Monday Monday~Time to Prepare

 Here it is Monday evening, and I haven't written anything yet!  We've had a bit of a busy day...prepping for Hurricane Milton, which is scheduled to arrive in our state sometime late Wednesday evening or overnight Thursday morning.  If you've been watching the news, you will see that it is currently a Category 5 storm, but it is still in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and moving slowly toward the peninsula of Florida. It is scheduled (at this time) to make landfall somewhere near Tampa Bay, maybe a little north, or maybe a little south, but hopefully by then it will have slowed down to a Category 3, which is still huge, and it will wreak havoc on the Gulf Coast with strong storm surges again in areas already hit hard by Hurricane Helene two weeks prior.  This storm is supposed to move across the state rather than going up the coast, which means it will come barreling in our direction. However, the current prediction is that it will slow down and be more of a Category 1 as it crosses the state, but it may move very slowly, which means it will have more time to dump more rain and blow high winds all around while it lingers over us.  Therefore, even though we are more inland and north of the main impact zone, we could still get sustained 60-75 mph winds, which most likely will do some major tree damage and we can expect to have widespread power outages.  (I'm beginning to sound like a weatherman! We spend so much time watching them, we are being programmed...)

So anyway, we went to the store this morning and stocked up on some food/paper goods items, and then came home and put things away again from the yard...bird feeders, wind chimes, small items that could blow away, etc.  Then we went to our Bible Studies this afternoon and did more talking about what's going on that doing our Bible Study very seriously. But we encouraged one another and prayed for our situation and basically prepared ourselves mentally and spiritually for what is coming.

Speaking of bird feeders, I put ours up on the back porch under shelter for now, but left out where the birds could still find them and eat, and also where we could watch them from inside the house.  I enjoyed just sitting and watching and snapping a few pictures for a while, which was very relaxing and calming:

Male Cardinal

Carolina Chickadee

Male Cardinal and Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

Male Cardinal

Female Cardinal

Carolina Chickadee

Two Carolina Chickadees!

I enjoyed watching them so much! I hope you did too!

Yesterday was our grandson Noah's 25th birthday!  We tried to call him, but he had to work, so we just left him a message on the phone and sang Happy Birthday to him.  But happily, he called us back this evening and we had a nice long conversation.  Here's the latest picture of him, posted by his mother on Facebook yesterday.  Someone said he must be a James Bond fan because of his gesture.  But my son said, no, it would be an Austin Powers gesture...I don't know anything about that, but apparently he was just being funny and cute.  He reminds me so much of his father, our son Matthew, who was always doing something funny and cute. Anyway, I'm just so glad we were able to talk with him. That means so much to us, and hopefully it did to him as well.

Also yesterday evening our "kids" (Benton and Rose) came over and we had bratwurst with peppers and onions on it for supper.  Then we played some of that game, "Deer in the Headlights", and discussed Hurricane strategy.   If things get too wild and rough, we may go over to their house, as they have a solid concrete block home, whereas we live in a manufactured home.  However, we have a generator and they don't, plus we have city water and they have a well, so we would have water and electricity via generator, but they would have solid concrete walls, but no water or power.  We shall see what we end up needing the most. Praying mostly that we will all be safe no matter what condition our utilities are in.  

While the kids were here, of course the grandpups came over too. They were being their usual cute selves.

Here's Sugar...and this is her habit when she knows she is about to be fed:  She runs with her tennis ball in her mouth and goes to her "dinner mat" and waits for her food. It's really comical...she will run and find that ball as soon as she hears someone say something about coming to eat...

And here's Spice....She doesn't bother with the tennis ball, but she just waits for the food. Sometimes she tends to be very finicky  and doesn't eat everything, but Sugar will usually take care of any of her leftovers. Their personalities and little habits are such fun to watch.

Here is the link to our church service yesterday.  I am linking it because I wanted you to hear the choir singing "Let Us Break Bread Together". (it's at the very beginning).

Yesterday, our Pastor and wife were away on vacation. The sermon on this video was actually from a message he preached last year, since they were away this week and did not record a new sermon. (And we had a guest speaker preach for the service on Sunday.)  But the song we recorded during our choir practice last week.  Anyway, I tell you all of this because even though I am singing with the choir in this video, in reality on Sunday morning, I was directing the choir.  Our Pastor's wife is also our choir and worship leader, and since they were going away, I was asked to fill in for her.  So on Sunday morning I directed the choir when they sang this song.  Thankfully it was a very easy song to sing and direct, and everything went well.  I also had to lead the congregational singing and make all the announcements, etc., basically everything except for the things that the Pastor does, like pray and preach and lead the Communion service. We had a few little snafu's at the beginning when the sound system would not work properly, and our usual sound technician was also on vacation.  Another person had been trained to operate the system, but for some reason things didn't go exactly as planned, however we did manage to find a microphone that worked and the service carried on without a hitch from then on.  I give thanks and glory to God for getting us through it all, and I'm also thankful our Pastor and wife will be back next Sunday! LOL. It certainly made me appreciate everything they do every Sunday even more! And they truly deserved and needed to have a break!  (It also made me thankful that my hubby and I are now retired from the pastoral ministry, because we had to do all those things before every week as well for many years! But we were younger then and had a lot more energy!)  Actually, I am very thankful to God that I was able to serve in this way, and I really did enjoy every minute.  But my Sunday afternoon nap felt real good! LOL. 

 "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God..."

2 Corinthians 3:5

Well folks, "Lord willin' and the creek don't rise," I hope to write again tomorrow for the Tuesday 4 meme, and then I will be getting things ready for Hurricane Milton to make his way through on Wednesday and Thursday.  Hopefully I will still be able to communicate with you during that time, but please just be praying for everyone in the path of this storm. There are quite a few of us bloggers here in Florida, and I pray we will all be safe and sound and able to talk about our experiences when it's over.

"I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;

For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."

Psalm 4:8  NKJV

Tuesday 4 ~Wildlife

 

Wild Life

Tuesday 4 is here once again.

(Per our hostess Annie:) I was thinking about wild life that is all around us. Summer brings us out of the house and we spend more time outdoors, weather permitting, and have an opportunity to see animals and birds that live around us.

1. Do you see many animals where you live? Is your answer a good or bad thing?

Well, people who follow my blog know that I have a lot of "wild-life" around where we live. Mostly birds and squirrels. But the variety of birds especially keeps us entertained all the time. It's not quite like it was when we lived in the Ocala National Forest (at our last house, which is just 30 miles from here), where we saw bears and deer on a regular basis, with a few coyote, raccoons and possums thrown in for extra fun, but we are thankful for what we do have here.  Here is a link to a post from our old house in the woods, with LOTS of wildlife!  I do kind of miss all of the excitement, but I guess we are better off without so much wild activity around us.  If you go back into my post archives, most anything between 2012 and 2019 will have some wildlife somewhere in there!

2. What kind of animals and birds are around your area?

Sand Hill Cranes, Hawks, Great Blue Heron, Bluebirds, Cardinals, woodpeckers, Wrens, to name a few of the birds.  Animals: we do have squirrels, possums and armadillos

Armadillo in our yard.

occasionally in our yard, along with neighborhood cats and sometimes a stray dog. Oh, and turtles. Gopher Tortoises are in the area, but thankfully not in our yard as they make a lot of tunnels. (and they are endangered and protected).

And there are deer in the woods, we just don't get to see them very often except occasionally where we take our walks one might venture out and cross our path if we are fortunate enough to see it. 

We did actually see a coyote run through the woods one evening when we were walking. That has made us much more cautious about when we go walking. 

Red Shouldered Hawk (juvenile)

One of our Sand Hill Crane Colts

Bluebirds having a chat at the birdbath

Canada Geese

Mama Sand Hill Crane and one of the colts earlier this spring

Ruby Throated Hummingbird (Male)

Great Blue Heron on Still Waters Pond

Turtles on the pond

3. What kind of animals and birds could you do without and what kind would you love to see more often?

Stray dogs...this area is ripe with stray dogs and cats. Fortunately they aren't right here in our neighborhood (the dogs), but you have to be very careful where you walk as they sometimes form packs out in the more wooded areas and have become not just a nuisance, but dangerous.  Our animal control system is not able to keep up with it. It is very sad that many of these dogs and cats come from thoughtless and careless people who dump off their unwanted litters of dogs and cats in the woods, and then they continue to breed and the problem is multiplied.  Sadly we had to bury a stray cat recently, who apparently just got sick and died on the edge of our lawn and pond. There was no sign of injury. It was like she just laid down and died. It was very sad.  We gave her a nice little burial and I even said a little prayer.  It made me very sad, but she was a stray and our neighbor, who feeds some of the strays in the area said she had never seen this one before.  So it could be someone dumped her off in the woods and left her to die. That makes me so angry.

4. Do you feed wild birds or animals ?

Yes, we feed the small wild birds that come to our bird feeder. We don't feed any animals or the bigger birds like the Cranes or Canada Geese. If you start to feed them, they will expect it every time they see you, and it really isn't good for them to be fed by humans, and it is actually against the law to feed them.  Our neighbor, as I mentioned above, does feed some stray cats in the neighborhood, but I noticed one came into our yard today and I am afraid she might be pregnant. I don't know much about cats, but she looks kind of fat in the belly, so time will tell.  I hope not, because that will mean more stray cats to run wild. At least she isn't really feral, and maybe the kittens can be taken to the humane shelter. Time will tell. I hope I'm wrong...

HERE is a link to a post I wrote about that same neighborhood cat last fall.  At least I think it's the same cat...and maybe it's really just a chubby "he", and not a "she". As I said, time will tell. 

Well, that's it for my "wild life" here these days.  Now let's go see what other people are enjoying in their neck of the woods!  Here's the link!

Thursday Thankfulness and Friday Foto Friends

 It's that week in between Christmas and New Years Day, when we try to play catch up on the "normal stuff" after the Christmas rush and activities, and prepare our minds and hearts and bodies for whatever may lie ahead in the New Year.  2023 is soon becoming a "Closed Door", and 2024 is now an "Open Window", with a brand new blank slate waiting to be filled with whatever adventures God has in store for us.  Peering through the window right now I can't see too far ahead.  There's still a kind of a veil between now and then...

Scenes from my walk to the shore of Still Waters Pond through the woodsy veil.

But soon the veil will begin to open and we will be able to see what new adventures await us...

(I enjoyed a little walk down through the woods to the pond...the foliage is dying out and it is easier to get through now without having so many branches and vines in the way)

Still a little challenging, but isn't that the way life is?  There will always be challenges in our pathway, but "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

Much better view!

Looking around in another direction, toward the little island in Still Waters Pond:

 One of my favorite Scripture passages for the New Year:

Isaiah 43: 18-19

18 "Do not remember the former things,

Nor consider the things of old.

19 Behold, I will do a new thing,

Now it shall spring forth;

Shall you not know it?

I will even make a road in the wilderness

And rivers in the desert."

Today was rather cloudy all day, with intermittent bouts of light rain. It was in the low 60's most of the day, but cooler weather is on its way. The next few days will see lows in the low 40's/high 30's and highs in the 50's and low 60's.  So for us here in Florida, winter is upon us.  It seems as though the birds are well aware that change is on the way. There was a LOT of bird activity out on the feeders and in the trees around us. Here's a few of the visitors we had today:

Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird stop by periodically to check on things at "their spring and summer home".  They seem to still lay claim to this house even though they are not staying in it during the winter.  But whenever any other bird shows any interest in it they somehow swoop in from somewhere and drive them off...

Like this unsuspecting Carolina Chickadee. He likes to poke his head in the house and look around once in a while,

 but the Bluebirds always manage to drive him away pretty quick...

It's like they are standing guard over the house from somewhere in the treetops even though they don't need it right now...but they are not about to rent it out to "strangers".

I don't know if you can see him or not, but there is a "Yellow-Rumped Warbler" in that tree below. How do I know? Because I can see the yellow spot on his rump!  Look very closely:

Mr. Bluebird is checking things out in the house...making sure there are no squatters inside.

Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird are having a conversation about their house...

After a while they took off for wherever they are roosting in the trees in the meantime.

Sometime later there was another visitor coming by to check out the house:

A female Red-Bellied Woodpecker must have heard the news that this house was vacant and came to see for herself:

She seemed to like the roof top patio...

But soon she noticed there were some juicy bugs on that pine tree just beyond, so she decided to go check that out:

She inspected the trunk up and down and I am sure she found some good afternoon snacks...

After her snack she also took off for other trees in other places around the pond...

And Mr. Carolina Chickadee flew back in for a short visit before he took off again also...

There were other birds flying in and out all afternoon, like Cardinals and Doves and Tufted Titmouse, but these were the only ones that I managed to get pictures of. Otherwise I wouldn't have gotten anything else done today!  

So, what else did I do? Not really a whole lot.  Well, this morning we drove into town to Walmart so I could do some shopping for our upcoming weekend family Christmas event here on Saturday. Just as I was finishing up our shopping I got a text from my sister that if at all possible it would be better for everyone else there if we could do it on Monday, New Year's Day, instead of Saturday.  So I checked with our family members on this end, and it appears that will be okay for them, so the "party" has been moved to Monday!  Thankfully the food I bought will keep until then.  We will be doing mostly things like finger foods and veggie and/or fruit platters, Charcuterie style, if you know what that means.  It's a new term that I've been learning about in the past year.  I am anxious to use one of my Christmas gifts:

"Bless the food before us, the family beside us, & the love between us".
Amen!

Isn't it beautiful?  It was a gift from Benton and Rose, and no, they didn't make it. (I asked that question right off, LOL). It really is amazing, and it will be such a joy to use! I intend to put crackers around the edges in that indented area, and cheeses/sliced summer sausage in the middle. 

And now that we will be gathering on New Year's Day I guess we will have to have some black-eyed peas too...it's a southern tradition.  So I will probably make the usual "Hoppin' John"., which has the black eyed peas and rice combined. Now that I think of it, we probably need some Collard Greens and Cornbread as well. Might as well do it up right.  LOL.  So much for simple "finger food" and platters,  etc.  But it will all be fun and good...it always is when family and friends gather in love and harmony.

We will also be celebrating Rose's birthday on Saturday, but that will just be the immediate family. We plan to go out to eat...Rose's choice...so we shall see what she decides!

I guess that's enough for today's Thursday Thankfulness post, which is also for tomorrow's Friday Foto Friends. Maybe I didn't say what all I was thankful for...but if you read between the lines I think you can see that I am very thankful for all of the above events and people and God's creation all around us. I am also thankful that our family has made it safely through 2023, even with a few health issues here and there, but we are arriving on the doorstep of 2024 with renewed health and strength and so much to be thankful for! God has been very kind and good to us and we are very thankful indeed.

I'll try to check back in after our Saturday event and then again after our Monday event.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!