Tuesday 4~Simple Questions

 Simple Questions

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4. I hope you are enjoying these questions. Let me know if they can be improved and if you have any ideas for subjects!
Here are just 4 simple questions for you this week...

1. Do you have any superstitious beliefs?

That's easy to answer: NO!

2. How often do you check the weather? Where do you get your weather reports?

We check our weather app on my phone every morning. Actually, hubby and I play a little guessing game every morning. He doesn't look at the weather app,  and I ask him to guess what the current temperature is, and he has to get it within one degree to get a point. Then I ask him what the high will be for the day, and then what the conditions are/or will be all day, such as sunny, cloudy, partly cloudy, rainy, or FOGGY, like it was this morning:

 then the wind speeds, percentage of actual precipitation for the day, and the percentage of humidity.  Again, all answers have to be within 1 degree or 1 percent of the actual answer. There is no prize...just a good test of his mental acuity in the morning while drinking his coffee.  Some days he does pretty good and gets most all of them right...but when the weather is so changeable like it has been lately, it's been a bit more challenging.  I'm glad he's the one doing the guessing and I hold the answers on my phone! LOL.  For me, I guess the weather by whether or not my joints are extra stiff in the morning or not. LOL.  We do also check the weather on the TV when there's a question about any serious weather conditions (like hurricanes or tornadoes, or this winter...freeze warnings have been rather frequent for us, more so than usual for this part of the country.)

Current view outside our front door: Full Moon tonight:.(Monday night)  This was around 7:30 p.m.  I plan to try and remember to get up and look at the lunar eclipse of the moon early Tuesday morning, and if I can get some decent pictures, I will add them before I post this.

(I don't know what that aqua blob is on the picture. Maybe a UFO. LOL.)

3.What time of your life was the happiest and why do you think that was? How could life improve for you now?

That's really hard to answer, as I've been happy in every season of my life, even though there have been some very sad and difficult times as well, but even so I have a deep down joy in my heart because of Jesus living in me.   Without Him, I would not have been able to get through some of the very difficult times. 

This was probably one of the happiest times in my life...our sweet little family...our boys were still young and happy and healthy and innocent. Hubby was the Pastor of a beautiful church and we seemed to be "sitting on top of the world" for a while.  Life definitely got more difficult as the years went by, but this was a time of joy and many blessings.  (I was just 30 years old in this picture. At the time I thought I was really getting old! LOL)

To answer the rest of the question: "How could life improve for you now?"

I think for the most part things are going pretty well for people of our age, but if anything could improve, it would be to have our strength and health renewed and restored back to a time of a bit more strength, energy, and stamina.  But truly, we are very very thankful for everything we have at this stage in life. We look around us and realize that it could always be so much worse, so we are extremely thankful to God that He is taking very good care of us.

4. What things would you ordain to make everyday life happier, kinder, more prosperous, for everyone?

Here are some verses from the Bible that summarize what I believe makes life happier, kinder, and more prosperous.  If everyone could "drink of the water that (Jesus) shall give him", he would definitely have the kind of joy that never fails, no matter what the circumstances of life.

John 4:13-14~ 

13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 

14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. 

But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

Isaiah 12:1-3

1 "And in that day you will say:

“O Lord, I will praise You;

Though You were angry with me,

Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.

2 Behold, God is my salvation,

I will trust and not be afraid;

‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song;

He also has become my salvation.’ ”

3 Therefore with joy you will draw water
From the wells of salvation."
 

Psalm 89:1-2 NKJV

1 "I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever;

With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.

2 For I have said, “Mercy shall be built up forever;

Your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens.”

My thoughts: there really isn't anything this world has to offer that will bring lasting happiness and prosperity.  Everything here is temporary.  Here is what Jesus said on this subject:

Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 

20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

All this "stuff" we have here to make us more comfortable and "happy" is just that, STUFF.  It's okay to make ourselves comfortable here, but don't ever think any of it is permanent. Ask someone who has had a tornado rip through their home, or a fire or a flood. They are extremely thankful when they can escape with their family intact and the clothes on their back (if they are so blessed to be able to do that).  All that STUFF is gone in a puff of wind or a torrent of water...but our souls are eternal.  That is the ONLY thing that lasts for eternity, so we best consider where we will be spending eternity while there is yet time.

2 Corinthians 6:2 NKJV

"2 For He (Jesus) says:

“In an acceptable time I have heard you,

And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”

Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."

I will try to finish this in the morning, if I can get some pictures of the "blood moon".  

Okay, here I am, 6:15 a.m. Tuesday morning.  I did go out and watch the eclipse for the first half...and I apologize for the poor quality of my pictures. I am certain many of you may have better cameras for moon shots than I do, so I expect there will be some out there with really good photos. But here's what I have, so you will know that I did what I said I would do!

I had a lot more pictures, but they really were too fuzzy to be worth showing.  So how many of you went out to watch the eclipse?  I can't wait to see your pictures!

Blackie says, "Okay, it's time to post this and get on with our day! "

He finds the most precarious spots to just lay himself down and rest a spell from his wanderings...seems like he's always right on the edge of something!  (Sometimes I feel like that too, don't you?)

Okay, my friends...be blessed and enjoy this day.  

"This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!"  

Psalm 118:24

Wednesday Treasures All Around Us

It was a lovely morning, so we took a ride down to the Kenwood Recreational Park, a lovely park and boat ramp into the Rodman Resevoir and Lake Ocklawaha area. We try to go there several times throughout the year, to see it in different seasons and to just enjoy the beauty.  Today was no exception! Here are some pictures that I took...and I have coupled them with Psalm 1 for today's Scripture reading. I hope you will enjoy the beauty of both the pictures and the Word together...

Psalm 1

1 Blessed is the man

Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,

Nor stands in the path of sinners,

Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

And in His law he meditates day and night.

3 He shall be like a tree

Planted by the rivers of water,

That brings forth its fruit in its season,

Whose leaf also shall not wither;

And whatever he does shall prosper.

4 The ungodly are not so,

But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,

Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

A fitting ending to this passage...

Don't be like the ungodly...instead be like the man (or woman!) 

whose "delight is in the law of the Lord,

And in His law he meditates day and night."

Sometimes it is good to get back to the basics, isn't it? In this world we are easily led astray by all the flashy things being offered on the internet or TV or in stores and places all around us.  But soon enough we discover that those things do not bring lasting peace or happiness. They might fill a void for a little while, but there is only one way to fill the empty places in our hearts and lives...

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-29

  

"28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, 

and I will give you rest. 

29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, 

for I am gentle and lowly in heart, 

and you will find rest for your souls."

He also said in Matthew 6:19-21 the following:

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, 

where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 

20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, 

where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Today was a good day to be reminded of these words, and to spend some time alone with the Lord, enjoying His beautiful creation all around us.  Now that fall is on the way and the temperatures are hopefully going to begin to cool down a little bit at a time, it is a good time to get back outside and take advantage of all the beauty that He has provided for us to enjoy.  I'm so thankful we were able to take this little walk today. It was a soothing balm for my soul.

How about you? What wonders or beauties have you noticed in God's creation around you lately? I hope you will share them on your blog if you can, or tell us about them here. Let's focus on what is lovely and wholesome, and try to stay away from the negative influences around us. That's what I want to do...who will join me?

Thank you for your kind comments on my previous posts. It's always so good to hear from you and also to read your posts to see what's going on in your lives! You are all a part of my special "Wednesday Treasures" (and beyond). Have a lovely week.

Wednesday Treasures

 Greetings from Still Waters Pond...

This was the sunset a couple of nights ago. Not as spectacular as some we've had recently, but still a peaceful and beautiful way to end the day, and always worthy of note. God's artistry in the skies is always beautiful and no two sunsets or sunrises are ever the same.

My plans for today were altered a bit this morning when I woke up with some G.I. issues, which happens occasionally, and sometimes more often than not.  My intentions were to attend the "Women in Faith" meeting this morning, but that just wasn't feasible under the circumstances. 

So plan B...stay home and do whatever stuff I can manage to do without overtaxing myself.  We do have company coming on Friday...my sister and her hubby and our kids are all coming for lunch and to celebrate hubby's birthday, which is actually on Sunday, but neither Saturday nor Sunday were going to work out for everyone, so thankfully Friday was a day that everyone could come.  We will celebrate Valentine's Day, Hubby's birthday, and my sister and her hubby's 59th anniversary all in one! I am looking forward to seeing Doris and Art, as we haven't been able to get together since last October. Thankfully Doris is finally over her pneumonia and feeling much better! 

 The plan is to grill hamburgers, hot dogs, and maybe throw some boneless chicken thighs on the grill too, so there's something for everyone's likes.  I hope to make the cake  and potato salad tomorrow, and Rose is making the Deviled eggs.  These are all things hubby requested for his birthday meal...plus baked beans and probably some cole slaw as well, which can be done on Friday morning.

So today I started working on some house cleaning...bathrooms, dusting, and washing the bathroom rugs. Tomorrow we will sweep and mop the floors.  Hopefully hubby will help with the floors. He usually does. Since we got rid of the carpet in the majority of the house, we find ourselves sweeping a LOT more, due to sand and dust balls that accumulate. I'm sure they were all there when we had carpet too, but we just couldn't see them as well, so we didn't worry about them as much.  So if you are thinking about replacing your carpet with hard floors, be prepared to do a lot more swiffering and sweeping and mopping! Especially so for us because we don't have a paved driveway or sidewalks leading into our house, so a lot of sand gets tracked in regardless of where we drop our shoes! LOL.

While I was working inside the house this morning, hubby had his own projects going on outside.  Actually, he had a friend from church here helping him re-organize and clean the shed. This is a job that is LONG overdue, and we were both happy when this younger than us man said he would be glad to come and help him get it straightened up and organized better.  I didn't get a picture of our friend, but here's John after they had worked this morning for a few hours.  It is still a work in progress, and I guess the fellow is coming back on Saturday to do a bit more work, but he got a lot accomplished today and we are very pleased and thankful. 

I probably should have taken a before picture so you could better appreciate what was accomplished. 

This end of the shed is mostly my stuff, like all the Christmas and fall and spring decorations, etc, and just general storage of STUFF. Some things need to be gone through and see what we can eliminate, but that's another job for another day.  Like I said, it's still a work in progress.

Speaking of work in progress...the Bluebirds are still trying to decide when to start building their nest in the birdhouse I guess. They were back today, looking things over still, and not really doing anything else that I could tell.  

However, I'm wondering if there was something already in the birdhouse, because neither one of them went inside today, and they were fluttering their wings a lot and flying around the door.  I know I've seen a Chickadee poking his head inside the house a few times, but I don't think he's started building a nest as far as I can tell.  So who knows? Maybe Mr. Lizard is living in there. He likes to camp out in there usually in between nesting seasons.   Anyway, they were acting strange, so I don't know what will happen next. Stay tuned.

Mr. and Mrs. Sand Hill Crane were over on the other side of the pond today, foraging around on this marshy/grassy area, and I thought maybe they might decide to build their new nest there this time.

I am hoping so, because I can actually see this location from our yard as opposed to the other place I thought they were building their nest over around behind the island.

They spent a good while out there this afternoon, but then left and when they came back at sunset, they flew over behind the island as per their usual habit.

So I thought I would "outsmart them again", LOL, and run around the pond and see them there on that little scrap of marsh that I've showed you before.  

It was almost dark, so these pictures are hard to see, but guess what?!  The Cranes weren't there at all again, but guess who was??? The Canada Geese were standing there, pretty as you please, like they own the place! LOL.  So that really blew my mind...and there was NO SIGN of the Sand Hill Cranes again! Where did they go this time??? They keep outsmarting ME!  

I would be surprised if the geese build their nest on this little piece of marsh. They usually like to be up on the island in a more protected spot under the trees on the side of the bank. But, I'm beginning to think that all the wild pond birds are going to surprise me this year and do something totally out of character.  By this time last year, I know the Cranes had already laid one egg on February 12th, Abraham Lincoln's birthday, which is why I named one of the "colts" Abe.  They laid the other egg on George Washington's birthday, Feb. 22nd, so I named the other colt George. However, only one of the colts made it to adulthood, and I think it was Abe, the older and stronger one.   And the geese had a couple of eggs in their nest last year as far as I could see, but something happened and their eggs did not hatch.  

It could be that the Cranes already have a nest in a spot that I cannot see at all, and they are going to surprise me one of these days with new babies that I never knew were coming! Time will tell, so again, stay tuned for further developments.

Meanwhile, Mr. Great Blue Heron comes and goes as he pleases. I don't believe he has any plans for building a nest here on Still Waters Pond, at least not that I am aware of! LOL.

And Blackie the neighborhood kitty that I've been feeding over at the neighbor's house continues to make himself at home on our porches. I was surprised to find him on the front porch this afternoon, lounging on the lower shelf of the little wicker table. 

 I guess it's cooler on this side of the house in the afternoon, and today it really got quite warm on the sunny side  in the back (84!), so Blackie was keeping cool out front!  And yes, I'm still feeding him and the other yellow cat, "Sunshine", 2x a day.  Sunshine doesn't always show up on time for meals, and I am afraid that Blackie is eating all of the food before he gets any, but I can't keep running back and forth to check on him.  Eventually I will probably figure out how to get them to eat over here at our house, but only when my neighbor lets me know that she really can't do it anymore at all.  Even though she doesn't "claim" the cats as her own, I think she has enjoyed having them come to her house to be fed, and I don't want to take that away from her unless she lets me know she's truly done with feeding them.

Boo! I see you!

Over in "Gnome Land", there's another kind of "nesting" going on...

I just discovered there's another door on the side of the old tree stump!

OH, and Mr. Gnome has found himself a wife!!!  Looks like she's busily knitting a blanket or something...I wonder if there's going to be a baby Gnome someday! 

Well, I wouldn't call him exactly a "baby"...maybe a teen-ager gnome...

Or maybe he belongs to this Grandpa Gnome.  I don't know, but everytime I turn around, there's new Gnomes moving in!   You just never gnome what will happen next! LOL.

All this talk about nesting made me think about this passage in Matthew where Jesus responds to one who said he would follow Jesus wherever He would go...

Matthew 8:19-20

"19 Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”
20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

This passage has a little subtitle saying something about the "High Cost of Discipleship".  For those disciples who were following Jesus during His earthly ministry, they soon learned that the cost was very great.  They traveled from place to place on foot, or sometimes in a boat, but you never hear of them having any nice hotels or houses or resorts to rest in.  Their life was pretty much on the road, camping along the way perhaps.  It's interesting that God provides for the birds of the air and the foxes and other wildlife who have dens or burrows or places to rest, but His very own Son did not have a home once He began His ministry.  Perhaps that is to help us understand that this world is not our final home either...we are just passing through.  

Jesus promised us in John chapter 14:1-3 that He was going to go and prepare a place for us to dwell in...with HIM, in His Father's House...in Heaven...

1“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 

2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 

I have always found this passage very comforting, especially the more loved ones I have waiting for me already in heaven. This world is just temporary, and the "treasures" we have here are also only temporary, we can't take them with us.  

Again, another passage where Jesus explains that the only treasures that will last are those that we have "layed up for yourselves ...in heaven..."

Matthew 6:19-21

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 

20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

And what are those treasures that we are laying up in heaven? Perhaps the good deeds that we do for others here...the dear ones we lead to Christ, or those we have set a Godly example for by our own life and the way we live. Those are our heavenly treasures. The things we do here for Christ's sake...those are the things that will last.

It makes me stop and think when I read that passage...I'm really not sure just what to expect in the way of "treasures" when I get to heaven, but the most important thing we can do here is to live for Christ and follow Him no matter where He leads us.

And so, those are my Wednesday Treasures for today. It's been a busy day, but a good one. I feel better tonight than I did this morning, and for that I am very thankful.  Now I am looking forward to a good visit with our family on Friday. I may not write again until after that, but we'll see what develops!

Good Night my friends!! 

Living in the Dash

 Today is my birthday! It marks the beginning date of my life here on earth, or at least the day I took my first breath of fresh air!  I began nine months prior to that, which would have been Christmas day!  

The story goes that my mother got a new Sunbeam Mixmaster for Christmas that year,

and she was SO happy, well...here I am, nine months later! LOL.  I always wondered why my parents called me their little "sunbeam". LOL.  Just thought I'd start this off with a laugh!  I never knew that story until I was an adult, of course...

Anyway, moving right along...today, __ # of years ago, I took my first breath...and you know the story about how on a tombstone you see two dates?  The birthdate, and then a DASH, and then the date of death.  The DASH represents all these years in between birth and death...in other words, our LIFE...and what we do with it.   We are all living in our "DASH" right now.  There is not enough room on a tombstone to list all the things we did during our "DASH"... but hopefully we are making an impact for good on someone, somewhere, someway, during our DASH years.  The things we do and say and think about and write about are all a part of our DASH.   That is our legacy that we leave behind us.  We can't take any of it with us...no fancy cars, houses, clothes or things...it all stays behind.  The only thing we can take with us are the things we do here that impact the lives of others for good, for Christ's sake.  

Have you ever heard the quote, "Only one life, twill soon be past; Only what's done for Christ will last." ? I had heard it many times in my early adult years, but never knew who said it.  I just looked it up. His name was Charles Studd, and he was a British Missionary, who lived from December 1860 - July 1931.  Being a missionary, I expect there's a lot of life and blessings in his DASH. Yikes, he only lived to be the very same age as me! Oops, I didn't mean to give that away.  

I just found this picture on Pinterest, but we actually used to have this exact same little plaque on our wall for many years. I don't know what happened to it. It may be in the bottom of a box somewhere. It was very old, but it always meant so much to us, I don't know why it disappeared.  It may show up someday.  But anyway...having a birthday tends to make one think about such things as how one is living her "DASH"...

I can only pray that my DASH will have many blessings attached to "what's done for Christ".

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Matthew 6:19-21

Speaking of moths...that cocoon is still just a cocoon...still waiting on the moth to appear...Meanwhile, deep inside the cocoon, there is life...that caterpillar that became a pupa is developing day by day into a beautiful moth, and one day he will emerge from his cocoon and breathe the fresh air and fly away to live his "DASH"...his life here on earth until he is called to his "heavenly home".   I do hope I will get to witness his debut into this world and see his beauty while it lasts...

Today we took a nice ride down to where we used to live in Salt Springs...just to relax and enjoy a country ride. We always stop at the boat ramp on Big Lake Kerr, (because they have a nice public potty), so that I can take some pictures of the lake and whatever other nature we may see.  Here's what I took today:

Yes...butterflies and moths! September seems to be a good month for these beauties to appear, and they are enjoying the nectar/pollen from these wild daisies while they last...

Oh, yes, I did look at the lake too...

looks like the maple leaves have already mostly left the trees...

It was a gorgeous day for being out on the water...

Oh, back to the butterflies...This Gulf Fritillary was hard to capture, but he finally stayed still long enough for a decent picture:

And the little skipper butterflies were busy too...

And then there was this magnificent Swallowtail flitting around...

Such beautiful blessings for my birthday celebration!

Oh about that...we will be having a "big" celebration tomorrow afternoon with family and friends, but today is just kind of a relaxing do what I want kind of day.  I took some pictures on Still Waters Pond this morning...oh wait...first there was this marvelous sunrise in the east:

And yes...the birthday rose from Matthew's memorial garden is still blooming beautifully today! It has lasted all week long, and every day has been such a fragrant blessing from heaven...

Meanwhile...these lovely Great White Egrets were enjoying an early breakfast on the pond...

Such a peaceful setting...

A little blurry, but you get the idea:

Oh, look who else was out there on the pond!  The Sand Hill Crane family!

And then there were these two Egrets again...they look like Siamese Twins! LOL.

All these blessings for my birthday just thrill my soul and make me so thankful for the ways God has blessed me over and over and over again.  

Yesterday morning hubby and I went to town to do a little shopping and we decided to go out to breakfast first.  The place we usually go to was too crowded, so we tried a new place:

Someone had told me they had the best huge cinnamon buns, and so I thought, "why not? It's my birthday afterall..."

Yes, it was HUGE, and VERY SWEET...

(the underside), and we took most of it home for our son Scott to enjoy later... and yes, we did have other real food too...delicious eggs, home fries, bacon, and home made bread toast. It was very good, and we'll probably go back again...

The decor was cute, and I liked the old style diner tables and chairs and booth seats

After breakfast we went to Home Depot and I picked up some mums:

(looking down at them from the deck)

Well, what else is there to say today?  I know I will have a lot more to say tomorrow afternoon after we have our family/friends gathering.  Right now I have put an apple pie in the oven and it has bubbled over and I can smell burned apple pie juice on the bottom of the oven...great...something to clean up later, AFTER we eat the pie of course.  Apple pie is my favorite kind of "birthday cake", which is what my mother always baked for me.  Usually my sister bakes an apple pie for my birthday, but since we are eating at a restaurant tomorrow I don't expect she will be able to do that and besides, I wanted one today!  My gift to myself! LOL (and the rest of the family who are here nearby).

So here it is! Fresh and hot out of the oven just now. Except for the burnt apple pie juice smell in the oven, the pie smells pretty good!!

Thank you for allowing me to reflect on life in the DASH today, my birthday.

You are all a very special part of my life, even though most of us have never met in person...we share our innermost thoughts and dreams and challenges here...and what we say and do here is all a part of

our individual "dashes".

"Only one life, 'twill soon be past;

Only what's done for Christ will last..."

Charles Studd

May your "dash" be filled with joy and blessings overflowing...until we meet again...good night!