It's raining! It's pouring! The Old Man is snoring! LOL. Yes, we are currently having a humdinger of a thunderstorm and LOTS of good old pond soaking rain! Hooray! So that is my #1 thing to say I am thankful for today!
2. We are SO thankful the "kids" made it home safely and we had them come over for supper last night. It was SO wonderful to have them and the puppies back home again after almost a month of being away visiting Rose's family in Minnesota. I didn't take any pictures of them last night, but they still look the same. LOL. They did bring us a few little gifties from their journey:
Zucchini fresh from her father's garden...still has the Minnesota dirt on it! LOL. I am thinking I'll be making some Zucchini bread very soon with that big one!!
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These are either hot pads or dish cloths, or washcloths...whatever you wish, made by Rose's sister Sherrie, using the fabric from a terrycloth bathrobe!
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(They are all reversible to the hot pink side). Really soft and neat! I love things like this, don't you? Especially when someone has taken the time to make them and recycle something that otherwise might have been discarded or given away. Thank you, Sherrie!! I love them!
And then Benton and Rose brought us this magnificent bear/deer figure...it is so intricately created using a laser cutter. They know we love bears and deer, and this is perfect for us!
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I'm still figuring out a perfect place to put it.
Oh, and last, but not least, Rose brought me this bottle of :
It smells so good! She said it is especially good for making a garlic bread...maybe even put some in a homemade loaf of bread? I may have to try that!
Don't you just love it when people are so thoughtful to bring you something from their trip? I never expected anything, and that's what makes it even sweeter!! But most of all, we are thankful they are back home safely. It's amazing how much better WE feel just knowing they are back home safe and sound and only a mile away from us instead of a three day drive!
3. In a recent post
HERE, I told you that we had received a text from our Grandson Noah, with a wonderful picture of him and his new car. (Here it is again in case you missed it. It's always nice to see his smiling face again). He said in his text that he would be calling us soon, and yes, he was true to his word!
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He did in fact call us the next day as promised, and we had such a wonderful long conversation with him! That was such a blessing to us! And yes, this is a "new" car (not brand new, but new enough!). He purchased it after having a run in with a deer on the highway which pretty well totaled his old car, but thankfully he himself was not hurt. (The deer was not so fortunate...but if you've ever driven country roads at night in deer country, you know how easily this can happen!) Where Noah lives in Maine, he is fortunate it was a deer and not a moose! Now that can really do some severe damage! Anyway, we are very thankful that Noah was fine and that he was able to purchase this pretty new red car. He has had a good job for the past year since he went back up there last summer, and he is very thankful that he's been able to save some money and also makes enough to afford the payments and the insurance...which, since he will not be 25 until October is considerable. Also he has received a kind of promotion in his job that has been very beneficial for him as well. So he is really doing well and sounds SO good. And he LOOKS so good too! Yes, he has put on a little weight since we saw him last, which he needed to do actually. For those of you who do not know him, he is 6'4" tall and has plenty of room to fill up. Also, hubby and I had a little 'bet" going on before he called. From the picture we weren't too sure if he had cut his formerly long and curly hair or if he just had it pulled back really tight. I voted for the haircut, hubby wasn't so sure. Of course, being a grandma who asks all kinds of questions, I asked him if he'd cut it, and he said yes he did as it had gotten too hot and too much to take care of.
Here is a picture of Noah with our two sons Scott and Benton, a little over a year ago when he was last here with us. You can see what he means about his hair being too hot and too much to take care of. It is very naturally curly and when it is that long, well, you can imagine...
We had a very interesting and positive conversation about current world events and his thoughts on all of that, which we were very pleasantly surprised to hear that he shares much the same views that we have about all of what's going on, both politically and from a spiritual sense. That was refreshing and comforting to us to hear. You never know what the younger generation is going to think or profess in these turbulent times. God has been hearing and answering our prayers in this regard as well, and we are very very thankful.
Psalm 40:1-3 NKJV
1 "I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
3 He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the Lord."
Oh, now here's some fun photos from last evening while the "kids" were still here. Rose and I took a little walk over to the lot next door because we had noticed something running across the pond and around the back of the island (the pond has some very dry marsh areas making it possible for something to "run" across the pond in places). We wanted to see if it was coming out over there where we could see it... And sure enough, if you have really sharp eyes and look pretty much in the middle of this photo below, you will see a raccoon running along the edge of the pond. From there he went into the woods and we couldn't see him anymore.
But what we DID see was something really funny...there are still some big piles of dirt on that lot waiting to be spread out for the pad/foundation for the new home that will be arriving soon. The Sand Hill Crane family seem to be having some fun playing on top of the mounds of dirt. Maybe they are thinking about making this their new home???
After a little while they decided to head back toward the pond...
And from there they actually went around and ended up in our yard.
But I had to forgive them because even after them pulling all of the plant out of the pot, I stuck it all back in the pot, and the next day it was blooming again. I did put it on the front porch where it will get plenty of sun (
per Sandra of MadSnapper, who is a kind of expert on Purslane. ) And so far it seems to be doing just fine.
See? So, yes, this is another thing for which I am thankful! I don't have a green thumb, so it is very comforting to me to know that I can do this much. I know, it really is all glory to God! He is the Master Gardener!
To close this out I must show you the beautiful sunrise we had this morning:
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If you look really close in this one, which is a close up of the one above, you will see the Sand Hill Crane family flying over above the tree tops. They flew right over top of me while I was standing out there on the porch taking pictures, and I almost missed them!
It was truly a glorious morning!
And I especially wanted to include the American Flag, which we wave proudly from our home every day.
America, the Beautiful
"O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!
O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness,
And every gain divine!
O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!"
Amen.
I guess this sums it all up. We are very thankful for our family, our country, and for all that God has done for us and is doing today. We must all continue to pray for our country in these turbulent times, however. There is so much at stake. I am not going to get into political issues, but prayer is the most important thing we can do. Amen.
The news about your grandson is wonderful. I'm so glad things are going well for him. Welcome back to Benton and Rose; what delightful gifts they brought back with them.
ReplyDeleteYes, may God shed His grace on our country and mend our flaws!!!
love all the personal goodies your family brought back from Minn.
ReplyDeleteThat sunrise is simply spectacular. God's Masterpiece.
Quite a rain storm you had filling up your pond. Love the SandHill Cranes too.
Sue
So very happy that your grandson is doing well. I remember our cranes
ReplyDeleteLoved the sand piles next door when the house was being built they seemed to enjoy king of the hill. We got 4 hours of rain today filling up our canal . during the height of the storms Gertrude heathcliff and family were raiding the feeders. I was worried lightening would harm them but they munched away unperturbed by the storm. Keeping our country and president trump in prayer during these scary times. I try to remember god is in control and all will be well
So much to be thankful - especially such a nice chat and catch up with your grandson! What a blessing when they are doing so well! I know that was a blessing. Such sweet gifts you received. They are all so nice - and so personal. The best kinds of gifts! I hope your thunderstorm brough a bit of relief and that you are surviving the heat of summer! Have a wonderful weekend ahead!
ReplyDeleteGreat news about your grandson's success in his job! He looks so much older with his short hair and a little more weight on that lanky frame! Praise God! It is a great blessing to have Ben and Rose back home again and all the gifts they brought back are lovely! Let us know how the zucchini bread comes out AND if you use the rosemary garlic salt in bread! As always, your yard and neighborhood photos are beautiful. Funny that the sandhill cranes are up on a sand hill!! xo
ReplyDeleteOh, I never thought of that, Terri, the Sand Hill Cranes are up on a Sand Hill! That's a good one! You are very clever!!!
DeleteHi Pam, glad your family is back in town and your grandson is doing well. I like the wood carving you got. Glad you got your much needed rain. I was happy to see the sand hill family in your yard. Great sunrise pictures too!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you have your children back safely! I know y'all have really missed them. The little goodies they brought back are just awesome! I, too, treasure those homemade gifts that people put so much love and work into. Noah looks fantastic! He has really done well for himself! I know that makes you so proud!
ReplyDeletesunrise is my favorite time of day and this one is gorgeous. I see these a lot because Beau and I leave home just at day break and on the way back home we are facing east and i have seen so many wonderful colors. we even had two days of aqua and pink sky. that was a wow.
ReplyDeleteMy son Dan is 6'5" and has the same hair, but blond not brown. years ago he tired of working on the docks in hot sun with hair and shaved his head. he loved it so much he has been doing that for years. he wears hat and sunglasses for working, he and his wife work at a yacht club in Clearwater, he is dockmaster. at home he does a lot of outdoor work and the heat and the curls make him crazy. no idea where the curls came from. so happy to hear your grandson is doing well and happy with a good job.
My goodness, lady! I don't know if I'm more blown away by those sunrise images or your 'kids' generous hearts. The bear/deer creation is exquisite, and I'd love to sample that Rosemary Garlic condiment. Please, let us know how you use it.
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy Noah followed through with that telephone call -- that he's happy and (sounds like) carving out a successful work/personal life.
The Sand Hill crane family always make my heart smile. Yes, I spotted them above the tree line ... lving their best life!
I loved all the gifts that Rose and Benton brought back for you to enjoy, Pamela. So thoughtful and gracious of them! I liked the deer/bear carving the best. Noah's news is terrific for him and for you. My guess was that he'd gotten a haircut; he looks so much more grown up without those unruly curls!
ReplyDeleteAnd the skies at sunrise? I'm so glad you have a camera to capture these God-filled moments of wonder.
Blessings!
Such a beautiful post! Your sunrise photos are gorgeous and the one with the cranes flying is so cool. I was able to just barely able to see the raccoon. Love the bear and deer carving the kids gave you and the dishrags are very cool. You are very blessed for sure! I hope you have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteThat's a lot of nice things to be thankful for. LOVE the sunrise photos! The sky has been gorgeous lately. Hope your day was super nice. I'm tired from doing a 200 mile round trip today (see FaceBook). The 'ol gray mare ... etc. lolol 💙
ReplyDeleteYou have SO much to be thankful for in this post Pamela. From the kids return and lovely gifts, to the news from Noah and the crane family & raccoon visit. And topped off with the beautiful, glorious sunset from the Lord. I love seeing your flag flying. The first thing we did when we moved into this condo was put up our flag holder on the balcony. With Dennis being a veteran, we always fly the flag at our homes. Unfortunately, with the building across from us we often have a wind tunnel effect when it whips the flag out of the holder and to the ground from our 2nd floor condo. It's disappointing, but we still fly it any day that isn't windy, (which isn't very many here on the plains.)
ReplyDeletePiper made foccacia bread yesterday morning and sent some home with us after we took her home from swimming with Papa in the afternoon. She had put rosemary on the bread after baking. It was all so good. I gobbled my portion right down. She is going to enter a loaf in the county fair and also mede from scratch banana muffins. She's becoming quite the baker and I'm not complaining.
I hope your Saturday is a wonderful one my friend.
Blessings and love,
Betsy
Pam: I am so thankful that Benton and Rose are back safe and had a wonderful time. Glad to hear that Noah is doing well. Peace and blessings to you and yours.
ReplyDeleteI have been keeping Noah in prayer (and even his former fiancée), I am so happy to know he is alright etc. I will keep them in prayer...I am glad the kids are home. Smiles
ReplyDeleteLots of good news about family in this post, Pam, and glad to read that the travelers returned home safely and the updates on your grandson. You captured a beautiful sunrise as well. Also glad the sand cranes have been forgiven😀
ReplyDelete