Springing Ahead!

 Happy Sunday!  So, did you remember to "spring ahead" last night?  Time change always throws me for a loop for about a week, while my body time clock adjusts to losing an hour of sleep, but gaining an hour of daylight...which is nice, but I really do wish they'd just leave it one way or the other once and for all! That's my 2 cents worth, for all it's worth! LOL. 2 cents isn't worth much these days, but I guess if you kept adding them up over time they would be worth something! Now that they've quit minting new pennies, I wonder if our old pennies will go up in value?  I have a nice stash of them just in case. LOL.

So, let's move along to some springing sensations from this past week. Or at least things you haven't already seen this week.  

The following pictures were taken today, when our son Scott was here...and he did some planting for me, which is always such a blessing!  The rosebush is a replacement for the one Rose and Benton had given me last year I think for Mother's Day...and I loved it so much, but alas! It did not get enough water and it died before I ever was able to get it properly planted.  So I purchased another one to replace it this week, and Scott planted it for me in one of the planter boxes that Benton builds.  This way, if it doesn't seem to be getting enough sunlight (or too much) where it is, I can move it until we find the perfect spot for it...and I promise to keep it well watered!

Isaiah 35:1-4, 10

The Future Glory of Zion

 1 "The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them,

And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose;

Isn't it beautiful?

2 It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice,

Even with joy and singing.

The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,

The excellence of Carmel and Sharon.

They shall see the glory of the Lord,

The excellency of our God.

I also asked Scott to plant this Cassia bush before it also died in its pot. It's been waiting all winter to be planted, and thankfully it did not freeze in the cold weather we had!

3 Strengthen the weak hands,

And make firm the feeble knees.

4 Say to those who are fearful-hearted,

“Be strong, do not fear!

Behold, your God will come with vengeance,

With the recompense of God;

He will come and save you.”

10  And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,

And come to Zion with singing,

With everlasting joy on their heads.

Yes, in spite of the drought we are still having, many things are starting to bloom around here.  The Carolina  Jessamine continues to blossom and flourish along the fences and in the trees all around here...

I love seeing these pretty yellow flowers blossoming forth from the winter's dryness...giving us hope for the future that the rains will come and everything will continue to thrive and bring us much joy.

They shall obtain joy and gladness,

And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

The azaleas are also blooming!

And the bluebirds are singing and I think they are building a nest this time! I sure hope so!!

Couldn't resist this pretty garden flag when I was a Ollies' this past week. Also the one up above.

Yesterday we went to the Garden/Farmer's Market where our son was selling his planter boxes, and there was a lady there who makes these beautiful bags! She had a lot of different styles and sizes and colors, but this one just stood out to me and seemed to be begging me to take it home!  I couldn't resist! It was the only one like it, and it probably cost more than I should've spent, but I just loved the bright cheerful spring flowers and also the size and style of the bag...so I splurged...

It's very well made, and has pockets on the outside and the inside...and it zips shut. It is big enough to carry my Bible and little notebook, along with all my other essential purse stuff for church and Bible Study.  I love it!

And of course you are all so kind to have been so concerned about our sweet Blackie this week when he disappeared for a day. Thankfully he was back home in time for supper.  Well, today he had new another adventure.  Apparently when we were leaving for church this morning we were a bit distracted in getting out the door as I had some extra things I was taking and hubby went out one door and brought the car around to the front door for me...and I loaded up my stuff and away we went.  When we got home and opened up the door, who comes out of our bedroom but that rascal Blackie!!!!  Apparently he had managed to slip by one or the other of us as we were leaving, and so he was in the house by himself for a couple of hours. That has never happened before, so it was a new experience for him and for us. Nothing was amiss, except my hubby noticed that one of the clothes baskets in our closet was turned over and clothes were spilling out onto the floor.  Apparently he had decided to take a nap in our closet in the clothes basket!  The little scamp!  

Well, later, after lunch and after Scott left to go back home, we needed a nap. (remember we lost an hour of sleep last night, right?)  Anyway, Blackie was still in the house (he'd been in and out during the afternoon, but now was in)  and where did he go but right back to our bedroom closet, and jumped in the clothesbasket again!!  Here's Mr. Innocent King Blackie now:

I let him stay there while I tried to take a nap. In about five minutes, when I was almost sound asleep, he came and tried to spring up on our bed with us, but no, we are not ready for that experience just yet, so I picked him up and took him back outside for now. 

So that's our "springing ahead" post for today!  What exciting things are you doing to get ready for spring? 

Time to go...May God be with you in every season of your life.  Amen.

Thursday Thankfulness on Friday Morning! MAJOR UPDATE!!!

 UPDATE:  AT 2:30 P.M. BLACKIE FINALLY CAME HOME!! The little stinker didn't have one word to say about where he'd been or what he'd been doing. He just nonchalantly jumped up on the back porch when I called him (for the hundredth time today), and came inside and said "What's for dinner? I'm starved!"  So of course I fed him the whole can instead of just half (but he only ate half!) and now he is sitting in one of his favorite chairs (they are ALL his favorite, and he thinks he owns ALL of the chairs in the house), and it looks like he's going to take a nap!!  

King Blackie on his throne.  I said to him, 

"Pussycat pussycat, where have you been?

I've been up to London to visit the Queen.

Pussycat pussycat, what did you there?

I frightened a little mouse under her chair

MEOWW!"

Thanks for caring and praying for him! All's well that ends well!!

Original Post this morning:

I don't think I've done a Thursday Thankfulness post in a while. Certainly not because I haven't been thankful! Probably more because I've either been busy or preoccupied with other things  and just haven't taken the time to "count my blessings" on a Thursday! But I do count them all the time, I just don't always write about it on Thursday!  And guess what?  I started this post on Thursday evening, but I was too tired and preoccupied to keep writing, and now here it is Friday morning, so I guess this will be a "Thursday Thankfulness post on Friday!"  LOL.  I am thankful that I am awake and alive and well enough to sit here and write to you this morning!

Lamentations 3:22-26

"22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,

Because His compassions fail not.

23 They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,

“Therefore I hope in Him!”

25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,

To the soul who seeks Him.

26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly

For the salvation of the Lord."

This was the view from our back porch this morning (above)

And here's the view from the front porch before the sun came up:

I was out on the porches early because I was calling for Blackie.  He did not appear at the back door for breakfast as per his usual routine at 5:30 a.m. (sometimes earlier).  It is now 6:30 a.m., and he still has not appeared.  I think I know why.  We have these "Blink" cameras strategically placed around our property, and they showed an unusual amount of loose dog activity in the neighborhood during the night...with several dogs running through our yard.  Whenever that happens, Blackie goes into hiding and won't reappear until he feels safe enough to come back out.  I've been calling him and calling him (I'm sure the neighbors love hearing me calling in the early morning hours), but there's still no sign of him. Hubby says not to worry...he will show up when the sun comes up and he feels safe enough to come out of his hiding place.

I am thankful for the cameras, because they do give us an extra layer of "security" as we are able to see whatever is happening on our property even when we are not at home. 

We also have this "Ring" doorbell/camera at the front door, which not only shows us "who's there", but we can talk to them even when we aren't at home! I am thankful for this new technology and also for our "kids" Benton and Rose, who ordered them and set them up for us. It really helps to have smart and talented kids.

Now, you may wonder why I said I was too preoccupied and tired earlier in this post.  Well, it has to do with all this wonderful technology that we have and are indeed thankful for.  On Monday morning hubby and I had made a decision to change our WiFi provider to a different company, because they were offering a deal that we really couldn't pass up...a price for  WiFi service at less than half the cost of our current service, and that price was guaranteed for FIVE YEARS!  We were excited to discover that the new company had recently extended their fiber optic cables into our neighborhood so it was now available to us.

I don't know if any of you have ever gone through the process of changing from one system to another, which also included changing our cell phone provider to the new company, but if you have, you know that it is a time consuming (on the phone with technicians) process,  and not for the faint of heart or for those who are not too savvy when it comes to modern technology.  And you better not have anything else planned for a day or two, because there are so many details involved in this process that you won't be able to leave your phone or your house until everything is figured out!

New Modem

Let's just sum it all up by saying that I am thankful that it is now done...but let me tell you...it can be a real learning curve for those of us who are older and somewhat behind in the latest technology. I was shocked to discover that I would have to figure out how to switch from the old provider to the new on every piece of technological equipment we own:  Desktop computer, Laptop Computer, Smart TV, Printer, Cell Phones, and yes, also those wonderful Blink Cameras and also the Ring Doorbell Camera! Without physically going through the steps on each device, they would not work! Trust me, it was an ordeal, and I was on the phone with the technicians more than once while they walked me through it (especially for the cell phones, because hubby's phone is an older model and it required a new "SIM Card", which they mailed to us next day mail, and I had to figure out how to install that as well as make all the necessary transfers.)

Hubby sent this picture to me this morning from Facebook, because he said this was a good picture of how I looked this week! LOL!!!

I am very thankful that all of my "work" this week will be well worth the savings we are getting on our WiFi and Cell Phone systems.  When I figure it up for the five year period, we will be saving over $4000.!!!  I'd say that's worth all my trouble, wouldn't you?  And that doesn't account for the possibility that our old WiFi company might have continued to raise their rates each year, as they have done pretty consistently over the past few years.  They weren't happy with me when I called them to cancel the service, and they tried to offer me all kinds of discounts...but I told them they were too late! They should've offered them BEFORE I felt frustrated with their rising prices so much that I looked elsewhere.  

Well, friends, it's time to get a move on. Blackie still hasn't come home, but I expect he will show up when he gets hungry enough.

This is Blackie's favorite place to be.

Oh, and I got a slip cover for the new recliner this week at Ollie's (where you can buy "Good Stuff Cheap!")  That works better than all the other things we were trying to keep Blackie's sharp claws off the chair...

And since that cover was blue (the only one we could find that would fit), I decided to get a blue cover for the couch as well...

Okay, folks...Thank you for being here. I appreciate each and every one of you and your sweet comments.  I thank the Lord for this place where we can meet and visit throughout the week!  You are all very special friends!

Have a blessed and wonderful day and weekend. Don't forget to "spring ahead" on your clocks Saturday night!!  

Tuesday 4~Simple Questions

 Simple Questions

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4. I hope you are enjoying these questions. Let me know if they can be improved and if you have any ideas for subjects!
Here are just 4 simple questions for you this week...

1. Do you have any superstitious beliefs?

That's easy to answer: NO!

2. How often do you check the weather? Where do you get your weather reports?

We check our weather app on my phone every morning. Actually, hubby and I play a little guessing game every morning. He doesn't look at the weather app,  and I ask him to guess what the current temperature is, and he has to get it within one degree to get a point. Then I ask him what the high will be for the day, and then what the conditions are/or will be all day, such as sunny, cloudy, partly cloudy, rainy, or FOGGY, like it was this morning:

 then the wind speeds, percentage of actual precipitation for the day, and the percentage of humidity.  Again, all answers have to be within 1 degree or 1 percent of the actual answer. There is no prize...just a good test of his mental acuity in the morning while drinking his coffee.  Some days he does pretty good and gets most all of them right...but when the weather is so changeable like it has been lately, it's been a bit more challenging.  I'm glad he's the one doing the guessing and I hold the answers on my phone! LOL.  For me, I guess the weather by whether or not my joints are extra stiff in the morning or not. LOL.  We do also check the weather on the TV when there's a question about any serious weather conditions (like hurricanes or tornadoes, or this winter...freeze warnings have been rather frequent for us, more so than usual for this part of the country.)

Current view outside our front door: Full Moon tonight:.(Monday night)  This was around 7:30 p.m.  I plan to try and remember to get up and look at the lunar eclipse of the moon early Tuesday morning, and if I can get some decent pictures, I will add them before I post this.

(I don't know what that aqua blob is on the picture. Maybe a UFO. LOL.)

3.What time of your life was the happiest and why do you think that was? How could life improve for you now?

That's really hard to answer, as I've been happy in every season of my life, even though there have been some very sad and difficult times as well, but even so I have a deep down joy in my heart because of Jesus living in me.   Without Him, I would not have been able to get through some of the very difficult times. 

This was probably one of the happiest times in my life...our sweet little family...our boys were still young and happy and healthy and innocent. Hubby was the Pastor of a beautiful church and we seemed to be "sitting on top of the world" for a while.  Life definitely got more difficult as the years went by, but this was a time of joy and many blessings.  (I was just 30 years old in this picture. At the time I thought I was really getting old! LOL)

To answer the rest of the question: "How could life improve for you now?"

I think for the most part things are going pretty well for people of our age, but if anything could improve, it would be to have our strength and health renewed and restored back to a time of a bit more strength, energy, and stamina.  But truly, we are very very thankful for everything we have at this stage in life. We look around us and realize that it could always be so much worse, so we are extremely thankful to God that He is taking very good care of us.

4. What things would you ordain to make everyday life happier, kinder, more prosperous, for everyone?

Here are some verses from the Bible that summarize what I believe makes life happier, kinder, and more prosperous.  If everyone could "drink of the water that (Jesus) shall give him", he would definitely have the kind of joy that never fails, no matter what the circumstances of life.

John 4:13-14~ 

13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 

14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. 

But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

Isaiah 12:1-3

1 "And in that day you will say:

“O Lord, I will praise You;

Though You were angry with me,

Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.

2 Behold, God is my salvation,

I will trust and not be afraid;

‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song;

He also has become my salvation.’ ”

3 Therefore with joy you will draw water
From the wells of salvation."
 

Psalm 89:1-2 NKJV

1 "I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever;

With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.

2 For I have said, “Mercy shall be built up forever;

Your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens.”

My thoughts: there really isn't anything this world has to offer that will bring lasting happiness and prosperity.  Everything here is temporary.  Here is what Jesus said on this subject:

Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 

20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

All this "stuff" we have here to make us more comfortable and "happy" is just that, STUFF.  It's okay to make ourselves comfortable here, but don't ever think any of it is permanent. Ask someone who has had a tornado rip through their home, or a fire or a flood. They are extremely thankful when they can escape with their family intact and the clothes on their back (if they are so blessed to be able to do that).  All that STUFF is gone in a puff of wind or a torrent of water...but our souls are eternal.  That is the ONLY thing that lasts for eternity, so we best consider where we will be spending eternity while there is yet time.

2 Corinthians 6:2 NKJV

"2 For He (Jesus) says:

“In an acceptable time I have heard you,

And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”

Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."

I will try to finish this in the morning, if I can get some pictures of the "blood moon".  

Okay, here I am, 6:15 a.m. Tuesday morning.  I did go out and watch the eclipse for the first half...and I apologize for the poor quality of my pictures. I am certain many of you may have better cameras for moon shots than I do, so I expect there will be some out there with really good photos. But here's what I have, so you will know that I did what I said I would do!

I had a lot more pictures, but they really were too fuzzy to be worth showing.  So how many of you went out to watch the eclipse?  I can't wait to see your pictures!

Blackie says, "Okay, it's time to post this and get on with our day! "

He finds the most precarious spots to just lay himself down and rest a spell from his wanderings...seems like he's always right on the edge of something!  (Sometimes I feel like that too, don't you?)

Okay, my friends...be blessed and enjoy this day.  

"This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!"  

Psalm 118:24

March Just Marched Right In!

 Can you believe it is March already?  Actually, my hubby was saying that he thought February seemed awfully long...I reminded him that it's the shortest month of the year, but there again, I agreed, it did seem long. It must've been all the crazy weather everyone was having. I'm sure many of you up north are happy to see February gone, and we all pray that March will be a calmer and kinder month.  Some of you have already seen these sunset pictures from the last night of February...but for those who haven't, here's just a sampling...

I was surprised to see those Muscovy Ducks perched in that pine  tree on the island in the Still Very Dry Still Waters Pond...

I guess they like looking at the sunset as much as I do. I noticed they flew away as soon as the sun was completely down...

And sadly, yes,  Still Waters Pond is still very dry. The wonderful rain that we got the other night did not last as long as it was supposed to,  and we got just a bit less than one inch of rain.  Every bit helps, but sadly there was hardly a puddle out there the next day...

Still, the sunset was beautiful, and I enjoyed watching it change as it descended from the skies.

With all of the turmoil going on around the world...I am definitely keeping my eyes on the skies.

Jesus said in Luke 21:25-28

25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Yes, there's a lot going on...planets lining up, the blood moon, the fall of the Iranian evil leader and his cohorts...but I am no prophet, and I know that no man knows the time or the hour of Christ's return...but Jesus went on to teach the disciples a parable in Luke 21:29-33

"29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.
31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.
33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away."

It is a wise person who pays attention to what's happening around them and around the world, and makes sure of his own position and relationship with God...There's no time like the present to prepare our hearts and minds for Christ's return. I'd rather be early than too late.  Just some "food for thought" to start off this month.

Okay,  let's switch gears...on Saturday we had the joy of visiting with my cousin Becky and her husband, who were passing through on their way back home to Ohio:

We met them at one of our most favorite places to eat, "Corky Bells" on the St. John's River. It was a little too cloudy and chilly to eat outside, but we did take a little walk down on the pier after lunch to get a few pictures. Thankfully it had warmed up a little by then.

Becky and I grew up together and seemed more like sisters than cousins.  We were just nine months apart in age, and lived about 10 miles from each other, but we were together for all family holidays, birthdays, and especially in the summer time we spent a lot of time together playing with our Barbie dolls, building houses and making clothes for them, and playing endless Monopoly games and other board games. We often found some mischief to get into as well, but we mostly just had fun and enjoyed being little girls.

This was my 10th birthday, when I got my Barbie doll, and Becky got one not long after, so we shared many hours together creating a life for our dolls. It's always fun when we get together now and remember the good old days, as well as get caught up on our lives today. Thank you, Becky and Pat, for going out of your way to visit us again!!

There was a young boy fishing on the dock, and he caught this fish! I think he threw it back in, but not before pictures were taken by us and his family too!

 

Who remembers the first fish you ever caught?  I do! There were some sweet old folks who lived down on the lake in front of our house where I grew up, and they actually had some "pet bass" that they fed off of their dock.  I was about 11 or 12 years old, and Mr. Fred Jay let me use one of his cane poles to fish from the dock.  Lo, and behold, I caught one of their "pet bass"! I think he weighed about 2 or 3 pounds.  At this point I don't remember if I kept it and brought it home, or if we threw it back in. I think there may be a picture in some box somewhere of me with that fish. I really don't remember us eating it, so it probably got thrown back in, but I do remember the thrill of that catch!!  I've never really done any fishing since then. LOL.

Since today is the first day of March, how about the Calendar Roll Call?  

Here we go:   The Country Seasons calendar by John Sloane is up first:

Love that beautiful Amaish farm scene...looks so peaceful, doesn't it? 

Next is the Thomas Kinkade picture of "Foxglove Cottage"...beautiful!!

How often has Christ said to you and me..."My grace is sufficient for thee...for My strength is made perfect in weakness...?"  It's not always what we want to hear, is it?  No one likes to be weak...we want to stay strong...but sometimes we have to give in and let God's GRACE be our all sufficiency...His Strength will be made perfect when we just get out of the way and let Him do what He needs to do in our lives.  We have to take the humble road instead of the high road.  Not easy for those of us who like to be "in control".  But if I've learned anything in this life, it's to remember that God is in control,  and when I submit to that in my mind and my actions, things go a lot smoother.

This log cabin beside the water looks like a perfect retreat when you need to just 'get away' for a while and rest and relax...

And perhaps have some tea...although this is a child's tea set...very ornate and lovely!! Perhaps a bit too ornate for a little girl to play with? Well, maybe Mommy or Grandma needs to supervise just a little bit...

Here's my own little child's tea sets...

The Buster Brown tea set originally belonged to my Aunt Margie, and then she gave it to my mother, and my mother left it to me.

And this little white tea pot and cup and saucer belonged to my paternal grandmother...so these are all pretty special to me. I just need a little girl to come and have a tea party with me...

Oh my! Here's the Susan Branch calendar for March...with Irish Coffee as the featured beverage of choice.  Probably not something that I will be trying...but here's the recipe in case you are so inclined...I don't drink coffee or whiskey, so it doesn't sound too tempting to me...

But this is a funny little riddle:

And last but not least, who doesn't love a red barn?  Wow! That's gorgeous!  

And I love what Billy Graham said in this quote:

How appropriate for our current world situation and quest for "world peace".

"Christ alone can bring lasting peace...

peace with God, peace among men and nations, 

and peace within our hearts."

Amen.

That seems like a good place to bring this post to an end.  It's almost bedtime anyway and it's been a long day. We had a wonderful church service this morning, and then our sons Scott and Benton were both here for lunch. Rose had to work unfortunately.  I cooked a meat loaf and baked potatoes and we had a tossed salad.  Then Scott and I went to work on getting his taxes done.  I had already done ours this past week and we already got our refund deposited into our bank! That was quick!  Scott's had a few more complications to figure out, be we finally got it done and he'll get a tiny refund, but that's better than owing money! When you're single with no dependents and don't own a house or have any other big deductions, you are blessed if you can get a refund at all! I keep telling him every year if he wants to get a bigger refund, he needs to get married and have some kids! LOL.  He'll be 49 this month, so time's a wasting! Oh well, some things are better just left as they are. God knows best and Mama needs to mind her own business. LOL.

Okay, "let's say goodnight, Gracie!"  "Good night Gracie!".  Who remembers George Burns and Gracie Allen? I loved Gracie.      So "good night Gracie."  Good Night.  May you sleep in peace. Amen.