Friday Foto Friends: November~The Season of Blessings

November is here! The season of blessings and thanksgiving! Also the "season of change", according to this John Sloane Country Seasons calendar!

What a beautiful house and yard...and I guess for some of you up north, your yards probably looked like this this week. I know some of you had snow already, and possibly all the leaves have not yet fallen off the trees.  I know I just had a wonderful LONG phone conversation with one of my dearest "old" friends up in Ohio...she called me just to get caught up...something we try to do at least once a year.  She said the snow fell on top of the leaves that had fallen before she had time to rake them up, and there are still more leaves on the trees waiting to fall. I remember those days from way back when we lived up north. November is an in between month...transitioning from autumn beauty to the starkness of winter, which has its own kind of beauty, even if it is freezing cold! LOL.

Now here's a place that I would dearly love!!!I love everything about this place, except maybe for the huge mountains in the background! those might be a bit too much...but that house on the lake is gorgeous! Too big for me nowadays, but I would love to visit there!

Amen!

This is a lovely autumn garden somewhere!

And then there's this sweet little Susan Branch calendar...I love these pictures.  I guess I didn't get the photo close enough to read what it says:

"Now go outside for a big breath of fresh air~come back in and see how good your kitchen smells".

"Things taste better in small houses." Queen Victoria

"God bless thee when winds blow; Our home and all we know." Florence Bone

Here's the lovely picture from the Teapot Calendar...

"Tea! Blessed ordinary everyday afternoon tea!" Agatha Cristie.

Wouldn't you love to sit and have some afternoon tea with dear friends? I know I would.

Yes, November is the season of change...it was downright chilly this morning when we woke up, so we turned on the fireplace and had a hearty big breakfast of fried ham and eggs, grits, and toast with blackberry jam. It was yummy!

Oh, and we must also remember to change our clocks this weekend!  Fall back one hour, which means we gain an hour of sleep, so they say.  I've always felt like no matter what we gained or lost, it always takes about a week to get back to some kind of normalcy, and I really wish they'd just leave it one way or the other!  That being said, don't forget to turn your clocks back when you go to bed Saturday night! I know, it's a pain...going backwards is harder than going forwards, but if you don't do it, you will be very early to church!

Today was such a lovely day after the sun came out...it was cool but not too cold, sunny, and no humidity! Hubby was feeling well enough to want to take a little ride somewhere and get out and walk a bit.  After a month of mostly sitting and not going anywhere, we have both had cabin fever and we are so thankful to finally be able to get out and about.  So we rode back to this little boat ramp park where we've been once before, "Kenwood".  Here's a few pictures I took to show the little signs of fall here in Florida:

This Cormorant was busy diving and fishing for his dinner.

As soon as I'd get the camera focused on him, down he'd go...and then he'd pop up again way beyond where he dove in. 

This is actually where I was watching him...

This is a beautiful stand of Bald Cypress trees. They are gradually changing color and will soon drop their leaves...

These are the trunks and "knees" of the Bald Cypress Trees. I especially wanted Debbie a.k.a. "From My House to Yours",so see these trees, as she showed a picture of a beautiful clock that she has from her parents that I believe was made from the trunk of the cypress tree.   So, Debbie, this is how the tree looked before it was cut up into slabs and made into clocks!

It truly was a lovely morning, and I was so glad we were able to get out and take this little ride and walkabout this park...

They also have a beautiful picnic pavilion with BBQ grills and tables. It would be a fun place to bring the family for a nice picnic...especially if we had a boat and could go out in the water!

You do need to watch out for the Manatees.  Especially as the weather gets colder, they come into the warmer waters to stay warm, and too often they get hit by boaters who don't see them there under the water.

So today I am thankful for this season of "change", the beautiful  weather, and for my hubby's recovery, which gets better with every day, Praise God!! We are so very thankful for the ways in which God has blessed and healed above and beyond our expectations. 

Ephesians 3:20-21

20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 

21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. 

Have a happy November,  Friends!!

Saturday Review: So Much Joy!

Imagine my joy when I discovered these beautiful daffodils and other spring flowers, which were so colorfully displayed in our local grocery store this week...

They are only a week too late for Easter, and a couple of weeks too late for when I was desperately searching for daffodils to give to my sister for her birthday party...,

so I took these pictures and texted them to her so she could see I was thinking about her. I told her if I knew I would be able to see her in a few days I would buy some to give her, but she lives about 2 hours away and I don't see us meeting anytime soon enough...so the picture will have to do! (It's the thought that counts, right?) She appreciated the pictures.

They really were lovely, but I resisted buying them because they don't grow here in Florida and will just die in a few days.

And besides, my own flowers are starting to bloom again, thanks to some much needed rain this past week:

These are Easter Lilies in the Memorial Garden, planted over the past couple of years. They will be blooming soon:

And this Day Lily in the Memorial Garden has been blooming as well:

Also, I planted a "Beefsteak Tomato" plant in a big pot, and it is getting blossoms on it already, which means hopefully there will be tomatoes one of these days!  I've never been very good at vegetable growing, so if this works, I might keep trying!

My Amaryllis Christmas bulbs that I keep planting outside are blooming now as well:

With more on the way...

Oh, and this beautiful magnolia blossom is on the tree across the street, right in our plain view so we can enjoy it while it lasts:

So with all of this beauty blossoming around us, it's no wonder we are filled with JOY!

And then there's this:

And this...

And this:   Our sweet "granddaughter in law to be" is busily creating what she is calling little tiny "comfort pillows",  made from this wonderful fabric that has these Scripture verses printed on it in spaces so they can be cut into squares (or rectangles)...and originally probably intended for quilting, but she thought up this sweet idea of hand stitching these little pillows to sell along with her other lovely jewelry creations at our local flea markets...

Last evening our family gathered together for a cookout over at Benton and Rose's house, which is only about a mile from us. It was a perfect evening to be outside enjoying the nice breeze under the shade of the tall oak trees:

And Dawn just kept stitching away at her little pillows, hoping to get some ready for the flea market...

She took a break to join the rest of the family while we enjoyed a hot dog and bean and salad dinner in this lovely screened in porch:   What JOY to be together like this...

I told them that they need to get used to me taking candid photos...LOL.

Oh, did I tell you that the night before last our septic tank reached its capacity, ahem, ahem, and so we are having to be VERY careful about showers and you know what.  Thankfully it seems to have gradually gotten back down to a level where we can space out the use of the "facilities" in the house, but it was a welcome respite to spend the evening over at our kids' house so I didn't have to worry about cooking and clean up, etc. at our house.  They also have invited us to take showers there as needed.  The septic pumper people cannot come until Monday....so we are having an interesting weekend to say the least...My JOY is that we are not totally desperate at this point and we are managing very well, praise God.  (Sorry if that bit of information was TMI.  I just wanted you to know that sometimes things are not always what they seem...)

Anyway, back to last evening, after supper we used the dying embers of the charcoal to toast some marshmallows...

and make my favorite s'mores:  (Another JOY!)

Then we just enjoyed sitting (or standing) around the firepit for a while, visiting and enjoying a relaxing evening.  I love this.  Yes, this is JOY.

And then this morning, "the kids" set up a table at the local flea market to try and sell some jewelry primarily, as Dawn wasn't able to get enough little comfort pillows ready for today, but she will continue to work on them for next week...

They were able to sell a few pieces and had a good time meeting people. Next week's market should actually be a better situation all the way around for them.

Oh, and another JOY, a lady in our church heard that Dawn was creating jewelry, and she had a very nice "stash" of beads and jewelry making supplies and tools that she no longer was using, and donated all of it to Dawn!  Talk about JOY!  This young lady fairly danced with delight when she saw all of the beautiful beads and items in that wonderful gift! I love it when God's people are moved to do something special for others and don't hold back. This lady knows the true JOY of giving.

Oh, and here is what I actually decided to purchase from Dawn's Designs:  The bracelet has a little charm of a bunny looking at the stars and a tag that says "Beautiful" on it. The necklace has a gorgeous green stone that they found on their journey out to the southwest last year. I forget what it is called, but I just love the colors and also that it is a kind of souvenir from their trip:

And so with all of this JOY, I will close for tonight.

I would kindly ask that if you are a praying person, that you would continue to pray for this dear young couple, that God will lead them and show them the path that He has for them...

Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, 

thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV

3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, 

which you do not know.’

Amen.

Thank you!!

Friday Foto Friends Ducks and Birds and Miscellaneous Stuff!

The Ring Necked Ducks are back! I first told you about them three years ago HERE and again HERE,  and as I went back and re-read those posts from exactly three years ago, I was amazed to see that all of the same things are happening again right now just like they did then! All of these pictures are current, but if you go back and read the previous linked 3 year old posts you will see what I mean!

These fun little diving ducks haven't been back over the past couple of years, except for maybe one or two of them by themselves.  And now here they are again, in a big group, males and females...all having so much fun swimming round and round in circles and diving down and up for their food. It's like they are playing "marco polo" in a pool.  Please forgive so many photos...I just can't stop watching them!

We are so thankful for our Still Waters Pond and all the beauty that God provides for us to enjoy.

Psalm 27:7-8 NKJV

7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice!

Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

8 When You said, “Seek My face,”

My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”

Psalm 28:6-7 NKJV

6 Blessed be the Lord,

Because He has heard the voice of my supplications!

7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;

My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;

Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,

And with my song I will praise Him.

And the next surprise was to see Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird make an appearance!  They were checking out the birdhouse...I'm not sure if they are ready to start building a nest yet, but time will tell.

Spring must be in the air, even though it is still technically winter!

And again, here are the wild plum blossoms. I went back to check on them since we had a little freeze the other morning, and they look just fine. 

And yes, when you look back at those early posts, you will see they were blooming at the same time then as now. So I guess everything is right on time and in it's season...

Song of Songs 2:10-13 NIV

"10 My beloved spoke and said to me,

“Arise, my darling,

my beautiful one, come with me.

11 See! The winter is past;

the rains are over and gone.

12 Flowers appear on the earth;

the season of singing has come,

the cooing of doves

is heard in our land.

13 The fig tree forms its early fruit;

the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.

Arise, come, my darling;

my beautiful one, come with me.”

Switching gears a bit...Yesterday hubby said he would like some kind of oatmeal bars to snack on...some kind of "healthy snack".  So I looked up some recipes and this is what I came up with:

Easy No-Bake Oatmeal Bars Recipe 

I like that they are no-bake bars! They should be kept in the refrigerator, however, because the peanut butter and honey mixture might become too soft if left out at room temperature. They are very good. I added some raisins and lightly salted peanuts to the recipe to give them more texture and flavor. The recipe also called for drizzled melted chocolate over them, but I didn't do that as I really don't eat chocolate and to me that would take away the "healthy part". LOL.  They would kind of remind you of those chocolate peanut butter no bake oatmeal cookies we used to get at school, but without the chocolate.  (Remember those?) I think this qualifies as a healthy snack. Oatmeal, honey, peanut butter, cinnamon, raisins and peanuts! Fiber and protein and no cholesterol! 

Today was a long day, and that is why I didn't post earlier. We had to go to St. Augustine for a Dr. appt. (hubby), and that took longer than we expected. I had hoped to do a little bit of sight-seeing along the way, but there was no time by the time we got out of there and it was time for a late lunch already. So we tried a new to us place for lunch on the way home: Culver's.

  It's basically a fast food hamburger place, but they make the burgers fresh, never frozen, and the other stuff is fresh and good too. We both decided to get the fried jumbo shrimp instead of burgers (I was shocked! Hubby always wants a burger when they are supposed to be good ones! LOL).

I like the cup:

The food was good and I would go back...but I still prefer a place to sit down and be waited on as opposed to fast food style. They did bring our food to us after we ordered and sat down.

I guess they are based in Wisconsin. Hey, our blogging friend Nana Diana Takes a Break was just writing about the fact that she lives in Wisconsin and she listed some things that are special about her state. She didn't mention Culver's, however, so Diana, maybe you need to check this out if it is near you!

So on our way home I was thinking I needed some real photos for today's post, but hubby was anxious to get home. So I just snapped a few pictures as we drove through the city of Palatka after making a wrong turn because of road work and having to detour around the town...and this was a much better view than the way he was going anyway...That's a quick glimpse of the St. John's River at the riverfront park downtown.

Here's one of the big very old homes near the riverfront, and hey! It's for sale! Any takers?

And those of you who have driven through the old part of Palatka will recognize this walkthrough "tunnel" under the railroad tracks:

Well folks, that's all for today. It's dark out there now. I did have some beautiful sunset pictures that I took a few minutes ago, but somehow I lost them when I was trying to post them into my computer from my phone. You'll just have to take my word for it, it was a very beautiful sunset tonight! I am hoping the pink/red skies will mean that we are going to get some rain tomorrow, because it is getting very dry and smoky out there. Must be some woods burning somewhere nearby, which is always a concern this time of year.

Some final words of wisdom for today:

Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV

3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, 

and show you great and mighty things, 

which you do not know.’

My "One Word", Listen, doesn't just apply to me listening, but also to the wonderful promise that God also listens to us when we call upon Him...and not only that, but He will answer us when we call, and show us "great and mighty things, which you do not know."  Oh, how great is our God! Amen? Amen.

Good Night dear friends.