Thursday Thankfulness and More

 Happy first day of Summer!  Not sure how I really feel about that...summer is not one of my favorite seasons since we live here in the "Sunshine State", and summer is HOT, HOT, and MORE HOT! And HUMID too!  But if I can list at least one thing I am very thankful for, it would be our central air conditioning...and also the fact that since we replaced our old AC unit last June, we have noticed that our electricity consumption so far in these past few warmer months has been considerably less, and our electric bill has literally been cut in half from what it was during the same period of time last year!! Now that is a blessing I can really be thankful for! It also goes to show you how much electricity the older less efficient appliances really use, and when at all possible, it is worth the expense of replacing them with newer models.  

It sure beats having to fan ourselves with hand fans and other kinds of fans...Like I wrote about HERE a few years ago when our AC broke down.  However, we were thankful then and would be thankful now to have those fans if we needed them again.  

That hand made fan above belonged to my husband's grandmother, and I expect it is quite old, but it still works!  And those coasters that say "Life is BETTER on the porch!" would be true, if it wasn't 90 degrees outside! LOL. Our porch sitting season is actually in the fall, some of winter, and spring. But definitely not summer!

Because it has been so hot, we haven't been outside much. We did take an early walk this morning before it got too hot, and yesterday we went to Walmart and walked around the store doing our shopping for a while, so that was our exercise for that day! 

This week has been rather quiet compared to most weeks lately. Tomorrow we do have to travel all the way to St. Augustine for hubby's eye appointment with the Ophthalmologist. They are still trying to determine if he needs to have his cataracts removed yet, or if they need to treat another eye condition first that could be more serious than the cataracts. Hopefully we will get some answers tomorrow. Praying for clarity. (Hey! That's a good word to use in this situation! LOL).

Speaking of hubby, this past Sunday was Father's Day.  I've already posted these photos on Facebook, but not here.  

Here he is with his gifts from the kids...new lights for the yard. He LOVES these lights.  He has them all around the yard, and he loves to go outside at night and look at them. So they couldn't have given him a better gift!

2 Corinthians 4:6 NKJV

6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Our family gathered for lunch after church...Scott, Benton, Rose, John and yours truly. We had a Chinese Stir Fry dinner...partly cooked by me, and partly picked up at the local Chinese take out place. They provided the egg rolls, rice, and crab rangoons and fortune cookies. I cooked a chicken and vegetable stir fry, which was very good. We had that peach cobbler that I baked the night before for dessert.

Here's "Daddy" and his boys...well two of them. We always miss our dear son Matthew on these special days (and every day).

Here is a favorite very old picture of Daddy and his three sons, taken during the Bible Story reading time at bedtime each night.  This is a priceless and precious picture  to me. As you can see, Scotty was just a baby, and Benton and Matthew were in Kindergarten and Pre-school. Those were such sweet times. 

(Sorry for the reflections on the glass...I didn't want to take it out of the frame)

Proverbs 22:6 KJV

 "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, 

he will not depart from it."

I am very thankful that our sons have a Daddy who loves them and who took the time to teach them about Jesus from a very young age. They were given a strong foundation on which to grow and develop and build their lives. Were they always perfect? No, they were normal little boys and teens and young men who tested the waters and sometimes made wrong choices in life, but when all is said and done, they have a faith that still sustains them in their adult years, and also that carried our son Matthew into heaven when he was 41 years old.  I am so thankful that he knew and believed what Jesus said:

"6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."  John 14:6 KJV

I have no doubt that we will see Matthew again one day in heaven.

I guess I will sign off for tonight with those thoughts.  I don't have any new photos yet for "Friday Foto Friends", so we shall see what develops tomorrow. We have to take that ride over to St. Augustine for the eye appointment, but there won't be any time for doing anything extra as hubby will probably have his eyes dilated and we will want to come straight home after the appointment. The sun will be too bright for him to do any sightseeing! (And I will probably be driving home, so no chance for me to take pictures along the way!)

So, good night for now! I'll catch up with you later!

Happy First Day of Summer!

This was the end of the school year class picnic in 6th grade. I'm the crazy one on the left with the bubblegum cigar in my mouth and the feather in my hat. The other sweet girl is one of my best school buddies, Mary. We were both redheads, and when we got together, anything could happen.  "Those were the days, my friend. We thought they'd never end..."   Mary and I do still stay in touch via Facebook, but she lives in another state and it's been way too many years since we actually got to be together. Maybe one of these days we can make it happen. I hope so. We aren't getting any younger.

A Menagerie of Thoughts and Things

Guess who's back?

Yep! Our bluebird couple is back again! They've been staking out their claim on the birdhouse again, and seem to be seriously building another nest inside!

Yes, we had cleaned it out from their last brood, and so it was open and ready for a "new family". I am assuming this is the same couple. (I didn't get a picture of the female. She was busy either sweeping out the house inside, or gathering twigs for the new nest)

I understand that they normally do have three broods per season, so this would be #3. The first batch was destroyed by a predator. The 2nd batch we watched fledge out of here about two weeks ago. Here's the LINK to that on Lily Grace's adventures, in case you missed it.  Can they really be ready for another new family this quickly?  I guess so...So we will be watching and waiting to see what "develops". I will keep you posted.

Meanwhile, this young Red Shouldered Hawk has taken up this territory for his claim as well. He's been quite busily patrolling the trees all around Still Waters Pond, chasing off any intruders. I just hope he will protect our Bluebird family rather than "invite" them to dinner...

Here he is, keeping a hawk's eye on his "claim".  

It is interesting to watch and to hear his keen cry as he swoops through the air, warning off any who dare to usurp his authority. Maybe we should call him the "Sheriff".  LOL.

Oh, hello! He does have a fuzzy youngish face, don't you think?

So, what else is new in the neighborhood you may ask?

Well, Lily Grace  and I have been on a few walks over at our walking trails...

We had a follower trailing along behind us, bringing up "the rear"...LOL

Sorry this is a little blurry. He was caught in the act! LOL. Yes, that is how Lily gets to go on walks, fearlessly helping lead the way through the wilderness!  But lately it's either been too hot or raining and she's had to stay at home. Plus, I've been having a lot of neck issues, (yes, even WITH "My Pillow", although I think it has actually helped), and I am having to leave my heavy camera at home rather than wear it around my neck, and also leave Lily at home rather than carry her.  

(I know there are some who are truly wondering about me right about now...LOL. You're not alone. My son just about fell off his rocker when he read a comment I made on Facebook about Lily Grace and I singing "This Little Light of Mine...".  He literally had to call me up on the phone and ask me if I was all right. Well, what do YOU think??? Of course I'm just fine!!!  And Lily has a wonderful singing voice!)

Today I had the wonderful experience of having an MRI on my neck, trying to determine just what is really going on in there. About half way through the extremely noisy procedure, everything came to a screeching halt, and all was silent and the lights went out. The power had gone off in the building, and they had to come "rescue" me from the machine. The machine was stuck in the high up off the ground position,  so three technicians (all ladies) had to come and help me step down to get off of it. I was surprised to see how high off the ground I was, and there were no steps to get me down...so they just had to kind of "carry" me and let me gently glide down their arms as they held me. That was a great adventure!   Had to go wait in the waiting room until the power came back on...thankfully it wasn't too long...and then we could start the process all over again. Actually, they were able to start where they left off, so I didn't have to endure the pounding all over again for that first session...just for the rest of it. I was sure happy for earplugs! I can't imagine how bad it would have been without them! So anyway, I have an appointment with my doctor next week to find out the results.  He's probably going to say something about "old age"...

Remember a few weeks ago when I was talking about "Fanning Away"?  Well, one of my Facebook friends had commented about remembering the old fans they used to have in churches with pictures of Jesus on them.  She said how she hadn't seen any in a long time. I was thinking in my mind that I had seen one somewhere not too long ago, and sure enough! This past Sunday our choir did not sing, so I got to sit in the pew next to my hubby for a change.  And what did I see right before my very eyes in the pew in front of me???

Yep, there He was! Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, well, the picture of Him there, on the back of one of those wonderful old fans!!

(Interesting that if you look on the bulletin you will see that we sang "Open My Eyes That I Might See, Glimpses of Truth Thou hast for me..."    I love it when God "opens my eyes" to see the special things He has there for me...)

And I thought I was right that these were usually sponsored by either an Insurance Company or a Funeral Home or something like that.   Sure enough! Why this one is from an insurance company in Georgia I'll never know. We are pretty far away from Macon, Georgia here in north central Florida. But maybe someone left it here from there...it looks pretty old. But is sure is beautiful, don't you think?

Shifting gears again...I baked another one of those peach/blueberry cobblers this week.  We've really enjoyed some fresh peaches this summer that we've been able to get at the local flea market. And it's good to throw in a few blueberries to add to the flavor as well.  You can find the recipe on that link above.

Well, I think that's about it. I've been going back through my photos from the week to make sure I didn't miss anything important.  I took this picture this morning when I was having my morning cup of tea. The tag on the teabag says: "Make today's !DEA tomorrow's REALI-Tea"

I like that "idea".  What ideas do you have today that could become tomorrow's "reali-tea"?

Here's some things to think about as we close this for today:

"But you, be strong and do not lose courage,

for there is reward for your work."

2 Chronicles 15:7

I like what this little devotion from "Choose Grace" says:

"God wants to use your hands, your intelligence, and your efforts to build His kingdom,

the place where grace dwells."

I hope you enjoyed this little "menagerie of thoughts and things" today.  

They say "variety is the spice of life."

Have a blessed Thursday evening and also a good "Friday Foto Friends" day.

 

Fanning Away

Well, it happened again! The AC broke down last night, but this time it is a different problem. The good news is, help is on the way! If you live in our area, I highly recommend "Frosty's" for AC repair. Once you are an established customer, they will do their best to take care of you no matter when...including weekends! 

(Pulling out all the fans...this woven palm fan is ancient!  It could be more than 60  years old at least. It came with the buffet from John's grandmother's house, tucked in one of the drawers.  No telling how many years it was in there, but it still works just fine!)

So, as I sit here "fanning away", I am very thankful that God has placed these special people in our midst.  We learned about them through our church, as they take care of the church AC.

This lovely fan was a gift from one of our sweet blogging friends, the same sweet friend who sent Lily Grace to me, all the way from Charleston, SC.  Thank you, dear "Auntie Debbi", from "Debbi's Front Porch".  It would be nice to have a cool front porch to sit upon today, but alas! It is just as hot and humid outside as it is inside. 

I've had this oriental fan and ginger jar forever. May have to break it out as well...

Thankful for our ceiling fans, which are running full blast...

And other standing fans:

This one is in my "Room With a View",  humming away and keeping me somewhat cool, but with the high humidity, I am still in a bit of a sweat...

Here's the view from my window. But it's too hot and humid to open the window...at least it is a cloudy day, with rain promised later on...

Thankfully we do have ceiling fans on the back porch too.  The other day we noticed that a family of wasps had taken  up residence inside this fan. When we turned it on, wasps flew every direction! So there was no sitting out there at that time.  We waited until early morning before sunrise and sprayed it good with that long distance wasp sprayer, and by the time the sun came up we had dead wasps laying everywhere under the fan.  Sorry, wasps...you picked the wrong place to set up housekeeping this time!

Here are the "Porch Rules"...and if I could "Feel the Breezes" I would take a nap out there and then read a book, converse with a friend, listen to (and watch) the birds, sip a cool drink and just RELAX! But there is NO breeze to feel on this sultry early summer day here in north central Florida.

Ahhh!! But I have some GREAT NEWS!!! While I've been sitting here typing this post, our friend Frosty came and found the problem and FIXED IT!! It was some kind of capacitor...and he only charged us for the service call since he'd been here recently two times for a different problem.  We are all hoping and praying that we can keep this almost 20 year old air conditioner running a while longer.  A new one would definitely break our piggy bank and then some!!!!

So now I am beginning to feel cooler air blowing on my back  and neck while I sit here writing. 

The humidity is starting to give way to dry cool air, and I can breathe again...

Praise God!

Now tonight I might be able to sleep well and enjoy my new 

"My Pillow', which arrived yesterday afternoon. I did use it last night, and I must admit I woke up without any neck pain!  The rest of my body was a wreck from tossing and turning in the heat and humidity, but my neck felt great, and still does! So praise God again for an answered prayer! 

I believe I will definitely sleep in peace and comfort tonight...

(from the Devotional book, "Choose Grace")

"I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;

For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."

Psalm 4:8 NKJV

And now I can put away my fans and stop "fanning away".

So thankful they were here when I needed them most, however!

God is good!