Thursday Thankfulness

Thought I'd start this post off with something to get your attention!

While I've been writing this post this afternoon, I was smelling this "peach dump cake" baking in the oven. Hubby has a little bit of a sweet tooth and likes cakes and cookies. When we run out of something good, he reminds me it's time to bake something.  Since we've been sick the past couple of weeks, we haven't been eating much of anything too yummy.  But thankfully we seem to have our appetites back and I also have my sense of taste back, which I had not totally lost, but what sense of taste I had wasn't good...things all tasted extremely salty and/or metallic, which was not very pleasant.  

So I am very thankful that I was able to smell this baking...

And because it smelled so delicious, I decided it needed to be sampled while it was still warm, with a little bit of whipped cream on top:

And a cup of tea...a little tea party with the fairies... And YES! It was just as delightful and delicious as it smelled!  

In case your mouth is watering and you want some of this, here's how easy it was to make:

I used a Duncan Hines White Cake mix, and a large can (29oz.) of sliced peaches in syrup.

Here's what I did:

I melted 1 stick of butter and poured it into a 9"x13" baking pan.

I dumped the dry cake mix on top of the butter, and then added three whole eggs and stirred them all together. 

Oh, I forgot, I drained the peaches and saved the syrup, which came to about one cup of syrup. If not, you could add water to make it 1 cup.  I poured in the syrup and stirred that in with the batter mixture.  

Next I added the sliced peaches and stirred them around so they were evenly distributed in the mixture.

I sprinkled a little cinnamon on top and then baked it at 350 for 30 minutes.  

No frosting necessary. Just use a spritz of whipped cream or ice cream if you prefer.  It really is good, and actually is not overly sweet.  

I am very thankful that we seem to have finally turned the corner and may even be on the other side of this illness. Actually, I had a little setback yesterday. I woke up with my throat starting to feel sore again, and my glands were swelling in my throat.  And I just felt so fatigued, which is how I've felt for the past two weeks, but thought I was getting better.  So I decided not to mess around anymore and called the doctor and asked if I could come in to see him. They said yes, but please wear a mask, even though I am past the quarantine period for covid.  No problem.  After examining my throat, etc., he ordered some steroids (prednisone) for me to take for three days to help get me over the hump of this thing. That plus taking allergy medicine each day (claritin), and continue to drink lots of water, etc.  I do feel better today than I did yesterday, but still the fatigue is real.  We went to Walmart today to get caught up with stuff we needed, and that was challenging, but we made it and are so thankful we could do it.  Hubby is doing about the same as I am, but at least we are improving together, and we are extremely thankful to God for His healing!  Our goal is to be able to go to church Sunday and make it through both Sunday School and Church! I still can't sing, so will just have to listen while others do the singing. That will be "music to my ears"!  

Meanwhile, back on the home front, or rather the back porch, "Blackie" the neighborhood kitty seems to be right at home on our porch chairs.  He has been spending the better part of each day on the porch, sometimes switching from one chair to the others, trying them all out, much like "Goldilocks and the 3 Bears".  ("This one is just right!") LOL.

And then he gets bored with the chairs and moves to the table...

Oops, he saw me!

Seeing me looking at him becomes an invitation to come closer and watch us through the doors:

It's a stare down...He watches our every move...

Trying to send us a message I believe...

Well, it's not going to work, "Black Kitty"...or "Blackie", I'm not giving in...we don't need a house cat.  And the neighbor lady already feeds you every day, and you get to lounge around on our soft cushions all day in the lap of luxury...what more do you want???

"I sure would like to move inside with you..."      Well, it's just not going to happen.  We are not really "cat people", and we don't want to be tied down to having to take care of an animal and then when we want to go places who will take care of it?  Cats aren't like dogs...they don't travel well...so Blackie, please stop trying to make me feel sorry for you!  You are perfectly happy out there watching the birds and catching lizards and moles and frogs, and getting good food every day at the neighbor's house, and lazing around all day on the porch...It's not going to work, so please stop it!  You wouldn't like being cooped up all day in the house, I promise!  To be continued...LOL.

I know if my sister Doris were here she'd be telling me to let the poor kitty in...but she's the cat person in the family, not me!  And besides, what would our Grand-puppies think if they came home from their vacation in Minnesota and discovered that Grandma and Grandpa had a CAT living the house?  They'd be really put out with us! LOL.

Moving right along...I think Blackie is bored now because the Bluebirds seem to have left the nest...

I took this picture today...no one is home! all the babies must have flown the coop, and I never even got to see them! But hopefully they have flown up high to safety with their parents and are enjoying the wild blue yonder!

We do still see the Sand Hill Crane family passing through, and I've noticed them out on the marsh island of the pond at night again, so that's good news.  Still sad that they lost one of the colts, but this one is growing bigger every day and flying high with the parents, so that is good.

And I am so thankful for the rain we've been having pretty consistently lately.  It is helping Still Waters Pond to be refreshed and revived little by little.

Isaiah 43:18-20  NKJV

18 “Do not remember the former things,

Nor consider the things of old.

This is a very dry area in the little canal between our land and the Goose Island.  That used to be filled with water and I could kayak through there.  Won't be able to get around there for a while yet, but it will come back...

See? here is where the waters are starting fill it back up:

It's looking better every day:

19 Behold, I will do a new thing,

Now it shall spring forth;

Shall you not know it?

I will even make a road in the wilderness

And rivers in the desert.

And now even the water birds are starting to come back... This Great Blue Heron spent a long time in the pond today, which is the first I've seen of him in quite a while, and there's a little white Egret tagging along beside him, hoping to get the fish the heron doesn't find...

20 The beast of the field will honor Me,

The jackals and the ostriches,

Because I give waters in the wilderness

And rivers in the desert,

To give drink to My people, My chosen.

Not sure if you can see this or not, but there is a dragon fly doing a hand stand for us on that stick in the pond:

See him better now?  There were dragonflies everywhere, eating mosquitoes and bugs as they hovered over the water. They are happy for the pond being restored as well!

There, that's a better view! Isn't he amazing?  One of God's special creatures, showing his thankfulness for a place to live and eat and enjoy the life God has created him for! He even likes to show off for the bystanders!  

John 7:37-38

37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.

 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

Yes, I am very thankful to God for all He has done for us...our healing and restoration of strength day by day...and the rains that are coming to restore the pond and the earth and springing up with new life everywhere, and even a little friend, "Blackie", who helps us to see that he feels safe here on our porch and being close to us.  Maybe we can work out a mutual arrangement that will make everyone happy...time will tell.

Well, it's time to go try to take a little walk this evening. We try to get out every day and increase our distance of walking...we haven't quite made it as far as we normally would go yet, but we do get a little farther each time, so that is progress, and we are very thankful indeed.

I hope you are doing well where you are...and oh, one more thing. Those of you who are blogging friends with Debbi over at Debbi's Front Porch, I am sure she would appreciate your thoughts and prayers right now for her and her hubby. He is experiencing some serious health issues right now, and needs our prayers.  Thank you on their behalf.

Okay, good night everyone! "

1 I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;

I will tell of all Your marvelous works.

2 I will be glad and rejoice in You;

I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

Psalm 9:1-2