| John Sloane 2020 Country Seasons calendar |
I love this Red, White, and Blue garden and country front porch with it's American Flag waving in the breeze. Love the dog too. Just noticed the red, white and blue ball in the walkway...perhaps the doggy is waiting for his friend to come back and play with him. What a good doggy.
Here is my front porch and flag, waving in the morning breeze. Just don't have the doggy.
Although a neighborhood dog did come through our yard this morning and even came up on our back deck. Not sure where it came from, but it soon moved on, after scaring the Great Blue Heron out of the pond and onto a post.
Speaking of "Still Waters Pond",
Look at this "bi-plane"...dragonfly. I spied him from a distance, and had to come and see him up close.
Isn't he neat?
I thought you'd like that. I love that he loves to eat mosquitoes, so he is welcome to stay as long as he wishes.
Back to changing the calendars, here is my TeaTime Calendar page for July.
"Crazy for Sea Shells" tea set.
With our current restrictions in place due to Covid 19, sadly there won't be much seashell gathering this 4th of July weekend. All the beaches are closed again to keep people from spreading the virus.
Very sad indeed.
Do you have any particular plans to celebrate the 4th of July this weekend? I guess we won't be doing anything extra special this year. No one wants to travel or gather due to the current uptick in the "virus". Normally we would have a big family gathering and make home made ice cream and have a BBQ. Maybe we will just buy our ice cream this year and grill our own hamburgers just for us. Ann over at Cottage by the Sea suggested that we should read the Declaration of Independence. (I am sorry I missed the weekly Tuesday 4 Meme this week. You can check it out Here. ) In light of our current nation's situation, that sounds like a very good idea. It is important to remember what this day is really all about. Sadly our younger generations have no clue what this country has been through in the past 244 years. If we don't value our freedom, we are in great danger of losing it.
As you prepare for the Independence Day celebration this weekend, I truly hope you will take time to pray for our country, for our President, and for all of our leaders. Also let us remember to pray for those who are affected by the Covid 19 virus that seems to have made a comeback in activity.
We just came from a meeting at our church, where we are preparing to reopen this coming Sunday. However we will be taking all necessary precautions of social distancing and mask wearing, no congregational singing or choir. We will partake of The Lord's Supper, but again with safe procedures in place. May the Lord be honored and exalted by all that we do.
This will be a day celebration as we welcome our new pastor, and as we also welcome our members back who have missed being together for the past four months. Although we will not be doing any hugging, our spirits will be soaring and reaching up to the heavens together as we pray and worship the Lord with one voice.
"Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine
O what a foretaste of glory divine
Heir of salvation, purchase of God
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood
Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
Perfect submission, all is at rest
I in my Savior am happy and blessed
Watching and waiting, looking above
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love
Chorus:
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long"
On another thought:
The following picture doesn't do justice to what I was seeing in person, but the sun was shining on this little lake like sparkling stars. This lovely view is actually beside our local grocery store.
Here's a better view of that old oak tree. I don't mind going to the grocery store when we can park near this lovely tree and little lake. I just had to stop and enjoy the moment and take its picture.
We need to do more of that these days...look for the beauty around us and take a moment to appreciate what God has provided.
I know this post has been kind of scrambled and jumbled. I've had lots of interruptions as I've tried to write, and keep losing my train of thought, so I hope it all makes sense somehow.
I will close with this verse, which I have claimed as a life verse because my mother shared it with me many many years ago and it has helped me many times to think before I speak. Sometimes I need an extra reminder:
"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer."
Psalm 19:14
Amen.
Have a blessed and happy 4th of July weekend!
God Bless America!
Good Afternoon! Like you, July surprised me. I have a July 4th welcome flag and am just now putting it out! Your home and flags look so nice. It does appear that the virus is still going strong, so we will stay home for the weekend. I join you in praying for our President, for our Country and for those suffering with the virus and those who have lost loved ones. What a pretty view of the tree and sparkling lake at your store. I try to remember to take my camera everywhere I go; I'm always on the lookout for an unexpected view of beauty. I wish you and yours a blessed and safe 4th.
ReplyDeletep.s. I tried the marshmallow fluff on a strawberry and it is delicious! I did not even take the time to roast the marshmallow!
DeleteI am glad to hear the strawberry/fluff dessert was good. I would think it would be messy if your tried to roast it! Yes, I also take my camera with me everywhere I go, even every time I go out into the yard for any reason. You never know when a special bird will fly in or you just see something unusual and as sure as I forget my camera, that will happen! When I go out to the mailbox to get our mail, I wear my camera. I'm sure my neighbors think I am spying on them. LOL . Thank you for visiting. Happy 4th of July!
DeleteIt is important to take notice of the beauty around us and there is still a lot of beauty to be seen.Hope you have a great July 4th, and find some way to make it extra special, even while staying safe.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ruth. Yes, there is ALWAYS something beautiful to see if we just open our eyes. That is my goal for every day, to look for the beauty around us. Praying your 4th of July is safe and special as well.
DeleteBlessed Assurance is one of my top five favorite hymns. Jesus is mine!! I found your post to be just right and not all over the place! xo
ReplyDeleteThank you, Terri, for understanding my rambling mind and writing. If you could have seen me writing today, you would have understood my statement better. I was up and down and all around. I started on this post at 6 a.m., and didn't finish until late this afternoon.So I am surprised it made any sense at all! Have a blessed 4th of July weekend!
DeleteIt is just hard for me to realize we are in July. I think staying home more has made the time go by faster. Loved all your pictures as I always do. Whatever you choose to do for the 4th, enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Linda. I hope you and your family have an extra special day! We will be celebrating quietly here at home,maybe grilling some burgers. That's good enough for me.
DeleteI so agree...we need to look for more beauty these days. That thought makes me think I need to pull out my camera! I could sure use some distractions from all that is going on! I just love your little white church. In fact, I have often thought of doing a photographic expose on country churches. We started back in person this past Sunday but we met outside on and around our breezeway. I think our pastor was so happy to be able to have actual people to preach too...he's been preaching to empty pews in order to give us our services via radio. It wasn't what I would have liked, but just being at my church and with a small part of my church family was reason for celebration and thanksgiving:)
ReplyDeleteOh yes, Cheri, I know just what you mean. We will be a small group on Sunday, but it is a start, and we are so thankful to be able to gather again. I think I will probably cry a few tears of joy. Have a blessed and wonderful 4th of July weekend!
DeleteLovely photos Pamela. I live in Canada so yesterday was our version of July 4th. I didn't see anything because it was all virtual and I couldn't find it on the channels (I must have looked at the wrong time). I love your calendar photos. They are nice and cheery. Have a beautiful, peaceful day on July 4th whatever you decide to do and stay safe. I saw on the news yesterday that the CV 19 numbers are way up in most states. I think people naively equate the lifting or restrictions with things being back to normal. God bless.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Penny. Even with all the restrictions, celebrating our freedom is something worth doing. It will certainly be different this year, but freedom still rings in my heart. Yes, things are crazy right now with the virus numbers. Praying for the health and safety of our people. Praying somehow this will start slowing down and going away soon. May God bless you as well.
DeleteHappy 4th! It is like no other one I can recall.
ReplyDeleteYou do find the beautiful hidden things all around you, Pamela. Thanks for sharing them with us!
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Yes, this 4th will be different for sure, but we still have so much to celebrate. I pray we never lose sight of what we have here in America. We are blessed so much. Some people just don't realize what we've got. Have a safe and Happy 4th.
DeleteHappy July 4...everything but the fireworks has been shut down (although no one is allowed in the park, so this should be interesting). I hope you have a beautiful Friday my friend.
ReplyDeleteCan you see the fireworks from your house? Maybe that would be better than being in a crowd anyway. We have not been to see fireworks in years. We usually see them from a distance because we don't like fighting the crowds. Either way, have a safe and happy 4th.
DeleteThe verse you shared here, Pam, is the one I took the title of my blog from: Meditations of My Heart. :) Your photos are lovely, as always, and I think I'll be reading the Declaration of Independence as I observe this holiday. Yes, this nation is in one big hot mess right now, so I will be doing lots of praying, too.
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
It will be a very quiet 4th here! I think we are all staying in. We have had a big spike in cases here and it is getting personal now as we know about 5 people who have tested positive and are all younger. Yikes.
ReplyDeleteThe hymn is in my top 5 favorite. I was just singing it yesterday. You must have read my mind!
Happy Quiet 4th.
This is the 2nd time that verse has shown up to me this week. I had a friend text it to me as she was struggling and needed prayer and told me this was the verse she was counting on to help her. I'm thinking God is reminding me to watch what I say more carefully!
ReplyDeleteLoved your thought on stopping to appreciate the small things. I agree!
Happy 4th to you and yours!!
Gee, Pam, I would have been happy with the song and the scriptures. But you added all those lovely pictures! I hung my flag this morning, too!! I do have a dog, but she isn't on the porch! She sits at the door waiting to see who's passing by so she can bark, bark, bark!!! One of my friends has invited me to sit in her front yard and watch fireworks. We will also have a meal together!! Our church has been open for weeks following all guidelines, but the governor now tells us we must wear masks inside!! I'm all for obeying the law, but having trouble with all the protests going on and nothing done about that. Happy 4th!
ReplyDeleteLovely post, Pam, even with the interruptions. I always enjoy the pictures of your church. It is so pretty, like a greeting card.
ReplyDeleteOur 4th will be quiet, too, but we're okay with that. I plan to cook pork ribs in the Instant Pot and we'll watch the fireworks on TV from Washington DC. That's been our fav for years now because the air temperature is perfect, the rest rooms are close and never crowded, and the refrigerator is just steps away!
Our 4th will be quiet as well. Hubby not feeling well and the weather is too hot to do anything away from the AC and fans. I do have to go to Hobby Lobby and order our picture frame for that Dogwood tree picture. What we thought we wanted was not going to work for us. We decided on a different color and will get it matted.
ReplyDeleteYes, surprised that it's already July, seems to be a theme, Pam. The "bi-plane" dragonfly is stunning--eats mosquitoes even better.
ReplyDeleteI have no plans for July 4; this would be true even under normal circumstances. My community did have fireworks (last night, I think) but all else was cancelled.
I'm happy that you'll be getting back to church, even with all the safety measures.
Love and blessings!