Friday Foto Friends-Rejoice!

Well, I was saving some pictures for this Friday Foto Friends post, and then some other stuff happened which was more interesting...so now I will try to post the best of the choices so you don't have to scroll through so many pictures!

First things first...many of you have been wondering about our Sand Hill Crane Family...and I am very happy to announce that Baby Crane #1 made an appearance this morning!  There was a lot of squawking and flapping going on on the little island where the nest is, and I hurried over to see what the commotion was all about, and this is what I discovered:


If you will notice that little tiny fuzzy creature to the right of the parents, that is their sweet little baby:

What all the squawking was about was that Cormorant over behind them to the far right...getting too close to their baby. The Mama Crane actually chase him right off the water...

 After that Mama settled back down on the nest to await the arrival of baby #2.  Papa stood watch and foraged for food on the little island, while the baby "colt" stayed close to mama.
Not only was the cormorant a threat, but we still haven't captured the alligators in the pond, and there are always the other predator birds around...eagles, hawks, owls...

I went around to the other side of the pond to get a closer view from a neighbor's dock (with their permission), but there was no sign of the baby. I think she may be napping under mama's wings, as it was very cold and windy today.  

This was a much better view, but it was quite a long walk and it was very cold today, so I don't know if I'll go that far again. We shall see what tomorrow is like.  (I'm writing on Thursday evening)

So, that's all of the Sand Hill Crane Family for today. But wasn't that exciting news?

Post script:  My friend Terri D. (My Friend From Florida), sent me this link to more information on why Sand Hill Crane babies are called "colts".  Thank you, Terri! http://raptoreducationgroup.blogspot.com/2009/05/young-sandhill-cranes-are-called-colts.html


BABY #2 ALERT: CLICK http://pamelasopenwindow.blogspot.com/2018/03/update-to-sand-hill-crane-story.html  FOR THE LATEST NEWS JUST IN!!

Now, on to the other pictures from the week:

This next series of pictures comes from our ride through the historic area of downtown Ocala, Florida this past week. The azaleas and majestic old oaks were so lovely around these big beautiful homes, I thought you would enjoy seeing them.

Looking through the front windshield of the car makes this one a little off color, but it was still so beautiful:

The lighting was better for this one...

So then we came back home and I took a few pictures around our yard:

This dogwood tree is actually in our neighbor's yard, but it is so lovely right now I had to take a picture

Slowly but surely the wisteria are opening up and blooming...I like the shadows on the fence

Some of the white azaleas I planted in the Secret Garden:

A squirrel's nest high up in an oak tree...the oaks are shedding their leaves right now, making the nests more visible

These two Red Bellied Woodpeckers are sitting high on top of an electric pole!  Shocking, isn't it?

And here is one of those same woodpeckers high on top of our dead holly tree in the back yard:
I love the way the morning sunlight is shining through his red head!

And now I bring you back inside the house, through the front door, and into our foyer. This is what you see when you come inside:  "Welcome to Our Neck of the Woods, Where Life is Good...Fresh Air, Star Gazing, Quiet Spaces..."

And this little chalkboard reminds us to "Rejoice!"...As this IS the day the Lord has made...
(from Psalm 118:24)

I can think of no better way to start the day, can you?  Recognizing that this day...no matter what the weather (today was cold and windy!), no matter what is happening in the world or even in our own personal lives...Rejoice!

I had the privilege and joy of taking supper to our dear friend Sharon today. Sharon is battling cancer, and today was a difficult day because the new medication they have started her on was causing some very unpleasant side effects.  This new medicine is a "targeted therapy", designed especially to attack the DNA of her particular strain of cancer.  It is a pill that she must take 2 times a day for 12 months, and then they will determine what is next.  This medication is extremely expensive, and she had to be approved for a grant to cover the cost since insurance would not cover it.  (Praise God! She was approved!!)  This is in place of further chemotherapy or radiation, and the oncologist is very hopeful that it will be beneficial for her.  So, we are praying that the unpleasant  side effects are only temporary and that as her body adapts to the new medicine the side effects will hopefully go away.

The thing I love about my friend Sharon is that no matter how she is feeling, she finds reasons to rejoice.  She is the most beautiful example of God's grace in action I've ever seen. Instead of feeling sorry for herself she is reaching out to so many, sharing her testimony and the love of God with everyone who will listen.  She sings praises to the Lord every opportunity she can...and when you come away from spending time with her, you feel as though you've been in the Presence of the Lord as well.  He IS present there, I have no doubt...and that is why I say it was a privilege and joy to take supper to her and her family today.  "Amazing Grace...how sweet the sound..."  Here is a link to Sharon's Caring Bridge journal if you would like follow her amazing story: https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/sharonwatson/journal

Well dear friends, I guess that is all for tonight.  I think I will go ahead and post this tonight because it may take two days for you to read it all!  Seriously, I just want to praise the Lord for His kindness and goodness to us this past week (and always).

God is good! All the time!  All the time! God is good! 

Amen!!

Please skip over to Deb's place at Breathing in Grace and see what our other Friday Foto Friends are posting (on Friday morning!)