Half Way

     Today marks the last day of the first half of 2011. Can you believe the year is half over? Here is a quick recap of my 4 goals for 2011.

     #1 Start a blog called Everyday Thankfulness to encouraging thankfulness.

     #2 Start a blog called Pupperville Ponderings where I can post all my puppet stories with some added thoughts to ponder.

     #3 Finish making the rest of my unfinished puppets.

     #4 Finish studying out the book of Revelation

      Am I still making at least some progress on each of the goals? This is where I stand at the half way point

     #1 I've continued posting daily to the Everyday Thankfulness blog and yes there are still so many things to be thankful for.

     #2 Pupperville Ponderings has now had 25 posts made to it.

     #3 As for my puppets - One sewing machine has been fixed and is home yet this project has not moved at all during June.

     #4 I have continued working on outlining each of my subdivisions but due to various activities on several Sundays - the day I set aside to work on this project - the project has slowed..

      How have you been doing on your goals...

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For the ability to set goals to work towards
• For making progress towards fulfilling them

Gentle Breeze

      We've had some pretty windy days this spring - blew down some trees - but most of the time the wind blows as just a gentle breeze.

      Have you ever wondered what it would be like if the wind never blew. For me, on a hot summer day a gentle breeze feels great, especially if it is coming off of a lake. And to see the leaves on the trees shimmering in that same breeze is relaxing.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For a gentle breeze

Canoeing / Boating

      Along with being in the water swimming comes being on the water in a boat or canoe.

      While we don't own a boat, we have friends and family that do and have taken the kids out on the water pulling them behind in a tube and the kids have a blast. For me boats have a better use - fishing although I have not been fishing for years.

      And while we don't own a boat we do own a canoe and from time to time we do get it out on the water and than it sometimes a fight over who gets to go in it. I love canoeing and have great memories of canoeing a river in the fall with my dad seeing lots of wildlife, going over beaver dams and even having ice form on the paddles as we're gliding along.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For canoeing and boating

Berry Picking

      One of the best tasting things in life is fresh baked bread covered with fresh homemade jamb from freshly picked berries whether they're raspberry, strawberry, blueberry and the list goes on.

      Summer is the time to get out and pick berries starting in late June with strawberries and the rest follow. Some of my favorite times growing up were picking blueberries out in the woods with my Dad and going to my Great Grandfather's place to pick raspberries and strawberries.

      Now, I take my own kids blueberry picking and some of the kids are pretty good pickers. My wife also takes the kids picking but she goes for the easier, bigger strawberries and rasberries. Than when all is said and done, we get to enjoy the fruits of our labors.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For wonderful tasting berries
• Times spent as a family picking berries

Lakes and Rivers

      Living in Minnesota I get to see lots of lakes and rivers after all Minnesota is called the land of 10,000 lakes (and 10 billion mosquitoes or something like that.)

      Lakes and rivers are more than just a source of water - they are a source of life, they are a source of beauty, they are a source of recreation, they are a source of enjoyment, the are a source of ....

     Dear Lord, Thank you

• For Lakes and Rivers

Hiking and Walking

     For the most part, most of us have two good legs and with those two legs we can do many things. Some of the things I enjoy doing with my legs are going for a hike through the woods or a walk down are road usually when the mosquitoes are not around.

      One particular hike I remember took place at Scenic State Park. While the wife and kids went to the beach I wanted to go on a hike - I was in shorts - the ground was wet - the mosquitoes were horrible - I took a wrong turn adding a lot of time to my walk through the mosquitoes with out bug spray and along the way I come across a look out over a breath taking view. It was worth it all and later I brought the family to the spot - the short way.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For the ability to walk and hike

Mowing

      Well, maybe you're not thankful for this outdoor activity - it's mowing for if you live with a yard chances are it will need to be mowed.

      Around our house we have push mowers and riders and boys who like to ride the riders so as long as the riders are working the lawn gets mowed.

      I see lawn mowing with a push mower as good exercise and growing up as a kid it was also a good way to earn a little money.

      To top it off, a nicely mowed lawn looks nice and smells great - at least to some of us.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For mowing

Flowers

      I'll let the pictures do the talking

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For flowers

Parks

      I've already mentioned state parks as something to be thankful for but there are also city parks. One of the places our kids love to go in the summer is what the call the "Rainbow Park" which is the Warroad city park named rainbow for the colorful play equipment.

      Growing up in Brainerd I can remember going to several different city parks - parks to play ball, parks to play tennis, parks for ice skating, parks for swimming swinging and sliding, etc.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For the many parks people have built to enjoy

Swimming

      Once the water warms - Swimming outdoors is another activity enjoyed by our family. While I am not much on being in the water, the kids enjoy it a lot and if it gets hot enough, I do join them from time to time.

      For our family we have had over the years various small pools for the kids to play in and we have had the offer recently of a big pool. We also have with in 45 min. drive or so two state parks with swimming beaches and in town we have an outdoor pool with a sand bottom and sand beach all of which have been enjoyed.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For swimming beaches

Ball

      Summertime is a time for playing ball be it softball, baseball or whiffle ball Growing up my brothers and I spent many days at the ball park for baseball - they played and I helped coach the t-ball kids or minor league kids. At home it was too dangerous to try and hit baseballs so we would often use plastic bats and whiffle balls in the backyard playing 2 against 1 and it was a lot of fun.

     As time progressed and I got older I got to play from time to time a game of softball which is always a lot of fun. Since I was never real good at hitting home runs over the fence I worked more on place hitting. One of my favorite times playing softball was in Bemidji with church friends and my too be mother-in-law was on the opposite team out in the field and she challenged me to hit the ball to her. I did. She didn't even have to move to catch it and at the last moment she though her hand up,ducked and let out a sort of a panicked scream. I laughed so hard I barely made it to first base.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For ball playing

Father's Day

      Unless I'm mistaken, Adam and Eve are the only two people that have never had a father. Today in the U.S is Father's day a day set aside to honor our Father's.

      According to World Book Encyclopedia - Sonora Louise Smart Dodd of Spokane, Wash., got the idea to set aside a special day to honor fathers in 1909, after listening to a sermon on Mother's Day. She wanted to honor her father, William Jackson Smart. Smart's wife died in 1898, and he raised their six children on his own. Dodd drew up a petition recommending adoption of a national father's day. The Spokane Ministerial Association and the local Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) supported it. Through Sonora Dodd's efforts, Spokane celebrated the first Father's Day on June 19, 1910. Over the years, many resolutions to make the day an official national holiday were introduced. Finally, in 1972, President Richard M. Nixon signed Father's Day into law.

      Last weekend my dad was here for a visit - not because of father's day but because I got older and we were able to visit and before he left I wished him a happy Father's day just in case I forgot today. I know not everyone had or has a great dad like mine or I'm trying to be but we all have a Heavenly Father that is perfect if we so choose to be his child.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For being a Father too us
• For the earthly fathers you have given us

Swings

      The year we moved out to the country - our present home, - we decided to put up a swing set for the kids. They don't make metal swing sets like they used too. Within a couple years it was destroyed. Eventually we decided to put up a bigger and better wooden one and found a kit at Menards and bought lumber here and there and with the help of the whole family we built a swing set / tower / monkey rings / ... and it is still standing.

     As a kid I remember the swing set my folks had and how it was nearly indestructible - nearly. I can remember spending hours and hours swinging on it and the one at the school play ground a few blocks away. I still enjoy swinging from time to time but for some reason the seats have shrunk and I no longer fit in them comfortably.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For swings

Birds

      Around our house, you can hear birds all day and night in the summer. There has been many times when I've been able to just sit and enjoy the sounds of the birds during the day and for those winter months when they head south - well, I've had tapes I've listened too. During the evening and night I've at times enjoyed listening to loons (while camping)owls and whipper wills (sometimes right outside my window and sometimes a nuisance when they won't quit.

      Of course birds not only sound wonderful but they can also be a sight for sore eyes in their brilliant colors. and some of those birds even eat mosquitoes and other bugs.

      Around our house we like to feed the birds, especially in the winter and we get to enjoy many different bids that way.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For birds

Garden

      Over the years I've planted and helped prepare various gardens The first garden I remember was one my dad planted in a rented garden plot just outside of town. He planted that garden for several years. The next Garden after that I remember being a part of was the one I planted in my front yard out in the country. I kept that one going for several years and than our tiller broke down. Now we have a small tiller that was given to us and my wife has some small garden spots around the yard and I did till her main one up this year.

      When it comes to gardens, I must admit I'm not a big fan of vegetables but I will eat tomatoes, onions, beans, potatoes and corn and I suppose I eat a few other things my wife sneaks into the meals she makes. And I'm not a big fan of weeding them while getting eaten alive by mosquitoes but it's hard to have a garden inside.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For gardens

Frogs

      Have you ever enjoyed a frog? I know some people like to eat frog legs - not me - and some people like Kermit the Frog - I guess I do - but what I like most about frogs is their croaking in the spring and summer.

      Where we live we have a pond in our back yard and boggy, swampy land surrounding us which along with breeding mosquitoes is a wonderful place for frogs and in the evening I enjoy listening to them croak away - some nights it can almost be deafening. And of course frogs can be cute.... and who knows maybe one of them is waiting to be kissed....

Dear Lord, Thank you

• For Frogs

Flag Day

      The first flags were likely used to assist military coordination on battlefields. Since than, flags have evolved into a general tool for rudimentary signaling and identification. One of the most popular uses of a flag is to symbolize a nation or country. If you were to study flags you would want to become a vexillogist.

      Today, in the United States is Flag Day a day set aside to commemorate the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777. In1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day; and in August 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For the flag and freedoms it represents

Rain

     Have you ever enjoyed a rainy day? I know that sunshine is beneficial to us and it makes being out doors a lot easier but rain has it's good points. With out rain plants can wither and die, with out rain animals will wither and die. with out rain fires can easily ignite and burn out of control with out rain....

      Our kids love to play in the rain as long as it's not too cold and not to hard and not stormy. and the smell of the air after a rain can refreshing and let's not forget the colors of the rainbow after some rains.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For rain

The Air I Breathe

      What about the air you breathe? How many of you enjoy a breath of fresh air. The smell of flowers in the spring, of fresh mowed grass in the summer or a fresh rain, the smell of damp leaves in the fall, the crispness of the air in the winter. The air that lets us live, the air that lets us worship the Lord.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For air

State Parks

     Today, in Minnesota, the state parks are having an open house and one can vist without the need of a vehicle permit. Every year are family tries to make it to one of our local state parks to enjoy canoeing, picnicking, special events and of course the beach. At other times we will even enjoy camping at a state park some where in Northern Minnesota.

     Many of the state parks, along with providing a place for outdoor activities, help to preserve various geological features such as Mystery Cave and Itasca, landmarks such as the Sudan under ground mine and Fort Snelling.

     Many of the 72 different parks have special programs for kids and adults to help us learn about nature, the plants, the birds, the animals, etc.

     If you haven't done so yet, grab some bug spray, a camera and head out to a state park and enjoy God's great outdoors.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For the state parks

Bugs

      Are bugs called bugs because the bug you? Have you ever been thankful for those creepy crawly bugs. And let's not forget the was that fly instead of creep. This time of year the outdoors becomes over run with bugs.

      Chances are, unless you're an entomologist, you don't like bugs and yet bugs are a part of God's creation, we prefer they stay outside, and if God made them than they have a purpose - other than to bug us.

      Bugs help to decompose, pollinate, control weeds, feed birds, and the list could go on.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For bugs

Camping

      I'm not 100% certain, but I think our family has gone camping at least once every year since we've been married. Some of our favorite camping spots include Jack Pine, Itasca, and Lake Bronson.

     Camping can be a trying time - like the time a severe thunderstorm blew our tent down on top of us and than droppe3d a couple inches of rain or the time we took a detour and hit a pot hole of some sort so hard that the bikes on the back of the car came off and one of the bike tires flew away and we spent lot's of time looking for it. and let's mot forget kids throwing up in the tent and pink eye and....

     Camping is for the most part enjoyable - and depending on where you go you can ride bike, canoe, sit around a fire and roast marshmallows, go hiking, swimming, and.... well, I won't mention everything we've done camping.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For camping times

Fishing

      Growing up, I can remember doing lots of fishing toward the end of December and the middle of May with my Dad, my Grandpa and my brothers.

      In the winter we had many different fish houses we used and some times we would be out on the lake when the wind chill was somewhere near 90 below zero, time when it was so foggy you couldn't see the shore, time when there was 2 inches of water on top of the ice, times when we stayed all night time when we even caught some big fish.

      In the spring when fishing season opened we would take the boat out and I would get to sit in the front so as to be the one to launch the boat and than jump in before it got to far from shore and than be the one to jump out and pull the boat onto shore when we were done. As we fished mostly on a big lake there were times when the waves would get to be too much for the boat but not for me. Fishing in the summer you never know what you might catch. One year my Dad caught the floor of an old fish house.

      Fishing is an activity that millions enjoy both young and old and it even finds itself popping up in the Bible.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For fishing

Trees

      In the spring we enjoy seeing the new leaves and the flowers that cover the trees and then when summer arrives we start to enjoy the shade of the leaves. By mid to late summer one starts to enjoy the fruits that some of the trees produce and as autumn sets in we enjoy the colors of red, orange and yellow.

      As I kid growing up I can remember several trees around out house - and the neighbors that were enjoyed. There was a big Box Elder that was a favorite of mine for climbing and the neighbor had some beautiful birch and maples that produced piles of leaves to jump in in the fall.

      Now I live in the state forest and I get to enjoy lots of trees.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For the variety of trees You created

Sandbox

      Out in our front yard is a big sand box. While ours very rarely gets played in, One of the joys I remember from growing up is the sandbox we had to play in in my parents backyard.

     The box itself was very small maybe 2 foot by 6 foot but the actual digging area was more like 12 by 16 or more. From digging deep holes to building volcanoes with the water hose and scraping out roads with tunnels and bridges, the sand box was a lot of fun.

     Dear Lord, Thank you

• For sandboxes

All God's Creatures

     One of the great joys of the outdoors is to sit and watch the critters that God has made. and listen to make their noise.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For creating animals

Grilling

     Shortly after we got married we used some of the money we got as gifts and bought our first gas grill - it was enjoyed but eventually it wore out. and we bought a second one. Our second grill has served us well and was used year round but it ran its course and like the first it wore out. Memorial day weekend we decided to get our third grill.

     After several hours of getting holes to line up the grill was assembled and on Memorial day we gave it its first work out grilling burgers and brats and I must say that the results were delicious. As the year moves along I'm looking forward to using it even more.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For outdoor grilling

Storms

      I used to have - not sure if I still do or not - CD's of thunderstorms that I could pop into my CD player and just listen to the rain and thunder. I know several people who like me like to listen to a thunderstorm. On top of this, many of the beautiful pictures I see of nature are of thunderstorms - the black clouds lit up by bolts of lightening

     Yes a thunderstorm can wreak havoc and bring about destruction but even when they don't they can be a great witness to the awesomeness of God and His power. Even tornadoes and hurricanes as destructive as they can be can if we let them give glory to God.

     Dear Lord, Thank you

• For storms

Sunny Days

      Winter, spring, summer, fall - no matter the season, I think we all enjoy a sunny day and being out in it.

      While too much sun in the summer can have a negative effect, sunshine is great for us in many ways.

• Sunlight tends to help clear up different skin diseases
• Sunlight stimulates your appetite and improves your digestion,
• Sunlight will enhance your immune system.
• Sunlight encourages healthy circulation.
• Sunlight increases the production of endorphins and serotonin in your brain which will definitely leave you feeling much better.
• Sunlight during the day can help you sleep better at night.
• Sunlight helps to balance out your hormones.
• Sunlight helps your body convert a form of cholesterol that is present in your skin into vitamin D.
• Sunlight, Sunlight, Sunlight...

      This is just a few of the wonderful things we can benefit from a sunny day.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For sunny days

Outdoors

      As June has arrived and we look forward to getting outdoors a little more (mosquitoes do tend to hamper things a little) I thought I would use the out doors for a theme for the month of June.

     There are many things that we do out doors or we only find out doors that we enjoy but we often forget to be thankful for. Sometimes just sitting and doing nothing outdoors is enjoyable in itself.

     Come along this month and let's be thankful for the great out doors that God has given us to enjoy.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For the outdoors