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!
Showing posts with label "Since Jesus Came Into My Heart". Show all posts
Showing posts with label "Since Jesus Came Into My Heart". Show all posts

Monday, February 17, 2025

Tuesday 4~ Teen Time Memories

 Teen Time Memories


Hey! Welecome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.
Would you like to talk about some blasts from the past?
You know.. like malt shops, teen hops, proms and rock and roll? OK, let's do it!


1. Was there a teen hangout in your town or near it where teens seemed to gravitate? What was a favorite place to go?

The "Dixie Drive In" was a popular place for teens to go and hangout. They had curbside service with the trays on the windows and "Car-Hop" girls would bring out your order of hamburgers, cokes, milkshakes, or whatever you wanted. They also had indoor booth seating. I remember my older brothers and sister used to go there, but I was too young and was not allowed. By the time I was a teen ager it wasn't as popular as it was in the later 50's/early 60's.  I did go there a few times, but it really wasn't a place that I enjoyed going to all that much. It was set between several different little towns that all kind of formed a "triangle", and so kids from other towns/high schools (Rivals!!) also hung out there. I really preferred staying with my friends from my own school.

The place I remember most was our downtown drug store, which had a soda fountain and tables. A lot of kids would go there after school and get a 5 cent cherry or vanilla coke, or french fries, or a milkshake and a hamburger.  When I was a teen, I would go there after cheerleading practice after school, and wait there until my mother came and picked me up after she got off work at 5:00. It wasn't open at nights, so it really wasn't a hangout for the weekends or nights, but primarily an after school place.




2 Did you attend your high school varsity games? What high school activities did you enjoy the most?  Yes, I attended all of our high school varsity games, football and basketball in particular, and sometimes baseball too.  I was a cheerleader all through Jr. High and High School, so I had to go to the games!  What activities did I enjoy the most? Hmm, well, I did enjoy being a cheerleader, and also I enjoyed our after game dances...

Our school and town was very small...there were only 50 in my graduating class, (1968), and I went to the same school from 1st - 12th grade, so everyone knew everyone.  I still stay in touch with several of my school friends mostly via Facebook.  Sadly, like most people our age, our class is starting to dwindle down with so many who have already passed away. Our last class reunion was our 50th.  We need to have another while there's still some of us left.

3. Did you have any teen idols whose music or acting you just really enjoyed? What music did you enjoy most? What movies?
Teen Idols...well I loved the Beatles, The Beach Boys, Simon and Garfunkle, The Righteous Brothers, Sonny and Cher, gosh, there were so many back in the 60's...and I loved most all of them. 
Acting or actors?  Movies?  I loved The Sound of Music with Julie Andrews. It's funny, but I really don't remember a lot of really great movies, but I did always like the ones that Charlton Heston was in, like Ben Hur, and The Ten Commandments, etc., I'm drawing a blank here...but I know there were a lot more movies that I saw...just can't think of them at the moment.


4. Did your school have dances or sock hops and did you attend?
Yes, we used to have dances after the football games at the Civic Center. There was always a live band, which was usually a teen age group of guys who learned how to play guitars and drums and sing the popular songs of the day. The dances were well chaperoned (mostly), and it was always fun to go even if you didn't have a date.  And yes, I went to the proms too.  The link below tells a lot more about some of those memories:


I guess that's all for this Tuesday 4.  Sweet memories...(mostly!...lol...)

So now, since I haven't written in a few days,  here's a few pictures to share from Still Waters Pond and around...

I decided to walk around the edge of the pond again this morning and check out the area where I think the Sand Hill Cranes may be building a nest,  and at first this is who I saw...Yes, The Canada Geese Couple again...
But they are not on the same spot where they were the other day. They are not far from it, but just a short hop away.  I don't think they are building a nest there, however, but maybe just sunning themselves because it was a pretty chilly day! (chilly for us anyway!)



But THEN, I looked back over to the spot where I originally thought the cranes would build their nest, and guess what??? Yep, There she is! Mrs. Crane is busily building her nest!! Often times they work alone to get the nest ready, and then Mr. and Mrs. Crane take turns attending to the nest once the eggs have been laid.  I'm not sure if there is an egg yet or not. It looked more like she was still arranging things on the nest...but the sun was so bright it was hard for me to really see the details:


Look these pictures over and see what you think! If  you see an egg, let me know!



I didn't stay long enough to see if she ever laid down on the nest. That would be a true tell if there is an egg there or not. I guess I'll be making more trips back and forth in the days ahead to see what is "developing".



I was just happy to see that I was at least right about this location!!

And much earlier this morning (writing this on Monday night), there was a small flock of Great White Egrets who flew in to the pond. They hung around for a while and even the Canada geese swam over to welcome them.

The light was not real good yet, since it was actually just at sunrise, but you get the idea! Always something wonderful happening on Still Waters Pond, no matter what time of day it is.

Like last night's sunset...










And here comes the Canada Geese flying in at sunset:

They flew around to the other side of the island, where they are apparently spending the nights and now most of the day as well...I hope they will build a nest, but time will tell.
I have probably 20 more pictures of this, but I won't bore you with all of them...just suffice it to say it was a magical time watching the beauty of the changing of the scenery as the sun continued to set in the west...no two sunsets are ever the same...each day is a new creation by God

Just as we are also a new creation when we accept Christ as our Savior...

2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; 
behold, all things are become new.

So thankful for that truth, aren't you? And the older we get, the more like Christ we become as we continue to grow in grace and hopefully in wisdom.   That is certainly my prayer.  I'm thankful that I am not still that same girl that I was back in high school!

1 What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought

Since Jesus came into my heart!
I have light in my soul for which long I have sought,
Since Jesus came into my heart!

Refrain:
Since Jesus came into my heart,
Since Jesus came into my heart,
Floods of joy o'er my soul like the sea billows roll,
Since Jesus came into my heart.

2 I have ceased from my wand'ring and going astray,
Since Jesus came into my heart!
And my sins which were many are all washed away,
Since Jesus came into my heart! [Refrain]

3 I’m possessed of a hope that is steadfast and sure,
Since Jesus came into my heart!
And no dark clouds of doubt now my pathway obscure,
Since Jesus came into my heart! [Refrain]

4 There's a light in the valley of death now for me,
Since Jesus came into my heart!
And the gates of the City beyond I can see,
Since Jesus came into my heart! [Refrain]

5 I shall go there to dwell in that city, I know,
Since Jesus came into my heart!
And I'm happy, so happy, as onward I go,
Since Jesus came into my heart! [Refrain]

Amen.

Tomorrow we will be headed back to the eye doctor who did the surgery on hubby's eye. He's having some issues with it and wants to make sure everything is okay. So we'll be getting up early and driving that hour+ away again early in the morning. Hopefully there won't be any fog this time!  Someone asked me why we go so far away to the doctor. Well, we do live out in the country, but we also do have eye doctors and other doctors not that far away from us, but this is a cornea specialist because hubby has a condition that is affecting his cornea. So far they don't need to correct that as of yet, and we are hoping they won't have to, but time will tell.  That, plus we have to go where they take our insurance! 

Okay, that's all folks. I need to wrap this thing up!  Have a wonderful day tomorrow. I'll be checking in with you all sometime later when we get back home again.












Sunday, October 11, 2020

"Floods of Joy o'er My Soul..."

Happy Sunday everyone!! I hope that you have been having a beautifully blessed day so far! It is a lovely day here in our neck of the woods...sun shining, nice breeze, only 84 degrees, but it's going down to 66 tonight and the rest of the week looks like it will continue in a cooler trend, so that makes me happy!

I know most of you have your own churches that you attend either in person or online, but I do hope you don't mind me sharing our pastor's weekly message and our praise team's song with you. Certainly if you aren't interested you are free to skip over this, but I continue to share it because it may just be what someone out there needs to hear today. We never know what others may be going through and that they just may need a special message or a song to lift their spirits.  So thank you for allowing me to share this with you each week.  I think you will enjoy the song especially at the beginning.  I've included the lyrics for you below so you can sing along:


 Since Jesus Came Into My Heart

What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought
Since Jesus came into my heart!
I have light in my soul for which long I had sought
Since Jesus came into my heart!


Since Jesus came into my heart
Since Jesus came into my heart
Floods of joy o’er my soul like the sea billows roll,
Since Jesus came into my heart.


I’m possessed of a hope that is steadfast and sure
Since Jesus came into my heart
And no dark clouds of doubt now my pathway obscure
Since Jesus came into my heart


Since Jesus came into my heart
Since Jesus came into my heart
Floods of joy o’er my soul like the sea billows roll,
Since Jesus came into my heart.


There’s a light in the valley of death now for me
Since Jesus came into my heart
And the gates of the city beyond I can see,
Since Jesus came into my heart


Since Jesus came into my heart
Since Jesus came into my heart
Floods of joy o’er my soul like the sea billows roll,
Since Jesus came into my heart.


I shall go there to dwell in that city, I know
Since Jesus came into my heart
And I’m happy, so happy, as onward I go
Since Jesus came into my heart


Since Jesus came into my heart
Since Jesus came into my heart
Floods of joy o’er my soul like the sea billows roll,
Since Jesus came into my heart.


This little chickadee in the holly tree doesn't really have anything to do with what I've written above, but it just made me smile as I was sitting out in the Secret Memorial Garden yesterday afternoon, and so I thought you'd enjoy seeing him too. He was scolding me for sitting a little too close to the bird feeder, but eventually he overcame his timidity and decided I wasn't posing any threat to him and so he quickly grabbed a few bird seeds and flew away, to come back time and again for a little while. I love watching God's little birdies fly to and fro, gathering food for their families. We really aren't all that different, are we? Sometimes we have to get over our fears so we can move forward and put our family's needs ahead of our own uncertainties. That takes faith...faith that God is bigger than any perceived threat or enemy out there, and faith that God is with me and will never lead me to places where He has not already gone before me.   This goes along with our key verse for the Ladies' Bible Study we are doing in the book of Joshua:


"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.  Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."  Joshua 1:9 ESV

I am looking forward to going through this study with the women from our church. Perhaps I will be able to share a few things with you from time to time as we go through it. The first week was about 
"On the edge of uncertainty: facing our fears". 
One subtitle was "Be a warrior, not a worrier."

These are some things for me to work on. 
You know, we are never too old to learn something new from God!

How about you? Perhaps you can share something new you are learning!

Have a blessed day and week my friends. Let us try to be "strong and courageous" no matter what this old world may throw in our paths this week.