patriotism

Summer... a time to celebrate... Memorial Day as we pay tribute to our men and women in the Armed Forces who paid the ultimate price.... Flag Day as we honor the flag... the 4th of July as we celebrate the birth of our country. And, as Americans, we proudly fly our flags on each of these holidays. But where are our flags the rest of the summer?

Sadly, ours is in the garage ☹.

I recently returned from visiting our grandkids (and their parents!) in North Carolina. They are typical "Army brats" living on-post at Ft. Bragg. In the last two years, our two oldest grandsons have said "good-bye" to more friends and classmates who moved to other posts than most children do in all their school years combined. They have also befriended new kids who arrive almost every week or so. All our grandkids say "Yes, ma'am" and "No, sir!"- okay, that could also be a "southern thing!" They can differentiate camo patterns used by the different branches of service. They know to stand still and be quiet when "The Flag" (said with awe and reverence!) passes by. And they absolutely LOVE singing patriotic songs!

A sing-along with my NC sweethearts!

There are many things I love about visiting Ft. Bragg- besides being with my family. People fly their flags ALL the time, not just on holidays. I go to sleep listening to "Taps" and wake up with "Reveille"- so much better than the loud squawking of my alarm! I see real American heroes- not celebrities the media portrays as heroes. Everyone... soldiers, spouses, children, civilian workers... LOVES America and it shows in their attitudes. They are patriotic even when it's not a holiday.

Dictionary.com defines "patriotism" as "devoted love, support and defense of one's country."  My challenge, for myself and for you, is to let our patriotism show all the time. Fly your flag... just for fun. Buy the red,white and blue M&M's... for no reason. Make a red, white and blue dessert... just because. I'm going to try a Star Spangled Fruit Tart! Learn the words to the "Star Spangled Banner" and sing it while you're driving around town. If you see a soldier (or seaman or airman) in uniform, thank him for his service. Be an informed voter and encourage others to vote. Pray for our country and our elected leaders. Be outraged when others make fun of or apologize for  America- and then take action. Refuse to see the movie, by the cd or otherwise endorse that person/organization. Read a book about our Founding Fathers. Purchase only American-made products for an entire week. Then make it two weeks.

Together, we can make a difference. And now, I have to go put up my flag!

a flower among thorns

Having grown up in the Phoenix metropolitan area, as a child I went on many school field trips to the Desert Botanical Gardens. It was the field trip that everyone begged their mother to let them stay home "sick"... which, of course, never happened. In my youth I could not understand why anyone would willingly walk around a bunch of desert plants getting attacked by bees with the scorching sun beating down on you. I was very sure a lot of people died of either heat stroke or boredom there. And, as if that wasn't enough, people PAID MONEY to do it!

Now, as a "seasoned adult", I appreciate the beauty and tranquility of the desert...

... the adaptations to live in a harsh environment...

... the symbiotic relationships between plants and animals...

... and the contrasts of color, shapes and texture.

During a recent trip to "the Gardens" (as the locals call it!), I noticed a striking similarity between some of the plants and animals and myself.

The center cactus is not a cactus at all- in fact, it is not even a living thing! It's a Chihuly exhibit made entirely of glass. But, "planted" in the ground near the entrance, it certainly looks like a cactus!

As I was standing on a path shooting pictures of hummingbirds, a reddish blur on the ground caught my eye. Actually, it made me jump! When it stopped and was quite still, it "disappeared" into the dirt and rocks. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a squirrel.

On that same path while I was shooting hummingbirds, I caught this little guy (a Verdin) just by accident. He blended into the tree so perfectly I couldn't see him at all from where I stood. It was only once I got home and viewed my photos on a bigger screen that I could discern him.

These "camouflage" photos reminded me that sometimes I, too, blend in too much with the world making it difficult or even impossible for others to see me as a Christian. The squirrel and bird blend in for protection from predators; it is a survival mechanism. But I blend in because it's easier... or I want to do something I know I shouldn't... or I don't feel like doing that thing I know I should.

Instead, what I really want is to be as different from the world as this beautiful, bright saguaro blossom is from the spiny, dull cactus on which it grows... to be among the thorns, but never mistaken for one.

"I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. ... As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world."

~Jesus, as he prayed to the Father  (John 17:14, 18)

Diner, Drive-In or Dive #7: Joe's Farm Grill (and more!)

Although most of the "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" are east of the Mississippi River, we do have 13 right here in Arizona- including one a little over six miles from home.

We have eaten at Joe's Farm Grill several times and always enjoy the food, but our first experience with one of Joe's restaurants was Joe's Real BBQ, an eatery we've frequented for many years.

One of the things that makes Joe's Farm Grill unique is that it is located on Joe's family's original home. The restaurant was created from the Johnston family farm house built in 1966 by Joe's parents. The dining room with the fireplace used to be the family's family room! The restaurant kitchen is where all the bedrooms used to be- obviously, they've been remodeled! Another unique feature of the restaurant is the farming plots that surround it where much of the produce is grown organically. The tomatoes on your hamburger are usually picked that day on the farm out the back door!

I had the BBQ chicken pizza, an entree Guy tried when he was there for DDD and one of my personal favorites. It is a taste of the old west on a crispy pizza crust- absolutely delicious!

Finally, Joe's Farm Grill has the most unique restrooms I've ever seen. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll let you be the judge.  

Even if you don't have to "go," you should "go to the bathroom!" Both bathrooms are single, unisex rooms- and the movie playing on the screen above the urinal has entertained more than one child!

After eating at Joe's Farm Grill (where we ALL agreed it was superb eats!), we went to Guy Fieri's Food Road Show at the Mesa Center for the Arts.  Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (on the Food Network) is a favorite show of ours, but watching Guy Fieri cook in person is incredible! Even though we were sitting about 75 feet from the stage, I felt like I was sitting in Guy's kitchen chatting with him while he cooked. He told stories, gave cooking tips, made a plug for the importance of cooking with your kids and even introduced his son (and young chef!), Hunter, to us. And then there was the food he prepared... simply extraordinary! The aromas wafting up to our seats were fabulous ... and made us hungry even though we had just eaten. It was a great show- and next time I think I'd spring for the $$$ seats on-stage with tasting privileges!

MR KD outside the Guy Fieri Food Road Show- we missed LU who couldn't make it!

Janne and Adam were the stand-ins for LU!

Hummers are back!!

No, this is not a post on gas-guzzling tanks. I don't think it will ever again be politically correct to drive huge gas hogs... but that's a post for another day. This is about the other hummers...

As soon as we returned to Arizona I put my hummingbird feeders back up- three in the back yard and one in the front yard. Hummers are entertaining creatures to watch and I was hoping it wouldn't take long for them to find their way back... and I wasn't disappointed! We have a string of patio lights across our patio and several of them like to sit there and rest.

This guy is an Anna's hummingbird (the most common ones in Arizona) and is quite comfortable around people although very territorial with other hummers.

The hummers in my back yard "sing" and "talk" in high-pitched squeaks and chirps. Sometimes they perch and seem to "sing"- I'm sure the lyrics are praises to God. Other times they seem to "yell" as they aggressively defend their feeder. If I'm close enough, I can see their beaks vibrate while they're vocalizing... amazing!

♫♬♩CHEE  CHEE CHEE ♬♪♫

Hummers eat insects for protein and flower nectar for energy. The syrup they like to slurp out of the feeders is dessert! Hummingbirds have the highest metabolism of any animal and eat one to two times their body weight EVERY DAY. 

Their wings are a blur as they beat about 50 times A SECOND when they hover to eat! 

(For comparison, the feeder is 4.5 inches long and the red cap is 1.5 inches in diameter.)

This morning I watched a rather ordinary thing... a bath... done in a most extraordinary way. I've seen ducks, geese and other water fowl duck under the water in a pond or lake- or my back yard pool- and assumed that in addition to "fishing" they were cleaning themselves. I've watched doves and grackles and sparrows flit around in a fountain or "shower" in the sprinklers. This morning a hummingbird flew through the mist of the sprinklers and perched on the line of lights on the patio.

You can tell he's damp by the way his feathers stick out. He perched facing out into the yard and spent a minute or so looking around.

Then he hopped around and faced in towards the patio with his back to the yard... as if he wanted some privacy. Using his beak, he picked and fluffed. Occasionally a piece of something- a feather, debris, ???- would fall from his body and float down to the ground.

No part of his body was neglected. He even stretched out his wings to clean them.

Finally, he spread out his tail feathers and gave them a shake.

Once cleaned and fluffed, he hopped back around to resume his vigil of the yard as he finished drying. When another hummer approached his feeder, he "yelled" vehemently at him but didn't leave his perch. I wonder if they don't fly well when they're wet/damp...

The birds nest beside the streams and sing among the branches of the trees.  Psalm 104:12

I ♥ San Francisco

San Francisco... the City by the Bay... Frisco... the Golden Gate City... or as locals call it, The City. Whatever you call it, the smells, the colors, the wind and fog, the steep hills and the street music make it a place to be remembered long after one leaves. We visited once again last weekend...

Hanging on the cable cars is, I think, my favorite form of public transportation.

... and did all the touristy things you do in San Francisco... even though we've seen them, done them, heard them or tasted them before. Inevitably, doing the same things brings back memories of previous visits. The sea lions on Pier 39 ALWAYS remind me of Janne's sixth grade Girl Scout troop's trip to that city. Having a clam chowder bread bowl ALWAYS makes me think of the time sea gulls tried to eat Jenne's bread bowl right out of her hands... before she was finished. Every where we turned was another memory waiting to be remembered. 

And then we ventured to a hidden little gem eleven miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge known as Muir Woods. It is a little known National Monument with some of the most breath-taking views I've ever seen... 

... of GIANT Redwoods! These trees are so tall... so big... so  GIANT... that by comparison I felt very little... small .... tiny. The tallest tree  in Muir Woods is 380 feet tall... and began from a seed the size of a tomato seed. Wow. Not only are they giant, they are really, really, really old. And, of course, by comparison I felt young... really, really young. And then it hit me... these trees are at least twice as old as the United States. Some are older than the Black Plague epidemic in Europe in the 1300's. Older than algebra which was invented by an Arabic scholar in 820 AD. Double wow.

The canopy of the redwoods is like a giant umbrella shading the forest floor. When the sun is angled just right, a swath of nearly blinding light penetrates the trees like a giant laser. What just a few minutes before was dark is now light... with darkness just a few feet to the right or left. And, in a few minutes, the light has moved... or is gone, once again blocked by the leafy canopy.

We saw many trees with stubby, not very attractive growths on their trunks or even the limbs. They reminded me of a REALLY BIG, not to mention ugly, wart. They are called burls and contain all the genetic code of the "parent tree." If the tree falls or is cut down, the burl will begin to sprout and grow another tree exactly like (genetically speaking) the "parent tree."  The new tree either uses the root system already established or it develops its own. What looks like a flaw, an imperfection, is actually another way to reproduce... in other words, it serves a purpose. This revelation made me think about some of my own flaws and imperfections... what purpose might they have? Hmmm... to teach me humility? Or compassion? Or perseverance? Or to rely on the Lord? 

We left "the City by the Bay" with many more memories and a list of things to do and see next time. And I'm quite sure hanging on the cable car as it careens around the corners will be one of them!