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!

Monday, May 2, 2022

Monday Monday-May Already?

Wow! Here it is the Merry Month of May already! How can that be? I think we are all kind of reeling over how quickly time seems to be passing by...especially the older we get...
As I changed the pages on my calendars I thought this would be a good place to start out on this Monday morning:

I love these John Sloane calendar pictures that he paints.  This is my Country Seasons calendar, and every month is a new delight. Wouldn't you just love to be sitting there on that beautiful front porch, surrounded by spring flowers and such a lovely view?  And that bicycle is just sitting there tempting us to come go for a ride.  I haven't been on a bike in many many many years, and I fear what might happen if I tried...I never was very good at it. Even though they say once you've learned to ride a bike it will always come back to you... I mostly remember falling off my bike in the middle of a busy road when I was 12 and skinning my knee and ripping my slacks, and turning around just in time to see a big semi truck barreling down the road toward me.  Only God could have given me the supernatural strength at that moment to pick up my bike from the pavement and throw it into the grass and jump out of the way just in time...yeah...I think that's the last time I remember riding a bike...But still, the simple joy of a delightful spring morning, riding along a country road where there are NO trucks, might be very pleasant.  Still, this old body is a bit out of shape and I can only imagine how I'd feel later...


So moving right along to the next calendar...this one is in our bathroom, where we keep all of our upcoming Dr. appointments and other important events written down so we will see it first thing in the morning.  
Don't you just love Thomas Kinkade artwork? This lovely garden roadway is very inviting. And I love that verse in Proverbs, don't you? How many of us are claiming that still for our grown children? As I was saying to a dear friend just yesterday after our Sunday School class...she was sharing with me some concerns about her adult son and whether or not he will make it to heaven...Here's the verse...that part has been done...and the son, when he was quite young, made a commitment to Christ and was baptized. So even though he may not be living like it right now...we have this promise from God. I told her to claim it by faith and just keep praying for him.  God will never let go of him no matter how far he may wander. I firmly believe that. We may not always get to see the grand reunion of our child with the Lord here on earth, but we will see it through heaven's eyes one day...just keep believing and praying...


And then there is this verse at the bottom of the calendar page:


I am waiting on this Easter lily from last year to open up any day now. This is in the Secret Memorial Garden.  I am getting ready to plant my new lily from this year as well. One day there will hopefully be many lilies blooming in this special place.


I've got a few other flowers waiting to be planted there also...I just need my son with the strong back and arms to dig a few holes for me so they can get planted...


And speaking of flowers...these lovely amaryllis flowers are blooming in the front yard.  I went out to look at them this morning and was taking this picture when I noticed that one of the flowers was missing some of its petals...



Something has been munching on my flowers!!!


I found the culprit (actually, I found 3 of these ugly young Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers on or around my amaryllis plants...one of their favorite foods.

I will only state that these particular ones are no longer there. And if any of their cousins come calling, they will soon be "dismissed" as well. They have a voracious appetite and will eat your beautiful plants in no time at all. Sorry, buster! Not this time!!

Now on to more pleasant thoughts again...

Here is my other favorite calendar, the Teapot calendar that my sister gives me each year for Christmas...it's a tradition that I hope won't change! I love these calendars and their beautiful pictures of all different kinds of teapots. They often include recipes and other interesting histories of the teapot shown or of the time period from which it came:


And there is always some kind of pleasant quote about the lovely art of tea time.  I like this one in particular below:


Speaking of tea time...I told you in my last post HERE about the lovely visit I had with my blogging friend Debbi from Debbi's Front Porch. Although we did not have "tea time" per se', we did drink iced tea while we visited and had such a wonderful wonderful time.  Debbi is a very loving and kind and thoughtful person, and she loves to give gifts. It's just her nature.  I already shared a little about that in the previous post, but I didn't show you this:

She knows how much I love having tea parties, and she found this beautiful antique china sugar bowl and creamer and wanted me to have them for my tea parties. Aren't they gorgeous?

And here's our "little girls", my Lily Grace, and Debbi's Tracie, and Amybelle, along with Bailey the puppy, enjoying our visit...


Another thoughtful gift was this book
"The Tea Party Book"

It is primarily a book filled with wonderful ideas for tea parties for children, with all kinds of fun things to do for party decorations, favors, and recipes that even a child can make (with a little help from Mom).
I love it. And since I don't have a little girl child to have tea parties with, I may just have to use this for future adventures with Lily Grace.  I know I promised she was going to write her own post about our visit, but I haven't been able to sit down with her and get it done yet...so thought I might as well share this part now while it is fresh on my mind.


I just love these ideas, don't you?  I may have to adopt some little children to have tea parties with.
Or, maybe we could just be little children again and enjoy them ourselves??? Why not?


Oh, but that' not all! Our dear friends also raise chickens!  
"Beauty, Polly Anna, Blondie, and big Goldie" provided us with some delicious and very fresh
"real chicken eggs".  (that's what I call eggs that I know came straight from some real happy chickens that are loved and cared for by sweet people who enjoy raising their chickens. Happy chickens produce the best eggs!)


Aren't they lovely?  And they sure taste good! There's nothing better than fresh farm eggs!


Back to the Secret Memorial Garden again for a minute...
I looked out the window this morning and this was the view in the garden:


One of our neighborhood cats was sitting and watching the birds, 


and more importantly, watching this one:

Thankfully Mom and Dad Crane were close by so "Colt" was not in any danger. But  I wanted you to see how big he is getting now.  And you can see a more defined wing on his side.  Not sure when his wings will be big enough to fly, but for now he's just eating and eating and growing and growing and growing!

Now, back to what's going on with me personally...I know many of you were wondering if I would get to go visit with our other blogging friends on Saturday...Well, no, I didn't get to go, but they sent me this picture of them together:

You may have already seen this on their posts if you know these wonderful ladies....and if you don't, you need to go visit their blogs and get acquainted. They are lovely women who mean so much to me.

I was very sad not to be able to go, but to answer your other question that you probably have, yes I did go to the Doctor on Friday. I was very pleased that I actually got to see someone different than before. He is a P.A., but I think he ought to be the doctor. He took his time and listened to my concerns and was not so quick to just dismiss me with strong medicines that would take more than a month to work. He recognized the problem right away and tried a different approach.  However, what he prescribed involved a muscle relaxer and some prednisone, and I wasn't too sure how I would react and be able to drive an hour and a half away to have lunch with our friends, and my husband was not able to take me, and so I sadly made the decision to not go to meet the "girls". It was the right choice, as I found that the medicine did make me rather jittery and tired that first day and I probably would have driven off the road at some point. LOL.  But the good news is, I am adapting to the medicine and have not had the bad headaches since I started taking it!  So I am hopeful that we are on the right track and that I will be getting back to "normal" (whatever that is) soon.

And I was happy to be able to go to church yesterday, as my hubby was preaching!
Our Pastor was out of town on vacation, so he asked if my hubby would fill in for him. He was very pleased to do so. He doesn't get too many opportunities to preach anymore, and it's good for him to do this.  God truly blessed and the service was wonderful.  Praise God! This service wasn't pre-recorded like our others are, so it will just have to be in our memory!

Although here is nice picture that my friend Debbi took of us the other evening when we were out to dinner with them. We are so thankful for good friends and God's blessing.

I will finish with these thoughts for today:

Psalm 28:6-7
"6 Blessed be the Lord,
Because He has heard the voice of my supplications!
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I will praise Him."
Amen.

Happy Merry Month of May everyone!!








19 comments:

  1. A lovely post with those beautiful calendars. It is truly the smallest things in life that bring us such great joy.
    Yes, I would tell that lady to never stop praying.
    That colt is just so cute.
    I am glad you got some medicine and hopefully a good plan of action and hate you missed seeing the girls.

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    1. thank you, Sandy. Yes, I firmly believe in a Mother's Prayer (or a father's prayer) being the key to unlock many doors in our children's (and grandchildren's) lives. Never stop praying. Thank you, I am feeling better today and feel like things are getting better step by step. I hated to miss the girls too, but we will do it again. Thankfully, we aren't all that far apart.

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  2. Such lovely photos. I really love the calendars and I think us girls need to get together and have a tea party or go someplace and bring Rose too, smiles.

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    1. I love that idea. We will talk about it once things are a little more settled down for you and for me. But I don't want to wait too long!!

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  3. Your flowers look so lovely as do the tea sets. I am thankful that you got some meds that help. I firmly believe that God can and does use the doctors to heal us at times.

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    1. Yes, I do believe God uses good doctors. I am not anti-doctor by any means, but I am anti-meds that only become addictive and long term when there are better methods to do the trick. I appreciate what this P.A. did, and it is helping me. Praying it will last!!

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  4. Well that explains why you were not able to go. Prednisone always makes me feel as if I could fly. Next time, you'll be able to make the meeting. How good that your husband had an opportunity to preach. Sometimes the best memories are those not aided by a photo or video.

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    1. I wouldn't say I felt like "flying", but I sure was revved up all inside and shaky as a leaf. But the muscle relaxer kind of made me not really care too much. LOL. I am adapting now, and it doesn't seem to have such a strong effect as it did, but I am feeling better...so it was the right call! And yes, I agree with the "best memories" not needing a photo or video...however, it sure is nice when we do have those photos to remember our loved ones by, etc. It's funny, we have old family videos, but I can't bring myself to watch them. They are too painful for me. Besides, we don't have the VCR hooked up anymore, and we've never had them changed over to DVR, but that's not hooked up either, so there! Maybe someone someday will figure it out. But I'm okay with not looking at them. Have a blessed and wonderful week.

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  5. We sure missed you on Saturday, Pam, but understood why you couldn't come! There will be another chance for us to gather!! I am glad you are feeling some relief with the new meds! Love your calendar pictures, and how fun that the "girls" and the "puppy" got to visit when your friend Debbi was there!! The colt is growing fast!! Thanks for the updates on him!! Glad you found the culprit that was eating your flowers! Ick!!

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    1. Thank you for understanding, Terri. Yes, I do hope we will all try again someday. And yes, my visit with Debbi and "the girls" was a lot of fun. We both needed that! Thankfully, I didn't have far to travel for that meeting and hubby was able to go with me. One day at a time...we do what we can and are thankful for each new day the Lord gives us to enjoy!

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  6. Thank the Lord! I'm so thankful to hear the bad headaches are gone -- thanks to that PA who took the time to listen. Really listen. That sugar bowl and creamer set are precious -- what a thoughtful gesture! That memory of nearly being 'creamed' by the semi truck sounds terrifying; no wonder you're not in a hurry to ride again. I also had a biking accident when I was 12 that sent me flying head over the handlebars and breaking my left (dominant) arm. Nope, no fan of bicycles here.

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    1. Did I know that you are a lefty? I am a lefty too...no wonder we think so much alike! Scary, huh? LOL. Your accident sounds like it was very painful. Yikes! Yeah, I wouldn't be back on a bike either if that happened. Now at my age, after having already had major spinal surgery and neck surgery, it probably isn't a good idea for me to put myself at that kind of risk of falling again. My old bones aren't as resilient as they were at 12. You too. And yes, I am feeling better day by day, and am so thankful! Praying it will last!!!!

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  7. So, so happy to hear that this new treatment is working to relieve your headaches, Pamela! I'll continue to pray for you, my friend.
    Thank you, too, for the lovely photos from your various calendars. I can hardly believe we're in the month of May. Where did April go???
    Blessings!

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  8. My, what a lovely post! I can't believe May is here already, not only that, but my May calendar is already so full that I'm turning down doing things to keep from burning out. I'm getting to an age where I need to pace myself, LOL.

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  9. I am happy to hear they are closing in on your health problem. Hopefully this will put an end to it all. Spine and neck make the whole body iffy . Lovely photos. I am sorry you missed out on the meet up.

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  10. Like to see that wing forming on the crane.

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  11. "My heart trusted in Him and I am helped." I love this reminder you have shared with us in this post, Pam. It is really wonderful.

    The rest of your post is beautiful, too. Such good photography and positive, encouraging thoughts. I am very glad to read you are feeling better after following the help of the PA. WHAT A RELIEF THAT MUST BE TO YOU!!!

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  12. Love the pictures of you and your man! Y'all so dang cute. Oh girl...I can remember when a business would give out calendars and most were so pretty. I haven't seen a business give out a calendar in a long while in my community. I figured it was due to cost but so many use their phone calendars in which I do too but because I had to incorporate my phone with work calendar before retiring and I still do the phone calendar. I do buy Marty a calendar that he has nailed up in his barn and he uses it to record when he changes our oil in our vehicles and that sort of thing. Speaking of fresh eggs...YES GIRL! My youngest daughter keep me and her two sisters supplied in fresh eggs and I love it. I am glad you are responding to the meds. GIRL, I have a PA for my primary and I love her! So sorry you couldn't meet with the ladies, Terri, Barbara and Linda. I hope to one day meet up with you all. Happy May to you sweet lady. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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  13. Hi Pam, I'm behind on my reading but it is so lovely to see this post today and some I have missed. It's rainy outside which is a good thing as long as it doesn't get too stormy. I love the Psalm you posted and indeed the Lord is my strength and my shield. It is a wonderful thing how the Word of God comes and speaks peace into so many different situations in or life. I got Philippians 4:6,7 come up on my devotion app this am the same time I was getting a call that troubled me. May talk about it later sometimes but I am so glad God is aware of what we need and I am thankful for the ways He moves through His Word and the hearts of His people. Sorry you didn't get to go on that lunch with friends . I don't know the other ladies but I'm glad to have met Terri and she is a sweetie. God willing I hope to get back to Florida again and it will work out. Wonderful pictures, always a joy to see them

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