What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?

What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?
Remember: "When God closes a door, He always opens a window!" You never know what might be out there waiting for you!

Saturday, September 12, 2020

A Day of Blessing


Here's my day so far.

Went for a walk in our normal walking place this morning, except I took a detour through the woods on the "road less traveled".  This was a shady and peaceful route that suited my spirit just fine.
After the emotion gripping last few days: funeral of a friend, concerns for a friend's grandson in serious condition, (and I don't have any current updates on Jimmy's condition yet) the remembrance of 9-11 all day yesterday, I needed to find a place of peace and calm.

I often have to stop and dawdle a bit and take pictures of bugs on wildflowers and such...


Back at our house on Still Waters Pond was Mr. Great Blue Heron, taking a break from fishing while he sat on a branch up in the tree overlooking the pond and did some preening...


He is ever watchful for any activity that might indicate there is something out there for his breakfast...


He is interesting to watch.


So is this Giant walking stick, who stayed on the porch table all day long yesterday. He never budged an inch. I thought maybe he was dead, but when I got close I saw him twitch a little, so I left him alone. These things have been known to spit in your eye or do other unkind things. This morning he was gone, and just left a few little "presents" on the table for me to clean up after him. Frankly, I'd like to teach him a few manners! He wasn't a very good porch guest! 


Back inside the house...sometimes you just have to do something nice for yourself. Actually, we were planning to have some guests for supper the other night, and when I went to the store to pick up some groceries I spied these fresh flowers and decided we needed them for our table. (And I needed them to bring back some joy).


I especially loved this yellow mum:



And this hot pink carnation:

And we had a wonderful time with our friends...after a fun supper of Beef Burritos and Chicken Enchiladas, we played "Phase 10", a fun card game. It was a great way to relax and laugh again. 
(Sorry, I forgot to take any pictures. We were too busy eating and having fun).

Also, on the way home from the funeral the other day we stopped in our former town where we just moved from last year to meet with a lady that we know who makes wonderful goat's milk soaps. I had called her ahead of time and placed an order because I like to stock up on this when I can:


Lavender is my favorite "flavor", oh, I mean fragrance...

That purple bar has lasted such a long time...


Her new bars don't look exactly like that, but they are still the same ingredients.
It's just one of those little things I do for myself because I love the smell so much and it is also very nice soap.


I just took a little walkabout the yard a few minutes ago so I could show you what's going on out there.
Our "corn crop" is coming along very nicely! LOL.  Maybe we can create our own corn maze out there! Ha Ha. That bird seed is rather corny.  I was hoping for sunflowers!


Moving along to the "Secret Garden" area...


There's some sunflowers, and our "pumpkin patch". 
The wind was blowing so hard I had a difficult time getting a picture of this flag.


The Holly Berries are ripening more and more every day.
These trees are absolutely loaded! Should bring in lots of birds this winter!


Moving around to the front yard, the pots of mums are blooming...


I guess they must think it is fall too!


There's another "pumpkin patch"...


The sun was so bright and the wind was blowing so hard while I was outside trying to take those pictures I had to come back inside and cool off.

As soon as I sat down at the computer to add the pictures, I looked out the window in my "room with a view", and saw that it was now pouring down rain!  There is a tropical storm out there near the southern coast of Florida, and I guess that is affecting our weather today. We've been having these little pop up showers off and on all day long.  Just so long as it doesn't develop into anything stronger than that I will be quite pleased.


So that's the report on my day (or actually the last couple of days). 
How's things where you are?

Here's a few words of blessing and praise from 
Psalms 115: 12-18

12.  "The Lord has been mindful of us;
He will bless us;
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron.
13.  He will bless those who fear the Lord,
Both small and great.
14.  May the Lord give you increase more and more,
You and your children.
15.  May you be blessed by the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
16.  The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's'
But the earth He has given to the children of men.
17.  The dead do not praise the Lord,
nor any who go down into silence.
18.  But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.
Praise the Lord!"

I hope that you are relaxing on this Saturday afternoon and looking forward to a day of worship tomorrow, in whatever way you are able...online or in person...either way is a wonderful way to be refreshed in spirit for the week ahead.
Blessings everyone!

16 comments:

  1. I feel refreshed by walking with you on the less travelled path. Also a good rain shower sounds refreshing.

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    1. Thank you, it was refreshing, wasn't it? I think we needed some refreshing "rain" down on our spirits as well as our ground! Praying for the western part of the country, who really needs some refreshing rains to put out those horrible fires.

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  2. Looks like a beautiful place to walk! Glad you got yourself some pretty flowers and nice soaps too. The secret garden is looking great! I sure hope your friend's grandson is improving, sending prayers. Enjoy the rest of the weekend Pamela :)

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    1. Thank you Martha. Yes, I enjoy our walking place. It is very quiet and private, no cars, houses, or people to bother us. Just a nice place to enjoy nature and some fresh air and exercise. We try to go twice a day, weather permitting. Thank you for praying for Jimmy. I haven't heard anything yet, but I am sure his grandmother will let me know when anything changes and I will let us all know. Thank you for popping in for a visit. Hope your Sunday is blessed.

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  3. Pam, those blue heron photos are frame-worthy!! I really enjoy your nature photos and all the fun things you find on your walks and in your own beautiful yard! Have a blessed Sunday, dear friend!

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    1. Thank you, Terri. I enjoy watching the birds here on the pond. I do miss seeing our deer and bears that we had at our last home, but this is calming and peaceful and I don't have to worry about the bears breaking in looking for snacks. LOL. Now if the weather would just cool down enough to sit out on the porch more often, I would be a very happy "camper". LOL. Have a blessed Sunday.

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  4. Love tbe rainy view from your window (there's something about rain that calms me.) And your flowers centerpiece is beautiful. And love your shaded walk. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

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    1. Thank you, Anni. I love hearing the rain on the tin roof of our porch. It is very calming to me too, as long as there isn't a lot of thunder and lightning! Yesterday was just intermittent showers and then the sun would come out for a while, and then it would rain again...I could tell a tropical system was at work. Praying it doesn't develop into anything else. I hope you have a blessed weekend too. Thank you for visiting.

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  5. I love the very first picture of the quiet place to settle your spirit after quite a week. I understand the feelings when you've gone to a funeral/memorial service. Even when we know the deceased person is with the Lord, there is still the fact of getting used to that person's absence in the here-and-now.

    All your pictures are really nice. That bright yellow mum is a cheery sight, especially.

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. Most of us have been where you are but we can't always express it as beautifully as you do.

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    1. Thank you, Barbara. Yes, the funeral was a bit emotional. I do believe our friend knew the Lord, but I am not too sure about his family, and they really didn't have a message of hope or comfort or even of conviction for those remaining. I told my husband that I wished he could have stood up and at least shared some scriptures, because the only thing we did do was say the Lord's Prayer very hurriedly and the man leading didn't even say the whole prayer. I don't think he was a minister. And his family was very emotional. So it was a little bit unnerving. We did have a wonderful visit with our classmate friends afterwards, which was a good way to honor our friend's life. We vowed to get together more often rather than only for our friends' funerals. We'll see if that happens, but our intentions are good. Thank you for your kind thoughts. I hope you have a blessed and beautiful Sunday today. I will be staying home as I seem to have a little bit of an allergy or cold, stuffy/runny nose, and I don't think anyone wants me around like this...So I will be staying home and watching church online today. Glad we still have that option!

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  6. Hi there Pam! (is that ok or do you prefer Pamela??) Well, "snapdragon peppers" they are, LOL!! Those seeds just happened to be laying beside them. I washed and cut up one of the peppers tonight......Mr. Front Porch was the "guinea pig" and tried them.....they are NOT HOT AT ALL!! So he put them in his salad. I love red bell peppers---that is what we THOUGHT we planted anyway. LOL!! I love your post today. That swirly soap is so so pretty!!--love it. I switched over to liquid soaps years ago. So how do you keep your bar soap all nice and pretty??---ours always sat in water and got gunky and icky. Tips?? Love your pretty view out your "window on the world". Whats the story on the corn??--did it just sprout up?? I want to grow some next year, a small patch of it,for fun mostly. I loved your 911 post, it was spot on. Glad y'all got a fun evening with good food and fun games and visiting!!---sounds fun!My condolences on the loss of your friend. Hard attending funerals. Any news yet on Jimmy?--I am hoping they get a miracle. I love the pretty flowers you put on your table. So bright and festive! I decorated for All last weekend, it did brighten and cozy up the house for sure. Our mums are blooming too. I love the picture of the big mum you put on here, so pretty.Hope you have a blessed Sunday my new friend. PS--I just re-read and it looks like maybe the birdseed sprouted the corn??? We have sunflowers come up underneath our feeders......I was so happy---but they died off quickly, didn't last.

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    1. Yes, you may call me Pam...that's what everyone who knows me calls me. "Pamela" is the name my mother called me when I was in trouble...Pamela Anne..., but it is also my "alter ego" name. I think of Pamela as a lovely English maiden with her beautiful long gowns and gorgeous upswept auburn tresses, having exquisite tea parties in her lush rose-filled garden with her equally lovely friends...something out of a delightful old fashioned romance novel from the 1800's. LOL. Anyway, back to reality...let's see, the corn, yes, it sprouted up from the bird seed. I doubt there will be any real corn, but it is fun to see it growing. We should mow it down, but I got a kick out of my little corn maze idea. The soap: one of the benefits of this kind of homemade soap is that it doesn't get all gunky and icky. And it has essential oils along with the creamy goodness of goat's milk. I use it for my face and body. I use the pump liquid soaps just to wash hands. I am glad your "snapdragon peppers" are not too hot and will be edible for Mr. and Mrs. Front Porch to enjoy in their salads! I think I would write the seed company and let them know what happened, however. What if they were some kind of bad seed that caused you harm? They should send you a batch of new seeds for next year's garden free! Still no update on Jimmy. We'll just keep praying. I know my friend will let me know when anything significant happens, and I will pass it on when it does. Thank you for your nice long comment. I feel like we sat down and chatted in person. How delightful! Please do come again!

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  7. I just love fresh cut flowers and the yellow mom and deep pink carnation are gorgeous. I'm sure you are really enjoying them. I would have enjoyed the walk through the forest in your first photo as there is nothing I like better than feeling the earth springing under my feet while I walk along shaded paths in the forest. I hope your guests and conversation and your meditative walk have lifted your spirits. Blessings and hugs. xx

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    1. Thank you, Penny! We must be up at the same time this morning! Good morning! Thank you for coming along on my little walk in the woods. I did enjoy it...it just wasn't long enough! But yes, it was a wonderful, peaceful way to start my day yesterday. This morning it is pouring down rain right now as I type, so no walks today. Plus I seem to have an allergy or cold working on me, so I won't be going anywhere. Church will have to be online for me today. Thankful to have that option. Hope you have a blessed Sunday today. Thank you for visiting.

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  8. Such a peaceful and refreshing retreat you took us on here, Pamela. Thank you for cheering my heart and soul today!
    Blessings!

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  9. Pam, this is such a refreshing post in a time of challenges and a constant changing cycle of information. Stepping away and out of the chaos is good for our entire beings.

    Love and blessings!

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Thank you for visiting here today. I would love for you to sign my guestbook and let me know you stopped by. I always enjoy reading your comments and words of encouragement! May you be blessed as you go on your way. Please come back and visit again soon.