August Moments

Our summer heat finally arrived about the middle of July... after a long cool spring and early summer, we had not really seen any temperatures over 80 degrees.  We are so blessed here, in that our nights cool down into the 50s and 60s, and sometimes even 40s.  So we can sleep well at night with our windows open, and then early in the morning, I close all the windows, turn on the fans, and the house stays cool until mid-afternoon, and then by 6:00 or so, we open windows again, and the cool breezes return.  The blooms in the garden have brought me much joy, and I've been busy harvesting the produce that it has been producing... enjoy the short video of a peek around my garden. 

In the evening is when I like to weed, gather produce,
and just enjoy the cool evening air after a heat-filled day
and most always the evening skies are filled with God's best masterpieces to enjoy. 

We've been doing a lot of 4-wheeling on the weekends, 
and we've seen so much beautiful countryside. 

This has been a wonderful summer without the smoky skies that we've had for the past several years, making it easier to get out, and enjoy the mountains. 

We've seen some magnificent vistas on our rides, and it is always so 
much fun to explore new trails. 

Huckleberries are also out now, and they are such a wonderful treat to find. 

It is always refreshing to find waterfalls along the trails, and this one was especially beautiful, cascading into a little pool of water. We happened upon it, on one of the trails we were on. 

A panoramic view of one of the majestic vistas on our ride. 

Some pensive pictures taken of our furry crew recently...

Our summer has been a really lovely one this year.  As I already mentioned, we have had no smoky skies, and we are already into August.  We are just so very thankful for the blue skies each day!  It is hard to believe that the year is more than halfway over, and what a year it has been!  

This amazing rainbow appeared in the skies one evening while I was working in the garden. 
Rainbows always remind me of the Lord's promise,
and they fill the world with such wonder each time they appear. 

I was thinking about change the last few days.  No one this time last year could have believed the changes in our world that we have seen in the past few months.  For so many people, there has been so much difficulty and trauma in their world.  Change no doubt has visited all of our lives, and things that were a way of life for us have changed.  We live in a world that is in a constant state of change... and yet there are things that never change.  Thankfully the sun still rises and sets at the same time every day, and the moon continues through its cycle.  The seasons come and go just as they always do.  

Our Lord's love has not changed for us, neither has His plan for this world.  And while we see things in a constant state of change around us, we can take comfort in the fact that while the world around us may be changing at a pace faster than we can understand or even believe, our Lord still remains steadfast and unchanging. Put your hope in Him, in things that are unmovable, unshakable, and unchanging in the midst of the changing storms and seasons of life.  It seems this season of change and difficulty we are in may last forever, but I can assure you that it will not... because seasons never last forever.  

I am reminded daily to look up beyond the chaos of the world that exists around me, into the loving face of my Saviour, and I see His face imprinted on the skies, the clouds, the mountains, the trees, and in all living things around me.  I take comfort in knowing that His plan has been set into motion before this world began, and the things that are taking place around us, are known to Him.  We can rest assured that all is well, in Him! 

I hope you enjoy the short video below of a visit of a swarm of hummingbirds to my garden while the rainbow was in the skies above.  It was a kiss from heaven to my soul, and I hope it blesses your heart too :)