Wednesday Treasures and Wrong Turns

 Good Wednesday Morning!  I'll start out with these pictures of my "Wednesday Treasures" for today:

"Someone", a.k.a. "Blackie", or should I say "King Blackie", has discovered how to leap up onto the back of Daddy's chair and perch there near his favorite person...

I must say he totally surprised Daddy by jumping up there behind him...

And he became rather aloof when we noticed him and started taking his picture...

This morning is cool and rainy !!! Yes!!! Praise God! It rained yesterday and is going to rain more today!! Still not enough to fill Still Waters Pond, but it's a start! Anyway, because it is cooler and rainy, it's a good day to bake biscuits:

and eat them with some of this delicious Cherry Berry Jam that Mari from "My Little Corner of the World" brought us when she was visiting here in Florida last month :

They were so good, along with some scrambled eggs and bits of our Easter ham...

It was a lovely way to start today after yesterday's very LONG day...read on...

I'm sorry I missed yesterday totally...but thank you for all of you kind comments on my Monday post and before that too.  I am way behind in commenting/reading other's posts. Last week was so busy and this week seems to be starting out the same.  Yesterday hubby and I both had appointments with eye specialists in a city about an hour + away from us...and my eyes had to be dilated, and that pretty much took care of the rest of the day for me. I was unable to read or write as my eyes stayed pretty much dilated until bedtime!  I went to the specialist to determine whether or not I am ready for cataract surgery.  Although the doctor said that yes, my eyes are pretty much ready for cataract removal, they aren't that bad yet and I could wait a while if I want to. However, he did say that he's more concerned about the possibility of something he saw that makes him think I could have the beginnings of glaucoma, and he wants to do further tests on that the next time. However, my next appointment isn't until July, so it can't be anything too urgent. He just wants to watch it for now.  So I will be praying about that and hoping that what he saw was not really anything to worry about.  

The most interesting part of our day yesterday was the trip there.  I told hubby that I wanted to try a different road that connects to the main road that we normally take to travel to that city. I thought it would be a kind of by-pass to a lot of traffic that we normally have to go through.  And so he dutifully followed my instructions to turn onto that road, trusting that I knew where I was going. It was actually a very nice, quiet road, without any traffic and many lovely scenes of woods, pastures, cows, and farms. However, when we came to a certain crossroad, we weren't sure whether to turn left or right to get to the next connection road to the main road we wanted.  I didn't have my map app open yet on my phone, thinking I knew where we were and that my "instincts" said we should turn left and it would take us to another road to turn right, which would get us to the road we wanted.  Oops!! I guess my "instincts" aren't as good as they used to be in giving directions.  No sooner than we made that turn and then the next one, it became obvious to me that we had missed our connection and we were heading a bit out of the way from where we wanted to go. It would get us to our destination eventually, but it would take us a bit more to the west before heading due north east. And hubby didn't want to turn around and backtrack for fear of it making us late for our appointment, so we continued on in the direction we were headed.  It was a lovely ride through the woods and country and there was no traffic...so all seemed perfectly fine until we came to the end of the paved road and discovered that there would be nothing but a dirt road for the next 5.5 miles! 

I forgot to mention that it was raining! Yes! Precious rain! Finally! Of course while we are trying to drive through the woods on an unfamiliar road! But still...and actually it was a blessing on this dirt road, because it was just a light drizzle and it kept the road dust from swallowing us whole. (And it wasn't enough to be muddy yet).

Here's what I didn't tell you OR my hubby as we were driving on that long, very remote road through the woods...the little "town" we had passed through ??? (Where? I didn't see any town???) was named Bardin. It's nothing more than a spot on the map, and apparently there was a small grocery store, but I didn't notice it because we were so intent on figuring out if we were going to make it to our destination on time.... (we did, thankfully, with time to spare, so no harm done).

But I have since looked it up online, and yes, indeed there was a little grocery store...we just missed it...

(Google earth view)

I vaguely remember seeing this, but we didn't have these blue skies yesterday and again, I was concentrating on making sure the road would get us "somewhere" on time...

Internet Photo

(From their Facebook Page)

Anyway, there was a lot more that could have been seen in the little community of Bardin, if we had been so "blessed"...LOL...you see, there is a legend of a creature known as the "Bardin Booger"...yep! That's what they call him...and there have been books and stories and newspaper articles written about him...

I looked him up on the computer to see what I could find out to share with you:

"AI Overview

The Bardin Booger is a legendary, Sasquatch-like creature reported in Putnam County, Florida, specifically around the small town of Bardin since the 1940s. Often considered a regional variant of the Florida Skunk Ape, it is described as a tall, hairy,, foul-smelling biped that sometimes appears in local lore as a harmless,, costumed figure.
The Florida Times-Union +3

Key Aspects of the Bardin Booger:Origin: Sightings began in the 1940s, with reports describing a tall creature resembling a man covered in fur or a "raincoat".

Characteristics: It is often described as a 6 to 9-foot tall hairy creature. Some legends claim it carries a lantern or smells intensely, sometimes inhibiting witnesses' ability to act.

Cultural Impact: It is a well-known, lighthearted mascot for the Bardin community. Local residents, such as the late Billy and Lena Crain, used to dress in costumes, sing songs, and appear at local events to celebrate the legend.

Location: The sightings are concentrated in the rural, swampy areas near creeks in Bardin.

Explanations: While some view it as a real, undiscovered animal, others attribute the sightings to misidentified wildlife, a local hermit, or a person in a suit."
The Florida Times-Union +4

Here's a "song" written and sung about the 'Bardin Booger'.   I have actually read the book that was written about it, but I don't have a copy to share,  and they are no longer in print apparently. 

Well, all fun aside, we finally made it safely through the woods and "swamp" where the "Bardin Booger" might be living, and we were quite happy to get back to the familiar road that we normally take to this eye doctor.  It runs alongside the St. John's River, and here's some pictures I took as we passed by in the rain...

As I said,  all's well that ends well...we made it to our appointment on time, and then we headed back home on the right road,  and because it was already past our lunch time, we stopped on the way home to eat lunch at a new restaurant that just opened up in Palatka, "Master Steak and Seafood", and we had the "special".  

(Not my plate...internet photo...but the Country Fried Steak looked like this:)

They gave us huge portions and we had to take home a 'doggy bag'.  

So all in all, it was an interesting day. As I said earlier, my eyes stayed dilated almost until bedtime, so I wore dark glasses in the house and I think Blackie was afraid of me. LOL.

Hubby said last night that he was glad we had prayed before we started our trip yesterday. We were thankful that He kept us safe and got us on the "right track" even though we might have made a wrong turn.  I learned a good lesson....

Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths.

"Lean not on your own understanding..."   Definitely consult with God before making any wrong turns...and also study the "map", whether it be on your phone or on paper, ahead of time, and be sure of which way you are supposed to go before you begin your journey!!!  Thankfully God was with us and it turned out to be an interesting adventure. But we probably won't go that way again. LOL.

Have a blessed and wonderful week. I am trying to get caught up with my reading of your posts...but please bear with me. Tomorrow is another busy day...and today I am trying to get caught up with things here at the house.  You are all very dear to me.  

 

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God's Purpose and Appointing

Good Sunday Morning! I trust this day finds you singing and rejoicing in praise to our Heavenly Father, Who has brought us safely through another week.

I saw this quote on Facebook and it really spoke to me about my purpose and calling in life...and how important it is that we understand that wherever we are, God has placed us there for His purpose to serve Him to the very best of our ability. Of course, this doesn't mean that we aren't to strive to do better in our lives when it is within the realm of possibility or necessity to do so, but whatever we do, wherever we are, to live our lives for the glory of God. 

The following pictures are from our visit to the Kenwood Recreation Area on Saturday. The water from the Reservoir is still on the drawdown, so that is why the water is so low.  It still makes a b eautiful place to walk and enjoy God's amazing creation.  I hope you will enjoy the pictures and also the verses that speak to us about our purpose and calling in life.  Have a blessed SONday!!

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, 

“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Psalm 57:2 ESV

2 I cry out to God Most High,

to God who fulfills his purpose for me.

Ephesians 2:10 NIV

10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, 

which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Romans 8:28  NIV

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, 

who have been called according to his purpose.

Proverbs 19:21 NIV 

21 Many are the plans in a person’s heart,

but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Proverbs 3:5-6

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths.

Psalm 1:1-3

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.

Amen.

Have a blesssed day!!

Monday Monday from the Back Porch

 Here it is Monday afternoon, (EVENING NOW!) and I can't believe how far behind I am in reading your posts and writing my own!  I kind of took the weekend off from blogging...not intentionally exactly, but it just happened that way. Nothing major going on except for the usual Saturday and Sunday routines...church, family, and catching up with things around here.

This morning's sunrise...I love how the sun is glowing through the flag. 

The temperature was a tad bit warmer this morning, around 59 degrees, and with just enough humidity to create some fog out over Still Waters Pond

Sunshine and Blackie were wide awake and watching the activity out there...and it appears that some critter came and knocked over the birdbath during the night while trying to get a drink of water. What's silly about that is that we have put a little kiddy pool filled with fresh water right there on the lawn, so that thirsty critters can come get a drink any time.  But some raccoon probably (or it might have been Sunshine the cat...he likes to drink out of the bird bath too!) tried to get a drink from the bird bath and over it went! Thankfully it's not breakable.

If you look out on the pond, which is basically all dry land except for a few puddles here and there, you will see the Great Blue Heron and the Sand Hill Cranes, going through their morning routines of finding food out there somewhere...

With the sun shining through the trees, it looks like a beautiful fall morning. And it is exactly that.

Sunshine says good morning to you.

He was being particularly clingy and not eating his food this morning. I think he wants to be fed some of those fancy cat foods they advertise on TV. He must've been watching the commercials through the window.  

I put their normal food out as usual this morning, and Blackie  dove right in and started gobbling it down. But Sunshine kept following me back to the door and acted like he wanted something different. I would redirect him back to the food, and he'd look at me like what, Meow Mix again? And then he'd follow me back to the door. We went back and forth several times before he finally gave up and decided to go ahead and eat a little bit of what was provided. He tends to be a more finicky eater than Blackie (and if you look at Blackie, you can tell he eats most anything and everything!)

  

I think he decided to just nibble on Blackie's ear for a while instead. LOL.

I'm thinking they both need to learn that this is the season of Thanksgiving, and they need to be thankful for what is being provided.  Actually, I think they are thankful. They are sweet kitties, and we are enjoying them, and I want them to be happy and healthy.

Updated this evening...Well, I decided that since Sunshine really didn't eat hardly anything all day long it was time to try something different.  I had recently purchased some of this food, but hadn't tried it yet:

I wish I had recorded the looks on their faces and the sounds they were making ( VERY LOUD MEOW, MEOW, MEOW!)  when Daddy (yes! He wanted to be the one to feed them the GOOD stuff! LOL) came out the door and let them get a little whiff of what was in the bowls...Oh my goodness! I've never seen them so excited before!!!

Well, see for yourself!  They both gobbled this food down and licked the bowls completely clean in no time at all!  I was certainly impressed!  I had no idea how much they would LOVE this kind of food as opposed to the dry stuff! Shows you how little I know about cats! SO, I think we've decided to alternate the dry food with the wet food and see how they do for a while...or mix it together. What do you cat people recommend?  It certainly did my heart good to see Sunshine especially eat so well and be so happy and animated about it.  I guess they've moved up a notch in their status here on the porch. LOL.

Switching Gears:

We took a walk Saturday morning, and I was pleased to see these little bits of fall color...

Here in Florida we don't have a lot of the real showy autumn leaves like you do further north, so we celebrate any bits of color we see.

Our weather has been really beautiful...sunny days starting out in the 40's-50's mostly, and ending up in the mid to high 70's...perfect fall weather...(just too dry still).  We will enjoy this kind of weather for most of the winter, with the exception of a few really chilly days and nights now and then, but for the most part, this is the norm from November-mid April at least.  

Do you remember the old 1970's-80's Florida tourism commercials encouraging people to come to Florida in the wintertime...

"When you need it bad, we've got it good..."

I remember them because we were living up north, and we were from Florida originally, and we really "needed it bad"...LOL.

Now there are so many people living here and trying to move here that they don't bother running these kinds of commercials anymore...we may need to put a gate up at the border of Georgia and Florida and hang a "no vacancy" sign on it!  

But seriously, if you are coming to Florida to escape the winter weather, be sure to let me know so if there's anyway possible to meet you, we will try!
.

On another note, our "boys" were here yesterday for Sunday dinner...Scott came from his place where he works and stays up in Jacksonville, and Benton came over after church as Rose was working.  Scott came primarily to do his laundry and eat lunch and visit with us. He tries to come every other week. It's about an hour & 1/2 drive.  He also came with a purpose to 'clean  his room'.  When he moved out some time ago he only took the essentials with him, like his clothes and personal items, because he is renting a room in a house that is already furnished, so he didn't need much.  However, over time his room here has become more and more of a catch-all room and a lot of his stuff was getting scattered and littered about as he'd pull things out of the closet to look for things, etc., and I was tired of looking at the mess in there and mostly would just shut the door so I didn't have to deal with it. I did not take any before or after pictures as it is still a bit of a work in progress, but it looks SO much better after he got rid of a lot of cardboard boxes and cleaned out the closet so that everything that is left is nice and neat. The room is now so much better I could use it as a guest room if needed. Once I tweak a few more things I will take some pictures.    Anyway, in the process he found his old football lettermen's jacket from when he was in middle school:

He was surprised he could still fit in it!

Then of course I had to look for his team pictures to go along with it, and was happy that I had organized  my pictures so that I could find them! (That's was a small miracle in itself! LOL)

Wasn't he a good looking 7th grader?

This brought back some fun memories for him.  

So all in all it was a pleasant weekend and I am so thankful to have had our kids here to enjoy.  It's a blessing that I do NOT take for granted.  

Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV

"5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths."

Our choir sang this song this past Sunday, but this recording by the original artists is so much better, I think you'll enjoy it more.  The message is really powerful...

Here are the lyrics so you can understand it as you listen:

"You've Already Won"

There's peace that outlasts darkness

Hope that's in the blood

There's future grace that's mine today

That Jesus Christ has won 

So I can face tomorrow

For tomorrow's in Your hands

All I need You will provide

Just like You always have

Chorus:

I'm fighting a battle You've already won

No matter what comes my way, I will overcome

Don't know what You're doing, but I know what You've done

And I'm fighting a battle You've already won

There's mercy in the waiting

Manna for today

And when it's gone, I know You're not

You are my hope and stay

When the sea is raging

Your Spirit is my help

He'll fix my eyes on Jesus Christ

I'll say that it is well

Oh, I know that it is well

I'm fighting a battle You've already won

No matter what comes my way, I will overcome

Don't know what You're doing, but I know what You've done 

I'm fighting a battle You've already won

I know how the story ends

We will be with You again 

You're my Savior, my defense 

No more fear in life or death 

I know how the story ends 

We will be with You again

You're my Savior, my defense 

No more fear in life or death

I know how the story ends 

We will be with You again 

You're my Savior, my defense 

No more fear in life or death

I know how the story ends

I'm fighting a battle that You've already won

No matter what comes my way, I will overcome

Don't know what You're doing, but I know what You've done (thank You, God)

I'm fighting a battle You've already won

I'm fighting a battle You've already won

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Bryan Christopher Fowler / Bethany Joy Barnard

You've Already Won lyrics © So Essential Tunes, More Songs From Wellhouse, Songs From Wellhouse

I hope this message blesses you, and if you're fighting a battle, whether it be in your health, or that of a loved one, or other issues that are a great concern, just know that Jesus Christ has already fought this battle and won it for us. We don't have to fear life or death...we know how the story ends...we will be with our Savior for eternity...we don't need to fear whatever is happening here. God is in control.  

"I know how the story ends!"

Amen.

Today is My Birthday!

A dear friend sent this song to me via text at 6:00 a.m.   I am glad I was already awake before I opened it and it started singing to me! LOL.  It was a great way to start my birthday...and yes, I danced!!  I know I come across as a bit of a stuffed shirt sometimes, but I do love to laugh and sing and dance for my own entertainment and exercise...it's a great way to get the heart pumping and the kinks out of this very OLD body!!  I was just reminiscing with this friend (via text) who sent me this song this morning...we were both young teenagers watching the Ed Sullivan show at that moment when he introduced the Beatles to America...and I remember wanting to scream and cry along with all the other girls in the audience, but I was at home in my living room, and my parents weren't going to let me get carried away with that or they would turn off the TV...so I sat there and screamed silently...LOL.   Were any of the rest of you watching? Some of you may be too young...it was a moment in time that changed the world of "rock n roll" for sure.  I did enjoy the Beatles for the first few years, but when they started dabbling more into the drug and hippie culture of the time I kind of tuned them out...besides by then I was getting married and singing a whole different tune.  But the Beatles will always hold a place in my young teenage heart memories.

"Today is Your Birthday", by the Beatles.

We already started celebrating yesterday after church by going out to lunch with family and some church friends.  When we arrived at the restaurant this beautiful Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly was waiting for me to take some pictures!

Looks like he's missing some of his tail, but he's still beautiful and I felt like it was a special gift from God to see him!!

Another Gift from God was this group of happy people sharing our lunch with us!

This cutie pie eating lemons is the granddaughter of one of my dear friends. I'm not sure how she could eat those lemons without puckering, but she did it!  She's a real sweetheart...

Another view of the table...

And this one shows the bear laughing at us from up on the wall...

And here's the photographer doing a selfie...our son Scott...

 After eating lunch the family came back to our house for dessert...apple pie!!  Of course there has to be the traditional picture of the big blowout:

And a toothy, happy birthday grin...

Here's the rest of the gang...sweet DIL Rose, sons Benton and Scott

and of course Lily Grace and her dog Bailey:

And hubby John

I was surprised to find this package on our front porch Sunday morning before we left for church. We didn't even know it had been delivered. Thankfully there had been no rain to soak it overnight!

It was actually from one of our special sweet blogging friends who loves to send surprises in the mail!

And it was chock full of surprises for sure!  Yes Lily Grace got in on the party...especially because this package was from her special friends in South Carolina where she originated from...

And yes, there was something in the package for Lily Grace...a sweet little fairy friend:

The package was full of so many fun and interesting surprises...this bird identifier is really cool:

And a lovely fan to keep me cool, calm and collected:

And a gorgeous fall bag:

Among many other fun and interesting little gifts.  I am always amazed when people do such special things so totally unexpected!

Tonight Benton and Rose are coming back over to finish off the day with Tacos and they are bringing me something that they have been working on that wasn't finished yesterday, and after all, today is my real birthday! LOL.  

To say I am blessed is a real understatement. I am truly blessed by God with good friends and family, and a loving Heavenly Father Who knows me so well.  I am truly grateful to Him for all He has done for me in these many years of life.  There have been happy times and sad times, wonderful days and difficult days...there have been times when I have wished we could stop time and start over again because things just weren't going the way I thought they should...but God, in His infinite wisdom and mercy and grace, has been there for me always...never allowing me to suffer beyond what grace He had to give to carry me through those difficult times.

1 Corinthians 10:12-13

12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

These verses do not say that God will not give you more than what you can bear, but what it does say that with that "temptation" or situation will give you the way "of escape, that you may be able to bear it."   Testing and trials will come in our life. God does not protect us from having these difficulties or sorrows...but He gives us the grace and the way to move on...He carries us through the tough times and tenderly sets us back down on solid ground once we are able to walk on our own once again. But He never leaves us nor forsakes us...He's right there ready to catch us again if we begin to falter.  "God is faithful"...even when we aren't.  If I could share any kind of testimony of my 73 years of life it would be summed up in this verse...that God is faithful...and He has always helped me able to bear the deep sorrows of life and has given me what I needed in the times of trial to survive and keep going.  And He will do that for you as well, dear friends...when you put your faith and trust in Him, 

Proverbs 3:5-6

5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths."

That is the key to living a joy-filled and peaceful life, even in the midst of life's storms.  Don't trust your own instincts and so-called learned wisdom, but put your complete trust in the Lord...and He will always direct your path in the right direction and give you peace and comfort.

I will try to follow up later with the rest of today's story, but this week is going to get pretty hectic. We will be preparing for our family reunion trip this weekend and then on to the north Georgia mountains for a couple more days with our kids.  When we get back home hubby will be finally having a long awaited medical procedure and that will keep us both somewhat out of commission for doing much reading/writing for a while longer.  So if you don't hear much from me in the next few weeks, don't be alarmed.   We are doing what all of us have to do...living life and thanking God for His grace and love and great mercy.   I hope to touch base with you as I can...you are each and every one very special friends.  May God bless you all with His love and grace and peace. Amen.

Happy 8 year old me! LOL.