Friday Fotos : Things Are Looking Up!

 Hello Everyone!  I hope you have had a wonderful week! Here we are again...another Friday already!  (writing on Thursday night, however).  Some weeks just seem to drag by and we get to Friday and I have nothing to share with you...and have to go searching through the archives.
But this week seems to have been a good week for photos.   Or perhaps I've just been more observant than usual. That may be a good sign that things are looking up and I'm feeling more like participating!  Possibly because we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and there is a sense of optimism in the air that everything is going to be okay.

I wonder what Mrs. Cardinal is trying to say to Mr. Cardinal..."Hey Red, Do you think we ought to tell the children where we are getting these seeds from?"

 "It might be easier than us having to keep taking the seeds over to them and feeding them one by one...seeing's how there are three of them over there waiting in the tree for their food!"

And then "Red" secretly showed up on my new window feeder, right in front of me as I was sitting here working. I don't think he told Mrs. Cardinal about his secret stash of the good stuff!

There she was. left on her own to keep gathering food for her youngins.  But they all looked healthy and happy and that's what matters! Things are definitely looking up!

After watching the birds here at home, we headed to our woodsy place to take our morning walk.

I was happy to see this beautiful "Buckeye" butterfly flitting about. He landed long enough for me to take his picture, and then off he went.

Here's another sweet little yellow wildflower, which I will have to look up and find out the name.

 Okay, it is a Piriqueta Cistoides, subsp.caroliniana.  Click HERE for more information.  I know you want to know!

Someone had cut up a tree and left the logs sitting in an area where people like to dump stuff in the woods. At least this is biodegradable.

 I wanted to gather them up and take them home and make stools to sit on in the yard for whenever we get a firepit.  But it would be easier to cut down one of our own big dead trees and do it right there than to try to lift these heavy stumps and haul them home.  Anyway, I appreciated having a little place to sit down and rest for a spell.

And then I got up and started walking again, and this beautiful Gulf Fritillary landed right in front of me and waited for me to take it's picture! I guess everyone was being quite the little "ham" today!!

Then we took a little ride out to the other side of town and down a road that we used to travel a lot before we moved over here as it was one of the routes we would take to come over back and forth. I have taken pictures of this old Florida "Cracker Style" house before, but I was inspired to take a few more pictures today. Now they have it all roped off with "Posted, No Trespassing" signs across the property, so I couldn't get any closer. Probably too many curious lookers have been stopping by.

  Can't you just envision the old folks that used to live and loved here? I hate to see it being let go to ruin, but I suppose it would be too costly to restore it.

 It's the style of house that I would dearly love to have (as long as it had indoor plumbing and electricity).  Here is a link to more information about Florida Cracker Style homes.

Yesterday evening I took this picture of a new rosebud on my Memorial "Don Juan" rosebush. See the cute little green grasshopper on it?

Here is that same rose this morning, and that grasshopper is still munching away.

So I thumped him off and cut the rose and brought it inside where I can enjoy it. This is yet another rose from our son's Memorial Rosebush, and again, it is blooming at another special time. Monday will be  the 6th anniversary of our son Matthew's passing, and I know I've told you this before, but this rosebush always seems to bloom around special dates in our lives. I always consider each blossom a gift from our son in heaven.

Tonight we took another walk, and I thought these clouds were encouraging...they look like rain could possibly be coming...but so far nothing. Please pray for rain! Our area of the state is very dry and that can be very dangerous when it starts getting so hot. Plus our poor little Still Waters Pond is really getting dry, and literally the waters are very still!

Seeing these clouds also reminds me that today is traditionally remembered as Ascension Day,  the day that our Lord ascended back into heaven, 40 days after His resurrection from the dead.  In the book of Acts 1:1-11, we see Jesus giving His last instructions to His disciples, and then in verse 9-11 it says:

9.  "Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched,

He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

10.  And while they looked steadfastly 

toward heaven as He went up, 

behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,

11.  who also said,

"Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven?  

This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven,

will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."

I don't know about you, but I am so looking forward to seeing Jesus come back "in like manner" as the Disciples saw Him go into heaven. I pray it will be soon.  Yes, then we will definitely be "looking up"!  I hope we are all ready for that grand and glorious day.

Have a blessed and wonderful Memorial Day Weekend. I will look forward to hearing all about it next week!

Some Morning Retrospection

ret·ro·spec·tion  (definition via internet)

ˌretrəˈspekSHən/

noun

noun: retrospection; plural noun: retrospections

1. "The action of looking back on or reviewing past events or situations, especially those in one's own life."

My morning "retrospection" is a reflection on thoughts, actions, and "dreams" from yesterday that have lingered into today.  I will elaborate as we go...

We took a little ride yesterday, and as we passed by this old "Florida Cracker-style house" , I begged my hubby to pull over so I could take a picture. He did so, a bit reluctantly, because there wasn't much room alongside the road to do so safely, but he finally managed to stop, and I stepped out of the car for a brief moment and snapped this photo. Why? Because I love the style, the historical value, and the enchanting charm of this old house with its rusty tin roof and rambling front porch overgrown with sprawling vines and summer grasses.  Something about this old homeplace just spoke to my heart as I contemplated the memories of days gone by and the lives of those who lived, laughed, and loved in this place and called it "home"..."be it ever so humble, there's no place like home."    

Of course, when I got back home I immediately placed this picture on my Facebook page, and mentioned how much I'd love to "explore" it further and perhaps get a picture of the side view of the house, as I could barely glimpse a back extension of a breezeway and an  attached summer kitchen--a typical type of structure for that day and time. I further stated that it didn't appear to be inhabited. Several of my friends commented right away about the charm of this place, and a few even had further insights into the historical significance of the summer kitchen...

From my friend Mirl: "They would build the kitchen away from the house in case of fire. Also to cut down on the heat!" 

And regarding the double front doors on the porch... 

From my friend Lonnie: "Notice two front doors. This was to allow the parents access to the porch after the young'ins went to sleep."

Also about the front porch:

From my friend Judy: "Shelled peas many times on a porch like that." 

Others gave good advice about being careful for "critters" and/or "snakes" in the grass...which is a real possibility here in Florida.

But one friend made a comment that rather caught me off guard and kind of spoiled the happy mood of the moment.  

She said, "Do you own that property? Aren't there No Trespassing laws in every state?"   

My first thought was not kind, so I had to pray before answering, but even that came with some difficulty.  Finally I just responded this way: "No I don't. Yes there are. I merely said I would "like" to explore and take more pictures. My Goodness! Can't a girl dream?"

She later retracted her comment, so perhaps she realized that she came across rather strongly...but I must admit, it made me think.  Was I wrong to want to "explore" this place?  Was I truly "trespassing" by stepping out of my car to take pictures?  I realize that sometimes in my zeal to get the best pictures there are times that I may "step over the line" to get a little bit closer, or to get a better perspective...but I guess I never honestly thought I was trespassing!  So this morning I am doing some internal retrospection into my heart, my motives, and my thoughts.  I certainly don't want to give even the appearance of doing something wrong or inappropriate at any time, even if my intentions were honest and noble...or just wanting to get the "BEST" shot!!  (hmmm, maybe a little pride there?)

Here are a few scriptural passages that came to my attention on this subject:

"Test all things;

hold fast what is good.

Abstain from every form of evil"

I Thessalonians 5:21-22

"Let love be without hypocrisy.

Abhor what is evil. 

Cling to what is good."

Romans 12:9

"Be of the same mind toward one another.

Do not set your mind on high things, 

but associate with the humble. 

Do not be wise in your own opinion."

Romans 12:16

"If it is possible, as much as depends on you,

live peaceably with all men."

Romans 12:18

"Love does no harm to a neighbor;

therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."

Romans 13:10

Okay, Lord, I get it.  Pride is something I need to work on, as is my own opinion of myself and what I think.  Perhaps this friend, even in what I considered to be an unfair judgment, was sent to remind me to be more careful in my "zeal"...watch out that I do not "step across that line"... not just in taking the "best pictures", but in all of my life.  It is so easy to sometimes blur the lines a little bit here and there, and before we know it we have stepped too far out of line.  

Romans 13:12-14 says:

"The night is far spent, 

the day is at hand.

Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness,

and let us put on the armor of LIGHT.

Let us walk properly, as in the day,

not in revelry and drunkenness, 

not in lewdness and lust,

not in strife and envy.

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ,

and make NO provision for the flesh,

to fulfill its lusts."

 So, I may never get that perfect picture of the backside of that house...unless there is someone to give me permission to do so.  Perhaps the Lord has given me this little "warning" to protect me from harm!  Who knows? There may be some critters hiding there after all!

  

Thank You, Lord, for your watchcare over my body as well as my soul.  Amen.