summer summer summer

Then followed that beautiful season... Summer....
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart. ~Celia Thaxter

are you satisfied?

Reach out to Jesus

this old hymn came to mind this morning ... just sharing it ... i don't know who wrote it, but it sure is comforting ...

Reach out to Jesus

Is your burden heavy as you bear it all alone?
Does the road you travel harbour danger yet unknown?
Are you growing weary in the struggle of it all?
Jesus will help you when on His name you call.

Refrain

He is always there hearing every prayer, faithful and true.
Walking by our side in His love we hide all the day through.
When you get discouraged just remember what to do,
Reach out to Jesus He's reaching out to you.

Is the life you're living filled with sorrow and despair?
Does the future press you with it's worry and it's care?
Are you tired and friendless, have you almost lost your way?
Jesus will help you, just come to Him today.

yard sale

one of the things i couldn't do when i worked - was go to yard sales - since they are all on weekends ...

well last weekend i was able to indulge for the first time in years!!! but do you think i could find one??? well, after wandering around town, i stumbled on one right in front of my nose and right across the street!!!

this weekend, i thought i'd take my bike - just so i could expand my search further, and go faster!!!

when i left home, i did notice a yard sale that was only 5 houses from our place, but i didn't want to go to that one ... i "sort of" know these folks and i don't want to get too friendly because they like to "pop in" ... having a husband with chronic pain means that he doesn't do well with "pop in" visitors ... so i went for a lengthy bike ride, but alas couldn't find any other sales ... i mentally gave in and said, "ok Lord, i'll go see what they have ... " ...

of course that is where i found a plate for my eclectic dinnerware collection (the theme is english countrysides or other pastural pics) ... the lady of the house even went into her own cupboard to get this plate for me ... it cost a dollar ... and made me happy ...

i found the picture on it priceless ... a woman at rest, by the water - with an angel poised above ...

i guess i was meant to stop there ... and by doing that, it was me who ended up being blessed!

that was my saturday highlight ... *smile* ...

to do list

i have a to do list on my fridge ... but as you can see, i don't have a single thing ticked off of it yet!

oh dear ... i am falling behind! .... *grin* ....

a week in pics

my first week off went by so quickly that i barely had time to blog about it! so i thought i'd post a few visuals ... click on the pic to make them larger ...


i spent a lovely day in the city, visiting family ... on the way back the clouds were amazing! “Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds — his name is the LORD— and rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.” (Psalm 68:4-5)

my brother came for a weekend visit ... it was great to veg out and not worry about the time ... we even went for a walk in the evening ...

leo hasn't been well enough to go fishing in the past 2 years ... and i LOVE fish ... so one of our buddies came over with 5 walleye for me!!!!! YUM ... i'm glad leo hadn't forgotten how to fillet them ... boy was i ready for a good walleye feed!!!

the roses are blooming in my little flower garden ... they are delicate and lovely ... tho' quite short lived ... only 4-5 days ...

there was a double rainbow last night ... it was beautiful and i tried to capture it - but it was so magnificent and grand that only a portion fit in my little digi ... reminded me of how i sometimes try to put God in a box ... but He is so HUGE and fills every space ... i'm so GLAD He is MORE then i could ever imagine!

and this is how my little flower garden looks today ...

i have ridden my bike ... done some shopping ... gone to a garage sale and farmers' market ... just thoroughly enjoyed ... my one sadness is the way Leo feels ... but i keep praying about that and keep praying that his spirit remains upbeat ... God knows ... and God cares ...

the Strength of the Lord

my first week and weekend off ...

pic taken from the front deck, here at condo central ... thank you Lord for finding us this home! and the panorama that unfolds before us every morning ... views we didn't even realize we had until we moved in!

thank you Lord for the time i've been able to spend with family ... for the bike rides ... weeding of flower beds ... and being around for Leo ... thank you Lord!!!

and summer doesn't even officially start until the 21st!

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

praise Him, all creatures here below;

praise Him above, ye heavenly host;

praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.Amen.

Goodbye Ruth ... we shall meet over on the otherside

i'm thinking that there was rejoicing in heaven, as ruth went to be with her Lord ...

through the years, she was an example to me of what a Godly woman was ... how she lived ... treated her family ... and the grace she showed even in the spotlight of that media glare ...

i've read many of ruth's books ... even my little style of the "three dots" inbetween thoughts, i borrowed from her ...

she would have made an inspirational blogger ... and charmingly witty as well ... but MOST important, her love for Jesus shown through in all she penned and in the way she lived that "celebrity" life ... humbly, before the Lord, giving Him the glory ...

enjoy the moment

i'm babysitting my aunt's china rose (hibiscus) for the summer ... it loves the window area i've placed it in - in fact it has taken over a large portion of our dining room view! leo says i can't keep it ... *grin* ...


what i have found so interesting about the lovely flowers this plant produces - is how quickly they come - and go - ... i mean you could pretty well blink and the blooms have dropped off and died ... that's only a slight exaggeration!


when you capture the flower in full bloom - it is breathtakingly lovely ...


but you must pay attention ... otherwise, the blossom just withers and falls - it's loveliness never to be gazed on again ...


it seems the Lord has been bringing flowers and the brevity of their life - to my notice ... especially in the last 2 years ... i seem to notice their beauty more ... and also the lack of effort they require ... they would still blossom and sway smilingly in the wind, even if no one noticed but the birds of the air ...


take time .... take time ... to notice what is around you ... enjoy the moment ... and give all the praise and glory to God ...

good-bye salt mines ...

today was the last time i drove past this little creek to get to the office ... it was a happy/sad type feeling ... during the past few days at work, my buds have taken me out to lunch every day, hosted a lovely little party, given me gifts and complimented me to no end ... so why leave? because it is time ...

i took the following pics today ... which i wanted to share with you guys ...

i am thankful that the Lord showed His kindness towards me by making the salt mines i toiled in, such a pleasant place!

rain rain rain

it was a rainy day in the park ... these are scenes from the office, taken today ... i was wondering, do you think the salt mines were shedding a few tears 'cause i won't be working there anymore? a bit of whimsy on my part ...

we all know there is a time and a season for everything ...

monday musings ...

during our 3 weeks of almost constant rain, this poor hanging basket of mine was just drowning! its' flowers love sunshine and there was no sunshine to be had ... i wondered if the weather beaten blooms would ever pick up .. but as soon as the sun came out, the flowers perked up and started to reach for the warmth ...

isn't that kind of like us? ... we get beaten down by life's problems ... almost drown in the misery of a valley experience ... yet - everything has an end ... and a beginning too ... once we hike out of that valley and perch on the mountain top, we have a better vantage point of the journey we just completed ... then we can rest for abit and just bask in the SONshine of God's blessings ...

nature always has a way of making me "see" God ... and i think that's what He intended ...

today as my husband battled another bout with fever, as well as the usual yuckies of chronic pain - i wondered what good can ever come out of this situation? i don't have the answer to that ... yet ... but i do trust that one day our lives will blossom in ways i cannot see now ... i have faith the SON will not forget us ...

~~~~~~~~

We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. ~He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. 2 Corinthians 1:8-11

my picture and verse for the day ...