Nature’s Art

Nature’s art is everywhere…unique and beautiful!

This particular “tree stump art” took me by surprise. While riding my bike I rode past a friend’s house and she was out in her driveway so I stopped and we chatted for a few minutes (6’ apart). She told me to take a look at her tree stump in her backyard so I did. I asked her who created the design and she said “bugs”!

Photo by cb

I thought a pattern was burned into the stump to create art…but bugs created the artwork all by themselves. It was striking.

Trails in the stump made by bugs. Photo by cb

That week we took a hike at Cannon Valley Wilderness Park near Faribault and saw the creative work of eagles. There in the treetops were two giant nests and an eagle was sitting in one of them.

Of course spring flowers are nature’s art…Wilderness Park was full of Spring Beauty, a tiny pink spring flower carpeting the ground in many places throughout the park. Unfortunately my photo didn’t turn out.

Nature’s art is in clouds…

and tulips…

Bark with lattice work.

and tree bark…

Our pair of resident cardinals eating at the bird feeder attached to our window. It looks like they are perching on the back of our chair!

and birds. It’s all around us. God’s handiwork. 

Look and see that the Lord is good…the beauty of the Lord is all around us.

For the beauty of the earth,
For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.

For the beauty of each hour
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon and stars of light,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.

For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth, and friends above,
Pleasures pure and undefiled,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.

Spring is Here!

I’m used to celebrating spring on March 20 so I was surprised to learn that today, March 19, 2020, is the first day of spring this year. The spring equinox begins tonight at 10:49 pm.

The COVID-19 pandemic is on all of our minds these days…the uncertainty of it and the bigger picture of the fallout…is scary. I will not be posting much about it…it’s too overwhelming…but I am grateful for my faith to see me through.

The clouds have been particularly beautiful and unusual in the past two weeks and I’ve captured a few photos.

Psalm 147: 7 & 8
Sing to the Lord with grateful praise;
    make music to our God on the harp.
He covers the sky with clouds;
    he supplies the earth with rain
    and makes grass grow on the hills.

Here’s to spring! May it lift our spirits a bit during these difficult days.