Thursday Thankfulness and Friday Foto Friends

Hello dear friends! It's Thursday evening already...time sure flies when you're having fun! LOL. Not that I'm having that much fun, but the time is still flying! 

Today I am thankful that while time may be flying, I'm not a bug flying out there over Still Waters Pond today.  I don't know if you can see it or not in this picture, but there is a spider web stretched from the trees on the right to a pine tree on the left that is out of the picture, and it looks like someone is riding a zip line down the spider web "rope".   Look carefully and see if you can see it.

Can't see it? Well maybe these close ups will help you get a better idea of what is going on out there:

Yes, that is the same spider web, and on the left is a captured leaf. On the right is a captured Cicada.

I am afraid he is not able to zip line out of that web. He's caught pretty tightly, and spin and twirl though he might, he cannot release himself from the web.

I felt sorry for him, but there was nothing I could do for him. The spider knows his business well, and this web was too high for me to reach anyway.

I'm afraid that cicada won't be doing much singing tonight.

Sometimes we need to be careful where and how high we fly, lest we be caught in a "spider's web".

Well, let's see on a brighter note, today we had the day free as one of Ben and Rose's friends was "minding the store" for the day. She comes every other week for one day to give them a break, and now it gives us a break too.  We did pop in for a few minutes to see how she was doing because we were in the neighborhood, and things were going quite well! God has been blessing our little store, and we are very thankful indeed.

I also got a much needed haircut today, but it is a bit shorter than I expected, so no photo for you! LOL. Even my hubby said when I came out to the car, "I thought you weren't going to get it cut that short again!", and I said, "We were so busy chatting away that I didn't pay attention to what she was doing, and apparently neither did she..."  But the good thing about a bad haircut is that in a couple of weeks you won't know the difference. LOL. And besides, what was I going to do? Ask her to put it back? LOL.

So today there was a little excitement in our neighborhood...I've mentioned before that the empty lot across from us has been being prepared for some time for a new house to be put on it. Apparently there used to be a home there many years ago, as there is still the foundation for a porch and a driveway and the well and septic already installed. (actually we are on city water).  I've been hoping and praying for a nice new house with a nice new family/couple... And today we were excited to see that something was finally happening!

Well, can you imagine my disappointment when I looked out there and saw this being moved onto that lot?   That is not a new house!  That is a very old house!  And it needs a good cleaning! (That's dirt and leaves on the roof, not rust, thank goodness). My heart sank.  Our neighborhood is mostly an older manufactured home community, and there are plenty of old manufactured homes in here already...why would they bring in another??? 

I know there is a real affordable housing shortage in our land right now, and the price of homes has gone up astronomically in the past few months. Perhaps this is all someone can afford.  I'm not sure if there is already an owner for this particular house. I think it's someone putting it on the lot to sell. All I can say is I pray they clean it up and perhaps do a total rehab on it before they sell it.  

And I have to check my attitude. I've been praying for some new good neighbors.

Perhaps the people who end up living here will be the best neighbors I ever had.

And besides, once they got the house in place, it is mostly hidden behind that magnolia tree!

(btw, isn't the sky beautiful?)

Once they get the skirting in place and pressure wash it and pretty it up with some shrubs, etc., it will make a lovely home for someone.

This is the back side of it:

So will you please pray with me for our new neighbors? And also please pray for me to have a good attitude and make the most of this situation. 

Our neighborhood is a mixture of retired folks like us and a lot of younger families too.  We bought our home here because of the affordable price, the proximity to shopping and doctors and our kids and church...and this view out our back door:

Still Waters Pond...on a very cloudy evening tonight...waiting for the rain to start

And here are the clouds overhead...

Kind of interesting and beautiful in their own way, don't you agree?   

Yes, if we look for it, there is beauty all around us. It's all in the eyes of the beholder...and the attitude of the heart. 

Here's some verses from Psalm 145 that we've been reading this week during our morning devotions. I need to concentrate more on the greatness of our God and His love shown to us who are so unworthy.  I am so thankful for His compassion...and that He is slow to anger and great in mercy. May I have that same kind of compassion as I reach out to those around me and extend His love to them...

1 "I will extol You, my God, O King;

And I will bless Your name forever and ever.

2 Every day I will bless You,

And I will praise Your name forever and ever.

3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;

And His greatness is unsearchable."

8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,

Slow to anger and great in mercy.

9 The Lord is good to all,

And His tender mercies are over all His works.

"14 The Lord upholds all who fall,

And raises up all who are bowed down.

15 The eyes of all look expectantly to You,

And You give them their food in due season.

16 You open Your hand

And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

17 The Lord is righteous in all His ways,

Gracious in all His works.

18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,

To all who call upon Him in truth.

19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;

He also will hear their cry and save them."

Amen.

The rains finally came, and this is how it looks out there on Still Waters Pond right now. The frogs and peepers are singing their songs. All is well and we are thankful and blessed.

Good Night and God bless you all!