Tuesday 4~ Hello May!

 First off, I wanted to thank everyone for their prayers for our Blackie kitty when we took him to the vet yesterday. He did remarkably well getting into the carrier with barely a meow or two. And then he was exceptionally good at the Vet's office:

Oops! He gained a pound since last year! He's a whopping 13 pounds!

Turns out he has a very bad flea infestation. The flea collars just don't do a thing, and apparently neither did the previous OTC flea ointment that we'd tried to use. Also I was told that this year has been really bad for fleas probably because of the extreme drought.  Anyway, they gave him some prescription strength flea protection, to be administered monthly. He also got his annual rabies' shot, and he was good to go!  I truly do appreciate all of you who prayed for him and were concerned. He really was a very good boy through it all, and he was VERY happy to get back out of his carrier and back onto his home turf.  

And he's back to his old tricks...He decided to explore the Pamela's Victorian Cottage Farm Scene...

After knocking down practically the whole farm with the wagging tail, he decided to just turn around and play with the farmer and his farm family...

Even though I'm sure they were all afraid they were going to be eaten by a huge monster from outer space, it turns out he was only curious and no real harm was done. Soon he was off in search of a cozy place to curl up and sleep, and peace and quiet reigned once again in the village of Pamela's Victorian Cottage and farmland.

So now, let's get to the Tuesday 4 meme for today, shall we? Here we go:

Hello May! 

Welcome friends!
This weeks Tuesday 4 in memory of our frien d Toni Taddeo is from Mary who blogs at Visits With Mary. and it's all about the month of May. Thanks Mary!

1. May’s First Glimpse — What is the very first thing you notice or feel when May arrives each year?  

It starts getting warmer here in Florida! There is more of a feeling of early summer in the air...the birds are singing in the trees, flowers are blooming, the trees and grass is getting green, and people are more active outdoors, planting, mowing, enjoying some fresh air before it gets too hot to stay outside!


2. Simple May Joys — What small pleasures do you look forward to in May — flowers, breezes, routines, or traditions?

We enjoy getting out early for a ride in the country or to take a walk before the day gets too hot and humid. This morning we took a ride to the Kenwood Boat Ramp and saw some signs of spring and new life:

This is all new growth since the waters were drawn down in the lake/canal/river over the winter, and now they were released from the dam in late March, and everything is growing back green and beautiful. Do you see the dragonfly in the picture below:

There was a Limpkin walking along the shore, looking for something good to eat.

These turtle egg shells could mean that the turtles already hatched and went back into the water, or it could mean that some predator dug them up and had a feast...I don't know which, but I hope the turtles are safe in the water...

If you look really closely, you will see a little bird flying close to the water...That is a Belted Kingfisher bird skimming across the water looking for fish:

He's also in this picture:

I love to see the reflections in the water of all the new growth in the trees

Mother's Day has always been a special day, even though it is tinged with sorrow since the loss of my own mother 20 years ago this week (May 7, 2006), and then the loss of our dear son Matthew 12 years ago this month, May 25, 2014. Those two losses in the month of May make it a difficult month to get through, but I am very thankful to have had such a wonderful Mother to teach me how to be a "lady" and woman of God. (I will write more about her in another post this week), and I was very blessed to have been the mother of our precious Matthew, who was special in so many ways from the moment he was conceived...but I'll write more about that later this month also.  

Regarding traditions, normally we do something special on Mother's Day as a family...go to church and then the kids usually help prepare some good dinner so I don't have to do all the work. However, this year we are doing things differently. Due to work schedules, etc., we can't all be together on Sunday for Mother's Day. Son Scott came over this past Sunday and we enjoyed a time of visiting over a fried chicken lunch (picked up at the grocery store after church) just with him, and since he has to drive so far to get here, we decided that since Benton and Rose can't be here next Sunday, we decided that our Mother's Day with Scott was this past Sunday, and then we are going to go out to lunch somewhere (maybe at the beach!!!) this coming Thursday with Benton and Rose to celebrate an early Mother's Day.  Then on Sunday, I'm not sure yet what hubby and I are going to do. Going out to eat on Mother's Day is not always a good option since the few restaurants that are near us will be very crowded.  It may just be a day of rest!

3. May Memories — Do you have a favorite May memory from childhood, family life, or recent years?

I remember that Mother's Day when I was growing up was always special. We ladies would each wear a flower or little corsage...something colorful in honor of your living mother, and a white flower if your mother was already in heaven. Actually, I think the men were supposed to wear a little flower in honor of their mothers too, but I don't remember for sure if my brothers ever did that.

Also, May 16th was my parents' wedding anniversary, and for their 30th anniversary we four adult kids went together and bought them a new frost-free "harvest gold" refrigerator with an ice-maker, to replace the old refrigerator that they still had to manually defrost and use ice trays to make ice...remember those days?  Then, for their 60th anniversary, we did it again...this time we bought them a new almond colored refrigerator to replace the 30 year old harvest gold one and bring them more up to date.  Sadly, my mother passed away a few years later, just prior to their 64th anniversary, so she didn't get to enjoy the new refrigerator for very long.  My Daddy lived about 5 more years after her, and the refrigerator was still going strong when we ended up selling their home after he passed away.

Also May was the month for graduation from high school...That was certainly a momentous day and the beginning of a whole new era in my life.

4. May Intentions — What gentle goals or hopes do you carry into this new month?

"Gentle Goals"....hmmm,  I have to think about that one.  At my age, all my "goals" have to be pretty gentle. LOL. I am enjoying watching my gardens growing and praying that they will  yield a big harvest. I have to think about what I'm going to do with all that yellow squash and zucchini and tomatoes!  Maybe there will be enough to share!  

Hopes: I hope and pray for peace in our world and even here in our nation. There is so much unrest and division. That grieves my heart.  But I realize that peace must begin with me. I can't force others to live in peace, but I can look for ways to create a peaceful home and the places where I dwell...

Here are some good verses from the Bible to help us find peace of mind:

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV): "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus".

John 14:27 (NIV): "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid".

Isaiah 26:3 (NIV): "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you".

Romans 8:6 (ESV): "For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace".

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV): "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest".

2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV): "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind".

1 Peter 5:7 (NIV): "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you".

 
Psalm 4:8: "In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety".

And so with that I will close this post for today. I pray that you will find peace and rest in your life as well. 

 Happy May!

Sunday This and That

Hello Peeps!  Now there's a nice spring picture if there ever was one...a flock of sweet baby chicks, waiting to become someone's favorite little egg layers!  No, I did NOT buy any of these baby chicks...but I couldn't resist their sweet little faces when they came up to the front of the cage to say hello to me as I walked by at our local Ace Hardware...

Peep! Peep! Peep!  Won't you take us home with you?

They certainly are cute, but I'm not quite into that much "farming" just yet...

And when it comes to raising chickens, I probably never will be. I had a bad experience with a big old mean rooster when I was about 4 years old, and I've been a bit shy when it comes to getting too close to chickens ever since.  For those of you who can do it, more power to you! We have a "chicken lady" at our church who brings us the nicest fresh eggs quite often.  I appreciate her kindness and generosity and courage.  But it's definitely not something I am going to try to do! LOL.

But they definitely are cute at this stage of life.

This is the most animal life I am going to get close to...

Yes, you, Blackie. I'm talking about you!! 

And yes, we will be taking him to the vet tomorrow morning, so again I ask that you say a little prayer for us. Getting him into that carrier is going to be challenging enough!  I just pray they can help him get over this constant itching and pulling out his hair.  I think he's actually been better today, but that doesn't mean it's over by any means. 

Oh, how many of you watched the Kentucky Derby yesterday? This is as close as I got to it. We actually don't have that network on our current TV programming that we pay for. We tried to get it, but didn't want to pay extra money just to watch the race.  However, every year I like to dress up with a hat to watch the Kentucky Derby, so even though I didn't see the actual race, here I am all ready for the  Derby party. LOL.  It's all in good fun.

I just realized that I look a lot like the Peacock Princess at Pamela's Victorian Cottage...

In case you weren't around when The Peacock Princess came to live at Pamela's Victorian Cottage, HERE IS A LINK to that story. (and so much more)!

Here's the rest of the family at Pamela's Victorian Cottage today....There's always something "brewing" there...mostly tea parties I think. LOL.  Yes, they stay active all year long...not just at Christmas. They keep me entertained. LOL.

I don't really have a lot to say today I guess. We had a good day at church. Here's the recording of our choir song and the Pastor's message from James chapter 3, which was entitled "The Power of the Tongue".  Some good things to think about...even for us here in Blogland. We may not be "speaking" out loud with our voices, but we are writing words that also have the power to build up or tear down...bless or curse.  Here are some verses from James chapter 3 that are probably the most well known:

"9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be."

May we always strive to write and say words here that will lift up our sisters and brothers and that will raise them to a place of peace and joy. There's already too much of the other kind of communication going on in the world.   Psalm 19:14 has always been my theme verse and prayer for this blog:

 "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer."  Amen.

3:09

Here are the lyrics to the song that the choir sang today. They include part of the familiar "Because He Lives" song, but there is more...

"Because He Lives/Amen"

I believe in the Son

I believe in the risen One

I believe, I overcome

By the power of His blood

Amen, Amen

I'm alive, I'm alive because He lives

Amen, Amen

Let my song join the One that never ends

Because He lives

I was dead in the grave

I was covered in sin and shame

I heard mercy call my name

He rolled the stone away

Amen, Amen

I'm alive, I'm alive because He lives

Amen, Amen

Let my song join the One that never ends

Because He lives (He lives)

I can face tomorrow

Because He lives (He lives)

Every fear is gone

I know (I know)

He holds (He holds)

My life (my life)

My future in His hands

Amen, Amen

I'm alive, I'm alive because He lives

Amen, Amen

Let my song join the one that never ends

Amen, Amen

I'm alive, I'm alive because He lives

Amen, Amen

Let my song join the one that never ends

Because He lives

Because He lives

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Jason Ingram / Chris Tomlin / Matt Maher / Daniel Carson / William J. Gaither / Edmond Martin Cash / Gloria L. Gaither

So with that I think I will close for tonight. This week is looking like it's going to be a bit busy. so my communication here may be kind of hit and miss, but I will try my best to keep up with you all. Thank you for your faithful friendship!  Good Night.

 

May Day! May Day!

 No, we don't have an emergency on our little ship or in our little airplane...in fact, no emergency at all...it's just that today is the first day of May! And I don't know where you came from, if you ever celebrated "May Day", but I do remember it in elementary school.  We would go out on the playground and there was a big pole with long ribbons attached, and we each held a ribbon and we walked around the "Maypole" and sang songs.  I don't remember what songs we sang, but I do remember the activity and it is stuck in my memory banks.

Here's a video I found online of a group of 4th graders doing this.  

"O, bring all the little children

With May flowers in their hair

For, they shall dance

Around the maypole

For, they shall dance

The May day away"

Poem written by Athey Thompson

May Day celebrations

Here's a description according to AI:

"Children dancing around a Maypole is a traditional May Day (May 1st) folk custom, particularly in Britain and Europe, celebrating spring and fertility. Participants, often school children, hold ribbons attached to a tall, decorated pole and weave them into a braid through intricate dance patterns, symbolizing growth and unity. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Key aspects of the Maypole tradition include:
Symbolism: The pole represents a tree, symbolizing the arrival of spring, nature's bounty, and the fertility of the land.

The Dance: Children typically skip clockwise or in alternating directions, weaving ribbons over and under one another to form a complex braided pattern on the pole.

Origins: The custom has roots in ancient European pre-Christian, Greek, and Roman fertility rituals, later becoming a popular fixture in village fetes and schools.

Modern Celebrations: Often held at schools or community fairs, the celebration may include crowning a May Queen, gathering wildflowers, and dancing, such as those described by or in. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]"

I never connected this little activity with anything "pagan" or having anything to do with "fertility", but only a happy and fun elementary school activity that lingers still in my memory.  I truly doubt our music teacher had anything ritualistic in mind either. It was just a fun way to celebrate the beginning May!

My mother remembered making little "May Day" flower baskets and taking them around and leaving them on their neighbor's doors. I don't think we ever did that, mainly because where we lived when I was growing up there were no close neighbors. Still, it sounds like a sweet little tradition that would be a blessing to others who receive the baskets of flowers, so it seems like it would be a nice thing to do.

Do you have any particular memories of "May Day" from your childhood?  I would love to hear about them.

Today I did a little special "May Day" activity. One of our dear church members, Opal,  (our former pianist), has been in a Rehab Center for quite a while, recuperating from a very serious case of pneumonia (and other issues).  Today is her birthday, and so hubby and I went to visit her and took a little bag of some fun things to help her celebrate.

I found the cute little flowered headband and lei at The Dollar Tree, as well as one of those balloons.

The beautiful roses are from her husband.

I also included a Reese's Peanut Butter cup and some chapstick and hand lotion, and some other hair bands as she has long hair and often the caregivers there will braid it for her.  

Her hubby was there to visit as well.  

We had a happy visit, and she is looking forward to coming home fairly soon, as they say that finally all the pneumonia is gone and she is doing physical therapy and getting stronger  every day.  I sure hope she will be home soon. We really miss her at church.  I don't think she will ever be able to play the piano again because she also had a stroke last year, and that has affected her hand dexterity, but she can still sing beautifully and hopefully she will be able to come back to the choir again, maybe in the fall when we start back up after our summer break. We will continue to pray for Opal to get better day by day.

So now, what else do we do on the first day of May?  Well, we have the May Calendar Roll Call, of course! I know you've been waiting all day for this! So without further adieu, here we go:

Well, except for the part about the "rain is over and gone", I like this quote from King Solomon. It seems as if he is right about the rain being over and gone...quite some time ago...but we are SUPPOSED to get some good rain tomorrow. We were supposed to get rain today and Sunday too, but now it just says Saturday...so time will tell. I don't believe it until I see it and feel the raindrops falling on my head.

I do try to remember the birds and bees and butterflies too!! Hopefully my wildflower garden patch will attract them all!

Speaking of Butterflies...

(quote above from Billy Graham refers to Romans 1:18-20)

18 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 

19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse"

Hebrews 1:10

And this  Thomas Kinkade calendar seems to follow along the same theme...

"Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands."  Hebrews 1:10

And this verse tells us further that God has created all things, and for HIS pleasure they are and were created! (Revelation 4:11)

I do love all the beautiful things that God has created...don't you? This would be one example of a lovely place that God has created that I know I could certainly enjoy...

After rowing around in that boat and enjoying that fresh mountain air, I would love to be welcomed inside for a cup of hot tea...yes, just like how this describes it...

Sounds pretty good to me!

And  last but not least, the John Sloane Country Seasons Calendar is always a favorite...this dear lady is hanging out all of her quilts to air out after a long winter's use.  Please note the kitty cat in this picture...

That looks a lot like our Sunshine did...such a sweet kitty who is now enjoying the pure air of kitty heaven.  

Well,while I was sitting here typing a little bit of rain rolled in, and I actually went outside and felt the raindrops on my head!

Speaking of kitty cats, please say a little prayer for our Blackie. Lately he has been extremely itchy to the point of pulling out plugs of fur from his legs and belly. (You can see his little bare belly below) The flea collar hasn't helped one bit, and it may have gotten worse since I changed it a couple of weeks ago, so I called the Vet to see if we can bring him in for an examination. He is also due for his annual rabies shot. So he has an appointment on Monday. He's never been to a Vet before, except for when he was neutered...so this will be an experience for all of us...getting him there and back, etc.  So you might say a little prayer for me too! 

Thank you!

Hope you have had a blessed and beautiful "May Day". 

Thursday Thankfulness

Hello Friends! It's Thursday afternoon, and a good time to express some thankfulness to God for the good things He has been doing...Of course, He's always doing good things, but this is for current things...like these rain clouds in the sky!  We just had a very brief passing shower, but there is much more rain in the forecast for the next three days, so we are very hopeful that the rains will finally put out the fires that continue to burn in the region once and for all! 

And of course, we hope it will begin to refill our still very dry Still Waters Pond as well...but that may take quite a bit more rain than just one weekend. Still, we are thankful for whatever rain we get...every drop is precious to us.

Thankfully, the lack of rain has not kept the magnolias from blooming in the area...we saw this tree on our walking path this morning, and although this blossom was a bit too high for me to reach with my camera, you get the idea...it's still beautiful!

There are still many buds waiting to open, so to me that is all a part of God's amazing provision for His creation, even when the rains don't fall...the trees still blossom!

Isaiah 35:1-2

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

And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose;

(This rosebush has been blooming profusely, but I have to cut and bring the flowers inside because they die pretty quickly in the bright sunshine. So we enjoy them inside where they will live longer and their fragrance is so delightful).

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.

Even the wild "Spiderwort" is blooming

And I rejoice every time I go out to our little garden patches and see things actually developing...like these tomatoes!

They keep surprising me because they like to hide under the leaves and I don't even see them until all of a sudden, there they are!! 

And this patch of wildflower seeds that I planted a week ago are sprouting up more and more every day. Now I see that I really should have spread them out more, as they are all jumbled up together in places. I do hope they will still develop and bloom in spite of my ineptitude in gardening prowess! Time will tell.

I wanted to share with you some things that brought tears of joy to my eyes this past Sunday at church. I don't have any pictures to show you, so you'll have to read the word pictures.  There were several things that just blessed me so much I really had a difficult time to keep from either crying or shouting Hallelujah! Actually, either would've been fine, but I didn't want to draw attention to myself and spoil the moments...

1. In the beginning of the service, while announcements were being made, etc., it was noted by our worship leader that we had three babies in our service!  And there was literally a cheer and applause for such a joyous occasion! All three babies are under a year old, and are special blessings...One sweet baby has been coming practically since the day she came home from the hospital. Her story is uniquely special because not long after she was born, her father decided that he really didn't want to be married (they were practically newlyweds still) or take care of a child, and so he left his wife and baby before the darling little girl was even two months old. Thankfully the mother had strong family support and also our church family rallied around them both and that sweet little girl has been such a delight in the church services...often being passed around from Mom to Grandma to friends who just want to hold her. This past Sunday however was really special, in that the baby's Great-Grandfather was there, and he is battling stage 4 cancer and is on oxygen, but he wants to come to church as much as he can. I looked out (from the choir loft where I can see everything going on!) and saw him holding that precious little girl, (who is quite an active little 7 month old nowadays), and she was looking up at him with such adoring eyes, but then she pulled on  his beard and oxygen tube, and so he had to pass her back to her mother...but for just a few moments it was such a precious sight, so you know why I was in tears. 

2.  The second baby is very young, maybe just a couple of months old, and she was there with her grandmother. I really don't know much about this child or its family, but I know we've been praying for her mother as she is a friend of one of our church members.  So, even though I don't know anything about her, just the fact that the grandmother came and brought her to church...and she was a perfect little angel the whole way through the service, was another amazing blessing. 

3. The third baby is a very BIG 7 month old baby boy, and this was his 2nd time to come to church.  (oh, BTW, we don't have a formal nursery for babies, but we do have a special room where Moms or Dads can take the baby to change them or feed them as needed, but until now, we've never needed a real nursery in our mostly retired congregation!)   Now, this one really got to me.  First of all, I know the mother had a really rough time with his delivery (because he was SO big and they should've done a C-section, but waited too long, so you know how hard that was for her), but anyway, she had a long recuperation. But here's the rest of the story...when it came time for Communion (our church serves Communion every Sunday at the close of the service), the Mother and Dad and Grandpa (actually he's the great- grandpa) all came forward, with the Grandpa carrying the baby. As I watched this dear man holding that very big child, I almost lost it. First of all, the Grandpa has Parkinson's Disease, and I couldn't believe that he could even carry that child and stand there with him that long, but he did, and that sweet little boy kept watching his Grandpa as he received Communion and he didn't miss a thing, nor did he fuss or squirm. It was a beautiful sight.  But second of all is the real part of the story I don't want you to miss.  This family has suffered some real sorrow over the past couple of years...first, the girl's mother (and the daughter of this man) passed away rather suddenly a couple years ago.  Then the man's father in law, who was also a beloved member of our church, died from liver cancer after a short battle.  Not very long after that, this man's wife, who was working as an active nurse, died from a stroke very suddenly.  So within a couple of years this family lost three family members, and they were still grieving those losses when this precious baby boy came along...and it was obvious to me that God brought this sweet baby into their lives:

 "To give them beauty for ashes,The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;"

Isaiah 61:3

and...

"Weeping may endure for a night,

But joy comes in the morning."

Psalm 30:5b

I will finish this story up with this verse:

Matthew 19:14  NIV

14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Do you understand why I wanted to shout hallelujah and cry tears of joy???

Okay, I have to wrap this up. I hope you appreciated and understood that rather long story. My heart was overwhelmed with the enormity of all that was happening in those lives and in the lives of those precious children.

So here's my current baby in my old rocking chair that I literally used to rock my babies in...

He has tried every chair in the house literally. I never know where I'll find him next.

And here was Blackie waiting for us to come home with the groceries the other day...

I think he's saying it's about time we got home, or maybe he's wondering if we brought him anything?

Either way, he was soon in the house helping us put the groceries away...LOL.

Okay, friends, that's all. I have to go fix supper. I am thankful for YOU, and for your friendship and patience as I share these long stories! I hope they blessed you too.