I’m not much good with self-introductions, but since every blog has one, I might as well make a start. If you’ve come to this page first, read through the information here as it will help explain the rest of the site.
My name is Karen Elizabeth Spangler. I am the eldest of seven children, and we all live in a country house in Fairview, Tx just outside the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. My interests are -
Music (piano; recorder; pennywhistle; ocarina),
Art (prismacolor; graphite; pastel),
Creation science (in conjunction with ancient civilizations; in the constant study of the world around us),
History (ancient history; origin of people groups; the study of philosphy manifested historically in the arts),
Fiber Arts (spinning; knitting; crocheting),
and Photography (landscapes; clouds; animals; family moments).
I have three pets. The first, and eldest, is Storm Cloud, or Cloud, or Kitty, or Romeo, whichever you prefer. He’s a champion mouser, with a taste for bunnies. Hence his weight problem. I’ve tried to get him on a diet, but he just won’t cooperate. And when he looks at me with those big golden eyes and meows, I completely turn to butter. Cloud turned 7 last May. He really is more slim than the photo, but I caught him a particular crouch that over-exaggerated his generous proportions. My kitty was born in our garage and his mother abandoned him at four weeks old and I raised him from there.
This is Pixie, my budgie. She is 4 this August. Originally, she belonged to my sister, Kathy. But after a nasty brush with Cloud and months of tedious nursing, she decided that she hated my sister who saved her life and loved me instead. She’s a constant chatterbox with quite a vocabulary of words that include, “Hello; good morning; give me kiss! You little imp; you talk too much; Karen!” Yes, she knows me by name. How she figured out that I haven’t the slightest clue.
Update: Pixie passed away last August to cancer.
Pixie’s cagemate is Taralee, my 18 month old pearl-pied cockatiel. I bought her when she was 2 weeks old, before she was feathered. She grew into a lovely bird with a sweet personality. Originally I thought she was a male and I called her Johann until she had her first adult molt. Whoops. So if you look into the archives, you may find pictures of her with that name.
Someone who thinks he’s my pet but actually isn’t is the Quaker parrot Sir Percival Blakeney, named after the Scarlet Pimpernel. Don’t ask why.
Frequent guests on this site are: Kimmy, Abby, Annie, Emily and Matthew. These are the fabulous five and they happen to be my siblings.
A not so frequent guest, but a constant editor is my sister Kathy, shown here in a beautiful Regency dress she made a few years back. Kathy is an excellent seamstress. She can sew about anything she dreams up - without a pattern. She’s also our resident English professor. Ask Kathy about most major fictional works in the Victorian period and chances are she’s read it, or read enough about it to give you an opinion! She taught herself to crochet, knit, and spin, and now she is teaching me all those things. She’s also a fantastic cake decorator, capable of making beautiful wedding cakes.
Like me, Kathy has three pets that come on this blog often. The first is Tango, a lovely male pearl-pied cockatiel, shown here as a baby with Emily.
Darcy is Tango’s cagemate. He’s a young English budgie with a stiff, proper demeanour. Yes, he is named after one of the main characters in Pride & Prejudice.
Update: Darcy passed away due to an unexpected heart attack.
And this is Joy, our resident Boxer. She’s 7 years old. Kathy got her for a birthday present when she was 14.
My parents, who have been married 27 years, are an absolute riot and hopelessly in love. They love being together doing things, they love being with us kids, and they love the Lord. My father is a CPA and bi-vocational pastor. My mother is a degreed musician and an industrious home school mom. Daddy is a New Yorker and Mom is a Pennsylvanian. My parents love music, cooking, the countryside, theology, history, big family vacations, and much more. They are thrilled that God gave them seven children in spite of many obstacles.
In this blog, my purpose is not so much to give my opinion on current events or problems. Enough people are out there doing that already. I want your journeys here to be relaxing and enjoyable. For the most part, my entries are going to be about what I see in nature, and what I wish other people would see. Too often, we get bogged down in our busy lives and don’t take the time to look out over God’s Creation and thank Him for it. If you come away refreshed, then my job is done. For friends and family, I also include a few entries on what we’re doing at home.
And yes, like most girls, I do have an abiding passion passion for horses. 
