Playful with Nature

Once in a while I like to play around with images. The original image was photographed in a swampy area of Whites Mill Preservation Area in Salford Township, Montgomery County, PA back on the first day of March. The modified image had a plastic wrap filter applied to it. Notice how it highlights the edges already present in the original photo. Take time to view each image separately for full aesthetic effect and appreciation. Take in both the real and the abstract. Its common name is Skunk Cabbage and its botanical name symplocarpus foetidus.

Original Image

Modified Image

A Cornutopia of Delights and Memories

This post highlights a number of delights and memories from the past couple weeks and before - a walk in the present and down memory lane. The first delights are signs of Spring, a bit of Irish Step Dancing, and a couple scenes from a flower show followed by some scenes reflecting on my dad and his life.

 

 Some beautiful Johnny-Jump-Ups growing in our flowerbed

These were growing wild in a nearby park woodland.

 

These were in the same park along a creek where the sun shines warmly.

This past Sunday evening our church's youth group held a soup and silent auction fundraiser to go to a Youth Convention later this summer. In this particular picture, people donated enough money to see them dance. It was quite fun!

 

This is a scene from the Peter Becker Retirement Home Flower Show.

It is a combination of real & artificial flowers and art work.

 Much of this done by the residents of the retirement home

with sponsorship from local businesses.

Here we are singing a favorite hymn of Dad's called When There's Love at Home.

The first verse reads as follows:

There is beauty all around,
When there’s love at home;
There is joy in ev’ry sound,
When there’s love at home.
Peace and plenty here abide,
Smiling sweet on ev’ry side;
Time doth softly, sweetly glide,
When there’s love at home;
Love at home, love at home,
Time doth softly, sweetly glide,
When there’s love at home.

 

Here's Dad's eighth grade diploma. He only had eight years of schooling

but he kept up with us children who received much more schooling.

Here's part of a display that was set up to commemorate Dad's life.

Click on this photo to see it much enlarged.

 

This the planned burial site for Dad and Mom. Dad's body was cremated;

but the plan is that when Mom dies, she will be given a traditional burial

and Dad's urn will go in her casket.  The building behind the tombstone

was an old German schoolhouse in the 1800s.

On The Homestead

Today, I spent a few hours on the Rice Homestead taking some of my last photos from there. Mom has now moved to the home of one of my brothers. In time the property will be put up for sale though one of my siblings lives there for the time being. It struck me as I reminisced through the property how that so much had changed already through the years since I've been a child. Below are a few photos from my time there today.

 

This picture was taken from my childhood church home looking across the cemetery. The cemetery is much larger than it appears here. The house I lived in as a child and into my adulthood for some years is located on the far left. Behind the house is our red barn which for many years housed a couple thousand chickens, loads of straw bales, and farm machinery. There was also a chicken house that held six thousand chickens to the left of the house but not seen in this photo. On the right are some of my brothers' greenhouses. And in the back of the photo is a neighboring dairy farm.

 

Here's a view of the house with part of the barn in the background. Over the years, we spent a lot of time on the porch of this house. I remember in particular watching thunderstorms from there and helping Mom and Dad prepare fruits and vegetables for canning and freezing.

 

Here's the dinner bell that was used precisely for that purpose or anytime we were too far away to be called by the voice. As children we roamed a wide stretch of the farm and the bell was the easiest way to call us in.

 

Here's another view of the barn in the center with a corn crib and machinery shed on the left and the larger chicken house on the right. The barn actually used to be longer than it is in this picture.

 

This photo is a part of the main barn door taken from inside the barn. I took this photo because I like the wood grain and colors. In a future post, I may display more interior photos from the barn.

 

Here's a photo of a clock my dad gave to my Mom many years ago. The wood grain shown here is the same as the rest of the kitchen cupboards. Mom and us children spent a lot of time in this kitchen. She made sure we all at least knew the basic rudiments of cooking and baking.

 

This is some of the decor from the living room. Mom decorated her home with many knickknacks and pictures throughout the home. She knew how to make a house a home.

Remembering Dad

Dad went on to be with His Maker yesterday morning. He will be greatly missed but I am glad that he is freed from his sufferings. Near the end, the pain from his cancer was becoming intense. I am glad that I got the chance to spend last Wednesday evening with him. It was his last night at home before going to the hospital and departing this earth. We played a good game of Upwords that evening. Playing table games with family was one of his favorite activities.

Below are a few pictures from recent months that exemplify some of who Dad was.

 

This picture was from our Rice-Moyer Christmas gathering in January.

Dad knew at that time that his cancer was not curable but he still made

the most of life up to the end. My Dad is the one in the blue shirt.

My Dad was very dedicated to his wife who has been suffering from

Alzheimers for a number of years. He has been a good example of

what true love is and means. Thank you, Dad.

My Dad enjoyed playing table games with his children and

grandchildren all his life. The game of Upwords is being played

here and Dad is using the Scrabble dictionary which got

intense usage during these games.

Dad enjoyed family celebrations. On this occasion

we were celebrating my Mom's birthday this past October.

For those who might be interested, here is a link to Dad's obituary.

A Nature Photo and Kaleidoscopic Designs

Those of you who followed me on my previous blogs some years ago may recall that sometimes I enjoy taking a nature photo to create a variety of abstract kaleidoscopic designs. So is the case in this post. I am presenting the original nature photo first with seven designs following.

 

I might mentioned that fungus and moss have fascinated me 

since I was a child. At one time I even thought about

studying to become a biologist. Obviously, life ultimately

led elsewhere; but I have never lost my love of nature.

Reflections

 

I'm not sure that I have written about the health situation of my parents in this blog before. But it feels appropriate at this time to share of mine and my parents' current journey through life right now. My mom who is in the recliner has had Alzheimers for many years. We believe she is currently in the advanced stages of the disease and hasn't been able to hold a conversation for a long time now. She needs complete care and all of us as a family takes turns helping my dad and my sister who lives there to care for Mom.  Mom is also unable to walk without the assistance of two other people. Increasingly, she tires easily and we use a wheelchair more when she needs to move from one location to another.

My dad also has significant health issues. A little over a year ago, my dad had an operation to remove cancerous tissue from his nose and behind one of his eyes. One eye needed to be removed in the process. This was followed by radiation treatments. And his prognosis seemed good. But this past December a check up revealed that the cancer was back and that it had already reached lungs as well as affecting other areas in his head. They told dad that it was treatable but not curable. He is currently undergoing chemotherapy to keep his quality of life as good as possible as long as possible. Dad is frequently tired now but is keeping a good attitude. And the fact that Mom needs lots of care I think gives him the motivation he needs to keep fighting on. But it is not easy.

The photo above comes from one the times, my wife and I went to assist with caring for Mom. While we are there, we'll frequently also play table games with dad. Table games are something we enjoyed playing from little on up into adulthood as a family. And I think dad still enjoys even now when he is not too tired. None of us knows what the future holds other than that life doesn't go on forever. But any prayers will be appreciated.

Brief Reflection on Valentines Weekend

Yesterday, four years ago, my wife and I became formally engaged. A little over six months later we became married folks. For this Valentine's Day, we celebrated by attending a weekend marriage enrichment conference entitled "The Art of Marriage." One of the main themes of that conference was "Be quick to listen, but slow to speak."  Another central theme emphasized daily recognizing and accepting your spouse as God's good and perfect gift which was also a central theme in our wedding three and a half years ago.

Sweetheart, when you read this, I want to affirm you again as God's good and perfect gift to me. Thanks for your daily walking through life with me. Thanks for standing with me through good times and bad. Thanks for loving me no matter the circumstances. Sweetheart, you are the best!!!