Friday Foto Friends~Family Time!

 Happy Friday Everyone!   

If you are one of my Facebook Friends, then you've most likely already seen some of these pictures, but there are some others that I reserved just for you here in Blogland, so don't go away...

Yesterday we traveled about an hour south to meet up with hubby's brother Billy and his family at our favorite meeting place, "The Mason Jar".  Above you will see left to right: My sister in law Peggy, their daughter (our niece) Shannon, whose birthday we were there to celebrate, although her birthday isn't until later in May, but because of their college and family schedules, this was really the only time we could get together for awhile. Next comes our nephew Nicholaus , my hubby John, his brother Billy, our son Benton, our sweet daughter in love Rose, and  your's truly. I guess I'm holding my bag because I had gotten out my cell phone to have this picture taken. A very sweet lady who was sitting at a table near us came over and offered to take our picture. That was so sweet of her. 

Of course I had already been taking a lot of pictures ever since we got there, so here they are...

No trip to the Mason Jar would be complete without me hugging the bear in the lobby.

I also thought he needed a little kiss.

Son Benton thought he would imitate the bear...

And then kiss the deer...

He should've kissed the "Dear" beside him instead. LOL.

Hubby wanted to get in on the act and was "interviewing" the bear, asking him what he thought about all the crazy people who come in there and want to hug and kiss him and the deer.

The bear just grunted and and basically wished we'd all just go away and let him live in peace...

He's lucky this old timey hunter  on his motorcycle with a side car for his hound dog was only interested in deer instead of bears...LOL. Yes, that's a real photo there in the lobby...

 

Well, back to the real people...as I said, we were celebrating Shannon's 22nd birthday! Isn't she beautiful?  She's currently finishing up her Associates degree as a Paralegal and also another Associate of Arts degree to prepare her for finishing up her Bachelor's degree in pre-law studies. Then she hopes to use her paralegal degree to help her work her way through law school.  She's very ambitious and smart!

Her brother Nick is working on his Master's Degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Auburn University.  He's a pretty smart guy too!

Two lovely women, Peggy and daughter Shannon.

Oh, here's two handsome guys: my hubby John and his brother Bill. (we call him Billy, and he calls his brother Johnny.)

While we were standing outside of the restaurant I noticed this old Cracker style house across the street. I told the kids that's the kind of house I would love to have out in the country...but with an open front porch and a screened in back porch, and maybe not have the roof quite so rusty. LOL.  I just love those old style country houses.

Well, when we got back home Blackie was waiting and watching for us outside from his tree. So, even though it wasn't quite time for his supper and we needed a nap really badly, we let him come on inside. He took a little nap somewhere in the house and when I came out of the bedroom he was waiting for "Daddy" to come out to sit with him...and as you can see, he was waiting on top of "Daddy's" laptop...

He looked at me as if to say, "Hey! You're not my Daddy! I'm waiting for him right here where I know he will be any minute now!" LOL.  He just wants to be near his "Daddy".  LOL.

However, this morning we just came home from shoppping at Walmart, and while I was putting things away Daddy went in the bedroom to take a little nap, and so Blackie decided to take a nap this time on the shelf beneath the TV. He likes to hide from us in different locations, I think hoping that we won't find him and just let him stay inside forever.

However, I know he loves being outdoors too. Lately the bluebirds are still trying to lure their babies out of the nest, and I've noticed that if Blackie (or even me) walk too close to their house, the parents swoop down over our heads to warn us off.  So I've actually been letting Blackie stay indoors more during the day so he won't get too close to the babies if they should leave the nest and fall to the ground...I know I can't be there all the time to protect them, but at least I'm trying to do my part.

Well I guess that's all the fun for today. It's time to fix some lunch. So I will say "Hasta la vista, baby!"

Just some "food for thought" from God's Word before I go... 

Matthew 10:29-31

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 

30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 

31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Amen.

Thursday Thankfulness and Friday Foto Friends

 This will be the Friday Foto Friends post unless tomorrow brings us more photos to share! But for today, I will share what I have and also share some thankfulness with you along the way.

Today was a special day! My cousin Becky and her hubby Pat came to visit us all the way from Ohio, although they came by way of Punta Gorda, Florida, where they had been vacationing for a little while with family. They were actually on their way back home to Ohio, but still have some other stops to make on the way home to see their son and his family and be with some of their grandchildren for a few days.  So we were happy to be on the way to where they are going next!  

Since  they were just passing through, we decided to go out to lunch at one of our favorite places, "Corky Bells on the St. John's River".  

Becky is the cousin that I grew up with. We lived about 10 miles apart and were together for all family holidays, birthdays, and also to play with our Barbie Dolls, Monopoly, other games, and any other mischief that we could think up when we got together. We also used to put on a Thanksgiving play every year to entertain the folks, complete with pilgrims and singing Thanksgiving hymns, and taking up a collection! LOL.  We were very creative when we got together.

I felt honored and blessed that they managed to pass by our way on their way back home. It's always good to get together with family and remember the good old days.

Becky and Pat

Hubby and me:

As you can tell, it was a bright and sunny and warm day! Spring has sprung here in our neck of the woods! It was truly a beautiful day and we are very thankful to have had this time together.

Those clouds actually had a good bit of smoke in them. I figured there was a controlled burn going on over in the forest area, and I found out later that I was right.

Thankfully the breeze was blowing it away from us  and we weren't adversely affected by any smoke, since we sat outside to eat our dinner on the deck.  

Switching gears a bit...earlier this morning before our company arrived, hubby and I went for an early morning walk.  As we were passing by this old dead tree trunk, I suddenly realized that there was a monster on the loose!  Do you see his eye and legs?

Well, how about his smiley face???

I had noticed this particular tree trunk once before, but never got around to sharing it with you until I saw his "personality" shining through today. LOL.

I was mostly struck by the interesting texture and twisting of his trunk...Very unique, don't you agree?

Ach! Here's another one!  A very large walking stick with many extra legs! LOL.

You just never know what you will find out in the woods! Always be prepared with a good camera, and bring a good imagination with you to enjoy it to the fullest.

Back home at Still Waters Pond the Blue Bird couple were in deep conversation and consideration of the matter of building a nest in this house.  I think they may actually be starting to move in some furniture and are getting ready to set up housekeeping...

I saw them both going in and out of the house several times, although I didn't get a picture, but it looks like they are getting more serious about this nesting business.

Perhaps Mrs.Bluebird must've left to go get some more nesting materials and left Mr. Bluebird to guard the house.

I did see him chase away a Chickadee, so that tells me that things are getting more serious.

This is a Sparrow in the tree.  Sparrows aren't exactly the most beautiful of all the birds, but they are the ones that Jesus talked about in the Bible, so they must be pretty special, therefore I thought we should give this one some love and take his picture! He is rather handsome, don't you think?

Here are some words of wisdom from God's Word, The Bible, about Sparrows and the Birds and whether or not we should fear or worry in life...

Matthew 10:29-31

"29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? 

And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 

30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 

31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."

Matthew 6:25-27

25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. 

Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 

27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

Matthew 6:31-34

31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 

32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

I am very thankful for these messages to us from Jesus. They bring great comfort in times of turmoil and conflict.  They are certainly worth remembering and storing away in our hearts so we will be able to recall them in the days of trouble.

I guess that's all for tonight. Perhaps tomorrow will bring something else to share, so let's just wait and see what develops.  

Until then, please enjoy this little bouquet of wildflowers that I picked for you today!  

They came directly from God's Garden, which takes me right back up to those Scripture passages I was sharing earlier...I've kind of mixed them up and haven't shared them exactly in order, so here's a section that was left out above:

Matthew 6:28-30

28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Some wonderful food for thought as we head to bed for the night.  

Good night everyone! May the Lord bless you with His peace and comfort. Amen.

Root Beer Floats, Flea Markets, and God's Creation

Someone was talking about remembering back when they had the A&W Root Beer stands, and you could drive up and order your Root Beer and a hamburger and they would bring it to you on a little metal tray that could fasten onto your open window of your car, and remember we'd sit inside the car and eat our hamburgers and drink the root beer out of a frosty glass mug? And we'd have to wait for the girl to come back and take our tray with the glass mugs on it before we could leave. 

Well, today (Friday) I was thinking about that, and when we went to the grocery store I looked for some A&W Root Beer, but they didn't have any, so I bought this Mug Root Beer instead, and came home and made myself a Root Beer Float! It was still pretty good. I didn't have a frosty mug to drink it out of, unless you want to consider these:

Yes, those are actually miniature Root Beer Mugs, but they won't hold much! LOL. Anyway, it sure tasted good! I haven't had one of those in I don't remember how long. What about you? Do you like Root Beer Floats?  Now I wonder how many of you will want one now that I've mentioned it? Let me know. LOL.

We also went to the local flea market today.  Sometimes they have some good deals on things and we always watch for some good used furniture deals to pick up for our son to refinish/repurpose for their store, "Dixie Cottage" in St. Augustine.  I spied this vintage buffet, which appeared to be in pretty good condition, so I asked the price and it was reasonable, so I took a picture of it and sent it to my son for his consideration. After we haggled over the price a bit, everyone was in agreement, so we bought the buffet (which our son will reimburse us for). Then of course we had to figure out how to get it home, since our son was already at the store with his pick up truck, and our SUV probably wouldn't quite be able to fit it.  Thankfully there was a couple there who were friends of the people selling the buffet who had a pickup truck and offered to deliver it to our house. We only live less than a mile from there, so that was a wonderful offer.  They wouldn't even accept any money for delivery!  Good people!! 

I will be sure to share a picture of it once our son and DIL have applied their magic touches to it. Most likely it will be painted because that is what people seem to want these days as opposed to restoring to natural finish, etc. But they may do something a little bit different since this has some different tones of wood trim/inlay on it. I can't wait to see how it will look.  What  would be your preference?

After all that excitement and after lunch I heard a lot of frantic calling from a Sand Hill Crane outside our house.  I looked out the back door but couldn't really see him, but his calls were getting louder and louder. If you've never heard one of these big birds calling, well, just google Sand Hill Crane call and you will know what I mean.  (Here's a clip I found online. These are not mine, but you get the idea)

Anyway, the calling sounded more frantic than this clip above, and I was concerned that something must be wrong.

Finally I was able to zoom in and discovered that there were two cranes, and they were at the far end of our lot, up against our neighbor's fence. They seemed to be going back and forth like they were trapped or something was definitely wrong.

I thought they were just up against the fence and couldn't figure their way back out with all the brush and the pond on the right, etc., but of course I didn't know what I could do to help them. 

I watched them from a respectful distance but I did call to them to try to calm them a bit.

I don't speak "Sand Hill Cranese" very well, and I think I just made them more nervous.

So I stayed up on the back porch and just quietly sat and watched. I figured they would figure it out sooner or later if I just left them alone.  The calls seemed to get a little less frantic sounding, so I felt relieved that they must be figuring it out.

What I couldn't see with my naked eye, but only saw with the eye of the camera (but actually I didn't see this until I put the pictures up on the computer)...look down to the left bottom side of the taller bird and what do YOU see? (below)

Did you see it? 

Well, keep watching and maybe you will figure it out soon...

They finally stepped over the old log on the ground and started heading more in my direction. So I sat perfectly still and watched.  They were quiet now and started pecking the ground for food, so they seemed to be relieved from whatever had upset them so much before.

Slowly they made their way toward the bird feeder in our woodlot, and would you look at that???

There's a baby bird!!! Actually they call them a "colt"!  That is what they were so upset about. Apparently the "colt" had either gotten a bit lost or was too far behind them and they were very very upset earlier. But once the baby caught up to them all was calm and peaceful again.

They made their way to the seeds on the ground and nibbled at a few/

Isn't he adorable?

Oh, I am SO glad I came outside and watched and waited! I had NO idea they had a baby!! I know it is the season for them, but I didn't know how or where or when or anything, so this was a total surprise!

What a cutie!

Then they made their way toward the shore of the pond, with baby toddling along behind them:

He really can't quite keep up with his long-legged parents, so no wonder he gets lost behind sometimes.

But he definitely does try to keep up:

And then they headed for the water.  The "colt" followed them right in, even though I am sure the water was probably a bit deep for him there, but he could swim and paddle along as Mom and Dad continued foraging for food...

Thankfully the baby stays close to Mama, or vice versa...

And pretty soon they made their way on around the pond and out of my sight, so I went back inside and took a nap! That was a lot of excitement for this old gal! LOL.

Oh, but wait! The story isn't over yet!  This evening after supper I looked out the window, and what to my wondering eyes did I see? There was the baby colt toddling along again...and yes, his parents were close by. They apparently had made their way all around the pond and came back to our yard again for their evening stroll!

And while the Sand Hill Crane family was working their way again back into the pond and on around, they were being watched by some other anxious parents:

Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird sat on their perch, patiently waiting for the Crane family to pass on by. But if you look really closely in their mouths you will see that they each had a tasty, juicy bug or grasshopper to feed their babies in the birdhouse!!

They waited for the Crane family to pass by their house before they dared to venture forth any closer.

And once the Cranes were gone...well here's a closer picture of the bluebirds. Look in their mouths:

As soon as the Cranes were out of sight, Mrs. Bluebird flew to her nest to feed her hungry babies.

And Mr. Bluebird sat on the perch and watched and waited for his turn to feed the babies.

Wow! Wasn't all of that a very heartwarming story about God's wonderful creatures, the Sand Hill Cranes and the Bluebirds...and how they care for their own children?  It never ceases to amaze me how wonderfully the animal world looks after their own families.  Sometimes I think we humans could take a few lessons from God's Creation.

Here's something to think about:

Matthew 10:29-31

"29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? 

Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 

30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 

31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

If God cares for the sparrows and bluebirds and Sand Hill Cranes, then don't worry...He also cares even more about you, as you are worth far more to Him than many "sparrows".   That is very comforting to know, isn't it?

I hope you enjoyed this today as much as I did!!