Monday Monday...All kinds of stuff

Yes, It's Monday...and if I wait much longer to post this, it will be Tuesday!  But it's been a busy day and a busy weekend, so I am just now sitting down to play catch up in blogworld.  

This was the view a couple of nights ago on Still Waters Pond...sunset with some stormy clouds in the background.  We've had some late thunderstorms...and last night we actually just had the thunder and lightning all around giving us quite a light show, but no real rain to speak of.

But more than that, yesterday evening we had the Saharan Dust roll in and turn the sky to gold...

This was the view last evening around 8:00 p.m. out over Still Waters Pond

And this is how it looked out in front of our house...the sky gave everything a golden glow, mixed with those storm clouds that later produced a lot of lightning in the distance.

This is what brought that golden glow to our atmosphere:

Before all that golden "glow" moved in, the Sand Hill Crane family was here in the yard looking for some bird seeds and other treats in the grass.  However, it was quite windy and they seemed to be easily spooked.  

They kind of wandered back and forth rather nervously, like something was "in the air" that they weren't familiar with.

That's the young colt "Abe Lincoln", flapping his wings and jumping around.  I think the wind spinner was spinning quite rapidly and it makes a noise when it does, which seemed to make them all a bit jumpy.

After walking around basically in circles for a while they finally decided to head back out into Still Waters Pond for the evening.

In my last post HERE, I had shown you pictures of the Purslane plant that was growing wild along the road where we walk.  I had debated upon going back and digging it up and bringing it home with me, and so I did.  I put it in a pot of dirt and watered it really good and watched it for a couple of days before taking any pictures, to give it a chance to "catch its breath" and revive after being moved.  And so this morning I took a look at it, and as the sun was coming around that way it started to open up its flowers and it looked so healthy and happy!  I thought, well, I guess I did okay in transplanting it here after all, and had good thoughts about digging up some other wild Purslane plants around the yard and moving them to this location and making a little special garden just for them. My! I must be feeling better to have such crazy ideas again!!   Yes, Praise God, I am feeling better, and as a matter of fact, we did go to both Sunday School and Church yesterday and made it all the way through...(and then came home and took a nice long nap).  

Anyway, such was my thinking this morning about this plant, and I even went to the Dollar General this afternoon and picked up a bag of some potting soil to help create this little garden.

Well, my great plans came to a screeching halt when we returned home from the store and discovered this:

While we were gone the Sand Hill Cranes had come along and decided that digging in this pot would make a good supper for them! They literally pulled out every piece of this plant and broke it off and laid them on the ground beside the pot just like this above, leaving the pot totally empty except for the dirt, and you could see they had dug around in there looking for grubs or something!!!  I know it was the cranes because I saw them walking around to our back yard just as we were leaving to go to the store.  And now they are innocently out on the pond settling in for the night like nothing had happened!  Huh! After I've been so nice to them! One of the hazards of living so close to nature!

Well, I gathered up all the pieces and stuck them back in the pot and added some of the new potting soil and put the pot up on the porch and out of their reach! I don't know if the plant will revive and survive or not. Time will tell. I guess this is going to be a new saga to report back to you as time goes by. LOL.

That's not all of the activity on the back porch...earlier today this young juvenile male Cardinal stopped by to have a snack. He is chewing on a seed taken from the bird feeder nearby.  He seemed to enjoy just standing there chomping on his seed for a good long while.  Unfortunately, my good camera batteries were being recharged, so I had to take these photos with the cell phone through the glass doors, and so the quality isn't that good, but you get the idea.

Isn't he sweet?  

Thankfully "Blackie" the kitty was sound asleep and never saw this bird so nearby.

Me thinks the bird is tempting fate a bit by staying there so long.

Just now as I was writing this, Blackie went diving off the edge of the porch down onto the ground in hopes of catching a bird at the birdfeeder!  Thankfully he was too slow and the bird escaped!  Yes, Blackie is still hanging around and living the good life on our comfy porch chairs.  He's got it made. The neighbor lady feeds him twice a day (if he's not still sleeping from being up all night prowling around), and she even put a flea collar on him. Then he lazes around here all day without a care in the world.  Some cats just don't know how good they've got it! LOL.😻

Well, speaking of a cool cat...I just received this picture via text from our grandson Noah tonight!  Many of you know that sadly we don't hear from our only grandson very often. He lives way up in Maine, so we can't see him very often either. It's a long story, but anyway, anytime we hear from him is a cause to celebrate.  I did send him a text about a week ago, with pictures of our 4th of July fireworks and family photos from Father's Day, etc.  I've just been biding my time and praying that he would soon respond, and today this came. In his message he said he's been very busy, but lots of good things have been happening, and he will call us tomorrow and tell us all about it! I have a feeling that pretty new red car is one of the "good things" that has happened.  He looks great, might have put on a little weight since he was here a year ago, and maybe even might have cut his hair?  Not sure, but either way, who cares about that? I am SO happy to hear from him and can't wait to hear what he's got to tell us tomorrow.  We pray for him every single day, that God will lead him and protect him and help him to find the path that is right for him.  That's what is most important. 

Jeremiah 29:11 New International Version

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” 

declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, 

plans to give you hope and a future.

Well, with that I will close for tonight. I hope you are having a good Monday and start to your week. We give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever! (Psalm 107:1)