Friday Foto Friends and "The Egg and I".

Happy Friday Foto Friends! I was afraid I wouldn't have any new photos to share today so I was planning on bringing back some oldies or find some that were taken recently but haven't been deemed 'blog worthy' yet...LOL, but just as I was sitting back down here this afternoon to try and figure this out I noticed something outside the window here in "My Room With a View", and was gratified to see a Great Blue Heron down on the shore of Still Waters Pond.  So I grabbed my trusty camera and tiptoed out on the porch to try and get a picture before he got spooked and flew away, which is what usually happens when I do that...so here you go...this is what I was blessed to capture:

I think he reached down to grab a fish and only came up with weeds, and that's when he saw me standing there...

And so, of course, off he flew!  I am thrilled that I was able to catch this photo in mid air, because my old camera is not very speedy and I can't get any photos in quick succession like I can on my phone camera, but this camera has a great zoom lens and so I would not have been able to get this much clarity with the phone.

And there he is, right where he landed next to the marsh island.  Thankfully he stood there for a little bit and let me get a few more pictures.

I always feel honored and blessed when God gives me these opportunities to see His amazing creatures!

Thank You, Lord, and thank you, Great Blue Heron, for standing tall and handsome for this photo!

Now here's a few pictures and kind of funny story from yesterday:

I mentioned the other day (here), that one of the Sand Hill Cranes has been spending more time here alone lately.  I am not sure if this is the mother or the father or one of the "colts", because they all look pretty much the same now.  

So anyway, yesterday morning there "she" was (I'll assume it is Mom), out on the marsh island by herself again.  She kept calling for the family to come join her. If you've never heard a Sand Hill Crane calling for their mate, then you've missed something.  But anyway, she kept calling and calling.

When I zoomed in on her, I could see something down in front of her that looked a lot like an egg.

So, I'm thinking, "By golly, she's already laid an egg, and she doesn't even have the nest ready yet!"

She really did seem a bit distressed by this and kept calling for her mate to come and see this "egg". (At least that is how I interpreted her distress calls).

Don't you agree, she looks a bit perplexed about this situation?

See? She's leaning down and looking at it and I am quite sure she is thinking she'd better hurry up and get that nest built before something happens to that egg!

Again she is calling, "Mr. Sand Hill Crane, come quickly! I've laid an egg!"

There's no sign of Mr. Crane, but the Canada Geese came swimming over to see what all the ruckus was about:

But Mrs. Crane marched right over toward them to shoo them away, which tells me that she's protecting that "egg".

Then she disappeared for a while and I didn't see her anywhere on the island.  After a while she and her whole family (all 4 of them) came walking around in our yard, foraging for food and not at all anxious about whatever is out on that island.   They stayed up close to the house for a long time, but I was busy and didn't get anymore pictures of them. (you've seen lots of pictures of them already anyway).  

So I zoomed out to look again to see that "egg".  It was still there just like before, but no one was paying it any attention.

After a while I had to seriously think about this, whether or not it really was an egg.  I couldn't zoom in any better, and I am not quite ready to go kayaking out there to get closer...but after further consideration I have determined that this is none other than....drum roll, drum roll: Are you ready for this?  I believe it is one of my son Scott's golf balls that has resurfaced with the changing of the water levels in the pond! 

One of his favorite past times when he comes home is to hit golf balls as far as he can into the pond. They are old balls that he finds on the golf course where he works, so he has a lot of them to play with. Oftentimes they will suddenly appear in places out there that we never noticed before when the water levels change.

Case in point: here's one I found along the shore of Still Waters Pond when walking along in the woods:

And so I will conclude that little mystery as being solved.   If I were to give this story a title, it would be "The Egg and I", named after an old movie and a book by the same title, which just kind of popped into my head when I was thinking about this story. LOL. The things that pop up in my head can be scary sometimes. (and now I'd like to find that old movie and watch it!)

Well, I guess I should close out this post with another couple of photos of the Great Blue Heron, who is still out there on the marsh island, trying to be camouflaged in the grasses so I can't see him.  I actually went outside to see if I could still see that "egg" out there, but I can't find it, and this is what I saw instead, which is much more beautiful and interesting anyway.

He is a rather stately and noble character, don't you agree?  (I know, our friend Annie from Cottage by the Sea won't agree, as the herons tend to "like" her goldfish in her little pond a bit too much, and that is a problem!)  But as long as they stick to the fish in the BIG ponds and lakes, they are interesting to watch and enjoy.

Here's the "One Word"  strength verse for today:

Proverbs 31:17  NKJV

"She girds herself with strength,

And strengthens her arms."

Remember when I told you about the Stem Cell procedure (HERE) that I had done last August to hopefully help heal/rebuild the torn bicep in my arm?  And I've been back to the doctor several times since for them to take measurements of the progress of how high and how far I can lift or stretch my arm since that procedure was done...and each time it seemed to me like there wasn't much progress.  My last appointment was in November, and I kind of felt like a failure.  Well, I don't have any more appointments scheduled to monitor my progress, but I honestly believe that my arm is finally getting better.  It's not hurting nearly as much or as often, and I can stretch it farther than before without hurting, so little by little I do believe that God is truly healing my arm, and I want to give Him thanks for this blessing and answer to prayer.  I am claiming by faith that my arm will continue to get stronger in this new year...like the verse from Proverbs 31:17 says above.  Since "Strength" is my One Word for the year, I believe this is definitely a worthy goal and well within my "reach".  

I hope you've enjoyed this rather rambling walk and talk today...   I pray you and yours will be blessed and have a weekend filled with new adventures and much joy along the way.

Who's Getting Flabby?

Proverbs 31:17: "She girds herself with strength, and strengthens her arms."

I recently took a good look at my arms and realized they were getting rather flabby. (No comments, please) I find that even on the warmest days of summer, I shy away from wearing anything that reveals the extra baggage on my upper arms. I used to be in such good shape! They tell me that once you turn forty, everything sort of goes to pot. And now that I’m approaching sixty I can assure you that is true!! (Only took me twenty years to admit it!)

Exercising has never been one of my favorite things to do. When I was younger I really didn't need to do any extra exercise as I was already too active. I could eat anything in any amount and it never made any difference.   Now I can eat practically nothing in miniscule amounts and it makes a huge difference! (Did I say huge?)

Not only have my muscles gotten flabby, but my strength is failing. I find I can't lift or push or pull the kind of loads I used to be able to carry with little effort. I held someone's fifteen-pound baby for a few minutes not long ago and found myself having to sit down on the job! It could become rather depressing! Or I could do something about it. But I find that my will to do something about it has gotten rather lacking. So it's my own fault. I really can't blame it on "being over the hill."

The same goes for spiritual strength. Many times I feel like my spiritual strength is getting flabby as well. I find that I can't carry the kind of spiritual loads that I used to carry. Oftentimes I find myself sitting down on the job, lacking the fervor that I once knew. The desire to study and learn and grow is waning. And it certainly isn't because I know it all! Far from it. But my will to do something about it is lacking. Again, it is my own fault. I really can’t blame it on God or my circumstances.

In God’s message to the Ephesians we are given a pattern for living that will keep us strong in the Lord if we follow it.

Paul says in verses 10 through 18 of Chapter Six that we should “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” We are admonished to “put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” We are reminded to “stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”

Oh Lord, please help me to remember to put on this armor each day of my life that I may be able to stand those fiery darts that are out to get me down. Help me to take up my sword, Your precious Word, and to read it daily, so that I will have the protection of your promises and assurances to keep me from falling. And Lord, help me to remember to pray for others who are also out on the front lines of this battlefield.  Lord, “strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees” and make straight paths for my feet, “so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.” (Hebrews 12:12-13) Amen.

Me, trying to bowl on Wii...That's about my speed of exercise....

How about you?  Want to join me in getting back in shape?  I need your encouragement to keep me moving in the right direction...maybe we can encourage each other!