Wednesday Treasures and Thankfulness.

Happy February!!  Wow! Can you believe we are already here? I know, January seemed like it would never end, but now February is here and I can't believe it! 

I love the John Sloane Country Seasons calendar pictures. This one says, "From Sun to Sun"...we know a farmer's work is never done.

Speaking of the sun, here was our sunrise this morning...a foggy start to the day, but it has been a bright hot sunny day for the rest of the day, reaching up above 80 degrees on February 1st.

This Yellow Bellied Slider turtle was out on the marshy sand bar sunning himself in the bright afternoon sunshine:

And the Great Blue Heron was on the other side of the pond fishing, but happened to notice the turtle...

And so he flew over to pay him a visit...I'm not too sure the turtle appreciated the call because he slithered away...

And the Heron flew up into the tree where he could watch him from afar...

I think the Heron is saying something in this picture...his mouth is open...maybe he's calling in reinforcements, I don't know...

This gives you a better idea of how far away he really was from me...do you still see him out there?

That's why I am thankful for a zoom lens on my real camera!

Also I can see this little bird  out there on Still Waters Pond catching bugs on the lily pads...

And I can see Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird building their nest in the birdhouse...

Mr. Bluebird stands guard while Mrs. Bluebird builds the nest...

They are so beautiful and fun to watch, even if they do chase away the other birds from nearby while they are at the birdfeeder...

Isn't he beautiful?

Oh, can you see the Goldfinch sitting on the shepherd's hook? I think she's hoping for a tea party...

Speaking of which...here is the picture from the Tea Pots calendar for February...

"A teapot conveys a sense of cosiness and homeliness..." (see below)

Yes, I believe it does. That's probably why I collect them...

Oh, I still haven't put out any decorations for Valentine's Day yet...just haven't had time, so that will be another post for another day...

Here is the Thomas Kinkade pictures/verses for February. So tranquil and lovely...

Praise God for this verse below:

And this is a new calendar given to me from my sweet DIL.  I've put it in my bathroom where I can see it each day and keep up with appointments, etc.  What a lovely garden...  And btw, please keep my DIL and her family in your prayers. Her stepmother passed away this morning, leaving behind her husband, Rose's father, who is not very well either. They live in Minnesota, so it's a long way from here, and Rose is very concerned for her father. She does have several other siblings, but still she feels a responsibility and great concern for his well being. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers on their behalf.

Speaking of my bathroom...hubby took this picture of me this morning...early before makeup, hair, and dress-up for the day's activities. But I asked him to take it so I can tell you about my Dr. appointment that I had yesterday morning...

If you recall my post from last week,, I told you about having two MRI's. One on my shoulder, and one on my Thoracic spine.  So I got the reports yesterday... The spine is fine, except for some general "mild degenerative changes", but nothing "remarkable"  The shoulder is another story. I have some "mild tendinopathy of the supraspinatus", "questionable longitudinal split tear of the long head of the biceps tendon within the bicipital groove", "partial-thickness tear of the anterior superior labrum", and "moderate osteoarthritis of the AC joint with associated capsular hypertrophy and small AC joint effusion.  Associated mild subacromial and subdeltoid edema/bursa formation."  Those of you who have any medical background may interpret. Long story short, there are some small tears in the bicep and other tendon in the shoulder, etc.  The Doctor gave me two shots of cortisone in the shoulder and taped it up with this special tape to help hold it in place better, and also has prescribed physical therapy. He doesn't feel I will need any surgery, unless it doesn't heal properly in a reasonable amount of time. I am very thankful for that and am already beginning to feel some relief from the shots. PT will start probably in a week.

Re: the CPAP machine saga...I have discontinued use right now because I came down with a seasonal allergy, scratchy throat and sinus drainage issues, making it difficult to wear the breathing machine thingy, so I will try to start over next week, or as soon as I feel up to it. Quite frankly, I would not call it a "sleep machine". I barely slept a wink while trying to use it. I think it will take some getting used to. Time will tell...

Moving along to other events around the neighborhood:

 Way back in September I mentioned that a new Dollar General was being built in our neighborhood.  Well, today was the official opening of that new store:

And so of course we had to go check it out. It's quite handy...actually within walking distance from our house. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. Time will tell. I told hubby we ought to get a golf cart so we can just scoot over there anytime...but I don't see that happening anytime soon. LOL.

(That's hubby walking in and I am up in the TV screen in the doorway!)

It's very clean and neat (for now), and a bit larger I'd say than the other two stores that are each within 2.5 miles in either direction.  There has been a lot of talk in our town about why do we need another Dollar General so close to the others...and the only answer I can come up with is they, the CEO's of Dollar General, must know something that we don't know. Growth is coming to our little town whether we like it or not, so we might as well get used to it.  Oh, and regarding my request for a traffic signal, well, that hasn't happened, and I doubt it will, unless they see an uptick in serious accidents at this intersection...which, sadly, I am sure they will. I just pray it never involves anyone I know or love. 

Speaking of accidents...

You probably can't really see it in these pictures, but that red reflector/tail light has a crack in it, and there are paint chips flaking off of the bumper of our car. The crack in the reflector is is where we had to glue that little piece back on after I accidentally backed into someone at our Ladies' Bible Study the other day. As we were leaving, my friend in the car next to me backed out, and I thought she was gone, so I started to back out as well. Suddenly I felt something hit hard behind my car, and realized that my friend's car was still there! I stopped my car and jumped out, and then saw that not only had I backed into her front bumper, but she had backed into the door of a car that was parked perpendicularly behind her. Thankfully none of the damage was severe and no one was hurt, just some scratches on our vehicles, and a dent to my pride!   It was clearly my fault...I did not actually turn around and look to be sure her car was gone when I started to back up. She was in my blind spot, and my neck doesn't turn well anyway, and so I never saw her there. Thankfully we are all okay and the damage wasn't enough to call insurance or police. Whew! That was a close one!

Thank You, Lord, for your mercy and protection for all of us!

These verses were read in our morning devotions today, and I found verses 11, 12 and 13 especially applicable to my situation (with my "hands that hang down...and that what is lame may not be dislocated bye rather be healed"), but the whole passage is valuable...

Hebrews 12:11-15

11 "Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; 

nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 

13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 

15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;"

Some great words of wisdom there for us to consider tonight.

Yes, it is now night. Time to put this to rest.

All in all, I just want to thank the Lord for His protection, love, mercy and grace...and His healing power. 

And let us "pursue peace with all people, and holiness..."

Good night dear friends, and God bless you all.