Fertilizer Friday and SkyWatch Friday

Friday already, although it must have seemed a long time coming to you folks who are working away to make this world go around properly.  I salute you, and appreciate you....as I do all the veterans of all of the armed forces.  Please take a few minutes to think of them during this long weekend...none came back unchanged.

FERTILIZER FRIDAY:

One small section of our yards that we don't mess with - God did a great job on it and it doesn't need our help -

And here is our very very small sugar snap pea crop - I think there may be three or four edible pods there.  Oh well.  It is still so much fun to watch them grow!

SKYWATCH FRIDAY:

Looks like a Michelin Man monster : ) - right arm stretched out, left arm covered up a bit, big black holes for eyes...

Have a wonderful weekend.  Thank you veterans. Peace.  B : )

ABC Wednesday - F is for Follies - Follies Pottay - so if you don't think you can find animal bodily functions amusing, don't read any further

Almost every morning, at around 4:00, I walk the dogs.  Almost every morning I about die laughing.  I find my dogs very funny, as you probably do too if you have pets.  Mine, however, seem to have some very laughable potty habits, you should pardon the expression.  I guess you'd have to know me to understand my sense of humor, but basically, I try to find good and humor in everything.  One of my favorite philosophies is that it's all good, even dog poo because it means (a) you have a dog and (b) you can afford to feed it.  So here goes:

The first, and biggest star of the show is Jeff

It appears that Jeffie is predominantly left handed.  Something I found out early on, but the other dogs never seem to learn.  So when all the dogs are lining up to christen or smell a pole or tree, they are expecting Jeff to do what most dogs do and lift his right leg.  However, Jeffie being left handed most of the time, the other dogs get squirted on, and shake their heads and try to run away screaming like little girls, but that's hard to do on leashes.  Maybe he does it on purpose; I don't know.  When Jeff poos, that becomes a major celebration for him.  He hops up and down and tries to run (if he's in the yard, he does run) and just generally shows how excited he is to be so relieved.

The medium sized Follies Pottay star is Ricky

Here in SW Florida, most roads are bordered in ditches, which we lovingly called swales, since they are part of the water management system.  In our neighborhood we do not have sidewalks - there is the road, a little tiny patch of grass, and then the swale starts to descend.  Some are very deep, some are quite shallow.  Most dogs, especially very hairy ones like the furry terrier would swing their butts around and poo downhill - nice and clean and easy.  Not Ricky.  Ricky has never done that.  He always poos uphill, head hanging over the abyss and tail end squished up the hill.  Not so easy and often not so clean.  I carry paper towels with me on our walks : )  I have to laugh every time though, he's so silly.

And then the newest member of the troupe, CiCi

Evidently Miss Ci was a circus performer before she came to us.  When her Foster Mother brought her to our home so we could all meet and she could see that we were OK people to adopt, Ci first went to a patch of grass by the mailbox, right out of the car.  Her Foster Mom said, "Oh my God, you have to see this.  You won't believe it!".  CiCi had to pee, so she picked up her hind legs, stood on her front legs, and peed while standing on her hands.  Honest.  She does it about half the time.  I can't get a picture of it because I never know when she's going to do it again and can't get the camera ready that fast.  As if that weren't funny enough, the poor thing is absolutely paranoid about passing gas...and I don't mean burping...she does that proudly, and loudly.  When it happens, if she's on a leash, she jumps up in the air, spins around, runs into the other two dogs, keeps looking at her butt and tries to get away.  You wouldn't believe it, and it's incredibly funny!  If it happens at home while she's lying around she'll suddenly launch from a reclining position into the air, spinning, jumping, running, and looking at her butt.  It's just totally amazing!  Whoever heard of anything like that?

So that's the Follies Pottay.  God gets to hear me laugh a whole lot because I always say my prayers while I'm walking the dogs, and they get interrupted quite often.  Good thing he understands : )  

To participate in ABC Wednesday yourself, please click on the button to the right.  Peace and good humor to you. B : )

SkyWatch Friday - can't do just one

Sorry for posting so many pix, but this is like a series.  Here's the story:  God, Mother Nature, whomever you believe in, opened a bottle of champagne.  The bubbles are getting closer and closer until they appear to hit my lens.  Can you see it??

Thanks for indulging my strange imagination.  If you'd care to join in on the SkyWatch fun, just click on the button to the right.  Merry Christmas.  Peace.  B : )

ABC Wednesday - brought to you by the letter V

In my life the letter V would have to represent Victor, my husband, since he has filled my life for 18 1/2 years now - he has made it better, he has made it fuller, he has made it more fun, he has given me children I didn't have to birth, and now a grandchild, and a whole host of siblings and aunts and uncles and best of all, a Mother and Father.  No, he's not perfect - who is, but God?  But life has sure been better with him than without.  Thank you, Victor (and God).

And, as an added bonus, there are Lincoln and Jeffie.  Peace.  B : )  Click on the alphabet button to the right to join in.

NON-BELIEVER ALERT - if you are offended by the belief in God, don't read any further.

Letter from Jesus about Christmas


It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season. How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that let Me go on. If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn If all My followers did that there wouldn't be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten that one, look up John 15: 1 - 8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it:

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing the President complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up... It will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.

5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don't know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile; it could make the difference.

7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn't make so much money on that day they'd close and let their employees spend the day at home with their families.

8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary-- especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name.

9. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don't know them, buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.

10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.

Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I'll take care of all the rest. Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I'll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love and remember :

I LOVE YOU,

JESUS

Ruby Tuesday - giving thanks

If you'd like to share in Ruby Tuesday, please click on the button with the same name, over to the right>>>>>>>>


Yesterday I was reading one of the papercrafting blogs I read every day, and they were having a contest.  To enter to win, you had to leave a comment saying what was the NUMBER ONE, TOP OF THE LIST THING FOR WHICH YOU WERE GRATEFUL.  I said, that was easy, God....because He was responsible for all the others on the list.  That sure does shorten the list because mine is quite long since I've learned to be thankful for everything, good, bad, ugly, indifferent, everything, because it's all  good in it's own way, and it's all good in how I perceive it.  When I walk the dogs at 4 in the morning, I say my prayers.  I'm easily distracted, so my prayers are interspersed with just random thoughts, but I figure God doesn't mind - he and I have a very informal type relationship.  Today I was thinking about an old boss who used to call me an enigma.  We won't get into that long story today, but I was also thinking how somewhere in my 50's I finally realized that other people had opinions.  Strange, I know, but....that led me to thinking about how some of my opinions are set in stone and I can't see why others even question them.  Such as - which came first, the chicken or the egg?  Well, that's simple to me - the chicken, because God made animals, he didn't make eggs....at least
that's what I was taught and what I believe.  Creationism and evolution?  No question to me - God made everything, and then everything slowly evolved.  What's so hard about that?  Sorry, if I have offended anyone.  As I now know, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, some of them are very interesting and informative, but I have a few rock solid ones that don't change, you're invited to visit them, but you don't have to believe them. 

That was the scenic route to today's thought - this guy with his head on the red pillow is definitely one of my favorite gifts from God.  That's my crazy, clumsy, goofy, lovable Jeffie.  See that crate behind him?  There is another one stacked on top of that.  The pillow was in the top crate.  I guess Jeff decided he would like to lie on that pillow in that patch of sun, so he did.  And I'm grateful, for it all.  Like ripples in water - it spreads out.  I'm grateful for Jeffie, and the red pillow, and the patch of sun, and the pretty room in the nice house in the quaint town in the lovely state in the wonderful country in the interesting world in the amazing solar system, made by God.

Have a great day.  Care to share your thankful thoughts with me?  Leave comments, I love to read them.  Peace.  B : )

Shadow Shot Sunday - she has a shaggy shadow

CiCi and I went for a nature walk along the Venetian Waterway Park

Out of all the terrier mixes on the internet, I picked CiCi partly because of what they wrote about her.  One thing was that you could forget about her hair/fur because as soon as you were all done spending time on it, she would just shake and it would all go back to what it was before.  Ricky, the other furry terrier, has the exact same trait.  I guess it just resonated with me and oh thank you God am I glad it did cause she's such a trip!  I am so very happy she came to live with us.  Have a wonderful Sunday and if you'd like to participate in Shadow Shot Sunday, no matter how hard it is to say, it's easy to play - just click on the button to the right.  Peace. B : )