Monday Monday! Cats, Flowers and Doppelgangers!

Happy Monday morning from Still Waters Pond!

If you were sitting in my "Room with a View" and looking out the window above my computer in the early morning just after sunrise, this is what you would see most every morning: 

Look at those faces...Yes, this is what they do as soon as they know we are up and the lights come on in the house...they sit outside my window and watch and wait...

When they know I am looking back at them, they sometimes turn their heads or pretend they really aren't looking at me...

But the underlying message is, "Don't you know it's time for breakfast?"  LOL.  I try to at least finish my hot cup of tea before it gets cold, but with them sitting out there watching me and patiently waiting, I find that I can't concentrate on what I was trying to do (mostly reading your comments and posts and/or trying to write something sensible...)

And so they win the contest and I go out and feed them...(although this morning I had to chase away that pesky Muscovy Duck before I could feed them...)

And once again peace reigns on Still Waters Pond... (after I chased away the duck a couple more times...)

Now, here's a fun story...well, may be funny now, but it wasn't at the time...this is what happens when you try to do something in a hurry and don't take the time to secure things on the top of a shelf cabinet before trying to move it in order to get to the air conditioner filter to change the filter...Yes, there was a gallon of bleach on top of that cabinet, and somehow the cabinet swayed when I was trying to reach around it, and the plastic jug of bleach fell off the top and of course the lid blew off when it hit the floor of our laundry room, spilling bleach all over the rugs and floor...and splashing all over me!  These are my pants...thankfully they were what I call "house pants" already, ones that I only wear inside the house and not out in public because they might have already had some stains and spots on them, but now they are REALLY pants that I probably won't even wear outside to do yard work...well, maybe I will do that, but that's about it! LOL. Or maybe I'll just start a new style...At least they aren't ripped jeans! LOL. (and people pay good money for those ripped jeans...I wonder what I could get for these??? LOL. ) 

Thankfully the floor was not damaged, and believe it or not, the scatter rugs that I have on that floor did not show any sign of bleaching!  Those inexpensive woven rugs from Walmart must be made of something special....recycled plastic bleach bottles maybe. LOL.  Anyway, I learned a valuable lesson about being in a rush and not taking the time to secure things before acting.  My One Word "Wisdom" might have come in handy for this situation.

Proverbs 15-16

"15 Only simpletons believe everything they’re told!

The prudent carefully consider their steps.

16 The wise are cautious and avoid danger;

fools plunge ahead with reckless confidence."

Oops!  I guess that "fool" who plunged ahead with reckless confidence might have been me!  Lesson learned!!

Okay, moving on to something pretty...I bought this lovely Portulaca plant at a farm market the other day. It just made me smile, and I needed some color on the front porch:

Of course, it closes up in the late afternoon, but it opens back up in the sunshine.  I hope it survives!!

And speaking of flowers...we took a little walk early this morning before it got too hot...and we went back to that walking trail where the vacant lots are where old historic houses used to be...

And now there are lovely Crape Myrtles blooming where those houses once stood! There's something new popping up everytime we go by there! I love it!

Again, a reminder of those who once lived here and loved their homes and gardens and planted beautiful flowers that would stand the test of time way beyond their own lives here on earth...

There's a lot of this Lantana blooming everywhere around there as well...It's kind of a wild flower, but many people planted them. They are colorful and lovely...and attract butterflies!  

I didn't see a butterfly this time, but there's some kind of little bee/bug on that flower above, enjoying the nectar!

And now for the mystery "Doppelganger!"  

If you are a member of my family, or if you knew my father and saw this picture on Facebook yesterday, you might have wondered where this picture came from and where was he?  Because when I saw this picture on a friend's post, I about fell over.  This man was at a wedding of my friend's nephew in Ohio over the weekend.  He is apparently the brother in law of our friend.  

And even though my mind knew it couldn't be a picture of my father, because my father has been in heaven since 2011, to say I was flabberghasted would be a huge understatement! It also sent me scrambling to find a picture of my father that would corroborate my thoughts...and this was the first one I could put my hands on.  And yes, I know there are subtle similartities and differences, but if you knew my father, you would definitely see what I saw in that picture above, and be just as amazed. He's even wearing a plaid shirt, similar to what my father loved to wear!

I immediately texted my friend and asked her who that man was, and she told me his name and some other basic information.  Of course, I wanted to know MORE...like, who were his parents, was he on Ancestry.com and could we possibly be matched somehow by DNA...you see, because my father's mother was adopted, and even though I've done extensive research and have discovered who her birth parents were, there's still so much we don't know...and anyone who has done the DNA test knows that we have distant "cousins" all over the world.  But I didn't want to bother our friends or their relatives any further and interrupt their happy weekend celebrations by probing and asking more questions, but it sure got my attention!! And the more pictures she shared of him throughout the weekend, the more similarities I could see between him and my father, and even my grandmother! 

 

My Grandma Elva Sowers Hill Mursch

However, I've decided that after I finish this post I will let it go and just chalk it up to one of those strange "coincidences" in life...like perhaps there really is such a thing as a "Doppelganger!" I know I've been told that I look like a lot of different people throughout my lifetime...

Per AI Google Search:

"A "doppelganger" is a person who looks almost exactly like another, but who is not related to them. It's a term borrowed from German, meaning "double-goer" or "double walker," and can refer to a ghostly double or a person who resembles another. “Canadian photographer Francois Brunelle spent 12 years tracking down real life Doppelgängers -- two individuals who are not related but could pass for identical twins -- and photographing them” as mentioned in an article on chasejarvis.com.

Here's a more detailed breakdown:
Meaning:
The word "doppelganger" literally translates to "double-walker" or "double-goer" in German.

Appearance:
Doppelgangers are known for their striking physical resemblance to their counterpart, often including facial features and hairstyles.

Not Related:
They are not related to the individual they resemble and are not identical twins.

Folklore and Literature:
In folklore and literature, doppelgangers are often portrayed as supernatural entities or ghostly doubles, sometimes with sinister or ominous connotations.

Real-life Sightings:
While often associated with the supernatural, doppelganger sightings have also been reported in real life, leading to discussions about their potential existence.

Modern Usage:
The term is now commonly used to refer to any person who closely resembles another, even if the resemblance is purely physical. "


I will close with these few Scripture verses about the image of whom I really want to resemble in life...That is the image of of Christ...not in looks so much as in my whole being and spirit and heart...

2 Corinthians 3:18
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.


1 Corinthians 13:12-13
12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

And the most important thing to remember is this:

13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

And with those thoughts to ponder  I will close this post.  Have a blessed and beautiful rest of your week...

Happy First Day of Summer!!

Happy First Day of Summer!  I looked out the front door this morning and noticed these sweet little pink wildflowers blooming, and decided they needed a closer look! 

It is a Pale Meadowbeauty  "Pale meadowbeauty occurs naturally in wet flatwoods, open savannas, marshes, bogs and wet roadsides. It flowers spring through fall and attracts many pollinators, especially bees."   I love it when God provides special little beautiful gifts to brighten our days!  Of course, once we mow that part of the lawn again, they will be gone, but hopefully they will come back to visit again.  I do see them scattered about in various places.  Just a happy little harbinger of summer!

Remember the other day when  I showed you these blueberries that I picked from our own bush?

Well, when I went outside this morning to look at those pretty little pink flowers above, I noticed that many of the pink blueberries that I had left behind had now turned blue, so I picked another handful of berries this morning, 

and there were just enough to do this for breakfast:

Yes!  I made Blueberry Pancakes!!

And those little blueberries were just popping full of delicious blueberry goodness!!

Of course, we had to have some scrambled eggs with bits of ham to give us some added protein with our breakfast,  but I can tell you this was delightfully delicious!  And with our very own blueberries!   

Can you tell that I am just a little bit happy about this?  LOL.

I thought it was a great way to usher in the first day of summer!

After breakfast we got cleaned up and headed to town to Walmart to do some necessary grocery shopping.  Nothing too exciting about that.  We wanted to get there early to beat the heat and the Friday morning rush, and we were thankful that we did just that.  

So now we are settled in back home with nothing particular to do today except stay inside and keep cool! Summertime here in our part of the world has felt like it was already here for the past month already.  Right now it is 92 degrees and hopefully we will get a thunderstorm this evening around 7:00 p.m.   I doubt that it will cool us off by much, but at least it will add some more water to the pond and keep the grass, flowers and trees (and blueberries) growing!  And the birds and critters are all much happier when there is plenty of rain to keep their food sources growing too. 

I went outside to get the mail and then did a little "walkabout" the yard to see what things were growing along the woodsy edges of our yard...

There is a lot of this:

Inkberry/Gallberry, which is growing wild in our woodsy area. The berries will turn black in the fall. The birds will eat them, although I understand they are bitter and the birds will only eat them as a last resort! 

We have a lot of different kinds of Holly trees/bushes growing wild, especially along the shores of Still Waters Pond.  These berries will turn bright red, and the birds do love them! Especially the Cardinals, Blue Jays, Cedar Waxwings and Robins!(if they migrate through here in winter)

So I am happy to see that there's plenty of extra bird flood growing all around us for the winter time. I'm sure they find plenty of other kinds of seeds and bugs and things to eat in the summer, along with the birdseed we put in the bird feeders.

As I walked around to the back yard, I was wondering where Sunshine and Blackie were hiding to keep cool on this very warm summer afternoon.  All of a sudden, here came Sunshine from out under the back porch...

He came right up to me, sticking out his tongue to say hello I guess, and wanted me to pet him right away, which of course I did.   Who could resist that sweet face?

And then Blackie saw me loving on Sunshine, and he came out from under one of the chairs on the back porch and headed down the steps right away to get his share of lovin'.  Of course, Sunshine went to meet him and they had to bump heads and nibble on each other's ears and say hello...

And then  Blackie came down and found a nice sandy spot to roll in the dirt to say hello to me. LOL.

Silly Kitty. But yes, I did pet and love on him for a while too. He's a sweeetheart, and he didn't want to be left out of any special attention.  I think he thought it was snack time, but as you can tell, Blackie still has a bit of a tummy and really doesn't need any extra "snacks".  But at least we know that HE isn't expecting! LOL.  

Well, speaking of food, it's almost time to start thinking about supper.  I guess I didn't really make any plans today for what to cook! Oops!  But we've been doing the pizza thing on Friday nights most of the time lately anyway, so I think that's what's happening tonight as well. I just have to go to the Dollar General down the street and pick up one and cook it. Easy Peasy!

Here's an old song..."Summertime", from Porgy and Bess...

Summertime, And the livin' is easy Fish are jumpin' And the cotton is high Your daddy's rich And your mamma's good lookin' So hush little baby Don't you cry One of these mornings You're going to rise up singing Then you'll spread your wings And you'll take to the sky But till that morning There's a'nothing can harm you With daddy and mamma standing by

And here is a song that truly speaks to me, no matter what the season or time:

“Great is Thy faithfulness,” O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not

As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Chorus:

“Great is Thy faithfulness!” “Great is Thy faithfulness!”

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—

“Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!

2

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Chorus:

“Great is Thy faithfulness!” “Great is Thy faithfulness!”

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—

“Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!

3

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Chorus:

“Great is Thy faithfulness!” “Great is Thy faithfulness!”

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—

“Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!

Amen!

I hope that your summertime is filled with new mercies and all that you have needed, and that you will know just how great is God's faithfulness unto you! Amen.

Thursday Thankfulness

 Hello from Still Waters Pond!  These photos were taken early in the morning, as the sun was rising behind us in the east, and lighting up the trees in the west with a delightful golden sun!

You can see that Still Waters Pond is starting to fill up again after some nice rains...

And the Sand Hill Crane family had just flown in to say Good Morning!

What a lovely way to start the day!

And this was how the sky looked in the east as the sun was rising up behind the clouds...

A good time to rise up and say a prayer for our nation and the world situation, especially in Israel.

I've been sitting here reading other blogs and appreciating all of the beautiful things you all write and share with us. It is always uplifting and encouraging to connect with you. Perhaps that should be my #1 item on the thankfulness list for tonight.  

These are not really ranked by order of value or importance, but just thoughts and things as I think about them.  Yesterday I had a doctor appointment that I had been waiting on for 2 months to discuss some chronic and frustrating physical issues that I deal with on a too regular of a basis.  I was thankful for a doctor who listened, made copious notes as we talked, and then made wonderful recommendations and  helpful suggestions and a prescription that should help with several issues I am dealing with. She also assured me that there didn't appear to be any serious underlying problem that I needed to be concerned about. So that was a comfort and a blessing.

We are still waiting for hubby's July 1st appointment. Thankfully he seems to be doing a little better as we just take things kind of easy and one day at a time, giving thanks to the Lord for His kindness and mercy and grace.

We are thankful for the daily rain (almost daily, I should say) that is filling Still Waters Pond and replenishing the earth.  It is a comfort to us to know that if we just wait on the Lord, good things will come.

James 5:7-8

"7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 

8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand."

This stained glass ornament hangs in our kitchen window, a daily reminder to me to "wait upon the Lord", and He WILL renew my (and my hubby's and anyone else who needs it) strength. And we shall "mount up with wings as the eagle..."  and the rest of that verse says: "they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."   That is a promise that I am going to claim by faith for both hubby and myself. We are waiting on the Lord to do just that, in His time.

These are just a few of the things I am thankful for tonight. Thank you for being there and visiting with me today.  May God be with you and hear your prayers as you wait on Him as well.  Amen.

Monday Monday~Father's Day and Storms

 Happy Monday evening!  I'm just getting around to sitting down here at the computer and trying to think of what to say!  Hope you have been having a good Monday, and that your weekend was special in every way.  We had a wonderful Father's Day get together with the kids yesterday.  Our son Scott came and grilled boneless/skinless chicken thighs for us. I made potato salad and corn on the cob, a tossed salad, and a blueberry pie at hubby's request.  Rose brought the deviled eggs.  I forgot to take a picture of our meal, but here's the blueberry pie right after it came out of the oven. You can see it was bubbling over with blueberry juice!

Hubby declared it was the best blueberry pie he'd ever eaten!

I was happy to hear that, because these were blueberries that I'd gotten fresh (already picked) from the blueberry farm last month and froze them. Unfortunately, they have a picking machine that tends to leave a bit of the stem on the berries, and I had to hand pick the stems off of almost every single berry! Imagine that when the blueberries were thawing and becoming a bit soft...yeah, it was a tedious job, but no one found a stem in their piece of pie! LOL.  Next year I guess I will have to go and pick my own blueberries so I can be sure there are no stems left on them!

Who knows, maybe next year I'll be able to pick enough blueberries off of my own bush to bake a pie! This is a bush I planted a few years ago, and this is really the first year it has had so many berries.

I just went and picked this little handful of ripe ones. Maybe not enough for a pie, but they will taste good in my yogurt or on some cereal. There's just something very satisfying about picking your own fruit and eating it!  I consider it a gift from God! I know I sure didn't do anything to make these grow, except water them when it was so dry. But God did everything else.

Anyway, I digress.  Back to yesterday...here's the "kids" with "Daddy"...

And here's the whole bunch of us.

This is one of my most favorite pictures of my hubby, reading Bible stories to our little boys in bed at bedtime. As you can see, Scott is just a baby, then Benton was about 5 &1/2, and Matthew was 4. These are very precious memories.

And here's a picture of "Daddy" and his boys and our one grandson Noah, taken back in  February of 2014 at the last time our whole family was together before Matthew passed away from cancer in May of 2014.    It's sad to me that we will never be able to have a "complete" family portrait again...but we will all be together again in heaven some day, and that celebration will never end!

And speaking of other great fathers...Here's hubby's father and my hubby John and his little brother Billy. This was taken at Daytona Beach back in the late1950's.  Notice the Studebaker car behind them. That was their car.  Our family had one of those too back in the day! They were built like a tank! LOL.

And here I am with my Daddy. This was taken on a Sunday afternoon. I think he had been reading the funny papers to me and we fell asleep.  I was pretty young. LOL.

So after our kids left we took a nap too.  Then when we woke up, there was quite a thunderstorm brewing.

The rain was so heavy at times it was like a "white out" on Still Waters Pond!

And yes, it did help to start refilling the pond! WooHoo! We are very thankful for that!

At one point, I could actually see and hear very small bits of hail hitting against the front picture window!

And although you can't see it here, we had two umbrellas open on the front porch, one on each table, which helps to shade our front window/porch on these very hot and sunny days. I usually try to put the umbrellas down when a storm is coming, but this one blew up so quickly I didn't have time, and the umbrella from the table on the left literally was lifted up by the wind and blown over the top of the other umbrella...

And landed on the other side of the deck outside of the porch railing on the ground!  That was quite a blow!!

Thankfully no harm was done to the umbrella or the tables, but it just shows how quickly things can change in a bad storm!!

But thankfully, when we know we have Jesus with us in this "boat of life"...we do not need to fear what the winds and waves and storms of life can do to us...He rebukes the wind and the "sea", and says, "Peace be still!", and the storms will cease...

Mark 4:35-41 NKJV
35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 

37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 

38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace,be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 

40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” 

41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

Even though there are still times in life when I may feel fearful and anxious about things that are happening around me or in my family, (or in the world at large), I am reminded of this story where Jesus rebuked the disciples and asked them why they were so fearful..."How is it that you have no faith?"  He wanted them and us to know that when you have Jesus in the boat with you, there is nothing to fear.  The important question to ask ourselves is if we have Jesus in our boat with us.  If not, there's no time like the present to invite Him to join us in our life's journey. When Jesus is with us, we can sleep in peace while the storms are raging. God is in control. 

Like these porch kitties...Blackie and Sunshine...sleeping in perfect peace...

And just for fun...these were taken last night after the storm...Sunshine sometimes likes to jump up onto the porch railing and watch the world go by...

"Hey! I see you looking at me!"

"Am I yawning because I'm bored with looking at you? Or am I laughing at a good private joke?  I'll never tell."

"There's nothing too exciting in there to see, so I'll just lay down here on the this railing ignore you!"

And with that, I think I will close this for tonight.

Psalm 4:8 NKJV

8 I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;

For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Amen.