Monday Mushrooms, Marigolds, Mums and Memories

 Happy Monday!  I hope this Monday finds you all safe and sound...the hurricane has passed on out to sea and hopefully it didn't cause any of our friends any serious harm. I've heard from a few who were in its path, and they said they were all good and very thankful it wasn't too terrible. Praise God for His protection and care.

We had a good amount of rain last week, some pre-hurricane, and a little while it was passing by on our Gulf Coast, but thankfully we are far enough inland that the only results we have are a lot more mushrooms popping up everywhere!

I'm glad I went out and got pictures of these strange looking mushrooms when I did, because they were totally wilted and gone within 24 hours...

These interesting looking lemon yellow mushrooms popped up in a pile of oak leaves and acorns ...a perfect breeding ground for unusual fungi to develop!

And this interesting specimen wasn't too far away...

Here's the side view!

How about this one?

Oh, here's another very delicate looking parasol kind of mushroom!

And there were lots of these delicate little frilly looking mushrooms popping up in the grass...

I am not an expert on mushrooms, and only eat the ones that I can buy in the grocery store to be safe. But I do enjoy seeing the variety of species that develop after a rainy season.  God's creativity in creation is never ending and so varied and interesting! I think they are beautiful in their own special way! My sister Doris had posted a picture of these same kind of mushrooms on her Facebook page and said they were pretty fungi! Her daughter, my niece Debbie, said "there's nothing pretty about fungi, LOL".  I responded saying that "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder".   So that got me going on taking these pictures of what I consider the beautiful fungi! I hope you enjoyed them!

I was happy to see that my marigold plants are still flourishing after this rainy spell...

I had  forgotten about them, and was pleasantly surprised to see them blooming so nicely without any help from me at all!  

And those mums the kids gave me for my birthday are all blooming...and yes still in that weedy flower bed! It's been too rainy to go out and do any gardening this past week! LOL.

Oh, hello Blackie! He loves to follow me around when I am outside looking at things.  Always fun to have a little furry companion helping me explore...

These mums are from last year, and they are all starting to come back and bloom again!

They are in the front yard, in front of the front porch, in the planter boxes that our son Benton made for me last year.

This is the "bird's eye view" , looking down from the porch:

Those blue flowers are some Plumbago that I planted years ago, and they bloom once in a blue moon! LOL. Maybe that's why they are blue!

This was the view this morning when I went out to put out the flag at sunrise:

I love the way it comes peeking through those trees like it coming through the eastern gate and shining it's light in a pathway to the sun...

Here's another view.  

There's a lot of references to the "Eastern Gate" in the Bible.  I looked up some information on Google AI, and here's what I found:

People also ask:
What does the eastern gate represent in the Bible?

AI Overview

In the Bible, the East Gate (also called the Golden Gate or the Gate of Mercy) represents the divine entry of God's glory, the promise of redemption, and the anticipated arrival of the Messiah.


Key Biblical Meanings & Symbolism
The Return of God’s Glory: In Ezekiel 43:1–4, the prophet sees the glory of the God of Israel returning to the temple from the east, entering through the eastern gate.
Christian Study Library +1


Eschatological Hope: Both Jewish and Christian traditions associate the East Gate with the end times—symbolizing where the Messiah will return to establish His reign and bring ultimate restoration.

I asked if The Lord will return through the Eastern Gate when He returns to earth, and this is the response:

"Yes, according to Jewish and many Christian traditions, the Messiah or Christ is expected to return and enter Jerusalem through the Eastern Gate (also known as the Golden Gate or Gate of Mercy). [1, 2, 3]"

Biblical and Prophetic Basis

• Ezekiel 44:1–3: The prophet Ezekiel describes the Eastern Gate of the sanctuary as remaining shut because the Lord, the God of Israel, entered through it. [1, 2]
• Zechariah 14:3–4: Tradition links the return of the Lord to the Mount of Olives (situated just east of Jerusalem), which is expected to split open when He arrives, paving the way toward the city and the temple area. [1, 2]
• Historical Connection: Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, leading believers to anticipate a similar path upon His return. [1, 2]

If you want to do more study on this subject, you may want to read some of the passages named above. I believe this is why I love to watch the sun rising in the east every morning as I ponder the possibility that today could be the day that Christ returns...What a glorious day that will be! And with all of the events happening around the world these days...earthquakes in diverse places, wars and rumors of wars, the rise of persecution of believers throughout the world...we need to be watching and ready.


While the sun was rising in the east, I looked at our Still Waters Pond on the west side of the house, because the sun was shining through and lighting up the pond so beautifully! There is now a little bit of water on the pond, enough for there to be some reflections in the sunshine...and so I wanted to share the early morning beauty with you:

 A lot of that golden glow is actually a reflection of the sun shining on those bushes on the little bit of water.  This makes me so happy!!  Yes, there's still a long way to go to fill up the pond, but at least this is a good start!

Now, this is an interesting picture below.  If you are on Facebook, you know how they sometimes send you an old picture from your previous posts in years past, and they call it "Then and Now", and you are supposed to add a new picture of the same thing or people as they look today.  Well, this picture popped up the other day, and it was from our Still Waters Pond in October of 2019. You can see how different and full of water it was back then...

So, I was decided to recreate that same scene, using the same mugs, and then post this new picture with the old one for the "Then and Now" scene. However, by the time I got the picture taken I went back to my Facebook page, and couldn't find the old one they had posted a few minutes earlier. It had already scrolled down to who knows where and I couldn't retrieve it.  So here it is now for you to see the difference in the "Then and Now". This new picture was taken in the afternoon on Saturday, and you can see just how dry the pond really is.  The water is way over there under all those bushes. It used to come up all the way to those pine trees on the shore. So yes, we still have a way to go, but at least there is progress.

I've been working on this post all day. So bear with me! LOL.  I started early this morning, and then we decided to take a walk. We no sooner got to our walking place, and we got a phone call from our dentist office asking if hubby could come in early for his scheduled 11:00 a.m. appointment for his root canal and crown prep since they had a cancelation. So we headed back to the house to change and headed to the dentist, which is about 20 minutes from our house. We got there around 10:00, and he was there until almost 1:00 p.m. Whew!  I went and did some window shopping in a few stores nearby, but didn't buy a thing. Finally just went back to the waiting room and waited until he was done. Thankfully he was really happy when he came out...no pain...still numb of course, but he was very pleased with everything after dreading it so much before. Praise God for answered prayers on that!!

Also, I wanted to apologize for not visiting too many blog posts over the weekend. I started reading that big 2 inch thick book, "The Calamity Club", and it is taking up all of my extra reading and writing time! But I am enjoying it so far!  And I do appreciate all of your kind comments on my previous post(s). You are all very dear and wonderful, and I treasure your friendship so much.

Sunday was a beautiful day after a stormy week. We went to church and came home after and Benton and Rose and the grandpups came for lunch. Scott didn't come down again this week. I think he was worn out from trying to work all week in the rain and needed some rest.  

Anyway, in church there was a wonderful blessing. October is traditionally Pastor Appreciation Month, and churches across the country try to do something special to honor their pastors.  This year our quilting group decided to make quilts for our pastor and his wife, one for each of them, with matching pillows.  Our pastor is a huge Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL) fan, and so his quilt has the Jaguar colors and symbols, etc., on it.  Our pastor's wife is our choir director and worship leader, and hers has special things regarding music and faith on it. They are both so beautiful!

I took this picture above while they were being presented with the quilts by the members of the quilting group.

Our Pastor's wife posted these two pictures below after they got home and placed them in their house. They were so excited!  What a thoughtful and well deserved blessing!

It was such a beautiful afternoon that I went outside to sit in the garden for a while. Blackie came out to join me...

We sat together on the bench, enjoying watching the birds and feeling a cooler breeze for a change!

Then Blackie went exploring...

Even he enjoys just looking at the pond...

And checking back to see if I was still there...

I love all the different shades of green out there...it was very peaceful and so relaxing.

Well, friends, I think I've come to the end of my photos. I'm sure you're relieved! LOL. 

Well, maybe just one more...this is the current view of Still Waters Pond at sunset...It's only fitting that we started out with sunrise and we finish with the sunset, don't you agree?

Psalm 43:3-4

"3 Oh, send out Your light and Your truth!

Let them lead me;

Let them bring me to Your holy hill

And to Your tabernacle.

4 Then I will go to the altar of God,

To God my exceeding joy;

And on the harp I will praise You,

O God, my God."

Amen and Good Night friends.

I promise to get around to visit soon.

Saturday Meanderings

 I titled this post "Saturday Meanderings", and then I thought to myself, "just what does meandering mean, anyway?"  So I looked it up on Google, and here's what popped up:

"me·an·der·ing

/mēˈand(ə)riNG/

adjective

following a winding course."

"a meandering lane"

Yep, that's just what I thought it meant...kind of wandering around from one thing to another, no particular direction, just a little bit here and there...yes, "following a winding course".   That's what I'm doing tonight.  So buckle up and come along for the ride.  

Why don't we start out with a few words of Scripture to give us some guidance as we meander along this winding trail, okay?

Psalm 43:3  NKJV

"3 Oh, send out Your light and Your truth!

Let them lead me;

Let them bring me to Your holy hill

And to Your tabernacle."

That looks like a good way to begin this journey.  Thank You, Lord, for leading me with Your light and Your truth!   May I be led to Your holy hill and tabernacle...a place of peace and worship.  Amen.

So, where do we go next?  Well, it was chilly enough this morning (67) to "pretend" that it was really cold enough to put a "fire" in the fireplace. Well, it's a fake fire, and there's no heat turned on...and yes, that fan on the right is actually blowing cool air, but it was cloudy and windy and very chilly outside, and this just "felt good" to our minds anyway...

The message on the mug of hot tea says:

Job 37:14 NKJV

14 “Listen to this, O Job;

Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God.

I noticed hubby's bathrobe  stashed on the shelf of his nightstand, and again I felt that little "nip" in the air of my mind and felt the thrill of cooler fall days ahead on their way...

We actually went to the farmer's market and Trading Post at Deep Creek this morning, and I saw this little picture and rustic frame for sale, and the price was right and I couldn't resist...I told the clerk at the check out that it's a picture of my little dream cabin in the woods and it just makes me happy...

So there it is on my counter top above the kitchen sink where I can look at it often and enjoy the "view".

Next week we are taking a little trip to the mountains of N. Georgia with our kids and the grandpups, and we will be staying at a little cabin in the woods. I don't think there will be any snow, but you never can tell...stranger things than that have happened...but mostly we are hoping to see some beautiful fall leaves and get some fresh apples, apple cider, and fresh apple cider donuts while we travel around the hills enjoying the views.  It's a much needed little getaway for us, and we thank the Lord for making it possible. If our kids weren't going with us and taking care of the driving and other arrangements, we would not be doing this.  We are very thankful for them being willing to take us old folks along and giving us a nice little vacation.    I will be taking lots of pictures and will share them with you when we get back home, since I don't plan to take a computer with me and I can't figure out how to write a blog post from my phone.  If you're a FB friend you will most likely see pictures  on FB throughout the trip.

Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV

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. 

30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

I believe God arranges these things for us because He knows what we need, even when we may not acknowledge how much we need it.  I pray it will be a time of rest, relaxation, and enjoyment with our family.

And no, Blackie has not yet returned home. He's never been gone this long before, and I am getting concerned. But when it is an outdoor cat that is used to being free to roam and wander and "meander" along wherever he wishes, he may sometimes meander into places he shouldn't, and it may take him longer to find his way home. I pray he is safe wherever he is and that he will come home in due time. There's really nothing else I can do about it but wait and pray.

Sometimes we humans are like that...we wander and meander along, not paying much attention to where we're going or where we've been, and all of a sudden we find ourselves lost or trapped in a situation that we can't easily find our way out of.  And we cry out to the Lord,"Lord send out Your Light and truth and let them lead me..."   We need God's light to shine brightly along our pathway so that we can find our way back home safely.  We need His wisdom to guide us and give us clear directions when we aren't sure which way to turn. I am happy to say that with God, we really don't need a GPS system or even a cell phone...we just need to say (or pray) the words and He will hear and answer us...but we need to train our ears to listen for His voice so that we will know which way to go.

Isaiah 30:21

"Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,

“This is the way, walk in it,”

Whenever you turn to the right hand

Or whenever you turn to the left."

I've been paying a lot more attention to Sunshine these days as he still seems quite lonely.  I just noticed that he is curled up on the front porch table, watching the traffic go by and probably watching for any sign of Blackie coming home...

But he caught me looking at him through the window...

And so he started heading in my direction...

He was trying to figure out how to get to me...

So he stepped over to the little table that holds that pretty penta plant...

And got as close as he could through the window...

So of course I had to go outside and give him some love and attention and reassure him that we love him and we are still here for him.   He's been very clingy and if I had a litter box in the house I'd be really tempted to let him come inside...but I don't, and for many reasons it just isn't the right time to do that...(I keep telling myself this, anyway).   But if Blackie doesn't come back we may have to think about these things a little more...(of course I'd have to convince hubby it's the right thing to do as well...)

That face is getting hard to resist...

Back to the Lord lighting my pathway and enlightening my darkness...and leading me in the way that is perfect...

Psalm 18:28-32

"28 For You will light my lamp;

The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.

29 For by You I can run against a troop,

By my God I can leap over a wall.

30 As for God, His way is perfect;

The word of the Lord is proven;

He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

31 For who is God, except the Lord?

And who is a rock, except our God?

32 It is God who arms me with strength,

And makes my way perfect."

I will put my trust in the Lord and let Him guide my pathway in this and all matters of life...then I know I can't go wrong.

I hope you have enjoyed meandering along with me on this pathway tonight. Yes, I will keep you posted on Blackie's journey, as far as I am able to know it, and whatever lies ahead.  Meanwhile, I pray that God will "light" your lamp and enlighten your darkness, and lead you along a smooth and straight path.  Perhaps He will even help us all to "run against a troop and leap over a wall",  if needed.  Remember, it is "God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect."  We really can't go wrong with Him as our guide. Amen.

Good Night, and Sweet Dreams.