Thursday Thankfulness and Friday Foto Friends-God's Protection for All His Creation and You and Me

 Well, this week certainly has been one for the books when it comes to weather! Not so much here in our neighborhood, but in our upper parts of the state of Florida, specifically the Panhandle, where they got up to 8" of snow in some places!  We were definitely cold here where I live (and still are), and we were under a winter storm watch, but no snow was found in our yard...just a lot of rain the night before, leaving everything quite soaked.  Still Waters Pond was happy for the added water, and our winter visitors, the Ring Necked Ducks, took full advantage of the deeper pond and even ventured closer to our shore so we could see them better:

By the way, I took these pictures with my "old good camera". It decided to work again most of the time. It still has some issues, but as long as I keep the batteries charged really well, it does a lot better, so I did take back the other camera and got my money back!  I am very thankful that it is still working, because it really does take much better pictures than the new camera did, and is much easier for this amateur photographer to use!

The ring-necked duck is a diving duck from North America commonly found in freshwater ponds and lakes.  We have enjoyed having them come down every winter since we've been here on Still Waters Pond. Usually there are a lot more than just these two males. I'm not sure where the rest of the "family" is this winter.  But they seem to keep themselves entertained, bobbing up and down, diving down for whatever it is they like so well down under the water.  They are are a lot of fun to watch.

It's hard to get good pictures of them both above water at the same time. They seem to take turns diving, and they are quite quick about it, so if you aren't watching they will dive down before you can click the camera!

Even though it was about 33 degrees when I took these pictures, they didn't seem to mind the cold air. I expect the water was a lot warmer than the air. Maybe that's why they dive down under so much! LOL.

I hope you don't mind so many pictures...they just make me happy to see them this close. Usually they stay on the far side of the pond where I think the water is a little deeper, but the rainstorms we've had recently have not only added more water, but they have helped to knock the lily pads further under the water, which makes for smoother 'sailing' across the pond for them I guess.  Also I think the freezing temperatures we've had have killed off some of the lily pads, so they are dropping down to the bottom of the pond.  No worries, they will send up plenty of new ones in the spring and summer.

That's why the bottom of our pond is so mucky. It is many many years worth of layers of dead lily pad decomposition. You definitely do NOT want to try to walk on the bottom of this pond! You will sink up to your knees in muck immediately. Trust me, I know!! Yuck!!

But it provides a rich feeding ground for the birds and turtles and fish, which is why we have a pond in the first place...to enjoy what creatures God provides for us to enjoy!

Today has also been quite cold, again, low temperatures hovering around the freezing mark, with highs only in the 40's. It looks like it will be much the same for the next couple of days.  We are enjoying staying inside and keeping warm and cozy.  I made a pot of beef vegetable soup the other day in the crock pot, but I only added potatoes, carrots, onions and celery and a can of diced tomatoes with peppers, celery, and onion to the chuck roast. Also I added a couple of cans of beef broth, and let it cook  all day. It was really good...but hubby prefers more of a stew rather than a soup, so last night I divided the leftovers into two different pots and I thickened his to make it a stew, and I added some canned green beans and corn to my pot and made it more of a vegetable soup:

soup

I forgot to take pictures of it in our bowls, so these pictures were taken when I was putting the leftovers away after supper.

Stew

And here is my bowl of soup for lunch today:    

There's still some left, but I may have to put it in the freezer for another day. Eating something 3 days in a row is my limit! LOL. But it really was good, and so perfect for these wintry days.  Besides, the "kids" are coming over for supper tonight, and we are making tacos! Yummy!!  We are very thankful for our warm house, hot food, and God's protection from all of the storms of life. And we are thankful for our family being close by so we can enjoy their company often!

Today the action outside has been with the other birds in the trees and at the bird feeders. I try to make sure the feeders are full especially during these cold spells, because the birds really need to keep refueling to keep warm!

I was enjoying watching these Sparrows today:  Aren't they cute all lined up in the tree together?

Oh, I think one of them sees me:

And the next thing I know, they are all converging upon the bird feeder at once:

And then there were more on the ground, finding the seeds that spilled over when I was refilling the bird feeder yesterday afternoon:  Can you see them? They are quite well camouflaged on the ground:

I copied this information from the internet when I asked it "what does the Bible say about Sparrows":

 "In the Bible, sparrows are mentioned in Matthew 10:29-31 and Luke 12:6. These passages describe how God cares for sparrows and how people should not be afraid.

Matthew 10:29-31
"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care"

"And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered"

"So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows"

Luke 12:6
"And not one of them is forgotten before God"

What do these passages mean?

God cares for every sparrow, even the smallest creatures

God knows everything about people, including how many hairs are on their head

People should not be afraid because they are worth more than sparrows

Sparrows can serve as a reminder of God's faithfulness

Sparrows symbolize God's care and provision, the importance of humility, and the idea that God loves even the smallest creatures."

I thought that answer was pretty complete, so I really can't improve on that, except to say that these little creatures are a good example to us of God's love and care.  How wonderful that Jesus used these tiniest little bits of His Creation to teach us about how much God loves and cares for us.

The sparrows weren't the only visitors to the yard today, however this Red Bellied Woodpecker doesn't really need the seeds from the birdfeeders to survive. Just give him a bug-filled pine tree, and he's got a feast fit for a king:

Hey! Who are you looking at???

And last, but not least by any means, this beautiful male cardinal came by several times for his dinner.  His mate was with him, but somehow I missed getting her picture:

Well, folks, that about does it for today.  I've got to go start cooking that taco meat before the kids come over.  I'm just very very thankful for how God has protected our family, and even our "wild family" during this cold weather. I know there are many who have it much harder and colder than we do, and we are praying for them as well.

How many of you remember Ethel Waters singing "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" at the Billy Graham crusades?  I remember watching those crusades on TV so many years ago, and hearing Ethel Waters sing was always a highlight to me.  Well, praise God, they recorded this way back then so we can still see and hear her today....here she is for us to enjoy and sing along with us today!  What a blessing!!!

"He Watches ME..." ...(WE)

Can you see the owl in this picture?  If you can, then you are a pretty wise "owl observer"

For those of you who have followed my blog for a while you will know that I have had this "relationship" with the Barred Owls in my backyard and also remarkably in my father's backyard. My Owl Story ,"The Last Farewell"  (check on these links for the stories...)

Well, now we are getting ready to move away from this home and my backyard visitors...and I am kind of sad about that.  I have watched these owls raise their babies, listened to them call to each other in the night and in the day, ("Who- who -who cooks for youuuuuu????"), witnessed their love-wooing, (sometimes quite passionate and somewhat hysterical in tone)  and have had many a long conversation with them, or at least a "stare-down" with them. (I stare at them, and they stare at me...I've always wondered what they were thinking while watching me watching them).  It has been a remarkable friendship from the very beginning.  No doubt about it, they have been the highlight of our sojourn in this community...actually the only "friends" we have had here in the five years we have lived in this particular house! That may sound strange, but that should tell you that it has not been a super friendly neighborhood, at least not in the human sense.

So, we are moving on...and already we are making new (human) friends in our new neighborhood and we haven't even moved in yet!  But I truly am going to miss my owl friends. They have comforted me when I was grieving, they have entertained us and our guests with their antics...we have marveled at their amazing acts of parenting in raising their young ones...it has been a uniquely wonderful experience.  (Check out "The Things I see Outside My Open Window" page on this blog)

The other evening I was washing up the supper dishes and looking out my kitchen window up at the treetops, and there right before me was one of our owl friends, perched on a very small branch perfectly balanced, and I promise you I am not exaggerating, he was literally watching my every move.  I quickly turned out the light in the kitchen so I could see him better, and he never took his eyes off of me.  He sat there for a very long time, and I took advantage of the opportunity to capture a picture, although sadly it was getting too dark and I didn't have the telephoto lens on to bring him up closer, but that's ok...I have the memory of the moment engrained in my mind.  It was as if he was coming to pay his last respects to me since I am going away...it was a special moment.

Ok, you can call me crazy if you want, and you won't be far off...but I appreciated the salute from my old friend.  Actually, I just heard him calling his mate again a few minutes ago...(this is the time of year that they are most likely watching their nestling...the mating time has already taken place...and they take turns guarding the nest, which is nearby).  I will miss hearing their calls and cackles in the night...even though they sometimes sounded a bit eery and loud right outside my bedroom window in the wee hours.  I will miss watching them train their offspring to fly and hunt...BUT, we ARE moving farther into the forest....so I am hoping they have spread the word to their cousins in the treetops to watch out for us and come pay us a visit in our new "Camp in the Woods" house.   I'll be listening and watching...and I'll be sure to let you know when they do!!

So, for now, I say so long to my fine feathered friends...and also say, "Thanks for the memories"...

The Owls have taught me a lesson by their example here...it corresponds with what Jesus was teaching His disciples in Matthew 6:25-28a,  and I want to share it with you now:

"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  So why do you worry ....?"

I know that God watches over the owls and the birds of the air and beasts of the field (and woods),  and as the late singer Ethel Waters used to remind us at every Billy Graham crusade back in the "olden days", "His Eye is on The Sparrow, and I know He watches me!"  Ethel Waters singing "His Eye is On the Sparrow", Ethel Waters-at Billy Graham Crusade 1965

So I don't need to worry about my owl friends, nor do I need to worry about my own future...God is watching me....or as Ethel says at the very end of her song ..."I know He's watching 'WE'".... You and me!
Now that's something to remember!!!!