Friday Foto Friends: Just a Country Porch Will Do...UPDATED 8-24-2017

Hello Friday Foto Friends!  I didn't have any new pictures to share this week, 

BREAKING NEWS ALERT: 

Since I wrote this last night we had some "Breaking News" early this morning...PUN intended:

Around 6:30 a.m. our son was getting ready for work and heard a crashing, tearing sound at the end of our back courtyard.  You know, the area where we recently put up a brand new fence? 

Well, it was still kind of dark, so it was difficult to see what was going on...but after waking up my hubby, the two fearless warriors stepped out into the yard to see what was the matter. Apparently they scared the intruder away...but upon further inspection it was quite obvious that we had a bear trying to tear his way into our courtyard:

 It is not quite yet understood if this was an attempted "kidnapping" of the little girl in the garden...

 Or merely an attempt of a hungry bear to snatch a few paws full of bird seed and run:

Upon further investigation of our security wildlife camera we found pictures of this character hanging around the watering hole earlier this week:

So we are on high alert for the would-be kidnapper/birdseed thief...and have taken extra precautions to prevent such a terrible crime from happening again. 

(Note to birds: Bird Feeder will be removed from garden until further notice)

We now return you to your previously scheduled programming:

(Written last night 8/24/17)

So thought I'd go back in time and share one of my favorite old posts, originally written in 2013, updated again in 2015, and now brought up to date again for 2017.  As I write this it is really too hot to sit out on the porch, but hopefully fall will come early and we'll be able to enjoy this lovely place again!

How many of you would love a porch like this?????   ( Original Post 5/17/2013:)

No, this isn't a picture of my front porch..yet...but it is a picture of what I'd love to have for a front porch someday!   (copied from Pinterest)


This was our porch in the fall of 2012

This was the  porch at Christmas  2012:

Looking out from the porch in winter (we live in Florida...)  2013

And this was our porch in the spring of 2013:

And THIS is ONE of the inhabitants of our porch in spring!  Isn't he charming?

He started to show us his "colors", note the red throaty look peeping out from under his chin...He thinks we want to get cozy with him...or he may think we want to fight...

On  5/17/2013 I wrote the following with the picture below:  Someday I hope to add on to our porch to stretch it out to cover the front door and level up the floor, so it will be very similar to the porch shown at the top of the page:       

(Our porch in 2013)

When we first moved to this house in 2012, there was no porch at all: 

No Porch, no flowers or shrubs...and lots of bright, hot sun in the afternoon (western exposure)  Thank the Lord for those sycamore trees in the summertime...but they are bare all winter...
and it still gets pretty hot out there!

I wrote in May of 2013:  "So, as you can see, we HAVE made some progress in the 1 &1/2 years since we moved to our "Camp in the Woods" house in 2012.  I figure if we can add a section of porch per year, by the time we live here 5 years, we should have a porch all the way across the front!  That would be my dream porch...but I'll settle for a porch across the front door and maybe the two living room windows. It doesn't have to be fancy...just a country porch will do..."

Why am I telling you all of this?  Well, I guess I wanted to share my little "dream porch" with you.  You already heard about my little "dream cabin" that I want to build someday...

Why?  My real dream is to have the kind of place where people love to sit a spell and visit...you know what I mean...a rocking chair and a swing on the porch...just sit back, relax, watch the birds, bears, and lizards...and ENJOY being together...like the good old days. 

I suppose this isn't the first time I've told you about this front porch idea.  Click on this link for more thoughts on this topic and some pictures of some of the wildlife viewed from the front porch:  "Life Is So Much Better from a Front Porch"   

It's that time of year when life IS so much better viewed from a front porch...I find it difficult to come back inside each evening...but the porch is where I often get the inspiration I need to come back inside and write to you...so here I am!  (UPDATE: I originally wrote this in May of 2013...yes, spring, fall, and winter are the best times to sit on our front porch. Summer is just too hot...so I am looking forward to fall now as I write this in late August 2017)

I hope you will come sit on my front porch with me again sometime.  The best time of day is early in the morning when the birds are just waking up, and then in the early evening, as the sun goes down behind the trees and the birds sing their last songs of the day as they gather in their food for the night and settle back into their little nests hidden among the trees surrounding us.

Afterthoughts:  Where do YOU like to go to relax in the early mornings, evenings, or during the day if you are home?  Or, if you work, do you have a special place where you can take a mini-vacation break to rest for a few minutes away from the computer, phone and busy-ness of the day?  If you don't have such a place in your life now, look for one...create a space just for you and your mate, friends, neighbors, or you alone...a place to reflect, rest, and re-create...and listen to the sounds of God's world around you. Ahhhhh....just breathe!  (that was a "Calgon take me away" moment, created just for you and me.)
Blessings to you today....

NOW FOR THE UPDATE, 8/24/2017:

This picture of the front of our house was taken in 2015..quite a difference!

In the early months of 2015 we finally added this section of the front porch...and today I can say that my dreams of a large country porch are finally coming true!

(Pictures taken in February of 2015, hence the trees are bare)

I wrote this in February, 2015: "And just a couple of hours ago, all these chairs were filled with happy people, sitting and talking and laughing and enjoying a warm, sunny February afternoon in Florida!  I neglected to take any pictures while our friends were here...but that's okay...the echos of laughter still remain in my heart and memory...and I wanted to write about it before it slipped away.  I don't think it will soon dissipate in my mind...it was such a glorious time of sweet fellowship with dear friends who have been with us throughout the years during good times and hard times....the kind of friends who love unconditionally...and bring hugs and smiles and food and willing hands to help in time of need...the very best kind of friends to have.  It was very fitting that they should be the first to celebrate our new porch with us."

Now I hope someday YOU will come and sit a spell with us too!

Click on picture to go to "Ben's Country Woodshop", Creator of these signs

Y'all Come!

This picture was taken this evening, 8/24/17...looks a little messy right now, but just as soon as it cools down I hope to be spending a lot more time out here again.
Sure wish you'd come and sit a spell!

We could have tea time together!!

Don't worry, we'll make sure the bears aren't invited to our tea-party!!

Okay, now hop on over to Deb's front porch at Breathing In Grace and check out what our other Friday Foto Friends are sharing!  Have a blessed a glorious day! 

The Secret Garden Chronicles-Singing Praise with the Birds

"Thus says the Lord:

"Stand in the ways and see,

And ask for the old paths,

where the good way is,

and walk in it;

Then you will find rest for your souls..."

Jeremiah 6:16

This morning I sat down on the front porch, not the Secret Garden because the bench is too wet from all the rain, and realized that it had been a month since I had written in my little Secret Garden Journal.  I've been a little "out of it" for the past several weeks, and am just now beginning to feel like my mind and body are starting to work again in sync with each other!  (I know, that is debatable at all times).  But I do feel better and stronger...and just want to praise the Lord for His love and kindness and healing power!

As I sat there on the porch, listening to the birds singing their praises to God, their Creator, I couldn't help but start singing as well.  And since we live out in the forest...and our nearest neighbors aren't real close (and the closest ones are away from home right now anyway), I just opened up and belted it out...and it felt so good to sing, I kept singing and singing and singing...kind of like the energizer bunny who kept going and going and going...

This little bunny sat out in the yard and kept eating his breakfast...not minding my singing at all.

And this sweet little wren sat up in the sycamore tree next to the porch and listened in...until she saw me looking at her and then she flew away...or maybe it was the singing...Anyway...

The first song that came to my mind was "Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting..."   You may not be familiar with that old hymn...I talked about it once or twice before here,  and here is a video of the song:

Here are the words that brought such peace and comfort to my heart today:

"Jesus, I am resting, resting

In the joy of what Thou art;

I am finding out the greatness

Of Thy loving heart.

Thou has bid me gaze upon Thee,

and Thy beauty fills my soul;

For, by Thy transforming power,

Thou hast made me whole.

Refrain:

Jesus, I am resting, resting

In the joy of what Thou art;

I am finding out the greatness 

of Thy loving heart.

Oh, how great Thy loving kindness,

Vaster, broader than the sea!

Oh, how marvelous Thy goodness

lavished all on me!

Yes, I rest in Thee, Beloved,

Know what wealth of grace is Thine,

Know Thy certainty of promise,

And have made it mine.

(Refrain)

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,

I behold Thee as Thou art,

And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,

satisfies my heart;

Satisfies its deepest longings,

Meets, supplies its every need,

Compasseth me round with blessings;

Thine is love indeed!

(Refrain)

Ever lift Thy face upon me,

As I work and wait for Thee;

Resting 'neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,

Earth's dark shadows flee.

Brightness of my Father's glory,

Sunshine of my Father's face,

Keep me ever trusting, resting;

Fill me with Thy grace."

(Refrain)

From this beautiful song I just kept going through my old hymnbook and sang several more songs...I won't write all the words for you...you can look them up for yourself...but here are the ones I sang today:

"May the Mind of Christ, My Savior"

"Fill Me Now"

"Blessed Quietness"

"Be Thou My Vision"

"Open My Eyes That I May See"

It gave me such joy to sit and sing all of these songs out loud.  There is something very freeing about opening up our hearts and voices and just singing out praises to God...we don't have to wait for Sunday to do that!  Just pick up an old hymnbook or other praise songbook and start singing...it really changes something inside of us when we do this.  At least it does for me...and I imagine it does for you as well.  No wonder the birds never stop their singing!  They offer up their songs to God all day long...and so should we!!

Fall On My Front Porch...with a Surprise Visitor

No, please DON'T FALL on my front porch!  Just come enjoy FALL, as in AUTUMN, on my front porch!  

Okay, now that I've got your attention...what I am trying to say is, Fall has arrived on my front porch...please come enjoy it with me!  There, does that make more sense?

As most of you are aware, I live in Florida...and fall isn't quite the same here in Florida as it is for you folks to our north.  However, that doesn't mean that we don't enjoy fall just as much as you do! Maybe in different ways...but we still enjoy fall...and actually, for us, our fall-like weather stays around a lot longer than it does for most of you!  When you are shoveling snow and scraping ice off your windshields, we are still enjoying the crisp, cool, invigorating days of fall weather!  Our "fall" type weather may still be here in January and February, but we will call it winter like everyone else...and pretend we are suffering when the temps dip down below 40 just so you won't feel too bad.  Ha ha!  Okay, enough gloating...and back to Fall on my front porch.

Here are a few pictures I took a few minutes ago.  The air is a delightful 50 something, the sun is shining brightly, and not a cloud in the sky.  Perfect day for sitting on the front porch.  However, we'd better do it early, because it is predicted to hit 82 degrees today...which is still pretty doggone wonderful!  So come on up on the porch with me...

 I am so pleased that the mums are blooming so brightly.  But with this dry weather I have to water them every day or they wilt...

 Looking back out to the front yard...yes, we live in the forest...and the soil here is mostly sand...so that is what that white stuff is...no, it isn't snow.

 Come on inside with me and we'll get a cup of tea...

And now that you are inside, "Welcome to Our Neck of the Woods...Where life is good...fresh air, star gazing, and quiet spaces"....

Why don't you come in and sit a spell...actually let's go back out on the porch, where it is so perfect to sit and watch nature...

Oh wait!  I interrupt this blissful moment to bring you a news flash!  Woody Woodpecker (Pileated Woodpecker) just came knocking on my front porch right as we were getting comfortable...I kid you not...just this very minute, look who showed up...pecking away at my porch posts...not a good thing...even though he is beautiful to look at...we will have to do something or my porch may become one big pile of sawdust and woodpecker holes...

Even though that is treated lumber...this woodpecker seems to think it is fair game...so, what to do?  If anyone has any great ideas, please let us know.  In the meantime, enjoy the view...but someone please help me figure this out quick!!

Okay, that's all for now, folks...gotta run check in my library books before I get a fine for overdue books...

See y'all later!  I hope you enjoyed "Fall On My Front Porch".  It actually became a lot more exciting than I even planned for!!!! This was NOT a staged event, trust me!

I Saw the Light!

I know some of you are probably wondering what this picture is all about.  It is rather unusual, isn't it?  Well, that is the new view from my front porch.  One evening as I was relaxing and rocking in my new rocking chair,

my eyes were suddenly blinded by this bright light shining through the trees.

 I thought to myself, "Hmmm, that's never happened before in this spot. Something is different!"  After a few minutes of exploration in the wooded area directly in front of the porch, I discovered that an old tree had blown down, which knocked over another smaller tree, causing its leafy abundance to be pinned to the ground and creating an empty spot in the foliage where it once stood. Even though we removed the dead tree from the top of the young tree, it was too late to save it.

Quite frankly, I am not too happy about this new vista from my porch, as it truly does leave an opening for the evening sun to shine rather too brightly and directly into my line of sight.  This is somewhat annoying to me...it has disturbed my peaceful, secluded and shady haven where I try to unwind and relax at the end of a stressful day.  I mean, I've worked so hard to create this space so I can sit here and watch the birds, listen to the sounds of nature surrounding me...and now this extremely bright shaft of evening sunlight is piercing through the cool shadows of dusk and infiltrating my serenity with an unsettling aura of blazing glaring light.  

What to do, what to do?  I cannot replace the tree that quickly....and I certainly don't want to hang some kind of shade to obscure the light, as that would block out other lovely trees as well, and I might miss a bird flitting to and fro as it gathers its last seeds of the evening before retiring for the night. 

I know some of you are probably saying, "She thinks she has problems? Hasn't she noticed that the world is in chaos and people are being flooded out of their homes and would love to see the light of day...others are dying, starving, hurting...and she's worried about the sunlight bothering her as she rocks on her porch?"  Yes, I have noticed...part of the reason I love to sit on the porch in the evening is to avoid watching the evening news. But that's another whole subject. (Added note: I not only NOTICE the news of the world and country, but I often use this time on the porch to pray for those affected. I am not ignoring their plight...but prayer is the only real weapon I have that can do anything about it right now.)

There must be some kind of lesson here for me...and as I've been writing this, I've been asking the Lord just what this is all about.  The message I'm hearing in my heart is this:

"I don't want you to get too comfortable or shut away from the rest of the world entirely.  I still have work for you to do.  There are people who need the light that you possess."

II Corinthians 4:6-7 says,

"For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us."

See, I've been wanting more and more to get ready to "retire" and to sit back and enjoy life for awhile.  There is nothing wrong with that...I've certainly earned it.  (even if there is no money to back it up).  But I think what I am hearing is that my so-called retirement, when it ever comes, will not be one of just fun and games and doing what I want to do. I'm not supposed to get too comfortable in my rocking chair on the front porch and watch the world go by.  God has opened a new window of light to get my focused attention on Him and His plan.  I don't know exactly what that plan is today, but I have a feeling that it will be revealed in due time.  Meanwhile, I'll just get some sunglasses to wear while I rock on the porch and follow the rest of the "Porch Rules"...

Please pray or sing the words to this old familiar hymn with me:

"Open my eyes, that I may see

Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;

Place in my hands the wonderful key

That shall unclasp and set me free.

Silently now I wait for Thee,

Ready, my God, Thy will to see;

Open my eyes, illumine me,

Spirit divine!

Open my ears, that I may hear

Voices of truth Thou sendest clear;

And while the wave-notes fall on my ear,

Everything false will disappear.

Silently now I wait for Thee,

Ready my God, Thy will to see;

Open my ears, illumine me,

Spirit divine!

Open my mouth, and let me bear

Gladly the warm truth everywhere;

Open my heart, and let me prepare

Love with Thy children thus to share.

Silently now I wait for Thee,

Ready my God, Thy will to see;

Open my heart, illumine me, 

Spirit divine!

Written by Charles H. Scott, 1923

Yes, Lord, "Silently now I wait for Thee...Ready my God, Thy will to see; Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit Divine!"  AMEN.