Thankful Thursday

It's Thursday, and I try to remember to share with you each week things for which I am thankful. I don't follow the meme that some others follow...I just do my own thing because I usually go off script too much when I try to follow other formats.  So bear with me as I look back over the past few days and share with you some of the blessings of the week.

If you're a Facebook friend, you've probably already seen these pictures, but they bear repeating. There was a very dead tree on the county right of way that was also on the line of our property and our neighbor's property. It kept dropping a lot of branches and was becoming a bit of a problem, because if it fell, it might fall on our neighbor's house or cars. So they actually contacted our County Commissioner and asked him to see if the county public works department could come and take care of the tree.  They actually came a few weeks ago and were all set up and ready to work when their lift truck broke down and they had to abandon the project.  They promised they would be back. Well, it's been several weeks and we were about to call again and then they showed up yesterday and took the tree down.

They also cleaned up the mess and hauled it away.

The tree you can see in the foreground is actually another tree, not the one they were cutting down, but this one is on our property, and so is our responsibility. I asked the man if they could at least trim the parts that were hanging over the street/right of way, and they did, but they said we will need to make arrangements eventually to have that tree removed ourselves as it also is dying. It doesn't appear to be in danger of landing on anyone's personal property...just our yard and fence, but it would be nice to get it down. We'll just have to start saving our pennies to get it done eventually.

But I am thankful for the work they did and for their courtesy in attending to what parts they could do on our tree as well.

These fellas always amaze me at what they can do from up in the air like that.  I am thankful all was well and no one was injured and they cleaned up the mess.

Today is supposed to get up to 100 degrees. Right now it is only 86, but the humidity is making it feel like 96, so I can only imagine what it is going to feel like when it actually hits 100. So we took our walk early since it will be too hot this afternoon.  I was happy to see these wild plums ripening and actually looking good enough to eat! However, I did not try one. I know they are very tart and I probably would not enjoy it much. Besides, there aren't very many, so I left them for the critters to enjoy.  If there were more, it would be fun to gather them to make some plum jam, but it's too hot to even think about doing that right now.  I am sure the critters are thankful I left them for them to eat.

Speaking of critters, I was happy to see the "three kings" come walking in yesterday afternoon. We haven't been seeing much of them lately as Colt has grown so much and can fly quite well now, so they spend their days flying to other locations where the grass is probably greener and the food is more plentiful.  I call them the "three kings" because they remind me of the three wise men on their camels by the way they walk in a line.

As you can tell, Colt is as big as his parents now, and his top notch on his head is starting to turn red. Soon I won't be able to tell the difference between them.

I am thankful that my butterfly garden continues to grow, in spite of the lack of rain and the amount of weeds that grow regardless of the weather. I did manage to pull a few weeds the other evening when it was unseasonably cooler for a little while. Also, I had to wait until the bluebirds were gone from the nest because every time I got too close to the garden and birdhouse, Mama and/or Papa Bluebird would come flying down at me to warn me to stay away. So I had to keep a respectful distance until the babies were gone, which they are all gone now. We only got to see that one leave the nest the other evening, but apparently all the others (I have no idea how many) must have left while I wasn't watching because there is no more activity around the birdhouse these days.

I am waiting a few more days before I clean out the birdhouse just to be sure...but then I will get it ready for the next brood. I believe they may start one more "batch" of babies before the summer is over. Time will tell. I am thankful that we've been witnesses to so much of God's beautiful creation this spring/summer already.

Speaking of God's Beautiful Creation. What do you see when you look at this picture below?

Now look at it again, at nighttime:

I have to tell you, the other evening I looked outside at Still Waters Pond just before going to bed. My hubby was in the shower and I was making sure lights were out and doors were locked, etc. It was our first night in the house alone since our son had moved out that afternoon, and I think we were both feeling a little bit on edge. With our son in the house we always felt like there was an extra layer of protection against intruders, etc.  So, anyway, I looked out at the pond, and in the moonlight I saw the above "figure", standing out on the edge of the island. Now, my mind knows good and well no one could be on that island in the dark.  But then again, there has been a new fellow fishing quite a bit on the other side of the pond recently, and maybe he figured out how to paddle a canoe or kayak over there...but why would he be there at night?  These were all the crazy thoughts racing around in my head.  In the moonlight this truly looked like someone standing there, so much so that I actually stuck my head out the back door and hollered at him, "Hey you! Who are you? What are you doing there?"

He didn't move, and he didn't respond. But I still wasn't totally convinced.  I kind of paced back and forth and tried to figure out what to do about "him".  I turned on the lights, but of course they didn't really shine that far.  When hubby came out of the shower I asked him to come and see this "thing" on the island.  He brought his high powered flashlight with him. Together we realized this was just a little tree/shrub that has apparently recently grown up to that size and we hadn't paid any attention to it before until we were feeling a little insecure...Whew! I felt better  now. Hubby reassured me it wasn't a real person, and we went to bed and slept like babies. 

Here's one last picture to remember our "Sasquatch" person...

I wasn't practicing my trust in God and His angels to protect us very much, I am ashamed to say.

Sometimes we let our imaginations get the better of us.

My friend Annie from Cottage by the Sea quoted this Psalm to me in her comment on my last post about bedtime routines.  She said when she used to have trouble sleeping, this Psalm would play over in her head:

Psalm 127:1-2

1 "Unless the Lord builds the house,

They labor in vain who build it;

Unless the Lord guards the city,

The watchman stays awake in vain.

2 It is vain for you to rise up early,

To sit up late,

To eat the bread of sorrows;

For so He gives His beloved sleep."

That is a good reminder to me that unless the Lord is building and guarding our house, we stay awake in vain.  But because He is guarding our home at all times, we can sleep in peace.  Thank you, Annie, for sharing this with me.  I am thankful for friends here who share special things with us that are so helpful and encouraging. We just never know how a little comment can bless someone else's life.

Now, speaking of our son who moved out to a new job and place to live this past week. We have heard from him via text that so far all is going well for him in the new job.  And then yesterday this was his response to my text asking "How is it going?"  He replied, "Great, Busy, and having fun!".  As a mother, my first thought was almost negative about the "having fun" part.  You know, wondering who is he meeting and "what kind of fun?"  And then I checked myself right away.  Good grief, Pam! He's 45 years old! It's about time he was having some fun!  For the past several years he has lived at home with his parents, commuted a long distance to and from work every day, came home hot and tired and basically showered, ate supper, washed the dishes and went to bed. He had no time for fun or friends. I know I've prayed for him to have a life of his own and to find some good friends...and who knows? Maybe even God will introduce him to his "soul-mate" after many years of loneliness.  And so, after admonishing myself for having any negative thought at all, I rejoiced in that perhaps prayers are finally being answered on his behalf. This was good news!!  "Great, busy, and having fun!"  Thank You, Jesus!

And so with that, I will say, Thank You, Lord for your blessings and answered prayers and protection over our home and family. Oh, also, I didn't mention, my hubby has had a cold and fever for a couple of days, but today he is feeling much better, no fever, and seems to be on the mend. I was afraid that I would get it too, but so far I am fine. I've had some sinus issues, but I believe they are allergies.  We have stayed at home and away from people just in case.  But again, all is well, and we are very thankful indeed.  

So, praise the Lord and have a wonderful rest of your week dear friends.