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, April 9, 2021

Friday Foto Friends

Good Friday Morning, Friends!
I hope you are having a wonderful post-Easter week.

When I think of the week following Easter morning, I always think about the story of the men on the Road to Emmaus.
But here are the first few verses to set the stage for the story:

"13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him."

I love this picture of Jesus walking with the two men...and also I love this cut glass "rock" with the cross in the center. I think of that as the empty tomb, and the cross in the distance, to remind us of what Jesus did for us on Calvary...and how He is no longer in that tomb...and as He walked with the men on the road to Emmaus, they did not recognize Him until later when He gave thanks and broke the bread with them at suppertime, and then He vanished out of their sight. It makes me wonder just how often Jesus has come very near to us in this life, and we were too burdened down with our grief or cares of this world and we did not recognize Him until after He blessed us and then "vanished" from our sight...and in hindsight we realize we had actually been in the Presence of the Lord and did not know it...just something to ponder on this Friday morning after Easter.

But now on to my pictures for the week.  I really didn't have a lot except for what "Lily Grace" shared with you so excitedly last night.  But  here are a few other highlights from our week. Nothing quite as exciting as that was...

I am sure you recognize this picture from my header above. You may even be tired of seeing that same picture there every day. I don't change my header often because I feel like it is a kind of identity photo for the theme of my blog, and sitting there looking out at Still Waters Pond is such a joy and blessing to me that I want to share it with you as well.
Well, anyway, why am I showing you this picture again when it is already up there, you may ask?


Well, because those chairs are what I wanted to show you.  You can't really tell it from the picture above, but the Adirondack chairs, which I brought with us from our former home, were becoming very faded and dried out and needed a new coat of stain to preserve them. I've had the paint for a while, but was just waiting for the right weather and time to embark on such a venture.

I had some lovely "before and during and after" pictures to share with you, but somehow when I was transferring my pictures from my phone to the computer, I accidentally deleted them. My hubby had so graciously taken pictures of me with my stained paint shirt on, holding my paintbrush, and working so hard on these chairs, and I wanted you to see me hard at work so you don't think I just sit around lounging in these chairs all day looking at the pond (even though I would Love to do just that). But they are gone into never never land never to be recalled...so all we have are these pictures of the chairs almost completely done.


I still have to finish staining the bottoms so they will be completely covered and preserved...


But I am so sore from all the stooping and bending and moving that I had to give myself a couple of days to recuperate before I tackled the final finishing touches. Maybe today...


Meanwhile, I've been enjoyed watching "Father Goose", and sometimes "Mother Goose" as they come and dine in our yard on the birdseeds that fall to the ground under the birdfeeder.

But mostly "Mother Goose" sits on her nest over on the island. I don't know if she really has any eggs yet or not, as from what I read, they never leave the nest once they start incubating the eggs...but she does come over to the shore at least once a day for a seed snack, while Father Goose stands by on guard.

Last night I went outside to take those pictures of the chairs so I would have something to share with you today, and I didn't even notice Father Goose right there in front of me.  He actually lowered his head and started to hiss at me as I was a bit too close, but then I very carefully, all the while talking softly to him, went over to the bird feeder and shook a few more seeds out on the ground for him.  He backed away for a minute until I was gone, all the while with his head lowered and sticking out his tongue at me...and I hurried away before he decided to attack...but he just went right to the seeds as soon as I was past and seemed very grateful for the treat. He didn't even look up when I came back by on my way back in the house. Whew! That was a close one!


This funny Father Goose was standing across the street from our house when we came home from the store yesterday...not sure why he was over there, but as soon as we got home he flew right over my head as I was going into the house and flew over the house and landed back in the pond.

This is where he likes to spend much of the day...right there along our shore, nibbling at grasses and coming up on shore to eat the seeds.  I do hope "Mother Goose" is going to surprise us with some babies this time!


Okay, now here's something you don't see every day...a lizard who is shedding his skin:

Yes, that is what they thin white stuff is around his neck. At first I thought he had some kind of paper or plastic stuck on him, but then I realized he was just shedding, as all reptiles do!


I had some really cool pictures of a big tree frog, who I accidentally put my hand on when I was opening up the umbrella on our front porch one morning. 



He was sleeping up under the umbrella and when I reached in to crank it open, I put my hand right on him. I screamed and he jumped, and then when I recovered my wits enough I got my camera and took some great photos of him as he was stuck on the wall of the house recovering from his shock...but those pictures were also with the ones I accidentally deleted.  And they were so good!

So I just went outside now to take those pictures of the umbrella above so you would know what I was talking about, and decided to end this post with a picture of the sun rising in the east and our American Flag flying on the front of the house as it does every day, weather permitting.

I hope and pray that you and yours will have a blessed and wonderful weekend.
And don't forget to watch for those possible encounters with Jesus as you 
"walk on the road to Emmaus" in your daily living. You may be surprised to find that He is walking with you when you least expect Him.













 

26 comments:

  1. The geese are so beautiful and looks like your pond has pretty lily pads and you'll have some blooms before you know it! The chairs look great! I know you'll love having them like new and protected with new paint. Enjoy your day! Take it easy! Hugs

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    1. Yes, I am starting to see the lily blossoms opening up each day. I'd like to take the kayak out, but not until the geese leave. If she is sitting on eggs I might get attacked by Father Goose if I go out there in the pond. So I will just wait. The lilies will bloom all summer. Thank you regarding the chairs. I kind of wished I'd painted them a bright color, but I couldn't decide, so I just left them boring brown. At least they will be protected. And I can put a bright cushion on them to give them some color. I hope you enjoy your day too. I need to go see if I've missed any of your hikes!

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  2. Great job on the chairs Pam! I do hope Mother Goose will surprise you with some babies soon. Sorry about the photos getting accidently deleted. I think I may have had a heart attack if I put my hand on a big frog lol! Have a great day. :)

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    1. I almost did have a heart attack...and I think the frog did too! LOL. He sat on the side of the house with his heart just a beating after that event...long enough for me to take lots of pictures of his big bulging eyes...but then I went and lost them. That made me so mad at myself! I've been watching out for him again ever since, but I think he was more scared than me. LOL>

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  3. The lawn furniture looks nice. The yard is lookin' good. Geese are noisy and can make an area terribly messy (so I'm told) but I do like lookin' at the them. They fly overhead here all the time.
    By the way, our female Hummers are here! And so are the female Purple Martins. It's nesting time. I'm lookin' forward to when the Great-crested Flycatchers are on site. They sing all day very similar to the Purple Martins. It's one of the best parts of Summer.
    Hope your day is blessed. xx

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    1. I bet we have hummers here too, but I've been too lazy/busy to put out the feeders. Not sure I want to have to keep changing them all summer long. But then again, I do enjoy watching them... We don't get Purple Martins here that I know of. I guess you have to have the right boxes for them. We do get the Great-Crested Flycatchers. Yes, I like them and the Phoebes who catch bugs all day. Yes, geese can make the yard messy with their "droppings". I've been on the alert for that when I go out, but since we just have this one couple it hasn't been a problem. I hope you have a great weekend. Blessings to you and hubby.

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  4. You're the goose whisperer! (*smile*)
    Seriously, everytime I try and capture pictures of the birds and squirrels I think of you ... and say to myself, "Not today."
    Too funny about the frog. But I'd have done the same thing!

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    1. LOL...the goose whisperer! Funny. I would have been the goose screamer if he had decided to charge after me!! LOL. And I think I scared the doodle out of that frog too. I haven't seen him since.

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  5. The walk to Emmaus story is one of my favorites in the New Testament, Pamela. Thanks for reminding us to open our eyes to see Jesus in the everyday and the mundane. He is there! And of course, I loved your photos. Those chairs are really looking great!
    Blessings!

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    1. Thank you Martha. Yes, that is one of my favorites as well. I try to put myself in their place and wonder if I would have recognized Jesus or not. Probably not, because I doubt that I recognize Him here an now, even though I am sure He is present in so many ways. There's a song we are going to sing in the choir in a couple of weeks called, "Have You Seen Jesus My Lord?" We recorded it to put on the website for the Sunday after next, so I will be sure to share it. I love it. Thank you regarding the chairs. I hope to get them finished this weekend. I was just too sore today to go back out there. I am terribly out of shape it seems! LOL. Been sitting in too many chairs all this past year.

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  6. The geese are fun to watch I am sure. I know what you mean about being tired from bending and stooping. Nothing can make me sorer than the act of bending like doing squats. I can't imagine how a baseball catcher survives that position. Love the idea of thinking about the road to Emmaus and Him being along side of us and being too fretful and busy to notice. Good reminder.

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    1. Thank you, Sandy. Oh, I know I couldn't be a baseball catcher. But they are in good condition, and I KNOW I'm not! I've been really sore today, so I couldn't finish the chairs today...maybe tomorrow. Yes, I love that story of the Road to Emmaus, and I've often thought about it and would I have known it was Jesus...makes me really take a look around and notice all the places He might be today...

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  7. You did a nice job on the chairs. They look so pretty. That is a back breaking and messy job. I love the photos of your geese. You have so much wildlife to watch the at your pond. I was blessed to see a male cardinal outside my kitchen window yesterday. I wish you a blessed day.

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    1. thank you, Mildred. It was a bit back breaking and I am feeling it today, but I will get over it. I'm just in sad shape apparently. Oh, I am happy you saw a Cardinal. That is a blessing!! Even without a lot of trees the pretty birds will find you. You should put out a bird feeder and bird bath and you will have lots of birds. I do hope you will enjoy your new home.

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    2. A lot of people say that soaking in a bath with Epsom salts helps take away the soreness.
      We have a mossy bird nest built on top of a flood light bulb in the carport ceiling!!! I think it is a Junco. Feel better soon.

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  8. Very cool photos of the goose! I love the chairs!! Too bad we can't see the frog that made you scream! Perhaps he will stick around (no pun intended) and you can photograph him for us another time! Have a good weekend! xo

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    1. Thank you, Terri. The frog has not shown up again since that day...I think I scared him more than he scared me! LOL. I keep watching for him and I hit on the side of the umbrella before I open it now to give him warning to get out before I put my hand inside. That was not a pleasant moment. LOL. HOpe you have a good weekend too.

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  9. Thanks for your visits to my blog. Those chairs look like new, now that you have refinished them. I do hope the goose family stays around to enter you this summer.

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    1. Thank you, Ruth. I'm trying to keep up with blogs, but I am still a bit behind. I really find that I can't keep up with everyone every day, but I always love to see your pictures. You enjoy the same things I do, just in a different part of the world! I hope the goose family stays too. Right now Mr. Goose is standing in the yard by himself. He's been out there almost all day. Once in a while he takes a swim, but then comes back here. He is lonely since his "wife" is staying on the nest most of the time. I do hope there will be babies!! That will be fun to watch and take pictures to share!!

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  10. Pamela, you can rig your phone to IMMEDIATELY upload your photos to "the cloud" and it's free with Google, a Google Photos account, and if you have Amazon Prime, it is free there, too. It has saved the day for me many a time. You have a blogspot blog, so you are already ready to have the Google Photos account! I don't like all the tech that practically spies on us but at least it's useful this time. I love the chairs! Now they will last and last. Thank you for the Goose Update! I am loving following them vicariously! And most of all, thank you for bringing the story of the Road to Emmaus to my mind.

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    1. Thank you, Holly, for the tip about the "cloud". I did have that on my phone, but I decided I really didn't want to use it because of privacy issues as well as it kept telling me I had too many items in the cloud or something like that. So I normally just upload my pictures to my computer for editing and then I can use them in my blog or facebook or wherever. Then I delete them from the phone so I don't have so many on there all the time. This time I was transferring new pictures and thought I had seen them all and set it to delete all imported pictures and then realized too late there was another row of pictures below that I had not included. Thankfully they weren't of anything that important...just me looking very haggard covered in paint and working hard on those chairs, and a very startled frog who had just been abruptly awakened from his sleep by a crazy woman putting her hand on him when she couldn't see him under the closed umbrella. Probably a picture of my face at that moment would have been priceless as well. LOL. But thank you for the information. I just need to be more careful and not so rushed when I do things. I am glad you are enjoying the goose story. I just hope they will surprise me with goslings swimming across the pond to my shore one of these mornings. And yes, isn't that story of the Road to Emmaus one of the best Easter stories? I love reading that one and try to imagine how I would have done in those men's place...would I have recognized Jesus as He walked with me? I hope so... Have a blessed day my friend.

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  11. I am so happy for your son and Rose....truly I am. Hey, umm...tell the geese to come home now, its ok there is no more snow. LOLOL

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    1. Thank you, Linda. I will tell the geese they are free to go AFTER they have their babies, which I am still hopeful that all this sitting on the nest stuff is going to result in some goslings this time!! I don't think they will be ready to fly "home" anytime soon if that is the case. We might get to keep them all summer!!

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  12. Pam: I enjoyed your pictures of the geeese. We have some that live at our nearby city park. We have others that live on a lake at an apartment complex across the road from our church. They can be a problem though. But they are pretty. Peace and blessings to you. A friend of mine could comiserate with you about soreness. She is redoing her kitchen. She said if it needs to be done again, she will hire it done.

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    1. Hi Cecelia. I am glad you enjoyed the pictures of the geese. We are enjoying watching this couple, and are hoping they will bless us with some little goslings one of these days. I don't know for sure, but the female seems to be spending a lot of time on the "nest", so I am hoping that is what is happening. It will be fun to watch. Yes, I understand what your friend is saying. Renovations of any kind are not only time consuming and expensive, but physically demanding. Hopefully she will be happy with the results, and that will make it all worthwhile. Yes, I am at an age where it is better to hire it done. Peace and blessings to you as well. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

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  13. We took our grands to a large park a couple of weeks ago and there were a lot of geese. I read that they the pair mate for life. I love your pond. I could sit in one of your chairs with a cushion and just enjoy the site. Happy Sunday!

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