Pipevine Swallowtail and Purple Petunias

Spring is definitely here in this part of Texas. The weather is so balmy and the skies are blue. Butterflies are already flitting from flower to flower at the Green Gate Nursery, where I took this photo.

The Not So Cold Days of February

Here it is, the coldest month of the year in south Texas....

It is soooooo cold (not) that mom is riding her bike in shorts and her little girls do not even have sweaters or coats on. I, for one, am thankful for the mild February temperatures.

Sparrows, A Finch and A Cardinal

Today is Tuesday, February 5th, 2013 and at 5:25 pm, it is a warm and balmy 81 degrees outside. I put some bird seed in the vintage bird cage/bird feeder on my front porch and I opened the window. 

The sparrows were the first to discover the seeds. 

A red finch has been visiting all afternoon, and one cardinal made a brief stop. He didn't like the company, so after squawking for a bit, he left, and has not been back.

 It must be "that time" of year for the sparrows, because fights broke out among them, also. I noticed it was only the guys actually fighting, though. The women just sat on the sidelines and watched.

The Balyeat Family Sings For Jesus On Superbowl Sunday

Superbowl Sunday evening, The Amazing Grace Baptist Church hosted the Balyeat family, a family from Great Falls, Montana. They travel around the United States, singing and sharing their love for Jesus Christ. 

Bob and his wife, Nancy have several grown children, and four girls and one son (along with his wife and children) who still tour with them. They filled the back of the stage with a row of musical instruments, including a bass fiddle, several violins, a mandolin and two banjos and a couple of guitars. Throughout the evening, the members of the family played different instruments at different times. How nice it must be to have that kind of ability.

I asked Bob if he would mind if I took some photos. He expressed a humble desire to stay in the background, because he wanted all focus to be on Jesus. This is how he explained it. When a jeweler has a magnificient diamond, he brings out a black velvet cloth and sets the diamond on it. The cloth merely allows the diamond to shine brightly with nothing else distracting from it's beauty. That, Bob said, was his desire, that he merely be a black velvet cloth, not the center of attraction. I promised that I would let folks know that.

Several of the girls played "How Great Thou Art" and "It is Well With My Soul" on their violins. The music was inspiring. Do you see the young man on the left?  He and his wife (the second violinist from the left) have the cutest little boy, who roamed freely on the stage as the concert was in progress. At times, he climbed on the bass fiddle while his daddy played, and he kind of helped (or not, lol). 

The youngest member of the family also got on stage at times. You can see him in the center, behind the microphone. It was so refreshing to see little children being loved and included in all that took place, rather than being relegated to a babysitter. 

Here are the proud parents of the two little ones.

At one point, momma brought little David to daddy, in the middle of a song, and helped him climb up onto the bass fiddle, where he proceded to read a storybook while daddy fiddled. It was a moment of pure sweetness. As far as I can tell, daddy never missed a lick.

Here's the baby, being held by one of his aunts, also during a song. He fingered the frets, played with her hair, and loved on her while she sang and played.

The eleven year old daughter played a snare drum and cymbals, but I think she may have also played a large, vintage samsonite type suitcase. Richard said she used it for her bass drum. I wish I had noticed that.

Watching this family as they sang and spoke, my heart was encouraged for the future of our country. They represent the good things I remember about America, things like love and honor, pride in family, and self-reliance. Most of all, they radiate a purity that comes from living a life with a desire to be pleasing to God. Ah, that more folks would care about such things.