Nature is only the Image

Nature is mortal; we shall out-live her. When all the suns and nebulae have passed away, each one of you will still be alive. Nature is only the image, the symbol; but it is the symbol Scripture invites me to use. We are summoned to pass in through Nature, beyond her into that splendour which she fitfully reflects.
And in there, in beyond Nature, we shall eat of the tree of life. At present, if we are reborn in Christ, the spirit receives life from Him at a thousand removes--
The faint, far-off results of those energies which God's creative rapture implanted in matter when He made the worlds are what we now call Physical pleasures;and even thus filtered, they are too much for our present management. What would it be to taste at the fountainhead that stream of which even these lower reaches prove so intoxicating? The whole man is to drink joy from the fountain of joy.

C. S. Lewis in "The Weight of Glory"

Squirrels

This is the prize winner of the contest sponsored by Power Line blog to illustrate the debt issue our country is facing. I think it's worth watching and passing along. Watching squirrels somehow makes the topic easier to visualize. Justin, the producer of this short video, has done a great job and been chosen as number 1 from over 200 entries. More of the top entries can be seen here.

They asked Justin to share his thoughts on the contest and his video:

"When I first heard of the contest, I found it hard to believe that anyone would put up such a great prize to offer creatives a chance to dramatize the debt crisis. Most people don’t want to think about debt or the dangers it holds. Wars and environmentalism have attracted most of the attention of creative people in our culture–and not usually for a good result. But when you consider what debt can do and has done to nations throughout history, we’d be fools to not recognize our country’s solvency as the single greatest issue we face today. In my piece, I wanted to not just show how bad the problem is- which is in itself a noble effort since 15 trillion is hard for most to comprehend–but I sought to convey how we got to this point, and our choices moving forward."

Oh, to be a child again

Childhood + Summer + Water = Bliss

(even straight-out-of-the-well cold water!)

No common kiddie pool for us. How about a clean horse trough with sparkling fresh, and yes, cold water.

Fuel up.

If there is magic on the planet, it is contained in the water.

~ Loren Eisley ~

The Debt

A short video from Power Line today.

Time Warp Birthday

Casey turns 40!

a truly psychedelic party is held in his honor

It's intriguing how costumes, in this case a "Seventies" theme,

will loosen people up in just the right?! way.

Even Drake got into the swing of things (literally) when he got

that 'magic' Afro wig on that came to the party on Ben

but made the rounds to most of the guys!

Aged Hippies

And Lola knows that Cheerios are definitely a vintage thing.

Family Reunion-Northern Edition

Another annual reunion this time on hubbie's side. Six siblings and their children and Grandchildren makes for a very large group. We always have great fun together talking, eating, playing and just catching up.

Lola was being her photogenic sweet self so she gets a collage all to herself.

California Dreamin

Being with my Mom and Dad in California while my Dad recovers from open heart surgery has kept me away from this blog for a while.

My brother and his wife and and their daughter, who is home from college, live on a lovely piece of property with my parents.

The sun shone absolutely every day I was there!

We enjoyed meals together every evening. They love good food and are all great cooks.

The beautiful garden was in full bloom! Roses in every color, clematis, lavender, {blackberries for the above cobbler} lilies and other things too numerous to mention.

And the good news is that Dad is getting stronger every day! Miss you all!