Friday Foto Friends: It's Spring Finally!

 Happy Friday everyone! And Happy First Day of Spring!!! I bet many of you thought it would never get here...and you may still be wondering if it really is spring!  Here in Florida where we live, although it has been quite cool for us this week, it has now warmed up nicely and it definitely feels like spring! Hooray!!

And so today I finally got my veggies planted in the new planter boxes that Benton built for me!

Here's Benton and hubby just after they dumped all the bags of potting soil in the planters for me:

Next was my job...to plant the veggies that were starting to grow out of control in the kitchen:

I may still have the plants too close together. I really don't know what I'm doing.  There's zucchini on the left, and yellow summer squash on the right. (above). There are six plants of each.

And these (above) are the four beefsteak tomato plants.  Hopefully the cages will help them grow big and strong and tall.  Those of you who are experienced gardeners may say that these are all too close together. Time will tell. If I have to get more planters and spread them out more, I know just who to call!

Some of you may remember my dil Rose's sister Sherrie, who came down from Minnesota several years ago and stayed with Rose and Benton for several months. We sort of adopted her into our family as another daughter. Anyway, she's back down for a week's vacation visit, and today she really wanted to go visit a dear friend from our church who is currently spending some time in rehab following a serious illness.  So here we all are, l to r: Sherrie, Opal, yours truly, and my sweet dil Rose.

Opal was our pianist at our church for many years,  until she had a stroke last January (2025), and she has been recuperating ever since.  This old baby grand piano bookshelf (below) is in the lobby of the rehab center where she is staying. It used to be the piano in the lobby, but it didn't work anymore, so they "repurposed" it into this lovely bookshelf/shadow box.  If you notice in the picture above, there is another piano in the background, and Opal has been actually playing that one again as a part of her physical therapy. I was hoping we could get her to play today, but she really just wanted to visit, which was fine with us.

I love it when things that are no longer able to be used for their original purpose can be repurposed/rehabilitated into something lovely and useful once again. I'm glad when God does that with us as well.  

Sweet Sherrie made this pot holder for me...because she remembered that my "One Word" for 2024 was "Strength". I love this very thoughtful gift, and I will treasure it, as well as the message, and the messenger always!

Hubby and I went for a walk last evening past this old palm tree that is covered with so many vines of so many different kinds of flowers, which each take their turn to bloom in the spring. Right now it is more lovely wisteria...

Who would think anything so beautiful could come out of this mess of tangled up vines on an old dead tree?

There's also some of this beautiful purple lantana growing on the same tree...must be time for the purple spring flowers to bloom!

What a beautiful transformation!!

Further down the walkway is this old oak tree, which has this interesting "burl", or fungus in the trunk.

I've shared this tree before HERE, but I noticed that it is continuing to change as the days go by. 

It now looks like it is opening up more to the inside of the tree trunk, and it would be a great hiding place for some gnomes or hobbits. I wonder????

I do see a strange kind of face looking out at me there below...LOL.

As I said before in the other post about these "deformities" or "Burls" in the tree, they can actually be recreated into magnificent bowls with the skillful hands of a talented woodworker and a good working knowledge of a lathe.

Isaiah 42:16

I will bring the blind by a way they did not know;

I will lead them in paths they have not known.

I will make darkness light before them,

And crooked places straight.

These things I will do for them,

And not forsake them.

Springtime is a time for renewal and change and repurposing or recreating not just things, but our own bodies and minds and spirits, as we yield ourselves to the transforming power of God's Holy Spirit in our lives. 

Here's an old song that some of you may remember. It's interesting, hubby started singing this song this morning and we were trying to remember all the verses.  You just don't get to sing these great old hymns much anymore...so you may want to sing along...

Higher Ground

By: Johnson Oatman, Jr. 1898

1. I'm pressing on the upward way,

New heights I'm gaining every day;

Still praying as I onward bound,

Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

Refrain:

Lord, lift me up and let me stand,

By faith, on Heaven's table land;

A higher plane than I have found;

Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

2. My heart has no desire to stay

Where doubts arise and fears dismay;

Tho' some may dwell where these abound,

My pray'r, my aim is higher ground.

(Refrain)

3. I want to live above the world,

Though Satan's darts at me are hurled;

For faith has caught the joyful sound,

The song of saints on higher ground.

(Refrain)

4. I want to scale the utmost height,

And catch a gleam of glory bright;

But still I'll pray till Heav'n I've found,

Lord, lead me on to higher ground.

(Refrain)

I hope you enjoyed singing along with that old hymn, and perhaps that will be a prayer for you as we begin this spring season of renewal and transformation!  

Have a blessed and wonderful Spring time!!!

What Do You See?

When you look at these pictures, what do YOU see?

 An old rusty plumbing pipe with even older old faucets?

 Ancient garden spigots?

Well, I can tell you that when I saw this at our local dump/recycling station today...someone had purposely left this pipe with all these fittings sitting on top of the dumpster just in case someone would come along and have a "need" for it...and as we drove away, I told my hubby,
"I sure would love to have those old faucets".
He kept driving.
I said, "I can just envision all kinds of neat stuff I could do with those old spigots and faucets..."
 He kept driving.
 I said, "I sure wish we could go back and get those faucets before they disappear."
He still kept driving.
I said, "You know, I could create birdhouses and other cute things using those...people love that kind of stuff..."
He sort of started to slow down.
I said, "Of course, I would need help building a birdhouse. I don't know how to use the saw. But you could help me."
He pulled over and waited for an oncoming vehicle to get out of the way. Then he did the most amazing thing...he turned the car around and headed back to the dump! I could hardly believe my eyes!

However, when we pulled up to the dumpster, I jumped out of the car and ran to look, and they were gone!!! I looked down inside the dumpster, but there was no sign of them.  I said out loud,
"Well, I guess somebody else saw the potential in those and got them already."
There was a man standing next to his car on the other side of the dumpster, and he saw me looking and heard me muttering.  He asked me, "Did you forget something, or change your mind about something?"
I told him, "There was a plumbing pipe with some faucets here a minute ago, but it is gone now."
He asked, "Oh, did you want those?"
I said, "Well, I had some ideas of things I could do with them."  And then I realized that he must have taken them, so I asked him, "Oh, did you take them?"  And he said, "Yes, but I'll be happy to give them to you if you want them."  I said, "No, that's okay. If you want them, you keep them."  He said, "I really didn't have any plan for them...just thought I might need them someday."
And I said, "Well, you keep them. I was just going to make birdhouses or something like that with them, you know, repurpose them?"
He said, "Then here, you take them! I really don't need them." And he got them out of his truck and handed them to me.
I graciously thanked him and told him how much I appreciated it, especially because I had talked my hubby into turning around and coming back for them!  He laughed and said "Well, then you better go make something with them!"  And I thanked him again and put them in our car and we drove away.

So now!  Now that I've gone to so much trouble and even had to take them from another person...what shall I do with them?  Do you see any new purpose for them?  What do you see when you look at these old spigots?  Could they possibly be repurposed to a new life? Become useful or even interestingly attractive again?  I truly would love to hear your ideas.  I know, I just looked on Pinterest, and I can find hundreds of ideas there...but maybe you have something special in mind too. Please tell me in your comments.  Here are a few of the Pinterest Ideas:

Pinterest Picture of Birdhouse w/ faucet

Photo from Pinterest

Photo from Pinterest

Meanwhile...while we consider this, other thoughts came to mind.  (And you know, a MIND is a terrible thing to waste!  Just like these old faucets! )  But the thought that came to my mind was  how God looks at us and sees our potential.  Others may look at us...or even we ourselves might look at ourselves, and say, "What could God do with this rusty old person?  I'm tired, I'm weary, and I'm quite worn!  There are surely newer and better equipped people out there to take care of the world these days...what possible purpose (or repurpose) could God ever find for me at this stage in my life?

Many of my friends out here in "blogland" are like me...retired, or almost retired, or at least dreaming about retirement sometime soon.  And one thing I've discovered since retiring almost two years ago is that there are times when I feel like I'm not fulfilling my full purpose here on earth anymore. There are many days that we sit here and do practically nothing...and I really don't like that...(well, sometimes I actually do like that, but I don't want to stay that way forever!)  What can I do about it?  We have limited resources, limited energy, and limited mental capacity it seems at times....(more often than I like to admit!) But I figure if I live to be in my late 80's or 90's, I don't want to spend the next twenty years doing nothing of significance!  I'd like to be "repurposed" into doing something useful, pleasant and meaningful for the rest of my years.  How about you?

A scripture verse I found this morning while thinking about this is in Psalm 20...

4.  "May He (God) grant you according to your heart's desire,

and fulfill all your purpose.

5.  We will rejoice in your salvation,

and in the name of our God we will set up our banners!

May the Lord fulfill all your petitions."

I wonder what God sees when He looks at me today.  I wonder if He sees a new purpose for my life...if He sees my "heart's desire" and knows exactly how to "fulfill all my petitions".   What do YOU think?  How about we all pray about this for each of us in our own circumstances...and then we can rejoice together when the Lord rescues us from our rusty old state and gives us a new purpose and plan for our lives....and

"in the name of our God we will set up our banners!"

Now that sounds like a great plan!

So now, I'd better go figure out what to do with those old faucets! 

Have a blessed and glorious day, my friends!!!

Thankful Thursday - The Secret Garden Chronicles~ Tea Time in the Garden Updated

Today is Thankful Thursday....and I have some things to be thankful for!  This week has been a little busy, and I haven't had much time to catch up with all my friends here in Blogland and beyond.  My sincere thanks to all who have recently commented on posts...I haven't had time to respond to all of your sweet messages, but I have read them and I give thanks to the Lord for each and every one of you.  I told my husband and son this morning that I feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends in so many different places in the world and our country...and even though we've never met face to face, I feel like we've known each other forever and that we are "old friends" just staying in touch and encouraging each other on good days and not so good.  It's a beautiful place to be, and I am very grateful to the Lord for bringing us together!

This little tea party was actually a little over a year ago, in what has now become "The Secret Garden".  When I originally wrote this, the Secret Garden was still a "secret" even to me!  Even though I had thought about and had even named it that in my mind, I rarely spent any time there and did not realize just what God was planning to do in the upcoming months to make this place even more special than it already was.  Come along back in time with me and let's have a little tea party in the Secret Garden!

Original Post 3/8/2016:

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful;

for beauty is God's handwriting--a wayside sacrament.  

Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower,

and thank God for it as a cup of blessing."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Note to reader:  I started writing this last night when the cake was hot and bubbly and fresh out of the oven. However, this special treat deserved better attention...so this morning it became an occasion for "Tea Time in the Garden".  Enjoy along with me...and the recipe will follow.

(for china descriptions see postscript below)

"Let the thankful heart sweep through the day and,

as the magnet finds the iron,

so it will find, in every hour,

some heavenly blessings!

Henry Ward Beecher

"Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!"

Psalm 46:10

"As flowers carry dewdrops, 

trembling on the edges of the petals,

and ready to fall at the first waft of wind or 

brush of bird,

so the heart should carry its beaded words of thanksgiving;

and at the first breath of heavenly flavor,

let down the shower, 

perfumed with the heart's gratitude."

Henry Ward Beecher

Blueberry Cake

My good friend Diane sent this "Minnesota State Fair Prize Winning Recipe" to me a few years ago, and I hate to admit that I am just now getting around to trying it!  Chalk that up to retirement this past fall...which now gives me the time to try new stuff and experiment a little more.  (And to have tea time in the garden!)

I don't think Diane will mind my sharing this recipe with you...so here goes:

Cream together 3/4 cup sugar with 1/4 cup butter

Mix together one egg, 1/2 cup milk (or buttermilk...which is what I used because I had some left over in my fridge that needed to be used), and 1/2 tsp. almond extract.

Sift together 2 cups flour, 2 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients and stir together.  Fold in 2 cups blueberries and sprinkle on the following topping.  Bake in a greased 10" springform pan at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.  (I didn't have a springform pan, so used an 8x11 pyrex pan.)

TOPPING:

1/4 Cup Sugar, 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar, 1/3 Cup Flour, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 Cup Butter.  Mix together until crumbly.  Sprinkle over the cake batter before baking.

Now, why don't YOU bake this wonderful blueberry cake and have your own tea party in the garden? Or in your dining room...or on the porch...or wherever you can sit down and enjoy a cup of tea with a friend or even by yourself...and just enjoy!

"You will show me the path of life;

In Your Presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

Psalms 16:11

Postscript:  I know some people love to know what the different china pieces are.

The small Pansy teapot was made in Czech Republic by Flaas & Cajzek.  

The sugar and creamer and tea cup are actually more of a child's size, and are made by Lefton's China, #2912 violet pattern.  

The saucer under the cake is a part of a teacup set, also a violet pattern, made by Salisbury Bone China, England.

Note 5/4/17:  And yes, that little rusty brown chair in the garden above is none other than this one, that I painted with a can of spray paint and repurposed it for God's Glory as it sits at the entrance to the Secret Garden and adds a colorful bit of welcoming beauty...

 Amazing what a can of spray paint can do!!

Kind of like you and me...Amazing what Jesus can do with a tired old rusty person who feels like life is mostly over...and then Jesus comes along and says, "Not so fast! I've still got more work for you to do!  So put on a happy face and get ready to greet weary travelers along the way in this journey we call life."

Yes, I will say it again:

"You will show me the path of life;

In Your Presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

                      Psalms 16:11 

Until Next Time~

Be Thankful!!

Repurposed For Christ (Friday Foto Friends)

"For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness,

who has shone in our hearts 

to give the light of the 

knowledge of the glory of God 

in the face of Jesus Christ...

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, 

that the excellence of the power 

may be of God and not of us."

(2 Corinthians 4:6-7)

Just an ordinary light fixture, repainted, recycled, repurposed and lit up for 
God's Glory!

Isn't the transformation remarkable?
I wish I had taken a BEFORE picture of the light fixture...it was 
 very dingy, dark, dirty and boring....

This is what happens to us when we allow the 
Light of Christ
to shine in our hearts!
We become re-purposed for His glory!!!
No longer dingy, dark, dirty or boring...
but filled with the joyous Light of Jesus, 
radiating out to a darkened world!

(and yes, this light is going to shine
in 
The Secret Garden!)
Stay Tuned!

Linking today with Deb at Breathing in Grace and friends for Friday Foto Friends. Hop on over and visit with the rest of the group!  Have a blessed and Light-Filled Friday!

Happy New Year everyone!

Ben's Country Woodshop has some new ideas!

We haven't posted much lately from Ben's Country Woodshop, because our chief woodcrafter was busy helping to care for his elderly grandfather, who recently passed away.  Now Ben is getting ready to tune up his saws and drills and get back to work...so we have posted a few new items and some neat ideas on the page for Ben's Country Woodshop.  Check it out and give us some ideas of your own. We are looking for some unique ways to repurpose and rejuvenate some old furniture and items and bring them back to life. We'll be posting some of those ideas in the upcoming weeks and months, so stay tuned!! Thanks!!

You may just see a pile of old chairs and stacks of wood,
but I guarantee you there is great potential waiting to be
re-discovered there.  This may be the new chapter in the life of
Ben's Country Woodshop...so keep watching for updates!

I love this bucket of antique china doorknobs...they are from old
"Closed Doors" waiting to be re-opened!  Can't wait to see what they will become in their new life!

Be sure to click on the pictures to enlarge for details.

See you over on "Ben's Country Woodshop" page....