Friday Foto Friends - Bearly There...

Well, it is Friday Foto Friends day, and perhaps it is time to "bear my soul" and tell all! Ha Ha..

Well, maybe not...but "bear with me", and we'll "bear this burden" together...

Okay, enough...just thought you'd like to see some bear pictures again...it's been a while.

Did I tell you that we had a bear on our front porch one night this past week?

(Some of you may have already heard this story on Facebook earlier this week)

Well, it was probably this fella here...or maybe the second one...I think they are two different bears...can you tell? The first one looks a little skinnier?

I think this one is a little heavier...they were here at two different times early in the morning.

Anyway, my son gets home rather late at night (or early in the morning) from his job, and he had gone out to his car to get something, and when he started back to the house, all the motion lights came on and then he saw a bear standing at the front door.  So he hollered at him and shone his bright flashlight at him, and the bear turned around and ran away into the woods.

The next day our neighbor saw a bear in the early evening in our neighbor's yard, which is behind our house.

Picture taken by my neighbor of the bear in the yard

What was interesting was that I was watching a deer in the front yard at the same time, who kept sniffing the air and looking toward the back yard and making some noises like it was trying to tell me something...

And I thought perhaps there was another deer in the back yard, but when I went back inside I saw the message and picture (see picture above) from my neighbor about the bear in the back yard, and apparently that is what the deer was trying to tell me!  Amazing how God's creatures communicate with us...if we just learn to pay attention to the signs!!

Now, moving right along...Did I show you this picture of the bees all over this Sumac tree flower a week or so ago? I get confused about what I show on Facebook and what I show here, so "bear with me" again please...Anyway, this is the blossom of a sumac tree, and it was covered with all kinds of bees doing their job of pollinating and perhaps making honey somewhere?

Now, this week this is what the Sumac blossom looks like!  It becomes a cluster of rich berries that the birds will just love in a few more weeks as they ripen and begin to dry...There should be plenty enough to go around because I have seen a bumper crop of these trees blossoming this year! I guess all the rain has really helped.

I told you already this week that I joined the choir at our church this week. Well, last Saturday the choir had a "back to choir practice picnic" at one of the member's homes.  We had a great time, and even had a bonfire (in 85 degree temps) so we could toast marshmallows and have s'mores.  Here I am with my s'more, and my new friend Tammy schmoozing behind me, and trying to get my s'more.

All in good fun.

The other morning I posted some pictures of the sunrise on the pond, and in this picture if you look way over there toward the right at that green patch of land, that is the island where the Sand Hill Cranes have nested and slept all year long.

Although this is isn't very clear because it was early morning and this is quite zoomed in, there are all four of the Sand Hill Crane Family on that island, waking up from their sleep and searching for breakfast.  I was so pleased to see that they still roost on that little island every night, and will probably nest there again in the winter...but I wonder what the youngsters will do if the parents start another family? That will be interesting to see if the youngsters are forced off on their own, or if they parents wait another year to have more kids...

I DO hope they will be safe from harm...remember we used to be concerned about an alligator in the pond? Well, that doesn't seem to have been a real issue for them after all, but now I am more concerned about a two legged intruder with a big, noisy, very destructive "Airboat", who has moved into the neighborhood on the weekends from the city and brought his big toys with him and insists on playing with his big noisy, obnoxious airboat in this, what used to be, a peaceful and quiet little cove, filled with native birds, wildlife, and vegetation.  I'm not sure what the rules are against such an intrusion, but I am hoping the residents who actually live on that pond will speak up and ask this newcomer to respect the peaceful coexistence between nature and humans that we have all enjoyed heretofore...  I do not own property on the waterfront, so do not have a voice, however, the noise factor alone is enough to disturb the peace of the whole neighborhood nearby.  I don't know whose idea the invention of airboats was, but I'm definitely NOT a fan.

Okay, enough complaints...thank you for "bearing with me" in this. I had to vent a little...  Pray that I will keep a sweet and positive attitude should I be faced with these new weekend "neighbors"...

Let's end on a positive note, shall we?

Psalm 25

1.  "To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

2.  O my God, I trust in You;

Let me not be ashamed;

Let not my enemies triumph over me.

3.  Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed;

Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.

4.  Show me Your ways, O Lord;

Teach me Your paths.

5.  Lead me in Your truth and teach me,

For You are the God of my salvation;

On You I wait all the day."

Amen.

Now, let us travel over the Deb's place at Breathing in Grace and visit with our other Friday Foto Friends. Have a blessed and beautiful weekend, my friends.