Saturday Meanderings

 Hello Everyone! Hey! It's the first Saturday in September! And it's 90 degrees here in sunny north central Florida!  However, there are some clouds forming and we are supposed to get some rain later this afternoon. 

I will believe it when I see it. They keep telling us that rain is coming and then it goes completely around us, so we shall see. The forecast for next week also looks like rain every day, so I am hoping and praying that the dry spell is coming to an end and maybe Still Waters Pond will begin to fill up again in time for the Canada Geese to fly in! I actually saw and heard a flock fly over this morning, heading over to a bigger lake nearby...but that is the group that usually likes to come over to our pond in the fall/winter months for a while most every day, so I really hope they will still be able to do that!Speaking of the neighborhood, guess what happened yesterday??? Do you see it??? Yes, that is a U-Haul truck in the yard of the new house next door, finally! The house was actually sold a few months ago, and I've been watching and waiting ever since for someone to move in, and yesterday was the day!



I may not have noticed them over there except that we went outside on our front porch to help our son Benton load up my old green recliner to take to the church Thrift Store finally, and there they were!


And there goes Benton and hubby, taking the chair away! Oh, and btw, that little house right across the street now has people living in it as well. It sat empty for quite a while after an older man purchased it but he never moved in. Instead, he put it back up for sale. However, the house did not sell, and after a while I guess he decided to go ahead and move in there after all. We haven't had a chance to really talk to him, but he seems quiet and pleasant.


I actually got to meet the new neighbors on the side of us as they were leaving last night to take the UHaul truck back. I was out in the front yard watering the plants, and when they went by I waved first at the truck, and then at the car behind it. The man in the car pulled over and stopped and rolled down the window, and he said, "Hi! We're your new neighbors!" He actually had a young lady with him who he introduced as his daughter, and he said that it would be him, his daughter, and his elderly father all living in the house together. Oh, and yes, they do have dogs...3 to be exact, and also a house cat. Thankfully they already put up a fence in the back yard for the dogs, and when hubby went outside this morning to bring our garbage cans back in from the street, the dogs greeted him with some nice loud barks. From here it looks like they are big dogs, like maybe a German Shepherd type. Again, thankfully they have a fenced area in the back that is not actually connected to our property, and it appears they are house dogs, so hopefully they won't be outside barking all the time. And the man and his daughter seemed very friendly and pleasant, so here's hoping that my prayers have been answered for having some good neighbors finally!!


September is a good time to take walks and enjoy the early fall foliage and wildflowers that are still blooming. We went to our historic village walking trail yesterday morning and enjoyed seeing the sights along the way. September is also a good time to see butterflies it seems.



This is a Zebra Longwing butterfly, and I didn't know until now that it is the state butterfly of our state of Florida! Huh! I wonder how come I didn't know that???





Anyway, I was enjoying chasing it around these Firebush flowers . "Firebush is a perennial or semi-woody shrub that is known scientifically as Hamelia patens. Gardeners love firebush because it produces flowers from late spring until the first frost, and the bright red flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies, including the zebra longwing and gulf fritillary butterflies. Song birds also like to feed on the berries."





All the while I was trying to capture pictures of that butterfly, I kept hearing a bird in the tree above me. Finally I looked up and saw this Mockingbird , who just so happens to be the State Bird of Florida! So how interesting to have the state butterfly and the state bird right there together at the same time!!!


Also right there in the same area was this beautiful Beautyberry bush. I think that may be what the Mockingbird was after, as they do love these berries. These berries can also be used to make a mosquito repellent! I have actually had some made from this, and it did work, but it is kind of a dark liquid that stains your skin, so I wasn't really too thrilled with putting it all over myself! LOL. The berries can also be used in jellies and wine, but again, I'm not really into anything quite this wild for my jelly. LOL.



I guess this post is becoming a nature class! LOL. That wasn't my intention, but I do like to identify the things I see for my own education and I figure you might like to know what these things are too! We are never too old to learn something new, right? Anyway, the next creature I saw was this Long-tailed Skipper butterfly. He was enjoying the nectar of some Lantana, which most likely is growing wild, although it may have been planted years ago around these lots that once had houses on them for a hundred years...

The Skipper was also enjoying the nectar of the Coral Vine flowers that were growing all over the same area.




I've shown you this same trunk of this palm tree before, and right now it is covered in coral vine. Earlier this year it had wisteria flowers, and then there was some Cat's Claw flowering vine on it after that. It is amazing to me how many different species of flowering vines can grow on this same tree trunk throughout the year!

The butterflies and birds weren't the only ones enjoying some nectar on this lovely fall day...(actually it is still officially late summer, but you know what I mean), any way...look at this bee! I am happy to see the bees on the flowers, but I just don't want to get too close!

I will close with these thoughts from Psalm 28 today...I am feeling much better these days, and so is my hubby.  Little by little we are regaining our strength and stamina and are looking forward to the beautiful fall days ahead where hopefully we can take more walks and get stronger day by day. We are very thankful to the Lord for helping us both through some difficult days this past summer and giving us a brighter hope for tomorrow. 

Psalm 28:6-7

"6 Blessed be the Lord,

Because He has heard the voice of my supplications!

7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;

My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;

Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,

And with my song I will praise Him."

Amen!

P.S. 4:00 P.M.   It's RAINING!!! Praise the Lord!

Friday Foto Friends Ducks and Birds and Miscellaneous Stuff!

The Ring Necked Ducks are back! I first told you about them three years ago HERE and again HERE,  and as I went back and re-read those posts from exactly three years ago, I was amazed to see that all of the same things are happening again right now just like they did then! All of these pictures are current, but if you go back and read the previous linked 3 year old posts you will see what I mean!

These fun little diving ducks haven't been back over the past couple of years, except for maybe one or two of them by themselves.  And now here they are again, in a big group, males and females...all having so much fun swimming round and round in circles and diving down and up for their food. It's like they are playing "marco polo" in a pool.  Please forgive so many photos...I just can't stop watching them!

We are so thankful for our Still Waters Pond and all the beauty that God provides for us to enjoy.

Psalm 27:7-8 NKJV

7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice!

Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

8 When You said, “Seek My face,”

My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”

Psalm 28:6-7 NKJV

6 Blessed be the Lord,

Because He has heard the voice of my supplications!

7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;

My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;

Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,

And with my song I will praise Him.

And the next surprise was to see Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird make an appearance!  They were checking out the birdhouse...I'm not sure if they are ready to start building a nest yet, but time will tell.

Spring must be in the air, even though it is still technically winter!

And again, here are the wild plum blossoms. I went back to check on them since we had a little freeze the other morning, and they look just fine. 

And yes, when you look back at those early posts, you will see they were blooming at the same time then as now. So I guess everything is right on time and in it's season...

Song of Songs 2:10-13 NIV

"10 My beloved spoke and said to me,

“Arise, my darling,

my beautiful one, come with me.

11 See! The winter is past;

the rains are over and gone.

12 Flowers appear on the earth;

the season of singing has come,

the cooing of doves

is heard in our land.

13 The fig tree forms its early fruit;

the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.

Arise, come, my darling;

my beautiful one, come with me.”

Switching gears a bit...Yesterday hubby said he would like some kind of oatmeal bars to snack on...some kind of "healthy snack".  So I looked up some recipes and this is what I came up with:

Easy No-Bake Oatmeal Bars Recipe 

I like that they are no-bake bars! They should be kept in the refrigerator, however, because the peanut butter and honey mixture might become too soft if left out at room temperature. They are very good. I added some raisins and lightly salted peanuts to the recipe to give them more texture and flavor. The recipe also called for drizzled melted chocolate over them, but I didn't do that as I really don't eat chocolate and to me that would take away the "healthy part". LOL.  They would kind of remind you of those chocolate peanut butter no bake oatmeal cookies we used to get at school, but without the chocolate.  (Remember those?) I think this qualifies as a healthy snack. Oatmeal, honey, peanut butter, cinnamon, raisins and peanuts! Fiber and protein and no cholesterol! 

Today was a long day, and that is why I didn't post earlier. We had to go to St. Augustine for a Dr. appt. (hubby), and that took longer than we expected. I had hoped to do a little bit of sight-seeing along the way, but there was no time by the time we got out of there and it was time for a late lunch already. So we tried a new to us place for lunch on the way home: Culver's.

  It's basically a fast food hamburger place, but they make the burgers fresh, never frozen, and the other stuff is fresh and good too. We both decided to get the fried jumbo shrimp instead of burgers (I was shocked! Hubby always wants a burger when they are supposed to be good ones! LOL).

I like the cup:

The food was good and I would go back...but I still prefer a place to sit down and be waited on as opposed to fast food style. They did bring our food to us after we ordered and sat down.

I guess they are based in Wisconsin. Hey, our blogging friend Nana Diana Takes a Break was just writing about the fact that she lives in Wisconsin and she listed some things that are special about her state. She didn't mention Culver's, however, so Diana, maybe you need to check this out if it is near you!

So on our way home I was thinking I needed some real photos for today's post, but hubby was anxious to get home. So I just snapped a few pictures as we drove through the city of Palatka after making a wrong turn because of road work and having to detour around the town...and this was a much better view than the way he was going anyway...That's a quick glimpse of the St. John's River at the riverfront park downtown.

Here's one of the big very old homes near the riverfront, and hey! It's for sale! Any takers?

And those of you who have driven through the old part of Palatka will recognize this walkthrough "tunnel" under the railroad tracks:

Well folks, that's all for today. It's dark out there now. I did have some beautiful sunset pictures that I took a few minutes ago, but somehow I lost them when I was trying to post them into my computer from my phone. You'll just have to take my word for it, it was a very beautiful sunset tonight! I am hoping the pink/red skies will mean that we are going to get some rain tomorrow, because it is getting very dry and smoky out there. Must be some woods burning somewhere nearby, which is always a concern this time of year.

Some final words of wisdom for today:

Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV

3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, 

and show you great and mighty things, 

which you do not know.’

My "One Word", Listen, doesn't just apply to me listening, but also to the wonderful promise that God also listens to us when we call upon Him...and not only that, but He will answer us when we call, and show us "great and mighty things, which you do not know."  Oh, how great is our God! Amen? Amen.

Good Night dear friends.

Monday Monday-May Already?

Wow! Here it is the Merry Month of May already! How can that be? I think we are all kind of reeling over how quickly time seems to be passing by...especially the older we get...

As I changed the pages on my calendars I thought this would be a good place to start out on this Monday morning:

I love these John Sloane calendar pictures that he paints.  This is my Country Seasons calendar, and every month is a new delight. Wouldn't you just love to be sitting there on that beautiful front porch, surrounded by spring flowers and such a lovely view?  And that bicycle is just sitting there tempting us to come go for a ride.  I haven't been on a bike in many many many years, and I fear what might happen if I tried...I never was very good at it. Even though they say once you've learned to ride a bike it will always come back to you... I mostly remember falling off my bike in the middle of a busy road when I was 12 and skinning my knee and ripping my slacks, and turning around just in time to see a big semi truck barreling down the road toward me.  Only God could have given me the supernatural strength at that moment to pick up my bike from the pavement and throw it into the grass and jump out of the way just in time...yeah...I think that's the last time I remember riding a bike...But still, the simple joy of a delightful spring morning, riding along a country road where there are NO trucks, might be very pleasant.  Still, this old body is a bit out of shape and I can only imagine how I'd feel later...

So moving right along to the next calendar...this one is in our bathroom, where we keep all of our upcoming Dr. appointments and other important events written down so we will see it first thing in the morning.  

Don't you just love Thomas Kinkade artwork? This lovely garden roadway is very inviting. And I love that verse in Proverbs, don't you? How many of us are claiming that still for our grown children? As I was saying to a dear friend just yesterday after our Sunday School class...she was sharing with me some concerns about her adult son and whether or not he will make it to heaven...Here's the verse...that part has been done...and the son, when he was quite young, made a commitment to Christ and was baptized. So even though he may not be living like it right now...we have this promise from God. I told her to claim it by faith and just keep praying for him.  God will never let go of him no matter how far he may wander. I firmly believe that. We may not always get to see the grand reunion of our child with the Lord here on earth, but we will see it through heaven's eyes one day...just keep believing and praying...

And then there is this verse at the bottom of the calendar page:

I am waiting on this Easter lily from last year to open up any day now. This is in the Secret Memorial Garden.  I am getting ready to plant my new lily from this year as well. One day there will hopefully be many lilies blooming in this special place.

I've got a few other flowers waiting to be planted there also...I just need my son with the strong back and arms to dig a few holes for me so they can get planted...

And speaking of flowers...these lovely amaryllis flowers are blooming in the front yard.  I went out to look at them this morning and was taking this picture when I noticed that one of the flowers was missing some of its petals...

Something has been munching on my flowers!!!

I found the culprit (actually, I found 3 of these ugly young Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers on or around my amaryllis plants...one of their favorite foods.

I will only state that these particular ones are no longer there. And if any of their cousins come calling, they will soon be "dismissed" as well. They have a voracious appetite and will eat your beautiful plants in no time at all. Sorry, buster! Not this time!!

Now on to more pleasant thoughts again...

Here is my other favorite calendar, the Teapot calendar that my sister gives me each year for Christmas...it's a tradition that I hope won't change! I love these calendars and their beautiful pictures of all different kinds of teapots. They often include recipes and other interesting histories of the teapot shown or of the time period from which it came:

And there is always some kind of pleasant quote about the lovely art of tea time.  I like this one in particular below:

Speaking of tea time...I told you in my last post HERE about the lovely visit I had with my blogging friend Debbi from Debbi's Front Porch. Although we did not have "tea time" per se', we did drink iced tea while we visited and had such a wonderful wonderful time.  Debbi is a very loving and kind and thoughtful person, and she loves to give gifts. It's just her nature.  I already shared a little about that in the previous post, but I didn't show you this:

She knows how much I love having tea parties, and she found this beautiful antique china sugar bowl and creamer and wanted me to have them for my tea parties. Aren't they gorgeous?

And here's our "little girls", my Lily Grace, and Debbi's Tracie, and Amybelle, along with Bailey the puppy, enjoying our visit...

Another thoughtful gift was this book

"The Tea Party Book"

It is primarily a book filled with wonderful ideas for tea parties for children, with all kinds of fun things to do for party decorations, favors, and recipes that even a child can make (with a little help from Mom).

I love it. And since I don't have a little girl child to have tea parties with, I may just have to use this for future adventures with Lily Grace.  I know I promised she was going to write her own post about our visit, but I haven't been able to sit down with her and get it done yet...so thought I might as well share this part now while it is fresh on my mind.

I just love these ideas, don't you?  I may have to adopt some little children to have tea parties with.

Or, maybe we could just be little children again and enjoy them ourselves??? Why not?

Oh, but that' not all! Our dear friends also raise chickens!  

"Beauty, Polly Anna, Blondie, and big Goldie" provided us with some delicious and very fresh

"real chicken eggs".  (that's what I call eggs that I know came straight from some real happy chickens that are loved and cared for by sweet people who enjoy raising their chickens. Happy chickens produce the best eggs!)

Aren't they lovely?  And they sure taste good! There's nothing better than fresh farm eggs!

Back to the Secret Memorial Garden again for a minute...

I looked out the window this morning and this was the view in the garden:

One of our neighborhood cats was sitting and watching the birds, 

and more importantly, watching this one:

Thankfully Mom and Dad Crane were close by so "Colt" was not in any danger. But  I wanted you to see how big he is getting now.  And you can see a more defined wing on his side.  Not sure when his wings will be big enough to fly, but for now he's just eating and eating and growing and growing and growing!

Now, back to what's going on with me personally...I know many of you were wondering if I would get to go visit with our other blogging friends on Saturday...Well, no, I didn't get to go, but they sent me this picture of them together:

You may have already seen this on their posts if you know these wonderful ladies....and if you don't, you need to go visit their blogs and get acquainted. They are lovely women who mean so much to me.

Terri "Your Friend From Florida", Barbara, "Sweet Tea and Sandals", and Linda, "Just Simply Linda".

I was very sad not to be able to go, but to answer your other question that you probably have, yes I did go to the Doctor on Friday. I was very pleased that I actually got to see someone different than before. He is a P.A., but I think he ought to be the doctor. He took his time and listened to my concerns and was not so quick to just dismiss me with strong medicines that would take more than a month to work. He recognized the problem right away and tried a different approach.  However, what he prescribed involved a muscle relaxer and some prednisone, and I wasn't too sure how I would react and be able to drive an hour and a half away to have lunch with our friends, and my husband was not able to take me, and so I sadly made the decision to not go to meet the "girls". It was the right choice, as I found that the medicine did make me rather jittery and tired that first day and I probably would have driven off the road at some point. LOL.  But the good news is, I am adapting to the medicine and have not had the bad headaches since I started taking it!  So I am hopeful that we are on the right track and that I will be getting back to "normal" (whatever that is) soon.

And I was happy to be able to go to church yesterday, as my hubby was preaching!

Our Pastor was out of town on vacation, so he asked if my hubby would fill in for him. He was very pleased to do so. He doesn't get too many opportunities to preach anymore, and it's good for him to do this.  God truly blessed and the service was wonderful.  Praise God! This service wasn't pre-recorded like our others are, so it will just have to be in our memory!

Although here is nice picture that my friend Debbi took of us the other evening when we were out to dinner with them. We are so thankful for good friends and God's blessing.

I will finish with these thoughts for today:

Psalm 28:6-7

"6 Blessed be the Lord,

Because He has heard the voice of my supplications!

7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;

My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;

Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,

And with my song I will praise Him."

Amen.

Happy Merry Month of May everyone!!