Wednesday Treasures...Or Photo Dump Day!

 Happy Wednesday!  Some people call Wednesday "Hump Day", but today I am calling it "Photo Dump Day!"  It seems like I've been accumulating a lot of miscellaneous photos that haven't found their time to "rise and shine", so today will be the day. So pour yourself a cup of tea or coffee and let's take a walk through the garden or the house or wherever this leads us, okay?

I don't always take pictures of my breakfast, but I thought this was pretty so I did.  I baked some banana nut bread the other day, and we enjoy a slice (or two) for breakfast while it lasts...I prefer to put some cream cheese on mine. Of course, one must have some protein, so I made a little "omelette" of eggs, spinach, ham and cheese.  This made a delightful breakfast! I may just have it again today if there is anymore Banana nut bread.  HERE is a link to a post with the recipe if you wish to make your own!

I just looked at this again, and thought that might qualify for a "Green Eggs and Ham" Day.  If you've ever had grandchildren or have worked with young children, you know all about this! LOL.

Well, what's this?  Oh, yes, we must have some Blackie pictures! The other day he saw that our bedroom door was open, and for him that is an opportunity to race me to and through the open door and go hide either under the bed or, if the closet door is open, he loves to go in there and jump in my clothes basket.  This time, since I couldn't entice him to get out of the basket, I just pulled the basket with him inside out into the living room!  He actually enjoyed the ride and stayed right there in it once it stopped! 

But lately he has been choosing to come sit in this rocking chair, which is right behind me as I sit at my computer in the "Room With a View".  

Please notice what is written on the little pillow behind him..."The Song of Bluebirds".  

After he gives himself his morning bath after eating his breakfast, he curls up on this chair and goes to sleep.  For some reason he has decided he likes this even better than sitting in Daddy's lap!  Although he will still do that at other times of the day if Daddy is sitting still long enough.

Speaking of the Bluebirds, some of you may have already seen some of these pictures on my Facebook page the other day.  I took these pictures a couple of mornings ago, when Mama Bluebird was trying to entice the babies out of the nest by offering them bites of this big juicy bug.

How would you like THIS for breakfast?  (would it be better than green eggs and ham??)

What she would do is stick her head in the house with this bug, and let the babies get a little taste of it, and then fly away with it trying to get them to follow her.  

Reminds me of this part of Psalm 34...

"8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

9 Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!

There is no want to those who fear Him.

10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger;

But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing."

I used the illustration of the bluebirds enticing their babies out of the nest with little bites of food in our Ladie's Bible Study the other day.  One lady was asking about how do you encourage someone to go back to church after many years away. The person had recently lost her husband, and had not been to church in many years, and she was very despondent.  However she was resistant to those who were inviting her to go to church, and when she did finally go, she was very critical of everything and didn't want to go back.  I had just watched these bluebirds trying to get the babies to follow them out of the nest with little bits of food, and I shared with these ladies that sometimes you have to "spoon feed" a person with just little bits of "food" from God's Word, and let your own light shine before them so that they will see how God is working in your own life as you go through difficult times.  Perhaps eventually they will want to know how you've found peace in your own life, and you will be able to share Christ with them more fully.  We can't just try to shove a steak down their throats when they really need to be fed with little bits of "baby food" until they are ready for more.  I love how God gives us illustrations from His creation to get His point across, don't you?

Speaking of feeding birds...Our hummingbirds have been active too. This is a male Ruby Throated Hummingbird at the feeder...can you see how smoky it is?  This was a couple of days ago. The smoke has been really thick for the past few days, although this morning is a bit better.  The fires are mostly north of us about 20-25 miles, but the wind blows the smoke our way and it has been pretty bad.

But I was happy to get these photos of the hummingbird. He looks healthy enough.

Also, if you are a Facebook friend, you probably already saw this opossum drinking from the pan of water in the yard.  This was early in the morning the other day.  I know all the critters are very thirsty since the pond is so dry and even some of the lakes are getting quite low.

I'm glad there was still some water in that pan for him. I've been trying to keep them filled.  (There's a lot of dead leaves in there, which I also try to keep out, but there's a lot of dead leaves still blowing around out there with the wind and the drought).

Thankfully our squash plants are doing quite well, since I water them every day...

Everyday there are new flowers on them, so that means there will hopefully be a good crop of zucchini and yellow squash this summer!

And the tomato plants are also getting lots of little flowers. They seem to like the new location.

We took a walk the other morning and I saw this Coral Bean plant blooming...They will attract hummingbirds, and there are some good uses of the plant, however, the beans are poisonous, so don't eat the beans! (or get them on your hands).

I also followed this Red-Bellied Woodpecker  around  trying to get a good picture of him:

He just kept flying further away and I couldn't keep up with him, but he was busy finding bugs to eat in the trees, so I left him alone.

Last night's sunset was pretty special, after a day will smoke filled skies...

However, if you look at the lower clouds on the horizon, you will see that there a lot of smoke there:

Still, we could see the Crescent Moon up in the sky:

Pretty cool!

It was a beautiful evening and I said a prayer of thankfulness that we were safe from the fires here...

But we continue to pray for those in harm's way who are fighting the fires as well as those who live in closer proximity to them.  There have been some evacuations, but thankfully no loss of life (that I've heard of).

However at sunrise this morning, the skies were still very smoky in the distance, and we could still definitely smell it:

Actually, that smoke isn't that far away...but thankfully the fires are...

The skies over the still very dry Still Waters Pond this morning:

I would like to close this post with a favorite passage of scripture from the Psalms, which I believe is appropriate in these turbulent times both here locally with the fires and drought, and around the world, with the wars and unrest and serious threats to so many...Praying this for our firefighters, law enforcement, political leaders and our soldiers, and any who are in harms' way.  

Psalm 91 NIV

1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you

from the fowler’s snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5 You will not fear the terror of night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

8 You will only observe with your eyes

and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”

and you make the Most High your dwelling,

10 no harm will overtake you,

no disaster will come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways;

12 they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;

you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

16 With long life I will satisfy him

and show him my salvation.”

Amen.

I hope you enjoyed my Wednesday "photo dump day".

Have a blessed and safe day, wherever you are.

Thankful Thursday

 It's Thursday Evening...and I'm thankful for so many things...

Let's start with this gorgeous sunrise this morning...

Psalm 118:24 NKJV

24 This is the day the Lord has made;

We will rejoice and be glad in it.

And our flag is still standing strong, no matter what the rest of the crazy people in our world (country) may be doing or thinking...but this is not going to be a political post...let's just say I'm thankful to live in Florida, where we still proclaim "In God We Trust"!

This was last night's sunset over Still Waters Pond...

Psalm 19  NKJV

The Perfect Revelation of the Lord

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

 1 The heavens declare the glory of God;

And the firmament shows His handiwork.

2 Day unto day utters speech,

And night unto night reveals knowledge.

3 There is no speech nor language

Where their voice is not heard.

4 Their line has gone out through all the earth,

And their words to the end of the world.

In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,

5 Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,

And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.

6 Its rising is from one end of heaven,

And its circuit to the other end;

And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

Last night's full moon...(I wish my phone could capture its beauty better, but you get the idea)

And here it is again tonight, partially hidden behind some cloudy skies, but still beautiful:

Many of you have mentioned and noticed how dry our Still Waters Pond is from my previous post.  Here was how it looked early this morning...Even though it is nearly dry, the Great White Egret, Great Blue Heron, and Mr. and Mrs. Sand Hill Crane are still finding some water in which to look for their breakfast:

It was still just barely daylight, so these photos aren't real clear, but I wanted you to see that there is still life on Still Waters Pond in spite of the dry conditions. I am very thankful for that little bit of water, and continue to pray that the rains will soon come and replenish and restore it to new life once again.

Now, here'a praise item.  I hadn't mentioned it, but our pretty kitty Sunshine had not been home for over two days, which is not like him at all. He rarely ever misses a meal, even if he might be a little late sometimes.  I was really getting worried and was afraid he was lost or hurt or perhaps got himself locked in someone's shed or something...I read about someone else's cat doing that here in our community, and the poor kitty was locked in a neighbor's shed and the neighbors weren't home for several days, and the owner of the kitty finally heard the kitty meowing in there, but had no way to get him out. Finally some good Samaritans came to her aide and they managed to get the kitty out, who was hungry, but otherwise fine after several days of confinement. Anyway, when I saw that on Facebook in our community "Word of Mouth" page, I wondered if that could've happened to Sunshine. So I thought maybe I should at least check our shed just in case, even though I knew it was doubtful he could be in there.  Just as I was on my way to unlock the shed, I looked at our car, and there he was, relaxing in the shade under the car! I don't know when he showed up there or where he'd been, but I was so happy to see him I literally had tears of joy running down my face!

It wasn't quite supper time yet, but I knew Sunshine would be starving, and of course Blackie showed up and he'll eat anytime of day or night if I put food out there, so I fed them and gave them both lots of loving.  

When I was petting Sunshine on his back, he winced and meowed like he was hurt, and then I noticed that he had a cut near where the tail attached to his hindquarters. It was very tender, and it was pretty obvious he had probably been in a 'cat fight'. It's not too bad or deep, and he has been licking it and taking care of it, but if it doesn't get better soon we will get him checked out. That must explain where he'd been...somewhere perhaps licking his wounds for a couple of days. I'm so thankful he's home safely and I pray he'll stay out of harm's way.  Yes, I'd love to bring them both inside, but they are outdoor cats, and I'm not too sure that would work out so well for us or them. 

I guess, that's all I've got for now. It's bedtime, and the time change is still making me want to go to bed at my usual time pre-time change time,which would be right now, so I think it's time to say good night.

Here's some closing thoughts that bring comfort and peace...

John 14:27  NKJV

27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Amen.

Tuesday 4~October Reading and more

 October Reading

Welcome to Tuesday 4 in memory of our friend Toni Taddeo..
Most people love to read. It opens other world's to us. Autumn weather is often conducive to reading as weather can be chillier and rainy. Cozying up with a book can be a lovely way to spend some time.

1.  How do you relax in the evening after dinner?

I do love to sit in my recliner and read a good book.  If I don't have a good book to read, I spend more time at my computer, reading and writing here in blogland.  Sometimes, if hubby isn't watching football or other sports on TV, we will watch some programs together on TV that are mutually entertaining.  Lately we've been on a binge watch of the old "What's My Line" game show from the 50's - 60's.  We have found that very interesting since we both grew up in that era and many of the Mystery Guest contestants are entertainers from that time period that we remember.  It's also fun to see the different  kinds of occupations many of the regular contestants had, and especially funny when the "Star Panel" can't figue out what these people do.  I also enjoy seeing the clothes and hairstyles from that time period.  The show was on TV for over 16 years, so there are a lot of episodes to watch on YouTube. It's been fun for a change.  However, that partially explains why I haven't been as active here in Blogland lately! LOL

Here's a link to the What's My Line YouTube programs

2.  Do you read in bed? What kind of books do you read?

No, I do not read in bed. That would be too uncomfortable for me, plus I believe bed is for sleeping, and so do my eyes. When my head hits my pillow it causes my eyes to go shut quite rapidly. I have to hurry up and say my prayers before I start drifting away into dreamland. Now, I must admit that I often wake back up during the night and cannot get back to sleep, but reading is still not an option for me since my hubby is sleeping away peacefully next to me. 

3.  Do you have a list of books you look forward to reading? 

Not really a list. Here's what I'm currently reading:

So far so good!

And I just finished this one:

It was also very good. These are both a departure from my usual reading genre. I normally stay in the Christian non-fiction type books, but someone else (one of our blogging friends) had shared these books on her blog post, and I thought I would give them a try. I was not disappointed.  They both have some mystery and adventure involved, and for the most part are clean and without any foul language, so that's a plus!  I just don't like books that I end up being embarrassed when I read them, and these have passed the test. LOL. 

4.  What is the best book you've ever read and why? Or.. how about the worst book you feel you wasted time reading?

Well, of course the Bible is the BEST book ever written and read, and I keep reading it over and over every day, so that definitely is at the top of my list.  But besides that, I honestly can't think of any one book off the top of my head for either category.  I enjoyed the Mitford series by Jan Karon, and I understand her newest book is now available, so I am looking forward to reading it. I will probably wait until it shows up at the library since I do not  purchase books anymore, unless I know the author personally, or unless I get it at a reduced price at a yard sale or something like that. Although, if I have enough credits on my Amazon account, I may just order it and apply those credits toward the price. That's one way I do buy books.  

Okay, that's all for this week's Tuesday 4. You can Click HERE to join in the fun.

This morning we had to get up early and drive an hour + up the road for my hubby's Cornea Eye specialist appointment.  Thankfully he got good news from the doctor, and he doesn't need to go back for another 6 months! So that was a real blessing!!  Here's some pictures I took this morning as we watched the sun rising above the clouds:

And here it is on the St. John's River as we crossed over the "Black Creek":

  

And this was the moon last night:   So much of God's beauty in our skies!

And here's a good thought for today:

Now I must go, as our kids are finally home from their trip to Minnesota, and they are coming over for a spaghetti supper in a few minutes. We can't wait to see them!!  So tally ho, and away I go!!