Friday Foto Friends-Flights of Fancy

It's Thursday evening and I'm thinking about what to post for tomorrow's Friday Foto Friends. I didn't have many interesting pictures to post until a few minutes ago, when we took our evening walk.  As we walked toward my favorite pond area, I saw a young deer bolt and practically fly right out in front of us before disappearing down somewhere around the pond.  Of course, he was too quick for me to take his picture, but in my rush to follow where he ran, I kept hearing the call of a hawk from up in the trees above me.  It took me a few minutes to actually locate the hawk, as he was quite well camouflaged against the backdrop of the trees...but when I finally zeroed in on where his voice was coming from, I was surprised to see he was right in front of me the whole time!  Duh! I couldn't "see the forest for the trees!"  Or in this case, I couldn't see the hawk...even with my "hawk-eyes"!  So here are the pictures I was able to capture as he sat there and posed for me:

Isn't he magnificent?

I think this is a Red-Shouldered Hawk, but any bird experts out there please feel free to correct me if I am wrong!

After this picture he flew away...and was too quick for me to capture a picture of him flying...

I told my hubby that my fancy new "Skechers" walking shoes helped me to "fly" down the road to  find something to photograph:

Aren't they great?  I just got these in the mail (UPS) today...I love Skechers and generally that is the ONLY shoe I wear anymore. When one pair wears out I order a new pair, because they fit my foot better than any shoe I've ever had.  I got these specifically for walking as my old pair of walking shoes was breaking down and causing my feet to hurt...but I've walked a lot of miles in them over the past 5 years, so it's about time!  Skechers aren't cheap, but I got these online and if you check out their online specials/coupons, you might get 20% off, depending on which day you order, along with free shipping!    I do not buy many shoes...and when I do, it is more for comfort than style.

What else have I seen this week that I've not already shared with you? Let me think:

I don't know if you can see the two young cardinals in the Secret Garden above?  They were perched above the Welcome sign...only for a minute. We have lots of young cardinals flying around here all the time these days! Such fun to watch them chasing each other...just like children playing tag!

Speaking of birds that chase one another...

This male Ruby Throated Hummingbird was taking a short break between feedings and chasing the other hummingbirds away from the feeder.

And speaking of flying things...These two Navy Fighter Jets were buzzing around over our house again this morning!  They fly over the national forest on training flights...all the way from the Jacksonville Naval Air Station, which is about 100 miles northeast of here.  I ran outside and waved at them...but I couldn't tell if they waved back!

I guess that is enough about my "flights of fancy" for one week...
Here are a few scripture verses that have to do with "flying"... perhaps one of these will speak to you today...

Proverbs 23:4-5

4.  "Do not overwork to be rich;

Because of your own understanding, cease!

5.  Will you set your eyes on that which is not?

For riches certainly make themselves wings;

They fly away like an eagle toward heaven." 

Psalm 55:6-8, 16

6.  "So I said, 'Oh, that I had wings like a dove!

I would fly away and be at rest.

7.  Indeed, I would wander far off,

and remain in the wilderness.

8.  I would hasten my escape from

the windy storm and tempest.'

16.  As for me, I will call upon God,

And the Lord shall save me."

Psalm 90:10, 12

10.  "The days of our lives are seventy years;

And if by reason of strength 

they are eighty years,

Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow;

For it is soon cut off, and we fly away....

12.  So teach us to number our days,

That we may gain a heart of wisdom."

Here's a favorite little song about "flying" that you might appreciate today:

Joey + Rory : "I'll Fly Away"

I'll Fly Away

Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch

Some bright morning when this life is over

I'll fly away

To that home on God's celestial shore

I'll fly away

I'll fly away, oh glory

I'll fly away in the morning

When I die, Hallelujah by and by

I'll fly away

When the shadows of this life have gone

I'll fly away

Like a bird from these prison walls I'll fly

I'll fly away

I'll fly away, oh glory

I'll fly away in the morning

When I die, Hallelujah by and by

I'll fly away

Oh, how glad and happy when we meet

I'll fly away

No more cold iron shackles on my feet

I'll fly away

I'll fly away, oh glory

I'll fly away in the morning

When I die, Hallelujah by and by

I'll fly away

Just a few more weary days and then

I'll fly away

To a land where joys will never end

I'll fly away

I'll fly away, oh glory

I'll fly away in the morning

When I die, Hallelujah by and by

I'll fly away

I'll fly away

I hope you've enjoyed this "flight of fancy" today. Perhaps the Lord has spoken to you through some portion of this post. I hope so.  The lady singing above, Joey Feek, has already "flown away" to glory.  For more about her remarkable life story, click HERE.

Now fly on over to Deb's place, "Breathing in Grace", and check out what our other "Friday Foto Friends" are posting today.

How We Survived the Summer BEFORE AC! Updated

UPDATE:  I just thought about this post when I saw one of my friends' posts about being thankful for air conditioning...and this is what I wrote about this subject almost exactly five years ago today! This will be my "Thankful Thursday" post this week. I am STILL very thankful for AC, along with all the happy memories this invoked from my childhood summer vacations...


Original Post 6/30/2012:
I started writing a response on Facebook to my husband's cousin, who asked the question, "How did people live here 100 years ago?"...speaking of the 97 degree temperatures here in Florida today.  He is originally from New Jersey, and has not had to endure too many hot summers in Florida before I take it.  Although, Florida is probably much cooler today than most of our northern and midwestern states!   Anyway, as I started responding to his question on Facebook, I realized that I was writing much too long of a response for the comment space, and decided I should switch it to my blog instead.  I will make sure that cousin John gets a copy of this response! 

So here goes:

Although I didn't live here in Florida 100 years ago, I did live here prior to AC, and it was HOT. But we didn't know what AC was, so we just adapted. We had fans, and windows that opened wide, and  mildewed shoes from the humidity. We dressed accordingly...for kids that was easy, shorts and halter tops and flip flops.  We played outside all day and cooled down with a water hose...drank from it too, and didn't die from it. We went swimming in the lakes and local springs as often as possible, and didn't get eaten by alligators or bitten by snakes. We built forts in the woods and ran barefoot most of the time.    We didn't have AC at school either, but we still survived and learned a lot of reading, writing and 'rithmetic. (sometimes to the tune of the "hickory stick"...or the teacher's ruler in my case).  We did not stay indoors and play with video games or watch tv all day.  That was forbidden! (didn't have video games, and TV wasn't that sophisticated yet). 

One of our campsites in the Smokey Mountains

Eating lunch at a roadside park on our vacation
(I took this picture, so I wasn't in it. )

Our cars didn't have AC either, but we took vacation trips to the mountains to "cool off" and slept in tents on air mattresses that we had to blow up by mouth! 

We cooked our food on a campfire or a Coleman stove, and swatted mosquitoes and watched out for bears.   We didn't have McDonalds, Burger King, or Wendy's, so we stopped at roadside parks and ate picnic lunches while traveling along the winding mountain roads.  My mother could create the most delicious meals out of a cooler and with that Coleman stove. After eating our lunch we would often wade in a nearby mountain stream or creek, and look for interesting river rocks and stones to add to our rock collection.  Finding places for all of our "souvenirs" in the car was sometimes a bit tricky, especially since there were six people crammed into a rather small car, but somehow we managed to bring our treasures home with us. 

To this day I really don't know how all six of us managed to travel in those vehicles without air conditioning through the hottest months of the year, but we did it. We rode with the windows open and the wind blowing in our faces and our hair, and sometimes we even stuck our feet up in the window to cool them off!   We played all kinds of road games to pass the time, like the "Alphabet Game", the Horse Game, where you counted horses on your side of the road, and got extra points for a horse farm, and lost your horses if there was a cemetery that the opposite side of the car team noticed on your side of the road before you could call your horses safe.  We also ate homemade cookies that my mother had baked prior to the trip, and drank water from a thermos.  I was the youngest, and also the one most prone to car-sickness in the mountains, so there were frequent emergency stops along the side of the road for me to "lose my cookies".   Yuck.

On one most memorable trip we had stopped along the way and purchased a watermelon to eat later with our picnic lunch.  We were hauling a small trailer on the back of our car with our camping gear and luggage. inside. It was mostly empty as we had planned to pick up some of our furniture that was being stored at my uncle's farm in Pennsylvania from our former home and take it back to Florida with us.  So my dad put the watermelon in the trailer with the tents and luggage.  Apparently it did not occur to him that the watermelon would do a lot of rolling around in the mostly empty trailer as we traveled over hill and dale through the mountains.  When we stopped for lunch and opened the trailer to take out the watermelon for lunch, to our horror we discovered that the watermelon had broken open and had smashed itself all over our camping gear and our clothes!  You can imagine what  a sticky icky mess that was! Fortunately, we were near Columbia, S.C., and my father remembered that the parents of one of his old college buddies lived in that area.  He went to a pay phone (no cell phones back then either), and looked up their name and number in the phonebook, and gave them a call.  He told them who he was and about our dilemma, and these dear sweet people insisted that he bring us all right over to their home and they would take care of us!  And take care of us they did!  Talk about "Good Samaritans"!  Not only did they take us in and wash our clothes and feed us, but they put us up for the night, and when we were ready to leave the next morning (after a huge southern style breakfast) they packed a cooler of food for us to take along for the day...fried chicken and all the trimmings!  Can you imagine that?  These people did not even know my Dad personally, but because he was a friend of their son from college (quite a few years prior), that was good enough for them.  They went above and beyond the call of duty and cared for us so kindly...I've never ever forgotten that!  I would hope that I would do the same if the situation ever arose...but I fear I've possibly missed some good opportunities to be such a "Good Samaritan" already.  (See the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-37)

The Trolley Car DOWN the mountain from Ghost Mountain
in the Sky...quite a trip!

I guess I have "traveled" a bit away from the original subject of living in Florida prior to AC, but I think you get the picture.  It was such an idyllic time in our lives...I can think of no happier childhood than what I had, living here in Florida before AC.  I feel sorry for kids today who don't know the joy of playing outside all summer long, using their imaginations and playing in the sprinklers to keep cool or going to the local lakes or springs for a day of fun and swimming. We were especially blessed in that we were able to take camping trips up through the mountains...what we didn't realize at the time was that that was the only way our family could afford to travel to go visit our grandparents up north.  We could not have afforded to stay in motels and eat at restaurants the way people do today. And we didn't get to go to all the expensive "theme parks", although we DID have a fun time one summer at "Ghost Mountain in the Sky" in Maggie Valley, NC, I recall.  That was the closest thing to a "theme park" we had back then I guess. 

The chair lift UP to Ghost Mountain in the Sky,
Maggie Valley, NC

I have enjoyed this little trip down memory lane today. It kind of helped to "cool things off" a bit for me, how about you?

Truly, after watching the national news tonight, I am very sorry to see all of the severe hot weather around our nation, in addition to the extremely volatile forest fires out west.  I am particularly concerned about that because my youngest son Scott happens to be out there in Colorado right now.  He assures me that he is safe and on the opposite side of the city from the biggest fire right now...but I still worry.  I will be a very happy mother when I see him step off of that plane next week as he returns home.  Although his trip to seek work out there was unsuccessful, if he is able to escape this firestorm unscathed, that will be a huge success to me.  God will take care of the rest once he is safely back home, I am certain.

So, cousin John, yes, we did survive life here in Florida pre-AC, as our ancestors before us survived much greater hardships than high temperatures in the preceding century.  I fear that each generation gets a little bit softer and less resilient to the hardships of life because we just don't have to endure much discomfort anymore.  I wonder how future generations will survive when life gets really tough on planet earth in the years to come? I don't know, but I don't plan to be here that long!  I got a mansion just over the hilltop, where the temperature is always perfect, and we never to need to worry about AC, heat, freezes,  fires, or floods ever again! Woohoo!  That will be a wonderful day! Amen?  In the meantime, keep cool, my friends.

The Secret Garden Chronicles: I Will Bless The Lord At All Times

"I will bless the Lord at all times;

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

The humble shall hear of it and be glad.

Oh, magnify the Lord with me,

and let us exalt His name together."

Psalm 34:1-3

The last couple of days I was a little "under the weather" and didn't feel much like writing or doing anything to speak of!  But this morning I feel so much better...and I want to praise the Lord for His goodness and kindness and great mercy.  

We've had a lot of rain here lately, and everything is lush and green and growing like a jungle!  In my few ventures out into the yard, in between swatting mosquitoes, I managed to take a few pictures of the crepe myrtles blooming so profusely...so I thought I should post them for posterity...to remember in the lean years when things don't bloom so well:

 Notice the wisteria vines along the fence...they really came back strong after we cut them all down to put up the new fence!

 In the Memorial Garden...definitely looking more like a memorial "jungle"....

I was just thinking about the statement I wrote above: "so I thought I should post them for posterity...to remember in the lean years when things don't bloom so well".... and I thought to myself, 

Isn't that exactly what the Bible is all about?  God's Word was written many years ago, when the Lord was speaking through His prophets and servants and when Jesus, God's Son actually walked upon the earth, and it was written for a future generation...for the "lean years" when perhaps things might not be going so well...so that a future generation would know about and remember God's promises and words of hope and salvation...The Bible even tells us that:

"This will be written for the generation to come,

That a people yet to be created may praise the Lord."

Psalm 102:18

And again in Psalm 78:5-7

"For He established a testimony in Jacob,

And appointed a law in Israel,

which He commanded our fathers,

That they should make them known to their children;

That the generation to come might know them,

The children who would be born,

That they may arise and declare them to their children,

That they may set their hope in God,

And not forget the works of God,

But keep His commandments."

Yes, it is good to record God's blessings and times of encouragement and answers to prayer...so that we can reflect and recall them in the "lean years", and be reminded of God's faithfulness forever!

This lovely deer was walking through our yard early one morning, and I was blessed to able to snap a couple of pictures before she darted back into the woods...

"O taste and see that the Lord is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!

There is no want to those who fear Him."

Psalm 34:8-9

So, perhaps these words of praise and encouragement will bless you today...and if you find yourself in the midst of a "lean year", be reminded of God's goodness and kindness and mercy...and remember that He never changes...He will always be there for you...

"The poor man cried out,

and the Lord heard him,

and saved him out of all his troubles!"

Psalm 34:6

Have a blessed day, my friends!!!

Friday Foto Friends- A Little This, A Little That

Psalm 111: 1-4
"I will praise the Lord with my whole heart,
In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.
The works of the Lord are great,
Studied by all who have pleasure in them.
His work is honorable and glorious,
And His righteousness endures forever.
He has made His wonderful works to be remembered;
The Lord is gracious and full of compassion."

What a great way to start out this Friday Foto Friends...praising the Lord "with my whole heart"...and being reminded that the Lord "has made His wonderful works to be remembered...", and that is one of the reasons I take so many pictures...to remember God's wonderful works!  There is so much to see, study and "have pleasure in them"...for His work is honorable and glorious...

So, some of my photographs this week are of a few of God's wonderful works to be remembered...and others are just a little this and that of what I've done or have seen this past week.  In everything, I give thanks and praise to God.

I will start with the clouds!  With all of the storms we've had this past week, there have been many opportunities to watch the clouds rolling in and out...so here are some that I found noteworthy:

These last two are actually of the sun breaking through the clouds after the rain this past evening (writing this on Thursday night)  The pictures never do them justice...but the sun was so brilliant as it broke through the clouds...again
"The works of the Lord are great!" 

And this is the rain falling down...the sun was actually shining during this little shower and the raindrops were sparkling on the trees, but it didn't show up quite that way. This looks more like snow! But it is definitely rain...I live in Florida, and it was about 90 degrees when I took this picture!

I thought this looked like icicles hanging from the trees!

I couldn't let a week go by without another rose blossom...every few days a new one opens, and I just love to watch them open their lovely faces to praise the Lord Who created them...

And our "bird of the week" is this tiny young ? warbler of some kind?.  He was feasting on the mimosa tree flowers after the rain. Can you find the lady bug?

Now we will change gears a bit.  

This looks like a bar of soap.

It is,...but it is handmade (Rosemary) soap, created by the daughter in law of one of my dear friends.

My friend brought several of these bars for me to try...actually, she had given me some quite some time ago, and it just sort of sat there and I just sort of forgot about it because I've always been  a "Dove" girl.  But lately I've noticed that my skin was getting very dry, tight, and wrinkled! Yikes!

I'm too young for wrinkles! (Ha!) But honestly, as soon as I'd wash my face, I'd have to put a ton of lotion on to smooth it out and relieve the tightness.

So, I thought, why not try this lovely bar of homemade soap? And so I did.

And I have to tell you (this is not a commercial), but I could not believe how smooth and soft and fresh my face felt! It didn't tighten up like usual, and the "wrinkles" seemed to smooth right out...I couldn't even see them in my mirror! Even when I turned the lights on bright and put on my glasses!

So I had to know what was in this soap...and it is Emu Oil and Goats Milk, along with other essential oils.  Now I am trying to contact this lady and find out about other products she makes...and I will keep you informed.  

Have any of you ever used soap with Emu Oil before?

This is a real nice little gift from one of God's amazing creatures...actually two...don't forget the goats!

I was so excited about this I had to tell you!  You probably already knew it and never bothered to tell me...but now the secret is out!

Now, what else happened this week?

Oh yes! I had my four week check up with the doctor today (Thursday) following my surgery. She said I am doing just fine and she will see me again in two months. I am still in the healing mode and not totally back to normal yet...but I am doing as well as can be expected for this time period.  So I give thanks to the Lord for His goodness to me. 

I do not take healing for granted. It is a gift from God.

"The Lord is gracious and full of compassion."

One more thing I did this week. Some of you real seamstresses out there will probably laugh at this.

I am not a seamstress.  Oh, I can sew...but I find it mostly a lesson in frustration...something I don't have much patience for anymore.  But I guess I am getting a little stir crazy being cooped up so much.  One day, as I was taking one of my afternoon naps, I laid there thinking about a nightgown that I've never worn that was hidden away in the bottom drawer of the dresser  

Why? Well, because it had long sleeves and came down below my knees, and here in Florida I just never have needed long sleeved, long tailed nightgowns. I still get hot flashes during the night and just the thought of being trapped in attached long sleeves and tangled up in a long gown is enough to make me break out in a sweat.

So, I got this brilliant idea to make it into a usable short nightgown! I'm sorry I didn't take a before picture, but my husband surreptitiously took a few "during reconstruction" pictures ...I'll show you the ones I approved of.

Here I am in my "sewing room", which is actually in our master bathroom, which is sort of an expanded utility room where our extra fridge resides along with other stuff. (hence the cartons of soft drinks on the floor...they were sitting on top of the sewing machine cabinet) (this picture is looking in from our bedroom....yes, I have dolls everywhere).  

I was diligently trying to figure out how to wind thread on a bobbin on this machine.

 See how hard I was concentrating on this? Actually, I finally decided that on this sewing machine, which is new to me...a "gift" from a friend who has several newer models and didn't need this one anymore, anyway, the bobbin winding mechanism no longer works.  No matter what I tried, it would not do it. I finally found a filled bobbin that was close enough in color to use. I will have to deal with that problem another day when I feel better.

Me, deep in concentration...

 It also took me a while to figure out how to thread this machine...it is a Montgomery Ward machine (that should tell you how old it is), and loads differently than my old Singer.

But I must say I am thankful for this gift from my friend. Once I got all the bugs figured out, it actually did a nice job of sewing!!

So, here is the final product, after I cut off the sleeves to a short cap sleeve, and cut off the bottom to create a shorter gown.

I love it!  I've worn it every night since. Probably need to wash it again...

Okay, that's all for now folks!  We just had a huge thunder crack here...and I think I'll stop typing before the storm gets worse...

"The works of the Lord are great!

Praise the Lord"

Now, let's pop over to Deb's place at Breathing in Grace, and see what all our other Friday Foto Friends have been up to!  Have a blessed weekend my friends!  Don't forget to Praise the Lord for all His wondrous works!  Bye now!

"The Sounds of Silence" - Updated

II Corinthians 1:2-5

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and 

the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

Who comforts us in all our tribulation, 

that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, 

with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, 

so our consolation also abounds through Christ."

For some reason I've been drawn to this post that I wrote exactly 3 years ago, which was about one month after the passing of our precious son from this life to the next.  I guess because I woke up thinking about a couple of dear friends of ours who said farewell to their precious daughter one year ago today, and praying that the Lord would comfort them as they remember her on this " first anniversary" of her passing.  They say time is a great healer...and I must say that it does help...but the memories of our dear ones never go completely away....nor would we want them to.

At this stage in our grieving process, three years later, we are still hit with memories that bring us to tears, but there are also many moments that bring smiles and laughter as we remember and celebrate the person who our son was. He would not want us to continue in sorrow...why? Because where he is, there is no sorrow!  He is dwelling in the heavenlies with Jesus Christ...and every day is a celebration of eternal life...no sickness, no death, no sorrow, no pain...only joy and hallelujahs every moment!

I shared the above passage from II Corinthians 1:2-5 today because I have come to realize that often times in life, as we go through great sorrows and tribulations , we find that the day comes when the God Who comforts us helps us to also comfort those who are presently passing through their own tribulations.  It is a comfort to know someone else has already walked this type of journey before and can help us deal with the pitfalls and valleys of sorrow as we come upon them.  I know there have been many who have encouraged us along the way, and I pray that we will be able to comfort and encourage others as the Lord leads us.

So, without further ado, here is what I wrote three years ago...perhaps this will bring some measure of comfort to someone else today. I pray so.

Original Post 6/21/2014:

Hello Blog Page my old friend, I've come to talk with you again...   I kind of rewrote that phrase from one of my old favorite Simon and Garfunkle songs, "The Sounds of Silence", which said, "Hello darkness my old friend, I've come to talk with you again..."   That was the song that just popped into my head as I sat down here at my computer and tried to think about what on earth I was going to write.  It seems as though my mind has been a bit of a blank lately.  Actually, my mind is full of things...I just don't know how to say them. Not sure that I want to say them in public.

Not bad things, just private thoughts...thoughts of grief, sorrow, healing, 

comfort, sadness, memories, joy, longing, 

praying, wishing, hoping, wondering, 

thankfulness, 

praise, love, wistful, tender, 

crying, laughing....

You see, when you've said farewell to someone you love so much...one of your own precious children...

and even though

 you know in your heart that you will see him again someday, 

and you rejoice in knowing that he is no longer suffering...

he is fully whole and happy in heaven...

You still have those moments when you wish you could turn back time and start over again...and have things turn out differently...if you had the power to keep the disease from forming in his body...if you could have somehow changed the course of events...but then you realize that you are not God. You really can't see the bigger picture yet...the picture that God sees looking down at us from His heavenly throne.  You realize that now your child can see the bigger picture...and he understands the whys and wherefores...and if he could tell me so, he would tell me that it is all going to be okay...not to worry...God's plan IS the best plan...and I will understand it better by and by.

This morning I took my breakfast of a cup of hot tea, a homemade blueberry bran muffin fresh out of the oven, and a bowl of summer fruit and went and sat outside in the garden arbor that we just built in memory of our son, and I sat there in the garden and thought about these things. And then I allowed God to do His work of healing in my heart.  He knew exactly what I needed. Here are a few pictures that I took this morning as I welcomed God's therapy of peace and quiet to comfort me:

God knew just what I needed. He always does.

I read in today's reading of "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young:

"Wait patiently with Me while I bless you.

Don't rush into My Presence with time-consciousness gnawing at your mind.

I dwell in timelessness;

I am, I was, I will always be. 

For you, time is a protection;

you're a frail creature who can handle only twenty-four-hour segments of life.

Time can also be a tyrant, 

ticking away relentlessly in your mind.

Learn to master time, or it will be your master.

Though you are a time-bound creature, 

seek to meet Me in timelessness.

As you focus on My Presence,

The demands of time and tasks will diminish.

I will bless you and keep you,

making My Face shine upon you graciously,

giving you Peace."

I needed that message today. I tend to be driven by time and things to do. I haven't allowed myself much time for healing..."The Sounds of Silence"...time to rest, time to appreciate the beauty around me. 

"Therefore I will look to the LORD; 

I will wait for the God of my salvation; 

My God will hear me.  

Do not rejoice over me, my enemy;

When I fall, I will arise;

When I sit in darkness,

The LORD will be a light to me."

Micah 7:7-8