Friday Foto Friends and Lots of Neighborhood Stories!

 Happy Friday Morning! I guess this is the last Friday in June already! Next Friday will be the 4th of July! Wow! This year is definitely half over already! And it is also definitely summer time here in Florida!

It's time to either take a dip in the pool...or maybe a nice nap on the back porch...take your pic!

The kitties have made their choice...

And young "Trumpet" has made his choice!

It's also time to stop and smell the roses...

Blackie took a good sniff, but he wasn't too sure about it.  Sunshine actually took a sniff earlier, but I couldn't get a picture in time, and he absolutely refused to pose again for me! One sniff was enough he said! LOL.

I was SO excited to see the roses starting to bloom again on this beautiful bush that my sweet DIL ROSE gave me for Mother's Day.  After the giant lubber grasshopper had tried to eat all the roses and leaves on the bush, I had to spray it with some bug spray, and sadly the leaves all started dying, so I had to cut it way back and wait for it to regrow, which thankfully it did.  Then I saw one of those Eastern lubber grasshoppers on there again, and after I stomped him into oblivion,  I moved the rosebush (it's still in a pot) to the back yard, where I've never seen any lubber grasshoppers YET. I hope they don't find us back here!  There is NO such thing as a good Eastern Lubber Grasshopper!

I'm so glad the plant has survived!!!

I will warn you, this post is going to be full of pictures. I've been saving them up this week!  I showed you pictures HERE earlier this week how our "porch kitties" sit and stare at me through my little Room with a View Window until I come out and feed them in the morning.  Well, now Sunshine has found a new tactic. He knows that I often go into the laundry room first thing in the morning to put on a load of wash.  There is a door with a window there that leads out to the back porch.  I looked out the window one morning this week, and there's Sunshine staring right back at me!  I guess I was running a bit late on breakfast, so he thought he would give me some more encouragement to get with the program!

As soon as he saw me looking out at him, he knew his message had gotten across, so he started getting ready for breakfast:

Now, I must tell you this little story. One afternoon this week I went out to feed them their supper. I put their food out there, and Sunshine decided to follow me right back to the door instead of staying there eating his food.  I hesitated a moment too long in closing the door, and before I knew it, he had darted in between my legs and was inside the house lickety-split!  (Sorry, no pictures). Now mind you, these are outdoor kitties!  That's where they are supposed to stay! But Blackie has already snuck in once before and had a look around before deciding to go back out, so I guess Sunshine decided it was time he had a look inside too.  So I let him wander around a bit while I quickly ran and closed all the bedroom doors, because I knew if he ever got inside a bedroom and under the bed he may never come out again. LOL.  Finally, after he'd had his sniffing completed in every corner (I think he was looking for those doggies that are here sometimes), I managed to tempt him back outside with a cup full of kitty treats rattling in the cup.  Hopefully his curiosity has been quenched for a little while, but I know I have to watch them very closely, or they will be back in here.  

Trust me, kitties, it's much more interesting outside where you are free to roam and wander or lay on the back porch and watch the birds!

Oh Sunshine, you are the sly one!

And Blackie loves to play hide and seek...

Hello! Are you winking at me?  

(I think I was disturbing his nap)

Speaking of watching the birds...for instance, this was Trumpet putting on a dance routine for them the other day! He's actually gotten where he can fly quite as high as his parents now, so the sky is the limit for him!

And right on cue, as I was writing about watching the birds, Miss Muscovy Duck flew up on the porch to see if the kitties had left her any food! (They had not!)

And when I came out to send her away she waddled over to the edge of the porch and said a few duck words that I could not quite comprehend...(maybe it's better that way!)

And off she flew ...

Off and away across Still Waters Pond, which is still in need of a LOT more rain, BTW.

Oh, do you see those ruts in the grass above?  Yeah, that's another story!

It's a good thing I am a patient and forgiving person...LOL.  This fellow who mows our grass for us just can't seem to get it into his head that you cannot drive the mower down into that part of the grassy shoreline of the pond. It is very soft muck under the green grass down there...and normally that area should be totally under water once the rains come back in full force.  Yes, we told him last time and he got stuck, and why he was so determined to drive his tractor down there again this time, when the ground is even softer because we have had some rain, I don't know...I will be generous in my thoughts and words and just say that common sense is a virtue not given to many these days. LOL  Anyway, I love the guy...he's a good fellow, but still...  

So, he got stuck, and his buddy who helps him backed his van down there to pull him out with a rope, and he got stuck too.  

So, we called our son Benton and asked  him to  come over with his pick up truck, and thankfully he was able to hook up to the van and pull him out, and then when the van was back up on more solid ground, with a longer rope they were able to finally get the tractor out of the mud.  I forgot to take any pictures of Benton pulling them out with his truck, but I found this on the motion camera we have outside that shows part of it:

So thankful for our son coming to our rescue!  And hopefully some VALUABLE lessons were learned! And also the fellow did finish all of the yard and did a great job, and we are very thankful for his work. He gives us a very reasonable rate to do the mowing, and it is a big help to us to have him available for that and other little handyman jobs that we have needed to have done. He is trying to earn a living and also help out a friend who has some physical limitations but is able to help him as a support person, so we are glad to give them the work.

Oh, guess what! I noticed some new property survey stakes and ribbons on the boundaries of the property of the new house next door, so I contacted the owner and asked her if they had sold the house, and she said "YES!" 

She doesn't know any details for sure about who or how many or other information because it was handled by a realtor, but she said it was a solid offer and they expect to close in a couple of weeks! SO, I guess time will tell whether or not prayers have been answered about the new neighbors!  I'm still praying, obviously for God's will to be done...but I do hope they will be friendly and not have loud cars or loud dogs. LOL.  And I pray that we will also be good neighbors to them, whoever they are...

And speaking of "neighbors", I had an unusual encounter with someone from the neighborhood the other evening. A young woman knocked on the door and I went to answer the door, and ended up having a long conversation with her as she was actually looking for help...as in financial help of any kind...and she appeared to be somewhat inebriated from one source or another...and she needed money to get her "prescription" filled she said because her feet were hurting and burning from neuropathy, and she was also practically deaf as her speech was much like a person who is deaf.  Oh my! What do you do in a situation like that?  I prayed in my heart first of all, that God would help me to do the right thing, whatever that was.  I thought a lot about this scripture passage below as I was talking to her, especially verse 6:

Acts 3:1-10 

"Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 

2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; 

3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. 

4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” 

5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 

6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” 

7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 

8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. 

9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God. 

10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him."

I wanted so much to share Christ and His power to save and to heal her, and we did talk a bit about church and where there were churches who could help her with some of her needs...But all the while I was asking God to help me do the right thing.  You know? You don't want to just tell someone you will pray for them and not do anything to help her immediate needs.  I did actually end up giving her a little bit of money (after discussing it with my hubby for a moment privately), but not very much,  and then I asked her if I could pray with her and she said yes, and then she wanted to hug me, which I was happy to do.  Her name is Misty.  

I am sharing this not to gain any kind of glory for myself, because I felt totally inadequate for the situation. I truly needed the Lord to guide me, and I pray that what I did do was what He wanted me to do.  I don't know if I will ever see Misty again...she said she was new to the community and living with some people. She had no car or any way to get places or get a job because she can't hear well enough.

She is still on my heart and I continue to pray for her, but you know there are so many like her out there...seeking material help but more than that they need JESUS!  They need to know that "in the Name of Jesus" they CAN rise above their circumstances  and find the help and peace that they need.  

Well, while I was writing that story, another neighborhood "emergency" arrived. LOL.  Hubby called me to the window to see that there was a man out in the street stopping traffic so that he could get a turtle off the road.  I stepped out on the porch and asked him if it was a land turtle or a water turtle, and he said water, so I told him that we have a pond out back and that is where he's probably trying to get back to.  He asked me if I could bring him a towel or something so he could pick him up, because he didn't want to get bitten.  So I grabbed a towel and my camera so I could take some pictures!

 (Of course!)

It was another of those very large Florida Soft Shelled Turtles...the same kind that was laying eggs in our yard not long ago...

The man carried her around to our back yard and laid her down on the grass and headed  her in the direction of the pond, and it wasn't long before the turtle took off running as fast as turtles can run toward the pond.

It didn't take her long to reach the shore and she ran into the mud and started swimming as soon as she found the water.

I thanked the man for his kindness to God's wild critter, and then I noticed his fancy motorcycle and told him he had a very nice bike.  I asked if I could take a picture of it for my blog, and he was all too happy to let me, and said "You can just name it the "Turtle Saving Bike" today!  LOL.

I bet you've never seen one of those before!  I guess "salvation" comes in many forms!

Lately I've been feeling kind of sad that we haven't been able to attend church regularly due to my hubby's health concerns.  But I have prayed that God would still find ways to use us to minister to others even from right where we are.  And it seems like He's been doing just that in various ways and with people we never would have met in our church.

Matthew 5:13-16

13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 

15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

James 1:17 NKJV

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

The gist of this is that we are to be salt and light to those around us, wherever we are...not just in church where everyone else is also salt and light. (Hopefully).  We are to let our light shine in our homes and neighborhoods and when out shopping or working or dining out.  If we let the Light of Christ shine out from us, people will be drawn to the Light that is in us.  You don't have to preach to people to minister to them. Just be salt and light. Let your light shine, and it will help to lead them to the One True Light, Jesus Christ.  I pray that is what God is doing with my life during these days of feeling a bit confined. If I can't go to the "Church", God is bringing "the Church" to me.  

Thank you for hanging with me through this long post today.  It just seemed to keep on growing as the day has progressed! I'd better hurry up and post it before something else happens! LOL.    I  do hope that you and yours will be blessed today and that the Light of Christ will shine on you and through you as you go about your days.  Amen.