The Perils of the Pauline

Living in a church parsonage has been a totally new experience for me.  The house we live in sits right across from the view you see at the top of my home page here.  We have a beautiful view at all times of the year.  Sunrises are spectacular and moon rises reflected on the water are always mesmerizing.  Our church holds sunrise services at Easter right on this spot where the photo was taken.  Tropical storms, hurricanes and Nor'easters also like to make appearances from time to time and we're on front line for receiving their fury.  Sometimes schools have to close because of the weather and believe it or not, the Nor'easters are often worse than the tropical storms.  They have a tendency to hang around for days while they trap you inside and blow the rain horizontally at you.  It's quite an experience.  We've learned some of the basics for storm preparation and have actually evacuated once.  


We have a lovely, lush lawn and plants that grow like nobody's business.  The man who built this house grew camellias and all around the yard are camellias of every color and type.  They are gorgeous!  There is also a gardenia by the back gate.  Every time I pass by it I'm reminded of my mother who always wore gardenia perfume.  This is a swamp area so if you put a toothpick into the dirt, it's going to take root and spread like an army of invaders, covering every surface, vertical or horizontal, with leaves growing from stems as big as your fist.   

The first summer we were here we (The Preacher) killed 3 snakes.  One was a pygmy rattlesnake that had found a resting place over the front door jamb.  When the door was opened, he fell to the ground and immediately became a mean, aggressive little fellow, coiling up to strike.  The Preacher grabbed a broom and kept him at a safe distance until I could get there with a shovel.  Luckily for us, the woodlands have plenty of animals, including a family of feral cats that seem to be keeping the snakes at bay.  At the edge of the woods and in the yard we have seen opossums, gray foxes, and rabbits.  Nearby we have seen eagles, hawks, bobcats, wild boar, black bears, deer, ospreys, herons... the wildlife list goes on and on.

The beauty and wonder God's creation are abundant here but you always have to be on the lookout for danger and not let your guard down.   "The wise are cautious and avoid danger, fools plunge ahead with great confidence." (Proverbs 14:16)