Trees and Stuff

 Turns out I was wrong about the trees in this post a week or so ago.  I thought that the pine trees on the lot next door that had the green ribbon around them were the trees they were going to cut down when they cleared the lot for the new house.  

However, this morning when I went outside because I was hearing a lot of noise next door, I discovered that the pine trees are basically the only trees they are leaving on the lot!

With a few minor exceptions, (for which I am thankful), most of the beautiful old oak trees are being removed instead.

They had this excavation machine over there picking up the trees that the other "claw" like machine was pulling up by the roots and putting in a stack for the excavator to pick up and put in the trailer to be hauled away.

They had to make a LOT of trips to wherever they were hauling that trailer load throughout the day.

It was fascinating, but sad, to watch whole trees being uprooted and discarded into the trash dump.

However, at the end of the day, there were still some beautiful trees left on the lot, and the view of Still Waters Pond and Goose Island will be lovely for whoever is blessed to live in the new house that will be put on this lot.

However, one fellow was not too happy about this situation.  Mr. Red Shouldered Hawk was calling out his displeasure at this intrusion to his hunting grounds.

I think he was telling me exactly what he was thinking about this issue in some uncensored shrieks.

I told him I was sorry, but he gave me "the look" and then flew away to happier hunting grounds.

Even though I am not thrilled with the destruction of so many beautiful trees, I am still hopeful and praying that we will soon have some wonderful new neighbors. I try to look at this in as positive a light as possible.

Here's some good thoughts from Proverbs 3:27-30 about our relationships with neighbors:

27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,

When it is in the power of your hand to do so.

28 Do not say to your neighbor,

“Go, and come back,

And tomorrow I will give it,”

When you have it with you.

29 Do not devise evil against your neighbor,

For he dwells by you for safety’s sake.

30 Do not strive with a man without cause,

If he has done you no harm.

And here's what Jesus taught His disciples about this...

Mark 12:30-31 NKJV

30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 

31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 

There is no other commandment greater than these.”

I pray that I will be that kind of good neighbor.

I wanted to thank you all for your thoughts and prayers on behalf of my hubby, who had a medical procedure done yesterday. Everything went very well and his results were quite good, so we are extremely thankful.  He has to have another test tomorrow, which is a follow up to the surgery he had last fall.  And then next week there will be another kind of test.  Then hopefully that will be it for a long time!  The co-pays for these procedures/tests are beginning to add up, but we are thankful that we have insurance (medicare advantage plan) to take care of the bulk of the expense.  And we are thankful that we have the medical technology available to diagnose and also help treat/cure medical problems when they do arise.  We know that God does the actual "curing"/healing, but we are thankful that He has given people knowledge and wisdom to know how to treat our human ills and diseases.  We've certainly come a long way since the days of "bleeding" someone to cure them, which usually just hurried along their death.  Yes, I am very thankful for our medical professionals.

Well, folks, it's time to close for today. It's 94 degrees outside and very bright and sunny. No rain in sight for the next week. We are praying for a break in the weather soon. Still Waters Pond may soon have to be called Still No Waters Pond! LOL.

Take care my friends! 

Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV

24 “The Lord bless you and keep you;

25 The Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace.” ’

Amen.

Thursday Thankfulness and Friday Foto Friends

Hello! Happy Thursday Thankfulness and Friday Foto Friends! 

I don't think Sgt. Joyce Kilmer had this tree in mind when he wrote the poem "Trees"

Trees

BY JOYCE KILMER

"I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree."

Joyce Kilmer, “Trees” from Poetry 2, no. 5 (August 1915): 153.

Thought I'd put something a little different than the usual to get your attention! LOL.  Even decaying trees can be beautiful in their own way...well, it might take a bit of imagination to see the beauty, but if you look hard enough, you will see it.

This is what happens when you stand up out in the woods too long.  The woodpeckers come and peck away at you and the insects eat up your insides and the squirrels and raccoons and birds make their nests in your hollow center. You begin to look like "The Walking Dead".  LOL. But even decaying trees serve a purpose!

Okay, here, this is a little bit better! This beautiful little Spiderwort wildflower was growing not too far away from that very sad looking decaying tree. Did you know that this little wildflower is not only "attractive, it is also edible. Try the flowers fresh on a salad or candied for a sweet treat. Stems and leaves can be eaten raw and leaves can also be cooked. The leaves are mucilaginous; the “juice” can be used to soothe insect bites in the same way one would use aloe."  So the next time you see one of these lovely little purple flowers in the woods or in your yard, don't destroy it! Just enjoy it!

It's been a busy week. Today (Thursday), is the first day I've been able to stay home and relax and try to get caught up on stuff here. I'm not complaining...it's all good...just been busy going here and there and everywhere it seems. I might as well start at the beginning and work my way through so you will understand...

Why don't I start with the Kentucky Derby on Saturday?  No, I didn't go. As a matter of fact, I didn't even get to watch it on TV as we couldn't find it in time to see the race.  I had not been paying attention to the fact that it was time for it until I saw someone post something on Facebook that they were having a Derby party at their community clubhouse. Well, if you've known me for very long, you will know that I love to use that occasion as an excuse to put on a pretty hat and pretend I am among the many hat wearers at the Kentucky Derby.  While hubby tried in vain to find the race on TV before it was over, I was busily donning my lovely tea party hat and sprucing myself up for the "party".

By the time he found it, the race was over, and we had to watch it on YouTube. No matter, I was having fun anyway. I have no clue who won the race or even who was running. To me, it was all about the hat. LOL.  I only get to wear a fancy hat on Derby Day or for some other fun or make believe occasion. This particular hat I had worn a year or so ago for a "High Tea with Mrs. Henry Flagler" tea party, put on by our local Historical Society. HERE is a link to that event.

Just wondering, do you ever wear fancy hats? If so, where and when?  We do have some ladies who wear hats to church, but since I sing in the choir it would not be appropriate for me to wear a hat. Besides, I am rather self-conscious about doing anything that might attract too much attention to myself in church.  Obviously, I don't seem to care about that at other times. LOL.  Just kidding. Well, those who really know me from childhood know the truth of that matter.  So let's move on to other things, shall we, rather than focusing too much attention on myself. LOL.

Speaking of Kentucky, I mentioned in a post about a month or so ago about a friend at our church who had undergone a 12 hour surgery (cancer) and had come through it very well, thank the Lord.  Well, this dear friend moved here with her hubby to our town a few years ago from Kentucky.  They fell in love with this sweet little Victorian Cottage in the historical section of our little town, and so they bought it and have been enjoying fixing it up.  On Monday I had the privilege to take my friend over to Gainesville for a medical procedure. She is doing very well following her surgery, but still has some hoops to jump through before she will be completely well. However, Praise God, they have declared that there is no more cancer, which is a huge miracle as she was originally diagnosed at stage 4. She is a walking miracle for certain!

I asked her if she would mind if I took some pictures of her beautiful home and share them here with you. She said she would be delighted.  

This is the front gate, which is covered with beautiful Confederate (or Star) Jasmine. 

The gate leads to the front porch...

which wraps around the house like this...

They have lovely gardens and yard all around their sweet cottage home...

And even a beautiful spoon wind spinner and a Pink Flamingo to add to the southern charm of this home!

Their home is within walking distance of our little church, and so it was only natural that God would lead them to come and join us for worship. They are a blessing to our church and community. Please continue to keep "Kim" in your thoughts and prayers as she continues in her recovery process. I know she would appreciate it.

On Tuesday hubby and I had our own doctor appointments to attend in St. Augustine, about an hour away from home. This was for a consultation to determine if and when we have our next colonoscopies.  Hubby will have one in a couple of weeks, but they said it was too soon for me to have another one, but they ordered a CT Scan instead because of some issues I've been having for a while. Well, that led to Wednesday, when I had to drink that yucky barium "berry smoothie milkshake" (LOL). I did manage to choke down two bottles of that stuff, but it was not without some difficulty. I quoted my verse  (and One Word) of the year all the while:  

Philippians 4:13

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

The CT scan was not too scary, but I found myself still holding on to that verse as I held myself perfectly still and held my breath when asked.  Not sure when I will get the results, but I am trusting God for good results.

Of course, our trip to St. Augustine on Tuesday was a good excuse for us to stop off at one of our favorite eating establishments on the way back home for lunch.  "Corky Bells", beside the St. John's River. in Palatka. Thankfully it was early enough that it wasn't too crowded or too hot yet, so we were able to get a table beside the river.  Here's our view:

This was my favorite view...

And his "favorite view". LOL.

It was breezy, sunny, and lovely all around us...

Oh, look out for alligators, but we didn't see any this time...

Easter lilies blooming in May!  I think mine here in my garden will be blooming in a few days as well...

Beautiful day to sit beside the river in the shade of this huge Cypress Tree.

There were many boaters out on the river enjoying a lovely day...

Back home again on our own Still Waters Pond, I shared this picture and verse on Facebook yesterday:

John 14:27

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.

I think this is a good place to stop for today.  We know that God is in control in all things, the world situation, things that happen in our own homes and communities, and even in our own personal lives. We can trust in Him no matter what...and He has promised us His peace. Therefore, we should not let our hearts be troubled or be afraid. Just hold on to His peace. Amen.

Wednesday Treasures~A Busy Day

Yesterday was a rather stormy day, with pop up thunderstorms scattered throughout the whole day, from morning until night.  These two pictures were taken last night, while the sunset was shrouded in storm clouds:

Even in its darkness it was still quite beautiful and interesting, don't you think?

God paints the most beautiful masterpieces in His heavens for us to enjoy, even in the midst of a storm...He's always there!

First of all, I want to thank you all who took the time to comment on my post yesterday HERE.  I always love to read your comments, and I also love to read your blog posts, but yesterday was a busy day and I haven't had time yet to get caught up. Maybe today will slow down a bit so I can catch my breath. But thank you for sharing your thoughts with us...I always look forward to hearing from you.

So, yesterday started out first of all, with hubby having a follow up Dr. appointment to go over his labs from his last visit.  Thankfully all was good...even better than expected in some areas. So that was wonderful news!

From there we went over to the new Dixie Cottage store, which is still "under construction", to test out our keys that we had made copies of so we each have a set.  The previous day I had gotten the new set made, and one key didn't work, so we had to take it back to ACE and have them redo it, and this time it worked fine.  "If at first you don't succeed, try try again!"

So here I am...

And here is hubby...

We were also checking out the fact that the landlord has been true to her word that the building is being pressure-washed and primed and ready for painting on the outside. So far so good.

This is just a quick glimpse from inside, where the kids are starting to bring in items to prepare the store for the grand opening, which is scheduled for August 2nd. They are still working in the St. Augustine store until July 23rd, and then they will pack everything up and move it over here during the following week. They have a LOT to do!

Yesterday afternoon they had a meeting with prospective vendors who are interested in setting up booths in the store to sell their particular craft/art/designs. The space is limited to only about 5 or 6 different booths, (in addition to all the items Dixie Cottage already sells) but it sounds like there will be a nice variety of items from homemade organic soaps and lotions to stained glass, wreaths, custom signs/shirts/mugs, jewelry, etc. I can't wait to see just what all there will be! It's going to be a fun place when all is ready!

So meanwhile, back at the home front and in between thunderstorms, well, even during the storms,

we had our old friend "George of the Jungle" doing some tree work for us:

(click that link for pictures from the last time he was here 2 years ago)

He brought his family along to help with the clean up:

Yes, that's his little 4 year old son and wife helping out.

And yes, he's barefooted. He's been that way since he could walk...right there helping his daddy with the trees.  George says that's how he started out with his daddy.  Of course I worried about his stepping on something sharp and hurting himself...but I was assured his feet were tough as leather...

And he's quite strong too.

Meanwhile, across the street a dump truck brought in a load of clay to put down for a foundation under a new home that we keep waiting to see when it will appear. Looks like the truck about burned up its motor, but I guess not. He drove away just fine...

After trimming back the branches of our huge live oak trees in front of the house that were getting too close to the house, he then went to cut down that tree by the fence that is dying and needed to come down:

No big lift truck or heavy equipment for George of the Jungle.  Just a guy with his trusty chain saw and lots of skill and experience.  We weren't too sure how he was going to cut that tree down and not hit our fence, but he did it:

And then the rains came:

But that didn't stop them.  The little guy had lots of fun running back and forth in the rain helping out and finding some puddles to play in as well:

It didn't take them long at all to get that tree cut up and loaded in the wagon and hauled away.

And this is what's left. I guess we should have asked him to cut it down to the ground, but who knows, maybe it will grow back even better.  This part of the trunk didn't look too dead if you ask me.

Maybe I'll get creative and put something on top of it.

Well, folks, that's my Wednesday "treasures" for today. Nothing much on the schedule yet for today. Maybe some more storms rolling in by this afternoon.

 Frankly, I think I need a day of rest.  LOL.

Here's a favorite old song about the storms of life:

"Til The Storm Passes By"

In the dark of the midnight have I oft hid my face

While the storm howls above me, and there's no hiding place

'Mid the crash of the thunder, Precious Lord, hear my cry

Keep me safe till the storm passes by

Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more

Till the clouds roll forever from the sky

Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand

Keep me safe till the storm passes by

Many times Satan whispered

There is no use to try

For there's no end of sorrow, there's no hope by and by

But I know Thou art with me, and tomorrow I'll rise

Where the storms never darken the skies

Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more

Till the clouds roll forever from the sky

Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand

Keep me safe till the storm passes by

Hope you are safe from any "storms" in your life right now...

Have a blessed and beautiful day my friends.