Thursday Thankfulness

 I am SO thankful that we made it up and back safely the one hour trip for hubby's cataract surgery this morning, and everything went just fine! We will have to make that trip again tomorrow morning for his post-op exam, but at least he will be allowed to eat breakfast and have his coffee before going! His appointment this morning wasn't until 9:30, and then of course he couldn't eat or drink anything until the surgery was over, so yes, he was quite happy to get back home before noon and eat some lunch!  And I feel like a "smartypants", because I put a pot roast with potatoes and carrots, etc., in the crock pot before we left this morning, so supper is already cooked too! 

It sure smells good! It's been a while since we had a pot roast! They put the chuck roasts on sale this week so I felt like I could splurge a little.  Ha! Can you remember back when a pot roast was considered a bargain meal?  And ground beef was one of the cheapest meats you could cook in so many different ways? I think we lived on ground beef casseroles of one kind or another back when we were first married. (and beyond).  But nowadays it is the most expensive meat that I buy! Pork and chicken tend to run a bit cheaper, so we eat more of that than we do beef anymore. Therefore, this pot roast dinner is a bit of a luxury...a celebration meal! 

Thank YOU all for your thoughts and prayers on our behalf today! That really means a lot.  Also, I wanted to thank you all for so many fun comments on my "New Town" dream idea on the Tuesday 4 meme this past Tuesday. It seemed like just about everyone wanted to come live in my new town! Wouldn't that be fun?  We could all have so much fun together...but then, what would we have to write about? And who would read our blogs?  We'd already know everything everyone else was doing! LOL. I guess we'd better leave things the way they are, but it sure seems like it would be a fun idea!!

Last evening's sunset/skies were so amazing. We had a nice bit of rain, and then the sky turned perfectly golden for a while...

although these pictures don't do it justice. Everything looked like it was bathed in gold!

And then it changed and became such vivid oranges and purples and gold ...

It looked like the trees were on fire!

And even though Still Waters Pond is still very still and dry...we can still enjoy the sunsets out there and give God the Glory for the wonderful things He has done!

Every little bit of rain is greatly appreciated...and so are these beautiful sunsets!

Jeremiah 32:17 KJV

17 "Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee."

Reminds me of this happy chorus we used to sing in church sometimes:

When we find life is getting difficult and challenging, it's good to be reminded that "Nothing is too difficult for Thee (God)".  

Yes, I am thankful today (and every day) for Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and all that He has done for us, and that NOTHING is too difficult for Him! I am thankful for our family and the blessing they are, and for our friends here in Blogland and in the world around us, friends old and new. I am thankful to live in the United States of America, where we are truly blessed with amazing freedom, a magnificently beautiful country, and the right to live where we want to live, work at the kind of occupation we love, and enjoy the fruit of our labors, and the freedom to worship God openly and happily without fear.  May we NEVER take these freedoms for granted, and may we truly pay attention to the strange things that are happening in our country these days with people thinking that something like socialism or Communism (actually the same thing in a different uniform) can really be good for our nation.  I don't like to get political here because it oftentimes brings out the "anonymous" dissenters who like to degrade our country and our beliefs, but we need to be paying attention to what is taking place in certain parts of the country, or we may find ourselves losing those freedoms we hold so dear and we will end up like Cuba or Venezuela or God forbid, like the former USSR or Nazi Germany.  We need to pay attention, and remember that once our freedoms that we  hold so dear are lost, we may never get them back again.  May we continue to place our Trust in God, and never let go of the freedoms so many have died for. Amen.    

Thursday Thankfulness and Photo Challennge

Happy Thursday morning! What a glorious morning it is! 

I love my little morning ritual of putting out the American Flag each day at sunrise, and capturing a picture of whatever kind of sunrise we may have...and no two are ever the same! Our God is an awesome God, and He paints the most beautiful pictures in the skies! No artist can ever totally duplicate what God has painted!!

I just noticed that today's (30th) photo challenge was for "shapes". I think the Stars and Stripes on the flag  (above) are some of the most beautiful shapes created by our American forefathers! I am very proud of our American Flag and am so thankful to live in the "land of the free, and the home of the brave." 

I was looking around for some other kinds of "shapes" to share for today, and looked up above my computer screen to the beautiful hanging beads "suncatchers" that  I bought last year at a farmer's market.  I believe all the basic shapes are 'clearly' represented here in living color:

These beads sparkle in the sunlight and brighten my day.

Now, the photo challenge for yesterday (29th) was "Flip-flops".  I personally do not wear flip-flops, but my hubby wears a kind of a floppy sandal, and guess who really loves to play with them (along with the feet that are inside or alongside them!)

Yes, Blackie LOVES these sandals, and will lay beside them and sniff them even when Daddy is no where around.  (Crazy cat! LOL).

He also loves to play "footsie" with Daddy.

We are thankful for this little bundle of energy and joy that we've been blessed with.

I have to get a move on this morning as we have haircut appointments at 9:00. So I will close with these words...

Amen.

"Be Strong in the Lord and in His Mighty Power."

Ephesians 6:10

No matter what the world throws in your path today...stand strong in God's strength.

Have a blessed and beautiful day.

Thursday Thankfulness: Something to "Write Home About"

Happy Thursday! I hope your week is going well so far!  It's been fairly quiet here this week, with no special events going on, "nothing to write home about".    Do you ever wonder where such sayings come from? This one just struck me as I wrote it, and so I consulted my new friend "AI", and here's what he (or is it a she?) said:

"The phrase "nothing to write home about" emerged in the late 1800s among travelers and deployed soldiers. It comes from the idea that when away from family, you would only fill your letters with truly exciting or noteworthy news; therefore, an unremarkable event or mediocre place is "nothing to write home about". [1, 2, 3, 4]

The idiom became widely popularized during World War I, as troops stationed overseas routinely used the phrase to describe mundane or disappointing experiences in letters to their loved ones. The earliest known written record of the phrase dates back to North America in 1905, though the concept of being "worth writing home about" was used in advertising and literature as early as 1860. [1, 2, 3, 4]"

I kind of figured it had something to do with soldiers, but just didn't know how far back it went. Now we know! Do you ever use that phrase?  I feel like when I am writing a blog post it is a lot like writing a letter to home...and you are my family.  Sometimes I have exciting and interesting news to share, and sometimes I have to search for something noteworthy.  Today seems to be one of those days. Although I did do something interesting and special this morning, but I've promised not to share it until after the person for whom it is intended has been properly notified and surprised, so you will have to wait a week for that. Now I've got you wondering. LOL. Just stay tuned until next week.  

Thinking about having "something to write home about"...back in the days many years ago when we lived far away from home while serving in the ministry, I wrote a lot of letters to my parents, and I asked them to try and save some of them so that I would have them to look back upon and maybe use them to write a book someday. Well, my mother was diligent to save a lot of them in this little box, but I still haven't written that book:

There is a smattering of letters and cards  and pictures from many years ago, when our boys were very young (and so were we)...and these are a treasure trove of memories...

Here's one card/letter that I sent...that would be typical of me and the kinds of pictures that I liked on cards...

Anyway, back then I usually had something "to write home about" because we were young and our kids were little and doing something different all the time, and I wanted our parents to know what was going on since they were so far away.  Gosh, I just started reading some of these letters, and decided I'd better stop or I'd never get this post written! In one of them I even told my mother that I'd just felt my 1st baby move for the first time!  That was definitely something to write home about!  

So meanwhile, let's get back to this July Photo a Day Challenge.  I'm still trying to get caught up. 

I never did do the "shadow" picture for the 13th. We had such cloudy days and I just couldn't find anything really "shadowy" to capture in a photo.  Then finally when we took a walk yesterday morning I noticed the sun was shining behind us, so I called hubby over to me and said, "Stand still a minute and let me take a picture of our shadows!".  Thankfully he was a willing companion.   If his head looks kind of like he has long hair, it's because he's wearing one of those hats with a bug screen over his face. My hubby is so sweet that the bugs just seem to flock to him when we go outside, so this bugscreen hat is really a life saver for him.  The bugs don't bother me as much. Not sure why. Perhaps I'm just not sweet enough? LOL. Probably so.

This next picture was taken when we took a ride last evening. Although you can't really tell they are shadows, we were driving through the combined shadows of those trees over the road, also known as "shade", but you can see the sunshine in the distance where the trees have disappeared.

So I already did the picture for the 14th on my last post, but I haven't done the one for the 15th and 16th yet. So this morning I went around and took some pictures of some signs inside our house, and therefore they should suffice for both prompts...signs, and indoors.

Our son Benton used to make all kinds of signs and sell them. He doesn't do so many signs now, but I happen to have quite a few of them in our house. Here's a sampling of a few. 

This one is in my bathroom, above the bathtub:

Yikes, don't look too closely, or you will see our unmade bed reflected in the mirror. I did these when I first got up this morning before I got around to making the bed, so please forgive the untidiness of this picture. LOL.

Sadly I don't ever use this bathtub. It's too big of a risk for me getting in and out and it uses too much water that we have to pay for! But if you are a guest and wish to take a bath in the tub, I will only charge you 25 cents...however if you want soap and a towel, we'll have to discuss that! LOL.

This was the original sign at our entry table at the front door, where you are supposed to sign the guest book when you come to visit (if I remember to remind you, which I seem to always forget anymore!)

But then last year Benton and Rose made this sign for me for Christmas,  "Come in and Cozy Up", because I had seen one like it at a store and wanted one like it. So now it sits on that table.

OH, this sign hangs over the door to our laundry room:

And this one, that they both made for me, sits inside my "Room With a View", where I can see it when I am writing to you. It's a good reminder for me to remember why I write this blog...even if I don't have "anything to write home about", there's always the Good News of the Gospel to share with you, and to remind you that Jesus Loves You.

And with that I think I will close this post for today.  I am thankful for my home and family, and for my parents, who have been gone to heaven for many years now, but I love that they saved my letters and cards so that I could go back and remember some really special times in our lives. Oh, and I have a lot of their letters and cards that they wrote to us as well.  I really don't like to throw things like that away.

I am thankful for you, and I hope that you are having a memorable day in some way as well.  I hope that you have "something to write home about" that you can share with us!

One more sign, which is hanging above our bedroom door:

And here's the verse that goes with that:

Yes, the "greatest of these is love."  Amen.  

Have a blessed and wonderful rest of your day my friends....

 

Thursday Thankfulness

Sunrise, Wednesday morning, 6/24/2026. It was too foggy this morning to take a picture!

Is it really Thursday already? This week sure is flying by! And so is this month! Wow! Someone posted that today is exactly 6 months until Christmas! I am not sure I want to think about that just yet! Someone also told me a week or so ago that they already have Halloween stuff for sale at Cracker Barrel! Now that's just downright crazy! I tend to want to take each month and holiday as it comes. Let's just enjoy today to the fullest while it is here, and in due time we can enjoy whatever holiday, event, or "celebration" that comes up.

Right now we need to focus on the 4th of July and the 250 Years of Freedom events that are happening.  I wonder what you are all planning for the 4th?  Anything spectacular?   We really haven't made any particular plans yet. I need to talk to some family members and find out what they want to do. We may just be staying home and try to keep cool!  There will be fireworks in our town, so we will most likely go find a good vantage spot to watch them. Sometimes we see enough from right here in our own backyard.  In the past we have normally had a family gathering of some kind, and we make homemade ice cream. That's a family tradition...but I'll save more about that for when we get closer to the day, and also for when I find out if we are going to do that or not this year! So stay tuned. Regardless of whether or not we do anything, we are VERY thankful for our nation and our freedoms that we hold dear, and for all those who have served our country to help keep it free! That is definitely not something to take for granted.

Thank you all for your kind words and thoughts on my previous posts.  I have been a bit behind in reading and am trying hard to catch up, but I feel like I'm on a treadmill that keeps getting faster and faster and I just can't keep up.  This infected tear duct has kind of bothered my reading ability, but the antibiotics are starting to kick in and I feel like there is improvement now and it doesn't hurt as much. So I am very thankful for that, and glad that I went to the eye doctor when I did. I am also thankful that we live in a small town and that getting in to see a doctor never seems to take a long time...both our primary care physician and our eye doctors are very good about working us in when we have something like this pop up, so that we don't have to go to an emergency room or wait forever to see someone. There are some advantages to small town living.

And just look at all these blueberries I picked off of our own bush!  And see how many are still there ripening! Wow! I have really been enjoying these blueberries on my nightly snack of yogurt and granola! What a treat and blessing to be able  to grow your own!!

Oh, and look at how the zinnias are blooming!!! What fun to see them pop open and be so bright and cheerful!

Our friend Debbi from "Debbi's Front Porch" calls these zinnias "Old Maids".  I'm not sure where that comes from, but I looked it up HERE, and it will give you more information.  Here's some excerpts from AI:

"Zinnias were popularly known as "Old Maids" from the 1920s through the 1950s. The nickname is believed to have originated because the flowers bloom continuously all summer, lasting an exceptionally long time in both the garden and the vase. [1, 2, 3]

Why Were They Called Old Maids?

• Lasting Beauty: Their incredible longevity and resilience were affectionately associated with the image of unmarried women who stayed youthful and vibrant. [1]
• Classic Garden Staple: They were commonly planted by older women and widows in the South who cherished their bright colors and easy maintenance. [1, 2]"

Whatever the reason, they are delightful to see blooming in my garden, and apparently I am not the only one who loves them...

What is that large black object in the middle of my garden...again!!!????

Well look who's here!! None other than our rascal Blackie!

"Hi Mom! Were you looking for me???  Here I am, just taking time to smell the flowers!"

"Sorry, Mom, if I smashed your flowers down again...but they will spring back up, I promise!!"

Back inside, if I want to know where Blackie is, he can usually be found hugging his scratch pad, which is infused with catnip. Not only does he scratch it like a wild cat, but he lays himself down on top of it and guards it so that no one else can get to it. I wouldn't dare try to remove him or that scratch pad right now. He is quite enamored with it. LOL.

However yesterday he was very quiet for a long time and I didn't know where he was, until I went into the kitchen and found him here:

Somehow he managed to pull the seat cushion off of my rocking chair, and laid down on it on the floor and went to sleep. I think what happened was when he tried to jump up on the chair, the cushion must've slipped off and landed on the floor, so he decided to just stay there.  

Life is never dull with Blackie around. He does keep us on our toes. (Mostly just trying to find out where he's hiding next!) Did I mention that we are thankful for him? Did you guess that already? LOL.

Today we dropped by the church to see how the quilting ladies were coming along with getting things ready for their yard sale tomorrow. They were busily hanging up all the clothes that we brought them from my friend Maura's house, and it was nice to see just how much there was! The sale was supposed to be Friday and Saturday, but since our friend Opal passed away, her Memorial Service will be held Saturday morning at the church, so the quilting ladies cancelled the sale for Saturday so they can all participate in the Memorial Service.  

I am thankful for the dedicated people we have at our church, who are ready to serve in so many different ways, and especially when things happen unexpectedly and plans have to be changed. Many of our ladies will be helping with the food for the reception that follows the service.  I will be making a dessert to take. Still haven't decided exactly what, but most likely a cake of some kind.

9 "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 

10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith."

Galatians 6:9-10

Well friends, that about wraps it up for today. I am thankful for each of you, and your friendship means so much, even if we don't ever get to meet in person...this connection here is so precious.  Thank you.

Thursday Thankfulness

 Happy Thursday! Wow! We have been having some lovely days this week...low humidity, early morning temps in the low 60's, highs in mid 80's, which is good with low humidity, and nice breezes. It's beautiful, but we still need rain! No more rain in sight until next week sometime, but we will enjoy these lovely days as much as we can in the meantime.

Sunrise this morning!

We are indeed thankful for this little bit of cooler air before the really hot summer begins, so we took advantage of it a couple of mornings ago and drove over to the Kenwood Boat Ramp to take a little walkabout...

People are always asking me about alligators here in Florida...so here's a sign that will tell you all you need to know about them...

And no, we do not have any alligators in our own Still Waters Pond. Of course it is still bone dry, but even when it had water there was no sign of them there. It is much too shallow for them to survive there, so we are thankful for that.  They have plenty of lakes around here to enjoy.

These signs are also at the boat ramp:

Manatees are also a common sight in some areas of our lakes and rivers, but we mostly see them in the winter when they come closer to the surface to find warmer water.  

The skies are so pretty!  Yes, I am thankful for this beautiful place where we can go and just enjoy God's wonderful creation, away from the maddening crowds.

It was so lovely yesterday afternoon that I just had to get outside in our own yard and enjoy the gentle breeze  and some sweet time of peace and quiet in the "Secret Memorial Garden", overlooking the still very dry Still Waters Pond:

And enjoying being surrounded by our little garden that is still growing! What rains we have had have been very helpful,  and we are very thankful for that!

I decided to make it a little tea party for one...

This is my garden bench that son Scott originally put together for me, and then son Benton did some further refreshing on it after it started getting weather worn.  The sign painted across the top says "Mom's Secret Garden".  I am so thankful for my boys. They sure know how to bless me and take good care of me.

Soon I was joined by my best little garden buddy:

At first he just wanted to lay down in the dirt and look up at the birds in the trees...

While I battled a myriad of mosquitoes who discovered some "fresh blood" and decided to swarm around my bare legs and arms. Thankfully I remembered where this bug repellent was and hurried back inside to get it before I was totally eaten up! That is one disadvantage to life in Florida in the warm weather...

Soon Blackie decided to join me on the bench...

and it wasn't long before he decided to snuggle up next to me on the cushion:

Blackie sends his love to all of you!  I wonder if he knows how many fans he has out there in Blogland? He sure is a character!!

Yes, he is a character...here's his attempt at playing "hide and go seek" earlier today...

He thinks he's hidden...

He moves around under the bed like this thinking we can't see him. As long as we keep calling him and asking "where's Blackie?, he will keep moving around the under edge of the bed. Finally I just have to leave the room and ignore him and pretty soon he shows up in the living room with a look of "Hey! Didn't you miss me anymore?"   LOL.   Yes, I am thankful for this little furry rascal that has come into our lives. He does brighten our days.

Speaking of brightening our days...The rosebush still blesses us with roses every few days, and the tomato plant is blessing us with tomatoes! They may be a little small, but they are delicious! It's exciting to eat what we grew in our own garden!  And this drink in the middle is my first Root Beer Float of the season!  The other day we stopped at our local "Hog Wild Burger and Shakes" place for a hamburger on our way home from that trip down to that "Stuff and Such" place I told you about in my last post HERE.  They didn't have any unsweet iced tea, and only had soft drinks in the bottles, so I got a root beer, which is one of the only soft drinks I will drink.  (The other one is Ginger Ale, and maybe an Orange soda once in a blue moon if there is no other choice).  I couldn't drink the whole bottle, so I brought it home and saved it for a Root Beer Float...ta da!  Yes, it was good! Now I wish I had some more root beer! LOL.  I will have to put that on the grocery list.

This morning hubby and I had our quarterly fasting lab work done, which meant we had to go out to breakfast afterwards.  I say "had to", because that is our little traditional treat for being stuck with a needle so early in the morning before breakfast! LOL.  So we went to our local "Nana's Country Cafe". This is the only picture I took there this morning:

This sign was on the wall, and honestly, I still haven't quite figured it out. I took a picture of it so I could ask you to help me understand it! LOL. I know it must be funny, but I'll be darned if I can make heads or tails of it. Does it have something to do with "cow pies?" That's the only thing I can figure out. Anyway, regardless of the "questionable" sign, our breakfast was good, and I am thankful we are able to enjoy these days.  Next week we go back to the Dr. to find out the test results. Good thing we ate our biscuits and eggs and bacon and 'taters AFTER our blood was drawn. LOL.

One more thing before I go...This past Sunday afternoon we attended the Celebration of Life for a dear lady who had attended our church until she moved away to live with her children.  She was 93 years old when she passed away. 

Her name was Mary, but we all called her "Granny". Such a beautiful, sweet Christian woman.

Before she moved from her home here, she had a little "yard" sale and sold some of her "treasures".  This lamp was something that I loved and bought from her. She wanted me to have it and told me how special it was to her.  She said she used to use it as a night light at night, and it made her feel safe to have it on.

On the back of the bulletin from her "Celebration of Life" was this poem.  I don't know if you can read it or not, but the last couple of lines are what struck me the most:

"Celebrate the life I lived, I will be watching from above.

I am always with you, Sending you my LIGHT and love."  

I told her family members that I have "Granny's" special light here, and we will keep her light shining here in our church and community in memory of her.

The family also gave us each one of these beautiful handkerchiefs with a Red Cardinal on it. 

It was a very moving service and testimony of a life well  lived...a dear woman who loved the Lord and her family and was faithful to the end.  

Made me think about my own life and letting my light shine while I am here, and also that I hope I will leave a lasting "light" shining in the lives of my family and friends in some way or another.

I will close with these words from Jesus found in the book of Matthew...

Matthew 5:14-16 NIV

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 

15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 

16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

Good Night friends...until next time, be blessed...and be a "light" whereever you are!