What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?

What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?
Remember: "When God closes a door, He always opens a window!" You never know what might be out there waiting for you!

Saturday, March 1, 2025

Hooray for March!

Yes, Hooray for March! Surely Spring is just around the corner! Here in Florida, where we live, it is already feeling a lot like spring and we've been enjoying some pretty picture-perfect weather for a few days!  
Yes, it's time for the March calendar revue...
No, this isn't one of my pictures, although it is rather familiar, isn't it? LOL.  

Except for the rocky shoreline, (and lack of water lilies) that could easily be mistaken for my header picture with those Adirondack chairs on the shore of our own Still Waters Pond. No, our pond isn't quite that large or "clear", but still, it's pretty doggone close!

Oh wow, this Thomas Kinkade painting is certainly gorgeous! That is really beautiful...

And this is one of my favorite verses, which is also the inspiration for the hymn "Great is Thy Faithfulness"... 


Ah, it's tea time again...that's a lovely tea setting and interesting snacks to go along with the tea...


I like these thoughts...although I rarely share tea with a total stranger, but you never know when you might meet someone at a gathering of some sort and end up sitting at a table and sharing "tea" with a stranger, and you end up being wonderful friends and/or "family".  Yes, I can see how that can happen...

And I always love what Susan Branch puts on her little calendar each month...always something fun and uniquely interesting thoughts to ponder:

Yes, it is "lovely to be lovely us"...

And now we come to the John Sloane Country Seasons calendar...and this looks like someplace that a lot of you ladies out there in blogland would enjoy being!  I personally am not much of a seamstress or quilter, but I still love to look at fabrics and notions and dream about things I would love to do if I had the time, energy, skill, and patience...and a good sewing machine... all things I am rather short on. LOL.

Those were fun, weren't they?  Great way to start off the new month!

Now back to real life...as most of you know, our oldest son Benton is a bit of a woodworker. He and his wife Rose have a business known as "Ben & Rose's Country Woodshop", in addition to their Etsy site, BRCoastalRusticDecor.  Lately Benton has started building wood planter boxes of all sizes and shapes, and he sells them at local Farm markets. Today he was at a garden market up near Keystone Heights, FL.  We went up to see how he was doing, and he had already sold a truck load of stuff to one customer, and before the morning was over he had sold quite a bit more and had some orders to make more! Wow!  
 
Last week he was also at a local Farmer's Market and did quite well.  These are just some pictures of items he makes and sells, among others...
That swing is actually small, and is for little plants like succulents.  I told him that Lily Grace would fit in it just fine too, and I'm sure she'd love one, but he only laughed at me...why??? LOL.

Spring is a great time to sell these planter boxes, apparently, judging by his sales today! So hooray for some encouraging news!




I told him I need one of these trellises for a plant in my garden...hopefully he will find time to make one for me.  Of course I'll pay him for it, but he has to make time to build some extra, and they they get sold before he can give me one...but that's a good problem to have!  So we are happy that this new venture is taking off quite well already!!


This morning I noticed this unusual bird in a tree over across the pond. I wasn't sure what it was until I enlarged the pictures and then looked it up online...


And it is an Anhinga, whick I've seen before, but never realized they had those white feathers on their backs and on the tips of the tail!  


You can click on this link for more information if you wish:  Anhinga.  They are also sometimes called a "snake bird" because of the way they move their long skinny neck.

Always something new at Still Waters Pond to enjoy!

No new pictures, but the Sand Hill Cranes continue to trade spaces on the nest and come visit our yard foraging for food. We've been a bit more lenient than during normal times about throwing out some extra bird seeds for them especially for the mother because she has to spend so much time on the nest and doesn't have much time for foraging around looking for food.  It was funny yesterday I saw her out in the yard kind of just wandering around near the bird feeder, and as soon as I stepped out on the back porch she literally ran right toward me so fast because she expected me to have some bird seed for her. Thankfully she was right.  I wish I'd had a video of that, because it was really funny to see her take off running directly toward me.  I think we've already spoiled them a bit, but it's only for this nesting period.

Also, it must be mating time for cats in the neighborhood. Our neighborhood Blackie kitty was taking a nap on our back porch this morning, and we suddenly heard a loud "cat fight" going on. It was another male black & white tuxedo style cat up on the porch picking a fight with Blackie, who is also a male.  Must be a some kind of territorial dispute, but I was kind of like that mother Sand Hill Crane and went running out the back door and chased off that black and white cat so fast he never had a chance to look back. However Blackie took off in the opposite direction, and I haven't seen him since. I'm sure he'll show up at dinner time over at the neighbor's house, at least I hope he will. We shall see.

Never a dull moment here, that's for sure!  
Carrie Underwood and CeCe Wynan singing 
Great Is Thy Faithfulness


Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine with 10, 000 beside

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me