Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Geneva Bible

I've been doing a rather unusual Bible study for me. I've been listening - over and over, actually - to J. Vernon McGee's Psalms study. What is unusual is that I've been using the Geneva Bible translation as reference, while writing notes into my NASV. I have often consulted more than one translation at a time just to see all the different nuances of meaning. I use a free download program called E-Sword. Many of the Bible translations featured on E-Sword are free, such as the Geneva. In addition, you can compare texts in E-Sword side by side, which is less bulky than actually pulling out physical books. To be truthful, though, I LOVE my books, the feel of them, the rustle of the turning page, vewing past notes. Sometimes the sheer joy of handling the extra books beats out the ease of the electronic, so I might have E-Sword open on my computer, but I am balancing - or trying to - 5 books in my lap, or on the floor.

I purchased a facsimile of the Geneva Bible - this one to be exact, but there are much more expensive editions that I lust after, but can't justify spending the money.

The Geneva Bible is the one the Puritans used. I'm not sure why this fascinates me, but it does. We all know and venerate the King James in it's beauty, but the Geneva preceded it, and was used by our forefathers. I fell in love with the Geneva translation when I read this verse in 1Kings 11:1 "Bvt King Salomon loued many outlandish women: both the daughter of Pharaoh, and the women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, Zidon and Heth,".

The use of the word "outlandish" to define foreign is so much more picturesque and actually adds to the meaning. Solomon was not supposed to marry foreign women because of their worship of other gods and the influence this would bring to himself, his house and his reign. The word "outlandish" not only literally means from "out of the land" or foreign, but in modern parlance, it is a slang term for something strange, exaggerated, ridiculous - and wouldn't the worship of other gods be just that? That verse did it for me. Of course, I ordered the facsimile copy, which means it looks just like the copy the Puritans read and there are "u's" where today there are "v's" and other quaint old English language tidbits. That makes me love it all the more - I can see the history of the English language. For instance, "would" is spelled "wold" - probably from German origin - so that kind of explains why we have a silent "l" in a word - at one time it was pronounced, and, like a guest that won't leave, it hides quietly inside the modern word to this day.


Monday, August 25, 2008

Gustav and Friends

Looks like Fay has brought some friends along. She is barely out of the picture when we have Gustav to think about. He is far more robust than Fay was. Let's hope he stays to the south of South Florida AND Cuba

Tracking for Gustav as of Monday, 8/25/08
The "cone of death" for Gustav as of today:
Meanwhile, my friend at Seablogger.com has noted a few other tropical systems that are "popping up" TD8, already in the North Caribbean, and not posing a threat to the US at this time - and another strong tropical wave that just exited Africa's coast. It looks like a busy Hurricane season, unfortunately. The weather guys will be happy, but they're about the only ones who will be. Read Seablogger's assessment, both of Gustav and upcoming storms - he is a former mariner and a weather geek who knows his stuff. I read his page to watch tropical storms, rather than refer to the news.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Bugs 'N Flowers

Hubby and I went out on a small photo jaunt this morning. We just stopped along the road in town, stood by the weeds and took the following pictures. As usual, click on them to "embiggen" them.

The first is - I think - a grey hairstreak. She - it has to be a she - is SO beautiful. Her "face" reminds me of a children's book butterfly queen. She was rubbing her wings together - it looked like she was trying to get attention - perhaps find a mate. She has such big, limpid eyes, such delicate "hands" - surely she is royalty.

Next, a small 1/2" green grasshopper. He is very different from the huge Lubber grasshoppers I usually see.

Next, a very unimpressive weed that close-up, is not unimpressive at all.

These lavender flowers with a yellow interior were growing on a tree.

This Familiar Bluet is just one example of something you might miss if you don't look carefully
Here is a side view.
Here is is staring us straight in the eyes

Here is a top view of the Familiar Bluet, and also one of him in flight:

This bunch of orange flowers was growing on another landscaping tree - I need to find out what these trees are, but I just don't have any more room in my yard to plant anything else, darn it.

This is a very tiny mystery orange and yellow bug/butterfly/moth (who knows?). In the first picture, you can see the bug's "face" a little better:


Last, here is what I've named a Darth Vader dragonfly. He is either a widow or a banded skimmer - none of the pictures in my dragonfly book look exactly like him.

Monday, August 4, 2008

A Photo Break

I decided to take a little break from the genealogy work and scanning old photos. Today, I took the day off from work and photographed some critters in my back yard. First, there is the green bee. I had never seen one of these before, so I nearly got heat stroke waiting for one to land and for it to stay still long enough to be photographed. Honey bees seem to be increasing in number also in our yard. Thank God! I was quite worried about honey bees and still am - but I am seeing lots more of them. There have been many on our Firebush in front of the house. We used to see so many of them on our Mexican Heather, and now they are returning again in decent numbers. Here are a few shots of the green bee. In one shot he is all the way inside one of the purple flowers we have in our garden - called a Mexican or Desert Petunia.



Caribbean spider topside

Caribbean spider underside - his "behind" looks like a skull head - interesting!
A snail out and about
Poinciana flowers up close

I have no idea what this bush is, but it started growing on it's own in my back yard. It's pretty, so I kept it. I know it's used as a hedge in landscaping here, but a search on the internet did not reveal what it is called....oh well.

Finally - a "regular" honeybee sticking his head into a Firebush flower