Saturday Evening on Still Waters Pond

Good evening from Still Waters Pond.  It's been an active evening on the waterfront, following a light sprinkly shower this afternoon.  The pond is still rather shallow and is shrinking from lack of rain, even with the few thunderstorms we've had this week.  

But this evening we were visited by this Juvenile White Ibis. It appears he is walking on the water, but actually that's just how shallow it is there...

However, there is apparently something good to eat there among the lily pads and mucky puddles...

Actually there were two of these juvenile white ibis'.  

They were wading around with the three white egrets...

Can you find all three?  Kind of like "Where's Waldo?  Or, where's all three Waldos??"

Meanwhile, the Sand Hill Crane family came walking up from across the pond and waited at our back door for a hand full of bird seed...which the "Master of the House" enjoys throwing to them each evening (and morning too, if they show up).

Our resident "porch kitties", Blackie and Sunshine, had a front row seat to watch all the fun in the yard and on the pond.  They whisper back and forth to each other about how silly those Cranes look with their long skinny legs and extra long necks...but they have the  utmost respect for them and will not dare to go down off the porch near them while they are in the yard.  There seems to be an unwritten law that the Sand Hill Cranes are the rulers of Still Waters Pond and its surrounds...

And as soon as the cranes were finished with their evening treat, they took off across the pond and chased away the egrets, who flew to another corner of the pond,  and also the ibis, who flew into this tree on the other side of the pond.  If the egrets and ibis' tried to get back down and across the pond, the cranes would chase them away and let them know that this was their territory and they were not welcome there!

There is definitely a territorial pecking order on this pond!   That being said, now as the sun is going down all the birds seem to have retreated to their respective corners and everyone is settling down for the night.  All is calm and peaceful once again.

The End.

Well, that's the end of THAT story! LOL.  Let's see, what else has been happening in the past few days that I haven't already told you about? Let me think...

There are no pictures, but the kids came over last night for "pizza night". They brought our grandpuppies Sugar and Spice, and we all had a fun time together.   We put up the sheet outside on the porch to block the view of the porch kitties so the doggies wouldn't go crazy.  It worked pretty well, but there was one close call when Blackie found his way in behind the sheet and right up against the glass doors!  Thankfully I saw him before the pups did, and Benton actually distracted them and got the doggies into their harness/leashes and took them out the front door for a little walk. Then I went out on the back porch and encouraged Blackie to come out from behind the sheet with a treat. I repaired the opening where he found his way behind there, and all was well from then on. Whew! That was a close one! LOL.  

I actually had a doctor appointment this past week, a follow up to the lab work from the preceding week. Everything was fine except I was told that I am one point away from being pre-diabetic! That was a shock to me, as I rarely eat desserts/sweets anymore, I try to eat really healthy, I don't drink sweetened drinks and drink mostly water  except for one cup of hot tea in the morning and a glass of unsweet tea for lunch.  Of course the doctor reminded me about the breads, potatoes and all those "carbs" that I am most likely eating that do the damage even without eating a lot of surgary sweets.  So now I am looking at labels on everything I eat. I know some of you are on no-carb diets...I may have to start taking notes from you about what to eat and what not to eat.

The day after I got that news we went out to breakfast because hubby had to have some more lab work done.  We went to a place called "Colee's", which is in Palatka.  We've been there before and always enjoy their good breakfasts. 

I know they have some wonderful homemade breads and biscuits and even a huge cinnamon bun, but I refrained from ordering any of those tempting things...

And got a spinach and cheddar cheese omelette with a side order of bacon and some wheat toast, (which I barely ate).

Hubby hasn't been told that he can't eat carbs,  so he ordered the eggs, grits, biscuit, and sausage.

I'm sure we'd both be better off without all of those carbs, but someone other than me will have to tell him that. LOL.  Maybe that will come out as a result of all the lab work he has been having done. We shall see what develops.

I just realized that today is my Daddy's birthday. He would be 107 years old. My daddy was a wonderful, fun loving, and a good Chrstian father and family man.  This is one of my favorite pictures of my sister Doris on the left, Daddy in the middle, and me on the right. Someone snuck up behind us to take this picture while we were out for a walk, and you can see how we all reacted.  That should tell you something about our family...LOL.

I love this picture that resurfaced just a few years ago. This was on our farm in Pennsylvania. I've shared it here before so you probably have already seen it, but it's always worth repeating in my mind. This was our family around 1952.

Clifford, Russell, Laddie, Mama, Doris, Daddy and me.

And here we were in 2005, back row l to r: 

Russell, me, Clifford, Doris

Mama and Daddy on the front.

Mama died the following year (2006), and Daddy died in 2011. My brother Russell died in 2019.  So that leaves Clifford, Doris, and me.

I am extremely thankful for the family God gave me.  

Happy Heavenly Birthday, Daddy! Until we are all reunited in heaven someday.

Psalm 103:1-5

1"Bless the Lord, O my soul;

And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,

And forget not all His benefits:

3 Who forgives all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases,

4 Who redeems your life from destruction,

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s."

Thank You, Lord, for all of these blessings...Amen.

And good night to all...Have a wonderful SONday tomorrow!

Friday Foto Friends...Making a Mountain out of a Molehill!

Happy Friday everyone!  I have a different kind of story to share in pictures today...if you are extremely squeamish about nature, then you may want to skip over this...but I promise you it has a happy ending.

Yesterday afternoon I noticed Blackie down near the shoreline of Still Waters Pond, looking intently at something on the ground.  So focused was he on his prey that he never even noticed me quietly sneaking up for a closer look, and this is what I saw:

Yes, that is a mole!  Click HERE for a good description from the National Wildlife Federation.

 I guess I just discovered that Blackie is a fierce warrior and a good hunter! At least, that's how it appears right now...but keep reading...

Blackie had a pretty good grip on this wiggly furry creature in his jaws, but I could see that it was a challenge to hold on to the mole who was not giving up without a good fight...

Blackie kept moving to higher ground and looking for a good place to sit down and hopefully enjoy what he had captured...

Sunshine came over to see what all the commotion was about...

But apparently he wasn't interested enough to try and make Blackie share his bounty...so he just walked away...

Blackie continued his trek across the lawn, looking for a good spot to sit...

But alas! Somehow he lost his grip on the mole and the mole escaped and moved away so rapidly that Blackie hardly knew what had happened...

He tried to stalk him again, but, where did he go???

Amazingly, Mr. Mole managed not only to escape the jaws of certain death, but he managed to dig his way back down in the ground so rapidly that there was nothing Blackie could do but sit and watch the earth moving and his treasure disappearing farther and farther down into the ground!!

So Blackie decided to just lay down and watch and wait and guard the gate to the tunnel in case the little mole tried to come back up for "air".  I don't think Mr. Mole was that dumb, and his tunneling probably already had him quite far away and in a place where Blackie could not reach him again...

Sunshine was laying nearby and looked up as if to say, "I could've told him so! I've been there and done that, and already knew who would win that fight."

Click HERE for more information about moles.

In thinking about the term, "making a mountain out of a molehill"... I couldn't help but think about all the times that we humans tend to get all worked up over things that probably really aren't all that important in the grand scheme of life.  We think that "our way is the only way, or the best way"...and we just can't let go of our own self importance in order to allow others who may disagree with us any grace. We try to build up our "mountain" from a little molehill by enlisting the opinions of others who agree with us and making our case bigger and bigger so that anyone who dares to contend with us will be put to shame by our greatness.  

Proverbs 10:12 NKJV

12 Hatred stirs up strife,

But love covers all sins.

Sadly, all too often in creating this big mountain we only stir up strife and people begin to take sides and in defending their own point, people who once may have valued and cared for one another deteriorate into people who barely tolerate each other, if at all.  Families and friendships are hurt and destroyed, and nothing of any great value can ever come out of such disagreement.  

Yes, I do understand that there some points in life that we should never waver upon, but I like the old saying, "don't throw the baby out with the bathwater".    In other words, don't get so caught up in your personal stance that you neglect to preserve and protect relationships that are much more valuable and vulnerable.  Is being "right" really more important than family and dear friends?  

I do know that there are some relationships that are toxic and probably need to be severed, but that's not really what I'm talking about here.  And I don't want to "make a mountain out of a molehill" by trying to explore this subject too much here...but seeing that mole and his determination to survive got me thinking about these things today. 

Here's what Isaiah the Prophet had to say about mountains...

3 

Isaiah 40:3-5 NKJV

The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

“Prepare the way of the Lord;

Make straight in the desert

A highway for our God.

4 Every valley shall be exalted

And every mountain and hill brought low;

The crooked places shall be made straight

And the rough places smooth;

5 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed,

And all flesh shall see it together;

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

On that day, all of our grandiose ideas and thoughts and self-importance will be 'brought low"...and "the Glory of the LORD  will be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together."... On that day, there's only one thing that really matters...where do I stand with God?  Have I repented of my own self-righteousness and accepted God's free offer of salvation found only in His Son, Jesus Christ?

John 14:6  NKJV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. 

No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Ephesians 2:8-9  NKJV

8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; 

it is the gift of God, 

9 not of works, lest anyone should boast."

This is the only mountain I will stand on and not waver...my salvation comes only through my faith in Jesus Christ...and it is His free gift to me and anyone who will believe...and none of my self-important ideas or works have anything to do with it.  Without Christ, I am nothing...I am lower than a mole in the dirt.  My big mountains and grand ideas will NOT get me into heaven...Only Jesus...and that is the only truth that will set us all free from our bondage to grand ideas and big mountains and worthless schemes.  

I hope you are all standing with me on this mountain!  

Wednesday Treasures

 

It's been a busy week. I'm sorry I've been a bit awol here in blogland.  Just a lot going on, and it's been hot! Too hot to think too hard I guess! LOL.

We did take a walk a couple of times...and I had to take a picture of this crape myrtle blossom, growing on a skinny little branch of what used to be a bigger tree probably back in the day in someone's yard in the old historic section of town where the highway went through and took away their houses...You know I just love to see how life goes on in one way or another...

And this morning we had an occasion to go into the "big city" of Palatka, which is about 15 miles from us. (Not really a BIG city, but bigger than where we live). Palatka is known for its many murals painted on the sides of the old store buildings in their historic section of town.  I happened upon this mural, and wanted to share it with you:

This mural is of a Cattle Drive to Paynes Prairie, circa 1930.

 Here's a brief summary of the history of the cattle drives to Paynes Prairie:

"Paynes Prairie, now Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, has a history of cattle drives dating back to the Spanish era and continuing through the Civil War. Specifically, Confederate cattle drives would stop there to fatten up cattle before moving them north towards the Georgia border. The prairie's landscape, with its vast open spaces and proximity to transportation routes, made it a strategic location for cattlemen. "

Link to more about the Murals in Palatka, FL.  There are so many, and they are all so interesting. I still haven't seen them all in person, but this link will show you what is there.

It's been so hot this week, the kitties have been finding different places to rest in the shade...Not sure that's much cooler, but Sunshine seems to like laying there under the tarp that covers the lawn tractor.

Some of you may have already seen these pictures on Facebook this week, but I'll share them again for those who haven't...One early morning Mr. Cardinal came calling at the bird feeder...I know many believe that when a Cardinal visits it's like having a visit from someone who's gone on to heaven.  I don't know if that's true or not, but I do love to see them, and they do always make me think of those who have gone on before us.. Always a comforting sight and thought.

Of course our "porch kitties", Blackie and Sunshine, are totally oblivious to the Cardinal just a few feet away from them.  That's a good thing, really!  Look at Sunshine...he's definitely enjoying his "catnap".

Mr. Cardinal seems to be oblivious to the cats as well...

Oh to be able to be so relaxed...

I guess you can tell I didn't get much done that morning!

But perhaps the kitties have the best idea for a hot summer day...

Mr.Cardinal seems to think so.

Isaiah 26:3

You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.

Ah yes, "perfect peace!"...something we are learning about...when our mind is on the Lord, and when we put our complete trust in Him, we can be at perfect peace.  When we allow the cares of this world and our fears for the unknown to get to us,  we get anxious and afraid.  But GOD! 

Remember this old hymn..."What A Friend We Have in Jesus"...

1 

What a Friend we have in Jesus,

All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit,

O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer!

2

Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged,

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful

Who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness,

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

3

Are we weak and heavy-laden,

Cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge—

Take it to the Lord in prayer;

Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?

Take it to the Lord in prayer;

In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,

Thou wilt find a solace there.

Amen.

We've been going through a lot of waiting and trusting and praying these past several months, while hubby has been dealing with some mystery illness and total exhaustion.  We've been to different kinds of doctors and had several kinds of tests...and still there haven't been any real answers.  Tomorrow morning he goes for more lab work to rule out some other possibilities...but here's the "good news"...

Yesterday he met with a neurologist (finally!).  After the Doctor looked over all the test results that have been done over the past few months, and also after asking my hubby many questions about how he feels, etc.,  finally my husband asked the doctor if he believes that he has any neurological disease? And the doctor said, based on what he sees, he does not believe that he does. However, he wants to run a few more blood tests to rule out some things, so that is why we go tomorrow, but he said he really doesn't believe they will show anything significant.  

Now, personally, I am a little frustrated with that answer only because we still don't know what's going on.  But the doctor reassured us that he doesn't see anything life threatening or serious.  It could be a kind of "chronic fatigue" situation, but there really isn't a whole lot that can be done for that.  However, to hubby, this news was great! It relieved his mind so much that I have noticed a new spring in his step...and tonight he even went to the church board meeting (where he is the chairman), and I thought he was planning to resign from his position because of his illness, but instead he rejoiced that God has given him the strength and desire to keep going. He was like his "old self" again,  and it was like witnessing a miracle of God right before our eyes!  So I want to stop and give thanks to the Lord for what He has done...because I know it was God who did that!   Praise God from Whom ALL blessings flow!!

And so I will leave you with those words of hope and thankfulness for tonight. There's some other things going on, but I will save that for another post as I am tired tonight. It's been another long, hot day, but, oh! It did finally rain! We had a good little thunderstorm and rain this afternoon, so that is something else to be thankful for!

I like this translation of Philippians 4:19...

Philippians 4:19  New Living Translation

"19 And this same God who takes care of me 

will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, 

which have been given to us in Christ Jesus."

Amen!!

Good night dear friends!

Happy August!

Happy First Day of August! To me, August is a month of transition...summer begins to wane, and we begin to shift our thinking from vacations and summer gardens, to getting the kids ready for school (if you still have any at home) and getting back into a regular routine again.  Of course, for those of us who are retired and all our children are grown, it may not be as big of a change, but still there are subtle differences in the air, an expectation of things to come.   Some may feel a bit of anxiety about whatever the future may hold, but the verse shared below in this Thomas Kinkade calendar picture for August is a good one to remember:  "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee." Isaiah 26:3

 

I love that painting, entitled "Weekend Retreat", and would LOVE to have such a place to retreat to, especially if it was somewhere cooler than where we are right now!

Perhaps this calendar picture below may be more what you are experiencing...picking the last of the summer flowers from your garden and trying to keep things watered and growing for as long as possible. 

And this would be someplace that I would love to be as well...Isn't that a beautiful farmhouse, and look at those lovely flowers and trees and the wheat field in the background...but most of all, I love the picture of the sweet old grandpa taking a walk with his, what I would assume, would be a great grandson.

John Sloane captures so much beauty and joy and love in these paintings in his Country Seasons calendar.  I enlarged this part of the picture to see what the little boy was looking at, and it is a chipmunk!  We don't have those here in Florida, but I have had some experiences with them  up north..especially in Ohio, where we had a chestnut tree, and in the fall I had a daily race with the chipmunks to see who could gather the most chestnuts off the ground! I think the chipmunks won! They took them and stored them somewhere for their winter meals.  I roasted the few I could gather and I think I also managed to chop up some into our stuffing for our Thanksgiving dinner! Sweet memories!

After enjoying a nice walk with a grandchild or anyone else, for that matter, it would be nice to come inside and make a pot of tea with this lovely Royal Doulton teapot from the Netherlands...and sit down together and have a nice long visit over tea and cookies...

There is something special about having tea with a friend or loved one...

Or maybe that young grandchild would prefer a glass of cold lemonade! That sounds pretty good too!

This Susan Branch calendar always captures my imagination...Yes, "Home, Such a lovely Place"...

And now that brings me to something special from my home!    This photograph is not current...I'm not sure of the date, but by the looks of it most likely it was taken in the late fall here on our own Still Waters Pond, when the Canada Geese were gathered to enjoy a peaceful place to swim and fish and honk at their neighbors as they swam around each other...always a lot of fun to watch in the fall and winter.

So why am I showing it now? Well, I did something I've never done before!  

First, I got a new bedspread, and I wanted to have something different to hang above the bed that would tie in the colors in our bedroom...

And I really didn't want to spend money on a picture from someone else's pond or woods or whatever, when I have such a beautiful place right here on our own Still Waters Pond.  So I searched through my photographs of the pond to find one that would show a peaceful scene, and I asked hubby what he would enjoy looking at more...the geese, the Sand Hill Cranes, or something else, and he said the geese...

So I sent in this photograph online to Walmart and had them make it into a canvas picture to hang on the wall!   I was concerned that the photo might look too blurry when enlarged that much, but it really doesn't! It looks just like the original, only bigger!

I am really excited and pleased with the way it turned out! 

This is my anniversary present to us, as August 16th will be our 56th anniversary! And it is nice to be able to sleep "beside the Still Waters (pond)".  

August is always a busy month for our family, with lots of other people in the family having birthdays and anniversaries.  We had hoped to get everyone together sometime this month to celebrate, but we're having difficulty finding a date that works for everyone. So we may have to break it up into smaller gatherings at different times.  Time will tell.  Either way, at least hubby and I already have started the celebration!  Today we had some errands to run in the "city", so we went to lunch at Captain D's. I like their grilled seafood dinners, and it's not too expensive, so we had that. I am thankful that he was feeling well enough to go. "One day at a time, Sweet Jesus! That's all I'm asking from you..."

This was the sunrise this morning!

And here's one last passage from the Thomas Kinkade calendar for August...some good words of wisdom for us all to remember...

So be at peace, my friends...and have a blessed and beautiful  and safe August. Bye for now!