Friday Evening Round Up and Review

Good Friday evening! I thought you'd like to see how we started out our day...This was "King" Blackie, lounging on the couch in front of the fire, without a care in the world.  Oh to be a cat in this "kingdom". LOL.  

I know I already did a post this morning with the "Dance of the Sand Hill Cranes", but today was fun and eventful, so I thought I'd do an additional post, which most of you probably won't see until Saturday morning anyway.

Now, I wonder what these blue jeans have to do with anything???

Here's a link to the first time I wore these blue jeans, and what they "said" to me!  That was in 2017. Some of you may remember it, but I noticed that not very many of my current readers were around then, so you may want to go back and read it because it will help you appreciate the rest of this little part of the story today.

If you can read this lining in the pockets, this is what it says: "You are glamorous", "You are sexy", "You are gorgeous", "You are stunning".  

It's almost 10 years later, and the pocket linings still say the same thing, but sadly, I can no longer get into these jeans!!  Now, if my jeans really could speak to me, they would say, "Hey! You can't fit in here! You're squeezing me out!" "You may still be glamorous, but in a "full-figured" sort of way!" "There's certainly more to love now!"  "Maybe it's time for you to get some LARGER jeans!" "You've stretched these jeans as far as they will go!"

So, here I am, hiding behind the big old bear at the Mason Jar restaurant today, wearing a different, roomier pair of jeans, and thinking it's time to cut back on a few carbs. So I ordered the grilled chicken breast and three vegetables today...no potatoes, and only a little tiny cornmeal muffin.  I'll get more serious about this diet tomorrow.

Oh, look at us...waving at the rest of the family as they came in the door! Well, maybe ONE of us is excited to see them...the other "two" in the picture look a bit "Ho Hum" Here we go again...LOL.

There, that's better...We're so excited to see you!

Here's Rose and Benton:

And here's hubby's brother Billy, daughter Shannon, wife Peggy,  and son Nicholaus...

Here's some real "Teddy Bears"...The Steiner men, my hubby, son Benton, Billy, and Nicholaus.

And here's a couple of real "deers"... 

Shannon and Peggy

We had a great lunch...this is our Thanksgiving get together...and also we celebrated Peggy's birthday, which is later this month.  I brought her a birthday gift, and then she handed me a gift!  I told her, "Peggy, you're a lot like God! I just can't outgive God!"  LOL. She is the most generous and thoughtful person, and always has gifts to share.  This gift, however, was actually for Lucy Goosey:

Yes, now Lucy Goosey has an "official" Thanksgiving Turkey outfit to wear!

Peggy bought this at my niece Debby's store that I told you about..."Ruby Sun Gifts", in Longwood, FL.

Peggy lives closer to it than I do, so it was easy for her to go shop there.

Isn't Lucy just adorable in her new Thanksgiving outfit?

Look at those tail feathers! LOL.

Oh, but that's not all! She also got her a Christmas outfit, but you'll have to wait until after Thanksgiving to see that!

I must have the best dressed and most spoiled Porch Goose in town! LOL.

Speaking of "spoiled"...

Someone discovered that he can sneak into the guest bedroom and jump up on the bed when Mom's not looking!  I usually keep this door closed when Blackie is in the house, but I was putting some things away, etc., and left the door open for a minute, and he took full advantage of the moment.

But at least I think he's "Thankful".  

Speaking of "thankful",  first, I am thankful that we made the trip down and back to the Mason Jar safely. It is a little over an hour away, and sometimes the road, even though it goes through the Ocala National Forest, can be a quite busy, two-laned road with few passing zones, especially on the weekends (and Fridays). It seems there is always someone in a hurry to get around everyone else even on the double yellow lines, so it can be rather stressful at times.  Hubby was able to drive down there, and son Benton drove us back home, even though his back is still quite touchy...but it's better than it was, thank the Lord, and it was nice of him to drive and give hubby a break, especially after lunch when we are used to taking a little nap...

And speaking again of "Thankful" and traveling...we are very thankful that we are not currently sitting on a plane or in an airport somewhere waiting to travel someplace! Wow! I'm sure you've heard of the major communications breakdown issue with the air traffic that is going on, and all planes are grounded everywhere in the country right now, for who knows how long! I pray that everyone got down out of the air safely, and that they will have the planes back up and running again soon. But my heart goes out to those who may be stuck there for many hours waiting to get to their next destination. If you or any of your loved ones are currently in that situation, we will definitely be praying for you all.  I'm glad it's not Thanksgiving week already...that would really be chaos!  PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, for a safe solution soon!

Well, friends, that's about it for today.  Here's a few words to ponder from God's Word...

Psalm 121:7-8 NKJV

7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;

He shall preserve your soul.

8 The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in

From this time forth, and even forevermore.

Psalm 91:9-12

"Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,

Even the Most High, your dwelling place,

10 No evil shall befall you,

Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,

To keep you in all your ways.

12 In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone."

Amen!

Be blessed my friends, and have a wonderful and safe weekend.

 

Friday Foto Friends: The Dance of The Sand Hill Cranes

 In my Thursday post I showed some pictures of the Sand Hill Cranes on our Still Waters Pond. I mentioned that it's time for them to start doing their courtship/mating ritual dancing, and that I would try to get some videos whenever possible.  Lo! and Behold! That same afternoon our resident couple flew in and started entertaining us with their dancing.  I hope you will be able to open these videos and enjoy the dance!

Please excuse the background traffic noise, as there is a busy highway just over behind those trees on the other side of the pond.  But do turn on your sound so you can hear the cranes' calls occasionally.

This is the first one:

And here is the 2nd one.

This is a very brief video, with one leap and call...I still thought it was worth watching and hearing!

Here's some information that I found on the computer:

The mating and courtship dance of Florida Sandhill Cranes is an elaborate, graceful display of synchronized movements, vocalizations, and acrobatics. [1, 2]

Key Elements of the Dance

Acrobatics: The birds leap high into the air with their wings fully or partially extended, jump up and down, twirl, and run in circles. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Bowing and Posturing: They lower their heads in deep bows toward the ground, stretch their necks, fluff their feathers, and shake their tails. [1, 2]
Object Tossing: Cranes frequently pick up sticks, grass, or dirt with their beaks and toss them into the air. [1, 2]
Synchronized Calls ("Unison Calling"): The dance is often accompanied by loud, rattling calls, where the male and female coordinate their vocalizations (such as the female giving two calls for every one from the male). [1, 2]

Why They Dance

Courtship & Mating: The dance helps attract a partner and showcase strength, power, and protective instincts. [1, 2, 3]
Strengthening Pair Bonds: Sandhill Cranes mate for life (often staying together for 20 years or more), and bonded pairs continue to dance year-round to reinforce their partnership. [1, 2, 3]
Territoriality & Communication: As noted in discussions on platforms like Reddit, the movements are also used as a form of communication or to express stress, alertness, and territorial boundaries. [1, 2]

I hope you enjoyed this little display of courtship and love!  I do  hope our couple will be able to build their nest in our pond this winter as per their usual annual routine.  Stay tuned for more developments!

In case anyone has any doubts about where these amazing creatures came from...here's what God says to us in His Word, the Bible:

Genesis 1:20-28

20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

I guess that passage should answer a LOT of questions for us! Amen!

We are off today to go meet my hubby's brother and wife for lunch at a half/way point, "The Mason Jar", about an hour's drive away, "over the river and through the woods". Benton and Rose will be going with us too. This will be our "Thanksgiving dinner" with them, as they have other plans on Thanksgiving Day. So I will have to catch up with you later!  Have a blessed weekend my friends!  

Thursday Thankfulness

 Happy Thursday, everyone! It's starting out a little cooler than it has been this week, and I understand we are going to be a bit more cool this weekend, which will be welcome where we live in warm and somewhat muggy Florida. It will feel more like fall, and I love that!

Some of you have wondered if our Sand Hill Cranes have come back to Still Waters Pond yet. Well, yes, they do come almost every day...our original Mom and Dad couple who've been coming here for years to nest in the pond each winter, and sometimes their "son" (or daughter?) from two years ago joins them. I assume that's who it is. They weren't able to nest last year because of the drought on the pond, so there were no fuzzy "Colts" (young Crane babies) to watch grow up. But they did have one from the previous year, and although he is now old enough to be on his own, he still hangs around with Mom and Dad, at least until nesting time again,  and then they will tell him to go find his own mate and get on with his life. 

Here is some information from this link: https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/birds/cranes/sandhill-crane/

"Florida sandhill cranes are a non-migratory species that nests in freshwater ponds and marshes. This species is monogamous (breeds with one mate). Courtship consists of dancing, which features jumping, running, and wing flapping (International Crane Foundation, n.d.). Sandhill crane nests are built by both mates with grass, moss, and sticks. Females lay two eggs that incubate for 32 days. Both male and female participate in incubating the eggs (Nesbitt 1996). The offspring will begin traveling from the nest with their parents just 24-hours after hatching. At ten months old, juveniles are able to leave their parents (Nesbitt 1996). Bonding between pairs begins at two years old."

Even though our pond is still covered with that green algae bloom, the cranes and other birds do not seem to mind it, and I am hopefull that our resident couple will begin their nesting here soon as they have for many years. 

It will be interesting to see what "develops" this winter.  This couple have already begun their ritual mating dance from time to time. It's fun to watch. I will try to get a video at some point if I can.

Speaking of water...I meant to mention last week when I heard that up in the north Georgia mountains they were having a major rain storm and flooding event in an area where we have visited in years' past, and also near where we actually have some relatives living, we were quite concerned for their safety.  I contacted our relatives and was relieved to hear that they were personally safe, but our one "cousin's" (by marriage) brother, who lives next door to her, (and they live beside a river), was in a little lower proximity to the water, and she said although his house was fine, this was his car: 

Thankfully no one was injured, and cars can be replaced, but oh, what a mess and I know it was scary for them to see this happening in the wee hours of the morning! She said the river rose to 16 feet in just a couple of hours' time. That would be very frightening!

Then, much to my surprise, I learned after talking to my sister in law Peggy, that they were actually UP THERE on vacation last week when this storm hit. They were not in the hardest hit area, but close enough, and here is a video she sent me, taken from their hotel room:

Yikes! That's a bit too close for comfort! We didn't even know they were there, but thankfully they were safe.  I praise God for His protection over our family through the storms, and always.  

I am thankful that we've been able to get out and take a few short walks this week. Now that the weather is more comfortable for walking, I hope we will do a lot more of it.  Yesterday I noticed this red "Turk's Cap" flower bush...and there was a Cloudless Sulphur butterfly attached, enjoying a nice drink of nectar.

Turk's Cap flower

When we were kids playing on the playground at our school, there were a lot of bushes of these flowers blooming. We kids used to love to pull off the flowers and suck out the nectar from them. It's very sweet and safe...and we loved it just like this butterfly!  I feel bad now that we probably deprived some butterfly of his dinner, but we sure enjoyed it as children!  Fun memories!

Another memory flash...I pulled this little three tined fork out of my utensil drawer yesterday to stab some pickles from the pickle jar for hubby's sandwich.  It's the perfect fork for that little job.  And everytime I use this little fork, I can hear my mother in law telling me the story that this "Keen little fork" belonged to her daddy, and that's what he wanted to eat with because it was good to stab his meat with.  

Here's a picture of her daddy, my hubby's "Granddaddy Martin". And those are his glasses in that case.

It's interesting to me how something like a "keen little fork" can bring up a memory so fast...for me of my mother in law, and for her, of her father.  I never got to meet "Granddaddy Martin", as he had tragically died from injuries in an automobile accident when my hubby was just about 6 years old. My hubby was very close to his granddaddy, and that was very traumatic for him. But he sure has some memories of the few years he did get to be near him...but those are stories for another time.  It just made me think about I wonder what things will bring up memories of me some day to my family members?  Personally, I hope it will be something good and more than a "keen little fork", but actually that's not bad...seeing the fork and hearing my mother in law's voice in my head made me smile and think about all the other wonderful things about her. So that's a good thing.  And again, those are stories for another day, and there are a lot of them in this blog back in the days before she passed away. She was one of those unforgettable people in my life.

And speaking of unforgettable...here's a picture of Blackie, sitting on top of hubby's laptop...keeping "Daddy" from doing any work on his computer...and making sure that he was getting some attention...

Gotta love him!

In closing...
Here's some food for thought for today from John 14:23-27

23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 

24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 

26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 

27 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.

Wednesday Treasures, Veterans, Anniversaries, and Promises

Today is Veteran's Day!  Thank you to all of our Veterans who have served our country so faithfully throughout the years. For those who have gone on to their final reward, and to those still living who have served and to those still serving today, we thank God for you, and are so thankful for your commitment to God and Country.  Without your sacrifices, we would not be enjoying the freedoms and protection that we tend to take for granted today. May we never lose sight of how valuable and important your service it to each and every one of us.  May God bless you with His continued care, strength and courage, and may God continue to bless America, the land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave!

I'm  wondering what you all are doing today to commemorate this special day of remembrance? I'm sorry to say we don't have anything particular that we are doing, but we treasure the memory of those who served and have gone on before us, and honor those who are still serving today.

We are not a big "military family", but my hubby's father did serve in the Army in WWII.  

Both of my brothers served in the Air Force back during the late 1960's, and also my sister's husband was in the Army during that time. Thankfully they all served our country with pride and courage, and they all came home alive and well. We give thanks to the Lord for their service.

This was my oldest brother, Russell, in the Air Force. He is now resting in peace in heaven since 2019, after a short battle with leukemia.  

And here's my brother in law Art, and my other brother Clifford, back in 1966 at my sister's wedding. These are the only pictures I have of them in their uniforms.  Thankfully, they are both still alive and well, and I am so thankful for all of my "brothers".  

Today is also another special day in our family...it's our son Benton and his sweet wife Rose's 9th Wedding Anniversary!  I took this picture of them yesterday when they popped in for a few minutes so we could give them their Anniversary card (with a little gift inside to help with their celebration).

Benton has been suffering with a hurting lower back this week and so they haven't been able to be too adventuresome, but hopefully he feels well enough today to go do something to celebrate their special day.

Here they were 9 years ago today!

And here is a Link to Benton and Rose's Wedding Day. Lots of happy pictures there!  

Well, I need to get a move on if we're going to get anything done today. Thank you all for so many kind comments on my previous post where I told you the results of my CT Scan. HERE, which said I did not have a current stroke, but there's evidence of an "old" stroke.   I actually did go look up the medical reports from when I was in the hospital in August of last year, and they DID do both an MRI and a CT Scan of my brain to rule out a stroke then, and guess what?  There was NO sign of any stroke activity at that time! So, that leads me to believe that whatever this is that is showing up on the current scan has happened within this past year, after August of 2025!   I thought I had solved the mystery until I read that report...so now I am still perplexed as to when this particular "stroke" could have happened. It was very small, and apparently it was what is also known as a SILENT STROKE, and you can read more about that on that link.  Here is a summary:

"A silent stroke (or asymptomatic cerebral infarction) is a stroke that does not have any outward symptoms associated with stroke, and the patient is typically unaware they have suffered a stroke. Despite not causing identifiable symptoms, a silent stroke still causes damage to the brain and places the patient at increased risk for both transient ischemic attack and major stroke in the future.^[1] In a broad study in 1998, more than 11 million people were estimated to have experienced a stroke in the United States. Approximately 770,000 of these strokes were symptomatic and 11 million were first-ever silent MRI infarcts or hemorrhages. "

What's weird is most often people who have these are people who may have consistent high blood pressure, which I do not. Mine is always quite normal. It's also more common in people who smoke, which I do not nor ever have. However, I do have high cholesterol, but I have been on statins for several years, which manages the "numbers".  I have mixed feelings on that subject, but now with this news, I feel like I am definitely stuck with having to take them.

Anyway, I am very thankful for this information, even though it has left me feeling a bit like "what's next" and when?  But I put my trust in the Lord, and I know He has me always in the palm of His hands, and I do not need to fear the future.  

These words spoken to the Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 46:3-4 about His chosen people Israel, give me comfort as well...because I believe I have also been upheld by God from birth (and even before), and God has promised to carry me even to my old age...He has made me and He will carry me and deliver me all the days of my life...

3 “Listen to Me, O house of Jacob,

And all the remnant of the house of Israel,

Who have been upheld by Me from birth,

Who have been carried from the womb:

4 Even to your old age, I am He,

And even to gray hairs I will carry you!

I have made, and I will bear;

Even I will carry, and will deliver you."

I can rest easy knowing that God is in control of every aspect of my life, both the seen and the unseen or "silent" parts that I may not even be aware of.  I can trust the One Who Died for me...my Savior Jesus Christ...to always be there for me...with His rod and staff to comfort me and protect me from all danger...

Amen.

And with those words of comfort and promise, I will close for today. May God's "goodness and mercy follow" you all the days of your life...and may we "dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Amen.

Oh, and Go thank a Veteran today!!!

Tuesday 4~When You Wish Upon A Star

 When You Wish Upon a Star....

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.
We ask 4 questions each week to get you blogging and visiting other bloggers.


1. Jiminy Cricket sang "When you Wish Upon a Star" in the movie Pinocchio.
What are your favorite Disney movies?
My favorite Disney movie when I was a child was "Lady and the Tramp". 

I remember seeing it when I must've been about 4 or 5 years old. And then I wanted a "Lady" dog all my own. I saw a rubber "Lady" dog toy somewhere at a store, and I "begged" my parents to buy it for me.  Lo! And Behold! I received it either for my birthday or Christmas that year! I loved that little rubber doggy, and I think I even slept with it.  Years later I found it in our parents' attic, and it was cracked from the heat of being in a hot attic all those years, and it didn't look so good anymore, so I guess it went 'bye-bye".  But I'll never forget it!  Here's the original trailer from the original movie:

I also loved Snow White, Cinderella, Pinnochio, and Sleeping Beauty. That's all I can remember right now. 

2. Are there any Disney songs that you are fond of or have special feelings about?

"When You Wish Upon a Star" is the only one I can think of right now.  I am not a huge Disney fan anymore and haven't seen any recent Disney movies since we don't have any little people in our family to want to see them.  And our only grandson, who is now 27 years old, never wanted to go to Disney when they came to Florida to visit us. He never was into that craze or phase, which is fine with me because it's just way too expensive.  Instead we took him to Seaworld and Busch Gardens and Silver Springs. He enjoyed the more realistic and natural kinds of "theme parks", and this is my preference too. Here in Florida there is so much more natural beauty to see and enjoy. I'm just not into the "fake stuff".  

3. You can actually have a star named after yourself or a friend and they will register the name and send you a certificate. Is this something you would do as a gift for someone? No. That's not something I would have ever thought of.


4. Have you ever wished on a star even just for fun or on a romantic impulse??

I probably have in my childhood...or I made a wish when I blew out my candles on my birthday cake. 

I was just thinking about the song by Perry Como, "Catch a Falling Star and put it in your pocket, save it for a rainy day..."

I shared these photos last week of the falling leaves on my pathway..and that's what made me think about that song...I haven't heard that song in many many years, but I do remember watching the Perry Como show on TV when I was a kid, and this was the song I remembered most.

Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket Never let it fade away Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket Save it for a rainy day For love may come and tap you on the shoulder some starless night Just in case you feel you wanna hold her You'll have a pocketful of starlight Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket Never let it fade away Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket Save it for a rainy day For love may come and tap you on the shoulder some starless night Just in case you feel you wanna hold her You'll have a pocketful of starlight (Pocketful of starlight, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm) Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket Never let it fade away Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket Save it for a rainy day (Save it for a rainy, save it for a rainy, rainy, rainy day) For when your troubles start multiplying and they just might It's easy to forget them without trying With just a pocketful of starlight Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket Never let it fade away Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket Save it for a rainy day (Save it for a rainy day) Save it for a rainy day

Here's a better idea...

Psalm 119:105 KJV

105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Psalm 16:11 NKJV

11 You will show me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Okay, that's all for today! Have a happy day filled with "God's" light!

One last note, for those of you who have been wondering about the results of my recent CT Scan...I went to the Dr. yesterday. The results were negative for any recent sign of a stroke. HOWEVER, apparently there showed that I had had a stroke more than 6 months ago!!!! WHAT???? WHEN??? Appparently just a small one, but enough to show up! The only thing I can think of is when I had that episode over a year ago and went to the hospital thinking I was having a heart attack, but instead they discovered I had pneumonia. However, my BP was VERY high when I got to the emergency room that day, which is something quite unusual for me. I don't recall that they ever did a CT Scan then of my brain. They were mostly checking for a heart attack...so, that is the only time I can think of that it might have occured. VERY STRANGE that it showed up on this scan. Therefore...I am now taking baby aspirin every day, and of course my cholesterol medicines, which I don't like to take, but I guess I need to.  Thank you for your prayers and concern.  From now on, if I have something strange happening, no matter how insignificant I may think it is, I am going to the hospital to get it checked out. I am VERY thankful to know that whenever that did occur, God was with me, and He kept it from going any further. I am very very thankful to the Lord for His protection even when I didn't know I really was needing it! Amen!! Praise The Lord!!!

Early Monday Morning

 It's early Monday morning, approximately 4:59 a.m. as I start writing this post. I have my cup of tea beside me, 

And yes! I am very "Thankful and Blessed"!

and except for the whir of the washing machine (yes! already!) everything is peaceful and quiet. Hubby is still sleeping, and Blackie has been fed and is posing himself in front of the bedroom door, awaiting "Daddy's" entrance. Well, actually, he just moved in here beside me and is laying right behind my chair, so I have to be careful not to roll over him! LOL.  I guess he was lonesome. Yes, I did pay him some attention and we played "catch mommie's shoe and eat it" for awhile, and that seemed to satisfy him.

Thank you for so many thoughtful comments on my last post HERE.  It seems as though my thoughts about finding "inner peace" amidst the turmoil of life resonated with many of you. I guess I'm not alone in my quest for quiet time and time spent alone with the Lord in meditation on His Word and prayer.  Even though we have our daily routine with reading and sharing our devotions together each morning, there's still something very comforting and calming about spending time alone with the Lord, perhaps out in His creation/nature, or wherever you find that place of solitude.  

I did actually spend some time outside that same afternoon...although I was not technically "alone"...

My sweet little furry companion LOVES it when Mommie comes outside and we can watch the birds and butterflies together.

Oh,who's that?  Yes, we had a visitor in the garden...Hubby decided to come outside and see what's all the excitement about in being outside where the bugs are...

He's doesn't enjoy nature quite like I do, so he wasn't there long...besides, there was college football to watch on TV...so this must have been a half time break! LOL. But it was nice to have him visit for a little while.

Then I went back to watching the butterflies...this Gulf Fritillary butterfly was having such a grand time flitting around from flower to flower...here he is enjoying the nectar from this tiny little weed/wildflower,  which I cannot seem to identify, but they are blooming all over the back yard, and the butterflies love them!

It is on a very fragile weed like stem, and the butterfly is literally hanging upside down and holding on to the flower while he drinks from its nectar:

We are actually seeing the underside of the butterfly's wings!  Whatever that little flower is, it must be good for the butterfly to hang upside down for so long to enjoy it!

And this Cloudless Sulphur butterfly is also enjoying the nectar from the  Cape Honeysuckle plant. He looks like he's a little worse for the wear, with what looks like a chunk taken out of his wings! Butterflies don't live a long life, but they drink in all the beauty of flavor of what God's provides for them while they can!

Psalm 34:8 NKJV

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

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!"

I was sitting in the "Secret Memorial Garden", on the shore of Still Waters Pond

Quoting that verse from Psalm 34 above led me to read the whole Psalm, and I thought, you know, that Psalm is just too good to not share the whole passage! So here you go.  I pray it will bless you as much as it blessed me.

 

Psalm 34, A Psalm of David

"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.

This male Cardinal came and sat in the holly tree, looking for some holly berries to enjoy

4 I sought the Lord, and He heard me,

And delivered me from all my fears.

5 They looked to Him and were radiant,

And their faces were not ashamed.

6 This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,

And saved him out of all his troubles.

7 The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,

And delivers them.

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.

11 Come, you children, listen to me;

I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

12 Who is the man who desires life,

And loves many days, that he may see good?

13 Keep your tongue from evil,

And your lips from speaking deceit.

14 Depart from evil and do good;

Seek peace and pursue it.

Blackie was sitting under the Cape Honeysuckle bush, watching the butterflies come and go.

15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

And His ears are open to their cry.

16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,

To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,

And delivers them out of all their troubles.

18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,

And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

Thankfully, Blackie wasn't interested in the comings and goings of the beautiful Cardinal in the Holly Tree!

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

But the Lord delivers him out of them all.

20 He guards all his bones;

Not one of them is broken.

21 Evil shall slay the wicked,

And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.

22 The Lord redeems the soul of His servants,

And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.

All in all, it was a peaceful and beautiful day, exactly what I needed. Earlier, we took a ride down to the Kenwood Boat ramp and I could see that the cypress trees along the shore were changing their color and soon they will be bare for the winter...but aren't they beautiful in their time of letting go of this present life and preparing for the next phase?

And so should we be beautiful as we embrace this stage of our lives, living our days to the honor and glory of God, and preparing our hearts and souls for the next phase...which is life everlasting!

"16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,

18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

This was the sunset that evening...a perfect ending to a perfect day!  

I feel better now...and am ready to face whatever this day and week may hold.

Stay tuned...