Thankful Sunday--June 26, 2016

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I am thankful for safe havens.

As you may know, West Virginia has been suffering from torrential rains and flash floods over the last couple of days. Twenty-six people have died. Forty-four counties have been declared disaster areas.

My Facebook page has been filled with pictures from friends with washed out roads and washed away houses. One friend was desperate to get to his injured mother who had to wait all night in an ambulance because of flooded and washed out roads. Another was praying for the survival of a friend who was washed down a storm drain. It has been difficult to see the devastation to areas that are so familiar to me.

However, amongst all of the chaos, I am thankful that my mother has been in safe haven. The facility where she lives is on top of a hill and remains high and dry. Also, staff have been able to make it to work to help with those who need daily care. So while I am praying for all who suffer from these devastating floods, I am thankful that my mother is in safe haven.

A Second Look--June 22, 2016

Well, you know what they say about best laid plans. Well, actually I don't remember what they say about them although I did a post about that. But I do know that this morning that I was going to take some pictures of the several kinds of new flowers that were blooming but decided to wait until the evening when the light was better. That didn't work out. We have had bands of heavy rain and storms since early afternoon and they are supposed to continue into night. In fact I was held at work for extra time waiting for a storm to pass. That particular storm broke a window in our building. It was kind of exciting and kind of scary.

Anyway, this all means that I don't have many pictures this week. But here are a few things I saw this week during a Second Look.

This chipmunk has only recently discovered the seed droppings from the bird feeder. It's been a year or more since we've seen any chipmunks although they have been plentiful in the past.

That means the squirrels are getting some new competition.

We are slowly getting more hummingbird visitors.

A couple of times, we have gotten two of them at the feeder at once.

More baby birds hatched this week. As I approach the box, I can hear the babies cheeping away. However, they are quiet and still when I get close or touch the box. Good survival instincts.

We also saw a baby fawn this week. (This group was about 100 yards away. Too far for my camera to get a good picture.)

Better than I thought

Recent harvest from Uncle Billy's garden

Ward's recent surgery has him on a special diet--basically easy to digest food. I thought we could handle what was needed for a few days without getting anything special from the store, but it didn't work out as planned. First we asked about a piece of toast? Nope. We only had whole grain bread. How about some pasta or noodles boiled in broth? Nope. We only had whole grain pasta. How about some cooked veggies from the freezer? Nope. The freezer only had broccoli, mixed veggies, and Brussels sprouts.  Fresh strawberries? Nope. Too many seeds. Fresh blueberries? Nope. Skins and seeds.

Also a visit to Uncle Billy's garden today yielded some very nice vegetables but didn't increase Ward's menu choices. Red cabbage? Nope. Broccoli? Nope Lettuce? Nope. Peas? Nope.

Despite all of this, Ward is not starving. He's feasting on bananas, egg noodles, carrots, applesauce, and chicken. Hopefully, a visit to the doctor later this week will give the go ahead to add most things back.

So this whole process got me thinking. While we have our fair share of junk food, our everyday eating habits are really not that bad. That was a revelation to me because I only noticed the cookies and chips we have sometimes instead of the good food we have most days. Without realizing it, I was focusing on the negative instead of the positive. Do you ever let your negative thoughts take over with out realizing it?

Thankful Sunday--June 19, 2016

I am thankful for Fathers.

I come from a long line of fathers.* I have my own father who is very missed. Behind him I have a grandfather who observed from afar and one I never met. And one whom I only discovered recently through DNA.

My own father was a dedicated, rough and tumble dad who set good examples of hard work and integrity. The grandfather I knew was quiet with his own set of problems he never quite figured out how to handle.  My other two grandfathers died before I was born but one was reported to be mean and the other was reported to be generous when times were tough, but was always on the move.

For these fathers and all who came before them, I am thankful for they helped make up the mosaic I am today.

Happy Father's Day!

*Get it? That's my attempt at mild humor. :)

We're Home

After a successful surgery, Ward is home now. 

Thanks to everyone for their positive thoughts and messages. As you know, they really do make a difference.

After I rest up a bit, I'll talk with you again.