Tuesday 4~Things About You

 Things About You

Hi dear friends and welcome to Tuesday 4.. Toni Taddeo's invention and our pleasure to continue in her memory.

This week you are the topic.

1. What is something you are proud of that we don't know about?

I will have to think about this. I think you know just about everything there is to know about me, including what I ate for breakfast yesterday! LOL.  I'm not sure "proud" is the right word...how about thankful?  I am thankful that I have been married to my wonderful husband for going on 57 years, and that we were blessed with three amazing sons. I am thankful that our sons have turned out to be wonderful adults.  One of our sons is already in heaven, but I am thankful that I know that is where he is and that we will see him again someday.  I am thankful that he left us with one amazing grandson, and that our grandson called us recently to tell us about his current job and the things he's been doing.  He's 26 and lives in Maine, so we don't see him very often, and so it's always a blessing when he calls us.  I am also thankful that I have two wonderful daughter in laws. The one who was married to our son who passed away took such good care of him when he was dealing with cancer, plus she held down a very good job and raised their son to be a fine young man. She also trained to become a firefighter during that time and continues to volunteer in their local fire department. She is a hard worker and a wonderful person. We just don't see her often either because they live in Maine.  My other sweet daughter in law Rose is right here close by, and you all hear about her quite often. She is such a blessing to us, and I am so thankful God brought her into our son's life and ours at this time in our lives. She is also a hard worker and someone who is always looking for ways to help others.  So, yes, I am proud of my family, but mostly I am thankful to God for them.

2. What subject or things are over rated or talked about too much in your opinion.?

Politics for sure.  We have gotten to where we don't even want to listen to the news anymore. But we pray for our country and it's leaders every day.

3. What things and topics should be talked about more often or are under rated in your opinion?

Our faith in God is something that we should be free to share anytime, anyplace.  Not "religion", but faith, and what God has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. I am thankful for this blog forum where we can share our own personal beliefs freely. It is my hope and prayer that sharing my faith will be an encouragement to others and not something they wish I'd just be quiet about.

4. Are there any things you've changed your mind about in the last few years?

Cats.  I never had much interest in cats or having a cat in the past. If you had asked me if I were a cat or a dog person, I would've said dog, even though we didn't have one. We love our two grandpups and enjoy it when they come to visit.  But then God arranged for me to take over the feeding of two neighborhood kitties that our neighbor was feeding until she became too incapacitated to do so any longer (and is now in a nursing home most likely permanently).   You've all seen the stories about Blackie and Sunshine...and how much it grieved me when Sunshine suddenly passed away.  Now Blackie has captured our hearts and right now is sitting in my hubby's lap, which I never dreamed I would see happen a few months ago!

I believe it's one of those things that God arranged for a reason...He knows what we need deep inside...and sometimes having a small furry animal depend upon us for care and love is a good thing...and to see how he responds with love back to us is even better.  

So that's the Tuesday 4 for today. You can join in HERE if you wish.

One more thing, those fires I was telling you about in our town are still going on. Here is a picture of the smoke in the skies last night:

NO, that is NOT a sunset! That is the smoke in the west at the time of when we should be having a sunset.  At that point we could not smell it here at our house, but when darkness came the smoke surrounded us and became quite noticeable. When I stepped outside for just a minute to bring Blackie back inside for the night (he was sleeping in his chair on the porch and I had to wake him up because freezing temps were on the way. And yes, he spent most of the day outside because it was a bit warmer and that is where he wanted to be), immediately my hair and clothes smelled like smoke and I had to change clothes. I would've washed my hair too, but I had just taken my shower and didn't want to start over.  It is still smokey out there this morning, which means the firefighters are still at it. This is the 4th day.  May God protect them and give them reprieve from the fire soon.

Here's some thoughts and prayer for the day from Psalm 25...

Psalm 25:1-5

"1  To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

2 O my God, I trust in You;

Let me not be ashamed;

Let not my enemies triumph over me.

3 Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed;

Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.

4 Show me Your ways, O Lord;

Teach me Your paths.

5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me,

For You are the God of my salvation;

On You I wait all the day."

Amen.

It's February! Oh, and Ground Hog Day!!

 Oh my, today is Ground Hog Day! I'm sure we are ALL anxious to hear what Mr. Punxatawny Phil is going to prognosticate today!!! I have a feeling he won't even want to come out of his burrow at all!! I'd better go turn on my TV and watch, and then come back to this.

(a little later, Sunrise, Feb. 2, 2026, 26 degrees)

A Frosty Still Very Dry Still Waters Pond

Meanwhile, (I began writing this at 6:00 a.m., and the groundhog doesn't appear for another hour), I am baking some Banana Nut Muffins, and they sure smell good!  I haven't tried this recipe before, so I will have to let you know later if they were really good or not. I kind of overloaded the cups so I only got 9 instead of 12. Looks kind of messy..."but the proof is in the pudding", as they say.

I will have to say after eating these that they were good, but they could've used another banana in the mixture. I only had two small bananas, and I think three would've made them more moist and tasty. Also, I sprinkled brown sugar and cinnamon on top before they baked, and I think they would've been better with a little bit of melted butter mixed in with that before sprinkling. The topping was too dry. I'm not sharing this recipe because it needs to be tweaked. They were good, just not good enough to share the recipe!

So, yesterday was the first day of February! And boy, she sure came in like a lion!! Saturday night the winds were whipping up around 20-40 mph, and the temperature dropped down to 20 degrees, with a windchill around 10 degrees. There was a wildfire in an area across our little town, and those poor firefighters had to be out all night battling the blaze in the cold and wind. Thankfully they got it under control. Some of our church family members live in that area and were told to evacuate, but then before they really could get out, they lifted the order. Still the smoke was so thick it couldn't have been very healthy to stay there. I'm just thankful that apparently no homes were burned or people hurt that I know of. It was mostly in a wooded/grassy area of about 300 acres. We are very thankful to the Lord for His protection over our community in the midst of all that.

We weren't sure if we would go to church or not yesterday because of the low temperatures and high winds, but by church time the temperature had risen to about 28 degrees and the sun was shining and the wind wasn't too bad, so we decided to go.  Although our little old wooden country church building  was struggling to get warm, there were many warm hearts and thankful souls present, which soon warmed everything and everyone up. (except for my toes...they were pretty much frozen by the time church was over, LOL).

Although this was pre-recorded earlier in the week, here is the video of our choir singing "I Know Who the Lord Is" and the pastor's sermon on The Prodigal Son.  It was all good, if you would like to watch!

So you may aske how have we been spending this very cold days? Or you may ask, "what about Blackie? How is he surviving the freezing temperatures, poor kitty..."

Well, look for yourself...

I think we are calling him King Blackie now...he has pretty much taken over our couch, our house, and our lives...there he is above enjoying watching Tennessee Ernie Ford on "What's My Line" old reruns from the 50's and 60's, relaxing on the couch and living his best life...

Although I am NOT pleased when he decides to lay on top of MY TV tray, the one that I use to eat my meals on while we watch TV...(yes, we do that a lot since it's just the two of us, or should I say the THREE of us???)  I've noticed that when I am eating my lunch on this tray he sits right at my feet and watches me very carefully to make sure I don't get anything on HIS tray. LOL.  Yes, I have to wash it thoroughly before using...LOL.  

And look who has started playing games with him!  Yes, Daddy, the one who really didn't want this cat in the house at all...now they are playing games...

And King Blackie has now claimed "Daddy's" lap for his naps.  Hubby is trying to get used to this new development in his life...he's not too sure about it, but I think Blackie knows exactly what he's doing! LOL.

Daddy also introduced the rubber bouncing little ball to Blackie, which BTW belongs to our Grandpups Sugar and Spice, who won't be happy to smell cat cooties on their toys...(we will have to buy them some new "cat scent free" balls before they come over again).

Blackie LOVES the ball...

And quickly showed us his skill at batting it around the room like a pro soccer player.

When he's not playing ball or catch the string or sitting in Daddy's lap, he's staring at that kitty in the mirror inside the curio cabinet, and is very curious as to just who that cat might be staring back at him...

And when he's finally worn himself out with games and tricks, he lays down on "his" couch in front of the "fire" and goes to sleep.  Peace at last...

When these freezing days are over I don't know if Blackie will be able to go back to being just an outdoor porch kitty anymore...we shall see how things go...

Meanwhile, this was the full moon Saturday night as the temperatures were dropping...looks like it was riding in on a big cloud...or was that the "weather bomb" they were predicting? Thankfully it didn't bring us any snow or ice...(unless you went outside in the cold and looked up into the sky around 6:00 pm on Saturday, you might have seen a snow flurry in the air, but they never hit the ground here)

Okay, so back to Punksutawney Phil this morning...Here he is...

Look at that face...who could not love such a face as this?

Probably this mob of people...there were a lot of boos from the crowd when he predicted..

Yes, six more weeks of winter!

Oh well, I think we all already figured that one out without his help!  

These kids look pretty happy about it...more sledding and ice skating and making snowmen and having snowball fights...

Oh, did I say it's time for the Calendar Express Roll Call for February! This one is John Sloane's Country Seasons painting. Perfect for today I'd say!

And, oh, doesn't that look warm and cozy? Well, maybe not. I wish we could see the inside. That might be warmer...

And we could have some hot tea and a few more of those muffins I made...

LOL...this is true, although the more you drink, the more you need to run to the "powder room". LOL.

Ah yes, February is  all about LOVE, and here on this Billy Graham calendar we are reminded that The Bible is God's LOVE letter to us!

1 John 4:7-11 tells us a part of this great love story:

"7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; 

and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 

8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 

9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 

10 In this is love, not that we loved God, 

but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

Oh, isn't this Thomas Kinkade picture beautiful? Not exactly what February looks like this year, that's for sure, but something to look forward to...and a good reminder to "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth..." Colossians 3:2

Because here we have this promise..."As it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him." 1 Corinthians 2:9.   

Oh what a glorious day that will be!

And finally, this sweet Susan Branch calendar with a double heart to remind us to be united in love...

"7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God;"...

Amen!

I hope you enjoyed this Groundhog Day "celebration".  I hope and pray you are all safe and warm in your cozy homes today.  Oh, one more thing, we are SO thankful not to have lost power in the cold weather and wild winds of the past few days.  That was our biggest concern and prayer, and we are so thankful that God heard our prayers.  I know some of you have had frozen water pipe issues and maybe some power outages, etc.  I pray that these are being fixed as we speak and the most important thing is that you are safe.  May the Lord be with each and every one is whatever challenges you may be facing this week.   Thank you for your wonderful comments on my previous posts...I treasure each and every one of you.  

Blessings and peace today...

Friday Foto Friends: Sunset, Full Moon, Kitty Cat, and Living Life...

 Friday is almost over, and I'm just now getting around to writing anything!  Not that I've got anything all that important or exciting to share...it's mostly been a quiet couple of days, although we did go out to lunch today with our "kids" Benton and Rose.  We went to Sonny's BBQ and had some ribs. That was a nice way to finish out the week. No pictures of that however.  

Right now as I sit here at my desk in my "Room with a View", I am looking out the window at the last remaining remnants of the sunset out across our still very dry Still Waters Pond.  Here's a few pictures that I took as the sun was going down, taken from outside in the yard, and then some through the window...

Psalm 74:12-17

"12 But God is my King from long ago;

he brings salvation on the earth.

13 It was you who split open the sea by your power;

you broke the heads of the monster in the waters.

14 It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan

and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.

15 It was you who opened up springs and streams;

you dried up the ever-flowing rivers.

16 The day is yours, and yours also the night;

you established the sun and moon.

17 It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth;

you made both summer and winter."

Psalm 27:1-3, 7-8, 11, 13-14

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life—

of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When the wicked advance against me

to devour me,

it is my enemies and my foes

who will stumble and fall.

3 Though an army besiege me,

my heart will not fear;

though war break out against me,

even then I will be confident.

7 Hear my voice when I call, Lord;

be merciful to me and answer me.

8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”

Your face, Lord, I will seek.

"11 Teach me your way, Lord;

lead me in a straight path

because of my oppressors."

"13 I remain confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the Lord."

Oh, I was so surprised to see a full moon tonight!

But it kept playing hide and seek with me...

Still, even that was beautiful!

Even in the midst of unusual winter weather, drought, and a lot of uncertainty and turmoil in our world, I repeat these verses from Psalm 27:

"13 I remain confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the Lord."

Amen.

I hope you enjoyed this beautiful way to begin this post!  I thought about saving it all for the end, but it was too beautiful and special to keep until then! Sometimes we have to write and share as we are being inspired at the moment!  

Now I can move onto other things...which really isn't anthing terribly significant, but still you might find some fun and interest here...at least I hope so.  

I know some of you have been really rooting for our outdoor cat Blackie to become a full time indoor cat...well, with this cold weather we've been having, he is spending a LOT more time inside than I ever expected would happen.  We bring him inside at night and he sleeps in the closed kennel all night on these cold nights.  Then I let him out of the kennel  and he has breakfast and then spends some time with us wandering around the house until daylight (or when it gets above freezing outside, whichever comes first). 

He has made himself quite at home...I think he can read those pillows..."Home Sweet Home", and "Stay Awhile".  He thinks they were made with him in mind...

Oh,  then he got brave enought to jump up on the top of the sofa and lay there for a while, the King of the Castle...  It's amazing how quickly these little creatures think that they "own the place". LOL!

I decided to wash that flannel cover and put something different on the sofa, and then thought I'd better put a towel on that for him so his dark hair doesn't shed on the light cover...(and also still trying to make sure there are no fleas getting into the furniture...)

What a cozy little picture.

And again, oftentimes he is up having his breakfast before my hubby comes out of the bedroom in the morning for his coffee...and so Mr. Blackie sits outside the bedroom door and waits patiently for him to come out.  I thought it was so cute that he is so enamored with hubby...but what he really wanted was to run inside the bedroom doors as soon as the opened so he could go hide under the bed!  He LOVES to play hide and seek.

He also loves to scratch on things, so I bought him this scratching thing at the store the other day...I didn't have to tell him what to do with it. He figured it out immediately:

Of course, it helps that it is infused with CATNIP scent. I didn't notice that when I bought it...but oh my goodness, he sure loves that thing!

 This is what it looks like:

And this is what happens when he decides to play with it:

Here's a short video to show him in action:

And here he is claiming his territory!  He says, "This is MINE! Don't you dare try to take it away from me!"

Lol!! Who'da thunk it would be such a hit? Wow.

You can tell I know very little about cats. But I'm learning fast!! I have to, because he is really fast!! Like I've said before, it's like trying to keep up with a two year old! Such amazing energy! (of course, when he's not doing this, he's sleeping all day, so I guess he's storing up that energy!)

I saw these dishes at the Dollar Tree the other day,  and it put me in the mood for spring, so I brought a couple home with me to get a jump start on spring decor.  I think I'm trying to tell Old Man Winter it's time to go!

I like what that says, "Live life in full bloom".  What exactly does that mean to you?  First thing that came to mind was "Bloom where you're planted."  

I was looking ahead in my little devotional Tea Time daily calendar, and came upon this quote by Eleanor Roosevelt:

I would say that man lived his life in "full bloom". 

Perhaps these verses from Psalm 37 also help us to understand how to "Live Life in Full Bloom":

Psalm 37:3-6

"3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

4 Delight yourself also in the Lord,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord,

Trust also in Him,

And He shall bring it to pass.

6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,

And your justice as the noonday."

Yeah, I like those thoughts...when we trust in the Lord, and do good, and dwell in the land wherever we've been planted, feeding on God's faithfulness...delighting ourselves in Him, commiting our way to God, trusting in Him (again, that word Trust!),  then we will see God give us the desires of our heart and also He will bring those things that are truly good for us to pass...and He will help us to do what is good and just and right.   I'd say that's definitely living life in full bloom, with God at our center and source.  

(Yes, they also had tea towels to match...plus the one in the middle was a gift from a dear blogging friend years ago! I wonder if she will remember it! I still love it and keep it out in my kitchen all the time.

So, "You Grow Girl!"  Go live life in full bloom!

Okay, that's all for this Friday evening! Praying for everyone in the path of the big winter storm this weekend on the east coast. Please stay safe and warm, and I pray you will not lose any power. We are going to see some really cold temperatures here and maybe even a snowflake or two.  But I'm still thinking about spring!! It will come sooner or later! Hopefully sooner!

Good Night! God is with you, no matter what the weather!