After the Rain "We Bring the Sacrifice of Praise"

 Sunday morning we woke up to the blessed sound of rain upon the roof!  I felt like doing a dance of praise and thanksgiving.  It is fitting that our choir was singing this song for the Sunday morning worship service:  

"We Bring the Sacrifice of Praise" medley with "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee"

Hebrews 13:14-16  NKJV

"14 For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. 

15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. 

16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased."

And even though the rain did not last very long, it was refreshing and delightful, and with it comes the promise of more to come later this week!

It's amazing what a little bit of rain does to encourage even the birds of the air! The Bluebirds came out to sit and enjoy the view of Still Waters Pond...

And also to take a little bath in the birdbath,  after admiring his reflection in the water:

Oh, that feels SO good!!!

And afterwards he sat on the bird feeder and let his fluffy, clean feathers dry in the fresh breezy air:

I'm sorry that I seem to be quite "enamored" with how handsome a cat our Sunshine is.  He's very photogenic and often gives us such wonderful poses without even knowing how much he delights us!

He decided he needed some fresh air, and was actually headed down to the pond to get a little drink from it...

But the Sand Hill Crane family was coming around the bend and stopped Sunshine in his tracks from going any further.  I was watching from inside the house and praying that Sunshine would realize his danger and get out of the way before Papa Crane came after him with his big flapping wings and sharp beak.  Thankfully, right after I took this picture Sunshine got up and ran back up the steps of the porch before the crane got any closer.    Blackie Sue had a similar experience a little earlier, and you never saw a cat run so fast as she did to scoot around and get up those steps before Papa Crane could get to her.  He did flap his wings as she scrambled to get by him, but thankfully she got out of harm's way before any harm was done.   That happened too quickly for me to get any pictures. 

Today I was motivated to plant some little flower plants that I picked up at the Garden/Farm Market on Saturday.  I know this doesn't look like much, but hopefully those plants will all bloom where they are planted and it will make a happy, colorful addition to my butterfly garden for this summer. I hope so, because I sure am hurting tonight from the  digging I did to make this little garden happen.  My neck and back muscles are definitely out of shape.

Hubby was busy with another project while I was doing my planting.  Thankfully he had some help  from a friend with his project, as his was a bit more involved and difficult.  Over the weekend some crazy driver knocked over the mailbox that belongs to our sweet neighbor across the street who is currently still in a nursing home/rehab.  Even if she was at home, she would not be able to do anything about this. 

The mailbox is across the street from her house, and is actually in the front yard of the new house next door to us, which still has not sold and the price has been reduced again.  However, I had a little conversation with the owner of this house and told her in a very kind and friendly manner that if she would go ahead and invest in some landscaping and make the house look less neglected and vacant, it might sell faster and she wouldn't have to keep lowering the price. She agreed with me and said she is looking for someone to do the landscaping now.  I hope she finds someone soon and that the house sells to those special people that I've been praying for to become our neighbors.

So anyway, I'm very thankful for hubby and our friend who took care of this today.  I wish the person who knocked it over would step up and confess and offer to pay for the expenses of repair, (even though they weren't much, but it's the principle of the thing) but I doubt that will happen.  Did you know that deliberately damaging a mailbox is a federal offense, and you could go to jail for 3 years and/or face a fine of up to $250,000 ? Yep!  That's true!  But if a person would just admit to making a mistake and pay for the damages, I think most people would drop those charges.  It's just sad that people, most likely teenagers, think it's fun to do this. They don't realize what a problem it is for people to have to repair these kinds of damages, especially elderly people who have no way to do it themselves.

Among some other things I've been planting lately is this Golden Dewdrop bush.

Interestingly enough, the flowers on this bush are purple, but it will have golden berries eventually. I thought it would be a nice bush to plant in my raised planter that Benton built and gave me, but upon reading up on it just now, I realized that this plant will actually  "grow 10 to 15 feet wide and up to 18 feet tall, depending on growing conditions and pruning frequency."

I don't think it will be staying in the little planter for very long! Now I need to figure out the right place to put it!  Aren't those purple flowers so dainty and pretty? I understand that butterflies will love it.

I am happy to see that this blueberry bush that I planted a few years ago is loaded with berries this year! 

They will probably be ripe enough to eat by June.

And last but not least, this geranium plant is starting to grow again. I repotted it (actually there are two different ones in this pot) into this larger pot, and gave it some good fresh fertilized soil, and it looks so much happier than before.

I am not much of a gardener, so I am always happy whenever anything grows and actually gets flowers and/or berries on it!

I started out this post with the song "We Bring the Sacrifice of Praise into the house of the Lord..."   and I feel like these things are all special sacrifices of praise. I praise the Lord for His kindness in sending us rain...even if it was just a little...there's more coming we trust and believe...and so we "sacrifice" our time and energy to plant things that will be beautiful and enjoyable to us as well as to the birds, butterflies and bees, which will also help pollinate other flowers and bushes all around. We 'sacrifice' our time and energy to repair something for a dear friend and neighbor who is unable to do things for herself right now. We give thanks to God for the strength and ability to do these things, even if my muscles are hurting tonight. It's a good kind of hurt when you know you've accomplished something.

We give thanks to the Lord for the peaceful and pleasant ending to a good day on Still Waters Pond.  

Sunshine is in his favorite spot, resting up for whatever the nighttime may bring...See Mr. Sand Hill Crane in the background? He's up here for a final hunt for food before retiring.  Mama and young "Trumpet" are already settled over on the nest island for the night.

Blackie Sue is in her favorite spot on the blue chair that someone dropped off of a pickup truck right onto our front lawn, and so it became "her chair".  And everyday that goes by I am more convinced that she had a "false pregnancy". She is starting to slim back down again and doesn't look as big in her tummy as before.  Unless something changes, we have an appointment to have her "fixed" next week. Then we won't have to worry about that issue anymore.  I am very thankful that it has turned out this way, even though it would've been fun to see her kittens...it is really for the best for all concerned that she's not having any.

Here's a good passage to end this post for today from the book of Ecclesiastes...

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-11 NKJV

Everything Has Its Time

"1 To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven:

2 A time to be born,

And a time to die;

A time to plant,

And a time to pluck what is planted;

3 A time to kill,

And a time to heal;

A time to break down,

And a time to build up;

4 A time to weep,

And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn,

And a time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones,

And a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace,

And a time to refrain from embracing;

6 A time to gain,

And a time to lose;

A time to keep,

And a time to throw away;

7 A time to tear,

And a time to sew;

A time to keep silence,

And a time to speak;

8 A time to love,

And a time to hate;

A time of war,

And a time of peace.

The God-Given Task

9 What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? 

10 I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. 

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end."

So until next time, good night and be blessed my friends.

Thursday Thankfulness and Friday Foto Friends

 It's a beautiful day today...sun is shining and it's only about 85 degrees, which is better than the 90's of the previous week. Thankfully we've had some nice rain this week, which helps everything look greener and prettier.  Still Waters Pond is in its dry phase, which usually happens this time every year, but as soon as the summer rains start back up regularly, the pond will rejoice and be glad.  I caught this picture of our Sand Hill Crane Family "just passing through" the other evening...

I shared this picture with these verses on Facebook:

Hebrews 13:14-16

New Living Translation

"14 For this world is not our permanent home; 

we are looking forward to a home yet to come.

15 Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. 16 And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God."

Yesterday I went over to the lot next door and took some pictures of the big pine trees that they have marked to be cut down in preparation for the new house.  Many of these trees have been there for probably fifty years or more...they are so huge! It made me kind of sad, so I wanted to "preserve their memory" at least in photos, as once they are gone, the beauty and shade and homes for the birds and wildlife that they provided will be lost forever.   So I hope you won't mind if I share a few pictures of trees.  The trees with the green ribbons on them are the ones that will be removed.

I Chronicles 16:31-33

"31 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;

And let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”

32 Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;

Let the field rejoice, and all that is in it.

33 Then the trees of the woods shall rejoice before the Lord,

For He is coming to judge the earth."

This shows the top of that tree above. Its branches go out a long distance, even over to our property next door. I will miss this tree...

These three tall pines will be removed, but there will be a better view of Still Waters Pond and Goose Island once they are removed.

Looking out toward the street:

This area goes around the side of Still Waters Pond, and there is such a lovely breeze under these trees:

Look at those branches on this huge tree...

Right now the sun shines through the treetops, but when they are gone the sun will flood this spot with light. It might be a good thing in the long run, but I personally prefer the shade they provide.

This is another very large tree. I would like to count the "rings" on these tree trunks once they are cut open, to see just how old they are. I wonder if that will be possible...

Looking over across the little canal portion of Still Waters Pond that goes around Goose Island:

Another view of Goose Island. I call it that because that is where the Canada Geese built their nest.

Thank you for bearing with me while I probably am boring you with so many pictures of trees. I am mainly doing this for my own memory, as I want to remember how beautiful this is before it is changed forever.  I still pray for the people who will live here on this lot, and hope that they will truly appreciate the beauty that will hopefully still be preserved as much as possible.

Speaking of neighbors and houses and trees:

I have named this little house "Magnolia Cottage", because that is a huge magnolia tree in front of it. I should have taken a picture when it had more blossoms, but I didn't think of it then.  This is the little house across the street that was brought in and placed there a couple of years ago. I thought I wrote about it then, but I can't find any reference to it.  I remember writing that I was a bit disappointed because I thought they would put a new house on this empty lot, and instead this older manufactured home was brought in that needed a LOT of work to refurbish it. It has taken this man who brought it here a couple of years to get it ready to sell. He worked on it in his spare time, plus had lots of delays for inspections and had to put in a new septic system, etc., so it has been a long process.  Originally he told me that his daughter was going to live there, but since it has taken so long she has found another place, and so now I am of the assumption that he is going to sell it. It has been completely restored inside and out, and is a cute little cottage house.  So I am praying for these potential new neighbors as well.  

Now onto other things...Some of you have asked about my "new glasses" that I mentioned were giving me some difficulty.  Well, I went back to the eye doctor the other day, and he checked the prescription and said it was correct. He suggested (as I figured he would), that I wear them for another week and see how they do. Maybe my 'brain' just needs to get used to them he said... Well, time will tell.  The jury is still out. When I try to read my right eye continues to get very strained.  So we shall see what develops.

My other issue that I mentioned is still a "work in progress", LOL.  I am working on diet and also taking some "supplemental" help as suggested by the doctor. I am also looking at more natural ways of correcting the problem. I am thankful for friends who have given some excellent advice, and hopefully things will "work out" for the best very soon. 

I will close with these thoughts for today...and pray that you and yours have a lovely rest of your week. 

Amen.

Tuesday 4 ~ Pioneer Spirit

Tuesday 4

 

Pioneer Spirit


Howdy Partners and Buckaroos... Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4

Americans are descended from truly intrepid stock.

In Utah, the Days of '47 are starting. This was 1847 when the first Mormon pioneers came into the state with the great handcart movement. The celebration is huge in Utah with fireworks, rodeos, picnics, fairs and all manner of things. In America everyone, including the American Indians are immigrants having come from elsewhere, such as Mongolia, as well. There really are no "native" Americans at all! Let's talk about pioneering. When we think Pioneer we think the Old West.. but the Pilgrims were pioneers. The Spanish were pioneers too.

1. All our ancestors are pioneers who came to America from someplace else. Where did your people come from?

After having my DNA study done through Ancestry.com, I have discovered that I have quite a diverse background, but primarily my ancestors came from England and Northwestern Europe (37%), Scotland (23%), and Germanic Europe (11%).  The rest were scattered throughout places like the Baltics, Sweden & Denmark, Ireland, Norway, Wales, Eastern Europe and Russia.  I was most surprised to learn that the largest percentage was from England and not Germany!  My maiden name was Mursch, which was definitely German, so I just assumed all my life that I was primarily of German descent. My paternal Great-Grandfather came over from Germany with his mother in the mid-late 1800's. My mother's side of the family claimed to be Scotch Irish, but upon further research, they are much more Scottish than Irish. The biggest surprise was when I discovered my paternal grandmother's birth parents through my ancestry research, since she was adopted as an infant.  Her father was decidedly English, and her mother was mostly German.  

2. Do you know when and why they came to America?

I haven't gotten that far in my research to know the when and why for everyone, but it seems most of them came in the mid 1800's.  However, on my paternal grandmother's side, my 5th Great Grandfather, George Sowers, Sr., was born in 1750 in York County, PA., and served in the Revolutionary War.  Here is his headstone:

And here is his record of service, taken from an application for one of his descendant's eligibility record for admittance into the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.).  

After discovering this bit of information I realized that I could have been a member of the D.A.R. and never knew it! Oh well...I'm not sure if that is still an active organization or not or what they do. Perhaps I should check into it further. Anyone have any information about that?

Oh, I almost forgot...my Great-Great-Grandfather, also on my Paternal Grandmother's side, John N. Sowers, (1843-1918) served in the Civil War.  in the 72nd Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers.

Most of my ancestors settled in Western and North Central Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio, and upstate New York.  My father was born in western Pennsylvania, and my mother was born in Des Moines, Iowa, but mostly grew up in Ohio.  I was born in western Pennsylvania, and moved to Florida when I was almost six years old.

3. Have you been a bit of a pioneer in some way? Does that spirit live in you? Perhaps moving on to a new job, new home, new state, new country, maybe a change in religion or church?

Yes, my husband and I have always felt like pioneers. We were always on the move, in search of a better place to live and also to serve God. My hubby was called to the ministry after first teaching school for a few years and also working as a Florida State Trooper for a couple of years.  I shared a bit about that story in a post a couple of years ago, which can be found HERE.  Here is a copy of the newspaper article that was written about him when we accepted the call to his first church:

Our choice to serve the Lord led us to many interesting and different kinds of places throughout the southeast, midwest, and north east. I may have mentioned before that if I ever finish writing the book of our life story, it will be entitled "Giant Leaps of Faith and Other Crazy Moves".  We are hopefully settled down now back in our home state of Florida for the duration of the rest of our natural lives, but I wouldn't guarantee it.  The "pioneer spirit" still lives strong in us, but our bodies are worn out from so many moves and I really wouldn't want to do it again unless it was for something really really really special...LOL.

4. Do you enjoy Western movies or TV programs? They don't make many now but there are re-runs available? Which do you watch?

I always enjoyed western movies and TV programs back in the past, but haven't really watched too many of them recently.  I enjoyed Wagon Train, Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Gene Autry, Rawhide, Gunsmoke, etc.  They were all full of adventure and excitement, and I always wanted to be able to ride a horse and roam the wild west. LOL.  

This is the picture of me that I call "Pioneer Pammy"...with my wooden rifle on top of my fort ready to shoot any intruders.  I loved playing like I was a pioneer, but I haven't yet had to shoot any intruders to my fort, thank the Lord.

Hebrews 13:14-16  (The Living Bible translation) tells us that this world is not our home, we are just passing through...

"14 For this world is not our home; 

we are looking forward to our everlasting home in heaven.

15 With Jesus’ help we will continually offer our sacrifice of praise to God by telling others of the glory of his name. 

16 Don’t forget to do good and to share what you have with those in need, for such sacrifices are very pleasing to him."

Hebrews 11:13 (NKJV) tells us about all of the old patriarchs of the faith, who were still waiting and watching for the promised Messiah, they realized that they were strangers and pilgrims here on earth:

"13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth."

So from that standpoint, we are all pioneers or pilgrims here on earth. This world is not our final home, we are just passing through.  Our real home is in heaven, and that is where I look forward to being for eternity.  But until then, I'll keep living and loving and doing the best I can here to serve the Lord in whatever way He deems best.

Thank you, Annie, for this fun Tuesday 4 topic today. I look forward to reading everyone else's posts!