Janet's Blog

My local grandchildren recently finished their homeschool curriculum for this school year and, to celebrate, we planned to go camping at Lake Minatare, located 12 miles northeast of Gering. However, since the kids had been hoping to camp on the far eastern side of the lake, our campsites were probably closer to 17 miles from home. We avoid camping on weekends, especially holiday weekends, because we've found that the campgrounds are sparcely populated during the week. That's just the way we like it. However, the weather forecast was not in our favor this time. We had planned to leave on Sunday, after church, but Monday's forecast was horrible--rainy, with highs only in the forties. That's not good camping weather unless you like to stay inside your RV, watching TV or reading a good book. Our crew prefers to spend virtually all of their time outdoors, at the beach, so we postponed our trip until Tuesday, leaving just enough time at the lake before the Memorial Day crowd ...

Here it is, the middle of February already. Most years, I would be gritting my teeth and wishing for this month to end, because March should certainly bring some signs of spring. At least, I could hope. But this year is different. This year, I haven't been longing for winter's end because it feels like winter has hardly begun. Except for a couple of weeks--one in December, and the other in January--we've had no snow and no sub-freezing daily high temperatures. We've had more cloudy days than usual, and some horrific windy days that we could all do without, but most days have boasted highs in the fifties or sixties. It's been so warm that the squirrels have been skittering around outside for weeks, scurrying across the street in front of my car and scrambling up and down trees and fences. Instead of hibernating, it seems like they've been taking cat naps this year. The weather has been so mild that Millie's puppies have been able to play and poop outside near...

Last Saturday morning, I went birding with my friend, Vonnie, who is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about all kinds of birds. I've always been excited to watch birds as they flit about from one branch to another, or quibble over a few seeds at a backyard bird feeder, but I can't say that I've ever before gone birding. In the springtime, Vonnie and her parents and kids have been accustomed to taking car trips along Highway 2, between Alliance and Hyannis, just to watch the water birds that frequent the 26 lakes (or ponds, really) that line the road. I wouldn't know how many lakes there are, but Vonnie and her family have counted them. Vonnie's parents aren't healthy enough for birding this year, and her children are grown and scattered across the US and Canada, so she asked if I would like to go with her. Vonnie brought binoculars, and a notebook for recording each type of bird she saw. I brought a telephoto lens for my phone. Vonnie and I had plenty to t...

  It's tulip time! It's arguably my favorite time of year, when the weather starts to warm up--at least sometimes. The grass turns green and the spring flowers begin to show off their magical colors and alluring aromas. The birds are beginning to sing again. Finally, after months of freezing temperatures and monochrome landscapes, God is showing us again, right on schedule, that he has the power to awaken the slumbering earth and bring forth new life.  I remember the first time I ever noticed the tulips on the farm, when I was about three years old. Mom had planted spring bulbs along the house yard fence. When the flowers began to bloom, she made sure I knew their names. I loved the yellow daffodils, which were the first to bloom, but the red and yellow tulips were absolutely gorgeous! That particular combination of tulips is still my favorite.   I've had some tulips in my front flower bed, right next to the house, for many years. They usually bloom beautifully, although ...