Wednesday Treasures...Or Photo Dump Day!

 Happy Wednesday!  Some people call Wednesday "Hump Day", but today I am calling it "Photo Dump Day!"  It seems like I've been accumulating a lot of miscellaneous photos that haven't found their time to "rise and shine", so today will be the day. So pour yourself a cup of tea or coffee and let's take a walk through the garden or the house or wherever this leads us, okay?

I don't always take pictures of my breakfast, but I thought this was pretty so I did.  I baked some banana nut bread the other day, and we enjoy a slice (or two) for breakfast while it lasts...I prefer to put some cream cheese on mine. Of course, one must have some protein, so I made a little "omelette" of eggs, spinach, ham and cheese.  This made a delightful breakfast! I may just have it again today if there is anymore Banana nut bread.  HERE is a link to a post with the recipe if you wish to make your own!

I just looked at this again, and thought that might qualify for a "Green Eggs and Ham" Day.  If you've ever had grandchildren or have worked with young children, you know all about this! LOL.

Well, what's this?  Oh, yes, we must have some Blackie pictures! The other day he saw that our bedroom door was open, and for him that is an opportunity to race me to and through the open door and go hide either under the bed or, if the closet door is open, he loves to go in there and jump in my clothes basket.  This time, since I couldn't entice him to get out of the basket, I just pulled the basket with him inside out into the living room!  He actually enjoyed the ride and stayed right there in it once it stopped! 

But lately he has been choosing to come sit in this rocking chair, which is right behind me as I sit at my computer in the "Room With a View".  

Please notice what is written on the little pillow behind him..."The Song of Bluebirds".  

After he gives himself his morning bath after eating his breakfast, he curls up on this chair and goes to sleep.  For some reason he has decided he likes this even better than sitting in Daddy's lap!  Although he will still do that at other times of the day if Daddy is sitting still long enough.

Speaking of the Bluebirds, some of you may have already seen some of these pictures on my Facebook page the other day.  I took these pictures a couple of mornings ago, when Mama Bluebird was trying to entice the babies out of the nest by offering them bites of this big juicy bug.

How would you like THIS for breakfast?  (would it be better than green eggs and ham??)

What she would do is stick her head in the house with this bug, and let the babies get a little taste of it, and then fly away with it trying to get them to follow her.  

Reminds me of this part of Psalm 34...

"8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

9 Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!

There is no want to those who fear Him.

10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger;

But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing."

I used the illustration of the bluebirds enticing their babies out of the nest with little bites of food in our Ladie's Bible Study the other day.  One lady was asking about how do you encourage someone to go back to church after many years away. The person had recently lost her husband, and had not been to church in many years, and she was very despondent.  However she was resistant to those who were inviting her to go to church, and when she did finally go, she was very critical of everything and didn't want to go back.  I had just watched these bluebirds trying to get the babies to follow them out of the nest with little bits of food, and I shared with these ladies that sometimes you have to "spoon feed" a person with just little bits of "food" from God's Word, and let your own light shine before them so that they will see how God is working in your own life as you go through difficult times.  Perhaps eventually they will want to know how you've found peace in your own life, and you will be able to share Christ with them more fully.  We can't just try to shove a steak down their throats when they really need to be fed with little bits of "baby food" until they are ready for more.  I love how God gives us illustrations from His creation to get His point across, don't you?

Speaking of feeding birds...Our hummingbirds have been active too. This is a male Ruby Throated Hummingbird at the feeder...can you see how smoky it is?  This was a couple of days ago. The smoke has been really thick for the past few days, although this morning is a bit better.  The fires are mostly north of us about 20-25 miles, but the wind blows the smoke our way and it has been pretty bad.

But I was happy to get these photos of the hummingbird. He looks healthy enough.

Also, if you are a Facebook friend, you probably already saw this opossum drinking from the pan of water in the yard.  This was early in the morning the other day.  I know all the critters are very thirsty since the pond is so dry and even some of the lakes are getting quite low.

I'm glad there was still some water in that pan for him. I've been trying to keep them filled.  (There's a lot of dead leaves in there, which I also try to keep out, but there's a lot of dead leaves still blowing around out there with the wind and the drought).

Thankfully our squash plants are doing quite well, since I water them every day...

Everyday there are new flowers on them, so that means there will hopefully be a good crop of zucchini and yellow squash this summer!

And the tomato plants are also getting lots of little flowers. They seem to like the new location.

We took a walk the other morning and I saw this Coral Bean plant blooming...They will attract hummingbirds, and there are some good uses of the plant, however, the beans are poisonous, so don't eat the beans! (or get them on your hands).

I also followed this Red-Bellied Woodpecker  around  trying to get a good picture of him:

He just kept flying further away and I couldn't keep up with him, but he was busy finding bugs to eat in the trees, so I left him alone.

Last night's sunset was pretty special, after a day will smoke filled skies...

However, if you look at the lower clouds on the horizon, you will see that there a lot of smoke there:

Still, we could see the Crescent Moon up in the sky:

Pretty cool!

It was a beautiful evening and I said a prayer of thankfulness that we were safe from the fires here...

But we continue to pray for those in harm's way who are fighting the fires as well as those who live in closer proximity to them.  There have been some evacuations, but thankfully no loss of life (that I've heard of).

However at sunrise this morning, the skies were still very smoky in the distance, and we could still definitely smell it:

Actually, that smoke isn't that far away...but thankfully the fires are...

The skies over the still very dry Still Waters Pond this morning:

I would like to close this post with a favorite passage of scripture from the Psalms, which I believe is appropriate in these turbulent times both here locally with the fires and drought, and around the world, with the wars and unrest and serious threats to so many...Praying this for our firefighters, law enforcement, political leaders and our soldiers, and any who are in harms' way.  

Psalm 91 NIV

1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you

from the fowler’s snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5 You will not fear the terror of night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

8 You will only observe with your eyes

and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”

and you make the Most High your dwelling,

10 no harm will overtake you,

no disaster will come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways;

12 they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;

you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

16 With long life I will satisfy him

and show him my salvation.”

Amen.

I hope you enjoyed my Wednesday "photo dump day".

Have a blessed and safe day, wherever you are.

Thursday Thankfulness, a Book Review and More!

 It's Thursday, the day before Independence Day...and a good time to stop and smell the "roses" along the way and count our blessings...

Blackie seems to really appreciate sniffing the posies...

But Sunshine doesn't want any part of it...

He turned his head and headed the other way...

This was as close as I could get him to them:

even though he doesn't seem to mind sitting right in the middle of the flower bed and watching the birds. Thankfully he doesn't bother them...they fly away before he can get close.

Anyway, I've been enjoying our zinnias and roses blooming once again!

I stop and smell the roses everytime I walk by them!  These are exceptionally fragrant, and I just can't resist them!

Oh, someone mentioned the other day (I think it was Sandra from "MadSnapper") that she really liked this green vase...

Thank you, Sandra! It is a very special vase. It belonged to my mother, and she always used it for roses...so that is what I prefer to put in this vase whenever I have any to enjoy!  It's a real keepsake!

Now, talking about "old things" that are special...that would also include "old souls...with frayed edges and colorful stories".   I saw this meme on our friend Myra's "Respice, Prospice" blog post the other day.  I asked her permission to share it and she said by all means  to go ahead... Thank you, Myra!!

It made me think about my friend Belle, whom I told you about HERE a few days ago.

Oh yes! That would describe Belle quite well!  She's an amazing 87 year old lady with perhaps some "frayed edges" and some very "colorful stories",  I say most lovingly, however.  I've only just met Belle, but she somehow managed to worm her way into my mind and heart really quickly.  

So, I told you I would tell you more about her books after I'd had a chance to read them.   Yes, she wrote these two, and quite a few more, which can be found on www.lulu.com, in the fiction section under the name of Belle Tilley. There are actually some in ebooks if you are interested in checking them out.

Now, I haven't finished reading the "Collection of Short Stories" yet, but I did read the first one.  Here is the dedication that Belle wrote in the beginning of that book...

I found this dedication to be very touching.  It makes me stop and think about those who have encouraged me along life's way, and helped me to reach higher, dig deeper, and work harder to achieve those goals that others could see would be good for me that perhaps I couldn't see for myself.  Sometimes it is just a word of thanks or affirmation from a friend or a loved one...or maybe even a perfect stranger who appreciates something I've written or said or done when I had no thought of receiving any accolades or rewards. That little "pat on the back", or "atta girl", that makes you want to keep trying and not give up.  We just never know how much our words to others might really mean to them.   

Here is the index, or table of contents, for the Collection of Short Stories.  I bet you can guess which one I chose to read first...

If you guessed "A Cabin in The Woods", you would be correct.  Those of you who have followed me for a while should know that I have a thing about wanting a cabin in the woods.  I enjoyed that little story, and was impressed with it enough that I decided I wanted to go ahead and read the other full length book first and then come back to the other short stories later.

Surprisingly, these paragraphs below are actually from the  first page of the other book, "Murder Is Where You Find It".  Again, it starts out with a scene from a cabin in the woods, so that got my attention right away as well.

Belle does a good job of getting your attention early on in the book so that you want to keep reading to see where it will lead from there.  My original thought was that I knew this book was going to be about "murder", and from that first page I was concerned that the "murder" was somehow going to be connected to the young lady Ashley and her lovely little cabin. Well, I won't give the story away but I will say that her life does take some unexpected twists and turns as the story unfolds and the crime is committed.  

Belle introduces several interesting characters throughout the story, and each one of them have you wondering if this is the one, or is it that one...or what's going to happen to them...or...well, you get the idea...she manages to keep you guessing throughout the story as to what is really going to happen next, and who is going to do what.  I must say that once I got into the book, I didn't want to put it down. I appreciated also that Belle did not fall into the trap of using foul language or having graphic love scenes (although there is some romance involved...we just don't need to know ALL the details), but she did use some grisly descriptive language to describe the murder scene. However, that's what murder is...a very grisly scene, and so that would be expected in a murder novel. 

Belle did a great job of keeping you guessing about each of the main characters, and I will say that even though I had a little inkling of who I thought might be involved in some way early on in the book, I kind of dismissed that idea as the story progressed and it appeared that the crime was solved.  However,  Belle, in my opinion, expertly threw in some twists and turns and surprises that created an ending that I never saw coming! 

So all in all, I would give it a thumbs up! I wouldn't mind reading some of her other books.  And I would also say to never underestimate  those "Old souls with frayed edges and colorful stories" who may come knocking on your door some day. This one sure surprised me!!

Now for some other surprises today...

Yes, these are very young armadillos!  Click here for more information about the Florida Armadillo

While the three young armadillos were running all around the yard, here's Sunshine and Blackie, sitting back and watching the show! They didn't seem to be unduly alarmed at all.

I was not happy to see this one in the zinnia flower bed.  Good Grief!  First it was Sunshine, and now an armadillo?  I do hope these plants survive the summer!

If you are not from the south or southwest, you may have never seen a live armadillo.  They are quite unusual looking creatures, that's for certain!

They are normally nocturnal, but these three youngsters acted like kids being let out of school early and running around the playground, exploring every nook and cranny of the yard.

I don't know where the parents are...maybe they are taking their nap and letting the kids run free!

Regardless, they were fun to watch for a while, but I really don't want them making holes and tunnels in our yard. However, we live in the "wild", so to speak, and I don't think we are going to be able to totally deter the wildlife from passing through. I hope you enjoyed the show!

While all of that was going on, we also had another visitor to the garden:

Can you see it?

This is a female Ruby Throated Hummingbird!  She is enjoying our Bottle Brush tree blooms that have just blossomed recently!

I love to see them enjoying the natural nectar of the flowers as opposed to just drinking from the feeder that we have set up with sugar water in it for them.

This is the REAL stuff that they love, and I am so happy God provided it for them!

What a treat!!!

We have been enjoying some lovely rainstorms this afternoon, which has replenished the earth once again with the nourishment it needs...and our Still Waters Pond is also rejoicing and refreshed!

1 Chronicles 16:31-34 describes it best:

"31 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;

let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”

32 Let the sea resound, and all that is in it;

let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them!

33 Let the trees of the forest sing,

let them sing for joy before the Lord,

for he comes to judge the earth.

34 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

his love endures forever."

As we prepare for our Independence Day celebration tomorrow, I want to pause and give thanks to the Lord, "for He is good...and His love endures forever."  I give thanks to God for our freedoms that we hold so dear...for our country with all of its beauty and amazing natural resources...for the blessings of our home, family, community, churches, and the abundance of everything that we so freely enjoy. We are blessed as a people and a nation. May we never take that blessing for granted.

I hope that you and yours will have a wonderful day of celebration tomorrow. We will have our "kids" here for a cookout...with son Scott at the grill cooking chicken. Rose and Benton will be bringing the potato salad and watermelon and deviled eggs. I'll be baking the beans and making a salad and some kind of cake or pie...I haven't decided yet, but it's getting late so I guess I'd better get with the program! 

Whatever you do tomorrow, please take time to "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, and His love endures forever!"  Amen.