Saturday Morning

Good Saturday Morning!  I hope this finds you doing well...I am concerned about some of our blogging friends in the panhandle of Florida, Alabama, Western Georgia, and beyond, who may be experiencing the effects of Hurricane Isaias today.  I haven't heard too much about how severe the impact was in those areas yet, but I did see that a lot of people were definitely without power.  We've been praying for you, and if you are in that area, we hope you will be able to check in soon and let us know how you are. Thankfully the storm did not come in our direction, and we only got some faint outer bands of rain periodically, but nothing severe here at all. Actually, we got less rain the past 24 hours than we did all week long! In a way I am a bit disappointed, because we were really hoping we would get more of that rain here, but we are thankful that we didn't get any serious storm issues.

As a matter of fact, the sun was shining this morning for a while! We hadn't even tried to put out the flag the past several days due to the rain, but this morning has been dry enough so far to let our flag wave in the breeze.  

 It was nice to see the sun again!!

And I know this isn't very clear, but I took this picture a little while ago through the window. I just wanted to give you an update on the status of Still Waters Pond...yes, you can actually see water over there on top of the pond bed, and there is a lot more water over under the bushes where it is a bit deeper, so that's progress! It looks like there's a moose walking over there and a fish ready to jump in the water! LOL.  That's our wind chime that was created especially for us after our son Matthew passed away, by a friend of ours who does amazing copper work.  You can click HERE if you would like to know more about the history of this windchime.

Yesterday I took advantage of some of the drier times of the day and went outside to examine what I was seeing out on the grass...

This trail of mushrooms was growing all in a line on the other side of our fence. There must've been a tree root or something under the ground that has decayed and these mushrooms have sprung up because of the rain to "lead the way".  

Aren't they funny?

I have managed to do a little reading this past week since we weren't out and about as much due to the rainy weather.  I checked this book out from the library, along with another one by the same author.  The other one I never made it past the third chapter. I just couldn't get into it, so I put it aside and tried this one in  hopes that it would be better, and it definitely was.  I enjoyed this book...even though there were parts that literally had me in tears...but to me, that's a sign of a good book! There may have been a few episodes that were not in my particular taste for what I like to read, but they weren't overly graphic and I was able to get through them without being too disturbed. (LOL).   The overall book was good and worth the read.

So, I took those two books back to the library yesterday and picked up this one that I had ordered online through our library system.  It is written by the author of "The Help", which I liked very much (and also saw the movie), so I thought I'd give this one a try. I just got started on it last night, and so far, so good.

What I wasn't expecting was that this book is literally 2 inches thick, and it's not even a large print book! So I guess I'll be reading this one for a little while! LOL.

Speaking of books, I received this sweet little bookshelf lantern as a birthday gift from one of our thoughtful and sweet blogging friends.  I had never seen anything like it before, and I thought it was just so fun...

I love how it adds a soft glow to my bookshelf and it just makes me smile when I look at it. You know, we have some of the sweetest blogging sisters...and I treasure every one of you!

I didn't have a lot of photos to share this week, so I didn't even bother to do a Friday Foto post yesterday. But I did have these photos of Blackie that I thought his fans would like...one morning when he came inside he was a little damp from the rain, even though he stays primarily on the covered porch...he apparently had gone out in the yard to take care of business, and he was damp...so I covered him up with this old towel and dried him off, and he loved it...

So we left the towel on the floor for him, and he now wants to lay on it when he comes inside.

However, sometimes he rolls off the towel while taking a nap...

I had to check his breathing to make sure he was still alive in this picture. All four of his feet where in the air and he was sound asleep! He's still such a character, and yes, he is well loved. He does, however enjoy going outside and watching the birds and doing "cat things", but then he's always happy to come back inside for his meals and to get some lovin'.  

Well, I can't think of anything else to say. We don't have any special plans for the weekend except for church tomorrow, and I am assuming Scott will be here by lunch time.  And no, we still haven't had that phone call conversation with our grandson. His "break times" at work just weren't a good time for him to try and call us, and I don't know what his days off are, so I will just wait patiently for him to get around to calling. At least the text messages were thoughtful and sweet, and I will be thankful for whatever communication we can have.  

Here's some good food for thought today...

Have a blessed and safe weekend.

Rainy Days and Blessings

 Oh, it's been so nice to have several rainy days in a row! Even if it is causing my joints to ache all over my body, and there's a damp chill in the air that makes me want to curl back  up in bed and pull the covers over me and take a nice long nap...(which I did take a nice nap today, just not that long of one), I'm not going to complain! We have been praying for this rain for so long...I am very very thankful.  However, all that being said, the pond still doesn't look that much wetter yet...we've had more drizzle than real rain, but it's getting there little by little.

Can you see that hawk sitting way over there on that tree on the other side of the pond? He has claimed this pond for his territory, and he can be seen out there at different times throughout the day, staking out his claim for whatever would make a good meal for him. There must be something growing there in those puddles on the pond...he keeps going down there and getting something!

Since today was a chilly, damp, rainy day, it was a good day for homemade soup...and so I put on a crock pot full of vegetables and beef (ground beef, however) and let it simmer all day. Not only did it smell good, but it tasted really good, especially with some fresh hot cornbread!

Oh, I forgot there were ice cubes in this bowl...that's hubby's bowl. It was too hot, so he put ice cubes in it to cool it down! LOL.

Blackie sat close by, hoping someone would drop him some "crumbs".  Someone may have done that..ahem...

After we left the table, he jumped up in the chair, and was getting ready to jump up on the table to see if there was anything else there, but I pulled the chair away from the table so he couldn't do that. Getting on the table is a definite NO NO!  Look at that face...LOL.

I also decided to bake a "Sock it to Me" cake.  Here is a link to when I made this before, with the recipe.  If you compare the cakes, you will see that this one doesn't look nearly as pretty as the other one did, because this one stuck to the pan and came out in pieces, so I had to piece it back together!

Also, I realized when I just looked back at that previous one, I used an entirely different recipe from online! The other one I made from scratch. This one I made using a cake mix, but it still added the sour cream and butter, 4 eggs, etc., so it was almost the same. I forgot to add flour to the PAM when I sprayed the bundt pan. Apparently that made a big difference! Oh well, "the proof is in the pudding" as they say. If it tastes good, that's what matters most.  I will let you know...I haven't sampled it yet.  

A little later: Okay, I just had a small piece, and it was pretty good! Not sure which one I like better, but this one is definitely good enough to eat, even it is a bit lopsided!

As I mentioned in my last post HERE, we were planning to go check out the new Backwoods Country Kitchen for lunch yesterday with the kids.  And even though it was a rainy day, we didn't let that dampen our spirits and off we went...Our waitress was kind enough to take our picture:

(Remind me to sit up straight next time. I still had on my rain jacket and that was not a very flattering pose! LOL But we were all smiling and excited to be there.)   

No, this wasn't our waiter, but I kept seeing him out of the corner of my eye, and I kept thinking someone was standing there...LOL.

I really didn't take a lot of pictures inside, but I was enjoying their rustic backwoods decor and just happy they were finally open!  I forgot to take any pictures of my meal. The food was okay...everyone else had a good meal...they chose either the hamburgers or the chopped steak with onions and gravy and mashed potatoes.  I wanted to try their seafood chowder, and sadly, I was rather disappointed. It was very thin for chowder, and if it hadn't been for the oyster crackers that they provided, there wouldn't have been much substance to the chowder.  The flavor was good, however. I just probably won't order that again. Thankfully I also had a side salad, and it was very good.   And, just being there with our kids was the best part of all.

I had also mentioned that we hoped to talk to our grandson yesterday for his birthday. Well...apparently he works evenings and doesn't get off until 10:00. We actually texted back and forth...he was going to call us on his supper break, but that wasn't until after 6:00 p.m., and I was going to choir practice then, so he said he would try to call us again tonight on his break. Well, the time was slipping past and I texted him as a reminder and he texted back that he had been very busy and had to use his break time to take care of some things, so he would try again tomorrow... At  least he's communicating this much...and now we know he's working, which we didn't even know that before...so that's progress! The last time we talked several months ago he was looking for a new job.  I have no clue what it is. Hopefully we will get some answers when he calls tomorrow...here's hoping and praying! I am thankful for any communication at all. God is good.

Well, I think I will bring this to a close. It's getting late and my body is still aching. I am looking forward to a hot shower. I would prefer a hot bath, but I don't do well getting in and out of our deep garden tub, so it's better to be safe than sorry...a shower it will be! LOL.

I will leave you with these words of praise and thanksgiving from Psalm 34.  Have a blessed and restful night my friends.

Psalm 34:1-4, 8-10

"1 I will bless the Lord at all times;

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2 My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;

The humble shall hear of it and be glad.

3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,

And let us exalt His name together.

4 I sought the Lord, and He heard me,

And delivered me from all my fears."

"8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

9 Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!

There is no want to those who fear Him.

10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger;

But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing."

Amen!

Good night!

Tuesday 4~ Routines

 Routines

Howdy!
Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.
They say having routines in your life keeps you mentally healthier than living a disorganized or haphazard life. Schedules have a profound effect on our well being. Belonging to clubs, organizations is good for us.
According to research from UCLA Health, " a predictable daily routine supports mental health by reducing stress, lowering cognitive load, and creating a steady sense of personal control. "
It keeps sickness away too. People with good daily routines and habits live longer and decidedly healthier lives. It promotes a feeling of productiveness and purpose.
Boredom contributes to sickness and cognitive decline in the elderly.


1. Do you have a daily routine for yourself and for your home?

Yes, I'd say we definitely do. It's more like my husband has a daily routine, and I do my best to follow it.  Actually, even though I sometimes balk at bedtimes and mealtimes always the same...it really is best for us both. I just sometimes want to be a bit more "carefree" with less of a schedule, but I've learned over the years it's just better for everyone concerned if we stick to the routine as much as possible. Of course, there are days that we have doctor appointments and other activities that take us out of our normal routines and we have to be flexible and adapt to different mealtimes in particular. But I think we are both happier and less cranky when we get back to our "normal" time schedule and take our daily naps. LOL.  (Retirement is a lot like going back to our early childhood days when we needed to stay on that mealtime/nap schedule LOL.).


2. What is your morning routine? How about your bedtime routine?

Well, now that we have another mouth to feed, a.k.a. "King Blackie", we are up and out of bed by 5:30 a.m.  Blackie is waiting at the back door and doesn't even stop for a How do you do? as he races to his food dish. After he has eaten about half of his food, he'll stop and come check to see if Daddy is up and out of the bedroom yet, and once he sees him, he's contented to go back to finish the rest of his food. Then he comes out to the living room to say a proper hello while we drink our coffee and tea. You've seen the pictures of how he comes to pay a visit to me while I try to read and write on the computer.

Once we finish our tea/coffee, we read our devotions together, and then I fix breakfast.   

At sunrise I always put our American Flag out on the front porch, and take a picture of the sunrise. THIS beautiful sky is what greeted me yesterday morning!   "Red sky at morning, sailors take warning!"  And yes, it was a forewarning of a rainy stormy day!

And one of our other "morning routines" is to take a walk, weather permitting. Yesterday morning was warm and humid in advance of the afternoon rains coming in, but we took a quick walk anyway before the rains came...

The Beauty Berry bushes are all blooming with berries now!

And we got outside in time to see these lovely wild morning glories in bloom!

Here they are, growing up the trees along our walkway. So pretty.

And yes! We did get a LOT of rain yesterday afternoon and evening, with more promised to come today and tomorrow.  Little by little, our Still Waters Pond is getting saturated! We rejoice at every drop of rain that falls on it!

Now, regarding bedtime...well we head for showers/bed around 9:00 most nights. If there's a late football game going on or something interesting on TV, we might stay up until 9:30. LOL.  


3.Do you have a routine get together for a family meal or game/movie or pizza night?

Most Sundays our son Scott is here for lunch after church, and sometimes Benton and Rose come too, if she isn't working.  Once in a while, maybe once a month or oftener if available, we get together with Rose and Benton for supper, either here, or sometimes we go out to eat, or we make pizzas together and once in a while we play a game of cards or dominoes. It's been a while since we did that...it's more of a fall/winter thing when we have these longer winter nights.

As a matter of fact, today we are planning to go eat lunch at the all new "Backwoods Country Kitchen" with Benton and Rose.  This is the place that used to be the Hog Wild Country Cafe'/BBQ, but they had a bad kitchen fire over a year ago and they have since moved to a different location here in our town. But another company bought the building and over the past year has rebuilt the kitchen and cleaned everything up, and yesterday was their much awaited grand opening.  Since Rose is off work today, we decided we would go there for lunch and check it out. I will be sure to let you know in a new post how it goes!  Our little community doesn't have a lot to choose from in the way of restaurants, so when there's something new in town, everyone gets excited!

Facebook Photo

4. AnyTV programs, clubs, organizational routines you never want to miss? Do you attend town meetings, choir practice?

I think you all know that I sing in our church choir, and we have practice every Tuesday night, so I don't want to miss that! And NOW, I'm so happy that our son Benton has also joined the choir, and so I pick him up on my way since I have to go right by where he lives. (Although now that it's getting dark earlier I may have him pick me up and do the driving. I'm finding that my night driving just isn't all that good anymore!)

Here was our song for this past Sunday. We record it on Tuesday nights at practice, and then this goes on our church website and Facebook page on Sunday. It also has the Pastor's sermon for the week.

As far as other meetings, etc., I also go to the Ladies' Bible Study at our church every Monday afternoon.  I do look forward to that time of fellowship and sharing God's Word together, and I don't like to miss it!

Of course, nearly every week there's some kind of doctor appointment or test for one or the other of us. This week hubby will have an echocardiogram on Friday. It's mainly to rule out any heart issues that could be causing his fatigue. His EKG was just fine, and this is more precautionary.  Next week will be the dental visit for his root canal and new crown preparation/temporary crown.  Never a dull moment!  But we are very thankful that it isn't anything worse. God has been very gracious to us, and we are extremely grateful.

Today, October 6th, is our grandson Noah's 27th birthday.  I hope we can talk to him on the phone. It's been a long while since we've been able to "connect"...not for lack of trying...but for whatever reason, he just doesn't communicate with us these days. Of course, he's young and busy and he lives 1500 miles away...but hopefully we will be able to reach him today and wish him a happy birthday. Our card/gift should also reach him in the mail by today...so here's praying we can make that connection. It means a lot to us and we hope it means a lot to him as well.

Well, that about sums up our exciting routines!  I am in the midst of my morning routine now as I finish this post...there's my cup of tea. Blackie is actually back outside already. He already had his breakfast (it's 6:44 a.m. right now) and expressed his desire to go back outside. He'll probably want to come back in later.  

In addition to our regular daily devotions, I also have a lot of little devotional calendars and booklets that I like to read from.  I was looking at this one today, even though it says it's for October 7th, I liked what it had to say today because I thought it went along better with our theme of routines...

I like Goethe's idea of hearing "at least one little song every day, read a good poem, see a first-rate painting, and if possible speak a few sensible words."

Let's all try to add that to our routine, shall we?

Have a blessed and wonderful day, whatever you do!

Sunday Night Revue

'Tis the season...

I bought a can of pumpkin the other day, rather than buying a whole real pumpkin, which would probably rot on the porch since it's still so warm here...and I asked hubby if he would prefer some Pumpkin Bread, or a Pumpkin Pie...and so you see what he requested above.

I usually try to hold off baking pumpkin pies until closer to Thanksgiving so we don't burn out on them, but since he asked so sweetly, how could I refuse?

My can of whipped cream was getting a bit empty, so it looks rather puny on top of these pieces of pie, but it was still good.

Lucy Goosey approves.  Yes, she's flying around the house these days. No telling where she'll end up next. I just listen for her special "Honk".  (That's Goose Talk for Hello, Here I am!)

We've been promised a lot of rain this week, and so these clouds that were rolling in this afternoon looked pretty promising...

I could hear the thunder rolling in the distance, so we brought Blackie in the house and waited for the storm to arrive.

It finally got here and came down pretty good for a few minutes, and then it went on its merry way.

Meanwhile, as I was trying to take pictures at the back door, this is what I was contending with...

Someone absolutely LOVES my shoes...

He makes it impossible for me to go anywhere!

So I just let him enjoy snuggling up to my shoes for a few minutes, as long as he doesn't nip at my ankle bones, which does occasionally happen when he gets carried away with the excitement of chewing on my shoes!  The things we put up with for the love of a kitty cat!  Gotta love him....

He looks like he's in kitty heaven. You should hear him purring! What a sweetheart!

Speaking of hearts...this was on the back porch a while ago when I went back outside to try and take some more pictures...

I call it a little God Wink...a message of Love sent from heaven to earth to bless my day.

"The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying:

“Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love;"

Jeremiah 31:3

It was supposed to rain again at 6:00, but it's now 6:30, and this is how it looks:

Time will tell if we get any more rain tonight...almost an inch was forecasted for today, and we barely got a teacup full.  But the night's not over yet...it still says more rain is on the way in the next couple of hours, so we shall see.

And no, I didn't get that garden bed weeded yet. Scott didn't come down today because we had a meeting after church and so he said he'd come next week. It doesn't look too bad from up here on the porch! LOL.  

Here are some good things to remember from God's Word for today...

Psalm 18:30-32

"As for God, His way is perfect;

The word of the Lord is proven;

He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

31 For who is God, except the Lord?

And who is a rock, except our God?

32 It is God who arms me with strength,

And makes my way perfect."

I pray that God will arm you with the strength that you need for this week...and that you will know that He is making your way perfect.  God's Word is true and is "proven"...and "He is a shield for all who trust in Him."  When we place our trust in the LORD, He will provide all the protection and strength that we need.  Those are some good promises to us as we keep our eyes on Him.  Amen.

Have a blessed and beautiful week.

Friday Foto Friends~Friday Blessings

Whew! Thank Goodness it's Friday! LOL. Not that it makes much difference when you're retired, but I still love Fridays because they are the beginning of the weekend, and who doesn't love the weekend?

Here's a few pictures from a ride we took the other morning...some fall wildflowers alongside the road...always makes me smile and say "Stop the car! I want to take a picture!" LOL.

I love all the purple and golden wildflowers that show up in late September and October...

I call these God's bouquets!

I won't even attempt to identify them...just enjoy the natural beauty of God's Creation all around us while it lasts!

And I always enjoy seeing some cows grazing in the pastures...

Mooooooo!

 Hubby loves to watch college football on Saturday afternoons and I just like to piddle around doing little things. We may take a ride in the morning and see if there's any interesting flea markets or yard sales going on. Tomorrow morning our church Thrift Store is having a yard sale, so we may stop by there and see what fun stuff they are trying to sell. I may see something I donated (and hope someone else will buy it!) LOL.

Our Church Thrift Store

And for the Blackie fans, here's a few pictures of this character. This is what he loves to do while I am trying to write on the computer. Most of the time he is batting at my hand and not allowing me to type, or he lays his head on the keyboard and causes all kinds of chaos.  Quite often I get a page open up from Google Help asking "how may we assist you?"   And I want to say, "Someone please come get this cat off of my computer desk so I can get something done around here!" LOL.

I guess he thinks he's helping me. LOL.

Someone asked me what Blackie thought about Lily Grace's new "cat costume".  Well, here's his first reaction. He refused to look at her...literally turned his back on her when I put her down on the floor and asked him to come say hello to Lily...

But Lily Grace was not going to be ignored by Mr. Blackie, so she marched right over to where he was sitting and asked him to please notice her cute little cat costume...

At first he wanted to bolt...

I'm not sure what he's looking at...he refused to look at me or Lily Grace..Maybe he's saying, "The things I have to put up with to be the King around here..." LOL.

But at least he didn't make her a chew toy...There's still hope they will become good friends. LOL.

Praise God!  We have had a wonderful rainy afternoon today! And I couldn't help but notice this Red Shouldered Hawk way out on the pond,  standing next to a PUDDLE on top of the dry pond bed! I think he was fishing for worms or tadpoles. LOL.

Yes, that is water along the edge of those bushes...everytime it rains, that puddle gets bigger!

One day at a time!

And  please don't judge me for the weeds in the flower bed! I know what I have to do. But the kids gave me these pots of mums for my birthday, and I needed to put them someplace  where I could water them (before the rains came back) and this was the closest to the garden hose. Maybe tomorrow if it's not too hot I will pull some weeds and plant the mums appropriately. (Or maybe I'll get Scott to do it for me when he comes to visit...that's a thought! He's a pro! And so much younger and stronger than I am! LOL)

Oh, one more thing, thanks for saying a little prayer for hubby today when he went to the dentist. They x-rayed and examined the broken  tooth, and said he had 3 options. Pull it and be done with it, Do a root canal and put a crown on it, or do an implant/crown.   Option one wouldn't cost us anything because our insurance would cover it, but he'd have a big gap on the top left side of his mouth where it could be seen and may cause the surrounding teeth to weaken over time. Option two would cost a bit of money, but it could be done next week with a temporary crown, and then the permanent crown a week or so later. Option three was the most expensive and would take 3-4 months for the gum to heal before they could put the actual crown on top of the implant/screw.  After much discussion we decided on option #2, the root canal and crown. Our medicare advantage plan will cover a part of it, and we can put the rest on a Care Credit plan with no interest for a year.  (of course, I am still paying for MY root canal and crown that I got earlier this year...but I guess that's the high cost of getting old). Nothing comes cheap or easy these days,  that's for sure.  I told hubby that we will tie a red bow around his new crown for Christmas as that will be his Christmas gift. I guess I'll have to do the same for mine. LOL.  

I am just so thankful that God has provided a way for us to take care of these things. No, we don't like to use credit unnecessarily, but there are times when that is the only option and we are thankful that it is available. We will trust God to help us pay it off as soon as possible, but we are thankful to not have to put things off that could cause further issues and make matters worse and possibly bigger expenses in the future.

Well friends, I will close this post for tonight. It's always wonderful to hear from you, and I  look forward to visiting more with you as the days go by. Take care, and may God open the doors for you that you are asking, seeking, and knocking about.  Amen.