Joseph's Coat

     Last Thursday was a gorgeous day. My husband and I traveled, with our daughter, son-in-law, and grandson, out to Lancaster County.  We stopped at a cute little farm that offers cart rides pulled by miniature horses.  Since horses are my favorite animal, I was excited to see my grandson enjoy this new experience.  I was all about taking photographs.  By the time we left, I was ready to purchase one of the horses and take it home with me in the mini van.  I just knew it would fit in my fenced in yard back home.  I could imagine petting it, grooming it, and adding home grown fertilizer to my garden.  Wouldn't it make a wonderful pet for my grandchildren? 
     Reluctantly, I gave up my happy thoughts of a soft muzzle waiting to caress me and came back down to reality.  My grandchildren like cats and dogs better than horses and I would have to enjoy this adorable little creature all by myself.  My father reminded me, "It's too small to ride.  What can you do with it?"  (Not that I could ride it anyway!  I think I'm a little past my prime when it comes to horseback riding!)

            Harnessed up for a cart ride.

     Ok.  Ok.  On to the next step in our day's adventure.

After lunch we went to Sight And Sound Theatre to see their production of Joseph.  Joseph is a man who lived thousands of years ago.  His story is told in the book of Genesis in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible.  His father made him a cloak of many colors and his brothers were very jealous of him.  The things that happened to Joseph are a nightmare.  But the unusual dreams God gave him really did come true.  God used him to accomplish great things.
     The common name of the plant pictured below is "Joseph's Coat".  It reminds me of the story of Joseph and the coat of many colors he received from his father.  It grows as an annual in our area.  I found this specimen on a previous trip to Lancaster County and I believe this is the best one I've ever seen.  The Latin name is Amaranthus tricolor.  It is grown for the beautiful colors on the foliage.  You can purchase seed for this plant through a seed catalogue like Thompson's or Burpee's.  In our area be sure to start the seed indoors 8 to 12 weeks before the last frost date.

Amaranthus tricolor

Joseph's Coat

This plant reminds me that God has a plan for those who know Him.  No matter how bad things seem to be, His hand is guiding the events going on behind the scenes and the outcome will be for His honor and glory.  These precious thoughts are very comforting in times of trouble.

If you have a chance to go see this play at Sight and Sound I highly recommend it.  It will only be running for a short time yet.  Their next production is Jonah and the Whale.  I bet that will be a Whale of a Tale!  For information on  visiting Sight and Sound go to http://www.sight-sound.com/. Remember to take your camera if you are a photography buff.  You can't take pictures during the production; however, right before the performance some of the actors come out dressed in costume and do a swirling dance scene just for this purpose, right in the middle of the lobby.  If I had known that ahead of time I would have been prepared.  That would make a great photograph!