Tag: God’s stuff

Mr. Nature: Deer in the Suburbs

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When the rain stopped this morning, I went for a hike up the hill to see the deer.

It always amazes me that these large wild animals can make a living in this thoroughly suburbanized town. Usually, but not always, I see them in a little two or three-acre park atop a steep hill in a posh neighborhood full of big houses that would do very nicely for hotels. Sometimes they come out of the park and hang out on people’s front lawns.

How do they do it? True, when they’re in the little wooded park and they’re not moving, they’re almost impossible to see. But they’re surrounded by a residential neighborhood full of cars, guys on riding mowers, etc. Somehow God provides for them.

You’ll notice, in this video, that someone is tossing little apples to the deer, which is probably why they’re in his back yard. It’s nice, to feed the deer, but it isn’t wise. Get them too used to interacting with people, and it will abate their natural caution which they need to survive.

I love to see the deer that somehow manage to live in the middle of Suburbia. I pray there will always be a place for them, and am surprised that there still is. The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof… (Psalm 24:1)

A Hawk in Flight

Posted By: leeduigon(patty)Posted On:

Hi, Mr. Nature here!

I can always tell, well before I ever see him, when a hawk is visiting our neighborhood. We have a lot of squirrels here, and they all disappear, suddenly, as if by magic–all of them. How do they do that?

So I was watching a hawk today, patrolling the sky, probably on the hunt for squirrels: no such luck, I couldn’t find them, either. But I was struck by how slowly the hawk could fly, knowing that at any moment he could generate a burst of speed that would amaze me. I don’t think we have any aircraft that can do that.

Which reminds me, oddly enough, of the great big scarab beetles that we have here in the summer. They fly slowly, too, and they look clumsy. But one of them can fly into the wall of the house–you can actually hear the “thump!”–again and again, and never fall down. We certainly don’t have any aircraft that can come even close to doing that.

God’s stuff–always worth watching.

God’s Stuff: Salamanders

Posted By: leeduigon(patty)Posted On:

Hi, Mr. Nature here–with some fond memories of salamanders.

Take a look at that Red Salamander (P. ruber ruber)–isn’t he gorgeous? When my friends and I used to go out catching salamanders, this was the grand prize. They were never very common–but just look at that color.

The video shows the Red Salamander entering water, but none of the ones I ever caught were in the water, although they were never very far away from it.

It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen one of these. As a rule, salamanders are pretty good at adapting to humans in their environment; but we’ve reached a point beyond which salamanders cannot go. Even the little redbacks, who used to be ubiquitous (gee, I don’t get to use that word too often!) around here are getting hard to find.

Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus)

It would be a poorer world without them: and it doesn’t strike me as wise to squander even the smallest of God’s blessings.

Video Treat: Cuddly Cats

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When He was creating the heavens and the earth, and everything in them, what ever made God think to include cat-cuddles? I mean, we wouldn’t have thought of that, would we?

Things have to be very bad indeed, for a cuddly cat not to do you any good.

Rejoice in God’s Handiwork

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Some years ago, I interviewed the famous paleontologist, Bob Bakker; and he said something I’ll never forget. He asked, “Can you imagine the fun God had, creating all these things?”

I know I’ve showcased this critter before, but it is the largest land mammal that we know of, and one of my all-time favorite prehistoric animals. It has a lot of different scientific names. Just think of it as the great beast that King Ryons rode to the rescue of Obann: that’s in The Thunder King.

Please feel free to ignore this video’s Darwinian trappings. I show you this beast so you can stand up and cheer what God has done. And no one can say God has failed to give us an abundance of material in which to exercise our minds!

So where are these animals now? Why can’t we see them?

Well, we don’t know. All we know is that God created them, pronounced them “good” when He was finished, and has the entire universe at His disposal.

And I expect to see these creatures someday, in God’s own time.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everybody

Posted By: leeduigon(patty)Posted On:

Image result for images of thanksgiving

We were supposed to go down to the other end of the state for Thanksgiving dinner at my sister’s, but it’s raining and the Garden State Parkway scares us when it’s wet.

I think the sin I most regret in my life is failure to be thankful to God, every day, for the blessings He has piled onto my plate–every day. Little things like hope, love, eternal life, forgiveness of sins, regeneration of the spirit: not even to mention the things of this world that only God can give–the beauty of His handiwork, all around us. Is there any human agency that can paint the leaves in autumn, and renew them in the spring?

To God be the glory!

Smile! Baby Goats

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The news is bumming me out today. How about some of God’s stuff instead?

If the frisky baby goats in this video can’t put a smile on your face, I don’t know what can–with some puppies thrown in for good measure.

The Lord has a lot of ways to comfort us… including baby animals.

Are Cats ‘Persons’?

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While the cats in this video amuse themselves (and us) in sundry ways, I continue to ponder a certain question.

To what extent are cats… persons? And the same question may be asked of dogs, mice, and various other animals.

Don’t worry, I’m not going all PETA on you. “Animal Rights” is foolishness. Nevertheless, the point is important enough to be made in the Bible: “A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel” (Proverbs 12:10).

We who have lived with cats (and dogs) know they have individual personalities; each and every one is unique. They can initiate their own actions, for reasons which are sometimes a mystery to us. They display joy and sorrow: I have had a cat grieve and be depressed over the death of his sister, and I had to work hard to help him out of it. Most of all, when we love them, they love us back.

These are all part of being a person.

What our pets don’t have is original sin (rolling in poo or chewing shoelaces doesn’t count). They are affected by the results of our original sin, but have none of their own.

What they are, when all is said and done, is one of God’s wonderful gifts to us. If we’d been creating the world, we never would have thought of it. But God did, because He loves us and He knew our cats and dogs would do us good.

Teddy the Talking Porcupine

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Teddy Bear the porcupine has been given a piece of corn on the cob–and listen to him, when they try to take it back! You can almost make out what he’s saying… and remember, he is talking with his mouth full.

Marvelously Good Dogs

Posted By: leeduigon(patty)Posted On:

Time for a sanity break!

I can hardly believe the dogs in this video. Whether it’s fetching beer from the refrigerator, helping a kitten up a flight of stairs, or tucking in a baby who’s kicked off his blanket, here are dogs who are up to the challenge. One of ’em can even catch fish. Maybe Nana in “Peter Pan” wasn’t such an exaggeration, after all.

Hard to believe these are the same animals who sometimes roll in nasty things.

But one thing they are is God’s stuff, and God’s stuff is always good.