March Just Marched Right In!

 Can you believe it is March already?  Actually, my hubby was saying that he thought February seemed awfully long...I reminded him that it's the shortest month of the year, but there again, I agreed, it did seem long. It must've been all the crazy weather everyone was having. I'm sure many of you up north are happy to see February gone, and we all pray that March will be a calmer and kinder month.  Some of you have already seen these sunset pictures from the last night of February...but for those who haven't, here's just a sampling...

I was surprised to see those Muscovy Ducks perched in that pine  tree on the island in the Still Very Dry Still Waters Pond...

I guess they like looking at the sunset as much as I do. I noticed they flew away as soon as the sun was completely down...

And sadly, yes,  Still Waters Pond is still very dry. The wonderful rain that we got the other night did not last as long as it was supposed to,  and we got just a bit less than one inch of rain.  Every bit helps, but sadly there was hardly a puddle out there the next day...

Still, the sunset was beautiful, and I enjoyed watching it change as it descended from the skies.

With all of the turmoil going on around the world...I am definitely keeping my eyes on the skies.

Jesus said in Luke 21:25-28

25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Yes, there's a lot going on...planets lining up, the blood moon, the fall of the Iranian evil leader and his cohorts...but I am no prophet, and I know that no man knows the time or the hour of Christ's return...but Jesus went on to teach the disciples a parable in Luke 21:29-33

"29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.
31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.
33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away."

It is a wise person who pays attention to what's happening around them and around the world, and makes sure of his own position and relationship with God...There's no time like the present to prepare our hearts and minds for Christ's return. I'd rather be early than too late.  Just some "food for thought" to start off this month.

Okay,  let's switch gears...on Saturday we had the joy of visiting with my cousin Becky and her husband, who were passing through on their way back home to Ohio:

We met them at one of our most favorite places to eat, "Corky Bells" on the St. John's River. It was a little too cloudy and chilly to eat outside, but we did take a little walk down on the pier after lunch to get a few pictures. Thankfully it had warmed up a little by then.

Becky and I grew up together and seemed more like sisters than cousins.  We were just nine months apart in age, and lived about 10 miles from each other, but we were together for all family holidays, birthdays, and especially in the summer time we spent a lot of time together playing with our Barbie dolls, building houses and making clothes for them, and playing endless Monopoly games and other board games. We often found some mischief to get into as well, but we mostly just had fun and enjoyed being little girls.

This was my 10th birthday, when I got my Barbie doll, and Becky got one not long after, so we shared many hours together creating a life for our dolls. It's always fun when we get together now and remember the good old days, as well as get caught up on our lives today. Thank you, Becky and Pat, for going out of your way to visit us again!!

There was a young boy fishing on the dock, and he caught this fish! I think he threw it back in, but not before pictures were taken by us and his family too!

 

Who remembers the first fish you ever caught?  I do! There were some sweet old folks who lived down on the lake in front of our house where I grew up, and they actually had some "pet bass" that they fed off of their dock.  I was about 11 or 12 years old, and Mr. Fred Jay let me use one of his cane poles to fish from the dock.  Lo, and behold, I caught one of their "pet bass"! I think he weighed about 2 or 3 pounds.  At this point I don't remember if I kept it and brought it home, or if we threw it back in. I think there may be a picture in some box somewhere of me with that fish. I really don't remember us eating it, so it probably got thrown back in, but I do remember the thrill of that catch!!  I've never really done any fishing since then. LOL.

Since today is the first day of March, how about the Calendar Roll Call?  

Here we go:   The Country Seasons calendar by John Sloane is up first:

Love that beautiful Amaish farm scene...looks so peaceful, doesn't it? 

Next is the Thomas Kinkade picture of "Foxglove Cottage"...beautiful!!

How often has Christ said to you and me..."My grace is sufficient for thee...for My strength is made perfect in weakness...?"  It's not always what we want to hear, is it?  No one likes to be weak...we want to stay strong...but sometimes we have to give in and let God's GRACE be our all sufficiency...His Strength will be made perfect when we just get out of the way and let Him do what He needs to do in our lives.  We have to take the humble road instead of the high road.  Not easy for those of us who like to be "in control".  But if I've learned anything in this life, it's to remember that God is in control,  and when I submit to that in my mind and my actions, things go a lot smoother.

This log cabin beside the water looks like a perfect retreat when you need to just 'get away' for a while and rest and relax...

And perhaps have some tea...although this is a child's tea set...very ornate and lovely!! Perhaps a bit too ornate for a little girl to play with? Well, maybe Mommy or Grandma needs to supervise just a little bit...

Here's my own little child's tea sets...

The Buster Brown tea set originally belonged to my Aunt Margie, and then she gave it to my mother, and my mother left it to me.

And this little white tea pot and cup and saucer belonged to my paternal grandmother...so these are all pretty special to me. I just need a little girl to come and have a tea party with me...

Oh my! Here's the Susan Branch calendar for March...with Irish Coffee as the featured beverage of choice.  Probably not something that I will be trying...but here's the recipe in case you are so inclined...I don't drink coffee or whiskey, so it doesn't sound too tempting to me...

But this is a funny little riddle:

And last but not least, who doesn't love a red barn?  Wow! That's gorgeous!  

And I love what Billy Graham said in this quote:

How appropriate for our current world situation and quest for "world peace".

"Christ alone can bring lasting peace...

peace with God, peace among men and nations, 

and peace within our hearts."

Amen.

That seems like a good place to bring this post to an end.  It's almost bedtime anyway and it's been a long day. We had a wonderful church service this morning, and then our sons Scott and Benton were both here for lunch. Rose had to work unfortunately.  I cooked a meat loaf and baked potatoes and we had a tossed salad.  Then Scott and I went to work on getting his taxes done.  I had already done ours this past week and we already got our refund deposited into our bank! That was quick!  Scott's had a few more complications to figure out, be we finally got it done and he'll get a tiny refund, but that's better than owing money! When you're single with no dependents and don't own a house or have any other big deductions, you are blessed if you can get a refund at all! I keep telling him every year if he wants to get a bigger refund, he needs to get married and have some kids! LOL.  He'll be 49 this month, so time's a wasting! Oh well, some things are better just left as they are. God knows best and Mama needs to mind her own business. LOL.

Okay, "let's say goodnight, Gracie!"  "Good night Gracie!".  Who remembers George Burns and Gracie Allen? I loved Gracie.      So "good night Gracie."  Good Night.  May you sleep in peace. Amen.

Hooray for March!

Yes, Hooray for March! Surely Spring is just around the corner! Here in Florida, where we live, it is already feeling a lot like spring and we've been enjoying some pretty picture-perfect weather for a few days!  

Yes, it's time for the March calendar revue...

No, this isn't one of my pictures, although it is rather familiar, isn't it? LOL.  

Except for the rocky shoreline, (and lack of water lilies) that could easily be mistaken for my header picture with those Adirondack chairs on the shore of our own Still Waters Pond. No, our pond isn't quite that large or "clear", but still, it's pretty doggone close!

Oh wow, this Thomas Kinkade painting is certainly gorgeous! That is really beautiful...

And this is one of my favorite verses, which is also the inspiration for the hymn "Great is Thy Faithfulness"... 

Ah, it's tea time again...that's a lovely tea setting and interesting snacks to go along with the tea...

I like these thoughts...although I rarely share tea with a total stranger, but you never know when you might meet someone at a gathering of some sort and end up sitting at a table and sharing "tea" with a stranger, and you end up being wonderful friends and/or "family".  Yes, I can see how that can happen...

And I always love what Susan Branch puts on her little calendar each month...always something fun and uniquely interesting thoughts to ponder:

Yes, it is "lovely to be lovely us"...

And now we come to the John Sloane Country Seasons calendar...and this looks like someplace that a lot of you ladies out there in blogland would enjoy being!  I personally am not much of a seamstress or quilter, but I still love to look at fabrics and notions and dream about things I would love to do if I had the time, energy, skill, and patience...and a good sewing machine... all things I am rather short on. LOL.

Those were fun, weren't they?  Great way to start off the new month!

Now back to real life...as most of you know, our oldest son Benton is a bit of a woodworker. He and his wife Rose have a business known as "Ben & Rose's Country Woodshop", in addition to their Etsy site, BRCoastalRusticDecor.  Lately Benton has started building wood planter boxes of all sizes and shapes, and he sells them at local Farm markets. Today he was at a garden market up near Keystone Heights, FL.  We went up to see how he was doing, and he had already sold a truck load of stuff to one customer, and before the morning was over he had sold quite a bit more and had some orders to make more! Wow!  

 

Last week he was also at a local Farmer's Market and did quite well.  These are just some pictures of items he makes and sells, among others...

That swing is actually small, and is for little plants like succulents.  I told him that Lily Grace would fit in it just fine too, and I'm sure she'd love one, but he only laughed at me...why??? LOL.

Spring is a great time to sell these planter boxes, apparently, judging by his sales today! So hooray for some encouraging news!

I told him I need one of these trellises for a plant in my garden...hopefully he will find time to make one for me.  Of course I'll pay him for it, but he has to make time to build some extra, and they they get sold before he can give me one...but that's a good problem to have!  So we are happy that this new venture is taking off quite well already!!

This morning I noticed this unusual bird in a tree over across the pond. I wasn't sure what it was until I enlarged the pictures and then looked it up online...

And it is an Anhinga, whick I've seen before, but never realized they had those white feathers on their backs and on the tips of the tail!  

You can click on this link for more information if you wish:  Anhinga.  They are also sometimes called a "snake bird" because of the way they move their long skinny neck.

Always something new at Still Waters Pond to enjoy!

No new pictures, but the Sand Hill Cranes continue to trade spaces on the nest and come visit our yard foraging for food. We've been a bit more lenient than during normal times about throwing out some extra bird seeds for them especially for the mother because she has to spend so much time on the nest and doesn't have much time for foraging around looking for food.  It was funny yesterday I saw her out in the yard kind of just wandering around near the bird feeder, and as soon as I stepped out on the back porch she literally ran right toward me so fast because she expected me to have some bird seed for her. Thankfully she was right.  I wish I'd had a video of that, because it was really funny to see her take off running directly toward me.  I think we've already spoiled them a bit, but it's only for this nesting period.

Also, it must be mating time for cats in the neighborhood. Our neighborhood Blackie kitty was taking a nap on our back porch this morning, and we suddenly heard a loud "cat fight" going on. It was another male black & white tuxedo style cat up on the porch picking a fight with Blackie, who is also a male.  Must be a some kind of territorial dispute, but I was kind of like that mother Sand Hill Crane and went running out the back door and chased off that black and white cat so fast he never had a chance to look back. However Blackie took off in the opposite direction, and I haven't seen him since. I'm sure he'll show up at dinner time over at the neighbor's house, at least I hope he will. We shall see.

Never a dull moment here, that's for sure!  

Carrie Underwood and CeCe Wynan singing 

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father

There is no shadow of turning with Thee

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not

As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be

Great is Thy faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness

Morning by morning new mercies I see

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love

Great is Thy faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness

Morning by morning new mercies I see

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow

Blessings all mine with 10, 000 beside

Great is Thy faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness

Morning by morning new mercies I see

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

Tuesday 4 ~ It's March!

 

It's March!


Welcome to Tuesday 4 begun by Toni Taddeo.
It's March and it might be nice to talk a bit about it.
The year is going by quickly....


1. March comes in like a lamb and goes out like a lion. How has it made it's debut in your area?

It's been a bit windy and rainy, and this morning it's foggy!  Pretty much typical March weather for us here in north central Florida. It's also been getting up in the 70's each day, with lows in the high 50's/low 60's.  So not too bad at all.
2. Is St Patrick's Day something you observe?

Only in the sense that it's a fun day to wear green so I won't get pinched, and maybe use a bit more green in my decor.  Although we are part Irish, (mostly "Scotch-Irish, English, and German") it was never something that was a big deal for us.
3. Do you observe Easter?

Most definitely!  Easter is THE most important Holy Day for all Christians.  Without Christ's atoning sacrifice for our sins, we would all still be lost in our sins with no hope of heaven.  But Jesus said in John 3:16  

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

And also in John 11:25 Jesus said:

“I am the resurrection and the life. 

He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

And then this passage in Luke 24:5-6

“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!"

And that is why we celebrate Easter!  It's not just about the Easter Bunny and the colored eggs, although those are the fun aspects of celebrating the resurrection and new life that Easter represents. But without recognizing the true meaning of Christ's Resurrection from the dead, Easter would be meaningless.

HERE is a link to a post I wrote some time ago, "What Easter Means to Me".

4. What will those holidays see you doing this year?

Well, St. Patrick's Day will probably find us doing the usual routine, but wearing green!

Easter will see us going to church, and our choir will present our Easter musical cantata entitled: 

And after church we will come home and have a traditional Easter dinner, but so far that's all I know...we haven't gotten that far in our plans.  Oh, and we also have the great family Easter Basket hunt. We hide the whole basket here at our house, not just the eggs!  It's getting more difficult to find suitable hiding places as these "kids" are too smart for the old "Easter Bunny". LOL. But we have a lot of fun with it and that's been our family tradition since I was a little girl.  Here's a blast from the past:

I'm the little redhead on the front row, next to my beautiful mother. On the back is my sister Doris, brothers Clifford and Russell and my Daddy.  

Okay, that's it for today! Hope you have a wonderful MARCH and Easter season!

You can join in the March fun HERE

March Has Arrived!!

Yes! March has arrived, and has brought some rain showers to our land, which are greatly appreciated.

Yes, I know yesterday was the first day of March, but I had other things going on and never got around to announcing the changing of the calendars! So here we go:

Spring is coming, my dear friends! Here in the south where we live it has already pretty much begun, but I know for those of you in the northern part of our country you are still anxiously awaiting the arrival of the crocuses and daffodils and Robins and other signs of spring.  I did see some Robins yesterday and I believe they said they were on their way to see you, so just try to be patient! Spring is definitely on its way!

Oh, wouldn't you just love to take a ride in a horse and buggy through the beautiful spring countryside?  This John Sloane Country Seasons calendar always makes me long for "the good old days". 

The Teapot Calendar has a lovely tea party scene for us to enjoy...those little cakes certainly look scrumptious!  So people are just so clever and talented.  What a beautiful tea set too! I really think it's about time for a nice spring tea party!  

And this lovely view is on the calendar in my bathroom. Can't you just hear those waters making their noisy and rushing escape over the rocks and into that refreshing pool?  I love how the sun is shining and welcoming a new day...

But this calendar, which is in my hubby's bathroom, has to be my favorite for this month.  This is the Thomas Kincade calendar, and the paintings are always so gorgeous. I love that each one also has a Scripture reference.  As I looked at this picture, entitled "Walk of Faith", it appears that this is a picture of Jesus walking with a man, perhaps the "Rich Young Ruler" found in Mark 10:17-22.  Although I am sure the surroundings didn't look quite like that back in Israel at that time, but it is still a wonderful picture...and to be walking with Jesus in the garden would be something I know I would truly love to do...

But sadly, the rich young ruler was not able to give up his worldly possessions and do as Jesus said in this verse...

This is a good reminder for each of us during this period of Lent leading up to Easter. Am I able to deny myself and take up His cross daily, and follow Jesus?  It's not an easy thing for any of us to do even for this short period of the 40 days of Lent...but Jesus is asking us to do this every day.  Thankfully, like in the picture above, He walks along with us and guides us and helps us if we will just heed His words and follow Him.

Speaking of walking in the garden, my new rose bush has been blooming nicely and I am enjoying it so much.

The view of the "butterfly garden", while sitting on the swing in the Secret Garden.

And this is the view this morning...if you look really closely you can see Mrs. Crane sitting out there on her nest!

I am also excited to see that this bottlebrush bush is starting to develop blossoms! We planted this last year and it didn't bloom for long then, but now it looks like it is going to have a  lot of blooms! This will attract hummingbirds and butterflies, so I am happy to see it is thriving!  Just wait a few weeks and those buds will all be red!!

Over in the "Secret/Memorial Garden" the Easter lilies are starting to sprout up. I don't think they will be blooming by Easter, however. Probably more like Mother's Day, which is fine with me.

Also I am happy to see that the "Memorial Rose Bush" that we've had for almost 10 years is finally trying to make a comeback. I pray it will survive. This was a gift from my sister and sister in law for our Memorial Garden back when Matthew passed away, and it has bloomed on special occasions ever since, until this past year.  I cut it way back and fertilized it, and hopefully it is going to survive.

The azaleas have been blooming nicely in the Secret Garden:

The are a bright and colorful spot amidst the green of the trees and woody area surrounding the garden :

These bushes are still small, but they are still growing and they are producing so nicely.  That makes me smile!

This morning we just took a walk and I discovered these flowers blooming:

These are the Lady Lupine flowers that I've written about HERE before.

I also shared some pictures of them HERE a few years ago when I had a little tea party with Buster Brown and friends.

Of course I had to bring a few back home with me.  They are sitting next to a little vase of  "fairy flowers" from our yard. I just cannot resist picking little bouquets of these sweet flowers while they last.

Something else that makes me smile is this old vintage dinner plate that I found at our church Thrift store a couple of years ago. I only have two of them, but I enjoy bringing them out occasionally to brighten our meal...

Which yesterday happened to be this:

A delicious spring supper...tiny red boiled potatoes, fresh asparagus and sweet red beets, with a baked boneless/skinless chicken thigh.  I bake them in the oven for about 30 minutes with parchment paper over top to help seal in the juices and keep them very moist and tender.  It was a delicious 'spring' supper!

 Yesterday I finally got a haircut after three months!  Yes, I definitely needed it BAD!  Why did I wait so long you ask? Well, my hairdresser had the audacity to retire the end of December, leaving us with no other options. How dare she? LOL. Yes, she was actually older than I am and certainly deserved to be able to retire, but still, some of us just don't take to change very easily!  The one other hairdresser in town is swamped and can't accept any new customers for at least a month she said when I called her in desperation.  So finally yesterday I called Walmart (in the next city over) and booked an appointment with a gal that I last saw about 5 years ago, before we moved to this town. I was actually glad she was still there, but still, I don't like the system at the Walmart salon and not to mention the price was literally double what I'd gotten used to paying our sweet gal here who retired. She had not raised her prices in YEARS, and so we were spoiled.  Anyway, it did feel good to finally get my hair cut and I think she did a good job, even if it did break the bank (and that did not include shampoo or blow dry/styling! I had to go out with a wet head!)  I decided to take a few pictures this morning so I can remember how she cut it for next time, whether I go back to her or find someone else, at least I'll know how I want it cut!

Please don't look at the wrinkles or the sprinkles of gray.  Just the style. I like the way she did the back and hope I can remember that for next time.

Now we just have to find someone to cut hubby's hair. He did not like the Walmart system after sitting for over a half hour with his name on the list and the next girl available took someone who just walked in the door and overlooked him...so he walked out, and I ended up cutting his hair, which I have done zillions of times over the past 54 years, but I just don't like all the mess and fuss and cleanup and yesterday I cut a little too close with the clippers in one spot.  Thankfully it's not terrible, but I know it's there and I'd prefer him to find a professional to do it, as when my hairdresser retired, so also did the lady barber who was in the same place, which is who was cutting hubby's hair. We found out yesterday that there is a new person renting that space now and taking customers, so we shall see how that works out.  We kind of don't want to be the first customers...want someone else to be first so they can let us know how she does...

Well, folks, I guess this is enough for the first Saturday of March.   Here's a happy thought for today:

Isaiah 35:10 NKJV

"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."

Amen!

Have a lovely March weekend!