Thursday Thankfulness

 It's so hot I had to open up my own ice-cream shoppe and make myself a chocolate ice cream soda today to cool off! LOL.

It was fun sitting there on the stools at the counter, slurping away at my old fashioned chocolate soda, just like the good old days!

Yep! Ahhh!  It was good to the last slurp! 

I am very thankful for our cool house and the ability to do special things to enjoy a hot summer day without having to be outside in the heat!

I am also thankful that earlier this week our son came over and installed grab bars for us in our bathrooms!  Here's hubby's bathroom: (and yes, I know that's busy wallpaper, but remember,this is a manufactured home, and that's how they come. I keep saying that someday I will paint over it, but that day hasn't come yet...)

This one is in my bathroom, right above the cute toilet paper holder that he made for me last year, and where his sweet wife painted the cute little chickadees on it.   (And yes, both bathrooms have the same wallpaper, and actually, we have a third bathroom, and it has the same stuff too!)

So thankful for smart kids!!

I'm thankful for these little tiny cherry tomatoes growing in this pot! I stuck a small pot with a tomato plant in this larger pot of geraniums and another flower, and I had intended to repot it in the dirt instead of leaving it in the little tiny pot, but it still took root in this pot and started growing and producing tomatoes even without me doing that! I can't take any credit except for keeping it watered. God did all the rest!

Sometimes even the most unlikely combinations surprise us with something good!!  

And here's a couple of zinnia blossoms, still growing strong even in this drought!

Yes, I do water them almost every day, but I am thankful that they just keep on smiling up at us regardless of the weather!

I mentioned that the new house next door has sold, and there has been a lot of activity over there this week, but still no one has actually moved in.  They did, however, install a fence in the back yard, and brought in a new little shed/garage, to store their lawn mower and tools!  So that's progress!  I am thankful that they are doing things to take care of their property.  We still haven't met the new owners, but hopefully once they are moved in there will time for that!

I am also thankful that hubby's appointment with our doctor today went really well, and he really listened and took care of making sure the referral to the neurologist went through. Apparently someone in the office dropped the ball on that and it was supposed to have been done already, so he personally made sure it was done today, and we got a call from their office this afternoon, making an appointment for next week. So that was good news!

And here's some interesting, not really so funny to me stories from my childhood. (But I can laugh about them now).

These photos below are from the internet because I don't have any of the real deal to share, but I saw these first two on Facebook this week and it took me back down memory lane.

The Hay Wagon story, as I remember it, I was about 4 years old, and we kids were riding on top of the loaded hay wagon like this,  with our Dad driving the tractor pulling the wagon back to the barn from the field. Our tractor was a much older Farmall Tractor...not a fancy rig like this.  Anyway, when he turned the corner in the road to head for the barn, apparently he drove under a tree and a tree limb came out across the top of the hay and knocked me off of the top and onto the ground!  Thankfully I only had the wind knocked out of me and apparently there were no injuries, but to this day I can still feel what that thud and wind being knocked out me felt like!  

Next, I saw this picture and oh boy, did it ever bring back THAT memory!  Yes, that could well be me! Again, I was about 4, and somehow I managed to go down to the corn crib by myself to feed the cows, or so I thought. But Mr. Rooster came charging out of the barnyard with his spurs on his feet flying at me, and I let out a scream and my mother came running with a broom and chased him off of me.  I understand that we had rooster stew for supper that night!

Now, for the last story...again when I was about the same age...our farm had a 2-seater outhouse. It was not as fancy as this one...

I remember it looking more like this: (maybe not that bad, but you get the idea)

And I'm not sure if there were actual seats like these, or if there were just holes, but anyway, trust me, it was a stinky old outhouse!  LOL.  However, our outhouse had a little gas heater in it near the door, because our farm had natural gas wells on the property (in Pennyslvania), and so I guess we had free gas and could afford to have a heater in our outhouse...and it was cold there as you can well imagine.

Anyway, on this particular day my older sister Doris and I went to the outhouse together. The door on the outhouse had a hook and eye latch inside to keep the door closed,  but when you went outside there was a wooden block on the door that you would turn and it would hold the door closed.  My sister said that if I ever was in there alone and someone forgot and turned the block on the door on the outside, that all I would have to do is push really hard against the door and it would open from the inside. Then she went out and left me in there and latched the door from the outside. She said she forgot and didn't mean to do it, but I've never been too sure about that. LOL.  Anyway, me being only 4, I wasn't really that strong, and when I tried to push the door open, it wouldn't budge.  So I started pounding on the door and screaming, and while in the process of pushing on the door somehow I got my hair caught in the little heater and it singed my hair, and then I really started screaming, and my mother heard me and came and let me out of the outhouse. Of course my sister said she was sorry, and of course I forgive her, but I've sure never forgotten it (and I've never let her forget it either! LOL.)

I share those little stories from my childhood to pause and remember that even then, God was watching over me. In each situation I could have been seriously hurt, but thankfully I mostly was just scared and perhaps my little child pride was wounded a bit. If I've never done it before, I want to thank the Lord now for His watchcare over me way back then.  He knew me, He loved me, and He had a plan for my life that a fall from a haywagon, an attack by a mean old rooster, and a hair-singed locked up in an outhouse experience couldn't keep from happening.  I am extremely grateful to God, and I want Him to know it.

This was true then, and it's still true today...

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, 

“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

And this passage from Psalm 139:

Psalm 139: 13-18

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.

I am so very thankful for this knowledge...and for the fact that even now, in my 75th year of life, God is still with me, and He continues to take care of me...and He still has plans for my life...plans to prosper me and not harm me, to give me a hope and a future...     Thank You, Lord!!

I hope you didn't mind this little trip down memory lane with me. I wonder how many of you could look back at your life and see the many times God protected you and kept you from being hurt in serious ways that may have totally changed your life.  Or, even if serious things did happen in your life, (and yes, I've experienced those too),  perhaps you can see the ways He used those things for your good even still.  

Romans 8:28 NKJV

"28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, 

to those who are the called according to His purpose."

Thank you for spending this time with me.  I hope you have a lovely rest of your week. And no matter what we may be going through, there is always something to be thankful for.

Amen.

Saturday Revue

 Here it is Saturday afternoon, and there really isn't much to report! It's been TOO HOT to do much of anything!

This is our current reading on the themometer on the back porch. (Around 3:00 pm) However, I understand that the "heat index values" are up to 111 degrees, according the the severe weather alert we have on our phone app.  That's pretty doggone hot for us here in this part of Florida, and there's no rain in sight!  We are extremely thankful for our central AC, which is running all the time, but it is doing the job! Thank You, Lord, for whoever evented air conditioning!

Even though I grew up in Florida in the days before air conditioning...we didn't have it at home, or at school, or at church, or in our cars, or anywhere!  Somehow we survived, but looking back I do remember that as a child I either stayed outside and played...

yes, that's me...keeping the intruders out of my wood pile fort. LOL

 or I sat in front of a fan a lot.  I wore as minimal amount of clothes as I could and it seems like we made koolaid or juice popsicles in those tupperware things and enjoyed eating them to cool off. Life was much simpler then, even if it was hot! The windows were open at night and we could hear the tree frogs "singing" back and forth to each other. Sometimes they got so loud, especially after the rain, that we could hardly sleep for the noise. But thankfully my Daddy had put a big attic fan up in the attic, and he would turn that on at night and it would pull in a nice, albeit humid, breeze and also the whirring of the fan helped drown out the sound of the frogs.

My Sister Doris (washing the dishes) and I , drying the dishes, barefooted and trying to keep cool in our short shorts in the summertime.  

I know some of you may live where you don't really need central air conditioning that much, but trust me, if you lived in Florida in the summertime, you'd be very very thankful to have it.

So what else is new?  Let's see,

There's a new store in town!  "The Trading Post" at Deep Creek...

Deep Creek is the Farmer's market place where our son sets up a booth a couple of times a month in their outdoor Saturday morning market.  But now they have added a very nice indoor "Trading Post" store, where vendors can sell their products  every day (Wed-Sun) without having to be there because the store owners will handle the sales.  It's a lot like what we did at Dixie Cottage, and since that store is no longer in our town, the timing was just right for this new store to open.

No, this isn't our son's booth, but he does do similar work as this, and I thought it was interesting that this fellow's store name is "Benjamin's Sawmill".

Our son Benton doesn't have a booth yet in this store, but he does plan to set up one soon. He's just been too busy with their other projects to do this one too.

Some of you who remember our Dixie Cottage days may remember these items...yes, this is the same woman who was in our store, with her beautifully made bird baths and bird feeders, crafted from vintage glassware...

You may also recognize the items in these photos below!  I was surprised to see these pictures of MY birdfeeders that I purchased from her a few years ago. I had sent these pictures to her, showing how much our birds loved them, and she had asked permission to use these photos in her booth display some time ago. I'd forgotten about that, and when I saw these pictures today I was so surprised!!

You may recognize our Sand Hill Crane family when they had two little colts! This was several years ago!

Here's another interesting woodworker booth.  I love these items...and so many more that are there for sale in this new store.

Many many interesting things to look at...

And I found something special for Sunshine and Blackie!

These two little mice are stuffed with catnip!  I was so excited to get them and couldn't wait to give them to our kitties!

LOL! Here's Sunshine...he got up and moved away and wouldn't go near it!

Blackie wasn't there at this time, so I am still waiting as I write to show it to him. I will keep you posted.

Okay, I tried again when I fed them.  Blackie sniffed the mouse, but was more interested in eating.  Sunshine gave it a wide berth once again.  Wouldn't even sniff it. So...maybe mice stuffed with catnip isn't exactly their "thing". LOL. I think they'd prefer the real deal...you know...real mice? LOL. Thankfully I don't have any of those to offer them. 

I suppose since these kitties have been raised in the wild they aren't interested in fake toys. Oh well, I tried. LOL.

This is how they wait for me to bring them their breakfast in the morning...

The longer I stall, the closer they get to my window! LOL.

But this is how they spend the rest of the day...

On these "dog days of summer" I can't say as I blame them.

Thankfully while I was writing this earlier this afternoon, the sky turned dark and I could hear thunder in the distance, and sure enough, we got a surprise afternoon thunderstorm!  It cooled things off all the way to 92 degrees! LOL.  But we are truly thankful for the rain, and also that it didn't bring any strong winds or other severe weather.  It was a good reminder to be patient and wait on the Lord, and He will bring good things to pass!!

Psalm 37:3-8 has some good reminders for us today...

"3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

4 Delight yourself also in the Lord,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord,

Trust also in Him,

And He shall bring it to pass.

6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,

And your justice as the noonday.

7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,

Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;

Do not fret—it only causes harm.

I underlined the words that show us a better way to live, especially in these difficult times when the world is trying to go in the opposite direction of what this psalm is teaching us to do.  If we can just remember these words and apply them to our own hearts, we would be amazed at how much better we will feel and get along no matter what is happening around us.  

Trust, Dwell, Feed, Delight in the Lord, Commit, Rest, and Wait on the Lord, Do Not Fret, Cease from anger, forsake wrath, and again, Do not fret!  

God's Word is right and true...we just need to believe and do what it says.  Amen!!

Have a blessed and beautiful rest of your weekend, my friends!!  

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:

HERE is a link to a previous post about my school years activities.

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.