Wednesday Treasures

 

It's been a busy week. I'm sorry I've been a bit awol here in blogland.  Just a lot going on, and it's been hot! Too hot to think too hard I guess! LOL.

We did take a walk a couple of times...and I had to take a picture of this crape myrtle blossom, growing on a skinny little branch of what used to be a bigger tree probably back in the day in someone's yard in the old historic section of town where the highway went through and took away their houses...You know I just love to see how life goes on in one way or another...

And this morning we had an occasion to go into the "big city" of Palatka, which is about 15 miles from us. (Not really a BIG city, but bigger than where we live). Palatka is known for its many murals painted on the sides of the old store buildings in their historic section of town.  I happened upon this mural, and wanted to share it with you:

This mural is of a Cattle Drive to Paynes Prairie, circa 1930.

 Here's a brief summary of the history of the cattle drives to Paynes Prairie:

"Paynes Prairie, now Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, has a history of cattle drives dating back to the Spanish era and continuing through the Civil War. Specifically, Confederate cattle drives would stop there to fatten up cattle before moving them north towards the Georgia border. The prairie's landscape, with its vast open spaces and proximity to transportation routes, made it a strategic location for cattlemen. "

Link to more about the Murals in Palatka, FL.  There are so many, and they are all so interesting. I still haven't seen them all in person, but this link will show you what is there.

It's been so hot this week, the kitties have been finding different places to rest in the shade...Not sure that's much cooler, but Sunshine seems to like laying there under the tarp that covers the lawn tractor.

Some of you may have already seen these pictures on Facebook this week, but I'll share them again for those who haven't...One early morning Mr. Cardinal came calling at the bird feeder...I know many believe that when a Cardinal visits it's like having a visit from someone who's gone on to heaven.  I don't know if that's true or not, but I do love to see them, and they do always make me think of those who have gone on before us.. Always a comforting sight and thought.

Of course our "porch kitties", Blackie and Sunshine, are totally oblivious to the Cardinal just a few feet away from them.  That's a good thing, really!  Look at Sunshine...he's definitely enjoying his "catnap".

Mr. Cardinal seems to be oblivious to the cats as well...

Oh to be able to be so relaxed...

I guess you can tell I didn't get much done that morning!

But perhaps the kitties have the best idea for a hot summer day...

Mr.Cardinal seems to think so.

Isaiah 26:3

You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.

Ah yes, "perfect peace!"...something we are learning about...when our mind is on the Lord, and when we put our complete trust in Him, we can be at perfect peace.  When we allow the cares of this world and our fears for the unknown to get to us,  we get anxious and afraid.  But GOD! 

Remember this old hymn..."What A Friend We Have in Jesus"...

1 

What a Friend we have in Jesus,

All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit,

O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer!

2

Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged,

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful

Who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness,

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

3

Are we weak and heavy-laden,

Cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge—

Take it to the Lord in prayer;

Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?

Take it to the Lord in prayer;

In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,

Thou wilt find a solace there.

Amen.

We've been going through a lot of waiting and trusting and praying these past several months, while hubby has been dealing with some mystery illness and total exhaustion.  We've been to different kinds of doctors and had several kinds of tests...and still there haven't been any real answers.  Tomorrow morning he goes for more lab work to rule out some other possibilities...but here's the "good news"...

Yesterday he met with a neurologist (finally!).  After the Doctor looked over all the test results that have been done over the past few months, and also after asking my hubby many questions about how he feels, etc.,  finally my husband asked the doctor if he believes that he has any neurological disease? And the doctor said, based on what he sees, he does not believe that he does. However, he wants to run a few more blood tests to rule out some things, so that is why we go tomorrow, but he said he really doesn't believe they will show anything significant.  

Now, personally, I am a little frustrated with that answer only because we still don't know what's going on.  But the doctor reassured us that he doesn't see anything life threatening or serious.  It could be a kind of "chronic fatigue" situation, but there really isn't a whole lot that can be done for that.  However, to hubby, this news was great! It relieved his mind so much that I have noticed a new spring in his step...and tonight he even went to the church board meeting (where he is the chairman), and I thought he was planning to resign from his position because of his illness, but instead he rejoiced that God has given him the strength and desire to keep going. He was like his "old self" again,  and it was like witnessing a miracle of God right before our eyes!  So I want to stop and give thanks to the Lord for what He has done...because I know it was God who did that!   Praise God from Whom ALL blessings flow!!

And so I will leave you with those words of hope and thankfulness for tonight. There's some other things going on, but I will save that for another post as I am tired tonight. It's been another long, hot day, but, oh! It did finally rain! We had a good little thunderstorm and rain this afternoon, so that is something else to be thankful for!

I like this translation of Philippians 4:19...

Philippians 4:19  New Living Translation

"19 And this same God who takes care of me 

will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, 

which have been given to us in Christ Jesus."

Amen!!

Good night dear friends!

Happy August!

Happy First Day of August! To me, August is a month of transition...summer begins to wane, and we begin to shift our thinking from vacations and summer gardens, to getting the kids ready for school (if you still have any at home) and getting back into a regular routine again.  Of course, for those of us who are retired and all our children are grown, it may not be as big of a change, but still there are subtle differences in the air, an expectation of things to come.   Some may feel a bit of anxiety about whatever the future may hold, but the verse shared below in this Thomas Kinkade calendar picture for August is a good one to remember:  "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee." Isaiah 26:3

 

I love that painting, entitled "Weekend Retreat", and would LOVE to have such a place to retreat to, especially if it was somewhere cooler than where we are right now!

Perhaps this calendar picture below may be more what you are experiencing...picking the last of the summer flowers from your garden and trying to keep things watered and growing for as long as possible. 

And this would be someplace that I would love to be as well...Isn't that a beautiful farmhouse, and look at those lovely flowers and trees and the wheat field in the background...but most of all, I love the picture of the sweet old grandpa taking a walk with his, what I would assume, would be a great grandson.

John Sloane captures so much beauty and joy and love in these paintings in his Country Seasons calendar.  I enlarged this part of the picture to see what the little boy was looking at, and it is a chipmunk!  We don't have those here in Florida, but I have had some experiences with them  up north..especially in Ohio, where we had a chestnut tree, and in the fall I had a daily race with the chipmunks to see who could gather the most chestnuts off the ground! I think the chipmunks won! They took them and stored them somewhere for their winter meals.  I roasted the few I could gather and I think I also managed to chop up some into our stuffing for our Thanksgiving dinner! Sweet memories!

After enjoying a nice walk with a grandchild or anyone else, for that matter, it would be nice to come inside and make a pot of tea with this lovely Royal Doulton teapot from the Netherlands...and sit down together and have a nice long visit over tea and cookies...

There is something special about having tea with a friend or loved one...

Or maybe that young grandchild would prefer a glass of cold lemonade! That sounds pretty good too!

This Susan Branch calendar always captures my imagination...Yes, "Home, Such a lovely Place"...

And now that brings me to something special from my home!    This photograph is not current...I'm not sure of the date, but by the looks of it most likely it was taken in the late fall here on our own Still Waters Pond, when the Canada Geese were gathered to enjoy a peaceful place to swim and fish and honk at their neighbors as they swam around each other...always a lot of fun to watch in the fall and winter.

So why am I showing it now? Well, I did something I've never done before!  

First, I got a new bedspread, and I wanted to have something different to hang above the bed that would tie in the colors in our bedroom...

And I really didn't want to spend money on a picture from someone else's pond or woods or whatever, when I have such a beautiful place right here on our own Still Waters Pond.  So I searched through my photographs of the pond to find one that would show a peaceful scene, and I asked hubby what he would enjoy looking at more...the geese, the Sand Hill Cranes, or something else, and he said the geese...

So I sent in this photograph online to Walmart and had them make it into a canvas picture to hang on the wall!   I was concerned that the photo might look too blurry when enlarged that much, but it really doesn't! It looks just like the original, only bigger!

I am really excited and pleased with the way it turned out! 

This is my anniversary present to us, as August 16th will be our 56th anniversary! And it is nice to be able to sleep "beside the Still Waters (pond)".  

August is always a busy month for our family, with lots of other people in the family having birthdays and anniversaries.  We had hoped to get everyone together sometime this month to celebrate, but we're having difficulty finding a date that works for everyone. So we may have to break it up into smaller gatherings at different times.  Time will tell.  Either way, at least hubby and I already have started the celebration!  Today we had some errands to run in the "city", so we went to lunch at Captain D's. I like their grilled seafood dinners, and it's not too expensive, so we had that. I am thankful that he was feeling well enough to go. "One day at a time, Sweet Jesus! That's all I'm asking from you..."

This was the sunrise this morning!

And here's one last passage from the Thomas Kinkade calendar for August...some good words of wisdom for us all to remember...

So be at peace, my friends...and have a blessed and beautiful  and safe August. Bye for now!

Thursday Thankfulness

 It's so hot I had to open up my own ice-cream shoppe and make myself a chocolate ice cream soda today to cool off! LOL.

It was fun sitting there on the stools at the counter, slurping away at my old fashioned chocolate soda, just like the good old days!

Yep! Ahhh!  It was good to the last slurp! 

I am very thankful for our cool house and the ability to do special things to enjoy a hot summer day without having to be outside in the heat!

I am also thankful that earlier this week our son came over and installed grab bars for us in our bathrooms!  Here's hubby's bathroom: (and yes, I know that's busy wallpaper, but remember,this is a manufactured home, and that's how they come. I keep saying that someday I will paint over it, but that day hasn't come yet...)

This one is in my bathroom, right above the cute toilet paper holder that he made for me last year, and where his sweet wife painted the cute little chickadees on it.   (And yes, both bathrooms have the same wallpaper, and actually, we have a third bathroom, and it has the same stuff too!)

So thankful for smart kids!!

I'm thankful for these little tiny cherry tomatoes growing in this pot! I stuck a small pot with a tomato plant in this larger pot of geraniums and another flower, and I had intended to repot it in the dirt instead of leaving it in the little tiny pot, but it still took root in this pot and started growing and producing tomatoes even without me doing that! I can't take any credit except for keeping it watered. God did all the rest!

Sometimes even the most unlikely combinations surprise us with something good!!  

And here's a couple of zinnia blossoms, still growing strong even in this drought!

Yes, I do water them almost every day, but I am thankful that they just keep on smiling up at us regardless of the weather!

I mentioned that the new house next door has sold, and there has been a lot of activity over there this week, but still no one has actually moved in.  They did, however, install a fence in the back yard, and brought in a new little shed/garage, to store their lawn mower and tools!  So that's progress!  I am thankful that they are doing things to take care of their property.  We still haven't met the new owners, but hopefully once they are moved in there will time for that!

I am also thankful that hubby's appointment with our doctor today went really well, and he really listened and took care of making sure the referral to the neurologist went through. Apparently someone in the office dropped the ball on that and it was supposed to have been done already, so he personally made sure it was done today, and we got a call from their office this afternoon, making an appointment for next week. So that was good news!

And here's some interesting, not really so funny to me stories from my childhood. (But I can laugh about them now).

These photos below are from the internet because I don't have any of the real deal to share, but I saw these first two on Facebook this week and it took me back down memory lane.

The Hay Wagon story, as I remember it, I was about 4 years old, and we kids were riding on top of the loaded hay wagon like this,  with our Dad driving the tractor pulling the wagon back to the barn from the field. Our tractor was a much older Farmall Tractor...not a fancy rig like this.  Anyway, when he turned the corner in the road to head for the barn, apparently he drove under a tree and a tree limb came out across the top of the hay and knocked me off of the top and onto the ground!  Thankfully I only had the wind knocked out of me and apparently there were no injuries, but to this day I can still feel what that thud and wind being knocked out me felt like!  

Next, I saw this picture and oh boy, did it ever bring back THAT memory!  Yes, that could well be me! Again, I was about 4, and somehow I managed to go down to the corn crib by myself to feed the cows, or so I thought. But Mr. Rooster came charging out of the barnyard with his spurs on his feet flying at me, and I let out a scream and my mother came running with a broom and chased him off of me.  I understand that we had rooster stew for supper that night!

Now, for the last story...again when I was about the same age...our farm had a 2-seater outhouse. It was not as fancy as this one...

I remember it looking more like this: (maybe not that bad, but you get the idea)

And I'm not sure if there were actual seats like these, or if there were just holes, but anyway, trust me, it was a stinky old outhouse!  LOL.  However, our outhouse had a little gas heater in it near the door, because our farm had natural gas wells on the property (in Pennyslvania), and so I guess we had free gas and could afford to have a heater in our outhouse...and it was cold there as you can well imagine.

Anyway, on this particular day my older sister Doris and I went to the outhouse together. The door on the outhouse had a hook and eye latch inside to keep the door closed,  but when you went outside there was a wooden block on the door that you would turn and it would hold the door closed.  My sister said that if I ever was in there alone and someone forgot and turned the block on the door on the outside, that all I would have to do is push really hard against the door and it would open from the inside. Then she went out and left me in there and latched the door from the outside. She said she forgot and didn't mean to do it, but I've never been too sure about that. LOL.  Anyway, me being only 4, I wasn't really that strong, and when I tried to push the door open, it wouldn't budge.  So I started pounding on the door and screaming, and while in the process of pushing on the door somehow I got my hair caught in the little heater and it singed my hair, and then I really started screaming, and my mother heard me and came and let me out of the outhouse. Of course my sister said she was sorry, and of course I forgive her, but I've sure never forgotten it (and I've never let her forget it either! LOL.)

I share those little stories from my childhood to pause and remember that even then, God was watching over me. In each situation I could have been seriously hurt, but thankfully I mostly was just scared and perhaps my little child pride was wounded a bit. If I've never done it before, I want to thank the Lord now for His watchcare over me way back then.  He knew me, He loved me, and He had a plan for my life that a fall from a haywagon, an attack by a mean old rooster, and a hair-singed locked up in an outhouse experience couldn't keep from happening.  I am extremely grateful to God, and I want Him to know it.

This was true then, and it's still true today...

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, 

“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

And this passage from Psalm 139:

Psalm 139: 13-18

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.

I am so very thankful for this knowledge...and for the fact that even now, in my 75th year of life, God is still with me, and He continues to take care of me...and He still has plans for my life...plans to prosper me and not harm me, to give me a hope and a future...     Thank You, Lord!!

I hope you didn't mind this little trip down memory lane with me. I wonder how many of you could look back at your life and see the many times God protected you and kept you from being hurt in serious ways that may have totally changed your life.  Or, even if serious things did happen in your life, (and yes, I've experienced those too),  perhaps you can see the ways He used those things for your good even still.  

Romans 8:28 NKJV

"28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, 

to those who are the called according to His purpose."

Thank you for spending this time with me.  I hope you have a lovely rest of your week. And no matter what we may be going through, there is always something to be thankful for.

Amen.

Tuesday 4~Shall We Cook?

 

Shall We Cook?


Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 kept in memory of her.

Let's talk about food this week shall we?

Most people enjoy eating good food after all.


1.What is/are your favorite foods to eat ?
Lately that is becoming a more difficult thing to answer. My tastes and gastronomic issues keep changing.  The things I used to love to eat I really can't eat anymore...no sweets (or very little), no spicy foods and very little pasta/cheesy/tomato sauce dishes.   I find that I do better if I stick to eating about the same kinds of things every day...breakfast with eggs/buttered toast or grits. No jelly or biscuits, and I need to stay away from pancakes and syrup.  I don't like milk, so I don't eat cereal, but I do like yogurt and granola and fresh fruit, so sometimes I have that for breakfast, but if not, I will have it for a snack later. I also eat peanut butter with apple butter on cinnamon raisin toast (Pepperidge Farm brand) sometimes.

Lunch: I prefer a salad with lettuce and spinach, shredded cheese, maybe a little bit of diced deli ham or if I have cooked chicken I will put that on it. Marie's Cole Slaw dressing on top and also some craisins and a small sprinkle of Fritos. We usually also have some kind of fruit with our lunch, like cantaloupe, cherries, grapes or apples.  For supper: It varies. Hubby likes some kind of meat and potatoes or a one pot meal of some kind.  He also loves hot dogs and beans, so we have that at least once a week.

2.How often do you cook at home and what kind of meals do you make?
I cook at home every day. We MIGHT go out to lunch or breakfast occasionally, but not nearly as often as we used to. Just too expensive!  See above #1 for answers...we eat a lot of stuff made with ground beef, pork loin, or boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts. Hubby prefers potatoes or rice instead of  pasta. Vegetables vary according to whatever is fresh ...right now we eat a lot of summer or zucchini squash or broccoli.  Or  Carrots.  I would love to eat more fish, but it is expensive and I don't like to smell up the kitchen (LOL), so if I want fish we go out to eat it.

3. When you go out to eat what foods do you find yourself ordering most?

Depends on what kind of place it is. I like to order salads and seafood if available...salmon if affordable.

If it is a BBQ place, I will get BBQ pork, cole slaw, and either a baked sweet potato or fried okra. 

4. Can you recommend a restaurant in your area? Why do you like it?

Well, my favorite place for special occasions is Corky Bells, a seafood place on the St. John's River. I've shown lots of pictures from there over the years. But lately it seems they are always so crowded and the line is too long, so it kind of takes the joy out of going when you have to wait so long. It is about 15 miles from us.

Here's the last time we were there, with our blogging friend Terri from "Your Friend From Florida" fame, with her son Joey and our kids. We had a great time together, but we had to wait several HOURS to eat!  Still, it gave us time to visit, which was wonderful.  

It's a fun place on the river, and sometimes you even might see an alligator!  

Oh, and I mustn't forget, a few years ago we met another very special blogging friend there for supper...Debbi from Debbi's Front Porch, 

and we also brought our special little friends Lily Grace and her Tracie and AmyBelle, who are "cousins", since Debbi is Lily Grace's special "Auntie Debbi" who actually sent Lily Grace to me in the first place!

I don't think Corky Bell's was ever quite the same after our visit there! LOL. 

Other than that, we might occasionally go to Chili's for their lunch special deal, or the other day we picked up a great hamburger at a small local hamburger place, "Hog Wild Burgers and Shakes".  They are a subsidiary of the the former favorite Hog Wild Country Cafe' that burned and had to close, which made us very sad. They now own our local "True Grits" country diner, but it's just not the same. The other diner we have is Nanna's Country Cafe', but it is very small and doesn't have much atmosphere, but the food is okay and affordable. We may go there tomorrow morning for breakfast because it's time for me to have lab work done, and we usually go out for breakfast after that.

I guess that's all on this topic for now!

Thanks for joining in!

Matthew 6:25-27, 31-34

25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 

26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 

27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

This beautiful Snowy Egret landed in the pine tree right in front of our back porch this morning, on Still Waters Pond

They very seldom land in the trees close enough for me to get a good look at them, so this was a real treat!

He was God's special messenger of "Do Not Worry" for us today!

31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 

32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. 

For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, 

and all these things shall be added to you. 

34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Speaking of not worrying, we were able to get another appointment for hubby this week on Thursday, back with our PCP, and THIS time we are supposed to see the one we had wanted to see last week. We hope to pursue some further referrals/recommendations this time, and hopefully we will start getting some answers.  Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement on my last post. You are all the best folks ever!!  Blessings to all of you!!