Saturday "WONDERING" Where I've Been?

I'm sure you are "wondering" why I would put a picture of a naked chicken on my post?  Well read on to find out.

 Hello friends...Here is it Saturday, and instead of my usual Saturday "Wanderings", I bet you may be having a Saturday "WONDERING" where I've been?  Yes, I've been MIA pretty much this week.  I did manage to get the Tuesday 4 post done, but that was the end of my activity here in blogland. Why? you may ask... well if you're a Facebook friend you may have noticed this picture posted earlier in the week:

Psalm 118:14 NKJV

14 The Lord is my strength and song,

And He has become my salvation.

I had previously posted a little blurb about "being under the weather" on Facebook...and so I was.  It started actually late Monday night with a scratchy throat, which strangely developed during a very fierce thunderstorm just as we were getting ready for bed.  Not that the storm could have had anything to do with that as we keep our windows closed and have the AC on, but still, that's how I remember it.  I figured it was an allergy because we had mowed the grass that day and at that time it was pretty dry and dusty and I breathed a lot of dust and grass pollen, etc.  But anyway, I went to bed, and woke up the next day thinking I should probably take an allergy pill because my throat still felt kind of funny, and my glands were kind of swollen.  Our son called and said he and Rose had sore throats and felt like they were getting bad colds, and it had started for them the night before as well, with a scratchy throat during that storm! Weird, huh? I thought so too.   But as the day progressed I started feeling worse, like a really bad cold was coming on. Hubby said he felt fine.

Then I started hearing from different ones at church that others were sick with bad colds, and then one lady reported she tested positive for that dread word, covid.   Uh Oh! Now we were on high alert! Benton and Rose had helped serve communion on Sunday morning, and we do it in our church where everyone comes forward and is served at the altar, so they had contact with everyone in the church. John and I also served communion to the people sitting in the choir and those who are unable to come forward from their seats to be served. We do this every week, and I look forward to serving some very special dear ones face to face.  But that was Sunday, and none of us felt sick or had any sign of any symptoms then.  

As a matter of fact, here is a picture I took of Benton and Rose on Sunday after church at our house. They looked so nice and we are so proud of them and thankful for the sweet dear couple they are. They are actually getting ready to take a trip to Minnesota for a few weeks, but their departure had to be delayed because of this development. Thankfully they are both pretty much well now and hope to be able to leave by Monday, Lord willing.  We will certainly miss them.

So to make a long story short, as the week progressed, I got worse and worse, and finally went to the Doctor for a Covid Test, which was positive. They do the testing in the parking lot and don't allow you inside the building unless you test negative. So they gave me some packets of supplements to help build the immune system and gave me prescriptions for both my hubby and me for a zpack, even though at that moment he was not yet symptomatic, but they said he would be, and yes, he is now and is pretty much miserable, but we are SO thankful for the advances they have made in the treatment of this nasty virus.  God is good, and we are so very glad.  

And so today is actually the first day I have even felt like doing anything here on the computer. Oh, and back to this:

So,  I woke up this morning thinking how much I wished I had a "boiled chicken".  You know, where you boil (or stew) a whole chicken in a pot with celery and onions and maybe a carrot, until it is falling off the bone tender and delicious? And then you can either make your own chicken noodle soup (so much better than the canned stuff I've been eating this week), or chicken and dumplings or some other wonderful chicken dish.  But of course there was not a piece of chicken to be found in my freezer! I usually keep some breasts or thighs, but there was not a one. 

 I thought I was feeling so much better this morning so that I could get dressed and run to the store, wear a mask and run in and out so fast no one would recognize me, and get a nice plump chicken to stew.  But I soon discovered that just going out to our mailbox and back was about as much "running" I could manage today.  So a little later I was talking to Benton and Rose on the phone and they said they had a few little errands they had to run today to get ready for their trip, and I mentioned how much I wish I had a whole chicken to boil. I thought my son would never stop laughing at how funny that sounded to him, but he said he would be happy to go get me a chicken to boil.  And sure enough, he showed up at our door a little later with a sack and said, "Here's your chicken to boil! Enjoy!"   Gotta love him!

  It's done boiling now, but I am waiting for it to cool so I can take care of the rest...it smells SO good! That's real comfort food!

Oh, and earlier today I actually enjoyed taking some pictures of some real live birds, the Bluebirds and others. I haven't even hardly looked out the window all week, but today I know I am getting better because I am enjoying seeing all the beauty God has provided around us once again:

Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird have been quite active the past few days actually feeding the babies inside the house. I know they must be getting bigger, because the parents are bringing food and then taking some back away in order  to entice them to follow them out of the nest. This is how they do it when the babies are ready to leave the nest...

Here's Mrs. Bluebird  looking out the window and looking rather grumpy, I might say. It must be getting too crowded inside that little hot house!

Here comes Daddy with a juicy bug...

Hey! This is my bug!  You can't have it!    LOL.

My that looks tasty...

Not sure what that is...is it a wasp or a bee or a spider? Whatever it is, it's what's for dinner!

Here's Mama with another juicy tidbit for her family.

Earlier these small white Egrets were out on Still Waters Pond looking for something good to eat.  

Yes, the pond is still very shallow and almost dry in places. Although it is raining right now as I write, it will take a lot more rain than what we've been getting lately to fill this pond back up. All those lily pads  are probably going to die and become the next layer of muck on the bottom of the pond when we do finally get some significant rainfall.

The Egrets don't seem to mind at all. This is their kind of place!

Well, friends. I know I've missed out on all of your posts this past week, and I know I probably won't be able to get caught up anytime soon, so I'll just have to start where I can and say hello as I go. I've missed you and pray that you are all well.  

I am VERY thankful to God for His kindness and care and healing. That I am most sure of.

Isaiah 40:29 NKJV

29 He gives power to the weak,

And to those who have no might He increases strength.

Praise God from Whom ALL blessings flow!!

Saturday Night Review & Blessings...

If you read my previous post HERE,, then you will know the story of this rose.  This is how it looks tonight, August 6th. Tomorrow is that special anniversary date, and yes, it is blooming beautifully just in time. A very special "heavenly gift" indeed. 

So what have I been doing since the last time I wrote? Well, let's see, besides helping out quite a bit at Dixie Cottage, we've also been eating a lot of good food at  Dixie Cottage.  I know, it's not an eating establishment, but one thing about this community, people love to eat, and we don't have a lot of restaurants to choose from, so there are many food trucks and other unique food tents that pop up here and there, like this one:

"Wicked Good Hot Dogs"

We've seen this tent usually near our local Dollar General store on the weekends and some weekdays, and my son spoke to the ladies who run it and asked if they would like to set up their tent here in our parking lot on Friday for a change.  You may be asking yourself what is a "wicked good hot dog"?

Well, if you've ever visited New England, Maine in particular, you will know that one of their most popular slang terms to describe anything they really really like is that it is "wicked good".  So we knew when we saw this tent that the proprietors must be from Maine, and sure enough we were right.

Of course I had to try it for myself...they have many delicious options for the hot dogs...sauerkraut (which is what I have below), chili and cheese, peppers and onions, red pepper relishes, etc., etc.  Oh, and they also bake their own special hot dog rolls, New England style, with the opening on top instead of on the side. It is very difficult to find that kind of hot dog bun here in the south, so they make their own! That was kind of the "icing on the cake", if you ask me.

I didn't think to take a picture until I was half way through with my hot dog. It was that good. Oh, and the drinks! Wow! They freeze several different selections of drinks in that special sippy pouch, and they are also "wicked good". My choice was fresh squeezed real lemonade! I haven't had that in ages. (not since the last time I was at the Fryeburg Fair in Maine several years ago!)  

I no sooner had posted about this on Facebook than I had a message from a former school friend that she and her husband were on their way to Dixie Cottage! We had actually gone home for a little break when I saw her comment, and so we jumped back in the car and drove back over to the store to meet them! Thankfully it is only about 3 miles from our house.  This particular friend lives in a nearby community about 20 minutes away.  She's the same dear friend who brought me a whole big box full of a series of Amish Mystery books to read back in 2020 (just at the beginning of the pandemic) while I was recuperating from some major surgery.  What a wonderful surprise to see her again! She and her sweet hubby also enjoyed some "wicked good hot dogs" while we visited back in the little break room that Ben and Rose have set up in the back of the store, and then they had their little tour of the store and before they left I remembered that we must have a picture taken of us together:

I never dreamed that this store would become the "gathering place" for old school friends from my home town, but this was the second one this week! What a blessing! I wonder who will be next? Of course, you don't have to be an old school friend to come and visit.  Any wonderful friend will do! We are finding that we are making new friends already here! What a blessing!

So now, today was another culinary adventure! Unbeknownst to our son, there was another food truck coming to set up business for the day.  Apparently this BBQ truck has been setting up here every other Saturday for quite some time. The previous tenants of our building were not open on Saturdays, so  the BBQ truck could make use of the parking lot without any competition for space (except for the Barber Shop, which is on the end of our building).  However, Dixie Cottage is open for business on Saturdays, so the BBQ truck had to move over and share the space.  Really it wasn't bad...kind of a symbiotic relationship..."you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours", or something like that. One business attracts visitors to the other, so it's all good.

And of course, we had to sample their food as well.  They had smoked ribs, chicken, brisket, pork, etc.

So I picked up chicken and some potato salad and coleslaw for our supper tonight. It was also "wicked good". LOL.

However, hubby and I decided we can't keep eating all this food out all week long. One day when we were there alone all day we ordered take-out for lunch from Nana's Country Cafe' across the road. (Hamburgers).  Starting next week we will pack our lunches when we have to be at the store all day. Otherwise we'll be going broke from too much good food.

But it's all good. We've had a great week, and the store did surprisingly well for their first week of business here in this new location. This morning people came to pick up the large pieces of furniture that they had purchased earlier in the week, and the store was looking a bit bare.  So Ben and Rose are busily trying to get more inventory ready for sale before they reopen on Tuesday. It's a good problem to have, but it is also kind of stressful for them.  Hopefully things will fall into a good pattern and they will be able to maintain their stock a bit better as time goes by.

Meanwhile, here on Still Waters Pond, life goes on as usual.

This Great Blue Heron

and this White Egret are busily "shopping" for their supper from the waters of the pond this evening.

I don't think they have any worries about supplies running out or the prices being too high.

God provides for them and they are grateful for His provision.

And so are we...grateful for God's provision in so many ways. 

Lamentations 3:22-25

22 "Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,

Because His compassions fail not.

23 They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,

“Therefore I hope in Him!”

25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,

To the soul who seeks Him."

Why not sing this beautiful favorite hymn along with us :

Great Is Thy Faithfulness (song above by Carrie Underwood and CeCe Wynans

1 Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father,

there is no shadow of turning with thee.

Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;

as thou hast been, thou forever wilt be.

Refrain:

Great is thy faithfulness!

Great is thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

all I have needed thy hand hath provided.

Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

2 Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,

sun, moon, and stars in their courses above

join with all nature in manifold witness

to thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love. 

[Refrain]

3 Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,

strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! 

[Refrain]

Thank you for coming along on this adventure this week. Tomorrow is the Lord's Day, and we will be worshiping at our church and hopefully taking some time to rest.

I hope you will be able to do the same.

Have a blessed SONday tomorrow! 

Good Night and God Bless.

 

Friday Fotos Already?

Where has this week gone?  You'd think it would just creep by since we have no real schedules, but this week seems to have flown by. I can't believe it is Friday again, already!! So what do I have to show for it? I'll have to go back through the "archives" of this past week to see if there are any new photos you haven't seen yet.  Just give me a minute here while I collect my thoughts and sip my tea and peruse my "files".

 Okay, let's start with the last picture I took, just few seconds ago.  This is a "moon-set" picture, instead of a sunset!  The moon is setting in the west, and it is as pretty as a sunset, don't you think?

Here is how it looked about an hour ago, when I first woke up. I wish my camera was a little better at taking moon shots, but this will do.  

Psalm 89:37

"It shall be established forever like the moon,

Even like the faithful witness in the sky."

My husband was just talking about the full moon the other night, when we first realized there was a full moon out there.  He was saying how that the moon is one thing that we can count on always being there...every month it goes through its cycle and for a couple of days we can view it in all its beauty, and then it wanes again as we watch it in its orbit around the earth...and as it also slowly rotates on its own axis. CLICK HERE for more info on the moon, in case you need to refresh your memory about how it works like I did.

Genesis 1:14-15

14.  "Then God said, 'Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; 

and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years;

15.  and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth'; and it was so."

There are a lot of verses about the moon in the Bible. Just Google "What does the Bible say about the Moon", and you will be amazed.  Apparently God thought a lot about His creation of the moon.  However, He warned his people not to worship the moon or the sun or the stars in Deuteronomy 4:19.  In actuality, the sun and moon and stars are all there to worship Him, their Creator:

Psalm 148:1-6

1. "Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord from the heavens;

Praise Him in the heights!

2.  Praise Him, all His angels;

Praise Him all His hosts!

3.  Praise Him, sun and moon; 

Praise Him, all you stars of light! 

4.  Praise Him, you heavens of heavens,

and you waters above the heavens!

5.  Let them praise the name of the Lord,

For He commanded and they were created.

6.  He also established them forever and ever;

He made a decree which shall not pass away."

So, when we look at the moon, let us praise the Lord for His creation, just as the moon itself is set in the heavens for His glory and not for its own honor.

Okay, switching gears...There was a very large white water lily on the pond the other day, or so it appeared...

But in reality it was this White Egret, just hopping around from lily pad to lily pad, apparently catching little minnows or frogs or bugs, or something tasty, because it stayed out there a long time.

Another lovely Cactus Rose...with some kind of bug down inside enjoying its nectar:

Switching gears again:  Mother's Day is coming. Here is one of my favorite pictures of my mother with my sister and me on Mother's Day, 2003.  

And here we are again, for her birthday in 2004:

Not a day goes by that I don't think about my mother in some way or another.  Mother's Day in particular brings back those sweet memories.

So what are you doing for Mother's Day?  I guess it will be a little different this year with the social distancing and with most churches still not meeting in person.  We plan to have our Mother's Day "celebration" actually on Monday, as my daughter in law has to work all weekend and she is off on Monday. So the plan is to make lasagna here for supper...she will do the bulk of the cooking and I will help. The main thing is to be together with our family that is here locally. I will miss being with my extended family, but hope we can plan something in the not too distant future so we can all be together again.

Well, the morning is rapidly passing by and hubby is waiting for me to get finished here so we can go for our walk. I'll probably get some good pictures while walking, but they will have to wait for another day.

And remember this guy?  He looks a lot like the Grinch?

Here's his full body pic:

And so I still say, "Don't let "The Grinch" steal your joy, or your Mother's Day spirit!

Stay happy and thankful no matter what!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Wednesday (Actually Tuesday) Wanderings and Unusual Sightings

 My "Wednesday Wanderings" were for the most part seen on Tuesday, so  this seems like a good day to share these interesting and somewhat unusual sightings...most of you won't see them until Wednesday most likely...

This White Egret flew in and landed right in front of this Canadian Goose. At first the goose honked and acted like he was upset for such a close landing,

But then the Egret  got right in his face and he just turned his head and didn't seem to care... 

 The female goose looked up and made sure the egret was not bothering her mate...

And then the two geese just tucked their heads into their feathers and continued their naps...Never saw that happen before...

Talking about something I've never seen before:

From a distance it took me a minute to figure out that it was one cat, walking along the shore, with a very distinct reflection in the pond...If I'd been that cat and looked in the pond and saw that cat looking back at me, it would have scared at least one of my nine lives away...

 Now here's an unusual sight...we've been cooped up so long I've started wearing aprons and grinding our own meat on an old fashioned meat grinder on an old fashioned Hoosier Cupboard...

If I'd known my picture was going to be taken, I would have at least picked out an apron that didn't clash with my top...or vice versa...  What was I doing, you ask? Making ham salad with the remainder of our Easter Ham before it went bad. It was good. What did our old grandmothers say? "Waste not, want not."  Good advice from this old grandma.

Not so unusual, but this is the Memorial Garden Don Juan Rose blooming. It was in the bright sun and looks a little strange, but it was and is beautiful. This is the rose bush I brought with us when we moved, that came from the Memorial Garden at our last house.

Oh, do you know what this is?  These are paw-paws growing on the paw-paw bush over where we take our walks. I've never seen them turn brown before. At our other house they were always green, but these still seem to be okay. Must be a different variety...but still wild and growing in the woods. Click HERE for a picture of them from our previous home and woods.

Need a hand? Or a foot? Does your foot ever feel all prickly like you are walking on something sharp? Maybe you really have a prickly pear cactus foot, or hand, or whatever. It seems to be missing a finger or a toe, whichever...

And speaking of roses...This shadow lady is holding a bouquet of "knock  out roses", and she appears to be either wearing one in her hair or in her teeth...Isn't she lovely? I kind of like her camouflaged pants too.

Talk about unusual sightings: My eyes look a bit droopy here, but I guess because I was looking down at the camera...this is me wearing a mask...which our lovely quilting ladies from our church made! I love the little swans and roses design on this one.   Now I don't have an excuse to stay home.  Thank you, Quilting Ladies!

Okay, enough "unusual sightings" for today. I hope you enjoyed this little wandering around with me.

Now for something more sensible...this is the Psalm we read this morning in our devotions:

Psalm 93

1.  "The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty;

The Lord is clothed,

He has girded Himself with strength.

Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.

2.  Your throne is established from of old;

You are from everlasting.

3.  The floods have lifted up, O Lord,

The floods have lifted up their voice;

The floods lift up their waves.

4.  The Lord on high is mightier

than the noise of many waters,

Than the mighty waves of the sea.

5.  Your testimonies are very sure;

Holiness adorns Your house,

O Lord, forever."

Amen.

Nothing so unusual about that! I love verse 1 in particular!  I hope you will be encouraged by these words.

Okay, that's all for now folks. I hope you have a  wonderfully blessed day/night/week. 

Let the Adventure Begin!

If you read my post from Friday Fotos HERE, you will remember that I was sort of challenging myself to a little "adventure" toward the end of the post.  If you recall, there is a little island in the middle of "Still Waters Pond", that I have been long desiring to find a way to reach and explore.  The Sand Hill Cranes showed me that the water in our pond is only about two feet deep in some areas, and I know it has to be less than that over in another area that is closer to the island...and my thought was, if a Sand Hill Crane can literally walk through the water over to that island, why can't I?

Of course, I have no desire to walk through that water barefooted. The bottom of the pond is obviously mucky and who knows what all lies beneath the surface of that dark murky pond?  However, if I could find some waterproof boots that go high enough so I wouldn't get wet, then why not walk across to the island once and for all??? Sounds reasonable doesn't it?

Well, today I kept talking about this to my hubby, and he said if I could find some boots he would approve my walking over to the island.  With that encouragement  I drove to our local ACE Hardware, because we had been there a couple of days ago and I happened to notice that they had some knee high rubber boots on sale there. What I didn't happen to notice was the price...and when I got there and realized those boots would cost me almost $40.00, I decided that would not be a good use of our hard-earned money just so I could walk through the water to a little island to see what was on the other side.  So, sadly I drove back home and was about to give up on the idea altogether when I remembered that my hubby had some waterproof snow galoshes (overshoes) stored somewhere in our shed...at least I thought that is where they were.  It ended up they were in the guest room closet in the farthest corner behind the most boxes of stuff that I could possibly reach without having to pull everything out from in front of them...Anyway...I found them!  Just because my hubby's shoe size is a men's 12 and my shoe size is a ladies' 9 wasn't going to stop me at this point. Besides, they go over the shoe, so they need to be a little larger, right? 

And since it was such a beautiful day, and it would seem that I have all this nervous energy bottled up inside me, why not go on an adventure?  Hubby said he would take pictures of me as I went, but since there was only one pair of boots, I would be the only one walking through the water.

 There I go with my trusty walking stick and my camera around my neck. 

 When I got to the point where I thought the water would be the shallowest, I started testing the water levels to see how deep it was...

 and I tried to walk out a little ways into the water, but honestly, it was so mucky I immediately sunk right up to my ankles and it was obvious that if I went any further I would be in too deep and stuck in the mud in no time at all...  Those Sand Hill Cranes made it look so easy! But then again, they don't weigh nearly as much as I do...and their feet are made for walking in mucky ponds apparently.

 These "rear view" pictures are not very flattering of me, and I was wearing my old baggy jeans cause I certainly didn't want to ruin my good ones in that mucky water.

Sadly, I had to give up on the idea of crossing in the water to the island.  However, I was undeterred in my mission to at least see what was on the other side of that island.  So I managed to walk around the edge of the pond on top of the mud to where I could at least see what was over there...

 Before I started my journey around the bend, I noticed that I had another friend visiting the island...

 He wasn't too sure about my being there so close...but I kept going in the opposite direction anyway so as not to bother him.

When I got around the bend of the island, I realized there is not one, but two little islands there...and someone had definitely been there before and had built  some kind of dock. (Above picture)  It appeared that perhaps someone had camped out under there at some point, or maybe just something blew under there in a storm and got stuck there.

Below is also evidence of another little dock that is no longer in use...

Apparently at one time someone had built a dock connecting the two islands!

And then I was really surprised to discover this dock connecting to the smaller island from the "mainland".  I don't know the condition of those boards, and it appears there is no way to get onto it from the land as it is quite high above the ground...also, this leads me to believe that the water in the pond used to be quite a bit deeper. Probably after the hurricanes it was quite full, but over the years we haven't had as much rain and the water level is quite low in most of the small lakes and ponds in this area.

 This view is of the larger island around the bend from where I can usually see it from our yard. It really is just a small strip of land, probably not more than 15-20 feet wide, but interesting none the less...

Well, look who's here!  Our lovely White Egret friend has flown over to this side of the pond, probably thinking that he was safely away from my prying eyes...

They sure do get nervous when people get too close...so up he went, flying over to another spot a little further away from "danger"... (see his reflection in the pond? I wish I had gotten a more complete reflection...I love these flight scenes)

 Perhaps this will be a better spot for fishing...

 I can tell by his stance that he is getting ready to fly again. I hope I can get a good picture of that...

Up, up, up he went, but he was into the trees before I could get focused well enough to snap the photo.

With that I decided I'd better turn around and work my way back home before I fell  into the water in all my excitement of trying to take pictures...Thank goodness I had my trusty walking stick with me...it really did keep me from slipping down into the mud. Now that would have been quite the picture! However, hubby was too far around the bend to see me at this point and he would have never gotten that picture! 

So all in all it was still a great adventure, even if I wasn't able to actually step foot on the island, I at least was able to see what was around on the other side! And it was quite enlightening.  Since we moved here last summer we have not seen any other people around this pond, even though there are some other houses hidden over on the other side. I don't think the other people are nearly as interested in life on Still Waters Pond as I am.  But that's just fine with me. The fewer people bothering the "critters", the more "critters" will come around.  I just have to be careful that I don't scare them away too much!!

We were reading in our Lenten Devotions for today from Isaiah 58:1-14.  A couple of verses stand out to me tonight as I am re-reading this passage in light of my "adventures" today, and also in thinking about my other "adventure" that I will be going through next week:
 
Isaiah 58: Verses 8-9:

"Then your light shall break forth like the morning,

your healing shall spring forth speedily,

and your righteousness shall go before you;

The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer,

You shall cry, and He will say,

"Here I am."

Verse 11:

"The Lord will guide you continually, 

and satisfy your soul in drought,

and strengthen your bones;

You shall be like a watered garden,

and like a spring of water,

whose waters do not fail."

These words give me great comfort and encouragement for the days ahead, as I prepare my heart for a closer walk with the Lord during this season of Lent and preparation for Easter, and also as I go through surgery and the period of recuperation and healing that follows. It is always good to know that God is right here behind, beside and before me, guiding me continually. We are so blessed to be His children! Now, THAT is the best adventure of all!!!