Saturday Wanderings in December

 Here it is the 2nd day of December, and we are back to shorts and t shirts and AC clicking back on.  We had a couple of days of wintry weather (for Florida), and I truly hoped it would stick around for a while, but I should know better.  I've lived in Florida most of my life, and there's been many a Christmas day that we were wearing shorts instead of ugly Christmas sweaters! LOL.  This morning started out very foggy

And now this afternoon it is just a rather humid, muggy, late fall day on Still Waters Pond.

Mr. Great Blue Heron doesn't seem to mind.  Must be a good day for fishing...

Normally if I step outside he will fly away, but today he just stayed perfectly still, not wanting to lose his place along the shore...

Perhaps he is practicing this scripture verse:  "Be Still and know that I am God..."  Psalm 46:10

All of creation knows that God is always near.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Cardinal was chirping away at me, perhaps inviting me to tea...

Yesterday morning it was Mr. Pileated Woodpecker pecking away and getting my attention:

We do not get to see them very often here as they are usually very quick and fleeting in their search for the perfect tree to find some choice bugs for breakfast.  

 I was happy that I just happened to be looking outside when this one flew in and stayed around long enough for me to find my camera, turn it on, focus, and get a few pictures. 

And then he was gone.

I feel honored and blessed when God provides such beauty for us to behold.  I am thankful that I was listening and paying attention!

If you've followed my blog for a few years you will perhaps remember that when we first moved here to our home beside Still Waters Pond that we had some areas cleared out a little bit so we could have better access to the pond.  This was in addition to the area directly in front of our house, through the little bits of woods that surround our property along the shore.  Over the past few years we haven't been able to maintain those  clearings very well, as the underbrush grows faster than we can keep up with it, and we really don't have the equipment to keep it clear.  But I've been getting anxious to take a little walk down to the pond again through that woodsy area, and mostly there were prickly vines and small bushes in the way.  I took along my pruning shears and managed to clear enough of a trail for me to get through almost to the water:

Take a little walk with me...this is a much easier way than the way I had to do it! LOL.

There are lots of little holly trees along the way

Oh, at last we can see the water!

I love the reflection of the trees over on the little island...

Yeah, it may not seem like much to some, but I really enjoy walking through here and seeing the pond from a different angle.  Each direction has its own natural beauty.

Thankfully I didn't step on this mushroom!  Maybe someone can identify it.  I'm thinking it is a Cortinarius Violaceus, "Violet Cort", but really it looked more brown than violet. However, it may have been more violet when it was fresh.   I don't think it is edible...at least I wouldn't try it even if it was...

This is the top of it...isn't it interesting?

And a little further down the trail was this interesting discovery.  I am thinking it is some kind of "scat" of a wild animal, but I haven't been able to identify it yet. I thought perhaps a deer at first, but now I'm not so sure.  It looks like something has been enjoying eating the berries...

Well, I hope you enjoyed that little walk with me. I find myself wanting to go back again every chance I get. Meanwhile,  our son Scott wasn't able to come home today to get the Christmas things out of the storage shed. He said he will be here tomorrow afternoon.  So I did manage to pull out this one item to put on the front porch...this is the wild grapevine tree that son Benton and I made several years ago from the wild grapevines growing on our property in Salt Springs. It was quite a task to do this, but it has lasted all these years and was well worth the effort.  Today all I've managed to do is re-string some lights on it after removing the old dead ones.  The ornaments are still in the storage shed, so I will have to finish decorating later.  

If there has been any theme to today, it would be:

Yes!  "Let Heaven and Nature Sing!"....as we enter into this time of preparation for the celebration of the Lord's Birth...may we be tuned into all the ways God's creation is singing his praises around us!

Joy to the world, the Lord is come

Let Earth receive her King

Let every heart prepare Him room

And Heaven and nature sing

And Heaven and nature sing

And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing

Joy to the Earth, the Savior reigns

Let all their songs employ

While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains

Repeat the sounding joy

Repeat the sounding joy

Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy

He rules the world with truth and grace

And makes the nations prove

The glories of His righteousness

And wonders of His love

And wonders of His love

And wonders, wonders, of His love

Have a blessed and joyous Advent season!! 

CHRISTmas is Coming!!

 Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat!!   We were excited to see the geese arrive back on Still Waters Pond this morning...the first time we've seen them since last spring!

If you aren't familiar with this little tune, here it is for you:

Christmas is coming, goose is getting fat

Please put a penny in the old man’s hat

If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do

If you haven’t got a ha’penny then God bless you!

Christmas is coming, goose is getting fat

Please put a penny in the old man’s hat

If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do

If you haven’t got a ha’penny then God bless you!

Christmas is coming, candles on the tree

Please hang a stocking for Saint Nick to see

If you haven’t got a stocking, a little sock will do

If you haven’t got a little sock then God bless you!

Christmas is coming, season of good cheer

Let’s sing a carol for the brand-new year!

If you haven’t got a carol, a joyous song will do

If you haven’t got a joyous song then God bless you!

Christmas is coming, goose is getting fat

Please put a penny in the old man’s hat

If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do

If you haven’t got a ha’penny then God bless you!

I was happy to see not just ONE goose, but four geese swimming on the pond!!

We are very excited to see them return, and hope they will decide to stay awhile, and perhaps at least one couple will decide to build their nest here again! Time will tell. But for now, I am considering this a Christmas blessing!!

And not only the geese, but there were bluebirds in the yard the other day when we were having so much rain! This one was checking out the birdhouse!  I certainly hope they will be back to nest here again also!! Another Christmas blessing!

Joy to the World, The Lord is Come!

Let earth receive her King!

Let every heart prepare Him room

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing!

The carolers are all singing and rejoicing in the Good News!

Looks like Mrs. Santa and Santa Claus are getting ready for the big day!  Hey, Santa, where's your sleigh?  Are you taking the train this year?

Oh, Someone hijacked Santa's sleigh and put some beautiful flowers in it, and sent it here special delivery!! What a wonderful surprise from some sweet family members!

Looks like everyone is ready for Christmas at the cabin:

The Martin Sisters are gathered round the piano and ready to sing...

Oh, there's another Santa, and he's got gifts ready to bring...

The snowmen are warming up by the fire...better watch out! You might melt!

Baby Elva and Lily Grace are enjoying the tree and the train and village...

The sleepy little village of "Bethlehem" is ready for the weary travelers...

(this is the modern day version of Bethlehem, not to be confused with the real Bethlehem...)

Lily Grace and her friends are getting ready for the Birthday Party for Jesus:

See? The cake is baked and the friends are all dressed in their best Christmas outfits, ready to celebrate:

All the family at Pamela's Victorian Cottage are ready to celebrate Jesus' Birthday:

Uh, someone might need some help in gift-wrapping...Actually they are mostly done, but just waiting for Santa to pick them up and deliver them...

Yes, Christmas IS coming, and yes, there will be gifts under the tree on Christmas morning...well, maybe not exactly under the tree due to the train and village, but somewhere in the neighborhood...

And yes, there are some cookies being baked a little at a time...This is a new recipe that turned out really good...Cranberry/white chocolate chip and pecans...yummy.  (found a recipe online).

Yes, all this is being done because of one very special reason,

CHRISTmas is coming!

Jesus, Our Savior and Lord...

He is coming!

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, 

and we beheld His glory, 

the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, 

full of grace and truth."

John 1:14

And that, my friends, is why we do all of this celebrating!

CHRIST-mas is coming!!

Silent Night

Silent night, holy night!

All is calm, all is bright.

Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child.

Holy infant so tender and mild,

Sleep in heavenly peace,

Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night!

Shepherds quake at the sight.

Glories stream from heaven afar

Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia,

Christ the Savior is born!

Christ the Savior is born

Silent night, holy night!

Son of God love's pure light.

Radiant beams from Thy holy face

With dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus Lord, at Thy birth

Jesus Lord, at Thy birth

From all creatures great and small here at our house to yours:

Merry Christmas everyone!!

This will probably be my last post until after Christmas, unless something else exciting happens!

So until then, have a very blessed and beautiful CHRISTmas with your loved ones and friends.

And remember,

"Jesus is the REASON for the season!!"

JOY IS COMING TO THE WORLD!!!! Another Advent Window! (Revisited)

(Joy To The World...under construction...coming soon!)

Isaiah 35: 4, 5-6, 10

"Say to those who are fearful-hearted,

'Be Strong! Do Not Fear!

Behold, your God will come with vengeance,

with the recompense of God;

He will come and SAVE you!"

"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped,

Then the lame shall leap like a deer,

and the tongue of the dumb sing,

For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,

and streams in the desert....

"And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,

and come to Zion with singing,

With everlasting JOY on their heads,

They shall obtain JOY and gladness,

and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

In these perilous days on earth, many are fearful-hearted, weak, sad, without hope.  Many are longing for a miracle...and a way to find JOY in the midst of all this terror and sorrow.

And then we open the Advent window today and there it is: JOY...JOY IS ON ITS WAY TO THE WORLD...It's coming to us in a rough and hand-hewn manger, in a stable strewn with straw and the scents of donkeys and sheep and cattle...JOY is on its way to us...all the way from Heaven, in a helpless little babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, with a young mother, weary and worn from the journey and the birth of her babe in such a rude and dirty stall...and a young father with wonder in his eyes and holy fear as he recalls the message of the angel telling him not to fear...

JOY is on its way to the world...and angelic choirs sing their praises while shepherds watch with amazement and awe...

JOY is on its way to the world, and the Wise Men traveled far and wide, following a star to find the King of Jews as it had been prophesied to them so many months before...

JOY came to the world when Jesus, the little babe in the manger grown to be a man, opened the eyes of the blind, caused the deaf to hear and the dumb to sing His praises, and the lame to run and jump for joy that he had been healed.

JOY is coming to our world today...This same Jesus, grew to be a Man, the Son of God no less, Sacrificed His sinless, pure life on the cross for the sins of the world, so that we would be SAVED!

No matter what this world tries to do to cause fear and sorrow in our hearts, God's Word is sure...His Word is true:

"Be Strong! Do Not Fear!

Behold, your God will come with vengeance,

with the recompense of God;

He will come and SAVE you!"

I don't know about you, but this news gives me great JOY!  JOY IS COMING TO THE WORLD...CHRIST IS COMING BACK TO REDEEM HIS OWN!  And that is very good news...

(Revisiting this post from several years ago, but the message is still the same...and we are still looking forward to celebrating our Messiah's birth...and awaiting His second Advent...hopefully soon! Have a blessed and wonderful Advent and joyous Christmas!)