Thursday Thankfulness: Fall is Here!

Is it really Thursday already?  Wow! Where did this week go already?  And now here it is a beautiful fall morning in our neck of the woods! It's 49 degrees this morning, with a high expected of only 70 degrees! And sunny all day, but a tad windy.  That's okay, I'll take it! This is the weather we've been waiting for!

Apparently this is the weather the Sand Hill Cranes have been waiting for as well! This was them here at Still Waters Pond yesterday...the first we've seen of them since the last hurricane.  

They were showing off and flapping their wings and feeling rather frisky!

And then they sedately walked up onto the yard and found some bird seed to eat...

We were happy to see them back safe and sound.  I don't know where they went during the hurricane, but they must have a "safe" hiding place where they hang out until the storms are over. So thankful to know they are still here with us, safe and sound!

Did you see the moon last night?  This was just as it was rising above the trees in the east...it was still a bit light out...

And over on the west side, on Still Waters Pond, we were having a glorious sunset at the same time!

I kept running back and forth to watch both amazing events in the skies:

"All creatures of our God and King,

lift up your voice and with us sing,

"Alleluia! Alleluia!"

Thou burning sun with golden beam,

thou silver moon with softer gleam,

O praise Him, O praise Him!

alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!"

And finally the sky was dark enough to see the full magnitude of the moon:

And the sun was setting down behind the trees on the west side

And all was at peace...time to get back inside and enjoy a beautiful evening...

So we "lit a fire" in the "fireplace", and rejoiced to finally feel like this was a real fall day...

This morning we had another fall surprise! The Canada Geese finally flew in and landed on the pond!

Good Morning!  "Honk! Honk!"

They were actually feeling rather frisky this morning too...

I wish these pictures were a little better, but it was still early and low light, so this is the best I can do...

Here they are again a little later in the morning...they were swimming around "Goose Island" and in the little cove that surrounds the island...

I love to watch them peacefully gliding about, enjoying the quietness of this little hidden cove...

I have to say, this is really my favorite time of the year...bright, cool, sunny days, with little to no humidity, and we can enjoy being outside without zillions of mosquitoes and other insects attacking us.  We were actually outside for a while this morning, as we went over to our church to help rake up all the fallen branches and Spanish moss and other debris left over from Hurricane Milton. I had planned to take a picture of it all, but was too busy handling the rake to get any pictures. There were  a LOT of branches to rake, but quite a few folks from the church showed up to help, and you know the old saying, "Many hands make light work."  It's great when people can come together to get these jobs done!

Anyway, I was happy to see that the geese were still here when we got back home so I could take a few pictures of them and watch them for a little while before time to fix lunch.

There are just four geese right now, but I have a feeling there will be more.  They tend to come in groups, and then the fun begins with rival males charging back and forth at each other.  It's quite entertaining!  So stay tuned for further adventures with the geese!

It's so nice and cool that we may soon be able to enjoy an evening around our kids' firepit, roasting marshmallows and making s'mores...well, actually very soon we will be doing that, however, not at their house, but up in the north Georgia mountains, where we are going to spend a few days together with our kids and also my hubby's brother and wife...hopefully seeing some beautiful autumn leaves and finding some fresh apples at the local orchards...and perhaps sipping some hot spiced apple cider and eating a few apple cider donuts...that's what's on my bucket list, anyway...and just enjoying some fun family times together.  Then we will end up the week going over to North Carolina, where we will attend the wedding of my great nephew...and get to see my brother Clifford and his family, as well as my sister and her family will be there, and some of the rest of our extended family.  So it will be a busy week, filled with happy times with family and the celebration of a new beginning for our great-nephew and his beloved.

I am very thankful to God for seeing us through these past few weeks with their storms and all that went along with that.  I am also thankful for my hubby's excellent report at the doctor this week, and thankful we were both physically able to help out this morning at our church with the raking. We look forward to a wonderful adventure next week with our family, and pray for safe travels to and from. I will most likely be writing again before we leave, but then once we are on the road I probably won't be able to do any blogging until we get home. It's better that way anyway, so I can focus on why we are there...to be with family and to relax and enjoy a little vacation.  

This was the verse that popped up in our devotions today:

1 Corinthians 15:57-58 NKJV

57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

And here is another verse that I read today:

Psalm 103:17-18 The Living Bible

17-18 But the loving-kindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting to those who reverence him; his salvation is to children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant and remember to obey him!

Both are excellent thoughts for us to consider today.  I pray that you and yours are having a good week, and that you are also experiencing the "loving-kindness of the Lord".  Amen.