Tuesday 4~ Teen Time Memories

 Teen Time Memories

Hey! Welecome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.
Would you like to talk about some blasts from the past?
You know.. like malt shops, teen hops, proms and rock and roll? OK, let's do it!


1. Was there a teen hangout in your town or near it where teens seemed to gravitate? What was a favorite place to go?

The "Dixie Drive In" was a popular place for teens to go and hangout. They had curbside service with the trays on the windows and "Car-Hop" girls would bring out your order of hamburgers, cokes, milkshakes, or whatever you wanted. They also had indoor booth seating. I remember my older brothers and sister used to go there, but I was too young and was not allowed. By the time I was a teen ager it wasn't as popular as it was in the later 50's/early 60's.  I did go there a few times, but it really wasn't a place that I enjoyed going to all that much. It was set between several different little towns that all kind of formed a "triangle", and so kids from other towns/high schools (Rivals!!) also hung out there. I really preferred staying with my friends from my own school.

The place I remember most was our downtown drug store, which had a soda fountain and tables. A lot of kids would go there after school and get a 5 cent cherry or vanilla coke, or french fries, or a milkshake and a hamburger.  When I was a teen, I would go there after cheerleading practice after school, and wait there until my mother came and picked me up after she got off work at 5:00. It wasn't open at nights, so it really wasn't a hangout for the weekends or nights, but primarily an after school place.

2 Did you attend your high school varsity games? What high school activities did you enjoy the most?  Yes, I attended all of our high school varsity games, football and basketball in particular, and sometimes baseball too.  I was a cheerleader all through Jr. High and High School, so I had to go to the games!  What activities did I enjoy the most? Hmm, well, I did enjoy being a cheerleader, and also I enjoyed our after game dances...

Our school and town was very small...there were only 50 in my graduating class, (1968), and I went to the same school from 1st - 12th grade, so everyone knew everyone.  I still stay in touch with several of my school friends mostly via Facebook.  Sadly, like most people our age, our class is starting to dwindle down with so many who have already passed away. Our last class reunion was our 50th.  We need to have another while there's still some of us left.

3. Did you have any teen idols whose music or acting you just really enjoyed? What music did you enjoy most? What movies?

Teen Idols...well I loved the Beatles, The Beach Boys, Simon and Garfunkle, The Righteous Brothers, Sonny and Cher, gosh, there were so many back in the 60's...and I loved most all of them. 

Acting or actors?  Movies?  I loved The Sound of Music with Julie Andrews. It's funny, but I really don't remember a lot of really great movies, but I did always like the ones that Charlton Heston was in, like Ben Hur, and The Ten Commandments, etc., I'm drawing a blank here...but I know there were a lot more movies that I saw...just can't think of them at the moment.


4. Did your school have dances or sock hops and did you attend?

Yes, we used to have dances after the football games at the Civic Center. There was always a live band, which was usually a teen age group of guys who learned how to play guitars and drums and sing the popular songs of the day. The dances were well chaperoned (mostly), and it was always fun to go even if you didn't have a date.  And yes, I went to the proms too.  The link below tells a lot more about some of those memories:

HERE is a link to a previous post about my school years activities.

I guess that's all for this Tuesday 4.  Sweet memories...(mostly!...lol...)

So now, since I haven't written in a few days,  here's a few pictures to share from Still Waters Pond and around...

I decided to walk around the edge of the pond again this morning and check out the area where I think the Sand Hill Cranes may be building a nest,  and at first this is who I saw...Yes, The Canada Geese Couple again...

But they are not on the same spot where they were the other day. They are not far from it, but just a short hop away.  I don't think they are building a nest there, however, but maybe just sunning themselves because it was a pretty chilly day! (chilly for us anyway!)

But THEN, I looked back over to the spot where I originally thought the cranes would build their nest, and guess what??? Yep, There she is! Mrs. Crane is busily building her nest!! Often times they work alone to get the nest ready, and then Mr. and Mrs. Crane take turns attending to the nest once the eggs have been laid.  I'm not sure if there is an egg yet or not. It looked more like she was still arranging things on the nest...but the sun was so bright it was hard for me to really see the details:

Look these pictures over and see what you think! If  you see an egg, let me know!

I didn't stay long enough to see if she ever laid down on the nest. That would be a true tell if there is an egg there or not. I guess I'll be making more trips back and forth in the days ahead to see what is "developing".

I was just happy to see that I was at least right about this location!!

And much earlier this morning (writing this on Monday night), there was a small flock of Great White Egrets who flew in to the pond. They hung around for a while and even the Canada geese swam over to welcome them.

The light was not real good yet, since it was actually just at sunrise, but you get the idea! Always something wonderful happening on Still Waters Pond, no matter what time of day it is.

Like last night's sunset...

And here comes the Canada Geese flying in at sunset:

They flew around to the other side of the island, where they are apparently spending the nights and now most of the day as well...I hope they will build a nest, but time will tell.

I have probably 20 more pictures of this, but I won't bore you with all of them...just suffice it to say it was a magical time watching the beauty of the changing of the scenery as the sun continued to set in the west...no two sunsets are ever the same...each day is a new creation by God

Just as we are also a new creation when we accept Christ as our Savior...

2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; 

behold, all things are become new.

So thankful for that truth, aren't you? And the older we get, the more like Christ we become as we continue to grow in grace and hopefully in wisdom.   That is certainly my prayer.  I'm thankful that I am not still that same girl that I was back in high school!

1 What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought

Since Jesus came into my heart!

I have light in my soul for which long I have sought,

Since Jesus came into my heart!

Refrain:

Since Jesus came into my heart,

Since Jesus came into my heart,

Floods of joy o'er my soul like the sea billows roll,

Since Jesus came into my heart.

2 I have ceased from my wand'ring and going astray,

Since Jesus came into my heart!

And my sins which were many are all washed away,

Since Jesus came into my heart! [Refrain]

3 I’m possessed of a hope that is steadfast and sure,

Since Jesus came into my heart!

And no dark clouds of doubt now my pathway obscure,

Since Jesus came into my heart! [Refrain]

4 There's a light in the valley of death now for me,

Since Jesus came into my heart!

And the gates of the City beyond I can see,

Since Jesus came into my heart! [Refrain]

5 I shall go there to dwell in that city, I know,

Since Jesus came into my heart!

And I'm happy, so happy, as onward I go,

Since Jesus came into my heart! [Refrain]

Amen.

Tomorrow we will be headed back to the eye doctor who did the surgery on hubby's eye. He's having some issues with it and wants to make sure everything is okay. So we'll be getting up early and driving that hour+ away again early in the morning. Hopefully there won't be any fog this time!  Someone asked me why we go so far away to the doctor. Well, we do live out in the country, but we also do have eye doctors and other doctors not that far away from us, but this is a cornea specialist because hubby has a condition that is affecting his cornea. So far they don't need to correct that as of yet, and we are hoping they won't have to, but time will tell.  That, plus we have to go where they take our insurance! 

Okay, that's all folks. I need to wrap this thing up!  Have a wonderful day tomorrow. I'll be checking in with you all sometime later when we get back home again.

Wednesday Treasures

 I didn't have anything new to share until I looked out the window this evening!

It was so beautiful...I broke out in song...

1 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!

O my soul, praise him, for he is your health and salvation!

Come, all who hear; now to his temple draw near,

join me in glad adoration.

2 Praise to the Lord, above all things so wondrously reigning;

sheltering you under his wings, and so gently sustaining!

This flock of ducks flew over while I was out there watching the sunset!

Have you not seen all that is needful has been

sent by his gracious ordaining?

3 Praise to the Lord, who will prosper your work and defend you;

surely his goodness and mercy shall daily attend you.

Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,

if with his love he befriends you.

4 Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him!

All that has life and breath, come now with praises before him.

Let the Amen sound from his people again;

gladly forever adore him.

And then the moon starting peeking out from the clouds...

And as the sun disappeared in the west, this is how the moon appeared:

And one last look at the sun setting behind the trees...

Those are the lights of the gas station/convenience store on the other side of the highway beyond the pond.  We can only see it at night and especially in winter when there aren't as many leaves on the trees, but I love to see the lights across the pond.

Oops! I blurred that a little bit, but I like it, don't you?

This is how it looked early this morning!

I hope you enjoyed these "treasures" from this evening's sunset.  It was truly majestic.

Amen!

Okay, so, I would like to end this post on a totally positive note. I wish I could, but you need to know that my life is full of frustrations and issues just like yours. It's not all lovely sunsets and sunrises and birds and flowers and trees... Thankfully, right now my frustration is not something terrible or life threatening, thank the Lord.   But it is frustrating, none the less.  You've seen this washing machine before HERE, about 1 year and 3 months ago, to be exact.  

If you re-read the previous post that I linked above, you will know that this washing machine started out on a rather shaky note. When it was first delivered, within 24 hours I was calling for them to come pick it back up because it wasn't working properly. They replaced it with another, that has worked perfectly until NOW, three months after the one year warranty expired. Of course.  And no, I didn't purchase the extended warranty. Yes, I should have. Lesson learned. It would be worth it to do so, and if I had it to do over again, I would certainly have done so, and I highly recommend it if you are buying any new appliance today. They are NOT built to last more than a couple of years. Trust me! I should know better. And it is too expensive to have them repaired, IF you can find someone who knows how to repair these electronic gizmos. SO, NOW we are trying to figure out the next step. Should we pay for someone (if we can find someone) to come and fix it...or should we replace it? I wish I could find a good used washer that is about 10 or 20 years old and still working. That would be worth buying. The older the better.  So we are going to sleep on it and pray about it and try to figure out the next step tomorrow. I really DON'T want another one of these NEW washing machines. They are built to fail.  My One Word "Wisdom" is getting a work out.

Oh, this is the verse that is on a devotional reading for today's date:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV

"16 Rejoice always, 

17 pray without ceasing, 

18 in everything give thanks; 

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

So, on THAT note, I will rejoice, and pray, and give thanks. This is God's will, and therefore I believe He will provide and show us what to do about this situation.  

Stay tuned.

Good Night my friends.  Let's go back up and look at that sunset again and sing that song once more, shall we? That's a much better way to end our evening, rejoicing in what God has ordained!

Amen!

Monday Monday and Tuesday 4 ~ Banana Splits

 Hello Friends in Blogland! Here it is Monday evening already, and I am just getting around to saying hello!  Mondays are usually kind of busy...a day to catch up with a few things in the morning after a busy weekend and then we have our Bible Studies at the church in the afternoon, so there isn't a lot of time for "visiting".    I am going to "split" my time here between Monday and the Tuesday 4 meme for this week, which is named "Banana Splits"!  Let's start out with that first...

Banana Splits

Amos Sewell's Banana Split

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where we ask you just four questions weekly.
The painting is named Banana Splits and is by Amos Sewell. It tells a story but I think the story is left up to us to figure out.

My Thoughts:  First of all, I never heard of Amos Sewell before this! I would have thought this was a painting by Norman Rockwell! I was surprised to learn that Amos Sewell did many illustrations for the Saturday Evening Post.  So thank you, Annie, for pointing us to this very talented artist! I learned something new here today!

1. What do you think the man in the painting is thinking?  I don't think he quite approves or likes the idea of those kids eating those banana splits. It may be that he doesn't like the idea of banana splits, regardless of who is eating them!

2. In your story what kind of sandwich and beverage is he having?

I would imagine that he is drinking coffee as most men do not drink hot tea, at least not very many that I know of.  The sandwich looks like a grilled cheese sandwich to me.  Oh, wait a minute, I see a tea pot under his left arm...so I have to change my answer above...apparently this man IS drinking hot tea and has a little teapot filled with more tea.  

3. Do you think he is a stranger to the children or does he know them? Why do you think so?
I do not believe this man knows these children.  The way he is looking askance at them makes me think that he is not very familiar with the antics of young children, and probably is of the old school that says that "children should be seen and not heard"....and they certainly shouldn't be having banana splits at lunch time or supper time, or whenever this might be!

4. Do you keep ice cream at home? Banana splits usually have 3 or 4 scoops of ice cream. What flavor ice cream should be in your banana split?

Personally I cannot say that I have ever actually had a banana split.  The thought of mixing bananas with ice cream and all of those toppings just really doesn't sound good to me at all! I would prefer my ice cream sundae with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream and chopped walnuts on top.  You can keep the maraschino cherry too!  We used to keep ice cream at home all the time when our son Scott still lived with us, but it seems as if since he moved out that we just weren't eating it up fast enough and it would get all frosty and freezer burned, so we have stopped buying it and only get it when we are expecting company for dinner or dessert.  I normally would keep plain vanilla around, but oftentimes would buy Neapolitan, which is strawberry, chocolate and vanilla together.  Sometimes we buy Klondike bars or Eskimo pies.

Thank  you, Annie, for hosting our weekly Tuesday 4 gathering. This one was fun and a bit different! If the rest of you would like to join in with this meme each week, you can find it HERE at https://tuesdaysplace.blogspot.com/2024/02/banana-splits.html

Now, back to today, Monday...(when I am writing this)...Let's see, what's been going on here lately?

Well, I mentioned the Bible Study earlier.    This is the new study we are doing now:

Here's a little synopsis of the study:

We just started this one last week, and so far it is really good.  For those of us who find ourselves  in God's Waiting Room often, this has some wonderful insights into that bigger picture of what God may be trying to teach us in the meantime.  Our Ladies' Bible Study group has about 10-12 ladies on most weeks, and we enjoy learning from God's Word together while we share our own life experiences of waiting on God. I'm very thankful for this group of women.

Our men also have a weekly Bible Study, and my hubby is the leader/teacher.  Currently they are studying the Book of Hebrews. They also have about 10 men who attend regularly, and I know my husband enjoys that weekly time of fellowship and study from God's Word.  It's also good for him to keep his Bible teaching skills sharpened.  He also teaches our adult Sunday School class on Sunday mornings.  We are very thankful for these opportunities to serve the Lord and also to continue learning.

We also have a lot of fun with our church family. Our Pastor is a real football fan, and he makes no apology for that. Illustrations about football sometimes even manage to creep into his sermons, but they always have a very good point.  So anyway, it was no surprise that he wanted to have a "Super Bowl Party" last night. We don't normally have a Sunday night service since our church is primarily made up of older/retired folks who don't like to drive at night.  Therefore last night was a good time to have a fun time of fellowship with whoever wanted to venture out and come to the church fellowship hall and watch the game together.  Everyone brought finger foods to share, and some even brought comfy chairs and cushions so they wouldn't get too uncomfortable sitting in the ordinary folding chairs in the fellowship hall.  One fun lady even wore her bedroom slippers!  

We are all comfy and happy and having a good time...the food was great too!

Yes, that's our "kids" Rose and Benton out in front, and our Pastor and his wife sticking her head around Benton's head behind him, and another dear friend...

A good time was had by all!  Some of us "older folks" may have left after the half to go home and get ready for bed...but we found out we missed the most exciting part of the game in the 2nd half and overtime! (actually, hubby still watched most of it while I got ready for bed and basically conked out!)

Whoa! I am writing this tonight at 7:12 p.m., and we just had a huge crack of thunder and lightning! A storm is rolling in and I guess that cold front is coming across tonight.  I hope all of you are safe wherever you are. I understand some places may be having severe storms and some will get more snow. Here in Florida it will be thunderstorms and rain, but I pray nothing too severe.

I think I will just have to close out with a few sunset pictures on Still Waters Pond from the other evening and call it a night:

God's beautiful masterpieces in the skies always make me want to stand and praise Him and sing!

Sunday morning we sang the song "Have You Seen Jesus My Lord?", and the second verse says this:

"Have you ever stood at the sunset with the sky mellowing red; Seen the cloud suspended like feathers? Then I say you’ve seen Jesus my Lord.

Chorus: Have you seen Jesus my Lord? He’s here in plain view. Take a look, open your eyes, He’ll show life to you."

And when we were singing that verse, I could "see" these beautiful sunsets in my mind and I thought to myself, "yes, I do believe I've seen Jesus my Lord...He's here in plain view...take a look, open your eyes, He'll show life to you."

HERE is a link to a post I wrote a few years ago that has a YouTube video of our choir singing this song, along with a few photos that I added to go along with each verse. You might enjoy listening to it again.

And I will close with this page for today from my devotional book, "Be Still and Know"...

I love the part that says, "But the reality is that whether the sun is shining or the rain is pouring, whether your song comes easily or your tears pour freely, He continues to be faithful..."  

Yes, Our God is always faithful, and He is always there for us. We may have to wait sometimes in God's Waiting Room to get the answers we are seeking, but He is always faithful and will answer our prayers in His time, within His perfect will for us. So don't ever give up hope!

One last note:

Gonna be a busy week...Tuesday night Choir Practice

Wednesday is Valentine's Day, Our Women in Faith monthly meeting/fellowship, Ash Wednesday evening service, which is the beginning of the Lenten Season leading up to Easter...and my hubby's birthday is on Friday (and there will be some surprises for him that day, so shhh! Don't say anything!)  Saturday morning is our church community breakfast, and then we are back to Sunday again!  Whew! I need to get to bed! 

Good Night friends!