Tuesday 4~The Four Seasons

 

Four Seasons, Four Questions

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4...


1. Do you have a favorite day of the week and how about a favorite month of the year? Why?

Hmmm, favorite day of the week...since I am retired, all the days are pretty much the same. I do love Sunday, however, because we go to church and worship the Lord, sing songs of praise, have fellowship with our friends in Christ, and then usually we have some family here for lunch, which is always nice!  This past Sunday our "kids" were all here, but I didn't take one picture! Imagine that! And we had ribs, chicken, corn on the cob, salad, potatoes, rolls, and watermelon!  It was a lovely day.  So yes, Sunday is my favorite day.  

My favorite month?  Well, September is my birth month, and so that has always been a special month for me.  But right after that comes October, and I probably love the season of October even more than September. 

To quote my favorite character, "Anne of Green Gables"...

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.  It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn't it? " 

2. What’s the most beautiful or magical thing about each of the four seasons?

Oh goodness:

Spring: The end of winter and the beginning of new life once again. Flowers blooming, birds singing and building their nests, all of nature seems to come back to life. 

Here's some wildflowers from our walk the other day...

The Bluebirds and Cardinals have all been very active...

Summer:

Well, what can I say?  Summer tends to make me go crazy with the heat! LOL:

This was at our church Memorial Day Picnic yesterday, when it was about 90 degrees in the shade, but at least there was a nice breeze and some cloud cover...but no rain...

And thank you all for your kind and supportive comments on my post yesterday.  Staying busy and being with special people made it a much more bearable day.

Here's hubby hamming it up...

And son Benton was there too, but sadly Rose had a headache and wasn't able to go. It was definitely too hot to be outside with a headache...

One of the highlights of the day was our church family singing "America The Beautiful" together at the beginning of the picnic...

As far as the rest of summer goes...we stay indoors in the air conditioning a LOT, because of the high heat and humidity.  And although we need rain, we pray for no bad hurricanes to hit our country this summer.

Fall:  Ahhhhh, the summer fades and the air begins to change to less humidity and cooler temperatures. Our "fall" isn't as dramatic of a change here in Florida as it is further north, but still there are subtle changes and we are very grateful for them.  It is also a time when we normally try to take a little trip north to the mountains where the leaves are beautiful and the air is cool and crisp like the apples we find at the orchards there...but we are not too sure about going this fall. It's just getting too expensive, so we will see.

Winter:  I love the Christmas holiday season and all that it means, Advent, the celebration of the Birth of Christ, family time, the lights, the trees, the beauty all around.   Thankfully here in Florida, our winters are more like fall up north...cool and wonderful. We can get out more and do more.

3. Summer is coming... what does this mean in your life? How will things change, stay the same ,etc?

I think I already answered that above.  No major changes expected, but we must always be prepared for hurricanes here in Florida. When I was a child, summer was wonderful! We'd take a vacation and go up north to visit relatives and camp in the campgrounds all the way up and back through the Smoky Mountains. Those were very happy times for me as a child.  We don't do that now. I sometimes wish we could, but I don't see it happening...So mostly we stay home and try to stay cool.

4. What do you look forward to in each season?

Again, I think I already answered that in #2.   So since this post is already too long, I will leave it at that...Each season has it's own beauty and magic and wonder.  We just have to look for the beauty and enjoy it.  

I will close with this passage from Ecclesiastes chapter 3:

"1 There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2 a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

6 a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7 a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8 a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him."

Whatever season of life you may be in, look for the blessings and joy in life, no matter the weather or the storms in life...keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, and He will carry you through.  

Tuesday 4: Spring Has Sprung

 Spring has Sprung

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4/
Spring has sprung as they say and sights and sounds of winter have given way to those of springtime. With each season even the feel of the sun and wind changes and people may also have a change of attitude or a change oe heart.


1/ Many of my neighbors have chickens. Have you ever raised them for fresh eggs or is the grocer your go to for them? Also.. would the sound of a neighbor having them bother you?

I have never raised chickens and most likely would not ever do it. When I was a young child on the farm in Pennsylvania I was attacked by a mean old rooster one time, and that one time was enough for me! It left me "scarred", not physically, thank the Lord, but emotionally enough that I am not too fond of being around chickens and roosters running loose or coming toward me.  However, I don't mind hearing them in the distance...although one time we lived across the street from some people who had SEVERAL roosters, who ALL crowed at different times early in the morning and at other times, and that did get to be annoying. One rooster is enough! LOL.   So, to answer your question, I prefer to buy eggs at the grocer or from a farmer who raises chickens. We have a dear lady at our church who has chickens, and she brings eggs to the church for everyone and gives them away for free!  When I can get to them fast enough before they are all gone, I like to bring home a carton of those pretty colorful eggs. Most of the time, however, because I am in the choir and we are busy before the service getting our music together, etc., the choir members rarely ever have a chance to get to the stack of egg cartons before they are gone. Once in a while someone goes and brings some back to us in our choir room so we have a chance to have some.  They are a rare and delightful treat! 

2. How does the change in seasons effect you personally? Are you happier in some seasons , do allergies get to you, do you perk up or down due to weather?
Living here in Florida I enjoy spring and fall and most of the winter. But summertime we just tolerate and look forward to fall.  It's just really too hot and humid here most of the time in the summer to get outside and enjoy it much. When I was a child that did not bother me so much and I was outside all of the time, barefoot and wearing as little as I could to be decent so I could keep cool. We didn't have air conditioning back then, so it was just as "cool" outside as it was inside. LOL.   Now, when we lived up north in New England, I loved spring, summer and fall, and early winter, but after the holidays winter tended to drag on forever and ever, and it would get dark so early...and those long winter nights really got to me.  I definitely had some issues with the long, dark, cold winters in New England, and was happy to move back to Florida. 

3. This week our youngest family member is in France. She will see Paris, Provence, the Riviera, all very exciting for a young teen. Most of us don't ever do anything that big...but even the smallest things can have a big effect on us. What experience do you think stands out most for you in your memory?

I'm drawing a blank...there's so many things that have had a big effect on me in my life...#1 is accepting Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord and choosing to live my life in service to Him. #2 is meeting my husband, getting married and then later becoming a mother.  #3 Both of us experiencing God's call on our lives to serve the Lord in the ministry together and all of the places God took us from there on.

Here's a link to tell more about that story

When my husband was ordained for the ministry, and we were both being prayed over and anointed for service.

4. What do you look forward to in each of the year's seasons? 

Springtime: the joy of seeing things come back to life after the winter. Flowers, trees, and seeing the new life forming with the birds and wildlife all around us.  EASTER! The celebration of Christ's Resurrection from the dead! The renewal of life and the hope of eternal life!

Summer: For those who are farmers, I look forward to them having good crops that will feed and bless us all. I used to look forward to going swimming and taking summer vacations when I was a kid, but now I look forward to summer ending and hurricane season being over.

Fall: I "come back to life" in the fall and that is when I prefer to take a trip to the mountains or anywhere beautiful. Cool, crisp air, apples, pumpkins, autumn leaves, roasting hot dogs and/or marshmallows over a campfire and making s'mores, enjoying the outdoors so much more.

Winter: the Holiday season, Thanksgiving and Christmas and all that goes along with that.

Thank you to all who commented on my last post HERE about Easter Sunday in Revue, and who had questions about the wonderful open tomb display our son Benton made for Easter:

I asked him if he would be putting this on his Etsy site for next Easter, and he said probably not because for an item this small and/or inexpensive Etsy has too many fees plus he has to offer "free shipping" through Etsy, which makes him have to raise the price too much to cover his costs and so it would make it too expensive.  However, if anyone is truly interested in purchasing one, I could put you in contact with him directly and he said his price is $20.00 plus shipping, which of course would be determined by where you live. I know it may be too late for this year, but he can make these at any time, and if anyone is interested send me a private message via email steinerjp7123@gmail.com and I will put you in contact with him.  However, if you are interested in  seeing what kinds of things they do have on their Etsy site, here is the link:

LINK to BRCoastalRusticDecor on Etsy

In closing, here is a prayer from Psalm 71, which is good for us during any season of life:

Psalm 71:1-18  New King James Version

1 In You, O Lord, I put my trust;

Let me never be put to shame.

2 Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape;

Incline Your ear to me, and save me.

3 Be my strong refuge,

To which I may resort continually;

You have given the commandment to save me,

For You are my rock and my fortress.

4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,

Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

5 For You are my hope, O Lord God;

You are my trust from my youth.

6 By You I have been upheld from birth;

You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb.

My praise shall be continually of You.

7 I have become as a wonder to many,

But You are my strong refuge.

8 Let my mouth be filled with Your praise

And with Your glory all the day.

9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age;

Do not forsake me when my strength fails.

10 For my enemies speak against me;

And those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together,

11 Saying, “God has forsaken him;

Pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.”

12 O God, do not be far from me;

O my God, make haste to help me!

13 Let them be confounded and consumed

Who are adversaries of my life;

Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor

Who seek my hurt.

14 But I will hope continually,

And will praise You yet more and more.

15 My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness

And Your salvation all the day,

For I do not know their limits.

16 I will go in the strength of the Lord God;

I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.

17 O God, You have taught me from my youth;

And to this day I declare Your wondrous works.

18 Now also when I am old and grayheaded,

O God, do not forsake me,

Until I declare Your strength to this generation,

Your power to everyone who is to come.

Amen.

Now, let's go see what others are posting about the seasons of their lives today at Tuesday 4~Spring Has Sprung

Change Is In the Air

There are subtle changes in the air...even though it is still very hot and steamy here in Florida,

there are little signs that we are about to go through a seasonal change.

 

This little dragonfly has been busily sipping nectar from the ends of these wildflower plants that are just about ready to start opening up.

I've been noticing them every time we take a walk, and there is a particular kind of wildflower stem that has little buds right at the tip top ready to bloom, and these dragonflies love to land on them and get a little sip of something good.

In the tree tops the Red Shouldered Hawks have been very active. This one is in the tall pine tree next to our house.  The Mississippi Kites who were guarding that spot seem to have disappeared, and now the Red Shouldered Hawk has regained his command of this watchtower.

Isn't he beautiful?

He rules the bird kingdom surrounding Still Waters Pond.

Just below his perch is this magnificent holly tree, and I couldn't help but notice how many berries it has! It is fully loaded, and they are beginning to change colors from green to yellow and soon to red. I don't even remember seeing these berries in the top of this tree last year...so maybe this huge crop means we are going to have a colder winter...(In Florida that might mean we'll get to wear our jackets and gloves occasionally!)

This is that same tree as viewed from the porch. It also shades our Secret Memorial Garden.

Around on the other side of our yard overlooking the pond is another big holly tree, and its berries are almost red already!  This seems really early to me.  But the birds are really going to love all these berries!

On the far side of the pond are these lovely maple trees, and they are already starting to turn red!

When we see maple leaves turning color, we get all excited because that means fall is just around the corner...or else it means we are in some other state because Florida really doesn't have as many beautiful autumn leaves as most places to the north of us. So we treasure every rare sighting of them.

I am looking forward to sitting on our porch and obeying every one of these "rules" as soon as the temperatures drop about ten more degrees, with no humidity.

Golf anyone?  I saw this strange sight in our wooded area on our property today, and I thought our son had forgotten to hit this golf ball and left it there on a tee.  Upon closer inspection I realized it was a mushroom!

Sure fooled me! It was even the same size as a golf ball!!

Along the edge of the pond there are a lot of grassy weeds growing. We were going to have someone come and cut them back so it wouldn't look too "snakey" around the pond. But upon closer inspection I found many new buds of wildflowers about to open.

These in particular I've never seen before:

And so I told my hubby that I'd prefer that we don't mow or cut them down until we get to see just what will be blooming there. Last year when we moved into this house we had someone clear that whole area, and so we never got to see what was growing there. I don't want to miss out on the natural beauty that God paints for us with each new season.

Of course, we still have plenty of the water lilies and lily pads in the pond. Even though the lilies are lovely, I wouldn't mind if someone could come and clean out a large portion of the lily pads so that I could paddle around in the kayak again.  Right now it is just too overrun with lily pads to navigate through them.

Do you see what I see?

Look closely....

And this is just another lovely view of the little island in the pond. I'd love to be able to paddle around it again. Maybe when it cools down a bit the lilies will die back some so I can get through.

Many of you were so sweet to wish our son a Happy Birthday. Here he is blowing out his candles after we sang Happy Birthday to him. On the far right is our Pastor and his wife, who came to enjoy the celebration with us.  Left to right: Hubby, son #3, (Scott), Daughter in Love (Rose), and son #1 (Benton), Pastor Dave and wife Carol. She is also our music and worship leader for our church.

And here I am with Rose and Benton.  We had a wonderful lasagna dinner prior to the delicious chocolate cake and ice cream. Rose baked the cake and also helped me with the lasagna. She is a great cook! 

You will notice that the number on the cake is 49.  Next year our son will enter a new decade in his life! It is hard for me to believe that I have a son who is almost 50 years old! How can that be? Where has the time gone?  Seems like only yesterday that I was anxiously awaiting his very late and long delivery. He was 2 and 1/2 weeks late and weighed 9 lbs. 13 1/2 ounces at birth!  Needless to say I was very happy to have him make his grand entrance into the world!  He is a joy and a blessing, and we are very blessed to have him. (along with the rest of our beautiful family too, of course, but this is about him!)

Seems like only yesterday he looked like this! (at 3 months old)

Makes me think of that song from Fiddler on the Roof:

"Is this the little girl I carried?

Is this the little boy at play?

I don't remember growing older

When did they?

When she did get to be a beauty?

When did he grow to be this tall?

Wasn't it yesterday when they were small?

Sunrise, sunset

Swiftly flow the days

Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers

Blossoming even as we gaze

Sunrise, sunset

Swiftly fly the years

One season following another

Laden with happiness and tears"

Thinking about the change of  seasons and seasons of life always reminds me of this passage from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.  I know it is familiar to most everyone, but when I look at the things that are happening in our world and country these days, these words become even more clear:

1

To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven:

2 

A time to be born,

And a time to die;

A time to plant,

And a time to pluck what is planted;

3 

A time to kill,

And a time to heal;

A time to break down,

And a time to build up;

4 

A time to weep,

And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn,

And a time to dance;

5 

A time to cast away stones,

And a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace,

And a time to refrain from embracing;

6 

A time to gain,

And a time to lose;

A time to keep,

And a time to throw away;

7 

A time to tear,

And a time to sew;

A time to keep silence,

And a time to speak;

8 

A time to love,

And a time to hate;

A time of war,

And a time of peace.

Personally, I am looking forward to that "time to love, and a time of peace."  I think we've had too much time to hate ,  and too much time to "refrain from embracing". I think we've also had more than enough time to "keep silence"...many of us need to find that "time to speak"...and there has been way too much "time to kill"...we need time to heal and time to build up...no more casting stones...I'm looking forward to the day when there will be no more weeping and we can laugh out loud once again...and then we need to just dance.     Anybody else with me here?  

Praying for our country to heal...and praying that we will soon be able to laugh, embrace, and dance.

Have a blessed and beautiful Sunday tomorrow. If at all possible where you are, please try to attend the worship services of your choice.  If unable to attend in person, then please tune in to a church service online.  Here is the link to our church if you don't have one:

I hope you will enjoy this message and the music at the beginning.

Our praise the team is singing "Soon And Very Soon"

Soon and very soon we are going to see the king

Soon and very soon we are going to see the king

Soon and very soon we are going to see the king

Hallelujah hallelujah

We are going to see the king

No more crying there

No more crying there

No more crying there

Hallelujah hallelujah

We are going to see the king

No more dying there

No more dying there

No more dying there

Hallelujah hallelujah

We are going to see the king

Soon and very soon we are going to see the king

Soon and very soon we are going to see the king

Soon and very soon we are going to see the king

Hallelujah hallelujah

We are going to see the king!

I hope you are ready to see "the King"... the times and the seasons tell us that it might not be long!!

 

Little Bits of Fall Appearing

In my humble opinion, Labor Day is the end of summer, and the day after Labor Day is the beginning of Fall...that's just how it is in my mind...September means people go back to work from their vacations, kids go back to school, the air starts a perceptible shift toward "cooler"...(well, here in Florida it may be a bit imaginary, but a girl can hope, can't she?)  and I start to celebrate my favorite season of the year...Autumn, fall...my birth-month (September)!  When I was in school I remember football games and cheerleading,

(for those who do "black and white Wednesday blog posts, this will be my B&W offering for this week...)

bonfires, homecoming...happy days...

But nowadays, I'm just getting a little bit into the spirit of fall...little dabs here and there, nothing quite so active as in days of yore...

 Brought out a few fall things for the table and the china cabinet

And the front door...

The local flea market got a bit more active this past weekend after a sluggish, hot summer...and I found this lovely item that I just couldn't resist:

Yes it is an aluminum old tea kettle...and no, I'm not using it on my stove to boil my water for tea, but I am reserving it for use if we need it for a campfire...or if the power goes out and we need to boil water on the Coleman stove we bought last year for the hurricane...You just never know when you might need it...and I trust there will not be any hurricanes this year...please, Lord?  I know some are already suffering from the effects of tropical storm Gordon, which missed us except for some rain...but I pray for those who are in its path that they will be safe.

Another sign of "fall" are these "Sand Pears", which were given to me this morning by our friends who attend our home Bible Study. 

You can read the link for more information on this type of pear...they are very hard and not quite ripe yet, so they will sit out for a few days and see when they ripen if they are edible.  I understand they are quite crisp and not like the kind you buy in the store...but they should make good pear sauce or maybe even a cobbler once they ripen...I'll let you know...

And fall also means churches get more actively preparing for their fall and winter ministries...the choir resumes practice after a summer break...and hubby and I decided to join our church choir. Last night was the first practice, and this is what I brought home...homework!

These are just a few of the songs we'll be working on...and then we will soon begin practicing for the Christmas Cantata as well. 

I saw this article on Facebook yesterday: "Singing as a Natural Form of Therapy" by Professor Sarah Wilson  and what I gather from this is that singing is really good for your brain and for you personally.  After last night's workout/ introduction of these songs, I can say that I haven't worked my brain quite that hard in a long time...or my voice! This could make for an interesting autumn!!  But singing for the glory of the Lord is something that I have always enjoyed doing, and haven't been able to do much of in a long time, so I am looking forward to the challenge!  May God be glorified and the people be blessed by our choir's offering of praise.  Kudos to our director and our pianist and the sound man! They have a lot to keep up with as well!!

So, what things are you looking forward to this fall?  Taking any trips? I would love to do a fall trip to the mountains, but I'm not seeing it in our foreseeable future.  But I think we will be busy enough practicing our scales and tuning our "instruments'" (voices) for singing...

Whatever you enjoy doing, make it memorable!  Take pictures and share them with us! And have a blessed and happy autumn!!

From One Season to Another... AGAIN! (updated in 2017)

Dear Friends...I've been a little busy this past week, so am way behind in my writing and reading of other friends' blogs. I hope to get caught up this next week. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Here's what I wrote a couple of years ago...and then before that too...

Ditto what I said below in 2013...I still have a whole pumpkin pie  left...come on over and help me clean out the fridge!..

This year's centerpiece... (2015)

11/30/13 Update Note:
This was originally written a couple of years ago...but it is still the same message today...Although I think I still have a whole pumpkin pie (or two) left to eat! Want some? Come on over! Help me clean out my fridge so I can start all over again!

The last piece of pumpkin pie...

"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise, Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. 
For the Lord is good; 
His mercy is everlasting, 
and His truth endures to all generations." 

Psalm 100:4-5

Well, another Thanksgiving Day has come and gone.  The relatives all gathered together to ask the Lord's blessing...we ate until our bellies popped, and then we ate some more.  We laughed and chatted while we set the table and prepared the food, and then we laughed and chatted again while we cleaned off the tables and put away all the leftovers and washed the dishes.  Then someone said, "Who's ready for pie?"  Out came the pies and dessert dishes, forks, and whipped cream.  The pies were cut and served, and everyone pronounced them perfectly delicious.  A few hearty eaters went back for another piece...while the rest of us proclaimed that we could not eat another bite!  If one was lucky, there might be enough left over to take home for a snack the next day...  Yeah...that's what I just did...I ate the last piece of pumpkin pie.

So now it is time to put away the Thanksgiving decorations...the Pilgrim salt and pepper shakers, the pumpkins and gourds and turkey figurines and the fall colored napkins and tablecloths...exchange the brown and gold and orange for red and green and silver decorations.  Remove the pumpkin spice candles and replace them with the red hollyberry and evergreen scented ones.  The autumn leaves wreath on my front door will be stashed away until next fall...and the fragrant spruce-pine wreath with the red bow and pinecones will  welcome my holiday guests for the next couple of months.

Yes, it is time to shift gears...get into the Christmas spirit and play Christmas carols every chance I get.  Time to "deck the halls with boughs of holly"...because it truly is the season "to be jolly!" 

Our Front Door, Christmas 2016

But let us not forget the season of Thanksgiving...the "attitude of gratitude" needs to permeate our souls while we go about the busy-ness of preparing for Christmas.  We need to focus on the true meaning of CHRISTmas....the time to celebrate the birth of our Savior, the "Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace!"  (Isaiah 9:6) If that isn't a reason to be filled with Thanksgiving, I don't know what is! 

The Nativity of Our Lord...A Favorite Christmas Ornament from
my parent's Christmas tree...The real "reason for the season"...

"Be Thankful unto Him, and bless His name.  For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to ALL generations!"


MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!