Eagle Siting at Dewart Lake-Syracuse IN March 30, 2012

Having an Eagle hang around our summer cottage is so awesome. The nest is quite visible now, however, when the tree fills out he will be hidden.

The nest

Checking things out!

Grooming himself.

The eagle looking so proud!

Strange Yellow Tulip Growing in our Yard

I love my beautiful flowers. This lonely strange yellow tulip is growing in our yard. We did not plant this flower, so we really are not sure how it got here. We have plain yellow, red, red with strips and yellow with strips and this one 1/2 and 1/2 tulip.

According to Teleflora,"Although different tulip colors carry distinct meanings - yellow tulips symbolizing cheerful thoughts, white conveying forgiveness and purple representing royalty - a Turkish legend may be responsible for the red tulip's symbolism. The story goes that a prince named Farhad was love struck by a maiden named Shirin.  When Farhad learned that Shirin had been killed, he was so overcome with grief that he killed himself - riding his horse over the edge of a cliff.  It's said that a scarlet tulip sprang up from each droplet of his blood, giving the red tulip the meaning "perfect love."" 
 This post linked to: Macro Flower Saturday

Drug Abuse or Addictions

Do you, a family member or friend, struggle with drugs or addictions? Read the definition before you answer.

Proverbs 20:1 “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”

The definition of addictions by Merriam-Webster dictionary, 

“1 : a strong and harmful need to regularly have something (such as a drug) or do something (such as gamble) [count] ▪ He has a drug addiction. — often + to ▪ an addiction to pain medication ▪ an addiction to playing the lottery [noncount] ▪ His life has been ruined by heroin addiction.

2 [count] : an unusually great interest in something or a need to do or have something ▪ He devotes his summers to his surfing addiction. — often + to ▪ She has an addiction to mystery novels.”

However, God doesn’t leave us living in addictions and shame. Here is a great plan, seek forgiveness for God and be set free.

John 8:36 “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

  Read more: Drug Abuse Facts on TopicSpotter

Gluten-Free English Muffin Recipe

Gluten-Free English Muffin Recipe

Gluten-Free Muffin

Are you or your family gluten intolerant or have Celiac disease? Did you think eating another English muffin was completely out of your diet? My family loves to eat and I love to bake and eat, therefore, even though I do not have problems I try to make things they can also enjoy. 
Find a blend of all-purpose gluten-free flour you enjoy and try my recipe for gluten-free muffins.
Read more:TopicSpotter
This post linked to: Foodie Friday

Daffodils in Bloom

 

Isaiah 35:1 “the wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.” (KJV)

Here in northern Indiana the springtime is producing beautiful flowers. 

One-by-one a new variety is emerging. Right now, it’s the colorful daffodils. The beautiful yellow flowers are in many flower gardens.

 

I like taking close ups of the flowers and even change up the settings on my camera to capture the beauty.

 

I hope you enjoy my photos of the daffodils, as much as we enjoy looking at them.

This post linked to Macro Flower Saturday

Dieting or Weight Control Program

Salad Makings

Oh my goodness it's springtime, the time of year when everything comes alive and many diets or weight control programs begin. Girls especially want to look nice in their shorts and bathing suits.

I came across the Mayo Clinic Diet book, it seems so practical and balanced, unlike so many of the fad diets that limit what you eat.
More info on TopicSpotter:Mayo Clinic Diet or Weight Control Program 
This post linked to:Foodie Friday

Spring Pictures 2012

Bird on top of birdhouse

budding tree

 It was a beautiful spring day, great time for a walk and  capturing some spring pictures.

Yellow Crocus

Snow Drops

Old gate

Old shack in the woods

Weed

Dog Mac and Husband

Dog Mac and Husband waiting for my return

This post linked to: Macro Flowers Saturday

Growing Strawberries: Grow and Pick Strawberries

Strawberry season will soon be upon us, and not only do they taste great they are so good for you.

According to world's healthiest foods, "Many foods commonly consumed in the U.S. are valuable sources of antioxidants, however, researchers have recently ranked the 50 best antioxidant sources among commonly eaten foods and found strawberries to be quite exceptional. When total antioxidant capacity was measured against a uniform amount of food (100 grams, or about 3.5 ounces), strawberries ranked 27th best among U.S. foods. In addition, when only fruits were considered, strawberries came out 4th among all fruits (behind blackberries, cranberries, and raspberries)"  

Strawberries are an easy plant to grow. They pretty much take care of themselves. You will have to pull the weeds from your strawberries to keep your patch clean and easy to pick. Having organic strawberries are even better, no pesticides concerns.
The real problem is you have to wait a year after you plant for a good crop. Therefore, if you haven't planted yours put them in the ground now so you can have juicy organic strawberries next summer.

Supplies need to grow and pick strawberries:

• Strawberry plants
• Straw/grass clippings for mulch
• Rototiller
• Cardboard boxes/quart containers
• A strong healthy back

Steps to grow and pick strawberries:

1.     Using a Rototiller, clean up the land you are going to use for the strawberry patch.  Doing it right from the beginning is essential.

2.    Go to your local greenhouse’s or nurseries, shop by catalog and find the variety of strawberries that will suit your needs and the land you have to grow them in. Strawberries are not all the same. Some are for eating, some for jams or pies. Some even come in hanging baskets for smaller places. If you know how you want to use the strawberries before buying the plants would be very helpful.

3.     After you have purchased your strawberry plants and tilled the ground, plant the strawberry plants. Put straw or grass clippings around the edges and plants to keep the weeds down and moisture in.

4.     As your strawberry plants mature, they will get little white flowers on them that will turn into strawberries. To some this may seem obvious, but there are people out there that have never seen a strawberry farm or plant.

5.     With the right temperatures and sunshine, your strawberries will be ripe the first weeks of June. That is when you will need all those quart containers or cardboard boxes.

6.     Every year your strawberry plants produce runners and your patch will grow rapidly, as you are picking you will need to move the strawberry plants from side to side to see the whole plant. The strawberries will not jump out and say pick me, you will have to look for them.

Tip: When strawberries start to come on, they will ripen quickly and on a daily basis, so check them often. Growing and picking organic strawberries will be great for the whole family.

Road Trip to Taylorsville KY

Traveling by myself 275 miles by myself to Taylorsville KY was something I never thought I'd do. However, when my one and only daughter and family moved, I had to reconsider.    

Making my first trip was something I did not want to do alone so my sister graciously traveled with me. It was still a long trip but the conversation made it go a little better.

After crossing the bridge and entering Kentucky our leisurely trip put me more on my guard as Louisville is a very large city with a lot of traffic and I didn’t want to miss my turn off on Highway 265.

Traveling 31 E or Bardstown Hwy through Mt Washington was beautiful with the rock formations for walls and Highway 44 is very curvy and scenic route.

My daughter lives between Mt Washington, KY and Taylorsville, both cool towns but Mt Washington is much larger than Taylorsville. However, my sis got a special treat of gluten-free pizza in Taylorsville, so that was an added bonus.

All-in-all even with the hundreds of miles between us, I’m glad they have found a nice ranch style house to call their home.

Low-Carb Food or Snacks

Before you start eating low-carb (carbohydrate) food or snacks, you need to understand what carbohydrates are, and where they are found. You also need to be aware that there are health benefits of carbohydrates and that your energy level comes from the glucose found in carbs when they are broken down in the stomach and intestines.

Read more: TopicSpotter