FFHHT- ffhht-ffhht...

Nope, Max is not visiting Nana today and that "Ffhht" is not the letters he picked out on the keyboard, even though it looks like it.

No,  "ffhht-ffhht-ffhht"  was the sound that I heard this morning as a flock of grouse (Pheasant?Quail?) took off as the dogs and I walked by this morning. Normally I don't hear anything but Shane and Shane or Third Day pounding in my ear as I pound the pavement er, pine needles. After all, I run on the trails in the woods, not the running paths through the city.
 With a small amount of trepidation, I decided to walk, rather than run this morning and left my ipod at home.
I thought it might be more difficult keeping my mind and heart focused on God without worship music.
I was wrong.
All the sounds of the woods praised God and encouraged me to do the same. I don't have any idea what kind of large birds those were taking off out of their roost, but it was delightful to watch and hear. Cooper and Lucy thought so, too, as I could tell from their barking and demented running in circles.
There were sounds of birds singing as I passed, and I heard the owl that lives behind our house saying, "WHO-who, WHO-who". There is also the occasional bird calling out , "Ka-KAW, ka-KAW, ka-KAW,!" that makes me feel I live in a jungle in South Amercia rather than in the Cascade foothills in Oregon. Not that I know what birds sound like in South America. Heck, apparently I don't even know the kind of large birds that fly up right in front of me in my own back yard.
On a side note, I'm real happy that I didn't hear other sounds such as a growling Mama-bear. That would not be fun. And my walk would have turned into a run real quick. (Wait, am I supposed to play dead when confronted by a black bear, or is that just a Grizzly? I can just imagine throwing myself down in front of the mama-bear in a last ditch effort to save my life and the bear looking at me quizzically before shrugging and digging into her 2nd breakfast that I so thoughtfully supplied. Nice.Clearly, I should do some serious Googling on this.)

 I do know that I was enjoying the peaceful and sweet sounds of the breeze in the tree tops and of the birds that live in those tree tops and praising their Creator this morning.
 It was just a praising kind of morning which fills me with JOY. You know those times. Sometimes it is praise day, but sometimes it is a "prays"  day when I am on my walks/runs. Sometimes no words but my soul deep groaning that apparently only the Holy Spirit can interpret.
But today it was all grateful praising, all the time.
1st Chronicles 16: 31-35 (Notice the 5th line? That is kinda great.)

"Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice!

    Tell all the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
 Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!
    Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy!
 Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise,
    for the Lord is coming to judge the earth.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
    His faithful love endures forever."