Special Moments!

 It's Tuesday afternoon, and I want to write this down before I forget how special it was...

No, it's not necessarily about this picture of Blackie nibbling on "Daddy's" toes and shoes, but it's a part of it. I didn't get a picture of what I really wanted to share, so I'll have to describe it the best I can.  

Since the time change on Sunday, I've been still getting up around the same time as before to feed the kitty. I'm awake already, so why lay there making him wonder why no one is feeding him if I can get up and go ahead and do it? As I've already said before I'm trying to little by little ease him forward to the new time zone, but I'm not rushing it.  So anyway, this morning I got up and let him in and fed him.  While I was going about my business of making tea and coffee, Blackie finished his food and went to our bedroom door to wait for "Daddy" to get up.  The door was closed, and as I said, I was busy doing my thing and not paying Blackie much attention.  Blackie had been patiently waiting for about fifteen minutes outside that door, and Daddy still had not emerged from the bedroom, so he pushed the door open (unbeknownst to me), and apparently jumped up on the bed and went right over to Daddy, who was still half asleep, and started patting at his face.  "Daddy" (a.k.a. Hubby) thought it was me, and reached over to "pat" back at what he thought was my hands...and was startled to find Blackie there staring at him in the dark! You can imagine his surprise!  Especially because we have never allowed Blackie to get up on our bed before, and he only sneaks in our bedroom during the daylight hours and plays hide and seek by going under the bed or in our closet.  So hubby got up and came and got my attention so I could come and see Blackie laying on our bed, just as sweet as could be.  I wish I'd taken a picture but it was dark and I didn't want to spoil the moment by turning on the light.  I think we both were really touched by Blackie's sweet concern for Daddy's well-being and total devotion...and then once Daddy was up and sitting in his recliner drinking his coffee, Blackie came and sat at his feet and played with his toes and shoes as in the picture above.  Totally devoted!  And to think "Daddy" was the one who didn't want a cat in or out of the house!  I guess Blackie knew just how to hook his heart strings! LOL.  💘💕

On another note, thank you for your prayers and concerns for me as I had my CT Scan this morning. It lasted about 5 minutes and I was good to go, and I will see the doctor on Monday to get the results. As I've said before, I'm feeling fine and not really expecting anything to show up, but it's good to rule things out.  

Another blessing...with all the delightful rain we've had recently, our rose bush out front is starting to bloom again. I noticed these blossoms yesterday and just had to bring them inside where we could enjoy them...and OH! Their fragrance is divine! I kept smelling something sweet and didn't realize it was the roses...they are amazing! I am usually very "SCENTSitive" to scents, but the rose fragrance is one that I definitely do enjoy...especially when they are home grown and not the hot-house/florist variety.  And the fact that our sweet daughter in love ROSE gave me this rosebush makes them smell even sweeter!

Looking around our kitchen you will notice that "Lucy Goosey" has a new outfit! Since Halloween is over it was definitely time for her to fly out of the witch costume and into something more appropriate for Thanksgiving. However, I didn't want to spend a lot of money on an outfit for a porch goose who stays indoors because we don't have a covered porch for her to sit on. So, while I was at our local Dollar General yesterday I spied these very inexpensive dish/hand towels for Thanksgiving, and decided that something could be created out of one for Lucy to wear. 

But she also needed a new hat of some kind, and I found another little "cheep" bird wearing this funny Thanksgiving hat, so I bought  it and removed the hat and the wing feathers and tail feathers and added them to Lucy's outfit. (see the wing feathers above on the towel)  The little black and white "mob cap" was a scrap of fabric I found that came off the top of some homemade jar of jelly I think.  So I hot glued the bird's hat to that and made a funny hat for Lucy to wear. I tied a colorful fall ribbon around her neck, and Voila! She has a new outfit for about $3.00 total. LOL.

I'm usually not that creative, so I was right proud of myself for coming up with this idea! Now I know what to do for a Christmas outfit too!

Another little blessing...we are trying to get out more often and take a walk. Yesterday morning we followed the stars along the pathway...

Well, maybe they are the fallen leaves of the Sweet Gum tree, but I enjoyed following their little pathway. They brightened my day!

They just made me smile. It's the little things in life that sometimes mean so much!!

Like looking outside my window just now and seeing this sunset, and also seeing a little bit more reflection in the water on Still Waters Pond!  I can't tell you how happy this makes me!  It's been over a year since we had any reflections on the pond because it was so dry! So this is a wonderful blessing that gives me such joy.  

Yes, there's still a ways to go, but it's getting better every day!  

Isaiah 25:9

"And it will be said in that day:

“Behold, this is our God;

We have waited for Him, and He will save us.

This is the Lord;

We have waited for Him;

We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”

So now I need to close this and get to Choir Practice on time! We arestarting work on our Christmas Cantata in addition to our other weekly music, so I don't want to be late. And it makes me SO happy that my son will be there too...singing in the choir! I never dreamed that would happen! Praise God!

Okay, let's close with this..."Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always." 

1 Chronicles 16:11

Can't go wrong there.

Good Night, and God bless you all.

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.

Sunday Night Sunset, Geese and More

Zechariah 10:1 NIV

"Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime;

it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms.

He gives showers of rain to all people,

and plants of the field to everyone."

This lone Canada goose was standing out on the "still very dry Still Waters Pond" this evening, just before sunset.   

I thought he looked rather lonely and perplexed, wondering where all the water was that he remembered from all the years past...

It also seemed rather strange to me that he was alone out there on the pond. Canada Geese normally travel in pairs, as a couple.  

This picture is to give you more perspective as to where he was standing out there in the very dry pond bed.

He started to honk, which is what they normally do when they are calling their mate and usually just before taking off in flight.

Oh! Look there!  Sure enought...there is his mate, coming around from behind the bushes on the island! I knew he wouldn't be alone!!! And right after this they both took off in flight, honking all the way!  I do hope they won't give up on our pond. I believe this is the same couple who have come here every year and have builts nests on that island most every year.  It's been a very sad year for our water bird families. No new babies for any of them. I hope next spring will be much better...and I hope they will come back!

After the geese flew away I noticed that there was a beautiful sunset forming...so of course I had to go outside and watch.  Wanna come along with me?

These really aren't in any order.  I miss seeing the reflection of the sunsets in the water on the pond, but still the sunset itself is beautiful.

The sky has a lot of smoke in it because of all the wildfires burning throughout the region. Thankfully none are too close to us, but still we can smell the smoke.

Not sure what that bird is, but it was nice of him to fly over just as I was snapping this picture.

There he goes...

Wow...this is a close up of the skies...it almost looks stormy...but there's no rain in our forecast for over 10 days...

We really really need rain...please pray!

The air quality hasn't been too good, so I really haven't wanted to be outside too much...plus it's been VERY HOT!

Speaking of very hot... (yeah, these guys are "hot", lol! That's not what I was meaning),  The boys were here this afternoon and I asked them to move this planter with the tomato plants in it to a different location because it was getting way too much bright hot sunshine in the afternoons, and I'm afraid that as the tomatoes develop they will be baked in the sun!

They are putting on a little show here, but it truly was extremely heavy to move because it's full of dirt. But being sweet sons, they did as Mom asked. I hope they won't have backaches or hernias tomorrow. LOL.  

Speaking of today, I woke up this morning with a nosebleed. Not a severe one, but enough to get my attention. I also just plain didn't feel too good, so we decided it would be best to stay home . I actually went back to bed for a while because I hadn't slept very well.  However, I knew that Scott was coming and I had already planned to have him cook some chicken on the grill, and by noon I was feeling better, so I asked Benton and Rose if they wanted to come on over for lunch since I had plenty of food anyway. And so they did. It's really no trouble to have them because everyone pitches in and helps with clean up,  etc., and Scott did the hardest part of grilling the chicken.  So it ended up being a lovely day. Thank you all also for your kind comments on my previous updated post about my father. Today marks 15 years since he passed away, and I just didn't want to let the day go by without remembering him.

Anyway, I was disappointed that I wasn't able to go to church this morning. I was looking forward to singing this song that we recorded at choir practice this past week. Here's  the video of us singing, along with the Pastor's sermon for today, if you'd like to listen.

Well, that about wraps it up for tonight. It's been a long day and I'm ready to get back to bed. 

 

Speaking of singing...did you know that God will "rejoice over you with singing"?...Here's one of my favorite verses...it's a good one to remember when you just feel like you need a little extra comfort and maybe a lullaby to help you sleep...

Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV

"The Lord your God in your midst,

The Mighty One, will save;

He will rejoice over you with gladness,

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Good Night! Sleep peacefully.

God is watching over you...and He rejoices over you and quiets you with His love...what could be more comforting than that?