Thursday Thankfulness

 Wow, this week sure has flown by! And every day has brought us a little bit of rain here and there, so we are thankful for that. Hopefully some more is on the way this afternoon around 5:00, according to the weather app on my phone. However, we've found that not to always be exactly accurate, but at least it gives us an idea of what to expect and be prepared!  

With all the rain our little zinnia garden is starting to really blossom!

Some kind of bug on this one:

These were almost spent, but I brought them inside to enjoy to the very end:

One of our blogging friends, Debbi at Debbi's Front Porch kept mentioning something about her "Old Maids" growing/blooming, but I didn't know what she was talking about, so I asked her, and she said she was talking about her zinnias.  I had never heard that term before for zinnias, so I looked it up online and here is what I found on someone's post on Facebook:

"Creative Gardening"

Tinatin Noghashvili ·

"Did you know zinnias used to be called Old Maids? They were long lasting flowers and similar to the bright colors old unmarried women used to wear.
They were very popular from the 1920’s to the 50’s and then their popularity somewhat dwindled.
That name isn’t in use much more and zinnias are now again growing in popularity. They are easy to grow, last a long time in the vase and come in so many wonderful colors! Their ability to attract pollinators is also a big plus. Everyone should try growing this beautiful flower!"

Internet Photo

I love that picture, don't you? And that explains about the "Old Maids" in my garden! Thank you, Debbi, for piqueing my curiosity about that!

Talking about curiosity...Whenever I step out of the back door these two curious cats come running to see what I am doing...

One would think they were joined at the hip! LOL.  Looks like Blackie is running in his sleep!

They are actually hoping I'll give them something more to eat, but I think they are well fed enough!

Actually, I did do something different on the porch. Our "kids" were coming over for supper, and they always bring the Grand Puppies,Sugar and Spice. Well, if the kitties are on the back porch where they can see them, the pups go crazy and want to go outside.  So we thought we'd try a little subterfuge and build a screen so the cats couldn't be seen by the dogs.  Before I was smart enough to tuck in the bottom part of the sheet under the chair legs that are on the other side of this "curtain", Blackie was actually under there playing hide and seek in the curtain. Can you see his lump in the middle?

Here's the finished product, and it actually worked pretty well until the cats figured out how to get around it and showed up on the other side of the curtain where the pups could see them.  I didn't get any pictures of all that excitement, but suffice it to say the best of plans don't always work when you're dealing with two curious cats and two very excitable doggies!

Here's where they ended up, but the pups were gone home by the time I took this picture. LOL.

This is what we had for supper...Rose was off  from work today, and so she wanted to roast a pork loin  and bring it here.  I cooked the mashed potatoes and corn on the cob and we made gravy when she got here with the meat. We also had a nice green salad. It was all very yummy!

There was more to their plan to come over today.  If you recall a couple of weeks ago they helped us install a "Ring" doorbell, which has worked very well and we are thankful for it.  The next part of our "security package" was to install some "Blink" Cameras outside in a few places.

And here is a test to see if I can actually share a video from the back porch camera...looks like it's there. Let me know if you can open it.  I'm just learning all the functions and how to operate it.  This was taken just a minute ago.  

You may wonder why all the security measures all of a sudden? Well, it's something we've been thinking about for a while, and to be honest, at our age, it's just something that we feel like we need to give us "eyes" all around the property.  The nice thing is we can access this from anywhere we are as long as I have my phone.  It gives us that extra level of security when there are things that "go bump in the night", or if we have to be away for any length of time.  And yes, we know that God is always watching over us and we are not afraid, but in this day and age it is wise to be vigilant. 

Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 

7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

So we are very thankful that our kids helped us set this up. It's nice to have young people around who are capable of tackling these kinds of jobs for us! We are blessed and very very thankful.

I know some have wondered how hubby is doing...he's feeling a bit better and we are very thankful to God for His help and kindness and grace.  We met with our primary care doctor to go over the results of his tests, and now he is being referred to a specialist for further evaluation. We don't know when that will be yet, as we are waiting for the specialist to contact us to set up an appointment. We are just thankful that it doesn't appear to be anything that needs immediate or urgent attention, but definitely needs to be addressed.  So we are taking things one day at a time and trusting God to work all things together for our good.  (Romans 8:28) He knows our needs and concerns, and He is taking care of things beyond our control. And we also know that God's timing is always perfect. So we will trust in His time schedule.  Again, we are thankful and blessed.  However, we are still taking things a bit easier and not participating in too many extra-curricular activities.  When we know better what the plan is for the future, we will be able to assess our future activities a little better.

Well, friends, it is getting past my bedtime. It's been a wonderful day and I am very thankful. 

I hope you are doing well also, and I hope to catch up with you as I am able. "Good Night, Sleep Tight, Don't let the Bed Bugs bite!" LOL.