A Pretty Pink Hodgepodge

 

Some days we wonder if life can get any crazier.  With cities being taken over by anarchists, valued landmarks and statues being torn down and desecrated, children getting shot and killed on the streets, people still getting sick and dying from a foreign virus, and states and businesses remaining shut down after almost four months, we wonder what is happening to our country.

And yet, we still see and hear of miracles of grace and mercy taking place all around us.  There are still acts of kindness and forgiveness; love and acceptance; healing and salvation taking place in people's lives every day.

God desires to manifest Himself to us in things present.  It is my desire to see Him.

Thank you Joyce for bringing us this mid-week gathering to reflect and think about good things all around us.  Join us at this link:

From This Side of the Pond  

 

1. This time last year where were you?

We were home.  We had just gotten back from a two-week trip to Indiana for our granddaughter's high school graduation.

Exactly one year ago today, I posted a photo summary of that trip and you can see it HERE.  It was such a great, enjoyable trip full of beautiful things to do and see.

2. In honor of National Pink Day (June 23rd) tell us your favorite pink food or beverage.

Can we count watermelon as pink for the sake of this question?

Was it on the menu at your house yesterday?

Watermelon is on the menu most every day during the summer at our house.  In fact, I was eating some at midnight.

Do you like to wear the color pink?

No, my skin tone is much too yellow to wear pink.

If we came to visit would we find this color in your home decor?

You would find it only in paintings that I have done.

Blush-fuschia-salmon-raspberry-your favorite shade of pink?

It would be raspberry.

3. Stop and smell the roses, looking through rose colored glasses, a rose by any other name, not all moonlight and roses, no rose without a thorn...which rosy saying currently fits your life in some way? Explain.

"Not all moonlight and roses" would most likely fit my life right now.  Some times it's more like peas and cornbread, or humid and weeds.  For us, daily life is much more down-to-earth and comfortable.  After being married almost 56 years, we no longer require moonlight and roses, although when that happens it is sweeter than ever.

4. Are you a 'reader'?

Yes, I am a reader to some extent. I enjoy reading but I don't devour a book while chomping at the bits to read the next one.

Do you tend to read lighter books in the summer months?

I do not consciously read lighter books in the summer although I have read a couple sweet, light love stories lately.

Do you have a summer reading list? If so, give us a title or two.

 No, unless you consider all the many, many books in Kindle waiting to be read, a list.

5. Share with us one rose and one thorn from your weekend.

The rose was getting to see our daughter, her husband and our youngest granddaughter when they came through from Dallas on their way to Florida on Friday.  They left sweet Sophie (dog) for me to babysit.  They have rented a large house on the water in Seabrook and are enjoying all 4 girls and 2 sons-in-law.

Another rose was a phone call from our son and his family, wishing Dick Happy Father's Day.  Their singing renditions are something else.

Sunday night we realized our air conditioner had gone out.  It got hot really fast and before we knew it, it was 85 degrees in the house.  Thankfully, Dick braved the hot attic and knew what to do to fix the problem and we had cool air in short order.  But, this is not the time of year, you want to be without AC in the south.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

As mentioned earlier, our daughter and her whole family are vacationing in Seabrook, FL this week.  When the girls were younger, this used to be their family vacation destination every year.

What a blessing it is for Christy and Chuck to have all their girls and now two sons-in-law together on the beach again.

A Lovely Summery Hodgepodge

In Louisiana, the Egret is a commonly seen bird, especially in the waterways.

Some friends took a boat ride this past Sunday on Cross Lake, and captured this beautiful bird in flight.  Now this is Louisiana!

Thank you Joyce for this week's questions.  Join us HERE to see how others have answered them.

1. Saturday marks the first official day of summer! Whoohoo! Your favorite thing about the season?

This is not an easy question to answer because summer is not my favorite season.  I like neither the heat nor the humidity here in Louisiana.  I definitely don't like the mosquitoes.  So, what do I like?  

Hummm.

I do like the pretty flowers and the green grass in my yard and those yards around me, and watching the birds play. 

We had the best time watching this male Cardinal bathe and splash in the water of our fountain.

 Right now I suppose my favorite thing would be the early morning water aerobic classes I am going to at our club house three days a week.  The water, exercise and fellowship with other ladies is the highlight.

2. Love it!, labor of love, not for love or money, no love lost, love handles, love does, love-hate relationship, misery loves company, tough love, love will find a way...pick one and tell us how it applies to your life right now.

"LOVE DOES..."

Our son is part of a men's Bible Study that meets once a week.  This past week he led the study and since it was on Zoom, I was able to sit out of the camera range and listen to the discussion.  His topic was "What About Love?"

He did a great job by the way, and there are some extremely wise, theologians in that group.

John concluded the discussion with these 8 topics.  Good to think about.

1.  I must confess my lack of love as sin

2.  I must count on the fact that, in Christ, I died to the sin of unlove

3.  I must choose to love that person

4.  I must trust God to do what I cannot do

5.  I must pray that person into my heart

6.  I must earnestly seek to change my attitude toward that person

7.  I may need to go see that person

8.  I must plan positive behavior

3. What's one thing currently causing you to seethe?

Stupidity, stupidity, stupidity

One thing currently making you smile?

That there are some wise, thoughtful folks who are truly seeking to make a GOOD difference in our country right now.

4. Of the following to-dos found on a summer checklist (here) which three would definitely make your personal list of summer want-to-dos?

roast marshmallows over a fire, go berry or peach picking, dangle your feet off the end of a dock, sit on a porch swing, watch the sunset from a beach, nap in a hammock, go barefoot in the grass, collect seashells, play tennis, go fishing, build a sandcastle, catch fireflies, eat a soft serve ice cream cone, make a pitcher of Sangria, swim in a lake, stargaze, ride a bike, paddle a canoe or kayak, make a summer road trip, throw a frisbee

Definitely make a summer road trip.

If that road trip could be back to Mackinaw Island, then it would also include a bike ride, and afterward a cone of soft ice cream.

Do you make an actual list?

No

5. Thursday is National Splurge Day. What might you splurge on in order to celebrate?

A trip back to Mackinaw Island?

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Today, Tuesday, is the birthday of the mother of these grown, precious grandchildren.

I could not have asked for a better daughter-in-love than 

Michelle.  She is a wonderful, loving wife to our son and the best mother our grandchildren could have.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MICHELLE!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, JOHN

We love you BOTH.

Saturday 9: The Cowsills

Welcome to Saturday 9.  We post 9 questions every Saturday. Usually they follow a theme based on a song from the past.

The Rain, the Park and Other Things

Saturday 9: The Rain, The Park, and Other Things (1967)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) The Cowsills were a family band who had three hit singles. Can you name another group of popular singing siblings?

The Carpenters and more recently the Jonas Brothers

2) This was their first hit, and it reached #2 on the Billboard charts. It was kept out of the #1 slot by the Monkees and "Daydream Believer." What's your favorite Monkees song?

Would it be rude to say I don't have one?

3) After seeing the Cowsill brothers perform with their mother and sister, TV producers were inspired to create the sitcom, The Partridge Family. Did you ever watch it?

Yes, we did watch it some but it was never a family favorite.

4) In the song, the narrator takes a flower from a girl in the park. Are there flowers in your home right now?

Yes, there are fresh flowers on my dining table.

5) He isn't sure if the girl was real, or if he dreamed her. Tell us about a recent dream you had.

I had a nightmare that something had happened to my son.  Thankfully, it was only a dream.

6) At the height of the Cowsills' popularity, they were hired by the American Dairy Association to promote drinking milk. If we were to peek into your refrigerator right now, would we find any milk?

You would find both Chocolate and White Almond Milk

7) After the band stopped performing together, John Cowsill went on to become a back up musician for the Beach Boys. His job has kept him on the road much of the time. When you travel, do you enjoy staying in hotels, or would you rather stay with friends/family?

Is this a trick question?

When we travel to see family/friends, then that is where we want to stay.

When we travel for traveling's sake, then we want to stay in a hotel.

8)  In 1967, the year this song was popular, Elvis married Priscilla in Las Vegas. Have you attended any weddings yet this year? Are there any weddings in your future?

There haven't been many publicly attended weddings so far this year due to the quarantine, so I have not been to one.  We do have a big wedding to look forward to in October when our grandson gets married.  We can hardly wait.

9) Random question: Are the bottoms of your feet ticklish?

Now this is indeed a random question.  No, they really aren't ticklish and certainly not to the extreme that they can't be touched.

It's A Beautiful Hodgepodge

After missing last week's Hodgepodge, it is good to be back today.

Thank you Joyce for giving us thoughtful questions each week.

1. Last thing you said yes to? Did you regret it?

I said "yes" to babysitting our granddog Sophie, while our daughter and all her family of 8 spend a week in Florida a few days from now.  It was a quick and easy answer for me.  Sophie is the sweetest little one-eyed doggie you will ever meet and she loves me.  Yes was a very easy answer, and I feel sure I will not regret it.

2. No big deal, no contest, no dice, no hard feelings, no ifs ands or buts, no kidding, no offense, no pain no gain, no way...choose one and tell us how it applies to your life currently.

Several of these could apply to some aspect of my life right now.  The "no big deal" could relate to the fact I have withdrawn from Facebook for a while.  It really has been no big deal and I really haven't missed it.

No way will I ever take a knee to another human being.  The fact that this seems to be the current expectation by some, and acceptable by others, is abhorant to me.  This could also be "no ifs ands or buts."  Not going to happen.

3. Thursday June 11th is National Making Life Beautiful Day...in this strange season how are you adding beauty to your days/life?

Every day holds its own beauty.  There is beauty in nature all around me and I enjoy being part of it.  On Monday I posted a blog of examples of God's wonderful world around me.  (See it HERE. )

We added the beauty of two of our granddaughters recently.

Thinking on the things of God and His Word bring beauty to my life and days.  Being able to spend each day with my life partner is a beautiful thing.

We enjoyed the overnight company of long-time friends this week.  They brought beauty to our lives.

And on and on.  I choose to find something beautiful in each and every day.

4. According to an article found here, these six foods taste better in June than at any other time of the year-strawberries, asparagus, peas, peaches, beets, and garlic. How many of these have you tasted so far this month? Anything on the list you'd say 'no thank you' to trying? Rearrange the list starting with your favorite (1) to your least favorite (6).

1.  Asparagus - I have had it multiple times so far this month.

2.  Peaches

3 Garlic - at least a bit of this seasoning goes on much of what I cook - especially asparagus

4.  Strawberries

5. Peas - I haven't had any so far this month but think I will cook some purple hull peas for dinner tonight.

6.  Beets - this is my least favorite but had some on a salad recently.
5. Describe your current mood in three words.

Relaxed, refreshed, eager

6. Insert your own random thought here.

As mentioned earlier, we got to spend time with Granddaughters 1 and 2 last weekend.  Chandler and Brad stopped by on their way going and coming from celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary in Orange Beach.  Love those two so much.

Cassidy came by her self and spent a couple nights with us.  While here she wanted to create something for her new apartment.  So this is what she did.

She has such a great eye for color and very discriminating tastes.

She had never painted before but had an idea of what she wanted to achieve.  I think she did so well and can't wait to see how she uses them

My daughter-in-law had sent me a picture of a breakfast she had made consisting of "frazzled" eggs and "blistered" tomatoes.

Nothing would do but that Cassidy and I do our frazzling and blistering.  We did add a veggie burger on the toast which was a very nice addition.  Next time, we will mash the avocado and use it as a dressing on the toast.  But, it was not only tasty and filling but pretty.

Now, go and add something beautiful to your day.

Nature Speaks

It is a very hot Saturday afternoon where I live with the heat index soaring over 100 degrees.  Thankfully tropical storm Christobal which is on a direct path to our state, is creating a slight breeze.  When you read this, it may or may not have already hit the gulf coast and no doubt has or will be causing torrential rains along the Mississippi Delta.  We on the west side of the state probably won't see much.

So, what to do on a slightly breezy, very hot afternoon when a storm is brewing?

You take pictures of beautiful things growing in and near your abode of isolation.

This will be picture overload so feel free to scan until your eye finds something upon which it desires to rest.

 

 

 

I love to do studies of how light and shadow play on textures.

The following are examples of how light affects the coloration in large rocks.

Rocks “have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world” (Ps. 19:3, 4, NIV).

What message do these silent words carry?

"The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."

Psalm 18:2

“There is none holy like the Lord; there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God."

1 Samuel 2:2

“For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?"

2 Samuel 22:32

“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug."

Isaiah 51:1

"The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation—"

Psalm 18:46

"He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken."

Psalm 62:2