Looking Up
Yesterday, I decided to make some pumpkin bread and as it was baking I washed up a few dishes. Looking out the kitchen window, I noticed condensation trails that two airplanes had left in the beautiful Carolina blue sky intersecting at one point. I found myself wishing I had seen the planes as they messaged our sky. Just a few minutes later, again I cast my eyes upward and there was a plane climbing high leaving another contrail. I watched as it climbed and climbed, intersecting the previous two and saw a beautiful SNOWFLAKE formed! I quickly dried my hands as I jogged to retrieve my camera. Upon my return to the window, I captured a photo of this little phenomenon of sorts. Viewing the photo, it made me think about how I probably should turn my eyes upward much more often thinking that it’s a huge sky up there and I am most likely missing a lot. After all, it was created by our great God. When I am flying, I must admit, I feel some sense of greater closeness with God, though I know He is always right with me and that His spirit dwells within me where ever I might be. And gazing upward toward the contrails left by these planes I think about the Glory of the Heavens that some of our astronauts express. This brings to mind Psalm 121: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.”...
Read MoreAfter the Rain
Sometimes the activity of birds let us know when weather changes are coming. There’s always a flurry around my backyard feeders that alerts me that inclement weather is on its way. The birds seem to be getting their last bit of food in case of extended weather that might prevent them from nourishing themselves for a while. Come to think of it, we humans do the same thing! I always chuckle to myself when a weather report indicates snow or ice may be just around the corner. The bread and milk shelves at the grocery store seem empty awfully quick. One can see almost all your acquaintances in the check-out lines. As today’s rain began to slow down, the feeders were heavily populated once more and some were perched on high at the holly tree fluffing their feathers as they caught a nice soft bath compliments of our...
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The City of Statesville, NC, All-America City in 1997 & 2010, has been known for many years as the City of Progress. The name was appropriately chosen because our fine, small city has many attributes that have guided and nourished our community for many decades. We have a progressive-thinking City Council which has done both 1) seek to function on the cutting edge of services to the community and 2) grow within the parameters of conservation of our historical and cultural values. Citizens of our community are generous, compassionate and hard working in support of their own families as well as support for the greater, common good. We have an excellent public school district and various charter and private schools in addition to our outstanding Mitchell Community College. We have a diversified business and industrial community which provides great opportunities to our working families. We have good healthcare institutions and our own regional airport to support our business needs. The cultural make-up of Statesville is such that we have a great mix of native and transplants which compose a rich multi-racial community of Caucasions, African-Americans, Japanese, Hispanics, and others. Our community has many diverse religious centers and places of worship for protestant, Jewish, Catholic, and Muslim citizens. Two such centers Congregation Emanuel Jewish Synagogue and First Presbyterian Church, across the street from one another, collaborate each year in offering Issue Discussions to the community and volunteering to keep the nurseries for each others congregations during special Holy days. Congregation Emanuel was established in Statesville in 1883 and First Presbyterian Church in 1764. Statesville is a designated Tree City USA and a stated Bird Sanctuary. Our town is beautiful with many oak, maple, crepe myrtle and dogwood lined streets and numerous Victorian homes. The downtown area is currently undergoing an architectural make-over into an attractive and inviting cityscape. Statesville is full of National Historic Society properties. A great place to live, work and...
Read MoreTrees Alive with Fall Colors
On my afternoon walk, I passed by the Mitchell Community College Music House on the corner of Mulberry and West End streets. This Lovely Japanese Maple tree looked almost on fire with the late afternoon sun shining on and through it. With the backdrop of the green pine tree and the beautiful old white house I was inspired!
Read MoreStatesville, NC…My Hometown
Living and working in Statesville, NC is a wonderful place to spend your lifetime. A small, progressive town of about 25,000 citzens, it is a caring and beautiful, historic community nestled at the crossroads of I-40 & I-77. Citizens are afforded the benefits of small, quaint family living while being within 45 minutes of Charlotte and Winston-Salem where easy access to vibrant cultural, art and entertainment is quickly available. Historic Downtown Statesville is adorned with numerous buildings on the National Historic Register like the City Hall and Mitchell Community College. Our community is strong with financial, retail, commercial and diverse industrial employers. Public and private education offers excellent education to our children and the community is rich with diverse religious worship centers. One of the things I like so much about Statesville is the beauty of the Tree City USA community. Trees are important to our environment and offer aesthetic value as well. The fall is lovely with the tree colors and the spring the same with so many dogwoods and crepe myrtles. Come visit and see why Statesville, NC is an All America City, designated in 1997 &...
Read MoreWhat's Your Passion?
National Audubon Society
Help support the efforts of our National Audubon Society in conservation of natural bird habitats. Visit: www.birds.audubon.org