Beauty!

Spring is in the air! Everyone knows it! Either you've heard it, seen it or smelled it, and so you know it's there. The same goes for me. It has me excited! Today I heard the croaking noise of a sandhill crane and looked up in time to see two of them flapping their huge bodies thirty or fifty or so feet above the horizon. Sunday morning I heard my first whippoorwill of the year. The spring peepers have been going strong for a while now. So exciting!

And Saturday morning was youth day for turkey hunting. I went with Blake. It was fun to be out. The turkeys didn't seem to be gobbling much at first, but when the wind died down and the fog started to lift, or maybe it was a cloud that blew away, the gobbling started. We had two birds talking with us from two different directions. We talked a little and they talked alot. We listened as they got closer. Then we heard a “fewamp” noise behind us. Blake whispered, “is that a deer?” I knew the sound. A turkey so close that you could hear his feathers puff up when he went into strut. He was off to the left of Blake's shoulder. Not a good thing for a left handed shooter. But Blake was able to move into position over the next couple of minutes. Every time the turkey's head was behind a tree he would move a little more, all the while seeing the beauty of nature at its best. The intermittent “fawomp, vawoom” had our hearts pounding. The bird was close which can sometimes make it tough, but Blake made the shot. There will be some good turkey melt sandwiches in our future, as well as a good turkey dinner, or maybe turkey nuggets and fries. And the seven inch beard will hang on the wall as a reminder of that good day, the circle of life, and the beauty of spring.

For some reason it's exceptionally easy in the spring to be attentive to all of the happenings going on around us. Everything is fresh, new, and exciting. Digging in the garden is fun and I can't wait to plant something.  The mayflowers are popping up and the ramps are tasty.

But just wait for two months. Our garden will look like a weed patch and I will be threatening to kill the whippoorwill that's waking us up every morning at four AM.

But for now it's spring and I hope to make the best of it. Watching the sun come up and watching it go down, and giving my brain a sensory overload of nature all the day long is a good thing.

Spring is in the air. Our senses are alerted! Just like needing air or water or food, we also need beauty. 

On Monday morning I went with a friend to check to see if the morels were popping up yet. I didn't find any, but Nate has an eye for them and found a couple itty bitty ones. It's still too early in our neck of the woods. They need more time and a little moisture. Even though they were little, I got to look at them. I got to take in their beauty. They are absolutely stunning if you look closely. Something that's impossible to reproduce.

I make glass mushrooms, mostly the toadstool type. Sometimes I make little morels. People often think that they are cute and beautiful.  But they are not even close when it comes to the real thing. They're a little bit like that turkey beard hanging on the wall. Just a remnant and a reminder of something way more beautiful.

It's easy to rush through life without taking it in, taking the time to appreciate the beauty. In writing this blog, I hope to encourage you to take some time this spring to enjoy beauty, to look a little deeper than just giving it a passing glance. I know, it takes time from your busy schedule. But even just thirty seconds can be refreshing. Take some time to drink in the beauty given to you by your Creator. After all, he made it for you. Drink it in. It will help to make you and your life beautiful too!