Friday Foto Friends~A Little This and That

Earlier this week hubby and I decided to take a different morning walk than our usual through the woods walk.  There is a very nice walking path down through the center of the historical section of our little town.  It apparently follows what used to be the train tracks  through town.  It was a delightful, quiet beautiful walk, past some of the lovely older homes.

Like this one. I thought I had shared pictures of this with you before, but apparently I only showed them on Facebook in a group that I follow called "Old Florida".  

So if you've seen these pictures before, pardon me. I get confused sometimes as to where and what I've been and done...comes with age, they tell me...

Like this lovely old home...it has some age on it...about 100 years to be exact. But I don't know anything more about it. It does not appear to be actively lived in, but I know according the the tax records that someone bought it about 10 years ago, and it is being maintained.

Can't you just imagine sitting up on that upper verandah, enjoying a nice summer breeze and sipping some southern sweet iced tea?  (I prefer mine unsweet, with lemon, thank you!)

I really was tempted to walk up to that front door and knock on it, just to see if anyone was home.  But my courage failed me. Maybe if one of you were here with me we could get up our courage together. Wouldn't that be fun? Maybe they'd invite us in for a cup of tea and some cookies or cake...

Yes, I would LOVE to explore this old house.  I am going to keep an eye on it, and if I ever see anyone there, I just might get up my nerve to seek out an invitation...LOL.

Anyway, back to our walk...there is another lovely big house over across the way from that one above, but I was more interested in taking a picture of the wonderful sign in their yard, which stays up year round:

"Christ is Risen", and the other smaller sign to its right says, "And Coming Again".

I think that is a good reminder for us to ponder upon in these days of turbulence in our land.

I also enjoyed their lovely white picket fence and this nice park bench to sit upon when we got tired from walking:

I hope we will take this walk more often. There are more pictures I'd like to take along the way.

Meanwhile, this past week I had a little setback with my neck issues. Two weeks to the day from when I had the epidural in my neck for pain and inflammation, I had another major spasm that was very painful. That was very disconcerting for me, as I was hoping the epidural medicines would last a bit longer. There are no guarantees on this procedure, and so I must continue to persevere with my physical therapy and exercises and prayer.  I did have PT that same day, and I came home with this lovely blue bandage. It is not an ordinary bandage...it is to help with nerve conduction or something like that in my arm. The therapist said I had something called double crush syndrome.  After he manipulated and stretched and basically tortured me (not really, but it felt like it), he put this bandaid on it and said to leave it there all week and not try to take it off except with baby oil or something like that so it wouldn't pull off my skin when I remove it.  Thankfully, whatever it is supposed to be doing seems to be helping, so I guess I'll do what I'm told.

Okay, this is a picture of a grocery delivery truck from our local grocery store.  I just think it is cute and I wanted to take a picture of it.  Signs of the times...grocery delivery trucks!  

And this family stopped by for a visit last evening:

The Sand Hill Crane family came for hors d'oeuvres of some tasty bugs and grubs.  

Now I will close with these photos. As I was sitting at my desk last evening I looked out the window and I couldn't help but see that heart in that tall pine tree over there across the pond. Do you see it?

I know the picture is grainy and not too good because it was dark and this was taken through the window, but can you see the shape of the heart in that tree?  I had never noticed it before and last night it just stood out so clearly to me, I wondered why I had not seen it before.

But if you look at this picture below, taken the night before, it is there, plain as day...I just wasn't focused on it.  

That heart was there all the time...much like God's love for you and me.  It's there all the time, and we tend to overlook it when we are so focused on other things around us.  We get to a point where we think God must not love us or we just don't think about Him at all.   There's an old song I remember that kind of speaks to this:

He Was There All The Time

by Bill and Gloria Gaither, 

Sung by Sue Dodge

Time after time I was searching for peace in some void

I was trying to blame all my ills on this world I was in

Surface relationships used me till I was done in

But all the while someone was begging to free me from sin

Chorus

He was there all the time

He was there all the time

Waiting patiently in line

He was there all the time

Never again will I search for a fake rainbows end

Now that I’ve found the answer my life is just starting to rhyme

Sharing each new day with Him is a breath of fresh life

Oh what I've missed He's been waiting right here all the time

Chorus

He was there all the time

He was there all the time

Waiting patiently in line

He was there all the time

I hope you enjoyed that song...and that it spoke to you today...Remember, Jesus is always there for us, even when we aren't even looking for Him...He's still there...waiting patiently in line!

Have a blessed and wonderful weekend, my friends.

 

Weakness and Strength...and A Little Adventure Just for Fun!

 Just some turkeys crossing the road...a great way to start our Monday!

Here's a quick Monday morning check in! I hope you are all doing well and that you had a good weekend. My weekend was good for the most part. Had a few glitches with the neck spasms on Friday during therapy and also on Saturday, but by Sunday I was feeling much better, praise the Lord!  Good enough to go to church and worship with our church family...

The Praise Team singing "There's Power in the Blood" was actually recorded last year. But the Pastor's sermon from Philippians 3:1-11 is current.

If you want to sing along with us, here are the words to this old time gospel song:

"Would you be free from your burden of sin?

There’s power in the blood, power in the blood.

Would you o’er evil a victory win?

There’s wonderful power in the blood.

There is power, power, wonderworking power in the blood of the lamb

There is power, power, wonderworking power in the precious blood of the lamb.

Would you be free from your passion and pride?

There’s power in the blood, power in the blood.

Come for a cleansing to Calvary’s tide

There’s wonderful power in the blood.

There is power, power, wonderworking power in the blood of the lamb

There is power, power, wonderworking power in the precious blood of the lamb.

Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow

There’s power in the blood, power in the blood.

Sin stains are lost in its lifegiving flow.

There’s wonderful power in the blood.

There is power, power, wonderworking power in the blood of the lamb

There is power, power, wonderworking power in the precious blood of the lamb.

Would you do service for Jesus your King?

There’s power in the blood, power in the blood.

Would you live daily His praises to sing?

There’s wonderful power in the blood."

There is power, power, wonderworking power in the blood of the lamb

There is power, power, wonderworking power in the precious blood of the lamb.

Amen!

After going out to lunch at our local True Grits restaurant with some friends and family, we came home and rested up for a while.  Then Lily Grace was begging to go for an adventure...a Scavenger Hunt, to be exact.  You can read all about it over on her page: https://adventuresoflilygrace.blogspot.com/2021/07/lets-go-on-scavenger-hunt.html

We had so much fun doing this, that we thought you might want to join in the fun! This would be a great adventure to do with your grandchildren or just by yourself.  Then be sure to take pictures of your discoveries and share them in your next post!  Here's the list, which actually came from the August edition of Better Homes and Gardens magazine, and you can upload it on your phone here:

https://static.onecms.io/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/sites/37/2021/07/09/BHG-Budget-Adventures-bingo-card.pdf

It will look something like this:  

There you see all the items you are to go searching for! Don't forget to take a picture when you find it! I think it would be fun to see how many different ones you can find in your neighborhood/town. Then please let me know when you do it!  Hey! If I can do this, so can you! Enlist a cooperative husband or friend to go along with you.  I think my hubby had just as much fun as we did. I am amazed at his patience with me and my little friend Lily Grace.  Gotta love a man who will drive all over town with his crazy wife and her cute little doll, stopping the car every time she yells "STOP!  I want to take a picture of that!"  Sometimes we had to make a few u-turns to go back to the spot because he couldn't stop as fast as I could yell for him to stop.  You get the picture I am sure.    Oh, here's a few pictures that I didn't share on Lily's page:

When we had stopped the car on one of the back roads where we like to go walking to take a picture of a fire hydrant, I looked down the road and saw what I thought at first to be a bunch of buzzards gathered around some good road-kill.  But on second glance I realized these were turkeys! A whole big flock of turkeys!!  I'm thinking someone must be feeding them for them to all gather in that spot, boy did they start strutting across the road in a hurry when they saw me:

Sorry this isn't better quality, but it was my cell phone and that's as far as it goes for distance.

These pictures do beg the question:

Why did the turkey cross the road????

To get to the other side, of course...and away from the crazy lady with the doll and the camera, I'm sure!

On that note, I think I will say have a good day!

I'm off to therapy again this morning. Praying it doesn't get my nerves and muscles all in a spasm again. I know you gotta have some pain to make things get stronger, but jeepers...

One of the fellas in Sunday School yesterday made this observation, which I thought worth quoting:

"Pain is the body's way of getting rid of weakness."

Come to find out, that is a variation of a famous  quote by someone named Chesty Puller:

I had no idea who "Chesty Puller" was, so I looked him up:

"Chesty Puller, in full Lewis Burwell Puller, (born June 26, 1898, West Point, Virginia, U.S.—died October 11, 1971, Hampton, Virginia), United States Marine Corps officer who was the most decorated and venerated Marine in the history of the Corps. Across three wars and two counterinsurgency campaigns, Puller won five Navy Crosses and earned an unrivaled place in the hearts of Marines as the quintessential Leatherneck—“hard as the frontal armor of a tank, tenacious as a bulldog, courageous to a fault, and scornful of anyone or anything that did not wear the eagle, globe, and anchor insignia.”

I might have known he was a Marine.  Sounds like something a Marine officer would say to his recruits.

But hey, it makes sense. So if I want this weakness to leave my body, I guess I need to suffer a little pain in the process.  So say a prayer for me!  Thank you.

I prefer what God says to us through His Word:

9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

II Corinthians 12:9-10

Maybe there's a blending of thoughts here...through my physical weakness, Christ's power will become more perfect in me. He will give me the grace and the strength I need to face this challenge and any other challenge that comes in the future.  This is another kind of strengthening exercise.

Okay...now...go find those items on the Scavenger hunt, and have a blessed day!!!

 

Friday Foto Friends~A Model's Porfolio

Good Morning Friday Foto Friends!!  

Today I would like to present to you one of our fine feathered friends, Harriet Hawk, dressed in a most beautiful long gown of shimmering brown and white feathers...
 

Harriet is coyly showing off her lovely red-shoulder as she demurely glances back at the audience...

This design is truly exquisitely decorated with deep hues of brown and black and gray, mottled with rustic reds and white highlights...

Harriet is giving us a little wink as she lets us catch a glimpse of the gorgeous buff colored ruffled scarf draped around her neck and down over her bodice...

Oh! What charm and poise as she glances up at our audience in the balcony...or is that a haughty look of superior boredom as she wishes this show were over so she could fly away to some more exotic land?

Harriet wants us to see her lovely crown of tawny feathering, perfectly styled in the latest fashion...

Yes, Harriet is certainly giving us a wonderful look at her glorious plumage today...

I do believe she is bowing to her audience, acknowledging our presence...

Oh yes! Harriet has spotted us in the gallery! She's looking right at us! She knows we are enjoying her efforts to give us a lovely show today...

Another look at those on the lower level of the stage...

There's that cool "off the shoulder" look at those around her once again...

And then, with a final look at her admirers, she bids her adieu and she was gone!

Wasn't she just magnificent?

Let's give a hearty round of applause for Harriet Hawk, our lovely model of the day!!!

Here are some thoughts for the day from the  "Choose Grace" devotional:

"Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom;

Set your heart on a life of understanding."

Proverbs 2:3

And that is just what this Sand Hill Crane appears to be doing...He is in a hurry to get to church on time!

What things are you off and running to do today?

I'll be going to physical therapy again this morning.  Yesterday we started on the exercises to help strengthen my neck muscles.  Today I am wishing I didn't have to go do that again...but as I've been saying to remind myself,

"No pain, no gain!"  

It's got to hurt a little bit to make it stronger and better. 

We have to work for what we want and need in this life. 

So here I go.

Have a wonderful day, my friends.

Tuesday 4: Books, TV, Movies and more...

 This week the Tuesday 4 meme was all about Books, TV,  Movies.  I didn't participate in the meme yesterday because I just couldn't come up with any interesting answers. But I enjoyed reading everyone else's thoughts on the topic.  You can check them out at the link above.  But the first question was...well, what the heck. I might as well play along. Better late than never...

"Hello Friends.. welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4. Just 4 questions each week. So glad you are joining in and the more the merrier!"

Books.. TV.. Movies are the topic of the week.

1 A movie theme song will play every time you walk in the room.. what is it? (consider asking family or friends)  I finally came up with a song as I was looking out my window at the little Bluebird house in our yard...

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay

My, oh, my, what a wonderful day

Plenty of sunshine headin' my way

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay!

Mister Bluebird's on my shoulder

It's the truth, it's "actch'll"

Everything is "satisfactch'll"

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay

Wonderful feeling, wonderful day!

Yes, sir

2. What movie, book or TV program could you live in?

Anne of Green Gables....

Most of you have heard that I was named after Anne of Green Gables...my middle name is Anne, spelled with an "e", because I was a redhead and my mother loved this story, and when she saw me for the first time she knew she had to give me that name...

3. Is there a book/movie/TV quote you often think about or that effects you in some way?

Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music

4. OK friend, its your turn to organize our Blogger Movie Night where we get together as a group for snacks and movies! What movies have you planned for us tonight and what snacks are we going to have?

Well, based on all of the above answers, I guess we will watch those three movies:  The Song of the South (zippity doo dah!), Anne of Green Gables, and The Sound of Music.  Snacks...We will have fruit cake and cherry preserves and raspberry cordial, in honor of the famous tea party that didn't turn out so well that Anne of Green Gables had with her best bosom friend Diana...well, maybe we won't have that exactly, but we will have popcorn for sure because I think we should always eat popcorn while watching movies. And maybe a delicious homemade pizza.  Drinks? Well, probably sodas and/or iced tea or coffee if you prefer. OR how about a Root Beer Float??? Haven't had one of those in ages!!

Okay, I did it. Sorry I was so late. I just needed some inspiration from the rest of you.

Speaking of bluebirds, Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird have been quite busy lately...apparently the babies have arrived and the parents are coming back and forth with juicy bugs for them all day long.  It's hard to get a good picture because they are in and out so quickly, but here's the latest today of Mrs. Bluebird:

Maybe she is singing "Zippity doo dah!"

On another note, I started my physical therapy yesterday for my neck.  I will be going 3x a week for three weeks, and then we will re-evaluate my progress. I am also scheduled for the epidural in my neck later this month. Praying that will help.   Yesterday at the PT appointment I was being asked to think about all the things I can no longer do because of this pain and discomfort in my neck.  I guess I hadn't really thought about it that way. But when faced with the question the reality hit me...there are things that I have not been doing or find difficult to do because of decreased strength in my arms, which is caused by the pressure on the nerves in my neck.  One thing I've noticed is that it is very painful/difficult for me to lift a full pitcher of iced tea and to put it back in the refrigerator:

Lifting a gallon of bleach or milk or anything that size is also very difficult:

Even lifting this teapot full of hot water to make a pot of tea is difficult because I can't use two hands on it when it is hot:

The therapist also asked me about reading..."Can you sit and read a book?"  I hadn't thought about it like that. I just knew that I have not been doing much reading at all in quite a while, and when I do try to hold up a book I have to hold it up in front of me at eye level so I don't bend my neck down to read, and that is why I am finding it difficult to sit and read anymore for any length of time.  

It is also why I sit at a desktop computer rather than try to use a laptop. Thankfully that is what I have and what I prefer anyway.  I've tried to use my hubby's laptop, and I find it very difficult.

But the thing I thought about the most that made me kind of sad was realizing that I no longer feel like inviting people over for gatherings at our house, which is something I've always loved to do. Our house has always been the gathering place for family holidays, etc., and now, with the exception of our immediate family here for a meal now and then, I just don't feel like going through all of the work it takes to clean/cook/ and clean up after for larger groups.  That actually makes me sad. But in reality, since last year's pandemic, no one really wants to travel and come anyway so I guess it doesn't matter. If we get together we have to find a place half way where we can meet at a restaurant or something. Or someone else has to do the cooking and cleaning...which is a nice idea, don't you think?

So, my goals in getting better is not to focus on what I can't do, but what I can do.  I don't want to be a person who just says I can't do this or that anymore. I want to be a person who CAN do.  Even though with something like degenerative disc disease my neck and spine will probably not really ever get better, but with proper exercise and PT the goal is to hopefully strengthen the muscles that support those areas and fight this thing and not let it define what I can and cannot do or who I am or will become. That is my hope and prayer.  

Remember this song?  Maybe this should be my theme song:

"I'm only human I'm just a woman

Help me to believe in what I could be and all that I am

Show me the stairway that I have to climb

Lord for my sake teach me to take one day at a time

One day at a time sweet Jesus that's all I'm asking from you

Give me the strength to do everyday what I have to do

Yesterday's gone sweet Jesus and tomorrow may never be mine

So for my sake teach me to take one day at a time

Do you remember when you walked among men

Well Jesus you know if you're looking below it's worse now than then

Pushing and shoving crowding my mind

So for my sake teach me to take one day at a time

One day at a time sweet Jesus that's all I'm asking from you

Give me the strength to do everyday what I have to do

Yesterday's gone sweet Jesus and tomorrow may never be mine

Yes just for my sake teach me to take one day at a time"

Thanks for sticking with me here friends.    Oh, one more thing.  Our dear blogging friend Martha Jane Orlando from "Meditations of My Heart" lost her dear mother this week after a prolonged illness. Please remember her in your thoughts and prayers.  

Also, another dear blogging friend, Mildred from Laurel Wood is having some health concerns and I know she would appreciate your prayers as well.   Thank you dear friends. You're the best!