ospreys, moon & planets, Yea, though I walk through

Wednesday afternoon more or less abided in place here after a busy morning, income tax stuff to accountant, fill both cars' gas tanks, to church office to tailor Confirmation Class handouts from hardcopy to electronic and export from Pages to Word for posting on our parish website. 

Churchwise, we are honoring our bishop's directive basically converting from in person to electronic, call it E-Church. It would be unseemly to call it fun, owing to seriousness of national and world situation with CoVid-19 but doing something new, different and interesting has an element of adventure and surprise; so I'm letting it be almost fun because I'm learning things.

Sitting out here on 7H porch as our ospreys, with their distinctive whistle, a high-pitched screech, glide close above me and circle out over the Bay peering down for fish. I don't know where they nest, close by, maybe tree in Oaks by the Bay park next door, but think not. The park was viciously ravaged by Cat5HMichael, and is slowly coming back to life. The Beck side window at the end of the sidewalk looks down over every tree in the park except those right on the shoreline, and I see no nest.

They may nest atop a tower, though nothing remained anywhere after the storm. Still, the ospreys are here, so I'll be attentive as one flies home clutching a mullet.  

Top two pictures, looking in on yesterday, a cloudy day in Longmont, Colorado, it's time to welcome ospreys returning to their nest at Boulder County Fairgrounds. I watch  because the osprey couple and offspring have become friends at a distance, and the camera is so clear right above them, at night with infrared light that does not disturb them. Osprey arrival dates in recent years were 
3/22/2019
3/11/2018
3/13/2017
3/19/2016
3/25/2015
so, it's imminent. I've not joined and won't, but there's a sizable group on the Osprey Chat, tentatively set to reopen tomorrow, Friday, March 20. Bad news, at least from my viewpoint here on the Florida Gulf Coast where Wednesday was 75°F and sunny and today is forecast 82°, for Colorado, winter storm warning that had the word blizzard: heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 4 to 10 inches. Winds gusting as high as 40 mph. Not friendly for ospreys expected from warm winter homes in South or Central America.

It's just as exciting to wait and watch for the ospreys to return as it is for Christmas during Advent when the theme is watch and wait.

Yesterday I saw that a link to my blog was added to our E-Church page, behooving me to mind my language such as to appear more pious than profane. An effort, and while writing the blogpost is my daily stream of consciousness, it isn't my purpose to offend.  

Out here at the predawn moment, 66°F 88% wind E4mph. Sky that was clear ten minutes ago has closed in with fog. But peering between scaffolding, I snapped the Moon waning crescent illumination 21% with Jupiter and little red Mars huddled at the upper right, and Saturn between them and the Moon:

Saturn is almost invisible unless one looks closely. There's a photo of the photo, with an arrow pointing to Saturn:

That said, my intent beginning this morning was not about business and birds, but to say something about one of our four lectionary readings for Sunday, the 23rd Psalm. Were we in church together, it would be our liturgical response to the account in 1 Samuel 16, of the Lord naming and Samuel anointing the young shepherd boy David as king of Israel. David alone in the fields with the flock, and his brilliant mind composing poetry, the Psalms of David. And his, was it a harp he played that was so soothing for king Saul? Surely we don't think he took a harp out into the fields with the sheep?

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

It was one of my first as a young boy when my mother introduced me to the Bible, reading and memorizing verses and psalms and, from her strong Southern Baptist upbringing, teaching me to do sword drills, learning and reciting the books of the Bible. This Sunday, I will miss that E-Church does not have me there saying it aloud in unison with our congregation. 

Another thing is that I notice 1 Samuel 16 speaks of "the Lord", which is y'VAH not Elohim, and I'm remembering from learning at seminary forty years ago, that there are two David stories in the Old Testament, one as I recall favoring kings, the other against kings; one favoring king Saul, the other despising Saul and favoring king David. I no longer remember how to sort those stories out and separate them as I enjoy sorting the two melded Flood stories in Genesis on the basis of y'VAH or Elohim. During this shelter in place season, I may go back there. It may take me a while. I'll be busy. Don't call me, I'll call you,

RSF&PTL
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