Tonight marks the beginning of summer, and for the first time since 1967, June’s full moon, the Strawberry Moon, coincided with summer solstice. This event hasn’t occurred in the Northern Hemisphere in nearly 70 years!
Instead of settling down to read and write at a reasonable hour this evening, the night drew me out. It was an evening meant for marveling at the heavens, chilly to the point of needing a fleece, quiet and still, hardly a breeze. The moonlight drowned out all but the brightest of the stars, and clouds like gossamer swept through the sky.
A beautiful evening. The perfect way to ring in the summer.
Author Archives: Laura Lindblom
Botanical | Black-eyed Susan
Black-eyed susans and milkweed mean that summer is here! Spotted these on the shores of Lakota Lake this afternoon.
The first of the summer season.
Father’s Day
We observe or celebrate a lot of holidays – Patriotic days, like the Fourth of July and Veterans Day and Memorial Day, religious holidays like Christmas and Easter and Good Friday, national days of observance like Thanksgiving, and dozens of other lesser-known holidays. But I have to say that one of the best holidays, after those that celebrate Christ, has to be Father’s Day. We live in a society where the father’s role has been undermined, partly because of a society set against manhood, and partly because of self-sabotage. And I don’t get the impression that our culture as a whole really cares. The disappearance of the leader-father is overlooked in the shadow of other epidemics and controversies that ignite zeal and spend energy. How amazing, then, that we still have one day out of the year where we as a nation celebrate our fathers!
We celebrated today with a spur-of-the-moment jaunt to Lakota Lake for a little kayaking and enjoying of the fresh air and sunshine, and got ice cream on the way home at Rushmore Cave. Dad is handy with a grill and with a gun, so he grilled us up some venison from his hunting this past fall. Nothing quite like good venison steak and fresh corn on the cob, especially for a family who almost exclusively eats chicken. It’s a running joke. Watermelon up at Grandma’s, and an episode of the TV series Christie topped off our evening.
God’s design for the father is that he serve as leader in the home. He is to be the spiritual leader, and lead his children in the fear of the Lord. He is to love God first and foremost, and love his wife and cherish her, and teach his children to love and cherish her as well. He is to be a man of character and integrity, lovingly and gently leading his children, disciplining when necessary, and not provoking his children to anger or discouragement. That’s a tall order. And one, I believe, that truly requires God’s grace.
I’ve been so blessed to have a father who not only loves his family, but who has led his family consistently and courageously in Godliness. He sets an example of humility, of faith, and of trusting God in all things. He has a testimony of faith that is awe-inspiring, a testimony that proves that God can save anyone, no matter how wrong their life trajectory is, no matter how many bad life decisions a person has made, or how much they have rebelled against God. My dad’s testimony proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that a relationship with God truly is transforming.
Dad’s life since he was saved has been characterized by a submission to God’s will, in the face of extreme odds, in the face of skepticism and criticism and lack of support. We wouldn’t be out here in South Dakota if it hadn’t been for Dad’s determination to submit to God’s will and to make his decisions based not off of practicality or the world’s model of success, but to make his decisions based on what would be best for his family, from a spiritual standpoint. Dad wouldn’t be in seminary right now at the age of 57 and pursuing full time ministry if it wasn’t for his determination to submit to God’s will, no matter how crazy it might appear to onlookers.
He has modeled love and faithfulness in marriage, he has modeled humility and gentleness in parenting, he is the man I love most in the world, the person I go to for advice and help and counsel, and as I get older he has become a friend as well. He isn’t perfect. He is a sinner just like I am, saved by the grace of God. But he loves the Lord with all of his heart, soul, and mind.
And I am so glad he is my dad.
Puppy Antics
Baby animals are impossible to hold grudges against. Not that Trixie deserves any grudges just yet, but let’s just say she is all puppy and no training. She is grovellingly sweet – unless, of course, she has something and thinks someone is trying to take it away. The sweetness melts and out comes this ferocious little tiger of a dog. Project number one.
She has already decided that this is home. I’m pretty impressed, considering that this was only day three for the little tyke. So for most of today, we were able to let her roam at will, mainly only chaining her up if my uncle drove by – Because he has a yellow lab who is already Trixie’s favorite buddy, and she will follow Sunny to the ends of the earth. But there is very little risk of her wandering too far. She is sociable and friendly, so pretty much where the people are, there she will be.
We have a new rule on the homestead, and that goes something like this: Anything belongs to Trixie. Anything she might be interested in, if it is conceivably within reach, belongs to her. That’s just how things are right now. Project number two.
There is an unfortunate symbiotic relationship between the cats and the dog. Cats kill rodents, dog eats remains. Perhaps if it happens more rapidly in the future, it will be fine, but Trixie found a very dead rabbit today. As in, full grown rabbit at least a week dead. It was putrid, and was apparently very appetizing. She carried it off and refused to give it up. Refer back to “tiger of a dog.” When Dad got it away from her (she already respects him), she tried fishing it out of the trash can. Nasty. The words “drop it” mean absolutely nothing to her. Neither does the word “come.” Projects number three and four.
As I said, she’s all puppy, and she still thinks she is the size of a kitten. Meaning, she still things she is a lap dog. Sitting down on the porch next to her is an invitation to be mauled, in a puppy-rough kind of a way, where teeth get lightly involved with ears and chins and heads. That’s why the putrid rabbit was not an option. Baby, my sister’s dog and the one we had until about 6 months ago, is a reluctant cuddler. Trixie thrives off of cuddling and rough play.
And she is darling. Absolutely darling. And good company. I took a blanket outside this afternoon, and sat on it to do my Bible reading, and she sat with me watching her world go by, and sharing my bag of granola. She finally collapsed in the shade and fell asleep. I think she had a long day.
Trixie
What a full Sunday! After a morning of worship and fellowship with our brothers and sisters at church, my family drove out to Pactola Reservoir to picnic and kayak. What with all of us being employed, Anna still being in highschool, and Dad in seminary, our “just for fun, the whole family together” time has been somewhat rarer than it used to be. So we remedied that with our picnic at Pactola Reservoir.
Beautiful weather and very little wind made for a nice kayaking excursion across the lake. Pennington County sheriff’s deputies were cruising around in a speed boat, checking fishing licenses and looking like they were enjoying their job – I loved seeing that. With all the vitriol directed at our public servants, it was fun seeing them doing something like that. I can’t imagine cruising around in a speed boat is much of a chore! I wanted to flag them down and ask if they would make wakes for us to kayak in, but they got away too fast.
And finally – finally! – we drove home via Rapid City and picked up the newest addition of the Adrian household! Meet Trixie. I think it was love at first sight for all of us, even for Dad, who tends to be a little more reasonable about this kind of thing.
Trixie is a husky-golden retriever mix, or at least that is what we were told – She has all the grovelling sweetness of a golden, and at the age of seven months she still has all of her puppy energy. She was so excited and playful, to the point that she just about mauled each of us this evening, and she thinks she is small enough to curl up in a lap. Trixie already is treating us like “her people,” and she was determined to make herself at home – inside the cabin. That was a big “no”, but she is sleeping in her crate right now, and seems content. 
Needless to say, she was a little freaked out and overwhelmed, but she has the sweetest disposition and already seems to be settling in. The cats and she haven’t yet had a chance to come to a truce, but I’m sure they will in time. The cats had Baby, our sister’s dog, very well trained and it didn’t take long for them to train her. They kept their distance this evening, hungry for attention as usual, but uncertain of the intruder. I felt kind of bad, but they’ll figure it out.
We spent the 45 minutes before dinner playing with Trixie and taking pictures. Of course, we all wanted pictures with our new pup. I can already tell she’ll be a good fit. It has been seven months since we had a dog, and I think we were all very ready to have a ready-made hiking buddy, company when home alone, and just the delight a dog can bring to a household.
Our pets always remind me of the loving, good God that I serve, who created such an amazing world for us to live in, for us to enjoy, for humanity to have dominion over with gentleness and wisdom. God created this world to glorify Himself, and although humanity is the crowning piece of that creation and we all, Believer or not, bear the mark of our God, I do believe He takes delight in all of His creatures, even those not made in His likeness.
Welcome to the family, Trixie!
Lunchtime Stroll
To stroll…that’s about all one can do when temperatures reach the 90s. Ever since the weather became nice this spring, I try to get out for a walk or a hike over my lunch hour. It is wonderful to get outside and stomp around on Buzzard’s Roost and Falling Rock, both of which are just a five to ten minute drive from the clinic. But it has gradually gotten too warm for hiking. Strolling must commence.
There is a little “wilderness loop” trail even closer to the clinic than my other two favorite spots, which starts at Canyon Lake and follows Rapid Creek and feels relatively rural, even though it isn’t. The geese and ducks were congregated along the shore today. All the moms and dads and their little goslings and ducklings were paddling about, bathing, cooling off. They had the right idea.
The cottonwoods are dropping their seeds this time of year, leaving the ground drifted with white, as if with snow. Flowers and leaves are frosted with the downy fluff. It swirled around the path under my feet, and floated through the air like snowflakes.
In spite of the lack of rain recently, everything is still so green, so vivid, so full of life. The ponderosas almost look dull next to the flamboyant wildflowers and the glowing green of the cottonwoods. The grasses are still lush. Yet soon all the spring newness will give way to the summer, the greens will fade to brown, and a different array of colors will be abundantly displayed. How well our world is ordered, seasons coming and going without fail.
How well God watches over and equips His Creation.
Song Dog Journal 