New Year Blessings to You

As this year comes to an end, I have a prayer for you my friend.  May Our Lord bless you and fill your life with joy.  May you always walk along His path and find all that you seek.

Our world is full of so much sadness and hate and violence and sickness.  Fear permeates down to the bones of so many. Doom and gloom, terror and heartache, poverty and homelessness blanket the planet no matter where you happen to be.  Wars between countries, states and neighbors echo everywhere the hate and greed that fills this world.

That is the state of the affairs of man.  I prefer to dwell in God’s world.  The world where love lives.  Where kindness, generosity and patience flow from the hearts of His people: Those who dwell in the heights of His kingdom, knowing that all this will soon be gone and His Kingdom will come….

2 Peter 3:9-13 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (How patient is Our Lord!)  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.  Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.  But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

Isaiah 65:17 See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.

Revelation 21:1-4  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. And I, John, saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

When Jesus returns, this world as we know it will no longer be!  May this coming new year give you many opportunities to experience the Glory and Love of God, to study His Word, to learn of His promises, and to read about the new day that is coming soon.

Revelation 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

Father, Heavenly King, Giver of all good things, I pray that You will bless all of Your children with the indwelling of Your Holy Spirit. I pray that all of Your children will see with new eyes and clean hearts all that You have in store for all of us. To those who do not know You yet, I pray You fill them with an earnest desire to know YOU. Lift them up out of this worldly mess and show them what is coming! Take fear and dread away from their hearts and minds and fill them with that joy, that peace that knowing You brings to all who trust in You.

Lord Jesus, thank You for coming here, for walking with us, for showing us how to be and how to love, for sacrificing Your life for us, for ascending into the Heavenly temple to prepare a place for us to be with You, and for the promise of Your soon return!

Amen!

 

 

PS.  The header I am currently using is a cropped version of a photo I downloaded from wallupdotnet

Struggling? Lift yourself up and Rejoice!!

My orange sky

Gosh, it seems like more often than I would like I find myself struggling.  Not all day, and maybe for just a short while, but I am sure I’m not alone in that.

I struggle with all kinds of things.  I make some decisions that I wish I hadn’t.  I say yes to someone, but deep inside I want to say no.  I end up doing something I didn’t want to or have the time/energy for.   I start thinking about things done and over with, that I really need to let go.  For good.  I let the world and all its craziness sneak inside of my mind and sidetrack me.  Thankfully, He brings me back to the reality He wants for me.

I thought maybe if I prayed about it and listened to what He may have to say about it, I might be able to help simply by typing.  And, so I did.  Pray, that is.  And it did.  Help that is……  My prayer now is that it will help you, just in case you are struggling too……

Keeping warm with my wood stove

Whether it’s going for a walk, sitting by a pond, watching the birds or warming up by a fire, do something that makes you feel good inside. Breathe in the Spirit of the Lord and let out all that is troubling you. Commune with His Creation! Spend time with Him!!

Psalms 96:11-13 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; Let the sea roar, and all its fullness; Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the Lord.

Anytime you feel anxious or discomfort wherever you are or whoever you are with, remember:

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Philipians 4:6  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Keep a gratitude journal. Each night, write down ten things that happened today that you are grateful for – even the simplest of things can bring us a smile and that can become contagious.  And try to do that every night.  After a while, your outlook might change a little or maybe a lot!

Psalms 95:2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

Avoid negative people and situations. Think long and hard about the different ways their behavior or the situation could affect you in the short term AND in the long run. Choose friends and activities wisely.  And learn to say “No”.

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits.

Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

As Albert Einstein once said: “Stay away from negative people. They have a problem for every solution.”

Spend time with people who lift you up and make you feel good inside and that have faith in the Lord as you do.

Proverbs 13:20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

Remember that none of us is perfect; we all make mistakes and stumble. HE knows that and He forgives us. If we fall, He will pick us back up.  Really, He will!!  If we let Him.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Don’t let the world and its events overwhelm you. Don’t get trapped into believing what you hear. Our Father knows everything you need and His Word should be your guidepost. Follow Him and not social media. You can trust everything He says.

Isaiah 26:4 Trust in the Lord forever, For in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.

I feel better.  I’m glad I typed this.  Granted, it didn’t all come spilling out of my fingers with no thought involved.  I did think about how to feel lifted up and then found some verses in the Bible to put His words into it.  I pray you will be blessed in a special way today!  Remember always that we are all family.  His family.  And He truly does love us so very much.  So, lift yourself up and REJOICE!

 

PS.  I do get counseling when I need it.  Ever since my Mom died, and then my husband, there are times I need someone to talk to.  In private.  In confidence.  It helps.

 

Love Poem

I have been sad lately, discouraged perhaps.  It’s the time of year when I go through things and clean.  This week, I have been going through my office and am continuing to do so until I finish.  To be honest, it has not been done in probably ….. three years?  I mean I am talking about – an inch by inch going through.  Usually, if there is a stack of pictures or a small bin of “stuff”, it just goes back wherever it was.  This time, I am going through every picture and every thing in all places.  This has been my office for almost 30 years.  It was a screened-in back porch when I moved here. I hired a contractor to turn it into an additional room with 3 windows and real walls to become my office.  It’s around 180 sqft or so.

It’s amazing how much stuff we accumulate.  Back in 2017, we had a house fire that started in the office – lots of stuff got burned up or melted.  There was smoke everywhere, in every room in the house except one because the door was closed. Soot found its way into every cabinet, on every plate and cup and can of soup and toilet paper. I mean it was on everything.  It was seriously unbelievable.  It took six months before we were actually back to normal again.  If you are interested in reading about that: Day of the fire

After my husband passed away in 2019, I bought some bookcases and built some freestanding cabinets for the office and put a lot of stuff into and onto all of that.  Stuff that had been elsewhere in the house.  I didn’t go through it all, just moved it from one spot to a new spot, in the office.

I have been going through all of that and whatever else has survived these many years.  So many memories, tears are flowing, yes.  Lots of pictures of so many people and places.  His and my birthdays were close together and we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant to celebrate…  I just found a picture of one of those times – we with giant sombreros they put on our heads with shots of tequila in front of us.  I am not a drinker, but it was free so we sent them down the hatch.  That was an interesting rest of the evening.  That was in 2003.  Another picture of us from 1996 just weeks before we married was in the same stack.

I found a love poem I wrote him – wow!  I had forgotten all about that …

You are my man. You are the one I want in my life forever.  You are amazing in all that you do.  You must never feel incomplete.  For you and I make each other whole.

Without you I would not be who I am. Without me, you would not be who you are.  Without us, we would not be who we are.  Together, we are.

You will never be a failure because you never fail…. You never fail to try.  You never fail to do your best.  You never fail to do all you can.  You never fail to do a good job.  You never fail to be honest.  You never fail to give it all you got.

You are a man.  You are a good man.  You are a strong man.  You are a decent man. You are a hard working man.  You are a down-to-earth, God fearing man. YOU are my man.

I loved him.  A lot.  We had some pretty rough times.  He was sick with cancer for a long time.  He struggled a lot.  I miss him.  A lot.

When I woke up this morning, I was sad.  Discouraged.

Last night – A friend whom I have been helping take care of and for whom I am a patient advocate had asked me to visit last night.  He lost the lower part of his right leg six weeks ago due to complications from being on dialysis.  He wanted me to check his other foot and leg.  I did.  Not good.  I won’t include one of the photos I took but suffice it to say, it is not good.  I looked at him and said, “You need to go back to the hospital”.  He sighed and said “I will tomorrow.”  He had just gotten home from 8 weeks of hospital and rehab stays.  I didn’t blame him one bit!  I got home late and stayed up quite a while trying hard to not be discouraged.

So, I got out of bed.  And I thanked the Lord for another day.

Good morning, world!

What a blessing.  Another day!  I end my days thanking Him for what He gave me that day.  I do not deserve any of the days He gives me; He graciously grants me a new one anyway.

After the morning wore on, I had to decide how to spend the day.  Back to working in the office, I thought.  And you now are caught up to me typing this at my desk.

So, yeah, I have lots and lots to be grateful for because He Lives!  No matter what life or people throw my way, He lives inside of me.  In my heart. In my be-ing.  How blessed am I?

And, yes, I get discouraged.  And sad.  But every time, because of Him, I am lifted up.  Out of the darkness.  And, there I will be for the moment or moments or days until I fall again.  Oh, we humans are a sorry lot.  BUT, He does not seem to think so if He was willing to give up His life on a cross and die.  For us.  For you.  For me.

GOSH!   And if you have any doubts, READ HIS WORD.  It is the most beautiful love poem you will ever find.

Thank you, Lord, for giving me this day.  I am so grateful to you for that.

 

I Am With You Always

It was my cooking day.  That means I go to the local produce stand and the grocery store and buy fresh, fresh vegetables and go home and cook up a storm!  I can be hours in the kitchen. Thursdays always smell good at my house!  (Just sayin’).  I share with neighbors or family or freeze for winter time when fresh local produce is limited to fall/winter crops.

Onions, garlic, ginger, carrots, celery, cabbages, yellow squash, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower and black beans!! Plus secret herbs and spices. Ha ha

Hurricane Idalia, then a tropical storm, was heading our way.  Always erring on the side of caution considering all that could happen, I wanted to fill up the gas cans, make sure I had plenty of jugs and buckets of water in the house and get whatever groceries I needed. I made sure I got plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit.

Once I got back from the grocery store, I started steaming, sauteing, and chopping. Every so often, I would have to stop and go rest in my recliner with some heat on my back. Standing for long periods of time takes a toll on me and breaks are not a luxury, they are needed!

While I was sitting in my chair, I kept hearing the well pump coming on and I was not aware of anything running that uses water.  This just was not normal – usually is indicative of a leak under the house. Hmmmm. It’s kind of raining out and maybe I’m wrong, I thought. (Actually I was avoiding reality for the moment).

Shortly after that, I went back into my bedroom and while I was in there, I heard a swishing or some kind of strange, unrecognizable sound. I thought maybe it was the air moving in the ducts and maybe something was caught in there?

A while later, I heard the pump come on again and I sighed loudly in reply.  I hurried back into my bedroom bathroom to make sure I hadn’t left the faucet running or something. I heard that swishing sound again and it was, and it definitely sounded like, a water leak, for sure.  There is no mistaking the hissing sound of water spraying onto plastic.  (My crawlspace has a new moisture barrier – heavy gauge plastic on the walls and the dirt floor).

I kind of got into a panic. Until He calmed me down. I took a deep breath and took comfort in the knowledge that He was with me and everything would be all right. I called my lawn guy Gary– he and his wife have always been very kind and helpful to me and always told me – call if you need us! So, I did and he came right over. I grabbed my flashlight, unlocked the entry door to go under the house (it is a tall crawlspace, not a basement) and I went to where the chain was so I could pull on the light. I shined the flashlight back to where we could both hear water spraying, and the water drops glittered in its beam.  There was a little stream coming down the plastic, forming a puddle at the lowest point of the floor.  With a storm coming, I have to admit I was a little unnerved.  “The Lord is good,” I thought, “and everything will be all right, remember???”

Many years ago, my husband had piped a single line of cold water to my kitchen sink, separate from the rest of the house. There is the main shutoff for the whole house, and then there is a second shutoff for everything except that cold water line to the kitchen.  We found that second shutoff and the sound of the leak stopped. Hallelujah!!!!

I had very recently found an honest, kind and Christian plumber. He is very experienced, a bit pricey but fair, and there is no one else I would even consider calling. I texted him to see if he had any time available so he could help me out. He texted me back and said that he could come the next afternoon unless I needed him sooner. I explained that I have cold water in the kitchen.  Which meant I have drinking water, “spit bath” water, brushing teeth water and water to pour down my toilet when I need it. (HA HA). He said he would be here that next day.

WOW!   This happened all in ONE day!!!!!    Father calmed me down again(see my previous post) where I would usually be quite anxious under these circumstances.  I was able to get my shopping done, get gas, fill buckets and do all my cooking.  Once I realized I had a leak, He made sure that Gary was available to come over right away to help me shut the water off before it got dark. He made sure my plumber would be available the next day. He made sure that my husband had part of the house set up to give me water in the kitchen all these years later.  (It still hurts to think about him; I miss him).  To say that I was/am humbled by how Our Father looks after us every moment would be a serious understatement.

And what part of “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20) can we not understand? These last several weeks have proven me to that without a doubt, my Lord Jesus is always with me…….

Deuteronomy 31:6  Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Matthew 28:20   ….. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

I will never doubt His presence any moment of my life.  I know He is always here with me and for me, ever desiring to bless me as I walk with Him along this path He has shown me and all of us who turn to Him and reach up to Him and lean on Him and trust in Him.  May He bless me with the ability to turn to Him immediately when I am troubled.  On my own, I am a wreck or one waiting to happen!

Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 

Isaiah 40:31   but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

And, just to share one of many pictures from my yard……..

My lovely Bell Garden

God’s Mechanic

Another story from our recent adventure at the coast – one with Our Father’s hands all over it!

One of my greatest blessings- my back yard in the Spring

Everyone had eaten their breakfasts, showered and dressed. We were getting ready to head out to check out some new places – granted there are not that many since we have been coming here for over 30 years!! We were all looking forward to some fun and a good meal or two. We decided to head for Swansboro, a delightful coastal town on the intracoastal waterway and White Oak River.  It is this town that attracted us so many years ago where my husband and I were married.

As my daughter started her vehicle, she noticed the battery light stayed on. It was NOT on when I used it the other day when I went to renew my driver’s license. (See my previous post).   Neither of us quite knew what that meant, so I dug out the owner’s manual. It did not look good.  A faulty alternator was suspect and that could spell trouble.  Cyndi headed out as we tried to figure out the best thing to do.

From the island, there is a high and long bridge that you take to get to the mainland. The manual said you should get assistance/service immediately – that sounded ominous. So, knowing that there was an Auto Zone not too far up the road on the other side of the bridge and that I happen to like Auto Zone, we went there.

A kind older employee came out with a tester, suspicious of the alternator and sure enough, the alternator was low – can’t remember how low, but basically it was not charging the battery. We asked how far we could get – back to condo? Call AAA? He said maybe 2-5 miles but the battery could die at any time.   Breaking down on the bridge going back to the condo would be BAD. It is only two lanes wide. And getting a tow truck and police to direct/divert traffic would have been crazy!!

We trusted him. So, I got on the phone with Enterprise (there were none close by) and reserved a full sized vehicle.  My daughter texted our mechanic back home with the alternator reading to see if we “were in trouble”. He texted back that we need to get a new alternator asap. So, I reserved a car and she started calling local repair shops that the Auto Zone folks said were nearby.

I heard back from the rental company in the closest town to us. We were too far for them to come get us and they had no cars that were big enough for all of us and our “stuff”. I was told to try the location in Jacksonville. In the meantime, a repair shop said they could work on the vehicle tomorrow and hopefully get it done by tomorrow evening. Sheesh. We had no way to get it there and no way to get a rental car.

Looking out my front door!

Then, out of the blue (love that expression), the older man said he had just called a shop two blocks down the road and they would be glad to work us in that afternoon. AND, they would be over $100 cheaper than the other place, could get the alternator right away and had a nice waiting area. So, we drove down there and sat in the waiting room.

During that time, I met all kinds of wonderful Christians – who knew?  (HE did). We got to spend lots of time talking about the Lord, how He had spared us from possible ‘on the road breakdown’, possibly getting hurt, being without a vehicle, saved us money and brought us to sit and be with some really wonderful people!

The kids were getting hungry and hence a little fussy. We didn’t know how long it would be as the shop was waiting on the alternator to get there. There was a little gas station grill a block down, but we weren’t sure if we wanted to go there. Just then, an older couple with whom we had been talking with were told their vehicle was ready. I was up at the counter checking on our status. The couple whispered to each other and then offered to take us anywhere we wanted to go to eat! WOW. The husband quoted some scripture about how we should do for one another.

Just at that moment, the shop manager came in and told me they would be done within 30 minutes. I thanked him and the couple for such a kind offer. Since we would be leaving soon, we would be okay. We talked some more about the Lord and then they left. What a blessing!

How often we find ourselves in a situation that seems overwhelming and we get anxious. I was that day. But soon, Father calmed my heart and then gave me so many opportunities to talk about Him with others. And the rest of that week and probably for a while, I am able to share this story with others.

Matthew 6:34    Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Psalm 34:4      I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.

Philippians 4:19    And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.

 

AMEN!

Frustration turned Blessing

Goldfinch Pair

Hi.  I haven’t posted here for a very long time.  But, in the last few weeks, I have gone through some amazing experiences with the Lord.  I want to share them with you!  So, here is the first one.

A couple of weeks ago, I had received a notice from the DMV that my driver’s license was up for renewal by the end of this year. From the experiences of others I know of waiting in long lines or months to make an appointment, I thought I should go online and make an appointment now. Of all the DMV offices within a 45 minute drive of my house, not a single one had an appointment this year (and it was August). I made a few feeble attempts to communicate with the assistants to the director of Motor Vehicles, but never got any reasonable explanation of why this is so. (Other than not enough people available to work)

At the same time as getting my driver’s license renewed, I decided to have it be a Real ID as well, so I looked up all the documentation you need for that. The one that was challenging was “proving a name change”. I had my marriage license to B which showed my previous marriage name changed to my current last name. I had my divorce certificate when my previous marriage  ended. And of course I had my birth certificate and all the other stuff one needed. I do not have a passport.

My family and I had decided to go  to the coast just before school went back in session.  I checked the several DMV offices down there as well just in case I could go then.  Alas, no such luck.

Two days before we were to leave, I checked the DMV offices down there again and lo and behold there was ONE available time slot on Monday at the Jacksonville office! That is only a 30 minute drive or so from the condo. I took the appointment.

The day of the appointment, I got up, drove, and got there at 10AM. (My appointment was at 10:15). I went straight up to the line by the registration desk and waited a few minutes for my turn. When I was called up, the clerk went over all my documents but said that I had nothing to prove my name change from my maiden name to the last name of my first marriage. I got upset and asked her what should I do? She went to go talk to a supervisor, but that was to no avail.

I was thinking to myself: Who knew when I could get another appointment and how do I get the proper documentation to prove the change from my maiden name?  If I could mail/request a copy of that marriage license and however long it took to receive that, I would have what I needed.  But how long would that take?   I was beside myself.

But wait! She said “you were married in Onslow county?”  We were.  She said that “the marriage license I had was a different one than is usually issued. And, most licenses show the maiden name on it. The Onslow county seat courthouse is right here in Jacksonville!” (and then I remembered that is where B and I got our license 27 years ago). I was nervous but hopeful that I would be able to get that. I am not comfortable anymore driving around places I do not know. She said she would hold my appointment spot and gave me a “ticket” that would be good through Wednesday!  She said “Don’t lose that!”

When I got outside, I called my daughter to see if she would bring me back to Jacksonville later that day (She was working and on a conference call). She had me hold on and said, “Mom, the courthouse is only 4 miles away from you…… I will talk you there.”

I drove to the courthouse, had to park a ways away and walked to the Register of Deeds office. No one was in line, so I was helped immediately. The lady looked up my marriage license from the one I already had. She said the one I had was the short form. When she looked up the long form, it had my maiden name on it! So, I filled out the request form she handed me, paid the $10 and she printed it out for me.

I went straight back to the DMV office, they gave me a number and after about a 10 minute wait, I was called back and got my temporary Real ID driver’s license.  The permanent one will come in the mail.  Needless to say, relief was showering over me.

I had planned so carefully, I had thought, to ensure that I had all the documentation I needed to accomplish this task.  And, when things don’t go as well as I THINK they should, I get anxious and to be honest, I was almost hysterical.  I know, that was a little of an over-reaction, but it’s what happens when I don’t stop and pray about something.

But then and now, I see why the Lord made an appointment open up for me in Jacksonville exactly when I would be able to go there. He knew I needed to go to that courthouse in order to get my Real ID.  Otherwise, had I gone somewhere else, I would have had to…. who knows what?

How awesome is our God???!!!!! 

Phillipians 4:6-7       ^“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.“

AMEN!

Watching the grandkids

PS.  I did have a good time at the beach!

Sunset over the Salt Marsh

Overlooking the Salt Marsh

 

If you click on a picture, it will open in another tab.

 

 

 

The Glory of Creation

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” 1:31 “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.“

My lovely flower bed by Mama Pine

Creation is beautiful.  Its complexity and diversity is amazing.  A single leaf contains millions of pores and the dynamic process of photosynthesis blows my mind.  By absorbing sunlight, they produce oxygen and sugars that then provide energy to all living creatures and sustain life.

Deep underground is the “wood wide web” which consists of networks of fungal organisms interacting or “talking” in a symbiotic relationship with the roots of the plants that appear above ground. This provides a network or means of chemical communication between the many organisms that dwell within that web.  Fascinating, aye?  If you are really curious, go to https://www.oneearth.org/welcome-to-the-wood-wide-web/

The mighty oak produces thousands of acorns a year which provide food for a multitude of creatures including birds, deer, squirrels, bears and even humans.  Of the many produced, a small percentage will germinate and grow into another mighty oak to produce even more acorns to continue sustaining hundreds of creatures through its generous bounty.

I love to talk about Creation.  Most of my awake time is spent outside in my yard.  I know I talk about my yard a lot, but if you have been keeping up with my posts, you know why.  It is a never-ending display of creation’s glory.

How adorable is this? (Taken a few weeks ago)

Today’s post is about the White-Tailed deer that visit each day.  A few weeks ago, this little one came out from the woods and was brave enough to stay for a few minutes before darting back into the woods.  Do be sure to click on photos to open up a large view in a new tab!

Browsing on the wild scuppernong grape vines that literally cover the edges of my woods, was a buck with his antlers growing pretty well.

Browsing amongst the grape vines.

Here two does are chowing down on some cracked corn that I put out for them.  I used to put it out just an hour or so before sunset.  However, they started coming as early as 5pm.  They will be standing in the woodyard waiting for me to come outside.  When I do, they STARE at me as if to say “Hey!  Where’s the food”?  Some of the does will back off a little ways while I carry the bucket out there; others leap away, white tail flagging, into the back woods.  As do many of the other animals, they always enjoy  a stop at the Mineral Lick.

Chow time

Mineral Lick-ing time

I did my best on this next shot to capture all the deer (one buck and three does) that were here at the same time.  The buck is the one in the right forefront.  They were all moving at different times, so it was a little difficult to get them all to stand still while I was photographing them!  Ha ha

(That is not a little fawn laying in the grass in the background.  My grandchildren have Siamese cats and the oldest one died of old age. We put a little deer ornament to mark its grave).

Job 12:7-10 “But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; And the birds of the air, and they will tell you; ⁸ Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; And the fish of the sea will explain to you. ⁹ Who among all these does not know That the hand of the Lord has done this, ¹⁰ In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?“

Psalm 50:10-11 “For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.“

And how much more so does He know and care for each of us?

For Jesus said in Matthew 6:26 – “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?”

Sweet Lord Jesus, thank you so very much for the beauty that you created to surround us each day with boundless blessings and love.  Teach us to be grateful for all you provide us.  Help us to remain focused on YOU and to look past the distractions of this world that the enemy loves to throw in our faces every day .  Remind us how truly dependent all of Creation is on You and how You created all of your creatures to co-exist in sweet and perfect harmony.  May Your Glory always shine through us in open witness of your bountiful Love.  Amen.

 

 

It’s the Little Things

I so enjoy sitting on my deck looking out onto my yard.  What a blessing to see so much activity with all the little animals that scurry about.  The squirrels chasing each other across the grass or up and down trees or digging in one of my flower pots looking for who knows what!  Do be sure to click on photos to open up a large view in a new tab!

Wonder what he’s up to?

The woodpeckers tapping, to each other or to define their territory or building a new nest.

Seriously constructing a nest.

 

 

 

 

 

The hawks flying from tree branch to tree branch only to suddenly land and grab up a snack or a meal.  I was surprised to see this one either warming up in the sunshine or drying itself off after getting wet.  I am not really sure…

Sunning or drying off?

Lately,  I have had the pleasure of the company of a little green Carolina anole.

My little friend

He and I have spent many a day and evening together on the deck.  Each morning I go out to sit with my cup of coffee and find him either already awake or “kinda”.

Kinda awake

 

 

 

If you zoom in you can see his little head sticking up behind the backrest on the chair.

Ready for bed under the tabletop.

 

Every evening around the same time he shows up somewhere by the chair or the little table next to it, finds his spot and turns in for the night.  I can’t even begin to describe how cute this little fellow is!

In this great big world of ours with all of its challenges and worries, I am in awe of all the little things My Father blesses me with.

My truck is old – 25 years old.  I have done my best to keep it clean and maintained and so far it has been good to me.  A few months ago after filling up, as is my habit, I pressed the trip meter in to reset it to zero.  I like to keep track of my gas mpg.  It didn’t work.  No reset.  Sigh.  Oh well, no big deal. It didn’t work any time since.

And then last week when I was driving home with a load of pruned branches from my daughter’s house to unload in the back of my yard, the “CHECK ENGINE” light came on.  Bigger sigh.  I know enough to have that checked.  So, I put out a Help! text to one of my friends if he could come when he had time with his gizmo computer code reader.  I was a little freaked out to be honest, but I put it in the Lord’s Hands.  Nothing better to do than that.  I like putting things in His Hands!

A couple days ago, I went to run a few short errands in the truck.  It needed gas and the whole journey would be under 5 miles.  I filled the tank up and (as I said earlier is my habit), I pushed the trip meter in.  It reset!  Whoa……   Nice.  Thank you, Lord!  I couldn’t help but notice the Check Engine light was still on.  Off I went to drop off a package at UPS, then on to the feed store to get cracked corn for the deer and sunflower seeds for the birds.  I needed to head home.

It was pleasant out, A/C was working, not much traffic and I would be home in time for lunch.  On the final leg of my journey under our “tunnel of trees” and about to turn onto my street, I looked down.  The Check Engine Light was O F F !!

Oh, Lord!  Tears come to my eyes right now.  I told my friend with the gizmo and he told me to hold on; let’s make sure there aren’t any “Pending Codes”.  What that meant I didn’t know until he explained.  Anyhoo, he came over, plugged in his gizmo and voila!  No OBD codes, pending or otherwise.  He gave me the green light.   Didn’t really need it; but he insisted on making sure the old truck was okay.  Good friend.

Yes, the little things.  Whether it is a gift of creation expressed in the little creatures you see each day or the answer to a prayer for a little problem, how grateful am I and should we all be for His gifts of “the little things”?

Baby Anole – about 2′ long on my friend’s Cosmo flower plant. He was hard to spot!

 

More photos of my yard coming soon ……

My wild little friends

Ahhh…. the beautiful Swallowtail butterfly!  In my front flower bed, the yellow and black varieties dance endlessly all over my Lantana.  Are they not breathtaking?

Yellow Swallowtail on Lantana

Black and Yellow sharing

 

 

 

 

Throughout the day, the different families of geese arrive.  They strip seeds off of the stalks of grass and forage amongst the scattered deer corn for leftovers the deer leave from the previous night.  From the two ponds in our neighborhood, we have four families.  Each pair returns every year and has between five to eight goslings.  With four adult pairs of adults, we can end up with up to forty geese in the neighborhood flock!!!  By the way, that is a LOT of goose poop!

One of the families of Canada Geese foraging

Odd bedfellows of the geese are these ducks.  On two different occasions, I have seen these two species in and amongst the flock.  I have never seen either before, so was surprised when there they were!  The Ancona was grazing with the geese.

Ancona duck hanging out with Canada geese

 

 

 

 

 

The  Muscovy on the other hand, was just under the bird feeders in front of my office window.  It was filling up on sunflower seeds.  That was interesting!  Its red warty face took me aback for a moment as I initially thought I was looking at a very small turkey vulture.  Nope.  I had to look it up to find out what sort of duck I was seeing!

Muscovy Duck grabbing a snack of sunflower seeds

I had to laugh the other day at this unlikely pair pecking around in that leftover deer corn.  Yes, that is a Bluejay with a Red-bellied Woodpecker.  Ha ha

Blue-Jay and Red-Bellied

And then, there are my little fawns.  I have only seen them three times this season and was excited when they darted into the field in the way back of the yard.  They were chasing each other and kicking their back legs into the air.  Such joy they were feeling!  And even more excited was I that I had my camera out on the deck with me!  Their spots are still quite visible, but I would imagine once they have shed their “baby” coats, the spots will be gone.

Young fawns

Later on two young bucks appeared looking for corn as well, but “too early my young ones” I hollered to them.  They decided to lick on my mineral/salt block and munch on some poke leaves.

Young bucks at the tree line

Enjoying the salt block

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had to laugh at this squirrel gnawing on and enjoying a large mushroom that popped up by the steps to my deck.  He devoured the stem then trotted off over to the woods.

Chowing on a mushroom

 

At night, there are other nocturnal critters that come to feed, visit or hangout.  These two green tree frogs are always on my deck, usually near the windows through which my inside lights shine. No doubt that light attracts bugs and the frogs sure do seem to know that.  One is on the window and the other to the upper right on the wall.

My little tree frogs out on my deck.

This opossum was pillaging the fallen sunflower seed under my bird feeders the other night.  I heard a noise and when I turned on the yard light, there it was.  I grabbed my camera and started taking pictures.  Odd looking, though cute at the same time.

Hungry Possum

And there you have it.  The latest snapshots of the little sanctuary in my back yard.

I have to admit that I (like most of us) have been having some difficult times.  Darkness can descend without a hint of warning and envelop me.  Thankfully, it is lifted before it weighs me down and carries me into a deep abyss.  (I know that abyss quite well).

He who loves me and cares so deeply for me lifts me up.  He gives me constant reminders of how blessed I am.  He showers me (sometimes literally) from Above with endless streams of joyful moments that lift and swell my heart beyond fullness.

Oh, let us all rejoice in the God who loves us SO deeply.  He who became one of us and suffered as we all may or do.  He who died a horrible death to save us from ourselves.

Our Father, who art in Heaven, we glorify YOU.

AMEN

 

PS.  For a more enjoyable experience, I always set my photos to open a large version in a new tab whenever you click on one.  (:^)

 

And still they come

It has been an exciting adventure this last month for me in my yard.  Ha ha.  As if that will ever change.  Well, anything can change in this world of ours, I know.  Father knows that more than any of us since He is the Creator and Author of change.

Pileated woodpecker in my woodyard

I have had many a visitor over the past weeks, some old friends and some never seen before.  This male pileated woodpecker was so vibrant and busy trying to find however many tasty morsels he could on one of my pines in the woodyard.  They are quite boisterous not only in their calls but their drumming echoes quite a distance.  They are always a welcome sight whenever they come back to visit me.  They average 18 inches long with a wingspan of up to 29 inches.  They do make quite an impression when they fly.

Sharing

I always feed my birds and one tasty treat is suet.  I love watching the various species come to get a bite.  Here is a Carolina Wren and Carolina Chickadee sharing a meal.

A female Downy Woodpecker and her clan frequent all of my feeders but sure do love the suet.  They are so cute, about 6 inches or so long.  They are very similar in appearance to the Hairy Woodpecker which is larger – as long as 10 inches.

Lil Downy getting its turn

Nuthatch

And then, a sweet White Breasted Nuthatch mom came to feed her little ones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While a Red-bellied Woodpecker was having a snack, a little Chickadee tried  to grab a morsel.

 

 

Of course, I have to mention my hawks.  The fledglings only stayed around here for a week or so.  Then they slowly made their way to the woods behind the pond across the street.

I can hear them every day and once in a while, one of them comes here and fusses, looking for a handout from one of its parents or flying down to the ground to grab an earthworm or grub it spied.  Here is one of the parents who is no doubt trying to find something to feed one of its kids.

It was here the other day, scurrying about in the grass, finding all kinds of worms and bugs.

Yesterday a young hawk landed in the yard not too far from my deck.  It still has its young plumage  and it’s just so stunning .  Look how regal it stands .

I watched as it searched the ground for goodies and here it is chowing down on a worm.

Today, I watched several crows land by where I had put out some scraps left from cooking veggies this week.  As they were strutting around and digging through the “scrap pile”, that young hawk swooped with talons outstretched and scared them off. 

They scattered. As you can see, not too far off.  Here are two in a pine branch in the woodyard.  They look like they are very attached to each other.  So sweet.

Then the hawk dive-bombed them and took the branch for himself.  This continued for over a half an hour.  Then, I went back inside.

This is MY branch, MY tree!

A very unusual visitor came a week or so ago.  Instead of soaring the thermals, a Turkey Vulture was walking around out by the barn.  I saw it from my kitchen window and ran to get my camera and out onto the deck.  I wasn’t sure what it was until it turned its head towards me.  They are a lot bigger up close and in person.  They can be 2.5 feet long with a wingspan of almost six feet!  He walked all over my back yard as I followed him with my camera. I wondered if it was injured or if something very dead was in my yard.  Then as I walked around the woodshed, I saw him flying over the barn and the house and up into the sky. 

Never a dull moment around here.  I don’t have to leave my house or turn on the TV to find something to watch or do.

Every day when I wake up, I am grateful.  It all humbles me that Father gifted me this yard, these sweet creatures, these beautiful moments.  It is bringing tears to my eyes as I am typing this.

So as long as I am alive and able to live here, I will look and watch and wait for my little friends to visit.  And still they come.  Every day.

Heavenly Father, how kind and loving and compassionate You are!  May all who reads these words be blessed by You right now.