Tuesday 4~Summertime

 I know I'm a little late to the "party" for this week's Tuesday 4, but HERE is the link if you want to follow along and see what others are writing today as well. (Or join in with your own post! The more the merrier!)

Summertime

Hey! Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where we ask just 4 questions each week to give you something to blog about, something to think about and a reason to visit other blogs!


♫Summer time and the living is easy says the song. So how is summer going for you? Let's talk about it.....

1. How has summer been so far? Has it been easy or hard or are things moving along as usual? Is the weather getting you down or are you enjoying it so far?

Well, living here in Florida, it has been HOT and HUMID. But then I've noticed on the the weather reports that a lot of you up north have actually had hotter weather than we have so far this summer!  I actually talked to one of my cousins in Pennsylvania yesterday because it was her birthday and I try to remember to call her every year on her special day...(which is another story...because a few years ago I called her mainly to tell her about some family news, and she told me it was her birthday and she thought maybe that was why I was calling...and I had to admit that I didn't realize it was her birthday because for many years she belonged to a religious group that didn't believe in celebrating birthdays or any holidays, so I was surprised that she mentioned to me that it was her birthday...and so I decided then and there that I would try to remember to call her on that day from then on since it seems that now she wants "celebrate" her day)...anyway, as I was saying...my cousin said that it has been VERY HOT and HUMID where they live, and they do not have air conditioning since they usually don't need it.  She said they do have a LOT of fans in every room and that is how they are managing. It was very nice to get caught up on all of her family news and to keep our family connection going as best as we can, since we probably haven't seen each other in person in over thirty years.

2. What have you been doing this summer? Even the little mundane things count.

Well, mostly just trying to keep up with our regular household chores and activities. We haven't done nearly as much this summer since hubby hasn't felt real well.  BUT, we finally did go back to church on Sunday, and that was a real blessing!! It was SO good to see everyone and also to get and give many hugs!   Tomorrow hubby has an appointment with our primary care doctor,  and I hope we will begin to zero in on whatever is going on with him. We shall see. Prayers are always appreciated.

3. What are you going to do? Any plans? What interests you this summer?

No plans since hubby hasn't felt well enough to make any plans.   Oh, one other good thing...we finally heard from our grandson Noah the other day! We hadn't talked since Christmas, even though I send him text messages and pictures, etc. all the time. He's almost 26, works long hours and stays very busy, and well, I guess young people today just don't realize how important it is to stay in touch with old folks like us. We live 1500 miles apart, so we can't exactly just get together anytime we wish. Our conversation was wonderful and we were so thankful to know that he is doing well. He did have a car accident a couple of months ago and his brand new car was totalled, but he wasn't hurt nor was the person in the other vehicle, so we are very thankful for that. And he was able to replace his car with an older version of the same car with a lower payment...so maybe it worked out for the better in the long run. I told him that we pray for him every single day, and that we know God was truly watching over him in that accident. I hope he realizes how much he is loved by us and by His heavenly Father.  

4. It's been hot in most of the country How are you weathering the heat ? What are your ideas for staying cool in the hottest weather of summer.

Well, I wish we could do this...

We do take a lot of naps...but we just can't sleep on the porch like these kitties...

Sometimes we do fall asleep sitting up...but we are inside where it is cool in the air conditioning and sometimes with a fan on us as well!

Or maybe Sunshine was just praying. It was time for breakfast and he was patiently waiting for me to bring out the food!

And like these two kitties, we do seem to eat a lot...but we try to eat more fruit and salads and not such heavy meals as in the other months...

We are very thankful for the rains we have had; as you can see Still Waters Pond is filling back up and the grass is growing in where it once was just black mucky mud...

Everything is looking much more lush and beautiful once again, which is an answer to prayer.

We could still use more rain, and I am certain we will get it eventually, but we are thankful for everything that God has already provided.

On a different and sadder note...

I know some of you have already seen this picture on Facebook. I think it may be AI generated, but whoever did it, it certainly speaks to my heart. We've all been hit with the horrific tragedy that has taken place in Texas this past weekend...our hearts have been broken to think about those precious young girls being swept away in the waters of the flood...but when I think about them passing through the waters and leaping directly into the open arms of Jesus Christ, Who is standing there at Heaven's Gate ready to welcome them "home", well, that gives me great comfort.  I know the road ahead for their families will be be a long, difficult, and painful journey, but for those who are believers, if they can visualize their dear sweet daughters safe in the arms of Jesus, it has to help bring some measure of comfort.

Matthew 19:14 NKJV

14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

This is a link to a previous post I wrote some time ago about "Understanding God's Plan", which I think gives some comfort and clarity in this difficult time.  Again, my heart goes out to all of those suffering such great loss at this time. May God comfort them as only He can.

I hope that your summertime will be filled with blessings and making happy memories with your loved ones and friends.  Thanks for joining in.