|
|
Hello Sweet Friends!
We had a glorious weekend of warm days. Oh, how I enjoyed it. Cut down some perennials that were bare of seeds and others that have no seeds the birds are interested in. We still have our mums shining bright yellow in various massed areas of the front yard. They spread so quickly. They are a considered a "heritage mum."
I will look forward to any warm day we can grab during the dreary Winter time. I expect to have some beautiful warm and sunny days every month of Winter! Our lowest temp so far has been 30 so it's not so bad.
November is a wonderful month to reflect on blessings ... things and people you are thankful for. Each of you hold a place on that list for me. You've been an encouragement and some of you have offered up many a prayer for my health. I treasure that love and those thoughts deep within my heart.
 |
Butterfly Bench In Shop
View Enlarged Image |
November is a wonderful month to reflect on blessings ... things and people you are thankful for. Each of you hold a place on that list for me. You've been an encouragement and some of you have offered up many a prayer for my health. I treasure that love and those thoughts deep within my heart.
Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you for journeying with me at "The Nature In Us."
Speaking of friends, many of you will remember when we received the steel Butterfly Bench made by a friend. We went to Charleston, SC to meet friends for a long weekend: Charlie and Louise from Alabama, and another couple, Robin and Steve from Atlanta. We were all friends and had a grand weekend [photos of downtown Charleston, SC and nearby areas]. Our favorite place was Cypress Gardens in Moncks Corner, SC.
 |
Butterfly Bench From Charlie with Bluebird Sitting on Wing,
Symbolic of Bluebird Cove, The Name of Our Wildlife Habitat View Enlarged Image |
Well, the meal was so good we went back the next day for lunch and afterwards did stroll down to touch and feel the beautiful butterfly bench. Charlie, our friend, suggested I take photos of the bench.
He had made us a steel gong and some signs for our wildlife habitat but I just knew this was not within his abilities. He's never done anything "artsy," but I took the photos because I wanted to have them too.
He had made us a steel gong and some signs for our wildlife habitat but I just knew this was not within his abilities. He's never done anything "artsy," but I took the photos because I wanted to have them too.
Hey! Never doubt the inspiration of the Holy Spirit! Even his wife didn't think he could do it, but he made one that looked just like it, although mine is larger and has a big solid steel base to it, so it's not walking anywhere. Compare the photos. I love that he added antennae to my bench.
 |
Garden Hose Holder Made By Charlie
View Enlarged Image |
He always asks if there's something he can make and this year we'd mentioned that we haven't been able to find a garden hose holder that works with the cheap plastic they're making them out of. We didn't want one attached to the wall of the house either, so the ones we tried Randal returned. There was a heavy-duty one for almost $200 that would probably do well, but I refuse to consider putting that much into something to hold a hose!
So, Charlie arrived for his usual 5-day visit with a creation of his own made from a wheel he cut in two and then welded to some other steel to make it larger since we have quite a bit of hose to put on it. I love it.
Steel is so easy to maintain with spray paint and definitely isn't going to blow away or deteriorate in our lifetime. I consider it a cool creation and a unique design made just for us. God is so good. Charlie stays plugged into the Lord, so we are continually amazed at what he can do through Him.
Steel is so easy to maintain with spray paint and definitely isn't going to blow away or deteriorate in our lifetime. I consider it a cool creation and a unique design made just for us. God is so good. Charlie stays plugged into the Lord, so we are continually amazed at what he can do through Him.
 |
| © Donna L. Watkins Baby Tree Frog View Enlarged Image |
 |
| © Donna L. Watkins - Baby Tree Frog View Enlarged Image |
Back in October I went out to the deck and found a tiny tree frog on the post cap. He had just come out of the pond the day before most likely since he still had a bit of a pointed end on his rear where the tail was.
I laid a dime down beside it and the dime was bigger as you can see. I wonder where this little baby is wintering over. I am already longing for Springtime!
I sure would appreciate your prayers for a stray kitty that's been visiting our yard to have a home. It's the first stray we've seen in the 12 years we've been here. It's still rather young and quite skinny as you can see looking at the backbone.
Beautiful face and gorgeous eyes. Looks rather healthy for a stray so I imagine somebody just dropped it off at the shopping center that is behind us on the other side of our woods. So sad!
 |
| Stray Kitty at Our Bird Feeder Pray We Will Find Her A Home |
She's been doing well, other than seemingly weakened kidneys, so we continually pray healing over her for that. She drinks a lot of water and that's good, but urinates a lot also. Common problem for older cats, but for us, that doesn't mean we have to accept it.
Squeek would appreciate a prayer from you also. She loves to lie on the Word (Bible) above all other books. It's quite interesting to me. There's so much communicated in ways other than speaking, which is why we have the Holy Spirit. However, it seems animals are more in tune with this unseen realm than most of us.
The holidays are coming up and people's lives seem to go mad. I thought when the economy bottomed out years ago that we'd see less cars on the road and certainly less shopping during the holidays, but it seems that has not been so. I guess when so many folks use "plastic" to buy rather than real money the mind doesn't mentally catch up with it all. Although we keep it real simple for the holidays (no shopping or huge menus). I do enjoy the stillness that seems to surround us as the rest of the world goes into hyper gear.
I liked this article I posted last year entitled, "Have a Holiday Revolution." It gives you a totally different possibility for celebrating the holidays. If you've had a loved one depart for heaven this year, you will find comfort in this: First Christmas in Heaven. You may want to share the link with somebody else to give them some comfort.
We tend to relate to holidays as we did as a child. There are a lot of emotions surrounding holidays and especially Christmas. It's a very lonely time when circumstances leave us "Alone For The Holidays" Maybe some suggestions from that article can prevent those feelings of deep despair, depression and discouragement.
Our pets need some extra consideration and care during this time of year to prevent anything horrible from happening. Here's some "Do's and Don't For Pets During The Holidays."
 |
| Murphy, Our Niece's Dog, Doesn't Seem Crazy About Christmas |
I have some friends I exchange "donations" with for Christmas. We each pick a few favorite charities and email each other what they are and then we each get to choose from them and make a donation in honor of each other. It's a fun and very gratifying experience! I get all my Christmas shopping done within an hour in December.
Many folks have told me that they've brought this up and also had willing and ready people to stop the madness of Christmas. Even if people weren't interested in totally giving up the gifts, you could limit the purchased gifts to one within the family group, rather than everybody buying a gift for everybody.
Rather than getting another ugly tie, more toiletries, or yet another pair of bedroom slippers, they decided on an amount to spend per gift and then made a Wish List at Amazon.com. Even if you don't buy it there, you can choose items you'd like to have and it's easy and free to use that feature of the website. You can find a lot of things under the price of $10. Nobody needs to increase their debt. Bring back the old-fashioned focus of Christmas ... CHRIST! It's a time to give to the less fortunate, not a time to fill our already full houses with more toys.
Thanks to the warmer weekend, I did more outdoor painting. Finished the lamp post and light, mailbox and three coats of burgundy paint on our front door. I painted our metal frog black in the backyard. It was green, but once I get started I have a hard time stopping. I'm so grateful to be able to do any little thing that sometimes I get carried away. I may have been seriously ill for only a seemingly short time considering the severity of the heart issue, but I believe I will be forever grateful for every health advantage and ability I have.
I thought my thyroid was healed, but it was hopeful thinking. I'm on my way there, but My Thyroid Isn't Healed Yet. I'm learning and growing every day as I spend time in the Word. The Word is alive and active. Its works to change us as we sow its seeds into our heart. I want to hear God's voice more clearly. I want to know His love with a deeper and deeper revelation of it.
When asked which was the greatest commandment, Jesus replied in Matthew 22:37-40, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Love is the foundation of all life and God is love. When Adam and Eve sinned and handed over dominion of this world to Satan, most of us would've said, "That's it! Back to square one." But God loved them too much. I wonder how many months or years God had walked and talked with them in the Garden.
Did you notice God didn't stop talking with them? Some will say that God can't look on sin or fellowship with us if we're in sin. God wouldn't have anybody to look at if that were true. Even when Cain killed Abel, God came to him asking about his brother. He lied (another sin) but God even gave him a mark on his forehead so he wouldn't be killed. He even said that whoever killed Cain would suffer vengeance seven times over (read Genesis 4). That's not the God most preachers preach about.
No matter how old we are, we still learn more and more about ourselves if we seek to understand the why and how of our identity outside of Christ. The article below, "Do You Believe Life Is Tough?" has been something the Holy Spirit has been working out in me. I've already received emails from others who had an "awakening" about themselves after reading it. God is ever faithful to bring forth fruit as we sow the Word into our hearts.
Thank you for your encouraging emails! You are a treasure to my spirit and healing balm to my soul.
Did you notice God didn't stop talking with them? Some will say that God can't look on sin or fellowship with us if we're in sin. God wouldn't have anybody to look at if that were true. Even when Cain killed Abel, God came to him asking about his brother. He lied (another sin) but God even gave him a mark on his forehead so he wouldn't be killed. He even said that whoever killed Cain would suffer vengeance seven times over (read Genesis 4). That's not the God most preachers preach about. No matter how old we are, we still learn more and more about ourselves if we seek to understand the why and how of our identity outside of Christ. The article below, "Do You Believe Life Is Tough?" has been something the Holy Spirit has been working out in me. I've already received emails from others who had an "awakening" about themselves after reading it. God is ever faithful to bring forth fruit as we sow the Word into our hearts.
Thank you for your encouraging emails! You are a treasure to my spirit and healing balm to my soul.
Love, Hugs and Oodles of Blessings,
Donna
P.S. Know somebody who needs to see something in this newsletter?
Send them the link to the website: www.TheNatureInUs.com.
|
|
View Posts By Topic
Do You Believe Life Is Tough? (DLW)
Don't Focus on The Devil's Work
Debunking Myths and Misconceptions about Dogs
Water Can Make Your Yard Irresistible To Birds
Meditating Day and Night
The Bats and the Bees - Our Food Supply
Williamsburg, VA - Waller Mill Park (DLW)
Newsletter - 11/1/12 (DLW)
My Thyroid Isn't Healed Yet (DLW)
Previous Posts You May Have Missed
Sponsored by The Herbs Place - Wholesale Prices Always
The photo(s) and article are copyrighted. You may use either of them if you include the following credit and active link back to this website: © 2012 Donna L. Watkins - This article was reprinted with permission from TheNatureInUs.com. The link to use is: www.TheNatureInUs.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment