A good day

Red Amaryllis

UGH. . .I had such a good day. . .well, actually a couple of good days, but today was particularly nice.
I love spring, it always puts me in a good mood. Which of course is mainly due to all my new baby plants popping up through the soil and the old friends who're putting on new growth. It's good to see everyone after the winter.


Got a few new plants from different places. It's always entertaining to go to the garden department (at any store), but it's even more so when you realize that EVERYBODY ELSE has the same idea! Lol. . .spring fever.

Pineapple Sage

Lavender, Kitty, and Bromeliad

Bird feeder  from Russ and Lana

Anyways, took a few pics of my plants and yard to share. . .The Pineapple Sage is so cool. It actually smells like pineapple when you rub the leaves! The lavender I picked up at Wal-Mart the other day, and the kitty is actually a watering can that my brother Russ and his wife Lana sent me for Christmas (which consequently did not arrive until March!). They also sent me the adorable little bird feeder which the sparrows and warblers adore!

Leya, my niece!

They think that I really needed gifts for Christmas, but they got me the best one when they had little Leya back in September! Isn't she adorable! :)

The next section includes pics of my adventure with my parents on our trip to Lake Panasoffkee to pick up some new Murcott trees for dad's grove.

UH, YUM!! :)

We first went to The Speckled Butterbean in Webster, which is located on the grounds of the flea market there. GOOD FOOD, if you like homegrown southern style.


 

Then, we wandered (because it was twelve o'clock and we weren't due at the nursery until 1:30p). I love wandering with mom. We always have the best adventures. Dad on the other hand, he has a hard time not having a particular destination in mind. Drives him crazy! :)

We still ended up getting to the nursery early, but they were more than willing to accommodate us (and do what southerners do best, trade stories). So, while he did that, mom and I sat in the car. . .and waited. We get in so much trouble when you leave us alone like that!

Fox Squirrel

Anyways, on the way back home I managed to catch this shot of a fox squirrel and one of the Phlox that line the highway (mom's request).

Phlox along the road

Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord!

Praise the Lord! Psalm 150:6

Holy Week Prayer Stations

So I haven't taken any pictures. I know. . .you're saying, then why would I bother to read this. . .blogs are all about the pictures you share!
Well tough cookies. . .I don't have any. . .
Anyways, I've been having a good couple of days. . .had Youth Sunday this past weekend. . .that was fun, but a lot of work. The kids always pull through and do a great job, which just amps up their good exposure to the church congregation. . .

Bags of sin at the cross

Holy Week is coming up, and we've decided to do prayer stations again this year. . .now there's where I could throw you a bone and put some pictures in. . .however, they're old, taken about four years ago. . .but, I'll allow them.

Holy Communion

Prayer Braids

Caring for our community

Good Graffiti

 So here's how they work. . .
we set up the Fellowship Hall, a Sunday School classroom, the chapel, and the sanctuary with different interactive stations. Each participant carries along a booklet that tell them about each station. This includes scripture, a brief devotional, instructions on the station activity, and a prayer. Participants slowly move from station to station, taking as much time as they'd like. The stations in the Fellowship Hall are all pretty generic and touch mainly on personal prayer and faith. The stations after that all follow the Life and Death and Resurrection of Christ. Hence the name "journey through Holy Week". Included among these are a foot-washing station and the Last Supper, or Holy Communion.

Danny, Richard, and I spend a month ahead of time coming up with station ideas, putting together the booklet, and making sure we have enough supplies (mainly white candles). Then the Tuesday before we spend about eight hours getting everything put together and set up. . .lots of fun.
Well, that's the main thing on my plate. . .beside two Sunday's of worship and then four services during Holy Week. Lol.

Developments

Ok. . .I can officially let the word out. . .I went for a job interview today.
I didn't get the job. I had already decided that I wasn't going to take it, even if it had been offered to me.
I have a feeling that it would have been. Oh well.

It was for a digital media specialist at Hyde Park United Methodist Church in Tampa, FL. That's right, Tampa, which is according to my calculations 1 1/2 hours from my house.

You ask, what's the big deal, move to Tampa, or even Lakeland (which is the in between city).
Put it simply, I don't want to. I don't want to move further away from my family, I don't want to move out of my house. Well really my yard. Just the thought of leaving my yard and all my plants slightly breaks my heart.
And I know it's fully possible for me to move to somewhere else and have a yard full of other new plants. . .I didn't say that all of my reasoning was rational! :)
My more rational reasons are that I don't feel like I can move too far away from my mom and her situation, both health and business wise. 

But anyways. . .mom and I drove down to scope out the location and how to get there this past Saturday.  In the process of spending all the extra gas and miles on the car, we also decided to make a day of it and head down to Ft. Desoto park in St. Petersburg.


Mom checking out the museum

Ibis bathing in the freshwater well

We've always loved that park. Mom and Dad used to take us there camping during the summer. It's also a great place to see migrating and shore birds.

We stopped at a new little museum that they've built to mimic an army barrack from the turn of the century, first.  It had a ton of information (almost too much), but it was still very interesting. Outside the museum there was a little fresh water well which had attracted all kinds of birds.

Shoreline plants

Mom "tilting"

Willet in the surf

We then made our way down to the fishing pier. This is where I captured shots of the shore life, including sea oats and all kinds of birds.
The Willet picture is one of my favorites, and it's a total accident. Well an accident in the sense of I was holding the camera and taking pictures the way that you do when you can barely see because it's so bright out. Well, anyways, I loved it once I saw it.

We also checked out a few hiking areas, although mom really couldn't go onto any of the trails, we still took the time to look for birds.

Saw a few interesting warblers, but mainly it was just a very beautiful day to be outside!

Lots to make up for. . .

Ugh. . .so sorry it has taken this long for me to sit down and write something. It hasn’t even been that busy around here. I just haven’t had the oomph to write anything. 

Not to say that I haven’t been doing anything. 

There was the Pancake dinner three weeks ago. Then there was the Ash Wednesday Service two weeks ago. Then mom, Julie, and I attended a festival the Saturday after that. Add that all up and throw in the bi-annual Rummage Sale at church and you get a general idea of why I haven’t felt much like writing.

So, here’s some pics.

 Btw, the festival we went to was the Great Southern Cracker Roadshow and was sponsored by the Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway. There were eco-tourism hikes and boat rides during the morning hours, and then the festival followed at the Pioneer Arts Settlement in Barberville, FL. All in all, it was a lot of fun!