July Recs | Battles with Squirrels + All the Zinnias
I have been in a cosmic battle with principalities and squirrels. I’m not kidding—it has begun to feel like creation has a vendetta against me.
Brittany Allen | Treasuring Christ
You guys,
I have been in a cosmic battle with principalities and squirrels. I’m not kidding—it has begun to feel like creation has a vendetta against me. I don’t know what I did wrong—it’s an ongoing conspiracy. I’m not proud of this but I have resorted to many things to try to deter the squirrels from startling the birds off of my feeder. Just talk to my neighbor, who asked with a whisper, “Are you catching them to kill them?” as she glanced at the have-a-heart-trap my husband set up. Now, before you judge me, please know I would never kill a squirrel. What I have learned about myself is that if said squirrel (and his entire family) take over my back yard, eating all the birdseed and stealing my tomatoes (and one jalapeño pepper which I can only hope he tried to eat), I will catch him to scare him away. Look, I felt horrible afterwards. And also, it didn’t even work. They were back within an hour. I also need you to know that it is now normal for me to sit with the door cracked open, hose in hand, and spray them every time they come near my patio. We’ve tried squirt guns, nerf guns, shoes, chasing them out of the yard (yes, I look like a lunatic), and most recently, cayenne pepper. These little bullies are persistent.
That’s not even the half of it. Have you heard of vine borers? I hadn’t until recently. I have dug so many maggot-looking larvae out of my zucchini plants, I’m starting to see them when I shut my eyes. Yesterday, I saw a vine borer moth laying eggs on my plant and nearly threw my phone at it.
One evening after fighting these nasty bugs, I was walking barefoot to my back door thinking to myself, “there aren’t as many bees out right now” just before stepping on…you guessed it, a bee. Not just any bee, but a female carpenter bee. I learned this week that female carpenter bees can sting as many times as they darn well please. The evidence was in the sight of her just going to town on my foot while I stared down in shock. She was fierce, I’ll give her that.
I’ll spare you the stories of ants invading our home and the aphids trying to suck the life out of everything good. Finding our baby playing with a yellow-jacket in the kitchen was fun. Then there’s the fact that I’m terrified to refresh the nectar in the hummingbird feeder because the yellow-jackets and bald-faced hornets surround it like little stinging soldiers on guard.
It’s wild out there, ya’ll. The squirrels scare the birds then attack each other, full on biting backs while flying into the air like a bouncy ball. The yellow-jackets and hornets fight each other and also attack the hummingbirds, and the hummingbirds chase each other off, whirling around at the speed of light. It’s intense. Meanwhile, I’m at war with all of them (Except the hummingbirds, of course—they’re my favorite).
Jokes aside, do you see the sadness of it all? It was never meant to be this way. Sometimes I ponder what it would be like to live in a pre-fall world. Would I pet a cat without fear of being scratched? Would animals no longer fight each other for food? What would it be like to never question God’s nearness? Or for our minds to never be blinded to his beauty and goodness?
This whole earth is groaning for redemption. And we groan, too (Romans 8:22–23). Even in our fight against each other as human and animal, person and bug, we groan together, begging God for a better future. That future is coming. It’s certain, fixed. Praise the Lord! For now, may we wait for it with patience, trusting in the God who reigns over it all. Even over squirrels and vine borers.
“And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” (Romans 8:23–25)
These words though:
“A powerful paradox of motherhood is that if you do your job well, your son will leave you completely.” — Stephen James + David Thomas, Wild Things: the Art of Nurturing Boys
Recent Articles + Poems:
What Does it Mean to be a Child of God? on Well-Watered Women
From the Archives:
When “Thy Will be Done” Becomes Self-Protection on the blog
When death had swooped down
like a magpie,
she wondered if goodness ever stayed.
She feared hope wouldn’t come.
Yet in the corner of her eye,
pink waved in the wind,
as if to say “hi.”
And a zinnia led her home.
Books I Finished:
*Bit of a disclaimer: I love to share what I'm reading with you guys, but please don't take that as an endorsement of every word written in every book I share.
Love Thy Body by Nancy Pearcey
The Magic of Motherhood by Ashlee Gadd
The Message of Romans by John Stott
Create Anyway by Ashlee Gadd
Murder at Archly Manor by Sara Rosett
Gluing the Cracks by Katie Blackburn
Wound is the Origin of Wonder by Maya C. Popa
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
Wild Things by Stephen James and David Thomas
Current Reads:
You might notice some of these have been on here a while. Mothering two little boys and writing a book has significantly decreased my time to sit down and read. It's a season. I'm embracing it and look forward to being able to read more again soon.
Birds os a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear
The Wolf in Their Pockets by Chris Martin
A Question of Honor by Charles Todd
God is Still Good by Katie Faris
The Soul in Paraphrase by Leland Ryken
Into His Presence by Tim Chester
Blessed by Nancy Guthrie
Freeing Your Child from Anxiety by Tamar Chansky
The Son of David by Nancy Guthrie
Hey, Here's What I Recommend:
Book: Many of us have watched the documentary Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets. I found this book by Jinger Duggar Vuolo much more hopeful. She addresses the sin and leads us to the Savior.
Song: My Jesus by The Worship Initiative
Articles I Liked:
Seeing Through Tears by Brianna Lambert
Becoming Writers Who Write the Truth Beautifully by Lara d’Entremont
For Funsies:
- These linen pants are so comfortable and perfect for church. (Affiliate link)
- I bought this after-sun body butter on a whim and I am obsessed. It just smells like summer.
- I love this kindle case. I experience weakness and pain in my wrists a lot and this is perfect to give my wrists a break. Just make sure you order the correct size. (Affiliate link)
- Everyone loved these Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.
My cut-flower garden is in full-swing and we are loving every minute of these blooms. Theo loves “picking” them with me and making bouquets. I’ve been enjoying giving those bouquets away to friends.
Our “baby William” as we will probably continue to call him even though he’s looking more like a toddler each day, is officially 13 months and walking. Still can’t get over how quickly both of our boys have grown.
Speaking of growth, sweet Theo has somehow morphed into a whole kid. He’s learning a ton, and one of my favorite things in this season is having conversations with him. I love the way his brain works. So many ideas! He’s still obsessed with flowers and runs up to me saying “Will you take a picture of me with this flower mommy?” Heart.in.puddle.
Evidence that despite the evil vine borers, I at least got a few zucchinis. They tasted so fresh, too!
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May you treasure Christ ever more. <3
Brittany Lee
I so enjoy your emails and appreciate your thorough list of books in this one! I placed hold on a few of the titles mentioned today. Thank you!
This is hilarious 🤣 You should try writing humour pieces! I think you'd do well! Despite knowing these stories from Voxer, I still laughed and couldn't stop reading 😂