Wednesday Treasures...From Still Waters Pond

Happy Wednesday evening! Sorry I didn't get around to posting anything earlier today, but, well, the day got away from me. Spent the morning at Dixie Cottage, which was kind of a slow morning...hopefully once we get over the "hump" of "hump day", business will pick back up. We are still in the post-Christmas slump, but spring is on the way and hopefully people will decide to get out and do some shopping again soon!

This sign hangs in the store...but I will apply it to my Wednesday Treasures for today from the porch overlooking  Still Waters Pond...

Actually these pictures were, for the most part, taken yesterday afternoon, when it was a delightful sunny and warm 69  degrees after an early morning start around 39 degrees...so I decided to sit outside on the swing and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine...

(the mug says "Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God..." Job 37:14, and so I sat still and considered the beauty around me...all wondrous works of God. 

It was rather extra pleasant because I had inadvertently left my cell phone at Dixie Cottage yesterday, so I had nothing else to distract me and I could actually sit and listen to the sounds of nature and perhaps even hear God's voice in the whispers of the breeze around me. 

Thankfully I still have my "real camera" with a zoom lens, because in the distance I could see some kind of action down in the cove around the bend of the pond...

Mr. and Mrs. Sand Hill Crane were being rather close and intimate, or so it would seem...

Thankfully with my zoom lens I could see them, but hopefully they couldn't see me...yet...

It was so pleasant just to sit there and observe God's creation in their natural state, without concern about man or other enemies surrounding them...

This will give you a better glimpse of where they were...

But soon their actions changed, and they may have caught my scent or saw my movements, because soon they started moving more in my direction...

And so I quickly hurried up on the back porch as they made their way around the bend and up onto the shore. You can see that it was a bright sunny afternoon, so the pictures are not as clear because the color kind of gets washed out by the sunshine...

Here they come! They are seemingly unafraid of me, although at first they started to shy away when they could actually see me, but I started talking softly to them and they came up on the lawn and started eating some birdseed on the ground.

I stayed up on the porch and tried to be inconspicuous so they would come on up ...

You will notice with Sand Hill Cranes that one will usually stand guard while the other eats...

He keeps a watchful eye out for predators or nosey humans...

It was a delightful time of watching them enjoy their afternoon snack and talking softly to them...I love that they seem to trust me somewhat...

But soon I went back inside and they headed back into the pond and over to the island where they usually roost for the night...

However, a little later I noticed that the Cranes were not our only visitors on the shore...

There were four Canada Geese walking along the shore line nibbling at whatever they found in the muddy beach (yes, this pond has a mucky, muddy bottom...no pretty white sand here, but it seems to be teeming with life for the waterfowl and other birds, so that's fine with me...

A little blurry, but it was getting darker and the camera doesn't focus well in the dusk...

And then when I woke up this morning and looked outside what did I see?  Ah! Mr. Bluebird on the birdhouse! And it appears that he and Mrs. Bluebird have started bringing things for nesting in the house already! I am excited to know that perhaps we will be watching another bluebird family develop and grow here! Such a joy to behold!

Isn't he beautiful?  

Oh, and the geese were back out there this morning too!

I had stepped outside to fill the birdfeeders and didn't realize they were there, but they saw me and started getting nervous and soon were honking at each other to get ready to take flight...

And this is the last view I had of them...yep, I missed their actual flight, but you can see their takeoff wake in the water below:

Such a lovely way to start the day!

Oh, I told you HERE last week about our new Ladies' Bible Study in the book of Acts. I mentioned to you about finding my "one Word" LISTEN mentioned already in the beginning of our study guide. Well, this week it happened again...here is a quote from the lesson:

"Acts is a true story. A good story. I pray the Holy Spirit will use this story to intersect with your story and awaken you to see Him at work today!   "Lord, I need Your Holy Spirit to guide me as I study Acts. Help me to learn what it means to sit at Your feet and listen. Help me to apply these ancient truths in my modern context. I can't do it without You. Amen."

I love it when God brings a plan together, don't you?

Well folks, that's it for tonight. I hope your Wednesday has been filled with special treasures as well.

Good Night.