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!

Friday, November 20, 2020

Friday Foto Friends: The Robins and Cedar Waxwings Have Landed!

This morning I was lamenting the fact that I did not have any new photos to share on my Friday Foto Friends blog post.  And I knew we couldn't take a ride anywhere because we are still waiting for the septic tank pumper people to arrive and clean out the tank so we can be restored to some kind of normalcy around here (without going into the nitty gritty dirty details of what it is like to live w/o being able to use the "facilities" for three days, or run water for showers, laundry, or dishes because it also must go into the same tank and every ounce of water that goes in could possibly be the drop that would cause a major back up that would be very unpleasant indeed), so anyway, I know you don't want pictures of all of that mess, so what to do, what to do?

Well, I stepped out on the back porch to drink my morning glass of "Metamucil", which is my daily habit. I enjoy having a "drink" on the porch and watch whatever activity might be happening in the early morning out on Still Waters Pond and thereabouts.  It's a relaxing way to start the morning...
And then I noticed there was a lot of bird activity around the holly tree that has been so loaded with berries, just waiting for this particular moment in time...to feed the robins and other birds on their migration southward for the winter...

Well, I was snapping away with my regular camera and enjoying the wonderful pictures I was getting of the very active robins devouring every holly berry in sight as fast as they could. And I also took a couple of short videos on my cell phone, which can be seen on my Facebook page if you are interested in hearing the birds singing (if you can drown out the traffic noise in the background).
I was so proud of myself for getting such wonderful pictures. And then I came inside and sat down at the computer to upload the pictures for editing, etc., when I realized that my camera's memory card was not even in the camera! It was still in the computer from the last pictures I uploaded and I never put it back into the camera! Therefore, all of those wonderful pictures I had just taken were not even there! I cried a quick "Oh No!", and put the memory card back in my camera and ran back outside, all the while praying the robins were still there so that all would not be lost.

Well, God had a little surprise for me. Not only were the Robins still there gobbling away at the berries, (and it had also started to rain softly, but that didn't seem to deter them),





But I noticed something a bit different...an unusual looking bird flying in and out among the branches with the Robins:


A Cedar Waxwing!! Wow! Now I was excited! I have very rarely ever seen a Cedar Waxwing before, and so this was a wonderful treat!!


And as I stood there watching this beautiful bird enjoying the holly berries, I couldn't help but thank the Lord for this added blessing today. And then I realized, if I had not made the mistake of forgetting to put the memory card back in my camera and had only gotten those first pictures of just the robins, I would most likely have missed this opportunity to see the Cedar Waxwings as well. I would have been content with the "ordinary robins", even though they are also special and fun to watch on their annual flight south in the late fall and then back north again in the spring, and I might have missed out on the extra special blessing of seeing birds that are much more rare and interesting!


And I might have missed this great photo of this robin with a berry in his mouth:


Or seeing the lovely yellow fringe of feathers on the tail of the Cedar Waxwing:
(can you find it?)



And there he is also getting a berry in his mouth:


So very interesting with his black hooded eyes, yellow belly, yellow tips on the tail feathers, and I also see a red tip on the wing feather. Such unique coloring!


However, I still love this flock of Robins and all their flurry of activity. I am thankful the Lord provided so many berries for them this year.  Apparently there are a lot of them coming, and perhaps they are escaping an early or very cold winter up north.  We didn't have hardly any holly berries last year, so this is indeed a treat!


Lesson to be learned from this story? 
Sometimes God uses our "mistakes" to actually give us another opportunity for being blessed. Don't ever think that you've totally blown it in life when you mess things up. God is able to take our "mess ups" and create something beautiful for us, when we allow Him to work and not give up hope. And oftentimes, the added blessing is even better than the "ordinary" thing that we would have been content with, but perhaps not the rich fulfillment that God had intended for us.

Isaiah 40:31 NIV 

31 "But those who hope in the Lord 
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; 
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint"


29 comments:

  1. Such gorgeous photos. My mom had a pyracantha bush loaded with berries one autumn and what seemed like hundreds of cedar wax wings descended upon it. It was a rare and exciting sight. I hope the work on your septic goes smoothly today. Many times in my life, a delay or what I thought was a mistake was indeed Gods perfect timing, blessings to you this weekend.

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    1. Thank you, Mildred. We are still waiting for the septic people to arrive at 3:16 pm. Getting a bit anxious. I've enjoyed watching the birds today. They have been quite active all day eating those berries. Makes me wonder how many berries they can eat in a day! LOL. Not sure where they are putting them all! They are fun to watch. Helps me not think about how much I need a shower. LOL.

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  2. You really got some great ones and I love being able to see the rain in the shots, makes them even prettier and all the more special! Now today you can be thankful for toilets too lol :)

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    1. Thank you, Martha. I am thankful for toilets, and would love to use one when and if those people ever get here. We are getting a bit impatient as it is 3:18 pm and they still aren't here. So I watch the birds and that keeps my mind off of it for a while. They have been very entertaining!

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  3. Such a great Life Lesson! These photos are wonderful, Pam -- like the covers of pricey note cards. Blessings!

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    1. I've had several people mention these would make good Christmas cards...I just ordered some ink for my printer, but that would take a lot of ink and it is so expensive. I may need to figure this out because I would love to make my own cards. Thank you for the encouragement.

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  4. Oh, wow, Pam, you've outdone yourself with these photos! And I love the lesson learned here, too. Sometimes our mistakes prepare us for something better God has to offer us. He sure did exactly that with the appearance of that gorgeous Cedar Wax Wing!
    Blessings!

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    1. Thank you, Martha. I truly learned that lesson today, but still I will try to always remember to put my memory card back in my camera when finished uploading pictures! That was almost a "tragedy"...but God brought something beautiful out of the near disaster! He's pretty good at that, don't you think? Have a blessed day my friend.

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  5. Strikingly clear and colorful photos, Pam! You even got the rain! Those holly berries are especially pretty.

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    1. Thank you, Barbara. That was totally a God-thing. He provided the perfect lighting, the rain in the background, and the vibrant colors...and then those beautiful birds! All I did was click and click and click, and thank the Lord for giving me a 2nd chance!! So thankful for those 2nd chances in life! God is so good!! (((hugs))) to you tonight.

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  6. AMen and amen. Yes, God uses our fumbles to create even better and greater joys for us. Beautiful pictures.. Watching birds is so much fun.

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    1. I knew you would appreciate this today. Thank you! I hope you are doing okay amidst the latest restrictions up there. Are you still able to take rides and take some pictures out in the country? I hope so. Please take care and stay well my friend.

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  7. This is such a wonderful post and a great lesson that you pulled together. I LOVED looking at the robins and especially the cedar waxwing. The berries are just waiting for them. Nature is so fascinating and always points me to the Lord.

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    1. Thank you, Sandy. Yes, I love it when GOD puts the pictures and the story together. He is the orchestrator of all that is good and right for us to enjoy and learn. Very thankful indeed. Praying for your family right now. Stay healthy!

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  8. I so needed to see this, thank you. Hope you have a beautiful Saturday my friend.

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    1. Thank you, Linda. I am glad you enjoyed it. A little breath of "fresh air" from me to you! I hope you have a blessed and beautiful Saturday as well.

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  9. You got some great pictures. The rain shots are so pretty. God sends us what we need at the right time. I added you to my reads. I tried before and Blogger would not let me. Enjoy your weekend.

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    1. Oh, thank you, Susan. I have been thrilled with the blessings of what the Lord has sent...at just the right time! And I am happy to have you here reading. Not sure why it wouldn't work before, but glad it is working now. I know I have had some glitches in adding people and thinking they were added and then find out they weren't. Some times it is just trial and error until we figure things out! Welcome!

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  10. What a beautiful analogy! And I have found it to be true in my own life. Your pictures are marvelous, calendar-worthy every single one! (Yup, I figured out "the problem.")

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    1. Oh, Vee, so happy that you figured out the "problem" and that things are better now!! I always love to see you here and also at your "place". Thank you for your kind words about the pictures. God certainly blessed us all with those pictures that almost didn't happen! So thankful He got my attention in time to fix that problem!! Have a blessed and wonderful weekend and Thanksgiving.

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  11. Your moral makes me think of that funny saying I posted on Facebook yesterday, "When God put a calling on you, He already figured in your stupidity." Isn't it great that He knows we're going to mess up and make mistakes and uses us anyway? Enjoy the robins. They will be back here probably in February. Maybe sooner if it isn't a particularly bad winter. The cedar waxwings are so pretty! We probably have them, but I don't see them where we live.

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    1. Yes, God knows all about our frailties and propensity to do stupid things, and yet He still chooses to work through us and use us for His honor and glory. Sometimes it is that human frailty that makes us even more usable because it causes us to be more humble. The robins and waxwings will probably move on further south once they fill up on all the berries here. I can't imagine how they are eating so many in such a short time, but they are doing it. I expect that tree is going to be bare in a few more days! Amazing!

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  12. Pam, the photos you captured are stunning. God's creation never ceases to amaze me. God blesses us at times we think we've messed up. Thank you for the reminder that God can and does use our mistakes.

    Love and blessings!

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    1. Thank you, Kim. Yes, I am so glad that God doesn't give up on us when we make mistakes and are slow to learn. He knows us and knows how to take our humanness and use it for His honor and glory. So thankful for that!!

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  13. Beautiful, beautiful pictures! And one of my favorite pieces of scripture...
    I do hope your septic tank issues have been resolved. Those type of problems sure make us appreciate how much we take for granted! (A hard lesson we've been learning with this pandemic, I guess.)
    Blessings, Linda

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    1. Thank you, Linda. Yes, our septic tank was fixed yesterday afternoon. We were very thankful to get that back to normal. Amazing how something like that can really throw you out of whack...but God is good and He saw us through. Some people have to live w/o those luxuries all the time...as did most of our grandparents and possibly parents for the first part of their lives. Yes, we do take a lot for granted, but so thankful when God helps us to appreciate what we have and then allows us to continue to have them. Anyway, thank you for visiting. And yes, a shower sure felt good last night! LOL.

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  14. By now, I'm sure that your daily activities & septic tank woes are all mended. But, think about it, if not going outside early to drink, you would have missed all the morning feeding ritual of the waxwings & robins. (Yet, thinking about it all some more, even the beauty of the berries in the rain would've been just as rewarding)

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    1. Thank you, Anni. Yes, our "woes" are mended. The septic tank was finally fixed on Friday afternoon. It was so wonderful to take a shower and do all the necessary things in a normal fashion! So very grateful for the blessing of "indoor plumbing". Our grandparents and even our parents may not have had such luxuries in their early years, and yet they became strong and talented people, full of interesting stories from the past but great appreciation for their blessings. And yes, I am SO glad I stepped outside to drink my morning "dose" of metamucil. I would have missed a wonderful display of beauty. The birds do continue each day to peck away at all the berries. I expect the trees will be bare by Thanksgiving! Amazing appetites!

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  15. Pam, WOW!!--what pretty pictures! Love all those bright red berries, so vibrant, so "Christmasy". They always remind me of Christmas. And THEEEEEEEEEEN.....that cedar waxwing IN THE RAIN.......oh my goodness, one of the prettiest things I've ever seen, just love it. so glad you were out there in the right place at the right time, for sure!!---so you could share it with us. Well, I hope y'all had a nice weekend and your "facilities" are fixed and back up and running by now, I hope, I hope!? and here we start another brand new week. The time is going so fast in these days.... Hugs, my friend!

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