The Birds of the Air

Always looking for more color in my life--including in my garden, the last several years I’ve prayed for goldfinches to come to my home. Their bright yellow bodies make them some of the most colorful birds in our area but less common than red cardinals, and blue jays. Once, I told an elderly lady who loved birds of my prayer. She retorted, “Well, if you’re going to pray for them to come you’d better have something for them to eat!” They did come. Every year. And they had plenty to eat among the seeded grasses in the back of our apartments.

I recently prayed for goldfinches to come to our new home though they usually come in autumn. But then I remembered the admonition to provide food. Oops, no tall, seeded grasses here.  “Oh well, Lord I’ll leave that to you.” This week, they came! They perched atop my bamboo stakes but I couldn’t grab my camera fast enough without startling them. Today however, I prayed, “Please let me get some pictures before they dart away.” Prayer answered. I did. Not only did I get pictures but I found who’s been eating my zinnia petals. I had unknowingly helped the Lord provide food for the goldfinches when I planted several varieties of zinnias.  I’d been leaving the older flowers in place for their color though deadheading them might have made a few more flowers. Now I know. Go for it goldfinches I have plenty—be my guests.

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Matthew 6:26

What’s in Your Garden?

Yesterday at church, an elder’s sermon asked the question, “What’s in your garden?” What kinds of thoughts do you plant in the garden of your life; what kinds of TV programs are planted there? Are they the kind that bear good and wholesome fruit or are they more closely related to thorns?

Botanically, thorns are stems that have gone awry through mutation; they were originally created to be stems or branches bearing leaves and flowers but became instead, deadly barbs. Even beautifully flowering plants such as bougainvillea, roses and cacti can have ferocious thorns and must be handled carefully.

When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, the land became cursed and would no longer produce good things without a lot of hard work—along with “thorns and thistles” (Genesis 3:17-18). The ransom of the earth from the curse brought on by human sin is tied to the ransom of humans by Jesus’ death and resurrection (Romans 8:19-23). Perhaps then, it’s no coincidence that Jesus wore a crown of thorns when he died on the cross.

The above picture is my garden as it was last May— these days, weather and migration to the indoor garden have left it looking sparse. However, I found this morning that a miniature orange zinnia has bloomed. With temperatures in the 60’s and 70’s, spring just may return—and if not, I have some ideas…

Color!

Since I’m an artist, color is essential to me (or maybe it’s the other way around). It’s fairly easy to find the purple and magenta flowers that are the backbone of my garden but the orange ones that complete my color vision are harder to find. I found these orange zinnias marked down at the local garden center and finally have some orange. (I do have a touch of orange with my million bells but I’ll write about that in a future post.) The garden centers are beginning to mark things down more every week but the longer one waits for “just the right price”, the more TLC will be required.


This variety usually does well in my garden, unlike its cousin a deep pink “cherry” mini zinnia that re-blooms in white with a tinge of pink—nothing like the magenta double-flowered beauty I bought at a garden center. The same thing happened last year. Hmm, I wonder if they’re like flamingos, which have to eat certain crustaceans to maintain their beautiful color? Whatever the problem, they apparently didn’t like Friday’s FOUR INCHES of rain since I found two of them dead this morning. Hopefully, next year I’ll resist their temptation. That’s part of the fun of gardening though, to try things and see what works and what doesn’t, to learn and then move on. (Recommended for gardening—not marriage!)