An Animal Post

Written 8/2/2010 at Cheyenne Mountain State Park in Colorado!

I’ve seen lots of fun animal things recently, so here’s a random list of all the ones I can remember off the top of my head.

• I was walking in my neighborhood one day, and a young/baby Cardinal flew off the ground from just a couple feet in front of me! The mom was right around there too. I never would have seen the baby if it hadn’t flown!
• At the place I house sat last week, there were two dogs – Buddy, a big black lab as sweet as could be, and Bailey, a small black Schnauzer/Jack Russell Terrier mix, as hyper as could be! Well, there are lots from them J 1) Buddy slept in the same bedroom I did every night. So did Bailey, but she always sleeps in her crate in there. Buddy chose to J 2) Buddy was very laid back – all he needed to make him happy was lots of water and lots of petting. Bailey, on the other hand, would just about go crazy! She loves having her toys thrown (both inside and outside). The funniest part of that was the way she would slide across the wooden floor when she went running to fetch her toy :D 3) Buddy liked eying the many rabbits that lived in the neighborhood during our walks. Of course, I never let him chase one. But I found it funny that such a sweet dog seemed to want to hunt poor cute little bunnies! 4) Whenever I started petting Buddy, Bailey would run over and want her share too.
• I went to the Dallas Zoo on Dollar Day. Tons of fun animal things from there, of course, but the three biggest are: 1) the wild Great Egrets that had a nest in the flamingo exhibit (it was open air), 2) the species of bird in the children’s aviary that loved poking their long beaks into peoples’ pockets and backpacks, and 3) the little weaver birds in the other aviary that were making their nests right above the path. The males were being absolute clowns (hanging upside down on one foot) trying to show off the nests they had made, and the females were busy dive bombing anyone who stood still on the path to watch the males!
• Last night we were camping at Palo Duro Canyon near Amarillo, and three things happened there too. 1) There were a couple Painted Bunting babies that were begging to be fed by their papa right near our site! FUN!!! J 2) There were TONS (as in, 40-50) of vultures/other raptors circling above our site. At first we were wondering what had died to attract that many birds, but then we guessed that they were using thermals instead. 3) Two butterflies thought the wooden legs of our campstools tasted really yummy…..who knows why! After we finished at the camp fire and moved to the picnic table, the butterflies followed us, so I took a bite out of my apple and let them drink some juice from there. They both stayed for a super long time and were really “tame”! I got some good pictures J

Ok, I couldn't think of as many things as I thought I had seen...but oh well.

(edit on 9/11/10) - Ah, I remembered another couple things I meant to put on here!

• One day I was waiting for the train at a station and I watched a Grackle (a kind of blackbird) catch and eat a grasshopper. I found that interesting for some reason - I must have been tired that day!
• A few days later I watched a little sparrow try to catch a moth, again while waiting for the train. The moth kept getting away!
• Oh, and another one from the zoo - the two macaws who were madly in love with one another - evidenced by them preening each other almost non-stop and regurgitating for each other. Even a little kid recognized it: "look, they're making out!" lol

I just love watching God's creation! :)

Do Hard Things (book review)

On the back cover:

“Most people don’t expect you to understand what we are going to tell you in this book. And even if you understand, they don’t expect you to care. And even if you care, they don’t expect you to do anything about it. And even if you do something about it, they don’t expect it to last. WE DO.”

Book info:

Title – Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations

Authors – Alex and Brett Harris

Publisher – Multnomah Books, 2008

Hardback, 12 chapters, 240 pages

My review:

This is an excellent book….one I wish I had read quite a while ago! Twins Alex and Brett, founders of www.therebelution.com, were “only” nineteen when they wrote the book. The premise of their book, however, is that their age should not keep them – or any teenager – from aiming for and achieving “hard things” (things the culture doesn’t think they can accomplish). Their book encourages teenagers to reject the “myth of adolescence” (that teenagers are too young to do anything worthwhile) and to instead use the teen years as a launching board to the rest of their lives. Alex and Brett offer many examples of young people doing “hard things” and the ways that God has blessed their efforts. They suggest five types of “hard things” that teens can aim for, and they also discuss three components needed for success. Alex and Brett believe that today’s generation of young people is specially equipped and blessed with resources that could make it a generation of movers and shakers – but first, teens must be willing to push beyond what is expected of them: they must do hard things.

Alex and Brett are great writers. The book is simple and easy to read, and it’s a fun book too! Implementing the concepts in the book, on the other hand, requires a revolution in how one lives life. One of my favorite things about the book – something that especially applied to me – was the last chapter: “World, Meet Your Rebelutionaries.” In that chapter, Alex and Brett talk about how a book like Do Hard Things can be a mountain-top experience, and they give practical suggestions for how to start a personal rebelution (rebelution is a word the brothers made up to describe a rebellion against low expectations, which would lead to a revolution in one’s life). I know I often feel like that. I read a great book like this one, and I think “WOW! This is a real life changer! I’ll never be the same!” It’s really not that simple. Reading a book, watching a movie, hearing a speaker, going to a conference, none of those things can change your life. It’s how YOU choose to respond and what YOU do to change your life that changes your life. The book, movie, speaker, conference, etc – they’re just tools. Tools don’t do any good unless YOU pick them up and use them. Even so, you should go read Do Hard Things ;-)