unexpected beauty

Our neighbor has a planter made from a homemade wheelbarrow which doesn't wheel anymore.

How amazing are those flowers? Had to share - hard for some people to believe cactus are such bright beauties - for at least a short time in the spring. Isn't it great - even the prickliest, least cuddly of creations are given a time to be beautiful? - to make us stop and say - WOW. Hope you have some WOW moments this week. We are doing well on Buhlaland - medical treatments continue for DH and some side effects but so far - it is GOOD on Buhlaland.

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.
~John Muir~

Blogging for Therapy?

I don't get it - honestly even stranger is the article I had a link to has already disappeared! If you had been able to read the article, some woman blogs about issues in her life I wouldn't talk about with the average church pastor. I've admitted becoming less social in my personal life, so I must be bucking the trends. Apparently literally millions of people are blogging about intimate life situations, their suicidal issues, their bad relationships, their obsessions and stuff "I-don't-even-want-to-know-the-name-of" issues.
By now anyone who visits here realizes I use a reference book which unfailing has worked in my life--
Proverbs 24: 3,4 By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.
Proverbs 18:2 A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.
In blogging - it is easy to write about details of our lives or comment on another's situation because we think we understand. Scripture and life experience tell us often needing more knowledge to understand how little we know. Chuck Swindoll sometimes mentions a problem in Sunday School classes - the SYI format. Share Your Ignorance - yep folks - I appreciate hearing comments and reading other people's blogs. I'll often ask questions and appreciate the advice or experience of others. I would NOT ask y'all to help me through a period of clinical depression. Certainly I believe MY readers are good hearted and smart people - but so far I haven't accumulated a following of psychiatric or medical experts. Even as bizarre as the world seems, not many people would try to do their own appendectomy or ask their neighbor to do a little surgery for them. Why are millions of people exchanging advice on living their lives on the internet!? I'm not talking about suggestions on how to train your dog, clean a stain or make a good goulash. I'm reacting to casual polls about intimate or spiritual issues. I quit reading one blog because the author was putting up theological questions, admitting they are not qualified to answer but asking their readers "so what do you think"? By any definition, that kind of blogging is SYI - spew out an opinion. The blogs where people are asking blue or beige tile for my hall bathroom? are fun for the readers. Definitely not likely to ruin the person's life if they take internet opinions to help them make a decision. Issues of scriptural instruction, how to deal with a drug addicted child, what to do with a cheating spouse - doggone it folks, a risky business to ask anonymous strangers who have NO stake in how your life works out -" what should I do?"
I'm getting down off my soapbox - I promise. PUHLEEZE please don't take this tirade personally if you are a sane person who comments on blogs - I love the interaction and have a long list of blogs I read and comment on with some consistency. I love hearing from visitors, regulars and "lurkers". I'm venting about those things which you would find in newsfeeds under "Offbeat". The stories or blogs which leave me whispering a prayer of protection for those poor idjits who are checking their horoscopes and latching onto the latest Oprah fad - y'all this is your life - we don't have rehearsal time here!
Now to some final words we find useful here on Buhlaland - one verse has always made me grin -(I'm old not mature!)- scripture talking about eating sweets until you vomit - biblical bulemia?
Proverbs 25:16,17 (NIV)
16 If you find honey, eat just enough— too much of it, and you will vomit.
Now this is wise advice - don't be the person everyone tries to hide from when you "drop by".
17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor's house— too much of you, and he will hate you.

I promise Buhlaland will be back to our usual recipes, goats and sunrises soon. God is working on us here and I started blogging to remind myself of where I was and where it seems I am today. Today -it's good on Buhlaland but you have to get away from the cell phones and computers to be aware of the goodness.

Long horned bad attitude

Our neighbor has long horned cattle - a peculairly Texas "thang". This is a steer actually - which means it was a bull but isn't now a bull. His name is Little Big Horn or LBH. No - he isn't a big sweetie - he can be quite aggressive but most of the time - he just eats and makes -- well what cattle make after they eat. For those who wonder if we really live in Texas country - yes ma'am we do. Love it here in Buhlaland and in the case of this steer - good fences DO make good neighbors!

Diospryos Virginiana

Our neighbors across the road have a most interesting tree - from a distance - it looks like a tree of small pumpkins! It is actually a persimmon tree! I've done a little googling about it - not finding a lot that would be blogworthy. The primary reason I took pictures this morning was during our first walking turn down the drive - there were two sizeable bucks over there. I said something wothy of Animal Planet - "look big deer,over there" to DH and the deer disappeared through the clearing behind persimmon tree and that concrete barrier. Must have been health conscious deer, upon investigation there were several recently nibbled fruits!

It is fun to think it is a pumpkin tree. I'll have to ask permission to try out this american persimmon. Supposed to be very tasty fruit, but only at the right stage of ripeness - too early and they'll serioiusly attack your pucker factor.! See - you can even get botanical information here in Buhlaland.