Tuesday 4 Summertime and The Living Is Easy

 Sorry I'm a bit late to the "party" today. Got busy with other things and totally forgot it was Tuesday already!  I haven't written anything in a few days, so before you think I've flown the coop I'd better write something somewhat sensible...LOL.  So here goes with the Tuesday 4 for today...

♬ ♫ Summertime and the Living is Easy. ♩ ♪

Hey.. you're back! Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where we just want you to meet new folks and get to know the ones you already know a bit better. Besides, it gives you something to blog about too.


This week let's talk about Summertime.

1. What gave you the most fun in summer as a kid or as an adult?

Seems like just last week I was telling you HERE about my summer vacations as a child and our family camping trips through the mountains on our way to Ohio and back.  But in addition to that annual trek north, I also did some other fun things more locally throughout the rest of the summer. Sadly I don't seem to have any pictures of this special time, but every summer I would go spend at least a week with my other Aunt and Uncle and cousins who lived on Neptune Beach, Florida. (near Jacksonville).  My cousins were all younger than I was, so I was kind of like the big sister/baby sitter for the two boys while my Aunt Ruthie was busy with the the baby, 'Linda'.  We spent many hours going to the beach, which was right down the street from their house, and also going to the movie matinee' for kids whenever they had it...always fun with games and prizes and good movies.  We hunted for sharks' teeth on the beach, and I still have a nice little collection of them:

It was a happy time for me as I was the baby of our family and didn't have any little brothers or sisters to play with. Sometimes my other cousin Becky also went with me, so we had a great time. Sadly, all of my Aunt Ruthie's family are gone now. She developed Early Onset Alzheimer's disease and died in her early sixties after a long battle with it. Then, one by one each of her three children also developed this tragic disease and succumbed to it in their late 40's or 50's. My Uncle had to watch each member of his family pass away long before their time. He lived to be in his 80's. It truly was heart breaking.  But I have such good memories of those summers spent with them as a child, when life was much simpler and no such horrid future in sight.

Another fun time in the summer was our school's summer recreation program.  Every weekday during a few weeks in the summer we would gather at the school and get on buses to go to different swimming places for the day.  Our area of Florida has many natural springs, where the water is crystal clear and very cold, but so refreshing on a hot summer day.  We would go to places like Alexander Springs, Rock Springs,  and Juniper Springs. Then we also would sometimes go to some of the municipal swimming pools.  I remember that we had to have a "buddy", and we would line up with our buddy hand in hand to be counted before going in the water or when coming out. The rules were very strict and our bus driver lady was also a life guard and swimming teacher, so she kept a very close watch over us. When she blew her whistle, we had better come out of that water and make sure we had our buddy with us and line up together. Again, this was when life was so much simpler and more carefree. I look back and realize that we were truly blessed to have such experiences and also I don't recall anyone ever getting seriously hurt or any terrible calamities befalling us.  God was surely watching over us.

Just an example of the beauty of Alexander Springs... (not my picture)

Perfect place to cool off on a hot summer day!

2. Does summer heat get to you? How do you cope?

Well, yes, here in Florida the summer heat will really get to you, especially if your air conditioner goes out on you at 5:00 in the evening when the temperature is 95 degrees outside.  That's what happened to us just last night!  Actually at about 5 minutes before 5:00 I felt warm air blowing from the AC and looked at the thermostat. It said 81 when it was supposed to be 76.  I knew we were in trouble, as it would continue to rise. I called our trusted AC repairman on their cell phone, praying they would answer the call at so close to closing time. Yes! Thankfully they work out of their home as well as they have their cell phones with them all the time. I was told they had one more stop to make and then they would be at our house. Sure enough, they arrived here around 6:30 p.m., and by 7:00 p.m. we had a new fan motor installed and the AC was running perfectly!  Praise God!!! That was truly a blessing!! It pays to know a good AC repairman, who is not only skilled, but honest and has reasonable prices, and is willing to go the extra mile to keep their customers "cool".

However, I grew up in Florida at a time when no one had air conditioning. Not our schools, or our churches, or businesses, or cars, or any place anywhere! And it was just as hot back then as it is now, but for some reason we didn't realize it so much because we'd never known anything different! Our homes and schools were built with big windows that we'd open wide, and we had plenty of fans.  We wore as little as modestly possible in the summer time, and I was always barefoot. We drank koolaid that we made from those little packets and had to add our own sugar. We made our own popsicles with Koolaid in the tupperware popsicle containers.  We ate watermelon and drank water from the garden hose. We sprayed ourselves with that water any chance we could. (making sure it was cooled off first, of course). We played outside all day and I was freckled all over with a pink sunburn and bright red hair.

Here's my sister Doris (at the sink) and I  washing/drying dishes on a summer night. You can see we are barefoot and dressed as cool as we can.  Again, those were simpler times and happy days, even if I didn't really like having to do the dishes...I am looking at the pan I am holding. It is one of my mother's Revere Ware pots. 

I believe I still have that pot today...that pot has to be at least 70 years old or more...and still keeps working.  They sure don't make things like they used to...

Even though I have a lot of happy memories from summertime before we had air conditioning, I am very thankful to have it today, and wouldn't want to go back to living without it.

3. Do you have summertime foods and drinks you really enjoy eating? Does your menu change in summer?

We do eat a lot more salads and fresh fruits in the summer, like cantaloupe and watermelon and strawberries and blueberries, and peaches when we can get good ones from a farm stand.  We like to grill chicken and hamburgers, and have fresh corn on the cob when it really is fresh. We drink iced tea here year round. I love fresh homemade lemonade, but haven't had any in ages. I don't drink soft drinks but once in a while I love a Root beer float. We eat ice cream, and on the 4th of July our family tradition  has always been to make homemade ice cream the old fashioned way, with a hand crank.  However, nowadays we cheat with an electric crank.  My Dad would NOT approve...LOL.   Here's the last time I cranked the ice cream maker at a family reunion:

4. Do you enjoy sitting outside or on the porch in summertime? How about some photos of where you enjoy being in summer.

Sadly, it is too hot here to sit outside in the summer.  We do most of our porch sitting in the fall/winter/spring.  In the summer I enjoy being inside in the air conditioning, but just last week hubby and I went to our favorite place for lunch and it was pleasant enough to sit on the deck by the river under a tree and eat our meal:

I know you already saw these pictures last week, but these are the most recent I have that answers the question.

But when I can, I enjoy sitting on our own porch, watching the birds out on Still Waters Pond:

I believe someone thinks it is time to ring the dinner bell! LOL.

I also love to sit in the "Secret Memorial Garden" when it is cooler and the mosquitoes aren't biting:

(The Crane family loves bird seed that they can find on the ground under the bird feeders)

And here is the most recent view of the Bluebird house...one of the babies asking for more food, please, but Mama and Papa Bluebird have been trying to coax the babies out of the nest all week long by bringing food and then taking it back away from them to try and get them to follow. I hope they hurry and leave the nest because today, just as I was writing this post, a big mean old crow flew to the door of the birdhouse and stuck his ugly face in there to try and get one of those babies! I saw Mama and Papa Bluebird flying at him and trying to chase him away, and I also ran to the door and started yelling at him. I sure hope and pray those babies make it out safely and on to better and happier places.

I think he wishes they had air conditioning in there. That's how I looked last night when our AC went out. I was gasping for cooler air and praying for it to get fixed right away, and thankfully my prayers were answered immediately. It would be nice if all our prayers could be answered so quickly.

I think I will close this post with a favorite passage about waiting on the Lord:

28 "Have you not known?

Have you not heard?

The everlasting God, the Lord,

The Creator of the ends of the earth,

Neither faints nor is weary.

His understanding is unsearchable.

29 He gives power to the weak,

And to those who have no might He increases strength.

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,

And the young men shall utterly fall,

31 But those who wait on the Lord

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint."

Isaiah 40: 28-31

Again, our thanks to Annie for posting these questions each week. I hope you will join in the party with your own answers!  I'm happy for the "good old summertime", but truth be known, I can't wait for fall to get here with some cooler temperatures and porch sitting time again!

Just a Closer Walk With Thee

 Good Sunday Morning everyone! I know, it's afternoon by now...I'm a little late getting here, but I've been to church and "brunch" with our church friends, and have had my little nap, and now am ready to visit with you for a spell.  Does anyone else take a Sunday afternoon nap? Just wondering...of course for some of us it's just par for the course for the whole week...I would have done real well living in the Latin American countries where an afternoon "siesta" is a normal part of every day.  LOL.

If you've enjoyed listening to our Sunday morning worship services, here is the link for today's message, preceded by the Praise Team singing "Just A Closer Walk With Thee".  Won't you join in and sing along?

1 I am weak but Thou art strong;

Jesus, keep me from all wrong;

I'll be satisfied as long

As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Refrain:

Just a closer walk with Thee,

Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,

Daily walking close to Thee,

Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

2 Thro' this world of toil and snares,

If I falter, Lord, who cares?

Who with me my burden shares?

None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee. 

[Refrain]

Just a closer walk with Thee,

Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,

Daily walking close to Thee,

Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

3 When my feeble life is o'er,

Time for me will be no more;

Guide me gently, safely o'er

To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore. 

[Refrain]

Just a closer walk with Thee,

Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,

Daily walking close to Thee,

Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

During these difficult days I find that it is really important to walk closely with the Lord. We start our day out with a daily devotional reading and reading from the Scriptures. We pray before each meal and again at bedtime, not to mention quick little prayers throughout the day as we see needs to pray for friends, loved ones, and even people that we don't know that we hear about who need prayer. We often talk about our relationship with the Lord here and on Facebook, or even in personal conversations with friends or family.  When I see the turmoil and daily crises that people are enduring in the world, I wonder how they can survive without a close walk with the Lord. I know when we've gone through difficult times in life, it was our relationship with Jesus Christ that carried us through and gave us strength to keep going.

Here is one of my most favorite passages in the Bible, which has been a constant source of encouragement especially when feeling weary:

Isaiah 40:28-31 NKJV

28 "Have you not known?

Have you not heard?

The everlasting God, the Lord,

The Creator of the ends of the earth,

Neither faints nor is weary.

His understanding is unsearchable.

29 He gives power to the weak,

And to those who have no might He increases strength.

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,

And the young men shall utterly fall,

31 But those who wait on the Lord

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint."

(this is a photo from an old post, which you can read at the following link:

https://pamelasopenwindow.blogspot.com/2014/11/our-thanksgiving-gift.html )

I hope you are enjoying a beautiful "SONday", and that you are taking that "closer walk with Thee" every day.  It will make your walk through this life ever so much better.

Living or Fading? - Updated

9/20/2016:
Interestingly enough, I wrote this post one year ago today...and as I re-read it today I was struck by how similar things are right now in my life. I haven't been doing much current writing because we have a guest with us this week from out of state...a woman who lost her husband very unexpectedly due to a heart attack a couple of years ago...a different woman than the one mentioned in my post written last year, but with very similar needs and sorrow.   It seems as we age, we very sadly can expect this to happen to more and more of our dear friends.  May the Lord continue to give us wisdom and compassion as we give counsel and comfort to those who are grieving.


Original Post 9/20/2015
It's Sunday afternoon and I haven't written anything new lately.  Sitting here wondering about what to write...I need some new inspiration I guess. I'll be back later. Going to go take walk-about outside. Maybe I'll get some ideas.  If I do, you'll see it here later. If I don't...this won't get published. Bye for now.

A little later......

Okay, I'm back.  Went outside...took a little walk with my hubby, tried to talk about "life" in general while we had a few minutes to ourselves away from the folks inside the house...but it was too hot to stay out for long...so he went back inside to watch football, and I sat on the front porch for a few minutes and decided to take a picture of the first thing that struck my fancy.  Here it is:

What do YOU see in these pictures?  Same view, just two different perspectives.

I'll tell you what I was thinking while I was looking at this view.  Recently I was visiting with a friend who lost her  husband to cancer a little over a year ago.  It's been a difficult year for her in many ways. I won't go into any details or betray any confidences...but I thought to myself that I wouldn't want to trade places with her for anything.  I looked at these trees and thought that the dead tree in the background is how my friend must feel...stripped bare, broken, and alone. Exposed to the elements without any shade to cover and shelter her from the storms of life.

The tall pine in the foreground is how I feel having my life-mate still with me.  Alive and
strong, able to withstand the tempests that come and go, knowing that I do not have to face those storms alone...and so thankful to the Lord that that is the case.

In the second photograph you might notice the Sycamore leaves in the foreground. They are starting to change color with the upcoming autumn.  Soon they will fade into a golden hue and then turn brown and blow away.

This coming week I will have a birthday...my sixty-fifth! (new note in 2016---that was last year. Gonna be a year older this year! Old age is creeping up on me).   I don't mind telling you because it is a significant age. I am thankful to have reached this "great age" and still have my health...and my husband.  I don't say this boastfully, but thankfully. So many of our friends our age have already lost a mate and are having to enter their "golden years" alone...something they never thought they'd have to do.

I didn't intend for this post to be depressing or sorrowful.  But it is facing a reality of life.   Our golden years are already upon us...and it is only a matter of time (and/or unexpected illness) that we, like those Sycamore leaves, will begin to fade, dry up and blow away.

Even the Bible tells us about this in Isaiah 40:6-8:

"All flesh is grass,

and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.

The grass withers, the flower fades,

because the breath of the Lord blows upon it;

Surely the people are grass.

The grass withers, the flower fades,

But the Word of our God stands forever."

The Psalmist continues this theme in Psalm 103:15-16:

"As for man, his days are like grass;

As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

For the wind passes over it,

and it is gone,

and its place remembers it no more."

But I like what the Psalmist goes on to say in the next verses (17-18):

"But the MERCY of the Lord is from 

everlasting to everlasting

on those who fear Him,

and His righteousness to children's children,

to such as keep His covenant,

and to those who remember His commandments to do them."

And look at these encouraging words  in the final verses of Isaiah, chapter 40 (28-31)

"Have you not known?

Have you not heard?

The everlasting God, the Lord,

The Creator of the ends of the earth,

neither faints nor is weary.

His understanding is unsearchable.

He gives POWER TO THE WEAK,

and to those who have no might 

He increases strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary,

and the young men shall utterly fall,

BUT THOSE WHO WAIT ON THE LORD

SHALL RENEW THEIR STRENGTH;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint."

This wonderful passage tells me that my friend who feels alone is NOT alone.  And for those who feel weak and powerless, they have the everlasting God holding them up and giving them strength. 

No matter what our age or current status in life, whether we are getting old and dried up, or are alone and feeling empty, we need to remember that we are never alone.

I am also reminded to count my blessings daily.  Not one of us knows what each day will bring...so we need to live each day giving glory to God and trusting Him to see us through whatever may come our way.

"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,

and delivers them out of all their troubles.

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,

and saves such as have a contrite spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

But the Lord delivers him out of them all."

Psalm 34:17-18

Have You Not Known? Have You Not Heard? Updated/Reposted

Reposted from December 12, 2011.   Note: This little ride out in the country eventually led to our moving to that very location that we discovered that day on that little ride out in the country, (actually the FOREST).  So, one never knows exactly what seeds God may be planting when He directs you to take a little ride and rest for a spell!  Always keep your eyes, ears, and heart open to His prompting! You may be pleasantly surprised at what He will reveal!

"Have you not known?  Have you not heard?  The EVERLASTING GOD, the LORD, The CREATOR of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary.  His understanding is unsearchable.  He gives power to the weak, and those who have no might He increases strength.  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall,  But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

Isaiah 40:28-31



Eagle in Flight...photos taken by my sister Doris E. Hutchinson,  near our Dad's property last year (2010)

I saw an eagle soaring above the treetops today...out of the clear blue (actually the skies were a bit grey and cloudy). He just lifted up his mighty wings and flew above the noise and clatter below.  He reminded me of this verse...a reminder that I needed today.  I was not feeling particularly strong...actually I am tired and weary and feeling a mite weak.  Maybe a bug...or perhaps just exhaustion...either way...I needed a day of rest...so I took it.  Yep, I called in sick today...and legitimately so.  We took a little ride out into the country just to get away and talk and think and allow ourselves to dream a little.  Sometimes that is better than staying in bed or sitting in my recliner in front of the TV all day sipping hot tea and eating soup.  Especially when I saw the choices on daytime TV...I thought to myself, "I'd rather be at work than sitting here watching this junk."  So I was glad when my hubby suggested we take a little ride.

Anyway, it was therapeutic to get away from the must do list and the mind that won't let me rest because of the constant reminders of all the things I should be doing, both at work and at home in this, the busiest time of the year.  I don't believe that Christmas was intended to be a time of exhaustion and stress. It should be the happiest and most joyful time of all.  Christmas...the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ...should give us reason to sing and shout hallelujah and break out into a dance of pure joy.  It should cause us to "soar with the eagles"   in our hearts and minds and spirits. 

Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth...thank you for giving me the strength I need to carry on during this busy time. Thank you for helping me to run and not be weary...and to walk and not faint.  I am placing my trust in YOU, Oh Lord, and claiming this promise by faith today. Oh, and I promise to try harder to wait on YOU for the answers to my questions and the power I need to move ahead.  In the precious name of Jesus, the baby in the manger Who grew up to be a man and sacrifice His life for all mankind...Amen.

How about you?  Do you need to soar with the eagles today?  Why not let go of whatever is holding you down in spirit, and let God lift you up, up and away!  You will be able to return to earth feeling rested and renewed in strength and ready for whatever lies ahead.  Try it...He will not fail you.  He promised.

(Credit due to my sister Doris for her photographic skill in capturing

these pictures!)