now Chicken Little is the queen of the roost. She almost had a friend when another egg starting peeping. They cheeped back & forth to each other and I stayed up with Riley & Jace until 1 am cheering it on and eating popcorn, but, alas, a sad moment when it suddenly died.
At Windy Ridge it’s not unusual to see a 3 year old girl with a chicken on her head or riding along on her pink tricycle.
Quite commonplace, actually.
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My boy sits patiently in the late evening sun, camera pointed to the sky. His efforts pay off. He captures a Violet Green Swallow in flight while I am beside him weeding and his eyes light up and his whole face smiles because he knows he got the shot.
He runs over to me and beaming, not saying a word, he shows me the thumbnail on the camera screen. I hoot and holler and gush over the photo just like he knew I would. I genuinely love all of them.
Jace Walker (“Jace Watcher the bird nerd” as he calls himself ) is a dedicated bird watcher and photographer. He is quiet and driven and inspired. He photographed a bird he spent time observing in the front field and didn’t rest until he found out what it was. Zooming in, studying detail, comparing to photos in his Audubon guide. When it was finally identified as a Killdeer he was so excited. He now knows pretty much everything there is to know about a Killdeer.
Violet Green Swallow
Nesting: under the Windy Ridge eves
they swoop and glide around the house all day long (scaring the daylights out of Rachael who lives in the guesthouse and suffers from Ornithophobia)
Voice: A high dee-chip given in flight. Also a series of varying tweet notes
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A glance out my window this morn and God’s eternal power and divine nature are plain to see.
Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. -Romans 1:19
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My firstborn, Landon, and his girlfriend, Calli, headed to her senior prom.
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Photos I found on my camera taken by my little brother and my boy. I love to see what they capture.
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Jessie Pearl now realizes that it is easier to walk upright than crawl.
We love watching her wobbly, stiff-legged steps as she toddles around Windy Ridge.
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Brother Bird lives the good life here at Windy Ridge.
(video done with iPhone and editing done with Splice app)
I am a foreigner in this land. Though my redeemed soul feels young, my body is getting older. Sometimes this earthly journey feels like a horror show — all carnage and decaying flesh. Seriously Friends, we live in bodies that are dying. In the world ye shall have tribulation -John 16:33. Yes, I know sorrow in this life.
Like Charles Spurgeon said — “look around thee. Where are thou? Thou art in an enemy’s country, a stranger and a sojourner”.
It’s not all bad.
There are many blessed moments to cherish here. I look around at my beautiful family and even the earthly things like this home Levi has built for us and this plot of earth where it sits and I find joy here. This morning as I sit on the lawn with my three little girls the sun is warm and I am blessed to see the world through their eyes. As we sit we throw food to the chickens, baby Jessie is a bit anxious about the big, clucking birds so she climbs up onto my lap and wraps her dimpled arms around my neck, trusting. I bury my face into her neck and inhale deeply this precious hour, while it lasts. And the toils of the road will seem nothing when I get to the end of the way.
(bird & moss photos by my little brother Isaiah and my boy Jace)
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Sunday we celebrated Jessie Pearl’s 1st birthday and Violet Noelle’s 6th. Jessie wore the same gown that Violet and Hazel wore at their 1st birthday parties. It was a beautiful sunny day and we had a house full of family, food, fun and love. More photos coming soon. I took video and her birthday movie is on my long list of things to do.
Jessie Pearl is wearing eden’s bouquet Ciel Bleu Gown
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Today the children stayed home from school for “take your child to work day”. I had them all in the office working for eden’s bouquet. Jace took photos, Sabra helped pack orders, Wyatt worked on the computer and did a live Facebook chat session with all of you. Thanks for making him feel special.
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by Jen From Windy Ridge
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