Saturday Meanderings

 Hello Everyone! Hey! It's the first Saturday in September! And it's 90 degrees here in sunny north central Florida!  However, there are some clouds forming and we are supposed to get some rain later this afternoon. 

I will believe it when I see it. They keep telling us that rain is coming and then it goes completely around us, so we shall see. The forecast for next week also looks like rain every day, so I am hoping and praying that the dry spell is coming to an end and maybe Still Waters Pond will begin to fill up again in time for the Canada Geese to fly in! I actually saw and heard a flock fly over this morning, heading over to a bigger lake nearby...but that is the group that usually likes to come over to our pond in the fall/winter months for a while most every day, so I really hope they will still be able to do that!Speaking of the neighborhood, guess what happened yesterday??? Do you see it??? Yes, that is a U-Haul truck in the yard of the new house next door, finally! The house was actually sold a few months ago, and I've been watching and waiting ever since for someone to move in, and yesterday was the day!



I may not have noticed them over there except that we went outside on our front porch to help our son Benton load up my old green recliner to take to the church Thrift Store finally, and there they were!


And there goes Benton and hubby, taking the chair away! Oh, and btw, that little house right across the street now has people living in it as well. It sat empty for quite a while after an older man purchased it but he never moved in. Instead, he put it back up for sale. However, the house did not sell, and after a while I guess he decided to go ahead and move in there after all. We haven't had a chance to really talk to him, but he seems quiet and pleasant.


I actually got to meet the new neighbors on the side of us as they were leaving last night to take the UHaul truck back. I was out in the front yard watering the plants, and when they went by I waved first at the truck, and then at the car behind it. The man in the car pulled over and stopped and rolled down the window, and he said, "Hi! We're your new neighbors!" He actually had a young lady with him who he introduced as his daughter, and he said that it would be him, his daughter, and his elderly father all living in the house together. Oh, and yes, they do have dogs...3 to be exact, and also a house cat. Thankfully they already put up a fence in the back yard for the dogs, and when hubby went outside this morning to bring our garbage cans back in from the street, the dogs greeted him with some nice loud barks. From here it looks like they are big dogs, like maybe a German Shepherd type. Again, thankfully they have a fenced area in the back that is not actually connected to our property, and it appears they are house dogs, so hopefully they won't be outside barking all the time. And the man and his daughter seemed very friendly and pleasant, so here's hoping that my prayers have been answered for having some good neighbors finally!!


September is a good time to take walks and enjoy the early fall foliage and wildflowers that are still blooming. We went to our historic village walking trail yesterday morning and enjoyed seeing the sights along the way. September is also a good time to see butterflies it seems.



This is a Zebra Longwing butterfly, and I didn't know until now that it is the state butterfly of our state of Florida! Huh! I wonder how come I didn't know that???





Anyway, I was enjoying chasing it around these Firebush flowers . "Firebush is a perennial or semi-woody shrub that is known scientifically as Hamelia patens. Gardeners love firebush because it produces flowers from late spring until the first frost, and the bright red flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies, including the zebra longwing and gulf fritillary butterflies. Song birds also like to feed on the berries."





All the while I was trying to capture pictures of that butterfly, I kept hearing a bird in the tree above me. Finally I looked up and saw this Mockingbird , who just so happens to be the State Bird of Florida! So how interesting to have the state butterfly and the state bird right there together at the same time!!!


Also right there in the same area was this beautiful Beautyberry bush. I think that may be what the Mockingbird was after, as they do love these berries. These berries can also be used to make a mosquito repellent! I have actually had some made from this, and it did work, but it is kind of a dark liquid that stains your skin, so I wasn't really too thrilled with putting it all over myself! LOL. The berries can also be used in jellies and wine, but again, I'm not really into anything quite this wild for my jelly. LOL.



I guess this post is becoming a nature class! LOL. That wasn't my intention, but I do like to identify the things I see for my own education and I figure you might like to know what these things are too! We are never too old to learn something new, right? Anyway, the next creature I saw was this Long-tailed Skipper butterfly. He was enjoying the nectar of some Lantana, which most likely is growing wild, although it may have been planted years ago around these lots that once had houses on them for a hundred years...

The Skipper was also enjoying the nectar of the Coral Vine flowers that were growing all over the same area.




I've shown you this same trunk of this palm tree before, and right now it is covered in coral vine. Earlier this year it had wisteria flowers, and then there was some Cat's Claw flowering vine on it after that. It is amazing to me how many different species of flowering vines can grow on this same tree trunk throughout the year!

The butterflies and birds weren't the only ones enjoying some nectar on this lovely fall day...(actually it is still officially late summer, but you know what I mean), any way...look at this bee! I am happy to see the bees on the flowers, but I just don't want to get too close!

I will close with these thoughts from Psalm 28 today...I am feeling much better these days, and so is my hubby.  Little by little we are regaining our strength and stamina and are looking forward to the beautiful fall days ahead where hopefully we can take more walks and get stronger day by day. We are very thankful to the Lord for helping us both through some difficult days this past summer and giving us a brighter hope for tomorrow. 

Psalm 28:6-7

"6 Blessed be the Lord,

Because He has heard the voice of my supplications!

7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;

My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;

Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,

And with my song I will praise Him."

Amen!

P.S. 4:00 P.M.   It's RAINING!!! Praise the Lord!

Friday Foto Friends, Sunshine and Moon And Mockingbirds

 I've been seeing some beautiful things on Facebook the past couple of days that have spoken to me. I shared one of them yesterday HERE, and then I saw this picture (below) last night and had to share it because of what I was actually doing when I saw this picture...read on for more of this story...

"To stay positive amidst chaos, cultivate gratitude, surround yourself with positivity, and focus on what you can control.
Don’t forget, you can control how you view, process and react to events. Most people handle stress and unfortunate circumstances with a knee-jerk, panicked response. Sometimes simply switching off can make a huge difference to how we feel. This doesn’t mean that we’re sticking our head in the sand. It means that we’re limiting what we’re exposed to for our own well-being.
𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙡𝙙-𝙛𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙝 𝙖𝙞𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙩. Laura Ingalls Wilder
Artist ~ Prernaverse"

So, what was I doing when I saw this picture?  Enjoying some fresh air and "Sunshine"!  I had just gotten this new magazine in the mail, and thought it would be so nice to sit in the garden and read it:

The azaleas are so pretty right now! I was really enjoying this beautiful spot.

Yeah, that's me sitting out there in the Secret Memorial Garden, with my kitties nearby. You can't see Sunshine in this picture, but she is laying down in front of the bird bath, and Blackie is sitting right there in plain view.  

Hubby took this picture of us from a distance, but here are some that I took during this beautiful time of relaxation and pure peace and joy:

I had just fed the kitties up on the back porch, and then I went down to sit in the garden, and immediately Sunshine followed me!

It was so beautiful, sitting there beside Still Waters Pond, feeling a delightful breeze and the warmth of the afternoon sun.  It was a picture perfect kind of day!

So Sunshine laid down in the shade and was very content to relax there with me.

And soon, Blackie saw that we were having such a good time, so he came down off the porch to join us:

They both just laid there, enjoying the peace and calm and beauty of the afternoon with me.  I never knew having two "wild" (LOL) kitties could be so blissful... (I know, they don't look very "wild", do they?)

After a while they decided to go lay in the grass in the sunshine and watch the birds, who of course, would not come near their birdhouses or feeders while the kitties were laying there!

Just two lazy kitties, laying in the green grass on an almost spring day! It definitely feels like spring here in Florida!

Meanwhile, back over where I was, as soon as the kitties moved away, this Mockingbird came and sat in the Holly Trees right in front of me:

Isn't he handsome?  

It made me think of this song, which I haven't heard probably since I was a child!

Here's the song "Listen to the Mockingbird" sung by Dolly Parton and Stuart Duncan.

Here is the history of the song:  Listen To The Mockingbird

And although this Mockingbird did not sing for me while he sat there in the tree, he certainly gave me plenty of time to enjoy his beauty and give thanks for such a perfect day!

Did you know that the Mockingbird is the Florida State bird? You can read about that HERE

Here's a link to 10 fun facts about the Northern Mockingbird from the Audubon Society, if you wish to read them.

Until I did this little bit of research on this song, I never really knew the lyrics or what they were about. I only remembered the part that said "Listen to the Mockingbird, listen to the Mockingbird".   Little did I know it was written prior to the Civil War.  Here is part of what it says in Wikipedia about this song:

"Listen to the Mocking Bird" (1855) is an American popular song of the mid-19th century. Its lyrics were composed by Septimus Winner under the pseudonym "Alice Hawthorne", and its music was by Richard Milburn.[1][2][3]

It relates the story of a singer dreaming of his sweetheart, now dead and buried, and a mockingbird, whose song the couple once enjoyed, now singing over her grave. However, the melody is moderately lively.

"Listen to the Mocking Bird" was one of the most popular ballads of the era and sold more than twenty million copies of sheet music.[4] It was popular during the American Civil War and was used as marching music. Abraham Lincoln was especially fond of it, saying, "It is as sincere as the laughter of a little girl at play."[5]

Lyrics

I’m dreaming now of Hally, sweet Hally, sweet Hally,

I’m dreaming now of Hally,

For the thought of her is one that never dies;

She’s sleeping in the valley, the valley, the valley,

She’s sleeping in the valley,

And the mocking bird is singing where she lies

CHORUS

Listen to the mocking bird,

Listen to the mocking bird,

The mocking bird still singing o’er her grave;

Listen to the Mocking bird,

Listen to the mocking bird,

Still singing where the weeping willows wave.

Ah! Well I yet remember, remember, remember,

Ah! Well I yet remember

When we gather’d in the cotton side by side;

‘Twas in the mild September, September, September,

‘Twas in the mild September,

And the mocking bird was singing far and wide.

When the charms of spring awaken, awaken, awaken,

When the charms of spring awaken,

And the mocking bird is singing on the bough,

I feel like one forsaken, forsaken, forsaken,

I feel like one forsaken,

Since my Hally is no longer with me now.

QUARTETTE

Listen to the mocking bird,

Listen to the mocking bird,

The mocking bird still singing o’er her grave;

Listen to the mocking bird,

Listen to the mocking bird,

Still singing where the weeping willows wave.

Listen to the mocking bird,

Listen to the mocking bird, the mocking bird still sing o’er her grave;

Listen to the mocking bird,

Listen to the mocking bird,

Still singing where the weeping willows wave.

Hawthorne, Alice, "Listen to the Mocking Bird" (1850). Historic Sheet Music Collection.

I guess we all learned something about the Mockingbird today!

Now, before the day was completely over, this happened...a full moon was rising:

And then there was the Lunar Eclipse!

NO, those aren't MY pictures (above),

But here are my pictures below, and yes, I did get up at 2:30 in the morning to take them!

Oh, How I wished I had a good camera that could take better pictures of the moon and the stars! It was a perfectly clear sky, and I could see all the constellations of the stars, and the moon was just amazing! I stayed up for about 20 minutes, just watching and enjoying every minute of it.

I wish I could show you what I really saw.  It was amazing!  I just stood in awe of God's beautiful creation in the heavenlies, and gave Him glory!

And then I woke up again this morning around 5:30, (actually, I hardly slept at all last night...that lovely dinner we had yesterday at the Mexican place was talking to me! LOL) and here is how the moon looked as it descended over Still Waters Pond:

Jeremiah 32:17 NKJV

 17 ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You."

I hope you enjoyed this beautiful time with me.  And remember, there is NOTHING too hard for our Lord God, no matter what you may be facing today.  You can always rely on Him to take care of everything you need. Amen.

"Singing in the Rain"

 It's a rainy Sunday afternoon here on Still Waters Pond:

I know, that looks like a moose is walking on the water and a dove in the sky and a fish jumping in the pond, and an angel blowing her trumpet and a bird singing...Yes, it's amazing the things you can see here on Still Waters Pond, if you just use your imagination a little bit...

I even imagined that I saw this Mockingbird taking a shower in the rain on the top of our Holly tree...oh wait! That's a REAL Mockingbird, and he really is taking a shower in the rain...

And he seemed to be enjoying every minute of it. How do I know?

Because all the time he was spreading out his wings and feathers to let them get thoroughly cleansed by this free shower, he was singing...

It didn't bother him one bit that it was raining "cats and dogs" on top of his head...he was singing at the top of his lungs while he enjoyed the cool waters cascading down through his feathers, washing away the bugs and mites and dust that accumulates when you don't get to bathe very often.

The Mockingbird wasn't the only bird enjoying God's free shower...can you see that Cardinal in the middle of the red holly berries?  He was also taking advantage of this lovely rainy afternoon to get all nice and fresh and clean.  

One song came to mind, "Singing in the Rain" by Gene Kelly,

"I'm singing in the rain

Just singing in the rain

What a glorious feelin'

I'm happy again

I'm laughing at clouds

So dark up above

The sun's in my heart

And I'm ready for love

Let the stormy clouds chase

Everyone from the place

Come on with the rain

I've a smile on my face

I walk down the lane

With a happy refrain

Just singin',

Singin' in the rain"

I can imagine the birds felt this "glorious feelin'" and they were "laughing at clouds so dark up above..."

Oh to be so free and happy like the birds, without a care in the world...dancing and singing in the rain with a smile on our face...just laughing at the clouds...yes, "What a glorious feelin" to be so happy again.

It seems like the past six or seven months have kind of knocked the smile off of a lot our faces...and since we have to keep our faces covered with a mask...we can't even see each other smile anymore.  It's been a bit discouraging to say the least. And now to have our President and First Lady and so many others fighting this illness, we are even more perplexed about the future and what we should do next.

But this morning in church our Praise Team sang another song that keeps reverberating in my mind ever since I came home:  

"The God of the Mountain"

Life is easy, when you're up on the mountain

And you've got peace of mind, like you've never known

But things change, when you're down in the valley

Don't lose faith, for you're never alone

For the God on the mountain, is still God in the valley

When things go wrong, He'll make them right

And the God of the good times, is still God in the bad times

The God of the day is still God in the night

You talk of faith, when you're up on the mountain

But talk comes so easy, when life's at it's best

Now it's down in the valleys, of trials and temptations

That's where your faith, is really put to the test

For the God on the mountain is still God in the valley

When things go wrong, He'll make them right

And the God of the good times, is still God in the bad times

The God of the day, is still God in the night

The God of the day, is still God in the night

So, when we are faced with "rainy days" that seem to dampen our spirits, and difficult times that drag us down into the valley of despair, we need to remember that "The God of the Mountain is still God in the valley..."  May we be like that Mockingbird sitting on top of that tree, singing in the pouring down rain and rejoicing in the opportunity to use that rain for a cleansing shower...washing away the dust and filth of the world, and restoring our faith, for we are never alone. "The God of the day is still God in the night."  

What a great lesson from the Mockingbird today! I hope this brings a smile to your face so that you too can sing in the rain!!  

By the way, you might want to listen to the sermon that follows the song above. It was a great message from I Peter 3:13-22.  You may find it to be very encouraging as well.

15.  "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, 

and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

16.  having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, 

those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.

17.  For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil."

I'll talk to you all later.

Be blessed, and try singing in the rain!

It may just bring a smile to your face again!

Friday Foto Friends-Joyful Trees and Other Beauties

"Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it.

Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the Lord.

For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth.

He shall judge the world with righteousness,

And the peoples with His truth."

Psalm 96:12-13

We took a ride this past week to a little town on the other side of the St. John's River, to visit some dear people at a church where my husband used to be the pastor. They had invited him to come and speak at a "Seniors Luncheon" ...JOY...Just-Older-Youth, they call themselves, and afterwards we enjoyed a marvelous pot-luck luncheon.  I'd say we were definitely in luck with that luncheon...such great cooks they have at that church! It was a wonderful time of singing, preaching, and eating.  The pictures above were taken as we drove around that little community,..the town is known for its fern business, supplying ferns to the florists of the nation.  The top pictures are of a natural hammock of oak trees with the ferns growing underneath their shade. So beautiful, don't you think?

The picture below is of the church parsonage next door, where the pastor lives. That is where we lived when we served at that church almost 20 years ago! (Time sure flies!) We weren't there for very long, but yet we made such long lasting friendships there...some very special people. So thankful for the privilege of serving the Lord there.

"Oh sing to the Lord a new song!

Sing to the Lord, all the earth.

Sing to the Lord, bless His name;

Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day."

Psalm 96:1-2

This little mockingbird likes to perch on the tree right outside our bathroom window. I love the expression on his face as he is looking in at me looking out at him! 

I wonder what he is thinking? Maybe I should ask you to caption this...

And speaking of looking out the windows, this is what I saw this morning (Thursday) when I looked out our front windows to our front yard:

What a wonderful way to start the day!!

In this picture below the deer had all run over to the far side of the yard as a truck drove by on the road. They were ready to leap into the woods and hide if that truck had gotten any closer...

After the truck passed by, the leader of the herd went to the road to check both ways before they decided to move on down the road themselves... (I love that one little deer who always seems to know I'm watching them)

And there they go!

Back to the back yard fence we go...I came home today from a ladies' luncheon (forgot to take pictures!)  and found these "new friends" sitting on the fence posts...Our neighbor loves to tease us with these things he finds at yard sales and he wants to share them with us so he leaves them on the fence posts for us to enjoy.  I think I need to tell him that we are trying to downsize and get rid of things, but I don't want to hurt his feelings. He is a dear soul and this is his way of having fun...so we are playing along and having fun with this...

 "Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!

Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before His presence with Thanksgiving;

Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms."

Psalm 95:1-2

I hope that each of you will have a marvelous Thanksgiving...hard to believe that is next week already! I know it will be a busy week for all, so we will catch up with each other as we are able.  The important thing is BE Thankful in all things!! We are a very blessed people. Please Pray for the people in California who have lost their homes, and also for those in Mexico Beach, FL and Panama City, FL, who are all suffering the loss of their homes and many also who have lost loved ones. May God be merciful to them and send the help that they need. Amen.

Now let us venture over to Deb's place at Breathing in Grace and visit our other Friday Foto Friends.