Monday Monday on Still Waters Pond

 How shall I begin this Monday morning post?  Hmmm, let me go back over the  past few days in photos and see what we shall see, okay?

This was sunrise, Saturday morning, February 22, 2025.   (George Washington's Birthday!)

What a glorious way to start the day!

And this was the amazing sunset on that same evening on Still Waters Pond:

The verse for the day from devotional readings was this:

Psalm 31:14 NKJV

14 But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord;

I say, “You are my God.”

Our choir sang this song in church Sunday morning...which seems appropriate for these photos:

Above all powers, above all kings

Above all nature and all created things

Above all wisdom and all the ways of man

You were here before the world began

Above all kingdoms, above all thrones

Above all wonders the world has ever known

Above all wealth and treasures of the earth

There's no way to measure what you're worth

Crucified, laid behind a stone

You lived to die, rejected and alone

Like a rose trampled on the ground

You took the fall and thought of me

Above all

Amen.

In the afternoon, between sunrise and sunset, I enjoyed some "porch time" for a little while...

And then I decided to move down to the Secret Memorial Garden and sit on the garden bench while I listened to the birds singing in the trees...

After a little while here came Mrs. Sand Hill Crane while out on her little respite from nest sitting.

Daddy Crane goes and gives her a break several times a day so she can get some exercise and food.

This would be a good time to go check on the nest, but I try to wait until "the changing of the guard", when one replaces the other on the nest, so I can see them stand up and reveal how many eggs there are...

But they weren't being cooperative in making the switch at a time when I was able to get back around to where I could watch.  So I stayed in the garden for a while and enjoyed the beautiful day...

Azaleas are blooming!!!

Eventually I walked around to the other side of the pond where I could see what was going on, and I noticed Mr. (or Mrs.) Goose standing up on Goose Island!  I wonder if they are building a nest yet?  I couldn't see any evidence of it, but they may yet surprise me. (I hope).

There was Mr. or Mrs. Crane, sitting peacefully on the nest...

And Mr. (or Mrs.) Goose decided to take a swim since they had been discovered up on the island...

Oh, there's also the Ring Necked Duck (black and white diving duck) in front of the goose, and that blue tarp thing over there on the other little island is a mystery item that has been here since way before we came here.  There used to be a dock there that spanned from one little island to the Goose Island, and something is under there and under that tarp, I'm sure, but I'm not brave enough to paddle over there and pull it off. I'm afraid it might be a good place for snakes to hide, so I will just leave it alone.  Maybe someday someone braver than I am will go pull it off and see what's hidden there.

There only seems to be one of the two ducks left here. I'm not sure where the other one went, but I haven't seen it lately.  Seems like last year they left the pond in stages, so maybe they fly back home with different flocks. It's about time for them to leave to back north for the summer.

Anyway, Mr. Goose and Mr. Ring Necked Duck swam away...

And since the Crane wasn't cooperating with standing up and showing off her eggs, I headed back around the pond to home.  The Carolina Jessamine is really blooming beautifully right now along the fence row between our house and the new house next door. Just think, if you lived over there in that house, we could meet at the fence and chat and enjoy the beautiful flowers at the same time!

They are a vine that grows up into the trees, which can be a bit of a problem, but it's a beautiful problem and I prefer to let them grow and enjoy them for this time period each spring.

Oh, when I came back, there was Mr. or Mrs. Crane again, waiting for me to throw him some bird seed!

I did, and after he (she?) ate it he headed back around the island to the nesting area on the other side.

During nesting time they never venture very far away from each other while foraging for food.

He (She) decided to venture out into the water a little ways to either take a bath or look for bigger fish. LOL. Although Sand Hill Cranes are more into smaller creatures and grubs and such than they are  fish.

By the way...it got quite warm here yesterday afternoon.  (Some of these pictures were from Saturday, and some from Sunday, but you don't mind, do you?)

Meanwhile, these Mourning Doves were enjoying an afternoon nap in the Pine Tree along the shore.

Uh, while Mr. Crane was out foraging for food, suddenly he discovered that Mr. Great Blue Heron was a little too close to where Mrs. Crane was sitting on the nest, and although I didn't get to catch the scene on film, there was quite a loud squawk as Mr. Crane chased Mr. Heron out of the water and up into this pine tree on the island!

And there Mr. Heron had to stay for a while, out of the way of the Crane Family.

He watched them from a distance for a while, but he knew better than to venture back too close to the nest, or he would have you know what to pay from Mr. Crane!

So he just decided to stand there and preen himself for awhile, and eventually he flew off to calmer waters to fish for his supper.

Things are a bit quieter this Monday morning as I am sitting here writing.  It's been raining since early dawn, and looks like it will be raining all day!  I still have to go across the street to feed the neighbor's cats in a little while, so I am hoping for a break in the rain when I go. Otherwise, it will be a good day for my rain parka and an umbrella!

Even in the rain, there is so much beauty here to enjoy. I'm not complaining. We need the rain to make the flowers and trees and grass grow, and also to maintain the waters of Still Waters Pond so we can enjoy all that God provides for us here.

Like these "diamonds" in the trees...

Let's close this morning's visit with these words of wisdom:

Good words to ponder..."Wait for me", declares the Lord...

Amen.

Thursday Thankfulness and Friday Foto Friends-God's Protection for All His Creation and You and Me

 Well, this week certainly has been one for the books when it comes to weather! Not so much here in our neighborhood, but in our upper parts of the state of Florida, specifically the Panhandle, where they got up to 8" of snow in some places!  We were definitely cold here where I live (and still are), and we were under a winter storm watch, but no snow was found in our yard...just a lot of rain the night before, leaving everything quite soaked.  Still Waters Pond was happy for the added water, and our winter visitors, the Ring Necked Ducks, took full advantage of the deeper pond and even ventured closer to our shore so we could see them better:

By the way, I took these pictures with my "old good camera". It decided to work again most of the time. It still has some issues, but as long as I keep the batteries charged really well, it does a lot better, so I did take back the other camera and got my money back!  I am very thankful that it is still working, because it really does take much better pictures than the new camera did, and is much easier for this amateur photographer to use!

The ring-necked duck is a diving duck from North America commonly found in freshwater ponds and lakes.  We have enjoyed having them come down every winter since we've been here on Still Waters Pond. Usually there are a lot more than just these two males. I'm not sure where the rest of the "family" is this winter.  But they seem to keep themselves entertained, bobbing up and down, diving down for whatever it is they like so well down under the water.  They are are a lot of fun to watch.

It's hard to get good pictures of them both above water at the same time. They seem to take turns diving, and they are quite quick about it, so if you aren't watching they will dive down before you can click the camera!

Even though it was about 33 degrees when I took these pictures, they didn't seem to mind the cold air. I expect the water was a lot warmer than the air. Maybe that's why they dive down under so much! LOL.

I hope you don't mind so many pictures...they just make me happy to see them this close. Usually they stay on the far side of the pond where I think the water is a little deeper, but the rainstorms we've had recently have not only added more water, but they have helped to knock the lily pads further under the water, which makes for smoother 'sailing' across the pond for them I guess.  Also I think the freezing temperatures we've had have killed off some of the lily pads, so they are dropping down to the bottom of the pond.  No worries, they will send up plenty of new ones in the spring and summer.

That's why the bottom of our pond is so mucky. It is many many years worth of layers of dead lily pad decomposition. You definitely do NOT want to try to walk on the bottom of this pond! You will sink up to your knees in muck immediately. Trust me, I know!! Yuck!!

But it provides a rich feeding ground for the birds and turtles and fish, which is why we have a pond in the first place...to enjoy what creatures God provides for us to enjoy!

Today has also been quite cold, again, low temperatures hovering around the freezing mark, with highs only in the 40's. It looks like it will be much the same for the next couple of days.  We are enjoying staying inside and keeping warm and cozy.  I made a pot of beef vegetable soup the other day in the crock pot, but I only added potatoes, carrots, onions and celery and a can of diced tomatoes with peppers, celery, and onion to the chuck roast. Also I added a couple of cans of beef broth, and let it cook  all day. It was really good...but hubby prefers more of a stew rather than a soup, so last night I divided the leftovers into two different pots and I thickened his to make it a stew, and I added some canned green beans and corn to my pot and made it more of a vegetable soup:

soup

I forgot to take pictures of it in our bowls, so these pictures were taken when I was putting the leftovers away after supper.

Stew

And here is my bowl of soup for lunch today:    

There's still some left, but I may have to put it in the freezer for another day. Eating something 3 days in a row is my limit! LOL. But it really was good, and so perfect for these wintry days.  Besides, the "kids" are coming over for supper tonight, and we are making tacos! Yummy!!  We are very thankful for our warm house, hot food, and God's protection from all of the storms of life. And we are thankful for our family being close by so we can enjoy their company often!

Today the action outside has been with the other birds in the trees and at the bird feeders. I try to make sure the feeders are full especially during these cold spells, because the birds really need to keep refueling to keep warm!

I was enjoying watching these Sparrows today:  Aren't they cute all lined up in the tree together?

Oh, I think one of them sees me:

And the next thing I know, they are all converging upon the bird feeder at once:

And then there were more on the ground, finding the seeds that spilled over when I was refilling the bird feeder yesterday afternoon:  Can you see them? They are quite well camouflaged on the ground:

I copied this information from the internet when I asked it "what does the Bible say about Sparrows":

 "In the Bible, sparrows are mentioned in Matthew 10:29-31 and Luke 12:6. These passages describe how God cares for sparrows and how people should not be afraid.

Matthew 10:29-31
"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care"

"And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered"

"So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows"

Luke 12:6
"And not one of them is forgotten before God"

What do these passages mean?

God cares for every sparrow, even the smallest creatures

God knows everything about people, including how many hairs are on their head

People should not be afraid because they are worth more than sparrows

Sparrows can serve as a reminder of God's faithfulness

Sparrows symbolize God's care and provision, the importance of humility, and the idea that God loves even the smallest creatures."

I thought that answer was pretty complete, so I really can't improve on that, except to say that these little creatures are a good example to us of God's love and care.  How wonderful that Jesus used these tiniest little bits of His Creation to teach us about how much God loves and cares for us.

The sparrows weren't the only visitors to the yard today, however this Red Bellied Woodpecker doesn't really need the seeds from the birdfeeders to survive. Just give him a bug-filled pine tree, and he's got a feast fit for a king:

Hey! Who are you looking at???

And last, but not least by any means, this beautiful male cardinal came by several times for his dinner.  His mate was with him, but somehow I missed getting her picture:

Well, folks, that about does it for today.  I've got to go start cooking that taco meat before the kids come over.  I'm just very very thankful for how God has protected our family, and even our "wild family" during this cold weather. I know there are many who have it much harder and colder than we do, and we are praying for them as well.

How many of you remember Ethel Waters singing "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" at the Billy Graham crusades?  I remember watching those crusades on TV so many years ago, and hearing Ethel Waters sing was always a highlight to me.  Well, praise God, they recorded this way back then so we can still see and hear her today....here she is for us to enjoy and sing along with us today!  What a blessing!!!