The Zinnia

The Zinnia is my favorite summer flower. I bought some in late spring. The plants were quite leggy and begging for more room to grow. When I transplanted them I wasn't sure how they would do. 

They have since adjusted to their new home and have made some surprising adaptations. I kind of like their funky twists and bends. It's a little unusual for them not to stand strait and tall... like a soldier... stretching upward to the sky. They have learned to live with their long legged stems. 

The Zinnia's are planted in old wooden tool boxes. One white. The other blue. Both chipping and weathering with age. It's a perfect combination. The vivid array of colors against the backdrop of old chipping paint and rusty hinges draws the visitor of the garden a little closer. 

The Zinnia's bend their head's and take a bow... as if they had just given a performance of a life time. They spread sunshine and color and the garden applauds!

Inspired by Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop  

Let Nature take its Course

Some lessons your father teaches you sticks with for a life time. I recall, as a youngster, combing the mountain side with my dad as we hunted for deer. After reaching a ridge where we could see far below us, we would find a log or rock to sit on and snack on apples as we kept our eye out for any movement in the brush. As big game manager for the DWR, dad provided his family a treasure trove of experiences in nature that most children only dream of. I knew how lucky I was!

As we sat there in silence I grew aware of the awesomeness and majesty of nature. The image still vivid in my mind as I reflect back to the expression on dad's face viewing the full splendor of mountain peaks and valleys and meadows... never having to speak the words. I saw it in his face, his eyes, and demeanor. I felt it in my heart. The message of awe and respect imprinted on my soul. Dad taught his family to love and respect nature. To marvel in its beauty and recognize God's hand in all things created in the sky above and the earth beneath. He taught us to observe nature with sensitivity and to allow nature to take its course. That was a necessary part of life. 

I had one such experience in June of 2012 when I watched, with awe, a bird build a nest.. a home for her eggs... day after day, straw upon straw, feather and twigs... in our bbq grill. Such an unlikely place I thought, but I was intrigued with the effort put into building the nest. I watched.

One day I lifted the lid carefully to observe its progress and was surprised to find a beautiful miniature blue egg. Additional eggs were added over the next 4 days bringing the total to 5. The mother bird sat on her eggs day after day, only leaving her nest for nourishment.

The days turned into weeks and I knew the time had passed for the eggs to hatch. Although the grill was the ideal place to build a nest and keep it protected from predators, the sun rays beating down on the metal lid made it too hot for survival. I felt sorrow for this mother that could not give life to her babies. Nature had taken its course. A necessary part of life.

                             Inspired by Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop 

Vacation

I am a vacationer! Mostly because Mr. D (my husband) has been bitten by the travel bug and can't seem to stop. Therefore, I go... usually. 

We have a world map and have a colored pin at every place visited and every place planned to visit. I have my own colored pin and Mr. D has his own. He has traveled much more than me and I'm totally ok with that! 

In fact, he plans the vacation itinerary, down to the last detail. And it includes running from place to place... from sun-up to sun-down. Our days are so packed that sometimes there is no time to eat. I'm usually exhausted at the end of each day. Sometimes our vacations are anything but relaxing! 

Mr. D has an abundance of energy. I don't know where he gets it from! He is afraid he is not going to get to see something. Vacation to him is packing it all in! On a trip to France we went to 3 large Museums in one day. I didn't get much out of it. 

Me, on the other hand, prefers something entirely different. The slow... take your time to enjoy the wonders of it all. Vacationing is...

Walking the beaches of Normandy, reflecting on the meaning of freedom.

Omaha Beach, Normandy

Climbing a lighthouse and imagining myself in a ship at sea... ever searching for that beacon of light in the still of night.

Ireland

Climbing to the top of a windmill and looking out at the vast rows of tulip fields stretching in every direction.

Holland

Sitting close, but keeping my distance, to the edge of large majestic cliffs, listening to the ocean waves beat against the rocks.

Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

Getting lost in a mystical garden of ferns, flowers, streams, hidden paths, and waterfalls.

Blarney Gardens, Ireland

Climbing a Castle and imagining myself as a princess in Medieval Times.

Blarney Castle, Ireland

Traveling back in history as I revisit places where my pioneer ancestors once lived.

Jonathan Browning Gunsmith Shop, Nauvoo, Ill

My 5 x great grandfather, Benjamin Freeman Bird, built the original house (on the right) and cabin in the back and traded it with Jonathan Browning, famous gunsmith, for land outside the city limits of Nauvoo.

Finding a fallen log hidden deep in the forest, and sit, soaking in nature's beauty and creatures all around.

Holland

Doc's Flat, Mantua - a few miles from my home. Isn't it beautiful!

Meeting people from other cultures and learning something new and interesting from them. Making new friends and leaving with a better understanding and appreciation for both the similarities and differences between us.

Residents of the Floating Islands, Peru

Even in those busy, hectic days of vacationing, one thing is for certain... I've learned the world is filled with beautiful cultures, beautiful wonders, and beautiful people. 

When vacation ends with Mr. D, that's when my vacation begins! 

At Home. Relaxing in my garden.

When I get rested up...  we're sure to be off on another adventure. Vacationing in a distant land, cruising the sea, or... if I ever get to do the planning we'll be exploring our own back yard!

         Inspired by Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop 

You are Braver than you Believe...

My college experience was anything but traditional. But it was an experience of a life time. One I had dreamed about but never really thought I would do. I often thought if I did go to college... would I be brave enough? Would I be smart enough? 

I had five room mates when I unexpectedly entered the college scene. Room mates that were totally dependent on me... ages 4 to 14. I was a single mother to five of the best children I thought a mother could ever have. 

As I started my journey in academics, I was overwhelmed, somewhat frightened and intimidated. Oddly enough, I was also excited as if I were a young girl just out of high school learning to spread her wings. 

College was a new adventure for me. I embraced it, but not without obstacles. 

Life was forever changed. I had to really want this! I had to be brave! I would be the sole parent in the rearing of my children. I would have to juggle motherly duties, finances, class schedules, homework, home management, extra curricular activities, and other anticipated and unexpected responsibilities, activities, and events that would surely present themselves. 

As a new divorcee, life presented only two choices for me. (1) Feel sorry for myself for the rest of my life and struggle to make ends meet, or (2) take a leap of faith and do hard things that would require commitment and determination in order to provide for my children and improve our circumstances.

I chose to take the hard road, and I can say it was one of the best decisions I ever made. 

My college days started out a Junior college in my hometown. And it proved to be just what I needed. My entrance exam told the real picture of where I was academically. I needed basic refresher courses in math to catch up to current standards. I did it! One course at at time. 

I adopted a quote from Winnie the Pooh that says it best.

After a year of catching up academically, I was ready to transfer to a BIG college. I went back to my roots, again. To the place where I was born. Where my father began his college career... Utah State University. The kids and I packed up and moved 200 miles north and settled into the beautiful community of Logan, Utah, where we continued the adventures of a new life. 

Even though I was not the typical age of college students, being slightly older had its advantages and I continued to learn things about myself that I never knew. I made friends easily, both young and old alike. I grew in confidence with each assignment tackled and every test I passed. 

The results on my Secondary Education Entrance Exam let me know I was where I belonged. The test was held in a large auditorium that held up to 500 students. We were given just one question to answer. In essay form. To paraphrase:

Tell about an experience you had in school and what you learned from it. 

I had prepared myself mentally for this day, but was not prepared for what followed. As I sat there, among hundreds of other students, yet all alone... I gathered my thoughts together and mustered the courage to put pen to paper and write. I would write about what could have been a very humiliating experience for a young Jr. High School girl in a Home Economics class, yet wasn't... thanks to a kind and thoughtful teacher. 

"We were given a sewing project to make a jumper. Mom took me shopping for a pattern and some fabric. I took it to class, cut my pattern pieces out and layed them out, pinning them to the fabric. In dress patterns, there are solid lines across the body part for hem adjusting. Not thinking, I cut my fabric on the first solid line.Talk about mini skirt. It was more than mini... it was shirt length. I felt so embarrassed. Rather than make an example out of me to the other girls, my teacher kindly took me aside and talked me through ways to fix the mistake. We came up with a plan privately and I continued to sew my jumper. There was an unusual seam line in it... that only myself and my teacher knew about. No one else on the planet did. That jumper became one of my favorite dresses."

Of course, the essay was a 2 1/2 hour long test and much more detail went into writing about the experience. But I got through it. And with flying colors!

A week following the test, I was walking down the hall of the Family Life Building, going to my next class when one of my professors walked by with a smile on her face and said "congratulations Carol!". Ok. I thought. For what? I kindly acknowledged her congrats and continued to walk to class so I wouldn't be late. Yet another professor, with a smile on her face, met me at the classroom room door, said "congratulations Carol!". Hummm.... I thought again, and asked "what am I being congratulated for?"

"You received a "Distinction" on your Secondary Education Entrance Exam!"

"What does that mean?"

"It means you received the highest score on the test, and all other essays were graded off of yours. You are only one of two students, from the College of Family Life, to ever receive that mark!" 

That day, and all the days after... I really did come to know that I was braver than I believed, stronger than I seemed, and smarter than I ever thought!

I'm a USU graduate, Aggie alumni! 

picture taken on Old Main Hill 2014 

B.S. degree, Family & Consumer Science  Education - 1994

M.S. degree, Human Environments - 1999

The back of Old Main

College of Family Life

                             Inspired by Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop