Pentecost Sunday and Blooming Flowers...

It's Sunday afternoon and time to sit down with a cup of tea (or coffee) and visit for a while...You might as well get comfortable, this looks like it's going to be a rather long post...but I do  hope you'll come along with me as I ramble along, sharing things as God leads...

Psalm 84:11 NKJV

11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

The Lord will give grace and glory;

No good thing will He withhold

From those who walk uprightly.

Bluebird pictures taken this morning here on Still Waters Pond

John 6:63 NKJV

63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. 

The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

Romans 8:6-7 NIV

6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, 

but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 

7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; 

it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.

Habakkuk 3:17-19 NKJV

A Hymn of Faith

17 Though the fig tree may not blossom,

Nor fruit be on the vines;

Though the labor of the olive may fail,

And the fields yield no food;

Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,

And there be no herd in the stalls—

18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

I will joy in the God of my salvation.

19 The Lord God is my strength;

He will make my feet like deer’s feet,

And He will make me walk on my high hills.

Today is Pentecost Sunday, the day set aside to acknowledge and celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit to the early church, following the Ascension of Jesus Christ into Heaven.

This is a recording of our Pastor's Message regarding Pentecost, and our choir singing "Spirit of the Living God, Fall Fresh on Me."  This was a recording from years past, as our Pastor and his wife have been on vacation and weren't here to record the current message. However, they are back home now and he will be preaching from this same passage today,  in Acts chapter 2.  Since this was pre-recorded some time ago, you will note that I am in the choir singing as well.  However, unfortunately, I was not at church today.

The Bluebirds have been actively flying in and around the birdhouse again this morning, but for whatever reason, they still have not settled down to nesting this spring/summer (so far).  I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm sure in God's good time they will get back to nesting and doing what Bluebirds do to keep their family growing and prospering...but for now they must just need to take a break.

I kind of feel like they do, although not in the sense of nesting or increasing our family...those days are long over and one with. LOL.  But no, I'm thinking more about the fact that in this current season of our lives, we are taking a break from our normal routines and resting and waiting on the Lord to show us the next step.  As I've mentioned several times recently, my hubby is going through some medical issues, and we are still waiting for an appointment with the specialist to help determine the course for whatever lies ahead.  We had talked about going back to church today, but when it came right down to it, hubby just really wasn't ready to venture out among the crowd and participate in all that would involve. Our church is a very loving and caring group of people, and there would be many hugs and anwering the question of "how are you?" over and over, and he's just not ready for that, as wonderful and beautiful as it is. So we have opted to stay at home for now...and our son said he would go today and get all the hugs for us and bring them home...LOL.

We have been trying to get out of the house as much as possible however and take little rides and short walks.  Yesterday our son was at a "Garden Market" selling his planters, etc., and so we drove there to see him and to just walk around a little bit and see what was there.  Here's a few of the new items he has built lately:

These are Barbeque caddies...see below:

And some other planter boxes:

 Unbeknownst to me, hubby ventured over to a vendor who was selling various flowers and plants, and who also had some lovely bouquets of cut flowers.  I was totally surprised and shocked when he came up to me with something hidden behind his back and then presented this bouquet of cut zinnias to me...

To say I was flabberghasted would be an understatement.

We've been married almost 56 years, and I could probably count on two fingers the times I have been given flowers...(it's a long story...I once made the mistake of saying we needed that money for other things like food and clothes, etc., and quenched that spirit and regretted it ever since.  Don't ever do that, ladies...if your hubby gives you flowers, no matter how much you know that money could've gone for "more important" things, there's really nothing more important than cherishing his gift. I learned that the hard way)

So, to say this was something that totally surprised me and blessed me beyond belief would be an understatement.

I am now cherishing the gift as well as the giver so very much...

I am realizing more and more how fragile life is, and that none of us knows how many days we have on this earth with our loved ones...even when they (or we!) may be perfectly healthy...things can change so rapidly and unexpectedly...and we need to remember to cherish every moment and give thanks to God for the gift of love and life.

I've been thinking about this song by the Gaithers a lot lately, and may have even mentioned it to some of you in some comments.

We Have This Moment, Today

Song by Gaither Vocal Band 

Lyrics

Hold tight to the sounds of the music of living

Happy songs from the laughter of the children at play

Hold my hand as we run

Through the sweet fragrant meadows

Making memories of what was today

We have this moment to hold in our hands

And to touch as it slips

Through our fingers like sand

Yesterday's gone

And tomorrow may never come

But we have this moment today

Tender words

Gentle touch and a good cup of coffee

And someone who loves me

And wants me to stay

Hold them near while they're here, oh

And don't wait for tomorrow

To look back and wish for this day

We have this moment to hold in our hands

And to touch as it slips

Through our fingers like sand

Yesterday's gone

And tomorrow may never come

But we have this moment today, we have this moment today

We all have this moment today

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Gloria Gaither / William J. Gaither

We Have This Moment, Today lyrics © Hanna Street Music

Speaking of zinnias...what hubby didn't realize is that we now have those same flowers growing in our garden! Every day a new one opens up, and I've declared that this must be the year for Zinnias!

Even my new Tervis Tumbler that my sister in law Peggy gave me for Christmas this past year has zinnias all over it!

I think this must've "planted the seed" in my head about zinnias, plus, my sister Doris said something to me about zinnias the last time they visited here. I remember she looked at my butterfly garden and said that I needed to plant some zinnias out there!

So there you have it!  

Speaking more about "planting the seed"...the other day we took a little short walk down the street in our old historic downtown area. I've mentioned this place many times as it has become our favorite place to walk lately. Here's where I wrote about this once before.  It seems as though everytime we walk there I discover something else new.  Remember, this location is where there used to be some very old houses that had stood here in our little town for over a hundred years, until they widened the highway to four lanes and some of the houses were destroyed, and at least one that I know of was moved to a new location.  Click here for the one about the house that was moved from that location.

Anyway, the other day I discovered these flowers growing in those old vacant house lots:

These are known as Crinum Stars and Stripes Lilies.

They were popping up and blooming in various locations throughout those vacant lots...

growing where once old houses had stood, and 19th Century homemakers had planted the seeds (or bulbs in this case) of these lilies to beautify their gardens and enjoy each spring.  

And as I thrilled to the beauty of each blossom in the various places, I thought about those dear women now long gone, and wondered what their lives had been like and what they must've thought about when they planted their flowers and tended their gardens.

I'm sure that not one of them ever imagined that over 100 years later some woman like me would come along and notice their flowers still faithfully popping up through the soil and blooming right where they had planted them so many years ago.

I also enjoyed the view from where their houses once stood, and admired this beautiful huge Magnolia tree, which has also been sending out its gorgeous blossoms for the past several weeks for all to enjoy.

Of course, years ago when they built their homes here and planted their gardens and raised their children on this land, they never could've imagined that one day there would be a busy highway where once their front (or back) yards had been...as a matter of fact, when their homes were first built there still wasn't any such thing as motorized vehicles...just horses and carriages trotting down the narrow streets.

Oh, there was a train track across the street from their houses, which is now the walking trail we walk upon, and it brought people into their little town every day. (and took them away again!)

There's still LOTS of this coral vine blooming everywhere those houses once stood too...

A lovely reminder of what once was in days of yore.

All of this flower talk today has made me think a lot about what we are planting in our lives...what kinds of seeds have we planted in the lives of others...perhaps dreams and words of encouragement and hope, words of faith and salvation to those who will believe...and will those seeds continue to grow and flourish long after we have gone? Will there be any remnant of what we planted and nourished in the lives of our children, our grandchildren, or perhaps friends, other family members, neighbors, co-workers, people we have met and cared for?

In Matthew chapter 13, Jesus teaches the parable about planting seeds in the different types of soil,  which is also about teaching the Word of God.  And then in 1 Corinthians 3:6, the Apostle Paul says:

 " I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.",

which means that we plant the seed, others come along and water the seed after we've done our part in planting it, and God is the one who will reap the harvest in due time.  But if we don't plant the seeds of faith in those we love and care about, there will be nothing to water and nothing to harvest.  There won't be any beautiful flowers blooming that we left behind us after we are gone. Something to think about on this Pentecost Sunday. 

I apologize if this post was too long or rambly, but it's just things that came to my mind today and I wanted to share them with you...and perhaps plant some seeds of thought in your heart and mind as well about the legacy we are leaving behind us. It's never too late to plant some seeds!! Who knows? They may still be blooming 100 years after we are long gone from this earth! Think about it!!

Here's another link about that location where we like to walk

This is a link to a post I wrote about Pentecost Sunday many years ago

Another Link: The Rushing Mighty Wind

Thursday Thankfulness

 Wow, this week sure has flown by! And every day has brought us a little bit of rain here and there, so we are thankful for that. Hopefully some more is on the way this afternoon around 5:00, according to the weather app on my phone. However, we've found that not to always be exactly accurate, but at least it gives us an idea of what to expect and be prepared!  

With all the rain our little zinnia garden is starting to really blossom!

Some kind of bug on this one:

These were almost spent, but I brought them inside to enjoy to the very end:

One of our blogging friends, Debbi at Debbi's Front Porch kept mentioning something about her "Old Maids" growing/blooming, but I didn't know what she was talking about, so I asked her, and she said she was talking about her zinnias.  I had never heard that term before for zinnias, so I looked it up online and here is what I found on someone's post on Facebook:

"Creative Gardening"

Tinatin Noghashvili ·

"Did you know zinnias used to be called Old Maids? They were long lasting flowers and similar to the bright colors old unmarried women used to wear.
They were very popular from the 1920’s to the 50’s and then their popularity somewhat dwindled.
That name isn’t in use much more and zinnias are now again growing in popularity. They are easy to grow, last a long time in the vase and come in so many wonderful colors! Their ability to attract pollinators is also a big plus. Everyone should try growing this beautiful flower!"

Internet Photo

I love that picture, don't you? And that explains about the "Old Maids" in my garden! Thank you, Debbi, for piqueing my curiosity about that!

Talking about curiosity...Whenever I step out of the back door these two curious cats come running to see what I am doing...

One would think they were joined at the hip! LOL.  Looks like Blackie is running in his sleep!

They are actually hoping I'll give them something more to eat, but I think they are well fed enough!

Actually, I did do something different on the porch. Our "kids" were coming over for supper, and they always bring the Grand Puppies,Sugar and Spice. Well, if the kitties are on the back porch where they can see them, the pups go crazy and want to go outside.  So we thought we'd try a little subterfuge and build a screen so the cats couldn't be seen by the dogs.  Before I was smart enough to tuck in the bottom part of the sheet under the chair legs that are on the other side of this "curtain", Blackie was actually under there playing hide and seek in the curtain. Can you see his lump in the middle?

Here's the finished product, and it actually worked pretty well until the cats figured out how to get around it and showed up on the other side of the curtain where the pups could see them.  I didn't get any pictures of all that excitement, but suffice it to say the best of plans don't always work when you're dealing with two curious cats and two very excitable doggies!

Here's where they ended up, but the pups were gone home by the time I took this picture. LOL.

This is what we had for supper...Rose was off  from work today, and so she wanted to roast a pork loin  and bring it here.  I cooked the mashed potatoes and corn on the cob and we made gravy when she got here with the meat. We also had a nice green salad. It was all very yummy!

There was more to their plan to come over today.  If you recall a couple of weeks ago they helped us install a "Ring" doorbell, which has worked very well and we are thankful for it.  The next part of our "security package" was to install some "Blink" Cameras outside in a few places.

And here is a test to see if I can actually share a video from the back porch camera...looks like it's there. Let me know if you can open it.  I'm just learning all the functions and how to operate it.  This was taken just a minute ago.  

You may wonder why all the security measures all of a sudden? Well, it's something we've been thinking about for a while, and to be honest, at our age, it's just something that we feel like we need to give us "eyes" all around the property.  The nice thing is we can access this from anywhere we are as long as I have my phone.  It gives us that extra level of security when there are things that "go bump in the night", or if we have to be away for any length of time.  And yes, we know that God is always watching over us and we are not afraid, but in this day and age it is wise to be vigilant. 

Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 

7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

So we are very thankful that our kids helped us set this up. It's nice to have young people around who are capable of tackling these kinds of jobs for us! We are blessed and very very thankful.

I know some have wondered how hubby is doing...he's feeling a bit better and we are very thankful to God for His help and kindness and grace.  We met with our primary care doctor to go over the results of his tests, and now he is being referred to a specialist for further evaluation. We don't know when that will be yet, as we are waiting for the specialist to contact us to set up an appointment. We are just thankful that it doesn't appear to be anything that needs immediate or urgent attention, but definitely needs to be addressed.  So we are taking things one day at a time and trusting God to work all things together for our good.  (Romans 8:28) He knows our needs and concerns, and He is taking care of things beyond our control. And we also know that God's timing is always perfect. So we will trust in His time schedule.  Again, we are thankful and blessed.  However, we are still taking things a bit easier and not participating in too many extra-curricular activities.  When we know better what the plan is for the future, we will be able to assess our future activities a little better.

Well, friends, it is getting past my bedtime. It's been a wonderful day and I am very thankful. 

I hope you are doing well also, and I hope to catch up with you as I am able. "Good Night, Sleep Tight, Don't let the Bed Bugs bite!" LOL.  

Tuesday 4~The Best Part of Waking Up

 ~~The Best Part of Waking Up~~

Well hello again! I am so glad you stopped by and I do hope you are here to join in for Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.
We ask 4 questions each week to get you blogging, thinking, discussing and visiting with other bloggers.

The commercial song said "the best part of waking up is Folger's in your cup".

1. What is in your cup in the morning? 

Tea!  No coffee for me, but I do make it for my hubby every day.

2. What brand of coffee or tea is the best in your opinion and why do you think so?

Well, I prefer Lipton's tea for my everyday cuppa. But I do drink other brands and varieties when I want to have a little "tea party".  

Twinings makes a lot of good teas. There are many different herbal teas and loose teas that I like to try,

 but I always go back to Lipton for my morning cup of hot tea and also to make iced tea.

Our Tea and Coffee Station

As far as coffee goes, hubby isn't picky, so I usually buy whichever one is on sale, Folgers or Maxwell House, and he is happy with that.

3. Where do you drink your cuppa in the morning? Do you have a nice view?

Yes, I usually sit here at my computer in the morning and drink my cup of tea while I check messages and comments on blogs, read blogs, etc., and I also can look out the window in "my room with a view" while I write. However, oftentimes it is still dark when I am drinking my cuppa tea, so I really don't see anything until later on. 

4.Besides the morning, do you take little tea or coffee breaks during the day? If you are out and about where is your favorite place to get some tea or coffee?

In the winter time I am more apt to take a hot tea break in the afternoon, and sometimes I do in the summer as well if I am feeling a little tired or just need to sit and relax and think about something else for a while.  I usually have iced tea with my lunch.  

Oftentimes I will sit here in my rocking chair in this little section of the kitchen and drink a cup of tea while cooking supper or baking cookies. That way I can keep an eye on things cooking while I relax. As you can see, I have plenty of company. LOL.  Lily Grace and her friends are always ready for a tea party. 

And sometimes I enjoy having a little tea party on the porch...this was a few years ago when Lily Grace and her dog Bailey and I did just that!

I may need to do this again before it gets too hot!! It would be nice to have someone join me...it's always more fun when you have someone to share this time with you. And if you'd prefer, I could make coffee for you!

As far as a place to go and get some tea or coffee, there really isn't such a place here, at least not that appeals to me. They have just opened a Dunkin' Donuts here in our little town, but it is mostly a coffee kind of place and also primarily a drive-through, although I did just notice that they have a few tables outside...but who wants to sit there when it's 90 degrees and drink something hot? Not me!

HERE is a link to a post I wrote about this a couple of years ago.  And also, if you click on Tea Time in the side bar of the blog, or Tea Party, you will find many other posts about tea time from the past.