Mid-West Botanicals

There is no shortage of interesting things to do and see in the Michiana area.  There is unbelievable beauty along the many waterways and lakes; sandy beaches and fascinating lighthouses; quaint towns, organic farms and orchards; white, clean Amish homes and farms; and a varied mixture of cultures.

This short overall list doesn't include the beautiful Notre Dame and St. Mary campuses , the Studebaker Museum and hundreds of galleries, restaurants, numerous theaters, my favorite Japanese Garden (that I didn't visit this trip), not to mention interesting architecture and almost perfect summer weather.

In today's blog we will visit the first of two totally different botanical gardens.

This Japanese-themed garden consists of three islands and is located in the center of Elkhart, IN, a neighboring town southeast of Granger.  Come with me into the serene and lovely manicured grounds of Wellfield Botanical Gardens.

It is a Japanese-themed garden consisting of three small islands.

Being overseen by the elk of Elkhart

The sound of the rushing water was captivating and refreshing in the unusual Northern Indiana heatwave.

Thankfully there was a comfortable place to sit, relax and enjoy the sights and sounds.

Isn't this tool shed the cutest?

Large bronze statues were placed throughout the gardens.

Let's just say Dick has never met a pretty woman he didn't like.

We agreed this would be the perfect place to bring Baby Jax for play dates and to introduce him to God's wonderful world.

The roof of this building is as pretty as the grounds.

The next two close-ups are shots I particularly like.

Cross pollination was alive and well in this garden.

 

Standing outside the gates was this artist.  I checked going in and coming out and "Monet" had not made any progress.

Elkhart County is celebrating the 17th year anniversary of the first display of Seward Johnson Sculptures in the county.  Johnson is well known for his life-like bronze sculptures.

Another sculpture caught our attention downtown next to a jewelry store.

From what I've read, there is really no explanation for this sculpture, named "Contact," so I am assuming we are free to make up our own.

Tomorrow, I will take you to another botanical garden that will be totally different which will wrap up our Indiana visit.  In the meantime you might enjoy reading about and seeing other sculptures by John Seward Johnson.

Indiana Inspirational Update

We arrived in North Central Indiana, better known as Michiana, on Tuesday afternoon after a two-day road trip.  For some reason, this trip's destination seems to move further and further away each time.  I'm certainly not implying that age has anything to do with that, just stating a fact.

We got to meet our baby Jax Tuesday night and his Da and Bibby were both able to get some quality snuggling time.  We will take advantage of every opportunity to love on this sweet boy in the next two weeks.

Wednesday morning while all was quiet, I enjoyed my favorite spot of John and Michelle's home - the screened back porch overlooking the above beautiful view.

One of the books I am reading in my early morning time is about Women in Christian History.  Wednesday's feature was Harriet Winslow and the impact her short life had on the education for young women in what was Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) back in the early 1800's.

Harriet was able to open an all-girls boarding school in 1820, where she taught the girls sewing and household skills while also teaching arithmetic and geography, subjects only available to boys at the time.  Of course, she also taught them about Christianity.  The school still exists as Udival Girl's College and has more than one thousand girls, ages five through eighteen, enrolled.

One of the things Harriet did to care for her girls, who were mostly Hindu, was to pray for the salvation of one specific girl each day. Harriet's life was ended suddenly in childbirth at the age of 36, but only history will reveal the impact she had on the lives of these girls.

Girls today still need older women to pray for them and Harriet's example spoke to me this morning.  I am the mother of a daughter who is the mother of four girls, and now a grandmother herself; I am the mother-in-law of a mother of two girls, and a daughter-in love, and also now a grandmother as well.  That means I am personally responsible for praying for these nine females, plus two sisters and additional nieces.

Think about all the girls and young women with whom we come in contact:  daughters, granddaughters, sisters, nieces, girls in our church, neighbors, girls from our community, perhaps even students at your child's school.

Two of my girls are young mothers who so desire to be the best mother to their baby they can be.  They need and seek God's guidance every day. I have four who are unmarried and need God's direction in meeting and choosing His chosen mate for them.  One is starting a new career; one is finishing her last year of college; one is in high school and all the challenges that brings.  One is dealing with health issues and on we could go.

We have young lady church friends who are facing career and pre-nuptial decisions and learning to adapt to new challenges.  I have friends who have recently lost their spouse and one whose only daughter died suddenly.  Some are dealing with serious illnesses and declining-health life decisions.

THEY ALL NEED PRAYER!

Even though I pray for my girls on a regular basis, as a result of this lesson from Harriet Winslow this morning, I am going to select one girl/woman each morning and pray specifically for her.  I trust God will bring them to mind all day long as He deems necessary.  At night I will thank Him for her and for bringing about His will for her that particular day.

Perhaps this idea appeals to you as well.  Go for it!  Make a list of girls you can be praying for, with a few specific requests for each one.  Then rotate them into your daily prayers and thoughts.  The Lord may even lead us to pray consecutive days for one particular girl.  Do it!  Let us be sensitive to His leading.

You might even want to tell them you are praying for them and ask if they have a particular need that day, or you may just want to keep it between you and the Lord.  Either way, it will be exciting to see how our prayers impact their lives.  And ours.

"I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people.  Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them."  1 Timothy 2:1

Now, some more scenes of Jax and the Day garden.

Is there anything sweeter than a sleeping baby!

Unlike the fried flowers we left behind in Plano, these are thriving in the beautiful Northern Indiana summer, and so am I.

And these two never miss a hug opportunity.

Miscellany Monday - What a Week!

WOW!

What a week we have had!  Actually, the craziness didn't just start this week.  We walked into the busy, busy lives of the John Day Family a couple weeks ago.

But, just let me share with you what we have been able to share with this active family this past week.

In order to do that, I am joining Carissa at Miscellany Monday.   Thank you again, Carissa for hosting us every Monday.

I am going to begin with

Tuesday.

Granddaughter #5, Mary-Elizabeth, was inducted into the

National Junior Honor Society at her school, Discovery Middle School.

It was such an honor for her to be chosen.  The criteria was so high that she was one of 21 sixth graders chosen from a class numbering more than 300 students.

Discovery is a National Blue Ribbon School, of which there aren't too many.

Students were chosen because of their high scholastic standing, character, leadership, and service.

We could not be more proud of our outgoing and beautiful granddaughter.  One of her best friends, Makenzie was also selected.

Wednesday

Hubby and I took a trip into South Bend to visit a nursery only to find out while there that it is the oldest family owned greenhouse in Michiana.  It was started by the current owner's great grandmother in 1920 and moved to the back yard of someone's tiny little house in the West End in 1949 where it is today.  It may be a tiny little place but it is jam packed with beautiful, healthy plants of every description.

 Afterward, we drove around the residential area of South Bend and found this adorable little cottage.

We also visited an art gallery, but that is a whole complete blog of its own.

Thursday

National High School Rugby Championship begins!
The local Rugby Association hosted the Nationals in Elkhart, IN, only a short distance from John's house.  You may recall Hubby and Son attending this event with Jackson in Salt Lake City last year.  What an exciting time for the whole family to be able experience Rugby at this level.

As this was Jackson's third and final opportunity to compete, we took the girls out of school early so they could support their big brother.  Little did they know that Mom and Dad had a surprise waiting for them upon arrival at the Rugby Fields.

They were each given a sweet card, a Stella & Dot necklace and tickets to "Wicked" for that evening.

Needless to say, they were very excited girls.  They had seen the Broadway play in Chicago last year and so wanted to see it again here in South Bend.  Son was kind enough to get tickets for his parents as well, and the six of us had a great evening.  The play was amazing!

Now, back to Rugby!

Jackson is a Senior so this was his last opportunity to play for the National Title.  They came in 2nd last year in Salt Lake City.

Penn was ranked #4 in the Nation and they played against the #5 team and WON.

 Jackson got quite a shiner as you can see, but he played tough, making two of the four Tries.

Friday

Game #2 was Friday afternoon against the #1 team, Gonzaga, Washington DC.

 It was a hard fought battle, but we were not to win against this strong team.  They had scouted Jackson and knew how to bring the Big Man down.  He played one of his best games, but it just wasn't to be.

He looks like a man playing with children, doesn't he?

That evening, Savannah had her Eighth Grade Dance.

In my unbiased opinion, she was the prettiest girl there!  Unbiased! I repeat, totally and completely unbiased!

I was able to take her to meet a friend for makeup and hairdo's then group pictures.

Saturday

Again, to the Rugby fields for the last game.

Early in the game, Jackson had a head butt to his right thigh causing a deep bruise.  He played the rest of the game but he wasn't at his best.  Needless to say, they lost and came in 4th for the tournament.  A real disappointment!

Sunday

This morning, we hit the Soccer field at 7:15.  And yes, this is the same gorgeous, feminine, Elizabeth Taylor look alike you saw earlier.  She is a fierce competitor on the soccer field.  A total contradiction!

 We got home in time to make a few wardrobe changes and get to the 11:30 worship service at Granger Community Church.

It has been a busy, busy week indeed, and the next two will be just as crazy, but I wouldn't change a thing.

I trust your week will be equally full of blessings.

Springtime in Michiana

Spring has finally come to the midwest.  After covering this part of the country with layer upon layer of beautiful white snow, God has now used His paint brush, dipped into the most amazing color palate, and reminded us again of His great glory.

 

Let me share with you what I see from my little temporary corner of the world.

 

 

 

 

 

I couldn't resist snapping this interesting old, gnarled tree trunk.  Don't you wish it could talk?

 And who would expect to find a bed of LSU tulips in Northern Indiana?

 

Yes, the Creator is still creating the most amazing blessings.  We just need to see them.