Rest for Some

Today I decided to take a long walk instead of taking a nap.  I love a Sunday afternoon nap, but it was so beautiful outside that I had to get out.  And the sights weren't bad either...

Our confused little cherry tree... it has lost its leaves, but is blooming again.  Even in the midst of winter, if there is a little warm spell it starts blooming again, yet it still  blooms in the spring when it is supposed to.

Losing the top....

A neighbor's flowers nodding off to winter...

A walk down the street....

But "somebody" was taking an afternoon nap... well, he was (with his head lying on the doggie bed) until I held my camera up.
I only took 92 pictures on my walk...

More "Critters"

I'm not a fan of spiders nor am I really afraid of them, but lately I seem to be seeing bigger, more unusual spiders than I've ever seen before.

This one sat on the "arm" of the Polaris (pool cleaner) for days and I think was already dead, but because of the size, I didn't get very close to take this picture so glad for a zoom lens!

This piece of equipment is about the size of my hand, so you have an idea of the size of the "critter"...  Yes, frost can be a good thing.

Random Summer Snippets

 It was a wonderful summer!!!  And for me, went way too fast...

How is it that we can go to the same place every summer at pretty much the same time, do the same things, and yet always have SO much fun?!  Making memories is something that I am so thankful for!

Whether it's mountains or sea, we are so blessed to live where we can experience both quite easily...

and we have lots of pool fun...

and see "growth" every year (what happened to those babies???!!!!)

But all good things must come to an end.....

So out come the sweatshirts, raincoats, gloves, etc. for another round of making fall memories...

Time For Quiet Rest

Mark 6:31 "Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."

This wall hanging (on the right side) has on it,  "Come with Me to a quiet place.  Mark 6:31"
It hangs on the wall of our mountain home (where we were last week)... where we (and others) have made many memories.

And it was the theme last weekend at our church's annual women's retreat (which I missed for the first time in many years) that my daughter attended. (NewEveryAM.blogspot.com)
When she called to tell me about her weekend, I was sitting on the sofa looking at this wallhanging...  with my Bible laying on the table in front of me, next to my unfinished Bible study...

Yes, Lord, I hear You.

Which One Are You?

I "borrowed" (with permission) this post from my new friend, Sandra at thistlecovefarms because it was so convicting to me...

Is Your Life Difficult?

 ~ carrots, egg, cup of coffee ~ 

It seems one day, a young woman went to her mother and told her how difficult her life was and how she, desperately, wanted to give up. The girl just didn't know how she was going to face today, much less tomorrow. The struggles and the fight were so great, she seemed so defenseless and new problems arose more quickly than old problems could be solved; or so it seemed. She was tired, exhausted in fact, and wanted to give up.

Her mother carefully listened then took her daughter into the kitchen. The mother filled three pots with water, put each pot over high heat and when the pots came to a boil, she placed in one carrots, in the second pot she placed an egg and in the last pot she placed ground coffee. For about fifteen minutes she let the pots boil, all the while listening to her daughter's tales of woe.

When she turned off the burners, she placed the carrots in a bowl, the egg in another bowl and the coffee in a third bowl. She looked at her daughter, "what do you see?" she asked.  The daughter looked askance at her mother and in a tight, small voice she replied, "carrots, egg and coffee."

Her mother asked her daughter to feel the carrots and when the daughter poked at the carrots, she said they were soft and mushy. Then, the daughter took the egg, tapped it on the counter and peeled the egg, noticing it had become hard boiled. The mother asked her daughter to sip the coffee and the daughter obliged her mother and said, "it's delicious but what does all this mean?"

The girl's mother explained how the carrots, the egg and the coffee grounds had all faced the same adversity: boiling water but each reacted differently. The raw carrots were hard and un-bendable without breaking but the boiling water softened them and they became weak. The fragile egg had been protected by its thick outer shell but the boiling water hardened the inside of the egg and made the shell fragile. The ground coffee reacted differently. After a while in the boiling water, it was the water that changed into a fragrant, aromatic beverage.

The mother looked at her daughter. "Are you a carrot, an egg or coffee grounds? When adversity knocks at your door, do you respond as the carrot? It seemed strong but, when faced with adversity, the carrot became soft and lost its strength. Are you the egg? The egg starts with a gentle inside, a malleable heart if you will, but with the boiling water, the egg became hard on the inside. Oh, it still looked much the same on the outside but on the inside it's hard and tough. The coffee grounds didn't change as much as they changed their surroundings. They became better, not bitter, in adversity and changed their surroundings."

How do you handle adversity? When times are difficult...and they will become if they haven't already... how do you respond? When your situation becomes overwhelming...and it will if it hasn't already... how will you respond? Where do you go, to whom do you turn when life is bleak and dark? I turn to Jesus but you knew that already, didn't you? -smile- If it weren't for Him, I'd have stayed in bed this morning. If you'd like to talk about Him, e-mail me and we'll talk; there's no better friend than Jesus.

Red Is In!

God is drenching the mountains with fall color!!!!

And red is "in" this year!!
Everywhere the reds are popping!

Deep, brilliant reds....

Orange-reds....

Looking more opulent because of the contrast of the greens & yellows...

Delicate and stunning...

Red has always been my favorite color (for anything), and this year it is taking center stage!

View From My Front Porch

Photo untouched...

'Nuff said.

True Love

There is just something really special between these two...
It's evident in the smiles...
And in the hug...

But this is just the "tip of the iceberg"...
When these two "play" it can go on for so long that I wonder how either of them has the energy to endure.  Whether they are in the pool together, or wrestling on the floor, or chasing each other down the upstairs hallway with swords, or playing a game on the floor, or putting together Lego's, or playing the Wii, or enjoying a snack together... they are having SO much fun!

I thank God for this special relationship and all the memories He has given both of them (and me, too as I get to "observe" these two that I love so much.)

Fall Is Here!

Yes, it really is here!  After a long very hot summer the nip is finally in the air, the trees are showing God's handiwork, and it's time to pull out the warmer clothes.

If I can't swim.... might as well enjoy all this beauty!

What is your favorite thing about autumn?